In a dark cavern deep below the surface of my city, all the normal things like malls and schools and offices and libraries, aliens thrived. This came as a shock to me when I first looked out over the gray-brown sludge, but by that point I could assimilate anything.

{This is where we live,} the Yeerk told me, turning my eyes towards the pool. {Isn't it beautiful.}

{It looks like an entree I'd find in the school cafeteria,} I answered, {so no, not particularly.}

{Your Earth planet is beautiful, Taylor. Ours is not. Ours is like this. Can you blame us for wanting to see your sky, your oceans, your trees, with our own eyes?}

{You mean with our eyes,} I pointed out. {Such a shallow reason to invade a planet. You say you want to crush worlds to admire a flower. It doesn't make sense.}

{You should understand,} he said angrily. {You were willing to sacrifice anything to be beautiful. We are willing to sacrifice anything to see beauty.}

{No. You want to sacrifice anyone else to be powerful. This isn't about beauty. You want to wipe out our planet, not nurture it and write gardening books about how to take care of it.}

He laughed. {Where did you hear that we want to wipe out your planet? From alien sci-fi movies? Coincidentally, you're right. We always butcher the planets we take over.}

{Why?}

{Because we are not beautiful. Nothing else should be, either.} I noted the bitterness in his voice. He poked at my thoughts. {You understand, don't you? Worse yet, you agree. If you were not pretty you would kill all the pretty things yourself.} He chuckled.

Quietly, I asked, {Most of the humans down here are in cages or doing something useful. Why are some watching TV?}

{The ones who are doing something useful are infested, like you. The ones who are in cages are temporarily free – we have to feed every three days, so their Yeerks are in the pool. The ones who are watching TV are voluntary hosts. They want us in their heads. They have seen that we are more powerful than they are, smarter than they are, more capable than they are. They don't care if we take over this planet. Which are you going to be, Taylor?} He paused. {As if I didn't know.}

{I don't have any loyalties to anyone, now. I've been betrayed by everyone.}

I heard him smirk in my head, but he did not comment. {Well. Continuing. Anything else you'd like to know?}

{What are those dinosaur-like things? And the centipedes?}

{Host bodies from other worlds we've conquered. They're the Hork-Bajir and the Taxxons, respectively. Most Hork-Bajir are involuntary and most Taxxons are voluntary.}

I considered. {What are you going to do now?}

{I must find Sub-visser Twenty and Visser Eight. Meeting Visser Eight will be interesting for you. His host Aximili is an Andalite – a very interesting host body.}

{If they both have former Animorph host bodies, why are their ranks so different?}

{Unofficially? Because Visser Eight snatches all the glory from Sub-visser Twenty's accomplishments. In addition, he's slightly more ruthless and his host knows much about Andalite technology, as well. And, finally, because Yeerk empire loves the concept of defeated Andalites and calls attention to them wherever possible. There are only two, you know.}

{Who's the other one?}

{Visser Three. Not that he'll be Visser Three for long. He's lined up for promotion to Visser Two very soon.}

{Is his host one of the Animorphs?}

He laughed. {No. His host is the very first Andalite ever to be captured. You may see him, too – but pray that you don't.}

I began to feel dread welling up inside me. The reality of where I stood hit me; I was underground in a chamber from which aliens were taking over Earth. And I would never escape, even if I wanted to.

But did I want to?

{Xanos 208.}

My body spun at the harsh voice behind me. The Yeerk directed my eyes to the creature that had spoken. It was not like the Hork-Bajir or the Taxxons; it was entirely different. Blue skin; four legs; a centaur meshed with a scorpion; two antennae swinging at the top of its head, with two eyes perched on them. Two green eyes like gems stared at me from its face. Horrified and fascinated, I stared.

{Your host bears quite a resemblance to one of the remaining Animorphs,} the creature commented. {And I understand that this body is morph-capable as well?}

"Yes, Visser Eight," my Yeerk said in a respectful, almost servile voice. "Speaking of Rachel Berenson, you have been informed that I am assigned to work with you, I assume."

{Yes.} Visser Eight turned and began to trot slowly towards one of the doors embedded in the rock. {Follow me.}

I felt my legs began to move and was still a little surprised that I had no control over their actions.

{Sub-visser twenty is waiting in here,} he told Xanos. {We have been working on a little bit of new technology, combining principles behind the famed Escafil Device with glorious Yeerk intelligence.}

{Escafil device?} I asked my Yeerk.

{The box you lost,} he responded in a quick, clipped tone. Speaking to the visser again, he asked, "What does this instrument do?"

One of the stalk eyes swiveled to look at me. {It will find any creature that touches it, based on the DNA pattern.}

{How does that help us?} I demanded of Xanos. {If Rachel got down here to touch it in the first place, wouldn't she already be captured?}

{He'll explain in a moment, I'm sure. Your first lesson, Taylor: Never question vissers. In the best case you'll be humiliated. In the worst case you'll be killed.}

The Andalite punched a long number in the keypad next to the door. It slid open, revealing a short Hispanic boy a year or two younger than I was.

"Xanos 208," he greeted us calmly.

"Sub-visser twenty," Xanos acknowledged.

Visser Eight indicated a small pyramid on a table. One side was black; the other two sides were like computer screens, displaying numbers and words that made no sense to me. {We're still perfecting it, Xanos; it will be done in less than a week.}

"While I'm honored to be involved with this project, I don't understand how I can be of help to you."

The Andalite sighed telepathically and turned to face me – or Xanos, more accurately. {We need Rachel Berenson's DNA. I understand that you have it.}

There was a slight pause. "Ah. I understand now. Yes, I have it."

{You do?} I asked, puzzled. {What do you mean?}

{You acquired it, Taylor. We can morph her at any time. And once we touch that pyramid, the computer will lock on the real Rachel's location.} He laughed. "Your plan is genius, Visser," he said through my mouth. Sub-visser twenty looked disgruntled.

{Yes,} Visser Eight said proudly. {In a matter of days, I will be in the Council of Thirteen.}