Chapter 19
Unfortunately, by the time we had always acquired the fish, the first choppers were approaching.
{Guys. I hear choppers.} Tobias said from above. {They are kind of early.}
"Uh oh." Jake said. "We need to hide."
"Where?" Cassie asked. We all started to look around to go somewhere.
"Over there." I said as I pointed to a little cave that had brambles covering the entrance. It looked small, but big enough to get in. I grabbed the bomb and hurled it in the lake. It stayed underwater, so I couldn't see it. Good.
"Let's go." Jake said. We all walked over to the little cave. I pushed my way through the brambles. I was cut up pretty badly, but I would be morphing soon and they would be healed. The others were close behind me.
We were all closed in the little cramped cave.
"Why do we get all the bad rooms at the hotel. I mean, we are saving the world here." Marco complained. How typical.
"Settle down, we need to do something soon. The yeerks will be here any minute now, and they will probably check out this cave." Jake said. Just then, Tobias flew in through the brambles, just barely making it through without losing some feathers.
{Okay, the troops are all here, and they are really searching through now. We need to do something.} Tobias urged.
"I am thinking." Jake said.
Then, Cassie piped up. "I know, those fish are small enough for you to carry, right, Tobias?"
{Umm, I think so.} he answered, a little surprised.
"We can morph, one at a time, then Tobias can carry us up into the ship." We all stared at her in disbelief.
"You go first." Marco said.
"Wimp." Rachel muttered under her breath.
Jake shook his head. "I will go first." He said. He was trying to keep cassie from doing it first. But Cassie still wanted to go first.
"It's Okay, I can morph the fastest, and I can keep control of the instincts better. I will go first." She said. Immediately her skin turned shiny as the scale patterns formed all over her body. It was hard to tell exactly what they were because it was fairly dark in the cave. But I could see her form shrink and her limbs change into fins. She continued to shrink until she was the fish.
{Air, Can't breathe.} she said.
"Demorph, Cassie. We can morph little things and get out of here." Jake said with concern in his voice.
{No, Just take me to the lake, Tobias.}
Tobias picked her up in his talons and flew out the bush with her.
{AAAH!} I heard Cassie scream, then nothing else.
{Cassie?} Tobias called. Nothing. {Cassie?} still nothing.
I could see Jake hold his head in his hands. He was probably feeling pretty bad right then.
Then I heard, {wow, is it ever cool down here.} Cassie said from the lake. {these eyes are kind of cool. I can't see anything above the water line though. Come on, it will be fine.} Jake's head went right back up.
{Okay, who's next?} Tobias asked as he flew in the cave. {and have someone ready when I get back next time, the place is swarming with park rangers. The hork bajir aren't here yet, but they will be soon, and they seem to really be into the whole 'check the place out' really bad today.}
"Okay." Jake said, "Time to get moving."
{I'm ready.} Whitney said. She was already morphed to fish by the time we were done arguing. Tobias grabbed her and flew off with her. Then Marco started to morph.
"Might as well be gone before they come to catch the rest of you." He said, right before he lost the ability o use his mouth.
{Wow, it is nice.} I heard Whitney say. {Where's the bomb?}
{I am still looking for it.} Cassie answered.
Tobias flew in again just in time to pick up Marco. He didn't even stop. Jake was next, then me, then Rachel.
I felt my skin turn hard and slimy as I morphed. I gained gills early, so I had a hard time breathing the entire time through. I was completely in morph for a minute before Tobias picked me up.
{Can't breathe!} I gasped. {Tobias, Hurry up.}
{I'm coming.} he said.
I was beginning to lose concentration when I felt sharp talons grab me by the mid-section. Then I felt more claws tugging. Looking back on it, they were probably the brambles. But at the time, I couldn't concentrate on anything.
Just as I was about to slip into subconsciousness, I felt the cool water over my body. I stood there for a second in shock when I realized I still couldn't breathe. What was wrong? Was the lack of air for so long impairing my ability to breathe? I panicked and flicked my tail and swam. Suddenly I could breathe. I thought about what I knew about fish. And now that I was fully aware, I remembered that oxygen rich water had to be flowing through my gills to take in the oxygen. I continued swimming.
It wasn't long until I could focus on the aspects of the underwater environment. The cloudy water through the fish eyes was like e looking bare eyeballed through a chlorinated pool. Kind of blurry, but still able to distinguish fairly detailed shapes.
{Hey, guys, Can anyone find that bomb?} I asked the other fishes.
{Not yet.} Jake answered. {Where did you throw it?}
{I just chucked it really far, generally aiming towards the middle of the lake. I didn't even get close, though.}
{Well ,we need to split up.} Cassie suggested. {We will find it quicker.}
{How about we just ask Tobias to tell us where it is?} Whitney said. It was simple, why didn't I think of it. {Tobias, could you please tell us where it is, with those laser scope eyes of yours?}
{Just a minute, I have run into some troubles.} oh no, what could happen.
{Is Rachel safe?} Marco asked.
{Not yet. There is a hork bajir blocking my way.} Tobias answered.
{Just..... fly......past him!} Rachel said urgently. {Can't breathe.}
Tobias did, because a few seconds later a fish plopped down in the water not too far away from me. {Okay, I have to go.} Tobias said.
{Why?} someone asked.
{He's here, and they are shooting at anything and everything. I can't stick around.} he didn't have to tell us who he was. He was Visser three, and if he didn't want Tobias in the air, he would have his way. {I am going to hide on the cliff until the ship arrives, I will do what I can from there.
I smiled in my head. Let's get this party started.
Unfortunately, by the time we had always acquired the fish, the first choppers were approaching.
{Guys. I hear choppers.} Tobias said from above. {They are kind of early.}
"Uh oh." Jake said. "We need to hide."
"Where?" Cassie asked. We all started to look around to go somewhere.
"Over there." I said as I pointed to a little cave that had brambles covering the entrance. It looked small, but big enough to get in. I grabbed the bomb and hurled it in the lake. It stayed underwater, so I couldn't see it. Good.
"Let's go." Jake said. We all walked over to the little cave. I pushed my way through the brambles. I was cut up pretty badly, but I would be morphing soon and they would be healed. The others were close behind me.
We were all closed in the little cramped cave.
"Why do we get all the bad rooms at the hotel. I mean, we are saving the world here." Marco complained. How typical.
"Settle down, we need to do something soon. The yeerks will be here any minute now, and they will probably check out this cave." Jake said. Just then, Tobias flew in through the brambles, just barely making it through without losing some feathers.
{Okay, the troops are all here, and they are really searching through now. We need to do something.} Tobias urged.
"I am thinking." Jake said.
Then, Cassie piped up. "I know, those fish are small enough for you to carry, right, Tobias?"
{Umm, I think so.} he answered, a little surprised.
"We can morph, one at a time, then Tobias can carry us up into the ship." We all stared at her in disbelief.
"You go first." Marco said.
"Wimp." Rachel muttered under her breath.
Jake shook his head. "I will go first." He said. He was trying to keep cassie from doing it first. But Cassie still wanted to go first.
"It's Okay, I can morph the fastest, and I can keep control of the instincts better. I will go first." She said. Immediately her skin turned shiny as the scale patterns formed all over her body. It was hard to tell exactly what they were because it was fairly dark in the cave. But I could see her form shrink and her limbs change into fins. She continued to shrink until she was the fish.
{Air, Can't breathe.} she said.
"Demorph, Cassie. We can morph little things and get out of here." Jake said with concern in his voice.
{No, Just take me to the lake, Tobias.}
Tobias picked her up in his talons and flew out the bush with her.
{AAAH!} I heard Cassie scream, then nothing else.
{Cassie?} Tobias called. Nothing. {Cassie?} still nothing.
I could see Jake hold his head in his hands. He was probably feeling pretty bad right then.
Then I heard, {wow, is it ever cool down here.} Cassie said from the lake. {these eyes are kind of cool. I can't see anything above the water line though. Come on, it will be fine.} Jake's head went right back up.
{Okay, who's next?} Tobias asked as he flew in the cave. {and have someone ready when I get back next time, the place is swarming with park rangers. The hork bajir aren't here yet, but they will be soon, and they seem to really be into the whole 'check the place out' really bad today.}
"Okay." Jake said, "Time to get moving."
{I'm ready.} Whitney said. She was already morphed to fish by the time we were done arguing. Tobias grabbed her and flew off with her. Then Marco started to morph.
"Might as well be gone before they come to catch the rest of you." He said, right before he lost the ability o use his mouth.
{Wow, it is nice.} I heard Whitney say. {Where's the bomb?}
{I am still looking for it.} Cassie answered.
Tobias flew in again just in time to pick up Marco. He didn't even stop. Jake was next, then me, then Rachel.
I felt my skin turn hard and slimy as I morphed. I gained gills early, so I had a hard time breathing the entire time through. I was completely in morph for a minute before Tobias picked me up.
{Can't breathe!} I gasped. {Tobias, Hurry up.}
{I'm coming.} he said.
I was beginning to lose concentration when I felt sharp talons grab me by the mid-section. Then I felt more claws tugging. Looking back on it, they were probably the brambles. But at the time, I couldn't concentrate on anything.
Just as I was about to slip into subconsciousness, I felt the cool water over my body. I stood there for a second in shock when I realized I still couldn't breathe. What was wrong? Was the lack of air for so long impairing my ability to breathe? I panicked and flicked my tail and swam. Suddenly I could breathe. I thought about what I knew about fish. And now that I was fully aware, I remembered that oxygen rich water had to be flowing through my gills to take in the oxygen. I continued swimming.
It wasn't long until I could focus on the aspects of the underwater environment. The cloudy water through the fish eyes was like e looking bare eyeballed through a chlorinated pool. Kind of blurry, but still able to distinguish fairly detailed shapes.
{Hey, guys, Can anyone find that bomb?} I asked the other fishes.
{Not yet.} Jake answered. {Where did you throw it?}
{I just chucked it really far, generally aiming towards the middle of the lake. I didn't even get close, though.}
{Well ,we need to split up.} Cassie suggested. {We will find it quicker.}
{How about we just ask Tobias to tell us where it is?} Whitney said. It was simple, why didn't I think of it. {Tobias, could you please tell us where it is, with those laser scope eyes of yours?}
{Just a minute, I have run into some troubles.} oh no, what could happen.
{Is Rachel safe?} Marco asked.
{Not yet. There is a hork bajir blocking my way.} Tobias answered.
{Just..... fly......past him!} Rachel said urgently. {Can't breathe.}
Tobias did, because a few seconds later a fish plopped down in the water not too far away from me. {Okay, I have to go.} Tobias said.
{Why?} someone asked.
{He's here, and they are shooting at anything and everything. I can't stick around.} he didn't have to tell us who he was. He was Visser three, and if he didn't want Tobias in the air, he would have his way. {I am going to hide on the cliff until the ship arrives, I will do what I can from there.
I smiled in my head. Let's get this party started.