Chapter 11 - Gyp
Morphing is an ability that about 50% of the human population has. It's our only defense. These days even KIDS are born with the ability to morph! I guess it's been reprogrammed into our genes.
I was a Rarbill -- one of the most common birds on AK-6. They're kind of like pigeons on Earth -- they're just a hassle, and nobody pays attention to them.
The five of us flew through the air -- Reed, the smallest one who was shy; Ivan, a kid who we just met, but he seems cool enough; Ty, who I've known since I was little, he's a good leader though he doesn't know it; Elfangor, who was obviously named after the famous hero who gave the original Animorphs their powers; and me, plain old Nicole, or "Gyp" as everyone calls me (I don't understand why!).
We were headed, as far as I knew, toward the center of the city. This day had already been the wildest in my life. I had been controlled by a Yeerk, rescued, and now I was flying in the sky without a clue as to where I was going, without a clue as to which direction home was, and it didn't really matter, because my parents were definitely Controllers.
Wild.
Suddenly I had a feeling of being surrounded. Being surrounded by Yeerks, all of them crawling, struggling into people's ears. Controllers were everywhere. It was a strange feeling. Almost like paranoia...
I remembered what it felt like to be Controlled, in the brief time that I had been. I couldn't move myself, and it felt so strange. I could feel, but not move. I couldn't control my blinking, yet I blinked whenever I needed to. And when I talked, it was in my voice, but it sounded so far away, like I was hearing it on the other side of a brick wall.
And then I remembered something else.
I remembered a conversation.
When we were tied up, the Yeerks had been planning something, and they had been whispering to each other.
What was the plan?
I remembered only so dimly.
We kept flying. It was getting dark, but I took no notice. I thought hard about what the Yeerks had been saying. Something about a trick.
Who were they tricking?
It had gone something like this:
"You guys," Ty's Yeerk had said, "we're trapped here. We can't do anything... except for one thing. I have an idea."
"Say it!" Reed's Yeerk was angry.
"We'll leave these bodies."
"That's a stupid plan!" my voice.
"No, no, it's brilliant! See, not all of us will leave."
"Elaborate!" Reed's Yeerk didn't speak like the mellow, soft-speaken Reed at all.
"Only two of us will leave! See! It's brilliant! The Andalites will crush two of us so fast, they won't bother to count! They'll figure that we chickened out, and left our hosts, while one of us actually stays!"
My Yeerk caught on. "Oh! But... who will leave?"
It was a good question. "Me and Nokgon will!"
But... who was Nokgon? I didn't know.
I continued flying, trying to figure out who Nokgon.
Then I realized which fact was even more important.
::You guys!:: I yelled suddenly. ::You guys, we've got to stop! You've got to believe me! One of us... one of us is a Yeerk!::
Morphing is an ability that about 50% of the human population has. It's our only defense. These days even KIDS are born with the ability to morph! I guess it's been reprogrammed into our genes.
I was a Rarbill -- one of the most common birds on AK-6. They're kind of like pigeons on Earth -- they're just a hassle, and nobody pays attention to them.
The five of us flew through the air -- Reed, the smallest one who was shy; Ivan, a kid who we just met, but he seems cool enough; Ty, who I've known since I was little, he's a good leader though he doesn't know it; Elfangor, who was obviously named after the famous hero who gave the original Animorphs their powers; and me, plain old Nicole, or "Gyp" as everyone calls me (I don't understand why!).
We were headed, as far as I knew, toward the center of the city. This day had already been the wildest in my life. I had been controlled by a Yeerk, rescued, and now I was flying in the sky without a clue as to where I was going, without a clue as to which direction home was, and it didn't really matter, because my parents were definitely Controllers.
Wild.
Suddenly I had a feeling of being surrounded. Being surrounded by Yeerks, all of them crawling, struggling into people's ears. Controllers were everywhere. It was a strange feeling. Almost like paranoia...
I remembered what it felt like to be Controlled, in the brief time that I had been. I couldn't move myself, and it felt so strange. I could feel, but not move. I couldn't control my blinking, yet I blinked whenever I needed to. And when I talked, it was in my voice, but it sounded so far away, like I was hearing it on the other side of a brick wall.
And then I remembered something else.
I remembered a conversation.
When we were tied up, the Yeerks had been planning something, and they had been whispering to each other.
What was the plan?
I remembered only so dimly.
We kept flying. It was getting dark, but I took no notice. I thought hard about what the Yeerks had been saying. Something about a trick.
Who were they tricking?
It had gone something like this:
"You guys," Ty's Yeerk had said, "we're trapped here. We can't do anything... except for one thing. I have an idea."
"Say it!" Reed's Yeerk was angry.
"We'll leave these bodies."
"That's a stupid plan!" my voice.
"No, no, it's brilliant! See, not all of us will leave."
"Elaborate!" Reed's Yeerk didn't speak like the mellow, soft-speaken Reed at all.
"Only two of us will leave! See! It's brilliant! The Andalites will crush two of us so fast, they won't bother to count! They'll figure that we chickened out, and left our hosts, while one of us actually stays!"
My Yeerk caught on. "Oh! But... who will leave?"
It was a good question. "Me and Nokgon will!"
But... who was Nokgon? I didn't know.
I continued flying, trying to figure out who Nokgon.
Then I realized which fact was even more important.
::You guys!:: I yelled suddenly. ::You guys, we've got to stop! You've got to believe me! One of us... one of us is a Yeerk!::
