Disclaimer: I am not KA Applegate. I'm not pretending to be KA Applegate. I am simply borrowing *ahemstealingahem* her characters and ideas. That is all.

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Ranara

The large, inefficient metal portal grated open. As it raised, I looked confusedly out at Sakura.

Hadn't she just told me to hide? What was going on?

There were two human males standing in the entrance. The larger of the two widened his eyes in a human expression I did not understand. He muttered one word, low, but not too low to be heard.

Andalite.

My hearts froze. He was a Controller. He had to be. How else would he have known?

One split-second later, my tailblade was at his throat.

Yeerk. I spat. Hearing me, my brother immediately opened the hatch and came out at a run.

"Ranara?" Sakura asked. "What are you doing?"

What's going on, Rana? Mikan asked. I turned one stalk eye to him.

He's a Controller. I said in private thought-speak. He knew what we were called as soon as he saw me.

Did one of the humans tell him?

Oh. Right.

Sakura. Did either of you mention the word Andalite since they arrived?

"No." Sakura whispered.

Do you see, brother?

In response, Mikan leveled a hand-held Shredder at the other human.

Don't move, human. he said out loud.

"What are you doing?" Taro asked, obviously distressed.

"I can explain."

It was the human who had the wrong end of my tail at his throat. I narrowed all four of my eyes.

I doubt that, Yeerk.

"Ranara," Taro said, placing a hand on my arm, "let him speak."

Slowly, I let my blade drop. But only a little.

Speak, then. And quickly.

The human folded his legs under him in a peculiar fashion, sinking to the ground. Startled, I yanked my blade away. He smiled in that strange human fashion, with his mouth.

"It's called sitting, Rana-san. Humans do it when they become fatigued."

Was he laughing at me?

Taro, Sakura and the other human mimicked his movements, also sinking to the ground. If not for the cramped position of their legs, I could almost see how the position might be restful.

Mikan dropped his shredder arm to his side and shifted his weight off his back right hoof. Obviously, he was prepared for a long tale. I sighed and copied him.

Well?

The human took a deep breath.

"My name is Hiro. I was born here in Japan, but two years ago my father got a job in America. My entire family moved there. As a foreign student in a new community, I was soon asked to join a social group called the Sharing. They thought that they could provide me with new friends and new opportunities. It sounded all right, so I joined."

"I soon found out that the Sharing had two levels. The outer group were people like me, who had just joined. The inner were an elite group of "full" members with special privileges. They all seemed so happy. They never argued, never worried. Needless to say, I wanted to become a full member."

"I asked if I could become a full member. And I was accepted. But first, I had to complete one task. In order to do this, I had to meet a full member at a local bookstore one night. I did. It was the worst mistake of my life."

It was a trap. I guessed, realizing what he was getting at. Hiro nodded.

"Yes. I was led through a secret door in the janitor's closet, down, a long flight of stairs, and straight into Hell."

A pool? Mikan asked. Again, Hiro nodded.

"A Yeerk pool. I won't go into details. Let it only be said that I was infested."

"Hello?"

I looked up. The other human was waving his hand in the air, as if trying to get Hiro's attention.

"Could you please clarify? For those of us who are lost?"

Mikan was the one who answered.

Yeerks are the Andalites greatest enemy. They are parasites. Your friend would have had his head pushed below the surface of the pool and his brain infested and taken over by the Yeerk, through the ear canal. He would have lost all control of his actions.

Taro and Sakura looked horrified. (At least, I think that's what that was.) The other human was apparently skeptical.

"They eat your brain? Or they possess you?"

"Neither." Hiro said, annoyed. "They control you. They shove their little slimy bodies into your ear and up to your brain. They stretch themselves out and attach themselves to your neurons. Then they completely control you. Every breath, every word, every motion. They can open your memories and play them back like a super hi-res DVD. They pass as you, and no one knows the difference."

Silence, at that. I have to admit, I was a little stunned. I had never heard anyone speaking about a Yeerk so matter-of-factly.

And I no longer believed that this human was being Controlled.

"That was how I spent the next eight months of my life. I was a prisoner in my own mind. But I won't go into that now."

"It wasn't long before the Yeerk in my head had managed to get my parents and my sister infested as well. After that, there was no longer any semblance of a family, except on the rare occasions my Yeerk – his name was Jass – and one of my family's Yeerks fed at the same time. Then, if we were lucky, we could spend a few minutes together in the holding cages."

"During one of these times, my father and mother were together in a holding cell. Jass had just brought me down to feed, and we were waiting in line. We heard a sudden Dracon blast, saw a bright flash, and confusion ensued."

"I soon learned that my father had stolen a Dracon beam from a careless guard, shot my mother, and then shot himself. They had both chosen to die rather than live as slaves. My father's action will remain with me forever. He won."

What could I say to that? I noticed Mikan looking at me. He was speechless, as well.

Until now, the war had been a real, but distant, threat. Right then, it hit me.

We were here. We were in the middle of enemy territory, with no help for hundreds of light years.

I could do nothing but lament my horrible technical skills. And my poor judgment.

.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.

More reviews!

Anthropomorphizer: Thank you. ^.^

Tabatha: Why, thank you! Please, keep reading and reviewing.

Gilluin: Eep! *hides* I hope I can live up to your expectations! ^.~

Mistress of Dragons: Ooh, right. I knew that. Really. ^.^' *goes back and covers mistake*

AN: Well, now you know. And I say *meh* to all of you who thought that Hiro was a controller. And I will continue to say *meh* to you if you don't review!