The Refugee
Chapter 12- Feralae
"Tomorrow at five." Jake repeated, flopping down in the chair.
"Yup." I answered. "Tomorrow at five. It would be nice if the Visser came and found the biobase a smoking crater, but the Chee are not allowed to make weapons and without anything short of a couple of bombs I don't think that's happening."
"Feralae do you have a bash morph?" Rachel asked.
"Yeah, Rhino, Elephant, and Cape buffalo. I have almost the entire zoo Rachel. I've got a pit viper. I've got a tiger. I've got a lion. I've got a gorilla, a jaguar, a cheetah, a kodiak bear, a polar bear, a leopard, a gray wolf, a laughing hyena, not to mention all three of the different breeds of dog that my family had, a llama, a horse, a peregrine, a harris hawk, and a golden eagle. And the beauty of it all is that the only morph that my mom knows I have for sure is a gorilla. She doesn't know about the hork bajir morph that I acquired either. And you know what the first thing that I did was when I got back? Caught a butterfly, a dragonfly, a cricket and a beetle and acquired them all. So now I've got four insect morphs as well. I can keep changing, keep her guessing, and she'll never know what morph I'll use next." I said, as I flipped the hamburgers onto the grill.
I'd placed it in the fireplace. Nothing like fire-grilled burgers and my close encounter had made me hungry. "Oh I like mine with lettuce and tomato, Heinz fifty seven and French fried potatoes, big kosher pickle and a cold root beer. Oh good God-o-malley which way do I steer?"
Marco grinned wickedly. "You know, that's a strategy I could get to like."
"You acquired a lion?" Asked Cassie dubiously.
"Bad, bad, Leroy Brown
Baddest cat in the Gardens' town
Badder than old Big Jim
And meaner than even him!" I said, indicating Alloran happily.
"You're kidding. You acquired Leroy?" Cassie asked, eyes wide. "That will make an impressive sight."
"Who's Leroy Brown?" Jake asked.
"A white lion at the Gardens who died of liver failure." Cassie explained. "Feralae was left alone with him for a few minutes before mother shoed us out."
"There are such a thing as white lions?" Marco wondered.
Ever hear of Kimba the White Lion? asked Tobias.
"What is Kimba the White Lion?" Asked Marco.
"The story that Disney stole to make the Lion King. It was a cartoon written by Dr. Osamu Tezuka. It was one of the first three manga too." I explained. "I have a video of it actually. The point is that white lions do occur, but they're so rare that the only ones currently alive are in captivity. The gardens had one and it died." I sighed and put a little bit of mom's patented blend of seasonings onto the burgers.
How large is this white lion? Asked Alloran.
"About the size of a large pony or a small horse. This guy was about up to my chest." I answered. "This thing is huge, and I have more practice with it than I do with an elephant or a rhino."
"Lion it is then." Rachel said with a shrug. "Me, I'd rather go with my elephant."
Prince Jake, if you wish I can use one of my monster morphs. Alloran offered. I believe that the Jubba Jubba or the Eight Headed Fire Breather will work most suitably.
"Yes, but Alloran they also make you a target." Cassie pointed out. "This may not be a mission for subtlety, but I think you'd be better off if Visser Three and Visser One didn't know that you had joined up with the 'Andilite Bandits.'"
Alloran nodded, a bizarrely human gesture. I suppose, but the day will come when, no matter what animal he morphs, Visser Three will see me as me, and he will scream in terror as my claws squeeze his throat.
I shivered. My mother would probably be screaming as well. "How about an Elephant morph?" I suggested. "An elephant and a big cat would work perfectly, don't you think Alloran?"
I suppose. Alloran sighed. But may I suggest that unless the big cat is vastly different from the lion and the tiger that I choose, perhaps, the Cape Buffalo instead, or some other morph that is not as vulnerable. I do not think that it is wise to use more than the two big cats at once.
"Okay, so as soon as it gets dark, we fly to the Gardens and get Alloran a morph." Jake began, he broke off as I looked through a pile of backpacks for grilling gear. "What is it Feralae?"
"When did old reliable get here?"
"What?" Marco asked.
I held up the blue back pack that I had dubbed old reliable.
"Oh," I flushed. "Mr. Tidwell and your father gave it too me. Your father said that he wanted you to have it."
"He's one of the yeerk peaceniks that you told me about right?" Feralae asked, digging through the bag. "OH!" She exclaimed, wordlessly lifting out several artifacts that I didn't recognize and a letter. "This looks like a dracon beam." She held up an andilite shredder.
That's a shredder. Alloran corrected. May I see? He opened the cartridge hole and gasped. Seeds! I recognize them, Illsipar, Ooka melon, Derrishoul, Therant, and there are some hork bajir trees as well, Siff, Narwin, and Stoola. This was quite a set up. I believe, Prince Jake…
"Don't call me Prince."
That this shredder is rigged to work off of D-Cell batteries instead of power cartridges.
"Perhaps we should read the letter attached to it?" Cassie suggested pointedly. The boys had apparently forgotten manners.
I began to read hands shaking like a leaf. "Dear Feralae,
Your name means Wild Wings in Latin, but in Andilite it means New Beginnings. There is a lot that I wish to tell you, but cannot because of the war. Mainly, I wish to tell you this; I am an andilite who has been trapped in human morph. Your andilite friends will recognize my name. My first name is Escafil. I was the one who created the morphing technology and set out the guidelines for it's use. I recommended the age of fourteen, because at age fourteen an andilite youth would be going on to advanced education. Fourteen human years is the andilite age of responsibility.
My past on Earth is very long and twisted. When I first came to Earth I acquired the human morph of a young Irish Immigrant, Sean. He was only about five years old. But a matter of months later, as I was flying over their house, Sean's house caught fire. I dove in to try and save him. I morphed human. But I wasn't able to save him, and the smoke knocked me out. When I woke up, I was trapped. Out of guilt, I remained with Sean's human family for another three years, trapped in a life that was not mine, by guilt. I retrieved my small carry bag of belongings that had come with me to Earth, including the Morphing Cube that I have given you. I kept them hidden. You have them now.
Three years later, My/Sean's parents died in a car crash. I was an orphan, the feelings of guilt should have been gone, and instead they intensified. I was adopted, as you know, by a Navajo couple. They taught me the art of raising, spinning, and weaving my own cloth. And with them I learned decorative metal work. I still practice these trades today.
My yeerk, Loscar 243 will keep my secret. The yeerks will not gain the morphing power from me. Please, keep hope alive. Keep on living, keep on fighting. Do not let the yeerks have anything in this bag, including the Morphing Cube that I have given you. If anything, use it to expand the resistance.
Much Love,
Your Father Escafil…"
I fell to my knees, shaking in shock. "Oh my Gods."
The old coot. Alloran chuckled darkly.
Ax shivered. The inventor of morphing technology, captured by the yeerks. He is a so called peacenik, but still.
"We need to capture him." Marco stated.
"Marco he said he wouldn't…" Cassie started.
"Yeah, but remember the time that Jake got infested? Yeerks transfer from host to host, like if one of us were to change schools. If this Loscar were to be transferred, then Escafil's secret would be out. He's a security liability."
"But that would mean…" Cassie interjected.
"We can always pull an Aftran if we need to Cassie." Rachel said placatingly. "I mean, he's a peacenik right? We give him a woodland morph, a powerful one, and he can join the hork bajir, he can be a guard or something. Or maybe a guide."
"Maybe…" Cassie said softly. "But you're forgetting one thing."
Alloran nodded. He would be an invaluable spy Marco. Living in the same household as Visser 3? Imagine the possibilities! I believe the human expression is, 'We would be all over his butt.' Although I have no idea what a 'butt' is, I do get the significance of the statement.
"SO WE'RE JUST GONNA LEAVE HIM??" I demanded. I realized absently that I had a light Irish accent.
"Until there's the possibility of his yeerk being transferred, yes." Jake said calmly. "Think rationally Feralae!" Jake hissed.
"Jake you know how hard something like this is to do." Marco said gently.
The sensible measure, Prince Jake, would be to pull Loscar and Escafil out of the current situation as quickly as possible. It is, for example, possible to stage an attack on Feralae's house and kidnap Loscar. Ax said calmly. Another Andilite controller is not tolerable. On the other hand, I can see the merit in what Alloran is saying. A spy living with Visser 3 is an incredible chance to find out what we normally would not have access to.
"The risk is too great." Rachel stated. "I'm normally reckless, but even I think that this is over the line. What happens if Loscar IS transferred and we don't get there in time? The yeerks get their hands on morphing technology AND Mr. Tidwell slash Illim is toast AND Cassie's cover is blown, AND we are blown right along with her. I'm sorry Jake, but I flat out don't agree. Cassie is living right next door, RIGHT NEXT DOOR to Visser 3. That is incredibly dangerous. My view is that we capture Visser 3 and Loscar. We starve the Visser and pull an Aftran on Loscar and bring Feralae's parents into hiding."
"How many times have we tried to do that?" Marco asked. "I've tried to free my mother. Jake has tried to free Tom, and what happened? This isn't just any controller, it's Visser 3! Rachel, we should stick with Loscar and Escafil! What do we do if they're found out??"
"Fine, we stick with Loscar, but if we're found out, then Cassie will be the first that we evacuate." Rachel snapped. "But remember that I warned you!"
"Okay, do we need a vote on this?" Jake asked.
"I vote no." Cassie said calmly. "We're on the honor system here with Illim and Loscar. I don't want to go back on my word to them."
"I vote yes." Rachel said vehemently. "Loscar is a security liability. We pull an Aftran on him and Visser 3 is left all alone in a big house. Loscar can't get in the way then if we decide ever to attack Visser 3 out right."
"I vote no." Marco said calmly. "We shouldn't ask Feralae to make this decision so early. We asked David to turn against his parents and look what's happened to him."
I vote no. We're inviting trouble this close to a major mission. Tobias pointed out. We don't need this right now. I'm sorry Feralae. Maybe we can consider this later, but we don't need this trouble with both Feralae and Alloran as newbies to the group.
Prince Jake, I vote no, for now. Unless something goes horribly wrong, Loscar is in a position to our advantage.
I vote yes, Prince Jake. Ax said, drawing himself up. As long as Loscar is near Visser 3, as long as Escafil is within reach of Visser 3, we risk the ultimate betrayal, we risk losing our only edge, and for what? For information that may or may not be a help to us? I am sorry Marco, Tobias, Cassie, but I am pointing out the logical decision.
May I vote Jake? David asked shyly. He'd been listening the whole time.
"If you want to David." Jake said, looking up at the rafter where David watched us from his hole.
I don't think that we should attempt an evacuation right now. But I think that as soon as we're finished with the Ketrans that we should definitely consider getting Feralae's father out. I agree with Ax. Escafil and Loscar are serious security liabilities. I wouldn't want to kill them And… and my parents are still controllers… given the chance, I would do anything to free them, even offer my life…
"Feralae? Do you want to have a say in this?" Jake asked me gently.
"Do it, we're looking at the long term. Loscar may not be a threat now, but later on he might cause us problems. I don't think that he's an immediate threat however."
"Okay, that makes…" Jake counted off. "Great, a dead lock. We're not going anywhere with this. Okay look. We'll think about it, we'll focus on the mission at hand, and if it comes up again we'll take a recount."
That seemed sensible to me. But… not human? Not human! The thought sent me reeling! I mean, maybe this whole thing was typical in the Andilite culture, but not to me!
My teacher once told me, "Feralae, as a race we humans are about the least tolerant species out there. We try, but we never can see below the surface."
There it was, seeing beneath the surface. I was seeing beneath the surface, typical of humans. And yet…
The hamburger's were about to catch on fire. I rescued our meal and served it up on a platter. "Erek can you hand me the hamburger buns?"
Are hamburger buns anything like cinnamon buns? Ax asked plaintively.
"No, different flavor. Hamburger buns are more bland." I said, as Marco squirted a dollop of barbecue sauce on his.
I focused on the hamburger, and not on the fact that my life had just been turned upside down.
That night, Alloran and I flew over the Gardens with Tobias and Ax in tow. Okay Alloran, pick a morph, any morph.
Hmm… quite an interesting variety. I think that I should pick four, for now. An elephant will be my bash morph. A Cape Buffalo for good measure, and I think that my two combat morphs will be a hyeeeena… He sounded out the unfamiliar word, And a Cheetah.
Great, let's get them and get back. Tobias said grumpily. I've got dead air. I'm an owl, and we don't need thermals, but I still prefer the altitude.
Then I saw it. Overhead. The bird was huge. It labored for air, but it still managed to soar on the breeze. Heads up, check it out! I dipped in the direction of the huge bird.
What is that, a vulture? Asked Tobias.
It's a California Condor. I said calmly. A California Condor named Visser 3. My mother spent some time working with the Wild Park's Condor Breeding program. She probably acquired it then.
Should we attack it? Ax asked worriedly.
Ax, that's like a sniper attacking a tank, not only do you not do it, but you'd end up dead. I explained. They've got impressive wingspans, between seven and nine feet. Do you think you can take that on in Harrier morph?
As we watched, the Visser sailed downwards to the leopard enclosure. I traced his trajectory back to the rhino pen. A leopard and a rhino morph? We could easily take the leopard, but rhino hide is so tough that ancient Africans made armor out of it. How on or off the Earth could we take a rhino?
The Visser demorphed and acquired the leopard. Ax, Alloran, Tobias and I glided down to the roller coaster and landed, hiding in the darkness under the framework. As I watched, a California condor sailed up out of site towards the woods, towards home.