Author's Note: Hi. I have nothing to say, so I'll just do the disclaimer and get on with it.

Disclaimer: Animorphs and all related characters are property of K. A. Applegate. I am not K. A. Applegate, and I have not yet committed the necessary identity theft to claim that I am. Thus, I do not own any characters in this story.

Chapter Fifteen: Tom's POV

[Remind me again why I agreed to do this,] Esp requested.

[Because you got into an argument with Aximili after he called you a coward,] I answered, ducking behind the wreckage of a crashed Big fighter.

[THAT WAS YOU!]

[You sound like your twin when you yell like that.] I aimed Esp's Dracon beam at aforementioned twin. Esi had become a pretty big target—this would be easier than we had expected. I recognized his morph as the one he'd nearly killed Elfangor with, though I couldn't seem to remember its name.

[Well, we ARE genetically identical. And that is an Antarean Bogg.] Esp was generally polite about the mind reading thing—he tried to stay out of my thoughts if he could—but sometimes he couldn't help answering an unasked question.

[Listen, can you just be quiet? Please? You're messing up my aim.]

[Would YOU be quiet if I was going to shoot JAKE?]

[That is an unfair comparison. Jake isn't an enemy.] I fired. Esi slumped.

[Good shot!] I heard Elfangor yell (in private thought-speak) from... somewhere.

The attack was well underway. My job (and Loren's) was to stun the Hork-Bajir, human-Controllers, and Esi, if we possibly could. Since we couldn't morph, we couldn't join everyone else, as they were all in Taxxon morph. Loren and I weren't planning on shooting any Taxxons if we could avoid it. We had decided that the Yeerks on the base would probably be caught off-guard with the Animorphs BEING Taxxons, since they suspected that the 'Andalite Bandits' would be helping the Taxxon rebels. Generally, the Empire now associated them with their usual battle morphs.

"Esi is going to be SO mad when he wakes up," I hissed to Loren. By now, I tended to call the Visser by Esp's nickname for him. "The 'Andalite Bandits' supposedly didn't show, AND he got shot? I pity the poor slug who revives him." I had a hard time trying not to laugh.

"As do I," Loren muttered. "But at the moment, I'm more concerned about my aim than I am about a Visser's temper."

"Why? You have great aim." She really did. I wished I could shoot that well.

"And most of the Yeerks here can see where it's coming from."

"Loren, we don't have time for fancy shooting. Let's be straightforward about this."

"Well, what if we're seen? I can disappear, no problem, but, being Visser Three's twin, you'll have a lot of explaining to do—such as how you got here, why you're here at all, and not to mention why you shot your twin."

Esp took over the speech centers. "We'll cross that bridge when and if we come to it," he said reassuringly. "Relax, Loren. Tom and I will be fine."

[Okay, we've done some damage, now let's get out of here!] Arbron yelled. Holes appeared and we were sucked into them. I was forcibly reminded of a roller coaster, except I couldn't see anything. I could hear plenty.

Behind me, I could hear the slurping and crunching of someone morphing. Being in a tunnel made the sound echo and magnified the nausea Esp was feeling. [I hate those noises,] he moaned. He had almost released control entirely, but since I was thinking about the sound, he could still 'hear' it.

[You three were invaluable,] Arbron told us once we'd gotten out of the tunnel. [It's much easier for one to fight in Taxxon form when one doesn't have Hork-Bajir trying to slice one up.]

"No problem," I mumbled. I, too, was starting to feel nauseous.

[We'd best get back to Earth,] said Elfangor. [Aximili, what time was it when you came here?]

[I don't know, exactly, but it was five minutes after you left.]

[Alright, so we'll go to six minutes after we left.]

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Esp wondered. "I mean, that creates a brief period of time in which none of us exist."

[No, I don't know if it's a good idea. I suppose you have a better one?]

"None that can be suggested or understood by any of us without having a rational comprehension of paradox."

"Come again in English?" Marco suggested.

"No, I don't have a better idea."

[Then let's try THIS one.] Elfangor was starting to sound impatient. He walked over to the Time Matrix. [Unless, of course, you'd all rather stay.]

We gathered around the sphere while Elfangor explained to Aximili what to do. We all touched it.

Nothing happened.

[What's the matter with this thing?] Elfangor snapped.

"Maybe it needs it's batteries changed," joked Marco.

[Maybe it's broken,] Arbron added.

"Maybe somehow you're not focused enough," midget suggested.

"Maybe it only works for a certain amount of time," Loren offered.

"Maybe Crayak got mad that we messed up his plan and so he stole the real Time Matrix and replaced it with a fake one for revenge," Esp chimed in. Everyone stared at him. "What? It's just as possible as everything else you guys have come up with."

Suddenly, we were in the barn again. "Or maybe it just took a while cause you weren't being specific," I added. Elfangor glared at me. I tried (and failed miserably) to give him an innocent look. My failure was not my fault—Esp had started laughing.

[What, pray tell, is so FUNNY?] Elfangor demanded.

Esp pointed at a calendar on the wall. I hadn't noticed it before. "You overshot. We... we went back in time to a week before we even met!" he gasped out. Suddenly, he froze. Even I didn't realize why at first, but the Yeerk was suddenly completely serious. "Where did the Time Matrix go?"

It had apparently vanished into thin air. Arbron checked the construction site. It only took a few minutes. The Time Matrix wasn't there, either. To make matters worse, Cassie suddenly remembered that the Animorphs were going to have a meeting—in three minutes. We were stuck in the past. We had no way out.

"Oh, well," said Marco optimistically. "We'll catch up with ourselves. We've just got to stay hidden for a week."

Author's Note: To those who would suggest it, they can't stay at Loren's place because her past self would find them.

Korean Pearl: Horrible enough for you? Sorry, I'm not good at torturing characters I like.

Wraithlord42: Yes, it is your turn. Who's POV will it be next? (By the way, you never answered my question. What sort of weather do you have right now? I know there's a six hour time difference—six A.M. here is noon there—but I mean CLIMATE wise.)