"Jordan! What the fuck, I thought I told you to stay in the valley and…"

"Your welcome for saving your life." Jordan said. "And I told you that I didn't stand around while others risked their lives and before you say anything I gave the morphing cube to Erek, he's going to make more Animorphs if I die." I decided to let Jordan's insubordination go for the time being in order to encourage the custom of her saving me. I handed her my gun.

"Give em hell Jordan," I said. Then I walked over and picked up the C-4 off Jerry's corpse and the HUD he was wearing. I put it on and noticed that there were a lot of green dots now Carlos must have been releasing a lot of people. I saw a blue dot on the HUD it was my next placement area.

I ran toward the blue dot. There was little resistance I saw that a lot of it was focused on the others. The plan was working! I reached the placement point. It was a column in the cave I took out a c-4 package took off the paper on bottom and stuck in to the column I pressed the arm button. I ran checked for the next location only one was left.

"Charge 2 placed one to go."

"Erik?" Becky said. "Where's Jerry?"

"Dead." I said.

"What! No," Becky seemed near tears. "Not him too, they'll be no one left."

"Snap out of it Becky we need you to keep your head." I was near the placement spot. Then I saw something out of the corner of my eye, I turned my head towards it and winced. A hippo was staggering through a mob or Hork-Baijar each one taking a slash at it and opening more and more wounds.

"Anna! Fight em." I knew Anna's mind must've been clouded from lack of blood. I got ready to morph cougar but then horde of the Hork-Baijar began spraying blood in every direction.

"Eat lead mother fuckers!" Santos yelled. Firing another burst of ammo. "That's for my sister." another burst. "That's for my mother." Another burst. "That's for being ugly!"

"Thanks man," Was all I could say I ran over to Anna. "Sis, you OK ."

(Erik?) Anna said her thought speak was weak, very weak. (That you? Are you OK, I saw you fall into the pool…) Carlos came over.

"Who's this?" He said.

"My sister, do me a favor and cover me please?" Carlos did as he was asked I turned back to Anna. "Morph back sis, you've got to morph back…"

(Can't focus bro, too much pain…) she said. I put my hand on her hippo head.

"Yes you can, come on try… try, you can't give up, you never give up sis. You came out of morphing shock faster than any of us, don't tell me your going to give up now!"

(I'll tr, try…) She said and I saw her eyes close. The hippo's head grew smaller, the nasty cuts on the cheeks faded into my sisters tanned skin. Hair shot from the head and the four legs became arms and human legs. The changes stopped.

"Ahhhhh, God, God in heaven the pain! I can't." I grabbed her still hippo shoulders and shook her with some difficulty.

"Yes you can! Anna, I know you can come on!" My mind drifted back to when I was on the other side of the fence in this same situation. My entire belly had been destroyed the pain of my stomach acid burning the other organs made me want to give up, I remembered what Jade had said to me that night.

"Think of James sis, you know he can't live without you, you know he needs you. Come on!" I saw her eyes close again her stomach caved inward and her skin became fully human healing all the wounds. Soon she was fully human and leaning on my shoulder.

"Thank you God, thank you…" I said silently. Anna's strength slowly came back to her. She looked up.

"Thanks bro , but if you'll excuse me…" Her eyes opened wide, her mouth filled with blood she fell to her knees and I saw the knife in her back. She collapsed her breath coming in rasps. I didn't know the man who had stabbed her because it was only a second before his head was severed by a cape buffalo's horns. James returned to human form and picked up Anna, her hair was now tinted red with blood. I knelt down next to her.

"Anna," James said looking at her face that was already pale. "Anna baby speak to me." Anna inhaled weakly.

"James, babe I'm sorry, I, I don't think I'm going to make it."

"NO!" I yelled "Don't talk like that please Anna please don't talk like that, morph again, come on."

"I can't," She said. "I don't have enough strength, I'd pass out from the pain…you two move on now, I love you both, she used her last once of strength to kiss James, the her eyes dilated and her heart stopped. James looked shocked.

"Anna, honey wake up, come on honey wake up! Wake up Goddamn it wake up" He held her close to his chest.

"James," I said near tears. "She's gone, she's gone…"

"NOOOOOOOOOO" James cry could be heard easily over the Dracon beam and gun fire. James grabbed the knife from her back. "Then I die with her!" He said and before I could stop him he cut his throat with the blade. The blood began to spurt immediately each heartbeat emptying his body depriving his brain of the life giving oxygen.

"James!" I said. "Morph it off, don't be…" I knew I was wasting my breath. James was too much in love with Anna to go on. I got up and headed for the next placement site leaving my brother-in-law to die.