A/N: I'm going to use () to show thought-speak because it won't let me put in what it is in the books.

I'd like to say thanks to Little Midgett, East Coast Ryder for their reviews and especially Chinese is Greek to me! for the most indepth review I have ever got. (And yes I do know exactly what is going to happen) From now on I'll try to name everyone who sends me a review, even flamers. R & R!


"I honestly can't understand why you're being so hostile." Astrana was complaining. She had started as soon as they left, and was still doing it.

(I swear; one more word out of you and I'll crush your spine, yeerk or not.) It was driving Rachel crazy.

"That's not a very nice thing to say." She mumbled. Rachel growled, but didn't perform the promised spinal crushage. "Where are you taking me again anyway?"

Ax's voice was terse. (For the fourth time, to a place near my scoop. I will not tell you again.)

Tobias laughed to himself. (At least she's not endlessly repeating 'are we there yet? Are we there yet?')

After many more excruciating minutes, they finally arrived at a clearing only a small distance from the one that housed Ax's scoop. Jake, Cassie and Marco were already there. With the cage.

Astrana looked around the clearing, obviously overjoyed. "This truly is a beautiful place. Even better than the location I chose. I complem..." she stopped suddenly in the midst of her appraisal, her eyes locked on the cage. A sturdy metal box that was big enough to hold her, but only just. "That is the cage? This is surely some kind of joke." There was no way for he to keep the fear out of her voice. Her species, being creatures of the open have always been notoriously claustrophobic.

Ax sounded positively gleeful. (Not so calm now, are you yeerk? How long has it been since you last visited the yeerk pool?)

Jake sighed. "Well, let's do this." He said resignedly.

"No!" Astrana started struggling out of fear. "I won't go in there!" But there was no use. As a grizzly, Rachel was far too strong for her. Gradually, they managed to stuff her into the cage and get it shut. It wasn't easy. She had very sharp claws, and all of the Animorphs had at least one scratch on them.

Shaking, Astrana looked around her prison. It was too small. There was no room to move, no room to fight. She tried to fight the hereditary fear, but it was too powerful. So she curled up in a corner, still shaking. Closing her eyes, she tried to pretend that she was home. The wide expanse of forest in front of her, all familiar trees surrounding her. It was no good. She could feel the hard metal of the cage floor under her and hear her quaking breath on the walls that were far too close to her.

None of the Animorphs seemed to notice this. Either that or they all thought it was the yeerk finally realizing that it was doomed. Then Jake realized something. "Tomorrow's a school day, so how are we gonna watch her the whole time?"

Tobias volunteered. (Ax and I can watch her during the day.)

Jake didn't seem satisfied. "But there's still nighttime. I say two shifts a night. Ten till two, then two till six. Two people at all times. Any disagreements?"

"Well it's not as if we have much of a choice, fearless leader." Jake looked accusingly at Marco for that comment. He put up his hands. "Hey, not like that. I mean we have to watch her one way or another, and we all know this is our only option."

Jake sighed. "I know. Any volunteers for the first night shift? It's nine now. So who wants to go from now till two?"

Cassie sighed. "I'll do it." She'd already seen the final hours of a Yeerk's life before and had no desire to see it again. Taking this first shift made it less likely.

"Well, I've got nothing important to do tonight..." Marco said, he paused, then added, "...or tomorrow." He sighed melodramatically and placed one hand on his brow. Everyone shook their heads at this display. But as soon as the eyes were off him, Marco's expression became extremely worried. He had no idea what was going on here, but he was going to find out.

"Okay." Jake said. "Marco and Cassie will do the night first watch. Rachel and I will arrive at two to relieve them. Everyone else should try to get as much sleep as they can."


It didn't take long for ten o'clock to roll around. Cassie arrived first, in owl morph. Marco got there only a couple of minutes later. He had walked, needing the time to think. He certainly hadn't managed to catch any sleep to make up for what he would miss out on tonight.

After some brief hellos and goodbyes, Ax turned and ran off into the woods towards his scoop. Tobias flew away in the same general direction. When they were gone, Marco sat down on a log, resting his head in his hands.

Cassie looked over. "Are you alright?" she asked.

But he didn't answer. Instead he moved over to the cage and spoke to their alien prisoner. "Something doesn't add up. If you are a controller, then why didn't you kill or infest me when I was sleeping?"

She didn't speak. Not trusting herself to restrain from screaming, she stayed silent.

Cassie, however, did not stay quiet. "What are you talking about Marco?"

Marco distractedly ran one hand through his hair. "She was in my room last night. I thought it was just a crazy dream, but then she turned up today. I would've said something earlier, but I... I don't know. I think my brain overloaded for a while there."

Before Cassie could say anything to that there was a blur of movement and Astrana was suddenly grasping Marco's ankle. She looked pleadingly at him and began begging for her freedom. "Please, little one. Please let me out. I have no desire to harm any of you; you cannot deny that you know that."

Cassie was curious. She crouched down be the cage. "Alright then, if you're not a yeerk, then why are you so desperate to get out of there?"

Astrana took a deep calming breath and answered shakily. "I come from a world of wide open spaces. My entire race find small spaces terrifying. Please let me out. You have no idea how torturous this is."

Marco wrenched his leg out of her grip and went to sit back down on the log, facing away from her. "I can't. It's not my place to take that risk."

At that, Astrana could contain herself no longer. Letting out a wail of despair she curled back into a ball and wept.