This was the seventh time that Marco had brought this particular subject up, and the other Animorphs were quickly getting tired of hearing about it.

(All I'm saying, is think of how cool it would be-- )

Jake cut into Marco's sentence before the other boy could build up much momentum. (I don't think so, Marco,) he said, sounding a bit like Al from Home Improvement.

(We, or at least some of us, can morph into racehorses,) Marco continued as if no one had interrupted him. (Then, using our human intelligence, we figure out if we can win--- )

(Why don't you just give up already?) Rachel demanded.

Again, Marco pretended that he hadn't heard the interruption. (Then the ones who aren't morphing can go put money down on them.)

(Marco, that would be like the worst kind of cheating,) Cassie said. (It just wouldn't be right.)

As before, Marco went on without a hint of stopping. (First, we could just bet whatever it is that we've all saved up. Like, I've got twenty bucks already. Bet that at three-to-one odds, and we'll have sixty. Bet that at the same odds, and we'll end up with a hundred and eighty. Then we can bet that and end up with five forty! Then sixteen hundred twenty! And after that, four thousand eight hundred and sixty bucks!)

(How do you do that, Marco?!) Rachel demanded. (How can you multiply such huge numbers in your head that way? You're barely scraping by in math class.)

(It's a whole 'nother thing when you're multiplying money,) Marco said sagely. (Entirely different.)

(Whatever you say, Marco,) Rachel sighed.

(Look,) Marco began again. (All I'm asking you guys to do is consider the--- )

(We've heard it,) Slade cut in flatly. (We've heard all about the possibilities you want us to consider. You've been repeating the same old lines about seven thousand times by now. And I, for one, am starting to get really sick of hearing about these great plans of yours. So why don't you just shut up for a while?)

(Amen,) Rachel said emphatically.

(Hey, I think we might have just lucked out,) Tobias said, since he was the only one who hadn't been paying attention to the conversation, preferring to focus on the task at hand. (Look down there, I think that's the same herd of horses we saw here yesterday.)

(The potential Horse-Controllers?) Jake asked.

(Yeah. I recognize them, they're the same bunch we spotted on our way out of Area 51. Look at the way they're walking,) Tobias said.

Cassie turned her Osprey vision to look at the group of horses. They were indeed moving in a very peculiar fashion; almost like a line of well-trained soldiers rather than a group of wild animals. It was a strange sight, to be sure, but there were also a smattering of normal wild horses alongside the unnaturally disciplined group. Cassie was the first to comment on this.

(It looks like the core group of Horse-Controllers has picked up a few tagalongs,) she said. (That makes sense, given what I've read about horses. The other horses wouldn't have any way of knowing that these others aren't normal horses. They probably just joined up with the Horse-Controllers because horses are genetically programmed to find safety in numbers.)

(And take a look at where they're headed,) Marco said grimly. (Right into the base. They're going to use those horse bodies to infiltrate Area 51. It makes sense, since we already found out that it's more than impossible to get a human into Area 51. But horses, no problem. What normal person would suspect a horse?)