A/N: As I said before, I hope you guys all enjoyed these last few chapters. I know I haven't posted in awhile, so I'm trying to make up for this week and the following now. As I said earlier, this is all I have typed up, I have up to chapter 32 written, so I'll hafta do some typing. Hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 25

Jake

After hanging up with Rachel, I carefully snuck out of the house as a peregrine falcon. I got to Cassie's barn in record time and demorphed.

Rachel was not there, but Cassie was working with a hawk.

"New patient?" I asked and she spun around, startled. Rachel had not told me why we needed to meet, only that it was an emergency to get my butt here pronto. I started to ask Cassie why we were here when I realized that I recognized the hawk Cassie was working with.

"Tobias?" I asked, feeling my blood run cold.

"Rachel was with him earlier. Jake, he's really sick. He's sporting a temperature too high for a hawk to handle."

"OK, so he morphs and he's fine, right?"

"He's unconscious, Jake, and most likely won't regain it…at least, not long enough to morph." I let her words sink in. I could not loose a member of this team. Tobias especially was too important. Before I could say anything more, A great horned owl and a Harrier flew into the barn. They both demorphed and Ax and Rachel stood before me.

((Prince Jake, I feel I should tell you))

"Ax, don't call me prince."

((Yes pri-Jake. I feel I should tell you that while Tobias and I were held hostage, he was injected with the Yeerks morphing disease…we didn't feel it worked, as Tobias felt no different..))

"You could have told us sooner!" Rachel yelled

"Rachel!" I snapped. "Thanks ax. OK, so Morphing is out…Where's Marco?" I asked, realizing I was missing another team member.

"He said he couldn't make it. Father-Son night or something." Rachel told me.

"Cassie, is there anything we can do for Tobias?" I asked her. She shook her heard.

"I can try and get his temp down, but without knowing what we're dealing with, well, it'll be hard to know what to do."

"So we go back to the pool or the lab and kidnap a doctor and torture the cure out of him or her." Rachel said, her voice deadly. I just stared at her a moment. We all did. I couldn't believe she would suggest such a thing, but thankfully I didn't have to dignify the comment with a response because Tobias stirred.

"Tobias?" Rachel asked, her eyes looking hopeful.

"Tobias, you have to morph." Cassie said, her voice gentle.

((OK)) Tobias said, his voice sounding weak, and we all knew he didn't comprehend the command.

"Tobias, focus." Cassie said, her voice sharper, firmer.

I am. Tobias said, his voice slightly stronger.

"Try harder. You can't stay as a hawk." Cassie said her voice sharper.

((I know.)) Tobias said, sounding weak again. No one said anything but watched anxiously as Tobias preformed the slowest morph in the history or morphing…well, I'd have to verify that with Ax first, but I'm fairly certain Tobias won the award. Once his morph was complete, He swayed slightly on his feet and I rushed over to catch him before he fell, Rachel seconds behind me, supporting his other side.

"Thanks." Tobias mumbled, his eyes barely half-mast and his face paler than a sheet of paper. Rachel and I carefully eased him down so he was sitting against a hay bale. I backed away as Rachel sat next to him, stroking his hair off his sweat soaked forehead.

I glanced away and looked at Cassie. Her eyes looked back at me, full of concern and sadness. We both knew what would inevitably happen to Tobias. Even if by some miracle we could get back into the building, we were sure the Yeerks would have moved their research and tracking it down would take time. And time was not on our side. In two hours, Tobias would have to morph again or become trapped. Most likely, trapped. I don't think he could perform another morph. He could barely make it through this one.

"Tobias, can you---"

"He's gone again." Rachel said, and I noticed tears in my cousin's eyes. Cassie walked over to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Rachel shrugged it away.

"He's going to be fine." She said, her voice determined.

"What are we going to do?" Cassie asked me, and I had no answer for her.

Suddenly, all movement stopped. No sound came from the animals and they were frozen in place.

"YES!" A voice yelled. We all turned around and saw Marco standing with us, his arms up in the air, looking triumphant. He froze when he realized where he was and then groaned.

Ellimist. Ax sneered.

"Looks like it." Another voice said. We all turned and stared. Behind me, was a sick Tobias who was probably in a coma or something. In front of me stood another Tobias who was perfectly healthy. I glanced between the two, feeling my head hurt. I felt someone shove past me and looked to see my cousin and the second Tobias locked in a rather heated kiss. Marco opened his mouth and I hurried to place my hand over it. I glanced at Cassie and she looked hesitant.

YES, IT IS I. A voice around us said. Rachel broke apart from Tobias.

"How…?" Rachel asked him, looking as confused as we all felt.

"He wanted me here." Tobias said, with a shrug. Tobias is the only one of us who has dealt the most with the Ellimist. He knew him the best.

AS ALWAYS, YOU ARE CORRECT, TOBIAS. The Ellimist said.

"Show yourself." I said, and the Ellimist appeared as the old man he originally appeared to us as.

"I have come to tell you of the rule Crayak had broken."

"we're not here to play your game." I said. He smiled.

"But aren't you Jake? The Crayak directly interfered with the Yeerk invasion. He planted the work into the minds of the Yeerk scientists for the disease. You see, he meant it to be gave to you." He said, looking pitifully at the sick Tobias and back at me. "But his plan failed." He glanced at the second Tobias, and continued. "I was able to reverse the evidence of such an illness."

"Then shouldn't Tobias be well?" Rachel asked, looking confused.

"I cannot change what already is."

"You have the power! Why can't you?" She demanded.

"Rachel." Tobias said, and she looked at him. "Let him say what he's come to say."

"I cannot make Tobias well. What is done is done. But I can help you get a cure."

"What is it?" Cassie asked, looking interested.

"There is a flower on the Yeriaf planet. It is called the Rewolf. It has great healing properties when used correctly and should reverse the illness Tobias has."

"So, you're sending us on a wild goose chase for an unknown plant?" Marco stated.

"Kind of. The inhabitants are called the Iskriska. Hey are a docile race with a strong sense of pride. They are insulted easily and do not take too kindly to strangers."

"Isn't that contradictory?" Tobias asked. The Ellimist smiled.

"Kind of. They are not violent in anyway unless provoked. They are naturally peaceful and like to keep it that way. They do prefer to be left alone, but when confronted by an outsider, they like to learn everything possible if you are kind to them and do not give them what they would consider an insult."

"And that would be…?" I asked.

"What would insult you the most? Their pride is strong and dominates their culture."

"How do we know what this flower looks like?" Cassie asked. "The Rewolf?"

"You will know." The Ellimist said, simply. "The choice is yours." We all glanced at each other.

"I'll go." Cassie said, I already knew she would. Cassie would love the opportunity to see a new world and study it.

"Why not…?" Marco said.

I will do as Prince Jake asks. Ax said, so I knew I could count him in.

"My vote don't count." Tobias said and I looked at Rachel

"I'm staying." She said. We all looked at her, shocked. "I'm not leaving Tobias alone."

"Rachel, I can hardly remember my name, let alone care if you're with me or not." Tobias pointed out. Rachel looked like she was about to argue but Tobias cut her off. "I know you. I know if something were to happen to them, or to me, you'd spend the rest of your life wondering if you could have done something. Go, I'll be fine." Tobias said. I saw Rachel look uncertain, but considering Tobias's words. Tobias whispered something to her and Rachel looked up at him and nodded.

"You will have four earth hours to complete the mission. Once you get the flower, you will be transported back here. In four hours, whether or not the job is done- you will come back here." The ellimist explained and looked at Tobias "I have temporarily eliminated that pesky time limit you keep having a problem with. After four hours, the clock will begin ticking again." Tobias nodded.

I took a deep breath.

"Will four hours pass here when we get back?" Cassie asked.

"It will be as if you never left." The Ellimist stated. We nodded, we all did, except Rachel who looked once more at Tobias before she whispered "Let's do it."

And not a second after, Cassie's barn was replaced with unfamiliar landscape.

Final A/N: Yes I know, terrible cliffhanger. I could have left it at the chapter before, but I figured that was too mean of a place to leave it for a week or a little longer depending on my typing ability and my beta reader. I hope you all enjoyed and I'll try to post more ASAP, but It won't be at least for another week. I hope you all enjoyed!

GenesisDragon oops, I guess I should have checked that, though that was supposed to be the job of my beta reader also :D. Hope you enjoyed!

rockergurl13: well, as I have previously stated, this story started out as a dream going from the point of Tobias and Ax being captured by the yeerks and on (I didn't even get to know the ending, I woke up!). So I tried and tried to think of a good way to start it, and that's what I came up with. Lame, but hey, it worked for what I had in mind and I figured shippers are always wanting to read shipper-ish stuff anyway. :D I hope you weren't disappointed by the last few chapters.

Quillian: Hope you enjoyed!

LucreziaNoin86: I think in the back of my mind that's what I had in mind, but I don't really need to get scientific. :D I hope you're not disappointed by the turn of events.