Disclaimer: I don't own Animorphs, just the characters Joshua, Ben, Jessie and all other non-original Animorph characters.

Chapter 14

Sub-visser one charged toward Ben. I bounded over and leapt at the huge rhino. I landed on the large mammal's back and dug my claws in. Big mistake. Sub-visser one began to trash around trying to shake me lose. My back feet lost their hold and now I only had a grip with my front feet, which were slipping.

I let go and rolled off the rhino's back. I glanced around for a few seconds, Jessie had knocked out the human who had dropped his gun earlier and was now demorphing.

(What are you doing?) I asked.

She looked like she was about to respond when she crossed the line between mostly dog to mostly human and lost the ability to use thought-speak.

I turned my attention back to the battle. Ben was now engaged in combat with the deadly rhino. I moved forward planning to make use of the distraction and sink my teeth into the rhino's neck. Suddenly I heard an explosion directly behind me. I jumped as the tip of my tail was sliced off. I let out a roar of rage. The helicopters were now firing their lasers at us. They weren't trying to kill us; they were just firing warning shots. The message was clear, "Surrender or we'll kill you."

Well, I wasn't going to surrender and let them infest me, better to be dead.

"Demorph, Sub-visser!" Jessie said now almost human, but still covered in fur and sporting a tail. She was also holding one of the Yeerk's lasers. Pointed right at her brother's morphed body.

(Why?) Sub-visser one said.

What was he talking about surely he could see the gun that Jessie had aimed at him.

(What's going on?) Ben asked.

(Jessie has a gun aimed at the Sub-visser. What are you blind?) I replied.

(Yeah, in this morph, I can't see my own hand in front of my face.) He replied.

(That's because you don't have hands any more.) I quipped.

"I have one of your laser aimed right at your head!" Jessie said.

The sub-visser seemed hesitant for a moment and then began to demorph. As soon as his human eyesight had returned he glanced at Jessie. (You wouldn't shoot your own brother.)

"Try me," Jessie replied angrily.

(We're at a stand still here.) I stated. (You bring the choppers down here and have your men get out. We'll destroy the helicopters and then leave with you as hostage, we'll go a while into the woods and then let you go.)

"You won't kill me?" He asked.

(No.) Of course, if he wanted to live he had no other choice.

The sub-visser motioned for the helicopters to descend. They obeyed his hand signals and landed. They then exited the three aircraft.

(I'll take care of the coppers.) Ben said lumbering toward them.

The pilots brought their guns up on the bear, but stopped when Sub-visser one yelled at them. Ben trashed the coppers and then returned to stand next to Jessie and me.

(Don't follow us.) I said.

Sub-visser one moved toward us. Jessie roughly grabbed him by his shirt collar and pointed the laser at the Yeerk's head. "Let's go."

The Yeerks could easily have zapped us with their little ray guns, but the Sub-visser wouldn't let that happen. He was too much of a coward to let us kill him. We started off into the woods. With our keen animal senses we would be able to tell if the controllers had decided to follow us.

(How did they find you?) I asked the Sub-visser.

"Why should I tell you? So you can kidnap me again?" The yeerk said.

Jessie shook him and said, "Start talking Yeerk!"

"I had a tracking device implanted into my host's skin. Just in case you tried to kidnap me."

I told the others to stop. Ben and I began to demorph. I quickly regained my human form and immediately began to morph my Osprey. Ben was becoming a Prairie Falcon. Jessie let go of Sub-visser one and moved around to join Ben and me. She morphed into her Kestrel.

"You won't get away," The sub-visser said. "Eventually, we will catch you."

(Wanna bet?) I replied taking to the air, the laser gun clutched in my talons.