Disclaimer: Own Julie. Not Animorphs. Laura own Hanna.

A/N: Yay, I got reviews! If me get reviews, me post more chapters...oh, and sorry that all my thought-speak showed up without any punctuation. I forgot you can't do those funky bracket-thingies on this site. Currently, until I think of something more original, I'll just put it in singular quotes. And thanks for the great review, Cassie101! Don't worry; there's lots more of this story!

Marco

We were all worried, even though we decided that probably all the Ellimist was trying to do was alert us to the fact that Ax and--well, me, as it happened--could bear a little watching. (I mean, duh! A dream with dead friends and Controller-wacko-weird-alien-friends is a slightly bad omen.) We decided this after an hour of Jake yelling (yes, yelling) at Rachel, because she couldn't be more specific about why exactly she was worried about just Ax and me, instead of everybody, because Jake and Tobias and Cassie had also been Controllers. We finally narrowed it down to the fact that I was dead in the dream (yeah, that's slightly worrisome, even if Rachel and I are kind of arch-enemies), and the fact that Rachel had heard Ax yelling about it. Then Jake and Rachel had another long discussion about why she hadn't been worried about Cassie, too, since she'd heard her as well. Rachel very patiently explained that this was because she had heard the REAL Cassie, but the DREAM Ax. Her exact words were, "Because, you numbskull, I heard Ax as part of the dream, but Cassie as part of reality! Why do I have such an idiot for a cousin!"

When we'd finished all this, we called up Erek and asked if he had any Chee available who could be disposed of; that is, whose hologram could die so they would be free to play Tom or anyone else necessary.

"No," said Erek.

"WHAT?" yelped Jake.

"No, but we do have several hundred not doing any hologram at all currently, who would be happy to assist you if you need it."

"Oh," said Jake. Then, as an afterthought, "Thanks."

"You know, guys," I said, conversationally to everyone later that afternoon. "This is a very nice shack. I think Visser Three might be very comfortable here for three days."

Everyone's heads snapped round.

"Let me point out just two problems with that," said Rachel. "Number One: how could we get him here?" Surprisingly, she said so very sweetly, but then, "And number two: HE CAN MORPH!"

"Oh, yeah," I muttered, crestfallen.

'Actually, it is a plausible plan,' said Ax.

"What!" yelped Rachel.

'Oh, there are several minor flaws to be worked out--'

"Minor!"

'--but with proper consideration, it is possible that we could carry it out. After all, we held Prince Jake here for three days, and he can morph.'

"I think," Jake said tiredly, "That this calls for another spy mission at 'Happy Happy Meal with Extra Happy' land."

We all groaned.

"Again?" I groused.

"Yeah, naturally," replied Jake. "We need to see if there's any way to lure the Visser out here without it being suspicious."

"Ugh," I moaned.

"Ick," Rachel wrinkled her nose.

'Oh, man,' groaned Tobias.

"Yup," said Jake. "Ugh, ick, and oh man, but we are doing this! Somehow."

Not the most promising start.

Tobias

'Good grief,' I cried. 'Of all the stupid, idiotic, absolutely suicidal plans we've ever had, this has got to be the most stupid, idiotic, and absolutely suicidal one we've had yet!'

"Oh, good," Marco commented dryly. "I just love the optimism around here!"

'Marco, I believe that optimistic is the opposite of what Tobias was being-' began Ax.

"I know. It's called 'sarcasm'."

'Oh. Humor?'

"Yeah. Humor."

'Ah.'

"Okay," said Jake. "Is everyone ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," grumbled Marco.

"Let's-"

" 'Let's do it!' We know, we know, Rachel." (Marco again, of course.)

Okay. I took a deep breath and focused.

It turned out to be a weird, weird morph. First I grew and grew and grew until I was a six-foot-tall hawk. Then my feathers just kind of shlooped into my skin, leaving me looking like a plucked chicken.

"Oh, gross," Rachel commented calmly.

My morphing suit sort of oozed out, and, all of a sudden, wings were turning to arms and claws to toes, and there I was, mostly the human me, standing there with a huge bird head. Finally, my head transformed itself, and I was completely the human me once again. Everyone was looking at me weirdly. Well, they were until Ax's remaining stalk eye, which had been looking at me weirdly, shlooped into his head, leaving him standing with his back to me.

"Well, let's…" Rachel began.

"Do it!" chorused everyone but Ax, who was busy trying not to fall over.

Aximili Esgarrouth Isthill

We were using the most obviously approach--simply walking in our human form into the Yeerk Pool and morphing in the human areas reserved for the disposal of bodily wastes.

"No, Ax," Prince Jake said. "Go into the one that says 'Men' on it."

"Yes, Prince Jake."

"And don't call me Prince," he said, making a human mouth sound which involves blowing air out of the mouth in a loud fashion, used to indicated, fatigue or resignation.

"Yes, Prince Jake," I replied.

He showed me to a small metal chamber, wherein I quickly demorphed and remorphed into the bizarre earth animal known as a 'fly'. I zipped under the door of the small metal chamber.

'Prince Jake? Tobias? Cassie, Marco, Rachel?' I said in thought-speak.

'Coming. And we are ready to roll.' It was Rachel's voice.

'Roll?' I asked. 'I thought we were flying.'

'It's a--oh, never mind,' she replied.

We flew out into the Yeerk Pool area and began looking for Visser Three when suddenly, "Visser, I have some indications of several abnormal life-forms in the vicinity. I believe they are what humans call 'flies'."

'Uh-oh,' said Prince Jake.

'Double uh-oh,' said Marco.

'FLIES? One of the Andalite bandits' favorites morphs! Target them and fire!'

"Yes, Visser!"

'Uh-oh. Everyone out of here, NOW!' Prince Jake shouted.

As we raced for the exit, green Dracon beams shot past us. TSEEEW! TSEEEW!

Luckily, we reached the door with no other mishaps, until a computerized voice intoned, "Unauthorized life-forms detected. Will home in five seconds…five…four…three…two…one…"

I was the last one out the door. As I zipped through, I felt a sharp pinprick of pain in one of my legs, but I ignored it. We demorphed and Tobias and I remorphed in 'the Mall'. Though still shaking from our narrow escape, I was nevertheless hoping to get some delicious cinnamon buns. Ah, cinnamon buns. Is there anything like them? I asked Prince Jake about the matter. He considered for a moment, then moved his shoulders up and down in a human gesture of indifference and replied, "Guess it can't hurt."

A few minutes later I was seated at a small table and eating a large, gooey, delicious cinnamon bun. And then something happened which has never happened before. I dropped the bun.

The reason for this astounding phenomenon was that a human girl had just entered the restaurant. She was about Cassie's height. She had wavy yellow-white hair (I believe the correct term is 'blond'), which hung to just below her chin. She had a very small, thin, heart-shaped face. She appeared to be quite unhappy. And just at that minute, as she came up to us, I very nearly ran out of the restaurant in panic. All of a sudden, my human legs went weak and watery and a strange feeling ran up and down my spine. My body began to tingle all over. I was sure I must have contracted some terrible human disease, but before I could begin to assess the problem, the human girl who had just entered walked over to our table.

"Hey, Melissa," said Rachel. ('Hey' is a human term used as a greeting.)

"'Lo, Rachel," said the girl Melissa.

"You don't know Philip, do you?" asked Rachel, gesturing toward me.

Melissa looked at me with something approaching interest and shook her head.

"He's from out of state," Rachel explained.

"Yes, my name is Axi-Philip from out of state. Tuh," I managed to say, although the tingles had suddenly gotten worse, and my stomach began to turn over. Melissa looked at me as if puzzled, but gave me a small smile. All of a sudden, it became very hard to swallow.

"Well, I'd better go," said Melissa, turning to leave, but pausing before she took a step. "We haven't seen much of each other lately, Rachel," she said. "Would you and…Philip like to come over tomorrow?"

"S-sure, okay," replied Rachel, in a bemused voice. "Well, uh, see you."

"See you," replied Melissa and left. The tingles began to subside.

"Now what was that about?" asked Rachel. Jake moved his shoulders up and down. Cassie shook her head.

"I do not know, but I have something serious to tell you in Cassie's b-b-b-barn," I gulped.

"Huh?" asked Tobias.

"Um…all right," answered Cassie.

We got up and left.