Gafinalan

It was the next day.

My visit with Daisy had been...well...nice, I had to admit.

She didn't ask again about the bowl. We kept laughing about my earlier clumsiness.

I smiled as I relaxed in the greenhouse, thinking of her now. She was definitely nice. Mertil was helping me tend the plants, as he usually did. His bruises were fast healing. I was glad at how he just seemed to forget and move on. He had that ability. To just move on with life. I admired him for it.

I wondered how he would move on after I...

It was something we didn't discuss. We avoided it by only talking about the present. Saying things like (Well maybe today we can plant those.) Or (Maybe tomorrow we'll get around to that.) There was never any (Next month we could...). We just focused on today, tomorrow, and sometimes we had the gall to look at next week. We just avoided it, somehow. It was better that way. It kept us both sane.

Jake had called us and told us he'd found Princess Kaetila. But she was a Controller.

Of course, he'd done it in a very discreet way...

"Hey Henry! It's Jake!"

"Hello Jake!"

"Yeah...you know. We found her!"

"You did? The t.v?"

"Yep. Can't find the remote controller though..."

"Oh, well, that's too bad..."

"Yeah, well. Maybe we could do something for her. I don't know. Well, nice talking to ya, Henry! Bye!"

"Bye Jake!"

It sounds stupid, but I was able to gather from that that they'd found her. And she was a Controller. It was a pity. It truly was. She could have been a great asset to the team.

But what mostly made me sick was that there was another Andalite-Controller besides Alloran, and that bothered me greatly.

(Mertil.) I'd told him. (It's count 2 now.)

(Two?) He'd stared, shocked. (Who? How?!)

(Kaetila. They captured her.)

(Captured?) He said sadly, shocked. (That's awful.)

I had shrugged, another thing I'd picked up from humans. (I guess that's just how it is. She risked it coming out here on a ship, anyway! They all did! And what were they doing with one ship anyway?!)

(I guess that was all they could spare.) He had replied, looking very depressed. More so than usual anyway.

Today we were just relaxing and enjoying the warm sun. I was kind of nervous. I kept expecting Jake or even Daisy to show up again. I didn't have work today, so I had stayed home. In a way, I almost hoped Daisy would show up again.

At about lunch time, I heard the screech of brakes outside in the driveway.

I tensed up. My eyestalks looked to Mertil.

His head snapped up fearfully from the plant he was pruning. His main eyes looked to me; terror written all over his face.

I quickly left the greenhouse and went into the kitchen I stood for a few seconds listening.

BA- BOOM!

The door had been kicked open!

FWAP I flicked my tail and knocked out the first Hork-Bajir that came in.

He fell down. I hurried to the secret room.

I got there and quickly pulled out a shredder. I ran back to the living room.

Controllers were pouring in. I fired and kept firing.

(MERTIL!) I yelled. They were sure as Taxxon bile not going to take him while I was here. (STAY IN THE GREENHOUSE!)

He had either already been taken, or he was obeying me, but he did not reply.

Soon they were smashing open the front windows. I fired and fired.

But they got in through the back windows as well. With my tail blade, I knocked down a Hork-Bajir that was about to strike my flank.

One came bursting through the damn bedroom wall, and others poured after him. They swarmed over me. One pinned my tail. I fought, but soon I was on my stomach. They tried to take my shredder. I stomped it into pieces with my foot. The Hork-Bajir that had tried to take it struck me across the face. I looked calmly back at him. I would never let them take any Andalite technology, the filthy slugs.

They dragged Mertil in a few moments later. He looked nervously back at them.

(So...) A voice said. I looked up. The Visser had just stepped in through the door. (Where is she?) He said casually.

I sneered. (She? Who is she?) Though I knew quite well who 'she' was. I just didn't understand what he meant by where she was. Had I misunderstood Jake's message? Had the Animorphs rescued her?

He strolled quickly over to me.

FWAP! His tail cracked across my face.

I struggled against the Hork-Bajir that restrained me.

I would rip his tail off and shove it right up his-

(WHERE IS THE FEMALE, YOU IDIOT FOOL?) He bellowed at me.

(WHAT FEMALE?) I roared back. (DO YOU SEE ANY 'FEMALES' AROUND HERE YOU WALKING, TALKING LUMP OF TAXXON DUNG?)

He stared back. He looked enraged. He looked over at Mertil. Mertil looked down at the ground.

(YOU! VECOL!) The Visser sounded somewhat desperate.

He lifted Mertil's face up to look at his with the point of his tail blade.

(Where is she?) He said in a low, dangerous voice.

Mertil looked the Visser in the eyes steadily. If he so much as winced or looked uncertain...

I felt my hearts roaring in my ears.

(Do I look like I know any females?) Mertil replied softly.

The silence stretched, making me want to retch my morning's grass and expel it out of my hooves.

The Visser looked down at the floor. His tail dropped. (No.) He said.

Mertil watched him warily, then looked down at the floor also.

(Visser?) A Human Controller spoke quietly, nervously.

(What?) The Visser snapped, in a low voice.

(What do you want us to do with these Andalites?)

(Leave them.) He muttered.

"What?" The Controller said, having not heard.

The Visser flung out his tail, knocking the human over. (I SAID LEAVE THEM! Leave them!) He looked desperately around. (Leave them alone. The female isn't here.)

He turned to go. But before he did, he looked back over his shoulder at me, smiling.

(Destroy all of their shields, and any other equipment. Burn the greenhouse.)

(NO!) Mertil yelled.

(Mertil! Quiet!)

(You FILTH!) He yelled at the Abomination. (He's ILL! He needs it! You'll kill him!)

The Abomination looked back at him and laughed. Then he turned his head towards the door, and strolled out imperially.

The Hork-Bajir Controllers and Human Controllers went to do his bidding.