The Yeerks had built a massive, really sweet looking building that they used as a community center and a headquarters for the Sharing. There were big fields around it, where they had a baseball diamond and areas for people to play soccer and football and whatever. There was also a really sweet playground where kids could play, with benches in the shade for parents to watch their kids. For kids who could never play on those growing up, we were jealous.
((I think this is a pretty good area to hang around for a bit. Collette, Timmy, I think your morphs are the least conspicuous around here. The rest of us will go into the tree belts around here and lay low. You two get lower and just scope things out. I will fly cover from above.)) I hated giving orders. I knew that if anything happened to them, I would never forgive myself.
((Sounds good Czar)) Timmy said jokingly. I gave him a laugh and flapped my wings, aiming my body upward. I flew up a couple hundred feet, and then started to fly circles around the center. With my owl eyes, I could see everything down there in perfect detail. I saw the others fly into the trees, hiding their noticeable bird-of-prey bodies. I saw Timmy and Collette fly down to the play ground, landing on the jungle gym and hopping along on the other equipment. For a bit I didn't even know what we were doing. It was midnight and there didn't seem to be any activity going on in the center. For about another forty-five min. I continued to soar over the center. Finally, I flew down into the trees and ordered everyone to demorph. As soon as we all were demorphed, I walked around and helped people get in more comfortable positions. Craig helped me, and in a few min., we had five sick kids sitting against trees or rocks.
"Let's give ourselves some time to rest. Craig and I will go walk around the streets, see if anyone is coming along. If you guys see anyone, morph. If it seems to get out of control for you, get back to the clinic. Don't worry about us, we will be back soon," I looked at all of them and gave them a big grin. Even though they were all ill, I didn't feel like I was leaving them in danger. If worse came to worse, they would morph and get out of there. I nodded to Craig and he followed me. He was slightly shorter then me, with thick, brown curly hair. He had dark eyes and tan skin. He was sixteen years old and had been my roommate for three years. I knew all of his secrets, and he knew all of mine, not that in a clinic you have many. When he was eight, he got in a car accident, a lot like me. But with him, he had been riding his bike and was hit. It left him with a crushed pelvis, making it impossible for him to walk ever again. At least until he was able to morph.
We walked out of the tree rows and onto a street. Across the street there were a couple shops and a small neighborhood grocery store. There was also a gas station on the corner. We walked close to the buildings, and went into any ally we could find. It wasn't the most pleasant experience, with both of us being barefoot, but we fought threw it. What is walking on some rocks when you had had a few surgeries?
"Just like when we use to make up those adventures, huh?" He asked me. I looked over at him and saw that he was beaming. When we roomed together, Craig and I would often make up fantasies. Those stories helped us both deal with the pain of what we had to live through. I thought of Craig as one of my closest friends, even a brother. When I was fourteen and he was thirteen, Craig's family took both of us to L.A. They were a pretty wealthy family, and we got to see a lot of cool stuff. Craig and I had made up some pretty cool stories of running around the city, finding criminals.
"It is crazy how our little games have become reality," I said. We continued to roam around the city, looking for anything out of the ordinary. We didn't go to far, just incase anything would happen, and luckily we didn't.
((Hey, James, Craig. You two better bet back here fast. Don't be too obvious, but make it fast,)) It was Collette. She had obviously morphed and sounded pretty worried. Craig and I exchanged sideways glances and took off back to the trees. It was only a few blocks away, and by the time we got there, both of us were out of breath and sweating. Craig hadn't run for eight years. I hadn't for thirteen. We ran back to the same spot where we had been and found our friends up in the trees.
"What is it?" I whispered. I couldn't see much from the trees, but I could see a light on in a second floor room in the center.
((Some birds just flew up. Four of them. I think one of them was Jake's brother. They just flew to the lawn and demorphed. I can see them here. They have all demorphed and are in that room there. If I get closer, I might be able to hear what they are saying.)) Timmy said. I looked up and him and shook my head. I wasn't going to put any of them in danger. I looked back at the community center and could see vaguely the shapes of people moving around. I looked and Craig and watched as he started morphing back to his hawk morph. I focused my mind on the owl. In a few moments, I was the owl again. Now I could see clearly into the room. It was Jake's older brother, Tom. He was also with two females and a young male.
((I am going to go check it out. Sorry Timmy, but I have a faster, bigger morph. I will be able to fight them off if anything happens,)) I knew Timmy didn't buy it, but I didn't want to fight with him. Even though I trusted them all, I still didn't want anything to happen to them. I opened my wings and flew up, closer to the center. I landed on top of a street light, just outside and to the right of the window. I peered in and could see Tom and the others looking on the computer at something. Only Tom and one of the other female controllers seemed to really focus on what it said. The other two just sort of walked around the office.
"This has to be the list of hospitals around here. My host's brother and the other Animorphs were trying to get that girl out of that hospital. I think they were trying to recruit her, and sense no one seems to know where she went, I think they succeeded. We have to hack into these hospital's data bases and maybe narrow it down for us. Let's get to work people.
((O no! The Yeerks are onto us. They suspect that we are from clinics and they are searching local hospital databanks.)) I yelled. I didn't know what to do. I had to stop them. I had to make sure they didn't find us. How? Jake would know. I couldn't go get Jake. He was so far away in the Hork-Bajir valley. I wish I had at least gotten Cassie or Tobias. No, I had to decide. The others depended on me. I had to make sure that we stopped them, no matter what.
((James… What are we going to do?)) Julio said. I could hear the pleading tone in his voice. I could feel the others' fear. I knew they were getting anxious.
((We have to stop them from searching. We have to distract them. We will get Ax to do something about it on the computer. Until then, we have to stop them from this search tonight…Julio, fly to the valley and get Ax. Tell him what is happening. We have to do this now!)) I cried. I was frantic. How to get in there? I didn't know. What type of security did this place have?
((No way! I want in on this!)) Julio argued
((Dammit Julio, get going now!)) I felt horrible the second I yelled it, but I didn't have time to waste. I watched as Julio opened his wings and took off. ((The rest of us need to get ready. Here is the plan.))
Five minutes later, we were set up.
((Judy, let it rip,)) I yelled. Judy, standing just outside the Window in the soccer field, raised her long nose and let loose an ear drum busting cry. I immediately saw all four sets of eyes in the room turn and look out. All Four of them got up and hurried to the window to see a full grown African elephant standing there.
((Tricia, now!)) Two seconds later, Tricia dived at the window with her eagle morph. At the last second, she flared her wings and leg loose a large rock she was struggling to carry. The Rock sailed at the window and cracked it. I repeated the same action, making my rock hit only a few inches away. The glass gave a definite crack, but still didn't shatter. Judy ran over to the nearest bench, and using her strong nose, ripped the bench right out of the ground. She lifted the bench up and threw it straight at the window. I could see the fearful looks on the controller's faces as the bench shattered the window and slammed into the ground. I am even pretty sure the bench took out one of the female controllers in the room.
"Animorphs! Hurry, morph!" I heard Tom yell. I landed with Tricia back in the trees and rushed through my demorphing. I stopped for only a second to take a breath, and then I focused on the lion. Instantly I could feel the thick mane growing all over my neck and back, and I felt a tail extend from my spine. I fell forward onto my hands and I watched as they got bigger, forming into pays. Lastly, my face bulged out, forming the lion's snout. My hears moved up and pointed, while my eyes became golden yellow and black slit pupils. In seconds I was a full grown African lion. Next to me, I watched as Tricia's nose curved straight up, pointing and becoming a horn. She became a rhino.
((Follow me,)) I said. The others had told us about the morphs we had picked. They told us rhinoceroses had weak eye sight. Tricia could barely see in front of her. She could however see the lion loping next to her. We ran back over to Judy and got there just as a jaguar, panther, and wolf all jumped out of the window. These guys don't stand a chance, I thought. I ran straight at the jaguar, the biggest of them. The big cat saw me and bore it's fangs at me. I jumped right at him, taking him down on the impact with my hundreds of pounds advantage. The cat bit frantically at my neck, but it was no use. Nothing got past the lion's mane. I pinned him and bit down into his shoulder.
((AGH!)) The controller screamed. It was Tom, Jake's brother. The Jaguar yanked itself away, slashing wildly at my face. I felt as his claws slit open my face, but it was nothing. I slashed back at him, connecting with his face and sent him rolling. It was no contest between the lion and jaguar. He was fast, but I was faster. He was strong, but I was stronger. I could hear Judy and Collette, in her crocodile morph, fight with the panther. The other big cat tried to leap on top of Judy, but her thick hide didn't allow him to harm her. The cat did, however, stay out of reach from Collette's snapping snout.
Craig swung his massing grizzly fist at the wolf, who dodged the attack, but jumped right into Tricia's charge. The wolf let out a yelp of pain, and tried to climb to its mangled feet, but Timmy, in his bobcat morph, attacked its hind legs from behind, biting down into the wolf's thigh, making it collapse again. I knew this fight would be over as quickly as it started. I regretted telling Jake that I had killed his brother, and I knew he would be very angry. I also couldn't help but feeling that he would be partially relieved. He wouldn't have to kill his brother when it came down to it.
Then I heard a noise. It was the noise of a car speeding this way. Of course! An alarm had to of gone off when the window broke. They knew they were under attack.