A/N: Okay, this took me way longer than I thought it would. I know it's a fairly short chapter, but I'm hoping to have the next one up sooner. I know the first chapter was kind of boring, but it should start to get more interesting. I have a better idea of where this is going now. I was kind of hoping to have this up yesterday in honor of Martin Luther King Day, but I was too busy. So it'll have to be a day late.
Disclaimer: I own nothing…except maybe the plot.
Four days later, I sat on a bench in the park across from the bank, watching people walk in and out. So far we hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary.
>Anyone else feeling like this is a waste of time?> asked Marco. He, Jake, and Ax were gulls, circling the parking lot at the back of the building. Cassie was a squirrel in a nearby tree, and Tobias was circling overhead as usual.
>I wonder what the Yeerks would want with the bank anyway,> he wondered.
>Could just be a new entrance to the Yeerk Pool,> Jake suggested. >Though I admit, it is a bit disconcerting to think that the Yeerks could be in control of our money.>
>It's hard to imagine human money meaning too much to them,> said Marco, >but I agree it does seem fishy.>
>The Yeerks might not be interested in human money,> said Cassie, quietly, >but humans are.>
Tobias gave a wry laugh. >She's right. People will do almost anything for money. If they can control our money, they're that much closer to controlling us.>
No one said anything for a minute as we all pondered this depressing idea. Then Jake spoke. >We have to figure out what they're doing. Rachel, maybe you could go in and see if you can get any information.>
I was frustrated at not being able to be part of the conversation, but I just nodded, set down the book I'd been pretending to read, and started over to the bank. Once inside, I glanced around quickly then headed for a rack of brochures and pamphlets. Pretending to sift through them, I continued to look around.
I saw a woman we'd previously identified as a Controller step up to one of the teller windows. The bank teller handed her a slip of paper and the woman turned and walked to the other side of the bank. She stepped behind a short wall partition which blocked my view, but it only went up so far, and I could see the top of a door opening and closing.
I frowned and glanced down at the pamphlet I was holding. It was promoting an "exciting" new account option. I waited a little while longer, but there was no more activity around the wall partition. I left the building, still holding the pamphlet, and walked back to the bench. I gathered my things and got ready to go.
>Guys,> Tobias said suddenly. >Isn't that Tidwell? Coming out of the library.>
I turned to see Mr. Tidwell, a Controller who was part of the Yeerk Peace Movement, walking in my direction, carrying a stack of books. As he passed me, he stumbled slightly and a slip of paper fell to the ground. He continued walking without looking at me. I waited until he'd nearly reached the other side of the park before picking up the paper.
>Chapman alert!> Marco called.
I glanced casually back toward the bank. Chapman was leaving the building with another man—presumably another Controller. Neither of them had been in the bank when I'd gone in. They crossed the parking lot and stood in front of the library next door as though studying it for a minute, before entering through the door Mr. Tidwell had walked out of only moments before.
>Okay,> said Marco, >something is definitely up.>
I nodded and looked down at the paper in my hand. I frowned. It looked like it was just a list of numbers. The first one was a temperature—451ºF. Wondering if I was supposed to understand that, I started out of the park to find a good place to morph.
A/N I promise the purpose of this story will start to become clearer. And sometime in the next two chapters, I'll get back to what happened with the ship in the first chapter. All will be revealed…just…not quite yet.