The animorphs and the gang found the spot where Trish had described her mother meeting her father. Bucciarati ordered Trish to get into the turtle, something she had looked annoyed at. Rachel was also annoyed. Bucciarati was acting like an overprotective father. Now that Trish had awakened her stand and proved herself in battle, Rachel thought that she should be allowed to help them out more. Maybe some of her annoyance also came from what had happened during the walk to the area.
Everyone had seemed to pair off as they walked. Mista was walking next to Marco, Giorno and Cassie were hand-in-hand, Tobias was holding the turtle and talking to Trish, who was inside it, and Ax and Abbacchio were walking next to each other. Eager to leave Jake and Bucciarati and join back up with Narancia, Rachel fell back. Bucciarati calling her ahead to his side made her sigh quietly and jog to catch up to him.
"Yeah?"
Bucciarati gave Jake a glance, and without a word Jake retreated to the back of the group. Bucciarati sped up until he was walking a few feet ahead of the rest of the group, and Rachel easily caught up with him.
"I wanted to talk to you," Bucciarati said, his voice low so no one could overhear.
"About Jake?" Rachel guessed.
"Kind of," the capo responded. "Jake told me about you. He told me that he worries about you because of the war. He told me about the David thing. And well, it made me worry about you."
"Why, do you think I'm some kind of psychopath too?" Rachel snapped.
"No," Bruno replied. "I'm worried about how Jake's actions affected you. You're not crazy, Rachel. You're traumatized from the war. You found a way to cope. And Jake exploited it."
Rachel bristled inwardly. Who did he think he was, telling her why she was the way she was? She didn't want his pity. "You don't need to feel bad for me," she spat. "I don't."
He paused. "I'm sorry, Rachel. It isn't my place to say those things. Forgive me."
The silence stretched on until Rachel spoke again. "What did Jake say to you? About me, that is."
"Jake worries about you. He thinks you have a dark side and that you enjoy the war," Bucciarati replied.
"Maybe he's right. But we already had a talk about it during the David fiasco. Everyone has their own line drawn somewhere. I know where my line is and I sure as hell won't cross it."
"It's not your line I worry about. It's Jake's. Using your own family, your own friends, to your advantage like that isn't something someone should do."
"Well, tell him that then," Rachel sniped.
"We did have a talk about that," Bucciarati answered, his tone even. "I thought you should know."
"Can I go back to Narancia now?" Rachel asked.
"You and Narancia can be pretty similar," Bucciarati mused, ignoring her question. "It's no wonder you two get along so well. I'm sure if you want to talk about it with him, he'll listen."
"Okay," Rachel said. "Am I dismissed, capo?"
"You're dismissed," he replied.
Without another word, Rachel fell back in step beside Narancia, and Jake caught up to Bucciarati.
"Everything okay?" Narancia asked, concern reflecting in his purple eyes.
"I guess," Rachel muttered. "I mean, if you and I are similar…...that means I'm not that bad, right?"
"Huh?" Narancia frowned.
Rachel launched into her story. Narancia listened carefully.
"I overheard Jake talking to Bucciarati about it the other day. He feels bad. Bucciarati scolded him for it. I know you feel like he's pitying you, but he's not, Rachel. Bucciarati is concerned about you and he's trying to guide Jake." They were getting closer to Jake and Bucciarati now. "To him, we're all kids. Except Abbacchio, of course."
"I guess," Rachel replied, her mind drifting. "I mean, Jake certainly could learn a thing or two from him."
Narancia looked at her, his usually cheerful gaze serious. "Rachel," he said, drawing her out of her head, "I may not have known you long, but I know in my heart that I can trust you and call you my friend. When this is over, I'll help you fight the Yeerks. Even if I have to go to America with you. We'll fight side by side."
Rachel smiled. "Thank you, Narancia," she replied softly. "You're the only one who doesn't make me feel like an outsider."
Early the next day, Rachel, Abbacchio, Ax, Jake, Narancia, and Bruno reached the spot from the picture. The others were on standby.
"Narancia, look for signs of life," Bruno ordered. Rachel began to morph bald eagle as Narancia's stand took to the sky.
"What are you doing, Rachel?" asked Ax. "Chel. Rach-ul."
I can be eyes in the sky, she said in thought-speak. Narancia's radar is great, but I think my bald eagle morph could be helpful too.
"Great idea," Bucciarati said, nodding. He purposefully didn't look at Rachel's still-morphing form, as it was pretty grotesque.
"Ax and I will guard Abbacchio as he does the replay," Jake spoke up.
Abbacchio rolled his eyes as Ax ducked behind the boulders to demorph from human. "Great. Two non stand users who can't see stands being my guards."
"I got them!" Narancia shouted. "I got someone, at least. He's down!"
"Rachel, when you're done morphing, fly up there and wait for us," Bucciarati ordered. "Abbacchio, can you have the replay done in five minutes?"
"If I have to, I'll manage it," the goth replied.
Rachel took to the sky and Narancia and Bruno followed on foot.
This guy is definitely dead, Rachel reported. Aerosmith filled him full of holes. His foot is cut off too. Don't know how that happened.
"That's not right," Bruno muttered. "Aerosmith would have left burn marks, not separated his foot."
The two reached the body, where Rachel was circling in the sky.
"There was definitely a battle here, and you ended it, Narancia. This guy must've been one of the hitman team. The sole survivor."
"He's not surviving anymore," Narancia commented.
"Rachel, do you see anything? Anyone that might be an enemy stand user?" Bucciarati called. "Narancia, up your radar. We don't know how he's concealing his breathing, but he is."
I'll go left, Rachel offered.
"So I'll go right," Narancia replied.
Down on the ground, Ax was morphed into a cheetah, hidden by the rocks. Jake was a dog, sniffing around for anything suspicious.
"I feel so safe with a dog guarding me," Abbacchio said sarcastically.
I would appreciate it if you would refrain from insulting my prince, Abbacchio, Ax told him. We may not be stand users but we're more than capable.
"Your 'prince' can't protect me from enemy stands," Abbacchio pointed out.
Haven't we done enough for you? Ax asked, sounding annoyed. I saved Fugo from the mirror world. My prince saved yours from certain death at the hands of the mafia boss.
"Bucciarati is not my prince."
You take orders from him, don't you? Ax asked. On the Andalite planet that would make him your prince.
"We're not on the Andalite planet. We're on Earth."
And how unfortunate that is. Us Andalites have vastly superior technology compared to you primitive humans.
"If you keep insulting humans like that, you're not going to make friends with us. You sound like a Helmacron."
Don't you dare compare me to a Helmacron. Those things are the nuisances of the galaxy!
"And so are people who brag about themselves while being defeated by a bunch of brain invading slugs."
You take that back!
Stop it, you two, Jake said shortly. We're on a mission.
Abbacchio gritted his teeth. Jake was right. This only increased his contempt for the kid.
Mista, Marco, Cassie, and Giorno, holding the turtle which contained Tobias and Trish, returned from their short patrol of the other side of the island.
"I'm still pissed at you," Mista said through his teeth, glaring at Marco.
Marco grinned. "You have to admit, it was pretty funny."
"No it wasn't! Next time I'll kill you for real!" Mista yelled.
"Can you two cut it out?" Cassie asked, raising her voice. "Both of you can be so stupid sometimes. Marco, Mista, apologize."
"I'm sorry for morphing gorilla and chasing you," Marco said.
"I'm sorry for shooting you in gorilla morph. I didn't know it was you at first," Mista said.
"Look, there's Abbacchio," Giorno said, pointing. "And Jake."
It was then that the sky suddenly darkened, catching the attention of the group members. Up on the hill near the dead body, Narancia got a signal from his radar. It was coming from behind the rock!
Bucciarati unzipped the rock in half, but instead of an enemy stand user, a wounded child with his mouth sewn shut by his own shoelaces was there. The enemy stand user had escaped.
"We need to find that child abusing bastard and make him pay!" Narancia declared, enraged.
Down by the beach, a group of kids kicked their soccer ball over near Abbacchio. It landed on a branch and the kids struggled to reach it.
"Can you kids go away?" Abbacchio asked, annoyed.
"That's not nice, you old geezer," one of the kids told him. They continued to reach for the ball.
"Fine, I'll get your ball for you," Abbacchio scoffed, walking over.
Suddenly, it was as if time had frozen. Giorno, Mista, Cassie, and Marco reached the others, as did Narancia, Bruno, and Rachel. Ax, Jake, and Rachel were demorphed. Trish and Tobias, in human form, were out of the turtle.
"What's going on? Why are you demorphed? Why is Trish out of the turtle? Is everyone else….frozen in place?" Bucciarati asked.
"I think the Ellimist is going to make an appearance," Tobias said.
"The Ellimist?" Trish echoed.
One of the kids walked up to the group, the only one not frozen in place. He turned into a humanoid old man with a white beard and blue skin.
"Ellimist," Jake said, stepping forward, "to what do we owe this surprise visit?"
"I didn't think Italian mafia stand users were players in your little game," Marco added. "It was just us animorphs versus the Yeerks. Is this like the bonus level or something?"
The Ellimist ignored Marco's sarcastic comments.
"I have come to save the life of one of you," he said. "The animorphs are part of my bet- not this gang. I can freely interfere with them, and because you are allies to the animorphs, I will save you."
"What about Abbacchio's replay?" asked Giorno.
"This is where things get interesting," The Ellimist said. "You have to make a choice. Do you allow me to start time again and have the death of a teammate resume? Or do you let me whisk you away, unharmed, never to see the result of the replay?"
A heavy silence fell over the group.
"Surely you don't know for sure that one of us is going to die," Mista said, breaking the silence.
"He knows," Cassie replied, her voice grim.
"I bet he stopped time at the last second," Rachel said. "When time resumes, one of us will die. We won't even have time to blink."
"We can't agree to resume time then," Narancia insisted. "Staying alive is the most important thing." He sounded scared. Rachel couldn't blame him.
"But- if we don't, we'll never know the boss's identity," Abbacchio pointed out. "We traveled all this way for nothing."
Glancing at Bucciarati, Jake said, "If we're voting, I say we prioritize everyone's lives over the replay."
Stepping towards Jake, Narancia added, "Me too."
Trish stepped towards them. "Agreed. I'm not letting one of you die if I can change it."
Taking a step back, Abbacchio said, "I say we resume time. I need to finish my replay. How are we going to defeat the boss otherwise?"
Cassie walked over to Jake's side. "None of our lives are worth it." She looked at Giorno, and her mouth almost fell open as she watched him walk towards Abbacchio.
"I don't want anyone to die," he said. "But now that we know what's going to happen, we can change it. I'll save whoever it is before they die. I'll change their fate. We can do this."
"Well, when you put it that way…..." Mista joined Abbacchio and Giorno.
It was four for leaving versus three for resuming. Hesitantly, Marco joined Mista, and it was a tie.
"We've risked it all. Giorno has a point about changing things," Marco said. "I'll place my bet with him."
Tobias walked over to Trish's side. "I'm with Trish on this one. I want everyone to be alive, and we don't know if Giorno can actually save this person before they die."
I would like to align myself with resuming, Ax said. It is better to complete your mission and to die a warrior's death than to turn tail and run away.
Five versus five for leaving and resuming. Rachel stepped towards Narancia's side. "I'm not letting anyone die if I can help it. If we leave, our safety is guaranteed. And we'll need everyone to fight the Yeerks." Everybody looked at Bucciarati, who was standing there. Would he make it a tie again? What would happen then?
"All of you agreed to follow me knowing you would be risking certain death," he began. "You're all brave. Strong. Courageous. You have my utmost respect. If we knew who was going to die, I might have agreed to it, if it was going to be me. As a leader I can't let one of my men- my people- die. So I vote no as well." He stepped besides Rachel. It was now seven versus five. Leaving had won.
"I see you have made your decision," the Ellimist said. "I shall whisk you away to safety for now."
A bright flash of light, and then darkness, came over the group as the Ellimist worked his magic.