Chapter 3
Nobody said a word. Nobody had to say a word. Unlike any other statement that anyone has made throughout the entirety of history, we somehow knew he was telling the complete truth. He meant exactly what he said. There were dangerous aliens out there, and he was trying to warn us with his dying breaths.
«They are called Yeerks,» he explained. «They are different from my people. Different from your people as well.»
"And they're already here?" Blue demanded, taking on Silver's skeptical expression.
«Yes, many. Hundreds. Maybe thousands by now.»
"So why hasn't anyone said anything?" Silver asked. "I mean, someone has to have seen one by now. I haven't heard anything about this."
«You would not have. Yeerks... they do not have bodies like yours or mine. They live inside the bodies of other beings. They are... It is easier to show you.»
He closed his eyes, concentrating, and suddenly an image appeared in my mind. I saw a grayish greenish slug-like thing, around the size of a Rattata, that almost resembled a Goomy in shape, but without eyes and far less cute. It was the sort of thing that if I'd seen squirming around on the sidewalk I'd have given a wide berth, or perhaps stepped on in disgust.
"Gross," Silver looked sickened. "I guess that's a Yeerk? Either that or leftovers from the sushi food truck downtown."
«Yeerks are nearly powerless without a host,» the alien continued. «They are–»
He groaned again, this time more intensely. I saw Yellow visibly flinch at the 'noise.' I felt the alien's pain and sorrow at his imminent death. The sound ripped through me like a cruel knife.
«They are parasites,» the alien went on as though nothing had happened, but his voice had become yet further strained. «They require a host to live in for things like sight, hearing, and physical capabilities. We call these hosts Controllers. The Yeerks enter the brain through the ear, and then enter the brain, stretching themselves until they override every neuron, control every action. They attempt to gain voluntary hosts, to make things easier, since an involuntary host may be able to resist, if only slightly.»
"So you're telling me these things are here on Earth and are taking over humans?" Blue asked, her voice a mix of fear and confusion.
"This is way bigger than us," I realized. "If what you're saying is true, you shouldn't be telling five teenagers about it. This is the kind of thing that world governments need to know about."
The alien didn't respond to my concerns, instead continuing with his explanation. I suppose I understood. If he didn't get all this information out before he died, Earth was toast. «We hoped to stop them, but their Bug fighters were waiting in massive numbers in orbit, ready to ambush us when our Dome ship came out of Z-space. We had thought we were ready to fight them–Bug fighters alone would be powerless against the weaponry of a Dome ship, but the Yeerks had prepared a second ambush. They hid a Blade ship, one of their most deadly spacecraft, in the crater of your moon. We fought, but we lost. They have tracked my fighter's energy signature. They will find me here shortly, and eliminate all traces of myself and my ship.»
"What? How is that possible?" Green asked.
The alien smiled, or at least his eyes crinkled in the way a human's do when we smile. «Their Dracon beams are able to disintegrate anything down to atoms. Nothing will remain of my ship or my body. I sent a message to my home world, however, before I was shot down. My people, the Andalites, fight the Yeerks wherever they go. They will send forces to this planet to engage the Yeerks, but it may take a year, or even more. By then, the Yeerks will have almost total control over the entire planet. All will be lost, unless you are able to warn your people!» He let out another spasm of pain. He was nearly dead.
"Uh... a bit of a problem, there, mister Andalite, sir," Silver spoke up, looking defeated. "See, there have been a lot of humans trying to convince everybody various aliens exist for a very long time. Nobody believes them. Definitely not anybody who would need to know about this."
"If we tell anyone, we'll look completely insane. Nobody will listen, and if they do, they're probably Controllers and we're as good as dead," Blue added.
"It's game over, either way," Yellow murmured, despondent.
"There has to be some way to help you," Green insisted, sounding almost agitated that the Andalite was dying. "We can keep you alive somehow. If we can just show you to the police, or–"
«No,» the alien interrupted. «There is no way. No time.» But then his eyes brightened, as though he'd had a clever idea. «But maybe...»
"What is it?" I asked.
«I need one of you to enter my ship. Inside, on a table, you will find a small blue cube. Bring it to me, and quickly! The Yeerks are coming!»
We all glanced at each other, unsure of who would be the one to go into the spacecraft. We seemed to agree unanimously that it had to be me. Or, I should say, the other four agreed, because I certainly didn't.
"Go on," Green said from where he still knelt next to the alien. "I'll stay with him." He put his hand on the Andalite's shoulder, and his touch seemed to strangely comfort the alien.
I would have gulped, but my throat was too dry to even manage that. I glanced at Yellow.
She smiled at me, seeming confident that I was brave enough to do it. I definitely wasn't. I wouldn't have, if someone else had stepped up and volunteered. But nobody did, and Yellow's smile gave me a daring I wouldn't have had without it. I walked over to the spaceship and stepped up into the open door.
Inside, I saw the passageway that led into the cockpit. I saw the control panel, sparse in comparison the pictures I'd seen of human fighter jets. There were only a few buttons, and they all glowed a warning red, like emergency overrides. Perhaps Andalites just needed less buttons. Maybe it was thought-controlled.
I located the cube pretty easily. It was one of the few splashes of color in the ship, save for the glowing buttons and a picture next to it on the table. Looking at the photograph, I realized it was actually a small holographic projection of four Andalites, standing side by side, looking solemn. One of them looked vaguely like the Andalite outside the ship. Two others were larger–definitely adults. I realized this was the Andalite's family.
A wave of sadness hit me, this time my own, not the alien's. Somewhere, far away, a mother and father waited day after day for their child to return. But he wouldn't, because he was here, dying. Dying to protect Earth. And it was all the Yeerks' fault. Anger blazed in my heart. One way or another, I was going to make those parasites hurt for what they'd done.
I exited the ship and handed the cube to the Andalite. "Here."
«Thank you.»
"I saw a picture. Was that... your family?"
«Yes.»
"I'm really sorry," I said, feeling dumb for not being able to come up with something more poetic, more expressive of my sympathy.
«There is something I can do that may give you a chance to resist the Yeerks.»
"What?" Blue demanded, immediately interested.
«You are young. I know enough about humans to know that your youth lack real power to fight the Controllers. But I may be able to give you some small powers that will help.»
We were all silent, waiting for him to continue. I exchanged a confused glance with Silver, Blue, and Yellow. Not Green. Green's eyes were fixed on the alien.
«I can give you powers no human has ever had before.»
"Yeah, but what?" Silver asked.
«It is technology Andalites have developed–technology that the Yeerks do not have,» the Andalite explained. «We are able to use this ability to pass unnoticed in many parts of the universe. It is the power to morph. We have never shared this technology. But your need is great.»
"Morph? Morph how? Morph what?" Blue looked suspicious, her eyes narrowed.
«To alter the shape of your bodies,» the Andalite said. «To change in to any species you can touch.»
Silver laughed, still skeptical. "Become other species. Right."
«All you must to do use this power is touch a creature, to acquire its DNA, and then you can become that creature. It takes intense concentration, but if you are determined, you will be able. There are... limitations that our scientists have not figured out how to circumvent. There are dangers to this power. But I cannot explain semantics. There is no time. You will have to learn them yourselves. I must ask: do you wish to receive this power?»
"This is nuts," Silver complained, looking at me as if we were the only sane ones in a mental asylum. "He can't be real with this, right?"
"No," Green murmured. "No, he's not kidding."
"This is nuts!" Silver repeated, this time with more emphasis. "Aliens? Brain-stealing slugs from outer space? Spaceships? No freaking way!"
"Yeah, it's weird," I agreed.
"Uh huh, it's really out there," Blue said, measuring her words. "But we can't all be dreaming the same dream, I don't think. This has to be real. We have to do something about it."
"I will," Yellow said quietly. "I'll do it." I was almost taken aback. Yellow wasn't usually the first person to decide something this big. Perhaps she realized how important this was–enough so to break her usual character.
"We should decide as a group," I suggested. "All in or all out."
"Uh, not to sound off-topic," Blue began, looking up at the sky at a pair of small, bright red lights. "But what are those?"
«Yeerks,» the Andalite snarled in our minds, and his hatred shook me to my core.