Chapter 6: The Blue Cube
"So Max, do you want to help us take down the people who did this to you? Because if you do, there's one more thing we have to do before we attack," said Jake.
"Um, Jake. Are you sure? I'm pretty sure we don't want to go through the whole David thing again. What we did to him still gives me nightmares," said Rachel with a shudder.
"Who's David? What happened?" I asked.
"David was a kid who found the source of our powers. We thought it had been destroyed when the Yeerks destroyed the Andalite ship, so we didn't bother looking for it. He used the device to break into shops and banks before threatening to turn us and the device over to Visser Three in exchange for his parents. If that happened, then Earth would be lost by now. We had to force him to remain in a rat morph for more than two hours, until he became permanently trapped. It was a tough decision and we regret having our hands tied like that. But it had to be done." I shuddered at the thought of being a rat for the rest of my life. These guys were serious.
"I'm in. Lets do it." Rachel smiled and glanced at Marco, who groaned.
"Great. Now there's two of them to make fun of me. Bring on the short jokes!" Meanwhile, Cassie was climbing down the ladder from the hay loft with something tucked under her arm. A large cube that was glowing blue softly in the shadow.
"This is the device that David found. We figured we should keep it close if we ever did need it," said Jake. "Since it belongs to your people, I think you should do the honours Ax."
< Yes, Prince Jake. I agree. Come forward Max, and place your hand on a side of the Escafil device. It will not hurt you. > I put my hand on the top of the cube, and Ax did the same. The cube turned purple for the briefest of moments before returning to its blue glow. A sort of shock raced up my arm and throughout my body.
< It is done. You need only touch an animal and concentrate on it to acquire its DNA pattern. Then simply focus on that animal to begin the morphing process. It is usually painless, and rarely does someone possess the ability to control the morph in an artistic way. We call them Estreen, or morph-dancers, on my home world. > I looked at the cube. It seemed so innocent, with its slight glow. You would never know, unless someone told you, that it had the power to hold back entire armies. Or create new ones.
