*Part 38: Now or Never

Optimus and Jake were firing off ideas left and right as to how the mission should be approached. Jake suggested that the Animorphs go in small to find the device as Jake was somewhat familiar with the ventilation system after his previous adventure.

While the Animorphs would be sneaking in, the Maximals would be outside making a distraction. After the Predicons head out to deal with them, the Animorphs would find a quiet place to demorph and go to their battle morphs.

"We'll do what we did before," Jake said.

"Before?" asked Marco uneasily. He had an idea what Jake was getting at and he wasn't sure he liked it.

"We'll use the same plan as when we were first going in to get the Time Machine," was the reply.

"Oh man!" Marco groaned. "That means going fly morph! I hate insect morphs!"

"Care to fill me in on what your plan was before?" Optimus asked.

"We morphed fly and rode on Tobias to where we were going," Jake explained. "He found us a way into the building by a quiet room. Ax demorphed first and checked it out. When it was all clear, the rest of us followed and went to battle morph."

"And you have used this battle strategy in the past?" Dinobot growled.

"Works just about every time," Rachel replied.

The details were worked out. If they ran into any trouble the Animorphs would be able to contact Optimus or one of the other Maximals for assistance. The Maximals watched as the Animorphs turned away from each other to prepare to go to fly morph.

"Why do you turn away from each other?" Tigatron asked curiously.

"Going to fly morph isn't pretty," Cassie said. "You'll see."

And the Maximals did indeed see, and hear also, as bones crunched, spines slurped, facial features rearranged, limbs got spindly, extra limbs sprouted and bodies shrank. Not even Cassie's natural ease at morphing could make the sight any more appealing.

"Dat's disgusting," Rattrap said when they were mostly done.

Tobias moved over to where the group of flies was and they found their way to the feathers around his neck.

"This is the most unusual day," Air Razor commented as Optimus opened the overhead hatch so they, and Tobias, could fly out.

Optimus chuckled, "It certainly is."

With out any other comment, the group took off towards the Predicon base with hopes of finding what the group of humans needed.

Meanwhile, Visser Three was still biding his time. He was starting to get impatient, but luckily, he wouldn't have to wait for long. At that moment, a group of animals ran by and two robots flew overhead. If Optimus had been looking out for the Visser than he might have spotted him and the small group of Controllers that remained to him. But his mind was elsewhere and so the Yeerks went unnoticed.

We move now! The Visser commanded.

The small group was startled when the Visser's command rang in their minds. They had been there a while and the Visser had been quiet for so long. But it was finally time to make a move since the Andalite bandits were making their own.

So the small group of Controllers quickly, but quietly, followed the Animorphs and the Maximals. Though at the time the Visser thought he was only following the Andalite bandits.

The group of heroes was drawing close to their mark. Optimus knew that when the Maximals got close enough the Predicon sensors would pick them up and the party would start. He couldn't talk to Tobias, but that was not a problem. It had been set up earlier at the base.

Tobias, with his friends, would fly down to the underside of the base where they would have relatively no problem getting in. And once the Maximals had the Predicons distracted than the Animorphs would have nearly free reign of their base.

"Time to Maximize!" Optimus shouted down to those who hadn't yet transformed.

With much yelling and whirring of machinery that was soon changed and each one of them had weapons at the ready.

"Time to let Megatron know he has guests," Rhinox said.

That was the cue for everyone to start firing on the Predicon base in order to draw attention to themselves and away from the hawk flying curiously close. Not that Megatron was ever one to pay attention to nature.

While the Maximals were starting up the diversion, Tobias was flying near the underside of the base trying to locate the opening Optimus had tried to explain to him. When he couldn't give an adequate description, Dinobot had jumped in and gave a much more clear picture of where to go.

Any sign, Tobias? Jake asked.

Not…no wait, I see it, Tobias replied. Heading over. Get ready, gang.

Using the stealth that had become part of his life, Tobias flew up and into the opening he had spotted. Once inside he circled for a moment. The ductwork was visible, but he just had to find an opening he could get into. That didn't take very long because soon Tobias was gliding into a large hole and settling on the bottom.

All ashore, Tobias said.

Good, Marco said a little woozily, I need off this roller coaster ride.

Once all the flies were off Tobias it was the same scene from the Maximal base but in reverse as the group returned to their human forms. Limbs were sucked up, some grew, size increased, bones and organs grew.

Ax morphed to his Andalite self briefly enough to realize that there wasn't quite enough room in the duct for him. So he quickly went to his own human morph.

"Ok, Jake," Cassie said quietly. "Do you remember where to go?"

Jake breathed out slowly and said, "I think so. Follow me."