Chapter 11
When we got back to the Reliquary, it seemed that we walked in on an argument between Marco and Prince Tobias. They were sitting around the Reliquary's table, eating cooking that I knew was not Rachel's. Marco was saying, "…ore than a little risky, isn't it?"
"Maybe, Marco, but that doesn't make it a bad plan. Name one of our plans that wasn't risky."
"I always said that all of our plans were bad."
"You made most of our plans."
"And I still hate them." Marco looked up and saw us. "Oh, hey. How'd it go? Everyone alright? Did you get caught?"
((We're fine,)) David answered. ((Check the computer.))
Prince Tobias closed his eyes for a moment. Then, a hologram of the Yeerk's computer system appeared between him and Marco. Marco raised an eyebrow at me. "Al, did you steal the whole thing?"
((Not only that. Now, whenever the Yeerks add information to their computers, it will also be added to this one. Anything they know, we shall know,)) I answered.
Prince Tobias gave me one of his rare smiled. "Good job, Alloran. I think you three deserve the rest of the day off. Marco and I will find some targets."
((Where should we go?)) I asked him.
He shrugged. "Wherever you want. Rachel went to the mall half an hour ago; maybe you should find her."
((As you command, my Prince.))
"You're off the clock. Now I'm just Tobias."
((As you wish, Prince Tobias.))
Marco gave me an odd look. "Do you do that on purpose or does it really just slip out?"
((Do what?))
He rolled his eyes. I suspect I may have annoyed him. Or perhaps he was having some sort of seizure. "You know, Alloran, if I—"
Jeanne interrupted him. "Marco, do you want to go and practice those new morphs we got?"
Marco shrugged and turned to Prince Tobias. My Prince raised an eyebrow. "You got a new morph? What is it?"
Marco smiled. "A surprise. It's only fair, since you didn't tell us about your Howler. That scared me to death, man."
Prince Tobias nodded. "Well, go on. I don't want you showing off and the morph getting out of control."
"Can you pick some targets without me?"
"I don't need you to hold my hand."
"Yeah; you've got the wife for that."
Prince Tobias smiled. "I'll tell her you said that. The next time you see her, guard your shins."
Marco started to morph to an osprey. "I'll re—" ((-member that. Let's get going, Jeanne. I don't exactly want to be here when Rachel gets back.))
The two of them, an osprey and a red-tailed hawk, flew out through the roof hatch. Prince Tobias turned to us. "Well, what about you two? Going to enjoy your day off?"
((Actually, I had a plan I wanted to talk to you about,)) David answered. Prince Tobias nodded, so David went on. ((We learned that, when the Yeerks get a new shipment of Kelbrid, the Visser fights a Kelbrid-Controller to get the respect of the other Kelbrid hosts.))
((This Controller almost certainly throws the fight,)) I added.
((Right. So I was thinking that we—))
"Infiltrate the next shipment, morph a Kelbrid and, when the Visser comes to fight, rip into him like a screaming rat?"
((Yeah. That's about the size of it. How did you know?))
He shrugged. "During that whole Anati-Helmacron-Garatron incident, Guraff mentioned the dominance rituals. I've been trying to work out a way of pulling it off, but there are some serious holes."
((Like what?)) I asked.
"For one, we don't know how the Kelbrid select their leader. That's the one who would fight the Visser. Number two, they'd still put a Yeerk in the head of every Kelbrid who passed through there. Number three, we don't even know if we could beat Esplin when it came down to it. He's got Ax's body, for one thing, and far too much experience with a tail."
((Oh. Yeah, I guess those are a few hang-ups.))
"Maybe we can work on this later, David. But not today. You two are taking the day off. Go to the mall or something. Have some fun."
((What about you, my Prince?))
"I'm staying here. The sooner we get on this, the better. We've sat still far too long."
((All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,)) David replied. ((Come on, you could use a little fun. How long has it been since you just kicked back and relaxed?))
"Twenty years."
((Yeah, you definitely need a break.))
Chapter 12
David and I spent an uneventful afternoon at the mall. We were only thrown out of three eating establishments and handed over to mall security once. Rachel found us and brought us home after that.
Back aboard the Reliquary, David, Prince Tobias, Rachel, and I waited for Jeanne and Marco. Rachel was complaining. "I can't believe you let the two of them go off alone," she said to Prince Tobias.
"I'm not here to baby-sit," he sighed. "They can take care of themselves."
"I'm not worried about their safety. You know Marco, Tobias. You know what he's up to right now."
"Yeah, and that isn't any of my business."
"Well, it's mine. She's my sister, after all."
"Would it make you feel better if I told you I found a lot of stuff for us to blow up?"
Rachel's mood instantly brightened. "Like what?"
"A couple Yeerk-operated businesses. One of them is a propane distribution center and that should leave a real pretty ball of fire."
"This night is sounding better already."
((Hey, is everybody decent in there?)) I heard Marco's thought speak call.
((We are fully clad,)) I answered.
((Darn. Well, we're coming in anyway. Open the hatch, Al. I can never find the thing.))
I did as I was told. An osprey and a red-tailed hawk flew inside and started to demorph. Prince Tobias was already telling us his plan.
He had the Reliquary pull up a map of the locations he had decided to target. "Okay, we've got six targets. This first one is one of the most difficult. I want to start with it because we'll have the element of surprise."
"What's the target?" Rachel asked. "Propane?'
"Not yet. The bank." He pointed to a hologram of the bank suspended in the air before us. "This is where the Yeerks are getting their money. If we shut it down, it'll cripple their cash-flow. We hit them where it counts."
"You just wanted to say cripple their cash-flow," Marco accused him.
Prince Tobias smiled. "Maybe. This next target," the hologram of the town spun around to the new location, "is where the Yeerks get the water for the Yeerk pool. It's guarded mostly to keep people from accidentally learning where those pipes lead."
The hologram rotated again. "This is the chemical plant where the Yeerks make the other chemicals that go into the pool. It's guarded for the obvious reasons."
The hologram turned again and Prince Tobias gave Rachel a smile that I think may have come unwillingly. "This is a propane distribution center."
"Yay!"
"Down, girl. It provides the propane for the restaurants and cafeterias in the Yeerk pool. It won't exactly cripple them—"
"But it'll be fun," Rachel finished.
Prince Tobias nodded. "But it'll be fun."
Marco shook his head. "You're turning into her, you know that? Let this be a lesson. Never get married."
Rachel threw the nearest object at Marco. Unfortunately, the nearest object happened to be David. ((AHHH! What are you doing!? You're insane!))
Marco caught David. "Rat-boy's smarter than I thought. Where's the next target?"
Once more, the hologram rotated. "This is a sporting goods store. It's Yeerk-operated but, more importantly, it leads people on hiking and camping trips into the caves. These people come back as Controllers."
"And the final target," Prince Tobias smiled once more, "is the Yeerk pool itself."
"Yep, you're turning into Rachel. What could we accomplish by attacking the pool?"
Jeanne nodded. "There is nothing to be gained from it."
"This is a terror mission," Prince Tobias argued. "The pool is the place they feel the safest. It's the one place where they might actually be safe. If we hit them there…"
"It's like Doolittle's raid," Rachel added. "You know, after Pearl Harbor. We launched some planes and bombed Tokyo. It didn't hurt them, but it scared them. That's what this is."
"I think that maybe we should have a vote on this pool attack," Marco suggested. "I vote no."
"I am with Marco," Jeanne agreed.
"I'm for it," Rachel argued.
Prince Tobias nodded. "Me too."
((I will go where you go, my Prince,)) I assured him.
We all turned to David. He would decide what we did. ((Well…it's risky and there isn't much to be gained from it. But I know a little something about fear. This will scare them and that's what we're going for. If we want to terrify the Yeerks, attacking the pool is what we should do."
"It's settled then. We attack the pool," Prince Tobias announced.
"When do we get started?" Rachel asked.
My Prince smiled. "We're already on our way to the bank."
Marco groaned. "Oh man. Stop doing that. Stop starting the missions before we even know what's happening."
Chapter 13
Prince Tobias' plan for the bank was simple. We would perform what is known as a heist. It was dangerous, risky. We were likely to be arrested. Marco kept insisting that it was insane. That didn't change Prince Tobias' plan at all.
He, Jeanne, and I stood on the steps outside of the bank. It was on the corner of the street. It was nearly five hours past noon. That meant that the bank would not have many innocents in it.
I was in my human morph. It was cold in this part of the world, at this time of year. A ski mask protected my face from the cold. Jeanne had a large scarf wrapped around her head and face. Prince Tobias was wearing large sunglasses, a wool hat, and his face was partially morphed to Howler.
Prince Tobias smiled. "Ski mask? Check. Sawed off? Check."
((Guilty conscience? Fear of death? Check, check, check. You're all clear for the exit,)) David called from above us. He was keeping an eye out in eagle morph.
Prince Tobias nodded and then entered through the front doors of the bank. Jeanne and I followed. My Prince walked calmly to one of the tellers at the desk.
"Can I help you?" she asked.
Prince Tobias nodded. "I'd like to make a withdraw."
"What is the account number?"
My Prince lowered his voice. "Nine-Four-Six-Six."
The teller flinched. "Oh, I'm sorry, sir. Please, follow me." Prince Tobias nodded to us. Jeanne and I remained where we were. He followed the woman into a room off to the side. I couldn't see what was happening.
I felt someone tap me on the shoulder. I turned to see a man in a security guard uniform. "Son? Do you mind taking the mask off? It's making me a little nervous."
I glanced at Jeanne. She shook her head slightly. An idea occurred to me. To the man, I responded, "No hablo Ingles, Señor."
"Elimina la mascarilla, por favor." mask
Again, I glanced at Jeanne. She shrugged and shook her head again. I was stuck.
"Hijo, elimina la mascarilla. Ahora."
A woman screamed. Prince Tobias rounded the corner. In one hand was a gym bag, no doubt full of Yeerk money. The other hand held a Shredder to the teller's head.
The guard completely forgot about me. He trained his gun on Prince Tobias. That was a mistake. Jeanne hit him in the spine and the guard toppled. I pulled a pair of Shredders from my coat and handed one to Jeanne.
((Guys, don't take too long. Cop cars are coming. They're about four blocks away. They're going slowly and keeping the sirens and lights off, but you don't have a lot of time.))
Prince Tobias nodded. Then, "I left you slugs a little present in your vault. Too bad I can't see you when you unwrap it."
Suddenly, the wall behind my Prince exploded. In its place stood a full-grown African elephant. Rachel. The few people in the bank were screaming now.
((Three blocks, Tobias,)) David called.
Jeanne vaulted over the counter. I did the same, but with considerably less grace.
Prince Tobias continued to speak. "Tell Guraff the young beast says hi." Then, he turned and ran through the hole Rachel had created. Jeanne and I followed.
((They're almost here!)) David cried.
"So are we," Jeanne grumbled.
Behind the bank was an alley. Parked at the other end of it was a large, black van, waiting for us. Rachel was already halfway demorphed. Still too big to fit inside.
The large door on the side swung open. Marco stood there, waiting. "Come on, come on, we don't have much time. The cops are here already."
"You are as bad as David," Jeanne muttered, jumping in. I was right behind her. Rachel dove inside, still shrinking. My clumsy human feet became entangled with her trunk.
Prince Tobias tossed the sack of money in. But then he turned back to the bank. A cold-eyed human stood in the hole, aiming a Shredder at my Prince.
"You slipped up, half-breed. Are you faster than a Dracon beam? I doubt it."
Prince Tobias smiled. "So try it."
The man fired. I thought my Prince had a plan. I thought he would miraculously evade the shot. I expected anything but for him to be hit.
The beam struck him in the chest. It burned a hole through his heart and into the side of the van. We all gasped. "TOBIAS! NO!" Rachel yelled. My Prince fell to the floor.
The cold eyed man, cocky now, advanced on us. "Pathetic. I knew Guraff was overreacting. He was nothing but a stupid kid." He drew back a foot to kick my fallen Prince.
Prince Tobias reached out a hand and grabbed his foot. "I wouldn't do that if I was you." My Prince calmly stood up as though nothing had happened. "At least you shot to kill."
Prince Tobias grabbed the man by the throat and lifted him a foot off the ground. "But next time, pick an easier target. One that can actually be killed."
Then, my Prince dropped the man and leapt back wards into the van. He swung the door shut. Marco was already peeling out of the alley.
Chapter 14
Rachel grabbed Prince Tobias' shirt at the collar and ripped it. His bare chest was exposed. Marco said, "Rachel, can't the two of you wait until you get home to do that?" Then he risked a glance over his shoulder.
Prince Tobias's chest was red and black. It looked like lava. "Most of my body is Howler right now," he explained. "Pretty much everything except for my jaw, really. Howlers regenerate. It takes more than a Dracon beam to kill one. I thought it would be a good way to freak the Yeerks out."
Rachel smacked him. "You could have been killed!"
He just shrugged. "It's safe. I tested it."
"You did WHAT!?"
"I had Al hit me with a Shredder on mid-level a few days ago. I wanted to see if a Howler would survive a full out blast from a Dracon beam."
"You should have told me," Rachel insisted.
"But then it wouldn't have been a surprise." There was the hint of a smirk on Prince Tobias' face.
"You think this is funny?" Rachel hissed.
"You being grumpy always makes me laugh."
"Hey, lovebirds," Marco cut in, "do you mind keeping it down? I'm trying to drive."
Rachel turned to stare at Marco. "I still can't believe we decided he would be the best choice for the getaway driver. Don't you remember what's happened every time he's tried to drive in the past? Remember Cassie's dad's truck?"
"Actually, only you and he were there for that. And anyway, Marco has experience driving at unsafe speeds. He's got this awesome Ferrari back home…"
"Seriously, would you knock it off?" Marco shouted. "This is very stressful and David isn't helping."
((You'll have to go left at the next intersection, Marco,)) David called. ((They aren't chasing you but they are trying to box you in. Go left, then, right, then left again. That should take you to the dead end.))
"Why did we choose to go to a dead end?" Marco sighed.
"You just drive," Prince Tobias admonished. Then, he pulled open the sack. "As much as I hate to do this…" He held a lighter to the money.
We didn't need the money, of course. But we couldn't let the Yeerks have it and we couldn't take it with us if our escape plan was to succeed.
When he was sure the fire was going, Prince Tobias turned to us. "Okay, fly time. Marco, you can morph in time?"
"Not a problem, general."
"Okay. Let's go."
My transformation to fly was pretty typical, if there is such a thing. My fur was replaced with little hairs. Plates of armor covered my body. My stalk-eyes turned into antennae. My main eyes bulged. I grew wings and shrank.
The fly instincts were easy enough to control. I was used to them, after all. As a fly, I didn't know what Marco was doing. I only knew we were finished when he said, ((Okay, I'm morphed. Now we wait.))
A moment later, the door slid open. I detected two men standing in it, guns raised. One turned to the other. "They're gone."
The second shook his head. "They just morphed to insects. Probably flies or cockroaches. Good luck arresting them."
The first man rifled through the bag. "Just ashes. What were they after, do you think?'
The second man shook his head again. "They weren't after anything. They wanted to leave us something."
"What?"
"One of our people found a letter in the vault. It's a list of places we own. The bank, the water pumping facility, the chemical plant, the propane outlet, and the sporting goods store we own in the mall."
"What do you think it means?"
The second man shrugged. "Who knows? Did you hear what Inriss 812 said? He shot the young beast in the chest. The beast stood up, picked Inriss up off the ground, and said he couldn't be killed. Then he left."
"That's not right. That's not right at all. Maybe Guraff's right to be scared."
((Come on, let's get going,)) Prince Tobias decided. ((The sooner we get started on the next one, the better.))
((Tobias, why did you leave them a list?)) Marco demanded. ((Now they know where we're going to attack!))
((That's the plan. They know where we'll be, but they can't stop us. That'll make them more afraid.))
((And us easier to kill.))
((We'll be fine. Would I lie to you?))
((Yes. Yes, you would.))
((Fine. Would Al lie to you?))
((If you told him to.))
((Okay… Would I lie to Jeanne?))
((Probably not.))
((Jeanne, we'll be fine.))
Marco sighed in our heads. ((Now I feel so much better.))
A minute later, we landed on David. He flew back to the Reliquary. It was time for out next attack.
Chapter 15
The water pumping facility was not very well guarded. It was in the open, along the river that was just outside of the town. The only real protection it had was a large fence.
Rachel kept watch this time. The rest of us were in our battle morphs, hiding in the woods by the river. We hid in the shadows, waiting for her signal.
((I'm in position. Probably time to start morphing.))
Prince Tobias turned to us. "You heard her."
Marco and Jeanne shared a look. Then, Marco turned to Prince Tobias. "We'll be right back. I think this is a good time for our surprise morphs."
The two of them disappeared behind the trees. My Prince gave David and myself an odd smile. "Don't tell Rachel I let them go off like that." Then, he began his morph.
His flesh turned red and black. There wasn't much of a change in height, although his legs bowed. His dark eyes turned a pale blue. Claws sprung out from his wrists. My Prince was now a Howler, perhaps the deadliest creature in the galaxy.
The Howlers were created by Crayak and designed to do one thing and one thing only: kill. They were as fast as Andalites, as strong as Hork-bajir, and they were able to regenerate wounds. They could almost see inside of other creatures. Once, a Howler had fought all of the Animorphs to a draw. The Howler had walked away. The Animorphs ran.
David was morphing as well. First, his fur turned golden. His paws grew until they were the size of frying pans. His naked tail was covered with more golden fur. A small tuft of fur grew out of the end.
Then he started to grow. He was enormous. A beast over five hundred pounds. A magnificent mane of golden fur erupted around his neck. His teeth were a foot long. He was a killing machine. A fully grown African lion.
((Oh, man. I forgot what this feels like.))
Prince Tobias shook his head. ((Don't get used to it. It's fun to play the predator. It's another thing to live it.))
(('?))
((Marco? What did you morph?)) I asked.
Two creatures stepped out of the trees. They reminded me of Andalites. They had the same basic shape. But these were a bit smaller and more slender. Their tails were longer and lacked blades.
Their heads were the strangest part. They had no stalk eyes. Their skulls were swept backwards, almost in a cone. I recognized them from the pictures I had been shown in school. ((Garatrons?))
((.Whatdoyouthink?))
((I think you need to slow down,)) Prince Tobias answered.
((Thatwoudlbelikemetellingyounottokill.))
((I'm not killing you,)) Prince Tobias answered. ((Yet. Okay, this is good. There's about one hundred yards of open space between us and that station. You two can get there in what, a second?))
((Less,)) Jeanne snapped. I do not think she meant to snap, but it was hard for her to sound different.
((Okay, I see a few human guards with Shredders. Nothing to worry about,)) Rachel informed us.
((XenaifyoutoldusweshouldbeworriedI'drunscreamingintheotherdirection,)) Marco answered.
Jeanne nodded. ((Canyouseeanythingelse?))
((No other guards,)) she answered.
David stretched out on the ground. ((So what are we waiting for? We get in there and do what we came to do. And for the record, Rachel, Shredders are dangerous.))
I nodded. I was in my Andalite form. ((It should be simple enough. What do you think, Prince Tobias?))
((Marco and Jeanne can take out the guards before they know what's happening. You, David, and I will meet up with them. You hack the computer and flood the Yeerk pool with raw sewage. Sound like a plan?))
((Soundslikeajoke,)) Marco answered. Then, he and Jeanne disappeared. They were nothing but blurs in the distance. I heard the FWAP of a tail snapping. FWAP! FWAP! FWAP! ((Guardsaredownwhatnextboss?))
Prince Tobias, David, and I were only halfway to the station. ((Open the gates for us,)) he told them.
Almost instantly, the gates swung open. ((Anythingelse?))
((Just, uh…take a quick run through the station. Take out any other guards.))
((Willdo.))
FWAP! FWAP! FWAP! FWAP! ((Allgonewhatnext?))
((I guess…just do some laps around the building while we're finishing up here.))
((IfyouwantIcouldhaveapizzawaitingwhenyougetback.))
((That won't be necessary.))
David, Prince Tobias, and I made our way through the station without difficulty. All of the guards were unconscious, bleeding from wounds in their temples. ((Those Garatron morphs certainly are effective,)) I noted.
((Better than Andalites?)) David asked. I do not think it was a serious question, but I decided to answer.
((Of course not. Andalites are able to morph, for one thing. And our tails have blades. Also, we know that the Garatrons exist only in small numbers. We Andalites are much more successful, as you know.))
((Just a joke, Al.))
((I thought it might have been.))
We reached a computer. It was pathetically easy to hack into the system. A moment later, I re-routed the flow from some pipes so that their contents went to the Yeerk pool. In minutes, the Yeerk pool would be full of raw sewage.
((That'll tick off the Visser,)) David noted.
Prince Tobias nodded. ((Not to mention those Yeerks who are in the pool. With any luck, we'll poison them. It'll be a while before they can use the pool again anyway. Esplin will have to start shipping Yeerks to the Blade ship to feed. We might kill more than a few of them.))
((AndhereIthoughthtiswasjustforfun,)) Marco commented. ((Pizza'sready.))
((How could you have cooked a pizza that fast?)) Rachel demanded. ((That isn't possible.))
((.Doyouwantanchovies?Icouldcatchafewofthem.))