Disclaimer in chapter 1.

The original Animorphs, Rachel2, and Aling still controlled by Alar flew to the old shack where the Animorphs had kept Jake1 captive until the Yeerk died.

((Never! I will NOT die!)) Alar yelled again, over and over, never ceasing. He would do anything to stay alive. He was forced to morph a fly, since he said he may morph into a bird but then he's not gonna demorph. So if he was in fly morph, he would demorph. He was on Rachel2's back, and Rachel1 was right next to them, so they were the real ones who were getting the headache.

"I'm in trouble." A voice similar to Teague's said. "My Aunt Rachel is missing, and so is my parents' and my friends' parents' friend, Aling. All of us are in trouble if we can't get out. Those who can get out by doing what the Captor told them to will survive but if not everyone does, they will be in danger of getting back in here and dieing again. We need help, fast! Whoever one of you guys at the other universe gets this, remember this name: Thalia Berenson."

Cassie stopped following the others. ((Did that voice just say her name was Thalia Berenson?))

((Who?)) Rachel1 wondered. ((Cass, hurry up.))

'You're just imaging things, Cass. Nothing to worry about.' Cassie thought as she flapped harder to catch up to them.

But still, Cassie couldn't stop thinking about the girl's last name... Berenson: her married last name; Jake's last name; Teague's last name; Rachel's maiden name...

'Thalia Berenson, Thalia Berenson, Thalia Berenson...' The name echoed in her mind.

'Thalia Berenson. Luna Fangor. Anatolius Fangor. Calliope-Terpsichore-Melpomene. Enceladus-Thanatos-Hyperion. Anetha-Simetra-Deathra. Jerome -------.

Teague Berenson. Loren Fangor. Alan Fangor. Casjar-Liuntan-Pyloor. Elfangor-Harriot-Isthil. Anily -------. Jared -------.' An unknown voice hinted.

-/-/-/-/-

"You must kill them, NOW!" The Captor ordered, wanting it to be over with. The girl would begin killing them, then after she only did minor damage to them, he'll do the rest.

"No, no, no, no..." Thalia pleaded, her head buried in her hands. "NO! I CAN'T!" She burst into tears. "Please, there must, must, be another way!"

"There is no other way! You must kill them!" The Captor yelled.

"Fine. I'll do it. But I can't promise you you'll still have me to be your little toy." Thalia whispered.

The Captor laughed. Everything was going according to the plan. He made a dagger appear next to her hand.

Thalia gripped the dagger. "Whatever to save my family and friends. Anything.

"Even if it means some one's death."

-/-/-/-/-

"Whatever to save my family and friends. Anything. Even if it means some one's death." The girl Thalia was saying.

Cassie shuddered, wondering how many may die in order for Thalia, her family, and her friends to escape. Probably more lives than needed.

"What's wrong, Cass?" Rachel2 asked.

'Well, she is from the same universe as that girl Thalia, so it is worth a shot.' Cassie thought. "Do you know a girl named Thalia Berenson?"

"Don't you mean Teague, Cassie?" Marco inquired.

"No, I mean Thalia." Cassie stated.

"Thalia... oh... Cassie2' and Jake2's child..." Rachel2 replied. "I still can't believe what the Captor said she had to do to get free..." She began to say what, but Cassie beat her to it.

"She has to kill her family and friends."

Everyone stared at her, even Alar who was losing control of Aling.

"How... do... you... know?" Aling struggled to say.

Cassie looked up at the sky, not sure... "She told me."

-/-/-/-/-

"Thalia, please!" Her mother begged, hugging her child.

"He won't have it any other way, Mom. I have no choice!" Thalia said.

"We'll remember you, Thalia." Her father stated. "No matter what."

"Thanks, Dad, Mom." Thalia hugged her parents one last time before her fate was to come.

Her parents faded away and Thalia began to cry.

-/-/-/-/-

Cassie1 heard the sobbing of Thalia, far, but she could still hear her. Then she heard another person sobbing, and she thought it was the person Thalia was forced to kill first. But it was closer, louder than Thalia's. "Am I the only one who can hear that crying?"

Now, if they strained their ears a bit, they all could hear crying.

"Jake, why did it have to be her?" A voice asked.

"What do you mean, Cass?" Jake1 questioned at Cassie1.

"I didn't say anything!" Cassie1 protested.

"I don't know, Cassie..." Another voice replied to the first. "Listen, I can hear the others."

"You mean... we're back here, again?" The first wondered.

"Unless there's someone who can speak in the same voice as ours, yes, I think we are." The second answered.

It was then when the Yeerk noticed who the second voice was. "Jake the Yeerk Killer!" Alar shouted, surprising everyone, mostly Jake, who was wondering why the Yeerk yelled the name the Yeerks called him.

"Alar 946." The second voice responded.

"He has Aling again..." The first voice stopped crying then.

Rachel2 found out what Alar meant when he yelled. "Jake, Cassie!" She ran towards the source of the voices.

Everyone excluding Alar looked at each other, not sure if they should follow her or not.

"You guys go ahead. I've had enough excitement for today," Marco replied, then the others ran ahead to catch up with Rachel2.

-/-/-/-/-

"I'm ready." Thalia said.

"Good..." The Captor replied. "Let's see. Aling, Jake, Cassie and Rachel have all been transported to the other universe- how, I don't know- so that leaves: Marco, Tobias, Aximili, Jerome, Anehta, Luna, Anatolius, Calliope, y-and Enceladus. Whoever one of them you see first, kill them."

Thalia knew what he was going to say before he realized what. He was going to say "you." That meant she had his permission to kill herself...

-/-/-/-/-

"Jake, Cassie!" Rachel2 was yelling over and over again. "Jake, Cass, where are you!"

"Rachel!" Cassie2 replied. "Over here!"

"Where? It's a pretty thick forest, ya know!" Rachel2 stated.

The others lost sight of Rachel2 just then.

"We should morph birds! It would be easier to find them in the air!" Jake1 suggested as they ran. He was already morphing the falcon. Soon he was in the air.

Cassie1 was close behind him, morphing her osprey, Rachel1 with her bald eagle next, then Aximili and Kylin last as harriers. They all searched the ground for the counterparts, not noticing they weren't really going anywhere, like Rachel2 on the ground. Then they noticed no matter where they tried to go, they ended up heading towards Aximili' and Kylin's scoop.

((What's going on here!)) Rachel1 demanded. Then Kylin answered her.

((Ellimist. He's bringing us back to the scoop. But why?)) Kylin wondered.

Lyzah and Tobias came out of the scoop at the same time as she said "why," carrying a wounded girl. They placed her on the ground and at that moment Rachel2, Cassie2, Jake2, Aling- Alar dead by now- and Marco were there, not running towards them, but they just appeared.

The person doing that wasn't actually an Ellimist. That means it was either Stsimille or Crayak. It was a Stsimille. The Stsimille took the Animorphs that were birds and made them land near the others and demorph.

Their children, or Andamorphs, came out quickly. Teague sat next to the wounded girl, and as she turned to ask Aximili if he knew how this could happen, Cassie1, Cassie2, Jake1 and Jake2 saw...

"Teague, don't touch her! She's your counterpart!" Marco stated what they saw. Everyone else had just figured out that.

Teague backed away from the girl, remembering how in the past, when Aximili1 and Aximili2 touched by accident, a black hole took them.

Cassie2 embraced her child. "Thalia... You did what you did was right- taking your own life to save your friends' lives."

Jake2 placed his hand on Thalia's shoulder, that being the only place that he could reach that wasn't embraced by his wife. "You were a great kid, Thalia."

Everyone had their eyes closed in respect for the life lost, even though most of them didn't know her at all. No one saw her eyes open or as she opened her mouth to say a few words: I did it to help them...

She wasn't able to say the words. She tried to tell them she was OK but it hurt her so.

But the most important thing was that she was all right, even if they didn't know it yet.