-Rachel-
Marco told me about the locked cupboard. I knew we had to get into it. The only way we could think of was to morph Ganlor. Cassie would not like it, but we had to find out what was in there. Marco had already hacked into his computer and found nothing. We both had the feeling that whatever we were looking for was in that cupboard. How were we going to acquire Ganlor? His tail blade was very intimidating and Andalites did not touch one another very frequently.
Honestly, I was grateful for the distraction of planning and recon. We spent a lot of time on the bridge of the ship watching how things were done, as well as in our room discussing plans over various card games. It made it easier to forget the wedding and emotions when I had something to focus on. Not to mention the fact that Marco and I were still sharing a bed, as weird as that sounds.
We were in the middle of a fierce game of Texas Hold 'em, throwing out ideas on how to acquire Ganlor in the short amount of time we had left …
"Raise 50." Marco said throwing some poker chips into the center of the table. "Could we knock him out with something? Slip some zinozine into his liquid grass?"
(A/N: Zinozine is a chemical they use to keep the controllers asleep while the Yeerks die - it keeps the controller asleep for 3 days without harming the host. I read about this in an alternate ending to the Animorphs series, and decided to borrow it. This particular alternate ending is not on the fanfiction website, so I don't know who the author is to recognize. It was not my idea and I can't take credit for it.)
"No, he'd know about it." I answered. "Call. And zinozine lasts too long – if he was out for 3 days one of us would have to pose as him the whole time, it wouldn't work."
"Cobra poison?" Marco asked glancing down at the cards on the table. "I'll put you all in." he grinned fiercely at me.
"Hmmm." I glared at my cards and the ones on the table, then at the small pile of chips in front of me. "I'll fold. Cobra poison might work, if you can control it well enough, and if there is a way he wouldn't realize he was out." I said.
"Couldn't we just do it while he's asleep?" Marco asked, collecting the large pile of chips on the table. He flashed his cards at me – he'd had a pair of 3s. That was it! Grrrrr, why did I always fall for it when he bluffed?
"Maybe." Was all I said, still seething over the loss. Suddenly I had an idea. "Wait! We don't necessarily have to morph Ganlor. If we could just get on him as fleas or some other bug, maybe he'd open the cupboard while we were in there!"
"Yeah, but bugs don't see or hear much." he responded, skeptically "And there's no guarantee he would even open the cupboard while we were in there! What if he didn't leave before the time limit was up? You want to be trapped as a bug?"
"No, but I think it might work." I said stubbornly. "It's risky, but we've got to find out…" He cut me off.
"It might work, but we couldn't go together." He said. "If we were both captured, we'd be completely screwed. At least one of us should stay out to page Ganlor or something if time gets too close."
"OK." I answered, thinking about it. "I'll follow him in as a fly, you keep track of time. If I have problems I can always call to you in thought-speak so you can distract Ganlor somehow."
We waited until Ganlor switched spots with one of his co-pilots and walked toward his room. I quickly morphed fly and followed Marco who was following Ganlor toward his quarters.
I landed on Ganlor's belly and we were in. Soon, I felt a vibration and a wooshing. I think he'd opened the cupboard! What luck! We walked toward it and suddenly, the cupboard was big enough for his whole body. He walked into the cupboard! Weird!
But then I "heard" those horrific mechanical-sounding words -Close your eyes to prepare for Gleet Biofilter!- Oh no! I flew out of there as quickly as I could. As it was, it still blinded and paralyzed me. I fell to the floor, unable to move, back in Ganlor's quarters.
-Marco!- I called in thought-speak, knowing he couldn't answer. -It's not a cupboard – it's some sort of hidden compartment and there is a Gleet BioFilter at the entrance. I'm paralyzed and blind! I can't move!-