I flew over Mickey D's on my way to Cassie's. I used to get dinner there; you could grab two burgers and a shake for, like, three bucks. But since the war, since we found out that the employee's restroom was a secret entrance to the Yeerk pool, I haven't been able to enjoy my Big Macs like I used to.
Most people would consider that a pointless detail, but the hawk was hungry, and I couldn't get my mind off food. It was think about McDonald's or think about voles and shrews. Oh, man, there was a really fat rat down there. It looked so juicy...
Oh, ew.
There was a pretty long stretch of farmland between the suburban shopping centers and Cassie's house. Rodents of all varieties were scurrying through the grass; I was really starting to wish that I'd eaten while I was a human. Anyway, I would have enjoyed the pretty sight if I wasn't fighting the urge to sink my beak into a rabbit.
I saw the barn long before I reached it. Ospreys have insanely powerful, telescopic vision. I could tell what color Cassie's weak human eyes were before she could see me as even a speck in the distance. Rachel and Tobias were in morph, perched on the rafters.
(Marco. About time.) Rachel's voice echoed in my head. I wasn't sure I'd ever get used to telepathic bald eagles.
(Hey, I beat Jake.) I defended myself as I soared through the open doors. I settled on top of an empty cage.
"Not really," Jake said, pushing open the door of the stall he'd apparently been demorphing in. "I got here five minutes ago."
(Doesn't really matter, does it? I kind of want to tell everyone about the senator.) Tobias was being unusually assertive.
(Yeah, about that.) I said. (How'd you find that out? I mean, the Yeerks don't just hand that information out, do they?)
(No, but they do send 'secure' e-mails on their Palm Pilots. Which I can read if I'm sitting on a tree a hundred yards away.)
"Wait. Since when do Palm Pilots send e-mails? That's, like, technology from a science fiction movie or something. And they just send out e-mails saying 'Hi, we're taking over the world, and this guy is who we're going after next'?" Jake raised one eybrow.
(Since the Yeerks used their technology to make Palm Pilots send e-mails, I guess. It seems safe enough to me; I doubt their security is anything a human could break through. I don't know, Jake. I read a message from 'Sub-Visser 908' to 'Sub-Visser 21' saying that Visser Three had given them the go-ahead to infest Senator Sam Johnson. Apparently, it's happening the thirtieth of October, 9 pm, when the guy plans to take a camping-slash-hiking trip.)
(Sounds like a trap to me,) I said. (They just happened to send the e-mail that would let us stop them while you were watching? And the mission just happens to be in the middle of the woods somewhere, where no one could see or hear anything? I don't like it.)
(Bok-bok-bokkkk,) Rachel taunted.
"Rachel," Cassie admonished, exasperated. "I have to agree with Marco a bit. It does seem like a pretty lucky coincidence. But can we really take the risk of letting them infest a senator?"
(I vote we do it.) If she could move her beak, Rachel would be grinning right now.
(I vote we don't.) Like they expected anything different from me.
(I vote yes.) So Tobias had a death wish, too. Or maybe he just wanted to agree with Rachel.
"I... I guess I'm in," Cassie said hesitantly.
Everyone looked at Jake. "Three votes 'yes'. I guess we're going." He sighed. "Tobias, do you know where he'll be hiking?"
(He's going to be on the... shoot. The... I think they said the Hayes Trail, in Clemence National Park? No... maybe it was the McAllister Trail... or... I... I don't know. It sounded all old-timey.) Tobias' thought-speak was tinged with embarrassment.
"I've got a map of Clemence," Cassie volunteered. "I used to go on camping trips with my parents all the time. Wait here; I'll go get it."
With my incredible vision, I couldn't help noticing how Jake's eyes followed Cassie as she headed for her house. Why was it that every Animorph but me was involved in some stupid romance that neither person was brave enough to articulate? And why were they so wimpy when it came to crushes, but totally gung-ho when it came to war? It didn't make sense. Then again, most politicians made no sense, but they were still rich.
There was an awkward silence while we waited for Cassie to come back. We weren't in the mood to talk about normal things, and we couldn't really discuss Animorph business without Cassie.
She returned soon enough, map in her hand. "I've got it," she announced.
(No, really?) I asked grumpily. I wasn't thrilled about walking into what obviously had to be a trap.
"Jeez, Marco." Jake looked at me in irritation. Turning back to Cassie, he asked, "So, are any of the trails Tobias mentioned on there?"
"No. But there are some 'old-timey'-sounding names, I guess. Rutherford? Sanders? Jacobson? Davis?"
(Davis!) Tobias exclaimed. (That's it. Where's that?)
"Right here," Cassie indicated a line on the map. She bit her lip. "You know, I think Marco might be right. It's a pretty rough trail; only experienced campers are supposed to go. It's about fifty miles long. And some sections have avalanche risks, plus there are wolves and bears all over the place... I don't see why the senator would be hiking here."
(He's kind of a mountain guy,) Tobias volunteered. (He used it in his campaign. He said 'a real man knows what real people want', or something like that. A bunch of the commercials he ran had him rock climbing. Kind of surprised he won, actually.)
(Coincidence after coincidence. I'm just not buying this. He's probably a Controller already.)
(Shut up, Marco.) Rachel said.
Jake sighed. "Cassie, you said there were a bunch of wolves and bears on the trail, right? How about we all morph bears? They're bigger, probably more useful in a fight."
"Yes, but bears don't travel in groups. We should probably go with the wolves. We actually have two right now." She pointed at the pair in the cages below me. They seemed kind of scrawny, but malnutrition didn't have anything to do with their DNA, so we'd probably end up a bit bigger. "We should probably all acquire them now." With that, she reached into the cage and touched one of them. She closed her eyes, and the wolf relaxed as she absorbed its DNA.
Rachel and I flew into stalls and started to demorph. The first things to change were my legs and feet. The talons receded, the yellow scales softened into pink flesh, and the limbs grew to their normal size. I looked ridiculous; I was basically a bird with enormous human legs attached. My tail receded, along with my feathers and beak. With a sickening grinding noise, my wings shifted, bent, and grew to become my arms. My head swelled, so much that my bird neck was having a hard time supporting it; I fell over when I tried to lie down, thanks to my awkwardly sized legs and arms. Everything returned to its typical blurriness as my eyes changed from piercing gold to brown. Finally, my body caught up with my limbs and head, and I was human again.
I shook my head, clearing it, and pushed open the stall door. I was in biking shorts and a tight sleeveless shirt. It was a pretty dorky ensemble for someone who wasn't in a triathlon, but we couldn't keep anything that wasn't skintight when we morphed. Trust me, we'd learned that the hard way.
I walked over to where Jake and Cassie were watching as Rachel acquired one of the wolves. Apparently, she was a faster morpher than me. I moved to acquire the other wolf, but Cassie stopped me.
"You, um, need to acquire the other one, Marco."
"Why? What's the difference?"
"Well... they're different genders."
"Oh. Yeah, I want the guy wolf." At this, she looked uncomfortable.
"Actually... male wolves can be a bit territorial, so it would be best if we just had one male. And, well, Jake already acquired that one, so –"
"Oh, come on," I moaned. I so didn't want to be a girl.
Rachel rolled her eyes and gave me a half-hearted punch on the arm. "I was a guy cat. Remember Fluffer McKitty? I dealt with it. And you're a lot girlier than I am manly, so it should be easier, really." I blinked. Was she turning into Jake or something? This wasn't how she usually acted.
"Fine," I mumbled, reaching for the girl wolf. She growled as I placed my hand on her head, but her agitation ceased as soon as I closed my eyes and concentrated. Acquiring an animal put it into a sort of trance, for whatever reason, which is the reason Jake has a tiger morph and an uneaten head. After a few seconds, I withdrew my hand. I could turn into a wolf at will. Joy.
"How about we practice with these morphs?" Jake suggested. "We don't want the first time we deal with their instincts to be when we're trying to focus on the mission."
(We don't want to be going into unfamiliar territory, either. I'm thinking that we should run through the trail tonight.) Tobias suggested.
"Good idea," Jake agreed. I shot him an irritated look, but didn't say anything. "Cassie and Rachel can tell their parents that they're having a sleepover, and Marco and I will say that we're going to wait in line for the midnight release of a video game."
"Seriously?" Rachel asked. "You guys have the nerdiest reason ever."
"Bill Gates is a nerd. Even his money can't get him my looks, though."
Jake rolled his eyes. "Seriously, Marco? Your 'looks' can't get you his brain, either. They haven't even gotten you a girlfriend yet."
"I'm holding out for Angelina Jolie. Just five more years 'til I'm legal."
"Angelina? She's not even pretty," Rachel was apparently disgusted with my taste in women.
"You're kidding, right?" Jake was open-mouthed with horror. "I mean... Angelina, Rachel? How can you...?"
(Guys. Don't we have Animorph stuff to talk about? When and where we all meet, for example?) The bird had a point.
"Eight o'clock at the park entrance?" Jake suggested. Everyone nodded. "It's settled, then."
I landed on the branch of a beech tree that grew over the rangers' station by the entrance. I spotted a bald eagle sitting in a maple, and a red-tail perched on an oak.
(Hey, Rachel. Hey, Tobias.)
(It's not Tobias,) Rachel told me. (Just a bird.)
(Oh. Where are the others?)
(Cassie's flying around, seeing if she spots any known Controllers. Tobias is with her. I don't know about Jake.)
(So this time I really did beat him, huh?)
(Yeah, Marco. You did it. Good for you. Kind of surprised you showed, actually.)
(What do you mean? When have I skipped out on a mission?) I asked defensively. (I've tagged along on every one of these stupid things.)
(You're always whining about it, and I figured the whole girl wolf thing was going to be the last straw for you. After you had that whole 'Gloria Estefan' rant, I didn't think you were going to last much longer.) There was an odd mix of condescension and... sadness, maybe, in her voice. Did she love the war so much that having the odds raised just a little higher upset her?
(This is my last mission. Not this mission, this scout-the-area thing, but keeping the senator from getting infested. I have nightmares, Rachel. I dream about Hork-Bajir slicing off my arms, about people shooting at me. I still hear the hosts' screams, from that mission at the Yeerk Pool. I... I can't do this much longer, Rachel. I just want to be normal.) The ensuing silence gave me time to calm down. (Plus I'm sick of looking like a scantily clad jock in between morphs. I mean, biking shorts and a tank top? On a guy?)
(Whatever, Marco. Are you really going to pretend that you don't feel any sort of rush when you're fighting? The adrenaline, the action, it doesn't feel good at all?) She sounded almost desperate.
(I'm not pretending,) I said uncomfortably. (I don't see what should 'feel good' about ripping innocent people apart because they happen to have slugs in their brain, or having my flesh burned off by Dracon beams. Sorry.)
(Fine. Be a wuss.)
An osprey landed on top of the rangers' station; a red-tailed hawk followed closely after.
(Hey, guys.) I greeted them. (Everything clear?)
(We didn't see any Controllers for a good thirty miles. At the thirty mark, though, there's a little... sort of wavery spot. It's pretty faint, though. We wouldn't have seen it if we weren't looking, or if we didn't have raptor vision. We think it's a hologram or something hiding a Yeerk camp.) Tobias said.
(…. a …. camp?) Jake's voice was distant; I could see a falcon about an eighth of a mile away. Once Jake got closer, Tobias repeated what he'd just said about the hologram thing.
(Let's check it out in wolf form,) Jake said. (Keep a good distance away, though. We don't want to get shot at.)
(I thought that was why we were in this war. To get shot at. If we're lucky, maybe even killed.) This had seemed like a safe enough mission, but now it sounded as suicidal as our ill-fated attempt at invading the Yeerk pool.
(Just shut up, Marco,) Jake said wearily. (You don't want to come, you don't have to come. You don't care that they're taking over the world, that they have Tom, you don't have to care. Just please, please, shut up.)
I couldn't let him and Rachel and the others go die alone, could I? Someone had to be around to scream 'No!' when they asked whether attacking the Yeerk base then and there was a good idea. I didn't say anything, but the fact that I didn't fly away was probably a pretty good hint that I planned on coming.
(There's a good spot for us to morph about a mile into the Davis Trail,) Cassie suggested. (It's totally overgrown, and it's behind a big pile of rocks. Tobias can keep watch and tell us if anyone gets within a quarter mile or so.)
(Sure,) Tobias said.
(Sounds good to me,) Jake agreed.
(Let's do it!) I'll let you take a wild guess at who that came from.
Morphing into a wolf was actually not all that bad. They were roughly human size, so there was none of the disorientating shrinking that accompanied most of my morphs. But still, there were changes.
Because fate seems to have it in for me, the first things to appear were my ears and tail, making me look like a furry, or maybe a crappy anime character. Jake laughed, at least until his face bulged out into a muzzle and the snickers turned into barks. Fur appeared next, followed by fangs and a black nose; now I was a werewolf. Jake started barking again, not that he had much right to: he was kind of a wolf version of Mr. Tumnus, his lower body completely wolf while his top was mostly unchanged. A maw leapt out from my face, and oh, man, the things I could smell! A rival pack had been here recently, and – wow, they were big! Thirteen wolves! My tail tucked itself between my legs – odd, they were wolfish now – in fear. Huge pack nearby! And they didn't like us! Bad, bad bad bad bad badbadbadbad!
(Marco, are you okay?) A voice. Gentle. Friendly. Words. In my head. Head. Wolf head... (Marco?)
There are wolves around me. Lots. All friends. Not the bad pack. Need to stay away from the bad pack. Less of us than the bad pack. Not good.
(Marco? Marco! Are you going to calm down and talk to us, or do I need to kick your sorry butt?) That voice was... Rachel? Rachel. Oh. Right.
(I'm good,) I said, embarrassed. (Just... just getting control over the morph. I heard you and Cassie, but does Jake have... Oh, man, Rachel, turn around!)
It was obviously a mistake to give Jake the male morph, judging by the way he was looking at Rachel. He took a step towards her, and I lunged at him, knocking him to the ground. He growled, trying to push me off, but I pinned him.
(You idiot! Jake! Jake! You in there? Jake, you moron, snap out of it!)
(Out of what? Huh?)
Rachel was making an odd snorting sound that was apparently the wolf equivalent to laughter. (Jake, you're an idiot.)
(Really, Jake?) I asked. (You don't remember?)
(Remember wh... Oh, man,) Jake moaned. (I am so, so, sorry, Rachel. I swear, I am so sorry. Beyond words sorry. Oh, man.)
(You will never live this down. Ever.)
(Oh, come on –)
(Dude. You fell in love with your cousin while you were both wolves. I repeat: you will never live this down. Ever.)
(Maybe we can just get on with the mission,) Cassie suggested hastily.
(Sounds great,) Jake chimed, trotting to the head of the group. (Let's go take a look at the Yeerk camp.)
Rachel and I laughed at him the full thirty miles.
Running through the woods as a wolf is insanely cool. You notice everything – the fact that a bear was here two weeks ago, a fox ran by an hour ago, that a chipmunk is sitting petrified on a rock right now hoping you won't eat it – it's incredible.
You can hear things humans can't. Like, for example, someone yelling, or Hork-Bajir talking in their harsh, grating language. Or both at the same time.
We made sure to stay a good hundred yards away, well out of the range of Dracon beams. Unfortunately, wolves couldn't see that well, so our grasp of the situation was limited. But it sure seemed like a girl was fighting a Hork-Bajir – and holding her own, somehow. Why weren't they firing Dracon beams, or even using their blades?
(Tobias? What's going on over there?) Jake asked.
(Two Hork-Bajir are getting their butts handed to them by some girl.)
(A human girl?)
(Apparently. Blonde, trying to kill them – like Rachel with one arm.)
(Ha ha,) Rachel said.
(One arm? Does she... have a knife in her pocket?)
(No, but she's using one. To great effect. Why?)
(Bloodstains on her jeans?)
(Yes... how did you know she was wearing jeans? Marco?)
(I think that's a homeless girl from my neighborhood.) I said. Okay, that sounded stupid.
(Oh my God!) Tobias exclaimed.
(What?) Cassie asked, alarmed.
(Marco, does this homeless girl you're talking about have wings? Because this one does.)