Still March 17, 1999
It was still Wednesday.
We all hooked up at Cassie's barn. Discussing this new mission. Cassie gave me the basics. Six powerful nations' leaders all in one place. One was already a controller. Security up the wazoo.
"Is this the kind of shit you do on a regular basis?" I asked Cassie on the way back.
"No, actually, this is our biggest and most important mission to date." She answered back.
"Well, aren't I the timely one."
When we got there, Rachel presented a brochure of the Marriott Resort she downloaded off the Internet. This included a map of the place. A twenty-story building with ten smaller cottages.
"They'll be in the cottages." Marco said. He clarified. "The leaders, I mean. They'll dump all their people in the main building."
"Sounds right." Jake agreed.
"They'll have security so tight no one will be able to burp without nice guys in sunglasses running over with their Uzis cocked and ready. French security, German Security, Japanese security--"
"Ninjas?" I wondered aloud.
"Yeah, Jackie Chan himself." Marco said sarcastically rolling his eyes self-righteously.
But I countered. "He's Chinese, not Japanese." Then I rolled my eyes back at him for good measure.
Marco continued. "British security and no say 'Bond, James Bond" please." I considered saying it just to piss him off. I decided against it. "Russian security and American secret service, FBI, and local cops. Now just to make things really fun there are the Yeerks. How many of the hotel's maids and waiters and pool boys are Controllers? Don't know. How many of the Russian, German, British, French, Japanese, and US security are also Controllers? Don't know. All we know is that one of these presidents or prime ministers is a Controller."
"At least one." Cassie interjected. "Sorry to interrupt, but it's kind of important. Erek said one of them was a Controller. He didn't say for sure that the other five were not."
Who the hell was Erek? I decided to let it go. Instead, I considered what Cassie said. Whomever this Erek was, the Animorphs considered him to be a good source of information. So one of these world leaders probably is a controller. Still, if any or all of the other five were controllers, this mission would be pointless. I would have brought that up to make myself sound valuable, but that would have meant making Cassie look stupid. Which I so did not want to do. When I knew them better I could point out their mistakes, but now I had to play the good soldier who wasn't any trouble. So instead, I brought up the other point I had picked up.
"Can I say something?" I asked.
"Sure." Rachel said. "As long as it isn't more bad news."
"It kind of is. My dad is part of the National Security Agency. What they do is electronic surveillance. You know, like bugging phones and watching people from satellites in orbit? Well, it just seems to me the Yeerks can do all those things plus more. So probably the entire Marriott resort is being watched by the Yeerks."
"I'm pretty sure I said, 'No more bad news'. Oh, man."
"We have no choice." Jake said. "Do we?"
If the Yeerks get to the President and these other guys, we might as well give up. Tobias said. Six powerful world leaders, all Controllers? I mean, those six people are just slightly more powerful than the seven of us.
"All that security." Jake said. "That's a lot of ways to get shot."
"Yeah." Rachel agreed. "So. Let's do it."
"You ready?" Jake asked me.
At that moment I felt fear well up in me. I was about to face the very people who I had destroyed my life only yesterday. I couldn't speak. So I nodded.
"Okay." Jake said. "This should be a nice, safe, easy trip down the coast. We're just spying the situation out. You'll need the eagle morph, but the other morph you acquired at the zoo."
"Still, the morphing will be very creepy." Cassie warned me. "So be prepared. What you do is just concentrate. Focus on the eagle."
I focused on my memory of the eagle. Trying to will my body to shift, twist, and morph.
"It's going to be weird." Rachel warned.
I looked down to see if any changes had taken place. My hands were brown.
"It won't hurt." Marco said.
I continued willing the change. Lines appeared on my now-brown flesh. Lines became the outlines of many feathers. Then I started to shrink.
"What's happening?" I cried.
"You're getting smaller." Cassie said very soothingly. "It's part of the process. Now the lines on your skin will deepen and go three-dimensional. You may feel itching."
Despite Cassie's reassuring words I yelped when the outlines on arms popped out of my skin like they jumped off a movie screen like in Last Action Hero. Through it all I didn't dare to stop willing myself to the change. Else, I would appear a coward. I would not appear to be a coward to them.
Even if in truth I actually was.
It has been something I've been thinking about all day. Can I be a good soldier? Am I a brave warrrior? Or am I a coward?
Truth was I was scared. But I couldn't be brave, unless I was scared.
"Just hope he doesn't do that finger bone thing I did the other day." Marco said to Jake. "That'd rock his world."
As if the Angels of Irony had heard him, immediately, both of my arms went shooting out, lengthening suddenly. The bones of my arms and fingers shot out, bare and white and as thin as straw.
I screamed. "Aaaaaaaaaahhhh! Aaaaaahhhh!"
"Eeeewwww! Now that's gross." Rachel, of course. Queen of tact.
"Ride through it." Cassie said. "Just stay with it. Look! See? The flesh and the feathers are covering the bones now."
Even throughout the bare bones thing, I had continued to will the change. I couldn't be brave unless I was scared.
"Don't sweat it." Marco said. "Wait till you morph a fly. You want to see disgusting? That's disgusting. This is nothing."
"I don't want to-" I started to say, but right then my lips jutted forward and I grew a beak. I was small now, with wonderfully large wings. But my clothing started to come up around me like a tent.
"Umm, guys?" Marco said. "David here doesn't know how to morph clothing yet. He doesn't have a morphing suit."
You mean I was going to be fucking naked?! Fucking shit, man!
"Rachel and I will look away till he figures it out." Cassie said.
"We can get him something nice." Rachel said.
"Okay, now you can't talk anymore, but you can thought-speak. Just think of who you want to talk to, whether it's me, or Marco, or all of us at once. Form the words in your mind, and we'll hear them."
Can you hear this? I tried.
"Yes. See? It's easy." Cassie nodded. "But now comes the really tricky part, because the eagle's brain, its basic instincts will kick in and --"
ANOTHER BIRD! NOT LIKE ME! INFERIOR! MUST DESTROY! MY TERRITORY! MINE! MINE!
I flew toward the inferior bird, unfortunately I had stuff all over me and something had jumped onto my back. Something large and gangly.
The inferior bird retreated up into the rafters. See! See what I mean? Golden Eagles. They're all psycho. Them and crows. And jays. And a few other birds I could mention. I mean, there are plenty of mice to go around, no one needs to be attacking fellow birds.
"David, David!"
SOUNDS! VOICES! MEANINGLESS!
"Think, now. Focus. Your name is David. You're human. Get a grip."
Steph??
But it wasn't Steph. It was Cassie. And I was David. A boy, not a bird.
That was weird. It was like I was myself, only suddenly there was someone else in my head, too.
You will become accustomed to it. the Andalite said. When I morph a human I often experience the human mind and human instincts. The need for food, for example.
"Yeah, don't get between Ax and a cinnamon bun." Marco said.
"You want to try to fly?" Jake asked me.
Fly?
"Duh." said Marco self-righteously again. "What do you think those wings are for?"
How do I do it?
"Well, first wait for us to morph." Cassie said. "Then trust the eagle. He knows how to fly."
I saw the other morph into birds. Cassie did it much nicer than the others. Even the Andalite. I looked around at the different birds. Jake had turned into a small bird. Falcon, probably. The Andalite had turned into some grayish hawk. Rachel was turning into a Bald Eagle.
So she was the one who came through my window. Who was the other hawk looking thing?
I looked at the other Animorphs. I finally recognized the bird that had broken into my room. Marco!
You! I said to Marco. You and Rachel were the ones who tried to steal my box. You were the hawk.
Three things. Marco said to me. One: Osprey, not hawk. Two: It's not your box. Three: How do you know it was me? Cassie has an identical osprey morph.
I looked at Cassie. Marco was right. They looked identical. Probably the same bird. Still, something in my gut. It was you. I said glaring at Marco.
It doesn't matter! Jake said. Let's fly!
I watched the others do their take-offs. Tobias was the best naturally. Having tons of practice. I did what they did. I opened my wings and I was lifted off.
Ever since I ran into these guys, I've been attacked by birds, thrown through walls, met more aliens than I ever wanted to, and seen more things to give me nightmares in three days than all of the scary movies I watched when I was seven put together. Nothing good has ever come from them. So with that in mind I would just like to say . . .
Flying Rocks!!!!
This is so excellent! I yelled for probably the millionth time. I can see everything! I can see little crabs all the way down there on the beach! I mean, whoa! Look! Look! Look at this!
Yeah, yeah, it's cool, but I'm trying to think here. Marco told me.
Yah-haaaaaah! I was pushed up high by a warm updraft, called a thermal. Flying was fucking cool, but there was more to it then just moving from place to place in the sky. I did all the bird stuff. Soaring, Diving. Jake was the smallest of us all in bird morph. He could dive the fastest and soar the lowest. Rachel being the largest could soar the highest and dive the slowest. For some reason, by golden eagle morph was second best in all three categories. Size. Soaring height. Diving speed. I may have not been the best in anything, but being second best in everything made me the best overall!
And they wanted me to morph that fucking merlin!
Still, I was a predatory bird. I wanted to see what this morph could really do! There was a flock of crows flying a few hundred feet down. They knew to stay away from the silhouette of a bird-of-prey. Predatory Bird, eh? Let's see how predatory this bird can be!
I spilled some wind, tucked my wings back, and dove. The slightest twitch of my tail feathers will change my direction. All the better to zero in on my victim. And below me were ten crows flying in formation. I would handpick one to die! You! You will die!
Yeeee-haaaaaaaahh! I'm doing it! I yelled as the thrill and rush of power intoxicated me.
Closing in! Talons raked forward! STRIKE! The crow let out a whimpering "caw!" of pain as I ended its meaningless life.
I caught a breeze again, leveled off, and swooped back upward. The lifeless crow tumbled down to the ground. Food for the maggots.
What are you doing?! Jake roared. I guess he didn't approve of my demonstration of raptor power.
Um . . . . um . . . I guess this eagle's brain kind of took over for a minute. I lied. I can't believe I just did that! That poor bird! I just lost control.
It's okay David. Cassie comforted. It happens to all of sometimes.
When Marco morphed your pet snake yesterday, he nearly ingested me in spider morph. the Andalite added.
The others were pretty silent, but I think they all bought it.
Hey look! Tobias said. There's a helicopter coming up behind us. Marine Corps helicopter. It's . . . whoa! That must be Marine One!
Marine what? Rachel asked.
You know, Air Force One, the President's jet? Marine One is the President's helicopter. Tobias explained.
The stuff you know, Tobias.Rachel said admirably.
Well, I knew that!
I looked at Marine One. There was an identical helicopter just behind it. And it must have been very hot because the air above it swirled as if it was coming off hot asphalt.
Oh, man! Tobias yelled. We've seen that before!
What's the matter? I asked.
Yeerk stealth technology. the Andaltie answered calmly. Human eyes would never notice. Human radar won't spot it. But these eyes are very good. And Yeerk technology is, well, it's not exactly Andalite technology.
So what is it?
Yeerk Spacecraft. Shielded. Marco answered. One coming right up behind the President's helicopter. They aren't going to wait for the conference. The Yeerks are going after him right now!
Move! Move! Move! Jake yelled.
To where?! The helicopter or the shimmering effect? Actually, it didn't make much of a difference, because the shimmering effect was closing in on the helicopter. With the eagle's eyes I could make some broad assessment of this shimmering effect which was in reality a Yeerk spacecraft. One thing was clear. It was fucking huge! And something about it radiated trouble. It was the same unsettling feeling I got from the yeerk-controlled Andalite, known as Visser Three, when I saw it in my room. This was probably its ship.
The seven of us closed in on the helicopter and Yeerk ship. I was up front until Jake caught up with me. The others were still behind. A long, narrow rectangle began to appear, like someone ripped a hole in the fucking sky.
The Blade Ship is opening its belly hatch. said the Andalite.
Blade Ship? That's what this is called? They have to keep me better informed. The hatch positioned itself over the helicopter. Then the helicopter's rotors slowed down. The engine was killed.
They have it! the Andalite yelled. Force field is on. It killed the engines. They will probably have stunned the humans on board.
Aim for those pylons! Jake said as we neared the helicopter. I began to soar and once again Jake was right behind me.
The other chopper's going to see that this one has disappeared. Tobias said. Even humans aren't that blind! Again the Angels of Irony struck as the helicopter glowed and a second helicopter separated from the first one. It looked as if the helicopter decided to have an out-of-body experience right then and there.
A hologram. the Andalite said.
The Yeerk ship began to lift the real helicopter into its belly hatch. Jake and I soared up. I grabbed a strut and held on. Jake caught the edge of one of the pylons. That's when the hatch began to close. The other Animorphs struggled to get in before the hatch closed.
No way! I heard Marco yell.
One of the ospreys, maybe Marco, maybe Cassie, zoomed through. Then the gray hawk (the Andalite). And by the skin of its beak, the second osprey made it through.
Yes! Yelled Marco, who was obviously the second osprey. The red-tailed hawk and the bald eagle were stuck outside.
Jake, Marco, Cassie, the Andalite, and I made it inside. Rachel and Tobias did not. The helicopter rested in a shallow ditch in the deck. Jake, Cassie, and the Andalite were on one side. Marco and I were on the other.
Demorph. Jake commanded. This is going to get nasty. Be ready for a fight.
We demorphed. I was out of Cassie's sight, so I didn't mind demorphing naked. Honestly, I barely noticed I was only wearing my birthday suit. I was so fucking scared, I felt I was going to shit my pants. If I were wearing pants. No else seemed to notice I was butt naked, either.
Around I could see Hork-Bajir feet. And one pair of human feet, wearing shoes of course. The heel was slashed for some reason.
"Ax, we need a distraction." Jake whispered.
Yes, Prince Jake, I think that would be a good idea. said the Andalite. 'Prince Jake'? Whatever.
The Andalite tried to squeeze in under the helicopter, but it was a tight fit. It became evident that we could not go into our combat morphs. Damn. And I wanted to try out my lion morph.
"David, did Cassie set you up with a bug morph?" Marco asked me.
I had to think. It was just a few hours ago. Why couldn't I remember? Oh, yeah. "She made me touch . . . I mean, acquire . . . a cockroach. Is that what you mean?"
He didn't bother answering me. "Jake, he has a cockroach morph. What do you think?" I couldn't hear Jake's response, but I imagine it was agreeable with Marco. "Okay, dude, we're morphing roaches. Just focus down hard, shut your eyes, and don't think about it." And after much staring in disbelief, Marco reminded me to close my eyes as I started my morph, which I did for about a second.
Out of the three animals I had acquired, the cockroach was the one I was least looking forward to morphing. Fucking oily motherfuckers. The fact that they could survive a nuclear holocaust was becoming less of an appealing selling point.
I had already morphed an eagle. That was frightening, but cool. I mean, it was frightening because it was the first time. At least that's what I kept telling myself. But now I was morphing a fucking cockroach! These animals were not cool. They were fucking disgusting!
But I wasn't disgusted. I was scared.
But it isn't brave if you're not scared.
I began the morph. The first that happened is that I was shrinking. I was already down to two and a half feet before I felt my back harden. Okay, not so bad. My neck started to pinch. My arms and legs segmented. Okay, weird, but not too bad.
But, I didn't really believe that. Morphing the eagle wasn't so bad. Morphing a roach was something out of a fucking horror flick! But I had to keep cool. Do not freak, David. Do not freak, David.
I looked over at Marco. He was almost all roach. And as I felt my nose squish down and my face turn hard, I saw some extra legs pop out of Marco's stomach. Then the same happened to me.
That's it. I had enough.
I screamed.
"Ahhhh! Ahhhhh! Ahhhhh!"
Shut up, you moron! Marco yelled at me. Fuck him.
David, calm down, it's okay. Cassie said to me, very soothingly.
But not even Cassie's soothing could get me to calm down. It was fucking insane! No way could I do this.
We need to get outta here! Jake said. David. DAVID! Listen to me. Get a grip. Do it now. You can be hysterical some other time.
Get out of here? He was right. I stopped screaming and started demorphing. No way could I finish this morph.
David, listen to me. Cassie started to say. You are going to die if you don't get a grip. Finish morphing the cockroach. It's the only way.
No fucking way!
Do it, David. I know it's creepy, but it's better than being dead. Besides, we've all done it. Marco has done it. He's not screaming like a baby, is he? Aren't you as tough as Marco? You know what Marco did the first time he morphed a roach? Just what you're doing. He freaked. But he maintained. It's okay that you freaked. But you have to maintain now.
A baby? Okay? Did Cassie call me a coward? Maybe that wasn't her intent, but basically she said in not so many words, that I was less of a man than Marco. I reversed the morph. I was started to become more roach-like.
If he can do it, I can do it. I said defiantly.
When you've kicked half the Yeerk ass I've kicked, then you can talk, New-boy! Marco yelled back.
I would have answered him too, if I hadn't felt the roach consciousness bubble up at that point.
VIBRATION! MOVEMENT! LIGHT! MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!
The roach definitely did not like all the movement going on. I was zooming all over. The roach brain felt most comfortable under the helicopter. It calmed, and I got hold of the roach brain. Good thing to, because right then, the helicopter began to rise, and more light came in. The roach brain was not happy, but I had control of this body now!
Motor on outta here! Jake yelled.
We were fast little suckers. We were Mario Andretti on six legs. But Mario Andretti never had to worry about bludgeons the size of Kansas crushing him.
Step on them! Crush them! said a new, cruel thought-speech voice. The Yeerk-controlled-Andalite. Visser Three.
Hork-Bajir feet tried to kill us, but to no avail. We were the invincible roaches!
Opening up ahead here! Jake yelled. I followed whatever roach was in front of me to a horizontal, dark band between two levels of steel. I crept in.
Ahh! Marco yelled. Why? Who fucking knew. You didn't hear me screaming.
Light ahead. the Andalite reported as we traveled the vertically narrow, horizontally infinite passage. Above us, a hurricane of Hork-Bajir running. It was like being inside one of Ricky Ricardo's bongos.
See, isn't this fun, David? Marco said sounding like a bad comedian again. Ah, yes, life as an Animorph. It's not a job. It's an adventure!
A death sentence is what it was! But I didn't have time to get into that.
We came out into the light. We saw a source of more light. And then we heard a sound. HSSSSSSSSS.
What's that sound? I asked.
RAID! Marco screamed. They're gassing us!
The light! the Andalite yelled. Go to the light!
If that gas reaches us we'll not only go to the light, we'll be saying "hello" to all our dead relatives and explaining our impure thoughts to Saint Peter! Marco cried. Always the fucking comedian.
What? the Andalite asked, not understanding. Of course, he wasn't human, so what can you expect?
Just RUUUUUUUN!
A pole shot up towards the second source of light. Powering that roach body toward the light was sort of difficult. It did not like the light, but we reached it just as the Raid rolled by us.
Yeeeeee-haaaaahhh! Rachel is going to be so mad she missed this. That was Marco again. Everyone has their own method of dealing in stressful situations. I guess Marco's was being annoying.
We were in a bright room. I saw one pair of Hork-Bajir feet. And one pair of human shoes. And even through the roach's weird compound eyes, where the colors aren't even close to matching, I could tell that one heel of one shoe had a gouge.
Slash-shoe man! Marco yelled as if he was answering the winning question of a game show. I guess he figured it out, too, between bouts of being annoying.
Who? Cassie asked.
The President of the United States! I've always wanted to meet him. But somehow I wasn't imaging this particular scene. I thought we'd shake hands. And I figured I'd have hands. Marco babbled.
I wasn't entirely sure that this was Slick Willy, and I was about to share this sentiment when the Andalite piped in.
Something with four legs.
Something with four legs was coming. An Andalite. Actually, an Andalite-controller. Visser Three.
Hide! Fearless Leader commanded.
Where? Marco wondered.
Up his leg! Cassie said. The five of us then crawled up the man's pant leg such that we were directly above the sock. We heard the clopping of hooves.
We're out of time! said the Visser. Insects were discovered beneath the helicopter. The Andalite bandits in morph? Or just insects? Either way, no time left. I'll acquire him now.
Acquire? Huh? Marco muttered aloud.
Obviously, the Visser isn't going to infest this guy. Just acquire him so he could morph him. Whomever the hell he was.
I also noticed the Visser called us "Andalite Bandits." Of course! They thought we were Andalite Warriors. If they knew most of us where human, we would be dead. Of course, it probably didn't make much difference in my case. The Visser's men are already looking for me.
Now what? I asked after too much dawdling.
Good question. Cassie muttered.
The Yeerks started to drag the man.
They're putting him back on the helicopter. The Andalite theorized. I belive they intend to return the helicopter to its original flight plan, replacing the hologram. They'll reverse the stun effect and all the humans on board will wake up, remembering nothing. It will be as if nothing happened.
I agree. Jake said.
Do we stay with the hairy leg here, or do we bail and maybe do some damage here on the blade ship? Marco asked.
Bail. We can't demorph in the President's helicopter. Jake commanded. The president won't be alone. And even if he's straight, others may not be. There could be a shoot-out.
So? I asked. I thought we were supposed to kick ass?
Not on our own President, duh. Marco said. And if he had a face, I was sure he would have gave me that same fucking self-righteous look.
Any ways, we bailed. We returned to where we started from. Under the helicopter.
Wait a minute. If they were returning to the helicopter . . . .
Uh-oh Marco said. Again, this guy figured shit out a split-second before I did. It was very frustrating.
But not as frustrating as trying to run against the wind.
The hatched opened and the five of us where sent out into the sky. Which pretty much got the same reaction all around.
Ahhhhhhh!
Ahhhhhhhh!
Ahhhhhhhhh!
I was slightly more articulate however. We're gonna dieeeee!
Well, it was more constructive than screaming.
Maybe not.
I do not believe the impact will kill us. The Andalite corrected. I don't believe our mass is sufficient to cause death when we impact.
He's right! Cassie cried. You can't kill a cockroach by dropping it. Not even from this high.
Unless, that's water below us. Marco said. In which case we could hit the water and get chomped by some big hungry fish.
Should we demorph? the Andalite wondered.
No time. Jake said. We'd get bigger, more mass, and then when we hit we'd --
I had the distinct feeling I didn't want him to finish that sentence. Luckily he didn't have to. We stopped falling suddenly.
That is you guys, right? Rachel asked calmly. I mean I figure, cockroaches falling through the air, gotta be you guys.
Yeah, you seldom see cockroaches at a thousand feet up. Tobias conferred.
God, am I glad those two were still outside! They started to descend to let us down.
Something's bothering me. Marco said as Rachel and Tobias landed.
What's bothering you? Jake asked.
Well, I'm in a cockroach body, just fell out of the bottom of a spaceship belonging to brain-stealing alien slugs while trying to save the president of the United States, was rescued by a girl who's temporarily a bald eagle and a guy who's permanently a red-tailed hawk . . . and yet, it all seems normal somehow. Like, okay, that's just to be expected. It's finally happened, hasn't it?
What's finally happened?
I've gone insane! Deedly deeeedly deeedly loooopy! Nutso. Insane in the membrane.
Does he always do that? I privately asked Cassie.
Unfortunately, yes. She answered.
Yeah, well, keep it together. Jake said. The entire human race depends on us winning this battle.
Poor human race. Marco joked. Marco was definitely not funny.
We demorphed in the dunes. I was still demorphing naked.
"Rachel, Cassie. Look the other way." Jake said helpfully.
I'll take care of it. Tobias said as he flapped off into the sky.
I don't understand humans and their strange beliefs when it comes to clothing. The Andalite started. I had a feeling this was the first of many Andalite-superiority-Human-inferiority diatribes I would be subjected to until I was free of these people. You wear artificial skin and artificial hooves. When it is cold that makes sense. But when it is warm it seems strange. And you get so concerned when some article of clothing is missing or worn in the wrong way.
"You mean like the time you wore socks on your hands?" Marco asked
"Or the time you wore underwear on the outside of your pants?" Rachel added.
"You know, maybe this fucking funny to you guys, but it is not all that fucking funny to me! What if someone came along?" I asked.
Jake laughed at me. "Well, David, if they did, I think they'd probably notice the four-eyed, scorpion-tailed, blue, half-deer-looking alien before they worried about you." Well he had a point. Still, how would he like it if it was his bare ass showing on a public beach? We weren't in France you know. Of course, there were probably enough French people around such that my little nude romp in the sand might make them feel close to home.
Unless close to home to them is a Yeerk Pool.
Tobias came in and dropped a pair of orange swim trunks and a Grateful Dead T-shirt. I caught them before they hit the ground and quickly dressed.
Remind me we have to return those to the Kahuna Beach Shop. Tobias said.
"You stole them?" Cassie said.
No, I borrowed them. Besides, I'm a bird. Birds are not capable of stealing. What are they going to do, arrest me? The bird's got a point.
"We'll find a way to get the money to the store." Jake moralized. "We don't want to even start down that path. In an emergency like this, maybe we can grab something. But we have to make right later. That's the rule."
"About time." Rachel muttered when I was decent. "I've been staring at a dead sand crab."
"You know it would amazing." I shared.
"What would be?" Jake asked.
"Us, with our powers? We could take anything we wanted. We could like morph cheetahs or whatever, run into some jewelry store, grab the diamonds, and get away at sixty miles an hour. What could anyone do? We'd be outta there. Plus, we'd morph back to humans."
"Let's do that." Marco said sarcastically. "Right after we figure out how to keep the Yeerks from turnign the most powerful leaders in the world into alien-infested zombies. As soon as we're done with that, we start ripping off jewelry stores." His voice was oozing with contempt.
"Hey, I was just kidding. I guess I forgot you're the only one allowed to make jokes, Marco." Only what I said wasn't exactly a joke. It was thinking aloud. And apparently to these guys, it hadn't occurred to them yet that to win this war, we might have to get our hands dirty. I mean they've probably morphed more disgusting things then I'm aware of. Still. They couldn't do things that are "wrong". Newsflash! In wartime, the line between right and wrong is blurred.
Sometimes . . . . there is no line.
"Okay, time to get serious here." Jake said. "They caught us by surprise. Maybe they know it was us scurrying around up there, maybe they don't. But one way or the other, we have to get inside that resort and get busy."
"We have to get past the greatest security in the world just to get into that place. We have to go by air. But we can't use our bird-of-prey morphs. That'd be slightly noticeable." Rachel pointed out.
"No problem. It's the beach. There's one kind of bird no one can keep off the beach. Seagulls."
"Yeah, well, I don't have a seagull morph, but I'll bet I could morph back into golden eagle morph and bring one down."
Jake winced. I don't know why. He just did.
"Tobias?" Jake finally said. "Sorry to keep sending you out for things, but can you get a seagull?"
"Alive?" Cassie added.
Can I grab a gull? Puh-leeze. Can Michael Jordan hit a three-pointer? They're just rats with wings. Tobias said as he took off.
"Tobias is like really into the whole bird thing, isn't he?" I pondered aloud.
"Tobias just has some fairly definite opinions about birds." Jake confirmed. "He respects most eagles, owls, and other hawks. Looks down on gulls and pigeons. And he absolutely hates jays, crows, and golden eagles."
Doesn't like Golden Eagles? Why, cause they're better than him? "He's like a racist or something, only with birds instead of people."
"All those birds are diffrent species." Cassie said. "Humans are all one species. Not really a good comparison."
I know she was just correcting my thinking. I could see clearly now that my thinking was flawed, but Cassie's presentation lacked her usual tact and comfort.
Or maybe I just being a pussy again and taking things to seriously. Nevertheless, my feelings were hurt. "Whatever." I finally said.
Why did it hurt so much?
If it had been anyone else I would just gotten unnecessarily angry. But with Cassie I was hurt. Why?
That was easy. I had feelings for her. Plain and simple. My odds of seeing Stephanie again were minimal. Slim to none. Still, my feelings for Cassie felt wrong. Like I was cheating on Stephanie. Not to mention I'm hitting on the leader's girlfriend.
Let it go, David! You'll get over it. You just miss Stephanie, that's all.
That was actually fun. Tobias said, laughing. See? Oh what? Just because he didn't kill it. He kills more small animals than I do. Snatched him out of midair while he was diving on some guy's sandwich. And, as much as I so did not want to, I acquired the gull. David's not the only one without a gull morph.
Cassie took the gull and handed it to me.
"I'm starting to get this down." I said as I put my hand on the gull. "Just focus and his DNA is mine."
"Yeah. Easy after a while." Jake concurred. "So let's do it. We morph gulls, we skim down the beach, and land in the resort. See what we see."
"One big point. Act like gulls okay?" Cassie pointed. "The humans won't be looking for trouble from seagulls. But the Yeerks will."
I have acquired four animals and, after going seagull, morphed three. I have begun to learn about controlling animal instincts. The first animal I morphed was a territorial predator. And I tried to kill an inferior bird, I mean Tobias. The second animal I morphed was an insect, and it had a lot of fear instinct.
This seagull animal was a scavenger. Meaning it goes for anything that can be remotely considered food. Anything.
Hey! Whoa! Pizza Hut! Marco says. The guy down there on the blue beach towel. He's got an entire large pizza!
Is he going to eat all that himself? I asked. No way one guy eats a large pizza.
Keep flying. Jake commanded.
Fries! Rachel announced.
Okay, now look, Jake said, trying to get us to focus. we are about to try and-
Oh! Oh! Fried Chicken! Marco cried. Hey, Tobias. If a seagull eats chicken, is that like cannibalism or something?
That depends. Tobias answered. Extra crispy or regular?
We reached the stucco wall. An American Secret Service agent talking on the radio and looking at us.
Gee, could that guy look any more like Secret Service? Rachel asked idiotically. And there's another one just ten feet away, along the wall.
Of course they're Secret Service. I pointed out. But so are some of the people lying out here on the beach. With something like this, probably half the people on the beach are security.
And of course you're the big expert because your dad is a spy. Marco said, dripping with disgust.
He's with the National Security Agency, that's right. I said proudly.
Yeah? Well now he's with the Yeerk Security Agency.
I swear to God, if I were in some other morph, or even myself, I would have killed the bastard. I might have even attacked him in seagull morph had Jake not stuck up for me and berated Marco.
Shut up, Marco! That was over the line! Jake snapped.
Marco sounded like he was about to throw a tantrum, but as we got near the wall, he just said You're right. I was out of line. Sorry.
Is it possible to feel even more lonely yet even more part of the group at the same time? The fact that Marco said shit like that to me was clear that I didn't belong among them. Yet, Jake's refusal to let that shit pass just shows that he did care about what happens to me.
Or maybe he just that we'd all work together better if we were one big happy family.
One at a time, in different places, we flew over the wall. Unnecessary really. There were so many fucking gulls around the place we could have flew in like the Blue Angels and the spy convention wouldn't have noticed.
This is easy. I shared. What's the big deal?
As long as we just want to fly around, no big deal, but we may need to get inside some of these buildings. Jake explained. Maybe all these buildings.
The question is, where do we begin? pondered the Andalite. And how?
Okay, there is definitely some security on this place. Marco said. Guys on the roof, guys in bushes, guys sitting in cars, guys out on the golf course pretending to play golf. I looks like Men in Black 2 around here. These guys all have the same suit.
Look! Canine teams! Maybe we could morph German shepherds and get in as part of the canine team. Jake speculated. Yeah, like that would work. The feds would never notice seven uncollared, untrained pooches joining the ranks. This was our fucking leadership?
Here's an idea. Let's give up. Marco said. This would be totally depressing even if we didn't have to worry about some of these guys being controllers.
Every square inch of this entire place is being watched. Jake said. We can't morph or demorph anywhere around it. We need to get inside to learn what we want to learn, but that would mean going insect basically. And the problem with any insect morph is that we'd have to morph the bug way outside the compound, which leaves us traveling a long, long way as spiders or cockroaches or flies. None of which can see well enough to travel those distances without getting lost.
Or eaten. Rachel added morbidly
You guys could morph fleas and get onto someone who we knew was going to inside the compound. Tobias suggested.
But fleas are useless for seeing, and they aren't much good at hearing. Cassie pointed out. We'd get in, but once inside we'd get nothing. And how would we ever get back out again?
Are we beat?
Maybe. Jake said, sounding defeated, but then in a more Patton-esque tone. Only we can't be. Now matter what the risk, we have to get inside and -- AAAAAAAHHHHH!
For some reason he decided to scream right then. It was one of genuine pain. I saw a seagull falter.
Jake, what's happening? Cassie cried.
AAAAAAAHHHHHHH! screamed the Andalite. I saw another seagull falter.
What the fuck is going on? I demanded anxiously.
AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! screamed Tobias. Another faltering seagull.
It's that guy! Jake said. That bald guy! He's doing it!
I looked down and saw a bald guy, looking no different than the other feds. Only he was looking up at the birds. He shifted his gaze to another gull. It faltered but then hauled tail feathers out of there. A normal gull.
Ax! What is that guy doing? Jake asked, sounding about as shaky as Brad Pitt's character in 12 Monkeys. I don't see any weapon.
He may . . . The Andalite said, as shaky as Jake. He may be using a very low power Dracon Beam. Possibly hidden on his body, with the sunglasses used as emitters.
Are you telling me he can shoot whatever he's looking at?
Yes. It will cause intense pain. As you may have noticed.
So he's a controller chasing away birds. Tobias rationalized. He doesn't kill us because that would be too obvious - dead birds dropping everywhere.
Chasing away possible Andalites in morph. Marco concurred.
Oh, man! Cassie moaned. He's looking at - AAAAAAHHHHHH!
Cassie! Jake and I yelled at the same time.
Oh. Oh, that hurt. Oh man, I'm not kidding here. That was like a full-body dental visit without Novocain.
Cassie. Bail. Fly away. Jake commanded. That's what a gull would do. But not everyone at once! I added quickly. We can't move like we know what's happening.
We have to stay here and let that asshole zap us? I demanded. We should either run or go kick his ass for him! The bald guy shifted his gaze toward me. Oh shit! He's looking at me! What am I supposed to do?
Nothing. Jake said. Unfeeling bastard. Just cause he got zapped didn't mean everyone should! Take it. Then you can bail.
I floated into the bald man's sights, and it hurt like a motherfucker! It felt like all my muscles, body parts, even my feathers were on fire. Every single on of my cells were exploding. From my beak to my webbed feet. Wing tip to wing tip. My stomach, lungs, bowels, everything hurt.
AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! I screamed. Fuck! Okay, that was a major fucking ouchie! Goddamn! Now can I get the fuck out of here?
Yeah, fly. Jake commanded. And by the way, David? Good job.
Thanks. I said right away. And just to make sure he got the point that I thought we was a total asshole, I added in a sarcastic tone Thanks a lot.
Tobias and the Andalite got away unsuspiciously. They already felt the blast, no need for them to feel it again. Pretty-Pretty Princess Rachel managed to get away without having to ever feel the blast. Bitch.
I flew away feeling contempt for Rachel and Jake. Jake, the self-righteous smug bastard. I continued to fly with this feeling of Jake being this spineless coward, but that was before I heard him cry out a second time.
Jake took a hit. Got his men out and then took another hit. All to make it look natural. Maybe I didn't like the guy. But, damn, he had balls.
Could I do what he did?
We got back to the barn at around 6:00 at night. Well, Cassie and I did. The others went home. The Andalite retreated into the forest with Tobias. And I, as I said, went home with Cassie. Cassie made a place for me in the same hayloft where she left me breakfast this morning.
"I brought you chips and a soda, you like Ruffles?" Cassie said very perky-like.
Actually, I hated Ruffles, but I let it go. I was lying in the hayloft. The way I had been for the last three hours. Thinking about Steph. About this whole stupid war. My mom. My dad. My pets. How much I hated it here. How much I resented Jake and Marco and Rachel. The Andalite and the Bird pissed me off too. All but Cassie.
But her moralizing was beginning to piss me off as well. That was the one main difference between her and Steph. Cassie had injected all of this moral and ethics into this fucking war. Which, I'm sure, made things more complicated. Stephanie was intelligent, but scatter-brained. She never thought too much about stuff. Of course, Stephanie had never been thrust into a war.
Cassie had also brought me a Mountain Dew, which was my favourite. So I didn't bitch at her.
"What's wrong?" She asked me.
What the fuck do you think?! "Nothing." I said. "I just miss my old life. My parents. My g- . . . pets." I almost said girlfriend, for some reason I didn't. Why not? Why did I hesitated and not tell Cassie about Steph. Why was I hiding it?
"Pets?"
"Yeah. Megadeth and Spawn."
"Spawn's your snake?"
"Yeah." I guess she missed it. "I miss sleeping in my own bed. My stuff. TV."
"Yeah, but don't worry it will all turn out for the best."
"How?" I asked more rudely than I intended.
Cassie just looked sullen. She didn't answer me. Because she couldn't.
"If you had to do it all over again, would you?" I asked her.
"I don't know." She said after a pause. "I would like to think so."
"Why? What is so good about this life?!"
"We're saving the world."
Saving the world??! God, you're a naïve, stupid girl! I thought to myself. I didn't say anything though.
Cassie, on the other hand, seemed to detect my contempt. Still, she was sincerely caring. "Goodnight, David."
"Goodnight, Cassie." I said as she left.
Saving the world. I couldn't give two flying fucks about the world. Fucking rock. Why should I give a shit about people who don't care about me?
My parents. My friends. Stephanie. They cared about me. Jake. Rachel. The Animorphs. They didn't care.
Except Cassie. Cassie was the exception. Aw, fuck her! She just complicated things.
I now had no parents. No friends. No girlfriend. Only the Animorphs.
I was my own man now. Lived by my rules. My way.
No. Jake's rules. Jake's way.
But Jake couldn't tell me what to do all the time, could he? If I wanted to sleep in a real bed, so be it! If I wanted to watch some TV, I should! And no one, not even Jake, was going to tell me otherwise.
I got off the hayloft and walked toward the door.
I could do what I want now. No parents. No Jake.
After all, I was an Animorph.
******************************************************************************************
God, that took a long time to write. Sorry, it's been a while, but I started a new job teaching swimming lessons, and well, it's time consuming.
Okay, here it is. This is where the timeline splits. The next chapter will have Future Cassie changing things.
I'm starting to get the impression from some of you (Jan Girl specifically) that you all would like me to continue this as it originally was. In other words, finish out the David Trilogy from David's point of view as it originally happened. I will still do the altered timeline, but if I get enough feedback at the reviews or my e-mail address featherpen@hotmail.com, I will write a separate story and finish up the trilogy with timeline intact.
Or I could just stop writing this fic altogether, if that's what is wanted. Well, you be the judge. Voice your opinion and the people's will will be carried out.
Till next we meet,
Augustine Quill