"Those were not normal sharks," she pointed out. "Somehow they were being controlled, directed. No normal sharks would have been working in a pack like that, and they never would have been able to resist going into a feeding-frenzy after they had scented blood."

"Do you think they could be Controllers?" Rachel asked. "Weve seen the Yeerks making Controllers out of horses."

(No,) Ax said. (Cassie has shown me pictures of the internal structures of the internal structures of a shark. There is no room inside the creatures brain for a Yeerk. They would also be hampered by the lack of an ear-canal.)

"They could be using some sort of implants," he suggested. "Some kind of electrodes or something."

(Well, its clear that they were guarding that facility,) Tobias mused. (Though I kind of wonder what the Yeerks did when they found the corpses of those sharks.)

He saw Shara sort of cringe after that; it wasnt that obvious to even him, so he doubted that anyone else had noticed it.

"I dont know what the Yeerks are doing, but I think its pretty obvious what we should be doing," he said. "We need to be thinking of ways to get inside that facility."

Jake gave him a sideways look, complete with a subtly raised eyebrow that Marco interpreted as a slight admonishment. They both knew that he had more personal reasons for wanting to know what was going on inside that facility than he had shared with the others. He shook his head subtly; no, he still wasnt going to say anything about what had happened to his mother.

Not now, and with any luck, not ever.

Jake subsided with an annoyed sort of shrug; he wasnt going to make a scene, but he clearly wasnt happy.

"I agree: we have to go back there," Jake said. "Those Leerans that Erek talked about sound dangerous. We absolutely cannot have some psychic Controllers running around."

"Do you think that frog-looking thing on the sub was a Leeran?" Cassie asked, turning to Ax.

(Yes. Probably,) the Andalite amended, sounding slightly uncomfortable. (I havent exactly memorized the Encyclopedia of Galactic Life-forms.)

"Where would you go to pick up that encyclopedia?" Marco asked, trying to lighten his own mood. "Do you think they have it at the local library?"

(The real question we should be asking, is just how were going to go a look inside that complex,) Tobias broke in.

"You arent going to like the answer," Marco muttered; he already didnt.

Everyone, save for Slade and Ax, laughed.

"We have to think about going Hammerhead," Cassie said, taking up the thread of the original conversation. "Those guard sharks went after our dolphins, and even Axs tiger shark. My guess is that theyll go after anything that isnt a Hammerhead. And, we dont have any Hammerheads at The Gardens. However, there are Hammerheads at Ocean World. They have a big shark tank. I called them, and found out that they do have a big Hammerhead: fourteen feet long."

"Um, excuse me," Marco piped up, visions of messy dismemberment dancing in his head. "But has anyone considered the fact that we all have to be in our own bodies when we acquire this giant shark of yours?"

"Thats not so much of a problem," Shara said, speaking for the first time since they had all met up. "Im sure I could hold the shark still long enough for all of you to acquire it."

"But what about you?" Rachel asked, even as Marco berated himself for cowardice; if Shara hadnt been there to distract everyone

"I could hold it steady for her when she needs it," Marco volunteered, not wanting the others to notice how hed been so eager to run away when they faced the sharks for the first time. "After all, whos worked up over some little old sharks?"

"You are," Rachel said, with her usual tact.

Cheeks burning, Marco turned away to look at some ants that were crawling up the trunk of a nearby tree. Shara, feeling as if she should go and talk with him but not knowing what to say, simply stood and watched.

"Wed have to go at night," Cassie practically. "Tonight would be best, I think. And, of course, we still have school tomorrow."

"Forget school," Marco said gruffly, shoving his emotions aside so he wouldnt have to deal with them for awhile. "Theres an assembly last period, anyway. We can bail out early and no one will even care; those of us who go to school, that is," he said, smirking at the four whod escaped it in one way or another. "Thatll leave us plenty of time to fly out to the island."

Jake nodded. "Okay: Ocean World tonight. Well head out to the island tomorrow after school. Well need some good excuses ready for our parents in case we run late. I cant get grounded again or my dad might start looking more closely at what Ive actually been doing."

There was a general agreement on that point, so the group broke up to go their separate ways until the time came for them to carry out the mission.