Chapter 27
It only took Marco and I about fifteen minutes until we were directly above the DeBolt Diamond Exchange. (The guards don't know they're about to be robbed,) I said, stating the obvious. I guess Marco was still feeling a little guilty over sniping at me about the serial killer thing, because he didn't say anything sarcastic. (I think the guy in the second guard station is sleeping, actually.)
The way it was set up, there was only one way in or out of the compound. A narrow access road zig-zagged from the main road to the building, with a gate and guard station for each fence you had to go through. There were three of them.
At each gate, there was a team of four guys. Each guy carried an assault rifle, a big pistol, grenades, the works. They looked like soldiers from an army outfit, not civilian guards.
(Still,) Marco said. (I don't know how the Yeerks are planning to get through that. They obviously don't have their people on the inside, or else they could just take the diamonds in the middle of the night.)
A glint of metal caught my eye from in between two dumpsters parked at the back of the building. I focused on it, and saw one ivory-and-steel hand waving up at us. Just a hand – Erek's hologram was cloaking the rest of him. (Let's go. Erek's signaling us.) I folded my wings back and dropped toward the dumpsters.
When we landed, the world around us went shimmery, and suddenly I could see Erek. I knew he'd extended his hologram to cover the three of us. Marco started to demorph – slowly, at first, then faster once Erek didn't tell him not to. (So, what's the deal?) I asked.
Erek sounded nervous, if it's possible for an android to sound that way. "The Yeerks will be here any minute. We'll know all about it – they weren't able to get but a few of their people inside of this operation. They're going to bust their way in. Full frontal assault."
"What?" Marco asked, almost totally human. "What happened to keeping a low profile?"
Erek shrugged. "They'll use human controllers and human weapons. It's not beyond belief that a human group would attack this place. There are literally billions of dollars in diamonds inside of this building." He knocked lightly on the stone wall behind him.
"If that's the case, they're going to bring more guys with guns than they have protecting this place, and they're going to be packing some serious heat. What are me and Tobias supposed to do about it? How can we stop them?"
Erek shook his head. "I already told you, we're not stopping them. We're tricking them." He pointed to a case at his feet. "I need you to replace the real diamonds they're after with the ones in this case. I can get you into the building, but you have to make the actual switch."
"What are those? Cheaper diamonds?" Marco asked of the case.
"Chee synthetics. Virtually indistinguishable from the real thing. Even the chemical composition will look the same to the spectrometers the Yeerks will use to test them."
(You're telling me you can't do that yourself?) I asked. (Why not? I mean, fake diamonds can't hurt anybody.)
"We'll need your gorilla morph," Erek said to Marco. He started morphing. To me, he said, "Actually, they will. If the Yeerks try to use them in weaponry – which we all know they will – they will undoubtedly create the scenario known as a flaargaar and kill the user, along with anyone within a ten-foot radius. I cannot switch them, knowing what I know. But you can."
(So how can you get us in the building, then?) I asked, curious. (Can you even destroy property? I mean, will your programming allow that?)
Erek laughed a little. "I changed my programming back to exclude all possibilities of violence, it's true. But I was deliberately vague when it came to reprogramming my demolition procedures. As long as it doesn't cause direct harm to a living being, I can tear down all the buildings I want."
(Well, that's something, at least,) Marco said. He picked up the case by the handle in-between his thumb and first two fingers – his hand was too fat to carry it like a regular person. (You ready to do this?) he asked Erek.
"We have to wait until the attack starts. When everything is confused, that's when we have to make the switch. The Yeerks can't get any hint of foul play, or it might ruin the whole plan."
He looked me dead in the eye. His voice was serious. "You can't just leave once the switch is made. You have to attack them after they take the case, even though we want them to have it. They have to believe that you "Andalites" are trying your best to keep the case away from them." He looked down at the ground. "I hate asking this of you, my friends. I hate it. But you understand why I must," he shrugged helplessly. "If this plan fails, the human race ceases to exist. That is unacceptable."
(Very unacceptable,) Marco agreed. (Tobias, I think you're going to want to morph something a little tougher. Sounds like we're in for a pretty good fight.)
He was right. The most dangerous morph I had at my disposal was my Hork-bajir morph. That was okay, though – the Yeerks would know it was an "Andalite" in morph. They weren't bringing any of their own Hork-bajir along on this one. I started growing and changing.
At first I thought I was hearing my bones popping as they thickened and changed directions. I quickly realized it was gunfire on the other side of the compound. "Okay," Erek said, sounding sad. "Here we go."
(Let's get it done,) I said as Erek turned to the building and started to make a hole. (Let's do it.)