A/N: The second chapter in roughly a week? What kind of sorcery is this?!

That's right, guys, another new chapter. I hope you enjoy. I certainly did. ;)

Now for specific review responses...

Aeroway: I love the idea of Taylor/David team-up as well, considering I think both were woefully under-utilized. I aim to fix that. ;)

Superpony: Glad you think it's getting good. And as for Marco and Melissa, well... let's just say I'm including those interactions for a reason. (Clearly the reason is to drive Rachel nuts)

Belle: BEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLE! You live, I'm so glad. It has been too long, you're right. I'm glad you're doing okay, and double-glad that you're still enjoying the story.

Thank you, really thank you, for the kind words. I do my best, and I'm glad it's appreciated. I know what you mean about wanting the Animorphs series to tackle more... age appropriate territory and issues, and I'm going to work up into that sort of thing. The whole 'like like' does get annoying considering their actual ages by the end of the series, not to mention how fast they've had to grow up in every other way.

So let me just say that while the Animorphs won't become all about the sex and drugs (these are, after all, essentially superheroes, not a 70's rock band), more adult issues will present themselves as we go. They will be presented gradually, in, hopefully, a tasteful manner. I want to present these issues and situations as though the Animorphs are growing into them, as though they are aging and maturing, without making it too much of a jarring experience.

Long story short, yes, more adult situations that fit them as hormonal teenagers. Basically, I don't want to have them saying 'like like' in one book, and then start cursing like sailors while having a massive group sex orgy in the next. This is Animorphs, not Game of Thrones.

Although Game of Thrones/Animorphs would be awesome.

Chapter Six

I felt a sharp pain against my cheek. Groggily opening my eyes, I was just in time to see the flat of a tail blade a moment before it smacked me again.

(Wake up!) The by-now familiar annoyed and impatient voice of Estrid filled my head. She cocked back her tail to hit me again, but I opened my eyes fully and raised my hands to stop her. (I am awake.) I informed my fellow Andalite.

We were in a small, u-shaped corridor that I recognized as likely being a connection hall between the ship's engines and maintenance bay. The open elevator shaft lay behind us, and I could only surmise that Estrid had pulled me out of the shaft before attempting to wake me.

It took me a moment to push and clamber myself up onto all four legs, during which the young scientist looked as though she might want to tail-strike me anyway for taking so long. (What happened?) She demanded once I was upright.

(I…) The events of the previous moments came back, and I swept my stalk eyes around the room. (Where is To-my companion? Why did you move us?)

(There.) She indicated with a nod of her head just as my eyes found Tobias, his Andalite form crumpled a few feet away. ( And I moved you because I did not know if the lift shaft would remain safe, naturally. Now are you going to tell me what is going on, or am I-)

I ignored her and moved to my friend. (Tobias!) I shouted into his head privately while giving him a hard nudge with my hoof. (Tobias, you must wake up right now.)

One more time I gave him a kick, and Tobias shifted over. His voice came in a murmur that seemed half-unconscious, and certainly made no sense to me. (Ngnnn, I know, Rach, ten minutes.)

(I am not Rachel.) I informed him succinctly. (And I do not know if you have ten Earth minutes before you will become trapped within that morph.)

That woke him, and Tobias lifted his head. His stalk eyes opened first, focusing after a moment. (Wha-huh?) He remembered and jolted up, nearly falling onto his opposite side in his hurry to rise. I helped him get to his feet. (Where is she?)

(Away from here.) I answered. (She said her name is Taylor. Do you know a Taylor?)

His head shook before he winced at the pain that had apparently brought on. (No, but something tells me I really don't want to know her.)

Estrid, having been left out of our thought-speak conversation, abruptly spoke up. (Hey! Is someone going to tell me what just happened, or what?)

Tobias and I exchanged a look before I spoke to her. (We believe that Gafinilan is a spy of some kind. He ambushed the three of us and said something about convincing Mertil that we attacked you, in order to justify harming our companions.)

(A spy?) Estrid stared at me. (That is absurd. Who is he a spy for? Do not tell me you are seriously suggesting that he is-)

(Not a controller.) Tobias answered shortly. (We don't know, but he's not really Andalite. He's not really Gafinilan.)

That made the young scientist's eyes narrow as she seemed to consider. (Another creature with the morphing ability, or something similar…)

While she focused on that, I turned back to Tobias, my voice urgent. (Tobias, I do not know how long we were down. My ability to track time has been temporarily compromised by our position in space and my own state of unconsciousness. You must demorph unless you wish to become trapped in that form.)

(Sure.) Tobias turned a stalk eye toward the female Andalite. (How exactly do we explain it to her?)

I paused. What could we say to explain to Estrid why Tobias was demorphing back to a- wait a moment. (You,) I used public thought speak to address him this time. (Do you still possess the Earth-bird morph?)

Tobias and Estrid both blinked at me, the latter frowning in confusion. (Earth-bird?)

I turned a single stalk eye to her. (Our War-Prince wished to learn more of the human world and discover what sort of threats the Yeerks aligned with them might present. Our surveillance had to pass unnoticed.) To Tobias, I said pointedly. (My companion has acquired one of their local birds. It is small enough to fit within these confines, and may be able to scout back up the elevator shaft.)

Tobias understood then, what I had realized. Who was to say that Estrid had to realize he was demorphing from Andalite into hawk? For all she knew, it was the other way around.

(Right.) His form began to shrink immediately, and I let out an inward sigh of relief that we had not been too late.

Estrid still looked as though she wasn't certain she fully believed what she was being told, but she said nothing, choosing instead to observe in silence. At least, until Tobias had fully morphed. Then she spoke up. (That animal's wingspan will not allow it flight within the lift shaft.)

She was right, of course. Andalites preferred as open of a space as possible, even within our ships, but there was no way that Tobias's hawk was going to be able to fly inside the shaft itself. I had known that already, but had no other excuse for why he would have to change form.

(Perhaps he can still scout ahead.) I said mildly, as though it was a small matter.

(What is your name?) Estrid asked Tobias, her curiosity apparently finally outweighing her disdain for getting to know people or distracting from her mission.

This time, I was ready. (Tobras-Felan-Nilathan.) I supplied my friend privately, sounding it out for him.

He repeated the name for Estrid, and she simply started to walk away from us. (Well then, Tobras and Aximili, if we cannot fly up the shaft, we will simply have to find another way to the bridge.)

(You mean back to our friends.) Tobias corrected, his hawk eyes glaring. Not that this was necessarily indicative of his mood. Earth hawks always glare. Still, I believed that, in this case, it was likely appropriate.

The other Andalite cast a single eye back toward him without slowing her walk. (No, that is not what I mean at all. Why would we waste our time going back?)

I spoke up. (Whoever and whatever Gafinilan is, he is a threat to Mertil and to our companions. We must go back and warn them.)

Estrid had moved around to one end of the U, though I wasn't certain which door she was approaching, the engine compartment or maintenance bay. (In case it has escaped your mind, your companions are not a part of my mission. I have a duty to perform. Yours, at this moment, is to assist me in its completion.)

Tobias's wings flared once as he declared, (We're not abandoning our friends, lady.)

I winced, even as Estrid turned a sharp eye back at him. (You are doing as you are told. Scientist or not, I possess the highest authority over this group, in this mission, and we will complete it.)

(Yeah, well see how much authority you have over my tail-feathers, princess.) Tobias muttered.

Estrid was apparently ignoring him, as she remained focused on the doorway. (We can pass through maintenance to reach the upper levels again.) As she spoke, she had apparently sent the thought-speak command for the door to open, because it began to slide away. However, before it had opened fully, a loud buzzing sound filled the air from the other side.

Tobias and I looked to one another, and then we both shouted, (Veleek!)

I sprang forward just as Estrid was casting a single stalk eye our way. (What are you complaining about n-) She was interrupted by me plowing bodily into her at full gallop, bringing us both to the floor in a tangle of almost too many limbs to count. Eight legs, four arms, and two tails all twisted around one another, pushing and pulling.

And overhead, a small Veleek swarm flew past, right where the female Andalite had been. Buzzing like one of the earth tools I have seen that is apparently called a chainsaw, the swarm hurtled through the air straight toward where they had sensed the morphing energy.

They went for Tobias.

He launched himself into the air, sailing over the top of the tiny Veleek swarm. (Move, people!) He shouted at the two of us. (Do you need a written invitation to retreat? This is Commodore Birdboy saying, 'all hands, run the hell away!')

I was not entirely certain, but Estrid may have begun to doubt our credibility in that moment.

Still, she recognized the real threat and, once we were both on our feet, ran through the open doorway to escape with us.

The Veleek itself reached the base of the U and inverted itself to come back after us. I sent a thought-speak command for the door to close.

It remained open.

I sent the command again, with the same result.

(Close the door!) Estrid cried while the Veleek continued to charge.

(I am attempting to do so!) I replied shortly. (It is not obeying.)

The Veleek was almost there by that point, and I simply snatched my fellow Andalite by the arm and turned, galloping away. (We must flee!)

The maintenance bay stretched out before us, enormous in its relative emptiness. Designed to hold an entire division of Andalite war vehicles and the equipment needed to maintain them, the bay was cavernous without them. There were, of course, tools and even piles of machinery dotting the bay here and there, and there were even several enormous starfighter engines suspended above the floor by thick chains. Yet, the machines that the bay was designed to hold and service were all absent.

All of which meant that we had a nearly empty, wide open space to run through, with the Veleek right behind us. This would have been an inconvenient time to be a wobbly, slow human with only two legs.

The human with wings soared above us, arcing around through the open air of the all but empty room. (Move it!) Tobias shouted. (That thing isn't getting any slower!)

Indeed, somehow the Veleek had become fixated on myself and my Andalite companion. I wasn't sure how that worked with its parent being taught to feed off morphing energy, but neither was I anxious to cease my retreat to pose the question.

We raced across the bay, each of our four legs galloping hard, pushing us forward across the hard metal while the chainsaw noise grew closer with each second. The two of us each had our stalk-eyes pointed backward so that we could see just how close it continued to get.

(What is that creature?!) Estrid demanded. Clearly her own sense of curiosity was not diminished by retreat.

(It's called a Veleek.) Tobias answered her. (Now hang on, let me time this just right...)

My hearts were pounding so hard that I feared they would leave my chest entirely. If the creature caught up with us, we would not survive the experience. Even if they were too young and small to cut through the metal of the ship, our flesh and bones would prove no obstacle. I pushed myself to run harder, faster, and kept tight hold of Estrid's hand to keep her with me.

(Waaaaaaait for it... waaaaait for it...) Tobias seemed to be talking to himself. Then I saw him dive out of the corner of one of my eyes. His talons closed tightly around a chain that ran from the top of a pulley system, down to a suspended starfighter engine.

Tobias released the chain as soon as he had pulled it loose of its mooring, and the engine fell free just as Estrid and I passed underneath it. The heavy piece of machinery slammed into the floor, taking the Veleek with it.

(Whoooo!) Tobias made a noise that I have come to associate with human celebration. (Who's the birdman? That's right, I'm the birdman. A whoop, a whoop whoop.)

(What... precisely is he doing?) Estrid asked. The two of us had stopped running after the two ton engine had crushed the creature. (And what is a Veleek?)

Before I could find anything remotely resembling an appropriate lie, another loud buzzing began to approach from another side of the room.

(Aww, man.) Tobias complained. (What is it with us finding out our enemies are traveling in teams today?) He had landed on a nearby rod, but took off again as the second Veleek young swarm came charging across the bay.

(There is more than one?) One of Estrid's eyes focused on the incoming creature.

(Apparently.) I answered before starting to run once more. (We are quite fortunate though.)

Ahead of us lay a wide pit where Andalite technicians could work on a vehicle parked above without need for it to be hoisted off the ground. We leapt together, crossing the gap mere seconds ahead of the new Veleek.

(Please tell me, Aximili,) Estrid requested, once our hooves touched the ground and we resumed our frantic gallop, (how this is in any way fortunate.)

(The adult version of this creature is capable of going directly through the metal walls of this ship like a Derrishoul tree.) I answered just as we had to leap over a second maintenance pit.

We landed once again, and continued running. We were rapidly nearing the other end of the maintenance bay, and with any luck, this door would obey the command to close once we were through.

But first we had to reach it. I pushed on, even though after everything that had happened, all I wanted to do was fall down and take a nap. Andalites are capable of running for quite a bit longer than humans, but this was a lot of physical activity and stress directly after being knocked out by a shredder blast. It was all I could do to stay on my hooves at this point.

Estrid, who seemed to be as worn as I was, shook her head. (It is not opening.)

My eyes narrowed and I focused on the door ahead of us. Apparently the other Andalite had been attempting to send the thought-speak command already. I tried as well, with no more success.

(Uhh, guys, you kind of need to open that door!) Tobias called from above.

(We are attempting to do so!) I informed him succinctly. (It does not appear to have any power.)

(Then skirt around.) Tobias offered. (You'll have to cut back the other way, to one of the other doors.)

We did not have time for that, I knew. Nor did we have the energy. With each step, each gallop, I could feel my body protesting. We weren't going to be able to make another run all the way back.

I stumbled, and then the Veleek was there. It nearly took Estrid's arm off in its first lunge before she managed to yank herself away from it.

But now the swarm had the two of us trapped against the wall next to the unresponsive door, and it had stretched itself out to block any avenue of escape. High above, I could hear Tobias shouting for us to duck, but there was no time. There was nothing. There was...

There was a roar, and I blinked. Since when did the Veleeks roar?

My confusion was met by another roar, and this time I realized that it was not the sound of an animal. What I had heard was the loud, insistent whoosh of fire. The sound was accompanied by searing heat, as a blast of flame filled the air right in front of us. It was so close that the flames seared some of my fur, and caused Estrid to cry out. But it also caught the Veleek full on, causing the swarm-creature's distinctive buzzing sound to escalate and raise in pitch into what sounded almost like a scream.

The Veleek tried to flee, the swarm rushing backwards. But the flame pressed on, continuing to engulf it even as the flames turned from red to blue-white and narrowed slightly to focus in on the creature. The flame was also swept back and forth as though to encompass as much of the thing as possible.

Finally, the swarm was no more, the creatures burned into all but nothing, and the blue-white flame shut off.

Our rescuer stood with the power tank to an Andalite welding tool over one shoulder, and the tool itself outstretched in one hand as though it was a weapon. Which, I supposed, she had made it become.

"Honestly, boys," Rachel, in her human form, shook her head and raised the end of the welding torch to trigger one more short burst of flame. "Where would you be without me?"

(Lost.) Tobias answered, his voice full of wonder and appreciation as he came in to land on the barrel of the torch. (Completely and utterly lost.)

Rachel smiled at my friend, my nephew, but before she could speak, Estrid's voice came.

(Human.) The other Andalite raised a hand to point. (You are a human. I have read the information packets. And you, you are human as well.) Her finger moved to point at Tobias. (I do not know how, how you could morph the way that you do, but you are no Andalite. I had no idea what you were, but an Andalite does not talk the way that you do. Now I know. You are both humans. Humans with the morphing power...)

She turned her attention to me. (Did you know, Aximili? Did you know that they were human with the morphing power?)

(I...) I paused, but there was no way to convince her that what she had surmised so far wasn't true. (I gave it to them. I allowed them to use the Escafil Device. It was a moment of weakness, of loneliness. I was stranded on Earth, and I needed help.) It was the lie that the Andalite leaders, whom I had managed to contact once while on Earth, had said that I needed to give, the lie that would let our people continue to see the great Elfangor as the war hero he deserved to be, rather than the traitor they would see him as if they knew he had broken the law of Seerow's Kindness.

Estrid stared at me for another moment, as did both Rachel and Tobias. Finally, she inclined her head. (No.)

Of all the responses I might have expected, that was the least. (What?)

(No.) My fellow Andalite repeated. (You did not supply them with the morphing ability. An Aristh like yourself? No, you would not have been entrusted with the device. And if you had, you would not have volunteered the information quite so readily. That story sounded rehearsed. More likely, it was someone else, someone important and either they or someone much higher in the military ordered you to take the blame for it.)

I stared. How had she known that?

(It is only logical.) Estrid replied in response to my stare. (Now if you will excuse me.) She turned and began to walk.

"Wait," Rachel frowned. "That's it? That's all you have to say about it?"

(I have a mission.) Estrid responded simply. (It does not include passing judgment on this situation, terrible as it may be. I must ensure that this ship collides with the other.)

"Whoa whoa whoa." Rachel moved in front of Estrid then, and I took a step after her as well. "No way. We aren't letting that collision happen."

(It must!) Estrid snapped. (The Yeerk fleet will be crippled. We will secure the entire galaxy while it is trapped near Earth, and by the time the Z-Space is healed, we will be able to destroy what remains of them there.)

"Like I said," Rachel hoisted the torch. "That ain't gonna happen."

(It must!) Estrid cried, her hands coming up even as her tail lashed about behind her in agitation. (We must trap the fleet there!)

(Why?) That was Tobias, whose laser-sharp hawk gaze was focused on the other Andalite. (Why is this so important to you? This mission, it's more than just that, isn't it?)

Finally, I recognized the truth of that. Estrid's single-minded devotion to her mission, to this job, it approached fanaticism. She had barely blinked an eye upon realizing that my friends were human, humans with the morphing power. Something else was going on.

Estrid's shoulders slumped down, and it looked as though her entire body had deflated. Her voice was softer now, with a sort of keening desperation. (My brother.)

(Who?) I asked, confused.

(My brother,) Estrid repeated. (Ajaht. The Yeerks have him.)

That brought all of our attention, and Rachel exclaimed. "What?! What the hell do you mean, the Yeerks have him? The Yeerks aren't supposed to have any Andalite other than, you know, the big one!"

Wincing, Estrid's gaze remained downcast. (They captured him during a shuttle trip, when he was coming to visit me at the lab. Everyone else on the shuttle died, he survived. He's been taken by them.)

"So he's infested now." Rachel pronounced, dourly.

(No!) Estrid's head shook emphatically. (We- my brother and I, we have these communication devices, very tiny. I designed them, and they have not found his yet. I have been listening in, and the Yeerks are saving him for a special body, a high ranking Yeerk.)

(This fleet, the reason it is so large is that they are escorting their prize, my brother, to meet this high ranking Yeerk at their homeworld for a new infestation. He'll be the second Andalite-Controller. Unless...)

She trailed off, and Tobias's hard gaze lowered a bit as well. (Unless you stop the fleet from reaching its destination.)

(Yes.) Estrid's voice was soft. (I was planning on trapping myself in Earth-space as well. It is the only way I can save my brother, the only way I can keep him from being infested by the Yeerk that would take him away forever.)

(There is no other way to prevent that ship, with an escort fleet that size, from reaching the Yeerk homeworld. I must make that collision happen, or I will lose my brother.)