JTL's Animorph Series! Chapter 6, an animorphs fanfic

Animorphs 32 The Offer (Rachel)

Author James the Lesser

Idonotownthecharacters,ApplegateandhermanyGhostWritersdo!ButIdohopeanywhoreadthiswillenjoy,evenifIchangethingsup!

They call me Rachel. My prey was not a great white whale but a human controller. (Rachel don't get so close.)

(I'm a cat he won't give me a second glance.) I lick my paw acting as much like a cat as I could. (If I can't see the screen I can't see the code.)

(Just don't get noticed.) I couldn't see Jake but I was sure he could see me. I've had the eyes of a raptor and knew just how well they could see.

The Yeerk looked around nervously. He put his hand under a screen. I moved so I could get a better look. (Nine, One, One, Four, One, One, Eight, Three, Six.) A smaller panel opened and he pressed a button.

A screen came up but I couldn't read what was on it because it was in some alien language. (Ax can you see the screen? I can't read it.)

(No.)

(I can.) I saw a small bird land and my first through was yum, lunch. But it was my cousin Tom. (It is identifying him as Esplin 2993. This entrance is useless we don't have Yeerk's in our head.)

(Pull back every one and meet at Cassie's barn.) A waste of time, great. I had homework piling up and instead I was here finding out the entrance to the Yeerk Pool we found was worthless.

We were on our way back when Tobias talked to me. Well, thought speak at me. (Rachel, can we talk after the meeting?)

(Sure.) I had homework but Tobias was, the guy I kinda liked, a lot. And now that he could morph past the two hour limit he spent a lot more time in his human morph.

Weird, thinking of his human self as a morph. But he staid in his hawk morph even now. I didn't know if it worried me or scared me more thinking about it. He'd rather be a bird then a boy.

At Cassie's barn we all demorphed. It was still pretty empty after the fire but Cassie's dad was bringing in what ever injured animals that were found.

"So that's a bust. They've increased security every where. No surprise after what we did." My cousin Jake staid close to Cassie. They were dating and stuff. And like real dates not sharing a mouse in a tree. Not that I'd actually done that. Ew.

(Prince Jake we haven't heard about any repercussions from our last attack. The Chee have been quiet and the Yeerk forces seem unfazed. Maybe we should contact them.)

"No, not yet. We've been leaning on them a lot lately. What if they decide us wiping out the Howlers could only get so many favors? If we come across a situation where we really need them I'd rather they volunteered instead of us, I don't know, can't really threaten them."

"Yeah, you can say that again." My first encounter with a Chee, an adroid race whose creators were wiped out by the Howlers, ended with me in a headlock. Now you might look at me and think I'm in good shape but Mr. King was an adult. But at the time I was a grizzly bear.

"What ever. I think we should pat ourselves on the back and call it a night. We didn't get caught and hey Bird Boy and the Blue Deuce can go looking for more tomorrow."

(How do we know they haven't put up the same security up at all the entrances? Maybe there is no way in.)

"We don't know that. And right now it is the only option we have for attacking. Unless the Chee have information about some thing going on above ground the Yeerk Pool is the only target we have."

(We could try looking for the Kandrona again Prince Jake. I have been flying near your buildings but haven't felt the updrafts that came from the Kandrona.)

(And we haven't seen any cloaked ships either. It must be kept in the Yeerk Pool now. So yeah, I'll look tomorrow, but right now I'm gonna head back to my meadow.)

"And I'm heading home. See you guys at school tomorrow." I walked out of the barn towards the trees.

Once I was out of view I morphed in to a bird and found Tobias. (Hey, what's up?)

(Nothing. Just bored. I was hoping for some thing you know? Yeerk on Yeerk war or some thing. Instead every thing is the same.)

(Yeah. I know what you mean. And the Chee have been quiet.)

(What do we do? This was our best chance at hurting the Yeerks. From the looks of it we didn't do much.)

(Maybe it is like when we first destroyed the Kandrona. We didn't notice until a Yeerk messed up the ship schedule.)

(Yeah, maybe. Rachel maybe tomorrow after school we could go flying. It is getting late now.)

(Or maybe go to the mall. See a movie.)

(I guess.) He hated being a human that much? Even though it meant being with me? This is what I worried about.

(Ok, see you tomorrow.) I turned right and flew for home.

At home I did some homework but couldn't concentrate. Eventually I got fed up and went to bed.

I saw the eye. I told Jake about it because I thought it was Crayak and he said it was. "Why are you watching me?" I was shocked when he answered.

(You are special Rachel. I want you for my own.)

"What does that mean?" He wanted me for what? Revenge because we wiped out the Howlers?

(No, because you are violent.) He could read minds? (Yes, I can.)

"Well, what do you mean violent?"

(You enjoy the war. You love ripping flesh from bone. Popping a Taxxon open like a goo filled balloon. You love it and would be lost with out it. Admit it Rachel.)

"I don't love it."

(Yes, you do.) My dream changed and I was watching myself in battle. I was a grizzly bear and crushed a Taxxon. I turned and swiped at another ripping it open. (And here Jake calls for the retreat.)

"I remember this." He says retreat but I kept fighting. Two Hork Bajir? Nothing compared to an enraged grizzly bear.

(You weren't enraged you were feeling bloodlust. You could have been killed but you didn't care. You needed more blood on your paws.)

"No I didn't." The scene changed and I'm at home talking with what looks like my twin. In reality she was a Chee who covered for me when we needed.

"So Rachel what is it like?"

"Killing?" She nodded. "Well, it feels, powerful. Knowing that I did it. Knowing that because I killed a Taxxon I was helping Earth."

"Wow. Erik said it was terrible."

"He saved our lives. If he hadn't killed we'd be dead. How long would Earth last with out us?" She shrugged her shoulders. "And what would you do? The Yeerks would kill all the dogs."

"We've already made plans. We'd build or steal as many ships we could and fly as many dogs as possible to another planet. We already sent some scouts out."

"It looks that bad for us huh?" She shook her head.

"No, just in case."

"Well don't worry. I'll kill every single last Yeerk on Earth and then some." Every thing went dark.

(See? You like it. Taking a life makes you feel stronger.)

"I, it was just talk. I only kill the enemy. I don't kill for fun."

(You find it fun. Don't deny it. Why should you? There is nothing wrong with killing.)

"Yes there is!"

(Really? Are you a vegetarian?)

"Well, those are animals."

(Oh so that makes it ok? But you think my Howler's wiping out races was wrong. Why? They were just animals. They weren't human so that makes them animals.)

"No they weren't! The Pemalites were highly advanced."

(So? They weren't human.)

"I didn't say killing any thing that wasn't human was ok."

(No, just animals. Well you are all animals compared with me. So I can kill any one I want by your standards.)

"No, it, killing is," I couldn't defend it. Who was I? A girl who killed. Animals, aliens, and maybe even a human or two. But this was war!

(So killing in war is ok? Well I am at war with the Ellimist. So I guess once again by your standards I can wipe out any race I deem worthless.)

"No, it, it isn't right."

(Because in your mind I'm not the good guy? Only the Clint Eastwood's of your movies can run around killing they feel like because they are the hero? Any one you kill is ok because you are a hero?)

"I, it,"

(You are no hero. You let Tobias get trapped.)

"That wasn't my fault!"

(You could have convinced him. He demorphs before going in and he comes out with a few minutes left.)

"I, I could have. But we were in a hurry and I was scared and just wanted it over with."

(What would you do differently if you had the chance?)

"I, I would have made him demorph."

(What would you give for it?)

"For what?"

(For the chance? A chance at a normal life for him. As normal as one could be fighting the Yeerks. What do you say?)

"I, I'd give any thing."

(That's all I needed too hear. But I'll be nice this time since I want you as my own I'll give you this gift.)

"Gift? What are you talking about?"

(I can send you back to that point in time. You can convince him that he should demorph and then he will never be trapped.)

"You think I'd join you or what ever because of this?"

(It might help you see who the real winner is.)

"Well, I," He must want some thing else. Why was I so special? But a chance of saving Tobias was a chance I couldn't pass up. "I accept."

We were at the school. We were going to the Yeerk Pool for the first time. Wow, I was so much younger. We all were. And Tobias was in hawk morph. "Cassie's missing and where's Tobias?" I pointed up at the sky. He looked up and saw Tobias.

That's right Cassie had been captured. "She was captured."

"Huh?" The others looked at me like I was crazy.

"Nothing."

"Hey, Tobias, you only have a two hour limit maybe you should demorph."

(I'm ok Jake.) He landed near us.

"No you're not Tobias. Demorph, now." I must make him do it. If I didn't he'd be trapped again. "Please?"

(I said I'm fine.)

"No Tobias. Demorph, please, for me." Now I was getting more stares.

Tobias and I weren't, we weren't, well, you know. That happened later. But I must save him. "It will make all of us feel better if we weren't worried about you getting trapped."

"We have enough worries. Like aliens, lasers, slugs in our brain."

(Fine.) Too think it was that easy.

He demorphed. He was human. Originally it would be months before he could become human again. But this time he would be saved. This time-

I woke up in bed. How did I get here? "Did I do it?" I rolled out of bed and looked towards the window. It was dark. Tobias would be sleeping. But where?

I morphed in to a Great Horned Owl. His house or his meadow? What if he had gotten trapped later? I know Marco always thought Tobias did it on purpose. Some times even I did.

I went to his house first. It took me awhile before I remembered where it was. I had never actually been there but Tobias showed me once when we were flying.

I didn't remember which room he said was his. I looked through all of the windows and didn't see him. He had been trapped again. He had done it on purpose. It was a waste what I had done. Thankfully Crayak hadn't made me give up any thing.

I flew out to his meadow. I landed in his favorite tree. (Tobias!) Wait, I didn't see him. (Tobias?) I flew around his meadow but couldn't find him.

Where was he? Did he choose a different meadow? Or maybe I had missed him at his house. Jake would know where he was. I'd see him tomorrow.

At school I saw Jake and Cassie but not Marco. Was he sick? Didn't matter. I sat next to Jake at lunch. "What are you doing?"

"What? We always sit together." He looked at me like I was crazy. "What?"

"Go away."

"Well, I'll ask Cassie." I sat for a minute or two but Cassie never showed up.

I found her sitting at a different table. "What are you doing over here?"

"What do you mean? I always sit here."

"Not next to Jake?"

"Why would I sit near him." That wasn't right.

"You two have a fight?" I laughed a little.

"Rachel what is wrong with you?" Why was she mad at me?

"What did I do?"

"Rachel, just go away."

"Fine, I'll ask Marco." She stood up knocking her chair over.

"What is wrong with you Rachel!" She grabbed me by the wrist and dragged me out of the lunchroom.

In the bathroom she checked making sure the stalls were empty. "What's wrong with you?"

"What? What happened?"

"Rachel you're not making any sense."

"No you're the one not making any. First Jake and now you."

"Why did you say his name?"

"Jake?"

"No, Marco. He died when, when, you know when." Died?

"No, he didn't. Are you guys playing some sort of trick on me?"

"What is wrong with you? Rachel are you crazy?"

"No. I just wanna know where Tobias is. I went to his old meadow but he wasn't there."

"Meadow? Tobias? He's been dead even longer." I felt the color leave from my face.

"Dead?"

"No, this, you're not Rachel." Cassie backed away from me. "You're not Rachel."

"I am I just don't know what happened. One minute I'm well, Crayak, he made me a deal. He made me a deal so I could keep Tobias from being trapped."

"Crayak? Who the hell is that?"

"You never heard of Crayak? The Ellimist didn't tell you about him?"

"Ellimist?" Oh my God. What had I done?

"He, he, we helped him wipe out the Howlers. Us and Erik."

"Who's Erik?"

"The Chee." The look on her face told me she had no idea who or what a Chee was. "What have I done?"

"Meet me at my barn after school." She hurried out of the bathroom.

I opened the window and climbed out. As soon as I was in some bushes I morphed.

I flew, and flew, and flew some more. What had I done? I got Tobias and Marco killed. And for some reason the Ellimist and Crayak never interfered here. And no Chee on our side. What about Ax? Was he not with us either?

It was easy finding it with my bald eagle eyes. His Scoop was almost in the exact same place as before. At least that was the same.

I demorphed then remorphed and flew some more. What else could I do?

I saw a watch, school had ended about twenty minutes earlier. Maybe I could figure some things out if I had every one else there.

I landed at the barn and demorphed. "Guys, I don't know what is going on."

"And neither do we. Ax." I suddenly felt his tail blade against my throat. "Keep it there."

"Jake, what, I'm not a Yeerk or any thing." I felt sweat roll down my neck. It stopped when it got to the blade.

"We don't know what you are."

"Please, I, I can explain. Crayak did this. Crayak tricked me in to changing the past. I messed every thing up." If Ax twitched I'd lose my head. "Let me explain I'll be as fast as I can."

"Go ahead." Ax didn't lower his tail.

I told as much as I could as fast as I could. "And now I have no idea what other changes I made. I have no idea what's happened in this timeline."

"Lower it."

(Yes Prince Jake.) I finally took a deep breath.

"Thank you Ax."

"Well if that's it can you leave? I have work to do." Cassie turned to a cage with a raccoon in it.

"But, um, any missions? And what is wrong with you two? In my timeline you two are dating and stuff." Both glare at each other.

"The man who got Tobias and Marco killed?"

"The pacifist who'd rather let Tobias and Marco die rather then kill some Hork Bajir?"

"It wasn't my fault!"

"If you had just done as I said they'd still be alive!" I couldn't believe how much they hated each other.

"I'm going." I walked out of the barn.

I had messed every thing up. I couldn't go home it wasn't my home it was the home of a different Rachel and I had no one else I could talk to about it.

Maybe I should just let myself be trapped. Tobias liked being a hawk. And I was a Bald Eagle. I was protected by federal law. I was bigger so I was safer from other birds of prey.

I didn't really know what I should do. I was lost. Cassie and Jake hated each other. And I didn't have Tobias. Who could I talk with?

I was flying near the mall when I saw a familiar person. Well, a familiar android. But he didn't know me in this timeline.

I flew over him following him as he walked home. Maybe I shouldn't tell him. No, maybe he could help me. How? He couldn't send me back in time and change this. But he was some one I could talk with. As soon as I explained every thing to him.

I caught him just before he went in his house. (Erik.) He looked around like he was going to be attacked. (I'm not Visser Three or an Andalite.) I landed in a tree behind him.

"What are you then?"

(I'm an Animorph.)

"A what?"

(Some one who once fought the Yeerks. You knew one of us.)

"Really? Who?"

(Marco.)

"He died, committed suicide."

(He was killed by the Yeerks. I'm not sure when or where. That is one of my problems and I need help. The Chee are my only hope.)

"How do you know about us?"

(You told us. In another timeline. One I didn't mess up and didn't get tricked by Crayak.) I saw the reaction on his face. (In fact you helped us wipe out the Howlers.)

"In your timeline I could commit violence?"

(No. The Ellimist chose the Animorphs, and you, to save a planet. Jake got a morph of a Howler and we found out they had a collective memory. So he morphed a Howler and used a machine giving the Howler's a memory of love thus making them worthless to Crayak.)

"I see. In your timeline. And I can't believe I'm saying this but I believe you."

(Thank you Eric. I don't know where else I can go. Um, I'll demorph now.) I landed and did so.

"Rachel. Jake's cousin, I think I saw you a couple times when I was hanging out with Marco."

"Can I go in? We need to talk, a lot."

"We have food and drinks for just an occasion." I followed him in.

The Chee playing Erik's father was sitting in a chair. "Who is this Erik?"

"A friend of Marco's."

"Oh, I'm sorry for what happened."

"Don't worry I know what you are. And I know there is a giant dog park below this house. I need help but I don't know if you can do any thing."

"I see. Well sit down young lady." I did and told them the same thing I told my friends.

An hour later the two had me go in to another room. I'm sure what ever they were discussing would pretty much seal my fate. But what was I expecting from them? I couldn't stay here. I should have just kept flying. Fly and fly until what? Where do I go? The Yeerk invasion is still going on. Except we haven't done any damage. Oh God the President could be a controller already!

When they called me back in I was more nervous about what damage had been done by the fact we haven't been fighting the Yeerks then what the Chee would tell me. "Look, I'm sorry I came here. There isn't any thing you can do."

"Are you sure the others have quit?"

"Yes. They wouldn't even talk after I told them what happened. I'm so sorry but I realize now there is nothing you can do."

"Maybe. We have the Pemalite Crystal."

"What? How? We nearly died stealing that thing from the Yeerks for you guys in my timeline. We were saved by Erik."

"How did I do that?"

"Marco got you the crystal and you reworked your programming and well, it wasn't a fair fight after that."

"And then what?"

"You uh, gave us the crystal so we could hide it."

"I see. Maybe we should do the same."

"Well, I mean, you were horrified by it. You rewired yourself or what ever so you couldn't do it again. Why you gave us the crystal." How did they get it? "Uh, how did you guys get it? You can't commit violence."

"We can't harm living souls. We can however smash through walls and steal a crystal and smash our way back out."

"In my timeline you were so appalled by the violence you would relive it every moment in your life."

"But in your timeline you were fighting the Yeerk forces. You said we helped you with information and using holograms to hide you and so forth." Mr. King walked over to a wall and it became a safe. "But we lost our friends once before. We lost our planet, our culture, every thing." I saw him take the Pemalite Crystal out.

"We lost them. Our friends." Erik reached out for the crystal. "What little we could save of them we put in wolves and created dogs."

"And now they will be wiped out by the Yeerks unless we stop them."

"No, don't do this." Oh God I was making things even worse. "I can't let you corrupt yourselves like this."

"Our creators could have saved themselves and didn't. We didn't have a choice in saving them. But this time we do."

"No!" I had done some thing Crayak hadn't done. I had corrupted the Chee. I would make them in to monsters. "Please, I've already messed so much up. I can't let you do this."

"We don't want this. But we have no choice. We will do this and we will save every thing on this planet. We won't lose another to an invading force of evil." I had set forth in motion the corruption of the Chee. The perfect, peaceful, Chee.

"I can't do this." I walked to the door and left. I morphed in to a Bald Eagle and took off.

Crayak had tried killing us and the Chee. His plans failed. No, one of his plans worked. He had used me. He used my feelings for Tobias and, and, no, I did it. I could have told him no. I could have been happy with what I had.

Tobias was happy as a hawk, for now. But once the war was over I'm sure he would have become a human and staid a human. Once the war was over we could have been together like normal people. Instead I threw what I had away for a chance at some thing else. Some thing that ended up being far worse.

I'd done what Crayak couldn't do. The Chee, what had I done? They must have thought some one was fighting the Yeerks. We had been, they had been, until... I don't know.

I saw my house. My mom and sisters would be home. Was my mom waiting for me? It was dinner time. Where else should I go? It was all I had. I hadn't messed up there yet I hope.

I landed in my room and started demorphing. "What, Rachel, Andalite!" I froze in midmorph. I turned my half formed head and saw my mom. "Andalite what are you doing in here!" I started remorphing and tried flying for the window.

I couldn't fly yet I didn't have wings. I threw myself through the window and tumbled towards the ground. When I landed I was mostly eagle and started flapping my wings and took off as the last bit of humanity disappeared.

My mom couldn't be a controller! No, it is because of this world. This timeline she became a controller because we weren't fighting. If we were fighting she wouldn't have become a controller. No! NO!

I couldn't do this! I couldn't be the one who got Marco and Tobias killed. The one who got my mom turned in to a controller. The one who turned the Chee in to killing machines. Crayak had tricked me! He said he didn't want any thing in return but he got every thing he wanted. It was all my fault.

I flew as far as I could then demorphed. I was tired, hungry, and felt so lost I didn't know what I should do next.

I lost track of time. A day became a week. A week became two. I don't know what I should have expected. But what happened sure wasn't it.

I had been flying, living, as an eagle. I slept and some times ate as a human but I spent as much time as an eagle as I could.

I was flying over the city when I saw some thing in the sky. It was massive. (No way!) The Pool Ship was slowly descending on the city. (The Yeerks are attacking now?) What could I do? No morph could harm the Pool Ship.

Near it was the Blade Ship and several dozen Bug Fighters. But they weren't firing. Instead they were landing just outside of the city. What were the Yeerks doing?

I flew closer to the Blade Ship. With my eyes I could see what was going on. Hork Bajir were walking off followed by Chee! I landed in a tree and tried contacting the Chee. (What are you doing?) One looked around. (I'm in a tree. I was fighting the Yeerks but some of my friends were killed and we stopped.)

"The human Erik informed us about."

(Yes. What have you done?)

"We killed the Yeerks. We emptied the Yeerk Pool in to space and freed as many hosts as we could. These Hork Bajir are free Hork Bajir."

(Amazing! Just like that? You won?)

"The rest of the Yeerk Fleet may figure out some thing is wrong and send scouts but we have time before that happens."

(Visser Three? Did he get away?)

"He morphed in to a monstrosity. We tore him apart limb by limb. He and any other Yeerk that resisted was killed."

(So now what?)

"Now we reveal what we can to the humans. We will need a force if we will fight the rest of the Yeerk armies and fleets. The Hork Bajir we freed have agreed they will help but most of the Taxxon turned on us and were killed."

(Wow. Um, you saved us all, thank you.)

"No, don't thank us. We have committed a great crime against our creators. We have saved this planet but what they created can not be saved."

(I'm sorry.) It fell on my shoulders again. That crushing weight knowing I had caused this.

But maybe it was the right thing. I felt bad for the Chee but we won! Earth was saved! And with the Yeerk Pool Ship, Blade Ship, and maybe hundreds of Bug Fighters we could use against the Yeerks. With the Andalite fleet and these ships and the Chee we could wipe out the Yeerks.

I flew over the city looking for my mom. She was infested but maybe her Yeerk would surrender. Maybe she would be freed.

Several entrances to the Yeerk Pool opened and controllers poured out of it. Dracon beams burned through the air. The Yeerks weren't surrendering.

Bug Fighters flew over the city and fired back. I saw a few Bug Fighters get hit and crash but the Yeerks on the ground were dead meat.

A few minutes was all it took. The city was scarred from Dracon beam fire. Dozens of humans, Hork Bajir, and Taxxon lay dead in the streets.

I looked, and looked, and finally found my mom. She was on the ground, Dracon beam in hand, dead. (No!) I started demorphing but found I couldn't. (No, no, I didn't stay in morph too long!) I kept trying but couldn't. In the chaos of what happened I had lost track of time! What could I do?

I took off and flew for the trees. I had messed every thing up. I got Marco and Tobias killed. I corrupted the Chee. My mom was now dead as well. And I was trapped in Eagle morph. What could I do? (Crayak! You bastard you tricked me!) I shouted his name a few more times when time stopped.

(Hello again Rachel.)

(Crayak!) The world melted away and I was in darkness. (You tricked me! You said you wouldn't take any thing in return!)

(I didn't. I simply let things play out.)

(Then why were Tobias and Marco killed?)

(Tobias was never trapped. He never spent all that time flying. When the time came he normally would have escaped but he was not as good a flier and was killed.)

(But, no. He wouldn't have died that easily!)

(And poor Marco. When he saw his mother on the Pool Ship not even Jake could control him. Marco was killed as he tried saving his mother.)

(What can I do? Can I change it?)

(Of course. But this time I will want some thing in return.)

(What? Any thing!)

(Jake. Kill Jake. Kill him and I will send you back to the school and you can make sure Tobias stays in morph.)

(I, I can't kill Jake.)

(Then this world will remain. When you want my offer kill Jake. Kill him and I will give you another chance of changing things.) The world came back and I found myself falling. I tried flapping my wings but realized they were arms again.

I crashed through the trees and landed hard on the ground. "He let me demorph. Just like he did for David." I slowly got up feeling pain all through my body.

I walked through the woods for awhile. I had one decision that could change every thing. If I killed Jake I could save every thing.

But then the Chee would not wipe out the Yeerks and the war would continue. Was my happiness, my life, worth that? But they had been corrupted. They could not be saved. Unless I killed Jake.

The next day I flew in to town and found Jake and his family. Tom was with them. Had the Yeerk in his head surrendered? Or were they all Yeerks who had realized they couldn't win and were planning an escape? I watched them for nearly an hour before demorphing and remorphing.

I had lost them. I flew around but couldn't find them. They had just been there. It only took me a couple minutes.

I flew up to the roof of the nearest building. If they went in any of the buildings which one would it be? All of them together wouldn't be grocery shopping and it would be a strange time for clothes shopping wouldn't it? So which building was left?

The one with a modified Bug Fighter in it. After my mom saw me she must have made some calls. Was Cassie taken as well? Wait, if Jake escaped then I couldn't accept Crayak's offer. Now that I knew he was a host I knew what I must do. Better dead then a host.

The modified Bug Fighter was a little smaller then the other Bug Fighters. But I saw the door was still open. I flew and landed on top of the ship. "Get the door closed we can't leave the atmosphere until it's closed!"

"The door is jammed on some thing. I can't make it move!" Perfect. I had a chance.

I took off and gained some air. Once I had enough I dived for the door. Jake was pulling on it. He was near the edge. I could do it.

I spread my wings and swooped down in to his face. I clawed at him and with my momentum knocked him in to the open door. "Help! Help!" His grip was slipping.

(I'm sorry Jake but I know you'd rather be dead then stuck with a Yeerk in your brain.) I clawed at his hands with my talons.

"No!" He lost his grip and started falling. It was over. We were a few hundred feet above the ground. When Jake hit he'd be killed instantly.

The world went black again. (I did it Crayak.)

(Yes, yes you did. It felt good didn't it? Taking a life.)

(I was saving Jake.)

(You were saving yourself.) I heard his sarcastic laugh. (But you did it. And so I will give you another chance.)

"She was captured." I had just lived through this a month ago. Or was it only a couple weeks? It felt long ago and like it happened yesterday.

"Huh?" The others looked at me like I was crazy.

"Nothing."

"Hey, Tobias, you only have a two hour limit maybe you should demorph."

(I'm ok Jake.) He landed near us.

"Yeah, he's fine. We're just going in and grabbing your brother right? How long could it take us." I saw some one walking towards the school. "And the longer we stand on here the longer Tom remains a controller."

"Ok, we're going in. Once we're in we work fast and-"

I woke up in bed. "What did I do?" I rolled out of bed and went to the window. It was dark. Was it the same night as before? Had no time passed? "I killed Jake. I killed him and now the Yeerks were still out there. I saved the Chee but how many would be killed because of it?

I morphed in to an owl and left my room. Jake was gone. How could we keep fighting? We relied on him in battle. We could maybe make a plan before going in but if things went bad he knew the best way out of it.

I found Tobias and landed one tree away. (Tobias,) He didn't respond. (Tobias!) He looked around. (Tobias, I did some thing horrible.)

(What? Rachel, what time is it?)

(Night, late. I, Tobias, I did some thing terrible.)

(What did you do?)

(I killed Jake.) He stared at me with those intense hawk eyes. (Crayak tricked me in to doing it but I still did it.)

(Crayak? The evil version of Ellimist?)

(Yes! He made me an offer and I took it. He said I wouldn't be trading any thing for it. But he tricked me and the only way I could fix things was if I killed Jake. I wasn't going to but he was infested so I killed him.)

(Jake was taken? When? We should warn the others!) He started taking off from his perch.

(Not in this timeline.)

(Timeline? Now I'm even more confused.)

(I'll explain.) I flew over to him and tried telling him as much as I could.

I demorphed and remorphed and we started flying towards Jake's house. (Are you sure it wasn't a dream?)

(I'm sure Tobias. He made me kill Jake so I could fix every thing.) It was hard for him as the air was cold and there were no thermals. An owl was built for this kind of flying but Tobias wasn't. (As soon as Jake died I was back in front of the school. We were waiting for you and Cassie and when she never showed up we went in.)

(I remember. She had been taken by the controller cop. Was Jake there?)

(Of course he was there.)

(But you had killed him.)

(Well, not until later.)

(In that other timeline.)

(Yes.) I felt bad enough as it was why did he bring it up again?

(But not in ours. I don't think Jake is dead.)

(But he made me kill him so I could go back and make sure you got trapped.)

(And when I was trapped that other timeline didn't happen right? So Jake was never made a controller and you never killed him.) Could Tobias be right? Oh please be right.

We landed outside of Jake's house and looked through his window. (He's in there. I can't see if he is breathing.)

(Jake!) He didn't move. (Jake! Please don't be dead!) I flew up to the window and smacked in to it. (Jake!)

"Huh?" I saw him roll over and look at the window. "Cassie?"

(No, Rachel. Jake, you're alive?)

"Yeah, what, what time is it?"

(Late. Jake if you're alive then I didn't kill you!) Tobias was right. Thank you, thank you who ever made this possible. (Jake you're alright.)

"Yeah, just tired. Rachel what are you doing here?"

(Open your window so I can come in.) He does and I climb through and demorph.

I told him every thing that happened then waited. Would he yell at me? Would he be mad at me? I could only sit and wait.

"So Crayak offered you a deal and you took it. You really thought he wouldn't get any thing out of it?"

"Well he said he uh, wants me, as his own. So I thought he was doing it so he could gain my loyalty and stuff. If I had any idea all that would happen I never would have done it I swear."

"Of course you wouldn't. Look Rachel every thing seems normal so you got lucky. But realize Crayak is a manipulator. Be careful if he talks to you again ignore him."

"I will now. Thank you for not being mad."

"He played on your emotions. He's a master at manipulating people. He's had who knows how many years of practice. Just ignore him next time ok?"

"I'll make sure I do that." I walked back towards the window and morphed.

Back at home I went to bed. I had lived weeks and yet none of that time existed now. I never corrupted the Chee and they never won the war for us. As much as it sucked thinking about it I was glad it wasn't like that. The Chee were pure and if I was responsible for spoiling that pureness I couldn't live with myself.

As soon as I fell asleep I saw the Eye again. (Hello Rachel.) I turned away and ignored him. I wouldn't let him trick me again.

A/N Ok a LOT different from most/all the other books. Just interaction between Rachel and Crayak and the world created by her changing one thing. Showing a world with out the Animorph's fighting the Yeerk invasion and how the Chee reacted. A few things changed what they did. First they don't have the Animorphs fighting slowing the invasion down. Second in that timeline the Chee simply smashed in and grabbed the Pemalite Crystal and used holograms so they could escape. So Erik never killed and realized just how horrible it was. And instead they kept the Pemalite Crystal and when they finally rewired themselves well it wasn't pretty for the Yeerks. Any ways I hope any one who reads this reviews.