Once he'd managed to line up his schedule with the rest of his fellow Animorphs again, Tommy found himself meeting up with Jake and the others under the shade of a spreading oak tree, a soda in his hands and a plate of sandwiches near at hand.
"So that's what you were working on," he said, narrowing his eyes thoughtfully. "It's some kind of signal?"
(Yes,) Ax said, and Tommy had the feeling he was missing something, given the fact that Ax didn't seem to be all that pleased by what he'd managed to make. (It is a distress beacon that can broadcast on Yeerk frequencies. I know this frequency; we have used it before, to trick them by sending false instructions.)
"All it needs is a Z-space transponder," Jake said, rolling his eyes.
Tommy had noticed that both Jake and Marco hadn't seemed well, but he hadn't quite been sure how to bring up whatever it was that had happened to them. He still wished he could have done something about it, though.
"And, since we can't get a Z-space transponder, it's basically useless, right?" Rachel asked.
(Yes, completely useless without the transponder,) Ax said, looking down at the transmitter he was holding; at least with the eyes in his face, the ones he had on those stalks of his always seemed to be roaming over various things.
Rachel threw up her hands. "Then what are we doing? Exactly?"
Marco laughed harshly, though nothing about their present situation was really funny, Tommy had to say. "Well, I'm guessing that in about two centuries or so, humans will discover Zero space and make transponders. Whatever they are. But for now, I'm going to have a sandwich."
Tommy thought that transponders were some kind of technical thing – maybe something to do with TVs? – but he had the feeling that Marco wouldn't be interested in talking more about the subject.
