"Priority One," Jake said, "We get down there and rescue Cassie. Once she's safe, we try and get those cages open and see how many people we can get out of here. Now let's go!"
Tiger stripes were already etching their way across Jake's face. The others had started their morphs, as well. Elephant, gorilla, and leopard. But since I was already in morph, I could get into the fight first. Sure, a three-pound hawk might not be a match for a seven-foot-tall Hork-Bajir, but I could at least keep them distracted long enough for Jake and the others to get there.
I flapped my way up towards the cave ceiling. Down below, Cassie was being forced onto the infestation pier. There was no time left. (Cassie!) I shouted, (Help's on the way!) I folded my wings in, and dived straight down. In a matter of seconds, I was moving as fast as a car on the highway. I aimed for the Hork-Bajir holding Cassie by the arm. Before he knew what was happening, I'd hit him right in the face. My talons ripped through something very soft, and the Hork-Bajir screamed. I used my momentum to slingshot back up into the air, and looped around for another attack - just in time to see a big, yellow blur leap over the Pool and into the cop who'd abducted Cassie. He landed in a tangled heap, with an angry, snarling, blood-stained leopard standing over him. The leopard spun around, and knocked the wounded Hork-Bajir into the sludge-filled Pool. Cassie took advantage of the chaos and ran for it. The cop didn't move at all - and one look at the hole where his throat should have been told me he would never move again.
There was a surge of people running away from the piers. From my vantage point, I could see a few Hork-Bajir trying to move closer to get at Lee, but they were having trouble pushing against the current of fleeing Controllers. Before they could get anywhere, half of the crowd tried to change direction, and wound up pushing back the way they'd just come from. A thirteen-foot-tall African elephant was charging towards the Pool, trumpeting loudly and trunk waving crazily back and forth. The Controllers were able to get out of the way. The Hork-Bajir were not. Two of them were bowled over to the side. A third managed to get in a daring swipe at Rachel's face. In return, she grabbed it with her trunk, snapped her head around, and sent the Hork-Bajir flying.
Over by the cages, a gorilla and a Siberian tiger were battling with even more Hork-Bajir and a couple of Taxxons. A couple of very unlucky Taxxons. The oversized worm-like creatures turned out to be pretty fragile, and one swipe of Jake's paws just about cut one of them in half, as though he'd used a steak knife to puncture a water balloon. Well, a water balloon filled with some revolting blue goop. The remaining Taxxon backed away slightly, and then, to my horror, turned on its fallen ally and started eating it. The first one wasn't even dead yet.
(Tobias!) Jake called to me, (Look around the cages. See if you can find Tom.)
I circled around, searching for one familiar face in a sea of dozens. There were probably over two hundred people in the cages, never mind the ones outside. But somehow, despite the confusion, I actually managed to find him pretty quickly.
(I've got him,) I said, (Follow me.)
I guided Jake and Marco to Tom's cage. Rachel and Lee were still keeping most of the Hork-Bajir distracted, but a few of them were still guarding Tom's cage. I swooped down at one of them - I had no hope of actually inflicting damage, but I did keep this one distracted long enough for Marco to lumber up to him and drive a fist into the back of his head. Another one sliced Marco's back open, but was quickly taken down by Jake - who, in turn, opened himself up to an attack from yet another Hork-Bajir.
(Lee, Rachel, we're getting overwhelmed here!) I shouted, before making another attack run to disrupt one of Marco's opponents.
(Marco,) Jake said, (See if you can get this cage open!)
(I'm trying, dude,) he said, swinging a fist like a sledgehammer, (I just need ten seconds where these guys aren't trying to turn me into Filet-O-Fish.)
Just then, a jaguar pounced on a Hork-Bajir before it could attack Marco.
(I've got your back,) Cassie said, (Just get these people OUT!)
Marco lumbered up to the door of Tom's cage, grabbed hold, and pulled hard. I don't know what that cage was made out of, but it clearly wasn't designed to stand up to a gorilla.
(Now's your chance,) Jake said, (Run for it!)
If anybody was surprised by a talking tiger, they didn't let it stop them from heeding his words. There were thirty people in the cage, and they cleared out as fast as they could. Marco had already moved on to the next cage. This one had a bunch of Hork-Bajir inside as well as humans. Once the door was open, the caged Hork-Bajir jabbered at Marco in their harsh, guttural language, and made their escape as he moved on to a third cage.
Unfortunately, the fight had been going on long enough at this point for Pool security to get over the initial shock and reorganize. Just as the group of freed hosts had made it to the nearest ramp leading to the secret tunnels back to the surface, a bunch of human Controllers armed with Dracon beams arrived to cut them off. There were also a couple of Hork-Bajir with them, also armed with Dracon beams. And at the back of the group was...
(And just where do you think you're taking MY property?)
Visser Three stepped out from behind the security squad, just as Lee and Rachel finally arrived. The Visser stared at them. Just as he had back at the construction site, he projected an aura of dread so strong it was almost a physical force.
(So... not all of you Andalites were killed when I destroyed your dome ship. No matter. Very shortly now, I shall send you to join your fallen Prince Elfangor. I do commend you in making it this far. Such a shame it has accomplished nothing. Now, Andalites, it is time for you to die.)
The Visser's body began to twist and contort into horrifying shapes. I'd almost forgotten Elfangor's warning that he had the power to morph as well. And if I'd thought it was disturbing watching my friends morph, well... this was a Lovecraftian nightmare. Not just because the Visser was such an alien shape to begin with, but whatever he was turning into didn't even bear the slightest resemblance to any Earth animal. It towered above the Hork-Bajir. It even towered over Rachel's elephant morph. There were eight legs, eight arms, and eight heads arranged in a circular fashion around the tree-trunk-like body.
With the closest escape blocked, the freed hosts turned around and tried to reach another exit before the Visser finished morphing. The security troops started firing their Dracon beams wildly. I really, really hoped they had a stun setting... and that they wanted these people back alive. More security troops were blocking the next exit - but there weren't many of them.
(Let's knock 'em over,) Rachel said, and charged. I saw a couple of Dracon beams strike her in the side, leaving an ugly streak of scarred, singed flesh. There was no way even she could take them on. Alone, anyway. But the freed Hork-Bajir had decided to follow her, and they charged into the security troops, slashing wildly with their wrist blades.
(Everybody get out NOW!) Jake ordered, (We're not getting another chance!)
Visser Three had finished his morph. I saw one of it's eight heads take a big breath, hold it, and then it spit out a massive fireball. The fireball sailed over and exploded over the group of escaped hosts. The shockwave threw me off-balance, almost knocking me out of the air. None of us could hope to stand up against that thing, even with the escaped Hork-Bajir evening the odds. All they could do was try to push past the security troops and run as fast as they could for the tunnels. And all I could do was watch from above. But things were so chaotic now that I couldn't keep track of anything. Another fireball sailed through the air, exploding against the rocks over one of the tunnels. And I was too close to it. There was no way to dodge all the flying debris, and something slammed into the back of my head. I dropped to the ground...
At some point, I became aware of a gravelly voice speaking to me.
"Wake up, hruthin! Wake up!"
I opened my eyes, and found myself in a tunnel. The Pool was nowhere in sight. But there was one of the Hork-Bajir crouching over me.
"Oh, by Father Deep, wake up!"
(What happened? Where am I?)
"We are safe. We are free."
(The others... where?)
The Hork-Bajir blinked at me.
"Other hruthin?"
(Um... yes?)
"We get separated. They go through other tunnel. You, me, alone. We are safe. Free."
Safe. Was I safe? Well, if this Hork-Bajir had a Yeerk in its head, it would have been so easy for it to bring me directly to Visser Three. So I decided it must be safe. Safe enough to demorph before the clock ran out. I conjured up a mental image of my human body - my heavy, clumsy, flightless, gravity-bound body - and focused on becoming human.
