The Chapmans lived in a nice-looking house in a nice-looking neighborhood. Two stories tall, a garage, a well-kept lawn. Nice, but perfectly normal. It was a lot like my house, actually.

I rang the doorbell. Right away, Melissa opened the front door. "Hi. They're waiting downstairs."

This was her home, but I walked ahead of her liked I owned the place. I'd only been here a few times, but I knew the way. Melissa and I went past the living room, through the hallway, and down the stairs into the basement.

Her basement looked completely ordinary. There was a billiards table covered with dust and boxes of Christmas decorations. At the far end was a white wooden door, totally inconspicuous. It was usually kept locked, but it wasn't now. We opened the door and went inside.

This is where it stopped looking normal. Chapman's hidden office had an alien computer set into the wall. This computer was something he scavenged from his old alien-hunting days, before he met the Yeerks. It wasn't as advanced as the one from the refugee ship, but it did the basics. The room also had regular office stuff: a swivel chair, a phone, a bulletin board. Stuff like that. The office was like two different worlds blended together.

The others were all here already. Chapman sat in the only chair, working at the computer. Alison, Eva, and Tidwell were left standing. This windowless room felt a little cramped with six humans.

"Here." Eva handed me a newspaper. Not the regular paper, it was a trashier tabloid thing.

The headline read: LIZARD PEOPLE SIGHTED. The accompanying photograph was of the top of some building downtown at night. Taken from below, it was zoomed in to a very blurry something-or-other climbing onto the roof. It was a really bad photograph that could be written off as some guy in a costume. But anyone who had seen one before would recognize the shape. It was definitely a Hork-Bajir.

I grit my teeth. They already told me about this on the phone, but seeing it was another thing.

Mr. Tidwell deadpanned, "This is actually worse than that time with the photographs of Bigfoot."

Alison glared at him. "I have apologized for that. Repeatedly!"

"Apologized for what?" Melissa asked. "Wait a sec. Is Bigfoot real? Is he an alien?!"

"We're not talking about it," Alison said firmly.

"There's only one Hork-Bajir in the picture," Mr. Tidwell explained, "but the article says that witnesses saw multiple creatures prowling through the city last night."

"The good news is, most people don't take that tabloid stuff seriously," Eva said. "And I was able to keep the story quiet at the more respectable newspapers. They just wrote it off as a hoax. But I'm only freelance, so there are limits to what I can do. If there are many more sightings, we won't be able to keep a lid on it."

"Humans reading newspapers is not the problem," I said bitterly. "The problem is Hork-Bajir are running around our city when they're not supposed to doing who-knows-what!"

I skimmed through the tabloid. Ignoring the dramatic exaggeration and the wild speculation, the facts seemed to be that nobody was hurt and the lizard people ran away once the humans spotted them. No explanation of what they were really doing here or where they were now.

As I focused on reading, Tem used my mouth to ask, "Does Toby have a comment?"

"I've been calling her ship all day. She's not picking up," Chapman said. A little light continuously blinked on the console.

Melissa said, "The Horn Badgeers-"

"Hork-Bajir" Tidwell corrected.

"Right. You said they were friendly. So they wouldn't hurt anyone. Right?"

"We certainly hope not," her dad replied.

"Hork-Bajir love trees, and dislike urbanized areas. They wouldn't have come into the city just because they were bored. There must be something they wanted last night." Mr. Tidwell said.

The computer suddenly beeped and the monitor turned on. A Hork-Bajir's face filled the screen.

"Oh! They answered. Finally!"

"Let me," Eva said. She quickly switched with Chapman in the chair and faced the screen. "Hello," she said in Hork-Bajir language.

I could tell that the guy on the screen wasn't Toby. He had three horns. Toby only had two. He seemed surprised - maybe. Tem and I didn't have much experience reading Hork-Bajir facial expressions.

"Hello," Eva repeated. "Is Toby there?"

"H-Hello . . . ? Are you talking to me?" He moved his face close to the camera. I knew he could see Eva's face on his screen. And since this office wasn't that big, he could probably see the rest of us standing behind her.

"Yes. But I want to talk to Toby. Can you please get her?"

"I . . . I heard noise inside the ship. 'Beep beep' noise. So I went inside. I touched the light on com-pu-ter."

Melissa tugged at my sleeve. She quietly whispered to me, "What are they saying?"

I leaned down and quickly whispered back in English, "It's some random guy. Eva's asking him where Toby is."

"I didn't know com-pu-ter can talk," the Hork-Bajir said. "Hello, Computer."

Eva shook her head. "No, I'm not the computer. My name is Eva. I'm a person. I'm using your computer to talk to you from far away."

"Oh! I know that! I know how that works," he said excitedly. "It's like the Speaking Trees. Computers make noise that go long way. Hork-Bajir can't hear the noise, but other computers can."

Eva nodded patiently. "Yes."

"Computer is not you. It looks like you. Computer says here what you say there."

"Yes, that's right. What's your name?"

"Rik."

"Rik, is Toby there in the valley?"

"Yes."

"Can you please get her? Tell her Eva wants to talk."

Rik hesitated. "Toby is busy. It's a bad time."

"Yes, it's a bad time for us too. That's why we need to talk. Please? It's important."

Reluctantly, he nodded. "Yes, I get her."

"Thank you."

Rik walked away, but the camera stayed on. Now we just saw the inside of their empty colony ship.

As we waited, Alison spoke up. "Is it my imagination, or do all Hork-Bajir have human-sounding names? We were just talking to 'Rick'. That's a human name. And 'Jara Hamee' sounds a lot like 'Jeremy'. And then there's 'Kate' Halpak. I can't be the only one hearing this."

"What about Toby?" I asked.

"Toby sounds kinda-sorta like Tobias."

"You think?" Chapman asked. "That one feels like a stretch . . ."

After a few minutes, a two-horned Hork-Bajir walked into the camera's view. "Hello, Eva - No, Eva and Edriss," she said, but not happily. She sounded weary.

"Hello, Toby." Eva was speaking the Hork-Bajir syllables smoother than during their first meeting. Her human mouth was getting used to the language. "Some Hork-Bajir from your valley were in our city last night. Do you know anything about this?"

I'm translating loosely. A more literal translation of the sentences would be something like, "Hello Toby. Yesterday, night, Hork-Bajir leave valley. Inside human-place. You know?" It's not a language with a complicated set of grammar rules. But it's not just the words, it's the way Eva said it.

Toby didn't answer right away. She stared at Eva with an excellent poker face. Then she calmly asked, "Where are they now?"

Eva blinked. "I was hoping YOU could tell US. Are you saying they haven't returned yet?"

No response.

"Toby, tell us the truth," Eva said. "Did you order them to come here?"

"Absolutely not." Again, I'm translating loosely. The word was really just "no", but that doesn't describe the firm tone Toby used. "I was trying to stop this."

Again, Melissa asked me, "What are they saying?"

But I just shushed her. "I'll explain in a minute."

Alison, more polite than I was, moved over and began quietly translating in her daughter's ear.

Eva said, "Please tell us what's happening."

Toby still hesitated. Though she kept her expression neutral, it was obvious she was having some kind of internal debate. Deciding whether or not to trust us. Finally, she sighed from exhaustion. "No point in hiding it . . . Twelve Hork-Bajir left the valley. We've been searching for them through the woods, but we still haven't found them. I didn't realize they went as far as your city. Maybe I should have guessed, but I didn't."

"They left," Eva repeated. "You mean they're not just lost."

"No. They chose to leave. Or rather, Don told them to leave."

"Don?"

"Dawn. Another human name," Alison muttered smugly.

I remembered the name. Don was that Hork-Bajir who was acting nosy around the Yeerk ship. She seemed very interested in getting inside and seeing our stuff.

Toby explained. "Our colony traveled through space for a long time. Moving to space ships and space stations. Looking for lost Hork-Bajir. I brought our ship to Earth because I wanted to find my parents. And also because I wanted to stop traveling. I wanted a new home away from aliens and technology, where Hork-Bajir could live like Hork-Bajir. Most of the colony wants to live a quiet, peaceful life . . . But Don is different. She was one of the last to join us. Ever since we arrived on Earth, she argued with me. Don wants to bring the whole colony back into space. After listening to Don, some Hork-Bajir began to agree with her."

Chapman leaned over Eva's shoulder and spoke. "In other words, the colony is split between the Toby-group who wants to stay on Earth, and the Don-group who wants to go back to space. But they can't fly the ship without your help, can they?"

"Don asked many times that I teach her how to fly the freighter ship. I always said no. Not because she wouldn't understand, but because I don't trust her. Don doesn't want to keep traveling for peaceful reasons. She wants to fight other races and take their technology. She wants the Hork-Bajir race to the strongest in the universe. I want Hork-Bajir to be strong too, but Don goes too far. She won't fight to save Hork-Bajir. She only fights because she wants power."

"You let someone like that into your group?" Chapman blurted out.

"We didn't make her pass a test before joining," Toby said defensively. "We looked for any Hork-Bajir who needed help. I didn't know what she was like until later."

Eva spoke up again. "I'm confused. If Don and her group want to get off Earth, why would they go away from the ship?"

Toby lowered her eyes for a moment before speaking. "The night before they left, Don and her followers argued with me again. She demanded one last time that I teach her how to fly the ship. I said no. But then Don said she didn't need me anymore. Because earlier that day, five aliens contacted her and gave her new orders. If I wouldn't help her, she would work with them instead."

"Five aliens?" Eva narrowed her eyes in puzzlement. "When was this?"

"The same day you called us to ask about the fake distress signal."

So the same day the Andalites tried to set a trap for us, somebody somehow sent a message to Don too.

"These aliens that called Don . . . Were they Andalites?! No, that can't be. There should only be one or two Andalites on Earth. Are you sure she said five?"

"Yes. Five aliens. She wouldn't tell me who they were, but she kept repeating the number, like it was important. 'The five help Don!' 'The five give us technology!' 'Hork-Bajir and the five defeat everyone!' She wasn't making much sense. I wanted to make her explain later, but the next morning she and her eleven followers were gone."

Tem and I puzzled over this in our shared head. We studied the blueprint of that Andalite fighter very closely. It wasn't that large. There simply wasn't enough room to smuggle five Andalites on board. And no other space ships came to Earth since the Hork-Bajir landed. So who were the five aliens helping Don?

Chapman told Toby, "It wasn't any of us, if that's what you thought."

"I knew it wasn't you."

"Then why didn't you call us?" he asked irritably. "Twelve Hork-Bajir left the valley, and we had to find out through a tabloid. You don't know what that is, but it's not good."

"This is a Hork-Bajir problem. We can fix it ourselves."

"No," he said even more irritably. "If they're running around human territory, that makes it a human problem. And you HAVEN'T fixed it yet."

Toby started to match Chapman's irritation. "We WILL find Don and bring her back before she causes any trouble. We only need a little time."

Eva spoke more diplomatically. "Maybe we can help you find them."

"I don't want you to get involved," Toby said.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm tired of aliens trying to 'help' Hork-Bajir. Ever since the Empire was destroyed, different aliens have been telling us where to live and doing everything for us, because they think we're too stupid to take care of ourselves. You think it's help, but it's an insult. If other races don't respect Hork-Bajir, the least they can do is leave us alone."

"We respect you."

"No, you respect ME, because I'm a seer. You don't respect any of the 'stupid' Hork-Bajir."

"That's not true."

"Then why did you make Rik get me?!" she snapped. "I was searching through the woods all day and night yesterday. I was trying to get some rest when you called. You could have asked Rik about all this, but you insisted on talking to me and only me."

"Aren't you the leader?" Chapman asked.

"I'm 'like' a leader, but I don't control everything in this valley. I just drove the ship. Rik could have told you everything you need to know about Don, but you didn't even try asking him. I'm the only Hork-Bajir you will talk to, because I'm more intelligent, and intelligence is the only thing you care about. Admit it."

I felt a pang of guilt inside. Tem and I both did. Honestly, we kinda DID think talking to regular Hork-Bajir would be a waste of time. Were we racist? Ableist?

But Eva and Edriss, apparently, felt differently from us. "No, I didn't talk to Rik because he's a stranger," Edriss said sternly through Eva. "I wanted to talk to YOU because your mother was a very good friend of mine, and I owe it to her to check on you when something happens."

That silenced Toby. Clearly, she wanted to argue, but they made a good point Toby had trouble denying.

Before anyone spoke again, an alert sounded on our computer. Eva quickly pulled up the data in another window.

"It's our refugee ship. The one buried in the woods," she announced. "It's empty, but its alarm is still connected to our computer network . . . Somebody just broke inside."

You didn't need to be a seer to guess who it was.

"We're closer than you are," Eva said. "Sorry Toby, but I think we have to get involved now."

.

We went upstairs. We planned things in a hurry, getting ready to rush out, deciding how to split up.

I relayed Tem's thoughts out loud. "Do we believe Toby's story? For all we know, she made the whole thing up, and Don is breaking into the ship under her orders."

"Ket and Jara would believe her," Eva said. "I'm not sure what to think."

Edriss and Iniss, currently bonded with Eva and Chapman, used to be bonded with Toby's parents. The Yeerks never actually met Toby before she arrived on Earth, but they saw the memories of Ket and Jara raising their young daughter. It was a strange state of knowing-but-not-knowing someone. Strange for humans, but normal for memory-sharing Yeerks.

"We need to find Don and hear her side of the story," Chapman said.

"Well, if she is telling the truth," I said, "twelve rogue Hork-Bajir might be more than we can handle. And that's not counting an extra five mystery aliens." I pulled my flashlight-shaped Dracon beam out of my jacket pocket. "We're gonna need more than this."

Mr. Tidwell looked at my Dracon beam with surprise. "Why did you-" He narrowed his eyes. "Do you bring that with you everywhere?"

I paused under his gaze, just for a second. "Not to school."

My teacher stared at me suspiciously for another moment. Then he moved on.

"I'll stay here and use the computer to coordinate things," Chapman said.

"Is there anything I can do?" Melissa asked.

Both her parents immediately replied, "No!" Then, more gently, Alison said, "No, let us handle this, sweetie. You just stay home and stay safe, okay?"

"'Kay," Melissa said quietly.

A few seconds later, as we moved towards the front door, Melissa spoke up again.

"Guys, I know I'm not much help during these things, but . . ." She looked up at us, meek and awkward. ". . . I'm not 'in the way', am I?"

Her mom and dad blinked at her. "Of course not," Chapman said. He leaned down to be eye-level with her. "Melissa, one of the reasons we deal with all this scary stuff is to keep the city safe for you. You're not in our way, you're our goal."

Hearing that gave Melissa a shy smile.

Alison added, "I know it's frustrating to be stuck on the sidelines. But please be patient. We'll explain everything when it's all over."

After another moment, she nodded. "Okay, Mom. I'll be patient."

Eva watched the scene with a serious expression.

.

I wasn't there for this part. This is how it was described to me later.

After the rest of us left, Chapman returned to his secret office, and Melissa stayed upstairs and tried not to worry.

She decided to call her friend Rachel on the telephone. Obviously, she wasn't going to tell Rachel what was happening. Melissa knew the alien stuff needed to be a secret, even from her best friends. But talking about normal teenage stuff seemed like a good way to get her mind off things.

She dialed Rachel's house. Her sister Jordan picked up. She said that Rachel wasn't there. She was hanging out at Cassie's place today.

Melissa thanked her and hung up. Then she dialed Cassie's number. Melissa wasn't as close with Cassie as Rachel was, but they were still casual friends. Even if Rachel and Cassie were already busy over there, maybe they could all chat on the phone together for a few minutes. And maybe Melissa could casually mention that it was a bad day to go on a hike in the woods.

Cassie's dad picked up. He told Melissa that Cassie went over to Rachel's house.

"What? But . . . Uh, no. Nothing's wrong . . . Thank you. Bye."

Melissa hung up and stared at the phone. "That's weird . . ."

Author's Notes: It's my headcanon that Toby's name is pronounced "toh-bai", not "toh-bee". The logic being that she was named after Tobias and an alien wouldn't think to get "toh-bee" from "toh-bai-as". Although, in this AU, Jara and Ket never met Tobias, and their daughter having the same name is just coincidence.

I do not like how this chapter turned out. But spinning my wheels for longer than three months wasn't going to make it better. Please review. I'm open to constructive criticism.

On that note, some replies to Guest reviewer Matthew: My gosh, he had so much to say about my humble story. I was overwhelmed.

7: They weren't looking for alien-hunters, they were looking for hosts. And this woman wasn't freaking out at first, she just straight-up didn't believe them. They needed to prove aliens were real to move the conversation forward. THEN she freaked out.

10: Jake actually wasn't paranoid at all. He was just wondering whether or not to talk to Tom about the basketball tryouts that day.

13: Spoilers, kind of, but it was definitely Ax on that ship. There was no dome ship in the ocean in this AU. And I'm totally, totally not trying to trick anyone or set up a surprise twist.

14: I saw that theory go around online, along with many other theories. It's a running gag on how Jake must be hilariously bad at sports if he couldn't even make a junior high team. I'm in the other camp that thinks it's not weird for him to not make the cut. There's a finite number of spots and there were probably a ton of students trying out. Tom only thought it was weird in chapter 12 because he looks back on junior high with rose-colored glasses.

18: Tobias didn't get stuck mainly because there was no assault on the Yeerk pool in this universe. Not that there would've been. There's no evidence Tobias even has morphing power (WINK WINK).

19: I'm worried I overdid it with the "Tom thinks Marco's gay" jokes. But it fits with Tom's character. I totally picture him as the 90's typical heteronormative jock, who thinks he's an ally but doesn't realize his jokes are low-key homophobic. And specifically, the fandom was like "Is Marco bi? Cause he seems really bi here here and here." And K.A. Applegate was all, "uh, sure, let's go with that."

Hopefully, the next chapter will be up sooner than three months. Until then, who are the mysterious Five aliens working with the rogue Hork-Bajir? Hint: It's NOT who you think it is . . . Or is it?