Something is happening outside the cage. Yeerks all around the Pool are running, panicking, and the security teams are trying to move against the tide of the crowd. There are screams, shouts, other strange sounds that I do not recognize. And then there are large animals outside the cage. One is orange and black with a long, sleek body and sharp claws. The other is all black and looks like a larger, bulkier Human. This one starts tearing the doors off the cages.
(Well, what are you waiting for? Run!)
"The Hruthin come!" I hear one of the elders cry, "Hruthin come save us!"
The Andalites have come at last.
I know where some of the exits are that lead up to the surface. And I know that there may never be another chance to escape. So I run, climb, jump, trying to avoid the security teams that stand between me and freedom. Somehow, in all the chaos, I'm able to find my way up to one of the tunnels. And just in time - the Visser has intervened, morphed some horrifying creature that hurls fireballs around. One of them bursts against the rock wall over the tunnel, showering me with debris. Something else falls from the air, too - some kind of flying animal that I have never seen. I grab it before it hits the ground, realizing it may be another Andalite in morph. The Andalite recovers, and together we make our way through the tunnel, emerging above ground somewhere in the Human city above the Yeerk base.
At first, I don't even realize we've made it to the surface - it is night, and the tall building around us cast shadows that make me think we're still underground. But then the Andalite recognizes something, and flies away for a moment to investigate.
(I think I know where we are. Follow me, and try to stay in the shadows.)
The Andalite guides me through a maze of streets until we arrive at a narrow alley that runs behind a group of Human dwellings. We stop for a few minutes to rest.
(Guess I'm not going home tonight,) the Andalite says, staring at one house for several minutes while perched on a fence post.
I cannot see well in the dark, so our progress is slow, but eventually we arrive at a mostly deserted street that takes us out to the edge of the city. The Andalite describes the surrounding area as 'farm country'. We walk silently for an hour before coming to a large red building.
(Almost there.)
Behind this building is a wide field, and at the far end of the field is a forest. It is a perfect hiding place - the Andalite assures me that we are unlikely to be seen, and I am surrounded by food. Real, genuine tree bark instead of the nutrient cubes the Yeerks feed us. I don't even need to be able to see to climb up into a convenient tree. A final though goes through my mind before sleep overtakes me.
"Free. I am free."