MARCO

We used to meet at Cassie's barn. It was quiet, out of the way, and always had new animals to acquire. But that was before David. Before he planted a bomb to destroy it—a brilliant distraction so he could run off with Rachel.

The fire was massive. Enough to take down the entire barn in minutes. At first, we thought it was just a freak accident. But when the pieces started falling into place, it became obvious: David had done it on purpose.

It was classic David—light a match, walk away, and let everyone else deal with the wreckage.

After that, we moved our meetings to Ax's scoop.

Ax's place is deep in the woods, so well-hidden you could walk right past it and never know it was there. Over time, he's expanded it. Now it's big enough for all of us, with sturdy walls, a roof covered in branches and leaves, and an interior that feels like some alien version of a yurt. It's quiet. Safe. And somehow, it's the one place where we can almost—almost—let our guard down.

Rachel and I are the last to arrive. When we step inside, the usual tension settles over the group like a storm cloud. Jake is pacing in the center of the room, his expression serious. Cassie's leaning against the rock wall, her arms folded, giving me her signature I-know-you're-hiding-something look. Ax is by his workbench, long fingers carefully adjusting some device that hums faintly, and Tobias is perched high above, near the opening in the ceiling, his hawk eyes scanning everything.

[Well, this is interesting] Tobias says, his thought-speak voice laced with amusement. [Earlier, I could've sworn I saw a bald eagle and an osprey racing through the sky. Crazy coincidence, huh?]

Rachel rolls her eyes, crossing her arms. "Real subtle, Tobias."

Jake's gaze sharpens as he looks at us. "Must've been a coincidence," he says flatly. "Because I know no one on this team would be reckless enough to do something like that. Right?"

I smirk, trying to defuse the tension. "Come on, Jake. What's the worst that could happen? Someone mistakes us for a nature documentary?"

Jake doesn't even blink. "Flying over town in broad daylight is reckless, Marco."

Rachel's eyes narrow. "We weren't flying over town. And we were careful." Her voice is sharp, defensive, but there's a flicker of something else beneath it. Embarrassment, maybe?

Jake exhales, clearly deciding not to push it further. He gestures for us to sit. We squeeze onto the edge of a fallen log, Rachel's shoulder brushing against mine. Her arms are still crossed, her focus fixed on Jake.

"Tobias, Ax," Jake says, "update everyone on what you told me last night."

Tobias flaps his wings once, settling more comfortably on his perch. [The Yeerks are speeding up construction on the expansion of the Yeerk pool. They've increased the frequency of shipments—concrete, steel, the usual. But I managed to get a copy of the manifest for one of their supply convoys, and one shipment stood out. It's coming from off-world.]

Cassie leans forward, frowning. "Off-world? What are they bringing in from another planet?"

Ax steps away from his workbench, his main eyes locking onto each of us in turn, while his stalk eyes continue to scan the room. His voice is steady, precise, and painfully formal. [The shipment contains cloaking generators, likely stolen. These devices are designed to render an area or object undetectable by bending light, sound, and electromagnetic signals around it.]

I blink, trying to process that. "Wait—you're saying they can literally make something invisible?"

Ax tilts his head slightly, as if he's explaining something to a particularly dense student. [It is not "invisibility," Marco. It is advanced optical and electromagnetic manipulation. The generators create a field that obscures an area from visual detection, radar, infrared, and other forms of surveillance.]

Rachel nods slowly, piecing it together. "Like what we've seen with their ships. One second they're there, the next they're gone."

Something clicks in my brain, and suddenly, I can see the possibilities. "So, if we get one of these generators, we could hide… what? A house? A whole base? How big are we talking?"

Ax pauses, calculating. [The area depends on the number of generators. A single unit could obscure something as small as a human cabin. With multiple generators, the coverage could extend to several acres.]

A hidden base. A place to hide if everything goes south. A place to hide… my mom.

The thought hits me hard. If we can get one of these generators, we could finally rescue her. We'd just need to keep her locked up for three days. Three days, and the Yeerk inside her would die. She'd be free.

Rachel must be thinking the same thing. She glances at me, and for a second, something unspoken passes between us. Then she rests her hand lightly on mine. It's a small gesture, but it says everything.

She speaks up, her voice quieter now. "If we get this tech, we could set up a safe house. A place to take controllers and starve out their Yeerks. Marco's mom. Tom…"

My throat tightens, and I nod. This could work. This could actually work.

Jake looks around at all of us, his face unreadable. "Not only would we be saving them, but we'd also be gaining their knowledge. They know how the Yeerks operate. They could help us fight back."

The room falls into a heavy silence. It's a dangerous plan, but it's the best idea we've had in months.

Cassie breaks the quiet. "Ax, if we get the generators, could you replicate them? Make more?"

Ax hesitates, his stalk eyes twitching slightly. [It is theoretically possible, but highly improbable. The technology is extremely advanced. It would require resources and expertise that far exceed human capabilities. Even with my knowledge, replication would be… difficult.]

I exhale, the weight of it all sinking in. This is it. Our one shot at a safe haven. A real chance to fight back.

Jake leans forward, his tone all business. "Tobias, what's the timetable?"

[The ship with the generators arrives tonight at the small airport just outside town] Tobias replies, his voice sharp. [It's a Yeerk-run operation—Ax and I have been watching it for days. Security is tight, but we've seen gaps.]

Jake nods decisively, his tone crisp and focused. "Alright. Here's the plan. Cassie, we'll need to borrow your dad's pickup. We'll infiltrate the airport, board the ship, and locate the generators. Ax will brief us on exactly what to look for. Marco, you'll use your gorilla morph to haul the equipment to the truck. We grab what we can, get out fast, and leave no trace. No mistakes."

The weight of his words settles over the group. No one speaks for a moment. This mission feels bigger than anything we've done before—riskier, but with a payoff that could change everything.

I glance around the scoop. Tobias, perched above, watches us like a sentinel. Cassie, ever the moral compass, looks thoughtful, but there's a hard edge to her gaze. Ax's stalk eyes sweep the room, ready to jump into action. Jake looks calm, but I know him well enough to see the tension in his shoulders. And then there's Rachel, sitting beside me, her hand still resting on mine.

For the first time in what feels like forever, there's a flicker of something other than dread. Hope.

I tighten my grip on her hand, meeting her eyes. "Alright," I say, my voice steady and sure. "Let's do it."

Rachel's grin is sharp, full of determination. "Damn right."

Jake rises from his seat, a silent command in his movements. The meeting's over. The mission is on.

As we file out of the scoop, the weight of what lies ahead presses down on me. But underneath that weight, there's something else—a fire that's been lit. We're taking a risk tonight, maybe the biggest one yet.

But for the first time, it feels like we're not just reacting. We're fighting back.

No more running. No more hiding.

It's time to hit them where it hurts.