Let's Read Animorphs! The Whole Series! Ch-ch-ch-chaaanges

The Something Awful Forums > Archives > Comedy Goldmine > Let's Read Animorphs! The Whole Series! Ch-ch-ch-chaaanges

«‹›236 »

dungeon cousin: Nov 26, 2012; woop woop
loop loop

I wonder if the Chee ever take on roles that could alter the development of human society. Lourdes previous life is the highest profile one we've seen but her impact might have been limited to entertainment and pop culture. There's a chance that some Chee could have been leaders who led peoples through bad times or scientists who gave a bump to human technology. Then again, they might be happy just being janitors and such making sure things are going okay from behind the scenes. It's also possible that having a big influence on humanity could go against their pacifist programming, or they might have something like the prime directive in Star Trek.

# ? Aug 14, 2021 08:19

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? May 27, 2024 07:02

freebooter: Jul 7, 2009

It also makes me wonder what their family dynamic is around the house, or how they got assigned or picked their "roles." Was there a Mrs King? Are Erek and his "dad" just good buds who like to live together? They are presumably scattered all over the world, and since the Yeerk invasion is concentrated in this one small part of America, was there an influx of Chee moving there recently to assist in the resistance effort?

quote:

�Tobias, get Ax and follow us,� Jake rapped. �Now!�

This is perfectly fine author handwaving, but I was thinking as they left the mall that it's kinda funny they have no way of contacting two out of six team members at any given point, and presumably have to rely on regular check-ins. Like, imagine stumbling across a high stakes real-time mission like this, and Jake and Cassie and Rachel and Marco just have to deal with it, and meanwhile Tobias is just chilling on some thermals somewhere and Ax is eating some grass and idly watching clouds drift by.

# ? Aug 14, 2021 08:54

Fuschia tude: Dec 26, 2004; THUNDERDOME LOSER 2019

Epicurius posted:

Chapter 6

Huh. I actually think I remember that scene with King sitting on the couch. Nothing else so far, though.

Also, it seems really weird that they can still talk despite being paralyzed and unpowered. I couldn't figure out who was talking, at first, in the opening scene with Erek. Besides, creating a sound requires a vibration of some sort!

dungeon cousin posted:

I wonder if the Chee ever take on roles that could alter the development of human society. Lourdes previous life is the highest profile one we've seen but her impact might have been limited to entertainment and pop culture. There's a chance that some Chee could have been leaders who led peoples through bad times or scientists who gave a bump to human technology. Then again, they might be happy just being janitors and such making sure things are going okay from behind the scenes. It's also possible that having a big influence on humanity could go against their pacifist programming, or they might have something like the prime directive in Star Trek.

Erek mentioned having taken on some important "secretary/stylist of [historical figure]" roles in his past lives in book 10.

# ? Aug 14, 2021 09:30

e X: Feb 23, 2013; cool but crude

Fuschia tude posted:

Huh. I actually think I remember that scene with King sitting on the couch. Nothing else so far, though.

I have pretty vivied memories of the police raid, but I absolutly love multi-part-actions scenes, with several parties trying to accomplish opposing goals, resulting in complete chaos :allears:

# ? Aug 14, 2021 12:39

freebooter: Jul 7, 2009

Fuschia tude posted:

Huh. I actually think I remember that scene with King sitting on the couch. Nothing else so far, though.

The thing that always stuck with me most about this book is Rachel's observation that you can be in a frightening situation, but the fear doesn't turn into true panic until after you break and run.

edit - to be clear this situation hasn't come up yet, and we'll know it when it does

# ? Aug 14, 2021 14:17

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

quote:

<You know, if my father finds out I�ve been hanging around criminals, I�ll be grounded for a year,> Marco joked as we flew toward the south side of town.

<You�re not the only one,> I called back, careful to maintain my distance from the others, though staying close enough to communicate in thought-speak.

As we�d morphed, Erek had filled us in on accessing the Pemalite ship. Then we had bailed at top speed, pausing only long enough to change the channel on Erek�s TV. The two Chee would be stuck there for a while.

We flew all out, forgetting about saving energy. We had energy. What we didn�t have was time.

<Railroad tracks up ahead,> Jake said. 

Train tracks ahead. Along with junked cars, sagging buildings, and mounds of garbage. My eagle eyes showed me everything: the smashed liquor bottles, the empty vials. Spent bullet casings. Cigarette butts. Graffiti.

Even the air felt different here. Darker. Grayer.

Heavy with the absence of hope.

This battlefield had already been claimed by the enemy. And suddenly, I wasn�t so sure we could take it back.

I was glad Ax wasn�t there. I didn�t want to have to explain this to him. And I doubted Tobiaswould find him in time to get involved.

Besides, who needed the extra firepower? Crooks might scare ordinary people, but not us. This was a quick, easy in and out. No biggie.

<That must be the place,> Jake said. <The house with the big steel door. Let�s go!>

I spilled air from my wings, following him down into the bushy, overgrown backyard.

We had about five minutes left before the raid. Maybe. Not even enough time to land, demorph, and morph again.

These were bad odds, and yet �

The rush!

I landed in weeds and debris. I immediately began demorphing to human. My beak rolled into my face. My head bulged and grew. My legs stretched, shooting me up into the air as my feathers dissolved and slithered back into my human skin.

I felt suddenly vulnerable. For the moment I was just a girl. A girl in a bad place. Time to morph again. Something big. Something dangerous. Something that didn�t care too much about steel doors and nine millimeters.

Jake, Marco, and Cassie were beginning their own morphs. Jake was thinking like me: This was a bash job. Forget subtlety. The rhino horn was already growing from his forehead.

Marco�s arms were long and covered with coarse, black hair. Cassie�s face had elongated into a sleek, wolf�s muzzle.

I hate being last. I closed my eyes and began my next morph in a hurry.

SPROOOOT!

My nose unraveled like a fire hose.

Morphing is never pretty. And it�s never predictable. It happens in ways that don�t quite kill you, but sometimes come pretty close. Things come popping out or disappearing in bizarre sequence.

That had just happened. I had a one-third size elephant trunk sticking out of my otherwise normal face.

My bones ground and shifted, expanding until my head was big enough for the trunk - the size of one of those cute little Volkswagens.

My legs were thickening, huge as telephone poles. My skin darkened, toughened into leather.

Then, in one dizzying spurt, my tree stump legs became tree trunk legs. I shot straight up! Thirteen feet up into the air, as my body swelled into a muscled, fourteen-thousand-pound blimp. I had good eyes and excellent ears the size of beach blankets.

Suddenly, the sound of car doors slamming. Wham. Wham. Wham.

�Police! Open the door!�

Glass shattering. Wood splintering.

Jake cursed. <The raid�s started!> he yelled. <Marco, it�s your job to snatch the Chee and get her out of there. The rest of us will cover you. Go! Go! Go!>

This is a crackhouse, isn't it? Also, good on them for changing the channel for Erek and his "dad".

Chapter 8

quote:

�Down! Down!�

�Down on the floor! Hands behind your head!�

�I said down, don�t move!�

There had to be a dozen cops, all yelling. How long before they found the Chee?

And if the cop who was a Controller found her first �

Heart pounding, I charged through brambles and bushes toward the house. The ground trembled beneath me. Literally.

Jake was at my side, keeping pace, following me because with rhino eyes he couldn�t see well enough to know where he was going.

The back door opened and a filthy, skinny guy stumbled out.

�Eeeee-YEEEEE-uh!� I trumpeted.

�Ahhhh!� he screamed, turned, and ran back inside.

Then �

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

Gunfire!

<Me first, then you,> Jake said.

<Yeah,> I acknowledged.

WHAM! Jake slammed the back door and knocked it open, popping it loose from its hinges. He backed up. I hit the doorway. I muscled shoulders into it, twisting and snapping the wood frame. Lifted up and buckled the ceiling. My huge head was inside, inside in the dark.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

Bright gun flashes! Someone screamed. A dark shape rushed right in front of me. He was not wearing a uniform. I whipped my trunk and caught him in the belly.

He went down hard. The gun skittered from his fingers.

I pulled back and Marco and Cassie bounded through the hole Jake and I had made.

People were yelling. The air echoed with confusion.

�Freeze or I�ll shoot! Hey! Is that a rhinoceros?!�

�Hhhhrroooaaar!� Marco bellowed.

�Oh, man, I don�t need a drink this bad!�

BLAM! BLAM!

A sharp, high-pitched yelp.

A wolf. Cassie.

Someone had shot Cassie!

Enraged, I put my shoulder against the backdoor frame and pushed, this time with all I had.

Bricks slid. Mortar crumbled. I pushed harder. The bricks buckled and the entire wall collapsed.

Bricks thudded down around me, on me, but I hardly felt them.

�EEEEEYYEEE!� Trumpeting, I thundered through the wreckage. Dust clouded my vision.

Clogged my lungs, making me sneeze.

�HA-CHOOO!�

The blast blew over a bony girl smoking a cigarette.

�Holy crap, an elephant!� someone shouted.

�Call for backup!� a cop shouted. �They got a whole circus in there!�

I swung my trunk, scattering a few rickety chairs. <Cassie?>

<Rachel?>

<Cassie? Where are you?> I called desperately, bashing through a wall and searching the next room. The floor was lined with stained mattresses and reeked of stale pee and barf.

A chalk-skinned, blank-eyed guy, too stoned to even move, just lay there, staring up at me.

I picked him up by the ankle and tossed him out the hole in the wall. I didn�t want to accidentally step on the guy. Let the cops deal with him later.

<I�m with Lourdes under the stairs,> Cassie cried. <Rachel, some jerk shot me in the back and I can�t move my legs! I can�t demorph with all these people around.>

A fierce, red bubble of anger popped deep inside my brain.

<Marco!> I shouted, ramming through another wall.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

�Aaah! I�m hit!� a cop moaned from somewhere in the darkness.

<What?> Marco called back.

<Where�s the creep with the gun?> I said, swinging my head and pulverizing the remains of a door frame.

<He�s on the landing right above where Cassie�s with that Chee. I can�t get him. I�ve been stabbed. Not good. This place is a madhouse,> Marco yelled.
<They have me!> Jake reported from outside. 

This was insane! We were getting torn apart in the crossfire between the criminals and the cops.

First things first. The guy with the gun. The guy who�d shot Cassie.

I was mad. And I was big.

Nothing could stop me.

Wood, plaster, and paneling fell before me like confetti.

I was gutting the house.

I was on a rampage.

I headed for the rooms at the front.

Walls shook.

The rotted, wooden floor bowed, cracked, and gave way.

CRRREEEAAAKKK!

I stumbled, my legs dropping into the crawl space beneath the house. Four feet deep. Big deal. I got up and plowed through the sharp, splintered wood like a kid pushing through the surf at the beach.

Rusty nails and wood shards gouged my skin.

Pinpricks of pain. They didn�t matter. I dug the floor up with my tusks.

The guy with the gun. I wanted him and I would have him.

And then, suddenly, there he was.

Crouched in front of the closet door under the stairs.

He was dirty. Skinny. Hollow-eyed.

He saw me, too.

Aimed his gun right at my head.

�Andalite,� he sneered, and pulled the trigger.

Yea, it's a crackhouse.

Also, do the Yeerks know about the Chee? I mean, if they see an advanced android, they're going to take it and study it. But are they aware of the Chee or the Pemalites as species? I don't think they do.

# ? Aug 15, 2021 03:55

Piell: Sep 3, 2006; Grey Worm's Ken doll-like groin throbbed with the anticipatory pleasure that only a slightly warm and moist piece of lemoncake could offer; Young Orc

Pretty sure the Yeerks don't know about the Pemalites or the Chee - the Pemalites had died and the Chee hidden on Earth thousands of years before the Yeerks got out into space.

# ? Aug 15, 2021 04:14

Ceebees: Nov 2, 2011; I'm intentionally being as verbose as possible in negotiations for my own amusement.

Piell posted:

Pretty sure the Yeerks don't know about the Pemalites or the Chee - the Pemalites had died and the Chee hidden on Earth thousands of years before the Yeerks got out into space.

What did they think the pemalite data thingy back in the first ten books was, then? I thought the yeerks knew, and had a pretty good idea of exactly what blendered that entire building. But i can't even remember that far back in this thread, let alone when i was 12.

# ? Aug 15, 2021 04:45

freebooter: Jul 7, 2009

Yeah I assume they have some suspicion or vague idea.

quote:

�Oh, man, I don�t need a drink this bad!�

quote:

The blast blew over a bony girl smoking a cigarette.

Lol, hello Scholastic censor

# ? Aug 15, 2021 05:08

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Chapter 9

quote:

POW!

A sharp, stinging sensation. Searing, brutal pain.

Hot blood gushed from my head and blinded my right eye.

�EEEEEYYYEE-uh!� I swung my trunk like a baseball bat.

Felt it connect with his bony body.

UMPH!

�Aaarggh!� he howled, sailing across the room and crashing through the grimy, front window. He hit the ground and lay there, shattered glass raining down around him.

Through the awful pulsing in my head, I heard disembodied voices from the street.

�Hey, that�s Strake! That�s the guy we want. Quick, cuff him!� a cop shouted.

�What about this rhino? He�s wrecking my squad car!�

�Somebody grab that gorilla before he rips the bar lights off my patrol car!�

�Don�t worry about them right now! We�ve got Animal Control and some vet from The Gardens� wildlife park coming down. Let them deal with it! Just stay back!�

What? I blinked to clear my eye of seeping blood.

Some vet from The Gardens� wildlife park? I thought. Oh, great. Cassie�s mother was the vet from The Gardens!
And she was mighty handy with a tranquilizer gun.

<Marco, can you get back in here?> I called, as a wave of weakness washed over me. <I�ve been shot.>

<I�ll try, but now I�ve got about seven cops with shotguns pointed straight at my chest,> Marco said nervously.

�Tseeeeeer!�

�Geez, now a hawk, too?� a cop yelled. �What is this, When Animals Attack! Everybody hold your fire or we�ll end up shooting each other!�

<Hurry up, Tobias, we�re kind of in deep here,> I called, squeezing my trunk around the closet door handle and yanking it open.



That was the first good news I�d heard in a while.

An android sat propped against the dirty wall. A Chee.

A limp, panting wolf lay draped across her lap.

They were both drenched in blood.

<Lourdes?>

�Hi. You must be Rachel. Erek�s told us all about you. Pleased to meet you.�

<Uh, yeah, you, too,> I said, unsettled by the Chee�s omniscience. Then, <Cassie, can you hear me?> I said.

The wolf lifted its head and gazed at me through dark, tormented eyes. <Yes.>

<Demorph. Do it now,> I said, wrapping my trunk around her and gently lifting her out of the closet.

<And get arrested?> She laughed weakly. <No way. My mother would kill me.>

�Get back! Run! Quick!�

Screams. Thuds. Pounding feet.

<Here, give her to me,> Marco said, appearing beside me and taking Cassie in his arms. Blood oozed from a large wound in his neck and streaked his shoulder. Two nasty gashes ran down his right arm.

<What�s going on out there?> I asked Marco, reaching back in and lifting Lourdes out of the closet with my trunk. Nothing to an elephant. Elephants can lift trees. An android was a feather.

<Jake got away. He�s already around back.>

<How?>

<Tobias. He snatched some cop�s gun and is flying around like psycho-bird, scaring everyone half to death. Even Strake is trying to crawl under a squad car.>

<Then let�s do it,> I said.

<Now or never,> Marco agreed.

Stumbling, we turned in the tight space and came face-to-face with a cop. He was sweating, shaking. I couldn�t blame him.

But his expression changed. I saw a new fear. And then, a familiar hatred.

�Andalites,� he said.

Sneering, the cop raised his pistol and pulled the trigger.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

Cassie yelped.

Marco jerked, swayed, and pitched forward, disappearing down into the dark, dank crawl space.

The Scholastic censor has quit at this point and reconsidering their life. I'm also a little disappointed nobody shouted "Watch out! That bird's got a gun!"

Chapter 10

quote:

I blinked, too shocked to move.

The sharp, acrid scent of gunpowder filled the air.

The blast still rang in my ears.

�Give me the android, Andalite,� the cop snarled.

I barely heard him.

Marco. Cassie.

I looked down into the crawl space.

They lay in a tangled, lifeless heap.

Their dark blood pooled and inched across the hard-packed dirt floor, spreading in an ever widening circle toward my feet.

Thoughts skittered and blurred in my brain.

I was pinned. Trapped.

Backed up against the stairs to my right, Marco and Cassie to my left.

I was caught between their bodies below and the human-Controller cop poised on the creaky slope of flooring in front of me.

If I moved any way but forward, I�d crush Marco and Cassie.

But if I moved forward, I�d be dead.

<Marco? Cassie?> I shouted frantically.

Nothing.

If they were dead, this guy had killed them.

And now he was going to kill me and take Lourdes.

And the Yeerks would brutalize the Chee.

Grow stronger with their technology.

Become even harder to beat.

My muscles trembled and hate blackened my heart.

He�d killed my best friend.

He might even kill me. Fine. But he wouldn�t get the Chee. Because I�d kill him first.

�Give me the android, Andalite,� he repeated, raising his pistol and centering it on my already damaged forehead. He stepped forward, closing the gap between us to five feet.

<No. I don�t think so,> I said.

I lifted my trunk, hoisting Lourdes high over my head. I hoped this nonviolent Chee warrior would forgive me for using her as a bludgeon.

�Give it to me and perhaps Visser Three will show you mercy!� he snapped. �You have no hope of escape,� the cop continued, inching closer. �Your friends are dead and you�re next.�

I didn�t want to die.

But better to die like a warrior.

A stark black-and-white blur caught the corner of my eye.

What?

Suddenly, a tiny, furry, helpless-looking creature about the size of a house cat came waddling in.

Harmless-looking, unless you knew what you were looking at. Unless you knew what that black-and-white striped tail meant.

The skunk - Ax, I assumed - darted between my huge feet, turned, aimed its butt at the Controller, and fired without warning.

The air filled with the thick, cloying stench of fresh, potent skunk.

You think you know what skunks smell like because you�ve smelled dead ones on the highway?

You know nothing about the sheer, awesome power of that chemical weapon disguised as a cute fuzzy kitty.

�AAARGH!� the cop shrieked, clapping both hands over his eyes and falling back a step.

I almost fell with him. Ax hadn�t hit me, but even a near miss is awful.

<Now, Rachel!> Ax commanded, scampering out of reach.

WHUMPF!

C-r-r-r-r-UNCH!

Flump!

My trunk, weighted with the android, slammed down on the Controller, buckling his knees and smashing him through the rotted floor to the crawl space below.

He twitched once and lay still. He was still breathing. I wasn�t sure if I was glad about that.

Tobias swept in through the shattered front window and pulled up sharply. <Rachel, the Animal Control van just pulled up out front! Cassie�s mother�s with them and they have dart guns! We�ve got to get out of here!>

<l have to get Marco and Cassie,> I said, laying Lourdes on a hunk of stable flooring and dipping my trunk down into the crawl space.

<Your head wound is bleeding profusely, Rachel,> Ax said. <You must demorph before you become too weak.>

<In a minute,> I said stubbornly, fishing around in the darkness until I located one of Marco�s hairy gorilla legs. I curled my trunk around it and hauled him up and out of the crawl space.

He hung upside down from my trunk, his arms swinging slowly, his body battered and matted with blood and dirt.

And then he opened his eyes.

<Stop the ride,> he said weakly. 

<Marco!> I shouted, so startled that I almost dropped him. 

<Yeah, well, sorry to disappoint you,> he mumbled.

The ground around us trembled. Chunks of plaster rained down from the ceiling and hairline fractures webbed what was left of the walls.

<I�ll go out and distract Animal Control,> Tobias said, skimming back through the broken front window.

<Hurry, Rachel,> Ax warned as he waddled toward the front door. 

I swung Marco up over my head and dropped him on my broad, leathery back.

<Can you hold on up there?> I asked. <At least until we get out to the railroad tracks?>

<Can King Kong climb the Empire State Building?> he retorted, grabbing handfuls of the thin, wiry hair on my head and gripping me with his knees.

Again I reached into the crawl space and curled my trunk around Cassie�s limp wolf body.

It was still warm. Her heart was beating beneath her fur.

I went weak with relief.

<Grab her,> I said. I held her up, my knees trembling, until Marco pulled her into his lap.

I reached back down for Lourdes. I could hardly see. One of my eyes was blinded by blood. The other was strangely blurred. I swung the android up onto my back.

<Head for the nearest circus,> Marco said.

We bailed.

Ax's skunk saved the day. Well, Cassie is almost dead, and Rachel is almost blind, and Marco's not doing really good, but....

# ? Aug 16, 2021 03:15

Fuschia tude: Dec 26, 2004; THUNDERDOME LOSER 2019

Can you partially demorph to heal? Does that partially heal? Does that reset the clock, or do you have to go all the way?

# ? Aug 16, 2021 04:18

WrightOfWay: Jul 24, 2010

Fuschia tude posted:

Can you partially demorph to heal? Does that partially heal? Does that reset the clock, or do you have to go all the way?

I'm not sure about partially demorphing to heal, but Cassie is the only one who has enough control morphing to intentionally demorph something like a broken limb. I'm pretty sure partially demorphing doesn't reset the clock, though.

# ? Aug 16, 2021 05:02

freebooter: Jul 7, 2009

I think you have to go all the way, since they've nearly got stuck in partial morphs in the past.

Also I'm a big fan of the gang cracking out the lesser-used morphs in their arsenals, but it's quite odd that Ax arrived on the scene and thought "Hmm, I am going to morph... skunk."

# ? Aug 16, 2021 05:17

OctaviusBeaver: Apr 30, 2009; Say what now?

quote:

�Don�t worry about them right now! We�ve got Animal Control and some vet from The Gardens� wildlife park coming down. Let them deal with it! Just stay back!�

The Undisclosed PD is sick of these animal highjinks and they're having no part of it.

# ? Aug 16, 2021 05:33

Edna Mode: Sep 24, 2005; Bullshit, that's last year's Fall collection!

The animal hijinks make me nervous that the Yeerks will eventually realize that having a veterinarian who knows exotic animals would be a good person to infect.

# ? Aug 16, 2021 06:17

e X: Feb 23, 2013; cool but crude

Epicurius posted:

Chapter 9

The Scholastic censor has quit at this point and reconsidering their life. I'm also a little disappointed nobody shouted "Watch out! That bird's got a gun!"

# ? Aug 16, 2021 09:41

freebooter: Jul 7, 2009

OctaviusBeaver posted:

The Undisclosed PD is sick of these animal highjinks and they're having no part of it.

Undisclosed PD issuing new police report forms to their officers with a tick box for "Exotic Animal Encounter Yes/No"

# ? Aug 16, 2021 11:31

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Chapter 11

quote:

<The heck with running for the railroad tracks,> I yelled, plowing a swath through the floor toward the front door. <Hang on tight, guys, because we�re outta here!>

I lifted my trunk and blasted a high, enraged scream.

Then I barreled through the doorway, tearing out an elephant-sized chunk of wall.

WHUMPF! CRRRACK!

�Whoa! Get out of the way! Move it!�

�Back off, people! I need a clear shot! Back off!�

Chaos. People darting everywhere.

Tobias, still dive-bombing with a gun in his talons, was trying to keep Cassie�s mom from getting a clear shot with her dart gun.

Pop!

<Cassie, your mommy is shooting at us,> I said.

I caught sight of Ax, planted squarely in the middle of the sidewalk, and scooped him up with my trunk as I thundered through the milling crowd.

 Ax said, lifting his tail.

<Go for it,> I said, surging forward and holding Ax out like a weapon.

�Skunk! Oh, no! It�s spraying! Get out of the way!�

The mob parted. I heard them shouting, saw their panicked bodies hurtling aside as I rocketed past.

CCCRRREEEAK!

<The warehouse is coming down!> Tobias yelled.

<I�m not surprised,> I called back, charging down the street. I spotted Jake up ahead and followed him. <Where are we going?>

 he cried. <I�m half blind!>

�I suggest you split up,� Lourdes said. �There�s a junkyard ahead on the left and an abandoned parking deck on the right.�

<I�ll scout them,> Tobias said, flapping hard for altitude.

<Uh, Rachel?> Marco said. <You�re gonna have to pull over soon. I�m not as okay as I thought I was. Lourdes is slipping.>

<What about Cassie?> I said anxiously, blinking in a futile effort to clear my eyes.

<Her eyelids are twitching. I think she might be coming around,> Marco said breathlessly.

The sound of sirens filled the air. Tires squealed as the cops gave chase. <Swerve right, Jake. I�ll guide you into the parking deck,> Tobias called.
�Turn left, Rachel,� Lourdes said. �Follow the dead-end street to the junkyard. I can be hidden there until the signal from the Pemalite ship is turned off.�

<You know about that?> I gasped as I stumbled over a broken slab of asphalt. <Never mind, I forgot: Chee-net.>

<Rachel?> Cassie called weakly.

<Demorph, Cassie,> I cried, barreling desperately down the deserted street and up to the junkyard�s padlocked metal gates.

I held Ax safely out of the way under my front legs and, pressing my bleeding head against the gates, pushed until the lock sprung open.

My head didn�t hurt anymore. Nothing hurt.

I was swaying now. It surprised me when my front legs simply buckled. I hit hard, but I wasn�t feeling much anymore when my tusks dug into dirt.

The Chee, Cassie, and Marco must have tumbled from my back. But I was too confused to know.

Confused. Head spinning, eyes going dark.

Nothing made sense. I was sinking. Sinking into a deep, deep, soft bed and � and someone kept yelling, <Demorph, Rachel! Do it now!>

Well, so much for Rachel, everybody. Good book. I think it's a rule that if you're narrating the book, your chance to almost die goes up like crazy.

Chapter 12

quote:

We were a shaken-up bunch of animal-morphing freaks by the time we at last made it home. Asituation that should have been a walk in the park had turned into a mess.

The Chee were grateful to us. Me, I was grateful that Tobias and Ax had shown up when they did.

I was definitely not in the best of moods. I was feeling brittle and tired and mad at the world.

Maybe it was just one too many battles. Or maybe it was because I�d been thinking about what we had to do next.

Dive fifteen thousand feet down into the cold, dark ocean.

Deeper than we�d ever gone before.

Deeper than a dolphin or a hammerhead shark could dive.

Up against an enemy that couldn�t be fought: the deadly, crushing pressure.

It worried me because I couldn�t think of a way to beat it, and if we couldn�t beat it, then it would beat us.

Crush us.

And all of it in a hurry. The time was counting down.

Ticktock.

We couldn�t go to Cassie�s barn. We couldn�t risk her parents making her do anything. We were all looking at plenty of parental trouble, but we had no time. Better a week of being grounded compared to losing this battle.

We assembled in the woods near Tobias�s meadow.

<Tobias has informed me of the situation,> Ax said. <And he says the atmospheric pressure is deadly at the depth we must travel.>

�It is for us, Ax-man,� Marco said. �We�ll be crushed like a beer can on a frat boy�s forehead.�

<Frat boy? What is a frat boy?> Ax wondered.

�Forget it,� Marco said. �It was only a joke.�

�Not really,� I said.

<Ah. Human humor,> Ax replied, nodding.

�Not really,� I repeated, giving Marco a look.

I was teasing Marco. But the truth was, there was nothing funny about being crushed to death. The image of it bothered me. The feeling of being squeezed on every inch of my body, pushed inward, internal organs squishing and �

�I don�t know how we�re going to do this,� I blurted. �None of our morphs are capable of diving that deep and without one, we�re talking about a kamikaze mission, here.�

<�Kamikaze�?> Ax asked.

�It means suicide, Ax,� I said. �Death, to you and me.�

�Saving the Chee isn�t going to be a suicide mission,� Jake said, glaring at me. �You�re overreacting, Rachel.�

My jaw dropped.

Worrying about something as lethal as atmospheric pressure was overreacting? Wanting to get home in one piece instead of dying a stifling, airless death on the dark ocean floor was overreacting? Since when?

If Cassie had said it, Jake wouldn�t have told her she was overreacting. He would have agreed. He would have thought she was being sensibly cautious.

Wasn�t I allowed to be cautious?

No, of course not, I thought bitterly. I�m supposed to be a reckless fighting machine and fighting machines don�t feel caution or fear. And even if they do, they don�t advertise it.

�Well, excuse me, I guess I�ll just shut up and follow orders,� I said.

�Look, I�m sorry, Rachel,� Jake said tiredly. �You made a good point in a bad way, okay? But nobody�s gonna die because we�re not gonna dive unless we find the right morph.�

<Is there no Earth being that can dive down fifteen thousand feet?> Ax asked.

�I don�t think so,� Cassie said, frowning. �I mean, the only deep-sea creature that even comes close is a sperm whale, and their record is like ten or twelve thousand feet, I think.�

<We could hijack a diving bell,> Tobias offered lamely. <You know, one of those little submarines?>

�Yeah, we could tell everyone we�re going to find the Titanic,� Marco said. �We could see if Leo DiCaprio is floating around down there. But what do we do if we get down there in a stolen sub?

We still have to get inside this Pemalite ship.�

�It was just an idea,� I said, defending Tobias.

We each had at least one situation that still gave us nightmares. I had more than one. Sometimes they were all mixed up and fragmented, like shattered glass that just keeps on reflecting broken, jagged images.

And we each had morphs we�d hated.

Tobias�s worst moments all dealt with water.

<Looks like a wet one,> Tobias said glumly. 

�Hello!� Cassie cried suddenly. �That�s it! Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea! Hah! I think we may have a solution!�

Have YOU seen or read Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea? Do YOU know the solution? Do Andalites have frats?

More seriously, do you think Jake does hold Rachel to a different standard than he does the rest of the team? The rest of them are allowed to show doubts or be nervous, but when Rachel does it, he jumps on her.

# ? Aug 17, 2021 03:40

freebooter: Jul 7, 2009

Epicurius posted:

�Hello!� Cassie cried suddenly. �That�s it! Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea! Hah! I think we may have a solution!�

Conflating two different Jules Verne titles? Jesus, Cassie, get it together. There's a war on.

# ? Aug 17, 2021 04:21

Tree Bucket: Apr 1, 2016; R.I.P.idura leucophrys

I've been thinking about other YA books from this period- specifically, the ones about Kids Dealing With The Big Issues. There were always plenty in the school library, and my aunt insisted on buying them. And while I'm sure they were very well-written and well-intentioned, Young Me much preferred to read the Lord of the Rings appendices after a tough day at school...
I guess the question is, did anyone actually read those books?

# ? Aug 17, 2021 05:38

Fuschia tude: Dec 26, 2004; THUNDERDOME LOSER 2019

Epicurius posted:

Chapter 12

�I don�t know how we�re going to do this,� I blurted. �None of our morphs are capable of diving that deep and without one, we�re talking about a kamikaze mission, here.�

<�Kamikaze�?> Ax asked.

Ax never learned English, his technology translates, the same way the Andalite cube gives thought-speech, right? So why wouldn't it be able to translate Japanese?

quote:

Have YOU seen or read Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea? Do YOU know the solution? Do Andalites have frats?

I know giant squids are typically deep. Crustaceans too; aren't crabs like living submarines?

# ? Aug 17, 2021 06:10

freebooter: Jul 7, 2009

There is a very cool (and frankly creepy) little website here where you keep scrolling down and it shows you all the different species that live deeper in the ocean:

https://neal.fun/deep-sea/

# ? Aug 17, 2021 08:07

Comrade Blyatlov: Aug 4, 2007; should have picked four fingers

Fuschia tude posted:

Ax never learned English, his technology translates, the same way the Andalite cube gives thought-speech, right? So why wouldn't it be able to translate Japanese?

I know giant squids are typically deep. Crustaceans too; aren't crabs like living submarines?

It probably could, if it had heard enough Japanese.

# ? Aug 17, 2021 08:16

Malpais Legate: Oct 1, 2014

freebooter posted:

There is a very cool (and frankly creepy) little website here where you keep scrolling down and it shows you all the different species that live deeper in the ocean:

https://neal.fun/deep-sea/

I'd seen this link before but never fully scrolled on it. Thanks, it was horrifying! I especially didn't like knowing how deep some seals dive.

# ? Aug 17, 2021 16:14

Cythereal: Nov 8, 2009; I love the potoo,
and the potoo loves you.

Fuschia tude posted:

I know giant squids are typically deep. Crustaceans too; aren't crabs like living submarines?

My first thought is a whale. Depending on where they're at in California, whale-watching tours could be a thing.

# ? Aug 17, 2021 18:20

Pwnstar: Dec 9, 2007; Who wants some waffles?

Thought speak operates on Star Trek translator rules, it translates everything into English but knows when you want to leave something untranslated through space magic.

# ? Aug 17, 2021 20:33

freebooter: Jul 7, 2009

Malpais Legate posted:

I'd seen this link before but never fully scrolled on it. Thanks, it was horrifying! I especially didn't like knowing how deep some seals dive.

Yeah - there's been one fatal attack on a human by a leopard seal, when a British scientist was snorkelling in Antarctica, and the most disturbing part about it was that when they recovered her body, her dive computer showed the seal had at times dragged her down to 70m deep. Chump change compared to some seal depths but still so, so horrifying for a human.

# ? Aug 18, 2021 00:03

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

quote:

Wasn�t it Journey to the Bottom of the Sea?� Marco asked.

�No, it was Voyage,� Jake confirmed.

�Journey sounds better,� Marco said.

Jake sighed. �Hey, time marches on, right? We�re in a hurry. What are you thinking, Cassie?�

�Calamari,� she said with a grin.

�Snails?� I said, frowning.

 Ax said.

�Wait, that�s not-� Cassie said loudly.

 Ax continued. 

�You ate a snail through your hoof?� I asked. That picture temporarily replaced the image of me being squashed to the size of a Barbie doll on the ocean floor.

<Yes, and the meat portion was fine. However, once the snail�s body had been digested, the shell was very difficult to ->

�Ooookay, I think that�s probably enough about snails,� Jake said.

�Yeah, especially since calamari does not mean snail,� Cassie pointed out. �Escargot means snail. I was talking about -�

<l have an idea: Let�s all just stick to speaking English,> Tobias grumped.

�Squid!� Cassie yelled suddenly. The birds in the trees around us fell silent. So did we.

Until Tobias said, <Uh-uh. Calamari is octopus, not squid.>

�Oh. Who. CARES?� Cassie cried. �Squid. We can morph a giant squid! Giant squid dive really deep. And they have arms, so we could maybe get into the Pemalite ship.�

I met Marco�s gaze. �Why didn�t she just say that to begin with?�

�Could have saved a lot of time,� Marco agreed, playing along.

<What does any of this have to do with your Captain Nemo?> Ax wondered.

Cassie threw up her hands. �It�s a book. Journey to -�

�Ah HAH! It was Journey!�

�I mean Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea,� Cassie grated. �Captain Nemo was attacked by a giant squid.�

�Who won?� Marco asked.

�Wait a minute,� I said. �It wasn�t Journey or Voyage. It was 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Jules Verne.�

Cassie looked like she might strangle me. Then she said, �Oh yeah. Voyage was a TV show. They run it on the Sci-Fi channel.�

�I thought it was on Nick at Night,� Marco said.

At which point everyone started giggling.

�Someone call the Chee and tell them they�re doomed,� I said. �Their only hope is a collection of idiot kids, standing around in the woods debating cable channels.�

�We are in a hurry,� Jake said, tapping his wrist where a watch would be. �So? What about giant squid? Where do we find one to acquire?�

Cassie shook her head, suddenly glum. �I don�t know. I hate to say this, but I�m pretty sure there aren�t any in captivity.�
�Well, then that�s not very helpful, is it?� Marco said.

Cassie shrugged. �No. And it�s not like we can go dolphin and find one. The only thing that eats giant squid is the sperm whale.�

Pretending to be more nonchalant than I felt, I said, �Okay, so we acquire a sperm whale, dive down, and grab us a big squid.�

Cassie shook her head. �No sperm whales in captivity. There never have been.�

�There has to be a way,� Jake said. But he sounded doubtful. �Anyone have any suggestions?�

No one did.

�You�re kidding,� I said. �That�s it? We�re beat?�

�We have till ten P.M.,� Jake said. �What�s that? Eight hours? Not exactly enough time to go whale hunting. Cassie?�

She held up her hands, helpless. �That was my one idea: squid. The Pemalite ship is just too far down.�

�And time is too short,� I said.

�The alternative is trying to bust into that nuclear facility and get the Chee out. The safe is too strong for us. And one other huge problem: The guards there are normal humans, as far as we know,�

Jake said. �We can�t exactly go busting in and just kick everyone�s butt.�

�Anyway, that only solves the problem of that one Chee,� Marco pointed out. �What about the others? We can�t just leave them sitting around as stiff as lawn ornaments.�

But in the end, it looked like that was our only choice. We broke up and headed home with no hope.

It was depressing. I mean, we�d messed up missions before, but we�d never been lame enough to fail before we�d even started.

Now the Chee would be lost and the Yeerks would possess technology that would stump even Ax.

Atmospheric pressure, our own Earth force, had beaten us.

Cassie headed toward her farm. Jake and Marco headed to Erek�s to tell him the bad news. Tobias and Ax melted back into the woods. I walked home alone.

So, just to straighten everything out, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a Jules Verne book. There are giant squid in that one. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea is a 1961 American thriller about an experimental nuclear submarine that basically has to save the world from being destroyed. There's also a religious fanatic on the ship (played by Joan Fontaine) who tries to sabotage the mission because she thinks the earth's destruction is God's will. There's also a giant squid fight in that one. Then it was turned into a TV show that ran from 1964-68, made by Irwin Allen, the same guy who made Lost In Space, The Time Tunnel, and Land of the Giants.

Chapter 14

quote:

My neighborhood looked normal.

Kids playing street hockey. Adults sweeping driveways.

Gossiping about the gorilla who�d been at the mall.

�And by the time the news van arrived, the gorilla was already gone,� one woman said.

�Someone said they saw him abduct a child,� the other woman said nervously. �I�m afraid to let my kids out of my sight.�

I kept my face carefully blank as I passed, but inside my heart was pounding. A news van had shown up? Had they found out anything? Had they tracked our movements somehow?

Were Jake and Marco walking into an ambush at Erek�s?

I started to jog, then to run. I bolted across my front lawn and into the house.

�I�m home,� I yelled, slamming the door behind me.

�I was beginning to think you�d been abducted by this so-called gorilla haunting the mall,� my mother called. �And now on the news there�s something about an elephant at a flophouse.�

�Yeah? Elephants with drug problems?� I said, entering the kitchen.

My mother had half the table covered in legal papers. The other half was set for dinner.

I grabbed the phone and dialed Jake�s house. Let it ring thirteen times. Hung up.

Called Marco. Got his answering machine and hung up.

What now?

�Did you hear about the gorilla who was riding an elephant into some abandoned house?� my sister Jordan asked, switching on the TV.

�Shut it off, Jordan,� my little sister Sara whined. �You know we don�t watch TV while we eat.�

�But they�re gonna show the gorilla on the news,� Jordan said, blocking the TV so Sara couldn�t touch it. �Mom!�

�Sara, watching TV this once won�t hurt anything. Now, sit down and eat,� my mother said absently, shuffling through her papers. �This is the last weekend I have to prepare this case and I�d appreciate your cooperation.�

�Yeah,� Jordan said, smirking at Sara.

�You�re ugly when you do that,� Sara said.

�Look, here�s the story,� I interrupted, pointing at the TV as the familiar front of the mall covered the screen.

�In local news, a publicity-seeking gorilla kicked up quite a stir at a mall today,� the anchorman announced. �Some say the primate was an actor promoting a soon-to-be-released movie. Others, however, insist it was a real gorilla.�

The camera flashed to the sales kid at Spencer�s Gifts.

I caught my breath.

�Sure I saw it,� the kid said, shrugging. �It was just some guy in a gorilla suit. No big deal. But he dropped a lava lamp on my head.�

�What about the rumors that it had abducted a child?� the reporter asked solemnly.

The kid laughed. �Look, we get all kinds in here, like folks into alien abductions. We get a lot of college kids, too.�

�So you think this was a fraternity prank?� the reporter asked.

The kid shrugged again. �Probably.�

The camera flashed back to the studio. �Adding to this mystery is that all of the security cameras malfunctioned while the gorilla was in the mall, so there is no videotape for police to review. However, there have been no reports filed in connection with any missing children. And police deny reports that a bust at a stolen goods warehouse turned up a small zoo full of exotic animals.�

�Man, I�m never around when the good stuff happens,� Jordan complained, plopping down at the table. �Burritos. Yum.�

My stomach growled and I started eating. I snagged two volumes of our ten-year-old encyclopedia and started reading as I ate.

The volumes covered the �Sq� and �Wh� entries: squid and whale.

So there really was no videotape. Good. No problem.

But wait. We�d taken a bus home. What about the bus driver?

If the Yeerks got him, they�d tap into his memories and know exactly who we were and where we�d gotten off the bus.

I shut the encyclopedia. And I almost missed the next news story.

�The entire town is trying to save a fifty-nine-foot whale that beached itself on the coastline less than fifteen minutes ago,� the anchorwoman chirped. �This is the first marine mammal stranding in the town�s history. Let�s go live to the scene.�

The burrito lodged in my throat. I swallowed hard.

The reporter was standing on the beach.

And behind him was a massive, wrinkled wall of whale.

I didn�t hear much of what the reporter was saying.

Something about volunteers and the whale surviving.

�What kind of whale is that?� I croaked.

My mother glanced up from her paperwork. �Hmmm? Oh, they just said it was a sperm whale.�

And then the camera zoomed in, and suddenly the whale and I were looking straight at each other.

His dark, solemn gaze locked onto mine.

I pushed back my chair.

This was no coincidence.

Someone or something wanted us out there bad. And was willing to sacrifice a whale to do it.

�Aren�t you going to finish your dinner?� my mother asked as I grabbed the phone.

�I�m not hungry,� I said, punching in Cassie�s number.

�Hi,� I said, when she answered, �What�re you doing?�

�I just came in from the barn,� she said. �Why?�

I chose my words carefully. We never trust phones. �Well, we were just watching the news and they had some bizarre stories about a gorilla tearing through the mall and a sperm whale beached down at the shore. Weird, huh? How come we always miss all the interesting stuff?�

�A sperm whale,� she said slowly. �Uh-huh. Well, it�s a shame, but there�s nothing we can do about it. We already have plans for tonight.�

�Oh, yeah, I know,� I said and then, in case anybody was listening, added, �you�re gonna learn how to cartwheel if it�s the last thing I do.�

She laughed. �Sure. Seeya.�

I hung up and yelled that I was going to Cassie�s.

My mother barely looked up from her paperwork.

Sometimes having a busy mom is a good thing.

I walked out into the evening, steaming. Someone was playing games with us. Someone was treating us like a bunch of sock puppets. Jerking us around.

I was mad. But it was a cold anger. A calm, cold anger.

We�d see who jerked who.

Right, have you noticed these coincidences seem very....coincidental?

# ? Aug 18, 2021 03:36

freebooter: Jul 7, 2009

quote:

�This is the last weekend I have to prepare this case and I�d appreciate your cooperation.�

Marriott Hotel employees vs the United States (class action) for emotional trauma caused during elephant attack on resort during G7 conference

# ? Aug 18, 2021 09:19

Tree Bucket: Apr 1, 2016; R.I.P.idura leucophrys

freebooter posted:

Marriott Hotel employees vs the United States (class action) for emotional trauma caused during elephant attack on resort during G7 conference

Rachel's mother branches out into the emerging, surprisingly profitable field of Gorilla-Induced Trauma compensation.

# ? Aug 18, 2021 09:33

freebooter: Jul 7, 2009

Tree Bucket posted:

Rachel's mother branches out into the emerging, surprisingly profitable field of Gorilla-Induced Trauma compensation.

The firm has a landscape painting of a Western mountainside with a grizzly bear above the secretary's desk and can't understand why so many clients keep having panic attacks when they walk in

# ? Aug 18, 2021 13:11

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

"Have you or a loved one been shot by a hawk or have been the victim of a sudden and unexpected limb amputation? Do you need compensation for your injuries?"

# ? Aug 18, 2021 15:12

Piell: Sep 3, 2006; Grey Worm's Ken doll-like groin throbbed with the anticipatory pleasure that only a slightly warm and moist piece of lemoncake could offer; Young Orc

Do the human controllers all go to a secret Yeerk medical center or is the local hospital just really concerned about all the animal attack patients they keep seeing?

# ? Aug 18, 2021 16:36

Tree Bucket: Apr 1, 2016; R.I.P.idura leucophrys

"What's this? Another patient with skunk poisoning and minor bear-related disembowelling? And they want "a gate pass for an urgent work meeting and/or grandmother's funeral every three days" too?"

# ? Aug 19, 2021 02:07

Fuschia tude: Dec 26, 2004; THUNDERDOME LOSER 2019

Epicurius posted:

So,

Oh yeah, I definitely remember this snail bit. Somehow the Ax eating details stand out.

# ? Aug 19, 2021 02:13

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Chapter 15

quote:

I went around the back of the house and slid into the shadows between the hedges and the fence. Pulled off my running shoes, jacket, and jeans. Concentrated on my bald eagle morph.

Instantly I felt the changes begin.

I was falling like an elevator with a snapped cable.

My bones crunched, hollowing out and remolding themselves.

SPPPRRROOOUT! Wings burst from my back.

My face shifted and bulged. My chin slid away and my nose stretched, hardening into a fierce, deadly beak.

Feathers etched a tattoo pattern on my skin, then rose and formed dappled layers. My vision sharpened.

The eagle�s brain wanted to hunt. It wanted to eat.

Get a grip, Rachel. Think about what you have to do.

And suddenly, my mind was clear.

I spread my wings and took off.

First, I had to get to Erek�s to make sure Marco and Jake hadn�t walked into an ambush. Just because the news hadn�t mentioned our bus driver didn�t mean the Yeerks hadn�t found and questioned him.

Aha! Down below, Marco and Jake stepped out of Erek�s and closed the door.

<Hey, guys, it�s me,> I called, dipping a wing when they glanced up. <Listen, a live sperm whale washed up on the beach. We have to acquire it. Be at Cassie�s as soon as possible.>

I knew they couldn�t answer me in thought-speak, so I drifted above them for a few minutes, watching for a sign.

And I got one, as soon as Jake turned down one street and Marco turned down a different one.

<Okay, Jake, you have to go home first?> I asked.

He nodded and walked faster. Broke into a jog. Marco was morphing behind someone�s shed.

I flew as fast as I could to Tobias�s meadow. He saw me coming and listened as I told him about the whale.

<I�ll get Ax,> he said. <You know, this is bull, Rachel. We need a sperm whale and all of a sudden we have one? I don�t think so.>

I veered off and headed back toward the barn. Cassie was perched in a wild cherry tree waiting for me, already morphed to osprey.

Marco, in osprey morph, landed nearby. <Gee, can we all spell �coincidence�?>

<Somebody wants us to get to that Pemalite ship,> I said.

<Or die trying,> Marco added grimly.

A red-tailed hawk and a northern harrier drifted into view.

<Where is Prince Jake?> Ax asked.

<He had to stop home first,> Marco replied. <His parents were expecting him. He has to weasel out somehow.>

Jake showed up twenty minutes later. <You�ll all appreciate this little update: The Sharing is sending volunteers down to help save the whale. You know, what with TV cameras being there. Gives them a great opportunity to be saintly and environmental and all.>

So the place was going to be crawling with Controllers.

<Maybe that�s it, maybe not,> Cassie said. <They may think it�s one of us.>

<We�re being manipulated here,> Jake said. <But not by the Yeerks. Not even they can arrange for a sperm whale to conveniently beach itself. They could shoot one, but talk a live one into beaching? Not their style.>

<So who? Who goes to all the trouble to get to the Pemalite ship, use it to mess with the Chee, and then hand us the means to get down there?>

Tobias wondered. <Not the Yeerks. Not the Ellimist. Not his style. So who?>

<Or what?> Marco said.

<Come on, let�s go,> Jake said. <Just everyone keep your eyes open. This whole thing stinks.>

<We may not have long,> Cassie said. <Beached whales can�t support their weight on land. They end up crushing themselves to death. That whale is slowly suffocating.>

I felt a shiver of fear. Suffocating. The whale was suffocating.

A whale, beached so we could acquire it. A pawn in someone�s game. Expendable.

Not if I could help it.

<Let�s do it,> I said.

The Yeerks obviously can't make a sperm whale beach itself, as mentioned, But the idea that the Yeerks think the Sperm Whale is actually an Animorph doesn't make sense either. Sure, you don't expect to see a beached sperm whale, but why would an Andalite bandit beach himself?

Chapter 16

quote:

It wasn�t a long flight in a straight line. But we couldn�t fly in a straight line. We�d have been a whole sky full of raptors flying in formation. Slightly conspicuous.

So we stayed far apart at different altitudes, never seeming to go in the same direction at all.

It took a while to reach the beach. It was empty of sunbathers. The sun was weak and watery and heading down. Besides, what people were still at the beach were gathered around to gape at the spectacle.

It lay below us, improbable, out of place. Huge. It dwarfed the small army of humans who clustered around it like busy ants around roadkill.

The whale looked dead. But I knew it wasn�t. Whoever or whatever was directing this little play wouldn�t allow it to be dead.

<Erek didn�t believe us when we said we couldn�t find a way to get to his ship,> Jake said. <He said, �You will. We have faith in you.�>

<Wow. And I thought the Chee were so smart,> Marco said. 

That got a laugh from everyone. The time Erek had spent with us had involved a trip to the planet of the Iskoort, and a deadly confrontation with a creature of infinite power and malice: the monster called Crayak.

 Cassie said.

<Well, then, you�ll love what else Erek told us,> Marco called. <Since the Pemalites considered everyone a friend, their ship�s adapted to accommodate different life-forms. You touch one of the interface panels throughout the ship, your life-form is analyzed, and the ship provides you with the correct environments.>

<How do we get in and shut off the signal?> I said, heading for a deserted dune far away from the crowd around the whale.

<Mr. King gave us an access code that�ll get us into the main computer,> Jake said, his tone sardonic. <Everybody memorize it: Six.>

<Six?> I said.

<Six,> he confirmed.

I sighed. <You know, I�m sure the Pemalites were wonderful people and all, but using a single digit security code? I mean, good grief. What a bunch of idiots.>

<They trusted,> Cassie said simply.

<They�re dead,> I said, just as simply.

We landed behind a dune in an area of tall scruffy grass. Tobias stayed airborne, always on alert.

This was going to be a little hairy. If anybody came over that dune and saw us, they�d run screaming all the way to the next county.

We were mutants. A group of bulging, stretching, pulsating blobs of feathers and flesh, fingers and wings. Stubby little people with beaks and talons, legs and hair.

The first thing I noticed when I was fully human again was the smell. The fresh smell of salt and sand. Birds of prey have hearing and sight that is far superior to humans. But they are not into smell or taste.

�It�s occurred to everyone that this is all a trap, right?� I said.

�What?� Marco mocked. �You suspect treachery? Now, why didn�t I think of that?�

I ignored him. �Okay, so look, we don�t expose anyone we don�t have to here.�

Jake smiled at me. �You volunteering?�

I shrugged.

�Rachel�s right,� Marco said. �We go out there all together, we�re exposed. How many of us do we need to morph whale?�

Jake nodded. �A couple, anyway. I�m not sending anyone squid-hunting without backup. But you�re both right. The less exposure, the better. So we pick two of us to acquire the whale. Excluding Ax, who can�t because he�d have to be in his own body to acquire.�

�And that might cause some slight disruption down on the beach,� I said.

�Two of us will morph into whales and go find a squid,� Jake continued. �The rest of us will use our dolphin morphs, stay topside as backup -�

�Who gets to be the whales?� I interrupted. �I�ll go.�

Cassie rolled her eyes. �You know, Rachel, you�re like the smart kid in class who sits in the front and always raises her hand. �I know! I know!� Only with you it�s �I�ll go! I�ll go!��

I laughed at the image.

�I guess we�ll draw straws,� Jake said. He bent down and yanked up some grass and began breaking the stems into pieces.

<Ahh. The human scientific method,> Ax said.

As usual with Ax, it was hard to tell if that was supposed to be a joke.

Jake put his hands behind his back, then held them out in his fist. �Pick. Short ones are whales.�

Part of me wanted to hang back. I had bad mental images of the world several miles underwater.

But most of me wanted to go, and for the same reason: because it scared me.

Tobias landed on a broken piece of wooden fence. <I�m in on this,> he said.

I met his fierce gaze. I looked hard at him, as hard as he looked at me.

<No,> he said in thought-speak only I could hear.

I narrowed my eyes and pressed my lips tight together. I couldn�t thought-speak, but Tobias would get the message.

<Rachel, no,> he said. 

Marco drew a straw. A long one.

Cassie drew. Long straw.

I glared at Tobias.

<Okay fine,> he snapped in angry surrender. <The second from your left.>

I pulled the straw second from the left. �Short,� I announced, holding it up.

<My turn,> Tobias said.

Jake walked over to him and held out his hand. Tobias pecked up a straw with his beak.

<Short,> he said, looking hard at me.

�Rachel and Tobias,� Jake said, letting the other straws fall. He looked from Tobias to me, suspicious.

I shot Tobias a furious stare. He hated the water! He could never entirely subdue his hawk instincts, instincts that told him water was definitely not his environment. It scared him. But he�d cheated to pick the short straw for himself.

My fault. I�d insisted on going. Tobias wasn�t going to let me go down there without him to watch my back.

Later, I would be kind of touched by that loyal gesture. But right then I was just mad: Tobias was risking his own life because I was jerk enough to make him cheat for me.

Guilt. I hate guilt.

Jake sighed heavily. �All right. Rachel? You and Cassie go down to save the whale. Cassie being there will seem normal. Everyone knows she�s -�

�- a tree-hugging animal nut,� Marco interjected.

�And everyone knows Rachel is Cassie�s best friend. It works out. Tobias? In and out, man. Choose your time, zip in, lock talon, and bail. The rest of us will stay up here as backup. Ax? Morph to seagull and give us some air cover.�

Cassie and I started down the dune. Jake grabbed my arm and pulled me aside for a private word. �Don�t you ever do that again,� he said, far angrier than I�d suspected. �It�s your fault Tobias is going. Remember that next time you decide to make fools of the rest of us.�

He let me go and I walked away, a little shaken. Jake doesn�t get mad much. When he does, it sticks in your mind.

�Coming, Rach?� Cassie called, already down the dune.

Oh, yeah.

This party couldn�t start without me.

There's a lot of Jake-Rachel tension in this book. Also, two things spring to mind. First, I think Ax is a funny guy. I don't care what anyone says. Also, I get that the Pemalites were probably overtrusting and had really bad password/infosec, but they seem like they'd be a fun species to hang out with.

# ? Aug 19, 2021 03:16

Comrade Blyatlov: Aug 4, 2007; should have picked four fingers

6 is probably better than guest or password tbh

# ? Aug 19, 2021 03:24

Terror Sweat: Mar 15, 2009

Humans hang out with pemalites all the time, dogs are dope

# ? Aug 19, 2021 05:55

HisMajestyBOB: Oct 21, 2010; College Slice

quote:

It wasn’t a long flight in a straight line. But we couldn’t fly in a straight line. We’d have been a whole sky full of raptors flying in formation. Slightly conspicuous.

I never understood why they didn't get geese morphs or something for long range trips. They have endurance (Tobias even comments on it) and fly in formation.

Also, this chapter is good. Good character interaction for Rachel and Jake, and of course Rachel and Tobias.

# ? Aug 19, 2021 06:33

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? May 27, 2024 07:02

Fuschia tude: Dec 26, 2004; THUNDERDOME LOSER 2019

HisMajestyBOB posted:

I never understood why they didn't get geese morphs or something for long range trips. They have endurance (Tobias even comments on it) and fly in formation.

Even Tobias could use some bird morphs for things like this. He could morph mid-air and probably no one on the ground would ever notice.

# ? Aug 19, 2021 08:25

The Something Awful Forums > Archives > Comedy Goldmine > Let's Read Animorphs! The Whole Series! Ch-ch-ch-chaaanges

«‹›236 »