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

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Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Chapter 5

quote:

�Gafrash horlit!�

The Hork-Bajir let go. My cage hit the floor with another painful crash.

<Get Tobias!> Rachel cried.

Marco, in gorilla morph, was the only one with an opposable thumb, an often undervalued appendage. He reached for me, but a downed Hork-Bajir grabbed his leg and yanked him backward. So Rachel nudged me with her massive front paws, pushing my cage across the floor, down the hall, away from the fight.

Suddenly, the cage stopped. We�d run into something. We�d hit human feet.

Rachel froze, sniffing the air hard. I looked up. Sleek, suede boots. Fashionably worn jeans. The torso and head were in shadow. Who was this? Some innocent vet student, trapped by the battle?

Her arm appeared from behind her back. Her fingers clutched a Dracon beam � My heart stopped.

The girl�s fingers glistened and sparkled in the semidarkness. The way real flesh fingers never do.

<Taylor,> Rachel hissed, her voice rough with rage.

�Make one move, bear, and your next stop is the taxidermist.�

<Yeah, right!> Rachel leaped, claws slashing.

Tseew!

Taylor seared a hole in Rachel�s flank.

�HhhhoooRRRAAWWRRR!� Rachel dropped, groaning with pain.

And Taylor grabbed my cage with her artificial hand. The hand she had accepted in exchange for her freedom. Taylor�s story was a sad one. A story of a girl who�d lost her face, arm, and leg in a terrible fire. The Sharing, the Yeerk front organization, had been there for her. Offering her a new face and arm and leg. All she had to do was agree to be infested. A voluntary Controller. All she had to do was let a vile gray slug wrap around her brain. But the Yeerk that infested Taylor was nuts. Taylor had pretty much lost it, too. Not a very stable situation. And there I was.

I couldn�t believe what was happening. My torturer had captured me. Again.

No.

The fingers of her real hand poked through the bars of my cage, threatening to touch me as she lifted the cage right up to her face.

NO!

She didn�t speak a word but her icy stare said it all. Thought you�d seen the last of me, Andalite fool? Well, you thought wrong.
Taylor straightened her pearly, plastic fingers. I knew what she was going to do. I�d known since the moment I recognized her in the shadows.

�I love surprises,� she whispered. And without any further warning, snowy particles frothed from the fingertips of her prosthesis.

Gas!

She was gassing me just like the time she�d captured me under the grounds of The Sharing�s new community center. In moments, I�d be paralyzed. The only difference was that she didn�t realize I was the same �Andalite� she�d previously captured. I could only hope she didn�t remember.

I stretched out my talon. I gripped the fleshy fingers of her real hand. Then I closed my eyes, shut my ears, shut it all out. The animal screams, the grunts, the human shouts. The horror of reliving a nightmare.

Acquire her. Acquire her. Become her.

A nauseating idea. Necessary.

I clutched her fingers tighter. To Taylor, it must have seemed like a pitiful attempt to fight back, but she didn�t know the truth. She didn�t know that I felt her DNA flow into me. Felt her body relax, slacken under the acquiring trance.

The gaseous powder stung and tingled, pricking my skin like invisible nettles.

But Taylor, too, was immobile! Paralyzed! For an instant, I�d slowed her down. Incapacitated her.

Not enough. Not nearly enough.

My talon went limp. My body fell numb. Taylor�s eyes buzzed back to life just in time to watch me realize that this gas was different from the stuff I�d experienced before.

�Version 2.0,� Taylor laughed. �Enough general anesthetic to knock you out completely.�

Blackness rushed in from all sides as my vision dimmed.

<Rachel?> I called weakly. <Jake?>

If they answered, I didn�t hear them.

Why me? What had I done to deserve this? Foolish questions, useless self-pity � I was a warrior.

All I could do was look straight ahead. Into the dismal depths of Taylor�s mad, hypnotic eyes. In that moment, I saw clearly. I saw that I was just a blob of mud bobbing through the raging stream of her thoughts. The stream couldn�t be stopped and it would destroy me.

It would break me apart.

It's Taylor! She's back. And there are no Helmacrons, so this is already better than the last book.

Chapter 6

quote:

Skrrr-eeeek!

The sound of a metal spoon dragged across the bottom of a pan. The smell of canned tomato soup warming on a stove. These ordinary things drew me out of darkness. I opened my eyes.

I was still caged, but now there were half a dozen Dracon beams aimed at my head, clamped to my cage with vises. Not high-tech mechanisms fresh off the Yeerk drawing board, but the kind of clamps you pick up at Ace Hardware.

It didn�t matter. Point was, I didn�t have any hands. My captors knew that hawk beak and talons couldn�t unscrew anything.

Blinking beneath each mounted Dracon was a red light. A sensor? I didn�t move. I didn�t dare.

The thought of more torture set my bones knocking. I couldn�t take any more.

I started to tremble, uncontrollably. I watched the sensors with both minds, hawk and human.

Each had been almost destroyed and both parts of me remembered � the pain, the hopelessness!

Impossible to escape � red light, blue light. Agony � endless �

Morph. I could morph to something small and crawl away. Undetected. Steal away. Do it,

Tobias. Do it.

�Morph, my friend,� Taylor warned, her voice cold and confident, �and the beams will fire automatically.�

I hadn�t seen her there, sitting at a kitchen chair, mug in hand, sipping soup. I�d felt her, though. Her evil had a way of dominating the very nature of a room, of coloring everything around her and stoking my fear.

I couldn�t escape. I never really thought I could. Not then, not now. Taylor was back, just as I guessed she would be.

�The computer controlling the Dracon beams is sensitive to basic changes in shape. You cannot escape.�

Wait. That wasn�t true. I could escape. I could morph. Morph and die!

�Yes, you could choose death,� Taylor said, answering my thoughts. �I�ve deliberately given you that option.� She paused to take a slurp of soup, her eyes still fixed on me.

I looked at the kitchen, and at the small, shoddily built, low-ceilinged structure. Something was definitely wrong with this picture. Yeerks choose the best. They take the best of everything we humans have, and when the best we have to offer isn�t good enough, they use stolen alien technologies to
make it shine. This was � what? Some sort of hovel. My cage rested on a Formica table scarred with cigarette burns.

�Choose death,� she repeated casually, �or � listen to what I have to say.� She rose, dropped her mug in the sink of the strange little kitchen, and returned to her seat. �I have a deal for you, Andalite.�

She was so casual. Not the Taylor I�d known.

What trick, what scheme did she have up her sleeve?

�Good,� she said, seeing that I�d decided to postpone death. �It would be much harder to solicit help from an Andalite who�s dead.�

Help?

Yeah, and Rachel will pass up a sale at Express, Crayak will win the Nobel Peace Prize, a Yeerk slug will turn down a promotion. What did she have up her sleeve?

�Civil war is coming, Andalite,� she began. �Yeerk versus Yeerk. We�ve had enough of the petty visser fights, the favoritism, the punishments � the Council makes us sick.�

Anger flushed her face. She�d said the last sentence with such vehemence that for a fleeting instant, I knew I could believe her. The Council did make her sick.

But then, her guard went up again. The spark in her eye made her look part politician and part actor, part trial lawyer, and part scheming teenaged girl. It was a face shrouded in lies.

�The Yeerks must move on as a race,� she continued. �The time has come.� She got up again and opened the ancient refrigerator. �We need to make a civilization with the hosts we have.� She glanced at me. �Many of us realize that the eternal wars have to end and that the loss on Leera, the stalled offensive on Earth, and now the apparent bungling on the Anati planet have discredited the current leadership enough that it cannot survive.�

She pulled a bag of carrots from the fridge. Seriously bizarre. She was talking political strategy while she snacked. Like we were hanging out at her house after school, planning the rigging of the homecoming queen election.

She continued. �We want to be more like you, Andalite. We need a structure that will transform us from rebels to leaders. We want to be more like Andalite society. Even more like the humans.� Her teeth snapped a crisp carrot in two. Her eyes stared at me. �We want to move toward democracy and we need your help to do it.�

It was like the world�s weirdest press conference.

I didn�t believe a word she said.

Not a word.

So I tested her. 

Taylor laughed. She was a violent, aggressive, and ruthless personality. Personalities don�t change. Not much, anyway. I waited for her to prove me right. I waited for proof that she was still working for Visser Three. That this talk of rebels was all a ruse.

�Nice to hear your voice again, Andalite. The Andalite with the power to stay in morph for more than the two-hour time limit. Your voice brings back such sweet memories.� The tone in her voice set me shaking again. �I learned a lot about you during our time together, Andalite. I saw your mind. I saw your courage dribble away. I would enjoy finishing you now. Breaking you.� She slinked toward my cage. �Right here and right now. You think you�re strong, but I know you�re weak. It would take seconds!� She paused just enough to let the thought rattle me. �But this time, Andalite, it�s your cooperation I require. I need you and your fellow Andalites. I need you to help me destroy Visser Three.�

She wasn�t working for the visser. She was out to destroy him. That�s what she�d said.

Unguarded anger seethed from her face. If she was lying, it was impossible for me to tell.

�You�ve fared badly as a bird.� She looked at my bandaged wing, at my matted feathers, my twisted neck. �You have Visser Three to thank for that. His Hork-Bajir aren�t big on gentle.�

She wanted me to become angry, too, and take revenge, get back at the visser, join forces with her ��

Don�t answer now.� She pulled a scrap of paper from her pocket and pushed it through the bars of my cage. �Here.� It was a Web address. �Talk things over with your comrades and leave me a message there. Sign it �Bandits.��

Then she unlatched the cage door, threw open the nearest window, and disappeared behind acurtain, leaving her dirty dishes in the sink.

So what do you think about Taylor and her offer?

# ? Jun 6, 2022 04:27

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# ? May 27, 2024 01:21

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

Taylor's making a power play. Has to be.

# ? Jun 6, 2022 07:28

FlocksOfMice: Feb 3, 2009

Oh wow, maximum paranoia time. This is wildly intense. you get the ptsd of being captured by your former torturer, yeerk politics coming to a head OR an incredibly tightly orchestrated deep fake false flag... the only time I would trust a non peace movement yeerk IS when it's being self serving and conniving, though.

# ? Jun 6, 2022 08:41

freebooter: Jul 7, 2009

I don't know about the whole "we want democracy" thing but the idea that the last few years have gone badly for the Yeerks in multiple arenas and civil war is coming feels entirely plausible.

And in fact wanting to be "more like humans" also checks out; it sort of feels inevitable to me that they'd become more symbiotic like the Iskoort in the long term, and even in the short term, living a double life (much like the Animorphs!) in suburban California and having conversations with their hosts much like we've seen Visser One, Illim etc do has got to be having some kind of transformative impact in the short term. With truly, fully intelligent captives like humans or Leerans there'd have to be some kind of Colombian exchange going on, unlike the Geds or Hork Bajir. Not necessarily to the point of embracing freedom and democracy, but certainly to factions wanting some kind of systemic change from the forever-war sparked by the first generation that took advantage of Seerow only a few decades ago.

This is also one of the times - although I can understand why the Animorphs would be mistrustful of this even aside from writer reasons - when it would have been useful to foster closer, ongoing relations with Tidwell/Illim and the Yeerk peace movement.

# ? Jun 6, 2022 09:35

freebooter: Jul 7, 2009

On a completely different level though: if I was PTSDed after being tortured and then the same torturer shoved me in a cage and then said "psych, you can leave, there's the door" I could see myself being too frightened to move because I think she's cruelly tricking me.

# ? Jun 6, 2022 09:36

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

freebooter posted:

I don't know about the whole "we want democracy" thing but the idea that the last few years have gone badly for the Yeerks in multiple arenas and civil war is coming feels entirely plausible.

And in fact wanting to be "more like humans" also checks out; it sort of feels inevitable to me that they'd become more symbiotic like the Iskoort in the long term, and even in the short term, living a double life (much like the Animorphs!) in suburban California and having conversations with their hosts much like we've seen Visser One, Illim etc do has got to be having some kind of transformative impact in the short term. With truly, fully intelligent captives like humans or Leerans there'd have to be some kind of Colombian exchange going on, unlike the Geds or Hork Bajir. Not necessarily to the point of embracing freedom and democracy, but certainly to factions wanting some kind of systemic change from the forever-war sparked by the first generation that took advantage of Seerow only a few decades ago.

This is also one of the times - although I can understand why the Animorphs would be mistrustful of this even aside from writer reasons - when it would have been useful to foster closer, ongoing relations with Tidwell/Illim and the Yeerk peace movement.

The best lies are rooted in truth though, and I think that's what's going on here.

# ? Jun 6, 2022 09:55

Capfalcon: Apr 6, 2012; No Boots on the Ground,
Puny Mortals!

As a side note, it looks like Visser One messed things up on her assignment.

# ? Jun 6, 2022 12:47

CidGregor: Sep 27, 2009; TG: if i were you i would just take that fucking devilbeast out behind the woodshed and blow its head off

Capfalcon posted:

As a side note, it looks like Visser One messed things up on her assignment.

I thought that name sounded familiar. I guess her earth tactical expertise did not translate very well to a completely new alien species. Who'd have thunk.

# ? Jun 6, 2022 20:57

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

I wonder how long it's been since VISSER. That could also say something about what happened on the Anati homeworld.

# ? Jun 6, 2022 21:57

WrightOfWay: Jul 24, 2010

Given that Taylor says "apparent bungling" it's possible she (and probably the rest of the rank and file Yeerks on Earth) don't have a whole lot of information about it. It's possible that said bungling was from before Visser One took over and/or that Visser Three is controlling news from the Anati campaign to make Visser One look bad. It's also possible Visser One is just loving it up, though.

# ? Jun 6, 2022 22:14

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Chapter 7

quote:

The red sensors flickered out.

I hobbled from the cage, hopped to the window. The ground was a few feet below me. I fell outside. Taylor. Visser Three. Civil war. Weakness �

She�d let me go.

It was too much to sort out. I needed my friends. I needed Rachel.

I dragged myself into the shadows, morphed and demorphed to repair injuries. Injuries which by this time were so painful they bordered on torture themselves. I lifted off. Free, but my mind was weighted.

As I rose into the air, I saw the place I�d been held. An old trailer, parked by a junkyard. A rebel hideout. Far from the city and the Yeerk pool. Could she be telling the truth?

I flapped toward town, toward the lights, toward Rachel�s. Over buildings topped by digital dishes and cell phone relays. Suddenly, I cut the gas, strained my wings, dropped to a roof.

If she weren�t telling the truth, if she were feeding me lies �

She�d have planted a tracking device on my body. Of course! The Yeerks were tailing me. I was bringing them straight to my friends. Straight to the Andalite bandits.

When I�d finished kicking myself, I picked the smallest morph I had. Flea. I focused on the tiny blood-sucking body.

SCHWOOOP!

The roof rushed at me. Slate shingles became slick and huge as glaciers. My vision fractured like light through a prism and my hearing cut. It was all about the other senses. Taste, smell. Feeling. I waited for the corner of a tiny chip to bust out of my skin. Any tracking device would fall away from a flea�s body. It would prove that Taylor�s words were meaningless. That I could write her off forever. I wanted to.

I grew smaller and smaller. Nothing snagged, nothing stretched my stretchable skin. Nothing bulged from my body. No global positioning chip. I was unmarked.

Okay. Okay. No easy answers. Just complications.

I demorphed and rocketed past streetlights, car headlights, and neon signs to Rachel�s house. Her window was open. I shot through and planted my talons on the bedpost, swishing my feathers as I came to a stop. She jolted out of sleep.

�Thank God!� she whispered. I fluttered down next to her. She touched me gently. A smile filled her face, then was replaced by rage. �That jerk!� Her voice hardened. �That scum.�

<I�m okay,> I said. <Taylor let me go.> I felt safe in Rachel�s presence, but my voice still sounded raw.

�We searched for you for hours. I wanted to kill her.�



�What�s her deal?�

<She wants to work with us,> I said. My words sounded preposterous. I wondered for a second if I hadn�t dreamed it all. <It�s weird. She says that if we give her help, she gives us Visser Three.>

�Don�t believe it,� Rachel muttered, charging out of bed. �C�mon. Let�s get the others.�

An hour later, we had all assembled in Cassie�s barn.

�A deal?! Come on. Our help?! Puh-leeze. If some Yeerk contracts a democracy virus, I m supposed to care?� Marco said skeptically. �I don�t think so.�

 Ax nearly sneered.

�But what if she�s telling the truth?� Cassie countered. Cassie was the only one of us who�d befriended a Yeerk before. Who�d actually morphed a Yeerk. I knew she, at least, would want to give my story some consideration. �Maybe she really does believe in a better way. She wouldn�t be the first Yeerk to have a change of heart.�

�No, she�d be the last. That creep wouldn�t even breathe if it didn�t serve her,� Rachel sneered. �She�s not about to found a democratic leadership because it�s a just philosophy. She wants something else.�

�Seems obvious to me,� Marco answered. �It�s the means, not the end, that interest her. She�s keen on democracy because it�s a process that will eject Visser Three.�

�Do you always assume the worst of people?� Cassie asked.

�Always.� Marco smiled. �People are who they are. My bet is that when Taylor failed to break Tobias with torture, the visser sent her packing. She�s probably been plotting revenge ever since.�

For a second, nobody spoke. Jake glared at Marco and I was pretty sure I knew why. I was guessing it was probably also the reason no one had mentioned how I�d been recaptured in the first place. No one had mentioned that I�d made a huge mistake by rescuing the lost kid. Now I realized why. Marco�d mentioned torture, something he was apparently not supposed to do when I was around, not even in passing.

Their hypersensitivity made me mad. Did they think the memory would mess me up? Couldn�t they see me getting stronger? Couldn�t they tell I�d be fine?

�Tobias, what�s your take?� Jake said, breaking the silence. �You know more about her than anyone.�

What was my take, now that I wasn�t locked in a cage, waiting to be tortured? Rachel looked at me. Her eyes gave me strength.

<Power,> I said, suddenly knowing the truth. <Power is the one thing in the world I know Taylor wants. Using me to get Visser Three must strike her as irresistible irony.>

�Know what would be even more irresistible?� Marco added. �Get Visser Three and the Andalite bandits both killed in the process. Two birds, one stone.�

Rachel nodded. �Marco has a point. An irony in itself.�

�We�ve had other chances to get Visser Three and we�ve blown them,� Jake said. �We might not get a shot like this again. Can we afford to pass it up?�

<Civil war means Yeerk against Yeerk,> Ax observed. <It means confusion, betrayal within enemy ranks, a foe distracted by internal strife. It is a unique opportunity.>

�Right,� Marco agreed. �Capitalize on the chaos. Divide and conquer.�

�We tried that, remember?� Rachel said. �The time we pretended to help Visser One destroy Visser Three. It didn�t go over real well.�

�This is different,� Marco replied flatly. �It�s not about my mother this time. It�s not personal.�

Not personal? Marco didn�t know how wrong he was.

�Tobias,� Jake said. �I still think this should be your call.� He looked up at my perch on the rafter. �Do we deal with Taylor or not?�

I looked away from the group, out through the loft window. Out at the moon, gigantic on the horizon.

People have told me that when the moon fills the sky like that, when it looms huge like a glow-in-the-dark beach ball, it�s really just an illusion. It�s your mind playing tricks on you. And it�s true. If you look at the moon through a camera lens, it�s just a dinky dot in the sky. Our minds make it bigger than it is.

<She�s dangerous,> I said after a moment, <but if we face her together �>

I stopped. What if Taylor was all I knew she was and worse? I looked back at the orange-white moon. I knew it was just an illusion, but I couldn�t take my eyes off it, immense and amazing.

 I said finally. <But I think we have to deal.>

Win or lose, I had to deal.

I don't think Marco, Rachel, and Ax are wrong here. If Taylor is doing this, she's doing it for Taylor. Also, I'm getting the impression the moon and the illusion of size is a metaphor here, but I can't really think of what.

Chapter 8

quote:

The freak and geek club. The middle of the night, deep in the forest. Four kids and a bird crowded around a laptop salvaged from a Dumpster and repaired by an alien kid and friend, Ax. An Andalite and brother of Elfangor. Ax�s fourteen fingers deftly powered up the unit and dialed up the
Internet.

�Ax, this is way cool,� Rachel whispered, �but how did you do it? A cell phone? Internet access? That�s more allowance than I�ll ever see.�

�You mean because Macy�s has you on that pesky outfit-per-week plan?� Marco sneered.

�I�d like to think that an Andalite who once made contact with his home world could arrange Web access,� Jake said.

<It has not been easy,> Ax said somberly. He was using an old car battery for power. All the wires and tape patches spilling from the jerry-rigged setup made Ax look pretty clever to me. <I reconditioned several other discarded computing modules and sold them to Computer Renaissance. I thought the money would be sufficient. I did not know that cell phones and Net access require a credit card.>�

The bank wasn�t reassured by the whole �unemployed alien� aspect of your application?� Marco said.

�That�s right,� Cassie said. �So I�m helping him. You know the cell phone I�m supposed to take with me, for emergencies only? Well, Dad made a deal with me. I can talk for half an hour a week if I do Saturday morning meds.� I watched her locate the cell phone. It was opened up and tangled in a nest of wires. �Ax, you can put that back together, right?� she said, a bit nervously.

 The screen dimmed and revived. Rachel raised an eyebrow. But then, sure enough, the AOL welcome screen loaded.

�Excellent,� Marco said, smiling. �Oh, wait, wait! The James Bond home page! Play the teaser trailer. Ax. Listen to me!�

Ax ignored him and typed in the address to Taylor�s Web page: http://www.earthisours.com.

We got a message. �The URL cannot be found.�

 Ax explained.

�Uh, Ax-man?� Marco pointed to the flickering screen and sounded out the address. �You typed Earth-I-saurus.com. You made it a dino. It�s Earth-Is-Ours.�

<Perhaps fourteen fingers are four too many.> Ax, being uncharacteristically funny. He typed in the right address.

Taylor�s Web page took a while to download and the image was fuzzy at first. Slowly, the screen became clearer. It was a picture of the earth from outer space, a beautiful blue-green sphere covered with clouds. There was a caption, �Triumph will be ours,� and a box to send a message.

Ax waited for my dictation. I thought about what to say. I wanted to intimidate her, cut her down to size, make her wonder if we�d bite, make her worry that we wouldn�t. I wanted ambiguity. I wanted to see her squirm.

In the end, all I wrote was, �Okay, we�ll play.� Jake signed off with the word �Bandits.� Ax clicked �send.�

And then we waited. The others took turns playing minesweeper and solitaire. This time, Ax�s extra fingers somehow gave him an edge.

Taylor�s reply came an hour later. �No time to lose,� it read. �The plan is to attack and seize the �Pool.� Your special skills are needed. Meet me in a public place. Let�s say Borders bookstore. The wildlife section seems appropriate.�

Everyone spoke at the same time.

�Seize the Yeerk pool?� Jake repeated.

�An attack?� Cassie.

�I�m there!� Rachel, of course.

�The wildlife section!� Marco.

<The computer has, as you say, crashed,> Ax announced coolly.

�We�ll need a human morph that won�t give us away,� Marco echoed. �It ain�t gonna be Ax. He attracts too many girls. And of course I can�t go. Same reason.�

�Guys,� I said, half-scared, half-thrilled by the meaning of my words, �I just happen to have the perfect morph.�

Six hours later, when its doors opened, I strolled into Borders bookshop. Strode past piles of self-help books and tiers of best-sellers. Despite Rachel�s objections and Marco�s security concerns, Jake had let me go. I needed to be the one to deal with Taylor. Jake knew that.

But even Jake had some reservations about this morph. About the victim becoming the victimizer. So for a variety of security reasons, watching from various stations both in and outside the store, were my friends.

Two seagulls on the roof, Ax and Cassie, watching the front door and the sky. A fluffy cat, prowling the back alley, keeping an eye on the back door. In the magazine section, a short kid with pants as wide as a tent, huge bug-eyed sunglasses, headphones, and a knit ski cap disguising nine-tenths of his face. And in a stall in the men�s room, waiting for a signal, Jake, ready to provide immediate firepower if necessary.

Rachel chose the outfit, so I was dressed to kill. And I would have looked great in rags. See, morphing uses DNA, and I�d morphed her body as it would have been before the fire, before the accident. No artificial arm. No reconstructed beauty. I was a cover girl who could give even Angelina Jolie a run for her money. I was �

�Taylor,� I said easily, coming up behind the tall blond wandering the wildlife section. She spun around, surprised and off guard. Her mouth dropped open. She was face-to-face with herself. And for a second, I�d trumped her. She was mine.

�That�s clever,� she conceded, recovering quickly like a good detached Yeerk should. �Yeah, a nice touch. But how? Is there some new, improved Andalite morphing technology that allows you to acquire while in morph?�

I smiled on the outside. On the inside, I seized up. I�d just given myself away. But she�d never figure it out. Would she? She�d never know the whole story, that my true form was hawk, that I was no Andalite. But already, I�d given her more than I�d wanted to.

I searched the brain of my new body for a savvy reply. A strategic comeback. I searched it for the ruthless, crushing Yeerk. What I found was gentleness, fear, and joy. Very little cunning. Almost no hate. The human Taylor had once been an average kid. Like me. Like I�d been.

The realization steeled me against the nervousness that gnawed at my stomach.

�You�re not the only ones with scientists,� I said guardedly.

She accepted that answer. We walked toward the cafe.

Going to use "You're not the only one with scientists" as my comeback from now on. Also, Ax is making money reconditioning computers now...keeps him in cinnamon rolls, I guess. And Andalites have seven fingers on each hand. I didn't know that.

# ? Jun 7, 2022 03:59

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

I feel like the moon is just saying "you see what you want to".

# ? Jun 7, 2022 04:27

Fuschia tude: Dec 26, 2004; THUNDERDOME LOSER 2019

Epicurius posted:

And Andalites have seven fingers on each hand. I didn't know that.

Yes, their unnervingly high number of fingers has been mentioned before, mainly in early books.

# ? Jun 7, 2022 09:34

freebooter: Jul 7, 2009

quote:

In the end, all I wrote was, �Okay, we�ll play.�

They've really given up on trying not to sound like humans... although I guess the "bandits" are supposed to have been living among humans for years now.

# ? Jun 7, 2022 09:56

OctaviusBeaver: Apr 30, 2009; Say what now?

I try to suspend my disbelief for the scifi stuff but accessing the internet from a cell phone is just absurd.

# ? Jun 7, 2022 17:19

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Chapter 9

quote:

The high school kid behind the counter stared wide-eyed. One, make that two very attractive girls were closing in on him.

�Uh, what can I get you?� he asked shakily.

�Decaf latte with skim,� Taylor purred.

The kid turned to take my order. I smiled and he almost fell over. It was crazy to have such power. I�d been on the receiving end before. I�d just never been the source. Is this what Rachel experienced? Was this part of what made her so brave?

�Triple espresso. Heavy on the cream and the sugar.�

Taylor turned to me. �You dare abuse my body, you filthy grass eater?�

The kid raised his eyebrows. �Grass?� he said. �I can juice you some wheat grass, but that�s all we have.�

Taylor glared at the boy. I laughed. We were mirror images, literal carbon copies. But I was alive. Taylor wasn�t. Not really. I had a sense of humor. Taylor had a coldness that enclosed her like a shield. The kid could see this. Anybody could.

We brought our drinks to a table and sat in opposing chairs. Three college kids were studying together nearby, but out of earshot. A writer was reading her work to an enraptured public thirty feet away. Salsa music spilled out of the speakers.

Taylor gripped her mug like it was the enemy.

�I suppose you want details,� she said icily.

�Of course.�

�Listen carefully,� she began, her voice hushed. �There�s a natural gas pipeline, a large one, that runs a half mile from the Yeerk pool. We need to dig a connecting tunnel from that pipeline to the pool.�

�Why?�

Taylor huffed, arrogant and exasperated. �So that the pipe can be ruptured. So that thousands of tons of natural gas will spew into the Yeerk pool complex. And so that the gas, when exploded, will kill everyone exposed. The hosts. The Yeerks.�

It was a disgusting plan. It was even more horrible than I expected.

I took a sip of coffee, to keep it looking natural. Twin teens, probably comparing notes on last night�s dates. �That�s what you call a giant leap for democracy? I don�t get it. You want to end the violence with a big bang of your own? You think the violence will end there?�

�Surely you see that we need a bargaining chip,� Taylor replied. �We have to take control of the place and oust Visser Three. We have to get some leverage. Without this plan - if the rebels tried a more peaceful protest the Yeerks in orbit would oppose us. But if the plan works, we have a Yeerk pool full of hostages. They couldn�t attack us without putting their own at risk.�

�That never stopped you Yeerks before,� I retorted.

�Well, the Yeerks in orbit have to feed, don�t they?� she shot back angrily. �There�s no way around that. Within three days every Yeerk will need Kandrona rays. They will be forced to accept rebel leadership. If they want to survive.�

I forced a false tone of admiration. A little flattery wouldn�t hurt with this egomaniacal Yeerk. �This plan is your brainchild, isn�t it? It�s brutal, ruthless. Brilliant, really.�

�You know me well, Andalite.� A smile washed over her face.

But then, suddenly, her face transformed. All at once, her blue eyes filled with desperation. Her pink lips parted in wordless horror. A different voice, a frightened, abused little voice, called across the table in a toneless whisper.

�Don�t listen,� it said. �Don�t listen to her!�

I sat transfixed as Taylor�s hand blazed across the tabletop, crashing into her latte, smashing the mug to the floor. There was a huge racket as ceramic clattered across tile.

The writer stopped her public reading. The students raised their heads. The salsa music trumpeted on.

�Miss, are you okay?� The high school kid was instantly at Taylor�s side. She was crouched on the floor, her head in her arms. A second passed. Two seconds. Silence. On the third, her head snapped up.

�I�m fine,� she said, climbing back into her chair. �Get me a refill.� Her face was strong again, controlled. And I knew what I�d just seen.

Taylor the Yeerk had a rigid command over her host body. No longer did she let her human speak independently. No. Somehow, she�d severed their collaboration. Except they�d been partners for so long, the host could still break in, on occasion. Taylor the girl could still break in. Did break in � Why?
Why would the Yeerk wait until this moment to fully enslave her host? She claimed to be interested in democracy and peace. It didn�t compute.

�Any questions?� Taylor inquired, as if nothing had happened. As if the conversation hadn�t been disrupted by a distinctly Yeerk version of multiple personality disorder.

�Yeah,� I said. �First one. A natural gas explosion as large as the one you�re planning will collapse the Yeerk pool. And the city built above it. It will devastate everything for miles.�

�My allies are in control of the pumping station,� Taylor answered calmly. �The amount of gas will be carefully controlled. The Yeerk pool will not collapse.�

�Fine. Question two. Just how do you plan to tunnel through the earth, from the pipeline to the pool?�

�I don�t. That�s where you come in.�

�That�s absurd,� I laughed. �No earth animal, no morph we Andalites have, could do that kind of job in less than weeks. And even then, it would just be a tiny tunnel. Not nearly enough to move the volume of gas you�re talking about.�

�That�s why I selected an animal for you to morph that can do the job in hours, not days or weeks.� Her lips curled into a devilish smile. �You always underestimate me, Andalite.�

�What morph?� I asked. She wrapped the fingers of her artificial hand around my arm and started to squeeze.

�I have a morph that will leave behind a tunnel at least as large in circumference as the pipe itself.�

�What morph?� I repeated.

�Taxxon, my Andalite friend. Taxxon!�

Taxxons are obviously dangerous to morph into. Their hunger is so strong, it's almost uncontrollable, as you all remember. Also, there's obviously more to this than Taylor's saying.. This is no "bargaining chip".

Chapter 10

quote:

�Is she insane?� Marco cried. He�d ditched the ski cap and sunglasses but the headphones still hung around his neck.

�Yes. I believe we established that during our last encounter.� Ax, of course. He�d gone from seagull to Andalite to eerily attractive human boy in a Dumpster conveniently located behind the bookstore.

�Taxxon! I�d rather morph E. coli. I�d rather morph an ant again.�

�That�s kind of what Taxxons are like, isn�t it?� Jake said. �Brainless, driven, starved.�

�Who knows?� Rachel shrugged impatiently. In the time between demorphing from cat and joining the rest of us, Rachel had slipped into The Gap and bought a couple of T-shirts. No moss grows on that girl. �But I can handle it. I�m in.�

�Whoa.� Cassie held up an arm. �Wait a minute. Who says we�re even gonna do this?�

I�d demorphed in the Borders bathroom. Jake had left a bag of clothing behind a trash container. I remorphed as my human self, and crossed the street to the mall. Now I sat in the food court listening to my friends freak out.

�When do we have to give her an answer?� Jake asked me.

�We don�t. We just show up at the natural gas pumping facility tonight. Or we don�t.�

�Answer me this,� Marco said, rolling a plastic straw between his palms. �If Taxxons are all Controllers, why doesn�t She-Yeerk just ask a fellow Controller with a Taxxon host to do the digging?�

I explained. �She says Yeerks are only ever partly in control of their Taxxon hosts. It�s impossible to master the Taxxon hunger, the murderous tendencies, the cannibalistic urges. Taxxon hosts are given only to low-ranking Yeerks and, big surprise, soon they�re more Taxxon than Yeerk.�

�But I�ve seen them take orders. I�ve watched Taxxons move on command,� Marco persisted. �They fly Bug fighters for ��

�Right. But no one would ever trust a Taxxon to be part of a conspiracy. You can�t count on a guy who�ll sell out for a chunk of rotting meat. Most of her allies are human-Controllers, anyway,� I added.

Ax broke in. �I was once told that controlling a Taxxon morph is like facing the ultimate temptation. Tay-shun. The more you resist the temptation, the stronger it becomes, until it ends by carrying you so far beyond the realm of conscious, controllable thought you become lost in the Taxxon�s most basic instincts.�

�Well then, what am I waiting for?� Marco said sarcastically. �Sign me up! An army of cold, power-hungry Yeerks can�t control the Taxxons. Not to worry. The short kid who got a B-minus in gym won�t have any problems.�

Rachel smirked. �You got a B-minus in gym?�

Marco rolled his eyes and looked exasperated. �People, if the Yeerks can�t control a Taxxon, how in the world can we?�

�Taylor says we�d only stay morphed for short periods,� I said, feeling like her press secretary. Like part of her team. It was definitely weird. �And we�d morph one at a time, surrounded by enough force to control any out-of-control behavior.�

Jake frowned. Marco looked skeptical. Cassie�s eyes were darkening with some serious issues.

We all needed to think. Ax wanted to eat. So, Marco and Jake volunteered to get food. Cassie, Rachel, and Ax sat silently. I looked around. It was Friday, so the food court was crowded. Packed with a bunch of normal people, leading normal lives. Ordinary, mundane, wonderful lives. All these normal people - moms and dads, kids and grandparents - represented the very thing we were fighting for. Humanity.

Marco returned and set nachos for me and Ax on the table. I wasn�t very hungry. I wasn�t used to eating with others around and there were people everywhere. Very different from my life as a hawk.

When you�re a hawk, you get nervous when you can�t feed in peace. Someone could swoop in and steal your dinner. Or someone could swoop in and eat you.

Jake reappeared and placed a large plastic tray piled with two hamburgers, three fries, a veggie wrap, and three large plastic cups on the table.

�Cassie, veggie wrap and orange soda,� he said, handing her one of the cups and the sandwich.

�7-up, Rachel. Coke, me. So,� he added, sitting, �where are we?�

�Seems clear enough to me,� Rachel said with a mouth half-stuffed with hamburger. �Destroying the Yeerk pool can only be a good thing. It�s the chance we�ve been waiting for. It could be the beginning of the end.� She paused and swallowed. �Let�s fry some Yeerk butt.�

�I agree with Rachel,� Ax said, looking up from the plastic Radio Shack bag he was rummaging through and reaching for a tub of nachos. �Strategically speaking, this is a very interesting opportunity. Even in spite of the risk.�

Jake looked up at me with an encouraging nod.

�Just remember, she can�t be trusted,� I reminded everyone. �She � � I paused. The others were looking at me like they were being extra careful to be polite. Just like at the barn, they were waiting for me to finish. No interruptions. No snide remarks. The Borders meeting should have proved to them that I was over the fear! I�d handled it fine. I wasn�t the one who�d broken down.

I tried to sound extra calm and sure of myself so they would stop worrying, stop doubting. �Even if she doesn�t have it in for us, our work is only going to make her more power hungry. You can count on it. It�s not like she�s suddenly had a change of heart. That democracy stuff has got to be BS.�

�Absolutely,� Marco said. �A free Yeerk society? Give me a break. Let�s just imagine the scenario for a second. Everyone in favor of having his free will replaced by a slimy, stinking slug that will take over his brain, say, �yea.� Those opposed say, �nay.��

�Okay,� Jake interrupted. �We get it. We all admit that Taylor can�t be trusted. Marco and Tobias saw her lose it at Borders. She�s obviously got some problems. But even given the weirdness, I think we agree this could be one of the most important missions we�ve had.�

So even beyond the intrinsic difficulty on controlling a Taxxon's instincts, If they're all morphing Taxxons and morphing back, everybody beyond Tobias is going to morph back to human. Taylor, obviously, doesn't know they're human, and they don't want her to know that, but how do you hide that in these circumstances?

# ? Jun 8, 2022 03:45

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

Hey Animorphs? You know what you tried to do to V3&1 a couple books ago?

This is that.

# ? Jun 8, 2022 04:46

FlocksOfMice: Feb 3, 2009

Screaming, this far in you can't fall for this bait you know better by now aaaaaa

# ? Jun 8, 2022 05:30

HIJK: Nov 25, 2012; in the room where you sleep

If this is the one I think it is then oh boy buckle up

# ? Jun 8, 2022 11:03

disaster pastor: May 1, 2007

FlocksOfMice posted:

Screaming, this far in you can't fall for this bait you know better by now aaaaaa

Honestly, six teenagers traumatized after months/years of a secret alien war, who also know that they're the experts on that secret alien war, and who are exhausted and desperate to end that secret alien war? It's a wonder they don't fall for ten times as much bait as they do.

# ? Jun 8, 2022 15:57

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Chapter 11

quote:

No one said anything. Silent agreement.

Except for Cassie.

Her eyes got wide. She began to stand up.

�None of you guys are really thinking about this,� she said in a voice that made a couple of older kids sitting at the table next to ours look up.

�Shhh.�

�No,� she said. �It�s wrong. I won�t. I don�t want to judge you guys, but you�re talking about strategy and risk like this is some computer game. Like there aren�t others involved. Have you forgotten that we�re supposed to be in this to save lives?�

Jake put his hand on her shoulder and gently encouraged her to sit back down. No one seemed to know what to say. She continued. She spoke very quietly, but urgently.

�Has anyone stopped to think that we�ll be responsible for the death of hundreds, maybe thousands of people? People who already suffer the worst fate imaginable? And not that any of you care, but we�ll be killing thousands of defenseless Yeerks right along with them.�

�My God, you mean we�d be killing Yeerks?� Marco said with a straight face. �That�s � that�s unthinkable!�

No one laughed.

�Let her finish,� Rachel whispered.

�They�re not all like Visser Three,� Cassie went on. �We know that. Some of the Yeerks and Controllers are just kids like us. They never had a choice. They participate or they�re eliminated. And it�s not like they get the information they need to make an informed decision. If you�d been raised since birth on empire propaganda, you�d fight to take over Earth, too.�

�You make an interesting argument,� Ax said through a mouthful of nachos. �But there are a lot of inconsistencies between what you say and what you do.� He swallowed noisily. �How can you make this argument knowing what you�ve done in the past?�

�That�s different,� Cassie responded forcefully. �I�m not against defending myself and you guys. I hate violence, but self-defense is justified, in all societies. Unlike murdering people ��

�Killing slugs,� Marco corrected.

�Killing Yeerks when they�re defenseless, when they�re not engaged in battle, when they�re not actively threatening our lives � no! You don�t � why can�t you � can�t you see!� She stopped. I could almost feel the passion radiating from her body. �It�s � it�s just not right.�

�But they are threatening our lives,� Rachel insisted. �Not just ours, everyone�s. Just by being who they are.�

�Yeah, and why do you think they�re at the Yeerk pool?� Marco put in. �I can tell you this much. It�s not because they�re planning Earth Day activities. �Look, during World War Two we bombed factories and highways and railroads. Even regular cities. Just because someone�s not wearing a uniform or carrying a weapon doesn�t mean they�re not fighting a war. I know this plan is bad, Cassie, but we�ve gotta think of the big picture.� He looked at her and touched her shoulder again.

�Yes,� Ax said calmly. �The Yeerk pool is a command and control center. It is central to Yeerk military activity. They recharge there so they can continue their conquest.�

�Not true,� Cassie insisted, regaining her voice. She leaned forward. �What about Tidwell, and others like him in the peace movement? They have to go to the pool because they�ll die if they don�t feed. For them, it�s no different than eating.�

�The peace movement Yeerks are a small minority,� Jake countered coldly. �We can�t really consider them, except maybe to warn them.�

�Not consider them!� Cassie repeated disbelievingly. �What if your brother�s at the pool when the gas explodes?�

Jake looked at his hands. �I guess it�s a sacrifice I have to deal with in order to protect thousands more,� Jake said, his voice now expressionless.

�Jake, I don�t believe you!�

�You should,� he said, looking back to Cassie. To me. �Besides, family involvement doesn�t really come into play here. It can�t. The Yeerk pool is a target. End of discussion. It�s not like we�re bombing a bunch of innocent people at the mall on a Friday afternoon � �

Again, I looked at the people all around us. Families, couples, kids like us. Enjoying themselves. Here to see a movie, meet their friends, shop for clothes. They�d done the jobs they had to do at work or at school. Now was their chance to relax. Have fun.

Cassie looked around the food court, too, and then back at Jake. �Isn�t it?�

So this is the debate over the morality of targeting Yeerk civilians, which I think this thread has had before. What do you think? Has Cassie and time changed any opinions?

Chapter 12

quote:

That�s pretty much when Cassie decided she couldn�t do it. She decided to sit the mission out. I admired her. I even thought about pulling out myself.

But who would be around to figure out Taylor? Who would be there to watch for sabotage? I�m not really sure how or why we decided I was the best one for the job. But I decided to do it.

Early that evening Ax and I flew together, an owl and a red-tailed hawk, high up into the night sky so we could get a good look at the place before we landed. We wanted to be as sure as possible that we weren�t flying into a trap. The natural gas pumping station came into view.

<The coast appears to be clear,> Ax relayed. <Why do humans refer to the �coast� when talking about a precarious situation?>

 I said. <It�s just what we say.>

There wasn�t anything within a half mile of the structure. Just trees and bushes. I swooped low to check out an abandoned van left a few hundred feet from the pumping station. No hidden group of Hork-Bajir waiting for us.

The pumping station was pretty small, just a square building almost as big as a house. Security lights brightened it like a baseball stadium just before a night game. The lights made my hawk vision work almost as well as the owl�s. Through the few windows, I could see a maze of pipes. We landed on the ground behind a line of heavy brush. It�s hard to land directly on the ground. It�s easier when you can grab on to something with your talons. I skidded a little. Ax was right behind me
.
<Well, Ax-man, I guess it�s now or never - and, boy, do I wish it was never,> I said.

I morphed and Ax demorphed. Two identical blue aliens began to sprout from the bushes. I like the way Andalite morph feels. It�s about strength and agility. A focused yet playful mind. An unwavering optimism that�s invaluable when you�re up against pure evil.

We finished morphing and Ax trotted up beside me. His main eyes studied me. His stalk eyes scanned the area around us. Then, suddenly, his tail snapped and zipped across the blue-and-tan fur on my chest.

<Hey, watch it! What are you doing?>



<Fine,> I said. <But be careful. No razor burn.>

<When an Andalite warrior is reprimanded for his conduct,> Ax continued, <a superior officer removes some of the offender�s fur so that the transgression is not soon forgotten. In the ritual of unschweet, the wrongdoer is not punished in the traditional sense. He must live with the constant
reminder of his error, and the scrutiny of his peers. As his fur grows back, he is slowly redeemed until, finally, the incident is laid to rest and the warrior is whole again.>

<I�ve had bad haircuts before but I never knew what to call them. So Ax, do I deserve unschweet?>

<No,> Ax answered. <But it is the only way I know to cut fur. Sorry.>

<It�s cool. Let�s just get this over with.>

We walked cautiously toward the pumping station, staying out of the brightest lights and watching our backs with our stalk eyes. A tall cyclone fence topped with barbed wire ran all around the structure, but the rear gate was open a crack. Someone was expecting us.

I pointed a slender finger toward the gate.

Ax moved out in front. An eerie squeak cut the still air as we slipped through the gate. We moved quickly toward the shadows that clung to the wall of the building.

�Evening, boys.� She stepped out of nowhere. A dark, human form with a voice that sent chills down my spine. It was Taylor. �Nice to see you. I�ve been waiting.�

She�d been there the whole time. I couldn�t believe it. We�d been so careful. How had we missed her?

She was wearing dark leather from head to toe. Tall boots that came up to her knees. Her long blond hair was tucked into a high leather collar. It was a new look. Good-bye preppy. Hello soldier. We stared.

�I�m not here to be gawked at. I�m here to deliver a present,� she sneered. �I know how much you both like Taxxons. I found a choice one - very big, very mean - to show my appreciation for your help. Follow me.�

She disappeared into the pumping station. Ax followed her. I followed Ax.

We had to duck low to clear some of the pipes. The noise was unbearable, a constant clanging that made my head hurt. Taylor descended a twisting metal ramp into the basement. We followed, stepping carefully on the slick surface.

Downstairs it was considerably darker, though there were fewer pipes. Taylor stopped in a corner of the room and gestured to an iron handle protruding from the smooth concrete floor. Then she backed up, leaned against the wall, and crossed her arms over her chest.

�He�s in there.�

Ax and I looked more carefully. The iron handle was attached to a large slab of concrete set into the floor.

<This is it,> I said to Ax. Trying to forget I was in the same room with the monster who�d come close to destroying what little peace of mind I�d ever had. I bent down and grabbed the iron handle with my relatively weak Andalite arm. It didn�t budge.

 Ax announced. Together we pulled with all our strength. The slab rose out of the floor. With great effort, we set it to one side. A snort from below sent us both jumping back.

�How cute,� Taylor said. �You�re scared.�

<We are not frightened,> Ax said coldly. <We are cautious.> He stepped up to the hole and peered inside. 

Taylor tilted her head to one side and looked at Ax mockingly. �Then go get him, silly.�

It's easier to tell somebody to get a Taxxon than to do it.

# ? Jun 9, 2022 04:39

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

Epicurius posted:

What do you think? Has Cassie and time changed any opinions?

# ? Jun 9, 2022 04:44

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

A well thought out and compelling rebuttal.

# ? Jun 9, 2022 04:46

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

It was too good of a setup NOT to post that

# ? Jun 9, 2022 04:51

FlocksOfMice: Feb 3, 2009

This is a wildly assymetrical war and were this not an OBVIOUS TRAP I'd say take the kill. Like, innocents are deffo ginny to die but like... if this were legit I'd say yeah it's valid they've been grasping for solid victories and not just holding resistance. although it seems like the holding really is holding the yeerks in place? but

# ? Jun 9, 2022 05:18

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

My serious answer is that regardless of whether the Yeerks in the pool can fight or not, they are still part of an invading force. I'd be open to discussions with the Peace Movement, but I'd find that very difficult while they have boots on the ground and are forcibly enslaving people.

# ? Jun 9, 2022 05:22

CidGregor: Sep 27, 2009; TG: if i were you i would just take that fucking devilbeast out behind the woodshed and blow its head off

I'm still firmly on the line of "killing yeerks in the pool is actually the MORE ethical play because you deplete the enemy WITHOUT killing an innocent/enslaved host too."

Granted in this particular case blowing up the entire complex with a gas explosion kind of defeats that purpose, but still. Never bought into the "Yeerks in the pool are defenseless therefore it's wrong to kill them" angle, not even a little.

# ? Jun 9, 2022 06:45

freebooter: Jul 7, 2009

CidGregor posted:

I'm still firmly on the line of "killing yeerks in the pool is actually the MORE ethical play because you deplete the enemy WITHOUT killing an innocent/enslaved host too."

This is a good point.

When Cassie says "aren't we in this to save lives," well... no, not really. You're in it to save freedom. If you want to save lives then war is the wrong line of business. There are any number of lives that could have been saved throughout human history if people had just been willing to lay down their arms and be ruled by a dictator - it's happening in Ukraine right now! But some things are worth dying for, and indeed killing for.

Overall, though, I think this conversation is just really noteworthy foreshadowing for the decision Jake ultimately makes with the Pool Ship.

# ? Jun 9, 2022 08:19

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

freebooter posted:

This is a good point.

When Cassie says "aren't we in this to save lives," well... no, not really. You're in it to save freedom. If you want to save lives then war is the wrong line of business. There are any number of lives that could have been saved throughout human history if people had just been willing to lay down their arms and be ruled by a dictator - it's happening in Ukraine right now! But some things are worth dying for, and indeed killing for.

Overall, though, I think this conversation is just really noteworthy foreshadowing for the decision Jake ultimately makes with the Pool Ship.

It does, but it also serves as a check-in for how far their viewpoints have shifted. Ax asked very early on "how far into savagery do you go to defeat the savage?" and we are slowly learning the answer.

# ? Jun 9, 2022 08:37

HIJK: Nov 25, 2012; in the room where you sleep

I mean if Cassie is in this to save lives then what about the innocent victims that they kill every time they have a fight with Controllers? Not just the missing hands but the innocent Hork Bajir, humans, etc that they murder every time they clash with Yeerks? They were all minding their own business when they were bodysnatched.

And besides, if Yeerks don't want their people to be made targets by an opposing military force maybe they shouldn't start invasions and wars.

"The Nazis entered this war under the rather childish delusion that they were going to bomb everyone else, and nobody was going to bomb them. At Rotterdam, London, Warsaw, and half a hundred other places, they put their rather naive theory into operation. They sowed the wind, and now they are going to reap the whirlwind." - Sir Arthur Harris

# ? Jun 9, 2022 10:27

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

HIJK posted:

I mean if Cassie is in this to save lives then what about the innocent victims that they kill every time they have a fight with Controllers? Not just the missing hands but the innocent Hork Bajir, humans, etc that they murder every time they clash with Yeerks? They were all minding their own business when they were bodysnatched.

I mean, that's what Ax says to her during this, basically.

# ? Jun 9, 2022 14:27

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

freebooter posted:

Overall, though, I think [spoiler]this conversation is just really noteworthy foreshadowing for the decision Jake ultimately makes with the Pool Ship.

I mean, that was there as far back as the Andalite Chronicles, where Elfangor faces the same choice as Jake and chooses differently.

# ? Jun 9, 2022 14:29

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Chapter 13

quote:

The cavern was dark. I could just make out the bottom, about ten feet away. It seemed to curve slightly. I guessed it was a tank, an old fuel storage reservoir or something.

The last thing I wanted to do was jump into a dark tank with a Taxxon waiting to eat me.

Again, Ax led the way. If he wasn�t fearless, he was putting on a good show.

<It is a long way down, Tobias,> he called from below. <Bend your knees on impact.>

Taylor was watching, her beautiful face wearing the look of perpetual disdain she�d perfected. I couldn�t let her see my fear. I hopped over the edge and braced for impact.

WHAAAMMM!

My hooves hit hard on the concrete bottom. Damp darkness enveloped me. I could just make out Ax at my side.

<Where is he?> I asked. <What if there�s no Taxxon at all? What if it�s a trap?> I thought of the others waiting outside, hidden in various morphs, watching. They were ready to storm the place if we got into trouble. But how long would it take them to reach us? I looked up and imagined being sealed

in the tank. But then I remembered that Taylor couldn�t lift the cover alone.

Or could she? How strong was that artificial arm?

It didn�t matter. No. Between the two of us, Ax and I could probably come up with a few morphs that would get us out. But that comforting thought came too late to stop my hearts from racing. We stared into darkness, searching for the Taxxon. Before he found us.

Ax moved forward and disappeared. I strained to catch sight of him in the blackness. I saw slight movement to my right.

<Is that you, Ax?> I reached out to make sure of where he stood and �

<Ahhhhhhh!>

Agony shot up my arm.

<Ax!>

The Taxxon bit down hard. A thousand razor teeth shredded my flesh and muscle. He didn�t sever my arm and have a quick snack. No. He sucked with iron jaws. Pulling me in. Dragging me closer to his stomach.

I swung my tail blade, but lost my balance on the smooth, curved floor. My hooves skidded wildly as the vile mouth chewed. I was caught in a slow-motion wood chipper!

Glowing red eyes, inching toward me �

I whipped my tail blade frantically, slashing the blackness, missing the Taxxon. The force of his jaws would rip off my arm!

<Ax!>

FWAP!

Razor teeth withdrew and I stumbled back, clutching my mutilated arm. I looked up. Dizzy. Ill.

<Hurry,> Ax said. <We must move quickly. I fear I have mortally wounded the Taxxon.>

Stupefying pain throbbed in what was left of my arm. I backed away. I could feel a wet, sticky ooze beneath my hooves. The Taxxon�s vital fluids were spilling across the bottom of the tank.

I bent down. Reached out my good hand and touched the Taxxon�s side. His soft side heaved laboriously, up and down, as he struggled to breathe. Yes, he was dying.

I could see Ax in the faint light, already acquiring him. I began to demorph. When the transition was complete, I reached out a talon and placed it on the disgusting flesh.

I could feel life draining from his body, and the firm folds of bloated tissue collapsing like a torn hot air balloon. I concentrated on the acquisition.

Usually, you don�t feel anything about an animal while you acquire it. This time, I sensed something. Fierce and elemental, like a scream of rage.

I finished acquiring the Taxxon�s DNA. And realized there was something inside me unlike anything I had ever known.

Maybe it was just my own tormented mind at work. Or maybe it really was the DNA, screaming at me on some microscopic level. It was something terrible.

Something dangerous.

A tortured shudder moved the length of the Taxxon�s body, from head to tail and back again. He shook for one violent instant, then stopped.

And I realized that he now lived only in Ax and me.

Maybe it's just me, but I find something very sad about that last line.

Chapter 14

quote:

<It�s sure enough about time, Bird-boy.> Marco�s thought-speak greeted me at about three hundred feet. He was flying in, too, and was just as late as I was. It was dawn. We were both working hard to stay up in the cool air.

<Enjoying a leisurely breakfast while the rest of us get ready to work?> he continued.

Actually, breakfast was why I was late. This morning, the meadow had been unusually still. Not a field mouse anywhere. Kind of ominous, like they knew something I didn�t. Like they knew it was better to stay at home.

I�d set out hungry, but along the way I�d spotted a gray squirrel. It was bigger than I like, but food is all I think about. In nature, in my world, hunger doesn�t just mean you�ll be crabby in the car on the way to Taco Bell. It carries undertones of death.

I�d dived, silent and swift. With wide-open talons I snatched it, unsuspecting, from the power line it was making its way across. The squirrel was heavier than I�d guessed. It yanked on my legs, sent me tumbling for the ground. I held tight. I even regained control, feet above the ground, flapping like mad to stay aloft.

But then, the squirrel�s teeth pierced my leg. Sharp pain from the incision shot to my brain. I released one talon and let go of my would-be breakfast.

<Some of us actually have to work for our food,> I called to Marco. <But then, it�s probably a huge deal for you to get the Pop-Tart in the toaster.>

I landed gently on a tree branch. Marco was already demorphing. The others had gathered a few feet away. All but Ax, who was hiding in the thick grass, keeping an eye on the pumping station.

Jake had changed plans on Taylor at the last minute. He had to balance the danger of not having her accounted for as we dug with the risk of having our true identities discovered when we demorphed.

So Jake had let Taylor know, by E-mail, that she couldn�t come within a mile of the dig or the pumping station before 8:00 A.M. If she did, the deal was off. When she did show up, she had to hang with us as we dug.

She had agreed to Jake�s conditions with an eagerness I found disconcerting. I didn�t mention it to the others. I knew it was nerves.

I could see the manhole cover next to where the others were standing. It was partly covered with sand and stuck out above the ground a few inches. This was a good place to work, with little chance of being seen. We weren�t far from the pumping station but were concealed by trees and brush on all sides. Taylor knew what she was doing.

The sewer cap was in a cul-de-sac, on the side of a gravel road that hadn�t been paved. The concrete curbs were in place and the gravel was carefully compacted a few inches below, ready for a layer of asphalt. It had been this way for a while. The site was supposed to be a new industrial park. But local residents didn�t want the noise and the traffic, so construction had been temporarily stopped, leaving sewers and electricity, but little else.

�Your left talon�s bleeding,� Rachel said.

I didn�t answer at first. I didn�t feel like explaining. But Rachel�s concern was genuine. It wasn�t fair to blow her off.

<Breakfast sometimes bites back,> I answered.

�You�re telling me,� Marco broke in. �I was looking in the toaster to see if my Pop-Tart was done and wham, the thing shot out and hit me in the eye.�

<I�ll be fine,> I said, looking Rachel�s way.

�Let me have a look,� Cassie said. She was still adamant about not going on this mission, but she wanted to know where we were digging. In case we didn�t come back.

Cassie�s being there was a little awkward. Maybe least so for me, I don�t know. She wasn�t there to wish us luck. And although Jake always gives us the option, it�s really rare that one of us decides not to fight.

�You should morph to fix the cut,� Jake said. �That thing�s going to get infected. So I guess you�ll go first.�

I�d go first? That slammed me into the reality I�d been trying to avoid. I wasn�t looking forward to the work that lay ahead. Or to the creature I had to become.

<The time is now 7:50.> Ax came trotting out of the bushes and stopped next to Jake. <The pumping station is clear, Prince Jake. We should start digging.>

Ax was wearing a Timex Triathlon timepiece around his front ankle. Rachel had picked it out for him. He feared that his internal clock might be thrown off by the power of the Taxxon morph. He and I were going to take turns wearing it while Andalite.

He moved briskly to the manhole cover, stuck the tip of his tail blade in the small hole intended for the crowbar and, with one swift, fluid twist of his tail, sent the fifty-pound steel cap tumbling through the air. It landed with dull resonance inches from Jake�s feet.

�Smooth,� Jake commented dryly. �You should work for the city.�

I dropped from my perch to the edge of the hole. I could see that at the bottom of an eight foot shaft was a cylindrical chamber.

 I said. <Wouldn�t want to be responsible for anyone spewing their breakfast.>

I hopped over the edge of the hole into the darkness, falling slowly, with partially open wings. A real hawk would never drop into such a tight space. I could feel the raptor�s anxiety. I landed softly on the surface of the curved concrete.

�Take it easy, Tobias,� Jake encouraged. �Nice and steady. If you have problems, we�re here.�

<Remember that you may not be able to control it like other morphs,> Ax instructed. <It might be too overwhelming to suppress. The few Andalites who have successfully used the Taxxon morph speak of becoming one with the animals nature, of channeling the violent energy. It cannot be stopped. But you can try to direct it. Use it, do not try to overcome it.>

�I�m right here, Tobias,� Rachel called.

�Be careful.� Cassie. �And � I�ll see you guys later.�

�Tobias �� Jake began.

 I said, assuring myself as much as my friends. <I�ll be okay.>

What I find interesting here is the parallel the author draws between Tobias and the Taxxon, by having him say "I�d set out hungry, but along the way I�d spotted a gray squirrel. It was bigger than I like,but food is all I think about. In nature, in my world, hunger doesn�t just mean you�ll be crabby in the car on the way to Taco Bell. It carries undertones of death."

# ? Jun 10, 2022 04:03

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

Ax flicks a 50 pound steel Frisbee with a "flick of his tail"? Those tails are monstrously strong if that's the case.

# ? Jun 10, 2022 04:22

freebooter: Jul 7, 2009

quote:

<It�s sure enough about time, Bird-boy.> Marco�s thought-speak greeted me at about three hundred feet. He was flying in, too, and was just as late as I was. It was dawn. We were both working hard to stay up in the cool air.

<Enjoying a leisurely breakfast while the rest of us get ready to work?> he continued.

...

<Some of us actually have to work for our food,> I called to Marco. <But then, it�s probably a huge deal for you to get the Pop-Tart in the toaster.>

...

�Your left talon�s bleeding,� Rachel said.

I didn�t answer at first. I didn�t feel like explaining. But Rachel�s concern was genuine. It wasn�t fair to blow her off.

<Breakfast sometimes bites back,> I answered.

�You�re telling me,� Marco broke in. �I was looking in the toaster to see if my Pop-Tart was done and wham, the thing shot out and hit me in the eye.�

<I�ll be fine,> I said, looking Rachel�s way.

I like this - it reminds me of the bit in #40 when they're surveilling the Andalites' house and Tobias starts talking about how Andalites are into topiary and Marco's like "yeah yeah whatever;" a bit where even when it's not that character's book, you see a bit of their own personality/arc come through from a third person perspective, in that case Tobias' interest in his Andalite heritage.

In this case, I think Marco immediately feels a bit bad about hanging poo poo on Tobias because he knows Tobias' life is genuinely harder, and reacts in the only way he really knows: with good-natured humour, steering into Tobias' own joke where Marco's the butt of it. Nothing else is said and (as with the moment in 40) the narrator doesn't even really notice.

# ? Jun 10, 2022 09:50

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Chapter 15

quote:

I closed my eyes and focused on the DNA I carried within me.

The changes started immediately. Continued concentration wasn�t necessary. Once it began, the morph gained momentum on its own, like a rock dislodged from a hilltop.

Hisssssss �

I felt my bones disintegrating. No, melting. All the hard parts of my body - talons, beak, feather shafts - softened and liquefied. Usually when you morph, you feel the firm shape of new organs forming. This morph was exactly the opposite. Everything was dissolving, then congealing into one hideous continuum.

I fell down on the cement as my legs melted away, only to be lifted up again as hundreds ofcone-shaped appendages shot out of a soft, rapidly extending belly.
I
was taking on the shape of a worm. Long and formless.

Crystal-clear hawk vision blurred. Think about driving into the rain without turning on thewindshield wipers. Then this murky vision was traded for -

Whoa! A thousand tiny fragments of my surroundings. Visual shards, like a kaleidoscope imagewith blurred edges.

I knew that Taxxons had compound eyes, like flies. Each red eye is really a thousand smallereyes, each scanning a small piece of the world. What I hadn�t known was that Taxxon brains aren�tquite sophisticated enough to put all the pieces together.

The mouth formed last. The center of the Taxxon�s existence.

The changes stopped.

Then, all at once, I felt it coming. An unstoppable tidal wave riding up the shore.

Insane, insane hunger.

Desperate, all-consuming hunger. Like nothing you can begin to imagine. It reared up, larger than any urge I had ever experienced. Blocking out everything else.

Everything.

I could smell the others. Up aboveground. I knew exactly where they stood. I heard vibrations.Their feet through the soil.

I was over ten feet long. Long enough to crawl up and squirm through the hole. I pictured Marco.And the next thing I knew I imagined him in my mouth, his soft tan flesh, sawed up. Swallowed. AndJake. Bigger. And Ax �

My worm body lunged for the hole. Before I could stop it. Before I could think. I didn�t know what was happening. The smell was so strong. The imagined taste so real. The Taxxon mind so in need!

Noxious digestive acid poured from my mouth. My soft head pushed against the iron cover Marco and Jake had put partially back in place.

I would devour them. Lunge and devour.

Marco and Jake and Ax and �

Rachel.

My Taxxon body twitched. The thought of even more food excited it. But something � something way in the back of my mind, way deep in there, spoke out.

Rachel?

I stopped. I heard something. The tiny, insignificant voice of a kid. Tobias, the human in me, was struggling to make his presence known. Somewhere beneath the Taxxon�s evil and unimaginable power, the kid in me was ranting like a lunatic. Stop, he cried. Stop! Stop! Stop!

I can�t say that I regained control. That would be a lie. Like saying that the captain of a sailboat can take control of a storm.

But somehow I steered the enormous beast away from the other Animorphs. Somehow.

It was impossible to stop the hunger, impossible to slow it down, but Ax had told me I could focus it on something else. Okay. I turned it to the job at hand.

We had heard that the Taxxon was a great digger. But that�s not true. Not exactly. The Taxxon is great at one thing. Eating.

Suddenly, ravenously, I began to devour the dirt beside the hole Taylor�s people had jackhammered in the concrete pipe. I turned the full force of the Taxxon�s hunger on the dirt.

I was inhaling soil like I hadn�t eaten in forty days. I bit off large chunks, coated them with digestive enzymes, and swallowed the sticky gobs. Bite after bite. After bite after bite. The Taxxon was insatiable.

In no time at all I had excavated a body-sized chamber. Dirt walls grew up around me as I lunged and gobbled and swallowed and secreted.

That�s right. Secreted. I was scarfing down pounds per second. I was the dump truck hauling away the excavated dirt. I was an all-in-one machine. Earthmover, waste disposal system. And that waste, that soil by-product, passed out of my Taxxon body as a thick, sludgy layer. A goo, that coated all surfaces of the tunnel that began to develop as I tried desperately to satisfy an unsatisfiable hunger.

�Tobias? Ugh! Man, what�s that stench?� Jake�s voice reached me as a weak distraction, a vague disturbance. �Tobias, are you okay down there?�

I ignored him. I just kept eating. Or digging. Just like an earthworm, passing dirt right through my system to extract the organic material. Except that unlike an earthworm, I had a ring of razor teeth to speed things up. Multiply an earthworm�s speed and size by about a million and you begin to get the picture.

Except that with a Taxxon, there�s no hope of satisfying the hunger with dirt, not even momentarily. There aren�t enough nutrients in the soil. Just enough to smell, to trigger the urge to eat. Just enough to keep me wanting more.

�Look at him move!� It was Marco�s voice. They were nearer now. They must have dropped into the sewer. �He can�t get no �� Marco gasped, probably from the stink of my secretion. �Satisfaction.� He gasped again.

The longer I dug, the hungrier and more frantic I got. I didn�t learn until later that a Taxxon will dig, starved and exhausted, until he dies.

<Tobias,> Rachel called in thought-speak. She had already morphed. The others must be right behind her. <Answer us. Say something.>

<More!>

The entire thing is really pretty pitiful. Imagine being a Taxxon, not just morphed into one, and dealing with this every day of your life all the time. It makes sense why they'd sell themselves to the Yeerks, just to get some little bit of control over this.

Chapter 16

quote:

<Tobias, time�s up, man. Take a break. Demorph.>

Jake.

The reminder of human flesh was more than I could resist.

I sped backward, sloshing through the goo, racing toward the others. I flew out of the hole into the underground area. A slithering worm. Massive, starved, desperate.

<Whoa,> Jake cautioned.

<Whoahh!> Marco agreed.

My compound eyes filled with the broken blue form of an Andalite, the hulking masses of a gorilla and a grizzly bear, the sharp stripes of a tiger. No pink flesh! No soft pink flesh!

I�d make do.

The Andalite was nearest. I smelled the flesh under his fur, the muscles under his flesh. I was aware of his tail blade. It even triggered a danger alarm in the Taxxon mind. But the siren was faint, nearly insignificant. The tail blade could slash me in two, but I didn�t care. I might get a bite in first!

<Watch yourself, Ax-man!> Jake called. <He�s coming at you. Tobias! Get a grip on the morph. Get a grip!>

I rushed full speed at Ax. I�d body-slam him. Knock him to the ground. Lock my teeth in his skin and eat him whole!

But then I saw something else. Something that made even the Taxxon stop. My legs froze.

Taylor. Dressed in a tank top and soft, thin, cotton khakis.

Her clothes would melt in my mouth. Her soft pink shoulders beckoned to be devoured.

I heaved my bulk in her direction. Began to move toward her. Crawling. Slinking.

�Just try, worm,� she hissed, aiming a Dracon beam at my head, �and I�ll fry you on setting six.�

<You gave us your word, Yeerk,> Ax objected, edging toward her. <You promised not to use a setting higher than three.>

�Did I?� Taylor laughed. �Then try and stop me.� She turned back to me. �I�d love to have an excuse to finish you off.� Her voice wavered slightly, almost nervously. I continued inching toward her. �But then, if you�re the coward I know, you�d rather be stuck as a Taxxon nothlit than die with courage.�

My Taxxon hunger fused with human hatred. I realized how much easier it would be to eat her than to fight the urge. How much easier it would be even to die than to face Yeerk-girl. This monster who haunted me day and night. With contempt. Arrogance. Power over me!

Had it been like this at the Yeerk pool? Deep beneath the murderous hunger, my mind wondered.

Had I overstayed the two-hour time limit so I wouldn�t have to face simple facts of life? Being a boy, living with foster parents, school, Rachel, Taylor �

Marco grabbed me gently, attempting to stop me. I hissed and shook him off.

<Tobias,> Rachel called. <Stop. Just stop!> But she didn�t block my path.

Was I a coward?

In the wild, there�s only life or death. You feed your belly or you die. Success is survival.

Failure is death. It�s simple. There�s no middle ground. At least, not for very long.

Was I a coward?

I hated Taylor.

Because she knew the answer to that question.

Because she saw weakness in me. She saw it because she was weak herself. People recognize their own kind. She�d sold out to save face. Literally. She�d become a voluntary Controller and betrayed her own mother because she wanted to be pretty again. It was beyond sad. It was pathetic.

Was I different, or was I just like her?

I�d trapped myself. Why?

I hated Taylor because she knew.

I was going to destroy her.

I rushed forward. Opened my mouth. Scrambled for her legs.

Tseew!

A bolt of Dracon fire knocked me down. Not strong enough to kill, but tough enough to paralyze the Taxxon body and keep me down long enough to regain control. And begin to demorph.

I focused hard. The bloated worm began to disappear. I imagined the first signs of my familiar hawk body emerging from the pool of Taxxon slime. And then I remembered �

Taylor was watching this! She couldn�t see me go from Taxxon to bird. She couldn�t know I was a nothlit. She thought I was Andalite. A mighty Andalite.

I�d already slipped once, at Borders. Not again.

I focused harder and tried to do something that can�t really be done. Morph directly from Taxxon to Andalite. The instant my hawk parts emerged, I focused on remorphing them to Andalite. It was excruciating, exhausting. Probably not very convincing.

Was she looking? Could she tell? Would she see what she shouldn�t see?

The others were smart. Smarter than I was. Rachel and Marco had backed Taylor against a wall, blocking her view with their gigantic bodies. As I demorphed and remorphed, Jake kept guard and talked.

 Jake said firmly. <But we had an agreement. You would not fire above setting three.>

�Yeah, well, it didn�t even work. What�s wrong with this beam?�

<You�re one lucky worm,> Jake said to me privately. <Ax saved your butt. He modified her weapon so it wouldn�t fire beyond setting three.>

<She lied,> Rachel said coldly in private thought-speak. <Strike one. She�d have fried you if she could, Tobias. You�d be a smoldering pile of slime if she�d had her way. I say we end this right here. She can�t keep a deal.>

<Wait,> I said, finishing the morph to Andalite. <I�m fine. I�m okay. Maybe she knew you�d tampered with the Dracon. Maybe she was just playing it up to scare me.>

<She did not know,> Ax said as Taylor threw the Dracon beam to the floor. He moved behind Jake to give my Andalite fur a quick tail-blade trim.

<Well, I was about to take a bite out of her. She acted in self-defense.>

<She knows that�s why we�re here,> Marco answered angrily. <To keep you under control. Even if it means killing you.>

<Well �> Why was I making excuses for her? Why? I couldn�t make any more. She wasn�t my friend. She wasn�t my kind. We�d made a deal with the devil and the devil had just shown herself for what she was.

<She�s gonna get us Visser Three,> I said. <Remember? That�s what this is about.>

Yep, I can see what it must be like to be a Taxxon....to be so desperate and in so much agony, you make a deal with the Yeerks in the hope that it'll somehow help you.

# ? Jun 11, 2022 04:49

Capfalcon: Apr 6, 2012; No Boots on the Ground,
Puny Mortals!

Taxxons really get the short end of the stick, biology-wise. Even the Skirt Na get to exist without near permanent hunger clawing at their minds. Kinda makes you wonder what psychos on the Council of Thirteen willingly choose to stay in that host.

# ? Jun 11, 2022 06:14

OctaviusBeaver: Apr 30, 2009; Say what now?

I don't want to sound paranoid, but I think there's a chance this Taylor character isn't totally on the up and up.

# ? Jun 11, 2022 13:51

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Chapter 17

quote:

<Careful, Ax,> I reminded him. <It�s � well, it�s worse than you said. Let the Taxxon smell the soil. Just let it dig and eat. Try not to think of us.>

 said Ax. <As a young cadet, I researched the recorded successes and failures of Taxxon morphing. I once gave a presentation on physiological mechanisms for notallssith, the condition of being unable to control a morph.>

<Why didn�t you tell us this before?!> Marco asked.

<The results of my research were not encouraging>

<Oooookay.>

Ax began to morph at the opening to the tunnel that I had started. Taylor watched with fascination. I was just grossed out.

Andalite features melted into a blue-black pool until nothing was left but an oily slick. It was as if everything Andalite had to be forsaken before the Taxxon could be born.

But then, out of the pool, the beast took shape. Four round, red, jiggling eyes shook in the pool like tiny internal organs. The body grew larger and larger. It was like watching time-lapse photography of a fungus. First it grew out, flat along the floor, then up. It was hideous. The strong, beautiful Andalite body transformed and corrupted.

The bloated worm neared full size.

We waited anxiously, silent, ready.

Ax didn�t move. The big Taxxon just stood there motionless, as if in a trance.

<Hey,> Jake snapped, <let�s get moving.>

<Ax?> Rachel said, more kindly. <Everything all right?> She inched tentatively toward him, the way you�d approach a chained dog you didn�t know.

<Give him a little nudge,> Marco suggested. He sauntered up beside Rachel, toward the big worm, his ape arms dangling loosely. He looked at Ax with exaggerated puzzlement, strolled the length of him, then announced, <It�s a comprehensive system failure. Can�t be fixed on-site. We�ll have to haul this beauty back to the shop.>

 Ax protested, speaking at last. 

<Thanks for telling me about hibernation before, Ax-man,> I grumbled.



<Good,> Jake said tersely. <Now dig.>

Before you could blink an eye, Ax shot down the tunnel.

<Okay,> Marco said. <So I was wrong.>

I held my breath, wanting to be sure he wasn�t going to come racing back for a quick lunch. It was a good distance to where Ax was working, farther than you could see. But you could hear - no, you could feel - the sound of digging. A high-pitched, far-off ringing. The sound of teeth scraping dirt. Of dirt being devoured.

The sound sneaked up on you because it was so soft, barely audible. But it filled your head until all you could imagine was the Taxxon digging. And digging. Yard after stinking, slimy yard.

I shook my Andalite head, trying to break the trance. Beads of sweat flew off. I hadn�t realized how hot it was below ground. Four large animals make a cavern oppressive.

�Did you like it, Andalite?� The voice came from the far corner of the chamber where the gigantic steel gas main intersected it. Taylor leaned against the pipe. She was the only one who looked relaxed.

�Well?�

<Did I like what?> I said.

�Being a Taxxon, silly,� she replied. �I bet you did. Some individuals are cut out to be lower lifeforms.�

<You�d know about that,> Rachel said angrily. <No living thing is lower than a Yeerk.> A low growl rumbled through her bared fangs.
�You know I�m right,� Taylor said to Rachel. �You know this one is weak.� She gestured at me.

<I�ll show you weak!> Rachel slashed the air.

�You wouldn�t dare. Hurt me and there�s no explosion. You won�t let this opportunity pass. You won�t let emotions get in the way. You Andalite bandits - you�re too much like us.�

Rachel growled and snapped her jaws, but backed away. Taylor�s words hung in my mind. This was a Yeerk plan. Every deadly detail was Yeerk. Mass destruction. No provisions to protect the innocent. That was to be expected, I guess. But we�d jumped on board.

<Is she right?> I said privately to Rachel.

<Are you crazy? The way you live, the things you do? I don�t know anyone stronger. You�re not weak.>

<No, not that. I mean about us being like her. Opportunists of the worse kind.>

Rachel let out a small roar. She rolled her huge head from side to side. <I�m sick and tired of this are-we-doing-the-right-thing, self-doubt crap!> she announced in thought-speak that everyone but Taylor could hear. <The Yeerks are killing people. They�re destroying Earth. Hello! What�s gotten into you guys? If someone starts shooting up your town and you shoot back in self-defense, do you ask if it�s justified?>

Marco was uncharacteristically silent.

Jake paced back and forth, a big cat in a small, confining cage. I moved nearer to Rachel, brushing Jake in the process. He let out a repressed snarl.

<Watch it!>

<What�s wrong with everybody?> Rachel asked me. <Everyone�s falling apart.>

<It could be her,> I said, looking at Taylor with both stalk eyes, keeping my main eyes on Rachel. <She has a way of setting the mood. Or maybe,> I said, <maybe we�re in too deep and we know it.>

<Don�t talk like that. After tonight, it�s going to be different. We�ll fry the Yeerk pool. The balance will tip. We�ll drive them out.> She was getting excited again, the way she does when she talks about the fight. But she sounded a little desperate, too. Like she needed to convince me. And herself.

<Then what?> I said.

<We could be together.> She paused. <All of us, I mean. Do normal stuff.>

<Yeah,> I said. <Rachel, do we know how many Yeerks there really are? On the Andalite home world? Invading other species? What if it�s never over? Sure, maybe we pull this off today. But it doesn�t change our numbers. There are still only six of us. One, two, three, four �>

<Stop it!> she yelled suddenly. <Tobias, I can�t get the image out of my head. The way it will play out tonight. A Yeerk pool full of hosts. Humans and Hork-Bajir. They smell natural gas. They feel it pouring in. They look around, up, confused, puzzled. They start to worry. Panic. The smell gets so
strong they can�t breathe and they know � they know natural gas can blow � they run � too late. Suddenly � Ka-boom! A scorching, burning fireball destroys everything it touches. They�re vaporized � Cassie was right �>

<They�re Yeerks,> I said.

<They�re humans, too.>

I thought of all the stories Ax had told us of entire planets enslaved. Of how what couldn�t be enslaved was killed. Of great and peaceful societies destroyed by Yeerks.

A Yeerk was in the corner, not twenty feet away. A creature capable of the greatest evil, cowardly hiding inside a human so that no one would see the threat. How many were there now? Thousands? Fewer? More? Every day there were more human slaves. It was my first thought in the morning and my last thought before I slept.

They�d killed Elfangor, my father. The father I never knew.

The day would come when there would be no one left. An entire planet erased. I couldn�t let that happen.

<They�re Yeerks,> I repeated. <That�s all>

Sorry. Just the one chapter today.

# ? Jun 12, 2022 03:50

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# ? May 27, 2024 01:21

Strategic Tea: Sep 1, 2012

quote:

said Ax. <As a young cadet, I researched the recorded successes and failures of Taxxon morphing. I once gave a presentation on physiological mechanisms for notallssith, the condition of being unable to control a morph.>

#NotAllSith

# ? Jun 12, 2022 10:12

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

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