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

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mind the walrus: Sep 22, 2006

Star Man posted:

I would think they called Ax the pokey-man because of his pokey tail

And if the line immediately after wasn't Ax saying they wanted to "train him" you'd be right

Vandar posted:

The Pokemon reference is probably one of the least dated references in the series imo.

I remember when I dropped off the series, about the time of the ghost writers, was when I saw a South Park reference in a dream Rachel was having.

# ? Oct 8, 2022 22:35

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# ? May 25, 2024 22:29

Star Man: Jun 1, 2008; There's a star maaaaaan
Over the rainbow

mind the walrus posted:

And if the line immediately after wasn't Ax saying they wanted to "train him" you'd be right

In my defense, I've all but forgotten about pokeyman being a mispronunciation of Pokémon. I haven't heard it said like that in over twenty years.

# ? Oct 9, 2022 02:47

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Chapter 19

quote:

<Prince Jake! We must retreat.> Ax had already begun to morph. Feathers sprouted from his blue fur.

One of the SUVs barreled out of a side street. The Lexus swerved. Jumped the curve. Leveled a row of mailboxes, then veered back onto the street. Past Jake�s house. Past the drive. Jake�s dad jerked the steering wheel. The car spun. Gravel sprayed over the neighbor�s yard.

<Get out of there, Jake!>

Ax flapped up from the bushes. <Now, Prince Jake!>

�There�s nothing more you can do here,� Erek added.

Jake nodded. The black-and-orange stripes had already disappeared. The feather pattern of a peregrine falcon began to etch itself across his skin.

The car�s engine revved. The Lexus lurched forward.

�Jake, wait!� Erek cried. �I�ll project a hologram to hide the morph.�

�No. I want them to see this.�

In full view of his family, Jake morphed a peregrine falcon. His body shrank. Arms became wings. Feet became talons.

<This is for them.> His thought-speak was a whisper. <For my real family. To give them hope and, finally, the truth. And for their Yeerk captors. To give them warning.>

The car slammed into the driveway. Jake�s mom leaped from the front seat and bolted across the yard. Toward the Dracon beam that had bounced into the grass.

<Jake, NOW!> I turned. Plummeted toward the weapon.

Jake lifted his wings and rose above the driveway. His mom dove for the weapon. Rolled. Aimed. I hurtled toward her. Raked her arms with my talons. Tssssseeeeeeeeeeeeeeew!

Jake�s bedroom window shattered. Jake swooped over the roof. Ax followed.

�Filthy humans!� Jake�s mother screamed.

The two SUVs screeched into the driveway. Controllers raced across the lawn.

�Fire at will. They will not escape!�

I spun. Powered my wings. Circled the house.

Bushes exploded around me. Twigs pelted my wings.

I rounded the corner into the backyard. Jake and Ax were waiting. We shot around the house behind Jake�s. Crossed the next street, darted between the next row of houses, then the next.

Controllers chased us, but airborne raptors are faster than humans on foot. The shouts and blasts faded away.

We shot out of the residential neighborhood and swooped over the mall. The sun radiating off cement and asphalt created a beautiful thermal. I spread my wings. They were numb from endless flapping, Ax spread his, too. Warm air billowed under us. We jetted toward the clouds.

But Jake flapped on. Low and straight ahead. He swept over the mall and out over the interstate.

Buzzed an eighteen-wheeler. Rocketed through a web of power lines. Shot beneath an underpass.

Flapped and soared. In and out of traffic.

<This was not your fault, Prince Jake,> Ax called from above. <You could not have known what Tom was planning. You could not have stopped him.>

Jake�s thought-speak was bitter.

<Yeah, Ax. I could have.>

Jake spun sideways and shot between two signposts.

Then spread his wings and rose. <What�s wrong with me? Why didn�t I get them out last night? When I need to wait, plan, gather more information, what do I do? Charge in. Go for the surprise. Screw things up permanently. But when I need to charge in, to save the people I love most, I wait. I say, �Go home. Get some rest. Sleep on it.� Great plan. I get sleep. My parents get Yeerks.>

He swept out ahead of us. Climbed high above a strip mall. We stayed with him.

<We will return, Prince Jake. When the time is right, we will get them out.>

Jake dove. Hurtled toward Earth at two hundred miles an hour. Toward the parking lot below. He pulled up seconds before his beak hit pavement, skimmed along the asphalt, and climbed again. Jake, our fearless leader. On a crazed kamikaze mission.

I�d never seen him like this. Even in our lowest moments, he�d always been steady. Resolute. He weighed the costs, made a decision, forged ahead.

And I�d always wondered how he did it. How he kept it straight in his mind. Yeerks. Visser One.

Aliens conquering humans, conquering the planet. Fighting the enemy without becoming like them.

How did he sort through all that? The emotions, the ethical dilemmas, the moral crises? How did he wrap his brain around it all so he could make logical decisions? Smart decisions. The kind that saved the lives of his team. The kind that set the enemy back a small step or two.

But now I knew. Jake didn�t understand any of it any better than the rest of us did. If he defeated the Yeerks, freed humanity, rescued Earth, that was good. But that was a bonus. His main goal was much simpler. To save his family. That goal was what had given him strength. That goal was what had kept him sane. Allowed him to retain a center of calm focus amid the awful chaos.

Family.

The houses below us thinned out. Shopping areas rippled into foothills.

 I said. <Catch up with you later.>

I peeled off and soared toward my meadow.

Jake and Ax disappeared over a ridge.

I banked and flew back into the city.

I mean, sadly, Jake is right. Also, Tobias is thinking more about family.

Chapter 20

quote:

I floated above the roof. Her windows were open a crack. The window shades banged in the breeze.

Noises drifted out. Her footsteps. Her voice. �Hungry, boy? There you go, my big sweetheart.�

Paper rustled, like a bag opening. Then a muffled clatter. Dog food tumbling into a dish. Toenails skittered across the floor.

Champ was eating lunch. Which meant he and Loren probably weren�t going anywhere soon.

Not a problem. I could wait.

But I wouldn�t be waiting alone. The Yeerks had sent a welcoming committee.

A bag lady pushed her cart along the sidewalk in front of Loren�s house. She reached the corner, turned around, and pushed it back.

An old van sat across the street, in the vacant lot between Ricky Lee�s house and the boarded-up grocery store. It was wrapped in vines and cobwebs, and nearly swallowed by weeds, as if it had been abandoned in that spot years ago.

But it hadn�t been there yesterday.

On the next corner, a teenager lounged at a bus stop. He tried to look casual, jamming to his CD player. His shoulders bobbed. His size thirteen Reeboks thumped against the concrete. But his eyes were fixed on Loren�s house. A bus pulled up. Pulled away. The kid didn�t budge.

I drifted over the street. My shadow floated across the sidewalk below me. The bag lady stared at it. Glanced up. Watched me for just a moment too long. Her gaze flicked to the abandoned van. She mumbled something into her shopping cart.

My hawk ears picked up bits of it: � � above the house � can�t tell � don�t want to draw attention � wait � see if it ��

I soared down the street, away from Loren�s house. I swooped and glided, in complete view of the bag lady and the van and the kid at the bus stop. Just like a normal hawk on a sunny afternoon. I swept over a billboard three blocks away and dropped down behind it, out of sight.

I waited. Nothing. I skimmed along the sidewalk, circled the neighborhood, and approached Ricky Lee�s house from behind.

I perched on a fence post by the alley. Still nothing.

I soared across the backyard, careful to stay out of sight of the van, and flapped up onto the roof.

I stayed just below the roofline on the backyard side, hidden between the chimney and a TV antenna. Ricky Lee was home, watching a Brady Bunch marathon on Nickelodeon. I dug my talons into the tar shingles and waited.

I could see Loren�s house. And the bag lady, who�d pushed her cart to the corner again. She gazed at the sky, in the direction I�d flown, frowned, and pushed her cart back the other way. At the bus stop, the teenage kid was still jamming under his headphones. And still watching Loren�s house. For hours. The shingles softened in the afternoon sun. My talons sank deeper. The bag lady sat down on the curb. The kid with the CD player sat through twelve buses.

And still, Loren stayed inside.

What was she doing in there? How did a blind woman occupy her time, all day long, all by herself?

Another bus rumbled up. Rumbled off. Finally Loren�s door swung open. She and Champ stepped out onto the porch.

The bag lady leaped to her feet. The kid at the bus froze in mid-jam. I wrenched my talons from the tar and swooped across Ricky Lee�s backyard toward the alley. I stayed low. Circled the block.

Loren and Champ set out in the direction of the church. The bag lady and her cart rattled along behind, at a distance. I followed, flitting between backyards, below rooflines.

They crossed the street.

<The dog, man. The dog�s your ticket.>

Marco�s thought-speak. I banked. An osprey and a northern harrier jetted up behind me. Marco and Ax.

<What are you guys doing here?>

<Protecting an endangered species,> Marco replied, <You.>

<Prince Jake sent us. He thought you might need help. I remembered the address.>

We floated another block. Past the bus stop. Loren and Champ stopped at the corner, turned, and crossed the street toward us. Toward the 7-Eleven. They navigated the parking lot and disappeared inside. Ax, Marco, and I landed in the Dumpster behind the store. Ax and I went human, Marco demorphed, and we crept around the building.

The bag lady had stopped across the street. She leaned on her shopping cart and watched the store.

�Casual,� said Marco. �Just act casual. We�re three neighborhood punks hanging at the 7- Eleven.� He strutted toward the door, Ax and I followed.

I mean, it's good to see that, in spite of Jake's grief, he's still on top of Tobias.

# ? Oct 9, 2022 03:36

mind the walrus: Sep 22, 2006

It's refreshing when the book immediately calls out the insanity of taking your time with bodysnatching space slugs.

# ? Oct 9, 2022 04:28

Acebuckeye13: Nov 2, 2010; Ultra Carp

I think of all the Animorphs books I read as a kid, this is one of the ones I reread the most. The stakes are higher than ever, the status quo is irrevocably changed, and it's legitimately well-written. Plus I always loved Tobias books, and this is a great conclusion to one of his biggest arcs.

# ? Oct 9, 2022 07:29

theCalamity: Oct 23, 2010; Cry Havoc and let slip the Hogs of War

I read the endgame books a lot as a kid. The stakes are high and the kids make some big decisions. But I really liked Tobias, so I read this one a lot. I also like dogs and he turns into a cool looking German Shepherd on the cover

# ? Oct 9, 2022 07:57

Zore: Sep 21, 2010; willfully illiterate, aggressively miserable sourpuss whose sole raison d�etre is to put other people down for liking the wrong things

Yeah, I was a fan of Loren from the Andalite Chronicles so this was definitely one I read a bunch of times.

# ? Oct 9, 2022 07:58

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

I sure hope the German Shepherd makes it out OK :ohdear:

# ? Oct 9, 2022 08:05

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

Comrade Blyatlov posted:

I sure hope the German Shepherd makes it out OK

I've not read this one, but I'm sure the dog's DNA will be just fine!!

# ? Oct 9, 2022 08:10

Zore: Sep 21, 2010; willfully illiterate, aggressively miserable sourpuss whose sole raison d�etre is to put other people down for liking the wrong things

Outside of the horrifying event with the Water Buffalo, the dinosaurs they killed in the Megamorph books and the innocent Red-Tail David killed I can't really think of much animal murder.

Tons of Animorph injuries in animal form, but very rarely do we see actual animals suffer.

# ? Oct 9, 2022 08:18

QuickbreathFinisher: Sep 28, 2008; by reading this post you have agreed to form a gay socialist micronation.
`

Zore posted:

Outside of the horrifying event with the Water Buffalo, the dinosaurs they killed in the Megamorph books and the innocent Red-Tail David killed I can't really think of much animal murder.

Tons of Animorph injuries in animal form, but very rarely do we see actual animals suffer.

cow book

# ? Oct 9, 2022 08:48

kiminewt: Feb 1, 2022

Visser Three set wild animals on each other in the book where Visser One was captured and he was pretending those are the andalite bandits.

# ? Oct 9, 2022 12:19

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Sorry. No new chapters tonight.

# ? Oct 10, 2022 05:54

Mazerunner: Apr 22, 2010; Good Hunter, what... what is this post?

Epicurius posted:

Sorry. No new chapters tonight.

it's ok get your family out we understand

# ? Oct 10, 2022 07:13

freebooter: Jul 7, 2009

Mazerunner posted:

it's ok get your family out we understand

No probably he's gonna sleep on it and have a think about whether it will just all blow over on its own

# ? Oct 10, 2022 20:30

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

freebooter posted:

No probably he's gonna sleep on it and have a think about whether it will just all blow over on its own

GODDAMNIT

# ? Oct 10, 2022 21:19

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Ok, I decided to put this off until today instead of doing it tonight, and nothing bad happened at all! BTW, if I happen to be unavailable exactly once every three days going forward, that's cool, right? Yea, that's cool.

Chapter 21

quote:

The place was nearly empty. An old woman flipped through a National Enquirer at the front. Two little boys fingered the candy bars next to her. Loren was on the other side of the store, in the meager grocery section, making her way down one of the aisles. A lone cashier manned the counter.

Ax sidled up to him. �Do not worry,� he said. �We are irresponsible teenage hoodlums, possibly gang members, but you are not in any danger.�

The guy gave Ax a blank stare.

�His gang�s from out of town,� I explained.

Marco grabbed Ax�s shirt and pulled him toward the back of the store. �Smooth, Ax-man. That�ll look real convincing on the surveillance tapes.�

We jostled past Loren and Champ.

�Man, take your dog outside,� Marco drawled. �He stinks.�

Loren didn�t say a word. Just kept her steady pace. She felt along the top shelf till her fingers touched a box of Raisin Bran. She picked it up, shook it, and placed it in the shopping basket on her arm.

I watched her. My mother. She did her grocery shopping at a convenience store. But I guess she didn�t have much choice. The neighborhood wasn�t exactly brimming with bright, shiny Safeways.

�Hey, you big mutt,� Marco called to Champ. �Want a drink?� He picked up a supersize cup and filled it. Coke sprayed onto the floor.

Champ ignored him. So did Loren. She crossed to the coolers along the back wall, pulled out a quart of milk, and placed it in her basket. I could see the date stamped on the lid. The milk had expired three days ago.

�Isn�t that sweet?� I jerked the basket from her hand. �She�s buying us a little snack.� I slid the milk out of the basket and replaced it with a fresh quart from the cooler. �Man. Nothing but cereal and dog biscuits.� I shoved the basket back in her hand. �Keep it, lady.�

She didn�t say anything. Didn�t hesitate. Just ran her fingers along the cooler doors - counting them, I think - opened one, and pulled out a package of bologna. She turned and started back up another aisle. We followed.

�She does not seem to be afraid of us,� Ax whispered.

�She�s probably been through worse,� I said tightly.

�Ah.� Ax nodded. �She does not understand how menacing we are.� He tapped her on the shoulder. �You do not know me,� he said, �but I am a juvenile delinquent. I do not trust authority figures, I probably will not graduate from high school, and statistics say my present rowdiness and vandalism will likely lead to more serious crimes. I am a dangerous fellow, and I am causing mayhem in this store.�

He reached behind her and pulled three jars of baby food from the top shelf. Shoved them behind a box of macaroni. Shuffled the Cheez Whiz in front of the Marshmallow Fluff. Tossed a bag of lady�s shavers onto a bag of hamburger buns.

�There. I have now shamelessly destroyed the symmetry of this shelf, undoing hours of labor by underpaid store employees. If you could see me, you would be frightened.�

�If she could see you, she�d have you committed,� Marco muttered. He grabbed the handle of Champ�s halter and jerked it from Loren�s hand. �Listen, lady, we�re gonna borrow your dog.�

He pulled on the harness. Champ planted his paws. Marco tugged. Champ tugged back.

�Oh, brother.� Marco placed his hand on Champ�s head.

Immediately Champ relaxed. His alert brown eyes dimmed. His shoulders sagged. The dog had fallen into the acquiring trance. Marco kept his hand on Champ�s head and pulled on the harness.

Champ meekly stepped toward him.

�Don�t go anywhere,� Marco told Loren. �And don�t call the cops or Fido here gets it.�

He led Champ through a door marked PERSONNEL ONLY. Ax and I followed. It was a storage room. A door at the back led to the alley.

��Don�t call the cops or Fido here gets it�?� I looked at Marco. �Maybe you shouldn�t watch so much Nick at Nite?�

�Hey, it worked, didn�t it?� Marco scratched Champ�s neck. �We�ve got the dog, and your mom�s not calling 911. Demorph already. He�s not going to stay this calm forever.�

I demorphed and flapped onto Champ�s back. He was starting to come out of the trance. He whined and tried to pull away from Marco. I sank my talons into his fur. His head drooped again.

I absorbed his DNA, swooped to the floor, and focused on Champ.

My beak stretched into a snout. The tip softened to form a wet, black nose. Forty-two teeth erupted from my jaws. Schooooooomp! My tail shot out. Long, thin, and naked. The feathers on my head darkened, dissolved, and spiked into dog hair. It covered my body in a wave, down my back, across my wings, to the tip of my curved tail.

I wagged it. I was a dog on both ends - a hawk-sized dog - but still a bird in the middle. A bird covered in coarse black fur,

�Eeeeewwww.� Marco. �Nightmare on Sesame Street.�

�Yip!� I sounded like a Chihuahua.

My body bulged out and up. The concrete floor receded below me. Internal organs gurgled and crunched, shifted and re-formed. My legs shot up. Wings shot out. Thickened. Realigned. Hollow bones solidified. I thumped down onto four big, steady paws. I was a German shepherd. With shepherd senses. The eyes were okay. Not as sharp as my hawk eyes. And I couldn�t see much color.

But the ears! I could hear coins jingling out at the cash register. A faint breeze whistling across the roof.

And I could smell � everything. Mice, yes. Dust. The Dumpster out back. Curdled milk not quite masked by bleach water. You think a broom handle doesn�t have a scent? It does. A little woodsy, a little musty, topped with a delicious bouquet of hand perspiration from every employee who�d ever swept the store.

And Marco�s bare feet! Spicy and pungent. And was that - sniff, sniff - had Marco stepped in � sniff - yes! Horse poop! Not recently. Probably several hours ago, at Cassie�s barn. But definitely horse.

I was Champ. I had responsibilities. I was steadfast. Noble. I stood at attention while Marco strapped Champ�s harness onto my back.

He found a bungee cord and looped it around the real Champ�s neck. Champ raised his head and blinked. He was coming out of the stupor.

�How are we going to keep him quiet?� Marco hissed. �He�s a smart dog. He�ll be on a mission to get back to his master. We can�t keep acquiring him over and over.�

Ax slid a box from behind his back. �I am truly a juvenile delinquent. I shoplifted these from your mother�s basket, Tobias. I apologize.�

Dog biscuits!

Champ�s tail wagged. He sniffed the box, then sat politely at Ax�s feet, waiting for a treat.

I started to salivate myself. <Ax-man, you�re brilliant.>

Ax gave Champ a biscuit. Marco held the door open, and I trotted back out into the store.

Back out to my mother.

Ax really leaning into the gang life here.

Chapter 22

quote:

If you�re ever blind, you do not want me as your guide dog. Trust me on this.

I clicked down the grocery aisle toward my mother. She must�ve heard me. �Hey, Champ. I knew you wouldn�t be gone long.� She grasped the
handle of my harness. �Forward.�

Forward. Okay. This I could do. She was speaking English. I understood English. This wouldn�t be too hard. I trotted down the aisle. Nearly pulled Loren over on her face. She grabbed a shelf to steady herself.

Okay, not quite right. I wasn�t somebody�s pet, strolling through the park on a leash. I was a guide dog. Champ. I had to stay at her side.

She held the handle firmly. �Forward.�

Okay. Not so fast this time. I stayed by her side. Right by her side. Almost tripped her. She lost her balance and stomped down on my paw. Hard.

�ArrRRRF!� I squealed.

�Oh, Champ! I�m sorry, boy. I didn�t mean to smash your poor foot.�

She leaned over and reached for me. Took my head between her hands. And I nearly passed out.

For the first time in my memory, my mother was touching me, and it was just as I�d always imagined it would be.

Okay, so I never imagined I�d be covered in fur, puffing dog breath in her face. And the 7-Eleven wasn�t part of the deal, either. In my fantasy, it was always nighttime, and she was tucking me into my race car bed. Yeah, I always wanted one of those red plastic race car beds. Seriously uncool, I know. Shoot me.

But I always imagined her holding my face in her hands, just like she was doing now. And then, in my imagination, she�d pull me close and kiss my nose.

Which is exactly what she did. Loren pulled my face to hers and planted a soft kiss on the tip of my rough, black nose. My dog body trembled. A soft whine bubbled up from my throat.

�Those guys really shook you up, didn�t they, boy?� She hugged my neck. �It�s okay now. They�re gone.�

I barely breathed. My mother was reassuring me, loving me.

Yeah, I know. She wasn�t really loving me. She was loving her guide dog.

But I was the one standing there. I pushed all thoughts of the real Champ to the back of my mind and just let her pet me. Let her soft voice float through me.

�Feeling better, boy? Let�s go home.� She stood up and grasped the harness handle. �Forward.�

And I stepped forward. Didn�t trip her. Didn�t run out ahead. I stayed at her side. Led her to the cash register. Led her home.

The bag lady tailed us, of course. We passed the kid at the bus stop. And the broken-down van. But nobody seemed to notice anything new.

We climbed Loren�s front steps and entered the house.

Loren�s house. I�m not sure what I expected. But what I got was � nothing. No pictures on the wall. No mementos or souvenirs. No rugs.
We were in the living room. It could�ve been any of the places I�d lived with my aunt or uncle. Faded, peeling wallpaper. Stained ceiling. Warped hardwood floor.

The difference was that this room was clean. No newspapers and beer cans strewn over the floor. No laundry baskets spilling underwear onto the couch. No dirty dishes stacked on the tables. Everything was neat. In its place. One square brown couch. One lumpy, worn easy chair. One tidy
wooden desk. All placed on one side of the room, leaving a wide, straight path from the front door to the kitchen.

Loren hung her purse on a hook by the door. She unstrapped the harness and hung it up, too. I was glad. I�d been wondering how I was going to wriggle back into that thing every two hours when I had to demorph and remorph.

She carried the grocery bag into the kitchen. I clicked along behind her, sniffing and snooping.

Looking for something out of place. Something that proved she was a Controller. Yeah. I seriously wanted evidence that my mother was controlled by a Yeerk.

Because here�s the thing. I�d been through this before. I�d been told I had a cousin, a cousin who wanted to adopt me. Raise me. Maybe even � love me.
Hah. The loving cousin turned out to be Visser Three, the guy who recently became Visser One.

The whole thing was a trap.

So no matter how nice my mother seemed, no matter how good she was at petting her dog, I knew better than to let myself get sucked in by fantasies of a warm, fuzzy family life. A mother who doesn�t want you is one thing. A mother who�s infested with an evil, parasitic alien is a whole
different kind of problem.

But I found nothing. No portable Kandrona. No leftover scent of Hork-Bajir. Nothing to link her to the Yeerks.

She puttered around the house. Put away the groceries. Fixed dinner. I used the bathtub to demorph and remorph. Grasped the shower curtain in my teeth and wrapped it around me while I changed from dog to bird to dog again. Just in case anyone was watching.

When Loren finally went to bed, I demorphed again, but instead of remorphing Champ, I morphed myself. My human self.

I needed hands.

I searched Loren�s house thoroughly and methodically, starting at the front door, ending at the back. Closets. Kitchen cabinets. Medicine chest. Refrigerator. Purse.

I told myself I was still looking for signs of Yeerks. And I was. But the truth is, I wanted more than that. I wanted an explanation. An explanation of her life. An explanation of why I wasn�t in it.

And at the bottom of a desk drawer, tucked under a row of hanging folders, I found it. A fat brown envelope. I pulled it out. Blew the dust off. Opened it. It was full of medical reports, doctor bills, invoices from a lawyer.
And a letter. Yellowed at the edges. The paper cracked where it had been unfolded and refolded several hundred times. It was from an insurance company, addressed to my mother.

Enclosed please find final payment for injuries suffered in an automobile accident on June 12.

We acknowledge that you have suffered brain damage and loss of vision; however, these conditions are permanent and irreversible. Further medical
attention is not authorized. Your claims of total amnesia cannot be proven, and reconstructive surgery is not covered under your group policy. The enclosed sum terminates our liability in this incident.

I stared at the letter. Amnesia. My mother had amnesia. What did that mean? That she didn�t remember anything that happened before the accident? She didn�t remember � me?

But she must. I was her son. Somewhere inside her damaged brain, she had to have some memory of me. Didn�t she? A sliver of memory stored in a healthy brain cell? Somewhere?

She had to. I�d talk to her. Yeah. First thing in the morning. Jake wouldn�t like it, but Jake wasn�t here. And this was my mother. Maybe my voice or just my presence would bring something back. One tiny memory.

Okay, so I�d been watching too many soaps with Ax. I�d seen too many cases of TV amnesia cured by a visit from a long-lost love. But if it happened on TV, why couldn�t it happen for me?

So at least we know why she forgot about him.

# ? Oct 11, 2022 03:22

nine-gear crow: Aug 10, 2013

Epicurius posted:

Ok, I decided to put this off until today instead of doing it tonight, and nothing bad happened at all! BTW, if I happen to be unavailable exactly once every three days going forward, that's cool, right? Yea, that's cool.

I thought we'd long-since established that you were a Yeerk operative? Why keep hiding it now?

# ? Oct 11, 2022 03:38

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

nine-gear crow posted:

I thought we'd long-since established that you were a Yeerk operative? Why keep hiding it now?

If I'd spent all my life swimming blind around a slime pond, and then got a human host, I'm pretty sure I'd be a yeerk inoperative. Just sitting there going "ooohh" at things like chocolate or sunlight.

# ? Oct 11, 2022 03:45

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Tree Bucket posted:

If I'd spent all my life swimming blind around a slime pond, and then got a human host, I'm pretty sure I'd be a yeerk inoperative. Just sitting there going "ooohh" at things like chocolate or sunlight.

Not going to lie, eating is pretty amazing. It's a lot better than autotrophy mixed with absorption of and trace minerals in muddy sludge....or, so I've heard. It's not something I'd know much about, being human and all, and totally used to things like food and vision and other human stuff. Only people who have opposable thumbs and don't know how to do zero-space travel in this thread, my cool fellow bipedal friends.

# ? Oct 11, 2022 03:58

freebooter: Jul 7, 2009

I trust that Marco and Ax are looking after the real Champ somewhere, but jeez, the writer could have allayed any fears with a throwaway line!

edit - actually they probably took him to Cheeland and he's having a blast

# ? Oct 11, 2022 08:25

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

Someone post Champ plz

:luca:

# ? Oct 11, 2022 08:33

disaster pastor: May 1, 2007

One of Ax's best moments, the only downside being it's not in his book so we don't get his thoughts and explanations about it.

# ? Oct 11, 2022 12:09

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

disaster pastor posted:

One of Ax's best moments, the only downside being it's not in his book so we don't get his thoughts and explanations about it.

He really is the worst spy, and it's adorable.

# ? Oct 11, 2022 14:42

liquidypoo: Aug 23, 2006; Chew on that... you overgrown son of a bitch.

No, he's clearly a dangerous fellow, causing mayhem wherever he goes

# ? Oct 12, 2022 00:09

Zore: Sep 21, 2010; willfully illiterate, aggressively miserable sourpuss whose sole raison d�etre is to put other people down for liking the wrong things

Yeah, this is definitely one of Ax's best bits in the series

Especially since its also basically the last time he gets a real comedic scene, Jake's parents being taken and their cover getting blown is about the lightest plot we're gonna get from here to the end

# ? Oct 12, 2022 00:13

mind the walrus: Sep 22, 2006

the bit about Loren needing to grocery shop at convenience stores and really everything about her situation is very real and heartbreaking, even if amnesia is a bit of a tidy answer; Tobias putting himself as her dog and getting physical affection is also the kind-of warm-yet-twisted energy that made this series so enjoyable goddamn kid you're throwing yourself into a psychic Erlenmeyer flask of pain

# ? Oct 12, 2022 00:54

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Chapter 23

quote:

he window shade in the kitchen glowed pink in. the morning sun. I morphed my human self again. Made a pot of coffee. Poured myself a cup. Like I needed caffeine. I took a seat at the kitchen table. And waited.

My mother was an early riser. Thank God. I�m not sure how long I could have sat there before I either peed my pants or spontaneously combusted. I heard her bed squeak. Heard her bare feet pad toward the kitchen.

She stopped inside the door and pulled her robe around her. �Who is it?� She didn�t sound afraid. Just puzzled. I guess she figured a burglar or a chainsaw murderer wouldn�t stop to brew a pot of Java.

�It�s Tobias.� My voice cracked. Oh, yeah, I was really ready for this. �Your son.� She reached for a kitchen chair. Sank into it. �Tobias.� Pain washed over her face. �I wondered if you�d ever find me.�

I stared at her. �You remember me. You know who -�

�No.� She shook her head. �Not the way you think. I know I have a son. I know his name is Tobias. But that�s all I know. They brought a little boy to me after the accident, A baby really. They told me he was mine. I didn�t remember him. I wanted to. I tried to. But I didn�t. I don�t remember anything of my life before the accident.�

I swallowed. �Even now? I mean, it�s been a long time. Didn�t any of it ever came back?� She frowned. Sat silently for a long moment. �There were images. Vague. Half-formed. A towheaded boy.�

My hand rose, almost involuntarily, and touched my blond hair.

She nodded. Like she�d read my mind. �It could have been you. I don�t know. It�s all so distant. The other images were terrifying. Aliens.�

Aliens? I sat very still.

�Sounds crazy,� she said. �I know. But that�s the only way I could describe them. Which, of course, sent my doctors scrambling for more tests and convinced my sister, or whoever she was, that I was completely nuts. But that�s what I had in my head. Aliens. Straight from a nightmare.�

Yeah. I�d lived that nightmare.

�Look.� She pushed herself from the chair and felt for the counter. �I think I know why you�re here. You think I abandoned you. And I guess in a way I did.� She pulled a cup from the cabinet and filled it with coffee. �But I couldn�t raise a little boy alone. I was blind. Permanently. Facing years of physical therapy. You needed someone who could take care of you. Someone who at least remembered you.�

�I needed a mother.� My voice echoed through the kitchen. I wanted to catch it and pull it back into my throat. But it was too late. It was already out there. Hanging.

Loren stirred her coffee. Her spoon clanked against the cup. She sat back down at the table.

�When I lost my memory,� she said, �I didn�t just forget the people I�d known and the things I�d done. I lost things that were much more basic. Like brushing my teeth. Somebody had to teach me how to brush my teeth. But first they had to explain what a tooth was. I had no idea what these little hard things in my mouth were called.� She let out a breath. �There�s no way I could have raised you.�

I nodded. Made sense. In my head. My heart took a little more convincing. �But you never even, I mean, you didn�t -�

�Visit? I know. I was in the hospital for a long time. When I got out, I didn�t know where you were. They sent you to stay with my sister, but I didn�t know her address. I didn�t even know her last name. The hospital didn�t have it on file. Maybe I could�ve tried harder. I just thought - hoped - you were happy. With people who cared about you. Who at least knew who you were. You didn�t need a crazy, blind woman in your life.�

Yes, I did. Yes. I did.

I still did.

�That stuff doesn�t matter anymore,� I said. �What matters is that you�re in danger. I can�t explain it now, and you wouldn�t believe me anyway, but I�ve got to get you out of here.�

�Out of here?� She held up her hands. �Whoa. Slow down. What are you talking about?�

�You�re not safe here,� I said. �I�ve got to get you out. Soon. I�ll figure out how. But right now we have to go for a walk in the park so you can get your real dog back.�

�My real dog?� She frowned. �Champ?�

�Yeah. Don�t worry. He�s safe. The, um, replacement dog will take you to him. Then you have to come back to the house and stay. Don�t leave. Don�t even go outside. Promise me this. My friends and I will be watching. We�ll have to cut your phone line, just to be safe. I won�t let anything happen to you, but we have to make sure you�re not a Controller.�

�A what?� She was either an incredible actress, or she had no idea what I was talking about. �Look, I don�t know what you think you�re doing, but -�

�Just stay inside,� I said. �For two days. Then take another walk in the park.�

�Okay, now you�re the one who�s talking crazy. You say you�re my son, and maybe you are. I have no way of knowing. But I�m not going anywhere. This is where I live. This is my life. And you will not cut my phone line.�

She was right. It did sound nuts.

I took a deep breath. �Those strange alien images in your head. Huge, right? Leathery. With blades. Like razors, erupting from their skin.�
She frowned. �Who told you this?�

�Nobody. Nobody had to. I�ve seen them. I don�t know what the doctors said after the accident, but those images weren�t caused by your head injuries or by medication. And you aren�t crazy. They�re real memories of real aliens.�

She sat still. Said nothing.

�You described them as nightmares,� I said. �But were there any other images? One that wasn�t a nightmare? One that seemed kind? Honorable, maybe?�

She nodded. Slowly. �It�s so vague. No form. Nothing recognizable. I�ve never told anybody about it. It�s just a � a feeling, almost. A flash.�

�A flash of blue?� I said.

She nodded again. She rose from the table and set her cup in the sink. �Two days from now? In the park?�

�Yeah.�

She pushed her hair behind her ear. Chewed the edge of her lip. �I�ll be there.�

So, he confronted her and told her. Hope she's not a Yeerk.

Chapter 24

quote:

Jake looked up at me. Didn�t say anything. Yet.

We were in the Hork-Bajir valley. I�d flown there after we�d switched guide dogs. Loren and Champ were back home. Under surveillance by an osprey perched on Ricky Lee�s roof and a northern harrier roosting on the garage behind Loren�s house.

Jake was sitting in the grass high on the side of the valley, his back propped against a tree. I perched on a branch above him.

<It won�t be easy,> I said. <The Yeerks are watching her. But she�s not a Controller.>

Jake stripped the head off a dandelion and tossed it into the grass. �You don�t know that, Tobias.�

<Yeah,> I said. 

Why? Because she loved her dog? Because her hands were warm and gentle when she petted him? Petted me?

 I said. <Overnight. She never slipped. Never acted like anything but a regular, noninfested sightless person on a limited budget.>

�Doesn�t mean anything.�

<And I searched her house. No portable Kandrona.>

�She could be storing it someplace else. That church maybe. Or the van across the street.�

<Maybe.> I considered that. <But I don�t think -> It was hard to admit out loud. I gazed out across the valley. <Besides, she�s been under surveillance for over twenty-four hours. Ax and Marco are

watching her now. If she doesn�t leave her house for another two days, we�ll know for sure.>

Jake nodded. �And so will the Yeerks. Even if she�s not a Controller, they�ll figure it out. They�ll be waiting for you. You have to walk away, Tobias. Forget her.�

<Like you�ve forgotten your parents? And Tom?>

He froze.

<You haven�t forgotten your family, Jake, no matter what you say. And I can�t forget mine. I�m getting her out.>

�How? You said it yourself. She�s blind. How can you get a blind person out while the Yeerks are watching?�

<By taking a huge risk. One you probably won�t like.> I dug my talons into the branch. <By asking you to trust me.>

He looked up. Met my gaze. Comprehension crossed his face. He knew what I was planning.

�Take Rachel,� he said. �You�ll need her talons.�

I soared out over the valley. Over the free Hork-Bajir who were scurrying around like carpenter ants, helping Marco�s dad build cabins for Cassie�s and Rachel�s families.

It was weird. Another irony. The sudden evacuation of our families had devastated the Animorphs. Put us on edge.

But it had energized the Hork-Bajir. One group was using a meadow at the end of the valley for combat training. They looked like switchblades kick boxing.

Toby, the young Hork-Bajir seer, had organized another group to debrief Marco�s mom. Eva had been Visser One�s host body for years. She�d seen everything the former Visser One had seen. She knew the Yeerk organization, the Yeerk fleet, and the Yeerks� future plans. And Toby was determined to pick every shred of that information from her brain.

Another group followed Cassie and her family around like a litter of puppies. Large, razoredged puppies. The Hork-Bajir were crazy in love with Cassie�s parents.

Rachel�s mom they weren�t so smitten with. Still, she had her own group of big, bladed folks. They�d decided her legal expertise was the answer to their self-governing dilemma. They needed a constitution, and they wanted her to draft it. They�d set up an office on the picnic table in the center of camp. Rachel sat in a lawn chair off to the side. I swooped down and perched on the arm.

�My mom.� Rachel waved a hand toward the picnic table. �Thomas Jefferson in heels.�

<How are they doing?>

She shrugged. �There�s an awful lot of discussion about bark and when you can strip it, and how much, and where. We�re a long way from �We, the People.��

She leaned her head back against the chair. �Please say you�ve come to rescue me from this place, Tobias. I�ve done nothing here but baby-sit my sisters and listen to my mother grouse about unsanitary bathroom conditions. Tell me you need my help. Tell me you�re planning some senseless, suicidal mission. Tell me you can�t pull it off without me.�

<All of the above,> I said. <For two days. I need your eyes, and I need your talons.>

�Thank you. THANK you.� She closed her eyes. �You�ve saved my sanity.�

�Oh, for pete�s sake.� Rachel�s mother tossed down her pen.

An argument had broken out between two groups of Hork-Bajir, the deciduous faction and the coniferous faction. They shouted and shook their clawed fists at each other.

Rachel�s mom rubbed her temples.

 I said.

�Don�t.� Rachel laughed. �She loves this kind of stuff. You�re looking at one happy, driven woman. When the bickering stops, that�s when she�s miserable.�

<Ah. Must be genetic.>

I like the idea that the Hork-Bajir have formed rival deciduous and coniferous factions. Someone needs to introduce them to the larch and brong them together.

I also like the fact that the Hork-Bajir love Cassie's parents, because how can you not, really?

# ? Oct 12, 2022 03:28

Fuschia tude: Dec 26, 2004; THUNDERDOME LOSER 2019

Epicurius posted:

Chapter 24

I like the idea that the Hork-Bajir have formed rival deciduous and coniferous factions. Someone needs to introduce them to the larch and brong them together.

If they ever discover eucalypts it will cause immediate civil war. Or maybe get them drunk. Or both.

# ? Oct 12, 2022 04:19

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Chapter 25

quote:

e huddled in the semidarkness. In the pedestrian tunnel that ran under the street, connecting one side of the park to the other. I was in guide dog morph. Rachel and Marco were human.

Ax was a northern harrier, perched on Ricky Lee�s roof three blocks away, waiting for Loren and Champ to take a walk.

We�d watched her house for two days. She hadn�t come out. No one had gone in.

And now we were waiting for her in the park. The same park I used to come to when I lived with my uncle. The same tunnel. Clammy cement. Broken bottles. A sliver of sunlight piercing the gloom at each end. The perfect place to hide when I needed to escape my life.

Or needed to help my mother escape hers.

And yeah, I was getting really tired of all the irony.

<She has entered the park.> Ax�s thought-speak rang through my head. <The female street person is following.>

My ears pricked up. Footsteps. Two sets. A human in sneakers and a quadruped with sharp toenails. Across the sidewalk. Down the steps. The sliver of sunlight disappeared. Two figures entered the tunnel. Loren and Champ.

Loren knew the drill. She�d been here two days earlier, when we returned Champ to her. She made her way to the center of the tunnel and held out the harness handle.

Rachel grabbed it. She and Marco worked like a pit crew at a NASCAR race. Rachel slipped a collar and leash around Champ�s neck. Marco unfastened his harness.

<Tobias�s mother has been inside the tunnel for twelve seconds,> said Ax. <The female street person is approaching.> Marco set the harness on my back. Rachel slipped something small and heavy into Loren�s bag.

<Eighteen seconds.>

Marco strapped the harness. Rachel slid the handle into Loren�s hand.

<Twenty-three seconds. The street person has reached the tunnel. She has stopped at the top of the steps.>

Marco pulled a handful of dog biscuits from his pocket. Rachel placed her hand on Champ�s head. The real Champ. He fell into an acquiring trance.

�Go,� Rachel hissed.

Loren grasped the handle. �Forward.�

I stepped forward and led her to the other end of the tunnel.

<Twenty-nine seconds.>

We emerged into the sunlight.

I glanced across the street. The bag lady had started down the steps. She saw us and froze. She glared at us, scrambled back up the steps, and grabbed her shopping cart.

Loren and I finished our stroll in the park, then headed home. The bag lady followed at a distance. A northern harrier floated through the sky above us.

Loren�s street hadn�t changed much over the last two days. The teenager�s bus still hadn�t come. The van was apparently still abandoned. But while we were at the park it had mysteriously moved from the vacant lot across the street to the curb directly in front of Loren�s house.

I led Loren inside, just like a good guide dog. As soon as the door clicked shut and she�d unstrapped my harness, I bolted toward the kitchen. No Yeerks. The bedroom. The bathroom. Nothing suspicious.

I returned to the living room.

<The clock�s ticking,> I said. <We gotta get out of here.>

�Tobias? Your voice sounds, well, it doesn�t sound. It�s just sort of there. In my head. And it seems like � like you�re the dog.� She sighed. �I am crazy.�

<No, you�re not. I�m communicating in thought-speak. Yes, I am the dog. And it�s nowhere near as crazy as it�s going to get. Put your hand on my face - on the dog�s face - and leave it there. Trust me.>

Trust me. I�d been saying that a lot lately. I wasn�t even sure I trusted myself.

<The Yeerks are on the move.> Rachel�s thought-speak thundered from the roof. <Ticktock, Tobias. Ticktock.>

Loren stretched one hand out and rested it on my face, palm on my snout, fingers splayed across my forehead.
I focused on red-tailed hawk.

The fur under Loren�s fingers liquefied. Dissolved into a black pool and congealed. A feather pattern swept across my body, like a tattoo.

�Ah!� Loren snatched her hand back.

<It�s okay, Mo - Moth -> I stumbled over the word. <It�s okay, Loren. It feels weird, but it�s okay.>

She nodded. Placed her hand on my head again.

<They�re onto us!> Marco this time. <Cars screaming in from all directions.>

I pushed his thought-speak out of my head. Focused. My body shrank.

Crrrrrunch! My snout slammed back into my skull. Hardened into a sharp, curved beak.

Loren�s face twisted in horror. I could feel her trembling. But she didn�t remove her hand.

So this is tense. Will they be able to get out of there in time?

Chapter 26

quote:

<This is not a test, Tobias. GET OUT!>

I concentrated and finished the morph.

<Okay.> I flapped up onto the couch. <We�ve got to make this fast. There�s a heavy box in your purse. Get it out.>

She nodded, reached into her bag, and pulled out a small blue cube.

The morphing cube. It was one of the reasons I needed Rachel. It was too big and too heavy for a red-tailed hawk. Rachel had carried it from the Hork-Bajir valley in her eagle talons.

<Set it down,> I said, <and place your hand on it.>

Loren set the cube on the couch and pressed her hand flat against the top.

�Ooh!� she started. �It shocked me.�

<It does that,> I said. <But it won�t hurt you. Leave your hand there.>

<Tobias, you are in danger.> Ax�s thought-speak was tense. <You must evacuate.>

Sirens wailed. A few blocks away. Speeding closer.

<Now take your hand off,> I told Loren, <and place it on my head. On the bird�s head. I�m standing on the couch.>

She nodded. She looked confused. But she did it.

<Chopper!> said Marco. <Headed our way. Tobias, buddy, you�re so out of time.>

<Okay.> I kept my thought-speak even. <Keep your hand pressed against my feathers and concentrate. Think about the hawk. Focus on how the hawk feels under your hand.>

She frowned. �Is this some kind of weird touch therapy?�

<No, it�s not therapy. Believe me.>

Loren pressed her hand against my feathers. Her forehead wrinkled in concentration.

THWOK! THWOK! THWOK! Helicopter blades.

<Just think about the hawk,> I told Loren.

<TOBIAS.> Ax was beyond stressed.

<Okay, next step,> I said. <Take your hand from my head, but keep concentrating on the hawk. Focus. Tightly. Let the hawk surge through you.>

Let the hawk surge through you? No wonder she was skeptical. I sounded like some Psychic Network freak fortune-teller.

But it worked.

Loren�s skin darkened to the hawk�s dusky brown. An outline of feathers etched itself across her body.

She clutched her arm. Raked her fingers over the feather pattern. �What�s happening to me?�

<It�s the hawk, Mo - Loren.> Man. What was it with that word? <It�s the hawk. You absorbed my DNA, and now you are becoming a red-tailed hawk.>

�I�m WHAT?�

Cars screeched to a stop. Doors slammed. I heard footsteps. Shouts.

THWOK! THWOK! THWOK! THWOK! The helicopter was above the house now.

But inside, I was calm. Determined, yes. Realistic. But not panicked. I was like � Jake. Yeah, Jake. Because now I had the one goal Jake had always had. To save my family.

<Do you hear what�s going on outside?> I said.

Loren nodded.

<Those are not nice people. If they catch us, they will kill us. Or worse. What are you more afraid of? The hawk? Or them?>

Loren took a deep breath. The ridged scars on her face smoothed out. Flattened. Her skull crunched and molded itself into a streamlined hawk head. The feather pattern solidified and burst from her skin.

<Oh, God,> she said. <This is beyond horror>

<Concentrate,> I said.

Suddenly, her body shrank to the floor. Legs narrowed. The skin covering them hardened into scales. Toes shot out into long talons.

The morph was complete. She was a hawk. A red-tailed hawk.

Exactly like me.

<Tobias?> Her thought-speak was a whisper. <It can�t be true.> She blinked her fierce eyes. 

Ka-BOOM.

The entire front wall of the house splintered and crashed to the floor of the living room.

You may say it's a mistake to let Loren use them morphing cube,but Elfangor would have wanted it to.

I do kind of wonder how they're going to get it out, though, with Yeerks all over the place. But hopefully, they won't recognize it.

# ? Oct 13, 2022 03:55

liquidypoo: Aug 23, 2006; Chew on that... you overgrown son of a bitch.

Well this answers a question I had about nothlits that I hadn't bothered asking yet: acquire a nothlit's DNA and you get their new form rather than their original. Though there may be some Ellimist nonsense happening that's making this specific situation more complicated

# ? Oct 13, 2022 21:00

mind the walrus: Sep 22, 2006

Did they ever test that out prior? Hell of a gamble to make.

# ? Oct 14, 2022 02:21

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Chapter 27

quote:

<Excuse me. Coming through. Sorry for the emergency remodeling.>

Rachel! She barreled through the opening in the front of Loren�s house. Thundered across the rubble, grabbed the morphing cube in her elephant trunk, and charged out through the kitchen, widening doors along the way.

THWOK! THWOK! THWOK! THWOK!

The downdraft from the helicopter blasted through the house. The street was jammed with police cars and SUVs. Human-Controllers streamed across the yard, Dracon beams pulled. They obviously weren�t worried about causing a scene. In this neighborhood, nobody bothered to report anything.

<What do we do?> Loren said worriedly.

<Fly.>



<You don�t, but the hawk does. FLY!>

She spread her wings. Flapped. Rose from the hardwood floor. Up. Above the couch.



<Yeah. Great, isn�t it? Now let�s get out of here. Stay on my tail. And stay low.>

We flapped toward the kitchen. Skimmed along baseboards. Around the corner. Shot over the tile floor and out the gaping hole Rachel had thoughtfully created for us in the back wall.

Tseeeeeeew!

A Dracon beam blasted overhead. Chunks of Sheetrock pelted our wings.

<My God!> Loren cried. <They�re shooting at us!>

<Uh, yeah. They do that sometimes.>

I powered my wings. Loren stayed on my tail. Controllers charged around the corner of the house. Into the backyard.

�There they are! Two hawks.�

�GET THEM!�

Tseeeeeeew! Tseeeeeeew!

A clothesline pole exploded.

We shot through the alley. Around a garage. Loren fought the wind. Fought the exhaustion in her wings from flapping, endless flapping. Fought to stay airborne.



<Yes, you can. Tip your tail down slightly. Cup your wings. Let the bird mind take over. Let the hawk fly.>

<Hawk. Fly.> Fatigue drained her thought-speak. But she kept pumping. Kept flying.

We shot between two houses. Across a street. Dove behind a line of trees and over a wooden fence. Skimmed along near the ground.

�Where�d they go?�

�Don�t know. I lost them.�

�Spread out! They couldn�t have gotten far.�

Feet shuffled through grass and gravel. The fence groaned. Someone was climbing over. We sailed through the weeds, close to the fence. It ended at a brick wall. A shed. There was an opening at the edge. A board that had rotted and fallen off. I darted through. Loren followed.

We were in an alley. Two patchy strips of gravel, lined with weeds and rusting appliances. Skinny trees formed a spindly canopy over our heads.
We soared past sheds. Garages. Empty lots. Behind us an SUV crashed into the alley.

�There! Both of them. GO! GO! GO!�

Ahead, open daylight. A street. Cars.

We shot across four lanes of traffic. Into the parking lot of a deserted strip mall on the other side.

We pumped our wings. Jetted around light poles, parking meters, and the burned-out neon mall sign: HILLCREST CENTER, A SHOPPER�S PARADISE.

Tseeeeeew!

Dracon beam fire. The asphalt disintegrated below us.

<The overhang!> I shouted.

The mall was U-shaped, the walkway in front of it covered by a warped metal awning. We dove under it.

<Stay up,> I said. <Where they can�t see us.>

We skimmed the storefronts, dodging wires and metal bracing. Turned the corner of the U.

Tseeeeew!

A plate glass window exploded below us.

We reached the end of the building. The end of our cover. Daylight. We shot around the corner. Around the building. Into the service alley behind it.

<NO!> Loren screamed.

I wheeled. Loren raked her talons forward. Raised her wings. Spun around. She was learning fast.

The other end of the alley was barricaded by squad cars. Controller squad cars.

We rocketed back the way we had come.

More Controllers poured in from that end, Dracon beams aimed.

I spun. On one side, a concrete wall. On the other, the back of the shopping center. At both ends. Controllers.

<Sky!> I shouted. <It�s the only way.>

I powered my wings. Climbed. Loren beside me.

Up. Up!

And the chopper bore down on us.

Sadly, no thermals. Loren's doing a great job flying, though.

Chapter 28

quote:

The chopper�s downdraft pounded us. Loren skidded against the building. I pitched. Rolled. Righted myself.

The pilot leaned from the helicopter. It was the granny-Controller. She raised her Dracon beam.

Tseeeeeeeeeeeew!

The shot seared past my wings. Blasted a crater in the alley. Chunks of asphalt, like shrapnel, pummeled my feathers. I reeled. Loren spun. Granny-Controller aimed again.

<Down!> I shouted.

I dove into the narrow space between a Dumpster and the cinder block wall of the shopping center. Loren plunged in after me.

<What now?>

<Don�t know.> My heart pounded in my ears. My wings were numb. <Can�t stay here. Let me think.>

Tseeeeeeeeeeeew!

The Dumpster exploded. Hurled us against the wall.

Shouts. Pounding footsteps. A siren. I couldn�t tell where the noises were coming from. Wind from the chopper blades whipped through the alley. Peppered us with gravel.

Suddenly: <Tobias! This way!>

<Marco?>

<Back the way you came,> he said. <Behind the old toy store. Loading dock. NOW!>

I lifted my wings. They were heavy with grit. Slowly I rose from the rubble, Loren beside me. Two battered hawks scudded along the pavement toward the abandoned toy store.

�There they are!�

�After them!�

Controllers swarmed toward us from both ends of the alley.

Tseeeew!

The pavement erupted behind us.

�Hold your fire! IDIOTS! You�ll shoot each other.�

We swooped past a set of metal steps. Up. Onto the loading dock. Against the heavy steel door. No way through. No way out. Controllers sprinted toward us. Leaped for the dock.

<LOOK OUT!> Loren screamed.

A Controller lunged.

Tseeeeeew!

I dove. Raked my talons across his bald head.

�AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!� He hurtled backward, off the loading dock.

<MARCO! WHERE ARE YOU?>

Sccuuurrrrrrruuuunch-BAM!

The steel door behind me ripped. Twisted. Rumbled open.

<IN!>

Loren darted through the door. Didn�t question the gorilla standing under it. Or the furry blue alien standing beside him with the Barney backpack strapped to his shoulders.

Fwap! Fwap!

Ax whipped his tail forward. Two Controllers fell from the loading dock, unconscious.

Marco rolled a plastic bin onto the dock. Dumped it over the edge. Hot Wheels cars skittered across the pavement.

Controllers raced over them. Skidded. Teetered. Smack! Hit the ground. Like an old Three Stooges movie.

<GO!>

Marco leaped back into the building. Ax and I followed.

Marco slammed the door down.

We were in a warehouse. Rows of steel shelves towered to the ceiling. Loren was perched on top of the nearest one, waiting.

I jetted past her. <Let�s get out of here!>

We swooped over shelves. Around beams. Ax and Marco bounded along below, the backpack bouncing against Ax�s shoulders. It looked almost empty, except for something square, and heavy at the bottom. The morphing cube.

<It�s about time.> Rachel, still in elephant morph, was waiting at the front of the warehouse. An elephant-sized hole had been ripped through the wall behind her. <Sorry I couldn�t help you back there,> she said. 

Tssseeeeewww!

Ka-BOOOOOM.

The loading dock door exploded behind us. Controllers poured into the warehouse. Rachel lowered her big gray head and pushed against the nearest shelf. It tipped. Smashed against the next shelf. And the next. The entire row of shelves toppled like dominoes.

�LOOK OUT!� Controllers scrambled back onto the dock.

<LET�S GO!>

We darted through Rachel�s hole and into the abandoned store beyond. Ax and Marco raced down one of the aisles. Loren and I flew above, dodging light fixtures and cobwebs. Rachel brought up the rear. Half the shelves were still lined with dust-coated toys. Rachel swung her trunk over them,
slinging Legos, golf tees, and Ping-Pong balls onto the floor behind her.

<Uh-oh,> I said. <Trouble.>

Sunlight streamed through the front windows. Outside, four Controllers sprinted toward the store.

CRRRRAAAAAASH.

Heaved a parking meter into the window. Scrambled through the broken glass and charged toward us.

Marco leaped onto a scooter. Grabbed the handle with two huge fingers, held his other fist out, and plowed into the Controllers.

WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!

Gorilla fist against human face. All four Controllers dropped to the floor. And they were obviously going to be there for a while.

<You know,> Marco said, 

THWOK! THWOK! THWOK!

The chopper roared overhead.

Tseeeeeew! Tseeeeeew!

Dracon beams blasted through the warehouse. Controllers stormed us from behind. Rachel spun around. Took out three Controllers with her massive head.

<Tobias?> Loren wheeled. Flapped above a light fixture. Spun. Flapped back. <TOBIAS!>

<Down!> I said. <Stay DOWN! Don�t try to fight these guys.>

She circled. Darted toward an empty bottom shelf.

<Stay there,> I said. <Don�t move until I tell you.>

I banked. Two guys lunged at Marco. He slammed one with his fist, the other with his elbow. Another Controller leveled a Dracon beam at his back. I dove.

Tseeeeer!

�Aaaaaaaaahhhhh!�

Nailed his trigger finger with my beak. The weapon skidded across the floor.

A floor littered with unconscious Controllers. Ax struck with his tail blade. I raked with my talons. Rachel and Marco beat their attackers back with sheer size and brute strength. Controller after Controller fell. But more kept coming. Pouring in from the warehouse.

<They are trying to force us into the parking lot,> Ax said.

<Yeah.> Thump. Marco�s forearm connected with a Controller�s gut. <Where the little old chopper pilot can mow us down.>

<So let�s give them what they want,> I said. <Out the front. Into the parking lot.>

<ARE YOU INSANE?> Marco, of course.

<Yeah,> I said. <Aren�t you?>

I like Tobias and Marco together.

# ? Oct 14, 2022 02:52

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

Can an adult be an Animorph or is that just a teen thing?

# ? Oct 14, 2022 06:22

nine-gear crow: Aug 10, 2013

dungeon cousin posted:

Can an adult be an Animorph or is that just a teen thing?

Sadly, we will be coming eventually to the series's excuse/explanation for "No Adult Animorphs" and... It sucks. Okay. It really loving sucks. It is the height of intellectual laziness and storytelling cowardice, and I'm incredibly pained to say it.

Like I get that Applegate and Grant were winding the series down, but this book kicks so many doors of possibility down for what could be done in the story now that the rules are completely out the window and they just kind of spend the rest of series staring at the floor pretending it's the only thing that exists.

nine-gear crow fucked around with this message at 07:43 on Oct 14, 2022

# ? Oct 14, 2022 07:41

Fuschia tude: Dec 26, 2004; THUNDERDOME LOSER 2019

dungeon cousin posted:

Can an adult be an Animorph or is that just a teen thing?

Ax is older than them by a few years, isn't he?

nine-gear crow posted:

Sadly, we will be coming eventually to the series's excuse/explanation for "No Adult Animorphs" and... It sucks. Okay. It really loving sucks. It is the height of intellectual laziness and storytelling cowardice, and I'm incredibly pained to say it.

Like I get that Applegate and Grant were winding the series down, but this book kicks sow many doors of possibility down for what could be done in the story now that the rules are completely out the window and they just kind of spend the rest of series staring at the floor pretending it's the only thing that exists.

Aren't we like 4 books from the end?

# ? Oct 14, 2022 07:44

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Fuschia tude posted:

Aren't we like 4 books from the end?

We are. Grant has said in interviews that he knows the end of the series was rushed and they had talks about getting their deal with Scholastic extended to write another 5 or 6 books, but Applegrant were so burnt out and ready to be done with the series at that point, they said no, which meant that some stuff wound up faster than it probably should have.

# ? Oct 14, 2022 13:09

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Sorry, I had to work until midnight and am now going to bed. Animorphs tomorrow! We're going to be finishing the book!

# ? Oct 15, 2022 05:08

mind the walrus: Sep 22, 2006

Epicurius posted:

We are. Grant has said in interviews that he knows the end of the series was rushed and they had talks about getting their deal with Scholastic extended to write another 5 or 6 books, but Applegrant were so burnt out and ready to be done with the series at that point, they said no, which meant that some stuff wound up faster than it probably should have.

In some ways a blessing, in some ways a curse.

# ? Oct 16, 2022 02:26

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? May 25, 2024 22:29

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Chapter 29

quote:

<I�ve got more flight time than any chopper pilot alive.> I said. <Let�s see how low she�ll go.>

I left Loren in her hiding place. Left Marco, Ax, and Rachel behind to fend off the ground troops. I shot through the shattered window. Under the awning. Into open daylight. Nothing but sky and pavement.

And helicopter.

A helicopter that would hunt us down no matter where we ran. Out the front. Out the back. It didn�t matter. The chopper�d be all over us. We couldn�t escape it.

We could only destroy it.

I pumped my wings. Swooped above the metal awning. A handful of Controllers had been posted around the perimeter. They glanced at me, but seemed more worried about the chopper. It spun around. The Controllers dove for cover.

The pilot - our old friend, the granny-Controller - stayed well above the light poles. I saw her lean forward. Glare at me. My hawk eyes could see her grip the control stick in one bony hand. Raise her Dracon beam in the other. Could see her nose hairs twitch as she flared her nostrils in a triumphant sneer.

I swept around the U shape of the mall.

Granny glanced at her instrument panel. Glanced at me.

I spun. Doubled back. I needed her attention. Needed her to focus more on me, less on where the helicopter was flying. Needed her to drop closer to the ground.

She wheeled. Leaned from the door, weapon at the ready. The Controllers hit the pavement.

She aimed. Squeezed the trigger.

Up! I tilted my wings and shot toward the clouds.

Tseeeeeew!

The Dracon beam singed my tail.

Vaporized the front wall of an old diner. Pummeled one of the Controllers with flying debris. The other Controllers bolted for the street. Beyond psycho-Granny�s line of fire.

I banked. Dove. Skimmed the asphalt. Shot under the chopper. The downdraft whipped at my feathers.

The helicopter pitched forward. Perilously close to the top of a light pole. A Dracon beam flashed in the sunlight.

I banked again.

Tseeeeeew!

A speed bump exploded below me.

The helicopter hovered. Its blades sliced the air. Its landing skids swept the top of the light pole again. Granny ignored the instrument panel. Kept her eyes on me.

One more pass. One more pass and I�d have her. I�d get her lower, get her tangled in light poles and wires. The chopper�d be history, and we�d be out of there.

I heard Rachel�s trumpeting over the roar of the chopper. I whirled. The ground battle had spilled from the store, out onto the sidewalk. Rachel wrapped her trunk around a Controller and tossed him up onto the awning.

Granny laughed. Whipped the helicopter around. Swooped toward the toy store.

<RACHEL! WATCH OUT!>

I shot toward the chopper.

<TOBIAS, NO! YOU�LL BE KILLED!> Loren�s thought-speak. From somewhere. I couldn�t see her.

I fought the downdraft. Fought to stay in the air. Skimmed across the big bubble window in front of the Granny-pilot. And aimed my thought-speak at her. <What, you need a bigger target? You can�t hit a little bird?>

Her face twisted into a maniacal grin. She shouted something, the words swallowed by the drone of the blades. Waved the Dracon beam over her head. I spiraled. Shot toward the towering HILLCREST sign.

The helicopter rolled. Turned. Jetted after me.

I wheeled back, in a tight spin. Granny stayed with me. Kept the nose of the chopper on me.

I banked. I was in the middle of an open parking lot. Nowhere to hide.

<TOBIAS!>

Sudden movement. Behind me. Another redtailed hawk! Loren. She hurtled toward me.

Granny aimed.

Loren dove. Hit my wing. Knocked me away.

Tseeeeeeeeeew!

<NO!>

The Dracon beam tore across Loren�s back. She plummeted to the ground in a shower of blood and feathers.

I swooped toward her. She lay still. Motionless. Blood poured from the stump of her wing.

<No,> I whispered. <Please, no.>

Her chest quivered. A breath? A heartbeat?

<Demorph!> I ordered. <Focus on your human self and demorph.>

<Can�t.> Her thought-speak was weak. Distant.

<You have to.>

<I�ll � be blind.>

<You�ll be alive.>

The helicopter swept toward us.

<Listen to me.> I kept my voice even. <We don�t have time for Biology 101. Morphing is based on DNA. It fixes shattered wings. It should fix your damaged eyes, too.>

<Can�t � take � the risk.>

<It�s not a risk. You can morph back. You can always morph back. Please. Mom. Demorph!>

She closed her eyes. And then her feathers faded from brown to pale flesh. Beak softened. Skull stretched into a human head.

THWOK! THWOK! THWOK!

<TOBIAS!> Rachel screamed.

Loren�s body grew. Expanded. Her wings snapped, sloshed, and shot out into two human arms. The chopper swung wide. Maneuvered for a clear shot. The tail section spun around.

<She�s gonna crash!>

The tail of the helicopter slammed into the HILLCREST sign.

The sign tilted. The tail tore loose from the fuselage and swung crazily by one bracket.

<Lookout!> Marco.

Scrunnnnch!

The bracket ripped free.

Ka-BAMMMM. THUNG-UNG-UNG-UNG.

The tail section dropped. The chopper spiraled out of control. Down. Down. Like a missile, spinning toward Earth. Spinning toward us. Toward me. And my mother.

The ground quaked. Rachel thundered across the parking lot. <TOBIAS! FLY!>

The scales on Loren�s legs melted into human flesh. Her talons dissolved into toes.

She blinked. Took a deep breath. �I can see. I can still see!�

The chopper�s black underbelly plummeted toward us.

<Great, but can you run?>

<No time to find out.> Rachel wrapped her trunk around Loren, snatched her from the pavement, and charged toward the other end of the parking lot.

I powered my wings and soared after her.

And the helicopter slammed into the lot. Into the pool of hawk blood where my mother had lain.

And exploded into flames.

RIP Granny Controller.

And, yea, Loren can see. The blindness and scarring were caused by the accident, not genetic, so morphing fixes them.

Chapter 30

quote:

�Champ! Here you go, boy. Catch.� Loren tossed the Frisbee. It sailed out over a meadow at the edge of camp.

Champ raced after it, leaped, and caught it in his teeth.

We were in the Hork-Bajir valley. Home. We�d been here since the battle at the strip mall. Getting away was pretty easy once the chopper exploded. The Controllers deserted when they saw it going down. Psycho-granny bailed just before impact. I saw her crawling on her belly across the parking lot. It was a satisfying sight.

We retrieved Champ on the way back. Rachel had locked him inside an old car that was up on blocks behind somebody�s house. He was one happy pup when we let him out. He about wagged himself in half. About licked Loren�s face off. He was definitely glad to see her.

And she was glad to see him. Glad? Make that elated, euphoric, ecstatic. She fell to her knees, held his face in her hands, and just looked at him. Looked at him and looked at him and looked at him.

Tears rolled down her cheeks. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his fur.

And yeah, I admit it. I was jealous. Jealous of a dog. How�s that for pathetic?

Now we were back in the valley. Champ bounded through camp, the Frisbee clenched in his teeth. He jostled through a group of Hork-Bajir who�d formed a circle. Rachel�s mom stood on a bench in the center.

�No,� she was telling them. �No, no, no. Elemenopee is not one letter. L. M. N. O. P. Get it?� She shook her head and rubbed her temples.

A couple of days ago she�d gotten the kinks worked out of the Hork-Bajir constitution. She�d read it to them. They�d voted unanimously to accept it. She set it on the table, ready to be signed. And they�d just stood there, confused. Toby, the seer, was the only Hork-Bajir in the valley who could read or write. The rest of them didn�t even know how to hold a pen.

So they voted to have Rachel�s mom teach them.

�Excuse me?� Her voice had thundered through the valley. �Do I look like a teacher?�

They voted again, and decided that, yes, she did indeed look like a teacher.

Now she was teaching them the ABC song.

Jake and I sat at the picnic table and watched. I was in human morph. For no reason other than somehow it felt � right. I�d never really been comfortable in my human body, even back when I was a regular non-nothlit kid. But now, with Loren here, I wanted to at least try it out. For two hours at a time, anyway.

Loren. My mother. I watched her race after Champ. Pull the Frisbee from his mouth and send it sailing across the valley again.

Her scars were gone. Her long blond hair fell shiny and straight down both sides of her head.

And she could see. Morphing had restored her vision.

I�d thought - hoped - that it would also restore her memory. But it didn�t. She still didn�t know me. Didn�t remember anything from before the accident.
Cassie had tried to explain it. �Morphing can fix injuries,� she said, �because all the information needed to re-create the cell is stored within your DNA. But memories? How are those stored? As electrical impulses? As part of your soul? When they�re gone, maybe they�re just � gone.�

Yeah. Maybe they were. Maybe the little towheaded kid would never be anything more than an unrecognizable image from a life my mother would never remember.

But she�d thrown her body between me and a Dracon beam. Like Cassie�s mom when she saw Ax. Like Rachel�s mom with the spice rack. Whether she remembered me or not, loved me or not, my mother almost died trying to save me.

That had to count for something. Didn�t it?

�Have you told her about Elfangor?� Jake asked.

�No.� I shrugged. �I will. I just haven�t figured out how. I mean, how do you tell somebody that she used to be married to an alien? That she loved him and he loved her, and that because of their love, they had � me? And then, after getting her all worked up over a husband she can�t remember, say, �Oh! And did I mention he�s dead?��

Jake nodded. He stared out over the camp, at the cabin he shared with Marco and his family. It was weird. We�d almost traded places. Tobias the orphan suddenly had a mother. Jake, the poster boy for the all-American nuclear family, was alone. Living in somebody else�s house, the way I�d always had to live with one ragtag relative or another. Not knowing where his real family was.
�
They�re still alive,� I said. �We can still save them.�

�Can we?� He picked at the splintered edge of the picnic table. �What do you think�s going to happen to Tom now that Visser One knows he�s been living with an Andalite bandit all this time?

How much do you think his life is worth?�

�A lot. That�s just it, Jake. Visser One needs him. Needs your parents. Now more than ever. He needs them so he can find us. He needs them to draw us out. As long as we keep fighting, Visser One will keep them alive.�

I guess Granny Controller didn't die after all. I'm also not entirely sure Tobias is right about Tom, but Jake needs to believe it.

I also like the Hork-Bajir have fully embraced voting, much to the dismay of Rachel's mother.

So that's the book. We'll take tomorrow off, and then Monday we're going to start The Ultimate, which is a Cassie book, and was ghostwritten by Kimberly Morris, who also wrote The Arrival (about the Andalite hit team on a black op to wipe out the Yeerks on Earth (with extermination of humanity an acceptable risk) and The Return (which we just read, about Crayak using David to tempt Rachel).

Epicurius fucked around with this message at 03:11 on Oct 16, 2022

# ? Oct 16, 2022 03:06

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

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