Story [Animorphs] Morphers - AU

DaenaBenjen42 I always enjoy your reviews. And I always thought that Visser Three would be intelligent or at least Alloran would be. So between the two they are smart.


Sorry I took so long. I thought about adding a scene before deciding against it, most of it was because I would have to rewrite more than have of what I had already written and I had already done that at least twice before that.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I wasn’t nervous as I trotted beside Tobias disguised in morph as Champ, the German Shephard owned by Tobias’s family. I had done similar things on a dozen worlds and been through an untold number of training exercises. For the most part you allow the natural instincts of your morph to take over with a few exceptions of behavior. On one hand you don’t want to seem abnormal but not unruly depending on what and where you are.

I knew that both Anjinnl and Aximili were afraid but they seemed to be controlling their fear well. They were even behaving themselves remarkably. /Keep it up you two./ I told them privately.

I suspected that Anjinnl was worried about the safety of her family back on Nyumbani but she hadn’t voiced any of her concerns to me. I suspected that she didn’t want to be pulled from the mission if she thought that I thought she was emotionally compromised.

I will admit that I was curious to know who had drawn those sketches. But some Andalites looked similar and those sketches could have been sitting in one of the Yeerks archives somewhere before someone decided to use them as bait for a trap.

I was grateful that I had asked the Chee to keep an eye on Jake and Marco’s families until we could sort this all out.

Slowly we made our way through security and to the gate we would be boarding the plane through.

It was loud and there were many different sounds and smells that intrigued the mind of my morph. I allowed some of that curiosity through as I looked around and noticed several booths selling food and groups of different travelers; I even pulled a little bit at one point to further play the act of being a dog.

“Sit Champ,” Tobias said calmly as he lowered his body into one of the connected chairs in the terminal. I sat like I had seen other dogs and kept close to Tobias.

Finally the boarding call went out and we boarded the plane.

Xxxxxx

The plane ride had been interesting. Short and the wind seemed strong at times. Tobias had said it was because the flight was so short we hadn’t gotten very high in the air because it was a ‘puddle jump’.

At the moment we were all humans walking through the public areas of Web Across America’s offices. There were paintings of the three founders of Web Across America along one wall. There were also several other paintings with surreal landscapes on the walls as well. According to the guide all the paintings had been done by the talented Rain Forester.

I had heard about her before, a talented woman with Asian and European blood with a brilliant imagination and unique ways of painting and combining colors.

I didn’t know anything else about her though.

As I examined one painting I wished that I could view it with my Andalite eyes so I could see any hidden details. Some human artists liked to hide things in their work and I wanted to know if Rain Forester was one of them.

We had already devised a plan to learn the identity of ‘WateryMoonArtist’ and it was time to put it into action.

Anjinnl had already placed a device to disrupt their security cameras and placed it on the roof before we entered and all she had to do was activate it.

Jake checked the time on his watch and sighed; the prearranged signal. Anjinnl tipped her head to one side and smiled slightly to let us know that the device had been activated.

We continued to follow the tour group for a bit before Anjinnl, Aximili and Marco broke off to access the systems of Web Across America. When we were in a skywalk above and to the side of one of their main areas we started our distraction.

Xxxxxxx

As the afternoon wore on we gathered in the Scoop ready to go over the information that Anjinnl, Aximili and Marco had retrieved from Web Across America’s system.

“Well we discovered who ‘WateryMoonArtist’ is.” Marco began. “Drumroll, it is Rain Forester. I was surprised when I saw that too.” Marco said.

There was silence for several moments as everyone took it in. “If she’s responsible that would explain the quality of the sketches but now how did she do them is the question.” Rachel commented

“Could someone just be using her name or someone with the same name as her?” Cassie asked.

“Could they be trying to find us or smoke out former Controllers?” Tobias asked.

“The site is meant for someone; that much is obvious.” Anjinnl commented.

“But for who?” Jake asked.

“Are there other spies here Arbron?” Marco asked. “Maybe that’s who they’re looking for.”

“I doubt that he would tell us if that’s the case.” Aximili commented.

I looked away from the young ones for a few minutes as I mentally went through my knowledge of the Yeerks and the theories put forth by everyone. All of them had merits but experience told me that the trap is meant for someone. Whether or not it’s meant for us or others I didn’t know.

Finally I turned to face them. “I don’t know what the Yeerks are planning but my experience is that they are trying to trap someone. It might be us or someone else. For now return to your homes and do as much research on Rain Forester as you are comfortable doing. If you are going to say you’re doing research then take notes and turn it into a teacher for extra credit or something of the like. It’s important to not draw attention to yourselves.” I told them.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Since it would have alerted the Yeerks to their presence they didn’t morph and ‘mop’ the floor. As to what they did . . . use your imagination. An improvised skit or something or the like or reciting poetry or Shakespeare.

 

Oh, I'm pretty sure Visser Three is intelligent... it's just that until about book...30 or so, he was mostly played as a horrific joke seen from the outside that didn't totally understand humans because he refused to take a human host, even a little bit. Morphing a human just isn't the same thing as actually being one.

And... yay for not "Mopping" the floor! (Though the reactions to it were hilarious.) And, also... Arbron! Getting to be a dog! Yay!!!

Side note: I'm like a year late to post an update because I went back to school, so I understand totally.

 

DaenaBenjen42 there was a day and age where a stupid villain was all the rage. Most likely it was to make not too bright heroes look smart. *coughcough*Captain Kirk*coughcough* Honestly the mopping the carpeted floor in those morphs mind as well been putting on a neon sign to let the Yeerks know that they had been there and interested in something there. And I suspect that now that book 16 is done that I will be skipping books once again.


Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Three days later we flew in the air observing the home of Rain Forester. Her house was far from major roads with a long driveway with trees surrounding the driveway and formed a half circle around a large house. It looked so peaceful.

However something was off. It was eluding me exactly why I that way.

/It looks so peaceful!/ Anjinnl commented wistfully.

/Reminds me of home./ Aximili said excitedly.

/I wouldn’t mind camping in the woods here. If there wasn’t a house here I am sure I could convince my parents to take the family here for a getaway./ Tobias added.

/I think I could talk my parents into joining your family Tobias./ Cassie commented.

/I bet you can’t get Wi-Fi out here./ Marco commented drily.

/But you can get different, better connection./ Rachel said with some snark.

/It seems so peaceful here and – hey guys I see something shimmering in the grass!/ Jake said with excitement, not finishing what he had been saying.

/Where?/ I asked, searching the grass for the shimmer that Jake had spotted.

/It’s about five yards from the house and seems to go in a circle around the back of it./ Jake reported.

That would explain why I couldn’t see the shimmer since I was facing the front of the house and was a little closer to the ground.

/Everyone be careful; we don’t know if she is in league with the Yeerks or someone else./ I reminded them.

One by one they agreed to be careful.

/I can see Ms. Forester in one of the rooms talking on the phone with someone./ Rachel reported. /I think she’s talking with someone close to her like a friend or family member since she seems to be laughing and smiling./

/Maybe she has a boyfriend and they’re making plans for later./ Jake suggested.

/That would explain some of her body language she cou-/ Rachel never finished what she was thinking since there was an abrupt flash of light and I saw her fall from where she had been flying as a Bald Eagle.

/PULL UP!/ I shouted to everyone else as I tried to think of what Rachel could have come in contact with. It could be as simple as some kind of electric fence or if Rain Forester was with the Yeerks and had a Gleet Bio-Filter but there was no alarm; at least on the outside.

/I don’t think she’s breathing!/ Cassie cried out.

/Get away from the shimmering air./ I ordered them evenly.

The sound of barking dogs comes from the house.

/Rachel’s breathing./ Cassie reported; relief was evident in her Thought Speech.

Another light flashed and I saw Aximili fall limp to the ground.

/He’s still breathing./ Tobias reported a few moments later.

The shimmering was a Stun Field with possible holographic purposes; Rain Forester was either a Controller or aiding the Yeerks in some fashion.

/Everyone regroup at the clump of rocks we saw when we first came here. We need different morphs. Rain Forester is in league with the Yeerks and we have to rescue both Rachel and Aximili before she can deliver them to Visser Three. Tobias, Cassie I need you two in the air and informing us of any and all vehicles you see and any changes you see going on outside. But change your morphs; Cassie you first while Tobias keeps an eye on things than you take his place while he changes his morph.

/Jake, I need you in your tiger morph. Anjinnl, morph into the Black Panther and Marco I need you as a gorilla. I will be morphing into something I acquired on another planet. Once everything is in place we are going to charge the house. Jake and Anjinnl both of you need to stay behind me to avoid being injured. Marco since I will be moving too fast I need you to ride on me until we get into the house then stay behind me until we have an estimate of how many people are inside the house. Depending on what we find and or how much damage my morph takes I will demorph. We need to be ready as soon as possible./ I told them.

Landing among the trees near the rocks I demorphed and prepared myself to morph into a Trepitjar Sòl; a large grazing animal from a planet the natives called Riciafi. Its hide was incredibly thick, able to take multiple shots from both Shredders and Dracon Beams before slowing and a plate on its face capable of helping it break into an Andalite research facility.

/Several humans have retrieved Rachel and Aximili./ Cassie reported as I brought my memories of the Trepitjar Sòl to the front of my mind and began to become one.

Out of habit I ignored the exact changes my body was going through as I morphed except that I was morphing into a Trepitjar Sòl. Finally the changes stopped and I opened my morph’s eyes. The Trepitjar Sòl had great eyesight for grazing animals but I hadn’t chosen it for its eyesight alone.

/Is everyone ready?/ I asked those that were with me. One by one they answered in the affirmative and I ordered Marco to get on my back.

/GO!/ I shouted to them as I charged forward with Jake and Anjinnl bounding just behind me. Marco yelped briefly in shock at the speed I had taken off but he quickly recovered and held on rather tightly.

/Jump!/ I ordered as I barreled over a cleverly disguised pole for the Stun Field. The Stun Field flickered and died for some distance in both directions. Seconds later I was heading for the front of the house and lowered my head just enough to smash through the door.

Once we were inside I noticed almost immediately that we were alone and that all the doors except for one were completely closed. The door that wasn’t completely shut was opened enough that it was noticeable but closed just enough that we couldn’t see what might be in the room besides sunlight.

/Careful, there might be traps everywhere./ I told Jake and Anjinnl as we slowly headed to slightly open door.

We reached the door with an ease that I didn’t like at all. If I hadn’t suspected Rain Forester of being a Yeerk I would think that we were invited here.

/Get off./ I whispered to Marco and quickly demorphed. Once I was myself I nodded to Marco who pushed the door open all the way. The room was made of windows in steel frames allowing sunlight to fill the room. Plants and easels with canvases were in different places and two cages held the unconscious forms of both Rachel and Aximili. At a small desk just off to the side sat Rain Forester looking neither frightened nor angry to see us. Without warning she smiled; a caricature of a friendly smile and one that made my stomachs twist in dread.

“Welcome to my home Prince Arbron-Bantec-Deromar. I must say that I wasn’t expecting you and your fellow spies to pay me a visit but at least we now know that the site worked in catching the attention of Andalites.” Rain Forester spoke with a peculiar accent leading me to suspect that if she was a Yeerk then it was used to speaking Galard instead of English but then wouldn’t the Yeerk have Rain Forester’s knowledge on how to speak?

/What do you want Yeerk?/ I demanded.

“Another Andalite,” she answered simply.

/Who?/ I pressed; we needed to know what the Yeerks were planning and a little surprised, I wasn’t aware that there were other Andalites on Earth.

Rain just smiled.

“I haven’t reported this incident to Visser Three yet so why don’t you take the two I have here and leave.” She said in an almost bored tone and started to read some of the papers on her desk.

I gestured to Marco to go over to the cages and open them. Carefully he removed both Aximili and Rachel’s unconscious forms.

“Maybe I will tell you some more information.” Rain said allowed as Marco gently dragged Rachel and Aximili to where Jake, Anjinnl and I were standing.

/What changed your mind?/ I queried.

“Maybe you will unintentionally help us find who we are looking for.” She answered flatly.

/If you think I would help you Yeerks find one of my people you are mistaken./ I told her curtly.

Rain made a gesture of indifference.

“Almost a year ago certain gadgets disappeared from some of our strongholds on this planet. A lengthy search for the gadgets have us still perplexed since only a dozen or so individuals knew that we had those gadgets stored there and a few months after that a heavily damaged Bug Fighter had been pillaged before it could be traced and taken care of. Whoever found the Bug Fighter was careful not to leave any traces of themselves but knew enough to disable security and tracking features on certain parts. The gadgets and other parts lead us to believe that there is an Andalite somewhere in the area no doubt listening in on our transmissions since that is the only way they could have learned certain details. I am just one of many hoping to lure him out and possibly capture him.” She answered.

/Prince Arbron, I think Rain Forester is a morph!/ Anjinnl informed me suddenly.

I couldn’t hide my surprise as I jerked to face Anjinnl.

/Are you sure?/ I nearly demanded.

/No, but how she speaks like she’s careful about every word she pronounces and her body language is that of an Andalite./ Anjinnl responded.

I thought back on it and looked at the complete and incomplete paintings and thought back on the ones we had seen on display. Rain Forester was a morph.

/There is no need to alert the Visser because you are the Visser./ I announced loudly; causing everyone to tense in fear.

Rain Forester suddenly burst into laughter.

“What makes you think I am the Visser?” she asked looking truly amused. “Didn’t your spies in training report back to you what Alloran revealed to them in their misguided and failed assassination attempt?”

/They told me that he told them that you were infiltrating the home world or at least attempting to./ I informed her.

“We are slowly invading Nyumbani and my host was captured on a silent raid.” Rain told me with a smile. “And one day we will invade outright.”

I felt fear.

/Arbron, there’s a large car heading towards Ms. Forester’s house!/ Tobias called out in warning.

/Prince Arbron?/ Aximili asked softly as he began to wake up.

/Demorph!/ I snapped at him as I snatched Rachel’s still unconscious eagle morph from the floor. /Retreat!/ I ordered everyone else.

Slowly I backed away from the Rain or whatever her name is making sure that everyone else was behind me.

/Run for the woods!/ I ordered them as we retraced our steps.

We hurried away from the house as I absorbed what Rain had said. That there was another Andalite on Earth; most likely not far from here and that the Yeerks were looking for them.

For the first time since the Pool Ship I felt hope that Elfangor was alive.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

Honestly the mopping the carpeted floor in those morphs mind as well been putting on a neon sign to let the Yeerks know that they had been there and interested in something there.

Not unlike invading a lab to see what the Yeerks had in terms of genetics and completely forgetting the fact that they leave DNA behind every time they fight... (But that's book 49, and I'll hush up now. Back to story.)

And... huh. I'm confused about the Rain Forester person, but yay for Arbron finally getting a clue about the posibility of Elfangor being alive.

 

They were desperate to know if they needed to be running for the hills or not but it was foolish to go.

As for Rain Forester, she is a morph or in even more simpler terms an Andalite Controller in a human morph.

 

DaenaBenjen42 here is an update!!!

Interlude: Anjinnl

Hello everyone!

I am sorry that I haven’t updated this in awhile. This was harder to write than I previously thought and how I was going to originally tell this changed as well.

This is just going to be a short piece from Anjinnl’s perspective detailing her thoughts of the Yeerk Peace Movement, life on Earth and a surprise.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I ignore the loud sounds created by the human students as they mill around. Quickly I twist the dial of the combination lock to open my assigned locker. I miss the schools of my home world in some ways but I don’t miss my fellow students.

For years I was subjugated to stares from adults and cruel words from my peers. Here the humans have no idea what I really am let alone who I really am so there is no reason to tell me that my father was a coward.

School on Nyumbani was excruciating at times. I was taunted through private Thought Speech, cruel pranks awaited me in blind corridors and I had no friends. The teachers were a joke since it was my word against my fellow students if I reported their behavior; after all they weren’t the daughter of a warrior who had failed to do his duty and ended his life before he could be taken by the Yeerks.

Or so I was told.

Since Visser Three and his Host were only referred to as ‘the Abomination’ and because of my gender and position in life there was no reason for me to be shown a hologram of the Yeerk Visser I was able to silently rebuff what they said and consoled myself with telling myself that my father was either missing or perhaps undercover. I asked my mother only once why my father wasn’t with us. She became sad and told me to never let anyone take my pride away.

That should have been my first clue that what my fellow students said was true.

My brother Kilipan taught me how to hold myself and my mother showed me how to keep my eyes and face blank for when I felt sad, lonely or when my fellow students said hurtful things.

I taught myself how to hack computers and get them to do my bidding. I was behind many of the glitches in my school’s computer systems. I never did anything to incriminate myself so that meant that I also could and often did fall victim to all sorts of malfunctioning equipment like lifts that stopped between floors, doors that wouldn’t open all the way or that would attempt to close while someone was in the doorway, the fire suppression system would unexpectedly come on and douse everyone with water and foam and a few other things.

After several years my teachers came to suspect that I was behind the computer glitches but they could never prove it. They called my mother, brother and my father’s brother to my school to tell them of their suspicions and asked if I had confided in them any of my crimes.

My mother told them that I had a gift with computers but that I shouldn’t have that kind of access to the school’s computer systems. My mother even chewed them out for not having better security measures in place for the computer systems if they thought I was hacking it.

Kilipan told them that my schoolmates were taunting me so he wouldn’t be surprised if I was returning the favor in some fashion but if I was wouldn’t I exempt myself from the hazards?

My uncle told them that he rarely visited my family so he wouldn’t know anything about my activities.

Shoving my depressing memories of school away and focused my thoughts on the Yeerk Peace Movement. It seemed against everything we knew about the Yeerks to not want an unwilling host. However the Gedd were very stupid and in many ways Hork-Bajir weren’t much better. The Taxxons were the only half way intelligent kind of host body they had at their disposal and they would have to deal with the all-encompassing hunger.

I can’t imagine an existence without any senses and I guess in many ways once the Yeerks learned that there were better hosts out there that they didn’t want the slow and awkward Gedds anymore. I don’t think that we shouldn’t stop them but honestly Seerow and others should have thought about introducing the Yeerks to the concept of something more than their planet in the universe. If they had I wouldn’t be on Earth but home with my father, mother and brother.

Odds are good that Aximili’s brother would have been there as well and not lost to the depths of space and Rain Forester would be home with family as well.

The thought of more Andalite Controllers is frightening and not even Prince Arbron knows how long the Yeerks have been taking Andalites or who might be a Yeerk among the millions of Andalites in the galaxy. I worry about my mother since she is alone so often; she could be grabbed by the Yeerks if they do snatch and grab runs; not to mention it would demoralize my father if they have his wife.

I scowl at the thought of my mother being taken by the Yeerks and silently pray to whatever higher power that might exist and care to watch over her.

Shaking my head again I head towards my class when I see an unfamiliar face. Pausing I see that he is about the same age as my human friends but something about just seems off.

My eyes then land on what he is holding in one of his hands and gasp: an Escafil Device.

I don’t think; I just act.

“You found my Tesseract!” I cry; snatching it from him. “My boyfriend made it for me and then some mean boys stole it from me. I thought it was gone forever! Where did you find it?” I ask him.

“Uh, this abandoned construction site on the way here.” He responds; no doubt thrown by my actions.

“Thank you so much!” I tell him; giving him an awkward hug before racing away.

I quickly slide into one of the girl’s restrooms to hide the Escafil Device in my book bag and make sure that it is well hidden.

I shudder when I think of what might have happened if a Yeerk that knew what an Escafil Device was saw it.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

So yeah, David isn’t going to be joining them. They can’t trap him in morph and since I don’t advocate killing him or enslaving his family Marco gets a girlfriend.


In the next piece Tobias learns something shocking.

 

Yay for David not ending up a Sociopath on account of his own idiocy... though really, how was he to know that having a blue box that could have just as easily have been a prop from a movie would lead to causing all sorts of havoc in his life?

 

@DaenaBenjen42 well I couldn't trap him in morph and killing him or them knowing that he had been killed would weigh on them in a different way then when they attack and kill Controllers. And honestly I don't like David, I think I was excited when he first came on board but his attitude left a lot to be desired. So they all dodged a massive bullet, or barrage of bullets.


Hi everyone!


I know I said I was going to do Tobias next but my wheels spun and spun because I couldn’t decide how or when I wanted to do the Reveal which led to me trying to write a couple ‘what ifs’ to explore various possibilities. One is mostly done and will possibly be posted separately with every other piece in a separate fic exploring the idea of Tobias learning about his Dad or at least something about his Dad.


This part is going to cover parts of Book #29 The Sickness.


I am terribly sorry I took so long to get this ready.;


Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


School dances are usually the bane of my school experience. Rachel sometimes wants to hit the mall for a new outfit for the event and tries to get one for me and I feel like some odd doll or perhaps a noble of some kind being dressed in clothes until Rachel finds the perfect outfit for me. At the actual event I feel that I don’t fit in.


Still we all went to hang out and pretend that we are normal teenagers while Arbron is looking for this mysterious Andalite that the Yeerks are searching for. The one responsible for actually taking out their Shark Base and apparently stealing the odd piece of technology from locations they thought were secure or a secret known only to a few higher ranking Yeerks.


Arbron, Aximili and Anjinnl are truly excited at the prospect of having a fellow Andalite here on Earth but they can’t decide why one would be on Earth and if they did steal from the Yeerks why.


They have discussed that he could have survived the battle but if that’s the case how is he hiding and getting his information; as far as Arbron knows none of the soldiers in fighters had human morphs and they would have been the most likely ones to survive the battle but that doesn’t mean that they didn’t acquire one after landing


Arbron didn’t say it but I think he’s hoping his friend Elfangor is hiding somewhere on Earth.


I glanced around the school gym and saw Marco, Anjinnl and Aximili talking on the far side of the gym, Tobias and Rachel were dancing in the middle of the throng of students almost like they belonged in the center. Rachel and Tobias are an odd couple since she was considered popular and Tobias was considered a nerd, into all things math, great with computers and studying topics that made my head spin but he could dance and Rachel got in the faces of anyone she heard dissing him in range of her hearing.


A hand tapped me on the shoulder and I turned to see Jake standing there. “Want to dance during the next slow song?” He asked me.


“Sure,” I answer.


A couple minutes later a slow song starts and Jake takes me onto the dance floor. We chose a spot, he took my right hand in his, put his left hand above my waist and I placed my left arm on his shoulder and then moved in a cross between a circle and a square we danced.


It was . . . nice to be normal for a few minutes and not have to worry about the Yeerks or anything like it. We had some recent scares which included the Yeerks planning on setting up a permanent Kandrona in the Arctic but it turned out it was just in the beginning stages of planning and going to be constructed at a different location and different date. Arbron told us that the odds are good that the Yeerks won’t build it for a few more years since they don’t have enough of the population under their control and they would have to cover up the emissions a Kandrona of that size would give off.


Then we were recruited by the Ellimist to save two races from the Howlers and in the process learned that the Ellimist and a being called the Crayak are fighting a proxy war and we are caught up in it. And then the Crayak tried to make life miserable for us by having the Chee either drop their holographic disguises or freeze where they were which forced us to race the Yeerks to the Pemalite Ship the Chee and the essences of their creators arrived on Earth in to stop a signal and reset all of the Chee.


So, it is nice that for the moment all I have to worry about is not stepping on Jake’s feet.


Suddenly Jake paused and stood on his toes to see over the other dancing students.


“What’s wrong?” I asked softly.


“I think something’s wrong with Max.” He whispered.


I turned but couldn’t quite see Marco, Anjinnl and Aximili through the crowd but I could see that someone wasn’t steady on their feet.


Jake and I stopped dancing and quickly made our way over to Marco, Anjinnl and Aximili were; I could see that Rachel and Tobias were coming over as well.


“I think he’s sick, he has a fever.” Anjinnl whispered fearfully to us once we got closer. Her eyes showed something that bordered on terror. “We need to get him out of here.”


“Hey, Max, how are you feeling?” Jake asked Aximili, using our nickname for him when we’re in public.


“I feel strange, I want to demorph.” He mumbled; he sounded delirious.


“Max, not here, wait for us to get home.” Anjinnl whispered to him quietly.


“Home,” Aximili whispered, “you’re taking me home? My parents must be really worried about me; they will be grateful that you brought me home.” He whispered.


I froze inside. If he thought we were taking him home to his parents he had to be delirious.


“We need to get him out of here.” I whispered to everyone.


Jake and Tobias quickly looped arms around Aximili’s human torso and helped him stand and walk towards the door as Aximili continued to mutter things that didn’t makes sense.


In the hallway Mr. Tidwell stopped us; a frown on his face.


“You’re not supposed to leave the gym without permission.” He stated.


“Our friend’s sick, we’re taking him home.” Jake stated.


Mr. Tidwell took one look at Aximili, who was mumbling things softly and barely able to stand, before nodding. “Get him home, he’s obviously ill.”


As I walked passed his arm came down blocking my path.


“I have a message for you concerning Aftran Nine-Four-Two.” He whispered to me.


I looked at him, trying to look confused.


“I don’t know what you’re ta-” I started


“She’s being held in the Yeerk Pool on suspicion of collaborating with the enemy. She is going to be interrogated by Visser Three when he returns from an important meeting in three days; no one has withstood his interrogation methods.” He continued; as if he didn’t hear me.


I couldn’t help the fear that crossed my face.


“I’ll make sure you aren’t bothered.” He whispered before turning and heading back towards the gym.


“What was that about?” Rachel asked after I caught up to them.


“I’ll tell you once we get somewhere safe.” I whispered back; I needed time to process what was said and we needed to get Aximili away from the school.


“What’s wrong with him Anji?” Tobias asked softly as we made our way across the parking lot.


“I think it’s Yamphut.” She whispered fearfully; her eyes were filled with terror.


“What’s that?” Marco asked.


Anjinnl’s face twisted a bit.


“It’s a sickness, we get it when the Tria Gland becomes inflamed, unless the Tria Gland is removed it’s fatal.” She whispered.


We all froze at her declaration.


“Where should we take him?” Jake asked. “I don’t know if we can get him to the Scoop or if he should be alone.”


“The Barn should do for now.” I whispered.


After a quick discussion Rachel morphed into an owl and helped guide us to my home while Anjinnl did her best to help Aximili stay in his Human morph.


Once we reached the barn I led the boys to an empty stall and helped them lower Aximili onto the floor.


Aximili slowly demorphed.


“He needs water, preferably in a pail.” Anjinnl told us.


“There’s some clean ones next to the trough.” I said.


Tobias jumped up and raced to get one and filled one and returned a few minutes later; carefully setting it on the floor. Anjinnl carefully picked up one of Aximili’s hooves and placed it in the pail.


/This isn’t the Scoop./ Aximili stated.


/You’re sick Aximili; we can better take care of you here./ Anjinnl told Aximili in Thought Speech.


/Where’s Prince Arbron?/ He asked, dazedly.


/Looking for clues to the identity of the Andalite the Yeerks are searching for./ She answered calmly.


She gave him a soft smile with her eyes before gently running a hand on his face. /Get some rest Iltle Eno, you’ll feel better soon./ She said, in an older sounding voice; trying to offer him comfort like a mother would.


“How long does he have?” I asked Anjinnl after she stood.


“We have until his temperature drops to normal; normal for us is roughly ninety-one-point-three degrees Fahrenheit.” She rattled off aloud.


“Where is the Tria Gland; we can operate and remove it?” Jake asked her.


Anjinnl bit her lip as tears fell from her human eyes.


“It’s located in the brain; I can’t remember where – I can’t remember.” She said before breaking into tears.


Brain surgery is huge and with no idea where it is or how we could kill Aximili in our attempt to save his life.


Would morphing repair brain damage?


We had two choices: attempt to remove it and possibly fail or wait and pray that Arbron would return in time and help us remove it.


I hurried to the medical kit my Dad kept on hand and retrieved an ear thermometer and inserted it into Aximili’s ear. The thermometer chirped and I checked it: Ninety-five point five.


“It’s Ninety-five point five,” I told them.


Anjinnl muttered something I couldn’t understand.


/Mother, can you tell me about Elfangor? You and Father rarely speak about him, where is he?/ Aximili asked his absent mother.


My heart twisted as he talked to his absent mother; caught in memories.


“We have another problem.” I said as I turned from Aximili to face the others.


“Mr. Tidwell told me that Aftran is facing interrogation from Visser Three in the Yeerk Pool about three days from now. He told me that no one has withstood the ‘esteemed’ Visser’s interrogations.” I told them solemnly.


Anjinnl jerked; her eyes wide with a myriad of emotions. Marco spat out a curse. Tobias stared at the rafters; an overwhelmed expression on his face. Rachel’s expression was terrified and I knew she was thinking of her family. Jake sat down on a bale of hay; a troubled expression on his face.


“We can’t allow him to interrogate her!” Rachel whispered. “He’ll learn who we are; our families will be in danger!”


“How are we going to stop it?” Tobias asked. “We only know about a handful of entrances to the Yeerk Pool and they have Bio Filters set up at them to prevent us from getting in.”


“Could it be a trap?” Marco asked worriedly


“We can’t leave Aximili alone!” Anjinnl cried out. “Someone needs to monitor him.”


“We’ll figure something out.” Jake stated, taking charge of the situation. “Marco, go get Erek, he should know whether or not this is a trap and maybe we can ask him for ideas to get safely to the Yeerk Pool and rescue her.”


We waited in mostly tense silence for Marco to go and get our ally Erek King; too afraid to talk too much.


“Does morphing heal brain injuries?” I asked Anjinnl; needing to know.


“I don’t know, the brain is a complex organ, no one told me much about what morphing is capable of besides healing injuries and passing unnoticed by the locals of various planets.” She answered. “Part of me doesn’t see why the brain wouldn’t be healed but maybe the damage would follow them.” She shook her head. “Prince Arbron would no doubt know whether or not brain damage would be healed by morphing.”


“Do your parents have any books on brain surgery?” Jake asked.


“Maybe, I don’t know if veterinarians do much brain surgery, I’ll have to ask them.” I answered.


“Can you go and as right now while we wait?” he asked.


I nodded and left the barn to go and ask my parents about the matter.


xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

...so Ax couldn't tell them where the Andalite Appendix was exactly, and now Anji didn't study biology enough to remember where? Oh boy... (And Cassie is going to have another problem, if Anji also comes down with the Flu. Ack.)