Marco swings back and forth on a vine. <Who needs a plan? Forget Visser Three. This is like being a six-year-old forever, only with no school.>
<That is kidding, correct?> Ax asks.
<It’s kidding,> Jake tells him.
<That’s what you think,> Marco says.
<Shhh,> Cassie says. <I think I hear something.>
Then you hear it, too. Some creatures are crashing through the underbrush.
<I bet that’s our search party,> Jake says.
<There’s a human-Controller leading them,> Tobias says from his high branch. <I’ll get closer.> With a flap of wings, Tobias takes off.
<A human can tell them what creatures don’t belong here,> Jake says. <Tobias, stay out of sight!>
<I just want to see how many — whoa, Dracon beam!> Tobias shouts. <I think he saw —>
<Tobias?> Rachel says frantically.
You all exchange worried glances. You take off, grabbing vines and branches and swinging through the trees. Before, it was a game. Now, it is life or death.
You see Tobias ahead. He has been caught in a net. He’s been hit by a Dracon beam.
<Tobias!> Rachel cries.
<I’m singed, but okay,> he answers. <I just can’t get out of this net.>
Rachel goes into action. She launches herself out into midair and grabs a vine. She swings over and lands on Tobias’s branch. Using her sharp teeth, she begins to shred the net while she pulls it apart with her hands.
“That’s no monkey!” the human-Controller shouts.
A Dracon beam explodes near Rachel. You need to cover her. You swing over and begin to chatter, trying to draw the Hork-Bajir’s fire. You grab a vine and swing right by a Hork-Bajir. He slashes in the air after you, but you’re gone.
“That one. The little one. Get him!”
A Dracon beam explodes near you, felling a tree in half. Before you can scamper up the next tree or grab a vine, another one explodes. This one gets you, and you fall.
Straight onto the lethal blade of a Hork-Bajir.
Oops — bad morph. Go back to the end of chapter 17 and try again.
You don’t have the same wing strength as a bird of prey, but at least you can fly. The parrot morph allows you to soar just underneath the upper canopy. Your green feathers offer camouflage.
<I like this morph,> Cassie says. <I really feel like I belong here.>
<As long as Tobias doesn’t eat us for lunch,> Marco says, dipping under a tree branch and then soaring upward.
<I’m sure getting a workout,> Jake says. <This isn’t like being a falcon and soaring with the thermals. You really have to work.>
<Well, work it, girl,> Marco teases.
<How do you know I’m a girl?> Jake asks.
<Because that red tail is so adorable,> Marco answers.
Everyone laughs, and it comes out in parrot-speak. C-c-c-err-EPP-err-EPP! It feels good to laugh, even if you’re doing it with a thick, curved beak.
<Pipe down, you guys,> Tobias warns. <I see them.>
Tobias has been flying ahead of the group. With his superior eyesight and wing power, he is able to see the Hork-Bajir from far away.
<They’re destroying everything!> Tobias suddenly shouts. <Must have gotten bored just looking. They’re slashing and burning!>
<Okay, fade back, Tobias,> Jake warns. <We’ll take over.>
<They just killed a sloth and her babies,> Tobias continues. <For nothing! Those murderers!>
<Now, Tobias!> Jake shouts.
In another moment, you see a blur of brown feathers. Tobias drops onto a branch. <They’re killing everything that moves,> he says in disbelief.
<That is what the Yeerks are best at,> Ax says quietly.
You leave Tobias behind and fly ahead. You hear the Hork-Bajir before you see them. Dracon beams sizzle. The smell of burnt things fills the air. You hear the cries of what sounds like thousands of birds, fellow creatures trying to flee.
<Guys?> It’s Rachel, who has spurted ahead, her wings just a blur of motion. <I think I see something. Look down by that weird tree.>
<Gee, thanks, Rach, that really narrows it down,> Marco says.
<The one with the roots,> Rachel says impatiently.
You look down. You see nothing. Just branches and leaves. But then the leaves move, and you see a person concealed behind them. He is holding a spear. And then you see another, and another.
You’ve found the tribe.
<They’re spying on the Hork-Bajir,> Cassie whispers. It’s funny how you sometimes feel a need to whisper, even though you’re talking in thought-speak.
He swoops down and lands on the shoulder of one of the tribe. They are men and boys, all with dark hair and alert dark eyes. They are wearing something that looks like a diaper made out of leaves.
You swoop down on another shoulder. Rachel follows. Then Cassie. Marco. Ax. Tobias flutters down and lands on a low branch.
The tribe does nothing. They don’t even move a muscle. But you see every pair of eyes turn to one man. He is either your age or your grand father’s. It’s hard to tell.
<Cassie,> Jake says. <You morph.>
Cassie doesn’t even ask why. She flies to the center of the clearing.
You wonder why he’s chosen Cassie. But as Cassie begins to morph, you understand. Cassie can control her morph so that she changes gracefully. She isn’t scary. She’s beautiful.
She retains her bright feathers as she grows. She changes her face first, so at first she’s bird-girl. Her tail retracts, but her feathered wings still flutter. Slowly, her feathers turn into smooth skin, starting with her feet and slowly moving up her body.
Again, the tribe doesn’t move. They don’t raise their spears.
“Espirito,” the leader says.
<He called her a spirit,> Marco translates.
<Cassie, nod,> Jake directs.
Cassie nods. She holds out her arms as though she is gathering the tribe to her. It is a welcoming gesture. You realize she is telling them not to be afraid.
<Now draw a Hork-Bajir with a stick,> Jake tells her.
Cassie bends over and draws the Hork-Bajir in the dust. It’s not a great drawing, but the Hork-Bajir are pretty distinctive.
“Diablo,” the leader says.
<Devil,> Marco says.
Cassie nods.
<Now draw the Blade ship,> Jake directs. <They need to understand that we have to get aboard.>
Cassie draws the Blade ship. She points to herself and the ship. Then she points to the leader and stabs the Hork-Bajir with her stick.
The leader grins. He throws his spear.
<Cassie!> Rachel cries.
But the spear just misses Cassie and lands at her feet. Straight into the center of the Hork-Bajir drawing.
Cassie smiles. The leader smiles.
You all say CA-CA-CA-Err-EPP-Err-EPP!
* * *
Cassie needs time to recover from her morph, so you all rest in human form. With a combination of signs and pointing, Cassie has arranged to meet up with the tribe again just as dusk falls.
Your parrot morph was successful. You met up with the tribe and escaped the notice of the Hork-Bajir. But you need another morph to sneak aboard the Blade ship.
You choose:
Chameleon. Go to chapter 21.
Poison-arrow frog. Go to chapter 26.
Jaguar. Go to chapter 27.
The parasol ant morph makes sense. Who notices an ant? You congratulate yourself on your bright idea.
Until you’re an ant. The others had really warned you about this morph. They told you how hard it was to hang onto their own selves during it. The ant has no self. It is focused on solely food and enemies and getting back to the colony.
So you thought you were prepared. But the loss of self frightens you intensely. Your antennae wave in front of you, smelling for food and enemies.
<Stay focused, everyone,> Jake orders
.
You start up a tree. That’s what you’re supposed to do. Got to find food.
<Let’s get this over with,> Marco says. <I hate the ant morph.>
<I must admit, this is not a creature I would want to morph again,> Ax says.
<Hold it!> Tobias warns. <I only see five of you.>
The others tick off a roll call. You don’t answer. You’re halfway up the tree now. You’ve got to keep going.
Food is up here. You can bring food back to the colony. You smell something dead. A beetle. You will dismember it, carry pieces back.
<Guys, we have a problem,> Tobias says.
<Get a hold of yourself! You’re not an ant!> Jake yells at you.
And your human mind screams to life. You don’t want to dismember a beetle. A beetle leg is not your idea of good eating.
<All right,> you say shakily. <I’m back. I’m okay. But whew. That was a close one.>
Closer than you think. Because hanging on a tree branch over you is a sloth. And she’s hungry.
She hangs onto the branch with her tail while her head swings past you. Her long tongue swoops out, and —
SLURP! You’re lunch.
Not your best morph. Go back to the end of chapter 17 and try again.
First, your skin turns green.
“Are we Martians or reptiles?” Marco is just able to get out before he is unable to speak. The rest of his complaint sounds like ack ack.
<I love this tail!> Cassie thought-speaks.
You know what she means. A chameleon’s tail is almost like a monkey’s — curled and strong. You roll your eyes. One goes left, the other right. You can get a 180-degree view without turning your head.
You follow behind the others as you make your way to the perimeter of the landing site.
<Okay, remember, when you see Visser Three in the window of the Blade ship, it’s only a decoy,> Jake says. <That’s what he did in the last Sario Rip. So all we have to do is come to the ship from behind. And meanwhile, the tribe will cover us with a diversion.>
<If all goes as planned,> you say.
<Which it never does,> Marco adds.
<The tribe is in place,> Tobias tells you. <Visser Three is in Lerdethak mode. I can see the vines moving.>
Jake has told you about Visser Three’s morph. The Lerdethak is as tall as a tree. It has hundreds of vinelike tentacles. They can strike like whips and squeeze all the breath out of you. Then the Lerdethak can just pop you in its cavernous mouth like Good and Plenty.
It’s an experience you’re happy to skip.
<It’s dusk,> Cassie observes. <Time for the tribe to attack.>
Your coloring protects you as you scurry along the floor. You belong to the forest, are part of the forest. You can hear the sound of Hork-Bajir in the distance, but you are quick and agile and unafraid. You let the chameleon’s instincts take over.
Because if you let your human mind start to think, it will fill up with fear. You are running toward Visser Three. Not away from him.
<The tribe is attacking!> Tobias, the lookout, tells you. <They keep melting back into the forest. The Hork-Bajir are going crazy.>
<Get onto the Blade ship, Tobias,> Jake urges while he runs. <Do it!>
You are running flat out now. A chameleon can’t run very fast, not as fast as a jaguar, but you reach the burned-out clearing. The Blade ship looms ahead.
Jake goes first. Then Rachel. One by one, moving as fast as you dare, but keeping to the dark green shadows, you approach the huge, black ship. The gangway is down. You all scamper up it, then keep to the side walls of the ship.
<Tobias?> Jake asks.
<I’m here. Up high, in the rafters.>
You roll your eyes up. You can just barely make out Tobias.
<You’re all changing color,> Tobias observes. <You’re getting darker.>
<May I make a suggestion, Prince Jake?> Ax says. <Perhaps we should scatter. One chameleon might have wandered aboard, but not six.>
<Good point,> Jake agrees. <Let’s find separate positions. We have to wait until the ship goes back to the same space position and fires its rockets. Then we should land back in our own time.>
<What about Visser Three?> Ax asks.
<When do we destroy him?> Rachel asks.
<Shouldn’t we pick a place to hide where we can morph into something really dangerous? We can take him by surprise.>
Jake hesitates.
<Wasn’t that the plan?> Rachel asks urgently.
<I’m not sure now,> Jake says. <It might be too dangerous. Maybe we should just let Visser Three blast us back into our own time.>
<But we’ll lose our chance!> Rachel argues.
<I’m with Jake,> Marco says. <If we live, we can come back and fight another day.>
<I’ll go with whatever you all decide,> Cassie says.
<If I can get a word in,> Tobias says. <This ship is constantly patrolled. And the bridge is full of Taxxons. We might be able to take down Visser Three if we’re incredibly lucky. But that doesn’t mean we’ll survive.>
<Ax?> Jake asks.
<Visser Three killed my brother. He is my sworn enemy,> Ax says. <I will meet with him someday. It may not be today. I will follow your decision, Prince Jake.>
<I wish you didn’t say that,> Jake groans.
<It’s this Sario Rip that’s complicating things,> you say. <We don’t know if we’ll make it back. We don’t know if we’re part of someone’s memory. If we kill Visser Three now, in this time, what happens to us in real time?>
<This is way too confusing,> Cassie sighs.
<I need a nap,> Marco says. <And I haven’t said that since I was three years old.>
<Let’s hide,> Jake says finally. <We still have time to decide. Time is running out for Visser Three. He can’t afford to chase that tribe around the forest any longer.>
The six of you melt behind a console. You space yourselves apart, but within thought-speaking distance.
<Leave them!> A terrible voice invades your head. If you had hands, you’d put them over your ears. When Visser Three talks in thought-speak, it feels as though your whole brain shudders.
<Leave them behind,> Visser Three continues. He is back in Andalite morph. <It is not the punishment those Andalites deserve, but it will have to be enough.>
Visser Three places himself in one of the chairs on the bridge. <Now take off, you worthless slime,> he says to the Taxxon captain.
A message crackles over the communication system. “Bug fighter ready for takeoff.”
<So take off, fool!> Visser Three roars in thought-speak.
You can feel the great ship rise, but you can’t see anything. You feel a burst of optimism. It feels like the first step toward home.
<Ax, keep track of the time for us,> Jake advises in private thought-speak.
<I will, Prince Jake,> Ax says. <But there is no telling when Visser Three will order the double blast. The Bug fighter and the Blade ship have to intersect those Dracon beams. Perhaps they have already agreed on a coordinate. There is no way of knowing.>
<Which means,> Rachel says, <that if we do want to attack Visser Three, we’d better do it soon.>
<All right,> Jake says. <Maybe we should —> He is cut off by the bleating of Visser Three shouting <Now!>
The blast rocks you.
FLASH!
You’re in the front quad outside school. You’re wearing a sweater you haven’t worn since last year. Ahead of you is the bus stop. You see Patrolman Teeter directing traffic. He retired last summer.
You turn. Rachel is back on the steps of school. Her hair is a good four inches shorter. She touches it, frowning.
She wore it that way last year. You’ve gone back in time like you should have. But you’ve overshot your time.
You’re a year too early.
“What’s going on?” you say. This isn’t a flashback. It’s going on too long. But it doesn’t feel real, either.
“Oh, man,” Marco says. “Does this mean I have to
go through homeroom with Ms. Pedalowski again?”
“Something’s wrong,” you say.
Just then, a car pulls up to the curb. A window slides down. Marco’s mother waves at him.
“Hi, honey! Thought I’d give you a ride.”
Next to you, Marco has gone completely still. His mother is dead. That’s what everyone thinks, anyway. Only you, Jake, and Ax know that Marco’s mother was taken over by the Yeerks. She is Visser Three’s rival, Visser One.
Marco takes a step forward. He moves stiffly, like he’s frozen. You can see tears in his eyes. His mom is so alive! A breeze lifts her heavy dark hair. Her hand rests on the open window. Her wedding ring glints in the sun.
“Come on, slowpoke!” she teases. “Have you got lead in your shoes?”
“Mom,” Marco whispers.
Marco’s mom swings the door open and steps out onto the curb. It is as though everything is in slow motion. You are shocked to see her alive and warm and happy.
So it takes you longer than it should to see the pit bull. It runs across the grass toward her.
Then you hear the voice that haunts your nightmares. <I will end it here!>
“Marco!” you cry. “It’s Visser Three!”
Marco starts to run. But you know in a split second that you can’t fight this dog. Not as a human, anyway. He is too far away. You have only seconds. You have to try a morph.
You choose:
Hyena. Go to chapter 23.
K-9 dog. Go to chapter 24.
Giraffe. Go to chapter 25.
It’s the fastest you’ve ever morphed. Maybe panic helps you. Your powerful hind legs develop first. Then, your face flattens, your teeth grow. You feel the power in your muscles. You feel the urge to make your kill.
The dog is on Marco’s mother. It tears at the arm she flings up to protect her throat.
A pit bull is no match for you, a killing machine. You leap forward with the high-pitched, almost-human cry of the animal.
ERRRR-UP! EURRR-UP! RRR-UP!
Your teeth find the pit bull’s leg. You chomp down and hit bone. Snarling, the pit bull turns. That exposes its neck, and you pounce. You have Visser Three in your jaws. You savor the moment.
What you didn’t count on was Patrolman Teeter.