And I was getting totally chewed out by the head of my camp. "I never thought you'd go out alone like that! Without your councellor? You could have been hurt! You could have been. . . been. . . Ugh! I have half a mind to. . . to. . ." She couldn't think of a suitable punishment. She gave me a warning, "Don't you EVER sneak out of your cabin during rest period again, or you'll lose some activity priviliges!"
Now, you're probably wondering why the head of camp is so angry with me. It really wasn't my fault. This girl, who was really Visser Three, forced me to go with him to the Yeerk pool. . .
Long story.
Anyway, I was dismissed from the office with that warning and my councellor, April, was to remain with me at all times. This would have a major effect on my life as an Animorph. But luckily, Tobias had that part figured out.
<So, what we're gonna do is go ask our friends the Chee if one of them can put a hologram around his or herself and pretend to be you at camp. That way, you'll be able to help us with missions.>
I had no idea what he was talking about. But I couldn't ask him with April standing there.
<I know you don't know what I mean,> Tobias added, as if he'd read my mind. <We'll come for you later tonight.>
Anyway, I was having a nightmare (because I was losing) when Tobias said in my head, <Hey, Monica? You awake? Time to meet your replacement!>
I was sleeping heavily, so the sudden "voice" was very loud. I sat up, quickly, and slammed my head on the bottom of April's bed for the second time that week. "I wonder if I could get a concussion from that?" I muttered.
Tobias was perched on the open window so he heard me. <Sorry, you okay?> "Yes," I whispered. "But how am I going to get out? I don't have a bird mor-"
But just then, I started morphing a red-tail! I was morphing Tobias! But I WASN'T morphing on purpose!
"Hey! I didn't aquire you!" I started yelling. "I'm not morphing! What's going-" but then my beak hardened.
Probably a good thing. The last thing I needed was for someone to wake up and see me morphing. Let alone morphing something I hadn't even aquired.
<Hey! That's not even my DNA. Your morph is female,> Tobias pointed out.
I morphed in about half a minute, then we headed for the woods. Tobias half-blind, me half-panicked.
"Maybe it's that hereth illint thing," Cassie suggested.
"Maybe you're allegic to Ax's DNA. That may have made you morph uncontrollably. That happened to Rachel once."
"I don't think so," Rachel pointed out. "When I had that allergy, I only morphed animals that I'd already aquired. Ax? Could someone ever morph animals that they haven't aquired?"
<No,> Ax said. And then he added, a little arrogantly, <I don't see how anyone could be allergic to Andalites' DNA.>
"Then there's only one answer. . ." Jake began, darkly, then trailed off. Well, it seemed that way to me, since everything went dark at that moment.
I opened my eyes. I was floating. In a space full of red light. I was staring at this big red eyeball. It was focused on ME!
HELLO, MONICA, MY YOUNG WARRIOR, the voice came from everywhere.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" I screamed. This was way, way, too creepy.
YOU NEED NOT FEAR ME. I HAVE HELPED YOU SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE. NOW YOU MUST BECOME AN ALLY FOR THE YEERKS.
I PUT THE INFORMATION YOU NEEDED IN YOUR MIND. I PUT THAT CUBE IN THE FOREST FOR TOBIAS TO FIND. YOU WOULD BE DEAD WITHOUT IT. I GAVE YOU THE MORPH OF THE RED-TAILED HAWK. AND I WILL HELP YOU ONCE AGAIN.
"What are you saying?!"
IF YOU DON'T SURRENDER TO VISSER THREE, I WILL SEE TO IT THAT HE FINDS OUT ABOUT YOUR FRIENDS.
"That's blackmail!"
YES.
"What's the difference, you psycho Cyclops or whatever you are? If I surrender, he'll destroy us all anyway, duh!" I screamed at the monster. What was he asking me to do?! "And how is that helping me?"
He laughed, like he liked to see me all angry and confused. THINGS AREN'T ALWAYS WHAT THEY SEEM, YOUNG MONICA. DON'T ALWAYS STEREOTYPE YOUR ENEMIES. YOU MAY FIND THAT THE TRUTH IS WHAT YOU LEAST EXPECTED.
Then everything went dark again.
When I opened my eyes, Jake said the word, "Elimist."
"I said that there's only one answer. That's that the Elimist gave you the morph," he repeated. "Although, he claims he does not interfere with other species."
I was about to tell them about Mr. Eyeball, and ask if he was the Elimist. But I heard his huge voice again. I was surprised that the others didn't hear it.
NO, I AM NO ELIMIST. I AM A CRAYAK. WE COMPETE WITH THEM. SOMETIMES HE HELPS YOUR FRIENDS, AND NOW I AM. BUT YOU CANNOT TELL THEM. JUST SURRENDER. NO WORDS. SURRENDER.
<Uh, hello? Gabby? Snap out of La-La Land and morph already!> Marco said in thought-speak. He likes calling me Gabrielle. You know from Xena: Warrior Princess. I had then noticed that everyone had morphed. Cassie and Rachel were in owl morphs, and the others were all bats. Without wanting to, I started to morph an owl like the other girls. As I shifted and changed shape, I begged silently to my tormenter.
<Please leave me alone! Please stop helping me!>
<Did you aquire an owl?> Rachel asked, as we took flight.
<Yes,> I lied. <Uh. . . guys? Where is it that we're going again?>
Jake answered my question. <We're going to find our friend, Erek. Erek the Chee.>
<Ah, okay. Cool.>
DON'T WORRY. I WILL TAKE CARE OF IT, rang a way-too-familiar voice in my head.
<I'll bet,> I thought, a little too loudly.
<What will you bet?> Cassie wanted to know.
<I'll. . . umm. . . bet that we won't make it there and back by morning,> I answered, lamely.
<Ah, here we are,> announced Rachel. We had flown to a town five hours away from camp. We landed on the roof of a rather normal-looking house.
<Ax, please call the Chee,> Jake said. <Everyone demorph. Tobias, go human>
<Chee friends, this is Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthil, the Andalite aristh, and the five morph-capable humans,> Ax called as we demorphed. (Well, Tobias morphed.) <There has been an addition to our group. Please come onto the roof. We are in need of your assistance.>
A large, perfectly-round, hole appeared in the roof. He rose slowly out of the house onto the roof. The hole closed up, forming a circle. "Hello, friends!" Then he turned to me and introduced himself, "Hello. My name is Erek. I am a Chee."
Erek was a tall, metalic dog. He was milk white. "Zeerinian? I've heard of your kind. Yours was one of the first races the Yeerks went after, right? You need our assistance?"
"Yes, I have a camp five hours away that Visser Three is planning to take over. He knows who I am. . . what I am. My friends saved my life in the Yeerk pool."
"What we need, Erek," Rachel continued, "is for you or one of the other Chee to pretend to be Monica while we're all at camp. She's already been busted by her counselors for sneaking out for missions, and we need her to help us."
"Of course we'll help, friends," he smiled a robotic smile. "Come with me."
He went and stood on the circle. He motioned for us to follow. We each stepped on, and we started to move through the house and all the way down to the basement. The basement was a field with grass and flowers everywhere. Chee walked, ran and played all around us. "How'd you get this down here?" I asked.
"The house is a hologram. This is what's truly here. Zori? Chee-Zori?" Erek called over the noise.
"Yes?" a Chee walked over. She was female. I could tell by her voice.
Erek told her what we needed. "Sure, I'll help."
We took Zori and headed back to camp.
"Well, Cassie, I. . ." I began.
But just then, Tobias screamed, <Guys! Hide and morph! I hear hooves trotting! I can't see who it is! I can't see worth crud at night!>
We were in the forest, so everyone got behind the bushes. I began to hide with them, but you-know-who wanted otherwise. HE IS COMING FOR YOU. HE KNOWS WHERE YOU ARE. YOU MUST SURRENDER NOW. I knew who he meant: Visser Three.
<I wonder who told him that?> I asked silently.
<Come on, Monica, hide!> Jake yelled. He must have been halfway morphed because he used thought-speak, but he tried to grab me with a human hand.
But just then, out of nowhere, bounded a blue centaur. He had eyes where they should have been, and extra eyes on stalks. He had no mouth, only the vertical slits for a nose. His tail resembled that of a scorpion with a sharp cythe blade at the end.
He looked like Ax, but he was very different. This was Visser Three.
From behind the Visser, seven Hork-Bajir appeared. It had been too dark for me to see them. They charged, a little hesitantly. But I would show no resistance toward them. I was leaving everything to the Crayak. For I knew if I did not, that all-powerful pain-in-the-butt would turn us in.
The Hork-Bajir grabbed my arms and lifted me up and started to carry me away. <I see you've lost all your arrogance and courage,> the Visser sneered. <That will make your infestation so much easier. . .for ME!>
As they dragged me away, I heard Ax say, <Prince Jake, I believe the new girl is a traitor. She did not even resist.>
<She's probably too afraid,> Cassie suggested. <I mean, this is only her second encounter with the Yeerks.>
<But you guys saw her, yesterday,> Rachel argued. <She fought them with that Dracon beam wound. She was not afraid then.>
<Yes, but she saved Ax's life, yesterday,> Tobias pointed out.
<Okay, guys,> Jake decided. <We have to get her away. Either way. Because if they infest her, they'll get us.>
I remembered my words. When the Crayak had blackmailed me into surrendering, I'd said: "What's the difference, you psycho Cyclops. . . If I surrender, he'll destroy us all anyway, duh!" And I was right! No matter what I did, we'd lose! This was all some sick entertainment for the Crayak. He was sitting back in his Bio-dimentional lounge chair and watching this like a movie! <Well, Mr. Crayak,> I thought. <There's going to be a little change in today's showing!>
We were in total darkness now. No, wait! My face was covered! Suddenly, I was thrown forward. The material that covered my face was removed as my face hit sludgy grey water. "Glubglo!" I yelled, my head under the water now. I felt something slimy crawl into my ear.
There was intense pain! As the Yeerk crawled in, the pain evaporated. Now the only thing I felt was tired.
I knew my life, the Animorphs lives, and the lives of the human race were over. . .