“Answer me this,” Marco said, rolling a plastic straw between his palms. “If Taxxons are all Controllers, why doesn’t She-Yeerk just ask a fellow Controller with a Taxxon host to do the digging?”
I explained. “She says Yeerks are only ever partly in control of their Taxxon hosts. It’s impossible to master the Taxxon hunger, the murderous tendencies, the cannibalistic urges. Taxxon hosts are given only to low-ranking Yeerks and, big surprise, soon they’re more Taxxon than Yeerk.”
“But I’ve seen them take orders. I’ve watched Taxxons move on command,” Marco persisted. “They fly Bug fighters for …”
“Right. But no one would ever trust a Taxxon to be part of a conspiracy. You can’t count on a guy who’ll sell out for a chunk of rotting meat. Most of her allies are human-Controllers, anyway,” I added.
Ax broke in. “I was once told that controlling a Taxxon morph is like facing the ultimate temptation. Tay-shun. The more you resist the temptation, the stronger it becomes, until it ends by carrying you so far beyond the realm of conscious, controllable thought you become lost in the Taxxon’s most basic instincts.”
“Well then, what am I waiting for?” Marco said sarcastically. “Sign me up! An army of cold, power-hungry Yeerks can’t control the Taxxons. Not to worry. The short kid who got a B-minus in gym won’t have any problems.”
Rachel smirked. “You got a B-minus in gym?”
Marco rolled his eyes and looked exasperated. “People, if the Yeerks can’t control a Taxxon, how in the world can we?”
“Taylor says we’d only stay morphed for short periods,” I said, feeling like her press secretary. Like part of her team. It was definitely weird. “And we’d morph one at a time, surrounded by enough force to control any out-of-control behavior.”
Jake frowned. Marco looked skeptical. Cassie’s eyes were darkening with some serious issues. We all needed to think. Ax wanted to eat. So, Marco and Jake volunteered to get food.
Cassie, Rachel, and Ax sat silently. I looked around. It was Friday, so the food court was crowded. Packed with a bunch of normal people, leading normal lives. Ordinary, mundane, wonderful lives. All these normal people — moms and dads, kids and grandparents — represented the very thing we were fighting for. Humanity.
Marco returned and set nachos for me and Ax on the table. I wasn’t very hungry. I wasn’t used to eating with others around and there were people everywhere. Very different from my life as a hawk. When you’re a hawk, you get nervous when you can’t feed in peace. Someone could swoop in and steal your dinner. Or someone could swoop in and eat you.
Jake reappeared and placed a large plastic tray piled with two hamburgers, three fries, a veggie wrap, and three large plastic cups on the table.
“Cassie, veggie wrap and orange soda,” he said, handing her one of the cups and the sandwich. “7-up, Rachel. Coke, me. So,” he added, sitting, “where are we?”
“Seems clear enough to me,” Rachel said with a mouth half-stuffed with hamburger. “Destroying the Yeerk pool can only be a good thing. It’s the chance we’ve been waiting for. It could be the beginning of the end.” She paused and swallowed. “Let’s fry some Yeerk butt.”
“I agree with Rachel,” Ax said, looking up from the plastic Radio Shack bag he was rummaging through and reaching for a tub of nachos. “Strategically speaking, this is a very interesting opportunity. Even in spite of the risk.”
Jake looked up at me with an encouraging nod.
“Just remember, she can’t be trusted,” I reminded everyone. “She …” I paused. The others were looking at me like they were being extra careful to be polite. Just like at the barn, they were waiting for me to finish. No interruptions. No snide remarks.
The Borders meeting should have proved to them that I was over the fear! I’d handled it fine. I wasn’t the one who’d broken down.
I tried to sound extra calm and sure of myself so they would stop worrying, stop doubting. “Even if she doesn’t have it in for us, our work is only going to make her more power hungry. You can count on it. It’s not like she’s suddenly had a change of heart. That democracy stuff has got to be BS.”
“Absolutely,” Marco said. “A free Yeerk society? Give me a break. Let’s just imagine the scenario for a second. Everyone in favor of having his free will replaced by a slimy, stinking slug that will take over his brain, say, ‘yea.’ Those opposed say, ‘nay.’”
“Okay,” Jake interrupted. “We get it. We all admit that Taylor can’t be trusted. Marco and Tobias saw her lose it at Borders. She’s obviously got some problems. But even given the weirdness, I think we agree this could be one of the most important missions we’ve had.”
No one said anything. Silent agreement.
Except for Cassie.
Her eyes got wide. She began to stand up.
“None of you guys are really thinking about this,” she said in a voice that made a couple of older kids sitting at the table next to ours look up.
“Shhh.”
“No,” she said. “It’s wrong. I won’t. I don’t want to judge you guys, but you’re talking about strategy and risk like this is some computer game. Like there aren’t others involved. Have you forgotten that we’re supposed to be in this to save lives?”
Jake put his hand on her shoulder and gently encouraged her to sit back down. No one seemed to know what to say. She continued. She spoke very quietly, but urgently.
“Has anyone stopped to think that we’ll be responsible for the death of hundreds, maybe thousands of people? People who already suffer the worst fate imaginable? And not that any of you care, but we’ll be killing thousands of defenseless Yeerks right along with them.”
“My God, you mean we’d be killing Yeerks?” Marco said with a straight face. “That’s … that’s unthinkable!”
No one laughed.
“Let her finish,” Rachel whispered.
“They’re not all like Visser Three,” Cassie went on. “We know that. Some of the Yeerks and Controllers are just kids like us. They never had a choice. They participate or they’re eliminated. And it’s not like they get the information they need to make an informed decision. If you’d been raised since birth on empire propaganda, you’d fight to take over Earth, too.”
“You make an interesting argument,” Ax said through a mouthful of nachos. “But there are a lot of inconsistencies between what you say and what you do.” He swallowed noisily. “How can you make this argument knowing what you’ve done in the past?”
“That’s different,” Cassie responded forcefully. “I’m not against defending myself and you guys. I hate violence, but self-defense is justified, in all societies. Unlike murdering people …”
“Killing slugs,” Marco corrected.
“Killing Yeerks when they’re defenseless, when they’re not engaged in battle, when they’re not actively threatening our lives … no! You don’t … why can’t you … can’t you see!” She stopped. I could almost feel the passion radiating from her body. “It’s … it’s just not right.”
“But they are threatening our lives,” Rachel insisted. “Not just ours, everyone’s. Just by being who they are.”
“Yeah, and why do you think they’re at the Yeerk pool?” Marco put in. “I can tell you this much. It’s not because they’re planning Earth Day activities.”
“Look,” Jake said, “during World War Two we bombed factories and highways and railroads. Even regular cities. Just because someone’s not wearing a uniform or carrying a weapon doesn’t mean they’re not fighting a war. I know this plan is bad, Cassie, but we’ve gotta think of the big picture.” He looked at her and touched her shoulder again.
“Yes,” Ax said calmly. “The Yeerk pool is a command and control center. It is central to Yeerk military activity. They recharge there so they can continue their conquest.”
“Not true,” Cassie insisted, regaining her voice. She leaned forward. “What about Tidwell, and others like him in the peace movement? They have to go to t
he pool because they’ll die if they don’t feed. For them, it’s no different than eating.”
“The peace movement Yeerks are a small minority,” Jake countered coldly. “We can’t really consider them, except maybe to warn them.”
“Not consider them!” Cassie repeated disbelievingly. “What if your brother’s at the pool when the gas explodes?”
Jake looked at his hands. “I guess it’s a sacrifice I have to deal with in order to protect thousands more,” Jake said, his voice now expressionless.
“Jake, I don’t believe you!”
“You should,” he said, looking back to Cassie. To me. “Besides, family involvement doesn’t really come into play here. It can’t. The Yeerk pool is a target. End of discussion. It’s not like we’re bombing a bunch of innocent people at the mall on a Friday afternoon …”
Again, I looked at the people all around us. Families, couples, kids like us. Enjoying themselves. Here to see a movie, meet their friends, shop for clothes. They’d done the jobs they had to do at work or at school. Now was their chance to relax. Have fun.
Cassie looked around the food court, too, and then back at Jake.
“Isn’t it?”
That’s pretty much when Cassie decided she couldn’t do it. She decided to sit the mission out. I admired her. I even thought about pulling out myself.
But who would be around to figure out Taylor? Who would be there to watch for sabotage? I’m not really sure how or why we decided I was the best one for the job. But I decided to do it.
Early that evening Ax and I flew together, an owl and a red-tailed hawk, high up into the night sky so we could get a good look at the place before we landed. We wanted to be as sure as possible that we weren’t flying into a trap. The natural gas pumping station came into view.
Ax relayed.
I said.
There wasn’t anything within a half mile of the structure. Just trees and bushes. I swooped low to check out an abandoned van left a few hundred feet from the pumping station. No hidden group of Hork-Bajir waiting for us.
The pumping station was pretty small, just a square building almost as big as a house. Security lights brightened it like a baseball stadium just before a night game. The lights made my hawk vision work almost as well as the owl’s. Through the few windows, I could see a maze of pipes.
We landed on the ground behind a line of heavy brush. It’s hard to land directly on the ground. It’s easier when you can grab on to something with your talons. I skidded a little. Ax was right behind me.
I said.
I morphed and Ax demorphed. Two identical blue aliens began to sprout from the bushes. I like the way Andalite morph feels. It’s about strength and agility. A focused yet playful mind. An unwavering optimism that’s invaluable when you’re up against pure evil.
We finished morphing and Ax trotted up beside me. His main eyes studied me. His stalk eyes scanned the area around us. Then, suddenly, his tail snapped and zipped across the blue-and-tan fur on my chest.
I said.
Ax continued,
Ax answered.
We walked cautiously toward the pumping station, staying out of the brightest lights and watching our backs with our stalk eyes. A tall cyclone fence topped with barbed wire ran all around the structure, but the rear gate was open a crack. Someone was expecting us.
I pointed a slender finger toward the gate.
Ax moved out in front. An eerie squeak cut the still air as we slipped through the gate.
We moved quickly toward the shadows that clung to the wall of the building.
“Evening, boys.”
She stepped out of nowhere. A dark, human form with a voice that sent chills down my spine.
It was Taylor.
“Nice to see you. I’ve been waiting.”
She’d been there the whole time. I couldn’t believe it. We’d been so careful. How had we missed her?
She was wearing dark leather from head to toe. Tall boots that came up to her knees. Her long blond hair was tucked into a high leather collar. It was a new look. Good-bye preppy. Hello soldier. We stared.
“I’m not here to be gawked at. I’m here to deliver a present,” she sneered. “I know how much you both like Taxxons. I found a choice one — very big, very mean — to show my appreciation for your help. Follow me.”
She disappeared into the pumping station. Ax followed her. I followed Ax.
We had to duck low to clear some of the pipes. The noise was unbearable, a constant clanging that made my head hurt. Taylor descended a twisting metal ramp into the basement. We followed, stepping carefully on the slick surface.
Downstairs it was considerably darker, though there were fewer pipes. Taylor stopped in a corner of the room and gestured to an iron handle protruding from the smooth concrete floor. Then she backed up, leaned against the wall, and crossed her arms over her chest.
“He’s in there.”
Ax and I looked more carefully. The iron handle was attached to a large slab of concrete set into the floor.
I said to Ax. Trying to forget I was in the same room with the monster who’d come close to destroying what little peace of mind I’d ever had. I bent down and grabbed the iron handle with my relatively weak Andalite arm. It didn’t budge.
Ax announced. Together we pulled with all our strength. The slab rose out of the floor. With great effort, we set it to one side. A snort from below sent us both jumping back.
“How cute,” Taylor said. “You’re scared.”
Ax said coldly. He stepped up to the hole and peered inside.
Taylor tilted her head to one side and looked at Ax mockingly. “Then go get him, silly.”
The cavern was dark. I could just make out the bottom, about ten feet away. It seemed to curve slightly. I guessed it was a tank, an old fuel storage reservoir or something.
The last thing I wanted to do was jump into a dark tank with a Taxxon waiting to eat me.
Again, Ax led the way. If he wasn’t fearless, he was putting on a good show.
he called from below.
Taylor was watching, her beautiful face wearing the look of perpetual disdain she’d perfected. I couldn’t let her see my fear. I hopped over the edge and braced for impact.
WHAAAMMM!
My hooves hit hard on the concrete bottom. Damp darkness enveloped me. I could just make out Ax at my side.
I asked. I thought of the others waiting outside, hidden in various morphs, watching. They were ready to storm the place if we got into trouble. But how long would it take them to reach us? I looked up and imagined being sealed in the tank. But then I remembered that Taylor couldn’t lift the cover alone.
Or could she? How str
ong was that artificial arm?
It didn’t matter. No. Between the two of us, Ax and I could probably come up with a few morphs that would get us out. But that comforting thought came too late to stop my hearts from racing. We stared into darkness, searching for the Taxxon.
Before he found us.
Ax moved forward and disappeared. I strained to catch sight of him in the blackness. I saw slight movement to my right.
I reached out to make sure of where he stood and …
Agony shot up my arm.
The Taxxon bit down hard. A thousand razor teeth shredded my flesh and muscle. He didn’t sever my arm and have a quick snack. No. He sucked with iron jaws. Pulling me in. Dragging me closer to his stomach.
I swung my tail blade, but lost my balance on the smooth, curved floor. My hooves skidded wildly as the vile mouth chewed. I was caught in a slow-motion wood chipper!
Glowing red eyes, inching toward me …
I whipped my tail blade frantically, slashing the blackness, missing the Taxxon. The force of his jaws would rip off my arm!
FWAP!
Razor teeth withdrew and I stumbled back, clutching my mutilated arm. I looked up. Dizzy. Ill.
Ax said.
Stupefying pain throbbed in what was left of my arm. I backed away. I could feel a wet, sticky ooze beneath my hooves. The Taxxon’s vital fluids were spilling across the bottom of the tank.
I bent down. Reached out my good hand and touched the Taxxon’s side. His soft side heaved laboriously, up and down, as he struggled to breathe. Yes, he was dying.
I could see Ax in the faint light, already acquiring him. I began to demorph. When the transition was complete, I reached out a talon and placed it on the disgusting flesh.
I could feel life draining from his body, and the firm folds of bloated tissue collapsing like a torn hot air balloon. I concentrated on the acquisition.
Usually, you don’t feel anything about an animal while you acquire it. This time, I sensed something. Fierce and elemental, like a scream of rage.