Prologue
Tobias finally emerged from the old warehouse, his head low.
"So, where's Rachel?" Jake asked, as they finished demorphing.
Tobias said nothing.
"Tobias?"
He clinched his fist and lifted his face. His eyes were streaked with pain. "We have ourselves a traitor." He choked out, and quickly demorphed and flew away.
As the others stood there puzzled, Cassie slipped inside. "Oh my god…."
The Injection
Chapter 1
No one spoke for the next few days, so much was happening. Rachel dead and Melissa watching them, ready to strike, it seemed the world was falling apart. Everything was so normal before, now life is just plain unpredictable, especially the fact that Erek gathered them in the woods.
"The yeerks have a new weapon. An artificial warrior parasite: a minocite. They are unbeatable, even destroyed one of us-and one of you. Fortunately, there is only one. Unfortunately, that one is enough."
"They seemed to have made a mistake while creating it." He continued. "They gave it a mind to think with, now it has made it's own mission, not to catch you, but to destroy you."
"Oh great." Marco rolled his eyes, "just what we need. I guess they figure the saying 'the more the merrier' is true."
"Who is this minosite's host?" Cassie asked.
Eric looked grim. "Minocite001's host is none other than Melissa Chapman."
Chapter 2
Melissa looked into the eerie blackness of space. It was beautiful, but it's hard to enjoy anything with a parasite sharing your brain.
{Enjoying yourself?}
{Shut up Yeerk!}
{Oooh, aren't we cranky today. Still upset about your friend? What was her name? Rachel? Yes that was it. Oh, I remember the look on her face when you-}
{SHUT UP! You killed her not me! YOU!}
{It was you who delivered the final blow.}
{NO! It's not- why am I still talking to you? Just go away!}
{That's quit impossible-}
{Then shut up!}
Mionosite001 laughed to himself at his host desperation. He already had picked out his target and the way to kill him.
Melissa's mouth curved into an evil smile as she examined the deadly insect in her hand.
"Well, well, Jake." It sneered, "Won't you be in for a little surprise tonight."
Chapter 3
Cassie was wrapping a bandage on a goose when she heard someone come in. She glanced up. "Hi, Jake. What's up?" She said as she tried to put the goose back into his cage.
He shrugged, "nothing much." Cassie noticed that he looked slightly paler then normal, but let it go.
"Oh, then you'll have time to help me get this guy back in his cage?" She asked hopefully. This was a rather large and squirming goose. As he helped, she noticed some large welts on his hands. "Are you all right?" She asked him.
"Yea," He said as he held his throbbing head. "Okay, no." For no apparent reason, he lost continuousness and collapsed to the ground.
"Jake!" The situation took her by surprise. She couldn't think strait. Cassie closed her eyes and got in control. She checked his pulse. It was slow, but then again; at least it was there. Doctors would be useless if this was alien she decided, so Ax was the best to turn to at the moment.
A shadow fell over them. In the doorway stood a girl.
Melissa.
Cassie glared at her. Without moving her gaze, she spoke in a choked, but determined voice. "I already lost Rachel, and I'm not about to loose him as well."
"We'll see little Animorph. We'll see…"
Chapter 4
"Well," Cassie asked nervously. "What is it?"
Ax examined the body once more. {Ah! There!} He pointed to puncture holes in Jake's neck. {They were obviously caused by Zhadoof [a/n: thank you for Katie and Ka's creativeness] beetle.}
"A what?" Marco asked. It was only a few minutes after Melissa left, and the remaining Animorphs were gathered in the barn.
{An insect used by assassins to destroy their targets, for usually they are paid more for slow deaths.} Ax said, rather depressed.
Marco threw up his hands; "Well this is just great!"
{Is there some kind of medicine for it?} Tobias asked on a much more serious note.
{Yes. Unfortunately the yeerks have it.} Ax said, then quickly added, {Stolen andilite technology of course.}
"Of course." Marco spat sarcastically.
"Luckily," Cassie spoke up. "We have some people inside the yeerk forces."
Tobias nodded, the best a hawk could. {The chee.}
Cassie handed Marco a phone. He dialed the familiar number. "Hey Erek! It's Marco. We have a slight problem, and would really suggest you get your metallic ass down here."
"That was a little harsh Marco." The ancient android said. "But I'll be there."
Chapter 5
"Yea, I've seen it. " Erek replied, referring to the medicine. "It's now being kept where the oatmeal used to be.
"The yeerks have been keeping it upon hearing their two beetles were stolen. It looks like our friend Melissa nabbed them."
"Can you get some for us?" Cassie asked, with an edge of hope.
Erek shook his dog muzzle. "No. Because of your attacks there has been a new system installed. I can now only enter when my three days are up to avoid any "andilites" in controller morphs to sneak in."
Cassie sighed. "They seem to have thought of everything." She turned to the group. "Do you think our mole entrance is still open?"
{Why not? It's out in the middle of nowhere.} Tobias concluded. {But, there was a rainstorm a few nights ago.}
Cassie bit her lip. There was no one here to make the decisions; witch was a job she truly hated. Last time when Jake was "killed" by David, Rachel had taken control. Now they were both out for the count. She was hopping that maybe one of the others would take the spot as leader, but Ax believed to strongly in being only an artish, Tobias hasn't spoken much since Rachel - left, and it's just plain stupid to suggest Marco taking a responsibility of any kind. So that left her. "Umm, Tobias? Do you think you could check it out?"
{Sure.} Tobias took off from the rafters.
"Erek? If that doesn't work do you know of a way to get past the bio-filters?" She asked.
"I'll work on it."
{I would be glad to help.} Ax put in.
"Um, okay sure." Cassie said unsure of her decisions.
Marco leaned over to Erek and said in a load whisper, "I think she's been around Jake to much." Cassie pretended not to notice, but still turned a bright shade of pink.
"Marco? You are next to Ax on being a computer genius, try to hack into the yeerks health files, if there is such a thing."
"And you stand there and give us orders?"
"Well-"
"Good, I was beginning to get worried about not having someone to boss me around."
What was she going to do? Jake would have known. Cassie knelt beside him. "How are you doing?" She asked him, not even sure if he could even hear her non-the less reply. His appearance was terrible. He couldn't move, green liquid dripped from the slits left of his eyes. They were swollen beyond belief. She wondered if Jake could even open his eyes. "I'm sorry." She whispered and rubbed his hand. "We'll get it soon, I promise."
Chapter 6
"Look at this!" Marco called the others. "The yeerks have been having trouble containing the beetles, a lot of the hosts have fallen do to the things sneaking out and biting."
"Yea," Cassie agreed. "And it seems others have stolen the cure in fear of getting it as well." Suddenly a terrible realization came to her. "Marco! How many are left."
He scrolled through the files. "Shit! Only one!"
Cassie took in a deep breath. "We've got only one shot at this. Then-"
"It's game over." Marco concluded "End of ball game. No over-time."
Tobias flew in. {It's still there! Unstable, but there.}
The Animorphs and android exchanged glances. "Well," Marco sighed, then put on a grin. "Let's do it!"
Chapter 7
{Well here it is.} Tobias said. {It's windy; bank left about thirty degrees.}
{And how are we supposed to know where thirty degrees is?} The osprey to his left asked.
Cassie ignored Marco's complaining as she banked. {Well, Marco, some of us paid attention in geometry so some people can estimate.}
{Hey, that was in fifth grade!} Marco said defensively.
{Oh of course,} Tobias said sarcastically. {How could we even suggest Marco remembering an entire four years back?}
Cassie sighed. They had already started high school, which was enough horror. But on top of that have been saving the world for two years, and Marco still never really grew up.
{Friend Tobias? Was that sarcasm?} Ax asked.
{Yea, that was.}
{I see, I seem to understand your human humor now.} Ax said.
They landed none-to-gracefully on the ground to demorph, and remorph to mole. {Be careful.}Tobias warned. {The rain has made the tunnel very unstable.}
The trip took quicker this time then the last. They just had to follow in there own footsteps.
{Ahhh!} Cassie cried. She hadn't expected the drop so soon.
{Aw, man! Back to the bat poop.} Marco complained. They quickly demorphed, then remorphed to bat.
{Erek said some other chee had disabled those ray trackers, so we should be safe so far.} Ax reminded them.
{Yea,} Cassie agreed. {Bats are common in this environment. An occasional lost few may wonder in sometimes. Hopefully they won't make the connection between the security off and 5-er-4 bats flying in.}
Marco and Ax flew behind some kind of building to demorph. When his human eyes emerged, Marco could see that the odd odder he had smelled while demorphing was coming from a Dumpster of some kind. Normally, he would have made some cheap crack about the funny scene, but this was way too serious for that. His friend's life depended on their success here and now.
{Marco?} Ax's thought-speech interrupted his thoughts. {I do suggest morphing to your humanoid 'gorilla' morph now.}
"Oh, yea." Marco jumped to reality. Everything so far was going as planned. He and Cassie would morph their battle morphs, while Ax, as human, tried to hack into the computer to get the antidote.
Meanwhile, Tobias would be posing as him, in his newly aciared andilite morph.
{Ready?} Came Tobias' thought speech.
{Ready as I can be while plummeting into a total suicide mission.} Marco muttered.
{He's definitely ready!} Tobias laughed.
{Let's go provide that distraction!} Cassie said with sudden enthusiasm.
{Oh, great!} Marco moaned. {First she's Jake, now she's Rachel!}
Chapter 8
Cassie snarled at the nearest Hork-bajir guard.
"Gana! Andilites!" It screamed. "Get Visser three!"
{Oh, man! He's here?!?!} Marco shrieked.
{Guess so, } Tobias said grimly, then flashed an andilite smile. {But who's going to tell him we are?} With that he whipped his tail blade around, slicing in half three taxxons in the process. {Whoa! I could really get used to this thing!} Tobias crowed.
Cassie lounged, knocking the hork-bajir off its feet. With swift precession, she clamped her jaws around its throat, digging into veins, causing the blood to seep out. It struggled, only drawing more blood. After she felt her job there was done, she moved on; killing, killing, and killing. For a brief moment, she had no emotions, just the pure instinct to kill.
Marco was just finishing trashing a hork-bajir, when a taxxon attacked at the rear, sinking its teeth [a/n: do they even have teeth?!?!?] Into his back. {AARGHHH! Okay, now I'm really mad!} He swung his huge sledge hammer fist around blindly, connecting with the soft flesh of the centipede. Globs of green goo oozed its way out of the alien's skin. It lay on the ground shrieking. The yeerk had bailed, leaving its helpless host there to die.
Chapter 9
Ax stared at the moniter in front of him. He cursed his weak human body. There was no way to see behind him for intentional attackers. He was without a tail, and to top it off, the computer was prepared for his attack.
{Computer.} He thought. {activate antidote ussage program.}
"Command not confirmed." The computer's mechanical voice replied.
"You!" Ax whirled around. A controller stared at him with suspicion. "Why aren't you at your station?"
"Um," Ax's human mind bit his lip. "Um, I was sent by Visser 2 to get the Antidote. He, He has fallen ill, and will have your head if you stop me!"
The yeerk's natural selfish mind kicked in, "Of course, um, here, I'll open it for you." The man, typed a few codes through what his human friends called a "keyboard". Ax was soon handed a cilinder.
His andilite arms would be to weak to hold it, so he had to stay in morph as long as possible. But he needed to tell the others he got it, the mouth would give them away, but he was in morph…. {Cassie?} Yes, thought-speech worked! {I have it!}
Upon hearing his thought-speech, she snapped out of the killing spree. {Oh, god. What did I do?} She shook of the grief momentairily, That's not what's important, she thought. We have to get to Jake! {Okay guys, let's back off!}
Chapter 10
"How do we give it to him?" Marco asked Erek. It was right after the attack, and Jake had been moved to the chee's home.
"With this." He pulled a shot out of his pocket.
Cassie rolled up Jake's sleeve, and held his hand as Erek ingected the needle.
Marco desperately looked for some humor in the situation. "Next time you get bitten by a Zhadoof beetle, call 1-800-Dr Erek. That's 1-800-37373-hey what does "k" stand for?"
{Shut up Marco.} Tobias snapped, a little harsher then he meant.
"This is an advanced antidote, so he should be awake soon, weak, but free of most of poison. Now It's getting late, I think you need to get home." The others obediantly left. Cassie and Erek where the last to leave. Erek smiled as he saw Cassie bend down and kiss Jake on the cheek.
"Don't die. Please don't die." [a/n: Am I in a sappy mood or what?]
Chapter 11
RRIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNGGGGG!
"I got it!" Cassie yelled as she ran franticly down the stairs to the phone. "Hello?!" She practically screamed into the receiver. It was about a week after Jake's illness and she hadn't gotten any news on his recovery.
"Jeez Cassie!" Marco said.
"How's Ja-" Her mother and father turned to look at her. "I mean, what's up?"
"Erek just called, Jake's doing okay, in fact, Erek made it sound very professional when he said 'He's ready for visitors'-"
"He is?!" Cassie hung up and grabbed her coat. She ran past her mother to the door.
"Cassie-"
"I gotta' go!" Cassie yelled over her shoulder as she ran out the door.
Aisha raised an eyebrow at her husband. "Did she say what I thought she said.
He shrugged. "She's in high-school, she was bound to have those interests sooner or later."
Chapter 12
Jake sat up in his bed. He was bored. There wasn't much to do. He had already counted the amount of times he drifted off-158-but he really wanted to talk to someone. He had never been, really overly talkative like Marco, but he just had to talk to someone!
It was almost funny. He had been, sliced, cut open, shot by dracon beams, inflicted with a deadly sickness, and now he felt he would die of boredom. It was insane! It was crazy! It was-
"Hey Jake!" Marco stuck his head in the door. Jake sunk down with relief. At least Marco would have something interesting to talk about.
"Hi Marco."
"Cass and I decided to drop by."
"Hi Jake." Cassie gave a little wave. "So, how are you feeling?"
"Fine considering the fact there's no one really to talk to, and I'm bored out of my skull," Jake said sarcasticly. "Then again, I'm alive, thanks to you guys."
"That's what friends are for, right?" Marco asked. "Beside you should have seen Cassie! She totally took your place, looks like you might have to be impeached."
Cassie blushed. "No, Jake is much better then I could ever wish to be."
Now it was Jake's turn to blush.
Marco rolled his eyes. "Oh, great. it's already started." He looked at his watch. "Well believe or not, I've got a summer job- even though summer's still a week away. Gotta go." With that he left.
Jake shook his head, "I wonder what the employer saw in him." He laughed, then stopped upon seeing the look on her face. "Cassie what's wrong?"
"It's just that, never mind."
"Tell me."
She sighed. "When I went to the Yeerk pool, I killed."
"You did what you had to-"
"No," She shook her head. "I didn't have to. I killed just to kill."
They both fell silent.
"It's all her falt, damnit!" Cassie suddenly yelled, on the verge of tears.
Jake was shocked to hear this from her. He drew her into a hug. "I'm sorry." he whispered.
She hugged him back. "Oh god," she whispered through her tears.
Chapter 13
Marco ran to the bus stop. It was his first day, not the time to be late for a job. He nervously pulled a bus schedule from his pocket. If the bus arrived on time, he should be fine.
The minutes ticked by.
"Come on." He said out load, looking at his watch.
A cold chill ran down his spine. In all his years as an Animorph, he had learned to sense danger.
"Hello Marco." A voice rasped behind him.
He spun around to be greeted by the familler blue eyes he thought he would never see again.
They had an empty, evil glint to them now.
The beautiful young woman smiled evilly. "Or perhaps I should say, goodbye."
That's when he saw the knife….
To be continued….