Animorphs: The Hidden Trilogy- The Eighth

Chapter 28X Ax

"No! No! You can't do this to us!" A familiar voice echoed across the hallway.

"Let us down, Vantriss, let us down!" Another voice echoed.

"I sincerely apologize for doing this to you. Personally, I think we must treat you more like guests. But orders are orders; Visser Two is my master. Again, I am sorry. Farewell." Vantriss Two said. A metal door closed and he walked away quietly.

I wonder which of the Animorphs were taken by Visser Two. I wonder if they lose their morphing powers too. I hope the others remaining are still fighting. I hope their will to survive and stubbornness are enough to fuel them to fight.

I hope ..

I hope.

I looked at my 'many-fingered hands', as they always say. I am here for three days. Three days without food, three days within these pressurizing, cold, and gray walls of a considerably primitive spaceship in terms of Andalite technology. I hope I'm durable and sturdy, the way my older brother was, how he confronted his cruel death at the hands of that Yeerk Visser Three. I sometimes hallucinate of my planet, of the dome sunk in the Earth's ocean where I was rescued by the Animorphs before, of my journeys here in this planet. I also hallucinate of my future, I inevitably imagine the door opening, a greeting hand reached out to me, as if saying, 'Rise up, warrior, the war's over. You're a hero, Aximilli-Esgarrouth-Isthill, of both the human and Andalite races."

But no. Nothing. Instead darkness surrounded me; covered me. The Andalite's claustrophobia, as humans have described it, is making me mad, disoriented, and afraid.

But again, no. I won't give up.

I tried to calm down. I breathed in the cold, metallic air and focused again. I looked at my hand and focused. With all these inconveniences and hardships, I've become a rather hopeful person, I tell you that. I hope, I hope my hypothesis is correct. Theoretically, applying Andalite laws in genetics, nuclear physics and such, my hypothesis stands a chance.

It must.

It will.

Because I'm not a cadet anymore.

For Jake and the Animorphs. For my older brother Elfangor. For the humans and Andalites.

I focused.

Gradually I felt tingling sensations on my hands. It crept as ice across my body. I winced and writhed at the intensifying sensation, now prickly cold and itchy. It crept up my head and even on my stalks, which made it, along with my whole body, shiver uncontrollably. I closed my stalk eyes in pain, but still not lose sight of my hand.

I hope.

Soon my fingers merged into five human fingers. I lost my bluish tan fur to the skin of humans, which slowly crept up to my arms and body. My four legs joined to form stout human legs. After that my tail shot painfully into my back to complete my human spinal cord. My stalk eyes lose sight and drooped as I gradually grew hair. Then a terrifying pain echoed across my head as my face cracked and opened, forming lips, tongue and teeth. The mouth.

Then pain. I am forced to writhe out the pain and itch.

"Aaaaaargh," I moaned. With real sounds.

I staggered backwards on two human legs. Human. Me.

I can morph again.

"Haha! Ha-ah!" I laughed victoriously. My hypothesis proved true. I demorphed again and remorphed into human, again and again until the pain subsided.

I can morph again.

I should waste no time; I must free the two Animorphs held captive anywhere here in this ship, and learn of Prince Jake and other's whereabouts and situation now that they're only three. And Caleb.