Animorphs: The Hidden Trilogy- The Eighth

Chapter 29X Cassie

"We need to escape."

I heard Marco say.

I heard their whole conversation.

But no, it's different for me. It's as if the animals I've acquired hated me; despised me. I asked for their bodies, but they scared me away. .

Actually I'm not scared, and it's not the reason why I can't morph. When I overcame and soothed them to comfort so I can morph them, something's. . . Something's pulling me back, and it's the one I can't stand. I had to try again. . .

"Aaaaaah," I fell down crying again in pain. I need to. . .

"The Andalite is missing! Find him! Find him!" A deep voice with a weird accent ordered. "You! You're the one who found an odd insect here. Where is it now?"

"I-I don't know, sir, I-I'm terribly sorry." Another voice shakily said.

Marco peeked in the ventilation slits. "The ninja Hork-Bajirs," he whispered.

"The Andalite can morph again." A Hork-Bajir, probably the chief here, said. "The Vantriss must not be informed; The Visser will be much displeased." He hissed. "Now, find him, find him whatever he is! Every cranny and nook, search in it!"

"That will be your biggest mistake ever." Marco muttered. He turned around to me and held me by my shoulders. "We need to escape. We need to try morphing. Ax did it, so why can't we? Okay?"

It's as if he knew my situation. . .

I hope so..

I hope not.

I want to tell them what I have experienced. But Marco is already morphing.

Hair grew from his arms up to his face. His shirt was ripped apart as tremendous muscles erupted from his small body.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!!!" Marco shouted in pain. He held his head and curled as a half-human and half-gorilla.

I saw tears streaming down his reddening face as he looked up while the final transformations are taking place.

<Aaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!!!> He screamed in our heads.

"What's that? Someone check on the-"

CRASH!

Marco just barrelled through the metal door!

<Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!!!> Marco went out and pounded his chest.

"Dracon beams out!" The chief said. The Hork-Bajirs formed a dense line that blocked the narrow hallway.

<Aaaaaaaargh!!!> Marco screamed and charged at the line of Hork-Bajirs.

"Fi-"

Marco grabbed the standing Hork-Bajir chief's head and swept the others. He stretched his arms wide and two Hork-Bajirs just went through the opposite hallway walls. He snatched another Hork-Bajir and smacked another with it. He threw another down and smacked him on the face.

<Cassie, let's go.>Ax said and started demorphing. <You must try to morph too.> He went out even though he still haven't finished morphing the cockroach's antenna.

"I don't get it." I followed him, who dismantles Dracon beams on the way with his blade. "Marco . . . doesn't fight like that. He seemed too. . . Brutal."

<I have noticed it also,>Ax said as we walked through the destruction Marco left behind. <But in my opinion, probably he's just angry.>

"Angry? Angry enough to create a mess like this?" I asked in disbelief.

We caught up with Marco at the next floor, and he's still attacking relentlessly. More ninja Hork-Bajirs, as he always call them, were dropping everywhere.

He got a metal bar somewhere and used it to fend off the furious attacks of Visser Two's Hork-Bajirs. And he always made them flying. An unlucky Hork-Bajir-Controller got in his way and Marco took him down and smashed its head with the bar.

"Marco!" I shouted to him. "What's wrong with you?"

<I can't- AAAAAAAARGH!> He charged a Hork-Bajir and barreled through a series of doors with the Hork-Bajir. Then he threw it at a wall and punched it hard in its face. The HorkBajir dropped headless.

"Marco!"

Suddenly the room grew dark. I turned around and noticed half a dozen Hork-Bajirs dropped from nowhere. Marco backhanded a Hork-Bajir and sent him flying. He grabbed two Hork-Bajirs and slammed them together. The last three stepped backwards and pulled out their Dracon beams.

SLASH!

SLASH!

SLASH!

Ax leaped in front of Marco and sent their hands flying.

He faced him and said, <Marco! Calm->

Suddenly Vantriss Two emerged from nowhere.

"The prisoners have escaped. They are here in the bridge with me." He said.

He disappeared and appeared over Marco. Marco flailed around and fell, while Vantriss Two disappeared again. I hid underneath a console as I saw Vantriss reappear over Ax. Ax dodged and went on a fury slashing him. But Vantriss Two easily dodged and parried his attacks.

Then Vantriss Two suddenly attacked. Ax easily parried his blades but Vantriss Two kept coming, faster and faster until everything's a blur.

Suddenly Ax sidestepped. Vantriss Two slipped and fell. Then Marco dropped over him and pounded his face.

"Marco!"

BANG!

<Marco!>

BANG!

But Marco didn't stop. Marco didn't respond. He went on and on.

BANG!

BANG!

BANG! The sound of metal pounded echoed throughout the dark room.

Suddenly Vantriss Two snatched Marco's bleeding fists with his. He flipped Marco over him and in a few moments was already up and going. He snatched something hard and threw it on one of the windows then jumped off. Marco stood up and, based on how he acts now, should've chased Vantriss Two. But no. He slowly fell to his knees. And as I craned around to see, I noticed Ax's all four eyes widen.

"All units move! We must arrest that traitor Visser Two." She hissed. "I know he's up to something fishier than his host." She laughed along with several Hork-Bajir-Controllers. Amidst the demonic laughter I heard Marco kneel and sob.

Then I saw her.

Visser One.