Animorphs: The Hidden Trilogy- The Eighth

Chapter 33

<As I have said to Cassie, I'm from a rich family with an international business. Doesn't matter what it is. They were always around the world, attending meetings, attempting mergers and allocating investments- things like that. We usually stay at one place for only three days, rarely a week. Two years ago my parents suddenly became cold to me, I mean, harsher and more insensitive than ever, and even forced me once to 'take a dip', as they said, into their own private Yeerk pool.> I sighed.

<But an Andalite saved me and gave me morphing powers. I trained under him for three days that time, and since then I acquired every powerful and record-breaking animals in every country we visit, hoping for the day to use them against the Yeerks.> I looked at them. They looked stupid. They were listening, yes, but looking in different directions. I speed-morphed into a jaguar so they can see me at least.

<Why don't you just demorph instead?> Tobias asked.

<Like you,> I looked at him in the eyes. He looked delicious. <I hate being myself.>

I continued. <But since we landed here in America my parents urged me again into the Yeerk Pool. I finally ran away- er, flew away. Then one day I met Visser Two. He took my parents as hostages and want for an exchange a morph-capable host. He must have implied to me to turn over my Andalite friend, but he didn't know he's not with me anymore. That's why I stalked you ever since.>

"Where's the Andalite now?" Jake asked. "He might help us, you know."

<He certainly was. I remembered him telling me his sole reason to be on this planet.>

"What is it?" Jake asked.

<Assassinate Visser Two.>

<I didn't give it much thought before,> I said as I flew as a rough-legged hawk with Tobias, while Jake and Rachel walked below. <But I will try to consider it to myself.>

<Start it now, Caleb,> Tobias said. <I mean, it won't hurt you to join us. No need to pledge or vow or anything. We are the same, same powers, same enemies, and the same cause. You'll be the eighth Animorph, Caleb.>

<The eighth.> I smiled to myself. <Sounds nice.>

"Whether he joins or not, we still need to do the exchange. Right now all we can do is to try to search for the others and find a chink in Visser Two's armor." Jake said.

Finally he went on a house and knocked on a door. A kid opened it. "Jake." He said.

"Erek. We need your help." Jake said.

We entered into the King's residence. His 'father' watched TV, but too still and upright to be human. We went upstairs into Erek's room.

"What do you want?" Erek asked?

"Information about Visser Two."

"Wait." After a few minutes, he spoke up. "Visser Two. It said he died."

"Died where?" Jake asked.

"In former Andalite colony planet Murakesis."

<That sounded long ago.> I said.

"It is."

<Try Xevroi-Murk.> Tobias suggested.

"Xevroi-Murk? Hmm. Discovered by- what's this? The Andalite's records were clear; all it said was 'dead'."

<How about the alien?>

"Look here." Erek said.

"It says here the Xevroi-Murk was not considered sentient. No technologies happen to be in their planet, only wastelands and high levels of radiation. The Xevroi-Murk probably adapted with that and soon had their own radioactive discharge too. Note at the bottom the scientist warned Andalites of its unsettling ability to disrupt morphing with its horn and may cause varying side effects like paralysis and such, also varying in length; it may even be possible for the side effects to damage an organism permanently." He paused as if we already found our answer. It's obvious in others' faces it's not.

Erek sighed as much as a robot can. "Look here. 'Murk' was added to their names along with other creatures from their planet to signify they belong to Murakesis, as what they always do when discovering a potentially dangerous creature. Ereas Murk is the area which their radioactive discharge, proportionate with the length of the horn, covered. It is unusually concentrated in that area that, even if you just stepped into it by an inch, the radiation you'll get will be the same with when you went to the center."

<Is there any weakness that alien might have?> I asked.

"None. It was noted that this race is so far the fastest in adaptation, some of them can even change their form in a matter of few minutes. And its Ereas Murk; it doesn't only disrupt morphing, but also the factors that affects the adaptability of a species."

<So that means we're dead?>Tobias said with a tone of sarcasm.

<Tobias,> I sighed, <that's worse than Marco's.>

But Erek ignored me. He looked at us for a while and finally said,

"Yes."