Animorphs 2.0

The Andalite

It was three weeks after our first mission. We'd had two more successful missions since then, and I was proud to finally be doing something important. One day, I came home one day to find my father in the monitor room, staring into the space just above Earth.

"Dad?" I asked. He didn't move. I came and touched his shoulder. "Dad what is it?"

I looked to the screen. There was a big long ship with a dome at the top in the midst of an enormous battle. That's what he was looking at. Apparently there was a battle happening just above Earth's atmosphere. Foolishly, I looked up at the ceiling, then, shaking my head, I focused on my father again. This could be very bad; a battle above could have disastrous repercussions for us down here. That would explain my father's strange behavior, but there seemed to be something else upsetting him as well.

"Dad?" I asked again, louder this time. He turned to look at me. I couldn't get a fix on his expression. It ranged from relief, to pride, to fear and then finally, terror.

"It's the Andalites, son." He said. His voice cold. I looked at the ships fighting above and pictured Andalites piloting them, having come to save Earth.

"Isn't this good?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Right now, no. The Yeerks are too strong. I don't think the Andalites assumed it would be this difficult. Visser Three has a new Blade Ship. That alone could do a lot of damage."

"Couldn't you help?" I asked. "You have a ship too, right?" As I spoke, I realized how foolish I was being. That would blow our cover. Not to mention how little one small, barely armed ship could do. But my father seemed to take my comment to mean something else.

"I can't ever help." He whispered quietly. My eyes widened. I had no idea he felt that away about helping his people. There was something off about his tone. I sensed there was something he would tell me now, something important that needed to be said, that he had to get off his chest. I crouched down next to his chair and waited for him to speak.

"I left my people, Tobias." He said, looking me in the eye. Whatever discomfort he felt over his decision, I knew he didn't regret it because of me. "And that was shameful. If the Andalites ever found out I had done this, I would be disgraced, my name destroyed. Yet that is not what I fear. I have made my peace with my decision, however I cannot fight. I must stay here to protect you. Although, more than that, I do not want the Andalites to take me home with them. If they found me, they might. I can't ever leave you, so I must stay here, in this room, only watching, never interfering, though it pains me greatly."

I stand up and out my arms around my father to let him know I am there for him. I know he will not cry, yet one tear slips down my face. He holds me to him with one arm as the other controls his view of the battle. Something catches his eye, and he starts in surprise. He zooms in on a single fighter ship spinning out of control. It zooms past the other ships heading straight for the planet. My father is fixed on it, following its path down to Earth. In the midst of the battle, not many notice him. Even so, all the other Andalite fighters are engaged. No one can come help him. The Yeerks are busy as well and leave him for dead.

My father typed a lot on the keyboard and the monitor showed him the fighter's path, where it will crash. I start. That's right near where we live. Somewhere in the woods. My father put his head in his hands. I saw the pain in his entire body.

"Father can we save him?" I asked quietly. He lifted his head slowly to look at me, tears in his eyes.

"Tobias, I can't..."

"Not you, Dad. Us. The Animorphs. We can save him. One Andalite, Dad. One. That's all I'm asking for. Look at him; they're going to leave him. He'll die. And then the Yeerks will make sure no one ever even knows he was there. Let us save him."