If you've never seen a computer chat room before, it's kind of confusing. It's like a conversation between people who aren't really listening to each other.
Plus everyone can only type about ten words at a time, so it gets pretty confusing. But you get used to making sense of it after a while.
The six of us watched, fascinated, as the conversation went scrolling down the screen. A conversation about things we thought only we knew about.
YeerKiller9: there's no way!
GoVikes: You have to chop them up to be sure they're really
Chazz: Why don't we get serious here? The Yeerks are
GoVikes: dead.
YeerKiller9: Listen to me, I was infested by a Yeerk. It
Chazz: Only getting stronger. And instead of using this Chat to plan
YrkH8er: Kill all Yeerks!
Gump8293: I think my dad is one. What can I do?
Chazz: some action, we end up doing nothing.
YeerKiller9: was only by a miracle that I escaped.
Gump8293: I mean it's weird because my dad actually seems in some ways. But
GoVikes: Yeerks are like worms. If you just cut them in
CKDsweet: can anyone help me? There's this organization called
GoVikes: half they just grow again.
Gump8293: he is too nice. He's got all these new friends suddenly and
YrkH8er: Kill all Yeerks!
CKDsweet: the sharing, and I think they are all Yeerks
I looked at Marco. He nodded.
"The Sharing," he muttered. "Interesting. See if anyone stomps on that."
Sure enough, someone did. The supposedly enthusiastic Yeerk hater.
YrkH8er: The sharing is okay. I checked them out.
Chazz: Wrong. The sharing is a Yeerk front organization.
YrkH8er: No way. They're like Boy Scouts.
"Whoa," Rachel said.
"This Chazz guy seems fairly serious," Tobias offered.
"YrkH8er may be a Controller himself," I said.
"Or he may just be mistaken," Cassie pointed out.
Gump8293: he's with them all the time. The other day I
Carlito: I've discovered that Yeerks need to go someplace secret and
Gump8293: heard my dad and these new friends whispering about
Carlito: feed or replenish. Every three days. I think they
Gump8293: someone called "Visher" or "Vister" or something.
Carlito: get out of their host body to do this
MegMom: Gump, I think it's "Visser." I think a Visser is like a
GoVikes: they're like snails, only without a shell.
MegMom: general or something. I think Visser is a rank.
GoVikes: Rank. LOL. Totally rank.
"GoVikes is just your standard chat room moron," Marco said. "But Chazz and Meg and Carlito seem like they may know something."
"Gump is sad," Cassie said. "Worried about his dad."
"Yeah, well, it's a sad world all around," Marco said harshly.
I had known for a while that Marco's mother is a Controller. In fact, she's Visser One, a very high-ranking member of the Yeerk hierarchy. But the others had only learned recently. And Marco is allergic to pity so he has to act extra tough.
Gump8293: Isn't there any way for me to get my dad to stop being
YrkH8er: Kill all Yeerks!
Gump8293: a Yeerk?
YrkH8er: Talk to your dad. Tell him what you think.
Chazz: NO Gump. Say NOTHING to your father. If you say anything you'll be next.
MegMom: Gump, listen to Chazz. He's right. You can't do
Fitey777: Hi everyone.
MegMom: anything to save your father. All you can do is get hurt.
Fitey777: I have a name to add to the list of known Yeerks.
Gump8293: I have to DO something.
Fitey777: Charles J. Sofor. He's the deputy police chief in
YrkH8er: Kill all Yeerks!
Chazz: Hello Fitey.
MegMom: Good, Fitey's here.
Fitey777: the capital. I am close to getting the location
GoVikes: chop him up in little pieces.
Fitey777: of a Yeerk feeding area.
"So, what do we think?" I asked the group.
Rachel sighed. "Who can tell? Maybe some of these guys are for real. But maybe it's all a Yeerk scam to lure people in."
"Like Gump," Cassie said. "They may be trying to get his name and address so they can warn his father, the Controller."
"I suspect a Yeerk scam," Tobias said.
"I'd go that way, too," Rachel said.
Cassie shook her head. "I'm not so sure. There's something real and genuine about some of these people. Not all. YrkH8er is probably a Controller. But Gump is real. I'd bet on it."
I learned to trust Cassie's instincts about people long ago. "I get the same feeling," I said. "Ax?"
"Who can tell? This primitive means of communication makes it impossible to judge. Now that humans have the telephone, why do they still use this primitive system?"
"Actually, the phone was invented first," I said. "This is more modern."
Ax laughed. "Humans. You invent the book first, then the computer. Puter. Telephone before computer. Very backward."
"Marco? What do you think?"
Marco tilted his head back and forth in a "who knows?" gesture. "If I had to guess, I'd say a little of both. Maybe this Web page was created by Yeerks to help them locate any humans who know about them. But at the same time, maybe it got a little out of their control. I mean, maybe Chazz, Carlito, Fitey, and Meg are all for real."
I nodded. "We need to try and find out who these people are. Ax? Can you hack in and penetrate the protected screen name files?"
I stood up and Ax sat stiffly in the chair. He placed his unfamiliar human fingers on the keys. "What is 'Caps Lock'?"
"Forget 'Caps Lock.'"
"Yes, Prince Jake."
I sighed. "I'm not a prince," I said for probably the millionth time.
Ax entered the computer's software and began to write furiously. But after a few minutes he was obviously frustrated.
"What?" Marco mocked. "A superior Andalite can't hack into the Web Access America computer?"
"Can you?" Ax asked him.
"No."
"Ah." He went back to typing furiously. Then he pushed the keyboard away, almost angrily. "The most basic systems are not usable."
"In other words, you can't do it?" I said.
"No. This machine and the central computer are both too primitive. I tried to reconfigure the software, but it is not enough." He brightened. "However, I fixed it so Marco will now be able to win any online computer game he plays."
"I already win every game," Marco lied.
"Your win and lose ratio is stored in the computer, Marco," Ax pointed out. "You do not win every game. You win forty-two percent of the time. Ratio. Horatio. Ray. Shee. Oh."
"It would be nice to know if these guys are for real," Cassie said. "We may have allies out there. And there may be people like Gump who we could help."
I held out my hands. "So? How do we get the real names behind the screen names?"
"If we busted into WAA's main office . . ." Marco began.
"Invade Web Access America?" Rachel said, grinning.
"Yeah," Marco said. "Invade Web Access America. Bust into their main computers. Get the screen names. And while we're at it, turn off that stupid program that keeps offering you a Web Yeah," Marco said.
