Chap 21

Melissa's POV

Surrounded. There was no way we could possibly escape and it would be foolishness to hope we could. There had to be roughly a hundred Hork-Bajir in the launching bay. As for luck, I'm not sure I believe in it. However, if the luck was real, surely we'd had the last of ours. There was no way, even if I were in morph , that Reubren and I could fight them all and hope to win.

Visser Three seemed to agree with my thinking. He was enjoying this immensely, his alien eyes alight with an amused smirk as his Hork-Bajir warriors seized us. One, of course, was enough to ensure that I wasn't going anywhere. Its large claw was wrapped around both my wrists. I tried not to focus on how insignificant and weak I felt at that moment. To tell you the truth, I felt like I was in a dream. Like this couldn't be happening to me. Not again.

It took four to subdue Reubren who was struggling wildly. I felt sorrier for him than I did myself. After all he'd gone through to escape. Just to get recaptured by an enemy that had caused him so much torment already.

A private thought-speak reached my mind. /Melissa don't do anything. Don't struggle. Don't morph. We took out allot of the real guards, and some of this is even the Chee's handiwork but there are still real Hork-Bajir in this room. We need to play this out.

I reeled and for a moment I was sure I'd pass out of from shock. Sabrina's voice! A morph! I wanted to cry from sheer relief and joy, but I knew better than to react in any way that would make our enemy suspect. I think I remembered something vague about the Chee, but I didn't care. The idea, the very thought, that there was some way out of this mess was all I could think of.

I noticed that Reubren had stopped struggling. He seemed to be experiencing shock and weakness. The others must have just contacted him in thought speech as well.

Visser Three assessed our new state of being. /You're giving up this meaningless effort to resist me I see. he gloated. Pity. I hoped you'd struggle. It almost takes the enjoyment out of it.

But he didn't notice a Hork-Bajir subtly edging behind him all the while. / Oh I think you're going to be the one to go down without a struggle, Yeerk!

"Madison!" I cried out joyfully, unable to keep from grinning.

Even as I said that, with a fast, sharp blow to the back of the head, the Yeerk Visser dropped like a stone. He didn't even have time to react. Sabrina released me and my friends released Reubren. I stared in confusion. Only eleven of the Hork-Bajir I saw there reacted at all. The ones that did shouted in dismay as it dawned on them what had happened. One jumped forward to challenge Madison, who looked intent on finishing Visser Three off rather than just knocking him out. So, her success was hindered as she had to deal with him.

/Figures. Marco's voice moaned, though I couldn't track the source of where it had come from.

/Well, at least we've gotten what we wanted. Matt said. I think we all agreed that is would suck if we had to fight Hork-Bajir AND deal with Visser Three morphing something weird at the same time. /

The remaining Hork-Bajir were so panicked they didn't seem to know which of my friends to attack first. To say that they were in shock would have been an understatement. One finally snapped out of it.

" Why are you gharaf standing kurfash!" screamed one of them to their motionless compatriots. " Get them!"

/Oh, I wouldn't do that./ Lavender's voice said cheerfully.

Then I heard Jake's thought speech. / Erek, drop the hologram/

Immediately many Hork-Bajir vanished and that was most of them. None were left but the pitiable group that was forced to face us - and in tiger, gorilla, grissly, wolf and hawk morph (plus Ax of course,) were the animorphs. They had been hidden behind the hologram the whole time. I could have sworn Rachel's bear morph was grinning.

/Of all the sneaky plans, this has gotta be our best/ she crowed.

/Yeah, well don't forget who came up with most of it. / Matt sniffed.

/We get it Matt, we get it./ Marco drawled. / You're a prodigy strategist./

Matt's Hork-Bajir morph grinned. /I am aren't I/

/Don't encourage him, Marco. / M.C. advised.

/I played a role in this too. / Sabrina huffed.

Jake began testily/Excuse me people, but - /

Sabrina cut in/I mean why are we talking? We still have work to do/

/Uh, huh. / Cassie said, sounding amused. That's what you meant to say./

I almost felt sorry for our enemies as the Hork-Bajir realized that at least five of them were morphed Mendelites. There is not much to record about what happened to the eleven remaining Hork-Bajir soldiers. There were the animorphs, the Mendelites, plus me and Reubren. That was thirteen to eleven and two of them fled. Plus their Visser was unconscious. It was a short battle. As relieved as I felt to be alive and uninfested, I was bothered. I wasn't morphed so I hadn't any real role in the battle. A Hork-Bajir had made a futile attempt to take me prisoner again and Reubren had swiftly taken care of him.

/ I think I like your friends. / he informed me, and the last Hork-Bajir , deciding that it was a fruitless fight, fled.

I really wish we had payed more attention to the ones that got away. I was smiling and saying something about being pretty tough myself when in panda morph. That's when an alarm began to sound.

BBBRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEET! BREEEEEEEEEEEEEET! BREEEEEEEET! BREEEEEEEEEEEEEEET! BREEEET!

I heard M.C. curse. / I knew something didn't feel right/

/The ones we let get away have sounded the alarm. / Jake said grimly.

/ Yes. / Sabrina agreed. / You can also be sure that there are allot more able bodied soldiers on this ship than what we took out on our way in. So, in conclusion: LET'S GET OUT OF HERE/

/Preferably before that noise wakes the Visser up/ M.C. added.

/ Melissa, morph if you can./ Tobias said as we began to move. To Reubren/Sorry for the lack of formalities, but we have no time to be introduced./

Reubren gave a nervous laugh. / I'm not too worried about formalities myself right now./

He gave Aximili a curious look just the same. Like he couldn't believe he was seeing another andalite - much less Elfangor's stranded younger brother. Aximili was having a similar reaction to Reubren.

I heard the slamming of Hork-Bajir feet. They sounded like they were getting close.

" I won't have time to go Panda." I said in a slightly high voice. " How far is the nearest ship out of here?"

/We were held prisoner here before you met us. / Aximili said. /We know a short cut to some escape pods. It isn't a long way to run; we just need to use that drop shaft opposite the one you two came from. /

/Alright everyone. / Lavender said. / If no one has anything else to say, let's star running. All who don't know the way, follow/

And with that, we plunged down the drop shaft. Sabrina yelled instructions about the level to stop at and how. The drop shaft would go are stop wherever my thoughts directed it. It was impressive technology. Except the running-for-my-life thing kind of put a damper on my enjoying it. I'm glad that the escape pods were directly in front of us. I've mentioned before how fast Hork-Bajir; Reubren and Aximili could run even faster. The animal morphs the animorphs sported were swift as well. I didn't want to try to keep up with any of them in human form.

The pods were not that much to look at. They were just that - round, metallic pods. We could fit two to a pod. The minute I figured out how to open it I jumped in. I didn't pay attention to who I jumped in with or vice versa. I didn't want to spend another minute on the Blade Ship.

The pod shot out of the belly of the ship and I was back in space for the second time. This time, I was going home. I sank into the corner exhausted. It was then that I noticed the Andalite that was to be my partner for the ride back.

Reubren looked down at me, concerned. /Are you allright, Melissa/

I smiled when he said my name. " I am now. I'm going back to Earth."

/Ah. Yes, that would be source of relief to you. / He peered through the window of the pod. /So much water. /

" Is that a bad thing?" I wondered.

/ No. It's a beautiful planet./

We didn't say much for a while. But I had an impulse to say something.

" Reubren, you'll see your home again too." I reassured him.

/I hope so. / he said. But he didn't sound hopeful. Then/ How long has Aximili been on Earth/

" I….I don't know." I admitted.

He was bothered. There were probably allot of things going on inside of him that he was trying not to show. I knew. I'd gone through it myself. I felt a wave of sympathy for him. I stood up and stood beside him by the window. We looked at my planet together.

" It's not too bad. The planet, I mean. It has its ups and downs, but where I'm from it's been mostly good. Where I live now, there's a forest and a meadow - you know, places with grass." I explained, trying to keep his mind on positive things. " You'd have Aximili for company, and just stuck with us. Not that if you ever felt alone and wanted to hang out I'd mind - I mean we'd mind : the mendelites, the animorphs and - HEY!"

I ceased my rambling and stared at the tail blade slowly moving towards my throat. I caught the slightest gleam in Reubren's eyes. An andalite smile.

" W-what are you doing?" I stammered, backing away a little.

/ Don't move. Don't worry, this isn't going to harm you. / he reassured me sounding amused.

I relaxed a little. He seemed sincere. Confused, I stood still. A cool blade touched my throat and rested there. For a full minute, he didn't draw it back. I looked into his eyes and he into mine and suddenly I wasn't even scared anymore. He didn't cut me on the blade ship. I knew he wouldn't cut me now. I can't explain it. There was this strange feeling of trust flowing through both of us. Finally, he pulled away.

/It is done. / he said simply.

I just stared at him. " Uh-huh. Do you mind explaining that? At first I thought you were playing a bad joke."

His smile was more evident than before. / No joke. Just a ritual that's done between close friends on my planet. /

I gave him a curious look He just laughed.

Authors Note: I know what you are thinking : ' WHERE THE HECK HAVE YOU BEEN !' I'm sorry! ; It's been a long time and I really don't have a good excuse except that I had slipped out of my animorphs faze for a while. But I said I'd finish this and I will. The next chap will probably be the epilogue.

But I haven't forgotten any of you. Thank you so much for all your reviews and asking for more, some of you DEMANDING more. Well here it is.

Had to do WEIRD things to make thought speak

show up. Don't ask.