Sorry for the delay guys. I'm just really busy these days. I'm not going to tell you all the reasons, but here are the basics. School, surgery (not mine), my birthday, holidays, basketball, unexpected out of town trips. And the most important one, I was too busy partying. Hehe. SORRY.

Annnd... If you didn't understand the last chapter, I AM SO SORRY. What was happening was that the Animorphs were in fly morph on the almost dead bald eagle on their way to rescue Tobias.

Oh yeah, also sorry if this is a lame way for the sario rip to open. I promise this will get better. Because, guess what? Elfangor is next!

Disclaimor: The goverment has something against slavery, therefore, I can't own the Animorphs.

Memories in itallized bold.

Chapter 3 {Tobias' POV}

The construction site. The place where it all began. The place where I first saw my father. The place where I saw him get murdered.

Standing in the middle of the construction site was the bugfighter we were following. Not only that, but there was also another ship. It was a shade so black, that you couldn't even tell where the door was. It was HUGE. The blade ship. To be more specific, Visser's Three blade ship.

I was coming home from school. I tried to hide my newly formed bruise behind my hair. Why couldn't Rick just eave me alone? What did I ever do to him?

Nothing, came the little voice inside my head. Nothing and he still hates you. See Tobias? Even the people who don't know you despise you. You're just not likable.

Shut up, I growled back at the voice. It knew nothing. Oh wow I'm talking to myself. I'm so pathetic I even argue with myself now.

I walked in and slammed the door behind me. I instantly knew this was not my lucky day.

"Where were you?" my angry uncle uncle demanded. I stared at him confused. Well, at least he was sober. Hehe. My uncle sober. Right.

"Uhhhhhh... In school?"

"In school? IN SCHOOL? You should be working and helping me pay the bills. I can't have a stupid kid in here not doing anything!"

He threw an empty bottle of beer at me from his place in the couch. I instantly ducked. So not sober afterall.

"You worthless brat! I swear if you weren't my sister's kid I would have kicked you out already. No wonder Loren left you! You're just a miserable little punk."

I'm used to his insults and they don't usually bother me anymore, but when he mentions my mother... He hit a weak spot and he knew it.

I quickly rushed upstairs to my room. His words trailing behind me.

((We have approximately ten of your minutes left in morph, Prince Jake,)) Ax announced.

((Ax, for the billionth time, THEY ARE EVERYONE'S MINUTES!))

((Don't call me Prince,)) Jake and Marco said at the same time.

((Oh wow. He was corrected twice.))

((Ummm... Okay, guys. You see that big half-finished on the edge of the site?)) Jake asked.

Each of us responded our different replies of "yes" and "yeah".

((Okay. Dive behind it and demorph. Tobias, keep watch.))

((Aye,aye captain,)) I muttered.

They all dove behind the building and started demorphing. Half-way through their morphs, the doors of both the ships opened. From the blade ship, six armed hork-bajir and humans walked out in a single-file line. From the bugfighter, Visser Three came out followed by- No! No!

My heart skipped a beat. I knew that blond hair. I knew that perfect face. I knew that glamorous girl that strolled out gracefully out of the bugfighter.

"I will break you. I will. Now demorph, Andalite. Surrender and the pain will end."

My wings gave up. Before I knew what was happening I was already in a mad dive to the ground. Fly you idiot, fly! I opened my wings and went up hoping they hadn't seen me.

No such luck.

"Andalite!" one of the humans shouted taking out his dracon beam.

The visser looked up. I tried to hide from sight. Too late.

((Kill him!))

Tseeeew! Tseeew!

((Shit!))

Left. Right. Right. Left. I was dodging each blow sent to me. Tseew! I couldn't keep dodging all the blows forever. My wings were burning and I could barely fly.

((Tobias what is going on!)) I heard Ax ask frantically in my mind. Tseeew!

((Aaaaaaah! No!)) A hole appeared in my right wing. Pain shot through my body and I was tumbling to the ground.

((TOBIAS!))

I turned my body enough to try and land behind the building were the others were. Thankfully I was right above them. Unfortunately that meant the yeerks would be here in less than a minute. I was losing blood fast and everything seemed to be happening in slow motion.

I faintly watched as an arm covered in black fur shot out. I felt myself land in something soft and hairy. Marco in gorilla morph.

((Gotcha!)) Marco put me down, but Rachel picked me up right away.

((Morph!)) I didn't need to be told twice. As soon as the blades started to erupt from my wings she put me down.

((They're coming!)) Cassie shouted. I silently cursed.

I'm no Cassie. I can't morph twice as fast as the others and make it look pretty. But I guess someone up there cared enough to help me out with my morph. Or maybe it was the adrenaline pumping through my veins from being shot down. Probably the latter.

I was mostly hork-bajir when the yeerks got there. I guess they got more back up from the blade ship because there was two times the hork-bajir then what I saw while I was playing look out. Armed hork-bajir. Maybe if they didn't have the weapons we could have taken them down. This was not my lucky week.

Taylor's face loomed over me. Her hand resting on the red button that had just sent me back to painful memories.

"What? You don't talk anymore?" she sneered. She knew all the pain she was causing me. She didn't care. She embraced it.

I tried to stand up, to talk, to do something. I couldn't. I was too weak, I could barely breathe.

"No? Oh well."

Then her hand slammed the blue button.

((RETREAT!)) For once Rachel didn't argue.

Out of all our morphs Marco's was the slowest. A gorilla can run for about twenty miles an hour. Twenty-five top, which is not slow. But when you're trying to outrun a hork-bajir... Well, try to outrun your car while its going 25 mph and see how that works out.

So, it makes sense that they would reach us in no time. Especially, if you're being shot.

TSEEEW TSEEW TSEEEEEEEW!

((Aaaaaaaah!))

((CASSIE!))

She was a few feet in front me. Blood was pouring from where her leg used to be. She tried to run with only three legs, but was failing and only managed to limp.

Usually Marco would have carried her, but that would just slow him down even more. All I could do was pray that my blades wouldn't hurt her more as I carried her.

((You okay Cass?)) Jake asked.

((Mmmmmm... Wha?)) came the weak reply.

((Guys look!)) Rachel exclaimed.

((What?)) I wasn't really paying attention. I was more concerned on trying to dodge the dracons. I wasn't doing so good. Appearently neither were the others since I was hearing cries of pain from all of us.

((The bugfighter!))

((Yeah, we know Rachel. That's why we're in this situation in the first place.))

Jake saw something only he and Rachel saw.

((Marco open the door!))

((What- oh.))

There was a hufe crunch and then the door came off.

((I said open the door not tear it off! Get in.))

A bugfighter is a small ship. Usually only a taxxon and a hork-bajir fly in them. So, naturally we were all shrinking as we huddled into the ship. Marco, who was still more gorilla then human (thankfully, since we didn't want the yeerks finding out we were mostly human), came in last and put the door back in place. Or at least enough that it hopefully wouldn't come off while we were flying that thing.

I placed Cassie down gently as Jake ordered Ax to try and fly the ship. The hork-bajir were madly trying to break in, but we took off before they could do anything.

As soon as Cassie started to demorph I took my cue and started to demorph myself.

"Rachel... I feel like your own personal Ken doll."

We were in the mall. She was making me try on outfits for the dance that was coming up. Since she's Rachel, there was no way she would let me go with the same tux as the last time.

Nope, instead she was dragging me along every store in the mall making me try on a hundred and one outfits. As much as I like her, I have always despised malls. So naturally, I was complaining the whole way.

"Quit whinning already. Here try this on."

Her eyes sparkled as she said that. Damm. I can't say no to those eyes.

With an over dramatic sigh I took the clothes and went into the dressing room.

"Tobias?" Rachel called out. I turned around and she signaled for me to come sit next to her. I reluctantly morphed human and took my place next to her.

We didn't say anything, just enjoy each other's company and I was glad since I wasn't exactly in the mood for talking.

"Tobias?" Darn. So much for that.

From her tone of voice I knew exactly what she meant. Are you okay? Do you want to talk? D you hate her?

I slowly shook my head. No I wasn't okay. I wouldn't actually admit it to anyone, but I was scared. One girl. One insignificant teenage girl was all it took for me to break. And yes, she did break me.

I couldn't go one second without remembering that horrible sensation as my mind was sent to hell and then brought back and felt in heaven. Then back to hell. She tore apart my mind and then continued until I couldn't even breathe anymore. Then she laughed about it. She made want to die and made me almost beg for her to just kill me already and let the torture stop.

If it weren't for that utzum thing, that illusion that allowed me to live some of my father's memories. That illusion that gave me strength... I would have died. Or worse, I would have given up and told her about my friends. We would have lost because I wasn't strong enough to endure pain.

But then again... Would it have been my fault? Yes, I volunteered for the mission, but without Jake's silent suggestion I wouldn't have gone. Without Jake silently letting me figure out his plan I would have never gone. And okay... I would have still figured it out, but I was still in there for what? Three, maybe four hours? Surely it didn't take that long to come out with a rescue plan. Did it?

I guess Rachel took a hint that I didn't feel like talking about it. She took my hand and squeezed it slightly reasuring me. Not by much. She leaned her head on my shoulder and I relaxed slightly feeling better.

Marco ruined the moment.

"Guys we just stole a bugfigher. What are we going to do with it?" There was a moment of silence then Cassie spoke up.

"What if we take it to the valley? It could be usefull later."

Jake was about to speak when a loud TSEEW TSEEEEEEEW stopped him.

If I wasn't on the floor already I would have fallen down. Everybody else did.

"Ax what's going on?" Jake demanded. Ax quickly got on his feet and did... something with the controls. His next words were very harsh and filled with hatred.

((The blade ship.))

TSEEW! TSEEW! TSEEW! TSEEW!

"Aaaaah! Ax do something!"

((I can't! We cannot out fly the blade ship and we would lose a battle.))

"Ax turn around! I have a plan!"

Ax reluctantly turned the bugfighter around and started heading towards the blade ship.

"Jake are you crazy? We're flying straight towards the blade ship!" Jake ignored him.

"Fly the ship towards them. Fire as much as you can. When you get close enough make a sharp turn up." It was stupid, insane, suicidal, and it just might work.

Remember how I said that maybe someone up there cared? I change my mind. They hate us and want us dead.

Ax fired. The blade ship fired. There was a loud BOOM and we were send tumbling back to Earth. I couldn't help, but feel a strange sense of deja-vu.

"Aaaaaah! We're falling!"

"I told you it was a stupid plan! We're all gonna die!"

"Jake flies! Flies will survive!"

"Everybody morph flies!"

I was about demorph when I felt a sharp pain in the back of my head and then blackness...

Is it just me or did Tobias seem OOC? You tell me. Review!

Happy New Year!