I stuck my head out of the shadows to watch. David did the same. The three Controllers heard the heavy galloping sound and turned.
111 There, running down the sidewalk, came a rhinoceros.
David's father and one of the men were bright enough to get out of the way. The third man was not.
WHUMPF!
Rhino horn hit human flesh and human flesh didn't do so well. The Controller flew up, over, cartwheeled once, and landed hard on the pavement.
«That would be Jake,» I said calmly. «He and the others have been taking turns watching my house in case there was any trouble. They followed us.»
David's father turned, drew his gun, and aimed for Jake's retreating butt. Not that a little pistol was going to do serious damage to a rhino butt, still . . .
I stepped out, wrapped one massive gorilla hand around the back of David's father's neck, and tossed him lightly against the wall.
David's father hit, bounced, and fell to the sidewalk with a sigh.
The other Controller took a long, gaping look at me. At my tree-trunk arms and bulldozer gorilla head and shoulders.
"It's a trap!" he yelled and scurried back across the boulevard.
«Seen enough?» I asked David.
Ill
112
We moved David from my house to Jake's house. We didn't have any idea what to do with him long-term. He couldn't go home. He couldn't go anywhere. He was a hunted person. And we could not allow him to be caught. Not with what he knew.
The day after he witnessed his father as a Controller, we assembled in the woods. Cassie's dad was working in the barn. Even though it was still chilly out and the sky was filled with clouds, we were tramping along, clutching our sweatshirts and jackets closed with one hand.
With the other hand we were carrying a large, divided wire cage. We'd passed poles through,
113 front to back, one on each side. Cassie, Jake, Rachel, and I each had a pole-end. David walked alongside, a little off by himself. Tobias and Ax were in the woods.
In the cages were two big birds of prey: a merlin and a golden eagle. The merlin was about a quarter of the size of the eagle. The eagle was one big bird. And heavy. My carrying arm was straining.
Both birds had been patients of Cassie and her dad. Both were going to be released.
Tobias came swooping down, seemingly out of the clouds. He landed with easy precision on a small log.
«What are you doing with that?» he demanded, glaring at the eagle.
"Relax, relax, Tobias," Cassie said, setting down the cage.
«You're not releasing him near my territory,» he said flatly.
"Tobias, this bird has only been at the center for a couple of days. He has a well-established territory well back in the mountains. You know golden eagles don't like roosting in trees if they can find a nice cliff. So he won't be hanging around. But we can't get him any closer to his territory, really, because the road back up there washed out."
114 Tobias stared fiercely at her. But then, Tobias always looks fierce. That hawk face never looks exactly happy or relaxed.
He switched his gaze to David, then to Jake. It was a clear, unspoken question.
"David's here to acquire his first morph. The merlin."
"Which one's the merlin?" David asked.
"The smaller bird," Cassie said. "They're very fast, very agile," she added helpfully.
"Faster than the big one?" David asked.
«You don't want to be a golden eagle,» Tobias said. «They're jerks. They go after other birds. Not to mention anything from a rabbit to a small deer. And I'm not kidding about the deer. I saw a golden eagle take down a young doe. Sank those talons right into the back of her head, boom, she went down like she'd been shot.»
"I want to do the eagle," David said.
A moment's hesitation. "Any special reason?" Jake asked.
"Yeah. You tell me I have no home. No family. Now I'm supposed to be in the middle of some war with aliens. If I'm in a war, I want to kick butt."
Jake nodded. "It isn't always about sheer power. That golden eagle is as big as a bald eagle, and we have problems sometimes with Rachel being a bald eagle because of the size."
115 "That bird has a seven-foot wingspan," Cassie pointed out.
David nodded and looked down at the leaves and grass underfoot. "Did Jake here tell you all what animals to morph? Or did you pick them yourselves?"
"I'm not telling you what animal to morph," Jake said calmly. But it was that calm voice Jake uses when he's actually starting to get mad.
"Okay, then I'll morph the eagle," David insisted.
"Here's an idea," I said. "How about not being such a jerk? We saved you from the Yeerks. We've been doing this for awhile, all right? We know what we're talking about. And Jake is the leader of this little group, so how about if you show some respect?"
"Who are you, my father?" David sneered. "You don't tell me what to do. No one tells me what to do. As for saving me, hah! That's a joke. You wanted the blue box, and now you have it, and you know what I have? Nothing. That's what I have, nothing. So thanks."
I don't know what I'd expected from David. I couldn't be a hypocrite. I wasn't thrilled about being an Animorph at first, either. I didn't care about saving the world then. I just cared about my dad not getting hurt anymore. And I guess I didn't really accept it all till I discovered my
116 mother was a Controller. That's when I knew we had to fight.
"Look, kid -" Rachel began.
But Jake gave a little shake of his head and Rachel stopped talking and just fumed.
"You guys all think you're so tough and so cool," David said. "All these battles you've been in and all. But now, here I am, the new guy - as usual for me - and you don't like me."
"No one doesn't like you," Cassie said.
David turned his head to stare right at me. "He doesn't. I'm not an idiot, you know. I can tell what people think about me. My family moves every couple of years whenever my dad gets transferred. I'm always the new kid in school. So I've gotten good at telling what people think of me. And now, here I am in this different school. And I'm the new kid." He shrugged. "So, look, maybe you like me, maybe you don't like me. I don't care. I'm here. If you use the blue box on me I'm one of you. But I'm not going to get pushed around. And I'm not going to be all, 'Oh, thank you, wise and wonderful Animorphs, for letting me join.' If I'm in, I'm in all the way. If not ... I guess I'll walk away and try to figure out what to do. On my own."
The funny thing was, I kind of liked David's little speech. I like people who push back when
117 they get pushed. I liked the speech. I liked the attitude. I still didn't like David.
But Rachel laughed out loud. "Oh, he'll fit in fine."
Jake looked at Tobias. "Where's Ax?"
«Can't you hear him? You people are so deaf. He's galloping, should appear right about. . . there.»
Ax sprang lightly into view. «l am sorry to be late,» he said. «l had to go out of my way to avoid some human campers. Are we going ahead with the Escafil Device?»
Jake hesitated, just a split second before saying, "Yes."
Rachel had been carrying the blue box in a waist pouch. She unzipped the pouch, popped out the box, and tossed it to Ax. Ax missed the catch. Andalite hands are weak and slow. But before the box could hit the ground, Ax whipped his tail forward, turned the blade flat, and caught the box. He raised the box to his hands.
«Press your hand on the square nearest to you,» Ax said.
"Wait! Shouldn't there be some kind of ceremony or something?" Cassie said.
"Like what?" I asked. "You want us all to join hands and sing The Star-Spangled Banner'?"
"No, I don't know all the words," Cassie said.
118 With a sly grin she added, "We could sing 'MMM-Bop.'"
We all laughed. Even David.
Ax held out the cube in one hand. David stepped forward, still obviously a little intimidated by Ax. He pressed his hand down on the cube.
/>
"It tingles," David said.
Suddenly I was back in that dark construction site. Back with Jake and Rachel and Cassie, with a human Tobias and a dying Elfangor.
I barely recognized the person I'd been back then. I had changed. Everything had changed that night.
Now David, another kid not very different from any of us, had been dragged into this nightmare reality of great power and greater fear.
Maybe I didn't like him. But I felt sorry for him.
I stepped up to him and stuck out my hand. He took it. "Welcome to the Animorphs, new boy."
We each shook his hand. And then Cassie cracked open the cage of the golden eagle.
"You just put your hand in very slowly," she instructed.
David's shaking hand moved toward the bird.
"Now press your palm against the bird's shoulder."
119 He did. The eagle gave him a dirty look, but then ignored him.
"Focus your mind. See the eagle in your imagination. Think about him, what he is, what he represents."
David's eyes fluttered shut.
"Now take your hand away," Cassie said softly. "You now have the golden eagle inside you. His DNA is in your blood. You can become him."
David grinned. "When do I do it?"
"Soon," Jake said. "We also have to get you a morph with some teeth. Cassie? Take David to the zoo. With your access he should be able to get in and out without being spotted, but the rest of us will fly cover. Let him have whatever morph he wants. But also get him a bug or two in case he has to get small. We want to be ready," he said, switching back to David. "We have a little . . . situation. A mission."
"Nothing to worry about, though," I said. "Just the usual: Save the world from the alien invaders. You'll get used to it."
120
There were two big tests ahead for David. One was his first morphing. The other was his first battle.
We'd all gotten used to morphing. Almost. But the first time was a serious eye-opener. You think you've experienced weird? You haven't experienced anything until you watch your own body turn into something extremely different.
It would have been nice to have some time to prepare David. But there was no time. Erek had told us the world leaders would be showing up in four days. Time was up. They were coming. And we had to figure out which one was a Controller, protect the others, and if at all possible,
121 find a way to warn them all of the Yeerk conspiracy.
"I have the brochure," Rachel announced as we met once again at Cassie's barn. "I downloaded it off the Internet."
She held out some color printer pages showing the Marriott resort. There were photographs of rooms. Pictures of giddy, happy people in bathing suits, a shot of a big buffet table maybe fifty feet long and loaded with food, and a map of the resort. The map showed a big, main hotel building that was twenty stories high. And down, closer to the beach, a jumble of smaller "cottages." Ten cottages in all.
"They'll be in the cottages," I said. "The leaders, I mean. They'll dump all their people in the main hotel building."
"Sounds right," Jake agreed.
"They'll have security so tight no one will be able to burp without nine guys in sunglasses running over with their Uzis cocked and ready." I counted off on my fingers. "French security, German security, Japanese security -"
"Ninjas?" David asked.
"Yeah, Jackie Chan himself," I said, rolling my eyes.
"He's Chinese, not Japanese," David said, rolling his eyes back at me.
122 "British security," I said, adding quickly, "and no one say, 'Bond, James Bond,' please. Russian security and American secret service, FBI, and local cops."
Jake sighed and shook his head.
"Now just to make things really fun," I continued, "there are the Yeerks. How many of the hotel's maids and waiters and pool boys are Controllers? Don't know. How many of the Russian, German, British, French, Japanese, and U.S. security guys are also Controllers? Don't know. All we know is that one of these presidents or prime ministers is a Controller."
"At least one," Cassie said. "Sorry to interrupt, but it's kind of important. Erek said one of them was a Controller. He didn't say for sure that the other five were not."
We all just gaped at Cassie. It hadn't occurred to me. It should have, but it didn't.
"Can I say something?" David asked.
"Sure," Rachel said darkly. "As long as it isn't more bad news."
"It kind of is. My dad is part of the National Security Agency. What they do is electronic surveillance. You know, like bugging phones and watching people from satellites in orbit? Well, it just seems to me the Yeerks can do all those things plus a lot more. So probably the entire Marriott resort is being watched by the Yeerks."
123 "I'm pretty sure I said, 'No more bad news,'" Rachel grumbled. "Oh, man."
Nothing scares me more than Rachel being discouraged. By the time she starts worrying, any sane, sensible human being is ready to run screaming from the room.
"We have no choice," Jake said. "Do we?"
«lf the Yeerks get to the President and these other guys, we might as well give up,» Tobias said. «Six powerful world leaders, all Controllers? I mean, those six people are just slightly more powerful than the seven of us.»
"All that security," Jake said. "That's a lot of ways to get shot."
"Yeah," Rachel agreed. "So/Let's do it."
"You ready?" Jake asked David.
David nodded.
"Okay," Jake said. "This should be a nice, safe, easy trip down the coast. We're just spying the situation out. You'll need the eagle morph, but not the other morph you acquired at the zoo."
"Still, the morphing will be very creepy," Cassie warned. "So be prepared. What you do is just concentrate. Focus on the eagle."
I could see David's brow creasing with the effort of concentration.
"It's going to be weird," Rachel warned.
David's skin was already changing colors. It
124 was turning a sort of medium brown. His eyes widened as he looked down at his hands.
"It won't hurt," I reassured him.
Lines began to appear on the brown flesh. Lines that outlined feathers. And at the same time David began to shrink.
"What's happening?!" he cried.
"You're getting smaller," Cassie said gently. "It's part of the process. Now the lines on your skin will deepen and go three-dimensional. You may feel itching."
"Ahhh!" he yelped as the outlines of feathers became actual feathers.
"Just hope he doesn't do that finger bone thing I did the other day," I muttered to Jake. "That'd rock his world."
Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut. Because at that exact moment, both of David's arms went shooting out, lengthening suddenly. The bones of his arm and fingers shot out, bare and white and thin as uncooked spaghetti.
"Aaaaahhh! Aaaaahhh!" David screamed.
"Eeeewww!" Rachel commented helpfully. "Now that's gross."
"Ride through it," Cassie said. "Just stay with it. Look! See? The flesh and feathers are covering the bones now."
Sure enough, the bones were only visible for a few seconds. But David was rattled.
125 "Don't sweat it," I said. "Wait till you morph a fly. You want to see disgusting? That's disgusting. This is nothing." I waved my hand dismissively.
"I don't want to -" David started to say, but then his mouth bulged out. The lips stretched, formed into a pink, fleshy beak-shape, then hardened like setting cement.
David was small now. Smaller than me. Half my size. But with enormously long, brown wings. His clothing was hanging loosely, wrinkled up around his feet. Probably a good thing. If he'd looked at his feet right then, it wouldn't have made him feel exactly better.
Then it occurred to me. "Umm, guys? David here doesn't know how to morph clothing yet. He doesn't have a morphing suit."
"Rachel and I will look away till he figures it out," Cassie said.
"We can get him something
nice," Rachel said, considering. I knew in her mind she was running through the stock of every store in the mall.
David was almost all eagle now.
"Okay, now you can't talk anymore," Cassie explained to him. "But you can thought-speak. Just think of who you want to talk to, whether it's me, or Marco, or all of us at once. Form the words in your mind, and we'll hear them."
«Can you hear this?»
126 "Yes." Cassie nodded. "See? It's easy. But now comes the really tricky part, because the eagle's brain, its basic instincts will kick in and -"
The eagle head, faintly gold in the dull gray light snapped left. The eyes focused sharply on Tobias.
The golden eagle was flapping wildly, aiming sharp talons and ripping beak toward Tobias before anyone could move.
127
David was quick. But Cassie was quick and prepared. She stepped in, expertly grabbed the flailing eagle, and held him down.
«See! See what I mean?» Tobias demanded as he retreated back up into the rafters of the barn. «Golden eagles. They're all psycho. Them and crows. And jays. And a few other birds I could mention. I mean, there are plenty of mice and rabbits to go around, no one needs to be attacking fellow birds.»
"David, David!" Cassie said. "Think, now. Focus. Your name is David. You're human. Get a grip."
The eagle flapped its wings and struggled, but even a very large bird can't fly with a girl
128 practically riding its back. And it was still entangled in David's own clothing. Slowly David calmed down.
«That was weird, » he said at last. «It was like I was myself, only suddenly there was someone else in my head, too.»
«You will become accustomed to it,» Ax said. «When I morph a human I often experience the human mind and human instincts. The need for food, for example. »
"Yeah, don't get between Ax and a cinnamon bun," I said.
"You want to try to fly?" Jake asked David.
"Dun. What do you think those wings are for?" I said.
«How do I do it?»
"Well, first, wait for us all to morph. Then trust the eagle. He knows how to fly," Cassie said.
In a few minutes we were ready to take off. We left David's clothes behind in the barn.
It was strange and kind of emotional, watching someone morph for the first time. I don't know how to explain it. It was like, I don't know, like when someone becomes a citizen. You know, when they swear someone in, and one minute he's Chinese or African or Dutch or Mexican or whatever, and the next minute, once he's "solemnly