The Chronicles of Sean Book One: The Animorph

[Phoenix004]

Nice work Sean. I like that you cover things I barely even thought of, like the fact that plenty of people don't own skin-tight clothing. As you already said, the morphing trance was used in similar ways during the series, so I see nothing wrong with it. Claiming to be his guardian spirit was very funny!

[NateSean]

Shaftsbury turned out to be a bit of a workout for an animal that’s used to lakes and oceans. As the elevation rose slightly and Harwood Hill got higher, I literally felt like I was walking up that steep road. The only thing I was grateful for was that I wasn’t on the road the way these people drove.

My wings were beginning to ache from strain. I wasn’t an expert, but that couldn’t be a good sign. Seagulls just aren’t inland birds. To top it off, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye that made the seagull instincts wary. A hawk was hovering over the apple orchard, probably ready to score some squirrel or mouse…or some awkwardly flying bird that’s normally happiest near a lake, ocean, or river.

I managed to avoid being on the menu as the hawk continued to circle. But it did remind me that hawks were common in this part of the state. And from the height this one was soaring at it wouldn’t hurt to try to get an upgrade on my current model.

Fortunately the church my Dad had gone to wasn’t exactly in Shaftsbury, but rather a half a mile from the town border and just off the corner of a busy intersection. I saw his car parked the back lot. A wet field stretched out behind the church. The highway was very busy and except for a few houses and the miniature Sunny Hill Go-Cart track and Miniature Golf Course the area was mostly rural and surrounded by trees.

Sunny Hill was across the street and open for business, but with school in session there were only two people actually playing golf. I landed near the picnic tables and tried to assess the situation. Through a window in the main building where people went to get putters and balls I could see two employees. A blond girl sat by the window reading something and I could only make out the back of someone.

No one paid attention to me of course. There was nothing at all unusual about a bird looking for scraps of food in an open picnic area. I fluttered to the other side of the building, as if I had just seen a piece of bread hit the ground. There was a side entrance with a sign that said “restrooms” attached to a propped door that was propped open by a milk crate.

I got as close as I could without drawing attention, but I couldn’t see anything inside that I could use. My plan was to morph out and possibly morph into the dog before going to the church. But with the traffic as heavy as it was, there was no way a dog could make it across the highway. There are drivers in this town that will plow over a line of preschoolers without glancing in the mirror.

And how long was I in morph this time? Damn, I would need to start keeping an eye on that. I did not want to be stuck as a seagull for the rest of my life. Wanting to at least have as much time as possible, I flew over to some bushes and de-morphed again.

By this time I was ready for a nap. I half considered just going home and figuring out what to do tomorrow, now that I knew for certain where Dad was. That and the constant nagging of some internal force that kept asking, “What the hell are you doing? Just kidnap your dad, hold him for three days and get yourselves the hell out of there!”

No. I told myself. I went through this much just to get here and as I forced myself to morph back into a seagull I knew I was in the whole way.

This wasn’t just about me and my Dad. There was something big going on here. If it was the reverse and Dad had the morphing power instead of me, he would use it to investigate and expose the Yeerks. As his son, I had to do what I knew he would have done as an investigative journalist.

So once more I took to the air, flying straight for the church. Nothing suspicious. The parking lot was clean and free of trash of course, but the seagull’s vision could make out flying bugs and beetles in the grass and around the building. Though it preferred a free meal, the gull was a capable hunter as well and it helped me keep the instincts under control.

I circled the church a few times. There were only a few windows in the left half of the building. One or two along the bottom may have lead into a basement and on the right hand, nearest to the side parking there were two smaller windows into what I guessed were the bathrooms. The front wooden doors were huge and probably swung outwards

I didn’t know how big the church was, nor could I see Reverend Mosely through any of the windows, but something told me I didn’t want to go through the front door. For one thing, doors that size tend to make a lot of noise and this church, with the large triangular roof in the center, was probably built like an amphitheater. Every little noise could be heard.

So I swung down around the left side of the building and tried to see if there was an open window. There was a ground level window open a crack, but it wasn’t big enough for a seagull to get through. I floated to the ground, looking inside. It looked like an office. There was no screen on the inside, so a person could easily climb in. I de-morphed behind the corner closest to the window.

The edge of the hill was surrounded by trees, so it was unlikely anyone could see me. Then I snuck as quietly as possible towards the window, keeping low to the ground as a car whipped by the church. I don’t know what I was planning to explain to the cops if I got caught doing this, but, so far I managed to find some way out of these little predicaments so I wasn’t going to worry anymore.

After a bit of struggle, I was able to push the window a few inches. But a squeaking noise forced me to stop and hit the ground.

“What was that?” Someone asked.

Nothing, I desperately thought.

The door to the room opened and I heard footsteps. Against my body’s protests I concentrated on Rocks as I bolted back around the little corner.

“Did you leave that open?” My dad’s voice.

“Yes,” a second man said. “The breeze on a day like this is soothing and the smell of the hillside calms my host down.”

“Sestran, perhaps you have been enjoying your new found freedom a little too much,” Dad’s Yeerk said in a tone that Dad would never speak to another person with. “But are you aware that there may be Andalites running loose on the planet?”

There was a pause. For a second I was afraid that the Yeerks had heard my spine crunch and shrinking. I expected my hearing to get weaker, but it only got stronger. Soon I could hear Sestran, the Yeerk controlling Reverend Mosely breathing heavily.

“There was talk on the Z-space transponder of Andalite bandits surviving the destruction of the dome ship,” Sestran replied. “But they were only reported at the California pool. Surely you don’t think they could have-“

Someone slapped the reverend. I heard the smack of hand against cheek and my heart jumped.

It wasn’t Dad, I tried to remind myself. That was the Yeerk, not Dad. Dad has spoken to convicted child molesters far nicer than this Yeerk is speaking to the reverend. And Dad would not hit someone.

As quickly as my anger and fear came, they melted as the mind of the dog took over.

“I am the only one thinking it seems,” Dad’s Yeerk continued. “There is no telling how many Andalites escaped to Earth or where they are. If they continue to keep Esplin busy in his corner of the planet, fine. But if just one of them were to track me here and draw attention to our operation it would be rather disastrous for us all. Wouldn’t you agree, Sestran?”

“Yes…forgive me…Kullan 926.”

The dog part of me really wanted to run through that field. As the morph finished, I could hear the conversation more clearly. I could smell the sweat, old coffee, cleaning supplies the scent of the hardwood floors from inside. And outside the scent of flowers and grass, and maneur from the farm just a few miles down the road was all around me. But I had to fight the instincts. Rocks, the junk yard guard dog with a penchant for attacking people that nearly got him put to sleep, was really a playful and happy animal. I used the mood to keep from getting upset. But the conversation was only making it harder not to give into the urge to chase a really bold squirrel that was searching for food at the bottom of the hill.

“Of the Yeerks who were receptive to my suggestions, only six had the courage to join my side,” Kullan said. “The rest will no doubt be experiencing a rather, serious illness that will make them useless to me, but no longer a threat.”

“Just six?” Sestran sounded doubtful, but guarded.

“Only two Taxxons, a Hork-Bajir and a few human-controllers,” Kullan confirmed. “Forham smuggled them out during the Andalite attack on the pool and now they are presumed dead.”

“Forgive me for asking Kullan. But how effective are nine of us-I don’t mean to doubt you, sir.”

Movement. I could hear someone moving across the carpeted room to the window. I tucked my body as close to the ground as possible, even going as far as to rest my head on the grass. If they saw me they might think I was just someone’s dog who wandered too far from home and fell asleep.

“Every Yeerk I approached had one thing in common Sestran. They were nearing the end of their lifecycles. In just a few short days six will become thousands. A new generation of Yeerks raised in the rays of my own Kandrona and ready to serve me.”

My ears perked up as a car pulled into the parking lot. A second vehicle, a can by the sound of it, pulled into the side parking lot.

“That must be them,” Kullan said.

Kullan and Sestran left the room. I bounded around the back of the church, giving in to the dog’s urge to sniff things.
There were certainly some interesting things to smell and two of those scents were completely alien to the dog’s instincts.

Staying as low as I could, I padded around the back. Unfortunately Rottweilers are lousier for stealth than wearing a suit meant for scuba diving as from the nearest body of saltwater as possible. But I kept up the dog act, pretending like I was looking for a place to pee. Then the dog got another whiff of that alien smell and I couldn’t fight the urge to look up.

A man got out of the truck and opened the sliding rear door, just as a man dressed in black khakis and button down white shirt emerged from the side entrance. Of course black and white was all I could see. Damn, the colorblind thing was dead on.

But the one thing that the dog couldn’t miss was the six foot tall creature that emerged from the back of the truck. With flat, claw like feet and a spike raking down from the ankle, it reminded me of the T-Rex’s foot in Jurassic Park and a tail swept behind it, ending in a pretty vicious looking blade. Big and muscular, its neck was long and serpentine, ending in a lizard like head with a serrated beak-like mouth. Two forward raking spikes sat in a row along the forehead and as it swung its head to glance at me, I saw its large curious eyes.

“Hurc, galla Dog?” The creature spoke in deep guttural voice as it pointed a powerful arm in my direction. The blades along the elbow and the wrist didn’t strike me as an odd decorative choice for some reason.

“No,” the reverend said, taking one glance at me. “It’s just a stray. They are common in this part of the country.”

My Dad emerged from behind the reverend and glared at me, then at the controller I assumed was Sestran.

“Grab it, just to be sure.” He said. “If it is just a stray we’ll feed it to the Taxxons. If not, it may prove valuable.”

The creature lunged for me. Thankfully the Dog and I were on the same page.

[Phoenix004]

Nice work Sean. I like that you've mentioned the colour blindness in dogs (something KA never brought up), but although dogs are colour blind, this doesn't mean they just see in black and white. Most mammals are thought to have the equivalent to red-green colour blindness in humans, meaning that certain colours will look different or they won't be able to tell the difference. Unfortunately I have no idea how to accurately describe such a condition in a story, which is probably why KA didn't put it in the books.

Also about 50% of Rottweilers are thought to have a genetic predisposition for being long-sighted (good distance vision, blurry at short range), but as that doesn't apply to all Rottweilers it's not a problem for your story.

I'm loving the way the plot is developing, turning those 9 surviving Yeerks into thousands, very clever.

[NateSean]

Yeah, I probably should have done a little bit of research on the dog sight bit. I chose the Rottweiler because it's often used as a guard or attack dog and could be convincingly dangerous in a fight with Taxxons or humans.

The distance between him and the Church wasn't so great that short sightedness would be an issue. I'm fairly short sighted myself and I thing start to get blurry past the length of my arm. But large objects, like a Hork-Bajir are fairly easy for me to describe. (Though If I begin describing a six foot tall alien to other people I may wind up typing this from the seventh floor of the hospital, but I digress)

[Gafrash]

As Terenia pointed out, you have a really good way of weaving your style into KA’s sort of story telling the teenage mentality, the morph descriptions, the location details,… I’m already looking forward to the next chapters. Seeing what kind of Yeerk rebellion Sestram and Sean’s Dad’s Yeerk are up to in England (they don't strike me as part of the YPM). And what kind of dangerous rival (either than Visser 3) Sean will have to face.

Sean is coming across as an overanalyzing, switched on and optimistic 13 year old. There is a fighter in him, even if he doesn’t think himself one, by what he goes through in school. I could quite easily see him fit into the Animorphs. Only it will be challenging picking an interesting battle morph, unique to Sean, without being the somewhat repetitive Ani-battle morphs (ref. tiger, gorilla, wolf etc...).
The way the protagonist learnt of the Yeerk invasion, through the Chee’s taking interest in him, was also creative.

In particular, I liked the fact that the protagonist has a little flight phobia. Albeit, he no longer does when in an aerial morph, I didn’t think Sean would be initially excited about the prospects of flying as a bird. You had already addressed the elements of ‘healing wounds’, ‘acquiring trance’ and ‘lose control of the morph’ that come with the technology, but the psychological element of the morphing technology could have also been addressed (much like KA did showing the Anis enjoying the dolphin morph or having Tobias in hawk morph as a form of escapism). If Sean was shown hesitant to morph a bird based on this phobia and then seen to beat it through the morph, the ‘plus’s of the tech would have been more nailed home. Just a thought.

Also, is the decision to make him and his dad live in New England intentional to address the Yeerk events that took place during #20-#22? Would be cool to see your take on that!

I like your take on the Chee, also. And the winks and nods to the Yeerk Network they subsequently share.
Upon writing your scenes, though, did you think to have Bryce or Erek pop out the Yeerk he keeps in his head, for show? Sean would have known exactly what to look for in a Yeerk and possibly have the thought to acquire its DNA, then. I suppose it could still happen.

 :thumbsup:This is great stuff! Keep it up, dude!

[NateSean]

Chapter Twelve

Here’s the thing about four legs. They’re a lot handier than two. That’s it, that’s the redeeming quality of having four legs. It may not seem like much. Like a coupon for twenty cents off of a sundae at Friendly’s. But it’s when you finally count out the remainder of your change and cash that you come to be grateful that you still have that coupon and that you are able to use it.

Man, I need to work on my comparisons. The point is I bolted down, into the field and for the cover of the trees. The human-controllers may as well have been tortoises with large steel weights attached to their legs. (Tortoise morph. Add that one to the list.) The terrain was uneven and would have slowed me down. I might have event ripped on a tuft of grass, or a sinkhole.

 But with the dog’s legs and the way natural inclination towards having its head to the ground, I was able to see those little obstacles sooner and react to them quicker. A newer instinct kicked in. Something that was even more useful as a beam of light pierced the ground just inches ahead of me.

Dracon beams! They were seriously going to risk someone from the highway seeing this.

“Stop, you fool!” I heard a human voice say. Okay, so the human controllers had enough foresight. Then the Yeerk who was controlling that alien must have been the one to fire.

The only reason I came to that conclusion was because I could hear something big and heavy crashing through the trees behind me. When I stopped to see what it was, my heart stopped. It was the alien, the tall one with the blades. With its bulk and size I thought I’d lose it in the woods. But there it was, two feet above me, climbing and jumping from tree to tree like the love child of George of the Jungle, a Sleestack and a lawnmower.

<I so want one of those,> I thought to myself, trying to run faster.

That’s how my brain works. I’m running for my life from my own father, a minister and an alien (well, more obviously alien than the Yeerks, of course) and it’s the idea of getting to acquire and morph something that takes up space in my thoughts. Still, a morph like that could come in handy, so it’s not a wasted thought.

I try to keep the dog focused on the smell of home cooked meals, filthy, sweaty children and other scents of humanity that live in the houses and trailers that exist along the back roads that wind their way through the woods. I’m not going to lead the creature to an isolated population, where it might harm someone. But the parking lot of the Ames Shopping center is in this direction and I’m hoping the Yeerk doesn’t try to chase me into a public area that would no doubt expose it.

Unfortunately, that creature is a little bit faster than me. It lands right in front of me after dropping from a height that would cripple a human. That’s when I see that its legs are quite muscular and its knees bent backwards like a bird’s. The feet seem to flatten for a moment, keeping it from tripping on the inclined ground. I stood there, paralyzed by both fear and awe at this amazingly built alien.

The awe lasted a moment as it made a fist and swiped at me with its right arm. I backed up in time to avoid being sliced in half by those blades. As it tried to swipe again, I turned and tried to bolt. But that’s when I found out what else was in that truck.

A worm…or a snake. Actually, it was more like a giant millipede. The kind they sell in pet stores, only I couldn’t conceive of the entomological thrill-seeker who would even think of this as pet material. The dog’s vision was hazy at a great this distance. But as I ran and they grew closer, I could see four large jelly-like eyes that surrounded their heads on all sides. And if that was the most interesting feature, I’d have been happy, because it was their mouths filled with rows and rows of gnashing teeth that kept me running from them.

The dog was fast. But as the millipede monsters and Razor blade worked together, cutting me off at parts and trying to corral me back to the Church, my muscles began to ache. The twisting, the turning and the running and the jumping over fallen branches, the dog was not meant for this. Attack dogs are designed to take down enemies with their weight and their bite.

So when Razorblade dropped in front of me again, I got desperate. When it raised its arm to swipe, I leapt. The move took the creature by surprise. It jumped back and tried to counter my attack, but not before the weight of my body combined with sheer bite force caused it to stumble.

I held on long enough to draw blood. Then, I felt the slice of the blade and my left forepaw go flying from my body. The pain took me by surprise and I let go.

“Arrrouu!” I cried out as I fell, right on the bloodied stump where my paw used to be.

“Arrrach! The creature bellowed. Greeish warm fluid poured on the ground beside me. And from the taste of flesh in my mouth, I knew I got a good chunk of the alien.

As I lie there, writhing in agony, I could see the giant millipede aliens closing in. I expected Razorblade to finish me off, but as my vision began to fade I could see him taking a huge step back as the millipedes advanced.

The one nearest to me lunged. The last thing I saw before fading out of consciousness was its mouth getting larger and the rows of teeth getting ready to suck me in to the first level of Hell.

•    *  *

Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad I’m still alive today. But the lesser of two evils has a lot of gray area where my situation was concerned.

Moments from dying inside the gut of an interstellar…no, I won’t grace Tommy Lee Jones with a quote here. You get the idea. I was about to die. And now I was alive and the stump where my missing paw was had stopped bleeding. I was in a room that smelled of oak, water and old clothes. So if I wasn’t dead and I wasn’t bleeding, and more to the point, I wasn’t outside, the alternative wasn’t shaping up to be much better.

“Relax,” a voice said. “You were in stasis for a time, Andalite. You still have some time yet before you are trapped in this form that is if I’m correct.”

Andalite? Those were the guys the Yeerks hated. Kullan and Sestran were talking about some Andalite spaceship and an attack on the pool in California. Through the haze of pain and what I guessed was a drug induced fog I was able to piece all of that together.

My vision became slightly clearer. The room was dimly lit, but the walls matched the doors and the overall build of the church. To the right of my limp body, there was an indoor pool of some kind. I could smell the water, but there were other things in the pool I couldn’t identify. Not chlorine, but something…well, alien.

I tried to lift my head to get a better look. Then I saw my dad, Kullan, standing over me with his hand on his hips. Father Mosely, or Sestran, stood off to the side with a Dracon beam leveled at me, in case I decided to pull a “Tripod the Wonder Dog” and attack someone. Two men and a woman stood near the edge of the pool. In the dim lighting, they seemed sullen and tired.

“You have to love human religions,” Kullan said, looking thoughtfully at the pool. “There’s always some loophole to exploit, some cultural aspect of the religious experience that we are able to take advantage of. Edirss was right about humans. A pity she had to leave the planet to one so incompetent.”

<Who…> I paused. Would Dad recognize my thought-speak? Did it sound like me to him, or was it just that? Voiceless thought?

My answer came in the form of a downward glance. Kullan crouched beside me.

“Speak up,” he said. “Now is not the time to be shy, Andalite. Especially not since you cost me two Taxxons. Foul and disgusting creatures they may be, but unlike you, they have their purpose.”

Taxxons? The worm creatures were the Taxxons he was referring to earlier. I looked into my Dad’s eyes and tried to “disguise” my thought-speak voice as best as I could.

<Who are you?> He asked.

He grinned that awful grin. Then he turned to the three humans standing beside the pool.

“You may enter the pool now.” He said. “My Kandrona is yours now as it will be your children’s.”

Razorblade, which I assumed was the Hork-Bajir they spoke of, stood beside two of the humans and held their arms. Sestran turned his attention to the remaining human, gripping the woman’s shoulders as she bent over the pool and turned her head.

It happened so fast that I almost missed it. Something that looked like a wad of chewed up gum…”crawled” from their ears. My human instinct was to be disgusted by the event, but the dog just wanted to eat it.

Down boy, I said, as if the dog were a separate entity inside of me. If we survive this, there’s one Yeerk I promise to feed you.

“They’re dying, Andalite,” Kullan continued. “Not that this should bother you. After all, it’s what you came here to do. Kill our kind. But, this should be particularly interesting to you as it will likely break what little spirit you have left.”

<What are you talking about?> I asked. <And who are you? Do you work for Visser Three?>

Kullan roared with laughter. Even Sestran chuckled a bit, in spite of what happened earlier.

“He must be young, Sestran,” Kullan said. He got up and walked over to the human hosts. The woman seemed to have snapped out of a daze and she began struggling.

“Let me go, Yeerk!” She cried out. “I have a family! I have a job with people who care about me!”

Kullan took the lady in his arms and held hers down, restraining her. I watched as my dad raised his hand to caress her cheek.

<Leave her alone,> I said, growling with my dog’s teeth.

Kullan laughed even more as he continued to run his hand through her hair as she continued to struggle and scream obscenities at him. He held her in place while Sestran stuck a needle into a part of her that made me turn away. Kullan did the same with the two men, who were also struggling under the Hork-Bajir’s grip. When they slackened, the Hork-Bajir and Sestran went to work laying them down in a row. Kullan returned to my side, arms akimbo.

“So valiant,” he said, shaking his head. “Really Andalite, you must be an aristh. The older ones could care less about a sultry female from another species. But for what it’s worth, I wouldn’t dream of harming her. Former hosts of Visser Three’s closest disciples are too valuable for me to simply throw away.”

<I don’t understand.>

“No, I suppose you wouldn’t.” Kullan reached for a plastic chair. “Oh Andalite. What do they teach you in those schools besides how to interfere in the lives of other races? Or how to preach the values of interspecies relations, only to brutally destroy those that becomes a liability to your cause?”

And I thought the Chee were annoyingly cryptic. At least their redeeming qualities were not trying to main or kill me.

“Esplin and I have one thing in common,” Kullan went on. “We were both born around the same time and our first steps into the world lead to the conquest of the Hork-Bajir home planet. Only our passions were entirely different. Whereas Esplin craved power and conquest, it was my devotion to the sciences that lead to finding an antidote for the deadly Quantum Virus your people let loose.

“The newly formed Council of Thirteen granted me my own research vessel as a reward and a team of forty-two Yeerks under my command. More than half of those were Hork-Bajir, a compliment to my skills as the Hork-Bajir hosts were suddenly few in number thanks to your people.”

Kullan looked up as a fifth man entered the room. He had something in his hand. And when he knelt by the pool to drop it in the water, I recognized it as another Yeerk.

“I couldn’t save Iniss 143,” he said, turning to Kullan. “It took me too long to extract Culrath.”

“You fool,” Sestran hissed. He gestured to the Hork-Bajir. While I couldn’t tell what a Hork-Bajir’s facial expressions meant, it was starting to look as tired and as sullen as the human controllers had been before their Yeerks left them. “Endran is ready to bond. That leaves only two dying Yeerks to make others with.”

“Don’t think so linearly Sestran,” Kullan said in a warning tone. “There is still a third Yeerk that can join them.”

Sestran went pale at that. The new Yeerk didn’t look to happy at the prospect either and he reached for a Dracon beam that was tucked in his belt.

Kullan acted swiftly pressing the hilt of his own Dracon against the other’s back. The Hork-Bajir leapt across the pool (no easy feat, given the low hung ceiling) and placed its arm blade under the controller’s chin.

“Do it Forham. You’ve sold your soul to me,” Kullan hissed. “Your life is mine and your choice is simple. Die, uselessly, like those who failed to see my way of things or seek your salvation in the future of our race. The new Yeerk Empire will rise with our without your help.”

I couldn’t see Forham’s face. But it was hard to imagine too many other options going through his head, with a Dracon beam in his back and a blade pressed against his throat. A moment later, the Yeerk left the host and like before, a needle went into the human to keep him from struggling.

The Hork-Bajir then proceeded to lower himself into the pool. Sestran and Kullan took positions with their Dracons.

“We should have invested the time and energy in restraints,” Kullan mused. “But alas, time didn’t allow us much room for planning.”

As soon as the Hork-Bajir’s Yeerk was out, Sestran fired. The Hork-Bajir slumped to the side, unconscious, but alive presumably.

“Forham is trying to escape,” Sestran observed, looking into the water.

“He won’t get far.” Kullan said. “When our time comes, the need to propagate is stronger than any other urge. You have done well Sestran. In spite your many faults, you have remained loyal to me and for that, I reward you by making you my Sub-Visser.”

Sestran lowered his head, presumably bowing.

“Thank you, Visser Six.” He said, sincerely. “It is a pleasure to serve with you once more.”

Post Merged: February 03, 2011, 04:15:16 PM

(they don't strike me as part of the YPM). And what kind of dangerous rival (either than Visser 3) Sean will have to face.

And worse yet, knowing that said dangerous evil is in your house. Muahahahaahah *ahem*.

Only it will be challenging picking an interesting battle morph, unique to Sean, without being the somewhat repetitive Ani-battle morphs (ref. tiger, gorilla, wolf etc...).

He'll get his official battle morph in the next book. A bit of a teaser though: He won't be going to the zoo for it.

The way the protagonist learnt of the Yeerk invasion, through the Chee’s taking interest in him, was also creative.

Not totally done with Bryce's character either. Just wait until he develops more.

In particular, I liked the fact that the protagonist has a little flight phobia. Albeit, he no longer does when in an aerial morph, I didn’t think Sean would be initially excited about the prospects of flying as a bird.  If Sean was shown hesitant to morph a bird based on this phobia and then seen to beat it through the morph, the ‘plus’s of the tech would have been more nailed home. Just a thought.

It wasn't so much a flight phobia as it was the initial fear of getting on a plane and taking that first flight. I  basically described my very first flight in the opening chapter. But I also had to make a connection and after that first time, I was able to do the other flights easily enough. The fear was always there, but I knew there was something more important than the fear.

Like Sean, I always had a reason to compell me to do it. Whether it was wanting to get on with the next step of my life, or wanting to get that damn slug out of my mom's head...er, or perhaps I've said too much. :p Plus, you might have noticed him tallying the list of kinds of morphs he wanted. He definitely wanted to fly and the fact that he needed to fly in order to follow Kullan overrode whatever fear he might have had.

Also, is the decision to make him and his dad live in New England intentional to address the Yeerk events that took place during #20-#22? Would be cool to see your take on that!

Eventually Sean will meet the others. I do have plans for the David trilogy, but Sean's meeting them is probably going to come sooner. I haven't quite decided yet. Plus I need to do some awful, horrible things to my protagonist before I make him realize he's not alone. (AKA I need a reason for him to hit Erek again.)

But the New England decision was mostly because that's where I grew up. It ties in with a discussion I started about what kinds of animals you would actually have access to. In the case of the town Sean lives in, there's literally jack for animals that would be terribly useful in a fight with the Yeerks. And the nearest zoo with any dangerous animals is all the way in Boston.

Even with the Chee helping him as little as they're able to, that's a bit of a stretch. (Since the Franklin Zoo has a tiger, lion, gorilla and a cheeta for predators. Again, trying to go for originality here) Though I am working on an excuse to get him to Cape Cod. *cough*[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3f9IOl4IZ8&feature=related[/youtube]*

I like your take on the Chee, also. And the winks and nods to the Yeerk Network they subsequently share.
Upon writing your scenes, though, did you think to have Bryce or Erek pop out the Yeerk he keeps in his head, for show?

Bryce and the New England/New York Chee doesn't have a Yeerk yet. But read the next book when I get started on it and see what happens.

:thumbsup:This is great stuff! Keep it up, dude!

'Preciate the read. Writer's block therapy is this productive usually.

[Gafrash]

(they don't strike me as part of the YPM). And what kind of dangerous rival (either than Visser 3) Sean will have to face.

And worse yet, knowing that said dangerous evil is in your house. Muahahahaahah *ahem*.

VISSER 6??? Oh, man! Kullan 926 is a Visser?!
Sean is in fort it! It begs the question, though: What's a Visser 6 doing in the same planet that was already assigned to Visser 3?

Only it will be challenging picking an interesting battle morph, unique to Sean, without being the somewhat repetitive Ani-battle morphs (ref. tiger, gorilla, wolf etc...).

He'll get his official battle morph in the next book. A bit of a teaser though: He won't be going to the zoo for it.

Also, is the decision to make him and his dad live in New England intentional to address the Yeerk events that took place during #20-#22? Would be cool to see your take on that!

Eventually Sean will meet the others. I do have plans for the David trilogy, but Sean's meeting them is probably going to come sooner. I haven't quite decided yet. Plus I need to do some awful, horrible things to my protagonist before I make him realize he's not alone. (AKA I need a reason for him to hit Erek again.)

But the New England decision was mostly because that's where I grew up. It ties in with a discussion I started about what kinds of animals you would actually have access to. In the case of the town Sean lives in, there's literally jack for animals that would be terribly useful in a fight with the Yeerks. And the nearest zoo with any dangerous animals is all the way in Boston.
...

Noice! Gotcha! Because I am not from there, I was assuming New England was a town in the UK, for some reason. Ops! 


By making lists and such, Sean is proving to be more proactive than the Anis. And I think it's an interesting take on an Animorph. I always kind  :headbang:of saw Rachel wanting to lean the team more towards this (taking away the eagerness for confrontation factor). He well may not need a character animal-savvy like Cassie or a tactitian like Marco to get by. But, I suspect, he will miss that boldness in a character like Rachel or someone-with-eyes-in-the-sky like Tobias.
I'm in for the long haul as your story continues, NateSean-dude. 

[Phoenix004]

Very cool chapter, can't wait to see how Sean's going to get out of this one! Seeing another Visser on Earth is a surprise, but does Visser 3 even know there's another Visser on his turf?

[NateSean]

Chapter Thirteen

Visser Six? I thought. Visser Three was the guy in charge here, so I guessed that Visser was something like colonel or general. But Kullan 926…my dad’s Yeerk was also a Visser?
Something wasn’t adding up here. I got up, slowly. Sestran twitched and Kullan turned back to me. My body seemed heavier with only three forepaws but I managed to get myself up right and drag myself to the pool.

<What’s happening here?> I asked, remembering to disguise my voice.

I watched two of the Yeerks as they appeared to chase a third one. They were so close to me that I could have lapped them up, but I didn’t think that would help my chances of getting out of here. The faster Yeerk, I assumed was Forham.

“They are mating,” Kullan explained. “A Culrath and Endran are emitting a pheromone that Forham’s body cannot help but respond to. Though he consciously does not wish for this time to come, they are drawn to it and his will is not enough.”

<You die when you mate,> I realized. Not because I know Yeerk physiology, but because it explains why Forham and Sestran were suddenly so terrified. In the natural world, plenty of animals die after they procreate.

Suddenly, I remember a special on the Discovery Channel about tape worms and how they reproduce by breaking off every single part of their body. The new organism then grows and spreads itself in a similar fashion. But what would happen if you were an intelligent being and you were perfectly aware of what was going on?

One of the Yeerks caught up to Forham. The other latched on shortly after. Seconds later they stopped swimming.

“And the cycle begins.”

I caught something out of the corner of my eye. A mass of stagnant green flesh was beginning to writhe and twist. If I leaned closely to the water, I could see small…I don’t know what they were, breaking off from the mass and starting to swim around.

“Watch Andalite,” Kullan said. “Watch my new empire forming.”

I glanced up at Kullan. It was getting easier to separate the Yeerk from my father with every word. Especially when I considered that Kullan’s plan was insane.

<How do you plan to overthrow your empire with a handful of newborns?> I asked, desperately hoping I still sounded like an Andalite.

“I like this one, Sestran. Inquisitive, intelligent.” Kullan grabbed my face and pulled it upwards so that we were looking into each other’s eyes. The dog instincts hated being grabbed this way and I fought to keep it under control. “You would make an excellent host, Andalite. Young and inexperienced though you are I have no doubt that your intellect would benefit graciously from our time together. Because I assure you of this Andalite, the Empire has all ready made inroads to the conquest of your home world. And when it comes down to the final battle, between my Empire and theirs, mine is the side you’re going to want to fall on.”

And suddenly, I hated Erek. I hated John and Bryce and all of the Chee who had agreed to tell me everything. Because while my “friends” had their limitations and couldn’t get me out of this mess it was my enemy who had given me the chance to save my father.

Those Yeerks in the pool couldn’t possibly have been old enough to infest someone yet. My dad would be like the freed humans and Hork-Bajir. Probably sedated for a time, but free. And all because Visser Six wanted me as his host.

Never mind that I wasn’t an Andalite. I was someone who had the morphing power. And at the time I hit that strange cube, I didn’t know what I had. If the Chee had just saved my life and told me to take a hike, I would never have known about them. There would be no risk and Visser Six would no doubt recognize the power that his very enemies had created. Big deal. He’d probably get his stupid ass killed trying to attack the Windmill that was the much more powerful Visser’s considerable force, and bring me down with him, but at least I died willing to save my father.

But no. Because of everything I knew, because I knew the Yeerk would stop at nothing to get the Chee and whatever technology they had, I couldn’t take the out that Visser Six was giving me. The reason I was doing all of this in the first place. Now, my choices were infestation or death. And the Chee had chosen for me.

Thanks a lot guys.

<I think you better go ahead and kill me,> I said.

Kullan grimaced and dropped my head.

“Very well,” he said. He turned to Sestran and nodded. Then he pulled his Dracon beam out and aimed it at me.

For the second time that day, I stared death down. I tried to prepare myself for it. But, you can’t really prepare for death since you don’t really know what’s going to happen. I guess it was fate that I was to die in the basement of a Church.

I wanted to say good bye to Dad. I wanted to tell him I loved him, but I couldn’t. As Kullan pressed some kind of dial on the Dracon beam, I realized that Dad was still in there somewhere. And if I was going to die, I didn’t want him sitting in there, knowing that it was his hand that pulled the trigger.

But instead of a blinding flash of light, Kullan threw out his foot, kicking me in the stomach.

“Urrrh,” I moaned.

Kullan laughed out loud and crouched low, grabbing me roughly by the ear and looking into my eyes once more.

“Did you really think you had a choice in the matter, Andalite?” He asked, snidely. “That’s just now how the world works. The dog’s brain is easy enough to infest. And after that, I’m sure your morphing technology will be-“

There was a knock at the back door. I hadn’t noticed it before, but the shaft of daylight from a space in the far back of the room was where the truck had pulled up to. The knock came again, louder this time.

“Sheriff’s department! Open up please.”

Kullan and Sestran were distracted for just long enough.

I lunged at Dad’s leg, biting his ankle.

“Ahh!” He yelled.

Sestran came around the pool, hoping to get a better shot. I scrambled to my remaining legs and leapt up, putting the full force of the attack dogs trained body into the leap and forcing my father’s very human body to the floor. The impact forced him to lose his grip on the dracon and I immediately knocked it out the way with my nose.

The door was kicked in and with the speed and eagerness of a dog, I bolted to the exit. I expected the sheriff to raise his gun to me. Most officers were probably well trained in what to do if an eighteen pound dog came flying in your direction, but to my surprise he simply stepped aside and let me go.

“Go to the van around the front,” he said.

Without even having to stop and look back, I realized he was a Chee. I limped towards the front of the church and sure enough, there was a K9 unit van parked there, with another officer waiting for me. I didn’t realize Vermont’s police force was staffed by people who were programmed not to harm anyone, but then it also explained some things about my beloved State’s finest as well.

 “Behind you!” The office shouted.

I turned around and saw Sestran, who had somehow gotten past the Chee cop and was now bounding up towards me.

Oh, that’s right, I said, wishing I could roll my eyes in this morph. They couldn’t have stopped him if they tried. And officer McGruff back there is undoubtedly staring and wondering what the hell use he could be right now.

“Die Andalite!” He yelled, raising his Dracon.

There was a short distance between us, but my adrenaline surged as and my hind legs were still perfectly functioning. And in what felt like a cliché slow-motion movie scene, I lunged. Sestran panicked and fired, scorching my flank with the beam. This only pissed the dog off more as pain surged through my body. I landed, full force on Mosely, grabbing his weapon arm and chomping down as he fell back words against the bank. His head struck the ground and I believe…I desperately believe, that he was only unconscious. But the force cause me to tear a significant chunk of flesh from his arm.

I let go immediately and tried to fight the dog’s instincts to go for the throat. A powerful set of arms grabbed me and lifted me into the air. Before I could lunge.

“Easy,” the Chee said. “We’re getting you out of here.”

And then everything sped up. I was placed in the back of the K-9 van and told to morph out. Much to my relief, the changes happened quickly and by the time we were halfway to the Treet residence I was fully human and fully exhausted.

•   *   *

“That’s a Hork-Bajir,” I said, pointing to the holographic image in front of me. The image changed to the millipede. “That’s a Taxxon.”

“Those are the most common Controllers in the Empire,” Erek explained.  “The Hork-Bajir are a conquered race, as Kullan told you, and like humans, most of them are involuntary controllers. The Taxxons are all voluntary controllers. In exchange for rare and exoctic meats from all over the galaxy, the Taxxons are basically, forgive the expression, the dogs of the Yeerk Empire.”

It turns out the Taxxons are also fierce cannibals. The Chee had arrived sometime during my stunt in the woods and later filled me in on what I had missed. Apparently the Taxxons tried to attack the Hork-Bajir, who promptly slashed out and injured them both mortally. They proceeded to then eat each other, which explains why they weren’t there for the alien Baptism.

Forham and Sestran arrived in the nick of time to stun them, giving the Chee plenty of time to erect a force field and hologram around the Church, to keep humans from getting too curious about what was going on at the Church.

 I felt like Luke Skywalker watching his holographic image in the dog park beneath Bryce’s house. Joey was at a friend’s house, so Bryce’s parents were down here, along with the Paul and a few other Chee who were gathered around me. Some were out further, playing with dogs, but I had no doubt that they could hear me.

A German shepherd rested its head in my lap and I scratched its ear with one hand as I tried to sip the hot chocolate Mrs. Treet made for me. It was supposed to calm my nerves. The dog or the chocolate. Maybe both. Either way, my stomach was in knots over the events of just a few hours ago. I have the Chee a brief rundown of all that had happened.

“If your Dad’s a Visser, you’re not going to be safe for much longer,” Bryce said. “We can keep you safe here if you like. Paul can continue playing-“

“No,” I said. “No, Paul can’t go on to play me. Don’t you see it’s the same risk either way? What if I get killed? How long can either of you keep this up while Kullan continues to use my Dad as a pawn in his stupid scheme?”

No one seemed to have an answer for that. I gently pushed the dog away and got to my feet.

“Thank you for the hot chocolate, Mrs. Treet,” I said, handing the mug to her. “But I need to go.”

“Will you be safe?” Mrs. Treet asked, concerned.

I looked to the Chee, finally focusing on Erek.

“Look, a part of me is really floored at you guys for telling me everything,” I said. “But I also know that giving myself up to Kullan wouldn’t solve anything. If anything, they still would have had me and my Dad and with my morphing power, Dad would have been more expendable.” Frustrated I threw my hands up. “God I hate this!”

I got back to the surface and left out the Treets backdoor. The sun was setting and the air was getting cooler. I needed time to think and the sky was going to be my therapy couch that night.





         Epilogue

At this time, Rachel has infiltrated Chapman’s house a second time. From that point on the Animorphs are about to face Visser Three for a second time.

Dad returned home that night, strangely free of any bruises and definitely limping. Not that I was actively trying to find wounds or anything. But my eyes did cast downward as he went to the sink to wash his hands.

I was sitting at the table trying to eat a bowl of soup and going over the homework that “I” did earlier. Paul was too good at math for my teachers to ever believe I had done it. And with the mentality that I would go back to school tomorrow, unharmed, I worked at changing some of the answers so Mrs. Sparrow wouldn’t give me a detention for cheating.

“How was school?” Dad asked.

No agitation in his voice, or trace that he had a bad day. Just a casual, ordinary, how was school. I thanked God that I had the sense not to blow my cover at the Church.

“Oh, the usual,” I said. “Mrs. Sparrow is convinced she can take over the world. I think you should look into that.”

Dad chuckled. At least it felt sounded like Dad.

For the next three days I didn’t talk to Bryce. Actually, once I made contact with him. But it was a note that said, Just give me some space. Don’t screw with anyone if you catch my drift, so it wasn’t technically speaking.

The next three nights I slept with one eye open, expecting Kullan to drag me out of bed and up to the church. But three nights later I was still me.

What’s going on in your head? I wanted to know. What do you want from me Kullan? Sorry, Visser Six.

The bottom line is that I was patently and seriously screwed, no matter what I did. And three nights I could have been trying to figure everything out were three nights I had wasted.

“B minus,” Mrs. Sparrow tossed the test on the table in front of me. “Very good, Sean.”

Not really, I thought as I looked over the test. Some of the problems were the same as the ones on the homework Paul had done for me that week. I remembered the answers and those were what landed me the B minus. Not a huge deal considering how badly I would suck on the next test.

When class let out, I walked with Bryce. We didn’t talk for most of the way. Then Bryce broke the silence.

“You should know we’ve been watching you,” Bryce said.

“I know.” Or I at least suspected the Chee wouldn’t take the chance of not keeping an eye on me. “Listen, do any of the Chee in California know anything? Anything at all about Kullan 926? Or Sestran?”
Bryce shook his head.

“Nothing,” he said. “A Chee was even able to get access to a computer and hack most of the mother ship’s database. Sestran was a low ranking lieutenant who is now presumably dead. And here’s something you may find interesting. The real Visser Six is on a Yeerk controlled world called Kobrus, several thousand light years from Earth.”

That was interesting. Not that it helped my situation, but it was something to think about.

“So maybe this guy is just a nutcase,” I suggested. “Can Yeerks get schizophrenia?”

“I honestly don’t know.”

We stopped walking and gazed down at the river. The river was so much like my life at that moment. Constantly on the move, focusing on one direction but not really knowing where it ends. A week ago, my life wasn’t nearly as complicated. And now I was stuck.

“I wish I knew what to do.”

“Can I make a suggestion,” Bryce said.

“Anything.”

There was a pause. And then Bryce said, “Maybe you should give yourself a name for what you are. Something that reminds you that you’re still a human being, but that you have a purpose in all of this. Like the way US war prisoners would tell their captors, “I am an American Soldier.”

I knew what Bryce was talking about. A history teacher made mention of it once, but I didn’t know how it would help my situation. I just shrugged.

“Do you have any suggestions.”

“Just one…Animorph.”

[Phoenix004]

I like how you've ended it Sean. Very much an Animorphs ending in a way; no great victory, but you live to fight another day and are a little bit wiser than before.

Interesting that there already is a Visser 6, which seems to imply this guy is either completely insane, or that he's someone who was passed over for a major promotion and now he's slightly annoyed about it and taking his revenge.

And did Bryce somehow find out from the other Chee about the word Animorph or is it supposed to be a coincidence that he created the same word as Marco? At this point in the timeline, it doesn't seem likely that the Chee know the word Animorph, unless they've actually been spying on Jake and the others.

Anyway, I really loved this fic and look forward to reading the sequel. Great work man.

[NateSean]

In one of the earlier chapters I mentioned how Erek and the other Chee all ready knew about Jake and the others. There's two incidents in the first five books that support my theory, but those could be disregarded as KASU's. The major incident is in The Android when Marco is remembering his mother's funeral. Erek was there and he was shaking his head.

We learn later that not only is Erek a kind of acquaintence/old friend of Marco's, but that Erek tells Marco that his mother is really the host of Visser One.

So my personal theory is that Erek and the Chee have been infiltrating the Yeerks pretty much since the Sharing was founded. Erek and the Chee would have kept a close eye on Marco and in turn, the other Animorphs, watching from the shadows and helping when possible. It also explains how Paul knew to suggest the tight fitting clothing.

I'm glad you liked the ending. And get ready for book two. Because the kid gloves are coming off here.

[Phoenix004]

Cool, I'm looking forward to it. The way you've ended this one reallys makes it feel like you're building up to something epic.