"I don't think it is a rescue mission. I think

it's a coincidence. I think he happened to be on his way here."

"Just our bad luck," Tobias said.

"Maybe not," I pointed out. "Visser One and Three are rivals. Visser One let us escape to mess with Visser Three. This may work for us. But first things first. Ax? Start questioning that computer."

I couldn't believe I was standing there so calmly while Jake, Rachel, and Cassie were probably fighting for their lives. But I guess I'd had a good look at the ruthlessness of the Yeerks. I'd seen it in Visser One's cold eyes. I'd heard it in the pitiless voice that didn't care one tiny bit that I was the son of the body it now controlled.

I guess there are times when the only way to survive is to be as ruthless as the enemy. To destroy before you can be destroyed.

"As we guessed," Ax said, staring with his main eyes at the computer readout. "The Yeerks are invading Leeran. It isn't going well for them.

Most of the Leerans are resisting. Since the Leer-ans are psychic, it's impossible for the Yeerks to deceive them. So the Yeerks have decided to forget about stealth and go to a straight invasion by force. "

"But it's a watery world, so they can't rely on Hork-Bajir," I said.

"It's true. The hammerheads

are being reengineered to allow for Yeerks to make them Controllers.

The shark-Controllers will be the troops in the war for Leeran."

"Great. Now can we get out there and help Rachel and the others?" Tobias demanded.

He hadn't waited for an answer. He was already demorphing. Red-tailed feathers were sprouting from his hands.

"Ax, can you find a way to remove these things in our heads?" I asked.

Ax communicated mentally with the computer. "There is a liquidation program but it's heavily encrypted. The only other way the implants can be liquidated is in the event this facility is completely destroyed."

"What?" Tobias said. "You can't eliminate these things without blowing up the whole place?"

"Yes. It's so there would be no evidence left behind if something goes wrong. But in any case, we don't have a way to annihilate this facility."

"Ax. How do they keep the water out of this place? How do they keep it from flooding? If it were just air pressure our ears would be seriously imploding."

"Force fields, I assume. Modulated to hold the water back while allowing animal life-forms to enter and leave."

"Can you reach the controls?"

"Done."

"Can you turn off the force fields? Without letting the Yeerks know?"

Ax laughed derisively. "l'm an Andalite. No simple, derivative, unimaginative Yeerk computer presents any difficulties to me, you know, unless it's specially shielded."

"What are you doing?" Tobias demanded, once more back in hawk morph.

"You let the water in and we'll all be killed."

"Destroy the facility and it may trigger the liquidation of these head implants," I said. "Ax, can you build in a five-minute delay?"

"Five minutes?" He communicated with the computer by thought-speak.

"Done. In five minutes, millions of your gallons of water will come rushing into this place."

"We'd better all have gills before then," Tobias said.

"Yeah. And those who can't grow gills ... I guess they'll wish they could."

We ran from the room. I morphed as I ran. I morphed into a gorilla.

We were going into a fight. And although the gorilla isn't a mean or aggressive animal, it is amazingly powerful.

By the time we reached the door to the outside, I was done. Tobias was already flying, and Ax was Ax.

I threw open the door to the outside. Actually, I forgot I was in gorilla morph and opened the door so hard it ripped clear off its hinges.

What I saw was a scene of destruction. There were injured Hork-Bajir lying crumpled around the facility. There was a reeking, squashed Taxxon being munched on ravenously by a fellow Taxxon. Rachel in grizzly morph, Jake in tiger

morph, and Cassie as a wolf had done some serious damage. But now they were cornered, almost surrounded by wary but determined Hork-Bajir.

Visser One, my mother, was striding toward them, seemingly unconcerned.

As she went, she was kicking the wounded Hork-Bajir, demanding they get up and fight. Half a dozen had already rallied to her.

"Five minutes," I said tersely. "Less. Then, we have to be in the water."

"With gills," Tobias reminded me.

"0kay, let's go save Jake," I said. "That guy. He's always needing me to come along and rescue his butt."

I broke into a loping run. Tobias flapped away. And Ax ran, tail at the ready.

"At least I can introduce Visser One to my tail!" Ax said gleefully.

"No!" I yelled. "l mean, you guys go help the others. I'll clean up Visser One and her group."

Ax and Tobias went ahead. I hit the group of Hork-Bajir that was following my mother. They didn't see me coming.

WHAM! I slammed a Hork-Bajir down to the concrete and he stayed down.

SWISH! A Hork-Bajir spun around and swung his arm, wrist blade turning toward me. But he'd already been wounded. He was slow. I was slow, too.

But I didn't miss. I drove my canned-ham-

sized gorilla fist, with more power than ten Evan-der Holyfields, into the Hork-Bajir's chest. The other Hork-Bajir stayed back.

My mother turned around. "Kill it, you cowards! Kill it!"

One of the Hork-Bajir leaped at me, arms and legs all flashing with deadly blades. I tried to dodge, but gorillas are not exactly fast.

"Aaaahhhh!" I was cut! My left arm was slashed deeply. Blood was flowing out onto my dark, coarse fur.

"That's it! Kill it!" Visser One crowed gleefully.

The Hork-Bajir cut me again, less deeply but more painfully, with a blow that sliced through my rubbery gorilla muzzle. His buddies decided it was safe to come after me now, too.