Feral Scream

Prologue -- 2028

She was only ten years old.

Her out-of-control auburn hair rustled in the breeze, her tattered old trenchcoat hung loosely are her small frame, so long she practically tripped on it every time she walked.

This was not her first time to the ruins of the what had once been once of the biggest cities in the world. It was her first time alone, however.

Don't think about Mommy or Daddy, she thought. Don't think about Chris.

She could hear the screams of her parents as the aliens' ray guns sliced into them. Dracon beams, she had learned they were called. She would have joined them, if it weren't for the nice one.

The girl had thought about looking for the nice alien, but had decided against it. Nice meant dead in this world -- nice meant 'do not trust'. So she didn't. And she wouldn't.

But it was very cold. Dark. Lonely. Where were all the people? Was she the only one left?

"Hello."

The voice startled her. "Who's there?" she asked, trying not to tremble.

A figure stepped out from behind her. "Hello," the boy said again. "Are you lost?"

"Are you Yeerk?" The girl couldn't help asking.

He was maybe a couple years older than her. Or perhaps younger. She couldn't really tell. He smiled. "That depends. Are you?"

She curled her top lip back in disgust. "Never."

"Then I am not Yeerk," the boy replied. He wore a dark cloak with a hood over his head. The only thing she could see was his mouth, which was visible due to the moonlight streaming across the debris. "Are you lost?"

"No," she replied. "I am alone."

"No, you're not," the boy countered. "You're with me."

Curiously, she looked at him. "I do not know you."

"And I don't know you. But there is something about you that I haven't seen in very many people. A gift, perhaps."

She blushed. How had he known about her dreams?

"My grandfather could explain things better," the boy continued. "If you were to come with me, we could go talk to him."

Once again she found herself looking at him. He was smiling now, but there was something strange about his smile. Something . . . not quite right.

It wasn't a nice smile.

The girl smiled back, and took his outstretched hand.

Chapter One -- Present Day

"Hey, man, wake up."

Marco sleepily opened his eyes. "Huh? Jake? Wha -- where are we?"

Jake was leaning against the wall. "We're still on The Quest. Shamia just got hold of Galuit. We should be reaching the base soon. Cassie and Ax managed to find Tobias, who won't tell them anything about where he was."

Marco sat up and stretched out his arm muscles. "How long was I asleep?"

"You drifted off just before we left the city limits," Jake replied. "That was about ten hours ago. Shamia's been taking it easy with the ship, so we didn't warp drive the way they did to get to us in the first place. We should be at the base in about half an hour."

"Oh." Marco rubbed his eyes wearily. "Well, thanks for waking me up."

"No problem, man." Jake patted him on the shoulder, then stood up and walked over to where Chief Taylor and Breeyar were sitting.

Marco leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. He knew he wouldn't be able to fall asleep again, but he was still exhausted. No longer physically, just mentally.

After all this, I need a vacation, he thought. A long vacation.

Chapter Two

Galuit had called a meeting in the bridge. Everyone was present, including Cassie, Tobias, and Ax. Tobias, who had been extremely quiet ever since his friends had found him, was leaning against the wall near the door. His arms were folded across his chest, and he was staring straight ahead.

Cassie glanced over at him, but she didn't have time to wonder what was wrong. According to what Galuit had just said, the platoon would be arriving very soon. She smiled at the thought. No one had been hurt. Rachel, Marco . . . and Jake. They were all right.

Ax was shifting his hindquarters nervously, also not paying attention to the Captain. What is Prince Jake going to say when he finds out? Out of the three of them, Ax was worried the most about joining the AAA without consulting Jake. Once, long ago, he had promised Jake that he would always be loyal to him. But now . . . Ax shook his head. He couldn't think about it. What was done was done.

Tom appeared in the doorway. "Sir?"

Galuit looked up. <Yes?>

"The Quest has entered docking bay seven," he said.

Cassie, Tobias, and Ax all looked up. <Thank you, Tom,> Galuit said. <Well. This meeting is postponed for one hour. Let's go meet our platoon.>

As the officers filed out of the bridge, Cassie and Ax approached Tobias. "Here goes nothing," Tobias said. "We better hope Jake's in a good mood."

Cassie nodded. Jake had been getting more uptight ever since the Elysia incident. She could just imagine what he would say when he found out what they had done.

For once, she hoped she had misjudged the situation.

The Emperor was not pleased.

"We gave you a simple task, Nine," he said softly. "To install the Kandrona Wave/Particle generator, and construct a new Simplatt pool. There should have been no complications."

Nine hung its head. "I am sorry, my liege," it said.

The Emperor was not amused. "You also ensured me that the terrorist would be of no problem -- that she would take care of the AAA's platoon out of distrust. This also appeared to have been a misjudgment on your count."

"It will not happen again," Nine promised.

The Emperor narrowed his glowing eyes. "Of course it won't. I'm giving you a new task, Nine -- a new assignment.

"Destroy the terrorist. At any cost."

The holograms of the Council of Thirteen faded away without so much as a good-bye.

Nine raised its head, a frown crossing its face. "Destroy the terrorist," it muttered. "Easier said than done."

"For you, perhaps," a new voice, smooth as silk and unafraid, said from behind. "For me, it has already begun."

Nine turned to look at this new intruder.

This is bad, Marco thought as he looked across the cafeteria at a small table in the corner. Only two people sat there, both of them involved in what appeared to be a heated argument. I've never seen them like this. Jake's really steamed.

"Haven't they stopped once?" Geoff asked, setting his tray down on the table and sliding into the seat beside Marco. He gestured for Carson to do the same.

Marco shook his head. "Nope. Which is strange, because Jake and Cassie have almost never gotten into a fight."

Rachel looked up from across from Marco. She couldn't see the fight without turning around, and that would be too obvious. "Jake must really be steamed about Cassie signing up. Which in itself is strange."

Tobias leaned back in his chair. "We've all changed since Elysia," he said. "Some of us more obvious than others."

Marco nodded. He stuck a forkful of rice into his mouth. Finally he shook his head. "I can't take this anymore. I'm going to my room. Somebody come and get me when Gabrielle and Hercules over there have calmed down a bit." He shoved his chair back and took off.

Geoff and Carson looked at Tobias and Rachel. "Gabrielle and Hercules?"

Tobias just shook his head. "You wouldn't understand it even if we explained it to you."

Nine’s eyes blazed. "Who are you?" it hissed. "How did you get inside here?"

"There are some of us who aren’t bound by the simple laws of science you Yeerks cling to so dearly," the intruder said smoothly, not at all offended by Nine’s tone of voice. "I merely – appeared here."

"Who are you?" Nine hissed again.

The intruder, shrouded only in a dark robe and hood, moved out of the shadows. "An ally, I hope – if you truly wish to get rid of this ‘terrorist’ that you appear to despise so much."

Nine narrowed its eyes, appeared to think, then nodded slowly. "Tell me your name, so that we may truly be allies."

The intruder raised his head. Only the lower half of his face was visible beneath the hood – his eyes and nose were hidden in the shadow. "You may call me . . . Gryphon."

What’s happening to everyone? Marco couldn’t help wondering. Jake’s becoming a slave driver . . . Tobias is acting more and more like his father . . . Rachel’s actually being nice . . . Cassie’s getting some actually guts . . . and Ax isn’t even being annoying anymore! What happened to the old group? He couldn’t quite place when everyone had started to change, but he had a pretty good idea it had begun when the six of them had been shipped of to Elysia.

It was getting dark, and Marco had a feeling he should be heading back to the base now. After his departure from the cafeteria, he’d felt the need to get some fresh air. Galuit had gladly given permission, saying he needed someone to patrol anyway. Maybe joining the AAA isn’t so bad, he thought. I should do it just to get on Jake’s nerves.

Something moved behind him. Marco froze. "Who’s there?" he whispered, but not too loudly. The last thing he needed was a Yeerk showing up and frying him. That hadn’t happened recently – and he intended on keeping it that way.

Marco’s hand moved to his Shredder when he heard the sound again. No time to morph – a quick stun blast should do the trick. "I’m warning you . . . come out now!"

The spy moved out from behind a pile of rubble. Marco had the Shredder pointed before he even saw the spy’s face. "Into the light. Now!"

The spy moved forward.

Marco almost dropped the Shredder.

"Hello, Marco."

I followed behind the boy, every step more cautious than the next. There was something about him – I didn’t fear him and yet I didn’t quite trust him, either. Well, if you had just seen your own parents and brother and friends get shot off the Brooklyn Bridge, you probably wouldn’t trust anyone, either.

He still hadn’t told me his name.

"Hey!" I said, moving a little faster. "Hey!"

He turned to look at me. "Yes?"

"What’s your name?"

Silence.

"Did you hear me? What’s your name?"

The boy stopped. "Why do you want to know?"

"I just do."

"What is your name?"

"Katie," I replied, using my mother’s nickname. "Short for Catherine."

The boy nodded. "Well, then, Katie – you may call me Xellos."

I frowned. "Zeros?"

"Not Zeros – Xellos. It’s a family name."

I paused for a minute.

"I see."

Chapter Four

"I don't believe this," Marco muttered, lowering his Shredder. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Cat smiled softly. "Things were getting pretty rough in New York," she said. "I decided to come and see what you AAA people were up to."

"Right. I'm supposed to believe that . . . after that disappearing act you pulled?" Marco shook his head. "You're a real piece of work, you know that?"

She ran her hand through her auburn hair. "So I've been told." She smiled again.

Why does she keep doing that? Marco thought hurriedly. Doesn't she know what kind of affect she has on people when she smiles? It makes her looked almost . . . nice. Fighting to keep his face from turning red, he cleared his throat and narrowed his eyes. "You don't just 'drop by'. What's the real reason you're here?"

Cat sighed. "What, a girl can't visit the only friend she's got?"

"Friend. Sure," Marco snorted derisively. "My friends always shove me up against the wall of a subway station and threaten to slice my throat open with their fingernails."

She shrugged. "Hey, you got me mad. I had to get out of there before I sliced you all up, and that was the only way to stop you from following me."

"Yeah? Well, now I've got to get out of here. And this is the only way to stop you from following me." He switched the Shredder to stun, then raised it. "Next time we see each other, it'll be too soon."

"Don't do that, Marco," Cat said, her voice dropping to a low whisper. "Look, I'll be honest with you. You want to know the real reason I'm here? Fine. I'll tell you."

Marco cocked an eyebrow, but kept his weapon trained on her. "I'm listening."

She bit her lip, and for the first time since he'd laid eyes on her, Marco noticed that she didn't look as confident as she usually did. In fact, she looked sort of . . . scared. "I'm in big trouble, Marco," she whispered. "Someone's been stalking me, watching my every move, for the past few weeks. Since you and your friends left New York. I don't know who it is, or what they want -- but I'm pretty sure neither is a good thing."

She raised her eyes to meet his. "I need your help, Marco. You're the only person that I trust."

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Tobias checked his watch. "Great. I've been waiting for forty-five minutes, Rachel's probably pissed, and all for what? A no-show. Isn't life great?"

<Sorry I'm late, Tobias.>

Tobias jumped about a foot in the air, but managed to keep his balance. He spun around. "What took you so long, T'auk?"

The young Andalite scientist glanced around, as if expecting to be ambushed at any second. <There were some Controllers patrolling around my area,> he explained. <I had to stay with my ship or risk have both of us detected.>

"Oh. Well, no matter." He sat down on a large rock. There were plenty of them lying around, so it wasn't hard to get a decent seat. "What'd you want to talk to me about?"

T'auk dug a hoof nervously into the dirt. <I have some more information for your group,> he said. <I managed to hack into a Yeerk databank, and I copied some useful things onto this disk for you. I wanted to get it to you as soon as possible.> He handed over the computer disk, and Tobias took it.

"Thanks, T'auk," he said. Then he took a deep breath. "Listen. We've been meeting like this for almost two weeks now. Why don't you just come back to the base with me and talk to Galuit? I'm sure he'll be thrilled to know that you're alive."

T'auk shook his head furiously. <NO!> Seeing Tobias' shocked expression at the outburst, he toned it down a little. <I can't go back. I can't explain it right now, Tobias, but . . . just trust me on this. I can't be seen by anyone else. Not yet. Not now.>

He focused all four eyes on his friend. <Will you keep my secret, Tobias? Will you?>

Tobias nodded. "Until you're ready, T'auk, I won't tell a soul."

T'auk smiled with his eyes. Then he turned and galloped back into the forest.

Chapter Five

Nine glared at the man calling himself Gryphon. "Why should I trust you?" it asked, voice low and dangerous.

Gryphon smiled softly. "I can get you something you want. And you can get me something that I want."

"Oh, really? And just want can I get for you?"

Gryphon almost laughed. This guy was cool. No wonder he's part of the Yeerk Council. He'll make a formidable ally indeed. "Are you familiar with the Animorphs?"

Nine's eyes widened, but it didn't dare let on it reaction. "I'm a Yeerk," it said simply.

Gryphon nodded. "As I see. Well. Then perhaps this may be easier than I thought. I'm interested in one of these 'Animorphs'. According to my sources, he possesses a power that is my specialty. If you were to get this one for me, than I will get the terrorist for you."

Nine bared its fangs slightly. "Why must I get the Animorph first?"

Gryphon laughed. "You are clever, aren't you? If you must know, the Cataluna isn't much of a people person. She has a hard time trusting people, if you know what I mean. Most of this is a revenge thing for her.

"However, there is one person whom she'd give up everything for -- although I doubt she knows this herself."

"And how do you know this?"

"I have my sources," Gryphon said simply. "And at this moment, my connection is hot on the terrorist's trail. Given the word, he will take her for you. And with your help, I will take the Animorph for me."

"Which Animorph?" Nine demanded.

A cruel smile twisted on Gryphon's lips. "They call him . . . Marco."

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"What do you mean, I'm the only person you trust?" Marco demanded. "I distinctly remember you saying that you don’t trust anyone. What did I do to get this honor?"

Cat kept her gaze fixed on his face. "You were . . . nice. And there aren't many nice people left in this world. There's something about you -- something different. It's as if, even through all this horror, you've somehow managed not to be affected by it."

Marco rolled his eyes. "Oh, I've been affected by it. I've been greatly affected by it. But I'm not interested in telling you my life story. Right now, I want to know why I should help you."

"Look, Marco," Cat said, her temper already beginning to rise, "I'm not in the mood for games. The last thing I need is someone getting on my case about something I have no control over. Someone is after me -- I don't know who and I don't know why -- but whoever it is, he's out for blood. He's already trashed my hideout. As of now, everything I own is currently on my immediate person. Everything else is gone."

"How did you get here, anyway?" Marco demanded.

Cat opened her mouth to speak. "I . . . I . . ." Her head started throbbing painfully. "I can't remember," she whispered hoarsely. The pain grew worse and worse, until she felt like her head was about to explode.

"Cat?" Marco's voice sounded distant, far away. "Cat, are you okay?" Does he sound worried? she wondered incredulously.

Suddenly the pain cleared, and a stunning realization hit her. She straightened up and placed her hand on the hilt of her sword, one of the last weapons she had left. "Brace yourself, Marco," she growled. "We've got company."

The words were barely out of her mouth when the first Hork-Bajir-Controllers showed up.

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ALERT! ALERT! ALERT!

<What's going on?> Galuit shouted over the noise.

Ensign Ricci spun around in her chair. "There's been a 4-90 sighting in Quadrant Five! Hork-Bajir signatures confirmed."

Garcia looked at her console. "One of our own is out there, plus an unknown. They're under heavy fire."

"Who's supposed to be in Quadrant Five?" Taylor demanded.

Cassie had the roster in her hand. "Geoff was, but I just saw him in the Tech Bay."

<Tom, get him down here,> Breeyar ordered.

Tom nodded. "Geoffrey Lansing, report to the bridge immediately. I repeat, Geoffrey Lansing, report to the bridge immediately."

"Wait a minute!" Cassie shouted. "There's been a change! It was penciled in -- I didn’t see it at first. Geoff's switched shifts!"

"With who?" Taylor snapped.

"I don't have that information!" Cassie cried.

<Ensign, run a scan check on our man's DNA file,> Galuit snapped.

"Already done, sir," Ricci said. "He's not on our files. Not on the personnel, at least." Suddenly her eyes widened. "Gods, his DNA is changing! It's one of the Animorphs!"

<Dammit!> Galuit shouted. <Who's unaccounted for?>

"O'Conner and Sinclair," Thomas said, walking inside and catching the tail end of the conversation. "No, wait -- Tobias just walked in. He's on his way here."

"Then it's Marco," Garcia said.

<Sir?> Breeyar looked at Galuit.

<Send back up immediately!> shouted the captain. <And find out who the unknown is! NOW!>

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"You okay back there, Katie?" Xellos asked, looking at the girl.

"Never been better," she said, her teeth clenched tightly together so that they wouldn't start chattering from the cold. "How much farther to your grandfather's?"

Xellos looked thoughtfully around. "Not much longer now," he admitted. "Grandfather will be thrilled to meet you, you know." Then his eyes turned slightly downcast. "I hope."

Katie bit her lip. "If you grandfather a nice person?"

Xellos seemed sort of uncomfortable at the question. "Yeah," he said. "But you know, he's been through a lot. This war has changed everyone -- Grandfather was alive back when the invasion first started. He used to be a Controller. One of the first."

"How did he get rid of his slug?" Katie wanted to know.

Xellos shrugged. "It had something to do with El Vision Segundo -- that's what he calls his flashes. That's Spanish for something. I don't know what it means."

"Do you have these flashes, too?"

He nodded. "Sometimes. Grandfather says it runs in our family. But I'm not a strong as he is -- that's why he'll probably be happy to see you. I can tell that you're a lot stronger than I am."

"I'm not strong," Katie muttered.

Xellos laughed for the first time. "Yes, Katie, you are -- you're stronger than you'll ever know."

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"I thought those friends of yours were going to pick up this fight!" Cat shouted as she sliced another Hork-Bajir's arm off.

<They should've!> Marco shouted back as he tore the throat off another. The wolf had been the first morph he could think of -- but while the agility and speed was coming in handy, the size wasn't. <But the nearest entry tunnel is a good thirty miles from here! I flew just to get this far.>

"Great," Cat said sarcastically. "Remind me why I'm saving your miserable butt?"

<Because you need my help,> he replied calmly. <And I need to be alive to help you.>

"Good point." She reached into her cloak. "Cover your eyes! This'll go off quickly."

<Cover them how? I'm a wolf!>

Cat threw the smoke bomb at the nearest Hork-Bajir, and the thick, stinging air poured from the capsule. "Come on!" she shouted, grabbing Marco by the scruff of his neck and practically dragging him. "Demorph and let's go!"

<I'm demorphing, I'm demorphing! Ah, jeez!>

"What?"

<Rabbit hole.>

"Idiot."

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As the two teenagers ran off for who-knows-where, another figure stood just in the shadows, watching. "That's right, my Cat," he whispered. "Run. Just run. But no matter how far you run, I'll find you. Count on it."

The smoke had cleared, and the Hork-Bajir stood there, whimpering stupidly. Those AAA idiots'll be here at any moment, the figure thought. Gryphon won't be happy about this.

Then a cruel idea began to form. "Of course," he whispered. "These are those new altered Horks. They've never left a body in their life. All I need is a few well placed scorch marks -- and I'll have all the time I need for my plan."

Nine isn't getting my beloved, he thought. I've been Gryphon's lackey for too long. No one touches my pet.

No one but me.

Chapter Six

"I think we lost them," Marco said, stopping and bending over to catch his breath.

Cat skidded to a stop beside him. "I don't think they were chasing us in the first place."

He shrugged. "The AAA should find us soon. Even if they didn’t pick up the battle, they must have picked up my morphing."

"You think," Cat muttered. "At any rate, this was not why I came here. What was with that? Were those Yeerks?"

"No, they were Santa's elves," Marco said sarcastically. "Yes, they're Yeerks. What did you expect?"

"There are Yeerks here?"

Marco stared at her. "I thought you were so smart. Yes, there are Yeerks here. Why do you think our base is here? It's not very smart if you put a base where the enemy isn't. You know -- it's always the last place they look. The Yeerks wouldn't expect us to build a base within their perimeters."

Cat looked at him strangely. Marco suddenly felt his face begin to heat up, and he quickly looked away. He pretended to check to make sure they hadn't been followed.

Then Cat shrugged. "Whatever."

"Oh, great. Rain."

Marco saw a couple drops roll of the brim of his hat. "Pull your hood up and come on. We have to get out of this rain."

"Why?"

"Have you ever been in a rainstorm?"

"Not really. I hate water."

Coming from a girl named Cat? I shouldn't be surprised. "Well, stay out here long enough, and enough of this stuff comes down, it'll turn acid." He grabbed her arm. "Come on. That building over there should provide enough shelter."

She nodded, then pulled her arm out of his grasp. He rolled his eyes. "Come on."

They made a dash for the building.

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"Hello, Catherine."

Katie looked up at Xellos' grandfather, whom everyone just called Grandfather. "Hello, Grandfather," she said, smiling slightly. She picked up another knife and threw is at the target on the wall. It hit dead center. "What is it?"

Grandfather ran his hand through his graying hair. "I've been talking to my grandson. He says you've shown a talent in the visionary arts."

Katie shrugged. "Meaning . . .?"

"It's not safe for you anymore," Grandfather said, smiling slightly. Katie thought his smile reminded her of a snake looking at a mouse. "I was thinking . . ."

"Katie?"

The two looked up to see Xellos walk into the room. Katie tried not to blush. She'd been living with Xellos and his grandfather for almost two years now, and Xellos had taken it upon himself to be her teacher. Okay, so maybe she was only ten. Ever since the bombs had fallen, though -- nowadays it didn't matter what age you were. People just tried to survive.

"Hello, Xellos," Grandfather said pleasantly. "What can I do for you?"

"I was looking for Katie," Xellos said shortly. "I need to talk to her."

Grandfather glanced back and forth between them. "Of course," he said, nodding. "If you'll excuse me." He walked quietly out of the room.

Xellos shut the door behind him. "What was that all about?" he asked, walking over to her.

Katie shrugged. "Haven't a clue."

"Oh."

"What did you want to talk to me about?"

He looked at her and smiled. "Actually . . . talking wasn't what I had in mind."

Katie blushed. "What did you have in mind?"

She barely got the words out when he pressed his lips against hers.

Chapter Seven

"It's really coming down out there," Marco muttered half an hour later. "That's going to disrupt the AAA's scanners. Which means it'll be awhile before they can find us."

Cat shrugged.

Marco looked over at her. The first time he'd seen her, she'd been about to slit his throat. That had, of course, had something to do with the fact that he'd walked unannounced into her house. Thank goodness that hadn't been his fault -- he'd only been answering a psychic call for help. False alarm, as it turned out. But still . . . everything had been chaos from the minute she'd agreed to help him track down his friends.

"So," Marco said, breaking the heavy silence, "how did this happen?"

"How did what happen?"

"This." He gestured towards her. "Were you always this anti-social, or am I just lucky?"

Cat glared at him. "Look, I'm not in the mood to discuss my life history with you, all right? The only reason I haven't thrown you out into that rain is because you might be useful."

"Useful? You mean, I might be able to protect you," Marco translated. "Don't try to con me into thinking that you can't take care of yourself -- I've seen you take down Hork-Bajir twice your size with one kick."

Cat muttered something under her breath, then shifted her position so that she wasn't looking at Marco. Just before she turned away, though, he saw a expression of pain flash across her face.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked, getting up and walking over to her. He knelt beside her. "Did you get hurt?"

"None of your business," Cat growled.

Marco frowned. All right, we'll do this the hard way. When he was positive she wasn't paying attention, he sat back and closed his eyes.

What the hell are you doing?!

None of your business.

What the hell do you mean, 'none of my business'? You're the one invading my head!

Well, if you would just talk to me, I wouldn't have to.

Get out.

No.

Get out.

Calm down.

The force out Cat's mental shout was enough to break Marco's connection with her. His hand flew to his head as a pounding headache overtook it. "Ow! Hey! What's the big idea?"

Cat narrowed her eyes at him. "Never do that again. Got it?"

Marco nodded, wincing. "Got it. But you know, if you had just told me you'd twisted your ankle, I wouldn't have had to do that."

"What?"

"You twisted your ankle," Marco repeated. "That's what I was looking for. To see what was wrong with you."

"It's none of your business." She tried moving again, but when her ankle hit the floor, she had to bit her lip to keep from crying out.

"Look, I took a first aid class once," Marco said. "Let me take a look at it."

She growled deep in her throat.

"I'm just trying to help!" he snapped. "Get over yourself for one lousy minute and just let me look at it!"

Cat curled her fingers, and Marco wondered if she was going to attack him. Then, to his surprise, the predatory look disappeared and she nodded.

Sighing, Marco reached out to remove her boot.

Chapter Eight

One hour later . . .

"How's the ankle?" Marco asked, looking over at Cat.

Cat made an unrecognizable noise that sounded like a cross between a 'yes' and a grunt of pain. Marco smiled slightly. She's feeling better, he thought.

Her momentary lapse of cooperation had vanished, and now she was as sulky and solitary as ever. Huddled in her own corner, she had her hood pulled up over her head, her cloak wrapped tightly around her. Marco realized that he'd never seen her without the cloak -- she always had it on. He wondered briefly what she was hiding.

"You know," he said softly, "this war has been horrible for all of us."

Cat laughed derisively. "Yeah, right. I know all about you 'Animorphs'. You lived in the 90s -- before the open warfare, before the bombs, before Nine. You had it easy compared to the rest of us."

Marco rolled his eyes. "Are you kidding me? Back then, it was six teenagers against an entire Empire, with the occasional help from androids. We had to deal with the Sharing, the fact that we couldn't trust anyone, not to mention Visser Three. Man. That guy was nutso. His obsession in life was to destroy the 'Andalite Bandits'. I would've loved to be the one who told him we were human, just to see the look on his face.

"Then there were the unexpected things -- the Helmacrons, Sario Rips, Tobias' dad, David, Aldrea and the Yeerk Peace Movement, Zone 91, the Time Matrix, plus that little show at Visser One's trial -- I almost quit a couple of times." Marco ran his fingers through his hair. "But I stuck with it."

"Why?"

"What?" He looked at her.

"Why did you stick with it? If you could've quit, why didn't you?"

Marco shrugged. "I couldn't sit back and try to be normal, knowing that I wasn't. Knowing that evil slugs were trying to take over people's brains. Then there was my mom."

Cat looked at him. Her hood had fallen back down, and her auburn hair hung loosely around her shoulders. "Your mom?"

Marco nodded. "Yeah. Two years after I was told she'd died in a boating accident, I found out she was actually alive -- and that she was the host of then Visser One, the most powerful and most ruthless Visser in the Yeerk Empire. That's what really kept me going. The hope that someday . . . she'd be free."

"Did she? Get free, I mean."

Marco nodded. "It was during that little disappearing trick we all did. The long story made short is, my mom's dead. But she died free. She died fighting."

Cat continued to look at him. Finally Marco looked up and met her eyes. "My mom's dead, too," she said softly, looking away. "My dad, and my brother, also."

"You had a brother?"

She nodded. "A twin. He died when we were eight."

Marco did some quick mental math. "In the Brooklyn Massacres, right?"

"Yeah," she confirmed. "How'd you guess?"

He shrugged. "It fit. I remembered how you hated going near the harbor -- and the dates were correct. I just put two and two together. So how did you survive?"

"Some Yeerk -- I don't know who -- undid my bindings and got me to safety. I guess she was part of the peace movement or something. I don't know. I don't even know her name. But it's thanks to her that I'm alive," Cat admitted. "Ironic, huh? The very species that I hate and that hates me also saved my life."

"One person does not an Empire make," Marco pointed out.

"Good point." For the first time that night, Cat smiled.

Marco pretended to collapse in shock. "Was that I a smile I just saw? An honest to goodness smile? Phew! And for I minute there, I was afraid I was losing my touch."

"So what happened after you got away?" Marco asked a few minutes later. "I heard you hung out in Brooklyn before you came to Manhattan."

Cat nodded. "I did. For about four years."

"So what did you do there?"

Cat frowned. "That's the strange thing.

"I don't remember."

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"Xellos?" Katie peered uncertainly into his room. "Are you in there?"

Xellos was hunched over a makeshift desk, but he put down his papers and turned to face her. "Katie," he said softly. "What are you doing here?"

She bit her lip. "It's Grandfather," she admitted. "He's acting really strange -- it's starting to scare me."

Xellos sighed. "Come here."

Katie walked over and sat down next to him. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and held her to him. "I know Grandfather seems kind of unusual at times, but it just takes a while to get used to him. He'd never do anything to hurt you."

Katie frowned. "But awhile ago you said you trusted him about as far as you could throw him."

Xellos smiled and ran his fingers through her auburn curls. "People change, Katie. If I want to keep learning from him, I have to start seeing things his way. By the way, you're looking a little pale. Have you been taking the medicine Grandfather gave you?"

Katie made a face. "I was, but I kind of stopped. I hate pills."

Xellos sighed. "I know, but it's the only way to keep your abilities under control. Remember what happened last time?"

Katie winced. "Yeah . . ."

He reached over and picked up the pill container from the dresser. "Promise me you'll take these?" He placed them in her hand.

Katie nodded. "Okay. I'll take them. But only because you asked."

He kissed her forehead. "Thanks. Now go get some sleep, okay?"

She nodded. "Are you coming to bed?"

"I've got a few things I need to finish up here," Xellos said. "If I don't see you tonight, I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

She nodded again. "Good night, Xellos."

"Good night, love."

Chapter Nine

Cat woke up suddenly, breathing heavily. For a moment, she couldn't remember where she was. Then, when the sound of rain cut through her thoughts, it all began coming back to her. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the large room, and she glanced around. There was Marco, leaning against one wall, his hand on his Shredder. His hat lay on the floor a few feet away from him, and his hair hung loosely in his face. It was longer than it had been the last time she'd seen him -- almost down to his chin. He looked so peaceful asleep. He has no idea what it's like to live in fear every second of his life, she thought. No idea at all.

"I was an Animorph," Marco said. "You better believe I know how it feels."

Cat gasped and looked up. "You're awake! Did I say that out loud?"

He shook his head. "Actually, I was in the middle of a very nice dream involving cheeseburgers and milkshakes, but I heard your thoughts."

She looked at him quizzically. "I knew you were psychic but I didn't know you were that good. I wasn't even directing my thoughts at anyone."

He nodded. "I know. I also know that you were broadcasting while you were sleeping." Broadcasting was a term used by psychics to explain periods of time when one psychic could feel the feelings of another psychic while asleep. "Must have been a bad dream."

Cat nodded numbly. "Yeah," she said, her voice dropping.

"Want to talk about it?"

She shook her head. "It was just a dream."

But it wasn't just a dream. This time, making sure her barriers were up, she thought, I have to put the past behind me. That's over. I'm Cataluna now.

Chapter Ten

"Rachel?"

Tobias looked into the room that Rachel and Cassie had been sharing ever since they'd arrived at the AAA. Rachel was standing on the far side of the room, looking out the window that overlooked the courtyard. With the rain coming down hard and no signs stopping, everyone was crowded into the base. "Rachel, are you okay?"

Rachel turned to look at him. She nodded. "Just worried. We haven't heard from Marco since he went out on patrol. What if he's out in that storm?"

Tobias stepped through the doorway, closing the door behind him. "He's not," he said firmly. "He's been in worse scrapes than this. He'll be fine." Sure, Marco'll be fine -- but what about T'auk? He frowned worriedly.

"What?"

He looked up to see Rachel staring at him with concern. All of a sudden their rolls were reversed. It would be so easy to tell her about T'auk -- but I can't. I promised him. "Nothing's wrong."

"Sure there is," Rachel said, taking his hand. "I know you, Tobias, better than anyone. Does this have anything to do with that Andalite you've been meeting with for the past three weeks?"

Tobias looked up at her. "How did you know?"

Rachel laughed. "I followed you one day. I'm sorry I did it, but I had to know what was going on. I was worried -- you keep ducking out on our time together. Ever since you joined the AAA, we've barely been able to see each other."

He shook his head ruefully. "Well, you're planning on joining anyway. We'll have more time then."

Rachel nodded. "That's right. Now, what is it about this Andalite?"

Tobias bit his lip. "I promised him I wouldn't tell anyone."

"Hey, if he asks, it was my fault. It's obviously tearing you up." She looked at him. "Tell me."

He sighed and sat down on the edge of her bed. "I ran into T'auk -- that's his name -- while you and the others were in Old New York. He's been living and hiding in part of an old escape pod. It's the other half of the pod that Galuit and the others came down in. Remember that story?" She nodded. "Well, it took awhile, but he finally managed to trust me. Then he told me a little about himself.

"Rachel, it turns out he's Ax and Elfangor's brother."

Rachel stared at him in shock.

Chapter Eleven

So, my dear, that's where you've been hiding, the cloaked figure thought as he peered under his hood at the shack. You should know better than to start broadcasting -- but then, you don't even remember who I am. That dream -- you don't know what it means, do you? Well, you will soon.

He reached under his cloak and removed a large jewel. "Come to me, my kitten. Let's see what the Cat drags in."

The jewel began to glow.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cat suddenly doubled over in the middle of Marco's sentence, clutching her stomach in pain. Marco immediately hurried over to her. "What's wrong? What happened?"

Cat gritted her teeth. Not another attack! No! I can't black-out again, not in front of Marco! Come on, Cataluna, pull yourself together! "NO!" she shouted as her hands began to go numb.

Marco recoiled in shock and surprise as her eyes began to glow a dark red. "Cat?" he whispered.

Stop this! Stop it! What's happening? Another sharp stab of pain caused her thoughts to cease. Something began to creep into her mind, a dark presence unlike any she'd ever felt before. Who are you? She opened her mouth to warn Marco away, but it was too late. She felt herself topple over the edge of consciousness.

Marco flattened himself against the far wall as he stared at the girl in front of him. She was literally changing before his eyes! He'd seen a lot of morphs in the years since meeting Elfangor, but this was unlike any he'd ever seen before.

Her dark red hair flattened against her neck and shoulders, then began to turn a deep black. A purple glow emanated from something around her neck, but was sheltered by her cloak. Her ears moved up the sides of her head, becoming black and pointed. Out of the tips of her gloved hands, black claws grew. Then the entire cloak swirled around her, becoming part of her. She fell to her knees, her eyes lost the red glow, and became a brilliant emerald green with two slits in the center.

"Cat?" Marco repeated cautiously.

Cat stood up slowly, fixing her eyes on Marco. Suddenly, she'd gone from a girl to a human-panther. Her eyes narrowed, and the pendant that was around her neck, now visible, shown brightly. "Easy, Cat -- it's me, Marco. Get control of yourself."

Cat took a step forward, a low growl escaping her throat.

"That's right, my pet," a new voice said. "That's your prey. No need to kill him, just take him alive."

Marco whirled around to face the intruder, and that's when she struck. He didn't have time to register the fact that he'd been hit before he found himself on the ground.

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Someone help me.

"What was that?" a young man gasped, sitting straight up. He'd been sitting by his shelter, minding his own business and staring out over the red water of the Manhattan Harbor when the psychic cry had reached him. He hadn't had a flash in a long time, not since . . . the voice wasn't familiar, he'd never heard it before.

Suddenly a feeling of dread overcame him. "Oh, my lord," he whispered. "He's back."

Standing up, he hurried into his shelter and grabbed the old leather book that he'd recently acquired for his collection. While he looked sixteen, his actual age was much older than that. The things immortality will do to you, he thought ironically. "Perfect," he said, coming across one spell. "'How to track a psychic call,'" he read aloud. "How ironic. Honestly, I don't know why Stone Boy didn't just hang onto this thing -- it's so useful." Closing his eyes, he recited the spell in his mind, and quickly phased out of the room.

Chapter Twelve

"I'm home!" Katie called as I stepped through the front entrance, carefully shutting the makeshift door behind me. "Xellos? Grandfather?"

Grandfather stepped out of one of the adjoining rooms. "Ah. Katie. Welcome home. How was your walk?"

Katie grinned. "Awesome. I almost ran into a couple of Yeerks, but I managed to slink away first."

Grandfather nodded. "Come, little cat, there's someone I'd like you to meet. We have a new guest staying with us -- a friend of the family."

"Who?"

"Lothos? I'd like you to meet my latest prodigy. Katie, this is Lothos, my grandson and Xellos' cousin. Lothos, this is Katie," Grandfather introduced them.

Lothos walked out of the room and looked at her. "Katie, huh? You look more like a Cat to me. I'm Lothos."

Katie's eyes widened. He was one of the most handsome boys she'd ever seen. He looked like he was about a year younger than Xellos -- that would make him about eleven. But he spoke like he was much older. "Nice to meet you," Katie stammered. She blushed when he smiled at her.

The door opened again. "Katie, I'm . . . Lothos." Xellos stepped into the room and stared at his cousin. "What are you doing here?"

Lothos smiled. "I'll be helping Grandfather out with his latest project, Xel -- didn't he tell you?"

"No," Xellos said coldly. "No, he didn't." Nodding at Grandfather he added, "I'm kind of tired -- I think I'll go lie down for awhile. Katie?"

Katie was about to answer when Grandfather placed a hand on her shoulder. "I was thinking that perhaps Katie would like to show Lothos around the area. You can't ask for a better guide. Right, Katie?"

"Uh, right," Katie agreed. "I'll be glad to show you around." Lothos nodded again, obviously pleased.

When the door closed behind them, Grandfather spoke to Xellos without turning to face him. "Don't mess with this, Xellos. Stay out of it."

Xellos narrowed his eyes. "Of course, Gryphon." He went to the room he and Katie shared and closed the door.

Sitting on the edge of the mattress, he covered his face with his hands. But how can I stay out of this, when everything I love is being threatened?

Chapter Thirteen

"Ungh," Marco groaned, slowly opening his eyes. "Where am I?"

He was lying flat on his back in a semi-large holding cell with one side of the cell transparent so he could see through. Pushing himself into a sitting position, he looked through the glass.

"My god," he breathed.

There were three people in the room. One was an old man. Another was a much younger man, dressed in a flowing black cloak similar to Cat's. And the last . . . was the monster Cat had become. She was calmly curled up on the floor, looking at the younger man with adoration. Marco noticed that the jewel around her neck had become a sort of collar.

Then something else moved. There was one more person in the room -- he'd been hidden by a dark shadow in one corner. Slowly, the creature stepped forward.

"All right, Gryphon, you have your Animorph. And I have the terrorist. The deal has been completed."

"Of course, Nine," Gryphon said, nodding. "The deal has been finished. Therefore, our alliance is no longer needed."

This was Nine? Oh, boy . . .

"Precisely. Take your prize and leave."

Gryphon nodded. "Come," he motioned to the younger man. Then he stopped. "Oh, and Nine?"

"Yes?"

Gryphon spun around shot Nine with a blast of white light that erupted from his open palm. Nine shuddered, then slumped over. "We'll be taking the Halfling as well."

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Now that the acid rain had ceased, the AAA had once again resumed its search for Marco.

Rachel and Tobias, however, had a different plan in mind.

"How much further?" Rachel whispered as she and Tobias walked steadily through the dying forest.

"Not much," Tobias whispered back. "T'auk should be just up ahead -- hey!"

"Is that him?" Rachel gasped.

The young Andalite stood in the middle of the path, oblivious to the two humans who had just stepped in sight. He was much more interested in holding his tail blade to the throat of a large yellow snake who looked like it could chomp him in half.

"T'auk!" Tobias shouted. The Andalite turned his stalk eyes backwards.

<Hello, Tobias. I'll be with you in a minute -- as soon as I dispose of this spy.>

The snake's green eyes widened. "Ssstop him, Tobiassss! Pleasse! Oh, Ellimissst, help me!"

Rachel and Tobias froze. "STRIKE?!"

<Hey, back off, kid!> The thought-speak command startled T'auk, who moved his tail. Strike immediately slithered back, almost slamming into the front legs of the male Andalite who was just running up the trail from the opposite direction. <You okay, Strike?>

Strike nodded. "I'm fine. No thankssss to him."

Rachel was the first to recognize the Andalite. "Arbron?"

"Arbron?" Tobias echoed.

T'auk looked at the warrior in front of him. <Arbron-Latros-Ifinal. Impossible.

<You're dead.>

Arbron laughed. <I don't do a very good job of staying that way, do I?>

"So what brings you here?" Tobias asked a minute later. "Anything wrong in Elysia?"

Arbron shook his head. <Nope. It's been almost eighty years since you guys left, and things are running smoothly now. There's a new guy in charge of the Netherworlds, and he and the Ellimist stay out of each others' way. So no problems there.>

"The reasssson we're here, however," Strike hissed, "issss becaussse we're looking for ssssomeone."

"Who?" Rachel asked.

T'auk shifted his weight from one leg to the other. Once Tobias had explained to him that Arbron and Strike were dead, and that it was a long story, the young scientist had gone silent. But now he spoke, <Yes, who are you looking for?>

Arbron and Strike looked at each other. <Well,> Arbron began, <have you ever heard of anyone named Cataluna?>

Tobias began to shake his head, but Rachel suddenly narrowed her eyes. "What would you want with her?"

"You know her?" Strike asked.

"Unfortunately," Rachel muttered. "She's a stuck up, overconfident little brat who thinks she knows everything. Last I heard, she was in Old New York."

<Not according to the Ellimist,> Arbron said. <According to him, she's right in this area. He's been trying to find her for years. She's way past her calling.>

"Huh?" wondered Tobias, Rachel, and T'auk.

Strike shook her head. "Look, we need to find her. If we don't, there'ssss going to be trouble."

Suddenly, a soft beeping sound came from the satchel Arbron was carrying. He reached in a removed a miniature Escafil Device. Gently pressing one side, he said, <Arbron here. What's up?>

<What is it?>

"It's trouble," Elfangor replied. "We've managed to track down the Astral Dancer, and Kyra's en route to your location now. But we've also got a bigger problem."

"Another problem?" Strike wondered. "What issss it?"

"Loren and Cha Nab have identified four other Astral sources, aside from the Cataluna. One is psychic. Another is unknown to this dimension. And the other two are -- Dark Star."

<You have got to be kidding me,> Arbron groaned.

T'auk leaned over to Tobias. <Is that really Prince Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul?> Tobias nodded. <My lord,> T'auk whispered.

Something told Tobias that there was another problem here. "Hey, Dad?"

"Getting into trouble, as usual," Tobias answered. "Where is the location for this person?"

Rachel, Tobias, and T'auk looked at each other.

"What?" Strike asked.

"That's the location of the Yeerk Strategic Headquarters," Tobias said.

Chapter Fourteen

"Who are you?" Marco demanded from inside the cell. "What have you done to Cat?"

Gryphon looked at his partner. "She's your beloved," he said pointedly.

"My name is Lothos," Lothos said. "I knew Cataluna many years ago. In fact -- I was the one who gave her the name of the Moon Cat."

Marco narrowed her eyes. "I bet it was you who made her transform, huh?"

Lothos smirked. "Very perceptive."

"Let us go."

Gryphon laughed. "Oh, I'm afraid that's quite impossible. See, boy, your blood is the key to our freedom. This world used to be full of our kind, until a certain nuisance came and destroyed us all."

"Zoey purged our camps, destroyed our very lives," Lothos said quietly. "She exiled us. Now, with your death and the power you leave behind, we will finally be able to have enough power to be reunited with our brothers and sisters of the other Dimensions. The Darkstars will once again reign supreme!"

"Better check again, Lothos," someone laughed.

Lothos turned towards the sound. "Who? . . . Kyra."

The young girl stepped out of the shadows, a long gemstone staff in her hand. "Really, Lothos, you should have known better. Don’t you know I can track Darkstars? I am, after all, a Guardian."

"The Guardian of a World you shall never see again, I guarantee!" Gryphon growled. "You're a long way from home, Kyra, Guardian of the Astral Plane. What business do you have here?"

Kyra shook her head. "Be quiet, Gryphon. You don't know what you're talking about. A good friend of mine requested my presence here, and my reinforcements are on their way. Let Marco and Cataluna go, before this turns into something we will both regret."

"Your reinforcements will never make it in time," Lothos shouted suddenly. "Cataluna -- ATTACK!"

Cat suddenly charged up from her position on the floor. With a roar that would have made Crayak himself cry, she leapt straight for the throat of the Guardian. Kyra barely had time to react as the feline slammed into her, knocking her to the ground.

"Cat, stop!" Marco shouted, but his cries were in vain. Cat was too far gone to listen. She stood up on her hind legs, lifted her paw, and prepared to slash down at her target. Kyra reached for her staff to block the blow. Marco could see that it wouldn't be in time. "No, Cat!"

Cataluna, my love, stop this. Please stop.

With her claws just inches away from Kyra's heart, Cat stopped.

And slowly, everyone turned to face the newcomer.

Chapter Fifteen

"Who are you?" Marco demanded of the young man.

"Yes, who are you?" Lothos repeated, with Gryphon nodding from near the wall. Kyra took Cat's momentary pause to grab her staff and scramble to her feet.

The man stepped forward. "Not know me, cousin?" he teased. "How about you, grandfather? No? Well, then, I'll tell you. My name is -- Sore wa himitsu desu."

Gryphon gripped a small table, knocking over a lamp in the process. The crash echoed throughout the still room. Lothos narrowed his eyes. "'That is a secret'," he translated. "Hello, Xellos."

Xellos clenched his jaw. "It's been awhile, cousin. I haven't seen you at any Mazoku gatherings lately."

Lothos curled his lip in a sneer. "Mazoku," he spat, as if the word made a bad taste in his mouth. "While the blood of the demon race does course through my veins, I am more Darkstar than that. Though the blood does have its uses -- after all, you were unable to kill me last time because of it."

Xellos nodded. "A sad truth, yes." He smiled, looking at Lothos with violet-tinged eyes. "Fortunately, though, this time will be different. While the Mazoku in me is unable to destroy you, the Guardian powers bestowed upon me with be able to Darkstar powers granted to you."

Lothos' eyes widened. "You . . . a Guardian?"

"Guardian of Dimension 19121251819, at your service," Xellos said, bowing slightly. "Surprised?"

"I should have expected it," Lothos muttered. He looked at Gryphon. "You, old fool, why didn't you tell me he was a Guardian candidate?"

"Because the previous Guardian of that Dimension was supposed to be immortal!" Gryphon countered.

Xellos nodded. "Sadly, yes, but Rezo's recanted his powers when he decided to go absolutely crazy. The powers were then granted to me shortly before Zoey's unfortunate demise."

"So the Astral Dancer is dead," Lothos mused. "A pity. I would've enjoyed destroying her myself." He shrugged. "Never mind. Cataluna -- kill him."

No answer.

Lothos frowned. "Cataluna, my pet, do as I command. Destroy this Guardian!"

"No, Lothos. I won't."

Lothos spun around and gasped. "Impossible!" Cat had somehow managed to break the hold he had over her and regain her true form. The pendant still hung from around her neck, but was now dark and lifeless. No longer hidden by her cloak, she wore black leather pants, black combat boots, and a black tunic. Her auburn hair billowed around her shoulders, and her hazel eyes shown a brilliant green.

"Looks like your curse is over," Xellos whispered. "Surrender now, Lothos, and maybe I'll let you live."

From outside the room, sounds of a fierce battle could be heard. "My reinforcements are here," Kyra said from where she was picking the lock on Marco's cage. "Any moment now they'll storm this place."

Lothos glared at each of them. "Gryphon . . . Gryphon?" But the elder Darkstar had vanished.

"Give it up," Marco growled.

Lothos looked from Kyra, to Marco, to Cat, and finally to Xellos. "You think you've won," he whispered. "But this has only begun." His eyes, which had closed a few moments before, suddenly opened. There were no longer any visible pupils with them. Nothing but white. "I would've have spared you, beloved," he hissed at Cat, "but I don't take kindly to traitors. The four of you will face your death . . . now!"

He lunged at Xellos suddenly, sending the Mazoku flying. Kyra charged at the crazed Darkstar, staff outstretched and glowing brightly. "Power of Onyx, Come Forth from Within!" A large band of black and white light shot from the staff head, slicing through Lothos' chest. "I did it!" Kyra cried.

"Guess again." Lothos grabbed the staff and channeled the energy he'd absorbed back into the source. Kyra gasped and stumbled, falling to the ground.

"Kyra!" Xellos shouted from where he was pulling himself to his feet. He retrieved his own staff, made of dark obsidian, and held it before him. "Power of Obsidian, Into my Hand," he whispered. Lothos spun around and prepared to fire a large electric spark. Xellos gritted his teeth. "Hah!" He slammed the staff into the ground, sending a black charge sweeping through the concrete, tearing it up. The concrete chunks slammed into Lothos, breaking his concentration and knocking him to the ground.

Cat touched Marco's arm. "Feel up to it?" she asked. Marco didn't need to question what she meant. He nodded.

Closing his eyes, Marco focused all of his energy into a single point in front of him. He pictured his power, psychic and not, forming a large sphere.

But three of us do.

Who . . .?

Xellos?

Cat smiled inwardly. Xellos had been her friend and mentor, and at times something more, when she was younger. His return had destroyed Lothos' hold over her, and now, with all her memories intact, she could remember the past, and be free of it.

"What's happening?" Lothos hissed, feeling the power grow. "I don't believe it. The boy . . . a Guardian as well? And Cat? No, this can't be."

Cat's no Guardian, Lothos. She's the Astral Dancer!

"Kyra!" Lothos looked at the fallen Guardian, who had managed to revive herself and was now sitting up. The sphere of power grew as the Onyx power combined with Diamond, Obsidian, and Emerald.

You can't defeat us!

Guardians are sworn to defeat Darkstars, Lothos. That is the way of the past, and it will be the way of the future.

It's over, cousin.

Lothos looked at Cat. "Don't do this, beloved," he pleaded. "Don't cast me away!"

By the Power of Diamond, I command you -- EXILE!

The sphere encircled Lothos as the words were spoken. "You can't do this to me!" Lothos screamed, his voice echoing around them. "This isn't over, Cataluna, Cat of the Moon! You and your kind will perish for what you've done!"

Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the sounds stopped, and everything was quiet again.

The four psychics came out of the trance.

"Whoa," Marco breathed, "that was a trip. I didn't know I had it in me."

Kyra laughed, relieved. "We did it! We stopped Lothos!"

Xellos threw his staff in the air, and caught it as it came down. "We won! We won!"

The only one not celebrating was Cat. "It's not over," she whispered.

"What?" Marco asked, looking at her. "He's gone, Cat. You saw him."

Cat shook her head. "He'll be back," she said. "He's sworn to destroy us. And if there's one thing I've never doubted, it's the word of a Darkstar. They always keep their promises."

A chill swept through the room. Kyra looked toward the wall. "The AAA is coming. If they find us here . . . they can't know."

"By the way," Marco said. "What is all this about?"

Xellos placed his hand on his shoulder. "We'll explain everything on the way, kid."

"On the way to where?"

Xellos looked at Cat. "What do you say, Astral Dancer? Ready to go home?"

Cat nodded. "Let's go, guys."

Kyra smiled encouragingly at Marco. "Don't worry. You'll be back. Take my hand."

The four of them clasped hands, and everyone looked at Cat. She closed her eyes and pulled forth the image of the Diamond Lair from the generations of memories that now belonged to her.

"Diamond," she whispered.

"Obsidian," added Xellos.

"Onyx," said Kyra.

"And Emerald," Marco finished.

A minute later, the AAA's front attackers burst through the wall. But the four of them were already gone.

Chapter Sixteen

<So Marco wasn't there?> Galuit asked Jake, who had headed the attack.

Jake shook his head. "Neither was Cat, and according to Arbron and Strike, the person they were expecting was gone as well. The place looked like a war zone, though -- something happened."

<Sir,> Breeyar started, <do you think Marco was killed?>

Galuit shook his head. <I doubt it, Breeyar. Something tells me he'll be back.>

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<I don't know about this, Tobias,> T'auk said uncomfortably. <What if he doesn't like me?>

Tobias laughed. "Relax, T'auk. He doesn't even know you." Tobias quickly entered his access code and led T'auk into the science area. "Hello, Cassie."

Cassie smiled. "Hi, Tobias," she said. "And you must be T'auk. I'm Cassie Hill." She offered her hand, and T'auk shook it. "He's over there," she added, pointing.

T'auk looked at Tobias, who smiled encouragingly. The young Andalite stepped over to the other figure. <Um, hello. Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthil?>

Ax turned around. <T'auk-Emanel-Cooraf?>

T'auk nodded.

Ax's smiled broadly and clasped T'auk's forearm with his hand. T'auk immediately did the same. <Hello, my brother. Welcome to the AAA.>

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Across town, at the remains of the Yeerk Strategic Base, lay Nine. Its officers had managed to locate him after the AAA had retreated, due to being outnumbered, and Nine was now lying in the med. bay of its Empire Ship.

Curse those Animorphs! It thought. How dare they get in the way! And that damn Gryphon! I never should have trusted him!

Uh, uh, uh. Naughty, naughty, Nine. I can hear every word you say.

What in the world? Nine tried to open its eyes . . . but couldn't.

Haven't figured it out yet? This is just one power granted to a Darkstar.

Oh yes! You see, Nine, you're no longer the Controller. You are now the Controlled.

Now you'll find out what it's like to have someone living in your mind, Yeerk.

{ Woo-hoo! I did it! It's done! So, what'd you guys think? Don't worry, Marco fans, I'll bring him back. Those of you who watch the anime Slayers may have recognized Xellos as none other than Xellos Metallium, Mazoku Priest from Slayers Next. I'd like to thank all you readers who made this fic possible, and one reader who gave me a new character! Thanks! Well, I better sign off now. Check out the previews below, and I'll see you next time! Dosvidanya! }

Coming Attractions

JAKE'S DECISION