Animorphs - The Entire Series

freebooter

Oct 19, 2021 21:15

quote:

Luckily, our school has no guards or metal detectors like they have in the high schools.

Yikes. Even pre-Columbine?

Fuschia tude

Oct 20, 2021 00:06

freebooter posted:

Yikes. Even pre-Columbine?

Even post-Columbine, my high school had no metal detectors, just one cop on campus all the time that was called the "Student Resource Officer" IIRC

Malpais Legate

Oct 20, 2021 08:54

Fuschia tude posted:

Even post-Columbine, my high school had no metal detectors, just one cop on campus all the time that was called the "Student Resource Officer" IIRC

Same, I went to high school in the mid-late 00s and no school in my city had metal detectors or anything more than the Resource Officer.

FlocksOfMice

Oct 20, 2021 10:07

I really enjoy seeing Jake grow from "reluctant leader but only because someone needs to make the call" to "no he's actually the leader this is just how it works now" by sheer necessity of how long it's been going on.

Yeah, following Columbine our school had a few more "security guards" which were just janitors who sat in the foyer and watched who came in sleepily. The school shooting panic is something that got built up to its current nightmare world.

Tree Bucket

Oct 20, 2021 15:54

It must feel really weird to arrive at school every morning and be immediately reminded that People Are Trying To Kill You.

Epicurius

Oct 20, 2021 17:02

Tree Bucket posted:

It must feel really weird to arrive at school every morning and be immediately reminded that People Are Trying To Kill You.

People Are Trying To Kill You and if you get a bad grade on your math test, you'll probably get grounded and won't be able to go out and stop the intelligent space parasites who are trying to take over Earth from developing a hypnosis beam.

Epicurius

Oct 20, 2021 19:20

quote:

At eleven-thirty that night, with my dad safely snoring in his room, I morphed to seagull and flew to one of the little urban parks scattered throughout the downtown area. Benches, shrubs, trash cans, a few spindly trees. A place where the suits go to eat their bagel sandwiches.

I landed on the dusty ground to pick through the bounty that is an overturned garbage can when I heard the call of a bird of prey. Reluctantly I turned away from the remains of a gyro and took off to join a red-tailed hawk coming in from the north and a northern harrier, coming from the south.

A scavenger like the seagull are good flyers, low and fast. But not nearly as good as hawks and harriers. Too fat from gorging on hot dogs and clams, maybe. By the time I joined Ax and Tobias on the roof of the Sutherland Tower, I was exhausted from pushing for all that altitude.

<The light's not on in the office,> Tobias said.

<She's there,> I said confidently. She had to be. <Let's try that door.>

The door Tobias had told us about earlier wasn't keeping anyone out, least of all a roach.

Clearly at one point someone had pried his way in with a crowbar, leaving gouges plenty wide for even a hefty seagull.

But roach was the way to go.

They say that after the big one, total nuclear annihilation, when every other living thing has been turned into a pile of glowing mud, roaches will still be powering over the ruins of civilization.

The amazing indestructible roach. They adapt almost immediately to whatever poison is unleashed on them. And they eat virtually anything - books, glue, plants, dead fish, old sneakers. It's almost impossible to destroy them.

I like that about cockroaches.

The wind was whipping. Heavy clouds covered the moon and the stars. Only the lights on in the surrounding buildings pierced the gloom. We were three mutants on a depressing, deserted island in the sky. An acre of tarred gravel and air-conditioning machinery surrounded us. There was a flagpole,

no flag. The hoist kept slapping the pole with a sort of hollow twang.

The sight of Ax halfway between Andalite and cockroach was more interesting than disturbing. Like an armadillo from planet Kill-or-Be-Killed. A cat-sized beetle with a shell made of steel and six roach legs, each with an Andalite hoof. Add to that a foot-long tail with a spike made to stab and you have one mean-looking being.

Tobias, on the other hand, looked disgusting.

Red-tailed hawks and cockroaches were not meant to merge. You've got absolute majesty on the one hand and absolute utility on the other. Mother Nature didn't come up with a birdbug on her own for good reason.

Tobias's beak had transformed into a jaw, opening and shutting involuntarily. Pencil-size antennae jutted from his head. Two hairy stumps poked from the sides of his hawk neck. His wings had molted and shifted onto his back. I watched as they hardened into translucent shell. Below them I could see roach wings growing out of the top of his head.

I shuddered and started my own morph. Focused on all that was roach. Garbage, dark corners, bathrooms, opened cereal boxes ...

My skin hardened first, scalp to toes. My arms fused to my sides, then migrated to my back.

Four legs crept out of my sides and I fell forward. The floor had already been getting closer and closer as I shrank to the size of a quarter.

My vision pixilated. Compound roach eyes, with about two thousand lenses, were in place.

My antennae twitched as the roach's amazing sense of smell surged to life. Roaches can smell everything. Good smells like bacon frying. Bad smells like dog poop.

The roof smelled like tar and electricity and cigarette butts.

My innards lost definition and became one long intestinal tract. My mouth lost its lips. My tongue gravitated back into my throat and became a crop, a kind of second mouth.

And then the roach brain turned on. I was in the open.

Way open.

No shelter! No protection!

Fear! Fear! Fear!

I charged ahead and narrowly missed ramming another cockroach. I turned, scrambled across the tar paving of the roof, skittered across a pile of broken glass, and launched. I did an Evel Knievel into Ax.

<Marco, Tobias, I believe you may be in the grip of the cockroach instincts,> Ax said.

<Oh, and you're not?> Tobias countered. 

<Okay, okay, everyone stop,> I said. <Nobody move. Where are we heading?>

<The door. Which is ... well ...>

Ten minutes later we found our way back to the door. We crept through the ravaged door and skittered wildly down the steps.

There are two ways a roach can go down a set of stairs. It can climb across each tread and down each riser, or it can simply leap off each step and land on the step below.

Unfortunately, we had a lot of steps to go to get down to the twenty-second floor.

So I suggested a third possibility.

At least Marco got to eat before the mission. Also, I get the impression that the writer doesn't much like office workers.....the 'suits' eating their bagels.

Chapter 8

quote:

<The railing is continuous,> I pointed out. <We could race down along the railing.>

<What if we fall off?> Tobias asked.

<We land on the steps, big deal,> I said.

<What if we fall off to the right?>

I was afraid he was going to bring that up. Roach eyes couldn't see that far but I was pretty sure it was a straight drop all the way down. <Then we find out just how far a roach can fall without getting killed.>

<We do have to watch our time in morph,> Tobias said.

The railing was cylindrical painted steel. A bar welded here and there, but basically snaking downward in a long, steep series of tight ovals.

Climbing it was hard. Even for a roach. The paint was slick. Fortunately, it had been painted many times and the cracks and runs of many paint jobs gave us footholds.

Still, it was like climbing the Washington Monument. At the top we scrambled over onto the railing itself.

Picture one of those Olympic ski jumps. Only you can't see well enough to see the end. And it's curved, so you can slide off left or right. And if it's right you are going to fall for about three days.

I was in the lead.

 I said. 

<Twenty floors,> Tobias said. <Two turns equal a floor. Forty turns.>

 Ax offered.

Ax has no faith in our human ability to do simple things like count. With good reason.

<The horses are at the starting gate,> I said. <And ... they're off!>

I motored my roach legs and rocketed down the railing.

<Aaaaahhhhhh!>

Zooooooom!

Down the railing!

You think a roach looks fast from five feet up as you're trying to stomp it on the kitchen floor? It looks a lot faster down at roach level.

My face was a millimeter off the "ground." Like being strapped facedown underneath someone's Porsche.

My legs were splayed too wide, so that with each of my steps, each of my six legs slipped off into the air. The result was a sort of lurching, out-of-control run that had me skinning along on my belly half the time.

<Aaaahhhhh!> Tobias yelled from behind me.

<First turn!> I yelled.

I hit the turn going at what felt like two hundred miles an hour. I slid to my right to catch the banked corner.

It was total toboggan. It was the luge with rockets strapped to your butt. It was a ride that a skateboarder would have traded his kidneys for.

Down at insane speed, feet motoring, slipping, belly skinning, antennae whipping back. The "road" was a balance beam that had been replaced by a pipe.

It was insane!

<Turn!>

I whipped into a second turn, and now my momentum had taken over. There was no stopping.

There was no slowing down. We were out of control. We were projectiles, barely making contact with the steel, banking into 5g turns that would have dropped our guts out through our toes. If we'd had guts. Or toes.

Floor after floor! Bare escape after bare escape. Skittering, scrabbling, fighting, running like someone who's being dragged behind a bus.

<Two more turns and we are there,> Ax yelled.

<What do we do?>

<Jump!>

<Jump? When?>

<NOW!> Ax yelled.

So here's the thing if they fall off the wrong end of the railing. I don't know what kind of cockroach they morphed, but the two most common cockroaches found in the US are the American Cockroach and the German Cockroach. They both can hang on to walls. And they both can fly, They're not aerodynamic, and they don't have strong wings, so it's largely gliding, But still, if they do fall off and down, they can probabl get to the stairwell wall or to the steps.

QuickbreathFinisher

Oct 20, 2021 20:21

also I can't imagine the terminal velocity of a roach is that high. especially since we just spent a whole paragraph musing on their indestructibility... but yes also they can fly. still, it's impressive that 30+ books in we're still finding new ways to break into buildings.

freebooter

Oct 20, 2021 22:07

Epicurius posted:

So here's the thing if they fall off the wrong end of the railing. I don't know what kind of cockroach they morphed, but the two most common cockroaches found in the US are the American Cockroach and the German Cockroach.

Huh. I had no idea there were different kinds, I assumed they were just some super tough ancient proto-bug that spread to every corner of the earth long before humans ever did.

But apparently the ones I'm familiar with are the Australian cockroach, almost identical to the American cockroach, since both originally come from Africa.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_cockroach

(And I don't know why I didn't realise this, because I know that, counterintuitively, the housefly is an introduced species to Australia and also originally comes from Africa)

Epicurius

Oct 21, 2021 20:17

Chapter 9

quote:

I went into the final turn. No banking this time. It was time for the sled to go off the path while the announcer said, "Oh! Ladies and gentlemen, there's been a terrible accident; I hope everyone's okay!"

I hit the turn. I did not drop down to take the turn. I kept motoring, straight ahead. Straight ahead and suddenly my little roach feet were motoring on air.

<Aaaaahhhhh!>

I fell.

I fell a long way.

Plop!

I hit the floor.

Plop! Plop!

Ax and Tobias landed nearby.

<You okay?>

<Yeah. Ax-man?>



<That was cool!> I said.

<Way cool!> Tobias agreed.

<Let's never, ever do that again!> I said.

<Never. Ever.>

<Repetition of that activity would be a very bad idea,> Ax agreed.

We scooted over to, then under a fire door, with the steel scraping our backs, and into the hallway of the twenty-second floor.

The hall was dark except for a weak ray of light from the bottom of a closed door just ahead. We raced along the industrial carpet, hugging the wall.

Then the door to the lighted office opened.

A man stepped out and the hall lights went on.

Panic!

<Nobody move!>

We stood stock-still as the looming figure took another step.

"IRS and their audits," the man muttered.

He turned the lights off and locked the door behind him. Then he went ballistic.

"Roach!" he cried. I felt the violent vibration of his massive human foot slam down on the carpet.

<Ax! Tobias!>

 Ax replied.

 Tobias said. <Just stay put. Freeze!>

The man walked toward the elevator, muttering about how much rent he was paying for his office and there were roaches and they said it was a luxury building, hah!

There was a DING announcing the elevator's arrival. The hall lights went off. The elevator door closed. We were alone on the twenty-second floor.

Except, of course, for my mom.

No, not my mom, I told myself. I couldn't start thinking that way.

She was Visser One. That's who we were up against.

We scurried on until we reached what I was pretty sure was the door to the Visser's office. Up along the doorjamb, then across the surface of the door to the base of the window set in the center.

The roach's vision was not so spectacular. Still, I could make out enough of the room to decide it looked like a normal office. A reception desk, a plush chair, a leather couch, phones, computer, printer, a copy machine, a coffee-maker.

Nothing Yeerk about it at all.

<Perhaps we have the wrong location,> Ax said.



<We've got to go in. I didn't just survive the roller coaster from hell to turn around and give up.> Tobias said as he led the way. We skittered back down the door and tried to squeeze under it. No luck.

<An impenetrable seal,> Ax noted. <Probably around the entire doorframe.>

<No one puts this tight a seal around an average office door.> I sighed. <Looks like the air vent's our best bet.>

I led the way up the wall and through the air vent I'd been sucked into that morning.

<Which way?> Tobias asked.

<I'm guessing to the right.>

We scrambled through scatterings of lint and ash to a vent that opened into what had to be the Visser's lair. Assuming the Visser was preparing to go to war with a small country.

<Hologram paint,> Ax explained. <One can paint a window, project a hologram onto the back of this paint, and thereby disguise a room. The Visser has projected the picture of a normal office onto the back of the paint. Very clever.>

<So anyone who passes by, like a security guard, won't know what's going down in here,> Tobias added.

<It's got to be on the exterior windows, too,> I surmised. <To fool window washers.>

<Or red-tailed hawks. Let's do this quick and get out of here.>

In almost total darkness we crawled out through the grate and along the ceiling until we reached a wall. Then down the wall and onto the gray industrial carpeting.

<I'll demorph first,> Ax said. <In case there is need for defense.>

In a few minutes, we were in our normal forms. With our keen Andalite, hawk, and human senses.

It was then I wished I was still a roach. A roach would not have seen so clearly what I saw now.

In the corner of the room was a small, portable Yeerk pool. Like a stainless-steel Jacuzzi. The steel-bound briefcase I'd seen that morning was nearby.

On the lip of the portable Yeerk pool was a large clamp. A sort of collar.

My mother's neck was in that collar. It held her tight. It held her head sideways, so that one side of her face, one ear, was pressed into the water.

The rest of her body stood awkwardly, helplessly, bent over.

<The Yeerk is feeding,> Ax said coldly.

A Yeerk must return to the Yeerk pool every three days to absorb Kandrona rays. Otherwise it starves.

The complex box was a portable Kandrona.

My mother was, for this time, for just these few moments, my mother. The Yeerk slug that was Visser One was out of her head, in the liquid, feeding.

Right now she was my mom.

Five steps and I would be beside her.

I moved.

So first off, that's horrible. I think we can all agree on that.

Also, audits! Am I right? And random roach fact....the reason it's very hard to kill a roach by stepping on it is that they can actually flatten themselves.....that's how they get through narrow spaces (and, in fact, roaches prefer very tight spaces.

Chapter 10

quote:

<Marco!> Tobias snapped.

A second step. A third!

<Ax!>

Suddenly there was an Andalite tail blade at my throat.

I stopped.

<No, Marco,> Ax said calmly. <Visser One will be back in your mother's head the second she senses any danger. And you could not open those locks with force. They are no doubt controlled by a brain-wave interface. So that the Yeerk can maintain control, even outside your mother's body.>

I grabbed his tail and tried to shove it away.

But an Andalite tail is nothing but one long, coiled muscle. It moved about three inches.

<Marco, stop it!> Tobias said. <Back off and think about it! Right now she's turned away, so she can't see you. You step into her line of sight, she'll know.>

I stopped trying to push Ax's tail away.

<We're here to investigate, Marco,> Tobias said gently. <Not the time, my friend. No matter how much you want it to be, this isn't the time.>

<What if you fail, Marco?> Ax asked. <If you reveal yourself but are unable to stop the Yeerk from reentering her. What then, Marco?>

My mother was locked into a vise, three feet away from me. Maybe Ax was wrong. Maybe I could release the clamp. Maybe ...

I stepped back.

I felt like dirt. She was right there! Free, if only for a moment. I could tell her I was okay! I could tell her ...

Nothing. I could tell her nothing. Ax was probably right. I would not have been able to free her.

Visser One would reinfest. Security would be breached. Our secret revealed. And then?

And then we would have to destroy the innocent as well as the guilty.

It made sense. It was the cold, calculated, smart thing to do.

I wiped my hand over my face. It came away wet.

"What's that? In the corner," I whispered, distracting myself.

<Surveillance and communications equipment.>

It was a console about the size of an upright piano. On top sat a satellite dish, pointed toward the outside window. In the middle of the console was a large screen. And on that screen were images that seemed to have been shot from above.

Images that were disturbingly familiar. Images of free Hork-Bajir.

<Visser One knows about the Hork-Bajir colony,> Tobias said grimly. <That's what she's up to.>

<Handheld Dracon weapons over there, surveillance devices, a portable Yeerk pool,> Ax observed, looking around the room with his stalk eyes. <Everything the Visser needs for guerrilla action.>

<That briefcase, by the side of the Yeerk pool,> Tobias said. <Is that what she was carrying this morning, Marco?>

"Yeah. And there's another one on the desk by the window," I whispered.

<Emergency Kandrona Particle Generators,> Ax surmised. <One use each. It appears the Visser only has six days to finish whatever it is she's started.>

"Rot in hell!"

It was said softly, but ferociously. We froze.

My mother's voice! But who was she talking to? To us? Did she know we were there? Had she heard us?

No. No, of course: She was talking to the Yeerk. It must have begun to reinfest her.

BBWWBBWWBBWW!

The room started to tremble. I jumped, startled out of my trance.

<What?> Tobias demanded.

"Out of here!" I hissed.

We darted through a second door. Into a small, private bathroom.

BAM!

Even in the bathroom I felt the shock of the blow. Someone or something slamming the office door with the force of a battering ram.

BAM! BAM!

"The Yeerks," I said. "They're here to kill her!"

<Then they will be doing our job for us,> Ax answered coldly.

"Not while I stand around and watch," I said.

<The person in the next room is not your mother. It is Visser One. She will kill you the first chance she gets.>

I ignored him. Gorilla. It was my favorite power morph and I was ready to bust some heads. If I couldn't save my mother from her Yeerk, at least I could save her from whoever was trying to kill Visser One.

<You are being extremely foolish,> Ax said.

"Bull. You're letting your hatred of Yeerks get in the way. If Visser Three is trying to kill Visser One there may be an opening for us."

<An opportunity?> Tobias said thoughtfully.

<Maybe,> Ax allowed. <But Prince Jake said we were not to ->

"Blame me," I muttered.

<We will,> Tobias said with a laugh.

FWAM!

The outer door crashed in.

TSEEEW! TSEEEW!

The familiar sounds of Dracon beams firing!

I opened the bathroom door. In the office, total chaos.

The Visser had freed my mother's body from the pool and she was crouched behind the surveillance console. She was firing a Dracon beam.

A Hork-Bajir was staggering back, a burning hole in its chest. But more were pushing through the doorway.

<Party time,> I said, now fully gorilla.

I opened the bathroom door and barreled out.

Visser One shot a surprised glance at me. She hesitated. Should she shoot?

Two huge Hork-Bajir rushed her. She turned her attention back to them. Too late!

A bladed arm swung. It was meant to remove my mother's arm. It missed and knocked the weapon from her hand.

She was helpless. The Hork-Bajir leaned close.

WHUMPF!

My fist flattened the snout of the Hork-Bajir. He staggered back. Visser One dived for her Dracon beam. Ax leaped from the bathroom.

"Andalite!" one of the Hork-Bajir yelled in shock.

FWAPP!

Ax's tail blade did to the Hork-Bajir what he'd intended doing to my mom.

But the Hork-Bajir were still coming. There were four in the room. More outside.

"Tseeeeer!"

Tobias flapped, talons out. A flurry of russet feathers and the Hork-Bajir fell back, clutching his eyes.

We fought our way through the stunned aliens, smashing and slashing. And then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Visser One level her Dracon beam. At me!

Too far away for me to reach her. <Ax!> I yelled.

FWAPP!

The bullwhip-fast tail slammed the portable Kandrona and knocked it into her head.

<Rather stupid, Visser, since we are attempting to save your life,> he said to her.

"I don't take help from Andalites!" she screamed in rage. But her weapon was out of reach. Hork-Bajir blocked any hope of retrieving it.

The Visser turned and ran into the bathroom.

I jumped to my feet, just in time, for an injured Hork-Bajir flailing blindly was about to cut a deep gash in my side. I grabbed it by one of its bladed arms and flung it into a wall. I sunk my fist into a second Hork-Bajir. And Tobias did his own damage. But it was Ax who was winning this fight. His tail was whipping left, right, too fast for the eye to follow.

The Hork-Bajir fell back before him. Fell back fighting at first, then in panic. They fought to get back out through the door.

I grabbed the splintered mess of door and shoved it back in place.

I gave Ax a look. <Dude. I think you really scared them.>

<We obviously took them by surprise,> he said modestly.

 Tobias said, hawk head cocked.

<Is it a getaway, or reinforcements?>

<Don't know. Marco. Open that window for me.>

I picked up a chair and threw it against the window. It shattered. <In high-rise office buildings the windows don't open,> I said.

Tobias flew out through shards of glittering glass. He reported immediately. <They're outta here!>"

Die, Andalite!"

The bathroom door flew open. An arm was raised. A frail-looking arm. With a not-at-all-fraillooking Dracon beam.

She'd stashed a weapon in the bathroom!

TSEEEW! TSEEEW!

The light beams were aimed dead-center at Ax. But Ax wasn't there by the time she'd pulled the trigger.

I dove for the floor and shot forward, sliding on spilt Hork-Bajir blood. The Visser was crouched behind the surveillance console again, hate in her eyes. In my massive fist I grabbed one of the Visser's enormous briefcases and blocked a shot aimed at my head.

With all the power of my gorilla muscles and all the rage of a kid bent on revenge, I leaped forward, tumbled over the surveillance console, and onto Visser One.

WHHUMMPPFFF.

Four hundred pounds of muscle and flesh crushing my mother's slim human body.

I stood up, yanked her to her feet, calmly disarmed her, and tossed the weapon aside. I put her in an armlock.

A gentle armlock.

<We save your regrettable life and you try to kill us,> Ax sneered. <You are a perfect

representative of your species.> "So why don't you kill me?" Visser One spat. "Arrogant Andalite filth! Why don't you kill me now?"

<As you wish,> Ax said, nodding to me. <For my part I say: Kill her.>

I don't usually have a lot to say about combat chapters, but I really feel for Marco here.

freebooter

Oct 22, 2021 01:06

I like the moments when we get a smaller group separated from the rest of the Animorphs and I feel like Marco/Tobias/Ax as a trio have a good dynamic. Though Ax is being a bit of a dick here.

quote:

<The person in the next room is not your mother.>

Like... yes it is, because there are two people in that room.

edit - also it just occurred to me Marco hearing his mum say "rot in hell" is the first time in the series that either we or he have heard her speak, rather than Visser One speaking with her voice. So it's probably nice for him to know she's still putting up a fight.

Andrew_1985

Oct 22, 2021 02:28

I had never read that most recent Megamorphs. Honestly, it kinda fell apart for me. After Jake died and they are somehow immortal, it lost any stakes.

Meanwhile this plot involving Marco's mum is absolutely engaging.

Epicurius

Oct 22, 2021 05:35

freebooter posted:

I like the moments when we get a smaller group separated from the rest of the Animorphs and I feel like Marco/Tobias/Ax as a trio have a good dynamic. Though Ax is being a bit of a dick here.

Like... yes it is, because there are two people in that room.

Ax knows. He was the one who couldn't kill Alloran, remember? But I think what Ax is trying to warn him is that he can't treat Visser One like his mother, or let Visser One live because Marco doesn't want his mother to die.

disaster pastor

Oct 22, 2021 05:56

Epicurius posted:

Ax knows. He was the one who couldn't kill Alloran, remember? But I think what Ax is trying to warn him is that he can't treat Visser One like his mother, or let Visser One live because Marco doesn't want his mother to die.

Yeah. There are two people in the next room, but only one of them is going to be an active participant in what happens next, and it's not Marco's mother.

Strategic Tea

Oct 22, 2021 16:33

IMO it makes excellent sense to keel her alive so she and V3 can continue to waste Yeerk resources feuding with each other.

Also having a load of controllers escape to report she was bailed out by andalites hiding in her bathroom will only stir the pot further :nsa:

freebooter

Oct 22, 2021 17:03

Epicurius posted:

Ax knows. He was the one who couldn't kill Alloran, remember? But I think what Ax is trying to warn him is that he can't treat Visser One like his mother, or let Visser One live because Marco doesn't want his mother to die.

disaster pastor posted:

Yeah. There are two people in the next room, but only one of them is going to be an active participant in what happens next, and it's not Marco's mother.

It's effectively a hostage situation and I think it's fine to enter a hostage situation with the aim of keeping the hostage alive, whether it's your mother or not. Ax surely knows Marco well enough at this point that he knows he's not just going to be like "oh we can trust her, that's my mum!"

edit - and as for killing her, there's absolutely no reason they couldn't kidnap her and starve the Yeerk out, since she's clearly a fugitive anyway

e X

Oct 22, 2021 17:04

This is genuinely the first book I have never heard of, neither have read it or read any description online. I actually reached the end of my Animorphs experience. And so far, it is a really strong showing.

Epicurius

Oct 22, 2021 17:29

freebooter posted:

It's effectively a hostage situation and I think it's fine to enter a hostage situation with the aim of keeping the hostage alive, whether it's your mother or not. Ax surely knows Marco well enough at this point that he knows he's not just going to be like "oh we can trust her, that's my mum!"

I don't know that Ax does know that. I don't know if I know that. I don't even know if at this point Marco knows that. I mean, look at what just happened in this chapter. He would have gone to his mom, locked up over the Yeerk poolm even though he knew it was a bad idea and Tobias told him not to, if Ax wasn't willing to threaten him with death to stop him.

Look, I'm not saying Marco is actually going to say, "She's my mom, we can trust her.", but like Ax observed in an earlier book, human beings judge by appearances, and even though Marco knows that this is Visser One in his mom's body, is that fact that this is his mom going to affect his behavior? Will he be more likely to take risks that could get the team in trouble? Is he going to be more reluctant to kill Visser One if he knows his mom will die too?

Comrade Blyatlov

Oct 22, 2021 17:51

God I love all the books with Visser One. She is such a great villain, and the only thing that really saves the Animorphs is that she's more focused on Visser Three than them.

freebooter

Oct 22, 2021 17:52

Epicurius posted:

I don't know that Ax does know that. I don't know if I know that. I don't even know if at this point Marco knows that. I mean, look at what just happened in this chapter. He would have gone to his mom, locked up over the Yeerk poolm even though he knew it was a bad idea and Tobias told him not to, if Ax wasn't willing to threaten him with death to stop him.

That I actually think was totally understandable, given that it's a very lucky and brief window they've stumbled into where the Visser's vulnerable - they could kill her and free his mum, two birds one stone. And it's Ax who has to warn him that the technology means it's not going be a simple matter of just unclasping her.

But I can also definitely see why Tobias and Ax are on edge about it and the more that I think about it, "I've got a family event to go to" was really not a good excuse for Jake to delegate responsibility on this mission.

freebooter

Oct 22, 2021 17:53

Comrade Blyatlov posted:

God I love all the books with Visser One. She is such a great villain, and the only thing that really saves the Animorphs is that she's more focused on Visser Three than them.

I honestly think Visser Chronicles (or just "Visser" or whatever they called it) is one of the best books in the series.

HIJK

Oct 22, 2021 18:15

freebooter posted:

That I actually think was totally understandable, given that it's a very lucky and brief window they've stumbled into where the Visser's vulnerable - they could kill her and free his mum, two birds one stone. And it's Ax who has to warn him that the technology means it's not going be a simple matter of just unclasping her.

But I can also definitely see why Tobias and Ax are on edge about it and the more that I think about it, "I've got a family event to go to" was really not a good excuse for Jake to delegate responsibility on this mission.

hindsight 20/20 etc. it was supposed to be a recon mission.

Epicurius

Oct 22, 2021 18:45

freebooter posted:

But I can also definitely see why Tobias and Ax are on edge about it and the more that I think about it, "I've got a family event to go to" was really not a good excuse for Jake to delegate responsibility on this mission.

"Sorry, dad. I want to go to Grandma's birthday dinner, but I have to turn into a cockroach so I can break into an office building downtown with my friends to find out what the parasitic alien that lives in Marco's dead mom's brain is up to. Err, don't tell Tom, ok?"

Tree Bucket

Oct 22, 2021 18:59

Epicurius posted:

"Sorry, dad. I want to go to Grandma's birthday dinner, but I have to turn into a cockroach so I can break into an office building downtown with my friends to find out what the parasitic alien that lives in Marco's dead mom's brain is up to. Err, don't tell Tom, ok?"

You can tell this is a product of the 90's. Of course now it would be "Sorry, son. I want to go to Grandma's birthday dinner, but I have to turn into a patriot so I can picket an office building downtown with my Qanoneers to find out what the parasitic alien that lives in Marco's liberal mom's vaccinations is up to."

Epicurius

Oct 22, 2021 20:14

Chapter 11

quote:

<Kill her now,> Ax said in public thought-speak.

But in a private aside, heard only by me and Tobias, he added, 

I tightened my grip. Let her feel the irresistible power in my arms. I resisted the urge to cry, "I'm sorry, Mom!"

"Stop!" the Visser screamed. "Don't kill me!"

I relaxed my massive arms. My mother's human body slumped. I could hear her labored breathing. See her shoulder blades through the thin silk blouse she wore.

<Why shouldn't we kill you?> Ax taunted. <You Yeerks killed my brother, Elfangor.>

"Elfangor's brother! I might have known some branch of his squalid, cowardly family still lived! But it was Visser Three who ended Elfangor's evil life. He's the one you want. And so do I. I want him dead as much as you do. Not that I wouldn't have been proud to claim Elfangor as my own victim."

<I'm going to let her go,> I said. I couldn't hold her any longer. I was halfway between a loving hug and a furious strangle.

<She may still have concealed weapons,> Ax said privately.

<Hey, I am not frisking my own mother.>

<She's not carrying anything,> Tobias said. <I'd see it.>

I let her go. She straightened her blonde wig and took a few deep breaths.

I knocked the wig from her head with a sudden backhand. I don't know why.

The Visser ... my mother ... shot me a look of cold amusement. "Gentle Andalite warrior," she said mockingly.

<You're alive. So be quiet,> I snapped.

"I won't be alive for long," she said, suddenly weary. "Visser Three had accused me of treason. Now, once his Hork-Bajir report, he'll have the proof he can take to the Council of Thirteen. They've issued a gashad. A warrant to kill me on sight."

Tobias flew over to the photographs we'd seen earlier. <What were you up to?>

She laughed. "And wouldn't you like to know its every detail."

<Yes, we would,> Ax said. <And you will tell us. Or you will die.>

"I'm already dead."

<Your plan must involve discrediting Visser Three,> Ax said. <We might help. If it were Visser Three with the gashad on his head, your own head would be more secure.>

Her dark eyes glittered. "You help me destroy Visser Three, then you destroy me. Is that the plan?"

<Yes,> I said bluntly.

She laughed derisively. "The truth. You do me the honor of not taking me for a fool."

<And if you get the chance you will destroy Visser Three, and then us,> I said.

She leaned close, bringing her face so close to mine. "Yes, I will."

<Now, Yeerk,> Ax said, <you will tell us your story. I would advise hurrying. Visser Three's forces will be back.>

I watched as my mother's body straightened. Her voice was calm, unemotional.

"I had returned to Earth to construct an underwater facility. It would produce a host body useful for the invasion of Leera. But, as you Andalites know, that facility was destroyed. I was disgraced. I was demoted to sub-Visser rank. But Visser Three set out to complete my destruction. He told anyone who would listen that I was a traitor. The Council of Thirteen believed him and issued the gashad. I have been in hiding ever since."

<Yet, here you are, on Earth. Seemingly alone,> Ax said. <No doubt there is a ship in orbit. And perhaps a Bug fighter hidden here on the planet. No doubt you have more of the emergency Kandrona generators on board.>

The Visser shook her head. "I'm not leading you to my ship, Andalite."

Before I knew what I was doing, before I had time to think, I snatched up the portable Kandrona and slammed it hard on the floor.

<Tell her "ticktock," Ax,> I said.

"A good tactical move," the Visser said. "Shorten my time. Make me desperate. But it won't work."

<We'll see,> I muttered.

<What is your plan, Yeerk?> Ax pressed. <What information do you have on Visser Three that could redeem you in the eyes of the Council of Thirteen?>

Visser One relaxed my mother's body against the shot-up surveillance console. For a moment she looked as innocent as a third-grade teacher about to tell a folksy story about the young Abe Lincoln.

"Free Hork-Bajir," she said simply. "Visser Three has allowed escaped Hork-Bajir to start a colony right under his nose."

<But the Yeerks have enslaved the entire Hork-Bajir population.> Ax replied. <There are no free Hork-Bajir left in the galaxy, much less here on Earth.>

"Don't play dumb with me," the Visser said. "It's the one thing we admire about you Andalites: your intelligence."

<Where did you get this theory of yours?> Ax demanded.

"That's my business." Visser One shrugged. "There are all sorts of ways to figure out what is going on underground if you have the mental acuity, which Visser Three most assuredly does not. Tell me Andalite," the Visser continued. "How did your brother, the mighty Elfangor, succumb to so flawed and incompetent a Yeerk as Visser Three?"

 Ax replied, calmly.

"I know the importance of revenge to the Andalite culture," Visser One said. "Visser Three killed your brother. You are honor-bound to kill him. I can make that happen."

<For a price,> Ax said.

"For a price," she agreed.

<What price?> I asked.

"The Hork-Bajir colony. Give me the free Hork-Bajir. I will give you Visser Three."

The Elimist: "Tobias, I have made a Hidden Valley for the free Hork-Bajir, where they will remain undetected!
Visser One: "I think I'll just use this drone here on earth, and see what I can see....
<Drone shows free Hork-Bajir eating salad with ranch dressing>
Tobias: <Damn it, Elimist!>

No, really, great job with the undetectable valley, Elimist.

Also, I'll point out that Marco can't even restrain Visser One here without being emotionally conflicted, and he won't frisk his "own mother". Marco is a lot less psychologically able to deal with this situation than he thinks he is.

Chapter 12

quote:

A moment of silence.

<Tell her we agree,> I told Ax privately.

Tobias erupted. <Are you insane! There's no way we're giving up the Hork-Bajir!>

<No, we won't. But she doesn't know that. She thinks we're Andalites. You know the one word Yeerks always use in describing Andalites? Ruthless. That's what they think. She'll buy it.>

Ax said, <That is all you ask, Yeerk? The free Hork-Bajir?> He laughed. 

"We have a deal?"

Ax said, <Tobias?>

<You had so better know what you're doing, Marco my man,> Tobias said to me. <This is way beyond anything Jake and the others have approved. We're doing a deal with the enemy.>

<You want Visser Three?> I shot back. <She can give us Visser Three.>

<And then she replaces him,> Tobias said. 

<It's good strategy, Tobias. You know I'm good at that. You know I'm good at seeing the main chance.>

<Yeah. You are. But that's your mother.>

I couldn't argue with that. <Jake left it up to you, Tobias.>

Tobias laughed without any humor. <You'd better not be playing us, Marco. If it comes down to it, Visser One ... no matter what host body ... is meat. You know that, right? You're clear on that.>

<I'm clear,> I said.

<Okay, Ax-man,> Tobias said.

<We have a deal,> Ax said.

"Tell me where to find the free Hork-Bajir!"

<You will be given that information when the time comes,> Ax said. <Once Visser Three is exposed, I will kill him. That way, you will have not committed treason by murdering a full Visser and I will have achieved my sworn revenge.>

"One more thing: You and the rest of your gang will be there. I will need you to help me eliminate the free Hork-Bajir. I am one person, all alone."

Ax started to answer. I stopped him.

<Agree, Ax.>

<What?> Tobias demanded.

<Alone my butt,> I said. <She has some kind of force. She's too calm. Too relaxed about Visser Three trying another attack here. She already has her forces nearby. Agree to what she asks.>

<A Hork-Bajir is a Hork-Bajir,> Ax said indifferently. <No more than animals to us.>

"Contact me when you are ready," she said.

<How?>

She smiled then. A smile that was my mother's smile. Again I felt the opposite urges: to cry and to destroy.

"I have E-mail." She laughed and told us the address.

Then she narrowed her eyes and looked at us, each, one after the other. "One of you does almost all the talking. Two of you stay in morph. Visser Three is a fool. He has overlooked something strange about your group of rebels. He has missed something."

She grinned a savage grin. "But don't worry. When I am returned to power I will figure it out. And then ..." She made a gun hand, pointed it at my head, and said, "and then ... TSEEEEW!"

So, no wrong answers....what's Visser One's email address?

Comrade Blyatlov

Oct 22, 2021 20:31

Visserthreeisafool@yeerk.mil

Tree Bucket

Oct 22, 2021 20:33

Comrade Blyatlov posted:

Visserthreeisafool@yeerk.mil

"This is account is already in use. Please select an unused address."

freebooter

Oct 22, 2021 23:20

quote:

Then she narrowed her eyes and looked at us, each, one after the other. "One of you does almost all the talking. Two of you stay in morph. Visser Three is a fool. He has overlooked something strange about your group of rebels. He has missed something."

She grinned a savage grin. "But don't worry. When I am returned to power I will figure it out. And then ..." She made a gun hand, pointed it at my head, and said, "and then ... TSEEEEW!"

She has absolutely already figured it out and so has any other Yeerk who wonders why everyone's always in a "battle" morph except for the one Andalite. (I can't remember - have we seen any Controllers talking about rumours that actually maybe some humans have the morphing power?)

Also have to admire the commitment here of the Dracon beam onomatopoeia making its way into actual dialogue.

Fuschia tude

Oct 23, 2021 00:04

freebooter posted:

She has absolutely already figured it out and so has any other Yeerk who wonders why everyone's always in a "battle" morph except for the one Andalite. (I can't remember - have we seen any Controllers talking about rumours that actually maybe some humans have the morphing power?)

It hasn't been explicitly stated. After the David sequence though the idea that humans could have used the device should be floating around out there as at least theoretically plausible, considering they know at least one human had his hands on it.

Mazerunner

Oct 23, 2021 04:14

Epicurius posted:

The Elimist: "Tobias, I have made a Hidden Valley for the free Hork-Bajir, where they will remain undetected!
Visser One: "I think I'll just use this drone here on earth, and see what I can see....
<Drone shows free Hork-Bajir eating salad with ranch dressing>
Tobias: <Damn it, Elimist!>

No, really, great job with the undetectable valley, Elimist.

You think that wasn't an intentional 12-dimensional chess move?

Bibliotechno Music

Oct 23, 2021 06:36

Epicurius posted:

Chapter 11

Also, I'll point out that Marco can't even restrain Visser One here without being emotionally conflicted, and he won't frisk his "own mother". Marco is a lot less psychologically able to deal with this situation than he thinks he is.

I've been noticing how physically Marco talks about his mother in this book. Her smell, being able to see her shoulder blades through her shirt, holding her in the half-chokehold half-hug...sure, it's about how her body is the only thing that's really his mom as long as she's infested, but it also tunes into the infant-brain that imprinted on his mother so long ago. That part of it is heartbreaking and keeps making me unexpectedly emotional.

E: also he might not want to frisk Visser One because then he'd have to touch his mom's butt and inner thighs.

Pwnstar

Oct 23, 2021 09:19

The most fucked up Marco's mom thing is that his dad loved her the most when she was a Yeerk because the Yeerk didn't give a shit about getting into fights about dumb stuff so he felt like they were finally in sync.

freebooter

Oct 23, 2021 13:57

Fuschia tude posted:

It hasn't been explicitly stated. After the David sequence though the idea that humans could have used the device should be floating around out there as at least theoretically plausible, considering they know at least one human had his hands on it.

I might be misremembering it but I feel like at some point the rumour starts floating around the Yeerks, but never gets any traction because if it turned out to be true it would mean Visser Three had overlooked something pretty fucking major and nobody wants to be the one to bring that up.

Epicurius

Oct 23, 2021 14:41

freebooter posted:

I might be misremembering it but I feel like at some point the rumour starts floating around the Yeerks, but never gets any traction because if it turned out to be true it would mean Visser Three had overlooked something pretty fucking major and nobody wants to be the one to bring that up.

It's something Tom's first Yeerk suspects in The Message, when he sees human footprints on the beach near where the Animorphs disappeared, and he mentions it to Chapman. From that:

quote:

Tom's voice. Then Chapman's. "I don't see them. They can't swim far. The current is too strong. Fan out up and down the beach."

"Do you think these are the Andalite guerillas?"

"No. The tracks are human. Just some kids, probably. I doubt they saw anything. That fool should not have been shooting."

"Sir," a new voice said. "We found a pair of jeans in the surf. Look like they could be for a kid."

"Any identification in them?"

"No. Nothing."

"Coincidence," Chapman said. "Probably."

"If they're human, why don't we see them out there?" Tom asked. "Four sets of human tracks. No humans in the water. Is it possible... is Visser Three wrong? What if they're not Andalites at all?"

I sank beneath the water. The morph was almost complete. But as I went under I heard Chapman laugh cruelly. "Visser Three wrong? Maybe. But I'm not the fool who's going to try and tell him."

It's an example of how Visser Three's management style and his willingness to listen to employees makes him an effective leader.

Epicurius

Oct 23, 2021 18:27

Chapter 13

quote:

We left. We demorphed in the stairwell and climbed the stairs the hard way. As soon as we reached the roof Tobias took to the air to catch a look around.

<Four helicopters on the way,> he reported. <They'll be here in five minutes. Visser One will have a bunch of Visser Three's Hork-Bajir down on her before she knows it.>

"Let's get wings," I suggested to Ax.

Moments later we all three took to the air. It was hard flying. No updrafts, no thermals at night, just dead air you have to flap your way through like a bat.

We flew through the tall concrete and steel forest. Here and there a single light, or the lights of an entire floor burned. I saw cleaning people pushing wheeled trash cans and vacuums.

One light illuminated a room full of tired-looking men and women eating pizza and standing around some kind of chart.

It's strange, but flying near tall buildings always makes you feel like you're higher up. You notice the altitude, I guess, when you realize you're flying past the fortieth floor or whatever.

No one said anything till we were clear. The clatter of helicopters was loud behind us.

I was confident that Visser Three's troops would find an empty room.

<Well, Marco, you've just agreed to betray Jara Hamee, Toby, the entire Hork-Bajir colony. You'd better have a plan.>



<Gonna tell us about it?>

<We're going to take them both down. Vissers One and Three,> I said. <They want to kill each other, we'll help them.>

I could sense Tobias's hesitation. <You're setting up your mom?>

<No. I'm setting up Visser One.>

<Marco, she's ->

<Shut up, Tobias,> I snapped. <Okay? I know all about it. You guys don't think I'll do it? Well, here's a news flash: I'll do it. Me. Not any of you. Me. My plan, okay?>

<You don't have to prove anything, dude,> Tobias said.

<It's not about proving anything. It's about winning this stupid war.>

<We must speak with Prince Jake, of course. Inform him of what we have learned. Obtain his approval of your plan.> Ax, of course.

<It's the middle of the night. We can't get to Jake right now. Not with Tom home. We'll talk to Jake tomorrow. Right now, we act.>

Tobias shifted his wings, moving slightly away. I swear, I've never met anyone who could express disapproval the way Tobias can.

But at that moment I didn't care what Tobias thought. Taking control, doing, would keep me from dwelling on it. From falling apart.

I knew Tobias and Ax were doubtful. I knew they didn't entirely trust me. They thought I was playing a double game. But they were wrong. I had seen the way to destroy both Vissers. I had seen it in all its perfection.

People don't understand the word ruthless. They think it means "mean." It's not about being mean. It's about seeing the bright, clear line that leads from A to B. The line that goes from motive to means. Beginning to end. It's about seeing that bright, clear line and not caring about anything but the beautiful fact that you can see the solution. Not caring about anything else but the perfection of it. That's what had happened. I saw the way to take both Vissers down. And that's all that mattered.

But I wasn't going to explain all that. Other people's pity just messes with the straight line. Other people's pity makes you think things you can't think about when you are seeing the line.

<Look, we're gonna need to acquire an animal native to mountaintops. But I'm not a zoologist, so we go see Cassie.>

<It's the middle of the night where Cassie lives, too,> Tobias said.

<Yeah, but she doesn't have a Controller in the house with her,> I said.

<We do not know that for certain,> Ax pointed out.

<If you guys want to bail, fine. I can do this alone.>

A bluff. I knew they'd hang with me. Tobias had no choice. He could either try and stop me forcefully, or go along.

<You're a jerk, Marco,> Tobias said.

<Yeah, I love you, too,>

I mean, the highlight of the chapter is Marco's explanation of the term ruthless, but I also admire the way he can manipulate Tobias here. (Tobias isn't really a great leader, I don't think)

Chapter 14

quote:

The night was peaceful as we flew.

I knew in my heart that four chopper loads of Hork-Bajir had burst into an empty office and found no one. Knew it. I don't believe in destiny. But I felt destiny this time.

We would meet, Visser One and I. We would meet on a mountaintop. And I would end it all there.

Only a few stars shone high in the sky through the thinning clouds. We flew closer together than we ordinarily would during the day, when the sight of three birds of prey grouped together in the sky would attract unwanted attention. We flew from downtown to uptown, across the neighborhood where Jake and I and Rachel live, out past more suburbs, and into the almost country where Cassie's family has their home and the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.

We landed in a large, leafy tree whose branches gently scraped Cassie's bedroom window.

Tobias moved close, walking the comical sideways bird walk, like a parrot in its cage. He tapped on the window with his beak.

TAP. TAP. TAP.

<She's not moving,> he said.

<Is she in there?> I asked.

<No, it's after midnight, so naturally she's out in the yard playing Hacky Sack,> Tobias snipped. He was ticked at having control taken from him.

<Hacky Sack?> I said.

<Hacky Sack?> Ax echoed.

<Everyone shut up!> Tobias said in exasperation.

<Tap louder.>

<Gee, do you think, Marco?>

TAP! TAP! TAP!

<Nothing. Must be dreaming about ...>

TAP! TAP! TA-CSSSHHHH!

The glass shattered. It fell in a shower of glittering shards.

<Oops.>

"Jake?" Cassie bolted upright in bed.

<Awww, isn't that sweet?> I said, so Cassie could hear. <Her first thought is "Jake." Makes you wonder just what kind of dreams she was having.>

<Cassie, it's us,> Tobias said. <Sorry about the glass.>

"I'm going to have to explain this you know," Cassie said, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Then, belatedly, she snatched modestly at the neck of her sleep shirt.

<Just say a bird hit the window,> Ax suggested. <You would not be lying.>

"That would be a change from routine," Cassie muttered. "What are you guys doing?"

<Checking out babes,> I suggested.

"Marco, what are you all doing here? What happened tonight? Is anyone hurt?"

<We are unhurt,> Ax said.

<We need a good morph for traveling in the mountains,> I said. <Something that can climb. Something with some size, if possible. Some ability to inflict punishment.>

"You better not have woken me up and broken my window to-"

<Kind of a ticktock situation, here -> I interrupted.

Cassie looked doubtfully at Tobias, then Ax.

<Marco has a plan,> Tobias said dryly.

"Jake?"

<Cassie, just help us, okay?> I said.

She sucked in a deep breath. "Okay. Mountain goat."

<Good! A goat from The Gardens' petting zoo. What could be easier to acquire?>

"Not that kind of goat, Marco." Cassie shook her head. "A mountain goat. Sharp horns. Amazing agility. A hind-leg kick that could send a person through a barn wall. Those guys can weigh almost three hundred pounds."

<Fine, fine,> I said. <Where do we get one?>

Cassie hesitated. "Is he okay?" she asked Tobias, referring to me.

<Seems to be.>

"Tobias, this is a stressful situation for Marco. Jake put you in charge. If Marco is -"

<Hey! Hey! Am I invisible? I'm here, okay?>

"Okay, then. I'll ask you. Are you okay, Marco? You seem kind of jazzed. Manic."

I said a harsh word. Then, <Everyone stop acting like I'm some kind of dimwit. I know what I'm doing. I don't need a bunch of psychoanalysis, here. This isn't Oprah!>

Cassie bit her lip thoughtfully. She got a distracted look in her eyes. I realized she was listening to Tobias or Ax or both communicating in private thought-speak. I don't know what they told her. But I saw that flicker of emotion in her eyes: pity.

"Well," she said at last, "The Gardens has a newish mountainside habitat. It's open-air so you shouldn't have any trouble getting in after hours. Or getting near the goats."

I launched from the windowsill. Neither Ax nor Tobias spoke to me as we traveled. Maybe they were privately ripping me apart. I didn't care.

I saw the bright, clear line.

Poor Marco. Just for the record, while Marco thinks he's cool and collected here, judging from Cassie's comments, he's pretty clearly not.

freebooter

Oct 23, 2021 20:38

That definition of Marco's idea of what ruthless means sums that aspect of his character up pretty well, and it's something from the series I remember really well. (Though it's also wrong - by dictionary definition ruthless does in fact mean cruel.)

Epicurius

Oct 24, 2021 05:38

freebooter posted:

That definition of Marco's idea of what ruthless means sums that aspect of his character up pretty well, and it's something from the series I remember really well. (Though it's also wrong - by dictionary definition ruthless does in fact mean cruel.)

The kind of cruelty implied in ruthlessness isn't cruelty for the sake of cruelty, though. It isn't sadism; its lack of compassion. The ruthless person doesn't go out of their way to hurt someone, b they just don't care if their actions hurt someone if it's in furtherence of their goals.

Strategic Tea

Oct 24, 2021 06:07

Yeah I do love that description.

Riding the bright clean line baby :ese:

Bibliotechno Music

Oct 24, 2021 07:01

The description of the inner life that goes with "seeming manic" is really spot on. There's the desperation and denial, the grandeur of fighting V1 on a mountaintop, but the bright clear line is also something I've "seen" during a manic episode. Don't t get me wrong, just because it can be a component of mental illness doesn't mean it won't work out. The overactive brain is actually pretty good at figuring things out, being witty, etc at the onset.

I think it's worth noting that Marco is being pretty ruthless to himself here, too. He's intentionally setting up a situation where he might have to kill his own mother and demanding of himself that he triumph no matter what (obviously he has a plan to avoid that, but it can't not be a possibility).

Epicurius

Oct 24, 2021 19:01

Chapter 15

quote:

The Gardens: Kick-butt amusement park meets zoo. Very expensive admission price. If you go in through the gate.

I spotted the darkened Ferris wheel ahead, and my favorite, the snaking, sloping roller coaster in the amusement park section of The Gardens. A moment later, flying over the zoo, I saw what had to be the mountainside habitat Cassie'd told us about.

A rolling, grassy plain. A stream meandering across the north end. And in the middle of the plain, an imposing, incredibly steep stone and concrete "mountain" full of shallow caves and terraces. The habitat itself was surrounded by a high mesh fence, on top of which we landed.

I could make out the dim, humped shapes of several goats just inside the largest of the shallow caves. They were sitting on the ground in a cluster. Several more goats stood motionless, staring back at the three large birds staring at them.

<Interesting,> Ax observed. <Bearded, white-coated creatures with hooves. And horns. Grazers. I would point out the similarities between the mountain goat and Andalites, except for my extremely disappointing experience with the cow.>

 I said. <And a bit more aggressive. These guys look like they mean business.>

<Look at the shoulders on that one staring at me,> Tobias said nervously. <He's like a linebacker or something.>

<Yes, acquiring one might be quite a challenge.> Ax observed. <Perhaps we should choose one that is asleep.>

<Good idea.> I lifted off and flew to a ledge outside a small cave. Tobias and Ax followed. I'd seen one large shape inside. Yup. A big mountain goat, asleep. Male? I couldn't tell. All of the goats had black horns and beards though I figured some had to be female.

Ax and I demorphed quietly a few feet away. The fake mountain hadn't looked like all that much when we were birds. As a human, though, the ground looked a long way down.

I swayed and grabbed some rock.

Then I began to crawl over toward the massive, shaggy white beast.

"What if he wakes up?" I said.

<This is your little picnic, you tell me,> Tobias sniped.

I sighed. "Tobias, look, get up off my back, okay? I know you're thinking Jake will blame you if this all goes bad. But we need to just get along, here, okay?"

Tobias laughed. <Okay. I'm done pouting. Unless we end up getting kicked cross-country by these big goats. Then I'll pout plenty.>

I stepped closer. Dumb to be scared of a goat. All the animals I'd been near. All the animals I'd been, and I was worried by a goat?

I placed my hand on its side. It looked at me.

"Please don't shove your horns into my kidneys," I said pleasantly.

It stirred. I wanted to pull back. But that would have been the wrong move.

My hand touched rough fur. I focused. I needed to begin acquiring this big boy right now.

The goat seemed about ready to spring up and butt me into the next dimension. But then it settled down as the acquiring trance took hold.

Ax clopped forward and when I withdrew my hand, he laid his own on the goat. Tobias was last.

<Come on, you guys,> he said when he'd hopped off the back of the sleeping goat. <Morph and let's get out of here before it wakes up.>

"Uh, don't look now but I think we have another problem."

On the ledge stood Mr. Mountain Goat's homeboys. And they didn't look happy to see us.

"Uh-oh," I said.

It took the goats approximately two seconds to cover about a hundred feet of ledges, boulders, gullies, and curves.

I turned.

I ran.

Tobias fluttered away to safety. Ax leaped nimbly away. Me? I got goat horn in the butt.

I flew.

"Aaahhhhh!"

Later, I read that male mountain goats enjoy butting each other with their horns - in each other's butts.

And let me just say that unless you have been butted down a fifteen-foot-high cliff by a two-hundred- and-fifty-pound angry male mountain goat, you have not experienced true humiliation.

I guess we know why it's called butting. Also, the fact that Ax mentions long white beards as a similarity between Andalites and mountain goats brings up all kind of questions. And, if you're curious, male mountain goats have thicker horns. Plus, male horns curve consistently.female horns tend to go straight and then curve near the tip.

Chapter 16

quote:

I lay in my bed, in the dark. Every few minutes I'd check the glowing numbers of the clock.

Three fifteen. Three forty-two. Four-oh-nine.

I wanted to sleep. Needed to sleep. Couldn't.

Ever have one of those nights? Where you're exhausted, where you'd pay anything just to fall asleep? But the wheels in your head just keep spinning and spinning aid spinning?

Imagined conversations. Me talking, explaining, arguing. Changing the words around, repeating them, rehashing them. Around and around in circles.

Me talking to Jake, an imaginary Jake. Explaining, with perfect logic.

Me talking to my dad in some fictional future, some nonexistent world where things were different and I could at last tell all the secrets I'd guarded with my life.

Me talking to my mom. Raging. Explaining.

Me explaining to my mom, as my mom, as my real mom, why I had to do it.

Me explaining to my mom as Visser One. Laughing, chortling, savoring my victory over her.

This is how I defeated you! I crowed.

This is how I saved you! I explained.

No choice. No choice.

I had to do it, Dad, you understand, right? What else was I going to do? Too much on the line. I had responsibilities. You know how that is, right? And besides, she was already dead to you. You'd already grieved, remember? You spent years just sitting in your chair, staring blankly, your life falling apart ...

See, Jake? Don't ever doubt me again. I did it, okay? I put the mission first. I saw the big picture. So just don't ever doubt me again, because I did what had to be done ... .

Mom, what was I supposed to do? I saw all the plays. I saw all the pieces on the chessboard. There was no solution that freed you. There were only solutions that destroyed you. I had to. How else? How else to ...

Die, you Yeerk piece of crap. Wither and die, and remember with your last, dying thought: It was

for her. I killed you for her.

For Jake.

For my dad.

For ...

Around and around, as the hours ticked away. As exhaustion sank deep into my bones.

Someday, if we won, if humanity survived, we'd be in the history books. Me and Jake and Rachel and Cassie and Tobias and Ax. They'd be household names, like generals from World War II or the Civil War. Patton and Eisenhower, Ulysses Grant and Robert E. Lee.

Kids would study us in school. Bored, probably.

And then the teacher would tell the story of Marco. I'd be a part of history. What I was about to do.

Some kid would laugh. Some kid would say, "Cold, man. That was really cold."

I had to do it, kid. It was a war. It's the whole point, you stupid, smug, smirking little jerk! Don't you get it?

It was the whole point. We hurt the innocent in order to stop the evil.

Innocent Hork-Bajir. Innocent Taxxons. Innocent human-Controllers.

How else to stop the Yeerks? How else to win?

No choice, you punk. We did what we had to do.

"Cold, man. The Marco dude? He was just cold."

The conversations you have in the middle of the night trying to justify yourself to yourself...