Archive of Our Own

My name is Marco, and I'm an alcoholic.

Okay, not really. I can't give exacts, but I'm not old enough to drink. I am, however, a teenage freedom-fighter trying to save the earth from a secret alien invasion. Which is, FYI, not at all as cool as it sounds. Long hours, no pay, embarrassing uniforms, you're regularly seeing the insides of your stomach in the most direct and painful way possible, and if all that wasn't bad enough it completely kills any chances of getting a girlfriend. And I am totally old enough to have that be really, really lame.

Sometimes I wish I could forget it all, just go back to being normal. But this would all go on without me, the world would still be in danger, and I still wouldn't actually be normal. So cest la vie, right?

We were all meeting in Ax's scoop, which has kind of become our de facto HQ now. I can't say I mind it more than Cassie's barn, at least the scoop doesn't smell like animal droppings, and Ax has got TV. Always good.

I guess I should do the robot roll-call.

Cassie's the Granola Girl, Rachel is the Buffy, Tobias is the loner, Jake is the fearless leader, and Ax is the alien. These are of course just the simplest terms and most convenient definitions. When push comes to shove Cassie can stand her ground better than Rachel, Tobias is part alien (long story), Ax is kind of a dork, and Jake is really not getting enough sleep because he spends most of the night awake and terrified that the next day is going to be the one where he makes the call that gets us all killed.

"So how again did they figure this out?" Rachel asked, her voice terse. I couldn't blame her.

<Like I said, I don't know. I just overheard the two talking.> Tobias said, his worry resonating into our minds.

<Visser Three is starting to think that there's no Andalite bandits at all. That it's humans with morphing ability. He's starting to figure it out.>

No matter how many times I heard it, those words still sent a chill down my spine. Everyone started talking at once, but no one got very far before Jake's voice overrode them all.

"Calm down, everyone."

"How are we supposed to calm-" Rachel, I think.

"We had to be prepared that this would happen eventually." Jake didn't allow any room for argument here, and I guess I couldn't blame him. For once I was shutting my mouth. "Remember back when Ax first joined us? Some of the controllers had it figured out, we relied too much on Visser Three being too concerned about not losing face to think that he would ever consider the idea of humans being his major nemesis. But it's happened, so we're going to deal. Ideas?"

"I hear Fiji is lovely this time of year." I murmured, leaning against the tree where Tobias was perched. He shot me a dirty look. You would think hawks can't do them, but you would be wrong.

Jake sighed. "One vote for 'run away'..."

"'From the peanut gallery', come on, you know you want to say it." Jake rolled his eyes but I could see the lines around them ease just a bit. It was good enough.

"We need to convince him we're not, plain and simple." Rachel said with an easy shrug. "Andalites pull less punches, right? So we need to do the same."

Cassie, silent up until now, gave her friend a worried look. "You aren't suggesting we kill controllers, even human ones?"

<It would be a release from their current state of being under the control of the Yeerks. A better fate than a slave.> Ax pointed out. Rachel pointed to him as if to say 'SEE?', but Cassie didn't seem convinced. As much as I admired Rachel's moxy (and other parts), I didn't spend much time with either of the girls on our team. I had to wonder how their friendship was suffering from this, though. It never looked like they argued this much before.

"No, we're not going to kill anyone, not if we don't have to." Jake said, which got a faint look of thankfulness from Cassie and Tobias (and me as well, no doubt), "But Rachel is right, we do need to convince them we're not human." And now pleasing Rachel and Ax, was there anything Jake couldn't do?

"Marco," he started, and I was unable to cut off an-

"Aw shit."

"-Pass me a soda?"

I stared for a moment at Jake's amused face. I could hear Rachel snickering.

"...You can't be serious."

"I'm not, I am going to ask you do take point on this plan, but I just thought you deserved to get hassled for a change." Try as I might it was hard to get angry or annoyed at Jake when he had that apologetic face.

I shot him a dirty look anyway and fished a coke from my bag to toss to him.

"RIGHT now if everyone's done staring at the comedy act, what hair-brained scheme have you cooked up for me now?" I asked with a sigh.

"We need to morph Andalite." Jake announced.

There was a chaos of 'WHAT?' from everyone in voice and thought-speak. Jake waited for everyone to quiet before he continued.

<Prince Jake, you can't be suggesting that everyone acquire me as a morph. While... I would be willing to do that for our cause, Visser Three will be able to tell that we are identical and that will make the plot even more obvious.> Ax pointed out, and I could tell he was uncomfortable at the very idea of the rest of us morphing into him. I couldn't blame him.

"You are absolutely right, Ax. Visser Three has seen you before and even if it's just his Controllers giving a description, even they'll notice that the Andalite Bandits are sextuplets." Jake nodded, crossing his arms. He didn't pace while he talked, something I was thankful for. "We need to mix morphs, like Ax did with us to get his human body."

I could see where Jake was going with this, and it made me sick at its necessity.

"But wait..." Cassie interrupted this time "Aximili-"

"ISN'T the only free Andalite on earth... though he's the only one we're on speaking terms with, as a whole." Jake finished, looking at me expectantly.

The silence hung in the air like a big oppressive... oppressive thing. I debated playing stupid, but as much as I had the others convinced I knew it wouldn't fool Jake. Damn my wit.

"...Gafinilan and Mertil." I finished finally. "They asked to be left alone, Jake."

"And I don't like the idea of harassing them any more than you do. But Marco, this is the fate of the world we're talking about. All of us won't go - it'd be suspicious if we all 'showed ourselves' at once, especially now that they're starting to wonder. No, we need a small number of us to 'accidentally' be found by controllers. Just a look, just enough to see a new Andalite before cutting and running."

<How small are we talking?> Tobias asked.

"Three. Ax, you, and Marco." Jake nodded at all of us in turn, going on to explain before we asked, "Ax is the obvious choice, he is an Andalite. Tobias, you spend the most time with him, you'll have the easiest time replicating how to carry yourself in an Andalite body because you've observed it more. And Marco, I'm going to ask you to be the one to talk to Mertil and Gafinilan. I imagine the less people that come into their home the more inclined they'll be."

It made me sick. I could understand them, wanting to just be left alone, to ignore all of this bullshit that was going on with the end of the world and evil alien conquerors from beyond the stars. And they got their chance, more or less. They were both worthless to the Yeerks and forgotten by their own people.

And now I had to go pull them back into this.

"You're making a big assumption, that they'll even agree." I pointed out sullenly, glaring at the dirt like it had somehow offended me.

"No, I'm putting my faith in your ability to talk."

++++++++++++++++++++

It just so happened that I had a convenient excuse to go pay a visit to one Mr. Henry McClellan. One that would also look good on my college transcripts according to my father.

So with a box of candybars and a selection of magazine subscriptions in hand I made my way through the community his house was on, all the while fund-raising my butt off.

I actually made a nice haul, enough that I was feeling pretty good about myself by the time I got to the mailbox labeled 'McClellan'. I was even starting to think that Jake was right after all.

I strode up to the front door and knocked briskly with the box balanced against my shoulder. It felt a little weird, not sneaking in this time around.

Of course, when Henry McClellan opened the door to see who was there, I didn't get out so much as a "Good afternoon sir-" before that selfsame door was closing in my face.

I was feeling a lot better about myself and my ability to talk to people, yes. But three hours prior to this I was feeling like Jake was full of shit with his motivational speeches and had worn my construction boots for just such an occasion, wedging my right foot between the door and the frame to stop it from closing.

"I absolutely hate to bother you at such an hour when you're no doubt busy, sir, but I'm here with the local school district, could you spare a few moments, please?" I was thankful then for the amount of times Rachel glared at me, I didn't even wither at 'Henry's' expression which had probably put many young soldiers in their place without another word. "It's REALLY important."

<...Is that Marco?> I was surprised to hear Mertil's calming thought-speak in my head, more surprised that he'd remembered my name. I had assumed they'd forget about us as soon as they could. <Let him in, Gafinilan. Please.>

It was that 'please' that had made the difference, I could tell the way the expression instantly softened, resolve weakening just enough for him to pull the door open the rest of the way with a sigh.

"...I guess I can spare a little time. Come in, you'll let the heat out if you stand in the doorway like that. Let's see what you're selling."

The phrasing was appropriate enough that I felt a little guilty, though I squashed that feeling as fast as it popped up. Jake was right, this was the world at stake here.

Their place hadn't changed at all. I was pretty sure if I'd taken a picture of it last time I'd seen it and held it up now, there would be no changes. This wasn't a living area so much as a staging area, though. Like the display in front of a store.

I was worried about disturbing it. Even Mertil - just far enough back that he couldn't be seen from outside the door - looked more in place, one hand resting delicately on the back of the sofa as he did that smile with his eyes thing that Andalites do. Gafinilan stayed human for now.

"...So can I interest either of you in a magazine subscription? I've got Entertainment Weekly, People, I think I got the Star in here somewhere too-" I started, rooting through the subscriptions I had handy.

"Don't even start with that. Get to the chase, why are you here?" that would be Gafinilan, charming as ever.

"...We need your help." Try as I might, I couldn't add 'Jake sent me' to that. It didn't take long to explain the situation to them. As heavy as the words had been when I first heard them, I felt completely detached from the situation when I explained it. Who, what, where, when, why, how... well, as much as we were able. They listened silently, I was thankful for that. Any interruptions might have disrupted the trance of competency.

"...I know that I'm asking a lot of you." I finished, swallowing the lump in my throat. "But we need this, please."

"No." Gafinilan said flatly, arms crossing. "No, under no circumstances. Now get out, and don't come back."

<Gafinilan. Don't.>

"How can you stand there and listen to this?" he demanded, turning to Mertil. "Did you even hear what he just said?!"

<Did you?>

I felt like I was out of place in this argument. Like listening to a couple fight when you're standing right there. Note to self: ask Ax if Andalites are sometimes gay. Possible long-term invested interest.

Oh hell, did I just think that?

FOCUS!

"Mertil, you can't possibly be suggesting what it sounds like you're suggesting."

<...Who's to say it would even work?> Mertil's voice in my mind was soft and sad. It actually made Gafinilan look chastised at his earlier outburst. <My disorder, your disease... >

"Um, morphing works differently for humans and Andalites, so..." I piped up then, surprised as both turned their full attention towards me after seeming to forget I was in the room. "That is. Ax got sick once, right? Almost killed him. When a few of us got it, though, it was just like the common flu. Maybe what keeps you from morphing won't keep us from being able to use your DNA. If you're volunteering."

"No direct morphing." Gafinilan started. "You acquire Aximili as well. You will NOT simply BECOME us."

I bit my lip against asking exactly how many humans Gafinilan had acquired to make HIS morph. "That was part of the idea. He's seen both of you, we need to be 'new'." I explained instead.

"And this will be the first and LAST time you use these forms. Just this once, to fool them into allowing your charade to continue. Never again after that." Gafinilan was pacing in the small room now, though Mertil stood where he was, hand still gently resting on the back of the sofa. His stalk eyes were watching me, but his main were trained on Gafinilan. "And you do not bother us again after this. Ever, no matter the circumstances."

<No.>

"No?" that came from both me and the other human-seeming in the room.

<...Would you deny me my only contact on this world, Gafinilan?> Mertil asked softly. <You go to work every day. You play human. Talk with them.>

"To maintain the secret!"

<And through that you get social interaction. ...Without you I am alone with an empty scoop. Even when we were less civilized than humans, our kind kept to herds. Being alone isn't good for us.> he rolled his shoulders in something like a shrug, looking sadly at Gafinilan. <Please. Let me have my friends.>

Gafinilan didn't argue. Then again, how could he? I understood then what my English teacher meant by deafening silence. Even the sounds of the life that went on outside seemed muted compared to the silence in this room.

"...It won't be all of us." I added quietly, shifting restlessly from foot to foot. "Just Tobias and me."

For a few minutes I wondered if they were going to ignore me, or if he simply didn't hear. Then Gafinilan said, as he turned to walk away, "Very well. This weekend. Come in through the route you first did to avoid being followed. It's been over an hour, I should rest."

I could see Mertil smiling again. It was where Gafinilan couldn't see it, but I couldn't help but remember what he had said back when we first met them. They were connected. He still knew Mertil was happy.

++++++++++++++++++++

My good mood had returned as I made my way back home after dropping everything back off at school. It seemed like everything was starting to work out, and I just did my best to ignore the thought of turning into another sentient being. I mean, dude, dolphins were weird enough. Would I have the strong desire to act like I had a stick permanently lodged up my ass when I became an Andalite?

I noticed a familiar shadow circling one of the trees nearby my yard, so as soon as I got in I yelled that I had homework and stomped right to my room.

Sure enough there was a red-tailed hawk sitting patiently outside my window.

<Dude, your house isn't that big, what takes you so long?>

Okay, not so patiently. Whatever.

Just for that I took my time to kick my shoes off and toss my coat aside, make myself comfortable, and then throw my window open to allow Tobias to hop onto my desk.

<You're a jerk.>

"And you're a bird, don't poo on my desk."

<Oh, just for that? I'm considering it.>

I couldn't help but grin as I dropped back down onto my bed to sit. "So, good news and better news." I announced. Tobias knew where I was going today, Jake gave us the go-ahead to follow whatever plan we came up with as it was pretty much just us and Ax and we might not have the time to have team meetings every step of the way.

<Hit me with the good news, first.>

"I made a killing fund-raising, including a subscription to National Geographic for Henry McClellan who no one has ever been able to make a sale to before - ha. Jake was right, I've got a silver tongue."

<It's pure magic,> Tobias replied dryly <I'm sure it impresses the ladies. Oh wait, you always strike-out. What's the better news?>

"Harsh, but I won't hold it against you because you're just jealous. The better news is they also agreed. This weekend, we go in the same way we did before, demorph and acquire them, get our striped buts back out." I explained, and I could tell Tobias was pleased. It was weird, back before all this I would have never thought that red-tailed hawks - hell, any kind of hawk, I won't lie and claim I could ever tell the difference before this - could show emotion at all. But now I could tell the difference between pleased and sullen and hungry without even trying.

For the record, Tobias was going on pleased and hungry.

He nodded, bobbing his head. <Sounds easy enough.>

"Yeah, that's the problem, isn't it?" I asked with a sigh. "It's been pretty easy so far. Things never go this easy. I hate waiting for shit to inevitably hit the fan. Because it always does."

++++++++++++++++++++

For the record, it always does hit the fan, too. It hits the fan that usually involves me getting my gut cut open and my intestines spilling all over the floor. I will never fail a health class and I will never forget the smell of burned flesh. The only way I can still eat meat is by firmly not thinking about it. That, and watching what Cassie eats. Tofu and soy will never be appetizing.

The couple days before the weekend trudged along, my fund-raising sales were one of the best in the school, though I thankfully avoided the attention of being the number one seller. We met up at Ax's scoop before heading out to Henry McClellan's. It was Tobias's idea, when I ran down the list of how I'd gotten them to agree. He figured they'd feel more comfortable if they saw the mixed morph afterwards, could be reassured that we wouldn't look exactly like them. I thought it might freak them out, but better to hedge the bets, right?

It was entirely possible we wouldn't be able to acquire Mertil, anyway. This way we would at least have Ax and Gafinilan.

Tobias and Ax were already waiting when I got there, Tobias perched on a tree branch watching the television as it played infomercials, which Ax seemed deeply engrossed in. Not so much so that they didn't notice me coming, of course, as Tobias called out to me as soon as I could see them.

<Marco, tell Ax that he doesn't have clothing and thus doesn't need any Oxy Clean.>

<It is not a matter of garments,> Ax said at Tobias's words, managing to sound offended. <It is a matter of cleanliness. If it can so effectively strip the grease and oil off of cotton it would serve to reason that it could equally be used to clean technical equipment.>

I grinned, dropping my bag by a tree and making my way over to sit near Ax's hooves. "He's got a point, Tobias."

<Don't encourage him!> Both Tobias and I laughed, though I got the distinct sense that Ax didn't understand.

We watched the rest of the commercial with Ax before Tobias fluffed his wings. <We should go before it gets too late.> he said, nodding to the two of us. I hesitated then, unsure of how to ask that kind of thing. What had Ax said to us? 'With your permission'. I was in the middle of pondering this when Ax's hand dropped down to my shoulder.

<Tobias has already acquired me and told me of his plan. You should as well.> he didn't sound as sure has he no doubt wanted to, but I didn't point it out to him. I got the impression you weren't supposed to tell Andalites when they sounded scared.

I was surprised at how soft and delicate Ax's hand felt when I took it. There was strength to it to be sure, but if I hadn't seen their warships or tailblades, it would have been impossible to think that such delicate and gentle-looking if somewhat amazingly odd aliens could be violent. I closed my eyes and felt the trance begin to come over Ax. He relaxed and let it happen, it was like with any animal but at the same time so very different.

I was still holding his hand when he came out of the trance, only realizing it then. I pulled away quickly and stood, dusting my pants off so I'd have someplace else to look. I felt warm for no good reason. Part of the process of acquiring a sentient being? ...Shit, that was the problem with being a teenager with alien technology a part of your system now. I couldn't exactly go to the school health instructor and ask if any of this was normal. If he was a controller and it WASN'T, bam, end of me.

<So, Ax, how do you 'mix morphs' anyway?> Tobias asked with another fluff of his wings, possibly sensing the tension in the... scoop. It was a good question, one that I suddenly realized I didn't know the answer to.

<How? Hm, it's rather like one would morph normally. You envision what your combined morph would look like first, then you attempt to morph into that.> Ax explained, like he was telling us how to do laundry. It sounded so easy.

"What, just like that?"

<Of course. Well, doubtful you would have as easy a time as, say, Cassie.> Ax explained further, grabbing the remote control and switching the television off for now. <She would be able to pick out individual characteristics to choose from all parties. The two of you would probably get a certain on say... gender.> he shrugged. <Though since the DNA of all those you are acquiring from is male, that would not be a problem. You will of course be unable to use the individual DNA afterwards, you would have to re-acquire each subject once more.>

So that was probably why they had agreed to it. Once combined, we wouldn't be able to morph into them. Maybe Tobias's idea HAD been a good one.

"...Right, so, we acquire them, combine the DNA, and then..."

<Then we have intensive lessons with Ax every day after you get out of school to learn how to act Andalite. Chapman's going on a team-building exercise thing at the end of the month, up in the forest with just a few other people from the district. That'll be when we let him see us.> Tobias replied, nodding to the sky. I took the hint and began to focus on osprey. Flying would be faster to get to the right neighborhood, and my bus transfer totally expired half an hour ago.

The shrinking started first, dropping rapidly lower and lower. "Seems like a lot of wooorrrk-" my words began to slur as my lips melted into the beak, bones jutting out left and right before being covered with muscle and feathers.

God, it was always disgusting when the bones changed first. The most disturbing thing about morphing was the knowledge that it SHOULD hurt but for some reason it didn't. If the Andalites were smart enough deaden the senses to pain, they probably should have been smart enough to blind you too is all I'm sayin'.

<Seems like a lot of work to go through for just a few seconds of a glance.> I repeated, shaking out my feathers and cocking my head to the side to peer up at Ax and Tobias.

<We cannot control every possible turn of events.> Ax pointed out calmly, <If all goes according to ideal circumstances, then most certainly it will only be 'a few seconds'. However, if something goes wrong we will need to be prepared.>

<Like you tripping over your own hooves or tailblade.> Tobias pointed out, and I swear that bird-face was grinning. Jerk. I grumbled some very disparaging remark in regards to his physical appearance (which he laughed off, of course) and we took to the sky.

++++++++++++++++++++

It was distracting getting to the right neighborhood - there was a river between Ax's scoop and there, and apparently fish were getting it on like crazy because there were a bunch of them. I've been the osprey so often that I can control it as well as I can the gorilla, but man. That thing goes for fish. And when there's fish left and right? Gets a little difficult to not bob down a little closer to the water. Thankfully Tobias was around to distract me, asking me to tell him how the meeting with Gafinilan and Mertil went again - he didn't point out the slight loss of control, then again this was Tobias. He'd lived as a hawk for ... man, honestly I don't even want to think about it. But before he was able to morph back to human again (however that worked) I honestly am not sure I'd be able to pick his face out of a crowd.

This, the bird. This was him now. Not the awkward teenager that he sometimes turned into. And while it made me feel kind of guilty, I'm honestly glad he chose to keep his morphing and stayed the hawk. I wasn't on terribly good terms with Tobias-the-boy, I don't know if my friendship with Tobias-the-bird would survive it.

Does Hallmark make a card for that?

We landed in a safe secluded area behind a tree and a couple bushes, like last time. It was easy for Tobias, hawk to bee and off he goes. Me, I had to go hawk to boy to bee. Lame.

<Beat you.> Tobias commented already small and striped by the time I was finished losing my feathers.

"Because you're a filthy cheater." I muttered in reply, shooting up in height finally where it took my body a minute or two to adjust before I was shrinking again. Looks like I was having a height day, which I was thankful for. You do NOT want to turn into a bug and have the height go last. Ever. Trust me. Five-foot-somethin tall honey bees are not cute.

<Hurry your fuzzy butt up, we're wasting daylight.> Tobias laughed through thought-speak. He seemed to be in a good mood. Was he not wanting to waste things going right while they still were?

<Says the one who doesn't have to get up for school in the morning.> I muttered back at him. If Tobias was in a good mood, I wasn't about to waste it. <...hey, why were you staring at my butt!?> but he was already gone, darting off to the strange cocoon of light that covered the McClellan house. I found the way easily with the bee's senses, able to navigate the field as easily as following the sidewalk. I knew from very personal experience that if I got too close to the hazy light of the 'walls' that I'd be fried bug - I was almost fried osprey once by it before.

Just as soon as we were into the wall of light we were back out after dizzying turns and spins through it. It took me a moment to make sense of everything, to find up and down before I saw the far more delicate and bladeless form of the one who I was hoping we'd meet first.

<Mertil!> I called, and saw him move to look around for the source of the thoughtspeak. <Tobias and I are here, is it safe to demorph?> he focused on us then, the two bees darting to and fro like we were drunk. To be fair, all bees fly like that. I saw his nod, heard the confirmation resonate through my mind. More a feeling of being glad to see us rather than any words.

We landed on the ground after some more circling - it was hard to focus, the bee mind wild at all the scents and tastes of the air in the greenhouse, but we managed to gain control. Admittedly in my case that was by just focusing enough to demorph and letting me drop to the ground to shake me out of it. This time it was my eyes that changed last, seeing fragmented visions of everything until I looked up and saw Mertil standing over me offering a hand up, Tobias regrowing the last of his feathers.

<Tobias, it is good to see you again under better circumstances.> Mertil said pleasantly, giving me a hand up. <You as well, Marco. Gafinilan is inside resting. If you'll follow me...>

++++++++++++++++++++

Inside resting, that was inside the room they had fashioned to look like it was outside. Grass, 'sky', the works. Gafinilan was in the corner, half laying on the ground. He was the biggest Andalite I'd ever seen, but I could see the sickness getting to him. Some genetic disorder- I couldn't remember the name of it.

We'd borrowed a towel from the kitchen and I had it wrapped around my arm to function as a perch for Tobias. It felt weird to disrupt the perfect setup of the house, even if it was a farce, but Mertil insisted. He went over to Gafinilan now, gently touching his shoulder, I couldn't hear anything but I got the impression they were speaking to each other just the same.

<Awkward.> I heard Tobias, just to me in my mind. I raised an eyebrow and nodded silently.

Finally Mertil straightened. He didn't offer Gafinilan a hand up - it would have probably been shameful to even imply he needed it. Andalite culture was fucked up that way, and I felt bile rising in my throat at the thought of becoming one. How could they, how DARE they act like-

It wasn't like humans were innocent of things like that, either, though. I couldn't assume that just because they were more technology advanced than us that they were somehow more cultured, somehow BETTER. They made that mistake often enough themselves.

I still looked away as Gafinilan stood. It took him longer than it should have.

<So, you showed up after all.> he grumbled.

"Yeah, fate of the world, like I said." My retort sounded weak even to myself.

<Like you said. Well, let's get on with it.> he held out his hand to rest it upon Tobias, as Mertil held out his hand for me once more. 'Just pretend it's Ax.' I told myself, not that it made things easier.

Mertil felt differently than he did. There was more hidden muscle there, hidden strength. He HAD been a fighter pilot, hadn't he? One of the best. His hands had more than a few calluses to them. What with his own inability to morph I had been expecting a wall to run into of some kind, like hitting a speed bump or road block, but there was nothing like that. Just like Ax, he relaxed as something in me felt out and mapped his genetic code to store for later recall.

Tobias and I waited for them to come out of the trance things got at when acquired before we changed up. It was already kind of skirting the line of comfort doing this - I mean, it HAD to be done, but that didn't mean I had to like it, just that I had to do it - and it felt too much like. I dunno. Is acquiring someone's DNA without their consent the same as date rape? I guess if Sublime makes a song about that too we'll know.

Man, that was kind of tasteless even for me.

Gafinilan was completely different from Mertil. I could wax poetic about the way his hands felt or his fur or something else, but quite honestly all that was running through my head was 'oh god he could crush me like a bug'.

He relaxed as the acquiring trance overtook him as well, sagging just slightly. Again, I could see the weakness in him, the toll this was taking on his body. Would our morphs be infected, too? Probably. Maybe the influx of healthy DNA would keep it from showing.

Oh god he could crush me like a bug.

Right, I let go of him as soon as it was finished, taking a few steps back.

<Put me down, I want to try this.> he said the second he shook off his own haze. Was he crazy? Wait, bird, YES he was crazy. All birds were crazy. Especially seagulls. Note to self, call Tobias a seagull next time he does something stupid.

I crouched down and set him on the grass, taking a few steps back. He hopped from foot to foot to get better balance for a moment, looking up at the two Andalites expectantly as they woke as well.

<Aximilli said that once mixed, DNA can't be separated again and needs to be reacquired. If it would make you more comfortable, Marco and I will combine them right now so that you have no fear of us 'copying' you directly.> alright, when he put it that way I guess it didn't sound so creepy. It seemed to please Gafinilan at least as he nodded curtly.

Here goes nothing.

I tried to imagine what a mixture of Ax, Mertil and Gafinilan would look like. 'Andalite' I told myself, focusing on the blur of all three images. 'Just - something. Andalite.'

My weight was all too suddenly too much for my legs to hold and I fell forward. My torso was growing, massively, QUICKLY, giving more and more space as an extra set of legs began to sprout from them midway. I could feel the bones shifting in the set I had started with, lengthening and thickening to provide greater support for my much larger in mass self. There was a sickening sound as my spine practically SNAPPED with a new point of articulation in the middle - I'd become a fucking centaur, no lie. Only I was still all pink and fleshy and - okay, Marco, this is where you close your eyes.

Ah! Eyes!

360 degree vision, all of a sudden I could see the WHOLE room - Tobias was to my right, feather-patterned fur sprouting all over his skin. His beak was MELTING into his face to leave nothing. Oh man, however bad I had to look, Tobias had to look worse.

I looked UP instead, struggling to stand as my body mass shifted, growing in some places and lessening in others. There was the faint tickling as fur sprouted, spreading across every inch of skin. My mouth was gone - when? I had been too busy focusing on other things to notice that it was completely gone, that my nose had split into the slits that Andalites had. Last came the tail, my spine shooting out the back of me like a rocket, muscle and skin and fur covering every inch as soon as it appeared eventually finishing with the wicked scythe-like blade. I could feel the weight of it just as I had gotten back onto my hooves and it made me stumble.

I was an Andalite.

...I could TASTE the GRASS.

This stuff was AWESOME.

<Marco? MARCO!>

I looked up at the sound of Tobias's voice. He stood now, tall and proud. He had a lot of Gafinilan - the height, the build. He had Ax's coloring, though, and much of his face. I could see Mertil's eyes, though. And something similar in the certain slope of his back. I wasn't really surprised, though. Tobias had always been the scrawny loner. Given the option, of course he'd become as much like the biggest kid on the playground as possible.

The others were staring at me.

<What? ... Am I cute?>

++++++++++++++++++++

<Okay, I am TOTALLY cute.> I could feel myself grinning as I paced in front of the mirror, slipping every few steps as I tried to get used to the balance of the body. They'd taken us up to see what we looked like in the mirror that the living room had. Tobias was pleased, as was I. Well, I would have liked to have been bigger. It seemed I had most of Ax's youth, while otherwise being quite a lot of Mertil with some of Gafinilan's features. Tobias had gotten almost none of him, while the DNA tried to take over the whole morph in my case. I wondered, an effect of the condition that kept him from morphing? Particularly resilient DNA?

<And I assume that Aximili is going to be instructing you on Andalite behavior?> Gafinilan asked. I suspect that was his polite way of asking if someone was going to be teaching us to not fall flat on our faces.

<Oh, yeah, Ax. He's totally gonna give us the rundown, nooo problemo.> I assured, smiling with my eyes. <So we'll just get our of your hair for now. Fur. We will be going, we left a watermelon in the oven. C'mon Tobias.>

++++++++++++++++++++

We parted ways after leaving their place, which I was quickly starting to mentally call the Andalite Love-Scoop. I couldn't help it if they were pretty obvious, alright? Tobias had important eating of small forest rodents and I had homework and avoiding my family.

I guess most people would be talking about their family a lot here.

I'm not most people.

It's complicated, okay? Just, leave it at that.

We'd agreed to meet up at Ax's scoop after school on Monday - well, I'd agreed to meet him there. I was the only one of us who actually had things like school and a normal life to pretend to be having. The retreat for Chapman and the school board officials would be in ten days time. That would be ten days to cram as much proper Andalite mannerisms into my skull as humanly (oh irony) possible.

So of course I spent the whole night mindlessly flipping through the television and watching reruns of Mork and Mindy and only getting my homework half-done.

I am productive like a productive thing.

Monday morning brought a school day no more or less painful than others. One of the teachers tried to convince me to sign up for a summer fundraiser since I'd done so well, and I gave her a non-committal 'I'll see if I have time between my other commitments'. It wasn't a 'no', so it got her to leave me alone.

I was actually filled with a sense of dread as I made my way to Ax's scoop after school. What if he laughed at me? No, he wouldn't laugh. He'd just look really embarrassed for me. Christ, I was too worried about this. Who cared what he thought? He made an idiot of himself every time he turned human even now, it wasn't like I had a hard bar to pass.

Right, just keep telling yourself that, Marco.

Why thank you, Marco, I think I will.

Both Ax and Tobias were waiting for me when I arrived again. The two were the ones who had no other life than this, so it figured that they'd spend the most time together while the rest of us were pretending to be normal. It still left me feeling like a third wheel and I hated that. Tobias must have sensed that, though, because the first think he said when I stepped into the area was <Something up?>

"Family." I answered, again as non-committal as I'd told the teacher. No one questioned 'family' as an answer when asked if something was up. Sure enough, it shut them up. I wasn't sure if I was glad, or if I was pissed that they didn't want to know what was wrong.

<If you are ready, we will begin the training on Andalite culture.> Ax said, pride in his voice. <Everything must be memorized and performed perfectly or Visser Three will know if he sees it on tape. Even grazing is a carefully constructed and performed ritual.> I gave Tobias a withering look and he fluffed his feathers in return.

This was gonna be a long ten days.

++++++++++++++++++++

On the bright side I learned to walk without falling on my face or tripping over my own tailblade. I also got over the 'GRASS TASTES AWESOME' thing in like three days. Okay, maybe four. Four and a half. I had memorized the morning ritual and learned how to carry my tailblade when I was on the offensive, on the defensive, relaxing, showing respect and purposely showing disrespect. Honestly, I kind of rocked the whole tailblade thing. Tobias had Gafinilan's giant horror-movie scythe type, but he didn't really know how to use it. So I guess what they say is true about that kind of thing. Even Ax had to tell him that he was starting to rethink the whole 'Shorm' thing with how Tobias carried that thing, though I think he was just joking to try to lighten the mood.

I laughed, anyway.

The day of the trip brought a lot of apprehension to all of us. Jake, Cassie and Rachel would be joining us for air support. We all morphed our bird of choice and took to the skies to follow the charter bus that Chapman's group took. There weren't a whole lot of teachers on it, most seemed to be generic district officials. I'd seen a few in the halls before when we were having an inspection, but not enough to be able to put a name to the face.

The hills where they were camping at weren't far from the city, just under two hours. We stopped to rest, demorph and remorph while Tobias kept on them so we could relocate on HIM. It was one of the easiest damn chases we'd ever had.

So what was, inevitably, going to go wrong?

We dropped down into a clearing about a mile away from the main camp the school district officials had stopped at. Tobias and Rachel in eagle morph watched the skies and their camp to make sure no one came too close while the rest of us consulted.

"We don't have a whole lot of time," Jake started off with, looking primarily to Ax and me. I got the feeling Tobias already received this talk. "Cassie did some checking with the park rangers and they're only staying here one night. The bathrooms are far enough away from the normal campsite that in evening or later lighting it's pretty much entirely secluded. The Yeerk might not need to use the bathroom, but the host does. Chapman will have to leave eventually."

"And that's when we happen to bump into him." I added skeptically. It seemed alright. Sort of. Fuck, who was I kidding. "Alright not to be the bastion of misfortune but does this all seem a little too simple to anyone else?" I asked suddenly, all eyes turning to me. "I'm not joking, alright? Every time we have a 'plan', someone gets shot and my guts end up spilling all over the floor."

<Again with the guts thing, you're pretty fixated.> Rachel commented from high above. I shot her a dirty look.

"GUTS. Things that should be inside!" I pounded my stomach with my fist. "Seriously, who here has been disemboweled HALF as many times as I have? Hands? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?" Everyone was silent until Jake spoke up. Calm, somewhat condescending Jake.

"If you don't think you can handle this mission, Marco-"

"I'm doing it!" I interrupted, throwing my hands into the air. "I'm doing it! I already agreed, and that's ten days worth of Judge Judy that I missed that isn't going to go to waste. But I just want it on record that when things turn south - like they ALWAYS do - that I was the one who called it, alright? And if I get disemboweled I'm going home."

Silence stretched out across the clearing. I crossed my arms, looking probably far more sullen that I felt now that I had a chance to vent.

"That sounds perfectly reasonable, Marco." Cassie finally said, smoothly. "And I think my mom tapes Judge Judy if you'd like to borrow it."

++++++++++++++++++++

We did more scouting of the area after that, everyone pretty much left me alone which I was thankful for. I was kind of embarrassed after a couple hours had passed and I had a chance to cool down. Cassie talked to me a couple times to make sure I was alright, while Rachel just treated me with the same callous barbs as usual. I wasn't sure which I liked more, but I was pleased to be having their attention anyway.

The sun was starting to set when Tobias perched on the tree that I was leaning up against for now, resting between morphs.

<Is it just me or has Rachel talked to you more in these last three hours than she has all week?> he asked, jibing playfully. I grinned back.

"She's totally warming up to me. Think she'd be up to sharing?"

<Even if you are kidding, you know she'd kill you if she heard you ask that.>

"Yeah," I agreed with a sigh. "She's totally the jealous type when it comes to you, she'd hate to have anyone else putting the moves on ya'."

<...Wait, what?>

<Tobias! Marco!> Ax-man here to save the day, as I was asking myself the exact same question. <Be ready, we believe the Controller Chapman will be separating from the group shortly.> he called as he trotted up to us. Rachel landed on the tree branch next to Tobias.

<He totally had like three cups of coffee an hour ago.> she added, by way of explanation. Well, that was as good as any.

I hadn't morphed Andalite in front of the others yet and found myself apprehensive to do so. I had become comfortable with it just being Ax and Tobias and me. Like it was OUR thing, as dumb as that sounded. And it sounded really dumb when Tobias was only too eager to hop to the ground and start morphing. Tool.

Cute tool.

DAMN IT.

I stepped away from the tree and focused on the Andalite shape as well. I pushed myself - I didn't care what order I morphed in as long as I got it done as fast as possible. It wasn't graceful or beautiful by any means, but I at least didn't fall over this time. Everything showed up in the right order for me to keep my balance. My agitation had also faded by the time I'd finished the morph, the others looking on to the two 'new' Andalites in their midst.

<...Whoa.> I think that was Cassie who just showed up, the osprey landing next to Rachel on the tree branch. Rachel said something to Cassie that was clearly just meant for her, and I got the distinct impression that if they were both human they'd be giggling. I chose to remind myself of when Cassie and Rachel first met Ax and called him cute.

<Is Jake watching the camp?> Tobias asked, pacing the ground back and forth, carrying his tailblade carefully.

<Yeah, he's going to call us the second Chapman separates far enough from everyone else.> Cassie replied. <...How, um, is it?>

She wanted to know if there was another mind inside here, like there was for most animals we morphed. The instincts and desires of the thing we had become.

<It's... nothing.> I told her with a roll of my shoulders that functioned as a shrug, <I mean the body's different, and grass totally tastes awesome, and the smells are off and 360 degree vision is a little dizzying to get used to, but. There's no instinct. No uncontrollable urges.>

<Generally, the higher functioning the brain of the morph, the easier it is to control.> Ax pointed out, pacing around Tobias and I. <The more primitive the mind, the more advanced the instincts need to be to keep an animal alive. More advanced reasoning, the less blind instinct is needed. Tobias, tail higher.>

Tobias held his tail higher. I managed not to point and yell 'HA'. Ax didn't correct MY posture.

We ran across the small clearing two or three times, getting the rhythm down between the three of us. Ax took the lead, I was to his left and Tobias to his right. That was when we heard Jake call out to us - <He's on the move, guys! Let's go!>

Ax was off like a shot with Tobias and I after him. We'd planned the route before when we were watching from sky patrol, a wide arc that would just barely cut near the path. Just enough for a look - here's hoping Chapman would be looking.

I felt my hearts pounding in my throat as we leapt through the foliage, dodging tree branches and fallen logs with the grace of stags. Every pat of me felt wired, felt alive. I just wanted to run and keep running. I didn't even notice when we'd gotten close enough to the camp trail.

The surprise on my face, at least, was quite clear when I almost ran headfirst into Chapman, who had stepped OFF of it. In one perfect moment I saw it mirrored in his expression as well, so close to one of those so-called-

"ANDALITE BANDITS!"

That was when I realized our major oversight, and the thing that went terribly wrong. This wasn't random district officials. Every person who stepped off of that bus was a controller.

<CONTROLLERS!> I yelled and I really didn't care if that wasn't very Andalite of me, because Chapman was pulling a freaking DRACON BEAM out of his coat. Before I even realized what I was doing, I struck out with my tailblade, hitting him with the flat of the blade and knocking him cold to the ground. Hey, that was pretty good. I'm pretty awesome.

The sound of about twenty of those guns flaring to life? Not a pretty sound. I will have nightmares on that sound.

"They're here! The bandits! Find them, shoot them! Shoot anything that moves!" Yelled one of the women back at the camp.

<Run for it!> Tobias yelled to me and Ax, and we didn't need telling twice. There was no time for us to demorph, we just had to RUN.

Dracon beams were fired behind us, both in our direction and into the air. I hear a screech of a large bird being struck.

<Jake! Rachel! Cassie!> I yelled, stalk eyes turning this way and that to try and glimpse anything in the sky.

<We're alright, it wasn't us!> Jake yelled in reply, <Keep running, we'll catch u-AGH!> his scream resonated in my mind along with the sound of a Dracon beam hitting SOMETHING.

<JAKE!>

<MOVE IT, MARCO!> Tobias's hand closed around my wrist - Ax was the most familiar in this body while Tobias was simply built for running better than I was, I had been lagging behind without realizing it. Me still looking back, calling <JAKE? JAKE!> Tobias practically dragged me from the battle and into the safety of the deep woods, away from the controllers. And out of range of the others.

++++++++++++++++++++

Almost two hours the three of us ran, Andalite bodies able to keep up with the distance and the speed better than human ones, better than a lot of animals. I didn't know how much distance we crossed, just that at some point Tobias let me go and I almost crashed to the ground, legs feeling weak and like cooked spaghetti. With the way Tobias and even Ax's chests heaved as they tried to catch their breath, I'd say I wasn't the only one.

<You should morph back, Tobias, Marco. Your time limit is approaching, and I believe we are safe for now.> I could hear the rushing water of a river somewhere close. There hadn't been a river anywhere near the campsite. How far HAD we traveled?

There was time to worry about that later. The rush of the escape had left me exhausted, and it was all I could do to stay focused long enough to change back into Marco before everything went dark.

++++++++++++++++++++

It was still dark when I woke, laying by the river. A blanket was tossed over me, I didn't know where it came from.

<You're up, good.> Redtailed hawk at three o'clock. <Why didn't you tell us you were sick?>

I paused midway through running a hand through my hair to try to straighten it out. "What? Sick? I'm not sick."

<You were way too exhausted after the run.> Tobias huffed. <Enough so that you passed out as soon as you demorphed. You've been out for two and a half hours, man.> he hopped down from the tree and shifted, morphing human and placing a cool hand against my forehead. "No fever, but..."

"...Did you steal a blanket?" I asked, giving Tobias a curious glare. Tobias shrugged.

"The hikers weren't using it."

As dumb as it was, I was pleased at the act of petty theft committed in my name.

"Where's Ax?" I asked, standing finally to stretch out. I hoped we hadn't gotten too far from a main road heading back into town. Out of morph and back in my own body again, I actually felt a lot better than I had in a while.

"Scouting, he should be back soon." Tobias reached town to give me a hand up. He was just being human while I needed the support, I knew, but it was still disconcerting. I felt safer with him half a mile above.

We walked in silence, I had the blanket wrapped around me and just followed Tobias's lead, assuming he knew where we were going. Underbrush wasn't any fun when you were barefoot and cringing at every step, but I seriously didn't feel like morphing right now. I HAD felt sick before. Weak, and in pain. But morphing out had fixed all that. It was just from the stress, right?

No, stress was no stranger to me. It had to be something else.

The thought plagued my mind as we walked, until Tobias came to a stop under a maple tree, leaning against it to look me over.

"So what's been up with you lately, man?"

"Up with me? Nothing. Family shit." I shrugged, letting the question slide off of me.

"Uh huh. And all the... homosexual tendencies, that's also family shit?" I wasn't sure what was more shocking. That Tobias actually said that or the nonchalance of his phrasing.

"WHAT?"

Tobias snorting, rolled his shoulders in a way that would have fluffed his feathers if he had any. "Look, I don't care, I just think you have enough problems without adding lying to yourself-"

"Oh, I have problems. Me. Between the two of us, you have way more problems than me, bird-boy." I accused, pointing at him even as I held the blanket tighter around myself. "I'm mister freaking balance compared to you."

Tobias's eyes narrowed and his voice was a strained calm when he said "Right, which is why you're lying to yourself."

"I am not! I don't feel anything for you OR Ax!"

"Who said anything about Ax?"

Shit.

I turned away, starting to walk in the direction we were going before Tobias stopped. "...Just leave me alone. I've had a long day."

I heard nothing behind me, then the crack and shift of bone, the popping sound of feathers coming to bloom over skin. Then a rush of air passed overhead, and Tobias's retreating form was on the skyline.

Not much time passed before a Northern Harrier dove down near me, and three guesses to who THAT was.

"Did Tobias send you?" I asked, not even looking over, just watching where I was going to step on as little harmful things as possible.

<He stated that you were agitated, but no he did not.> Ax answered. <I have come to let you know that we are only a few miles from the nearest major road. As soon as you are able to morph again, it should not take us long to make it back to the city - a maximum of three hours depending on weather.>

Three hours with Tobias and Ax. I had actually come to enjoy our hanging out, but this I was almost dreading. "And the others?"

<No word from them yet, but we did overhear one controller on her cellular phone stating that the Andalite Bandits made a clean escape, so they did not take any prisoners. Or perhaps they were unable to recover a body.> I really need to remind Ax when to stop when trying to comfort people.

I paused to look up at Tobias in the sky, then down at my own bare and slightly bleeding feet. "Don't suppose we could just morph Andalite and RUN back." I joked, wiggling my toes. Ax cocked his head to the side, fixing me with a curious look.

<Quite impossible, Marco.>

"Right, the promise Tobias and I made to them. Not again after the mission was through." I sighed, already dropping down down down into osprey again.

<That, and it will likely kill you if you attempt that morph again.>

That stopped me dead in my tracks between bird and boy. "Waa?" I asked through half-formed lips and beat, glaring at Ax as much as I could to convince him to give answers. It must have done the trick.

<Soola's Disease. It's a genetic condition, and you absorbed Gafinilan's DNA.> Ax was staring at me now, all the more curious than before. <It was rather advanced in him, as well. It stood to reason your morph would get it, too. That was why you were so tired after the short run, and I suspect why Tobias has difficulty controlling his body and tailblade in particular. Both of you suffer it when in Andalite form. If you morph it again, it may kill you.>

It was the cold, clinical delivery of these words that really got to me. I hadn't realized until then how much being able to morph into an Andalite meant to me. Even if I never did it again, it was still something only Tobias and I could do. Something only we could share with Ax.

It allowed me into their clique within our group, which I had been so desperately wanting.

Okay, sure, maybe I was developing some not so normal feelings for either (or both) of them, but that was beside the point. I just wanted to belong. Jake used to be my best friend, and now it feels like we never talk. Cassie and Rachel... I can't kid myself, I was never close to them, even if Rachel and I had a certain understanding. I wanted a place to belong and was looking to the freak group. The alien and the bird-boy. But I was too weird for those of us pretending to be normal (family issues), but too normal for those of us who gave up the farce.

I didn't have a girlfriend and I was quickly losing my best friend. I just didn't have anyone.

I dropped into osprey the rest of the way and took to the skies.

++++++++++++++++++++

The rest of the trip was passed in silence. We kept an eye out for the others, and at the first payphone that wasn't well watched I demorphed behind the unattended gas station and used the change Tobias had scavenged from across the parking lot to call Jake's number. His mom answered, I always felt awkward talking to her. Like I should apologize, or something. Instead I just asked

"Um, hey, this is Marco, is Jake home...?"

"Yes! He just got home a little bit ago, let me go get him. Marco, how are you doing? We haven't seen you around for a while, I was starting to worry."

"Oh, oh. Um, I'm doing fine. You know. Family."

"Of course, here's Jake, I'll pass you over - Jake, it's Marco."

A second later Jake's strained calm was at the other end of the line.

"Marco?" he asked, and I felt myself nodded needlessly.

"Yeah. I was just wondering if you made it home okay. You know. All the predators in the area, my dad's been watching all those news reports and it's been freaking me out too." I lied. We could never be certain the line was safe, so we always had to come up with excuses that weren't straight-out 'I wanted to make sure you're alive today.'.

"Oh, yeah, I'm good. What about you?"

"Eh, got a little sidetracked, me and the guys are almost home, though. Just figured I'd give you a call. Hey, you get your homework done for US History tomorrow...?"

At the other end of the line, Jake actually laughed. He sounded relived.

"You can't copy off me."

"Stingy jerk!"

"See you tomorrow."

"You too."

I hung up and stepped back to run a hand through my hair, looking up at the birds atop to payphone.

"They're alright." He would have asked about Rachel and Cassie if they hadn't made it, too. That made us six for six, another day won for truth, justice, and the earthling way. Or maybe just another day survived. Now to go home and pretend it never happened, yet again.

<Figured they would be.> Tobias replied, bobbing his head and looking over to Ax. It was comical, like a trained bird act at the zoo. They shared a look before Tobias turned his glance back down to me. <Hey, you wanna just stay with Ax and me tonight? It's pretty late to be getting home.>

<I have recorded a marathon of a show that apparently involves trekking across the stars.> Ax added, which - pinch me, but it sounded like it was to try and entice me to agree. I looked back and forth between the two of them, down at my morphing clothes and bundled blanket I'd been carrying while in flight, to the payphone, then to them.

"Scavenge me enough change to call my dad, and I think we have a deal." I replied with a grin.