The Threat

by K. A. Applegate

  We waited as the President sat down and was greeted with applause. We waited as they served soup. And then we waited as they served a salad. And waited some more as they started serving fish.

  Something tingled the back of my neck. Something wrong. Something ... I nudged Cas-sie. "Didn't you say you saw the President outside?"

  She nodded and gave me a quizzical look.

  "You said he was wearing shorts. Now he's in a tuxedo."

  She looked confused. "I must have been mistaken," she whispered. "Must have been some guy who looked like the President."

  One of the Controllers we'd knocked out started to stir, so Marco morphed back to cobra and gave him a mild dose in the leg.

  Then came dessert. And the sad thing was, I was starving. I mean, I could have reached out

  110 and grabbed a dessert off the table, that's how close I was. It was weird. Like being the invisible man.

  But at last came the speeches.

  "Get ready," I said quietly, rousing the others, some of whom were half asleep from boredom. "Let's get these guys' suits and ties. Um ... not you, Rachel. Or Cassie. I kind of think this is a job for the boys only."

  It took about five minutes, but soon we had three suits of clothing and three unconscious guys in boxers and undershirts.

  Ax, David, and I each acquired one of the unconscious Controllers.

  I know what you're thinking. We have a rule against morphing other humans. But to my mind, these weren't really other humans. The bodies may have been. But their minds were pure Yeerk.

  Besides, there was no other way. Even Cassie had agreed for this one time. If we didn't pull this off, the leaders of the free world would be made into slaves of the Yeerks. That couldn't happen.

  Ax began to morph a guy in his late twenties. David and I began to morph into what could almost have been some version of ourselves twenty years from now. Rachel and Cassie turned discreetly away.

  It was an easy morph. But to tell you the

  111 truth, it was weird, anyway. There was something just wrong about using someone else's DMA like that. Something . . . creepy. At some level, we were doing something very close to what the Yeerks were doing: We were taking control of a human being.

  Not their minds, of course. Because morph-ing just gives you the body and the instincts, not the memory, the thoughts, the soul of an individual. Basically, we were cloning these three unconscious men. Making exact duplicates of their physical selves.

  For me, the actual morph was a big nothing. I looked different, but I didn't feel any different. Just taller, heavier, and like I needed a shave.

  I quickly donned the man's suit and slipped the still-knotted tie over my head. As soon as Ax had human arms we slipped his Controller's suit and shirt on him. We'd all seen Ax try to put on "artificial skin," as he called it. We didn't have time to wait around for him to figure out the difference between arm holes and leg holes.

  Then we tried to put on the tie. Just one problem: Cassie had picked up the tie he'd dropped and nervously un knotted it.

  None of us guys had a clue how to retie it.

  For about ten seconds, Marco and David and Tobias and I just stared at one another and at the tie and back at one another.

  ill

  112 Then Rachel whispered, "Oh, good grief, you guys are pathetic. None of you has ever tied a tie?" She snatched the tie out of my hands, whipped it around Ax's neck, tied it neatly, cinched it up, rebuttoned his shirt using the buttonholes we'd managed to miss, buttoned the top button of his jacket, straightened his lapels, and pushed his hair into place. All in less time than we'd wasted staring blankly at one another.

  She grabbed one of Ax's shoulders and spun him around to face the "doorway" in the force field.

  The Yeerks' plan was simple. Wait until one of the presidents or prime ministers disappeared behind the marble column. Then, when the hologram was opened for just a split second, the two Controllers waiting there would shove their victim inside.

  The hologram emitter would project an image of that same leader walking to the stage and giving his prepared speech.

  When the speech was over, the man would appear to walk back behind the pillar. At which point the real leader, now a Controller, would step out, and boldly sit down with his wife and aides.

  Our plan was equally simple. We'd wait till the Controllers outside shoved the President or prime minister our way. Then we'd grab him and

  113 let the emitter show the guy heading up onto the stage. Meanwhile, we'd explain to the man what was happening. We'd show him the Yeerks. We'd have Ax demorph to demonstrate that he was, in fact, an alien.

  Then we'd let the guy go and repeat the process with each new leader.

  Insane, yes. But it was all we could think of. And it could have worked.

  Could have. If... if I'd stopped to think about just how well a great horned owl can see at night. And just how recognizable the President is. And just how long it takes to put on a tuxedo.

  114 Someone was up on the podium doing an introduction. You know: "Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you a great man, a man of the people, but also a man of history . . ."

  Two burly-looking guys in dark suits edged up behind the pillar, on either side of the "door."

  The room burst into applause, and one man stood up and headed down the table toward us - toward what he saw as a marble pillar.

  "Which one is he?" David whispered.

  "The French prime minister," I said. "I think."

  The French prime minister walked toward us around the back of the pillar, and . . . walked straight on by, up to the podium.

  We looked at one another in confusion.

  115 "He must be the one who is already a Controller," David said.

  I nodded. But I wasn't too sure. Something was bothering me. Hovering just out of reach in my brain. I'd had that feeling before. That terrible feeling that I'd missed something.

  Unfortunate ly, like most premonitions, it was useless. Because usually that kind of premonition turned out to be wrong.

  Still, I tried to focus, tried to figure out what was nagging at me.

  The French prime minister spoke for about ten minutes, then went to sit down. Another introduction followed. And then the Russian premier headed toward the podium.

  We tensed up again. He came closer, closer. . .

  This time it had to happen. Erek the Chee had always had excellent sources of information. And Erek had said only one head of state was definitely a Controller.

  The Russian premier walked past. And on up to the platform. He began talking, pausing every few seconds for the translator to translate his speech into English.

  That's when I knew.

  "Oh, man," I whispered. "It's a trap."

  For a moment, I couldn't do anything. I couldn't think. I couldn't even breathe. I just stood there, reeling.

  116 Then, I realized I knew one thing, at least. "Battle morphs! Now!" I hissed.

  No one asked why. No one hesitated.

  I demorphed to my own body. Without waiting, I began to grow orange-and-black-striped fur. But before I morphed completely, I grabbed Ax's now-Andalite arm.

  "A hologram inside a hologram. Is it possible?"

  His eyes went wide in shock, then in anger. He didn't have to answer.

  I was halfway to tiger when the Russian premier started laughing. He was standing at the podium just laughing, although he still seemed to be delivering his speech. He was looking out at the audience, speaking Russian. But now, from within the Russian premier, came the sound of laughter.

  «Has the truth dawned on you yet?» a familiar thought-speak voice asked. «Do you realize what has happened? Come, come, surely you must know it now. Surely such brilliant fighters as yourselves must have figured it out.»

  From the very middle of the Russian premier, a hooved leg emerged. Then a pair of stalk eyes, an arm.

  Visser Three stepped out of the Russian. Out of the hologram of the Russian.

&
nbsp; The Russian kept talking. The audience kept

  117 nodding appreciatively and interrupting with applause. But none of it was real.

  We were inside a hologram of a marble pillar. But the hologram of the marble pillar was inside a hologram showing a room full of people.

  A hologram showing a president who in reality was outside. Wearing shorts, just as Cassie had seen him.

  «Turn off the outer hologram,» Visser Three said.

  Instantly the entire room full of people disappeared. All the heads of state. All the guests. All the food. All the sounds of laughter and applause and conversation.

  It all disappeared. Instead, we saw the banquet room itself. Empty, except for the rows of tables and chairs.

  That, plus a solid wall of Hork-Bajir warriors completely encircling us, each with a Dracon beam leveled directly at us. Or at least at the marble pillar they could see.

  «Now,» Visser Three said with exquisite enjoyment, «now, you may turn off the inner holograms

  We knew that the marble pillar had disappeared. We were now exposed to the army of Hork-Bajir. And not three feet away from Visser Three himself.

  119 We stood there, a strange collection of animals: a tiger, a lion, a bear, a hawk, a wolf, a snake, and an Andalite. We were a formidable force. But we were nothing compared to the small army that surrounded us.

  If one of us had so much as twitched, thirty or forty Dracon beams would have fired instantaneously. And a split second later we'd have been nothing but atoms.

  «By the way,» Visser Three gloated. «The real banquet is tomorrow night.»

  118

  rapped!

  We had a simple choice: Surrender or die.

  Only in reality, it was worse than that. Even if we surrendered, there was no guarantee we'd live. And at the very least we'd be made into Controllers.

  «Let's get them!» Rachel said. «What do we have to lose? At least we can take a few of them down with us!»

  «No, we can't,» Marco said flatly. «We'll never even lay a paw on any of them. We won't get two feet before they fry us.»

  «Are we going to die?» David wailed.

  Cassie nuzzled against him, comforting him - as much as a wolf could comfort a lion.

  120 «Demorph,» Visser Three ordered. «Don't worry, I have no desire to kill you. After all, six Andalite host bodies? It would be a great accomplishment for me. All of my most trusted lieutenants could have morphing power. That, plus making hosts of the most powerful leaders of this planet? I'll be Visser One before the week is out! Hah-hah! I'll be sitting on the Council of Thirteen within a year!»

  I swear the evil creep practically danced with glee. The urge to at least take a leap at him and maybe, just maybe, get my claws on him was so powerful I almost couldn't think straight.

  But at the same time, something was bothering me about what he'd said. About several things he'd said. Starting with the fact that he'd said there were six of us. He couldn't have overlooked a lion, a bear, a tiger, or a wolf. Certainly he didn't overlook Ax.

  I tried to glance sideways and see the others. I could make out Tobias, sitting right out in the open where Visser Three had to see him. Which left . . .

  Marco!

  You might just overlook a snake. Especially if that snake was behind the stainless steel pool.

  «Marco! Can the Visser see you?»

  121 «Probably not, but about nine thousand Hork-Bajircan!»

  «Marco ... are they looking at you? I mean, are any of them looking at you !»

  «Actually, no.»

  I felt like my brain was working in slow motion. Visser Three didn't see Marco. His Hork-Bajir didn't seem to be looking at Marco. And Visser Three was still planning to go after the heads of state. All of which meant. . . what?

  «l'm growing impatient,» Visser Three said. «Demorph. Do it now. If you refuse, I'll kill you one by one till you decide to comply.»

  He raised a Dracon beam weapon and pointed it. The tip of it traveled from one of us to the other. Tobias . . . Rachel ... Me ...

  «Who dies first?»

  «Wait!» David cried. «Don't shoot me! I'll de-morph. I don't care about these - AAAHHHH!»

  Cassie clamped her jaws around David's right hind leg. Sweet, gentle Cassie.

  H H R R R ROOOOO WWWWWWR R R R!

  David roared in rage and pain. A roar that made my skin vibrate and made Visser Three jump.

  Instinctively David jerked around, reaching for Cassie's head with his own fangs. But Cassie

  122 was too clever for that. David spun around, trailing Cassie like an extra tail, but he could not reach her.

  «Stop it! Stop it or I'll shoot now!» Visser Three yelled.

  «David!» I yelled. «Get a grip! Stop it!»

  The Hork-Bajir just kept watching, Dracon beams raised as the weird fight of lion and wolf continued.

  And that's when it began to click. Even as I was yelling at David, the last puzzle piece fell into place. «How the heck did he get all those Hork-Bajir in this place?» I demanded suddenly. «We could barely get a dragonfly in here!»

  If I was right . . . was I right? Or was I just desperate?

  «Rachel! Explain to David that he needs to knock it off!» I snapped.

  Rachel was on all fours. She half rose up to a sort of bear crouch. She reached out with her left paw and swung hard. She connected with David's snarling, snapping jaw. David staggered. Cassie released David and jumped back.

  «Hah! Andalites fighting among themselves,» Visser Three crowed. «But as entertaining as it is, I order you to stop!»

  «She bit me!» David yelled, outraged.

  «l'm going to kill you first,» Visser Three said to David.

  123 «No! I'll demorph! See? I'm doing it!»

  «Shut up, you pathetic, gutless weasel,» Rachel screamed. «You won't have to wait for Visser Three to kill you!»

  «They're threatening me!» David cried, running toward Visser Three.

  And then I knew for sure. Visser Three turned his Dracon beam on David. He hesitated. But more important, none of the Hork-Bajir even flinched.

  «l'm on yoursde» David yelled.

  «Bad choice, David,» I said coldly. «Ax?»

  «Yes, my prince.»

  «A hologram inside a hologram. That's what we had, right?»

  «Yes. The hologram of the marble pillar was inside the hologram of the banquet.»

  «Any reason - any technical reason, I mean - why it couldn't be a hologram, inside a hologram, inside a third hologram?»

  «A third hologram?» Rachel said.

  «Yeah. A hologram of a whole army of Hork-Bajir^ I said. «A projection. A fake. I don't think they're really there. I think Visser Three is here, and maybe he's got a couple of human-Controllers with him. But that army of Hork-Bajir around us? I don't think this is a live show. I think we're watching videotapes

  «You sure?» Cassie asked.

  124 «Marco? You're out of Visser Three's sight. Start moving toward the Hork-Bajir.»

  «Attack them? All on my own? Jake, buddy, you better be right.»

  «Yeah. I'd better be.»

  125 « J-'m slithering,» Marco said.

  I waited. If I was wrong, Marco would die first. But if I was wrong, we'd all be pretty close behind him. All except David, maybe.

  David was standing beside Visser Three. He was demorphing. But he was demorphing slowly. It would be impossible to tell that he was human. So far. In a few seconds . . .

  No! David was remorphing! He was getting more lionlike again.

  «Um, Jake?» Marco said. «l just bit a Hork-Bajir on the leg. He tasted like air. I went right through him. Hologram, but no force field.»

  «lt is a hologram!» I yelled triumphantly.

  126 «There are no Hork-Bajir! Just us and the Visser.»

  «Well, well, well,» Rachel said. «l think I'd better just . . .»

  «No,» I said. «l'm faster than you are. I'll get him!»

  «But
I'm closest,» David said suddenly.

  David was standing just two feet from Visser Three.

  «You want to kill someone, you filthy abomination, destroy me first!» Ax yelled suddenly.

  A distraction! Good old Ax.

  Visser Three swung his Dracon beam toward Ax, and David struck!

  A powerful swipe of his massive forepaw, and suddenly Visser Three's legs buckled. He toppled forward. He landed hard on his face and chest, but he kept his grip on his weapon.

  David was on him in a flash.

  The "Hork-Bajir" just kept watching. But through the hologram, out of the projected Hork-Bajir, half a dozen human-Controllers leaped, guns drawn.

  David lunged at the Visser's throat.

  BLAM!BLAM!

  I saw one bullet come out the far side of David's shoulder, leaving a red hole the size of a quarter. A pinprick to a lion.

  127 But David pulled back. And Visser Three was already morphing.

  «Don't use the human guns, you idiots!» Visser Three yelled. «You want everyone in this complex to hear? Draw your Dracon beams!»

  My turn to get into the fight. I leaped for the nearest human-Controller. I hit him as he was fumbling inside his jacket. I knocked him back into and through the holographic wall of still-impassive Hork-Bajir.

  Suddenly we were outside the illusion. We were in the empty banquet room. I rolled off the human-Controller, got just enough distance, and nailed him across the face with my paw.

  He went down and stayed down. It wouldn't kill him. But getting hit by a tiger, even with claws retracted, was roughly like getting popped in the jaw by a cement block.

  The remaining guards were struggling to draw Dracon beams. David was all over Visser Three, but Visser Three was getting more powerful by the second. I don't know what hideous alien beast he was morphing, but it was dark and large and had more arms than it should.

  I leaped at the next Controller I saw, but Rachel loomed up behind him and tapped him lightly on the head. A light tap from a grizzly was more than enough. The man dropped like a sack of potatoes.

  128 But two more Controllers now had Dracon beams drawn and aimed. Cassie leaped!

  Tseeeww!

  A Dracon beam fired. Cassie howled and fell short of her target. A burn striped her side, as if someone had placed a red-hot pipe against her. I could smell burned fur. The Controller who'd shot her ran up and pointed his Dracon beam directly at her head.