150 It was into this building that Visser Four ran. Through a tall door.
The door had been opened. He slammed it behind him. I flared my wings and pulled up, inches from smashing into the heavy-timbered door.
«Prince Jake!» I called in frustration «Tobias! Marco! Rachel! Cassie! Anyone who can hear me, please answer.»
But there was no answer. We were far from the battlefield now. I was on my own.
How to enter the large structure? How to ...
And then, in a flash, I knew why Visser Four had returned here.
«The Time Matrix!» He'd hidden the Time Matrix in this structure! I had minutes, maybe not even that.
I landed on the stairs leading to the front door. I began to demorph. My Andalite stalk eyes began to writhe up and out of my feathered head. My fleshless bird legs grew meat and muscle and true bone. I rose, growing taller by the second. But all too slow!
Hands! I needed hands!
Tiny, limp protrusions began to grow from my chest. My forelegs. But my wings remained wings. No fingers appeared.
«Prince Jake!» I yelled again.
Visser Four was going to escape.
151 «Prince Jake! Rachel! Cassie!»
Now, at last, fingers! But too weak, too delicate and unformed to turn the heavy iron handle on the door.
"Aiiiieeee!" someone screamed.
A human. Perhaps upset at the sight of an Andalite struggling to emerge from . . .
"Tuez le! Tuez le!" a new voice screamed.
"Tuez le!" Now it was a chorus. I twisted one stalk eye, only now beginning to work.
There were half a dozen humans. Some were soldiers. Others not. The ones who were soldiers brandished swords. The others held huge forks made of sharpened wood.
I was quite sure they were not welcoming me to their town.
«Prince Jake!» I cried. I lurched on half-formed legs to reach the door. My weak fingers closed on the handle. The angry villagers attacked.
Applegate, K A - Animorphs 28 - The Experiment Page 9
