A Hork-Bajir moved closer. He muttered something to the Visser, then moved away. I couldn't hear or understand what the Hork-Bajir had said, but it looked as if he was reminding Visser Three that they shouldn't hang around too long.

"The point is," Chapman said, "that I agreed to be made into a host. I agreed to ... to ..." He looked like he was about to throw up. "I agreed to surrender my freedom. To become a Controller. To accept this filthy thing in my head. To accept your control. I agreed . . . but only if you would spare my daughter."

It felt like my heart had stopped beating. Chapman had become a Controller to save Melissa?

He had given more than his life to save his daughter?

"The situation has changed," Visser Three said. "The Chapman person is an important part of our work. We cannot have him endangered by some uncontrollable human."

"The girl -- Melissa -- is no threat. But. . ." Chapman struggled to lift himself up once 86 again with clumsy legs and awkward arms.

He rose to his knees. Then slowly, slowly, he stood up. He was wobbling and swaying, but he was standing. "The girl is no threat," he repeated in a stronger, moreconfident voice. "But I am."

87 Chapter Eighteen

"You? A threat?" Visser Three laughed. He reached out with one hand to push lightly on Chapman's chest. Chapman fell back, sprawled out on the dirt. His head was just inches from the door of my cage. Tears were streaming down the side of his face.

"If you harm my daughter I will fight you. I will fight you forever. Ask your Yeerk if he believes me. He knows me better than anyone. Ask Iniss two two six if I will fight for my daughter."

Chapman closed his eyes. The tears stopped. Then his eyes opened again. He picked himself up quickly from the ground and stood before Visser Three. The Yeerk slug was in charge again. He was once again a Controller.

Before he stood, I saw something that frightened me all over again. It was Chapman's watch.

The time was now nine twenty-eight. I had about seventeen minutes before I hit the two-hour limit!

"The host will attempt to disrupt your work?"

"Yes, Visser. And the woman as well. She is not as strong as this one, but she was able to gain control of one hand. Perhaps she has deeper strengths than we knew." He hesitated before going on. I could still smell the fear on him. "I am of more use with a passive, voluntary host. But I am your tool, Visser. I will do as you com mand."

"Yes, you will certainly do as I command," Visser Three said. "But you have brought me the Andalite bandit." He nodded down at me. "And this will occupy my time for a little while.

Leave the girl, for now. Now get out. You tempt my patience. " Chapman didn't need a second invitation. He jumped in the car and tore out of there.

Melissa was safe. As safe as she would ever be with Chapman as her father. That was some thing. Not much, but something.

"Move out," Visser Three yelled. I saw the Hork-Bajir respond instantly to his command.

The nearest one snatched me up and suddenly we were moving fast toward the Blade ship.

In seconds it would all be over. I would be aboard the Visser's ship. I would leave Earth. The only thing in my future was pain. Maybe I would die before I betrayed my friends. A depressing kind of thing to hope for.

"So. What's happening now?"

"Mrrraaaoww!"

I jumped and spun around inside my cage.

"Jake? Is that you?"

"Who else would it be? You know anyone else who would be a talking flea riding on your back?"

88 "Jake, you were supposed to get away and be safe!"

"Yeah, right. Like I was going to abandon you. Listen, I could hear Visser Three's thought-speech, but I don't know where we are."

"We are about ten feet away from being loaded into Visser Three's Blade ship. And I have about fifteen minutes left before I'm trapped in this morph. "

"Fifteen minutes? Great, if you have fifteen, I have ten. I had to morph earlier than you, remember."

"Jake, get out of here! You can't be trapped as a flea!"

The door of the Blade ship slid open silently. I could see dark red light inside. I could see a handful of Taxxons that seemed to be standing over control panels of some sort. Hork-Bajir stood at attention.

"I'm not getting out of here." Jake said. "None of us are. "

"None of ... You mean the rest are fleas, too?"

"No, but they should be around somewhere. Tobias was supposed to follow us and lead the others to wherever we ended up. "

"They can't do anything. "

"Oh, really? Well, I bet they'll try. "

Just at that moment I heard a strange sound. My cat brain didn't recognize it. But the human me did. It was an engine. A big engine. Like a big truck. Or maybe a tractor. Or - An earthmover.

The Hork-Bajir carrying me saw it, too.

He ran into the Blade ship and tossed me down.

Then he ran back to the Visser, who waited in the doorway.

"I think they've started one of the earth-movers," I told Jake.

"Then I guess it's time for me to get into this fight," Jake said. "I'm going to try a quick double- morph. Hope it works. Here goes nothing. Yeeee-haaah!" All at once, through the open door of the Blade ship, I spotted the earthmover. It lumbered at a painfully slow speed. But it lumbered right toward the Blade ship.

"Get us into the air!" Visser Three shouted.

The nearest Taxxon said something in their slithery snake-speech. It sounded like "Sssree shway 89 snerp snerrrrup ssreet."

"Two minutes to liftoff? Too long!" Visser Three said. His tail whipped forward. I saw a huge gash open in the flesh of the Taxxon. Greenish- yellow goo poured out.

The other Taxxons all looked kind of excited. They were waving their little upper arms and snapping their little claws.

"You and you. " Visser Three pointed at two of the Taxxons. " Get us off the ground! The rest of you may feed on this fool. "

The wounded Taxxon emitted a wailing, slithery scream. Three other Taxxons rushed at him.

Their circular mouths fastened onto their fellow Taxxon's writhing flesh and began chewing and tearing at him.

The sound of the diesel engine grew louder. Visser Three was rapping out orders. Hork-Bajir ran through the door and back outside.

Then I saw something happening in the dark corner of the cabin, over past the horrific Taxxon feeding frenzy. Something was growing. A human being was growing out of nothing.

"Jake!"

"Can't talk. Don't distract me. "

Visser Three was in a rage. You could feel the waves of his anger radiating around the small space. "Destroy that machine!" he ordered.

Outside, two Hork-Bajir took aim at the five tons of slow-moving steel.

Jake was still cowering in the corner, but he had begun to change once again. In the darkness my cat eyes could see the beginning of a pattern of stripes. Black and orange. The stripes of a tiger.

It was time for me to do my part. I concentrated. I felt the change begin. The cage grew small around me.

Rumble rumble rumble. The earthmover closed in.

The near-dead Taxxon screamed as his fellow Taxxons ate him alive.

Suddenly I saw a brilliant red light.

There was a sizzling sound. I saw the earthmover disintegrate. My heart was in my throat.

Marco! Cassie! Had they gotten away?

I had to concentrate. I had to ignore the Taxxon's screams. I had to stop wondering whether Cassie and Marco had been on that earthmover when it was hit. I had to control my morph.