"Just one that I've seen," I answered. "Now he's gone. He probably jumped off." Actually, I was lying. The flea was working his way along Tobias skin, beneath the feathers, looking for a good place to sink his penetrating, bloodthirsty tongue.

But somehow I didn't think Tobias would want to hear that.

"Okay, we're at the hospital," Tobias said. "I'll take a low pass, then tell you guys when to jump off. Kind of like an old war movie. You guys are the paratroopers."

"Good example," Marco said. "Ever notice how in those old movies the paratroopers mostly get shot?"

"Jake?" Cassie whispered to me in thought-speak so that no one else could hear.

"Yeah?"

"You could still drop out of this mission," she said. "Everyone would understand."

"Thanks. But no. Tom or no Tom, the Yeerks have to be stopped." That's what I told myself, anyway. I guess it was true.

48 "Okay, everything looks fine to me," Tobias said. "I see an open window on the third floor. No screen."

"You're sure?" Marco asked.

"Marco, in light this bright I could tell you if there was a single strand of spiderweb across that window, let alone a screen."

"He said spiderweb," Rachel moaned.

"H-e-e-e-l-p m-e-e-e!" Marco mimicked.

By absolutely terrible luck, the old version of The Fly had been on TV the night before. Like fools, we'd all watched it.

"I don't understand what this means," Ax grumbled.

"Get ready," Tobias said. "Three . . . two . . . one . . . bail!" I leapt from his back. I opened my wings. The slipstream was so fast it sent me tumbling, end over end through the air. But as my speed dropped I quickly gained control.

"Everyone okay?"

"Yee hah!" Rachel said.

"I see the window opening," Ax said.

I saw him fly past me like a buzzing, wobbling, careening jet fighter. At least I think it was him.

I fell in behind, following his wake.

It turned out Ax was wrong. What he'd thought was a window was actually a small sign on the side of the building. With fly eyes you had to get pretty close to see anything. So we blazed along the face of the building for a while, trying to spot it.

"Keep going," Tobias called to us. "You're almost there." Suddenly, I could feel a rush of cooler air, billowing out at us.

"Here we go," I said.

I turned into the current of air and seconds later was in the relative darkness inside the building.

"Okay. We're looking for anything that might be a miniature Yeerk pool," I reminded everyone.

"Everyone except Ax has been near a Yeerk pool, so try to remember that smell, and see if your antennae pick up anything similar."

49 "I'll tell you one thing. I'll bet I know where the maternity ward is. I smell large numbers of dirty diapers," Rachel said.

"Okay, let's split up, like we planned. Ax and Cassie, you're with me. Rachel and Marco, be careful."

Rachel and Marco peeled off and soon disappeared from sight.

The three of us flew out into what we figured was a hallway, since it seemed very long and had bright lights all along it.

"I smell poop. I smell a banana. At least, I think it's a banana. And, I smell more poop," Cassie said. "Say one thing for flies. If you ever need to find poop, hire a fly." Below us, barely visible, we occasionally caught sight of big, moving oval shapes - the tops of people's heads. But with our limited sight, they seemed like floating islands of hair moving on a blurry sea.

"How's our time, Ax?" I asked.

"We have used twenty percent of our time," Ax reported.

"Good. That's right on plan," I said, trying to reassure myself as much as the two of them.

"Yaaaahhh!"

"What is it?"

"That human tried to reach up and hit me!" Ax said. "But he was very slow."

"Hey," Cassie said. "Hey. Do you guys smell that?"

"More poop?"

"No. Similar to poop, but different. A strange smell. My fly brain doesn't know what it is. I'm trying to remember . . ."

"I too am smelling something," Ax reported. "But not very strong."

"I'm thinking we turn right," Cassie suggested.

"Right turn," I agreed. Now I was getting the scent, too. A dark, deep, rich aroma. Sweet and oily.

"Marco, Rachel," I called to them in thought-speak. "You guys have anything?"

"Barely hear - : - must --- away. Nothing --- "

50 "We are at the limits of the thought-speak range," Ax said.

Now the scent was more powerful than be fore.

"In there," I said. "I think that's a door."

We landed. My six legs, each armed with sharp talons and sticky pads, gripped the smooth surface of the door.

"Here's a question," Cassie said. "How do you open a door when you're like an eighth of an inch long?"

"Down to the floor. We can walk or fly under the crack."

Seconds later, we were on the linoleum, marching jerkily forward. We passed beneath the door, then instantly took flight again.

"Oh, man, there is definitely something in here," Cassie said. "Over there. Do you see a big, shiny-looking superdome kind of thing?"

"Yeah. I agree. I think that may be it. Does anyone see anyone in the room? Any humans?" No one did.

"Okay, Ax. You demorph first. If someone barges in, your Andalite body will be more useful than the two of us as humans."

"Yes, Prince Jake."

"Ax? You really, really don't have to call me that."

"Yes, Prince Jake. I am beginning the change."

"Cool. Cassie and I will hang out on the ceiling."

A few moments later I saw a vast eyeball, stuck on the end of a long stalk, come shooting up toward us where we hung upside down. One of Ax's extra, stalk-mounted eyes. The eye turned to look at us.

Then, a violent vibration in the air. The eye disappeared from sight.

And a second vibration, like something heavy falling.

"Ax? Are you okay?"

"Yes. There was a human here. But he is un conscious now."

51 Chapter 13

We demorphed as quickly as we could. When my human eyesight returned, I saw Ax, standing calmly in his Andalite form. Against the far wall was a man in a white coat, holding a clip board.

He was crumpled and unconscious, but alive.

"Knowing your brother is a Controller, I did not kill this creature," Ax said. "I feared it might be him."

"No. It's not. But that's a good instinct, Ax. Whoever this guy is, he's someone's brother or son or even father."

I took a look first at my own body. I was barefoot, like I always was when I came out of a morph. And wearing only my silly-looking bike shorts and tight T-shirt. (Even Ax can't figure out how to morph anything more than the most minima! clothing.) But I seemed to have all my usual legs and arms.

"You okay, Cassie?" I asked.

"I'm fine." She pointed at what had looked like a shiny superdome to us as flies. It was a stainless steel vat about eight feet across.

I laughed. "You know what this is? This is a whirlpool. A Jacuzzi. Someone just put a lid over it.

Why would they have this in a hospital?"

"For therapy," Cassie said. "You know, for people with muscle strains or back problems."

I stepped to the side of the whirlpool. I grabbed the handles on the lid and lifted. It opened easily on hydraulic hinges. I looked inside. I recoiled.