We took turns hanging out above the counter. But we didn't have too long a wait till a woman came in and ordered a Happy Meal with "extra happy."
We buzzed easily along behind her as she went through the door and into the kitchen. Then into the walk-in refrigerator.
"Gotta get out of here, man," I said. "This cold is slowing me down."
"Yes, this body has no ability to regulate body temperature," Ax observed. "What a strange idea. You humans do many unusual things."
"Ax, I don't think we're exactly responsible for -"
"Yes, I know. I was attempting to make a joke. A human-style joke."
"Great," Marco muttered. "Funny Yeerks and now a wannabe-funny Andalite." The Controller woman waited patiently and after a few seconds, the back of the walk-in refrigerator split and opened wide.
She stepped and we flew through the opening. It really was going to be easy this time.
BrrrrEEEEET! BrrrrEEEEET! "Unauthorized life-form detected." BrrrrEEEEET BrrrrEEEEET! "Unauthorized life-form detected."
The Controller woman looked around. I saw her blue eyes, each the size of a swimming pool, turn and look. Through the shattered, splintered fly vision, I could see her focus.
Then she muttered under her breath, "Security fanatics. It's just a couple of lousy flies."
But the mechanical voice was giving instructions now.
"Shut your eyes tightly to protect against retinal damage from the Gleet BioFilter."
"The what?" I asked.
"Get out of here!" Ax yelled.
"What?"
"Out! Out! Out!" he yelled.
Ax never yells. So if he does yell, you have to figure it's a good idea to pay attention.
I spun around in midair the way only a fly can do, and I hauled wing for the still-open crack that led to the refrigerator.
Suddenly, the whole world blew up in a dazzling explosion of light. I felt my compound eyes melt. I flew on, blinded, blew through the rapidly narrowing crack and hit the cold air.
"l'm blind!" I cried.
"l think we all are," Ax said calmly. "We're lucky to be just blinded. A Gleet BioFilter destroys all life-forms whose DNA is not entered into the computer controls. Andalite technology, of course. The Yeerks must have stolen the specifications"
"Ax, are you telling me that filter thing will wipe out any life-form except the one they program it for?" Jake asked.
"Yes, Prince Jake. I'm sorry to say, yes. Everything but the particular human-Controller."
"Then we're shut off from the Yeerk pool," Tobias said. "They must have this same technology at all the entrances now." It was hard to get too upset by the idea of being locked out of the Yeerk pool. But it was frustrating. And it kind of made me mad. I didn't like the idea of being outsmarted by the Yeerks.
"There must be some other way in," I said.
"l'd like to know what it would be," Marco said.
For a moment no one said anything. Then Cassie said, "Well . . . there is one way."
"I take it back!" Marco said. "I take it back! I can tell by your tone, Cassie, I really don't want to know."
Back at Cassie's barn we gathered around and stared at a small cage.
"What is that, a rat?" Marco asked.
"lt's a mole," Tobias said.
"Count on Tobias to know his rodents," Marco said. He looked up at the rafters where Tobias was preening - cleaning his feathers with his beak.
"How do they taste?"
"I've never caught one. They don't come up to the surface very often."
"That is one ugly creature," I said. "And it looks way too much like a shrew." I had morphed a shrew once. It wasn't a good time. The shrew was way too hyped. Way too excitable. And way, way too hungry.
"It's a lot calmer than a shrew," Cassie said. "And like Tobias said, moles spend almost all their time underground. They dig tunnels. See how big the front feet are? They're well-adapted for digging tunnels."
Marco sighed. "Moleman. You can't even picture a superhero named Moleman. What would the superpowers be? Digging?"
"Many of your Earth animals are similar to this in shape," Ax observed.
"Yeah," Cassie agreed. "It's a very successful shape: rats, mice, voles, shrews, even squirrels and raccoons to a certain extent. Your basic low-slung, four-legged rodent shape."
I sighed. "So let me get this straight. You're suggesting we morph this mole and dig our way down to the Yeerk pool?"
Cassie shrugged. Then she winked at me. "Just trying to be helpful."
"It's probably, what, fifty feet down through the dirt to the top of the Yeerk pool?"
"At least," Tobias said.
"That's a lot of dirt," Jake said. "But I don't know of another way. If we're going to do this, we need to get back to the Yeerk pool."
"Has anyone figured out how we're supposed to get a whole lot of oatmeal down there after we dig these mole tunnels?" Tasked.
Jake nodded like he was going to say "sure."
Instead he said, "Nope. But we need to start stocking up. Everyone start bugging your parents to buy instant maple-and-ginger flavor oatmeal. Lots of it. We'll start with that. Then we'll spend our allowances for more."
Marco shook his head. "No need. I do the food shopping at my house. My dad drops me off, hits Target for all that kind of stuff, then picks me up. I can supply the oatmeal."
"Okay, then," Jake said. "Nothing left to do but acquire this mole here."
I made a face. I was nearest the cage. "Does it bite?"
"I wouldn't think so," Cassie said. "It usually just eats ... I mean, I don't think it'll bite you."
I turned on her. "What does it usually eat, Cassie?"
"Well, it eats what you'd expect an underground animal to eat. It eats worms. Mostly worms."
"Oh, great," I moaned.