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Marco acted as plane handler. Directed me forward on the catapult. Checked that
the holdback was in place.
Then he looked up at me, doubt in his gorilla eyes.
Or perhaps the expression can be more accurately described as disbelief.
Then he gave me the thumbs-up.
Then he turned away.
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Rachel laughed but I did not imagine the fear in her voice.
do anything I wouldn t do.>
Prince Jake. Running toward the jet. Cassie bounding at his side.
My human eyes began to tear. I widened them, then blinked rapidly to clear my
vision.
Ignored the now muttering Yeerk.
I selected the engine setting: afterburner.
And then&
The holdback snapped and the aircraft was thrown down the catapult track!
Unbelievable!
We were hit with several times the force of gravity!
I struggled to breathe.
I felt the very skin of my borrowed human face stretch toward the back of my head.
My cheeks seemed to spread like putty. My eyes to burrow deep within my skull.
I thought I would die.
At the very least, be unable to take control of the plane.
The roar was deafening&
And then the towbar popped out of the shuttle and the plane, having reached
flying speed on its own.
I was on my own.
Chapter Twenty-Three
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I took the jet back toward the coastline.
Luck was with me. We were not pursued by Bug fighters. Clearly, it was thought the
pilot of the aircraft was on an official, Yeerk-authorized mission.
What are you doing, Andalite?
I kept my eyes focused on the instrument panel, on the radar screens. I was glad I
could not see my passenger s face.
This plane carries a nuclear device, Yeerk, I said. As you well know. Primitive by
Andalite standards, perhaps even by Yeerk. But effective nonetheless. The bomb is
set to explode on impact.
I paused. Relished the tension my hesitation was creating in the visser. Loathed
myself for playing this sort of shameful game.
For inflicting a kind of torture.
That impact, I continued, slowly, calmly, will occur directly over the Yeerk pool.
You may launch World War Three on planet Earth, Visser, but how many Yeerks will
be alive to benefit?
Never! The man s voice was like the panicked screech of a wounded animal.
Never! You ll never do it!
I did not answer him.
There was not much time before the scheduled attack by the Yeerk-manned
American submarine.
I continued to increase speed.
As I did so, the F-14D s wngs automatically reconfigured. Swept back to reduce
drag.
I noted this feature with pleasure.
You won t have the nerve to do it, Andalite!
Still, I remained silent.
And flew the twin-engined fighter closer and closer to land.
The sky was slowly darkening. It was early evening.
All over the United States in each and every time zone millions of humans were
going about their daily lies.
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Oblivious to the enormous threat to their way of life. The enormous threat posed
by the Yeerks and another world war.
Oblivious to the only slightly less enormous but much more immediate threat faced
by a smaller number of Americans.
Ten to twenty-thousand human beings faced imminent annihilation.
Annihilation that would be instigated by me.
Fingers tingling, I armed the bomb.
No going back. I had committed to this insanity.
You re out of your mind!
I heard the man twisting violently in his seat, desperate to free himself.
Finally, I spoke.
It is very simple, Yeerk. Contact your submarine. Order the commander to self-
destruct. Or I will annihilate the Yeerk pool.
You ll kill tens of thousands of humans! Non-Controllers as well as Yeerks!
The jet streaked toward the Yeerk pool.
Closer, closer.
Sweath trickled down my brow and from under my arms.
I felt my human heart almost breaking through my chest.
The sadness threatened to kill me.
Closer. So close.
Yes, I said. I will.
And then& a miracle.
All right! You win, Andalite. The visser spat again before going on. I will order
the submarine to self-destruct. But on your honor, Andalite, he cried, on your so-
called honor, you will release me!
I do not know if I have ever felt more exhausted, more drained than I did at that
moment.
I reduced speed. Noted the aircraft s wings sweep forward.
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Turned on radio communications.
You may use the radio now, Visser Two.
I listened as the Yeerk angrily gave his order.
For now, we had won.
I steered a course over the woods I have called home ever since being rescued by
Prince Jake and the others.
I was glad to be going back there tonight.
I was also afraid of what I would find. Because home meant more to me than just
my scoop and the surrounding landscape.
Home meant my fellow warriors. All of them. And I had risked my relationship with
them, especially with my prince, by doing what I had done.
It had been a terrible longshot. As Cassie might say, I had played God. And what
right did I an Andalite have to do that?
I had chanced the lives of thousands of humans for the sake of millions.
And in doing so, I had acted as had many Andalite warriors before me.
I had presumed. I had meddled.
I had acted as I had often condemned.
And I had won we had won but at what personal price?
Would my friends every forgive me?
Would I ever forgive myself?
Would you have done it, Andalite? The visser s angry voice broke into my solemn
thoughts. Would you really have done it?
I was unable to respond.
I have enough to answer for.
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