Inbetween: The Incredible Burp 1

About the Inbetween Series:

I have some ideas for stories that I don't usually write because my four main series take up so much time (that and other blog work). So I decided that between writing sections of my main series, to write short little fanfics.

These fanfics will be HIGHLY self-indulgent. Because I work so hard on my other series that I deserve a little break.

Sometimes some of these "Inbetween Fics" might be samples of later works (that might turn out to be either a fanfic series OR original series).

About "The Incredible Burp":

In Animorphs #12 The Reaction there is a problem shown about the morphing ability. It turns out that certain people are allergic to certain DNA. This illness is called Hereth illint. The Andalite term means ‘burping DNA’. It is an uncommon occurrence and the only time it’s happened in the Animorphs series is in #12 and happens to Rachel when she morphs a crocodile.

I decided to explore this illness and look at what would happen if things went wrong.

Where It Takes Place in the Animorphs Timeline:

There is no real event this takes place afterwards. It takes place sometime after Animorphs #22 The Solution as the Animorphs have the Escafil device and David is out of the picture.

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The noises from the animals in the Rehabilitation Clinic would have been unnerving to me before. The volume would have made me doubt why I was here at an earlier part of my life. The combination of stenches, that I just thought of as just one stench, didn’t bother me that much either. The Clinic reminded me that I was free now.

I turned to look at the person I was helping. Her name was Cassie and the others referred to the Clinic as Cassie’s barn. She was an Animorph as was I. At least now. The Animorphs, the original ones, were given the ability to morph by the Andalite Prince Elfangor. Now they fight the Yeerk invasion of Earth.

Yeerks are just harmless slugs. Until they get into the head of a creature like a human. Then they get all the abilities of the host. All the memories. Once you were infested you lost all control. You weren’t yourself any longer.

“Amanda?” Cassie asked and I remembered that I was here on a mission. Not one fighting the Yeerks, but one helping a friend.

I turned my attention back to the injured raven.

“I’m fine.” I told her and looked at the bird. So weak compared to an osprey or red-tailed hawk, but there was strength in there. Whenever the raven looked at me I saw the ability to cause chaos. But I had never morphed a raven so all I knew was speculation.

“Is it hard for you?” She asked as she directed me by the movements of her hands. “Hiding out and not being able to do the things you used to do?”

“I’m not going to become David.” I told her. I didn’t like that the others thought I was going to turn on them just because they had had one bad incident. “I don’t mind. Anything’s better than the condition I was in before.”

I saw that Cassie was about to speak but then knew speaking would have caused unneeded pain for me.

“You were going to talk about me being infested.” I said and saw her become embarrassed. I liked Cassie and didn’t mind her trying to understand a former Controller. Who knows, maybe I would unintentionally give the group better insight into the enemy.

“I can understand if you don’t want to talk about it.” She replied.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” I said and adjusted my hold on the raven as it twitched in fear. “But I also don’t want the Yeerks to be here on Earth. Hell, I would like the Yeerks to not be real.”

“Not all of them are bad.” Cassie said and I just looked at her. As anger started to boil in my blood she explained. “I knew one called Aftran.”

“So that’s one among a whole Yeerk empire.” I said angrily. Not because I didn’t believe Cassie, but because I would have enjoyed a Yeerk like Aftran. One who didn’t so easily bow to how the other Yeerks did things.

“We had an agreement.” She said as she finished up with the raven. “I did what she wanted and, from what the others told me, she seems to have been moved.”

“A Yeerk that was moved.” The idea was ludicrous, but I trusted Cassie. “I can tell you that there aren’t enough Yeerks like that.”

“Maybe one day there will be.”

“Yeah, but I’m not letting Earth get taken over because it’s possible that there are Yeerks that want peace.”

As I started to help move the raven back to its cage I realized this could be a chance to acquire a new morph. I let my hand rest on the bird and started to take it in. The black feathers and eyes that seemed to see more than they should.

The raven became still as it went into a trance and its DNA became a part of me. When I finished acquiring the raven I looked at Cassie. She said nothing to me until we put the raven in its cage.

“When do you think you’re going to use your raven morph?” She asked.

I knew the correct answer wasn’t to say that I was going to use the morph for fun. No reason for acquiring a morph would be accepted unless it dealt with fighting the Yeerks. No matter the honesty of saying I had merely acquired the raven to see what being a raven felt like, I could not give Cassie that reply.

“Spying.” I replied. “Ravens don’t look out of place most of the time. If Jake needs a spying mission I won’t have to bother acquiring a new morph for the occasion.”

Cassie nodded and let the matter drop. Maybe she thought there wouldn’t be bad consequences or that I needed a little harmless fun in my life. Either way, she didn’t question it.
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