Animorphs Re-Read: #5 The Predator (Chapters 13-16)

Chapter 13

Now that Ax has the Z-Space transponder he is able to build the distress beacon rather quickly. Marco says that wherever they set the trap can't be connected to them. This makes sense as they don't want to endanger their families since Visser Three might make the connection that the 'Andalite Bandits' are actually human. Except for Ax.

While it is smart to think like this, it makes planning a little more difficult.

Tobias thinks of a place, but Ax will need a bird morph so he can get there. Cassie, again, acts like a drug dealer while she says what she has available. It is really like Cassie is the drug dealer of morphs in the Animorphs series.

Ax, when asked if he minds morphing a bird, says that he admires Tobias' red-tailed hawk morph. It's a cute moment to me as it's like he has a crush and/or he is looking at Tobias like a nephew before knowing Tobias' lineage.

Marco makes a joke about foot odor being a human's natural weapon when Ax mentions a problem he finds while he is in human morph.

Jake decides Saturday should be the day the plan goes down. Marco then remarks on how he used to be afraid of Taxxons and Hork-Bajir, but now he's more afraid of ants. The ant morph does stick in Marco's mind and yet it won't be the worst horror in the series.

The group still has yet to find out about Crayak for crying out loud! Or about what happens in the second Megamorphs book!

After Jake and Marco leave together, they start talking about normal things. Marco is stalling from telling Jake something and Jake knows it. Marco finally says that this is his last mission and that no one can guilt him into staying on the team.

Marco has held on even when he's been reluctant. I wouldn't ever quit the Animorphs but dying for Marco isn't about him dying. It's about how his Dad would be even more lost. The reluctant Animorph isn't selfish, he just has a strong tie to his father.

Jake tells Marco that he has done enough. That's friendship there as Jake is probably not happy that he's losing one member of his team so the fight against the Yeerks will be harder.

Marco explains how they've had so many close calls already and that at some point one of them is going to die. Except Rachel. Rachel will never die.

Marco's plans for Sunday will probably be leaving flowers on his mother's grave. He says that a year from now he doesn't want his father leaving flowers on his grave.


Chapter 14

The chapter starts off with the gang flying and Ax getting excited over his Northern Harrier morph. I don't think he's been this excited since he's tasted a cinnamon bun. Then Ax and Tobias have a sort of dick measuring contest. But, instead of dicks, they're comparing their eyesights.

Marco's bird morph is an Osprey. That's the continuity error from #3 The Encounter saying hi!

Marco says that they should give up the mission and, instead, spend the day just flying around. Cassie tries to have a lighthearted reply and fails. Her reply shows that everyone thinks that the mission will go bad. Except maybe Ax because of Andalite ego and him never having fought an actual battle before.

They arrive at the location, circle around to make sure no one is there, land, and then demorph.

Marco, yet again, brings up that he wants morphing outfits like the X-Men have. He always does this and my headcanon of TobiasXMarco post war is Marco finally able to make a team outfit for Tobias. Which Tobias wears just to keep Marco happy though he is really embarrassed.

But then it hits Marco that this is his last mission with the team. He shouldn't be joking around like he usually does. He then wonders if Jake had told the others. He assumes Jake told Cassie but Rachel and Tobias don't know.

The gang goes to a good spot and they're about to morph their battle morphs. Everyone except Ax who would just keep his Andalite form. Before the gang morphs, Ax activates the distress beacon.

Rachel morphs elephant and I am reminded that she hasn't yet acquired her famous Grizzly Bear morph. She acquires that morph in #7 The Stranger and that becomes her battle morph from then on. So through the majority of the series her battle morph isn't an elephant.

Once the group finishes their morphs they argue who would win in a fight. They're teenagers so this makes sense. They're joking before a battle they might die in. Not even a big battle, but the possibility of death is still there if something goes wrong.

Marco makes a joke, after Ax says that when the war is over Andalites will come to Earth just for the morphs, and starts to explain it to Ax. I find this interesting since a lot of people comment how the group never tries to explain anything to Ax. EVER.

Here Marco starts to explain but is interrupted by the distress beacon going off and alerting the others to the Yeerk's arrival. The gang gets into position.

Marco sees the Bug fighter and says a version of good-bye to Ax.


Chapter 15

The Bug fighter lands and a Hork-Bajir Controller steps out. Again it's brought up that the Hork-Bajir are really good species according to Prince Elfangor. But the other Animorphs are all on the fence about that. This is because the Hork-Bajir look like predators.

Marco says that if Klingons were real that they would be afraid of Hork-Bajirs. How did I not pick up that Applegate was a Trekkie when I was younger? Seriously, take a shot whenever there's a Star Trek reference.

Ax tells the group what Controllers will be inside the Bug fighter, but they already know. This isn't their first fight.

Marco notices that the Hork-Bajir Controller is acting suspiciously. Jake either doesn't notice or doesn't care and orders the group to attack. Maybe Marco didn't have enough time or else he isn't sure so doesn't bring it up. Either way, the group attacks.

Tobias is the first to attack!

As the group attacks the Controller, Marco gets even more suspicious. He thinks that the Hork-Bajir has given up too easily. We get a reason why Marco doesn't say anything to the group: he has a job.

But if he thinks this is

then why not say something? If he thinks it's a trap he should warn the others before the shit really hits the fan.

And the trap is sprung and they are all surrounded. HOLY FUCKING SHIT, MARCO! YOU ARE STUPID! NEXT TIME YOU THINK IT'S A TRAP SAY SOMETHING! GODDAMMIT!

The Animorphs look at their options and realize that they aren't going to be getting away from this. When Tobias says he can't get away either I think he's lying. I think he's tired of watching his friends get into danger while he is away safe. So he can get away but chooses not to fly away this time.

Rachel says there has to be a way out but Marco knows that's not the case. He knows there are some things you can't get out of.

Visser Three makes his entrance. He brings up a big problem with Ax's plan: the Yeerks change their frequencies from time to time for instances like these.

Did this NOT occur to anyone? Hell, when they heard that the plan had been done before they should've worried. So did everyone trust Ax because he's an Andalite?

Jake tells Ax not to talk with Visser Three. The reason being that the group wants to keep the fact that the majority of them aren't Andalites. Since if the Visser learned they were humans...you get to see what would happen if the Yeerks figured out they aren't Andalites later on in the series.

Visser Three shows he's a cat person by complimenting Jake's tiger morph. The Visser then announces that he will be showing off the Andalites to Visser One.

Marco isn't too far gone to realize that Visser Three is afraid of Visser One.

Rachel thinks they should just make a break for it while Marco says that they should stay alive because there's hope that way. Rachel points out how hopeless their current situation is.

The group stays still and Marco would be facepalming if he could.


Chapter 16

The Animorphs are lead into the Blade ship. Marco comments on the fact that they were fools to ever try and resist the Yeerks. That Visser Three is correct in all his insults. Of course this isn't surprising coming from Marco, he is the reluctant Animorph. He never had any clear feeling of them winning before this incident. Fits that he wouldn't have hope now.

Marco wants to feel angry but, instead, feels numb. He has a sense that he's just dreaming.

He thinks of his Dad at this moment. I think that's very telling of his character. He really cares for his father and wanted to stop fighting so he didn't die. Since, if he died, his father would have no one left to help him hold on.

When Marco says it'll be just like when his Mom died...yikes! You'll see my reasoning for that yikes shortly.

Since Marco does have a role in the group, he makes a joke and the others sort of laugh.

Cassie comes up with the idea if they demorph Visser Three will see that they aren't human and let them go. Marco knows the plan would never work but doesn't demean Cassie for thinking it. Since when you're in danger you don't think clearly and your mind will reach to anything. Even if the idea is shit.

Jake shoots down the idea saying if the Yeerks find out about them being human that they may go after their families. Hey, Jake, at least you won't have to worry about Tom!

A window just appears and they look down at Earth. I've always seen pictures of Earth from space as beautiful. But Marco describes that it looks like a dying hope. Marco looks at Earth and sees it as free...for now.

Ax remarks that the Yeerks opened the window so that they would all despair.

The Animorphs look at the mother ship. Ax describes how the ship works. Very VERY interesting information.

Rachel asks why people can't see the Yeerk ship and Ax mentions the cloaking system. A cloaking system that blocks the ship from both radar and sight.

Cassie remarks how she always wanted to see Earth from space and Ax apologies for getting them caught. Marco, as well as me, wants to yell at Ax. Because it IS his fault for not thinking ahead. Yes, he's a kid who didn't pay attention in school, but not thinking of a simple flaw to the plan? Oh, and never mind the shit he caused back in the mall. Because HOLY FUCKING SHIT!

But Cassie is the one to answer and says what the whole group feels deep down. Down below all the hate they want to yell out. Cassie brings up that Ax and his people were just trying to save Earth and them being caught isn't his fault.

We'll see later in the series why I think Andalites are assholes for the most part.

But Marco still has a harsh comment for Ax and says it.

Marco sees the crew of the mother ship through the window. Besides the usual Controllers being talked about, two or three other species are mentioned. However, they aren't given names.

Marco has a moment of hope when he sees human but reality quickly hits him. They are Controllers, not actual humans.

Jake asks Ax for the morph time. When Ax says how long they've been in morph, Tobias suggests just attacking the Yeerks since they'll become nothlits soon, anyways (well, besides Ax of course who would probably become the second Andalite Controller).

I believe Tobias is suggesting attacking since he knows how hard being a nothlit can be. Even with people to provide emotional support. So him saying to attack may be him believing they can escape but not before the others become stuck in morph.

Jake says not to attack since they still need hope. Marco gets jealous when Cassie comforts Jake. He doesn't like that he has no one like Cassie, aka a bf or gf, to provide him comfort. Come on, Marco! You have bird-boy! You two can get nasty now that you're about to die!

I'm not ashamed of the image that I just put in your head.

Marco and Rachel agree that they had put up a good fight before being caught. That them being caught wasn't because they had given up. Well...it was Marco's final mission but he still gave it his all.

Marco notices that the Controllers are wearing different uniforms. So they were on two different sides. Ax says that he remembers his brother, Elfangor, saying that each Visser had his/her own personal army. I like that in the series Ax doesn't know everything. Mainly because he didn't pay attention in class.

Visser One arrives and Visser Three says that he has captured the Andalite bandits. But Marco doesn't care about what Visser Three is saying. All he cares about is Visser One.

Because he has just found out his mother isn't dead. She's the host of Visser One.

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