The Capture by K. A. Applegate

Author:K. A. Applegate [Applegate, K. A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 0590629824
Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks
Published: 1997-02-07T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

I clung to Tobias's feathers. It was easy enough to do. Fly legs can grab onto glass, or hang upside down on a ceiling.

I could feel the wind whipping around me. It rattled my wings and actually whistled through the chinks and joints of my tiny exoskeleton.

An incredible array of aromas assaulted my sensitive antennae. Unfortunately, the main things my fly brain seemed interested in were anything sweet, anything rotting, or anything decayed and putrid.

<This is a little like that shrew morph I did early on,> Rachel pointed out. <The same interest in dead meat.>

Suddenly, a monster! It loomed huge in my compound eyes. Smaller than me, but still way, way too big.

<What the . . . !> I yelped.

<What? What is it?> Cassie asked.

<Oh, man. I think it's a flea. It looks about the size of a poodle. But not even slightly cute.>

<Wait a minute!> Tobias cried. <Are you telling me I have fleas?>

<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.

<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.

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