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Animorphs: The Inflation (Water Inflation/Popping)
A scene from Animorphs with a Hork-Bajir, a whole lot of water, and an explosive ending!
My name is Jake.
And we were in a pretty difficult situation.
<Jake!> Tobias called. <More Hork-Bajir are coming! I see maybe twelve, at least! They’ll be here in minutes!>
<We can’t deal with that many,> I said. <We have to get out of here NOW!>
<No way out, Jake,> Marco replied grimly. <This is a dead end. As dead as we’re about to be.>
Let me put this into context. We were in the Water Treatment Plant on the outskirts of the city. Turns out that the Yeerks had taken the director as a Controller and were trying to turn the whole city’s water supply into Yeerk Pool water. That was a problem. A serious problem. They’d started to install new alien technologies that would add certain chemicals into the water so that it was Yeerk-friendly.
We couldn’t allow that to happen, so we infiltrated the building for a reconnaissance mission. We expect Human controllers. We didn’t expect Hork-Bajir.
And when it looked like the Yeerks were going to infest the innocent workers, who did nothing more than question the new, strange technologies being installed, we decided to take matters into our own hands. Only then did we find out about the small Hork-Bajir army. Thankfully, we were already in battlemorphs by that point.
We fought them off as best we could, but reinforcements had arrived, necessitating our retreat. Cassie was gravely injured, and Marco had to carry her wolf body for our escape. Rachel, Ax and I were left to fight, with Tobias providing some air cover.
We ran through the facility toward what we thought was a way out. We were wrong, and with Hork-Bajir still following, we couldn’t simply turn around. That’s when Tobias told us about more Hork-Bajir on the way. We were already dealing with eight. A dozen more was far too many to handle.
We were in some dimly-lit, grimy part of the facility, great big pipes and hoses all around us. The sounds of churning, rushing water filled the air. Large blocks of control panels stood around, whirring and bleeping. The entrance was a large, square hole in the wall, ten feet wide and equally as tall. It allowed for large machinery to drive through, like forklifts. It stretched a long way back, and in the industrial lighting, I couldn’t yet see the next onslaught of Hork-Bajir on the way. But I knew they were coming.
Tobias’ thought-speak was faint. He was down that corridor. If he’d seen them, they wouldn’t be far away.
Maybe if I had time to think, I could come up with a plan. But I didn’t.
The two Hork-Bajir lunged at the same time, a coordinated strike! I wouldn’t be able to dodge. I had to strike harder than they could. I leaped, opened my jaws wide.
RRRRAAAWWWR!
I snapped my tiger jaws shut, and felt my teeth pop into warm, living flesh. My weight advantage made sure that I pushed the Hork-Bajir back, and when he hit the floor, I snapped my head sideways, removing his throat from his neck.
But that didn’t take care of the second Hork-Bajir. A glancing blow from his flashing blades caught my flank, leaving a deep, painful gash!
<Ahhhh! Geez!>
I had just enough time to swipe with a paw, throwing the Hork-Bajir off balance. Just as Rachel came barreling by. That Hork-Bajir was no longer a problem.
Marco was becoming a target for two of the other Hork-Bajir. <Jake! I have to put Cassie down! They’re on me!>
<Do it!> I ordered. <Take care of yourself. I’m coming! Rachel, keep close.>
I glanced around my surroundings and then rushed for Marco. He was backing up against a line of control panels near the entrance. As I’d ordered, he put Cassie down. She was still breathing, but she was down for the count. The two Hork-Bajir were on them.
In the corner of my eye, I could see down the tunnel. At the end, far in the distance, I could see Tobias flapping hard, heading in our direction. <I’m coming, Jake!>
Something green flew in front of me, taking me by surprise before I could reach Marco. The Hork-Bajir’s head slapped against a large metal pipe. Ax was following it, also heading to Marco’s position.
Three against two. Our odds were good. We were winning.
<We must block the entranceway!> Ax yelled. <We cannot handle that many Hork-Bajir!>
One of the two Hork-Bajir leaped for Marco. He swiped a fist, deflecting the Hork-Bajir sideways and into a clusted of rubber pipes. Its blades flashed, and several pipes burst open! A torrent of water spilled out onto the floor, spreading out quickly over the concrete floor.
One Hork-Bajir left. He hesitated and looked around. Surrounding him was an Andalite, a gorilla and a tiger. Then a bloodied grizzly showed up, too, fresh from taking out his other friends.
Now, Hork-Bajir aren’t very intelligent. Even as Controllers. The Yeerks were probably selected for Hork-Bajir hosts for their skills as fighters rather than thinkers. But even the dimmest of Hork-Bajir that this wasn’t a fight they’d be winning. The Hork-Bajir raised its hands in surrender.
<Good choice,> Marco said in a congratulatory tone. Then, he wound up a gorilla fist and pummeled the Hork-Bajir in the face, enough to knock him out cold. Surrendered or not, we couldn’t afford for him to remain a threat.
That left one Hork-Bajir, the one that was tangled in the rubber pipes. It struggled, but couldn’t fight its way out. At the same time, the powerful rush of water was battering the side of her face.
Tobias, meanwhile, was coming in fast. <We’ve got to move!>
And then, far behind him, I saw them coming. Twenty Hork-Bajir, maybe more, came barreling around the corner of the lengthy hallway. They must have added to their numbers.
We’d have no chance in hell of winning that battle.
<Demorph, Cassie!> I demanded, staring over her weak body. <Demorph now!>
<I believe I see a vent, Prince Jake,> Ax helpfully noted.
I followed his gaze. Up in a cobwebbed, dusty corner of the ceiling was a vent. We’d need to morph Fly to get through it.
<We can’t risk it,> I said. <They’ll see us. They’ll know were Human!>
<We have to fight,> Rachel said boldly. <It’s the only way out. We can take them.>
<No. We can’t,> I replied.
Before it seemed that we’d have no choice, Marco sprung up with the most bizarre idea I’d ever heard. Even from him.
<Hey, you know those old Looney Tunes cartoons?>
Rachel grumbled. <Not is NOT the time, Marco…>
He continued, <You remember when Wile E Coyote would end up getting inflated like a big balloon? Or Tom and Jerry, even!>
<What are you talking about?> I asked, frustrated.
Instead of continuing to provide us with examples, he thought to go straight ahead to testing out his theory. He grabbed the stuck Hork-Bajir by the throat. <You try anything, Yeerk, and I’ll rip your head off.>
He yanked the Hork-Bajir roughly out of the pipes, and then, in his other hand, took hold of one of the split pipes.
We all stared. We knew what he was suggesting. We just couldn’t believe that he was suggesting it.
Marco’s gorilla eyes stared quizzically at Ax. <Would this work? You know alien biology better than I do.>
Even Ax was flummoxed. <I… don’t understand.>
<We inflate this Hork-Bajir with water and use it to block the entrance!>
Ax said nothing.
<Marco, this isn’t Looney Tunes!> Rachel screamed. <You can’t just->
But he did! Before Rachel could finish yelling, he violently crammed the rubber tube over the Hork-Bajir’s snout, pulling it over like you’d put on a sock. The reaction was immediate, the Hork-Bajir eyes – and cheeks – bulging like something out of a Saturday morning cartoon. The sound of rushing water became muffled as it coursed into the unfortunate Hork-Bajir.
I suppose we had to run with it.
<Put it… put it in the entrance way,> I ordered with less conviction than I’d ever had when delivering an order before.
Marco roughly dragged the swelling alien to the entranceway. Far past him, I could see the Hork-Bajir army still approaching. Would we have time?
Tobias flew over just as the Hork-Bajir was planted in the center of the opening. <What the... What are you doing?!>
<The only thing that might work!> Marco responded. <We’re blocking the entrance.>
<With a Hork-Bajir?! That’s…. that’s…?
<Insane?> Marco offered.
<Yeah…> Tobias agreed.
I rushed back to Cassie. I breathed a massive sigh of relief when I noticed that she was demorphing. Her fur was melting away, her wolf snout slowly reducing down to a button nose.
What would she think of this?
I felt sorry, really. As I watched the struggling Hork-Bajir blowing up like a green water balloon, I couldn’t help but think of the innocent creature behind the Yeerk mask. She didn’t ask for this. She didn’t deserve this.
But we had no choice.
The water pressure was intense, and it was filling up its new home very quickly. The Hork-Bajir could do nothing with the tubing pulled so tightly over her face. Do nothing except gulp down all that water. Her body was fattening up, swelling out like a rubber balloon attached to a helium canister at a carnival. Soon, her scrabbling claws could no longer reach her face to attempt to remove the tube. Her body was growing outwards so much that her limbs were forced outwards like she was doing an eternal star jump.
I dragged my attention away from the incredible sight for long enough to bark out the order, <demorph! Hide behind the Hork-Bajir!>
We huddled together beneath the shadow of the inflated Hork-Bajir and demorphed as quickly as we could. We knew that we wouldn’t do it in time. We had to rest on the hope that the Hork-Bajir’s body would hold out enough to block the entrance.
And it did.
<Wow… I can’t believe it worked,> Marco uttered. He didn’t sound as happy about it as he would normally be when it comes to being proven right.
<Part of me wishes that it didn’t,> Tobias said.
<Just another addition to my little book of nightmares,> Rachel sighed.
Marco thought it a good time to joke. <But hey, at least we know what to bring to this year’s street parade.>
<Not funny,> I told him.
Meanwhile, Cassie was coming to, just as we also emerged fully Human. She sat up, and before she could scream, I made sure that she saw me shushing her with a finger against my lips.
<Cassie, we must morph fly,> Ax told her. <There are more than twenty Hork-Bajir on the other side of this one. We must escape before they can get through.>
“He’s right,” I whispered. “Fly morph. Quick as you can. We head for the vent.”
I felt a cold shudder head up my spine, spooked at the ballooning Hork-Bajir’s skin had finally expanded enough to press up against our shoulders. Our ears were filled with the sounds of sloshing, churning water, compressed tightly within a thinning layer of leathery skin. It creaked, a sound full of warning.
“She’s gonna blow!” Marco urged. “If we don’t get out, we’ll be flushed down the hallway!”
I got up and sneaked a look around the vast circumference of the water-logged Hork-Bajir. Its sides were pressed tightly within the square frame of the entranceway, only helping to increase the pressure on the unfortunate creature. Nothing was getting in now without causing an almighty boom.
I was about to start the fly morph when I heard a light splat! I looked down, and at my feet was something small, grey and slimy. A writhing Yeerk slug.
Sensing an explosive end to its host, the Yeerk obviously fancied its chances in the resulting tidal wave, leaving the host to face the painful end alone. I felt another stab of guilt.
The others didn’t need to know. I started the morph.
An extra set of legs sprouted from my torso. A pair of gossamer wings grew out from my shoulder blades. My eyes bulged and popped into the thousand-TV-Screen, compound eyes of the insect. All the while, I shrank down, down, down, until I was no bigger than an eraser on the end of a pencil.
I was thankful for the fly eyes. When I fly up into the air, I could just make out the blurred image of the Hork-Bajir’s eyes. She was still alive, despite all that was happening, despite her whole body swelling up like some grotesque science experiment gone wrong.
<Head for the vent!> I told the others. <She’s about to->
It happened before I could finish the sentence. The spherical green object in my vision was suddenly gone, and in its place was the black, haunting wall of water. I could do nothing to avoid the thousands of droplets, cast in all directions with so much pressure that it almost tore me in half! The explosion was immense!
<Are we all okay?!> I asked.
They all replied in the affirmative, much to my relief. We reached the vent and crawled inside. We had escaped.
My name is Jake.
And we were in a pretty difficult situation.
<Jake!> Tobias called. <More Hork-Bajir are coming! I see maybe twelve, at least! They’ll be here in minutes!>
<We can’t deal with that many,> I said. <We have to get out of here NOW!>
<No way out, Jake,> Marco replied grimly. <This is a dead end. As dead as we’re about to be.>
Let me put this into context. We were in the Water Treatment Plant on the outskirts of the city. Turns out that the Yeerks had taken the director as a Controller and were trying to turn the whole city’s water supply into Yeerk Pool water. That was a problem. A serious problem. They’d started to install new alien technologies that would add certain chemicals into the water so that it was Yeerk-friendly.
We couldn’t allow that to happen, so we infiltrated the building for a reconnaissance mission. We expect Human controllers. We didn’t expect Hork-Bajir.
And when it looked like the Yeerks were going to infest the innocent workers, who did nothing more than question the new, strange technologies being installed, we decided to take matters into our own hands. Only then did we find out about the small Hork-Bajir army. Thankfully, we were already in battlemorphs by that point.
We fought them off as best we could, but reinforcements had arrived, necessitating our retreat. Cassie was gravely injured, and Marco had to carry her wolf body for our escape. Rachel, Ax and I were left to fight, with Tobias providing some air cover.
We ran through the facility toward what we thought was a way out. We were wrong, and with Hork-Bajir still following, we couldn’t simply turn around. That’s when Tobias told us about more Hork-Bajir on the way. We were already dealing with eight. A dozen more was far too many to handle.
We were in some dimly-lit, grimy part of the facility, great big pipes and hoses all around us. The sounds of churning, rushing water filled the air. Large blocks of control panels stood around, whirring and bleeping. The entrance was a large, square hole in the wall, ten feet wide and equally as tall. It allowed for large machinery to drive through, like forklifts. It stretched a long way back, and in the industrial lighting, I couldn’t yet see the next onslaught of Hork-Bajir on the way. But I knew they were coming.
Tobias’ thought-speak was faint. He was down that corridor. If he’d seen them, they wouldn’t be far away.
Maybe if I had time to think, I could come up with a plan. But I didn’t.
The two Hork-Bajir lunged at the same time, a coordinated strike! I wouldn’t be able to dodge. I had to strike harder than they could. I leaped, opened my jaws wide.
RRRRAAAWWWR!
I snapped my tiger jaws shut, and felt my teeth pop into warm, living flesh. My weight advantage made sure that I pushed the Hork-Bajir back, and when he hit the floor, I snapped my head sideways, removing his throat from his neck.
But that didn’t take care of the second Hork-Bajir. A glancing blow from his flashing blades caught my flank, leaving a deep, painful gash!
<Ahhhh! Geez!>
I had just enough time to swipe with a paw, throwing the Hork-Bajir off balance. Just as Rachel came barreling by. That Hork-Bajir was no longer a problem.
Marco was becoming a target for two of the other Hork-Bajir. <Jake! I have to put Cassie down! They’re on me!>
<Do it!> I ordered. <Take care of yourself. I’m coming! Rachel, keep close.>
I glanced around my surroundings and then rushed for Marco. He was backing up against a line of control panels near the entrance. As I’d ordered, he put Cassie down. She was still breathing, but she was down for the count. The two Hork-Bajir were on them.
In the corner of my eye, I could see down the tunnel. At the end, far in the distance, I could see Tobias flapping hard, heading in our direction. <I’m coming, Jake!>
Something green flew in front of me, taking me by surprise before I could reach Marco. The Hork-Bajir’s head slapped against a large metal pipe. Ax was following it, also heading to Marco’s position.
Three against two. Our odds were good. We were winning.
<We must block the entranceway!> Ax yelled. <We cannot handle that many Hork-Bajir!>
One of the two Hork-Bajir leaped for Marco. He swiped a fist, deflecting the Hork-Bajir sideways and into a clusted of rubber pipes. Its blades flashed, and several pipes burst open! A torrent of water spilled out onto the floor, spreading out quickly over the concrete floor.
One Hork-Bajir left. He hesitated and looked around. Surrounding him was an Andalite, a gorilla and a tiger. Then a bloodied grizzly showed up, too, fresh from taking out his other friends.
Now, Hork-Bajir aren’t very intelligent. Even as Controllers. The Yeerks were probably selected for Hork-Bajir hosts for their skills as fighters rather than thinkers. But even the dimmest of Hork-Bajir that this wasn’t a fight they’d be winning. The Hork-Bajir raised its hands in surrender.
<Good choice,> Marco said in a congratulatory tone. Then, he wound up a gorilla fist and pummeled the Hork-Bajir in the face, enough to knock him out cold. Surrendered or not, we couldn’t afford for him to remain a threat.
That left one Hork-Bajir, the one that was tangled in the rubber pipes. It struggled, but couldn’t fight its way out. At the same time, the powerful rush of water was battering the side of her face.
Tobias, meanwhile, was coming in fast. <We’ve got to move!>
And then, far behind him, I saw them coming. Twenty Hork-Bajir, maybe more, came barreling around the corner of the lengthy hallway. They must have added to their numbers.
We’d have no chance in hell of winning that battle.
<Demorph, Cassie!> I demanded, staring over her weak body. <Demorph now!>
<I believe I see a vent, Prince Jake,> Ax helpfully noted.
I followed his gaze. Up in a cobwebbed, dusty corner of the ceiling was a vent. We’d need to morph Fly to get through it.
<We can’t risk it,> I said. <They’ll see us. They’ll know were Human!>
<We have to fight,> Rachel said boldly. <It’s the only way out. We can take them.>
<No. We can’t,> I replied.
Before it seemed that we’d have no choice, Marco sprung up with the most bizarre idea I’d ever heard. Even from him.
<Hey, you know those old Looney Tunes cartoons?>
Rachel grumbled. <Not is NOT the time, Marco…>
He continued, <You remember when Wile E Coyote would end up getting inflated like a big balloon? Or Tom and Jerry, even!>
<What are you talking about?> I asked, frustrated.
Instead of continuing to provide us with examples, he thought to go straight ahead to testing out his theory. He grabbed the stuck Hork-Bajir by the throat. <You try anything, Yeerk, and I’ll rip your head off.>
He yanked the Hork-Bajir roughly out of the pipes, and then, in his other hand, took hold of one of the split pipes.
We all stared. We knew what he was suggesting. We just couldn’t believe that he was suggesting it.
Marco’s gorilla eyes stared quizzically at Ax. <Would this work? You know alien biology better than I do.>
Even Ax was flummoxed. <I… don’t understand.>
<We inflate this Hork-Bajir with water and use it to block the entrance!>
Ax said nothing.
<Marco, this isn’t Looney Tunes!> Rachel screamed. <You can’t just->
But he did! Before Rachel could finish yelling, he violently crammed the rubber tube over the Hork-Bajir’s snout, pulling it over like you’d put on a sock. The reaction was immediate, the Hork-Bajir eyes – and cheeks – bulging like something out of a Saturday morning cartoon. The sound of rushing water became muffled as it coursed into the unfortunate Hork-Bajir.
I suppose we had to run with it.
<Put it… put it in the entrance way,> I ordered with less conviction than I’d ever had when delivering an order before.
Marco roughly dragged the swelling alien to the entranceway. Far past him, I could see the Hork-Bajir army still approaching. Would we have time?
Tobias flew over just as the Hork-Bajir was planted in the center of the opening. <What the... What are you doing?!>
<The only thing that might work!> Marco responded. <We’re blocking the entrance.>
<With a Hork-Bajir?! That’s…. that’s…?
<Insane?> Marco offered.
<Yeah…> Tobias agreed.
I rushed back to Cassie. I breathed a massive sigh of relief when I noticed that she was demorphing. Her fur was melting away, her wolf snout slowly reducing down to a button nose.
What would she think of this?
I felt sorry, really. As I watched the struggling Hork-Bajir blowing up like a green water balloon, I couldn’t help but think of the innocent creature behind the Yeerk mask. She didn’t ask for this. She didn’t deserve this.
But we had no choice.
The water pressure was intense, and it was filling up its new home very quickly. The Hork-Bajir could do nothing with the tubing pulled so tightly over her face. Do nothing except gulp down all that water. Her body was fattening up, swelling out like a rubber balloon attached to a helium canister at a carnival. Soon, her scrabbling claws could no longer reach her face to attempt to remove the tube. Her body was growing outwards so much that her limbs were forced outwards like she was doing an eternal star jump.
I dragged my attention away from the incredible sight for long enough to bark out the order, <demorph! Hide behind the Hork-Bajir!>
We huddled together beneath the shadow of the inflated Hork-Bajir and demorphed as quickly as we could. We knew that we wouldn’t do it in time. We had to rest on the hope that the Hork-Bajir’s body would hold out enough to block the entrance.
And it did.
<Wow… I can’t believe it worked,> Marco uttered. He didn’t sound as happy about it as he would normally be when it comes to being proven right.
<Part of me wishes that it didn’t,> Tobias said.
<Just another addition to my little book of nightmares,> Rachel sighed.
Marco thought it a good time to joke. <But hey, at least we know what to bring to this year’s street parade.>
<Not funny,> I told him.
Meanwhile, Cassie was coming to, just as we also emerged fully Human. She sat up, and before she could scream, I made sure that she saw me shushing her with a finger against my lips.
<Cassie, we must morph fly,> Ax told her. <There are more than twenty Hork-Bajir on the other side of this one. We must escape before they can get through.>
“He’s right,” I whispered. “Fly morph. Quick as you can. We head for the vent.”
I felt a cold shudder head up my spine, spooked at the ballooning Hork-Bajir’s skin had finally expanded enough to press up against our shoulders. Our ears were filled with the sounds of sloshing, churning water, compressed tightly within a thinning layer of leathery skin. It creaked, a sound full of warning.
“She’s gonna blow!” Marco urged. “If we don’t get out, we’ll be flushed down the hallway!”
I got up and sneaked a look around the vast circumference of the water-logged Hork-Bajir. Its sides were pressed tightly within the square frame of the entranceway, only helping to increase the pressure on the unfortunate creature. Nothing was getting in now without causing an almighty boom.
I was about to start the fly morph when I heard a light splat! I looked down, and at my feet was something small, grey and slimy. A writhing Yeerk slug.
Sensing an explosive end to its host, the Yeerk obviously fancied its chances in the resulting tidal wave, leaving the host to face the painful end alone. I felt another stab of guilt.
The others didn’t need to know. I started the morph.
An extra set of legs sprouted from my torso. A pair of gossamer wings grew out from my shoulder blades. My eyes bulged and popped into the thousand-TV-Screen, compound eyes of the insect. All the while, I shrank down, down, down, until I was no bigger than an eraser on the end of a pencil.
I was thankful for the fly eyes. When I fly up into the air, I could just make out the blurred image of the Hork-Bajir’s eyes. She was still alive, despite all that was happening, despite her whole body swelling up like some grotesque science experiment gone wrong.
<Head for the vent!> I told the others. <She’s about to->
It happened before I could finish the sentence. The spherical green object in my vision was suddenly gone, and in its place was the black, haunting wall of water. I could do nothing to avoid the thousands of droplets, cast in all directions with so much pressure that it almost tore me in half! The explosion was immense!
<Are we all okay?!> I asked.
They all replied in the affirmative, much to my relief. We reached the vent and crawled inside. We had escaped.
Category Story / Inflation
Species Alien (Other)
Gender Female
Size 50 x 50px
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