JAKE: ~walks into cafe with Homer. Sits down next to MARCO~  How's it goin'?

MARCO: ~not looking up from computer screen.~Not bad! It's afternoon and I haven't been chased by anything with eight arms yet. ~looks at JAKE~ But the day's still young.

JAKE: Mmm-hmmm. ~pause. looks at MARCO~ Has anybody heard from Tobias?

MARCO: ~looks concerned~ I don't know, I haven't. He's probably chillin' with Rachel, dude.

JAKE: I hope so. What are you doing, anyways?

MARCO: I'm trying to have a Yeerk free day. ~points at computer screen~ Checkin' out some new wheels for my blades, dude. Did you know the cores of the new five-thousand series are made of nylon?

JAKE: It's not nylon, it's fiberglass.

MARCO: ~shakes head~ No, nylon.

JAKE: Trust me, it's fiberglass.

MARCO: Ny-lon.

JAKE: Fiberglass

MARCO: I'm looking at it right now, Jake. Look,  It's nylon.

JAKE VO: ~MARCO and JAKE continue to argue, almost silently, on screen~ My name is Jake. And that's Marco, the one winning the argument. He's my best friend, really. And this is how it used to be. Y'know, hanging out together, arguing over dumb things.

MARCO VO: Yeah, for a minute there, it was like old times. The only thing we cared about was skateboarding and video games. You know, stuff.

JAKE VO: But nothing's the same anymore. And we were about to be reminded of that in a big way.

~everybody in the cafe starts to complain of computer problems. All the screens, including JAKE and MARCO'S go to static and say "You have e-mail from ANDALITE loading..."~

JAKE ~JAKE and MARCO look at eachother. Reading from screen.~ We have what you want. ~picture of Elfangor's disk comes up on screen. JAKE looks at MARCO~ No way.

MARCO: ~reading screen~ Yours for a price...one Andalite for the disk.

JAKE: ~reaches in coat pocket~  Oh man.

MARCO: What?

JAKE: I lost the disk.

 Theme song  comes in here.

JAKE: There's nothing to worry about. Everyone got the same message. It's like a broadcast.

MARCO: Fine, it's a broadcast. Keep it down.

JAKE: Send an e-mail.

MARCO: What?

JAKE: We'll send them an e-mail. Tell them we lost the disk last night at the school so they'll know we're for real.

MARCO: Whoa, cowboy. You want to contact them?

JAKE: We got  to get the disk back.

MARCO: Why waste time  with e-mails? Why not just walk up and say 'Please put a yeerk in my ear.'

JAKE: They think we're roaming Andalites. We're fine.

MARCO: If they think we're Andalites, then why are they trying to get to us through computer messages?

JAKE: They probably think we're trying to blend in as humans.

MARCO: Yeah, well they want to trade an Andalite for the disk. Where are you going to get an Andalite?

JAKE: We don't need an Andalite. We can fake 'em out. We can get the disk and be out of there before they even know we were there. Right, Homer? ~Homer barks~

MARCO: No, fake out is not the way to go. This definetly screams for blitz and run. ~realizes what he just said~ What am I talking about? Forget it! This was supposed to be a yeerk free day.

JAKE:  ~looks back at computer screen, it still says "One Andalite for the disk"~

~in the background a school bell rings. Camera cuts to RACHEL and CASSIE walking out of a gymnasium, RACHEL in sweats. Looks like it's just after gymnastics practice, or the end of the school day.~

RACHEL: ~putting earings in and walking down stairs~ Hey, Cas!

CASSIE: ~turns around~ Hey!

RACHEL: Have you seen Tobias?

CASSIE: Not since last night.

RACHEL: ~sighs~ Where is he?!

CASSIE: I don't know.

MELLISA: See ya', Rach.

RACHEL ~looks up~ Hey, Mellisa. Um, you wanna walk home with us?

MELLISA: I'm not going home. I'm going to The Sharing.

CASSIE: You go to that?

MELLISA: Yeah. My dad makes me. Hey, you guys wanna go?

CASSIE: No, thanks.

MELLISA: Oh, no! It'll be great! Go with me so I won't have to hang out alone. ~camera cuts to RACHEL and CASSIE looking unsure.~ Please?

RACHEL: Sure.

CASSIE: No, thanks. ~looks at RACHEL~

RACHEL: It couldn't hurt to go to one meeting and see what it's all about. Who knows, maybe we can learn something. ~looks back up to MELLISA~ Sure.

MELLISA: ~grinning~ Great! I'll meet you outside. ~leaves~

CASSIE: ~whispering~ Are you crazy?!

RACHEL: Look, we know The Sharing is connected to the yeerks somehow. If something's happened to Tobias it's the best place to start looking.

~cut to MARCO and JAKE still at the cafe~

MARCO: Maybe we should forget about the disk.

JAKE: We can't, it's important. It's gotta be.

MARCO: But what if it's not? It could be a video game for all we know.

TOM: Is that all you think about? Video Games?

JAKE: ~MARCO and JAKE look up. Startled.~

TOM: I thought I saw you guys here. What're you doing?

MARCO: ~JAKE and MARCO look at eachother. MARCO quickly clicks the mouse and closes the computer screen with the yeerk message on it.~ Just chillin', man. How 'bout you, Tom. How ya' doin'?

TOM: ~shrugs~ I'm fine.

JAKE: Uh, you wanna hang out? Play some games?

TOM: Nah. I've got better things to do.

JAKE: ~nods~

TOM: ~looks down~ What are you doing with the dog in here? C'mon boy, let's go. ~leaves with Homer following~

MARCO: ~looking at JAKE once TOM is gone~ We gotta be more careful, man. He coulda heard somethin'.

JAKE: ~looks after TOM~

MARCO: ~looks back and forth between JAKE and where JAKE'S looking~ Look, what they did to him last night...it was awful.

JAKE: What if what's on that disk could help Tom and we're just gonna let them have it. ~starts typing out a reply to the yeerk's e-mail. "Meet me at the mall in one hour"~

MARCO: What're you doing?

JAKE: Something I shoulda done in the first place.

MARCO: Jake, uh, let's not go nuts here, dude.

JAKE:~sends the e-mail~

MARCO:  ~stares at the screen~ What did you do?!

JAKE: I sent an e-mail.

MARCO: ~accusingly~Saying what?

JAKE: We're gonna meet them here at the mall in an hour.

MARCO: ~looks a little scared. Stares at JAKE like he's an idiot~

JAKE: ~looking at MARCO~ I want that disk back.

MARCO: ~looks around cafe. Whispering~ Bro, you're insane!

~cut to a party-like setting. Looks like it's at a community center or something, or a REALLY big house.~

RACHEL: ~sitting on a couch next to MELLISA, eating cookies and drinking punch~ So, this is a Sharing meeting.

MELLISA: We do some pretty cool stuff, actually. Last week we had a beach party. And we're planning a skiing trip this winter. But today's just a regular meeting.

CASSIE: ~lounging in a nearby chair, eating cookies~

~RACHEL and CASSIE notice an open door across the room. A few people are heading in.~

CASSIE: ~pointing to room~  Uh, what's in there?

MELLISA: Oh, that's for people higher up in The Sharing. Kinda like an exclusive club. Not many of us get invited in there.

CASSIE: ~nods~

RACHEL: ~getting up~  I'll be right back.

CASSIE: ~looks after her~ Uh, wait, where're you going? ~RACHEL doesn't answer. CASSIE looks at MELLISA and shrugs~

~cut to RACHEL walking into an empty bathroom~

RACHEL: ~looks in stalls to make sure they're all empty. Walks in one, closes the door. Starts to concentrate, morphs fly.~  < Whoa! This is weird! Why do I see upside down? > ~somebody walks in and swats at her~  < Hey! >

~cut to MARCO walking down mall hallway~

MARCO: I can't believe I let you talk me into this.

JAKE: < It'll be a piece of cake. >

MARCO: ~walks into 'PJ's Pet Centre'~  Thanks, Jake. I'm supposed to take a lizards word for it. ~walks towards the back of the store. Puts JAKE in iguana morph into a tank~ Be right back. ~walks away~

JAKE: < Hurry up. >

~cut to RACHEL in fly morph hanging on a wall, listening to the secret meeting of The Sharing~

CONTROLLER 1 (male): And as of this morning, the school entrance to the pool has been sealed off. If the Andalites try to use it again, it'll be as if it was never there. Construction of a new pool entrance is now under way. It should be completed soon.

CONTROLLER 2 (female): It had better be. Scores of us are at risk. If it's not done in the next three days, large numbers of us will perish from lack of Kandrona Rays. Alright, on to other business. A plan is underway to capture the intruders from last night. Once we have them ~looks at fly on the table~ We'll squash them like bugs.

~cut to MARCO at the mall, walking up to a mall cop~

MARCO: Uh, excuse me, sir? ~shakes cop's hand~ You know, I gotta tell ya', you guys are doin' a bang up job. Just a super job, really. ~starts to acquire him~  Keep up the good work!  We need more mall cops.

MALL COP: Riiiiight.

MARCO: ~walks away, looking at hand he shook MALL COP with~

MALL COP: ~looks after MARCO like he's a psycopath~

MARCO: ~walks into mall bathroom. Checks stalls to make sure they're all empty. Walks into one, starts to morph. Looks down at hand, the hand, sleeve and watch of the MALL COP start to form, but kinda waver in and out. MARCO's in pain~ Oooh! Ow! Ah! Why isn't it working? Argh! ~shaking hand, looks confused~ Ow.

~cut to a controller walking down mall hallways with a black bag in his hand towards the pet shop where MARCO left JAKE.~

JAKE:~still in tank~ < Marco, you back yet? > ~sees the controller~

CONTROLLER 3 (male): ~bends down to look in rabbit cage~  Andalite! Is that you? ~stands up, looks around store~ Andalite, show yourself!

JAKE: < I'm not in there. I'm here. >

CONTROLLER 3: Where?

JAKE: < Do you have the disk? >

CONTROLLER 3: ~takes disk out of bag~  Which one are you?

JAKE: < Marco. >

~cut to MARCO washing his face in the bathroom.~

JAKE: < MARCO! >

MARCO: ~looks up~ Huh? Weird. ~leaves~

~back to pet store. CONTROLLER 3 is still looking at different cages~

CONTROLLER 3: Andalite! Reveal yourself to me or the deal is off.

JAKE: < Marco! Where are you? >

CONTROLLER 3: That's it...

JAKE: < Controller, wait! Over here, I'm the parrot. Leave the disk on top of the iguana tank, I'll go quietly. >

CONTROLLER 3: ~walks towards iguana tank, sets disk down. Goes over to parrot~

MARCO:     ~Walks past CONTROLLER 3~

JAKE: < Where have you been?! And why didn't you morph into the security guard? You should have had him under arrest by now. >

MARCO: Well, I couldn't. Which ones the controller?

CONTROLLER 3: ~parrot squaks~ You'll pay for that, Andalite!

JAKE: < That's our boy. >

STORE EMPLOYEE: Hey, um, what are you doing?

CONTROLLER 3: Oh, I...I want this bird.

STORE EMPLOYEE: Well, that bird's not for sale.

JAKE: < Just grab the disk. It's on the tank behind you. >

MARCO: ~grabs disk~

CONTROLLER 3: I'm sure we can arrange some agreement.

JAKE: ~being picked up by MARCO~ < Get us out of here. >

STORE EMPLOYEE: He's the store mascot, and he's not for sale.

MARCO: ~walking behind CONTROLLER 3~  'scuse me.

CONTROLLER 3: Really. Well, I say he is for sale.

~cut to outside of the store. MARCO's walking down mall hallway~

JAKE: < Are we out yet? >

MARCO: I can't believe it! We got the disk. We got away! Nothing can stop us. We're...

MALL COP: ~grabs MARCO by shoulder~ Under arrest for shoplifting.

JAKE: < Marco? What's going on? >

MARCO: Shoplifting? I didn't steal anything.

MALL COP: Look, kid, just give back the lizard before you get yourself in more trouble.

MARCO: What lizard?

MALL COP: ~points to MARCO'S pocket. a lizard tail is sticking out~

MARCO: ~looks at tail~ Oh, that lizard.

MALL COP: ~nods~

JAKE: < Hand me over >

MARCO: ~takes JAKE out of pocket. Hands him to the MALL COP. ~ Well here you go, sir. ~JAKE bites the MALL COP'S hand. MARCO runs~

MALL COP: ~chasing MARCO~ Ah! Hey! Get Back here! Stop!

MARCO: ~pushes between to shoppers~ Sorry!

MALL COP: STOP! Get back here! ~turns corner. can't find MARCO.~

JAKE: ~demorphed. Standing in front of an electronics store with his back to the hall~

MARCO: < Well. That was close. >

JAKE: ~looks after MALL COP~ Ow! Cut it out! ~takes MARCO, in rat morph, out of his pocket~

MARCO: ~says some stuff that I can't understand 'cause it's a bad recording~ < I couldn't resist. >

JAKE: Change back before I get rabies

MARCO: ~starts to demorph~ Sorry.

~cut to two controllers in the back of a car. Tracking something~

CONTROLLER 4 (female): The homing device is operating perfectly.

CONTROLLER 5 (male): Let's take them now.

VISSER 3: ~hologram~  < No. Give them time to gather all together. Then tonight, we'll take them all. >

~CONTROLLERS laugh. Cut to MARCO finishing demorphing in a secluded corner of the mall~

MARCO: ~spitting~ I don't even like sunflower seeds. Or lint.

JAKE: Just give me the disk so we can get out of here.

MARCO: ~looks in coat pockets. Gives JAKE a scared look.~

JAKE: ~exasperated~ What?

MARCO: Well, I put it down right before I became a rat. But don't worry, I know where it is. C'mon. ~pulls JAKE with him back to the electronics store~

JAKE: So...where did you leave the disk?

MARCO: I remember. I put it down on the ground right next to some old fast food bags. ~looks around. Takes lid off trash can~ The bags are gone too.

JAKE: ~looks up. Sees a janitor throwing away trash. Pokes MARCO so he'll look up. Both run after janitor~

MARCO: ~running up to JANITOR throwing bags into a dumpster~ Excuse me! Did you sweep up, a, uh, well, it's like a little disk thingie.

JANITOR: Look, I just sweep it up, not catalog it. Anything I sweep up is in this bag. ~throws bag into dumpster~ In there. ~walks away~

MARCO: ~looks at JAKE~ Well, it's in the bag. It shouldn't be too hard. ~JAKE and MARCO climb up on the side of the dumpster. Looking in~ Uh, we have a problem.

JAKE: ~looking at MARCO~ We?

~cut to MARCO in dumpster, digging through trash~

JAKE: Any luck yet?

MARCO: ~sarcasticly~Yeah, lots of luck. In fact, I'd have to say this is one of the luckiest days of my life. Morph into a guard. Who's idea was that?

JAKE: That was your idea.

MARCO: Oh. Well, why didn't you stop me? Y'know, I'm starting to worry about your judgement.

JAKE: I think I am slipping. I let you come up a plan. We'll find it. Listen, I'm hungry. Can I get ya' somethin'?

MARCO: ~holds up some gross looking food scraps~ No, thanks.

JAKE: 'K. I'll be right back.  ~walks away~

~garbage truck comes as JAKE leaves. PUts down lever things to lift up dumpster.~

MARCO: ~banging sides of dumpster~ No! Hey! Stop! What're you doing? Stop! Hey, lemme back out! ~dumped into the back of the truck~ YAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! ~digs out from under piles of bags. Looks at the walls. They're moving in~NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

JAKE: ~back with food. Bangs on side of dumpster~ Hey, how's it goin'? ~bangs again~ Marco, how's it goin'? ~sees truck, climbs up on side of dumpster~ Aw, man. ~morphs Homer and chases after truck~

~cut to CASSIE at The Sharing meeting~

MELLISA: Thanks for coming with me.

CASSIE: Hey, no problem.

TOM: ~from behind CASSIE~Cassie, What're you doin' here?

CASSIE: Uh, I came with Mellisa and Rachel.

TOM: Cool. Now, if we could just get my useless brother to come out, we'd all be set. Maybe you could, uh, talk him in to it, huh?

CASSIE: ~looks behind TOM. sees RACHEL coming~ There you are.

RACHEL: So, we'd better get going. It's getting late.

CASSIE: ~picks up her stuff to leave~

TOM: Hey, cuz, what's your hurry?

RACHEL: Uh, I'm not feeling that well. We gotta go. See ya', Mellisa. ~looks at TOM~Catch ya' later, cuz. ~walking out with CASSIE~ I've got a ton to tell you.

~cut to the two controllers tracking in the truck~

CONTROLLER 4: The Tracking device, it's back at the mall, sir.

VISSER 3: < The Andalites must be gathered. Go. >

~cut to Cyberia, the internet cafe  JAKE and MARCO come in and sit in a booth next to CASSIE and RACHEL. MARCO is a mess~

RACHEL: Where have you guys been? We've been looking all over for you.

CASSIE: ~looking around~ What stinks?

RACHEL: Listen, this is important. We went to a meeting of The Sharing and found out alot. Most of The Sharing is just regular people. But there's a smaller group who are all controllers. The yeerk pools. They need to go back to them every three days to get some kind of ray or something. Or they die, but we still didn't find out anything about Tobias.

CASSIE: ~looking at MARCO~ Ugh, it's you.

MARCO: What?

JAKE: Marco spent the afternoon in the back of a garbage truck. Almost getting crushed to death. I had to bail him out of the city dump.

CASSIE: ~giggles~

RACHEL: ~laughing~ What?

MARCO: It's a long story, but here's the punch line ~holds up the disk~ Look familiar?

~cut to three controllers. Two from the back of the truck, the third must have been driving.~

~back to Cyberia. RACHEL takes the disk from MARCO~

JAKE: The yeerks had it, we got it back this afternoon.

MARCO: They offered a deal over the web, an Andalite for the disk, but we outsmarted them.

RACHEL: ~Shaking head~ They outsmarted you. This isn't the disk.

MARCO: What?

RACHEL: It's heavier than I remember. Hold this. ~hands it to CASSIE~

CASSIE: Yeah, and it's warm. Like it's on or something. ~CASSIE looks at RACHEL. RACHEL looks at JAKE. MARCO looks at JAKE.~

~The CONTROLLERS walk into the cafe. Towards where every one was sitting. Nobody's there~

RACHEL: ~walking out in the mall with the others~ We've gotta ditch the disk.

CASSIE: Yeah.

MARCO: Well, then let's leave it with a message. Something moving. Comprende?

JAKE: Escalator.

MARCO: ~shakes head~ No, Elevator. ~runs off~

JAKE: ~looks at CASSIE and RACHEL~ Genius. ~runs to catch up~

RACHEL: Huh? ~looks where the guys went.~

~Three CONTROLLERS coming up escalator~

CONTROLLER 4: The signals moving up.

CONTROLLER 5: Wait, it's moving down. ~All three step onto escalator~

CONTROLLER 4: ~looking at door, grinning~ They're ours.

~doors open, reveal a cardboard monster with the disk in it's mouth. Controllers put down tracking devices dejectedly. Turn and leave. Animorphs are a level up, looking down, laughing.~

MARCO: C'mon, guys.

CASSIE: Yeah, let's get out of here.

JAKE: That was close.

~Cut to them walking by a baseball diamond. CASSIE and RACHEL in front, JAKE and MARCO behind~

RACHEL: You guys kill me. You can say a couple of words to eachother and you have a whole plan worked out.

CASSIE: Yeah, how do you do that?

MARCO: Well, we could explain it to you, but you probably wouldn't get it.

RACHEL: ~Walking backwards~  WE wouldn't get it?

MARCO:~looks at JAKE~ It's a guy thing. ~RACHEL and CASSIE turn around~ They don't get it.

JAKE: That's okay, we do.

MARCO: Nylon.

JAKE: It's fiberglass!

JAKE VO: I guess I was wrong before. Not everything's different. It helps to know that some things stay the same. Like who your friends are.

MARCO VO: By the way, it turned out to be nylon, but I let Jake think he was right. Ya' gotta let him win every once in a while.

~View changes to show a hawk looking down from a perch on the fence behind the field.~

JAKE VO: I heard that!
 

Awesome episode. I was a little disapointed that it didn't go to "My name is Rachel" or Cassie at the begining, but still pretty good. They've totally strayed from the books by now, with the whole disk thing. I wonder how long we're gonna have to put up with that disk thing. It's still a good show, I'm still goonna stick with it. I just gotta get out of the habit of screaming at the TV when something doesn't fit with the books ;-)