The Message (episode)

This article is written from a Real World point of view.

The Message

The Message is an episode of the TV show, an adaptation of the book of the same name.

Summary

Official Summary

Cassie and Tobias are having strange visions and feeling someone's pain.... Cassie follows her visions and discovers another injured Andalite has crashed on Earth. This young Andalite, named Ax, is unsure whom he can trust. Should he place his faith in the young humans who possess the Andalite's unique ability to morph, or in that other stranger...

Plot

Cassie, Jake, Marco, and Ax acquiring a butterfly

Cassie and Tobias  suspect another Andalite is on Earth when a different thought-speak contacts them and Visser Three. It soon becomes a race between the Animorphs and the Yeerks to claim the Andalite .

Morphs Used

Morphable Character	Morph
Jake	Butterfly
Rachel	None
Marco	Butterfly
Cassie	Rabbit, Skunk, Butterfly
Tobias	Red-tailed Hawk (nothlit)
Ax	Butterfly, Human ("Max")

VHS releases

US releases

• Part 2: Nowhere to Run ("Between Friends"; "The Message", and "The Reaction")

Australia releases

• Volume 2 ("On the Run", "Between Friends" and "The Message")

Australian VHS summary

Gallery

Ax performing the Frolis Maneuver.

External Links

• Episode Review with Screenshots

Transcript

(A hawk stalks a rabbit; we see some of it from the hawk's perspective. It dives down to kill it...)

Cassie: < Tobias, no! Wait! >

Tobias: < Cassie? >

(Tobias veers off, and lands on a tree. Cassie, demorphed, stands up and walks over to it.)

Cassie: < Tobias, that was way too close. >

Tobias: < Another second you would have been history... >

(Cassie gazes at him.)

Cassie (V.O.): Turning into animals kind of changes the way you see the world. Like predators and their prey; it's one thing to observe it in nature, but little more intense to actually live it. It makes me realize that the Yeerks see humans like a rabbit is to a hawk: we are prey. And like the hawk to the rabbit, both Yeerk and human will do anything to survive.

Tobias: < What's with the rabbit morph? >

Cassie: Oh, they're quick, they dig fast, they can fit into tight places. I've been acquiring a bunch of animals and I think we might need them sometime.

(Suddenly, we see a spinning image along with a voice.)

Aximili: < ...Altitude... >

(Cassie stumbles.)

Aximili: < I'm breaking up... >

Cassie: Did you hear that?

Tobias: < I heard something... >

(Cassie grabs her head in pain as it occurs once more.)

Aximili: < I'm falling out of orbit! >

(Tobias flaps excitedly. We see a shot of Earth from space, and then an explosion.)

Aximili: < Ugh! Crash... >

(Cassie, clutching her head, stares at the sky as Tobias screeches.)

Cassie: What's wrong with me?

(We see a shot from a spacecraft falling to Earth.)

Aximili: < Must get control! >

(Cassie leans weakly against the tree trunk. Tobias takes off, flapping wildly and moaning in thoughtspeech.)

Aximili: < Controls won't respond... >

(Cassie continues to clutch her head in pain.)

Aximili: < Systems down... >

(Cassie moans and holds her head.)

Aximili: < (indecipherable) ...No... more... time... >

(Cassie stumbles and grabs onto the tree for support.)

Aximili: < Can't get control! >

Cassie: What's happening to me?

Tobias: Uck!

(The images all flash by quickly.)

Aximili: < No more time! >

(Both Cassie and Tobias faint.)

End teaser.

(Cassie and Tobias have woken up, Tobias perched on her arm.)

Tobias: < Ah, man... I feel like I flew into a wall. >

Cassie: You okay?

Tobias: < I think so. What happened? >

Cassie: (looking up at the sky) I'm not sure. (she walks away)

(Later, the Animorphs have gathered at the barn)

Cassie: We didn't just see it, we felt it... as if we were there.

Jake: Maybe it was a dream, a hallucination?

Cassie: That both Tobias and I had at the same time?

(Jake doesn't answer)

Marco: Where's Rachel? Did anyone talk to her?

Jake: She went to her father's this weekend.

Cassie: It happened right around noon. Didn't any of you guys feel anything?

Marco: I felt hungry. Does that count?

(Tobias flys in to perch on a piece of wood)

Tobias: < I scouted the area. It's safe. Nobody miles. >

Cassie: It was kind of like thoughtspeak. When Elfangor spoke to us, we could hear his thoughts in our heads. Maybe that's what's going on here.

Jake: Thoughtspeak? No, you don't think...

Marco: No, it couldn't be.

Cassie: Elfangor said more Andalites would be coming.

Marco: Great. Our whole town's just raining aliens, isn't it? We might as well be living in Roswell.

Jake: If it's an Andalite, why didn't we all feel it?

Marco: Maybe Cassie's more in tune with the universe. You know... I mean, she does the animal thing better than we do. She doesn't even cringe when she shrinks.

Jake: But Tobias felt it too.

Marco: Look at him.

Tobias: < Must be my superior hawk brain. >

Marco: Get over yourself.

Jake: We need to know whether or not this is an Andalite.

Marco: Wait, we don't know that what they saw was real. I mean, if it was, then how do we know it's not another Yeerk trap?

Jake: If they could get into our minds, they would have already tried.

Cassie: If there's any chance this is an Andalite, we have to do our best to try and help him. Elfangor died trying to save us and our world. We owe him that much.

(After a moment, they all nod.)

(Cut to: a spining piece of alien machinery. A human-controller makes some adjustments to it before a bored Visser Three in human morph.)

Controller: We've been working on it day and night ever since you found it, sir. It's an Andalite technology we're not quite familiar with.

Visser Three: Then familiarize yourself with it.

Controller: Yes, sir. Oh, and if you don't mind me saying so, sir, I think that you've chosen an excellent human morph.

Visser Three: (slowly turns to glare) Humans... are soft and weak. (The camera focuses on the controller while we hear him morphing. A strong alien hand reaches out and grabs him.) This suits me better, don't you agree?

Controller: (terrified) Yes, Visser Three.

(Cut to: Cassie walking through the woods.)

Cassie: (calling) Where are you?

Aximili: < Can you hear me? >

Cassie: Yeah, I can hear you.

Aximili: < Please respond... I... I need your help. >

Cassie: (trying to follow the thoughtspeak) Don't be scared. I'm gonna help you.

Aximili: < (indecipherable) Please... My location... >

(Both Cassie and Visser Three receive images of roads and fences; they both clutch their heads.)

Cassie: I can hear you! Where are you?

Aximili: < We are being sent... next to you. >

(Both Cassie and Visser Three shudder in pain and disorientation. They see from the point of view of someone running through the woods.)

Aximili: < Please respond! >

(Visser Three whines and moans as Cassie searches desperately. The images show many views of a high metal fence.)

Aximili: < I have crossed the estool boarder and into the (indecipherable). Can you hear me? Please... Please respond! >

(Visser Three grabs onto a cart to help him stand, but knocks it over and stumbles about. The human-controller looks worried, unsure what to do.)

Aximili: < I need help. (indecipherable) Please... >

(The images show the other side of the fence, and a blury image of a collection of smokestacks. Cassie sinks to her knees, unable to stand. Visser Three still stands, but continues to stumble and clutch his head.)

Aximili: (fading) < Help... I need help... Please respond... (indecipherable) >

(Cassie collapses completely onto the ground, gasping. The human-controller finally decides to help his Visser.)

Controller: (grabbing him supportively) Sir, are you all right?

(Visser Three pushes him away roughly, and plants his hands firmly onto the machine to steady himself.)

Visser Three: Another one has landed.

(We finally see Elfangor's disc attached to the machine.)

(Cut to: Cyberia. Cassie meets Jake and Marco at a computer.)

Jake: You okay, Cass?

Marco: Yeah, you look like you acquired a ghost.

Cassie: (softly) It's alive. It must be hiding.

Jake: ...Let's go somewhere quiet.

(They go to a table in the corner. Marco gets her a drink.)

Cassie: Whatever it is, I can feel its breathing. It's like I'm seeing two of everything.

Jake: Two sets of eyes... like an Andalite?

Marco: Tell us what you saw.

Cassie: (thinking) I saw a forest... and a fence... some kind of pipe...

Marco: (frowns) A pipe?

Cassie: I don't know... You think it's all just in my head?

Jake: No. If you say it's real, then I believe you.

(Hearing a news announcement, they turn to look at a mounted television.)

Reporter: Officials will neither confirm nor deny the crash of an experimental military aircraft over the weekend.

Marco: Military aircraft?

Reporter: The area has been closed to traffic. Police are arresting anyone entering the secured area. Back to you, Bob.

(The sound of helicopters can be heard.)

Jake: Wait, you hear that?

Marco: Yeah.

Jake: C'mon, let's go.

(They head out.)

(Cut to: The woods, sound of helicopters still present. The three Animorphs walk around carefully.)

Cassie: This is it. There was a fence. There was a huge fence, I remember.

(Tobias lands on a nearby branch.)

Jake: Anything, Tobias?

Tobias: < A lot of activity north of here. Something definitely did crash. >

Cassie: We're in the wrong place. This is nowhere near the crash site.

Tobias: < You ask me, the whole thing is getting kind of weird. >

Marco: Great, a talking bird says looking for an alien in the woods is weird.

Tobias: < Watch it, Marco. I have great aim. >

(Marco grins and pulls up the hood of his jacket. They carefully move on.)

(Some time passes)

Marco: We're not getting anywhere.

Jake: Maybe we should split up?

(They finally reach the chain link fence, with a factory behind it. Cassie grabs her head in pain as she remembers the image of the factory's smokestacks.)

Jake: Cassie?

Cassie: (smiles) That's it!

(They walk through a large gash in the fence. Jake pauses to examine the cleanly cut metal. They search around old junk outside the factory.)

Jake: (peering into a trailer's window) Nothing.

Marco: There's dozens of abandoned buildings here. We'll never find the right one.

(They look around some more. Cassie finds a tuft of blue fur.)

Cassie: Jake?

They hide from Tom.

(Jake examines it, but they are interrupted by nearby voices. They hide behind some junk as a group of Controllers, led by Tom, walk by.)

Tom: (directing Controllers) Check there. Head over there. And you, over there.

(With his Dracon beam out, Tom searches through the junk. He stops beside their hiding place as he looks around, but finally he shakes his head.)

Tom: This isn't it. Let's go.

(Tom and his Controllers walk away, and Jake starts breathing again. Tobias lands on a pile of wood nearby.)

Jake: My brother's here. We know we're on the right track.

Tobias: < I'll follow them. > (flies off)

Jake: We'll keep trying.

(They walk into the factory. Cassie calls out to the Andalite.)

Cassie: Don't be afraid. We're here to help you. We're not going to hurt you.

(We briefly see them from another's viewpoint, through metal grating not far away.)

Jake: I don't see anything, Cass.

Cassie: No, he's here. I know he's here.

(They stop as a rat scurries by.)

Marco: Yeah, prime alien real estate all right. (chuckles)

Cassie: I'm going this way.

(She walks slightly away from the others to look around a corner. Seeing nothing, she turns around. Suddenly, an Andalite springs out from behind her, grabs her, and put his tail blade to her throat. Jake tries to go help her, but Marco hold him back.)

Marco: Visser Three!

Aximili: < Visser Three... You dare to speak that name in front of me? >

Marco: (holds up his hands) Sorry, wrong Andalite.

Jake: Who are you?

Aximili: < I am an Andalite warrior and I ask the questions. ...How did you know I was here? >

Cassie: I heard your thoughts. We came to help you.

Aximili: < I was calling to my own kind. >

Jake: Let her go.

(Aximili does nothing.)

Jake: Prince Elfangor wouldn't have been so cruel.

(Aximili moves his tail blade away from her throat.)

Aximili: (softly) < ...How do you know Prince Elfangor? >

(Marco looks at Jake.)

Jake: We don't talk until you let her go.

(After a pause, he releases Cassie, who hurries back to the group. Aximili moans in pain.)

Jake: You okay?

Cassie: Yeah.

Jake: Elfangor gave us a weapon to fight the Yeerks. He was our friend.

(Aximili moans and clutches his side.)

Cassie: Are you hurt?

(Suddenly, we hear another voice in thoughtspeech.)

Visser Three: < Andalite cousin? >

Marco: What the?

Visser Three: <Andalite cousin? We heard your cries. Andalite cousin? >

(Aximili looks around and follows the voice.)

Jake: No!

(They hurry after him.)

Visser Three: < Andalite cousin? >

(The Animorphs see the Visser and quickly hide behind a corner.)

Jake: We can't let Visser Three see us.

(As Aximili approaches the Visser, Cassie begins to morph. Marco looks at her morphing and groans in disgust.)

Jake: Cassie, what are you...?

Cassie: (becoming a skunk) < I'm going to save the Andalite from Visser Three. >

Marco: With that?

Cassie: < You'd be surprised what a skunk could do. >

(Meanwhile, Aximili meets Visser Three face-to-face.)

Visser Three: < You are injured. Let us tend to your wounds. We've been waiting for you, Andalite cousin. >

(Cassie scurries toward them.)

Jake: Be careful, Cassie.

Cassie: < Don't worry. >

(Marco and Jake crawl slowly after her.)

Jake: (to Marco) Stay down.

(Cassie sprays Visser Three. Jake and Marco chuckle as Controllers move away from their Visser.)

Visser Three: < Catch it, you fools! >

Controller: Get it!

(Controllers swarm in to grab her, but she sprays them and they fall back.)

Cassie: < Run, it's Visser Three! >

(Aximili heads back the way he came, running into Jake and Marco.)

Jake: It's alright. Follow me.

(They run off, Marco staying behind to get Cassie.)

Marco: Cassie! Cassie! C'mon, let's go!

(He grabs her and, letting out a sound of disgust that he's holding a skunk, runs after them. He trips at one point as Cassie demorphs, and they soon run together as humans. However, they all reach a wall.)

Jake: It's a dead end! We're trapped...

(He sees a steel door and rushes over to it. The Animorphs strain to open it.)

Jake: C'mon! C'mon! C'mon!

(The Controllers enter the room with flashlights just as they get the door open.)

Jake: C'mon, let's go!

(Aximili hesitates)

Jake: C'mon, go through!

Cassie: C'mon! Please! No one's going to hurt you!

Controller: They went that way!

Jake: Hurry, c'mon, let's go!

Cassie: Hurry!

(Hesitating, Aximili slowly walks through. The Animorphs close the door only to realize there's no way out but straight up.)

Jake: Now what?

Marco: That's just great.

Controller: Over there!

Jake: Now we're really in trouble, you guys. The Controllers are everywhere!

(Marco locks the door, and they all hide from the window.)

Aximili: < What is this deception? I demand you tell me what you are! >

Marco: We're the humans who just saved you from getting an ear full of Yeerk.

Aximili: < Only Andalites can morph. >

Jake: Elfangor gave us the power.

Aximili: (shocked) < He wouldn't do that! Elfangor wouldn't... >

(He collapses, and Cassie runs to his side.)

Cassie: We gotta get him out of here, guys.

Jake: We can't go this way.

Marco: Well, then we better start digging.

(Jake approaches Aximili.)

Jake: We're going to have to morph. Something with wings.

Aximili: < I have no morphs that can fly. I have trouble with heights. >

Marco: Great. You should have thought about that before you got into your spaceship.

(Visser Three yells with rage.)

Tom: Look everywhere! They can't get away! Hey, check down there!

Aximili: < There is nothing you can do for me... >

Jake: They got Elfangor, we are not going to let them get you too.

Tom: (on the other side of the door) Wait! I think I hear something...

(Cassie sees a butterfly on a nearby box.)

Cassie: Come here.

(She grabs it.)

(Tom tries to open the door.)

Tom: In here. Come on, get this door open.

(Many Controllers try.)

Visser Three: < Out of the way. >

(The Animorphs acquire it, but Aximili does not.>

Cassie: You've got to trust us. Acquire the butterfly.

(Visser Three starts chopping down the door with his tail blade.)

Jake: Welcome to Earth...

(Aximili reaches out a hand to acquire it. Visser Three soon gets the door open, and the Controllers storm in. Morphed human, Visser Three steps ahead of the others only to find the room empty. He looks up to see four butterflies flying away and lets out a scream of rage.)

(Cut to: Cassie's barn. Cassie tends to Aximili.)

Cassie: Tobias and I saw the entire crash. You're lucky you survived.

Aximili: < My ship was not prepared for your atmospheric conditions. >

Jake: How are you feeling?

Aximili: < Better. >

Jake: Are there more of you coming? More Andalites?

Aximili: < I don't have that answer. >

Jake: (glancing at Tobias in the rafters) Tobias went over the two-hour limit.

Aximili: < A nothlit. That's what we call such ones. >

Cassie: Can you help him? Help him change back?

Aximili: < No... I'm sorry. Now you must bring me to Elfangor. >

(They look at each other.)

Jake: We can't. Elfangor gave us the power to change... because he knew he was going to die.

Aximili: (terribly saddened) < No... He is not dead... He cannot be dead! >

Cassie: A warrior's death. He fought Visser Three 'til the very end.

Aximili: < No! >

(Aximili takes off running into the woods, with the others chasing after him.

(Later, the Animorphs search for him.)

Cassie: There he is.

Marco: Where? I don't see him.

Cassie: Over there.

(Cassie approaches him.)

Aximili: (weeping) < I shouldn't have come here... Elfangor told me not to come, he told me to stay home. Why did I not listen? >

Cassie: You're just a kid, aren't you?

(Jake and Marco slowly approach.)

Aximili: < I am. Like you... He was my brother. >

Cassie: Meeting Elfangor was one of the most wonderful, most important moments of all of our lives. While we fight the the Yeerks to save our world, we're also fighting for him.

Jake: You have friends now.

Aximili: < My name is Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill. I am sorry to have caused you so much trouble. >

(Rachel approaches them from behind. She stares wide-eyed at the Andalite.)

Rachel: Oh, wow.

Tobias: < Does someone want to clue Rachel in? >

Jake: Rachel, this is our new friend, Aximili...

Marco: Rachel, this is Ax.

Rachel: Hi.

Marco: Um, I hate to break up this Kodak moment, but how are we going to hide a blue centaur?

(Aximili reaches out a hand to touch Cassie.)

Jake: He's acquiring us for his morph.

(Aximili goes on to touch all the humans. He morphs into each of them in turn, eventually coming up with a new human morph. He touches his new mouth as Tobias lets out a hawk call as if trumpeting a new Animorph.)

Cassie: You're us.

Aximili: (stumbling to speak) Will this help?

Jake: Can't hurt.

(He takes a step and falls down, and the others help him up.)

Aximili: Two legs... But I don't understand, how do you see behind you with only two eyes?

(Rachel demonstrates turning her head around. Aximili tries too fast and falls again. Jake catches him.)

Jake: Yeah, that's pretty much it.

Aximili: And this... mou- mouth. Speak, sp, eak, eaking, speaking, ing, guh, guh.

(They smile at his exploration.)

Jake: Ax, you'll be safe with us. Even if there are no other Andalites, you're not gonna be alone.

(Aximili kneels before him.)

Aximili: I pledge my loyalty to you, Prince Jake.

Rachel: Prince Jake?

Marco: Oh, brother.

Aximili: I will fight by your side until the Yeerks are destroyed.

Jake: Okay, but you can get up.

(They help him stand up.)

Jake: It's just "Jake." (he shakes his hand)

(Aximili smiles and shakes everybody else's hands too.)

Cassie (V.O.): When you open your heart, sometimes you find a friend when you least expect it, and you don't feel so alone, and the things that you used to think were impossible become easy to face because your friends are there beside you, and that means everything.

(As they walk back, a butterfly much like the one they morphed flies by.)