40 - 3 - Zoom and Enhance

It could have been Ax.

It could have been any Andalite.

But the only other Andalite we knew of on Earth was Visser Three. No way would he ever be careless enough to allow himself to be caught on film. Besides, he was never without a phalanx of bodyguards.

Unless . . . unless he wanted to be seen by thousands of couch potatoes. But why?

"Ax-man. Is there any way to fine-tune the image?" I asked.

<No. I cannot clear the resolution on a nonoriginal piece of film or video.>

Tobias swooped off his perch and landed, gracefully, a few feet from the television screen.

<You don't have to,> he said. <It's not Ax.>

"So it's the visser," I said. "Well, that's a little beyond weird."

<No. Not the visser.> Tobias turned his incredibly intense hawk eyes on us. <Kids, I think we've just discovered another Andalite.>

Ax pulled his shoulders back. <ls it . . .>

<It's not Estrid. Sorry, Ax. Not Arbat, either.>

"Alrighty then. Who?"

<This guy's new. And he's got one real obvious distinguishing feature. He's got only half a tail.>