The Capture (Animorphs)

infobox Book |
name = The Capture
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption = Jake morphing into a housefly.
author = K. A. Applegate
illustrator =
cover_artist = David B. Mattingly
country = United States
language = English
series = "Animorphs" #6
genre = Science Fiction
publisher = Scholastic
pub_date = February 1997
english_pub_date =
media_type = Print (Paperback)
pages = 154
isbn = 0-590-62982-4
preceded_by = The Predator
followed_by = The Stranger

"The Capture", published in 1997 and written by K.A. Applegate, is the sixth book in the "Animorphs" series. It is narrated by Jake.

Plot Summary

The Animorphs morph cockroaches in order to infiltrate a meeting of The Sharing. They discover that the Yeerks have infested an entire hospital staff and are using them to turn patients into Controllers. Not only that, but next week their state's governor - who is a Presidential candidate - will be checking in for surgery.

The Animorphs morph houseflies to infiltrate the hospital, and discover a Jacuzzi that has been converted into a miniature Yeerk Pool. Jake demorphs to human and turns the Jacuzzi on to kill the Yeerks, but the Animorphs are discovered by the Controllers. In the subsequent fight Jake is hit by a bullet ricochet and his head falls in the pool. He is infested by a Yeerk named Temrash 114 who seeks to escape death.

The Animorphs escape from the hospital into the woods, and Jake panics as he realizes that none of his friends have noticed anything different about him. Fortunately, Ax notices something amiss in Temrash's initial reaction to him and accuses Jake of being a Controller. Temrash loses his cool and insults Ax, calling him "Andalite scum" and the others realise he is indeed a Controller.

The others decide to hold him for three days until Temrash dies of Kandrona starvation. In the meantime, Ax morphs Jake and takes his place at home and school. The others tie Jake to a chair in an abandoned shack out in the forest, but Temrash still has access to all of Jake's morphs. He morphs to tiger in the night and escapes. He becomes lost in the forest and morphs to falcon tries to and fly away, but Cassie stops him as a great horned owl.

Temrash morphs to wolf and again tries to escape, but is stopped by a rival wolf pack. Rachel escorts him back to the shack in elephant morph.

Temrash begins to taunt Jake, revealing that he was once the Yeerk controlling Jake's brother Tom. Jake tells him that he will never give up.

The next morning Temrash again tries to escape, this time as an ant, but is forced back by an enemy ant colony. Temrash begins to die of Kandrona starvation. As he does, Jake shares his pain, and in the final hours catches his first terrifying glimpse of Crayak.

Jake returns to his family to find that he has apparently been acting strangely lately, because Ax is not used to being in human morph. A few days later he morphs partway to wolf (to disguise his voice) and telephones Tom to give him a message of hope.

Contributions to the Series' Story Arc

*Crayak is briefly introduced.

Morphs