The Deception
K. A. Applegate
 The book begins in the exact place where #45 The Revelation had ended. The Animorphs have just begun a Z-space transmission with the Andalite fleet. They inform the Andalite fleet of an impending ambush on the Anati world. The Andalites are skeptical of the genuineness of the information thinking that the earth resistance might lie to them in order to become their top priority. They remain skeptical even when Ax confirms the information, saying that he may have confused his loyalties. Ax, Tobias and Marco (who now lives in hiding with them) intercept a Yeerk transmission that the newly promoted Visser One (Esplin 9466) has a plan to conquer the world by a war between the most populated country (China) and the United States. The humans would exhaust their weapons and would not be able to retaliate. The Animorphs steal an F-16 from an air base and fly out to sea to an aircraft carrier. They crash it into the sea so the Yeerks would not think they were being invaded. They infiltrate the ship and find Visser Two, whose host is a high-ranking officer in the Navy (Admiral Carrington). The Yeerks find out that the Animorphs are on the ship and have reinforcement. Bug fighters began invading the aircraft carrier. The Animorphs attack, and fight alongside the non-controller American military personnel. The yeerks have commandeered an American submarine and plan to use it to launch a nuclear attack against the Chinese and instigate WWIII. In order to stop this, Ax commandeers a Grumman F-14D Tomcat fighter loaded with a nuclear warhead, against Jake's decision, abducts Visser Two, and threatens to use the bomb to destroy the Yeerk pool and the city above it (along with the families of all the Animorphs). Visser Two is unable to call Ax's bluff (although even Ax himself is not sure if he was bluffing) and he calls off the attack that would have instigated the war. Ax is left wondering whether or not he would have been capable of launching the nuke, if the rest of the Animorphs, particularly Jake, will ever be able to forgive him. Ax directly betrayed Jake's explicit order, something he swore he would never do again. *Visser Three is promoted to the position of Visser One.