The Chapman Residence was a house in the suburbs of California where the Chapman family resided. In 2000, the house was destroyed when Marco drove a tank into it.
History[]
Family House[]
The Chapman residence was a two-story suburban house with a garage and lawn[2] in California.[3] By the 1990s, it was resided by Hedrick Chapman, his wife and their daughter Melissa. When Chapman bought his daughter a pet tomcat, whom she named Fluffer McKitty, a cat door was installed in the front door to allow the cat to come and go as it pleased. Following the infestation of both Chapman parents, the house became a place of residence for Iniss 226 and Ms. Chapman's Yeerk. The house had a basement, with a bare wood ceiling and paneling all around. It had a television and a pool table, although the basement was rarely in sue. Due to Iniss 226's relatively high rank, the basement was given modifications to allow for a secret room. Behind a regular locked door, a steel vault door was outfitted, which featured a panel that allowed the vault door to be opened only if the correct handprint was read. Inside the room was a powerful hologram emitter along with a communication device that translated thought-speak into verbal speech, which allowed Iniss to speak directly with Esplin 9466, the Yeerk known as Visser Three.[2] Other pieces of equipment in the room included a Yeerk computer and several Z-Space transponders, which were inside the communication device.[4]
Infiltrated by the Animorphs[]
First Infiltration[]
- "We all know something is wrong in that house. Melissa is still my friend. Maybe somehow I can help her."
"Your job is not to help Melissa Chapman. You're supposed to be spying on Chapman. [...] Well, take care of yourself in there. That's an assistant principal you're dealing with. He finds out you've turned into a cat and gone sneaking around his house, that will be after-school detention for like a year." - ―Rachel and Marco
In 1997,[5] the Animorphs decided to infiltrate the Chapman Residence in order to spy on Hedrick Chapman and acquire intel. In order to do so, Rachel morphed into Melissa's pet cat, Fluffer McKitty. In Fluffer morph, Rachel entered the house through the cat door. Melissa was upstairs in her room; Iniss 226 sat in the living room without any other activity, while Ms. Chapman's Yeerk was cutting vegetables for dinner. Iniss then got up and made his way to the basement, entering the secret room. He communicated with Visser Three, who spotted the cat. Iniss fearfully explained that the cat was a pet that belonged to Melissa, and that he couldn't kill it without risking his cover. After the meeting concluded, both Hedrick and Rachel made their way back upstairs. Iniss spoke with his "wife" and the pair dismissed Melissa, who asked for help with her homework. Rachel then went upstairs to comfort a crying Melissa before exiting the house ten minutes before her morphing time limit ran out. The next night, Rachel returned to the house in cat morph while Jake hid on her back in flea morph. Rachel then returned to the basement, where she was caught once again, leading Iniss and Visser Three to believe she truly was an Andalite in morph. Iniss then forced Rachel into a cat carrier and drove them to the abandoned construction site.[2]
Second Infiltration[]
- "We are not going into Chapman's house again. The last time we did, we almost got Melissa made into a Controller. We cannot morph her cat again. Chapman is on guard now. It won't be easy this time. Not that it was exactly easy the first time." [...]
"What if there was a way to get into Chapman's basement room — the secret room where he keeps the transmitter — without even going through the house? With almost no chance of getting caught?" - ―Rachel and Cassie
Not too long after their first infiltration, the Animorphs were forced to return to the Chapman Residence as they needed a Z-Space transponder, several of which were inside the communication device that Iniss 226 used to communicate with Visser Three. As the house next to the Chapman Residence was for sale and therefore empty, Jake, Rachel, Cassie, Marco and Ax went to the backyard and morphed into black garden ants. They headed into Chapman's backyard and smelled the markings of enemy ants, as they were in enemy ant territory, but were able to make their way to Chapman's house, where they entered a crack in the foundation and successfully emerged in his secret basement office. Marco was the first to demorph, and turned on a lamp in Chapman's office; upon confirming that he was alone, he flicked the lamp a few times to signify to the others that it was safe to demorph.
Rachel confirmed that they were in the right place as Marco rifled through Iniss' desk to see if he could find any useful files. Ax, who had opened up the communicator to retrieve the transponder, noticed Marco's efforts and turned on a Yeerk computer, where he read a file that revealed that Visser One was coming to visit. Not wanting to stay longer than necessary, Ax retrieved the transponder from the communicator and placed it next to the basement crack as per Jake's command. The five then remorphed back into ants and pushed the transponder through the crack. After some time, they were suddenly swarmed and ambushed by the native ant colony, to whom they were intruders; the ants stung them with poison and ripped out their limbs while using their mandibles to bite their waists in order to bisect them. Realizing they were about to be swiftly killed, the Animorphs demorphed while still underground, causing them to burst out of the ground as they emerged into Chapman's backyard. Marco then retrieved the transponder before Rachel started stomping the ground in an attempt to flatten it and hide the evidence of their emergence. Taking a moment to collect themselves, the Animorphs then escaped from Chapman's backyard.[4]
Kidnapping of Chapman[]
- "It is as you suspected, Prince Jake. This Controller has added security devices since our last infiltration. There are motion sensors camouflaged as a mirror frame in the front hallway. And I suspect Dracon beams concealed in the eyes of a statuette facing the doorway."
- ―Ax to Jake
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Destroyed[]
- "Too bad he doesn't have a fireplace anymore."
"Excuse me? You flattened Melissa's house? And you went along with it?"
"Whoa. Down, girl. You're just mad because you didn't get to drive a tank. Nobody got hurt. Nobody was home. Not even Fluffer McNutter or whatever that stupid cat's name is." - ―Tobias, Rachel and Marco
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Appearances[]
Book Series[]
- The Visitor
- The Encounter (mentioned)
- The Message (mentioned)
- The Predator
- The Conspiracy
- The Absolute
TV Series[]
- On the Run (mentioned)
- Between Friends
- The Front
Gallery[]
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"Someone took a picture of me? Not cool. Do you see what I'm wearing? I'm Spandex-boy. Totally not cool."
The image gallery for Chapman Residence may be viewed here |
References[]
- ↑ According to #54: The Beginning, it is in California. VISSER also reveals it is mid-sized coastal city, with series co-author Michael Grant describing the fictional city as a blend between Orange County and Long Beach.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Visitor
- ↑ The Beginning
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Predator
- ↑ This transpires in #2: The Visitor, which is set less than two weeks after #1: The Invasion. The Andalite Chronicles is said to take place 10 years after the 1966 Yeerk exodus of The Hork-Bajir Chronicles and 21 years before Elfangor met the Animorphs. This places it in 1976, meaning the Animorphs met Elfangor in 1997.