Title: The Created

Author: A.S.Amalon

Rating: PG

Chapter: Fourteen

Spoilers: If you haven't read the last book by now…

Disclaimer: All characters, sans Serenity and Kym, belong to the wonderful, glorious, awesome K.A. Applegate and not moi.

A/N: I hate to say it, but I have decided to not keep fanfiction as part of my writing life. Sure, I'll update here and there, but original fiction has become more important to me. I'm sorry, and I will try to get this fic finished, as well as the others. But that'll probably be it. Unless I get something that completely changes my mind, I feel there is no point in adding more fics to my to-do list. I was considering abandoning these, leaving them to rot in the archives of FFN, but I want to know how they end just as much as anybody else. sigh Well, for now, on to the fic. I've taken the recap from the last chappie (as I need to read my own story over to know exactly what it's about, lol) and edited it some so everybody—including myself—is caught up. Good? Good.

--RECAP--

It's 2050, and the Yeerks are back. Serenity, once known as project Four-Six-Three, is a genetically created human designed especially to fight the Yeerks. Due to the odd mixture of DNA strands from the living Animorphs, she has acquired superhuman powers, such as levitation, the ability to melt things with a single touch, and a whole other form to change into. And, somehow, from the mixture of DNA, she's become very Rachel-like (she thinks it's from Jake's DNA, since they were cousins, but I believe that Rachel's attitude was a combination of all of the Animorphs' personalities, so that's my new theory on where her Rachel-ness came from). So she now lives with Jake as his "daughter", met Erek, went for her first day at school, hung out with Marco, met a blind girl named Kym, made Kym an Animorph, fought Taylor, ran off, returned, and went to the mall…well, the three went as identical triplets, with Jake feeling horribly uncomfortable the entire time. Then Visser One shows up with his cronies, and all hell breaks loose. After a mild display of her abilities is caught on camera, Serenity decides to go with the Yeerks to meet their esteemed leader, Visser Four. V4 turns out to be a clone of Rachel who claims her loyalty lies with the Yeerks (as well as claiming that she is one). Visser Four's new goal is to break Serenity's will. Where do Serenity's loyalties lie?

Rachel—Visser Four—turned the lights out. Though I couldn't see her well, I could smell her.

"So, my little human freak, not so quick in the dark, are we?" she asked, sounding amused.

I turned, following her voice and was hit in the back of the head. I fell to the floor, barely holding onto consciousness. She grabbed my head and held my face close to hers.

"I can make you break. In order for me to survive when I was born, certain…modifications had to be made. That's why I was strong enough to survive. That's why you survived. We're so much alike, Serenity. I can do things that humans cannot. So can you. You can do things that I can only dream of. I…well, I have a few tricks up my sleeve too." She laughed. "That's why I was able to be made Visser Four without being a true Yeerk."

I stared at her. Stared into her eyes. Those cold, ruthless eyes. There was no Rachel behind them. No Rachel left, that is.

"Yes, my little human. There is no Rachel left. Except for that little bit in you. That will be taken care of shortly."

"You can't get to me. Like I told you, I'm Yeerk-proof. Now I guess you'll just have to let me go, won't you?"

Her grip on my head tightened, her fingernails digging into my scalp. "You said you were Yeerk-proof, yes. But good old Jake didn't tell you what I could do, did he? Wait—he didn't know! Why didn't he know?" she asked innocently. "Oh, I know! Because he didn't care enough to watch over something he claimed he cared about. He didn't even notice that I was gone until hours later. He didn't know me!" She released her grip. "He wouldn't know I even exist had he not created me, do you understand?" Before I could answer, she continued. "But you…you are his prized creation. Superior to humans."

"I'm not superior. I'm different."

"But you are better, aren't you? You can do things they cannot. But I can do one thing that you cannot. And that is what has made me who I am today." She pulled me up off of the floor and wrapped her arms around me. "Don't be too scared. It's painless."

I felt a burning sensation on my back, followed by a tingling feeling. I could no longer feel Visser Four's arms wrapped around me. I reached down and felt my stomach to see if they were still there, and I felt—

"What are you doing to me?" I cried, trying to move away from her. I couldn't. I felt like I was attached to her.

Which, in reality, I now was.