DISCLAIMER: See Ch. 1.

A/N: So, who comes back this time? Read and find out!

WARNING: I've never read #48, The Return, and so I had to rely on info from other people, and I just hope nothing here contradicts canon!

This chapter is dedicated to Alara Moonrunner, who was one of my first Animorphs fanfiction readers! Happy birthday, Alara!
CHAPTER 13

Setheon

My name is Setheon. I am The One.

I was created eons ago, and am essentially immortal. I can continually absorb all kinds of energy and radiation in order to sustain myself, me being a unique blend of energy and inorganic matter.

However, not even immortals are entirely invincible or invulnerable. With the right tools or powers, even I could be harmed… or, Crayak forbid, killed.

And yet, there was plenty which I could do to other people, as my newly appointed "Lord Esplin" was about to find out the hard way…

(YOUR FIRST ASSIGNMENT – A RATHER EASY ONE, I MIGHT ADD – AND YOU BUNGLED IT BY SPENDING YOUR TIME GLOATING AND LAUGHING!) I fumed.

Esplin did look properly ashamed, his main eyes facing down as his stalk eyes apprehensively focused on me. (You are right, Master. I did indeed get carried away with giving them a demonstration of what I was now capable of. I promise I will not mistake the same mistake again.)

(YOU'RE RIGHT ABOUT THAT, ESPLIN,) I intoned as a wall opened up.

He jerked in surprise as a generous amount of transparent goo-like substance covered him. Esplin struggled against it, but he was soon solidified in a misty diamond, trapped like an insect in amber.

(I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME IN THERE. WHY DON'T YOU TAKE A FEW DAYS OFF? EITHER WAY, I NEED TO SEE SOMEONE RIGHT NOW, SO IF YOU'LL EXCUSE ME…)

A gigantic robotic claw from the same wall lifted him up and withdrew back into the wall, taking Esplin with it.

I gave myself a few moments to concentrate and calm down before summoning my agent.

An adult male human-Controller walked in, carrying a rat in a cage.

(What are you?) the rat cried using thought-speech. (What the heck do you want with me?)

(I AM SETHEON, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS "THE ONE,") I said, acting like a kind mentor. (I AM HERE TO HELP YOU… DAVID.)

The rat jerked, then stopped moving altogether.

(YES, DAVID, I KNOW ALL ABOUT YOU. I KNOW HOW YOUR LIFE WAS RUINED BY THE YEERKS, AND HOW YOU WERE BETRAYED BY THE ANIMORPHS.) I put emphasis on this last word, just for effect.

David hollered in rage with his thought-speech. (I hate them all! Oh how I would love to kill them all! No wait, make them utterly miserable first, then kill them so death will be a blessing!)

I must confess, I was liking this nothlit more and more by the moment. (YOUR FEELINGS TOWARDS THEM ARE ACCEPTABLE, DAVID, AS YOU HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO BE FURIOUS WITH THEM. THEY MAY HAVE DEFEATED THE YEERKS, BUT THEY ARE HYPOCRITES, NOT HEROES. THEY BECAME ARROGANT, THINKING THEMSELVES SUPERIOR TO THE REST OF THE HUMAN RACE MERELY BECAUSE THEY WERE GIVEN UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO THE MORPHING POWER BY A DYING ANDALITE. THEY MUST BE STOPPED, OR THEY WILL BECOME AN EVIL FAR WORSE THAN THE YEERKS EVER WERE.)

I was looking forward to corrupting this young human's mind, and this was only the start. (I HAVE THE POWER TO CURE YOU OF YOUR NOTHLIT CONDITION, DAVID. YOU WILL STILL HAVE THE MORPHING POWER AND ALL THE MORPHS YOU'VE EVER ACQUIRED, AND IT WILL BE AS THOUGH YOU NEVER WERE A NOTHLIT AT ALL. I CAN HELP YOU BRING JUSTICE TO THE ANIMORPHS AND GIVE THEM WHAT THEY DESERVE, AND THAT'S ONLY THE START. ALL I ASK IS FOR YOU TO SERVE ME AND HELP PAVE THE WAY TO A NEW ERA, WHERE ALL THE RACES OF THE GALAXY WILL LIVE IN PEACE WITH EACH OTHER AND NO ONE WILL EVER HAVE TO SUFFER THE WAY YOU HAVE.)

David was undoubtedly drawn in by my speech – also because I new which pieces to play, of course. However, some small doubt appeared in his mind.

(With all due respect, Setheon, I remember Crayak making a similar deal with me years ago…) he said as respectfully as he could.

(SO I'VE HEARD. I AM NOT CRAYAK; I AM SETHEON. HE'S NOT HERE; I AM. HE IS A CRUEL, ALL-TOO-POWERFUL SADIST; I AM A CONSIDERATE, MODESTLY-POWERFUL LEADER. DON'T BE AFRAID TO TRUST ME, DAVID.)

(I know,) he said humbly. (Just trying to avoid repeating the same mistake, that's all.)

(THAT'S A GOOD THING, DAVID. IN FACT, I PREFER HAVING INTELLIGENT CHARGES UNDER MY COMMAND, AS OPPOSED TO MINDLESS GRUNTS.) Pausing a moment, I finally asked the big question. (SO, DAVID, THE MATTER STILL REMAINS; WILL YOU JOIN ME, OR WOULD YOU RATHER GO BACK TO EARTH AND LIVE OUT THE REST OF YOUR DAYS AS A LOWLY RAT?)

It took only a few seconds for him to decide – a few seconds longer than I had anticipated, actually. (I accept your generous offer, Setheon.)

(I KNEW YOU WOULD MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION, DAVID,) I said with a kindly tone as the "anti-nothlit" device appeared from behind a wall and the human-Controller released David from his cage.

The ray pointed itself at David, and the process took place. A moment or so later, David was human again, standing on his own two feet and in his "morphing suit". However, while he was but a human adolescent when he was tricked into becoming trapped as a rat, he was now a young adult.

(WELCOME TO MY NOBLE CAUSE, LORD DAVID,) I said. (TENRASH TWO-TWO-THREE WILL SHOW YOU TO YOUR QUARTERS, WHERE YOU CAN… FRESHEN UP.)

David's face flushed a little; his old, sizes-too-small morphing suit was painfully tight around his body and he hadn't had a bath in literally years.

David bowed and thanked me once again before he left, led by Tenrash 223.

As soon as they both were gone, I secured my inner sanctum and activated a communicator.

DID IT WORK, SETHEON? said a booming voice from the other end.

(YES, CRAYAK,) I told my "father," who created me eons ago.

OF COURSE, THE FOOL THINKS HE'S JUST WORKING FOR YOU, Crayak said smugly. AS YOU JUST SAW FOR YOURSELF, HE WOULDN'T WANT TO WORK FOR ME AGAIN AFTER WHAT HAPPENED LAST TIME. I ALSO LIKED HOW YOU DESCRIBED ME AS BEING A "CRUEL, ALL-TOO-POWERFUL SADIST." I'M FLATTERED, SETHEON.

(I'M GLAD THAT YOU'RE PLEASED, CRAYAK,) I said in a more casual tone, where none of my underlings would witness me. (SO WHAT WILL WE DO NOW?)

JUST WAIT AND RELAX, Crayak told me. I'M TAKING CARE OF A FEW OTHER THINGS RIGHT NOW. REST ASSURED, THOUGH, THAT AS ALWAYS, YOU WILL BE THE FIRST TO KNOW WHEN THERE IS ACTION TO BE TAKEN.

(YES, CRAYAK. FAREWELL FOR NOW. SETHEON OUT.)

TBC…

A/N: So, what do you guys think of this?

Note about Setheon: I sort of got his name after the evil Egyptian god Seth (or Sett), and interestingly enough, "Setheon" is also an anagram of "the ones." As for defeating Setheon… think of him as a tree. Under the right conditions, he could probably live forever (in fact, some trees on Earth are at least a few billion years old), but if harmed in a certain way, he could even be killed.

Next chapter takes place back on Earth, where my Yeerk OC Arklan 256 makes her debut appearance… –Quillian

HEY, I JUST THOUGHT ABOUT SOMETHING!

I've been listening a lot lately to my Halo 2 soundtrack (YES, they do indeed sell the soundtracks to the Halo games on CD), and I think there are two songs which would have suited the Animorphs pretty well: "Blow Me Away," by Breaking Benjamin, and "Connected," by Hoobastank. Suppose #54 were a movie: "Blow Me Away" would have been like Rachel's theme or something, while "Connected" would probably be something you would hear during the credits as sort of an end theme. I can't show the lyrics here on this site, but if you look around the Internet, you should be able to find them on your own!