My name is Astrid Darque. I'm a Plumber's kid; but don't mistake me for one of those Plumbers who actually do their job. Why use my powers for protecting the weak when I can use them to get whatever I want? My dad was the Plumber, and I get my powers from him. He was a Necrofriggian, so that makes me half-alien. And I like to use that as a "one-up" on anyone who tracks me; or whom I'm tracking.
See, I'm a bit of the greedy type. I want everything I can possibly get my hands on – because my parents never gave me anything worthwhile. I've heard some rumors on various planets that some-one's gotten a hold of the Omnitrix. That's one fancy gadget, and I want it. Just imagine if I wasn't half-alien but all alien! I could do anything – have anything!
I take pride in my theft, and start the rumors of my work myself. I want my tales told right. I've built up a notorious reputation stealing some priceless alien technology and selling it on the black market. There is one buyer in particular who stays in my memory. He never failed to pay the sum I requested and he was always on time for our rendezvous. His name was Kevin Levin and I haven't sold to or heard from him in years.
Enough about my buyers and more about me: I was born on Earth and lived there until I was about six years old. My mom disappeared that year with no word where she was going – my guess is that she couldn't handle the life of a Plumber's wife. Good riddance. After she left, my dad took me to where he called home. I didn't pay him any attention and certainly didn't enjoy this "home planet" of his. It was much colder and less populated that Earth. The only good part about it was learning how to use my Necrofriggian abilities.
I stopped counting my birthdays after eleven, so I've really no clue how old I was when I ditched "dear old dad." I just got up one day and decided I was done living like "daddy's little girl." I stole his Plumber's ship and took off. I didn't know where I was going or how to get there. Maybe I was just getting away from the choking hold my dad had on my life. He wanted me to be a Plumber just like him. There was no way I was ever going to take another order from him ever again.
More time passed – who can tell how long? I developed my skills as a thief by using my Necrofriggian abilities. Being invisible and intangible really gives one the advantage. I had learned from my dad that I could actually transform my physical being from my human form to that of a Necrofriggian. I hadn't practiced very much because I'd never needed my human form anywhere except Earth – and I only went there on business.
But now I had business on Earth other than the black market of alien tech. I wanted to find whoever had the Omnitrix. They were causing a lot of trouble for my field of trade. Take them out and not only do I solve my little dealing dilemma, I get the Omnitrix. I'd be set up for life if I sold that to the highest bidder. I don't really care what they want the stupid thing for, as long as I get my cash –whatever the currency.
I always did like the feel of the seats in my ship. If I ever saw my father again, I'd have to compliment him on his choice. They were oversized for me, but just the right amount of softness. After a tough job, it was relaxing to sit or lie in one of the chairs. In fact, there were many things I liked about the ship, and only one thing I couldn't stand – the Plumber's communication device. That troublesome thing provided the Plumbers with a way to track me, and there was no way I could break it. Plumbers certainly lived up to their technological reputation.
I was lost in my thoughts when a beeping from my navigation system jarred me back to reality. They ship's autopilot had taken me to Earth and was now warning me that I was about to enter the atmosphere. Everything was going smoothly. I'd land, hide the shop, mask myself as a human, earn the trust of whoever had the Omnitrix, then get the Omnitrix and sell it to the highest bidder. It was fool proof.
I sat straighter in my chair and turned the autopilot off. Following the ship's tracking of the Omnitrix's signal, I guided the ship to a wooded area near the signal. The trees would mask the ship well enough; all I had to worry about was getting to the Omnitrix and figuring out how to play its current holder so that I could have it for myself.
There didn't appear to be any humans around so I didn't mind the trees felled when I landed. I stood out of my seat and watched myself in the reflective glass as I changed from Necrofriggian to human. The flare I'd been practicing worked excellently. I'd heard of Alan, another Plumber's kid, using his Pyronite abilities to hide the change – it wasn't pleasant to watch. He used flames and flashed of light, but since I can't do that, I decided on mist and such to shroud me.
My human form was probably what Earth boys would call "pretty." My skin was well tanned, and that made my yellow-green eyes really stand out. My red-brown hair was tied back in a high horse-tail, but there were several strands that fell loose in my face. I wore a simple pair of jeans and a dark purple shirt. I looked down to my feet and saw a pair of black tennis shoes with purple laces. There weren't exactly subtle, but I didn't care enough to get new ones. My voice was medium ranged and sounded like honey, with just the tinniest trace of venom. It was strange to hear after all the time I'd spent as a Necrofriggian.
Now that my human self was in order, it was time to get started on the hunt for the Omnitrix. But where to start? I had no idea who exactly had the Omnitrix, or how to get inside their head. It looked like my only choice was to get in contact with Kevin Levin. I knew he had to have some kind of information on the Omnitrix, being the low-life he was.
"Kevin Levin?" I had to make sure it was him. He sounded different somehow.
"Who's asking?" His reply was gruff but still like the Kevin I remembered.
"Astrid Darque," It felt odd to say my own name aloud. I hadn't heard it in a long time. Kevin muttered something to someone who must have been with him; I couldn't make it out. Was he in the middle of a deal with someone?
"Astrid! How long's it been since we saw you on Earth?" Kevin now spoke at a decent volume to me. But I was still wondering what was going on at his end. "Would you knock it off?" That wasn't directed to me. Whoever was with him sure was getting on his nerves; and that was never a good thing with Kevin.
"I can't help it," the voice came from his end. It was loud and clear; I didn't pay much attention to its first remark, but what it what it said next caught every ounce of my attention. "The Omnitrix is fritzing again!"
Were my ears deceiving me or was Kevin actually with the possessor of the Omnitrix? This was an amazing stroke of luck. Either Kevin had captured the Omnitrix or he was playing whoever had it. I had to guess the second because Kevin's tone wasn't exactly hostile. It sounded more like this squabbling between them was something normal.
"So what do you want?" Kevin was back to speaking to me. "You got a deal or are you looking for one?"
"A bit of both," I replied smoothly, covering my surprise about the Omnitrix with practiced perfection. Lying was a talent every black market trader had, and I was very good at it. "My ship's fuel tank is empty. I had to land on this dirtball planet. Think you can get me out of here?"
"Depends," Kevin sounded convinced, but suspicious too. We both knew the other was hiding something. "What kind of fuel you on the market for?"
"Same as always, Kevin; still have my old man's ship," Though I was annoyed at his beating around the bush, this time was giving me a chance to think things through. I had to figure out how to get the Omnitrix and then keep it. Everyone knew it couldn't just be taken. Maybe I was in over my head. Maybe I was being stupid. But this was the job of a lifetime, and I wasn't going to pass it up. It didn't matter how long it took or how hard it was.
"Then I've got what you need," I could almost feel his smile and I knew he was thinking about the money he'd get from me. Plumber's vessels ran on specialized fuel that wasn't easy to come by without proper authorization.
"I'll be waiting," I didn't have to tell him where I was (I didn't even know); he could just track the Plumber's signal from my ship. All I had to do was wait.