---Dixie---

She groaned.

Her vision, her body, everything was groggy, painful, and somewhat enjoyable. She assumed something was wrong with her.

Until she realized she was leaning forward and the only thing supporting her entire weight was the oxygen mask and the needle on the back of her neck. She hissed and pulled away from the mask. The air....

That pungent smell came back, harsher and much worse than ever. She struggled to breath without choking.

The door was cracked open. She jammed her foot against it. It wasn't enough force so she braced her back against the lop-sided bed. Her hands gripped the straps that should've been around her upper arms and lifted her body off the ground. She raised both feet with her knees tucked in close. With a tremendous kick--

WHAM!

The door went flying off and the pungent smell was more like a background smell.

Dixie took a moment to gather her bearings before she poked her head out of the pod.

She kind of recognized Hero Square. Some of it, anyways. The grass was slimy and green. She could see the ground was uneven. Whatever was happening, she didn't like it one bit. It was nerve wracking.

Dixie saw someone running towards something that was glowing green. Jumping out of her pod, she landed on the green slime before taking off. As she ran, she felt her lungs contract and she coughed. She didn't stop. Something told her that person was in trouble, whoever it was.

She finally reached the plain and stopped.

Ben Tennyson was fighting a fusion material monster.

By reaction, Dixie pushed Ben aside when the fusion tried to eat his Omnitrix. She didn't understand what was happening, but she knew she had to help. Like most things, Dixie tried real hard at it without much effect, since her unarmed kick just knocked the fusion back about ten feet. She looked at Ben and he stared back.

"Who--?"

She jumped back as the fusion attacked again. Whatever it was, it was nasty and smelled like the harsh odor from the pod. She looked around and saw a rusty, bent metal tube from a water line. She reached out to pick it up, realizing it had a bunch of holes in it. She swung and the fusion was flung high. She watched it go and--

Ben, as Swampfire, destroyed it. He looked at Dixie. "Who are you?"

Dixie was about to answer when she coughed. Her lungs had contracted some of the mist from the exploded fusion. She doubled over before collapsing to the ground, choking and coughing up something green and clear. Her vision blurred and she blacked out.

---Dexlabs---

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Dex, I'm sure."

"And she just came out of the pod and was there?"

"I saw something come out of the last pod, but I wasn't sure. I was gonna go investigate when she popped up. She saved my hide."

"Ben, do you even know who this is?"

"No, why, should I?"

"This is Dixie. Dixie and Dirk are the two I sent to the future many years back. He hasn't been seen and his pod vanished. Dixie's pod was unreachable after the initial attack! You found our secret weapon."

"Oh, that's dandy. Mind explaining, then, why you strapped her to a chair?"

Dixie's eyes flew open at that statement. Her first reaction was her best reaction. She struggled against the leather handcuffs that were holding her to the metal chair. Her shoulders were pinned back to the chair by a metal rod right around them. Her knees were strapped in by leather and her ankles were handcuffed to the legs of the chair. Her mouth wasn't gagged.

"What the--?"

"Calm down!" Dex cut in. He raised his hands. "It's okay. We're just trying to help you!"

"Help me? Then why am I strapped in?"

"Dixie, it's me, Dexter."

She suddenly stopped moving altogether. "Wait, little, three-foot-tall Dexter?"

"Well, erm, I'm older now, but yes. I used to be little."

Dixie slowly narrowed her eyes. "Why am I here?"

"You are in Hero Square, at the moment. It would seem that we need to reacquaint you with your surroundings. Ben can give you the load. I need to get to work preparing the antidotes for you." He paused, looking thoughtful before he turned back to Dixie and patted her forearm. "The antidotes are to keep you from getting infected like you did. It's not going to be many, just three." He waved to her and left.

Dixie glared daggers at Ben. "What's going on?"

---Fuse---

Dirk stirred in his sleep.

Fuse took on his human form and grinned evilly. That meant Dixie was back.

Dirk would be the key to turning Dixie to their side. If the twins were on their side, then he could destroy Dex and his resistance. All he needed was incentive to send Dirk out to greet his twin....

Dirk slowly opened his eyes and sat up. The green linens fell off his bare back. He looked up at Fuse. "My sister. My sister's come back. She's surpassed death." He looked out the "window" of his room at the world below. "She's just as confused as I am. I must let her see the light of your world. She won't have to worry about anything else." Dirk smiled. "Dixie will like it in your new world."