Author's Note: I own nothing.
4 Bit Of A Problem
As it turned out Jen had been completely correct. Peptos XI and the resident Gourmands were under attack by a battalion of Incursion warriors led by Princess Attea. Rook and Jen were split on what to do so they split up, Rook going with the first type of Gourmands, the Perks to hold the front lines. Jen went with a select group of the second type of Gourmands, the Murks, to free the Queen from Attea. She managed it too, and the Gourmand Queen had ordered a move from the planet, though the Gourmands ate it first. Jen shook her head as they watched the Gourmands shooting off to the next planet in the Peptos system.
"You know it's a little gross but it's also kinda beautiful." Jen commented as the Gourmands shot past their ship. Rook laughed lightly.
"The universe is a big place, full of beauty and yes grossness." They laughed as they made their way out of the Peptos system. It would take them a few hours to get back to Earth, they weren't booking it back like they had been on their way to Peptos since there shouldn't be a catastrophe waiting for them. The Prototruck had definitely seen better days. It had gotten a bit beat up by the Incursions, first when they had entered the Peptos system then again when Jen took it to the main ship to get the queen. All told the ship wasn't in any shape for a fight. Which of course was what they found the moment they left the Peptos system.
The whole truck shook as a laser was fired over one of their wings. Jen leapt from her seat standing on her chair to see out of the sunroof what had just tried to hit them. She swore.
"Step on it Rook! That's Vilgax's ship." Rook's hands tightened on the steering wheel.
"What is he doing in this sector?" Jen shook her head.
"No idea. Haven't seen him in ages, since a few months before I met you." The Prototruck shook again. "Can you get us out of here?" Rook flicked a few switches and a plaintive whine came from the engines.
"Not fast enough. The damage we sustained against the Incursions is too severe. We need to set down and make some repairs if we want to run." Again the truck shook. Jen frowned.
"Set down over there." She pointed to a nearby mostly green planet. Rook flicked a few switches, swerving the truck to avoid another barrage. A readout popped up.
"Good choice. Uninhabited by intelligent life. Some wild animals and insects." The truck shook again, Jen flung herself back into her seat.
"Less talking more flying!" She urged spinning the dial on the Omnitrix. "I'll buy you the time I can, I'll meet you down there, and call for backup we might need it." Before Rook could protest Jen had transformed into Big Chill and phased through the roof of the Prototruck. He swore under his breath and dodged a few more laser blasts swerving the Prototruck into the planet's atmosphere but a lucky shot from Vilgax's ship tore through the left wing and sent the Prototruck spinning into a large cluster of trees. The truck crashed through the trees smoking and screeching the whole way. When it finally came to a halt it was with such a violent jerk that Rook's seat belt snapped and his head slammed into the steering wheel. His whole world went black.
When he woke up it was to the fire suppressor system in the truck going off. The wing was so damaged that it had sparked a fire. He swore pulling himself free of the seat and wiped the blood off his face. He pulled his badge from a pocket of his armor and clicked it on.
"Calling any nearby Plumber Bases. This is Agent Rook Blonko. Mayday, myself and Jen Ten were returning from a mission in the Peptos system when we were ambushed by a vessel from Vilgaxia. Our ship has been disabled. Immediate assistance requested." There was static for a moment before an unfamiliar voice came over the line.
"Agent Rook this is Plumber base 6593-Zeta, we can have a patrol to your location in two hours. Is Specialist Tennyson with you?"
"No she engaged with the enemy, the crash of our ship knocked me out, I do not know for how long." There was a noise of confirmation over the line.
"We'll have a patrol to your location in two hours. Try to stay in that area…" The Plumber on the line was cut off as the radio built into the Prototruck crackled to life.
"I do hope you survived that little crash Plumber. I find myself needing to test my new weapon, and I can't think of a better way to do so then sending it to hunt you down." As quickly as the threatening voice had appeared the radio fell silent again. Rook felt his heart sink to somewhere near his knees. What had happened to Jen? That had been Vilgax's voice, but if he was unleashing a weapon to hunt down Rook had it already beaten his partner? He nearly jumped when his badge spoke again, he had never cut off the call with the nearby Plumber base.
"We might be able to shave it down to an hour and a half but that's the soonest we can have anyone in the area. Try to stay alive until then." The suggestion was one Rook could get behind but he had to find out what had happened to Jen.
"Thank you for your advice, but I need to find out what has happened to my partner."
"That could be a suicide mission Agent."
"I am well aware of that. But she is my partner and I will not leave her to whatever fate Vilgax has planned. Agent Rook out." He clicked off his badge and tucked it back into his armor. He crawled catlike out of the remains of the Prototruck and into the tree it had landed in. A rumble overhead heralded Vilgax's ship entering the atmosphere. Rook looked up and frowned. Whatever this weapon was it was going to head straight for the Prototruck, Vilgax had to know where it was using the radio to locate him. He leapt from the tree and into a nearby one. He was glad the fire suppressors had worked properly or the whole forest might have gone up in flames but the smog that resulted from the burning leaves meeting the chemical suppressor put Rook at a disadvantage as something flashed down from the ship, a shape in the fog. He squinted but couldn't make out what it was, a rumbling growl and howl like an animal in pain set his teeth on edge. He needed to find a way onto Vilgax's ship. He had to find Jen. He was silent, careful as he pulled himself through the trees away from whatever it was that now hunted him.