Rook and Scout's room wasn't really meant to fit four people, especially if one of those people was as broad as a Tetramand. Seriously, Scout didn't understand how Bahrvad was so big. Loboans were supposed to be well-built beings but Bahrvad towered over him. He was probably bigger than Rook and Scout combined. And Ship bundling around the room certainly wasn't helping but Scout felt bad even thinking about sticking him outside. The tiny Galvanic Mechamorph had to stay.
But it didn't matter. This was the first chance in days that the group had the chance to converge and this was the only place they could talk in private so this is what they were going to deal with.
"Baz-I is stable. We were able to gather a bit of information about what he was up to," Xylene reported, tail swinging loosely behind her. "Your suspicions were right, Scout. Baz-I started feeling ill after working around Malware but when he told his supervisors, he got fired. He couldn't find another job so he rented a ship so he could return to Galvan B. Or he tried, at least."
"Do you know what was wrong with his ship?" Rook asked.
Xylene shook her head. "There was nothing wrong with it, exactly. It was Baz-I himself."
"What do you mean?" Scout asked, frowning. "You're saying Baz-I crashed his ship? Why would he do that?"
"It wasn't intentional," Bahrvad said. Ship bounced over to him, bumping his head on his knee. Bahrvad pretended not to see him. "I know you haven't seen them do it yet but Galvanic Mechamorphs have the power to, uh, upgrade technology. They can fuse with it, becoming one, and take control. The ships Galvanic Mechamorphs use are specifically designed for them to fuse with them and take control. Baz-I tried doing that but it seems something went wrong."
"I did find him in a rather peculiar position within the ship," Rook noted. He went silent, thinking for a moment. "Do you think his ailment caused him to lose control of the ship?"
"That's our leading theory," Xylene answered, crossing her arms. "It's unlikely someone would sabotage Baz-I's ship but that's not a completely unreal possibility either."
"Why would someone do that? Is Baz-I a high profile Galvanic Mechamorph?"
"Not really. He just has kind of a bad personality," Bahrvad responded. He paused, looking down at Ship who stopped rubbing against him in favor of shooting him a blank stare. "No offense."
"Ship!"
"Don't worry Ship, you've got a great personality," Scout told the Envoy. Ship turned toward him and seemed to preen under the praise.
"Ship!"
"Bahrvad told me you two had questions about Galvans and Galvanic Mechamorphs?"
"Oh. Right." He definitely did. Scout had been pondering them for days but in the moment, only one really stood out. "Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why do the Galvans look down upon the Galvanic Mechamorphs?" Scout asked. Ship hopped into his lap. Scout tried to pet him without accidentally using his claws. "Why do the Galvanic Mechamorphs let them treat them this way? Why don't they share Galvan Prime? Why doesn't Azmuth do something about it?"
Bahrvad looked to Xylene, trusting her to have the better answer. She hesitated, pondering for a few moments to find the right words. "Azmuth created the Galvanic Mechamorphs. On Galvan Prime, Galvans are the parent species. They… How do I phrase this? Some Galvans feel that the Mechamorphs owe them a life debt. Some think Mechamorphs were made to serve them. Some look down on them since they were created by accident."
"But does a creator not have a responsibility to his creations?" Rook asked softly. Scout blinked at him a few times, sensing there was some meaning behind Rook's words that he didn't understand. "He brought them into this world. He bestowed life upon them. He gave them their powers. He shaped who they are, for better or for worse. Does that not mean that he has some responsibility to them? That he should protect them and ensure they have happy lives?"
"In theory, yes," Bahrvad responded, "but you have to remember Galvanic Mechamorphs have been around for a long time and Galvans didn't directly have a hand in making all of them."
"But if something happened to one and he was responsible, Azmuth should do something about it, right?" Rook pressed. Rook's insistence surprised Scout. He hadn't seemed all that invested earlier but he sure seemed to care now. Scout wondered why. "Like- Like Malware. He is ill, is he not? Worse than Baz-I. He is in Azmuth's lab because he needs help but Azmuth is not helping him."
"Malware is… confidential," Xylene answered cautiously. Scout wanted to call Apoplexian litter on her response but he didn't think that would be the most constructive thing right now. "And Azmuth is helping him. The First Thinker works in mysterious ways sometimes."
Rook and Scout exchanged a glance, the latter lashing his tail. Bahrvad and Xylene were sharp, he knew, and he couldn't understand why they were dodging the truth. They could see it as clear as he could. It was obvious. Even Rook was starting to pick up on it in his own way. They knew everything yet they were taking the Galvans' side.
Rook opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by a blaring alarm. Five heads snapped up and they got to their feet, ready to move when necessary.
"What is it?" Scout asked as Xylene pulled out a tablet and began tapping away at it for updates.
"Malware escaped again," Xylene informed him, face creasing with concern, "and he's on a rampage."
Rook didn't really want to leave his room now. Not after Scout's inquiries sparked so many thought provoking questions. He had to say, he didn't really understand it all until he mentioned Azmuth. Now, he couldn't stop thinking about it. But now wasn't the time to start thinking about anything deep. They were Plumbers and he was the Omnitrix bearer. If there was danger on Galvan Prime, they were the ones best suited to confront it.
It didn't take long for them to locate their adversary thanks to the path of destruction left in Malware's wake. He'd grown somewhat, head nearly as tall as the tallest buildings. That wasn't saying much considering no buildings were higher than one story but he was still a good amount larger than he'd been before. And that meant taking him down would be even more difficult.
"Xylene, find Azmuth. I'm going to get started on evacuation. Scout, Blonko," Bahrvad barked, "confront that thing."
"What?" Rook's head spun. Bahrvad wanted him to fight Malware?
"Your Omnitrix may be the only weapon on hand that can take down Malware," Bahrvad told him. "And Scout's sonic blasts will provide good back up."
Rook tried to protest but his mentors were long gone by the time he opened his mouth. He closed it, frowning, and glanced at Scout. "You do not have to join me if you do not want to."
Scout waved his tail behind him. "Of course I'm going to help you, Rook. But I think I can do one better than a sonic blast. Buy Ship and me some time."
"You got it." Rook nodded and his hands went to his Omnitrix. It was second nature, almost, despite his usual hesitance. The silhouettes on the dial were all so familiar. Selecting one, he brought his hand down on the Omnitrix and let the sensation of transformation overtake him.
"Kringl the Summoner!"
Scout, for all the time he spent with Rook, had never seen the Revonnahgander transform. He had to say, this was not what he was expecting.
Scout knew a few of Rook's forms. He had a Tetramand, he knew. And a Kineceleran. Those were fairly common forms and Scout thought they'd be a pretty good choice for this fight. It was hard to go wrong with enhanced speed or increased strength. He didn't really know what Rook expected to do with this red skinned, white bearded pillow of an alien.
"Ship?" Ship peered at Kringl, confused. Kringl spared him a quick glance before thrusting his hands toward the ground, layering the pavement in ice, and began skating in Malware's direction. Scout watched for a moment before he shook himself. Aliens were weird. That wasn't new. He couldn't waste time trying to make sense of it.
"Come on, Ship," Scout said, beckoning for the envoy to follow him. "Let's get some back up."
"Ship ship?" Ship seemed confused but didn't hesitate to follow Scout when he pelted down the road. He morphed into a ball to keep up with him, it was hard to match a Loboan's pace on all fours, and stuck close to Scout's tail when he veered toward the museum.
It was chaos when he entered. There wasn't a Galvan in sight but there were plenty of Galvanic Mechamorphs, all panicked and scattered. He frowned. That wouldn't do. "Hey."
They didn't seem to hear him. If anything, their disorderly buzz was only increasing. He tried again.
"Hey!" he barked. A couple Galvanic Mechamorphs glanced in his direction but for the most part, they still couldn't hear him over their bustle. That, or they were ignoring him.
"Ship ship!" Ship morphed into a megaphone. Scout picked him up gratefully and raised in to his muzzle for a howl.
"HEY!" he shouted a bit louder than was probably necessary but at least the Galvanic Mecamorphs were paying attention now. He jabbed a claw toward the window. "Malware's loose!"
"We know. Why do you think we're in here where it's safe?"
Scout's expression tightened. "It's not safe in here. Especially not for you. Why do you think all the Galvans left?"
He realized he probably shouldn't have answered with a question because now a ripple of noise was spreading through the Mechamorphs, distracting them. Scout barked wordlessly, drawing their attention back to him.
"Malware's mutation, he can infect you guys. That's what happened to Baz-I, Ship's, uh, original," Scout told them, gesturing loosely at Ship. The Envoy greeted the other Mechamorphs with a happy jump. The Mechamorphs froze, turning their full attention to Scout. "Azmuth's not doing anything about it. None of the Galvans are going to do anything about it. If you want to stop any Galvanic Mechamorphs from getting infected, we're going to have to confront him ourselves."
"Fight Malware?" one of the guards squeaked.
"Not directly," Scout told her. "The Omnitrix bearer is out there fighting him right now. I don't know if any extra hands would be able to do much to help. But you guys are smart and you know a Galvanic Mechamorph's weaknesses better than anyone. You can help."
The Galvanic Mechamorphs glanced at each other, muttering amongst themselves. They were considering Scout's proposition. Scout prayed to Luna Lobo that they'd help him. For all his talk, he didn't know if this was going to work but it certainly wouldn't work without some allies.
"Galvanic Mechamorphs are vulnerable against electromagnetic pulses and magnetic fields," one of the guards offered. "Maybe the Envoy can help us make one."
Scout's tail tip curled up in hope. "Alright, that's what I'm talking about. Let's get moving! I don't know how long Rook can keep Malware busy."
Kringl didn't hold back when he blasted Malware.
The mutated Mechamorph didn't sense his arrival which gave Kringl more than enough time to summon his elves and generate enough power for a fully charged ice attack. It caught Malware off guard, sending him skidding across the street, but Malware was more durable than Kringl expected. The energy elves had mere seconds to get their attacks off before Malware started whaling on them.
"You dare attack me, Omnitrix bearer?" Malware snarled, voice sounding completely different from before. Something must have happened, Kringl realized, for him to be like this. Or Azmuth had been doing something to keep him docile earlier. Both were equally real possibilities. "You of all creatures ought to know what it feels to be forsaken by Azmuth!"
"I do," Kringl said, the truth coming to his tongue as naturally as Master Kundo's battle moves. It was something he'd been putting a lot of thought into. Ever since he got the Omnitrix, actually. "But that does not mean you can take your anger out on the Galvan race!"
"Bah!" Malware scoffed as he punched away the last of the homunculi. "I've waited too long! I tried being patient for years! I waited for Azmuth, I waited for Albedo, I waited for any Galvan but none of them- We ought to be their Adam, Omnitrix bearer, but instead we were their monster."
Kringl didn't understand the allusion but he got the gist of Malware's words. It was the intent, not the meaning, that spoke to him. Still, just because he understood, that didn't mean he was ready to turn his back on his principles. "Azmuth's coldness does not give us the right to harm innocents."
"You speak like you've never met a Galvan," Malware scoffed. He raised his arms, appendages shifting into canons, and aimed them directly at Kringl. "Those who stand by and do nothing are just as guilty. None of them are innocent."
Kringl wanted to argue but the blast was flying right at him and Kringl wasn't exactly the fastest alien in the Omnitrix. He thrust his hands out and formed a wall of ice in front of him but the laser shattered it in an instant, doing little to null the blast. Kringl was knocked off his feet and his back hit the road somewhat painfully. He groaned and sat up the moment he was able to. Kringl was a powerful alien but so was Malware. He needed to do something to turn the tide of battle in his favor.
Kringl pressed the palms of his mittens against the surface of the ground and let his icy powers leak out. Concentrating the cool energy, ice spread from his fingertips and began coating the ground. He didn't doubt Malware could fight in an iced over environment but at least he'd get some speed like this.
"Your tricks won't help you," Malware snarled and ran at the red-skinned alien. Kringl brought up his hands, trying to form a wall of ice in Malware's path, but the Mechamorph merely ran through it, sending shards of ice flying. Kringl realized he'd severely underestimated Malware's strength.
It was one of his elves that managed to buy Kringl enough time to scurry away, getting under Malware's feet and tripping him up. The creature snarled and smashed the elf immediately. That was a bit annoying. Kringl thought his diverse powerset would be enough to handle Malware but Malware's raw power was tearing through his ice and summons.
Luckily, Kringl had some power of his own.
Sliding across the battlefield to build up some momentum, Kringl lunged at Malware and boxed him in the face with a gloved hand. Hard. If Malware had bones, Kringl was confident he would've heard something crack. Malware's head spun and he was forced to stumble to regain his balance. He wasn't down yet though. No, not by a longshot. The moment he was able, Malware rose up and tackled the other alien.
Kringl regretted putting the ice down. Ice meant no friction and that meant he and Malware were sliding across the streets as they wrestled. Claws grasped red clothing, mittens slapped against organic metal, elbows bumped, shoulders slammed against the ground- There was no room for any formal moves or forms. The two just rolled and took whatever chances they got to attack or defend.
Kringl tried to use his powers but he couldn't concentrate long enough to even distinguish the ice in his body from the spiritual energy he used to make the elves, let alone draw upon it. He imagined Malware was having similar struggles. If he could morph his hands into a canon, Kringl was sure he had some kind of melee weapon in his arsenal. The realization only made Kringl fight harder. He couldn't give Malware the chance to use his powers. In such close quarters, that would be his end.
Or maybe not. He couldn't tell if Malware was trying to hurt him or not. When he spoke, he spoke of them like kin. Like brothers, both sons of Azmuth. Kringl didn't really feel the same way but he felt the bond they shared as creations of Azmuth. Maybe that bond meant more to Malware than Kringl thought. He didn't think he'd get the chance to ask though, at least not now.
Both began tiring and Malware's strikes were eventually distanced enough to give Kringl the chance to summon a chill. Nothing major, just add a bit of ice to his punches. But as the fight went on, he was able to add more and more power and soon he was nearly attacking at full capacity.
Unfortunately, he was slowing down too which gave Malware the chance to do the same. Claws shifted into a canon and slammed down on the ice, narrowly missing Kringl's head. He realized he needed to put some distance between the two or he'd be done for. In a desperate move, he managed to summon a pair of elves to tear Malware off him enough to roll away.
Channeling his inner power into his hands, he whisked them through the air, summoning a small army of energy elves around him. They darted at Malware and began assaulting him with their tiny claws. Malware let out an angry noise and began swiping at him but the homunculi weaved around his claws easily.
Eventually, Malware grew tired of the buffeting and snapped. Both hands shifted into twin canons and he began firing them wildly, aimlessly sending a flurry of shots across the battlefield. Kringl dove to dodge them and tried to put up another ice pillar, concentrating his power in hopes it'd be able to survive another shot. It was difficult, simultaneously summoning his elves and using his freezing abilities, but Kringl could tell all those hours drilling with Bahrvad and Xylene were paying off.
A few of the shots grazed Kringl. Even if he wasn't the target, Kringl was a whole lot bigger than the energy elves. He couldn't dodge them as easily. Momentarily, Kringl wondered if he should've selected someone else. XLR8 would be fantastic right now. Terrorsaur would be even better. Juryrigg would be having a field day with all the tech on Galvan Prime. Any other alien seemed like a good choice right now though he knew logically that if he were in any other form, he'd be thinking the same thing. Malware was powerful and he wasn't even scratching the surface of that power right now. Kringl had a long fight ahead of him, assuming he didn't time out too soon that is.
In the corner of his vision, Kringl saw a flicker of movement on the rooftops. He glanced up, seeing black figures shuffling on either side of the street, just out of Malware's line of sight. They were Galvanic Mechamorphs, Kringl realized. What were they doing? He didn't really know how infectious Malware's… uh, thing was but the brief battle he'd witnessed upon his arrival told him that regular Galvanic Mechamorphs didn't last long against mutated ones. He wondered if this was some kind of mistake but then he spotted Scout.
"Keep him busy," Scout mouthed when his eyes met Kringl's. Kringl gave him a curt nod, telling his friend he got his message, right before one of Malware's blasts barreled into him and sent him rolling again.
Apparently Malware had torn through the elves while Kringl was distracted and now he was coming for the jolly red alien himself. Kringl widened his stance, bracing himself, as Malware slammed into him full force. Malware was past words at this point, now savagely snapping at Kringl's face with his spiky maw. His teeth grazed Kringl's beard. Kringl jerked back his head, trying to get it away, but Scout's voice deterred his efforts. "Keep him there!"
Malware froze, not aware of the guerillas around him. Ship launched himself off the rooftop over the battlefield and quickly began expanding, taking a new form Kringl had never seen before. "Ship!"
He was making some kind of box. A few other Galvanic Mechamorphs liquified and stretched toward him, adding their own mass to his. Kringl didn't have the faintest idea what they were planning but neither did Malware and Kringl was more than ready to take advantage of that. Retching his face away from Malware's mouth, he grabbed Malware's arms and angled them away from himself and the Mechamorphs. Malware started, as if surprised, and Kringl bashed his forehead right into his.
"Nice move!" Scout called, followed by a howl. A moment later, a sonic blast nailed Malware right in the back. It caused Kringl to slide back a bit on the ice but he still largely had the advantage. He froze Malware's arms, blocking up the canons, and continued to try to keep him pinned in one place. The frame of the box around them was complete but the Galvanic Mechamorphs were still working away. Kringl didn't know how much more time they needed.
"Insolent creatures!" Malware spat. Kringl wanted to roll his eyes. What a boring villain line. But Malware didn't look like a villain right now. In fact, judging by the incredulous expression on his face, he looked betrayed. "You're going to let them take out both of us, brother?"
"If it means stopping you, yes," Kringl responded before raising his voice. "Scout! Do it!"
Scout looked hesitant. "Sorry in advance, Rook. Ship, generate the field!"
Kringl, being out of the loop on Scout's plan, had no idea what Ship was doing but he did know there was some kind of energy field around him now. And it hurt. He grunted in pain, sharp electricity dancing over his skin. Kringl was a pretty durable alien but the energy seemed to seep through his skin, lighting up his bones with painful power. Malware seemed to have it worse, it seemed.
Malware howled and buckled. He stopped resisting Kringl, instead falling to his knees. He clutched his head and writhed, the surface of his black and red skin bubbling. He shot Kringl a hellish stare. "Do something!"
Kringl didn't know why Malware expected him to do something. Was he misreading the situation? Did Malware truly see him as an ally? Either way, it didn't matter. He was trapped in the field as well and there wasn't anything he could do about it.
He felt the field's power ripple through him, brushing the Omnitrix. Kringl's stomach filled with dread as the beeping sounded and the red light flashed, turning him back into his true form.
As a Revonnahgander, everything he felt as Kringl hurt a dozen times more. Rook's fur stood up immediately and his muscles spasmed, not liking the electricity buzzing around him. He felt his knees start to give out and black spots began to fill his vision.
He was unconscious by the time he hit the ground.
Scout's muscles clenched as fear flooded through him. Rook was down but Malware was not. The field was designed to hurt Malware, would Rook be okay if he stayed in there a bit longer? Or should they kill the field now and hope Malware was weakened enough to stop attacking? He was the one in charge here but he didn't know what the right call was.
"Scout!" Xylene's voice snapped him out of it, soothing his worry. He relaxed ever so slightly and turned to see Xylene approaching with Bahrvad and Albedo in tow. "Status report!"
"I figured out how to generate an electromagnetic pulse keyed to the opposite polarity of Malware's unique techno frequency to disrupt the corrupted nanites in Malware's body. According to the notes in Azmuth's lab at least," Scout explained quickly. Abledo looked momentarily impressed but Scout didn't have time to let it sink in. "Rook held him still long enough for Ship and the other Mechamorphs to build the device but he just timed out and Malware's still conscious."
"Is the field harmful to carbon-based lifeforms?"
"I don't know!"
"It shouldn't be," Albedo told them quickly. "I'd bet that the Omnitrix just reacted to it like any other electromagnetic pulse designed to target and disrupt Galvan tech. That, or it just timed out on it's own. Your friend should be fine but you may want to kill the generator. Malware should be weakened enough for now."
Scout couldn't respond fast enough. "Ship!"
"Ship, ship," Ship murmured in response. He retracted, the rectangular frame melting away until only Ship's original form remained. Around him, Galvanic Mechamorphs rained down and landed neatly on the ground, running away from Malware as fast as they could. Scout caught Ship easily and directed a sonic howl in Malware's direction. The mutant Mechamorph didn't have the strength to resist and was knocked away from Rook's prone form.
Bahrvad and Xylene swooped in, Albedo running after them with some kind of device in hand. Xylene rushed to check on Rook while Bahrvad tackled Malware down. The Tetramand didn't try punching the Mechamorph, he was already out, and instead flipped him over to restrain his arms. Albedo hopped up on him and slapped some device down on him, spreading some kind of nanotechnology along the outside of his body, but Scout found himself too distracted to pay much attention to what it was. Not with Rook possibly injured.
"Is he okay?" Scout called but Xylene was already scooping Rook up in her arms and making a beeline for the nearest medical facility. Scout's stomach dropped. A thousand questions ran through his mind but he was too shocked for any of them to find their way to his tongue.
"Ship," Ship moaned, sounding worriedly.
Scout rubbed the envoy's back, eyes never leaving Xylene's fleeing form. "He'll be okay, Ship."
Because he had to be. This was Rook Blonko, bearer of the Omnitrix and Scout's best friend in the whole universe. He could make it through anything. Right?
