"Malware's infection prevents him from merging with technology like other Galvanic Mechamorphs. Like the Envoys, he has a limited version which doesn't really compare to a complete Mechamorph's abilities," Azmuth explained as he worked. "When his mutation festers, it can become contagious. Infected Mechamorphs lose the ability to merge seamlessly but they don't gain any of Malware's unique abilities. That's what happened with Baz-I. He tried merging with his ship but the infection prevented him from doing so properly and he crashed."

Rook was in Azmuth's lab in Juryrigg form, helping Azmuth build the device to clear up any infection Malware spread to the Galvanic Mechamorphs. None of the Mechamorphs who helped Rook and Scout take down Malware were infected but Baz-I still was and Xylene and Bahrvad managed to discover a few others since the ceremony. The device was necessary, especially now that the infections could no longer be hidden. Part of Rook was angry that it'd come to this point for Azmuth to do something but he kept his mouth shut. Azmuth was doing something about it now, afterall. He had to pick his battles.

"You're quiet. Especially for that form," Azmuth commented. He set down his tools to give Juryrigg a good, hard look. "Tell me, what's on your mind?"

Juryrigg slapped the symbol on his head, transforming back into a Revonnahgander. Rook shot Malware a look from across the room. The mutated Mechamorph nodded and Rook took a deep breath. "I am angry."

"About what? Be more specific."

"At you," Rook stated. Azmuth started to look away but Rook stopped him. "No, look at me. You are unkind, Azmuth. You lack the morality of a good scientist."

Azmuth raised an eyebrow. "You think morality makes a scientist a good one? What are they teaching you at the Plumber Academy?"

"This has nothing to do with my education. I believe it is merely the truth," Rook told him, voice ringing with honesty. He paused, searching for the right words. "Science does not give you the right to disregard the wellbeing of others. The Galvanic Mechamorphs- they did not ask to be created."

"But they exist and they have me to thank."

"Perhaps but you are not entitled to their gratitude. You are responsible for them. That means you must care for them. Like Malware."

Azmuth sighed. "You really think I don't care about Malware?"

"Yes," Malware called from across the room.

"Child, just because I am not giving you attention all hours of the night doesn't mean I don't care. I know you're pained and I do not wish to see you suffer. Come." Azmuth beckoned Rook to follow him and lead him to a workshop table on the other side of the room. He picked up a device and tossed it into Rook's hands. "Tell me, what is this?"

Rook caught it easily but frowned upon the sight of it. He couldn't make any sense of it "I… I do not know."

"It's a nanite defibrillator with a single-photon targeting system," Azmuth explained. "If the device worked, I would've been able to convert all of Malware's mutated techno-organic cells back to their natural state."

"If?" Malware questioned, pressing a palm against the invisible wall of his prison.

"Yes, Malware. If," Azmuth sighed. "You've seen me working on this for the past three months, haven't you? It's been my main project. I just didn't tell you because I wasn't sure it would work. It didn't want to disappoint you if it didn't. It's not that I don't care, Malware. It's that I care enough not to give you false hope. If I seem flippant with you, it's because I trust that you understand that I'm a busy scientist and that you have faith that I won't stray from the promise I made. I told you I'd cure you when you came to me so long ago and I fully plan on doing what I said I'd do."

Malware fell silent, looking down at the ground like he was thinking. He probably was. No, he definitely was. Rook was too. They'd misjudged their creator, it seemed.

"Now," Azmuth said, turning to Rook. "How does this pertain to you?"

Rook hesitated. After Azmuth's answer to Malware's complaints, he wondered if his were really that important. Surely Azmuth had an answer for this as well. Anger still bubbled under the surface of his skin but it was quelled by fear. His feelings seemed so silly, so trivial, sometimes. But Malware was giving him an encouraging look and Rook knew he had to ask or he'd be left wondering forever.

"The Omnitrix, it does not come off."

"Yes. And?"

The words came to Rook a lot easier than he thought they would. Once they started flowing, he couldn't stop them. "I did not get a choice and it ruined my life! I gave into curiosity for one moment and now there is this thing on my wrist. And I just learned that it latches onto my DNA and rewrites it. This thing caused me to lose my family, my home, and any hope for a normal future and now I find out that I am not even a true Revonnahgander anymore? I am not- Why did you create this device? Sometimes I am a monster. Even when I look like me, I can tell that I am not. Do you have any idea what that is like? When you built the Omnitrix, did you consider the effects it would have? You played with forces you had no right to touch."

Azmuth watched him silently. "Are you done?"

"I think so."

"Good. Because now I have a question for you," Azmuth responded. Rook blinked at him for a moment before Azmuth continued. "Would you change anything?"

"What?"

"Would you change anything?" Azmuth repeated. "If you could go back in time, would you?"

"I… do not think I would," Rook said slowly, biting his lip. His mind went blank but a few things stood out to him. "I would not be the same person I am today. Even if I do not like what the Omnitrix did to me, I feel that having it has made me grow as a person. I do not know if I would like the Revonnahgander I would be without it."

Azmuth looked satisfied. "The Omnitrix was designed as a learning tool. To be able to walk a hundred steps in another alien's feet-"

"No."

Azmuth blinked in surprise. "No?"

"No," Rook stated definitively with a confidence he didn't know he had. "I think I have learned from using other aliens' bodies but that was not what I was referring to."

"Oh?" Azmuth looked interested. From within his prison, Malware leaned forward as well. "Please, do tell."

"If I had not received the Omnitrix, I would not have had the wonderful moments from last harvest season. My sister dragged me out so many times to Magister Wat-Sen's house to practice using my aliens. I do not think I would be as close to either of them as I am now if the Omnitrix had not brought us together," Rook told him, smiling fondly. "And I would not have the friends I have today without it. Tetrax, Scout, Ship… Malware."

Malware's back straightened at the sound of his name. If he had skin and flesh, Rook was sure he'd be flushing.

Azmuth's thumb went to his chin as he mused. "Interesting. So it was not the forms themselves that caused you to change. Here, give me your Omnitrix wrist."

Rook did as he was told but he was still confused. "What are you doing?"

"You taught this old Galvan something today. You are a worthy bearer of the Omnitrix. I'm going to give you some of the access codes. I don't think you're ready for the Master Control yet but I think you're responsible enough to have the codes for the randomizer, timer, scanner, and data logs. And, when the time is right, you will unlock another set of aliens."

Rook blinked a few times, not believing his ears. "Thank you. But that does not make up for what you did. You need to be better."

"I'd think less of you if you said anything else."


Ship squirmed in Scout's arms as the Loboan watched Azmuth and Albedo's careful work. His muscles urged him to pace but he withheld, not wanting to distract the Galvans in their work. Besides, it was hard enough keeping Ship calm.

Baz-I lay on a medical table. Equipment Scout couldn't hope to understand surrounded him. Presumably, if Azmuth and Albedo's estimates were correct, it would clear up the infection from Baz-I's body. They already figured out how to keep it from spreading. The last step was now to cure it. And with Rook and Scout leaving soon, that had to happen today or they wouldn't get to see it.

Albedo and Azmuth remained silent as they worked. Scout could tell Rook wanted to ask questions but didn't want to snap the pair out of their focus. The machine had been humming away for awhile and Scout could've sworn Baz-I was starting to stir awake.

Slowly, Baz-I's… uh, eye blinked open and he looked around. "Wha-?"

"You three deal with this," Azmuth said flippantly and hopped off his hover platform to scurry off to who knows where. "I'll be back for the next round of treatment."

"Ship!"

"Four," Scout yelled after the Galvan but Azmuth was already long gone.

Baz-I groaned and tried sitting up. "Could someone tell me what happened?"

"You were infected by Malware's mutation. It caused you to crash your ship. These two found your Envoy and brought you to the First Thinker for treatment," Albedo explained, gesturing at the pair of Plumber students, "before taking down Malware and pushing Azmuth to contain the virus and figure out how to cure you."

Baz-I blinked owlishly at the pair before looking down at himself. "I feel a lot better. Thank you."

"You still have aways to go but that's good to hear," Scout spoke. He paused before holding up Ship hesitantly. "Would now be a good time to reabsorb your, um, Envoy? Would the fresh mass help you recover faster?"

"Oh, no." Baz-I shook his head, filling Scout with relief. He didn't want to say goodbye to his friend quite yet, even if he would live on through Baz-I. "It's far too late for me to reabsorb him and it seems he's been around long enough that he won't melt. He's his own being and it seems he's taken a liking to you two. How would you like to take care of him for me?"

Scout's tail went straight and he grinned. "Really?"

Baz-I nodded. "Why would I lie about that? It's not like I can take care of him."

Baz-I slapped the side of his bed for emphasis. Albedo looked like he wanted to tell him off for his careless around such delicate machinery but a glance at Scout told him not to ruin the moment.

"I do not believe the Plumber Academy is too keen on letting students keep pets on the base," Rook told him.

"I don't care," Scout responded, nuzzling Ship. The tiny Mechamorph, oblivious to everything that had just happened, looked confused but accepted the affection happily. "We're staying together buddy!"

"Are all mammals this emotional?" Baz-I asked, glancing at Albedo who nodded solemnly.

"Unfortunately."


Honestly, Rook kind of forgot they came with classmates until they were loading a dozen Galvans back onto the ship. A dozen Galvans who did not want to get on the ship. "Please, it is not that difficult. Just get on."

In the distance, Albedo was laughing from the observation deck. In his hand was a tablet with a video feed allowing Malware to see the scene as well. He didn't look as amused. "Use your Florauna form, brother! Or the Segmentasapien!"

"Thank you, Malware, but I have this handled," Rook called back. The Galvans froze at the name, giving Rook the chance to dial up his desired alien in the Omnitrix. "Antigravitesla!"

Rook felt the green light wash over him as his limbs thickened and his fur melted away into mint skin. It was an easy process, transforming that is, and any strangeness that came of it was a mere echo in the back of his mind. With a grin, he raised his hands and picked up the gaggle of Galvans up, tugging on their gravitational fields. They murmured in confusion and tumbled through the air. Antigravitesla wiggled his fingers and the Galvans floated into their seats, easy as pie.

"Thanks, Blonko." Xylene turned toward him. "Do you want to hop on board or do you want to fly for a bit?"

"Fly," Antigravitesla responded, already rising up into the air. "I have never had the chance to enter space in this form!"

Xylene smiled. "Alright then. Just make sure to let us know when you're ready to board."

Antigravitesla nodded and launched himself into the air, letting his powers take over and carry him high into the sky.

If landing on Galvan Prime was beautiful, leaving was even more so. Especially without a window obstructing his view. The faint green and blue clouds whirled around him as he sliced through them. He took a moment to dance with them, cementing the moment in his mind, before continuing on his path and entering the outer atmosphere to gaze down on the planet below.

Galvan Prime was gorgeous, he knew that now, and for so many reasons beyond its wonderful colors and scientific prowess. The culture, the faces of the people on its surface, it's history- he could picture it now. No longer did it seem so alien and foreign. Still different from what he knew but he thought that was part of what made it what it was. A smile formed on his face as he gave it one last look before turning to follow the ship back to the Academy. His visit here was defining. Rook wouldn't forget it for a long time.