Lighting flickered. Thunder clapped.

If Kevin hadn't seen as many things as he had since he discovered his powers, he would've been thoroughly spooked by the sights in front of him.

"This is Zs'Caste Zs'Skayr," Archfiend- Rook Blonko, Kevin reminded himself- announced as the group paused just before the thin, rusty gates surrounding the aforementioned castle.

The lightning flashed again, followed by another clap of thunder. Unamused, Ben snorted. "Zs'Caste? Zs'Skayr? Really?"

Scout flicked his tail in annoyance but Rook seemed to miss Ben's tone entirely. "Yes. You see, Zs'Skayr is the High Ecto-Lord. This was his headquarters on Anur Transyl until we called the other inhabitants to action and drove him back to Anur Phaetos. We were hoping to turn this into the Anur System's Plumber Base."

That caught everyone's interest. "You want to add the Anur System into the Plumber Union?"

"It's my dream," Scout told them casually before putting his paws on the gate. "Give me a hand, Rook."

"I think you mean vine," Rook responded, eyes glowing with humor, as he glanced back at his new companions and slammed his hand down on the Omnitrix. "Pumpkin Head!"

Kevin really doubted he would ever get used to Rook's transformations. One moment, he was a fuzzy Revonnahgander and the next he was this mass of writhing vines with a gourd for a head. He opened his mouth to comment but a look from both Tetrax and Gwen silenced him. Kevin didn't understand why but it shut him up.

Pumpkin Head- or was it Rook still?- extended his arms, letting the tendris wrap around the gates as Scout took his arms to pull them open. It looked like a very practiced routine. Kevin wondered why they didn't just leave the gates open but feared another glare from Gwen and Tetrax if he asked. Then, he decided he didn't care and asked anyway. "What's the deal with the gate? Why don't you leave it open?"

"We do," Pumpkin Head answered, tilting his head heavily. Kevin wasn't sure if he was beckoning for them all to follow or if it was just bad balance. "The patch always puts it back."

"The patch?"

"Watch," Scout told them, waving his paw for them to follow. "And stick close."

Kevin exchanged a glance with Ben before hurrying after the Loboan, curiosity evident on all their faces. The grounds around the castle were eerie, even more so than the rest of Anur Transyl. Or what they'd seen at least. Kevin was sure there was a lot more in store waiting for them. He was not looking forward to seeing it. He hoped they got a ship before too long.

Speaking of ships, Ship seemed totally unperturbed by the creepy aura that had silenced them all. He was bouncing around Pumpkin Head's feet, begging to play. Scout scooped him up, quietly admonishing him, as Pumpkin Head ambled deeper into the field. Kevin shot Scout a questioning glance, looking for some kind of queue as to what to do, but the Loboan remained still. Kevin watched for a moment before realizing he wasn't planning on moving and shifted his gaze to see what Pumpkin Head was doing.

The sound of tearing spread through the air as the undergrowth began to writhe and shift. Kevin had hardly noticed it was there, overlooking it like he would on Earth, but he really should've known better here. There were pumpkins scattered about, he realized. As Pumpkin Head neared, they opened their eyes and mouths and began picking themselves up, stumbling towards Pumpkin Head almost mindlessly.

"What are they?" Gwen asked, sounding awed. She looked beyond intrigued. Kevin didn't really get it. They were on a planet full of monsters, mummies, ghosts, and werewolves and she was interested in the plants? He knew he shouldn't be surprised- after all, this was Gwen they were talking about- but he was. At least Ben thought the Frankenstein guys were cool.

"Mutant pumpkins. They're not really… citizens, like the other species here. More like wildlife but Rook says they're more intelligent than the horses," Scout told her, not taking his eyes off Pumpkin Head's interaction. "I'm not sure where they came from. You can't find them anywhere else in the Anur System. We think they were one of Zs'Skayr's experiments, or whoever lived here before him did something to the soil. They're pretty protective of the place so we're hoping to get them on our side."

"A base needs a good defense system. An army of mutant pumpkins would be as good as any," Tetrax agreed levelly. His expression was blank, impossible to read. Kevin wasn't quite sure what Tetrax thought of the Plumbers, despite working with them lately. He was an ex-criminal, right? He didn't look too happy about the castle turning into a Plumber base but Kevin wasn't about to press him about it.

Kevin just found everything about Tetrax, Scout, and Rook generally confusing. Tetrax was an ally but often kept to himself and the trio knew little of his past. Rook and Scout were new, one a native to this crazy planet and the other wielding the most powerful weapon in the universe. Kevin felt a wave of unease creep up on him, only enhanced by the dark atmosphere. Ben, on the other hand, was totally unperturbed, chattering away with questions about life here and the pumpkins before them.

"Rook's told me about how the pumpkins communicate but I can really never understand it," Scout told him, answering a question Kevin missed. The wolf flicked his ear boredly. "We have to go through this every time we visit or they'll attack us. Hopefully Rook can make peace with them before we leave."

Gwen looked like she wanted to ask about the pumpkins too but Pumpkin Head was already on his way back, slapping a hand on the Omnitrix to transform back. "They are letting us pass."

"Good," Scout responded and waved his tail for the group to follow him up the path to the castle. "So what's the plan?"

"You wanted me to find Xylene and Bahrvad," Tetrax spoke up as he started forward, "but I'll need a ship to do that."

"We need a ship in general," Ben added, following. "'Cus, y'know, ours got blown to bits."

"One of us can take Ship," Scout pointed out, "but if we want to split up, we'll need to find or build another one."

"Or use a teleporter," Kevin suggested before he realized he was doing it. He was met with a handful of surprised looks. He tried not to look away. "Come on, it's not like we've never teleported before."

"Yeah but this far?" Ben responded uncertainly, scratching the back of his head. "And with all the Anur System's interference? A ship might be slower but it's safer. And you like building ships anyway."

That was true, Kevin did like building ships. But, he also wanted to get off this crazy planet quick and preferably not spend the next couple weeks trapped in a small space with people he hardly knew. "Yeah, but you know how awesome a teleporter would be?"

Scout and Rook exchanged a glance. "You know, if we had a teleporter, it would be a lot easier to continue our work here."

An expression Kevin couldn't read flashed across Rook's face. "You know, Juryrigg-"

"Nuh-uh." Scout cut him off, shaking his head. "If you're helping, you're doing it as a Revonnahgander. Or Moot. But no Juryrigg."

Rook looked annoyed but not surprised. "Fine."

"What's a Juryrigg?"

"Planchakule," Tetrax responded, as if that answered the question. "Scary things."

Kevin tried not to let his annoyance show. "Does it know how to make a teleporter?"

"No."

"Yes."

"Most definitely not."

Kevin let his lip quirk up into a smirk. "Does it know more about making a teleporter than Ben?"

"Hey!"

Rook looked amused. "Of that, I am certain."

"Then we're going scrapping."


Having offworlders around was fun. Partially just to have some friends who didn't blink twice at the fact he was an alien, partially because Rook liked these particular humans. They were so weird yet they were Plumbers and just as well-versed in the meaning of that as he was. Gwen knew about all sorts of things, Kevin had a real good idea of what fun meant, Ben was a fantastic sparring partner, and Rook just plain missed Tetrax after all the years apart. It was nice to have him back in his life.

But Rook felt like he was just procrastinating the important stuff. Sure, the group would probably need Moot or Juryrigg at some point for the actual building but Scout, Tetrax, and Kevin seemed to have everything handled. Or as much as they could. That wasn't the point though. Point was it was Rook's job to make sure they didn't leave any loose ends untied. Brallada, he'd left Revonnah without warning twice. He wasn't going to let that happen with Anur Transyl. This had been his home for two years. He wanted to do it right.

He didn't really have any ideas as to how to do that though. When he'd left Galvan Prime, he had a sense of achievement. He'd defeated Malware. Or rather, made peace with Malware. There was nothing like that to do here. No bad guys to beat, no conflicts to settle. Just...

"What are you doing out here?"

Rook jumped, slightly startled by the voice, only to turn and realized it was just Ben. He relaxed, forcing his fur to lay flat, and gestured loosely for Ben to join him where he sat on the castle steps. "Just watching the horses. I find them quite interesting. What are you doing out here?"

Ben shrugged, settling down next to the Revonnahgander, and flopped onto his back, staring up at the mesh of webs stretching across the sky. "I dunno. I just wanted to get out. My brain's not really built for all that science mumbo jumbo."

"I thought you graduated at the top of the academy?"

"I mean, yeah, but building stuff wasn't really my passion, y'know? That was more Kevin's thing. Heck, it was even Gwen's thing. I didn't really have a thing. I was just sort of average at everything. Which was, y'know, good for grades but not super applicable to the real world."

Rook couldn't tell if Ben was being humble or just selling himself short. He had Proto-tech armor. He'd heard rumors about it during his own time at the academy. Ben had to be a pretty good student to have earned that. He didn't want to press though. "I would call that more well-rounded than average."

"I guess." Ben fell silent for a moment before sitting up. "You hear that? I think those pumpkin guys are coming back out."

Rook nodded. "They do every night."

"How come?"

"I imagine they are nocturnal."

"No- I mean, yeah, but I meant more like why do they do it."

Rook didn't have an answer for that. Once the mares were spooked away, he usually went back inside or took Terrorsaur to the skies.

"You ever think about transforming and hanging out with them?" Ben asked. Rook's head swiveled. Ben merely shrugged. "You might learn something about them."

That was a good point. Rook had given up on trying to understand the patch quite awhile ago but just because the patch wasn't interested in him didn't mean he wasn't interested in them. If he was going to leave Anur Transyl, maybe he should connect with the wildlife before he missed his chance.

"Tetrax was saying how good of a defense system having these guys around is," Ben went on. "Maybe you can get them to look after the castle while you're gone."

Now that was good motivation if he'd ever heard some. An attainable goal, that was what he needed. Without another word, Rook dialed up Pumpkin Head into the Omnitrix and let the transformation consume him.

He heard Ben make a noise as the light died down. He knew the humans weren't used to his transformations but to him, they felt as natural as ever. Even Pumpkin Head, one of his newer forms. That same energy that gave Wildvine and Funguy life flooded through his vines and he reared up, relishing in the freedom being a plant gave him. The aches of flesh and bone faded, replaced with the rich sensation of earthy life energy in his vines, making him feel so full yet empty at the same time.

The echo of emptiness Pumpkin Head was always jarring. Wildvine and Funguy didn't have it. The first time he'd taken this form, Pumpkin Head had nearly fallen over. Or maybe he had. He couldn't remember it all that clearly, it'd been so overwhelming, and Scout never spoke of it. He could've curled up and cried in front of him for all he knew. But, he'd grown used to and he barely even staggered when he transformed now.

That empty feeling was somewhat filled when he neared the patch, though not completely, and the will of the other pumpkins trickled in. Pumpkin Head tried his hardest to listen to what it was saying but there was too big of a disconnect. He'd always figured it was because he wasn't one of the patch, not really, but oh how he wanted to understand. It was like he was reaching for something just out of his grasp, just barely brushing the fingertips of mind. Almost taunting, but it didn't feel nearly as malevolent for that to be the case.

The buzz intensified as he neared, much to his surprise. Normally the patch closed themselves off when he got close. Right now they felt more… vulnerable? No, that wasn't right. Open? Like the channel they spoke through wasn't as blocked off as it normally was. Pumpkin Head was so surprised that they were letting him communicate with them that he almost didn't realize the buzz was echoing with distress.

Pumpkin Head paused, letting his head sag to the side in question. The other pumpkins were crawling from their daytime resting place, sluggishly as ever, but they weren't moving much. That wasn't unusual but the nervous hum among them was worrying. Deciding to take advantage of the given opportunity, Pumpkin Head sent a pulse into the channel with a single question. "What is wrong?"

"Horses."

Pumpkin Head stumbled back, so surprised that he got a response that he didn't register at first. He blinked a couple times before shaking himself, the leaves on his twines rustling ever so slightly. The horses were making them nervous, huh? That was odd.

"Why?"

"Help."

No answer? That was fine. Pumpkin Head didn't need one, he supposed. If the mare were bothering them, he didn't mind being the one to shoo them off. He knew this herd. He'd run with them as Night Mare on those rare nights Terrorsaur's flights couldn't soothe his anxieties. They weren't dangerous or aggressive. Maybe even more skittish than the patch, honestly.

Pumpkin Head dipped ever so slightly before turning and ambling his way over to the horses. Their heads turned as he neared but they didn't flee. Maybe they recognized him, maybe they didn't. They didn't seem particularly scared or unnerved by his presence though so he took that as a good sign.

Like the patch, the herd didn't communicate with words and he didn't want to transform to ask them to leave. But through some form of universal communication, the mare seemed to get the idea. One of them tossed its head, its ethereal mane shaken abruptly. Pumpkin Head nodded and gestured away with a vine. The horse snorted and turned, tossing its head once more. As it trotted away, the others followed close behind.

That had been incredibly easy. Pumpkin Head didn't understand why exactly a pack of mutant pumpkins would be so afraid of a group of horses. He turned back to the patch, prepared to ask his question again, when a blizzard of thoughts, emotions, and images slammed into him.

Gratitude was the first thing he noticed. He appreciated that, being thanked and all. Rook didn't do much heroics but it was still nice to be recognized for it, even if he didn't really do anything that the pumpkins couldn't do themselves. But then there was more buzzing that he couldn't quite hear, that disconnecting only tuning him into the afterimage. The pumpkins were… discussing? They were trying to decide how much to tell him, it seemed.

Pumpkin Head ambled closer, curious, and the patch seemed more receptive to his advances than he'd ever seen them before. The nearest one raised an arm, offering a vine. Pumpkin Head accepted it without question and let their fibers intertwine. A bright but cold feeling filled his body and he felt his connection to the patch complete like the last wire of a circuit.

Fear flooded him but it felt more like an echo than something the patch was feeling right now. It was an old feeling, he knew. Really old, older than him. Well, older than Rook Blonko. Pumpkin Head had been there, somehow. He didn't quite understand but the scenes unfolding in his mind felt more familiar than fresh.

He remembered being a seedling, the moment he first gained sentience. Or not him, rather, but the patch. Was it the patch? Or was he an individual? He couldn't tell anymore. Pumpkin Head was Rook Blonko, right? Someone separate. Yet, he could feel the sheer togetherness that the patch shared. It didn't feel like anything he'd felt before, like that emptiness Pumpkin Head always carried with him was filled with the most brilliant warmth, and he was overtaken with longing. Longing for what, he didn't know, but he knew it was his own emotion, not part of the stimuli. He missed something and he wasn't sure what. This togetherness though, it was amazing. He never wanted to let it go.

But he had to. Ectonurite claws, they severed the bond. And for a while, there was nothing. They could move and there was still sensation in their vines but it didn't really feel like they were living. They were Zs'Skayr's automatons, tasked with protecting the castle. Which they didn't really mind. It was their home, it always had been, but they didn't like fighting, especially not for Zs'Skayr. Everything that made the castle worth protecting was gone. The spirit that made them feel alive was gone, little more than a memory.

Then he saw himself. Rook Blonko, not Pumpkin Head. And they fought. Initially, he'd turned into Funguy in hopes of making peace with them but now he understood there was no way for the patch to respond, no way for their minds to link while Zs'Skayr controlled them, so instead, he used Kringl to tear his way through them.

The cold, that'd sparked some feeling back into the patch. Pain, shared pain. But they couldn't really feel it until Zs'Skayr was gone and they were free once more.

The togetherness returned but the warmth did not. The hollowness that Pumpkin Head felt, the rest of the patch had it too. The warmth, that was missing. And they didn't understand why. They couldn't remember that far back. Save the moment they gained consciousness, they couldn't remember anything before becoming what they are now. Once upon a time, that made them angry but they were long past it. They just wanted the warmth back. They wanted to feel complete.

Pumpkin Head doubled over, overtaken by the sudden awareness of the pit inside him. The pumpkin he was conjoined with– the one his DNA sample came from, he realized– flashed with concern but made no move to help. He knew how he felt, he felt the same way every waking moment. And there was nothing he could do but find comfort in the fact others shared his pain.

He asked a million questions. What had bestowed that warmth upon them? Why had Zs'Skayr taken it away? Why did it hurt so much? What could they do to get it back? But the patch didn't respond for there was no answer.

The Omnitrix beeped and the pumpkin let go of his arm, letting his Revonnahgander slump over in the muddy earth they inhabited. The link was gone but Rook could still feel the pumpkin's pity as he pulled away and the overwhelming hollowness. He rolled over, letting out a gasp, and tried to ward off the despair consuming him but there was nothing he could do.

Ben was at his side, hand on his shoulder and shaking him urgently. "Rook, what's wrong?"

He opened his mouth but no noise came out. Momentarily, he forgot he had to use words to speak. The silent way of the patch was so much easier, so much more fluid and genuine. Instead, a single groan of anguish escaped his lips and he let himself lean into his new friend's armor, hoping to find some solace in Ben's solid presence.

Ben patted his back and rose, taking half Rook's weight with him. "I think that's enough for today. Let's get you back inside."


Ben didn't know what was wrong with Rook. His demeanor had changed at the drop of a hat: switching from his sort of weird, awkward friendly self into this… mess. He wasn't crying– which Ben was grateful for, he never knew what to do when people were crying– but he wasn't really talking and when he did make a sound it was more like a sob than anything. He was upset about something and Ben didn't understand what.

At least he wasn't running off or anything. Ben had to admit that was something he was guilty of on occasion. He wasn't thrilled that Rook was clinging to him for dear life but at least he was able to get him back inside without much of a fight.

"Forgive me," Rook whispered when they reached what Ben assumed to be Rook's room. There wasn't a lot there, just some Plumber gear and a few stacks of clothes belonging to various species that seemed to be roughly Rook's size, plus the necessities. Ben dumped Rook on the bed, trying not to be too aggressive about it.

"Don't worry about it, dude." He paused for a moment. "So what happened out there? You went all nonverbal."

Rook looked away in what Ben hoped was embarrassment. "The pumpkins do not communicate with words. I merely forgot how to speak for a few moments."

"Oh." Okay, that wasn't so bad.

"They were afraid of the Night Mares," Rook went on, shifting so he was sitting on the edge of the bed. Ben wondered if he wanted him to join him but he was still wearing his Proto-tech armor, not nearly as comfortable as the Loboan garb Rook was wearing. Man, looking at all Rook's clothes made him realize he needed to get some more. All his Earth clothes had been on the ship when it'd been captured. He didn't really have anything other than his armor and- oh Rook was still talking.

"Sorry, say that again?"

"The pumpkins lost something," Rook explained patiently. "Zs'Skayr took it from them, that is why they are afraid of invaders. It- It is hard to explain."

"You don't have to," Ben told him. He offered a smile. "I don't always get all the alien junk anyway. I just need to know you're alright."

"I- I am okay," Rook said, his hesitancy making Ben worry before Rook returned the smile. "Really. I believe I was just overwhelmed. The patch, they communicate through this mix of telepathy and empathy. They have always kept me out of it. It was…"

"A lot?"

"It was a lot," Rook agreed with a nod before reaching up to put a palm on Ben's shoulder. "But I appreciate you being there for me."

Ben fel a flash of surprise. "But I was the one who told you to-"

"If you had not encouraged me to speak with the pumpkins, I would not have learned what I did tonight. I want to help them before I leave. It is… something I just need to do. For their sake and mine. I think I will be able to figure it out if I can spend more time with them."

Well, that was good to hear, he supposed. Even if it meant Rook's aliens wouldn't be helping with the teleporter but Ben didn't mind all that much. He wanted to go home but he wasn't tired of Anur Transyl quite yet. "Not too soon, though. We still gotta say goodbye to Tetrax tomorrow."

Rook's expression darkened ever so slightly. "Oh. Right."


"Ship!"

For such an advanced lifeform, Tetrax would've figured Ship would have a more extensive vocabulary but, no. He could only say his own name. That would get old fast. But having Ship was better than nothing, he supposed. He was a reliable ship and a commitment. He couldn't just take his favorite Revonnahgander's pet and not come back, now could he?

He couldn't believe he was leaving Rook again, so soon after he'd found him again. They'd spent more time apart than together but that didn't mean his time with Rook didn't have a lasting effect. He was the one who'd broken him from the life of a bounty hunter and shown him he could do more with his life. On Revonnah, for the first time in a very long time, Tetrax was reminded what it was like to have friendship. Actually, no. Better. Family. But it'd been broken too soon and now it was going to break again.

He didn't want to leave Rook but he knew he could take care of himself. He had been taking care of himself. He'd made a home on Anur Transyl for crying out loud. But Ben, Kevin, and Gwen, they weren't as experienced as Rook or Scout. They'd always had someone looking out for them and even then they got into trouble. Tetrax couldn't help but worry for them in his absence.

"Sorry we're late!" a voice called, snapping Tetrax out of his thoughts. He looked up to see Ben stumbling out of the castle, Rook hurrying after him. "We were out pretty late last night, overslept."

"Ben overslept," Rook corrected. He turned to Tetrax, a look the Petrosapien couldn't read shining on his face. "I woke up before the clouds cleared. I did not want to miss my chance for a proper goodbye."

The way he said that made something in Tetrax's chest prickle with worry. How many times had Rook been forced to flee his home? That had to have a lasting impact. Goodbyes were rough but important. Now wasn't the time to dwell on that. Tetrax wanted to do this right.

"It was good seeing you," Tetrax told him, clapping a hand on Rook's shoulder, not for the first time realizing he'd grown quite a bit since he'd last seen him. "Look after the others, will you? You're the boss here."

"Not for long, I hope." Rook shrugged Tetrax's hand off and pulled him into an embrace. "Try to be fast?"

"I will," Tetrax promised. He turned to Scout. "I'll check out the locations you gave me and if Xylene and Bahrvad aren't there, I'll head back to Earth to meet up with the rest of you."

"I don't see why they wouldn't be," Scout responded with a shrug, "but you hurry back, you hear? And protect Ship above anything else."

"Ship!"

"Of course," Tetrax promised as the little Mechamorph hopped out of Scout's arms. Tetrax caught him easily. "You ready to head out?"

"Ship!"

"I'm taking that as a yes."

"Man, I wish I was coming with you," Kevin complained as Tetrax tossed Ship upward, letting his form expand. "That Antarian Obliterator is so cool."

Gwen shouldered him before shooting a smile in Tetrax's direction. "He's just saying he's going to miss you. We all will."

"I'm not going to be gone forever. Quit acting like it, you saps," Tetrax answered, trying to keep his tone light to ward off the tightness in his throat. When had these kids rubbed off on him so much? Not long ago, he was a mercenary for crying out loud. Now he was taking care of a group of teenagers and he didn't mind one bit. "I'm not dragging this out any more than it has to be. None of you get yourselves killed before I get back, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"We understand."

"No promises."

Tetrax let out a scoff and rolled his eyes good naturedly, hopping on board Ship and took the seat at the front. There was no need, Ship knew exactly where to take him and needed no navigator, but up here at the front, he couldn't look back to think about what he was leaving behind.