Author's Note: The idea for Rook getting the Nemetrix was inspired by a tumblr post that mentioned the idea (linked on ao3). I wanted to write that and decided to set this in Ben 23's dimension so it would fit within the context fic. Note that this takes place after the canon of Omniverse, which is why 23 behaves differently than what we've seen before.
Warnings: The Nemetrix canonically is bad for the brain for sapient beings. That means Rook's cognitive abilities aren't great here. Also, like, dehumanization due to the fact he is swapping places with a dog. Also since Revonnah is based on Eastern culture I think some characters' views would classify as racism. More of that is addressed in the second AN.
I decided to not really give this installment a title. Some of the titles I considered were He's Not Set In Stone, Used To Dream Of You Next To Me, Cruel Twist of Fate, I've Been Lost I've Been Found, and Expectation Is Fantasy.
23 thought he'd been ready to face Khyber.
Prime told all the other Bens about his greatest battles. All of them did. Pretty much all of them had fought their own versions of the same villains, or heroes depending on the dimension. It was fun for them. Hearing about the differences, that is. Mad's Vilgax was soft spoken, Benzarro's Zombozo was supreme ruler of Earth, No Watch's Billy Billions got trapped as an old man… Sharing stories was tons of fun for all of them. Everyone but 23.
Well, it was fun for him, just not in the same, carefree way. He loved meeting up with the other versions of himself. 23 didn't have a ton of friends and he was pretty sure the other Bens just hung out with each other because it felt like they had to but he could pretend sometimes. In those moments of smiles and laughter, it really felt like he was just hanging out with a group of regular teenagers.
23 couldn't forget himself though. All the other Bens were far more seasoned in this alien fighting business than he was. This was all fun for them but for 23, it was a learning experience. His world was distinct in a way that never gave many aliens a chance to find their way to Earth, never let potential villains rise to power, and never allowed the name Ben 23 to spread past Earth's borders. That was changing though and that meant the other Bens' enemies were coming, fresh and unique to him.
Vilgax came. So did Malware. 23, alongside Azmuth and Tetrax, handled them about the best he could which 23 thought was pretty good all things considered. Kevin got into trouble, or so he heard. Gwen found him first, even though she didn't have the faintest clue who he was. 23 hadn't even known she'd found him until he tagged along to a Tennyson family Thanksgiving. It was weird to see him there but 23 sort of liked him. There were Tetramands and Incurseans but 23 didn't fight them quite like other Bens, not with Plumber presence quickly being established on Earth. It was more of a negotiation. Hex, Charmcaster, and Morningstar were similarly uneventful. Those were the other Gwens' enemies, not his. 23 was largely uninvolved when they appeared.
There were a few big names that just never showed their faces though. Zs'Skayr, Albedo, the Forever Knights, and Psychobos never did show up. 23 wasn't sure they ever would but that was what he said about Khyber and he knew better than to jinx himself. Actually, no he didn't. He still jinxed himself all the time. He'd just learned not to do it with the other Bens' enemies.
"We've been getting reports of an alien mercenary huntsman on Earth," Tetrax told him one morning before their work day began. 23 nodded along, already knowing who it was.
"Khyber?"
Tetrax nodded, confirming it. "How much has your interdimensional posse told you about him?"
"Um…" What did the other Bens tell him? "He's… blue."
"He's a Zaroffian. They're all blue."
"Then I'm guessing his whistle thing isn't super new to you."
"How he uses it would be."
Okay, that he could do. "The other Bens say he normally has an Anubian Baskurr. She's got an Omnitrix knock-off on her collar. Khyber uses his whistling to command her on how to use it."
That got a reaction out of Tetrax. "Knock-off Omnitrix?"
23 nodded. "Yeah. It's called… uh, I don't remember but it's got the other Bens' aliens' predators."
"That's concerning."
"Not really." 23 casually put his hands behind his head and took a few steps around the makeshift meeting room. It was far from nice but it was in the new Plumber HQ soit was just about all he could ask for. "I mean, I've got you and you don't have any predators, right?"
Tetrax frowned, watching him. "That doesn't mean I can take down every single predator in the universe."
"Not every single one. Just mine!"
"That's not any better."
23 thought it was but he didn't really want to argue with Tetrax. "He might not even have it?"
Tetrax sighed. "Let's hope you're right about that."
The plan was simple.
First, they had to identify what Khyber was after and that wasn't all that hard. Azmuth told them he was either here on a job to catch and kill an alien visitor, hunt Earth's native animals now that its borders were open, or go after 23. 23 thought all were pretty equally likely but Tetrax and Azmuth were pretty sure that he was after him. 23 agreed to disagree.
Second, they needed to find Khyber's ship. If they found Khyber before he found them, they'd have a pretty big advantage and maybe 23 would get the chance to plug up Khyber's gill whistle things with Big Bug's gunk. If he was lucky, the stink would put the dog down for the count too.
Then they'd be home free. Get the knock-off Omnitrix off the dog, get the dog to some rehabilitation facility, and put Khyber away for life. Sounded pretty easy and it really seemed that way just until they launched the second part of their plan.
23 thought he and Tetrax were pretty sneaky when they wanted to be. 23 was fairly small and Tetrax was well-trained. They weren't perfect but they got the job done more often than not. They managed to get on the ship and crawl around the ventilation system without much of a problem. It was when 23 was starting to feel confident that his Omnitrix flashed and suddenly Dino-Mighty was falling through the ceiling.
"Ben! What are you doing?" Tetrax shouted as he fell. Dino-Mighty quickly caught him, though he was pretty sure Tetrax didn't need it. Still, didn't hurt but setting him down gently didn't exactly calm him down like he'd hoped. "You just blew our cover!"
"I didn't touch the Omnitrix!" Dino-Mighty insisted, racking his brain to figure out if he actually had. He hadn't exactly been careful not to bump it on anything but the Omnitrix got knocked around all the time and it never went off like that. Maybe Khyber was doing something. "We can ask Azmuth later. Let's just-"
Dino-Mighty was interrupted by a loud screech and suddenly something slammed into him. Before he fully realized what was happening, he had his arms locked over his head to keep a powerful jaw from clamping down and crushing him. Dino-Mighty wasn't exactly the smartest alien but he was reactive enough to know that whatever creature this was would swallow him if Tetrax didn't do something soon.
And he did, good 'ol trusty Tetrax. He shot a spike of crystal straight into the beast's throat, making it choke and cry out in pain. Dino-Mighty quickly jumped back once the grip loosened, freeing himself and getting his first good look at the creature. It was big, predictably. Several times bigger than Dino-Mighty, about three times taller and much, much longer. He would say it was serpentine, if not for all the legs and the long, alligator-like snout filled with rows and rows of pearly teeth.
"That's a Kaosseffexx Ultimasauria!"
"What?"
"Dino-Mighty's natural predator. Transform!"
Dino-Mighty eyed the Kaoss- He wasn't going to remember what that thing was called. He eyed the big dinosaur centipede as it thrashed its head, trying to get the crystal out of its mouth, and scrambled to figure out which alien would be best to take this thing down. Handy-Man would be able to keep those jaws open if the creature bit down on him again but he wouldn't be able to do much damage. Brain Frog, Mr. Monkey, and Dognabbit would be gobbled right up. Orbit Man would have the right amount of power but it probably wasn't a good idea to throw around giant aliens inside an airship.
Tetrax hurt it by attacking the inside of its mouth. That meant he needed a ranged fighter. Freeze Lizard hadn't gotten any action in awhile. It might be fun to try to freeze this thing's tongue. Even if that didn't work, it'd at least distract the beast long enough to get away or figure out if it was being controlled.
"Charcoal Man!"
Okay, that wasn't what he meant to turn into but he could work with this. Charcoal Man had more than enough power in his ranged attacks. Fire might even be more effective than ice in this case. Smart choice, Omnitrix.
Red light filled the room and the dinosaur centipede disappeared. In its place, a rocky, crab-legged, rhino-faced predator towered. Before Tetrax could say anything, Charcoal Man raised his hands and let out a massive blast of flame.
"That thing's fire resident," Tetrax warned as the crab creature shook the flames off. It turned its head to one side, spitting out a crystal, and began crawling forward. "Transform again!"
"I'm going to time out if I keep changing," Charcoal Man grumbled but did as he was told. Only, he didn't turn into Rollaway like he wanted. "Big Bug? Ugh. I guess he's not the worst."
His original plan was to overwhelm the canine's sense of smell with Big Bug's stretch so if the Omnitrix was being finicky, Big Bug was probably the best thing he could've turned into. Only, the crab transformed into what Big Bug could only assume to be his natural predator.
"Oh come on!"
Big Bug flew high into the air as this lizard alien lunged at him, giving Tetrax room to bring a crystal fist down on the creature's head. "Try your Galvan form. Their only predators are extinct as far as I know. Maybe you can think of some way to counter these transformations."
Big Bug tried not to groan. "The Omnitrix isn't giving me what I want. I don't know what it's deal is! I tried turning into Freeze Lizard and I got Charcoal Man then I got Big Bug instead of Rollaway!"
Tetrax grabbed the lizard's tail as it tried to leap into the air. Big Bug flew over it and tried to turn into the bulky Windy-Hindy on top of it but ended up turning back into Dino-Mighty. In the blink of an eye, the centipede was back and both Dino-Mighty and Tetrax were flung across the room.
"It's probably Khyber's doing. Keep this thing distracted while I look for him."
"Are you sure?" Dino-Mighty asked as the predator advanced towards him. He tried to circle around it but the alien was too quick, snapping at him once again. "Sure you don't want to trade?"
"This is a hunting dog. It'll keep going after you, not me. I promise I'll try to be quick. Get the collar off if you can."
Dino-Mighty didn't see how he could do that but he nodded and told himself he'd try his best. Dino-Mighty was one of his strongest aliens. He'd fought plenty of strong foes before. How was this any different? Just because this alien was supposed to be his predator didn't mean Dino-Mighty couldn't defeat him. It was just like any other villain. Right?
The battle was long and hard. Normally 23's battles were filled with snappy banter and ranged attacks that left plenty of room for him to catch his breath. This was totally different. It really felt like a constant battle for his life, even if the creature's teeth only caught his tail a handful of times. Dino-Mighty wasn't built for all this dodging. He didn't know how long he could keep this up or how long he'd have before the Omnitrix decided to turn him back into his human form.
Lucky for him, Tetrax did his job fast and he did it well. Just as Dino-Mighty's steps began turning into stumbles, the opposing animal reared back, a confused look on its face. Dino-Mighty heard the device on his chest begin to beep and he knew he only had one chance. With surprising speed, Dino-Mighty reached out, wrapped his thick fingers around the collar, and tugged.
Red light consumed his vision, completely drowning out the green flash from his own Omnitrix. 23 felt his body shrink back into his human form and heard a body hit the ground in front of him, the thud much quieter than it would be for an alien the centipede's size. The alien had turned back. Now all he had to do was keep Zed calm and figure out some way to get her to Kev-
23 blinked his eyes open. It wasn't Zed lying on the ground in front of him.
"Rook?"
It didn't look like the Rook Blonko he knew. Granted, 23 had only met two versions of Rook and Mad and Prime's Rooks were pretty different. It was a real possibility this was just what 23's Rook was like. It felt… wrong though. All wrong. It was supposed to be Zed who had the collar around her neck, not Rook. Not that Zed deserved it but to put it on Rook just felt so… so… Rook wasn't human so it wasn't dehumanizing. Degrading wasn't the right word. 23 didn't know what was. This Rook looked like a shell of every other Rook he'd known.
He looked… 23 didn't want to say healthy. With only a pair of trousers on, he could see exactly how thin he was but he was still lean and his fur well taken care of. It didn't look like the way Rook Prime or Mad Rook kept their fur though. Maybe Khyber did something, like keeping his prized pet looking pretty. 23 felt gross even thinking that but he was a sneaking suspicion that was the case here.
He was skinny but not dangerously so, enough to keep him hungry and dangerous but not to any major risk to his health. What 23 found most unnerving wasn't what his body looked like. It was- He didn't look like Rook. Every Rook he'd met held himself a certain way, tall and proud. Never hunched and broken. He always had this gleam in his eye, somehow simultaneously warm and chilling. Never this hollow. And he was always talkative. Sure, Rook was on the quieter side but he was never afraid to speak up. This Rook was just so quiet.
Until he hissed at him that is.
Rook had seemed disoriented when he transformed back, not fully aware of his surroundings. Confused, almost harmless. That changed when he saw 23. His expression shifted, growing sharp, but he didn't get up, instead choosing to glower at his former prey. 23 didn't know exactly what to do about that.
23 crouched down a bit so he was on eye level with the alien. It felt wrong approaching him like a scared animal but he didn't know what else to do. "Hey, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm 23 but a lot of people here call me Ben. You're Rook, right? Rook Blonko?"
Rook leaned back, the aggression melting away. He mouthed the name but there was no sound. He lifted a hand to his lips and he tried again. Nothing. He touched his fingertips to his throat, feeling his vocal chords, and tried a third time. There was a sound this time but it was half-formed, not quite a word. 23 felt his stomach clench in pity and then anger.
He heard Tetrax's footsteps. He didn't need to turn to know he was dragging Khyber after him. Before he knew what he was doing, Fright Face snatched the huntsman out of Tetrax's hands and he was slamming him against the wall. "What did you do to him?"
For a man with hands encased in crystal, Khyber looked smug. "Ah. You found my pet."
"He's not your pet," Fright Face snapped, feeling the edges of the gate over his face shift. "His species isn't supposed to look like that. What did you do to him? Where did I find him?"
"Ben," Tetrax warned, but Fright Face ignored him.
Khyber grinned a bit. "Oh, you know of the Revonnahganders? Farmers, the lot of them. Underwhelming species. Except this one. Found this one in an interplanetary circus, an acrobat. Most obedient specimen I've ever encountered. Lots of fight in him but a few transformations ended that."
Fright Face opened the gate covering his face but he didn't wait to see the effects, not knowing if he didn't want to see or if he just plain didn't care. He let himself transform back into Ben, trusting Tetrax to catch Khyber before he hit the ground. Or pick him up after he fell. 23 really didn't give a rat's ass about what happened to him. All he cared about was the fur-faced alien blinking owlishly at him.
"I'm sorry you had to see that," 23 apologized, offering a hand. "He's never going to hurt you again. I promise."
23 felt absolutely awful getting Rook off that ship. He knew he understood him but Rook clearly didn't trust him and he couldn't really talk well enough to communicate if something was wrong, however much he tried. 23 didn't know if Khyber had done something to his throat, if he was just thirsty, or if he'd just forgotten after being treated like an animal for so long. Really, the whole process was just all kinds of upsetting for the Revonnahgander and 23 hated that he was the one causing all this unnecessary stress.
It had to be him though. Tetrax was busy with Khyber and 23 was Rook's partner, at least he was supposed to be. Every other Ben had a Rook. He hated that this was how he met his but there wasn't much he could do about that.
23 wasn't quite sure where to take him but Tetrax was going to the Plumber HQ so 23 figured that was as good of a place as any. An agent tried to put Rook in a cell after he hissed at her and 23 had to make a lot of promises that he wasn't dangerous to ensure Rook wouldn't be taken anywhere without his permission. It was uncomfortable but it was the least he could do.
When Tetrax took Khyber to a cell, 23 dropped Rook off at his barely used room at the HQ to rest and immediately took off to find his interdimensional portal generator. He didn't want to leave his Rook but he knew he needed to see another Ben right now. For advice, or comfort, or what, he didn't know. He just needed someone and he knew Tetrax and Azmuth wouldn't understand.
23 really thought he'd been holding it together pretty well but apparently he hadn't, He burst into tears almost immediately upon seeing Prime and his Rook.
"23?" Prime sounded alarmed. 23 wasn't totally sure what he'd been doing but he'd stopped whatever it was to pull 23 into his arms. Was this his parents house? Or Prime's parents' house, rather. Gee, 23 hadn't been here in so long. Were they playing video games? He hadn't done that in awhile either. "Are you okay?"
23 almost said yes. It was an instinctual thing to say yes for that kind of question. It was always a formality, never a genuine question. 23 was pretty sure it was pretty genuine right now. He shrugged and shook his head, leaning into Prime's shoulder. He wasn't sobbing or anything like that. The flow of tears was more damp than intense, a mere moment of expression, but the hug was still nice.
"I can leave," Rook Prime started but 23 reached out, grabbing his wrist, and shook his head. He wanted this Rook, this Rook that looked so healthy and happy, to stay. Maybe he'd have some insight. If not, the reminder of what a Rook was supposed to look like felt pretty important right now. "Or not. I can stay."
"What happened?" Prime asked as 23 pulled away, wiping his face. He knew he probably looked gross but at least the tears had stopped as quickly as they'd arrived. Weird, he wasn't going to dwell on it though. It was a little embarrassing but at least he'd broken in front of another Ben instead of one of the Plumbers. He was pretty sure they already didn't like him much. "Do you need help?"
23 shrugged again. "I dunno. Maybe. I fought Khyber."
"Did you lose?"
23 shook his head. God, he wished that was what he'd been so upset about. It'd be embarrassing crying over losing a fight but anything would be better than this. "He had that knock off Omnitrix. The Nu- Nam-"
"Nemetrix."
"Yeah. That."
"Is Zed alright?" Rook Prime asked, looking worried. 23 wasn't totally sure what Rook Prime's relationship with Kevin or Gwen or anyone was but they were probably close. Everyone was closer with them than 23 was. This Rook probably liked Zed a great deal.
"I didn't find her." Huh. He'd been so focused on Rook that he hadn't considered where Zed might be. Hopefully free on whatever her homeplanet was. "I should check Khyber's ship. I didn't think to look."
"Wait, if Zed didn't have the Nemetrix, who did?" Prime asked, scratching his head. "Khyber didn't use it on himself, did he? Sapient beings aren't supposed to use it. My Khyber's head got totally melted when he tried it."
23's felt his whole face go round with horror. "What?"
"Yeah, he started spouting all kinds of nonsense and he kept forgetting things and…" Prime trailed off, a look of realization on his features. "He didn't use it on a sapient being, did he?"
23 nodded, feeling sick. "He used it on Rook."
Prime and Rook Prime exchanged a glance. "Are you sure?"
"What do you mean am I sure? I know what Rook looks like! I wouldn't be here if I wasn't sure!" 23 exploded before forcing himself to settle down. Geez, a lot of feelings were just tumbling out today, weren't they. "I'm sorry. I just- I don't know what to do. I mean, I guess I should go look for Zed but Rook– my Rook– isn't… You said the Nemetrix does bad things to the mind?"
Prime nodded. "Yeah… How bad is it?"
"He… He keeps hissing at people. And he can't really talk but I think he still knows how. He keeps trying and seems confused when he can't. It took us awhile to get him to walk on two feet and he doesn't really like it but he can do it."
"I do not think you will know much of his condition until he can speak," Rook Prime murmured before speaking up. "Do you know how long he was in Khyber's possession?"
23 shook his head. "He said he found you– him, he found him in an alien circus. I don't know if you were there willingly or not."
Rook Prime frowned but nodded. He turned away for a second and returned with a pen and paper. "I am writing down the coordinates for my family's home. If I was not a Plumber, everyone who knows me should be there. Please, tell them that I am alright but spare them any bad news. I do not think I would want my parents or siblings to see me in such a condition."
23 felt his gut twist. Rook had a family. He hadn't considered that. He had a whole life before he met Ben, no matter which Ben it was. His Rook probably hadn't had the choice to leave behind that life like this one had. His Rook had a family who probably thought he was dead.
"Okay, okay, um… Okay, so first I should check the ship for Zed. Should I take my Rook with me? It might be a good trust thing but I don't want him to bring him back there if he's got bad memories."
"Ask him. Even if he can't talk, he should be able to tell you."
Oh duh. Yeah, that made sense. "Alright. Um, I guess I'll go to Rook's homeplanet next then. Without him. I'll look for your- his family."
"Ask your Azmuth to allow you to scan my DNA," Rook told him, handing over the paper with his home planet's location on it. "My planet is not very welcoming to outsiders."
"Won't I look like you? Wouldn't that freak your family out even more?"
"That's not really how the Omnitrix works," Prime told him, thumbing his own Omnitrix subconsciously. "The Omnitrix makes… Well, it's you as an alien but also you if you were in peak physical shape so you look pretty different. I don't really know. Ask Azmuth once everything settles down if you're interested."
Okay. That was three things: ask Rook if he wanted to find Zed, have Azmuth put Rook into his Omnitrix, and then find Rook's homeplanet. Straightforward enough. "Thanks guys."
"Of course." Rook Prime clapped his shoulder. "I appreciate you coming to us."
23 nodded but didn't say anything. He didn't really know what he could've said in response to that. "I promise I'll do my best to make sure my you is okay."
"I trust you will."
23 returned to his room with a water bottle. Wordlessly, he offered it to Rook who gulped it down greedily. He felt a bit bad for not having taken care of that sooner. Poor guy was probably starving. Needed some new clothes too. Rook had wrapped a sheet around himself, styling it almost like a toga, which was probably good enough for now but 23 thought he deserved better.
"I was talking to some, um, friends of mine," 23 spoke, catching Rook's attention, "and they thought there might be another, uh, alien on Khyber's ship. A canine. Do you know her?"
To his surprise, Rook nodded. He didn't try to speak though, but that was fine. At least he knew Rook understood what he was saying.
"Do you know if she's still there?"
Again, Rook nodded. 23 bit his lip.
"I, um, geez, I think the Plumbers are going to decommission it soon. They're nice but I think they might try to stick her in a cage. Do you- I'm going to go look for her. Do you want to come?"
Rook immediately nodded then paused. He opened his mouth to try to say something then decided against it and tapped his throat.
"Do you… want more water?"
He shook his head and pointed at 23's wrist. The Omnitrix, specifically. 23 frowned.
"I'm not going to put a collar back on you. That thing hurt you."
Rook looked uneasy but didn't argue, looking at 23 expectantly.
"Okay, um, yeah. We should go before Tetrax comes looking for me. I don't think anyone's going to be very happy about us sneaking off back to Khyber's ship."
23 could hear an amused retort in his mind but Rook just nodded and followed him out of the room. It was what he wanted but it still felt pretty damn empty.
"Benjamin."
"Yes, Azmuth?"
"Why did you bring animals into my lab?"
"They're not animals!" 23 snapped with a lot more heat in it than he expected. Azmuth blinked in surprise but 23 didn't apologize. He knew Azmuth didn't mean anything by it, that was just how his grumpy humor was, but that was a sore spot, apparently.
"Why did you bring strangers into my lab?" Azmuth amended, hopping up onto the lab table to get closer to eye level with 23. His eyes remained on Rook and Zed, the pair cuddled up in the corner of the lab. Rook seemed a lot calmer with Zed around and trusted 23 a hell of a lot more for going back for her but he still didn't seem particularly happy to be here.
23 fished the Nemetrix out of his pocket and plopped it down on the table before explaining. "This is the Nemetrix. It transforms the user into the Omnitrix aliens' predators but it's not good for the sapient mind. An alien huntsman used it on these two."
Azmuth pawed the Nemetrix in thogut. "And you want me to stabilize it?"
"No!"
"Yes!"
Rook looked just as surprised as 23 felt that he'd spoken. 23 and Azmuth stared at him, waiting for him to continue. Zed craned her neck up to lap his chin, snapping him out of his stupor. He cleared his throat, testing his voice a few times, and tried his best to explain.
"It's mine."
23 could sort of understand him, he supposed. The Omnitrix felt like part of him, even when he got annoyed with it. He didn't know what he'd do if he lost it. The Nemetrix was different though. "It wasn't attached to you. And it was bad for your head. You might lose yourself if you keep using it."
"Actually," Azmuth spoke up, how standing on the Nemetrix's dial, "it's the binding agent that maintains the users stability. If I were to repair it, your friend would be able to continue to use it without further damage."
23 wasn't exactly thrilled to hear that but Rook looked to relieved for him to argue. "But what about the existing damage?"
Azmuth shrugged. "Using a stable… what did you call it? Nemetrix? Using the device may help, it may do nothing. I don't know. I'm no neurologist. That's for you to figure out."
It took a lot of willpower not to groan. "Okay. You… do that. Rook, you want to hang out here with Azmuth?"
Rook hesitated, eyes flicking between the Nemetrix, Zed, and 23, before nodding, much to 23's relief. It'd be hard to get Azmuth to upgrade his Omnitrix without Rook knowing what was up but at least he didn't have to worry about keeping an eye on the guy while he was offworld.
"What can you tell me about Revonnah?" Tetrax asked as he prepared his teleporter. There was an attachment to it to increase the range that Tetrax needed to mess with a bit before starting it up. 23 didn't understand it in the slightest but he trusted Azmuth's designs to keep his molecules together.
"Not much," 23 admitted, boredly watching him do his thing. "I know it's Rook's homeplanet. They, uh, don't use contractions. And they don't like aliens. I think Khyber said they're farmers? Last name goes before first name. That's about all I know."
Tetrax nodded and 23 didn't know if it was acknowledgment or agreement. "And Azmuth gave you access to Revonnahgander DNA?"
23 held up his Omnitrix and nodded. "Acrocat's replacing Eye Guy for the foreseeable future."
"Do you know what you're going to say?"
That one 23 didn't have an answer for. Losing his usual swagger for a moment, he looked down and sighed. "No. I don't… I don't even know what there is to say.. I don't know where they think Rook is or what they think happened to him so I can't really prepare. I just need to roll with whatever happens and hope they'll listen."
Tetrax paused what he was doing to give 23 a sympathetic look. "This shouldn't be your burden to bear but I'm proud of you for trying at all. I don't know if I'd even think about contacting the Revonnahgander's family, let alone find the strength to do it."
"Thanks, Tetrax."
"Of course, Ben." He straightened a bit, holding the teleporter in one hand. "You ready to go?"
23 nodded and accepted the device, attaching it to his belt. "I'll contact you when I'm ready to come back. Or if I need an emergency exit."
Tetrax nodded and turned to the control panel. "Alright, counting down. Teleporting in 3…2… 1…"
23 never really knew how to describe teleportation. He knew he felt something but it was so quick that once he realized something was different, it was already over and he got too caught up in absorbing his surroundings to care. This time was no different. He'd only been offworld since his allyship with Tetrax and Azmuth began and he'd never been to a planet so beautiful.
Everywhere he went there were buildings. On Earth and Galvan Prime and the handful of other planets he'd visited, there had been buildings upon buildings everywhere. 23 had thought he'd liked them. He did. He was a citykid, afterall. There was some comfort in knowing his surroundings had been built by expert hands and careful planning. Nature was wild and unpredictable. Cities showed that someone had fought against nature and won.
But here, nature didn't look like something that needed to be fought. It was calm, stretches upon stretches of greenery rolled all the way to the horizon. He stood on a mountain, something taller and sturdier than even Tennyson tower, and it felt so steady under his feet. Everything did. The world felt as tranquil as could be.
Hopefully 23 wasn't here to ruin that.
Dialing up Acrocat on his Omnitrix, 23 transformed into his Revonnahgander form. No sense risking being spotted as a human and maybe Acrocat's sharp senses would be able to appreciate the scenery even better than a city dwelling human could. There was a village behind him, he learned from his keen hearing. Acrocat hadn't teleported too close, not wanting to alarm the residents. Within walking distance but closer to a stroll than a hike. Still, he wasn't the biggest fan of walking but he'd chosen to do this though and Acrocat was going to stick with it. It was the least he could do. Rook and Ben were supposed to be a pair and 23 hadn't done all that great of a job being a partner. He had to do what he could.
He knew he was being a bit hard on himself, he hadn't known his Rook had been missing, but now wasn't the time for that. He was nearly upon the village and he had no idea what to do or say.
It was evening, Acrocat was pretty sure, so the villagers were in their homes or walking the streets. He could feel just about every pair of eyes on him and normally he knew what to do about that but right now it just made his skin itch. They knew he wasn't one of them. These weren't stares of admiration like he got back home. They were stares of wariness. He always knew he'd have to deal with them sooner or later in his career as an alien superhero but he'd never quite expected that his first time facing them would be alone.
Acrocat held up the paper Rook Prime had given him, reading the description of Rook's home. He considered asking for directions but he wasn't that desperate yet. He could find it himself. Even if all the houses looked the same to him.
"Are you… the Rooks?" Acrocat asked a young woman once he'd eliminated most of the other possibilities. He wasn't certain but he was getting tired enough to take a chance. To his disappointment, the woman shook her head.
"I am not but I can take you to them. They are just the next home over," the young woman told him and gestured for him to follow. Glancing over her shoulder, she asked, "I have heard that you have been wandering the village for some time. Are you from a neighboring village? What business do you have with Rook Da?"
Acrocat didn't know who Rook Da was but he didn't ask. Whoever he was, he sounded important. "I… I am not from around here. And I don- I do not know if I should tell you why I am here. I think this might be for the Rooks' ears only."
The woman giggled and Acrocat didn't know why. "You speak so strangely. Shar will find you amusing but Da and Bralla may have a hard time taking you seriously."
Acrocat knew that was a warning but it really felt like an insult. His ears flattened against his head and he felt his fur fluff up a bit as he glared at her. "Hey! To me, you sound pretty strange."
She shrugged, a playful glint in her eye. "Perhaps but you are the newcomer here and this is my home."
She had a point but Acrocat didn't want to let her win. "Just take me to the Rooks."
She laughed again and quickened her pace a bit, leading Acrocat to a house that he'd passed several times on his way here. "I wish you the best of luck with your business. Let me know if you need help navigating the village again."
"I will." No he wouldn't. "Thank you…?"
"Rayona," she told him and left with a wave. "I am sure I will hear your name from Shar!"
Acrocat didn't know what that meant but he didn't care. Raising a fist, he knocked gently on the door. "Rook… Da? I need to talk to you."
His sharp ears picked up noises from inside but he couldn't quite identify them. He heard a lot of footsteps and scolding voices before the door swung open and an elderly, tired faced man appeared. "Hello? How may I help you?"
"I have news about Rook Blonko."
Acrocat expected surprise. He expected anger. He expected denial. He expected desperation and shouting and tears. He didn't expect a blank face to stare back at him. "There is no one here of that name."
"I know," Acrocat said, trying not to let his annoyance show. How did this guy not know his own son's name? "That is why I am here to tell you about him."
The man's face crinkled and he started to close the door. "I am sorry. I do not think-"
"Wait!" His voice cracked a bit. Acrocat swallowed, trying to cover it up, but it was enough to make this man pause and for that he was grateful. He pulled the paper out of his pocket and handed it to him. "He gave me this location. He does not know I am here but I felt I should tell you where he is. Please, if not you, do you know anyone else who has lost a son?"
The man's demeanor changed and he blinked a few times. "Do you speak of our late Young One?"
Acrocat doesn't know what that meant. "I do not know. I know Rook Blonko."
"My wife and I lost our son before his bi'nthak came off and he selected his name," the man said slowly. Acrocat could tell he was starting to believe him. "Please, come in. I believe we have much to discuss."
Acrocat felt a wave of relief flood over him as the older Revonnahgander stepped away from the door, allowing him inside. "Thank you. I… Can you tell me your names? He did not tell me."
"I am Rook Da," the man introduced before gesturing around the room. There were five other Revonnahganders inside cleaning up after a meal. "This is my wife Bralla, our daughters Shar, Shim, and Shi, and our son Young One."
Bralla nodded her greeting but before she had the chance to say anything, the smallest Revonnahgander bundled into his legs. "You are not from our village!"
"Young One!" several of the woman scolded but Acrocat didn't mind. Crouching down, he smiled and gave the kid a pat on the head before gently removing him from his shin.
"That's- that is right. I am not from around here."
"You used a contraction!"
Acrocat winced. "I am sorry. I was told you don- do not use them here."
"You use them where you are from?" one of the girls, Shar, asked, looking curious. "How far are you from?"
"Do not pester our guest with questions," Da ordered and waved for his children to sit down. "He comes with news for our family. I am hesitant to listen but I believe we should."
The women and Young One took seats around the table slowly, looking curious. All their eyes were on him and Acrocat wasn't quite sure how to begin. "I… I know that Revonnah is not welcoming to outsiders but I need to start by telling you I am not of this world. I am not a Revonnahgander either. I just look like one. But please, you need to hear what I have to say."
He braced himself for shouting but none came. He was pretty sure they were just frozen in shock. Well, except for Shi. "Are you a spirit?"
No but maybe that was close enough. "Maybe. Can spirits change their forms?"
"Do you feel a connection to Revonnah's warmth?"
Did he? He was pretty sure, assuming she meant that figuratively. Was that her way of asking if she was one of them? He was a Revonnahgander right now and he felt like a Revonnahgander. "I think so."
"Then you are a spirit."
That didn't sound quite right. Shar and Bralla were giving her a look that Acrocat couldn't read. Maybe Revonnahganders weren't the spiritual type. It'd be a racist assumption on his part to assume they were just because they were farmers. He didn't want to get into that though, not while they were still distracted enough for him to make his piece. "I found a Revonnahgander while I was, um, being targeted by an alien huntsman. He was interested in… Well, I do not know why he was interested in me exactly. But on his ship, he had a Revonnahgander in a poor condition. From what I was able to gather, he is part of your family."
Young One frowned. "But we don't have anyone else in the family."
Bralla picked him up, pulling her onto her lap, and whispered to him gently. "Oh, but we do. Do you not remember the stories? You had a brother. He disappeared just before you were born. He did not have his name yet so we did not know how to remember him. That is why there is the unmarked stone on the mantle."
Young One's eyes lit up in recognition. "That is right! I remember. But the spirit says he is alive. Why do we have a stone for him then?"
"What proof do we have that this… spirit is telling the truth?" Shar asked, glancing warily between Acrocat and Young One. "Our elder brother has been missing for some time. This may just be a cruel joke to trick our family into giving him something."
Da held up the paper Acrocat had given him. "He had this description of our home. I… Enough time has passed that your elder brother's handwriting had to have changed but the words he uses and the way he writes this character…"
Da trailed off into some words that Acrocat didn't quite understand, pointing at the paper to show Shar what exactly he meant. Shar's eyes began to water as she looked and soon the rest of the family gathered around, their voices becoming soft and reminiscent. Acrocat almost stepped out. This felt like a very private moment. At least they seemed to believe him though.
"Did he choose a name?" Bralla asked after some time.
"The visitor called him Rook Blonko," Da told her before looking at Acrocat expectantly. Acrocat didn't know how to answer that and Da seemed to understand that. "Is he coming home?"
Acrocat didn't know how to answer that either but at least he knew there was an answer. "I do not think so. At least not yet. He has had a difficult few years I think and he needs time to recover. He does not know I am here and I do not think that he would want you to see him as he is. But when he is in better shape, I will return with pictures and maybe I can convince him to write you all a letter."
Acrocat knew it looked like he was handing them all a lot of false hope or even straight up lying but the gazes he got weren't angry or suspicious. They weren't the gazes of stranger-wary farmers. They were the looks of a family who had just learned their lost son was alive.
Da withdrew from his family first and carefully wrapped his arms around Acrocat, hesitant and gentle. "Thank you. Truly, thank you."
Acrocat didn't know how to respond to the embrace. He patted one of Da's shoulders awkwardly. "It is the least I could do. Really."
"We have nothing to offer you," Da told him as he pulled away, "but if you need a place to stay or protection…"
Acrocat shook his head. "I should be on my way. I do not want to leave your son for too long. He is nervous around strangers."
Da chuckled a bit. "Like any Revonnahgander."
Acrocat didn't think that was a particularly good trait but like he had learned recently, sometimes it was best to bite his tongue. He nodded to Da and gave one last look to the family before heading outside, tapping the device on his belt to tell Tetrax to teleport him home. And in the blink of an eye, he was back at the Plumber HQ.
23 grew used to having Rook and Zed around. 23 found he liked having some friends around Tennyson Tower and it was kind of funny to have them trailing after him at the Plumber HQ. Still, it was an adjustment and it could be a bit difficult at times. Both were deeply damaged from their time with Khyber, even more so than 23 had initially realized.
Rook was starting to speak again but often he'd just lose it and delve into hisses. Sometimes he'd go glassy eyed and mutter nonsense about Revonnah, the circus, or a hunt. 23 was pretty sure that was the memory thing Prime had mentioned. He was never quite sure what to do when Rook forgot where or when he was there but he was always there when Rook came back.
Zed was different. She was intelligent but not quite in the same way as a Revonnahgander or a human. Her trauma appeared in blind obedience, trying to take up as little space as possible, and having trouble keeping food down. 23 didn't know how to make her understand she was free to do what she wanted. He hoped Rook would be able to tell her but until then, it was the little things that counted.
Today wasn't a day of little things though. Today was a pretty big thing, actually. That morning, Tetrax had showed up at 23's home to tell him that the Nemetrix was fixed if Rook wanted to put it back on.
23 had no idea how to feel about that. The Nemetrix, in his mind, was evil. It'd turned the man that was supposed to be his partner into… He didn't even know. He was still Rook, he knew that, but 23 knew what he was supposed to be like and he was nothing like that. He couldn't help but grieve that a bit.
Then again, he knew what he was "supposed" to be like and he was nothing like Prime. None of the Bens were. Something happened in each and every one of their history's to send them down a different path. Maybe this was just Rook's. He was still as much of a Rook as Mad Rook or Rook Prime. Maybe it wasn't 23's place to decide what he was supposed to look like.
That was why he found himself back in Azmuth's lab alongside an excited Rook.
"I added the same stabilizer included in the Omnitrix that binds the DNA library to your own genetics," Azmuth explained, hopping off a little stool to stand beside the Nemetrix. "I will be able to remove it if you wish but it will not be an easy process. Are you sure you want to do this?"
23 couldn't tell if Rook's nod was hesitant or just shy. "Will my mind remain my own?"
Azmuth nodded. "Due to the nature of your Nemetrix, all of your aliens will be more aggressive so the way that you control your forms will be very different from the way Ben does but you will still be in control. The Omnitrix has samples from sapient life forms, while yours does not so I cannot add any features that allow you to speak in your alien forms but it should be much easier for you to add more forms to your arsenal. You should find plenty of samples here on Earth if you choose."
"Aw, come on," 23 complained good naturedly before elbowing Rook in the ribs. "I'm so jealous. You better take full advantage of that! How cool would it be if you turned into lion? Or, I dunno, an anaconda? Or- Or! Or like a whale! I think some of those are predators."
Rook looked a bit overwhelmed from the sudden attention but smiled and nodded. "I look forward to having access to my forms again. May I…?"
Azmuth nodded. "I removed the jammer that caused you to influence Ben's transformations. Both of you, give it a try. I want to see how my work holds up."
Rook reached out towards the Nemetrix and the Nemetrix reached out towards him. It'd been attached to a gauntlet much like the original version of the Hero Watch. The metal became fluid and latched onto him, fitting perfectly around his wrist. Rook glanced at 23 before smiling in excitement and brought a hand down on the dial. "Go Terroranchula!"
23 hadn't realized Rook's transformations had their own names but he had to say that Terroranchula was a pretty good one. Red light flashed as Rook's body transformed and a large, furry arachnid took his place. Zed barked in excitement, trotting up to him. Terroranchula returned the bark with a gentle screech and head butted her. It was friendly but now came the real test.
Freeze Lizard, he told himself. He wanted to transform into Freeze Lizard. Not Charcol Man. Not Big Bug. Not Dino-Mighty. Not whatever Terroranchula ate. Freeze Lizard. He dialed up the alien on his watch and closed his eyes as he pressed down. "Freeze Lizard! Oh hey! It worked!"
Terroranchula's eyes shifted over him but they lacked any hungry glint. He pumped his head in his direction before tipping it questioningly. Zed glanced between them expectantly and Freeze Lizard quickly realized what they wanted.
"A race sounds fun! Come on," he called, ignoring Tetrax and Azmuth's shouts warning the trio not to run inside the Plumber base, "whoever gets to the mess hall last is a stale gyro!"
Author's Note: I wanted to acknowledge a few things.
1) This was referenced within the text but I do want to clarify some things with Shi assuming 23 was a spirit. I've read some fics where one of Rook's sisters is a magic user and I think that's pretty cool so I wanted to touch on that here but when the rest of the Rooks call 23 a spirit, they are just saying that because they don't know what else to call him and think they are just amusing what they think are Shi's childish views. I'm an anthropology major and I know how badly Westerners mess up their perceptions of cultures that don't look like theirs so I don't really want to get into Revonnah's spiritual/ religious beliefs in this series since they are based somewhat on real cultures. Maybe I'll get into it in the future but right now I don't want to fuel any assumptions about this sort of thing, especially when it's in the background.
2) I don't really like writing characters crying. It's either a whole thing or it ends way too soon. 23's crying was really brief because he wasn't crying because he was sad or anything, he was just overwhelmed and once he was in a space he didn't have to repress it, the dam broke. Sometimes when that happens, there's just a rush of tears and then it stops really suddenly, which is what 23 did and why I wrote it that way.
3) The Omnitrix doesn't have the Nemetrix's aliens. The Nemetrix doesn't have the Omnitrix's aliens. The Nemetrix can't hold sapient species' DNA even if they're predators like the Vldats. Basically the Nemetrix only had animals and the Omnitrix only has people. Canonically the Nemetrix can't scan new samples either but since 23 works with Azmuth, Azmuth can just add aliens when he wants. Since this Rook is on Earth, that means he can add Earth animals to his Nemetrix, which is something I've wanted to do in this AU. I don't know how much Rook 23 will be in this series but I want to show him transforming into Earth animals. I probably won't name them but you're welcome to give suggestions.
4) 23 is referred to as 23 because he thinks of himself as 23. The other characters call him Ben because he is Ben to them but since 23 didn't have a lot of friends in his dimension until recently, he feels a pretty strong connection to the interdimensional group of Bens and therefore thinks of himself in terms of them. It's also a way of separating himself from who he'd been in the past versus now, a reflection of how he has grown and wants to continue growing.
5) I've seen Ben (Prime) call his Revonnahgander transformation Acrocat in fics and fanart and stuff. I actually really like the name but I don't think it is anything close to what 23 would call him. Pretend Ben Prime talked him out of calling him something like Cat Guy, Bishop, or one of the joke names the Omniverse production crew has used.
6) In case it wasn't clear, Rook was abducted by aliens just before Young One was born and fairly soon before he lost his tail. He was put in an alien circus before he was bought by Khyber who wanted to replace Zed as the Nemetrix user. The whole circus thing isn't at all relevant to this fic but like a year or two I planned on writing a fic about alien trafficking and an alien circus with Rook and the Amalgam kids but I never did. I may write it, maybe not, but I thought it'd be interesting to mention here.
