Silence. Pain. Gradual confusion. Rook was gaining awareness of his surroundings. Had everything been a strange dream? He could barely remember what had happened but he knew that typically, those feelings would only arise if he dreamt too hard, and the brief flashes of memory his mind shot him seemed too surreal. The foul stench of his surroundings filled his nostrils; he would have covered his nose if he wasn't feeling so drowsy. He slowly opened his eyes.

"Ugh...what happened?"

His vision was blurry and his head was numb, forcing him to shut his eyes again to recover. He sat up and rubbed his head and eventually regained full consciousness. Looking around, he realized he was surrounded by multiple bars, which met at a point above him. The platform he was sitting on rocked as he pushed his weight onto it, and soon he realized he was in a cage suspended from the ceiling. He checked his shoulder and to his alarm, noticed his Proto-Tool wasn't there. Peering out of his cage, he was perplexed at the sight before him.

He was in someone's room. It didn't appear any different from the average human teenager's room; it was very messy, with lots of trash and empty junk food containers littering the floor. Many posters of what looked like superhero movies and heavy metal bands covered the walls like a second layer of paint, the bed was well slept in and untidy, action figures and video games took the place of actual books on the bookshelf, and a dirty bowl of water sat on the table next to a large computer. He could barely make out a fish inside it, which bared its extremely sharp teeth at him. The only source of light in the dark room was coming from a large television screen. Squinting through the harsh light, he noticed that Gwen was on the screen, sitting unconsciously in the front passenger seat of a car.

"Gwendolyn!" Rook threw himself against the bars, knowing it was useless, but he was desperate to get her attention. Why did she look so different? The entire screen looked surreal, and nothing in it looked how it would in real life, or in animation. He dared to say it went right into the uncanny valley. Rook scanned the room, looking for anything to help him escape. Naturally, everything was out of reach. The cage was too far off the ground for him to grab anything, not that dirty clothes or crumpled up pieces of paper would have helped. Or would they? His mind started going places. He considered rocking the cage but was interrupted by a sound.

"Mmm."

Rook turned back to the TV, where Gwen was stirring awake. She was rubbing her head, undoubtedly feeling drowsy as well.

"Gwendolyn?" She, of course, didn't hear him.

"Ugh...huh?" Gwen jolted awake. Her eyes widened as she realized where she was. "What the-" She grabbed her shirt and looked at it, ran her hand through her hair, and touched her face, feeling for her glasses. She blinked repeatedly, realizing her eyesight had improved. "Whoa." She checked behind her, disheartened to see she was alone.

"Ben? Kevin? Rook?" Gwen calmed herself down, then closed her eyes. She chanted a spell, which resulted in a pink dome materializing in her hands. It rapidly grew and phased through the car, expanding as it was sent flying through the area. "They're not here."

Gwen made for the seatbelt to step outside when suddenly, a blue light started to glow in the driver's seat, accompanied by a warbling sound. Gwen looked over to it, fists raised and powers at the ready. The light disappeared, and Kevin was left in its place.

"Kevin?!" Gwen exclaimed.

Kevin groaned, holding his head. "Not now, Denise, let me get some sleep."

"De-who?!" Gwen slapped him awake.

"Uh! Wha-what?!" He looked over at her. "Gwen? Is that you?"

"Yeah. It's me," Gwen let her jealousy die down for the time being. "Kevin, you look so much older."

"You look...weird," Kevin said, which got him a raised eyebrow from her. "Didn't mean it like that, babe." He looked into the mirror and gasped when he saw himself. "I look weird."

"Do you remember what happened?" Gwen asked.

"Something about a red Humpty Dumpty and his fantasies."

"Right. What happened after I got zapped?"

"I got zapped too. I don't know what happened to Ben."

Gwen sighed.

"Rook was taken with you. Why isn't he here?"

Rook helplessly watched as they talked. Not long after, Ben arrived in the backseat. Rook was happy to see them all together, but had to think of a plan to escape. Those efforts were paused when Yobnaf teleported in front of the TV, prompting him to stand up.

"You! Halt in the name of the Plumbers!"

Yobnaf turned back to him, scoffed, then returned to the screen.

"Please do not ignore me. I demand you release us this instant!"

"Oh shut up."

"Sir, you have broken several galactic laws and I recommend you set us free before the charges build against you any further."

"Will you keep quiet?!" Yobnaf snapped and turned around again. "You're ruining the moment!"

"By Plumber protocol, I am required to detain any individuals who perform an act of assault or kidnapping, which you have done both."

"Well, luckily I'm above the law. I'm not from your little galaxy, and none of us are there anymore."

"Pardon me?"

"That's right, we're on my turf now, bitch," Yobnaf smugly crossed his arms. "You have no power here."

"Surely this is still considered unethical," Rook ignored the profanity.

"Like I care what a Gwevin replacement thinks."

Rook facepalmed. "Sir, as I understand it, your motives for doing all of this is that our lives were broadcasted as a television program in your galaxy, and you did not like the results. Do you mean to tell me that your justification for kidnapping us and forcing Ben and the others into an alternate reality, to which they are all confused and disturbed, is that you did not like a piece of entertainment?"

"Yeah. What are you gonna do about it?" Yobnaf sneered. "Do you know how gutting it is to see them go from unique and mature to..." he gestured to Rook. "That? No one asked for this change! It's just a pathetic shadow of its former self now. All I ever see and hear is loud screaming and fart jokes. This crap isn't Ben 10, it's a parody! A disgusting knock off meant for toddlers that can't think for themselves and gives the actual, mature fans the middle finger! Everything is a complete mockery of the previous, great Ben 10 series that came before it. I'm not alone in thinking this. We're all pissed. What I'm doing is a service to the fan community."

Rook couldn't decide between bafflement or shock from the sheer narcissism he just heard. "How could you say that?"

"I know better, that's all. I've watched through countless hours of blockbuster movies and television that I know how this franchise can improve. I know not only how hard it failed after Dagon's defeat, but how worse it has become over the years, and how I can adapt it to modern standards."

"Does assimilating us into other entertainment not make us less unique?"

"Just sit back and shut up. The real Ben 10 is finally starting, and you are not going to ruin this for me!"

Rook looked back to the screen. He could only cross his arms and glare at Yobnaf as he squealed about his "characters" and pressed play on his remote.

His predicament was unusual. The wild, unpredictable zaniness of their opponent proved to be a massive obstacle in their paths. Despite being kidnapped, held, and unarmed, Rook didn't feel in any more danger than when he was on the battlefield. He knew he was getting little respect from his captor, and his primary concern was that of the wellbeing of his friends. He didn't know where they were, or if Ben, Gwen, and Kevin were even physically in the invisible camera's view, but seeing what they were going through as the "movie" went on made him anxious. He desperately started looking for a way out again, hoping that he'd be able to make it in time. Whether it was out of disrespect or simple neglect, Yobnaf hardly paid him any mind.