SZ: Well people certainly enjoyed what we did to Harangue last chapter...not that we blame them.
Z0: I wanted to kill him...but my co-hosts are better people than me *looks at the enchanted holy chains meant to prevent my sensless murder of jackass's* These will only hold for so long~
SZ: Oh trust me man…*points to the gate on my chest*I've resisted the temptation to kill him off there as well, but...he doesn't even deserve death.
Z0: Touche...counterpoint, *holds up hands as the chains fall off* Run~
SZ: 0-0…*runs off*WE OWN NOTHING ASIDE FROM ORIGINAL CONTENT!
Z0: We own nothing folks...and you all know...no one is innocent, *pulls out giant blood stained sword*
It had been several days since anything...insane happened. Things had returned to a semblance of normal for our heroes. Tsubaki was back from her forced time off and was once again taking the reins and keeping the place from falling apart. Which she was shocked to see how crazy two days without her got.
"I don't even want to know how you melted your initials into this wall…" Tsubaki sighed, almost impressed as she and Makoto looked at a wall.
"I ran out of time before I could put down Ben's and then draw a heart…" Makoto admitted.
"Couldn't you have just..I don't know. Carve your initials on a tree instead?" Tsubaki asked.
"Everyone's done that!" Makoto argued, "No one's carved it onto the side of a super space station for the space police! And I can get away with it...cause I'm also a space cop."
"...True….but counterpoint?" Tsubaki said before whacking Makoto upside the head with her paperfan, "Next time think before you do something like this."
"Yes, boss…" Makoto muttered, rubbing the back of her head.
"...Wait. Where's Ben?"
"Uh…" Makoto muttered, "Let's see...crazy office party...crazy-time super power stupidity...smooch time in that closet...then...oh shoot I think I left him locked in a closet all night!"
Kagura hummed a tune to himself as he opened the closet in his office as Ben fell out.
"AH!" he gasped as he sat up, "What day is it?!"
"...late night with Makoto, Benji?" Kagura guessed.
"There was very little blood flow to my brain…" he admitted.
"You have impressed the master…" Kagura smiled, "Wait...why my...oh...spite." he nodded in realization as he helped him up, "Still...nice to see you and Makoto taking your little relationship to the next level, Benji."
"Surprised you're not trying to perv on my girlfriend again," Ben admitted.
"Hey. I have standards," Kagura defended, "...I just don't go after girls with good boyfriends and women who are married with good husbands."
"...But...sucky boyfriends and husbands?" Ben asked slowly.
"Bow-chick-bow-wow~" was his only response.
"Of course…" Ben rolled his eyes a bit, "Now if you'll excuse me, I got an excitable yet lovable girlfriend to get too."
"Gotcha, buddy," Kagura nodded, snapping his fingers at Ben as he pointed at the leaving brunette, "...Hibiki."
"Yes, milord?" Hibiki spoke as he appeared behind him.
"Any words on Kokonoe's location yet?"
"Not yet, but it seems there has been some activity within an old military base known as Los Solidad," Hibiki answered.
"The one related to the cool british time travel dude?"
"Only one of its kind, milord."
"Ahh...most likely she's using it as a base for now," Kagura guessed, "Heck..wouldn't be surprised if she brought her entire lab with her here."
"You are implying she pulled a 'Dr. Who' with her lab equipment."
"Hey. She turned my bedroom into an elevator once…" Kagura shrugged...before slumping a bit, "The bed had the best down feathers and the wood a perfect mahogany…"
"Milord?"
"Right right. Focus," Kagura muttered, "Point is if Kokonoe's here...no doubt she sent Tager out to investigate."
"And you want to use him to contact Kokonoe," Hibiki surmised.
"Let's be careful about that…" he muttered, "I kinda don't want her getting her paws on Ben on account of the watch...and who knows what she'd do with young Max and his limitless clean energy."
"ACHOO!" Ben and Max sneezed in unison.
=...Okay...that was odd= Steel noted.
"Guess someone was talking about us," Ben muttered, rubbing his nose a bit.
"Gah it's all on my helmet!" Max panicked.
=Oh for...take it off!= Steel snapped.
"Oh..right," Max muttered as he dismissed his helmet...showing hsi snot covered face, "Gah...it's all over my face too…"
"Ew…" Ben gagged just as Tsubaki walked in, "Oh. Hey Tsubaki. How was your vacation?"
"It was good," Tsubaki answered, pulling out a tissue as she quickly cleaned Max' face until it was clean, "I'm just happy that this place almost ran itself into the ground without me." she gloated.
"Well hey now…" Ben argued.
"Dude...we threw a crazy party...and your Grandpa just kinda let us…" Max argued.
"...Okay good point," Ben muttered, "Still it was nice to see Jenny again if not for a short bit."
"Oh? Jenny was here?" Tsubaki asked.
"Yeah. She's having a good time at Hope's Peak," Ben answered, "Even formed an investigation team of her own made up of some of our former fellow classmates. Team Hope Heart."
"I approved it!" Makoto shouted from down the hall.
"She approved it," Ben chuckled.
"I approve as well, and nice to know she's doing okay," Tsubaki smiled, "Now then…" she began to tap her paperfan in her hand as she kept that calm smile, "What else happened at this party while I was gone?"
"Nothing…" Ben quickly replied.
Max said nothing as his helmet reformed, "Oh would you look at the time, love to chat but I gotta go!" he spoke, running off down the hall.
"Wait for me!" Ben shouted as he ran off after him.
"...I honestly missed them," Tsubaki admitted to herself as she gave a low chuckle, "Well...I may as well go greet Magister Tennyson."
"Hmm…" Grandpa Max muttered to himself as he was in his office/room, specifically in the kitchen working on a new recipe of his, "Now does this take imitation or does it have to be fresh?" he muttered to himself, he then grabbed a knife and jammed it into a tentacle that tried to escape a pot.
"Hello?" Tsubaki spoke as she poked her head in, knocking on the door a bit, "Magister Tennyson?"
"Oh Tsubaki, how you feeling?" he smiled as he took the knife back and put it down, "Don't mind me, just making my lunch. Don't worry...all for me. I don't think you kids can handle this Recipe for Pyronite Gumbo."
"Magister your diet concerns me…" Tsubaki admitted.
"I ain't that old dear." he chuckled, "This gut is born of years of alien cooking."
"...ahem. Fair I suppose," Tsubaki noted as she cleared her throat a bit, "As for your earlier question, I am doing better. Took some time to read up on some books I've bought, did a bit of meditating…" she paused as a blush formed on her cheeks, "Enjoyed Jin's company at the beach together..."
"Well...as long as you're feeling better Kiddo." Grandpa Max smiled, "If you're feeling at a hundred percent, then I know I can worry a little less. Let's face it...at this point you kids run this place. And this old man can't say no to a little fun...which leads to...too much fun…"
"I've...noticed," Tsubaki muttered, "Ahem. Anyways, I am well rested and ready to get back to work, Magister."
"That's good to hear."
"GH?!" Tsubaki nearly jumped as she turned, seeign Hibiki standing in the doorway.
"Oh hello Hibiki...you know you're getting sloppy, I heard the door that time." Max mused.
"Ahh…mayhapes I might have to train once again then," Hibiki nodded, "But moving onto business. I have a report on Los Solidad. It seems there's activity going on there"
"Hmm...hasn't been something odd there for a while now. That place just screams bad Juju…" the Veteran Plumber noted to himself, "Tsubaki, I think you should send a team to investigate. Take Ben, his friendship with Paradox will ensure our Time walking helper will pop up if need be. And just in case there is another...Time Monster, take Max. Turbo energy can't decay by time so...kind of useful."
"Time monster?" Tsubaki and Hibki asked.
"Time travel gone wrong...trust me it is one of the scariest things you'll ever see." Grandpa Max explained.
"D...duly noted sir," Tsubaki whispered at that, giving a slight mental gulp at the implications of that.
"Los Solidad again?" Ben sighed as the group were inside the Proto-TRUK, flying over the desert outside of the city, "I hate how often I need to go back there…"
"Given what you've told me about it...I can't say I blame ya," Makoto admitted.
"Time Monsters, Invasion ground zero, my best friend going nuts and me having to choose between saving him or...not saving him, anytime I go there...something big or bad happens. Only good thing was meeting Paradox and that's just because he explains time travel to me." Ben listed off and maybe ranted a bit.
"Yeesh...and that happened all in the same year?" Max asked with a cringe.
"More or less yeah."
"...ano, and your sure nothing is gonna happen if we go there?" Noel asked, referring ot herself and Makoto as Robotboy rested on top of her lap.
"If anything bad was gonna happen...Paradox would show up and tell us stay away." Ben argued, "But just to be safe...lets...avoid his old lab where he did time travel experiments with a giant time gate thing…"
"It is a safe idea," Rook nodded, "Who knows what other secrets Los Solidad may hold."
=As long as we can finish tehre fast. I…= Steel began before the ship suddenly rocked, making every one yelp as they were flung all over the place =AHH!=
"Who put a mountain in our way…" Max groaned as he gripped the wall to keep from falling over, Tsubaki and Noel hanging onto him, as Robotboy was holding onto Noel, "Rook...what was that?"
"Some kind of barrier!"
"Oh...of course!" Makoto complained as she fell on Ben, "I hate this already."
"MMMM!"
"Uh...Makoto?" Tsubaki spoke, getting the squirrel girl's attention as she pointed down, making her look down...to see her bust smothering Ben's face.
"Oops. Sorry," Makoto whispered as she lifted herself off of him, letting him get a chance to breath.
"GAH!" he gasped.
"How is it we all kept from falling over but you two didn't?" Mai asked.
"...you fell that way on purpose didn't you?" Tsubaki asked Makoto.
"...no…" Makoto answered, shifting her eyes back and forth.
"You two should really get that out of your systems before we leave on potentially deadly missions…" Max joked as they all regained their balance.
"Who set up a barrier all the way out here?" Mai asked.
"Let's go ask." Max spoke as he opened the back door...and jumped out.
"May as well," Ben added as he turned the Omnitrix on, selecting his Alien of choice before pressing down on the raised symbol, transforming into Shadow Edge as he jumped out to join Max.
"...oh! I get it! Stealth and info gathering," Makoto realized before jumping after the two, "Wait up!"
"Wow...this thing is big…" Max spoke tapping the barrier, "Heh...sounds like a drum kit!" he chuckled as he began banging on the barrier making it sound like a drum solo, "You gotta try this!" he laughed as Shadow Edge tapped the barrier, only to be sent flying back, "Uh...I guess...only I can touch it on account of my...Turbo energy…"
Shadow Edge gave a 'groan' as he got up, looking up to see Makoto slowly coming down near them as her tail acted like a propeller.
=That should not be physically possible= Steel noted.
"Well...if I can affect the barrier...Steel Go Turbo Strength!" Max shouted as he transformed into his super strength oriented mode.
"Hope it works...because I do not wanna have an afro and poofy tail if it explodes in electricity," Makoto said as she landed.
"..."
"...of course you'd enjoy the poofier tail," Makoto blushed a bit at what Shadow Edge was silently implying.
"It's cute your the only one who understands this form." Max laughed, as he raised his arms up, "Knock-knock!" he cheered charging energy into his hands as he bashed the barrier sending a blue glow across it, he continued drumming on it as the glowing increased and caused it to begin cracking.
"Hmm?" Kokonoe raised a brow as a silent alarm went off, "Huh...that's odd. Someone's breaking through the barrier I set up."
=Correction...the one I set up for you= Tager sighed over the intercom.
"Eh. Semantics," Kokonoe waved off before frowning, "Still..that barrier is powerful enough to repel a rail gun. Whoever it is...they may be..no. Definitely a threat...Tager, I want you to intercept anyone that enters the base."
=Understood…=
'And if anyone is able to give you a hard time…' Kokonoe thought as she looked at a nearby shadowed figure, 'I may need to deploy Lambda.'
"Oh this is the best part!" Max spoke as his drumming on the barrier caused it to begin sparking and fading in and out, "I love my powers~" he sighed as it vanished and didn't reactivate.
"Note to self...Max's powers are good against all forms of technology." Tsubaki muttered as the others walked out.
=Heads up...something is coming this way= Steel warned.
"...Be ready," Tsubaki ordered as the group pulled out their weapons.
"Got! It!" Robotboy nodded as he quickly transformed.
The ground seemed to tremble and rumble a bit, growing stronger with each passing second as a rather large figure was seen approaching them. Makoto squinted her eyes a bit before they widened, recognizing the large figure as they slowly approached them.
"No way…" the squirrel girl whispered with wide eyes, "Tager?!"
"Lt. Nanaya?" Tager raised a brow as he stopped, "Well...this is interesting…"
"You know him?" Max asked, already about to attack.
"Oh this is gonna be a long one isn't it?" Mai sighed.
"It is, but that will have to come later," Tager stated, "Lt. Nanaya...I'm afraid I need you and your friends to come with me."
"Beg pardon?" Makoto blinked.
"Kokonoe wants you and your friends to come immediately," Tager answered, "She made it clear your compliance being a non-factor."
"Oh no…" Makoto sighed.
"Can we get a please?" Max asked.
=No= Kokonoe's voice came from Tager.
"...of course she'd install a radio in me," Tager sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose..
=Nanaya is my agent, and she and her friends are coming here wether they like it or not=
"C-can't we negotiate peacefully?" Noel offered.
=...no. Tager...grab them= Kokonoe ordered
Shadow Edge's eyes narrowed as he and Robotboy stood defensively before Makoto and Noel. Max then stomped forward as he flashed and grew twice his size now taller than Tager.
"..Ugh. The things I do for her," Tager sighed as he stepped forward.
"You sure you wanna do this?" Max asked, "Trust me big you don't want these hands." he held up his hands for emphasis.
"I know...but I have a mission to complete," Tager countered as he crossed his arms, electricity crackling off him as he began to growl out, "Spark Bolt!"
"Spark wh-" Max began before gagging out, the electric ball that Tager fired hitting him square in the chest, feeling as if he got hit by a bullet train as he was sent flying back.
"Max!?" Noel called out as he slid across the ground.
=Oh-ho-ho-ho…= Steel laughed, =Buddy...now you done it= he laughed as Max got back up.
"?" Tager raised a brow before Max shot up to him and delivered a punch to his face, making him grunt as he was sent back..by a few inches as he rubbed his cheek a bit, "Hmm...that hurt a little."
"Uh-oh...things are about to get...awesome." Makoto spoke.
"Don't encourage this!" Tsubaki complained as the two were already slugging it out.
"Makoto...how dangerous would you say this Tager is?" Rook asked.
"Well...there's a reason he's known as the Red Devil of Sector Seven," Makoto explained, "He can grab ya and jump all the way into the stratosphere...and come crashing down into the ground while leaving a huge crater."
"And he's fighting Max...who in his Strength form has no possible upper limit of strength…" Tsubaki sighed.
"...This is gonna get really chaotic," Mai whispered.
"RAAGH!" Tager and Max roared as they clashed fist, resulting in a loud echoey clang as the clash resulted in a massive shockwave, nearly knocking the others over. Tager grabbed Max' arm before tossing him over his shoulder, smashing him into the ground.
Max grunted out before he quickly rolled out of the way and got back up, Tager punched again only to miss. He blinked before grunting as Max reverted to his base mode and landed on his back. Tager grunted in confusion.
"So...you're better at being a big brute than me, but I got one thing you don't~" Max held up his glowing hands, "When I say hey you go Arrgh!" he swung his hands down, "Hey!" Tager cried in pain as the Turbo energy surged through his body.
"Arrgh!"
"Hey!"
"Arrgh!"
"I say Hey!"
"Arrgh!"
=Tager?! TAger wh-bzzt?!-oing on?!= Kokonoe called out, her voice sounding staticy.
"This..power...what...is it…?" Tager grunted in pain.
"It's called Turbo energy! And sorry for you...but unless you're built to hold it...it fries all kinds of tech!" Max spoke, "Oh...and Hey~" he clapped his hands on Tager's head. The giant cried in pain as he was shocked once more by the overcharge of energy, "Ready to give? Cause I'm holding back a lot...this is barely 10 percent here. And trust me I'm not out to really hurt ya."
"...tch...I...I...concede…" Tager panted, "But...Kokonoe...she won't…"
"Oh please...I doubt she has a secret weap-she does doesn't sh-" Max began before he tensed, nearly losing his footing as the gravity around him suddenly shifted, "?!"
"M-max?" Noel blinked.
"Steel...who turned up...the gravity…?" Max grunted, falling to one knee as he struggled to stay up.
=I haven't a clue myself what is happening= he spoke =Scanning now=
Robotboy said nothing as he scanned the area as well, tensing when he looked up and spotted something in the air.
"Robotboy? Wh-" Mai began before robotboy got before the group, quickly blocking the barrage of small energy swords that tried to pelt them, "?!"
"Targets spotted...one hazardous threat neutralized," a monotone female voice spoke, making the group look up to see a girlfloatign within the air. She had long- light-blond hair that was done into a twirled ponytail that reached down to her calves, a metallic blade at the end of it as she wore a dark-grey form-hugging bodysuit. Eight large, wing-shaped, katana-like blades hovered behind her, matching the blade-coated armor covering her legs and the ones on her cybernetic gauntlets that completely covered her arms aside from her hands, shoulders, neck area, and back. A metal piece covered the middle of her pelvis area while topaz-like gems glowed from the spots that were embedded in nine spots on her body; two on each leg near where the armor ended and bodysuit began, two on her hips, one at the top of her cleavage, two on her shoulders with a ruby in the center of them, and two on the back ends of her gauntlet-mounted blades. A single red optic shined within the silver visor covering her eyes, extending past the sides of her head and skimmed past her head that shaped into elf ear-like shapes.
Shadow Edge blinks a bit before he changed back into Ben, "Uh...a cyborg girl?...Makoto?"
"First time I'm actually seeing her," Makoto answered, "...Mai?"
"Nope…"
"So she is someone new," Rook noted as the girl floated down.
"Not fun here!" Max groaned.
=HELP!= Steel shouted.
"Hai!" Noel quickly shouted, summoning Bolverk as she aimed at the girl. However the moment they made eye contact...something happened to Noel, the blonde blinking a bit as she stared at the cyborg. She flt something...familiar about it...something...almost like her. As she stared on...her mind began to slowly dull, her normally green eyes changing to a dull yet deep azure.
"...Noel?" Mai blinked, earning no response from her, "Guys...something's wrong with Noel."
"Something is wrong w-" Max began before the gravity lightened up, "...huh. Guess it was temporary."
=Thank the gods…= Steel sighed in relief.
"Noel?" Makoto asked this time, noting both were just frozen in place as she began getting nervous, "I'm not liking this…"
"What happened?" Tsubaki asked, "Are they in some kind of shared trance?"
"Wake up!" Makoto panicked slapping Noel.
=Oi..oi! Lambda respond!= Kokonoe shouted.
"...Murakumo Unit detected," both the girl and Noel spoke, the latter's voice monotone, "Designation...Mu-12/Lambda-11."
"What is going on?" Tsubaki asked, growing more and more concerned.
Everyone then flinched as an explosion knocked the one called Lambda out of the air. Steel returned to Max's hands as the sudden burst of Turbo energy seemed to snap Noel out of it.
"What happened...why...ah...ow...why does my face hurt?!" Noel complained, her eyes returning to normal.
"Makoto slapped you cause you were acting creepy." Max explained, "Wow...My Turbo energy really knocked this girl out...she must be like an android or something…"
"Makoto, why~?!" Noel whined.
"You were freaking us out!" Makoto exclaimed, "Look at Robotboy! He looks worried sick about you!"
Robotboy rapidly nodded as he changed back into his smaller form, "Noel okay? Noel was act-ing scary…"
"Oh! Gomen!" Noel yelped as she scooped him up into a hug, "I didn't mean to scare you! I'm so sorry!"
"Well that confirms not even stuff from our time can survive a Turbo power surge…" Mai noted as they walked over to the downed girl.
"Still...she could be a danger if we leave her unchecked," Rook added.
"Agreed," Tsubaki nodded, "...We may need to have her checked up on at the base."
=...don't you dare…= Kokonoe growled =TAGER!=
"I still can't...move…" Tager grunted as he sparked.
=DAMN IT!=
"Hey Crazy lady!" Max shouted, "Give it up, I...fry tech! You can't beat me if all you got is tech! So...be smart here!"
=...tch...damn it. Tager, I'm activating the proto-type teleporter to retrieve you= Kokonoe growled =We'll have to retrieve Lambda, Lt. Nanaya and the girls later=
"Proto-type wh-" Tager began before a mechanical gate appeared around him for a moment, spinning around as he suddenly vanished, the gate following suit.
"...Oh she's gotta be seething mad right now," Makoto whispered.
"So...what about her?" Max pointed to Lambda, "Do...we leave her here or…"
"Like I said, we should take her back to base to have her checked on," Tsubaki stated, "...and while we're at it have someone check on Noel."
"Why me?" Noel asked.
"Something weird happened when you and that girl looked at eachother." Makoto explained, "You where like in a trance and she called you Mu something…"
"Mu?" Noel repeated, "Like...the Greek number?"
"Possibly," Makoto shrugged, 'In fact...I feel like I've seen something like her before...but where?'
"Let's worry about it when we get back to base," Max suggested as he picked Lambda up, letting her visor vanish to reveal her face, '...huh. She...oddly looks like Noel in a way...that...seems odd and suspicious.'
=I would like to go on record and say...we should leave her to the desert…= Steel sighed.
"In this heat? No way," Max argued.
"Okay. What the actual fucking hell happened?!" Kokonoe snapped as she shot up from her seat, "I had everything set to make sure no one would come here and just when things were coming along swimmingly, Some..some armored punk breaks my barrier, manages to temporarily disable you, and takes Lambda!"
"It was an unknown element we were unprepared for, Kokonoe," Tager stated...while strapped to a large generator with a computer nearby to gauge the readings on him.
"Oh no. I am always prepared for anything," Kokonoe argued, "...ugh. Still...I could use this...I put a tracker on Lambda so you can track her and the girls down. As soon as you are functional, you're heading out to retrieve them and then we can get this whole fuckign time mess fixed!"
"Aren't you overreacting Kokonoe? Nothing seems to have happened."
"Yet...nothing's happened yet," Kokonoe stated, "And I'm overreacting?! I'm busting my ass off just so we don't end up fuckign erased by the Master Unit!"
"I think you might be having a slight case of anxiety...maybe a moment of rest will calm you down so you can better think of how to handle this?"
"Did you just tell me to relax?"
"Tell...no. Offer helpful opinions...affirmative."
"...that energy seems to have made you more...snippy…" Kokonoe muttered in slight concern, "What even was it? You have more energy than a small city...and yet it fried you."
"They called it Turbo energy...and if I understand it...that boy generates it...infinitely," Tager answered.
"...Infinitely…" Kokonoe repeated as she pondered over that, "...Ok. I'll take a rest….but in the meantime I'll study up on this...Turbo Energy if I can."
"Do you even have the means to?"
"I already hacked into the space station floating above the planet and giving out huge wifi signals...looking it up should be easy," Kokonoe waved off, "And once you're recharged and while I rest...look after Celica and make sure she doesn't get lost."
"You sure?"
"Yes I'm sure...how she gets lost even with a goddamn map I'll never know…" Kokonoe muttered as she walked off.
"...At least she's calmed down," Tager whispered to himself.
"...And you're sure Noel acted up the moment she and her made eye contact?" Grandpa Max asked as he and Tsubaki stood near the lab, seeing Lambda strapped ot a metal table with her armor and weapons resting nearby.
"Hai," Tsubaki nodded, "In fat...if we hadn't stopped them, I think a fight would've ensued. A rather...bloody one."
"Well it's a good thing tech in your world also can't handle Turbo energy." Grandpa Max sighed, "That alone means our new Max and Steel are the perfect counter measure."
"That is true," Tsubaki nodded before holding her chin in thought, "But...there's something that she and Noel called each other that doesn't sit right with me…"
"Hmm?"
"Noel called her Lambda-11 and she in turn called Noel Mu-12…" Tsubaki explained, "Is there something about Noel we don't know?"
"Well we've run physicals on her before…" he muttered, "It all comes back normal, so whatever it is...we can't detect it with normal medical technology."
"...That is concerning," Tsubaki whispered before she spotted Kajun walking out of the lab, "Anything on Lambda?"
"Honestly...me, Blukic and Driba overlooked everything," Kajun answered, "She's just about Normal as Noel and yet...we found something about her that makes her feel...not human."
"How so?"
"She has a core in her...that produces Seithr," Kajun answered, making Tsubaki tense up, "Don't worry. It's enough for her to move around and not spread it, so we're safe."
"Oh thank the Celestialsapiens…" Tsubaki sighed in relief.
"But there is one more thing...she and Noel share the same DNA."
"...beg pardon?"
"We've overlooked the blood sample test and everything and they all came up the same," Blukic spoke.
"If you wanna get technical...both her and Noel are sisters in a sense," Driba added.
"I'm...gonna sit down cause this seems like a big one…" Grandpa Max sighed.
"S...same…" Tsubaki whispered with wide eyes, "...Wait. If that's true...does...does this mean Noel's not…"
"I'm...unsure," Kajun sighed, "We may need an expert opinion on this…"
"Expert?" Tsubaki asked.
"He's not gonna like getting called back so soon." Grandpa Max sighed in understanding.
"Of course…" Kajun nodded, "I'll try and contact him. In the meantime...you may need to inform the others...but keep it secret from Noel until he arrives to check on her and Lambda here."
"This is gonna be one of those days…" Tsubaki sighed.
"Since Max...still not used to that…" Grandpa Max muttered, "Since Max and Steel can overpower anything thrown at them, I'm gonna send him and a team to attempt Los Soledad again. You kids might be needed here to...uh...deal with this."
"Hai…" Tsubaki sighed once more.
"...Wonder what's taking them?" Makoto whispered as she, Ben, and Mai were in the waiting room as Robotboy looked on in worry, "And why did Max, Steel, and Rook get called away suddenly?"
"Something must've came up," Mai guessed, "Hopefully, it's nothing too bad."
"Well…" Kajun spoke up as she and Tsubaki walked over, "This is going to be difficult to explain."
"What you talkin' bout?" Makoto asked.
"Well...the girl you brought here...is genetically...Noel's twin sister…" Kajun began, "Only going off the levels of P16 in her blood...a slightly older sister…"
"...huh?" Ben, Makoto, and Mai blinked at that.
"Sis...ter?" Robotboy repeated.
"Sh...she's correct about it," Tsubaki spoke, "That girl...Lambda is technically Noel's sister."
"So wait wait wait…" Ben spoke up, "If that's Noel's sister...and they are twins...how is one older? Time travel?"
"No…" Kajun muttered, "I...think they may not be...normal girls…" she trailed off, "In the sense...I don't think they were born the normal way like us…"
"...I repeat. Huh?!" Makoto exclaimed, "So...d...does that mean Noellie's not...human?!"
"No…" Kajun trailed off, "Her DNA is indeed human...it's just...I think...Noel might be...a...clone…"
"Clone?!" the three gawked.
"Yes. Recall what they called each other back at the desert near Los Solidad," Tsubaki stated, "Noel called her Lambda-11 while she called Noel Mu-12."
"So...then that's a…" Makoto began.
"No...that is our Noel, the one we've always known." Kajun interjected, "It's just the entire time we've known her...she's in fact been a clone of...someone else. Or that is to say she's cloned from someone, but the process clearly makes each one...different."
"...I...I think I'm at a loss for words…" Mai whispered.
"I'm...so...what does that make Noel then?" Makoto asked in concern.
"I don't think we should treat this as it changes who she is...but rather just what she is." Kajun spoke, "Noel is clearly some unbelievably advanced clone human, and if I'm right might even be some type of cyborg."
"CYBORG!?" Makoto snapped at that, "What do you mean Cyborg? She's just as normal as us!"
"Well...I suppose yes her medical scans show she's totally normal in every biological sense...but we've never scanned her down to the cellular level." Kajun countered, "But...we'd need an expert opinion on this if it's true…"
"...You mean Azmuth," Ben guessed, earning a nod from Tsubaki and Kajun, "...ooh he's gonan be mad when we call him back again."
"Yes, but this is important," Tsubaki argued, "Back at the desert there was another thing Noel and Lambda called each other...Murakumo unit."
'?!' Kajun gave a near flinch at that, '...so. That's what that one Project Professor Kokonoe was working on is...she was studying into it…'
"Okay...any idea what that is?" Ben asked.
"No...but...ahh," Makoto winced as she held the side of her head, "That name sounds...familiar. I don't know why...but it feels familiar…"
"You still have a few gaps from the time trip Babe…" Ben muttered, patting her head, "Maybe you do know all the answers...you just...forgot em."
"...maybe you're right…" Makoto whispered, "Wait..what if whoever knocked me out..didn't want me to learn that?"
"That is something we really gotta figure out." Ben muttered, "But how do you make someone remember something they technically haven't learned yet?"
"Good question…" Tsubaki noted, holding her chin in thought, "Maybe it was that important..it had to be kept hidden at all cost...we'll have to save it for later...specifically after Azmuth checks on her."
"...Okay…" Ben muttered as he looked at the Omnitrix before he began to tap on it a few times...until a holographic image of Azmuth popped up.
=For Celestialsapiens' sake, stop tapping my Omnitrix like a drum!= Azmuth snapped before taking a deep breath =This better be important, Ben Tennyson. I was in the middle of…=
"We need your opinion about our friend Noel," Ben stated, earning a raised brow from him, "See we just found out that she's….well technically not human."
=Beg pardon?= Azmuth asked confused as he turned around to see the others =What is this buffoon talking about?=
"We recently learned our friend Noel Vermillion is indeed not human in a sense," Kajun explained, "Tsubaki and the others encountered a girl like her in the desert."
"And when they saw one another...they were suddenly in a trance. As if...scanning one another," Tsubaki added, "They even called each other code names...Lambda-11 and Mu-12."
"They brought the one called Lambda back and after examining her in the lab...and a DNA test we learned that she and Noel are sisters."
=And you need me to waste my time because?= Azmuth asked.
"Well you are the smartest pers-"
=Flattery doesn't work on me, Ben, stop being the dumbest person in the room for once= Azmuth sighed, =If you want my help, very well, I'll come back as fast as I can. But I only speak in truth so I hope you don't need me to beat around the bush as you humans do=
"We don't," Tsubaki sighed, "Because this...I think this is something Noel needed to know sooner than later. I'm just...afraid what'll happen if we keep it secret and she learns it in a horrible way."
=...I'll what I can do=
Noel gave a small hum as she was writing something down on paper, sitting in a bed within a separate room near the medical wing. It had been a while since she last wrote a nice poem, so it was nice to finally get back to it. And with all the time she has a t the moment, she could think of a beautiful one to pass the time. She pondered for a moment before a lyric came into her head, the blonde about to put it down before the door was knocked on.
"?" Noel blinked a but before putting her pen and paper, "Ano...come in," she said as the door opened, letting Azmuth in as he stood on top of a floating platform with some devices next to him, "Azmuth-san?"
"Ah good you're awake." he spoke, "I was wondering how long you'd be asleep. I had time to get here, and then tell Ben what an idiot he was, get a drink...and tell Ben what an idiot he was all over again. I rather love that part of my visits. I think I'll do it again before I leave."
"Why are you…?"
"Ah right. Let's just say...I'm taking over as your doctor for today." Azmuth spoke, "Am I a doctor...no...but I'm the only one who can explain what's happening to your body. And no...I am not talking about puberty...I'm not even getting paid, so no way I'm tackling that one. No rather...I'm here to tell you some...interesting news pertaining to...what kind of person you are."
"...eh?" Noel blinked as Azmuth held up a tablet-like device before her as a lens on the back began to scan her, "?...is..something wrong with me?"
"Wrong...no my dear girl. Different..well...yes." he sighed, "You met this girl who looks a bit like you and then things went blank?" he asked, getting a nod, "Well this will be shocking, but you and that girl share the same DNA...almost like twins. But she's older right? Well...that's cause you and her are sisters born of the same source DNA. Infact...your entire body while fully human when tested by normal conditions...is...different. Every cell that makes up your body is a synthetic base. You Noel, were not born like a normal person. You...were made."
"..." Noel just sat there, a look of disbelief on her face as her pupils began to nearly shrink, "I…..I...I'm not….human…?" she whispered, now beginning to pant as her eyes began to slowly bleed back into the azure color.
"Did I say you are not human?" Azmuth spoke as a cane smacked Noel upside the head, "Did I say that?" he repeated as she nursed the bump forming on her head, "Well...did I at anypoint say you are not a human?" he asked as the cane still held by a robot arm pointed at her.
"N….no…"
"Then don't put words in my mouth child, or so help me this old amphibian will belt you one again." Azmuth warned as she quickly nodded, "But no my dear you are not like a normal girl. As I'm made aware you were adopted. So this means whoever made you, either hid you away or you were taken for your own safety. While yes, our origins come from a lab, that does not change that you were still raised by a family and made your own life with friends who were so panicked to learn this, worried about how to tell you without making you go all...depressed." he muttered, as he walked around a bit, "But the truth is yes my dear you are a synthetically made being, but your life is your own. And you can age, grow, and have a normal human life."
Noel said nothing as she sat there, processing all that information as her eyes were stuck in a mix of green and azure. All this time...she was never a normal human..she was something someone made in the lab. But...that train of negative thought ended as she slowly thought of her friends...her most cherished friends and her mother and father. Even if she wasn't really related to them by blood...they took care of her when they found her. They fed her, taught her...and protected her just like any parent would...they and all her friends...they were all her family. Her most precious people...people she would never replace. Azmuth soon noticed the smile growing on her face as her eyes shifted back to their normal color.
"So...it's sinking in then is it?" Azmuth smiled, getting her attention, "My dear the past defines you, and where you come from is important to know. But the you who is here surrounded by those she loves is a wonderful girl. So you're not fully human in a sense, you're still as human as your friends...maybe even more so. Honestly I still think Ben is a rare case of mental evolution regression. No human can be that stupid…" he rambled as Noel giggled, "But you...oh well if I had to say, your one of the few humans I like. Your kind, honest, likeable, maybe a little silly...but when you have a friend like Makoto...you might need that trait to survive."
"True," Noel giggled a bit, "And...I truly do love all my friends. They're people I'll always cherish..and never forget they helped make me who I am today. And my parents..." she held a hand over her heart, "Even if they're not my actual birth parents, I still love them with all my heart, and hope someday I'll be able to see them again."
"But that's all the point. You are still you, but now you know more about yourself. Your are Noel Vermillion, but also this Mu-12 this other girl called you." he explained as Noel looked at him, "If I am right in my examination, there is more to these...synthetic augmentations." he muttered, "I believe my dear you are the perfected variation of your sisters. There is potentially an amazing and probably scary power in you. A power that could either overtake you...or you can dominate and make your own...to protect your idiots."
"...A power that's my own…" Noel whispered as she looked at her hands, "To protect...my friends…"
"Yes...and while I don't know how you'll access it, I just pray you'll put it to a good use," Azmuth sighed.
Noel nodded a bit before something popped up in her mind, "...Ano, what of Lambda?"
"Hmm...I've been examining her for a while now. She's not like you so to speak. She is not the same...as you." he sighed, "I'm not sure what her past was like, but it seems she runs off a simpler mind. She shows no emotions, but yet...she seems like a curious girl."
"Curious?"
"She has much to learn." Azmuth spoke, "In an ironic sense she is your sister, and even if her body is essentially that of an adult, mentally...she is a different story. Maybe it would be in the best interest to get to know this Lambda girl...maybe find her a better name..."
"...possibly," Noel nodded, "I mean...she is my sister, so..I may as well get to know her. I mean...she's probably wondering what's happening."
"...Please stop it," Driba deadpanned as Lambda-now free to move around- stared at him in curiosity while poking him and Blukic a bit.
"...frog?" Lambda pondered.
"We are not frogs!"
"But you are...amphibian in nature...correct?"
"Yes/No!" they looked at eachother, "No/Yes!" they paused again, "Maybe…"
"..." Lambda just titled her head a bit in confusion.
"She's almost like a little kid," Makoto whispered as she and the others watched from nearby, "A very curious little kid."
"So...this is Noel's sister…" Ben muttered, "I can see the relation."
"Same," Mai added, "...what if…"
"Don't even finish that thought, Mai," Makoto cut off, "No way in h-e-double hockey sticks is Noellie and the new girl are related to the psycho sisters."
"But I mean…" Mai trailed off, "Their faces kinda look the same. One has Noel's eyes, the other her nose and mouth…"
"I don't wanna speak about it. ...Hey, I have a good test to see if they're related," Makoto noted, "Ditto."
"Ditto?" Tsubaki raised a brow.
"Yeah. Put them next to each other more or less."
"I doubt Aoiro and Karai would cooperate, even if we had them in custody still."
"Wait, what?" Ben blinked, "...Let me guess, Chadzmuth?"
"Chadzmuth…" Tsubaki sighed.
"It's official. I hate lawyers from space…" Ben sighed.
"Same…" Makoto sighed.
"Wait...We still have their pictures on file, right?" Mai asked, walking over to a computer.
"Why?" Makoto asked.
"I learned how to run the face match software on the computers…" Mai explained as she typed away, "Here...a picture of them and Noel." she pressed enter as the computer began processing, it then showed up positive, confirming all three had the same facial structure.
"...Oh god, it's true...they do have the same face…" Makoto whispered with wide eyes, "...Then that would make them those Murakumo things, too."
"And they are Noel's...sisters…" Ben added.
"We're making Noel disown them…" Makoto quickly spoke up.
"Makoto…"
"I do not want Noellie to be related to those two, especially that creep Karai!"
"What's this I hear about Noel having sisters?" Kagura asked as he poked his head in.
"BUTT OUT PERV KNIGHT!" Makoto barked.
"Okay, okay!" Kagura yelped as he moved away to dodge a thrown beaker, "Knew I should have joined Max on his mission…"
"WE NEEDED THAT!" Blukic and Driba snapped.
"I am freaking out!" Makoto snapped back as her volume blew them away and rolling across the table, Lambda following them before catching them just as they fell off the table, "This one's adorable. Noel can keep this sister...but those two...nuh-uh! Noel is like family, and I'm not letting those freaks be family either!"
"Perhaps we should just ignore that small fact for now," Kajun sighed.
"Yes! Thank you, Kajun!" Makoto exclaimed as she threw her arms up into the air for a moment, "...Still, why did Kokonoe even have her to begin with?"
"...I may know," Kajun spoke, earning their attention, "There was something I had found once when I was working under Kokonoe...a file on Murakumo Units."
"Any chance you memorized most of it?" Ben asked as he began scratching Makoto's weak spot to calm her down.
"I have...but you won't like on how they're made when I get to that," Kajun sighed, "Murakumo Units are artificial humans made to explore the Boundary, but there's one thing that worried me yet caught my interest. Murakumo Units have the potential to kill the gods."
"...Uh…" Ben muttered.
"I don't want to account for Alien X…" she sighed.
"Good...that's a talk I really don't want to have," Ben sighed.
"Same," Kajun nodded, "As for how Murakumo Units are made...well it's rather difficult from what I've read. You need a human body to act as the raw material, and a Cauldron to smelt them in...but the smelting part is very...inhumane."
"...Inhumane how?" Tsubaki asked in slight worry.
"...Souls," Kajun sighed, making them all look at her in disbelief, "Yes...you need souls. Living breathing souls in order to help create and smelt the Murakumo unit. The end result...in possibly one of the most dangerous machines in our time."
"...important question; WHY DOES KOKONOE HAVE THAT TYPE OF INFO?!" Makoto exclaimed.
"I am unsure...I tried to ask her once, but she instantly turned me down."
"Well we know where she might be if only…" Ben began.
"Hey guys! I caught a crazy literal cat lady!" Max called out, walking down the hall dragging Tager.
"They anticipated me…" Tager stated with a sigh, "...and caught us by surprise."
"Caught?" Makoto blinked before seeing Rook carrying a tied up Kokonoe, a really irritated look on her face.
"...Cat lady?" Robotboy pondered.
"C…!" Kokonoe began before she spotted Robotboy, '...What is that and why is it so adora...gh! No...don't fall into temptations...You are not a little girl.'
"Yeah, I broke her barrier again, then zapped big guy here...and then oh...oh you should have seen it! While she was all angry and ranting at us...Rook just walked up and tazed her!" Max laughed.
"We also found this one girl with them," Rook added as he put Kokonoe down, "She was rather kind and left her with P'li and his team for company."
"We figured we'd bring her here to...uh...I don't know. But she seems smart, so maybe she can help." Max explained, "Plus she looks like the creepy 'knows all your secrets' kind…"
"Oi!"
"He's not wrong…" Tagger admitted.
"Ugh….whatever," Kokonoe groaned, "...But I can work with this. Lt. Nanaya, since you and your friends are all here at once...I need you to do something."
"What?" Makoto asked.
"Say your goodbyes, because your little 'dream' is over," Kokonoe stated, "I need to send all of us back to your original timelines...or else the Master Unit will erase you all, along with everything else in this timeline."
"...Oh wow, this is just ironic…" Makoto muttered, "I literally just had this internal crisis the other day." she chuckled.
"I've had that twice last week…" Kajun added, "It was just a horribly stressful time with Max."
"Hey...you make it sound like something weird…" Max complained.
"It is a crisis if you don't get your furry butt back to my base!" Kokonoe snapped at Makoto, "And furthermore, give me back Lambda this instant! Oh and most importantly...what fucking gave you the idea to date someone in the past?! Do you even know what damage you're causing to the timeline?!"
"Yeah...You want to explain what we learned from the guy who people based Doctor Who on to her or should I?" Makoto asked, looking at Ben.
"Beg pardon?" Kokonoe raised a brow.
"Basically, the Master Unit can't do anything because it's an entirely new timeline," Ben stated.
"...bullshit."
"Upbupbup!" Makoto tensed as she quickly covered Robotboy's 'ears, "No cursing in front of him…"
"Tch. Fine...still I call bull," Kokonoe argued, "It's still connected to our timeline in a sense, so the Master Unit can and will erase it still."
"And yet nothing's happened now, has it?" Makoto countered.
"Grr...just get your things ready and head back to your timeline so you can resume the mission I gave you!" Kokonoe barked.
"You're not the boss of me anymore," Makoto huffed.
"WHAT?!"
"Yeah, I now work for the Plumbers AKA Space Police," Makoto stated, showing her badge, "I get paid better, better healthcare, not worrying about being used as a test squirrel whenever Tager isn't around..oh and most importantly…" she wrapped an arm around Ben, "I can date my co-workers."
"Did you literally not hear me tell you how it's a bad idea dating someone from the past?!" Kokonoe barked, now growing more and more annoyed.
"And you deal with this daily…?" Rook whispered to Tager.
"Yes...it only grew worse when you disturbed her from a nap," Tager whispered.
=That would explain the bags under her eyes…= Steel muttered.
"It's like it goes in one ear and out the other," Ben noted to Makoto.
"A lot tends to with her," Makoto noted as Kajun nodded in agreement.
"That's because you say something that doesn't make sense!" Kokonoe snapped, "Ugh...And I have to deal with you constantly, Nanaya...I'm supposed to be the smartest person in the world…"
"About that, too…" Mai spoke up, "Technically the smartest person in the base is Azmuth."
"AKA the guy who made this," Ben smirked as he motioned to the Omnitrix, "Oh and smartest guy in three, arguably five, galaxies."
"Bull."
"Wow. She's way more stubborn than you told me about, Makoto," Ben noted.
"Eeyup...oh and btw, Kokonoe? Mind telling us why you had Noel's sister under your care?"
"...That's none of y-wait...Noel Vermillion's sister?" Kokonoe repeated, annoyance now replaced with confusion and slight worry.
"Yeah. Her," Ben pointed over at Lambda, who had lost interest in them and was watching Driba and Blukic arguing with each other.
"...what was her unit number?" Kokonoe asked with a frown.
"Mu-12," Kajun answered.
"...so she survived Takemikazuchi's blast on Ibukido," Kokonoe whispered.
"Take wha?" Ben asked.
"One of the eleven Nox Nyctoris," Kajun answered, "They were created to fight against the Black Beast, but most of them tend to have a rather nasty side effect. Jin's sword Yukianesa and Noel's guns are Nox Nyctoris as well."
"Yes, and Takemikazuchi is amongst the strongest yet most deadly out of them," Kokonoe stated as she stood up, the ropes binding her falling off to the surprise of many of them, "It was so dangerous it had to be sealed away in a special satellite because of its power...power capable of destroying entire cities. Countries even if it's really pissed off."
"So...basically a giant living doomsday laser," Max noted
"..If you want to put it bluntly, yes," Kokonoe muttered, "And the worst part is...thanks to whatever merge or whatever did to bring all those from our time here to the past...it's out there somewhere for any idiot to find…"
"Hey…" Ben noted in annoyance.
"...You?" Kokonoe asked in disbelief, "You really know how to pick them, lieutenant."
"Hey. Don't you be dissing my man like that," Makoto argued, "If it weren't from him, you'd be erased...by something that wasn't the Master Unit."
"Hmm?" Tager raised a brow, "...Explanations please."
"There's a bomb called the Annihilargh that's capable of destroying an entire universe," Tsubaki explained, "And I do mean an entire universe. It was fortunate for us that Ben has a form strong enough to make it a dud. Though thanks to two certain members of R&D..." Blukic and Driba paused in their arguing to whistle innocently and not look at the look they were getting from Tsubaki, "...it was repaired and we now have it locked up in a place that only myself and Magister Tennyson know of."
"They what?" Blukic and Driba tensed as they slowly turned, seeing Azmuth walk...er…float in with Noel walking behind him.
"...It was his idea!" the two blamed one another, "Your idea?! It was you who suggested it! No! Y-Stop that! No! You stop it!"
"Oh god, it's stupid in stereo…" Kokonoe groaned.
"Why do you think I sent them here as fast as I did?" Azmuth replied, "These two almost made a synthetic planet...my synthetic planet go up in a blackhole of glory!" he then turned to Kokonoe, "Hm...Earth just gets weirder and weirder."
"Meet Azmuth, the smartest being in Five Galaxies," Makoto introduced, "Also known as...the man who is so smart you look dumb in comparison."
"I would never use those words…" Azmuth spoke, "But...they are also not wrong. So I can't argue with them."
"...Huh. Noted," Kokonoe muttered, "...You make that hover platform you're standing on?"
"Yes."
"Huh...neat. Actually made one once…" Kokonoe admitted, summoning a gate next to her before pulling out a rather...dented up platform, "Nanaya thought it was a good idea to ride it after I had her test it out."
"Wait. I don't remember that," Makoto blinked.
"I had to sneak something into your food while you weren't looking to make you comply."
"See, this is why I don't ask these two to test my new inventions...I just use my interns," Azmuth sighed, "I go through so many of them…"
"I can relate on that," Kokonoe admitted, "They can never make the right coffee for me...or they go crazy and do god knows what with their own projects, or just quit on me."
"Oh, I hate when they quit...I have to explain to the college why they need mental health care…" Azmuth sighed, "It's why I have stopped making my own kind my assistants...Albedo was such a screw up…"
"Wait...he was a screw up?" Ben asked.
"He's barely smart enough to be one of your Nemesis's...or whatever that plural is...you know you have an astounding talent for making people hate you," Azmuth trailed off, "Or is that a trait all Earthlings have?" he paused, "Makoto, how many mortal enemies have you made on Earth?"
"From space when they invade or just Earth in general?" Makoto asked.
"Latter."
"Ahh...hmm…" Makoto tapped her cheek in thought as she pondered that.
"You have to think about it?!" Kokonoe complained.
"What? I got a life here...and I have to beat a sk...jerky-girl when they try to take what's mine. Mainly my doofus," Makoto replied.
"I'm the doofus," Ben smiled.
"I swear I want nothing to do with their children…" Azmuth blurted.
"Just the thought alone makes me scared their offspring will be hyperactive balls of stupidity," Kokonoe added, "Wait, why am I even thinking that?!"
"'Cause you're stuck here with us as we make a new future?" Makoto replied with a cheeky smile.
"...Oh dear god, I've gotten wrapped up in the insanity," Kokonoe whispered with a look of dread on her face.
"Welcome to our world," Tsubaki sighed.
"Also...you ain't leaving," Makoto smirked, "There is no future to go back to," she argued, "See, we traveled here from our time, so this is our new future. We're in a new world with a new future to be written by the new changes and our world is our past."
"I...that...but…" Kokonoe muttered, "Where did you learn that?"
"Exactly that?" Makoto blinked, "The Hulk…"
"..."
"...I think she broke," Tager noted, seeing the look of disbelief on Kokonoe's face as her eye twitched a bit.
"Uh-oh…" Makoto blinked.
"I got it," Azmuth snapped his fingers as Kokonoe was smacked with a cane, bringing her back to her senses, "The dumb ones speak the truth child. Your idea of how time travel works...is fundamentally flawed. Somehow...she summed up how it kind of works on this scale, and I only know this because I'm friends with a Time Walker..."
"?!" Kokonoe tensed at that, "...a Time Walker? As in...someone who exists outside of time?"
"Yes," Azmuth replied, "We know a rather cheeky one who inspired a television show called Doctor Who," he sighed, "Like I said...I have hobbies."
"...Great...So there's another like that damn Alucard brat…" Kokonoe groaned.
"Alucard?" Noel repeated.
"An explanation for another day," Kokonoe stated, "For now Vermillion, go...I guess….ugh," she groaned, "I didn't think this would happen...Lambda was supposed to be my weapon against the NOL...and yet this happens."
"To be fair, Max is kinda broken when he goes up against anything tech," Makoto smirked.
"He kinda is," Mai added.
=Broke her stuff easy enough= Steel gloated.
"Don't...remind me…" Kokonoe muttered with a twitchy eye as Noel walked past her.
"...ano...Lambda, hai?" Noel spoke, getting Lambda's attention as she turned to look at her, "Are...you okay?"
"...Okay?" Lambda repeated with a tilt of her head, "...This unit is functional, yes. All systems are 100% functioning..."
"Well that's good...but I meant are you feeling Okay...like…" she tapped Lambda's head gently, "Up here...like how do you feel emotionally?"
"Emotionally?" Lambda repeated.
"Oh dear...I have a lot of work to do…" Noel sighed in realization, "You know what emotions are, right?"
"I do...but Kokonoe told me they are unneeded and took them out."
"What?" Tsubaki frowned before the group looked over at Kokonoe.
"What?" she blinked as Azmuth snapped his fingers and the robot arm thwacked her upside the head with the cane again, "GAH! SON OF A…" she stopped herself from cursing, afraid it would get her another thwack to the head.
"You know what you did," Azmuth replied, "Either way, Noel, I think it would be for the best if you got to know Lambda. You can teach her many things, and likewise could help you learn to use these untapped abilities."
"...?" Lambda blinked a bit at that before she spotted Robotboy poking out from behind Noel.
"Noel's sis-ter?" Robotboy asked, "You are...Noel's...sister?"
"..." Lambda blinked a bit as a small blush formed on her cheeks, "...kawaii…"
"Yep...They're related," Makoto nodded, "And I guess Noel is keeping her…" she looked at Noel, who nodded happily, "We're gonna need to expand the house, aren't we?"
"We'll get the tools," Max and Ben sighed.
"And I'll have Magister Tennyson help create some paperwork for her," Tsubaki added.
"Don't I…?!" Kokonoe began as she rose a finger up...only to sigh as she lowered it back down, "Nevermind…"
"Good...you're learning." Azmuth smiled, lowering his fingers as he was ready to snap them, "You probably should know by now...your world is no longer the time you came from. It's this world here and now. Threats from your time are probably here as well, probably many of them. You could either waste time on a pointless attempt to return to that dumpster fire of a timeline…" he smiled as she looked down at him, "Or you can focus that intelligence and drive to making sure this one stays as nice as it seems. Or not, I don't care. I'm old and only here to make sure these idiots don't blow up reality again."
"...He makes a good point, Kokonoe," Tager spoke, "You've focused too much on trying to get the girls back to their original timelines, that you didn't think that the future itself may have changed. This world...is far different than our original one."
"...I guess...I might have been wrong…" she grumbled.
"Well...then you're a much stronger person than me," Azmuth spoke up, "I'd never admit to such a thing. But then again...I actually am never wrong," he smirked, earning a glare from Kokonoe, "But you seem as smart as Kajun...and I could use a pair of long legs to carry me around my complex."
"Huh?" Kokonoe blinked.
"Also your Powerful Brute is kind and likeable," Azmuth went on, "Maybe your problem my dear...is Earth is too small for you. Maybe getting out and seeing this universe will give you some perspective...and show you your place in it."
"...My place in it…" Kokonoe muttered.
"Look at these dumb-dumbs," he pointed to the others, "...They are lost from their own world and time. Yet...here they found something more. Their true place in the world, be it with their soulmate, as the soldier of the army they truly belong to, or just finding a peaceful world to truly protect with the conviction that tomorrow here...is worth fighting for. Maybe in your own world, you had a place as the smartest being trying to keep things from falling apart. But...heh...here we rely on some stupid kids with amazing power to do that for us Geniuses."
"...ugh….you got a point there…" Kokonoe admitted with a groan, "And...I'll admit that really stings my pride saying that."
"Bah….take pride in what you make," Azmuth replied, "And I bet maybe with a lot more lessons, and some perspective, you could make something truly amazing in this world. Or...you can waste that potential trying to wrangle in these kids and fix something that doesn't need fixing. I only come here when they need a functioning brain. But when I'm not doing that, I'm happy to sit in my lab with my work...and make the Interns cry...hehehe."
"...you," Kokonoe spoke, looking over at Rook, "Mind taking those cuffs off of Tager? I need him for this...curious trip into space."
"Azmuth?" Rook looked to him.
"Don't worry, young blood," Azmuth sighed with a smile, "I'll keep a good eye on them. I've been somewhat lonely since my last assistant took up a new job for the Plumbers High command. Sides, I won't be alive forever, and I need someone who can fix the Omnitrix if Ben ever breaks it again."
"Hey!"
"Don't argue with me, mister 'I dropped it in the toilet'…" Azmuth countered, "Three times, I might add…"
"...You dropped the Omnitrix in a toilet, dude?" Max asked with a deadpanned look.
=Wow...He is legit the epitome of stupidity for humans= Steel added.
"I was 11!" Ben argued.
"I suppose if anyone can deal with someone too smart for us...it is the First Thinker Azmuth." Rook sighed as he released Tager, "I suppose we shall see eachother again next time we need help from the smartest minds in the galaxy."
"Of course," Tager nodded as he stood up, "And it would be nice to have someone to talk to outside a communicator."
"...Was that supposed to be a jab at me?" Kokonoe asked, "...Do I have to do another upgrade to you, Tager?"
"..."
"I thought so. Besides...not sure what else I can add to your Golden Tager XX mode."
"My what?" Tager asked as he walked over.
"So...you're gonna keep her?" Ben asked Azmuth.
"She's probably too strong to stay around here without forcing command away from all of you," Azmuth replied, "I figure if she sticks around me, she'll learn some humility."
"Meh. Could use a change of scenery," Kokonoe shrugged, "...Oh, and since I have free time...that Celica girl you two found…" she looked over at Rook and Max, "Look after her for me until I need her...and heads up. She gets lost easily."
"Gets lost easily?" Rook repeated.
"...ugh. In terms you might understand...think Zoro from One Piece," Kokonoe sighed, earning looks from Tager and Makoto, "...what? I'm allowed to have hobbies."
"Hoo boy...May need to put a tracking device on her so we can figure out how she ends up on the top floor of a place all the way to the bottom in a walk-in freezer in just a few seconds if she's as bad as him," Makoto noted.
"...Oh boy…" everyone sighed, knowing this habit would just lead to more misadventure from here on.
"Also...do not take your eyes off her no matter what," Kokonoe added.
"...We left her with P'li and his team, right?" Max asked Rook.
"We did…" Rook answered before it dawned on him, "..."
"Ah man!" they all sighed.
"Then get searching…she likes to explore," Kokonoe stated as a faint glow began to come off her, Azmuth, and Tager, "And tell Kagura I'll be calling him later."
"Wait, what?" the group blinked..
"...AHH! That's right!" Makoto exclaimed as her tail shot up, "The thing I was supposed to bring her after my search mission was over was to bring her some data from Kagura!"
"Think Kagura forgot about it, too?" Ben asked.
"I hope!"
"I'm sure he has…" Kajun chimed in, "But for now...I believe you should help search for this Celica girl. Noel can help Lambda get acquainted and learn to be a...well normal girl in a sense. As for myself…" she looked at the still arguing Blukic and Driba, "After being reminded what they did...I still need to reprimand them for repairing a certain universe destroying bomb."
"?!" the two Galvan tensed up at that.
"This is why I got rid of them." Azmuth sighed.
"I can completely agree on that choice," Kokonoe agreed before the trio vanished.
"Okay, off to find this Celica girl," Ben noted as he turned on his Omnitrix, "Just gotta go Wildmutt and…" he pushed down and a flash of light replaced him with Ditto, "...and Ditto will go out."
"You didn't pa…"
"I didn't pay attention, yeah," Ditto sighed.
"...Work with it," Tsubaki sighed, "Everyone, split up and search for this Celica girl!"
"Yes, ma'am!" Ditto replied as he proceeded to make several clones...before one crawled up onto the bed Lambda was on and fell asleep, "Five…"
"Meh…Zzz..."
"...Kawaii…" Lambda noted.
"He is," Noel admitted, "And just as cute as Robotboy."
"...both are kawaii…" Lambda spoke, picking up Robotboy before walking over to the sleeping Ditto...and laid right next to him.
=We're in for more insanity, aren't we?= Steel asked.
"Seems like it."
=Is it too late for me to go back to sleep?=
"Yep."
=Blast…=
"...Why do I feel things are gonna get more insane?" Ragna asked himself, suddenly stopping in the middle of the marketplace in Undertown. This odd feeling of things getting more crazy, as if a familiar face was nearby.
"Ooh~ What's this?" a female voice asked in curiosity and wonder, making Ragna turn to see a young human woman looking at one of the items the stand was selling.
She had long auburn hair tied into a ponytail held together by a red ribbon, her eyes the color of soft wet soil as they were filled with awe and intrigue. She wore a long-sleeved white shirt with hints of gold on it with a red tie-ribbon holding up the black cape draped over her shoulders, a frilled-black skirt with hints of gold around the hem and held up by a small golden buckle, and a pair of brown high-heels.
"Um, excuse me sir!" the woman called out to the stall vendor, "How much are these? I'm hoping to buy something for that nice panda and his friends."
"Hmm?" the vendor blinked, "...Uh...ten Taeden."
"...hmm…" the young woman pondered as she looked into her cape for something before pulling out a small satchel, "Will Platinum Dollars count?"
"?!" the vendor nearly spat his drink out at that, "Platinum?!"
"Is...there a problem?" she asked out of confusion...and light innocence.
"...n-no," he quickly cleared his throat, "...How much you got?"
"Oh. Well I…"
"She'll buy it for one Platinum Dollar," Ragna interjected as he walked up next to her.
"One?!"
"Is that a problem?" Ragna frowned, gripping his sword a bit.
"No sir!" he quickly replied, "One Platinum Dollar please!"
"Oh! Okay!" the young woman smiled, opening the satchel as she pulled out a single platinum coin and placed it before him, "Here you go."
"H-have a good day!" the vendor yelped, pushing the items before her before running off.
"He was nice," the young woman smiled a bit before looking at Ragna, "And thank you, but I think we were doing fine."
"He was going to rip you off," Ragna argued.
"Oh...maybe he had a good reason," she argued, "Maybe he has a family he needs to feed."
"...Just trust me. Some people down here are pretty shady," Ragna advised.
"My sister often warned me of that too," the young woman admitted before gasping, "Oh! I'm sorry...I forgot to introduce myself. I'm…"
"Celica~! Hey! Celica!" Ditto's voice called out, "Is there a girl named Celica down here?!"
"Hmm?" the young woman blinked as she looked around before seeing a Ditto walking nearby, looking around, "Oh! Um..over here!"
The Ditto turned to her as he ran over, "What are you doing all the way out here?! How'd you get out here!?"
"Out here? Um...We're not still underground?"
"We are, but you went from an underground base for space police to an underground village made by aliens," Ditto replied.
"Oh~" Celica noted, "I was wondering why things looked different after I took that turn down that tunnel."
"What tunnel?" he blinked several times, "May be better that I not ask…"
"You know her, kid?" Ragna asked.
"I swear that I'll get you to start saying my name again," Ditto swore, "But sorta. Celica, Ragna. Ragna, Celica."
"Hello again," Celica waved with that innocent smile of hers.
"What's the deal with her?" Ragna asked.
"I dunno...that Kokonoe lady just unloaded her on us after Azmuth hired her as his new assistant," Ditto explained.
"...I knew something was up…" Ragna facepalmed.
"Oh? Kokonoe had to leave to do something?" Celica asked, "Well I hope she'll be okay. She really needs to take a nap. I think she's been up for a few months or so now."
"..." Ditto and Ragna looked at one another before looking at Celica once more. It was as if...this girl was that innocent.
"...Oh!" Celica gasped when she noticed a cut on Ragna's arm, "You're hurt...what happened?"
"Hmm?" Ragna raised a brow before looking at the cut, "Oh this? It's nothing...just got into a tussle with Tao when she refused to not eat my lunch."
"But you didn't go get any medical treatment?" Celica asked with a scolding frown, speaking in a tone that sounded like a mother scolding her child, "You could get sick or worse...get gangrene from not treating it."
"It's nothing really," Ragna assured...starting to get a bit nervous.
"It is something. In fact...let me see it," Celica ordered, making Ragna blink, "Come on...you want me to make it feel better or not?"
"...o...okay…" Ragna muttered as he held his arm out to her.
Celica nodded as she put her hands on it, closing her eyes as a faint yet soft forest green glow came off of her, her cape flowing a bit. She breathed softly through her nose as she began to channel the energy into Ragna's cut...which began to close up slowly until it faded away, much to the shock of Ragna and Ditto.
"There…" Celica whispered as she moved her hands off of Ragna's arm, "Feel better?"
"...huh. It actually kinda does…" Ragna muttered, flexing his arm a bit, "In fact...feels like I just got up today."
"Good!" Celica smiled.
"...Uh...Celica?" Ditto spoke, getting her attention, "By any chance...was that magic?"
"Oh! Well, yes. I learned it from my sister," Celica replied with a smile.
"...Hilda~!" Ditto called before making a duplicate and fell over...only for the copy to not catch him and made them both yelp, "OW!" he jumped up, "You were supposed to catch me!"
"I'm Ditto, not Hilda."
"Even still, you know that hurts the both o-" Ditto began before Celica channeled her magic once more and put a hand on top of both.
"Better?"
"...Uh...Yeah?" the first replied.
"Was that a question or answer?" the second asked.
"Uh...Yes?"
"As long as you're feeling better," Celica stated before grabbing the items she purchased, "Now let us go, please. I do not want to keep P'li and his friends waiting and worried."
"Uh...y-yeah," the first nodded, "Just...stay close, Celica."
"Okay," Celica nodded before waving a bit at Ragna, "Bye, Ragna. I hope to see you again sometime soon."
"...Uh...yeah," Ranga whispered, waving back to her as she and the first Ditto began to leave.
"..." the second Ditto began to grin.
"...Don't even think about it, kid."
"Then why're ya winking~?"
"I'm not…!" Ragna began as he tried to lift his other arm...only to tense when he couldn't feel it at all. In fact….he couldn't even open his eye as well, "...the hell?"
"...Wait. Are you ok-" Ditto began just as Celica and the other ditto turned a corner...letting Ragna's eye snapped open and his arm shoot up,"GAH!"
"Oh thank god," Ragna sighed as he moved his arm, '...the hell just happened? I couldn't even move my Azure Grimoire Arm….or even open my eye.'
"...you sure your okay, man?"
"Yeah...I am. Just...just go, Ben."
"That was a hollow victory 'cause you seem weird!" Ditto shouted.
"Just go before I bonk all of you upside the head!" Ragna barked, "And I say that because I know ALL of you will feel it!"
"Well fine, Mr. Snippy...but just so you know, I am a scrappy and annoying person! This isn't the last you've seen of me!"
"I'll take you on any day! But not right now, so leave!"
"N-" Ditto began before Ragna pulled his sword out in scythe mode, "?!"
"LEAVE!"
"AH!" Ditto panicked as he ran off.
"...ugh...damn it. My mood is ruined a bit…" Ragna muttered, shifting his weapon back to normal as he resheathed it, "Still...that girl Celica...she knows magic...and my eye and arm were out of commision until she left the area….just what is she?"
"It's called love, dingus!" Ditto called off from offscreen.
"ONE MORE TIME, AND I WILL HURT YOU!" Ragna snapped.
"Yipe!" crashing was heard as he ran off.
"37, did you have to anger the guy?!" the first demanded, "Why do you always do that?!"
"What? Not my fault people are easy to tease."
"GRR!" Ragna growled in frustration as he stomped off, 'Calm down, Ragna...just ignore him and ponder just who or what Celica is...and why she feels so...familiar.'
SZ: Well..a whole lot of info dump and such this chapter.
GT: Yep. Plus, two more to house and feed at the house. May need to hire those aliens that helped fix Bellwood when Ben was 10/11 due to the glitching Omnitrix making Azmuth a Way Big.
Z0: *already dressed as a construction foreman* I'm on it! *lifts a giant bundle of lumber*
SZ:...Ahem! Anyways we hope you enjoyed this chapter and bit of rest and...again info dump.
Z0: We are setting up a lot here folks, give us time.
GT: Yep. So excuse any info dump or lackluster chapters. Until next time, please Read and Review