Ben10 & Digimon Tamers

Heroes and Humanity

Part 02: Humanity and Heroes

Another Myself – Chapter 102 Part 01

Originally Written: Sunday, October 22, 2017 917PM to Saturday, March 10, 2018 106AM to 244AM

. . . . .

Albedo tilted his head forward at the sound of applause.

"I'm truly impressed."

He moved to a sitting position. He took a few deep, shuddering breaths in an unsuccessful attempt to stop crying.

Eon stood aways in front of him. Nega Ben, Mad Ben and Benzarro crowded around something on the ground. A line consisting of Beelzemon, the Leomon, a few of the stronger digimon from the village, and an Antylamon blocked their path.

"I've never heard that particular Ben scream like that before." Eon continued clapping. "That sound of absolute debilitating pain was delightful to hear."

Albedo caught Nega Ben giving Eon an odd look. Something similar to a wide eyes and a frown.

"I'm glad you liked it." Jeri responded. She looked quite disheveled, but mostly unharmed in her ADR-01 form. She grinned at Eon from her position floating off the ground. "I manipulated his data, tricking him into thinking the pain he felt was real."

Something told him he wasn't fully comprehending how intense or harmful Jeri's payback was.

"Nice." Eon grinned, nodding his head. "But that leaves me with a question." He dramatically waved a hand in front of him. "How many more times can you do that?"

"As many as required." Jeri's voice dipped into a bit of a growl.

"As many times as required...Are you certain?" He started to pace in front of the other Bens. "Could you do it within milliseconds? Nanoseconds? Attoseconds?"

Albedo shook his head slowly. Jeri's scowl deepened with every word Eon spoke. Juggernaut decided to dutifully remind him that an attosecond was one quintillionth of a second. Negative zero point eighteen zeros followed by a one...

"Ah, no?" He tilted his head. "Gifted, but not quite gifted enough, eh?" He grinned a smile full of off colored teeth.

"What are you getting at?" Takato questioned.

"I am a time traveler, foolish child. In the time it takes you to stop me from one attempt, I am starting my next! No, I am over halfway through finishing my next! Just waiting for you to realize what I've done!" He clenched his fists. "You are ants beneath me! You cannot stop time! You can only temporarily prevent the inevitable victory that is mine from coming to fruition when it should! Either way it will still be my victory! The only thing more pathetic than your attempts is your inability to recognize when the great Eon has performed his next move!" He folded his arms behind his back.

Albedo moved to a kneeling position. He tightly clenched his fists against his thighs. Around him, Swamps, Fridge and Hugh growled and snarled as they circled Albedo. A ring of protection against someone so infinitely powerful.

"You...you..." Hugh growled out something in Vaxasaurian. Albedo recognized it as a curse without a straight translation to Earth languages. "It was you!"

Eon only grinned at him. "The dunce of the group has it figured out." He burst into a short giggle, "But it won't do you any good now. I'm quite proud of my ego. It's well deserved and earned." He glared at all of them.

Albedo felt those eyes deep within him, as though the deranged man before them knew things about himself that even he did not.

"Plumbers are stupid. Haven't quite figured out how to make my glorious presence not register as Ben Tennyson. I, the Great Eon, have yet to come across a Plumber HQ that I can't just waltz into. Type a few commands into a computer, and poof, as time decays aged buildings, so too, does data disappear. Better yet, all done before any of those fools who think they are preventing me from obtaining further greatness have even registered me on their systems. More than enough to change that too. What information is true, and what is false? When I'm done, you don't know. You never will."

"...Shit..." Ryo muttered.

"You," he wagged a finger at Ryo, "my future friend. You have a very interesting file. As do you." He waved a hand towards Albedo.

He felt as though a perverted being's hand just slowly ran down his back. He tightly shut his eyes.

"I'll take you both."

"What do you mean both?" Beelzemon snarled.

"They'll only come in a pair, fool. I drop and break one, the other will follow. But...doing it one at a time is not as fun." Eon disappeared in a flash of purple.

Albedo leaned back, away from his pale, wrinkled, mottled hand. Behind Eon, Hugh gasped in shock. Eon grabbed Albedo's shirt and pulled him forward. He ran the back of his other hand down his face. "How are your dreams? I hope you like them. You'll be having a lot more."

He felt tears run down his face. Eon disappeared in another flash of purple just as Hugh turned around. His arms fell to the sides, hanging limp. Hugh wrapped his overbearing arms around him.

"Y-you won't touch him!"

"And you think you'll stop me?"

Albedo flinched as he heard that horrible whooshing sound that accompanied Eon disappearing into another of those wretched portals.

"Or you, Legendary Tamer?"

Around him, he heard whispered voices of surprise and shock.

"How angry are you at those stupid, blind, Plumbers? I can provide you with your namesake. I can show you what justice really is."

"We've no deals to make with you." Cyberdramon growled out. "The only thing you will do is die by our hand."

"So certain. So confident. So naive. I am Eon, the time traveler! You don't stop me! I stop you!" Another whoosh, another portal.

"Imagine, dearest Albedo, it's the middle of the night. So calm, so peaceful. You find yourself tucked under warm covers, next to a warm, loving body. Both of you sleeping soundly. With no clue that in an attosecond, there will be a flutter, a flash, a sprinkling of dust. In the next, that nuisance to mankind, the bane of the universe's existence, Ben Tennyson just shoved his wretched hand through your chest. Again. To everyone else, you look just fine. At least until you wake. You're not going to wait for him to do that to you for real, are you? It's only a matter of time, after all."

"You son of a goddamn-!" A rush of heat flashed by Albedo as Swamps screamed.

"-Shhh, there are kids with sensitive ears nearby." Eon giggled.

"What the heck, man?" Kazu muttered. "What the heck, what the heck, what heck!?"

Albedo heard another whooshing sound, and then a heavy hand pressed down on his head.

"You know how this goes, don't you child? It stops whenever you choose." Eon ran his hand softly against his head, as though one would their pet.

Albedo seized up at the touch.

"Unless, you'd rather be insane while traveling with me. That's a good option too." He broke out until giggles.

Somehow, he managed to shake his head ever so slightly. He looked up at Hugh.

Hugh glared death and hatred towards Eon's already dead eyes. "Don't. Touch. Him."

Fridge sang a long note that reminded Albedo of Frigga's songs of dread from Albedo Prime's Earth.

He closed his eyes.

Eon only laughed a mocking laugh.

"What is wrong with you!?" Kazu shouted.

It was a loud, confident, scream filled with rage, but Albedo couldn't figure out why Kazu screamed that way. You don't stop Eon. You don't stop time. There was no point to trying really. He lowered his head.

"Y-you are the worst human I've ever had the displeasure of knowing." Gaurdromon spoke, voice stern with displeasure.

He wrapped his arms around himself as best he could with Hugh's arms shielding him. He could probably take being insane. He could take Tennyson attacking him. He could take Eon focusing on him. He would do it, he decided. He had no choice but to. As long as it took for Albedo Prime to escape Eon's clutches. As long as he could, so he wouldn't drag Ryo and Cyberdramon with him. He dropped his arms.

"A-Albedo...?" Hugh's brown eyes looked down at him.

"It's okay..." He replied. "...better this way..."

'Illogical Conclusion.' Juggernaut sounded almost as though he were scolding him.

"SCREW YOU, PSYCHO!" Kazu shouted even louder, his voice cracking and throat straining to produce the sound. "I don't give a shit who you are! You don't get to torture my friends! You don't get to torture anybody!"

The other's voices merged into shouts and battle cries of useless disapproval and protest.

"Just looking at you angers me!" Gaurdromon shouted his agreement.

"WE'RE GONNA KICK YOUR ASS!"