Ben10 & Digimon Tamers
Heroes and Humanity
Part 02: Humanity and Heroes
Presage – Chapter 64
Originally Written: March 13, 2017 641AM to 826AM
. . . . .
Albedo imagined that if a Plumber was around to see him, they would question if they should even be allowing him to do this. He himself wasn't sure what made him think that attempting to step on one of those energy platforms female Tennyson made was a good idea.
He had tried this a while ago in his room, away from prying eyes, in an act of randomness spurred by boredom. He started on a flat level, and then moved to steps long before he was ready. He face planted onto the bed with quite a bit of force. Luckily his bed was squishy. It still hurt, but he hadn't broken any bones. If asked when his guard was down, he'd probably say it felt like he had tripped.
He definitely didn't know what made him try it again over the hard concrete of the building's roof. The thought didn't nearly concern him as much as the ridiculous lapse in security that allowed him to sneak past all the plumbers to get up here. Twenty minutes and counting. He wondered if Jenrya would be proud.
He rolled his eyes. Just because they didn't have cameras visible to his view, didn't mean they didn't exist. They were probably watching him more than Tennyson did whenever they found each other in the same room. The only difference being the Plumbers had more stealth and common sense than the raging alarm system known as Tennyson. Not much more, but enough to be noticeable.
He took another tentative step to another off pinkish purple glowing platform. He released a breath he didn't know he was holding when the platform didn't disappear under his feet. How in the world was she so good at this? And why did Jenrya think he could do the same? Give him an Omnitrix any day. He could work that exquisite device just fine.
He barely felt the wind or the cold against his skin, even though he wore just a light long sleeve shirt and his trademark red jacket. He didn't want to think much in detail about how cool or windy it was either, lest he lose his concentration.
Maybe he should-
No. Absolutely not. Let that self entitled Queen have something to one-up him with? He wouldn't dare. Even if she would have more knowledge of it due to her Sakuyamon form. He could figure it out on his own. He'd just need to study.
Study what though? There's little to no analysis on anodites due to their lack of genes and their ability to meld obscenely well within other species societies. Why couldn't he have picked up another alien's abilities? He had better access to more information about any other alien he knew the existence of than anodites. More than a few of them had magical abilities to boot!
He took another deep breath as he recognized both of his feet planted firmly on yet another sturdy platform.
'I have no idea how I'm doing this...' He refused to look down as he tapped his feet against the platform. In his Galvan form, falling to the floor wasn't much of an issue as long as he wasn't standing on something taller than him. As a human, falling to the ground hurts no matter what height you did it from. Humans had such thin outer layers...
He shook his head as Jenrya's suggestion rang through his head again. Rika hadn't bothered him about it after Takato's 'recommendation'. She hadn't needed to. Kazu asked about what 'really cool thing' he missed so much that he had to turn off the sound notification for Kazu's number on his D-Terminal. He almost would prefer Rika nagging him about it.
He pulled down his shirt sleeves, and tentatively reached his foot forward. He pressed it down onto another platform. He wondered what number that was. It more than likely didn't matter. At the speed he was going, it'd be more beneficial to use one of the few alien forms he still had access to.
He looked around to the other apartment buildings surrounding him. They looked quite indistinct. He couldn't make out many lights, even though the sun had risen some time ago.
A Plumber guard hadn't even come up to take his or her post on the other building's roof yet. He wondered if the Plumber assigned to post today was even awake yet. Maybe they hadn't even arrived yet.
He stretched his arms up, fingers still holding onto his shirt sleeves under the jacket sleeves. He remembered when Jenrya had taken him to the roof to meditate, back at the old apartments, when things were more simple.
He moved his foot back to the original platform. He closed his eyes and breathed, just standing however high up he was. He saw the light shining through his eyelids. A warm calm washed over him.
He missed those days, if he were honest with himself. He didn't have concerns with Tennyson targeting him in his dreams, mocking him with the possession of the Omnitrix when he was awake. He didn't contemplate the whereabouts of Plumber impersonators motivated or even hired by Tennyson to make his life a living hell. He certainly didn't have to worry about confinement under a house arrest term disguised as a long and boring vacation.
He opened his eyes just a bit. Red peeked out from under the eyelids. A Plumber looked back at him wide eyed. To take advantage of the strange abilities Tennyson's wretched genes and Juggernaut were giving him. Maybe that was his only way out of Azmuth's and Tennyson's cruel, illogical reign and hold. Maybe he would ask Rika.
"Albedo, please turn back around and return to the apartment." A plumber behind him spoke. "Slowly." They spoke slowly. Too slowly.
He partially turned back around. He opened his eyes fully. He looked at the Plumber, leaned up against the edge of the apartment roof.
"Found him on the roof. Kind of." He heard the same Plumber speak into a communicator.
'Wait...' He narrowed his eyes, "What?" He murmured. He looked down and around further. "Fuck."
"Can you get back?" The Plumber looked at him.
Juggernaut told him this was Rose Amano. Huh.
"Course I can make it back." He snapped. He blinked. It wasn't even that far. Just a foot or two. If he really wanted, he could jump, tuck and roll. But then he'd get bruised, and they'd mollycoddle him with medical treatment. He held in a shudder.
How in the milky way had he even managed to walk out the building's perimeter below him? He felt his heart start to race.
'Just make another one.' He thought to himself. A simple order. 'And another one.' Now, if only he could make them show up. He frowned, clenching his fists. He glanced at Rose for a moment.
She held her disguised hands out towards him, waiting patiently.
Another platform faded in and out of existence in front of him. He felt Juggernaut in his mind. A quite uncomfortable tingly feeling filled in his head. Slowly, it worked down his body.
He looked down at the platform below him. And then at Rose. 'How did I do all of that before!? I started on the middle of the roof! Actually on the roof!'
"Request backup, preferably an alien of the flying kind." Rose spoke into her communicator. She looked at him, "Just focus on the one you're on."
It's like she read his mind! He thought of just transforming into his Necroffrigian form, but he honestly wasn't sure he could concentrate on the platform and the transformation at the same time.
'Insufficient energy.'
'Thank you, Juggernaut.' Albedo spoke in a bland voice. 'I should have found Jenrya first, at least.'
Well, if he fell he wouldn't have to face anymore of these unfounded punishments. That would be nice...
No, not this way. The great Albedo could not go out as a splat on the concrete on some backwater planet. His name would become the name of fools. Not even a Cerebrocrustacean would name their offspring Albedo.
He'd make Jenrya sad too. Again. He narrowed his eyes.
Ryo wouldn't like it either. Nor Jeri, Fridge, Swamps or Hugh. That Dr. Iris saw something of worth in him too. Way more than most humans. His students...
He wouldn't have any more Plumbers, fake or otherwise grab him. Save him. He wouldn't accept that either. They'd start staring. Wonder what he was doing up there in the first place. He only got Jenrya to stop a while ago. He wanted to keep those looks of determination and amusement on his face.
"Don't you dare!"
He looked at Rose, and jumped towards her. She climbed up on the roof's edge with surprising speed. Other Plumbers ran towards them.
Juggernaut whirred in his mind. His hand brushed Rose's, and then he felt a really uncomfortable tug, as though some form of a gravitational pull had seized him. It couldn't have come from Rose. He instinctively shut his eyes, against his better judgment.
He landed none too lightly on the smooth floor. Feet first at that, somehow. His sneakers slipped as water cascaded down over him. His momentum pushed him into a person. He stumbled forward, forced to rest all his weight on them.
Jenrya sputtered in surprise. He rested his head on Jenrya's person. His head was pounding.
"Albedo?"
'Synchronizing...'
He winced, and raised his hands to his head. He rubbed his scalp with the pads of his fingertips, pushing past long strands of now soaking wet white hair.
"I'd say nice of you to drop in, but what the hell were you thinking?" Jenrya spoke softly, yet stern a few moments later.
He sighed, still trying to figure out what happened. "Oh..." He murmured in realization. "Juggernaut."
"Juggernaut must be really strong in you to influence you like that."
"W-what?"
"It won't let you do anything that has a high chance of death." Jenrya pushed himself up so he and Albedo were standing upright. "Like swallowing an entire bottle of pills." He placed his hands on Albedo's shoulders.
His whole body felt uncomfortably tingly. He was used to the feeling of transforming; the only thing he and Tennyson would agree on was that it wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world. This felt like one of his foolish mentor's experimental machines had torn him apart completely on the atomic level, and put him back together in way less time than it took him to transform into an alien.
"Or jump off energy tiles to a building's roof a few feet away from you in a panic."
He lowered his eyes, "I don't even know how I did it."
"I know." Jenrya hugged him tightly. "It'll pass soon." The male spoke into his ear.
"Mhm..." He looked off to the side. "Feels so weird."
Jenrya ran a hand through his hair. The warm water felt soothing against his body, even though his red jacket and clothes. "I'll explain it more later."
"Henry?" A voice called from behind the bathroom door.
"I got him. We'll be right out." Jenrya chuckled, "You're giving these guys a run for their money."
He'd smirk if he wasn't suddenly so tired. His nerves and muscles felt so energetic, itching to move, yet, he could not make himself do so.
"I'm glad you weren't hurt."
"Mmm..." His legs and knees felt weak.
"If you ever pull something like this again I will flay you alive. Just because your genes have been overwritten by a human's genes doesn't mean you have to go stupid full stop."
Jenrya's arms wrapped around him even tighter than before. Under normal circumstances he'd find this uncomfortably painful enough to at least wince, but this time around he found himself smiling.
A/N: You are supposed to get the hint that for a short moment, Albedo considers letting himself fall. It's just one of those days for him.
