Chapter 24: An Alien Cousin and a Grandfather's Taste
Alien X materialized on the surface of a desolate, wind-swept planet. The silence was absolute, broken only by the whisper of red dust across cracked rock. A moment later, a faint cyan light pulsed, and the cosmic being dissolved back into the form of Klein.
Ever since he'd confirmed his effortless command over Alien X, Klein had decided a bit of casual universe-hopping was in order. What better way to spend an afternoon?
"Wuwuwu..."
A soft, mournful sound drifted on the thin air. Klein paused, his head tilting slightly. He scanned the barren landscape. Crying? Out here, in the middle of nowhere? His first thought was immediate and cynical.
'A scam,'he concluded.'Definitely a trap.'
He shrugged, dismissing it. Not his problem. He continued his trek across the rust-colored plains, but the sound persisted, a faint, weeping echo that seemed to follow him, never fading, never getting closer. It was just… there. An irritating, constant presence.
After several more minutes of the unending sob story, his patience wore thin. Seeing that whatever was making the noise had no intention of leaving him in peace, Klein decided he might as well deal with the nuisance.
He slapped the faceplate of the Another Omnitrix.
"Swampfire!"
A flash of cyan light erupted, and in his place stood a towering, plant-like creature, its body a tangle of green and black vines, its head shaped like a blooming, fiery petal. A pungent, earthy scent filled the air.
Swampfire raised his right hand, and a sphere of emerald fire crackled to life in his palm. With a casual flick of his wrist, he launched the fireball toward the source of the crying—a massive, solitary boulder jutting from the flat terrain.
Boom!
The rock exploded into a shower of gravel and dust.
"Ahhh!" A startled shriek cut through the air as a small, human-looking girl, no older than ten, scrambled out from behind the obliterated cover.
"Hmm?" Swampfire tilted his head, a low rumble in his chest. 'A human? Out here?'The thought was immediately discarded.'Unlikely. Which means she's not human.'His logic was cold and simple.'And she's been tailing me this whole time. Definitely hostile.'
The concepts of "cherish" and "pity" had long since been filed away in a forgotten corner of his mind. Swampfire immediately prepared to eliminate the potential threat.
"Wait!" the little girl shouted, her hands flying up in a placating gesture.
'You say wait, so I wait? Not a chance.'
As if he hadn't heard a thing, Swampfire casually tossed another fireball her way.
But this time, the girl reacted. She thrust her hands forward, and a shimmering, translucent shield of pure purple energy materialized in front of her, intercepting the flames with a sharp hiss.
"Mana?!" Swampfire froze, recognizing the energy signature instantly. It was deeply familiar. "You're an Anodite?"
Seeing as she wasn't some random monster, he decided to grant her a moment's reprieve. "Why are you following me?"
"Um..." The girl fidgeted, looking as if she had something difficult to admit.
In response, Swampfire's right hand once again began to glow with nascent fire.
"Wait! I'll tell you! Just don't laugh when I do..." she pleaded, waving her hands frantically, her eyes wide with fear of another fiery attack. "I was being naughty, so Grandma Verdona dumped me on this planet. She said I needed to reflect on my actions."
"And what does that have to do with me?" Swampfire lowered his hand, the flames subsiding. "Why," he repeated, emphasizing the core of his question, "are you following me?"
"I just got here and happened to see you," she explained, poking her index fingers together nervously. "I was super bored, so I wanted to find you to keep me company."
"And?" Swampfire's tone made it clear he didn't buy that for a second.
"..." The girl's head drooped lower, and she mumbled something under her breath.
"What was that?"
She whispered a little louder, "Because... you're handsome."
Swampfire stood perfectly still for a solid three seconds, processing the statement. Then, without a word, he turned and began to walk away.
A cyan flash, and he was Klein again. The Another Omnitrix had its own self-preservation protocols; he wasn't worried about a sneak attack from a little girl.
"Hey!" She scrambled to catch up, falling into step beside him. "My name is Sunny! What's your name, handsome big brother?"
...
Klein had come to this planet for some quiet exploration. Desolate worlds were perfect for that sort of thing.
Now, he was beginning to regret his choice. Sunny was a relentless chatterbox, talking with the kind of frantic energy that suggested she hadn't spoken to another living soul in years.
Still, she clearly had no ill intentions and hadn't actually done anything to provoke him beyond being annoying. He couldn't just incinerate her. A few lingering scraps of his conscience prevented him from simply abandoning the girl and teleporting away, either.
His new mission was clear: find this "Grandma Verdona" and then go home for a nap. He reasoned that since she had only just dropped Sunny off, she couldn't be too far away. She was probably still on-planet, watching from a distance.
After another hour of fruitless searching and non-stop chatter, Klein gave up. He didn't want to search anymore. New plan: just send Sunny home directly.
Just as he was about to formulate an excuse to get her to cooperate, a low, rumbling commotion echoed from the distance.
Klein stopped in his tracks. Seeing him halt, Sunny quickly fell silent and stood beside him.
The rumbling grew louder, closer, shaking the very ground beneath their feet. Soon, they saw its source: a hulking, three-meter-tall alien that looked like a devolved, brutish caveman, all muscle and matted fur.
"Ah! Big brother, I'm so scared!" Sunny squeaked, seizing the opportunity to wrap her arms tightly around Klein's left arm.
'You don't look scared in the slightest,' Klein complained internally. He effortlessly detached her from his arm and slapped the Omnitrix.
"Feedback!"
The cyan light flared, and a tall, slender black-and-white alien with a single green eye and conductive plugs on its fingers and tail took his place.
Feedback raised his right hand, and the antenna on his head crackled. A torrent of raw, violent lightning erupted from his fingertips. The terrifying bolt struck the primitive beast head-on. It convulsed for a single, silent moment before collapsing, its fur smoking and charred. Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside.
"Big brother is so awesome!" Sunny cheered from the sidelines, acting as his one-person fan club.
With the threat neutralized, a cyan flash returned Klein to his human form.
Sunny immediately rushed forward, ready to heap on more praise, but Klein held up a hand to stop her. "Do you want to go home?" he asked, his tone leaving no room for argument.
"Not yet," Sunny answered obediently.
Klein's eye twitched. 'Wasn't this the same girl who was crying her eyes out just a little while ago?!'
"I'm sending you home," he stated flatly, pretending he hadn't heard her.
Sunny's cheerful expression faltered, her hands twisting together in front of her. But before she could protest, a powerful, feminine voice boomed from the sky above.
"Little brat! Are you trying to abduct my granddaughter?"
Klein and Sunny both looked up. Floating in mid-air was a woman composed of pure, shimmering pink energy, her form radiating an immense power that warped the air around her. An Anodite.
"Actually, that would be fine..." Sunny muttered under her breath, lowering her head with a blush.
"Be quiet!" the Anodite roared, her voice cracking like a whip.
"Sorry, Grandma Verdona..." Sunny flinched, immediately conceding.
"And you, you little brat!" Verdona's glowing eyes fixed on Klein, burning with indignation.
But Klein completely ignored the furious energy being. Instead, he turned to Sunny, his expression one of utter disbelief. "What did you just call her?!"
"Grandma Verdona. Why? What's wrong?" Sunny looked back at him, confused by his sudden change in focus.
Klein just shook his head slowly, a strange look on his face. 'Grandpa,'he thought,'I've met Grandma Verdona.'
Verdona's frown deepened as she realized she was being ignored. Outraged, she gathered her power, preparing to teach this insolent child a lesson.
Klein didn't bother with words. Grandpa Max had mentioned a Verdona, but he'd never explained why they lived apart. Who knew what kind of history they had? Bringing up Grandpa's name now might just make her even angrier.
'Her temper seems pretty explosive,'he mused internally.'One can only say... as expected of Grandpa's taste.'
With that final, dry thought, Klein slapped the Omnitrix one last time. His desire to explore the universe had completely evaporated.
In an instantaneous, reality-bending shift, he became Alien X.
The moment the cosmic being appeared, Verdona froze. An overwhelming, suffocating sense of danger washed over her, extinguishing her anger like a candle in a vacuum. She didn't dare move a muscle.
For a few seconds that stretched into an eternity, Alien X simply existed. Then, just as suddenly as he had appeared, he vanished.
Verdona hovered in the silent air, her energy form flickering. She quickly swooped down, grabbed a pouting Sunny, and shot back into the sky. As they departed, Sunny looked back with a lingering sense of loss at the spot where her handsome big brother had disappeared.
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