Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was a strange thing. To feel a spark, that is. Anodites didn’t really do this. They didn’t breed. There was no reason for there to be a spark. Every Anodite had the spark. They were their sparks. There was no flash, no moment when their energy roared to life within them, like there was when other species developed their power. That made it all the more strange when Verdona felt the birth of a power so foreign yet so familiar halfway across the galaxy.

Verdona didn’t know any Anodites who had children like she had. She’d never been told what it would feel like to feel an extension of her life force burst into being, let alone to feel it happen inside someone else halfway across the galaxy. She didn’t even know how she knew that was what happened. But she knew. Somehow, she knew what was happening. And she knew what she had to do.

It’d been so long since she left Anodyne, let alone traveled all the way to Earth. It was just like she remembered: a sea of blue coating the surface and filling the sky, wispy white clouds that looked oh so soft yet resisted her attempts to touch, stretches and stretches of green, centers of human dwellings and creation… It was beautiful in a way Anodyne couldn’t compare to. Her homeworld was beautiful too, of course, covered in delicious mana but there was just something about Earth that filled her with wide-eyed wonder.

But life, oh there was just so much. Little flecks all across the surface, painting the Earth like the stars that dotted the night sky. It was distracting and overwhelming down there with them but from up here, it was beautiful. She just had to take a moment to take it all in. The journey here had been long for an Anodite. She thought she deserved at least a moment. She couldn’t spend all her time just basking in it though. There were specific life forms down there she had to pay more attention to.

Max, Carl, and Frank were not hard to find, even among the sheer number of beings all sporting their own life energy down there. Those three, she knew them like she knew the way her own mana dance when she let it run free. The trouble was just deciding who to visit first. Max, her lover, or her boys, her beloved sons? She couldn’t choose between them.

As she drew closer, Verdona realized Carl and Frank weren’t together. That was saddening, that they didn’t still cling to each other like they had in their youth. But a good thing maybe? She’d gotten the chance to watch them grow but she hadn’t gotten the chance to watch them mature. She wondered what kind of men they’d become. Ones with wives and children, if the spark she felt was any indicator. She couldn’t wait to see them and meet their loved ones. She hoped they found the fulfillment Max had found in their little family, the fulfillment an Anodite just couldn’t find in human matters.

However excited she was, their separation was the answer to her question. She couldn’t visit one first before the other. If raising two boys taught her anything, it was that you couldn’t pick one over the other for anything. No matter. She wanted to see Max anyway. He’d have the answers she sought. 

He wasn’t at their old family home. Verdona didn’t know how she felt about it. She somehow knew he still owned it. Max was sentimental like that. But she couldn’t imagine why he’d choose to live in an RV parking lot. It wasn’t bad per se but it just wasn’t her style. But Max’s maybe? Yes, she could see him being happy here. A little lonely maybe but happy.

She could feel how close he was now and that made her a little nervous. She swatted that thought away as quickly as she could. It was just something leftover from her time as a human. Anodites were free, weightless. Anxiety was never something that stopped her. Without a moment longer of hesitation, Verdona flew through the RV’s open window and into Max’s living room where he sat tapping at some rectangular device she didn’t recognize.

She wished she could say he was exactly like she remembered. When she returned to Anodyne, everyone and everything had been just like she remembered. But humans weren’t like that. Their lives were short and they changed rapidly. Even in their time together, Max had aged. And she’d been gone for nearly just as long as she’d stayed. Max had grown old.

His hair had grown gray. His skin had become tired and wrinkled. His body- Well, he lost the fitness of his youth. He’d put on quite a bit of weight, having transformed from the strapping soldier he’d been in his younger years to a softer, more pillowy figure. 

But there was still strength behind that softness. His old spirit hadn’t died with his youth.

He still wore the flower printed shirts she’d bought him back when she didn’t have the slightest understanding of human fashion. She’d grown to dislike them over time but Max refused to stop wearing them, laughing anytime she merely hinted at him expanding his wardrobe. He loved those shirts. And when she’d ask why, he’d tell her that it was because he loved her.

Verdona had doubted that love would last this long. She’d doubted it for more than a moment. Far longer than a moment. Longer than she’d ever tell Max. But it seemed those doubts were misplaced. The look on Max’s face the moment he laid eyes on her, so full of joy and love, made Verdona wish she’d never left.

He gaped at her for a moment, mouth opening and closing, unable to find the words. She gave him a moment to think. He’d get there. He always did. Even if he didn’t always know what to say or how to say it, he’d always get there eventually.

“Verdona,” Max breathed, eyes starry. She smiled. He sounded awestruck, just like he had all those years ago watching her fly for the first time. Like she hadn’t left.

He’d remember eventually. In a moment, he’d snap out of his daze. Memories of her leaving would come rushing back. He’d be angry or maybe disappointed. She didn’t know but either way, the innocent wonder on his face would die. That was okay though. She probably deserved whatever came her way. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t bask until that anger came.

She could see the moment Max snapped to his senses, the moment all that forgotten pain came rushing back. Verdona closed her eyes and braced herself for the harsh words she knew were coming but they never did. Blinking one eye open, the look on Max’s face hurt more than words ever could.

“Oh, Verdona.” He sounded sad. He looked lost. Yet… there was still that joy about him, all tangled up in that hollow sorrow. Human emotions were so confusing. It was impossible to guess how they’d react, what they’d do next. “I missed you.”

Verdona swallowed, only to remember she didn’t have a throat. Gosh, it was like going back thirty years ago. These were the things her Max did to her. “I missed you too.”

She expected to see doubt on her face, however true her words were, but Max looked like he believed them wholeheartedly. He reached up, pulling her down to her level. Verdona half expected a kiss but the way he leaned her forehead into hers was so much nicer.

“I think we have a lot to talk about,” he told her.

“I agree,” she returned. Sliding into the seat across from him, taking his hand in hers, she asked about all she’d missed. And it was a lot.

Verdona had left when Frank went off to college, Carl already two years into his education at a university halfway across the state. Carl was studying engineering while Frank wanted to study anthropology. Max told her Frank changed majors a couple times before settling on one that’d get him into law school. Both had found their way into successful professions, it seemed.

They’d met Sandra and Natalie in their time at college, Max told her. A voice in the back of her mind pointed out she would’ve met them if she’d stayed just a few more years. She didn’t say that aloud, of course, but she knew both her and Max were thinking it. 

“They’ve got kids now, both of them. Frank’s got two, a boy and a girl, and Carl’s just got the one. They’re all pretty close,” Max told her, smiling fondly. In her mind, Verdona could imagine him picking them up from school and taking them to the park on the weekend. Max really seemed like the grandfatherly type. “Frank’s boy, Ken, turned thirteen just a couple months ago. Can’t believe he’s a teenager already but he’s keeping out of trouble. He’s into music, you see, and he’s good at it. Joined the school band when he started junior high and everything.”

A musician? Neither Carl or Frank had been interested in songs or instruments past their youngest years. Max couldn’t hold a tune for the life of him. Ken was a first in the Tennyson family in that regard. Anodites, on the other hand, pulsed with rhythm. Could Frank’s boy be the one?

“And the other two?”

“Ben and Gwen? Oh, they’re just great. Same age, down to the day. Practically twins. They fight like them, certainly. I took them on a trip last summer— just the two of them, Ken wanted to go off to some summer camp with his friends— and I really got to know them. Gwen- oh, she’s brilliant. I don’t know where Carl and Frank got their brains but Gwen’s certainly got them. And Ben…”

“And Ben?” she repeated softly, trying her hardest to not squeeze down on Max’s hand.

“Ben can be… difficult at times and he’s a bit rowdier than the other two but he’s a real good kid at heart,” Max told her. He paused, grinning, before adding, “He’s got your fire.”

Verdona sat up abruptly. “He has the spark?”

“What? No.” He paused. “At least I hope not.”

“So it’s a possibility?”

“I mean, anything’s… No. No, I’d know if Ben got powers. Gwen too. They know aliens. Not everything but enough. They’d tell me if anything started happening.”

That was surprising. Had Max told them about…? No, that was a question for later. “Then Ken? Could Ken have the spark?”

Max frowned for the first time since she’d arrived. “Verdona, is that what this is about? I promise you, there’s no-“

“I wouldn’t even suggest it if I didn’t know. I sensed it, Max. I felt the spark come to life inside someone. That wouldn’t happen unless one of the kids discovered their mana. One of them has to have it.” 

Max opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by the screech of tires outside. Max and Verdona’s heads snapped up and not a moment later, two figures burst through the door and stumbled into the RV. “Mom!”

Verdona’s eyes went wide and she felt the urge to cover herself with her arms or hair but she knew that wouldn’t do anything. She’d never shown her sons this form. She didn’t- oh, they were hugging her. “My sons…! What are you-“

“We could sense you,” Carl responded, voice muffled by her shoulder. She shifted, using one arm to pull each of them closer.

“Just because you never told us about your mana doesn’t mean we didn’t know about it,” Frank added and huh. That- huh. She never realized the mana in her children had developed to the point it apparently had. Could it have been their spark she sensed? No, she would’ve known sooner if it was one of these two. It had to be one of her grandkids. 

She couldn’t wait to meet them.

Max cleared his throat, drawing three pairs of eyes in his direction. “As happy as I am to see all of you together again, I think this family reunion requires a few more… uh, kids.”

Verdona expected Carl and Frank to be excited at the prospect of one of their children having the spark and traveling to Verdona’s homeplanet to learn about their newfound power. In hindsight, she should’ve remembered humans went about these things differently than Anodites. Of course they’d worry.

But, maybe they were a bit more Anodite than she thought. Carl pointed out it’d be painful to keep a young Anodite away from the plentiful source of mana that was Anodyne. Frank said it would be cruel to make them grow up away from peers and teachers that could help them understand their powers. While true, it made Verdona wonder if she’d missed something in her boys’ childhood. The insight was a bit too on the nose to be entirely impersonal.

She didn’t ask. She didn’t want to push it. She didn’t know how. Maybe she’d ask one day but the important thing right now was that she’d get to meet her grandkids.

Natalie and Sandra hung back. Verdona would’ve loved to meet them but she imagined they wouldn’t be terribly happy to meet her. Her sons seemed overjoyed but Verdona had no idea what they may have told their wives or what perceptions they may have developed on their own. Did they know she was an alien? Had they been told she died? Did they think she and Max were divorced? Had they been told she ran away? That being said, what did the grandkids know? What did they think of her?

Verdona was suddenly very nervous but she swatted those feelings away. She was about to meet her grandchildren. This was no time for worry.

“I should warn you,” Max started as Carl and Frank began leading their kids to the RV door, “Ben and Gwen have seen a lot of aliens. Ken hasn’t. Not really.”

Verdona raised a brow. She’d put on her human skin for this, at least temporarily. No sense in scaring the kids right off the bat. “You got the two youngest in plumber work?”

“No! No, they don’t know about that,” Max insisted with such urgency that Verdona couldn’t help but believe him. “I, uh, have you heard of the Omnitrix?”

The door pushed open and Verdona’s eyes immediately fell on a thick metal contraption locked on a young boy’s wrist. Everything made sense in an instant. That’s why they knew about aliens. One of them had already been one. It wasn’t what she’d been looking for but it was still exciting.

The girl spoke first, catching Verdona’s attention. Orange hair, that had to come from Verdona. She wasn’t sure how but no way it came from Max. “So, uh, not to be rude but who is this? And how come it was so important we come meet her?”

“Kids,” Max started, hesitating for just a moment as he looked for a way to say what he needed to say, “this is your grandmother Verdona.”

Ben, Gwen, and Ken’s jaws dropped. Verdona couldn’t help but smile, leaning a bit into the grandmotherly look her new human skin gave her. “Hello, you three. I’m happy to finally meet you.”

“I- bu- wh-?” Ken floundered like a Piscciss Volann out of water, just like Max had before. This one took after his grandfather, it seemed. “I thought- I didn’t know we had a Grandma Tennyson.”

Frank winced, looking half like he wanted to scold his son for his bluntness and half like he wanted to apologize to him for never explaining. Verdona waved him off, signaling that she’d handle this. “That’s entirely my fault, dear. I wish… I wish I’d come back sooner. I would’ve loved to have been part of your lives before now.”

Ken, Ben, and Gwen clearly wanted to ask where she’d been until now but their restraint was strong. A good trait to have, for humans. Right now, she couldn’t begin to guess which one had the spark.

“I know you kids have some questions and I promise they’ll all be answered but we need to talk about something that’s going to be kind of hard to bring up so I need everyone to be honest when you answer this question.” Max took a deep breath. “Who here knows about aliens?”

Carl, Frank, Ben, and Gwen raised their hands so Verdona did too. Ken did not.

“So when you say ‘know about aliens,’ do you mean like the concept of aliens in general or…” Ken trailed off, eyes taking in the raised hands around him. “Um, what?”

Gwen, Ben, Carl, and Frank were eyeing each other. “How do you two know about aliens? Us?! No, how do you two know about aliens?”

It was rather amusing seeing them all look so similar. Or it would be if not for poor Ken. She secretly hoped it was Ken who had the spark. The other two interested her but Ken was quickly becoming her favorite. Clapping her hands softly, Verdona cut off the oncoming exchange before it spiraled out of control. “I believe both parties here are talking about different sets of aliens.”

That didn’t help the confusion but five heads swiveled to look at Max for guidance so maybe that was the right move. “Ben, you first.”

“What? Why me? Isn’t it weirder that Dad and Uncle Frank know about aliens?” Ben complained, jabbing two outstretched palms in the aforementioned men’s direction. “Wouldn’t it make more sense for them to explain first?”

“I find it very concerning that my son knows about aliens and I wasn’t the one who told him.” Carl put his hands on his hips and glared at Max. “And I find it more concerning that my father knows about this and didn’t tell me.”

Max sighed. “Carl, I’m- I am sorry but I think I made the right decision.”

“Wait, Dad knew about aliens already?” Ben asked, scratching his head. “So is Grandma Verdona here about his thing or my thing?”

“It’s more like our thing but I think this conversation will run a lot smoother if we’re all open with each other,” Max told him, gentle yet firm at the same time. That was a different tone to take. Verdona always ended up sounding more stern than anything when she tried it. “You don’t need to tell your father if you don’t want to, Ben, but-“

Gwen was already poking at Ben’s watch. Green light flooded the RV and Ben was suddenly replaced by an armored dinosaur-like creature standing on crooked, wheeled feet. “Gwen!”

“A Kinceleran?” Verdona hummed, ignoring Carl, Frank, and Ken’s shock. “Good choice, Gwen. Another form may have done some real damage to the RV.”

“What’s a- that word you just said?”

“Kinceleran. It’s what XLR8 is, Ben,” Max answered before looking to his sons and eldest grandson. “I thought it was time you knew about Ben’s… ability.”

“Is this because of you?” Carl asked once he found his voice, looking right at Verdona. Something about the way he did hurt. She didn’t know why. It just did. Maybe it was the human form that made her more sensitive to these things.

She shook her head. “Not at all. I’ve heard rumors of the Omnitrix but I’m just as surprised as you are.”

Ken sputtered a bit before raising his voice. “Is no one going to explain why Ben’s a- a- I guess he’s an alien?”

“I call him XLR8,” Ben offered but Gwen was a bit more helpful.

“He’s got this weird watch stuck to him that lets him turn into aliens. He’ll time out in about ten minutes and go back to normal.” Gwen swiveled on her heels away from her brother to face the adults in the room. Smart girl. Even if she didn’t know what was coming, she knew how to get the information she wanted. “So what alien are we talking about that’s not Ben? And how do Dad and Uncle Carl know about it?”

“Well, you see…” Max started but Verdona sensed he wouldn’t be able to explain it right.

“I’m an alien,” she announced bluntly. The room fell silent around her. This was not new to her sons, of course, but she expected some surprised shouts from the kids. Not this shocked silence.

Frank coughed . “I know this is a lot but that means Carl and I are both half alien and you three are a quarter. We’ve known since we were pretty young that we weren’t exactly human but Mo- Grandma Verdona came to our planet to tell us one of you three has, uh, taken after her more than Carl and I did.”

Even Verdona knew that was a lot to put on them at once but it seemed to do the trick. The kids’ eyes were suddenly on her, quietly probing. They couldn’t tell if Frank was telling the truth. No matter, that was an easy fix. Shedding her human skin, Verdona’s true form stepped back into the world.

Violet light washed over the RV’s interior, Verdona glowing brightly now that she was free of her human shell. She’d forgotten how restrictive that facade was and just how good it felt to let go of it. Floating a couple feet off the ground, she let her family take in the sight of her in her full glory.

Poor Ken, overwhelmed at the sight of one alien after the other, looked like he was about to faint. Frank put a hand on his shoulder, steadying him. Ken didn’t flinch away, to Verdona’s relief. She’d watched a wedge divide Max and Carl over their family’s secrets. She’d hate to be responsible for a similar divide between Frank and his own son.

Ben and Gwen seemed to be handling it much better, but not by much. They were used to seeing aliens and monsters, it seemed, but that didn’t change the fact they’d never seen it in their own family. At least not to this degree.

“I’ve had doctors look at my blood and stuff,” Gwen spoke up, a bit loudly. “Could they tell we had… what? Alien blood?”

“I don’t have blood.”

“Anodites are energy beings,” Frank explained quickly. “Physically, we’re just like any other humans.”

“I’m sensing emphasis on the word ‘physically.’”

“Your Uncle Carl and I can do some… not quite human things. Not the way Mo- your Grandma Verdona can. It’s still there though. We didn’t inherit the energy-“

“The spark.”

“The spark. We don’t have the spark that makes us true Anodites. But your Grandma Verdona thinks one of you have it.”

“Well, it’s gotta be Gwen.”

“It’s me, right?”

Verdona straightened a bit. Was it really that easy? “Have you felt your mana manifest within?”

“Well, no…”

“Have you formed mana balls? Shields? Blasts? Fed on the life energy of the world around you? Oh, have you abandoned your physical form?”

“N-No! Nothing like that,” Gwen interrupted before she could say more. “We met, uh, another Ben? From another dimension or something? A few actually. One of them said I had powers in his world.”

“His Gwen could do magic and stuff,” Ben added, a bit nonchalantly, “but I’ve never seen Gwen do any of that sort of stuff.”

Verdona frowned. “Some Anodites have an affinity for the mystic arts. But if it was your spark I felt, you would’ve used your power in some way by now.”

Gwen matched her frown. Verdona took pity on her and offered a hand. Gwen took it in a heartbeat. “What are you doing?”

Verdona’s energy felt for Gwen’s. There was a buzz under her skin, one more present than in other humans but far weaker than her son’s. Gwen didn’t have the spark. “I was feeling for mana but there’s nothing there. Nothing I wouldn’t expect. If you had the spark, you would know. Using your mana is no small feat.”

“Maybe it happened and I didn’t notice it?”

“I don’t think so.”

“We did get into a lot of shenanigans over the summer,” Max pointed out. “We saw a lot of amazing things we couldn’t explain. Any one of those times could’ve been you, Gwen.”

“But by that logic, it could’ve been Ben too.”

Ben’s Omnitrix began blinking just as he began talking, transforming him back into his human form. “Hey! You’re right! How awesome would it be if I had my aliens and magic too?”

“Mana,” Verdona corrected before looking at Ken. “Your sister and cousin think it’s a real possibility they just didn’t notice the manifestation of their mana. Can you say the same?”

“Uh…”

Verdona could practically see Ken’s brain scrambling to get his thoughts together. “Take your time. I’m in no rush.”

“I… I sleepwalk? Sometimes. And I talk in my sleep. I don’t know if that’s anything but…?”

Verdona nodded thoughtfully, unconvinced but willing to entertain the thought. “That is still time unaccounted for.”

Carl pinched his brow. “At some point we’re definitely talking about what happened on that summer trip of yours, Dad, but right now I really think we need to prioritize figuring out which of you three has the spark. And as much as I’d hate to leave you with your Grandpa or let you out of my sight right now, maybe another little trip is what we need to figure it out. You have a long weekend off from school so this may be our best bet.”

“Alright!” Ben cheered, throwing his hands up in the air. Gwen looked equally thrilled, though expressing it much more calmly. Ken looked a bit nervous but his eyes were bright. He was excited as well. “Oh, should we tell Kevin and Glitch? Kevin’ll probably want to mess with us for old time’s sake and Glitch’ll probably be able to get him wherever we go.”

“Who are Kevin and Glitch?” Frank asked. “Friends of yours?”

Gwen nodded. “Kevin’s a kid from our school. He’s got a watch like Ben’s. And Glitch’s an alien that was made when Ben’s watch malfunctioned and Upgrade’s DNA- Upgrade’s DNA… mixed… with… Ben’s….”

Verdona’s face lit up with delight while Carl’s eyes went round with horror.

“I have another grandson?”

“You’re telling me I have another kid?!”

Chapter Text

Glitch hadn’t lived a long life before the summer ended. He didn’t even totally understand what the summer ending even met until the Tennysons were back in Bellwood, the younger two back in school and Max spending his time at the RV lot. Glitch was welcome with either party, provided no family or neighbors spotted him, but a life in hiding wasn’t one he wanted.

He spent hours driving around Bellwood, a deep desire to find a place he belonged pushing him to leave the Rustbucket but even deeper loyalty keeping him from wandering far. It was during one of these outings that he found Kevin. And the Cockroach Brothers. And La Grange. And Zombozo. And the Freaks. And Billy Billions. Villains, as Ben would call them.

Kevin was the important one here, it was his camp he stayed at, but with all these villains around, it was like summer all over again. Only, not quite as mean-spirited. Glitch loved his human family but their foes were a lot more docile without any Tennysons around. They could even be kind of fun when they came by, though they never did for long. Most of the time, it was just Glitch and Kevin. When Kevin wasn’t at school or spending time at his parents’ house, that is.

In reality, it was just Glitch most of the time. Sometimes that was okay but a lot of the time it got pretty lonely. Today, however, he was pretty grateful that there were no Tennysons or Levins around.

He wasn’t alone today. LaGrange was visiting some family in the next town over and became interested in a race once he learned Glitch didn’t have anything better to do. Nothing fancy but in a clean race, Glitch was the only one who could beat LaGrange’s ride and the man wasn’t looking to get arrested right now. Besides, it was fun for them both. Hard, but fun.

LaGrange always pushed his car hard. That meant Glitch had to push just as hard. Problem was that Glitch was the car. Pushing the car meant pushing himself hard. Normally that wasn’t an issue but without Ben’s aliens to give him a boost, today felt particularly rough. Nothing he couldn’t handle though. He just hadn’t been expecting his need for speed to literally launch himself out of his usual physical form and into… into…

He didn’t even know but it felt amazing.

Glitch liked being a car but it was restrictive. He often dreamed of regaining his original form, one more closely resembling the one Ben had met him in. He didn’t particularly love the human form but he had to admit he had some fondness for it. There was a freedom to it that his usual form lacked. Humans just had so much more movement and expression to them. Sure, he was fast now and he took pride in that speed but racing was nothing on human dexterity and flexibility.

But right now, he felt even freer than he ever had in any of his forms. He knew he was vaguely humanoid but that was just about the last thing in Glitch’s mind. It- gosh, it was just like being surrounded by the power of the Omnitrix again only this time, it was inside him. And it let him soar.

He could see the whole race track he and LaGrange had set up. He could see the cities that sandwiched the empty fields and open roads between them. More than that, he could feel them. The whole world around him, he could feel it. And it felt amazing.

But also scary. It was very, very scary. In a heartbeat, all of his wonder was replaced by rapidly oncoming panic. He wasn’t- He wasn’t supposed to do that. He wasn’t supposed to be feeling all these things. He wasn’t supposed to fly . Why was he flying?

Panicking was also, apparently, something he wasn’t supposed to do because he was suddenly plummeting toward the earth. Which wasn’t as bad for Glitch, not as bad as it would for a full-blooded human, but it still hurt. Quite a bit. All that lightness was gone and he was left feeling tired and heavy.

“Glitch!”

Oh right. LaGrange was still here. Glitch sat up and pulled himself together, shifting back into his vehicular form. He wasn’t quite sure what form he’d taken when he’d spattered across the road but whatever it was, he didn’t want LaGrange to see. Until he figured out what new form he’d discovered, any shapeshifting would be kept private.

“Ay!” LaGrange snapped, hanging out of his car window. His tone was angry but Glitch knew him well enough to pick up on the lightheartedness behind it. “We said no cheating! Flying is cheating.”

“Like you weren’t planning on cheating,” Glitch snarked, reversing his wheelsto scoot back as LaGrange’s car approached. He’d crossed the finish line. Huh. How about that. He hadn’t noticed. “It’s not like I can’t see all your modifications.”

“Eh, we’ll call it a draw and have a rematch.” LaGrange waved him off. “But no more flying! Cars aren’t supposed to fly!”

The rest of their afternoon went off without a hitch, save LaGrange’s usual antics in the following races. But Glitch didn’t shift again. No limbs made an appearance, none of that weird energy came back. Glitch had to say he was disappointed but he wasn’t complaining. This was probably for the better. He had a routine and he liked it. He didn’t want anything to change right now, save perhaps a few more visits from the Tennysons thrown into the mix. That energy that made him change and fly must’ve been a fluke.

It still happened though and Glitch couldn’t pretend it hadn’t. It affected his performance the rest of the afternoon with LaGrange and plagued his mind the rest of the drive home. Had that been some residual effect of the Omnitrix’s reboot? Some power Upgrade never unlocked before Ben lost access to that form? Something unique to Glitch? He couldn’t figure it out. He wasn’t even sure if he wanted to know.

No, he wanted to know. Glitch was desperately curious. He just didn’t know if he wanted his friends to know and what a dilemma that was. What would the Tennysons think of this development? Should he contact Phil? What if Kevin found out? Would this change things? For better or for worse? What if this new transformation was something bad? A sign he was unstable? A sign his techno-organic components were changing? 

Pulling into the junkyard he called home, Glitch realized he didn’t have to worry about telling the Tennysons about what happened. They were already here. They had to know. Why else would they be here?

He tried to approach stealthily. Admittedly, that was pretty hard with Glitch’s bulk and wheels instead of feet. Coming up from behind the garage his friends had set up for him all those months ago, he thought he did pretty good, all things considered. He’d gotten close enough to see that a couple cars had pulled up to Kevin’s camp and the boy was talking to Glitch’s three favorite Tennysons, plus three extra. It was one of the extras that noticed him.

Glitch had never seen her before. The other two he recognized as Carl and Frank, Ben and Gwen’s fathers. He’d seen them in pictures. Ben and Gwen had talked about them. But this woman? Glitch didn’t have the faintest clue. She had to be their grandmother, right? But Max had never said anything about a woman in his life, in the past or in the present. 

When she turned, she looked right at him. It was a bit unnerving. If she’d heard him, there would’ve been at least a moment of roaming eyes as she tried to pinpoint where he was. There hadn’t been though. Her eyes locked on him peeking out from behind the garage like she’d known exactly where she was.

Glitch pulled back a bit instinctively, hiding, before mentally slapping himself. She definitely saw him. Ducking away wouldn’t do anything. It just made him look like a little kid. Way to make a first impression, Glitch. But when he poked back out, she didn’t look disappointed or uninterested. She was grinning. She looked thrilled. No, delighted. 

“It’s you.” 

Glitch rolled the rest of the way out, peering at her curiously, ignoring the surprised gasps of Carl and Frank. This strange woman was all he cared about right now. “Who are you?”

“I’m your Grandma Verdona.”

His…? “My grandma?”

She stiffened ever so slightly and Glitch wondered if he’d said something wrong. “You were created from Ben’s genetic material, yes?”

Glitch tried to nod, only to remember he didn’t have a neck anymore. “Yeah.”

“Wait, hold on,” one of the unfamiliar men– Carl, Glitch was pretty sure– spoke up, waving his hands. “My other kid’s a car?”

Kid? Glitch felt a swell of hope before squashing it down. Could he…? No, he’d tried before and failed. But he’d done it earlier today and it worked. Part of him was scared to try again but he desperately wanted to- to-... He didn’t know. Be accepted? And if he needed his old body to do that, he’d try like he’d never tried before. So without another word, he pulled inward.

“I didn’t know you could do that,” Gwen said aloud and Glitch blinked. Blinked . He had eyes again! He moved his arms, looking down at them, relishing the feeling of being able to properly move again. Oh how he’d missed this.

“You didn’t have to do that for me,” Carl said and Glitch wasn’t sure if he quite believed it but Carl was getting down on his knees to properly look Glitch in the eye so he didn’t say anything about it. “I’m Carl. I’m your, uh, dad? I don’t really know how this alien genetics stuff works.”

Glitch offered a hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Tennyson.”

Carl smiled and accepted it. “Call me Carl. Wow, Ben could really learn something about manners from you.”

“Hey!”

“You know it’s true,” Gwen responded smugly as Kevin poked his friend in the face. Ben opened his mouth to respond before closing it and settling on just crossing his arms and pouting. Glitch covered his mouth with one hand and laughed as quietly as he could. He’d missed this.

“Alright, settle down there.” Max nudged Kevin and Ben apart before the poke could turn into a full on slap war, smiling softly before his expression grew serious. “Glitch, Verdona is here with a… proposition for you.”

For him? Glitch blinked owlishly, taking a moment to process what Max just said. Why would Verdona be there for him? She had three other grandkids to spend her time and energy with. Three human grandkids, not unnatural half-breed creatures like him. He didn’t really get it. But, like many other thoughts, he didn’t voice this. He knew saying anything of that sort would upset everyone and he knew better than to just go blabbing his mouth. He wasn’t Ben, regardless of what his DNA said.

“You see, kid,” Verdona began, raising one cupped hand, “this branch of the Tennyson family isn’t exactly human.”

A royal pink light flickered to life in the elderly woman’s hand, catching Glitch by surprise. He jumped back a bit, startled at first, before leaning forward in wonder. That energy… it felt so right. He wanted to touch it. So bad. “Can I…?”

Verdona seemed to read his mind and nodded. “Go ahead. My energy is yours.”

“What do you mean?” Glitch asked but didn’t pass up the opportunity once offered. Cautiously, he reached out with one hand and began pawing the sphere of power floating before him. He half expected energy to crackle at his fingertips, the technological nature of his body clashing with this organic light, but it remained calm. The energy surged upward ever so gently, brushing his palm like a kitten butting its furry head into his hand for pats. Not that he knew what that was like, of course.

“You see, I’m what’s called an Anodite. We’re energy beings,” Verdona explained and Glitch nodded sagely. He didn’t really get it so far but he was sure Verdona was about to explain. “It’s rare for an Anodite to take the form of another species and bear young but when we do… Well, we don’t have DNA. Our traits don’t pass like humans do. To inherit Anodite traits, you must have the spark. And I think you have that spark, Glitch.”

Glitch’s gazed at her, eyes wide and ears not quite believing what he was hearing. “R-Really? Me? Are you sure? It’s not Ben? Or Gwen?”

Verdona nodded. “I felt one of my grandchildren spark and I’m fairly certain it wasn’t Ben, Gwen, or Ken. That leaves you, Glitch. Have you ever felt energy like mine before?”

Glitch resisted the urge to look in Ben, Gwen, and Max’s direction. If he turned to them for answers, he was pretty sure Verdona would block his path and tell him she was asking him, not them. He’d be annoyed but she’d be right. The Tennysons didn’t play the same role in his life that they had over the summer. He was becoming his own individual. He could speak for himself. “I think so. This morning, when I was racing, something weird happened.”

Verdona looked interested. “Oh?”

Man, Glitch really wanted to look away. He knew Ben, Gwen, Max, or even Kevin wouldn’t be able to help him answer these questions but he felt weird talking about it without checking with anyone first. “I… I flew. I think. I felt like I was flying at least. I was racing and then I was in the sky and my body didn’t feel like it usually does but then I fell and I turned back into the buggy.” 

“What did it feel like? When you changed?”

Glitch’s eyes flickered down to the glowing ball of energy before him, letting its aura wash over him. “It felt like this.”

Verdona looked pleased. “You found your energy form. And so soon! You’ll grow to be a powerful Anodite, Glitch. I can’t wait to take you to Anodyne.”

Powerful? Him? Wait. “Take me?”

Verdona’s face shifted. “To Anodyne.”

Glitch’s face must’ve reflected his panic because before he could say anything, Carl was stepping between him and his mother. “Can I have him for a moment? Maybe some one- on- one will be a bit less overwhelming.”

Verdona clearly wanted to protest but she lowered her gaze, resigned. Carl nodded his head ever so slightly and put a hand on Glitch’s shoulder, leading him away from the group and out of earshot. “I wish we’d met under better circumstances. I’d like to get to know you a bit before telling you about, uh, our family history.”

Glitch shrugged half-heartedly. He never really thought he’d ever meet Carl. He imagined any human would be pretty freaked out to find out his son spliced his DNA with an alien. Only Carl wasn’t just any human, apparently. He wasn’t even totally human. Sort of like Glitch, he supposed. “S'alright.”

Carl frowned but didn’t explain why. Crouching down, he settled down on the ground beside the half-Mechamorph. “You’re half-alien, right?”

If what he’d learned today was true, Glitch was a bit more than half alien but he nodded anyway. “Uh-huh.”

“And you have technological powers.”

“That’s right.”

“What if you couldn’t use them?”

“What?” What kind of question was that?

“What if you couldn’t use those powers? Or if you couldn’t access any technology?”

Glitch stared at him for a moment, trying to figure out why Carl would ask such a question. Or why he needed to pull him away from the others to ask it. Was he expecting Glitch to say something Carl didn’t want the others to hear? Or- oh. Oh! Carl was half alien too. This was personal.

Anodites were energy beings but Carl wasn’t. What must that feel like? As a Galvanic Mechmorph, Glitch could feel the pull of technology around him. But even if he couldn’t merge with it or modify it like a true Mechamorph, he could still interact with it. He could still use it to alter his form. Carl couldn’t do anything like that, could he? Did Carl feel that need to merge with energy like Glitch felt with tech? But he was all skin, muscle, and bone. At least Glitch was techno-organic. Carl was an Anodite but he couldn’t act like one.

Glitch couldn’t imagine that. He’d always been surrounded by tech and free to touch it as he pleased but he still felt that Mechamorph urge to augment it with his body. Not being able to was uncomfortable, physically. How much worse would that be for an Anodite? For Carl?

He really had to work on his facial expressions. Carl knew the moment he put two and two together. “I… I’d love Earth. I love my family, I love my job, I love my friends and my hobbies and the plants and animals here and just about everything about my life. But, it still feels like something’s missing. Ever since I was a kid, it felt like there was something out there waiting for me. When my mom left, I realized that thing was Anodyne. It was part of her so it became part of me. I can never go though. However much of this feeling I have, I don’t have the spark. I can’t go to Anodyne. Even if I hopped on a spaceship and flew all the way there, I don’t think I’d survive stepping foot on the planet if I tried.”

That was… geez. He didn’t know where Galvanic Mechamorphs came from, no one ever told him, and he never really spent time thinking about it but there was always the knowledge that there were others like him out there. He probably wouldn’t see them anytime soon but he was okay with that. He’d have a long life. It’d happen one day. But Carl was human. He didn’t have that luxury.

“I want to get to know you. I want you to meet my wife, I want you to play in the yard with Ben and the dog, I want you to grow up and I want to watch you do it,” Carl confessed, “but being away from Anodyne hurts. It only gets worse, Glitch. My mom might not wait until you’re ready to leave. This may be your only chance to leave Earth.”

Glitch frowned. “Will I ever come back?”

“I mean, I think so? Anodites are very free beings. And they can fly. Through space. Nothing can keep you anywhere you don’t want to be.”

Glitch resigned. “Then maybe… I think you’re right. This is too big of an opportunity to pass up.”

Carl smiled but he didn’t look particularly happy. He showed no teeth, no excitement, but the look was still warm. “Let’s go tell my mother then.”

Glitch nodded and let Carl take him by the hand and lead him back to the rest of the group. “I think I want to go with Grandma Verdona.”

“Oh goodie!” she beamed and then stepped out of her skin. A red violet light lit up the scene, illuminating the scrapyard and bathing Kevin and the gathered Tennysons in a gentle light. Glitch thought it was beautiful. Could he do that? He wanted to try.

The moment he made the decision, he felt a lightness overtake him and a deep purple joined Verfona’s light. He jumped up, trying to join her in the sky, only for gravity to pull him back down. Verdona took his hand before he could fall too far. She pulled him up and up until his feet were totally off the ground. Glitch thought she’d carry him all the way into the night sky if Carl wasn’t still holding onto his other hand. Was he worried she’d carry him off? Would that be such a bad thing?

Verdona guided him back down and Carl let go of his hand. Glitch sort of wished they’d held on. Just one of them. It was nice, even if he didn’t know why. Maybe he’d figure it out during his time offworld. He hoped he would. There was a lot he wanted to learn about himself and this was going to be an excellent chance to do it.

“Man, you look wicked cool,” Kevin commented, catching Glitch’s attention and pulling his attention to the three youngest humans present. “Wish I had a Bootleg Anodite in my Antitrix.”

“He came out of my Omnitrix. If anything, I should have an Upgrade Anodite in my watch,” Ben complained before pausing. He put his hands on his hips, trying to look casual. “But I guess it’s pretty cool you can transform too, Glitch. All your purple ropey things look almost as cool as Grandma Verdona’s awesome hair.”

Ropey things? Had he gained extra limbs? Glitch looked down at his hands but the energy had faded, leaving him in his Ben-shaped form. He’d have to figure it out later, he supposed. Besides, that wasn’t important right now. Ben didn’t compliment him much. He wasn’t about to waste the instance. “Thanks, Ben.”

“I imagine you would like some time to gather your things and say your goodbyes?” Verdona asked and Glitch nodded. She sighed. “You’ve picked up on the ways of the humans, I see, but I won’t deny you these moments. I’ll come for you when the sun begins to rise. Don’t worry about location. You have the spark. We’ll be able to find each other.”

Without even a final wave goodbye, Verdona took off into the sky.

“I’m sure she’s just going to the Rustbucket,” Max explained once she disappeared from sight. “She likes acting all aloof but she’s got a human heart if I’ve ever seen one. She’ll want to catch up a bit more before she leaves again.”

“I should get over there. I don’t want her scaring Ken,” Frank said, glancing between his father and brother. “I guess you want to come, Dad. You okay keeping an eye on the kids, Carl?”

Carl nodded. “You go ahead. I’ll bring Gwen home when we’re done here.”

“Thanks!” Frank called, already heading for the car with Max in tow. “I’ll call Sandra and let her know you’ll be out late!”

Glitch felt a stab of an emotion he couldn’t identify. Was it jealousy? Longing? He wanted what those two had. Well, not exactly. Their relationship had clearly evolved with maturity. But he wanted that closeness, a closeness Ben and Gwen never included him in and he didn’t quite find in Kevin. But maybe on Anodyne? That was an exciting prospect. He hoped he made friends there.

“I’ll give you kids some space,” Carl told them as he began heading toward where his own car was parked. “Don’t go running off without telling me where you’re going. Or, uh, driving I guess. Glitch, if you need to pick anything up or anything like that, let me know and we’ll go with you.”

Was this what having a father was like?

“Thanks, Dad,” Ben responded but his voice didn’t reflect the gratitude warming Glitch’s chest. He sounded almost annoyed. Not rude, surprisingly. Glitch didn’t think ungrateful was the right word either. Tired? Like he was taking Carl’s parental worry for granted. Or he thought it was unnecessary. Maybe it was. Ben was a superhero afterall. He could take care of himself. But a little worrying was nice. Or at least Glitch thought so.

“Can’t believe you're leaving,” Kevin grumbled, “after freeloading off me for months. You better tell me all about alien planets when you get back. Consider it my payment.”

Glitch wasn’t totally sure if he was kidding or not but he nodded earnestly anyway. Even if he was just poking fun, it sounded like a fair exchange. Glitch would want to tell his friends all about space anyway. They deserved to know what lay above the stars.

“It’ll be weird not having you around,” Ben spoke up, toeing the ground with his sneaker. Glitch didn’t protest. He didn’t really want his goodbye to turn ugly. A good memory would do him good. “But what Kevin said. Totally unfair you’re the only one who gets to go to space but that just means you have to have an extra good time so you can tell us some awesome stories when you get back.”

Glitch nodded and turned to Gwen. “Gwen? Do you have any requests? I imagine you have something more substantial than just stories in mind.”

Gwen didn’t say anything.

“Gwen?”

“I… I need a minute,” Gwen said slowly before quickly turning around and sprinting out of sight, leaving the three boys blinking after her in surprise.

“Wha-? Hey!” Ben called after her. “Gwen! What are you doing?”

Glitch supposed he shouldn’t have expected less of Ben but being left alone in the dark with Kevin, both Tennysons running out of sight, hurt more than Glitch wanted to admit. “Did I say something wrong?”

Chapter Text

When Grandma Verdona came down to Earth to reveal their family’s alien heritage, Gwen thought for sure this was her big break.

It had to be her. It had to be her who had the spark. There was no way it was Ben. That’d be totally unfair. He already had the Omnitrix. Having powers in his human form would be too much, not to mention irresponsible. Ben could barely handle powers with a time limit. Being able to shoot mana blasts out of his own two hands would get him into way more trouble than she or Grandpa could get him out of.

She supposed it could be Ken but that didn’t make much sense, in the greater scheme of things at least. Ken wasn’t part of all this. Superheroing and saving the world and high tech battles and aliens and those sorts of things, that is. He was just a normal kid. He had normal kid friends and normal kid hobbies. Being an alien would rock his world and not in a good way. No, it had to be Gwen.

She’d wanted powers of her own for a long time, of course. What kid didn’t? But the fact Ben had a watch that could give him all sorts of powers was a constant reminder that she lived in a world where it could happen and it just hadn’t. But maybe, just maybe, one day it would. Gwen was around so much magic, incredible tech, and alien jazz that anything could happen. It really felt like she had powers sometimes. something was bound to stick at some point.

And the other Ben. Or Bens, rather. She’d met people from other dimensions who knew other versions of her. She met another version of herself for crying out loud! And other Gwens had magic, or at least some spellcasting-like ability. That had to be mana, right? What else could it be?

Mana was… wow. Grandma Verdona’s true form was beautiful. It was brilliant and blazing in a way Gwen never knew she wanted to be. Under her skin, she could imagine all that energy just waiting to leap out and launch her into the sky, gifting her the freedom and joy Grandma Verdona seemed to carry within her. She didn’t even know all that an Anodite could do but she wanted it. It was in her blood. But it wasn’t for her.

Glitch was just about the last person she expected to have the spark. He was even less Tennyson than her and the rest of him was technology. Technology and life energy didn’t really seem to go together. In her mind, they always clashed. But here Glitch was glowing bright and beautiful alongside Grandma Verdona like he was born to do it.

Gwen was jealous. She knew it and she hated it.

She wasn’t mad at Glitch necessarily. She knew these feelings would pass. She knew that she should be happy that he was going to start this adventure and she was but she was also upset that it wasn’t her who would be going to Anodyne with her grandmother, and overwhelmingly so. Gwen had no idea how to deal with those feelings. She thought she’d handled it pretty well, acting normal and messing around with her friends and cousin, but then the facade came crashing down.

Gwen heard Ben calling after her. She’d want to talk to him but not now. Even through her choked back tears, Gwen still had more than enough brains to weave around the scrapyard and lose him. He’d find her eventually but she needed a minute. Not necessarily alone though.

She pulled the car door open and plopped herself down in the passenger seat, earning a confused look from her Uncle Carl. “Everything okay there, Gwen?”

“Yeah.” Wait. No it wasn’t. “Well, no. I know it will be though.”

“Want to talk about it?”

Did she? She and Uncle Carl didn’t really have these sorts of talks. Anything feelings-related usually stuck to her dad or her mom or even Ken. Anything alien usually involved Ben or Max. But Uncle Carl was alien too, apparently. Her dad as well. She still had to wrap her head around that. Would he be able to provide some insight?

“I just wish it’d been me. It feels like it should’ve been.”

Carl nodded along. He didn’t say anything about how she should be happy for Glitch or how she wouldn’t be ready to leave home even if she had the spark. She half-expected him to but instead, he just looked sympathetic. Not pitying or faking patience. Just understanding. It gave Gwen that little bit more she needed to keep talking.

“I really thought it would be. When Grandma Verdona showed us her powers, it really felt like everything made sense. We told you about what the other Bens said, right? Gwen Tennyson is supposed to have powers, apparently. I was supposed to have them but Glitch got them instead. And I know it doesn’t really work like that. I know inheritance is a chance thing. But if so many other Gwens have the spark…”

“It feels like fate should’ve been in your favor?”

“Yeah! Yeah. Everything considered, it feels like it was… I dunno, meant to be for me. Like- like I’ve been waiting for something and this should’ve been it but it’s not and now I have to watch Glitch get everything that could’ve been for me.”

“You might still have something waiting for you,” Carl said, shifting his gaze to look out the windshield. “If all those other– geez, this is weird to say– Gwens had the spark and you don’t, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re missing something integrally Gwen. If anything, it probably means you got something they don’t. You’re not stuck following the same path as everyone else. You can do whatever you want.”

“Except have superpowers and go to alien planets.”

“Except have superpowers and go to alien planets,” Carl agreed. Gwen couldn’t believe how easy he was taking this. Maybe it was just because he already knew there was no way his niece or son were going anywhere near outerspace anytime soon. Maybe he’d be a lot less passive if it was a more real possibility. 

One of the back doors popped open. Gwen didn’t need to look back to know all the shuffling behind her was her cousin. “Way to ditch me.”

She could’ve responded with a snappy comeback. She had plenty lined up. There were just so many options and Ben was such an easy target. But she figured now might not be the best time. Like Grandpa said so many times earlier, maybe being honest was the best path here. It’d been kind of weird to hear him say that at the time but right now it made a whole lot of sense. Tennysons weren’t all that honest with their feelings, it seemed.

“I just needed a sec,” Gwen told him, shifting in her seat so both her Uncle and Ben were in view. “It’s a lot, y’know?”

“Glitch getting more weird alien powers isn’t any crazier than this thing,” Ben responded, holding up his wrist and jabbing an index finger into the metal side of the Omnitrix.

“We’re going to talk about that later, you know.”

“Yeah, it’s totally a lot. So much that Glitch got new powers,” Ben said loudly, dodging his father’s unspoken question. “So, so much. It’s all I’m thinking about. Uh, what are we thinking about?”

“I thought I’d have the spark. I’d be really cool if one of us went to an alien world,” Gwen summarized, waving a hand airily like she hadn’t been near tears a few minutes ago. “I mean, we know the multiverse is real and we’re kind of close to the center of the action a lot, it seems. Just feels like if anyone got powers, it should be a Tennyson.”

“Isn’t Glitch a Tennyson though?” Carl asked. Gwen and Ben’s eyes flickered in his direction. “I mean, he wouldn’t have Anodite powers if he wasn’t your Grandma and Grandpa’s grandkid.”

“When I said Tennyson, I meant like part of the family.”

“Family’s whoever we say family is. Who’s to say he’s not part of this one?”

Gwen opened her mouth then closed it, eyes going wide. “Oh.”

Maybe she had a few more things to think about beyond the root of this jealousy of hers.

Here he was sitting in his grandpa’s RV, wondering how his life had become this. Or rather, how his life was filled with aliens and he never knew.

The scene that evening had been just like any other given evening in Ken’s life, which admittedly hadn’t been very long but it was long enough that moments like these felt routine. The family had just finished eating an early dinner. It’d been Frank’s turn to cook so Natalie was cleaning up as the rest of the family drifted from the dining room to the couch, each one ready to go off and do their own thing. 

Gwen had her computer open, reading up on whatever latest scientific discovery there was and ready to spout off some random fact she found interesting to whoever would listen. Frank turned the TV on, volume low, and flipped lazily through the channels. Ken knew he wouldn’t find anything. He’d either give up and turn on some music or give up and turn the TV off entirely to curl up with whatever book he was reading at the moment.

And Ken? Well, he usually hopped between a number of activities. Sometimes he’d try practicing playing his instrument for a bit, testing how long he could go before Gwen told him to be quiet or he just got too sloppy to go longer. Sometimes he’d just sit next to his dad on the couch and text friends if they were online. Sometimes he’d try to convince the rest of the family to play a game or some sort of group activity. He was considering that last one tonight. It seemed like a good night for a game, at least until Frank’s head snapped up and his eyes went wide like a startled deer.

“Dad?” Ken asked, the first to notice it. Gwen looked up from her computer. “Everything okay?”

“I need to go,” he said suddenly, putting the TV remote down and getting to his feet. Ken frowned. He hadn’t even turned the TV off. His dad always turned the TV off when he left the room. What could be so urgent that he’d forget?

“What’s wrong?” Gwen started but Frank was already running for the door, barely pausing to grab his keys but definitely not stopping long enough to put on shoes. “Mom! Dad’s acting weird!”

Nathalie stuck her head into the living room just as Frank stepped out the door. “Frank?”

“It’s my mother,” Frank told her and ran to the car without another word of explanation. Ken was so shocked he couldn’t even call after him. His parents never talked about Grandma Tennyson. Dad always looked upset when they asked so they didn’t. What brought this on all of a sudden? He hadn’t even been looking at his phone. What did he think was going on?

Natalie sighed, sounding as tired as she looked worried. “Come… Come here, kids.”

She drifted into the living room, looking somewhat dazed, and claimed Frank’s abandoned spot on the couch. Ken scooted to her side while Gwen got off the floor to sit on her other side. “Is everything okay?”

Natalie didn’t answer, though Ken suspected she knew the answer and just didn’t want to tell them. That was a bit frustrating, more for Gwen than him, but not upsetting. He was old enough to know family stuff could get complicated. He wasn’t quite old enough to fully understand why but he still knew it was a fact of life. He had friends with divorced or single parents. He could put two and two together. Besides, he was sure his dad would explain when he got back. And Frank did come back.

He’d hadn’t been gone for long but when he returned, Frank had this whole different… look about him. Ken didn’t quite know how to explain it. Was he happy? Scared? Relieved? Nervous? All of the above? It wasn’t bad, exactly, but it roused Ken’s curiosity. What had he left to do?

“I need to take the kids to my dad’s,” Frank told Natalie upon entering. She nodded and didn’t protest, which Ken found unsettling. He knew his mom didn’t like Grandpa much. It was weird that she was just letting Dad take the lead on this. Or maybe that was just part of being a partner. Partners supported each other when things were serious and things were certainly serious now.

Uncle Carl’s car pulled into the RV lot just about the same time as Frank did. The two brothers looked at each other, exchanging silent words with their eyes, while Gwen and Ben made faces at each other. Or maybe they were also asking silent questions. They were practically twins. Ken wouldn’t be surprised if they’d discovered twin powers during their summer together with Grandpa.

In a few minutes, he’d realize that might just be a real possibility. 

“So, uh, not to be rude but who is this? And how come it was so important we come meet her?”

Maybe that was a little rude but Gwen was just forward like that. Ken found it embarrassing sometimes but now was not one of those times. He was curious too and he probably would’ve just stood there stewing in his curiosity until someone else spoke up if Gwen hadn’t. The woman standing before him… Well, she didn’t look like all that much. Just a regular old lady, gray hairs, friendly wrinkles, and all.

“Kids, this is your grandmother Verdona.”

The revelations that followed were even more shocking. Aliens were real? Ben could turn into aliens? His grandmother was an alien? His own father was half alien? He could be an alien? That was a scary thought but he was pretty sure he wasn’t an alien and Grandma Verdona seemed to think so too. That was a relief. Ben and Gwen probably weren’t either, which was equally relieving. Ben being able to transform was one thing but having this spark, whatever it was, was a lot to process. 

Someone else had it, apparently. Ken wasn’t really listening. All this new information was more than overwhelming, something his family seemed empathetic too. They let him stay at the Rustbucket while they went out to find this Glitch fellow. Apparently he had another cousin? Ken could think about that later. Right now, all he really cared about was wrapping his head around all this alien stuff.

Alien stuff. Never something Ken thought he’d have to think about. Sure, he thought about aliens once in a while but what kid didn’t? Everyone asked themself if humans were alone in the universe once in a while. Ken always found comfort in the knowledge they’d never find out. The universe was pretty big and the conditions for life were so rare. Or at least he thought they were. Grandma Verdona and Ben’s watch told him they weren’t.

His grandmother was from another planet. His own father wasn’t entirely human. How about that? Ken knew he wasn’t as astute as Gwen but he was no knucklehead. He thought he would’ve noticed something as big as the fact his dad wasn’t human. Did Mom know? She must’ve, judging by her reaction before. And they hadn’t told their kids? That seemed like a pretty important thing for them to know, especially if there was a possibility one of them would develop powers like their grandmother. And speaking of Verdona…

A pinkish light trickled in through the blinds, snapping Ken out of his thoughts. Were the others already back? How long had he been sitting here? He hadn’t even gotten up. Was he even ready to talk to them yet? There was still so many things he needed to figure out his feelings about.

The door pushed open and a lone, glowing figure made her way in. She smiled and it looked nothing like her smile when she looked like an old lady. Before, she’d seemed friendly and warm. Very grandmotherly. It wasn’t like she looked cruel or cold right now or anything like that. She just looked different. Very different. Like a whole new person. And maybe she was, maybe she wasn’t. Ken was just having a hard time figuring out how to say something to her.

“Max tells me you play an instrument?” Verdona said as she floated to a stop before him. She tipped her head, her luminescent hair flowing behind her as she did. “Anodites aren’t the musical type. Will you tell me about that?”

Ken smiled and began speaking and that was that.

The world felt a lot bigger than he thought it was all of a sudden.

Kevin was never one for the world. He didn’t look at the sky and wonder what sorts of lifeforms were looking back. He just looked for a good time in the people and places around him. Sometimes that meant aliens, sometimes it didn’t. There wasn’t much of a difference to him.

Glitch was one of the people around him and a pretty reliable source for some fun. Dammit, he was a talking car for crying out loud! He went fast and he was a hell of a lot smarter than all the kids Kevin saw at school. Sure, there were people who could do a dozen math problems in the time it took Kevin to do one and there were people like Gwen who knew everything going on in the tech world but Glitch knew all sorts of things he couldn’t learn at school. He knew about aliens and the way things fit together and he thought about it in a way Kevin just couldn’t put together but he loved to hear about.

It was kinda weird seeing him look like Ben. Glitch had told him he’d come from Ben’s DNA but the two acted so differently that it’d never really clicked in Kevin’s head. Had he always been able to turn humanoid? Probably not. It was a lot easier to build a house for a human than a car. He would’ve transformed back sooner if he could, just for convenience’s sake. That was the only reason Kevin didn’t ask him to change back. Glitch probably liked looking semi-human, even if Kevin thought it was weird.

“So. More alien DNA?”

“Yeah,” Glitch responded, sounding distracted. He was still staring off in the direction Gwen and Ben had disappeared. Kevin frowned. He couldn’t have that.

“You think you’d let me try to get a Bootleg Anodite into my Antitrix?”

Glitch whipped around, looking horrified. “No!”

Kevin grinned and shrugged. “Nah, I was just making sure you were paying attention. Wouldn’t want to turn into a nerd like you anyway. You wanna go race around?”

“Mr. Tennyson said not to go off without telling him,” Glitch responded and Kevin wanted to tell him off for being such a goody-two-shoes. He didn’t but he wanted to. “And I’m worried about Gwen. I think I upset her.”

“Girls are always upset about something,” Kevin said even though he knew that wasn’t a real answer. As much as he liked Gwen and loved messing with Ben, the three weren’t all that close. Maybe Gwen had some stuff with Glitch or just aliens in general to work out. None of his business. “You’re about to go to another planet! We’ve gotta make your last day here fun.”

“I already had fun today. I raced LaGrange this afternoon.”

“Doesn’t mean you can’t have more fun. Come on, what’s something you’ve always wanted to do?”

Glitch was quiet for a moment, pensive, before shaking his head. “I don’t think I want to do anything special. I just want to have a nice goodbye with my friends.”

Kevin blew air out through his mouth, putting on his hands. He felt sorta bad and he didn’t know why. For assuming Glitch would want what he would? But he hadn’t really been pushing or pressuring him. He was fine with Glitch having a more relaxed last night on Earth, even if it wasn’t what he’d do. “I’m sure Gwen’ll come around soon. She’ll want to have a nice goodbye too. She’s nice like that.” 

Glitch smiled. “Yeah, you’re right. Wanna just wait here? I’m sure they won’t be long.”

Kevin agreed and settled down, trying his hardest not to wonder why Glitch had so much faith in the family who never considered him one of their own and how he’d fare in space without them.

“Can’t believe Mom just flew off like that,” Frank grumbled as he buckled up his seatbelt and Max slid into the seat next to him a bit less gracefully. He thought he was doing well in his old age but his knees said otherwise.

“You should’ve seen her when she arrived on Earth. Not an ounce of patience in her!” Max chuckled, leaning back a bit as Frank turned the keys and started up the car. “She really settled down after you boys came around but you really can’t tie down an Anodite.”

Frank nodded somewhat absently. “Hope she doesn’t startle Ken too bad.”

“Nah, Ken’s a strong boy. He’ll be alright. And if he isn’t, he’ll bounce back.”

“Maybe,” Frank hummed, “but all this alien stuff is new to him and we dumped kind of a lot on him at once.”

Max paused. His son was right. Even if aliens and Plumbers and Anodites were normal to him, they weren’t to the rest of the population. Maybe a bit more in the last couple years than a few decades ago but here in Bellwood, most people didn’t really believe what they saw on the news about towering bipedal dinosaurs or men made of crystal. And those were just Ben. The true alien stories didn’t even get into the news most of the time, most of them waved off as conspiracy theories.

In hindsight, maybe they should’ve taken Ken home to Natalie on their way to find Glitch. Maybe it was a bit too much to expect Ken to roll with the punches as easily as Ben and Gwen did. Kids bounced back but sometimes they didn’t bounce back fully intact. Not to mention, Verdona hadn’t been on Earth for a long time. There was a very real chance she didn’t remember what was and was not normal for humans to do.

But when Frank and Max returned to the Rustbucket, the scene was quiet. If not for the faint glow visible from between the blinds, Max would’ve sworn no one was home at all.

Some paternal instinct of his urged him to rush in and make sure Ken wasn’t panicking himself to tears but some more innate instinct told him to be quiet. He waved absently in Frank’s direction, telling him to follow his lead, and approached the window, peering in through the cracked blinds. The scene inside was just about the last he was expecting but it brought a genuine smile to his face.

Ken was on his feet, body animated and expression serious. Verdona was sitting a couple feet away in Gwen’s usual seat, looking absolutely delighted. They were… talking. Just talking. Ken was telling her about something or another, Max couldn’t hear what, and Verdona looked interested. Genuinely interested. Anodites got bored so quickly. They couldn’t fake interest if their lives counted on it. The two were having a real moment and it was a good one.

Max glanced in Frank’s direction, wondering if he realized the same thing. The younger man couldn’t tear his gaze off the two. Max could’ve sworn there were tears at the corners of his eyes. This was a big moment for him too, Max realized. He got to watch his son and his mother, two of the most important people in his life, meet each other for the first time. Because the meeting earlier didn’t count, no sir. This was something far more special.

Max stepped away from the window as quietly as he could, not wanting to disrupt Frank. This seemed like a private moment. Frank would decide to go in sooner or later and maybe Max would take up his spot at the window. Maybe he’d join eventually. Not now. This felt like too precious of a moment for his son to step his clumsy foot into.

Chapter Text

The goodbyes were… well, they were goodbyes. Glitch didn’t know what else to call them. Truth be told, he forgot about them pretty quickly. Kevin and Max and Ben and whatever was going on with Gwen just wasn’t at the forefront of his mind, not with everything else happening. He normally wasn’t one to get distracted quickly. Flying was amazing . And space? Space was a whole ‘nother level.

Glitch still needed some help transforming and he was far from being able to fly on his own but Verdona was patient. At first, Glitch was grateful for the help. Verdona’s mana wrapped around him, snug and supportive, like a warm blanket, reaching and bleeding into his own. He recognized it in the way he was sure so many family-oriented species recognized their own kin. It wasn’t something Glitch was familiar with himself but he desperately wanted to be. He relished in it, soaking in every moment his grandmother’s mana ticked his own, and cherished the lightness it brought him. Even when he’d flown before, however brief it was, it’d felt nothing like the way it did when Verdona carried him through the cosmos.

But as time stretched on, he realized how much he must slow Verdona down. They stopped on empty and semi-populated planets, giving Glitch a chance to rest, and he knew his grandmother wouldn’t do that if he wasn’t there. She didn’t need breaks. She’d be there already if not for him dragging behind her. Glitch was grateful, of course. He needed those breaks and they were exciting but he imagined Verdona must be so bored. Neither ate or slept so there was no way to measure the passage of time and Anodites were naturally restless beings. This couldn’t have been fun for her.

He thought about saying something. Offering to let her fly ahead. Telling her she could just leave him. Asking for directions so he could just catch up. He didn’t though. As bored as Verdona must be, Glitch thought he’d rather have her bored than offended. He didn’t know why exactly he feared the offer would offend her but it was a fear nonetheless. Of course, she might be grateful for the chance to fly on her own but it felt like too big of a risk. Even if she took it, she might not be happy he asked.

The journey was a long one and that left a lot of time for Glitch to think, though he supposed that was nothing new. After he’d left the Omnitrix, most of his life was spent idle. It was nice after the constant fight to keep the Omnitrix functioning and the Fulmini from escaping but it got lonely, even when there were others around. Kind of sad, maybe, but he couldn’t bring himself to strike up a conversation with Verdona or ask for any sort of other mental stimulation. His passiveness was always his downfall and he spent most of the journey cursing it.

But they got there eventually and it was worth the wait. Anodyne was beautiful.

If flying with Verdona felt like finding family, seeing Anodyne for the first time felt like coming home. There was so much extrasomatic energy around that felt so much like Verdona yet so different. Would he be the same one day? Nearly indistinguishable from this planet of bountiful energy? Right now, in this moment, high on the excitement of arrival, Glitch thought he’d like that one day. There was something indescribable about it that just felt so humbling. Awe-inspiring. Divine, even. He wanted to be part of it, even if he didn’t understand it.

Glitch noticed other Anodites before they reached the surface. They were flying around, as free as Verdona when he first met her. Some of them were the rich, flowing pink that made up Verdona. Glitch also spotted a number of blues, reds, and purples, their lights bleeding together in the distance. Any Anodite who flew by stared at him and Glitch had to wonder if there was something strange about his coloring. Sure, even the purple ones weren’t as dark as him but that couldn’t be that unusual, could it?

Picking up on his confusion, Verdona told him, “Your techno-organic nature conflicts with the raw life energy here. They can sense the Mechamorph in you.”

“Oh,” Glitch said aloud, feeling a little dumb. Of course they could. And it wasn’t like other Anodites had black markings like he did. Even if their senses weren’t so refined, they could tell he was different just by looking at him. Like Earth, his mind supplied, even if he hated to think that way. At least here Glitch wouldn’t have to hide. Hopefully. Verdona wouldn’t take him here if he did, right?

Glitch could feel the crackle of mana on the soles of his feet the moment they touched down. Verdona remained floating and Glitch couldn’t help but feel a little out of place that he was the only one standing. It would be okay though. That was what he was here for. He’d learn to fly one day, one day soon if he worked hard.

“I need to report that I’ve returned,” Verdona told him, lowering as far as she could without touching the ground. “Will you be alright on your own? I hoped that you would make friends here but Sunny is the only young Anodite I know and she can be a bit of a brat. Keep an eye out for blue light. That’s usually a sign of youth.”

Glitch shut his mouth and nodded, making sure to mentally take note of everything his grandmother had just told him. He could do that. He’d never really made friends before but he wanted to and that meant he’d try. “Try to make friends, Sunny’s a brat, keep an eye out for blue light because that means someone might be around my age.”

Verdona put a hand on his head. “Good. I will try to be quick. Pulse your mana if you get into any trouble. I’ll sense it, even if it’s just a little one.”

Glitch wanted to tell her that he didn’t actually know how to do that but Verdona was already zipping away by the time he opened his mouth. Glitch shook himself, trying not to let it bother him. He was on a new planet and had new powers. It was time for a fresh start. He could do this. Glitch knew he could.

…

No he couldn’t.

The open, welcoming lull of the planet’s aura below suddenly wasn’t so comforting. Divine still but not humbling, not awe-inspiring. Beautiful, yes, but Glitch couldn’t enjoy it. It was pulling, pulling, pulling and Glitch was afraid he’d get sucked in, only he wasn’t. He didn’t know if he was supposed to pull back or push against it. Heck, even if he did know, he still didn’t know how to do either of those things. He didn’t even know how to pulse his mana like Verdona had told him. He wasn’t even totally sure what his mana was! What was he thinking coming here?

Anodyne kept thrumming beneath his feet, the mana so thick in the air that Glitch would’ve sworn he was choking on it if he had lungs. He felt so far away from it even though it was right there. It expected something of him. Or he expected something of it. He didn’t know. He couldn’t tell. Everything just felt off. Wrong. Overwhelming. There was just so much mana everywhere and he didn’t know what to do with it.

Something tapped him and Glitch felt his senses coming back to him. Sight, sound, touch… When had they left him? He hadn’t even noticed. That was a bit concerning actually. Glitch didn’t think that’d happened before but it didn’t exactly feel new either. Hopefully this wouldn’t be a recurrence. He couldn’t afford to disconnect like that on a foreign planet. Especially when he didn’t know anyone who could help him if he got into trouble.

Something tapped him harder and Glitch tried to look around for it but his body was too stiff to relax. He winced, discomfort shooting through his body. It wasn’t pain, not really. Just unpleasant. He tried again, less abrupt this time. Slowly, Glitch managed to turn and found an Anodite hovering right behind him, already charging up another disk of mana to prod him with.

Her mana was blue, just the beginning of pink starting to bleed into it. She was young then, if what Verdona said was true. Glitch had no reason to doubt her words. This new girl had to be around his age. If not for the color of her mana, the curiosity on her face was telling. None of the older Anodites above looked at him the way she did.

She seemed pleased that she’d gotten his attention, leaning back with a satisfied smile on her face. “I’ve never felt something like you before.”

She reached out to touch him. Part of Glitch wanted to lean away but something about her… He didn’t know what it was but Glitch found he didn’t mind. He extended an arm and let her run a finger across the Galvanic markings along his forearm. “I’m a Mechamorph.”

“I don’t know what that is,” she responded, withdrawing her hand. For a moment, Glitch was afraid he’d scared her off but she broke into a grin a moment later. “Race ya!”

Before Glitch could even blink, she was off like a shooting star. Looking after her, Glitch found himself matching her grin. Maybe he wasn’t quite ready for making friends or manipulating his mana but a race he could do! Shifting into his car form was easy as a warm, sleepy Rath and Glitch could speed along on wheels far better than he could ever hope to fly.

The race was fun, especially when the girl noticed he was keeping up. She seemed thrilled by the challenge, a teasing light in her eye as she sped up. Glitch matched her gladly. Anodyne didn’t have a rough enough surface for his wheels to get a grip on but something about the aura clinging to the ground was perfect for them to catch on. Glitch didn’t understand it and he didn’t care. He was going fast and that was all that mattered.

The world– this new world, this beautiful new world– became a blur around him. The Anodites in the distance and the dancing energy all melted into one brilliant, swirling symphony of color. Really, it looked like one of those mosaic paintings they had on Earth, or maybe a kaleidoscope. Ben had given him once, having quickly grown tired of it after winning it at some arcade, and Glitch had loved it, even if he couldn’t use it properly when he didn’t have hands. Speeding across Anodyne felt like driving through that joyous little tube.

And he had someone with him! LaGrange would never race with him through a kaleidoscope. They normally went in the desert, where it was all open and there weren’t many changes for offroading. But there was no road here and Glitch let the girl choose their path. He supposed it wasn’t really a race then since he wasn’t trying to pull ahead of her. He was content with letting her stay one step ahead though. It was her companionship that remained stark and bold through the blurry mosaic around him.

But then she stopped. It was so abrupt that Glitch didn’t know why. He was sure she had a good reason but he was going too fast to slam on the breaks. Instead, he reverted to his humanoid form and smacked into something firm yet malleable, too soft to be a building but too hard to be nothing. Glitch peeled himself back to look up and found himself face to face with Grandma Verdona. She wasn’t looking at him though. She was looking at the girl.

“Sunny,” Verdona said sternly and Glitch gulped. That was Sunny? Hadn’t Verdona warned him to stay away from her? Or not warned, exactly. Cautioned? Advised? She wanted him to make other friends. Or did she just want him to make friends on his own? Maybe she wouldn’t mind.

“Grandma,” Sunny said sweetly, tucking her hand behind her back. Verdona wasn’t having it though and Sunny’s expression soured. “Come on, I was just having a bit of fun.”

“Wait, Grandma?” Glitch questioned aloud before he knew what he was saying. Why was Sunny calling Verdona Grandma? That was what Ben, Gwen, and Ken called her, and Glitch too he supposed even if he hadn’t really yet. They’d just met afterall. But this girl…?

Verdona looked amused, glancing between the two of them. “Well, I guess the Apoplexian is out of the bag. Sunny, this is my grandson Glitch. Glitch, this is my granddaughter Sunny.”

Granddaughter? But didn’t Max only have two sons? Frank and Carl. He’d met them. He’d seen pictures of when they were young too. Did that mean Max and Verdona had some other kid he didn’t know about? Or that Verdona had been in some other relationship around the time Carl and Frank were born? Sunny was Glitch’s age which eliminated a few possibilities. Did Frank and Carl know about her? Or even Max?

Sunny seemed unconcerned though, peering at Glitch with the same curiosity as before. “Glitch? What a weird name.”

“I’m a Mechamorph,” Glitch repeated, not knowing how else to respond. Where had his name come from anyway? His memory was failing him at the moment. Had Ben given him the name? Or had he called himself prior to Ben slipping into the Omnitrix?

“I still don’t know what that means,” Sunny said, pouting a bit. Glitch was fairly sure it was good natured but he had such a hard time knowing when someone was making fun or actually upset. He hoped it was the former, not the latter.

Verdona clapped her hands together, looking thrilled. “You will learn soon enough. You two are training together! Glitch, come. I will show you where I live. You will be staying with me. Sunny, be at my door first thing tomorrow. Glitch needs to learn how to fly and you need to work on your height. I saw you during that race. Your lucky your mother didn’t see you flying so close to the ground or she’d have a fit.”

Sunny groaned and slumped over a bit, giving Glitch a half-hearted wave as she floated off. Glitch was a bit disappointed his new friend– cousin?– was leaving but the prospect of training was too exciting. Tomorrow couldn’t get here fast enough!

Chapter Text

5 years later…

“Steady… steady…”

A glasslike structure arced from Anodyne’s surface, creating a pink pocket of energy around a hovering figure. Glowing hands outstretched, features scrunched in concentration, the walls stretched upward, trying to connect, before they slowed and flickered out of existence. “Damn it!”

“You’re pushing too hard, Sunny,” Glitch said, floating to his cousin’s side now that it was all clear. Sunny didn’t turn to face him and plopped herself down on Anodyne’s surface angrily. “Spells require a gentle touch.”

“And blasting requires force and you don’t see me trying to correct your technique,” Sunny snapped. Glitch reeled back ever so slightly but Sunny reacted before he could. “Sorry, sorry. I know you’re just trying to help. It’s just- gah! Not fair that you’re the one that’s good with spells and I’m the one good with throwing mana around. It should be the other way around.”

Glitch frowned. “It makes sense to me. I’m more of a thinker so I’m better at the more intricate stuff. You’re bolder and stronger so you’re better at the more power-based stuff.”

“That’s not what I-” Sunny cut herself off and Glitch was glad she did. As much as Glitch cherished her, comments about what Glitch should and should not be able to do as a Mechamorph had grown tiresome over the years. Glitch just didn’t want to hear it anymore and Sunny knew it. “Oh! Grandma!”

Glitch whipped around to see another Anodite approaching and mentally chastised himself for not sensing her. Sunny’s spell interfering maybe? Perhaps he was just too caught up in his feelings to notice. Either way, that was something he had to work on. “Hi Grandma!”

“Hello to you too.” Verdona sounded faintly amused but she was always quick to business. “Have you mastered the teleportation spell yet?”

Glitch nodded while Sunny shook her head. “Glitch was just helping me with that.”

Verdona frowned. “Well, I suppose that can’t be helped. I would’ve liked to send you both off but I suppose just Glitch will do.”

Glitch blinked a few times. “What?”

“Your old friends are visiting Galvan Prime,” Verdona told him, sending Glitch’s head spinning. Old friends? That could only mean so many people. “Earth is much too far to teleport to but Galvan Prime might just be doable. I think it would do you some good to see them again, and for you to see the other half of your heritage.”

That was right. Galvan Prime was the planet Mechamorphs were created on, and the one their current home orbited. Glitch would be lying if he hadn’t fantasized about seeing it one day but right now, the prospect sent paralyzing terror through his nanites. “But Sunny…?”

Sunny crossed her arms, looking away ever so slightly. “It’s my own fault I can’t teleport yet and Grandma’s right. You should go.”

Glitch’s brow furrowed. “But I’d be leaving you.”

“I have friends outside of you,” Sunny responded, tone light but Glitch knew better. She didn’t have anyone other than him, and the same went for him. They tried, of course, but being a young Anodite wasn’t anything like being a young human. It was harder to make friends than Glitch expected. “I don’t want you blowing this chance for me.”

Verdona’s mana reached out for Glitch, giving a comforting touch. “Are you ready?”

Glitch’s mind whirled. Already? The news had only been dropped on him a moment ago. He’d hardly had time to think! But that was the way of Anodites and he had to get used to it. He’d like to have some time to prepare but he knew Verdona wouldn’t be happy about that. So, he nodded. “Yes.”

Verdona smiled and the touch of her mana intensified. “Begin the teleportation. I will guide the spell. Remain true and the spell will carry you there.”

Glitch gulped, suddenly nervous, but did as he was told. Gathering up his mana and whatever else Verdona offered him, he pulsed it outward into the spell and he was off. “Abaeo Exorior!”

Glitch had teleported before, of course. It was hard at first, painful even, and it still could be but normally it left him with a light rush that stayed with him the rest of the day. He didn’t know if he’d describe it as good but it wasn’t necessarily bad either. This time, however, he’d definitely call it good. Verdona’s mana pulsed through him, lighting his circuits up with energy, and carried him all the way to… Oh. He could feel it.

It felt like the first time he went to Anodyne. Then, he’d felt the mana swimming deep in the core of the planet. Now, he wasn’t quite sure what it was. It was totally different yet eerily similar at the same time. Something inside him was screaming for him to reach out for it, to grab whatever energy he felt crackling before him. The closer he got, the stronger the feeling got and the more right it felt. Glitch hadn’t even realized he’d been missing this feeling until he got it and now it was nearly within his grasp.

But the teleportation didn’t bring him toward that alluring power In the fraction of a moment, Glitch realized he was materializing elsewhere. Part of him wanted to struggle, to wrestle control of the teleportation spell away from whatever force was guiding him and launch himself toward that delectable energy source. He didn’t though. Glitch was nothing if not patient. He had enough self control to wait a bit. Whatever it was, it wasn’t going anywhere.

Arms were suddenly around him. In his disorientation, Glitch hadn’t quite taken in who and what was around him. The back of his mind urged him to fly upward and out of this grip but a more conscious part of his brain melted into the embrace. Blinking a few times, Glitch spotted a familiar face watching him with an amused smirk on his face. “Kevin?”

“You notice Kevin first? Really?” a voice so like his own complained. 

Glitch switched his attention to what was directly in front of him, jaw dropping as he took in the sight of the boy and girl before him. “Ben! Gwen! Oh wow, I almost didn’t recognize you. You look so different.”

“Puberty,” Kevin said tonelessly. Glitch expected Ben to complain or at least sour his face but he just rolled his eyes and withdrew from Glitch, seeming little more than amused by the whole thing. Gwen, on the other hand, seemed a bit more miffed.

“You went through puberty too, Kevin.” Gwen stuck her tongue out at him before turning back to Glitch. “You look so different too, Glitch! You're all… glowy. Like Grandma Verdona.”

 Glitch looked down at himself then immediately regretted it. That was embarrassing. He knew what he looked like. Still, Gwen was right. His body was more energy than solid now. Not as much as Verdona or Sunny, it never would be with his Mechamorph roots. Speaking of Mechamorph roots… “What are you guys doing on Galvan Prime?”

“Ongoing villain battle,” Ben said nonchalantly. “There’s some rogue Mechamorph… It’s a long story. But since you’re not around, we figured Azmuth would be a good way to learn about Mechamorphs then we got talking about mutations and hybrids and Azmuth got kind of mad that we never told him about you…”

Oh. Ben’s words felt like a physical blow. “I don’t know why I thought anything would be different.”

Ben titled his head. “What?”

Whoops. Had he said that out loud? He hadn’t meant to. But since he had… Glitch took a deep breath. “You just- You never really treated me like- like one of you? Like a Tennyson. Or even a friend. I was just your ride, even though I wasn’t even a car to start with.”

Ben frowned and Glitch braced himself, expecting Ben’s usual screeching but instead found a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry.” Ben shrugged. “I didn’t realize we’d been doing that. I’ll- I- I don’t think of you like just a car. I’ll make sure you know that, Glitch.”

“Why aren’t you…” Glitch trailed off. He wanted to ask why Ben wasn’t arguing. Ben always argued when someone criticized him. He complained, he got defensive. He learned his lesson eventually but it usually took some kind of beating or mistake on his part to knock the sense into him. But Glitch hadn’t seen Ben in five years. He’d changed. It made sense that Ben had outgrown the behavior Glitch knew, that he’d matured. 

Glitch felt a pang of sorrow from deep within him. Part of him grieved that he’d missed the chance to watch that growth. How else had Ben changed? And Gwen? Or Kevin for that matter? What about Max? And Carl, and Frank, and Ken? He’d barely known them. He wished that he’d been able to change that. Maybe one day.

“Want to go to Galvan B?” Kevin asked almost conversationally, even though Glitch knew he had to know the weight of his words. He was giving Glitch a chance to feel human. Or Mechamorph? Glitch didn’t even know what he was anymore. “Azmuth kind of sucks. I don’t really want to see him again if I can help it.”

Glitch grinned and floated upward, pooling his mana in his hands. Gently, it reached up and tugged his friends upward. “You guys have no idea how much I’ve wanted this.”

Gwen and Kevin yelped, scrambling a bit as their feet left the ground. They were perfectly balanced, Glitch knew, but the sight was amusing. Ben, on the other hand, looked totally fine, raising an eyebrow up at Glitch. “You know I can fly, right?”

“Let me have this,” Glitch responded good naturedly and flew up off Galvan Prime’s surface right toward its moon, toward the other half of his heritage. He’d mastered his Anodite abilities better than some Anodites ever did. It was about time he set Anodyne aside and explored what it meant to be a Galvanic Mechamorph.

The flight wasn’t a long one, not for an Anodite. But Glitch didn’t feel much like an Anodite right now. That feeling was back. That one that felt like coming home, like coming to Anodyne but it wasn’t. This one was electric and metallic, yet just as alive as the planet they were leaving. Something pulled at Glitch’s body and it felt nothing like mana. It was dark and inhuman but it didn’t frighten him. Setting his friends down gently, Glitch let the invisible tendrils pull him along, ignoring the questioning calls of his friends behind him. His mind was focused on one thing and one thing only right now.

The moment his feet hit the ground, Glitch felt something inside him light up. A Galvanic Mechamorph stepped out in front of him. And then another. And another. Still, Glitch didn’t feel frightened.

They touched him, their massive paws running along the purple markings spread across his body. There was something curious about the motion yet urgent at the same time. Glitch watched them, trying to make sense of what they were doing. They were trying to tell him something, he knew that much. Just not what.

One of the Mechamorphs stepped back and crouched down. Glitch titled his head, watching intently. The Mechamorph raised his arms and then plunged them deep into the world beneath their feet. The glowing lines across her body twitched and twisted, stretching downward before pulling the rest of the Mechamorph down, down into the planet until nothing remained.

Then another Mechamorph did it. And then another. And another. And soon it was time for Glitch to follow.

There was a pit of something in his stomach but he didn’t feel nervous. He was nervous when he went to Anodyne but things were different now. He’d come home before. This wasn’t new. He knew what to do.

Glitch let the technological streaks on his body fill with mana and lift from his metallic skin. The others hadn’t done this but this was something Glitch knew he could do. Without the long hair of other Anodites, this was something he’d become well practiced in. Letting the tendrils drift downward, he let them sink into the planet like roots until a surging overtook him and his body liquified, pulling him below the surface.

Mana and tech fused, extending his senses beyond anything Glitch had ever felt before. He could feel every Galvanic Mechamorph inside the planet around him. He could feel his friends on the surface. But more importantly, Glitch could feel himself.

He didn’t know if he’d ever felt himself before. He’d felt something before, something incomplete and broken, but he could feel none of that now. Mechamorph, Andoite, human… There was no distinction anymore. He could feel all parts of him yet none of them at the same time. Maybe he always had. Maybe he just couldn’t understand it until now, until he’d gotten the chance to connect with every piece of him. 

Now, it was all just Glitch.