The explosions from Albedo's bombs had scorched bark and gouged craters into the earth, sending plumes of smoke into the air—but the forest refused to burn. Moist and lush from recent rains, it absorbed the heat quickly. Only the smell of singed leaves and a few drifting embers remained.
"I need a coffee," Nathan muttered, trudging away from the smoldering clearing. The car he'd "gotten" just days ago was nothing more than twisted metal.
After about ten minutes of walking, he spoke aloud, "How far are we from the city?"
[You are currently 13.7 kilometers from the city, and 17.9 kilometers from your hotel,] Raphael replied.
"So I've gotta wait an hour for the watch to recharge, and let Sonic's cooldown finish before I can get out of here?"
[Correct. In the meantime, you could experiment with the H-Omnitrix and attempt another transformation—or figure out how to revert manually.]
The forest might've been beautiful to someone with energy to spare, but to a tired, slightly singed Nathan, it was just bugs, humidity, and too many damn trees.
Somewhere, someone was watching. The Doctor had warned him of that. Nathan had suspected as much on his own—but caution was hard without knowing what to be cautious of.
He didn't care much about the Watchers, and even less about abstract beings like the One Above All. The former were cosmic voyeurs with a job to do, and the latter? Too far removed to matter.
He tried to tinker with the H-Omnitrix, hoping to trigger a transformation—or cancel one. No luck. In the end, the transformation wore off naturally.
[Noted: your combined time as Hulk and Speed-O-Sound Sonic lasted 54 minutes—not the standard 60. It is hypothesized that switching forms mid-transformation consumes additional energy, resulting in shorter overall time.]
Bored, Nathan opened the System Shop and claimed the Order Dragon's Breathing Style. He expected an ancient scroll. Instead, a 15-foot metal plate materialized in his arms—and immediately fell to the ground with a heavy clang.
[Analysis complete. Would you like me to integrate it directly into your body?]
"That was fast. Also, why the hell is it on a giant slab of metal?"
[Preservation, perhaps.]
He squinted at the surface. "All I see are oversized letters and weird terminology."
[Order Dragon's Breathing Style uses controlled breathing to draw in ambient energy, refine it through your body's circulation, and expel waste with each exhale. However, unlike traditional energy systems, this focuses on Order—increasing your stability and presence within reality itself.]
"So… like a cultivation technique?"
[That's a crude and disrespectful comparison. But… not entirely inaccurate.]
With Raphael guiding the flow, Nathan followed the breathing pattern. Within moments, fatigue faded, replaced by a strange clarity. He felt… grounded. Recharged.
[H-Omnitrix cooldown complete. You may now initiate transformation.]
"Finally." With a deep breath, he activated the watch and shifted into Homelander—then soared back toward the city.
As Raphael guided him toward the motel where Sam and Dean had been staying, Nathan spotted a convoy of fire trucks and police cars speeding toward the forest behind him.
He landed quietly on the motel's roof.
[Sam and Dean just left,] Raphael reported. [I still detect residual divine energy—and their phones are now connected to an entirely different network.]
"Oh, come on," Nathan groaned. "Now where am I supposed to get a fake ID?"
[Using Cyborg, a specialized printer, and quality paper, you could manufacture one. Fabricating the digital trail is relatively simple—but forging your presence in local authority records is more difficult. Especially if you plan to use an Acquire Card to register a business. Even if the Winchesters made you a fake ID, it wouldn't survive scrutiny if you draw too much attention.]
"Fair. So… what's your recommendation?"
[You have options. You could use Deadman to possess someone with the necessary access. Or strike a deal with an organization that specializes in this kind of work.]
"Sure, let's go with possession. It'll help me get used to Deadman too. So what's the plan?" Nathan asked, as he began his flight once again.
[Analyzing options… Parameters: Remote Michigan location. Objective—legal civilian ID, passport, and business ownership for Acquire Card use. Method—Deadman possession.]
[Searching public records, federal contractor databases, shift logs...]
[Top candidate: Leland Morris. USCIS systems tech, Detroit annex. Works overnight shifts alone. Clearance level—root access. Location—200 km. ETA: 18 minutes.]
[He can insert a birth certificate, social security number, state ID, passport, and even register a company tied to your identity. Full coverage.]
"Anyone better?"
[Closest options only have state-level access. Morris is our best shot.]
"Alright. So I fly in, possess him, drop in the documents and IDs, register a business with the Acquire Card, and bail?"
[Correct. Estimated window before next staff check-in: 3 hours. Shall I begin prepping a shell company for you to claim after?]
Nathan grinned. "Do it. Let's go make me a real person."
[You might need to postpone the Detroit plan. Ben Tennyson and his team just entered my detection range—they're heading toward this town.]
Nathan groaned. "What is it with this place? Why is everyone suddenly showing up here?"
[A plausible explanation could be increased DNAlien activity. Unusual readings have been surfacing in the area.]
"Any idea where we are in their timeline?"
[Unclear. Ben and Gwen appear to be around 18, Kevin about 20. Their attire and the presence of DNAliens suggest early Alien Force, possibly Season One. It's likely the DNAlien arc was delayed in this universe—too many variables affecting the hybrid war.]
Nathan shifted course midair, already scanning for movement below. "Guess we'll find out in person."
He angled toward the approaching car, cape flying through the wind.
Nathan dropped down from the sky, boots crunching onto the roadside gravel a few meters ahead of a green sedan that screeched lightly to a stop. Ben, Gwen, and Kevin stepped out, eyes narrowed and focused. Ben's gaze zeroed in on the glowing emblem on Nathan's chest.
"Hold up," Ben said, tilting his head. "That symbol… it looks like the Omnitrix."
Kevin crossed his arms. "Or someone trying real hard to look like they have one."
Nathan raised both hands in mock surrender. "Hey, relax. I saw something weird heading your way and came to check it out."
"Weird how?" Gwen asked cautiously.
"I can sense disturbances. Not sure how it works, but ever since I got this thing—" Nathan tapped the device on his wrist, "—I've been picking up on strange stuff. Energy spikes, inhuman movement, whatever those freaks in the forest were. Your car showed up on the edge of my radar, figured I'd take a look."
Ben stepped forward, eyes narrowing as he got a clearer look at Nathan's device. "That's not just any tech. Where'd you get it?"
Nathan looked down at the dial on his chest and shrugged, keeping his tone careful. "Woke up in the middle of nowhere in Africa a while back. This was locked on my arm. Since then, I've been able to turn into… monsters, I guess? Still figuring it out."
"Aliens," Ben corrected, raising his own arm and activating the Omnitrix. It pulsed green in sync with Nathan's.
Nathan blinked, feigning surprise. "You've got one too?"
Ben relaxed slightly. "Yeah. The original model. If yours works the same, you use the dial to pick a form, slam it down, and poof—you're someone new."
"Pretty much," Nathan nodded. "So they're aliens, huh? That… actually makes way more sense."
Kevin muttered, "Still doesn't explain why you dropped out of the sky wearing a cape."
"I've been dealing with some freakish things lately," Nathan replied. "Spidery-looking things with weird tubes sticking out of them. They moved like they weren't fully alive. I've fought off a few of them already. This tech's saved my life more than once."
Gwen's eyes widened slightly. "That sounds like DNAliens."
Ben looked serious now. "Yeah. We've been tracking them too. If they're already out here in this town…"
Nathan crossed his arms. "Then it's not just me getting dropped into a bad day."
Ben nodded. "Well, guess that makes four of us dealing with the same mess."
Nathan offered a small smirk. "Looks like I showed up just in time, then."
"Did you find a base or just a couple of random ones?" Ben asked as they walked back toward the car.
Nathan nodded. "It was a base. But by the time I got there, most of them were already dead. Something tore through them—a creature they called the Null Wrecker. Some kind of experiment, I think. Thing nearly killed me too."
Gwen's eyes narrowed. "Can you take us there?"
"Sure. Follow me," Nathan said, launching into the air with a gust of wind.
The trio jumped into their car and followed him. The ruined facility—now more a graveyard than a base—was just on the outskirts of town, far enough from civilization that no one had come snooping after the battle. Within minutes, they arrived.
The place was a wreck: scorched walls, crumpled steel, and scattered alien corpses. Despite the mess, the three didn't flinch. They'd seen worse.
Kevin gave a low whistle. "These weapons… definitely Class Four, maybe even brushing Class Five. Most of 'em still look functional." His eyes gleamed with interest.
Gwen shot him a glare. "Kevin. Stop drooling. You're not selling anything. Especially not alien tech."
While Gwen got to work scanning the area for data and Kevin rummaged through tech like a kid in a candy store, Ben stepped up beside Nathan.
"So, what kind of aliens have you got in there?"
Nathan shrugged. "Haven't tested them all, but a few. This one," he gestured to his current form, "I call Homelander. Flight, laser vision, the works. Then there's Cyborg—he can interface with machines, hack stuff. Hulk is... well, like the Hulk you've probably seen in the news. And Sea King—strong underwater type, controls pressure and currents."
Ben's brow furrowed. "That's some powerful stuff. Hulk though… the Omnitrix isn't supposed to work on mutants. Maybe yours is custom-coded for mutant species, or built with different parameters. I'll have to ask Azmuth."
Nathan raised a brow. "Azmuth?"
"He's the guy who created the Omnitrix. If you've got a version of it, chances are he's involved somehow."
Before Nathan could respond, Gwen called out, her voice tight. "Guys—over here. I found something."
They rushed to her side. Gwen was standing over a scorched terminal, holding a cracked data pad. Her face was pale.
"What is it?" Kevin asked.
She handed the pad to Ben, who scrolled through the files. His face hardened. "These reports… they're turning humans into DNAliens. Experimenting with hybrids. And they're trying to combine it with mutant DNA to make stronger versions."
Nathan leaned in, feigning surprise. "They're mutating humans and experimenting with mutants?"
Ben clenched his jaw. "We can't let this go on. We stop this here. Whatever these things were building… it ends now."
Nathan gave a small nod, playing along, though inside he already knew more than he was letting on.
The search wasn't over. While combing through the remnants of the base, they uncovered more clues—files noting the DNAliens' preference for cold environments, as well as blueprints and prototypes for artificial climate devices. Gwen cross-referenced the data with their previous findings.
"Yup," she muttered. "Same energy signature we found last week. They're definitely trying to build something to simulate cold on a large scale."
Just then, a soft beep came from Ben's jacket. His Plumber badge pulsed green.
"That means there's a Plumber… or at least a Plumber kid nearby," Ben said, eyes narrowing. "Could be someone like us. We should check it out."
"Wait," Gwen said, tapping on a nearby terminal. "I just found something else. The DNAliens are buying weather manipulation tech—there's a deal going down today. It could be how they're getting parts for their cold-generation project."
Ben frowned, torn. "But Grandpa Max said I need to build a team. If this nearby signal is a Plumber… we might lose our chance to recruit them."
Nathan stepped in, casual but calculated. "Then split up. I can go with one of you to crash the deal, and the other two can check out your mystery recruit."
Kevin folded his arms, giving Nathan a side-eye. "Yeah, no. I don't trust this guy. He just showed up and now he's trying to divide us?"
Nathan smirked. "And I don't trust you either. But I'm still here."
"Guys, come on," Gwen said, stepping between them. "Kevin and I can handle the tech deal. Nathan and Ben can go check the Plumber lead."
"No," Ben said immediately, tone sharp. "You're too soft on Kevin. I'll go with him. You go with Nathan—he's got the Omnitrix too. If anything goes wrong, you'll still have backup."
Gwen blinked, surprised, then nodded. "Alright. That works."
Kevin muttered something under his breath but didn't argue. He and Ben headed for the car while Gwen turned to Nathan.
"So… do you have a car or...?"
"Nope," Nathan said, tapping his watch. "I fly. Just need a few minutes for the cooldown to finish."
They walked a bit as they waited. Gwen glanced at him with interest.
"So your watch lasts an hour per transformation, and then each alien has a 24-hour cooldown?"
"Pretty much," Nathan said. "Thankfully, I've got a few fliers."
Gwen looked curious. "And you really got dropped in Africa with no idea how? How'd you even get out?"
Nathan grinned. "One of my aliens—Cyborg—can make teleportation tunnels. Needs a lot of power, but it works."
Just then, his watch lit up, ready again. He tapped the dial and transformed—his form shifted, armor plating assembling over his body with mechanical precision. Sleek cybernetic limbs hummed with energy.
Gwen's eyes widened. "Whoa. You look seriously jacked. And the cybernetics… are they integrated? Or layered over?"
Nathan chuckled. "Bit of both. My base body doesn't change much—just adds or enhances. Homelander's got a suit, Cyborg gets gear. Some others are more drastic."
She leaned closer, inspecting a shifting circuit on his arm. "It's fascinating. Ben's aliens are full conversions. Yours are more… modular."
He didn't reply, just smiled and scooped her up bridal-style without warning.
Gwen stiffened slightly, then tried to act cool, arms tentatively hooking around his neck. "You could've warned me."
"I like surprising people," Nathan said, lifting off with a smooth hum of repulsor energy.
The wind brushed against them as they soared, but Gwen wasn't focused on the flight. Her heart was pounding for a different reason.
He was warm. His arms were firm, solid. She'd never been this close to someone before—definitely not someone with glowing blue circuits, a six-pack she could feel through armor, and a cocky grin that was oddly charming.
She looked away quickly, trying to hide the small blush creeping up her cheeks.
"This is fine," she muttered to herself. "Totally fine."