The first thing I felt was the heaviness.
A dull, aching weight pressed down on my chest and limbs, wrapping me in a blanket of fatigue so complete it made thinking feel like trying to swim through wet sand. My eyes refused to open at first, stubbornly glued shut by exhaustion and the sterile dryness of infirmary air.
Infirmary...
That thought stirred something faint at the edges of my consciousness, flashes of sound and sensation I couldn't quite hold onto. My pulse stuttered beneath the beeping of a monitor nearby, a soft and steady rhythm that tethered me to the now.
I shifted, just barely, as the fluorescent light hit my eyelids, and a soft gasp broke the hush around me.
"Albedo!"
The voice was bright, disbelievingly cheerful and achingly familiar.
Warmth flooded my sluggish senses, and against my better judgment, I forced my eyes open.
The world swam at first, a haze of colour and motion, before sharpening into something solid: the cold, sterile infirmary ceiling above me, the dimmed lights casting soft halos around the fixtures.
And then Koriand'r...
...
...
Wait... Koriand'r!
She leaned over me, her green eyes wide with something fierce and shining, her hair spilling forward like a living flame. She looked like she was about to launch herself onto the bed in pure, uncontained relief.
"You are awake!" She cried, her hands fluttering near me like she didn't know whether to touch or hold or shield me from the world itself. "Thank X'hal, we were so worried, I was so worried!"
Before I could react, Kori moved instinctively, pulling me into a loose, careful hug.
Her arms were strong but trembling, her body radiating heat and life against the chill that still clung stubbornly to me. It was a clumsy embrace, off-balance and for whatever reason a little desperate.
Reflexively, I stiffened at the action.
My body reacted before my mind could even process what was happening. My breath caught sharply in my throat at the sheer suddenness of her action.
And it seemed Kori felt it instantly.
She froze, pulling back almost at once, guilt flashing across her face. "I am sorry, I did not mean to cause discomfort—" she stammered, her voice dropping to a softer register. Carefully, as if handling fragile glass, she released me, her hands lingering briefly above my blankets before withdrawing entirely.
It took an uncomfortable amount of time for me to force to myself to breathe through the tightness in my chest.
I don't know why, but something about her reaction made me feel... bad? I hadn't meant to recoil as I did. It was just how I always was. So why did I feel bad about it?
My hand slowly, deliberately reached out and lightly touched her wrist, a silent gesture of apology. Not a grasp, not a clutch, just a... momentary connection, enough to show her that I'm sorry. Of course, I wouldn't have said such a thing out loud. Why would I?
I quickly retreated my limb after letting it rest on her hand for a brief moment.
Unconsciously, I moved my head to the side, I didn't want her to see me in such a distasteful form. Though for a small moment, I was able to see Koriand'r's eyes soften, her whole being seeming to sag with relief.
"You are safe," she whispered again, smiling through the lingering fear that still clung to her voice. "You are here."
I simply nodded faintly, my body was still too tired for words, yet.
We sat like that for a few heartbeats: the faint beep of the monitors filling the space between us, the muted hum of the infirmary's ventilation system whispering through the walls. Somewhere distant, there was the low murmur of voices, probably other patients, wait, no, that wouldn't make any sense, it was likely the League members, but it all felt far away, like another world entirely.
Eventually, I found my voice.
"What... happened?"
The words came out rough and low, scraping against the dryness of my throat. How long was I out for? Kori was already reaching for a cup of water by the bedside, holding the straw to my lips without hesitation.
I just... sort of stared at the beverage for a bit. Well, that was until she started to move it closer to my face, almost shoving it against my mouth with a pleading look on her face. She looked like a sad puppy or cat. How pitiful! Did she really think such a thing would work against the great Albedo? Me? Like I would fall to such a poor play against my emotions?
...
...
...
...
"Argh, fine." I managed to croak out before swiping the cup from her hands, much to her happiness, as she was practically beaming at me. My mind might just be playing tricks on me, but I could have sworn that I could see stars in her eyes. It must be a trick because there's no way her species could do that... right?
Well... anyways... I downed the water, a little faster than usual, the coldness shocking my senses awake.
When I finished, Kori took the cup from my hands and set it down and folded her hands in her lap, her expression growing more serious.
"After... the confrontation," she began carefully, searching my face for any sign that I wasn't ready to hear it. Did she think me a mere tadpole? Hmpf, I'll have to let her know that I was first to gain my wisdom, "you collapsed. The Lasso... it was too much for you."
A flash of memory seared through me, the golden light, the unbearable pressure of truth ripping through my mind like a hot rod of fire and a thousand razor blades. And an overflowing of information that my brain just simply couldn't retain, even as it was pumped directly into my memory.
I flinched, and Kori reached out again, this time only brushing the back of my hand with her fingertips, feather-light. Why is she treating me like this? We barely know each other.
"I stayed by your side," she continued, voice low and steady. "You were... not well. There was much concern, much debate..." She frowned, the crease between her brows deepening with the memory. "The League wished to monitor you extensively, the dark one, Batman, I think his name was, wanted to do tests."
My mouth twisted into something bitter before I could stop it. Of course they would. To be honest, I'm surprised that Batman would allow such a thing, but I'm guessing the other leaguers outvoted him.
Kori's hand firmed slightly on mine, taking me out of my thoughts as I looked at her with a raised brow. I understand that I helped her escape from the Psions, but that was it; our partnership is over for the most part.
"I... objected," she said simply. "Strongly."
I blinked at her. Strongly? Girl, if I am not mistaken, you were practically yelling before I fell unconscious.
For all the emotional whirlwind I had come to associate with her, there was a steel in her voice now, the kind you would associate with a princess who had gone through hardships, tempered by a kind of calm certainty. Not the explosive outrage of someone fighting blindly, but the steady, immovable weight of someone standing between two opposing forces and refusing to be moved. It was almost enticing if it wasn't being directed at me.
"And is that also the reason why none of our..." I looked away for a second, trying to find the right words to describe the Leaguers. "Welcomers are present?"
"You needed rest," she said sternly. "Not more pain."
I simply sighed and turned my head slightly, staring up at the unfamiliar ceiling that continued to blare its fluorescent lights like a human baby begging for attention.
Somewhere in the corners of my mind, I could still hear the voices, sharp, suspicious, cold. The League had not trusted me. Why should they? Sure, I had done many dangerous, life-threatening and criminal acts in my home multiverse, but here? Nobody knew me here, they would have no idea of my capabilities.
I gritted my teeth as I swallowed against the thickness in my throat.
"You... stayed...? Why?" I asked after minutes of silence, my voice barely above a whisper. I don't get it, aside from keeping me away from the JL, there's not much of a reason to stay beside my bedside, except making sure I was safe.
I don't get it. Why was she wasting time staying with me?
Kori smiled again, smaller, softer, and nodded. "Of course. It is what friends do."
Friends huh... Hahahah... what a silly idea.
I closed my eyes for a moment, letting the weight of what she said settle.
When I opened them again, Kori was still there... Saying nothing. Not demanding anything of me, not chastising me for any little mistake I made. Or telling me off for disagreeing that a 10-year-old human should wield the Omnitrix. Not asking me about any services that I could offer, just to stab me in the back.
Just... Just sitting there.
...
Great... what a situation I've found myself in.
The moment of fragile quiet between us was not fated to last long, unfortunately.
There was a short, polite knock, barely more than a suggestion, before the door to the infirmary hissed open, and four figures stepped in, shadows long against the bright hallway behind them.
Batman, of course, was first. Always first. His cape trailed behind him like the curtain at the end of a bad dream. Wonder Woman followed, all poise and grace wrapped in armour. Superman strode in behind them, his cape brushing the floor as if the room belonged to him by birthright. Green Lantern, John Stewart, sharp-eyed and stiffer than steel, brought up the rear, arms folded across his broad chest, the green emblem on his suit pulsing faintly.
My body tensed automatically at the sight of the golden lasso, a primal stiffness I couldn't just suppress like most other emotions. Well, besides hatred.
Even seated, wounded, these people radiated authority.
Power.
Something I only had at an arm's length. I wasn't in a condition to instinctively transform. I might accidentally turn into a hybrid again. And I'm not really in the mood to go through hell for the second time today.
Koriand'r's posture shifted beside me, her back straighter, drawing her hands back, just in case some kind of fight broke out. At least, that's what I would have assumed to be the reason.
Batman stopped at the foot of the bed, his cape settling like the wings of some great bird.
I forced myself upright with a soft groan, ignoring the throb that settled deep into my skull like rot.
"You're awake," Superman said, voice calm, almost warm. Offering a half-smile in apology.
"Very observant," I muttered, rubbing my temple. "Anything else you want to make redundant?"
"How do you feel?" Wonder Woman asked gently.
"Oh, you know I just had my mind fractured and dismantled in a matter of seconds, I believe the term you humans use is like getting hit by a train. Twice." I paused, taking a second to massage my temple as I felt a headache incoming. "But, all things considered, I'm doing well."
That earned the faintest, smallest twitch at the corner of Superman's mouth. Batman, naturally, didn't react at all.
Wonder Woman shifted in her place, looking down at the ground in shame. Green Lantern's eyes, sharp, steady, flickered down to a small handheld device he was carrying. He muttered something into it under his breath, logging something, before finally speaking.
"Look, we're not here to poke you or prod you anymore," Lantern Stewart said bluntly. "We owe you an apology."
I raised an eyebrow at that. Sure, Wonder Woman needed to apologise, but why use the word "we"? Ah right, it was the bat that instructed her to do it.
Kori shifted closer to me. I won't lie that her presence was a nice steady comfort against the growing unease building in my chest.
Batman crossed his arms, every inch of him radiating tension. "We didn't know the extent of the damage done to you when you mentioned your sudden change into a more human form, we should have stopped there."
"And?" I gave an expectant look at the dark-cloaked man, motioning him to continue on.
"We're sorry." Wonder Woman started. I could hear the guilt coming from her voice. "Well, it's more so that I'm sorry. Like Batman said, I should have removed the lasso the moment you started to go through pain."
She paused, collecting herself before continuing. "I shouldn't have let it get to that point—"
I cut her off.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it." I dismissed her with a wave. "What's done is done, no need to go bending over backwards just to say you're sorry. Besides," I shrugged, a jolt of pain shooting through my shoulders in the process. "That's not my main concern."
I paused, taking in a few breaths as I collected my thoughts. I'm not in a position for any fighting right now, nor am I in one for escape.
I may have plenty of transformations capable of outer space travel, but I don't know if any could get me home. Chronosapiens are a possibility, but not one of high chance. The Celestial Sapien transformation is by far my best bet, but it is, at the end of the day, too risky.
I'm not Tennyson, I doubt that Annikus and Kursika would let me do it without going through however many proposals they have for changing reality.
Hmm... I don't think I have any transformations that could bring me back.
Most species in the Omnitrix's database aren't on such a level. There were at least 1,000,912 species accessible in the Omnitrix when Ben was 16.
'Sigh, do I really have to rely on Annikus and Kursika?' I thought as I mulled over my options. Sure, I could try and build a machine to get back, but who knows how long that'll take.
"Well, I'm glad we got that resolved quickly, but I'm afraid that there's not much we can do for you at the moment," Superman suddenly spoke up, most likely trying to lift up the mood. "I don't think we have any means of getting you back to your home universe." He paused in thought for a moment before he turned to look at Batman and asked, "Do you think Doctor Fate might be able to help?"
"Unlikely. Though he has travelled to other planes of existence, as far as I know, he can't travel to alternate Earths." Was the response. "I will ask to be sure, but I wouldn't rely on it."
"There's also the question of how we would find your universe even if we could travel there." Lantern Stewart added. "As far as I can tell, you're not giving off any Bleed radiation, so at the very least, we'd need to find the portal you came through to get its signature, and considering the time frame you've given us, I'd be surprised if even remnants remained." He finished with a light shake of the head.
"But you have, and I quote, 'one of the most advanced pieces of technology in the universe'." I insisted. "Surely it or whoever made it knows how to travel to other universes."
The man's mouth twisted. "The Guardians of the Universe have enough trouble with one universe, so they don't go out looking for more. They might have some knowledge that will help build an interdimensional portal, but…" He trailed off, taking a second to think about it before shaking his head and sighing. "Look, Green Lanterns are prohibited by treaty from going to the Vega system, so I can't even go check for a Bleed signature. Any knowledge the Guardians would let me have would be useless."
I stared at him for a long moment, my brain going into overdrive, coming up with plan after plan after plan of how to get back. Most require time and resources I don't know if I'll have access to.
Finally, I said, "Just because you can't go into the Vega System, doesn't mean that others can't", this time unable to keep the heat out of my voice.
"There's nothing you can do? I thought your job was to save people!" I said with controlled anger. What kind of backwards excuse was that? Oh, you're not allowed to go, so what? You have Superman over there, fully capable of going.
"And we don't always succeed," Superman said solemnly. It almost looked as if he was reminiscing about something. Pfft, what a fool. "We can continue to look into it, but for now…"
"And what am I supposed to do in the meantime?" I asked tersely, trying to keep myself under control. "I… just can't do nothing! I can't sit around up here waiting for something that might never come! Especially for someone of my calibre."
Superman was about to say something else, but Batman interrupted. "Why not?" The rest of us looked at him, and he continued. "We could provide you with most of what you would want or need for your stay here if you were so inclined. Why isn't that good enough?"
I looked at him like he was crazy, because that's what the nonsense that he just spat out was. Nonsense!
Complete and utter nonsense!
Who in their right mind would just sit around and do nothing while some people, who, mind you, have no experience with at bear minimum, inner-multiverse travelling, twiddle their thumbs and try to figure out ways to help?
I tried to answer the man of fools but found that no words could come to me. At least not in the way that would be 100% appropriate to the situation.
Now, by no means am I saying that living on a space station didn't sound, by itself, pretty cool, even if I wasn't sure if Batman was making a serious offer. However! I did not like the idea of being under constant observation by the Dark Knight. Not to mention Wonder Woman.
Don't know how often she comes up here, but I'd rather not do the charts to find out.
Eventually, I found myself saying, "Because… after everything that has happened to me, what Koriand'r and I have been through with the Psions, I can't just ignore it and pretend to be normal while someone else fixes it. Especially by those that are out of their depth!" I jabbed my finger in their direction. The sheer audacity of the suggestion left its mark on my words like tar.
"If I have to stay here for a while, I don't want it to be meaningless, or even be a facsimile of my life back home. I want to see what I can do in this new universe. For Primus' sake, there's technology that I haven't heard or seen before, and you think I'm not going to try my best to understand it?!" I crossed my arms as I looked off in annoyance. "Besides, my debt to Kori has yet to be paid back, and I don't plan to let her rot on this backwater planet of yours."
Batman's posture and expression didn't change at that, but after a few moments of silence, he nodded. "I see. Earlier, Koriand'r said that you saved her when you could have run. Why?"
I blinked at the non-sequitur before I answered plainly, simply and logically, "Because it was the right thing to do."
He was silent for a moment longer before he continued, accidentally cutting off Superman from whatever he was about to say. "I can understand your need to find a place world following the loss of what you know, and people finding themselves with sudden powers isn't terribly uncommon on this Earth. Normally, the League only keeps an eye on such situations, but in these circumstances, I believe we have a place for you to use your new talents to the fullest."
I narrowed my eyes as I hesitated before asking, "Just to clarify, you are not suggesting that I join the Justice League... are you?"
"No." He said flatly, allowing some of my worry to wash away. "The League is very careful in its selection of members. Whether or not you join the League would be considered at a later date. However, we do have a set of associated members who are forming their own team."
Superman gave Batman an incredulous look as he glanced between me and the bat. Seemingly to catch on to what he was getting at. "Are you sure about this? We already added J'onn's niece."
"No, I think this idea has merit…" Wonder Woman interjected with a soft smile. "It will be a learning environment and let him associate with people used to the oddities of this world. And surely letting him help to protect the world is better than keeping him sequestered or simply releasing him into the world."
Batman continued. "You will work with a team and carry out missions that I assign you, and your performance will be evaluated. You will function in a support role, given your own statement as a computer scientist until I decide that you are ready for more active work. Does this sound acceptable?"
"I wish to join as well." Our heads all whipped around to look at Koriand'r, who stared back resolutely. "If Albedo is to join this team of protectors, then it will not be alone. I too, do not wish to be simply idle, and working in defense of this Earth shall be how I repay its hospitality." She finished with a small, proud nod.
The various League members looked at each other questioningly, and after a few moments of silent communication, Batman turned back towards us. "Very well. Do you agree, Albedo?"
_________
I was stunned for a few moments longer before I had to suppress a few hysterical giggles. I won't deny that I had the stray thought or two about it on the flight here, but I had been so focused on how I was getting home that I never seriously entertained the thought.
I mean, yes, I was in the DC universe, and while yes, that annoying human side of me was undoubtedly giddy about the idea. Here I was. Batman was offering me a chance to become a superhero.
A superhero of all things.
...If Tennyson was here he'd undoubtibly be doubling over laughing his butt off at me.
In that moment, I could see my future laid out before me, fighting supervillains and saving lives among the heroes of the DC universe. And I knew I could be amazing at it. A nice distraction at worst, while I figure out ways to get back.
Not just because of my abilities, but because of my knowledge. More specifically, knowledge about DC. It wasn't perfect for this universe, but even just having the broad strokes would be a massive advantage. I knew secrets, weaknesses, possible history that no one knew.
I knew of possible technology that I could use, what to avoid, who I could probably trust and who I probably couldn't.
With luck and skill, I could become one of the greatest heroes on Earth. And all I had to do was say yes.
"No."
Not like this.
Everyone was caught by surprise by this, but I continued before they could say anything. "At least not with something else." I paused for a bit of dramatic effect.
It was hard to tell, but I swore I saw Batman narrow his eyes ever so slightly. "And what is that?"
"A lab."
...
Almost everyone looked at me in slight bewilderment. They probably weren't expecting something so basic and simple of a request.
I won't say that the reaction wasn't unwelcome, I put a lot of effort into my performance and acting just now. I spent a lot of time cultivating those skills when I was doing the Ben 10 road show, I'm sure as hell going to use them.
"That's all?" Superman spoke up first.
I looked at him like he was an idiot, because, well, he kind of was in this moment. "Of course that's all. What did you expect me to ask for, a million dollars? Please, I don't need such worthless things."
This time, it was Lantern Stewart who spoke up. "If I'm not wrong, then the other base has a lab, so yes, I believe we can provide you with that."
"Ah, that's fine then, as long as I have somewhere to work, I'm more than fine." I said as I felt a strange weight lift from my shoulders.
The Dark Knight spoke up with his typical gruff voice. "Hmm, good. We will have much to talk about, but I imagine that you both are tired. I'll show you where you can get cleaned up and get changed before we head to your new residence."
"We're not staying here? What about the ship I came in?" I asked with a raised brow. I was more than confident I would have had to fight the bat on such an idea. But here he was, offering it to me on a silver platter... strange.
"The Watchtower is League only, and the team that you're joining has their own headquarters on Earth." He replied. "As for your vessel, there is no space or entrance at your headquarters that is prepared to handle it, so it will have to stay up here for now. I would prefer to keep it on the Watchtower indefinitely, but I imagine that someone of your abilities would like to make 'use' of it."
"Well, I'd prefer to keep the FTL capable spaceship functional, but there is a lot of spare stuff in there that I think I could use."
He grunted. "One of the Green Lanterns shall do an inventory. If nothing is deemed too hazardous, it will be brought down to you. The possibility of bringing down the entire ship will be discussed at a later date."
Wasn't sure I entirely liked that, but I couldn't really argue that I needed the whole spaceship right that second. "Alright, fine." I waved off.
"Good. I will meet you at the Watchtower control centre in one hour." With that, they left the infirmary.
With the League gone, silence settled in again. Just me, Kori, and the strange weight of everything that came next.