2 Arrival

4:36 PM

"Wake up Tennyson," said a voice.

"No, Mom. I don't want to go to school today. I want to stay home and bake cookies with you.

"Ugh… Benjamin K. Tennyson, you wake up this instant!" yelled the being in annoyance.

"Aaaah." Ben woke up instantly to the yell.

The voice was relieved. "Finally."

Ben looked around for the source of the voice but found none. "Who said that?"

"I did," the voice replied.

Ben looked at the Omnitrix in confusion. "What?" Suddenly, the faceplate opened up and projected a hologram of a small frog-like being.

"I've been trying to wake you for about an hour now."

Ben raised an eyebrow. "Azmuth? What are you doing here?"

"I'm not Azmuth. I'm the AI that runs the Omnitrix. Azmuth 10. Who do you think says all those indications to you?"

Ben just blinked. "I'm surprised about seeing an AI besides Eunice."

Azmuth 10 decided to explain. "The Omnitrix uses quantum computing to analyze all the DNA stored within along with monitoring the various functions. Azmuth couldn't trust any AI except one he made himself."

"So why are you here now? You haven't shown up before."

"I was given this feature with the latest update you received. Whenever you lost connection to Primus, things tended to go poorly, so he allowed me to speak to you in such cases."

"Well, that's good because I happen to be in a bit of a pickle."

Azmuth sighed in annoyance. "What happened this time?"

Ben relayed the events before his arrival here.

"So you're one of the Sonosarian clones. Interesting."

"Interesting? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Remember when you split yourself using the Sonosarian DNA a while back."

"Yeah. I ended up causing trouble because of the different personalities."

"After you told me that, I was programmed to reduce mental side effects. At the moment, your mental state should be about equal to the original's. "

"Well, that sounds good. If we're able to get back home, do you think that we could recombine."

"I'm not so sure about that."

"Why?"

"Do you know how Sonosarians reproduce?"

Ben thought about Echo Echo. "Isn't the species just living sound in a suit?"

"Exactly. When Sonosarian clones separate for long periods, their brain waves come out of sync. The clone becomes its distinct consciousness. That's how they reproduce."

"So, if I don't get home soon, I won't be able to recombine as one Ben."

Azmuth nodded. "That is correct."

Ben sighed in relief. "That's not too bad. I'm alive. He's alive. Not the worst thing to happen."

Azmuth smirked at the response. "I'm glad to see such optimism in our current situation."

Ben shrugged. "Since we're pretty much stuck here with no way back, we should probably look for civilization."

"Indeed. I may be able to help you in that regard. Raise the Omnitrix above your head." Ben did as requested. The hologram turned off, and energy emitted.

Ben raised a brow. "What was that?"

Azmuth began to explain. "I used a small pulse to locate large concentrations of sentient life. There appears to be a city a few miles North just through that swamp. I wouldn't recommend flying there as we don't know if this Earth is hostile to new life forms flying. On a side note, there is a signature in the swamp, so you might want to transform before your departure."

Ben nodded. "Thanks for the help."

"It's what I was made to do. Call me again if you need further assistance."

"No problem." Azmuth closed the hologram function. 'Since we're going through a swamp, I know who to be.'

He scrolled through the watch and pressed the core. In a green flash, he became a humanoid plant-like alien with a green and black colored body with root-like feet, seemingly holding rocks. The shoulders and head had red and yellow petals.

"SWAMPFIRE!" 'Take that, damn mosquitoes. It will be a long walk…' "Engage Lifeform lock."

"Lifeform Lock Engaged"

'Better get a move on.'

8:14 PM

Swampfire was in the middle of the swamp. 'Sheesh, how big is this place? Huh?' He came to a small clearing with a strange plant-like house near the swamp water. 'Must be that signature Azmuth told me earlier. I should approach carefully.'

"Hello! Is anyone inside? I'm just passing through. I mean no harm. I'm just heading to the nearest city." A minute passed, and there was no response. "I guess no one's home."

"Who are you?"

Ben turned to the direction of the voice. A shadowy figure stepped into the light of the clearing. What Ben saw surprised him. 'Is he an alien?'

The creature eyed him warily. "What are you doing here?"

"I mean no harm. My name is Swampfire. I'm just passing through."

"Hmm." The creature looked at Swampfire once more. "...Very well. You may call me Alec. The Swamp seems to confirm your words. I will trust you for now." He gave an immense glare and looked to the sky. "It is getting late to continue on foot. I permit you to stay for the night."

"Uh...Thanks. I appreciate the hospitality."

10:13 PM

The two were gathered around a fire cooking some gator that they caught earlier. They ate in awkward silence until Ben decided to break it. "So…what are you?"

"What do you mean? Are we not of the same origin."

Swampfire raised his nonexistent eyebrow. "You're an alien too?

It was Alec's turn to be confused. "I am confused. Are you not a product of the Swamplands? You are an alien?"

Ben could feel the awkwardness in the air. "Well...yeah."

Alec eyed him top to bottom, trying to get a read on him. "So, you're like that Superman guy but a plant... How is that possible?"

'Superman? I guess he's a known alien here then.' "Uh. I come from a planet where plants evolved into sapient life." It wasn't a total lie. That is what happened for this species but not him personally. "What about you?"

"At the moment, I am not sure. I used to be human, studying these very same Swamplands, but there was an accident."

'Well... that's a new one to add to the origin books.' "I'm sorry to hear that." He wasn't sure about what else to say.

"Don't worry about me. I have come to terms with my new life a long time ago. The Green, it comforts me, guides me.

"The Green?"

"I don't fully comprehend it myself, but it resides and connects with all plant-life all around us. It is within me. I can even sense it within you."

Swampfire placed a hand to his chest. "Woah. That's heavy. Although, I think I know someone who can clarify."

Alec tilted his head in confusion.

"Hey Azmuth, I think I found something you might want to look at."

From the Omnitrix symbol came the Azmuth AI.

"Yes, what seems to be the…" He cut himself off at the sight of him. "Fascinating, sentient plant life on Earth."

Alec blinked at the hologram. "Who and what is he?"

Swampfire paused to come up with an answer and shrugged "He's my guide of sorts. He's brilliant, so don't judge him before you get to know him."

Alec continued to stare at the little frog thing. "I see."

A yellow light panned over Alec. Azmuth put a hand to his chin. "From my analysis, I can see that you are perfectly fine. Although you aren't an evolved life form such as Swampfire here, your consciousness and plant body are bonded together because of the Earth's mana.

Alec's confusion on the current situation grew, raising an eyebrow. "Mana?"

Swampfire decided to step in and explain. "To me, Mana is considered life energy. It is in all lifeforms and planetary bodies. Doesn't sound too far off from the Green you mentioned."

Alec looked at his hands and then to the surrounding swamp. "Fascinating. But, why me?"

Azmuth nodded. "That's the question we all ask ourselves. Whether this Green has a conscious or not, it saw something in you before you perished."

"The Green. It has shown me many things in this Swamp. As there is a light, there is also darkness?"

Swampfire frowned. "Darkness?"

Alec pointed into the distance. "Just as the Green is a balance of life and death, there is an imbalance out there, only bringing death, a Rot if you will"

"That doesn't sound good at all."

"I know. It is not a lie to say that the land of the Rot had been abused."

Swampfire nodded solemnly. "This Green, it's trying to find balance again, right?"

"Yes."

"Tell me. How can I help you get rid of this Rot."

"The Rot goes beyond conventional biology. I listen to the Green, and they tell me what is needed."

"You said that you sense the Green within me. Can you teach me?"

"I would be happy to."

"Thank you for your help and for talking to me about all this. Maybe in return, we can exchange tips on controlling plants. I'm pretty sure you grew that house that way."

Alec chuckled before walking toward a tree. "Perhaps. Now, place your hand on this trunk. Close your eyes, and let the Green flow through you."

For the next hour, Swampfire felt more connected to the world than ever.

7:16 AM

Both of them had woken up at the crack of dawn. The two were standing outside of the camp seeing each other off.

"Good luck on your journey. I hope you find what you are looking for." Alec held out his hand toward Swampfire.

Swampfire took his hand and gave a firm shake, confirming their friendship. "Thanks for everything. Goodbye. I'll come by and visit sometime." He began walking North.

Alec waved at the shrinking figure. "Farewell!"

Swampfire waved back without looking, continuing his journey toward the city.

Omnitrix DNA Entry:

Name: Swampfire

Species: Methanosian

Home World: Methanos

Powers and Abilities:

Methanosians have a wide array of powers, such as regeneration powers, the ability to slip through tight spaces, enhanced strength, chlorokinesis, stretching, and the ability to alter their body. They can generate and blast flames of various amounts of heat and intensity through their hands and mouths via igniting the methane in their bodies, with enough precision to melt a metal cage without harming the people inside. Methanosians can reattach detached body parts by manipulating their vine-like "veins" to reach out and meld with the insides of the detached limb. Methanosians could instead regenerate a lost limb or reform if destroyed and their body parts are close enough.