The last screeches of the DNAliens faded into the night as the Plumbers pushed the remaining stragglers back. Some of the creatures dove headfirst into the asphalt, burrowing deep beneath the city streets, while others were pinned and restrained by violet energy nets. The plaza, once chaos incarnate now simmered with smoke, rubble and the hiss of still-burning fires.
Dexter exhaled quietly inside the helmet, scanning the battlefield.
Finally over… for now.
Then his HUD caught motion. Kevin, standing over a collapsed DNAlien, his arm morphed into a hammer. Kevin's teeth clenched as he raised it high ready to bring it down.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
The cool, steady voice cut across the plaza. Kevin froze mid-swing and turned, narrowing his eyes at the armored teen. "Why not? Don't tell me you're about to give me the 'be humane' speech. I saw you smash these things with glee."
Dexter shook his head, crouching near the alien. "Uh, yeah—no. Not that, It's just…" He tapped the creature's twisted face with one armored finger. "…these things used to be human."
That made Kevin pause. Gwen's shield flickered out as she blinked in surprise. "What?"
Ben who had just slammed the Omnitrix dial untransformed in a flash of green light. He stepped closer, sweat still clinging to his brow. "Wait. What do you mean 'used to be human'?"
Dexter tilted his head. "Ever seen the Alien movie?"
Kevin frowned, his hammer-arm shifting back toward normal. "You mean those Xenomorph flicks? Yeah. What about it?"
Dexter leaned closer. "In that movie, there's something called the Facehugger which is the same deal here. The DNAliens are made when a little parasite called Xenocytes latches onto a host and rewrites their DNA which reshapes them into this. The host is still in there somewhere—ljust… buried under the infection. They're not in control anymore."
The three stared at him in stunned silence. Gwen's lips parted, her eyes softening as she looked down at the struggling alien pinned beneath energy restraints.
Suddenly a calm and commanding voice broke the silence. "Are there any ways to bring them back?"
The four of them turned. From the smoke strode a tall figure in Plumber combat armor, sleek gunmetal plating trimmed with silver. Over his head rested a black dome helmet, its glass opaque from the outside hiding his features completely. A faint red glow pulsed from the chest plate giving him a faceless, almost mechanical presence.
Dexter straightened. "There is a way. But first... who exactly are you?"
The man stopped a few feet away. "Pardon me. I am Magister Patelliday of the Plumbers." His voice was firm, clipped with military precision. "Now, care to elaborate? How can we save them?"
Dexter jerked his thumb toward Ben. "That guy right there can heal them."
Ben blinked, pointing at himself. "Me?!"
Kevin smirked faintly, crossing his arms. "Well, you did want to be the hero Tennyson."
Ben groaned. "Great. No pressure or anything."
Dexter's visor tilted toward him. "Relax, green boy. You've already got the tool."
Ben frowned. "The Omnitrix?"
"Bingo." Dexter tapped the side of his own helmet. "It's not just a watch that makes you into walking flamethrowers or rock monsters, it's a genetic supercomputer. Think bigger."
"Okay, fine. Let's say I buy this, how does turning into an alien help me fix… that?" Ben gestured at the bound DNAlien, which hissed weakly through jagged teeth.
Dexter stepped closer, crouching by the creature again. His tone was calm. "You don't need to transform. The Omnitrix can scan."
"Scan?" Gwen echoed.
"Yeah. It knows what a human should be." He pointed a gauntleted finger at Ben. "You, Tennyson, are basically carrying around the genetic blueprint of half the galaxy. All you need to do is tell it to compare what's in there"—he rapped his knuckles on the DNAlien's chest—"to what it knows a human should look like. Then… reset."
Ben blinked, staring down at the dial on his wrist. "…You're saying I can cure them? Just like that?"
Dexter's lip curled into a half-smirk beneath the helmet. "I'm saying it's worth trying before you start smashing skulls. Worst case? It doesn't work. Best case? You save a life."
Kevin snorted, muttering under his breath. "You sound like Gwen."
"Yeah right," Gwen said dryly, though her eyes never left the DNAlien.
Patelliday folded his arms. "Do it, Tennyson."
Ben swallowed, then knelt by the restrained creature. "Alright, Omnitrix… scan and… fix."
The dial lit up, casting a green glow across the cracked pavement. The DNAlien convulsed violently, a strangled screech ripping from its throat. Gwen flinched, but Dexter raised a hand slightly.
"Hold, don't stop it."
The glow spread wrapping the creature in a green cocoon of light. Slowly the warped gray skin began to peel away flaking into ash-like particles. Beneath it, patches of human skin reappeared. The claws receded, teeth shrinking, eyes reforming into something recognizably human.
When the light finally faded a man lay unconscious on the street... bruised, pale, but undeniably human.
Ben stared, wide-eyed. "It… worked."
Gwen covered her mouth. "It really worked."
Kevin exhaled slowly, rubbing the back of his neck. "…Guess hammer time would've been a bad call."
Dexter straightened, folding his arms across his chest. "Told you It'll work."
But then—
The man's face twitched. Something writhed beneath his skin. With a wet rip, a Xenocyte burst free from the side of his jaw, screeching as it launched into the air. Its spindly limbs spread wide, aiming straight for the nearest host.
Dexter.
Everyone shouted at once, but before it could latch, Dexter's armored hand shot up like a trap. He snatched the parasite midair, its legs clawing frantically at his gauntlet. For a beat, the world seemed to hold its breath.
Then crunch.
Dexter's fist closed bursting the Xenocyte in a spray of dark ichor across his armor plates. The remains dripped onto the pavement with a hiss.
Inside the helmet, his voice came cool and almost casual. "Oh right. I forgot to mention after you heal them the Xenocyte detaches. It'll try to find another host."
He flicked the blood from his gauntlet and turned his helmeted gaze toward Kevin. "Which means you don't kill the hosts…" His visor tilted just slightly, almost like a pointed smirk. "…you destroy the parasites."
Kevin blinked, then let out a dry chuckle. "Heh. Guess I can smash something after all."
Ben grimaced, wiping ichor off his jacket. "Ugh, gross."
Gwen crouched beside the dazed man, helping him sit up. "But he's alive. We actually saved him."
Patelliday's visor lingered on the man, his voice low and heavy. "By the stars… all this time."
Ben looked at the man on the ground, then back at his watch, expression hardening with new resolve. "…Alright then, I'll cure every single one of them."