Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

I glared at the monitor with my essay on it mere inches away from my face, trying to make it glitch, malfunction, blow up in a pile of smithereens or something! Christ was I exhausted!

It should be easier than regular school, she said! You don’t even have to leave the house, she said! I haven’t even left the house for more than a few hours, in over a year woman, I thought to myself.

I could barely remember the previous year’s algebra class, and I was only passing this year due to a dubious usage of the internet. Before this I used to be a straight A student, quite quick on the uptake if I say so myself, but being in lock-down for over a year tanked any semblance of my already waning motivation and caused it to be blown up in a show of epic proportions. Talk about from hero to zero, almost literally zero according to my grades.

You know what? Screw this, I thought. I shut down my computer, and walked a few steps back towards my bed. Remembering I left my phone on one of those wireless charging things I was recently given, I snagged it and almost immediately it entered the home-screen. I positioned myself comfortably leaning back on a pillow. Fully charged, nice! Now, what to read… what to read.... I contemplated for a moment. You know what? No fanfics I should read … I snapped my fingers in rapid succession in annoyance as I tried to remember the name of the book I just recently bought.

A few seconds later the name of the book I was trying to remember appeared on the tip of my tongue. Dawnbreaker, I remembered. It was a book that focused on the exploits of a seventeen year old Clark Kent who was yet to take on the mantle of Superman. Really it seemed to be perfectly in my tastes. I idolize Superman and what he symbolizes. He shows us that even those with absolute power can still be good people, that everyone should hope and work for a better world, and that almost everyone has a shred of good in them.

Really even just now is as good a time as any to give it a read. Well if I ignore my essay… and the other mountains of work I’m supposed to do, as well as the extra studying I have to do for my upcoming finals, but who cares about those?

I gave a click to the orange, and white “Books” icon on the lower half section of my phone, and went on to find the book I was looking for. I gave a tap to the cover of “Dawnbreaker” and-

What the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck, my mind rattled as I got a grip of my surroundings. From a quick cursory glance it was just some decrepit restroom stall, and I was sitting on the lid of a toilet.

Nothing shifted, there was no transitionary period, I didn’t blackout and wake-up, not even a flash of light! There was nothing. The closest thing I could describe it to was when a scene changed in VR. There was something, then an instant later there was something else. Nothing dramatic, just change from my comfortable bed, to this place. Speaking of which in order of importance: Where am I? Am I on some sort of drug? and I really think this is the most important question: Did I lose my goddamn mind! My mind raced in a million different directions, and my breathing started to speed up slightly.

Okay, calm down calm down calm down calm down clam down, -̢̡̭̜͒͌̅̊̒̃̅̚͟͜͡͞-̴̛̯͔͍͕̱͕̓̈́̆̅̈̒͋̀ͅ-̖͕͖̭͈͕̏̀͐̊̃̔͢͠-̟͕̻̬̯̲̦̏͗́̅̔ͅ-̴̬̝̥̪̳͕̱̻̀̌̈̎̍̿͒̉͢͠͠-̳̟͇̯͉͗̓̇̂̔̈̾̇͢-̱͎̲̲̭̫̭̳̆͑̉̄̅͊͊̿̕-̶̨̨̣̖͇͂̔̂̾͝-̶̞̰͔̰͉̮͛͑̄̅̀̌͘ ...Dear Jesus why can’t I remember my name? what in the ever living fuck just happened. My mind was still racing, and I couldn’t see clearly.

A few moments? Minutes? I can’t recall. Anyway some indeterminate amount of time later I finally found my breathing to have stabilized, but tears were still in my eyes and I wiped them away. In and out, in and out, in and out, I called to myself mentally. Focus on keeping my breath steady. I really have no idea what to do in this situation, and I can’t remember my name. Okay I gotta do something. I can’t just keep sitting here.

Call the police! I still had my phone on me, and it was fully charged! I quickly dialed 911, and almost immediately the call died. I gave a look to the upper right corner of my phone, and noticed there was absolutely no cell service, which was fucking weird because my phone plan covered most if not all of the continental United States.

Angry, I was about to throw my phone against the stall wall, and extended my hand to do so, until I noticed something fucking strange on my left wrist. It was at this moment I legitimately questioned my sanity, because on my left wrist I swear to god, was the mother fucking Omnitrix.

Alright I’m in a decrepit bathroom, I can’t remember my name, and I have the Omnitrix on my left wrist. None of these facts lead me to believe that I am in fact sane. Except insane people can’t question their sanity can they? My thoughts for the umpteenth time today raced. Alright there are three possibilities I can think of A. This is real B. I’m in some sort of dream or C. I’m hallucinating. If it’s B or C then nothing matters, and either I’ll wake up, or probably be found and put in some asylum until I’m lucid, if it’s A then I’m majorly fucked over.

Alright enough thinking. I’ve thought enough. I should treat it like it’s A until proven otherwise. Taking a deep breath I pulled my wrist adjacent to me. I hesitantly pressed its center, and immediately jolted my hand back. It morphed from the green, black, and white design that was reminiscent of the Omniverse design, to a different color pallet consisting of red, blue, and yellow. The screen in the center was emitting a blue light. Did… did it just rip off Superman’s color scheme? I questioned. Did it respond to my subconscious? I mean Ben had a green color scheme even when the Ultimatrix was originally red when he took it from Albedo. So maybe because I love Superman it chose his color scheme as the Omnitrix colors?

“Omnitrix successfully re-calibrated for User. 10 aliens now available for use.” a synthetic voice called out.

The voice spooked me back a bit, before I regained my seating on the toilet. I focused back on the watch and tapped it again. A yellow hologram popped out (which woah! A fucking hologram!) and it formed into a humanoid shaped figure with an excess amount of arms. I could give a guess as to who it was. I swiped at the hologram looking for something useful. I mean they were all awesome! But at this moment in time I could guess I’d probably need something with mobility.

I passed a being made of crystal, a small frog-like creature, and a creature with earmuffs, before I found something useful. XLR8 seemed to be one of the aliens unlocked in the watch on my wrist.

Slowly I moved myself from the seat, and opened the stall door. Quickly taking a peak, and seeing nothing beside from an empty men’s restroom I walked out as quickly as I could. I opened the door from the inside of the men's restroom and slowly, and cautiously exited. What I found much to my surprise was a simple fast food restaurant. I could feel the eyes of a few people as I was walking through the place. The menu helped me out a lot, because I knew exactly where I was now. Big Belly Burger in large bold letters covered part of the menu on the wall.

Big Belly Burger, which if I recall correctly is in fact a fast food chain in the DC universe.

I’m fucked, the single thought reverberated through my mind. DC was a capital D death world! Sure it may not seem like it in the comics, but that’s because of the sliding time scale. Batman is still in his thirties and he’s had at least 4 robins. They never focus on the fridge horror aspects of the comics, like how the world almost ends on a regular basis. I idolize Superman, but I don’t want to inhabit the same reality as he does.

Okay let’s first find out just which reality I’m in. For all I know Superman is a communist, and this single Big Belly Burger is America’s last stand against him. I’m guessing my thoughts must have been showing on my face, because as I turned around and scanned for an exit, people were staring at me. I ignored the burning sensation enveloping my face, and headed for the exit. The faster I was out of there, the less people would stare.

When I exited out the building, I came face to face with a worn down street, and towering buildings dotting the dusk skyline. I needed somewhere to hide, maybe even transform if the watch wasn’t just a figment of my imagination. Keeping a steady pace I searched for an empty alleyway or something along those lines. I saw a few people around me, and the place I currently was seemed really sketchy, I didn’t want to be the poor bastard that got mugged by one of them.

After walking for a few minutes, I finally arrived at a place that seemed free of other people. I fiddled with the Omnitrix again, and found myself staring at a yellow hologram of XLR8. I took in a deep breath, before slamming my palm against the watch.

Change.

My body, it changed. The feeling that filled me was indescribable, like my body was being stretched out, and molded. A warmth echoed throughout my body, almost like electricity. Again, it was indescribable, I can’t do the feeling justice. The feeling was over in an instant however, and I instantly found my perspective had shifted. I was slightly taller, from my normal 6’0 height, and my body again was different. I had tail (which let me tell you is fucking weird) my feet weren’t feet, but orbs, and I had three fingers? Claws? Well I had three of those. Also I was now blue and black, so there’s something.

I tried to move forward a bit, and got launched into the alleyway wall. I’m sad to say this is the most painful thing I’ve ever experienced, before this the most amount of pain I’ve been in was occasionally slamming my foot into things, not colliding with bricks at whatever speed I went. After I groaned in pain for a few moments I peeled myself off the ground, and tried going slower.

Slower, and in control. Come on! Slower, and in control. I commanded myself. I rolled out of the alleyway onto the streets. I was moving faster than I ever have before on foot, and I could still tell this was a fraction of a speed I was capable of! I sped up a bit, and started searching through the streets for any indication of where I was. Everything was simultaneously clear, and a blur as I passed by streets, and looked around for a sign or something.

I passed restaurants, apartment complexes, a park, and a convenience store or two before finding myself in the main part of the city, and coming to a dead stop, because towering above me was the Wayne Foundation.

Change of plans, find Metropolis. No, find out which universe I’m in, then hopefully find Metropolis. I conceded to myself. I wasn’t scared of Batman per say, but I had a feeling any other hero would be more friendly, or more trusting than him. Wait wifi is probably universal right? I mean I’d get no service because my phone wouldn’t be able to connect to the satellites or whatever, but wifi is wifi is it not?

Running throughout the city I tried finding a store or something that offered free wifi, and I eventually came across a store by the name of “Moonbucks” that sounded very familiar. I ducked into a nearby alleyway and slammed the Omnitrix button to detransform, and an instant later I found myself back in my regular body. Boy did it feel weird.

I walked into the Moonbucks, and immediately found myself a seat. I wasn’t going to be here for too long, so I didn’t feel that bad about not purchasing anything. Opening up my phone, I went directly for the wifi setting, and bingo! Moonbucks customer wifi was available! I opened up safari and Google, which was still a thing, and I wasn’t going to question it.

I instantly typed in Superman, Blackest night, Coast City destruction, Justice League, and things along those lines. I could be certain I wasn’t in main continuity DC, as Coast City was never destroyed, and Blackest night hasn’t happened. Superman was still Superman, and not communist or evil, and the Justice League was a thing since 2003 when an Appellaxian invasion brought them together.

I searched through the recent news and discovered two facts: Today was July 5th, 2010, and yesterday Cadmus Labs recently suffered an explosion. Well it wasn’t the worst of places really, Young Justice was lower on the power scale, and it wasn’t as much of a death world as normal DC.

My next actions were clear to me: Find Metropolis, find Superman, and go from there. I quickly searched up a map from Gotham to Metropolis, and tried to memorize it to the best of my abilities, luckily though they seemed to be relatively close to each other,

I left the shop, found myself an alley, and transformed. I may or may not have yelled out XLR8 along the way, but who cares about that. I remembered the direction that Metropolis was in and ran or rolled depending how you look at it. Everything around me slowed down, and I found myself out of the city in a little less than a minute. Around 7 minutes later I spotted a sign that said “Welcome to Metropolis” and I filled with a child-like glee.

Okay, so what speed do I have to go to run up a building? I questioned. If I could position myself atop a building, and called for Superman I could probably get his attention.... I found myself a nice, tall building. I stood away from it before accelerating, as I transitioned to running on the wall I felt my grip loosen. I clawed at the side of the building before falling a few stories and hitting the concrete with sickening crack. I groaned, and moaned in pain for more than a few minutes, I even transformed back into myself.

I laid there for more than a few minutes before mustering the courage, and willpower to try again. I transformed once again into XLR8, and put even more distance between myself and the building. I raced towards it, placed my feet up the wall, and finally managed to successfully climb atop the building.

Atop the building I detransformed, and gave the beautiful Metropolis skyline a gaze. I could’ve gotten lost in the sight if I were being honest with myself. The wind blew through my shoulder length hair, and I took a few moments to take everything in.

The moments were up, and it was time to hopefully meet Superman. Butterflies appeared in my stomach, because it was Superman, but I really couldn’t afford to let that stop me. Tapping on the Omnitrix, and swiped to find the creature with earmuffs, and hoped he was who I thought he was. I slammed down on the Omnitrix, and in a flash of yellow I was suddenly shorter. My body was white, with long arms, and short legs. Earmuffs were melded to my head, and my assumption was correct.

This is alien is Echo-Echo.

I took in as much as a deep breath as living sound-waves could, and screamed.

“Superman! Help me!!”

Chapter Text

Metropolis
July 5th, 20:03 EDT

A blur of red, blue, and yellow arrived less than 30 seconds after I called for his name. Superman stood- no floated in front of me in all of his glory. His sheer presence was both intimidating and awe-inspiring.

“Did you need something?” Superman questioned. His voice snapped me out of the sheer amount of fanboying I was doing mentally. Realizing I was still transformed into Echo-Echo I slammed down on the Omnitrix symbol to release the transformation. In a flash of yellow I was back to my normal human self.

“Uh-h Yeah? Sorry you’re just so co- uh. Sorry I’m just kinda freaking out right now.” I took in a deep breath. I saw a small amount of shock leaking from Superman’s face seeing my transformation. You’re freaking him out! Chillax a bit! “I kinda woke up? Got teleported or something. Either way I was in bed one moment, then the next I was in the restroom of a Big Belly Burger in Gotham. I couldn’t remember my name, and now that I’m thinking about it a lot of details about my life either. After that this watch-“ I gestured to it ”The Omnitrix is now stuck on my wrist, and I then used it to run over here, and then get your attention. Uhh… sorry for rambling Superman sir.”

Superman stood silent for a few moments, as if contemplating what he was about to say next.

“You say you can’t remember what happened, or your name?” he asked me.

“No, not really. One moment I’m in bed, the next I’m in a gross bathroom, and along with that went a lot of my memories.” I gave him an honest answer.

“And that,” he pointed at my wrist. “the Omnitrix you called it? That allowed you to transform into that creature?”

“Echo-Echo, an alien” I corrected absentmindedly. And I just fucked up. What am I supposed to say? “I’m from a different universe, one where both the Omnitrix, and you are fictional no less. Oh! I also know a hefty amount about most of the heroes in this universe including but not limited to, all of your secret identities.” If they were in the main comic continuity maybe, but as far as I can remember they haven’t dealt with anything close to alternate realities.

“And how would you know that?” Superman gave a suspicious look in my direction.

Come on, you idiot. You’ve lied your way through worse than this! I mean I haven’t but it’s nice to pretend. “I don’t know?” I questioned myself. “It kinda came along with the memory loss. Lost something, I gained something I guess. The Omnitrix lets me transform into different aliens from what I can tell. 10 of them right now, each one of them with different abilities. Echo-Echo a Sonorosian has some form of audiokinesis, and can copy himself I think”

“I see,” Superman let out a chuckle.”This is quite the pickle you’ve gotten yourself in. Don’t worry I - and the League too I’m sure- will be here to help you out.”

“Really?” I was filled with a mix of gratefulness, and excitement. “Thank you! But uhm, I’m kinda homeless right now.”

“Yes, I assumed so,” he answered kindly. “just give me a moment to discuss the situation with a few friends of mine.”

___________________________

A few minutes later after Superman finished speaking to whoever he was speaking to, he told me where I was going to be staying temporarily until they figured something out more permanent, or who I was entirely. Which probably wasn’t going to happen, but I decided to keep that to myself.

“The League and I have found a place for you to stay temporarily. The S.T.A.R Labs research center in Central City is designed for newly awakened metahumans to research their powers. While not exactly your situation, they are equipped to properly handle your case.” Superman informed me. “They won’t do anything that’ll make you uncomfortable, I can assure you of that.”

“Alrighty, that sounds good.” I assured him. “It’d be cool to test out more of what I could do! How am I going to get there though?”

“Well I could always fly you myself… However, you said you were able to use the watch to get here from Gotham?” He questioned me.

“Oh, I totally forgot!” I dialed XLR8 and slammed down on the Omnitrix. “XLR8!” I cried out as the yellow flash died down. Did I just call out XLR8 in front of Superman?! If I were still in my human form, I could guarantee I’d be flushed in embarrassment. “I think I could make it to Central City in this form. I’m not sure where it is though.”

“That’s fine,” he assured me. “in fact, I’ll lead you there, follow me!” He shouted as he flew off before stopping.

I just prayed I could get off the building. I faltered a bit as I ran down the side of the building, but I guess handling the speed gets easier the more I use it, because it was a mostly smooth ride down. I could still see Superman floating in the distance as he waited.

I followed him, and the running soon became fun as I tracked him across the states. Again I could oddly perceive everything as a blur, yet moving slowly. I guess it was a kineceleran’s brain’s way of keeping the species sane during long periods of travel.

In fact, everything was going perfectly fine until I heard an ominous beep as I passed the Hudson River. I saw a red flash, and tumbled onto the dirt of where I was running. The Omnitrix had timed out ten minutes into my run.

“Are you alright?” Superman asked.

“Yeah,” I said as I brushed off a little dirt. ”I’m fine.”

During the majority of distance between Metropolis and Central City, I had to be carried by Superman, and my face burned in embarrassment.

_______

S.T.A.R Labs, Central City
July 6th, 8:00 CDT

The next morning I woke up feeling refreshed. The previous night I was dropped off by Superman at the S.T.A.R Labs research center in Central City. In less than an hour I found myself drifting off to sleep in an empty room they kept for newly found metahumans.

I checked my phone immediately after I woke up for clues about my name, or maybe something about the memories I seemed to have forgotten, but any information that could’ve given me a clue to who I was, was completely gone. Besides certain knowledge about DC and Ben 10, and my feelings about them I remembered some vague facts, like I was from Texas, I had a loving family, and I was good in school, but the specifics were blank. I ignored the pang of sadness that accompanied realizing this as best as I could, and moved on.

I then found myself in the bathroom facilities of S.T.A.R Labs, and I was provided a set of bathroom supplies, and an extra set of clothes they had lying around the facility. I stared at myself in the mirror for a while after I rinsed my mouth with water. For the first time since the craziness of last night did I finally have a chance to look at myself.

I stood at 6’0 and 220 pounds, as a baby faced 16 year old guy. I was wearing a black t-shirt, and a pair of blue jeans that were provided, and the red, blue, and yellow watch that had since attached itself to me last night. My brown eyes matched to my brown flowing hair, which rested on my shoulders since I’ve been growing it out for over a year. Underneath the dark circles which placed themselves below my eyes, you could clearly see my hispanic heritage. After giving myself a once over, I couldn’t deny it. I looked like shit.

I need to start exercising or something. The Omnitrix may give me the peak specimen of the aliens it has, but sadly for my flabby body, I’ll have to do the work. I headed towards the main testing lab where they told me to meet the researchers today, and greeted them.

“Hi!” I waved to the two of them as I entered the room. It was divided into two sections. One smaller section behind a thick glass window, where there seemed to be a bunch of monitors and computers displaying things I could barely comprehend, and the other much larger side which seemed to be a mix of an infirmary and a laboratory. “I think I’m supposed to be here for some testing?”

The male researcher approached with his right hand held out. I went in to give him a handshake, however he ignored it in favor of gently twisting my wrist, and observing the Omnitrix. “So you’re the guy with the watch! Dude that’s so cool! How did it feel like when you transformed? Wait how would you even get that much energy to-” His hands were smacked away from the Omnitrix by the female researcher.

“Sorry about him, he just gets a little excited. I’m Dr. Caitlin Snow, and this is my partner Dr. Cisco Ramon. But please, call me Caitlin.” she apologized to me.

“It’s fine,” I assured her. “I’d be excited out too if I was him, hell I am excited. So, what’s on the agenda?”

“First we need to get some energy readings off the device,” she answered. “and after that? We’ll take a few blood samples to see what it’s doing to your DNA.”

____________

A few minutes later I was standing in the middle of the lab. Caitlin stared at a monitor intensely on the other side of the glass, and Cisco readied a scanner that looked a little more Si-Fi than I was used to.

“Alright,” Cisco called out, pointing the scanner directly at me. “do your thing Alien Dude!”

I pulled my wrist adjacent to me and tapped on the Omnitrix. The yellow hologram popped up once again, and showed me an alien with four arms. “My name’s not Alien Dude.” I directed at him. I slammed my palm against the top of the Omnitrix. “It’s Four-” The flash of yellow died down, and I stared at my crystalline body. “-head?” I felt an imaginary heat rise up in my cheeks? Crystals?

“Dude your name’s Forehead?” Cisco started to laugh uncontrollably. I could even hear a giggle in the background from Caitlin.

“No I-,” I grumbled before I got cut off.

“- Forehead, that’s perfect.” Cisco said as he tried catching his breath.

“-haven’t gotten my name figured out yet.” I finished. “However, I do have names for the aliens I transform into. This is Diamondhead.” I gestured broadly to myself. “I meant to turn into another guy I call Four Arms.”

Cisco was about to say something before Caitlin interrupted.

“Cisco!” She called. “Come and check the reading I got out!”

Cisco hurried over to Caitlin, and huddled over the monitor. His face made a few distinct changes before settling on a grin.

“Dude!” He rushed over to me. “What is in that thing? It’s got some mad energy output! We’re talking about like the amount of energy the Sun outputs in a year big.”

I understood his curiosity. As far as I could remember, what powered the Omnitrix was never revealed, although I knew it could charge up enough juice to destroy the universe.

I let out a chuckle before responding. “Don’t know, it kinda just attached itself to my arm out of nowhere. Along with it went a lot of my memories.” I seriously needed to figure out where my memories went. Besides the vague details I could recall, and the few recollections I had about the Young Justice show, and Ben 10 I had nothing to work with. “Don’t think you could help me with that could you?

“Nah dude,” He said in a sympathetic manner. “I’m more of a tech and toy kinda guy. Could probably help you come up with a name, but Cait’s the one you’re gonna want to ask for help with your memories.” He pointed to her. “She’s the biologist not me.”

Caitlin walked up to us in the main portion of the lab. “I’m going to have to give you an MRI to check for any abnormalities within your brain. But aside from that, there’s nothing much I, or you can do except wait. The memory is a fickle thing.”

I frowned a little at that statement. There’s gotta be something I can do.

Caitlin noticed my crystalline frown. “Hey,” She commented. “lighten up a bit! The watch hasn’t appeared to be harming you, so at least you might’ve gotten free superpowers out of the deal.” She said with a soft smile. “Now I don’t believe that alien has any blood. So I’m going to have to ask you to detransform.”

I complied, and with a yellow flash returned to my human body. I took a seat, and proceeded with the blood tests. The needles pierced my skin, and I saw the blood going directly into the vial. It freaked me out a bit, I hated the sight of blood, but I tried my best not to squirm.

I waited in silence for the next few minutes. Cisco was fiddling around with who knows what, and Caitlin was waiting for the results of the blood test. I wasn’t particularly worried, the Omnitrix should’ve been completely safe. The worst thing she’d probably find is a case of high cholesterol.

As soon as the results were in, Caitlin came back. “Well, I don’t see anything particularly worrying in here besides a case of high cholesterol, but that's nothing a little diet and exercise can’t fix.” Called it. “Aside from that your DNA isn’t damaged or out of place, so I can reasonably conclude that it’s safe to use the watch.”

The moment Caitlin stopped speaking Cisco appeared right beside her with something that I could reasonably guess was a ray gun.

“Alright!” Cisco exclaimed. “Now let’s get the fun part started, and see what your alien guys can do!” I saw an almost sinister amount of glee in his eyes, and it caused a bead of sweat to drip down my forehead. But I wanted to know what I could do almost as much as he did, so I relented, and nodded yes.

“Cisco!’ Caitlin reprimanded. “Don’t you dare hurt the kid!”

Cisco only scoffed. “I won’t! That Diamond dude looks pretty sturdy to me.”

I moved to the center of the lab, and gently this time, tapped on the Omnitrix to transform. A yellow light flashed and Diamondhead appeared. Caitlin went behind the thick glass in the other part of the room. It worried me that that was her automatic reaction, but I didn’t have time to think about it before Cisco yelled.

“Testing durability in 3!” I stiffened. “2!” I shut my eyes. “1!” I reopened my eyes out of curiosity. A thin beam of pure red energy hit me dead center in the chest, causing me to fly back and crash into the wall. Christ that hurt! I thought to myself. Surprisingly it didn’t hurt as much as that time I crashed into the wall as XLR8, and I could only guess that was because Diamondhead was more bulky.

I fell back down to the floor, and coughed out. “Warn… me… next… time.” I stayed there groaning for a few moments before picking myself up and giving a death glare to Cisco.

“I swear to god Cisco!” I heard Caitlin yell behind the glass.

Cisco ignored it and spoke to me.

“I knew you could handle it!” Cisco smiled.

“And if I couldn’t?” I questioned in a shocked manner.

“Well then I’d be facing another lawsuit.” He quietly muttered. “But think about it like this! You just took 3,000 joules of energy in the area of about a bullet! This Diamondhead dude is mad durable.”

“I think you’re mad.” I muttered.

Cisco either didn’t hear me, or just outright ignored the comment.

“Alright what should we test next? We were told you got like 9 more of these guys right? Including a fast one and a loud one!” He nearly shouted. “Wait! We should see how fast you can go. No! First let’s see how loud you scream!” He kept spitting out idea after idea while grinning like a madman. I’m starting to think he’s a mad scientist.

That was how the rest of the day went. Him spitting out ideas of what to test, and me transforming to be a guinea pig. I went through each of my aliens, and was tested multiple times each depending on the alien. How hard I could punch, how fast I could run, how loud I could scream, and duplicate, among other things.

By the end of the day I was so sore and exhausted that I nearly crapped myself when I saw Batman standing inside of the room I was staying in.

Chapter Text

Watchtower
July 6th 16:42 CDT

Batman slowly approached Superman, who was waiting for him in a briefing room. He was called here by Superman regarding the mysterious amnesiac who suddenly appeared out of thin air the previous night. A 6’0 hispanic teenager with no record of ever existing, and had access to a mysterious watch which granted him the ability to transform into 10 different unidentifiable species of supposed aliens. Each one with unique, but powerful abilities.

“He was lying Bruce,” Superman spoke as Batman stopped beside him. “at least about not knowing where the watch came from. Kryptonian hearing,” He tapped at his ears. “a person's voice may lie, but without proper training the heart doesn’t.”

“What about his supposed memory loss?” Batman questioned.

“Other than the Omnitrix’s origins he really was being honest.” He answered. “He doesn’t know his name, or what happened to him.” His tone shifted serious. “What do you think Bruce? Another possible Cadmus project? We know they’ve been messing with genetics as of late.”

Batman stood silent for a few moments before responding.

“No, it’s not likely. The Omnitrix is too advanced to have been produced by Cadmus.” He started typing onto a mini-computer he had installed in the forearm of his Batsuit. He brought up images of ten separate aliens onto a screen on the wall of the room they were standing in. “Observe.” He emphasized the picture of a velociraptor-like alien running on a treadmill in S.T.A.R. Labs. “Dubbed XLR8, it has a completely frictionless body, and is capable of running up to speeds of 1,250 kilometers an hour. Or,” He emphasized the alien who was seemingly made directly of molten rock. “Heatblast, a powerful and precise pyrokinetic capable of propulsion based flight, and reaching temperatures only found within a supernova. There are 8 more of these aliens. If Cadmus was capable of such feats of genetic engineering chances are Superboy,” Superman flinched at the mention of his clone's name, “would be much more powerful than what he has previously demonstrated. Especially someone designed to replace you.”

Superman took a moment to soak in the information he had just received. “Then what else could it be Bruce? He just appears out of nowhere, with a strange, yet extremely powerful piece of technology stuck to his wrist.” He pointed out. “Doesn’t that seem suspicious to you?”

“I don’t know, and it does appear suspicious.” He paused. “That’s why I think it would be appropriate to induct him into a team where we’d be able to keep a close eye on him.”

Superman paused recognizing the hidden meaning in Batman’s words.. “That team? I thought you haven’t even decided whether to go through with it or not.” He paused. ”And an unknown, with the children Bruce? That seems a little too risky, even for you.”

“The decision was made recently.” He answered. “And we both know the children can handle themselves, Clark.”

“That may be true, but that’s besides the point Bruce.” Superman spoke.

“Did he seem malicious to you, Clark?” He paused. “Out of everyone, I thought you’d be the person to want to help.”

“Of course I want to help! And no, he didn’t. But first with Superboy, and now him. Something’s going on Bruce, and I don’t like the feeling of it.” Superman answered.

“Which is why it would be best to keep the two of them somewhere close by.” Batman pointed out.

“Yes, I guess it would.” Superman conceded.

--------------------------
S.T.A.R Labs, Central City
July 6th 21:13 CDT

“H-hello, Batman sir.” I greeted him.

Batman was here, in my S.T.A.R Labs room, talking to me! I didn’t know whether to be amazed, or terrified. Because on one hand, it’s Batman, and on the other… well it’s Batman. Either way I was freaking out, and it ended up leaking into my voice.

“I-Is there a reason you’re here?” I asked. I could already guess what he was here for though. Information regarding me, and the Omntrix no doubt.

“Yes actually, there is.” He gave a pause. “The Justice League will be forming a covert team of young heroes. I believe you to be a suitable candidate to join.”

I’m sorry... did he just ask me if I wanted to be a superhero?

“I’m sorry. Did you just ask me if I wanted to be a superhero?” I asked him.

No, I’m being serious. Did he just ask me to be a superhero? Well join the Young Justice team, but that still involves being a superhero as far as I could guess. I mean I could tell why obviously. Having the Omnitrix on your side is a very useful asset. Wouldn’t they rather try to remove it, and give it to someone who could use it better? I mean I know I told Superman it was stuck to me, and we weren’t able to remove it earlier today when we tried, but it’s only been a day!

“Yes, I did. You, along with that device, would be a useful asset to the team.” He answered.

So I wasn’t imagining things. I mean, I want to answer yes. I really do. Who wouldn’t want to be a superhero, to save people and be someone other than a face in a crowd! But really I’m not fit, I’m more fat than muscle to be honest, nor have I ever experienced combat. Especially in bodies that while they may come instinctual while transformed, I still have no experience using them for anything other than the bare minimum of existing in.

“I don’t know…” I answered. “I want to say yes, but I’ve never even fought a person before. At least I don’t think I have. I’d be more of a hindrance than anything.”

“The team would be assigned low-risk missions only, and you would be surrounded by heroes with years more experience than you.” He told me.”Of course, you would have the option to refuse. In that case we’d place you into a closely vetted foster family until we find any trace of your true origins.”

I guess that was true, at least from what I had seen of the show. They were supposed to be low-risk missions, although I’d only gotten as far as the episode when they had to guard that doctor to stop the nanobots or whatever, so I couldn’t be completely sure.

Being placed in a foster family, and trying to live a normal life? That almost sounded appealing. But I knew that I’d be itching to use the Omnitrix every chance I got. Could I truly be satisfied with just being a nobody blending into the crowd. And ignoring that, I wanted to help people. I didn’t idolize heroes like Superman because they were strong (although that was part of the reason) I idolized him because he always tried doing the right thing, no matter what.

“I… I think I want to. Yes, I’ll join the team.” I answered him.

“Are you sure?” He asked. “Make no mistake, this won’t be easy. You would need to get started a training regime immediately, judging by your current fitness level. And even though the missions will be mostly low-risk, there are no guarantees on the field. Either yours, or somebody else’s lives may be on the line.”

“I… I think I am.” I gave him an honest answer. However another idea popped into my mind. “Although, could I ask you for something.”

“What is it?” He questioned me.

“Can I have yours and Superman’s autograph? It didn’t even come to mind to ask yesterday with all the hecticness.” I asked with a burning face.

It was all chaos yesterday, and in all fairness that made me not even think of asking for one, and I want an autograph from my idol, and Batman. It may be embarrassing to ask like this, but honestly any amount of embarrassment would be worth it to me. Sure I’m almost definitely going to meet them (or even work with them) again, but it’s still something, even if a bit irrational for me to want them.

“I’ll see what I can do.” He paused before turning around to leave. “I’ll keep in touch for your introduction to the Team.”

And with that, he left without a word.

--------------------

S.T.A.R Labs, Central City
July 7th, 01:15 CDT

It was a long, restless night after Batman left. After washing myself up from the long day of testing, II tossed and turned in my attempts to sleep as my brain filled with the endless possibilities of what was to come. I also reflected upon the few memories I did have. Memories of Ben 10, and Young Justice flowed through my mind.

Despite my vast knowledge of the DC universe as a whole, I barely watched the first few episodes of Young Justice, before eventually forgetting about completing it for some unrememberable reason. But I did know some things, at least the information that came from the episodes before they had to guard that scientist from the League of Shadows, or League of Assassins. I couldn’t remember which variation of the name they used.

Getting up from my bed, since I was obviously not going to go to sleep any time soon, I walked over and sat myself at a desk that was in the room that they had been letting me stay in, and grabbed the pen, and a small pocket sized journal that I had requested earlier in the day. I don’t trust myself to not forget something important, I thought to myself. Let’s get the important facts down first. And with that, I started writing down important things I knew.

Things to not forget MK 1:

• There’s some secret cabal called the Light
• They orchestrated Superboy, that situation in Santa Prisca, and the nano-bot thing. Maybe the Amazo bot?
• They have an operative inside the League/ the Team
• Artemis' connection to Cheshire / League of Shadows/Assassins??
  • Possible operative??
  • Let Cheshire go
• Tense relationship between Superboy, and and Superman
• Don’t let Amazo near watch, or me. (Or Parasite, if he exists.)

And with that, I flipped the first page over, and started thinking. My knowledge of Ben 10 far eclipsed my knowledge of Young Justice, but that didn’t matter much, I was in DC, not Ben 10. However what did matter was what I knew about the Omnitrix.

Known Omnitrix functions:

• Transformation obviously
• Master Control (Figure out how to unlock?)
  • Over 1,000,000 Aliens?
  • Alien X Don’t mess with godhood.
• Universal translator
• Teleportation??? (to Azmuth though)
• Communicator (with plumber badges)
• GPS and Map hologram
• Scanner mode
  • Kryptonian or Martian Maybe?
  • Homo Magi Unlikely (Can the Omnitrix interact with magic?)

I turned the page I had just filled up before continuing.

• Voice Command (try ASAP)
  
  • Lifeform lock? (Needed special codes)
• Universal wide genetic damage fixer
• Self Destruct Mode (Nigh-indestructible otherwise)
  
  • Figure out how to activate/deactivate. (Don’t want to risk destroying the universe)
• Change others into aliens (through malfunction)
• Alien fusion (through malfunction)
• Advanced AI (maybe???)
• Recharge mode has been roughly 10-15 minutes.
• Failsafe (Don’t test out)
• Hundreds of other features according to wog (might’ve been joke/irrelevant to current situation since this is ooc situation)

After spending the previous 20 minutes wracking my brain for all the information I could remember about the Omnitrix, I could feel the exhaustion return to me, and I decided then would be a perfect time to sleep. Laying down after I tucked the journal under my pillow I felt my eyelids growing heavier, and heavier until sleep came to overtake me.


S.T.A.R Labs, Central City
July 7th, 09:08 CDT

I found myself being woken up by a loud banging on the door. Panicked I tripped and fell trying to get out of bed while untangling myself from the sheets. After I got myself untangled, and lifted myself off the floor, I rushed to the door to open. Only to find myself face to face with one Dr. Cisco Ramon.

“What is it?” I groaned out, while rubbing my eyes.

“Dude, you’re like…” He paused to look at his watch. “40 minutes late! We were supposed to continue testing today remember?” Cisco reminded me.

Oh shit. I overslept, I realized.

“Sorry, long night, couldn’t sleep.” I apologized. “Give me a few minutes to get ready, will you?”

“Yeah, sure. It’s fine” He waved it off. “I’ll just wait out here for you.”

And with that, I rushed to get ready, taking a quick shower, and ignoring my hair since it didn’t get that dirty yesterday. After that with a quick brush to both my teeth, and my hair I found myself getting dressed in a little less than 15 minutes. Pocketing my small journal, I quickly exited the room and met Cisco.

“So what’s on today's schedule?” I asked him while we walked to the lab.

“Well yesterday we did baseline tests for most of them. Heatblast, Diamondhead, Echo-Echo, XLR8… well you get the idea. We tested their power outputs to put it simply, what we want to focus onto today is the finer control.” He explained. “Like Heatblast for example, we measured temperatures of a billion degree’s Celsius, which is wickedly hot by the way. Now we’re going to see how well you can control said flames, if at all.”

“Okay, that sounds cool.” I told him. “It won’t be as painful as yesterday will it?”

“Nah dude, it should be all fine.” He paused and his demeanor shifted. “Actually I kinda wanted to apologize. I shouldn’t have shot you out of nowhere like that. I sorta get all caught up in testing that I forgot to ask if you were alright with it.”

I paused. I didn’t expect this, but in retrospect I guess it made sense. I mean I didn’t know what to expect, especially since this is an entirely different world, and I’m not exactly sure about the rules of comic book science, and experimentation. I guess I was slightly uncomfortable about the whole thing, and now that I think about it, a place like S.T.A.R Labs was sure to have had rules and regulations on how to conduct testing wouldn’t they?

“It’s fine… I think.” I responded hesitantly as we walked into the lab. “Just try not to do it again, I guess.”

“Alright, cool!” He responded, his demeanor changing once again. “Now, who should we test first?”

I pondered a bit unsure, before selecting an alien on the watch. “We were talking about him earlier, so why not him first?” I pressed down on the watch, and there was a flash of yellow light. “Heatblast!” I exclaimed.

And with that, another day of testing began.

Chapter Text

Central City Outskirts

July 7th, 14:03 CDT

I was standing in the middle of a worn out field. A few specks of green appeared occasionally, but for the most part it was full of bare, sandy soil. We decided somewhere outside of the city would be a better place to test out some of my more destructive aliens, after I accidentally set fire to a piece of equipment when using Heatblast.

“Alright dude,” Cisco announced. “so there’s nothing me or Cait can do right now except observe. We already got all the important data down yesterday. So just have at it!’

“Don’t do anything too dangerous,” Caitlin interjected. “and have fun!”

They were both standing behind what I could describe as a protective blast shield, and behind them was a S.T.A.R Labs mobile laboratory. Which was essentially a teched out mini-camper. 

Thankfully they were far enough away, that they wouldn’t be able to hear me. It was time to test out something I remembered last night. I moved my wrist adjacent to me, and looked at the watch.

“Omnitrix Voice Command: Tutorial Mode.” I called out.

“ Error, stated function unknown.”  The Omnitrix’s synthesized voice stated.

Eureka! I mentally exclaimed. So the Omnitrix does have voice control! I mean I expected something of the sort, the Omnitrix has responded to Ben’s questions occasionally, but I still wasn’t 100% sure. 

“Omnitrix Voice Command: Manual?” I asked.

“ Error, stated function unknown.”  It stated once again.

Damn it, I thought. Nothing can ever be easy can it?

“Omnitrix Voice Command: Master Control.” I said, not expecting it to work. I mean if I could recall correctly, it still needed Azmuth’s voice to unlock the Master Control function.

“ Denied. Prerequisites not yet completed.” 

It said something completely different this time, and it caused me to nearly fall back. Prerequisites? What prerequisites? I asked myself mentally.

“Omnitrix Voice Command: Master Control, what are the prerequisites?.” I stated.

“ Denied. ” It told me simply.

You stupid watch! I wanted to throttle it. Alright, so it won’t even tell me what I’d need to do to unlock Master Control. Odd, and unexpected, but I really can’t do anything about it at this moment. Now let’s see if it’ll let me transform.

“Okay? How about… Omnitrix Voice Command: Transform Swampfire?” I asked it.

In a flash of yellow light, there I stood, a foot taller than I was before. Instead of my normal fleshy body, I was made from plant-like material. My torso, legs and arms were a bright green, with yellow and orange fingers. My head was colored and shaped like a flame, and I had large thorns that resembled flames running down my arms.

Sweeeeeeet voice command does work! for the most part anyways, I concluded. I took a moment to think about it for a second until a startling realization set in. While the voice command is an immensely helpful feature, especially for changing my forms, it would also be a huge advantage if I ever found myself restrained. If somebody thinks I need to touch my watch to transform they’d try restraining my hands, but if they knew I could also use my voice well then, I’d probably end up gagged.

Alright ignoring the voice command for now, I could play- I mean test it more later in a more private setting, I tapped the Omnitrix symbol that had located itself on my lower abdomen. In a bright flash of yellow I was once again in my human form. 

From what I could tell, I only had around 3 hours before we had to pack up and leave, and I had spent 5 minutes talking to my watch. Which, to be fair was productive, but something told me that I would enjoy testing out what these aliens could fully do much, much more.

The next few hours were filled with me switching between several of my aliens, and waiting for the Omnitrix to recharge between uses, and during these two hours I learned some very important information.

The Omnitrix did indeed give me the instinctual knowledge on how to actually use the Aliens, but that was it, instinctual knowledge. It was the difference between knowing how to shoot a bow effectively, and being able to shoot an apple off the head of a guy, who you were also chasing down a street at an incredible speed.

I might have been able to summon giant crystals out of the ground, or conjure up large growths of vines, but to do so effectively in combat? That would be a whole other beast in its entirety, and something I’d need to start working on soon.

Other than just Swampfire and Diamondhead, I also tested out the majority of my aliens, the exceptions being Grey Matter, Feedback, and Four Arms. Grey Matter was ignored because his abilities mainly relied on his intelligence, and Feedback for the sole fact that there was no electricity to absorb or redirect in this desolate field I was located at. And Four Arms? While probably one of my favorite aliens on the Omnitrix, he wasn’t much more complicated than punching things.

If I had to describe what I felt while using Heatblast or Big Chill, it’d come down to a single word: Freedom . The guiding forces of gravity could hold me no longer, and I spent as much time in the air as I could before detransforming. Each had control of an opposing element, Fire and Ice respectively so different, yet such a similar feeling.

Echo-Echo and XLR8 were probably the simplest of them to use, to be honest. Echo-Echo could clone himself, and scream, while XLR8 was just pure and unadulterated speed.

Water Hazard? He was just fun! He was built like a tank, and he could control water. Creating different shapes with the water, and even creating ice from it was oddly therapeutic.

By the end of the day I’d learned one thing. Each alien had a distinct feel, I wouldn’t go as far as to say that they were alive, but they definitely each had a unique, and distinct personality.

Sooner or later, after getting back to S.T.A.R Labs proper, and finding myself back in my temporary room, I started reflecting on my emotions, and I noticed something.

I was just… content. Content, yes that’s the word I’d use to describe the feeling.  It wasn’t overwhelming, it wasn’t underwhelming. It was a mellowing, whelming feeling that thrummed throughout my body. I didn’t crave for more of the emotion, nor did I want it to go away. It was just a sense of peace that lasted until I closed my eyes, and drifted off to sleep.

That night, I dreamt of lotus flowers, and arrows.

————-

Central City Outskirts

July 8th, 7:45 CDT

Wake up, get dressed, and more testing. That was how I was expected today to go mostly, but boy was I in for a surprise. 

After waking up from my slumber, grooming myself, tossing on a red t-shirt and pair of jeans S.T.A.R Labs was graciously letting me borrow, and patting down my pockets to ensure I didn’t forget my journal or phone. I left my temporary room in search of the cafeteria for breakfast, but Instead of finding a hallway, I found myself staring at Batman.

“H-Hello, Batman sir. Nice to see you again.” I greeted him.

“Follow me.” He commanded before walking off.

“Oh- alrighty.” I muttered before following him. 

Wonder what he needs me for?

Following him took me through the building into a section I hadn’t seen before. In it was a giant tube, leading to what looked like the shutter of a camera in the center. Batman typed something into a nearby terminal, and almost immediately it started to glow a brilliant white. A Zeta-Tube I could presume. Which meant…

My brain froze for a moment. That was happening today?! Too soon, too soon. I thought I had like another week or something! 

“Just walk into it,” Batman told me. So I did. I knew it was harmless, so I didn’t hesitate.

“Recognized, Omnitrix, B-0-7.” A computerized voice resonated.

Omnitrix? Guess it makes sense only thing they know the name of is the Omnitrix. I don’t have a hero name, or an actual name either. I’ve been going by “Dude, Bro, and You” for the past two days, so I guess it’s my fault for not picking something sooner.

“Recognized, Batman, 0-2” The computerized voice spoke once again.

In front of me was a multitude of different heroes. Kid Flash, Superboy, Robin, and Aqualad, who weren’t in costume, and whose name’s I shouldn’t know the name of, and  Flash, Red Tornado, Hawk Man, Black Canary, Shazam, and Aquaman, who were in costume.They gave me a stare before Batman found his place in and commanded the attention of everyone through his sheer Batmanness, while I found a place near, but apart from the junior heroes.

“This cave was the original secret sanctuary of the Justice League.” Batman spoke. “We’re calling it into service again. Since you four are determined to stay together and fight the good fight, you’ll do it on League terms.” He spoke to the four junior heroes. I’m guessing this has to do with what happened back at Cadmus.

“Red Tornado volunteered to live here and be your supervisor.” He continued. “Black Canary’s in charge of training. I will deploy you on missions.”

“Real missions?” Robin asked.

“Yes, but covert.” Batman answered.

“The League will still handle the obvious stuff.” Flash chimed in. “There’s a reason we have these big targets on our chest.” He pointed towards the lighting bolt symbol on his chest.

“But Cadmus proves the bad guys are getting smarter.” Aquaman added. “Batman needs a team that can operate on the sly.”

“The 6 of you will be that team.” Batman finished.

“Cool! Wait. 6? Who’s he?” Robin pointed at me. “And that only makes 5.”

A glow appeared from the Zeta-Tube and two people? Martians? Walked out. 

“This is the Martian Manhunter’s niece’ Miss Martian” Batman spoke. “And he…” Batman paused. “Doesn’t know. And until the League can find out his origins, he’ll be joining you.”

“Hi.” Miss Martian greeted with a small wave. We all crowded her, and I wasn’t going to complain. Less attention to me. Superboy stood back though.

“Liking this gig more every minute…”  Kid Flash said to Miss Martian. “Welcome aboard! I’m Kid Flash. That’s Robin, Aqualad. S’cool if you forget their names.”

“I’m honored to be included.” Miss Martian spoke.

“We'll give you time to get acquainted with one another.” Martian Manhunter interjected, and left along with Batman and the others to another part of the cave.

“Superboy,” Robin called. “Hey! Come Meet Miss M. and… what’s your name?” Robin asked me.

“Well the robot thing called me Omnitrix, but that’s my watch. Can’t remember my actual name though… Huh, I need to figure something out in the meantime.” I told him.

“Dude?! Who names their watch?” Kid Flash pointed out.

“While I would not have put it as Kid Flash has, what is so special about your watch?” Aqualad asked me.

“Uhhh…” I dialed the watch to a random alien. “Nothing much.” I tapped down on it. A bright flash of yellow, and I looked up. “Except for letting me do this.” I finished.

The five of them towering over me, and I could instantly tell which alien I was transformed into. 

“Eeeep! So adorable!” Miss Martian squealed. She picked me up and pinched my grey cheeks. I could feel my cheeks heat up, and I could assume I was flushing.

“Your watch allows you to transform into that creature?” Aqualad questioned.

“Bis namb bis Brey Babber.” I tried to correct him. 

Miss Martian stopped pinching when she realized I was trying to speak. I stood on the palm of her hand. Kid Flash was hunched over laughing, and Robin was snickering.

“I said, his name is Grey Matter.” I cleared up. “And he’s not the only alien it allows me to turn into.” 

“What’s this?” Miss Martian asked.

“What’s what?” I asked, realizing what she was about to do. “Wait! Don’t touch it!” but it was too late, her hand was already making contact with the Omntrix on my back. In a flash of yellow I transformed back into my normal size. I, a 6 '0 guy weighing in at 220 pounds of mostly fat, was now being held in the arms of a girl much, much smaller than me.

“That was the Omnitrix. Now, please… let me down.” I asked, unable to look her in the eyes.

She did so, and I noticed Kid Flash and Robin laughing much harder than before. My face heated up even worse, but I chose to ignore it. “As I was saying before, Grey Matter isn’t the only alien the watch allows me to change into.”

When I said the word alien, I could see Superboy’s face tighten ever so slightly. “Actually, I think Kid Flash might like this one…” I dialed the watch to XLR8, and pressed down. “XLR8!” I cried, as the flash of yellow died down.

I zipped around them once or twice, and met eyes with Kid Flash. He smiled. “Another speedster? Sweeeeeet!” He exclaimed. “How fast can you go?” He asked me.

“Uh… I think S.T.A.R Labs clocked me in at a little less than 1,200 kilometers an hour?”

“Well… you’re not as fast as me.” Kid Flash said cockily. “But you’re not too bad.”

“Thanks? I guess.” I pressed down on the Omnitrix symbol to detransform.

“So? What should we call you, new guy?”  Robin asked me.

“Uh….” I looked around the cave for ideas, before my eyes settled on my shirt. “Red?”

“The color?” He questioned me suspiciously.

“Yes?” My eyes narrowed.

“Alright,” Robin shrugged. “Red it is. Well, welcome to the team Red!”

“Welcome, Red.” Aqualad, well… he welcomed me.

“Thanks!”