Work Text:
Albedo was a lot of things over the years. Student, apprentice, genius, villain. Now he was a cleaner serving his sentence for his crimes on Galvan. But they were fools. Even Azmuth. But that had changed once he got to the lab. It had been about two years since he started his sentence, and Azmuth gave him a room so that he could get comfortable, as if he needed Azmuth's sympathy. He had asked the First Thinker to change him back but the answer was always the same. Just like with Malware.
So he was here. Trying to repair himself, he managed to get the big cuff off to reveal his ultimatrix. But even that would not help. He needed to dig deeper. He spent the night going through everything he could think of. Experimenting on himself to prove he's better than Azmuth, thinking better than Azmuth. He is better than Azmuth. The so-called first thinker was nothing but a title at this point.
He ignored the warning flares that were displayed in the monitors, his big human fingers were a nuisance to work with but he managed. The machine hissed, letting out steam as another core was present, similar to the Omnitrix one. He took his Ultimatrix one out and then pressed the newly green core into his red one, it turned dark green. He'll have to change that later.
Then, static along with the monitors in the room are all given warning alarms. The watch started to hiss and whine, electricity sparked out of it till. Then a thunderous boom filled with electricity with him in the middle.
He woke up hours or he assumed so but there was someone on his chest. He felt small Galvan's feet stomping across his chest with haste. He opened his eyes and spotted Azmuth. The very same person he did not wish to see.
"Good, you're awake," Azmuth said nonchalantly, tapping on the datapad, "That was reckless Albedo, you could have destroyed the whole lab." Anger filled the human turned Galvan.
"I did what you refused to do! And I succeeded!" He shouted but felt something was off. His feet stretched across the table he lay on. His clothes were different, he felt Galvan clothing on his person.
"You didn't, you imbecile!" Azmuth shouted in anger, "What you did was what I wanted to prevent!"
"No!" Albedo cried out and then shoved Azmuth off him, sitting upright. The Galvan sentries aimed their weapons at him. But they didn't dare to shoot. Albedo looked down at his person. And saw that he was back into Tennyson's body, aged up, like before.
"No... I did it right... how could I have..."
Azmuth groaned, standing up, "You did this to yourself Albedo."
"This is your fault!" He accused the great mind of Galvan, lashing out. He shook in anger and sadness.
"Silence!" He commanded and the white haired youth was taken aback, "I had warned you. Long ago, you should not have replicated the Omnitrix. It's linked to Tennyson's DNA, his very genetic makeup! There was still time that I could have fixed you, while you were imprisoned. But you chose the life of a criminal."
"I acted while you sat around, just like with Malware-"
"Exactly!" He cuts Albedo off, "Just like with Malware. You did what you thought was good. You acted like you knew better. But you made him my greatest failure. There was still a way to save him, you as well, but you both chose other options that led you astray." He sighed and started walking towards a monitor. "You have returned to an adult earthling, no doubt from your unstable core that I discarded immediately." He held up his hand to shut Albedo up. No more interruptions.
"I tried Albedo. I tried for years but you never listen. There was a way to save you. To turn you back but the damage to your genetic makeup goes too far. And now." He closed his eyes then looked at Albedo, "You'll stay in that form until your dying breath."
His red eyes widened. No this wasn't possible! He calculated for years! Did the math! Made sure there was still a strand of his original DNA. But he failed.
He clenched his fist and gritted his teeth in anger. He slammed them onto the metal floor. He let out a bellow of cries as he repeatedly slammed into the metal. Over and over again, feeling his human hands start to bleed. He sobbed, breaking down then and there, unable to accept that this was his fate.
Later, Albedo had bandages wrapped around his hands and was dressed in green and black clothes with the green hourglass on it and a white overcoat. Azmuth was indeed sorry which is why he appointed him to be a researcher on a different matter. He looked at the empty Ultrimatix core and felt utter despair wash over him. He was stuck like this. And any more experiments on his DNA would kill him. He would rather die than be like this, he thought.
But he had no choice. Azmuth wouldn't give him death. Instead, he was waiting at the edge of the city with Galvan sentries around him like he was a massive threat. But after what had happened earlier. Albedo felt no need for destruction and mayhem. His only wish was to return to normal. Taking out a sonic screwdriver, he started to tinker with the Ultimatrix while waiting. Azmuth gave him a core, a stable one, from one of the early prototypes. He played it in and it lit up green, his watch turning green as well. He couldn't change it. But he missed the colour green strangely.
Red was what he saw for everything these days. His hatred. His rage. His blindness to the truth. Maybe he can change or at least do something different. Azmuth didn't seem to mind moving him to a different job. From cleaner to explorer.
A small ship then landed in front of them. Albedo shielded his eyes from the harsh winds it generated and wondered who it was. When the hangar doors opened it was revealed to be a human girl with blonde hair flowing loosely and green eyes. Familiar green eyes.
"Eunice, happy to see you again," One of the Galvan spoke showing emotion towards the human, no, thing. Albedo knew it. Eunice. The Unimatrix.
"Happy to be called back for once. There's always something happening in this part of the galaxy," She said cheerfully with a smile wider than Albedo thought was impossible. Their eyes locked and Eunice looked at him, she really did. And for once in his entire life, Albedo felt like he was being seen naked by just a person's stare. He hated it.
"Stop staring, Unitrix," He said in a low tone.
Eunice's brow twitched at being reminded of her original name, "That's Eunice to you, Copy Ben." He snarled at being called 'Ben'. Before he could do anything, Eunice addressed the Galvan commander, "Are you sure Azmuth ordered this? I feel like crushing him with my Tetramand strength."
"Unfortunately, the First Thinker said he can't help the prisoner anymore. It's all in the message, Eunice," The Galvan spoke and Eunice nodded her head slowly and looked at him again.
"Thank you for your hard work. I'll take him now," She grabbed his collar and with surprisingly greater strength than what Albedo imagined, he was lifted with ease, "You're my problem now unfortunately."
Great. Just great.