Author's Note: I own nothing. There's gonna be a lot to this story which is part of why I decided to split it off. But hey hopefully yall are enjoying this story so far no matter what, cause honestly this one's gonna hurt.

Of Time And Monsters

1 Spanning

Jen grinned at Rook across the main hanger hall. They were both on monitor duty, or at least they were supposed to be. Jen was bored. Nothing much had happened for a few days since they'd returned from London where they'd set up Kai and her team. Rook glanced up from his data pad and glanced around before smiling back at Jen, turning his data pad to show the movie he was watching. She stifled a laugh as she shot him the thumbs up. Maybe she had been a bit of a bad influence on him. But she shook her head as he turned the movie back towards himself. It wasn't one she'd recommended to him so she figured Gwen or Kevin had probably told him to watch it. She checked her phone, glancing at the console over it every now and then. She was so bored that the sound of the alarms was almost music to her ears. She shot to her feet, skimming the readout as she did. An escape attempt in the cells. Unusual but not completely out of the ordinary.

"Come on Blonko!" She called out and Rook rushed to the elevator with them, Magister Patelliday slipping in with them last second. They made it to the prison level to find Animo making a run for the other elevator a toy gorilla tucked under his arm. If that wasn't odd enough he appeared to be talking to it.

"What now genius!" He demanded of the doll. Jen spun the dial on the Omnitrix.

"Now you go back to your cell Animo, or Humungousaur is gonna have to escort you." She said slapping down the Omnitrix as Animo threw his hands into the air, dropping the toy. Jen wasn't too surprised that she didn't get Humungousaur, instead ending up as Upgrade. She was surprised when the toy moved handing Animo something, which the ex-vet threw at her. Lightning sparked and she screamed as Upgrade's form lost its integrity. The Omnitrix whirred quickly returning Jen to her own form where she lay on the ground for a moment as Patelliday called for the elevators to be deactivated. Rook helped her to her feet as she shuddered, Patelliday firing at the retreating form of Animo.

"Are you well Love?" He asked and she nodded.

"Little scrambled but I'll be ok." She said and blinked as the elevator Animo had just trapped himself in took off on blasters from the toy gorilla. "We need to go after him." Jen said as the elevator broke through the ceiling. Rook nodded pulling out his scanner.

"I have a lock on his trajectory." Jen nodded and transformed into Astrodactyl snatching up Rook and blasting off through the hole. They landed in the woods on the outskirts of Bellwood and snuck closer to where Animo had crash landed. Peeking through the bushes they were greeted by an odd sight.

Animo stood in the clearing, next to a large albino gorilla that appeared to have a human head instead of the usual one. Just across the clearing from them was someone Jen had never seen. Whoever it was wore head to toe black, from his boots to his hair. The only points of color on his suit were the eyes of his mask, there were two where one would expect a humanoid to have eyes and three set above that, they might have been scanners or lights, Jen had no idea. He had what looked like a utility belt on that almost blended with his suit. But overall he looked human enough from what little Jen could tell. He'd probably be around her age if his height was anything to go by.

"There is Animo, and a large albino gorilla." Rook said and Jen shook her head.

"Yeah, that's also Animo, from the future, I fought him when I was a kid." She said nonchalantly spinning the dial on the Omnitrix. Rook blinked at her.

"Love, you do understand how confusing that sentence is for those of us who have never experienced time travel, yes?" Rook asked before turning to the scene in front of them. "And the other one? The man in black?" Jen shrugged.

"No clue, let's go find out." She said leaping out of the bush. "Nobody move!" She shouted and was immediately ignored, at least by the figure in black who spun to face her then relaxed when he spotted who it was. An unusual reaction, and the complete opposite of Animo's reaction.

"She's here!" He balked, his older, gorilla bodied self grinned.

"Just as I knew she would be, you go that way I go this way!" He said taking off into the woods.

"No you don't!" The man in black said, his voice distorted by his suit. He took off after the Gorilla Animo. Rook hesitated as their version of Animo took off in the opposite direction. Jen shook her head.

"I got them, you go after Animo." He nodded taking off after the regular Animo as Jen spun the dial on the Omnitrix. She didn't find the Gorilla but she did find the man in black. Or maybe boy in black would be more accurate, he didn't move like someone who was completely done growing. Jen would know she'd finally gained an inch over the past few months, it didn't make much difference but it made her happy. She, currently three Dittos, cleared her throat from her spot in the tree.

"If you can tell me who you are and why you're here I'll consider not kicking your ass kid." Jen said, the words echoing from three mouths instead of one. The boy looked up, the unsettling eyes of his mask glowing blue.

"I'm not the one you should be after, he is!" He cried out in his odd metallic voice and Jen spun, all three Ditto's diving out of the tree attempting to get away from the Gorilla Animo. The boy in black lunged to help but Gorilla Animo smacked him into a tree and took off through the trees cackling. The boy pulled himself up first rubbing his ribs. He helped one of the Dittos to her feet as lights flashed and they coalesced into Jen. She frowned at him.

"Who are you kid?" He hesitated.

"You can call me Crono Spanner. I'm the reason you don't look like an extra on the Walking Dead." He said still masking his voice. Jen frowned at him. She had indeed been saved by a mysterious someone when Zombozo attempted to enact the clown zombie apocalypse but she didn't have time to think about it as Rook came into sight blasting a mutated squirrel off his foot.

"I knew squirrels were just waiting to be mutated into muroid like monsters." Rook said and Jen snorted.

"Blonko, sweetheart, we have company, this is Crono Spanner, apparently. Mind telling us why you're here?" She asked as Rook stepped over to her, eyes searching the trees for more mutant squirrels.

"As much as I'd like to we don't have time. You need to call Lieutenant Steele." Jen frowned fishing her phone out of her pocket, keeping her eyes on Spanner the whole time. She dialed up the Lieutenant and he answered after a few rings.

"Jen Ten how the hell did you know we were under attack and needed help?" Steele asked by way of greeting. Jen's eyes narrowed calculatingly.

"Call it woman's intuition, where are you?" She asked and Steele rattled off a nearby highway. Jen nodded. "Be there in a few minutes." She transformed into XCLR8 and grabbed Rook and Spanner before taking off for the highway.

They found Steele's convoy under attack by both Animo's who had somehow acquired a mutant frog and snail respectively. The fight didn't last too long after Jen discovered the transformation, Gutrot. But it didn't end exactly the way Jen wanted. They didn't get both Animo's, instead Crono Spanner took the one from the future disappearing in a flash of blue white light. Jen frowned as she and Rook returned their version of Animo to his cell.

"You seem troubled Jen, is everything well?" He asked as they resealed Animo's cell after going through his toys to make sure Gorilla Animo hadn't left him any other presents.

"That kid, Crono Spanner, he says he's the one that saved me from Zombozo's zombie clowns." She admitted as they headed back up the elevator.

"Is that not a good thing?" Rook asked frowning slightly.

"Maybe. But he knew who both Animo's were. And that can only mean that he's at least familiar with time travel, if not from the future himself." She shook her head. "I just need some time to think about it." She said pecking Rook on the cheek. He nodded.

"I have every faith that you will find the answers you are looking for in time Love." She smiled at him and pulled him down for a proper kiss.