Ben 10 Omniverse Fanfiction
10 + 1 Primed
By Cybertoy00
Ben 10 Omniverse is owned by Cartoon Network
Chapter 1
The Time: Nothing
The Place: Nowhere
Yet, neither of these things bothered Eon in the slightest. All of his attention was on the small, purple object resting in his palm. Anyone else looking at the thing would perceive it as an acorn.
But perception and reality did not always match. Eon knew this more than anyone.
His gaze intensified, and a black energy enveloped the not-really-an-acorn.
Now we can begin, Eon thought, And no one, not the Timewalker, or Ben Tennyson, can stop me.
A grunting could be heard, and Eon remembered that he was not alone. Clenching his fist, he turned to the other.
"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I need to be going," Eon said, "But I'll return in short time. Thanks again for your resources...they've been most helpful," He grinned malevolently. "If I see him, I'll send your love to Ben…"
In a flash, Eon vanished…
Ben woke up, a bad feeling in his neck. Confused, he looked around. He was sitting in the passenger seat of the Proto-Truk as it drove down the main road of Bellwood, steered by the steady hands of Rook. Groaning, he adjusted his shoulders, trying to work out the kinks he felt.
"Are you all right?" Rook asked.
"Yeah, just fell asleep in a funny way," Ben replied, yawning. "Wait, I fell asleep?"
"Yes, quite soundly." Rook answered.
"Sorry, must have dozed off," Ben sighed, trying make himself more alert. "It's been so quiet lately…"
"I agree. It has been four days since any incidents requiring our intervention have occurred," Rook said, "While restful, it also feels slightly unnerving."
"Yeah, like the calm before the storm…"
There was also another thing that bothered Rook. As far as he knew, inaction did not suit Ben "10" Tennyson very well, often making the young hero prone to drifting towards dangerous situations without thinking. Normally, this led Ben to fooling around with the controls of the Proto-TRUK, or his Omnitrix. Sure enough, he saw Ben's hand drifting, unconsciously, towards one of the buttons on the Proto-TRUK's dashboard.
An intervention would be needed. But with no new disasters or alien attacks to manage, Rook would have to provide it himself. He racked his brains for something to distract Ben's idle fingers.
"Who is Eunice?" He asked finally.
Ben's hand stopped an inch away from the dashboard. "Huh?"
"You were talking in your sleep," Rook explained, "And one of the words spoken was 'Eunice'. Was she a friend of yours?"
Ben turned his eyes away from Rook to the sky. "Yeah…a friend I had…"
Rook was tempted to ask more, but he noticed a slight hardness in his partner's eyes. It reminded the Plumber of the time he asked Ben about his 'Feedback' Omnitrix form.
He used the past tense… Rook thought, Did something happen to her, like Feedback? Was she someone Ben failed to save?
"Gwah!" Ben cried, throwing up his arms in frustration. "I wish something would happen, today! Anything!"
"Well, then, looks like I came in at the right time."
Ben and Rook's heads whirled towards the back. Standing direct behind them was Professor Paradox, holding a gumball in the fingers of his protostetic hand.
"Sorry to intrude, Ben, but the universe needs your help." Paradox said with an apologetic smile.
"Paradox!" Ben exclaimed, receiving a look from Rook.
"Paradox? This man is Professor Paradox, the time-traveller?" Rook asked, his eyes shifting between the two humans. There was an entry on the Professor in the Plumbers' files, but it was mostly conjuncture and conflicting data.
"Oh, you've heard of me? Good, that will save time on introductions," Paradox said, then frowned. "Incidentally, you might want to watch where you're driving."
Ben and Rook gasped, remembering that they were on the road. Turning back to the front, they saw that they were on a collision course with an incoming 6-wheel truck! Horns blared, wheels screeched against the pavement…
…And suddenly the Proto-TRUK wasn't in Bellwood anymore. It now seemed to be flying a black void, with streaks of light flying past them.
"What happened?" Ben asked, looking around. "Are we in a screensaver?"
"Just a special point between dimensions," Paradox explained, "I brought us here so we can talk uninterrupted."
"If you were going to do that, why did you not do it before our near-collision?" Rook asked, trying to steady his heart. That had been too close.
"It was just a wake-up call," Paradox answered, grinning. "Needed to snap you out of your lull."
"Something snapped all right," Ben muttered, and asked, "Now, what's going on?"
Paradox's face turned serious. "It's Eon. He's making another bid for temporal domination."
"Eon…" Ben murmured.
"Who is Eon?" Rook asked.
"Time-traveling bad guy," Ben explained, and his face scrunched up in thought. "He's an alien…from the future…who used to be…me?"
Rook blinked. "What?"
Ben gave up. "Let's just say he's a time-villain and forget it, all right?"
Rook shook his head at the lack of clarity Ben's explanation provided.
"Don't blame Ben for the confusion, Rook," Paradox said, "It's hard to keep your facts straight when you're dealing with a living threat to causality."
"Speaking of which, how's he a threat this time?" Ben asked.
"I confess, I'm not entirely sure," Paradox admitted, "But he's enhanced his powers to the point where he can bar me from the same time periods he's in."
"Bar you? How?" This was the first time Ben had ever heard of anyone keeping the professor from appearing wherever he liked. Paradox had once appeared in the mindscape of Alien X once!
"I have my suspicions," Paradox said, and snapped his fingers. On the windshield, an image of Alien X standing before Mr. Smoothy, while Rook, Argit, the Vreedle Brothers and the Incurseans watche d on. "If you recall, the universe had once been destroyed by a relic of the Contemelia…"
"…The Anihilaarg," Ben finished, "But I fixed it as Alien X."
"So you say." Rook put in skeptically.
"It happened!"
"Forgive me, Ben, but I find it hard to accept that the entire universe, myself included was destroyed," Rook said, "And that everything now is a copy."
"No, not a copy, a recreation," Paradox said, "Think of it this way, if a small boy breaks his parents' vase, he has one of two choices…" The image on the windshield changed to one of a Ben, at the age of ten years old, standing over the shards of ceramic. "He can either buy one just like it as a replacement, or…" The image became one of young Ben, hunched over in his room, trying to glue the pieces back together. "…he could attempt to fix the damage." The 'visual aid' ended with young Ben standing next to the 'fixed' vase while his mother looked down at him, shaking her head. "Which is just what Alien X did, only this time the shards were cosmic dust and the glue was Alien X's unique energy."
Ben gave Paradox an irritated look. "Couldn't you have used a different example?"
Rook was not entirely convinced, but chose not to pursue the subject. "…Even so, how is that…incident…relevant to the current crisis?"
"Well, as Ben may have noticed, the universe is a bit different from how it was before the Anihilaarg broke it," Paradox went on, "A few details have changed, memories re-written to account, that sort of thing."
"I did my best," Ben muttered, looking down. "I don't have much practice making universes." There was a small amount of sadness in his eyes, Rook noticed.
Paradox noticed it, too. "Oh, don't be so hard on yourself. You did a caliber job for a first try. The changes universe went under is due to the fact that you weren't working with all of the pieces; namely, Primus."
Ben looked up. "Primus?" He asked, a small amount of desperation in his tone.
"Now, this is only a theory, guesswork, really," Paradox said, "But I suspect that the reason Primus does not exist in the universe anymore is because Eon took it, and stored it away in a gap between realities like this one."
Ben's eyes widened. "Eon…stole Primus?!"
"And what, exactly, is Primus?" Rook asked.
"It's...a planet," Ben answered, his mind racing. "It's where Azmuth used to keep the DNA for the Omnitrix," To Paradox he asked, "How could Eon take an entire planet?"
"With the universe being torn to bits by the Anihilaarg? For someone like Eon, it'd be like taking money while the bank is on fire," Paradox replied, and continued on with his explanation. "In any case, I believe that Eon is using the genetic technology on Primus to forward his plans."
"What about Eunice?" Ben asked, a note of panic in his voice. Rook noted this.
"I don't know," Paradox answered, "Eon's blocking me, remember?"
"Then that's our first stop," Ben decided, punching his palm. "We're going to Primus!"
"The professor just said he cannot go to where Eon is, remember, Ben?" Rook reminded the hero.
"That I did, and we have more pressing concerns." Paradox said.
"'Pressing concerns'?" Ben repeatedly peevishly, "What could be more pressing than someone's life-" Ben stopped talking because Paradox stuck a gumball in his mouth.
The time walker wiped off his fingers. "As I was saying, we have more pressing concerns. Eon is going to different time periods and causing drastic changes to the area."
"Then our first objective is to go these points in history and undo the changes." Rook guessed as Ben spat out the gumball.
"Yes, and no," Paradox shrugged, "Eon's blocking power appears to be extending to whatever era he visits, though it's not as strong as the one he's in. I cannot teleport in…"
"…But you can send other people, which where we come in." Ben finished.
"And people say you're slow on the uptake," Paradox smiled, "I'll try to arrange your landing to the exact moment Eon left. Try to fix the damage he's wrought, and hopefully find a clue to where Primus is being hidden."
"Right," Ben nodded, his features hardened. I'm coming, Eunice. Hang on!
"Oh, and just before you go, I'll need to see your Omnitrix." Paradox realized.
"What for?" Ben asked, holding out his wrist with the Omnitrix on.
Paradox began to input a series of commands. "I'm just making adjustments so you'll always have access to Clockwork. You need him to fight Eon," The Omnitrix gave a beep. "There, done. Now, I'm going to send you to the first era Eon corrupted. Hopefully, you'll be able to find a clue that will lead us to Primus. If not, we'll just keep checking every point in History until we do."
"You mean we'll check every point in history." Ben corrected, taking his arm back.
"Off you go!" Paradox said cheerfully as Ben and Rook vanished from their seats.
Ben and Rook appeared in a dense jungle at noon. The entire area seemed to have a layer of mist over it. Off in the distance, a faint rumble could be heard.
"Where do you think we are?" Ben asked Rook.
Rook looked around. "I cannot be sure, though 'when are we?' would be a more appropriate question."
Ben rolled his eyes, and began flipping through the Omnitrix's alien selection. He figured that now would be a good time to see if Clockwork's powers would be useful. He then noticed that the faint rumbling was getting progressively harder…
"Look!" Rook cried, pointing in one direction.
They were actually at the edge of the jungle, with a vast plain before them. And running down that plain were a group of giant lizards!
"Dinosaurs!" Ben exclaimed, "We're in the time of the dinosaurs!"
Not just dinosaurs. There were people, dressed in skins, riding the dinosaurs. They wore helmets made from skulls, brandishing spears and bolos.
"Most unusual," Rook noted, "From what I know of your planet's history, dinosaurs and prehistoric humans did not exist at the same time."
"Guess we know what Eon's been doing." Ben remarked.
Thunk!
Ben and Rook looked at the spear that imbedded itself in the tree next to Rook. Down in the plains, the lizards and their riders began to turn in their direction. Fierce, but weird, battle cries could be heard.
"Here they come," Rook said, taking out his Proto-tool readying it for battle. "Should we fight?"
Ben ran through the Omnitrix's selections. "Let's give these guys a scare, first. I think they need to see a real dinosaur!" He slammed the Omnitrix's dial down, and in a green flash became XLR8. "Ehh, I was going for Humungosaur, but this works, too, I guess. Cover me!"
XLR8 zipped down to the approaching hunters, who by this time were closing in on the pair. Visible only as a blur, XLR8 circled the lizards, causing them to stop in alarm at the thing whizzing around them. This caused their riders to fall off, whom XLR8 struck at high-speed, knocking them out. The lizards, spooked at this, took off for the horizon.
As Rook jogged up to the scene of the battle, XLR8 hit the Omnitrix on his chest and reverted to Ben.
"You know, dinosaurs look different in real life." Ben remarked.
"Their bodies did seem different from the fossils that will be dug up later." Rook agreed.
"So, which one you think we should Good Cop Bad Cop?" Ben asked, looking at the down hunters.
Before Rook could ask what Ben meant by 'Good Cop Bad Cop' (Weren't all cops, by definition, good?) a crack was heard. Ben's eyes rolled up and he went down. Standing directly behind him was one of the hunters, a lumpy excuse for a man. He had a fresh bump on his forehead, a club in his right hand, and the meanest snarl on his face. Rook realized that the other hunters were starting to recover too…
When Ben woke up, he and Rook were tied to stakes set in the middle of a collection of muddy huts. All around them were the prehistoric humans. They all had weapons of all shapes and sizes, and were glaring at their captives with suspicion.
"What happened?" Ben asked, wincing at a sharp pain in his head.
"We have been captured," Rook replied. A thought occurred to him. "Was that question rhetoric?"
"Sorta…" Ben muttered, shaking his head. Once the throbbing stopped, he looked back at the villagers. "Man, these guys are ugly."
'Ugly' was a putting it loosely. The villagers looked like they were in the process of growing new limbs out of their bodies. Some had points on their teeth, their ears…and in their irises.
"So, any of you know a guy called Eon?" Ben called out.
The malformed villagers began to mutter amongst themselves. As Ben tried to hear what they were saying, a thought occurred to him.
"Uh, do they speak English?" He asked.
"Nacha wuum pow!"
The villagers stopped talking. The crowd directly in front of the captured Plumbers parted, and a new figure walked up directly to the stakes. It was a tall, shapely and statuesque woman, wearing an elaborate headdress, and dressed scantily in a loin-cloth bikini. She had an extra arm growing out of her waist and a reptilian eye growing out of her forehead.
She marched right up to Ben and began to look him over. Bending down, her two left hands began to press on his body- The upper left feeling his shoulders and neck, and the lower left feeling his chest.
"Hey! Watch it!" Ben cried, struggling. "Personal space here!"
The woman smiled- showing razor-sharp teeth- and turned away from Ben. She threw her arms- all three of them- into the air. "Pie mags nibyana. Brocco laba kwal!"
The villagers cheered. Ben had no idea what this was about, but it was all making him very nervous, especially when he saw the hungry gleam in the woman's eyes.
"Whoa, did you say pie?" Ben asked, and began to panic. "Look, I don't know what you think you know about me, but let me say that I don't taste good! And I'm too skinny, look!"
The woman ignored Ben's words and just ripped him from the stake and ropes. With a firm grip on his Omnitrix arm, she began to force march him away. Ben noticed that they were heading towards a slightly larger hut.
"Ben, I do not think she wants to eat you!" Rook called out.
"What else could she…" Ben trailed off as realization hit. "Ohhhh no! Not that!"
Without even looking, Ben hit the trigger on the Omnitrix. When the green light faded, the three-armed woman realized that she was holding Wildmutt by the paw. She let go with a gasp, and Wildmutt took this as his cue to exit. He bounded back towards where Rook was, and tore at the ropes with his teeth.
"Thank you for your assistance." Rook said, removing himself from the stake.
Once he was free, Rook got onto Wildmutt's back, and the vulpimancer tore its way out of the village. The villagers, having never seen anything like it, tripped over themselves keeping out of the alien's way.
It wasn't long before the two were a good distance away from the village. Wildmutt stopped, allowing Rook to get off his back.
"I wonder what our next course of action should be," Rook said, "I am not sure if those…people…have anything to do with Eon. Perhaps we should…Ben?"
Wildmutt was sniffing at the ground. After going circles for a few seconds, he growled and set off, heading back into the jungle.
"Wait up!" Rook cried, giving chase.
Wildmutt eventually stopped at the bed of a stream. He sniffed at the water, gagged, and turned back into Ben. Rook arrived a moment later.
"What was it?" Rook asked.
Ben looked at his partner. "I…it's hard to explain, but I think I smelled Eon. I think he was at this place."
"At the water? Why…?" Rook gasped and pointed. "Look!"
Ben did so, and his eyes widened. The stream was streaks of black and purple flowing into it.
"Gross!" Ben gagged, "What is that stuff?"
"I cannot say," Rook said, "But perhaps it may explain why those humans appeared so…abnormal."
"Huh?"
"When a natural resource is contaminated, it causes adverse effects on the local population," Rook explained, "Some are poisoned, but others are mutated."
Ben got it. "Right, like those fish that live near a nuclear plant." He remembered the mounts the villager hunters were riding. "Those weren't dinosaurs, just mutant lizards," He looked back at the water, and turned his gazed upstream. "Let's see if we can find the source."
They followed the stream into a cave. Cautiously walking along the side to avoid stepping in the water, they entered the cave. Eventually, they came upon a chamber within the caves with a tree growing in it. This tree was gnarled and bent, and growing from the top was a fruit. This fruit was black, and the size of a beach ball.
It looked like a big eggplant.
"Whoa," Ben breathed, "They grow 'em big down here, don't they?"
"I am surprised anything could grow in this cave. There is no sunlight," Rook commented. They were using his Proto-tool's flashlight's function. "What kind of plant is this…?"
As Rook looked closer at the fruit, a dripping noise reached Ben's ears. Looking down, he saw that droplets were falling from the fruit's bottom.
"Dude, I think this thing is leaking." Ben commented, and watched as the dark liquid mix in the water.
But Rook wasn't listening. Instead, he was focused on the fruit. His eyes widened. "Ben, look at this!"
"What?" Ben looked to where Rook was pointing. Squinting, he began to make out a shape within the fruit. "Is that a…body?"
"I believe so," Rook said, "This might have something to do with Eon's plan…whatever it is."
"Well, then I guess it's time to do a little gardening!" Ben began going through the Omnitrix's selection, "Some cleansing fire should the trick."
"Wait, we do not know a thing about this plant," Rook cautioned, "A 'cleansing fire' might make a bigger- and more toxic- mess. We need to neutralize it in a less destructive way."
Ben stopped, frowning. Then he smiled as an idea came to him. "Then I guess we put time on our side!"
Ben slammed the dial down, and flashed into Clockwork. Rook realized what Ben was planning to do and wisely got behind the chronosapian. The Omnitrix on Clockwork's chest glowed, and a bright green beam shot out and at the fruit.
FWAM
When the light faded, there was a small pile of ash where the tree used to be. The high-speed aging ray had done its work.
"Well done, lads."
Clockwork turned back into Ben, and he and Rook turned to see Paradox standing behind them.
"Eon's influence over this era is over, thanks to you," Paradox said, "What was going on here?"
"There was some kind of abnormal plant growing in here," Rook reported, "We could see some sort of person growing within it."
"A person? Dear me…" Paradox walked over to where the plant was and held out his replacement hand. The protostetic began to click, similar to a Geiger counter.
"Now can we go to Primus, then?" Ben asked impatiently, "We need to save Eunice."
"No, not yet," Paradox sighed, "I think I can gain a general idea as to where by analyzing the area, but we'll need more information before we can prepare a rescue mission. First, I think we should check the other points in history that Eon has, eh, 'sowed wild oats' and undo the damage. Don't worry, Ben, I'm sure Eunice can hold out for a little bit more."
That wasn't too reassuring to Ben, but Paradox's words reminded him of something. "By the way, that big plant's juice kinda mutated the locals. Any way we can fix that?"
Paradox gave Ben a smirk. "Oh, that's no real problem. The DNA repair function on the Omnitrix should do the trick."
Ben looked down at the Omnitrix. "Uh…do you still have that feature?"
"Affirmative," The watch-like device beeped, "Would you like to initiate DNA Repair now?"
Ben looked around the cave. "Eh, hold on for a moment," To the others, he said, "Let's go someplace a bit more open to do this. Afterwards, we can get back to finding Eon." And Eunice.
On Primus, all was still. Though the Codon Stream still flowed, its fluidity had become less so. The Voliticus Biopsis were now inactive. A general sense of paralysis hung in the air.
Deep within a special facility, Eunice struggled against her bonds. Her hands and feet were now encased in metal clamps set against the wall. Around her, computers beeped morosely, echoing her feelings of helplessness.
Then, there was a burst of purple light and Eon appeared. Eunice stopped struggling to glare at the chronian. Right now, she hated him more than anything else in the world.
"Four eras down," Eon smirked, "So much history to go."