Falling Omnitrix
Two months have passed since Ben filled Maggie in on his secret and the only other person who knows but them is Matt, who Ben told one night where Matt followed him on one of his training sessions.
In these two months he has gained a good amount of control over the basic Aliens, he learned though that according to the Omnitrix he can freely choose other aliens too, if he changes his current settings. He also learned that there has been at least one previous host for the Omnitrix and that he has given the aliens' fitting nicknames, which Ben decided to use as well.
And ever since he's got the Omnitrix two months ago he's been itching to use it against the Skitters openly but he has to hold himself back because he knows how the rest of the second mass would react.
At the moment Ben along with some of the fighters of the second mass are lying in wait for Pope and his berserkers to lead some enemies into a trap. Peering over the edge of the window he's positioned at he can see the three motorcycles drive towards them, leading Skitters and two Mech into the trap.
After the berserkers abandoned their bikes and took cover Colonel Weaver waits for the Mechs to approach a few steps before blowing up a mine located under where one of the Mechs is now standing, causing it to fall to the ground, damaged beyond repair.
"All men fire!" Weaver then orders loudly, making everyone hiding at his location open fire on the Skitters and Mech, killing most of the Skitters but they have to hide again once the second Mech jumps towards them, firing at their direction, until it gets hit by a rocket launcher courtesy of Maggie, who has taken post across from Colonel Weavers' group in a shot up hotel with Ben and Hal.
After Maggie took down the Mech Ben and Hal opened fire, along with Weavers' group, killing most of the remaining Skitters.
After the Skitters went down Weaver ordered everyone to seize fire, but Ben fell into a rage and took a few more shots until Hal screamed at him, while Maggie looked at him worried since she's seen how much hate he has for the alien invaders during his training where he once used so many sound waves with his little white alien "Echo-Echo" until the enemy Skitter literally exploded in a shower of gore.
"Get the hell outta there, we got 8 minutes tops until those beamers respond." Colonel Weaver shouts at Hal's group while his men start to clear out.
Maggie and Hal move to leave, but Ben tells them "That one's still moving. Can't get a shot." Before he jumps out of a window armed with a knife he made with one of his alien, a red devilish creature called Jury Rigg from the ball the Omnitrix arrived in.
Hal and Maggie hurry out of the building, following him in hopes of snapping him back to reality.
"Ben come on!" Hal shouts after Ben killed the remaining Skitter with a knife stab through it's head.
They then hear shooting form a corner and Ben gets his rifle from across his back, walking towards the sound telling Maggie and Hal "There is still one more, I can hear him."
A Skitter then comes tumbling out from behind a corner, struggling against something as Ben takes three shots killing it but once it falls over they see Tom Mason, their father standing there before falling over with a gunshot wound in the abdomen.
Everyone rushes over, shocked to see him there and hurry back to their checkpoint, where they meet up with Weavers group and put Tom on the back of a Jeep before taking off towards their camp.
Once they arrive they rush Tom to the med bus, where Anne Glass starts to treat Tom, telling his sons to give her some room.
Ben leaves only reluctantly, feeling guilty and beating himself up internally for accidentally shooting his father, once off the bus Ben runs off into the woods. Maggie seeing this stops Hal from following after him, telling him "I'll handle him. You should take care of Matt." Before following after Ben, who went to the spot they used for training at this campsite.
"Ben are you OK? It wasn't your fault." Maggie says, walking up to him, while he's sitting on a knocked over tree.
"Of course it's my fault, I shot him and I'm the reason he got taken in the first place." Ben tells her angry at himself.
"That's not true, he made that choice himself and that you shot him was an accident." Maggie tells him, taking a seat next to him.
"Accident or not, I pulled the trigger I'm responsible." Ben replies.
"Ben, you are still learning to get used to your harness, not to speak off your other powers. You are going to make mistakes, you still don't have control over your anger." Maggie explains.
"I know, but I don't know how to control it. The only times when I don't feel threatened or angry is when we are training or when I'm alone with Matt." Ben says.
"Well, you'll have to start from there." Maggie tells him, putting her hand on his shoulder supportingly.
"I know you're trying to help and I'm more grateful than you can imagine but I can't deal with all this right now." Ben tells her as he starts to turn the dial on his Omnitrix until it lands on a reptilian like shadow standing on two legs. Slamming down he changes into XLR8 and gets up, turning to Maggie one more time telling her "Sorry." Before he takes off in a blur heading towards the nearest Skitter group he can find and slams the icon on his chest once he's in the middle of the group and changes into Diamond head. He then turns his arms into sharp diamond blades and starts to wreak havoc on the Skitters, dissecting the alien bug like creatures and using his ability to summon crystal structures form the ground to spike the Mechs of the group.
He continues with 3 more Skitter groups, until he notices that the sun's going to come up soon and he heads back to camp. Not far from the camp he senses a small group of Skitters though and speeds towards them before changing into his normal human form. He then takes out his knife and starts to engage the 4 Skitters which were about to sneak up on some civilians of the second mass in combat.
He stabs the first one through the back of his Skull with his knife, getting the attention from the other three Skitters while the civilians hear the commotion and take off towards the safety of the camp, to inform the fighters that Skitters are attacking.
After killing the first Skitter Ben side steps another one who tries to run him over and slashes at another Skitter, missing him by a few centimeters. The last Skitter circles Ben and tries to grab him from behind but Ben can sense him coming with his Spikes and throws the Skitter over his shoulder, a move he learned from Maggie, before stabbing the downed Skitter through its mouth.
Up righting himself Ben sees that the Skitter he missed is starting to flee while the other Skitter is getting even more enraged and jumps at him, but Ben reacts by rolling out of the way, before he knocks over 2 of its legs, making it fall down and uses all of his might to crush the Skitter's skull with the bottom of his boot.
Looking back up he sees that the last Skitter put almost 100 meters between them and Ben twirls his knife around, takes aim and throws it with all his might, hitting the retreating Skitter in it's back, causing it to fall on it's face and try to crawl away, but Ben runs over to it in a matter of seconds and retrieves his blade before gripping the Skitter's head and ripping it clean off.
He drops the head and makes his way back to camp and is met to the shocked faces of a few of the fighters who have just arrived to assist him but see that he's dealt with them already.
Ignoring their fearful looks he pushes past them and goes to Colonel Weaver to check how his father is doing but on his way he overhears him talking to Hal, both of them are fearful of him and think that he might still be under the Skitter's influence. Ben then decides to stay away from them for now and goes to his tent to get his gun and starts to do maintenance on it before they have to go back out, since Pope alarmed everyone that another Skitter group is approaching, meaning they have to go out and ambush it again.
As he finishes checking his weapon his little brother Matt runs over, supplying everyone with Ammo
"Ben I've been looking for ya." Matt says.
"I'm trying to stay away for a while." Ben informs him while he looks over to Maggie and Hal.
"You're going out again huh?" Matt notices.
"Yeah Pope and Anthony said another Alien patrol is headed our direction and if we don't ambush them on our terms they'll blow right over us." Ben tells him.
"It's not fair, I should be going with you." Matt complains.
"You're nowhere near ready." Ben replies.
"Everyone keeps treating me like a little kid, I'm old enough to fight." Matt says.
"Your old enough how at least, how about this when I get back I'll see what I can do." Ben offers, looking at his little brother.
"Thanks." Matt says agreeing and brings over the ammunition to the truck Hal, Maggie and Jimmy are standing at, equipping themselves for battle.
"Oh sorry, you first." Hal says as both he and Maggie reach for the ammunition to fill up their magazines.
"You sure know how to impress a girl, what's next? I'm getting a grenade launcher?" Maggie jokes sarcastically.
"Maybe I'll do something crazy like open a door for you." Hal says before he sees Ben leave to get in position.
"Hey, Ben wait up." Hal shouts jogging over to his brother.
"Look I know what happened with Dad was an accident but next time I give an order I need to know you're gonna listen." Hal tells him.
"Whatever you say." Ben says blowing him off.
"Hold on, hey what's up man? I mean as much as dad got into it with Weaver dad always understood chain of command." Hal tells him.
"Follow your orders? You're not dad OK?" Ben replies and shoves past him making Hal look at him incredulously.
"Do you believe that? How are we supposed to work with him if he outright told me he'll ignore my orders?" Hal asks Maggie and Jimmy as he walks back to their truck.
"Just cut the razorback, it's not like we need him there are plenty other fighters available." Jimmy replies.
"Shut up Jimmy, Ben's ten times the fighter you are." Maggie defends him.
"What's up with you and Ben anyway Mag? I've seen him hang around you all the time, does he have a crush on you or what?" Hal taunts her.
"I don't know what if he did?" Maggie asks trying to avoid blabbing out Ben's secret training.
"Just let the guy down easy OK? As much as I don't like the guy, he's still my brother after all." Hal tells her.
"What makes you think I'd turn him down?" Maggie asks.
"You serious? The guy is a freak, he's been one his entire life even before the aliens came." Hal laughs.
"Just cause he's different from you doesn't make him a freak, some brother you are." Maggie says disappointed and walks away.
Later that day the ambush team pulls up in an abandoned city block to prepare a trap and look for opportunities to take cover and surprise the enemy as a bomber flies over them, making them abandon the vehicles just in time as the bomber blows them up, shocking everyone since they've never done that before. Without their vehicles the group can't lure the enemies in anymore, so they head back to camp with defeated expressions on their faces, Pope especially since his beloved Harley got blown up.
At the camp Weaver meets them and asks, "What the hell went wrong?"
"Dammed if I know, never even got off a shot." Pope informs their leader.
"They are onto us, and there is something else. They kept firing at the truck after we bunked out, it was like that was their target." Halt informs him.
"We know they can pick up heat, maybe it's the engines they were targeting." Weaver says.
"they've never fired at vehicles before." Maggie cuts in.
"There is a first time for everything. And with these beamers on constant patrol…" Weaver replies.
"We're screwed and can kiss the ambush tactic bye-bye." Pope says.
"We can't run without our trucks being mobile, the Skitters must know we're close. Won't be long before they catch our scent." Weaver assumes.
|The next morning |
After Weaver ordered Jamil to get their vehicles off the heat sensors of the Skitters Hal left the meeting in search for his brother with Maggie in tow. After asking a few people he finds him on the outskirts of the camp perimeter with his other brother Matt.
"Hey Ben! What's Matt doing with a gun?" Hal asks.
"Ben's teaching me how to shoot." Matt answers while Hal stares down his brother.
"Figured it's time he learned how to defend himself." Ben tells Hal, looking at Maggie confused as to why she's there.
"So you gave him a rifle without asking?" Hal asks accusingly.
"I might have to follow your orders on missions but not here." Ben replies before Hal takes the rifle from Matt and checks the magazine only to see live bullets, making him look at Ben disapprovingly.
"Go back to camp Matt." Hal orders, making Matt leave despite his protest.
"You know maybe he's ready, maybe he's not. We both know dad didn't want that for him." Hal tell him while he hands the rifle to Maggie who is trying to stay out of the family feud as best as possible.
"three months ago, how do you know what he'd say now." Ben says.
"I don't know what he'd say right now and neither do you, so how about we wait and let dad make that decision." Hal suggests.
"The only way to win this war is by killing every Skitter we see. If Matt's old enough to load a gun, he's old enough to shoot." Ben tells his brother.
"After what happened with dad, you think you're the best one to be giving lessons?" Hal taunts his brother.
"Back off Hal." Maggie tells him from the side, but Hal ignores her and continues to stare down Ben who isn't affected by it at all.
"I just don't want him to get taken away like me or your girlfriend Karen." Ben tells him making his brother lose it and charge at Ben, who grabs Hal's arms once he reached him and puts pressure on them, easily overpowering his older brother and forcing him to his knees.
"I'm not the math geek you used to push around, now deal with it." Ben tells him and walks away, whispering to Maggie "Looks like I'm not the only one with temper problems." As he walks past her.
"It's like I don't even know him anymore." Hal tells her and starts to walk back to camp with Maggie following him.
"Hal, I think you should cut him some slack, he may not be very open right now but you have to keep in mind that because of the spikes he can literally hear what everyone thinks off him and safe for a handful of people those thoughts are not too nice." Maggie tells him.
"How do you know that?" Hal asks still angry at his brother.
"He told me when I gave him a few hand to hand combat lessons." Maggie replies.
"Still it doesn't excuse endangering our little brother." Hal says.
"I don't think he saw any danger in it, remember he got taught to shoot in one day by the Colonel and almost immediately had perfect aim, he just doesn't realize how different it is for him with those things on his back.
|That night|
Everyone is ready to head out, but Tom's condition has worsened because there is still a bullet fragment left in him but the Skitters are headed their way as they speak.
"Captain, they're straight east, they are coming this way." Hal shouts as he approaches Colonel Weaver.
"We move that Med bus right now Tom's not gonna make it. Convoy goes, med bus stays with Doctor Glass and Tom, I need four volunteers to stay with the bus in case the Skitters find it." Weaver says. Hal, Maggie, Ben and Dai volunteer and stay behind.
"Take all the ammo you can carry, Dai's got a map we'll meet you 20 miles out. Stay safe. We're moving out people." Weaver tells them before telling the rest to move out.
Soon after the med bus is the only thing remaining of the camp and Hal tells the others "Alright guys, we're laying low and let them pass us by. No shooting unless we have to OK?" looking at Ben expectantly, getting a nod in return.
As the Mechs walk by them Anne is able to retrieve the bullet fragment and starts to close up Tom. After the Mechs passed them Hal is talking to the others happy that they didn't have a confrontation before he sees Ben missing.
"Anyone seen Ben?" Hal asks.
"No." Dai replies.
"I think I know where he is, wait 5 minutes for me and if I'm not back go on, I know the way and will catch up." Maggie tells them and rushes off in the direction on the Mechs.
"Next time I see Ben remind me to kick his ass." Hal curses and boards the bus with Dai, who gets ready to drive them to the checkpoint after Maggie returns.
With Ben
Ben is following the Mechs, waiting until they've put enough distance between themselves and the med bus before he opens up his Omnitrix display and selects a large figure with sharp edges along it's shadow and slams down on the wristband, turning into the crystalline form of Diamondhead.
He decides to wait a few more seconds and readies his arm to fire crystals at the mechs when suddenly he and the Mechs hear a scream not far behind him and take off headed towards the source, Ben because he recognized Maggie's voice and the Mechs to kill the enemy.
The mechs are slightly faster than Ben and he arrives only to see a Mech aim his laser at Maggy who is crawling backwards on the ground with a broken or twisted ankle.
Ben reacts quickly and throws himself between the Mech and Maggie, shielding her from the incoming projectiles, grunting in pain because even though he can't die from it, it still hurts like hell to get shot up. Ben thinks fast and forms a thick crystalline construct incasing Maggie, before he turns around and fires crystal shards from his arms, destroying the first mech and then jumps atop of the second Mech, shoving a car sized crystal through the middle of the second machine, the two other Mech's he had been following where nowhere in sight and apparently didn't hear Maggie's scream.
Ben jumps off the destroyed Mech and leaps over to Maggie, landing before her and disperses the crystal construct back to the ground, catching her once the crystal is gone and turns back to his human form.
"You OK?" Ben asks her concerned.
"Yes, just annoyed at myself for making such a rookie mistake." Maggie tells him.
"Why did you come after me anyways?" Ben asks.
"I wasn't gonna leave you out here alone with no one to watch your back." Maggie tells him.
"You know though that I'd only need like 5 minutes to get to the destination we're meeting Weaver at." Ben replies.
"Seriously? Well then catching up to the Med bus won't be a problem I guess." Maggie says.
"Not at all. Ben says and puts her down, having her lean against him for a second while he uses his Omnitrix and changes into XLR8. Ben then picks up Maggie, carrying her before him despite her protest of "Hey what the hell, put me down." And takes off in a blur, catching up to the Med bus in half a minute and speeding a little further ahead to meet them further down the road with him changed back again.
After the med bus stopped and they got back in with Ben still carrying Maggie Hal looks at this angrily and shoves him to the side asking, "What did you do to her?" while helping her stand until she pushes him away and leans against a medical bed. "Shut up Hal, he just saved my ass. The Mech's heard me as I hurt my foot and were gonna fry me when Ben stepped in." Maggie tells Hal who quickly shuts up while Lourdes who is of no more help to Anne anyways comes over to her and starts to inspect her foot and bandages it up, telling Maggie that it's twisted and will need a few days to heal.
"Get some rest, I'll take your guard duty the next few days, I don't need the sleep anyways." Ben tells Maggie who tries to argue but Ben simply lifts her up, and puts her on the medical bet, pushing her into a lying position.
"How is my dad?" Ben then asks Anne who tells him that he should be in the green now, making Ben sigh out in relief.
An hour and a half later they reach the checkpoint they agreed on with Weaver making Weaver relax knowing that they made it safely.
|The next morning on the med bus|
Hal and Matt have fallen asleep on some chairs while Ben is sitting, leaning against the bed Maggie is sleeping in and many other people have gathered in front of the med bus, waiting for Tom to wake up.
When Tom wakes up he looks around and the first thing he sees is Anne sitting next to him obviously not having slept much if at all.
"You're still here." Tom says smiling at her.
"I never left Tom. You gave us quite a scare, you alright?" Anne replies.
"Yeah, my boys?" Tom asks.
"They are fine. I should have faith that you'd come back for them." Anne says.
"Not just for them." Tom corrects her and takes her hand.
He then looks down and sees Ben look at him scared of what he might say.
"Ben, it's OK. It was an accident, come here. All that matters now is that we're together." Tom tells him as Ben walks over slowly, still feeling incredibly guilty for shooting his father.
"Dad!" Matt says excitedly and rushes over to Tom while Hal struts over as well saying "Look what the cat dragged in. I missed you, old man." While grabbing his hand.
"I missed you too, I missed all of you." Tom replies before he gets up and greets the others from the second Mass. While he's getting reacquainted with the second mass's members Pope warns Weaver that what came back might not entirely be Tom.
AN: follow and review pls :)
