Hello everyone. Sorry for taking so long to update. I was wrapped up with school and I haven't worked out a proper schedule for updates. From now on, I'm going to try and update at least once a month.
CRUDEN: I'm not going to have Spider-Man or a few of the major heroes appear for a while. I want to wait until Ben is older before we have teamups.
As for pairings, I'm not planning on Kevin showing up nor am I going to have GwenxRichie. I'm going to stick with cannon for Richie while Gwen will remain single unless I think of something.
I haven't decided on a pairing for Ben, so I want everyone to vote on who to pair Ben with. Here are the candidates:
1) Laura Kinney/X-23
2) Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk
3) Monica Rambeau/Spectrum/Captain Marvel II
I'll leave the votes for a few chapters. So if you want one of these lovely ladies with Ben, vote in the comments. (Note: This will be when Ben is a teenager or an adult. Clearly he is too young for them right now).
Now on with the story
Chapter 3: Urban Safari
"Hello!...Hello!" Heatblast yelled His vision was obscured by the intense flames around him. He felt smoke filling his lungs with each breath, yet he was completely fine. The floorboard beneath him was cracking. This building wasn't going to last much longer.
"Wah" Heablast heard. The sound of crying emanated from an apartment door to his left. Without hesitation, Heatblast kicked down the frail door. He wandered through the burning apartment, and noticed there was a trail of puddles, which led him towards a closed door. He pushed the door open and saw a young woman laid down in a filled bathtub, holding a little girl in her arms. The girl, who Heatblast assumed is the woman's daughter cried even harder upon seeing the fiery alien. "Stay away!" she yelled in fear.
Heatblast lifted his hands into the air, and dimmed his flames down. "I'm here to help" he said calmly. "I'm a superhero."
"Really" she asked.
"Yeah. I am" he said. "I'm going to get you out of here, but I need you to trust me."
"Okay" she complied.
He then gently and slowly lifted the girl up, ensuring that he held her by her soaked clothes. Ignoring the pain he felt in his hands, he tucked the girl into his left elbow and slung the woman over his right shoulder.
"Let's get out of here" Heatblast said before running out of the apartment.
He heard the floorboards under him cracking, so he treaded much more carefully. He reached the spot where the building's stairs should have been, only to see them collapsed on the ground floor. "Okay, that exit's gone" he muttered.
"You trust me?" Heatblast asked. "Yeah" she said.
"Allonsy!" He yelled as he leaped downwards. When he landed, he felt some pain in his legs, but he was okay "That was awesome" the girl yelled excitedly. "Yeah It was!" Heatblast agreed.
He ran outside the building and scanned the area. There were safety barricades put up by the firefighters, and a crowd was standing behind it. They, along with the firefighters that weren't occupied, seemed frightened by Heatblast.
Ignoring them, he noticed several ambulances behind the barricade. So he ran through the barricade, and ran towards them, not even noticing the crowd shifting or running away. "Excuse me?" Heatblast asked one of the nurses. She looked like she was about to scream before Heatblast spoke again. "Could you please help them? They were in the building. Plus, I might have given them some burns."
"O…Okay" she hesitantly answered. Heatblast set the mother & daughter down on a gurney the nurse brought out. "Thanks miss" Heatblast said before preparing to fly off.
"FREEZE!"
Heatblast turned and saw a police officer pointing a pistol at him. "Step away from the nurse and child, then get on the ground" he ordered.
"Sir, what's the problem? I helped them" Heatblast asked, raising his hands into the air while raising his hands.
"I said on the ground freak!" he yelled. When Heatblast didn't respond, he fired a bullet at him. Heatblast slightly flinched, but heard the bullet fall to the ground in a melted pool. The officer then pressed a button on the walkie talkie on his shoulder, "I need back up at my position! We got some kind of fire monster!" He stopped his report when he noticed Heatblast had blasted off into the air, flying away in shame.
(A few minutes later at the R.V.)
Max was sitting down at the R.V.'s desk, his face turning red. Gwen and Richie were sitting on the other side, both struggling to stay awake.
They then heard knocking on the door, waking them all up. Max stomped towards the door, flinging it open. His anger ceased when he noticed Ben was crying.
"Ben, what's wrong?" he asked.
"A policeman shot at me" Ben muttered between sniffs.
The anger subsided from Max's face, replaced with genuine concern. "Get inside" he said calmly. Ben stumbled in quietly.
Ben made his way to the seats and sat down. "Are you okay? Where were you?" Richie asked. " We were worried sick about you" Gwen exclaimed, which surprised Ben.
"What happened Ben?" Max asked.
Ben looked down at the table. "I saw an apartment building on fire, so I wanted to help. I helped a mother and daughter get out of their, and left them with a doctor. Then a policeman came and tried to arrest me. Next thing I knew, I felt a bullet melting off of my skin" he stated.
"Wow" Richie stated. "That's rough."
"Even worse when you here what they're saying about you on the news" Gwen stated after turning on the TV.
Ben begrudgingly turned and looked at the TV screen.
"Breaking News: A flaming creature was spotted in front of this apartment building just moments ago. Authorities are claiming that it may have caused the fire that ravaged this building earlier this evening" the reporter claimed.
That deeply wounded Ben. He helped someone and they were blaming him for it.
"Gwen, please turn that off" Max ordered. The screen quickly faded to black. Ben's hands were glued to his head, covering his eyes. His face began to turn red.
"I helped that family! I helped them!" he yelled between sobs. "And nobody appreciates what I did!"
"Hey" Max calmly said. "Being a hero isn't about others knowing you did something good. It's about you knowing that you did something good."
"You did the right thing Ben, and you should be proud of yourself."
Ben looked at his grandfather with some joy and admiration. "Thanks grandpa"
"We just have to be more careful with this thing" referring to the watch. After tomorrow, we're going to head out of town and start practicing."
Max then let of a loud yawn, his arms tapping the R.V.'s ceiling. "It's well past all of our bedtimes. We need to hit the hay" he said. "Okay" the kids said in unison.
The kids dressed in their pajamas and laid down in their beds. Ben laid awake for some time though, staring at the watch and pondering what he should do.
A chubby, professional-looking fellow walked upstairs to a small apartment room. It opened and he was bombarded with the smell of old animal feed and excrement. He stepped carefully, making sure to avoid the old and stained newspapers that covered the board. He also took notice of multiple animals that were being kept in tanks and cages, ranging from frogs
He managed to find the one he was looking for.
The old man had white, untamed and dirty hair. His skin was a sickly pale, as though he had not seen the sun for some time. He wore a black sleeveless shirt that had multiple tears in it, brown pants that looked too large for him, and black boots and gloves that were stained.
"Aloysius!"
The now-named Aloysius ignored him, continuing to work on some device that remained hidden from view.
"I'm talking to you Aloysius" he yelled, pulling his shoulder and forcing him to turn and face him. "Go away!" Aloysius yelled in response. "I'm busy!"
"What you should be busy doing is getting me my rent. You're eight months overdue."
Aloysius continued with his device, no longer paying his landlord any mind. "Are you not listening?! Pay up now or sleep on the streets tonight!"
"I suppose you want to know what my money has been invested in, don't you?" Aloysius said. He lifted the device he was working on and placed it on his head. It was a grey metallic helmet with several wires attached to two curved horn-like structures on his head. The helmet connected to a red harness on his chest, and a small trigger in his right glove.
The landlord busted out laughing. " What is that?! You apart of a moose appreciation club?!" he hollered before continuing.
Aloysius gritted his teeth. "This you buffoon is my Transmodulator." He reached into one of his tanks and took out a toad. "With it I can alter the DNA of any living animal." Aloysius then pressed the button on the trigger, causing the helmet's horns to glow a bright red and fire a beam at the toad.
The toad began to grow, gaining two bony horns from its cheeks. It soon occupied about half of the room, and the cracking floor boards were rather audible.
The landlord screamed in fear before the toad swallowed him whole. Aloysius laughed and hollered "Sounds like you have a frog in your throat! Or is it the other way around?!"
He ceased his laughter upon hearing his helmet powering down. "Damn it! These old batteries can barely sustain the Transmodulator. I need a greater power source"
As if some higher being had heard him, the TV played a certain add. "Come down to the grand opening of Mega Mart! The only store you'll ever need to shop. We have clothes, groceries, and electronics!"
"Just what the doctor ordered" Aloysius smirked.
(The following day)
"Can we get this Mr. Tennyson?" Richie handed Max a bag of potato chips.
"That's not very healthy Richie. But don't worry, I have a great meal planned for us" Max said before proceeding to fill his grocery cart.
"Did he just pick up groundhog bacon?" Ben asked.
"Yup" Gwen responded. "And salamander eggs"
"Ah man" Richie said in dismay. "I don't think my stomach can handle that."
Richie and Gwen hadn't noticed, but Ben had stopped in front of an isle filled with cereal boxes, particularly invested in the Captain Crunch boxes. The box had a picture of the world-famous Captain America eating a bowl of the cereal, which was resting on his signature shield. There was also a tag attached to the box; showing a series of collectible cards that could be found in the boxes
"Maybe this one has the golden card" Ben thought. He looked at his watch, getting an idea.
He pushed the button and turned to a silhouette. It appeared to be a skinny, phantom-like creature. Ben proceeded to transform.
He felt like the weight of his body left him. Ben stared at his hands, watching them become pale, losing a finger while the others grew much longer. He then body also turned pale, cracks forming and trailing towards his eye, as in a single purple eye remaining in the center of his head. Ben looked down on his body, seeing the isle behind him and a feint trail where his legs should have been.
"Woah" he spoke. His voice was now raspy and echoed. He reached out and brought his hand towards one of the boxes, phasing right through the cardboard. Ben then extracted his hand, now holding a plastic-wrapped object. "I'm like a ghost." He opened the plastic, revealing a blue card possessing an illustration of Captain America with the other Howling Commandos. "Dang it! I already have this one" he said. Ben then noticed a shopping cart coming down the isle. "Dang it! I can't let them see me!"
He then noticed his hand completely vanish, the woman passing by not noticing him at all. Realizing what he had just done, Ben stared down the isles of endless boxes, and smiled upon his idea.
He continuously phased his hands through the boxes, opening the packets, and discarding the cards he didn't want. Ben phased his hands through one last box before the watch timed out. His hand bore straight through a cereal box, spilling out flakes onto the ground.
"Excuse me young man." Ben turned and saw a store clerk staring at him, hands on his hips. "Where are your parents?"
"I'm not with my parents sir" Ben said. "My grandfather is here though."
"Yes he is" Max said as he and the others came down the hall. He noticed the price of the cereal box, and handed the clerk a few bills. The clerk pocketed the money and walked away.
Ben turned sheepishly to Max, who had his arms folded. "Ben, you shouldn't be using the watch as a toy."
"I'm sorry grandpa" he said in shame.
"Well to pay me back, I'll be taking that $10 dollars from your allowance"
The group was interrupted by the sound of a major crash, items and glass being scattered across the store. Ben turned and saw an old man on a gigantic frog enter the building. He disembarked from the frog, and began filling a bag with a variety of batteries and other appliances. "Hey! What are you doing?!" Ben yelled. The frog then stretched its tongue out, knocking down the isle behind Ben and the others.
"Don't play hero child. Run along now" Aloysius condescendingly stated. Ben looked at his watch, which was still colored red.
"You're so lucky that I can't go hero" Ben said before running away along with Max, Gwen, and Richie.
Some officers came in after them. "Freeze!" one yelled, before getting wacked by the frog into the concrete wall that was in front of Ben. He stood there paralyzed.
Aloysius proceeded to load the new batteries into his Transmodulator. "Let's test this out" he said upon arriving at the pet section. He pressed the trigger, and fired a beam at a hamster cage. The cute pet grew into a massive creature, growing small bony tusks through its mouth and gaining a second pair of beady red eyes.
He turned his attention towards a parrot, who then grew even larger than the toad or the hamster. Its wings stretched widely, its talons grew sharper as well.
"Now its time to get my revenge" he said allowed, continuing down the arsenal he had at his disposal.
Ben was taken out of their by Max, holding him by his collar.
. . . . . . . .
"What the heck was that?!" Richie yelled.
"The better question is, who was that man?" Max asked aloud.
"I'll see what I can find" Gwen stated as she scoured the internet on her computer. "How does 'Crazy animal doctor' sound?"
"Sums it up quite nicely" Ben said.
"I got it!" Gwen announced. "Dr. Aloysius Animo. He was a leading researcher in veterinary science until his university discovered that he was conducting illegal experiments on animals. He was arrested and sent to prison a few years ago."
"That would explains how he made that weird helmet" Ben said.
"Question is...what does he plan to do with all those animals?"
"I heard him say something about getting revenge" Ben stated
"And I think I know on who" Gwen stated. She turned her computer around to show them some news articles. "The guy who turned him into the police was Dr. Henry Pym. He was a student who went to the same school as Aloysius."
"And he's in town two. He's here to receive an award for a device he invented that allows people to communicate with ants via radio signals."She pointed to a photo of Henry wearing a silver helmet; featuring two protrusions with small balls on the top, similar to that of ant antennas.
"What's the address?" Max asked.
Gwen searched up where the award ceremony would be taking place, and smirked upon realization.
(A few minutes later)
"You're kidding me?" Ben asked, staring at the entrance of the Museum of Natural History. The front had a gaping hole in it, with numerous growls and hisses echoing through the air.
"May I make a suggestion?" Max asked when he saw Ben reaching for the Omnitrix.
Taking his advice, Ben stretched his hand out to him. Max spun the dial and slammed it down.
Ben felt his body growing, a second pair of eyes grew as the first shifted slightly upwards. He also felt a second pair of arms grow out of his sides, both of which were now ripped with muscle.
When the transformation ended, Ben found that he now had dark red skin. He wore a jumpsuit that was similar to his t-shirt, along with black pants. His four hands now had four fingers, while his bare feat had two long toes.
The hair from his head was gone too, his scalp now featuring a straight black line running down his head.
"You might need some extra muscle for this one" Max said.
"Looks like I got all the muscle I need!" Ben said before leaping forward. He lunged himself inside the building, where he found the place in complete disarray. There were several animals in there; the toad, parakeet & hamster were there, along with a mutated Golden Retriever, a cat, and a snake that was currently constricting a man. Dr. Animo was madly laughing, staring at the man who was turning blue in the snake's grasp.
"My my my. How the tables have turned Pym" he smugly said as he toyed with the golden award in his hand. "I create a way to evolve life itself, while all you can do is call ants" he laughed.
"Hey"! Ben yelled at Animo. The animals turned to Ben, growling and hissing with hate. "What the hell are you?!" Animo yelled.
"Umm.." Ben paused before staring at his hands. "Call me Four Arms" he said before lifting a chunk of rubble and throwing it towards Animo. The snake, however, quickly intercepted the rubble, crushing it under its massive fangs. Animo leaped off of the snake's head. "Kill him" he ordered.
The animals lunged towards Four Arms. Reacting quickly, Four Arms managed to grab the snake by its fangs and hold it down. This left him defenseless to the dog who took a bite out of his upper right arm. Four Arms yelled in pain, throwing the snake into the dog before checking the wound. From two large holes bled a fresh trail of thick orange fluid.
Ben had never felt such pain like that before in his life, but he knew he had to endure. This time the cat charged in. Four Arms wound up a punch, upercutting it to the roof. As it came crashing down, he punched it into the stationary toad.
Now all that's left is the:
As Four Arms thought of this, he felt the parakeet's talons dig into his back. It flapped it's wings with great intensity, lifting him into the air. The bird broke through the museum's roof. Four Arms looked down and saw the entire museum and a few blocks in the distance. There were also news trucks and police squads stationed outside. "Going down" Four Arms yelled as he hit the birds talons, causing it to release him. Four Arms plummeted into the museum floor, creating a dust cloud.
When the dust cleared, Four Arms saw Dr. Animo and Dr. Pym engaged in a hand-to-hand fight. "I'm coming Dr. Pym!" he said as he ran over to the fight and lifted Dr. Animo by his collar. "Four Arms, I believe the animals' mutation originates from the device he's wearing. If you destroy it, it should revert them back to normal" Henry said.
Both Four Arms and Henry looked up upon hearing the squawking parakeet returning for a second round. "I hope you're right" Four Arms said as he took the helmet off of Animo and crushed it. The parakeet glowed red before it shrunk down and reverted back to normal. The unconcious snake, cat, dog, and toad followed as well. "Damn it!" Animo yelled.
"Let's get you to the police" Four Arms said as he walked towards the exit. "What exactly are you?" Henry asked as he tailed behind him. "Are you a mutant? Or did Aloysius perform some mutagenic experiment on you?"
"I'm not a mutant. I'm an alien" he said before pushing the museum door open. The door cracked and fell down, showing that several S.W.A.T. members were stationed outside.
"Release your hostages and stand down" one barked through a loud speaker. Four Arms grew angry. "I didn't hurt anyone! I didn't do anything!"
"Release them and stand down!"
"I'm not" he continued before he heard the watch ring. "Oh no" he thought. Without hesitating, Four Arms dropped Animo and leaped away, evading the gunfire coming at him.
(A few moments later)
Ben was sitting on his bed, Max and Gwen sitting near him. Richie was in the other room as he had a bad case of haemophobia. Max was currently treating his bite wound.
"Ow!" Ben yelled from the rubbing alcohol that Max applied to his wound. "Sorry Ben" Max apologized. "I have to make sure that this is sanitized."
"How come Ben still has the bite mark from when he was Four Arms?" Gwen asked. "My guess is that the watch only alters Ben's DNA, so he'd still be hurt when he changes back. Max proceeded to cover the wound with medicine-soaked bandages. "That should do it"
"Hey guys" Richie said. "You might want to come see this."
The group walked in and watched the news program that was playing. "Tonight a reception at the Museum of Natural History was attacked by a madman and several mutated creatures. Dr. Hank Pym told us that a four-armed alien actually came to save his life." Ben smiled upon hearing the news.
"Photos taken on the seen also noticed that this creature shares a similar hourglass symbol to the fire creature who was sighted at an apartment fire yesterday. These creatures possibly could be working together."
Whoever they are, the people who were saved tonight owes them a debt of gratitude."
Gwen saw her smiling brother. "Guess they think you're a hero afterall."
Well that's it for this chapter everyone. Tune in next time for "The Hunt."
