"What do you mean, you guys don't know where he is? How hard can it be to find the most powerful device in the universe?"
Dexter's eye twitched in annoyance as he glared at the unwelcome and very loud visitor to his laboratory.
" I assure you, Mr. Levin, I and the entirety of Earth's United Forces are working around the clock to bring Ben home!" Dexter replied, trying to be professional despite his rising annoyance. Ben was one of Dexter's best friends, and this former criminal had the gal to storm into his lab and accuse him of apathy in the search efforts.
"Oh, that is such a load of-!" Kevin was cut of as a swirl of pink energy covered his mouth. The young lady standing behind him, who had dark red hair down to her mid back, was controlling the energy with her hand, then dismissed it with a wave.
"We know you're doing everything you can to find my cousin, Dexter, and we appreciate everyone's help finding him. " Gwen told the boy genius, stomping on Kevin's foot in the process. The Osmosian teen grimaced and swore under his breath.
Dexter nodded and looked her in the eye.
"Gwen, Ben is a dear friend of mine. You have my word, we will find him." Gwen smiled at that, as Kevin crossed his arms, a mulish expression on his face.
"I know you will. Kevin and I are going to help some of the teams search the park where he was last seen. Please, contact us if you find out anything." Gwen asked, her eyes a bit misty, but her jaw firm and determined. Dexter nodded as he gestured for Computress to open the huge blast door that was the lab's main entrance.
After they left the room, Dexter sighed and took off his glasses. Rubbing his eyes, he told Computress to prepare him a cup of coffee. There was much work to be done, and very little time.
Meanwhile, light years away, on the planet Galvin Prime…
The lab overlooked the bustling cityscape, giving a panoramic view of the most technologically advanced civilization in the galaxy. It owner and creator stood near the window, gazing across the city, deep in thought. This was none other than Azimuth, creator of the Omnitrix and the smartest being in 3 galaxies (arguable 5 galaxies). Before him, on a small display, information in half a dozen languages scrolled past, detailing the conflict between Earth and Planet Fusion. The most troubling news, however, were the reports of Ben's disappearance.
"I told you the kid wasn't a good choice for the Omnitrix, but nooo, when do you ever listen to me?" Azimuth's assistant said behind him. The Galvan sighed and shook his head.
"Myaxx, just because you don't see the value in the boy, it doesn't mean he is not worthy. In fact, it more or less proves the boy is." He replied, turning to address his second-in-command.
"Well, what do you intend to do, now that the Omnitrix is likely in the hands of Fuse?" Myaxx asked the diminutive genius. He made several adjustments to a handheld device and began to walk away.
"Myaxx, summon my personal shuttle and access the specialized storage units. Have Project: Ultimate up and running, and prepare it for transport." His tone brokered no argument as a small disk levitated him off the floor.
"Set our destination for Earth and contact the Plumbers for an escort to Earth. We'll need some extra protection to escape Fuse's blockade." Myaxx, thought naturally argumentative, knew when a smart remark would get her deported) the inventor had done it before), so she nodded and began to make his request into action.
"Numbah One, we could use some help here!" Number 627 yelled into his microphone, while he and the rest of his battalion fought off a crown of Fusion monsters. A huge swarm had attacked Genius Grove and Downtown, and the squads searching for Ben had all been called back to fight.
"Not to worry, Numbah 627, help is on the way." Nigel Uno, the local commander replied through their headsets. "How long can you-" The transmission was interrupted as Numbah 627 was knocked down by the fist of a Heavy Hunter, which barely grazed him, yet was powerful enough to knock him back several feet.
His vision blurry from sweat and dust, he turned his head back to his squad, but Terrorpins had already swarmed them. Panicking, 627 turned and sprinted, desperate to escape the Fusion Monsters. He turned a street corner, and collided with someone on the other side. The KND operative stumbled and fell onto th3 ground, then looked up at who he ran into. When he did, he sighed in sweet relief.
"General Tennyson, sir, you can't imagine how relieved I am to see you. There's an entire pack of monsters behind me!" 627 yelled, clearly still panicked. He may not have ever met Ben Tennyson before, but his signature jacket and Omnitrix were instantly recognizable.
Ben glanced over the operative's shoulder and saw the pack of beasts barreling towards them. He smirked a toothy grin as he shouldered past the child soldier.
"I've got this handled." Ben said, but his gaze did not leave the Fusions as he said this. His hand moved to the Omnitrix, and he slammed down on its faceplate.
Big Chill!
After the green flash faded, Ben stood in the form of a Necrofriggian, icy vapor misting from his mouth. However, instead of charging at the Fusion beasts, he turned to the KND operative at his side. Then, 627 got a good look at his eyes. Instead of the normal neon green common to all Ben's transformations, they glowed an eerie scarlet.
"Uh, General Tennyson, sir…are you okay?" 627 asked, fear creeping into his tone. Ben chuckled.
"Never better." He said confidently, then, he sent Numbah 627 reeling with a blast of arctic mist. Coughing and choking on the freezing gas, he could barely see as the sweat on his body froze, stiffening his limbs as he lost feeling in his fingers. He tried to cry out for help, but no sound escaped his frozen throat. The last thing 627 ever heard was Ben's rasp of "All Hail Fuse." As the air thickened in his lungs and he lost consciousness, the world melting to black around him.