Vilgax… the very name was enough to strike fear in the heart of almost every sentient being in the known universe. A terrifying warlord who had conquered and destroyed worlds, wiped out entire races, and even forged a black hole, he had made it abundantly clear that he would stop at nothing to acquire the Omnitrix and use it to build an army of shapeshifters. His goal was the subjugation of the universe… though if he could personally destroy Ben Tennyson in the process, so much the better.
Of all Ben's many foes that he had clashed with over the years, Vilgax was by far the toughest and most dangerous. And under normal circumstances he would have felt some measure of trepidation at facing down the scourge of the galaxy. Even with Gwen, Kevin, and Rook at his side, this would be a tough fight, and there was always the chance that one or more of them wouldn't be going home tonight.
At the moment, all Ben wanted to do was get this fight over with and get back to Aurora. And there was even that small part of him that perversely thought that if he came out of this fight terribly injured, at least he'd get some rest in the hospital.
"I thought you said Vilgax was here," he grumbled, looking around the quiet suburban neighborhood where Rook had led them. It was a moonless night, but streetlights still provided enough illumination to show the streets were deserted.
"He was sighted here," Rook replied, arming his proto-tool and keeping it pointed straight ahead as he swept the area. "Though it is possible he has moved on. We will have to track him."
"Anyone think that maybe Vilgax is workin' with Doctor Lake?" asked Kevin. "Seems he'd be the type…"
"He's a scumbag, but not THAT much of a scumbag," Gwen pointed out. "Besides, at least one member of his species has been abducted and sold off. I'd think he'd be pretty against that."
"Gwen, this is Vilgax we're talking about," Ben pointed out. "He doesn't have standards. He'd sell his own mother off if he thought it'd help him take over the universe."
"This isVilgax we're talking about, not Argit," Gwen retorted. "And didn't he save his own homeworld at one point-"
A terrified yowl cut off the rest of her sentence, and a stray cat bolted away as a towering form thumped out of the shadows. Ben's irritation at being dragged out for another round of fisticuffs with his oldest enemy gave way to true awe and fear… and not a little confusion. Vilgax was tall, yes, but Ben was pretty sure that last time he'd seen the Chimera Sui Generis he hadn't been over thirty feet in height. Nor had he creaked and whirred metallically with every step, cratering the ground beneath his feet and smashing right through a house and its accompanying FOR SALE sign before reaching the street.
Kevin whistled. "Vilgaxmusta watched Gundam Wing or somethin'. That's a pretty sick mecha there."
"'Sick' is not the descriptive term I would have used," Rook replied, eyes wide.
The mecha stomped to a halt in the middle of a cul-de-sac just ahead, then twisted around to face the gathered Plumbers. It was a hulking brute plated in dull green iron, guns bristling on its shoulders and knuckles studded with spikes to add extra lethality to its blows. Jointed iron tentacles trailed down its chest, as if Vilgax couldn't help but model his war machine after himself, and buckled into the transparent green cockpit where a head should have been was the warlord himself, a deadly smirk on his scarred face.
"Ben Tennyson!" he snarled, voice distorted by the speaker built into the cockpit. "I wondered how long it would take for you to crawl out of hiding and face me!"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Ben retorted. "Let's just get around to the butt-kicking so we can lock you back up and…" His voice trailed off in a huge yawn. "…and we can all go home. It's late and I need sleep."
Gwen glared at him. "Can't you take this seriously for once, Ben?"
"Give the guy a break," Kevin countered. "He's been runnin' himself ragged for the past few months."
The mecha advanced a step, the asphalt crumpling beneath its feet. "Surrender yourself, Tennyson, and I'll spare your wretched city. Refuse, and this neighborhood will be the first to be razed to the ground!"
Ben rolled his eyes. "Look, Vilgax, I'm tired of this same old song and dance. Can we just skip forward to the part where I beat the tar out of you and you run off swearing you'll get me next time or some other lame Saturday-morning-cartoon catchphrase?" He raised his wrist and twisted the dial on the Omnitrix, selecting Humungousaur before bringing his palm down upon the device…
…and letting out a bellow of frustration. "WHAT?! LEMMIE TELL YA SOMETHIN', FANCY WRISTWATCH, THAT'S NOT WHAT RATH PICKED!"
Kevin snorted. "I dunno why he bothers actually pickin' an alien when the Omnitrix is permanently stuck on random."
"I thought Azmuth fixed it," Gwen groaned.
"Only in regards to the Necrofriggian form," Rook replied, then let out a shout of warning and pushed the two humans aside as a spiked fist slammed into the asphalt where they had stood. Ben, still ranting at the Omnitrix, was knocked off his feet by the blow and landed smack on his feline derrière.
"You foolish humans bicker so much amongst yourselves," Vilgax snarled, drawing his fist back for another blow. "It's a wonder you can stop fighting long enough to actually establish a civilization!"
Ben bellowed and leaped to his feet, digging his wrist-spikes into the mecha's arm and clawing his way up. Through the haze of rage that always filled his mind in his Appoplexian form he managed to put together some semblance of a plan – let the others distract Vilgax while he tore his way into the cockpit and thrashed Vilgax into next week. He was confident it would work out as planned, not stopping to think that he hadn't even told the others about said plan.
Thankfully, Gwen was sharp enough to catch on to what Ben intended, and she got to her feet and fired a blast of magenta energy at Vilgax's mecha to draw his attention. Vilgax spun the vehicle about and crossed both arms in front of its chest, letting the shaft of arcane energy impact against the thick armor there… and nearly scorching off Ben's fur in the process.
"LEMMIE TELL YA SOMETHIN', GWEN TENNYSON!" Ben roared.
"Not NOW, Ben!" she shouted back. "Just get to the cockpit!"
Vilgax caught on right away, and he slammed one hand of the mecha down on the opposite arm in an effort to crush Rath. The Appoplexian leaped up to the shoulder just in time, slamming both fists into the reinforced glass of the cockpit.
"You really care that little about your own city?" Vilgax sneered. "You would rather continue playing at your childish games than surrender yourself and allow Bellwood to remain standing? You really are a fool, Tennyson."
Ben snarled and continued beating the glass, cracks spider-webbing across the cockpit with every blow. "STOP YAPPIN', SQUID-FACE! YOU'RE DISTRACTING ME FROM BREAKIN' IN TO KICK YOUR BUTT!"
"I'll give you distraction, BOY," Vilgax spat, and raised a spiked hand to swat Ben away… only to roar and stagger as Kevin slammed into the mecha's ankle, his newly-metallic body hitting the joint with enough force to put the entire thing off-balance.
"Nice work, Kevin!" Gwen shouted, firing another blast of mana. "Rook, Operation Turtle Walker!"
"I am still not sure why we call it that," Rook confessed, but raised his proto-tool and fired anyhow. A thin carbon-fiber cable streaked forward, the hooked end burying itself in the mecha's ankle joint. The Revonnahgander bolted forward, circling the mecha repeatedly while Gwen and Kevin did their best to keep Vilgax distracted… and wrapping the cable tightly around its legs.
A final blow from Rath's fists, and the cockpit shattered. Ben grinned savagely and grabbed Vilgax by the front of his body armor, yanking him close and raising his free fist.
"LEMMIE TELL YA SOMETHIN', SQUID-FACED TERROR OF THE UNIVERSE! NOBODY WRECKS BELLWOOD BUT ME! YA GOT IT?!"
Vilgax didn't deign to answer that with words – the snap of energy from a stun gauntlet said all he wished to. Ben yowled like a cat and staggered backwards, teetered a moment on the mecha's shoulder, and fell to the street.
"Ben!" Gwen flung both hands out, and a sheet of pink energy formed beneath the tumbling Appoplexian to cushion his fall. Even as he struck the makeshift landing net his body flared with green light, and it was a very human Ben that finally came to rest in the street, stunned and clothes smoking.
"Such heroic nonsense," growled Vilgax, and raised one foot of the mecha. The cable entangling its legs strained, then snapped like twine, and Rook backpedaled furiously to avoid being trampled.
"I thought you said that cable could contain a rampaging To'kustar!" Ben yelped, scrambling out of the path of the huge foot.
"I said theoretically it could!" Rook retorted. "It had not been tested yet!"
Vilgax delivered a horrible laugh and raised both metallic fists high, the light of the street lamps glinting on the spiked knuckles. "You have no idea how much I'm going to enjoy this," he gloated, and brought both fists down.
Ben didn't stop to think – he twisted the Omnitrix to the one alien he knew he could count on and bright his palm down on the resulting holo. He barely had time to assume Big Chill form and go incorporeal before the iron fist smashed into the street. Vilgax's tentacled face was a study in angry bafflement as he raised the machine's fists to stare down at a completely whole and un-squashed Ben.
"Phew," Ben breathed, fog pluming from his mandibles. "That was almost bad."
"This is still bad, Ben!" Gwen screamed at him. "We've got to stop him before he levels this entire neighborhood and half of Bellwood!"
"You think I don't know that?" Ben retorted, and beat his wings to rise in the air before the mecha. Dangit, he just wanted this fight over with. He was so tired he could hardly see straight, and his body still stung from the shock gauntlet's effects. Where was Professor Paradox or Grandpa Max or some other heavy-duty backup when you needed it?
The mecha advanced a step, the guns on its shoulders clicking as they armed… then the massive machine recoiled as something darted down out of the sky, whacking Vilgax upside the head.
"What in the…" he snarled.
Ben's eyes couldn't exactly widen or bulge in this form, but they did pale to near-white in utter horror. "Aurora!"
"Abru!" The little Necrofriggian hovered defiantly before him, her gem-like eyes sparkling with anger. "Mean guy's hurting Abru! I'll stop him!"
"Aurora, go home this instant!" Ben ordered. "He's dangerous! He could hurt you!"
Gwen raised her hands, and a bubble of pink mana enveloped the hatchling. "I've got her, Ben! You focus on Vilgax!"
"No!" Aurora flailed, battering herself against the walls of her spherical prison. "Help Abru! Wanna help!"
"Listen to Aunt Gwen!" Ben ordered. "Don't worry about Abru, I'll be fi-"
The rest of his sentence was cut off in an agonized scream as a blast of energy seared through the air, scorching his left wing to a crisp. He fell like a rock… and this time he hit the street, no cushion of mana protecting him from the fall. Pain radiated through his entire body, dazzling his vision and driving the breath from his alien lungs.
"ABRU!" The terror and anger in Aurora's voice was somehow far more painful than any of his wounds.
Hands pulled at Ben's body, and he feebly tried to bat them away. But when his eyes refocused and he realized it was just Kevin and Rook trying to help him to his feet he quit fighting. His Necrofriggian form had taken less damage from the fall than he'd expected, but he was still badly bruised and scraped up, and all that remained of his burned wing was a stump of muscle and a ragged scrap of membrane.
"We gotta call for backup," Kevin muttered, throwing Ben's arm over his shoulders for support. "He's beatin' the crap out of us. An' we gotta get YOU to a hospital."
"No," Ben protested, trying to pull away. "Aurora… where is she?"
"Gwen has her…" began Rook.
Gwen screamed, and the three of them whirled to see Vilgax's mecha lash out with a foot and kick her. She hastily threw up a shield that absorbed most of the blow, but it was still enough to knock her across the street and into somebody's rose bushes. The shield encasing Aurora flickered… then snuffed out.
"Aurora!" Ben wrenched free from Kevin and Rook and charged forward, limping badly but shutting out the pain as much as he could. "Aurora, fly! Phase! Get out of there!"
"Abru!" she cried back, and turned around to face Vilgax with as much courage and indignation as a baby moth alien could muster.
A sadistic grin spread across Vilgax's face. "Abru, is it? You've spawned a child. A deal then, Tennyson… give me the Omnitrix, and I'll spare the young one."
Ben skidded to a stop, and without thinking his hand moved to the Omnitrix shield on his chest. He had refused to give up the Omnitrix at his parents' demand… but if it was a choice between that and his daughter's life, there was no question in his mind. Giving up his status as a hero would hurt, no question about it, but it wasn't worth Aurora's life.
Aurora had other plans, however. She chirred and chattered for a good five seconds in her native language… and spat a wad of ice directly into Vilgax's eyes. It wasn't much of a blast, barely a handful of frozen matter… but it was enough.
Vilgax howled, releasing the controls of the mecha to claw at the crystalline substance blinding him. The machine staggered wildly, stomping a car and several trash cans flat and making Ben, Kevin, and Rook scatter. It tipped alarmingly, hung for a moment at a sever angle, then finally collapsed into the ruins of the wrecked house, its engines whining to a halt.
For a long moment, all anyone could do was stare at the wreckage. Then Rook hurried forward, wading through the rubble and pulling Vilgax free. The Chimera Sui Generis was still trying to pry the ice off his face, and didn't put up a fight as Rook slapped cuffs on his wrists.
"Whoa," Kevin murmured. "Wasn't expectin' THAT ending to the fight."
Aurora flitted down to hover in front of Ben, chirping excitedly. "I did it! I made ice! I did it!"
Ben sank to his knees, too relieved and exhausted to stay upright any longer. He reached out and hugged Aurora tightly, torn between laughing with joy and scolding her for not listening to his warnings. Though he couldn't be too mad at her for being stubborn and brazen – it just meant she was truly a Tennyson at heart, didn't it?
"You did so well, Aurora," he murmured. "I'm so proud of you! You're going to be a kick-butt heroine yet."
She chirred with glee. "Kick-butt hero! Like Elsa!"
He laughed again. "I'm going to have to introduce you to some more super-powered heroes with ice abilities. Like Frozone, or Mr. Freeze."
"I thought Mr. Freeze was a bad guy," Kevin pointed out, grabbing Ben under the arms and hoisting him to his feet. "Let's get you back to headquarters, though. You're a mess, and we gotta get Vilgax locked up. The Plumbers'll wanna question him."
Vilgaz snarled and turned in their general direction. A mask of ice still obscured his eyes, and Ben wondered if Aurora's attack had permanently blinded him. A blast of freezing air directly to the eyeballs couldn't be healthy for most alien races, right?
"The Plumbers won't be able to hold me for long," he growled. "I'll return, Tennyson… and I'll have your head AND the Necrofriggian child's!"
Aurora chattered angrily, shaking her fist in his direction, then finished with a stern "Bad Vilgax! No hurting Abru! No hurting anybody!"
"That's right," Ben replied. "That includes all those aliens you've helped the slavers catch."
Vilgax's mouth dropped open… and he snarled in contempt, tentacles curling in disgust. "You think I had a hand in THAT? You're a fool, Tennyson. I don't deal in the slave trade."
"And why should we believe you?" demanded Gwen, finally extricating herself from the bushes, clothes ripped and leaves and rose petals clinging to her hair and clothing. "You aren't exactly the most trustworthy being in the galaxy, Vilgax."
He bore his fangs in an angry snarl. "Question the Vilgaxian High Council if you don't believe me. When one of our people went missing – under Plumber protection, I might add – I personally sent out a task force to find her and put a stop to the trafficking. Why would I do that if I were involved in it in the first place?"
"Covering your tracks?" Ben suggested.
"Enough of this," Rook advised. "We need to return to headquarters and report on what has happened. The Plumbers will send a crew to clean up here, and Ben needs medical attention. Then we can settle all of this for good."
With Doctor Lake gone, the task of tending to the Plumbers' medical needs fell on a team of Galvans and medical robots, all efficient at their jobs but with terrible bedside manners. None of the Galvans even spoke to Ben as they cleaned his wounds and dunked him in a tank full of transparent green liquid with the general smell and consistency of corn syrup. The robots, ironically, were slightly friendlier, if only because they actually took the time to explain what the hell was going on as they worked.
"Unfortunately, you will have to remain in this form until the regeneration tank has done its work," one of the machines explained once Ben quit trying to thrash to the surface. "When your injuries have healed and your wing has regenerated itself, you may return to human form."
"You guys could have told me all this before shoving me in," Ben complained. His mandibles were covered in a breathing mask, and a small radio built into said mask allowed his voice to be heard by those gathered outside said tank.
The robot ignored his complaint. "You should be fully regenerated and ready for discharge in approximately forty-eight hours. There might be some swelling, itching, discoloration, and loss of muscle control while you are undergoing treatment. These are normal side effects." And he trundled away.
Kevin snorted. "Sounds like fun in there."
"Shut up," Ben grumbled. "Is Aurora all right?"
"She's with Alyxx at the moment," Gwen replied. "She says she'll bring her in for a visit once she's had a chance to calm down and sleep a little."
"The Plumbers will look after her while you recover," Grandpa Max added. "We've already arranged for everything. Don't worry, Ben, she's in good hands."
Ben sighed and rested his forehead against the glass of the tank. So long as Aurora was okay, he was fine with whatever else happened to him. He'd even take a couple days immersed in green slime over having anything happen to her.
"Did Vilgax's alibi check out?" asked Kevin.
Max nodded. "The Vilgaxian High Council did indeed send search parties out for Xenia and her captors at Vilgax's orders. They're just as interested in finding the slave traders as we are. It's extremely unlikely that Vilgax is involved with Dr. Lake's operations."
"What about the doctor?" asked Gwen. "Did they find anything else? Some kind of lead we can follow up on?"
"An in-depth search of her house and office are underway," Max replied. "We're going over computer files, paperwork, anything that can offer us some clues. So far they've found nothing incriminating."
Ben groaned and slammed a fist against the glass of his tank – a weak blow, but a blow of frustration nonetheless. "There's got to be something we're missing here. We have to find these creeps… soon, before more aliens go missing!"
"We're doing all we can," Max replied. "But your first priority, Ben, is to recover. This battle took a real toll on you… and you were already running yourself ragged before it happened. It's time you took a step back from this mission and focused on other things."
Ben's head jerked up, green eyes flashing. "Don't tell me you're siding with my parents."
Max's eyes darkened. "I don't agree with them that you should give up Aurora. In fact, I think it's admirable that you're stepping up to be a parent to her. But you can't keep this up forever… and yes, your schooling is important, whether you think it is or not. I'm not asking you to hand over your Plumber badge – just take a hiatus until you've gotten your grades back up. Once you have things under control, we'll work on balancing your Plumber work with everything else."
Ben sighed again, clouding the breath mask up with fog. He didn't like being forced into a sabbatical like this, but at least Max wasn't telling him to quit for good. And though he hated to be pushed to the sidelines while the slave traders were still at large, he had to admit that he was nearing the end of his rope trying to juggle heroism, school, and parenthood at the same time. Something had to give, even if it was for a short time… and while he would have rather given up school than his Plumber duties, he'd accept it for now.
Maybe this is why so many comic-book superheroes don't have kids, he thought idly. Because otherwise they wouldn't even have time for bathroom breaks, let alone sleep…
His train of thought was interrupted by a sudden commotion from outside the medical center. The Galvan medics scowled and glared as the doors hissed open, admitting a short, slender being in what looked to be the futuristic equivalent of a three-piece suit. Manny was doing his level best to stop him from going any further, but the being ignored him entirely.
"Excuse me, sir," the medical robot informed the newcomer in polite but clipped tones, "but only authorized personnel are allowed in the medical center."
The being regarded the robot coolly from behind square-lensed spectacles. A humanoid, crystalline alien of a translucent pale blue, he didn't have the blocky mineral look of a Petrosapian but was made up of smooth curves like a stylized statue. His eyes were glowing green hollows set in a noseless face with a smooth-lipped mouth and pointed chin, and in place of hair he had waves of glowing multicolored energy, like a miniature set of Northern Lights. He wore a sleek, professional-looking suit of a neutral charcoal-gray color, and in one hand he carried a stainless-steel briefcase. He looked utterly non-intimidating… except for the bodyguards that flanked him, two hulking Gimlinopithecuses and two jet-black Conductoids, all crackling with energy and giving Manny death glares.
"What the…" began Kevin.
"I believe introductions are in order," the alien replied, and he opened the briefcase and handed Grandpa Max a business card printed on clear plastic. "Slizzick, Attorney of Inter-Galactic Law, representing Dr. Justine Lake, M. D."
Grandpa Max glanced over the card, then tucked it into the chest pocket of his Hawaiian shirt. "This is neither the time nor the place for this, Mr. Slizzick. I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Only Plumbers are allowed-"
Slizzick opened his briefcase again and presented something else – a Plumber badge. "According to Plumber Code Amendment 425-27-B, any currently-active Plumber may temporarily deputize a civilian as an honorary Plumber if they judge it necessary to the cause. Dr. Lake has given me and my bodyguards jurisdiction for the time being."
"You're just making that up," Kevin accused.
Max shook his head, rubbing one temple as if feeling a headache coming on. "It was a measure passed about ten years ago in an emergency. We never repealed it because we didn't think anyone would dig that deep into the books to find it."
"But Dr. Lake is in prison!" Gwen retorted. "She can't deputize you! She's not even an active Plumber anymore!"
Slizzick regarded Gwen calmly, the waves of energy atop his head coruscating with shades of pink and gold. "Dr. Lake has been dismissed as a medic, but not as an active Plumber, and as such still has authority to deputize me if she sees fit." He turned to Max, and a slimy smile crossed his crystalline face. "Now that I have your attention, Plumber Tennyson, we can discuss the spurious charges you've brought against my client – as well as the wrongful-dismissal suit she has filed against the Plumbers, not to mention conducting a search of her personal property without a proper warrant…"
Ben groaned and brought his remaining wing over to cover his eyes. Of course they'd end up having to deal with an evil lawyer on top of everything else. Could this whole mess get any worse?
