When Nano-Chips Strike Back


The Alienated Heart is based on the Ben 10: Alien Swarm movie.

Disclaimer: I own no part of Ben 10. All rights belong to the people who created Ben 10 and the Alien Swarm live-action movie. I only own the character Kade Roman and her plot and dialogue.


A good distance away, Ben and Elena stopped their bikes. Kade pulled off her helmet and tossed her midnight-blue hair back. "Thanks," Kade told Ben, who turned to look at her, "You're pretty good on this thing."

"And you can hold your own in a fight," Ben grinned and Kade moved forward to place a soft, lingering kiss against the hero's cheek. She slowly moved away.

Ben and Kade stared at each other, almost refusing to look away, but were interrupted by Elena clearing her throat. An annoyed look sat on her face and she asked, "So what do we do now?"

"Visit the shipment center and find out what your dad was up to." Ben glanced at Elena, "Maybe even find your dad."

Elena pursed her lips, "Whatever he sent is long gone now."

"Are you sure about that?" Ben pulled out the Ship-It form and held it up at Elena, "This was dated today. I though you said he's been missing for weeks."

"He has," Elena protested and exchanged a quick, but worried, glance with Kade. "You believe me don't you?"

Ben didn't answer, instead moving to put his helmet back on, "I believe…we'll find something at Ship-it."

Elena didn't look satisfied with the answer, but started the engine to her bike. Kade, who had been silent throughout the conversation, blinked the dark-blue mana from her eyes and put her own helmet on.

Ship-It did have the answer, just probably one they didn't want.

XXXXX

"Who were you going to sell the chips to, Victor?"

"I keep telling you…I had to take them, it was for research. Those chips, they're a threat." Kevin and Gwen looked away from the screen, and glanced at each other. The recording of Victor Validus' interrogation was…less than invigorating, but they needed answers. "They're planning something."

Max refused to believe it, "That's a lie! They're dead! The lab boys said they're nothing but alien tech, no threat at all."

"And what about what Kade says? Do you not believe her?"

Kade was the best analyst the Plumbers ever had, one of their smartest – and best – recruits and Gwen watched the old video with great interest. Max ignored the question entirely, "Who's your buyer?"

"The hive, they want us! They're coming for us, Max! They're coming for us all! I'm telling you the truth, Max!"

"You're going to have to do better than that, Victor." Max leaned forward, his face holding an almost menacing quality, "I know you."

Kevin reached out and stopped the video and faced Gwen, "Gramps has a real bedside manner there, Gwen." His jaw set and he furrowed his brow, "Az's video was worse, he made her cry."

"Validus was like, his prized pupil. And Kade was like a granddaughter to him. I think that Max really felt their betrayal. I wonder if…" Gwen trailed off, but Kevin was already nodding, catching her train of thought.

"You think Max's getting stabbed in the back is keeping him from seeing straight?"

Gwen titled her head and Kevin nodded slowly, "That would make…"

"Ben right."

"And that's a scary thought," Kevin agreed, "And not just because I hate it when he's right."

"So, what if this loony isn't so loony? What if the chips weren't dead? Kade could still sense they weren't inert."

"Like, some species of insects that can remain dormant for decades." At Gwen's raised eyebrows, Kevin elaborated, "I learnt that watching The Science Channel." Kevin didn't mention that Kade had been the one to force him into watching it.

"Your depth of knowledge astounds," Gwen commented lightly.

"Now commencing thermal and spatial analysis of all targets."

Gwen glanced at Kevin, "Have any luck getting a trace on their energy signature?"

"Your wish was my…headache inducing project," Kevin remarked, "Wish Az was here, would've been done sooner."

The dark-haired boy tapped at the keys and the computer stated, "Targets identified. Absolute locations displayed in a radial curve, commencing at thirty-eight degrees latitude…"

"The chips are showing up in a one-hundred-mile radius."

"Ninety-six degrees longitude."

"Kevin!" Gwen exclaimed, "You did it!" The red-head moved forward to kiss her boyfriend's cheek before she tugged the keyboard towards her.

"The cheek?" Kevin asked with a smirk, "I find all the big bad alien chips, and I get is a kiss on the cheek?"

Gwen shook her head with a giggle, before focusing back on the chips, "Greatest concentration of chips…is clustered here." The screen showed an image of the Ship-It distribution center. "It's the Ship-It distribution center. It's only about an hour from here." Kevin looked at her and Gwen smiled, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"That we're going against orders and are not better than Ben."

Gwen rolled her eyes, "You had to mention it."

"Destination of absolute distance of forty-nine-point-eight-seven miles."

XXXXX

Kade shook her head almost violently. One arm was curled around Ben's waist as they tore down the street and the pounding in her head was making it difficult to concentrate. Something's not right, Kade thought, scrunching up her eyes and nose. They couldn't be that stupid, could they? To go and investigate themselves?

"Are you okay, Kade?" Ben called back to the girl sharing the bike with him. At Kade's shake of her head, Ben stopped the bike on the side of the road.

As soon as the bike pulled over, Kade stumbled off and away, pulling of her helmet quickly. Gwen. Something's not right with Gwen. As an Anodite, the Roman girl was able to sense other Anodites near her.

"Kade?" Ben's arm was suddenly around her shoulders and Kade turned into his embrace. Ben frowned, "What's wrong."

The blue-haired girl kept her face hidden for a few moments longer, slowing her breathing down before she pulled away. "I'm fine, but I think some—"

Kade was cut off by Elena. The black-haired had become shorter and snappier with her alien friend and had taken to given her snarky replies as answers, "Are you done hugging now? We have to get to the Ship-It center and find my father, remember?"

"We remember," Kade's lips were pursed and she sent a thankful smile towards Ben. Quickly disengaging his arms from around her, Kade walked back over to the bikes.

Ben followed after her, and leant against his bike and pulled out his phone. "The Ship-It office is right up over here."

The boy continued to analyse his phone, trying to ignore how close Elena was leaning to him and glanced up at Kade every moment he could. Kade had begun to breathe heavily again, looking like she was on the verge of a panic attack. "Kade…" The Omnitrix-wielder called, about to ask what was wrong, but paused when he heard a distinct rumbling noise.

"What was that?" Elena asked, having perked up at the sound as well. Kade immediately ran to the railing near the bridge.

"Oh no…" The girl muttered as Ben stood up and told Elena, "The most obnoxious muscle car in the world."

Kade was already running towards them, placing her bike helmet on her head, "Oh God. That feeling – I was right! Gwen and Kevin are in trouble."

Ben nodded, getting on the bike, "We're taking a detour."

XXXXX

"I can't lose 'em!" Kevin yelled, driving his green muscle car recklessly. The trip to the Ship-It center didn't go to plan, and after being taunted by an infected Ship-It clerk and then attacked by a swarm of nano-chips, Kevin and Gwen weren't having the best time.

Gwen cringed in the seat beside him as some of the nano-chips – the chips having shaped themselves into spiked balls – shattered into a fence. The other chips continued to roll after the car and Kevin jerked the wheel, quickly turning into a vacant lot.

"Kevin, no!" Gwen cried suddenly, but it was too late. The spiked groups of nano-chips tore into one of the car's wheels.

Kevin began to lose control of the car, "Hang on!"

The remaining nano-chip orb went under the car, flipping the vehicle upwards. The car rolled in mid-air more than once, before it hit the ground with a crash, and rolled some more. Kevin and Gwen got out of the car, surprisingly unharmed, coughing and wincing.

"Are you okay?" Kevin asked his girlfriend, and the red-head commented, "Yeah. It hurts when I laugh, but I don't think that'll be a problem."

"I don't know who's behind all this," Kevin grumbled, staring at the wreckage of his beautiful car, and his words finished in a shout, "But they're gonna fix my car!"

The two stumbled on the small rocks slightly, and Kevin turned to Gwen, "Think they gave up?"

Gwen looked around, her eyes narrowed, "I don't know. Maybe they just wanted to scare us."

A clanking noise rang out and Kevin looked up, mumbling, "Well, they succeeded."

Above the pair, on the road, a huge ball of nano-chips loomed, nearing the railing. The orb pulsated with light, before it grew spikes, a small set and then another, sharper-looking amount. The nano-chips rolled off the highway and fell to the ground in front of Kevin and Gwen.

The Anodite girl bounced forward, firing one blast of mana at the orb, followed by another blast. Each time, the nano-chips paused for a second before continuing to move forward.

XXXXX

The bikes roared down the street. The pounding in Kade's head was becoming stronger and Elena, from her bike, glanced somewhat worriedly at the girl. The three riders pulled into the lot and Kade vaguely saw Kevin absorb some metal to fight.

Ben fiddled with the Omnitrix, one hand on the handlebars. The young hero pulled off his helmet and threw it aside. Turning slightly, Ben instructed Kade, "You take over."

"Are you crazy!?" Elena cried from their side, but Kade merely nodded and slid forward when Ben hit the Omnitrix and jumped off the bike. The three-quarter-Anodite had complete faith in Ben's ability and watched as he flipped in mid-air and landed as Humungousaur. Humungousaur roared loudly, as Kade and Elena parked their bikes behind Kevin and Gwen. The two gave Elena a look and nodded to Kade, who shifted into her Anodite form.

"Nice timing," Kevin complimented and the blue-bodied girl grinned.

"Thanks, Kev."

Humungousaur strengthened the scales on his new form's arms and Kade flew over to float by the alien's head. The nano-chips rolled forward, and ridges shot up from Humungousaur's spine. The nano-chips seemed to have the same ideas, as the spikes grew longer and sharper. Feeling left-out, Kade shrugged, brightened the glow of her body and summoned mana-orbs to twirl around her lazily in a circle.

Roaring, Humungousaur launched forward and hit the nano-chips. Kade extended her arms, her mana following her movements, the orbs shooting straight into the spiked ball of nano-tech. Humungousaur's strength was unmatched, and he pummeled the nano-tech, causing it to break apart in bursts of light. Humungousaur was literally tearing the nano-tech to shreds and Kade created a shield between the stray nano-chips and her friends. Kevin, Gwen and Elena ran, ducking behind metal barrels, and Kade made herself useful by trapping the nano-tech in mana and causing them to implode.

Some of the chips moved and formed different shapes, a wheel resembling a type of buzz-saw was one of them and Kevin spoke up, "That's kinda whatev."

The nano-chip wheels circled around, slashing at the ground.

"That's kind of a nightmare," Gwen retorted.

Humungousaur turned, and glared and huffed at the nano-tech, which shot itself at him. Kade was preoccupied, trapped under her own mana shield as two nano-tech wheels tried to cut through it. Cracks began to appear, and Kade groaned and pushed more energy into the shield.

The nano-tech fired small chips at Humungousaur, who swung at them, before he ran directly at a wheel. The nano-tech formations broke apart and rained around the young adults as Humungousaur hit them and Kade shot out a beam of mana and destroyed the two wheels targeting her. More nano-tech creations appeared and Kade floated behind the stone wall protecting Kevin, Gwen and Elena, and created another shield in front of them.

"What is this shit!?" Kade cried, exasperated, as she changed back into her human form. "Where are all these nano-chips coming from!?"

Kevin shrugged, and the four stared back over the wall. Humungousaur was swatting at the nano-chip projectiles and seemed to be losing. The hero roared at the chips, but a lone chip found it's mark in his shoulder, causing Humungousaur to fall to one knee. Kade gasped, her hand flying to her mouth, her other hand out, trying to maintain the barrier between her, her friends, and the nano-chips.

The Omnitrix-wielder tore the nano-chip out and ran towards Kevin's car. The chips lost their shape and separated to funnel around Ben.

"It's got Humungousaur!" Elena cried, eyes wide in horror.

Gwen and Kade spoke in unison, "I wouldn't count on it." The girls looked at each other before sharing a smile and turning back to the fight.

The nano-tech formed a solid ball around Humungousaur, who merely jumped out of it, breaking the swarm apart. The nano-chips formed a spiked funnel and Ben picked up Kevin's car.

"Oh no," Kevin groaned, "Don't do what I think you're gonna do."

Humungousaur jumped into the air, hitting the nano-chips with Kevin's car. The tech broke apart, raining down like fireworks and the four teenagers stood up, a look of anger on Kevin's face. The car fell down with the nano-chips – in pieces – and Humungousaur landed and roared in victory.

XXXXX


Quick question:

Is the background info on Kade too jumpy, I mean, have I included enough to enable you to understand who Kade is and where she came from?

~ Raven