"Epsilon Squad…this is it." Rubiac spoke, standing with everyone in a briefing room; one of the fancy ones with the long table for everyone to get a seat at. Even now each of them either sipped on a smoothie or gnawed on some food; especially apparently in both Menct and Yenth's cases. "Your big break; this mission is so important not only is Ben Tennyson accompanying us, but I am as well." This caught Aquas' focus in seconds, the Orishan setting down his blueberry flavored smoothie.
"You, sir? What could be important enough that you're coming with us?"
"This," The screen on the wall flickered to display something else…an image of something borderline PTSD inducing.
Vilgax. He was present in a pair of handcuffs, but still wore a ferocious glare, shoving two Plumbers to the side and trying to crush them. Yenth was shivering, Tarator was moving away, and everyone showed some form of fear apart from Menct and Sarc.
"This is our assignment; we're the team that got the lottery ticket to escort Vilgax to Incarcecon; a maximum-security prison designed to hold the universe's most dangerous lifeforms. Warlords, dictators, psychopaths; the worst of the worst got in and the worst of them got the special treatment of being put into a hole so deep there's no way to ever get out. Maxwell entrusted us the special task of putting Vilgax in that hole."
"H-Hold on, we're escorting Vilgax to Incarcecon…Vilgax…the scariest asshole in much of the known galaxy?! And they want US to take care of him?" Yenth was nearly hyperventilating, though he calmed down when Veele put his muzzle in a paper bag; trying to get him to stop freaking out.
"Yenth's just paranoid…still…this does seem vastly over our heads as a team." Bella spoke up, closing her magazine, and blowing a tuft of hair out her eye. She did feel a chill and of course Hauntra materialized behind her, hands sinking into the pliable flesh of her chest and kneading it, wearing a coy grin while…Bella just looked indifferent to the act itself; like she didn't mind at all.
Menct…just didn't ask; really, he just chocked it up to another thing he missed while he was out of commission.
"…none the less, we're all going to bring in Vilgax; all ten of us. We're doing this because Frogert managed to finally decrypt those files we uncovered from Psyphon; if you will." The Incursean stood up, pulling the box out and sliding it across the table.
"Vilgax fears…hugh…my kind's gonna attack him." That caught many of them by surprise. "Not really like terror fear but more like…he's aware they're gonna come after him. Shortly before apprehension he learned of the Incursean Warpath and learned that his home planet of Vilgaxia is next up on their campaign. And since they're literally an entire planet of war bearing monsters, you know how they'll break their will."
"Assassinating Vilgax. He's the ruler of that planet; he goes down so does their willpower. So, because of this he literally surrendered, just so he could use the Plumber advantage to avoid the Incurseans and whatever they're gonna throw at him." Rubiac spoke, setting down a folder filled with files and other information. "He's using his incarceration to keep himself away from the Incurseans and whatever they may throw at him. He's taking a gamble; he wants to see if we can unwittingly take out his aggressors before he attempts escape."
"So what's our move then sir?" Aquas asked, fear evident but he kept it down. "What'll we do with Vilgax?"
"We play things our as normal; we're transporting him to Incarcecon and sealing him inside; and then we'll be tending to the Incursean threat; we lose him and the Incurseans get one very vast step closer to attacking Earth after setting up a decent foothold. With him put into the deepest hole possible before we take on the Incurseans. Now we're gonna have to be very careful in that prison; all communications will be severed and cut off…including our own. We'll have no real way to speak to one another following a mishap, so we need to work diligently." Rubiac tapped the screen again, shifting it to a full layout of Incarcecon. "We do this by the book; with our numbers and our skill we can easily overpower any force against us."
Menct still had a bad feeling on this entire operation…something didn't seem right. He felt he should keep his guard up to a maximum amount…the stakes were far too high to simply play it easy.
"So…you guys got some…eh…new friends." Ben spoke, standing next to Menct in front of Vilgax's containment cell. Much of the team was roaming the ship, either getting places to sit down or making sure everything was secure and prepared for movement. The teen hero was obviously meaning the likes of Bella and Sarc; the latter of which glancing to him when he felt the teen's stare. "Any relation to a mummy who showed up on Earth a coupla years ago? He tried stealing some stuff to help out Ghostfreak."
"Uncle." And with that he was silent once again, Ben humming affirmatively. It was clear that was the most he was gonna get out of the mummy alien. Feeling an awkward feeling set in, Ben glanced to Bella, clearing his throat.
"So what about you…you're a Ripjaws female so…cool." She glanced up, having been engrossed in reading.
"I'm a Piscciss Volann; we're fish beings…and I'm half; not full. I can breathe both air and water perfectly."
"Oh, cool; you're the medic?" At her nod, Ben leaned back against the wall, patting Menct's shoulder. "Can you keep an eye on this guy for me then? He likes to get 'imself torn up pretty badly trying to be a hero." Menct made a dismissive click noise, Bella merely nodding…and then Menct's bad feeling was confirmed. A sudden rock made the entire ship lurch; they were under fire.
"Who's shooting us?!" Rubiac shouted, rushing over to the window, grabbing his E-Handgun. "Incurseans? Vilgax's allies?" They couldn't get a visual on the shooter; the only thing they could see was a purple arc fly out and strike the hull; the ship flying out and crashing into the ground, a short walk from the airlock but still in the vacuum of space.
"…okay…who here can breathe in space?" Sarc, Menct, Aquas, and Tarator all raised their hands to Rubiac's question. "Okay everyone else take get the emergency EVA kit…we need to reach the Airlock and get inside; together." Ben opened Vilgax's cell and immediately clamped a set of energy cuffs to him; preventing the warlord from escaping.
"I should've known you'd make it hard for to get away…" He growled, everyone arming themselves with the needed suits while Ben shifted quickly, standing as Kickin' Hawk in a green flash.
"Yup, so everyone take a deep breath, make sure your EVA helmets work, and jump when I say so." He pulled the hatch and the air flushed out noisily; Yenth being the first to fly out and crash into the metal hull of the Incarcecon.
"…ow." He muttered, the rest of the team following suit; Rubiac being the first to approach the panel next to the airlock and mash some of the holographic keys, trying to get things up and operational.
Menct saw something in the close distance; an Incursean vessel. He snarled, grasping his Plasma Repeater, and taking aim, fingers working in a blur to pull the trigger once and pull the hammer back; the satisfying pop of his shot breaching the canopy resonating even in the nothingness of space. Rubiac got the door open just as the ship exploded, everyone filling inside and Vilgax, of course, tried to shake Yenth and Sarc off him; Ben being the first to kick him with all his might before the Omnitrix timed out.
"Hey Ben, calm down!" Rubiac shouted, yanking on the boy's shoulder. "He's not the one responsible for that attack."
"Or is he?" The teen growled, obviously letting his deep sated history with the alien show. "He'd do anything to get free; he took a chance and tried to go for it, even if we all died in there—"
"Use your brain, or lack thereof, Ben Tennyson," He spoke, rising, and shaking his damaged face off. "If the attackers shot the right spot, I'd have perished with all of you. It's those damned Incurseans; they're assaulting me as I warned!"
"Then we're out of options," Rubiac spoke, pulling his E-Handgun out and spinning it a bit, shaking his head. "We're not sure what they're sending after us; a maddened blitzkrieg or a full-scale assault...and considering there's no real communications here in Incarcecon they'd be able to do all the damage they wanted and we'd be unable to even communicate with one another. We're gonna have to get tactical." The Petrosapien motioned over to Aquas, Yenth, Sarc, Frogert, and Veele. "You five need to head to the Communications Relay and lower the blackout field so we can get communications going amongst ourselves, and even warn Plumber HQ of the impending attacking we're facing; Frogert I need you to try to hack into Incursean COMs then and figure out what they're planning. The rest of you are with me; we're moving Vilgax to his cell and getting him locked up nice and tight before we plan a counter attack. Since communications are down we're just gonna have to…I guess stay safe and make no mistakes as we work." Menct was first to nod, pulling the hammer back on his weapon and setting off; taking point to ensure no dangerous would come their way.
Vilgax merely scoffed, watching the Aluneca walk.
"The humans truly have gotten desperate if they're allowing a creature such as him to work amongst their ranks."
"Yeah yeah; he can probably kick your butt before you'd even see it coming too." Ben walked past Vilgax, ignoring the growl as Tarator motioned for the Vilgaxian to start moving; the sooner they got things done, the sooner they could take on the Incursean offensive and ensure Vilgax stayed nice and buried.
Or they all could end up buried instead.
"So far so good," Ben muttered, rounding a corner with the team. Nothing out of the ordinary yet had shown up, aside from a creak or two. "I guess we'll be done soon."
"Let's just hope the other team accomplishes their job first," Rubiac spoke, lifting his Communicator and scowling. "Communications are still down and I have no real way to check in on them unless things go online."
"…foresight wasn't really big on that one, was it?" Hauntra chided, but fell silent with a weak eep noise when Rubiac's glare fell on her. "S-Sorry sir…just…I like joking when scared."
"Stop being scared; we're gonna be okay. We're gonna be fine-" A laser shot to his right made him swear, rushing behind cover, as did the others. Dozens of purple and red lasers shots peppered the ground and soared past them; Menct crouched down with Tarator and Bella while Ben and Rubiac crouched down next to Vilgax. Hauntra was a short way away, hobbled behind a corner, but she was obviously panicking.
"Those shots…" Tarator spoke, Menct catching his tone now…it was somber…afraid even. "Those aren't Incurseans…I know who uses those." The shots died down, and Menct was first to poke his head out; seeing the four there.
The first three were all Sotoraggians like Tarator; the Aluneca recognizing them as Sixsix, Sevenseven, and even Eighteight…whoever called them was bringing out the big guns and the big money.
Attea stood in front of them, her own Incursean hand blasters smoking from the discharge earlier.
The Aluneca never felt more regretful for letting her live when they clashed on Peptos.
"Aaatttteeea…" He snarled, Ben hearing him and offering a calm smirk.
"Lemme guess, you tangled with her too? She's annoying once you get to know her." A shot whirled past his head. "Still, we gotta figure some sort of way to take her down and the rest of her goons. Two of those guys I know and they don't ever play fair; it's either you take them down or they take you out for good." Menct didn't enjoy the sound of that, a shot piercing the ground, followed by a sharp click sound.
"Which one of you just insulted my mother?!" Tarator shouted, rolling from his cover and standing; his appearance did slow the fire down briefly…Menct noticing it was more of a…stand off now.
"Wait…they stopped shooting?" Ben asked, Tarator glancing down to him. "They know you?"
"They know me well enough to consider me a traitor to their kind. I plan to show them what a true Sotoraggian Plumber can really do." He lifted his two E-Handguns, taking aim, Menct being the first to hear the hums of their weapons power back up.
His friend's pride was astronomical in the face of his own kind…Menct had to do something. The shots kicked back in and this time Tarator moved, rushing forward despite the overwhelming danger he was charging right for, running past the oncoming fire; his own blaster firing wildly. Menct rushed out as well, shooting well aimed shots to not kill the other Sotoraggians but at the very least force a withdraw, though it seemed that wouldn't get anywhere.
He had to go in there as well.
Tarator's fist connected Sevenseven's head; knocking him to the ground before a fierce roundhouse caught Sixsix across the head; Eighteight firing without warning and pelting his armored shoulder. The shot did some damage but nowhere near enough to slow him down; not missing a beat and launching his fist for her head, the other Sotoraggian dodging without warning. It was a losing front; every time Tarator went on the offensive Eighteight would just maneuver past and counter strike, and when he went defensive her own attacks would just damage him regardless.
She was stronger and faster than he was, not to mention more skilled in CQC.
Attea lifted her own blaster; Menct smacking the gun from her hand and kicking her square in the chest; the frog girl skidding back and swearing before Menct grabbed Sixsix by the arm, hurling the bounty hunter right for her and knocking her down.
"Get off me you idiot!" She raved and swore; the Sotoraggian managing to get off of her right before a sudden pair of arms phased through the ground, one grasping onto Attea's waist, and the other…right onto her chest.
"Not too big…but they do~" Hauntra…at least her vague attempt at groping using her powers kept Attea on the ground and immobile; the fight was at least a tad fairer. Tarator managed to knock away both of Eighteight's blasters, both bare handed now.
"You're stronger than me in raw combat," Tarator spoke, clawed fingers clenching into fists. "But my will beats yours by a longshot." A light click noise escaped her. "Fair words…here's my retort." He feinted her; appearing to throw his fist left but instead he shifted his weight downwards, planting his knee in her stomach before he delivered a fierce backhand to her head. As for Menct, he was fighting a hard fight; his fist collided with Sevenseven's head, knocking the taller one back before pain exploded across Menct's shoulder; Sixsix standing with his own blasters primed. Silently he wondered why everyone seemed to aim for his shoulders but…no time to really ponder it. Sevenseven lunged for a strike, his fists electrified via what seemed like enhanced knuckles; Menct rolling past and smashing his tail into the hunter's head. Another shot fired, and Menct staggered back, shin bleeding openly from the strike. He reached for his E-Handgun but another shot took that from him, leaving his hand bleeding and damaged in the process. This was a problem, every time he planned to get the upper hand on Sevenseven, Sixsix would just shoot him…that Sotoraggian was getting on Menct's last nerves.
At least he was until a reddish green crystal fist smashed into his head, knocking him to the ground.
"Even when I'm old, I still got it." Rubiac spoke, whistling to Sevenseven to get his attention, albeit in a mocking way. "So, c'mon and fight me; wanna see how easy it is to put you in the floor." The mere second the bounty hunter moved Rubiac smashed his fist into the ground; crystals erupting from the ground with thunderous force and sending him skyward, his head colliding with the ceiling and knocking him down.
"I already knocked the Incursean girl out…wasn't a hard one." A crash to their left rewarded them the sight of an unconscious Eighteight; Tarator standing over her, arms crossed.
"The one thing she lacked above anything else," He spoke, walking over her; wiping the darkened parts of his armor where he took either blast damage or blunt force. "Willpower and motivation; she fights for a bigger paycheck and funding, whereas I fight to protect the things I care about most." He rolled his hands and picked his E-Handguns back up, sliding them into the holsters on his thighs.
"Now can we move on; I'd rather not be around when any of them arise from the severe beating we recently gave them."
Menct couldn't agree more.
"Still nothing from the other guys?" Ben asked Rubiac; the latter shaking his head and tapping his communicator.
"No good yet; either something's slowing them down, or we're in a jam…" They reached a narrowed hall, the Petrosapien sighing before reloading his E-Handgun. "I'm gonna have to head off and check on them; not doing my job as a captain if they're hurt and I'm here. You know where to take Vilgax right?" Everyone except Ben and the conqueror himself nodded. "Then hop to it Epsilon Squad, the sooner Vilgax is locked up in here the sooner we can move on and put Attea and her friends in the same hole." And with that he lumbered off, leaving Ben and the others to continue walking…though the Omnitrix hero did glance to Tarator.
"Hey, in the fight…why did you…y'know, go easy on them? You were kinda lettin' her kick your butt in that fight."
"Pity, mostly." He spoke, reloading his own firearms. "Due to the actions of us and the other Plumbers she and her family have yet to accomplish a good job…they're all siblings though I believe Eighteight is the eldest one. She tries to look after her brothers and sister at all costs; putting herself on the line for that paycheck."
"Dang…that's heavy- wait sister?"
"There's one of them called Twotwo; she's far too young to ever be a threat to the Plumbers."
"Ah…and…also why don't you have one of those number names too?"
"It's a reward for passing the rite of passage; given based on your family and your performance. I failed; choosing the name Tarator before setting off to become a Plumber. Besides, it's never mandatory to have a numerical dualizing name."
"Huh…though I never really did like ask deeply…why a Plumber?"
"Tradition is the corpse of wisdom," He spoke, Menct being the one to glance over to him. "Tradition holds back progression; it holds back evolution and the movement to a better world. The same can be said for the Sotoraggians; we stick so closely to our paths of hunting and exterminating life for money that we're unable to truly see our abilities could be used to make the universe safer for all; why hunt for money when the Plumber funding could vastly change our planet to a suitable, happy one as opposed to the dark, drab place it is now. That, Ben Tennyson, is why I became a Plumber; I want to restore my people to their rightful glory…and I want us to evolve to overcome all faults."
Menct listened to all of this, and let that sink in…his words.
"Tradition is the corpse of wisdom…"
Were the Aluneca the same? Their faith and tradition was to always discredit and disgrace the Half-Breeds; to wipe out the faulty bloodline and remove them from existence for their impure and failed DNA…that was the tradition Spheros relied on so much, and it was why so many Half-Breeds either never even took their first breath before being slaughtered. He got lucky; he was born off-world and returned to Spheros when he came of age to become a Guardian…and was only made a mockery of before being sent off in that ship to die.
Maybe one day, with the Plumber's help, he could give the Pure-Breeds the same treatment, and finally bury that corpse, along with those who still tried to worship and keep it exposed to the rest of the universe.
The Aluneca snapped from his thoughts; a metal bang behind him told him that a metal blastdoor was slammed down behind him. Ahead he could see Eighteight and Attea; the other two must've gone off to pursue his friends.
"Take these cuffs off me," Vilgax spoke, kneeling so he could speak to Ben directly. "With our numbers, we can easily overpower them, and then we can move on." Menct was…honestly surprised when Ben somehow listened and did so; Vilgax immediately picking him up and lobbing him right for the females before ripping a metal grate open and diving down.
"After him!" Tarator dove down, as did Hauntra and Bella; Menct remaining put and snarling.
They'd get Vilgax one way or another…but he had to defend Ben due to his sheer idiocy.
"Ggggggeeeeetttt…aaaawwwwaaaayyy!" He roared, standing up and grabbing for his E-Handgun; but not before a red blur flicked, and the gun was out of his hand…and it was strangely sticky.
He got his answer when he saw Attea's tongue retracting, and her hand twirling his own blaster.
"Oh, ain't dis a neat lil' gun," She aimed the gun at Menct's head, grinning as she did. "Should just waste you for what happened with the Gourmands…buuttt…. daddy wants you alive. Eighteight, restrain him." The Sotoraggian female moved in a flash, clawed fingers digging into Menct's armored torso and sending shocks of pain through him; the girl shifting to plant herself on his shoulders as her clawed fingers dug right through his armor, purple blood welling up and trickling out. Her position meant he was stuck on the ground, knelt on a knee, trying to fight the pain off as she wrenched her fingers around, opening more wounds and cutting him deeper.
"Now, I'm offer'n yous the once in a lifetime chance," Attea spoke, standing right in front of the Aluneca, pressing the E-Handgun to his bare and exposed neck, finger resting on the trigger; Eighteight moving her hand to tug his helmet off and once and plunge him into the blurred world he always saw…the one he feared more than anything. "You can eitha go wit' me, or I waste a bug righ here and righ now."
"…nnnevvveerr…" Menct's mandibles clicked, eyeless gaze meeting hers. "I…am a…Plummmber…and I…refuse to…submit!" Her finger tightened on the trigger, and a sudden lurch pulled her away from him; a green vine-like hand grasping Attea's waist and dragging him away from him.
Ben stood there, as Wildvine, using his vined arm to pull Attea away and slam her into the ground; rendering her unconscious. Eighteight reached for her own blaster and pressed it to Menct's neck, a way to communicate that if Ben attacked, she'd fire.
Menct had other ideas.
He stood up, despite the wrenching pain of her claws dug into his torso, the Sotoraggian female being caught off guard before he slammed himself into the wall, doing so rapidly to shake her off before he managed to tug her off and lob her at the wall, despite that causing her to literally rip some of his chitin free and cause his blood to openly trickle out. She managed to fire seven times before Ben slammed her into the ground as well; Menct slumping against the wall when he felt the wounds welling up on his leg, his arm bleeding as well and his chest still wounded. Even his side was wounded, though at least it wasn't openly bleeding like he did on the other planet.
"Woah…you don't look so good." Ben muttered, Menct still trying to stand up despite the numerous wounds he had. "J-Just take it easy…let's take it slow so you don't risk hurting yourself further—"
"Viiilllgaaaxxx…" He spoke, picking his helmet up and sliding it on. "He…must be captured…I'll…bbbbeeee ffffiiinnnneee…"
He was lying; if he didn't find Bella or some food soon he'd end up at the point he was on Peptos, and this time evac wasn't on the eve.
Ben walked in front of Menct, often darting his head back to check on Menct and make sure he was still okay.
Okay being a relative term; he was often supporting himself on the walls, trying to fight off the overwhelming pain and keep moving.
"Menct, you sure you don't like…need a minute? You're bleeding a lot…"
"Nooo….tttiiiimmmeee…"
"I get that but, catching Vilgax isn't worth you practically killing yourself! Just…don't overexert yourself; maybe that'll help you stay calm and recover." He glanced ahead, thinking for a moment. "Now if I know Vilgax, he'd be heading for the Hangar to steal a ship there…if we beat him there we can set a trap and wait for him. Thankfully that place isn't too far away from where we are." He walked ahead, and Menct followed as best he could, but even he was having a hard time suppressing himself once again…suppressing the hunger and instinct.
He was bleeding out; he had to feed soon to restore himself…why didn't he just eat Attea? That'd work better for his behalf?!
No! Those thoughts were not what a Plumber would have; he had to be strong, and press on to kill Vilgax and eat his friends-
What? Those thoughts showed up in his mind even before he took a single step…he didn't have a lot of time left on his clock.
He just hoped he could contain Vilgax before those maddened, furious thoughts won out.
The Hangar was reached, and sure enough Menct saw Vilgax there, moving to board a ship…but another harrowing thought was in his view.
His friends.
They all lay sprawled out on the ground; unconscious and out cold but thankfully still alive. Ben didn't even announce himself before he mashed the remote; locking Vilgax's hands together and causing him to slip and fall from the ship; hitting the ground.
"A good look for you Vilgax," Ben chuckled, walking over, glancing around to make sure the area was secure and safe. "But you're not goin' anywhere; once we get you nice and tucked away for good."
"For good's right," Attea stepped out from behind a ship, armed with the E-Handgun Menct had forgotten, aiming it at Vilgax while the other bounty hunters stepped out…Sevenseven being first to toss down the unconscious form of Aquas; much of the team being thrown down to land near the others, even Sarc.
The entire team rested on the ground, sporting injuries, wounds, and other problems…but Menct was overwhelmingly thankful that they were alive.
"Your friends are kinda wimpy, Menct." Attea spoke, smirking as she took in the concerned faces of Ben and Vilgax…Menct's was unseen due to his helmet. "But, good to see I got some leverage of you now." Sevenseven dropped down to hoist Hauntra up, arm rotating and shifting to form a menacing plasma cannon and aim it at her head.
"Now, one more chance, join me and the Incursean Empire, or I start executin' your friends, one by one." Her grin never faded, and Menct was truly backed into a corner. He was far too hurt to really do anything, and even if he did Hauntra would die.
It was a mortifying idea…it was literally throw away all his beliefs and serve a rude princess, or watch his friends die one by one.
Not if you kill her…
A little voice resonated in his head.
Eat her, gain her powers…kill all of them…save your friends the only way you know how…
No! Eating her was out of the question!
"I'm waitin'~" Attea drawled, waving her hand to tell Sixsix to aim his blaster at the out cold form of Yenth. "Maybe I should just kill this guy here; it'd be a whole lot more fun considering he's a dumb mutt—" A sharp crystal flew past, smashing into Sevenseven's arm and damaging the cybernetic limb; Rubiac standing there with his E-Handgun aiming at Attea, firm anger on his face.
"Here's a new deal; all three of you stand down and I don't kill the frog princess here." The mere second they thought he was bluffing he fired, the blast shooting right past Attea's face and nearly seared her skin; causing her to cringe and panic. "That's so you clowns don't think I'm bluffin'. Get the hell away from my team or the next shot's going for that pretty lil' face of hers." The did as asked, Sevenseven and Sixsix stepping away while Rubiac stepped over; tapping Aquas and trying to wake him up…he'd be able to get the others up to speed while they got things taken care of. Ben didn't waste time either, pulling up the Omnitrix's alien selection and turning the device, trying to figure out who to be to help save the day.
He mashed the watch down, and in a green flash he stood as Spidermonkey.
"Huh, well this works-ACK!" He was sent flying when Attea drop kicked him; Menct trying to rise and fight despite his injuries. The most he could do was punch; his fist sending her a short distance away before he collapsed, huffing and panting. He noticed Aquas was up, and the Orishan had moved to get Bella up; the medic working to heal and restore the team…though they'd remain out, they'd be a lot better off when they arose.
Before she could get to Menct, Attea had already pulled some sort of remote out; leveling it with the downed Aluneca.
"Techadon Dissipater!" Rubiac shouted, the crimson blast firing and the Petrosapien threw himself in front of Menct; arms bulked up as he tried to reflect and knock the blast away; grunting in frustration as the blast continued to work…and by the time Bella pulled Menct out the way the unthinkable happened.
The blast passed by Rubiac, and he hit the ground; his entire left arm gone, along with a good portion of his chest.
"RUBIAC!" Aquas was at his side in a mere second, knelt and frantically trying to get his captain up, frantically hoping he'd reform the rest of his body, like most Petrosapiens would when they took critical damage.
…he didn't.
His eye opened after a brief delay, Menct managing to limp over and look down at the captain…trying to figure out why he wasn't healing. He remembered Rubiac mentioned something about a problem with his DNA…did that mean he lacked numerous abilities like the typical Petrosapiens?"
"I can't heal," He finally spoke, coughing, and holding onto the place his arm once was, Menct being the first to see his legs growing weaker…almost brittle; like they were falling apart. "I never had that ability…and a dissipater…tends to be a good enough force to-ugh- break even my kind's crystal bodies…"
In other words, he was dying, right in front of them; Menct being the one to catch and understand this. Hell he was literally falling apart as he spoke; his time short and his life soon to come to an end. When Aquas realized this…Menct saw something he never thought he'd witness.
For the first time, even when they faced overwhelming and impossible odds before, Menct witnessed his squad leader finally break from the weight of the world on his shoulders.
"Rubiac! You can't die here! We're gonna get you outta here a-and we're gonna get you somewhere you can get fixed," He panted and huffed, Menct seeing he was going through the denial of the fact his leader was about to perish. "…you just c-can't die here…not when I need you most."
"Aquas…" The crystalline arm reached out to pat the mollusk's shoulder, a calm look on his face despite the cold grip of death slowly enveloping him. "It's okay…one way or another this was to happen…remember when you first joined? When I saved you from those invaders?"
"I do, sir…I was just a amateur who didn't know anything and I nearly died…a dumb kid."
"What did I tell you? Do you…still remember?" Menct could see tears openly flowing from his squad leader's eyes…and deep down Menct felt the same despair and sadness.
"No matter what…you'd always be there to protect me and those you cared about."
"Even if I died in the process," Rubiac finished, his torso beginning to crumble away, fading into a clunky dust. "You were like a son to me; I watched you grow up into the leader you were always destined to be…it's funny, had we gotten through this I'd have turned over my positon…to you…under fairer circumstances." He coughed, his torso mostly gone now, remaining arm falling to the ground and falling apart. "You need to be strong right now; your team needs you…keep being that leader you were always meant to be…the captain I knew you would grow into." And with that his head finally rested against the ground…and Rubiac was no more. Menct could hear it, the silent sobs and mournful cries of his leader…and then she spoke.
"My, this part always has me so amused…when they grovel and cry about their friend dying." Attea spoke, snapping her fingers to command the Sotoraggians to take aim. "Glad he's gone…now for the rest of you—"
A hellish scream pierced the air, and everyone fell silent. Menct's mandibles were twitching, clicking together with a maddened pace; his hands reaching to rip his helmet off before he turned to Vilgax; not wasting a second before he sunk his teeth into the warlord's arm. He didn't even have time to shout in agony; Menct got what he needed.
And then he grew.
His armor splintered and fell off save for his shorts, his body growing, and soon he was the same size as Vilgax; chitin gaining phlegm green markings along it before tendrils erupted from back, waving and coursing around his fin. The worst part was, Menct wasn't done yet; his clawed hands picking up one of the remaining crystals that used to comprise Rubiac, and he bit down on it.
In a flash the same cyan crystals erupted from his arms, back, and tail; forming spikes made from the nigh unbreakable element before the Aluneca roared again.
He obeyed his instinct, but for only one cause. He wanted the princess to pay, and he wanted to avenge his friend who died.
He would make her pay dearly for killing his captain!
His roar pierced the air and he charged right for her; Sixsix putting himself in the way and firing his blasters; the shots bouncing off Menct's new chitin harmlessly before he was grabbed; the Aluneca hurling him with full force into the wall, leaving a major dent in it. His tentacles all rose along his back, and each of them had a sharpened, crystalline tip, that all lashed out; Attea rolling to the side as each of them pierced the ground like a bullet through tissue. Sevenseven attacked shortly after; his blasts doing the same before he shifted tactics; donning his electrified brass knuckles and slamming them into Menct's head; repeating the process a fervent amount.
For a moment, it looked to have an effect, but of course the maddened Aluneca only stood up and grabbed onto both Sevenseven's arms, claws digging into the metal and flesh before Menct did the unthinkable.
He yanked to the sides, and off came the Sotoraggian's arms!
Cries of agony resonated from Sevenseven before Menct's tail smashed into him, sending him into the ground and rendering him unconscious from a mix of shock and agony; the Aluneca rapidly digging into the cybernetically enhanced limbs to find the flesh, eating it like a starved animal would.
His form changed again, two smaller arms forming on his shoulders, with the same claws he tore into the bounty hunter with. Eighteight open fired for Menct's head, making a frantic series of calls to the Incursean.
"Run?! Why would I run from dis—" She got her answer when Eighteight was snatched up, and slammed into the ground, the force being enough to rock the entire room. It didn't take a genius to see several limbs were battered and broken…Menct was out of control; he was blinded by a toxic mix of his natural Alunecan Instinct and the thirst for revenge.
And like that Attea got the picture…Menct wanted her.
She turned on her heel and sprinted away; Menct following after her on all fours. She could hear the rapid beats of his claws on the metal, and the howling roars that followed. She rounded a corner, and he damn near slammed into it, roaring again before following her.
It was a frantic goose chase; the longer she ran down the same path, the quicker he'd build momentum, and catch up to her. For the first time in her life…Attea felt something she never thought she'd ever have the bitter displeasure of feeling.
Fear. Raw, unaltered, primal fear. Menct wasn't trying to take her down to arrest her; he wanted to kill her; to kill, consume, and take her genes…to erase her from existence.
If she was caught, then there was truly no hope for her.
"Menct!" Fourarms slammed into the Aluneca; standing between Attea and the beast that once was a sane and noble Plumber. "Snap outta it; don't kill her! If you do, you're no better than her or any of those Incurseans! Don't stoop to their level—" Menct's fist already launched, the Tetramand catching it with some effort, his other arms lifting to grasp the limb and smash Menct into the floor. "Don't make me do this Menct..." He warned, but it was to no avail; the Aluneca already lunging again. The battle was one sided; Fourarms retaining the advantage each time Menct struck.
Reason being; Menct was akin to a maddened, fury-fueled beast, let alone an actual sapient creature…he lost his mind and because of that he was extremely predictable.
"Menct!" Aquas called out, standing at the end of the hall with the rest of the team…though many had a hard time believing the beast Ben was fighting was their friend. "Snap out of it! Don't do this!" Sarc's bandages already launched, snapping around Menct's limbs and holding him back, everyone else moving into action to try and restrain their friend…to stop him from making a mistake he'd never be able to take back and regret. After a large struggle, they managed to wrangle him to the ground, Yenth and Tarator pinning his arms down while Veele and Bella pinned his legs, Frogert being the unlucky one to keep his flailing tail pinned to the ground.
"Ben, there has to be a way to snap Menct out of this," Aquas spoke, watching the creature's maw snap around, aiming his fury towards Attea. "Any ideas?"
"…just one…" And with that the Omnitrix timed out, Ben flicking the dial and switching to someone else…a small blue skinned pixie creature.
"…you're kidding, right?" Aquas muttered; the tiny creature shaking his head.
"Pesky Dust can get into people's heads pretty well," The voice's annoyance only served to make Menct much worse. "Maybe I can use that ability to get into Menct's head so I can snap him outta this." And with that Ben flicked his tiny arms, spreading the gold dust over Menct's head and thus, rendering him unconscious.
The real fight began without delay…to get the Menct back everyone knew and loved.
Darkness…it was everywhere. Was he in the unseen world again, the place he couldn't ever tread with fear. Menct felt his feet touch down on solid ground; looking about rapidly…trying to determine where he was…
…and…what he was doing; all he remembered was Rubiac dying in front of him…and then…darkness. He remembered giving in to his predatory instinct, and wanting to kill Attea…he had to evade this shadowy realm and return so he could finish her off.
"Menct," He perked up, turning to look at the only other being there…the one who perished.
"Rrrruuuubbbbiiiacc?" He asked, the Petrosapien standing there, arms crossed. "Bbbuutttt…you…."
"Died? I did…but what's going on out there's the problem. You're becoming everything the Plumbers struggled for years to defeat and fight; a monster without remorse nor mercy. That's now how I trained you Menct, you're better than that." The Aluneca did cringe at his captain's words…even when he was dead it still hurt. "There's still time to snap out of things…to get your mind together and to snap outta that fury you're going through."
"Buut…she killed you." He finally spoke. "Iiii…waaaaannnnttteedd…too avvennngeee…"
"Murdering her in cold blood isn't avenging her Menct; it just makes you worse than her. You're a strong person; the things you've done exceeded all forms of expectations. Every time you go into a fight, you bring your best and do everything you can to save your friends. Normal Aluneca, from what we've learned, are blood thirsty warlords who keep their own galaxy in bondage just to preserve a shambled peace…you're not like them. They said you're defective and a half breed, I say you're different kid. You learn, you grow, you laugh, and even love; you defend the things you care about more than anything. Don't prove you're like them…don't prove that you're like those monsters. Be who you wanna be."
"I….wanna…beee…Menct." He finally spoke, claws balling into fists.
"…I…will…be…ME!" Menct shot up, awake at last as he looked around, perplexed and confused. His friends were gone, and the only one with him now was Max, the aged Plumber knelt next to him while Bella assessed and checked his wounds.
"Easy son…you're okay."
"What…happen?" Even his speech improved…maybe giving into his instinct made speaking a tad easier; Menct had no real idea to go on for that. Max sighed, moving back so Menct could stand up.
"Well, Attea and the bounty hunters got away…as did Vilgax. When Attea attacked Ben the remote controlling his cuffs fell; a stomp later and the cuffs powered down. He used your distraction to get away, after knocking Ben out when he came after him…the rest just got out while you were down."
"It…my…fault?"
"No; Rubiac's death…well that'd make anyone snap; thankfully the worst you did was maim someone, but no one was killed; on both fronts."
"Where…team?"
"In a ship waiting on you; Frogert managed to lower the blackout field and get a message out to me. So go ahead and pick your armor up…at least the helmet; that's all that was intact." Menct nodded and started walking, returning to the hangar and…seeing the destruction he caused in his blind fury. He didn't even know he was capable of such raw power…especially with his instincts in control.
He could still hear the pained scream Sevenseven let out when the Aluneca ripped his arms off…how painful it sounded…and how much Eighteight tried to defend her brothers…for that instant there he was the bad guy, and he was the monster.
He would never let that happen again…the sight of Sevenseven's arms laying on the ground nearby were a stern reminder that he had a breaking point, and when he got close to reaching it he needed to withdraw from combat.
Menct picked his helmet up and slid it on, but not before noticing…something; an Audio Log was left in there that was never there to begin with. Curious, he managed to find his gauntlet and tap it, thankful the control panel wasn't broken from when he doubled in size, nearly.
The log played…and the gnarled voice told Menct in seconds Vilgax was speaking…he left him a log.
"Seems I was right to be wary of your kind, bug. You've proven to be exactly as I thought you'd be; a dangerous creature to rival the likes of even my own people! But, I should thank you; were it not for your idiocy and blind wrath, I'd have not been able to escape…so I shall leave you with some parting information. The message your friend decoded, the Incursean…he was wrong. I didn't say the Incurseans were coming after me, although in hindsight I saw it coming a literal mile away…I said they were coming for Earth. Did you think that all your meddling and interfering would not incite them enough to just lead a full-frontal campaign towards Earth itself? Hah! I'll be safe elsewhere, waiting for them to thin the herd…and then once they've taken over and removed all of you fools, I'll make my own approach. I tell you this because you've demonstrated you're a threat…I could always use a new challenge to beat. So, I expect you to survive this war…I want to kill you myself, Aluneca."
The log stopped after that. No words could describe the sheer…well…fear Menct had. Vilgax essentially forewarned of an entire invasion coming; no idea of the when but it was defiantly coming! He had to warn his friends; warn EVERYONE! He took off as quick as he could, running as quickly as he could to get to the ship to return home.
This went from bad to severely worse in less than a millisecond.
"You failed me, daughter of mine!" Emperor Millieous was infuriated, glaring down at his daughter even while holographic. "With their leader alive and well, the Vilgaxians put up too much of a fight for me to fight! We had to retreat and pull back before any more of our soldiers died down there!"
"I'm sorry; that Tennyson kid was there along with his Aluneca buddy, we were overwhelmed!"
"Oh, that guy's still around?! I thought I said draw him to our forces?"
"I tried! That ting's got too much of that willpowah crap; even when he had a gun point'd at his head and a hole in his chest he still said no!"
"Dang it…means we're gonna have to get serious…we gotta find a way to get an Aluneca…and I think I know just what." The screen switched off, and Attea was left with her thoughts, especially with what happened when she managed to kill one of them…Sevenseven lost his arms but she didn't really care too much about that; they could just graft some more cybernetics for him and he'd be fine.
But for the first time she came close to actually dying…had Tennyson not been a moment earlier she'd be a mess on the floor…
…somewhere in her mind, Attea wondered what'd happen if Menct took on too much Incursean DNA…what'd happen then?
To Be Continued…
(And so, we see Menct at some of his full power; a harrowing thought to see all of Azmuth's words applied to Menct at last. I did have an idea regarding another story in the Ben 10 Universe but…I'll work on things and consider applying it later along with Menct's story; we're reaching the end of this one anyhow. I did change up a lot of events in response to Menct's existence…including Sevenseven's dismemberment. I did have the other story idea involving a Sotoraggian since really Ben 10 has a severe lack of cool reptile species in their world...not that the Merlinisapien or the Vaxasaurian are pleasing they just don't seem that…well equipped for weapons. So stay tuned; I'll be working on that story along with Menct's since I want at least one story to be a lengthy one before being listed as COMPLETE for .)