CHAPTER 15: On The Clock
Ben licked his fingers and wiped them over his hair. He looked in the mirror to check his handiwork, but decided it needed more combing.
It had been a week since Darkseid's attack, and everyone was finally recovering physically and mentally from the experience. Also, Kyle Rayner made sure to inform the League that the Green Lantern Corps were able to take Darkseid in for trial without any trouble. 'Guess Superman was right, Darkseid really didn't want to risk war with the Green Lanterns or their Guardians.
Anyway, Ben decided to give Kara some time to recover as well, and taking time to make special arrangements . . .
He saved all the money he earned from a job he got shortly after arriving in this dimension and made reservations at a fancy restaurant, which supposedly had a ballroom and a live band. But that wasn't even the best part of the plan, as he put in nearly a week's worth of effort to find the best ring he could afford.
It was absolutely perfect.
Suddenly, he heard the front door open, so he quickly readied himself and rushed out of his room. As he approached Kara, who was taking off her coat and putting away her things, he started to say, "Oh, um, h-hey, K-Kara . . . um . . ."
"Ben, good! You're here!" Kara acted like she didn't even hear him and grabbed his arm. "The League is assembled and ready to hear what big news you needed to tell us!"
That's when Ben remembered telling Batman the day after the invasion that he needed to tell the League something, but he didn't want to immediately since everyone needed time to recover. Batman understood and allowed one week, but today, he must've told everyone, including Kara, about the info he needed to share.
Ben nervously looked at the clock on the wall, which showed it was still the late morning. Well, the reservation isn't for a few hours anyway, I should be able to make it back, right? Then he spoke up and said, "Alright, let's do it."
Kara touched her comm piece and said, "Terrific, we're ready, teleport us up."
Kara and Ben were immediately surrounded by white light, and soon they disappeared from the apartment room. Seconds later, they reappeared in a large assembly room, with all the League members (except for the Green Lantern members, who were required for the trial on Oa) present and accounted for. Then Kara sat down, and Batman said, "Alright, Ben, we're all here. What was it you needed to tell us?"
Everyone in the room started leaning forward in their seats in anticipation.
"Right, um, where do I start? Um, could someone, like, project footage of Darkseid's message from last week?"
"Sure thing." Cyborg typed on a keyboard on the table, and a large screen appeared behind Ben.
Then Cyborg started playing the footage, but Ben said, "Fast forward to when he showed his security footage of the guy who attacked his factory." Once Cyborg had done so, Ben said, "Pause!" Cyborg complied.
"This is what I wanted to talk about." Ben pointed at the face of Eon, grinning maliciously.
"You know that guy?" asked Superman.
"Yeah. He's a villain from my dimension. Well, actually, he's not exactly from my dimension, but I still encounter him all the time there."
"So, who is he?" asked Kara.
"His name is Eon, and he's another version of me from another world. In this one dimension, he tried to defeat a younger but different version of me and take over his world, but he was apparently thrown out of that world and into what Paradox calls "cross-time," where he traveled across the multiverse, hunting and absorbing different Bens and trying to build the strength to replace my timeline with his own. Anyway, I thought I destroyed him, but he turned up later and kept causing more trouble."
"So, this guy is, like, a time-travel villain?" asked Billy, "What, with you talking about time and stuff."
"Yeah, he can shoot energy beams that can turn you to dust in the blink of an eye. However, he hasn't really done much of that lately, which is weird, because he used to do that a lot."
"So, if Eon is one of your enemies, what's he doing on our Earth?" asked Superman.
"And why frame Superman to start a war with Darkseid?" asked Kara.
"I don't know, but we seriously gotta be on the lookout for this guy, he is bad news!" said Ben.
"I agree," said Batman, "Which is why Terrific and I are going to develop a special set of scanners, much like the ones we used to find Darkseid."
"The idea is to set them to find strong temporal energy signatures," said Terrific, "Meaning, we find temporal energy, we find Eon."
"Wait," said Kara, "What if the energy left over from that huge portal that brought Ben here interferes?"
"It's been months since then," replied Terrific, "So I'm guessing the energy has dissipated enough so that it won't interfere."
"Until we get those scanners up and running," said Batman, "I'm afraid there's not much we can do except keep an eye out for Eon, or wait until he makes his next move."
Everyone nodded in agreement and got up to leave. As Kara began to leave, Ben looked at her and felt his heart racing. He was about to race after her, until . . .
"Just a minute, Ben."
Ben groaned and turned around to face Batman, with Terrific standing next to him. "We're going to need help from your aliens to make these scanners."
"Yeah, temporal energy is . . . not exactly our field of expertise."
Ben immediately worried about the time. He needed to get back to Earth to surprise Kara, but he couldn't refuse to help his new friends, especially with one of his most dangerous enemies on the loose.
Ben sighed in defeat and nodded.
Meanwhile, we see the Hall of Doom sitting in the swamp.
Inside, all the villains who constituted the group sat at a large, round table, including: Livewire, Metallo, Cyborg-Superman, Shade, Bizarro, Sinestro, and countless others, with Luthor in the front and Eon standing next to him.
"Ladies, gentlemen, thank you all for coming," began Luthor.
"Oh, cut the crap, Luthor!" said Livewire, "Just get to the point!"
"Yeah, this had better be worth my time!" said Shade.
"Um, who purple man?" asked Bizarro, "Is he enemy of Bizarro? Is he friend?" He growled the last part, eyes glowing blue.
"Relax, Bizarro," replied Luthor, then he spoke up to the group, "For those of you who haven't officially met our new ally, this is Eon. He hails from another dimension." Eon bowed a little in greeting, then Luthor continued, "The both of us have been working on a project that will finally give us a huge advantage against the League."
"Oh yeah? Like what?" asked Deadshot.
Luthor pushed a button and the screens behind them showed two DNA strands.
"This is DNA we collected from Doomsday and Darkseid when they attacked Earth. We're using them to power a device similar to what the League's newest recruit uses." A picture of Ben appeared on the screen.
"You mean the watch thingy that turns him into monsters?" asked Livewire.
"Well, the proper term is 'aliens,'" replied Eon, "But yes, that's what we're making."
This immediately caused the villains to start murmuring to each other for a few minutes, but stopped when Luthor stood up and raised his hand.
As Luthor sat back down, Black Manta said, "How do we know we can trust him? We've never even met this guy until now!"
"And it's not just him we should worry about," said Sinestro, "But what about you, Lex? How do we know that, if we help you complete your little science project, that you won't use it to destroy us all?"
"Now, why would I do that? Good help is so hard to find these days. Besides, my plan for this world involves all of you, and I promise you will get your share of this planet."
"Oh, good, let's just take his word for it and be on our way," remarked Captain Boomerang.
"Well, if you don't believe me, then you're free to leave. But know this, if you walk out that door, you're an enemy. So, tell me, are you willing to risk falling victim to the ultimate power we are about to obtain?"
Everyone murmured to each other, but ultimately fell silent.
"Didn't think so," he smirked.
"As for me," said Eon, "I have no interest in any of you. My only concern is defeating my sworn enemy, Ben Tennyson. But, even with all my power, I cannot do that with his 'super-friends' acting as his bodyguards, which is why I need your help."
Everyone fell silent for a minute, but then nodded in satisfaction.
"So, what exactly does this . . . thing do?" asked Metallo.
"It'll transform its user into the ultimate killing machine," smiled Lex, "But we still need one more part to complete it."
"And that's where you all come in," said Eon.
On the screens behind them, the picture and DNA strands disappeared, replaced with a picture of an asteroid field engulfed in darkness.
"Concealed in these asteroids is a planet called Xenon," said Eon, "It's where the creator of Tennyson's omnitrix, known as Azmuth, was originally found in his dimension. In your dimension, however, this particular Azmuth has never left Xenon, which is why no one in this Earth has heard of him or the omnitrix."
"He has the part we're missing," continued Lex, "However, according to Eon, that planet is not easy to get to."
"Azmuth created a device that absorbs all the light around it, making it impossible to find it or navigate through the asteroid field, which is mainly why no ship has ever returned."
"Can't we just get a Motherbox or something and just teleport there?" asked Parasite.
"Not likely," replied Eon, "I learned that Azmuth created a special energy field surrounding the planet, which can scramble any kind of teleporting device, meaning that anyone who tries to teleport to Xenon will either be immediately destroyed or redirected into deep space."
"Well, how are we supposed to get there, then?" asked Captain Cold.
"That is quite a riddle," remarked Riddler.
"Because, luckily, we have this," Eon held up his left arm where his gauntlet resided, "Only those with an omnitrix can successfully find Xenon, and while mine is mostly destroyed, I have enough remaining parts to guide us safely through the asteroids. Once we arrive there, we'll be met with a lot of security protocols and hostile lifeforms that will try to keep us from reaching Azmuth."
"Which is why I'm having our strongest members to accompany Eon to Xenon with a ship he modified for interstellar travel."
"Hold on, what about you? Aren't you coming?" asked Livewire.
"I need to remain on Earth in order to keep my cover and avoid causing suspicion in the League."
"So, you expect us to travel with some stranger who can disintegrate us in one second?"
"I already told you," said Eon, "I have no quarrel with any of you. And besides, if I wanted to destroy you, I would've already done so, and you wouldn't have known it."
When everyone appeared satisfied, Lex stood up and said, "Very good, then. Meeting adjourned."
Back at the Watchtower, Terrific and Grey Matter were sitting in the main control room which sat just above the large common area, putting the finishing touches on the special scanners that were finally built into the computers.
Ben anxiously looked at the digital clock on the opposite wall.
6:50.
10 minutes until the reservation. Afterwards, the restaurant wouldn't allow any exceptions. Ben knew it was ridiculous, but the place looked absolutely gorgeous and the menu was divine! Besides, for Kara, it was worth it.
"Alright, Ben," said Terrific, snapping Ben out of his thoughts, "Have you connected the energy couplings to the quantum-temporal stabilizer?"
"Not yet," he managed to say, "I still need the primary coding sequence that will operate the majority of this machinery."
"I finished it," said Batman as he walked into the room with a clear cartridge in his hand, "Writing this kind of code was complicated, but I've run through it and determined it has a high chance of working."
"Excellent!" said Ben, eagerly holding out his hands, "The sooner we get this operational, the sooner we find Eon and get outta here, right?"
Batman stared at him for a moment before finally giving it to the Galvan, who then leaned inside the computers and moved some components around. Finally, a loud click could be heard, and Ben climbed out.
"Alright, it should be all set! Start 'er up!"
Terrific pushed some buttons, causing a small humming sound to emanate, until it grew louder and the screens lit up.
"Yes! It's working!" said Terrific.
Ben jumped down from the desk and changed back. "Yeah, great! So, does this mean I can go now?"
"Not yet," replied Batman.
Ben sulked.
After a minute, Terrific reported, "It seems that systems are functioning properly, but it's gonna take a few hours for the Tower's systems to update and completely integrate with these new scanners before we can use them."
Ben groaned, immediately suspecting he would have to stay with the nerds and oversee their new science project.
"Oh, don't worry, Ben!" said Terrific, "Y'all don't have to be here for this! I'll stay here and make sure the update runs smoothly. You can just go."
"Yes!" Ben immediately brightened up, "Oh, thank you! Thank you! Gotta go!"
Ben rushed out the door and ran down the hall, until he heard Batman say, "Ben, wait!"
Ben skidded to a halt and frustratedly groaned, turning around. "Look, Batman, I don't have time for this! Please, I have to go!"
"I was going to say," then he smiled, "Good luck."
Ben smiled back and ran back down the hall, quickly grabbing his phone. "Boy, am I glad this place has good service!" he muttered. Then he dialed his phone and held it up to his ear. "Hey, Kara! It's Ben! Listen, I need you to meet me somewhere . . ."
Meanwhile, we now see the never-ending darkness of deep space, broken only by the sudden light coming from the Boomtube that just opened. A large ship quickly flew out and into the void.
Inside, we find Toyman at the controls, his doll head grinning creepily as he hummed a nursery rhyme to himself. In the seats behind him, Eon, Bizarro, Sinestro, Cyborg-Superman, Black Adam, Giganta, and Metallo sat in anticipation.
No one spoke for a moment, until . . .
"Ugh, Bizarro entertained!" Bizarro stared up at the ceiling in boredom. "When we arrive?"
"That's my cue." Eon got up from his seat and walked to the back of the craft, shutting the doors behind him. A loud whooshing sound could be heard, and then it stopped, but the villains could hear footsteps on the roof.
Toyman chuckled and said, "Ooh! This is going to be fun!"
"Focus, you idiot!" snapped Eon, "If you're as good a navigator as Luthor said, then I need you to be ready when the pathway is revealed."
"Oh, don't worry, friend. When it comes to games, no one is as focused as me!" He giggled some more.
On the top of the ship, Eon rolled his eyes and typed onto his gauntlet. When he finished, purple electricity sparked, causing him to jolt his hand back. Then, a purple light emitted from the hand with his gauntlet, so he stretched it out, revealing thousands of asteroids big and small.
"Alright, it's working," said Eon, "The gauntlet is mapping out a safe path through the asteroid field. Toyman, you're up."
"With pleasure!"
The ship suddenly moved forward into the asteroids, then elegantly weaved its way over, under, and around the large rocks. Eon, being magnetized to the roof, maintained his position as the mad navigator continued his work. Soon, a bright light began to emanate from the center of the asteroids, glowing brighter and brighter, causing everyone to cover their eyes.
In a few minutes, the light died down and everyone could see a large planet in the place of empty darkness.
"Everyone, welcome to Xenon!" Eon grinned in triumph under his helmet.
"What about the energy field Luthor talked about?" asked Sinestro.
"That specific field is designed to stop teleportation-based technology, not incoming spacecraft. Besides, any other planetary shielding has been deactivated upon discovering Xenon."
Suddenly, a large, blue, electric blast shot from the planet and narrowly missed the ship.
"What was that?" cried Cyborg-Superman.
"Don't know," said Bizarro, "But how come magic glove thing didn't keep us safe?"
"Anyone with an omnitrix can be guided to Xenon, it can't disarm the security protocols!" said Eon.
"And you're telling us this now?" screamed Metallo.
"Don't worry, we can handle it!"
"Oh yeah, that makes me feel so much better!"
"Toyman, dodge those ion blasts! If one of them hits the ship, everything will be fried!"
As more ion blasts emerged from the planet's surface, Toyman quickly steered or flew the jet in crazy turns or loop-the-loops to dodge all of them.
Toyman whooped and screamed, "This is so much fun!"
The ship dived into Xenon's atmosphere, burning as it continued its plummet. Eon started screaming as he burned as well, but managed to type on his gauntlet and activate a personal energy field that covered his body, sighing with relief as it finished. After a few more minutes of falling, the ship finally emerged from the clouds.
The landscape before the villains was covered with strange-looking plants, along with a swamp-like landscape and a dark green sky. Further down the landscape, there was a huge mountain, with parts of a large building slightly peeking out from the rocky exterior.
"We're here," chimed Toyman, as if he were the kid from Poltergeist.
Soon after, the plane landed on the ground and everyone except Toyman exited. Eon jumped down from the roof.
"Stay with the jet, Toyman," said Eon, "In case we need an emergency pickup."
"Aww! No fair! I wanna go play too!"
"Quiet! Unless you want to spend a permanent time out!"
Toyman grumbled over the comms but fell silent.
"So, where are the weapons that tried to shoot us down?" Black Adam looked around himself but couldn't find anything.
"They either came from the mountain," said Eon, "Or they were here on the ground but went back under when we evaded their attacks."
That's when electricity surged across the ground and shocked everyone until they fell to the ground, except Adam was able to mostly shake it off and fly above them. Immediately afterward, multiple huge guns came out of the ground and aimed at the villains.
"Satisfied?" growled CS as he got up.
Adam cracked his knuckles. "Very."
Ben zoomed down the street as XLR8.
From inside his visor, we see a clock showing the time for 6:56.
"Just enough time! I'm gonna make it!"
Suddenly, a huge explosion knocked Ben to the ground!
Ben groaned as he got up, noticing a bunch of masked men run out from a bank with huge sacks of money. They began to pile the bags into the car as the alarm rang, the getaway driver urging his associates to hurry.
"Oh, come on! Seriously?" asked Ben. Then he looked around and said, "Am I seriously the only hero on duty here? Ugh, fine!"
Then, just as Ben was about to rush into action, the omnitrix beeped and changed him back to his human form.
"Can this day get any worse?"
Then the driver noticed Ben and shouted to the other robbers, who then noticed him as well. Two of them got out their guns and ran over to him.
"I hate you, universe."