A/N: Howdy. This Chapter goes out to Gambitduran, Death Fury, kuramen, and LuciferRedeemed. Things are coming and as we go on the more AU this story becomes. Thanks for sticking around for the ride with me.
Chapter 20: Galactic Law's Late to the Party
June 22nd, 2005, 09.58
The gang sits around an abandoned park table, Gwen and Mandy moving Shogi tiles back and forth while Max explains different parts of an internal combustion engine to Kevin. The group had driven most of the night to reach the coordinates that had been sent to them after the brief message by Ben. The morning was an anxious event when they realized they had arrived early and had far more time than they anticipated to kill before their friend and family member rejoins them.
Kevin took a break from looking at the different gears to reach beside him into a pale blue cooler to retrieve a can of fizzy pop, the bright red of the can and the cursive logo and name of the company plastered on the beverage container meaning nothing to him aside from the incoming sugary taste. The loud crack of the can as he popped it open caught the eyes of Gwen for a second as sudden loud noises made her jumpy, she and Kevin both paused as the can vanished from his hand and a smooth wind wafted over the lot of them.
"Gwen, you should take better care of your pawns." Ben said as he sipped from the can he'd stolen from their dark haired companion.
"Hey!" Kevin raged, realizing his drink had been nicked.
Ben ignored the glare from the eleven year old, instead focusing on the faces of his grandfather and cousin for a long moment, basking in the warm welcome of his elderly paternal figure. He drew confidence from the smile on the old mans wrinkled face, reassurance from the almost passive look his red haired cousins gave him. It was almost strange, a feeling of deja but hit him, although that too had become a tad familiar in recent memory.
"Hey Benny." Finally spoke the blonde haired girl who seemed to be growing tired of being ignored.
"Mandy." He said. Looking at her as his face split with a wide smile. A feeling coming to him that went against what he knew, that things were going to calm and mellow for a spell if even a short one.
It seems that fate, or whatever the greatest power out in the universe currently felt like going by, overheard his mental musings and challenged him. The earth below their feet trembled, a warm air rushed over them as a dust cloud rose high into the air past the horizon. His green eyes lingered on the sight as he let out a breath. His inner turmoil bubbling for a moment, a mounting regret that came around in times resembling these. He sat down the fizzy drink before taking Gwen and Mandy's hand, "You two have been practicing right?" He accented the question by nodding towards the cloth pouch tied around Gwens hip.
The question seemed little more than a formality as soon he was overcome by the green flash of the Omnitrix, the ten year old gone, replaced by the agile and speedy kineceleran. His rasping voice sounded out clear in challenge as his smirking countenance turned to Kevin, "Keep up."
The face plate slammed shut and XLR8 and the girls were gone before Kevin could even begin to formulate a responce. The eleven year old and Max clambered into the trusty rebuilt rustbucket and floored it to follow behind their fellow crime fighters.
Mandy should have been ready for that moment, but as the world ceased to be a strange blur of lines and air became less acrid and sharp to breathe, so too did the sights around her. The majority of the city she saw around her was wrecked. Tall buildings lay sideways or in piles of rubble, cars overturned and some melted away down to the frame. The area of effect seemed thankfully small, maybe seven hundred feet of total city damage. She tried to ignore the fact this resembled a high commute area and focus on the big grey oddly shaped, somewhat cylindrical with an odd jetting piece toward its rear spaceship that sat at the center of the damage on four thin legs.
Steam erupted from the shuttle and a staircase-like extension came down from a slowly opening doorway on the side of the ship. A large orange faced bulky creature came out first, dull grey studs littered his cranium, behind him walked the shorter, slender alien in a full body suit colored in a deep violet.
Ben released his two companions, his body enveloped by the green glow as he decided that speed and agility might need to take a backseat for a moment. One of his newer forms, the Specimen Prime. Ben felt a part of his mind chuckle at the pompousness of the name but disregarded it as he ascended into the air.
"Look for any stragglers or injured civilians, I'll wear them down so you can join in when you see an opening." His orders seemingly received well, he took off with a sudden burst of speed.
His billowing cape caught the wind and fluttered wildly as he drew in on the two aliens, his fist reared back as he wasted no time delivering a heavy blow to the right side of the large burnt orange alien's face. The violet armoured one, SixSix made a surprised noise, his armour ports splitting open for wire like extension to stick out and begging shooting bright red beams at Ben's new form. His gloved hand extended and attempted to slap away the beams. Only for the fabric to singe and his hand to withdraw close to his chest. The grey skin now visible as drying specs of blue blood speeded through the burn marks. A seething hiss escaped him as he clenched the appendage dearly and felt the injury writhe.
SixSix seemed encouraged by the obvious sign of damage he was able to instill, only for his visors' optic inputs to be blinded as a blinding green flash scrambled his systems for a microsecond. Unfortunately for him the rock hard diamond fist of Diamondhead smashed into his cranium and sent him propelling backward. The petraspaien began a slow gait toward the once bounty hunter only for his legs to be pulled out from under him. After his chest impacted the ground he swiveled his head to see what had made his footing falter and found the culprit.
"You pack a heck of a punch rocky, but I'm Vulkanus!" The orange one exclaimed as he lifted Diamondhead and spun him around like a flail before releasing the now mildly dizzy mineral being.
Though he didn't fly very far at all as he quickly transformed into Stinkfly and right himself and began to shoot his slime at the bulky one below, hoping to trap his limbs to prevent him from chucking things at him or letting the plus sized extra terrestrial build up momentum. Though Vulkanus proved that despite his large frame he was more than agile enough to dodge the lepidopterrans projectiles. Sighing at his failed plan his body changed yet again to a newer form this time. Crashing down from the sky onto Vulkanus as Belgax was just fun enough to make the Chimera Sui Generis chuckle to himself, the undulating tentacles tickled his chest as he rolled his shoulders.
He wasn't as bulky as Vilgax or even Vulkanus here, but he still cut an imposing figure. His guantlested arms came up as he did some test jabs and swings. The form was still fresh enough to him that testing the reach of it felt necessary at the moment. Vulkanus didn't seem like waiting for him to get warmed up as he rolled out from under him causing Belgax to stumble slightly. Though his long limbs stretched out and quickly balanced him out. The two stared each other down for a long moment before Vulkanus charged. His large burnt orange fist came through in a wide arc that Belgax ducked under and delivered two quick punches into his exposed side before stepping back out of reach.
Clutching at his armoured side, the metallic plates dented in with knuckle indentations pressed firmly against his skin, his jaw clamped tightly shut as a low growl rumbled in his throat and chest. He stared down at the tall green shapeshifter, he still couldn't believe it, the Omnitrix was real, those pesky brokers had been telling him the truth...now he almost felt something for caving their heads in for seemingly waiting his time. Almost.
Belgax rocked on the balls of his two toed feet before rushing in, like a green streak he dipped under a sudden jab from Vulkanus and expected free reign to deliver a myriad of punched to the exposed abdomen, only for the imposing mass of orange to lean back and drive his foot into Belgax, sending the unassuming and mostly unprepared alien skidding back into a haphazard roll. His fingers dug into the charred concrete to put an end to his momentum, only for his body to sink into the ground as his opponent dropped his full weight into the small of his back.
The air that escaped him at that moment was similar to the air that escaped an oxygen tank clamped between the teeth of a great white shark. His eyes contracted as a burning pain filled his midsection. He tried to connect any two thoughts, any of his scattered consciousness only for his efforts to prove fruitless as the earlier stomp was repeated, his limbs flailing upward from the sudden impact as he gasped, the contracting lungs burning for air that they didn't have. His body moved on its own in an attempt to escape but the sudden oxygen deprivation and torn muscles in his back made him slow and sluggish to do as his brain begged causing him to endure another stomp into the ground. There was simply no air left in his lungs to expunge, but on the handy side, something about that third stomp made something click in his brain.
Green erupted from where Vulkanus was stomping Belgax into the ground, and when the flash was over he noticed a surprising lack of Omnitrix wielder. He then saw the slowly rising form of an Ectonurite. When his floating body, right down to his wispy tail, finally became wholly tangible, the piercing violet stare with shrunken pupil promised only pain for the Detrovite.
In a flash the specter like creature was gone, replaced by the speedy Kineceleran, in a blast he vanished from sight, Vulkanus didn't even see or hear the flash of the Omnitrix as Cannonbolt smashed into him, sending him flying down the street. His bearings came back to him just as a flying pyronite came crashing down on him in a white hot ball of fire. It was unpleasant, sure, but his suit and flesh were thankfully tough enough to endure the sudden heat. But his jaw wasn't quite as tough as the tetramands fist repeatedly started slamming into it. Two big red hands gripped either side of his bleeding, pusling, swelling, cloudy head and lifted him up. Narrowed yellow eyes glared into his own.
"Why are you on earth?" Four-Arms spoke, though maybe growling would be a more accurate descriptor of his voice in this instance, his teeth clacking at the end of the sentence as if to keep him from leaning in as Ripways and ripping out Vulkanus' throat.
"W-we...came for...missing...component of...element X…" The Detrovite wheezed as his swelling lips and unaligned jaw worked overtime to draw in a breath.
Each of Four-Arms golden eyes widened at that before he growled again, this time reading his head back and smashing it into Vulaknus' exposed forehead.
Several minutes earlier~
Mandy took justa second to stare at the shrinking form of Ben's new alien as the boy rushed into battle, her mind refocused as her feet spun her around to look at the red head, Gwen, who already pulled free the charms most likely to be useful for this situation.
Mandy took the offered Charm of Telekinesis as Gwen closed her hand around her preferred item, the Charm of Luck. Gwen's spirit was emboldened by the charms power, her natural magical power enhanced twice over. The strings of fate bagn to play a song to her tune. Life was so much better when probability favored you so heavily. Closing her eyes she lifted a hand and simply guessed at where a poor civilian might be trapped and led Mandy over to an overturned car.
Mnady holds the telekinesis charm in a tight grip before locking her gaze on the large car, the shattered glass begin to defy gravity first, followed soon by small pebbles and soon enough the entire car is up off the ground and being moved aside with a casual wave of her hand, even if her face was growing red with the strain.
Gwen moved in and helped the nearly unconscious man to his feet and led him to an outdoor cafe that had been spared much of the damage from the landing of SixSix's ship.
A loud clicking caught her ear as she turned to find said ship owner rising from the ground, if she had to guess she'd say Ben had knocked him away to focus on one opponent at a time. She pushed the man inside the building, where a barista hiding behind the counter helped him move further behind cover, before reaching into her bag and switching Charms.
SixSix was ready to fly back to engage with the Omnitrix wielder, only for the flames of his jetpack to spin around in a vortex. He jumped through the flame, faithfully believing in his equipment to keep him from getting scorched. A second later his violet armour was lightly blackened but he was otherwise fine. His hand snatched a blaster pistol off his waist and he found his target in a split second. Three trigger pulls later sent the laser bolts soaring toward the red head, who had the fire still under her control moving to intercept the bolts as best it could. Though SixSix wouldn't get to witness whatever was about to occur from the fire blocking bolts test as a car slammed into him and sent his body careening through the air. He impacted the ground awkwardly on his arm, a series of expletives that the human natives wouldn't understand oozed out of him as he clutched his possibly broken hand.
His shoulder pad opened and a small rocket launcher poked out, aim taken at a dark skinned blonde human female, he sent the guided explosive soaring, only for it to detonate early as a stream of pale blue electricity connected with it.
Walking into a clear line of sight, Kevin raised his lightly smoking hands, both aimed palm first at SixSix, "You two left me behind."
Mandy asked, "We did no such thing, Kev, that was all Benny." She helpfully clarified with a fake sweet smile, her glowing charm gathered all the palm sized projectiles within its circle of influence and levitated it around her, ready to shield her or send it flying at SixSix with deadly vel0city. Gwen walked up behind her, the still burning flames she'd stolen from the bounty hunters jetpack followed closely behind as a large floating serpent.
SixSix was more than fed up at this, he stood his ground and with a simple flex of his muscles every pod, pouch, pocket, and automated weapon he had become visible and aimed at the kids. His angry growls, unintelligible as they were, spoke volumes to his disregard for these three meddling pests. Though it was all for naught as Vulkanus' unconscious body smashed into him and sent them both into a nearby building.
Four-Arms walked up, dusting off all four of his hands, "Well that's that, who's up for lunch?"
"Halt! In the name of Galactic Law you're under arrest!"
Everyone looked up at the slowly approaching Galactic Enforcer trio. Kevin was the first one to speak up with an unimpressed look, "Dude, you guys are later than I was."
Four-Arms stared down the leader of the three yellow and white clad crime fighters, "If you want to do some actual good, you'll arrest these two for me." He threw one arm over his shoulder and used his thumb to point at SixSix and Vulkanus.
Ultimos eyes grew wide at seeing the defeated Detrovite and renowned SixSix, Interstellar news was buzzing with their recent theft of Element X.
Four-Arms crossed his arms and stared at them, waiting for their decision. It was clear he could take on the three of them, but he held hope that the lot of them could potentially do good for the universe. Ultimos looked between his two teammates before signaling for them to apprehend the downed thieves.
"This remains to be resolved Omnitrix Wielder." Ultimos said as he moved to help restrain the hunter and teleport back to their ship to begin transport to a secure jail facility.