So this is one I was fairly excited about this one since it's where Lincoln will fully understand the dangers of bearing what's basically the most powerful device in the known universe along with the lengths most beings in said universe are willing to go in order to get the watch either for themselves or for money of all things. A side benefit would be introducing Tetrax Shard, one of my favorite characters in the classic series and this will debut the 9th and 10th alien in Lincoln's arsenal but the question remains on whether it'll be Grey Matter or an alien from the sequel series like I did with Jetray and Water Hazard last chapter? That's all up to how this chapter will go and after this is where start to get more serious my friends.
I also have this question, exactly how many chapters should it take before I bring in the 11th alien? Perhaps maybe after the 13th or less, at least that's how I see things I just don't want to rush too much into this story, it's all kinds of important to me and I don't want to risk messing it all up.
And of course there's my whole problem on putting off other stories for a really long time, that's kind of a personal weakness so I apologize for that. But hopefully I'll grow out of it and then this story can actually become a great thing, at least that's what I'm hoping for but enough about that...
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Enjoy!
Vilgax was never one to be known as desperate or to call on others for assistance, he had always relied only on himself and his loyal drones to take care of his dirty work, the mere thought of actually requiring assistance was insulting to someone of his stature, he would rather drift in the cold vast reaches of space than to do so, it's how he got such a stellar reputation in the universe. However, due to the fatal injuries he recently sustained during his attempt to obtain the Omnitrix he was forced to float in a rejuvenation tube until his drones healed all the internal and external damage done to him and thus wasn't fit for any form of combat. If it were up to him, he'd go down to Earth himself and claim the device but considering the condition he was in at the moment, he knew that desperate times called for desperate measures and if simple drones couldn't find the watch then maybe something more sentient could produce more satisfying results.
Bounty Hunters, considered to be the scum of the universe, they're the sort who are willing to take on any form of assignment just as long as they are compensated with monetary credits. He needed the best in the business, ones who have made a name for themselves as some of the most ruthless bounty hunters in the known universe, even if he wasn't paying them for their services, it was hard to say no to Vilgax of all people so it was easy to recruit about three of them. But it takes more than just reputation alone to impress him, he needed to asses their particular skillsets for himself and judge if they are worthy enough to serve him.
Aboard his ship, there were three figures on a floating platform who were about to showcase their skills to their new employer, one was wearing hi-tech purple armor with concealed blasters in her holsters with his face hidden by a dark mask, next to him was some sort of cyborg with a normal top half but the bottom half was akin to a crab along with a pincer on the left hand and was covered on brown and gold armor, the final hunter with a grey suit and a black mask with a green triangle in the middle.
Their employer's voice rang out. "Begin the audition."
First up was the purple armored warrior who flew with his jetpack and landed in the center of drones ready to attack, he took out a blaster pistol that demolished many of them then dodged one shot at him, he returned the favor by using a wrist mounted missile launcher to destroy it. From a hidden compartment in his suit was a grenade which was thrown to them and exploded immediately taking them all out.
Next was the crab-like hunter who jumped down and slammed one with his metal claw, he used his oversized appendage to grab and throw as many as he could along with crushing them and using a sword from behind his back to slice another in half.
To take things further, the warlord decided to pit them up against one of giant robots and thus the masked hunter made his move, he took out an object that extended into a hover board and advanced upon the giant drone that fired a powerful blast at him, completely engulfing him in intense plasma that would incinerate most beings but amazingly, the masked hunter was still alive with barely a scratch on him. He flew further and punched a whole straight through it and landed down on the other side.
With that, their test was complete and a screen showing Vilgax himself who had witnesses their performance. "Impressive, you all clearly live up to your reputations." he turned to the purple hunter. "Six-Six, you descend from a family of bounty hunters who have an infamous streak, you live up to their standards." then there was the crab hunter. "Kraab, you fought and managed to survive the Pyros-Piscciss war even when your body had to go through augmentations to survive the injuries you sustained." last but not least, the masked one. "And my old friend, Tetrax Shard. This is not the first time you've been under my employ and I doubt it'll be the last, it's fortunate to see that you still keep your skills honed. As of right now, you're all hired." he showed them the image of a familiar watch. "This is your objective, retrieve the Omnitrix from the backwater planet called Earth. The one who succeeds collects the reward I promised but if you value your lives, you'll do well to not disappoint me." he warned them. "Now go!"
The three bounty hunters entered the pods that were then released to Earth, ready to find the powerful device and are prepared to eliminate any who dare stand in their way.
Despite the fact that he could go XLR8 and run out of there, Lincoln knew that even superheroes as young as him needed to go to school which thankfully was beginning to end, which was a good thing considering what he has planned for later he just waited until the big and little hand struck at exactly the right spot. Once the bell finally rung, that led him and the rest of the class to get up from their seats and went to their lockers to collect their stuff, but as he walked he couldn't help but overhear the other kids converse on a very particular subject. Or to be more precise, subjects, those being each of his alien forms that they didn't know were all one person and he was right there listening in.
"So get this, my mom said that some orange dog with no eyes saved her from getting mugged."
"A news copter nearly hit the ground if it weren't for some red manta thing."
"That four armed bodybuilder caught the truck full of robbers before they could leave town."
"Did you see how fast that speedy guy went to catch that speeder?"
He didn't want to sound arrogant, that's Lynn's thing, but hearing all their praises about each of the heroic actions performed by him while in his alien forms felt quite good. Sure, no one knows that behind those strong layers was an 11-year-old but he wasn't aiming to be some world-wide celebrity or anything, he was just do some good around town, though it still ached him that he still has to keep this all a secret, especially from his family, sure there's Clyde but above all else his parents and his sisters maybe even his grandfather had a right to know but there was still a high risk present. That didn't mean he had to like it and speaking of which, he saw his goth younger sister up ahead.
"Greetings, Lincoln." the young poet said to her big brother.
"Hey, Luce." the hidden hero greeted back. "I thought you said you'd stay after for a Mortician's Club meeting."
"Sigh. Unfortunately, we had to cancel due most of them running down with a cold, and our important work can only be accomplished when all members of our society are present." Lucy explained. "Which is a total bummer because we were going on a permissioned trip to the cemetery today."
"Indeed, such a devastating loss."
Lincoln jumped once someone else appeared out of nowhere, similar to his sister, she was a pale dark haired girl with a dress with a bang covering one of her eyes, she was about Lincoln's age and both happened to be quite familiar with each other. "Oh...uh, hey Haiku." Like with Tabby, she too was one of his dates that Lucy set him up with. "I'm sure there'll be other opportunities for you to...observe the fine craftsmanship of both a coffin and a tombstone while also writing poems about the deceased."
"Your words of encouragement are greatly appreciated Lincoln, they have truly moved me." she responded in a monotone voice just like Lucy's, couple with their shared interests, it was no wonder they were both good friends.
"So, uh, I heard from Clyde that you two haven't been hanging out as much as you did after that whole dance thing." he brought up. "Is there a problem."
Haiku simply shrugged. "While we were kindred spirits in having romantic yet unrequited feelings for those who ae much older than us, I'm afraid his level of affection trumps my own which proved to be a little...uncomfortable."
The white haired boy sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You saw the shrine to Lori, didn't you?" he deadpanned.
"That boy needs to see his therapist more often, it is quite troubling."
He shook his head as he agreed with her. "You're telling me, and bear in mind, the girl he's crushing on happens to be my sister, that alone is awkward enough." he scratched his hair. "Anyway, me, Lucy and the others are heading home, maybe I'll see you around later, if it's okay with you of course."
Surprisingly, Haiku smiled at the notion. "I'd like that." as the two Loud siblings walked ahead of her she couldn't help but keep a lingering gaze at the white haired boy, and she placed a hand on his chest where she felt a heartbeat a very strong one at that. For some reason she can't fathom, that always happens whenever she's around him. Him and his elegant white hair, along with the deep aura she sees within him, certain qualities of him that...attracts her. "Sigh."
As the two Louds walked, the younger of the two spoke up. "So, any sign of the twins or Lisa?"
"We're right here!" they both turned and saw Lana and Lola along with Lisa who's hair stood up and had a little smoke on her face. "We had to pick up Lisa at the nurse's office after an explosion at her classroom." the little grease monkey explained.
Lincoln looked to his second youngest sister. "Again, Lisa? When are you gonna learn that you can't mix advanced science with a kindergarten class?" he chided the prodigy.
"All due respect elder brother, the current curriculum for students of my age range is not by my standards of education, the activities that our teacher gives are too trivial for my extensive intellect so naturally, I found no outcome where I would actually partake in such tomfoolery such as finger paining. I just feel that incorporating some more advanced fields would be beneficial to the majority of the class." Lisa defended.
"Maybe for other child prodigies Lis, but not everyone here can solve fusion matter overnight." Lincoln pointed out to her.
"And I can't have anyone knowing I'm related to a mad scientist." that comment earned Lola a stern glare from her brother. "What?"
Shaking his head, Lincoln guided his younger sisters to the exit door. "Let's just hurry up and get home already."
"Do you have something planned, Lincoln?" Lucy asked, curious.
"Something like that."
Soon after arriving at the Loud House, Lincoln texted Clyde to tell him to prepare their secret project at the junkyard, the white haired boy left a note in case some of the others began wondering where he was. In these past few weeks of having the watch, Lincoln realized that having access to all these alien forms would require him to get used to all their abilities, and the best way to do that was to test them out and get a better handle on them. Which was why he requested Clyde to set up a special obstacle course in the junkyard filled with crusty old targets that were lying around, along with a few spring traps as well along with a few other modifications. The bespectacled boy stood at the controls and was prepared to get this show on the road, and hoped his best pal was also ready.
"Okay pal, I got everything prepped, you ready?" he asked to Lincoln who stood in the middle.
Taking a deep breath, Lincoln activated the watch and scrolled through his options and deciding to use the very first alien form that he turned into when he first found the enigmatic device. In a green light, he was now the fire-based alien called Heatblast and he gave the other kid a thumbs up with a confident smirk. "Let her rip, buddy."
Nodding in response, the McBride boy pulled a lever, making a horde of empty soda cans fly out, he sent a stream of fire that decimated them, a trio of targets where then deployed and he sent three concentrated fire balls at all three. More targets spun around in a spinning contraption and Heatblast had to time this just right before sending a single shot but he controlled it so that it could curve and hit all the targets at the same time. Cardboard cutouts of people where also laid out in front of them, and he made sure to hit only the ones that were burglars and not regular civilians. Tire swings came in at the same time and reacting fast, Heatblast shot up into the sky and avoided them hitting him, but he wasn't used to flying as Heatblast and wavered a little, so he landed down.
"Sweet, you hit everything, Lincoln!" Clyde grinned, walking up to his friend. "Though, I'm a little surprised you didn't just fry everything in a second, would've saved you a lot of trouble."
Turning back into human form, Lincoln turned to him. "Maybe, but imagine if this was a real emergency, I may end up hurting not just the bad guys." he pointed out. "And besides, you know thinking with only might isn't my style, that's more Lynn's department, and if I'm gonna be serious about this superhero thing, I need to stay in top shape, not to mention learning how to use each alien's abilities better."
Clyde hummed in thought. "Hmm, I still don't know about that, you seem to getting the hang of it already and you managed to beat a lot of bad guys so far."
Yeah, that's true." Lincoln admitted, but then hold up his left hand. "But this thing on my wrist isn't some new toy, it can turn me into 10 aliens with who know how many abilities and I can't just be irresponsible with it, that would only spell disaster." referring to the watch also got him thinking, in all the excitement of acquiring such a device from outer space, he never considered the purpose of it. Lisa always says that each invention of hers had a reason for being built, same with all the inventions throughout history, so what would be the intention of making a watch-like device that can turn its wearer into a number of alien lifeforms? His musings were cut off as he felt his phone vibrate and answered the call. "Hello? Mom, what is it? Uh-huh...hm...okay, I'll just walk there. Yes, I don't need a ride, I can just walk there. I'm sure, don't worry. Love you too."
"She want anything?"
"Apparently, my Pop-Pop called the house because he wanted me to visit him, guess I should go ahead and meet up with him. See you back at school." he bade farewell and both kids went out of the junkyard. Lincoln activated the watch again and thankfully it still had some energy left in it for a few more transformations before having to recharge and knew that the perfect guy for the job was XLR8. He ran past the street and made his way to the nursing home where his grandfather would always be.
There were previous times where his favorite grandson visited Sunset Canyon Retirement Home, his most favorable one being the time when they both had some fun in the town, it reminded him that despite being past his prime, the old man still had some energy in him. In a way, having all that fun with the kid reminded Albert of the days of his youth, days that he'll fondly remember, the kind that he wished to just relive, even if it was for a short time. Taking out his Plumbers' Badge, Albert recollected the day he met a Magister and was the first human to be recruited, how he went from unassuming cadet at the academy to being a valued member of the Plumbers. With all this alien activity happening in his town, it came as no surprise for the Plumber in him to suddenly spring to life.
Before he could be finish with his thoughts, Albert could've sworn he saw a green flash nearby, which made his Plumber's badge start to beep. "What the heck was-?"
"Pop-Pop!"
Whatever he was thinking quickly washed away once he saw his grandson up ahead, running along the way. "Hey, there he is!" the old veteran happily hugged his look-alike. "Was wondering when you'd show up, pal."
"Not that I mind it, but why did you want to see me?" Lincoln inquired.
"Follow me and I'll show ya." Albert answered, ushering the boy to follow his lead, they walked away from the nursery home, which really made Lincoln curious, as the head nurse, Sue, wouldn't accept it. Hopefully, his grandfather got permission to move away from the premises, he didn't like the woman, but getting in trouble was the last thing on his mind. It was then that they came across a broken down shed, with the entrance being blocked, Albert picked up a crowbar and pulled it open.
The inside of the shed amazed Lincoln.
"Woah..."
Albert nodded in agreement. "I know, she's a real beauty isn't she?"
What was presented for both of them was a mobile RV that while it looked like it's seen better days, once can't help but appreciate the certain style it had, it had blue pain job with satellites on the roof and trimmed with red lines. "Pop-Pop, what is this?"
"You mean, who is she." Pop-Pop corrected. "And to answer your question, I'd like you to meet an old family friend, say hello to good ol' Steelroller." he caressed the RV tenderly with a nostalgic smile. "See kiddo, back in the old days, I always had a habit of travelling the world, meeting exciting people and through it all, I've had this gal as my home. Don't tell your mom, but I think she's always been jealous." he chuckled, remembering when his daughter threw a hissy fit about him paying too much attention on the RV.
"So, you kept it here all these years?"
"Yeah." he nodded, with a somber sigh. "I couldn't just send her to the scrap heap, she deserves better than that. This is where Rita was born, you know. Recently, I've been itching to taste the open road just for a little while, and I can't help but want to spend that with you, sport." he affectionately ruffled his snow hair. "I smoothed it over your parents, and well, we're going on a little trip!"
Lincoln's eyes lit up, excited at the prospect. "Really? To where?"
"It's nothing far, only one town over, and it'll only take a few hours to get there. So how about it?"
Going on a trip with his favorite grandfather?
Not having to deal with whatever craziness was going on back at the house?
It was clear what his answer was.
"When do we start?"
Albert chuckled to himself, for a minute there, it seemed like he was talking to his younger self, not just in appearance, but in eagerness.
Back at the junkyard in Royal Woods, the pods containing the three bounty hunters crash landed nearby in the forest and they promptly began the hunt for the object that will bring them good fortune, Vilgax made his orders quite clear, find the Omnitrix, return it to him and all their hard work would be paid off, failure to complete the mission...well, the very thought was unfavorable to all of them. Tertax Shard stood with a device in hand, which could detect the Omnitrix's unique energy signature. "The Omnitrix is on the move, away from the area where it was last activated." he observed and moved ahead of Sixsix and Kraab were nearby.
Six-six snarled in an incoherent tongue to the crustacean-like bounty hunter and flew off with his jetpack.
"You can say that again." Kraab remarked, understanding his fellow hunter's language and agreeing with whatever he said. "A primitive mudball like this is better off being space dust."
Back with Tetrax, he walked with his hoverboard in hand and looked to the makeshift obstacle course, he observed the destroyed targets and soda cans and attempted to pick one up, but then it was snatched by a metal tendril, which belonged to Six-Six, the two hunters fought for it, and opted to have a little stand off. "You got a problem, Sotoraggian?" he placed his hand on his blaster, ready in case of a fight. In fact, he expected this, three hunters after the same thing, the chances of a fight not happening was laughable at best.
He listened as Six-Six growled another series of grunts and gargles that made Tetrax's temper rise up, never taking kindly to those who ran their mouths like that, especially if they were directed at him. "Gttoksaghsgws!"
For Kraab, he was taken back by the fowl language. "Woah now! Big talk from a gearhead, you kiss your mother with that mouth?"
His eyes narrowing behind his mask, Tetrax walked up to face the other hunter. "Get in my way again, and I'll teach you how to say 'dismantle' in this planet's language." he promised.
As much as he wanted to put him in his place, Sixsix focused more on the job he was on and after spitting one last insult, he shot up in the sky. "Well, I can tell we'll be sharing some drinks together when all's said and done." Kraab chuckled.
"That goes double for you." Tetrax told him.
"Come on, we're all bounty hunters here." Kraab pointed out, trying to ease some tension. "Sure, we're definitely gonna have our little spats, but we're all after the same thing."
"That's where you're wrong." Tetrax corrected him with a hardened tone and a steel resolve and despite wearing a mask, one could tell the aura of intensity he was radiating. "Don't think for a single second that I'm like you or Sixsix, you two may be doing this for whatever amount of money Vilgax is offering us, but I have my own reasons for taking this job and I won't let scum like you interfere, so watch yourself if you value your life." he warned before going off on his own.
"Oh boy." Kraab shook his head with a sigh. "I swear, this is gonna turn out like that mess in planet Kinet all over again." he then jumped up a little and his legs spun around like a drill and went deep underground.
Tetrax Shard continued to detect the Omnitrix's energy signature as it was moving not too far away from his present location, he had a strong conviction and it demanded that the powerful device be found and made sure that he needed to make sure such a tool wouldn't be used by the likes of him, he can't afford to let more and more planets fall prey to the tyrannical rule of him. Should they refuse his occupation, then it'd just be a repeat of what happened to Petropia…..and he can't ever let that happen again.
"Never again." he silently vowed, unknowingly springing more target traps, prompting him to pull out his blaster pistol and fired at the whole course, blowing it up. He deployed his hoverboard and went off, and thus, the hunt begins.
After a momentary setback of restarting the old jalopy's engine, the duo of grandson and grandfather began their travel, for Lincoln, this was just like that crazy family vacation he and the others went on, hopefully, they won't lose this RV like they lost Vanzilla in a car carrier and accidentally get into a prison bus, and that wasn't even the weirdest thing that happened. Speaking of that particular incident, the grandson recanted the events to his grandfather about what happened to pass the time and he was having a blast. "So your mom actually managed to fly a rebuilt old plane?" Albert asked, as he kept his eyes on the road.
"Yeah, it was so cool!" Lincoln told his grandfather. "Even with all 13 of us cramped in that plane, she managed to get us back to Vanzilla, I never thought mom would be so good at piloting a plane, and you actually taught her how to do that? I honestly thought she was kidding."
"Well, where else could she have learned to fly other than old army man like me?" Albert pointed out. "Not just piloting, I also taught her how to defend herself if she ever gets into a scuffle. I know what you're thinking, I might've been a little too protective and that may be true. But at the time, I was still a single father, had to do whatever it took to keep my little girl safe. When you have kids of your own, kiddo, you'll understand."
"I'll take your word for it." Lincoln looked outside the window and noticed that he might as well be way past the city limits. "So, where exactly are we going? Is it another town?"
Albert made a fifty-fifty gesture with his hand. "Eh, I guess one could say it used to be a town, a mining to be exact. But about many years back, way before any of you kids were born, the 50s last I checked, it got closed down when the mines ran out. My pops used to bring me and ma here when I was about as small as Lisa for some quiet time."
Soon enough, the RV pulled up on the town and just as Pop-Pop said, the place was completely rundown and abandoned, it was a wonder that people actually lived here once. "Hey, Pop-Pop. Is it cool if I check this place out?" Lincoln asked.
"Kid, ain't no one here saying you shouldn't." Albert chuckled. "Just don't get lost or go out too far. The old gal can only go so much."
Lincoln began his stroll around the barren town, he never knew that a place could look so empty without so much as even animals populating it, it was devoid, silent and most of all, it was creepy. Lucy would probably beg mom and dad if they could move here or make a summer home at the very least, too bad they couldn't pick her up on the way. He stopped and entered inside a garage and surveyed a crate full of old junk. "Wow, this place is old school, not even Lisa could work with anything here."
Then...he felt something.
Underground, it started light but then the tremors began and he nearly lost his footing, he saw something rising up and going to where he was and quickly moved out of the way and looked to see what it was. He had fought alien robots, mutated animals, and a lake monster so it was a given that he be ready for anything, yet the appearance of a metal crab still caught him off guard. Acting on instinct, he activated the Omnitrix and scrolled through until choosing a new icon. He saw as an ooze-like substance with green circuity lines covered his entre form and became bigger in size and then he observed his new form, his exterior was black with the green lines and the torso had inverted colors with the same hourglass symbol and a green circle resembled an eye.
"And that makes eight!" the new alien spoke, the circle glowing then widened, noting how he still had his normal voice. "Woah, I sound normal. That might be a problem."
"I can imagine bigger ones for you." Kraab said, advancing towards him. "As much as I love a good throw down, I'm sort of on the clock so I'll just make this short and simple. Hand over the Omnitrix right now and I won't have to make you suffer...much." the bounty hunter held up his large claw as a warning.
"Omnitrix…?" Lincoln in his new form repeated in confusion.
"Come now. I know the species of this mudball are of the primitive variety, with all your pitiful level 2 tech, but you honestly don't know of the powerful tool you possess?" Kraab asked skeptically. "I swear, I better be paid double for this."
At that, Lincoln put the pieces together and looked to the hourglass symbol with realization, remembering the last time an alien presence came to Earth. "The watch. It's called the Omnitrix?" though this was quite a piece of new info, he opted to deal with it later and take care of his current problem. "Sorry, Crabby, but I'm not gonna just give it up to anyone. Even if I did, the watch and I are kind of attached."
"Not for long." Kraab raised his claw and it blasted beams at him but this new alien's metallic-liquid form made him a slippery target and tried grabbing the claw but then felt a lot of jolts in his system and was pushed back. "Nice try, but I've faced a fair share of Galvanic Mecamorphs in past jobs, you'll have to merge with other technology."
"Merge?" he looked and saw a lever, getting an idea. Once making contact with it, his entire form merged with the outdated technology and activated the car lift which raised Kraab up but the lift morphed laser turrets that blasted Krraab until he was dropped to the ground. The lift grew metal spider legs and blasted at him more before the eye blasted a powerful green blast that blew him far from the garage. Lincoln discarded the lift, allowing it to fall down and the watch timed out.
"Don't think car lifts could do that in the 50s." he breathed in amazement. "That new alien must've given it a heck of an upgrade. Upgrade...man I am good naming these guys so fast." knowing that he shouldn't stay any longer in case the bounty hunter came back, he ran out to get back to his grandfather, ignorant of the other hunter who was observing.
Speaking of Albert, the grandfather of 11 was leaning back on his fixed up ride, waiting for Lincoln to come back but then noticed his Plumber's Badge was beeping inside his pocket. He looked to see that not too long ago that a Galvanic Mechamorph and a Picciss Premann were detected until the latter had moved a bit and the former just disappeared out of the blue. "Aliens out here?" Albert was never one to believe in coincidences, he's a retired Plumber and just now, there were aliens. Ever since alien activity had been springing up in the Royal Woods area, his gut has been telling him that this was all part of something bigger than just random occurrences, his old pals from the glory days such as Patelliday advised him not to get involved but even so, this was troubling.
Atop a roof was Six-Six, the Omnitrix was detected to be somewhere here and knew that his fellow bounty hunters were also present, which would be a problem for him if one of them managed to acquire it. But then he came across a seemingly defenseless elderly human male, using a built in access to Extranet database, he compared this old one's image to that of a much younger man's and though he has aged, it was him. The legendary Plumber called Albert Thompson.
He was already promised a hefty reward for bringing the Omnitrix to Vilgax, but add in an ex-Plumber and perhaps he may be looking at doubling the initial amount of credits, especially considering the history between his employer and this plumber. Six-Six aimed with a wrist blaster and waited until he got a clear shot to the head, likes to be efficient that way. But what he didn't count on was the old man pulling out a laser pistol and fired before he could react, the laser projectile hit him on his visor. Six-Six hovered down nursing his face, the visor took most of the damage but the pain was present and needed a moment to regain his bearings.
"What do you know? The old thing really did pick up on a Sotoraggian, here I thought it was malfunctioning after all this time." Albert spun his weapon withis fingers and holstered it back. "Good to see the old aim's still sharp, reminds me of the days in the academy."
Snarling, Six-Six growled at him. "Ngrssakataksne!"
"Yeah? Well so is your mother, pal." Albert shot back. Speaking of shooting, Six-Six drew twin laser pistols of his own and fired back but Albert checked his watch and activated an energy shield that protected him. "Would you believe me if I told you these were standard issue back in the day?"
Six-Six's shoulder appendages drew two special weapons which fired pods that sent out an EMP wave that disabled Albert's shield and the metal tendrils fired rapidly that made him go for some cover. "Steelroller. Defense measure-010 Priority-Epsilon." the front of the RV moved down and shot out a glowing net that trapped the bounty hunter. "We still got it, girl."
"Pop-Pop!"
Sixsix turned to see a white haired human child who was running towards them after hearing the commotion and glimpsed on the device on his left wrist and used a plasma saw to cut himself free. "Lincoln, get down!" Albert shouted to his only grandson, his safety the only thing on his mind.
'Another one?' with the Omnitrix still recharging, Lincoln knew he had no choice but to evade a fight with an alien by retreating inside a house which was bad considering his grandfather was present.
"Kid, no matter what happens, just stay inside!" Albert told the boy."
"But-"
"Trust me!"
With him not being able to go hero, Lincoln considered his options and knew that Albert was right, there was nothing he could do but hide and hated that he couldn't do anything to help his grandfather. Unbeknownst to him, Albert threw a disk-like device that hovered in the air around Six-Six who tried shooting it but it latched onto his jetpack that made it go haywire and was shot up in the air, away from the two. "Lincoln!" Albert ran inside to see his grandson sitting and hugged him protectively. "You okay, kiddo?"
"Uh...yeah, fine. W-What happened to that...monster?" Lincoln feigned ignorance on the matter to lessen suspicion.
"Just went up in the air, guess his tech was faulty." Albert shrugged, also putting up a front of having no idea whatsoever. "And it wasn't a monster. It was an alien." Lincoln stared at him with a curious expression, aback by his granddad's confidence in his assessment, which Albert took note of and mentally slapped his forehead. "Well, you saw him with all those fancy gadgets and suit. What else could he have been?" he pointed out. "I might not be 'getting with the times' but I'm pretty sure that's not what the kids are into these days."
"Good point." Lincoln conceded. 'Would be cool, though.'
"Tell me, did you see anything else like him?" Albert asked, urgently.
"Uh...I saw this crab thing fighting another one of those alien superheroes from the news."
"Okay, this field trip is over. Get in the RV, we're heading back right now." the old man wasted no time in getting the kid inside, the last thing he wanted to see was one of his grandchildren get caught in the crossfire of competing intergalactic bounty hunters. As they went in, Albert sent an inquisitive gaze towards Lincoln, or rather, the unique wristwear he had. He can imagine one reason for the presence of two hunters on Earth and the only person who could hire them in the first place.
But it couldn't be...could it?
The ride back to Royal Woods was mostly quiet, neither of them spoke a word when they left the town which was understandable, not everyday that two aliens attacked a grandfather and his grandson out of the blue. Although, ever since finding the watch, Lincoln's been getting used to his regular everyday life becoming more exciting and mostly dangerous. Speaking of, he looked to the watch or rather, the Omnitrix as that crab thing had called it which is obviously its official moniker. Crab dude said that he was hired to procure it by any means necessary, that could also be the reason for that hi-tech guy's presence as well, which left the question on who hired them in the first place.
His first guess was the one who possibly owned the Omnitrix in the first place before crashing down to Earth but why go to such extreme measures in getting it back? Or maybe it wasn't the case and maybe some random alien heard about it and wanted all that power for himself so he went to a crab and a terminator to get it for him.
Whatever the case, it'd be wise to keep a lookout, and wait until the watch finishes recharging.
"Hey, Pop-Pop? Should we call the police maybe? Or someone about this?"
"Not sure bullets can put a guy like that down, and that's assuming they'd even believe us." Albert responded, one of the disadvantages of living on a planet with level 2 tech.
"What about our family?"
Albert immediately shot that suggestion out the window. "Oh no, we are not getting the others mixed into this, you nearly got killed out there, I don't want to see anymore of my kin having to face something like that. Now, when we get back home, tell your mom that we had a slight-WOAH NELLY!" the Steelroller swerved as it made contact with hidden mines that caused small explosions. Lincoln held on tight as the vehicle rocked side to side as more explosions were set off.
But that wasn't their only trouble, a familiar buzz saw sliced through the roof and Six-Six bent the metal apart to look down at them. "Pop-Pop, he's back!" Lincoln shouted, falling back as the hunter reached for him. Albert pressed his feet on the breaks that pushed Six-Six fall forwards to the street and turning back, the bounty hunter was met with Steelroller running over him but then the RV stopped after a popping sound was heard. Both got out and saw that the tires have been popped, leaving them without an escape vehicle.
"In there! Hurry!" Albert grabbed Lincoln by the arm and they ran inside a mine through the tunnels and took a turn to hide. The old man looked out and saw nothing. "Quiet. A little too quiet."
Such silence ended when they heard drilling from underground and Kraab. "Remember me, boy?"
Kraab took chase and the humans ran away through the mines and as they ran, Lincoln fiddled with the Omnitrix to try and get to work but it was still recharging. "Come on!" he whispered with a hiss. "Let me go Heatblast and turn him into a seafood special!" Unfortunately, he was left with no transformations and eventually, he and Albert reached an edge of a deep center with the other side too far for them to reach on foot.
Desperate, Albert looked for any means of escape and spotted a lift with a cable. "Over there!" Lincoln got on first while Albert pulled the lever just as Kraab caught up with them and jumped on as the lift went across.
"Here I was hoping for some decent prey." Kraab attempted to snap the line but was blasted by Six-Six who flew across with his jetpack and fired rapidly at the lift.
"These yahoos don't know when to quit!" Albert snarled.
Lincoln checked and saw that the Omnitrix finally reactivated, but his grandfather was here but so were the aliens trying to hurt both of them, so it's either keep his secret or do what it takes to save his family. "Pop-Pop." he addressed, scrolling. "Please don't tell the others."
"What are you-"
Next thing Albert knew, he only saw a flash of green before opening his eyes to see that right there, in the place of his lookalike, was Diamondhead, the Petropian from the news. "Lincoln...?" Albert whispered. "Sweet Galvan Prime. It's true."
Diamondhead jumped out of the lift and grabbed Six-Six, the added weight caused them to take a nose-dive deep below before the bounty hunter rose up with the Petropian still clinging on. Both collided into a mountain wall before falling to the floor with the tram carrying Albert disappearing into the tunnel nearby. "Lincoln, wait!"
"Just go, Pop-Pop, I'll catch up!" Diamondhead stood as both Six-Six and Kraab cornered him. Kraab fired with his left pincer but Diamond morphed both arms into a shield. He pounded his fist into the ground and diamond pillars sprouted up and struck at the hunter from all angles, Kraab went underground once more and snuck up behind his prey, grabbing him by the waist and flung him across. Six-Six flew over and was met with a barrage of shards, one striking at his helmet resulting in a crash landing. As much as he was putting up a good fight, Diamondhead knew that he couldn't possibly take them both on, their array of tactics and weaponry made them formidable, but were also seeking the same thing.
That often leads to competition.
"Gotta wonder how much of a hefty reward there is for the watch." Diamondhead spoke up.
"Enough for one of us to buy himself a condo on the beaches of Tropixa." Kraab answered.
"One of you?" Diamondhead chuckled. "Guess that means only one of you will be getting the goods when this is all over, only question which one will it be?" he asked, setting his plan into motion.
Six-Six raised a blaster only for Kraab to grab his wrist. "Back off! I'm the one who's bagging the pay!" he declared.
"Chrtleasss!" Six-Six growled.
"Well, you didn't have to make it personal! Your brother and sister would have more decency!"
It was the classic move, turn them against each other so that they wouldn't notice Diamondhead trapping them inside a diamond pyramid prison from the ground and out of commission. "Got ya!" Diamondhead smirked and then saw an orb thrown to all three of them which released smoke that made them go unconscious. The perpetrator was Tetrax, having been patiently waiting until now to make his move, with those two peons out of the way, he was free to fly ahead on his board and grabbed Diamondhead by a spike on his back.
"Come on! Pick up, already!" after reaching the end of the tunnel, Albert tried contacting assistance with his badge but the connection was damaged, the badge had been caught in the EMP wave and was on the fritz, that and it was low on power. "'Always charge your badge before an assignment'. Galil would love this."
It was still all so crazy. Albert thought he had left the old life with the Plumbers behind all those years ago when he decided to finally settle down after years of service. And it was a lengthy retirement, he got to raise his only daughter, walked her down the aisle, watch with pride as he gained amazing grandkids that he loves unconditionally. But then the random alien sightings that's been going on in his town coupled with the energy signature that he's been picking up and now he just saw his own grandson transform into a Petrosapien. There was no denying it anymore, Lincoln was the one who found the Omnitrix and has been getting mixed up with all this nonsense ever since.
"Rita will never get over this." he muttered with dread if or when she catches wind of the truth. Albert was thankful to see his watch had worn off the EMP effects and pressed a code phrase: VERDONA. Up above, a pod from the RV landed down and inside was a blaster rifle, a keepsake he had from his trainer back inboot camp.
Switching it to sniper function, Albert took his position and waited until the two bounty hunters arrived, having broken free and awakened from their imprisonment. Pulling the trigger, he fired two shots at both, prompting Six-Six to rise in the air and attack from above, he ran as he traded shots with the hunter, going for the rapid fire function. Rolling on the ground, he threw a disk at the ground at the precise moment Kraab emerged from the ground and was blown back.
"For an elder, he's pretty crafty." Kraab glowered.
Six-Six landed down and pulled out a blade and Albert shielded with his gun and struggled until Six-Six was facing his watch and smoke emerged that messed with his sensors. For him, it was a good thing he got thermal vision installed at Eight-Eight's advisement, he fired a tripwire that wrapped Albert in blue gelatinous coil. Kraab used his pincer to trap Albert and crush his weapon. "Jeskrioshgs."
"Agreed." Kraab nodded. "If the boy won't comply with our demands, then we might as well give him some incentive."
Tetrax had been carrying Diamondhead all the way out of the mines once he was sure that they had lost both Six-Six and Kraab and wouldn't have a trail to follow. The reason why he hadn't acted until now was simple, he wanted to see how the bearer of the Omnitrix would fair against two professional bounty hunters that were pulling out all the stops in obtaining their prize. For the most part, the boy had put up a decent offense while also utilizing defense as well, making use of both was no easy task and his recent plan was quite clever for a human but he still had much to learn. This entire ordeal has so far been a taste of the ensuing nightmare.
Diamondhead stirred awake and saw the position he was in, he morphed his hand into a blade swiped at to him, was a new foe causing Tetrax and him landing roughly. "Billions of lifeforms on this planet, and the Omnitrix gets into the hands of a youth. Despite that, it was quite ingenious of you to pit Six-Six and Kraab against each other."
"Well it was two-on-one and they aren't exactly working together, just trying to get the same thing. Speaking from experience, that's an easy way for competition. Plus, I make it a habit to always have a plan." Diamondhead took a battle stance. "I take it's your turn? Let me just warn you in advance, the watch doesn't come off easy. Trust me, I've tried."
"Of course it doesn't." Tetrax stated as if it were obvious, turning to explain. "The Omnitrix's power utilizes alien DNA collected from numerous genetic samples which binds to the wearer's own genetic structure, it cannot simply be removed like a bandage."
"If you're such an expert, then why not explain why was it sent to Earth in the first place? Better yet, what's so important about it that robots and creeps keep making a grab for it?"
"The fact that it exists makes it a valuable prize to be used, it's the kind of prize that requires you to make certain that you don't lose your life or it to those who come to collect it." he spoke with utmost urgency and seriousness. "The Omnitrix is the most powerful weapon in this known galaxy, the key that tips the balance in the favor of many opposing forces."
Diamondhead narrows his eyes. "And who's side are you on?"
"Notice how you're not dead right now." Tetrax pointed out.
Blinking, Diamondhead still kept his guard up in case this was a fake out. "Wait. You're a good guy?" he questioned in surprise.
"I've made it my mission to retrieve the Omnitrix at all costs before it falls into the hands of the most insidious force, the likes of which your world has never seen." Tetrax answered ominously. "But since it's stuck on your person, I'll have to collect you as well for its removal."
"Okay, take a step back for a second there." Diamondhead waved his hand. "I get you got good intentions but can't say I'm fond of being abducted, you have any idea how much my parents and sisters would freak?!"
Tetrax walked up until he was at eye-contact. "I wasn't asking for permission."
"Then try again!" Diamondhead swiped with arm blades that Tetrax managed to block, so the kid turned hero tackled him to the ground and formed diamonds on his suit to trap him, but Tetrax broke free and knocked him back.
"You've gotten the basic handling of that alien form and yet, you still know little of its strength and weaknesses. In the time that you've had the Omnitrix, you've barely scratched the surface of the potential." Tetrax mentally shook his head.
"Hey, I don't exactly see an instruction manual, so what makes you such a know-it-all?" Diamondhead shot back.
"Years of practice." the helmet that hid Tetrax's features retracted and Diamondhead felt like he was looking at a mirror, for the third hunter had an uncanny resemblance to his current form.
After silently standing like a statue, he snapped out of his stupor. "You're...a Diamondhead?"
"Petrosapien, actually." the newly revealed alien corrected. "My name is Tetrax Shard and we've wasted enough time."
The familiar sound of the Omnitrix timing out left Lincoln with little time to process or be prepared for Tetrax lifting him up by the back of his polo shirt. "Hey put me down!"
Tetrax looked around for his board that had been dropped only to see it missing but the good news was that it was found with the bad news being that it was being held by Kraab. "Looking for this, Shard? Had a feeling you had an ulterior motive for taking this job and you're fool if you think you'll be getting off this planet with the Omnitrix and just to be sure." he turned and Lincoln gasped once he saw Six-Six holding Albert hostage.
"Get your mitts off me!"
"See, ole Six-Six and I took a moment to think and we realized that fighting amongst ourselves only succeeds in aiding you so we decided to split the pay 50/50 after we're done splitting you!"
"A villain team-up. Should've seen that coming." Lincoln sweated nervously. Kraab shot at them and Tetrax shielded Lincoln from the assault and ran while multiple blasts nearly hits them until crashing into a building.
"Ngtsoshta Iggsoashhr!" Six-Six admonished.
"Don't blow a gasket, metal mouth! I know we need the thing intact, just making sure I don't miss Shard."
Inside, Lincoln got up and moved to go out but Tetrax held an arm up to hold him back. "What're you doing?! I have to go save him!"
"Don't be a fool. The safety of the Omnitrix is the only true priority, child."
Lincoln glared at Tetrax for expecting him to just sit by while Albert was in peril. "Not to me. He's my family, if you're really one of the good guys, you'd understand that and my name is Lincoln Loud."
Actually in a way, Tetrax did but not when it mattered and he had to suffer for it. "I'm...sorry, but you can't save him while the Omnitrix is in recharge mode. Our only option is for me to get my hoverboard so we could leave this planet."
"So that's it?! We're just gonna run turn tail and run?!" Lincoln looked at him for disbelief. "Is that all you're good for?!
Subconsciously, Tetrax's fist clenched. "In this instance, we have no other choice!" not wanting to argue with him any further, Tetrax leapt into action jumping out of the smoke and shooting crystal shards at Six-Six, making him release Albert from his hold. He jumped forward and narrowly dodged Kraab's pincer and successfully grabbed his board. The Petrosapien warrior hovered across the air, dodging lasers before jumping down, Kraab and Albert moved out of the way but Six-Six wasn't so lucky as his enemy landed on him, creating a small crater. Tetrax lifted him up and punched him to the ground where the hi-tech alien shot a missile at him but shielded himself. Kraab landed behind him and thrusted his pincer claw but Tetrax was quick to grab it and flung him over with much ease.
"Woah." Lincoln whispered with awe, impressed by the other Diamondhead's skill. He checked his wrist and was elated to see that the watch was back up and running. "Alright, hero time!" Kraab had heard him and looked up to see his prey being right there, the job ending quick. Lincoln rushed to hide as Kraab got up and opted to claim the prey himself while Six-Six was busy with Tetrax. Hiding, he looked through his options and considered which to choose, brute force won't do much, these guys have proven to be pros at counteroffensive. So perhaps this new 10th alien can handle things on the mental side of things. As the Omniwave enveloped him, he could feel his cranium getting larger along with his brain and a surge of electricity.
Kraab entered with murderous intent, he didn't have to bring the bearer back alive only the Omnitrix intact, which was okay in his book, he just loves technicalities. "When I took this gig, I expected a challenge, why not turn into a Tetramand and make this more of a party?"
"Sincerest apologies, fellow crustacean, but I'm afraid such trivialities are not acceptable." Kraab turned to see where the sophisticated voice was coming from, but only found himself being hit with a surge of electricity that lifted him up due to his metal body and hit deep into the floor. The attacker was a light orange crab-like alien with pincers for arms and six legs to walk on with the symbol on a neck brace.
"A Cerebrocrustacean?"
"Quite fitting I must say, you have been terrorizing my being along with my progenitor so why not return the favor? Also, due to my enhanced cerebral capacity and my apparent electrokinesis, I believe the appropriate designation for this new extraterrestrial is...Brainstorm!" his head opened up to reveal his massive brain that surged with green electricity. Kraab fire at him, but Brainstorm put up an electric shield, making him appear unscathed. "Due to your cybernetic physical being comprised of advanced metal alloy, a decent percentage of volts should do the trick." Kraab tried going underground but Brainstrom reached down and made him come right back up. "The very ground we walk on is comprised of metal, and as you know, it is a good conductor."
Brainstorm kept him in an electromagnetic hold as he tried searching for a way to incapacitate him. "Now, let's take care of that nerve cluster, shall we?" once doing so, Kraab walked off, his body shorting out with the head spinning about and eventually dropping to the floor.
Six-Six and Tetrax were still going at it, but the more ruthless bounty hunter ended it when he grabbed the warrior and flew up before diving down using him as a cushion. The masked hunter glimpsed at Brainstorm and deployed missile launchers to attack until Albert grabbed him from behind to act as a distraction. "Lincoln, run!" he shouted to his transformed progeny as Six-Six grabbed and pinned him to the ground, brandishing a buzz saw.
"Unhand him!" Brainstorm shot an electrical blast that shot him away then took control of his armor.
"I thought I told you to stay out of the way!" Tetrax sternly chastised.
"Oh, I recall, this me putting a rebellious front in response. By committing this action, I hypothesize a problem would arise for you when I do this!" Brainstorm completely made Six-Six's armor go haywire with his jetpack flying him across the sky with no control at all, evident by crashing into a water tower's support beams. He skidded against the ground until stopping at Kraab's downed form and they could hear the sound of the tower falling down with the trunk descending on two hunters.
"I hate this planet." Kraab groaned as the trunk fell on top of them, dousing them in water.
"That should leave them quite hydrated if I do say so myself." Brainstorm smirked.
"Not bad. For a human." Tetrax kept a stoic look but inside, he was truly impressed, there was more to this child than meets the eye and perhaps he was too hasty in his actions. Taking out a hand-held device with a cube, it was shot at the two hunters and expanded until it trapped them both inside and shrunk back down before disappearing in a flash of light then he spoke in a communicator. "Gluto, they should be on the ship's transport pad, you know what to do."
Lincoln turned back to normal once the watch ran its course then went to Albert. "Pop-Pop, are you okay?"
"Fine, kiddo. I'm confused, but I'm fine." he crossed his arms. "Mind explaining to me what in Sam Hill is going on?"
Knowing that he couldn't keep the cat in the bag any longer, Lincoln came clean and told his grandpa about everything, he recanted how he found the Omnitrix in the first place, him using his available alien forms to perform heroic acts, and the incredible adventures that he's been having ever since. Not to mention keeping it all a secret. "So yeah, all those aliens that have been appearing over Royal Woods, they're all me."
Albert nodded as he listened to the story. "And no one else knows."
"Other than my friend, Clyde and now you, no."
"Not even our family?"
Lincoln flinched but nodded. "Are you...mad?"
"Dang right I'm mad." the kid hung his head but then Albert elaborated. "Mad that I had no idea that you took after your grandpa. Fighting the good fight, saving as many people as you can and most of all, kicking anyone who hurts you or our family." Albert knelt down and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "This whole alien thing might be new to me, but you're my grandson, I couldn't be more prouder. Now, I'm no fan of lying to our kin, but I learned from personal experience that sometimes keeping secrets even from people that we love is the only way to protect them."
Smiling, Lincoln happily hugged him who returned it. "Thanks, Pop-Pop." he let go and turned to Tetrax and asked. "So, what about the Omnitrix?"
"I was intent in moving it off-planet." Tetrax's tone became a lot warmer. "But I can see it's in good hands, but you still have a long way to go, Lincoln. Perhaps with some training and mentoring, there's hope for you yet."
"You're staying?"
"Those bounty hunters won't be the last threat thrown at you. More drones and more criminals will be coming to this planet for the sole purpose of getting the Omnitrix and it will benefit you greatly to not only pick up new tricks but also better understand your alien forms and assistance when the time comes. That is, if you'll have me."
Lincoln held his hand up. "You were just trying to make sure those guys didn't get the watch, I could use some more help." Tetrax shook the kid's hand as a new partnership was born.
"You should also have this." Tetrax handed him the hoverboard. "In case the Omnitrix is unavailable, this would be a useful tool."
'Seriously?!" Lincoln grinned with excitement. "Sweet! Ronnie Anne would freak over this! Wait, but what if you need this to get off the planet?"
"Selective disinformation."
"You lied? Clever." Albert smirked. He'll have to report all this with the higher-ups but for now, he'll just have to settle with playing the part of the normal old timer who will get used to the new alien elements he's encountered. He considered telling Lincoln his own secret but he meant what he said before, some secrets protect people that he loves even when he hates it.
During the hunt, Vilgax had a drone follow the hunters and report their actions through his warship and was quite dissatisfied with not only the failure in the Omnitrix finally falling into his possession but the recent deceit by one of the hunters. "Betrayed!" he hissed hatefully from his recovery tank, if it weren't for his weakened state, he'd go down to that pitiful world and make Tetrax pay for his transgression. Alas, he was still confined to his current predicament and there was no telling when he would finally recover.
"Sensors indicate that the Omnitrix is not with any of the mercenaries." his underling drone reported.
"It would appear the vermin creature who currently wields the Omnitrix is as clever as he is fierce. But I shall not be denied of what I seek, they can put up a resistance if they dare, it will make my inevitable victory all the more monumental."
One way or another, Vilgax will make it so that the Omnitrix will be under his control and only then will the whole galaxy know of his might and accept him as their lord and master.