DISCLAIMER:
This story is for mature audiences and isn't meant for younger viewers, or those who are easily triggered or offended by the mentions of mature themes, such as abuse, death, and other stuff that falls into that category. So, if you're very young, or easily triggered or offended, I recommend you leave this story, because it won't be to your liking. Enjoy.
I feel agony. It's like my body is on fire, my face feels fuzzy, and I think I hear the voice of god calling for me.
"Benjamin! Are you still asleep?!"
My mind feels like it's suffering from pins and needles, all while I feel a sore stiffness in my bones.
"Benjamin Kirby Tennyson, wake up this instant, young man! You're gonna be late for school, and on the last day no-less!"
Why do I feel as if I died today...
Marcus slowly opened his eyes, groaning as he scratched his face, feeling quite a literal fuzzy feeling. He sat up and looked at himself, seeming confused as his eyes adjusted. He was in a bedroom, one he knew wasn't his own. He looked at himself, seeing the pajamas he wore.
'Did I always have these pajamas?' He wondered.
He shrugged it off and got up, undressing himself down to the bareness of having nothing on at all, and started to rummage through his closet. The clothes did seem to strike a few familiar chords with him. One drawer ranged from having blue jeans, black and white sneakers, black t-shirts and a singular green jacket with a white stripe, and a 10 embroidered in a black circle.
One of the other drawers consisted of white t-shirts with a black stripe going down the middle, brown baggy cargo pants and white sneakers with black bulky detailing.
Another drawer was the most bizarre of all. it consisted of a black t-shirt with a bright neon-green-ish yellow on the bottom with a white 10 on it, brown cargo shorts and black sneakers with white detailing.
The last drawer consisted of black t-shirts with a green stripe and a white 10 in the middle of it, brown cargo jeans and white and green sneakers, along with the occasional white hoodie with green detailing.
'My closet needs an update, it all consists of Ben Tennyson's clothes... wait, why do I have these? Did I get sent to some collector's room or something?' he wondered, seeming curious, but also very confused. He looked at himself, seeing that he felt different, and also looked different. 'Fuck it, I'm combining clothes. It's the summer, so I want to stay cool... I wonder if there's any regular white t-shirts.'
Marcus dug through the closet and grabbed a few clothes. He slipped on a pair of blue boxers and then dressed himself in the cargo shorts. He noticed that the bulging pockets seemed to be detachable, so he yanked them off without another thought and tossed them aside. He grabbed the black and white sneakers, and a pair of ankle socks, then decided to look around in another drawer, spotting some black tank tops and white t-shirts that seemed unused. He slipped one of each on over his body, then decided to try and fix his hair.
For the first time in the couple minutes he woke up, he saw his reflection... He couldn't tell who he was looking at, but it seemed to look a little like him, while also sharing some of Ben's features. His shaggy dark brown hair remained unchanged, though it seemed more untamed than before. The back seemed to grow out more than he thought, so he ended up tying it into a spiky rat tail. The slightly bushy facial hair wasn't his, so this Ben must've been growing a beard. His blue-green eyes shined in the reflection.
"I need to comb my hair... the front of it, at least." He told himself. "Feels weird to be walking around again, not that I'm complaining... why did that guy send me here?"
Marcus walked out of the room and instinctively opened the door that paralleled his own. He walked in, noticing that it was the bathroom, and decided to comb his hair and deal with the facial hair on his face.
"Man, has this guy not heard of a razer before?" I asked aloud. "Lookin' like a small dark brown forest is growing on my face. Time to raze it to the ground."
He instinctually reached out and grabbed a battery powered razer, clicking it on as he trimmed the facial hair odd with little to no haste, making sure he didn't hurt himself or cut his face. Soon after, he set the razer aside and splashed some warm water on his face, washing away whatever hair was still stuck to him, letting it all go down the drain. Underneath that facial hair, looked like a guy who had a strong resemblance of the soon-to-be hero of the universe, while also having a few freckles on his face be hidden by the huge bush on his face.
"Man, I look good... Maybe this won't be so bad." Marcus remarked to himself, smiling as he looked around for some aftershave. After finding a small bottle labeled 'From Boy-2-Mann', he applied a little of the substance to the shaven parts of his face and admired his handiwork.
"I look fantastic!" He remarked confidently.
"Um... Ben, Hon? I appreciate the good vibes you're expressing this morning, but maybe next time, could you knock, please?" A soft but vocal voice said.
Marcus felt his confidence become ice cold and thin like the atmosphere at high altitude. He turned around and could only cover his eyes, backing out of the room as he waited in the hallway, embarrassed and feeling very awkward.
What he saw through his fingers was a blonde woman, hair cut short and seemed wild despite being wet and drenched, dressed in a towel, looking sheepish, embarrassed, and had but a mild smile on her face.
As the door closed, the woman dried herself off and got herself dressed.
'That's my son, oblivious and unaware. Sandra, what're you gonna do with him?' Sandra thought to herself with a light chuckle.
'Holy shit that was Sandra, Ben's mom. Ok, I gotta start knocking on doors before I just barge in all of a sudden, I'm not a Pokémon game protagonist.' Marcus reprimanded himself mentally.
As the door opened up again, Sandra walked out. Dressed in a purple dress shirt and white capris. Her blue eyes glistened as she looked at him, chuckling as she walked towards a room on the far end of the hallway.
"I better get ready..." He muttered, mentally trying to forget what just happened, and trying to make his face less red.
Marcus moved through the hallway and entered the kitchen, seeing a man with light brown hair setting a dining table and placing plates with breakfast on it. Scrambled Eggs, Turkey Bacon, Hashbrowns, and what looked like some kind of sausage on the side.
"Mornin' Ben! Finally decide to wake up today, huh?" The man asked with a smile.
"Yeah, I was havin' a bit of trouble leaving my nice, warm bed. I got a bit too comfortable last night, and it almost became my downfall. Needless to say, I'm feeling better, Carl." Marcus remarked with a light chuckle.
"Well, it's good to see you in better spirits, son. I know quitting your job wasn't easy, especially with what you were being paid per hour, by the hour, but I think a bit more freedom is what you need," Carl sat down with a cup of coffee in hand. "Hence why, I've decided to tell you something important."
"What's the word, da- I mean, Carl?" Marcus inquired, taking a few bites of the food on his plate.
"Well, I've decided to let you go with my Dad for the summer," Carl announced. "A good ol' fashioned road trip, just you, my Dad, and your cousin Gwen will be there, too. It'll be good for you, instead of stickin' your nose in job reviews that haven't gone anywhere, as of late."
Marcus really thought about what he just heard. The fact that he had clothes similar to Ben's, kinda had a few of Ben's more noticeable traits, and the two adults of the house looked like Ben's parents, this just confirmed it for him. He was Ben, or in his body... and yet, his mind was entirely his own.
"Gotta admit though, Ben, you rarely ever address me as Carl. I know everyone has a lifestyle of their own, and me and Sandra didn't want to force it on you when you were younger, and we haven't forced it on you now. Is there something on your mind, son?" Carl asked, seeming almost concerned.
Marcus was about to panic, slowly swallowing his food as he set the fork down and wiped his mouth with a napkin. He got up and took a deep breath.
"I'm fine, dad, I just feel a bit different. I feel like overnight, my brain has matured, yet my body feels like nothing has changed. I'm just trying to be respectful, nothing to worry about." Marcus reassured, facing Carl. "Though, I have to ask, because I feel just that tired today, despite feeling like I woke up on the right side of the bed. How old am I, and what year is it?"
"Well, you were born in December in 1995, and you turned 18 last December, so you're 18, and it's 2013." Carl elaborated, "You sure something's not on your mind, Ben?"
'Ben was born in 1995, two days after christmas. It's the year 2013, and Ben turned 18!? He was 17 at the end of Omniverse... Unless, this is a world where the original series hasn't happened yet! Is that why I'm here? Well, there's worse ways to go. Death by supervillain is probably the most yearned for scenario. Good thing I don't plan to die again.' Marcus thought to himself.
"Everything's fine, dad. I'm gonna go get packed up for summer vacation, then I'll be on my way. Can you call Grandpa Max and let him know I'll be coming along?" Marcus asked.
"I already did, Ben. Did it a couple hours ago, he'll pick you up after school." Carl stated.
"Groovy. I'll see you guys after the summer, just know when I get back, I'll be a brand-new Ben!" Marcus remarked, rushing into the bedroom as he took a beat-up school bag and tossed in a few clean clothes, including a couple snacks he found that were untouched.
Soon enough, Marcus was out of the house, backpack on his back as he made his way to school.
After what seemed like hours of running, Marcus had made it to the high school. It was ironically enough, a very good distance away from where Ben lived, but he still managed to make it.
'Here's to hoping I don't run into Cash and JT, otherwise their gonna get mollywhopped right out the gate,' Marcus thought, a mild scowl forming on his face. 'Those two were both a couple of pricks from their first moments on-screen.'
Marcus took a deep breath and stopped scowling as he walked inside and found his home room, taking his seat as he felt antsy. He didn't have much of an idea as to why he felt this way, and assumed it might've been something that Ben usually felt. Marcus felt antsy many times before in his old life, long before he ended up in Ben's body, but it was always because he had a reason to be.
Soon enough, several other students ended up walking into the room, taking their seats as they casually talked with each other. It reminded Marcus a lot of when he was in school, his classmates talking amongst themselves, and him, just occasionally popping into the conversation and contributing. Though this time, Marcus just kept to himself, until a couple of other students approached him.
"Yo, Ben! Been a little while," A voice said. Marcus turned his head and saw an african-male sitting on one side of him. He was a bit more well-built than he was, and had a pretty sick afro growing in. He wore a bright Red Jersey with dark Blue accents, with the word 'Bellwood' Embroidered on the back, and a '42' right below it. He had white sleeves and black stripes. Despite sounding a little like Shawn Fonteno, Marcus could recognize this guy as one of Ben's old friends, at least back in Omniverse's portion of the timeline. This was Jonesy, now looking like a football prodigy. "How ya been man?"
"I've been good, J-dog, just lookin' forward to getting out of town for the summer. Road trip's gonna be a blast and a half, if you catch my drift, know what I'm sayin'?" Marcus asked with a smile.
"Don't I know it! Football camp's gonna be an experience. Soon, I'll make it in the big leagues, keep your eyes out for Jumpin' Jonesy, baby! Whoo!" Jonesy said with enthusiasm.
"It'll be fun to know I'm not the only one training for sports. Tennis may have been a hobby, then it became something to do, but I'm genuinely good at it, so it'll be great to work on getting good to enter tournaments!" A feminine voice remarked. Marcus turned to his left and saw an Asian-American girl sat next to him. She had black eyes, short black hair in a bobcut, a pink hoodie, a black t-shirt underneath and a white skirt with white tennis sneakers. This was Julie Yamamoto, who seemed to sound a bit more like Erica Mendez.
"Jules, good to see ya!" Jonesy remarked.
"Sup Julie!" Marcus remarked.
"Good to see you too, guys. Maybe when I'm not busy with Tennis matches, I can catch some of your games later, Jonesy. And Ben, try to make some time for both of our matches, if you can. I need as much support as I can get." Julie remarked with a smile.
"By the end of this summer, I'll be surprised if I can make time for myself. Call it a hunch, but I have a good feeling about this summer." Marcus remarked with a grin.
"Man, you seem to have gotten luckier than the both of us. While you chill out and go from place to place, we're doing the same things for a few days. But hey, if something does change, you gotta tell us what happened when you get back! You will tell us, right Ben?" Jonesy asked.
"I will, don't get your jersey in a bunch, buddy. I wouldn't leave my two greatest friends hanging, or keep them out of the loop. I promise you, I'll tell you and show you everything when I get back." Marcus promised.
For the rest of the day, everyone's just been discussing their plans for the summer. Everyone would've had a quick lunch, go back to discussing with one another in class, only for the day to end, since most schools had half-days before they were announced that they could leave. Marcus could feel it in his gut that he didn't want to change too much, but considering the point in the timeline, when the events of the Original Series and onwards hasn't even happened yet, Marcus was a bit stumped.
'I really hope I don't have to be the one to get certain events started, otherwise I'm going to wring fate's neck out when I get the chance.' Marcus thought to himself, putting his head down on the desk as he hid a scowl. 'For all I know, this world could follow a different set of rules. Hindsight might be useless to me, or certain individuals probably don't even exist in this world... Man, watching Ben 10 would never feel the same after experiencing everything for myself... despite being stuck in Ben's body.'
Before he could continue his train of thought, the speakers came to life, announcing that everyone was free to go as the bell rang one last time. Marcus grabbed his backpack and made an immediate beeline towards his locker, opening it up as he packed up what was inside the locker, then promptly threw it all in the trash without a moment's hesitation.
"Not gonna be useful anymore, so I'm outta 'ere." Marcus remarked.
He slung the backpack over his shoulder and walked out the front door with Julie and Jonesy, only to be met by an all too familiar scene. Jonesy frowned as Julie looked disappointed in a direction. Marcus looked in the same direction and felt a strong sense of familiarity.
"Those two just don't know when to give up, do they?" Jonesy asked in a slightly bitter tone.
"Picking on people, even into their adult years... it's sad." Julie reprimanded.
Under one of the trees near the highschool's entrance, was three other individuals. One was a sniveling freshman, wearing glasses and had very exaggerated orange hair and black eyes. The other two, looked to be juniors. One was a bit scrawnier and less built, with a kind of squared jaw, but still rounded face and short black hair. The other junior had wild and curly brown hair, glasses and small beady black eyes, with a kind of slightly stockier build. Cash and JT, back to their bullying ways, even in another timeline or dimension or whatever.
"I'm gonna get 'em." Marcus said without hesitation.
Jonesy and Julie watched as Ben dropped his backpack and a scowl formed onto his face. He walked forward towards the scene, seeming ready to get into a brawl.
Jonesy dropped his bag and got to his friend's side, trying to talk him out of it. "Ben, think about this man, this could get ugly. Why don't we just head to Mr. Smoothy's and-"
"Sorry J-dog, but these two had it coming," Marcus rebutted. "It's time to kick ass and chew bubblegum, and I'm all out of gum. It's time these two got a taste of their own medicine, for a change."
Jonesy stayed by his side, seeing a burning fire in Ben's eyes. Jonesy, deep down, he knew that those two needed to get a swift serving of karma, but even he knew Ben couldn't do this on his own.
"Then let me help you. I got the muscle, and I am a football player. Who's gonna willingly let a football player tackle them to the dirt without protective gear." Jonesy remarked.
As the two approached, Marcus cracked his knuckles as Jonesy cracked his neck, stopping as they were a few feet away from the bullies.
"C'mon pointdexter, stop holding out on us! Fork over the damn cash so we can split! We have places to be, weirdo!" Cash threatened.
"Yeah, fork it over, or we'll have to take it by force." JT added.
"You two chowder-brained knuckle-shufflers can really be a pain in everyone's ass, it's almost a talent," Cash and JT whipped around, seeing Ben and Jonesy standing side-by-side. The freshmen got up and ran away, leaving just the older boys to deal with things themselves. "I think it's time both of you sick puppies got a nice taste of your own demented medicine. Consider this a house call, and a mandatory visit."
"Tennyson, trying to play hero, even after all these years? Don't make us laugh, you living joke! You couldn't save anyone, or yourself, even if you tried." Cash remarked with a smirk.
"You know that saying, 'Don't count your chickens before they hatch'? You seem a little to eager, in a similar way, pal. Why don't you make like your name, and put it where your mouth is, and square up. You had this coming, and it's not waiting any longer! Your mouth has been writing checks that couldn't be cashed for so long, and it's time to pay the piper, you punk!" Marcus reprimanded, holding his fists up as he got into what looked like a boxer's stance.
Cash smiled and laughed, "I have no idea what got into you, but I like it. I've been itching to kick your ass again, so let's do this!"
The four boys looked at each other, they stood still for what felt like an eternity, until JT made the first move... to run away.
"You coward!" Cash yelled as JT got further and further away. Marcus smirked.
"Nice to know JT was always smarter than you, guess that explains your dynamic. You're the tough and stupid one, and JT's the smarter and wiser one," Marcus remarked, chuckling before immediately stopping and glaring daggers at Cash. "How pathetic. You reprimand your only 'friend', who was smart enough to know when he's outnumbered and outpowered, yet you stand your ground, like a deer caught in headlights. I'd respect your decision if you haven't been such a prick and never once changed. We all grew up, Cash, when will you?"
Cash gritted his teeth and ran forward to throw a punch, only for Jonesy to push Cash to the ground. Cash could see that he was still outpowered and outnumbered, but though he realized it a little later than he should've, Cash scrambled to his feet and just ran away.
"What a one-note prick," Marcus turned towards Jonesy. "Thanks for the assist, Jonesy, Cash can be a bit wily, like a wild animal. Backed into a corner, and trying to strike, only to fail."
"He was a wily jerk even long before now. What he did to you, hanging you in a tree by your underwear as a kid, that's just undignified. Felt good to send them runnin' though, we didn't even have to try." Jonesy stated.
"JT's smart enough to know when he's outmatched. Cash, on the other hand, a bit slow to realizing the obvious," Julie chimed in, handing both of them their bags. "Ben, looks like your grandpa's here."
"That's my cue to bounce, then. I'll see you guys when the summer ends!" Marcus remarked, running towards an RV parked nearby.
"Bye Ben!" Julie called out.
"Remember to tell us everything, dude!" Jonesy called out.
As Marcus stepped into the RV, he noticed that it did share a bit of a model similarity to the reboot variation, despite having the details and feel of the RV in the original series.
'Must be a blend of everything, not that I'm complaining. Here's to hoping it never breaks down,' Marcus thought to himself. 'I wonder how Max and Gwen changed in this world. Guess I'm about to find out. Just gotta do what I've been doing. Act like Ben, but differentiate every now and then.'
"Hey Grandpa, we ready for this awesome road trip?" Marcus asked.
"Hey sport, how've you been?" A gruff, but old voice said. In the driver's seat was a stout man, fairly well built for a man his age, dressed in a red Hawaiian shirt with bright orange flowers on it, blue jeans and brown boots, wearing a light beige net hat, and had a bit of a well-trimmed beard. It was Max Tennyson, in the flesh. Oddly enough, still sounds like Paul Eiding. "And yeah, we're plenty ready. Just gotta wait till Gwen gets done in the shower, then we can hit the road."
"Gwen's coming with us, too? Huh, neat." Marcus commented.
"Likewise, doofus," A voice rang out behind him. He turned around to see, what really didn't look like Gwen. Her hair was black with stripes of red and a vibrant orange, and while it was cut short, she still tied her hair into a small ponytail with a blue scrunchie. She wore these bright white thigh high punk boots with black shorts, fishnet leggings, a dark blue t-shirt and a slightly lighter blue vest over it. She seemed to also be sporting black lipstick as her green eyes stared him down. "What're you looking at, dweeb?"
"I guess I'll be the first to say it, what in the hell are you wearing, and what possessed you to want to wear this?!" Marcus asked, in disbelief of what he was looking at.
Gwen grimaced and sneered, "I lost a bet, okay? I'm gonna look like this till the summer's over... ugh, I look like a blueberry goth-rock groupie." Gwen snided.
"I think you look fine, pumpkin. Now, let's strap in and get goin'. We got a long ways to go 'fore sundown." Max stated.
"Yes, Grandpa." The two said in unison.
Max turned the key as Marcus and Gwen took their seats in the booth, setting their stuff down as the RV begins to move. Marcus was getting closer and closer to his goal, and felt a sense of calm.
'Next stop, Yosemite National Park. AKA, the soon-to-be crash site for the Omnitrix.'