Heroes in a New Universe
Chap 1
Ben 10 Universe
"Anything, Rook?" A bored Ben Tennyson asked as he flipped through some channels. They had recently returned to Plumbers H.Q. from making a pit stop at Mr. Smoothy after patrolling for the past few hours. Typically, they would at least have something remotely interesting to do or that required them to fight. However, for the past few months, there has been no illegal activity anywhere on Earth. And while this was a good thing as it meant no one needed saving, Ben quickly grew bored. Even Rook, who had more patience, began to feel the same way a week later.
"Nothing yet, Ben." Rook answered with a yawn before taking a bite out of his meatball sub.
"That sucks."
"But we do have to patrol Undertown later."
"Not looking forward to having Pakmar yell at us again."
"He does have reason to yell at us, Ben. During most of our fights, we somehow end up destroying his business."
"I know, but almost all of them were accidents out of control." Ben reminded. "Hey, what's the date again?"
"It is the fifth of August. And it is one-thirty in the afternoon." Rook answered.
"Don't you have that date soon with your girlfriend soon?"
"That's right." Rook said as he stood up from his chair. "Thanks for reminding me, Ben."
"No problem, Rook."
"Speaking of which, shouldn't you call Kai soon, considering you both recently entered a relationship?"
"We're going to call each other later. It's been a bit hard to keep in contact with each, considering there's not really any good signal where she is."
"You know you can turn into one of your aliens, like XLR8 or Jetray, to go and visit her."
"I actually do that from time to time. But for the past two weeks, I couldn't since Kai is busy participating in a ceremony of some kind."
"Well, in that case, Ben, I'll see you later for tonight's patrol of Underworld."
"Alright. Take care, Rook." Ben said as Rook left the room. Once the doors closed behind him, Ben turned back to the television and continued scrolling through the channels. "Okay. Let's see if there is anything decent on T.V. again."
"Hello, Ben." The voice of the Galvin, known as Driba, said as he and his partner entered the room.
"How are you doing?" Blukic asked.
"Hey, guys. I'm doing fine, just bored. What about you two?" Ben asked.
"We're fine. We're just experimenting with some experiments that would allow Plumbers to travel across galaxies without needing vehicles." Driba answered.
"That would be useful. How's it coming along?"
"Ah... It's coming." Blukic answered, which told Ben that it wasn't going well.
"Anyway, you guys need something?"
"Not really. We were just passing through." Driba answered.
"But if you feel like lending a hand, you could pick up a delivery for us." Blukic added.
"Sure." Ben said, turning off the T.V. since there wasn't anything interesting on at the moment. "Where and what is it?"
"By Mr. Smoothy. Luhley will be there soon with what we need."
"Which is two microchips. The first one contains the coordinates for the project, while the other has commands for the emergency kill switch." Driba added.
"Alright. But how long before she arrives?" Ben asked.
"Oh, in about five minutes or so." Blukic answered.
"Okay, then. See you guys in a couple of minutes then." Ben said before activating his Omnitrix and cycling through his aliens. After a second, he slammed down on the Omnitrix with it turning him into XLR8. Ben then raced out of Plumber's H.Q. and headed to Mr. Smoothy.
One Minute Later
"Okay. Since Luhley isn't here yet, I might as well grab a smoothie while I wait." Ben said as he transformed back to his human form.
Walking over to the service window, Ben ordered a large of his favorite smoothie. Luckily, there wasn't any line, and the employees weren't busy, so his order came quickly. Handing the cashier the money, Ben grabbed his drink and made his way to one of the tables to sit down and relax while he waited for Luhley to arrive. However, like in the Plumber HQ, Ben quickly grew bored.
"I wonder what I could do to pass the time until patrol tonight." Ben wondered as he drank his smoothie.
He contemplated seeing how some of his non-plumber friends were doing or going to the training range. But he then remembered that all of his friends were busy, and Magister Coronach was teaching the cadets how to aim their weapons. Ben continued thinking about what he could do after he picked up the microchips from Luhley until the sounds of a spaceship landing caught his attention. Turning around, Ben noticed it was a Galvin ship, meaning that Luhley had finally arrived. Getting up, he threw away his now empty drink into the trash before making his way to the ship as Luhley exited it.
"Hello, Ben. Good to see you." Luhley said, smiling.
"Heym Luhley. Nice to see you too."
"Well, while I would like to stay and chat, I have to head to Plumbers H.Q. to give these two microchips to Driba and Blukic."
"Actually, they sent me here to pick them up."
"Really?"
"Yeah. They're busy with one of their newest inventions that, as they say, is going well."
"So, a disaster." Luhley said with a sigh before handing Ben the two microchips. "Anyway, thanks for agreeing to come and take these chips. It certainly saved me some time from going to Plumbers H.Q. personally to deliver them."
"No problem, Luhley."
"Take care, Ben." Luhley said before going back in her ship and taking off.
"Well, that's done. Better head back to Plumber HQ and give these to Driba and Blukic." Ben said as he carefully put the chips in his jacket's pocket. After all, they might be the perfect size for a Galvin, but that meant they were minuscule for humans. Activating his watch, Ben was about to transform into Jetray so he could fly back to Plumber HQ. But before he could slam down on the Omnitrix, an extremely bright glow that nearly blinded him caught his attention. "What the?"
Curious but also concerned, Ben walked toward the light to try and figure out what was causing it. However, as he got near, Ben realized it was coming from the dumpster behind Mr. Smoothy. Opening it, Ben saw a strange white crystal neatly on top of a few garbage bags.
"What's this?" Ben asked as he picked the crystal up. As he did so, the glow went away along with the crystal's color. It was now almost translucent. But the question still remained. Why was it here in the dumpster behind Mr. Smoothie, and why was it glowing? "Hmm. Can't take any chances. I better take this back and have some of the others check it out. But to be on the safe side."
Activating the Omnitrix again, Ben cycled through his aliens until he reached the image of Chromastone. But before he could confirm the choice by slamming it down, the crystal glowed again, this time even brighter than before. The glow soon enveloped Ben for a few seconds before disappearing. But once it died down, Ben was no longer there. All that was left were the two microchips for Blukic and Driba.
Generator Rex Universe
"Alright, guys. It's getting late. I have to head home; otherwise, Caesar and Six will be all over me." Rex Salazar said as he put on his goggles.
"Alright, Rex. See you later." Skwydd said, waving at Rex as he summoned his jets.
"Call us when you get home." Cricket added with a light blush on her face.
"Will do. See you." Rex said before taking off and making his way back home.
One Hour Later
"Home sweet home." Rex said as he landed outside of the base he lived at currently. He then took off his goggles before stretching a bit. "Can't wait to get in bed and sleep until noon."
"Before or after, I give you your punishment for sneaking out and staying out past curfew." A voice said. Turning around, Rex smiled at seeing his older brother, Caesar.
"Hey, Caesar."
"Hey, Hermano." Caesar said as he and Rex hugged each other. After a moment, they let go of each other, with Caesar placing his hand on Rex's shoulder. "Now, care to tell me why you were out so late, or do you want to take them up with Six?"
"Ah, no need to tell Six." Rex panicked, not wanting Six to punish him again. "But I was out with my old gang."
"That's nice, Hermano. It's always good to have friends." Caesar said, smiling. "But still, give us a call or heads-up so we know where you are so we can come to help you if something happens."
"Alright. I will."
"Good. Now. Before you go to bed, how about you come and help me with a new invention I have been working on."
"Sure." Rex answered as they entered the base and headed toward Caesar's lab. "But what are you working on?"
"Something that will hopefully act as a fail-safe in the event something or someone reactivates the nanites."
"I thought I destroyed them. Or, at the very least, had them shut down permanently." Rex said, confused.
"You did shut them down, Rex. But there is always the odd chance that some are not deactivated entirely. And if that is the case, someone could reactivate them. This should hopefully prevent that if the need for it ever arises."
"Alright. I guess that makes sense." Rex said as they entered Caesar's lab. "What do you want me to do?"
"I just need a small sample of your blood. But I also need you to stay here to deactivate the nanites in case something goes wrong." Caesar answered as he grabbed a syringe before putting on some gloves.
"Oh, man. I hate needles." Rex said as he sat down and took off his jacket.
"I know, Hermano. I know. But don't worry. I'll be gentle." Caesar said as he moved to stand in front of Rex and show an already full vial containing Rex's blood.
"Wait, you already did it?" Rex asked, shocked, earning a chuckle from his brother.
"Yes. I had lots of practice with this, and my teacher taught me how to be gentle, so the patient doesn't feel anything."
"So, how long will this take?" Rex asked as he put on his jacket.
"Not long. A few minutes at most." Caesar answered as he put the blood on some sliders before putting them on the table in the center of the room.
"Alright." Rex said before going to the side and grabbing a nearby magazine to read to pass the time.
Thirty Minutes Later
"Definitely, my brother." Caesar whispered, smiling as he saw his brother sleeping on a chair with the magazine on his face. Exactly how he and their parents did when bored out of their minds. Turning back to the experiment at hand, Caesar noticed that it was time to add the final touch. Which also meant that he needed to wake Rex up. "Rex. Wake up. It's time to help."
"Huh?" Rex said, startled awake. "Already. Okay. What do you need me to do?"
"Okay." Caesar began, holding up a small test tube. "In here are dummy nanites. They are practically identical to regular nanites. However, all they can do is turn on or off. These nanites will allow us to simulate what would happen if someone manages to reactivate the actual nanites. You activate them, and I increase their power, in a sense, gradually before administering my latest invention."
"Are you sure these are safe, brother? We don't need another incident on our hands."
"I'm sure, brother. All they can do are turn themselves on and off and nothing else. I even implemented several fail-safes to deactivate them and render them useless if something goes wrong."
"Alright." Rex relented before walking over to the table. "So, you just want me to activate them?"
"Yes. Activate the nanites, and I will gradually increase their power. We'll have to repeat this test several times at different levels to ensure this new invention works. If not, then it's back to the drawing board." Caesar said as he had two mechanical hands grab the vials. "But as an added precaution, let's get suited up."
Five Minutes Later
"Ready, Rex?" Caesar asked over the intercom. He was in an adjacent room, standing behind the control console for the robotic hands in the other room. Two of the hands had a vial of the dummy nanites, while the remaining had various items instead.
"Ready." Rex answered, inside the room and wearing a protective suit. Even though he was still technically an E.V.O., it didn't hurt to take extra precautions. "But what are those things the other hands are holding?"
"Right. The middle one contains my invention that hopefully will work. The one to the left of that is one of the fail-safes that will go off if this goes wrong. The last one is the power source that will help me gradually increase the power of the dummy nanites."
"Power source?" Rex asked, confused as he took a closer look and realized it was a simple white crystal.
"What? You think powering this place is free?" Caesar asked with a smirk. "But yes. The crystal can power a whole city experiencing a massive heatwave by itself for a whole year."
"Did you make it?"
"No. The crystal was part of a worldwide program to solve the world's energy crisis. However, the governments shelved the program and shifted focus to the nanite project. I only caught the tail end of the energy program as I was hired only a month after the nanite program began."
"Are there any other crystals?"
"No. This is the only one that survived the explosion. I tried replicating but had no luck so far." Caesar answered before focusing. "Anyway. Enough delaying. Let's begin. Activate the nanites."
Nodding, Rex extended his arm toward the dummy nanites and commanded them to activate. Caesar then used the crystal to increase the power within the dummy nanites. After a few seconds, he then used his invention, which successfully deactivated the nanites in less than a second. Satisfied, the duo retried the experiment several more times, with each time mirroring the same results.
"Alright, Rex. One more time, and we can call it a night." Caesar said, writing down the previous test's results.
"Got it." Rex said through a yawn before activating the deactivated nanites.
"Okay. Activating the crystal. Increasing power levels." Ceaser said as he increased the power of the crystal to raise the energy levels of the nanites. However, as soon as it reached the previous test levels, the crystal began glowing while the nanites trembled violently. "This is new."
"Yeah. I had never seen this before. Want me to shut them down?" Rex asked.
"Yes. Go ahead and-" Ceasar began but stopped and covered his eyes when the crystal glowed so bright that it blinded him. Luckily, it only lasted a moment. Blinking away the spots, he turned back to the other room, about to ask if his brother was alright but became panicked when he wasn't there. "Rex. Are you there?"
Not receiving an answer, Ceaser raced into the room and noticed that his brother wasn't there. But what troubled him the most were the now missing dummy nanites and broken crystal.
"Damn it. R.E.X.! ARE YOU THERE, HERMANO!?" Ceasar shouted as he ran out of the room, thinking that Rex was simply in another part of the base.
Max Steel Universe
"Alright, Steel. What two modes should we try fusing now?" Maxwell McGrath asked his partner.
'Hmmm. Perhaps we should try combining Turbo Speed Mode with Turbo Heat Mode. While I am uncertain of the possible outcome, I am certain the result will still be beneficial to us.' Steel said as he detached himself from Max. Currently, they are in the training range of the temporary N-Tek base. Since everything was calm and nothing was threatening the planet, they decided to train to keep their skills sharp and to try and create new Duo Strike modes.
"Flaming trails is all I can think of that could come from that mode, but let's give it a shot." Max said as Steel linked back to him.
'As much as I would like to have the janitors clean up the ash and burn marks off the floor nearly twenty-four/seven, I going to have to put a stop to it.' The voice belonging to Commander Forge Ferrus said over the comms.
'Commander Ferrus. Is something wrong?' Steel asked.
'Not yet, at least. But we picked up a strange, strong energy reading nearby. It's stronger than anything we have seen before.'
"How strong?" Max asked.
'Off the charts. I'm sure if it wasn't for Roberto, the sensors would have exploded.'
'Is it T.U.R.B.O. Energy?' Steel asked.
'That's the strange part. It's not. We can't make heads or tails of it. All we know is that it's growing out of control.'
"Alright. Steel and I'll check it out. Where is it?" Max asked.
'Behind Copper Canyon History Museum.'
"Got it." Max said before cutting off comms.
'Ready, Max?' Steel asked.
"Ready." Max answered with a smirk as Steel linked with him. "Let's go Turbo Speed Mode."
Max's armor became thinner and gained a streamlined design. His helmet became elongated, with blue and black markings appearing all over. Once in Turbo Speed Mode, Max and Steel raced toward the Copper Canyon History Museum.
Ten Seconds Later
"Alright, we're here." Max said as he reverted to his Turbo Base Mode.
'Now let's try and find the source of the strange energy.' Steel said, detaching himself from Max.
"Right. Should we use Turbo Hammer Claw Mode to speed up the process?"
'I don't think that would be necessary.' Steel said when a bright glow caught their attention.
"Yeah." Max agreed, raising his arm in front of his face to block the light from blinding him.
Luckily, the glow died down after a few seconds. Walking over to where it came from, Max moved some of the trash cans and garbage bags to the side. Once everything was out of the way, the duo discovered that the mysterious bright glow and cause of the energy spikes came from a small crystal. Picking it up, Max noticed that it had a very distinct shade of green and its shape resembled a pendant.
'Hmm. I don't recall any of Earth's crystals that glow as brightly as this one did.'
"I don't think there are any crystals that glow on their own, Steel."
"There are some that do, Max. It's called gemstone luminescence. It's the process where the atoms of a crystallized mineral absorb energy and then release it in small amounts over time." A new voice corrected. Turning around, the duo smiled when they saw their friend, Sydney Gardner, walking toward them.
"Hey, Sydney." Max said, happy to see his friend and also internally happy that he didn't have to hide his identity from her anymore. It certainly was an awkward moment when he told Sydney that he was Max Steel, only for her to tell him that she had known for a while.
"Hey, Max. Hey, Steel." Sydney said, smiling.
'Hello, Miss Gardner.' Steel greeted.
"Steel. You don't have to be so formal with me. Just call me Sydney."
'Alright.'
"Anyway. What are you two doing here?"
"Commander Ferrus said something here was causing a massive energy spike. We think it's this crystal since it was glowing very brightly a few seconds ago." Max answered.
"This crystal?" Sydney asked, walking over and picking up the crystal.
"Apparently."
"It doesn't seem like anything. Pretty though." Sydney said, examining the crystal.
"I guess. But we better take it back to base and give it to Roberto so he can examine it. It could be nothing, but it could also be game-changing."
"Right." Sydney agreed as she gave the crystal to Max.
"Thanks. See you later, Sydney." Max said.
"See you later, Max." Sydney said, smiling.
"Come on, Steel. Let's head back."
'Right. Goodbye, Sydney.' Steel said, waving at her.
"Bye, Steel." Sydney said as Steel attached himself to Max.
"Let's go, Turbo Speed Mode." Max shouted. However, as soon as their armor began to change, the crystal started to glow. But this time, it was about ten times brighter and soon enveloped Max and Steel.
"What's happening?" Sydney asked, shielding her eyes with her arm. After a few seconds, the light died down, allowing her to lower her arm. But she became confused and worried when she didn't see Max or Steel anywhere. All that was left was the crystal that brought Max and Steel behind the museum in the first place. Worried that whatever happened was caused by the crystal, Sydney decided to bring it to the nearest N-Tek base to see if they could find out what it was and where it took Max and Steel.
Danny Phantom Universe
"Are you sure, Danny? Clockwork doesn't typically contact anyone aside from the Observants. And even that is rare." Sam Manson said, slightly worried for her friend.
"Sam's right, Danny. Clockwork prefers to be alone. The last time we saw him was when the Disasteroid was heading toward Earth. And even then, he left right after it passed the planet. So for him to contact you out of nowhere is rather odd." Tucker Foley added as he inputted the coordinates into his PDA that, he connected to the Ghost Portal via a cable.
"All the more reason to go see him." Danny Fenton, AKA Danny Phantom, said. Typically, his friends would go with him, but they needed to be in the arctic to help the others dismantle the device they used to turn the planet intangible.
"Please be careful." Sam said.
"Of course. When haven't I been careful?" Danny asked, smiling.
"Would you like the list in chronological or alphabetical order?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Tucker?" Danny asked, hoping his best friend would have his back.
"Do I really need to answer that?" He asked with a deadpan stare.
"Fine. I'll be careful and keep you guys updated." Danny relented with a sigh.
"You better." Sam said before kissing him. "Now get going."
"All right. I'm going ghost!" Danny shouted as he transformed into his ghost form. And even though he didn't need to use his signature phrase, he still did it as old habits died hard. "See you guys later."
"Alright. Take care, Danny." Sam said. Nodding, Danny floated into the air before heading into the Fenton Portal.
Two Hours Later
Clockwork's Clock-filled Citadel
"Alright. I'm here. Now to find Clockwork." Danny said as he arrived at the citadel. And even though he had been here a few times beforehand, he still did not know the layout of the place.
'Alright, Danny. Be careful and stay alert. We still don't know if it's a trap or not.' Sam said over the comms.
"I will. Don't worry."
'Okay, Danny. We'll be going dark, so you won't be able to contact us for a while.' Tucker added.
"Alright. Take care, guys." Danny said, turning off his comms. "Now, where is Clockwork?"
"Above you, young one." The voice of Clockwork suddenly said. Looking up, Danny saw the ghost with a clock in its body wielding a time staff. But each time, after a few seconds, Clockwork changed his age from young to adult, then ancient, before starting over.
"Clockwork." Danny said, stopping in his tracks.
"Yes?"
"Why did you call me to come to your lair?"
"Follow me." Clockwork said before phasing into the building behind him. Doing the same, Danny turned intangible before following Clockwork into the building. Once in, he noticed hundreds if not thousands of different artifacts he had never seen before. Some of them seemed like things he would find while exploring the ghost zone. However, the others appeared to belong to another universe or dimension.
"Where are we, Clockwork? And what are these things?" Danny asked as he followed Clockwork.
"As you know, I am the Master of Time. I see the past, present, and future simultaneously. I see all the twists and turns our timelines might and might not take. But that does not mean I see everything." Clockwork began. "Do you know what I mean by that?"
"You see everything here. But anything outside of our timeline, you can't."
"Precisely. None of the Ghost Zone residents know that artifacts from other worlds, universes, and dimensions have appeared here. And I would like to keep it that way until I find a way to send these items back to their respective places."
"But where do I fit in with this?" Danny asked, curious but having a feeling what Clockwork wanted from him.
"As you know firsthand, Pariah Dark is the tyrannical king of all ghosts. With the Ring of Rage and Crown of Fire, he gained unlimited power and absolute might. But what few know is that there is a third item the Ghost King had in his possession. It's what helped him contain and control the power the other relics gave him."
"What is it?"
"A crystal. A crystal that came from another universe. Pariah used it as a conductor and limiter for the powers the Ring of Rage and Crown of Fire gave him."
"So where is it? I don't remember seeing it while I was in his castle."
"That's because it's not in his castle. It's at the far end of the Storage Room of the Ghost Zone."
"Wait, really? The Ghost King used the Storage Room to hide the crystal?" Danny asked, surprised.
"Very few even go there. Even the Box Ghost rarely treads near that location. The clutter and easy-to-lose sense of direction helped deter anyone from entering." Clockwork explained before grabbing a scroll from a nearby table. "Here. Take this. It will guide you to the crystal. Go there, take it, and bring it back here as soon as possible. The quicker we return it to where it came from, the sooner we never have to worry about the Ghost King ever again."
"Alright. I'll be back soon." Danny said, grabbing the scroll before turning intangible and leaving the building.
"Make sure of it, Danny. Nothing is more dangerous than the unknown." Clockwork said before returning to his work.
Two Hours Later
Storage Room
"So this is the Storage Room. Not sure what I expected." Danny said as he opened the Storage Room's door and floated inside. "Maybe I can find that Fenton Booo-merang or that portable ghost device that mom was working on a while back."
Taking out the scroll, Danny began to follow the path on it while ignoring everything that floated around him. Although, he did have to remind himself he was on a mission every now and then when something caught his eye. But that didn't stop Danny from making a few mental notes on possible cases he could use to hide anything dangerous he finds in the future. After about an hour of flying, Danny finally arrived at the location where Dark Pariah hid his third relic.
"Okay. It should be around here somewhere." Danny said as he came to a stop between a few cardboard boxes and dressers.
Figuring that Pariah hid the crystal in one of the containers no one would initially expect, Danny started with a weird-looking jewelry chest. But no luck. Moving to a nearby wardrobe, he checked through the entire thing, but it yielded the same result. Sighing, Danny began checking everything around him, but after what felt like a solid half-hour, he felt like giving up.
"Maybe it floated off, or the map Clockwork gave me is outdated." Danny said as he grabbed the scroll again. But as soon as he did, a near-blinding glow emanated from nearby. "Or maybe I didn't check everything."
Moving toward the source, Danny opened what appeared to be an ornate sarcophagus. Opening it, Danny noticed the abundance of jewelry and clothing, which seemed out of place. But after moving some to the side, he found what was causing the bright glow. It was a tiny, multicolored crystal. And while Danny was by no means an expert with gems or anything similar, he knew the one he just picked up resembled a black opal. But the difference was that it was nearly translucent instead of a solid black.
"Not what I was expecting, but oh well." Danny said before pocketing it.
Satisfied that he had found what he was looking for, Danny started flying back toward the Storage Room's exit. However, as he flew toward it, he felt the crystal begin to heat up. Curious, Danny took it out and examined it. But as he did, Danny noticed that it wasn't hurting or burning him. Yet it was also glowing again. Looking around, Danny thought something must be causing the crystal to act up. Initially, nothing seemed to stand out or be the cause of it. But that changed when he noticed a strange, blue door.
"Weird. Where did that door come from?" Danny asked, knowing there was only one door in the Storage Room. And that door was to get in and out of the Storage Room.
Feeling that he needed to at least check it out to ensure it was causing the crystal to act up, Danny began to fly toward the mysterious door. But as he neared it, he noticed the crystal glowing bright and burning hotter. Yet, it still did not burn or hurt him. Once at the door, Danny began examining it. And the first thing he noticed was that door was granite and not comprised of ghostly energy or wood.
"That's strange. Maybe this is where the Ghost King got the crystal." Danny said, noticing the crystal glowing brighter. However, he also knew that if whatever was on the other side of the door was capable of making Clockwork worry; then he shouldn't be anywhere near it. Plus, there was a good chance that crystal was acting as some kind of tracker. And Danny didn't feel like fighting anyone that could possibly match the power levels of the Ghost King. "I better return to Clockwork so he can lock up this crystal."
Pocketing it, Danny turned around and began flying back toward the exit. But not even a second later, he noticed the wind starting to pick up. And no sooner than it did, he felt it pulling him back. Looking over his shoulder, Danny saw that the door had mysteriously opened and was the cause of the wind. Not wasting any time, Danny immediately flew forward with all his might to try and escape but to no avail. Slowly but surely, the wind dragged Danny inside the black abyss that was waiting for him. And once he passed the doorframe, the door closed and disappeared right after.
RWBY UNIVERSE
"Ow. My head. I haven't had a headache this bad since listening to Simian." Ben groaned as he slowly stood up.
"You said it. And I thought only Black Knight could give me a headache this bad." Rex said.
"Or my bought with the Ghost King while wearing the Ecto-Skeleton." Danny added.
"Don't forget Makino." Max finished as they all stood up, as their senses returned and their vision cleared.
But as soon as it did, they all realized what was happening and did the appropriate thing. They all jumped back and got into a fighting stance,
"Woah." Danny said, not expecting this.
"Who are you three?" Max asked as he and Steel transformed into Turbo Spike Mode.
"I could say the same to you." Rex countered as his hands transformed into massive orange gauntlets.
"Don't count yourself out... Wait a minute. Rex. Is that you?" Ben began, ready to change into one of his aliens but stopped when he recognized Rex as the guy he met a while back.
"Ben?" Rex asked, surprised to see him again.
"I take it you two know each other." Max asked, not relaxing his stance.
"It's a bit of a long story."
"But to sum it up, I accidentally ended up in his world while fighting an unknown enemy. We didn't get along at first." Ben continued.
"That's an understatement." Rex commented.
"But after some... events, we became allies and friends." Ben finished, not wanting to give away too much.
"But now that we told you two who we are, it's your turn now." Rex said. Danny and Max looked at each other for a moment before shrugging.
"Alright. I'll guess I'll go first." Danny said. "My name is Danny Phantom."
"And you?" Ben asked, turning to Max.
"My name is Max." Max said as Steel detached himself from Max's chest. "And this is my partner, Steel."
'Hello.' Steel said.
"Uh, is Steel an alien?" Danny asked, curious.
'Yes. I am a bio-organic alien technology known as an Ultralink, classified as an Omega Class model.'
"Huh. Neat." Danny said, knowing that his friend, Tucker, would love to meet Steel.
"And you're not even slightly put off by that?" Rex asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Uh, I'm half-ghost and half-human. So seeing an alien isn't that big of a surprise for me." Danny explained. "Plus, your hands transformed into giant gauntlets a moment ago."
"Fair point." Rex said with his hands returning to normal. "And really?"
"Yup."
"Oh, so kind of like me. Except replace part-ghost with part-Tachyon, which is an alien race." Max said.
"Nice to meet another hybrid." Danny said, smiling.
"Well, this might be a stretch, but I'm guessing since Rex, and I are our world's heroes, you two are as well." Ben said.
"You could say that." Max said.
"That's how everyone sees me now in my world." Danny added.
"That means we don't have a reason to fight each other." Rex said.
'Which is good, but we still need to figure out where we are, when we are, and why we are here.' Steel said.
"Right. Let me get an ariel view of the place." Ben said before activating the Omnitrix and slamming it down a second later with him transforming into an Aerophibian. "Jetray."
"Woah. Did he just transform into an alien?" Danny asked as Ben flew into the air.
"Yup. It took me a while to accept that." Rex answered.
'Hmm. I have no recollection or knowledge of this alien species.' Steel said.
"Maybe not in our universe but perhaps in his." Max said.
"You're correct in that part." Jetray said as he landed and reverted to Ben. "Jetray is an Aerophibian from the planet Aeropela in my universe."
"How did you that?" Danny asked.
"With this." Ben answered while showing off the Omnitrix. "It's called the Omnitrix and has the DNA of over a million aliens and counting. It allows me to transform into any one of them for a certain amount of time."
"Wow."
"But anyway, back on track." Max said, getting everyone's attention. "Did you find anything that might tell us where we are?"
"Nothing that would tell us in what universe we are. But I did see a nearby destroyed village we could use for shelter, considering it is getting dark." Ben answered.
"Better than nothing." Danny said, with the others agreeing.
"Then let's get going. I don't know about you all, but something about this place doesn't feel right." Rex said. The others nodded and followed Ben to the nearby village.
Half an Hour Later
"I bet you caused a lot of fires when you first turned into that alien." Danny said, smirking as Ben, who is now Heatblast, lit the wood they gathered to create a campfire.
"Not a lot of fires, but I did accidentally create a forest fire." Ben said as he changed back to human form.
"How did you stop it?" Max asked.
"My grandfather told me to create another fire, which I did."
"Why would he tell you to do that?" Rex asked, curious.
'Backfire. By creating a new fire and letting it burn into the old fire, they will extinguish each other.' Steel explained.
"Makes sense."
"But now let's move back to the task on hand. Do any of you recognize this village or the forest?" Ben asked.
"No. Nothing about this place rings a bell." Rex answered.
"Same here." Danny added.
"And same here." Max added.
'While I don't recognize this place, some of the architectural choices and designs lead me to believe we are somewhere in Asia.' Steel said.
"Okay. So we know that we are still on Earth. But the question remains. Which of our Earths are we on?" Ben asked.
"Um. Quick question. But are the moons in your universes in one piece?" Danny asked, confusing the others.
"Yes." The others answered.
"Why?" Rex asked.
"Because that tells me we are not in any of our universes. Look." Danny said, pointing to the sky. The others followed his finger, and what they saw made their jaws drop from shock.
It was the moon. And it had a large chunk of it in pieces.
"Okay. So we're not in any of our universes. That's for certain." Rex said.
"Hey, uh, Ben." Max said.
"Yeah." Ben said, turning to him.
"Do you think any of your aliens could bring us back to our universe?"
"Unfortunately not. I did have one that could, but I had the creator of Omnitrix lock it away, and the only way to unlock it is to have the keys, which I don't have. It's too powerful, and if anyone else gets their hands on it, then it's game over."
"Damn. Well, I guess we have to find another way home."
"Hopefully, this planet, or wherever we are, even has that level of technology." Rex said.
"Hopefully." The others muttered as well.
"But we're not going to get anything done if we're exhausted. Let's get some rest, and we can figure everything else out tomorrow." Ben said.
"Yeah, resting sounds good right now." Danny agreed as they sat down. But as soon as they did, they heard a blood-curdling screeching sound that forced them to cover their ears.
"What was that?" Max asked as they checked their surroundings.
"I don't know. But I have a feeling we are about to find out." Ben said. And no later than he said this, about thirty black creatures with red eyes and bones protruding from their bodies appeared.
"Uh, this is new." Danny said, unsure of what they were looking at. While the creatures seemed menacing, especially with their red eyes, he wasn't afraid as they reminded him of Cujo. Although these things appeared to want to kill rather than play with them.
'Indeed. But we best not underestimate them as we don't know anything about them or what they can do.' Steel said as he linked with Max.
"Right. Now. Let's go, Turbo Heat Mode!" Max declared as his armor changed.
"Woah. Now that's impressive." Rex said, impressed as his right arm changed into a giant sword.
"It is." Danny said, getting their attention. "But does anyone else get the feeling that something called these things here?"
"Not really." Rex answered.
"Maybe they made this village their home after everyone died or left and saw us as threats." Max added.
"Perhaps. But that doesn't explain why they aren't attacking us. But we can figure that out later once we take care of them." Ben said before activating the Omnitrix and slamming it a second later. "Water Hazard!"
"Water Hazard?" Danny asked, confused.
"You'll see why soon enough."
"Why not Diamondhead or that electric yeti alien?" Rex asked.
"Two reasons. First, as a precaution, in case the fire grows out of control. Second, I was going to choose another alien, but the Omnitrix gave me the wrong alien. Again." Ben explained, annoyed.
'I feel like there's a story behind that.' Steel said.
"I'll tell you all after we finish this fight." Ben said.
The others nodded before charging at the strange creatures. Ben and Max stood back-to-back while Danny and Rex fought together. And despite only Rex and Ben previously working together, the four quickly found their rhythm, with one covering the other's backside or weakness. The attacking creatures, meanwhile, struggled to get anywhere near the four strangers. Not only were their powers nothing like they had previously encountered, but they were more powerful and worked together seamlessly. And in only a matter of seconds, most of the creatures were dead, with only a handful remaining.
"That wasn't so bad." Danny said as he and the others stepped back to gather themselves.
"Definitely not as bad as some of the others we faced in our universes, right?" Rex asked with a smirk. However, it appeared the creatures understood him as their stances grew confident, as if they knew they would win.
"This can't be good." Max said, noticing how the creatures' demeanor changed. And with good reason, for a second later, they heard the same blood-curdling screech from before.
"Definitely not good." Ben agreed as the creatures moved to the side, as another more menacing-looking creature appeared. This one resembled a horse-like creature with an equine main body and a skinless humanoid creature fused with it. The humanoid's face seemed similar to that of a bone mask with horns, while the humanoid's back had weapons sticking out.
"I guess that's what made the shriek earlier and what called these things here to attack us." Danny said.
"Seems like it. So how should we deal with the knock-off headless horseman here?" Rex asked as he changed his arms into gauntlets.
"Don't worry; I got it. And I have the perfect alien to give ugly here a taste of his own medicine." Ben answered as he activated the Omnitrix before slamming it down. "Echo Echo."
"Ah. Not to be a downer or anything, but how is this alien thing going to defeat this thing?" Danny asked, confused.
"You'll see. But, you all might want to cover your ears unless you like having ruptured eardrums." Echo Echo answered. The others looked at each other for a moment before nodding and covering their ears. Echo Echo looked back at the new creature with it staring him down.
"WALL... OF... SOUND!" Echo Echo shouted while cloning himself to surround the new creature. And each clone had soundwaves coming out of their mouths. The creature tried to scream back, but the soundwaves drowned it out. It tried to endure the attack, but it was too much. It then tried to attack the clones with either its horse part or by extending its arms. Yet, each time it took out a clone, another replaced it not even a second later. All the Echo Echo clones kept up their attack for a full three minutes. And by the end, the beast couldn't take it anymore and tried to escape by running away.
"Not so fast!" Rex shouted as he appeared from nowhere and punched the creature in the face with his gauntlets, sending it flying back to Ben.
"We're not done with you." Max added as he continued the assault and hit the creature with two beams of T.U.R.B.O. Energy blasts while in his Turbo Rocket Mode. With a groan, the creature got up on its feet and tried to limp away from the fight, knowing it couldn't beat these strangers.
"Going somewhere?" Danny asked as he became visible while floating next to the creature's head. And before it could react, Danny used its ghostly wail to finish it off. The creature let out one last pitiful screech before falling limp.
"Well, that's done." Rex said, dusting his hands as the remaining creatures ran off while the dead ones began to disintegrate and turn to dust.
"For now. Who knows how many more of these things are out there?" Ben said.
'He is right. For all we know, there could be thousands more nearby. And there is a good chance some of them might be more powerful or deadly than the ones we had just faced.' Steel said as he detached himself from Max.
"Steel's right. We better find another place to spend the night." Max agreed. The others nodded before heading out of the village to find another place to use for shelter, unaware of what lies ahead for them.