Good morning, noon or night Ultras! For my American readers, Happy Independence Day yesterday! For my international readers, happy fifth of July! (You still can have a great day!) Welcome to chapter forty-two of The Ultra 10 Chronicles! But before you can indulge in the chapter, a few announcements! (Or alternatively, you can just skip down to the chapter start, no judgements!)
I know I said that I'd have more of a focus on Ben and Gwen than last chapter, but I didn't deliver too much of them this chapter. Part of that is because I had some writers' block this week, and had to rewrite the chapter several times before it was somewhat how I wanted it. So it has some, yes, but more this coming fight in the next chapter, I promise!
One user reached out to me wanting to do a Latin Spanish translation of The Ultra 10 Chronicles over on Wattpad! The user's username on Wattpad is Dnmele. So if you're more comfortable reading in Latin Spanish, or just want to check it out, I'd encourage you to go over and check his work out! He probably won't start posting for a little while, so I'll say a quick bit when he starts putting those Spanish chapters out!
I also added a proper prologue onto the front of Volume 1. It doesn't have anything to do with the plot-line, just some information about the story. So don't feel like you are missing anything by not reading it, or even that you should read it. It's mostly for new readers to Volume 1.
Trigger warning: There are a number of triggers in this chapter, four cases of choice language. The first one is in the paragraph after the one which reads, "No, Vilgax has once again scrambled..." The second one is in the paragraph which reads, "Woah, what the h*** is going on?" The third one is in the paragraph after the one which reads, "Nobody gets away until they get what's coming to them!" The last one is in the paragraph which reads, "I'm not someone you want to hang around..."
No soundtrack this chapter, sorry. I've got one planned for a character re-introduced this chapter, but I think I'm going to save it for later...
Enjoy the chapter!
The Ultra 10 Chronicles: Volume 2: A Hero Earth Needs
Chapter 43: Reinforcements
The next afternoon
"It's been quiet most of the day," Gwen sighed from her spot in the shelter she'd used her magic to construct from the trees and branches in their hidden thicket the day before. "Do you think that means that Vilgax has won?" Ben shrugged his shoulders.
"Vilgax was using primarily drones to invade the city. They could be recharging or turned off, or went back to his ship," Ben conjectured. "Or the PLUMMERs could have driven him off, or have been driven off themselves. Or we could just be in a quiet part of the city. It's hard to tell one way or another. Either way, last night was pretty miserable in the cold."
"Sorry about that," Gwen apologized, blushing. "I did my best with the branches, but they just aren't very good at insulation."
"Not a big deal," Ben said. "We'll just have to gather a few more supplies today. A couple of blankets, firewood, things like that."
"And more than just junk food," Gwen complained. "I like cookies and Doritos as much as the next person, but its not much for a meal."
"I didn't want to steal anything that could still be sold," Ben apologized.
"I get it, but maybe we can risk running to my house for food?" Gwen asked.
"If Vilgax knew about Julie, there's a good chance he knows about you too, so we probably shouldn't risk running there," Ben reasoned. "However, Ellie wasn't with the team when Vilgax first attacked, so she might be able to get in and out without drawing suspicion."
"I'll make the call," Gwen said, pulling out her communicator. She opened it up, activating it. "Ellie? Do you hear me? This is Gwen." She waited a moment before hearing any reply.
"Gwen? Your voice is pretty fuzzy," Ellie's voice came from the other end.
"Probably Vilgax or something messing withe the signal," Gwen reasoned.
"Where are you two?" Ellie asked. "Are you and Ben alright?"
"We're fine," Gwen replied. "We're out of danger for the time being. But we are pretty short on supplies, and we were wondering if you'd be able to make a trip to my house for me?"
"I can do that," Ellie's fuzzy response came back. "What do you need me to grab?"
"Food mostly," Gwen replied. "And blankets and clothes. We can meet you on the corner of Persia and Broadway."
"I'm out of town with Maddi, Cooper and Julie. So it's going to take a little time to get back into town," Ellie explained. "Cooper and I can grab the stuff, and meet you in two hours."
"Thanks, Ellie," Gwen thanked her friend. She ended the call.
"We'd better start moving towards Persia, if we want to get there in time," she told Ben, who nodded. However, he didn't look up from his watch.
"The Omnitrix has been bugging out ever since I detransformed from Accelerate yesterday," he said. He held the watch out for Gwen to take a look at.
"What has it been doing?" She asked.
"The activator button usually pops the face up when I press it," Ben pressed the button. "But I think its busted or something, the face just spins around when you press it."
"Have you tried pressing the face anyway?" Gwen asked. Ben shook his head. He pressed the activator button, watching the watch face spin once. After it stopped, Ben pressed it down, as if he were selecting an alien.
"OMNITRIX PLAYLIST SELECTION MODE," the watch said. Ben gave Gwen a quizzical look.
"Well, that hasn't happened before," he said. He pressed the activator button again.
"PLAYLIST, COMBINATION MODE" the Omnitrix said, popping up the faceplate. Curiously, Ben pressed down the faceplate. "COMBINED PLAYLIST SELECTED."
"Not sure what that did," Gwen commented. In response, Ben activated the Omnitrix again.
"It has different forms," Ben said, scrolling through the aliens. "All of the old guys are still here, but there's new ones too!" He found a new one and raised his hand, ready to select it. "Here goes nothing!" In a flash of green light, he emerged as a new alien.
"What good is this one?" Gwen asked. "It just looks like a big pile of gloop!" That wasn't far from the truth. Ben was composed of a green, sticky, slimy substance. Above his head, there was a metal disk that hovered over him, seemingly to keep him rom becoming one big, messy puddle on the ground.
"Beats me," Ben replied in this form's nasally voice. It sounded kind of like he was speaking underwater, his voice bubbling as he spoke. "I wonder if it has super strength?" He walked over to a boulder on the ground and tried to lift it, to no avail.
"So no strength, and it's definitely not fast…" Ben pondered.
"Could there be something to your… um, goop-stuff?" Gwen asked. "Like acid or something?" Ben shrugged.
"Worth a try." He threw his arm, as if throwing a baseball, at the rock, the sticky substance making him up separated from his arm, slapping onto the rock with a wet smack. However, after a second of nothing happening, the rock started to smoke, as the slime melted its way through it. "That's a yes on the acid," Ben proclaimed.
"Well, that's enough of playing around for now," Gwen said. "We'd better get going if we're going to avoid any drones attracted to the Omnitrix. Besides, Ellie is going to be waiting for us." Ben nodded, and pressed the badge, resorting back to himself.
"Alright, let's go!"
Galactic Enforcers Galactic South-Central Command center
Ultimos stood confidently onboard the command deck of the transport carrier he was commanding, The Spirit of Resistance. He had just had the last of the munitions store loaded up onto his carrier, and was just waiting for his two battleships to finish fueling up and join his carrier, as they prepared to jump into Earth space. He watched the navigational technicians make the last calculations for their journey.
"Tini, Synaptak, how long until we are prepared to jump?" Ultimos asked into his communicator built into his control console.
"The Freedom Fighter is fueled and is moving into jump position," Tini's voice came through the speaker.
"The Negotiator has just completed fueling," Synaptak said through his speaker. "Another five minutes will ensure our moving into jump position."
"Then we begin our jumps in fifteen minutes," Ultimos said. "With any luck, we will arrive slightly ahead of schedule." He ended the conference between his officers, trusting them to obey his orders, and to execute them.
"Power up the engines," Ultimos commanded his crew from his command deck. "You heard the timeframe we are trying for. The good people of Earth need our aid against the villainous Vilgax, and the faster we can arrive, the more people we can save from being killed at his hand." After a few more minutes of checking the systems of his ships, Ultimos gave the order, watching his ships enter the first jump ring, and speed off at faster-than-light speeds towards the next ring in a series towards Earth.
PLUMMER Command
"What is the status of the cargo ship?" Agent 01 inquired of his communications specialist.
"It's arrived, and appears to be loading up," Agent B62 replied. "It should be back here within the next couple of hours."
"Very good," Agent 01 responded. "And how are our ground forces?"
"They've cleared a part of the city," another agent responded. "About two blocks North to South, and four blocks, East to West. They've been in contact with the police, and are working in coordination with them to keep the civilians safe."
"And what of our artillery?"
"They're taking a pounding from Vilgax's guns," Agent S32 reported. "Shields are down to twenty-five percent integrity. They really need to recharge!"
"Sir, my squad is refueled and resupplied," Jack told his superior.
"Then get out there, and give the ground forces reinforcements," Agent 01 barked at him. Jack ran off to get his squad prepared for deployment once more.
"Any new information on the Galactic Enforcers?"
"No, Vilgax has once again scrambled our satellite channels, so we're blind to anything off-planet," Agent B62 informed.
"Damnit," Agent 01 cursed under his breath. "With the way those drones keep putting each other back together, we're going to need reinforcements as soon as we can get it." He stood in silence for a moment, trying to decide what he needed to focus his attention on next.
"Agent B62, connect to the local Public Announcement system. I've got a message to make." The agent nodded, and started typing away at his console.
"Over there, there's a few drones moving down Curlew Boulevard," Max told several of his agents, who marched off in the direction to handle them. "Officer Chudleigh, I need you to send your officers towards Barkley Street. My agents over there need help evacuating an apartment complex that is about to collapse." The officer nodded his head, before speaking into his radio, and heading off in the direction of Barkley Street.
Max fell in line with an assortment of PLUMMER agents and police officers in preparing for the next wave of drones. He had heard the main body of them making their way down Broadway for some time, and they'd been hurriedly evacuating citizens and pushing whatever barriers they could get in the way of the drones. Anything that slowed them down or tripped them would help their chances. Max squinted, his PLUMMER helmet outlining the first drone coming into view.
"Here they come!" Max shouted, as he unleashed a blast from his energy gun. The mixed crew of agents and officers followed suit, unleashing their bullets at the advancing drones. Several fell at the first volley, and more at the subsequent blasts. But he could already tell that the salvageable new were being pulled back from the fight and reassembled into new drones, making it all but impossible to keep them destroyed.
Just then, he heard an engine fire off above his head, prompting him to look up just in time to catch a glimpse of the glider squad soar over his head. They unleashed a shower of energy blasts, shredding through a dozen or more drones as they soared past.
"Good to see that we've got air cover," Max spoke into his communicator.
"Glad to be your air cover," Morningstar replied. "Take cover, we're coming for a second pass!" Just as he spoke that, Max saw the gliders rise up into the sky as they changed direction and flipped around, lining up for a second pass. His men cheered as they saw dozens more drones get shot to ribbons.
"Alright, men, we've got to start pushing those drones back," Max commanded. "They're too big to fin in most of these buildings, but we're still going to have to retake the city street by street!"
The next afternoon, New Orleans Downtown
Sam stepped out of the taxi he had been riding in and paid the driver.
"Are you sure you don't need a ride to a hotel or somethin'?" The rider asked as he gave Sam his change back. "Ever since reports of those robot-things started showing up, it's been pretty dangerous on the streets. Criminals takin' advantage of the situation, you know?"
"Thanks, Harvey, but I'll be fine," Sam replied with a smile. "I'm able to take care of myself."
"Suit yourself," Harvey answered. "Just don't do nothin' stupid out there. No thug's goin' to give it a second thought to mug ya. See ya around, kid." With that he shifted his car into gear, and pulled away into the foggy mist.
"Whatever this city is," Sam muttered to himself. "It sure is creepy." With that, he shouldered his backpack and made his way down the street. He hadn't made it too far before he noticed that he had a tail. Someone was following him.
"Whoever you are," Sam shouted out. "I got no money, but I know how to fight. You'd best move on." He listened for the sound of feet behind him, but didn't hear anything. Shrugging, he continued his meandering through the streets. He still didn't feel like he had a purpose in his wanderings. He just couldn't stay still. If he stayed too long in any one city, he'd get comfortable. And if he got comfortable, then he'd have time to think about Bellwood. And if he remembered Bellwood, he'd remember what happened…
Sam shook his head, trying to erase the memory. He didn't want to look back. He'd get over with it eventually, he knew. But he just didn't want to face it right now. Sam turned down another street, looking for anything out of the ordinary to distract him from his thoughts.
"It's over, kid," a gruff voice spoke from behind him. "Hand over whatever you got in that bag of yours, and we can be on our way." Sam turned around to look at whoever spoke to him. He was a large, rough looking guy with a switchblade. Next to him stood another guy with a mohawk, who was carrying a knife as well.
"I don't have anything of value," Sam said directly to the larger man who had spoken.
"Then you won't mind if we take a look ourselves," Mohawk said. Behind him, Sam noticed the footsteps of at least two other people, no doubt trying to get the jump on him.
"I'm giving you one last warning to leave me alone," Sam said. "You don't want to fight me." Mohawk laughed roughly at that.
"You hear that, Spike?" He said, elbowing the larger man to his side. "The little twerp thinks that he can beat you!"
"I can," Sam said, matter-of-factly.
"Oh-ho-ho!" One of the people sneaking up from behind him laughed. She sounded tough and cocky. "He spits a little fire! You'd better snuff him out!" Sam looked around him again, noticing the woman wearing a biker outfit behind him, flanked by two large men, each carrying knives.
"Five on one?" Sam quipped. "Are you sure that you got me yet?"
"Shut up and hand us the bag!" The woman said. Sam reached his hand into his pocket, feeling the smooth metal of the nano-mech suit. He flicked it open with his thumb, feeling the mech immediately start to expand over his body.
"Woah, what the hell is going on?" One of the thugs exclaimed as they all took a step back in surprise. In a second, Sam was covered in his nano-mech armor. He tossed his bag to the side.
"I told you that you didn't want to fight me," Sam said, powering up his energy cannons. "But now it's time for a beat down!" Just then, a few pebbles clanked onto the ground. They looked like large marbles made out of clay or something. However, a blue glow surrounded and emanated from them.
All of a sudden, the marbles began to grow rapidly, expanding into some sort of rock creatures. Within a second, they were three feet tall. Another second, and they reached their full stature of nearly five feet.
"Time to pay up!" A feminine voice shouted from above. Sam glanced into the sky above him to see a figure jump down, landing on the concrete beside him. She looked to be about eighteen years old. She had long, silvery hair, which was pulled back into a ponytail, and fell all the way down to her waist. She wore a magenta colored, trench-coat type of coat that was split into several tails that fell down around her ankles. It was highlighted with purple which matched the purple leggings she wore.
Around her waist she wore a satchel. It was overall tan, but had stitching on it resembling a creepy face, like a shrunken head. Its mouth was the zipper, being zipped shut. Up and down her sleeves she had runes stitched into her coat, and although they were black, they glowed with just the slightest aura of blue. She had a pretty face, with bright violet eyes that grew darker as they moved towards the pupil. Overall, although she was physically pretty, she carried a creepy, voodoo-like feeling about her. Sam had the passing thought that she fit right into the creepy feel of New Orleans.
"Not this crazy witch again!" One of the thugs shouted in fear.
"Is this that little twerp I've been hearing you complain so much about?" The biker-lady asked. "She's just a kid like tin can over here!"
"Screw it, I'm out!" The guy to the right of Biker-lady shouted, turning around and running away from the fight.
"Imobilus!" The voodoo teenager shouted, stretching her hand out. Blue electricity sparked from her fingertips and shot towards the terrified man. In an instant, he froze as if he were an ice sculpture. Although he'd stopped, his momentum continued, pushing him to the ground, where he clattered, still unmoving.
"Nobody gets away until they get what's coming to them!" The girl shouted, anger in her voice. With a flick of her wrist, she motioned to her rock creatures, who barreled towards the remaining muggers.
"Shit!" One mugger screamed as he tried to run, only to be trampled by a rock creature. Another mugger threw his knife at the creature, as if he expected it to actually hurt it. However, the blade glanced off harmlessly of the creature's head as he ran towards the mugger, bucking him into the air over its shoulders. In a mere matter of seconds, all of the would-be muggers were lying on the ground, either unconscious, or groaning as if they wished they were.
The rock creatures strolled over towards the girl, like puppies to their owner. She patted them on their heads, like a good pet. The creatures curled up, wrapping their hands around their legs and shrinking back up into their marble-sized forms. The girl, seemingly without a care in the world, bent down and picked them up. She unzipped the creepy satchel on her hip and slipped them inside, before zipping it up again. Then she simply started walking away, as if nothing had happened.
"Wait up," Sam shouted as he grabbed his backpack and tried to catch up behind her.
"I'm not someone you want to hang around," the girl said, not even looking back. "You saw how I took down those bastards. Leave me, or you'll suffer the same fate."
"I was going to take them down myself," Sam said, catching up to her, staying about a pace behind.
"Pu-lease!" The girl said as she turned around to look at Sam. "You were outmatched, even with your tin-can!"
"Not true!" Sam shouted defensively. "You just got to them before I had the chance to!" The girl chuckled ruefully.
"I should have watched them trounce you. At least it would be entertaining!"
"Wanna have a bet?" Sam asked, perking the girl's interest.
"What are you talking?" She said, stopping and crossing her arms.
"You and me," Sam said. "We duel each other. You with your rock… things, and me with my suit. The loser has to buy dinner."
"Are you really trying to ask me out on a date?" The girl scoffed. From inside his helmet, Sam grinned.
"From my point of view, it's a free dinner, no contest! And, as a bonus, I might even get to break a sweat!" Sam raised his hands in a mock gesture. "But I can understand if you don't want to risk it…"
"Shut up," the girl said. "You're the one who's going to be buying dinner. And rubbing your sore butt after I get done kicking it!" She unzipped her satchel, pulling out the marbles and dropping them onto the ground.
"Alright!" Sam shouted as his jetpack fired off, sending him into the air, hovering above the girl. An idiotic smile was growing over his face. "Now we're talking!"
Onboard the Galactic Enforcer's transport carrier, The Spirit of Resistance
"Captain, the last jump ring will have us in Earth space within the hour," Dulgah, Ultimos's navigational officer informed him.
"Very good," Ultimos responded. Then, to another section of the command bridge, "Pull up the tactical schematics." The front porthole of the command bridge filled in with a hologram of the space around the Earth, including the moon.
"Establish a connection with Synaptac and Tini," Ultimos requested. His communications officer nodded.
"Establishing connection," he confirmed. In a moment, the holographic images of his commanders shimmered into existence.
"I've been informed that we will arrive at Sol-3, locally known as Earth within the hour," Ultimos greeted them. "I've called you here to go over our attacking strategy." On the holographic image projected onto the front porthole the earth was blown up, moving towards the left of the image, with Vilgax's flagship, the Spirit-Breaker just left of center.
"We will be jumping out of FTL speed just outside of the Spirit-Breaker's firing range, giving us a small window to move into formation," Ultimos explained as the image of what he was speaking played out on the hologram. "My transport carrier will be conveying the munitions, emergency supplies and ground forces to be deployed onto the planet necessary for a ground-based counter against Vilgax's forces." The holographic image showed his carrier breaking off from the two battleships flanking it, and shoot towards the surface of the planet.
"Previous engagements suggests that he is most likely using automated drones to do the majority of the fighting, with his organic forces stationed on his ship in organizational and commanding roles. However, he will have a significant force to maintain his power projection, should his drones fail to do their jobs. An estimated eighty-thousand to a hundred-thousand personnel count for his organic forces, spread out between his deployment ships and his flagship, but with the majority on the flagship. Such a large force we're unequipped to take head on, especially if they're being backed up by a drone-force. So our main fight will be where we can hit him the hardest. His flagship."
"Vilgax's flagship has a lot of firepower built into it, so you will have to find a blindspot from the majority of his cannons in order to pound through the outer shields." The hologram showed the two battleships moving to take opposite positions surrounding the Spirit-Breaker, and unleashing fire on it.
"As soon as his attention is focused on you two, I'll deploy my fighters to harass his defenses, and any additional drones or fighters he attempts to deploy. If we can keep them suppressed around his ship, then our combined fire should do most of the work for the fighters. With his reinforcements under siege, the Earth PLUMMERs, my ground forces, and whatever military the Earth has should be able to make quick work of the ground invaders. As soon as the invading forces are subdued, we should be able to assist you in the actual battle surrounding the flagship." The holographic image conveyed visually the information Ultimos was describing.
"Your number one target will be his heavy ship cannons, which are the only weapons that pose a serious threat to your shields. Knock them out as early as you can in the fight," Ultimos highlighted the heavy ship cannons located in several pockets on Vilgax's ship.
"Immediately after we take out his heavy cannons, focus your heavy fire on his communications cluster, just below his command deck. As I mentioned before, he had deployment ships all over the planet, focusing on the major concentrations of the populace. However, they are only deployment ships. They don't possess FTL technology, nor are they space-worthy. If we knock out his communications cluster, then he's all alone. No deployment ships will know to come to his aid, and after he is forced to retreat, they will be stuck without a commander, or a way to redeploy. Then they'll be no problem to finish mopping up. Any questions?" Ultimos asked.
"Sir," Synaptak spoke up. "Our battleships are no match for a Chimerian Hammer ship like the Spirit-Breaker, even if we're engaged two on one. Under a prolonged engagement, his mid-grade weapons will disable our shields, or his fighters could simply board and overwhelm our hangars."
"Under a prolonged engagement, yes, you would be correct," Ultimos agreed. "But this must be as close to a precision operation as possible. You'll need to fire all you've got at his heavy weapons to take them out before they do any heavy damage to you. Then take out his communications so that he's unable to get reinforcements and flank you."
"Sounds like a good, old-fashioned fight to me!" Tini cheered. "I'm ready to show that big squid-face what's coming to him!"
"I'm prepared to do my part," Synaptak agreed.
"Then ready your battleships," Ultimos urged them. "We're coming out of the FTL speed within the next fifteen minutes. The Earth is counting on you doing your jobs." Their holographic displays faded away, as did the holographic images projected onto the front porthole.
"Commander Raggle," Ultimos paged his ground forces's commander. "Ready your ground forces. We plan to be on the surface of the planet within twenty minutes of first shot. And it is your job to unload the heavy guns for the PLUMMERs to use, as well as to launch an offensive against Vilgax's drones."
"It will be done, Captain," came Raggle's reply through the communication console. Ultimos looked up, just in time to see his ship come out of FTL speed, within view of Vilgax's ship. The Earth appeared to be a massive blue globe, speckled with bits of green, tan and white. Out of the corner of his command deck's porthole, Ultimos saw The Freedom-Fighter pop into existence, followed by The Negotiator.
"Let the battle commence," Ultimos whispered under his breath.
A/N:
That is it for this chapter. What did you think? Sam isn't forgotten about, and neither is CharmCaster. What are you thinking of the coming battle with the Earth PLUMMERs and the Galactic Enforcers against Vilgax? And Ben's new alien playlist? He's got an assortment of new aliens along with his original playlist. One of them is going to be one of my original aliens, you'll soon get to see him! (However, his concept art is already on my facebook page, so you might have already seen him!)
Any comments, projections, critiques? Kind of over kill to keep saying this, but I really do enjoy the reviews y'all leave me, so drop one down below! And perhaps favorite and follow if you want to keep up-to-date on the story. Thanks for reading, and have an awesome day, or night!
Review Responses:
yraj2004: Great story!
Thanks, Yraj2004! I had a blast writing the last one. And this one too, at least in the parts where the story was flowing!
uchihaNaruto247: Wow, this just started out great. I've always liked your writing but this one was exceptional, I don't know if your just a fan of aerial base stuff, but the details on this were just great. I have the type of imagination where I fill things up i my head if the story is might miss some details. But this one, I didn't have to do any of that. I felt I was literally seeing the scene on screen. Especially when agent Wes, was fighting on his vehicle. Plus the scene where his parachute was jammed, and the ground was slowly coming closer to him, and just feeling the doom approaching, then a sense of relief when he landed safely (as safe as he could.) Honestly, great chapter.
Hey, Uchiha! Thanks for the review, it made my day! I feel that my writing has definitely improved since starting Volume 1, and I've enjoyed the feedback all the way along! I honestly think that the last chapter has been the best-written one so far, and I enjoyed writing it (and rereading it) just as much as you did!I actually prefer large-scale battles, either ancient warfare or modern ground combat to any other battle scenarios, but I still enjoy watching the space battles of Star Wars, and the battles in movies about WW2, which is where I pulled some inspiration from. Thanks for the review!
Amanny: It's interesting and cool to see the PLUMMER agents and I know some of them. I doubt Vilgax will even be intimidated by the combined force's of PLUMMERs and Galactic PLUMMERs, in fact he will definitely see them to be destroyed by his hands or his army. Hopefully Team Ultra will be okay as long as nothing stands in the way.
Thanks for the review! I'm glad you caught onto the names of the PLUMMERs. Yeah, the Galactic PLUMMERs haven't answered the call yet, but the Galactic Enforcers have, and they've got a plan to take Vilgax out. How well it will work? I guess we shall see. Team Ultra has kind of been taking a backseat during the siege so far, but that isn't going to last forever.