CHAPTER 5. Talk Into the Inferno.
DATE: September 18, 2005
TIME: 1:30 pm Sunday Afternoon
In the vast California desert outside of Bellwood, a man drove by an oil pump that was working by the train tracks at the bottom of the trench beside it at the bottom. He then took out his clipboard to see nothing was out of order with the pump.
"This is Dodge at pump thirty two. Nothing new... as usual." He reported over his walkie-talkie.
Then, without warning he felt a massive quake and the pump caved in on itself into the rocky ground and a couple of large grey and black alien creatures burrowed out of the earth and roared as they ran down into the train tracks in the trench.
Dodge, scared, ran for his car and turned the keys, but the engine just turned over and wouldn't start and the creatures just ran forwards towards him.
"Oh, come on! Come on!"
It was looking like the worst possible moment as the creatures charged forwards to him and he gasped in horror.
INTRO SEQUENCE.
DATE: September 12 2005
TIME: 8:34 am Monday morning.
Max got a call from Batman asking if he could put the Team under his training.
"Excuse me, you want me to do what?" Max asked the Gotham Bat detective.
"~{I want you to give me permission to help train Ben, Julie, Gwen and Kevin more of their hand to hand combat skills not that there's anything wrong with Gwen's Taekwondo fighting skills but they lack more combat experience without relying on their powers. I already have Clark's permission to train Kara so she'll tag along.}~" Batman told Max on the phone and Max sighs at this knowing the bat vigilante is right.
"Well, they do lack more hand to hand combat experience and more use of Alien weapons and their powers I sent to Gotham at once and they come to train over the weekends." Max told Batman.
"~{Alright then, so we are in agreement.}~" Batman soon hangs up.
( Flashback )
On the Bat cave.
"So now we're up to date." Said Batman after the two had compared notes on the last couple of days.
"Well, you're always complete." Said the Man of Steel. "But how did you find all of it out?"
The Dark Knight turned to face Superman in the Batcave. "Ben Tennyson was just an Ordinary kid till he's ten years on a summer road trip with his grandpa and cousin within his RV and one night a meteor crashed landed on the woods near the camping area and thus Ben found the omnitrix and manage to figured out how the omnitrix works and also fought the drones of Vilgax at that age it may be his first time using it but he done so well He had many adventures using the omnitrix for either for fun or using it to save people against villains he came across with over the summer last 2000s and a year he stops wearing when incident occurs." He explains to the Man of Steel.
"Wait, incident? What kind of incident?" Clark asked and Bruce shook his head.
"Not my story to tell, it's too personal for Ben. But a few months ago an alien conspiracy have occurred in Bellwood and pushes Max Tennyson to go into hiding to go undercover and investigate which lead Benjamin to wore the omnitrix again and that leads him to save the universe from the Highbreeds who plans to eradicate all life on the universe before their illness took them out." He said, shocking Clark once more.
"By Rao, he did all that when he was just Ten years old?" Clark asked and Bruce nodded. "How come he never joined us during an alien invasion?"
"Bellwood was halfway across the country within California and Ben was oblivious during that time when we first gathered together." Bruce explained to him and Clark nodded in understanding.
"I get it, whatever incident he might have experienced when he was eleven he probably was trying to forget the loss he has come across and still coping with it and never come up with using the omnitrix again." Sigh Clark knowing that Ben has been through a lot in his trial of being a hero.
"Indeed until the whole Highbreed invasion came in and with the whole Vilgax situation yesterday."
"True, I'd met him." Clark crosses his arms. Superman was brought out of the conversation as his hearing picked up something. "I've got to go Bruce."
The detective nodded and Superman moved off and Alfred returned.
"Should I assume you're going to be down here for another day?" Asked Alfred as he showed up to clean the cave.
"Nearly finished, just drawing a few more conclusions." Said Batman.
Alfred looked. "Your entire file of rogues opened, what did you find out about this boy?"
"Well, he does appear to have some self infiltrating ego but he overcomes it after meeting Kara and Marrying her with this other girl." Summarized Batman. "Good thing is that he doesn't have some anger issues that he may have kept for a long time and we all know what happened to Harvey when he kept his anger bottled up for too long…"
He trailed off. Harvey Dent was a rather sore subject. His oldest friend and one of his most bitter enemies as the mob boss Two Face, obsessed with chance and the number two. There was one failed attempt to cure him. The real Harvey Dent was buried further, with Big Bad Harv taking the reins.
Yet, Dent's psychosis spiraled out of control when his personality fractured a third time into the murderous vigilante known as the Judge. This happened just recently. The Judge went after several of Gotham's criminals, and one of them who he tried to kill was Two Face. Presently, Harvey was in Arkham as he played out a trial that involved his two fractured personalities.
"We both know all too well." Stated Alfred in a gentle tone.
Batman was quiet. He continued to shift through the files of many of his top foes.
Edward Nygma was abused as a child by his father for telling lies. He had developed an obsessive compulsion to tell the truth albeit in the former of Riddles. He got back on track with his Riddle of the Minotaur Game. Until he was swindled by his corrupt boss Daniel Mockridge and became the Riddler, for revenge. One attempt to reform was derailed by his obsession. He wished to defeat Batman, he was the only one worthy of the game.
Jonathan Crane was also abused as a child, but had obsessed over the nature of fear. Crane was fired from Gotham University. His experiments grew more grotesque as did his form. The Scarecrow went from a Psychology Professor to the darkest manifestation of everyone's nightmares. His fear gas evolved to a new level. Crane poisoned Batman at one point and the hallucinations were so great, he ended up in Arkham. Then, he nearly killed Barbara as he exposed her to a nightmarish world some time ago.
Jervis Tetch was meek and domineered by his boss. He fell for his secretary but she did not like him as much more of a friend. He used mind control chips to make her a puppet, a doll to cater to his every whim. It was a warped and demented reflection of love. As the Mad Hatter, he would make Gotham City into his own personal wonderland. Batman foiled his plan. Then Hatter trapped Batman in a virtual reality machine. A perfect world where his parents were alive and he was engaged to Selina Kyle, where Bruce Wayne did not have the burden of being Batman. A perfect lie, as it turned out. Batman busted out and was not pleased.
Mary Louise Dahl was a popular child star. Yet, a rare disease would not allow her to physically age past childhood. It warped her. As Baby-Doll, she wanted to live her childhood like it was in her own hit television series. She tried to get her life back together. She was reminded of her tortured past and went on a crime spree with Killer Croc. She nearly blew up Gotham City in her rage when she had been double crossed.
Killer Croc had a rare skin condition that mutated him into a beast. He was a former circus performer and sideshow attraction in an underground wrestling circuit. His mind continued to degrade over the years. He had flashes of intelligence but was a mindless brute. Croc also once threw a rock at Batman.
It was a really big rock.
Pamela Isley had the best intentions, but her experiments warped her into the sadistic menace known as Poison Ivy. She tried to reform a couple of times, but she failed. Her sadism and hatred for humanity and her obsession for plants were great. She tried to reform but failed. Only one human she remotely tolerated was Harley Quinn.
Harleen Quinzel was a doctor at Arkham Asylum. She became interested in their most high profile patient, the Joker, who spun her a false tale of woe and abuse. Her mad love caused her to warp into Harley Quinn, and she was nearly as dangerous as the man who made her that way.
There were others, too many to consider. All tragic stories and a part of him held out hope that they could reform.
"And you know what the scariest part is Alfred." Muttered Batman.
"He does have echoes of a certain other young man," said Alfred.
"Exactly." Answered Batman but he said not one other word.
( End of Flashback )
Gwen slept in the front seat of Kevin's car as he drove down with Ben in the back seat.
"Are we there yet?" Ben asked from the back.
"Does it look like it?" Kevin asked as Gwen snored harshly.
"Maybe we should hurry." Ben hushed himself so as not to wake up his sleeping cousin. "Grandma Verdona and Grandpa Max wanted us to check out those things."
"Another half hour." Kevin promised. "Maybe less if we kick in the ram jets."
"You installed ram jets into these things?" Ben asked in awe.
"No ram jets." Gwen yawned. "Trying to sleep here."
That was when the radars blinked green on the car and Gwen suddenly shot up in her seat, wide awake.
"Kevin?"
"Speed traffic coming up." Kevin reported as she grasped the clutch, the stirring wheel of his car slowing down. "We've got a highway patrol man with a radar gun."
"We're on active Plumber's duty." Ben said. "Is there anything you can do?"
"Is there anything we can do?" Kevin mocked as he pressed the top button on his dashboard.
The car did that as they vanished, invisible as Kevin reduced his speed in the back as He drove past the sleeping cop in his squad car under a Burger Shack sign.
The radar gun clocked in the car's speed at 85 mph as they drove past him, causing him to shoot up as he saw nothing passing down the road with with that kind of speed as Kevin kept driving not a care in the world as the car reappeared driving pass the Checkpoint and Kevin picked up his speed back.
"So by the way, how does.the marriage discussion between the kents and the Yamamoto with you guys 6 days ago?" Kevin asked Ben and sigh.
"As it turns out I didn't think it would be that easier than I thought." Ben said.
( Flashback. )
DATE: September 12 2005
TIME: lunch time Monday.
Tennyson Residence.
We see the Clark, Martha and Jonathan Kent along with the Yamamoto looking at kids who just gotten themselves married at Vegas at the of 15 and 17 no less while the Yamamoto are still obvious of the fact that Clark and Kara Kent are Superman and Supergirl who's the two Kryptonian heroes of Metropolis.
As for the Tennyson they couldn't believe how much trouble Ben got himself into this time, sure they know about their family wealth thanks to Max's connection with the plumbers and Ben's involvement in saving the universe countless times using the Omnitrix.
"So how did you guys exactly meet in Vegas and happen to end up getting married?" Clark asked.
"That's exactly what we wanna know about." Mr. Yamamoto glares at Ben who gulp nervously but is calmed down by Julie caressing his hand softly while giving him a lovely smile.
"Aren't we gonna point out the fact that my Niece is Married to a three way marriage to 15 years old?" Jonathan Kent asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Look it's easier for you guys to accept this. I have thought that Multiple marriage used to be a thing in Japan, especially with the Yamamoto Family?" Kara pointed out.
"That's precisely the point Ms. Kent. Our family has a tradition in the past to marry how many wives we meant but that was
Centuries ago." Mrs. Yamamoto stated.
"Well, it's been centuries since it had been issued to any members of the Yamamoto Family." Sigh Mr. Yamamoto. "I just don't see how this argument would do some convincing with these kids about divorce and it would be a great dishonored for our Family's tradition about dissolving a marriage no one in the family ever done such thing before and it's highly value to our culture about marriage and if Julie done that in signing a divorce due to the marriage just being an accidental mistake my daughter would be kicked out of the Yamamoto family and shamed for breaking tradition."
"That's absurd, it's the 20th century!" Martha Kent blurted out. "No one has ever been too kin to old culture and traditions since the 18th century!"
"That may be to you Americans but some people in Japan still do follow traditions and old culture." Mr. Yamamoto proclaimed.
"But Kara is still 17, and those two kids are 15. This is just wrong." Sandra pointed.
"Okay that's enough. I know we make a huge mistake, a big one, but it doesn't matter what's done, it's done, we're married, the three of us and that's final!" Ben exclaimed, irritated as he looked at the Kents. "Mr. And Mrs Kent I'm sorry for dragging Kara into this is my fault but know that I do love her just as much as I love Julie." Turning to the Yamamoto couples. "Mr. And Mrs. Yamamoto, if you're too worried about how we'll make this marriage work I'm pretty sure we can handle it and don't worry about Julie's future, I got that covered." He reassured them.
"Wait, what do you mean?" The kents and the Yamamoto asked and soon Ben revealed everything to the Kents and Yamamoto about him being a hero like Kara and Clark who sigh and reveal themselves as Superman and Supergirl which shock the Yamamoto about this revelation while the kents are surprised by the fact that Ben is not only a superhero but also the second richest guy in the Galaxy and on earth thanks to Max and Bruce Wayne's Help in putting half of his Now Trillion Dollars bank account from his intergalactic Credit Card which was used to be Quadrillion Dollars but he divided it to search it with his friends and family Gwen, Julie and Kevin who's now also considered the richest people on earth after Bruce Wayne.
"Wow so we have nothing to worry about?" Clark asked at first he was opposed to this marriage thing but if this makes his cousin happy he'll let it slide but not the part about her running off like that.
"Yeah pretty we have everything covered." Julie shrugged her shoulders.
"But what about the people's opinions about you folks?" Martha asked as she's too old for this stuff.
"Never really care what people's opinions are if they find out that we're married." Shrugged Kara as she leans on her husband's right shoulder.
"Besides, we're mostly gonna keep it." Ben said. "On Bellwood high me and Julie would still pose as dating as for Kara." Gesturing to the blonde Kryptonian.
"As for me I'm still at my Senior High in Smallville academy high." Stated Kara.
"And once the three of us are in college we'll most likely start our own Company on Metropolis." Ben admitted which stunned everyone.
"Wait, you three are really gonna go with this?" Clark asked, blinking in disbelief that this kid is really moving to the next level.
"Yeah besides what's better to do than." Ben Shrugged gesturing to his Omnitrix as he tapped the dial with his index finger.
"Alright if you guys are really into this whole marriage thing." Sigh Clark. "I'll give you guys my blessing." This shocked everyone at the table.
"Wait what?" Ben said wide-eyed. "Really?" Clark nodded.
"On one condition, you'll do this wedding thing properly once we figured it out by revealing it to the public in the future." Clark said, causing Ben to grin at this.
"You got yourself a deal, old man." Ben said, shaking Superman's hand who raised an eyebrow.
"Wait old?" His reaction caused some chuckles from everyone.
( End of Flashback. )
"Damn, looks like you handle that pretty quickly." Kevin was again impressed at his Best Friend's maturity.
"True at first I thought if we haven't learned about Vilgax yet I would go toe to toe with Superman if he dragged the two off of Bellwood or Vegas by then due to him acting overprotective of his cousin which I understand." Ben said as the trio eventually made their way to the area by the destroyed oil pump where the cow-mole creatures were grazing on rocks and charging into each other like bulls as the three exited the car.
"True, after knowing you since you were ten that's definitely something you would do if Superman did that and take all that overprotective crap from him." Kevin agreed.
"Yup." Ben said.
"Would you two quit it already?" Gwen sighs as she takes out her badge. "Cloaking mode gives me a headache." She said, rubbing her head.
"Speeding tickets gives me a headache." Kevin said as Gwen sighs again.
"And yet your glove compartment is still full of them." She then reached into her pocket and unfolded the Plumber's binoculars and looked at what the strange creatures were doing as they charged into each other.
"Strange." She said, handing it to Kevin and Ben.
"Well, that's unnerving." Ben said.
"So? What's the big deal if they eat a few rocks?" Kevin asked.
"Um, have you looked in a mirror lately?" Ben asked.
"Touche." Kevin said as he reached into his car and took out an ID mask, placing it on to appear like his normal human form.
"Now that's cool." Ben said.
"ID mask?" Gwen asked her boyfriend.
"Yep." He said as Gwen tapped him with her fist, confirming he was still hard as a rock.
"Well, at least you look human."
"Maybe now's not the time for that." Kevin said as he took off the mask and placed it back in the car.
"But you still need to stay away from those aliens." Gwen said.
"I'm not sure that they're aliens." Kevin said, taking the binoculars and looking down at the debris from the oil pump and the absolute wreckage of the ground beneath it. "If this debris is anything to go by, those things came from within the earth itself."
"Still, we'd better do something about them." Ben said as he activated his Omni-Suit which was given to him by Bruce Wayne AKA Batman he then ran down the cliff as he activated his Omnitrix.
"Here we go... Humungousaur!" Ben said as he slammed down his core... only for nothing to happen.
"Huh?" Ben blink under his mask confused on why the Omnitrix didn't work and he tries again. "Humungousaur!" Nada and the creatures roared and charged downwards towards our heroes as they panicked. "Oh shit, Humungousaur! Humungousaur! Humungousaur!"
Kevin morphed his arms into a hammer and a mace and swatted the creatures aside.
"Ben? Where are you?" Kevin shouted.
That was when a creature sniffed and bit down on Kevin's stone arm.
"Ow!" Cried out Kevin. "I thought they only chewed on Rocks?!" He then hit the creature on the head with his metal hammer, sending him crashing down as Lucky Girl blasted out mana lasers from her hands.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
Lucky Girl ran in on her mana platforms and shouted out as she crossed her arms and erected a force field, the creatures running around her and her boyfriend as she kept it up.
Then Ben stood up and nodded. "Be with you in a minute." Ben said as they slammed the core down and transformed into…
"-Brainstorm?-" Ben asked, shrugging in confusion.
Brainstorm floated up using his telekinesis and looked at the stampede through the ground and shouted out, using his electric telekinetic grip and levitated the train and train tracks nearby and trapped the creatures around them like a fence.
Still, the creatures pressed against the force field Lucky Girl was putting up and she shouted out in anger.
"I can't hold it anymore!"
The force field broke just as Brainstorm levitated them up.
"Those cow things bit me," Kevin complained.
"-Precisely why we chose to surround them with the metal grids. I observed that they only eat stone.-" Brainstorm said.
"Lucky me."
"[Those are pyroxovores]." Max said over the communicator as the Omni-trio regrouped on the cliff near the hole in the ground. "[I haven't seen one in years.]"
"How come we've never heard of them?" Kevin said. "Even if they're not aliens, why would there be creatures on this planet we don't know about?"
"[Kid, there's lots of creatures here on Earth you won't find in any book.]." Xylene said as she and Verdona turned on their communicators and walked beside her boyfriend. "[That's where fairy tales come from. Unicorns, trolls, fairies. All of them are real.]"
"Really?" Gwen asked. "They actually exist?"
"[Of course, child.]" Verdona said. "[You didn't think humans would be able to come up with the idea of something that fantastical on their own, did you? It was decided that the public couldn't handle the truth about them.]"
"Even Bigfoot?" Kevin asked.
"[Don't be ridiculous. That's just a guy in a suit.]" Snorted max.
"What could've drove them to the surface?" Ben asked.
"[I don't know.]" Max said. "[Something scared them or made them too uncomfortable to stay underground.]"
"These things are walking tanks." Kevin said.
"Yeah." Gwen said. "What could possibly make them uncomfortable?"
"I don't know." Ben said. "But we're about to find out."
The trio then looked to the massive hole in the ground and they all filled in Kevin's car, driving down into the new cave, shining his headlights through the darkness.
"How far does this thing go?"
"I don't know." Kevin said. "But this is as far as we go. End of the road."
Kevin then put the car park and stopped at the dead end up ahead.
"Now what?" Ben asked... just as the rocky ground beneath the car cracked.
"You had to ask." Kevin said as the ground caved away beneath them, sending the car screaming as they fell to the ground below.
"Should we turn into aliens and slow us down?" Ben asked.
"No!" Kevin said. "Then you'll definitely be destroying my roof!" He stops Ben from transforming. "Hang on!" He stated Kevin pressed a button and the car deployed a parachute... that was quickly destroyed by the stalagmites coming out of the walls.
"Plan B?" Gwen asked her boyfriend.
"Press the third button down on the dashboard!" Kevin told Gwen and she complied.
The wheels on the car shifted and sent out thrusters to the ground that instantly slowed their descent and they hit the ground harmlessly and they shifted to a park at another dead end.
"Cool!" Ben said in awe.
"The car won't fit in there." Kevin said as the trio filed out of the car "We're going the rest of the way on foot."
"There has to be another way." Gwen said.
"Claustrophobic, cuz?" Ben asked.
"I am not claustrophobic. I just can't stand being in tight enclosed spaces, okay? You have a problem with that?"
"I'll go first," Ben sighed as he walked into the cracks in the wall, followed by Gwen and Kevin as They squint their eyes and tried looking around.
"It's dark." Ben said.
"I've got this." Kevin said as she reached into his pocket and lit a flare, lighting up the room and everyone saw tons of crates filled with...
"TNT?" Kevin raised an eyebrow before Gwen quickly blew out the flare.
"What'd you do that for?" Kevin asked as he lit the flare again and Ben quickly blew it out as well. "Cut it out!"
"You cut it out!" Ben shouted. "The room's filled with dynamite! You're gonna blow us all up!"
"How was I supposed to know?"
"I don't know." Ben said. "Reading!?"
That was when Gwen lit up a mana ball in her hand and sent it to illuminate the room.
"I'll handle the light."
But then, The Trio looked up to see some rocks coming down on them.
"Oh Crapbasket!" Ben said as he and Gwen both put on their hero suits and then followed it up by adjusting to their armored forms (except Kevin) to protect themselves from the falling boulders.
Kevin punched through the boulders.
"Find some cover!" Ben shouted.
"I'll make some cover!" Lucky Girl said as she crossed her arms and created a force field and they looked to see the last boulder fall and a mole man creature ran away from the scene.
"There he goes!" Kevin shouted.
"No he doesn't!" Ben shouted as he slammed the core down and transformed into…
"-Big Chill!-"
The mole man ran through the caves in a hurry before Big Chill phased through the wall, grabbing him.
"-Cool down or I'll do it for you.-"
"As soon as you let me go, Imma blowin' you up!" The mole man shouted in a hillbilly accent.
"-Sure you will.-" Big chill said, firing a few quills at the mole man, who swiftly dodged them.
"It's my-AH!"
The mole man screamed as Ben turned back, still armoured as he and Gwen took their helmets off.
"Don't be afraid." Ben said. "It's still us."
"Not really helpin', sonny. You're still ugly as all-get out."
"What's your name, old timer?" Kevin asked.
"Mouldywarp."
"And that's what your friends call you?" Gwen asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Friends? *laugh* I don't got no friends."
"You're the last of your kind." Gwen analyzed.
"No such luck, kid. The underworld is crawlin' with folks like me. I just don' like 'em much. An' they don' like me!"
"You don't say," Kevin said as Gwen stepped up.
"What are you doing with all the explosives?"
"Oh, I've been stealin' that stuff from the surface dwellers fer years."
Mouldywarp then turned on a couple of spotlights from a button, instantly illuminating the cavern.
"Some of this stuff looks pretty old." Gwen said.
"It is. TNT, blasting caps, nitroglycerin. Primitive, but they sure get the job done!"
"What would that job be exactly?" Ben asked.
"Protectin' my herd."
"Herd?" The trio asked in unison.
"Yeah, the pyroxovores. Real beauties, ain't they?"
"Your herd felt something down here and they retreated to the surface." Gwen said.
"They tried to eat my hand!" Kevin shouted.
"You shouldn't do that."
"Uh-huh," Kevin said before leaning down to Ben's level. "He doesn't know anything. We should just leave now." Just then Mouldywarp interrupt them.
"I heard you!"
"Why were you throwing rocks at us, Mouldywarp?" Gwen asked.
"I couldn't get to my explosives. That's what I mostly use on that other fella."
"What other fella?" Ben asked.
"The cave jumper! Don't you know nothin'?!"
"No. Not so far." Gwen said.
Soon, Mouldywarp led the Omni trio down an elevator shaft deeper underground into the mines.
"No wonder the pyroxovores fled to the surface." Ben complained, sweat pouring down. "It's like a furnace down here."
"Is it always this hot?" Gwen asked the mole man.
"Naw! That's what I been tryin' to fix. It's only been hot since all that magma started seeping up!"
"Magma?"
The team walked out of the elevator and up to what looked like a giant factory with giant tubes filled with the molten rock and they looked to see tons of pickax aliens lining the walls on the beams and a familiar Detrovite at the controls as the team instantly rearmored up and the coolant systems in their armor activated, cooling them down.
"Who dares intrude on the lair of- oh, man. Not you again."
"Oh, so you do know each other."
"Vulkanus?" Kevin asked. "Yeah, we know him."
"Not that we like him." Ben said glaring at the Detrovite.
"The feeling's mutual. Destroy them!"
The pickax aliens chittered and then leaped down to the metal floor and surrounded the team on all sides.
"Again?" Ben snorted. "We hammered these losers the last time we fought." He stated as he crossed his arms. "Is that all you've got?" He asked.
Vulkanus grinned and then pressed a button on the controls, opening a metal door and a large driller and a large crane appeared and showed their weapons to the team as Lucky Girl facepalmed.
"You had to ask."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Time out!" Ben said as Gwen and Kevin showed their powers. "We didn't even know you were here, okay, Vulkanus?"
"Come to think of it, why are you here?" Gwen asked as she had mana ball form around her hands.
"Remember all that Taydenite that I took off of you?" Vulkanus asked.
"You mean literally?" Kevin asked glaring.
"Well, it was worth a fortune. And you'll be glad to know I spent it wisely. See? This is my planet now." Vulkanus answered, showing a hologram of a signed contract. "I filed a claim, paid the fees, the whole thing. Completely legal."
"So what does a planetary renovation permit mean exactly?" Ben asked.
"Exactly what it says. I get to change the atmosphere, the terrain, the oceans any way I want."
"So that's what the bomb's for." Gwen realized as they all looking up at the giant bomb.
"Yep. I drop the bomb in the shaft, it explodes in the magma, hits the center of the Earth, and before you know it, I have all the customs of home."
"Wait, home?!" Kevin asked. "Where you come from, it's over 850 degrees on a cool day!"
"Uh-huh."
"Yeah, and you guys thought I was crazy," Mouldywarp told them.
"You can't do this!" Ben shouted.
"Course I can. Watch."
Vulkanus pressed a button that activated a timer to drop the bomb, counting down from five minutes.
"You guys handle the grunts and the robots," Ben said. "I will stop Vulkanus."
All three of them scattered as the drill brought its nozzle down on them.
Mouldywarp ducked for cover as the grunts started charging at him, but they were immediately shot aside by a volley of Mana discs from Gwen.
"Yee-haw!" Mouldywarp shouted. "I was hoping we'd get to some fightin'!"
"Then come on!" Gwen cried out as Kevin and Lucky Girl smashed the grunts with hammer arms and blasted them back with mana.
Lucky Girl backflipped, her blue armor chinking against a grunt's pickax as she smiled. "Thank you Batman!"
Ben ran up and gazed upon Vulkanus at the controls and dodged a crane and a drill nozzle swiftly, running away as the robots chased after them.
Kevin smashed the grunts back with his punches and kicks as Lucky Girl looked up to Vulkanus' level and she shouted out and blasted out her mana lasers from her eyes that Vulkanus avoided.
"Somebody do something about her!"
Mouldywarp gave out a hoot as he sliced at the grunts and then set off a sonic charge, sending them flying back with an explosion.
"Harsh." Lucky Girl winced.
"I blows 'em up all the time. I think they likes it!"
Kevin conked two grunts' heads together and grabbed their pickaxes and started swinging them around him like a whirling dervish, showing his strength.
That was when the drilling robot came down upon Lucky Girl and she threw up a force field to block it, but was clearly struggling with the process.
Kevin looked to see his girlfriend do this and gasped as he ran for her... only to have a ton of grunts tackle him down.
Lucky Girl quickly threw up another forcefield as Kevin Morphed his metal arm into a sharp sword as he ran up and bounced off of the shield and started stabbing at the robot's frame with his sword, shouting out in effort.
Ben then blasted away with his energy blasts from his gauntlets.
"It's Hero Time, Tin Man!" Ben shouted as he slammed the core of the omnitrix down... only for nothing to happen. "Oh crud." He cussed as he dodged the crane arm as fast as he could.
"Ben!" Lucky Girl shouted as she put up another force field. "What are you waiting for?!"
"Maybe it's the heat from the magma?" Ben said. "It's messing with the Omnitrix!"
Suddenly the drill robot blew up in pieces as a lit wick started going down to sticks of dynamite that instantly blew the robot to bits, revealing Mouldywarp standing there with a lit match in his hand as he turned to Ben.
"No go get that stinking varmint."
Ben grinned and then slammed the core of the omnitrix down and transformed into...
"-Spidermonkey!-" Using his amble reflexes and climbing up to the level Vulkanus was on, smashing through tons of grunts along the way with a hoot and a yip each.
Spidermonkey blasted a shot of webbing at them as he ran up to Vulkanus with an angry look on his face.
"Huh?" That was when Ben shouted out and leaped up, and delivered a sucker punch to the armoured midget Detrovite's face and sent him crashing into the controls.
"-Stop the countdown!-" Spidermonkey ordered.
"Make me."
"-As you wish, mate.-" Spidermonkey spat as he leaped onto his back and sent him flailing around and sent him back with sparking armor as Spidermonkey delivered a myriad of super-fast punches at the Detrovite criminal, sending him back.
Vulkanus roared at Spidermonkey and charged him with his drill arm, only for Ben to quickly leap out of the way and he slammed straight into the controls, sending them sparking as Spidermonkey webbed Vulkanus to the controls.
"I'm stuck!" Grunted Vulkanus as he tries to struggle his metal arm free.
"-I stuck you.-" Spidermonkey hooted as he and then laid the smackdown on him once again. "-Now stop the countdown!-"
Vulkanus rolled his eyes and pressed another button on controls... only to send the timer speeding from 150 seconds to 30 seconds!
"-We said stop the countdown! Not speed it up!-" Spidermonkey scolded.
"My mistake."
"-When that bomb goes off, the magma will come right up into this chamber!-" Spidermonkey shouted. "-It'll kill you too! Are you crazy?!-"
"That would be crazy."
Vulkanus then pressed a button on the controls and a hole opened in the metallic ceiling. The Detrovite pressed another button and ejected himself from the mech suit, revealing his baby-like body in the controls that was sent rocketing through the hole in the ceiling as the twins shouted out in fury.
"That doesn't look good." Kevin said, looking at the bomb on top of the area, looming down over all of them.
Spidermonkey ran to the sides of the balcony overhead the bomb.
"What are you doing?" Gwen asked.
"-I think I can grab the bomb when it drops.-" Spidermonkey said as he looked up.
"Spidermonkey aren't strong enough to catch something as heavy as that!" Lucky Girl said.
"-No.-" Spidermonkey said. "-But I think we know someone who is.-" He then activated a frequency wrist commed on his right arm through his suit and within seconds a blur flew past through the cavern and they spotted the familiar "S" logo over a Red Shield in the person's chest the Crest of the House of Els.
"Supergirl?!" Kevin gasps in both awe and surprise to see the Kryptonian.
"How did you get here so fast all the way from Metropolis?" Gwen asked and the said blonde girl smiled at them.
"Hey guys, I'll explain later. right now tell me what's going on?" Kara asked them.
"Supergirl, if that bomb reaches the Earth's core, we're doomed!" Kevin shouted pointing upward the hanging mid air Bomb that is ready to be dropped.
"I got it!" Kara exclaimed as she flew over the shaft where the bomb was gonna be launch down to the Earth's core and when the count down finished the bomb dropped down immediately to Kara's arms which push back a little bit of weight causing her to get out off balance but regained it and pushed all of her straight by pulling it through the handle of the bomb and Carried it out to the Whole of the cavern she flew down and tossed it on the sky where it blew mid air causing Ben who just turn back to normal along with Gwen and Kevin sigh in relief.
"Did we win?" Ben asked, goofily as Gwen and Kevin help him up.
"We're still here, aren't we?" Kevin asked.
"Touche."
"So everything's going to be okay?" Lucky Girl asked as the debris stopped and Supergirl levitated behind them.
"I think so," Ben said before he realized something. "Wait, where's Mouldywarp?"
The team moved back up the elevator shaft and saw Mouldywarp setting his timed sonic charges on all of his crates of explosives and the team looked worried.
"Mouldywarp, what's with all the timers?" Gwen asked.
"Well, I figured, what's going to stop Vulkanus from coming back here and trying to drop another bomb down the shaft? I mean, he did fill out the paperwork." Mouldywarp said. "So I decided to blow up the entire chamber so he can't try it again."
"Good point." Ben said as he grabbed the mole man and they all squeezed through the crack in the wall and all filled back into the car with Supergirl flying behind them.
"Come on, move!" Kevin said as he engaged the nitrous of his car and Supergirl flew pass above them and they all rocketed up the shaft back up to the surface with a cackling Mouldywarp... just as the explosions all went off inside the chamber, completely obliterating the bomb chamber and everything in it and flooding it with magma.
"We're not gonna make it!" Lucky Girl shouted in the passenger seat as they all shouted out and everyone flew through the rocky area as the explosion ringed out behind them.
"It's only been 5 minutes since the last time I did this!" Kevin shouted... just as they reached the surface and rocketed out as the explosion mushroom-clouded above the hole in the ground.
"Everyone okay?" A rattled Ben asked as Supergirl smiled and gave a thumbs-up.
"I'm good."
"We all are."
The team got their bearings again as they saw the pyroxovores grazing in the rocky ground.
"I love it." Kevin said with a smile. "Vulkanus spent a fortune on filing fees and he got nothing in return."
"And we saved the Earth from being turned into a giant hot plate." Gwen said, sighing in relief.
"Yep. I may be late on coming along with you three to join the mission but we did good work today, everyone." Kara said.
"Now there's nothing left to do but get the pyroxovores back down to their home." Ben said.
"I'll take care of that!" Mouldywarp said, looking at the cow-mole creatures. "But first, what say we celebrate with a nice supper?"
"Supper?" Ben asked.
"Yesiree, bob! This looks like a plump one!"
"You eat them?" Kara asked, shocked of course she was a vegetarian she would be gross out but she'll be a hypocrite if she say no to a barbecue.
"Of course I eats 'em. They're my herd! Now, who wants barbecue?"
"I guess I could give it a try. Can't be worse than groundhog bacon and salamander eggs, right?" Kevin asked as he was elbowed by Gwen and everyone chuckled from that.
"By the way guys don't forget we have training from Batman." Kara reminded them and they all groaned.
( Flashback )
DATE: September 14, 2005
TIME: 1:30 pm Thursday Afternoon.
Batman after the whole Vilgax Thing came to the Omni Team plumber base and spoke with Ben and his team.
"Your exploits have garnered a great deal of attention, Mr. Tennyson." Said Batman as he stared down the fifteen year old Hero who returned the favor.
Ben stood and crossed his arms as His eyes did not leave Batman and he responded in a cool tone. "That happens a lot."
"I'm sure." Agreed Batman as he matched Ben's tone.
He looked at his wife and saw she was frowning at Batman.. So he watched Batman with narrowed eyes. "You know, as friendly as this chat is, we're on a deadline." As they were about to live on another mission.
"I'll be brief." Said the Dark Knight as he had his eyes set firmly on the couple. "Yours and your Teammates' powers and weapons may be great in potential, but they're not going to solve everything. I will offer you all some more general grounding about how to defend yourselves in case you find yourselves up against someone more powerful than you. Or even without your powers."
"So, let me get this straight." Summarized Kara. "You're going to take my husband, my wife and our friends into your cold dark cave and train them and expect me not to do anything."
"Kara it's..." Started Ben.
"I was offering the training to not just the Omni Team but you as well." Said Batman shortly, and Kara looked stunned.
Neither of the teens all spoke for a minute but Batman waited.
"Kara, Julie, everyone, do you want to do this?" Asked Ben. "You know, it could help all of us but it's up to you guys."
"Up to me, what do you want?" Argued the girl.
The Detective just cleared his throat. "You did say you were on a deadline."
"Sure, fine, just tell us where and when and we'll be wherever." Said Kara and the rest of the teen are all in agreement with the sentiment.
"I'll be in touch within the week." Said Batman as he took a step back.
They looked up and Batman was gone just as quickly as he arrived. Both exchanged a look of confusion.
"What did we just agree to?" Asked Julie as she was baffled.
Ben just wrapped his arm around her. "I think we all agreed to it. You didn't…"
"Are you freaking kidding we're gonna be trained by Batman!" Squeals Kevin as everyone looks at him weirdly and he suddenly crosses his arms. "I mean big whoop he's no Vilgax what worse could he do?"
"Terrible lie Kev, you know exactly what he can do." Gwen told her boyfriend.
"She's kinda right you know we don't know what Batman's capable of." Shrugged Jullie.
"Ship, ship, ship." Nodded the Blob pop galvanic Mechamorph.
"They are kind of right Ben honey, but Yes I do." Argued Kara as she stood with a set look on her face. "And you have a good point. I don't want to be trapped somewhere without my powers, and not being able to defend myself. Raving lunatic in a cowl or not, he does know how to fight. He could stand to work on his people skills, and learn to be a bit less creepy."
"Ah, is Supergirl afraid of the big bad bat?" teased Kevin with a smile and the blonde girl sighed and rolled her eyes.
"No, just merely unnerved by the fact he seems to know more than he should." Said Kara but she was amused. "You know, you're going to have to get a code name one of these days. And a costume wouldn't hurt either."
Ben had no idea how to react to this.
"She's right Babe, But no capes." Said Julie with one hundred percent seriousness.
"Why?" Asked Ben, confused at this.
"They'd block our view." Julie stated as she and Kara nudged their husband, before they resumed their mission by Kevin.
"I think we overstayed a lot more. Let's keep going guys." They all soon went into Kevin's car.
( End of Flashback. )
Soon Batman is awaiting their arrival in Gotham.
A/N: And here we are next chapter will be in the next 30 minutes or so.