"Honey, we're home!" Ben burst through the doors, hand primed to slam down on his Omnitrix and whoop some bad guy butt. Judging from the way many of the Plumbers were scrambling around but there were no explosions, he had a safe bet the party wasn't loud. "Well damn, what did we miss."

"The perp." Answered Molly Gunther, decked out in her usual red plumber outfit, as she walked towards the hero and his team, a disgruntled Rojo behind them glaring all around her. "Huh, looks like you brought in a haul yourself."

"Just the usual red herring." Only Molly giggled. Rook stood clueless, Lucy rolled her eyes, and Rojo made a gagging noise.

The bounty hunter dryly added. "Jesus, when you'd turn into a lame ass dad?"

Ben rolled his eyes and replied, "Definitely sooner than you got off the rag."

Lucy dramatically gasped. "Oh, scathed."

"As nice as it is to watch you add insult to what I'm assuming is injury, you need to report to Maggister Tennyson in the control room ASAP. I'll take Rojo from here." She moved and took a hold of Rojo while the team made their way to Max.

Max turned his attention from the monitor to the group, a grave look on his face. "Alright everyone, take a seat. We've got a long conversation ahead of us."

"Apologies. We weren't fast enough." Rook somberly stated.

Max shook his head and waved it off. "Don't be." Once everyone was seated, Max began, "The infiltrators managed to hack into one of our terminals. Terminals that looked into some of Ben's more secretive information."

"Like my exact sleeping patterns and what have you?" Ben guessed uneasily.

He was correcting in assuming he was off the mark. "No." Max answered gravely. "Ben... think Malware."

"Mal-" Ben had a look of realization on his face that turned into a deep scowl and he hissed under his breath. "Malware."

"And that is?" Lucy questioned, not at all liking being left out of the loop nor Ben's sudden mood change. Rook also wondered the meaning of this name.

"A story for another time. Maybe." Max stated instantaneously, knowing full well Ben's feelings on the subject. "What's important is understanding the fact that your hunter's got more to him..."

Ben focused on the conversation at hand, but his mind couldn't help but think back to Malware. The defect upgrade. Azmuth's greatest mistake. The day they had the displeasure of getting acquainted.

XXYears agoXX

It was supposed to be a simple day for poor old Azmuth. His lab was his sanctuary, granted he had to share it with a few others, but they were authorized. The only supposed to be in the lab today was Albedo, his promising protégé, save for his arrogance. But of course, the universe was a tricky being and simplicity could never truly be an option as Max Tennyson burst through Azmuth's door with an incredibly irritated expression.

Azmuth stepped upon his hovering platform and rose to Max's eye level. "Max. Is there a reason you've decided to barge in?"

"That." Max jerked his thumb back and in came a blue blur. Ben, in his Kinnceleren form, zoomed around the room as he excitedly checked out the equipment and experiments, Gwen trying to stop him. "Ben's been having trouble with the watch lately and stuck in an alien form every week."

"Doesn't sound like my problem." Azmuth hummed and turned only for Max to stop him, grabbing his platform.

"I have not slept in a month." Max growled.

A loud explosion came and both men turned to see Ben next to a broken device of some sort. The boy chuckled and poked his claws together. "Uh, is it supposed to do that?"

Albedo turned back to his task, but muttered disgustedly. "Lousy brat."

Azmuth sighed and went to pull out some sort of prod. Everyone watched as Azmuth went over to with the prod activated and hit it against the Omnitrix symbol on Ben's chest. Ben was restored back to his eleven year old human body. "Finally!"

"Been so long, I almost forgot what you looked like," Gwen hummed as she faked looked over Ben, "Definitely prefer your alien forms. Much less ugly."

"Shame there's nothing to cover up you." Ben jabbed back, sticking his tongue out at her, and Gwen rolled her eyes as if she were above him.

"Don't celebrate too soon. From the looks of it, you've got a troubled helix." Azmuth rubbed his eyes and went for more tool. "And if I want to go about my business in peace, I'll need time to fix it."

"Which means someone needs to go sit, wait, and relax." Max said as he stared at Ben.

Ben looked around and turned to Albedo, then pointed at him. "You're talking about that guy right?"

XXXXX

Pain. Excruciating pain racked through his entire system, every fiber of his digital being. So many imperfection despite his uniqueness. This burden was going on for too long, he could wait no longer, he could bear this suffering for no more. This burning, mind numbing pain, being so incomplete, so flawed.

"You there!" Came a tiny, authoritative voice. A Galven guard. "Hold it right there, Galvanic Mechamorph. You're not authorized to wander within the city's premises. Please turn around."

"No." A throaty, raspy voice came from the yellow, malnourished looking being. "Leave me be. All I want is Azmuth."

"Sir, this is not a request." The guard flew in his face and aimed his blaster at him. "Turn back. Now." He kept walking and the guard hesitated no long, firing a stun round at the black and yellow being.

Wordlessly, with slight wheezing, the being swiftly reached out and touched the guard's jetpack. It was covered by the yellow and black energy, and without further warning, malfunctioned, making the Galven blast off wildly until his harsh, bone breaking landing. The corrupted Galvenic Mechamorph walked onward.

The Galven weakly reached for his helmet and contacted the others to report. "We have a situation... unidentified Galvanic Mechamorph coming... to the city. Be advised... his touch... corrupts tech."

XXXXX

"Maaaan, this is boring!" Ben groaned. He sat by a window and looked through at the bustling city of Galvans below, wondering what fun stuff he could do instead of sitting there with his cousin watching over him a like a hawk. "Come on, doofus, don't tell me you're not bored too?"

"Oh, I am." Gwen nodded and gave him a small glare. "I could be reading some good literature and practicing spells right now, but I'm watching you."

"Never mind." Ben rolled his eyes and turned back to the window. "Watching me has to be way more than fun than that."

Gwen had to stifle a great laugh of mockery. "Pfft, narcissist."

"Truth-icist." Ben... corrected?

Gwen shot Ben a deadpan stare. "That's not a word. And what even is that supposed to mean?"

"Then how come I said it?" Ben retorted smugly. He made finger gun gestures. "Checkmate, doofus."

Gwen was about to make another witty, cutting remark at Ben's intelligence as usual until a great explosion outside silenced the cousin's banter contest. Both of them looked outside to see Galvan's, civilians and Guards alike, run in tides to different directions as the clouds of black smoke rose in the distance. What followed next was Ben's signature green flash. "Ben?"

From the mouth of Fourarms came, "It's hero time!"

XXXXX

"Azmuth! I need Azmuth!" The yellow Mechamorph roared, knocking and blasting away Galven defense forces, uncaring of any homes or civilians in the way as he blasted and swiped his claws. "I have little time left! Leave me be!"

"One side, little guys!" Everyone looked up to see the Tetramand Ben fall from the air and crash down on the Mechamorph. He picked the dazed Mechamorph up and threw him further away from the tower, crashing into a building. "A hero has arrived!"

The Mechamorph shook of the pain and roared, a sound of agony and rage, "Raaargh!"

Ben cracked his knuckles. "Seriously, you need to chill out!"

The Mechamorph took several chunks of Galvan buildings and threw them at Ben. In defense, Ben blocked them with his arms only to realize his mistake as they exploded up upon contact and searing pain went through Ben's arms. He shrugged off the pain and slammed his arms into the ground, creating a shockwave that went towards the Mechamorph. He jumped before the wave could hit, but Ben followed went in hot pursuit and caught him midair.

"Hang on!" Ben said mockingly, twirling in the air and threw the Mechamorph away. The Mechamorph went down like a crashing plane. Ben would've smiled had he not thrown him towards Azmuth's tower, right into the bottom floor. "Oops." He said with a wince when he was back on the ground.

As Ben rushed towards the attacking alien, the alien was lying on the ground and muttering to himself while he lied in rubble. "Alone... pain... alone."

Ben landed next to him and hesitated for a moment as he head him mumble, looking more pitiful than threatening. "What are mumbling?"

Suddenly, the Mechamorph's face shot up, glowing bright yellow, and he roared. "Just leave me alone!" Firing his laser that blew Ben up to the top of the tower.

The hero crashed through the floor of Azmuth's room headfirst. ""Ben!"" Gwen and Max cried.

"It's... all good." Ben groaned, shaking the blurriness out of his vision. He had to give it to the crazy upgrade, he packed a punch. "Give me... a sec."

Speaking of said crazy, he followed Ben and jumped right through the room's window. "Azmuth!"

"Malware." The First Thinker gasped. He was actually displaying visible concern.

"No more. I can't wait anymore." Malware stomped up to his target, his claws flexing. "The upgrade! I need it! You promised me!"

Azimuth shook his head and calmly explained. "I need more time. It isn't complete yet."

"Raaargh!" Malware momentarily went berserk and flailed, crushing and slashing apart tech around the room. To the side, Max and Gwen scrambled to help get Ben out of the floor. "You lier! You disappeared! Gone! Then you come and still nothing!" Malware slammed a claw next to the unflinching Azmuth. "You're worthless, your words are worthless!"

"How dare you!?" Yelled Albedo, attempting to scold the attacker. "The First Thinker was working tirelessly to help you and this is how you repay him."

Malware froze to rotate his head a full three sixty to gaze at the other Galvan. "Who are you?" Behind him, three Galvan warriors attempted to rain fire upon him only for Malware to fire three finger blasts at them.

Albedo winced but he carried on. "I am Azmuth's humble assistant and co-creator of that." He pointed to a small disc atop a pyramid next to the Mechamorph. "The cure to your condition."

Azmuth attempted to silence his chatty assistant. "Albedo -

Malware wouldn't have it and crashed his hand down in front of the elderly Galvan. "Speak." He urged the other.

"That device is the cure to your troubled helix. Only I and Azmuth can-" He stopped speaking as a rumble went through the room.

"Hold that thought!" Ben yelled as he broke free and rushed at Malware, tackling him right out of the window. Two of Ben's arms held Malware's while his other two put dents in his bony chest.

Malware roared and sprouted jetpack like wings, like that of the Galvan troopers, and blasted back into the air. His hands morphed to envelop the ones Ben used to hold his and he blasted Ben back down to the ground with his head laser again. Shortly after the fall, a red flash followed and an eleven year old wobbly walked from the hole, not that Malware payed attention.

Instead, the Mechamorph flew right back into Azmuth's room, just as the group was making their escape, and grabbed both the upgrade and Albedo just as he had a foot out of the door. "I suppose you'll do." Malware gritted out.

He absorbed the panicking Galvan into his hand and flew off into the air, none of the galvan troopers able to cut him off before he made his getaway to the moon, Galvan B.

XXXXX

Ben made his way to to his family and Azmuth, meeting up with them as they made it outside of the building. They walked together to the landing pads, discussing the situation of with Malware and Albedo. "Sorry guys, he got away."

"We know." Azmuth, sitting on Max's shoulder, sighed. "He also took Albedo with him and the Helix."

"Bummer." Ben muttered, understanding that it was bad but not the exact depth of it.

"Indeed." Azmuth drawled. He stroked his chin and stared at the moon. "He's most likely up there on Galvan B, in the central."

"Luckily, he doesn't have FTL capabilities." Max informed the kids.

Ben nodded. "Oh yeah... definition please."

"He can't leave the planet." Gwen deadpanned.

Ben furrowed his brow. "But didn't he just do that?"

"He can only go as far the moon." Azmuth clarified. He narrowed his eyes, muttering. "Though with his condition, going back and fourth no doubt took a lot of will. I'm amazed he could even fight the way he did."

"You sure do know a lot about this guy." Ben surmised. "He an old friend or something?"

"No. I'll explain in the ship." Azmuth stated as they came upon the space vessel. "Unfortunately, Gwendolyn will have to stay behind. Not enough room I'm afraid."

"Seriously?" Gwen complained, bitter at the thought of being sidelined. It's not like she had magic or anything.

"Sucks to be you." Ben guffawed.

"Enough." Max said sternly and jabbed a thumb towards the ship. "Get in."

Giving Gwen one last mocking tongue out, Ben rushed in, eager for another round with the corrupted file man. The rode off as fast the ship could.

As Max drove, he glanced at the First Thinker and asked, "So, who is Malware."

Azmuth had a rare moment of sadness once more. It was subtle, but Max noticed it. Azimuth answered, "He is... my mistake."

"Another one?" Ben verbally jabbed. Mac shushed him and urged Azmuth on.

"Years ago, when I had first created the Galvanic Mechamorphs on the moon, one had been born rather special in comparison to his brethren. Rather than simply upgrade technology, he became it. But despite sounding rather marvelous on paper, it was much more complicated than that, much more painful. He was born as you saw him, sickly, withering, and skeletal. Absorbing tech pains him and becoming it can put a strain on his body. He's been that way since he was born, his very first action was absorbing two of his own."

Ben narrowed his eyes at the galactic genius. "So, he's here because?"

Azimuth huffed and faced away from him, "I promised him years ago I'd find a cure for unstable condition. A rewrite for his life code."

"And you don't have it because you're a lying a-hole." The boy said with venom.

Max went wide eyed and barked, "Ben!"

"Well it's the truth, he does this all the time! He was the guy who was gonna let the universe explode!" Ben argued. "He's so full of it!"

Mac shook his head. "Ben, enough! You were taught better than that!"

Ben reluctantly complied, though still glaring as Azmuth simply kept his eyes on the metaphorical road. "He's my mistake. Atop a pile of mistakes. And I intend to fix him."

Ben clicked his tongue, "For the smartest guy in the universe, you make some big mistakes."

Azmuth waved him off. "Perhaps... but you never stop learning, Ben."

"So wait, if he's taking your helix and your assistant to do this, why go after him, aside from his craziness." Ben asked in a slightly less hostile manner.

"Because it's not stable yet, nor is he." Azmuth answered. "The helix isn't complete. It could fail to properly rewrite his life code and cause a massive backlash leading to our vaporization. If not that, then his mental could be left worse off."

"Can't anything go right?" Asked the voice of Gwen from the ship before her head appeared in the form of a blue hologram beside them. Naturally, it made Ben jump back in surprise.

Luckily, the trip was quick and once they reached the surface, been took in the sights. The moon was pretty much like the "skin" of a Galvanic Mechamorph albeit more blue and block like. There was a few buildings and "foliage" scattered all over the place. The only truly interesting and unsettling was the stone statues of the Mechamorps.

"Anyone else think those kind of feel out of place?" He asked a tad nervously.

"They are because they've been drained of their energy." Azmuth spoke quickly moving over to take a look at them. "I need to tend to them now or else they'll be permanently deceased. You and Ben need to stop Malware before it's too late."

"Consider it done!" Ben said as he quickly cycled through the Omnitrix. He was hoping for Feedback, but instead he got, "Aw man, Buzzshock!" He spoke in a fast paced and staticky tone. "Whatever, I'mma zap his digital ass! Woohoo!"

Ben, wait!" Max shouted uselessly as Ben high tailed it to Malware's location. Max sighed as Azmuth came back to the ship as Gwen came back online, asking her question just as Max went to get his gear, "Is the doofus running off alone again?"

"Yes, but never mind that." Said the scientist as he went to work. "I need you to lend me some aid on your end. Start by tapping into the power."

XXXXX

Deep within the spire Malware had been tracked, he was watching the progress of his literal life changing cure come to completion at the hands of a less than humble Galvan.

"I must reiterate, it was a very tactically sound of you bringing me along." Spoke Albedo as he worked on the helix with a self satisfied smirk.

"Stop talking." Malware hissed, staring at the Galvan, unmoving like that of a horrifying statue.

"I mean, you picked me up. Azmuth's prized assistant. Barring him, I'm a galactic genius. Very few could have been picked by Azmuth himself, yet here I am." Albedo went on.

"Knock it off." Malware growled with a little more emotion, his talons beginning to dig into the smashed block he was sitting.

Albedo chuckled to himself, not paying attention to the warnings in his self absorbed musings, "Luckily for you, I'm more than capable of finalizing the process for this. Had you picked anyone else, I could only imagine-"

"Shut up!" Malware roared, throwing a clump of stone near Albedo's position. "You're attitude is nauseating me. Speak no more, complete your task."

"I could work faster under better conditions." Albedo muttered to himself, trying his best to hide his fear.

But Malware heard him. "I said work!"

"How about you both do the electric slide on out of here!" Both Albedo and Malware turned to the sound of electricity sliding across the floor coming straight towards Malware, the sickly Mechamorph not being fast enough to move before the electricity hit him.

He screamed in pain as the power travelled across his digital body. He punched his hand into the ground and fired a energy pulse into floor, forcing Ben to be blown out of it with a cry of, "Woooaaah!" Before his face plant. Then he grunted, "I'm okay."

"Finish it. I'll finish him." Malware hissed, dragging his claws against the ground like a beast doing a threatening display.

Ben immediately stood back up and zipped around the room, firing from numerous angles at rapid speeds to wear Malware down. "Come Malware, you're looking more like software!"

Unamused and very agitated, Malware slightly twitched before growing another set of arms from his back again. With raspy roar, he began opening fire, careful not to aim at Albedo, specifically the Helix. He just wanted to shoot down the buzzing fool preventing his cure.

Ben let out a other shout of, "Woah, woah!" Before he fell down and into Malware's grasp. Before the alien could squish or blast him, Ben began to release a discharge, shouting out, "Stranger danger, lemme go, lemme go!"

Metaphorically, Malware grit his teeth and immediately lunged another hand forward, stabbing his digits straight into the Omnitrix, causing a haywire reaction that sent them both skidding back, Ben no longer in the form of Buzzshock. With a groan, Ben stood back up and grumbled, "What the hell did he do?"

Malware didn't say nor move for a moment. His mind was briefly frazzled by the sensation he felt from trying to absorb the watch. He brought his hands to his face and they twitched. "That sensation." He muttered as he rose back up like some vampire. "Your watch."

"Uh, what about it?" Ben mumbled as he stood up and moved back.

"I want that too." He said. Then his arms shot out in an attempt to pry off of him until Malware was zapped by a blaster that brought him to his knees. "Raaargh!"

"Get away from my grandson!" Max yelled, fully decked out in light plumber armor with left eye visor.

"Worthless... homosapiens!" Malware hissed, just as they heard something in the Helix activate and Albedo running away as a red energy began to circulate around it. "At last!" He raked his hand across the ground, sending a brief wave of rubble towards Max, forcing him to roll out of the way with Ben. Malware was laughing, "I will finally be rewritten!" He roared as put his hands on the bars.

A red light began to flow across Malware's body all the way to his head where it exploded out, creating a brief flash of red light the blinded everyone around. After a few seconds, the light faded to reveal the Helix deactivating with a a couple of sparks around the bars and rubble around it. But no Malware.

"Woah, he's gone!" Ben exclaimed before looking around.

"Indeed. I managed to to reroute the Helix's power to cause an overload solely focused on him." Albedo explained before turning to Ben smugly and asking, "Do you think you could top that, prepubescent homosapian?"

Ben glared back at him and said, "I don't know what that last part means, but look tadpole, you don't wanna compare notes."

Max payed attention to the rubble and noticed the faint red light inside of it. He shook his head and prepared his rifle. "Boys, we're not out of the woods yet."

Ben and Albedo turned to the rubble just as something burst from and a familiar digital voice laughed. "Hehehehahahaha! Yes, I have been made beyond complete! I have been upgraded!" Shouted Malware in his new body which was now more menacing than disturbing. He was much more bulky than the average Galvanic Mechamorph.

Max attempted to shoot him, but Malware stretched his arm out and took the gun from his hands. He absorbed with and transformed the arm into a blaster of his own. "Beautiful. I no longer feel pain from using my natural talents!" For a moment, he was in his own world, jubilant at the doors that had opened for him. "Technology bends to my will... why stop here..."

"Wow, nice job, really stacking up to me." Ben sarcastically taunted Albedo with an annoyed glare. Then he turned to his watch and cycled through. It was green despite reverting him back and he said, "Works for me! Time for DiamondHead!"

Malware stopped being engrossed with himself and looked towards his targets. His main target, the Omnitrix, "Do not struggle, homosapian. Give me Azmuth's invention and I'll spare you. I only want Azmuth to see his true greatest creation."

"You have what you want! You're better now, go home, dude!" Ben growled at him.

"This is his home." Albedo corrected him.

"Shut it!" Ben told the assistant with a heated glare.

"No... I must attain perfection." Malware stated, aiming his arm at them as it charged. "I've come this far and my body, my life code, demands I go beyond!"

Ben made a quick crystal barrier from the ground that managed to block the blast, albeit barely. Albedo gulped and turned to the others. "Tell me you have a useful -"

"Shut up, Grandpa, I have a plan." Ben said as his hands turned sharp.

"Go get 'em, son." Max proudly told him with a nod.

Malware began walking towards them only for Ben to jump from behind the crystal wall, blasting Malware with crystal spikes. With a hiss, Malware covered his face before the spikes could hit him, the shards getting embedded into the limbs. He jumped back as Ben came down and ran forward with his hands still spikey.

"Special delivery, a fistful for you!" The hero shouted, punching sides of Malwares head two times before nailing him in the midsection before blasting more spikes into him, sending Malware to the wall.

The unstable Mechamorph merely walked forward, his central eye glowing, and said, "I still need to work on combat efficiency... you'll make fine practice."

Be blasted him and Ben attempted to refract it back only to be thrown back. That wasn't going to work and Ben attempted to fix himself by surfing on a on ramp of crystals he made only to grab by Malware, slammed down, then reeled in.

Despite being briefly disoriented, Ben made himself spike out, but more than that, caused crystals to start growing on Malware's body, making him shout, "What!?"

"Hey, hey now!" Ben shouted happily. He freed himself from Malware's grip and jumped onto Malware. He tried to fight back, throwing a fist, but Ben managed to catch it and grow more crystals on his body.

Only Malware's head was left now and he growled, "No! I won't be denied again! You won't steal my vi-" Ben caught him off, encasing his head. He was now left in a crystalline stasis.

"Don't bad guys ever cool it on their losing monologues." Ben chuckled as he returned back to his human form with a cheeky smile and thumbs up. "Another job well done!"

All in all, just another day in the pretty fun life of Ben Tennyson.

XXPresentXX

"Now that's rather interesting." Said Psyphon, having reviewed over the data more thoroughly, surrounded by a few of his main goons. An avian guy who resembled a rooster, a pink faced robot like alien, and a slug alien using a metal body that had a dome for his head. "I wish I took a moment to check out some of files before. Could've possibly save me some... unnecessary anguish."

The chicken man squawked before he looked between his boss and Khyber. "So... how are we-"

"There is no we. You will be distractions. Don't overestimate your role." Khyber immediately said as he fed his hunting dog a tentacle he managed to procure. The henchmen were put off by him, but Psyphon was naturally unfazed.

"Hmm... whatever you say hunter." The gang leader drawled as he cycled through more files. "Your employer came to us for a reason."

"And he's a fool." Khyber retorted.

"Right," Psyphon drawled, turning in his chair to face him and his henchmen. "Well, now that you've kindly gave you bitter opinion once more, let's talk about the next phase in store for us."

XXXXX

AN: Salutations and sorry for the long ass wait!

Isaac LB: That will have to be answered later. That's something I want to naturally answer story wise.

Hope everyone is safe and well! Happy Halloween from this Americano!