In the deepest parts of the forest, the trees shook as it was met with a strong earthquake which also disturbed the wildlife currently present. Deep beneath it however...
In a large cave covered with large, root-like cords there was something in the middle. Sort of resembling a rose in some way... however a black hand sprouted out before pulling the rest of itself out.
The sizzling of what looked like tentacles bundled up in the shape of a burger patty, Max flipped them onto the fresher side. "Remember when you first tasted Kori's cooking? God you were spewing your guts out everywhere.", Oscar said with a hearty laugh.
"Not like you can say anything, you couldn't even move for the next couple of hours.", Max said as Oscar just stopped and nodded.
"Fair point. Least I didn't stink up the hut."
Alex, now wearing a plain black T shirt with brown jeans walked past them holding a cooler in his arms as he walked over to the table "Having fun yet?", Alex asked Charmcaster, who sat with Ben and Gwen.
Charmcaster, who now wore a sleeveless turtle neck with a pair of blue jeans."Well I like the fresh air and the food, just not the two old men sharing their war stories. I get to hear that with Uncle Hex.", she jokingly says as he just shrugged.
"Hey, grandpa, I thought you were gonna tell the story about when you first met dad.", Alex said as although he never heard it himself, he did hear some of it from his father when he was still around.
"A stories a lot like barbecued squid, can't rush either one.", Oscar said as Max flipped them again.
"What? I thought those were hamburgers.", Ben jolted up from his seat as he genuinely thought he would get something normal from his grandfather.
"I mean... it would explain the tentacles.", Alex jokingly says as he had already noticed it. Suddenly, another earthquake occurs.
Down below, the Highbreed exited its stasis chamber and grabbed onto one of the roots to help him balance. Quickly leaping over to a console he began typing away. "Station log- my hibernation pod has opened. Which means the unthinkable has happened, the war is lost.", he pressed a small button on the side, sliding open a panel in front of him.
Underneath was a large red button. "Which means I must fulfill my purpose."
"And then, BAM!", Oscar slapped on the top bun of the barbecue squid burger. "One shot took down the three of them, then all we had to worry about was that bomb."
"Turns out it was a dud.", Max said with a shrug as he handed a plate to Gwen.
"This is a normal burger, right?", Gwen asked nervously as Charmcaster got up and inspected the patty.
"I see an eye and a beak in there, sorry.", Charmcaster said as he glanced at Oscar, who was staring off into space. "Hey, Alex, your grandpa here is buggin out."
Oscar shook his head, rubbing his eyes before he quickly grabbed his head and let out a scream. Bumping into the grill before falling to the ground.
"Grandpa? Grandpa!", Alex stepped onto the table before leaping off it and running to his grandfather, in which Max was already helping him back up.
"Are you sure you're okay?", Gwen asked tilting her head.
"Im fine, just got a little dizzy for a bit.", Oscar said as he stood straight. "Let's eat."
"Can't, you dumped the whole grill.", Charmcaster said as she used energy tendrils to pull it back up.
"That was the last of my ground squid, too.", Max sighed and scratched his chin. "Well I do have some hamburger meat in the freezer, we could eat that instead.", he says sort of reluctantly.
"Well if you're out of the squid, what can we do?", Ben comments with a shrug as Max walks past them and into the Rust Bucket. The other three sat back down with Ben as Oscar prepared the grill again.
As Oscar was readjusting the nozzle attached to the gas he spaced out again, looking up at something that wasn't there. "Drone seeds located and activated. Command and control sequence, activated. Commencing command code self test.", he stood back up and caused the grill to fall back again.
Max immediately came back out confused as Oscar was standing there again. "Gramps!", Oscar was snapped out of this when Alex poked him with a stick. "It happened again."
"We can try again if you're not feeling well, Oscar.", Max said as he felt a lingering suspicion that there was more to this.
"I'm fine, see?", Oscar flexed, doing various poses before stopping as he saw the looks on their faces. "Tell ya what- let's get some sleep, and if I'm still acting funny in the morning we'll see someone."
"Sounds good to me.", Gwen said as Max came out with the sleeping bags, with Alex going over to his pickup truck to get both his own, Oscars and Charmcasters.
"Here I thought meth was only bad in Oregon.", Alex mutters.
Hours had passed and the sun had finally set, the moon rising out in its place as it shone down on the forest. Oscar sat up, getting out of his sleeping back as he turned his head, purple roots growing out of his neck.
Ben was the first to wake up in the morning, sitting up and stretching. "Grandpa, for breakfast can we have anything without eyeballs?", he asks as Max was still asleep... though he did notice an empty sleeping bag and tire tracks.
"Uh, guys.", Ben said in a much louder voice, waking up the others as they sat up. "I think we're missing someone."
It took a second but Alex noticed it too. "Where's the truck?"
"More importantly, where's Oscar?", Max said as he felt his suspicions coming more and more into light. "Can either of you get a fix on him?"
"I got it!", Gwen sat up as her eyes glowed blue, it took a second but they dimmed before reverting to normal. "Alright, I got him, he's heading west."
"Then so are we.", Alex got up and walked to the RV with Ben sighing as the other two followed him.
"No dinner, no breakfast. Are we on a diet?", Ben rubbed his stomach as it gargled.
The rusty pickup truck abruptly stopped in the middle of the forest, kicking the door down Oscar hopped out in a trance. He walks to a crowd of others like him, others with those purple roots. "Seedling 3, reporting present."
"Seedling 2, reporting present.", said another seedling as they joined the group.
"9 of 91 seedlings present, sufficient animal biomass for fail safe activation.", said Oscar, shortly after red roots with orange circuitry erupted from the ground and began to wrap around all nine of them, each root entertaining with each other before creating a sort of crystal/like dome with some sort of orange substance within.
The Rust Bucket sped down the path with Gwen guiding them, much to Charmcaster's delight. "We go off road from here.", she said with full confidence.
"You're getting good at that.", Max says with a nod as he flipped open a small latch with a red button, pressing it the RV seemed to move up a bit. The reason as to why was because the tires had become larger to compensate for the terrain. "And for safe measure.", Max pressed another button, activating the battering ram as he went off road.
Shortly after, the Rust Bucket and its inhabitants found themselves right in front of the strange dome. They quickly exited with Max brandishing a blaster along with Ben using Ship to create a cannon for him. "What in the blazes is that?", Max looks at it confused for a moment.
"No idea, but it looks like Oscar is inside.", Charmcaster pointed to his silhouette, Gwen nodding in confirmation.
"Not for long.", Alex activated the Omnitrix, scrolling through his arsenal and slamming down the second he saw Crazy Diamond. The usual green flash erupted for the brief seconds it lasted, Blight standing in his place. "Y'know what? This works too.", he says as he transforms his arm into a serrated blade
"Come no closer to the seed pod, inferior filth.", The Highbreed descended from above, brandishing his own weapon.
"Take a chill pill dude, the wars over.", Ben says annoyed, Ship's head peaking out and nodding.
"Ship!", the Galvanic Mechamorph dog barked out.
"Perhaps, but our defeat will bring you nothing but sorrow, vermin!", The Highbreed exclaims undeterred.
"I ain't leaving without my gramps. Step aside.", Blight hissed, his mouth opening up as he let out a high pitched roar. Leaping at him and falling into his globulous form right as the Highbreed blasted him, Charmcaster quickly erected a shield to deflect it.
The Highbreed was quick enough to dodge the bite from Blight, who erupted forward as a giant mouth. Quickly dodging underneath a mace and blasted at him, he quickly opened a hole in his body before he quickly dodged a series of blasts from Ben using Ships Battle Mode along with Max's blaster.
The Highbreed quickly countered with his own blasts, his blaster quickly getting knocked out of his grasps by Gwen in her Lucky Girl persona. She created a blue whip of energy that was quickly caught, he spun around and slammed her into a tree as retaliation. The Highbreed attempted to regain his blaster but found himself stuck, looking down it seems the earth had swallowed his feet.
He looked over and blocked a powerful energy bomb from Charmcaster, who had pulled it out of her Bag of Tricks. "Okay, how about this? We hit him all at once, not one at a time.", she says as Blight reforms into his humanoid form, his teeth retracting into his face.
"Agreed.", he looked over and nodded at Max, who gave a nod back before he was enveloped in the black ooze. Ship's armor created several ports with missiles, Gwen levitated right above them with Charmcaster charging up a spell.
Before they could all attack, a strong rumbling caught their attention, looking at the seed pod as it descended into the earth. What emerged was the shape of a giant Highbreed with red eyes and composed of trees, soil, and other organic matter. However, it was over eight hundred feet tall.
As it roared, debris fell down from its body. Reacting quickly, both Charmcaster and Gwen created an equally large shield they layered ontop of each other. Allowing the rocks to bounce off. "Holy shit.", Charmcaster mutters as the giant creature walks away, almost completely ignoring them.
"What the fuck is that?!", Blight, now sounding more like Max exclaims as he slowly melts off of him.
"The end of the human infestation. The end of our war!", The Highbreed exclaimed proudly.
"Don't you watch the news? The wars over.", Ben says as Ship retracted his helmet, tilting the RV back to its original position with Max following him.
"Could you go back to the "the whole ending the human infestation" part?", Blight asks as he reforms back in front of him and detransforms
"It simply means you are doomed. And I'd rather not waste time toying with the inferior, I have more pressing matters to attend to.", The Highbreed says as it leapt up, flying away and towards the direction of the creature.
"Get in! We'll follow in the Rust Bucket.", Max says as Alex shakes his head.
"Nah, I'll get there faster.", Alex says as he transforms into Drag Racer. "Meet you guys there!", he exclaims as his visor drops down. He quickly vanished in a black and blue blur.
The creature meanders through the forest, a sonic boom erupted right behind it. A green flash erupted below it as Extinction at his max size grabbed it by the ankle, though as if he weighed nothing, it simply kept walking. "It barely even knows I'm here!"
The Rust Bucket quickly caught up thanks to Ship upgrading it, allowing it to do such a thing. A panel opened up as Gwen peeked out and created a towering blue barrier in front of it, in which it simply walks right through. "Thought I could get its attention.", she says as she detransforms.
"Allow me.", Charmcaster says as she climbed ontop of the roof, whipping a purple cloth in front of her and materializing her usual sorceress garb. She propels herself into the air and summons blazing blue blades of energy, slicing through the branches before being met with one to the face, sending her spiraling out. In which she quickly caught herself in mid air, slowly descending.
"Problem is that Oscar and other innocent people are inside that thing, we can't hurt any of them.", Max says, poking his head out the door.
"Not like a that's happening.", Extinction quickly grew down to his usual size and started running after, quickly catching up and returning to his large size. Stopping it in its tracks.
Charmcaster hovered into the air and nodded. "Good job Alex! Keep it still so I can look for weak-!", she was cut off as she was swatted away like a fly. With Extinction being launched into the air after her. She was quickly grabbed and wrapped into Wrecking Ball's sphere form as he crashed right into the soil, unrolling and detransforming in a red flash with Charmcaster on top of him.
The RV pulled up next to them, Ship melting off and back inside as Ben opened the door to walk out. "We tried going easy and we tried going hard, what do we do now?", Ben looked at Alex.
"Maybe he could try Azathoth?", Gwen tilted her head from behind her.
"No.", Alex sternly said. "I'm not doing that, not when I have someone who can help us out.", he says before transforming into Mach Manta. "Try to stall for time, I'll be back!", he says before flying off in a red blur.
"It'd be nice if you let us in on the plans.", Charmcaster sighs as Ben rockets ahead of them using Ship's battle mode.
Ship opened up all ports and unleashed a barrage of missiles right at the back of its head. The missiles seemed almost endless as the two sorceresses joined in and began blasting at it with fire balls of both magenta and blue energy. They were both swatted away, Gwen quickly created a platform that caught the two of them just before they hit the soil.
Ben utilizes the visor Ship provided him, noticing there was not a single scratch. "Seriously?!", he exclaims as Ship's map of the area picked up multiple beings approaching.
Suddenly, a SACT Humvee pulled up alongside of several tanks. Lieutenant Steel quickly got out and looked ahead. "Weapons ready!"
"Don't! There's people inside that thing!", Gwen exclaimed as they ran up to him.
"I wish I knew how to get them out. But that things heading right towards the Twin Masa Nuclear Plant, we have to stop it.", Lieutenant Steel says before looking ahead. "FIRE!"
Missiles, tank shells, every heavy artillery that wasn't a nuclear bomb was unleashed onto the back of the creature who simply kept moving without flinching. "Dammit! BRING THAT BOGEY DOWN!"
The Highbreed landed with a soft thud, looking at the humans in front of them with disinterest as they aimed the Concussion Bazooka at his chest. "Idiotic mongrels, you cannot hope to succeed."
"Suppose we make you tell us.", Ben, still using Ships Battle Mode grabbed him with a claw which he quickly broke out of without much effort.
"A lower life form cannot force me to do anything.", The Highbreed says confidently.
"No.", the Resolute descends, it's hatch had already began opening just as they landed. With Reinrassig, stepping out proudly. "But I can."
"And who are you?"
"He's Reinrassig the Third, seventh son of the noble house of Di Ralla, direct descendent of the pure blooded high order of Rasecht.", Alex says as he patted Reinrassig's back. "And a personal friend of mine."
"I am the current Highbreed Supreme.", Reinrassig says proudly.
"Impossible! You are impure!", The Highbreed says, gesturing to his Methanosian Arm. "Just look at your arm!"
"Yes, look at it.", Reinrassig flashed his palm, revealing a sort of symbol on it resembling that of a face.
"You bare the imperial seal?!", The Highbreed quickly knelt down. "My apologies, Highbreed Supreme!... So, our people have not been extinguished?", he says slightly confused.
"Clearly."
The Highbreed looked up. "But I was only to be awakened if we lost the ear."
"The war has ended. It was settled peacefully, thanks to AlexAlex Tennant.", Reiny gestured to his human ally.
"Peace.. with the humans?", the concept of peace with such an inferior race was... foreign to the Highbreed, understandably. "But what awakened me from my hibernation?"
"It must've been some sort of accident. Whatever the cause your orders are clear, shut down that weapon.", Reinrassig gestured to the giant monster made from the Earth itself.
"My apologies, Supreme One, but I cannot deactivate it. Once the failsafe sprouts, nothing can stop it.", The Highbreed exclaims as he stands up.
"Clever, what's the point of a failsafe if you can turn if off?", Gwen says as Ship unravels around Ben.
"We planted post hypnotic seeds in several dozen humans who were are prisoners, those seeds were to be activated and the fail safe process started only in our demise.", Reinrassig explains.
"What's it gonna do? Stomp us to death?", Ben crosses his arms.
"No. The failsafe requires a large source of energy to prime its destructive energies. If it is primed, it will explode. The fallout will destroy the planet within mere minutes.", the Highbreed exclaims as he looks up.
"Alright Gluto! You can go, we got this.", Alex says to his Omnitrix, gargled noises belonging to Gluto responded as the hatch closed behind them. The Resolute flying away into the atmosphere.
As the giant creature approached the nuclear plant, the SACT vehicles quickly followed suit with Ship now transformed into a ship flew right next to it. "So what're we going to do? We can't let this overgrown Brussel sprout nuke is.", Ben says as he was in one of the seats.
"Yeah, but facing it head on hasn't worked.", Alex says.
"I mean, if it's a giant plant then it probably has to release gas in some way. So we need to climb inside those exhaust port.", Gwen says as Alex opens up the hatch.
"You're gonna climb, I'm flying.", Alex walked out without a care in the world, transforming into Mach Manta and zipping behind it.
Shortly after, Gwen, Charmcaster and Alex found themselves in its exhaust port that shall not be disclosed. "If you ever tell anyone about this...", Gwen says embarrassed.
"It's not like anyones gonna believe you.", Alex says as they managed to get their footing and began walking up. Alex brushing his hands against the large roots. "These are like it's veins, so that means we're in some sort of circulatory system."
"The small ones carry fluids so the big ones must exchange carbon dioxide for oxygen.", Gwen says as Charmcaster nodded, not knowing what they're actually saying but just getting an idea.
"So that means we need to find its brain to shut it down.", Alex says as they heard hissing.
"I doubt they'll let us.", Charmcaster pointed ahead to creatures resembling headless Highbreeds, with their hands being purple along with their exposed stomach. They seemed to be attached to cords as well.
"If we're like germs, then they're the antibodies.", Alex says as he quickly transforms into Crazy Diamond, forming stumps from his arms as he quickly blasted at one of them. The creature wasn't phased and extended its fingers at him.
Gwen transforms into Lucky Girl and quickly dodged a swipe from another creature and began blasting at it from above. Charmcaster meanwhile brings out three of her rock monsters to deal with the others, the tussle only lasted a minute before they were turned into powder. "Ugh, why do I still have these?", the sorceress says annoyed and quickly wrapping herself in an energy dome to avoid the tendrils.
As Crazy Diamond was being put into a pod, he quickly kicked the creature back and right in to the air. A sharp snap erupted as it crashed against one of the walls. Crazy Diamond walks over and sees its flesh dissolve in a red energy, revealing it to be a human.
"What did you just do?", Gwen asked in confusion as she was restrained by the tendrils.
"They're all attached to the walls by some sort of vines. Like power cords.", Charmcaster says as she repels the creatures away.
"Cut em.", Crazy Diamond says as he sliced through the cords, the other two following quickly and doing the same thing. In no time, the antibodies were replaced by unconscious humans.
"No sign of Oscar.", Charmcaster says.
"Then we keep looking.", Crazy Diamond says as they walked through the spacious area and towards some sort of fleshy wall.
"Are you sure this is the right way?", Gwen asks curiously.
"Pretty sure, yeah.", Crazy Diamond states as they were in a comparatively smaller area with a purple vines strung about and towards a large, bulbous object with a red tendril attached to Oscar's head.
Outside of it however, the monstrous failsafe had made it to the nuclear plant. Stepping on the gate fencing off the area as if placed its hand on the nuclear core, red energy began pulsing through its hand.
The Highbreed who started this looked at the failsafe, then at the Highbreed Supreme. He quickly sprints forward and leaps up, flying into the air and towards the exhaust port.
Back within the creature, they had attempted to cut Oscar free from the control of the creature who was using him as its brain. However, the vines regenerated quicker than they could cut it. "I'm totally replacing all the plants I have in my house now.", Gwen sighs as the heard a thunk.
The thunk was simply the sound of Crazy Diamond facepalming himself. "Why didn't I think of this before?"
"Think of what?", Charmcaster asked confused.
"If this thing is a giant plant, then that means I can control it.", Crazy Diamond says as he transforms into Blazemash. "Or at least cut the connection to Grandpa.", he says as he places his hands on the temple of the tendril that was latched into his head.
The vines began to unravel, releasing Oscar from its grasp as he fell down, the eyes outside turning black in response. "Ugh... so, Devin Levin laid down cover fire while Max defused the bomb... have I told this story before?", Oscar asks as he was helped up.
Before they could celebrate, the entire body began shaking, with debris falling from the ceiling. "Since it doesn't have a brain, it can't stand anymore!", Blazemash exclaims.
"Yes, but you have a much bigger problem.", The Highbreed Officer says as he approached them.
"Here to finish the job huh?", Charmcaster says as the Highbreed walks past them.
"That is precisely why I'm here. My orders were to destroy you, so I unleashed this weapon. Now my orders are to stop it, and so I shall.", the Highbreed says as he attached the cord to his own head.
"The place is coming apart, if you stay here-"
"All the more reasoning for you to gather the other humans and leave this place.", The Highbreed says. "Now go!"
Outside of the body, the creature's eyes glowed a bright red as it returned to life. It quickly pushed itself up in order to fall back down, creating a massive dust cloud. "AlexAlex Tennant!"
"Is just fine and so are we, thanks for asking!", Gwen huffs as they hovered out in a pink dome that was followed by another one carrying the humans, once they landed the dome vanished.
"You holding up okay gramps?", Alex looks up at his grandfather.
"I'll need to down a bottle of Tylenol but other than that? I'm fine. Good work, all of you.", Oscar says.
Reinrassig nodded in agreement. "You have once again done well, AlexAlex Tennant."
"Not that well, the other Highbreed was in there. He was the one who saved the power plant."
"He was a soldier doing his duty.", Reinrassig looked at the destroyed body of the failsafe. "There is no higher honor for a Highbreed."
Ben, Max and Ship walked over to them, passing SACT. "Are there any other doomsday plans on Earth?", Max asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"Absolutely not.", Reinrassig nods... before scratching his neck. "I will check the records."
/End/