Author's Note: Hi again! Welcome back to another chapter of Danger Watch! As I get towards the big finale of this tale, I look back on the past year (more now!) of writing this series. Skip ahead to the chapter if you don't wanna hear the sappy stuff!
Since I started this project with Jake Long: the American Dragon, you guys have always come through to support me and since then, we have gained a phenomenal audience! That's so awesome, I'm really glad that there are so many people who think this universe is interesting enough to keep up with. I've been putting my mind to some ways that I can give back to you guys for being so great.
Going forward, on top of PHASE 2, which is indeed a thing, I'm going to be trying to interact with the community as much as possible. This will occur a lot in DANGER SHOTS, which will drop as soon as Danger Watch is done airing. I'm thinking that we might do Q and A's about the universe and stuff like that, and maybe even some requests for snapshots within the world. We'll see! Be sure to keep an eye out for that, if you already have ideas for questions about the DWU you can always leave them in the Reviews here!
OK, well that's enough out of me. I hope you enjoy this new chapter! See ya soon!
Chapter Sixteen - Vilgax Arrives
zzzLash!
Sparks and shrapnel went flying as Pearl's spear blade decapitated yet another combat drone. One came charging up from behind her, its arms out wide to grab her, but it was swiftly intercepted by a pair of chrome canines. Wakeman's robotic hounds pounced onto the drone, and began tearing it open with their glittering fangs.
"Look out!" A voice shouted in Pearl's peripheral.
Just as she tore her eyes away from the unsuccessful ambush, Pearl was thrust into a stare-down with a large, missile-shaped projectile. Another pod full of drones, being fired down from Vilgax's ship. She had no time to react! Luckily, someone big and bulky came barreling through, scooping Pearl into their arms. Bismuth. They narrowly avoided being crushed by the huge, metal pod. It crashed into the torn soil, and with a snap-hiss, another squad of combat drones emerged.
"How many robots does he have?" Pearl exclaimed incredulously. The two gems stood back to back. They were both growing tired and dirty from the constant combat.
The situation had grown dire. According to the engineers, there was unprecedented seismic activity going on beneath them. The gems had wagered on the Cluster. What had once been a small hole dug by the test drill had become a gaping ravine. The once flat lawn in front of the Hinobi base was torn asunder, and from this pit crawled ever more of the pastel colored gem horrors.
They, along with the arrival of the battle drones, were enough to cause all hell to break loose. After dropping the first wave of drones, Vilgax's ship had begun to fire a rain of heavy lasers down on the base. That was when the wall fell. Hinobi had no sort of science with the power to combat this mighty battle ship. The gems had no answer either.
Luckily, the Dragon was there.
After the first barrage of lasers, there was a terrible roar that shook the sky like thunder. Then, a bolt of purple lighting struck a small point in the sky, and from that point emerged an enormous, twenty foot serpent. Lao Shi's dragon form. As the next volley came hailing down from Vilgax's ship, the Dragon let loose a mighty bolt of purple electricity from his maw. The beam chained from one laser to the next, causing them to explode into harmless stray particles. From there, the cannons aimed specifically for Lao Shi, and he began a twisting, spiraling dance, avoiding every shot, trying to buy time for the others below.
Unfortunately, with the wall destroyed, and the chain of command scattered across a hectic battlefield, the defense for the inside of the Hinobi Base was essentially lost. Mere moments after the wall went down, a host of cluster prototypes bounded into the exploded hole in the glass wall.
Further into the base, inside of the med bay, Miko heard them. Beyond the sounds of battle, she heard something closer, and more immediate. A hunting sound, like scrambling limbs.
"Damn it," she muttered under her breath.
"What is it?" Gwen asked. She hadn't left Miko's side since the battle had begun.
The Glitch Tech turned to the girl and put on a brave smile.
"You know what, kid? I'll be right back. Can you watch these guys while I'm gone?" She asked.
Gwen blinked.
"Yes, but- Wait, where are you going?" Gwen said.
Miko continued to try and look brave. There was a sound of particles forming as she digistructed herself a small assortment of tools, including a grappling gun, some small, black discs, and a samurai sword. Then, she sighed, and unstrapped her gauntlet. To Gwen's surprise, Miko pressed the glove into her hands.
"Here," she said, indicating a few buttons. "Press these if you have to make something. You're smart, you'll figure it out."
Miko then stood up, strapping the gadgets to her belt and slinging the sword's scabbard over her shoulder. Gwen still looked confused. She observed the gauntlet, and then looked back up to Miko, who had paused at the door.
"Be careful," Gwen said.
Miko just grinned, and gave her a thumb's up.
"Don't sweat it."
Then, she stepped out of the med bay, and into the hallway. Her bootsteps echoed as she went.
Good, Miko thought. I'll draw them all to me.
She continued to walk forward, lingering in a strange state between calm and laser focused. The base had taken quite a beating, and many of the main power sources were offline. This left everything in a dark, low power, state. The halls and floors were dim, lit by red exit signs, and the occasional flickering lightbulb. She walked up a small flight of stairs, to the second floor. The ground floor. This was where the sound had come from.
ffSHAA!
A vent blew out a blast of steam! Then, from behind the steam cloud- movement!
"Ah!" Shouted Miko, stumbling back as a scuttling figure leapt off of the wall, and right towards her! They went into a roll, and Miko used the momentum to swiftly push the thing away from her. Then, she scrambled ot her feet, and got her first look at the thing. It was some kind of spiderlike monster, made entirely of overly long arms, hands, and fingers.
"That's just really gross," Miko said.
Wordlessly, the pastel horror slapped across the ground towards her. It swiped for her legs with a few of its hands, and Miko quickly jumped back. Then, with a short breath, she drew her newly digistructed sword from its sheath. The monster lunged again, but this time, Miko was ready for it. She dropped into a low lunge, and sliced her blade through the air where she had been. As she did so, the fine edge sliced clean through the physical form of the monster.
kaPoof!
An explosion of white smoke behind her signified the end of that creature. Elegantly, Miko sheathed her blade. However, she had no time to celebrate. From the hallway beside her, three more horrors emerged. One was made from a single, full torso, but ran on a pair of oversized arms. The other two were similarly spider-like to the last one. The Glitch Tech grimaced.
One creature, a spider, got tired of waiting. It lunged forward, scampering across the wall and then making a leap towards her. Miko quickly side stepped, and the creature nearly flew off the glass balcony. However, it caught itself with one hand, and swung back up in the same motion. Miko had expected the thing to fall, and had turned her back to it, in order to face the other two.
"Gah!" Miko exclaimed, as the monster was suddenly clinging to her back. From her belt, she grabbed one of the black disks, and, with the disk in her palm, formed a fist. There was a tingling sensation as blue electricity jumped from her hand. Luckily, her fingerless gloves (standard issue with her uniform, to be worn beneath the gauntlet) bore the brunt of the shock. The monster had no such protection, though, as Miko slugged it in the face with a lighting fist.
That bought her enough leeway to fling the thing off her back with a Judo flip. Then, she quickly discarded the now cracked disk in her hand, taking a moment to shake away the tingles. The spider had scuttled back onto the wall now, and was trying to get up and at a distance from her. Spotting this, Miko reached down and drew her grappling gun. Then, she grinned.
"Get over here!" She said.
psseEwer! Miko fired the grappling hook, and it lodged itself into the pastel flesh of one of the monster's limbs. Then, with a hefty tug, Miko brought the thing flailing down from the ceiling. From there, she swiftly dropped the gun, and drew her sword once more. In the same motion as she drew it, she slashed the blade through the tumbling form of the gem horror. Another explosion, and there were suddenly only two threats to deal with.
"OK, Miko," the Glitch Tech said to herself. "So far so good."
There was a distant sound of movement… More were coming towards her. The two immediately in front of Miko began to cautiously approach. They were getting bolder.
"Starting to wish I didn't give my gauntlet to the kid," Miko muttered.
Back outside, things had only gotten worse. The drones had cut swathes into the already flimsy defense. They had cleared a space large enough for the main war ship to land, and now, they were marching freely from the hangar. However, despite the army, despite the remaining gem monsters that were still spewing forth, the real problem had only just arrived.
"Shit," Max panted, as he blasted down a drone with a hi-tech Hinobi gun. "There he is. Everyone! I have eyes on Vilgax!"
Max shouted the last few words, to alert the remaining fighters. The gems took note, and so did Wakeman. Lao Shi, however, was fighting in earnest now. As indomitable a presence as he had, even the great midnight Dragon was beginning to show signs of strain under the constant bombardment of laser fire. However, what Max said was true, and it would have done well for Lao Shi to have heard him.
When he first emerged from the bowels of his ship, the main battalions of drones that defended it parted like waves in the sea. He was a towering individual: all told, standing probably 10 feet tall. His body was a monstrous combination of black-red techno-armor, and a rippling, green musculature that resembled something squid-like. Large breathing tubes filled with an odd, glowing, goo connected a face mask to the exo-suit. One hand was a powerful, green, fist. The other, a mechanical claw.
As Vilgax's beady red eyes surveyed the battlefield, he instantly picked out Max.
Tennyson…
Max felt the psionic intrusion, and shouted out in surprise, grabbing his head. A gem monster nearly smashed him, but Amethyst and Bismuth worked together to grapple it and bring it down.
"You good?" Amethyst called over to him.
"Its him, he-" Max started to say.
Your defenses are crushed, Tennyson. Ironic. I remember you being on the other end of this situation, last we met.
"Gah!" Max gasped, dropping his gun and clutching the sides of his head.
Bismuth and Amethyst swapped glances, and then Amethyst's form began to glow. Moments later, a towering, muscular version of her appeared. There were a few key differences, most notably a forest of white chest hair and a strange, luchador get up. When she had finished transforming, she caught the curious look she got from Bismuth.
"Don't ask," Amethyst said. Then, she ran forward, and scooped up Max in her arms. "We're gonna get you outta here, Mr. T."
"He's… in my head…" Max groaned a warning.
As Max was carried away, Wakeman grimaced. She only let her eyes linger on the pained man's face briefly. Then, she doused her tenderness and regained her steely resolve. Turning her gaze back to the front of the war ship, she turned a dial on her goggles. This particular piece of eyewear wasn't just for style. It was a hi-tech piece of equipment. As such, Wakeman was able to zoom in, and observe Vilgax and his ship (somewhat) safely. The two robotic canines stood guard of her, making sure nothing attacked her while she was focused on her observation.
"We need to make a move," she said. Then, she spoke into her earpiece. "All Techs. On my position. Concentrate your fire on the warship. We need to gain an upper hand. The base is lost. Let's move it, people!"
The response was hesitant but swift, and moments later a wave of people in white uniforms dashed to her side. Pearl, Bismuth, Max, Amethyst, and Lao Shi formed a defensive semi-circle around them, and the air was quickly filled with the sound of digistruction.
"Fire!" Wakeman called out.
sHHeer!sheer!SHeer!
The cannons of dozens of Hinobi gauntlets went off simultaneously, and the air was suddenly darkened by a volley of projectiles. Missiles, arrows, even laser beams (some Tech's were wily enough to digistruct weapons they had found on fallen drones.) They blasted wave after wave, aiming to decimate the alien ship. Lao Shi joined in as well, barking a blast of lavender lightning directly at the hull of the bladed ship.
The drones nearest to the ship seemed to take note of what was happening, and scattered in various directions to avoid becoming collateral damage. Vilgax, however, stood his ground. Even as the warship's hull splintered and then collapsed, and even after its engine exploded, and the entire vessel become a massive, blazing inferno that lit the nearby forest ablaze.
The defending forces had only a moment to celebrate their victory. Because even after they destroyed the warship, a figure emerged from the looming wall of smoke. A towering exoskeleton, hardly even fazed by what had been a jaw-dropping explosion.
Vilgax walked forward like nothing had happened.
"Move back!" Pearl suddenly shouted, she and the other gems stepping forward to shield the retreating Glitch Techs.
"Pearl?" Amethyst said. Pearl nodded, and the two of them clasped hands. In a brilliant flare of light, their bodies shifted and merged, and in their place was a towering woman, with pearlescent hair and a lavender skin tone. Opal.
"I gotcha back, honey!" Bismuth said, shapeshifting both of her massive fists into sledgehammers.
Vilgax continued his unimpeded approach, and as soon as he was about to get into a threatening range, his was suddenly swooped off of the ground by the jaws of a massive beast! Lao Shi had lunged down, and snatched up the alien warlord in his fangs. Then, the Dragon took him high into the air. However, Vilgax would not go quietly. He struggled against the Dragon's mighty grip, Then, with an angry snarl, Vilgax used his enhanced mechanical claw to smash through one of the creature's fangs, shattering the bone.
Lao Shi roared in pain, and there was a momentary lapse in his grip. Vilgax immediately wriggled free, and then delivered a massive punch to the Dragon's snout, before dropping into a free fall. Lao Shi writhed in pain, and then a gout of purple flames erupted from his nostrils, followed by a trail of smoke. After that, the massive creature went spiraling downwards, towards the trees. Just before it hit the ground, the enormous dragon seemed to vanish.
WHAM! Vilgax hit the earth with a mighty slam. As he rose from one knee, Bismuth and Opal gulped. Wakeman's robotic canines instantly honed in on him, but were tossed aside with ease. Vilgax's gaze never wavered, he was locked onto one thing, and one thing only. Max Tennyson.
The gem's realized this. Opal disconnected her bow into a pair of pale scimitars, and Bismuth shifted her stance in anticipation. There was no more banter exchanged. Now was the time for action.
Vilgax lunged in with his metallic claw, and Opal, standing about his height, swiftly sidestepped. Then, she dashed in with a double slash. She caught the side of Vilgax's armor, but barely left a scratch. Then, the fusion had to leap backwards to avoid being grappled by Vilgax's mighty, biological arm.
Bismuth, who came up to Vilgax's chest, came hurtling forward, trying to tackle the alien around the waist and bring him down. The reinforced exoskeletal legs barely budged. A bead of sweat dropped down Bismuth's forehead, and there was a hydraulic whirring sound as the servos inside of Vilgax's leg activated. A knee launched up, knocking the wind out of Bismuth. Then, before she could react, Vilgax grabbed her by her rainbow dreadlocks.
Pathetic.
"Heayyyyaa!" Opal shouted, enraged by seeing Bismuth in pain.
Seeing the fusion charging back in, Vilgax threw Bismuth aside like she was a featherweight, and then crossed his mechanic arm in front of himself to shield his face from the barrage of slashes that Opal unleashed. The fusion struck and struck, however, she only succeeded in creating a small smudge in the paint job of the exo-armor. Vilgax made his first actual sound, a low-bellied laugh that rumbled from inside of the exo-suit.
From several yards away, Max stood still with fear. Then, suddenly, he heard a familiar voice pierce his stunned haze.
"-nnyson… Tennyson!" Wakeman said. "Max! We have to move!"
"Wakeman?" Max said, then he groaned, and rubbed his forehead. "He's stronger than before."
"No, shit!" Wakeman said, grabbing the man around his beefy wrist and dragging him along.
They followed the tide of Glitch Techs, who were rushing back for the compromised Hinobi Building. The enemy forces were still recovering from the destruction of the battleship, and so the Techs cut a path straight towards the building. Digistruction began immediately, as techs tried to barricade the shattered holes in the glass building.
As she escorted Max behind the lines, Wakeman cursed herself for splurging on the flashy design. She should have focused more on practicality.
"We're not gonna hold, Nora," Max panted, sitting down on a bench.
"Shut up," Wakeman said. The put a finger to her ear. "XJ-9, come in… XJ-9."
There was a pause, as Wakeman apparently listened for a response. Max sighed, and put his hands over his face. What was he going to tell Ben's parents? Or worse, what would they think of none of them ever came back?
"Uh… Hey, mom."
A static-filled voice came through in Wakeman's ear. Her head perked up.
"Jenny?" She sputtered.
Jenny's twintails did a little swivel.
"Yeah, hi, its me," she said. "Um. Just a heads up…"
"What is it?"
Jenny gulped, and glanced back again to the viewport. Clouds were rushing past at a blinding speed, and she could see fire that had formed around the outside of the vessel she was currently inhabiting.
"We might be about to mess up the lawn."
"Everybody, hold on!" A Ruby called from the control deck.
She and the rest of her crew of Rubies were frantically running the controls. Crammed into the rest of the teardrop ship's interior was: human Ben, human Jake, Steven, Sapphire, Peridot, Jenny, and Five. Steven sat with Five, who looked like he was going to throw up. Sapphire was watching fondly as the Ruby in charge barked orders. Jake and Ben were both screaming at the top of their lungs, holding onto each other. Peridot was near the front, holding onto the wall and helping direct the Ruby crew.
"OK, mom, gotta go, bye!" Jenny said, cutting off the comms and running forward to lean on the wall near Five and Steven. "Will you be OK?!"
"Rogged… buh…" Five stammered, lifting his hand weakly.
"What?" Jenny said.
The whole ship rocked as the turbulence grew more intense.
"I don't know!" Steven said. "He keeps mumbling something, I have no idea what he's saying!"
"Roggabuh!" Five babbled, gesturing to his wrist.
"Speech analysis program… Slurred pattern recognition…" Jenny suddenly said, a computer-like edge shifting into her voice. "Are- are you trying to say 'rocket boots'?"
"Roogebuh!" Five said.
"Why can't he talk?" Steven asked.
"Frostbite to his jaws lips and tongue," Jenny said. "He was exposed to outer space for a while, remember? Humans, like, can't do that!"
The ship rocked especially hard, and Five went flying across the interior. Steven was about to try and float over to him, but Jenny quickly snatched her friend out of the air. Cradling Five like a baby, she fingered in a few numbers on his Hinobi gauntlet.
"Smart thinking, Five," Jenny said, as she found the icon for the rocket boots. She pressed it, there was a cash register noise, and Five groaned. Then, two globs of digistruct energy came out of his gauntlet, and stuck themselves to his boots. Moments later, he was wearing a hi-tech pair of shoes.
"That was the atmosphere!" Peridot called over the roar of air and flame. "We're gonna reach the ground in seconds!"
"AHHHHHHHHHH!" Jake and Ben screamed.
"Darling!" Sapphire shouted, rushing forward.
"Steady on, Rubies!" Ruby roared before turning around.
Their hands met, and in a flash, Garnet was formed. She turned to the rest of them, looking very serious.
"Sapphire ran the calculations," she said. "We have to jump."
"Yes!" Jake shouted. "Yes! Let's do that! I like that plan!"
"The impact is gonna be huge," Garnet said. "Make sure you don't get caught in the blast."
"Oh, that's reassuring!" Ben said.
"What about the Rubies?" Steven asked.
"Leave them to me!" Garnet said. Then, a hatch opened in the rear of the ship, and the whipping wind suddenly gusted inside. "We gotta jump! Move!"
One by one, they leapt out of the plummeting spaceship. First went Jake, and in a flash of flame, he became the dragon once more. Then, Jenny flew out, with Five in tow. They both kicked on their rocket boots and flew off.
"Wait!" Peridot said, as Steven was about to go. "What about me?"
"Uh," Steven said. "Um."
"GO, STEVEN!" Garnet warned.
"I'll catch you!" Steven said. "Just trust me!"
Then, the half-gem jumped out of the ship. Peridot gulped, but sensed she had no choice, and went screaming out of the hatch.
Finally, there was Ben. With a deep breath, the boy swallowed his fear. Then, he looked down at the Omnitrix. Time to fly. He closed his eyes, and spread his arms, and jumped into the freefall. He rode the air for a moment, and for a few seconds, forgot about the mortal peril as he looked at the mountains with a birds eye view.
Then he remembered he was jumping out of a spaceship to his death.
He started to panic a little then.
"Uh, ah!" He shouted, reaching down and frantically swiveling the Omnitrix dial. "Heatblast! Heatblast!"
He found his choice, and slammed his hand down. There was a pulse of green energy, and Ben felt his body start to rapidly shift and change. His hands sharpened into claws. His eyes extended onto the ends of long stalks. He grew two pairs of glossy wings. He had become a giant, alien bug.
"Aw, man!" Ben said. "Not Stinkbug!"
"Hahahahaha!" Came the echoing laughter of Jake, as he swooped past in his dragon form. "Dude, what is that thing?"
"Is everyone OK?" This was Steven, who was floating nearby, holding a terrified looking Peridot close against his chest.
"All good here!" Jenny said. She was helping teach Five how to steer the jet boots, and he was slowly learning, though he still looked a bit queasy.
"Shut up, Jake!"
"Oh, man. 'You can only turn into one thing'" Jake reiterated mockingly. "At least its not that thing!"
Jenny snorted back her laughter, as did Steven, and in that moment, even Ben couldn't hold back his wry smile. They held there, for a moment, laughing together in this absurd, giddy high of surviving. It was a strange way to bond, but, they were a strange group.
The explosion of the teardrop ship snapped them back to reality. Below them was the lawn of the Hinobi base, now a complete battlefield. There was already one wrecked ship there, and so the smaller crater caused by the crash-landing ship was a welcome addition. From what they could see, it seemed to take out a small group of battle drones. The enemy showed signs of wavering.
However, there were no signs of Garnet and the Rubies. There wasn't time to focus on that, however. They had to trust in Garnet's judgement. Now, there was a greater problem. As they got closer and closer to the surface of the Earth, they noticed that, despite their explosive entrance, the battle was tipping in the enemies favor. They saw Vilgax, standing over a defeated looking Opal, and with precious little standing between him and the Hinobi base.
"We have to get down there," Steven said.
They all nodded.
"Look at us," Jake said. "One big team."
"So, what's the plan?" Ben said, for once the serious one.
"Well, for starters," Steven said, pointing down to the battlefield below. "How about we kick Vilgax's butt?"
They all grinned.
"I like that plan," Jenny said. "That's a good plan."