Author's Note: Hey again! I hope you're enjoying Danger Watch! If you are, it would mean a lot if you left a Fav/Follow. I also read and appreciate every Review! Ok, with that said, let's jump right in!
Chapter Seventeen - Deep, Deep Down
Foolish Earth Gems… Your exile on this backwater rock has stunted your knowledge of the Universe
Vilgax was crushing Opal's throat beneath his boot. He held off just enough to keep her from poofing back into her separate parts, instead tormenting the fusion.
"Kh… Gah.." Opal gasped.
Your Diamonds are no longer the unquestioned Authority they once were… In many ways, that is thanks to me.
Genuine fear and confusion seeped into Opal's eyes when he said that, and this brought an evil sort of glee to Vilgax's eyes.
Yes. Think on that. You've cowered here, fearing their retribution. But I have seen powers that make your god-queens quake.
With that, he crushed down, and Opal split into two globs of light. The smaller ball of light rolled away, and became a beaten looking Amethyst. Then, Pearl reformed, underneath Vilgax's boot. He pushed down harder, and then, with a poof, Pearl's gemstone rolled out from beneath him. Vilgax moved to shatter the gem with his mechanical stomp, but Amethyst charged in.
"No!" She said, frantically diving and scooping up the small stone in her hands. Then, in the same motion, she tucked into a roll, becoming a whirling ball of spiky white hair. She kicked up dirt in Vilgax's face, and rolled past. She landed a few yards away, exhausted, but clutching Pearl to her chest.
You only delay the inevitab-
sheeeTHWAM!
There was a sound like a missile, followed by a heavy, scraping impact. Something fast and red had just dashed across Vilgax, and delivered a blow to his face. That staggered him for a moment. As the newcomer came to a halt, between Vilgax and the injured Amethyst, he revealed himself: Jake Long, dragon-in-training.
"Alright, calamari breath," he said, standing up and puffing out his scaly chest. "We can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way."
Insignificant wyrmling!
Vilgax charged forward, grasping with his mechanical claw and rearing back his mighty green fist.
"OK, so, I guess you're choosing the hard way," Jake said. "Don't say I didn't warn you!"
He capped off the last two syllables by dodging back and then swinging forward with his mighty tail. The heavy appendage struck Vilgax another blow to his breathing apparatus, but as Jake finished the spin to face him again, the alien seized him by one of his wings. Jake panicked, as he tried to pull it free, but Vilgax's grip was iron.
"gKuh!" Jake gasped, as Vilgax struck him once, twice, three times in the stomach. Right above the lower abdomen. The Dragon's weak spot. The pain was unbearable. He curled up as Vilgax dropped him to the ground.
Then, the warlord turned his attention to the skies.
Ah… I see…
Jenny came blazing in next, hurling bolts of blue energy from her hands. She had lost all sense of emotion, her face a robotic, deadly calm. Vilgax took a few bolts and winced, but threw up his mechanical arm to shield himself. Once she was in range, Jenny switched her stance up, and began a deadly dance of lighting fast kicks. Under the barrage of strikes, Vilgax had to actually take a step back. The android pressed him, confident in her strength. When she felt she had delivered enough damage, she reared up for one final, mighty kick.
As soon as he saw a gap in her assault, Viglax struck back. As Jenny wound up, Vilgax threw down his mechanical arm, and took a wide step back. Then, before Jenny could press forward, Vilgax eyes began to glow a furious red. In fragments of a second, twin beams of red laser-light came shooting out of the alien's eyes. Jenny couldn't dodge! The laser beams smashed into the android, sending her flying back in a shower of sparks.
bOng! Vilgax had hardly even fired off the laser when something round and pink collided with the back of his head. Whirling around, Vilgax spotted Steven, staring him down with a look of fierce determination, though a bead of sweat dripped down the boy's face.
ffSHAAH! Another attack! Vilgax heard this one, and turned his head to fire twin lasers at the incoming projeciles; globs of vile green acid. The acid balls were detonated into clouds of acrid vapor, which, when they dispersed, revealed a buzzing alien being. Vilgax recognized the species as a lepidopterran, but he knew this creature for what it really was.
The Omnitrix. Finally.
Vilgax wound up the hydraulics in his legs, and then, with one mighty push off of the Earth's surface, launched himself like a rocket towards Ben, as Stinkfly. As Ben watched Vilgax fly towards him, he let out a little shout of fear. His shout, though, was overshadowed by a much louder, much more frightened one.
"HHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Five screamed, along with some loud, unintelligible gibberish. He came flying out of nowhere, feet first, and delivered a jet-speed kick to Vilgax's fleshy green head.
The impact was enough to make the alien warlord falter, but it also sent Five stumbling head over heels through the air. The jet boot that had made contact with Viglax had broken on the impact, and now the jet was sputtering. With another scream, Five tumbled down and landed, unceremoniously, near the treeline. Hurt, but alive, and also able to stand.
By this point, Ben had flew far away from Vilgax's intended location, and the cyborg enemy had to land, again, with a heavy slamming sound. Now, Steven had helped Jake to his feet, and a smoldered but battle-ready Jenny had come to stand beside them as well. Five limped over, his gauntlet ready, and Ben came to hover beside them. The five of them stood off defiantly against Vilgax.
Vilgax looked them all over for a moment.
Is this all that Terra has to defend itself? Old men? Outsiders? And children. How miserable. Its a wonder you weren't consumed during the Galra War, or any of the other galactic conflicts.
"Dude, what are you talking about?" Jake said, clutching his side.
"Let's maybe not chit-chat with the alien warlord?" Jenny suggested sarcastically.
No matter. Once I have the Omnitrix, I will raze this planet. Terra will be the seat of my new Empire… i will be the next Zarkon… the next White Diamond!
"OK, guys," Ben said. "I wouldn't say I'm an alien expert, but out of all of that, the only thing I recognized was 'Omnitrix'."
Enough of this useless prattling. My conquest awaits.
Vilgax shifted into a more battle ready stance, and the team started to look at each other and him nervously. Then, just as Vilgax was about to charge forward, the ground erupted into a great, rumbling earthquake. Steven and Five hit the ground instantly, knocked down by the world shaking intensely. Jake and Jenny took to the sky, along with Ben, and Vilgax had to stop and focus on staying upright. The chasm in the ground that was once teeming with gem monsters was now grown even wider, and an eerie red glow was coming up from inside.
-what?
"It's the Cluster!" Steven shouted. "Its getting worse"
"No!" Jake said.
As the quake started to lessen, Vilgax was instantly rushing towards Ben. He took a running leap, and again launched straight towards the flying bug. This time, Jenny flew to intercept him, and her kick met his punch. Small thrusters activated in the back of the exo-suit to keep Vilgax hovering. He gave another, stronger punch, and this time Jenny struggled to block!
But she wasn't alone. Thwam! Vilgax was knocked to the side by a heavy, draconic tail. Then, b-bang! Steven's shield came whirling in, and struck Vilgax in the back. As the shield began to fall, Steven himself came jumping up to meet them, with his super-jump. He caught the shield, and just as Vilgax fired his red-laser beam towards Ben, Steven expanded the radius of the weapon. A huge wall of pink formed between Ben, Steven, and Vilgax.
The laser impacting shattered the shield, and tossed Steven back towards the ground. Then, a barrage of acid spit came flying at Vilgax, and caught him directly in the face. The corrosive substance ate through his mouth guard, and the tubes that connected him to the goo on his back. This caused Vilgax to flail back in pain. The disconnecting tubes launched a spray of the substance all across his exo-suit, and some leaked into the hover functions. The big green alien fell to the ground, causing a miniature crater with a heavy CRACK on impact. He had landed near the edge of the chasm.
As Steven watched the enemy fall, he had an idea. First, though, he checked to see if the others were all OK. Jenny seemed fine, as well as Ben, but Jake and Five were looking a bit pooped. Steven grimaced. He trusted in Jake's endurance, but Five needed to rest. They needed to end this quickly.
"New plan, guys!" Steven said. "What if we push him down the hole?"
"Push him down the hole?" Ben echoed.
"Bush im douda khole?" Five mimicked.
"Uh, maybe you should sit this last dance out, buddy," Jake said, as he and Jenny landed.
"Goob ideuh," Five said, collapsing to the ground. As he did, Jake turned to the others.
"He did pretty good, for being, like, just a guy," he said.
"Let's focus," Jenny said. Her eyes had never turned way from Vilgax. The warlord was slowly getting to his feet. The stamina that he had, when combined with his mighty exo-suit, was incredible. "Down the hole."
"Down the hole," Steven confirmed.
"Down the hole!" Ben agreed.
"Down the hole!" Jake said, and then he laughed. "What a stupid battle cry!"
Then, they all rushed forward. Just as Vilgax got to his feet, he was greeted with the view of his adversaries charging forward at full speed. With a snarl, Vilgax reached up and tore off the remains of the breathing apparatus. He was healed enough now, that, in tandem with his exo-suit, he no longer required the healing goo anyway.
"Fine!" Vilgax said, speaking aloud for the very first time. "Come at me, then!"
First on the scene was Jenny, and she slammed into Vilgax, but instead of bobbing in and out with rocket-powered kicks, she instead locked arms with the mighty villain. It became a test of strength, of sheer might, and to Vilgax's surprise (and the observing Peridot's chagrin), the XJ-9 matched up well against Vilgax's exosuit. However, in tandem with his own natural might, Vilgax could have staved her off if it had been one on one.
It wasn't.
Just as Vilgax was about to shove Jenny away, she pulled back on her own, causing Vilgax to shift his weight badly. From there, he was suddenly met with a wall of light and heat. Pain racked his entire body, and Vilgax actually flinched, throwing both arms up. It was clear that the fire Jake was breathing caused him distress.
"Keep it going!" Steven shouted, throwing his shield at Vilgax and then resummoning it, and then repeating the process again. "Almost there!"
Jenny began to throw her bolts of blue energy, rapidly, faster than any human could throw anything. Ben, finally, joined in on the barrage, squirting glob after glob of acid from the Stinkfly's many eye sockets. As the volley of varying projectiles slammed into him, Vilgax found himself retreating step after step. Finally, as Jake ran out of breath, the alien warlord was backed to the edge of the pit.
"NO!" Vilgax roared. "I will have the Omnitrix! I will rule the Galaxy!"
"Not on our watch!" Jenny shouted.
With that, the android flew in, a bolt of white light. There was an impact of metal on metal, as Jenny gave one final punch. Vilgax took the blow and stumbled back. There was a moment where his eyes glowed red, and he still hadn't fallen. Steven's heart went into his throat. However, it was then that gravity finally enacted itself.
As Vilgax fell into the chasm, a pair of red lasers flew up into the sky, and the sliced through the nearby ground before flickering out. There was no scream.
Jenny, who was floating above the chasm, watched him fall until he vanished into the eerie red glow below. However, even when he vanished, and the rest of the team came over, to check down the pit and confirm for themselves, it was like they could still feel the alien's presence. The air was heavy for a while, as the team of teens just stood there. At some point, Jake and Ben returned to their human forms in flashes of red and green.
The teens were shaken from their post-battle reverie by the slow stream of people leaving the Hinobi Base. Once Vilgax, the last real threat, had been dealt with the Glitch Techs were immediately beginning to work on clean up and repairs. Amongst the crowd, a streak of purple hair came whizzing out, and immediately went to the injured Agent Five.
"Five! Five!"
Five turned around to see who was shouting, and his eyes sparkled when he saw who it was.
"Meeyo!"
Miko stopped right in front of him, and quirked her head to the side.
"Is this another nickname? Like Meeks? I have to tell you, Five, I didn't like Meeks and I really don't like Meey-"
"Mi… ko," Five said, struggling to his feet and throwing his arms around her. The other agent held him tightly, and closed her eyes to keep the tears from falling.
"I'm," she sniffled. "I'm glad you're safe, partner."
They pulled away from the hug, and Five grinned.
"What?" Miko said.
"I kigged Vibbacks induh fashe," Five said.
"You kicked Vilgax in the face?"
"Uh-hub."
"Five! That's awesome! I'm so proud of you!"
Meanwhile, Max had managed to round up his two grand-children, and held them tightly. Lao Shi emerged, bruised but alive, from the tree line, and Jake rushed to his side and made sure he was alright. However, even as other similar reunions were happening all around the base, the ground trembled once more. This time was worse than it had ever been. Most of the people hit the ground, and windows and beams seemed to shatter in the Hinobi Base.
Amongst the confusion, a yellow beacon emerged. Wakeman. She came to where the teens and their entourouges had gathered.
"The Cluster," she said, as the quake died down. "We're out of time. We need to use that drill and get down there. Now."
"Its ready," Bismuth said, "but… we need someone to drive it."
Amethyst looked down sadly at the Pearl in her hands. Everyone was solemn for a moment, until an unexpected voice spoke up.
"Erm… Excuse me," Peridot said. "I… could perhaps drive the drill."
"You!" Amethyst said, pointing angrily. "You!"
"Amethyst wait!" Steven said, stepping forward.
"No, Steven," Amethyst growled. "You're too trusting! What, did she give you a sob story and tell you she changed? What happens when she decides she wants to call her Diamond and tell her everything."
Steven paused, somewhat hurt by Amethyst's words. Peridot's face darkened too. Amethyst sighed in frustration, realizing that she had quickly become the bad guy somehow.
"Steven, look, buddy- I'm- I'm just trying to look out for you. You can't trust Homeworld Gems," the purple alien said.
"And yet," came a new voice, "Rose trusted us."
Garnet. She had re-emerged, standing on the outskirts of the huddle, but tall enough to peer over the humans present and see everyone. She was a little worn, but otherwise fine. Bismuth was beside her, grinning.
"Garnet!" Amethyst said, rushing over to hug her. "You're back! Pearl- she-"
"I figured," Garnet said sadly. "Let her rest. She deserves it."
"Vilgax… He was too strong. Even for Opal."
Garnet nodded, and adjusted her sunglasses.
"And yet," she reiterated, "he was beaten. By children, no less. Good job, team."
She gave a little thumbs up, and the teens all awkwardly shuffled with pride and embarrassment simultaneously.
"Aliens are weird," Jake said quietly.
"I can't believe you thought they were trolls," Steven whispered.
Ben sputtered out into laughter, catching everyone's attention for a moment. Then, when he stepped back into the huddle, he elbowed Jake, who protested that Steven was the one who made him laugh, but they both went quiet when Wakeman's cold eyes fell on them.
"Right," she said. "Well if we're all decided then? The little green one will pilot the drill."
Amethyst looked to Garnet, who nodded. Then, they were all in agreement. It was decided that Peridot would drive, and going along with her would be a team of people who would likely be able to combat the Cluster. Most of the gems were battle worn, so Bismuth would tag along. Steven insisted on going, and then subsequently so did Jake and Ben. Tired as their caretakers were, their arguments were battered down. The last member of the party, as decided by Wakeman, would be the XJ-9. Everyone else was either too injured, fatigued, or incapable.
Even as they were loading into the drilling machine, the ground was rumbling. This spurred them on, as they knew they didn't have much time left. Peridot sat at the helm, and her fingers flew across the cobbled together human and alien tech. She understood the way it functioned, but mostly she was impressed that it actually worked. They quickly bore off the side of the chasm, and their drill pulled them straight through one of the walls. Then, they were smashing through earth, heading straight down.
"Coordinates are locked. We reach the cluster in 15 Earth Minutes," Peridot said over the intercom to the others in the main cabin.
Jenny, Steven, Ben, Jake, and Bismuth looked at each other seriously.
"Let's hope it doesn't emerge before we get there…"