A/N: And there, we'll encounter a certain Galvanic Mechamorph on Incarcicon. Need I say more? :)
Ben 10: Secret of the Omnitrix
Chapter 5: Road Trip to Incarcicon
The door was opening, threatening to pull Wildmutt, Vulpinine, Julie, and Gwen into space as the two aliens barely held on by the claws pressed against the ground while Gwen and Julie held on to the crate with their hands.
"Come...on...!", Julie grunted,
"I can't...hold...on!", Gwen grunted, trying her best to hold on only to slip and scream before Vulpinine caught Gwen by the back of her shirt with her claws.
"Gotcha!", Vulpinine assured as she held on before Wildmutt's Omnitrix began beeping and flashing red with Wildmutt, Vulpinine, and Gwen finally losing their grip and getting sucked out of the ship just before crystals were fired at the door button, causing the door to close before Gwen, Wildmutt (who reverted back to Ben), and Vulpinine hit the doors before sliding down as Tetrax and Gorvan caught up.
"Phew. Thank goodness.", Julie sighed.
"What happened?", Tetrax asked.
"Well, the good news is, we just sniffed out our intruder. The bad news is, somebody pressed the button by mistake.", Vulpinine reported before she transformed back to normal.
"Gwen, you're the intruder?", Tetrax puzzled.
"Sorry. I just figured since Ben can't find his toothbrush when it's stuck in his mouth, he could use some help finding the creator.", Gwen explained.
"Hey!", Ben responded.
"That's not true. He doesn't even brush, Gwen. You know that.", Emily retorted before blushing upon realizing what she is saying.
"Uh, no offense, Ben.", Emily spoke sheepishly.
"Can we turn around and drop Gwen back on Earth? You know, like form orbit?", Ben asked, earning a glare from Emily.
"Sorry, Ben. No time. We need every moment the Omnitrix...", Tetrax began before he and Gorvan noticed the Omnitrix beeping and flashing small pieces of orange to go with the existing orange color, making the main dial color smaller.
"The countdown appears to have accelerated. We'd better go check it out.", Gorvan suggested before Tetrax nodded and both left to find out as Ben, Gwen, and Emily looked to each other.
Later, Ben was flying on his hoverboard in the clouds as Gwen, Julie, and Emily stood there with the latter getting worried.
"Aren't you at least a little bit worried that the self-destruct countdown has sped up?", Julie asked.
"Nah. I work best under pressure.", Ben responded.
"Well, I am. That countdown isn't affecting just you. It's affecting me, too.", Emily added worriedly.
"What are you talking about?", Ben puzzled.
"What Emily's saying is that this doesn't only affect you, you know. What about Max and Dave? I'm sure they don't want you two to get vaporized. Or worse.", Julie responded.
"Look, we have it covered. We'll find Azmuth, he'll fix the watch, and we'll keep kicking alien butt.", Ben assured.
"Tetrax said Azmuth would 'deactivate' the Omnitrix, not fix it.", Gwen reminded.
"And it gets worse. I got a call from Azmuth, telling me that my Omni-Emhancer is connected to the Omnitrix and if it self-destructs, my Omni-Enhancer would explode, too.", Emily responded before gasped in shock before suddenly finding himself unbalanced, literally, as he found himself flapping his arms before landing on the ground as the clouds then changed back to the room.
"You're just trying to mess with me.", Ben spoke as he got up.
"I'm afraid Gwen's right, Ben. Truthfully, I thought you'd be relieved to have it off. You and Emily did well with the Omnitrix and Omni-Enhancer. Better than any earthling could have. But now, you two can have normal lives again.", Tetrax pitched in as he and Gorvan entered.
"Normal? Who wants to be normal? If you're not a hero, you're a zero.", Ben responded, earning glares from Gwen, Emily, and Julie.
"Thanks a lot.", Gwen glared.
"Oh. Uh, no offense, guys.", Ben spoke nervously to Emily and Julie.
"Unfortunately, the computers confirmed our fears: the more you use your watches to transform, the faster the countdown speeds up. And the fact that Emily's Omni-Enhancer is connected to your Omnitrix isn't helping matters either. To be safe, you both have to make sure you don't use them again for the time being until we get to Azmuth.", Gorvan responded before the Omnitrix began giving off an orange shield again, but this time, bigger, before giving off a light explosion and sending Ben back a few feet before Gwen, Julie, Tetrax, Emily, and Gorvan went over to him in worry.
"Ben!", Julie exclaimed.
Then, Ben sat up, his hair now a bit messy.
"Oh, man...", Ben groaned.
Later, Gorvan and Gluto were showing Gwen and Julie how the pilot controls work.
"And if you press those buttons, it will activate the ship's superluminal space drive if you want to get to the farthest place quicker.", Gorvan stated.
"I see. That's very cool.", Gwen grinned.
"Okay, I don't know who Gwen's in love with. Gluto or Gorvan?", Emily commented.
"We're coming up on Incarcicon.", Tetrax stated before the ship then went through a purple ring-like portal to Incarcecon before an orange wave appeared on the monitor.
"You are approaching Secure Space of the Incarcicon Intergalactic Detention Center. Identify yourself or be destroyed.", the voice spoke.
"So, what are we supposed to do?", Emily asked before Tetrax entered certain keys only to be marked with a red word in an indecipherable language before Tetrax tried again only to get no such luck as the turrets outside popped up as security and aimed at the ship, leaving Gwen and Julie worried as they moved back.
"Any time now, Tetrax.", Gorvan urged as Tetrax repeatedly tried to find the right key but failed as the turrets prepares to fire with Ben and Emily ducking and putting his hands on his head for cover up.
"Everyone, take cover!", Gorvan urged as he held tightly onto Gwen, Julie, and Gluto, who held onto each other before Tetrax pressed the last key, this time with a green word in an indecipherable language to appear.
"Vendor security clearance accepted. Proceed to Sanitation Disposal Bay #4.", the voice spoke as Gwen, Julie, Gluto, and Gorvan let go of each other with Ben and Emily getting puzzled as he looked up and turned to Tetrax, who gave him a thumbs-up before Ben returned the gesture with a nervous grin as Emily sighed in relief.
The ship then made its way to the bottom of Incarcicon, supposedly the back of it.
"Sanitation Disposal Bay #4? They think we're a garbage truck?", Gwen puzzled.
"At least we're in, aren't we?", Emily grinned as the ship went in through the doors before they closed.
The ship then arrived at the disposal area with a couple of creatures fleeing before the ship then touched down on the ground of the area.
"I downloaded the DNA signature in my scanner. It should lead us directly to Azmuth.", Tetrax stated.
"Problem is, if the prisoners see a human there, there could be trouble.", Gorvan added.
"Wow. The rest of the universe hates us that much?", Julie asked.
"Not really. If anything, they actually love them so much that they consider them a delicacy.", Gorvan responded, worrying Ben, Gwen, Julie, and Emily before they caught up to Tetrax and Gorvan.
"Emily and I could go alien, just this once.", Ben assured.
"I don't think it's a good idea right now, not if it risks accelerating the countdown. Every second is too critical until we find Azmuth.", Gorvan responded.
"You thinking what I'm thinking?", Tetrax asked before Gluto clapped his hands to answer "yes".
"Exactly. From time to time, my missions require a disguise. I have just the one for you three.", Tetrax responded.
Later, at the underbelly of Incarcicon, Tetrax has a helmet on with a cloak over him as did Gorvan, except without the helmet, while Ben, Gwen, and Emily are in a disguise resembling a Lepidopteran, which has yet to mature and Julie looked similar, but with the red skin of a tetramand, the standard four eyes, but with her normal eye color still present, and her two additional arms to go with it as they walked forward.
"So, this is what it's like to be an alien's butt. I am not liking this one bit.", Emily growled.
"At least you don't have Ben on top of you.", Gwen responded.
"Hey, Rock-paper-scissors, 2 out of 3. I won fair and square.", Ben reminded with a smirk before looking out past the fake mouth.
"Any chance you have another holoform for me?", Emily groaned.
"Sorry, Emily. I only have one.", Gorvan responded, making her groan with a slight whine.
"Where are all the guards?", Julie asked.
"No guards, no rules, no parole. On Incarcicon, it's survival of the meanest.", Tetrax responded as he put his arm out to stop them from getting into an apparent fight between two aliens as they rolled by.
"These aren't friendly types. They're all here for a reason. For some of them, it's a lot more reasons.", Gorvan added as he, Tetrax, and the others cautiously advanced.
When they advanced, though, they passed an alien dressed in a witch-like cloak with a hat before he walked away. At one point, an alien even stepped on top of a sort of small creature with his foot.
"Mine!", the alien spoke before picking up the crushed creature with its tongue before putting it into its mouth and then eating with its mouth open, disgusting both Ben and Julie.
"Ew!", Julie commented.
"Uh, help yourself. I'm on a diet.", Ben offered.
"What? What's happening", Gwen puzzled.
"Something tells me you don't want to know.", Emily guessed.
Then, the alien turned to Ben, Gwen, Julie, and Emily before Tetrax and Gorvan stepped in and spoke.
"Snack time's over. Now, move along. Unless we have some other business.", Tetrax warned as he showed his weapon from behind the cloak before the alien simply walked away.
"Maybe you guys should wait over on the side nearby until we can scope it out and find him.", Gorvan suggested before Ben nodded with Tetrax and Gorvan heading out.
Then, the same alien from before passed by, bumping him by the elbow as he walked and causing Ben to tumble a little.
"Hey, watch it!", Ben urged quietly.
After that, as the alien walked away, Ben, Gwen, Julie, and Emily then went to a wall to lean on together before the first of the three saw something troubling.
"Huh? It can't be.", Ben spoke in slight shock.
"What can't be?", Julie puzzled before looking up and seeing what he meant with a gasp.
Much to their shock, Ben spotted someone familiar with tentacles hanging down from the bottom of the hood.
"No way. He must've picked up on the self-destruct signal. But how'd he know the creator was here?", Ben puzzled.
"Uh, Ben? Thing is, Azmuth's not...", Emily began before Gwen interrupted.
"Who are you babbling about?", Gwen asked.
"If I have to give up going hero, at least I'm gonna take down Vilgax once and for all.", Ben only responded before activating his Omnitrix and then turning into Upchuck, ripping off the costume as he hopped away.
"Vilgax? Ben, wait!", Gwen urged.
Then, Emily spotted someone familiar with red stripes nearby.
"What? Malware's here, too?! I thought we got rid of him.", Emily spoke in shock.
"He's here, too?", Gwen puzzled.
"Not for long, he isn't.", Emily responded while dialing her Omni-Enhancer before pressing it down and then turning into Lunawolf as her skin turned grey blue while she grew claws on her hands and feet, not to mention her ears growing pointy before she jumped forward with a pounce.
"Not you, too, Emily!", Gwen groaned.
"Hold on!", Julie urged before the other aliens spotted her and Gwen.
"Hi. You guys have all had dinner, right?", Gwen asked.
Meanwhile, Upchuck ran forward.
"I'm gonna chew you up and spit you out!", Upchuck shouted before he then sent out tongues to grab a sort of light-bulb like vacuum before taking it off the alien's back and eating it before running, jumping up and then barfing it out as an energy projectile, snaking its way up in front of "Vilgax" before hitting the wall nearby, causing an explosion that shook Incarcecon before Tetrax and Gorvan turned around to see what was going on only for the former to get uppercutted by the Witch-cloak disguised alien, who stepped forward as Gorvan knew right away who it was.
"I never thought I'd see you again..., Sixsix.", Gorvan glared before the bounty hunter took off the hat and spoke his own indecipherable language.
"It's not our fault you're here, Sixsix. Don't do the crime if you can't do the time.", Tetrax responded before getting out his Gun and firing it as Gorvan did the same thing with his own 4 guns.
Meanwhile, Lunawolf leapt up toward Malware, ready to pounce. Fortunately, the corrupt Galvanic Mechamorph was much too surprised to fight back immediately and was knocked back by the swipe of her claws. Equally unfortunately, Malware was able to recover.
"I should've known you'd be here, Malware.", Lunawolf spoke.
"Come now, Roosevelt, you didn't think a few children could get rid of me that easily, did you?", Malware only responded.
Meanwhile, Upchuck was spewing projectile explosives at "Vilgax" before leaping toward "him" only for the being to backflip away, see Upchuck coming, and catch him with a jump before hanging him down by the small tail.
"What's your problem?", the being spoke in a feminine voice.
"That voice. Hey. You're not Vilgax. You're a girl!", Upchuck realized.
"Yeah. I know.", the being responded before kicking him away toward the ground on the lower level.
Then, as soon as Upchuck landed, the Omnitrix timed out, changing him back to Ben as the red light shone and then dimmed down, revealing his true, human self as Gwen and Julie caught up. Unfortunately, it attracted the attention of nearby alien prisoners.
"He turned into a human! But how?", the Pisces Voleran puzzled.
"The Omnitrix! He's wearing the Omnitrix!", the Lepidopteran urged while flying in midair.
"It does exist.", one of the aliens spoke in amazement.
"That's our ticket outta here.", another alien added.
"The Omnitrix, he's got it!", another added.
"I think we're in trouble.", Ben spoke as he and Gwen backed away from the aliens.
When they did, Lunawolf was sent flying back as she yelled out before managing to land on her feet, scraping against the ground with her claws near Ben and Gwen.
"Hey, guys. What's up?", Lunawolf greeted jokingly before Malware spoke up as he stepped forward in view.
"So, you brought Tennyson with you, did you? Excellent. Now, I can finish what I've started so long ago!", Malware spoke as he asked his disruptor cannon toward the trio as it charged a red ball of energy with red electricity arcing around the cannon.
"I really wish I was at the mall right now!", Gwen spoke in fear.