Hey, to all the people who read, reviewed, followed, and favorited this story. It's been a while, the 'rona really messed with stuff in my personal life and I had no time for much of anything. Not trying to make any excuses or anything, I just figured you guys deserved a better explanation than "Hey! New chapter! Enjoy!"
Chapter 1: Null and Void
Part Two: Bound and Broken
Incarcecon was hellish, simple as that.
It was nowhere as hopeless as the soul-crushing space of the endless dimension, but the dull grey walls seemed to siphon the soul from those that the walls locked down. Tight, suffocating hallways and open, empty gyms make up the majority of the supermax, with cells consisting of pathetic mattresses and not much else.
Officer Morgg was one of the guards watching over this depressing prison, extremely corrupt and controlling with an iron fist. His raging temper, already exacerbated by the vile prison, was flaring at the newest incident. At least 37 guards were being carted off to the med-ward, 14 of them in urgent care; what should be seen as a major threat was actually an incredible embarrassment. 37 of his men weren't defeated by a vicious criminal or warlord, but by a human, a child human no less.
Reports from several sources piece together different stories, from the human boy using advanced illusion tech to the boy leading an army of different alien lifeforms. Most of these reports were thrown out, considered to be unreliable, but even the stories considered to be at least partially true did not paint a clear picture.
He ordered several of the guards loyal to him to stall the warden as long as possible. He wanted the honor of seeing the great "threat" first. He stepped into an empty cell and waited for the tell-tale grunting and struggling of an unruly prisoner, before the melodious sound of a high-voltage electrocution rang in his ears. Normally, prisoners were simply given tracking chips and let loose in the prison, but in special scenarios, those considered especially dangerous were fitted with voltage collars and sedative-injection wrist bands. It didn't take too long to uncover the voltage limits and sedative doses; humans were relatively frail when compared to most other species held in the prison.
"Oof" The boy grunted as he was casually thrown in the cell, right at Morgg's boots. His brunette hair was greasy and unkempt, eyes bloodshot and face dirty. His clothing was wrinkled, torn, and filthy, a slight stench surrounding the worn-out human. Despite it all, his emerald-green eyes shone with resilience and flared with anger.
"So, you're the little meat sack that put 37 of my men in the hospital" Morgg was quite amused with the little spitfire, smiling at the boy like he was a dog performing a trick.
"What? You mad 'cause I whooped them like they were babies? Maybe next time you should send some guards who actually know how to take a hit." He gave an obnoxious smirk, dried blood staining the rims of his teeth.
Why this little…! Morgg already felt the headache coming. He knew with a resigned sigh that he would have to break yet another insubordinate prisoner who mocked him and the other guards in some veiled attempt at defiance.
"You are here aren't you? If they don't know how to take a hit, what does that make you?" Let it never be said that Morgg couldn't match anyone in snark.
"You're the one who put a shock collar on a kid? Did little ole' me give you more trouble than the mountains of muscle in the room next door?" Ben shot right back at the furious guard, not one to let himself lose in a smart-ass battle.
"On that subject, how exactly did a child last so long against an army of grown soldiers? Several gave me grand stories of a boy with illusion technology advanced enough to not only disguise himself, but disguise his attacks as well, but we both know that makes no sense. No, I'm going to make a bold assumption and say that it has something to do with that strange device planted on your wrist." The boy's gaze flickered to the watch and he subconsciously angled his body to protect it. Morgg's smile twisted into something more sinister. "Gossip from the galaxies rarely makes it to the Null Void, but news of the most powerful device in the universe is no mere gossip, is it? What surprises me is that the legendary Omnitrix landed in the hands of a whiny, pathetic, and scared little human boy. I wonder how you stole it…"
There was an immediate reaction. "I didn't steal it! This freaky watch landed right in front of me! And since then I've used it to kick the butts of uglies way scarier and tougher than you'll ever be! So go ahead and try something! See if I-" He was cut off by another shock, this one buckling his knees and drawing a cry of pain from the young boy.
The cruel guard chuckled at the squirming and spasming 10-year-old before stepping over him towards the cell door. "Since you seem to be comfortable there, I'll let you wait and rest up. Your new roommate should be coming back from meal time shortly. He seems to have a quicker temper than you do, so try to avoid antagonizing him. Or don't, I truly do not care. The warden will want to meet you sooner or later, and let me tell you, he is much more sadistic than I am." With a barking laugh the corrupt guard strolled away from the cell, up to the monitor room.
Ben had no clue where he was. Well, he was obviously in a prison, but he saw nothing of the prison except the hallway he regained consciousness in and the cell he was tossed into. He remembered jolting around in anger for a second or two before feeling an indescribable pain run up his spine. Once he gathered his bearings enough to recognize the cell, the shock collar and the smarmy douche talking to him, he made a mental list of his available options; they didn't consist of more than staying quiet or giving sarcastic backtalk. He was an exhausted ten-year-old boy, it wasn't exactly a surprise which option he chose.
The young changeling could still feel the electricity roll over him in waves, making his limbs shake and spasm with each burst of pain. He remained curled up on the floor, riding out the pain until eventually it just faded.
The wobble in his legs told him that he still hadn't properly recovered, but Ben was determined to stand strong, to not let those armored jerks win. He looked around the small cell, although compared to the Rustbucket's sleeping quarter, it was quite the upgrade. The smell was odd, like a strange mix of B.O. and cleaning supplies. It made Ben's head kinda dizzy, granted, that could be because of the electrocution and sedatives.
He took a few calming breaths to get a clearer head and looked around the room for anything at all that could help him in escaping. His disappointment sky-rocketed when he saw absolutely nothing that could help him, unless cobwebs, dust, and mold could help him escape. He came to the decision that he would just wait it out for a couple days, gather up his much-needed energy again, and find a way to ditch the stupid prison once and for all.
What felt like hours ticked by, but before long he heard many sets of footsteps walking down the hall, with several guards barking orders and herding prisoners towards their cells.
"Poke me with that fancy staff again, I dare ya!" A distorted voice shouted, growing nearer to the room. Ben's blood froze, he recognized that voice; that warbled snarl was only produced by the horrible amalgamation that plagued his nightmares.
"No frickin' way! Don't tell me it's my birthday already!" Kevin E. Levin stood menacingly over Ben, his hulking figure casting a shadow over the short boy. "Are you unlucky or what? Ha! That scumbag Vilgax betrayed me so he could keep hunting you down―I was pissed at first, but now…" Apparently the time for talk was over as the monstrous boy took two rumbling steps forward, ready to pummel the young hero.
Ben quickly transformed into the big dinosaur alien guy (he really needed a name) and moved to meet Kevin, standing a few inches taller. Before they could engage, the collars around their necks activated sending them both to the ground in pain. Ben transformed back into human, breathing heavily while on his hands and knees. Kevin was hunched over leaning on the wall, shaking his head to try to regain his bearings.
Both boys glared at each other, hatred burning in their eyes. Under it though, they both held an undeniable fear and brokenness. Whatever semblance of a childhood either of them could have had is now over and Ben didn't know what was worse; the crushing feeling that everything he'd once known was gone, or the fact that he would never get it back.
All the while, one sadistic, corrupt guard smirked in victory.
The next chapter will be a timeskip. It will be a little jarring to see, but (hopefully) all of it will make sense as more and more of the time in-between is revealed. Next chapter is gonna be getting to Fury's Big Week, so y'all know what's coming.