HeroVerse
Chapter 14
"Apocalypse"
Kim's vision was blurry as she awakened. All she could see was blinding light with a figure floating within. That was, until someone else crossed her vision. She couldn't focus her vision just yet, but the familiar green glow on the boy's wrist told her everything.
Ben stood weakly between the newborn god and his friends. That explosion had scraped him up pretty badly. He was bleeding from several small scratches on his body, and he held his side as if in pain. "Ben…" Kim tried to stand, but her strength failed and she quickly fell again.
Eon's helmet broke away as flames of various shades of purple, red, and black flowed off his head. His face seemed to grow younger as his forehead cracked into the shape of demonic red eyes that flowed with energy. His normal eyes glowed green with ecto-energy. His arms were covered in the molten rock-like substance that Alpha used to make his constructs. Claws of green ecto-energy protruded where his fingers would be. Purple lines crisscrossed his body, leaking energy. His cloak had become slightly transparent and behaved like a ghostly tail and red ghostly tails protruded from his shoulder. His skin became pale white and his ears grew to points. A bright aura shone from behind him constantly. The Alpha Rune melted into a purple orb that bonded with his chest.
"I see everything…the day of the first light…and the final hours of the omniverse. I can see the omniverse's various species climbing out of the primordial ooze and then succumbing to the flames of destruction…yes I can see it all…I am Eternity…"
A large blast of nuclear energy struck Eternity directly in his chest gem, triggering a large explosion that seemingly stunned and shrouded Eternity in smoke. Atomix stood between his fallen allies and the self-proclaimed god. "Not so fast, dickless." Atomix's hand was still smoking from the blast he'd fired. Atomix looked over his shoulder at his fallen comrades. His allies were all covered in scrapes and bruises, their bodies battered as they'd been tossed across the Ghost Zone. Atomix cursed. He was on his own. His team was down. No one was going to be able to help him right now.
"Benjamin, surely you must realize that your alien forms are nothing compared to this form of mine." Eternity said, a tone of superiority coating his voice. "I've ascended far past any mortal classification. I am no longer Chronian, nor am I a Ghost, or the Alpha Nanite. I am all there is."
Eternity swiped his hand out above him, and space seemed to rip around him. In the rift, images of multiple dimensions could be seen. Many scenes played out within the rift as Eternity's power surge spread across the omniverse. Atomix could make out the images of countless people, some he could recognize, most he cannot. "You cannot possibly fathom the cosmic power I now possess."
"Well, how does it deal with nukes to the face?" Atomix unleashed a blast that rivaled the scope of the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The blast lit up the Ghost Zone and consumed the immediate area. It took all Atomix had to shield himself and his allies from the explosion.
As the blast faded, Eternity floated there, seemingly unphased. Atomix's eyes grew wide. "I'll give you credit, Eon, you've definitely given yourself quite the upgrade, but it's nothing I can't handle!" Atomix flew at Eternity at high speeds, explosions from his feet propelling himself forward. He charged up his fist with nuclear energy and struck Eternity square in the jaw.
Eternity grabbed Atomix's wrist and crushed it in his hand. Atomix let out a cry of pain and Eternity simply slapped him away with the force of a dwarf star. Atomix crashed into the floating stone platform where his allies lay. The Omnitrix beeped weakly, and a green flash returned Ben to human form.
"Now do you see, Benjamin, even your most powerful transformations cannot even touch my new form." Eternity boasted, holding up his hands matter-of-factly as he spoke.
Ben groaned as he struggled to stand. "This isn't over…Eon." Ben almost stood up but his legs gave out and he fell to a knee.
"Yes, bow before your new god." Eternity put his finger to his chin. "No, not even that title seems to suit me anymore."
A figure approached Ben from his left. "Don't get ahead of yourself, freak." Danny's voice echoed weakly. Ben looked up to see Danny in his human form standing next to him. Another figure to his right held out his hand, offering him help. It was Jake.
Ben took Jake's hand and was pulled to his feet. "We got you, Ten-Dawg." Jake nodded to Ben.
"Yeah, mi hermano," Rex said as he approached. Rex let his shredded jacket fall to the ground. "Together, we'll knock this guy's lights out."
Kim cursed as she stumbled to the team's side. "We just need to find a way to shut this guy down."
"Seems like his new form is held together pretty loosely by the various parts. Dark, the Alpha Nanite, the Alpha Rune, and Eon himself." Rex noted.
"He's got a lot of power but it's unstable." Danny agreed. "If we can find someway to separate it all, we can still win this."
"So any ideas?" Kim asked.
Jake pointed to the machine that Eternity had used to ascend to his new form. "Hey, that thing's still intact, could we use it somehow?"
"Definitely, if I can hack into it, we might be able to reverse engineer it to ground Eternity and separate him again." Rex said.
"Then that's the plan." Ben nodded. "Rex, head towards the machine and see what you can do with it. Kim will provide backup. Danny, Jake, and I will worry about keeping Eternity busy."
"Damn, I was hoping to get a piece of this guy." Kim said, disappointment in her voice.
"Sorry Kim, but this guy is way out of our league, and you have the least power out of all of us." Ben said. "You're more help by Rex's side."
"Doing what, exactly?" Kim asked.
"Keeping THOSE guys off of me." Rex pointed to a crowd of Huntsclan ninjas, whose eyes were glowing purple. "Eon's gonna try and stop us from getting to that machine and using it against him."
"Well, at least I still get to kick some ass." Kim cracked her knuckles.
"Alright, let's do this guys!" Jake smacked his fist into his open palm. "Dragon Up!" Lightning stretched into the Ghost Zone's "sky" as he transformed into his draconic form. His wings and maw were coated in flames and blue mist. His scales were glowing with a fiery light and his eyes were lit with flames.
"I'm Going Ghost!" Danny's voice echoed as a pillar of white light coated him. His skin became more pale and his hair was flowing like white hot fire. His eyes were completely covered with a green glow.
"It's Hero Time!" Ben slapped down the Omnitrix, consumed in green light. His body was covered in golden metal. His body became more bulky as green gears and circuitry became visible in a panel on his chest. He gained shoulder plates that resembled ancient sun dials. A key-like horn grew on his head. The Omnitrix emerged on the gears on his chest. "Clockwork!" The metal golem bellowed in a thick German accent.
"Alright, team, you have your missions! Let's go!" Clockwork glowed with green light as he blurred at high speeds towards Eternity. Danny and Jake followed him as fast as they could. Rex and Kim headed into the horde of mind-controlled Huntsclan ninjas.
Eternity swiped at the three oncoming heroes. A wave of unstable spatial energy stopped their initial rush. Danny and Jake nimbly flew around it, but Clockwork ran right into it, causing an explosion. Clockwork tumbled back but stopped his fall by freezing time around him. Danny blasted Eternity with an ecto blast that it him in the shoulder. Eternity raised his arm towards Danny and fired a time ray that Danny was barely able to dodge. Jake consumed Eternity in flames, but as the flames licked Eternity, they faded into a harmless flock of doves.
"Please, children." Eternity shook his head. "You are but pretenders to power." Eternity formed an impossible shape that seemed to continually fold in on itself in his hands out of purple and red energy. He spread his arms and the shape exploded into square segmented chains that whipped at Danny and Jake. Danny attempted to dodge by going intangible but the chains made contact anyways and knocked him back. Jake managed to dodge two slashes from the chains but was hit by a third and tumbled out of the air. Clockwork sped towards Jake, catching him in the air.
"Ugh," Jake rubbed his head. "Thanks, Ten-Dawg."
"No problem, keep up the pressure." Clockwork directed him. "We just need to keep him off balance for awhile."
Jake nodded, let out a roar that echoed throughout the Ghost Zone, and rushed Eternity again. Clockwork charged a time blast in his hand and fired it at Eternity. "Let's see how you do when you're stuck in a time loop!"
A spatial rift opened up at the last possible second, intercepting the blast. Multiple universes began to layer into existence within the Ghost Zone, making physics completely inconsistent around Eternity. Danny and Jake had to constantly compensate their flight path as they approached Eternity for a second assault.
"Damn, his power is growing the longer we fight." Clockwork cursed. He tapped the Omnitrix, activating the comm link. "Rex, Kim, how are things going on your end?"
Rex pounded several ninjas into the ground with his giant metal fist, touching his free hand to his comm. "We're almost to the machine. But these ninjas just won't quit."
Kim delivered several rapid jabs to a ninja's stomach. The ninja threw a punch that Kim ducked under, grabbing his arm and breaking it over her shoulder before flinging the ninja into another. "Don't worry about checking in on us. We'll let you know when we're near the machine. Focus on kicking that freak's ass."
"Got it." Clockwork nodded before ending the call. He charged up a blast in his chest as he closed in on Eternity. He fired the blast only a few feet away from Eternity and the collision of energies shook the unstable space around Eternity. Eternity held out a single hand that produced a shield to counter Clockwork's blast.
"A Chronosapien…amateurs compared to my people." Eternity chuckled. He twisted his hand and Clockwork's blast was absorbed completely, before changing into red ecto energy and being fired right back at Clockwork.
"Oh come on…" Clockwork sighed before being blasted into a rock wall.
"He's not who you should be focusing on!" Danny cried out, appearing behind Eternity, ecto energy and ice energy swirling in his hands. He fired at Eternity from behind blasting him with ice and ecto energy together. Danny had managed to catch him off guard. Eternity's back was fried and then frozen, partially restricting him.
"My turn!" Jake roared. Lightning crackled around his mouth as fire and lightning rushed towards Eternity. Eternity let out a startled gasp as the lightning caused his body to convulse and the flames burned his front half to a gnarled mess.
Eternity gasped before letting out a pained roar, sending out a shockwave that sent both Danny and Jake hurtling back. "Meddling mortals…I'll see you as statues upon my throne on Chronia." Eternity began to grow, soon becoming so colossal it made Malware Alpha and Way Big look like insects.
"Oh come on!" Jake cursed. "Why does he get to get all giant!?"
"I don't care how big he gets!" Danny yelled. He crossed his arms across his chest as he took in a deep breath. He swung his arms out as he let out a massive Ghostly Wail, a massive shockwave of ghostly energy that deafened everyone in the immediate area. It collided with Eternity's chest and pushed him back slightly, but didn't seem to do much otherwise. Jake followed up with a full effort blast of flame, that consumed the Alpha Rune gem on his chest, which seemed to only irritate Eternity.
"Good work, guys." Clockwork nodded. "We've got him on the back pedal." Clockwork braced himself as he unleashed a blast of green time energy from his chest. The blast struck Eternity's chest gem, combining with Jake's flames and amplifying the effect of both attacks.
"Eugh, insects!" Eternity flexed his hand and stopped Danny, Jake, and Clockwork in their tracks. "You fools have put up a valiant effort, I'll give you that, but this charade is done!" Eternity turned his fist over and suddenly Danny, Jake, and Ben were in their human forms. "No more of this!"
"Oh shit…" Ben said as he was held in midair.
Rex punched through one last group of ninjas before approaching the machine. "Alright Kim, it's up to you to keep them off me now!"
"No worries, get to it!" Kim said as she broke the nose of another ninja and electrocuted a group of them until they fell over. Rex placed his hands on the console and willed his Nanites to connect to the machine. Glowing blue circuitry spread across his arms and the console as he began his work.
Kim went to work on the Huntsclan. Her suit's arms formed swords that crackled with blue electricity and she parried several strikes by the Huntsclan. She caught a spear in between her blades and flipped over the weapon, wrapping her legs around the ninja's neck, taking him down to the ground. She spun around on the ground in a breakdancing form, electricity crackling around her legs and repelling several ninjas who had attempted to approach.
Rex felt his consciousness extend to the machine as the inner workings of the device flooded into his mind. "Damn, this thing's complex as hell." Rex gasped. "This thing makes the Meta-Nanites look like toys."
"How's it going, Rex?" Kim cursed as she was pinned between several ninjas. She was holding two back with her swords and two more with shield projections.
"I've almost…" Rex trailed off. "…got it!" The machine lit up as Rex successfully interfaced with it. "Team, I've got it!" Rex said into his comm. "Activating merge reversal…now!" Rex made an effort of will and the circuitry's light surged.
Eternity's hold on Ben, Danny, and Jake faltered, and they were able to land on a nearby platform. Eternity's form flickered out of control. One moment he was Eternity. The next, his form seemed to split into Eon, Dark, and Alpha. But somehow, Eternity was holding on.
"No!" Eternity roared, his voice heavily distorted. The spatial rifts around him seemed to grow and become more unstable. "I've attained true power! I will not be robbed of it!"
"Ergh…bad news guys…" Rex said over the comm, his voice straining. "Eternity's become so powerful, he's resisting the reversal process…!"
"I don't think so!" Ben cursed. He slammed down the Omnitrix and transformed. "Way Big!" The To'Kustar emerged from the green light. He jumped into the air, flying with his cosmic storm abilities. Way Big reached Eternity's head. Way Big was only as tall as Eternity's head, but he charged cosmic energy into his fist and cracked Eternity across the face. Eternity recoiled, but was still holding onto his form.
"Fool!" Eternity roared. He fired a blast of reality warping energy at Way Big from his eyes, sending the To'Kustar flying back and knocking him out of his transformation. Danny, back in his ghost form, caught Ben before he could hit the ground.
Danny placed Ben gently on the ground before flying towards Eternity again. "Come on, Jake!" A moment later, the draconic hero was flying after Danny.
"This trivial game of yours has gone on long enough!" Eternity's distorted voice echoed in their minds. He raised his gargantuan hands as Danny and Jake flew around like gnats, blasting Eternity with ecto energy and flames. Eternity's form still flickered as Rex attempted to separate the various beings that made up the god. Eternity's hands glowed with malevolent energy and suddenly all the heroes, minus Ben, were lifted into the air and were forced to stop what they were doing. Eternity clenched his fists and the heroes suddenly cried out in agony as dark energy ripped through them all. Ben watched in horror as his teammates were slowly dying before his very eyes.
"You led your allies into a hopeless battle, Ben Tennyson!" Eternity's voice echoed. "There was never anything you could do to stop me! I am space! I am time! I am all there is! I cannot be defeated by such feeble powers!"
Ben fell to his knees as he watched his friends experience a neverending death. Their screams of agony filled his mind. The hopelessness of the situation overwhelmed him. He had failed. Ben smashed his fist into the ground as tears streamed from his eyes. It was over. He had failed.
.
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…
"No…it's not over." Ben said, a heavy weight in his voice. Ben rose, despite gravity itself doing everything it could to keep him down. "No, Eon! You are but a speck in the infinite omniverse! I am Ben Tennyson! Wielder of the Omnitrix! I have defeated Vilgax the Conqueror, Khyber the Huntsman, Malware the Renegade, and Dagon the Destroyer!"
Eternity's eyes raised in shock.
"And you are just another bad guy that I have to put away!" Ben cried out at the top of his lungs. "I may not be able to destroy you, but I can stop you here!"
Ben activated the Omnitrix dial. "Code 10. Disable DNA Lock: Celestialsapien!"
Eternity's eyes widened further. "No! I will not allow this!" A torrent of wind, flame, and ecto-energy surged from Eternity and rushed towards Ben.
Ben slammed down the Omnitrix, and the green light consumed all in sight. Ben's body became an infinite void of space, dotted by stars and galaxies. He grew three small horns on his forehead as his body took on a muscular silhouette. Twin totem heads floated behind him, one jagged and masculine, the other smooth and feminine. Glowing green eyes emerged from the void where his head should be. The Omnitrix symbol formed on his chest.
"Alien X!" Three voiced echoed.
The masculine head, Bellicus, was the first to speak. "Timewalker, you have violated countless laws of the multiverse."
The feminine head, Serena, followed up. "Life across the multiverse is sacred and must be protected."
Ben's voice spoke from Alien X. "And we will not allow this to persist."
The three voices spoke in unison. "Second it! Event Erasure Motion Carried."
Alien X raised his hand, tracing a circle in the air. A field of energy forming where his hand moved. Alien X willed the energy forward, and it washed over the entire scene. Everything faded into white.
Ben found himself in a white void. In front of him stood Eon, as he appeared before his story began. He seemed almost human. Ben was in his normal attire, the Omnitrix's symbol had greyed out.
"What…?" Eon looked at his hands, then his body. "What happened?"
"I used Alien X to reset the timeline." Ben said. "Now, you'll have never begun this quest, nor will you ever attempt it again. You'll never travel to Danny's dimension and kick these events off."
"No…my people!" Eon shouted in anger.
"Will have to find another way to survive." Ben shook his head.
"You realize this won't stop me…even if I forget this, I'll still continue in my quest!" Eon shouted at Ben.
"And I or another me will stop you, like always." Ben smiled faintly. "Until then, Eon…"
Eon attempted to rush Ben, reaching his hand out towards the Omnitrix, but he faded as he was sent through time.
Next, Ben's allies appeared before him. Danny, Rex, Jake, and Kim. They all appeared to Ben as he had when they first arrived on this adventure. "It's over, guys."
"I don't understand, what happened?" Kim asked.
Ben explained the events as they occurred, starting with how Ben found no other choice but to use Alien X.
"Then…what happens now?" Rex asks.
"We'll all forget this ever happened." Ben smiled sadly. "We'll have never met and formed this team."
"But…" Danny's expression grew sad.
"I was just starting to like you guys…" Jake's voice cracked.
"It's okay. We may not all know each other from these events. But that doesn't mean what we did together didn't matter." Ben did his best to look happy. "You'll all go back to your own lives and continue doing the amazing work you're all known for back home."
Rex put on a smile. "Come on guys, we did it! This is no time to be sad!"
"I guess so." Kim returned the smile. "We may not remember this, but I know we'll have grown from it for the better."
"Goodbye, everyone…" Ben said as the heroes faded into the white void.
Ben's vision began to blur as he too, faded away.
Ben woke up in his bed, Ester lying next to him. He looked at the clock on the side table. It was 2:59am. He felt like he'd just gone on a massive and grand adventure, but it had just been a dream. Even with his best efforts, he couldn't retain any memories from it. He would never understand why, but he could feel an overwhelming feeling of satisfaction swell from somewhere deep within him.
His Omnitrix beeped, signaling an incoming call. Ben raised his arm and pressed a button on the watch, accepting the call. Rook Blonko's face appeared in a hologram.
"Ben! I've been trying to reach you!" Rook's voice said with a slight electronic tinge to it. "Psyphon and his gang are holding Bellwood City Hall hostage! The Plumbers are there, but we have no way to engage."
As the memories of a timeline lost faded, Ben let out a toothy grin. "I'll be right there, partner!" Ben whispered excitedly. "It's Hero Time!" Ben slammed down the watch, a blinding green flash consuming the room.
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The End.