Iceman of Earth
Chapter Four: The Hunt is on
We stand in the middle of the burning desert watching as Ben fight against another one of Grandpa Max's obstacle course uses diamond head to shoot a brigade of crystal shards letting them slice and stab anything in the way.
Grandpa Max shouts at Ben to get him to focus, instead Ben does the opposite.
Suddenly, shards of crystal come flying towards both Akio and Gwen leaving Gwen to duck as Akio freezes the crystals in mid-air letting fall to the fall and shatter; "You alright Gwen."
"Thanks to you," says Gwen with a cheerful smile.
Ben crossed his arms; "Hmph, show off," before getting slammed in the face by a tyre.
The group slowly walk back into the RV setting off down the road once more letting Gwen and Akio sit next to each other at the table while Ben sat across the table while Grandpa Max forcing his attention of Ben; "You have to take things more seriously, that thing on your arm isn't a toy to mess around with."
"Come on, you all seen me in action. I'm the best in town!" yells Ben only to have Gwen laugh.
"I'm pretty sure that honour goes to Akio," snickers Gwen.
"I can beat the chill freak," complains Ben crossing his arms.
"I'm right here," states Akio.
"Eventually, you'll get your butt kick Ben and I'll be there to see it," says Gwen resting her chin on her hand with an occasional glance to Akio.
"Dream on geek face," says Ben leaning in.
However, the rust bucket began to crackle and stop on the side of the road, with Max quickly finding the problem. A shard of crystal sliced through the gas tube.
Ben, Gwen and Akio decide to walk around the boredom factory-like building, Akio walked around with an ice umbrella spotting Ben messing around with Gwen using Ghost-freak until a giant metal alien erupts from the ground, with spider-like legs and a humanoid body.
Akio watches as Ben is tossed around the room until when Ben is shot across the room, Akio sprinted into the factory just as Ben times out.
"Not even worth the-" says the alien until spotting Akio; "You're the dangerous one."
"You can call me that," Akio responds as frozen air leaks off his hands while some come from his mouth in his breaths; "I bet you want the watch. How about I show why I have it."
Akio hand slide out of his pocket and onto his right wrist and began to flick through aliens before stopping on one looking up to the alien; "I'll show you my favourite one."
Suddenly, in a flash of bright green light, Akio begins to change as his body stretches and grows muscle until revealing grey fur, a long flowing mane, and a large bushy tail, with three sharp claws on each hand and foot. The inside of his mouth was green, he wears a green suit, collar and green wristbands. He now has four claws instead of three. He now has a green tongue and a white belt. His Omnitrix symbol is located on the collar above his fur.
"Go on Akio, teach him a lesson!" Shouts Gwen helping Ben up.
Quickly, Akio charges into the alien faster than he could react and sliced off two legs letting the alien began to fall, Akio's muzzle begins to separate into four sending out a beam of ultrasonic sound cracking the alien's outer shell but causes a series of loud cracks within the outer suit sending it crashing to the floor.
In a flash of red light, Akio reverts back to normal; "Huh, he wasn't that bad to deal with."
Akio walked over to Gwen taking her place carrying Ben back to the RV, with it fixed they begin to they sit back down with a sigh.
"At least that's over," says Gwen looking out of the window.
However, the sound of cutting metal rings out above their heads, they quickly snap their heads to the source finding another alien who is tearing through the top of the rust bucket, Akio fires an army of ice shards sending him flying off the rust bucket.
The rust bucket began to stop again and the group turn to the rear-view window finding the black-suited alien climbing to its feet, Akio was the first to burst out of the RV finding an old mine to their left; "Quick over there, I got him."
Akio lets the blue-chilly air surround him; "By the way, I've been working on a little something in my free time. I call it Blizzard."
Slowly, the alien is trapped within the icy mist which begins to freeze the alien slowly as it spreads across its body.
But the suit began to heat up and melt the ice leaving Akio to summon a thin needle of ice and send to slicing through the alien's suit destroying the heat regulator which lets the ice consume the black-suited alien.
Akio ran back to the group finding the spider-like metal alien has resurfaced in front of the, Ben's watch is still red leaving Akio the only option of fending off the alien alone, he slams his watch one more time sending him into a new transformation, he now has yellow and black fur, along with grey fingers and toes. He now has four fingers instead of five. He also now has two bolts on the side of his wrist instead of the back of his hands. He has green eyes with black pupils and yellow lightning bolt-shaped horns. He also has a green belt where the Omnitrix symbol is located. Shocksquatch.
Akio charged into the alien grabbing both if it's hands and slammed it against the wall, Akio snaps to the group; "Time to get out of here, eh?" he says in a strong Canadian accent which freaked him out.
The group ran out of the mines leaving Akio to wrestle with the alien as he begins to shock it, slowly the alien stopped moving and talking, slumped over on the ground letting smoke come off of it.
When Akio makes it out of the mine shaft back in his normal form he finds the black-suited alien chasing the group who seem to be on a tram-like system, with no way to get across and his ice out of commission, Akio watches as the black-suited alien tosses Ben around in his diamond head alien before knocking him into a wall.
However, another suited alien joins the fight grabbing Akio in his left hand before knocking the others out and grabbing Ben before zooming through the mineshaft until they reach a long abandon town and then he throws the two down into the ground.
"Out of all the people on this planet the Omnitrixies had to fall into your hands!" shouts the alien.
"Hey, I've been using this the best way I could and I have been kicking alien butt," fires back Ben.
"You can't stop and think, preferring to go in blind! How would you know how to use Omnimatrix," says the alien before turning to Akio; "You, on the other hand, know how to use the Omnitrix but refuse to rely on it and even ignore this one when you could have worked together to beat those two."
"Hn, I don't care what you think, I've been helping people out so has Ben I don't think it's matters how we do it more of that we actually did it," Akio says slipping his hands into his pockets.
"Sadly, you are right about that. Helping people but the Omnitrix is coming with me to get you removed from it. So it can be used effectively," he says walking closer to Ben.
Quickly, Ben began slashing at the suited alien until eventually he is thrown into the ground, the alien reveals itself to be part of Diamondhead's race; "It's scary how you can't use my races strengths or even know their weakness."
"You're me," says Ben standing up leaving Akio to facepalm.
"No, I'm part of a proud warrior race you are just a brat," says the alien before Ben transforms into his normal form.
He grabs Ben and looks over to where is hoverboard dropped, however, nothing was there and then from the shadows came the two aliens, the spider-like one seems to have fixed the cracks in his armour but his voice is raspy and crackles, the black-suit one is stiff and still frozen in a few small places.
"Sorry bud, but we want the Omnitrix and we got insurance," says the spider-like one revealing that the black-suit on has a hold of Gwen and Grandpa Max.
Quickly, the spider one began firing at the three of them leaving the diamond head guy to grab both Akio and Ben while jumping throw the building.
"We have to help them! Their my family!" yells out Ben with Akio nodding beside him.
"No, the only option is to secure the Omnitrix by getting my hoverboard and leaving this planet. Stay here," he says before walking out in the open.
"Damn it," Akio whispers realising that his ice has fully come back.
"We have to work together," says Ben turning to Akio leaving him surprised.
"You're right, for them, we can't afford not to work together," says Akio walking besides Ben.
"You got a plan?" asks Ben glancing at his Omnitrix ready to go.
"Now, I do," says Akio twist his Omnitrix giving Ben a small smile.
Suddenly, the spider-like alien bursts into the room finding only Akio in his Blitzwolfer alien; "only one of you? That's not gonna be enough this time."
Quickly, Akio charged at the alien slashing at him but never hitting him always missing by a few inches as the robot laughs he is suddenly forced through the wall instantly stopping dead in his tracks.
Akio grabs Ben from the robot in his Grey Matter alien; "Alright Ben, now just do the same to the other alien."
"Throw me!" yells Ben.
Instantly, Akio throws Ben onto the other alien which lets Akio charge at the black-suit alien distracting him from Ben as he slowly dismantled the alien's suit leaving him unable to move so he slams into the ground.
Akio reverts back to normal and quickly freezes the aliens so they can't try anything else, the diamond head guy slowly got up with a smile; "That's pretty good for children."
"Nah, we just worked together and there ain't no alien stronger than us," says Ben high-fiving Akio.
"I guess you can say that on Earth when you mess with one of us," begins Akio leaving Ben to finish it off; "You mess with all twenty of us."
The diamond head guy smiles before grabbing his hoverboard and imprisoning the alien is a glowing cube, he turns back to the two; "I'll return we I'm able. In the meantime, you may find this useful."
He gives Ben the hoverboard; "And for you. Have this," he places a hand of Akio's watch which quickly takes his DNA and unlocks diamond head for Akio.
"But didn't you say you need this to get off the planet?" asks Ben with a raised eyebrow.
"Selective disinformation," he says before walking off.
"What does that mean?" asks Ben again.
"He lied," states Gwen.
"He was testing us," states Akio walking towards Gwen; "But I don't know about you guys but having to use a littery ton of ice takes a lot out of me."
"You're right we need to get something to eat," says Gwen as they walk back to the RV.
"Don't worry, these a town nearby there's Wac Donalds in town," says Grandpa Max.
"Nice," says Ben messing around with his new hoverboard.
"Why does he get the cool alien stuff?" complains Gwen.
Akio notices Gwen's pout and decides to give her some just as cool, he wraps an arm around her waist; "How about we race him?"
Gwen smiles and nods and the two quickly take off, ice sliding towards the RV easily taking over Ben.
"Not fair! I just got this!" complains Ben trying to catch up.
Within only hours the group find themselves sitting at the table with Gwen and Akio on one side and Ben and Grandpa Max on the other side.
"It's good to see you two working together as a team," says Grandpa Max with a smile.
"All we need now is to make Gwen less-useless," says Ben with a smirk.
"You almost got us all killed back there, dweeb," pouts Gwen.
The group continued to talk and laugh, however, the laughter quickly stops as a two masked men walk into the joint, one shoving a pistol in the cashiers face; "Just give us the money."
Ben and Akio look at each other quickly feeling their hands moving towards their watches instinctively, Akio's shirt is quickly tugged at by Gwen.
Akio turns his head to find a group of men wearing black suits and masks walk into the bank across the road with a fully automatic assault rifle.
Slowly, Ben realised this two giving Akio a stare that's saying; "That one's mine."
Akio quick replies with his own stare saying; "You take these two and I'll go after the bank guys."
Both of their eyes twitch looking at each other, then the two put their fist close together getting ready to play rock, paper scissors.
1...2...3 Akio wins with a smirk.
That's when Akio gets up and walks out the store spotting a green light from the corner of his eyes and hearing shouts and yells, as he walks across the road he pulls up his hood hiding his face from everyone.
Quickly, he walks into the bank gaining the men's attention effortlessly; "Get that boy and put him with the other damn hostages."
As one man places a hand on the boy's shoulder he quickly freezes over shocking everyone watching, the leader gives a displeased grunt; "It's that damned Winter Dragon brat."
The room is slowly filled with a light blue mist of freezing air, the men stare at Akio trying to keep an eye on him, as the men slowly freeze they begin trying to shoot Akio, the place is quickly filled with bursts of light and smoke as well as the light mist.
Suddenly, Akio slowly appears and disappears taking out every robber one by one and slowly letting their screams ring out, some of them begin to break down by the time Akio takes them out.
"Damn it where are you boy?!" Shouts their leader.
Instantly, his gun is pulled from his hands and pined up against the wall my a few ice needles, the mist slightly clear leaving the man to notice Akio's right eye which glows a misty blue.
The leader tries to fist his fists into Akio but he manages to slip through the stream punches to quickly snap out his own compact punches coated in ice dealing double damage sending him into a nearby desk which finally knocks him out.
The mist slowly clears as Akio leaves the bank only to find Gwen has been taken hostage by one of the bank guys who must have got away at the start, it seems like Gwen was coming to get Akio when she was taken hostage.
"Listen man, I just want to get out of here then you can have her back," says the masked man who dragged himself and Gwen towards the black van.
"Sorry but you broke the law so you need to be punished," states Akio slowly moving towards them.
"Who are you to decide that brat. Don't get any closer," he yells now almost close enough to the van to get away.
"Who am I? You ask," says Akio with an unseeable smirk.
"Don't get any close-" he says until Akio dashes forward.
Akio grabs Gwen and pulls her around creating an ice shield around the both of them just as a bullet slams against it.
Akio let's out a breath of frozen mist; "I'm the Winter Dragon."
Suddenly, the man's legs is covered in ice he glances down scared and slowly pulls his head up only to receive a crushing blow to the jaw making him go limp.
Akio notices that Gwen fainted during the exchange and as he looks at the soft blush covering her cheek he could help but stare at her soft features before thinking to himself; 'She's cute like this.' suddenly, Akio realises what he just thought; 'How is she cute?' he thinks to himself not understanding the knot in his stomach and his once calm heartbeat skyrocketing.
"Oh well, I'll learn soon I guess, let's get you back to the RV," says Akio to no one as he picks up Gwen carrying her fireman style only to have her unconsciously snuggles up to Akio's chest.
End of Chapter Four