Wellllll... yeah. I'm back. It turns out I had to rewrite this chapter about... 3 times? I still can't find it in myself to be happy with this one. I haven't really had to write many action sequences before.

Anyway, enough about me. Drop a review if you like it, and please tell me what you don't so I can fix it.

Chapter 4: School

Up in space…

The First, driven by its lust for energy, pursued the Omnitrix fragments around the planet several times. If it hadn't been in space, it would have literally salivated. Just one fraction of that energy could make it immortal…

Abruptly, both fragments changed course, heading farther down into Earth's atmosphere, The First following doggedly even as friction caused its body to ignite. It didn't care. It was hungry. Pushing through the pain, it closed on the targets. Without warning, it snatched on and drifted to a stop, floating above a forest. The fragment tried to release a feedback pulse, only for the energy to be absorbed.

'More…' it thought. Green lightning flashed in the night sky as the alien drained the fragment.

Once more, Jack collapsed on his bed and gazed at the now familiar ceiling. He pulled out his phone and started scrolling through some pictures, laughing when he came across some of his favorites. There was the one where he'd gotten stuck as Diamondhead (upside-down on a wall this time), Casey trying to make sense of some of his calculations he didn't remember doing, and various other alien related shenanigans.

Of course, there were other pictures too. Photos of news clippings showed a few petty criminals being caught, all of whom just so happened to be pinned to a wall by unidentifiable green crystals. It had barely been two weeks, and already thanks to Casey hacking into the police's radio they'd stopped a mugging (accidentally), armed robbery, and even a few cases of petty theft. Strangely, it felt like the crime rate decided to skyrocket right when they got their wristbands, or fragments as Casey called them.

Unfortunately for Jack and Casey, not to mention most of the population of West Hills who were under eighteen, school started tomorrow. He'd already registered and knew his schedule by heart, but there was still a lingering element of stress. Not for classes, those usually just needed an occasional study session, but for the Omnitrix fragments.

After some extensive testing, they had determined something worrisome; any contact with a living organic substance could activate the fragments. Even carrot sticks had done the trick, so with the close proximity to other students, and especially for Casey being on the football team, the problem remained for covering up the wristbands. Wrapping it in tape failed miserably (apparently it had molecular deconstruction nanobots to make sure the activation button was easily reachable at all times), so until a better solution could be found the two were stuck with being extremely careful about who was near their wrists.

One positive that came from all this was that Ben's personality fragment, limited as it was, managed to instruct them on some combat related stuff, such as Diamondhead's ability to create walls and spikes from the ground, while Gray Matter had a talent for building (or exploding) any piece of technology out there.

For now though, Jack decided to let go of all his worries, and just sleep.

After grabbing a quick bowl of cereal, Jack was out the door, on his way to the torture device adults called school. He'd decided to just brave the storm and wore a collared t-shirt, confident that he could stop anyone from touching his wrist. Luckily, his house was fairly near West Hills High School, so the walk only took about ten minutes.

He knew no one. There wasn't a single person that Jack recognized, so he just ducked his head and sat down in the back of first period Chemistry. He fidgeted with the fragment while he waited, wincing as he accidentally pulled too hard and tugged the molecular bond painfully. This was going to be a long day...

The rest of the day went well by Jack's standards. He'd met a few other people, no one had commented on the Omnitrix, and above all his classes were easy. Even lunch went well, though he did have to avoid the corner of the cafeteria where the football team (and Regina) was sitting.

In fact, the trouble started after school.

Jack and Casey had agreed to meet at the mall again, last minute, to discuss a string of strange occurrences going on in the woods near the town. Reports of flashing lights, strange figures, and even a possible UFO sighting had caught their attention, and they were planning on checking it out.

Currently, Jack was crunching on a maple scone while reading another book. The gentle sound of the fountain combined with the hubbub of shoppers, until the sound of a phone ringing startled Jack to his feet. Upon checking it, his face immediately brightened. It was Casey! The text said to start going to the crater, and that he was running late. Jack shrugged and got up. Might as well start the investigation.

When he arrived at the edge of the forest though, he stopped short. Teenagers were swarming through the trees, some of whom had colorful banners or shirts proclaiming their allegiance to the Conspiracy Club. Jack raised an eyebrow. Seriously? 'Of all the things…'

"Hi! Are you here to join the search?" A member of the club appeared just in front of Jack. Without waiting for Jack to answer, he said "Great! Go check deeper in the forest. No one has gone back there yet. Good luck!" Instantly, he was gone once more, leaving a deeply confused half-alien in his wake.

"Wait what?" Jack blinked a few times. Shrugging, he pushed past the throng of teenagers, texting Casey to avoid the forest at all costs. Some sharp-eyed member might notice the fragments if they were seen together. Before he lost cell reception deeper in the forest, Casey told him he was coming down later. Jack shrugged. Stubborn.

As he walked farther into the forest, Jack started recognizing landmarks; a trampled shrub, weird footprints, and finally, the crater.

Which currently had a grotesque thing sitting at the bottom of it.

With a growing sense of dread, Jack noticed a familiarly shaped black piece of broken metal sitting on the ground in front of the thing. He cradled his fragment closer and tried to examine the alien while it was resting. In a word, it was appalling. Mismatched, pulsating green lumps covered it in its entirety, offsetting its scarlet skin. Both legs were massive, and when standing it could easily be 10 feet tall. On the ends of its arms were three claws each, all the size of a medieval broadsword, and twice as sharp. The head was covered in a smooth, silver helmet with blinking red dots on its black face plate.

Jack tried to back away. But even with his silent retreat, The First noticed a new energy source. Right in front of it.

The First darted forward with a speed impossible for a being that size, claws reaching toward the fleshy human containing so much of that energy.

It wanted more. It needed more.

Its claws seemed to stretch, straining to reach the source of its food, only for said food to be gone.

The second The First had moved, Jack spun to the side. In a well-practiced motion, he brushed a finger against his fragment. The second his flesh made contact, green crystal erupted from his skin, instantly increasing his height and mass, turning him into a full bodied petrosapien. Pushing through the pain, Jack finished his spin, and used the momentum to fling three fist-sized crystals toward the monster's head. Green energy crackled around The First, and he blurred out of the way. Jack noted the blue afterimage it left before a trio of claws smashed into his side, sending him flying back into the undergrowth. With a growl of rage, Jack charged right back out, firing razor-sharp crystals in all directions in his attempts to land even one hit on The First.

Unfortunately for Jack, the alien had other ideas.

This time, the corona of green lightning was continuous, and so were the blue speed trails. In fact, it actually seemed to be getting-

A glancing blow to the face sent Jack sprawling, as the blue streak continued merrily on its way.

-closer.

With no warning, strikes began raining from all directions, too fast for Jack to follow. He crossed his arms in front of his face and morphed his feet into spikes, digging deep into the ground. With his eyes closed in concentration, Jack focused on the vibrations the creature sent through the ground into his "roots". The petrosapien grinned, seeming almost feral. The thing had a pattern! Even though it was slowly chipping away at his structure, Jack waited. There was a point it always circled around, every second repetition. If he could just…

Jack's eyes snapped open, and with a mighty roar a cylinder of crystal grew around The First, completely cutting it off. In an instant, Jack manipulated the cylinder, closing it off at the top and bottom while sending spikes of crystal to entrap its limbs. Or at least, that was the plan. The alien simply flared with energy, grey this time, and released a sonic wave which completely shattered the attempt at a trap.

Jack stared at the alien dumbfounded. Not only could it move at incredible speeds, it could shatter the substance currently making up his body at a whim?

'Time for a… tactical withdrawal.' Jack decided – it was NOT a retreat – and, without further ado, turned and sprinted back into the forest.

The First snarled in anger as its prey fled, but it couldn't give chase; it had used too much of its energy in that fight. Besides, why go after one source of the energy…

When it felt two nearby?

Well, that certainly happened.

What do you think of The First? How's the plot? Let me know in a review!

Also, I know that I shortchanged Casey this chapter, but he has a huge role next chapter.

Thanks for reading!

-sonyaxe