Welcome everyone to the first chapter of Volume 3: Storms Gathering! This chapter is not too action heavy, mostly some setup for the arcs coming later on. But we still do get to see some character development, such as with Lucy, Kevin and Ben's relationship, and Cooper as well! Anyways, enough rambling on my part!
Triggers this chapter include several instances of choice language. The first one is in the paragraph which reads, "Max is missing?" The second is in the paragraph which reads, "Kevin, what the..." The last one is in the paragraph which reads, "I didn't want to be a part of your little hero club..."
No soundtrack for this one. Sorry.
Enjoy the chapter!
The Ultra 10 Chronicles: Volume 3: Storms Gathering
Chapter 66: Shattered Identity
"I have to use this to protect the innocent, not for myself," Ben said out loud, still looking at the spot on the concrete wall where the Null Void portal had closed up into only moments before. "And that means that I have to stop these villains… at any cost… Even if I have to kill them…" The words felt like an icy fog settling over him. He understood the gravity of them. And he understood that quitting being a hero was not a choice he could make.
Ben struggled to his feet, still hunched over slightly from the pain from in between his legs. With a groan of pain, he leaned up against the wall to rest, trying to ease the throbbing pain all over his body. After a minute, he felt strong enough to try to stand up straight, only to be quickly reminded of his injury between his legs.
"Ugh!" Ben exclaimed as he hunched over again and fell to his knees. Opening his eyes, he saw his NanoMech armor, the mask staring up at him in the face. It was as if it were talking to him. Reminding him of what was not only his duty, but his own need. The thing that gave him strength to keep going.
Ben let out a sigh and picked up the mask. The NanoMech had always felt oddly heavy in his hands. Like it was too much metal packed into too little space. But it felt even heavier now. This time, it was heavy with symbolic weight. Too much responsibility packed into too small of a person. But it was a weight that he hadn't only learned to carry, but to rely on.
"I know what I have to do," Ben muttered as he raised the mask to his face. "I know that my duty is to stop these villains, for good." As he felt the NanoMech expand over his body, he felt the reassuring feel of protection covering him; making him stronger than he was without it. Strong enough to do what had to happen. Benjamin Tennyson simply wasn't strong enough to protect the innocent from Ultra 10's villains. And so…
"I can't be Ben Tennyson anymore," he said, his mask illuminating his eye sockets in an eerie blue. "I have to be Ultra 10." With that, he activated the Omnitrix, emerging from the flash of light as Accelerate. In an instant, he disappeared.
"Alright, looks like the PLUMMERs have the the clean-up duty," Cooper announced over his comm link as he surveyed the scene. There was little more that Team Ultra was needed for. "What about our big bad?"
"I saw Ben going after him during the chaos," Sam offered.
"By himself?" Maddie questioned, a hint of fear in her voice.
"Ben!" Gwen call out over her comm link. "Where are you?"
"I'm fine," his voice came through a moment later.
"What happened to Neb?" Julie asked through the comms.
"He… He got away… again," Ben responded, disgust in his voice. "I wasn't strong enough to stop him."
"That's why we have a team," Maddie spoke up through her comm link. "We will have to catch him again, and stop him before he does anything."
"In the meantime, let's all head back to The Guardian," Julie offered. "We can start looking for Neb with the NESS."
"Neb's not a threat for now," Ben replied. "He escaped into the Null Void. Seems like he stole an old Null Void projector from the PLUMMERs."
"Seriously?" Sam asked, sounding surprised. "I wonder what his plan is going to be?"
"Well whatever it is, it's not happening today. Let's all head back to The Guardian to get you all patched up," Julie refocused the team. "We can at least rest and recover a bit."
"About that," Ellie butt in. "I think this mud creature is an alien. And it may need our help too."
"You all go," Ben replied. "Take Lucy to The Guardian, I'm sure Vilgax had some sort of a medical room on the ship that could help her. I'm going to go on patrol. Make sure that the PLUMMER got all of the vampires."
"Ben, the PLUMMERs have it under control," Julie replied. "You really should let me have a look at you."
"I feel fine, I promise," Ben responded. "I'll let you have a look at me later. But I really can't let any vampires get away. You know how it is with vamps."
"Alright, make a quick patrol, and come back to The Guardian. The rest of you? Come back so that we can get you looked at, and figure out some plans going forward," Julie compromised. With that, the communication ended.
"I can't keep letting criminals get away," Ben said to himself. "And despite what I want, my responsibility is first and foremost to the people of Earth." Ben looked this reflection in a puddle of water, a leftover from a broken water main.
"They've made their decision to be criminals. And I've got to make mine. No more second chances." With his promise to himself made, Ben activated the watch on his wrist, transforming into JetRay and took off into the sky, headed towards the Guardian. Only a few minutes later, he arrived, entering the refurbished docking bay and detransforming once inside.
"That must have been a quick patrol," Cooper remarked as Ben walked past the technopath.
"It's like Julie said over the comms, the PLUMMERs had it under control," Ben replied devoid of any cheeriness.
"You sound less than cheery," Cooper replied. "Considering we just saved the city… again."
"Neb got away," Ben deadpanned. "There's not much worth celebrating." He stormed past his friend towards the medical bay, or the temporary medical bay they'd set up.
"Ben, you're back quicker than I thought," Julie greeted him as he walked in.
"I already told Cooper, the PLUMMERs had it under control, just like you said," Ben replied. "And I'd prefer you call me Ultra while I'm in my suit. We don't want someone hacking our communication channels again and figuring out who we are."
"Point taken," Julie replied, taken slightly aback. "But the comm links are off, and both Animo and Alex aren't threats at the moment."
"If there's one successful hack, there'll be another," Ben replied coldly. "Can I go now?"
"I haven't even checked you out yet," Julie said, to which Ben removed his mask, the NanoMech unfolding into its cargo mode.
"I'm not bleeding, and I'll let you know if I feel like I've got a concussion or something," he said exasperated. With that, he walked out of the room, activating the NanoMech again, suiting up as he walked down the hallway.
"Hey, Ben!" Gwen greeted as she ran to catch up to him.
"It's Ultra," Ben muttered under his breath.
"What do you say we play some Sumo Slammers?" Gwen continued, undeterred by her cousin's dark mood. "I can teleport the old game station onboard, and we can connect it to Vilgax's holocomputer…"
"I don't have time for Sumo Slammers," Ben interrupted her. "I'm going to make sure those PLUMMERs actually got Newg and Alex to that super secure prison under the mountain."
"I'm sure the PLUMMERs would have called in if they had any problem with those three," Gwen offered.
"If they caught them," Ben intoned. "Then they might call it in. And that's two too many ifs for my liking." With that, Ben entered the docking bay, transforming into JetRay as the airlock sealed. In a moment, he was gone, speeding back towards the Earth and towards Mount Rushmore.
"Take it easy, Ben," Gwen spoke softly to no one in particular. "Not even you can take on the world's problems all alone."
Lucy opened her eyes, trying to make sense of the world around her. It was all alien to her. Like literally, it was all alien design all around her. The designs on the walls, the molding, even the shape of the room appeared to be of alien design. And not of a beautifully artistic alien, but of one that was exact in their calculations and direct in design.
Lucy blinked again, realizing that she was still in her mud form. She felt exhausted, and trying to pull herself together was even more tiring, but eventually she succeeded at assuming her human form. She noticed that she was on some kind of a bed, kind of like a table. She wasn't strapped down or restrained at all, not like straps or ropes would do any good at restraining her viscous body.
"It looks like you've woken up," a voice startled Lucy as she spun around to face it. The voice belonged to a young adult Japanese girl that was walking into the room. She looked friendly and not threatening at all, but Lucy still decided to keep her guard up.
"Where am I?" Lucy asked.
"You're onboard the Guardian," Julie explained. "You got pretty beaten up by Neb in the fight in Bellwood, and I had a member of Team Ultra bring you here so I could treat you. Not that I knew how to treat you all that well, I guessed water mud might help."
"You're a part of Team Ultra?" Lucy asked. To that, Julie nodded.
"My codename is Doc, for obvious reasons," Julie explained. "I'd hoped that the ship up here would be able to treat you better than a human hospital, but I can arrange for you to be returned to the surface as soon as you want."
"Thank you," Lucy said.
"If you don't mind me asking," Julie questioned after a moment of silence. "You're some kind of alien, aren't you? What are you doing on Earth?"
"That… is a long story," Lucy said, not offering any more information than that. "But I'm not the invading type. Just… trying to find somewhere where I belong."
"Sounds like you belong here just as much as any of us," Julie answered, a little bit under her breath. "Look, you're welcome to stay on the Guardian as long as you need to heal, longer too if you need a place to stay, but I don't really have that much knowledge about your species' biology. I don't really know how to treat you any more than you tell me."
"You seem to be pretty trusting of me," Lucy said.
"Well you stood up against Neb when you could have just snuck away," Julie replied. "You wouldn't have done that if you didn't mean to do good. That's pretty worthy of trust in my book." Julie turned to leave the room.
"They call us Lenopans," Lucy called out. "That's what it'll pull up as., if there's a database on the ship." Lucy took a slightly awkward pause as Julie turned around. "Our diet and neurology is pretty similar to humans, which is why I chose this planet. And, uh… I-I go by Lucy." Julie smiled a comforting smile.
"Nice to meet you, Lucy," she replied. "I'll see if I can't find some food for you, as I'm sure you must be hungry." Lucy nodded an appreciative nod as Julie walked out of the room.
"So…" Lucy said to herself., taking a look around the room. " I'm on Vilgax's old ship, that's cool…"
Ben zoomed to Mount Rushmore, arriving at the mountain just a few hours before noon. The still-morning light cast shadows from the trees all around them, making the mountainside feel like it was still a sleepy, early morning. But the sun's rays on the monument to America's leaders made it feel like it shown with a little extra radiance, especially when combined with the sleepy forest all around. But Ben cared nothing for the scenic view. He had a job to do, and that was all that mattered at the moment.
He zipped around as Accelerate, mentally mapping the entire mountain as he passed by. Finally, he found what he was looking for. A small, nearly indiscernible opening into the side of the mountain. A literal hole cut into the mountainside.
"That's got to be some sort of exhaust, or entrance of some kind," Ben muttered to himself. He doubled back around, closer this time to realize that there was some sort of variation in the air around the section of mountain. Touching it, he saw the air ripple, like water on a lake. "It's a cloaking device," Ben realized as he entered the cloaked area.
Inside, Ben saw the PLUMMER equipment, as well as the two containers that had been transporting Newg and Alex. However, they were empty, with agents swarming around them. Ben zoomed up and hit the dial of the Omnitrix, reverting back into his human form.
"What's going on around here," Ben demanded. "Where did Newg and Alex go?"
"Alex is secured within the prison," a passing agent answered him. "Newg has somehow escaped, and Agent 10 along with Agent 12. We are sweeping the vicinity for them at the moment."
"Max is missing?" Ben questioned, to which the agent nodded before hurrying on with his duties. "Damnit. Newg disappearing with him is not a good sign." Just at that moment, Ben's comm link beeped.
"Hey Tennyson! Pick up man, I know you can hear me," Kevin's voice came through the comm. Ben swore under his breath and muffled the communicator, making sure that no other agents were within hearing distance of him. He made his way out of the cloaking field before daring to remove his hand from the communicator.
"Kevin, what the hell?" He angrily spoke into the comm link. "How are you even on our comms?"
"I decided to go exploring around the ship," Kevin explained nonchalantly. "Heard you decided to go check to see if Newg and Alex actually made it to that PLUMMER prison."
"You're not supposed to be wandering around the ship," Ben bit back. "Besides, you hate the ship."
"That's why I decided to take a look around," Kevin explained. "Got bored in that closet you guys try to keep me in. Now answer the question." Ben sighed annoyedly.
"First of all, if you're going to be using the comms, you call us by our code names, not our real names," Ben scolded. "If I were closer to an agent when you called…"
"Yeah, whatever man," Kevin bit back. "I'll be more careful, just quit stalling."
"Alex is secured in the prison, but Newg is missing," Ben answered. "Along with several high-ranking PLUMMER agents."
"You got any leads on Newg?" Kevin questioned.
"Why do you care?" Ben asked. "Last I recall, you didn't want anything to do with the hero business."
"I didn't want to be a part of your little hero club, I didn't say nothing about not stopping these freaks that keep popping up," Kevin corrected. "But that bitch is crazy, and I want her stopped before she sets the city on fire or lets out the nut jobs again."
"Fair enough," Ben relented.
"So, you got any leads?" Kevin reiterated.
"Not much," Ben responded. "Neb is in the Null Void, and she doesn't really know anyone in our universe. I'd say that she'd either try to reconnect with Neb, or hide out somewhere Lucky Girl and her have in common."
"The PLUMMERs have portable Null Void technology," Kevin began.
"Which is what Neb broke into the PLUMMER base to get," Ben finished. "And what he used to escape our fight yesterday."
"Is there a way we can scan for any uses of the Null Void gun?" Kevin asked.
"Gears would be the authority on that," Ben replied. "Being our resident technopath and all. But if a tear between dimensions were to be made, it would exude a ton of energy, and we could probably detect that with the NESS."
"So I'll get Coop-um, Gears to start sweeping for that," Kevin suggested. "Meanwhile, we search for anywhere Newg could have gone to hide out."
"We?" Ben questioned.
"I told you, I hate the ship, and I'm not about to let that caliber of craziness run around free," Kevin explained. "Besides, if you do find her, you stand a better chance of taking her down with some back up."
"You're back up now, eh?" Ben questioned.
"You know what I mean," Kevin sighed, exasperated. "Now come get me off of this ship."
"Are those PLUMMERs still trailing us?" Xam asked his granddaughter, to which she shook her head.
"I'm not picking up any other human mana for miles," Newg answered. "They've lost us." She looked at her grandfather. "What's the plan going forward?"
"We've to to reunite with Neb," Xam replied. "He's our heavy hitter if we run into any PLUMMERs or those Ultra brats. More importantly, he's your cousin, and I don't want anything to happen to him."
"What about that other guy Neb broke out of the Null Void?" Newg asked.
"It was too risky to try to break him out after you," Xam explained. "Besides, I couldn't care what happens to him. I'm responsible to you and Neb."
"On Htrae there wasn't any mountain with those faces carved into it," Newg realized. "We could be anywhere."
"We never crossed any bodies of water, and we didn't take to space either," Xam said. "Which means that we've got to be on the same landmass as Bellwood. And we couldn't have gone a great distance, probably only hundreds of miles, rather than thousands."
"That's comforting," Newg replied sarcastically. "We're only slightly less lost than we were before! Super helpful."
"I need access to the internet," Xam cut her off. "This PLUMMER suit works like an antenna connected to a communications control vehicle or ship nearby."
"So you're cut off?" Newg said. "How is this helpful?"
"It means that if I can connect the suit to the internet, rather than a comms vehicle, I can probably use the array of tools and gadgets built into the suit, even tap into their communications without those agents being able to spy back," Xam explained.
"To some random house or store, then," Newg replied, semi sarcastically. She pointed her fingers in a direction. "That-a way!"
Ben flew as JetRay back to the surface of Bellwood with Kevin in tow. Dropping him off just a few feet off of the ground, he landed on his feet, his metal-covered feet thumping onto the grass below him. Ben landed a few feet away, detransforming back into his human self before walking up to Kevin.
"So, where do you suggest we start looking?" Ben asked.
"I don't know why you dropped us off in Bellwood," Kevin replied abruptly. "The PLUMMERs took Newg and Alex to Mount Rushmore. That's where we should be starting our search from!"
"Fine, we'll wait for my watch to recharge," Ben grumbled. "Then JetRay can get us there in a couple of minutes."
"I'm surprised that thing even has to recharge," Kevin said, mockingly. "It can turn you into aliens, but it still runs out of juice?"
"Hey, it probably takes a ton of energy to make the transformations work," Ben said defensively. "You don't know how it works!"
"Chill, Tennyson," Kevin replied. "I was just saying. Don't have to take it all personal."
"I wasn't taking it personal," Ben deflected. "I was just stating a fact. None of us understand how it works, so who are we to judge?"
"Whatever, man," Kevin replied. "That thing charged yet?"
"No," Ben replied. "I guess we can take a look while we wait. You know, patrol?"
"Not really my thing," Kevin replied. He leaned up against a tree, folding his arms. "If something's going down, I'll take care of it. Otherwise…"
"Yeah, tuff-guy Kev, I get it," Ben replied, turning away and walking off into the city. "When the watch is charged, I'll come get you. Just don't get yourself into trouble while my back is turned."
"Get into trouble?" Kevin scoffed. "Listen, Tennyson! I'm the one that was in the Null Void all that time alone! And it was me that saved your life not that long ago!" To the comment, Ben just raised his hand in a surrendering/waving gesture. "Whatever, dude!" Kevin sat down at the base of the tree and closed his eyes, enjoying the peace and silence for a moment.
It was a feeling he was still getting used to again, the silence. In the Null Void, silence was never good. Silence meant that there was something bigger and hungrier than you nearby, forcing everything around to hide and not make a peep. When you heard the buzz of noise, you knew you were safe, even if only relatively. It was when you heard that noise stop, that you had to be on your toes, checking around every corner. If you weren't careful enough…
Kevin's eyes snapped open, the memory getting the better of him. He quickly looked around, expecting to be on some floating asteroid or other landmass in the emptiness of the Null Void. After a quick breath, Kevin remembered where he was. He was on Earth. He was safe, he wasn't being hunted as a meal for some alien. He was safe in Bellwood, not hiding in whatever crater or cave he managed to stay in for a day or two.
"Get ahold of yourself, Kevin," he said to himself as he closed his eyes again. He wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to sleep soundly again after living in that nightmare. Now, even the rustling of the leaves in a tree caused him to bolt awake. Sure the hum of the Guardian was easier to fall asleep to, but all of that electricity only inches away from him at all times was their own kind of demon. Distantly, Kevin heard a bird tweet its song, the noise calming Kevin's nerves. It wasn't an urgent song, just a happy one.
"Yo, Kevin," Ben's voice came over the communicator Kevin had shoved into his pocket before leaving the Guardian. "Just ran into a couple of muggers, want to help?"
"You seriously need help taking down a couple of two-bit clowns?" Kevin replied, irritated that he'd been woken up.
"Just thought I'd offer," Ben replied. "Before I took away all of your fun."
"Oh no, you took down all the crooks," Kevin replied sarcastically like a damsel in distress. "Now I have no faces to beat in! Whatever shall I do?" Kevin chuckled at his own joke.
"Whatever dude, the Omnitrix is charged," Ben replied. "I'll pick you up after I deal with these punks." Kevin scoffed and slipped the comm link back into his pocket. Before long, JetRay came swooping down, landing right before Kevin.
"Two whole minutes," Kevin said as he stood up. "Thought you'd get it done in half a minute. You're really loosing your touch there, old timer."
"They had knives," Ben replied. "It wasn't so easy as… you know what, screw you, we're wasting time. Let's go!" Kevin smiled and walked over to a nearby light pole. Touching the base, a thin layer of steel spread over his body, covering him from head to toe. With a flap of his wings, Ben took to the sky, grabbing Kevin's shoulders with his feet and rising farther into the sky above the city. It was starting to get late, the sun setting over the horizon. In an instant, Ben took off, flying towards Mount Rushmore.
They arrived not long later, Ben dropping Kevin from a little higher up than he had before, smiling when he heard the teen grunt when he hit the ground.
"Oops," Ben mocked as he landed.
"Screw you too," Kevin replied as he stood up. He took a look around the place. "So, there's really a PLUMMER prison inside that mountain?"
"Probably a base too," Ben replied. "But yeah, and the loading bays are right over there." He pointed at a seemingly normal stretch of the mountain.
"Umm…" Kevin intoned. "There's nothing there."
"It's covered in camouflage," Ben replied. "The PLUMMERs aren't that stupid to leave it out in the open. Besides, the camouflage works both ways. Being up here, they won't be able to recognize you. You know, seeing as you're still an escaped felon."
"Thanks for explaining it like I'm a child, Tennyson," Kevin grumbled. He began to look curiously around the tree line leading into the forest.
"What're you doing?" Ben asked.
"Trying to get inside of Newg's head," Kevin replied. "Figure out where she would have gone."
"Back towards Bellwood," Ben said. "That's where I am, that's where Neb was, that's where everything she knows of is," Ben replied. He pointed in the direction of their hometown. "That way." But Kevin shook his head.
"It's unlikely she knows which way Bellwood was after being in that PLUMMER transferal container," Kevin replied. "And anyways, that's probably her longterm goal. Her more immediate goal would be to make sure that the PLUMMERs weren't following her, and to lose any that were. She'd head straight into the deepest part of the forest, and then head downhill."
"What makes you so sure?" Ben asked. "She's basically my cousin, I think I'd know how she'd think."
"You forget that I spent every summer on the street between school years, or that you sent me to the Null Void. I know how a convict would think," Kevin scoffed, taking off into the trees. Ben sighed.
"Just sticking around to see you make a fool of yourself," he muttered. "Then we'll circle back around to Bellwood."
Onboard the Guardian's Computers Systems Room
"Come on!" Cooper complained as he pounded his fist on the metallic surface in front of him, annoyance clear in his expression. "Why does your computer logic have to be so…so illogical!" Cooper looked at the computer mainframe in front of him. From every possible angle, it looked alien. Rather than motors and fans and wires connecting this part to that, the entire machine looked more like some disgusting insect, with tubes shooting out into the walls or floor. The machine pulsed with a red glow, expanding and contracting slightly in waves, just like it was breathing. A low humming emitted from it in sync with the movement. Cooper took a deep breath and tried to connect again, his eyes glowing blue.
"Any luck today?" Julie asked, walking into the room.
"I can connect to the machine just fine," Cooper admitted, his eyes returning to their usual color. "But that's where I hit a dead end. It's almost like it expects me to tell it how to operate, rather than just being able to communicate with it. But any time I try, it's like I'm speaking a different language, you know?" Julie gave him a sympathetic look.
"Not really," she admitted.
"I think that the command bridge acted as some sort of like universal remote, that could program the computer to the needs of the ship," Cooper said. "That way the computer could be installed into different ships, and learn each one's code. Without it, I just can't communicate with it. It's like trying to train a dog without a dog-treat. I just can't communicate to it what I want it to do."
"You'll figure it out eventually," Julie reassured him, rubbing his shoulder comfortingly.
"Not today, I'm not," Cooper resigned himself. He checked his wrist watch. "Hey, has Ben come back from his patrol yet? I could sure use GrayMatter's intellect with this." Just then, the watch beeped, indicating a transmission.
"Speak of the devil," Cooper chuckled, answering the call. Julie turned to leave the room, Cooper following after her. "Hey Ultra, I was just about to call you myself. Wondering if I can get GrayMatter's brain to help me with the Guardian's interface?"
"Busy right now," Ben replied. "I'm searching for Newg right now. I'm concerned of her learning that Neb is in the Null Void and that she'll try to break into the dimension. Either that, or Neb would break out."
"That would take a Null Void projector, which only the PLUMMERs have," Cooper said.
"Neb got his hands on a projector without us knowing," Ben replied.
"Fair point," Cooper conceded. "So you're wanting me to figure out a way to trace any tears in between the fabric of the universe?"
"Can you do that?" Kevin's voice spoke up from the background.
"Easier said than done," Cooper said. "But I can attune the NESS to search for any power surges. We'd be checking out possible Null Void portals as well as EMP's or other surges, but it'd at least give us an idea."
"Let's do that," Ben replied. "I've got to catch her before she can connect back up with Neb."
"Let's remember that this is a team effort here, Ben," Cooper corrected him. "The rest of us are going to be looking for her as well you know."
"Don't use that name over the comms," Ben chided with an edge to his voice. "And this is personal. I've got to stop her before she and Neb can come back. If not, I could loose our next fight." With that, Ben ended the call.
"Geez, that kid's got to learn to take it easy," Cooper muttered to himself, having fallen behind from Julie during the call. "Otherwise he's going to end up having a heart attack."
A/N:
That's where I'm calling it this chapter. Hopefully it's better than I feel like it came out as. A major point I tried to show was how Ben is distancing himself away not only his own identity, but of his team too, with the exception of Kevin. But that's all I'm telling you, the rest you've got to pick up in the text. (Sorry, still getting back into the swing of writing...) What did you like, what didn't you like? Let me know in a review! While you're at it, it's a new volume, so make sure you favorite and follow! Thanks for reading, and have a great day! See you (well kinda) next chapter!
Review Responses:
This is where I would be replying to reviews come future chapters. But as the first chapter of the story, I'll settle on replying to reviews on the last volume's last chapter!
Eagle10000 (Review for Chapter 38): I've been counting the aliens so we know he has the os 10, cannon bolt, wampire, wild vine, and I'm guessing every os alien plus echo echo but without way big, and the 3 aliens in the original series ghost freak ark; so that gives him almost 20 aliens if I'm right.
Thanks for the review, Eagle 10000. As of the end of Volume 2, Ben's got FourArms, HeatBlast, WildMutt, DiamondHead, Accelerate (XLR8), GrayMatter, StinkFly, UpGrade, UpChuck, EchoEcho, CannonBolt, WildVine, RipJaws, BigChill, BuzzShock, FrankenStrike, Goop, JetRay, LodeStar, SwampFire, Wrath and TailWhip. I think that's all he's unlocked so far, which should be 22 aliens. Out of the Original Series aliens, Ben has not unlocked WayBig, BenWolf/Blitzwolfer, BenMummy/Snare-Oh, DittoDitto, EyeGuy or the Ben 10,000 exclusives (like Spitter or Artiguana) yet.