Chapter 11: It's a big world out there

Gwen, Ben, and I just headed into a water park, and they announced the new water slide attraction there. We were in our swimsuits there.

Ben: "Six stories of twists and turns!"

Dustin: "Hurdling down a 200 foot plunge!"

Gwen: "At speeds of 25 mph!"

Dustin: "Then splash down in a turning 3000 gallon wave pool!"

Ben and Gwen: "You have entered the Riptide Rapid Zone!"

Dustin: "Let's see if it's all that then huh?!"

Ben: "Yeah! Let's do it!" We rushed up to the top of the staircase to it, and Gwen and I ran through, but Ben was stopped.

Ben: "Hey!"

Teenager: "You're too short to ride this."

Gwen: "Oh, don't worry Ben. The banana boats are for the smaller group! Wheee!" She rushed down the slide, but I stayed back, and took Ben behind a pole.

Ben: "Why aren't you going, huh?"

Dustin: "Come on. 'll sneak you on."

Ben: "How?" I turned on the Omnitrix.

Ben: "Ooh."

Dustin: "I'm not denying my little buddy the water slide of a lifetime!" I hit it down, and went Ghostfreak.

Ghostfreak: "Alright! I'll scare him, then you run past, and Ill go human and slide down!"

Ben: "Got it." I walked up to the teenager.

Ghostfreak: "Excuse me sir. Can I have a slide down, please?"

He looked at me, then screamed, and cowered behind his desk. Ben ran past, and jumped in, and I reverted back to normal and jumped in after him. It was all twists and turns, and it was fun! I couldn't believe how fun it was to go down one. Ben fell out, and splashed in, then I came out, and cannon-balled right in.

Ben: "Radical!"

Dustin: "Oh yeah!" I noticed Ben felt a surge of power through the Omnitrix, and he turned Grey Matter.

Dustin: "Ben!"

Grey Matter: "Help! *Blub*" I pulled him out.

Dustin: "You okay little dude? Why'd you turn into Grey Matter?"

Grey Matter: "I didn't do it on purpose! An energy surge went through the Omnitrix, and… here I am now."

Dustin: "Maybe there was a static shock that zapped the mnitrix. You're bound to get a shock or two in a slide."

Grey Matter: "Or maybe the Omnitrix hates me."

Gwen: "I saw you two come down the water slide! How did you manage to do that?"

Dustin: "I went Ghostfreak, and scared the guy. Then we cannon-balled, and now Ben's Grey Matter for God knows why!"

Gwen: "Well, you can't swim like that, so turn into Ripjaws. Okay?"

Grey Matter: "I guess I'd better." I waited a few seconds. Nothing happened.

Dustin: "Um, try again?"

Grey Matter: "One more time!" Ben closed his eyes, and opened them a few seconds later, but he was still in my hand.

Dustin: "Okay…"

Grey Matter: "Concentrate!" Ben closed his eyes completely shut, and tensed up all of his muscles to transforming, but all he did was fart.

Gwen: "Eww!"

Dustin: 'Hahaha! Now that's what I call a brainfart." I laughed but I eventually calmed down and Gwen and Ben stared at me with a "really" look.

Dustin: "Anyway, I'll take you back. I'll dry you off, okay dude?"

Grey Matter: "That sounds nice. Ugh."

Dustin: "Gwen, you'll be okay, right?"

Gwen: "Yeah. I'll just be chillin' out here. Don't mind me." She went back to the slide.

Grey Matter: "Ahh…" I took Ben to a table, grabbed a napkin, and started drying me off.

Grey Matter: "Now, while I try to reason my way out of this predicament, you go back in the water."

Dustin: "Are you sure dude? You could easily be snatched away."

Grey Matter: "Nah. I don't want to get in the way of your fun water-frolicing."

Dustin: "Looks like Grey Matter's DNA is getting to you dude."

Grey Matter: "I guess so."

Dustin: "Well of you insist dude. I'll see you later." I ran back for the pool.

Ben's POV

Grey Matter: "Seeya! Oh man… how the crap am I going to hide? Jumping off this table would be suicide I'm sure!" I thought to myself, then came up with an idea.

Grey Matter: "Maybe if I hid in some nearby bushes! Dustin or Gwen would think to look in a bush if I'm not here!" I jumped to the top of a chair, then slid down on it like a pole, hit the ground, and continued onwards. I hopped into the bush.

Grey Matter: "Plus, I shouldn't get sunburned here." I heard rustling noises.

Grey Matter: "Yah! What else could be here?" I hopped on to a bush twig, and started climbing up the plant it was on. I saw a guy moving through the twigs.

Grey Matter: "Wow. A guy who's trying to avoid sunburns. Probably an albino or he forgot his sunscreen."

Guy: "Who said that?"

Grey Matter: "Eep!" I got behind the plant, and stayed perfectly still.

Guy: "I heard you. Come out now, I won't hurt you."

Grey Matter (thinkng): "As if that'll work, buddy." I hopped to another nearby branch, and saw him turn around in my direction. I climbed to the top of the bush, and he stood up.

Guy: "There you are!"

Grey Matter: "That was a stupid idea!" I jumped back down, and he dived back in to the bushes. He made continuous attempts to grab me, but they all ended up in failure. I kept on the move, and ran out on to the sidewalk, running as fast as my at least .5" legs would take me. He continued pursuing me, constantly grabbing at me, while I jumped to avoid capture.

Dustin's POV

We walked outside to check on Ben when we saw this guy graying to grab something.

Gwen: "What's that guy going after?" I squinted, and saw Ben jumping up and down and running.

Dustin: "It's Ben! Ben! We gotta stop him!"

Gwen: "On it!" She splashed water into the guy's face.

Guy: "Hey! My glasses!" I got out, and grabbed Ben.

Grey Matter: "I was trying to hide in the bushes, but this guy found me!"

Dustin: "I'll protect you homie! Don't worry about a thing!"

Grey Matter: "Oh don't worry. He's coming right now!"

Guy: "Give me that alien creature!"

Dustin: "So its an alien you want huh?" I became Four Arms and socked him right on the nose.

Guy: "Ouch! The face! Always the face!"

Grey Matter: "Hit his nuts!"

Four Arms: "Got it." I kicked his junk, and he stumbled over, while I became XLR8 ran off at top speed.

Grey Matter: "Thanks dude."

XLR8: "Let's just keep going."

Gwen: "We need to tell Grandpa!"

XLR8: "About Ben's situation, yes. About him, no!"

Gwen: "But we have to say something!"

Grey Matter: "I know!" The guy recovered, and was chasing us now.

Ben: "He's gaining on us!" I transformed into stinkfly and shot goop at his glasses, blinding him. Then reverted back to XLR8 and ran off again.

XLR8: "I'll take good care of you, buddy."

Grey Matter: "I'm delicate!" We lost the guy for sure. Good

XLR8: "Alright. We can stop now." We stopped running and I reverted back to normal

Gwen: "So, what's the plan?"

Grey Matter: "Keep me out of his grip. Do you know where Granpa is located at this time?"

Gwen looked at Ben.

Dustin: "He means where is Max."

Gwen: "Back at the RV."

Grey Matter: "Dustin. Set me on the ground." I did that.

Grey Matter: "Vulpimancer form, engage!" Nothing happened.

Grey Matter: "Tetramand form, engage!" Still, nothing happened.

Grey Matter: "Kineceleran form, activate!" Silence.

Grey Matter: "Galvanic Mechomorph! Now!" Silence.

Grey Matter: "Petrosapien!" Nothing.

Grey Matter: "Pisciss Volannis!" Nothing.

Grey Matter: "Lepidopterran!" Nothing, AGAIN!

Grey Matter: "Ectonurite, Activate!" *Cue crickets*

Grey Matter: "Pyronite!" Nothing.

Grey Matter: "Earth sea creature!" Nope.

Grey Matter: "Limax!" Nothing.

Grey Matter: "Megawhatt! Now!" Nothing.

Gwen: "What was all that for?"

Dustin: "Grey Matter said every alien species' name to try to transform to them, but he got squat!"

Gwen: "This is a bad thing!"

Grey Matter: "I know. Dustin, take me to the RV. Now!"

I grabbed him, and we started running for the RV. We saw the guy on the chase yet again.

Gwen: "He's there!"

Dustin: "Never gonna quit are ya?" I transformed into Ghostfreak and made all three of us invisible and flew away. We became visible yet again when the guy was gone.

Gwen: "How you doing Ben?"

Grey Matter: "I'm just glad I'm still alive. Get me in the RV! Stat!"

Ghostfreak: "You got it." We became invisible again and flew to the RV. I reverted back to normal and Gwen knocked on the door, and Max opened up.

Max: "Gwen! Dustin! Time to go already?"

Gwen: "No, but watch Grey Matter, okay?"

Max: "Okay…" She gave Ben to him, then closed the door.

Grey Matter: "Hi."

Max: "What seems to be the trouble?"

Grey Matter: "The Omnitrix turned me into Grey Matter, and I can't transform to another alien form!"

Max: "Have you tried changing to normal?"

Grey Matter: "No, but I doubt anything will transpire."

Max: "I see. Maybe you overloaded the Omnitrix by changing forms so much?"

Grey Matter: "That's impossible! The only way the Omnitrix would overload is if the species has taken over the body fully after being transformed too long."

Max: "How'd you know that?"

Dustin: "That was Grey Matter. Not Ben."

Max: "Okay… anyway, we need to get you changed back to Ben, or at least another alien."

Grey Matter: "What if I'm stuck as a Galvan forever? What will happen then?"

Max: "I don't know, but even you wouldn't help yourself anymore, now would you?"

Grey Matter: "No! I would not! The being known as Ben would cease to exist, and I like him!"

Max: "Grey Matter?"

Grey Matter: "Yeah. He's crazy. Sorry about that outburst, Grandpa."

Max; "That's okay. I'll head out. Wanna come?"

Grey Matter: "Only if I'm in your shirt pocket!" Max grabbed Ben, and put me in there. He headed out, and found me as XLR8 and Gwen being chased by the guy, and then punched the guy, while me back to human and Gwen hid behind him, looking innocent.

Max: "Is there any reason you're picking on my grandkid, sir?"

Guy: "These two are in possession of an extra terrestrial being! I wish to examine it for myself!"

Max: "Kids, do you know what he's talking about?"

Gwen: "Nope."

Dustin: "Or maybe you're one of those sickos chasing after young girls?" I said shouting while pointing at the guy gaining some attention from the bystanders.

Guy: "No I'm not!"

Max: "I suggest you leave my kid alone if you don't wish to be arrested."

Guy: "But…"

Max: "Get out of my sight." He punched him again, and the guy left, holding his nose, from.

Grey Matter: "Alright! He's no-mo!"

Gwen: "Did you really have to go that far Dustin?"

Dustin: "Maybe that was a bit far, I'll emit." I rubbed the back of my head and smiled embarrassingly.

Max: "We have to get you changed back, and fast!"

Grey Matter: "I know what caused it. A power surge through the device has made the DNA coding sequence malfunction and repeat a strand of DNA, forcing me to stay in this form for an extended period of time, and I cannot transform, until I'm normal again."

Max: "That could take a while, don't you think?"

Gwen: "Yeah. It might?"

Grey Matter: "And I'm not going to spend the rest of this time in Max's pocket! I want to have some fun!"

Dustin: "How exactly? You're not exactly going to be impossible to catch, you know!"

Grey Matter: "I understand this." I jumped out of Max's pocket, and ran out to explore.

Gwen: "Wait!" Ben kept running, then he saw a net come down on him.

Grey Matter: "What the infernal mech is this?"

Guy: "I, Howell Wayneright, have finally caught an alien!"

Grey Matter: "Yeah. Keep dreaming." Ben bit his net open, and tried to escape, but he grabbed me again. Ben bit his finger, and he dropped me, then caught him with his other hand, and he tried biting him again, but all he got was a plastic thimble.

Grey Matter: "Plastic? What the heck?"

Howell: "I have you now!" He opened a cage, and dropped Ben into it, then sealed it shut.

Grey Matter: "Hey!" I pounded against the walls, and Gwen and me as Four Arms tried to punch him, but he slid aside, then ran for his car. Gwen ran for it, but he took off with Ben in the back seat.

Ben's POV

Howell: "I have finally caught an alien life form!"

Grey Matter: "Just wait until I get bigger, freak!"

Howell: "We'll see if that does happen."

Grey Matter: 'Please! Change me back to Ben! NOW!'

Dustin's POV

The RV was following right behind him, but once a light turned red, and he went past, Max lost him.

Ben: "We lost him! Great!"

Max: "But it's a red light."

Gwen: "We don't have time for that! GO!"

Ben's POV

Back at Howell's place… He brought me into his room, and put me in a pickle jar.

Grey Matter: "A pickle jar? Wow. LAME!"

Howell: "What planet are you from?"

Grey Matter: "I don't know! Let me go before I turn big on your oversized butt!"

Howell: "Someone your size should talk against your captor!"

Grey Matter: "You don't own me!"

Howell: "But I do now, my pint-sized friend."

Grey Matter: "Would friends put other friends in pickle jars? NO! A friend would give a friend a pickle jar for said friend to take a pickle from the jar! Now let me out of here!"

Howell: "Not yet, my little ticket to fame!"

Grey Matter: "My God… you have no friends, do you, big guy?"

Howell: "I don't need any with you by my side. You're everything I need."

Grey Matter: "Now you just sound like a gay guy. Let me out, and I'll be on my way, alright?"

Howell: "Nope. I'll be back later." He left his room.

Grey Matter: "Great. I'm stuck with the alien geek, and I can't transform worth crap! I need to reach the others somehow!" I looked around, and he left his cell phone on the table near me.

Grey Matter: "Jackpot! Now, how do I get out of this jar?" I saw a cat.

Grey Matter: "Here kitty! I taste like chicken! *clucks*" It saw me do that, and it pushed the jar down to the floor. It broke, and then I hid under a table. Howell came back to see that his jar broke, and he looked around the room, then left it. I jumped back up to the table, grabbed his phone, and dialed Gwen's number.

Gwen: "Hello?"

Grey Matter: "It's me!"

Gwen: "You're STILL Grey Matter? Wow."

Grey Matter: "Get over here! Now! Do you guys have a GPS system?"

Gwen: "Yes. My phone does. Why?"

Grey Matter: "I'll tell you the street this guy's house is on!

Gwen: "Thank you!" I looked outside the window, and looked for a sign.

Grey Matter: "Ripley Avenue. Program that in."

Gwen: "I will. See ya then." She programmed it in, then got a lock.

Max: "You got a place?"

Gwen: "Yes. Turn right here." He did that.

Grey Matter: "I'll just try to get out of here to make myself easier to find." I climbed through an air vent, and he heard the noise, then blew me out, landing on top of a robot vacuum.

Howell: "There you are!" He went to grab me, but I jumped, landed on his arm, then started climbing up it, until I got on the counter, then continued running across to dodge getting swatted. His cat jumped out at me, then tried to grab me with its paws, but I started climbing up the cat's fur, and jumped out, and continued for the next vent out.

Howell: "Oh no you don't!" He grabbed me, but I bit him again. He let go, and I landed, then continued on to try and find another way out. I jumped onto another robot vacuum, and it carried me over to the chimney. I jumped off of it, then started climbing up the chimney. He decided to smoke me out with fire. I coughed, and nearly fell into the fire, but he caught me, then stuffed me in a glass cage, with a lock, and sealed it shut. I was unconscious.

Howell: "You're not getting away from me this time, little man."

Dustin's POV

Gwen: "That looks like his car there."

Dustin: "Yeah. Let's get in."

Max knocked on the door, and a big dog jumped out at him. There was also an old lady.

Dustin: "Put a leash on that thing, lady!"

Old lady: "Brutus! Sic' em!"

Max eventually grabbed the dog's elbow, and squeezed it. The dog fell asleep.

Dustin: "Christ!"

Gwen: "Nice."

Old lady: "Leave already!"

Dustin: "Alright! Alright! Sorry we've disturbed you ma'am!" I slammed the door shut on her.

We then noticed a car pulled up in front of Howell's house, and some guys in medieval outfits came in.

Dustin: "Oh great. Not those Renaissance rejects."

Gwen: "You know who they ate?"

Dustin: "Yeah. The Forever Knights."

Ben's POV

Forever Knight 1: "Where is it?"

Howell: "In my room!" He led the three guys there, then showed them me.

Forever Knight 2: "Excellent. Come with us, Mr. Wayneright."

Howell: "Excellent!" I woke up.

Grey Matter: "Whoa! What the heck is goin' on here?"

Howell: "You're about to become the Forever Knights' new guinea pig."

Grey Matter: "YAAAHHHH! GWEN! DUSTIN! HELP!"

Dustin's POV

We saw the guys with Ben in the cage, and went back to the RV to follow them once they took off.

Dustin: "This isn't good! Those medieval morons are gonna regret kidnapping my bud."

Gwen: "Don't worry. Well get him back."

Ben's POV

Howell: "You're gonna love where we're going."

Grey Matter: "I won't. Trust me, big guy!" They walked up to a guy with a golden mask in the building, and set me in front of him.

Gold man: "Excellent work, Mr. Wayneright. I never expected this to be true, what with your fake evidence from before."

Grey Matter: "What is going on here anyway?"

Gold man: "Oh. I'm sorry. I'm Enoch. The leader of the Forever Knights."

Grey Matter: "Great. Medieval alien obsessors. What's next?"

Enoch: "Come, men, and Howell."

Howell: "Excellent!" He presented us to a dissector machine.

Grey Matter: "Oh no! You are NOT going to put me in that thing!"

Enoch: "I would be quiet if I were you."

Grey Matter: "I'm never quiet."

Dustin's POV

Gwen: "This place is a castle?"

Dustin: "First castle I've ever been to."

Max: "The Forever Knights' stronghold."

Gwen: "Plumbers had a few run-ins with this group?"

Max: "Yeah. Let's get in before they do anything with Ben we don't want to see." I became Ghosftreak and turned invisible to sneak in through the gate out front, then started heading in past the guards. We managed to get in before they got spotted, and Max knocked him down.

Gwen: "So, what's the deal with these guys?"

Ghostfreak: "The Forever Knights have stolen alien technology for their own selfish gain."

Gwen: "That's something! We need to get Ben back! Grey Matter probably knows how all that stuff works!"

Ghostfreak: "Or they're gonna kill him! Ben is in control most of the time! He doesn't know what that tech is!"

Max: "Then we'd better hurry!" We continued on as I made us invisible and intangible again.

Grey Matter: "I do NOT want this man! Please! Howell! I'm too young to die like this!"

Howell: "You're going to dissect him?"

Enoch: "Why not?"

Howell: "He has a mind of his own! You can't do this to him!"

Grey Matter: "You call imprisoning me in a pickle jar against my will fine? Wow! Weird sense of logic you have, dude!"

Howell: "And listen to how he talks! He's clearly lived with humans long enough!"

Grey Matter: "Listen to the weird man!"

Enoch: "Men, escort this peasant out of my sight!"

Howell: "No!" He ran, grabbed me, hitting a few people with the glass cage, then ran.

Grey Matter: "Wow. You actually decided to save me! Maybe you aren't a total jerk after all!"

Howell: "This is as far as I take you. You're on your own now."

Grey Matter: "Whatever! At least I'm out of Enoch's dissection plans!" I ran along the floor, and hid behind statues as well as I could on the way through the hallways, until…

Gwen: "Grey Matter!"

Ghostfreak: "Ben! Thank God you're okay!"

Grey Matter: "Guys!" I ran out, and climbed onto Gwen's shoe. She picked me up.

Gwen: "Ben!"

Grey Matter: "Gwen! Dustin! Grandpa! You all came to save me!?"

Max: "Of course. We wouldn't be a team if we didn't."

Ghostfreak: "Besides if they tried anything on you, I would've ripped their hearts our and crush them in my grasp like tomatoes while they draw their last breaths." I growled in anger scaring the three present.

Gwen and Ben where wide eyed at what I said. I felt like I that I wasn't partly in control again. But eventually I calmed down.

Dustin: "Sorry guys. I say it but I don't really mean it."

Gwen: "Sure didn't sound like it."

Ghostfreak: "Im fine. Trust me guys." I said raising my hands in defense.

Max: "If you say so."

Ghostfreak: 'Dammit not again. I need to use Ghostfreak less often.'

Grey Matter: "Anyway, let's get the heck out of here."

Dustin's POV

We continued out, but Enoch stopped us in an alien tech room.

Enoch: "You're not going any further!"

Max: "We will get out of here!"

Gwen: "Ben, any ideas?"

Grey Matter: "Put me near that pulse hyper core. Dustin, grab the gillenium capacitor. I'll create a bomb to get us out of here!" I grabbed the thing closest to me, and handed it to Gwen, and she handed it to Ben to mix it with the pulse hyper core to create the bomb.

Grey Matter: "I'm done!"

Enoch: "Attack!"

Max: "Run!" Gwen grabbed Ben while I grabbed Ben and Max, and I phased us out. A few minutes later, the castle exploded, and we phased ran into the RV.

Gwen set Ben down on a table and Dustin reverted back to normal.

Gwen: "We made it!" Max started the RV up, and took off. Ben was forcibly reverted back to normal.

Ben: "Finally! I'm me again!"

Dustin: "And not a moment too soon little bro!" I said patting his shoulder.

Gwen: "The Omnitrix should work normally again, right?" Ben looked at it, turned it to Upgrade, and became him.

Dustin: "Looks okay now." He went Wildmutt.

Gwen: "So far, so good." Then I went normal.

Ben: "It's working fine. Whoo!"

Max: "Hopefully that doesn't happen again."

Ben: "It won't. I promise you!"

In a car, Enoch was still shown to be alive.

Enoch: "Find out everything you can about these people. All four of them."

Forever Knight: "Yes, my lord."