Story commissioned by Knight-Bishop on DeviantArt. I do not own Ben 10 or the Mask.
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Summer vacation.
It was supposed to be the perfect time in a young boy's life. No more tests, no more homework, no more teachers like Mrs. Jacobs. It was a time for the beach, amusement parks, baseball games, everything a kid could want.
For Ben Tennyson, it wasn't turning out like that. No, here he was stuck with his nerd cousin Gwen on a road trip in an old RV his Grandpa Max called the "rust bucket". Three weeks stuck traveling across the good old USA, the most boring three weeks of his life.
"Are we there yet?"
"You've asked that already five times, dweeb! Can't you just cut it out?" Gwen curtly shouted back. How she was related to her loser cousin, she'd never know.
"All right, you two. Let's be nice." Grandpa Max's voice rose above the impending argument. "Gwen, don't call your cousin names. Ben, we should be to our campsite in about 30 minutes. Look out the window, you might see some eagles up in the trees."
Ben thought that was the stupidest thing ever - but then again, at least it would keep him from arguing with Gwen. Somewhat pouting, he kept quiet for the rest of the time. Just as Grandpa Max promised, they were parked at the campsite in about 30 minutes.
Watching as Grandpa Max prepared dinner, Ben looked at the vast forest that surrounded them. Maybe there was something cool in there to explore.
"Grandpa, can I go take a walk in the woods? Don't worry, I promise I'll be careful."
"Sure Ben. But be aware of your surroundings. Watch for animals, don't touch anything, and stay close by."
"I will. Thank you!"
Yes! He was finally away from the dullness of this trip. Something new and cool awaited him. Maybe he'd find something really old, or some kind of buried treasure! That would be awesome!
Little did Ben know how that walk would change his life.
As he walked along, Ben kept his eyes out for something interesting - there had to be something out here in a forest big as this! So far, all he had come across was a bunch of deer that ran away, and some weird-looking flowers. He didn't come out here for that! Only a dork like Gwen would get excited about flowers!
Where were the bears, the mountain lions, the coyotes? A forest this big had to have some fierce wildlife, right?
Consumed by his thoughts, Ben hadn't noticed where he was walking, and his right foot stubbed itself hard into something dug into the ground. Falling to his hands and knees, he hit the dirt, scared by the surprise of his fall.
He brushed himself off - a scraped elbow and knee stung from a bit of pain, but he could live with that. Getting up, he turned back to what had tripped him up. Expecting to see a rock, he didn't see one. In fact…
It looked like a box, dark green in color with a single corner sticking out of the dirt. He bent over, giving the corner a good tug. Rather easily, the dirt around the box gave way, and Ben had it in his hands.
He popped the box open - was there gold, silver, old Sumo Slammer cards? There was certainly something old inside, but not what Ben expected.
It was a mask - made of wood that had a dull green color and a shiny silver bar in the middle. It didn't appear to have any holes for strings, just two holes for eyes and one for the mouth.
Maybe Grandpa Max will find this cool, Ben thought. He turned the mask over - and saw the coolest thing so far on this road trip.
It glowed - the old wooden mask actually glowed! A bright green color shone out of its wooden surface, a flash of emerald lighting up the trees and dirt - and the face of the boy who held it.
"Whoa! That's awesome!" Without a second thought, Ben brought the mask up to his face in excitement - and was suddenly sent reeling back in shock.
The mask was alive! Its ordinary wood was suddenly twisting and contorting into rubbery tendrils, racing their way through the boy's mousey brown hair. Intense pain and energy rushed through Ben's body, and he screamed out in agony - but no more than a whisper came out. Before he could even try and get a grip, Ben's whole head was engulfed by the now-living creature, like a bloodsucker from a horror movie.
Ben tried to dig his fingers in, get some kind of chance to get this monster off - but all it did was sap his strength. Left at its mercy, the boy's body was suddenly sent into a black and green twister, thunder shaking the trunks of the trees and lightning reverberating through their branches. When it finally came to a screeching halt, an incredible sight emerged.
There was no 10-year-old boy anymore - no, there was a man, in fact a superhero instead. His body looked like it could have belonged to Superman himself - broad chest, sturdy legs, powerful muscular arms at his side ready for action. His black outfit was partnered with several items in green - boots, gloves, an extra-handy utility belt, and a cape that billowed behind him, even with the absence of wind. A large green "M" was sewn onto his chest, and his brown hair was parted back and perfectly combed.
Most notable was the head on this new body - molded like an action figure, it was bright green in color, with brown eyes, dark green lips, and white teeth that were colossal in size.
"It's clobberin' time!" A deep booming voice echoed through the forest.
Inside Ben's new mind, he was struggling to contain the immense power he now had - for as long as he could remember, he wanted to be a superhero, and he somehow had become one. First things first, he had to test his body out!
"Let's see. I'm either the last son of Krypton, was bitten by a radioactive mask, or have activated my X-gene. Heat vision, go!"
Glowing bright green, two beams of light shot out of Mask Ben's eyes, taking out several low-hanging branches.
"Ice breath, go!" Giving a big gasp, he watched as plants wilted from the snow and ice they were suddenly hit with.
"Well, surely I can fly!" Mask Ben leaped high into the air, and reappeared on the ground seconds later. If he was more aware, he would have realized he just flew around the globe in 3 seconds.
"Oh yeah, I definitely can fly!" Mask Ben scratched his green chin - it was almost time for dinner, but someone out there needed his help. What to do?
His mind was made up when his super hearing picked up gunshots in the distance. Hunters!
"Killing innocent animals for sport? Why, that's not right! Here I come to save the daaay!!!!"
He blasted off into another swirling tornado - dinner would have to wait. After all, a hero's work is never done.