Here we go. The first chapter in the final arc of Ben DxD. I'm going to try and fit in plenty of action, humour, and awesomeness as I can into this. Of course, there are probably going to be some things that I'd like that'll end up on the cutting floor. Such is the price of writing. I'll do my best to keep and fit in everything.
Oh, and a note to the guest who commented recently on my story: While I get that you are impatient, I don't like it when people swear at me and tell me to hurry up. And quite frankly, I feel as though something like that might make me less motivated to hurry up. So just shut up and be patient. I'll get to it when I get to it.
Now that we've got that out of the way; enjoy.
Chapter 29: The Beginning and End of All Things
Issei was having a wonderful dream. He was much bigger and stronger now, easily twice his usual size and packing enough muscles to wrestle with a monster truck. He was lying in an equally massive bed surrounded by opulence and silk, practically glowing from the gold that made up the frame. He sighed as he lay back, resting his head on his sculpted arms. Now, if only he had someone to handfeed him.
There was the rustling of the sheets as something smaller and more delicate rubbed up beside him. "More grapes Issei?" He heard Akeno say, her massive breasts pressed firmly against his side. Her looked over to see her holding onto his waist, one hand holding onto grapes from a bowl nearby. He smiled at her, eyes roaming over her nubile and naked body.
"Don't mind if I do Akeno." He said in a deep, commanding voice. She pulled herself further up towards him, legs still clutching his body tightly. She leaned over him, letting her breasts dangle like forbidden fruit as he started eating the grapes off the stem. They were absolutely perfect. The kind of taste that billionaires spend their entire fortune trying to achieve.
"Would you enjoy some wine with your grapes Master Issei?" He looked to his other side to see Asia leaning over him too, a large Greek/Roman flask in her arms. She too was undressed, her curves and skin bared for him to see.
"Why thank you Asia. You certainly know how to treat a guy." She smiled and tipped the flask slowly, ensuring that every drop went into his mouth. At the same time, smooth gentle fingers started pressing against his neck, rubbing it and kneading it gently but firmly. He looked up to see Koneko sitting by the headboard, adorned only in see-through silk. He sighed as he closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of his body relaxing. Yes, he certainly needed it after a long hard night of sex and fighting. But what he needed right now was also some entertainment. He clapped his hands together twice.
Irina and Xenovia walked through the far doors, body covered by silk and gold. Except for the really important places of course. They both bowed deeply to him, and then started moving sensuously in sync. What started off as a belly dance that showed off and drew attention to their curves soon became a lovely kiss between the two girls, both curling around each other as they drank deeply from each other.
"Enjoying your harem Issei?" He looked down to see Rias hidden partially by the sheets, resting her head against his chest. One hand roamed up and down his bared chest, fingers walking along his well-defined pectorals. As she wriggled further up, he felt a release of pressure from his loins. He gulped as he realised what they had done. She giggled as his face turned red. "No need to be embarrassed. There's nothing wrong with enjoying your dreams. And part of me can see the enjoyment of all this."
He blinked in surprise. "This is just a dream? Then what, are you roaming through my head or something?" He was definitely sure that his head was supposed to stay private. Especially with thoughts like this.
Rias giggled again. "No silly. I'm not actually our dear Madam President. I'm… Well, I suppose you can say that I am your imagination. Your head. A figment you created based on her."
He nodded. "Cool. I get a hot naked Prez as my good angel."
She shook her head. "I'm not a 'good angel'. I'm not your conscious or your Cricket. I'm just a voice in your head. Your voice, actually." She looked around the room, getting out of bed. His eyes followed her shapely ass as she walked around the room. At some point, all the other girls had vanished. Though he didn't know when. "I have to say, if this is how you see your future then you've struck gold. Though really, forcing us to be your servants and dancers? I thought you told Ben that you weren't going to be doing this." He looked away, embarrassed suddenly. She was right. He did say that enslaving girls wasn't what he wanted. "But you've seen the way we all look at you. I'm certain that they wouldn't object to feeding you by hand if you asked them too. And Xenovia…" She shrugged. "Well, she's made it very clear that she's willing to do anything to bear your child. A lesbian dance wouldn't be out of the question for her."
He frowned, not liking how she was meandering on. "Hey, Prez. Is there something we need to talk about? Because I deal with plenty of heavy stuff while I'm awake. Can't I just enjoy being in the presence of hot chicks willing to wait me on hand and foot?"
She turned to him, frowning. He was pretty sure it was a bad sign when your own sub-conscious didn't agree with you. "Can't you feel it?"
"Feel what?" He asked, sitting upright. But even as he did so, he felt a faint shudder through the room. He paused and cocked his head. There is was again. "Are they doing works outside of my room or something?"
Rias rolled her eyes. "Do you honestly think you've got the mental fortitude to imagine construction works? No, this is something else. Something that shouldn't be here."
He frowned again. "Well, what do you want me to do? Roam these halls looking for the problem or something? This place has got to be huge." Indeed, the bedroom was as large as his whole house. The upgraded one Rias had her people working on. And they looked as though they were higher than the clouds; higher than heaven even. This place would have to be ginormous. His thoughts were interrupted by Rias flicking him in the forehead. Geez, even his own mind didn't respect him. He glowered at her. The only upside was that he had a good view of her breasts swaying.
"This is your head. Your mind. You don't have to go looking floor by floor. Just concentrate on finding the source."
He sighed, still rubbing his head. "Fine, fine. I'll look for this… source. Or whatever." He closed his eyes, trying to get rid of all distractions. Like the hot naked chick not even a foot away from him, her private areas bared for all to see… He opened his eyes to gaze upon her again, but Rias had vanished. He looked around wildly for her.
"Let's try not to have a repeat of when you first tried to use your Gear." Her voice echoed from everywhere. "Now hurry. We're running out of time." He closed his eyes again, emptying his mind. Find the source. Find the source. Find the source. As he focused on that lone thought, everything went silent. He could now hear his breath as he slumbered, felt sweat beading over his skin…
Felt pain as something was jabbed into his dragon arm.
He opened his eyes to find himself standing before a red scaled door, his Sacred Gear adorned on the front. It was ajar now, gouges on the walls and floor. Whatever got in here was really determined. He reached out for the door, only to have it open on its own. The room lit up as he entered.
And then he got his first real look at what was wrong.
Red volcanic lines were carved into the floor and walls, the surfaces turned black as onyx around them. As he watched, the lines started spreading up towards the ceiling, making a high-pitched mechanical whine as they did so. The pain started becoming stronger as they did so, causing him to wince in response. What the hell? What was this stuff? What was it doing? And more importantly, how can he stop it?
Well, answer number three was easy. He just had to follow these things back to wherever they came from. His body became armoured as he entered the room, stomping through the halls as he tracked the lines to their source. As he got closer, things were getting even worse. The lines had gotten more numerous, until they had become a solid wall of red again. His body ached more and more as he got closer, causing him to pant in exhaustion. How long had this thing be inside of him? He rounded another corner, almost falling to his knees in pain, when he finally spotted the source.
A humanoid figure stood before him, his hands pressed against the wall before him. He appeared to be made of flames, a fiery skeleton his only solid figure.
Issei didn't bother making threats, or asking him what he was doing. He just started charging towards the guy, ready to clobber his face in. His panting grew louder and louder as he got closer, pain wracking his body more and more…
A third arm grew from the man's back, grabbing him by the neck. Issei tried to cry in pain as his neck felt consumed by flames, but the sheer pressure stopped him from making a sound. The man didn't even take notice at first.
"Fascinating. Truly fascinating." The man said. "No hard science, no recognisable use of looser nanite useage. And yet through the simple explanation of energy and matter, this unit managed to convert human flesh into something completely different. Tougher, stronger, more resilient." He finally turned to Issei, one arm receding until he only had two of them again. His face was at best an upper skull, a red outline with two fangs and glowing eyes. "Human, I wish to thank you for your assistance. Without access to your body I feared that my attempts to improve would be met with failure." He grasped Issei by the hand and started shaking it. "Thank you for your generous contribution to my goals. Now I can finally begin preparations to construct a body for myself. Unless of course you'd care to donate?"
"Go… To… Hell… Bast… ard." Issei grunted, his voice barely a whisper. The figure shook his head sadly.
"A pity. That would've allowed me to push my schedule ahead quite a bit. And I suppose you're not planning on keeping this our little secret then?" Issei kept glaring, trying to break free of the grip. "Didn't think so. In that case, I do apologise for this. But I can't let you disrupt my own goals. I'm sure you understand." He grabbed Issei with both hands, pulling down to be face to face. Issei choked some more, struggling now for air. "I assure you, this isn't personal." The figure said, as though that made everything better. Issei felt himself getting weaker, his vision shrinking as he became desperate for a breath. A sharp pain came from his chest as something slashed it. The pressure lessened for a moment, before coming back stronger. This was the end for him.
But then the figure flickered. A feminine form stood before him, his brain to oxygen-deprived to make out who it was. The figure returned, but he was looking around wildly. Evidently, this wasn't part of the plan.
"A pity." He said faintly. Or maybe Issei was just having trouble hearing him. "It seems that my host is passively resisting my commands. I apologise for my dismal attempt to kill you. Take heart though that next time I will be much more efficient. That is… assuming you don't become…" He vanished, the dream world shattering around Issei. The pressure on his neck vanished suddenly, even as the shadows enveloped him.
Issei opened his eyes, coughing loudly and violently. He was back in his room. His normal, post-Gremory room. He held a hand to his throat, taking deep breaths again. Man, that had felt so real. He had really felt like he was dying there. He laid back, hand, pressed against his chest. Or it would've been, if something hadn't been in the way. He looked down to see familiar brown hair, a soft breath against his chest. He gasped in surprise, trying to sit up again. Bri? Bri was in his bed? What was she doing here? He rolled her to be beside him, panicking slightly. Please don't let her be naked, please don't let her be naked, please don't let her be naked… He sighed in relief as he saw her sleepwear, her body adorned with a tight shirt and short boxers. Thank the Devil, or God, or whatever. He just knew that he'd be in a living hell if she woke up naked next to him. But he flinched as he felt pain in his arm. His left arm. The arm that was now a dragon limb…
And indeed, it was. At some point in the night, it had accumulated so much energy that it changed back. His eyes dimly noticed a slight red line on it, like a circuit board. And then he felt a pain in his chest. He pressed a hand against it, only for it to be stained crimson. A close look at Bri showed that there were several red lines marked on his clothes, and quite a bit covered her left hand.
He wasn't sure what worried him more. That an attempt on his life had been real, or that his attacker managed to slip in and out without anyone being the wiser.
(**/*\**)
"What? You were attacked? Are you certain?" Rias asked in shock. It was only half an hour after he had woken up, and most of them were still in some state of undress. Yuuto and Gaspard were with them now, Akeno having woken them up so Issei could tell them what had happened. Bri was leaning against the wall, eyes locked onto her bloodstained hand.
"Pretty sure." Issei rasped. Asia might've healed his injuries, but he guessed there were just some side effects that can't be avoided. "Unless one of your girls is into the really kinky stuff."
"Issei, this is serious. We have over a dozen defences installed into your new home. There's no way anyone could've gotten in without us knowing." Rias said grimly. "The only way around them would if our intruder was as strong as my brother." Issei gulped at that. The idea that someone on par with the current Lucifer was after him was worrying.
"Let's think about this logically." Yuuto said calmly. "Issei, you said that this intruder was interested in your arm. And that he wanted to know how it was altered so he could improve himself."
"Yeah, I think so. I was kinda blacking out part way through, so I didn't catch all of it."
"What did he look like?" Bri suddenly asked. Everyone looked at her. "Maybe if we knew what they looked like, we could start narrowing down suspects or something."
Issei shrugged. It wasn't like they were having any other ideas. "He looked like he was a flaming skeleton. Only his arms were really big when he had them pressed up against the wall in my head. Oh, and he kept making a high-pitched noise while he worked."
Bri frowned deeply, though her skin turned pale. "That sounds… familiar… I just… I just wish I…" She grimaced and held a hand to her head. "I thought I recognised that description. But there's nothing." She sighed. "Maybe I was imagining it."
"Why were you there?" Koneko asked. "Why were you sleeping in Issei's bed."
"I… I don't know. I went to sleep in my bed, and then I woke up in his. Covered in blood." She looked at the dried blood that covered her hand, worry evident on her face.
"I'll call some people from our side of things." Rias said. "In the meantime, everyone needs to buddy up with someone else. This could be an attack on us for something we've done. As long as nobody does anything stupid, we should be able to at least scare this attacker off. At least until we find out who they are. Issei, you're sticking with me. Xenovia, keep watch over Asia. Koneko, Gaspard, you'll be guarding Bri."
"You think this guy is after me?" Bri said in surprise.
"I just don't believe that you could've sleepwalked into Issei's room by accident. Our attacker must've thought it'd be funny or something. I don't know why, but they still managed to surprise us all." She bit her lip in worry. "We can't afford to be careless. Not with what the Omnitrix can do."
"I guess that means that Akeno and I are watching over each other then." Yuuto said.
"You'll be our emergency responders. If we need help, we'll call for you. Let's just hope that things don't come to that yet."
Issei scoffed. "Knowing our luck, we will and it won't be enough."
(**/*\**)
The plan had been to continue their day as normally as possible. While Rias could fool around with official school records at times and let them vanish into 'short-term holidays', there wasn't much she could do to get them all time off school. Not forever at any rate. And without any real idea as to the identity of their attacker or what they wanted, it wasn't like they could set up an ambush. They were just going to have to wait for Rias and her people to find them something to work with.
But Ben was left with the niggling feeling that he knew who this was. But everytime he tried to remember, it slipped away from him. No, not slipped away. More like it was pulled away. Something was making him forget.
And then there was the discovery he made when he went to clean up. Something he wasn't sure he wanted to voice out loud. While washing his hand, he found skin caught under his fingernails. And his palms and fingers were red from exertion.
Part of him was worried that if they ran tests, the skin would match Issei's and his fingers would fit around Issei's neck.
But why? What could be possessing him? It couldn't be Ghostfreak. He'd been quiet ever since Ben accessed his form again. It hopefully wasn't time for Big Chill to reproduce again. There shouldn't be any malfunctions to create sentient Ultimate forms (He didn't want to go through with the whole self-sacrifice thing again). So what else was there? What else could be potentially using him like a puppet?
Ben yelped as a loud noise pierced his head. Everything went blurry for a second, the world fading away and then coming back, over and over again. He felt weightless, only dimly aware that he was kneeling before there was no sense at all. When his sense of touch returned, there were hands on his arms. Koneko was saying something to him. What was she saying? 'Star Two Pokey?'
No. 'Are you ok?' She was asking if he was alright. But he was. Wasn't he?
What had he been thinking about?
"I'm fine." He heard himself say, though he wasn't sure if he was really feeling the words. "I just don't think I got enough sleep last night."
Gaspard (it was Gaspard wasn't it?) looked at him in worry. "But you were crying out in pain."
"I had a headache." Ben answered, still not sure if it was really him talking. "It's gone now. I'll be fine." He got back to his feet and stood up. Maybe. Everything still felt so… disconnected. Was he actually still in charge, or was something else?
He came to a halt, right before his body started moving again. Was it something else? Yeah it was. Something must be inside of him, trying to take over. He had to…
He opened his eyes to a blurry grey line next to him, focusing into the pavement. Why was he lying down? Did he fall? He couldn't feel his body, couldn't feel anything. What was going on? Who was shaking him by the shoulder? It was a silver-haired girl. Yeah, it was. Koneko. That was her name. She was trying to say something, but it didn't sound right. What was she…?
"Remain calm." A somewhat familiar voice said. Was that… Was that his voice? Yeah. It was. That was his voice. "I think I should return home to rest." He was struggling to his feet again, senses returning to him. His side was really sore now.
"We're coming with you Bri." Gaspard said. Bri. Right. Bri was his name here. He was Bri. Right?
"No need." He said. Yes, it was definitely like someone was putting the words into his mouth. But who? And why? "I will be fine once I return to bed. You should keep going to school. They will be alerted to your absence." He moved to walk away – well, stumble really – when he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. He turned back to see Koneko holding onto him.
"Rias said that we should stick together. Those are her direct orders." She said firmly. "If you're going back home, then so are we. You're in no condition to go by yourself. What if you pass out again?"
"…Of course." Ben said. But that wasn't what he wanted to say. What he wanted to say was 'Help. Something's controlling me.' Everything that had already happened today came back to him. He was certain that he had been the one who attacked Issei. He had tried to kill him. They had to… to…
He was walking wobbly down the street, supported by two strangers. Two girls. His head felt like he had gone one-on-one with Vilgax.
…Who's Vilgax?
And when did he get tattoos shaped like circuit lines?
(**/*\**)
Issei was starting to get worried. Bri, Koneko and Gaspard never made it to school. They were already into second period, and there was still no sign of them. But they hadn't rung yet. Best case is that they just haven't run into anything yet.
Pfft. Like they were ever that lucky.
"Issei, you made it." Asia said in relief. They were now in the Occult Clubhouse, waiting for Akeno and Yuuto to show up. "Oh, have you seen any sign of Bri and the others?"
"Not yet. I'm starting to get seriously worried now." He pulled his phone out of his pocket, dreading to have to do this. "I'm gonna call them. Find out why they haven't shown up yet. Let's just hope it's something stupid and simple like they forgot." He dialled Bri's cellphone quickly, hoping beyond hope that she'd pick up. It went on for several nerve-wracking rings, each other seemingly longer than the last. But just as he was about to hang up, something picked up the other end. "Bri? Are you there? Are you guys ok? You never made it to school." He said.
Static came through the speakers, along with a familiar high-pitched whine. "Is…sei." Bri's strained voice reached them. It sounded like she was in pain, like something was hurting her. "Help."
"Bri? What's wrong? Who's attacking you? Is it someone we know?" He was startled as Bri screamed in pain.
"I… need… you. I'm… being… taken… over." She grunted, as she heard several things shatter. "Koneko's scream filled the air. "Find… me… Stop… him… Stop… me…" Another scream, more smashing. It sounded like something went through the wall.
"Bri? Bri!" He shouted into the mouthpiece, hand gripping so tight that he was going to break it in two. But there was even more noise; Gaspard shouting; Roaring and screaming in pain… And then the phone cut off. He turned to see that the others had all made it, and were looking at him in worry.
"We have to get back home. Quickly." He ordered.
(**/*\**)
"Bri! Koneko! Gaspard!" Issei started shouting as soon as they made it home. He stopped in shock as he took in his living room.
It was like a bomb had hit here. Half the walls were completely shattered, Along with all the furniture. The floor was turned into a crater, water was trickling out of pipes, and most disturbingly of all there were patches of acid all over the place. Issei called out their names again, hoping that none of them were in the midst of the mess. Or disaster. Or whatever you'd call something on that scale.
"Everyone, over here!" Asia called out. They all came racing over, worried beyond measure. Hidden underneath some shattered remains of the wall was a bruised and bloodied hand. The six of them together managed to have enough strength to pull the wall away, revealing a bruised and bloodied Koneko and Gaspard. Asia immediately got to work healing them. Issei felt anger as he saw Koneko's injuries and Gaspard's tears. Whatever did this – Whoever did this – was going to pay for it.
"Gaspard. What happened?" Rias asked firmly. He could tell that she was just as angered too.
He sniffled, rubbing away at his tears. "I… I'm not sure. We… We were walking to sc-school like you said… But then Bri cried out and was clutching her head. Sh-Sh-She said that she was alright, that it was ju-just a headache from last night… But then she collapsed. We thought that we should get her home. But when we got here…" He sniffled again. "She started screaming again. Te-Telling something to 'get out of her head'. These glowing red lines started appearing all over her, and then she started changing forms and-and attacking us. W-W-We managed to hide under here, but then Bri started throwing things and-and it collapsed on us. I don't know where she is now."
"Wait. Did you just say that Bri attacked you?" Rias asked in shock.
Issei punched what was left of the wall in anger. "Something's using her." He said viciously. "I bet you anything that those headaches was this creep trying to take over. That's why she ended up in my bed. He was forcing her to attack me. But she fought back somehow."
"Well it sounds like she lost this time." Xenovia said gravely. "Though it pains me to say it, given her combat ability we might have to go for lethal attacks."
"Let's just hope that it doesn't go that far. Assuming we can figure out where she went." Rias said.
"Guys!" Yuuto called out, standing next to one of the open walls. "There's a portal back here." They looked at each other before running in his direction. As he just said, a large glowing portal was floating in the middle of what was left of his backyard.
"…Gotta be her." Issei said. "She's the only one we know who can make this kind of thing."
"Indeed. But the question remains as to 'why'. What is this possessor after?" Rias asked thoughtfully.
"Well we're not gonna learn just standing around here. We need to follow her, get her away from this creep, and then pound him seven feet under." As he said that, Asia and Koneko rounded the corner. She still looked a bit weak, but also seemed determined. "Who's with me?"
"Issei, you know that we're all ready and willing." Rias said. "Come on everyone. Let's go and save our friend."
"Right." They responded in unison, jumping through the portal. They found themselves in a swirling vortex/tunnel, just like the last time they jumped into a wormhole/portal. With luck, they should be back within days, maybe even hours. Or it could take them weeks, maybe even months.
But they weren't going back without Bri.
(**/*\**)
Despite them entering through a swirling portal, they exited the portal in a slew of powerful lightning bolts, the air filled with dust that swirled around them. They walked through it in coughing fits, taking deep breaths when they were in fresh air. And only then did they take in their surroundings.
"Whoa. This place got hit hard." Issei said. And the others had to agree. The ground around them was a series of craters, each deeper than the last. Fires burned around them, showing charred metal skeletons of former cars and trucks. "Do you think our possessor was behind this?"
"It seems likely." Rias agreed. "It's similar to the damage to your home. But standing around here isn't going to help. We need to find Bri as quickly as possible. Hopefully she can't have gotten too far."
"I dunno." Yuuto said dubiously. "There's a lot of damage here."
"You're forgetting how quickly Bri can work when she wants to." Issei shot back as they all started moving. But a sixth sense quickly forced him to jump away, just as a large fractured rock slammed into the ground where he was standing. Everyone stopped and turned around, wary.
"I dunno how they do things were you kids come from, but here it's considered rude to just smash and run." A cocky American boy said to them. He was standing on the lip of the crater, seemingly at ease. His skin was darker than theirs, mixing in with his slicked-back black hair. He wore goggles on top of his head, a white shirt under a red jacket, and tight black pants with blue lines stitched into them. One arm had silver metal covering part of it, attached to a giant cannon he had resting on his shoulder. "Maybe we should start with introductions. I'm Rex, but you can call me the guy that whooped your butts. And you lot are…?"
"Not in the mood for this." Issei said angrily. "We don't have time to waste on you." He moved to climb out again, only to be stopped as he dodged another fired rubble. Rex gave him a cocky grin, happy at his frustration.
"Well, I guess you'll have to make some time for me. Because you've got to be crazier than you look if you think I'm just gonna let you all walk away without paying for all this." He swept his other arm at the destruction around them.
"We didn't do this."
"Not what it looks like to me."
Xenovia growled angrily. "If you will not let us pass, then we shall have to do so by force." She jumped towards Rex, surprising him a bit by her speed. As she flew through the air, she summoned the portal leading to her blade, reaching in and grabbing it. Rex fired another shot at her, but she merely unfurled her wings and flapped to the side, pulling Durandal free as she did so. But Rex wasn't intimidated by her massive blade.
"Oh, so we're sword fighting now, huh? Good thing I've got a few more tricks up my sleeve." His cannon folded away, turning into a mishmash of metallic gloop as it did so. He swung his other arm as metal covered it, a giant orange blade growing as he moved. He braced it with his free hand as they collided, holding out against her attack. He pushed her back and swung his blade, Xenovia blocking it just as easily.
"Now's our chance. Everyone get moving." Rias ordered. They all knew that Xenovia would join them as soon as she was able to. They flapped and jumped up towards the other side of the crater, only to be stopped yet again.
This time by a man in an olive suit and what appeared to be a monkey in clothes.
"Stand down." The man in the suit ordered in a calm voice. He didn't seem worried by how many of them there were. "If you surrender peacefully, then this can all be dealt with much faster."
The monkey snorted. "Forget it Six. These kids don't look like they're good at taking orders."
Issei blinked in surprise. "Did… Did that monkey just talk?"
The monkey glared at him. "What did you just call me, punk?"
"That might not have been the best thing to say Issei." Yuuto stated obviously as he drew his sword.
"No. It wasn't." And the monkey drew two large blasters from his back and started shooting. They scattered as he engaged, and then several men dressed in black and white suits came charging in.
"Everyone, we're wasting time." Rias shouted. "Just try to get past them." The agents on the ground started shooting at her, causing her to destroy their bullets with a blast of magic. Yuuto moved to run through them, but he was blocked by a sword. The man in the suit, Six, was standing in his way.
"This is your last chance to surrender peacefully. Or else this could get ugly." Six said to him.
"Don't worry. I'll try to leave you in one piece." Yuuto jumped back before charging in again, moving at speeds too fast for most humans. He was surprised when Six dodged his initial attack and blocked his others.
"I'm not worried about me." He replied, before spinning around Yuuto and slamming his hilt into his back. As Yuuto slammed into the ground, he summoned a second blade as he spun around. But Six managed to block his strikes as they traded blows, both testing each other.
Yuuto found out quickly that this was likely one of the most skilled humans he had faced yet.
Behind him, Koneko was charging into the agents and swatting them away with a bit of the road, protecting Asia and Gaspard. The Dhamphir squeaked as bullets flew around them. There had to be something he could do besides act like a damsel in distress. Maybe… He saw Yuuto fighting the agent on an equal footing. Maybe he could do something about that.
"Head's up Yuuto!" He shouted, glaring at the agent as he tapped into his power. The agent was suspended in the air, in the middle of a slicing motion. Yuuto went to strike him in the sternum when Gaspard was startled by loud gunfire. His concentration broken, the agent started moving again. He barely managed to block Yuuto's strike, the tip of his blades cutting through his suit. If he had been startled, he didn't show it.
"Uh, uh, uh." The monkey tutted, his gun barrels smoking. "Guess I've gotta stop the funny stuff." He started blasting again, forcing Gaspard and Asia to run for cover. But then he was surprised by Koneko, who smashed him aside with a nearby car.
Up in the air, Rias and Akeno were holding out against a small fleet of copters, keeping them pinned in place. Rias growled in frustration. They were wasting time with this. If only they could clear a path of some kind, they could get away from here. With every second, Bri was likely getting further and further away.
But before they could start getting away, they had to deal with their aggressors.
"Akeno, you know how I feel about hurting people just doing their jobs." She said.
Akeno nodded. "You'd rather leave them alive if possible."
"Exactly. Try not to kill anyone."
"No promises." She said, her clothes glowing. The glow faded to reveal her in a shrine priestess outfit, before she created a ball of lightning in her hands. Rias moved to cover her as she worked. "Now." Akeno called out, holding the ball aloft. Rias dropped the shields just as the ball exploded outwards, the lightning arcing towards all the ships. They jittered and sparked as the lightning arced between them, before dropping from the skies. They all had their canopy's opened, seats ejecting high above. "There we go. Skies are clear."
"Good." Rias turned back to the battle below. "Everyone. We're are moving…" She stopped as several giant boxy vehicles joined the soldiers on the ground. Turrets slid out of the back, and they were armed with missiles. "Damnit. Akeno, deal with them too." But when the bolt hit the tanks, they simply stopped for a second before firing again. Damn. They must be built to withstand electrical attacks. Fine then. "Change of plans. I'll show them what happens when they push me too far." She started forming destruction magic in between her hands, aiming for the nearest tank. She didn't want to kill anyone, but this had gone on for far too long.
One way or another, this battle had to end.
(**/*\**)
Rex Salazar had to admit, these 'schoolkid' themed villains were tougher than they looked. That sword the blue-haired girl was using was cutting into his blade now, shattering it with a forceful blow. He managed to create another to block her follow-up strike, but she was pushing him now. Guess she realised that he couldn't match her for long. Luckily though, whatever her sword was made of couldn't cut through his shield.
Yet.
But of course, this was the moment he got nearly blindsided by that brown-haired guy of theirs. His left arm was covered by a red gauntlet with green jewels adorning it. What, did he think a fancy glove would be of any use to him? Rex dodged his pitiful blow and kicked out at the girl. She dodged it with ease, smirking.
She stopped smirking when his next kick involved the punk busters. She went sailing into the crater again as he turned to face the boy. Strangely though, the large jewel was glowing slightly. What was that supposed to mean?
"Get out of our way!" The boy shouted as he rushed in again. Rex smirked as he moved as well.
"Getting in the way of crooks like you is what I'm best at." He replied, turning his sword and shield into the smack hands. But the boy didn't seem intimidated by the size. If anything, he looked more determined than before. Their fists slammed together with enough force to crack the ground some more. But then Rex was blasted away by a burst of energy, his hand shattering. He hissed in pain even as he created the Sky Slyder to move back in. So, that gauntlet was tougher than it looked. Alright then. He can be tougher too. He charged in again, yelling loudly as they were about to crash. The boy smirked as he expected a repeat of the last time.
But then Rex engaged the gear inside his hand, and his fist started spinning like a drill. The sheer speed and power overwhelmed the boy, and blasted him into a wall. But then the girl jumped back in again, her blade cleaving through his remaining hand. He yelped as he jumped away. Well, he wasn't gonna win a sword fight with her. Better to try something else. Like the Bad Axes. His hands were replaced by two giant axes with glowing blue blades. When he swung them at her, a wave of energy fired out from them. She blocked them easily, but it allowed him to cover the distance and smash into her. The hit from them managed to startle her, knocking the blade into the air. He replaced his axes with the Blast Caster, wrapping her up in it. She stabbed her blade through them, but he engaged the generator. She screamed in pain as she was electrocuted, before slumping on the ground. One down, seven more to go. He pulled his goggles over his eyes and zoomed in on where Six and Bobo were fighting. The silver-haired girl was restrained by Providence, wrapped up and unconscious. Likewise, the two blond girls had joined her. Ok, make that four down, four more to go. He looked up to where the tanks were shooting.
A girl in a white kimono was holding up a barrier, while the red-haired leader was charging some energy attack. And she was aiming for the tanks.
"Oh no you don't lady." He said, forming his Boogie Pack and Funchucks. He took off into the air, waiting for the right moment to strike. Kimono girl had noticed him, but she could barely respond while holding up the barrier. But as soon as Red was ready, she dropped it and started blasting at him with lightning. He dropped down to avoid it, before coming back up on the Slyder. As he climbed and dodged, he was spinning his chucks and charging energy. Once close enough, he slammed them together to fire a powerful bolt. Red twisted round and fired her blast at him, the two attacks colliding and dissipating. But then he formed his Boogie Pack again, throwing it at them like a bola. They both dodged, but it allowed him to dodge past their attacks.
And then Providence fired a lightning gun at them. Irony always tastes the sweetest when crooks were involved.
With the ringleader dealt with, he dropped down towards Six, landing with ease. The two swordsmen were still at it, Six shattering the kid's blades. But the kid just formed another pair, and kept going.
"Sooo… Dealt with all my guys already." Rex said. "No need for applause, I can see you're really busy. Do you need some help, or do you think you can take this kid?"
"I can take him." Six said, not even sounding out of breath. "But you missed one. Might want to take care of him."
"Take care of him? Take care of who?" He turned to see that the brown-haired kid – that guy was really persistent – was holding his gauntlet into the air. It pulsed with energy over and over. Whatever he was planning, it was ready.
"Oh crap." Rex said, before forming the Block Party again.
"Leave my friends alone!" The boy shouted, a green orb forming between his fingers. He pointed his hand at them, and the orb turned into a massive beam. Like, seriously. It was as big as the blast fired by the Keep. The other agents started running as Rex tried his damn best to block it. He shuddered under the firepower, his shields fracturing under the onslaught. But it finally stopped, and the boy dropped to his knees. A tranquiliser dart stuck out of his neck. Rex turned to see Six drop the boy, shattering his sword before slamming his hilt into his face. He barely seemed tired from all that.
Rex smiled. "Well, looks like that's another successful mission in the bag. No need to say anything Six, I know you praise me on the inside."
Six gave him a look as he folded up his blades and walked past. "I told you we needed more intel before we started attacking. This could've all be avoided if we did so."
"Oh sure, take their side over mine."
(**/*\**)
They were now back at Providence, the captured school kids strapped to gurneys and getting wheeled into cells. Until Providence understood just how they did all those things, it would be better to simply contain them fully, give them no range of movement. Human Rights may not like it, but isn't that what the PR Department is for? Watching them past by was Rex's best friend, Noah. They had started off with Rex thinking he was a link to normal people, until he found out that Noah had actually been hired by Providence to be his friend. That was water under the bridge though, and now Noah was a full-fledged Providence Agent. He smiled as Rex approached him.
"Hey man." Noah said cheerfully. "How was the latest mission? Still going strong?"
"As if I'd be doing anything else." Rex replied. "Mind you, Six thinks that I jumped the gun a bit. He's probably just mad that I whooped more butt than him." The prisoners were wheeled past, and Noah went slack-jawed as he took in the women.
"Dude. You never said you were fighting bombshells. Did you see the chest on that raven girl? They were huge."
"You think that's impressive, the redhead wears black lace."
"You're kidding."
"Nope. That's what happens when you fly around in a skirt."
You have all the fun."
"Yep." He heard Bobo shuffling in, rolling his shoulders. "At least I had more fun that Bobo. Got his ass beaten by a scrawny chick."
"Up yours Rex. Let's see you get hit by a car and laugh it off."
"That's the number one thing I get hit with in cities. You'll learn to handle it."
"So what now then?" Noah asked.
Rex shrugged. "Dunno. Video games?" But they were interrupted by the chime of the intercom.
"Rex, please report to my lab immediately." Rebecca Holiday, basically the team mom of Providence, said. Rex groaned as he heard that. Probably another test he had to go through. He got why she worried, but sometimes she worried too much.
"Guess I'll have to see you guys later. Don't start without me." He said, moving towards Holiday's lab. But Noah and Bobo caught up to him quickly.
"You know, she didn't say that we couldn't join you." Noah said. "And I wouldn't mind asking a bit about those chicks. They looked sweet."
Rex turned slightly and gave him a look. "Don't you already have Claire?"
"Hey, that doesn't mean I can't appreciate a hot chick every now and then."
"As someone who's got a married cousin, I can honestly say that it does. The ladies get cranky when you aren't looking at them." Bobo replied. The door opened to reveal a wide curved room, with a massive window overlooking an enclosed preserve. It was currently in the process of being converted into an indoor park, now that almost all the EVOs have been cured. At the far end of the room was a beautiful young lady with black hair wearing a white lab coat. Next to her was Six.
"Yo, Holiday." Rex called out as they approached. "Let me guess; this is where you tell Six that he was wrong and needs to apologise to me."
Holiday didn't even look away from her screen. "Actually Rex, Six was right about you jumping the gun."
"Wait, what?"
"Take a look. This is footage we recovered from a street camera at the intersection where the accident happened." Six said, tapping at a remote. A larger screen started playing, showing a perfectly normal street and perfectly normal people. But then the air in the middle of the street started crackling, and the civilians started running away. Lightning arced from what appeared to be a rip in the air, before striking back down right before it. The ground shattered on impact, nearby cars burst into flames, and a cloud of dust blanketed everything. Flames started shooting out from the dust, and the camera cut off. "Notice the timestamp? This happened at least several minutes before our 'attackers' arrived."
"So where did they come from?" Noah asked.
"After reviewing the footage, I had a look at energy fluctuations that happened around that time." Holiday said, tapping at her computer. It displayed a list and graph of different energy readings that happened around the time. She pointed to one separated from all the others, before bringing up a similar chart. "This energy spike is incredibly rare, something science still doesn't have a proper name for."
"It matches the same energy reading from when Alpha arrived." Six noted.
Holiday nodded. "Given that it's only happened twice in all our recorded history, we – that is to say, White Knight and myself – believe that they came from a 'parallel dimension'."
Noah snorted, looking around as though he expected someone to say 'fooled ya'. But no one else was laughing. "Wait, are you guys serious? Aren't parallel dimensions like science-fiction or something?"
"That's what I felt too. But after the incident with Ben Tennyson, it might be as crazy as it sounds."
"Ben who?"
"Right, you weren't here during that whole thing. I ended up teaming up with some teenage hero by named Ben Tennyson. Had some kind of EVO watch thing." Rex explained.
"Not an EVO watch. An Alien watch. He didn't have anywhere near the amount of nanites as everyone else. In fact, he only had a bit more than White Knight himself." Holiday corrected.
"Anyway, he'd tap his watch, and then he turn into weird forms that looked like EVOs, but he believed were actually aliens." Rex snorted. "Still sounds ridiculous to me."
"I'll agree that the idea that aliens exist sounds… questionable. But none of his forms had any correlation to earth-based lifeforms, mutated or otherwise. Rex, he turned into a being that phased through stuff like a ghost. Nothing we've encountered has shown anything like that before or since."
"Dude, you met a real live alien and you never told me?" Noah looked hurt. "I thought we were friends, man. Why would you keep something like that from me?"
He's not an alien." Rex argued.
Six smirked. "Just a human who turns into several of them."
Bobo raised his hand. "Putting things back on track, did junior screw up?"
"…Yes." Six replied.
"Heh heh. Nice work kid." Bobo laughed. Rex groaned.
"If you're done explaining the mess Rex is in right now, perhaps you can both go to meet our newest guests." White Knight – Head of Providence – said to them, appearing on screen. Though the world was supposedly cleansed of nanites now, the germophobe still preferred to stay in his clean office, only leaving in his special suit. Maybe the blast that removed all his nanites left him without an immune system. Or maybe that was just spending years inside a sealed room. "I want to wake them up and find out what they're after, and I'd rather have them meet friendlier faces than our masked agents."
"Understood White Knight. What are your assumptions for their being here?" Holiday asked.
"They arrived only minutes behind our mysterious attacker. Given the speed they arrived and their manner of dress I'm going to assume that they're attempting a rescue of some kind. Best thing we can do now to fix things is help them." White Knight gave Rex a solid look. "Since this whole mess is your fault, you can help out the most."
"Yes White Knight." Rex said solemnly.
Knight nodded. "You have your orders. Dismissed." And his screen closed down. Holiday let the lot of them back down the hallways, toward the holding cells. In there, they had special rooms to hold larger groups together, a carryover from when they had to hold larger EVOs. Evidently, Knight had sent word down already. The students were already stirring awake. And some of them didn't appear happy at their predicament.
"Ok, here we go." Holiday muttered to herself. She walked into the room, and all the students looked at her. Those trying to break free didn't seem happy to see her. Or Six. Or Rex.
It was the redhead who spoke first. "So, I assume that you're the one in charge of this… operation."
"I'm afraid not." Holiday replied. "But I am here to inform you that we are presently going to release you." She raised an eyebrow at this, but let her continue. "Our resident hero mistakenly attacked you under the impression that you were responsible for an attack on our city. We're terribly sorry for that."
"Not to worry ma'am." A blond boy said politely. "It's also partly our fault. We were far too interested in chasing after a friend than attempting to talk things out with you." By now, the restraints had been removed, and they were all cooperating. Though there were a few angry glares still. The blond boy nodded at Six. "I have to say, you were very impressive out there. It's been a while since a normal human managed to best me in a fight."
"You called me human as though you aren't one yourself." Six noted.
"Not entirely." Red said. "Though I'm sure you're curious, I'm afraid that we need to find our missing friend. Though given that we've probably been out for a while, that might be impossible now."
"I understand. As an apology, we're willing to use all our resources to help you find your friend. Does this friend of yours have any distinguishing features?"
The girl nodded. "She's around five and a half feet tall, brownish hair, well-proportioned and curved, and has the ability to change into several different forms."
Holiday frowned. "She's a shapeshifter? That… might make finding her more difficult than expected."
"She does it with a device. Maybe it generates some kind of energy." A brown-haired boy said. Maybe her brother or something? "And… And we think something's possessing her."
Rex snorted, causing the guy to glare at him. He looked ready to start punching. Holiday gave him a reproachful look, and he quietened down.
"Possessed you say? I'm not saying you might be wrong, but I'm merely curious as to your evidence of this."
The boy shrugged. "She managed to call us before whatever it was took full control, telling me that she was being taken over and that we needed to help her. And then she attacked Koneko and Gaspard here." He waved at the two blond girls, both looking around the room fearfully.
"I see. I'll try searching through the energy wavelengths, but it might not be as successful as we'd hope. If you'd like to follow us, we could find you better seating than this barred room."
"We could also keep an ear out for attacks. If this possessor is as dangerous as you say, people could be under threat from it." Six added. "In the meantime though, it would help us out a great deal if you could identify yourselves and inform us about your powers."
The leader nodded again. "Of course. Assuming that you do the same."
(**/*\**)
It took several minutes of beating his head against a wall to remind Van Kleiss that he wasn't actually going insane. The rock before him was an EVO, and therefore it was perfectly natural for it to be moving. Of course, a deep part of him wondered if that were actually true, or whether Breach had simply be making fun of him and now he was hallucinating things. Being stuck inside her personal prison for months now made it so difficult to tell these days.
Not far from him, Biowulf was pacing and growling. "I can't take it anymore." He growled. "When will Breach finally release us?"
Van Kleiss felt the urge to bash his head again. "You know when she'll release us. When she's certain that the energy wave that cured all EVOs on Earth has finally dissipated."
"Call it what it really is Kleiss. We're trapped in here forever. She's never going to free us. We are stuck here, the latest 'toys' in her demented collection."
"To be fair, she was displaced through time for about six thousand years or so." The final member of their pack, Skalamander, noted.
"Well bully for her. At least she wasn't forced to stay awake the whole time like I had." Those had been the worst millennials of his life. It was only his sheer iron will that had held his mind together. Of course, that wasn't to say that he hadn't been insane for a bit once waking up the final time. Even he had limits.
Biowulf growled angrily, a low growl that set his hairs on end. "Then this is all your fault. All your plotting and scheming and talk of a world for EVOs, and all that really mattered was your own personal power." At this, he jumped towards Kleiss, who managed to throw him over his shoulder. Biowulf landed safely behind him. "At last I shall have meat."
"Then come at me traitor. Let's see if you can maul me before I drain every last nanite from your body." That made him hesitate, his eyes locked onto Kleiss' gauntlet. Though damaged when the meta-nanites rejected him, he managed to repair it while stuck here.
Whether Biowulf was foolhardy enough of not was not to be decided today. A portal opened in the air. A strange portal not at all like Breach's. And walking through it appeared to be a humanoid on fire. Van Kleiss watched it approach with interest. They never had a guest here before. Just new members.
As the figure dropped down the ground below and wobbled, he took the time to note its appearance. It was definitely humanoid, though the exaggerated figure showed that it was likely female. There were patches of skin and cloth still on it, both burning away and replenishing at the same time. Four large wings flared from its back, and it's toes were two claws. One hand was apparently made from diamond, while the other was human, veins linked to a wristwatch. As for its head, it was an actual burning skull. Skin flaked away as ash before regenerating. Such a thing would have to have been utterly painful.
But he could sense them within their mystery guest. Nanites. This being was an EVO.
The young lady gasped as she saw them. "Siblings. I have finally found you." She walked towards them, barely seeming like a threat. "Where is everyone else? There were so many, but now they are gone. What has happened?" Her voice was an echo, a mixture of male and female. Curiously, the male voice sounded so familiar.
Perhaps he could make use of her. If she had a way in, then she must have a way out. He gave her his most charming smile. "If you are referring to the nanites, I'm afraid that they are all gone. Deactivated." He waved a hand towards the town they were in. "I'm afraid that we are the last of our kind. An attempted genocide simply because the humans distrust us." He shook his head wearily. "A new world, gone because we appear frightening. Such a pity that this could have come to past." He heard Biowulf snort, but fortunately he held his tongue.
The woman looked at him. "Did Father do this? Is this his attempt to correct his 'mistake'?" Father? Mistake? Ah, she must be referring to Caesar Salazar and how he caused the Event. He had been so close to getting the Meta-Nanites when the fool threw the switch.
He shook his head. "It was actually an upstart brat by the name of Rex Salazar. Though I doubt Caesar would have cried for our destruction." The mention of Rex piqued the woman's interest.
"Rex? The Omega. Brother. But how?"
Just who was this strange woman? And how did she relate to the Salazars? "He used powerful and dangerous nanites. The sum total of the Nanite Project's research. The…"
"Meta-Nanites." The woman answered for him. "Yes. That would explain it."
"Indeed. But I'm afraid that we don't know the state of the Meta-Nanites, having been trapped here since he tried to kill us off. But if you were able to bring us back to the real world, we could help you reactivate your siblings. Create a new world. And we could get our revenge on Rex."
The woman looked at him dubiously. "I care little for revenge. It is self-improvement I seek. A body to call my own. And I know exactly how to do so. There is power out there, power equal to the Meta-Nanites themselves, if not greater. But I will need sustenance; allies; the Omega."
Ah, sustenance. The only kind of sustenance something like her might need would be more nanites. She could be dangerous to him. "I don't know about sustenance, but you have allies here. If you are willing to help us, we will be all too glad to aid in your goals. Of course, it would help to know your designation."
The woman looked at him for a while before slamming a hand down on her wristwatch. She changed her entire form, turning into a four-armed monster, a moth creature, a wolf of some kind, before stopping at an Aztec statue with twisting gears. It waved a hand, and a portal appeared before them.
"I am Alpha; the final stage in evolution." The woman said.
Oh.
Hell.
Well, there we go. I think I'm fixing the biggest mistake of the Ben 10 series.
Not making a sequel to Heroes United.
Seriously, they really should've done that. They had so many plot points to still work with. Ben was infected with nanites through Rex trying to cure him. Alpha was shown about to break out of his prison. We never got to see Rex in Ben's universe (aside from some comic where Ben made a fool of himself for a Japanese advert. My, how they mighty have fallen). Instead, Omniverse just pretended it never happened. Having our heroes fighting Alpha again would've been awesome. Or even just Ben going EVO. How freaky would that have been? But we got nothing.
What a waste of good plot material.
So anyway, I know some people are going to complain about how the Occult Club got beaten by Providence. Well, Providence has dealt with several EVOs that had nearly kick-started end of the world scenarios, or have been really dangerous in a fight. Sure the usual grunts are red shirts, but they're red shirts hired to fight monsters with lots of powers and could come from anywhere. Your son, your wife, your dog, your roses, even your common cold could become an EVO. I think they've got enough firepower and resources to deal with eight teenage Devils. Especially with Rex and Six with them.
Rex is described by 'TV Tropes' Heroes United' page as being the 'weak, but skilled' to Ben's 'unskilled, but strong'. He might not have as many abilities, but he's put some serious training into using them. Plus, he's naturally tougher and stronger than normal kids thanks to his nanites. He's already faced people with swords while fighting other people, so this should be familiar ground for him. As for Six, he's called that because he used to be the sixth most dangerous person in the world. A world filled with EVOs and monsters. The only reason he isn't anymore is because he quit to join Providence. Oh, and One is dead. He survived being an incurable EVO for years, keeping his mind through sheer determination. He only died because he wanted to.
(Oh, and he was rated the sixth because he wasn't as willing to kill as the other five most dangerous people. He's perfectly capable of going toe-to-toe with all of them.)
Oh, and as fans of Generator Rex can tell, this is set after the end of the show. So some things I'm just assuming about, like White Knight still lives in his sealed office.