S1-117
An alien watch

11:12 AM
03/20/3272

Yionus's moon, Zuter - IMC testing site Echo-918
Chamber 137

Music
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption - Briefing Room & Ambience Theme

As the Shadow was working on a new Dimension Key, City Hawk 723 arrived at the facility... but they did not look so good. "Good morni- eugh... Did you guys get enough sleep last night?"

"We didn't sleep at all. That experience from yesterday kept us awake with a bad nightmare." Jack simply put, rubbing his eyes.

"Yowza. Sorry about that."

"Not even you know the full extent of your powers... or how ruthless you can be." Michael said. "I should know. We're inexplicably linked. And I don't know my full potential either."

"Get some hot chocolate with marshmallows. That'll really wake you up." The Shadow suggested. "After that, come right back here. This next one is almost done."

12:27 PM
03/20/3272

They returned to the chamber that held the World Gate, and each human member of the team was still holding a mug filled with hot chocolate and melted marshmallows.

"That one seems intriguing." Michael stated. And indeed it did; the Dimension Key had what looked like a watch with a green hourglass on it.

Once everyone finished their hot chocolate, a Marvin came by and collected the empty mugs to clean out. The portal opened, leading the way to another new dimension.

Dimension 5
UNKNOWN

Music
none

They arrived on the other side, and they ended up in what looked like an abandoned factory. "Right, what do you think we'll find here?" Samus wondered.

"How about this?" They looked to Jenny, seeing that she had picked up a gold-colored card with what looked like a sumo wrestler on it.

"Well, that's... interesting." Michael remarked.

As they looked around, Mark-18 stumbled upon something strange. A grey life form with green eyes, and it was 5in tall. "What's this?"

"I'd ask you the same question." The creature spoke English!

In response, Mark-18 stumbled back, tripping on his own foot and alerting the Fireteam that something was going on. "What's going on here?!" Michael exclaimed.

"Excuse me, but what are you doing here? Who are you?" The creature spoke again!

"OK, that's not normal. Where are we?" Samus questioned.

It was then that the creature reached for its back, suddenly being replaced by a bright flash of green. When the light died down, there was a teenager with them. "You're in Bellwood. How do you not know that?"

"We just got here through a machine I built." Michael pointed to the open rift. "An item known as a Dimension Key is what allowed us to enter this dimension through my machine, the World Gate. Now identify yourself!"

"I'm Ben Tennyson, wielder of the most powerful device in the universe." He raised his wrist, revealing a strange, watch-like device with that same green hourglass on it. "It's called the Omnitrix, and it allows me to transform into all sorts of aliens." Suddenly, a portion of the ceiling of the structure exploded, and a fat humanoid alien jumped in. "Ma Vreedle. What brings you here?" Ben asked, holding a hand over the Omnitrix.

"Oh I's just want'n ta get some good ol' revenge on yous. Hey! Who's this?!" It was at this point that Michael pulled out his Spitfire and aimed it directly at Ma Vreedle. "That ain't no energy blaster! What in tarnation is that?!"

With the alien distracted, the Shadow turned into a black particle trail, then reformed right in front of Ma Vreedle, looking directly into her eyes. "Greetings."

Music
Super Paper Mario - River Twygz Bed

Ma Vreedle seemed to have a fearful reaction, stumbling to the ground and trying to get away, only for the Shadow to surround her by creating Echoes. There were no words to describe what she was feeling.

Just then, the alien fainted, only for the Echoes of the Shadow to catch her and carry her through the rift.

Music
none

"What just happened there?" Ben asked, confused as to what had occurred.

It was then that Spyglass projected a few holograms from his optic. "As we speak, the Shadow's Echoes are transporting the alien you identified as 'Ma Vreedle' to the deepest chamber of the Dreadnaught's prison, the Hanging Crypts, where she will be deposited into one of its hundreds upon thousands of pits which lead to an Ascendant Plane pocket. Currently, the Shadow has only one eternal prisoner within those dark pits: Master Cyclonis, a villainous mastermind from the previous dimension we gained access to."

"Why didn't you let us send her to the Null Void?" Ben asked, drawing confusion from the Fireteam leader.

"The what?"

"It's basically a prison dimension, where we keep the galaxy's worst of the worst."

"Sounds strangely similar to the Dreadnaught. Well, I think we should get going, don't you?"

"Yeah, we should-" Jenny was interrupted by a booming voice.

"BEN TENNYSON!"

"Ugh... What now?" Another alien appeared, with a completely different appearance. "Psyphon?! What are you doing here?!"

"I will avenge my master!"

"Shadow, I think it's time to acquire a third occupant of the Hanging Crypts, don't you agree?" Michael asked.

Nodding, the Taken King vanished, then appeared in front of Psyphon, who used an alien energy weapon on him. The only damage done was to the Shadow's old Grim Reaper robes. The Shadow looked at the hole in his robe, then looked back at Psyphon, rather annoyed. "On second thought, I think I'll just end it here and now."

Music
Super Paper Mario - River Twygz Bed

With that, the Darkscythe glowed with energy before the Shadow attacked, slashing straight through the vengeful alien's chest. Psyphon fell to his knees as he lost his strength, seemingly falling apart at the atomic level.

"OK, that was terrifying to watch. What just happened?" Ben questioned.

"The Grasp of Death. Psyphon is dead." Michael answered.

Music
none

"Now I have to get a new robe..."

"I think your robe is much like a Hunter's cloak. When an old Hunter wears a simple cloak, you ask yourself where he got it, and what the cloth remembers. Shadow, you're not only wearing the robe, but also its history. What does it remember?" Hayden-10 asked.

"I... never thought of it that way. Hmm..." The Shadow was then focusing on the robe itself, seeing the history of the cloth.

Music
Destiny Remix - Echoes

"Knit together by caring hands... Passed down through family generations... Keeping a lone wanderer warm throughout many nights in a world stolen from his kind... Lifetimes of waiting... Then there's me. Perhaps we should return it to its family."

"If you wish to do so, you may. Goodbye, Ben. Good luck." Michael stated, turning to go home. In response, Ben simply waved farewell as City Hawk 723 went back through the portal.

12:51 PM
03/20/3272

Planet Earth - The last City
Courtyard

The cloth the Shadow once used had been woven back together, with traces of human hair being found on it. After sampling the old DNA, and scanning for the family line, the cloth was returned to a civilian family down in the residential districts below the Tower. The Shadow was given a brand new robe of his own to replace what he had given back, and it was specially made just for him.

The team decided to take a break from their dimensional travels for a while, taking in the breathtaking view of the City from the Tower. Among them, the Shadow was there, with the hood of his robe down, revealing his Taken-colored skull head. "It's a good day to take a break from going through other dimensions, isn't it?" The Shadow asked.

"It sure is." Michael replied.

"Indeed." Zavala added. "With the way we've dealt crippling blow after crippling blow to our enemies, they will continue to dwindle as the days go by. We can afford to relax on days like this."

"Indeed." The ace Pilot replied.

Zavala chuckled. "That's my line, Michael."

"Indeed it is."

The group shared a laugh as the sun shined overhead.

Well, I'm gonna be taking a break for a while as well.

Heh... Ben 10. Didn't expect that, did you? They arrived when Ben was 18. Asmuth once said he would likely give Ben the Master Control for the Omnitrix for his 18th birthday, and this was a few months after that time.

See ya, guys.