Phase Two, Book Two

Ben 10: Secrets of the Omnitrix

Chapter 01

Somewhere in the middle of Iowa…

September, 2010

Ben was thinking too much. As the scenery (read: no scenery) of Iowa seemed to roll past the window in a loop, the boy pulled his knees up to his chin.

He was thinking about his friend. Kevin. A boy he'd only met twice, but in those two encounters, had been one of the coolest guys he'd ever met. The last time he'd seen Kevin, the dark-haired boy had been fending off an army of alien bounty hunters and hi-tech knights to let Ben escape. Ben had no idea if he was alive or dead.

Then, right after the battle at the Hinobi base, Steven had told him something. Ben had asked about his dream powers. The Omnitrix had been messing with his dreams far before Vilgax had come into play, and Ben was curious to know as much as he could about it. Steven didn't know much, but he mentioned a time when he had seen a boy in chains in his dream, and then later had seen him in real life.

"He was… changed," Steven had said. "A weird fusion of alien monsters."

Ben had made Steven describe the boy over and over, until finally, he was certain they had seen the same boy. Kevin, with his long black hair, ratty cargo shorts, and way too many leather bracelets. Which meant that monster…

The RV went over a bump, and Ben was jostled from his reverie as he glanced up.

Gwen had convinced their grandpa Max to pull over and check out a spot she had read about in her strange book. It was supposed to be a place with magic hidden inside. Ben rolled his eyes. Ever since Gwen had gotten her hands on this mysterious monster book, and then hung out with Jake, the supposed king-of-magic or whatever, she'd been obsessed. Despite Ben's obvious skepticism, she had insisted that it was real, and that she was going to learn more about it than anyone.

"Really, grandpa? We have time to stop for the tourist trap but not for pancakes?" Ben complained. He had asked Max to pull over for breakfast that morning, to which the reply had been there was 'no time.'

"We'll stop at a diner on the way out, get you some brunch. How about that, Ben?" Max sighed. He had resigned to treat his grandkids- after all, they were his grandkids. His wife had used to say that spoiling them was "their job." Max smiled sadly, thinking about her.

"Fine, I guess that works," Ben said, as they all got out of the RV.

The miniature museum was full of relics supposedly discovered around this area, referred to as Weird Flatts. There were fossilized "dragon" bones, blurry photos of hairy men, vials of blue "blood" with all kinds of labels, and even more hilariously cheesy attractions. There was an award, in an engraved plack, hanging on one wall. It read: America's Third Weirdest City.

An over-enthusiastic tour guide approached them.

"Are we just browsing, or are you here for a tour?" He asked, smiling too widely.

"We're just browsing," Max said.

"Well, alright, just one factoid then!" The tour guide said. Ben and Gwen swapped awkward glances. "Did you know that Weird Flatts is the town with the third most supernatural and extraterrestrial sightings in the last decade? Gosh darn Beach City and Gravity Falls got us beat, but other than that, nobody can keep up!"

"Right," Max said, arms around the kids shoulders, ushering them away. "Thanks."

"Well, no problemo!" The weird tour guide said.

The trio then shuffled through the exhibits. There was only a handful of other attendants; most of the tourists were inspecting the giant rubber band ball a few doors down. Ben looked, unimpressed, at a supposedly haunted porcelain doll.

"You really think this junk is magic?" Ben said skeptically.

"No, not this, this is trash," Gwen said, pointing further at a display further into the museum. A man with a black hood and strange, rennaisance festival-type garb was blocking the glass from here, so Ben couldn't see what it was. "That is what I came to see."

The Tennyson troupe walked up to this display, and as they got closer, the man in the hood turned to glance at them. Ben caught a glimpse of his face; his skin was sickly, almost grey, and he had a strange design painted onto his face. It was almost like a skull. The man's eyes flickered across each of them, lingering the longest on Gwen, before he stepped aside.

"Apologies," he said politely. "Am I blocking your view?"

The man moved, and they were finally able to see what Gwen had made them come here for. On a small metal pedestal, facing towards them, was an oval shaped stone. The face of the stone had been carved into a variety of complex patterns: loops and spirals and jagged shapes that looked like nonsensical doodles to Ben. Gwen, on the other hand, seemed mesmerized, as if she had found a map to the Lost City of Gold.

The man dressed like a goth executioner nodded his appreciation.

"Yes, it is beautiful isn't it?" He said. "The only thing in this wretched place with any real value."

Max was starting to grow suspicious of the man. He went to guide the kids away from him, but Gwen suddenly got excited.

"You mean, this is really magic?" She said, trying to sound like an innocent tween. The strange man laughed, deep in his chest.

"It is a powerful relic. One of many charms that passed through to this world from the Legerdomain. The Boiling Isles. The birthplace of magic," the man said, spouting lore. Then, he held up a hand, and to their astonishment, the extremity started to glow. They all ogled as the strange man reached forward, his fingers passing through the glass as if it weren't there. He grabbed the charm, and it too simply passed through the glass as it was pulled. "And now, finally… it is mine."

"Hey, that doesn't belong to you," Max said, trying to step into the man's way. "So why don't you put it back where you found it?"

Ben and Gwen swapped nervous glances. Ben backed away, standing in a secluded spot in case things went south and he needed to go alien. The weirdly dressed man regarded Max coolly.

"I will give you a chance to live, as you know not what you are dealing with," the man said. "Step aside. I will not say it again."

"Sorry, bub," Max said, standing his ground firmly. "Those two words don't exactly fit together in my vocabulary."

The man sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose. Then, there was a low swishing sound, and Gwen and Ben watched as he held his hand behind his back, and an orb of glowing orange light began to swirl into existence in his palm. Gwen got a chill down her spine. Ben, meanwhile, grimaced, and began to swap through the Omnitrix's many aliens, trying to find who would be best to handle this fight.

"Such an unnecessary death," the man said. "Humans can be so stubborn."

Then, just as the man went to throw the glowing magic orb at Max, there was a flash of green light, followed by a roar of challenge. Before the mystery man could even turn to see what was happening, several hundred pounds of red muscle came barreling into him. Ben, as Four-Arms, tackled the strange man, causing him to shout in surprise, dropping the charm to the floor. Gwen, seizing her chance, dove for the rune-covered stone, scooping it up off of the floor and dashing over to hide behind a Roman bust.

"What the-?" the magician said.

"Don't you know stealing is illegal, Voldemort?" Four-Arms said, swinging a heavy red fist down to smash the man in the face.

However, to Ben's surprise, before his punch connected, the strange man seemingly vanished into a wisp of cloud. The rush of air flew away from the alien, manifesting again as the magician a few paces away. He regarded Ben with minor annoyance, but then his eyes widened. He patted his pocket, as if he had lost something. He looked around frantically, until he spotted Gwen. The man then lifted a foot off the ground, and began to levitate purposefully towards Gwen.

"What are you, some kinda wizard?" Four-Arms asked, going after the floating man. Before he could reach him, however, his target shunted him back with a blast of force, summoned by a mere flick of his wrist. Ben went crashing through multiple glass shelves of knick-knacks.

"Foolish polymorph," the man said disdainfully. "Do not mistake me for a lesser magus. No witch nor wizard nor warlock could compare to the power of a sorcerer."

Ben picked himself up with a groan, shards of glass dropping off of him. "What the heck's the difference?"

The man ignored his response, as he continued to float towards Gwen. Grandpa Max, with a shout, hefted a nearby bludgeoning weapon from a display case, and tried to swing it on the sorcerer. However, like before, he was blasted away by some unseen wave of force, intercepting Ben and sending them both crashing into a pile of limbs on the ground.

Gwen was moving at this point, scrambling for a path away from the sorcerer. The commotion had caused what few customers remained to scramble for the exits, away from the battle. Not only that, but the structure of the building was taking a toll as well. Gwen saw several support beams that looked like they were one good hit away from crumbling.

Before Gwen could find a safe exit, the sorcerer manifested directly in front of her, pulling a shout of surprise from her lips. The grey-skinned man held out his hand.

"Hand over the charm, witchling," he said. Gwen, who had been ready to deliver a defiant comment, faltered.

"Over my dead- wait. What?" She said. The sorcerer quirked an eyebrow, and then it dawned on him.

"You haven't realized… I see," he said. "You have witch's blood girl, though not very much. The anodites in your veins won't mature for another year or so… Still. There is something in your aura… if you're lucky, it might happen sooner."

Gwen was shaken. Witch's blood? What could he possibly mean? She shook her head.

"No, you- you're trying to trick me. You're lying!" She said.

"I am no liar," the man said. "Believe me when I say that you were born with a gift… It must be such a surprise for you, living your normal, mundane life, only to be told you were meant for something extraordinary."

"Shut up!" Gwen said. "I don't believe you!"

But a part of her did. The man smiled.

"I can show you," he said. "I can teach you how to wield your fledgling power."

He floated closer to her, and Gwen trembled. The sorcerer landed in front of her, again prompting her with his outstretched hand.

"Just hand me the charm, and I will unlock a power inside you that you could never even imagin-"

CRASH! The man was cut off by a brick-red freight train. Ben had freed himself from the entanglement with Max, and was coming after the sorcerer once more. He managed to land a punch, sending the grey-skinned man reeling back, and flying through the wood of the front door.

"You OK?" Four-Arms asked Gwen. Gwen wasn't sure, but now was not the time to distract Ben from the fight.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me!" She lied. "Go after him!"

Ben nodded, and went charging for the door. Outside, the sorcerer was pulling himself up from the concrete. His face, which had been riddled with annoyance, was now filled with rage. Ben, as Four-Arms, cracked all 20 of his knuckles, grinning wide with a set of tombstone teeth.

"Had enough yet, skull-face?" He jeered.

"Enough of your ridiculous nicknames!" The sorcerer spat.

"Oh, sorry, what did you want me to call you? Gargamel?" Ben quipped.

"I am called Hex, you miserable boy, and you will regret crossing me," the sorcerer said. Then, his eyes rolled back, and he held out his arms. A swirling black and red energy manifested in the air in front of him. "Magna daemonia, Aku, Savanti, Dagon! I call on you! Grant me the power of the Archamada!"

There was a sudden gust of cold air, causing even Ben's hot tetramand blood to run cold. Then, the energy dispersed, and in its place hovered a demonic looking tome, with black leather bindings and blood stained pages. Ben couldn't place why, but the book gave him bad vibes. However, not one to let his weakness show, he shouted across the parking lot to his opponent.

"What are you gonna do? Read me to death?" He said.

"I've grown weary of this," Hex said. The pages began to flip on their own until they seemed to land on one that Hex desired. He pointed his palm towards Ben and began to mutter another incantation. "Berdi moro nata!"

Ben watched, confused, until a sudden bright red light flashed from the sorcerer's palm. Then, a gout of scorching flame went shooting towards him. Instinctively, Ben shouted, throwing up his arms to shield himself. However, to his surprise, he found that the flames barely caused him to feel anything more than a light tickle. This seemed to surprise Hex, too, as when the flames died down, his confident sneer turned to a shocked expression. Ben laughed confidently.

"Ha ha! Bet you didn't see that coming! Four-Arms is fireproof!" Four-Arms said. "My turn!"

With a shout, Ben reared back all four of his arms, and then clapped them together. The tetramand's sheer strength caused the air to clap with a burst of sound, sending a shockwave flying towards Hex, tearing up the concrete as it went. Hex tried to cast a spell in defense, but failed to do so in time. The sorcerer was struck by the shockwave, and he and the spellbook was launched in different directions. Hex smashed into the side of a car, and the book landed harmlessly on the asphalt. Ben didn't even give him a second, bounding across the parking lot to try and smash him again.

"You shouldn't have hurt my grandpa!" He shouted, jumping up and getting ready to slam two fists down on the sorcerer.

Hex was too quick! He once again vanished into a wisp of smoke, causing Ben to smash down on the now totalled car. The boy in the alien's body whirled around, making sure not to lose track of the cloud. Hex flew up into the air, out of the tetramand's reach, before reforming. Then, he pointed both palms down at Ben.

"Lumen fulminis!" Hex shouted, as a beam of crackling red light came shooting from his hands.

"Grahh!" Ben shouted, as he was struck by the bolt. His entire body was suddenly wracked with searing pain, causing him to drop to one knee.

Hex kept up the stream of energy, pushing harder and flying closer to Ben, who continued to scream in pain. Hex's angry, gritted teeth formed a satisfied smile.

"Foolish boy!" He said. "You really thought that you would be a match for me? Hex? Grand Sorcerer, master of the magic arts? I have defeated creatures tenfold your power without batting an eye! You will never-!"

sshEEEEEwwer!

There was a digitized sound, and suddenly four globs of strange, blue-green energy were latching themselves to Hex's hands and feet. Before he could even exclaim in confusion, the strange balls of code solidified into solid metal, and formed hi-tech clamps that locked down on the sorcerer's extremities. There was a quartet of electronic beeps, and the lights on the clamps switched to a green color. Then, Hex suddenly dropped like a stone, crashing to the concrete with a grunt as the air was knocked from his lungs.

Panting, Ben pulled himself up from his kneel, and looked around in bewilderment for who had fired off the strange restraints. To his surprise, he saw a pair of unmarked white vans had rolled up into the parking lot. Pouring out of the vans was a squadron of paramilitary looking people, wearing white uniforms, complete with hi-tech visors and gauntlets.

"Glitch Techs?" Ben asked. "Where'd they come from?"

"I made a call," Max said, as he and Gwen arrived, coming over to Ben. "You alright?"

"Yeah," Ben said, still feeling pins and needles in his skin as the effect of the spell wore away. He turned sheepishly to Gwen. "I guess you were right about the whole magic thing."

"As usual," Gwen said, though she wasn't paying much attention to her cousin. Her eyes were locked on something else across the parking lot. She went over to investigate, just as one of the Glitch Techs came over to Max and Ben.

"Thanks for the call," the Hinobi agent said. Then, to Ben, he added: "And for the assist. Don't worry, we'll take the glitch from here."

Max nodded, and Ben grinned.

"All in a day's work," he said, flexing, obviously enjoying the limelight.

As the Glitch Techs set to work loading Hex into the back of one of the vans, Max looked around for Gwen, who had wandered off. He found her, kneeling over the strange spellbook, her flip-phone in hand. Max went over to her, watching as she snapped off pictures of the pages in the book. Then, just as quickly as she did, the book seemed to evaporate, page by page, into black and red mist, before it completely vanished.

"Dang it," Gwen said. She had only managed to capture a few of the spells in the book.

"Come on, Gwen," Max said. "Let's leave the crime scene to the professionals."

"Right, coming," Gwen said, getting up and following Max to the R.V. She saw a flash of green from behind the vehicle, and a second later, Ben walked out in his human form, crossing his arms and leaning against the R.V., looking pleased with himself.

"So- pancake time?" He said.

"Pancake time," Max said. "I think we all earned it."

They both turned to Gwen, whose hand was in her pocket. She seemed distracted.

"Oh, uh, yeah," she said. "Pancakes for sure."

The boys grinned, climbing into the R.V. Gwen lingered for a moment, as a chill went down her spine once more. She turned, and saw that Hex was staring at her, a sinister grin on his face, as if to say: see you soon. Gwen grimaced, turning the charm over with the hand in her pocket. After a moment of pondering, Max honked the horn, and Ben leaned out the window.

"Come on Gwen. I want pancakes!"

"Yeah," Gwen said, clearly still distracted. "I'm coming."

Author's Note: Hello again, and welcome to a brand new story in Danger Watch! This is a sequel to Ben 10: Origins, as well as a continuation of the Danger Watch Universe storyline! I'm really excited to continue Ben's journey as he learns more about space, the Omnitrix, and the crazy world that he and the other Danger Watch heroes live in. If you're excited, be sure to leave a Favorite and a Follow so you don't miss anything, and strap in for another wild adventure! Thanks for reading!