The Tennysons barely managed to avoid being spotted by the park ranger after Ben nearly burned down the forest with his strange alien transformation. They made it back to their campsite sat around the campfire Grandpa Max made with the green-haired girl that fell from space along with Ben's new watch. Not wanting to leave the currently nameless girl naked with only a blanket to cover her, Gwen took her inside the Rust Bucket and had her change into some of her spare clothes (the green-haired girl took notice that the Tennyson's had multiple pairs of the same clothes, which seemed very peculiar and unsanitary).
"It's a good thing we happen to be the same size," Gwen said to the green-haired girl. "You can keep those until we find something else for you to wear."
"They will do fine, but I think I would prefer fabricating my own wardrobe," said the green-haired girl, staring down at the kitty logo with some curiosity. "Of course, I will require some materials."
"I have an old sewing kit that used to belong to my wife," Max offered. "You can borrow them if you want."
"That would be greatly appreciated, Maxwell Tennyson," said the green-haired girl, though she still spoke in a monotone.
"Please, call me Max," said Max lightly. "So…I know we just met and you're probably a little disoriented after everything that's happened, but we were hoping you might answer a few questions."
"Yeah, like who are you and what's up with this freaky watch," said Ben, holding up his arm to display the alien device.
"As I said before, that is not a watch," said the green-haired girl. "That is the Omnitrix, the most powerful and dangerous piece of technology ever created. The Omnitrix allows the wearer to transform into one of many different species of aliens right down to a cellular level. As for myself, as I have already previously stated, I am the physical form of the Omnitrix's artificial intelligence. I share a direct link with the Omnitrix and exist for the purpose of teaching the wearer the proper use of the Omnitrix as well as acting as its safeguard so that those with ill intentions cannot make use of it."
"So you're like a human instruction manual," said Gwen.
"I suppose that's one way of simplifying it," said the Green-haired girl (let's call her Omnitrix for now).
"So if you came from space, why do you look human?" asked Gwen.
"I was originally a shapeless mass waiting to be imprinted with the DNA of the one who would wear the Omnitrix," Omnitrix explained. "It is found that sentient beings feel more comfortable around people similar to themselves. When you touched my capsule, it scanned your DNA, randomized the genomes, and reconfigured my appearance to match. That is we share similar facial features and body types, but I possess different hair and eyes."
"Ugh, great, now I'm stuck with two geeks this summer," groaned Ben.
"Ben…," Max said in a warning voice before turning back to Omnitrix. "So you said someone built you – both of you. Do you remember who it was? What they made you for?"
"I…don't know," said Omnitrix, her brow furrowed and a hand to her head. "There are some…gaps in my memory banks. It would seem that the crash may have damaged some of my systems. I can't recall who created me or for what purpose. All I can remember is that the Omnitrix is the most dangerous weapon in the universe and that I must keep it from falling into the wrong hands."
"Too late for that," said Gwen dryly, watching her annoying cousin fiddle with the watch.
"So…why can't I…get this thing…off?" Ben grunted, struggling to remove the Omnitrix.
"That is unusual," said Omnitrix. "The Omnitrix is meant to be worn by any species, but for some reason it was bonded to your unique type of DNA. I honestly cannot explain it. Perhaps it is some sort of glitch."
"Any chance of getting it off?" asks Max.
"I know there is a code for the release mechanism, but…," said Omnitrix, grimacing as she touched her head again. "I am afraid that information is among my missing memories. I am sorry."
"It's not your fault," said Max kindly. He sat up and grabbed his flashlight. "I'll go check out the crash site and see if there might be some answers. You three stay here and Ben, don't fool around with that watch until we know exactly what we're dealing with. I'll be back in a few minutes."
But while Grandpa Max was going to investigate the crash site, Cetanu and her Xenomorph hound had already arrived on the scene. While her alien hunting dog shuffled around the perimeter, Cetanu kneeled over the capsule and peered inside. Empty. Someone had found the Omnitrix before her.
The Yautja scanned the crater and spotted a broken piece of earth and three sets of footprints – two of them had approached the pod wearing footwear and three of them left with one being barefoot. Someone else had been inside the capsule with the Omnitrix, and judging by the size, they were very small. And then she found the most important clue of all – Gwen's backpack. Cetanu grabbed it by the strap and scanned it with her mask's sensors. This had been used very recently, which means they couldn't have gotten too far.
Cetanu whistled and her Xenomorph pet was immediately at her side. The Yautja warrior held the backpack to the alien's face and the beast growled.
"Find them, my pet," hissed Cetanu. "And bring me the Omnitrix."
The Xenomorph snarled and leapt into the forest.
As per the course of Ben Tennyson, the moment his grandfather was out of sight, he immediately started messing with the Omnitrix, trying to see how it worked and how he could transform like he did. The human Omnitrix stared at the boy unimpressed by his inability to work a simple device while Gwen immediately reprimanded him for trying.
"Ben, grandpa said not to mess with that thing," warned Gwen.
"Yeah, so, what's your point?" said Ben, finally figuring out his to turn the dial, but not activate it.
"Did your parents drop you when you were a baby?" asked Gwen, rolling her eyes.
"Come on, you can't say that you aren't a little bit curious about what this thing can do," said Ben. Gwen chose not to say anything because, admittedly, she was a little curious what the most powerful weapon in the universe was capable of. If only it wasn't stuck to the wrist of her annoying cousin. "You gotta wonder how many aliens I can turn into with this thing."
"There are presently one million nine hundred species of alien DNA in the Codon Stream – more are still being added," answered Omnitrix.
"Whoa, I can turn into a million aliens!" said Ben excitedly. "That is so cool!"
"For safety purposes, only ten are made available at first," said Omnitrix immediately; Ben visibly deflated. "More will become available when the Omnitrix's artificial intelligence – that's me – has determined that the wearer is mature and responsible enough."
"Looks like no new aliens for you, dweeb," Gwen taunted; Ben stuck his tongue out childishly. "Yeah, that's real mature and responsible."
"Whatever, doofus," said Ben, now resorting to poking the watch. "Look, if I can figure this thing out, maybe I can help people. I mean, really help them. Not, you know, make things worse."
"Does this have anything to do with you hanging from a tree by your underwear?" asked Gwen earnestly, but Ben took it as an insult and kept quiet. "Okay…so what did it feel like going all alien like that?"
"It freaked me out at first," said Ben honestly. "It was like I was me, but it was also like I was somebody else."
"That is an understandable feeling," said Omnitrix. "While your conscious state of mind remains the same, you are substituting your human DNA with that of another species. It will feel awkward when you use an alien for the first time, but you will eventually become accustomed to it." Just then, Ben finally managed to get the core to pop up. "Oh good, you figured out the activation function. I was wondering how long it was going to take you. Humans aren't as intelligent as I was led to believe."
"That's just Ben," said Gwen teasingly.
"Ha-ha, you're so funny," said Ben sarcastically. "Man, only ten aliens to choose from. Total rip off. Could you at least show me which one's the best so I can try it? Just this once?"
"Well, I don't know which one would be considered 'the best'," said Omnitrix. She scooted closer to Ben, grabbed his arm, and started turning the dial of the watch. She passes over the silhouette of a crab-like alien, one that looked like a humanoid feline, and the outline of the Pyronite before she stopped on the tracing of something with pointed hair and round wings, "but this one is my personal favorite. If you feel like trying it out – "
"Heck yeah, I'll try it!" said Ben excitedly.
"I wouldn't if I were you," Gwen warned.
"Then it's a good thing you're not me," said Ben.
Before Gwen could get a word in edge wise, Ben slammed his hand down on the Omnitrix's core and blinded everyone with its glowing green light. When the blinding flash died, Gwen put her hands down, looked back at Ben…and suddenly found it very difficult to stop laughing.
Ben had transformed into a small, fairy-like alien with aqua-blue skin, a darker shade of blue hair sticking up straight and pink marks on his dimples and chin that added to his feminine features. He was forced to wear a green dress-like outfit with black zigzag lines and the Omitrix symbol stamped on his chest. His purple fairy wings flapped lightly as he hovered a few inches off the ground. When the young Tennyson boy looked himself over, he let out a high-pitched squeak.
"What'd you do to me?" squeaked Ben, his voice trilling and feminine like his appearance. "I wanted to turn into a cool alien, not Tinker Bell! Why do you even have this in the watch?"
"The Nemuinas may be small, but they are a resourceful race," said Omnitrix. "They are capable of flight as well as enhanced speed and agility. They are also capable of producing a powder that puts any being that inhales it to sleep, and able to manipulate their dreams…. Plus, I thought it was cute."
"So she – I mean, he – flies around and shoots pixie dust," said Gwen, trying to hold back her giggles.
"More like Pesky Dust," grumbled the newly-named Pesky Dust. "This alien is totally useless. When am I ever gonna need it for anything?"
Before the Omnitrix could work up a response (in all honesty, she didn't think she had one ready), a black blur bounded from the treetops and landed on top of the fire, sending sparks and charred pieces of firewood flying everywhere. Gwen fell backwards over the log she was sitting on, Omnitrix braced herself and withstood the outburst, and Pesky Dust was sent flying into the Rust Bucket window like a fly on a windshield. The fairy-like alien pulled himself away from the glass with a pop, shook his head, and flittered over next to Omnitrix as Gwen remained crouched behind the log, only barely peeking over the top.
All three children watched Cetanu's pet Alien rise from the smoke of the extinguished campfire, snarling softly. Copious amounts of drool spilled over its lips and dripped onto the ground in long, moist ropes.
"Ew!" groaned Gwen, watching the long strings of slobber get even longer. "That thing's even grosser than Ben usually is."
"Hey!" yelled Ben, which didn't sound as angry with a shrill voice.
"That's a Xenomorph!" shouted Omnitrix in shock. "A semi-sapient species from Proteus! But they are only native in the Zeta Reticuli system; they should be anywhere near this planet!"
"Tell that to him!" yelped Pesky Dust, pointing at the Xenomorph.
The Xenomorph turned its head blindly on each of the children starting with Omnitrix, then to Pesky Dust, before it finally landed on Gwen and snarled menacingly. Cetanu had instructed her pet to retrieve the Omnitrix, but it had been using the scent from Gwen's backpack; the Xenomorph couldn't tell the difference.
Sensing that she was in danger, Gwen scrambled to her feet and started running in the opposite direction. The black-shelled alien leaped overhead and landed in front of Gwen, slapping her across the face with its tail to throw her down to the ground. Gwen tried scooting away from the monster, but the Xenomorph grabbed the little redhead by her shoulders and pinned her down. The Xenomorph opened its mouth wide enough so that Gwen could see a second pair of teeth inside, which only caused her to panic more.
"Gwendolyn!" yelled Omnitrix.
Just as the Xenomorph was about to jab its secondary teeth into Gwen's face, a large rock flew over and smacked the alien squarely in the face where it's eyes would have been, making the creature stumble back. The black-shelled beast shook its head and looked over just as another rock smacked it. The Xenomorph snarled angrily at Pesky Dust, who was collecting another rock off the ground and raising it over his head. And while the Xenomorph wasn't looking, Omnitrix ran over, picked up Gwen, and both of them raced to the safety of the Rust Bucket.
"Hey, Ugly!" called Pesky Dust. "Nobody picks on my cousin but me!"
He threw the third rock at the Xenomorph's face and the alien screeched with rage. The beast lunged at Pesky Dust, who dropped the rock he was about to pick up and took off in another direction. The Xenomorph smashed through a tree like it was made of paper, but quickly recovered and chased after the Nemuina on all fours.
Pesky Dust flew over the campfire, which the Xenomorph smashed through and the flames licked its outer shell, but ultimately did no harm. He flew underneath the picnic table and the chairs, but the Xenomorph ripped through them without so much as flinching. Then Pesky Dust flew straight towards the Rust Bucket with the alien hunting hound right on his tail – Omnitrix and Gwen saw them coming through the window, screamed, and ducked out of sight. Just seconds away from colliding with the RV, Pesky Dust suddenly pulled up and shot into the air while the Xenomorph slammed headfirst into the vehicle, leaving a large dent in the paneling and actually scooted the machine over by a few inches.
"Ben, watch where you're going!" Gwen yelled from inside the Rust Bucket. "We're still in here, you know!"
"Hey, why don't you try fighting a horror movie reject with this lame alien," Pesky Dust trilled.
The Xenomorph bounced back on its feet and climbed on top of the Rust Bucket, stretched its arms and swiping its tail at the Nemuina that was flying just out of its reach. When reaching wasn't working, the Xenomorph crouched low and jumped up amazingly high with its powerful legs. Pesky Dust barely managed to swerve out of the way before the alien snapped its teeth at him. The Xenomorph landed and immediately tried again. It missed, landed, and tried again.
"I could use a little help here!" Pesky Dust squeaked as he narrowly avoided the Xenomorph's jaws.
"Nemuinas can put all living beings to sleep with the powder they produce from their hands," said Omnitrix through the open window.
"I guess a snoozing alien is better than a biting alien!" yipped Pesky Dust.
After narrowly dodging yet another one of the Xenomorph's attempts, Pesky Dust hovered over the alien hunting hound and pointed his index finger like a gun. A thin line of green powdered mist somehow sprayed from the fairy's fingertip and circled the black-shelled monster. The Xenomorph looked around confused, but then started to get wobbly before finally tipping over the edge of the Rust Bucket. The beast landed on its side with its mouth open and its second mouth hanging out; you could hear the light snoring if you listened closely.
Omnitrix and Gwen cautiously stepped outside the Rust Bucket as Ben swooped down, all of them peering down at the sleepy monster.
"You know, when it's asleep, it's actually kind of cute," said Omnitrix with a straight face.
"We need to talk about your definition of cute," said Gwen blandly.
Just then, the Omnitrix symbol of Pesky Dust's chest beeped and glowed red before it exploded into a crimson light, reverting Ben back to his human form.
"All right, I'm me again!" Ben cheered.
"You should have stayed a pixie," said Gwen teasingly. "It was a much needed improvement."
"I happen to agree with her," said Omnitrix.
"Hey!" snapped Ben.
"Is everyone all right?" asked Max worriedly as he emerged from the forest and ran to the children. "I heard noises and – what in the name of Davy Crockett is that?" He pointed his flashlight at the slumbering alien.
"It's a Xenomorph from Proteus," Omnitrix informed. "This is an alien that shouldn't be anywhere near this system, but it is nonetheless. The way it came after us, I would almost think that it had been trained, which is strange since I never heard of a domesticated Xenomorph before."
"Meteorites, space watches, alien attacks," said Max, looking like he was on the verge of a headache. "I think we've all had enough excitement for one night. Everyone back in the RV. I don't want to stick around to see what's coming next."
The Tennysons and their new passenger didn't argue; everything was starting to go way over their heads at this point. They left behind most of their camping gear that had been destroyed in the attack and took off with the screech of the Rust Bucket's ties, leaving the Xenomorph snoozing on the ground where they left it.
They passed through the entrance to Yosemite Park and turned onto the main road. Max was up in the front seat driving safely while Ben and Gwen sat on opposite sides of each other, staring at the watch as it turned from red to its normal green color. Omnitrix sat on the sofa and decided that she time was better suited creating her new wardrobe like she had planned using the sewing kit Grandpa Max had lent her. She had only picked out white, green, and black thread, Gwen happened to notice; Ben wasn't the least bit interested in clothes like his cousin.
"I was worried you might get popular with that thing on your wrist," said Max. "That's why I asked you not to fool around with it until we know what it's capable of."
"But she already told us what it can do," said Ben, referring to Omnitrix. "It can turn me into over a million aliens…but she said I can only use ten. Major rip off. But at least I figured out how to make it work. All you do is press this button, then when the ring pops up, just twist it until you see the guy you wanna be, slam it down and – BAM! You're one of ten super cool alien-dudes!"
"I would ask you to refrain from 'slamming down' on the core," said Omnitrix, moving on to using green thread. "The core is very sensitive and impacting it with sudden force could cause the timeout function to malfunction and create possible mistransformations. If you are going to wield the Omnitrix, please do so with care."
"Is there any way he can just stay an alien and not turn back into plain old pizza face?" asked Gwen snidely.
"Highly inadvisable," said Omnitrix. "Remember, the wear is exchanging their DNA for a sample of another species. Prolonged exposed could rewrite the user's own DNA and therefore damage their mental stability. That's why it possesses a recharge function."
"With a device as powerful as that watch clamped on you," said Max, "my guess is we better help you learn fast."
"That is the whole purpose of my existence," said Omnitrix. "To teacher the wearer the proper functions of the Omnitrix as well as explaining how each alien works."
"That's good to know."
Everyone in the Rust Bucket suddenly shot up and looked around. The voice belonged to someone feminine, but it sounded nothing like Gwen or Omnitrix and neither one of them had a growling tone.
All of a sudden, Cetanu the Yautja formed in the middle of the Rust Bucket like she had appeared out of thin air. Gwen gasped and fell back in her seat while Omnitrix and Ben jumped up. Ben reached for the Omnitrix, but Cetanu shot her hand out and closed her scaly fingers around his thin wrist, blocking off the watch. She also grabbed Omnitrix by the wrist and lifted them both off the floor. Ben and Omnitrix grunted and struggled – Ben even started swinging his short legs at her face – but Cetanu was too strong and out of reach. The Yautja hunter laughed at her squirming prey.
"My father will be pleased to see you both," said Cetanu.
Max witnessed the scene in is rearview mirror and glared at the Yautja's back. Without warning, he slammed the breaks and brought the Rust Bucket to a screeching stop. The sudden jerking motion slingshot Cetanu to the front of the RV where she slammed into the dashboard, unconsciously dropping Ben in the back of the RV, but managed to keep her grip on Omnitrix.
The Yautja groaned for a moment and turned her head to Max, exchanging heated glares as the retired plumber reached for a crowbar he kept in the door pocket. He swung the crowbar at Cetanu's face, but the Yautja popped out two serrated blades from her wrist gauntlet and sliced the metal in half like a hot knife through butter. Cetanu pointed the tips of her wristblades close to Max's face, poised to gouge his eyes out when –
"Accessing Aerophibian sequence," Omnitrix announced in monotone.
"What?" Cetanu asked in surprise.
When the Yautja looked down, she realized too late that the girl's eyes were glowing green with energy and was blasted in the chest with lasers. Cetanu smashed through the Rust Bucket's windshield, hit the road, and tumbled by a good distance. Ben and Gwen arrived at the front of the Rust Bucket, staring out the broken windshield, then turning back to Omnitrix with Grandpa Max as her eyes returned to normal.
"Whoa, how'd you do that?" asked Ben, sounding impressed.
"I am the living embodiment of the Omnitrix," Omnitrix answered like she was saying two plus two equaled four. "It's natural that I would be able to access the DNA in the Omnitrix for self-defense purposes, although it would appear I am only capable of partial transformations. I had intended to change into a full Aerophibian to carry her away."
"Uh…guys, she's getting back up," said Gwen, pointing out the window. Everyone looked out as Cetanu pushed herself back to her feet, shaking off the brief disorientation. "What is that thing anyway?"
"That's a Yautja – a predator-type alien with a long history of hunting other species for honor and sport," answered Omnitrix. "That would explain why the Xenomorph suddenly showed up. She must have tamed it to be her hunting dog. Very clever."
"You can ask for an autograph later!" said Ben urgently. He popped up the Omnitrix core and held it out to its human counterpart. "Quick, which alien should I use to beat that?"
"The Yautja are one of the strongest and most cunning hunting tribes in many galaxies," said Omnitrix, but nonetheless turned the dial. "A Pyronite and a Nemuina aren't going to be enough this time. If you really want to stand a chance against it, I would suggest something sturdy like a Petrosapien" she stopped the watch at a hulking silhouette with three points.
"Well, here goes nothing," said Ben.
Ben slammed down the Omnitrix core (completely disregarding the human counterpart's warning) and exploded in a flash of green light. When the light faded, Ben had transformed into a hulking humanoid made entirely from green crystals with four shards ripping out of his back and the back of his head extending in a sharp point. His uniform was split down the middle with one side black and the other white and the Omnitrix symbol stamped on his upper left side of his chest.
When Ben's transformation had finished, the Rust Bucket occupants came to a rather obvious realization that they had overlooked: Two children, one elderly man, and a massive Petrosapien together in the front of the RV made things really cramped.
"Maybe you should have gone alien outside," said Gwen, tilting her head away from the sharp tip of his back.
"Oops, my bad," Ben apologized.
It took a little effort, but Petrosapien-Ben managed to make it out of the Rust Bucket only slightly scratching the walls and the edges of the door with his back spikes. Now that he was out onto the road, he started walking over to Cetanu in what he thought was a heroic strut: arms straight, chest puffed out, chin held high – yeah, he was totally epic right now.
Cetanu growled softly under her mask and walked straight toward him, meeting him halfway down the road until they were staring each other down face to face. Ben had thought his transformation would make him taller, but they were at equal height. That a bit of a dent in his ego.
"So you've chosen a Petrosapien," said Cetanu, looking him over. "Very clever. None of my weapons are strong enough to completely penetrate your silicon-based exterior."
"Uh…yeah, that's totally why I picked it," Ben bluffed. "So, you wanna give up now? If you beg me, I might just – " Cetanu sucker punched him in the face, sending him flying back into the Rust Bucket where his shoulder spikes pierced the grill. Ben rubbed his jaw; that actually hurt him. "Ugh…totally not cool."
"Just because you're invulnerable now doesn't mean you aren't susceptible to pain," said Cetanu as she approached him, withdrawing her second wristblade. "I will break you until you pass out from the pain, then I will take you and the girl to my father."
"Not gonna happen, you freaky alien lady," Ben declared.
Ben stood back to his feet, tearing his shoulder spikes from the Rust Bucket's grill, and charged at the Yautja predator. The silicon-based hero threw a punch at Cetanu's head, but she effortlessly ducked underneath the blow and delivered a strong undercut to his chin. Ben shook it off and threw a right hook, but Cetanu one again ducked underneath the fist before grabbing him by the arm and flinging him over his shoulder. He slammed the ground with his back and Cetanu pushed her foot against his chest to keep him pinned. The Yautja swiped her wristblade across his face, but Ben raised his arm defensively when his fingers suddenly formed together and extended into a lengthy blade. Cetanu's wristblade was deflected and made her stagger, giving Ben the opportunity to kick her away. As the Yautja rolled off the highway and into the grassy side, Ben looked at his newly shaped hand, commanding more spikes to form along the blade.
"Cool," said Ben.
Cetanu flipped back to her feet, growling, and charged at Ben. The diamond alien rush in to meet her halfway and both warriors clashed their respective blades, creating a shower of sparks when their weapons collided. Though Cetanu was strong compared to basic humans, the Petrosapien was much more powerful, pushing her off and punching her across the face with his free hand. The Yautja hit the ground with one knee – she growled furiously; no one made her kneels except her father. Cetanu looked back up at her prey just in time to see him swipe his bladed hand down and rolled out of the way at the last second. She quickly rolled onto her feet, lunged at the Petrosapien, and slammed his chest with her shoulder. It hurt like the son of a Bad Blood, but it did knock him back on the ground where he belonged.
With the Petrosapien on his back again, Cetanu took no chances with him. The Yautja straddled Ben's chest and used her legs to pin his arms to the side. Not the most dignified or the most honorable way of fighting, but Cetanu's pride as a Child of Vilgax outweighed her honor as a Yautja warrior. She brought both her arms into Ben's vision and popped a second pair of wristblades from her other gauntlet.
"Uh, I think I'm in trouble," said Ben.
"That's putting it lightly," said Cetanu menacingly.
Cetanu cut across Ben's face with all the force her species could muster, chipping a deep scar across his cheek. Due to his Petrosapien nature, Ben easily closed the wound, but that didn't stop him from feeling the pain of losing a piece of himself. The Yautja cut across his face again and left with the same result. With Cetanu keeping his arms pinned under her weight, Ben could do nothing but try to withstand the pain as the daughter of Vilgax repeatedly cut into his face, taking off more and more with each swipe she took.
Meanwhile, Omnitrix and the Tennyson's could only watch through the broken glass of the window.
"Ben's getting a beat down out there," said Max worriedly.
"It makes sense," said Omnitrix, still speaking in monotone. "Benjamin may have the strength and invulnerability of a Petrosapien, but Yautjas are trained from birth to be skilled warriors. She had much greater technique and experience than he does."
"Isn't there any way we can stop her?" Gwen asked Omnitrix urgently, shaking her by the shoulders. "You're the human alien encyclopedia. That alien has to have a weakness, right?"
"They don't have any distinguishing weaknesses," said Omnitrix, humming thoughtfully for a moment. "Unless…."
"Unless what?" asked Gwen.
"Well, the Yautja homeworld has a slightly stronger atmosphere than Earth," said Omnitrix knowledgably. "The Yautja breathe in one percent more oxygen and four perfect more nitrogen than humans, meaning that the air on this world would be considered thin for the Yautja."
"Kind of like when you climb a tall mountain," said Max.
"Exactly," said Omnitrix. "That's why the Yautja crafted breathing apparatuses into their bio-masks to enable them to survive on planets with different atmospheres. Perhaps if we cutting the breathing tube, we can – hey, where did Gwendolyn go?"
Max and Omnitrix looked around the Rust Bucket and noticed that the door was hanging open.
Back in the fight between Cetanu and Ben, things were shaping up to be a bad situation for the alien hero. After being chipped apart many times by the Yautja, Ben was finding it harder and harder to reshape himself while trying not to pass out from the pain. His face was covered in deep cuts that were slow to close, and whenever he tried, Cetanu would cut the wound open again with her wristblades. And to make matters worse, the Omnitrix symbol on his chest started beeping, meaning the end of his transformation was close at hand. Cetanu noticed this and made a soft clicking noise.
"Your time has run out, child," Cetanu hissed into his face. "It was very unwise of you to challenge me."
"Yeah, well…you're ugly," Ben taunted childishly. "Bet you wear that mask 'cause nobody wants to see your ugly face."
"Resorting to petty insults?" said Cetanu amusingly. "The Omnitrix is wasted on you. But don't worry…that device and the girl will soon be put to better use."
"Hand off my doofus cousin, freak show!"
Cetanu gasped underneath her mask as she looked around. She had been so preoccupied with talking down the Petrosapien that she failed to notice the human girl running at her with the axe that the Tennyson's used to cut firewood.
Gwen grunted with effort as she swung the hatchet before Cetanu had time to react properly. The redheaded human purposely missed the Yautja's neck – she didn't have the stomach to actually draw blood – and took a swipe at the tube connected to the side of the mask. The hatchet cut through the tube cleanly; a hissing noise came from the severed hose as the stronger air was released freely.
The effect of Gwen's actions was almost immediate. When Cetanu realized when the redheaded human had done, the Yautja grabbed herself by the throat, suddenly finding it difficult to breath. Cetanu bounced up to the feet, making frequent gasping noises, as she stumbled toward the nearest tree and leaned against the tall redwood to keep herself standing. The whole time Ben was watching the scene in bewilderment, looking between Gwen holding the axe and Cetanu clearly struggling just to stay on her feet. He would have asked what was going on, but the annoying beep of the Omnitrix symbol told him that he was running out of time.
Ben scrambled back to his feet, pointed his hands at Cetanu, and fired two large shards from his palms. The crystal shards got caught in the wire mesh of her shoulders and pinned her to the tree behind her. Under normal conditions, Cetanu could have easily ripped herself free, but the thin levels of oxygen and nitrogen were starting to affect her brain and couldn't quite get her motor functions to work properly. Cetanu slumped in defeat as she tried slowing her breathing to preserve what little breath she was able to gather. Ben looked very pleased with himself before the Omnitrix timer finally hit zero and he was back to his human self in a flash of red light.
"So, does this mean we're even now?" Gwen asked her cousin, referring to the save with the Pyronite.
"Yeah, we're totally even," said Ben gratefully.
"You…," Cetanu said slowly, taking deeper breaths. "I…underestimated…you oomans. That…was my…mistake. One…that I will…not make…next time."
"Yeah right, like there's gonna be a next time," said Gwen, crossing her arms and huffing at the Yautja; she wasn't so scary now.
"Oh…there will be…a next time," said Cetanu. "You…have no idea…what you're up against. Once…my father…gets word of this…he will be…absolutely…furious. Just…you…wait."
"Ooh, I'm so scared," Ben said mockingly.
"You…should be…," Cetanu wheezed.
Before any other words could be said from either side, Cetanu's Xenomorph pet suddenly jumped out of the shadows and landed between them, looking well-rested from its long nap. The alien hunting hound spun around, slapping its tail at Ben and Gwen to knock them aside, and then ripped the shards out of its master's shoulders. The Yautja slumped forward and the Xenomorph allowed her to drape over his back. Max and Omnitrix ran out to help Ben and Gwen up, staring down the black-shelled monster. The Xenomorph hissed furiously at the group, but quickly took off into the shadows carrying its master to safety.
"This is officially the weirdest day ever," said Gwen.
"Ben, Gwen, are you two okay?" Max asked in concern.
"Yeah, we're fine, grandpa," said Ben. "Man, that freaky alien lady was totally tearing into me. If Gwen hadn't helped, she'd probably turned me into jewelry."
"She said something about handing us over to her father, didn't she?" Omnitrix noted, staring off into the darkness where the enemies fled. "If one young adult Yautja and a Xenomorph drone were capable of all this, then I can't imagine how powerful her father must be."
It was many hours later after her crushing defeat at the hands of three ooman children and an elderly man before Cetanu had the strength to return to the Chimerian Hammer. Never before had she wished that the Black Hunter would come from the shadows and stab her through both hearts and rip out her skull to place upon his trophy wall. More than disappointing her father, Cetanu hated it when he was furious at her. Even in his broken state, the Yautja couldn't stop flinching when he raised his voice.
"Failure?!" roared Vilgax. "Unacceptable! Were I not in a damaged state, I would throttle you until you were within an inch of your life! You better have a good reason why I should not toss you out into the vacuum of space!"
"I have information that may interest you, father," said Cetanu in a rushed, desperate tone. "I have recently learned that there is more to the Omnitrix that we had originally believed. The Omnitrix has developed a sentient form that acts independently from the device. It is teaching the ooman how to wield the Omnitrix, specifying the strengths and weaknesses of each form, and offering detailed knowledge of various species, including my own. That…thing knew that my species was incapable of breathing in the planet's atmosphere and used that to the oomans advantage. If the Omnitrix is capable of discerning my species weakness, then that could very well mean it knows how to combat you as well, father."
"Hmm…that is troublesome," Vilgax hummed thoughtfully. "Retrieving the Omnitrix may prove to be more difficult than anticipated."
The next day, Max had driven the Rust Bucket to the nearest repair shop to buff out the dents and replace the broken windshield. Max and Gwen had just finished paying to the repairman and walking back to the RV when Omnitrix stepped outside, displaying her new wardrobe that she had finished crafting last night.
She wore a long dress that was mostly white and reached past her knees. Three green strips were on either side of her hips; green rims wrapped round the hem of the dress, and a black-green circuit pattern was woven in the upper portion of her chest and stretched up to cover her neck with the Omnitrix symbol stamped in the center. Gwen had also let her borrow a pair of her shoes since the human Omnitrix had no way of making her own. Omnitrix twirled in a circle, letting her dress flow around her, and Max whistled in approval.
"Looking spiffy there, kid," said Max.
"Thank you, Maxwell," said Omnitrix. "I'm very proud of it myself."
"Well, now that you've got the look, you're gonna need a name," said Max.
"A name?" asked Omnitrix curiously.
"Yeah, you're a real girl now – you gotta have a name," said Gwen. She tapped her chin and looked her over in thought. "Hmm…since you're the Omnitrix's brain…why don't we call you Trixie?"
"Trixie…," hummed the human Omnitrix, taking a moment to think it over. "Yes…I quite like that. From now on, I will be called Trixie."
"Great," said Max approvingly. He looked around for a moment, scratching his head. "Say, did anyone see where Ben went?"
"I haven't seen him since breakfast," said Gwen.
"Ben asked me to teach him how to use the Citrakayah before he ran off," Trixie informed them.
"The what now?" asked Gwen cluelessly.
Her question was soon answered when a cloud of dust kicked up in the distance at rapid speed before it stopped in front of the Rust Bucket. Gwen, Max, and Trixie found themselves staring at a humanoid cat alien covered in black and blue fur with patches of black fur coming off their faces in points, making it look like it was wearing a mask, sharp spikes coming off its wrists and ankles, and the Omnitrix symbol stamped on its chest.
"Ben?" asked Max.
"Yep," Ben said in an excited tone. "Hey, check this out." Faster than any of them could blink, the cat-like alien zoomed around the Rust Bucket at least twenty times, appearing as nothing more than a black and blue blur to the other, before it stopped in front of them with a wide grin. "I'm not just fast, I'm Fasttrack!"
It was lucky he stopped in time because the Omnitrix soon timed out and Ben reverted back to his natural human form. Rather than looking disappointed, Ben brushed himself off and smiled up at his family (plus Trixie).
"I think this is gonna be the best summer ever," said Ben.
"Absolutely," Max agreed.
"I still have yet to understand the customs of your world, so I am in no position to agree or disagree," Trixie said bluntly.
"Well, it's certainly going to be interesting," said Gwen, looking torn between excitement and worry at the thought of Ben playing with the most powerful weapon in the universe all summer. "So, where'd you go anyway?"
"Just had to take care of a couple of things before our vacation really got rolling," Ben said cryptically.
It was common knowledge that heroes were never supposed to use their powers selfishly or to seek out revenge, but just this once, Ben was willing to make an exception. I mean, if you suddenly had the power to get back at your bullies, wouldn't you? That was the only reason Ben needed to hunt down Cash and J.T. back in Bellwood and hanging them by their underwear on a tree branch overlooking the street.
"Dude, how'd we get up here?" asked Cash.
"Ugh…I'm not sure," moaned J.T. "It all happened so fast."
"Hey, somebody!" Cash flagged down the cars rolling past them, but none bothered to acknowledge the two adolescents hanging helplessly from the tree. "Anybody! Little help up here, please!"
And that officially concludes the first real episode of Ben 10. I think I did a good job trying to pack as much information as I could in this episode as well as displaying some of the new alien roster and showing off Trixie's partial transformation power. That last point in particular is going to be important in a future plot point. I'm not too confident in the action scenes – they seemed…choppy. If you have any suggestions on how to improve it, please feel free to say.
Next episode: Washington B.C.