So the next chapter of the crossover is here, and oof it's the time Ben got really sick, he's gonna need help now more then ever, and how will Altera play into caring for Ben during this time? Only one way to find out.
I must say it's interesting how many readers are seeking a Ben/Fate fanfics to which I'm happy many of you are enjoying my work and for that I thank you sincerely
Now onto the chapter
Ben 10/Fate belong to Man of Action and Nasu. ITS HERO TI- AAAAH CHOO!
Chapter 13: Alien Fever
It was a noisey day as a demolition site was in operation, a wrecking crane operator was enjoying his job as he swung the wrecking ball around.
"Getting paid to smash stuff haha! You gotta love this job."
As the old building was getting torn down a sickly green skin man walked out of the shadows with insects crawling around him, he didn't go unnoticed by the worker below
"Hey look!"
"Get out of our home."
"Heh I'd hate to break it to you buddy but this building has been condemned by order of counsel woman Liang." One of the workers said.
"Yeah, so move it or lose it. This place is coming down whether you like it or not." The other followed suit.
The insect man didn't take to lightly to that response.
"AH!"
A swarm of flies erupted from him.
"Aagh!!" Squealed one of the men as he ran while the other was caught in the swarm.
"AAAAGH!" He screamed as he was sent airborne to the insect man's level.
"GET THESE THINGS OFF ME!!"
"Well, if you think we're bugging you now!"
Another day and another bad guy chase as a red car sped down the road with the Rustbucket in pursuit.
"Oh they'll never catch me."
As the runaway was gloating Gwen looked out the window to a hopeful sight.
"There they are!"
"You sure?" Max asked.
"Totally."
Right on schedule a motorcycle that was all black with green circuitry running through it sped up in front of the camper, not only that but it had a rider to boot.
"You ready to bust some bad guy butt Altera?" Upgrade asked.
"Seems to be our passtime." Altera replied.
The criminal was able to speed through a traffic signal just as it turned red which forced the Rustbucket to stop, but Altera and Upgrade kept going moving through the sidewalk to bypass the traffic.
In their pursuit the crook ran a red light as a camper was coming through.
"Ben!"
"I got it!"
Slipping to his side he ducked under the camper as Altera jumped over it before seating herself back on the bike.
The crook sped ahead of a truck carrier but that wasn't gonna deter the duo as Upgrade used it as a ramp to gain air momentum allowing him and his partner to catch up.
"Ben, on my signal fire a beam at his trunk!" Altera said.
"Exactly my thought!"
"Go!"
Going as ordered Ben fired a green beam from his eye core and blew open the trunk revealing and releasing scores of cash.
"Some people just can't hang on to their money."
Having said that Upgrade created a spike on one of his wheels and used it to burst one of the car tires sending the robber into a spin before crashing next to a parked car.
The robber looked over to see Upgrade and Altera pull up next to him to his surprise.
"No way!?"
In quick succession Altera went behind him and chopped him in the back of his neck, knocking him out.
"Will make it easier for the authorities."
As the sound of police sirens filled the air Ben had noticed an ice cream truck nearby.
"Well I did just nab a bad guy."
Getting off of the bike Upgrade opened the back of the truck to see it full of ice cream boxes.
"Now we're talking!"
XXX
"I'm telling you the motorcycle it was driving itself." The robber tried explaining to the police as he was getting arrested.
"Where's Ben?" Max asked.
"Long day, long chase, I think I know where he is." Gwen said as she looked at the ice cream truck with Altera next to it.
Upon opening the back they saw Ben inside as a human again and he was shivering with a popsicle in his hand.
"You ok?" Max asked, concerned.
Ben cracked a smile but sneezed, it was clear he was sick.
"I'll take that as a no."
"Altera, why did you let this happen?" Gwen asked.
"Sometimes you have to learn things the hard way." She replied.
Back at the Rustbucket beeping can be heard as a thermometer was in a bedridden Ben's mouth gaging his temperature.
"Well, 101, sorry Ben, it's official, you have a summer cold." Max informed him as he read it.
"Maybe you'll think twice about having snack time inside an ice cream truck." Gwen remarked.
Ben's response was he was about to sneeze only to grab a nearby blue blouse to wipe his nose.
"Hey! That's my new blouse!" Complained his cousin.
Ben let his sneeze out as the blouse was taken out of his hand by Altera.
"Maybe you can think twice about leaving some of your clothes lying around." She retorted.
She then gently took Ben and had him lie back as she took a towel that she soaked in hot water and put it over his forehead, before she started gently patting his head.
"What am I gonna do with you Ben?" She asked with a small smirk.
"Altera don't touch him you'll get sick too you know." Max advised.
"Trust me when I say I won't."
"Cold tablets, decongestants, cough suppressants, hospital mask." Gwen listed as she pulled out various items.
"I don't need all that junk." Ben said.
He would have sat up to retort but he felt content with laying back under Altera's instruction, lest he lose the feeling of having his head pat.
"They're not for you doofus they're for me. Once a bug like that gets out there's no stopping it." Gwen said.
"Why don't you just lock me away in some closet somewhere until I'm better." Ben responded.
"Can we grandpa!? Please?" Gwen begged.
"All Ben needs is a dose of my famous San ju yen pien cold remedy, let's go, Chinatown's just down the block. Max suggested.
XXX
Chinatown was abuzz with festivities as a parade was being held to the cheers and waves of the crowd, as Max, Altera, Gwen and Ben exit a nearby shop.
"You know it's so hard to find fresh potikadon root anymore, it's all freeze dried nowadays." Max lamented.
The only response was a cough from the ever sick Ben.
"Can we just get a milkshake or something? Ugh my throat is killing me."
"Don't worry, the stinkweed honey and the San ju yen pien coats your entire esophageal area." Max said as he handed Ben a jar.
When Ben took the jar and opened it up one sniff immediately made him reel back from a very pungent odor, Altera out of curiosity also took a whiff and even though she didn't react to it she was very close to just throwing the jar in disgust.
"And that's a good thing?" Ben asked.
"So where exactly did you learn to make this stuff grandpa?" Gwen inquired.
"I picked it up from a monk in Guangdong, China." Max replied. Only to receive a look from Gwen.
"They have plenty in China too, you know."
Further discussion was interrupted by the blare of a microphone nearby as a crowd was being addressed to by counsel woman Liang.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I want to thank all of you for your support of my Downtown Redevelopment program. It's truly a dream come true."
As she spoke a wasp landed on her microphone and the crowd seemed to be distracted and looking at something.
That something was a mass swarm of wasps which alerted Liang as the crowd panicked, and riding a platform of wasps was that insect man from before.
"Better make that a nightmare counsel woman!"
His glowed ominously as more wasps began to swarm everywhere and around everyone.
"WASPS!" Gwen shouted.
"Annoying!" Altera followed up as everyone was trying to shoe the insects away.
People began to leave the area in droves until the general vicinity was all but abandoned, Liang found herself to be directly targeted by the bug man.
"You're not tearing down our apartment building, we won't let you."
"You're the nut job who wouldn't leave!" Liang responded.
"Nice to know we made an impression."
With the glow of his eyes the wasps swarmed Liang and lifted her into the air.
"What are you doing!?"
"Just bringing you home for dinner, you're the main course!" He said with a sadistic smile.
Not wanting to watch from the sidelines anymore Ben dialed his Omnitrix and hit the faceplate turning into Wildmutt, only he was sickly looking.
Wildmutt began to sneeze as his ability to smell was clogged up by mucus. Without the ability to smell Wildmutt began to run around confused hitting everything in every direction.
"Has Ben gone rabid or what?" Gwen asked.
"Ben's cold must be affecting Wildmutt's sense of smell. With his schnoz clogged he can't tell where he's going." Max deduced.
"Ok fur ball! I'm driving!" Gwen declared.
However just as she was gonna run up and jump on Wildmutt Altera grabbed her by her shirt collar and yanked her back right onto her ass.
"Ow! What gives Altera!?"
"I'll do it." Altera responded.
She gently walked up to Ben and in a gentle tone began to speak.
"Ben? Hey now, it's just me. It's just me. I know smelling is your thing but you can hear me right?" Altera asked.
Wildmutt sneezed and growled but from what she can tell he understood.
"That's it." Altera soothingly said as she petted his fur. "I'm gonna hop on and direct ok?"
A simple growl from Wildmutt was the only indication she needed as she hopped on.
"Ok, head forward and bank left!" Altera directed.
Doing as told Wildmutt sped off in the direction she instructed as Altera drew her energy sword drawn but by the time they reached the podium Liang and the bug msn were gone.
Back at the Rustbucket Ben was bedridden once again.
"Ah, just when I thought it couldn't get any worse."
"Here, this will help." Max offered as he gave Beg the jar of his cure.
One smell and Ben was disgusted.
"Ah yuck!"
"Don't worry, it smells worse than it tastes. Or is it the other way around?" Max said unsure.
"So it's safe to say Ben's cold has extended to his aliens as well, rather interesting but it worries me." Altera said.
"There's no telling how it will affect the others Altera." Max replied.
Ben then took a look at the medicine and drank in only to gag.
Oh, ugh, that was so grim."
"Heh, don't worry, after ten or so doses you start to get used to it." Max consoled him.
"Oh I don't know what's worse, the cold or the cure." Ben said.
As that was going on Gwen was on her laptop digging into a bit of research regarding their latest threat.
"Got it, bug-guy said something about knocking down his apartment building. The only apartment downtown left for demolition is at 8610 Chester Street."
As she said this Ben slipped the jar under his seat.
"What grandpa doesn't know won't hurt me."
"Looks I'll have to keep an eye on you for this." Altera said with a smirk.
XXX
At the bug-man's rundown apartment Liang was swarmed by black widow spiders.
"Please don't hurt me." She begged quietly.
"Black Widows, you shouldn't make any sudden moves. Our grandfather built this building, we grew up here, just me and my little friends, they are the only ones who understand, and no one is evicting us."
The Tennysons and Altera arrived at the apartment complex.
"Nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live here." Gwen commented.
"Let's just all stick together." Max advised.
The interior of the building was ramshackled, cracks, soaked waterlogged floors and mold riddled the area, a perfect place to house a bug whispering creep.
It was nothing but silence as they walked through the delapitated and decaying hallways with only the sounds of rodents scurrying around.
The group decided to split up and check the various rooms for any significant contents, one which Max found on the wall of various papers, an old headline article involving a nuclear test and the insects that survived them.
"They've gotta be here somewhere."
Gwen walked over to a nearby corner that was covered by an enormous spider nest.
"Something tells me we're getting close." She said hesitantly.
"Where's Ben?" Max then asked.
"Altera's not here either." Gwen replied.
As they were about to exit the room they were confronted by a large silhouette walking towards them.
"Ahh! Mega bug!" Gwen shouted.
The so-called mega bug turned out to be a sickly fourarms with his two upper hands raised by his head.
"Normally I would admonish him for misusing the Omnitrix for such childish purposes during a serious situation but I figured I'd cut him some slack a bit for the day he's had." Altera said as she stepped out of the shadows. "A good thing I let him too because I have a very distinct feeling."
"Help!"
A cry for help was heard right after she said that only confirmed her suspicion as she looked above.
"Ben they're above us!"
"I'm on it!"
Rushing in he proceeded to scoop up Max and Gwen into his arms, the latter noticing his under arms looking rather disgusting with a pungent odor.
Noticing this, Fourarms began sniffing his pits.
"It's your hives." Max said with his nose pinched. "The cold must've turned them into pus-filled pockets ofâ""
"Pure putridness." Gwen capped off.
"I can't help it. I'm sick."
"We know Ben but right now time is of the essence." Altera said.
Nodding Fourarms and Altera jumped up through the ceiling into the floor above, and found Liang huddled against a wall as Black Widows crawled along her.
"Stop, Black Widows." Liang said.
"There's gotta be some way to help her." Gwen urged.
As if right on schedule Fourarms began to set up for a big sneeze.
"Ah-choo!"
The mucus found itself all over the chairwoman, on the bright side it knocked the Black Widows off her putting her out of danger, more or less.
"Oops." Fourarms utters.
"Uh, thanks?" Liang thanked albeit not knowing how to fully feel about what just happened.
"Don't mention it." Fourarms responded sheepishly.
Altera found herself giggling a little at the situation, she's been in many high action events but it seems since linking up with Ben and his family there's no shortage of out of pocket moments.
"You are trespassing." The bug-man said as he made his presence known.
A swarm of cockroaches began to move and coalesce into a big enough being that it knocked Fourarms down.
The bug-man meanwhile was hopping around above them hissing.
"We will rule mankind."
The cockroach swarm began to target Max as it bared down on him.
"Grandpa look out!" Gwen warned.
Termites suddenly appeared and ate the wood out from under her, sending her tumbling only for Altera and Liang to catch her simultaneously.
"You want to be king? Prepare to be crowned Fourarms declared.
The bug-man responds by sending a swarm of ants around him that begin to crawl up his legs.
"Ahh! Ants in my pants!" Fourarms panics as he hops on one foot.
What resulted was Fourarms began to itch and dance around while saying ow.
The sight was so ridiculous Altera couldn't help but giggle lightly despite the situation.
"Max, you might want to move."
And move he did as the itchy Tetramand slammed into the wall behind him.
As Fourarms was dead with the unending itch he began to punch at and barrel into everything in sight.
"You're destroying our home!" The bug-man panicked.
As a response a swarm of wasps began to encircle him as Fourarms continued his unintended rampage.
"The whole place is coming down!" Gwen cried.
"We have to get out of here!" Liang responded.
"No time!" Max shouted as he pulled the others to duck as the building completely collapsed.
XXX
In the rubble Fourarns breached his way out and fell flat on his back feeling rather dizzy as the Omnitrix timed out, reverting him to human.
"Ugh, good thing I can't feel my head." Ben said.
Everyone heard the sound of movement as the bug-man rose up through the wreckage only to notice all the dead insects before him.
"No, NO! You will all be sorry. We will-"
SLASH!!
Before he could finish his monologue the sound of clean and quick slash was heard.
"Uuuh...uuu...ck...!"
Before the bug-man knew it his vision was blurry in and out of focus, but he did see enough of what was in front of him.
It was Altera with her plasma sword drawn, a blank expression on her face as she stared at him, a cold blank stare.
"This whole bug gimmick is tiresome civilization." She said almost robotic like.
Everyone present looked on in utter disbelief as the bug-man's head fell clean off his shoulders.
He had been decapitated.
"That takes care of that." Altera said.
Without warning though a burst of insects began to flood out of the headless corpse, the body began to change as it morphed into some kind of mutant insectoid.
"It's not over!" Max said.
"Chairwoman Liang! Get out of here, we're gonna finish this!" Gwen said as Liang evacuated from the site.
The mutant insectoid however after summoning a swarm left the area for whatever reason.
"Where did the bug brain go?" Ben asked.
"I'm of the opinion that he wants to wipe out the city for we did to his home." Altera said.
"And what better way to wipe a city than a nuclear meltdown." Max realized as he looked at the nearby nuclear power plant.
As the gang entered the power plant they found the control room only to see it was all smashed up, the alarm system going off to warn of a meltdown coming.
"All the controls are smashed, we'll have to shut it down manually." Max said.
"How do we do that?" Ben asked.
"Just outside the reactor core, there's an emergency override system."
"Let me guess, you learned about nuclear reactors from a monk in China as well?" Gwen asked suspiciously.
"Incoming!" Altera shouted.
Coming from the exit was the insectoid, but suddenly it began ti speak.
"Came for a front row seat?"
"If this place goes nuclear, you're gonna blow up with it." Ben said.
"We don't think so."
Cockroaches began to swarm around him like a suit for protection.
"Cockroaches are believed to be able to survive nuclear blasts. Cunning." Altera comments.
Ben stepped forward as he dialed the Omnitrix and turned into Heatblast, however he glowed a bright blue.
"Ben, you're cold." Altera said.
"I know, I've had a cold all day."
"That's just it! It looks like your flames are frozen!"
"What?"
Testing his flames all he got was a cold gust.
"Oh noâ""
Heatblast got swatted away as Altera told Max and Gwen to get to the override system.
"I'm backing you up on this one Ben!" Altera declared.
"Good to know!" Heatblast acknowledged.
"You were so close to killing me little girl, perhaps i should eat you first!"
XXX
As Max and Gwen ran down the hall they were pursued by a mass swarm of hornets.
"Oh, remember the old expression? Mean as a hornet?" Max asked.
The duo managed to reach a fire station and grabbed the hoses, soon as Max charged it up Gwen sprayed the entire swarm leaving them flightless.
XXX
Back with Heatblast and Altera the latter was taking swift slashes at the cockroach covered mutant only to be dodged relentlessly, but suddenly he was blasted by an ice beam.
"Hey." Heatblast said with interest.
"Ben, keep hitting him with ice! I'll jump in as soon as he's immobilized!" Altera strategized.
Doing as he's told he stuck both his hands out and a large ice beam began to freeze the creature.
"No no NOOOOOOâ"!"
Now completely frozen solid Altera lept into the air and dropped a heavy axe kick right on top of the frozen mutant, the impact completely shattering him.
"Wow." Heatblast said as he took in what had occurred.
"A lot to take in isn't it?" Altera asked knowingly.
"Yeah, it honestly is."
"Core meltdown in one minute!"
"I have an idea!" Ben said.
Altera nodded as Ben burst through the window into the reactor core station, she watched as Heatblast used his new ice abilities to freeze the reactor core into stabilizing once and for all.
With the chaos of the bug-man dealt with it was back on the road again.
"Bad guy dealt with, the reactor is chilling and I think that steam knocked out the last of my cold." Ben said triumphant.
"Don't you just love it when everything works out?" Max replied.
"Glad you're feeling better Ben." Altera said.
"I still feel weird about what happened to that guy back there." Ben said rather forlornly.
"I know, someone like you shouldn't have to experience that, I'd rather avoid it just for your sake but sometimes situations don't give much choice." Altera replied.
"I guess." Was Ben's only response.
"At least you're not sick anymore, I'm glad." Altera said.
"What got you celebrating if I don't have a cold anymore?" Ben asked as he sat up.
"Cause it won't be gross if I do this."
Altera leaned forward and to Ben's surprise she gave him a light peck on the lips.
To say Ben's face was extremely red was an absolute understatement, he was virtually glowing.
"Figured that might help ease your mind a bit." Altera said with a wink.
Ben only sat back and tried to calm himself and slid down on his chair.
"Girls are weird." Ben muttered, but he hardly thought that of Altera.
And that's another chapter down, honestly decided to play with the idea that the insect guy was way more then meets the eye so I figured i would further iterate that he was a mutant of sorts
Anyway hope you enjoyed the chapter as we move forward to the next
Next chapter: Unveiling Secrets
See ya!