Ben X Chapter 39
Across the Omniverse Arc
Ben 101
Paradox led the heroes through the portal and the trio of Omnitrix users gazed upon their new surroundings with awe and wonder. The group found themselves in the middle of a futuristic urban metropolis. It was immediately clear that the technology in this universe was far more advanced than any of their native dimensions. Flying hover cars sped over their heads, neon holographic advertisements floated in the air, futuristic fonts both human and alien in design labelled the buildings and street signs. Lights flashed around them, both humans and aliens walked among them, and large tall futuristic buildings towered above them. All the around them they could hear the familiar hum of urban life intermingled with strange technological sounds and hums that were unkown to them. Even the gadgets and devices held by everyday people were so much more advanced than anything they were used to. All around them robotic devices assissted people in their day to day lives: moving packages, serving food and drink, cleaning up trash. There even appeared to be a few sentient robots going about as normal citizens. All-in-all, the effect had the trio of heroes gawking like they stepped into a science-fiction book.
"Come along children, this way!" Called Paradox as he walked confidently down the street. The heroes followed after him still taking in the futuristic sights. Even as unfamiliar as this world was to them, the native populace seemed to bear them no mind, if anything viewing them only as inexperienced tourists.
"Man this place is so cool!" Ben 23 exclaimed as he marvelled at the many fancy gadgets and toys that he fantasized about owning. His eyes were filled with stars and he flitted from one side of the street to the other, drooling over every sleek new technology he came across.
"Seriously! This place is so advanced! I can't believe some of the stuff I'm seeing: anti-grav tech, teleportation, quantum computing. We must be in the future!" Gwen 10 surmised. Gwen's words suddenly caused things to click in Ben 10's brain, the surroundings becoming familiar. He had been here before, or at least somewhere very nearly identical to it.
"Hey Paradox?" He spoke up. "I thought you said we wouldn't be able to go recruit my future self?" He voiced his suspicions that this was indeed Ben 10,000's time line.
"Very astute Ben, but this is not the timeline of your future self." Paradox corrected him. "This is Dimension 101, home to the smartest version of Ben Tennyson in all the Omniverse. Why I frequently make trips here to discuss matters with him and debate scientific theory." He clarified. "In fact he is almost single-handedly responsible for most of the technology you see around you. His work has advanced his Earth's science decades ahead." He gestured around to the vastly futuristic technology around them.
"Wow, dude sounds pretty smart. But do we really need smartypants in our group? Wouldn't we be better off with some butt-kicking versions of ourselves?" Ben 23 asked, miming karate chops in the air.
"I wouldn't discount him yet Ben, we need every advantage against Eon we can get." Ben 10 cautioned.
"Yeah, plus it will be great to finally have a version of Ben that's intelligent." Gwen said mockingly.
"Hey! Are you calling us dumb?!" Ben 23 retorted.
"I mean if the shoe fits?" Gwen shrugged. Ben 10 could only roll his eyes. It seemed that no matter what universe he was in, sticking a Ben and a Gwen together would result in name-calling.
But their childish antics soon fell to the wayside as they walked the city streets. Their attention was quickly diverted by the fascinating tech that surrounded them on all sides. Paradox led them through the urban sprawl expertly. Eventually they came into view of their destination. Soaring above many of the other buildings surrounding it stood a spire of steel and glass. It's sleek rectangular body gave way to a more organic design as it rose into the sky, culminating in an array of discs and antenna that seemed to sprout like branches from a tree. But what caught their attention the most was the Omnitrix symbol proudly emblazoned on the side of the building, the only difference was the yellow coloration to the icon.
"That is our destination, Tennyson Tower." Paradox pointed upwards with his cane. The time walker led the group inside where they stepped into a large lobby filled with more floating screens, inlaid lights, and some surprisingly spacious and well maintained planters. All around them humans, aliens, and robots milled about, many of them wearing labcoats indicating them to be scientists of some sort. The group walked across the lobby, many of the scientists seeming to ignore them outright completely. Paradox led them to an elevator of sorts, a circular platform powered by antigrav technology.
"Wait so that's it?" Ben questioned. "We just hop on the elevator and go up to see him? For the smartest Ben I would expect he'd have more security." He said.
"Oh believe me Tennyson Tower's security clocked us the second we walked in. If we weren't allowed in guards would be on us in seconds. Besides the only way to reach this Ben's private laboratory is with specially encoded key cards. Which luckily he has provided me with. Why he probably already knows we're here." Paradox explained as he produced said key card and swiped it on the reader. The elevator lift soon began rising. Through the semi-transparent glass they watched as they ascended higher and higher, passing nearly to the top of the building.
When at last the lift stopped they stepped out into an advanced laboratory space. All around them laid robotic machines and devices, in varying states of completion. Chemical substances sat carefully placed into shelving units against a wall. Floating computers, screens, and touch pads hovered above different tables with varying degrees of text. Complex equations were written along whiteboards, so expansive that they often ran onto other boards. Biological samples were encased in glass domes, plants, tissue samples, cell cultures, all under carefully controlled environmental conditions. The trio of heroes were once again left speechless by the sheer amount of scientific equipment in the laboratory. But sitting inconspicuously among the vast scientific array was a single small alien form, a Galvan, working on a complex robotic chassis laid out on the table. Without turning around to acknowledge them, the alien spoke.
"Paradox, I see you've brought a retinue along with you this time. To what do I owe the pleasure?" He spoke plainly.
"Yes I have, and they are distant relations to you. Everyone I would like to introduce Ben Tennyson of Dimension 101, the most intelligent human on Earth." Paradox gestured to the Galvan. The alien turned around for the first time at the introduction, his bulbous eyes scrutinizing their group. His gaze immediately noted the Omnitrix on each of their wrists and then he recognized their familial resemblance. He stood and walked over to the edge of the lab table.
"I prefer Benjamin actually," He said with a dry tone. "And judging by your appearances and the devices on your wrists I can only conclude that you are all omnitrix wielders from different dimensions." He deduced, placing his hands behind his back. Ben 10 was a little taken aback by the maturity and seriousness of this alternate version of himself. It reminded him a lot of Azmuth. But deciding to be polite he swallowed his disquiet and replied.
"Uh, yeah. This is Ben from dimension 23, and this is Gwen 10, and I'm…" But he was cut off as Ben 101 spoke up.
"You must be Ben Prime, Paradox has told me of you multiple times. Although I believe he had always mentioned a future version of you. This version seems… incomplete." He said.
"Uhh…" Ben stalled, unsure of how to respond.
"I suppose it is only polite to converse with you in my human form. A moment please." With that the little Galvan jumped off the table. A flash of yellow light revealed a young Ben Tennyson standing in front of them. His hair was neatly combed to the side and he wore a pair of angular and sharp glasses on his face. His outfit was a yellow polo shirt with a pocket protector. A yellow and white striped tie hung from his neck. And a pair of khakis and brown dress shoes completed the look. His Omnitrix sported a yellow color as well. His expression was one of carefully controlled neutrality, bordering on disinterest. The group of heroes were all shocked, they had never come across a version of Ben that was so unlike, well Ben before.
"Hey! You're like my age!" Ben 23 was the first to speak up. "With all this fancy equipment and the way you talk I was expecting an older Ben." He said. Ben 101 quirked an eyebrow. Ignoring the outburst he turned towards Paradox and addressed him.
"You didn't tell them anything about me did you?" He asked.
"I figured I'd let you speak for yourself. Why spoil the surprise?" He responded with a shrug. Ben 101 sighed.
"Very well, let's get this over with." He said with a hint of resignation. "Yes I am very young but do not let that fool you as it has no bearing on my intellect. I have often been called a boy genius but I am so much more than that. I graduated high school at the age of eight, college, at thirteen, and have spent the last three years developing new technologies and advancing research in multiple disciplines. I have master's in several fields and have single handedly advanced my Earth's science to a level comparable to other interstellar alien civilizations. Having the Omnitrix is really just an added benefit, allowing me to tackle my research, and the occasional threat to Earth, with a more hands on approach." He spoke as though reciting a presentation. The group stared at him with mixed expressions. Ben 101 regarded their slackjawed faces with disdain.
"Ahem, well now that my introduction is out of the way, may I ask what brings you here?" He said ignoring their baffled looks.
"Oh, yeah, well here's the situation…" Ben began to explain the predicament they found themselves in. He detailed to his counterpart the predicament with Eon and how he had captured all of his worst enemies, trapping them in an alternate Omnitrix to absorb their powers. He told Ben 101 of Dagon, the multi-dimensional entity of chaos and ultimate power that Eon had absorbed. Throughout the explanation, Ben 101's face remained placid and unemotional. It was rather unnerving for the other Omnitrix wielders who did not know how to handle his stoicism.
"And that's why we need your help." Ben finished at last. But their newest recruit stayed impassive even after Ben's impassioned plea. Ben swallowed nervously, had they misjudged this Ben? Was he not going to help them after all? Ben 101 breathed a deep sigh before rolling his eyes.
"Fine, I suppose I'll help you." He finally said.
"Alright, sweet!" Ben 23 exclaimed with a fist pump. Gwen and Ben 10 both gave slight smiles.
"But, I have one condition." He followed up. The group looked at him with confusion.
"I get to be in charge." Ben 101 said.
"What?!" Gwen exclaimed in outrage. The other two Bens stared at their multi-dimensional counterpart in a mixture of shock and consternation.
"It's only the most logical conclusion that I should be the leader." He explained smugly. "I have the highest IQ of any omnitrix wielder, save perhaps Azmuth himself. And from your description of events it sounds as though you've bungled things every step of the way." Benjamin said. Outrage flashed on all of their faces at the accusation. "If we're going to defeat this so-called ultimate evil then we need a leader who is capable, confident and intelligent, erego, me." He said as if it was the most natural thing in the world. "So do we have a deal?" He asked extending a hand to Ben 10 with a smug look on his face. Ben stared at his younger counterpart bewildered, but thankfully he was not the first to respond.
"Are you insane?!" Gwen shouted as she came up and slapped Ben 101's hand away. "Why would you even suggest something like that?" She accused.
"Oh so you're telling me you have complete confidence in him?" He replied. "Why's that?"
"Because he's the oldest of us and he knows exactly what we're going up against, not to mention he's led both of us in the past." Gwen said passionately.
"Yeah, not to mention he's Ben Prime dude!" Ben 23 added in.
"Respectfully, I disagree." He responded in a dry tone that implied anything but respect. "Besides who else could we trust to lead this mission? Clearly not that version of Ben." He gestured to 23 who took offense to the statement. "And clearly you're not a good candidate." He remarked to Gwen.
"What is that supposed to mean?" She asked offended.
"You're a female, and it is a scientific fact that females of the human species are inferior to males, its just a fact." He said coolly and without a hint of remorse.
"UGGH! I cannot believe you just said that!" She exclaimed as she took a swing at Ben 101. He ducked with a hint of fear on his face, the first emotion he seemed to show in their entire encounter.
"Yeah man, misogyny is so not cool dude." Ben 23 nodded sagely.
"I don't know why you're so upset? It's not like it's something you can control." He said backing away from her fury. But the statement only served to incense her further.
"Oh my god! I can't believe this. Does your Gwen let you talk like this?" She asked with wild eyes.
"My Gwen is nothing more than a simple vapid valley girl. The only things of interest to her are fashion and boys." He said with an eyeroll.
"Well that just means I get to pound the lesson into your skull in her place!" Gwen responded now chasing the boy genius around his lab. Ben 101, now fully disavowed of his calm and collected demeanor, ran away from her cowering behind his various desks and invention. Ben 23 watched on with amusement as his pseudo-cousin chased Ben 101 around the lab threatening to make him pay for his comments. Ben 10 however, watched the proceedings with skepticism. He turned his gaze to Paradox who had for the most part stood by the side as an observer.
"This was your first candidate?" Ben asked incredulously.
"I never said he was perfect." Paradox shrugged. Ben turned back to look at his counterpart. Gwen had apparently given up on attacking him directly and instead had opted for destroying as much of his lab as she could while he helplessly stood on the sides. His air of superiority had all but disappeared as Gwen made a mess of his work, and he, desperate to get her to stop yelled from the sidelines. All the while Ben 23 stood at the side cheering Gwen on. All in all it looked like a scene from a circus.
Ben contemplated this alternate version of himself. He couldn't deny that this Ben was far more intelligent than any of them, and they could certainly use that intelligence on their side. However his ego left a lot to be desired. And the misogyny was a whole other issue. He supposed it was ironic that he finally met a Ben with an ego that was bigger than his own. He realized distantly that this must have been what his friends and family had felt whenever his own ego had surfaced. The realization was… unpleasant to say the least. He finally knew how annoying he could be, he supposed it was his just desserts. He knew if those close to him were here they would definitely be bragging to him smugly by now. Still, if he could somehow convince this Ben to their side, and without having to acquiesce to his demands, he was sure Ben 101 would be a valuable ally to have.
But all their antics were cut short by the blaring of an alarm around them. Red lights flashed overhead causing all of the occupants to pause and look around in confusion. Floating monitors sped their way over to Ben 101. He immediately began touching the screens, dismissing the alerts and bringing up video footage.
"What's going on?" Ben 10 asked.
"Perimeter alert. Someone or something is attempting to break into my tower." Ben 101 replied. He brought up a live feed of the lobby. They watched as the scientists and civilians in the lobby scrambled for cover and exits. Security forces swarmed into the lobby, weapons drawn and herding the non-combatants away from the action. The group of Omnitrix users crowded around the screen, invading into Ben 101's personal space as they did so. They watched as the main entrance to the lobby broke down, glass shattering onto the lineoleum floor. A trio of four legged creatures infiltrated into the lobby each the size of a bear. They had long broad tails and a round head with a circle of teeth like markings with no visible eyes or other sensory organs. Strangely enough, though they all seemed similar in body shape, the make up of their bodies all seemed different from one another. One of the creatures had purpilish grey skin with veins of black running through it. Another had skin of black and red with yellow teeth marks. The last one looked even more mechanical then the rest, with clunky joints of dark grey metal. The group watched with horror as the beasts set upon the guards with fervor.
"What the heck are those things?" Gwen asked. Ben 10's eyes widened as his mind put together the pieces, their appearance and the way they moved was instantly familiar to him.
"Lucubra!" He said immediately. The others turned to look at him confused. "They're servants of Dagon. But it's strange, it looks almost like they've been mutated." He said continuing to watch the screen. Indeed the monsters displayed abilities that were not native to them, abilities that resembled those of certain alien foes. The first Lucubra went intangible and phased through the blaster fire that was aimed at him, taking out the guards by popping through the walls and floors. The second Lucubra pounced on one of the security guards and ripped away its weapon, swallowing it whole before manifesting it on its back and opening fire. The third Lucubra simply stalked forward, its metallic body impervious to the fire before firing a beam from its mouth which disintegrated the weapons into dust. The group watched on the screen as the beasts made quick work of the security forces.
"Eon must have summoned them and mutated them somehow, now he's sent them after us." Ben 10 said grimly.
"Well what are we waiting for?! Let's go kick their butts!" Ben 23 said pounding his fists.
"No need, the security features in this building are more than enough to stop these creatures. We should just sit back and watch." Ben 101 replied.
"You cannot be serious." Gwen remarked. "What if they hurt all those innocent people?" She asked.
"They will be fine if they stay out of the way and go to the safe rooms. They are here for all of you so reason says they will ignore any non-essential obstacles." He replied calmly.
"Ben we can't let him do this!" She turned to Ben 10 with a pleading expression in her eyes. Ben looked back and forth between Ben 101 and the earnest expressions of his other companions. He gave a slight smirk.
"No." He said. "If Benjamin here wants to be in charge then I say we let him show his stuff. If he's so confident then surely he already has a plan in place to stop these things. Isn't that right Benjamin?" He asked. Ben 101 scoffed.
"Please, these monstrosities will never even make it past the fifth floor." He spoke confidently. The other two omnitrix wielders regarded Ben with nervous looks but he silently reassured them.
The group of heroes watched on the screen like one would a spectator sport. The creatures ascended through the tower with ease. They watched as Ben 101 began issuing commands on his computers and touch screens. With a flick of the wrist he summoned more and more defenses to stop the creatures. Lasers, drones, electrified grids, and even more advanced weapons and traps that they didn't have names for. Ben 101 threw every conceivable defense at the creatures in an effort to stop them. Yet the creatures weathered every obstacle and ascended at a rapid pace. By the time they had reached the half way point Ben 101 was visibly becoming nervous. Sweat ran off his neck and his hands trembled as he typed in commands. Yet it seemed that all of his advanced defense mechanisms were no match for the mutated lucubra.
"No, this can't be happening." He finally said as they were soon approaching their floor. "They've bypassed all of my security. This shouldn't be possible, I've accounted for everything." Benjamin began to panic. He had never had his technology be so utterly useless before. He had always found a way to use his tech to stop his opponents, but now these mere beasts were making a mockery of it.
"What are we going to do? These creatures will be on us soon and nothing I've done has had a significant effect!" Benjamin said nervously adjusting his glasses.
"Easy we go back to plan A and kick their butts." Ben 10 said and flashed his counterpart his own omnitrix.
When the lucubra finally reached the top lab they busted through the sealed doors. They paused as they surveyed the new environment. They had followed the scent of their prey to this exact spot and they knew they were here somewhere. But currently the room appeared empty. They stepped inside, senses searching like psychic bloodhounds.
"Now!" A voice called out. Suddenly the creatures were assaulted from all sides by alien fighters. A spray of green mucus coated the creatures as Ben 10 used Spitter to coat the creatures in a sticky trap. The Ghost Lucubra immediately tried phasing through the goo but found that he could not, while the other two moved away to escape the trap. "Gwen now!" He yelled.
The Ghost Lucubra looked up to see a ball of fire thrown straight at it by a Gwen's Heatblast form. The intense fire ignited the sludge covering it and the lucubra burst into flames. The immense heat burned the ectonurite DNA it was combined with and the creature burned into a pile of ashes while emitting a high pitch scream. On the other side of the lab the Chrono-Lucubra had escaped the fate of its sibling and hid behind a table waiting for a moment to strike. But it soon found itself lifted up in the air. Ben 23 had transformed into Lodestar and levitated the metallic beast into the air. The beast futilely struggled against the magnetic forces to no avail. Lodestar spread his magnetic claws apart, the joints and bolts holding the lucubra together falling apart as he did so. Soon the metallic creature was nothing but a heap of scrap metal on the floor.
The Malware-Lucubra was the only one left and stood face to face with Ben 101. The native omnitrix user had transformed into his own Upgrade form and wrapped himself around a prototype battle drone. Its pure stature and advanced weaponry would have been impressive in any other circumstance. As it stood however, the malware lucubra was steadily eating parts of the mechanical titan and absorbing its weaponry into itself.
"This may have been a miscalculation." Ben 101 said aloud as he backed up from the snarling creature.
"Don't worry I got you!" Ben shouted as he ran to his counterpart's aid. He transformed mid stride into Frankenstryke. The Anur alien swung with a heavy punch sending the lucubra crashing into the wall. Before it could recover he blasted it with a burst of lightning. The beast convulsed and hissed in pain as the electricity coursed through its body. Finally it began to lose its cohesion, melting into a puddle of inanimate goo rendered inert. With the threat dealt with the omnitrix users gathered together once more.
"I can't believe it. We defeated them." Ben 101 commented in a state of bewilderment.
"Yeah, and we could have done it a lot quicker if you had listened to us in the first place dude." Ben 23 said with hands on hips.
"I'm, I'm sorry… I truly thought my advanced technology would be enough." He said dejectedly. Ben 10 came up and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You don't have a lot of combat experience do you?" Ben asked him.
"I… prefer to solve my problems with my brains rather than my fists." Benjamin replied.
"That's okay, and it's admirable even. But sometimes you need to take action yourself. After all, that Omnitrix is a piece of technology just like all this stuff you've built. I think you should try using it a bit more. And if you promise to come with us, I can help you out with that. And we can help you get over some of your prejudices too." He explained with a smile.
"Oh trust me, we're definitely going to be working on that." Gwen said. Benjamin smiled nervously
"Right, so um… where to next?" He asked.
"I believe that's my cue." Paradox stepped up finally. "Let's move along everyone, we've got a lot of ground to cover." He said as he opened another portal.
A/N: I'm sorry guys, somehow I didn't update the last chapter on this site last week but had posted it over on AO3. So as a result I guess this is sort of a double update. But both stories should be synced up on both sites now.