Ben X Chapter 40
Across the Omniverse Arc
Jen 10
The group of heroes stepped out of the portal once more. The landscape they found themselves in was shrouded in night. Their surroundings appeared to be a construction site: large heavy equipment, building materials, and a partially constructed framework were the dominant features of their new environment. The night was silent and dark, save for a few street lamps casting a fluorescent glow around them. On closer inspection they appeared to be in an urban environment, with some houses and corner stores further down the street. A street which was practically deserted due to the late hour. The group of young heroes examined their surroundings with a curious gaze. At first glance, it did not seem to be an impressive locale for their next recruit and had some questioning their presence here. They turned to look at Paradox with a questioning expression.
"She should be here any moment." He assured them, checking his pocket watch. "Come, let's go over here while we wait. That way we'll be out of the action for now." Paradox herded the group of young heroes behind some excavators and concrete pipes.
"What action? This place is deserted?" Ben 23 commented as he was corralled.
"Patience young Tennyson. Just watch." Indeed the group did not have to wait long. In a few short minutes they heard the distant sounds of battle. Car alarms blared and the earth quaked beneath them. Lights flashed in the distance that they could spy from over the tall fences surrounding the construction site. The group stood ready, hands hovering over their watches but Paradox assured them their intervention would not be needed. They did not have to wait long to see why.
They watched from the corner of their eyes as a blue blur swung up and over the tall chain link fence. It dashed quickly into the maze of steel girders that made up the framework of the building. Not long after, a tall imposing figure charged up to the fence. With a single mighty kick they ripped the fencing up and out of the ground. The group stood shocked as a tall green alien wearing maroon colored armor stepped into the light. The alien immediately resembled Vilgax to them, but at the same time it wasn't quite Vilgax. This alien appeared to have a more feminine form, with wider hips and a smoother face. She had less tentacles forming her beard and instead the majority of them fell from her scalp almost like hair extending to her mid back. Her attire was nearly identical to that of what their Vilgax wore, with a similar head band and large boots that cut off at her thighs. She carried a large sword on her back and two jewel encrusted gauntlets that glowed with power. Despite her clear feminine attributes she appeared no less threatening than the Vilgax they were used to.
"Tennyson!" She shouted into the still night air. "Cease your cowardly hiding and come out here so I can eviscerate your pathetic human form." The alien taunted.
"Who's hiding Vilgaxa!" Said another feminine voice. They all turned to see a female Arachnichimp drop down from the shadows of the girders and onto the ground. "I'm right here! Come and get me! Hahaha!" She laughed teasingly before backflipping into the labyrinth of steel poles.
"Hrrggh! Jen Ten I will end you!" The now named Vilgaxa grabbed her sword and charged into the half finished structure. The group of heroes silently maneuvered their position to view the action while still hiding out of sight. From the sidelines, Ben watched confused.
"Uh so Paradox, what's the deal with this universe? Why is Vilgax… like that? And who's the Omnitrix user?" Ben asked.
"This is Dimension 63, a world where every individual is of the opposite gender from other universes. And I'm sure you've by now deduced the identity of Jen 10?" He replied.
"So she's another alternate version of me." Ben spoke.
"Yes, but that's not the only thing that makes her special. Here let's watch." Paradox gestured to the scene in front of them.
Vilgaxa stomped into the hall of the partially completed building. She glared around at the shadowy pillars of steel and concrete. Her eyes and senses were alert to any movement or action. But all she could hear was the taunting giggling and ape like sounds from her opponent echo all around her. She held her sword aloft in front of her, ready to strike at the slightest movement. Vilgaxa moved her way slowly through the structure following the noises of foot steps and laughter left behind by her opponent. Suddenly from her right there was a quick squelching noise. She turned just in time to have a glob of web silk hit her shoulder. She grimaced in disgust and attempted to rip it off her when she felt another blob impact her left foot. She growled in frustration and when another shot flew towards her face she reacted by slicing it cleanly out of the air with her sword. She then quickly extricated her foot from the floor and ripped off the remaining sticky material from her body.
"Hoo Hoo Haha!" She heard from behind her. Vilgaxa quickly turned around to find Spidermonkey perched on a beam above her. "I've seen faster reflexes in a sloth haha!" She taunted.
"I do not know this 'sloth' you speak of, but I will make sure you never see one again!" Vilgaxa suddenly rushed the alien with sword lifted over her head. She sliced down in an arc, slicing straight through the beam where her opponent once was.
But Spidermonkey expertly leaped out of the way. She jumped to the side and swung underneath another beam, twisting in midair to face the alien empress. Vilgaxa rushed her, furious that she had missed her attack. The group of omnitrix wielders watched as this version began dodging with incredible skill. She jumped and flipped circles around Vilgaxa, avoiding each swipe of the sword by a fair margin. Spidermonkey ducked under a horizontal swipe which bisected the support beam behind her. She then launched herself upwards, using Vilgaxa's shoulder as a springboard to reach another beam above her. She perched there for a moment before hanging upside down and shooting another glob of web at her opponent. Vilgaxa dodged the projectile only to see the monkey like alien had disappeared yet again. Before she could even process her astonishment she saw Spidermonkey cartwheel from behind a pole to her right. Vilgaxa immediately swung her sword but instead of flesh it carved into the metal pole, casting a flurry of white hot sparks while her adversary escaped unscathed.
This continued on for several minutes. The female Spidermonkey goaded Vilgaxa into recklessly swinging her sword, while she nimbly evaded the blade's edge. Every now and again when Vilgaxa would flag, she would toss out another insult or taunt and raise the alien's ire once more. The alien empress was so blinded by her rage against her opponent that she did not even realize that her attacks were merely damaging the structure around her. After the last swing cut through the nearest pole Spidermonkey did a final flip, landing her outside of the permiter of the structure. She stuck the landing with one foot placed behind the other and both sets of arms extended proudly up into the air.
"Well Vilgaxa I gotta hand it to you, you did a great job in there. You practically did all my work for me." Spidermonkey spoke. Vilgaxa looked at her in utter confusion.
"What are you talking about? This battle is not over!" She shouted.
"Maybe not for you but I think the building would disagree." She pointed to the structure. It was then that Vilgaxa finally paused to survey the damage she had done. Her eyes widened in shock as she realized that her sword swings had cut through many of the steel support beams holding the structure together. She felt fear as she noted the creaking sound of metal grating against metal. The entire structure shook around her.
"Tennyson!" She screamed angrily as she dashed to get out from under the collapsing structure. But it was too late, the tons of metal and concrete fell on top of her. A tremendous crashing sound echoed through the night air as an enormous dust cloud rose into the air. When the dust settled they could see Vilgaxa buried under tons of metal and concrete debris, struggling to remain conscious.
"Ha you got crashed!... No that's dumb. Wait lemme try again. Uh, I guess you couldn't handle the pressure? No that doesn't make sense. Wait I got it! Hey Vilgaxa! Looks like you need to do some work on yourself!" She taunted.
"This… is not… the end. Next time…" Vilgaxa groaned out before her body dematerialized as she teleported back to her ship.
"Yeah yeah, and I'll kick your butt next time too!" The Spidermonkey called to the skies.
It was at that moment that Spidermonkey's transformation timed out. In a flash the alien was replaced by a human girl with long brown hair that was braided and hung to her upper back. What surprised them all the most was the similarity she bore to Ben. She had the same eyes and face structure as Ben, but her features were distinctly more feminine. She wore a pair of white sneakers with green accents. She had a pair of lime green cutoff shorts which she wore over a pair black leggings. Her shirt was mostly black except for the strip of white which started at the collar and extended down the middle. A green 10 was emblazoned on the left sleeve. Her Omnitrix resembled his old version only the colors were more of a lime green than his. She still seemed young to Ben though, he wasn't sure when he was meeting this alternate version in her life. But he thought he may as well go introduce himself.
Ben walked out from behind the large stack of concrete pipes, clapping his hands together slowly. The Tennyson girl whirled around on high alert but her face became confused at the sight of him. Before she could say anything to him Ben spoke.
"Impressive work out there." He complimented her. The words clearly were not what she was expecting as she looked even more confused, but her hand did not stray from her omnitrix.
"Oh, uh, thanks?" She said at first. "Wait, no, hold up who even are you mystery man? And what are you doing here?" She demanded taking a more aggressive stance.
"Woah easy! I'm a friend, promise." Ben said holding his palms up defensively.
"Yeah sure. Creepy older guy stalking a young impressionable girl in the middle of the night in a secluded location? How dumb do you think I am?" She retorted sarcastically. Ben sighed, he supposed she did have a point there.
"Maybe this will convince you." He said and turned his wrist to flash her his Omnitrix. The Tennyson girl stared at the device with confusion and glanced down at her own, nearly identical one.
"An Omnitrix? But I thought Azmyth only made one of them?" She whispered. "Who are you?" She asked finally.
"My name's Ben Tennyson. What's yours?" He asked.
"Ben… Tennyson? But my name is Jen Tennyson. Okay are you like, some long lost brother of mine or something?" She said even more puzzled as she noted the similarity between them.
"Uhm sort of. And I'm not the only one. Guys come on out." He called. One by one the other Omnitrix users stepped out from the shadows. Ben 23 and Gwen both waved at her excitedly. Ben 101 stood to the side coolly, leaning against the wall. Jen stood with jaw slack and arms limp by her side.
"OH. EM. GEE!" She screamed enthusiastically as she took in the sight of their omnitrices. "This is so cool but like I'm still totally freaking out cuz like I don't know what's going on but like I'm still happy like what?!" She rambled as she ran up to each and every one of them. She poked and prodded them, grabbing their hands and shaking them enthusiastically. "Like seriously who are all of you?" She asked again.
"Perhaps I can help with that." Paradox finally spoke up and stepped into the light with his cane.
"Okay, I definitely don't know you either dude." She pointed.
"No but I know of you quite well Jen." Paradox replied.
"You do?" She replied curiously.
"Yes, my name is Professor Paradox and I am a traveller of different dimensions and timelines. All of these individuals you see before you are all Omnitrix users from different universes." He explained to her.
"Whoah,… there are other universes?" Jen said looking to the starry sky above.
"Tch, of course the female version of us would be ignorant of the Omniverse." Benjamin whispered with a roll of his eyes. Unfortunately for him his words were heard by all those present.
"Hey! You got a problem with girls?!" Jen said indignantly with hands on her hips. Benjamin was about to speak up but a swift smack on the head from Ben 23 silenced him quickly.
"Ignore him, we're still working on his prejudices." Gwen said with a glare towards him. Ben 101 sighed. "Hi, I'm Gwen 10, and I think it's great you're joining us. We definitely need more girl power on this team." She said shaking Jen's hand.
"Speaking of which, those moves you did were sick! Where'd you learn to do all that?" Ben 23 asked.
"Eight years of gymnastics and four years of cheerleading bay-bee!" Jen smiled proudly making a peace sign with her fingers.
"Yes, Jennifer here has the distinction of not only being one of the only female versions of Ben Tennyson, but also one of the most agile Omnitrix users out there." Paradox complimented.
"Hey, woah old timer. While I appreciate the props let's make one thing clear: It's not Jennifer, it's not Jenny, it's just Jen." She said waving her finger disapprovingly.
"My sincerest apologies." Paradox gave a slight bow. The gesture of respect took Jen off guard and she played with her braid nervously before muttering a quiet thanks. But their conversation was disrupted by shouting voices from the other side of the fences.
"Jen? Where are you?" Came a masculine voice. Jen immediately became her excited and exuberant self again.
"Over here guys!" She called back. The group watched as a pair of individuals emerged at the entrance of the construction site. Ben nearly had whiplash from the double take he did upon seeing them. They were clearly different versions of both Gwen and Kevin, but the sight of them in such different bodies had him reeling even more than seeing himself as a girl.
"Glen! Eve! You'll never guess who these guys are!" She said running up to them.
Ben gave the pair of them another once over. 'Glen' was easily the tallest of the group and was a clear analog for his Gwen with his shock of orange red hair. He wore a blue polo shirt with the familiar cat symbol ebroidered on the pocket protector. A pair of simple straight jeans led down to a pair of plain white sneakers. Lastly a pair of glasses sat across his eyes. The girl, 'Eve', seemed to be a counterpart to Kevin. Her appearance was the most drastic difference of them all. She had long black hair that was almost greasy. Her nose was pierced by a stud and she wore dark black lipstick. She wore a thin black crop top that revealed pale skin and a curvaceous figure. She had donned a pair of somewhat baggy work pants which were tucked into a pair of high black work boots. Lastly the familiar '11' lock hung from her neck.
"These guys are all alternate versions of us from different universes!" Jen explained excitedly.
"Oh great, just what we need: more Tennysons." Eve huffed.
"Pfft, you're just jealous you don't have an alternate self here." Jen taunted back. Eve huffed and flipped her hair. It was becoming clear to Ben that Jen and Eve had a relationship similar to his and Kevin's when they first started working together.
"Wow, alternate universes. You know I've read about different theories of a multiverse but I never imagined the evidence would one day be standing right in front of me." Glen said.
"Finally, someone with some intelligence." Ben 101 complained.
"Ignore him. Hi I'm Gwen. I think I'm your counterpart, or at least one of them." Gwen introduced herself shaking hands with her doppelganger.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Glen and this is Evelyn." He said gesturing to his left. Evelyn clearly bristled at the name and elbowed Glen in the ribs.
"How many times have I told you it's just Eve." She whispered harshly.
"Sorry haha." He said sheepishly.
"Well now that introductions are out of the way I think we should get down to business." Paradox stated.
"Business? What are you talking about?" Jen asked confused.
"Jen, there's a reason that we've come to you. We need your help." Ben said. Jen went silent for a minute, eyes wide and unbelieving.
"You need my help?" She repeated incredulously.
"That's right Jen. There's an evil despot back in my home dimension that goes by Eon." Ben began. Just like before he explained to Jen the dire circumstances that led to Eon becoming one of the most powerful villains in the Omniverse. He told her of Paradox's plan to gather the greatest Omnitrix users from across the Omniverse to help them defeat Eon. It was the reason they came to her world, to recruit her for their team. "So, Jen? Whaddaya say? Are you in?" Ben asked.
"Of course I'm in! I wouldn't dare miss this. My first interdimensional hero team up? I'm so pysched!" Jen said pumping her fists.
"So when do we leave?" Eve spoke up from behind.
"Actually Eve, I think it is best that you and Glen stay behind here." Paradox spoke up before Ben could reply. Eve's face immediately turned sour and even Ben looked confused.
"Uh, hold on a minute Paradox. Wouldn't it be better to get all the allies we can to fight against Eon?" Ben questioned.
"Yeah man! The more the merrier I say. We can make the most kick ass team anybody's ever seen." Ben 23 said punching his palm to his fist.
"Wow you simpletons really don't understand anything about interdimensional travel do you?" Ben 101 said.
"Oh I'm sorry, like you've done a lot of universe hopping yourself?" Gwen retorted.
"I don't have to if I understand the theory behind it." Benjamin spoke. He turned to Paradox with an annoyed expression. "You really didn't tell them anything?" He asked.
"It must have slipped my mind. Would you care to be so kind Benjamin?" He replied. Ben 101 sighed deeply before turning back to the group.
"Very well, if I must. Alright listen up because I won't be repeating myself. Travel between different universes and dimensions can be dangerous not only because of the unknowns but also because of the inherent instability of time and space that results from said travel. We should endeavor to cause as little disturbance as possible to ensure that Eon can't find us and that we can remain the integrity of the universes we visit. Understand?" The group stared at him blankly.
"Um, if I could ask for some clarification?" Glen spoke up.
"Ugh." Benjamin groaned. "Okay, let's use an analogy then." Benjamin picked up a piece of metal rebar from the ground and began sketching in the dirt. His schematic consisted of some large circles and dots. "Think of the different dimensions like bodies of water. Travelling from one dimension to another is like taking a stone from one pool to another. Everyone following so far?" He asked then continued on without waiting for a response.
"Moving a stone from pool to pool causes ripples in the water. These ripples, disrupt the stability of the pool, or universe in this case. Not by much mind you, but enough that a skilled traveller like Eon would be able to read them and track us. Additionally adding stones to a pool of water causes displacement as well. Usually the displacement and the ripples would be negligble as they are too small to have a noticeable effect. But the more stones you move and take with you, the larger the ripple effects become, and the more displacement you get. Basically we should try to take as few people as possible with us because the more we take, the more unstable we make space and time and the easier it becomes for Eon to not only track us but to invade the dimensions we leave behind." Benjamin finished explaining.
As his analogy finished the group of heroes looked around at each other. The message seemed to be clear to those around them. This interdimensional road trip of theirs wouldn't be all fun and games and carried an inherent risk to it. The group of young people seemed to react to the news differently. Some like Gwen and Glen were more contemplative. While others like Eve and Ben 23 seemed more upset and irritated by the information. Ben himself was mildly disappointed. He thought that they would be able to take many allies with them but it seemed like such an action would cause more harm than good.
"But it still just boils down to you not needing us right?" Eve said with a hint of disappointment and venom.
"On the contrary Eve. You and Glen here have an important job." Paradox spoke. "As Benjamin said, Eon already is attempting to track us down and stop our efforts. In fact he has already sent minions after us and into dimension 101 where we just came from. Which means it is only a matter of time before he tracks us here and does the same thing. Your job will be to protect your home universe from Eon's lackeys and stall him from following our trail. Indeed, we all have roles we must play." Paradox spoke. Eve huffed and crossed her arms.
"I know that this role may not be as glamorous as what you were hoping for, but it is important nonetheless. Can we count on you?" Paradox asked. Eve contemplated her response but before she could reply the group turned at the sound of crackling lightning.
The heroes turned to see a dark swirling vortex appear from thin air. Energy crackled around the edges of the portal which fumed with dark violet clouds. The wind picked up, sucking in loose debris towards the vortex. The group watched as more than a half dozen humanoid figures stepped through the vortex. Each of them wore dark body suits with helmets and purple trim. Ben immediately recognized them as minions of Eon, however something was different about them. Although they each were humanoid in shape, they all had differing levels of proportions. Some had more than the standard two arms, some were tall, some were thin, and some had huge muscles. Ben's fears were confirmed as the mindless thralls each charged up different energy attacks and fired at them.
"Everyone scatter!" Ben called immediately as a fire ball exploded just seconds after they dodged. The minions of Eon charged into the fray, attacking recklessly with abandon. "Try not to hurt them too much, they don't have any control!" Ben shouted as some of them took the minions head on. The group of heroes retreated further in the construction site, regrouping after the initial assault.
"Come on let's kick their butts!" Ben 23 shouted.
"No you idiot! This is exactly what I was warning you all about before. Eon's found us and now he's going to send even more of his soldiers to capture us. We need to get out of here while you two stay behind to stall them." Benjamin said pointing at Eve and Glen.
"No way! I'm not leaving my friends behind! Come on we can take them." Jen said attempting to palm her Omnitrix. But a firm grip on her wrist halted her plans. She turned to see Glen looking at her with a sad but determined expression.
"No Jen, it's okay. Eve and I will stay behind. You guys go do what you have to and stop Eon at the source." He spoke.
"What? No Glen, I can't do that." Jen said starting to form tears in her eyes. "Besides there's not even that many of them, with all of us it should be easy!" She said in denial.
"Jen, come on open your eyes girl! There's way more of them now." Eve said pointing at the portal. The group looked to see even more of the misshapen minions crawling their way out of the vortex. "We got this. Glen and I will give em hell don't you worry." Eve spoke. But while she tried to hide it, the waver behind her voice was clear to Ben. Tears began to fall freely from Jen's face now at the prospect of leaving her friends behind. She wrapped Eve in a sisterly hug, an action that garnered surprise from the older girl but was reciprocated nonetheless.
"Alright, let's go then." She said. Paradox opened a portal of his own and the Omnitrix users quickly filed into it. Jen was one of the last to go, just before Ben himself. She turned back to look one last time at her friends. Both Glen and Eve had charged fiercely into battle, taking out many of the lackeys whilst still fighting the oncoming assault. Jen closed her eyes and steeled her resolve once more before stepping through the portal, leaving her closest friends behind.