Ben X Chapter 41
Across the Omniverse Arc
Hook Blonko
The group of Omnitrix wielders stepped out of the portal. They spread out onto an open street in the middle of the day. Ben 23, Gwen, and Benjamin immediately took to scanning their surroundings. Paradox stepped through and consulted his trusted chrononavigator. Ben and Jen were the last to step through the swirling white vortex before it disappeared. Jen fought hard to keep her tears at bay, still tearful over the unknown fates she left her companions to. Ben saw her display of emotion and put a hand on her shoulder. Jen looked up at him with watery eyes.
"Hey, don't worry, if your friends are anything like my Gwen and Kevin then they'll have those guys beat in no time." He said to reassure her.
"Yeah… yeah you're right." She said with a smile. She inhaled deeply, clearing her thoughts before shaking off the emotions. "Alright, cool, so where are we now? This place looks just like Bellwood." She observed.
Ben looked around as well. She was right, they appeared to be in the middle of downtown Bellwood, an area he was all too familiar with as the site of many high profile crimes and fights he's had. But like many of the other locales he had been to thus far, there were subtle differences. The most notable change he saw was the fact that there were aliens walking out in broad daylight among humans. Even more surprising, none of the humans he was seeing seemed bothered by the fact. This certainly piqued his interest. It was no secret that aliens lived in Bellwood in his home dimension, but they certainly didn't have this level of acceptance yet. Humans lived in Bellwood proper and aliens lived in Undertown. That was just how it was. Anti-alien sentiment was still fairly pervasive, especially after the Incursean invasion. Despite the promise of Bellwood residents to work alongside their extraplanetary neighbors, little progress had been made in terms of peace.
But that problem seemed non-existent in this universe. As Ben looked around he saw even more signs of Human-Alien coexistence. Shop signs displayed ads in both english and alien texts. Foreign technology was held by both humans and aliens alike, nothing over level 3 technology but it was still strange to see. Food vendors slung both traditional fare as well as alien cuisine, all of it street food but clearly different from what he would normally see. But most jarring was the fact that humans and aliens were conversing in friendly tones, working together in stores, and sharing spaces. It was a sight that Ben had always hoped he could achieve in his own dimension and it only stung a little that another version of Ben had achieved that dream before him.
"So Paradox where are we now?" Ben asked.
"This is an alternate timeline, an offshoot of your own timeline Ben." Paradox spoke as he played with his metal gauntlet. "And I'm trying to track down the wielder of the Omnitrix in this timeline as we speak. I had to make my temporal calculations on the fly so I may be off by a few minutes." Paradox said. A distant explosion sounded off. "Or perhaps not." He said.
They looked to see a band of three alien outlaws booking it around the corner of the street. They each held sacks filled presumably with cash, jewels, or other valuables. The alien thugs were familiar to Ben as Liam, Bubblehead, and Tummyhead. In his universe, they were low level criminals that frequented Undertown. It seemed their criminal tendencies hadn't improved upon being on the surface. The thugs ran desperately, knocking over innocent bystanders and whatever other objects stood in their way. It wasn't long before it became clear who they were running from.
Swinging from the rooftops on long vine like limbs came a Florauna, and it was clear from the Omnitrix symbol on his chest that this was the next recruit they were looking for. He chased after the criminals, swinging nimbly from buildings, streetlights, and powerlines. The thugs fired at him but he dodged the laser fire with ease. Reaching to his back he grabbed several large seed pods and flung them at the villains. One of the seed pods hit their mark dead on, erupting into a mass of vines which immediately encircled one of the criminals. The other landed just in front of Liam, bursting into a solid wall of plant material, cutting off his escape. Another seed landed at his feet capturing him much the same as his compatriot. The birdlike alien squawked helplessly as the vines constricted around him. Bubblehead was the last of the trio standing and brandished his weapon. The laser shot straight through his abdomen but the hole quickly closed up as Wildvine regnerated the tissue. With his long vine like limbs Wildvine wrapped the villain up in restraints much like the other villains. All in all, the fight took less than five minutes from beginning to end.
"Woah, dude's got some serious skill!" Ben 23 said from where they watched.
"No kidding." Ben replied with some awe.
"Yo I've never seen something so badass!" Jen shouted. "He took those guys out in no time." Ben agreed, whoever this alternate was it was clear he was incredibly skilled. His movements seemed effortless and conservative, wasting no time in subduing his opponents. Ben was somewhat loathe to admit but this guy could probably teach him a thing or two. Deciding to break the ice before the newcomer darted away Ben ran up to him.
"Hey man nice job!" He shouted.
The Wildvine turned to him and his jaw dropped. His transformation timed out and the person left standing there caused Ben to pause. Instead of a different version of himself, he was looking at an alternate version of Rook. The Rook of this dimension was practically identical to his old partner except in terms of his color scheme. Whereas the Rook he knew had lavendar fur and wore indigo armor, this version wore red armor and had pinkish-red colored fur. Even his Omnitrix symbol was a bright crimson. They both stared at each other with gazes of confusion and disbelief reflected in each of their faces.
"Ben? I can't believe it. It really is you! Ben!" The Rook-alike shouted and sprinted towards him. Ben was still caught off guard by the different appearance and the fact that he wasn't looking at a version of himself.
"Uh, Rook?" He asked as the alien neared to him. 'Rook's face fell and he paused mere feet from Ben.
"Rook? My name is Hook, not Rook." He said. The now named Hook studied Ben once more, his eyes scanning him from top to bottom. His once joyous expression was replaced by utter sadness and disappointment. "You… you are not my Ben, are you?" He asked, as though he was dreading the answer but knew it all the same.
"Uh, no. No, sorry." Ben replied flustered. Hook schooled his disappointment behind a careful mask of neutrality and Ben wasn't sure how to respond.
"Then, who exactly are you? And where did you come from?" Hook asked.
"Allow me to help answer that." Paradox interjected.
"You. You are Professor Paradox are you not? The time traveller? Ben had told me of you in the past but I did not think I would ever get to meet you." He said holding his hand out to shake. Paradox gladly took it and returned the gesture.
"It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance Hook Blonko. I'm sure you have many questions but for now let us say that the Ben you see here is from an alternate timeline, which branched off when you two met." Paradox explained.
"So, in your…timeline, my counterpart is named Rook?" He asked.
"Uh, yeah, that's right." Ben answered, still confused.
"And are you two…?" He asked. Ben raised an eyebrow at the question, unsure what he was implying.
"We're partners in the plumbers. Rook has my back and I have his. It didn't start out so smoothly but I count him as one of my closest friends now." Ben said proudly. Hook donned an inscrutable expression and Ben still wasn't sure what to make of it. But then he smiled and glanced at his own Omnitrix.
"That sounds a lot like how my Ben and I started out." He said wistfully and with a tinge of humor.
"Yeah, uh speaking of. Why do you have the Omnitrix and not my alternate self?" He asked glancing between Paradox and Hook.
"That is his story to tell, not mine." Paradox gestured. Ben looked back at Hook who took a deep breath, steeling his expression.
"The Ben in this timeline died about two years ago. He perished fighting off the Incursean invasion. But before he passed, he bequeathed me the Omnitrix." Hook said. Ben and his friends stood shocked and stunned at the revelation. "He said that I was the only person he could think of that was worthy of it." Hook said with a sad smile.
"Wow, um… I am so sorry." Ben said, still reeling from the news.
"Thank you but I have made peace with it." Hook replied with a hint of an expression that suggested anything but. There was a tense silence as neither of them knew what more to say.
"Heeeeeyyyy! Why don't we do introductions?" Ben 23 stepped forward to diffuse the awkward tension. "I'm Ben 23 from Dimension 23 obviously. I don't have a Rook or a Hook in my world so I'm super psyched to meet you dude!" He said holding a hand out for a fist bump.
"It is good to meet you." Hook said returning the gesture. Despite himself he felt a smile come back to his face.
"That guy with the glasses over there is Ben from Dimension 101. He's like a super genius or whatever." Ben 23 said introducing him.
"For the last time, it is Benjamin! And my genius rivals that of Azmuth himself." Benjamin huffed and crossed his arms but the motion made him just look like a petulant child.
"Yeah somehow I doubt that dude." Jen said cartwheeling over to them. As she stood she proceeded to vigorously shake Hook's hand. "Hey I'm Jen 10, I also haven't met anybody like you! Wow so you're an alien huh? What species are you? Oh do any of us have you in our watches?" She asked around.
"Uhm…" Hook reclined slightly at the barrage of hyper energy and intense questioning.
"Jen girl, give the poor guy a break." Gwen said walking up. "Sorry about that, she's a first time inter-dimensional traveller. I'm Gwen 10." She said. Hook seemed more at ease around her.
"It is so very nice to meet you all. But I do have to wonder what brings all of you here? I can't believe this is simply a social call." Hook surmised.
"As much as I wish it was, you're right." Ben said stepping up again. "We're here because of an existential threat that endangers everyone and everything." Ben spoke. Once more he launched into the familiar spiel about Eon and the events that had led them all here. By this point Ben had become quite practiced at the speech. Hook listened to Ben's impassioned plea with a serious expression. Ben could see the gears turning in Hook's head as he digested the information that Ben was giving him, and it reminded Ben so much of Rook's own analytical mind that he almost stopped in the middle of the tale. But eventually, he conveyed what he needed to.
"So Hook, what do you say?" Ben asked hopefully.
"Yes, of course. You can count on me." He responded and clasped hands with Ben. The two Omnitrix users smiled broadly at each other.
"Well that was easier than expected." Ben 101 said.
"Alright! This team is shaping up to be super awesome!" Ben 23 shouted.
"Hell yeah!" Jen agreed and high fived him.
"Before we do anything else, I would love to hear what your plans are to take down this Eon villain." Hook asked.
"Oh, uh, I haven't really thought that far ahead yet. We're still just trying to gather allies right now. I thought that we could just figure out the plan once we got back to my dimension." Ben replied embarassed. Hook regarded him with an expression of shock which soon settled into one of amusement.
"I should have guessed. You are just like my Ben after all." He said with a smile.
But before any of the group could comment further, they were all rocked by a large explosion. The shockwave was less intense than the sound but it still could be felt from where they stood. Hook was the first to react, sprinting off to investigate. Ben was quick to follow behind. The remaining Omnitrix users shared a quick glance before taking off after them. It was only a few short blocks before they found the source of the disturbance. They turned a corner to see a four story apartment building engulfed in flames. The fire department had not yet arrived but already a cloud of onlookers had gathered, staring in horror. A few people were running for the entrance on the ground floor or jumping from the windows on the first. But it was clear from the screams that there were more people trapped inside.
"This fire will grow out of control if we don't do something." Hook observed. "Can I count on your help?" He turned to ask the group.
"Absolutely, what do you need?" Ben responded.
"You and I will try to put out the flames." He pointed to Ben 10. "I need two of you to use some ice aliens to cool down the parts of the building not on fire and control the spread. Next, two of you will need to get in there and rescue the trapped civilians." Hook barked out the orders like a natural leader. He dispensed his commands to each of the heroes and they all nodded in shared understanding.
A series of flashing lights erupted from the street as they each transformed. Hook had turned into Water Hazard and immediately began using the alien's water blasts to douse the raging fires. Ben 101 and Gwen 10 each had transformed into ice aliens, Arctiguana and Big Chill respectively. Jen had transformed into Fast Track while Ben 23 had gone for Diamondhead. Lastly Ben himself had gone with Heatblast. With their transformations set the group immediately got to their assigned tasks.
"Ben we need to put out the fires not start more!" Hook yelled with an edge of frustration
"Relax dude, Heatblast can do more than just throw fire." He said and turned to demonstrate. Heatblast stuck out both arms and Hook watched amazed as the flames were drawn to his hands and absorbed into his body. The fires which were once blazing out of control had died down to nothing more than a smolder. Hook smiled at him through Water Hazard's face, clearly impressed.
Meanwhile on the ground below Ben 101 was steadily blasting the areas of the building not on fire with ice. The cold blasts creeped along the brick and steel. Gwen 10 meanwhile was tackling the problem from above, doing the same as Arctiguana on the ground. Combined their ice breaths were slowly coating the brick building, providing a barrier against the fire. But the heat of the flames were intense and melted their work quickly. By the time they had finished icing one section of the building, the previous sections had melted and caught alight again. The pair had their work cut out for them, they circled the building, seeming to fight an uphill battle. Slowly their ice powers, combined with the efforts of Water Hazard and Heatblast seemed to be making a dent in the blaze.
Their efforts immensely helped both Jen 10 and Ben 23 as they set about their work. Jen as Fasttrack sped through the floors, rescuing victims almost before they could comprehend what was happening. She could speed through the burning floors before the flames could even touch her. She started off on the lowest floors, clearing them of residents before working her way up. But it seemed the higher up the building they ascended, the worse the flames became. The fires and debris began to block her path. Luckily however Ben 23 was able to break through the burning rafters and debris with hardly a flinch. His crystalline body smashed through the rubble and allowed them to reach the trapped victims. He passed them to Jen 10 who raced them down and out of the building while he continued to look for survivors. As he reached the upper floors the fire became incredibly intense and many of the people he found were unconscious from either the smoke or heat. With the way down blocked by fire he made an escape route from one of the windows. A slide made of crystal formed out of his hands and he gently slid the rescuees down before following down himself. As he reached the street below, Ben 10 came running up to him.
"Is that every one?" He asked.
"I think there might be some more trapped on the top floor but I can't reach them. The fire is too strong and the building is about to collapse." Ben 23 said. He watched Heatblast narrow his eyes before he took off, flames erupting from his hands and feet as he flew up to the top floor.
"Ben what are you doing?!" Hook yelled in a panic.
"I'm saving those people!" He called back before flying through one of the windows. Hook followed him, rushing into the burning building, still putting out fires with his water as he ascended. Many of the staircases had burned to cinders and the top floors were crumbling but he was athletic enough to clear the space anyway. When he reached where Ben was he saw that Heatblast was desperately trying to break through fallen rubble. He could hear cries for help from beyond and could barely make out the figures trapped in the burning room. But the building was shaky and unsteady, ready to collapse at any moment.
"Ben there is nothing more we can do, we have to get out of here!" Hook pleaded.
"I'm not leaving them behind." Ben replied defiantly. He was desperately trying to absorb the fire but it was proving too great for even his abilities. Even with Water Hazard hosing down the walls and floor the fire was still burning incredibly hot and getting closer. Ben looked through the gaps of the rubble and met eyes with the frightened people inside. A mother and two children looked back at him, fear, hope, and desperation in their eyes. Ben steeled his face and backed up preparing to charge the rubble.
"What do you think you are doing?" Hook asked him again.
"I'm getting through that rubble and saving those people, no matter what." He answered. Hook looked back at the area.
"You willl never make it! The building is already unstable. As soon as you break through that the roof will collapse and kill them!" Hook tried to explain.
"Not if I can get to them first." He said seriously. "Go, get out of here." Heatblast said. Without another word he watched Ben charge towards the debris, fire rocketing forward from his feet. Hook could do nothing, and knew that if he stayed they would all be crushed. He dove out of the window in the opposite direction. Just as he cleared the window he heard a great crash and sound of a fireball. He reached the ground and watched in horror as the building collapsed in a cloud of smoke and dust.
"No!" He yelled and charged the still settling pile of rubble while onlookers stared in shock. "No I can't go through this again!" He shouted, more to himself than anyone else. His thoughts went back to his own Ben, the heartache he felt at his death. He didn't think he would be able to handle it again. The first time was bad enough. He desperately began pulling at the bricks and mortar which smoldered on the ground.
Suddenly he saw a pile of the debris shift and move. He raced over just to see it fall away and saw that miraculously, Heatblast stood up unscathed. More incredibly, he had the mother and her children sheltered under his arms. They looked at him with awe and worship as firemen came up to them, clearing the rubble and bringing them to the EMT's who stood by. The family gave words of thanks to him and Ben felt himself smile tiredly. The scene was soon turned over to the Fire Marshal who praised their actions in saving the innocent victims. No casualites had been reported. The group of heroes, tired but happy in their success stood back as their transformations timed out.
"How did you know you would be able to save them?" Hook asked immediately. While he was relieved to see that Ben had survived, part of him was angry at Ben for taking such a big risk. Ben looked at him, considering his answer before he simply shrugged.
"I didn't know. But I had to try, otherwise they'd all be dead." Ben replied simply. Once again Hook regarded him with an expression of shock which quickly morphed into something else that Ben couldn't quite put his finger on. It seemed like a mixture of relief, nostalgia, and… adoration? But it quickly faded as Hook chuckled and shook his head.
"If I had any doubts about following you before, they have all been wiped from my mind." He said and put a warm hand on his shoulder. Ben smiled then turned to Paradox.
"Alright professor, it looks like we've got our recruit on board. Let's head out." He said.
"Splendid." Paradox spoke and opened yet another portal.
A/N: I hope you guys are digging all the new Omnitrix users that I'm adding. I'm trying my best to make them all interesting and not super one dimensional but a couple of them are probably gonna come off that way regardless. There's only two other new Ben's to introduce. I saw a reviewer ask a while back how close we are to an ending. I'm not sure how long the final arc is gonna be but I can confidently say we're going to at least have a dozen more chapters, possibly twenty. Additionally we're quickly approaching the 1 year anniversary of the story which is crazy. I first posted on 8/31/23 and it's super cool to see how far the story has come and how many people are following it.
On that note I need to let you all know that the story will likely take a temporary hiatus during the month of October and possibly in September as well. The reason for this is because I plan on focusing my efforts on writing for my favorite fandom which is Soul Eater in honor of that series' 20th anniversary. If you like Soul Eater, or just enjoy my writing I invite you to check out my stories for that. But not to worry though, we still have probably 3 chapters before that hiatus and I'll definitely be coming back to this story.