When Trixie woke up on the couch the next morning, she had a splitting headache. It felt like someone had beat her over the head with a baseball bat.
She sat up with a groan, rubbing her forehead. Behind her, she could hear Maxwell cooking breakfast on the stove, the smell of his…unique cooking permeating the air.
"Rise and shine, sleepyhead," Maxwell greeted cheerfully.
"It's too early to rise," Trixie groaned, setting her feet on the floor and pressing her fingers into her temple. "My head is killing me. What happened last night…?"
"You were burning the midnight oil again," said Maxwell humorously. "Said you had a breakthrough on your latest project and stayed up till four."
"I'm going to need a strong cup to work this off," Trixie sighed. She stood up and moved towards the coffee machine when she looked out the window. The Rust Bucket was in a parking lot, which was nothing new, but the nearby sigh said they were at the Le Brea Tar Pits. "We're in California again? I thought we were in New Hampshire."
"Sounds like you're not quite awake just yet," said Maxwell jokingly.
There was a sharp yelp in the back of the Rust Bucket. Trixie leaned back and saw Benjamin lying flat on the floor, his cousin snorting amusingly as she got out of bed.
"Smooth landing, dweeb," Gwendolyn teased.
"Har-har, laugh it up," Benjamin groaned as he picked himself up.
"Looks like we're off to a good start," said Trixie humorously as she poured herself a cup pure black coffee. She took a seat at the table, her head still throbbing. Benjamin and Gwendolyn joined her momentarily.
"Hope you guys are hungry?" said Maxwell excitedly. "I've cooked up one of my world famous breakfasts."
That was never a good sign, thought Trixie. Maxwell's taste buds were acclimated to alien culture rather than Earth, which never sat well with the Tennyson cousins. And just as she expected, Maxwell laid down three plates filled with purple scrambled eggs, green bacon, and toast slathered with a yellow jelly-like substance.
"Uh, Maxwell, I don't Benjamin and Gwendolyn are – " Trixie started to speak up.
"Wow, this looks great, grandpa!" said Benjamin, immediately shoveling the purple eggs into his mouth.
"It's delicious!" said Gwendolyn brightly, taking a huge bite of the yellow jelly toast.
Trixie was stunned into silence; she rubbed her eyes just to make sure she wasn't seeing things.
"Wait, you two…enjoy Maxwell's cooking?" asked Trixie dumbfoundedly.
"Of course," answered Gwendolyn happily, a little bit of yellow jelly on her lip.
"Grandpa is the best cook in the world," said Benjamin proudly.
Trixie was taken aback by this strange turn. On any normal day, Ben and Gwen would secretly toss Max's food out the window and slip into their secret snack stash under the bed. Trixie hesitated before taking a bite out of her own breakfast and found that it tasted the same as usual, which was definitely not within the Tennyson cousin's preferences. Maybe their immature taste buds have finally evolved, Trixie thought.
Once breakfast was cleared and the dishes were put in the sink, Trixie decided to step outside for some fresh air to clear her head. The throbbing in her temple persisted, but it was duller than before.
"Oof, no more late nights for me," Trixie muttered.
Benjamin came out after her, scratching his wrist around the Omnitrix.
"Grr…stupid Omnitrix," Benjamin groaned. "Hey, Trixie, can you take the Omnitrix off for a minute? I gotta scratch under it really bad."
"Please be more careful with your wording," said Trixie. "And there is no 'under it.' The Omnitrix is infused into your skin on a cellular level, so there shouldn't be any place for you to scratch. You know this."
"Uh, right, guess I forgot," said Benjamin, laughing in a nervous sort of way.
"How could you forget – "
A cringe-inducing tire screech cut her off. Benjamin and Trixie looked around as a fancy-looking limousine swerve into the parking lot, slamming its side into a couple of parked cars, and finally stopped after it hit a pole. Maxwell and Gwendolyn came running out of the Rust Bucket to investigate the commotion.
"Whoa, what happened?" asked Gwendolyn.
"That happened," said Ben, pointing to the parking lot entrance.
The air suddenly reverberated with the roar of engines as three motorcycles (red, blue, and yellow) swerved into the lot and surrounded the limousine. And, unsurprisingly, the ones riding them were a certain group of Symbiote-wearing criminals.
"All right, girls!" Rojo declared loudly, raising her arm, which morphed into a stylized sword. "Let's pop open this tin can and see what goodies are inside."
"It's Rojo and…those other two forgettable henchwomen!" shouted Benjamin.
"It's Amarillo and Azul!" Azul shouted impatiently, swerving around towards the Tennysons.
"And we're not forgettable!" Amarillo yelled.
"You kinda are," said Gwendolyn.
"Well, lookie what we got here, ladies," said Rojo, grinning devilishly as she hopped off her bike and transforming her other arm into a matching sword. "We got the fancy pants in the limo and we get to flatten the watch brat and his family. Talk about a perfect day."
"You won't be saying that when I kick your butt!" said Benjamin, activating the Omnitrix. "Going hero!"
He slammed down the faceplate and exploded in a burst of green light. When the light faded, a certain silicon superhero stood in his place.
"Aw yeah, Petrosapien is gonna wipe the floor with you, Rojo," Diamondhead declared.
Trixie looked at Diamondhead strange and said, "Since when do you call that hero Petrosapien? How did you even say that word without fumbling like usual."
"Uh…that's this guy's name, right?" said Diamondhead, suddenly looking anxious.
"That's the name of its species," Trixie pointed out with a furrowed brow. "But you always call him Diamondhead."
"Uh…" Diamondhead mumbled incoherently.
"W-Watch out, they're attacking!" Gwendolyn suddenly shouted, pointing to the Rojo's gang.
Strangely enough, Trixie noticed, is that none of the Symbiote trio started attacking, even though there was plenty of time while they were talking. It wasn't until Gwendolyn called them out that Amarillo hopped off her motorcycle, shifted her hands into twin spears, and threw them across the parking lot. Diamondhead raised his hand and summoned a crystal wall between them. Diamondhead leaned back as the organic bolt pierced through the wall and just stopped inches from his face.
Diamondhead exhaled a relieved breath when Azul suddenly charged through the crystal barrier and bashed the hero across the face with her organic mace. The silicon hero flew several yards before he landed on his back and carved a long trench in the asphalt. Diamondhead grimaced, flipping himself onto his hands and knees while rubbing his (hard) head. When he heard Rojo shout and looked up to see her drop on top of him with her double blades, Diamondhead morphed his own hand to match. Diamondhead and Rojo locked bladed hands, each pushing their whole body against the other.
"Benjamin's in trouble!" cried Trixie. "We gotta help him! Accessing – "
"WAIT!" Gwendolyn suddenly shouted, making Trixie jump. When the green-haired girl looked back, Gwendolyn looked somewhat skittish. "Uh, I'll help Benjamin! Yeah, don't you worry about it! The two of us are more than a match for those goons."
"…Did you just call him Benjamin?" Trixie questioned strangely.
"Uh, hold on…Diamondhead, I'm coming!" Gwendolyn shouted, completely sidestepping Trixie's question and running to her cousin's aid. Trixie wanted to join them, but she was held back when Maxwell grabbed her shoulder.
"Now you just leave it to those two," said Maxwell. "Don't want you getting hurt."
Trixie was prepared to argue when she felt a sharp, searing pain on her left temple and dropped to one knee, holding her forehead with a grimace. It felt like someone was stabbing a white-hot poker in her brain.
"Maybe…I'll sit this one out after all," Trixie grimaced.
Back in the fight, Diamondhead was slowly, but steadily, raising to his full height and pushing Rojo back. Then Gwendolyn flew in wearing her Lucky Girl outfit (when did she change clothes, Trixie wondered) and kicked the red biker in the head, knocking her sideways into a parked car. Diamondhead summoned a cluster of crystals from beneath the asphalt and encased Rojo in a cocoon with only her head free.
"Thanks, Gwendolyn," said Diamondhead gratefully.
"No problem, Benjamin," said Lucky Girl, giving her cousin a thumbs-up.
Trixie found it strange (beyond saying their full names) how friendly and cooperative the Tennyson cousins were acting right now. But she had no time to dwell on it when Azul grabbed a truck, lifting it over her head, and tossed it at the Tennyson cousins like a softball. Diamondhead punched his fist into the ground and a giant crystal hand emerged, catching the truck out of the air and setting it down gently on the ground.
Not even a moment afterward, Amarillo flipped to the top of the truck, molding her arm into an organic longbow with five arrows. She pulled back the drawstring and let the organic arrows fly. Lucky Girl rolled out of the way and Diamondhead crossed his arms to block the arrows, deflecting four out of the five bolts. The last one, however, found its way into Diamondhead's shoulder, dropping the Petrosapien hero to one knee with a pained grimace.
Amarillo pulled back the drawstring again, forming five more arrows on the shaft, when Lucky Girl came running from the side, climbing the truck hood and delivering a sidekick to Amarillo's ankle. The yellow Symbiote warrior fell sideways, slamming the side of her head on the hood, before she collapsed on the ground.
Lucky Girl peered down at Amarillo, who remained unresponsive, when she noticed a large shadow fall over her. Azul raised both mace-hands over her head and swung them down with a frustrated roar. Lucky Girl squeaked and jumped back, planting her butt on the roof while Azul crumpled the hood like paper. Azul pulled her hands back – tearing off the hood in the process – and raised her maces for another swing. Diamondhead – after removing the arrow in his shoulder – grabbed Azul by the shoulder, spun her around, and punched Azul across the face. The blue Symbiote criminal staggered back and Diamondhead pressed the assault, punching her left and right without giving her any room to breathe. He finishes up his combo by grabbed Azul by the head and butting their foreheads together. Azul's eyes rolled backwards and she fell back with a weak groan.
With the threat neutralized, Diamondhead reverted back to Benjamin, looking proud of himself with his hands on his hips. Gwendolyn walked up to him (wait, when did she change back, Trixie wondered) and the Tennyson's cheered with a high-five.
"You were awesome out there!" Gwendolyn complimented her cousin.
"Not as awesome as you," Benjamin returned.
"You both were awesome," said Maxwell proudly.
"You two worked…surprisingly well," said Trixie, blinking dumbfoundedly. "I know Rojo and her gang are basically villains of the week by the point, but you two were in perfect synch."
"Of course we were," said Gwendolyn, surprising Trixie again when he threw a friendly arm over Benjamin's shoulder. "We've been on the road fighting bad guys together all summer."
"It'd be weird if we didn't get along," said Benjamin, all smiles and whatnot. It made Trixie a little uncomfortable.
"I…guess…?" said Trixie uncertainly.
Despite their explanation, Trixie still felt the entire thing was…off. But the constant throbbing in her head made it difficult to think straight. She lost her trail of thought quickly as the limousine that Rojo's gang had been chasing rolled up beside the Tennysons (which was somehow undamaged despite ramming into a utility pole.) An old, gentlemanly butler stepped out of the driver's seat, walked toward the back, and opened the door for whoever was inside. A tall, dark-haired man with a large forehead and bushy mustache stepped out, straightening his fancy maroon suit, which was emblazoned with a large gold "B."
"Hey, I know you," said Maxwell. "You're that eccentric billionaire from Bellwood: Richard Billions Sr."
"That's right, I'm Will Billions, owner of the Bellwood Billidome!" said Will Billions, owner of the Bellwood Billidome, eccentrically. "Thank you for rescuing me, Will Billions, owner of the Bellwood Billidome, from those nefarious, yet surprisingly fashionable, biker women."
"Will Billions, owner of the Bellwood Billidome?" repeated Benjamin.
"That right, Will Billions, owner of the Bellwood Billidome," said Will Billions, owner of the Bellwood Billidome.
"Will Billions, owner of the Bellwood Billidome where they're showing Sumo Slammers?" asked Benjamin.
"On ice?" said Will Billions, owner of the Bellwood Billidome.
"Yeah?"
"That's right!"
"What're you doing in Los Angeles?" asked Gwendolyn, thankfully breaking the cycle.
"I'm here to buy it, little lady!" said Will Billions, owner of the Bellwood Billidome. "Because I'm rich and I can do that! Anyway, thank you for saving me, Will Billions, owner of the Bellwood Billidome. As a reward for your kindness," he reached into his suit and whipped out a check, already signed, "this check for ten millions dollars!"
"Ten Millions dollars?" The Tennysons yelled in unison.
"That's right, ten millions dollars!" said Will Billions, owner of the Bellwood Billidome.
"Awesome!" Benjamin cheered, snatching up the check in the blink of an eye. And then, to Trixie's shock, Benjamin turned around and handed it to her! "Here, Trixie, you have it."
"Wait…you're giving me money…willingly?" said Trixie strangely.
"Well, yeah," said Benjamin like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I mean, you could do a lot of stuff with that money. Finish all your experiments, make new gadgets, you know, that kinda thing."
"You could do a lot of good with that money," said Gwendolyn encouragingly. "Think of all the things you could do to make everyone's lives better. Not just on Earth, but the universe, too."
"It's a generous offer, Trixie," said Maxwell, touching the girl's shoulder. "You should take it."
"Well…sure, I guess…," said Trixie, still feeling uncertain.
"Glad to hear it!" said Will Billions, owner of the Bellwood Billidome. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to buy the city and triple everyone's taxes!"
Will Billions, owner of the Bellwood Billidome, hopped back into his limo with his drive and drove away like a madman, smashing through the Tar Pits sign with a screech of his tires.
Trixie's head was still pounding after they left the Le Brea Tar Pits, which…Trixie actually doesn't remember leaving, now that she thought about it. It seemed like just a moment ago they were standing in the parking lot and suddenly they were on the road again, like a scene change from a cartoon. It was probably her imagination, but the constant pain in her brain was making it difficult to tell.
She took a handful of ibuprofen, hoping it would work for her alien biology, and decided to distract herself on her laptop.
"Maybe I can get some work done to keep my mind off things," Trixie mumbled to herself.
"Hey, Trixie." Trixie jumped with a startled yelp. She hadn't even noticed Benjamin sliding into the seat next to her; it was like he just suddenly reappeared. He held out his arm with the Omnitrix and said, "Something's going on with the Omnitrix. Think you can take it off and fix it?"
"I don't see anything wrong with it," Trixie hummed, giving the watch a cursory look over. "What's the problem?"
"Uh…I um…got the wrong alien again, yeah," said Benjamin after fumbling with his words for a bit. "I meant to use Firehands, but I got Diamondhead instead. Think you can fix it?"
"Firehands…you mean Heatblast?" asked Trixie strangely.
"Uh, yeah, that's what I meant," said Benjamin somewhat nervously.
"Well, I've told you a hundred times before," said Trixie, rolling her eyes and going back to work. "If you keep slamming the button down like that, it'll activate the randomizer function. You need to be gentle with the Omnitrix."
"Er, good advice," said Benjamin, looking away seemingly annoyed.
"Are all right, Benjamin?" Trixie questioned; Benjamin became noticeably tense. "You and Gwendolyn have been acting weird all morning – " Suddenly, her laptop pinged. "Oh, an email…from Dex-Labs?"
"What's it say?" asked Gwendolyn, whom Trixie didn't realize was sitting across from her.
"It says that…my patent has been approved!" said Trixie excitedly.
"Which one?" asked Benjamin.
"All of them!"
"Way to go, Trixie," said Maxwell proudly from the driver's seat. "That's my girl!"
"But it would take years before any of them could get approved," said Trixie.
"Guess that just proves how smart you are," said Gwendolyn
"This calls for a celebration," said Maxwell. "Where would you like to go for lunch? My treat!"
"Ooh, I know!" said Ben, waving his hand enthusiastically.
"Uh, I don't think this is the kind of place Trixie would enjoy," said Gwendolyn uncertainly.
"Trust me, it's perfect," said Benjamin confidently.
On Benjamin's suggestion, they ended up at a place called Pizza n' Play. Trixie had heard Benjamin talk about this place a lot over the summer, claiming it was "The funnest place ever." Improper grammar aside, Trixie could somewhat see what all the excitement was about.
The smell of fresh hot pizza permeated through the air. Looking at the families seated on the edge of the building, they were eating slices filled with unusual toppings that reminded Trixie of that hole-in-the-wall shop in Harlem. But eighty percent of the building was occupied by an assortment of loud and bright games that…actually reminded Trixie of the arcade where she met Kevin, actually. Even had the same layout from what she remembered, including that baseball swinging simulator that cheated Trixie out of her money. And Trixie could have sworn she saw the same rude employee that snubbed her….
"Wait…have I been here before?" Trixie wondered aloud. "Because this place looks exactly like that time we went to New York…."
"Uh, you're probably imaging things," said Benjamin quickly. He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her sharply to the side, nearly dislocating her arm. He dragged him all the way to the wall of skee-ball ramps. "Hey, check out this game? It's the best one in the whole place!"
"This one?" questioned Trixie curiously. Trixie would have figured he gravitate to one of the more flashier games. She picked up one of the weighted balls, balancing it in her palm. "I don't get it. What's the point of this game?"
"It's really simple," said Gwendolyn. "All you gotta do is roll the ball down the ramp and land it one of those holes with the numbers of them."
"Sounds simple enough," said Trixie.
"It's way harder than it looks," said Benjamin, snatching the ball away from Trixie's hand and shoving her aside. "Step aside and let a master show you how it's done."
"I don't think this is – " Maxwell started.
"Trust me, grandpa, this is going to be great," said Benjamin confidently.
Benjamin reeled the weighted ball back in his hand, building up the momentum. Before he let loose, her secretly glanced sideways at Trixie with a strangely mischievous smirk. He threw the ball – as in literally threw it instead of rolling the sphere down the ramp. Naturally the weighted ball bounced off the edge of the "50" ring and flew back at Benjamin. The wielder yelped and crossed his arms over his face with the Omnitrix directly in front. The weighted ball slammed against the watch's faceplate, knocking Benjamin back a couple steps before clattering on the ground. Trixie was relieved to see that Benjamin was unharmed, but the Omnitrix beeped furiously as the faceplate suddenly started cycling through the list of alien silhouettes rapidly.
"Oh no, what have I done!" Benjamin shouted, somewhat dramatically in Trixie's opinion.
"Oh, uh, you doofus!" Gwendolyn stammered, like she didn't know what to say at first. "You broke the Omnitrix! How could you be so careless!"
"I didn't mean to!" Benjamin cried.
"That looks pretty bad," Maxwell spoke up. "You better take it off so you can fix it, Trixie."
"Hmm…," Trixie hummed thoughtfully, grabbing Benjamin's arm and examining the Omnitrix. "Doesn't look anything too serious. Probably a loose chip or wire. I can fix it with a few tools; no removal required."
"Great…," said Benjamin, his smile oddly strained. "Just…great."
Once again, Trixie felt like she was experiencing a gap in her memory. A moment ago, she thought she was Pizza n' Play, but when she looked around, she realized the Rust Bucket had parked itself at the next campsite. Trixie couldn't even tell where they were; it terrain looked like every campsite they had been to over the course of the summer.
The green-haired girl looked around, feeling a bit lost, when a clatter made her jump. It took a moment for her to realize that she was sitting at a generic picnic table across from Benjamin as Maxwell slammed down the Rust Bucket's toolbox, Gwendolyn standing mutely at his side.
"Are you okay, Trixie?" asked Maxwell. "You seem out of it."
"Uh, yeah, I'm…I'm fine," Trixie struggled, shaking her head a little. She grimaced; the throbbing in her skull came back in full force.
"You don't look so good," said Benjamin, his expression neutral despite sounding concerned. "Maybe you should take the Omnitrix off so you can work in peace."
"No, there's no need," said Trixie, rubbing her temple for a moment. She opened the toolbox and started sifting through the utensils. "Never know when some villain might come calling."
"Want me to whip up some snacks for you while you work?" Gwendolyn offered.
"Yeah, that…that sounds nice," said Trixie with a groan as a particular throb in her skull made her wince.
Trixie pulled out a screwdriver and reached for Benjamin's hand to start working on the Omnitrix while Maxwell and Gwendolyn disappeared inside the Rust Bucket. Benjamin frowned in annoyance as he watched Trixie remove the Omnitrix's core and started fiddling with the insides when he noticed something behind the green-haired girl that made him go stiff. A green tear in space suddenly opened in front of the Rust Bucket and something wormed itself way out, wiggling it's flighty body before getting out.
It was Pesky Dust!
The fairy-like alien spotted Trixie and Benjamin sitting at the picnic table, furrowed his brow and flew at Benjamin, punching the boy across the face with his dainty fist. Trixie jump out of her feet. She blinked, mouth agape, as she looked between Benjamin lying on his back and Pesky Dust floating above him. And Trixie knew it was Ben's alien because of the Omnitrix emblem on his chest.
"What the – " Trixie stammered.
"Trixie!" Pesky Dust trilled, flying over to her. "Are you okay?"
"Benjamin? But how - ?"
"No time for questions," said Pesky Dust quickly, grabbing Trixie's arm. "We need to get you out of here before – "
Just then, Maxwell and Gwendolyn came walking out of the Rust Bucket with the aforementioned snacks. They took one look between Benjamin and Pesky Dust to get the whole picture. They tossed the snacked and charged at the Nemuina. Maxwell threw a strong left hook, but Pesky Dust glided around the fist and kicked the elderly man in the back of the head, flipping him over the picnic table. Gwendolyn launched herself at Pesky Dust with a flying kick, but not only did the fairy alien avoid it, he grabbed Gwendolyn by the back of her underwear and hanged her from a tree branch for the ultimate wedgie experience.
"I've always wanted to do that!" Pesky Dust guffawed.
"Benjamin, what's going on here?" yelled Trixie. "Why are there two of you? And why did you fighting Maxwell and Gwendolyn."
"I'll explain later!" said Pesky Dust urgently, grabbing Trixie's arm and pulling her inside the Rust Bucket. "You can drive, right?"
"I did it for the duration Maxwell's leg was broken," Trixie reminded him as Pesky Dust locked the door; they could hear the other Benjamin and Maxwell pounding fists against it.
"Then drive!" Pesky Dust shrieked.
Trixie didn't think to question him; she just had the sense that listening was the better option. The humanoid-slimebiot hopped into the driver's seat, buckled up (safety first!) and turned the ignition. She wasted no time slamming her foot on the acceleration, leaving the other Tennysons in the dust.
"I think now would be a good time for an explanation!" said Trixie impatiently as Pesky Dust hovered over her shoulder. "Why are there two of you, and why are you a Nemuina? You hate that alien!"
"The other Ben, Gwen, and grandpa were fakes," explained Pesky Dust. "Imposters created to trick you. And the reason why I'm Pesky Dust is because it's the only alien that'll let me reach you?"
"Reach me?" Trixie repeated questionably.
"It all started with you not having the best day," said Pesky Dust seriously. "You fell out of bed, got sick at breakfast, you lost your wallet, your patents got rejects – you were in a really bad mood the whole day. And it only got worse when we got sneak attacked by the Forever Knights and they took you – "
"Hold on, I was taken by the Forever Knights?" asked Trixie. "If that's true, why don't I remember anything?"
"That because they hooked you up to a – LOOK OUT!" Pesky Dust screeched, pointing out the window.
Trixie turned around and barely noticed the high-grade military jeep barreling into them from the left. The vehicle slammed into the Rust Bucket, literally splitting the RV in half while the jeep remained unharmed. Trixie swerved the front half to the Rust Bucket around to keep them from flipping over, spinning in circles twice before they came to a stop. Trixie's headache returned and she rubbed her forehead as the offensive jeep stopped in front of them. The door opened and the familiar face of Lt. Steel stepped out.
"Secure the perimeter!" Lt. Steel ordered. "Move! Move! Move!"
Three SECT soldiers ran out of the jeep, armed with advanced rifles. Trixie unbuckled herself, pushing past Pesky Dust despite his warnings, and stepped outside as the SECT soldiers surrounded her.
"Steel, what're you trying to do?" Trixie yelled at the scarred man who approached with his hands folded behind his back. "You almost killed us!"
"Sorry for the drastic measures, Trixie," Lt. Steel apologized. "But if they saw us coming, who knows what they would've done to you."
"Who are you talking about?" questioned Trixie.
"That thing," said Lt Steel, pointing at Pesky Dust as he floated out of the wreckage. Trixie yelped when Lt. Steel grabbed her by the collar and pulled her behind him, drawing his gun on the fairy-like alien. "That's not Benjamin, Trixie. It's a Limax; an alien shapeshifter working for Vilgax."
"…Hold on a minute," said Trixie, her brow furrowed and a frown on her lips. "That…doesn't make any sense. I've seen the Limaxs at the retirement village at the beginning of the summer. Yes, they can shapeshift, but as far as my memory serves, they aren't capable of flight, even if they pose as flying creatures. On top of that, why would they work for Vilgax? And for that matter, how would you even know they're working for Vilgax?
"Because it's a trick, Trixie!" shouted Pesky Dust. He threw up his arms defensively as the SECT soldiers pointed their rifles at him. "None of this is real! It's all a big distraction!"
"You may have stopped my minion!" a familiarly malevolent voice seemed to echo out of nowhere. "But you will not stop me!"
Trixie spun around and craned her head to the sky. Her mouth dropped when she saw Vilgax's ship – the Chimeran Hammer – hovering over their heads. But…that didn't make sense, Trixie thought. How did it suddenly appear so close without anyone noticing. A size of that size could not have been silent nor possess any camouflage technology. But as a beam of light shot out from the base of the ship and crash landed in front of Trixie, there was denying that it was Vilgax who towered over the green-haired girl.
"I hate to say I told you so," said Lt. Steel.
"Trixie, don't fall for it!" shouted Pesky Dust. "It's not real!"
"I can assure you that I am very real," said Vilgax coldly, marching up to Trixie and pulled back his fist. "Now…surrender yourself, girl."
Trixie jumped and rolled away at the last second as Vilgax punched the space where she stood, creating a huge crater. The squid-faced warlord narrowed his burning-red eyes and stared down Trixie as the humanoid-Slimebiot rolled into a crouched stance.
"You're not taking me anywhere, Vilgax," Trixie declared. "Accessing – WAH!"
All of a sudden, Lt. Steel picked up Trixie and started running, carrying her under his arm like a sack of potatoes.
"Lt. Steel!" she yelled.
"Sorry, Trixie, but our main priority is keeping you away from Vilgax," said Lt. Steel. He looked back and shot Vilgax multiple times as the malevolent warlord chased them, the bullets bouncing off his thick skin.
Pesky Dust glowered as he watched Lt. Steel carry Trixie away. The fairy-like alien extended his index finger at the surrounding soldiers and summoned a cloud of green dust to swallow them. Thankfully, the soldiers dropped one by one, all of them snoring loudly.
Pesky Dust quickly flew after them, beating his tiny wings as fast as his body could allow. He glided past Vilgax, who did nothing to stop the Nemuina, and dived straight at Lt. Steel with a double knuckle punch. The scared soldier collapsed face down on the ground, dropping Trixie, who fell on her back – hard. The green-haired girl groaned, rubbing her sore spine as she sat up. Pesky Dust landed in front of her and grabbed Trixie by the shoulders, shaking her a little.
"Trixie, wake up! None of this is real!" shouted Pesky Dust.
"It sure feels real to me!" Trixie snapped back.
"But it doesn't make sense!" Pesky Dust retorted. "Vilgax has always been obsessed with the Omnitrix! Even if that was him, he'd have no reason to be all the way out here if I wasn't the 'real' Ben! Let alone chasing after you!"
"…You're right," Trixie murmured, eyes widening in realization. "Vilgax has never cared about me, shew he wouldn't be hunting me down."
The squid-faced warlord himself stomped up to Trixie and Pesky Dust and threw a punch –
"None of this is real…."
And passed through them like a gentle breeze. The atmosphere went still as 'Vilgax' gradually faded away into nothingness like a mirage. Trixie and Pesky Dust stood up, staring at the empty space where their archenemy once stood.
"Phew, I am so glad that worked!" said Pesky Dust, wiping his brow in relief.
"This whole day," said Trixie slowly. "The breakfast, the check, Rojo's gang, Lt. Steel – it's all been fake."
"How terribly clever of you."
"Lt. Steel" slowly (read: ominously) picked himself up, his body glitching erratically, until he was replaced by the unwelcome sight of a man in a bronze mask.
"Enoch!" said Trixie, glaring. "So the Forever Knights are behind everything!"
"That's what I've been telling you!" yelled Pesky Dust, looking triumphant.
Now that their charade had been exposed, the Forever Knights no longer saw the need to hide themselves. Several armored soldiers with laser swords suddenly appeared out of thin air, encircling Trixie and Pesky Dust.
"We had hoped that by distracting your mind," said Enoch, "we could deceive you into revealing the release code for the Omnitrix."
"So that's why the fake Benjamin has been asking me to remove the Omnitrix all day," Trixie realized.
"Yes, but once again you have proven yourself relentlessly stubborn," said Enoch. "Since you refuse to do it the easy way, we'll have to do it the hard way and extract the password from your mind – by force."
Trixie dropped to her knees, clutching her head as throbbing in her skull that had bothered her all day suddenly amplified five times. It felt like her brain was going to burst open! The scenery around them washed away, transforming the world into what could only be described as a nightmare dimension. Enoch drew his own laser sword, turning the blade on Trixie, but Pesky Dust swiftly snatched Trixie up by the back of her dress and carted her away.
"Let's get outta here!" he trilled.
"Go ahead and run. It will do you no good," Enoch's deep baritone reverberated from every direction. "I control this world!"
Pesky Dust came to a sharp stop when Enoch suddenly appeared in their way. He tried to go back, but the Forever Knight blocked that way as well. The fairy-like alien pivoted towards the side, only to run into a giant version of Enoch stomping their way. Titan Enoch raised his hand and brought it down on top of Trixie and Pesky Dust before the latter could fly away, smashing them through the ground. The pair freefell through a dark pit, spinning out of control with no idea which way was up or down.
After what felt like an eternity, they finally hit solid ground with matching groans.
"Ugh…never going on that ride again," Pesky Dust groaned, picking himself up and brushing himself off. "Where are we?"
Trixie sat up slowly (thankfully, the throbbing had subsided) and looked around the area before realizing, "I think…this is Xenon."
Now that he got a good look at it, Pesky Dust did indeed recognized the vine covered walls and flickering florescent lights of Azmuth's compound.
"What're we doing here?" questioned Pesky Dust, grabbing Trixie's arm and helping her stand.
"Enoch said he wanted to extract the password from my brain by force," Trixie theorized. "This place must represent the deepest part of my mind where all my knowledge is accumulated. Makes sense that I would subconsciously associate knowledge with Azmuth."
"Then you know the way out?" asked Pesky Dust.
"It's not like I've been inside my own head before," said Trixie, "but I can try. Follow me."
Trixie and Pesky Dust began their long trek down the dark and dreary corridors of Azmuth's compound, passing through several empty rooms. Sometimes they would walk by a metal door that was locked or welded shut (Trixie assumed that where her subconscious locked away her most important secrets.)
"I just realized something," said Trixie as they passed their sixth locked door. "If you needed a Nemuina to reach me, then that means this must be some kind of dream world."
"Yeah, pretty lucky I had an alien just for the occasion," said Pesky Dust.
"But how did I end up here in the first place?" asked Trixie.
"Enoch wants the Omnitrix, but he has no clue how to remove it," Pesky Dust explained. "He went after you instead of me because he figured it'd be easier to trick you into giving him the password than try to remove the Omnitrix by force. So they hooked you up to some alien device that would keep you happy in dreamland where they could convince you to give up the code."
"That explains the constant migraines," Trixie groaned, rubbing her temple.
"Fortunately, Gwen had a spell that let us track you down to their secret hideout," Pesky Dust continued. "My job was to go hero as Pesky Dust to stop you from giving up the Omnitrix while Gwen and grandpa came up with a plan to rescue you."
"If this is a dream world, then all I need to do is wake up, right?" said Trixie thoughtfully. "How do we do that? You better not suggest hitting me."
"Grandpa said that wouldn't work," Pesky Dust replied. "Gwen and grandpa are coming up with a plan to save you in the real world. All we gotta do is keep Enoch outta your head until they get here."
"By which time, it will be too late."
Trixie and Pesky Dust jumped with matching squeaks. Enoch emerged from a room in the corridor up ahead, throwing away a box labeled 'Top 100 Recipes for Alien Gastronomy.' He is soon flanked by two more knights, both of whom had been sifting through boxes labeled 'Theory of Universal Relativity' and 'Prismatic Ponytails fanfics.' Pesky Dust flew in front of Trixie, raising his fists ready for a fight. Unfortunately, another knight emerged from the room to his right and ensnared Pesky Dust in a bear hug before behind. Trixie attempted to run to his aid, but was held back when a fourth henchman snuck up behind her, pressing his laser sword against Trixie's throat.
"It's pointless to struggle," declared Enoch. "My men and I will scrap every inch of your mind until we find the release code. Even if it means picking apart your brain piece by piece."
"Ngh…not if we have anything to say about it!" Pesky Dust grunted, wiggling relentless in the knight's arms.
"You don't get it, do you?" said Enoch darkly, walking up to Trixie and leering down at the girl. "You may have had the advantage in the real world…but this is not the real world."
"…You're right, this isn't the real world," said Trixie, a smile crossing her lips as a thought occurred to her. "It's my world, in my mind. And I am the one who makes the rules."
Trixie furrowed her brow in deep thought and the world around them began to flicker sporadically like a glitch in the system. Enoch took a cautionary step back as patches of the walls were replaced by random textures like squares of red polka dots and strips of grass appearing on the ceiling. Objects began filtering in and out of existence; several boxes filled with Trixie's thought were replaced with random objects like statues, tractors, and telephone booths. Enoch's soldiers looked around wildly with concern until the henchman holding Trixie at swordpoint was knocked out by a solid punch to the face by the metallic fist of one Kevin Levin.
"Say hello to my best friend, Kevin," Trixie introduced as the imaginary boy returned to flesh.
The knight restraining Pesky Dust let out a frightened yelp as a purple aura surrounded him and he was sent flying into the ceiling.
"May I introduce you to the lovely Charmcaster?" said Trixie, waving a hand to the white-haired sorceress. Imaginary Charmcaster giggled and blew a kiss in Trixie's direction; Trixie turned her reddened face away to avoid Pesky Dust's smug grin.
Enoch and his remaining two flunkies backed away cautiously until the ground trembled behind them. They spun around quickly and trembled when confronting with a large and imposing Chimeran female.
"And have you met my caretaker, Myaxx?" said Trixie smugly.
Imaginary Myaxx narrowed her eyes dangerous and swung her arm at the knights. Enoch was able to duck underneath at the last second, but his minions were swept off their feel and slammed into the wall with a clatter. Myaxx brought her fists down on top of Enoch for the follow-up, but the Forever Knight leader rolled between Myaxx's legs to safety. As Enoch stood up, her turned around with clenched fists as Trixie, Pesky Dust, and their imaginary allies stared him down.
"You get it now, Enoch," said Trixie. "You're in my world. You can't win."
"Maybe not," said Enoch with a low growl in his voice, "but I still find that passcode."
And on that note, Enoch pivoted and ran through a side door.
"Quick, after him!" shouted Trixie.
Just as they were about to give chase, the wall to the heroes' left flipped around and a pair of pink and purple rock stars emerged with their instruments at the ready.
"Puffy AmiYumi?" said Pesky Dust, confused. "What're you doing here?"
"We're playing the chase music," said Ami brightly.
"Why do we need chase music?" questioned Trixie.
"Hey, it's your dream," Yumi shrugged. "Ichi, ni, san, shi!"
Ami and Yumi began rocking out to their hit song "K2G." Trixie and Pest Dust looked at each other, shrugged, and ran down the corridor with their imaginary compatriots.
Trixie saw Enoch dashing away at the far end of the corridor. Trixie led the group with Kevin crouched behind her for some reason, Pesky Dust and Charmcaster flew overhead, and Myaxx brought up the followed Enoch around the corner down a hallway filled with portraits from Trixie's memories, but stopped when they realized they had lost sight of the Forever Knight. It turns out that the heroes had run past Enoch, who had been posing as one of the portraits. He tried slinking away while their backs were turned, but Pesky Dust spotted him out of the corner of their eye and sprinted back. They chased Enoch into another room –
BOOM!
And immediately ran back out! Enoch ran running out of the room hauling the giant laser cannon Max used on Vilgax. He fired three shots at the heroes, each one narrowly missing them, with the last shot hitting the wall and causing an explosion that filled the corridor with smoke. When the haze dissipated, Enoch found himself without his laser rifle and the heroes started chasing him again.
He ran into another chamber, which was filled with holes on the floor and ceiling. Enoch accidentally fell into one of the holes with a startled yelp. Trixie tried diving in after him, only to discover that the hole was surprisingly solid, like it was painted on. Enoch emerged from another hole behind them, wondering how he got there. Trixie pivoted around and charged at him, only to fall through another hole in the middle of the room. Enoch fell through the hole once again as Kevin dived in after him, both of them disappearing into the abyss.
Charmcaster and Myaxx stuck their heads into Trixie and Kevin's circles respective, only for their heads to emerge at different sections of the room, defying all logic. Pesky Dust tried flying through a hole in the ceiling, only to immediately come out from the floor. Myaxx somehow picked up one of the black circles on the floor and walked through it, startling Pesky Dust and Charmcaster when it clattered back on the floor. Charmcaster dashed over to Myaxx's circle and tried jumping on it, but wouldn't go through. Charmcaster looked at Pesky Dust in confusion until she suddenly fell inside the hole, scaring Pesky Dust.
Pesky Dust hovered in the middle of the room, his brain unable to keep up with everything. It got worse when all his allies started popping up around the room randomly like a game of whack-a-mole. When Pesky Dust turned around and saw the enlarged version of Myaxx's head, he dived into the nearest hole with a shriek.
Finally, the madness reached its conclusion as everyone emerged from the holes, yet somehow dressed like a team of teenaged superheroes.
"Your dreams are weird," Pesky Dust told Trixie.
"I know," Trixie acknowledged.
Enoch suddenly raced across the room riding a black stallion and the heroes resumed the chase, leaving their cosplay behind.
They followed Enoch out of the room and up a spiral of stairs. When the Forever Knight reached the door at the door, he noticed a bright red button beside it and couldn't resist pushing it. A loud clang rang and the stairs suddenly flattened out. Trixie, Kevin, and Myaxx fell flat on their faces and started sliding backwards; Pesky Dust and Charmcaster were safe flying above.
They slipped further and further down the spiral until Kevin looked over his shoulder and realized they were heading towards a giant version of Upchuck's head, mouth opened wide ready to swallow them. Kevin panicked and tried running back up the stairs, which did no good. Thankfully, Pesky Dust and Charmcaster flew down and grabbed him by the arms, lifting him away to safety. Kevin exhaled a relieved breath…until Trixie smacked into him, followed by Myaxx. The poor boy was in a dazed state as Pesky Dust and Chasmcaster carried them to the top of the stairs.
The heroes burst through the door and found themselves in a corridor with six matching doors like a scene out of Scooby-Doo. They saw Enoch poke his head out the furthest door and ran back inside once he realized he had been spotted. Trixie and the others followed him, leaving Kevin lying on the floor seeing stars. The matter absorbing boy shook his head to clear his mind, then looked around as Enoch ran across the hall; Kevin followed close behind. Trixie poked her head out the closest door just in time to see Enoch run across the hall again and chased after him. Pesky Dust and Charmcaster emerged from opposite sides of the hall and flew past each other into their respective doors. Myaxx emerged from the right side, hunched over due to her size, and crawled through the furthest door on the left.
That's why things started getting…weird.
Trixie sailed across the hallway in a speed boat driven by Zak Saturday with Enoch skiing behind them. Courage skittered across the hall, opening a door that brought him face-to-face with buff space gladiator Eustace. The cowardly dog screamed, slammed the door in his face, and ran back where he came. A miniature Symbiotic Titan came from the furthest door and ran to the closest, needing its rockets just to turn the doorknob. The Powerpuff Girls flew out from the left side in a blur of color, looking around attentively, when Charmcaster crossed the hall riding Dr. Animo's frog and chased after him. Billy and Mandy paddled across the hall using Grim for a canoe. Dexter and Dee-Dee chased Enoch, who drove across the hall in Dexter's stolen Dex-Rover. Juniper Lee galloped from the closest door on the left to the furthest on the right with a mutated Kevin as the horse. Johnny Test and Pesky Dust staggered across the room, locked in an epic laser sword duel. Rachel kicked the door open and flipped into the hallway…landing on the ceiling! She used her grapnel hook to open the next door and flipped inside. Myaxx (wearing a tuxedo) carried Johnny Bravo (in a wedding dress) through the threshold. Phil, Samurai Jack, Naomi, Enoch, and Pesky Dust rode a five-person tandem bike across the room. And Ed, Edd, and Eddy ran out from the furthest door, screaming in terror, as they were chased by the Kanker Sisters.
Trixie stopped in the middle of the hall, watching her friend run around like headless chickens. She put her fingers in her mouth and sharply whistled. Thankfully, everyone heard and grouped up around her. Trixie pointed at the doors, silently ordering them to position themselves at five of the six entrances. On her command, they opened the doors together and found nothing but empty rooms. By process of elimination, there was only one place left for Enoch to hide. Trixie and her friend grouped up at the last door, turned the knob, and –
"I like chocolate milk – "
All five of them slammed the door on the imaginary friend like their lives depended on it.
Trixie turned her head and spotted Enoch running through a seventh door that magically emerged from nowhere. The heroes quickly pursued him, running through long, dark corridor. It took a full minute of sprinting before they saw the light at the end of the tunnel and emerged in another area of Trixie mind.
However….
"Aw man, we're back where we started!" Pesky Dust complained, finding themselves back in the same vine-covered entryway when he and Trixie first arrived.
"We can't keep doing this," Trixie panted tiredly, leaning against her knees to support herself. "There's got to be a way out."
"There isn't," declared Enoch, appearing at the opposite end of the chamber. "You're trapped here – forever."
Trixie opened her mouth to retort when a blistering pain searing into her temple, forcing the green-haired girl to her knees. The world around them trembled and the images of her friends glitched out.
"Do you feel that?" said Enoch condescendingly. "My men chipping away at your mind. Soon, you'll be little more than a drooling infant, and I will have the key to the ultimate weapon!"
"Grr…I really hate this guy," growled Pesky Dust, punching his hand irritably. "I wish I could turn into other aliens in here, just so I could give that blowhard a piece of my mind."
"…turn into other aliens," Trixie repeated slowly, a proverbial lightbulb going off in her head. "That's it!"
"What's it?" asked Pesky Dust curiously.
"This whole time, Enoch has been keeping me from transforming into other aliens," said Trixie. "Maybe that's because, unlike the Omnitrix, I can change form with my mind! Whatever I think of in this world will also be reflect in the real world!"
"Don't you dare!" Enoch shouted, his confident tone suddenly turning fearful.
"ACCESSING NOSEDEENIAN SEQUENCE!" Trixie shouted strongly.
The electric node appeared on Trixie's body as they always did, but bolts of electricity flew out erratically, striking the surrounding environment. The entire world around them glitched and fragmented like a corrupted computer. Trixie heard Enoch's panicked cries of "NOOOOOOO!" before everything faded to black –
Trixie shot up quickly, breathing heavily. She wasted no time removing the crown-like device from her head, frying the circuitry with her electricity, and tossed the smoldering tech aside. Trixie hopped off the metal bed and –
"Stop right there!" Enoch warned.
Trixie gasped. Enoch had been waiting for her with an armed escort. Trixie clenched her fists, sparks flying from her fingers, when the bronze-masked leader stepped aside to reveal the Tennyson family on their knees with their hands cuffed behind their backs. Enoch unsheathed his laser sword and pressed it against Ben's neck.
"Unlock the Omnitrix now or you lose your family," Enoch threatened.
"Don't do it, Trixie!" cried Ben.
"Shut up!" Enoch yelled. "Do it, or I will kill them!"
Trixie gritted her teeth, the electricity in her hands intensifying…. Then, with a defeated sigh, she dropped her hands and reverted back to human form.
Trixie silently walked over to Ben with Enoch keeping a sharp eye on her. The green-haired girl kneeled behind her friend and mutely removed the Omnitrix from Ben's wrist, then offered the watch to Enoch.
"Here, take it," Trixie grumbled reluctantly.
"At last!" Enoch shouted victoriously, throwing his sword away and snatching up the watch. "The Omnitrix is mine!"
Enoch strapped it to his wrist, cackling maniacally as the Omnitrix glowed –
Trixie quirked her brow curiously as she stared at Enoch laughing quietly to himself, the dream device strapped firmly to his crown.
"Sounds like he's having fun," Trixie told Ben, who was standing beside her.
Moments later, the door to the laboratory opened as Gwen and Max arrived. They took one glance at the scene before putting the pieces together.
"Giving the bad guy a taste of his own medicine," said Gwen, grinning amusingly. "Classic."
"That should keep Enoch happy until SECT arrives," said Max.
"Hopefully it's the real one this time," Trixie commented.
"What was that?" asked Max curiously.
"Oh nothing," Trixie waved him off. "Just daydreaming."
Trixie and the Tennysons left the lab and made their way out of the Forever Knights hideout, ready to get back to good old reality…..
But barely a few minutes after the Tennysons leave, four knights emerge from the shadows. Unlike the knights in Enoch's employ, these soldiers were encased in sleek, futuristic armor that made them look more like ninjas. And each of their armors came in a different color (blue, purple, red, and orange) that totally wasn't a rip-off of another group of ninjas.
The Red Knight reached for the dream device on Enoch's head –
"No."
With one simple word, all four Forever Ninjas backed away. they turned towards the entrance and bowed their heads as Vilgax stomped into the room, tall and imposing as ever, with Fina perched proudly on his shoulder like it was a throne.
"Enoch has screwed up too many times," said Fina. She gazed down at the man she once considered her father figure and was disgusted by his weakness. "It's time for someone else to take charge. And believe you me, the next time we meet Trixie and the Tennysons…it will be the last time…."
With it being a dream world, I could resist throwing in as many gags as I could. And you KNOW I just had to throw in a Mad Mod chase sequence.
Next time:
SOMEDAY! SOMEDAY! SOMEDAY! Get ready for the (literally) biggest event of the summer as two intergalactic titans (no, not Titan) go head-to-head in the ultimate showdown! You better find first gear in your giant robot car, 'cause it's the - WAY BIG RUMBLE!