Ben's Old Records - Vilgax Attacks: Part 1.
(Multiverse-B, Earth-Prime, Bellwood, 2011)
It has been two weeks since Ben returned from Barry's universe, and he and Kevin sat in Ben's living room and played their favorite Sumo Slammer game.
"This game is so much better than the last one!" Ben stated as he dropped the boss's HP down to 50%.
"Yeah, I know!" Kevin beat the mobs the boss summoned with an area-of-effect attack that he charged in advance, "I tried to get you to play with me ever since you returned from that moron's universe. What? Did Julie insist on a make-up date for lost time or something?
Ben never told them about his encounter with Damien Darhk or its result, and ever since the day after he returned, he spent most of his free time working on something.
"Barry is not the smartest guy I know, but he is nice when you get to know him," Ben dodged the question. Julie was out of town with her tennis friends, but Ben did not feel like sharing that information.
Kevin was about to press when Ben's parents stood before them, forcing the two teenagers to pause the game.
"Ben, your father and I will be out of town for a few days. Can you keep the house clean and throw out the garbage until we return?" His mother, Sandra Tennyson asked while his father, Carl, delivered their bags to the car.
Ben nodded and helped his father carry some of the bags.
When he returned to his spot, he saw that his character died and Kevin got all the loot from the boss.
"Seriously?!"
"You should have said 'no unpause'," Kevin said with a smirk before he and Ben started to laugh together.
Gwen entered the house after some gaming time. She wanted to talk with Kevin about something that allowed Ben to clean the upper floor without leaving Kevin hanging.
…
Unknown to the trio, something hovered over the Earth's orbit.
It was a giant spaceship the size of a mountain and the shape of a rifle. Many robots, drones, and enslaved cyborgs from multiple solar systems operated the vessel under the command of its warlord.
The warlord sat on his throne. His crew operated the semi-organic controllers around him. He laughed menacingly, "And now, at long last, the Earth will be mine!" He looked at his chief adviser and primary engineer, "Psyphon, power up the Null Void Projector!"
"Yes, Vilgax. Yes, Vilgax. Your magnificence. Your... your big and scariness."
Despite his fear at the face of his master, Psyphon smiled as he pressed the button. He was smart enough to fear Vilgax, but that did not mean he was forced to commit anything in his master's name. He lived to serve him.
The ship had a Null Void Projector attached to its rear. Once the button was pressed, a red beam was fired at the streets of Bellwood and released the first wave of alien criminals so dangerous that no prison in their homeworlds could contain them.
"Psyphon! Go and manage the ground battle!"
"Already on my way, sir."
"Psyphon! Take some backup with you."
"Done, sir."
"And Psyphon! One more thing when you are down there: Bring me the head of Ben Tennyson..."
...
"Someone is coming!" Gwen shouted before erecting a barrier around the house. The entire street shook from the impact of the projectile.