Ryan's breath caught in his throat as he stared at the Omnitrix. His right hand reached out instinctively.
Whoosh!
The Omnitrix sprang open violently, leaping high into the air. As if it were a sentient being, it shot straight toward Ryan's wrist. A cold, strange sensation enveloped his skin as the device clamped instantly around his wrist as if glued there.
"It really won't come off?" Ryan couldn't help but wave his right hand. The small, broken watch on his wrist didn't budge, let alone fall off. It was clearly bound directly to him, yet it caused absolutely no discomfort.
"Hah!" Ryan took a deep breath and gently pressed the face of the watch. With a peculiar whirring sound, the screen of the device popped up instantly, displaying an alien silhouette.
Ryan gripped the pop-up screen between his fingers and rotated it slightly. The alien outline shifted instantly, morphing into another alien form. As a Ben 10 fan, he felt an undeniable surge of excitement and a powerful urge to transform into an alien hero right then and there.
"We can't just waste it. It's still an emergency tool. Save it for when it's really needed." Ryan suppressed the thrill in his heart and glanced toward the distant campsite. "Can't let Grandpa Max and the others wait too long."
Without further delay, he jogged back toward the RV.
In Deep Space
Far in the galaxy, a colossal spaceship hung motionless, a behemoth of galactic proportions. Inside its cavernous halls, an octopus-like alien exuded an overwhelming, king-like aura, despite its mutilation.
"The Omnitrix has fallen to Earth!" the creature roared angrily. "Dispatch a robot immediately to search for the Omnitrix's landing zone!"
"Yes, Lord Vilgax!"
Nearby robots moved with respectful efficiency. Even severely injured, Vilgax commanded absolute obedience.
Shhhhhh!
The spaceship launched three smaller probes and one larger vessel, which streaked toward Earth's atmosphere.
"If I cannot obtain the Omnitrix, I will continue to increase my forces! The Omnitrix will be mine!"
Back at the Campsite
"Grandpa!"
When Ryan returned to the campsite, he saw that a fire was already crackling merrily. Ben and Gwen were sitting on chairs on either side of the fire.
Grandpa Max emerged from the RV holding a bowl filled with squirming, maggot-like creatures. The sight made Ryan's scalp crawl. Max noticed the Omnitrix on Ryan's wrist and furrowed his brows in confusion. "How did you get this watch? You weren't wearing it before."
"Whoa, what a cool watch! Where'd you buy it?" Ben also spotted the Omnitrix, his eyes widening in fascination. "Well, you might not believe this..." Ryan raised the Omnitrix, a helpless expression on his face. "I found this watch in the woods. It jumped onto my wrist out of nowhere, and now I can't take it off!" "A watch that can't be removed? Is that even real?" Gwen looked disbelievingly at the watch, the concept entirely beyond her understanding.
Grandpa Max and Ben came closer, too. Ben tentatively reached out, grabbed the edge of the Omnitrix, and pulled. His face flushed with effort and his palms stung, but he couldn't dislodge it. Grandpa Max tried as well, tugging at the device, but it wouldn't budge. "See? I wasn't lying. This thing really is stuck," said Ryan, shrugging at the two panting Tennysons. "A watch that won't come off!" Gwen finally believed, staring at the Omnitrix in astonishment.
"This watch is so cool! It has to be some kind of high-tech gadget!" Ben exclaimed, his excitement growing. "Actually, I found this watch in a big pit. It jumped onto my hand and wouldn't come off!" Ryan feigned recollection as he recounted his fabricated story.
"A big pit?!" Max and the Tennyson cousins exchanged glances; curiosity was written all over their faces. "Let's go! Show us. Maybe it really is 'high-tech'!" Grandpa Max suddenly considered a possibility as he looked toward the fiery streak that had recently marked the skyline. He spoke solemnly.
"Come with me," Ryan said, leading Grandpa Max, Ben, and Gwen toward the large crater where the craft had fallen. When they saw the wreckage in the pit with their own eyes, Ben exclaimed, Ben exclaimed, "It's so cool! It looks exactly like a UFO!"
"That's what you mean, a UFO with aliens inside. But it's clearly just a watch," Gwen retorted. Her delicate face showed disapproval as she habitually contradicted Ben.
"I really predicted that," Ryan thought, the corners of his mouth twitching involuntarily.
"You three, stay up here and don't move. I'll take a look down there," Grandpa Max instructed Ryan and the kids. He then jumped into the large pit and headed towards the wreckage to investigate.
But he didn't notice it. The ground beside him was crumbling little by little! "Wait a minute. It looks like...something's there!" Ryan suddenly tensed, instinctively pulling Gwen behind him with his left hand while subtly pushing Ben back with his right. He squinted into the distance. The ground seemed to vibrate slightly, too.
"What's wrong?" Ben looked puzzled. Just as he was about to say more, his pupils constricted. Through the distant trees, a colossal robot towered over a section of the forest and slowly advanced toward them.
It was definitely the kind of monster robot you only see in science fiction movies.
"Everyone, run!"