High above the Earth's surface, orbiting in silence, the Providence Surveillance Array watched everything.
Satellites, once designed for communication and weather, now served a more dangerous purpose—monitoring nanite activity across the globe. From the sprawling metropolises where EVO outbreaks still simmered under martial law, to the remote zones quarantined after mutation spikes, nothing escaped the eye of Providence.
But not even their most advanced sensors could explain what had just awakened beneath the crust.
---
Inside the floating command station known as Skywatch Alpha, Dr. Holiday pored over the telemetry logs. She wore a deep frown, fingers flying across holographic keyboards.
"Something massive activated in Sector 13. Beneath the Indian Ridge."
Agent Six stood behind her, arms crossed, unmoving. "Is it EVO?"
"No. The readings are too structured. These nanites aren't corrupted. They're... evolving. Harmonizing."
Holiday's voice dropped. "I think it's responding to Kairos."
Six removed his sunglasses slowly. "Then he's more dangerous than we thought."
---
Down on Earth, inside a hidden Providence observation post embedded in the Himalayan cliffs, a different kind of surveillance was underway.
A team of intel specialists had been tailing Kairos and the altered Ben since their descent to the Mamachine chamber. Drones cloaked in adaptive armor flew silently, always just far enough to remain undetected.
Until now.
"Sir!" shouted one of the technicians. "Drone 07 was just vaporized. No known weapon signature. It's like it just... unraveled."
The commander narrowed his eyes. "Send in Black Cell. We need eyes on them before this becomes another Manhattan-class incident."
---
Ben and Kairos moved through the dense jungle above the Mamachine cavern, unaware of how closely they were being tracked. Or perhaps, Kairos knew—and simply didn't care.
Ben, still in her female form, pulled back a branch. "You've been quiet since we left."
"I'm processing," Kairos answered. "The Mamachine called me Catalyst. That means I'm not just an anomaly. I'm part of the system."
Ben stopped. "What system?"
Kairos's eyes glinted. "The one built to survive humanity's extinction."
Ben stared. "Are you saying... the world was supposed to end?"
"No," he said calmly. "But someone planned for it."
They were being watched.
Kairos could feel it—the faint hum of nanite static in the air. Surveillance drones. Military-grade.
Ben's Omnitrix flared with warning.
Kairos raised a hand. "We have company."
Ben transformed into Jetray and launched into the air, intercepting two incoming drones. They exploded in precision bursts of energy. But more came.
Providence had sent in Black Cell.
---
The elite unit rappelled from stealth drop ships, clad in adaptive armor laced with anti-nanite shielding. They moved in silence, no orders spoken. Only one directive: contain Kairos.
Kairos stood his ground as they surrounded him. He didn't power up. He didn't raise a weapon.
He simply said, "You don't understand what you're interrupting."
The squad leader stepped forward. "You're a threat. That's all we need to know."
Ben dropped down beside him. "Back off. He's trying to stop something worse than EVOs."
But they weren't listening.
A command was given. Weapons raised.
Kairos's body shifted.
Not into a weapon, but into light. The CORE SHARD pulsed once—and every soldier froze.
Literally.
Time around them slowed, nanites warping localized physics. Ben gasped as she saw the bullets hanging in the air like silver snowflakes.
Kairos turned to her. "Run. I'll catch up."
Ben hesitated. "No. I stay."
Kairos looked at her, surprised—and then something changed in his expression. A softness. He reached out and touched her arm.
The nanites flowed from him into her, layering her form with an invisible network. Not controlling—protecting.
"Then we go together."
He released the temporal lock. The bullets fell to the ground, inert. The soldiers collapsed, unconscious but unharmed.
Kairos looked toward the horizon. "Providence won't stop. They think they're preventing disaster."
Ben replied, "Then we show them what disaster really looks like—and how to stop it."
---
Back aboard Skywatch Alpha, Dr. Holiday stared at the live feed of the failed extraction.
"They froze time," she whispered. "That's not possible."
Six watched in silence.
"I think he's trying to save us," Holiday said.
Six's jaw tightened. "Or he's choosing what to save."
---
Below, in the jungle, Kairos activated a beacon from his palm. It shimmered in green-gold code, connecting directly to the Mamachine's neural grid.
More coordinates appeared in his mind—buried Mamachines across the globe.
Kairos turned to Ben.
"The others are waking up. We need to reach them before the False God does."
Ben smirked. "Then let's make some noise."