Mr. Smoothy had changed. Not in a good way.
Ben sat at the table with a large green smoothie in front of him. He took one sip, made a face like he'd licked battery acid, and pushed the cup away.
"This is bullshit," Ben said, stabbing the straw like it was the drink's fault. "They changed the recipe. It's not the same. It used to be good. Now it's like… like toothpaste mixed with cough syrup."
Rook sat across from him, sipping his smoothie calmly, like it was the nectar of the gods. He even wiped his mouth with a napkin before speaking. "I do not understand your complaint. It is very refreshing. Sweet, cold, colorful—"
"Colorful isn't a flavor, Rook," Ben groaned. "This place was the place, man. Now it's just… sad. They killed my childhood with one blender."
Rook blinked, tilted his head. "So… smoothies are no longer enjoyable because you grew up?"
Ben threw his hands in the air. "No, it's not me. It's them! They ruined it. First it was chili fries, now smoothies. What's next? Pizza? If pizza goes, I swear I'm burning this planet down."
Rook looked at him seriously. "Is that not a little extreme?"
"Extreme is drinking this garbage and pretending it's fine," Ben shot back.
He slumped back in his chair, arms crossed, staring at the sky like the clouds had personally betrayed him. A few seconds later, he sat up with a sudden grin.
"That's it. If the universe is gonna rob me of smoothies, then screw it. We're going on a road trip."
Rook blinked. "Road trip? Where?"
Ben smirked. "Not road trip. Universe trip. If we saved the damn universe, we deserve to see it, right? One planet to another. Tourists, baby. Let's go."
Before Rook could answer, Ben already had his phone out, dialing.
The call connected. Gwen's voice came sharp and suspicious: "What do you want, Ben?"
Ben grinned. "Pack your bags. We're going on a trip. You, me, Rook, Kevin. Just like old times, except no villains trying to kill us. Just chill, explore, relax. You in?"
There was a pause. Then Gwen sighed. "You're bored, aren't you?"
"Extremely."
Another pause. "Fine. Meet me at the Plumber hangar. I'll drag Kevin along."
"Perfect," Ben said. "This is gonna be legendary."
Plumber Hangar
The hangar doors opened, revealing rows of ships. Gwen stood waiting, arms crossed, tapping her foot. Kevin leaned casually against his car, sunglasses on, looking like the poster boy for "trouble."
"Finally," Kevin smirked. "I was starting to think you chickened out."
Ben rolled his eyes. "Relax, Vin Diesel. We're here."
Gwen shook her head. "Alright, let's get this over with. What's the plan, Ben?"
Before Ben could answer, Kevin raised a hand. "Hold up. Forget Ben. I know the spot. You guys trust me, right?"
"No," Gwen and Ben said at the same time.
Kevin grinned anyway. "Whatever. Listen. There's this place near Tetramand's homeworld. It's called Crystal Heaven. Whole place is covered in giant crystal lakes, glowing mountains, skies that change color. Drinks are out of this world — literally. And…" He smirked at Ben. "There's a fight arena. Biggest fighters from across the galaxy. You're gonna love it, Tennyson. Nothing screams vacation like watching someone get their teeth knocked out with style."
Ben's eyes lit up. "Okay, yeah, that sounds amazing."
Rook raised his hand politely. "Do these crystals… taste good?"
Kevin smirked. "You'll see."
In Space
The Rust Bucket II rattled to life like it always did, coughing smoke before finally humming properly. Kevin proudly sat in the pilot's seat, Rook next to him in copilot, Gwen sat with her arms crossed behind them, and Ben sprawled in the back like a kid on a school bus.
Kevin tapped a few buttons. "Made some upgrades since the last time. Runs smoother, faster. She's a beast now."
Rook leaned over the console, impressed. "Very efficient. But I must ask, why does your car not have the same thruster technology?"
Kevin snorted. "Because a car's a car, Blonko. Rust Bucket's for space. My ride's for style."
Ben leaned forward. "Your ride's for breaking down every three months."
Kevin shot back, "At least I can fix mine without calling plumbers."
Before Gwen could intervene, she cut in with her own topic. "Speaking of fixing things — last week, Charmcaster tried to burn down an entire town. Took me hours to stop her."
Ben's eyebrows shot up. "Charmcaster? Man… I used to have a crush on her."
Gwen turned her head slowly. "You what?"
Ben shrugged. "Hey, she was hot. Until she, y'know, to killed us last time remember. That kind of kills the vibe."
Kevin laughed out loud. "Tennyson crushing on the psycho witch, figures."
Gwen smirked. "What about Kai then, huh? Remember Kai?"
Ben groaned. "Not this again gwen —"
"You still haven't explained those two words you muttered when we first met her. I remember it clearly. Two words. Spill."
Gwen rubbed his neck awkwardly. "Yeah, about that…"
But before Ben could press harder, the Rust Bucket suddenly jolted. The whole ship shook, alarms beeping.
Kevin grabbed the controls. "Uh… Rook? That doesn't look good."
Rook narrowed his eyes at the window. "What is that…?"
Ben stood up, peering out. "Kevin, what the hell are you doing?"
"I'm not doing anything! Look!" Kevin snapped.
Out ahead of them, floating in space, was something unnatural. It bent the starlight around it, twisting space into a circle.
"Black hole," Kevin muttered.
Rook shook his head. "No… it looks like a wormhole."
Ben squinted. "Nah, that's the butthole of space."
Kevin turned around. "Seriously?!"
Gwen slapped her forehead. "What the hell is wrong with you boys?"
Before Ben could answer, the cockpit exploded in blinding white light. Everyone shielded their eyes, groaning, cursing.
When it faded, a familiar figure stood calmly in the middle of the ship.
Professor Paradox adjusted his coat with a small smile. "Ah. Right on schedule."
The ship was still glowing faintly from the light show when Paradox brushed off his coat like nothing had happened. Ben squinted at him, shielding his eyes.
"Professor Paradox… okay, what the hell is that thing?"
Paradox turned, pointing out the window. His voice was calm, too calm. "That, my boy, is not just some black hole. That is a crack. A crack in our Omniverse."
Gwen frowned. "Don't you mean multiverse?"
Paradox shook his head gently, like a teacher correcting a dumb student. "No, no, Gwendolyn. Omniverse. The concept is a bit different. Do you recall my explanation during the Time War? The trunk, the branches, the countless parallel timelines? The original universe is the trunk, the source. Everything else, every timeline, every alternate possibility, grows from it."
Ben leaned back, arms crossed. "Yeah, I kinda remember that tree talk. So what, that thing is chewing through the trunk?"
Paradox's eyes narrowed. "Precisely. A crack in the original verse. Slowly devouring the trunk, and if it continues, the entire Omniverse collapses."
Ben pointed a finger at him. "Okay, but, hear me out. You've got time powers, right? Just rewind the tape. Boom, problem solved."
Paradox gave him a look, that calm smile still fixed on his face. "If it were that simple, Benjamin, do you think I'd be standing here? I've tried. Every attempt I make… the crack grows. My powers are absorbed by it."
Kevin leaned forward, feet kicked up on the console like he was bored. "Hey, what about Clockwork? Doesn't Tennyson have that guy? Just toss him at it, rewind, done deal."
Paradox suddenly snapped, his tone sharper than usual. "No. Don't. Do not attempt that."
Everyone stared.
Paradox gestured at the glowing white sparks dancing around the edge of the black crack. "Do you see those? Those are not stars. Those are manifestations of time itself. Time particles, bleeding into reality because the crack is consuming it. If Clockwork attempts to manipulate them, the crack will… feed. Grow larger. Unstoppable."
Ben rubbed his head. "So lemme get this straight. That's not a wormhole. That's not a black hole. That's a reality crack eating everything — time, space, matter, antimatter — and you can't fix it."
Paradox smiled faintly. "Less observant than usual, Benjamin, but yes. Correct enough."
Gwen groaned, rubbing her temple. "Great. Just great. We were supposed to be on vacation. First planet, drinks, maybe a little shopping. Instead we're staring at the universe's butt crack."
Kevin snorted. "You said it, not me."
Ben pointed at Paradox. "So what's the plan then, Professor? Don't tell me this is another 'Ben, you're the chosen one' speech. I was just about to drink alien cocktails, man."
Paradox turned to him, calm as ever. "Benjamin. It is time for Alien X."
Ben's head dropped back like he'd just lost a bet. "Oh, come on. Every damn time we try to chill, the universe throws us into some cosmic nightmare. Road trip ruined. Again."
Still muttering, he flicked the Omnitrix dial, scrolling through the holograms until the glowing black-and-white silhouette appeared.
He sighed. "Fine. Let's get this over with."
He slammed the dial down. In a flash of black and white, the ship shook with raw power. Alien X stood in Ben's place, arms spread, eyes glowing, the triple-voice echoing across the cockpit.
"Let's finish this."
And with that, Alien X blinked out of existence.
Outside the Crack
Alien X appeared in front of the cosmic wound, space warping around him. Up close, the crack wasn't just black — it shimmered, like fractured glass swallowing light. The outer edges bled white sparks, glittering like stars, but even those sparks bent inward, consumed into the endless void at the center.
Alien X raised his hands, palms open. Slowly, carefully, he began to close his fingers, willing the crack to seal. Space itself folded, groaning like bending metal. The wound tightened, shrinking smaller and smaller, bending inward as if the universe itself obeyed.
Back on the ship, Kevin whistled low. "Damn. He's actually got control of Alien X now. Took him long enough."
Gwen's eyes softened a little, her voice almost proud. "Yeah. First time we saw it, it was terrifying. Now… he's actually pulling it off."
The crack shrank to the size of a coin. Alien X's hands trembled, pushing harder, fingers closing into fists. The void was almost gone. Almost.
And then it happened.
A sudden pull. A surge of raw, violent gravity. The tiny speck of the crack flared, sucking inward like the universe's hungriest vacuum. Alien X was yanked forward, dragged into it before even he could react.
In a blink — he was gone.
So was the crack.
Silence filled the ship.
Kevin's jaw clenched. "…what the hell just happened?"
Rook's ears flattened. "The crack… absorbed him."
Even Paradox looked shaken, his calm mask slipping. He whispered, almost to himself. "Impossible. I didn't see this. I didn't… foresee this."
Gwen's voice cracked, sharp with anger and fear. "You're telling me Ben just got sucked into nothing? Gone? Just like that?"
Nobody answered. The ship drifted silently through the void, stars glittering coldly around them.
For the first time in forever, the Ben Tennyson of the original timeline… was missing.