"HEY! It's not my fault!" Ben face turned a deep shade of crimson. "I just wanted the cool stuff that the satellite had to offer! I didn't ask for a harem of rock-monsters!"
"It's not just about the 'restoration', Ben," Max interrupted, his expression turning grim. "The man who made that watch, Azmuth, intended it for good. But there are others who want it for power. If someone like Vilgax gets his hands on you..."
THUD.
The entire RV rocked to the left. The sound of metal screaming against metal echoed through the thin walls.
SCREEECH-CRUNCH.
"What was that?" Ben yelled. He fell out of his seat, hitting the floor with a heavy WHACK.
Max was on his feet in a second. He kicked a hidden lever near the base of the driver's seat.
A compartment slid open, revealing a large, high-tech rifle with glowing blue canisters. He grabbed it and slammed a fresh power cell into the stock.
CHACK-CHICK.
"'He' found us," Max growled.
A massive, three-pronged metal claw tore through the roof of the Rustbucket.
The Insulation, wires, and bits of aluminum rained down on the dinner table, landing in the purple stew.
"MOVE!" Max yelled.
A robotic drone, shaped like a metallic squid with a single red glowing eye, lowered itself through the hole in the ceiling. It emitted a high-pitched, mechanical screech.
SCREEEEEEEEEEEEE!
The sound made Ben's teeth vibrate in his skull. He scrambled backward on his hands and knees, his sneakers slipping on a spilled puddle of juice.
"Pyra! Do something!" Ben screamed.
"You can command me by pressing the chaquetrix, Sire!" the tiny hologram shouted before vanishing.
Ben slammed his hand down on the pink dial.
BAM.
The pink light exploded outward, filling the cramped RV.
The pink light didn't just glow; it pushed. The air pressure inside the Rustbucket tripled in a millisecond, popping Ben's ears with a sharp POP.
WHIRRR-CLICK.
The transformation wasn't Ben turning into a monster; it was the atmosphere itself tearing open. A rift of pink energy jagged across the linoleum floor, melting the edges of the rug.
FWOOMP.
Pyra materialized in the narrow aisle between the kitchenette and the dinette. Her seven-foot frame was too large for the space. Her head slammed into the ceiling, her volcanic shoulder plates grinding against the overhead storage cabinets.
CRUNCH.
Plastic containers of "dried stink-beetles" tumbled out of the cabinets, raining down on Ben's head.
"The metal scavenger dares to strike while the Sire is feeding?" Pyra's voice was a tectonic roar. She reached up and grabbed the mechanical claw that had pierced the roof.
Her stone fingers glowed white-hot, 400°C heat transferring into the drone's alloy.
SIZZLE.
The drone's red eye pulsed rapidly. It fired a localized sonic burst directly into Pyra's chest.
BWONG.
The soundwave hit like a physical force which barely did any damage to Pyra except flaring her flames a bit...but to the little Ben Tennyson.
It threw Ben backward into the driver's seat. His head hit the steering wheel. THACK. The horn honked a long, mournful note.
HOOOOOOOONK.
"Ben! Get out of there!" Max yelled. He leveled his Plumber rifle and pulled the trigger at a scavenger which was outside directly staring at the hazy ben.
PEW-VWOOM.
A bolt of blue ion energy streaked past Ben's ear, the ozone smell making his nose sting. The bolt hit the drone's central eye, cracking the glass.
SPARK. CRACKLE.
"Inside is too small! Pyra, get it out of here!" Ben scrambled wobbly to his feet, his hands trembling as he gripped the steering wheel for balance.
"Stand firm, Sire! Observe the cull!" Pyra roared. She wrapped both hands around the drone's neck pulling it down and stepped forward. Her weight snapped the floorboards of the Rustbucket.
She threw her shoulder into the drone, charging toward the open side door of the RV. The metal frame of the door wasn't wide enough for both of them.
SCREEECH-BANG.
The Pyronite's rocky hips caught the doorframe, ripping the hinges clean off the wall. She tumbled out into the dirt, taking the drone and the entire door with her.
Ben and Gwen rushed to the jagged hole where the door used to be. The night air was cold, hitting their sweat-slicked faces like a wet towel. Outside, the clearing was illuminated by the flickering flames licking off Pyra's shoulders.
"Is she going to be okay?" Gwen asked, her voice high and shaky. She was clutching her thick book to her chest like a shield.
"She's a Pyronite warrior, Gwen. That drone is a toy to her," Max said, though he didn't lower his rifle. He stepped out onto the metal steps, his eyes scanning the dark tree line.
"But those drones don't travel alone. Where there's one harvester, there's a swarm."
In the clearing, Pyra was pinned under the drone. The machine had deployed several more legs, digging serrated titanium claws into the soft gaps between Pyra's armor plates.
SCREE. CHIRP.
"GET... OFF... ME!" Pyra slammed her fist into the drone's side.
CLANG.
The metal dented, but the drone stayed latched. A small needle-like probe extended from the drone's underbelly, aiming for Pyra's molten core.
"Ben! Use the watch! There's a command function!" Max yelled over his shoulder.
"I don't know how to use it! There's no manual!" Ben looked at the pink hourglass. He tapped the glass. "Uh... Pyra! Use the... fire-thingy! The big one!"
The Chaquetrix responded to his voice.
BING.
A pink beam of light shot from the watch, connecting to the symbol on Pyra's chest.
VROOOOOOOM.
Pyra's internal temperature skyrocketed. The orange cracks in her skin turned a blinding, ultraviolet white. The air for ten feet around her began to wobble.
WHOOSH.
The drone's metallic legs didn't just break; they turned into liquid. The titanium softened and dripped onto the grass like silver rain.
Pyra let out a guttural scream of triumph. She grabbed the main body of the drone, which was now glowing red from the heat, and ripped it in half with a sickening sound of shearing metal.
RIIIIIIIP.
Oil and hydraulic fluid sprayed across the grass. The smell of burnt lubricant was nauseating. Pyra stood up, tossing the two halves of the machine into the woods.
She turned back to the Rustbucket, her golden eyes finding Ben. She began to walk toward him, but her steps were heavy. The pink glow from the watch was fading.
"Synchronization... depleted," she rumbled. Her stone body began to flicker, turning translucent. "The Sire is... too young. The link is weak."
SHLOOP.
She vanished back into the watch.
Silence returned to the campsite, but the Rustbucket was a wreck. The roof was torn, the door was gone, and the floor was scorched.
Ben looked at his wrist. The watch was cold again.
"Ben..." Gwen started, her voice small. She pointed at the dark sky above them.
Six more red lights appeared among the stars. They were moving fast, descending toward the clearing with a rhythmic, mechanical hum.
HUMMMMMMMMMM.
"Into the truck," Max said, his voice flat and hard. "We're leaving. Now."