Night had settled over Queens.
From the rooftop of his apartment building, Jack looked across the city. Lights from thousands of windows glowed against the dark sky. Cars moved slowly through the streets below.
The city never truly slept.
Which meant crime never did either.
Jack rolled his shoulders once and looked down at the Omnitrix on his wrist.
"Alright."
He pressed the dial.
*KRR-CHAK!*
The Omnitrix dial slammed down.
Green light erupted around Jack as his body began to change.
Bones shifted. Muscles twisted. His body stretched and reshaped in seconds.
When the light faded —
XLR8 crouched on the rooftop.
Jack flexed his claws.
Even after transforming several times before, the sensation still amazed him. Everything felt faster. Sharper. Clearer.
He could hear distant conversations from blocks away.
Car engines. Footsteps. A glass bottle breaking somewhere far below.
XLR8's instincts made him feel strangely confident.
Jack leaned forward slightly.
"Let's start."
He ran.
The world blurred.
Wind roared past him as he crossed three rooftops in a single second. Streetlights stretched into glowing lines as he shot across the city.
Jack slowed on top of a building overlooking an alley.
Two men stood near a vending machine.
One of them shoved another man against the wall.
"Wallet. Now."
The victim raised his hands.
Jack tilted his head.
"Seriously?"
He moved.
A gust of wind slammed through the alley.
Before the criminals even understood what was happening —
Jack kicked the first attacker hard behind the knee.
CRACK.
The man collapsed instantly.
The second robber spun around in shock.
Jack's tail swept low.
The man flipped sideways and slammed into the ground.
Both of them were unconscious in less than two seconds.
The victim stared around wildly.
"...What?"
Jack was already gone.
Three blocks away, Jack stopped on top of a rooftop water tower.
The timer appeared in his vision.
[ Transformation Time Remaining: 02:13 ]
Jack crouched down.
"Right... ten minutes."
He needed to keep that limit in mind.
The moment the timer hit zero, the Omnitrix would force him back to human form.
Transforming out in the open was dangerous.
Jack ducked behind a ventilation unit and waited.
The timer reached zero.
Green light flashed. His alien form disappeared.
Jack stretched his neck.
"One minute recharge."
He looked out over the city again.
Sirens echoed somewhere far away.
He smiled slightly.
"Guess word travels fast."
A few seconds later —
[ Omnitrix Ready ]
Jack didn't hesitate.
"Round two."
*KRR-CHAK!*
Green light erupted around Jack as his body began to change.
XLR8 returned.
Jack launched himself across the rooftops.
Twenty minutes later, Queens had gotten much quieter.
Not because crime had stopped. But because every criminal who tried something tonight had the same experience.
A blur of wind.
Then darkness.
Jack landed on another rooftop. The timer showed four minutes remaining.
His ears twitched.
Voices. Below him.
He slowly looked over the edge.
A warehouse parking lot sat beneath the building.
Five men surrounded a delivery truck.
One of them kicked the driver hard.
"Where's the rest of the cash?!"
The driver groaned in pain.
Jack's expression hardened.
Five criminals. No cameras nearby. A man getting hurt.
He dropped from the rooftop.
The moment his feet touched the ground —
He ran.
Wind exploded across the parking lot.
The first criminal barely turned before Jack slammed into his chest. The man flew into the truck door.
The second attacker raised a knife.
Jack grabbed his wrist and twisted hard. The knife dropped.
The third attacker tried to run.
Jack appeared in front of him instantly.
One punch. The man collapsed.
The last two criminals panicked.
"What the hell is that thing?!"
Jack ran circles around them. The wind alone knocked them off their feet.
Within seconds all five men were unconscious.
Jack grabbed the injured driver and moved him beside the truck.
"You'll be fine."
The driver blinked up at him.
"...An alien?"
Jack vanished.
Back on the rooftop, Jack leaned against the wall.
The timer blinked.
[ Transformation Ending ]
Green light flashed. He returned to human form.
Jack exhaled slowly.
Tonight had been busy.
He looked across Queens.
Police sirens echoed again somewhere in the distance.
Somewhere below, criminals were already talking.
About the wind. About the blur. About something moving through the night.
Jack smiled slightly.
"Urban legend speedrun."
But then —
His eyes narrowed.
Far away, something strange caught his attention.
Jack frowned.
The Omnitrix finished recharging.
*KRR-CHAK!*
Green light glowed faintly on his wrist.
Jack stared toward the warehouse.
Then a slow grin spread across his face.
"Alright."
He pressed the dial.
"Let's see what you guys are hiding."
The wind exploded across the rooftop —
And the blur shot toward the docks.