The Rust Bucket pulled up to Mount Rushmore, its engine rumbling as Max guided it along a narrow road carved into the side of the mountain. The drop on one side was steep enough to make Gwen instinctively lean away from the window.
"I don't think tourists are allowed on this road," Gwen said, glancing down at the edge.
"We're not tourists," Max replied calmly, hands steady on the wheel. "We're tenants."
They continued forward until a worn "Road Closed" sign blocked the path. Instead of stopping for long, Max reached down and pressed a hidden button beneath the dashboard.
A second later, the ground beneath them shifted.
An elevator platform opened up under the Rust Bucket, lowering the entire vehicle down into the mountain itself. The sunlight above faded quickly, replaced by dim artificial lighting as they descended deeper into the hidden interior of Mount Rushmore.
The platform came to a stop inside a large metallic chamber, the walls lined with unfamiliar materials and old machinery. Max stepped out first, motioning for Gwen to follow.
They walked through a series of corridors, their footsteps echoing slightly. Max stopped in front of a row of cabinets and started pressing concealed switches. One by one, compartments slid open, revealing weapons and devices that were definitely not normal human tech.
He grabbed a few pieces, checking them quickly before moving to the next.
After the third cabinet, Gwen finally snapped.
"That's it!" she said, throwing her hands up. "I am not taking another step until you tell me what's going on! Why aren't we helping them? What is this place, and how do you know about that alien guy who's after Ben and Evan?"
Max didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he picked up a protective vest and slipped it on, followed by a pair of goggles. Then he reached into one of the larger compartments and pulled out a massive cannon, the kind that clearly wasn't designed for anything small-scale.
He turned back to her.
"Well… it's kind of complicated," he admitted. "But let's just say…"
He adjusted his grip on the weapon.
"...I wasn't exactly a normal plumber before I retired."
...
Elsewhere, Evan wasn't having nearly as calm of a moment.
He was restrained inside Vilgax's ship, held in place by multiple containment systems. Energy bindings locked around his right wrist and both legs, keeping him suspended, while his left arm was trapped inside a reinforced metal clamp designed specifically to isolate the Another Omnitrix.
Faint energy lines ran across the restraints, pulsing every few seconds.
In front of him, Vilgax stood, watching as data from the Omnitrix was scanned and analyzed.
"A child," Vilgax scoffed. "I should have expected as much, seeing how the Omnitrix is being used like a plaything."
Evan rolled his eyes slightly, even if his heart was beating faster than usual.
"Oh please. What I do with the Omnitrix has nothing to do with you."
Vilgax stepped closer, his shadow falling over him.
"You don't understand at all, do you?" he said, voice low but clear. "You hold the key to a power struggle so ancient, so vast, that it is beyond your comprehension."
He gestured slightly as he spoke, almost like he was explaining something simple.
"Imagine an entire army, each one wielding an Omnitrix. All under my command. I would be unstoppable. I would rule the universe."
His gaze sharpened.
"And the only thing standing between me and that destiny… is you."
Evan met his eyes, keeping his expression steady.
"Then maybe keep that dream to yourself, Squidward," he said flatly. "The Another Omnitrix and I are one. You're not taking it."
Vilgax didn't react much, but there was a slight shift in his posture.
"Oh, we'll see about that."
At his command, several weapons rose up from the floor around Evan, spears, blades, and other sharp instruments, all positioned just close enough to be threatening without touching him yet.
...
Back at Mount Rushmore, the Rust Bucket rose back up from the hidden entrance and rolled onto the road again, heading out.
Max kept his focus forward as he spoke.
"This weapon is keyed to Vilgax's bio-signature," he explained, patting the large cannon beside him. "It'll take him down for good this time... Probably."
"This time?" Gwen repeated, narrowing her eyes.
Max didn't answer that part. Instead, he said. "There's a small red button under there. Press it."
Gwen hesitated for a second, then opened the compartment and pressed the button.
A holographic display flickered to life in front of them, a blue map with two blinking red dots. One was moving, the other was stationary.
"Hey!"
"GPS-assisted tracking," Max said. "It's locked onto the Omnitrixes signals."
Gwen leaned in, studying it. "There's two signals… they're not together."
Max nodded. "Which means Evan and Ben got separated. That also means at least one of them is still moving."
Before Gwen could respond, her phone rang.
She picked it up immediately.
"Hello? Ben!? Where are you!?"
She listened, her expression shifting from worry to focus.
"I see… okay. Grandpa and I are on our way. Stay put, alright? And don't do anything stupid."
She hung up and looked at Max.
"He's safe."
Max gave a small nod, pressing down on the accelerator just a bit more.
"Good," he said. "Because we don't have much time."
...
Back inside Vilgax's ship.
Evan was still left hanging as he saw Vilgax looking at his massive monitor showing a map of the Earth, as he tried to pinpoint Ben's location.
He seems to want to take both Omnitrixes before leaving this place.
But as long as Ben didn't recklessly activate his Omnitrix, finding him won't be so easy.
"So why did you decide to become a douchebag that likes to take over other people's planets?" Evan asks, deciding to try to buy some time.
"That should be the last of your worry, child," Vilgax said, calmly walking toward Evan with his hands behind his back as he tried to intimidate him.
Before Evan could say anything, the Omnitrix symbol appeared on Vilgax's map, beeping loudly and drawing their attention.
Evan widened his eyes, realizing that Ben had activated his Omnitrix and now his location had been leaked.
What is even more surprising is that the Omnitrix symbol was getting closer and closer toward them.
...
The Rust Bucket sped down the mountain road, tires screeching slightly as Max pushed it harder than usual. Up ahead, the massive alien ship hovered just above the ground, casting a long shadow over everything beneath it.
"There's the spaceship!" Gwen said, pointing straight ahead.
"We have to get aboard," Max replied without slowing down.
"Get aboard? How?" Ben asked, turning toward him.
Max didn't answer right away. Instead, he smiled slightly as the radio on the dashboard shifted inward, folding into itself. In its place, a hidden control panel slid out, covered in buttons and switches that definitely weren't standard.
He pressed one.
The Rust Bucket responded immediately.
The sides of the bumper expanded outward, the front grill lit up with a green glow, and the entire vehicle surged forward, accelerating faster than it had any right to.
"Uh… Grandpa?" Ben started.
A second later, the Rust Bucket launched off the incline.
Ben and Gwen both screamed as the RV went airborne, heading straight toward the alien ship.
...
On the other side of the ship, Vilgax had already made his move.
An energy blade extended from his weapon as he stepped closer to Evan, the weapon humming with a low, dangerous tone. After their earlier fight, he had already decided that, between the two, Evan was the bigger problem.
So he'd deal with him first.
Then he'd go after the other Omnitrix.
As he raised the blade toward Evan's restrained arm, but before he could bring it down, the Rust Bucket crashed through the wall.
The RV burst into the chamber, tearing through metal and smashing a few drones out of the way before slamming directly into Vilgax and driving him back into the far wall.
The impact knocked the energy blade out of his hand as the vehicle came to a stop.
"Warning. Hull breach. Power surge!" a nearby robot announced.
Max kicked the door open and stepped out immediately, already charging up the massive cannon in his hands.
"Get your claws away from my grandson, Vilgax!" he shouted, aiming straight at him.
"Grandpa!" Evan called out, relieved despite everything.
"Tennyson," Vilgax growled, pushing himself back up.
Max didn't hesitate. He fired.
The blast sent Vilgax crashing through multiple walls and doors in a straight line before disappearing into another section of the ship. Max lowered the weapon and rushed over.
"I'm glad you're safe," he said quickly, already working on the restraints.
"Let me!" Ben jumped out, slamming his Omnitrix down.
The transformation completed in a flash, and Four Arms stepped forward, grabbing the machine holding Evan in place. With a firm pull, he tore it apart, freeing him.
Evan dropped to the ground, rolling his shoulder slightly before glancing at his Another Omnitrix. The interface was open, as he tapped it and closed it up.
"Thanks."
Gwen stepped out just in time to see a swarm of drones flooding into the room.
"Look out!"
Four Arms moved immediately, smashing through the first few drones with heavy punches, sending pieces of metal flying everywhere. Gwen ducked behind cover, but one drone spotted her and turned its cannon toward her.
Before it could fire, Max raised a second weapon and blasted it out of the air.
Evan didn't waste time either.
He activated his Another Omnitrix and slammed the dial down without even checking.
"Shellblade!"
A flash of gold later, he stepped forward, eyes glowing as he locked onto the incoming drones.
Water gathered around his body, forming a pressurized stream as he launched forward like a living jet. He cut through the swarm, breaking apart mid-motion and slashing multiple drones clean in half before landing smoothly.
More drones kept coming, but the group held their ground, pushing back as the ship itself started to rise.
"We've got to get this ship under control!" Max called out, already moving toward the control area.
"You can fly a spaceship?" Four Arms asked, pausing mid-punch.
"At this point, nothing surprises me," Gwen said, ducking another laser shot.
Max reached the control panel and started inputting commands, but he didn't notice Vilgax returning until it was too late.
A massive hand grabbed him by the collar.
Before he could react, Vilgax threw him straight toward the open breach in the ship's hull. Max hit the edge hard, barely managing to hold on as Vilgax stepped forward and pinned him down with his foot.
"Grandpa!" Gwen, Four Arms, and Shellblade shouted at the same time.
Vilgax smirked slightly under his mask, his stance steady even with the wind howling through the opening.
"Your weapon won't help you, Tennyson. As you can see, I've improved since our last encounter."
Max strained against the pressure, trying to push his foot off.
"Get off him!!"
Four Arms and Shellblade charged together, slamming into Vilgax and knocking him away from the edge, and all three of them went over.
They dropped out of the ship, falling fast toward the ground below.
Vilgax recovered first, raising his arm and bringing it down toward Shellblade, but just before the hit landed, Shellblade tapped the Omnitrix dial on his chest.
A golden flash erupted mid-air.
Vilgax's strike hit his own arm, while a black, living substance latched onto his body.
"Noir!"
Without hesitation, the symbiote detached and launched itself toward Four Arms, wrapping around him in seconds.
The transformation was immediate.
Four Arms' body turned pitch black, red markings spreading across him. His size increased, muscles bulking up further as spikes formed along his arms and shoulders. His lower arms extended slightly, claws sharpening, while a jagged mouth full of teeth formed across his face.
Four glowing eyes opened, two green, two gold.
Ben's Omnitrix symbol sat on his shoulder.
Evan's Omnitrix symbol rested on his chest.
They hit Vilgax together, kicking off him mid-air and sending him crashing into the ground below before landing on one of the carved heads of Mount Rushmore.
Four Arms flexed slightly, looking at himself.
"Wow… since when can you do this?"
"Since always," Noir replied, their voices layered together, one tone slightly sharper than the other. "Noir is just naturally weak against fire, so I can't merge with Heatblast."
Four Arms blinked, then looked at his hands again.
"...Huh."
Some distance away, Vilgax stood back up, brushing debris off his body. His eyes narrowed as he looked up at them.
"A symbiote…?"
"A what?" Four Arms asked.
"Doesn't matter." Noir said.
He cracked his knuckles.
"Let's go."
They jumped down together, landing in front of Vilgax. Their upper arms met his in a direct clash, the impact sending out a shockwave across the ground.
Their lower arms came together next, clapping hard enough to create a shockwave.
The shockwave blasted outward, pushing Vilgax back several steps.
Four Arms looked at his hands again.
"Okay, I did not know I could do that."
"You really need to learn your aliens better," Noir said.
Vilgax steadied himself, eyes locked on them, clearly more serious now than before.
The metal rods on Vilgax's arms retracted back into his body, and his already massive frame seemed to grow even more powerful as his arms thickened and hardened.
His glare stayed locked on the two of them.
Then he charged.
Four Arms and Noir rushed at him at the same time, meeting him head-on. Vilgax swung both massive arms downward, and Four Arms threw all four of his own arms up to block the blow. The impact cracked the ground beneath them, sending spiderweb-like fractures across the stone and even breaking part of one of Mount Rushmore's carved heads.
"Your resistance is futile!" Vilgax snarled. "Soon, both your Omnitrixes will be mine!"
He shoved forward, pressing his advantage. Even with Noir strengthening Four Arms, the difference in size, power, ages, and experience was obvious.
It was basically two ten-year-olds trying to hold back an adult who had no intention of playing fair.
He grabbed them by the head and slammed them down into the mountain face. Before he could bring his fist down again, one of Four Arms' lower hands shot up and tapped the Omnitrix dial on his chest.
A golden flash erupted.
Vilgax flinched for just a second, and that was all the opening needed for a heavy metal fist to crash into his face and send him flying backward a good distance.
When the light faded, a tall metal armored figure was standing above Four Arms' injured body.
"SAM..."
The plating on SAM's armor shifted open slightly, revealing glowing golden flame leaking through the seams of his body like heat escaping from a furnace.
"An Iron Cavalry!?" Vilgax said, his eyes widening in shock. He clearly recognized the species standing before him, and he did not like what he was looking at.
The Iron Cavalry, a race built for war, even a few hours-old Iron Cavalry is a war machine. They live and die on the battlefield; the only meaning of their lives is a never-ending fight.
"I'm ending this here, Vilgax," SAM said.
He tapped his Omnitrix again.
Three spikes popped out from the dial.
Vilgax charged immediately, but SAM did the same.
A golden glow spread across SAM's body as his armor shifted, becoming smoother and more refined while also growing sharper in places. More golden spikes extended from his arms and elbows, and his frame bulked up just enough to make him even harder to move. Golden-white metal wings unfolded from his back, their pointed edges gleaming in the light.
Vilgax came in fast.
SAM clenched his left fist, and a powerful jet of golden flame burst from his left elbow before he swung forward and met Vilgax's strike head-on. Their fists collided, and another shockwave burst out from the impact, forcing Vilgax back through the air.
A red glow flashed behind SAM, but he ignored it and pushed forward while Vilgax was still airborne.
Flames burst from his back and legs as he rocketed forward, grabbed Vilgax by the face, and drove him down into the ground hard enough to leave a trail as he dragged him several feet away from Ben.
Ben's transformation had just timed out, and he had shifted back to human form.
SAM lifted Vilgax again, then launched himself upward with another flare from his boosters. At the top of the rise, he came down with a hard kick directly into Vilgax's chest, sending the alien warlord flying toward his own falling ship.
When he landed back on the ground, he noticed the Rust Bucket crashing through another section of the ship.
That meant Max and Gwen had made it out.
He didn't waste a second.
SAM slammed both hands together, and the metal on his arms merged into a large, powerful rail gun. He aimed at the damaged section of the ship where Vilgax had just been thrown and fired.
A brilliant yellow beam shot out and slammed into the ship, tearing through a large section of its frame. Metal screamed as it buckled, and the massive craft started to fall apart as it tumbled toward the ground in the distance.
SAM stared at the wreckage for a moment before his Omnitrix timed out, returning him to human form.
"Did you do it?" Ben asked, running up beside him. "Did we win?"
Evan kept his eyes on the smoke and wreckage for a second longer. "I think so..."
Then he turned toward Ben.
"Let's go check on Grandpa and Gwen. I saw the Rust Bucket come out of the ship not too long ago."
He pulled out his hoverboard and activated it, and the two of them launched down from Mount Rushmore together.
They found Max and Gwen standing a good distance away from the crash site.
"Grampa! Gwen!" Ben shouted, as he spotted them waving back.
Max was already looking at them, but the moment his eyes met theirs, something shifted. The relief didn't land. The tension on their faces hit him immediately, sharp and unmistakable.
His expression hardened.
Then he turned and saw that Vilgax was still standing.
Somehow, despite everything, the alien warlord had recovered. His massive frame was steady, his armor now broken, his crimson gaze locked onto them, and in his hand, an energy blade hummed to life as he raised it high.
Everything after that happened too fast to properly follow.
Evan's body moved before anyone else could react.
He moved without thinking, moving on instinct as he shoved Gwen hard out of the way. At the same time, the hoverboard itself veered off course, and it and Ben crashed into Max, knocking him off his feet.
The blade came down a split second later.
It missed the others by inches.
For a brief moment, everything felt… still.
Gwen hit the ground and stayed there, her mind struggling to catch up with what just happened. Max looked up from the ground, his eyes widened in horror. Ben lifted his head as his pupil dilated.
Gwen didn't react to the crimson blood that had spattered onto her face.
Her breath caught, her thoughts stalled, and everything around her dulled into a distant blur. She just stared, unable to process it, her body and mind refusing to react.
Evan was cut in half from the shoulder down by Vilgax's blade.