Chapter 66: Crisis and the Missing Klein
A swirling vortex of blue energy tore through the sterile air, illuminating the metallic walls of the corridor. Paradox stepped out first, his coat fluttering slightly as he led the group into the dimly lit facility.
"This is the place," the time-walker announced, his tone uncharacteristically grave as he surveyed the cold architecture. "I've been here once before. Azmuth seems to be up to something rather shady."
Vilgax's heavy footsteps echoed like drumbeats as he scanned their surroundings, his red eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Since we haven't been led astray, let us proceed."
The Second Ben nodded, adjusting the Omnitrix on his wrist, and the group pushed deeper into the Galvan complex. Strangely, they met zero resistance. No security drones swarmed them from the ceiling. No automated blasters tracked their movements. The entire facility felt hollowed out, utterly devoid of life.
They walked until the corridor opened up into a massive, cavernous laboratory. The visibility inside was abysmal. A single, harsh spotlight cut through the gloom, illuminating a heavy containment device in the center of the room. Inside that device lay the unconscious body of the Ben from Quadrant 54.
An elderly Galvan stood by the main console. He had detected the critical danger the Carnitrix was in and used its built-in emergency teleportation protocol—a feature mirroring the Primus system—to yank the boy and the cursed watch across dimensions straight to his lab.
"Azmuth! Release that boy at once!"
Vilgax didn't wait for a reply. He lunged forward, his massive hand snatching the tiny Galvan by the collar and hoisting him into the air. He glared daggers at the old scientist, demanding he unlock the containment unit.
The Bens from the other timelines exchanged uneasy glances. This Azmuth felt entirely wrong. Gwen instinctively took a step back. To those who knew the brilliant, often grumpy thinker, his current demeanor was deeply unsettling.
"Hahahahaha..."
A low, grating chuckle escaped Azmuth's throat, escalating into a manic, unhinged cackle. He completely ignored the warlord's crushing grip, his eyes wide and bloodshot.
Vilgax's jaw locked. A vein pulsed visibly at his temple. He tightened his grip, the fabric of Azmuth's tunic tearing slightly under the pressure.
"Kill me!" Azmuth spat, saliva flying from his lips. "Anyway, you will all die soon! Die under my most brilliant masterpiece! All of you inferior beings, you will all perish! Hahahaha!"
"Vilgax. Give him to me."
Klein's voice cut through the manic laughter, flat and utterly devoid of amusement.
Vilgax hesitated, glancing over his shoulder at the teenager, but ultimately tossed the laughing Galvan into Klein's waiting hands.
"What do you want to do, kid?" Azmuth sneered, looking up at Klein with deranged confusion.
Klein didn't say a word. With swift, merciless efficiency, he simply stripped Azmuth completely naked.
"Hey! Hey! Wait! What are you trying to do?! No! NO!!!" Azmuth thrashed wildly, his manic laughter instantly replaced by sheer, undiluted panic. He kicked and squirmed, but against Klein's grip, it was entirely useless.
"Who brought a knife?" Klein asked, turning to look at the group.
The sheer absurdity of the situation left the room in stunned silence. Gwen slapped a hand over her eyes. The Bens stared, jaws slack, completely failing to process the sight of the naked, screaming Galvan. Nobody answered.
"Never mind, I'll use something else instead," Klein sighed. He crouched down, his eyes scanning the floor before picking up a jagged, razor-sharp shard of metallic rock. He weighed it in his hand, then looked pointedly at Azmuth's lower half. "Didn't expect you to be quite so small."
That soul-crushing remark almost drove Azmuth over the edge.
Klein casually raised the sharp rock, aiming it directly at the Galvan's exposed lower body. "In this life, I can't stand anyone acting arrogant in front of me. You act arrogant, I castrate you."
"No! No! Wait! Is it not enough if I admit my mistake?!" Azmuth shrieked, his eyes bulging as he stared at the approaching rock shard. "Is it not enough if I stop destroying other races?! I'll release that kid immediately!!!"
No matter how crazy or genius he was, he folded instantly. No male in the universe could maintain their villainous composure when facing imminent castration.
"Wouldn't it have been better to do this earlier?" Klein muttered, his hand stopping mere inches from its target.
Unconcerned about the tiny alien escaping, Klein tossed Azmuth onto the main console. "Quickly turn this thing off and release him."
Azmuth hugged his knees to his chest, shivering as he looked up with pleading eyes. "Can you give me my clothes back first?"
Klein simply raised the rock shard again.
"Wait! I'll go right away!" Azmuth scrambled across the keyboard, his tiny hands flying over the controls.
But he was too late. Before he could even reach the primary unlock interface, the Ben of Quadrant 54 snapped awake.
"Ah!!!"
The boy screamed in raw agony as the Carnitrix on his left wrist forcefully activated itself, glowing with a sickly, blood-red light.
BOOM!
The containment device exploded outward in a shower of sparks and shrapnel. The group threw their arms up, retreating rapidly to avoid the blast wave.
When the thick smoke finally cleared, everyone froze. Floating in mid-air was a being of cosmic horror. Its body resembled the starry night sky, but its proportions were grotesquely deformed, its limbs twisted, and its face a terrifying, nightmarish mask.
"Alien X?!" one of the Bens shouted in horror.
The terrifying Carnitrix Alien X slowly turned its head, locking its hollow gaze onto Klein. It raised a deformed right hand, reality warping around its fingertips.
The moment Klein realized the monster was targeting him, he didn't hesitate. He slammed his hand down on the Another Omnitrix.
A quiet, brilliant blue light flared through the room—and then instantly vanished.
"Cousin!" Ben and Gwen yelled in unison, staring in disbelief at the empty space where Klein had just been standing.
"Relax, he won't fall into trouble that easily," Paradox said smoothly, stepping forward. "Before the attack landed, he successfully transformed and counterattacked. However, the sheer collision of their powers caused a massive distortion in space-time. Klein, being at the epicenter of the collision, was twisted to another location. He should be back on his own soon."
Paradox dusted off his lapels, entirely unbothered. "None of this is an issue. Klein is still around, and the situation remains stable."
"So you're saying..." Ben trailed off, slowly turning his head to look at the horrifying, twitching form of Carnitrix Alien X, which was now glaring at them.
"Exactly. You guys go handle that. I'm leaving first." Paradox tipped his head, opened a blue portal, and casually stepped through, vanishing from the room.
"No choice, we have to fight!" Ben yelled, slamming his hand onto his dial. "Humungousaur!"
A chorus of green flashes illuminated the dark lab.
"Ultimate Swampfire!"
"Spidermonkey!"
"Armodrillo!"
Meanwhile, across the dimensional fold, Klein blinked.
He looked down at his new form. He had transformed into 'Dot'—a Naljian, a being from the twenty-sixth dimension. His perception of reality was currently layered with twenty-six different intersecting planes of existence, making the physical world look like a flat, poorly drawn comic strip.
He scratched his head, looking around in mild confusion. "Where did this bring me? Is this still the 54th Quadrant?"
Back in the lab, the battle had erupted into absolute chaos.
Ultimate Swampfire thrust both hands forward, unleashing a roaring torrent of blue fire. The intense heat washed over Carnitrix Alien X, scorching a blackened trench into the floor and incinerating the surrounding machinery into molten slag.
When the flames finally dissipated, the monster floated there, completely unharmed.
Carnitrix Alien X twitched, then lunged forward with terrifying speed. Armodrillo, seeing the movement, revved the pistons on his elbows and charged to intercept.
Armodrillo's enormous, steel-plated fist collided squarely with the monster's deformed hand. A shockwave rippled through the air. For a fraction of a second, they stalemated—and then Armodrillo was launched backward like a cannonball, crashing through two reinforced walls.
The monster didn't pause, floating forward to pursue the downed alien.
"Atomic Bomb!" Spidermonkey screeched, leaping into the air. He condensed a massive, highly volatile orb of green kinetic energy between his four hands and hurled it directly at the monster's back.
Carnitrix Alien X stopped. It casually reached back with one hand and caught the glowing orb.
BOOM!
A blinding green mushroom cloud erupted in the center of the lab, shaking the foundation of the facility. But as the radioactive smoke cleared, the monster emerged without a single scratch.
"As expected, standard attacks still don't work! You guys hold him off, I'll try to match him with Alien X!"
Realizing his energy attacks were useless, Spidermonkey slapped his chest symbol, reverting to the Second Ben. He immediately dialed his watch again, slamming it down. A flash of green light later, the Second Ben transformed into Alien X.
And then, he immediately froze in place, completely motionless as his consciousness was dragged into the mindscape to debate with Bellicus and Serena.
Prime Ben, currently in the form of Humungousaur, gritted his teeth as he watched Carnitrix Alien X shrug off every attack. The monster's body was practically indestructible. He glanced over at the Second Ben, who was currently floating like a frozen statue in the shape of Alien X.
An idea sparked in Humungousaur's mind. He remembered his cousin's pragmatic advice.
Make the best use of everything!
Since I can't break this monster's defense, Humungousaur thought, a wide, toothy grin spreading across his dinosaur face, I'll just let Alien X do it!
Without a second thought, Humungousaur stomped over to the frozen Celestialsapien and grabbed him by the ankle with one massive hand.
"Alien X Greatsword!"
Humungousaur roared, charging directly at Carnitrix Alien X. He swung the frozen, indestructible body of the Second Ben like a massive baseball bat, smashing him directly into the monster.
Carnitrix Alien X didn't even bother to dodge, clearly expecting another useless attack.
THUD!
A heavy, sickening impact echoed through the room. The monster was physically staggered, knocked off balance by the sheer indestructible mass of a fellow Celestialsapien. Of course, while Alien X was indestructible, the kinetic force was entirely supplied by Humungousaur's raw physical strength.
Refusing to lose momentum, Humungousaur raised the frozen Alien X over his head and brought him crashing down again.
THUD! THUD!
Several consecutive, heavy hits successfully drew the monster's full, furious attention. Carnitrix Alien X shrieked, raising a hand to unleash a devastating cosmic blast.
Seeing the incoming attack, Humungousaur quickly shifted his grip, holding the frozen Alien X horizontally in front of his chest.
"Alien X Shield!"
CLANG!
The monster's terrifying attack slammed directly into the Second Ben's frozen body. The kinetic force dispersed harmlessly against the indestructible cosmic skin. There was no follow-up damage. Humungousaur didn't even feel the heat.
Peeking out from behind his makeshift Celestialsapien shield, Humungousaur's eyes lit up with absolute delight.
This thing is seriously super useful!
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