Chapter 96: You Don't Have the Copyright
The studio staff exchanged helpless glances. While they sympathized with the situation, their hands were tied. The police had already finalized the matter, and they were just low-level employees following protocol. Realizing he was hitting a brick wall, the actor in the Kangaroo Commando suit gritted his teeth, spun on his heel, and stormed off down the studio lot.
Klein and Gwen watched the disgruntled mascot march away before turning their attention to Ben. The ten-year-old was slumped on a nearby bench, staring at his sneakers with a thoroughly crushed expression. Meeting your heroes was always a gamble, and Ben had just lost big.
Klein walked over and clapped a hand onto his cousin's drooping shoulder. "Don't look so miserable. Like I said before, that guy isn't Kangaroo Commando. He is just a guy in a sweaty suit reading lines. The real Kangaroo Commando, the one who actually saves the day, is the character you watch on TV."
Gwen chimed in, her tone surprisingly gentle. "He is right, Dweeb. Your hero didn't do any of those awful things. Have you ever seen the real Kangaroo Commando act like a jerk on the show?"
Ben blinked, processing the logic. The heavy gloom lifting from his face, he offered a small, appreciative smile. "Thanks, guys."
Bouncing back with his usual boundless energy, Ben leaped off the bench and planted his hands on his hips. "You know what? I am going to rewatch the entire series from the very beginning! I need to see the real Kangaroo Commando in action again!"
"Sure, but let's actually look around the studio first," Klein suggested, gesturing to the sprawling Hollywood sets around them. "It is not every day we get full access to a movie lot. We might as well catch a screening or check out the props before we leave."
Ben threw his hands in the air, practically vibrating with excitement. "Oh! I want to see the new Space Pirate movie!"
Gwen immediately scowled, crossing her arms. "No way, Dweeb! That is completely unfair. We already sat through that entire Kangaroo Commando live show just for you. It can't always be about what you want to watch!"
Klein sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as the familiar bickering flared up. "Alright, alright, break it up. Let's go with what Gwen wants this time. Think of it as compensation for earlier, that way, I won't have to lend you the Hypnosis Watch, right?"
Gwen's eyes narrowed playfully. "Nice try. I would rather have the Hypnosis Watch, thanks. Let's go see Space Pirate."
Before the argument could escalate, the studio's public address system crackled to life. A cheerful announcer's voice echoed across the lot. "Hollywood Universal Star Studios is honored to present the exclusive premiere of..."
Sizzle. Sizzle. Sizzle.
The massive electronic billboard mounted on the side of the main soundstage suddenly glitched. The vibrant promotional graphics warped, dissolving into a grainy, black-and-white live feed. The image stabilized to reveal a man suspended by heavy chains, dangling precariously over a massive industrial vat of bubbling, highly flammable chemical waste.
Ben gasped, pointing at the screen. "Hey! That is North! The guy who plays Kangaroo Commando!"
Gwen frowned, glancing sideways at Klein. "Is this some kind of viral marketing for a new movie?"
Klein's eyes narrowed as he studied the frantic, genuine terror on the actor's face. "Doesn't feel like a movie shoot."
"Even if he is a jerk, nobody deserves that! It is hero time!" Ben declared, his hand already hovering over the Omnitrix dial.
Just as he spoke, a shrill, panicked scream shattered the afternoon air. "Help! Somebody, please help me!"
The trio whipped their heads around. Sprinting around the corner of a nearby prop building was Dean, the sleazy comic artist they had taught a painful lesson to earlier. He was running for his life, his face pale with absolute terror.
And right on his heels, bounding forward with terrifying speed, was Kangaroo Commando.
Gwen's jaw dropped. "Kangaroo Commando?! Wait a second... if North is tied up on the screen, then who is in that suit?!"
"Who cares right now?! We have to save them!" Ben yelled, darting behind a stack of wooden shipping crates. "Fasttrack will definitely be fast enough to grab them both!"
He slammed his palm down on the Omnitrix faceplate. A brilliant flash of emerald light illuminated the alleyway.
When the light faded, a towering, plant-like alien with a single eye and vine-like appendages stood in Ben's place.
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me! So annoying!" Wildvine groaned, glaring down at his leafy hands in sheer frustration.
But with Dean's screams echoing in the distance, there was no time to complain. Wildvine stretched his legs, swinging himself up onto the rooftops to give chase. Klein and Gwen exchanged a quick nod and sprinted after him, keeping a low profile to assess the situation before jumping in.
They tracked the commotion to an abandoned, warehouse-style factory on the edge of the lot. Bursting through the rusted side doors, they were met with a grim setup.
Dean had already been caught. He was now dangling from a thick chain, suspended over a second vat of volatile, glowing chemicals right next to North.
"No... you... I... what the heck is going on?!" Dean stammered, his eyes bulging as he looked over at the equally terrified North. He was so panicked he could barely form a coherent sentence.
Down on the catwalk, the imposter Kangaroo Commando spotted the intruders. Without a word, he turned and sprinted deeper into the factory shadows, disappearing from sight.
"Saving the hostages comes first!" Wildvine shouted. He extended his arms, the vines stretching out rapidly toward the suspended men.
Suddenly, a distorted voice blared from the factory's hidden speakers. "Don't even think about it!"
With a heavy grinding of gears, a massive mechanical device shaped suspiciously like a Godzilla head rose from the floorboards, its metal jaws unhinging to face Wildvine.
Wildvine deadpanned, staring at the prop. "Okay, that is just way too fake."
A split second later, the mechanical maw erupted, spewing a roaring torrent of scorching flames directly at the Florauna.
"Whoa!" Wildvine quickly retracted his arms, shooting a vine up to the rafters and hoisting himself out of the inferno's path just in time.
Seeing the immediate danger, Klein and Gwen sprang into action.
Gwen's hands flared with brilliant pink mana. She cast a stream of pure Celestial Energy, wrapping it securely around North and Dean. With a sharp pull, she snapped their chains and levitated them safely to the ground.
Simultaneously, Klein tapped the faceplate of the Another Omnitrix. A pulse of deep blue light washed over the room as he transformed into Arctiguana. Taking a deep breath, the icy iguana alien unleashed a devastating, absolute-zero freezing beam from his maw. The blast slammed into the fire-breathing monster head, instantly encasing the entire mechanical monstrosity in a thick, solid block of ice.
North collapsed onto his hands and knees, gasping for air. He pointed a shaking finger toward an elevated booth at the back of the factory. "He is in the control room!"
Without hesitation, the group charged up the metal stairs.
North slammed the control room door open. Inside, a lone figure sat facing a bank of monitors, his back to them in a swivel chair.
Wildvine stretched out a vine, grabbed the back of the chair, and forcefully spun it around.
The imposter was wearing a pristine Kangaroo Commando uniform. He pulled off his mask, revealing a face completely identical to North's, save for a neatly trimmed mustache.
Wildvine slapped his forehead with a leafy hand, his single eye widening in sudden realization. "Oh man, I should have guessed! He debuted in the tenth episode of the first season! It is Kangaroo Commando's evil twin brother, Kane!"
North glared at his twin, his face flushed with furious indignation. "I told you a long time ago, Kane! This whole situation is completely out of control! Why are you still doing this?! If you wanted to kidnap Dean, fine, whatever! But why did you have to string me up too?! I am your own brother!"
Dean, still trembling nearby, shot North an incredibly offended look. 'What do you mean if you wanted to kidnap Dean, fine?!'
Kane slammed his fists onto the console, his mustache twitching with rage. "Because I am the real Kangaroo Commando! All the high-tech equipment, all the practical special effects, they were all my masterpieces! But you stole all the credit and basked in the glory!"
Klein, who had already reverted to his human form, raised an eyebrow and shot North a deeply judgmental look. 'So you really are just a talentless hack.'
Gwen, however, was still trying to piece the puzzle together. "Okay, family drama aside... why did you kidnap Dean?"
Dean nodded vigorously in agreement. He was just a sleazy comic book artist, and one who didn't even own the copyright to his own work, at that.
"Because he plagiarized my life's work!" Kane shrieked, pointing an accusatory finger at Dean. "I am the true, original creator of Super Alien Hero Brothers!"
Klein slowly turned his gaze toward Dean, his expression dripping with dry amusement. 'Good heavens. You are not even the original thief.'
Stepping forward, Klein crossed his arms. "That is a nice villain monologue and all, but you don't actually hold the copyright either."
Kane scoffed, waving his hand dismissively. "So what?! Do you think the real aliens are going to come knocking on my door because of some legal paperwork? I don't care about the copyright! I just want the whole world to know that I am the genius behind Super Alien Hero Brothers!"
Hearing this, a desperate, cowardly light sparked in Dean's eyes. "Since you want the credit so badly, then take it! It is yours! I will go on live television and tell the whole world that you are the sole author of Super Alien Hero Brothers!"
Kane blinked, momentarily stunned by the sudden capitulation. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "I just tied you over a vat of boiling acid. I highly doubt you are suddenly feeling that generous."
Dean clamped his mouth shut. Kane was right; Dean's intentions were entirely malicious. He just wanted the terrifying alien heroes to redirect their wrath onto Kane.
While the two frauds argued, Klein quietly slipped to the back corner of the control room. He tapped the dial of the Another Omnitrix.
A brilliant flash of dark blue light erupted from behind the group, casting long, flickering shadows against the walls.
Everyone turned. Standing in the doorway, radiating waves of intense, blistering heat, was Heatblast.
Seeing the fiery alien, Dean's face lit up with absolute, vindictive joy. He pointed frantically at Kane. "Big Brother! He is right there! The one who ruined your glorious alien reputation isn't me! It is that guy! He just confessed to everything!"
Heatblast didn't say a word. He simply took a heavy, deliberate step forward, the floorboards groaning and blackening beneath his fiery feet.
Seeing the terrifying entity approach, the others wisely scrambled out of the way, pressing themselves flat against the walls.
Kane stared up at Heatblast. The ambient temperature in the room skyrocketed, turning the control booth into an oven. Cold sweat poured down Kane's forehead, instantly evaporating against his skin. Despite his trembling knees, he tried to maintain his tough-guy facade. "So what if you found me?! Do you think I am afraid of some overgrown matchstick?!"
Bang.
Heatblast moved in a blur, delivering a swift, brutal backhand that sent Kane crashing to the floor. Before the imposter could even groan, Heatblast reached down, grabbed Kane by his perfectly styled hair, and hoisted him effortlessly into the air.
Bringing Kane face-to-face with his molten visage, Heatblast's voice rumbled like a shifting tectonic plate. "So... it was you, right?"
The flames wreathing Heatblast's right hand suddenly flared with terrifying intensity. Kane let out a bloodcurdling shriek as the blistering heat seared across his scalp. In a matter of seconds, every single strand of hair on Kane's head was incinerated into fine gray ash.
Heatblast released his grip, letting the newly bald Kane drop to the floor in a pathetic heap.
Gasping for breath, Kane scrambled backward, trying to reach for a weapon. But Heatblast was faster. His left hand shot out, clamping around Kane's throat like a vice of solid magma, lifting him right back off the ground.
Heatblast expertly controlled his body temperature, keeping it just hot enough to cause agonizing, scorching pain without actually burning through the man's flesh.
Kane clawed desperately at the fiery hand choking him, his legs kicking in the air. The searing heat radiating against his windpipe made the suffocating embrace of death feel terrifyingly imminent.
"I am sorry!" Kane choked out, tears streaming down his face. "Big Brother, please! I was just talking big! It really wasn't me who ruined your reputation! The whole world knows that Dean is the true author of Super Alien Hero Brothers! Not me! It is all him!"
'Damn it! He is trying to get me killed!' Dean's blood ran cold, and he began to shiver violently in the corner.
Just as Dean opened his mouth to desperately defend himself, Heatblast slowly turned his fiery gaze toward him. "Did you really think you could escape?"
'Wait... you? Plural?' North's stomach dropped as a terrible sense of foreboding washed over him.
"Ben! Gwen! Get out and shut the door!" Heatblast ordered, his tone leaving absolutely no room for argument.
Wildvine and Gwen didn't need to be told twice. They practically sprinted out of the control room, slamming the heavy iron door shut behind them.
Wildvine extended his vines, wrapping them tightly around the door handle to lock it in place.
From the other side of the thick metal, a display of frantic banging, terrified sobbing, and agonizing cries for help echoed continuously into the afternoon air.
The sun was just beginning to dip below the horizon, casting a warm, golden hue over the streets of Hollywood.
Having finally finished repairing the Rustbucket, Grandpa Max pulled up to the studio gates to pick up Klein, Ben, and Gwen.
Soon, the trusty old motorhome was cruising smoothly down the bustling Los Angeles streets.
As they waited at a red light, Grandpa Max glanced out the driver's side window and blinked in sheer bewilderment. He rubbed his eyes, making sure he wasn't hallucinating.
"Well, I know they say this country is the land of the free, but isn't this taking it a bit too far?" Max muttered, staring at the sidewalk. "Why on earth are there three completely bald, naked men tied to a streetlamp?"
Sitting around the dining table in the back of the RV, Klein, Ben, and Gwen didn't even bother looking out the window. They just sat in comfortable silence, calmly sipping the boba tea they had bought earlier in Chinatown.
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