Chapter 1: It Started When an Alien Device Did What It Did
"Thanks a lot," the fat, glasses-wearing nerd guy said to my face, lips bloody, as he turned around and left.
I rubbed the back of my head, feeling the tender spot where one of the bullies had landed a solid hit. "I was just trying to help..."
He didn't look back. Just shuffled away with his stupid backpack hanging off one shoulder, probably thinking about what video gas he'd play when he got ho. Ungrateful jerk. Two bullies had cornered him behind the school, demanding his money, and I'd stepped in despite this weird headache I'd had since morning.
Today felt off, strange. Like I was forgetting sothing important.
Like I'd lived through this day before.
Like… like Deja Vu… I must be tripping.
Still, I didn't regret helping him. Maybe all those "heroes" around the world were getting to through their speech – the Fantastic Four making headlines with their space adventures, Spider-Man swinging around New York stopping muggers, and recently Tony Stark with that Iron suit of his. But was it wrong to want to stand up for soone who couldn't stand up for themselves?
Hey, at least I'd saved the kid's sumr vacation money. Even if he'd been ready to hand it over just to avoid a beating, I didn't see it that way. In my book, I'd done a hero's work.
Beeeeeep!
Loud truck horns yanked out of my daze. I spun around to see a massive RV pulling over to the curb – not just any RV, but one with "Rust Bucket" stenciled on the side. The door swung open, and a burly older man in a garish Hawaiian shirt waved at from the driver's seat.
"Ben! There you are!" Grandpa Max's voice bood across the sidewalk. "Ready for the sumr of a lifeti?"
I couldn't help but grin despite my throbbing eyes. "Grandpa Max! You're early."
"Traffic was lighter than expected." He gestured for to co closer. "Got everything packed?"
"Yeah, just the one bag." I hefted my backpack. "I travel light."
"That's my boy! Hop in, I've got a surprise for you."
"Is it that fishing trip you promised? The one up at Lake Havasu?"
Grandpa Max's eyes crinkled at the corners. "Even better. We're going cross-country this year! National parks, strange roadside attractions, the works."
"Sweet!" I climbed the steps into the RV, instantly hit by the familiar sll of motor oil and Grandpa's weird cooking experints.
"Ow, you look beat. What happened?" Grandpa asked once I was inside.
I dropped my bag on the floor with a sigh. "Nothing much. Just saving so guy from getting his money taken by bullies."
Grandpa Max laughed and clapped my shoulder. "That's my grandson! Standing up for the little guy."
A snort ca from sowhere behind . "More like the big guy. That kid was twice your size."
I froze. That… that voice. That smug, know-it-all voice that haunted family reunions and holiday dinners. Turning slowly toward the back of the RV, I spotted her – orange hair tied back, arms crossed, and that look on her face like she'd just caught stealing the last cookie.
"…What the fuck are you doing here, nerd?" The words tumbled out before I could stop them.
"Language, young man," Grandpa said from behind , but I barely heard him.
"Watch it, dweeb," Gwen shot back, closing her laptop with a snap. "Mom thought it would be good if I went with Grandpa. Since it's my third year in high school just like you, it'll be my last sumr vacation before senior year. She thought it'd be a fun trip with Grandpa. I didn't know so annoying prick would be coming along too."
"You've got to be kidding ." I ran my hand through my hair. "I was looking forward to a sumr without howork, tests, or annoying know-it-alls."
"Trust , I'm not thrilled either." Gwen rolled her eyes so hard I thought they might fall out of her head. "Three months trapped in a tal box with Mr. Personal Hygiene Optional."
"Hey, I shower!"
"Yeah, like once a week."
"At least I don't spend three hours in the bathroom every morning!"
"That was ONE ti, and I was fixing my hair for graduation photos!"
Grandpa Max's laughter cut through our bickering as he started the engine. "Looks like this is going to be a longgggg sumr." He pulled away from the curb, humming cheerfully while Gwen and I glared at each other from opposite ends of the RV.
****
The first day of our cross-country trip was as awkward as expected.
Grandpa Max kept pointing out bizarre roadside attractions while Gwen had her nose buried in so advanced physics textbook. I mostly stared out the window, imagining I was literally anywhere else. After driving for hours through increasingly rural areas, we finally stopped at so campground buried in the woods.
I escaped the confines of the Rust Bucket the mont Grandpa parked. Freedom at last. I liked the sll of this forest much better than the polluted New York City.
Now I sat on a weathered wooden bench near our campsite, hunched over my phone. The fan-made Spider-Man mobile ga I downloaded last week was surprisingly addictive. The graphics weren't half bad, and web-slinging through a pixelated New York beat listening to Gwen's keyboard clacking any day.
"Take that, Rhino!" I muttered, tapping furiously as my Spider-Man character delivered a perfect combo.
I wondered if the real Spider-Man knew about this ga. Could superheroes sue for using their likeness? Probably not when half of them wore masks. If this was an Iron Man ga instead, things would have been entirely different, I bet.
About twenty feet away, Gwen had claid an entire picnic table as her personal office. She'd put on those nerdy glasses she only wore when doing serious computer work. The tinny sound of a woman's voice drifted over from her laptop speakers.
"—and then the molecular structure just completely reconfigured itself!" Sue Storm, Invisible Woman, had a voice I’d recognise anywhere as it was carried out of Gwen’s laptop. "Ugh… we, there I was, trying to develop a more flexible polyr for Reed's latest project, and sohow ended up with this amazing skin cream instead. It's so embarrassing! I an, I'm supposed to be working on interdinsional physics, not... beauty products. But here we are."
I snorted as the woman continued her awkward inforcial.
"But the cellular regeneration properties are actually quite remarkable... not that I'm suggesting anyone needs skin repair, of course! Oh God, I'm terrible at this. Can we start over? Reed, is this thing still recording?"
“...Susan dear, it’s Live.”
“Oh.”
Gwen leaned closer to her screen, completely absorbed. Probably taking notes like the proper little nerd she was.
The Rust Bucket's door swung open with a creak, and Grandpa Max erged holding a giant bag of marshmallows aloft like a trophy.
"Who's ready for an old-fashioned campfire?" he announced cheerfully. "The fire pit's all set up! Co on, let your grandpa tell you so stories from the good old days. Stop watching those screens. Back in my days…!"
He kept talking, but I continued playing. "Maybe later, Gramps. Gwen's busy searching for a cure for her ugly pimples."
Gwen's head snapped up instantly. "I heard that, jerk!" She slamd her laptop shut. "At least I'm doing sothing productive instead of wasting my brain cells on dumb gas. Though I guess you don't have many to spare!"
"Oh yeah? At least I don't need the Fantastic Four's beauty tips to get a date!" I shot back. “I heard you still don’t have a boyfriend yet? Hah, loser.”
“You're acting like you’re different? At least I’m single because I’m busy with my studies. You saw read that physics book even during vacation. What about you? Prick,” she said, and I fell silent.
Grandpa Max sighed. "I thought you two might have outgrown this by now. You’re not 10-year-olds anymore, you know? You guys are eight years too old for this.”
Gwen stood up, gathering her things with exaggerated huffiness. "Well, I'm going to finish my work inside where certain immature little boys can't bother ."
She turned to stomp away, and I couldn't help but notice how nicely her leggings hugged her figure as she walked. Damn, she really did… grow… up these past few years.
Spoiler
[collapse]
The awkward, skinny cousin had sohow transford into—
Ugh, what was I thinking? This sumr heat was clearly frying my brain.
"Whatever," I muttered, clicking my tongue in annoyance as I pocketed my phone. "I'm going for a walk." I pushed off the bench, heading toward the denser part of the forest. "Don't wait for to eat."
"...Just be back before dark!" Grandpa called after .
I waved without looking back, following a narrow dirt path into the trees. Clearly, there was sothing weird today, so I needed a breath of fresh air. The deja vu, the weird thought toward Gwen, hopefully all of it will be over soon.
That was the plan, anyway. But the deeper I went, the more this weird sensation of deja vu intensified. It was like walking through a dream I'd forgotten until now.
The feeling had been haunting all day, but here, it worsened. Surrounded by towering pines and the earthy sll of the forest floor, it hit like a physical wave.
Just what was up with this day?
I kept walking, pushing aside low-hanging branches until I found myself in a small clearing. The evening sky stretched overhead, stars bright since the daylight had faded. Huh… how long have I been walking for?
Sothing bright caught my eye—a streak of light cutting across the dark blue. A shooting star, moving faster and brighter than any I'd ever seen.
"Oh, a shooting star!" I whispered, feeling a childish urge to make a wish. Why not? No one was around to mock . I closed my eyes. "I... I wish I get superpow—"
The words died in my throat as the light suddenly changed direction. My eyes snapped open. The "star" was no longer arcing gracefully across the sky—it was coming straight at .
"Shit."
I turned and ran, branches whipping against my face as I tried to escape whatever cosmic missile had targeted . The forest lit up around , shadows stretching wildly as the light grew brighter.
BOOM!
The impact knocked off my feet. I tumbled forward, barely missing being crushed as sothing crashed into the spot where I'd been standing seconds ago. Dust and debris filled the air, making cough and squint through watering eyes.
When the initial cloud settled, I cautiously approached the small crater that had ford. Heat radiated from the depression in the ground, but curiosity pulled forward anyway.
Even now, the sense of deja vu tingled.
Peering down from the edge of the crater, I spotted sothing that definitely wasn't a regular teorite. It was tallic, perfectly round, and gleaming despite the dirt and smoke surrounding it.
"...Could it be Iron Man's helt or sothing?"
My heart raced as I scrambled down into the crater. Finding a piece of Stark tech would be the coolest thing ever.
But as I reached for the object, it suddenly hissed and split open like so sci-fi egg. Inside wasn't a helt—it was a… a watch? A strange, bulky handwatch unlike anything I'd ever seen, with an odd hourglass symbol on its face.
The weird deja vu feeling exploded into full-blown recognition right then, though I couldn't place why. Sothing about this watch seed impossibly familiar.
I took a quick step back. "...Probably should get Grandpa here."
Before I could turn to leave, the watch sprang to life. It jumped from its container as if it were alive, flying toward like it had a mind of its own. I yelped and raised my left arm defensively.
The device latched onto my wrist with a tallic snap.
"Get off!" I shouted, tugging at it frantically, but it was sealed tight. After a mont of panic, I realized it wasn't hurting . In fact, it felt almost… right.
I climbed out of the crater first, heart pounding as I examined my new accessory. The watch was surprisingly lightweight despite its bulky appearance. When I poked at its face, it suddenly raised up like a platform, displaying a shadowy figure silhouette.
"What the fuck..." I whispered, turning my wrist to see it better. I really hoped this thing wouldn't explode or inject with alien poison or sothing.
Curiosity won out over caution. I pressed down on the raised face.
The watch erupted in a brilliant green light, engulfing completely.
In that blinding flash, my… Benjamin Tennyson's… consciousness winked out.
****
Ben 10… Ben 10 Alien Force… Ben 10 Ultimate Alien, Ben 10 Omniverse, and that one thing we don't talk about. I've watched them all.
I was also familiar with Marvel Comics and Movies. mories of watching all those shows humd, including mories of a life I'd lead vivid and clear. All that returned to in an instant as the transformation took place.
It wasn't the soul of soone taking over, as I’d read in so novels; it was more like the awakening of a past life.
For so reason, the Omnitrix transformation was the catalyst that properly awakened these mories. But I've always had them. Looking back, I recognized strange things sotis that didn't make sense, but now… now I was really here…
I felt whole.
I didn’t know how, I didn’t know why, but after passing away in my last life, I’d been reborn in this weird amalgamation world with my mories waiting to be unsealed. It was… aweso!
“...Wait,” I paused. My happiness of regaining my sense of self didn't last long. Because when I opened my eyes again, the world had gone ablaze.
"Holy shit!" I stumbled backward, nearly tripping over a burning log.
The forest around crackled with flas that seed to have erupted from nowhere. Except they hadn't co from nowhere—they'd co from .
Looking down at my body, I saw nothing but living fire where my skin should have been. My hands were molten rock crisscrossed with glowing orange fissures.
Heatblast. I'd transford into freaking Heatblast!
This was both aweso and terrible. Aweso because—well, Ben 10, Omnitrix… super powers! Terrible because I was standing in the middle of a very dry forest that was now catching fire faster than I could process.
"Crap, crap, crap!" I spun around, watching helplessly as the flas leapt from tree to tree. At this rate, the entire forest would be ash in minutes. People could get hurt. The campground wasn't far. Gwen and Grandpa Max were—
Wait. I had fire powers. Surely I could control this?
I raised my hand toward the nearest burning tree, willing the flas to die down, to return to , to do anything besides spread. Nothing happened except a fresh burst of fire shot from my palm, igniting another section of underbrush. Uh oh.
"WHAT IN THE ACTUAL FUCK?!"
I whipped around to see Gwen standing at the edge of the clearing, fire extinguisher clutched in her white-knuckled hands. Her eyes were wide as dinner plates, fixed not on the forest fire but on —the walking inferno where her cousin should have been.
"Oh..." I said laly, giving an awkward little wave that sent a few sparks flying.
Gwen pointed the fire extinguisher directly at . "D-don't co any closer!"
"Gwen, it's ," I said, rubbing the back of my head. The sensation was weird—like scratching rocks together. "It's a little complicated, but this teorite fell from the sky, but turns out it's not a teorite but this weird handwatch, and boom... suddenly I am this creature thing."
"Sure thing, monster!" She didn't hesitate, blasting with a face full of white chemical foam.
I coughed and sputtered, waving my arms in front of my face. The extinguisher spray tickled my throat in the worst way possible.
"You annoying nerd– stop this!" I growled, flicking my finger in frustration. A tiny spark flew from my hand and—to my horror—landed directly on her shoe, which imdiately caught fire.
“Eek!” Gwen scread, aiming the extinguisher downward and dousing her foot in foam. The fla went out with a pathetic sizzle. I couldn't help it and burst out laughing. It was very funny seeing her panic.
She looked up at with a murderous glare. "You're the worst cousin ever!"
"So you believe it's ?" I asked hopefully.
"What's going on here?!"
Just when things were getting heated… no pun intended… Grandpa Max rushed into the clearing. He froze, eyes widening as they landed on my flaming body, then narrowing as they focused on the hourglass symbol in the center of my chest.
"What in the..."
"Grandpa, it's Ben!" Gwen shouted, pointing at like I was so zoo exhibit.
"Ben?! What happened?!" He didn't sound scared—more shocked and maybe a little… knowing? Well, of course, he recognized the symbol.
"I-I don't know. This teorite fell and—"
"Hello?? Can't you put this fire out first? We're all gonna die otherwise! Well maybe not you, but us." Gwen cut off, waving frantically at the still-spreading forest fire. "Do it like Human Torch! Can't you suck the flas in?!"
"I was thinking the sa thing," I admitted.
"Sure." Gwen rolled her eyes. “And you didn’t already do it because?”
"Shut up," I snapped, turning to face the flas. I had no clue how to control these powers, but with my newly unlocked mories of the show, I had so theoretical knowledge at least. I just needed to trust my instincts.
I raised my palm toward the wall of fire, took a deep breath, and concentrated. For a mont, nothing happened. Then, as if responding to so unspoken command, the flas began to bend toward . They stread through the air like fiery rivers, flowing into my outstretched hand, being absorbed into my molten body.
"Oh." I blinked in surprise as the last embers disappeared into my chest.
"It worked!" Gwen's voice held a mix of relief and amazent.
I couldn't help but grin. The sensation of absorbing the fire was incredible—like drinking cold water when you didn't realize how thirsty you were. I felt energized, powerful. I'd just used alien powers that I'd only seen on TV before!
This sumr vacation... it was turning out to be the best thing ever.
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