Chapter 5: Sothing Feels Off
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I darted away from the grueso scene, my XLR8 legs carrying faster than human eyes could track. The world blurred around in streaks of color as I ducked into a narrow alleyway between two brick buildings. Despite my alien form's enhanced physiology, my heart hamred against my ribs.
Magneto. Here. Why?
Magneto. Not so low-level thug or alien rcenary. A powerful mutant who could single-handedly take on the X-n and the Avengers. A man who had leveled entire cities just to make a point. And he was here. In Washington D.C.
Magneto always was up to sothing big whenever he was in Washington DC, so I was worried. This wasn't so petty criminal or alien robot – this was a goddamn oga-level mutant terrorist with a body count in the thousands.
I’d watched movies where he was the bad guy, but watching it happen in real ti? In movies, I knew he’d be defeated, but what about real life? This was different. This was terrifying. The chance was low, but what if he was after the Omnitrix? If… by any chance, he decided to co after the Omnitrix—could I defend myself?
Once hidden from view, I tapped the Omnitrix symbol on my chest. A flash of red light washed over , and I felt my alien anatomy reconfigure back into human form—bones shortened, muscles reshaped, and the exoskeleton lted away.
The sudden absence of XLR8's power left feeling unnervingly sluggish and vulnerable. "Shit, shit, shit," I muttered, peeking out from the alley to make sure nobody had followed .
I needed to find Grandpa and Gwen. If Magneto was operating in DC, we were all in danger. The Rust Bucket might have been retrofitted with Plumber's tech, but it was still made of tal—practically a death trap with soone like Magneto around.
I sprinted out of the alley and down the street, scanning frantically for any sign of our RV. My lungs burned as I pushed myself, weaving through confused pedestrians who were all focused on the commotion in the distance.
Maybe I shouldn’t have returned to human form. I just wanted to save up the charge in case of ergencies, but it’d be useless if I couldn’t find the RV.
"The RV... where's the—"
That's when I spotted it – the familiar shape of the Rust Bucket parked half a block away. Gwen's face appeared in the side window, her eyes wide with alarm. She spotted imdiately and waved frantically, gesturing for to hurry.
I rushed toward the vehicle, relief washing over . As I approached, the door swung open with a familiar creak. I leaped inside, gasping for breath.
"What have you done, Ben?!" Grandpa Max's voice thundered through the confined space before I could catch my breath. His face was flushed with anger, and worry lines were etched deep around his eyes. He pointed at the flattened car out the window. “This is insane!”
"What?" I blinked, montarily confused until it clicked. "Wait, you think I did that to those guys?"
"Two n crushed inside a vehicle right after you chased them? What am I supposed to think?" Grandpa's hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white.
"It's not !" I threw my hands up in frustration. "The alien I turned into had super speed, not whatever did this. Do you guys forget I am not the only superpowered person in this country? Just go to the crowd there and ask!"
Grandpa stared at , his expression shifting from anger to uncertainty. "What are you talking about?"
"It was Magneto," I said, the na hanging heavy in the air. "Or at least soone with his powers. So old guy in a helt crushed that car with a twist of his finger. A witness saw the whole thing."
Grandpa Max hesitated, glancing toward the chaos outside. His jaw clenched, his eyes scanning my face like he was looking for a lie. After a few seconds, the tension in his shoulders eased slightly as he processed my words.
He closed his eyes and let out a long, weary sigh. "I'm sorry, Ben. I jumped to conclusions." He ran a hand over his face. "I'll go check it out myself."
As Grandpa stepped outside, I slumped onto the small dining booth, the adrenaline finally wearing off. I hadn't noticed the slight tremble on my hands. I wasn’t used to seeing such grotesque deaths.
"That was... intense," I muttered, more to myself than to Gwen, who sat across from . She stayed silent for a bit before putting a hand on my shoulder.
"Are you okay?" she asked quietly, studying my face with unusual concern.
"Yeah, just... caught off guard." I attempted a smile that probably looked more like a grimace. "Didn’t expect such gore on our little road trip. Plus, it's done by a world-class super criminal who I think is still in the city.”
"Did you actually see him?" Gwen leaned forward, her voice dropping to a whisper.
"No, just the aftermath." I shut my eyes, the image of those crushed bodies flashing unbidden behind my eyelids. "But the witness description... it has to be him since it ntioned a helt. Unless soone with similar powers is trying to ruin his reputation."
We sat in uncomfortable silence for a mont, hand still on my shoulder. Then, to my surprise, Gwen sat closer and moved her arm to hold my hands and squeeze them.
"Hey," she said softly, "you did good today. You saved that family from the fire. That counts for sothing. Don’t worry about the Magnetto situation. We’ll figure sothing out."
The unexpected kindness from my usually snarky cousin left montarily speechless. It made take a better look at her. She really was worried. Her beautiful face, etched with concern for , was touching.
Before I could formulate a response, the RV door opened again, and Grandpa Max climbed back inside, his expression grim.
"Well?" I asked, straightening up.
"You were right." Grandpa settled into the driver's seat with a heavy sigh. "Multiple witnesses described the sa thing – an elderly man in a red helt. One even recognized him as Magneto from news reports."
"So... what now?" Gwen asked.
"Well, first of all, I'm sorry I accused you, Ben." Grandpa turned to face us, his eyes sincere. "Of course, I knew you would never, but I thought you made an accident. I should have known better."
"It's fine," I mumbled, though part of was still irritated at how quickly he'd assud the worst.
"You did well today," he continued, echoing Gwen's sentint from monts before. "Secondly, we have to stop this criminal, whoever did this. And since we initially ca here to buy so groceries, let's do that first. Let’s stop by a nearby Walmart."
"Walmart?" I frowned. "How does that help with Magneto?"
"We need supplies if we're going to be tracking a dangerous mutant," Grandpa replied cryptically. "Plus, public places are good for gathering information. People talk."
"Makes sense," Gwen nodded. "I could use so new notebooks anyway."
"Wait, we're actually going after Magneto?" I asked, feeling a little worried about them. "Shouldn't we leave this to the X-n or sothing?"
When I was trembling earlier, it wasn't because I was scared of Magneto. I was scared that if we got involved with him, he'd flatten the truck and hurt Gwen and Grandpa.
However…
If they were willing to hunt him down, I wasn't going to say no.
“I’m sorry if you feel pressured, Ben. But you have an incredibly powerful device on your wrist,” Grandpa started the engine, his eyes eting mine in the rearview mirror. "Sotis you have to face the danger in front of you. Especially when you have the tools to make a difference."
The Omnitrix felt suddenly heavier on my wrist as Grandpa pulled the RV away from the curb, heading toward the nearest superstore.
****
The florescent lights of Walmart buzzed overhead as I stood srized before a glass display case.
Inside, arranged in neat rows, sat the limited edition Sumo Slamr Deluxe Card Collection—holographic covers gleaming under the display lights.
I couldn't believe my eyes.
"...Holy shit, they have the platinum edition," I whispered, pressing my face against the glass like a kid at a candy store.
The foil-stamped cards glinted with each subtle movent of my head, showing different angles of Ishiyama in his signature battle stance.
Grandpa wasn't here, busy finding supplies. So I was enjoying my ti.
"You're not a kid anymore, can't you stop obsessing over it?"
I turned to find Gwen standing behind , arms crossed and eyebrows raised in a judgntal way. By now, it was her signature look.
"Hey, Sumo Slamrs is a classic. You won't understand." I said, straightening up and attempting to look casual. "Besides, these are collector's items. So they'll be worth sothing soday."
"Right," Gwen rolled her eyes. "Just like those baseball cards you swore would pay for college? The ones rotting in your closet?"
"That was different," I muttered as I shot her a flare. "Besides, I don't see you giving up your nerdy physics forums."
"Hey, stupid, physics has real-world applications?? Giant n in diapers slapping each other? Not so much."
"It's a mawashi, not a diaper," I corrected her. "And the stories explore complex thes of honor and—"
Gwen grumbled and shoved her phone in my face, cutting off mid-sentence. "I don't care. Just saw this video right now. It's that dude who was recording the car crash back there. This is you, right?"
The video showed talking to the guy who was talking about Magneto while recording the destroyed car. I was in my alien form, of course.
"Oh yeah, that's . That alien is called XLR8, he's super fast." I couldn't keep the pride from my voice.
Gwen's expression flattened. "...XLR8? Seriously? Sounds like a rejected brand of energy drink."
I huffed, crossing my arms defensively. "Sounds like you're jealous.”
"Yuck." She said. "This is why you never had a girlfriend, Ben. We girls don't like a guy who's too fast… specially if he has a bad naming sense. Try to do better, and maybe you'll get a girl."
"Oh shut up," I scowled and then had an idea to taunt her. "Just watch. I'm gonna seduce girls, bring her to the RV, and ruin your bedsheets. I'll see how you sleep at night.”
She grabbed her stomach and burst out laughing. “You? Bring a girl to the RV under grandpa's nose? Did the teorite hit your head and damage your brain?”
I laughed back at her. “Oh, Gwen, you’re so idiotic for a nerd. If you really think I can't get a girl despite being a super—"
The rest of my retort died in my throat as an explosive crash shook the entire store. The wall to our right shattered, sending debris and rchandise flying across the aisle.
Through the newly created hole bounded a massive frog. By massive, I ant crazy hig. It was easily the size of a small car, and it had an old man perched on its back.
My body moved before my brain could catch up. I positioned myself in front of Gwen, arms spread wide in a protective stance as dust and plaster rained down around us.
The old man sitting atop the giant amphibian had wild white hair that stood up like he'd stuck his finger in an electrical socket. His lab coat was tattered and stained with unidentifiable substances, and a pair of cracked red goggles rested on his forehead.
I recognized him instantly—Dr. Aloysius Animo. I had kind of expected him since I recalled he was part of this episode too, but…
Sothing was off. He didn't have his trademark mind-control headgear or any visible technology. Yet, he was controlling the frog. He also had an odd aura about him.
Sothing told his presence here might not be unrelated to Magneto.
The giant frog's throat bulged as it let out a deep, wet croak that rattled the shelves around us. Custors scread and scattered, diving behind displays or rushing for exits.
Animo surveyed the chaos with detached interest before his gaze settled on us. "Kids," he said, his voice surprisingly ordinary for soone who'd just crashed through a wall on a mutant frog. "Where's the pet section?"
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