Chapter 13 - Chapter 13 - Arrival

Chapter 13[br]
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Arrival[br]
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- Are you ready? – Gwen asked.[br]
- I guess so... – Ben replied. He tried to sound confident, despite the fact; he knew he wasn’t sure about this at all. It has been three weeks, since they parted company with Teuron’s colony, and all this time, Ben Tennyson was aware, that this moment will come. Their plan comes to fruition! [br]
Although he was enthusiastic about his mission, he also knew it was very dangerous. Only one little malfunction would be enough to blow him to bits in the vacuum of space. The omnitrix was a very reliable device, but it has proven several times before, that it does has a few weaknesses. Ben tried to calm himself down. The omnitrix was connected to his thoughts. The simplest definition: the watch was merely an expansion of his will. This is the key word. If he allows his thoughts to run loose, he’s going to wind up as space garbage. On the other hand, this has never happened for a very long time. The omnitrix never failed him like this. At least, it wasn’t its fault… He knew, only a very determined thought could start the transformation sequence. It was one of the safety features. At first, when he gained master control over the watch, he had troubles shifting from one alien to another. Now, after more than two decades, it was just a daily routine for him. He remembered the time, when he pulled a very similar stunt as a child, unaware of the high risks, not to mention his lack of knowledge about the device. He recklessly pursued Ghostfreak himself through the space, not knowing, that the omnitrix’s circuitry could disrupt for a few seconds, when it has to endure extreme conditions. Only a few seconds… still enough to lose control and panic… No, that was very long ago… He reminded himself, that the omnitrix was not an ordinary piece of technology. His many encounters with the very creator of the machine taught him that. Azmuth revealed that the omnitrix develops with its host body, like an implant. Always improving, always evolving…[br]
- Be safe! – Lantara’s voice dragged Ben out from the reminiscing. The man smiled at her, then they kissed. Gwen looked to the opposite direction. She still couldn’t find out how Ben could kiss such a hideous looking creature like an ectonurite. Then she realized Grandpa Max was also in love with an alien, that’s where Gwen’s power originates from. She allowed herself a bitter smile. [br]
After a few more words, Ben 10 000 stepped ahead and the omnitrix flashed, as he transformed into Upgrade. He raised his hands and touched the spacecraft in front of him. The liquid mass coiled around the vehicle’s body and assumed control over its circuits. He slowly rolled out of the hangar, and ignited the main thrusters. Since the shuttle’s technology was highly enhanced, thanks to Upgrade’s abilities, he could take off within a few seconds. He left a path of green flames behind and started to increase altitude. Soon, he was just a tiny black point on the sky for the eyes of Gwen and Lantara. [br]
Upgrade reached the upper atmosphere and entered the space.[br]
- Is anything all right? – Gwen’s voice sounded quite raspy through the comlink. The radio signal was pretty bad.[br]
- Yeah. Everything’s under control. I’m looking for a military satellite which is capable of what we need. – Ben replied. [br]
After ten minutes of searching, he eventually found one. The satellite was a huge canister with four wing-like panels on each side. Ben recognized a powerful gun at the lower section. He slowed down the space shuttle near the satellite. Upgrade slowly released the vehicle and floated towards his new target. His body functioned as some sort of sail, which helped him change directions in space. Then he reached the metal canister. As he examined the exterior he could determine, the device was unharmed. It was just orbiting around the planet calmly. Ben started to shiver when he thought of its creators who are probably long gone. Yet the technology remained. There was no wind, no rain, and no rust in space which could devour the satellite. Enough of this nonsense! Concentrate on the mission! Ben warned himself. He quickly merged with the machine and felt the old circuits’ revival under his control. [br]
- Okay, I’m connected to the satellite’s main computer. – Upgrade reported. – Warming up thermo sensors.[br]
- Go ahead; we’re ready to receive data. – Gwen confirmed. [br]
- Thermo scanning sequence initiated. – The mechomorph said. –Transferring data…[br]
- Good, we’re receiving the result… We got one strong heat signature in LA, one in Alaska, and one in Florida, not to mention Teuron’s colony in Washington… Is that all?[br]
- I’m afraid it is. The scan is complete… I expected more life down there. - Ben sighed disappointedly. [br]
- Yeah, me too. Don’t you think there’s more people underground, where the scanners couldn’t find them? – Gwen questioned.[br]
- I don’t know… I suppose these heat signatures are masses though… More than a dozen people or so… - Ben answered. [br]
Suddenly, Gwen heard an explosion through the radio.[br]
- What was that?![br]
- Something’s coming this way… Holy… It’s a… - there was another explosion.[br]
- Ben, Ben, come in, do you copy?! – She screamed. She heard several more blasts, and then the signal was terminated.[br]
- What happened?! – Lantara yelled.[br]
- Not sure… There was some kind of detonation. Then I lost his signal. – Gwen said.[br]
- What?! I cannot believe this! I should have known something will go wrong! I should have gone with him! This is all your fault! I said it was too dangerous, but you convinced Ben to do this alone! – Lantara shouted.[br]
- What are you talking about? This was his idea in the first place! – Gwen retorted.[br]
- Sorry… I’m just worried about him… - Lantara sighed and bowed her head down. [br]
- So, instead of pointing fingers, are we gonna do something about this or what? [br]
- Of course! Ben’s in trouble and I’m going after him! – Lantara declared and braced herself to take off. [br]
- Wait! – Gwen grabbed the ectonurite’s arm. – You’re not the only one who concerned about Ben! Let’s do this together! We’re on the same side, remember? [br]
- Indeed… I just can’t remain cool headed when Ben’s in danger… - Lantara admitted.[br]
- Yeah, I’ve noticed. – Gwen remarked.[br]
- We should combine our powers. Individually, we won’t last more than a few minutes in zero atmosphere, but together, we can cover more ground… - Lantara suggested.[br]
- Agreed. – Gwen nodded. She formed a purple aura around herself and Lantara. The alien grabbed her hand and they flew up together, phasing through the ceiling. They have exited the upper atmosphere a few minutes later. There was lots of debris floating around them. [br]
- Are you sensing him anywhere? I only get fragments of his mana… - Gwen urged.[br]
- There! – Lantara pointed to the spacecraft Ben used before. It was torn apart. They drifted to that direction. They have found much more debris, bigger pieces of satellites and other equipment. Suddenly, Gwen recognized her cousin. He was floating unconsciously, but fortunately he was still Upgrade. [br]
- Ben! – They exclaimed at the same time. Gwen expanded her protecting aura until it was an orb around them. As soon as Ben was inside, he was reverted to his human form with a red flash.[br]
- Who did this to him? – Gwen asked. [br]
All of a sudden, something blocked out the sunlight. Gwen and Lantara looked up to see a fleet of enormous alien cruisers heading to Earth. These spacecrafts were huge, but the flagship was at least ten times bigger. Lantara felt fear’s grip on her heart. She began to shiver as she realized what race is in those ships.[br]
- Oh, no! It’s them![br]
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