3 02. Alexander Benjamin Tennison (Edited)
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Editor: Kyran_Ambrosius
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I woke up in a hospital bed. My head ached terribly, everything swam before my eyes, and I couldn't concentrate at all. So all that remained was to lie back, ignore the pain, and wait for it to end.
After thirty minutes, the headache finally dissipated, and I was able to get up from the bed to go to the mirror that hung over the sink. Fortunately, it was a solitary ward, and no one interfered with me.
I was a cute 5-year-old boy with short black hair and dark blue eyes in the reflection. Baby fat was still present, but now we can say that I will be a real looker in the future.
While I was admiring my new face, the memories of my current body suddenly came flooding back. It's good that it wasn't painful, just unpleasant.
After 10 minutes, this process ended, and I processed all the information received.
And well, this is far from being Ben 10. In general, this is absolutely an alternative universe, as I asked.
First, my name is not Benjamin Kirby Tennyson, but Alexander Benjamin Tennyson.
The thing is that in the original universe, Ben's parents were called Carl and Sandra Tennyson, and they were pretty ordinary people. In the same reality, Carl married a completely different woman.
Her name was Olivia Masters, and she was a biophysicist, geneticist, and engineer. Perhaps she was one of the most brilliant people on Earth, and how understandably, she became my mother.
Apparently, this is how Elsa decided to change the world to accommodate my new intellect and appearance. Since judging by the memories, I am the spitting image of my mother, and the same eyes, hair, and pretty face, and my intelligence also came from her.
Secondly, because of the changes that I requested and the new mother, I was born on July 7, 1994, and Gwen, as expected, was born in December of 1994. Although in the original, Ben and Gwen were born on the same day, in 2000.
The main story with finding the Omnitrix and further adventures will begin in the summer of 2010. And this means that, unlike the central universe, we will be 15 years old instead of 10.
Third, the reason I'm in the hospital right now. My parents were in a car accident with me. And from what I can remember, only I survived. Luckily, I wasn't injured, just hit my head a little, hence the pain.
It seems that these are the main differences from the prime universe, but they are enough for me. Now we will understand.
And yes, in this world, everyone calls me Lex. I like this, it sounds good.
Returning to the bed, I began to slowly sort through the memories. According to them, I really am a genius with an IQ of 270 since, at this age, I knew the entire school curriculum and began to get close to the university.
Also, already now, I know 7 languages, and I am good at programming. Olivia taught me many things about her specialty. Although Lex did not understand this before, she trained her son for the future. And yes, eidetic memory is an ability.
I can also go into a state similar to bullet time, where my reaction and perception become simply divine. As well as think about several things at once and do it at breakneck speed.
It also seems that I am a little short of unblocking the second stream of consciousness; this is apparently since I am only 5 years old.
As for my new body, it's really perfect. First, the skin is as smooth as a baby's butt, with no imperfections. And secondly, there are no moles, scars, or birthmarks.
It also seems like a bonus; I got a more powerful, compared to an ordinary person, regeneration. And I never get scars.
About 40 times the learning rate is still unclear because I have not learned much, except for languages and the school curriculum.
But judging by the average person, I'm really cool. I learned one language in a week, although it takes about six months for an ordinary person.
But here, it is not clear whether this is connected with my intellect or with a third desire. In general, everything is just fine, except for my parents' death.
Although it's cruel to say so, it's probably better this way; I won't have to play the role of a child. Let my adult behavior refer to my intellect, which all my relatives know about, and my rapid maturation associated with my parents' death.
As far as I can tell, Grandpa Max will take me to be raised, as he has just retired.
But if it's busy, I'll be left with my uncle and aunt, Gwen's parents. And that's really good because Max will teach me a lot and give me more freedom.
Until then, I can sleep.
***
Two hours later, when I woke up, an elderly, gray-haired man of about 50, in a red Hawaiian shirt, was sitting by my bed. This, of course, was Grandpa Max.
- Good morning, Lex. - Grandpa greeted me.
- Morning. - I answered, without much cheerfulness.
Still, despite the recent tragic event, I was thrilled because I am alive again, also in the universe of my favorite cartoon.
- How do you feel? - Max asked with a concerned face.
- I'm alright, but my head hurts, and it's a little hard to think. - I answered truthfully.
- I see, don't worry, it will be over soon. In two days, you will be discharged, and we can go home. - Max said with a weary smile.
I just nodded and, looking at my grandfather, realized that it was not easy for him. After all, he had only recently lost one of his sons and nearly lost a grandson. He looked frankly alarming; he even seemed to have lost weight.
- How are you feeling, grandpa? You look bad, and you smell bad too. Can you go home and rest? - I asked with a serious face and pinched my nose to show the seriousness of the situation.
Grandpa just laughed at this and sighed with relief, apparently realizing that I was fine and I could still joke.
- Don't worry, I'm fine. Frank and Natalie will arrive in three hours, along with Gwen, and I will go home. I will sleep and wash. - Grandpa said with a smile.
- That's good. - I said.
We talked about little things to pass the time for the next three hours. When Uncle, Aunt, and Gwen arrived, Grandpa went to his RV to rest.
Gwen in this universe looked the same as in the original, only now she is 5 years old. So, I can conclude that all the changes are related only to me.
Two days later, when I was discharged, Max and I went to my old house in Bellwood to pick up my things.
We will live in my grandfather's house, located in the same city, just a couple of blocks from Gwen's house. And my old house, we decided to sell and leave the money for college, as grandfather said.
Although I don't really need this money, because my parents left me a decent inheritance, especially my mother left a lot. It turns out being a scientist is pretty lucrative. At least in this world.
With the sale of the house, I agreed entirely because even though I did not suffer too much from the loss of new parents, I felt uneasy and sad when I was in that house. Although this is a house that I have good and fond memories of, it will be easier this way.
In my grandfather's house, they gave me my own room. It was even more significant than my old one, and there was a new computer, in my opinion, too cool for this time.
When asked about the computer, grandpa said it was a housewarming gift. When I tried to find out his origin, he did not skillfully get off the topic and continued showing the room. As I later realized, the computer was assembled using alien technology.
After that, we visited Gwen's home and had dinner with the family. Apparently, to show me that everything is not so terrible and help me cope with the death of my parents. At the same time, bring me closer to Gwen to become friends and find a common language.
***
(Max POV)
Now, when we were sitting at the table and having dinner at Frank's home, I looked at Lex and saw how he communicates with Gwen on all sorts of scientific topics, which in my opinion, are not quite suitable for 5-year-old children. But given their intelligence, this is normal.
I couldn't stop being amazed at how solid and intelligent this kid is. Less than a month ago, he lost his parents, but now, he can already show a smile and behave responsibly without falling into hysterics like an average child.
All the same, he ultimately looks like Olivia. I am still amazed how my son could find such a brilliant and beautiful woman. And how she fell for him.
I hope I can raise my grandson right and not shame the memory of his parents.
