CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONE: NEW ABILITY.
WE HAVE ACHIEVED A HUNDRED CHAPTERS PEOPLE!
ONCE THE GILGAMESH FANFIC FOLLOWS SUIT YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN!
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The sky was heavy with dark clouds, and threatening rain as the trio—Kevin, Gwen, and Ben—piled into Kevin's car. The streets were slick from a recent downpour, and the atmosphere was thick with tension.
"That's badass. I see you like tying things up," Kevin teased, his voice laced with a mix of admiration and humour.
Gwen shot him a playful glare, her arms crossed. "I had to get answers. You're talking like you wouldn't do worse. Besides, I didn't want to go in there with all that disgusting slime all over the place."
Kevin chuckled, pulling the car away from the curb.
"Alright, Mrs. M," he teased again, causing Gwen to pout as they headed toward the hatchery.
The hatchery loomed ahead, an unassuming building that could easily be mistaken for a factory. The chain-link fence surrounding it was old and rusted, with a signboard that read "HATCHERY" hanging crookedly from it. The place looked abandoned, with weeds growing through the cracks in the pavement, but the trio knew better.
They sprinted toward a gap in the fence, their footsteps echoing eerily in the silence. The air was thick with anticipation, and every shadow seemed to hide a potential threat. There was no telling what had happened to Ken, and this was their chance to get major leads on Max Tennyson.
As they approached the building, Ben glanced up at the sky.
"Weather machine," he muttered, noticing the unnatural dark clouds swirling above them.
Kevin nodded, extending his hands to create a floating umbrella made of his dense, shimmering crystals. The umbrella hovered above them, protecting them from the rain and serving as a shield against any potential threats.
Gwen looked at the factory, her brow furrowed with concern.
"How do we get in without being seen?"
Kevin smirked, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"I got that covered. I'll lead from the front. You guys follow in a single file and stay in contact with me."
With a flick of his wrist, Kevin suddenly turned invisible, leaving Gwen and Ben blinking in surprise.
"How?" Ben asked, still trying to wrap his head around Kevin's new trick.
Kevin reappeared with a grin.
"Remember when you tried to wreck my mom's car? I took that as a down payment."
Ben's eyes widened as he recalled the alien he had transformed into that night. But before he could ask more questions, Kevin motioned for them to follow.
"Alright, let's move," Kevin instructed, his voice low but commanding.
Gwen huffed impatiently.
"If you can make these umbrellas float, why not create a platform beneath us so we can get there faster, just like how I make platforms to walk on air?"
Kevin made an exaggerated 'O' face.
"Oh, that's smart." He quickly formed a platform beneath them, lifting them into the air.
As they hovered above the ground, they noticed the factory yard below them. Large, ominous green pools were lined up in long columns, each one filled with a viscous, bubbling substance that looked anything but natural.
"Ugh, I can tell that's related to the DNAliens," Gwen muttered, her face twisting in disgust.
"Yeah, there's lots of them inside. Let's keep going," Kevin said, his tone serious as he led them toward a large open window.
"You could have just told me to transform into Big Chill," Ben grumbled. "This holding-shoulders thing reminds me of sixth grade."
"Be my guest," Kevin said with a smirk as they floated through the window and discarded the umbrellas.
Meanwhile, inside the factory, Grandpa Max was moving with the precision and stealth of a seasoned special ops soldier. He was taking out DNAliens one by one, his movements smooth and efficient, as if he were on a black ops mission. He punched them with surprising force, sending them flying, and then used a peculiar gun to trap them in beams of light that vaporized their bodies.
It was clear he knew the stakes—no one would notice if there was no one left to notice.
Everything was going according to plan until he came across a half-turned DNAlien crouching in a dimly lit room. The creature was in the midst of a painful transformation, its human features distorted by the alien DNA trying to assimilate it.
Grandpa Max's heart sank as he recognized the person, even without seeing his face fully. He holstered his gun and crouched beside the struggling DNAlien.
"Kenny, it's okay, boy," Grandpa Max whispered, his voice laced with concern but also hope. He gently helped Ken to his feet, only to be betrayed by a sudden surge of electricity. The shock sent him sprawling to the ground, unconscious.
.
.
.
Back with the trio, the tension increased in their stealth mission.
"Gwen, your… hair… it's getting in my mouth—Achoo!" Ben sneezed loudly, breaking contact with Gwen. His sudden appearance startled the dozens of DNAliens below them.
"Of course," Kevin groaned, slapping a hand to his face as he and Gwen became visible as well.
"There's no time!" Ben yelled, jumping off the floating platform and slamming his hand down on his Omnitrix.
"BIG CHILL!" he shouted as his form shifted into the ghostly alien.
Gwen followed suit, leaping off the platform and summoning mana discs and walls to fight and restrain the DNAliens. Ben, in his Big Chill form, froze several DNAliens, adding a pun as he flew through them,
"I thought you liked the cold?"
He became intangible, passing through DNAliens and freezing them in place. One unlucky DNAlien was left frozen with goo about to escape its mouth, a testament to Ben's quick work.
Kevin, meanwhile, turned the platform into a surfboard and began crystalizing every DNAlien he passed. But as he moved, he noticed something strange—one of the DNAliens' energy felt strained, different from the others.
"That's weird," Kevin muttered, catching Gwen's attention as she continued to blast any DNAlien that got too close.
"What's that, Kevin? Did you sense something?" Gwen asked, fighting her way toward him.
Kevin nodded, his eyes narrowing.
"The big bad is definitely upstairs. No one here has as much energy as him, but this DNAlien… it looks weird."
Gwen's eyes widened as she got a closer look.
"WAIT! THAT'S KEN!" she shouted, her voice echoing through the factory. Ben quickly wrapped up his fight and joined them.
"Restrain him already!" Gwen urged, pushing Ken away with a mana wall as he tried to attack.
"Don't move," Kevin commanded, his voice low and powerful. Ken immediately fell to his knees, unable to resist the force of Kevin's will.
"Geez, I said restrain him, not make him submit!" Gwen scolded, though there was a hint of relief in her voice.
"The legendary Ken… He's even less cool than his car!" Kevin quipped, though his eyes showed genuine concern.
"We've got to help him," Gwen said softly, her voice barely above a whisper.
"He was fighting us! Whatever they did to him affected his mind," Ben said, placing a comforting hand on Gwen's shoulder.
"Everything's just murky about him. It's like the puzzle pieces weren't placed properly," Kevin murmured, an idea forming in his mind. He reached out and placed a hand on Ken's head, closing his eyes in concentration.
"Wait! Kevin!" Ben shouted, rushing toward him as the Omnitrix on his wrist began to beep ominously.
"Hold on, I've got it!" Kevin replied, his voice steady as he focused all his energy on helping Ken.
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