Chapter 18: Vilgax Arrives

Chapter 18: Vilgax Arrives

On the road during the day, an RV was speeding at an incredible pace. Inside the vehicle were two people, an elderly man in the driver's seat with a serious expression, his gaze fixed straight ahead. Beside him was a young girl with a puzzled and worried look.

This was none other than Gwen and Max Tennyson. However, Ben was not present in the car. The atmosphere around them felt suffocating and tense.

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[ Gwen POV ]

Today was a strange day, extremely, incredibly strange. I was awakened early in the morning by the deafening screams of my cousin, Ben.

Since the fight with Rojo, he had been constantly dreaming about an unfamiliar alien with an octopus-like head. Grandpa Max and I both thought it was just a nightmare.

At least until Ben recounted what the alien said: "I'm coming for you." At that moment, Grandpa Max's demeanor took a 180-degree turn, shock evident on his face. He decided to leave immediately.

I tried to point out that it was too early to depart, but he argued that leaving now would avoid heavy traffic.

Time keeps passing, thinking that everything is proceeding as usual, Ben and I got into an argument - which I won. Ben, still being a sore loser, decided to turn into an Alien to annoy me. You know, just a typical day.

The only difference was Grandpa Max's attitude. Normally, he wouldn't pay much attention to these petty arguments as they happened frequently. But today, he immediately scolded Ben and told him not to transform into an alien right now, as it would attract too much attention, though he didn't clarify what the attention was about.

Both of us noticed the abnormality in Grandpa Max's behavior, but we didn't dare ask too much, knowing that we probably wouldn't get a clear answer.

The RV kept rolling. When passing through Rapid City, my brothers noticed multiple fires erupting from the city and reported it to Grandpa.

Normally, he wouldn't hesitate to turn the car toward the city, but this time was different. Although his voice showed concern, he tried to convince us that the local authorities would handle the situation, and we should continue our journey.

But, of course, Ben wouldn't listen. He transformed into Heatblast and rushed toward the city. Helplessly, Grandpa Max had to follow suit. Inside the city, it looked like a war zone, with destruction everywhere. Fires were burning from multiple locations, and I noticed shattered bodies that resembled those of Mechadroids. Surely, they were the ones causing this chaos.

Finally, we reached Ben's location and saw his opponent. In front of Ben was a pile of slime resembling molten tar, probably caused by Ben's fiery attack. But what caught our attention the most was the creature trapped within it.

It was a large humanoid creature with an octopus-like head, pale green skin, red eyes, and tentacles hanging loosely under its chin. The body was covered in black and reddish-brown metallic armor, except for the head and two arms. On its massive arms were small metal spikes deeply embedded.

This was probably the most dangerous-looking opponent I had ever seen. Grandpa Max seemed to agree when his face displayed a terrifying expression, and he mumbled something I couldn't quite hear.

He hit the gas pedal, positioning the car between Ben and the alien, instructing Ben to get inside and escape from the scene. At this moment, he revealed the name of the alien - Vilgax - and said that Ben couldn't possibly be his match. It seemed like he knew a lot about Vilgax, but how was that possible? He was just a regular plumber.

Before he could explain further, the RV was attacked by two Mechadroids. Ignoring Grandpa's advice once again, Ben transformed into Stinkfly and confronted them. However, this time, both I and Grandpa were horrified as a colossal figure rushed in - Vilgax himself. He grabbed Ben and threw him forcefully onto the road.

"Grandpa, stop, we have to help Ben," I said.

"We will, Gwen, but we'll need some assistance," Grandpa Max replied, his voice terrifyingly calm.

"But what if something happens to Ben?" I couldn't let go of this topic.

"He's temporarily fine, Vilgax is after the Omnitrix, not Ben," Grandpa Max affirmed.

"Why do you know so much about Vilgax? Why is it related to Mount Rushmore? What's going on?"

He sighed softly and proceeded to tell me everything on our way, and during the rest of the journey, I had to process a massive amount of information. Only when the Rust Bucket arrived at the base near Mount Rushmore did I regain the spirit to assess the architecture here. As soon as we got out of the vehicle, Grandpa led me into a room filled with various drawers. He flipped through each one, and inside were different kinds of weapons. As he went deeper into the drawers, he seemed more and more desperate, murmuring, "Where is it? Where is it?"

Just as I was about to ask a question, a voice suddenly came from behind us: "Have you found what you're looking for?"

Both of us jolted at the sound, and Grandpa Max reacted the fastest. He pulled me back, shielding me in front of him, holding a peculiar gun aimed at the newcomer. Only then did I manage to get a clear look at who had spoken; it was a person wearing black and red armor tightly hugging their body, unmistakably a woman inside. Beside her were two other women in blue and yellow armor, both pointing weapons at us.

"Who are you, and how did you get in here?" Grandpa Max spoke first.

"That question should be asked by us, shouldn't it, you bunch of thieves?" the woman retorted.

"Stop this nonsense, do you even know whose territory this base belongs to? I advise you to leave before you're discovered," Grandpa said, trying to sound threatening without showing any fear.

"Oh, how brave of you. I wonder if your bravery can shield you from bullets." After speaking, she lifted her gun, the tension in the air rising, ready to explode at any moment.

Behind Grandpa, I felt as if I couldn't breathe, and my limbs felt heavy, afraid that any small action could lead to a clash between the two sides. Three against one, and they were equipped with armor. The chances of us safely escaping were almost nonexistent.

At this point, Grandpa lowered his weapon and said, "You win, I will cooperate. Just let my granddaughter go; she has nothing to do with this."

"We'll decide about that later. Now go." The woman's words were particularly grating, making me feel uneasy. I wasn't foolish enough to risk my life over a petty argument.

They led us to a room with several giant screens displaying the battle in Rapid City. In front of the screens was a chair with its back turned towards us.

"The mice have been caught, my Count," the woman reported.

"Very well, Rosie. You can return to your mission," a familiar voice came from behind the chair. The three women didn't say much and left the room. At this moment, the chair slowly turned around. Both of us were curious to see who had the audacity to claim this place.

"Kevin?" We both exclaimed in astonishment.

"Hello there," Kevin replied gently.

[POV ends]