The harbor wind was cold.
Salt filled the air as waves slapped softly against the concrete docks below. Cargo cranes towered above the water like silent metal giants, their long arms stretching into the dark sky.
A blue-black blur raced across the rooftops. XLR8 moved like a living bullet.
Jack slowed as he reached the edge of a warehouse overlooking the main shipping docks. The Omnitrix timer hovered in his vision.
[ Transformation Time Remaining: 05:41 ]
He crouched low and looked down.
The scene below was far bigger than the small drug deal he had stopped earlier. Floodlights illuminated the dockyard. Cargo containers were stacked everywhere, trucks idled near the loading area, and men — lots of men — moved between them.
Jack counted quickly. "…Twenty." At least. Maybe more inside the warehouse.
These weren't small-time criminals either. Several carried rifles. Others wore heavy jackets and body armor. A group was unloading crates from a cargo ship that had recently docked.
Jack leaned forward and listened.
"Move those crates faster!" A tall man with a shaved head barked orders at the others. "We need everything loaded before sunrise!"
One of the workers opened a crate. Inside were neatly packed assault rifles. Another crate revealed handguns.
Weapons shipment.
Jack frowned. Then he noticed something worse. A nearby truck had its back doors slightly open — and inside, three figures sat tied together with metal restraints. A woman. Two teenagers.
Jack's eyes narrowed. "…Human trafficking."
That was enough.
He exhaled slowly. "Alright. Time to crash the party."
He jumped.
XLR8 landed silently behind a stack of containers, then ran. Wind exploded through the dockyard.
One of the guards blinked. "Did you feel—"
WHAM. He slammed into the ground. Another man spun around. "What the—?!"
Jack swept his legs out from under him and two more guards collapsed instantly.
But this time the gang reacted much faster than the criminals earlier that night.
"CONTACT! SHOOT IT!"
Gunfire erupted. Bullets tore through the air. Jack sprinted between them in zigzags, his claws scraping sparks from the concrete. He knocked one man unconscious, then another. But there were too many.
A guard aimed a shotgun. BOOM. The blast ripped through the air. Jack twisted sideways, barely avoiding the shot. Another man fired a rifle — Jack dodged again, but the bullet grazed his shoulder armor.
"Okay," Jack muttered. "This is getting serious."
Several criminals spread out. "Surround it!"
One of them raised a strange device. A net launcher. The metal net shot forward — Jack jumped over it just in time. The heavy net slammed into the ground where he had been standing.
That would've been bad.
But the delay gave the gang time to reposition. More guns aimed at him from every angle.
The timer blinked again.
[ Transformation Time Remaining: 01:12 ]
"…Great."
He sprinted behind a large shipping container just as another burst of gunfire tore through the air. Bullets smashed into the metal walls. Jack crouched behind cover.
The timer kept counting down.
[ 00:08 ]
Footsteps rushed closer. "Where did it go?!" "Find it!"
Jack stayed completely still.
[ 00:02 ]
Green light exploded around him. The alien body vanished. Jack dropped to one knee behind the container — human again.
Boots thundered across the dockyard. "They lost it!" "No way it disappeared!"
Jack stayed silent as the Omnitrix began its recharge cycle. Those sixty seconds felt very long. A guard walked past the container. Another checked behind a nearby truck. If anyone looked behind this crate —
Jack slowly tightened his fists.
Finally —
[ Omnitrix Ready ]
Jack smiled. "Round two."
He slammed the dial down.
KRR-CHAK!
Green light exploded across the dockyard. Bones expanded, muscles surged. When the light faded, a massive red alien stepped out from behind the container.
Four Arms.
One of the guards froze. "…What the hell is that?"
Jack cracked all four knuckles with a smirk. "Your problem."
Gunfire erupted again. Bullets slammed into Four Arms' chest — and bounced off. The gang members stared in horror.
"Oh crap."
Jack charged. His massive fist crashed into the nearest guard and the man flew across the dock, smashing into a stack of crates. Two more criminals rushed him with metal batons. Jack grabbed both weapons with separate hands, bent them like plastic, then kicked both men aside.
Another guard fired a shotgun. The blast struck Jack's shoulder. He staggered slightly — but only slightly. Jack grabbed the man by the vest and hurled him across the dockyard.
Three criminals fired rifles together. Jack ripped a metal container door off its hinges and used it as a shield, bullets ricocheting off the steel. Then he threw the door like a discus. It slammed into two men and sent them tumbling across the concrete.
The fight turned brutal. Men rushed him from every direction — some firing guns, others trying nets again. A heavy net finally caught one of Jack's arms and three men pulled the cables tight.
"NOW!" More guards charged forward.
Jack roared. All four arms flexed. The metal cables snapped like thread. He grabbed two attackers at once and slammed them together. Another tried running — Jack caught him by the collar and tossed him into the harbor.
Within minutes, the dockyard fell silent.
Bodies scattered across the concrete. Broken crates, destroyed weapons. Jack walked to the truck and ripped the metal door open. Inside, the captives stared at him in shock.
"…Alien?" the woman whispered.
Jack snapped the chains holding them. "You're safe." He pointed toward the road. "Run to the street."
They didn't argue. The moment they disappeared into the darkness, Jack turned and ran.
The blur vanished into the night.
Minutes later Jack stood on a rooftop overlooking the harbor. Green light faded. Human again.
He stretched slowly. "That… was rough."
The system panel appeared.
[ Heroic Actions Completed ]
Weapons Shipment Destroyed
Reward: +26 Hero Points
Jack nodded. The numbers updated.
[ Hero Points: 54 ]
[ Next Alien Unlock: 100 ]
Still a long way to go. But tonight had been a big step.
Jack looked back toward the harbor. If that operation belonged to Tombstone, then the gang boss had just lost a very expensive shipment.
Jack smiled slightly. "Guess we just started a war."
And somewhere in New York's criminal underworld, Lonnie Lincoln was about to hear a name criminals had begun whispering with growing fear.
The Blur.