While Max was still crouched under the hood of the Rust Bucket, tightening a clamp around the damaged fuel line and muttering to himself about crystal shards and reckless grandsons.
Evan had wandered a little further down the empty road out of sheer boredom. There wasn't much to do in a ghost town where the wind was the only thing moving.
A tumbleweed rolled slowly across the dirt road, pushed along by the dry desert breeze, and Evan ended up following it without really thinking about it, his hands tucked casually in his pockets as he watched it bounce over cracks in the ground and drift past an old wooden fence that had long since fallen apart.
The tumbleweed rolled another few feet before getting briefly caught on a rock. Evan nudged the rock aside with his foot, letting it continue rolling. For a moment, it was the most interesting thing happening in Slatterville.
Then Gwen's voice shattered the quiet.
"BEENNN!! EVAANN!!"
The scream echoed across the desert and through the empty buildings like a warning siren.
Evan froze instantly. His head snapped toward the direction of the mine at the edge of town, and the boredom disappeared from his face in an instant. The tumbleweed kept rolling past him unnoticed as his attention locked onto the distant mine entrance.
Without hesitation, he lifted his arm and slammed his palm down onto the dial of the Another Omnitrix.
A bright golden flash exploded outward around him as the transformation began. Metallic plates formed over his body in a rapid sequence, assembling like pieces of advanced machinery snapping perfectly into place.
A black metallic framework formed the base of the towering body before layers of sleek silver-white armor locked over it, each piece trimmed with glowing golden edges that pulsed faintly with energy. The helmet sealed over his head as a warm golden glow shone through the thin seams and cracks in the mask.
At the center of the armored chest, the Omnitrix dial appeared, glowing with the same golden light as the transformation completed.
Where Evan had been standing moments earlier, a towering armored figure now stood in his place.
The armored alien immediately broke into a sprint toward the mine. Each step shook the dry ground slightly beneath his weight as he accelerated across the desert road.
Within seconds, his feet lifted from the ground as golden thrusters ignited from vents along his back and calves. Brilliant flames burst outward, propelling him into the air as he shot forward like a missile toward the source of Gwen's scream.
Inside the mine, the situation had only gotten worse.
The Predator had slowly raised its wrist blades toward Gwen, its mandibles twitching as it stepped forward with a low, threatening growl.
Ghostfreak had tried to move in front of her, intending to phase through the hunter and buy her time, but Kraab reacted first. The massive crab-like bounty hunter snapped open his metal claw and fired a glob of thick orange goo straight at Ghostfreak. The strange substance splattered across the ectonurite's body and immediately began spreading over his skin.
Ghostfreak attempted to phase through the ground to avoid the next attack, but his body refused to cooperate. He tried again, concentrating harder, but the ability simply wouldn't activate. The goo clung to him like a sticky web that pulsed faintly with energy, disrupting both his invisibility and his intangibility.
Ghostfreak blinked in confusion and glanced down at the substance covering him. "Uh… that's new."
The Predator didn't waste the opportunity. It stepped toward the two with its blades extended, preparing to strike while Ghostfreak was unable to interfere.
Before the alien hunter could move another step, the ceiling above them suddenly exploded inward.
Stone, dirt, and wooden supports shattered as a massive armored figure smashed straight through the rock overhead and landed in the middle of the mine with tremendous force. The impact cracked the ground beneath his feet and sent a shockwave through the tunnel that forced both bounty hunters to step back.
The Predator instinctively leapt away from the landing point.
Kraab barely had time to react before a large metal hand shot forward from the dust cloud and grabbed him by the head. The armored alien lifted the crab-like bounty hunter as if he weighed nothing and hurled him across the mine.
Kraab smashed through the wooden wall of the tunnel and disappeared outside, crashing violently into the side of a rocky hill in the desert with a thunderous impact.
As the dust settled, the towering figure stood between Gwen and the two hunters.
His armor was silver-white layered over a black mechanical frame, with glowing golden lines tracing along the edges of the plating like energy flowing through circuitry.
Behind the smooth armored mask, golden light shone through the thin cracks of the helmet, giving the impression that something powerful was burning just beneath the surface. The Omnitrix dial embedded in the center of his chest glowed brightly.
Gwen immediately recognized the figure and let out a breath of relief she hadn't realized she'd been holding.
"Took you long enough."
Ghostfreak stays beside her, staring up at the armored alien with curiosity.
"Wow," he muttered, tilting his head. "Who is this alien?"
The armored figure didn't turn around as he answered.
"SAM."
He stood firmly in place, positioning himself between the bounty hunters and the others while facing the mine entrance.
Outside, Kraab climbed out of the crater he had made in the hillside, shaking off loose dirt and staring at the armored alien with visible shock.
"An Iron Cavalry!?" he blurted, instinctively stepping back as if the very sight of the armored warrior made him reconsider the fight.
Even the Predator seemed to grow more cautious. The hunter slowly adjusted its stance while studying SAM, clearly aware that it was now facing a far more dangerous opponent than before.
Kraab snapped his claw open again and fired another glob of the strange disabling goo toward the armored alien.
SAM raised his hand.
A bright glow of energy formed in his palm and immediately discharged in a powerful plasma blast.
The beam tore straight through the incoming goo, vaporizing it before it could reach him, and continued forward without losing momentum.
The blast struck Kraab square in the chest and launched the crab-like alien off his feet. Kraab flew backward across the desert and slammed into the ground beside the mine entrance, leaving a long trail in the sand.
SAM lowered his hand slowly and began walking toward the Predator.
The alien hunter instantly activated its cloaking device.
Within a fraction of a second, its entire body vanished from sight.
"Alright! Way to go, partner!" Ghostfreak said from behind SAM, impressed by the display of power.
SAM suddenly turned and slammed his fist down into the ground in front of Ghostfreak.
The impact cracked the stone floor and sent a burst of dust outward. Both Ghostfreak and Gwen flinched in surprise.
At that exact moment, the Predator reappeared several feet away.
Even while cloaked, the hunter's footsteps had created the slightest disturbance in the dust on the ground. SAM's enhanced perception had detected the movement immediately, allowing him to predict exactly where the invisible alien was attempting to sneak past him and toward the other two.
Before the Predator could react, SAM kicked it directly in the guts, then raised his palm again and fired another plasma blast.
The kick already sent it out of the mine entrance, and the blast just added more damage, sending it crashing into the sand beside Kraab with tremendous force.
Inside the mine, the Omnitrix timer on Ghostfreak began to expire.
A sudden red flash erupted from the dial on his chest.
SAM quickly tapped the Omnitrix.
Golden light spread across the armor as the transformation collapsed inward, and Evan stood in its place once again.
He looked toward the mine entrance and then back at Gwen and Ben.
"Let's get out of here."
Both of them nodded immediately, and the three of them ran out of the mine and back toward the Rust Bucket as quickly as they could.
The kids came sprinting back toward the Rust Bucket, kicking up dust as they ran across the empty street.
Max was just finishing tightening the final clamp on the patched fuel line when he heard the pounding footsteps and quickly straightened up from under the hood.
"What happened?" Max asked the moment they reached him.
Gwen, still slightly out of breath, brushed some dust off her shirt before answering.
"You know… the usual," she said flatly. "Some giant crustacean and a reptilian alien with dreadlocks burst out of the ground and attacked us."
Max blinked once. Gwen folded her arms and added, "And before you ask, yes, we were both very serious about it."
She pointed toward Ben's wrist. "It said it wanted the watch. Only it kept calling it the Omnitrix."
Ben glanced down at the device on his wrist, which was still flashing red from the recent timeout.
He frowned slightly, then raised it confidently.
"Just let me go Four Arms and I'll send them right to the North Pole," Ben said as he started dialing his time-out Omnitrix.
Before he could do anything further, Max reached out and placed a firm hand on his shoulder.
"No time," Max said. "Repairs are done. We're out of here."
"But Grandpa-" Ben started to protest, Evan cut him off by slapping him on the back.
"Forget it," Evan said bluntly. "Running back there with a timeout Omnitrix is no different from offering it to them."
Ben paused. "…Okay, when you say it like that, it sounds bad."
They quickly climbed back into the Rust Bucket as Max jumped into the driver's seat and started the engine. The RV coughed once before roaring back to life, and Max immediately shifted it into gear and drove away from Slatterville.
As the Rust Bucket rolled down the desert road, Gwen leaned toward the window and looked back at the empty ghost town shrinking behind them.
"No sign of those guys… yet," she said cautiously.
Ben leaned back in his seat and lifted his arm confidently, showing off the still-timed-out Omnitrix.
"Well, they'd better not show up if they know what's good for them."
Evan glanced sideways at him with a completely flat expression.
"You're really more optimistic than I thought."
If Ben were confident about literally anything else, that would have been fine. Confidence with a timed-out Omnitrix, however, was another matter entirely.
After all, the device Ben was wearing was still the Prototype Omnitrix, not the completed version. It didn't have the advanced fail-safes the finished model possesses. If Ben made a mistake or got caught without a transformation ready, the watch might not even be able to save him.
Then suddenly, something heavy landed on the roof of the Rust Bucket. Another loud CLANG echoed from above them.
Before anyone could react, a chainsaw-like blade began tearing straight through the metal roof.
The rotating blade carved a long jagged line through the ceiling, sparks flying everywhere as the metal peeled open.
"I think we just picked up a hitchhiker!" Gwen shouted.
The roof panel was suddenly ripped away.
Six-Six snarled down at them through the opening, his armored body crouched on top of the RV as he glared into the vehicle.
"Who's that?!" Gwen shouted.
"I don't know!" Ben shouted back.
Max didn't hesitate. He slammed on the brakes.
The Rust Bucket screeched violently as the tires locked, and the sudden stop sent Six-Six flying forward off the roof and tumbling onto the road behind them.
Six-Six hit the ground hard and rolled several times before sliding to a stop, clearly dazed.
Max immediately slammed the gas pedal.
The Rust Bucket lurched forward and ran directly over the alien bounty hunter.
Everyone inside bounced slightly from the impact. But before they could celebrate, the RV suddenly lurched again, then stopped.
Max frowned and tried the gas. The engine roared, but the vehicle barely moved.
The group quickly climbed out of the RV. Max noticed the problem immediately; Six-Six had slashed the tires.
"We're not going anywhere," Max said grimly, and looked around for another escape route.
"In there!" Max shouted.
A mine entrance stood nearby, with a rusted mining cart sitting on old tracks leading inside.
They all ran toward the mine. Six-Six began to recover and started moving after them, but the ground suddenly erupted beneath him.
Kraab burst up from underground in a spray of dirt and rock, popping out of the ground directly in front of Six-Six.
The two bounty hunters stared at each other for a moment.
Kraab grinned. "Remember me?"
He immediately tackled Six-Six to the ground.
While the two aliens wrestled in the dirt, Ben, Gwen, Evan, and Max rushed into the mine and ducked behind a thick stone wall just inside the tunnel.
They waited silently for several seconds. Ben slowly peeked around the corner. The entrance appeared empty.
He exhaled in relief. "The coast is clear."
The ground exploded beneath them.
The Predator burst upward from the floor of the mine, rising directly between them and the exit.
"Don't you get tired of being wrong all the time?!" Gwen shouted at Ben.
Ben said helplessly. "Yes. Yes, I do."
The Predator slowly stepped toward them, its mandibles clicking as it raised its arm blades.
Max quickly grabbed a large rock from the ground and hurled it at the alien hunter.
The Predator casually sliced the rock clean in half with one swift motion.
The two halves clattered uselessly to the ground.
Then, a bright golden flash appeared near the group.
Something black and fluid-like burst forward across the ground like a living shadow.
The strange substance launched itself straight at the Predator.
The alien hunter tried to shake it off as the black mass crawled up its leg and spread rapidly across its body. It clawed its way over the armor, wrapping itself tightly around the hunter's frame as it continued spreading upward.
The Predator staggered as the substance consumed it.
Within seconds, the alien hunter was completely covered.
The once-armored figure was now entirely pitch black, the strange living substance coating every inch of its body, including its weapons. Two ominous golden eyes opened across the surface of the black mask, glowing faintly in the darkness.
The golden Omnitrix symbol appeared on the creature's chest.
Gwen stared nervously. "Evan… are you still there?"
The black figure slowly raised its head.
"Yeah, I'm still here," the voice replied calmly.
He examined his new clawed hands and the weapons now incorporated into the form.
"Wow who is this alien?" Ben asks.
"Noir."
Before anyone could say anything else, the ground shook violently again.
Kraab burst through the ceiling and crashed down into the mine, still damaged from the earlier fight.
Noir moved instantly, the black figure shot forward and engaged Kraab in combat, using the Predator's own weapons and agility with frightening efficiency. Noir slashed across Kraab's armored body, severing one of the crab alien's mechanical limbs before driving a blade straight into the center of its metal torso.
"Alright! Get his butt, partner!" Ben cheered.
Kraab reacted quickly and fired another glob of disabling goo.
Noir instantly detached himself from the Predator's body, pulling away like liquid shadow.
The goo splattered across the now-empty armor alien. Sparks from Kraab's damaged frame ignited the substance.
The goo burst into flames, setting both Kraab and the Predator armor ablaze as they became tangled together in the burning mess.
Noir flowed across the ground and reformed beside the group.
A black hand reached up and tapped the Omnitrix dial.
The shadowy substance receded instantly, revealing Evan standing there again.
He glanced back at the two burning aliens. "Let's get out of here."
No one argued. They all ran deeper into the mine.
The group continued sprinting through the tunnels until they suddenly reached a dead end.
The passage opened into a massive open mining field. Old scaffolding and broken equipment surrounded a large empty drop-off that stretched across the cavern.
"Great," Gwen groaned. "Now what?"
A jetpack roar echoed behind them. Six-Six dropped from above and landed between them and the exit.
The alien bounty hunter raised both of his blasters and began firing.
Laser blasts shot toward the group.
A sudden golden flash erupted. Feedback appeared in their place.
The black-and-yellow alien stood tall as the incoming lasers struck his antennae. The energy flowed through the conduits along his body and gathered in his plug-like fingers.
With a quick motion, Feedback redirected the absorbed energy into a massive blue electrical blast that slammed directly into Six-Six and launched him across the cavern.
Then more figures appeared. Kraab limped forward from the tunnel behind them, still damaged.
The Predator followed close behind.
Hoverboard and Samus stepped into the open field as well.
Five enemies now stood between them and escape.
Ben frantically tapped the still-timed-out Omnitrix on his wrist.
"Come on… come on… come on!"
Max and Gwen both looked uneasy as the bounty hunters slowly closed in.
Feedback's single eye scanned all five opponents.
Then he calmly raised his left hand.
Electric energy flickered between his fingers and formed glowing letters in the air.
COME ON
The words hovered in bright blue electricity.
"Come," Feedback said confidently. "I'll take you all on myself."