Chapter 29: An Evil Alien Hero? Captain Steve Appears
A long, snaking line of people baked under the afternoon sun, all waiting outside a video game store. Somewhere in the middle of that sweltering queue stood the Tennysons.
"We've been in this line for two hours, and we haven't moved an inch," Gwen complained, her voice laced with impatience. She fanned her face with her hand, thoroughly regretting her decision to accompany her dweeb of a cousin on his quest for a video game.
"Raging Sumo 2.1 is totally worth the wait!" Ben shot back, completely oblivious to her suffering. His eyes were wide with excitement. "It's Raging Sumo 2.1! You can change the color of your character's clothes anytime, anywhere in the game!"
"Forget it. I'm not waiting anymore." Gwen had zero interest in debating the merits of digital fashion. The heat was making her dizzy. She grabbed Klein's hand, pulling him out of the line. "Come on, Klein. Let's go sit in a bookstore for a while."
Klein readily agreed. He was just as hot as she was; he'd just been waiting for a good excuse to bail.
"Uh, Ben, we're going to go cool off in a bookstore," Grandpa Max announced, seeing his chance to escape as well. "We'll come back when the line's a little shorter. The game can be bought anytime."
"And give up my spot? No way!" Ben crossed his arms, planting his feet firmly. "You guys go ahead. I'll meet you back at the Rustbucket after I buy it."
"Do you want me to get you any books?" Grandpa Max called back over his shoulder.
Ben looked at him as if he'd just suggested eating worms. "It's summer vacation! Why would I want to read a book?!"
...
An hour later, Klein, Gwen, and Grandpa Max returned to the video game store, each holding a rapidly melting ice cream cone.
"Ben's been waiting in this heat for so long," Gwen said with a mischievous grin. "You don't think he's finally snapped, do you?"
"Let's go check on him," Grandpa Max said, quickening his pace.
Suddenly, a chorus of screams erupted from inside the store. "Ah! Ahhh!"
The crowd that had been waiting patiently just moments before surged out of the entrance like a panicked tide, scattering in every direction.
BOOM!
The entire storefront—door, windows, and a large section of the wall—exploded outward in a shower of glass and plaster. As the thick cloud of dust began to settle, the culprit was revealed.
"Four Arms!" Grandpa Max stared in disbelief at the hulking, four-armed alien standing in the wreckage.
"I told you he went crazy," Gwen whispered, her own eyes wide with shock. She couldn't believe her dweeb cousin would actually do something like this.
Klein, who had a knack for seeing the truth of a situation but rarely felt the need to voice it, remained silent, melting into his usual role as a background observer.
The rogue Four Arms let out a roar and began smashing the police cars that had arrived on the scene, crumpling their frames as if they were made of tin foil. The officers scrambled for cover, wisely choosing to retreat and form a perimeter from a safe distance.
Seeing that the police were completely outmatched, Grandpa Max was about to tell Klein to find a discreet place to transform. With so many civilians around, it was too risky for Gwen to use her magic openly, though it might be an option once the crowd thinned out.
Before he could say a word, however, an armored military vehicle screeched to a halt on the street. The rear door hissed open, and a burly, stern-faced man with short blond hair stepped out. He radiated an aura of pure authority.
"I'm Captain Steve," he announced, flashing his credentials at the ranking police officer. "My unit is taking over this situation."
But just as Captain Steve was about to signal his subordinates to move in, the rampaging Four Arms, apparently satisfied with the destruction, turned and bounded away, disappearing over the rooftops with incredible speed.
"Let's get back to the Rustbucket," Grandpa Max said, his expression grim. "I'm sure Ben will have a reasonable explanation for this."
Deep down, he still couldn't bring himself to believe Ben was responsible.
...
Grandpa Max threw open the door to the RV and stepped inside. "Ben, I trust you have a very good explanation."
Ben was sitting on the couch, completely engrossed in his new handheld game. "Explanation? What are you talking about?"
"You've really lost it!" Gwen burst out, her anger flaring at his casual denial. "You trashed an entire block just for that stupid Sumo game, and you even smashed police cars!"
"What are you even talking about?!" Ben finally put down his game console, turning to face them with a look of pure confusion.
"Ben, we know you transformed into Four Arms and caused a scene. We were there," Grandpa Max said, his brow furrowing in disappointment as Ben continued to play dumb. "Don't you have anything to say for yourself?"
Perhaps it was because Ben was a natural troublemaker, or perhaps the coincidence was just too perfect. The Four Arms they had seen looked identical to Ben's transformation in every way. Whatever the reason, both Grandpa Max and Gwen were utterly convinced of his guilt.
"Yeah, I do have something to say!" Ben shot to his feet, his own anger rising as he was inexplicably blamed for something he didn't do. He squared off against them. "What proof do you have that it was me?!"
"Today... the scene..."
As if on cue, the small television in the Rustbucket flickered to life with a breaking news report, displaying grainy footage of Four Arms' rampage on the very street they had just left.
"Look," Gwen said, pointing a triumphant finger at the screen, her gaze fixed on Ben.
"This is impossible! That's not me!" Ben jabbed a finger at the Four Arms on the TV, his eyes darting between his grandfather and cousin, desperately hoping to see a flicker of belief on their faces.
Unfortunately, they just stared back at him, their expressions hard and serious.
In a last-ditch effort, Ben turned to Klein, his voice pleading. "Klein, you believe me, right? You have to!"
Klein met his gaze with a perfectly neutral expression. "Ben," he said, his tone gravely serious, "go turn yourself in."
The words struck Ben like a physical blow. His last shred of hope crumbled. He went rigid, then collapsed onto the sofa like a puppet with its strings cut. If even Klein, his favorite cousin, didn't believe him, what was the point of fighting it?
Just as Ben was sinking into despair, he heard a soft, choked sound. He looked up and saw Klein, whose playful smirk was now threatening to break into a full-blown laugh.
The realization dawned on Ben in an instant. "Awesome! I knew you believed me, Cousin!" he exclaimed, jumping back up.
Grandpa Max and Gwen stared at Klein, utterly confused.
In response, Klein simply pointed a finger at the Four Arms still on the TV screen.
"He's missing the symbol."
"Symbol?" Grandpa Max and Gwen exchanged a puzzled glance before the meaning clicked.
Klein walked over and grabbed Ben's left wrist, holding it up for them to see the face of the watch. "Yeah. The Omnitrix symbol."
...
The group returned to the now-cordoned-off video game street.
"I've gotta find that guy who's giving aliens a bad name!" Ben declared, picking up a piece of rubble and examining it for clues. He muttered under his breath, "The only one who gets to ruin the aliens' reputation around here, besides my cousin, is me!"
"Alright, great detective, have you found anything yet?" Gwen asked dryly. "We've looked everywhere. We shouldn't waste any more time."
"No," Ben admitted, his shoulders slumping in dejection.
Suddenly, he caught a flash of red in a nearby alley. He whipped his head around. It was Four Arms!
"Don't run!" Ben yelled, dropping the piece of concrete and sprinting after the imposter.
Klein and the others immediately gave chase.
"Damn it!" The fake Four Arms was incredibly fast, and Ben couldn't keep up on foot. 'I'll just transform into Fasttrack, catch him, and then pound him!'
But at this critical moment, the Omnitrix once again decided to betray him. Ben slapped the dial a few times, but the watch remained stubbornly inert.
"Forget it! I'll chase him myself!"
Fueled by pure indignation, Ben pushed himself harder, chasing the fake Four Arms all the way to the city mint.
"He went in there!" Ben pointed at the imposing federal building as the others caught up, then charged inside without a second thought.
Klein and Gwen followed right behind him.
Grandpa Max leaned against the wall, catching his breath and sighing wearily. "Who said retirement was supposed to be easy?"
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