Chapter 34: An Alternate Tennyson
"Hey! Ben! This isn't funny!"
Ben Tennyson sat perched on a tree stump, a wide grin plastered on his face as he watched the tiny, winged alien get chased around by a fluffy tabby cat.
Suddenly, a hand gently scooped the miniature alien out of the air.
"Hey! Who are you? Let her go!" Ben shot to his feet, his body tensing as he stared down the young man who had appeared out of nowhere.
Klein held the tiny alien, Nanomech, in the palm of his left hand, his right index finger gently stroking her head.
"Oh? You don't know me?" Klein raised an eyebrow, a flicker of genuine puzzlement in his eyes. He'd assumed that his arrival in this multiverse would have simply caused the timeline to branch, creating countless parallel worlds from that point onward. It seemed his understanding was incomplete.
'This is more complicated than a simple split,'he thought.'My very existence is an anomaly the universe itself can't account for.'
"Of course he doesn't know you. I told you, you are special."
A man in a pristine white lab coat strolled up beside Klein, his presence both casual and utterly out of place in the middle of the woods. It was Professor Paradox. And, quite noticeably, the very art style of his being—the clean lines, the subtle shading—seemed distinct from everyone else around him, as if he were drawn by a different artist.
"However," Paradox began, his gaze shifting from Ben's empty left wrist to the Nanomech in Klein's hand, "the one who obtained the Omnitrix in this universe isn't Ben Tennyson." He paused for dramatic effect. "It's Gwen."
"Who are you two?!" Ben's alarm bells were ringing loud and clear. He took a protective step forward. "Gwen! Get over here, now! These guys are dangerous!"
Gwen, who had been momentarily captivated by Klein's sudden appearance, snapped back to reality at her cousin's frantic shout. Still, she couldn't bring herself to see the calm young man as a threat.
"Relax, Ben, don't be so nervous," Klein said, offering a disarming smile. "We're not bad people. At least, I'm not."
He gently placed Nanomech on the ground and tapped the Omnitrix symbol on her back. A flash of green light erupted, and the tiny alien transformed back into Gwen Tennyson.
'Can't have her getting chased by cats all day, can we?' Klein mused.
"Bye, Ben, Gwen."
With a casual wave, Klein and Paradox turned and walked deeper into the forest, disappearing among the trees.
Gwen stared at Klein's retreating back, her mouth slightly agape. She wanted to say something, to ask who he was, but the words wouldn't come.
Klein and Paradox wandered aimlessly through the sun-dappled woods.
"So? Why'd you drag me all the way out here this time?" Klein asked, his tone deceptively mild. "I'll warn you now, Paradox. If you try to pull another one of your little tricks on me, you'll die a very miserable death."
The last time they'd met, Paradox had played a prank on him. In retaliation, Klein had temporarily altered the time-walker's fundamental "art style," a petty act of power that had been immensely satisfying. Given his current strength, he could do far worse. He'd only agreed to come along because Paradox had promised it would be interesting.
"There's just a fellow you need to stop, that's all," Paradox replied, completely unfazed by the threat.
"Who? Is it another Celestialsapien?"
Paradox simply smiled, saying nothing.
"Why aren't you talking?" A muscle in Klein's eye began to twitch.
"Uh… no," Paradox finally said, looking a bit awkward under Klein's intense stare. "At least, not exactly."
"Are you treating me like your personal cosmic thug, you old scoundrel?" Klein averted his gaze, a smirk playing on his lips. It didn't really matter if it was a Celestialsapien. He wasn't afraid of a whole council of them, so why would one give him pause?
'A month ago, I would've just erased Paradox for the suggestion,'Klein thought wryly.'But now? A good fight with a cosmic god sounds like a pretty interesting way to kill an afternoon.'
"No, of course not," Paradox insisted, shaking his head. "I sought you out simply because you are capable. And you have an abundance of free time."
"Right," Klein drawled. "By the way, why bring me here? Wouldn't it be more efficient to go directly to this 'fellow'?"
Paradox's smile returned, a knowing glint in his eyes. "I just figured you'd be more inclined to help if it involved your cousins, wouldn't you?"
Klein just shook his head and chuckled softly. The old man knew him too well.
A short while later, Gwen, now transformed into the crystalline powerhouse Diamondhead, was locked in a brutal battle with a large, clanking mechanical monster.
Not far away, Klein and Paradox were crouching unceremoniously in a thicket of bushes.
"Why aren't we going out there?" Klein whispered, giving the time-walker a sideways glance. "Paradox, do you have some kind of weird peeping fetish?"
"Don't you think this makes us seem terribly mysterious?" Paradox replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"So that's what you were doing the first time we met," Klein deadpanned. "No wonder I always felt like someone was watching me back then." He shook his head. He and Paradox were clearly not on the same wavelength; at least, he wasn't that much of a creep.
He watched as the robot landed a heavy blow, sending Diamondhead staggering back. That was enough. Klein prepared to stand up and end the fight himself.
But just as he rose, Gwen cleverly angled her crystalline body, catching a beam of sunlight and refracting it into a concentrated, high-intensity laser that sliced clean through the robot's core. It collapsed in a heap of smoking metal.
Seeing this, Klein silently squatted back down.
Two days later, Klein and Paradox sat on a park bench, each sipping a brightly colored slushie.
"We've been here for two days!" Klein complained, swirling the icy drink in his cup. "My allowance is almost gone, and Gwen hasn't been in any real danger. Paradox, tell me the truth. Are you just broke and mooching off me?"
"Of course not," Paradox said, looking mildly offended. "To be honest, I don't actually require sustenance. And I assure you, the true danger for Miss Tennyson and her companion is coming very soon."
"You don't need to eat?!" Klein's voice rose in disbelief. He completely ignored the part about impending danger. "Then why didn't you say so before I bought you five of these things?!"
"My not needing to eat does not preclude me from enjoying the experience, does it?" Paradox shrugged nonchalantly.
Just as Klein was about to retort, a deafening crash echoed through the city.
BOOM!
A colossal meteor hammer, trailing smoke and fire, smashed into a nearby stadium, obliterating half of it in a single, devastating impact.
"Vilgax," Klein said instantly, a flicker of recognition in his eyes. That dramatic flair was unmistakable.
"See?" Paradox smiled triumphantly, turning to Klein. "What do we do now?"
Klein took a long, thoughtful sip of his slushie. "First, we need to figure out a really cool way to make an entrance."
"Agreed," Paradox nodded with the utmost seriousness.
"Vilgax!" Ben Tennyson shouted, his voice a mixture of shock and terror.
The hulking squid-faced warlord loomed over them, his shadow falling across the rubble. "Hand over the Omnitrix!" he boomed, his voice dripping with arrogant command.
"Who is he? What should I turn into?" Gwen asked, her voice trembling with panic.
"The stupid watch is out of power!" Ben cried, his own panic escalating. "We have to wait for it to recharge!"
"What?!" Gwen's face went pale.
Just as the two cousins were frozen in a state of absolute dread, a calm, casual voice cut through the tension.
"Hey! Need some help?"
Ben, Gwen, and even Vilgax snapped their heads toward the source of the voice.
There, perched on the jagged edge of the stadium's remaining roof, was Klein. His right foot was planted firmly on the rooftop, his right arm resting casually on his knee. His left leg dangled freely over the edge, suspended in mid-air. He gave them a lazy, two-fingered salute, his elbow never rising above his shoulder.
Standing beside him, perfectly composed, was Paradox. One hand was clasped behind his back, while the other held a pocket watch. Just as their gazes fell upon him, he flipped it open, pretending to check the time with a faint, knowing smile. His white lab coat fluttered gently in the breeze.
The newly risen sun was positioned directly behind them, casting them in dramatic silhouette. For a long moment, the three figures on the ground—hero, sidekick, and villain alike—could only stare, completely stunned into silence.
Seeing their expressions, Klein and Paradox shared a look of deep satisfaction. They had spent a good ten minutes picking the perfect spot. The backlighting from the sun was just the icing on the cake.
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