Chapter 43: A Traitorous Crab and a Rolling Bug
Sunder, who was in the middle of hoisting a massive piece of mining equipment, froze. The sudden appearance of a group of figures startled him, but his eyes immediately locked onto the one in the lead—a young man whose chest was bathed in the faint, menacing glow of a blue light.
He didn't recognize the teen's face, but that specific shade of blue triggered a primal, instinctual alarm. It was the color of Klein's Another Omnitrix.
The moment recognition clicked, Sunder didn't hesitate. With a guttural roar, he hurled the heavy machinery toward the intruders, then spun around, snatched a crate of raw iron ore, and bolted.
Kraab, his crustacean-like partner, hadn't gotten a clear look at the newcomers, but Sunder's panicked flight was all the signal he needed. He immediately scrambled after him. Whatever Sunder had seen, running first was always the right move.
BOOM!
Ultimos and Tini moved as one, their combined strength batting the flying machinery aside, sending it crashing into a wall of rock.
A flicker of blue light faded from Klein's chest as he shrugged, watching Sunder and Kraab trying to outrun each other into the depths of the mine. "Well," he said to the group, "what's the plan?"
"Chase them!" came the unified reply. They couldn't let those two get away and build whatever powerful bomb they were planning.
"Are you finally going to turn into a Tetramand?" Tini asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she watched Ben fiddle with the Omnitrix.
"Nope! I'm going to turn into Fasttrack and catch them in a flash," Ben declared, raising his hand to slam down on the watch.
"Fasttrack your head! Are you really going to disappoint a girl?" Klein's voice was pure mischief. He darted forward, grabbing Ben's arm and pulling his left hand close. With a wicked grin, he gave the Omnitrix dial a few quick twists before slamming his own hand down on the faceplate.
A brilliant green flash erupted, and in Ben's place stood the towering, four-armed form of Four Arms.
The second Tini saw him, she let out a delighted squeal and practically launched herself at the hulking red alien.
"Cousin, you..." Ben began, pushing a clinging Tini away as he stared at Klein with a look of utter disbelief.
"No need to thank me," Klein said, holding up a hand to cut him off. "It's what I, as your older cousin, should do."
With that, Klein tapped his own Another Omnitrix.
"Crashhopper!"
A pulse of blue light washed over him, and where he stood was now a creature that looked like a cross between a grasshopper and a rhinoceros beetle. Mostly yellow and brown, it stood on four spindly legs, a long, sharp horn protruding from its head. It was surprisingly small, not even reaching half a meter in height.
Crashhopper opened its brown mandibles and spat out a viscous, glowing green ball of plasma. It then hopped onto the sphere, its four legs expertly rolling it forward as it shot off in hot pursuit of Sunder and Kraab.
Gwen, already shimmering with pink energy, transformed into her Anodite form and took to the air. Four Arms, meanwhile, scooped up Grandpa Max, placed him securely on his shoulder, and thundered after them.
"Galactic Enforcers! Attack!" Ultimos yelled. He, Tini, and Synaptak struck a pose that looked incredibly awkward to everyone else but seemed perfectly natural to them, before they too joined the chase.
...
Sunder, still clutching the heavy crate of iron ore, risked a glance over his shoulder while running. "Holy crap!"
He saw Crashhopper closing the distance, the plasma ball beneath its feet having already grown to two meters in diameter. The sight spurred him on, and he forced his legs to pump even faster.
Kraab, seeing Sunder pick up the pace, grew curious and looked back as well. His compound eyes widened. A whole squad of formidable-looking pursuers was on their tail. He instantly recognized the Omnitrix symbol on Four Arms's belt and, more terrifyingly, the Another Omnitrix symbol on the strange rolling insect.
Sparks practically flew from Kraab's four metallic legs as he pushed himself to his absolute limit. 'Even if I can't outrun them,'the bounty hunter thought frantically,'I just have to outrun you, Sunder!'
Sunder weaved through the mine shafts, dodging laser beams that Ultimos fired from behind. He grabbed a piece of discarded machinery from the cavern floor and flung it backward without breaking stride.
Four Arms simply punched the projectile, shattering it into a thousand pieces. The metal fragments, however, were immediately drawn toward Crashhopper's rolling sphere, absorbed into its mass and causing the plasma ball to swell even larger.
By now, the chase had spilled out of the main mining area and into the surrounding wasteland.
Sunder smashed a nearby boulder with a powerful kick, sending a shower of rock fragments to block the path. It was useless. Just like the metal, the stone shards were vacuumed up by the ever-growing plasma ball, which now loomed ominously behind them.
Out of ideas, Sunder focused solely on running, subtly trying to put more distance between himself and Kraab.
"They're still chasing me!" Kraab whined, a wave of self-pity washing over him. Then, an idea seemed to strike him. His gaze dropped to Sunder's legs, and a slow, sinister cackle began to bubble up from his throat as he slowly opened his large pincer.
A sudden, inexplicable shiver ran down Sunder's spine. Cold sweat beaded on his brow. He glanced back and saw Kraab staring intently at his feet.
"What are you doing! No! If you do that, you won't get a single penny from me!" Sunder desperately tried to appeal to the bounty hunter's greed, hoping to snap him out of it.
Kraab hesitated for a split second. The thought of the money gave him pause, but the thought of capture was far more terrifying. He made his decision. His large pincer snapped open, and a concentrated beam of red laser shot out, striking Sunder squarely in the leg.
Sunder cried out and tumbled to the ground. In that moment, it felt as if time had stopped. A thousand thoughts flashed through his mind, but they all coalesced into a single, furious sentiment: 'Kraab, you son of a bitch!'
His eyes, filled with betrayal, were locked on the cackling crab-like alien as he hit the dirt.
Crashhopper deftly rolled his plasma ball around the fallen Sunder, continuing the chase after the still-fleeing Kraab without missing a beat. Gwen and Synaptak followed close behind.
Kraab felt a brief moment of relief, but it was short-lived. He looked back and saw that the plasma ball under Crashhopper's feet was now bigger than a house. "Holy cow!" he shrieked, subconsciously using a curse from a planet that was definitely not his own.
He truly hadn't expected to still be the primary target after sacrificing his employer. After all, Sunder had saved him and hired him for this job; a bounty hunter betraying his boss was just part of the business. But now, seeing that monstrous green sphere bearing down on him, he was filled with regret—not for the betrayal, but for being greedy for that little bit of extra pay. It was too late for that now. All he could do was run.
Back with the others, Sunder was already being pinned to the ground by Ultimos. "Sunder," the hero declared formally, "I will now, according to the public authority granted to me by the Galactic Enforcers' code, order you to surrender! Do you agree?"
Sunder just struggled silently, refusing to answer.
Four Arms stepped forward and, with a single, decisive punch, knocked him unconscious. "Agree? Why are you even asking him? We should just take him down before he tries any more dirty tricks."
Ultimos fell silent, a thoughtful expression on his face. A moment later, it was as if a switch had been flipped inside his brain. A strange, excited grin spread across his face, the corners of his mouth curving higher and higher.
Tini slung an arm around Four Arms's neck. "Hey! I've wanted to do that for so long! We really are a good match!"
Four Arms tried to squirm away. Grandpa Max, who had long since been corrupted by Klein's influence, simply stood back and enjoyed the drama with a placid smile.
Seeing that his grandpa wasn't going to save him, and that Gwen and his cousin were gone—though even if Klein were here, he'd probably be enjoying the show right alongside Grandpa—Four Arms felt a tough-guy tear well up in his eye.
"Hey! What's wrong?" Tini asked, looking at him with genuine concern.
"Nothing," Four Arms grumbled, shaking his head. "Just a sudden discomfort in my heart."
Nearby, Ultimos was repeatedly punching Sunder in the head. "Will you tell me! Will you tell me!" he shouted.
Sunder, who had been knocked out cold by Four Arms, was violently jolted awake by Ultimos's barrage. He tried to speak, but the hero's relentless pounding made it impossible to get a word out.
"You... you didn't... you didn't ask!" Sunder finally managed to gasp during a brief pause.
Hearing this, Ultimos stopped and scratched his head awkwardly. "Uh... I was too excited, so I accidentally forgot," he muttered under his breath. He cleared his throat. "Ahem! Sunder, where did you put the X-Element!"
"In my spaceship! It's right in..." Sunder rattled off the detailed location of the X-Element, terrified that another second of delay would earn him another beating.
With the information secured, Ultimos decided to wait for the others to return with Kraab before making their next move.
Since they had time to kill, Ultimos and Four Arms started chatting. "Ben, honestly, it's great not to follow the Galactic Enforcers' code! No plans, no boredom, no..."
BOOOOOOM!
A massive green mushroom cloud erupted on the horizon, silencing him mid-sentence. Four Arms and the others stared, stunned, at the distant explosion.
"Uh," Ultimos said uncertainly, "I think they must have caught Kraab by now, right?"
A moment later, a blue-streaked figure zipped into view. It was Klein, now transformed into Fasttrack. He was carrying Gwen, while Synaptak was clinging to his tail for dear life.
"Alas! I didn't help at all," Synaptak said dejectedly as he was set down.
"It's okay," Grandpa Max said, walking over to pat the alien enforcer on the back. "You'll get used to it."
Ultimos saw that Kraab was not with them and wisely deduced the bounty hunter wouldn't be returning. He didn't press the issue.
A faint blue light flashed, and Fasttrack reverted to Klein. "Alright," he asked, gesturing to the barely conscious Sunder, "how do we deal with him?"
"Hmm... We will escort him to the Galactic Enforcers' exclusive prison," Ultimos announced.
Klein just shrugged, completely indifferent.
...
The three Galactic Enforcers helped escort the Tennysons back to the Rustbucket.
As they were about to part ways, Ultimos suddenly spoke up. "I'd like to extend your temporary appointment and formally invite you to join the Galactic Enforcers. Will you?"
Klein, Ben, and Gwen exchanged glances. "No thanks," Klein replied for them. "We're already the best partners."
They tried to return the Galactic Enforcer badges Ultimos had given them, but he refused to take them. "Keep them. You might need them someday."
Seeing his insistence, they didn't decline again.
However, before leaving, Tini pulled Ben aside. Ben shot a desperate, pleading look at Klein, who understood instantly.
Klein gave him a reassuring expression that clearly said, 'Don't worry, I've got this.' Ben started to relax, but then Klein turned to the others and announced, "Ben and Tini want some private space. Let's go first."
Ben's face fell into utter despair. He didn't give up, turning his pleading eyes to Gwen, but she was completely focused on Klein and didn't even notice him.
As a last resort, he looked to Grandpa Max. His grandfather simply gave him a look that said, 'You're even more of a lady-killer than I was,' before turning and walking away.
...
Eventually, the Galactic Enforcers departed. What Ben and Tini actually talked about, and how he finally convinced her to leave, remains a mystery.
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