Chapter 194: Infiltration! Enter Grunt Ben Tennyson
"A part?"
Vilgax blinked, his imposing features twisting in momentary confusion before realization dawned. He thought of the broken watch he had spent eons hunting across the galaxy. "Wait. Are you talking about a component for the Omnitrix? No... the Chaquetrix?"
"That is exactly right," Azmuth nodded, his small face grave. "It is an exceedingly vital and rare component. Finding a second one in the entire known universe would be next to impossible. Therefore... I have no choice but to rely on all of you."
Max Tennyson crossed his arms, his face darkening into a heavy scowl. Azmuth's tone heavily implied that the old Plumber was entirely unreliable for the task, and Max was not appreciating the slight.
"And the compensation? What exactly are you offering us?" Klein leaned against the wall, his tone utterly casual. As always, he cut straight to the chase, focusing on cold, hard profit over pleasantries.
"Whatever you desire, I will grant it!" Azmuth threw his tiny hands up in desperation. He was truly at the end of his rope. If Klein demanded his most closely guarded, top-secret stash of illicit pin-ups, the Galvan would hand it over without a second thought... well, perhaps with only a microsecond of hesitation.
"Hmm... acceptable." Klein nodded slowly, satisfied with the blank check. "Then we need to formulate a plan to infiltrate the Vilgax brothers' warship."
In truth, Klein could have simply ripped a hole in space and snatched the part himself, but that required effort. He didn't want to bother when he could delegate.
Hearing the group openly plot to infiltrate his own ship gave Vilgax an incredibly bizarre sensation.
"How about... I go?" Vilgax stepped forward, his massive fists clenching. He actually looked eager to raid his own vessel.
"Absolutely not. Your physical profile is far too conspicuous. You would be recognized the moment you stepped aboard." Paradox shot down the idea instantly. Much like Klein, the time-walker could have easily retrieved the item with a snap of his fingers, but he seemed entirely committed to treating this like a stealth espionage mission.
"Hmm... I do have the perfect candidate in mind." Klein rubbed his chin. A mischievous glint suddenly sparked in his eyes.
Earth. Ben's bedroom.
Ben Tennyson was currently sprawled across his floor, aggressively mashing the buttons on his game controller. He was playing Sumo Slammers, his absolute favorite video game, but today, his heart just wasn't in it.
'I wonder where Cousin went,' Ben thought, his brow furrowing in deep resentment. It was incredibly unfair. Klein had gone off on some crazy, fun adventure and completely left him behind to rot in boredom.
"Ugh... man, this is so stupid!" Ben groaned, tossing the controller aside. He flopped back onto his bed, staring at the ceiling.
"You little brat, are you complaining about me behind my back again?"
A familiar, dry voice echoed through the room. Ben bolted upright. A swirling blue portal had materialized right beside his desk. Klein and Paradox stepped out from the glowing vortex.
Ben's eyes widened in sheer delight. He completely ignored the time-traveling professor and locked his gaze entirely onto his cousin. "Cousin?!"
"Come on. I am taking you out to have some fun." Klein casually waved a hand.
Ben didn't need to be told twice. He scrambled off the mattress, practically tripping over his own feet in his haste to follow Klein through the portal.
Quadrant 52, Galvan Prime.
"Whoa... Cousin, is this the place you were talking about?" Ben spun around in circles, his jaw dropping as he took in the alien architecture. The buildings were incredibly small, yet practically humming with advanced, futuristic technology.
"Keep up. I am taking you to meet this universe's Azmuth," Klein said, leading the way.
Klein, Paradox, and Ben walked up to a massive, imposing structure. The heavy mechanical doors slid open automatically with a soft pneumatic hiss.
Inside, Azmuth was just finishing up his daily exercise. The First Thinker had an expression of absolute, unadulterated ecstasy plastered across his face. Projected on the massive holographic screen above him was his highly treasured, heavily encrypted collection of illicit adult material.
Klein, Paradox, and Ben stopped dead in their tracks. Three pairs of eyes locked onto the tiny Galvan.
The silence was deafening.
Azmuth froze. The color drained from his face. He instantly looked as though he wanted the floor to open up and swallow him whole.
"Apologies for the interruption. Please, by all means, continue," Klein said, his voice completely deadpan.
Without missing a beat, Klein, Paradox, and Ben turned on their heels and marched right back out the door.
As the heavy metal doors slid shut behind them, Ben leaned in and whispered, "Uh, Cousin? Was that really Azmuth?"
Klein shook his head slowly, staring blankly ahead. "I am not entirely sure, but unfortunately, it probably was."
"Wait! Come back! It is not what it looks like!" Azmuth's frantic, high-pitched shriek echoed from inside the lab.
The trio acted as if they hadn't heard a single word, putting as much distance between themselves and the laboratory as physically possible.
A good chunk of time passed before Klein, Paradox, and Ben finally mustered the courage to re-enter the room.
Getting back to actual business, Azmuth, who was aggressively avoiding eye contact, and Paradox gave Ben a detailed rundown of the situation.
"So, let me get this straight. My mission is to sneak onto Vilgax's spaceship?" Ben rubbed his chin, a grin slowly spreading across his face. "Man, I have never actually tried doing that before."
"Precisely. We will equip you with the standard uniform of a low-ranking Vilgax drone," Paradox explained. "Vilgax himself will brief you on the ship's security protocols and the most likely locations for the missing component. I will then teleport you directly aboard. And finally..."
Klein stepped forward, placing a heavy hand on Ben's shoulder. He looked down at his younger cousin with absolute solemnity. "Your helmet is rigged to receive our comms. The rest... is entirely up to you."
Seeing Klein treat him with such serious respect made Ben's chest swell with pride. He felt completely immersed in the role, like a top-tier secret agent entrusted with saving the galaxy. His blood pumped with adrenaline.
Deep in the vast, cold expanse of space, the Vilgax brothers' warship drifted silently.
Inside a cavernous assembly hall, rows upon rows of soldiers stood at rigid attention. Every single one of them wore identical, heavy combat armor.
The mechanical doors at the rear of the hall hissed open.
"Grunt 10086 reporting for duty!"
Ben marched into the room, fully clad in the bulky armor and full-face helmet of a Vilgax drone.
He stopped. He looked around. Every single soldier in the massive room was wearing the exact same armor, standing in perfect, silent unison.
'Oh, right. I am literally just a nameless grunt,' Ben thought, a drop of sweat forming on his brow.
His loud entrance had caused hundreds of helmeted heads to snap toward him.
"Uh... heh heh..." Ben chuckled nervously, his voice muffled by the helmet. He quickly scurried to the very back of the formation and stood stiffly in line.
At the front of the hall, the commanding Advisor ignored the interruption and resumed his droning, monotonous speech about galactic conquest.
Ten minutes later, Ben was practically swaying on his feet, fighting a losing battle against sleep.
A sharp burst of static in his earpiece jolted him awake. It was Klein, making sure he didn't pass out mid-mission.
Finally, the agonizing speech concluded. The formation broke, and the soldiers began dispersing to their posts. Ben instantly perked up. It was time to hunt for the part.
"Listen closely," Vilgax's deep, gravelly voice crackled through Ben's earpiece. "Knowing my own habits, I typically hide treasure vaults in the least frequented sectors of the ship. I simply cannot guarantee exactly which vault holds the component."
'Great. So I have to check every single room,' Ben grumbled internally, marching awkwardly down a metallic corridor.
Suddenly, a heavy hand clamped down on Ben's shoulder.
Ben jumped, nearly leaping out of his armor. He spun around to find another drone staring at him through a dark visor.
"10086, what is the matter with you? It is me, 9527!" The soldier tilted his head, clearly confused by Ben's jumpy behavior.
"Ben, he thinks he knows you. Stay calm. Play along and pretend you know him too," Klein's calm voice instructed through the comms.
Ben took a deep breath, forcing his rigid muscles to relax. He slapped a hand against the drone's shoulder. "Oh! Hey, buddy! Long time no see... Uh, have you eaten yet?"
"What kind of nonsense are you spouting?" 9527 crossed his arms, his posture shifting into suspicion. "You have not forgotten our agreement, have you?"
"Ah, haha... Of course! Of course not. How could I forget?" Ben laughed, the sound incredibly hollow and forced.
"Good. Then let us hurry." 9527 didn't seem to care enough to press the issue. He turned on his heel and gestured for Ben to follow.
Ben leaned his head down, whispering urgently into his collar. "Should I follow this guy? Or ditch him and go look for the part?"
The comms went dead silent for a few seconds.
Then, Klein's voice crackled back to life. "Follow him."
To Klein, this was exactly like triggering a random NPC event in a video game. He was far too curious to see where this bizarre questline would lead.
Hearing his cousin's order, Ben straightened his posture and jogged forward, trailing closely behind 9527 into the depths of the warship.
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