Chapter 195: Ben's DNA and the Birth of the Chaquetrix
Drone 9527 led Ben down a narrow, dimly lit corridor until they reached a heavy metal door. It slid open with a pneumatic hiss, revealing an empty storage room cluttered with crates and discarded mechanical parts of various sizes.
Ben, still disguised in his stolen armor, followed 9527 into the dusty corner of the room, his eyes darting around the stacked junk.
"Alright, this is the place." 9527 scanned the cramped corner with clear satisfaction, then turned his visor toward Ben. "Let's begin."
"Begin what?" Ben blinked, completely lost.
"Oh, you're so naughty."
The drone's mechanical voice suddenly pitched up into a synthetic, coy register that made the hairs on the back of Ben's neck stand on end. A deep sense of unease settled into his stomach.
"You want me to make the first move, huh?...Fine, you rascal. I'll grant your wish today."
As 9527 spoke, his metallic hands reached down and actually began to unbuckle his uniform belt.
Ben's blood ran cold. Every muscle in his body locked up as he watched the drone's fingers work the clasp. He roughly pieced together what was happening.
Could it be that 9527 and the real 10086 were... involved in that kind of relationship?!
No. No, no, no. This was absolutely not happening.
I can't do this!
Ben subconsciously scrambled two steps backward, his jaw dropping in absolute horror as he stared at 9527.
Sure enough, the drone's next action shattered any remaining hope of a misunderstanding. 9527 grabbed the waistband of his pants and yanked them down forcefully. "Come on!"
"No! Don't!"
Ben retreated frantically, his boots slipping on the metal floor until his back slammed hard against the back wall. His flailing hand slapped against a hidden groove in the paneling. A loud click echoed through the room.
The solid wall behind him suddenly gave way, flipping backward like a trapdoor. Ben yelled as he tumbled into the darkness.
Above him, 9527 quickly hauled his pants back up and dove into the chute right after him.
Ben hit a smooth, sloping surface and slid downward before being dumped unceremoniously onto a cold, polished floor. He groaned, rubbing his head as he sat up.
Soft, ambient light filled the massive underground chamber. All around him, rare alien artifacts and glowing treasures floated suspended within humongous, fluid-filled glass cylinders. He had stumbled into a hidden vault.
Before he could process the sheer scale of the room, a familiar, dry voice crackled through his earpiece.
"Um, Ben..." Klein's tone was laced with heavy amusement. "Were you just... bent over?"
"No! Absolutely not! Cousin, you have to believe me!" Ben scrambled to his feet, his face burning hot.
"Uh, actually, even if you told the truth, I wouldn't look down on you."
"I really wasn't bent over!" Ben was practically on the verge of tears, his voice echoing off the glass tubes.
A loud thud interrupted him. 9527 dropped from the ceiling chute, landing in a crouch. He immediately threw his arms wide. "Don't be afraid! 10086, I'll protect you!"
"Get lost!" Ben shoved the drone away with a look of utter disgust. If word of this ever got out, his lifelong reputation would be ruined forever.
9527 didn't seem to notice the rejection. He straightened up, his visor scanning the rows of glowing artifacts. "Eh? Where is this? Vilgax didn't tell us about this sector."
Ben forced his heart rate to slow down and began to inspect his surroundings. The sheer volume of plundered wealth made it obvious. This was one of the Vilgax brothers' personal treasure vaults.
He walked down the central aisle, his gaze sweeping over the stolen goods until he stopped dead in his tracks. Resting inside a reinforced glass instrument in the dead center of the room was a highly complex, glowing piece of machinery.
The component.
A massive grin spread across Ben's face. Great fortune really did follow great tribulation—as long as you didn't get bent over!
He stepped forward, reaching for the glass case, but then froze. He cast a sideways glance at 9527, who was still busy admiring a floating plasma sword. He needed to get rid of the guy.
Ben cleared his throat. "Uh... I'm suddenly a bit thirsty. Could you go get me a glass of water?"
9527 slowly turned his head. "10086. You want to steal something, don't you?"
Ben flinched. He figured it out just like that?!
He awkwardly scratched the back of his helmet. "How could that be..."
"You thought for a long time and came up with such a lame excuse. Of course you'd be found out." Klein's sarcastic drawl echoed in his ear. Then, his cousin's tone shifted, turning cold and practical. "No choice. Just knock him out."
Taking the advice, Ben suddenly pointed toward the far corner of the vault. "Look over there!"
"What's there?" 9527 looked up, turning his back completely.
Ben didn't waste a single second. He took two quick, silent steps forward and delivered a vicious karate chop directly to the back of 9527's neck.
A dull thud rang out.
9527 slowly reached up, rubbed his neck, and turned around with an annoyed posture. "What are you doing?"
Ben froze, his hand still suspended in the air. He didn't knock him out. This was incredibly awkward. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.
9527 stared at him, the silence stretching until the drone finally spoke. "You're not 10086, are you?"
"How could that be! I..."
"You are definitely not 10086!" 9527 took a step back, his voice filled with dramatic betrayal. "If he came in here, he would absolutely not have the courage to stay! Your tone of voice today is also very wrong!"
Ben dropped his hand, utterly speechless. The logic was flawless. What else could he even say?
"Alright. I'm indeed not... 10086." Ben sighed, raising his left hand toward the Omnitrix dial hidden under his sleeve. "Since that's the case, then I'll just—"
"Since 10086 has left me," 9527 interrupted, his synthetic voice trembling with artificial grief, "then I have no desire to dwell on right or wrong. I, 9527, will go join you!"
Before Ben could even blink, 9527 raised his blaster, pressed the barrel against his own processor unit, and pulled the trigger.
A sharp crack echoed through the vault. Sparks showered the floor as 9527 collapsed into a lifeless heap of smoking metal.
Ben stood frozen, staring at the dead drone in absolute silence. A long minute passed.
"Vilgax..." Ben muttered to the empty room. "Are all your subordinates like this?"
To be able to conquer half the universe with an army of dramatic, emotionally unstable drones... Ben suddenly felt that Vilgax was a truly talented individual.
Light-years away, listening through the base's internal security feed, Vilgax sat in total silence. A deep, heavy aura of awkwardness radiated from the warlord.
"Ahem. Ben, quickly grab the component. It's time to leave!" Klein's voice snapped Ben out of his stupor.
"Oh, right."
Ben shook his head, stepped up to the central pedestal, and popped the container open. He lifted the heavy, glowing component out of its cradle.
"Hehe, easy peasy."
Just as the smug grin returned to his face, the heavy blast doors at the far end of the vault hissed open. Two massive, heavily muscled figures strolled in, chatting and laughing in deep, guttural tones.
Alpha Vilgax and Beta Vilgax.
Hearing the heavy footsteps, Ben whipped around, the component tucked under his arm.
Six eyes met across the room. The casual laughter died instantly. The atmosphere plunged into a suffocating, awkward silence.
"Swampfire!"
Ben completely disregarded any sense of martial ethics. He slammed his hand down on the Omnitrix dial before the brothers could even draw a breath.
A blinding flash of emerald light illuminated the vault, and the towering, plant-like form of Swampfire took his place, the component safely gripped in his vine-covered hand.
"You despicable thief! How dare you cause trouble on our territory?!"
The Vilgax brothers roared in unison, charging at Swampfire with devastating strides.
Swampfire didn't even flinch. He casually ducked under Alpha Vilgax's massive, sweeping punch, pivoted on his heel, and drove a muddy, rock-hard fist directly into Beta Vilgax's jaw. The impact sent the second brother staggering backward. Without missing a beat, Swampfire opened his palm and hurled a concentrated fireball point-blank into Alpha Vilgax's chest.
The explosion blasted both brothers off their feet. They crashed heavily onto the polished floor, groaning in pain, completely unable to get back up.
"Eh? So weak?" Swampfire blinked his green eyes, genuinely bewildered. He forgot that these younger versions of the brothers hadn't undergone their extensive cybernetic and genetic modifications yet.
A swirling vortex of blue energy suddenly tore open the fabric of space right beside him. Paradox stepped out of the portal, casually adjusting his coat.
"Alright, we need to go. Let the Vilgax brothers stay here for now."
As soon as the time walker finished speaking, Swampfire shrugged and stepped through the blue portal, leaving the groaning warlords behind.
The portal deposited them directly into the center of a high-tech laboratory.
"My component! My component!"
Azmuth practically sprinted across the room the second the portal closed, his eyes locked onto the glowing device in Swampfire's hand.
A flash of red light returned Ben to his human form. He handed the heavy machinery down to the frantic Galvan. "Is this really that important?"
"Of course!" Azmuth cradled the device like a newborn child, his eyes gleaming with manic brilliance. "Without it, my Chaquetrix cannot be completed."
Azmuth paused, carefully setting the component on his workbench. He turned around, stroking his chin as he looked up at Ben. His large eyes scanned the teenager from head to toe.
"Young man... you are quite handsome."
Ben's eyes lit up instantly. He puffed out his chest, grinning from ear to ear. "Really? You have great taste. I think so too."
Azmuth beckoned him closer, leaning in to whisper conspiratorially. "Do you want to participate in the great experiment of developing the Chaquetrix?"
Flattered and completely oblivious to the implications, Ben nodded eagerly. Within minutes, he had been thoroughly tricked into donating a fresh sample of his DNA to the Galvan scientist.
"Ben, it's time to go."
Hearing Klein call out from the doorway, Ben quickly wiped his arm, grabbed his jacket, and jogged out of the lab.
Standing in the corner, Albedo watched Klein's retreating back, his red eyes narrowed in deep thought, wondering just what the anomaly was planning.
Azmuth noticed Albedo's distraction, but he didn't care. He turned his back on the room, his entire focus locking onto the glowing machinery on his desk. The final pieces were in place. The ultimate experiment was ready.
The Chaquetrix was about to be born.
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