Ben 10 Fan Fiction ❯ Original Ben Ten: Th Machaliens ❯ New threat ( Chapter 2 )

CHAPTER TWO

It wouldn't be too much longer before Max would arrive at Gordon's mansion. The place was sparkling like it was when the wedding took place. Gordon couldn't decide what to wear to see his brother, but Betty Jean assured him that Max wouldn't care any less.

“Say, where's Joel?” Gordon wondered.

“He's out with Camille in the garden.” His wife answered.

Gordon worried a lot about his son and all the nightmares he knew Joel was having. He knew his son would get over it eventually. He just wish it would be soon so Joel would stop waking people up at night when he screamed.

…

Camille was gathering flowers for the dinner tables for the big feast the next day. Her cousin Lucy was skipping merrily in the field. She had been plucking flower pedals asking “He loves me… he really loves me…” about Ben.

Camille laughed at how giddy her cousin was behaving, but it came natural. Most girls, whenever witnessed or was part of wedding often dreamed of getting married one day and ended up falling for boys hard and fast. “Lucy, Ben's only 11… I don't think he's willing to rush into a relationship so fast.”

Lucy didn't care. She was going to try and make it so that Ben wouldn't be able to resist.

Camille rolled her eyes, and then she gazed over at her husband who was standing by the lake staring off into the distance. “Joel?” she called to him. He turned round and smiled at his wife. He was lost in his depression again, but he knew he had to be brave with company coming.

“Joel, I really think you should see a doctor or someone about this.” Camille suggested, but Joel refused. Therapy wouldn't help stop the nightmares. Camille hated seeing Joel like this and wished there was something she could do.

Suddenly she looked up at the sky, “Hmm…?” She could see a few specks in the sky, and they were getting closer. Joel saw them too, “What are those?”

The things got closer, and closer, and finally, “LOOK OUT!” Joel tackled Camille out of the way as the things, which were actually alien crafts opened fire on the mansion and the ground around it.

BOOM!

KAPOW!

Lucy fell off her feet. “What's going on?” she cried.

The fighters were turning round for another sweep. “DAD…!” shouted Joel. His folks rushed out in a heartbeat with their blasters at the ready, “We see `em, son!” snapped Gordon and he returned fire, but the fighter-crafts hardly took too much damage from the hits and blasted the grounds some more.

“Lucy, come here!” cried Camille. Her little cousin dashed as fast as she could while avoid the blasts from those fighters, and they were still going at it. “We need help!” cried Joel.

“Right… I'm on it.” said BJ, and she quickly dashed back into the house. No sooner had she did one of the fighter-craft hover close to the ground. The alien-pilot tapped a switch, “Releasing aldroid troopers.” He spoke in a monotone voice.

A ray of lights shot down from under the ship and at least two-dozen creatures, with both alien and android like bodies began to swarm the grounds armed with powerful laser-riffles.

…

The rust bucket wasn't too far away now, and both Ben and Gwen were asleep. Max was relieved because they wouldn't fight and he could get some quiet.

But suddenly, his onboard computer began bleeping warning him that hyperspace activity had recently occurred. “What the…?” and his radar showed strange bogies coming from the direction and area of the mansion. That's when his plumber's badge received a call form his sister-in-law. “BJ… it's Max. What's going on?”

Before she could answer the Max could see creatures that he knew too well, breaking into the kitchen where BJ was, and she was forced to end transmission to avoid capture. Max didn't want to believe it, but nothing else would explain it. “They're back!”

All he could do now was floor it on the rust bucket, which woke Ben and Gwen up. “Whoa! Rush hour!” cried Ben. “Grandpa… what's going on?” asked Gwen. “No time to explain.” said Max, “I just hope we're not too late.”

…

In his monstrous ship in orbit, high above Earth, Count Dread was enjoying seeing the creatures he loathed squirm, yet his fighters didn't seem to be carrying out the task he had given. “I want those creatures destroyed slowly and as painfully as possible, except that one.” He pointed his staff at Joel.

The Mann's didn't understand, “Why not destroy him, sire?” asked Mrs. Mann. “We thought you loathed and despised him more than we did.”

The count turned to face her, and he looked really angry, “Because I want it that way. Do you have a problem with that?” he growled as he poised his staff at her neck. Mrs. Mann quivered in fear, “N-n-no, sire… I apologize.”

The count then turned back to face the screen, and Jorgen said that he had finished preparations. “I am ready to begin on your word, master.” he said. The count nodded his head signaling for him to launch the surprise which was intended for Camille. Jorgen didn't like this one bit known what it would do to his ex, but hopefully it would be for a good cause. He activated the launch, “Forgive me, Camille.”

…

The mansion was on fire, and the fields were full of craters and dead plants, and those troopers and fighter-craft were still causing trouble. “What are those things?” cried Lucy, “I'm scared!”

“Lucy, just stay down.” said Camille. “Joel what are we going to do?”

Joel didn't know, “If only Uncle Max would get here.”

His parents were with them too, and the troopers couldn't find them anywhere, but eventually they would blast the field clean. As for blasts, something fired from up, up from the sky and shot Camille's leg. “Ah!” she cried.

“Huh? Camille!” cried Joel and he could see a small dart impeded din his wife's leg. He pulled it out, but Camille didn't feel so good, she could feel her body temperature slowly starting to rise. “Ooh… this is bad!”

Very bad indeed… Sludge-puppies didn't like intense heat, especially from their insides. Even though Camille was in her human forum, the heat was very dangerous to her. Joel knew of only one thing that would help her but it was in the house which was on fire and falling apart, but not on the side of the house he needed to get to. “Whatever you do, stay here.”

“Joel!” cried Camille.

“You get back here, boy!” added Gordon, but Joel was already on his way sneaking past the troopers, armed with only a single blaster, but he managed to make it to the safe side of the house undetected, but once inside, he ran into other troopers and they began to fired on him, “WHOA…!” Joel was barley able to dodge their blasts or return fire with much success, but he couldn't run for it. He had to get what he had come for, or Camille would die, but it wasn't any easier that the whole house was on fire, and still being bombarded from the outside.

Joel managed to reach a room in the house where he found what he was looking for, and he grabbed to large kits, but now he had to get back out again, and the troopers were all outside preventing him from getting anywhere, and he couldn't put down the kits he was holding or let anything happen to them.

Finally the troopers burst into the room and slowly paced forward with their riffles armed and ready, but before they fired at him, Joel felt himself being swiftly swept off his feet and out the window, down the side of the building.

Joel's family saw what was happening, and suddenly they were all swept off by the same force and just in time as the house exploded.

…

On Count Dread's ship, you'd think the count be raging mad that his victims got away, but he wasn't only just slightly disappointed. “I don't understand your-highness.” said Mr. Mann. “You said you wanted them all destroyed.”

“I did…” said Count Dread, “And I still wish that… but I find that there is no need to be hasty after all. Now that Camille is infected with a heat-atrocious virus-- it's only a mater of time before she meets her fate. They can only keep her alive for so long, and they themselves have no idea what sort of trouble is going to begin.”

The three minions sensed deepness in their master's words, he was planning something really big, and they felt honored to be helping him.

…But if they had only known what they themselves were truly in store for.

…

Joel's family was all safe and sound on the rust-bucket, thanks to the amazing speed of XLR8. “There was nothing to It.” he said as he changed back into Ben. “Do I rock or what?” he gloated, but suddenly he was tackled to the floor by Lucy, “Oh, Benny-Pooh.” She hugged and smothered him endlessly, “I knew you'd come to save me. T can only be true love.”

“Aw… give me a break!” snapped Ben. “You're hurting my leg.”

Camille was in bed, and she still wasn't looking very well. Joel then reached into one of the kits he had and pulled out a small vial of blue-liquid. “Here, honey… drink it.” Camille drank it all down, and her temperature simmered down.

“Well… look's like you're comin' round.” said Gordon. Max nodded, “She always was strange among her type.”

Despite that everyone was safe for now; the best thing was to get to a safer place, and as they drove along, Gwen couldn't help but ask, “Grandpa… just what were those things back there?”

Max hesitated heavily, and then decided. “Ben, Gwen… and pay close attention to what I'm about to tell you, because it's very important. A dark and evil force has descended on our solar-system.”

Lucy, who didn't know what was going on herself, asked “Would that be this guy, Vilgax you guys keep talking about?”

Even Ben didn't think t was Vilgax. This wasn't his style for it was too unpredictable--Too dangerous. Max confirmed him when he said that it wasn't as simple this time. “I'm afraid this new threat is far for treacherous than even Vilgax could ever have hoped to be.”

“Ben… Gwen… get ready to join us and face the evil Machalien Empire. It's the one force that could prove to be unstoppable.”