Ben 10 Fan Fiction ❯ Original Ben Ten: Th Machaliens ❯ Surprise Welcoming ( Chapter 12 )

CHAPTER TWELVE

I had summoned all my minions to my throne room, now that I had full proof the enemies were on their way. “The city has been placed on high alert, so they shouldn't stand too much of a chance when they drop in… if they do… you all know what is to be done?”

The minions bowed and assured me they wouldn't fail… unaware that I didn't really care if they succeeded or failed. In the end I was going to get what I wanted and it involved them as well.

After the minions had left to begin preparing for the upcoming battles I turned to look back at the monitors. “Very soon, Joel…” I hissed “Two cold figures will meet… two cold figures will dish it out… but in the end… only one will be left standing. Heh, heh, heh!”

…

Space certainly was a breathtaking thing to see, especially to Kai. “It's so beautiful and yet so vast and mysterious.” she said deeply. “I wish my grandfather could see this.”

“Oh, he's seen it before and often enough.” said Max, “And don't worry… I promise you he'll see it again.”

It wouldn't be long now before they would reach my ship, but not one of them knew who or what they would expect to run into when they got there. Gwen was so worried she wouldn't be able to get her spell ready to use by then… which was still the only option she had to gain an upper hand over all those Machaliens after the prisoners would be freed, but first they would have to be found, and such a plan was already being made.

“Look…!” cried BJ as she point out a window, and there it was in the distance, my massive spaceship! Everyone gazed in awe at how large it was, “Am I seeing what I think I'm seeing.” Gordon shuddered.

“Look at the size of that thing…” added Joel. Max got a close up view of the many cities and complexes that rested on the ship. “It's like looking into the distant future.” said Gwen.

He wondered how it was possible for me to obtain all that in only a few short years, but that wasn't important. Old friend or not he knew I had to be stopped. Camille knew this wouldn't be an easy thing either… but it had to be done.

Just then, everyone could see lights flaring from the colony in the distance, and the fighter-crafts were coming. “Looks like the welcome wagon's coming.” said Ben.

Max gripped the steering-wheel and narrowed his eyes. “This is it.” he sneered. “Everybody hang on. Shield's at maximum.” Ben and Gwen took their places at opposite sides of the Rust-Bucket to operate laser controls, much like video games. “Whoo-Hoo… this is gonna be awesome.” Ben gloated.

Gwen and Kai couldn't help but sigh… typical Ben.

…

In my palace the squadron leader reported that the attack force had the enemy sighted. As I was alone in my throne room, I got up, and walked to my bed camber. “It's time.” I hissed…

…Time to make my little experiment come to life.

I strapped myself into a chair and connected some wires to the machine parts on my body, whiles a few others were hooked into my alien tissue. “Now!” the whole room echoed with humming and was illuminated in flashing lights as my body began to absorb the power through the wires. It hurt at first, a lot, but then I began to laugh stronger and louder than ever I had wickedly laughed since I had become evil.

…

Meanwhile, the attack fleet had already opened fire on the Rust-Bucket. Max steered as best he could to avoid those ships and their fire-power while Ben and Gwen returned fire with the lasers. “Eat that, suckers!” Ben gloated.

Still, even with all that, the enemy ships just didn't seem to decrease in numbers and just kept on their pursuit. The Rust-Bucket even got hit a few times and everyone got rocked about inside. Luckily the hull never got damaged.

However, the closer they got towards the mother-ship, the more the fleet began to attack them, faster than Ben and Gwen could shoot them down, and worse… now the mother-ship itself was engaging in battle, firing its own defensive lasers, and swinging its solid-stone tentacles to try and bash the family like flies.

“Look out!” cried Camille. Max was barley able to dodge one of the tentacles and the Rust-Bucket was thrown into a spin. Everyone screamed and panicked as they held on for dear life. Some of them even felt they were going to be sick.

“Hang on!” shouted Max as he steered with all he had. He could only think of one place to make it into the mother-ship. “I'm taking us in!” With that, he made the Rust-Bucket take a deep dive through all the enemy fire and past the tentacles. The attack fleet was closing in on them fast, and this was all part of Max's plan. “Here we go!” They were heading straight for the open hatchway where all the ships had popped out and they dove right in… causing the enemy ships to crash together into the small hatchway. “Are we clear?” asked Max, Gordon gazed out the back window, “Haw! I think we did it…!”

“I see light ahead.” cried Lucy.

The Rust-Bucket emerged at the end of the launch-tunnel and landed inside the hanger bay, screeching to a complete stop. Everyone gasped of such relief that they made it. They were now safely aboard my ship, and it was a good thing the hanger deck was deserted too. Everyone felt nervous, but they didn't come all this way just to turn back at the last ten feet.

After arming themselves with their weapons and armor-suits, everyone stepped out, even Camille who donned a special suit to keep her cool, and since Max knew they just couldn't leave the Rust-Bucket unguarded he pressed a secret switch and the whole thing shrank down to a pocket-size. The kids found that incredible, but now it was time to focus. “Everyone stay close.” Max said.

Luckily the doors in the ship were automatic and didn't require authorized passes, as they stepped out form the hanger-bay and emerged in the city they all stopped and gazed all around, “Wow!” exclaimed Ben. Never before had he or anyone else seen such a place. “It's indescribable.” exclaimed Kai.

They all treaded cautiously always keeping alert and ready to duck behind a wall or any hiding spot when a gaggle of troopers and other machaliens marched by. So many close calls were met, and everyone began to wonder-- Since I knew they were already onboard, why did I not track and chase after them? All they did know was I was bound to be anywhere ready to spring at them at any time.

Joel looked around and noticed, “Where's Lucy?”

Everyone searched for Lucy, and found her starring blankly at a screen of swirling lights on a panel on the wall. She stood perfectly still not moving or even blinking. “Yo… Earth to Lucy...” Ben said as he waved his hand in front of her. Then suddenly everyone started to freeze up just like her. “Those lights…!” cried Gwen “They're… hypnotic!”

Before long almost everyone was transfixed, even Ben. Gordon, however, found just enough strength to reach for one of his weapons and shootout the panel causing the lights to ceases breaking the hypnosis. Everyone rubbed their eyes and shook themselves awake. “Let's keep moving… and this time… stick together!” Joel said to everyone.

As they continued to trek through the city it felt as if they were running around in circles. How were they supposed to find the dungeons in such a massive city? Max still had a plan on how to deal with that, and now it was time to reveal it…

He pulled out a small device from his pack. It was a tracer that could detect different forums of tissue-- human, alien, even machine wires. He set the human-mode on, and the plan was pretty much straight forward. The signal was strong due to everyone standing close together; all they had to do was brows around until he signal got even stronger.

So the search continued. The troopers were practically crawling everywhere, and it was getting harder and harder to avoid being seen, and they didn't seem to be getting any closer to finding the prisoners or me…

Suddenly as they all crossed round a corner they all ducked back and could hear the troopers talking to one another. Though they were mostly machines their words were still clear…

“Instructions completed. Prisoners are feed.”

That, plus the tracker homing in on the right signal, there could be no mistake. The prisoners were in that next building. “How are we going to get past those guards?” asked Camille. “We can't shoot them, that'll alert the whole city.”

Max had already dealt with that too and he handed everyone small white cubes. “How are these supposed to help us?” Ben asked with dismay and confusion. Max showed everyone that the cubes were cloaking devices, and once activated everyone took on the forms of the troopers-- the perfect disguise which fooled the troopers perfectly, allowing them to sneak into the dungeons.

There before them everyone could see, Ben's parents and Gwen's family… all of them looked as if they had passed out from all the injuries they had sustained from torture. “Mom...! Dad…!” Ben peeped softly.

“Ken…!” added Gwen.

As she and Ben moved closer and closer, Gordon began to feel something strange about the prisoners, and then he noticed a few of them were grinning. “Kids… get away form there!” he hollered.

Three of the prisoners sprinted up and leapt thought he bars as they were sludge-puppies in disguise. “My parents and Jorgen!” cried Camille, and the other prisoners were just holograms. It was a perfect trap…! Max had forgotten that Sludge-Puppies could assume any shape and form they chose which deceived his tracer.

The three minions gazed wickedly at the intruders and snickered sinisterly. “Caught like a mouse with a piece of poison cheese.” said Mr. Mann.

“Where are our families!” snarled Gwen.

The minions only laughed some more and Mrs. Mann assured them, “They are fine for the moment.” As she spoke her words computer screens were lit up showing the prisoners being held in a different dungeon and still being tortured by the troopers, “But how long they remain so is entirely up to you.”

“Monsters!” growled Camille, “It sickens me to call you family!”

The minions felt the same towards her, as for Jorgen, he ever wondered how he could have ever dated Camille; “Traitorous wretch! You could've had all the power in the galaxy and you gave it up for what? A life on a world that will soon belong to Count Dread.”

Joel stepped forward in such furry, “You tell him from me-- He'll never succeed. NEVER!” Suddenly, Joel found himself trapped in a transport tube that dropped down from the ceiling and carried away. “JOEL!” cried Camille.

“What have you done with him?” Max demanded to know.

“Relax…!” said Mr. Mann. “A special fate is awaiting him at the end of his ride.”

…

Joel slid all across the city through that tube, like letter going through a mailing pipe. Finally, he emerged in the main palace, landing with a thud. “Uhn…!” It didn't take long for him to realize where he was, especially when he heard the sound of a familiar snicker coming from the shadows…

“Mykan…!”

My evil laughter seemed to echo all through the room.