Why is it spelled "Camouflage" and not .
In the Null Void Max Tennyson, Airforce Senior Airman, one of the first men to fly a F-15, NASA for a few months before joining the Plumbers and serving 3 Enlistments before knocking up an Anodite.
Max wasn't supposed to be an Enlisted he was supposed to be a Magister and one day Proctor.
When you 'Enlist' as a Plumber you are required to maintain a status unlike a high ranking Magister or Proctor.
Enlistment meant long hours with the responsibility of a Magister and the hour requirements of an Officer.
Translation: It fucking blows.
The payment was what Max had to do to feed Gwen and keep her in a stable house instead of his RV.
When Gwen said they kicked her out of the apartment and she wasn't getting wired the money to live he was pissed but hid it behind his joy of seeing his grandson from another universe.
Now he had something to take out his anger on.
"Ben, Gwen turn into something that won't mind a little noise. Piece, you Helen and Manny take the left group. Gwen deal with right. Officer you cover both." Max said cracking his neck "Those two are mine." Pointing to the biggest two hanging in the back.
"Repulinsect." Gwen shouted jumping into the air.
Ben popped out the dial and grinned.
"BenWolf! Yes got what I asked for." Ben said.
Gwen's eye stalks turned and said "Where'd you get that one?!"
"Fighting a werewolf when we were 10." Ben said.
"He said something that can handle noise." Pierce said.
BenWolf's Jaw split open and fired a sonic blast at a few of the vulpimancers.
"Sweet." Manny said.
"Eh what the hell." Ben snarled slamming the Dial.
"Ultimate BenWolf!"
Max
Max turned the Glass Hammer in a whistle and approached the two biggest ones.
"Come on Fido you wanna piece of me? Come get it." Max said.
The two had started circling Max and he had kept his eyes on a specific one.
It charged and he had ducked under its jaws and elbows it in the gills. Blowing his whistle.
[Imagine Kybers whistle noise.]
The giant dog like alien let out a snarf noise as it was on its back.
Max turned to the other one, clicked his tongue twice and shouted "Sit."
It ground and tackled him which he had gotten it by the neck.
In Ben's timeline it was Manny vs the Den Mother which resulted in the inexperienced half Tetramand losing a hand.
In this timeline Max was in a fully powered plumber suit and it was a 12 to 6 fight this time.
Max was feeling good for the first time in a long time.
An elbow into the big mama's gills and a blowing of the whistle had gotten the same results as the daddy, who had just managed to recover and was circling Max again.
Max clicked his tongue again and shouted "Sit!" Again.
Gwen
Flying around spreading Repulinsect's ungodly smelling fumes over the doglike aliens had the expected effect of them hating it.
She caught a glimpse of Pierce putting 20 spikes into one before it final dropped.
Manny had picked one up and threw it at another.
Helen was circling one at super speed and mainly guarding her brothers flank.
She then turned to see this BenWolf thing firing his own teeth like bullets with the sonic howl at multiple groups of vulpimancers. "Ok seriously I want that one!" Gwen shouted.
"We'll." "Get." "You." "It." "Later." Ben said voice coming from every mouth on his body.
Meanwhile
Albedo was sitting waiting at the Rustbucket 2.5.
She let out a bored groan as she just played with the betatrix. "Curse this inferior device."
"Uh news flash bubble butt, if it wasn't for that thing you'd probably be sucking dick for a Chilli fry." KITT said "And tell me exactly what you intend to actually do if your so called improvements do go through? The Omnitrix wasn't supposed to be a weapon so your kinda shitting on its original purpose."
She glared at the mechamorph and said "I want to prove I am superior to the first thinker. I want to-"
"You want the world to see your smart. News flash you wanna do that you aren't gonna do that going after Azmuth." The Sentient Mazda RX-8 said "You want happiness? You want achievement? You want to get rid of that empty felling in your chest? Walk your fat ass out of the massive shadow Azmuth casts on everything he touches and live."
The two just glared until Albedo said "What do you know about freedom? You obey Tennyson like a common machine not a-"
"I AM a machine!" The car shouted "My ambitious are to drive around, make sure Ben's shit isn't broke and move electrons. You Galvan's created a race of lazy over intelligent fucks who cause more trouble then their worth."
Albedo actually looked shocked at that. Galvanic Mechamorph's we diverse as any race but now that she thought about it she never heard one yell or even show as much emotion was in this one.
"What do you mean More Trouble?" Albedo asked.
A hologram projected from KITT's Eye.
"Baz-l. Atmosphere Surveyor, Treasure Hunter, Thief." KITT said "If this fuck was built by humans we'd have put it down in a damn ano second."
Albedo read the rap sheet and was getting sicker and sicker. "What...this can't be...these dates are... why do you have detailed files dating nearly a year from now?"
KITT was silent for a few seconds "I can...'Hear' Ben's memory core. Whenever he's near it's like...'A subconscious' to me. I can just know everything Ben does without really having a specific memory."
"Wait his memory backup is leaking information?" Albedo said "That seems like a disaster waiting to happen."
"It's not a leak. I was made by Ultimate Upgrade. I am mearly an extension of my creator that was evolved to attach to an existing system and just quote 'Shut the fuck up and fix their shit'."
"Who said that?!" Albedo was genuinely curious about that.
"The DNA of the evolved Galvanic Mechamorph." KITT said "I have details of every bug fix and patch note of the 1 million year corpse pile the Galvans did in that simulation."
"Galvans?"
"You know how when the Galvanic Mechamorph were created Azmuth let them have their own lives?" KITT asked getting a nod from the Galvan turned human "In the simulation Azmuth basically said 'I don't want you to exist.' And a 1 million year war between your species and ours had built what built me."
Albedo held a hand to her chest. That...that was... she didn't have a word to associate with it. Sure a star blew up occasionally when your doing a project but Azmuth wouldn't do that. No Galvan would especially a creaton of them.
"Azmuth wouldn't..." Albedo said.
"No but your Evolution Feature did. My code has the data of every patch and update and I can only puke at what Galvens have done under threat of a war." KITT said "You are so smart you see a species like humans as bacteria you bleach off your floors."
Albedo had looked at the patch notes.
Patch note 10,050.3
Added quantum tethered relay to Drone Cores to counter Galvanic Signal Vaccum Projector.
Update 5467
Incorporating a flying swarm of generation 12 Nanites to allow Propulsionless sustained flight and density shifting to counter Galven Dark Matter bullets.
Patch note 9,455.6
Moved priority systems to a single core to stop Albedo torture and developing the 11th generation nanites to prevent Azimuth's Antimatter projectiles.
Albedo had read a dystopia where her people had been monsters! That was the only thing she had to compare the word to. Evil! Pure unrefined EVIL!
"This..." She shook her head.
"Yeah. This is what Ben is afraid of with Azmuth." KITT said.
"What reason could T...could Ben have to think Azmuth would do...anything like this?!"
KITT made another projection.
"I say let the Omnitrix blow up and take the universe with it. Best thing that could happen, probably."
"He said that to a 11 year old." KITT said as Albedo legs were shaking and a sense of dread filled her. "Ben keeps that memory in the back of his mind I'm not even sure if he's actually think it directly but it's definitely a whisper in his head. There's enough power to level the universe on his wrist and the only guy with the keys to turn that off was willing to let it happen and can activate it remotely if he wanted to. That's pretty fucked up isn't it?"
Albedo had curled up as the image of Azmuth was officially changed.
"No wonder Tennyson designed the Betatrix like this." Albedo said "No independent power to let me get a chance to do something like that."
Albedo slumped. Ben's actions around her just had a whole new context. She was the galvan equivalent in age to Ben and it was now she could see he saw her becoming an even more dangerous Azmuth.
KITT handed her a tissue and asked if she wanted some water.
"I...I need to sleep." Albedo said.
"Take Ben's bed." KITT said "And...I'm sorry."
"For what?!" Albedo said.
"For snapping at you." KITT said reaching out a hand from the wall "I may have said a little too much and we really haven't been introduced. My name is KITT."
Albedo reached out and shook the hand "Albedo. And...I'm Sor-ry for insulting the build of the Betatrix. With the context of the reasons for it I can see I was...W wr."
"Sound it out."
"I was Wr wro ong." Albedo said causing a shiver to run through her body "I was Wro-ong."
Albedo took off her bracelets and choker and then her jacket.
Crawling into bed she shifted and seem to be struggling.
"There an issue?" KITT asked.
"I...I'm not sure how to sleep in this...bed." Albedo said.
That was a definite surprise for KITT "I usually just sleep sitting in a chair." Albedo says.
"Is that how all Galvens sleep?" KITT asked.
"Everyone I know does that after they lose their tails. It's more efficient to just rest for 3 hours in a chair." Albedo said.
KITT went silent for a few seconds "Ok well your human body needs 6 to 8 hours of sleep."
"What?!" Albedo shouted.
"Yes and genuinely they need to lay down to sleep." KITT said "Also sleeping in your day clothes isn't exactly ideal."
"And what exactly am I supposed to sleep in?"
"Your wearing underwear." KITT said.
Albedo seemed hesitant before KITT said "Just grab one of Ben's shirts and wear that."
KITT's face circle moved out the room and Albedo undressed. Pulling on the black T-Shirt it extended past her waist enough she was at least comfortable wearing it.
Laying her head down on the brick of some kind of foam and pulling the sheet of soft fabric over herself she could definitely say it was comfortable.
As she closed her eyes she had slept properly as a human for the first time.
Meanwhile
Max had kept up the routine till the vulpimancers had plopped down before him. Max put a hand on the Mama's Face and handed her a piece of jerky.
"There you go." Max said.
She laid down at his feet.
Max pet the massive alien creature as if it was nothing more then a dog.
With the way its leg was kicking from the feeling Max could tell he won.
The 3 non-Tennysons were shocked. Pierce the most due to knowing Max had held his own against the ones that had approached their camp but Max had just straight up tamed these two without sustaining any damage.
"Holy shit." Pierce said.
Ben patted Pierce on the shoulder and said "I'm my universe It was only you 3 and it resulted in Big Mama over there biting Manny's arm off."
"4 vs 12 would have been an even fight." Max said scratching the mothers neck getting her jaw to loosely hang open "and when the rest wake up we aren't in any danger."
"It can't be that easy." Manny said.
"Vulpimancers pack structure is Eldest to youngest which is usually just the Gramparents." Ben said grinning "Magister Tennyson has every vulpimancer in the area at his command as long as he keeps up the Safety of the pack."
The mother suddenly turned and made a whimper.
"What is it girl?"
The vulpimancer mother let out a whine and hid behind max along with her mate.
"Ho-" "-ley."
"Shit."
"This is why they are attacking so frequently." Pierce shouted.
Max took off his badge and put it on Big Mama.
"We will help save the rest of your pack." Max said.
The badge couldn't allow Big Mama to Speak but she could now fully comprehend Max's words and licked his face.
Gwen looked down at her Omnitrix and it was still in recharge mode.
"Hey Ben how come yours still has power?" Gwen asked.
"Because mine runs off my own body. Yours is set so it can't pull your own mana." Ben said.
Gwen had a look of realization. "Wait so that means..."
"Yes when I transform the damage is transfered to my actual body and yes I've gotten black eyes in alien form and it's transfered to my human body." Ben said "Yours doesn't let your own body get hurt while transformed."
"Wait why would you want it to run off your own body?" Helen asked.
"Because it's not just a watch like Gwen's. This is a piece of me." Ben said holding up his arm "My brain is wired into a majority of the matrix so might as well go full tilt."
Line break
Wow Ok I am surprised how much that interaction with KITT and Albedo.
And about Albedo not sleeping since the DNA Data Dump didn't exist she'd have no idea about human sleeping patterns and the galvans seem the type to only need an hour or 2 of sleep.
Yes Ben being told Azmuth would let the universe blow up is not a simple thing but could you imagine as a 10 year old a device that can change your body is currently threatening to blow up the universe and the only person with the ability to stop it he's willing to let the entire universe go is gonna definitely scar a kid.
Ben doesn't think this but it is in his head. He doesn't realize it.
Also yes the fight with the vulpimancers is a halo reference. 12 to 4. Out numbered 3 to 1 then it is an even fight. With Ben and Gwen present and Max being required to wear the powered suit he was gonna do this the 'Right Way' without killing them.