Afternoon of Day 6
Galvan Prime 2
Grey was snapping his fingers as he waited for the thing to load. It was apparently a drill that would go through the polls of the new planet that made it look like a globe and turning the molten core into a generator.
The buildings floated outside the atmosphere the anti gravity making the entire trip seamless from lift off to getting there.
"So gravitons fused into plates?" Grey asked.
Azmuth raised an eyebrow "No but please explain your idea."
"Well if gravitons can have charges we get some uncharged ones and work them into a roll of foil." Grey said "If we heat a roll of foil then bake it into a sheet of another metal while charging it to a specific gravity we could get a continuous gravity on it with minimal power."
"That is thee most redneck thing I have ever heard." Azmuth Prime said "But yes that would absolutely work with the right equipment and how Galvan use to do it."
Grey smiled as Azmuth showed him they could just charge them in a solution and spray them onto an object and when it dried the gravity was permanent without power.
"Can you turn it off?" Grey asked.
"Why would you want to?" Azmuth asked.
"Emergencies." Grey said "We are small enough to fit in a human palm what if someone gets stuck?"
"Grey, machinery on Galvan Prime is mainly light enough it needs to be weighted down." Azmuth Prime said "The only heavy stuff is for machinery that is meant to not be moved and it's usually welded to the spot it's supposed to be or built into the surrounding building."
"Sorry just...so many safety issues I grew up with." Grey said.
"OSH is always keep up before something is ever built my boy." Xeno said "It's one of the few things holding Galvans back but keeping them where they are."
"Like how your tech can Manifest Souls?" Grey asked.
"Only the ones plugged into a living thing." Lesser Azmuth said.
Grey scratched his back. The symbol sticking out his shirt under his labcoat being on his mind from his trip to the Temple of Mecha.
"Your soul is behind you. You won't truly live as those around you until you wear it on your sleeves." The voice of the Machine God said "You wear your flesh like an armor, it remains only that until you actually truly join the rest."
Grey shook his head and breathed. The end of the year party was starting and since everyone was in the building/spaceship Grey was finally gonna talk to the people here.
His lab was repaired and there was no more excuses.
'March!' Grey thought as he walked towards a room.
Drinks, food, etc. Nothing that was any difference between it and the standard Plumber events. Grey felt kinda naked out of uniform for it but the fact the majority of the people here were in labcoats.
"Attention everyone." Xeno said getting everyone to silence as Azmuth stood on a hoverpad.
"I like to think I keep up with what needs to be done." Azmuth Prime said "And I've noticed a few things that haven't been developed in this timeline which I am trying to make up for at the same time as training a new Second Thinker."
The crowd was waiting.
"I have made a miscalculation on acclimating Grey here as well as how much 8 GSUY's different without me." Azmuth Prime said "My Nanomachines were the bleeding edge of my tech at the time when they were built. No one has gotten close. In my timeline it took 20 GSUY's to even get a potential replacement Helix. It took me 12 just to program them from scratch."
Xeno looked at Grey and gestured to the platform.
"Permission to speak Azmuth?" Grey said.
Azmuth waved him up and Grey jumped up.
The mic was handed to Grey and he took a deep breath "I like to think I try to make the right decisions and when I get the chance to think do so before taking the first step." Grey started "I didn't want my life here to turn into my father's of infamy and secrecy but I guess I need to say this. I want to actually get to know my co-workers and maybe make some friends."
Grey was keeping himself calm.
"I spent my life either having no drive for anything or being that little kid too eager." Grey said "The thing that gave me a purpose was the Plumbers and...well the Omnitrix in his timeline wasn't exactly in the best hands."
"It was in the 'Right' hands." Azmuth Prime said clarifying "The intended recipient maybe not but the person how had it has shown his worth. Grey's father."
This got a few gasps.
"Guess this bandage is getting ripped off." Grey muttered "I am not a natural born Galvan. I am a completely synthetic lifeform using the Omnitrix of his timeline to be brought to life. I have...everything I should have to be here but it's subconscious. I know everything when I go to use it but I have no idea something is until its told to me then I immediately have an entire lifetime of that thing."
This actually got people's interest.
A hand got raised.
"How exactly were you created?" One asked "Was it a clone or were you generated from your timelines Omnitrix?"
"My body is the Apex specimen of Galvan. My Neural Print is one of the Weilder layered over Azmuths user profile." Grey said "The division between me and my father grows the more I move on here."
"Who was the Weilder?"
"It's Ben Tennyson isn't it?"
"Yes...and no." Grey said "Ben currently weilds one constructed out of his own parts and the core is-"
"A prototype made in the process of construction of the True Omnitrix." Azmuth Prime said "Ben re-purposed it with permission."
"True Omnitrix?!" Was the majority of the crowd.
"Yes the finished version of the prototype that the universe knows of." Azmuth said.
"PROTOTYPE?!"
The universe is after something that's only a prototype?!"
"Why does Ben not weild the true one?" A woman asked.
"What happened to his?" Another asked.
"Probably blew it up."
"Enough!" Lesser Azmuth shouted "The man had to do what he had to do. Do not pester him when he inevitably returns to Galvan."
"So back to your creation. How exactly were you constructed?" One called out.
"The Omnitrix purpose was to bring the people of the universe closer together." Lesser Azmuth said "Ben just built off that and designed something I don't have full context of how."
"When Ben jailbroke the prototype-" *Gasps* "-He had caused a few transformation to gain life for a short time and had they not been scanned back into it would have been erased permanently."
"A HUMAN jailbroke the OMNITRIX?!" One of the research leads asked.
"That's...how?!"
Grey breathed "Look it didn't exactly have a user manual ok?" Grey said "Ben was trying to get his old Playlist because he needed guys he knew could save the world from Vilgax. Guys like me. The Galvan transformation was on the Playlist as well."
"Could he not have asked Azmuth?"
"I'll be honest I haven't actually spent an extended conversation with him before recently and they've all boiled down to 'Sorry I don't speak wrong'." Grey said.
"Grey is one of many measures Ben is taking to correct past mistakes." Azmuth Prime said "Mistakes both parties have made."
"Ben is the one who's pushed the platform ahead by decades in the last nearly 7 Terran years he's had it." Azmuth Prime said "He FIXED the bugs I was stuck on."
"What bugs?"
"Is it ok if I say this?" Grey asked getting a nod "Primus couldn't handle more then one unit. Ben managed to make it so 3 units can run perfectly with only 1 teather."
"3?!"
"Those numbers don't add up!"
"What do you mean there's another Omnitrix?!"
"The Betatrix is a platform for the intended purpose of the Omnitrix." Lesser Azmuth said "No Omni-Tether, No issues with feedback or requirements to a specific-"
"It sounds like Ben's both dumber then Blukic and Driba and just as smart as you." One shouted.
"Believe me..." Grey shook his head "It's a matter of motivation. Ben's a Plumber, lives by the code and his goals are Terra one day joining the Prime Circle. His Ultimatrix is a weapon but a weapon for a goal and a cause."
"I have one question." Grey swore was a general "What are your failsafes if Ben goes rogue?"
"Grey." Azmuth said pointing a thumb to him "Ben Routinely talks with him for maintenance and patch notes to prevent further problems."
"Look we came here to celebrate the new planet and introduce the Second Thinker to the lab." Xeno said "If you want to actually learn anything about Ben or Grey perhaps actually get to know the man."
"The Weather Calibration will be ready in 19 hours." Azmuth Prime said "That is all please enjoy the food and drinks."
The crowd went back to what they were doing and Azmuth introduced Grey to the other lead Researchers of the building.
Grey had taken a breath out. A huge amount of weight just got off his shoulders as he acclimated into the crowd.
"So Grey any projects you're planning?" One asked.
"Honestly most of my time is searching if something exists here already." Grey said scratching his head "I'm still getting use to not having my Augs."
"That's right if your...father was Ben he had a Incompetence of Matinence filed for his Augmentations." They said "What's it like being incorporated into machinery at that level?"
"I keep...reaching for something that isn't there." Grey said "My brain sees machenical limbs as my true arms. When I look at something I saw labels."
Grey pointed to the food "I'd have taken a glance at that and immediately knew what it was. I could speak with machines in their native tongue."
"Perhaps you could create an external piece to replicate your lost functionality?"
"Sure I'd love to have a project with some other hands on it." Grey said smiling.
"Hi I'm Lilley." One said.
"Tina." The other said "What's it like turning into a completely different being?"
'Right now, like I'm walking in a fake skin.' Grey thought "At first it was disorienting, then the most amazing feeling, and eventually when it was gotten more into it...like stretching out a tight cramp. I felt...like an entirely different person yet...me."
Charmcaster
Hope was helping with the final pieces of the trackers.
The Hair and Blood was mixed into a elixir and poured over mushrooms growing exact copies of the heads of the people they were tracking.
Letting the heads dry for a few days till they started screaming and their eyes bugged out their heads was after that.
Sewing the eyes shut with Silver Buttons while they were screaming was the bitch of it. You had to do it by hand or any magic could contaminate the process.
"So your druid promises to help you storm Legerdomain once he finds his...family?" Hex asked.
Charmcaster had kept the fact Ben was a blood relative to Gwen secret but she didn't lie.
"Yes." Charmcaster said "We are gonna find his family and he promised to help take down Addwaitya."
"And what purpose would he to follow up?" Hex asked not breaking concentration on his work. One thing about being in an 'abandoned' college was hair nets and protective equipment was surprisingly useful along with these 'bunsen burners' to control temperature without requiring concentration of magic on temperature and so many measuring tools to use less ingredients for stronger mixtures.
"He will." Charmcaster said "His parents are those two." Pointing to the ones that haven't been prepared but we still screaming "He seeks his Uncle and Aunt for his cousin. He has a great amount of anger for them abandoning his family and grandfather."
"Typical druid. You cut down one branch of a wicked wood tree for a staff and they are on your ass till one of you drops dead." Hex said looking at his work "If you make it back I would mind returning to my homeland even if they'd be less then enthusiastic about my return."
"Papa cared about you." Charmcaster said "He saw what you did as innovative."
"Says the guy who knocked up a dimension." Hex said.
Charmcaster remembered learning exactly how she was born.
"Your the kinda wild I want in my life." Ben said.
Charmcaster smiled looking at the face of Ben's father and mother. Ben's hair was his father's yet his mother's green eyes. His face was definitely a mix of both.
[Ok for clarity. Bens dad is top right and his moms the one from Omniverse because her eyes just look the best to me.]
Charmcaster set the finished tracker on a rack and started to imagine a family of what Ben described.
A little brown haired boy with mana purple eyes. Or maybe a daughter.
"Hey mom check it out I found one of dad's old shirts!" A shout from a Green Eyed Girl with mana bleached hair.
"hand it over it was in the box dad gave me!" A voice shouts rushing in.
"Hand it over Doofus!" Ruinic Circles forming in his palms slowly going up his arms.
"Looks better on me Dweeb." A voice like Gwen shouts as a wheel appears above her watch.
"Your nothing but all watch and no talent!" "Your just mad dad said you were too young for Basic."
"Charmcaster!"
"Wha?" Charmcaster shook her head.
"What have I told you about divination?" Hex said.
"It's a fools errands seeking victory from future evens." Charmcaster said "We aren't bound by fate we shape it to our will."
"Good. Now we need to crystalize the blood mix of the offspring." Hex said.
The blood Gwen gave was mixed with a few ingredients and stired with a forked stick with a gemstone attached to it till a paste like consistency. Once that had dried, The thing was then dipped into a mixture slowly making a solid gem that had a redish pink tint.
With a chant blue runes formed on the heads of Gwen's Parents along with one on the Crystal Stick.
Hex made sure everything was safely put out of hazard and said "We need 12 hours for them to permanently bond."
Looking at the teeth of the screaming heads they had started changing color. Once they matched the color of the rune the trackers would be done.
Charmcaster thought of her father and steadied herself. She had proof Ben had done it before so she would be patient. She could hug her father again soon. She needed to prepare for the mission home.
Walking to the Gym Hope pulled out the 12 rock golems she had gained the service of. 12 that her father taught her to bind her Mana to so they could ready themselves. The 'Rock Eggs' as Ben called them were just raw Ledger Stone that she personally charged.
"Listen up. We will be taking back Ledgerdomain soon so we need to be ready." Charmcaster said.
Sitting in the middle and all 12 surrounding her reshaping into what looked like Stonehenge as Hope was feeding her Hate and Anger into them to keep her mind clear. She needed to juice these things to take back her home...
No their home.
Gwen
Neon Flower lifted a Appoplexian above her head.
"Let me tell you something Highbreed Lady! Kraven won't lose to a Highbreed!" Kraven shouted.
"Well be glad I'm not a Highbreed." Gwen said slamming Kraven onto her knee "I am an Atasian but do not confuse that for me being a part of their sickening culture."
Gwen was grabbed and her arm was twisted till she rolled and tossed Kraven out.
"And Neon Flower has advanced to fight Looma." Gar said.
"I have looked forward to this battle." Looma said punching her hands.
When the weapons were picked Gwen picked up the Hammer that she knew Looma used and tossed it over her shoulder and handed the princess the smallest knife.
The crowd boo'ed and Looma hid her urge to laugh.
"Make no mistake Princess." Gwen said "I see this fight as a duty to right a wrong the Highbreed's foolishness push the Atasian Species to near extinction. Honor means nothing to me."
More boo'ing.
"I'm here to help one of my few remaining family members." Gwen said pointing at Looma "He may fight you fairly but make no mistakes I am not above putting the odds in my favor."
Looma gave a dark chuckle "So be it." Flipping the dagger and tossing it aside. "I've grown bored of this anyway."
"Prepare yourselves...FIGHT!" Gar shouted as the bell was rung.
Looma rushed forward and Gwen sidestepped. Claws sweeping upwards drawing blood from the Tetramand.
Looma looked up at Gwen glaring.
"Eyes are down here." Gwen said.
Gwen was learning how fucking powerful her Atasian form was. It was big but she moved like she was as light as her human form.
The karate and Acrobatics that happened in her battles flowed with this form like water.
Gwen wasn't even tired! Looma was giving her a 'fight' but she's been fighting weakened Highbreed as Amazonian and Looma may be bigger then her but so was Neon Flower compared to the other Highbreed. No wonder they went into that blood purity crap if this was what their species could do.
Gwen was picked up and about to be given the same thing she did to Kraven but Gwen bent her spine hooking her legs around Looma and rolling.
Grabbing her lower arms getting Looma in a scissor headlock and pulling them up.
"Spare yourself the futility and tap out." Neon Flower said.
Looma struggled but she know the only way out was biting and that would cause more dishonor in an event like this then losing.
When her hand hit Gwen's thigh 3 times the bell rang.
"And Neon Flower defeats Looma and moves to the final." Gar said glancing at the crowd seeing Ben give a nod "For a Pick of one of my Fine Collection of Cars, A generous cash prize and the chance to pick my son-in-law. The Armored Warrior Zero-Eight..."
The Soggatorian woman walked out waving as the crowd boo'ed. With Ben louder then the rest.
"Vs Neon Flower."
Gwen had made a show of enjoying the crowds boo's on her.
"Dial it back." Omni said as quietly as she could "I can sense something about her."
Something was pulled off her hip.
"Where do I get one of those?" Ben asked.
"The only way to get a mostly intact one is ripping it off an Chimera Sui Generis General." Solara said "And that's if it doesn't go off."
"Or you build on yourself from stolen tech." Albeta said getting a glance. "There are freelance work requests in the galaxy. Someone needs a piece of tech disassembled and they aren't exactly the right skill level to use. Or legally. I didn't do it but I did read a post asking for deconstructing a Power Cutter."
Ben gave her a look and she waved her hands swearing she didn't do it.
"They most likely got a different person to do it." Solara said "The universe is full of people wanting to get their hands of Technology they have no business handling."
"Alright." Ben said putting a hand on Albeta's head and ruffling her hair.
'I saw that crab." Trixie sent 'Your thinking out loud."
'What are the chances it's him?" Ben asked 'Incurseans and the Digit Assassins are practically already together."
"Yet you're notes have consistently said they would never allow a merge." Trixie said "Incursean would never let a planet under them move up and the Assassins have been attempted to be abducted. Ships had to be blown up to stop their scientists from reverse engineering them."
Ben looked out and saw Zero-Eight pull out her blasters when Gwen had knocked the Power Sword away.
Gwen held up her hand blocking them.
"My turn." Neon Flower said firing off the claw darts rapidly.
A few darts managed to strike Zero-Eight and Gwen rushed her grabbing the holes in the plates.
Zero Eight jetpack was removed and smashed.
Zero-Eight's suit was being repaired by her extra arms reaching out her suit port's but Gwen had grabbed her by the head.
"@%^#%#!" Zero-Eight screamed.
Gwen's claws dug into it and Zero-Eight swung the knife she for earlier and cut off Gwen's arm.
"Gwen!" Omni said "Change to Oobleck quick before-"
*boop* *boop*
*creek*
Ben saw EightEight's mask about to break and Gwen about to time out.
'BIGCHILL NOW!" Ben screamed over the link sending the Ultimizer.
Ben rolled under the bleachers and changed.