If there was one thing I tried my best not to dwell on since waking up in this new body, was what I should have done that day. I had gone to sleep the previous night, months of preparation all ready for the next day. It was both nerve wracking and exciting, something that people could spend their whole lives dreaming about, and I felt like I had picked the perfect person to share it with.
I was supposed to get married.
It's been weeks since then, and I didn't know what happened in my previous life. Did time stop? Was there still a version of me who was living that life I should have had? Or, and this was my biggest fear, did I simply disappear?
All that effort only to leave my family, friends, and the love of my life waiting at the altar. They would never know, I could never explain or tell them 'don't worry, I don't know when but I'll be back as soon as I can.'
My poor mother would probably begin panicking right away, filled with dread because it was nearly a year ago my little brother disappeared only to discover he committed suicide in my car. She would probably assume I was dead.
My father, he always believed that I could handle myself. I did have a habit of running off on my own adventures in the middle of the night, or even start a new job in a place I never lived before. He also knew that I hated being pressured to do anything that my mother kept pushing to have some control over. He would probably assume I ran away.
As for someone I had devoted myself towards, who turned out to have so many thoughts, views, interests, morals, hobbies, and beliefs that matched my own, I just hope she knew that I would never have abandoned her. I was never late for her, I never canceled on her, and I always communicated with her about my life. She was the one person I could be completely open with and she still loved me, understood me.
If there was anything I wanted the most in life, it was her.
So maybe that's why when I was briefly reminded of her, I latched onto it, I chased that feeling and followed it down through the underwater resort. I was uncaring about any secret identity, uncaring about my perceived age, because all I wanted was her again.
Max was still swarmed by the several engineers and technicians he had tussled with, while Mr. Gold-Smith was right behind me where he attempted to intervene himself to stop my efforts.
And I, was standing before the figure of light manifesting itself into humanoid form. As beautiful as it was, my hope turned to disappointment.
This was not her.
The lullaby that the source had been singing to herself had erupted into a shining melody. Her limbs unfolded from her body, thin yet firm while gliding out to project the paleness of her bare skin. A translucent membrane waved out from around her hips to wrap around her thighs, speckled with auroras of shining magenta and electrifying turquoise.
Three tendrils extended from the top of her head that were made of the same color, two of them rested besides her smooth face while the third was larger to dance over her back. Finally, the blinding aura she projected began to soften, dimming, to allow us all to see her and make out the finer details.
She was aquatic, her arms and legs resembling fair tentacles with no signs of fingers or toes. As she descended and her face turned towards us, her almond eyes opened to reveal a sea of stars kept within them. There were no other features to distract from them, no nose, no mouth, no hairs or ears along her porcelain head.
Yet despite having no orifices, I could still hear her singing that melody which kept bringing up my memories of love.
Her frame stopped in the air, hovering just an inch over the metal floor as she gently swayed over it like she was treading in water. Those orbs kept themselves on me, her melody shifting ever so slightly as she stared into me, her head quirking as if I was the odd one here.
Then she spoke despite having no mouth, her voice exactly like hers.
"You, you are not like any other I've met."
Standing up in the darkened room, the emergency lights kicking in to provide enough lumination for the engineers to not trip over each other if they weren't frozen stiff at the sight of the alien.
I was in a similar state, too shocked to even think properly.
Someone with more experience than I managed to catch himself though. "Donovan, what did you do?"
Max sounded skeptical, doubtful, but above all else angry.
The man upon hearing his own name snapped out of his stupor, still not taking his eyes off the newcomer. "I never knew it was alive! It was at the bottom of the ocean, we ran tests and it never responded other than generating power! There were some engineers who thought they heard something but we never captured any audio to prove it!"
Cautiously rising to my feet, she made no move to attack, or fear me, she simply observed as I moved closer to speak with her. "Why could I hear you? Why can I still hear that, music?"
She came closer, circling around me while never blinking, looking me up and down before returning to her start position. She was hovering at my height, and was probably an inch or two shorter given her hovering over the ground. "Do you know what you are?"
What I am?
"Ben." Donovan came up with Max, the latter kneeling down to check up on me. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah." I nodded dumbly, glancing back at the alien awaiting my response. I couldn't exactly answer anything completely now, even if I didn't really know what she was talking about. "I'm sorry, I don't really know what you're referring to. Who are you and how did you end up here?"
With an audience of humans who never realized what they were truly doing, she announced herself. "I am Andromeda, daughter of the Cassiopeia Arc from the Rift Prime. I was traveling to Rift Cleo but then I heard a call and came to this world, but when I neared your world the call came out again with more desperation. My ship was damaged, and I went into a deep rest waiting to be awakened."
Call? A call damaged her ship? Maybe her species' terminology was different despite her good english.
"This, this can't be happening." Donovan stumbled back while clutching his head, grasping with his free hand to the nearby pipes to steady himself. "This was never supposed to happen. Aliens, in disguise in my resort and I never knew."
Two of the nearby technicians rushed over to assist, Donovan shaking his head over and over as he muttered to himself until the dizziness abruptly stopped, and he stared at me. "But, you did. You knew so much."
That's when it dawned on me, the witnesses, the oblivious people, my actions and now the alien standing right here before them.
"Max." I looked up to the man. "Get a hold of Gwen and get her and Kevin to our room. Use our emergency needs if you have to."
Then I turned to the patient and observant guest, who was a prisoner without knowing so, examining the chamber she was just trapped in. "Let's talk, somewhere else."
She immediately turned back to me, floating close enough to where I could easily wrap my arms around her and….no, stop it, that isn't her. No matter how much they sound the same, no matter how that song she was always singing reminded me of her, it wasn't her.
Focusing on her alien appearance hardly seemed to help, and with her being so close I was so tempted just to just reach out and hold where her hand would be.
"I would love to." She finally said, wrapping one of her arms around my own and slipping her limb into my hand. I didn't see them before but I felt it, on the underside at the end of the tentacle she had fingers that intertwined with my own.
I gave no resistance.
Looking back to Max who was already on the 'upgraded' phone with Gwen, I got a quick nod from him as I began to walk out with the most confusing person I ever met. I spared a glance to Donovan, who was still staring right at us, right at me.
"An alien, right under our very noses." He muttered, his quiet voice echoing in the silent chamber loud enough for me to hear.
After running around as Ghostfreak earlier, I had a pretty good grasp on the basic layout of the hotel. Just knowing what direction you were facing helps a lot, and between that and my above average hotel knowledge I could guide us back to the main resort. Eventually.
The walk was quiet, and through the blackened out halls with the occasional red emergency light to dimly announce a door, I could still tell that the girl next to me was still staring.
"Earlier you asked what I was." I ended up letting out. "What made you think I was different?"
"Your melody is hard to decipher, entangled in so many." She spoke as we came up to a nicer looking door that wasn't typical for the usual maintenance sheet metal doors.
"What is that?" I asked as I peeked my head out, making sure there wasn't anyone outside. This looked like a hall for guests to be able to use, we were on the right track. "Is that the music I keep hearing?"
"We all have a melody in The Choir of Creation. Yet there are many creations housed in your vessel, between you and the device that you carry. Many quiet, ambient, waiting to be filled with a role but distinctly there are three songs."
That answered that, now I had Gwen's basic magical senses and an alien's to tell that I was something other than Ben. The revelation should have been relieving to know I wasn't just a set of memories in Ben's head, but I still didn't know how or what exactly had happened still.
Pulling her out into the open, I was grateful for Donovan's love for shoving as much glass into the resort as possible, even if it reminded me of my fear of the ocean, because it allowed the subtle sunlight to bleed through the surface of the sea to reach us. It wasn't daylight, but it was enough to make out basic shapes.
Usually I carried a flashlight on me, not ever since I got this body. I could probably make more use out of Ben's wide selection of cargo pants. That did remind me of something though.
Reaching down with one hand, I reached into one of my side pockets and pulled out an emergency green glowstick. With plenty of practice, I grabbed the end of the packaging with my teeth before yanking to stick out, unwinding the thin cord of the necklace before cracking it against my leg to illuminate the space around us.
Looping the cord over my head, I was delighted that glowsticks were still so readily available at camping stores for so cheap. "I've never heard about these before. Does this pertain to your species?"
"Yes, we dance along the ridges of reality, reading the notes of history and singing of its magnificence. Because we are not fully of the universe we can listen from an outsider's perspective, barely do we actually exist in the physical realm. Our bodies are, more or less an echo of our true forms but nevertheless we are bound to them."
I couldn't tell if this was speaking from a religious standpoint on some telepathic abilities, or she actually was some fourth or fifth dimensional species.
"Something still confuses me." I stopped as we stood in front of a wide window that encompassed the wall, letting the gentle light highlight the side of her closer to it as she still clung to my hand. "Why could I hear you, even when you were asleep?"
"You can?" She seemed as equally confused as me, leaning closer to my face while staring intently over me. "Then, your song, yes that makes sense. No wonder your song is full of wonder and mystery. You too, do not originate from this realm. You come from much, much farther than any of my family."
She was right, but how did that apply? "So?"
"I said it before, my species can hear the melodies of the universe because we exist outside of it. But we are on the edges of the rifts, still touching the universe and never leaving it. You, are from somewhere else completely. An outsider to this universe."
"I can hear it, because I'm from outside? Maybe before but why still? How come only yours?"
"Part of you still binds you outside, keeping you from fully cementing yourself in this dimension. As for why you only hear my song, I can only speculate, but maybe it is because you haven't attuned yourself enough with this reality in order to hear anything but what is sung from the edges such as my species does."
Staring down towards my feet and the ends of her legs, I felt something that I didn't know if I should feel. Hope, because maybe I was still connected to my previous universes, my precious life. While still looking down I saw her hand was still entwined around mine, sparking another question.
"Why are you holding my hand?" I gently brushed my thumb over her impossibly smooth skin, detecting no scales to match the aquatic nature she held.
"Because." She paused, hesitating on the matter. "Forgive me if I'm wrong but, your song sounded lonely."
She, well she wasn't wrong. Hearing her, in a voice I loved, kept reminding me so much of someone I missed yet her presence was so similar. I found both comfort and distraught in it.
"Tell me." She suddenly spoke up, clinging to my hand with both of hers and pulling me closer to stare at her bright complexion that held eagerness. "From an outsider's perspective, what does my song sound like?"
It was, hard to say because it technically didn't sound like a song. It sang of compassion, of innocence, and especially of one emotion she kept reminding me that I lost.
"Love." I spoke up. "Yours is, a song of pure love. Not exactly familial or platonic. I can't think what kind of love it is but-"
"Do not try and think of the answer." She reminded me, closing her eyes and letting the two tendrils beside her face reach up and touch the sides of my temple. "Listen."
I did, and I couldn't stop hearing someone else. It was like every emotion, every thought and commitment I had to her was what was being sang out by Andromeda…no, no that wasn't the name I was hearing.
It was…"Andrea."
She pulled away in surprise, clutching my hand a little tighter as the ends of her head tendrils seemed to sway upwards while staring at me with wide eyes. "You, perceived my true name so quickly?"
"Was I supposed to?"
"We've encountered many who would weaponize true names, so we hide them behind our title names. Though whatever is not sung does not exist, so we must sing of them if only to make sure our title name does not become our only name, thus become our real name. Only those who care deeply may get a glance at our true names."
"I, I can't say that I end up caring a lot." I admitted, ashamed to pry out her most guarded secret so quickly.
"Do not be so critical of yourself." She said, floating closer to comfort. "From what I can make out from your song amidst the chorus around you, it is of a duty of care."
A duty of care.
I couldn't unwravel the meaning behind it or see how it applied to me.
Turning back to the present, I marched with Andrea in hand to get to the suite we were told we would be staying in. Hopefully there was an extra bed for her and-wait, I can't act like she's going to be with us overnight. She might be but our goal should be to get her home as soon as possible, or give her the means to.
"You know." Andrea stared out to the expanse of the ocean as a distant whale let out a cry. "I do not mind if it's you who knows my name."
At least she trusted me, that would make it easier to help her.
There was something I learned about hotels, the more expensive the room the better soundproofing there usually was. Some more expensive resorts didn't use too much because a lot of their clients weren't the rowdy kind. It was an easy way to cut a lot of building costs.
I just discovered one of the ways that Donovan saved on building this place, as I heard Kevin and Gwen yelling all the way down the hall despite being in the living room area.
The door locks were on a battery, hardly any resorts didn't especially by my time, allowing whoever held up the card to hear a quick beep before it opened.
It opened, multiple persons bumbling in the mostly dark room. All the curtains to the windows were open to allow some of the outside light to enter, but most of the light noticeably came from a different source.
"Woah." Kevin looked around the living area. "Where did all the glowsticks come from?"
"I always have glowsticks." I answered as I always did.
"Not always." Gwen reminded the rest. "You only started doing that this summ-oh, hi."
Her, Kevin, and Edwin? Guess I didn't realize he was coming with them. Anyways they were a little surprised to see our guest Andrea sitting on the couch next to me with a package of oreos on a plate before her.
She was wearing a glowstick to. Blue, the same color my fiance always picked.
"Good to see you got comfortable." Max gave his signature smile that would melt anyone's worries away. "How has Ben been treating you?"
Andrea glanced over to me. Oh, right, I never told her did I? "My 'title' is Ben Tennyson."
"Title?" Kevin gave a laugh as he came over to reach for her oreos, which I stopped by throwing him a bag of cheez-its that he barely caught in time. "What? You some kind of royalty now?"
"W-what-" Edwin began to stammer out, the boy still rooted in the doorway with quacky knees, staring at Andrea. "-what is that thing?!"
"Hello all, I am Andromeda. It's nice to finally meet the ones Ben has spoken of." She gave a short nod in greeting. "Please do not be afraid of me, I don't wish to harm any of you."
"Well that's a nice change of pace." Gwen, while keeping a minor level of caution, merely sat on the other side of me. "I'm Gwen, and that's Kevin, Grandpa Max, and that's Edwin. He hasn't met aliens before,"
Edwin snapped his eyes back to the rest of us, who had all found our own comfortable spot in a chair or couch, simply relaxing despite the circumstances. "You all have?!"
Max gave a laugh at that. "It's been a wild summer. But hey, why don't I get a hold of your grandfather for you to come pick you up if you're not feeling like hanging around?"
The boy tucked his arms in on himself, pretending to be brave. "No, I'm fine."
Shrugging in reply, Max returned his attention back to the rest of us, namely Andrea. "So, Andromeda. From what I gathered from Donovan your ship isn't in any condition to fly resting in the bottom of the trench in pieces. Do you have any other way to get back home?"
"Perhaps." She answered before looking out the window to the wider open area in front of the resort, seeing the mighty glass wall where the rest of the ocean lay. "I won't know the full scale of the damages until I recover enough of my strength to call to it. Though the onboard repair drones should have started once we crashed. Yet if this world is as underdeveloped as I've seen then they won't find the suitable materials no matter how hard they try."
Gwen leaned forward, getting a better look at our guest before asking. "Is there any way to call for a ride in case your ship is too busted to fly?"
"If the communications are operable, or not too damaged, yes. But we do not often prioritize those as we can often call to one another with our own voices." Andrea reached for an oreo, grabbing it in her hand before a mouth briefly materialized on her face to let her take a bite before it disappeared.
Kevin, while still chewing, opened his mouth while grabbing for another handful of snacks. "So why not do that?"
Andrea lowered the treat, her shoulders drooping as she balled up one of her fists. "I was, drained of so much. I don't have the strength to sing as I normally do."
"Did my grandpa do that?" Edwin suddenly asked, his complexion stiffening. "Do you hate him for that?"
Her fist tightened a little more, the melody she was always singing changed its key to something darker before softening back out as she relaxed. "I'm not happy with what he and the others did to me, and I want justice. They didn't have any idea what they were doing and they hurt me because of it. But, because they were ignorant, because they thought they were working with abandoned machinery, I will show leniency and allow them a chance to apologize. I will fully heal in time, eventually."
There was still lingering resentment, but it was something she chose to move past, to not act out on it. This wouldn't be a fond memory for her, but the fact that she's choosing to give them a chance, forgive them of their ignorance, was what made her song beautiful to me.
Then I heard her song briefly return to her slightly more aggressive notes as she looked towards the door, her perception spotting something we couldn't.
A rapid set of knocks came, all of us halting as an older man's voice called out. "Max, I need to talk to you."
The retired plumber got up, moving back to the door and opening it to reveal a frantic Donovan. "Max, we need to do something. That alien is who knows where and we need a new power supply fast to-"
"Woah woah, slow down. No one's life is in danger." Max stepped out, giving us a 'one minute' gesture while he closed the door behind him, never letting Donovan know who else was inside at the moment.
"Figures." Edwin put on a scowl before needing to stand up. "All he cares about is making sure he doesn't lose any money."
Making eye contact with Gwen, I knew there was more to uncover there but I wasn't sure if this was the right time or my place. Instead, while I had a moment to think, I got up to move towards the balcony doors, opening them to let the 'outside' air flow through. Moving to the railing, I rested against it as I looked down towards the artificial beach with the many pools around it.
Fancy hotel at a beach, I had planned our honeymoon around that, a nice resort which was a branch of one of the ones I was already working with. I even splurged a little and got us a suite with a jacuzzi. I proposed to her on the west coast, and I wanted to show her how the east coast beaches were.
If I could have, I would have chosen this place to spend our honeymoon together.
Two slender limbs touched on the railing next to me, Andrea deciding to join me. "They are quite noisy in there, and some of their songs have not fallen in rhythm yet."
A short huff of amusement escaped my nostrils. "Yeah, but they're kids."
"And despite your appearance, you are not."
It wasn't a question, it was a fact. She knew, she pieced it together so fast. I didn't even have to answer to say yes. I looked over to her, desperate to know if she could see more, if she really could see me, know me for who I truly was, even if my mind could not fully seperate her from the woman I loved.
She seemed, slightly downcast, her song now carrying tones of quiet and cautious. "I remind you of someone, don't I? Your duty of care extends to many around you but I can tell you feel differently when you see me."
My mouth became dry, my mouth clamped shut as I kept listening the more she spoke. Andrea pulled her hands away from the view, gently grasping around my own as she listened for my answers. "Normally I am not so slow to hear others' songs, but yours is hidden among so many. Yet now I can tell, only when you look at me does your song announce its full declaration, for the one you love the most, who you swore your duty of care for."
My lungs clenched around my heart, my sight unblinking as I heard her voice through Andrea.
"Yet-" she continued solemnly. "-at the same time you are the most lonely, longing to fulfill your purpose to them."
I felt something wet run down my cheek, my chest taking in a shaky breath as Andrea looked up into my eyes, empathizing with my pain. "You love her more than anything, don't you?"
"Yes." My voice cracked out, her tendril reaching up to wipe away the loose tear despite more following it.
"You're in so much pain, and you have been bearing it alone haven't you?"
I couldn't answer, choking on the cries that were trying to scream out. Reminded of it all, the crushing weight that I had been trying to ignore all this time, I felt too weak to stand. I fell into her arms, clutching myself around her and just for a moment pretending Andrea was someone else for a moment.
"I'm sorry." She whispered to me as I buried myself into her embrace. "I'm so sorry."
I began letting go of my grip around my heart, finally releasing the longing not just for her, but for someone to hear me, to know me. I was alone for so long but now I finally had a glimpse of having her in my arms again.
"Ben?" A more panicked Gwen came over, shaking my shoulder to snap me up towards her. She immediately withdrew, lingering to stare between Andrea and myself. "What, who was she talking about?"
Could I? Right now I had an alien, no, a friend who could vouch for my origins for me even if she didn't know what was happening. Gwen was trustworthy, and I haven't been entirely honest with her this whole time. This was my chance, to finally tell Max and Gwen the truth and maybe start working towards a way to undo what happened.
But, I wanted to do it with a more clear head, not while I was so emotionally torn up. Pulling myself back to my feet, I ran my hands over my face as if to peel off all the depressing layers to it.
Just past Gwen I could see the two boys giving me weird looks. Ah great, they saw all of that too didn't they. I bet Kevin's going to try and use that over me later.
"Let's get Grandpa Max, and see what-"
In the corner of my eye, something zipped in the distance. It was bright, it was light blue, and it wasn't alone.
"Woah!" Kevin and Edwin came rushing up to the balcony, joining us as we all watched as a swarm of swimming lights came rushing over the massive glass walls that were keeping the resort from drowning.
"This, isn't right." Andrea uttered with worry.
"What do you mean?" Gwen asked, a hint of dread in her.
"The repair drones, they aren't heeding my calls. I'm not loud enough to give them commands to stop."
"Stop what?" I asked, already feeling the adrenaline kick into my legs as my hand rested over the omnitrix.
"Their default settings when they don't have enough parts, to find and make more from whatever they can use. If there are no survivors, they wouldn't, and whoever is left is supposed to issue orders to identify what is allowed to be used and what isn't."
The front door to the room clicked, Max stepping in with Donovan behind them and it did not take them two seconds to see what was happening.
"What's going on?!" Max quickly rushed up, seeing the army of drones surrounding the resort.
"Stop this!" Donovan demanded towards us. "Whatever you're doing stop it now! This resort will-"
"Be fine." I interrupted, because now wasn't the time to sit and debate. We needed to act before this all came crumbling down on top of us.
"You-" Donovan cut me off just as I passed him. "-just who do you think you are?!"
Who am I? I had to be reminded about who I was a second ago, and the life I've lived up until now. Turning around, I stood before the ones I've fought with, ones I've fought for, and despite knowing some better than others I knew the declaration I would make standing here before them.
"I'm the Wielder of the Omnitrix, the Vanquisher of Vilgax. I've battled everything from monsters to magicians and even an alien warlord. Right now, I'm the one who is going to save your lives and everyone in this resort." My conviction rang out as I no longer thought of myself as filling in for Ben. While I've been in this world I accomplished these great feats, I was the one to go toe to toe with criminals and beasts. I did it all, and I would do it again.
I had a duty to care for those around me.
"Got a problem with that?" I asked, to see if anyone would interject with their own plan or have a better solution. I didn't receive any, so without anything or anyone to hold me back I ran out to go and fulfill my renewed purpose.
The door flung out as I pushed past it, speedily entering the hallway as I moved towards the stairwell. "Andromeda, what do you need to get those drones under control?"
"I would need basic communications equipment, suitable power to operate it, and an interface of my own technology."
I had a list, I could work with a list. Now we just had to divide and conquer. "Mr. Gold-Smith!" I called out to the man. "Lead us to your emergency communications! If you haven't already started evacuations we can do that with some backup power."
The man silently complied, moving ahead so I could follow him.
A resort like this had to have a few backup generators for critical equipment, and communication was vital in emergencies. Though if we want to make sure that Andrea had enough energy to work with I needed to find more. "Kevin!"
"Yeah?"
"Have Edwin take you to any heavy machinery that has its own power source. Anything that wouldn't be needed in an emergency, but has a big enough battery for you to soak up what's in it! Now, you'll want someone to go with you that can-"
"I'll go!" Gwen volunteered as she ran up to my side, eager to prove herself. "I can at least watch their backs and let you know of anything that happens."
I was going to have Max go with them, wanting at least one adult to watch over some kids. But, I also knew that Gwen had great potential and needed opportunities to reach it. "Good, once Kevin is charged up have Edwin guide you back to us."
That solved power, we had the resort's resources, but we still needed one final piece. "Donovan, is there any other alien technology you grabbed that we could-"
"No!" He stated firmly, probably because of panic over the whole situation of potentially losing his resort to alien drones. "You took it all when you-"
"Now hold on." Max stopped him as we came to a crossroads. "You were just telling me earlier you were trying to get that power source to work again."
That didn't make sense to me, even Gwen was confused as she asked. "I thought Andromeda was the power source?"
"Yes." The alien answered. "But the stasis pod still remains, an empty shell without me. Though in my hands I could use it as a bypass to overtake the resort's functions."
Donovan flickered his eyes in horror towards her. "You want total control of my resort?"
"Just temporarily." Andromeda answered assuredly. "Though the time it would take to establish a firm connection to your systems is incalculable given the differences in technology."
"I can solve that." I answered, taking one last look over everyone. "I'll get the pod, Kevin with Gwen and Edwin will get some power, Mr. Gold-Smith will guide Andromeda and Max up to communications and grab as many engineers along the way to get things ready and begin evacuations. We'll all meet up there and save the day, any questions?"
"Uh, yeah?" Edwin rose a hand. "How exactly are we supposed to take the batteries out?"
Kevin put on a cocky smirk as he leaned on the shoulder of the wealthy boy. "Trust me, I have a special talent for getting what I want."
"Then that settled it." Despite the looming danger, I was rather confident. We were openly communicating, we were trusting each other, we had our roles and we knew how to do them. I wouldn't make the mistake of treating the situation lightly while lives were on the line but I felt very confident we could pull this off.
I could do it.
"Ben." A steady experienced hand rested on me, sharing in that same confidence as Max smiled down proudly towards me. "Good luck."
"You too." I was about to go off, all of us about to assume our job until an alien hand latched onto my arm.
"Ben." Andrea whispered, her song ringing of some anxiety but announcing its resolve even louder. "When this is over, perhaps when I get a hold of the council of Rift Prime they can help you. I want to hear your song when you reunite with her again."
I pulled her into a hug, giving a firm squeeze to solidify my gratefulness. She had given me something I have been desperately searching for this whole time.
Andrea gave me hope. "Thank you."
Pulling away, I motioned her to go with the grandfathers as the children were running off to their first stop.
"This way!" Edwin called out for the other two. "We can get the go karts first and then the jet skis!"
"Man!" Kevin happily tagged along with him. "This place better not sink after I save it!"
"You save it?!" Gwen was the last one to follow behind. "We're all saving the resort now go!"
Time was limited, the enemy was at the doors already trying to get in. With nothing else to do but my single task, I rose up the omnitrix and selected the alien that would stretch a second into a whole day. "Let's go XLR8! It's hero time!"
I sped through the many halls, zipping down the stairs as a blur cutting through the air. The wide open passages with glass walls allowed me a peak at what was to come, dozens of electronic drones were soaring by, swimming as a swarm towards where the beams connected to the foundation. Their goal was lost to me, because I wasn't sure what brought them here.
Continuing on, focusing on my task, I took a sharp turn before coming near a maintenance hall. I dashed in, running down another set of stairs and careful not to trip over myself.
Especially with the floor of water rapidly approaching to meet me. I kicked off the railing next to me, gliding through the air until I was seconds away from impact. In that short span of time I changed, becoming Ripjaws to dive into the depths and get a new idea on what I was working with.
The entire section was flooded, currents still rushing in through unseen openings around the area. Folding my legs in to let my tail fin take over, I flew through the chasm of drowned machinery, down towards the center where I spotted several lights swimming to the same destination.
Tensing my muscles and pushing through the growing darkness, I extended my razored clawed hand and slashed at the first one I could reach, ripping through foreign machinery and cutting its circuits.
The closest next five rerouted their path, intercepting me from all angles as they lashed out with their telescoping tentacles. They entwined themselves around my limbs, attempting to bind me before they dealt a finishing blow.
I opened my mouth towards the nearest one, eating through its bottom half before spitting out its remains at the next. Struggling to slip one of my arms free, I saw more of the drones collect further down under me, prying apart the main generator's housing.
With renewed haste, I squirmed in my trap, digging my webbed right hand's claws into the bindings, I tore up and cleanly freed my hand to latch onto the main body of one of my captors before squeezing tightly to crush it under my grip.
I began hacking away at the rest of the tethers on me, trying to act quick enough to keep them from taking a bite out of me before I could do it to them.
An object swam past me, a drone just like the others but carrying precious cargo. A transparent orb, the same one Andrea was sleeping in.
I couldn't fight them all and swim after it, I needed a change. Those tentacles better mean he's naturally aquatic.
My transformation retracted my body into my head, allowing me to escape my prison while I grew eight limbs encased in metallic armor with mechanical claws to match. My digital eyes along my armored helm came to life, narrowing at the many obstacles.
Guess Synaptak's alien was going to get a trial by fire. Watch out, here comes Psywave!
The remaining three drones and six others swarmed me, their metal housing screeching at my defiance. My mind pulsed, telekinetically grasping the two closest before slamming them into each other and using their scraps as ammunition.
Another one came at my side, where two of my arms reached around to clamp on both ends and snap it in half.
The rest of them huddled closer together, a bad decision if they thought that would make it easier. I projected a bubble around them, slowly condensing it to crush all of them. Their casing cracked, their metal frames groaning until one by one their lights snapped out.
With no more to deal with I carried myself and rushed forward. I wasn't as aerodynamic as my previous form, but I could still swim just fine. The multitasking aided me in eliminating multiple enemies quickly, or even putting my efforts into a larger task.
I chased after the techno squid, trying to catch enough of a glimpse at a time to focus enough to latch on. I succeeded, pulling it close only to discover it was one of its escorts.
Crumpling it under unseen forces, I kept the chase, feeling the fight of the current pouring more water into the resort.
Finally, the group was in sight, the center of it carrying the item I needed. I would have obtained it easily if they didn't start swimming down, into the open waters, an abyss of a trench at the bottom of the sea floor waiting for me.
My mind started losing focus, my fear interrupting my concentration as I felt the need to keep an eye on every inch of the water to make sure nothing could sneak up on me. Dang it, this wasn't working! I needed to get my head back in the game!
"Stop!" I demanded, erecting a telekinetic wall where the swarm slammed themselves into it. I charged at them, keeping the wall in place as I got closer and closer. It was the most I could do with my powers at the moment, a glaring weakness that a deeply rooted fear could keep me from properly utilizing this alien.
So I changed back, going back to brawn over brains.
I roared out as Ripjaws, hacking and slashing away as my prey was before me. One punch to an optic, another slash through another's body, my teeth ripping and tearing through metal and spilling oil.
My mad frenzy did it, giving into the raw instinct of this alien let me slaughter them all. The glass orb drifted downwards alone, heading back down into the trench. I dove down, intercepting it before it was lost to the sea.
While my battle had ended, the war was not yet over. A deep groaning began wailing out into the sea around me, chunks of rocks drifting by to let gravity take them to the depths.
Turning around, I saw it, the entire resort was being wrenched from its cliff and dragged out into the ocean. They weren't just trying to get the lost technology, they were going to take the whole place down to salvage it with everyone in it!
I pictured those inside, anyone who did not manage to evacuate clutching onto whatever was nearby, whoever was closest to desperately embrace.
Edwin, Kevin and Gwen, all trying to climb up the tilting stairwell as water kept pouring in from the cracks around them.
Max, Donovan, and the engineers grabbing hold of the terminals as the entire building shifted. Equipment clattering against itself around them as sparks flew out from half disassembled machinery.
And Andrea, witnessing it all, powerless to undo the damage, and waiting for my return.
I would not disappoint.
Like a bullet I shot through the water back towards the resort that was inching its way out of the foundation, finding a hole in its main dome and narrowly diving through it. I followed the water, I followed that minor buzzing sensation that I could feel in my illuminated esca.
It brought me up several flights of stairs, where at the top I could see the water slowly rising to the hurrying feet of three children. Jumping out with a splash, I landed right behind them, eliciting a scream from Edwin.
"Ben!" Gwen recognized me immediately. "What's happening out there?!"
"The resort is sinking." I held the orb out to her, having her carry it as I changed back into Psywave.
I carried all of them in my invisible grasp, flying up with them towed behind me as I snaked through the building damage. Beams snapped, windows cracked, and water continued to rise.
I was faster than it, soaring with nimble accuracy through the chaos before spotting the heavy door. My mind gripped the wheel, spinning it to unlock the steel and slamming it open so that I could glide in with the rest of the children.
What I wasn't expecting, was a gun to meet my face.
"Grandpa!" Edwin called out to his guardian, who was still aiming his pistol at me with a shaky hand. "It's ok!"
"Ben!" Max yelled out as Gwen rushed over to Andrea with her orb. "The resort is going down! If we don't do something fast this whole place will collapse before we even reach the bottom!"
I looked out the windowed dome above us, seeing the sun retreating light dim the further we continued to fall. "I've got this, trust me."
Turning over to Andrea, I could see her and one of the technicians finishing their crude wiring back onto the stasis pod.
"We're ready." Andrea announced as I floated over.
My form flashed, shifting into the walking circuit putty Upgrade as I extended my hand out to merge into part of the orb as Andrea began moving her hand over the controls.
As my hand began making use of the two widely incompatible technologies, I began adapting them, altering their connections just enough as I became the conduit of two different languages.
"Kevin." I held out my other hand, bracing myself for what was about to happen. "Light me up."
He didn't even hesitate to latch onto my hand, giving me a mockingly pitiful glance. "Your funeral."
Cackling energy soared through me, my body fighting its hardest to channel it into the right systems without succumbing to the electrical forces. Light around us began to flicker on, illuminating the room fully as equipment hummed to life as the ground began to tilt too far.
People began losing their balance, sliding as bodies began falling down and piling against one another against the console. Andrea and I stared out into the approaching demise, glaring swarms of lights racing to finish us from below. But with her hand over my own as I felt her song sing, command through my frame and out into the sea.
"Save us, and make it whole again."
A bright pulse came over the drones, an aurora of shimmering magenta and electrifying blue weaved through them. The swarm widened, spreading out into equal distances and snapping out their limbs to push against the entire structure.
We all jolted as our momentum had ceased, before softly reversing, correcting the orientation of the resort to be level and levitating us back towards the top of the trench's view.
Gwen rubbed her head as she pulled herself out from Kevin's sprawled leg, giving him a quick shove in return. "What's happening, did it work?"
"W-we're ascending!" One of the engineers called out from one of the instruments, gleefully smiling back towards his coworkers. "We're alive!"
"See that?!" Kevin picked himself up, bumping his shoulder roughly against Gwen in retaliation from earlier. "I told you I would save the day."
She merely rolled her eyes in amusement. "As if. But fine, I'll admit you did a good job."
"You see Donovan?" Max called out to his old friend, who was still quietly staring at the scene. "I told you they wouldn't let us down."
With my single optic, I felt pride in seeing all these people, all these faces able to smile and laugh over being alive. I don't think I ever once took the time to really see the positive outcome of my intervention. Before I was always self analyzing, critical of how I handled it because I held myself to a higher standard from what I could have expected from anyone. Always I asked, what would Ben do better?
Now I saw I didn't have to, because while maybe one day Ben could get his body back and live this life he was meant to have, I had to admit I didn't do so bad here.
Glancing over to Andrea, she was proof of that. In the show they never really explained what that power source was or why the aquatic drones were after it. I can't believe that hidden in plain sight, was someone that would respark my commitment, my purpose, my duty of care so she says.
The alien glanced over to me as I could feel her inputting more commands to settle the resort back into its place and begin repairs to fix the damage they caused. "You are right to feel happy, it makes your song carry so much cheer."
"Why shouldn't I feel happy?!" I let out a short burst of laughter over the whole thing. Here I was, hearing my own voice speak to the voice of my fiance, but instead we had such alien bodies. "We saved the resort, we saved everyone in it!"
Picking Andrea up in my two arms as I left the orb on the console, I spun her around to get a short squeal of excitement out of her as I turned back to human. "You are amazing!"
"I'm not her though." She didn't seem offended by it.
"Maybe not, but that's ok. I like who you are! And besides, if you get me back home you'll get to meet her too!"
"What?" Max suddenly picked up on our conversation, leaving Donovan alone. "Ben, what are you talking about?"
"Yeah." Gwen came over. "You two have been saying a lot of weird things. Come on, what's your secret?"
Was this the right time? Right here and now? Before I hesitated because I was still distressed but, now I couldn't think of a reason not to tell them. Andrea was right here, we weren't in danger, and I haven't felt better about myself in my whole life. I earned their trust to handle these life and death scenarios, and it's time I repaid that trust.
"Max, Gwen, I'm-"
"You're an alien-!" Donovan yelled out from the other side of the room, an unrecognizable face swarming with emotion. "-disguising himself as a human child! He's not your grandson Max!"
This again? A little frustrated that this was becoming a regular occurance, I sought to answer directly. "No, I'm not some alien I'm-"
Then he rose the barrel of his gun at me, before something white cut off my vision.
The crack of a gunshot was unmistakable, the deafening volume, the abruptness of it, and how quickly it passed. By the time I registered it happened, I was able to see Andrea right in front of me.
"Exarmo!" Gwen shouted with a glistening power flicking around her hand, the pistol yanking itself out of the man's grasp before clattering across the ground.
Andrea's body teetered back, her graceful hovering losing its hold as I caught her. Her body became limp, gravity pulling her as I tried to keep her head from hitting the ground.
The noise around me became numb, yelling as I barely registered people rushing by to restrain Donovan.
"Andrea?" Her name escaped my mouth as I saw her eyes struggling to keep their focus. I felt my emotions stop, my brain cycling through everything over and over to explain what happened and what I needed to do. But I never had this happen, I didn't know what to do. "Tell me how I can help."
I glanced down to her wound, her chest shivering as a black spot on her began stretching out, veins and spiderwebs of a void slowly traveling from the wound to coat her pale flesh. Pressure on the wound, it might help so I pressed my hand over it to try and share whatever warmth I had with her chilling skin.
"You saw me." Andrea uttered, her weakening face bringing itself towards mine as I gave her all of my attention. "You witnessed my song. What do you think of it?"
It was enrapturing, filled with love and endless compassion. "It's beautiful, my favorite one."
Even though she had no features on her face, I could tell she was trying to smile. One of her arms slowly drifted up, meeting my face again as I held it close, keeping it near and never letting go. "I feel the same, of yours. You don't just sing, you conduct a choir all around you. I wish I could listen to it forever."
"You will." I demanded as I began racing my mind through each of my aliens. Any with time powers, healing, spatial manipulation?! "We'll get you help, maybe I can contact your people and-"
"I am sorry." Her eyelids began crawling over her star filled eyes as I stared into them. "I, I wish I could have reunited you with who you sing for."
"I can sing for you." I tried to keep her awake, holding her up to keep her in my arms. That fire of hope she put in me began to waver, as I could hear her voice becoming more quiet. "Anytime you want, I'll do it for you."
Her head began to lower, bobbing as she struggled to keep it upright. Bracing one of my hands under it, I refused to let her leave. Andrea wasn't just a memory of someone I loved, she was someone who made me feel alive again. My attachment to both of them intwining into a single personage before me.
And I was losing her.
"My song, will not end-" She said, rising my thoughts back to a future where she was alive. Could she heal? Could I return her to the stasis pod and keep her alive until we found help? But those began to be drowned in dread as I heard her tune begin to slow, approaching the final page.
"-if you keep it in yours." Her body began to relax, her shaking calming as her song approached the last reverent notes. As my mind spiraled into panic, trying to defy what I knew was coming but failing miserably. One touch from her hand against my own soothed my worry for a moment, as I saw the end of the most beautiful voice.
"Thank you, for letting me share this verse with you, the conductor of such a magnificent choir."
I saw each light in her eye go out, one by one until I was left with nothing but the void. She was gone, my hope, my song, and everything I held dear from my life before. I knew Andrea wasn't her, but for a moment it was nice to pretend they were the same person in different lives.
Now it felt like I was cradling both of their bodies in my arm, pressing her lifeless face into my shoulder as I rocked back and forth with her body, the full weight of her death pressing down on me. A guttural noise escaped my teeth as I hissed out, my breaths short and quick as my heart began to race from the brewing storm inside of me.
She was dead, the song was dead, my hope was dead, my purpose was dead.
And he killed it all.
He killed her.
HE KILLED HER!
Seething with the embers of my dead hope now burning with rage, I moved from the body, taking sight of the weapon that did it. I grabbed it from the floor, marching right up to the man who was kept on his knees by two of his engineers with Max looking over him with his back turned.
No voices calling out could reach my ears, my beating chest was the only thing I could hear as I went right to the murderer.
With a haze of red, I saw the man who had shot her, who had taken EVERYTHING from me! Clicking the hammer on the pistol, I pressed the tip of the barrel against his skull, pushing in with enough pressure to indent it into his very skin.
I didn't care for his cry of pain, or how the tip of it was still hot enough to singe against his flesh. All I wanted right then was to end him, end the miserable human that stole all that I cared about.
My finger stiffened over the trigger, ready to put a bullet through his brain.
He deserved it!
Kill him!
KILL!
My anger reached a new high I never felt before, and it almost overtook me completely. Yet, a sliver of me that was still conscious realized that. Reigning in the certainty I felt to end his life, I took a peek at what was happening.
Kill an old man, who was cowering under me?
This was a man, who probably acted out of the same fear he felt now. He intended to shoot me, it was Andrea who gave her life willingly to save mine. Would I have been as angry if he shot me?
"Ben." Max cautiously spoke the name, as if he wasn't sure who he was talking to. I glanced over to see nothing but fear present in the room. The fear of the grandfather who had been taking me on the best vacation he could, the fear of Gwen who I had been sharing many interests with, the fear of Kevin who I had been working so hard to show a better way, the fear of several employees as they saw a boy wielding a gun to their employers head.
Lastly, Edwin, who looked on in fear for his own grandfather. Was I about to take away one of his closest family members? He didn't deserve that.
Turning back down to the man squeezing his eyes shut, expecting the inevitable, I tried to reanalyze what I should do with the gun in my hand.
Did he deserve it? Was I justified in killing him? My mind immediately went to yes but I don't know if I could trust that answer.
Not while I was raw with grief and rage, the emotions potentially clouding my reasoning. I couldn't trust myself to decide now, so with a short click of my thumb I ejected the magazine before racking open the chamber to empty it of its contents.
This was the weapon used to kill Andrea, and for that I hated it. Throwing it off to the side, I spared the man's life if only for now and for his grandchild.
Turning my back to him, I refused to even acknowledge him as I made my way back to the lone body on the floor. Kneeling down, I cradled her in my arms, silently apologizing for abandoning her.
A tune graced my ears, not of a voice but the remnants of a melody. Andrea's body began to dissolve, sparkling into stardust as her form transcended into the sky, breaching the glass without leaving a crack.
I watched as the twinkling cloud of galactic turquoise ascended into the sea, dancing with the waves and the setting sunlight above.
Staring down from above, I watched the only structure that stuck out in the wide horizon of blue grow more distant. The helipad, and the glass tower that continued to pulse its light was the last thing I would see of the resort.
It may have been saved, it may have been one of the places I normally would have loved to come back to again and again despite my fears of the ocean, it may be repaired by the time I would visit again.
But, just like the fictional city it reminded me of, they both became a nightmare.
Sitting in the same private plane that escorted us here in the first place, we began our trip back to the mainland. The cabin we were in was private, only six seats in total and each of us had taken a corner to have our own space.
Isolation, something I was becoming much too familiar with.
"What do you think is going to happen?" I heard Gwen ask softly, maybe the silence was too much for her.
"If Donovan is smart he'll keep quiet about all of this." Max answered, a lingering bitter taste in his mouth over the actions of a lost friend. "It's doubtful the resort could open on schedule, or maybe not at all. Even with those alien drones fixing up the place, I doubt any good word is going to be shared about the place."
Not to mention how nearly his entire workforce is about to quit, his name taking a huge hit and probably dropping revenue from all the other resorts, and that's not to mention one glaring issue that would be needed to address if the undersea resort tried to open up.
They had no power, the back ups would only last so long. Andrea only gave her technical crew orders for repair not to add anything new. Maybe they were smart enough to realize the fault and find a new way to establish power to it, but that wouldn't matter.
The Gold-Smith name would never recover from this, their precious aquatic experience now an abandoned structure with the only guests being soulless drones maintaining rooms that will never fill.
WIthout turning my head I glanced over to the others, wondering if they would try to talk to me. I shortly made eye contact with Kevin who was fidgeting with his own thumbs, who flinched before tucking his hands under his armpits and looking out the window.
The bond I had been forming with everyone here felt hollow as they kept me at arms length. All that trust, what we did together, it was as if it never happened.
I was a stranger yet again in this foreign world, lost and alone.
"Ben." The grandfather who gave me too much kindness spoke up carefully. "Are you feeling alright?"
I fell back into a bad habit I was developing, something I was getting too good at.
"I'm always alright."
I lied.
Not letting my mind wander, just coasting along with no real purpose or desire, I pulled out the music player and resorted to one of my oldest coping mechanisms. Plugging the headphones in my ear and tuning out the world around me, I aimlessly stared out towards the sky with dark clouds rolling overhead.
-Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls (Acoustic)
And I'd give up forever to touch you
'Cause I know that you feel me somehow
You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be
And I don't wanna go home right now
When I met Andrea, I was hoping that somehow I was about to be reunited with my own lost love. That didn't happen but, what did was still special.
And all I can taste is this moment
And all I can breathe is your life
And sooner or later, it's over
I just don't wanna miss you tonight
I can't say exactly what I felt for her, my loyalty still to my fiance. Somewhere though, the lines separated their identities were blurred and I was able to pretend for a moment I was sharing my time with both of them.
And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming
Or the moment of truth in your lies
When everything feels like the movies
Yeah, you bleed just to know, you're alive
Andrea was gone now, my chance to see my soon to be wife with her. Both of them, lost to me forever. Instead of feeling depressed or burdened with sorrow, I just felt hollow.
And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am
There was no one here I could open myself up to, to tell them who I was and what I'd been through. No matter how much I wanted to, there was nothing I could do.
I just want you to know who I am
Heavier chapter, I know. It won't always be like this but this story revolves around an identity crisis so things have to get worse before they get better.
As for Andromeda and her species, they are original. I didn't pull them from any series or another franchise, and maybe some of you have mixed feelings about this. I can say though that I don't plan on involving too much OC stuff, I have some ideas but I want to know if you guys prefer to stick closer to what you know or if you like to explore unknown regions with the unexplained parts of Ben 10 that I create to fill in the gaps.
What are your thoughts?
Also, still haven't decided on a name for the Ultimos transformation. Pitch some ideas and let's see what sticks.
REMINDER! I won't be using any content created outside of the original Ben 10 show. No content from Alien Force, Ultimate Alien, Omniverse, or reboot will be used. That includes aliens, abilities, plot points, lore, and just about anything not seen in the OG show.
GhostFang GF: If I'm using a name from another franchise that doesn't exist yet I was tempted to use All Might. I do want to involve Ultra in some way but I'm still not sure.
1234andynguyen: You're spot on. There is a greater force keeping his name hidden.
Chronosign: Anodites are Alien Force content, which I am not using.
Medulla is a good one, and maybe I should consider alien names that an adult would come up with to show the difference between Ben and SI-Ben.
Some1call4MR-E: I think you're referring to the Megawatts. That's how they get trapped in the tourism episode in the town with all the gimmicks.
Bloberta: If I involve aliens from Tom Perkins I had to start considering content created by other creators that aren't detailed in the show. For the sake of simplicity I'm sticking to just OG content, but maybe if it fits well I could consider creator content.
I'll think about it.
Guest: That's a very good guess, and maybe you're right.
I can't say anything else without spoilers.