Omnitranyl (Ben 10 Alien Force)

The equipment warehouse was immersed in palpable darkness. The only source of light coming through the door behind Ben and Max Tennyson drew a bright trapezoid on the floor. With rifles pointed into the darkness, the two kept an watchful eye out for any movement.

Ben felt as if he should have transformed at least fifteen minutes ago. It would be much easier to resolve the whole situation.

Max, on the other hand, occasionally looked at the plumber lying at his feet. He couldn't get closer, so he had to judge if he was still alive only from a distance. Any sudden movement could be the opening the creature in the darkness needed to attack him.

"Ben?"

"Yes, Grandpa."

"Did you by any chance remember to bring flashlights when you separated our equipment?"

"Did I have to?"

Max didn't answer. He just took a deep inhale, then let the air out of his lungs freely. He didn't remember the flashlights either.

"Tell me, Tennyson, what is the reason for this unexpected visit?" Asked the voice in the darkness.

"Don't be ridiculous, Albedo," answered Ben, "we've come to capture you, and you know it."

"And how do you intend to do this?"

"We..."

"Because if I'm not mistaken, you failed miserably last night."

Ben noticed a figure moving over the poorly lit bookshelves.

"What makes you think," the voice had changed places, "that this time it will be different?"

"You caught us off guard that time. It won't happen again."

Again, the figure moved to another part of the warehouse.

"I like your confidence, Tennyson."

"Really?" Ben allows himself a smile on his face.

"Of course! Because then the feeling of victory when I finish with you is much more gratifying!" The figure came running toward to Ben.

The teenager pointed the gun in the direction of villain about to fire, however, Albedo was no longer on the ground. He was now in the air, leaping over Ben.

A rifle shot hits Albedo in the middle of his trajectory, throwing him to one of the sides of the warehouse. Due to the darkness, all that could be heard was the sound of something crashing into several wooden boxes, echoing sounds of equipment and parts coming to the floor.

"Ben, don't let his talk distract you," a light hum from Grandpa's rifle indicated that the next shot was already prepared. "If Albedo is still here, it means that this is the only way out of this warehouse."

"You bastard!" grunted Albedo.

"Give yourself up, Albedo," Max said. "We don't want to hurt you, but if we have to-"

"If we have to what, Plumber!" Albedo shouted and moved quickly around the room, making his voice resound throughout the huge warehouse and making it difficult to know where the sound was coming from. "Are you going to hurt me? Kill me?"

A crate came toward Max's head, and he crouched at the last second, getting into an unfavorable posture that made it difficult to aim. A jolt to his gun made him realize that his rifle was stuck, bound by a bundle of interlocking white threads — like a spider's web — that pulled on his gun, trying to disarm it.

Ben followed the web into the darkness and began to fire. One, two, three shots, yet the web kept tensing.

Either Albedo is managing to dodge it, he thought, or my aim is still terrible...

Max stood up and pulled the rifle with force, bringing the web and Albedo, who was still holding it, with him. Max's goal was simple: pull and throw the villain into the nearest wall. However, Albedo's dexterity allowed him to trim the trajectory and stick to the wall with his six Arachnachimp paws, like a cat falling on its feet.

Ben changed his shooting system to quick shot mode, allowing for a higher frequency of shots, although lower impact. Aiming at his copy of Spidermonkey, he fired several shots in sequence. His target ran up the wall toward the ceiling, dodging the lasers and leaving behind a trail of combustion signals on the concrete of the structure. The alien jumped up and continued its acrobatics until it hid again in the darkness.

"Your aim is really terrible, Tennyson," a panting breath could be heard in the pitch. "You should have practiced more before coming to face me."

"Oh yeah?" replied Ben, placing the rifle on the stand on his back. "Let's see if you'll still find this when I use the..." Ben placed his hand on the Omnitrix disk, activating it.

Max held his grandson's arm and said in a low, firm voice:

"Ben, you promised not to use the watch."

"But, Grandpa..."

The grandfather could not face his grandson because his attention had to be kept on the villain, but his serious expression made the grandson understand that this was not a point to discuss. Even more so at that moment.

Ben was irritated. Everything could be solved easier if he could use the watch. But he couldn't. He shouldn't. He then took the rifle from his back and aimed it again into the darkness.

"What was that , Ben?" the villain's tone of voice was provocative. "Have you given up on transforming?"

"I don't need the Omnitrix to finish you off!"

"Don't be contradictory, Tennyson," Albedo's voice kept on moving. "Yourself know that a pathetic human like you doesn't stand a chance against me."

Ben clenched his lips

"You're nothing without your pets, and you know it!"

"Ben, calm down," said his grandfather.

"You're weak! You're useless!" It was getting harder and harder to know where the voice was coming from with him moving with such dexterity "If it wasn't for the Omnitrix you'd be nothing!"

Every speech, every provocation made a single desire grow inside Ben: to be able to hit Albedo. He tried to predict movements, to figure out where the shadows would go, to figure out where the voice would come from.

Suddenly a piece of silhouette stood out on the wall to the right.

"Gotcha!" Ben shot out.

A scream was heard the instant the shot hit the Plumber's arm.

Ben and Max then realized his mistake. The plumber's fallen body was no longer on the ground. In one of Albedo's moves, the villain grabbed the wounded man and pinned him to the wall with webbing.

"No... I-I-I..." lamented Ben.

"How awful, Tennyson. Earth's hero attacking one of his own."

Ben pointed his rifle in the direction the voice was coming from, but was unable to fire. What if he hit another hostage? It was not possible to know with all this darkness. Ben's hand was shaking.

Max felt sorry for his grandson. Hurting one of his own is a regret that is capable of tormenting a person for the rest of his life.

"Ben, stay behind. I'll take care of this."

Max put the rifle on his back and drew his laser pistol. It was easier to move around and aim with a more portable weapon.

"Now it's the old man's turn?"

"Are you afraid of the old man here finishing you off?"

"I see this stupid trust is really a family matter!" Albedo bounced around the bookshelves and ceiling, looking for an opening in Max that he could take advantage of.

Max fires at the slightest noise the arachnachimp made as he moved, missing by a matter of a few inches.

Albedo, for his part, was finding it harder and harder to dodge. The shots were becoming more and more accurate. He had to be disarmed! He launched a web from his tail towards the laser pistol. As soon as he felt that the web had caught, he pulled it back. However, as the web came closer, he realized that it was not the laser gun coming him, but a stun grenade. The old man switched the objects in his hand at the last second. And more, with his sights set, the plumber shot the grenade, which exploded just inches from the arachnachimp, exploding in a shockwave that sent Albedo hurtling to the bottom of the warehouse.

Still aiming his gun, Max began to slowly approach the spot where Albedo had forcefully landed.

"Grandpa! Is everything all right?" Ben was standing by the door.

"Stay there, Ben," replied Grandpa.

The boy didn't disagree. He felt he needed that light coming from the corridor. Without it he wasn't sure if he would be able to take another shot.

Max's image was beginning to disappear into the darkness. At the end of the corridor between the bookshelves, there were sounds that were difficult to interpret. Were they objects being moved? Metal falling to the floor? One of the sounds sounded like a box of bolts that had just fallen to the floor. The sounds began to intensify... Wherever Albedo fell, this time he didn't want to be subtle and hide his presence. It seemed as if he was moving a mountain of metal, wood and steel pieces off of himself.

The darkness made it difficult to see, but slowly Max's vision began to get used to the low light and some things became possible to identify. On either side, devices and parts rested on shelves that seemed to extend to infinity. Behind him, his grandson stood guard at the only exit from the place. In front of him, a huge creature was slowly moving toward him.