Blue eyes stared at the tan ceiling, revealing Jackie's black pixie cut stretched out along her grey pillow.
She turns onto her shoulder under her thick blue sheet, staring at her nearly clean room.
Her clothes were stretched along the fuzzy white carpet, her bookshelf was in order, and the warm light seeped through the metal cracks of the blinds across her nearly dark room.
Jackie grumbled before throwing the sheets aside. She climbed out of bed in a red oversized t-shirt. Opening one of the draws of a polished wooden desk. Revealing a blue notebook.
Wrinkles and damage reside on the book's cover, revealing its inner white flesh. A blue cat symbol on the top left corner was stripped from its right ear and across its left jaw, leaving only the eyes and ear.
The pixie-cut girl sits in her black fuzzy bean bag chair in the corner of her room beside the metal blinds, letting the sun reveal its decolored texture.
Jackie turns the cover.
Novis(Nova)
The very first alien I'm proud to call my friend.
Red Riot
Zero
-A necro with a few words.
Jackie continued flipping page after page, showing aliens in colors like Avalanche, Grid, Rogue, Diamondhead, and Impusle before flipping to the next, revealing the ripped page on the side of the book.
She continued seeing more aliens in color or black and white before stopping on a two-pair page.
A little girl named Sunny with black hair sat on a rock the size of a table, her legs crossed and a hand along her knee. Behind her was an oversized red lake that stretched out to the tall, fat trees.
Jackie locked eyes with Sunny's blue, who only gave a smirk. She flipped a few more before flipping to Max, giving a thumbs up and a smirk. The last is another two-page drawing of Benita and Gwen as kids within the RV listening on her Mp player and Gwen cocking her head at Ben.
The two remained in the booth, and the drawing stretched to the side of the RV. Max, wearing a red Hawaiian shirt with a floral design, was behind the steering wheel, staring at the small road that stretched.
A small blue light erupts beside Jackie's bed.
"Jackie?" Benita 10k voiced within the quiet room, getting Jackie to roll her eyes. "Are you there?"
"I'm here." She stood up, pacing to her desk, before pulling her drawer and hiding the notebook under the secret compartment.
"Good. You know what day it is?" Benita bounced her brow on the hologram that shot from the disc, which Jackie picked up.
"I know."
"You could be just a little excited. It's your brother's birthday."
"Can I just get dressed?" Jackie locked eyes with Hologram Benita.
"Alright." She raised her hands. "Don't be late, alright?"
"Alright." The blue light breaks into the disc that Jackie tossed onto her desk.
---
Benita 10K watched as the hologram dropped into the disc.
"At least she's talking." Benita turns to transparent Gwendolyn with a ponytail.
"Right. Not like this will come back to bite me." Benita said under her breath, staring at the balloons showcasing the good and strange food on the tables at the side of the headquarters.
"I should be carrying the response." Gwendolyn folds her arms. "I was the one who brought the boy here."
Benita only scratches her head.
"You did. What you could. Besides, when will you be coming back?"
"Aw, does my little cousin miss me?" Gwendolyn leans forward with a smile with a hand on her hip.
"Don't you. Start."
"Sadly, I can't make it, But I'll make do with this spell."
"Good. I don't need you stinking up this place with your Rose and Lavender." Benita sits in her rolling chair with a smirk, getting a click from Gwendolyn.
"What about when you returned to headquarters smelling like sewers for a week?"
"When the Underminer said, "I'm going to drag you in crap." I didn't think he meant literally."
Benita and Gwendolyn chuckled. A chirp bounces from the central console.
Benita 10k bounced from her chair before typing into the software. She squinted her eyes at the letters on the screen.
"You can go. I'll wait right here for the rest." Gwendolyn stood behind Benita typing.
She taps her finger on a key.
"The galactic enforcers can handle it."
"Really?" Gwendolyn raised a brow.
"It's only one day." Benita 10k sits on a rolling chair, resting her forearm and black-and-white Omnitrix brace on the backrest. "Why would why I miss it?" She cracks a grin, earning one back from Gwendolyn. "Come back. You can continue after the party."
"That girl is still out there." Gwen drops her grin. "We took her kid and raised her as our own. And for five years, she didn't try anything. That's not like Sunny."
"Gwen." Benita reaches her hand out. "I know what you're doing."
"There is no universe where we get along. And what Will did." Future Gwen paused, seeing Benita's hand drop. "I know. She's coming back. I feel it. You should tell Jackie."
"Now?" Benita sat straight, hanging her head low, revealing her ponytail. "Fine, but at the end of the day."
"Good." Gwendolyn cracks a smile.
Future Benita's eyes lit up.
"Hey! Rockstar." Jackie entered, locking her eyes on the adults and the party supplies. "Your prince charming didn't come?"
"Should I remind you you woke me up? Where's everyone?"
"Not here." Benita looks at her Omnitrix, squinting her eyes. "They'll be about two minutes." She lets out an exhale, cracking a smile. "I swear. Why didn't Azmuth put in a clock? Is beyond me."
"Don't tell me those are all from you?" Jackie's eyes bounce to the group of presents on the ground.
"Guilty as charge."
"Wow! ok. I'll just be over there." Jackie planted herself on the floor against the tan wall. She pulls out a case of glasses before putting them on. Letters slid from frame to frame before Jackie poked the air.
...
"Cool! An Aquamarine!" A boy with brown shaggy hair locked his honey eyes down at the large frame of a black and tan sea diver.
"You can count that into your collection." An elephant boy with black skin marvels at the toy the birthday boy sets aside. "You just need the sea commander, and that'll be a whole set."
"I know, right?" The birthday boy smiled before looking over his shoulder at Jackie. "You got me anything, my dear big sister? Something that's not a 'keep out' sign?"
Her little brother and the four different alien species of children look up at her.
"Oh! Of course!" Jackie places a glass of water by the boy's side.
"That's very considerate of you, " said one of the alien children with a large orange nose.
"You know you can say you don't have it." The birthday boy squinted his eyes.
"Water is the greatest gift of all." Jackie bopped his nose. "Besides, you drink more One-up and Rosh. I'm wondering if your DNA might be spliced with dork."
"Truly. I'm touched, " the birthday boy says, placing his hand on his black-and-white shirt. "I will treasure this gift. Then, throw it into a heat compactor!"
"Now that's just a waste of water." One of the children remarked.
"Kenneth." Benita chuckled at the boy, glaring at his sister's smug gaze. "You know she's joking."
Ken turns to Future, Benita, carrying a gift stretched out between her arms.
She took a knee and placed the significant gift on his lap.
The birthday boy rips the blue wraps from the sliver object while the others listen to the crunch of the gift wrap.
"No way!" The boy marveled at the silver hoverboard with blue-shaped footprints in the center. "Thanks, Mom!"
"Don't thank me yet. Kiddo." Benita smirked before crouching. "I figure your big sister will show you the ropes. Is that right, Jackie?" She looks up at Jackie, hovering over the birthday boy.
"Alright." She rolled her eyes, taking her distance from the group.
"Ken." Gwendolyn voiced for Kenneth to stand to his feet.
"Yes, Aunt Gwendolyn?"
A golden portal opens, revealing a golem the size of a six-month-old dog. Although its appearance resembled a human, it lacked the eyes, and glowing pink runes craved throughout its body.
It tackled Ken and gave him licks on the face.
"Alright! Alright! Stop it." Ken chuckled, causing Jackie to bounce a brow.
"Well, we got about one more." Future Benita approached the five children, followed by transparent Gwendolyn, who held a dark silver pod in her palms.
"What's that?" Ken raised a brow, causing the boy pet to tilt its head.
"Open it to find out." Benita 10k and Gwendolyn cracked a smile. Ben rested the pod on the tan ground while Ken's four friends and sister gathered around it.
Kenneth kneeled before gliding his tan fingers along its protective shell. It popped open, releasing a hiss, and the steam erupted before revealing the Omnitrix the ten-year-old Benita used to wear.
"Wow," Ken said under his breath while the children and Jackie could only stare.
"Go. On." Benita nods her head towards the pod. "Try it on."
Kenneth looks at her mom wide-eyed before smiling. He jumps to action, and the watch does the same, leaping onto the birthday boy's wrist and making its new home.
The Omnitrix chirped, refiguring from a green hourglass into the first alien Benita discovered.
"Aw! Heatblast." Ken locked his maple eyes on Benita, who only raised a brow. "Aren't there Armodrillo? YellowJacket? Maybe. Hammerhead or Swampfire?"
"Nope."
"What?!" Kenneth scans his watch. "Don't tell me there is all there is?!"
Jackie shakes her head.
"Well, they were the first aliens I got when I was your age. And soon, you, too, will appreciate them." Benita 10k rubs Ken's hair. "And now, go and cause a stir." Ken frowned, looking down at the watch.
He distanced himself between his friends and the two adults. Future Benita only smiled with her fist on her hip.
"What did you do?" Gwendolyn looks at her cousin with a raised brow. "You seem oddly calm about this."
"There's no need to worry. I did a little tinkering. It's all in good faith." They eyed Jackie, taking her leave with a plate in hand.
---
"Ugh!" Jackie scoffs, listening to the heavy metal door shut. "Can't they not be a little bit on the nose?!" She paced to the metal blinds before pressing her finger on a pad along the wall, causing it to open, revealing the blue skies and down below the futuristic city of Bellwood. "One moment. Auntie is all save the world. And now she wants some time with us."
Jackie planted a plate of food, such as green peas, chopped carrots, and chicken, on the brown and grey rug near her bean bag chair. She opened the window and watched a black cat leap through it and land on the dark blue metal floor.
"I see what she's trying to do. Not only did Aunt Gwendolyn summon the portal to bring her and Aunt Benita back from time. She doesn't even give me what I wanted."
Jackie watched the cat devour its food.
"It's." The blue-eyed girl planted herself on the bean bag chair. "She knew." Jackie gripped her knees.
"Let's not get too ahead of ourselves," the black cat said, raising her head from her plate; her eyes remained locked on the food before her. "There could be a reason. Maybe they didn't want you two seeing them, hinting that you skipped your field trip to Gaia to hang out with some boy."
"You stupid cat! That's not it! At all! " Jackie blushed before folding her arms. "Seeing planets and all is great, but I'm not interested in some Vregais who only point and stare while a Krar'ak gives us lip service."
"And how could you speak with me, Sunshine?"
"Fair point." Jackie sighs.
"Look." The black cat chews on her food before facing Jackie, locking her blue eyes with hers. "Seeing your father as a kid could help, but you've got to remember. He's not your father, not in a technical sense." The cat paces towards the girl. "Teen. Adult. Your father wants you to be with your family. I could see why you don't like Kenny. But Seven years is something. Right?" She brushes her black tail against Jackie's leg.
"I don't remember half of it." She mumbled before stretching her hand towards the door. "This dude just got the Omnitrix, and even at ten, he expects more. Ugh! I'm so glad we're not blood."
The door opens, revealing Ken with his hoverboard between his arms.
"Hey, uh?" The boy cocked his head at Jackie, who raised a brow. "As much."
"No." Jackie squinted her eyes.
"Huh? I'm not asking you. I want to know where your boyfriend is."
"He's not my boyfriend!!"
"Where is he?" Ken leans on the doorway. "Or shall I verse of your dream journal?"
"The hover park." Jackie leans back. "Damn."
"Ooo. I'm telling Mom." Ken cracks a grin, making Jackie bounce from the bean bag. Ken takes off down the hall.
"Keep it up! I'm going to make an English muffin out of you!" Jackie screams from her door before closing it shut. "Ugh!"
She plants herself on the end of her bed while the cat remerges underneath.
"He knows?" The black cat looks up at Jackie, rubbing her fingers between her nose.
"I put it in a better place."
"And that place is where?"
"Just eat your food, Mittens."
The cat clicks her tongue, pacing towards her plate.
"But, hey." Jackie looks up from her hand and towards the cat eating her food. "How's my mom?"
"I don't know." Mittens mumbled. "It had been weeks, and your mother's rebellion is everywhere. But, if you asked me. What is this all about? What cog does the better job?"
"Right." Jackie listened to her little companion's chewing. She looked out the window at the blue skies.
...
The room's wall consists of metal plates, crafting supplies, welding gear, and training dummies located within the cage of the testing range on the other side.
A crafting table sat across the metal door in the large room, where Future Benita was tinkering with a device made of a yellow egg.
"There." Benita pried the golden welding goggles from her muck face. She released the glowing screwdriver, hearing the tool's weight rest on the black crafting mat.
She stood to her feet, paced across the cage, and glanced at one of the dummies. Benita 10k reeled her arm back.
"A one. A two. And." The future hero hurls the egg across the cage into one of the dummies. A bright yellow light causes the woman to squint her eyes momentarily before she smiles. "Sweet!"
She approached the egg on the floor before picking it up. Inside was the grey faceless dummy staring back.
"If I can make just a few more, there could be no telling how many lives could be saved." She presses the button on the center of the egg, watching a yellow light spill from the object's tip, ejecting the dummy back onto the floor.
The weight of the metal door shifting gains Benita's attention to Jackie entering.
"Hey," Jackie said softly.
"Hey." Benita leans on the cage doorway with the egg behind her green cargo leg.
The two locked their green and blue eyes on one another, listening to the deafening silence.
"I'm sorry, but you came for something?" Benita raised a brow.
"I'm here to ask a question. If that's fine by you." Jackie taps her finger along her leg.
"Shoot."
"Why don't you ever speak about him?"
"Who?"
"My father."
"Ok," Benita said under her breath, making her way to the crafting table.
"Aunt G. Can go back in time. Why can't I see my father before he passed?" Jackie followed, eyeing Benita, taking a seat on her rolling chair.
"Your Father, he's...He's a good man, and more pointedly, he cares about you."
"He stayed here in Omni-Tower. My dad helped you, the Plumbers, Aunt Gwendolyn, and many others. And yet, given you threw his stuff out when I was four, it is a clear sign there's more than you lead on." Jackie's blue eyes harden. "I'm eleven."
"You are," Benita 10K stared right back. "When you are fifteen, I will consider it. Now, I need you to live your life."
"How can I live it when my life is alrighty complicated?" Jackie scoffed, leaving the room while Benita sighed and rested the egg on the desk.
A chirp filled Future Benita's ears before she looked down on her black-and-white vambrace. On her wrist, a green hourglass was blinking.
A green hologram shoots out, revealing messy hair Gwendolyn.
"Sunny and her band have taken one of the outposts. That will bring down our production about twenty percent."
"You alright?" Benita questioned.
"I managed to hold off Sunny until Vanessa took her opening. She managed to destroy a few of my charms, but at least she didn't take my arm." Gwen sighs. "There's no universe where Sunny and I get along."
"How many causalities?"
"We lost squad Gold and Bishop." Benita leans back, combing her brown hair. "I did what I could."
"The spies?"
"They stated the Spark is gathering resources for the day." Benita squinted her eyes while Gwendolyn brushed her hair back. "I think they're planning another attack. When I don't know."
"For five years, they've been disrupting our advancements and Eliminating our plumbers. What kind of game she's playing?" Benita eyed Gwendolyn, turning her head before dropping her brows.
"There's news that Sector C is now under the Spark control."
"Any news on Hydra?" Benita rubs the bridge of her nose.
"None so far."
"Just come back. You need your rest."
"I-"
"That's an order." Benita cut Future Gwen off.
Gwen only nodded.
"I'll be there soon."
The call was dismissed.
"Alright," Benita looks down at the egg. "Just wait until tomorrow." She clutches the egg.
Her head jumps to the blinking red lights above before snapping at the chirping of her watch going off.
Unauthorized Activation
A green light takes the glaring lights before a blue and black line zooms out of the room.
---
Ken and a Goth boy stood by the console, watching the whirling golden portal spewing from the bulky machine, taking half of the room.
"Devlin, turn it off!" Ken stumbled back before staring at the smiling kid.
A black boot exited the portal, followed by jeans and a white coat.
A mature man with white hair and eyes. Lands on Ken and Devlin in question.
He remained quiet, eyeing the room and the portal.
"Sir?" Ken held out a hand, getting the Prisoner's gaze. "All I ask is for you to go back. Can you do that?" The man raced towards the wall before crashing through, letting in the warm lights of the Bellwood. "No!"
The boy turned to Devlin, but his eyes remained on the portal.
Ken rushed to the console, grabbing the turned key.
Devlin grabs Kenneth's shirt before hoisting the boy from the ground.
Devlin grew large instantly, flashing his red skin and showing muscles resembling his mother's.
"What do you think you're doing, Tennyson?!" Devlin's large green eye of a Glavan focused on Kenneth, who stared back wide-eyed before flashing his teeth.
"Closed it! You're going to let more out!"
"You're not the boss of me."
Ken activates the watch before slapping the dial. Vanishing from Devlin's large palm. Grey Matter appeared, crawling up his arm.
"Agh! Get off!!" Devlin slaps at his arm before fishing for the bug, exploring his body.
Grey Matter leaps at the console, only for Delvin to catch him.
"Hey." A deep feminine voice made the mutant look over his shoulder, only for Fourarms 10k to deliver a punch across the jaw.
Devlin flew to the side of the room before crashing out the wall.
"Mom!" Grey Matter lands on Fourarms arm.
"Crime never sleeps." She growled under her breath. Clamping her fangy tooth along her upper lip.
She takes the key, shutting down the Null Void Projector before pacing to the holes in the wall.
"M-mom, I'm so sorry!" Grey Matter Ken voiced.
"Who else got out?"
"Some guy. I can show you."
Fourarm 10k leaped from the hole, crashing on the empty street to Devlin on a knee, rubbing his jaw.
"No need." Fourarms stood tall, approaching mutant Devlin and taking a stand. "Aurora, you know what to do."
"What would you do without me?" A feminine Irish voice escapes the blinking hourglass symbol on her round right shoulder.
"That's far enough!" Devlin shouts, eyeing Earth Protector following his order.
"Kid. Who sent you?" Fourarms squint her eyes.
"Why would you want to know?"
"I could save your life. Have you ever thought of that?"
"You're currently not winning any points on convincing me. Don't you have a therapist in that tower?" Devlin eyed a few bystanders watching the stand-off in their apartments or businesses.
"Dude. You gotta make it hard on us, don't ya?" Grey Matter Ken voiced. "My mom wants to help, and if you wish for visitation, there are forms at our front desk. Ask your dad-somebody!"
"Aurora, what do you know of the kid?" Fourarms crossed her arms.
"Devlin Levin. Currently under Plumbers database as a Runaway case. Whew! For four months. When shall I fetch the space cops?"
A green flash takes the street before a blue line dashes behind Devlin, putting him in cuffs, and between them is a glowing cyan line wrapped around a light pole.
Devlin shrinks back into his kid form.
"About. Now," XLR8 answered.
"Hey!" Devlin tugged on his cuff before planting his black steel boot on the street pole. "Don't do this!"
"And. You." XLR8 10k stared down at Grey Matter Ken before crouching. "Where did you get this?" She held the key between her scissor tips.
"I. Um." Ken rubs his arm. "Got it from Jacky."
"Is that so?" Her green eyes stared at the tower.
"No! No. Mom, she didn't give it to me. I...stole it." He looks away.
"It's alright."
"I'm sorry, Mom. I promise I'll..wait. What?" Ken's maple-dash eyes looked up at her mom, puzzled.
"I understand. That is why I'm taking the Omnitrix back." XLR8 said
calmly.
"Whoa! Hey! That's not necessary!" Devlin voiced. "You want someone to punish, so punish me."
"You have your mother." XLR8 points.
"I've got the lad's location," Aurora spoke. "Pinpointing you now."
"Ken." XLR8 looks to her son, who turned back into his human self. "Keep an eye on him. Understood?"
"Yes, ma'am." Ken brushed his hand along his Omnitrix.
XLR8 takes off.
----
Jackie remained under the statue of Mr.Glover. Her arms crossed, watching both humans and different alien species coexist.
She sighs, resting her head along the stone and staring up at the blue sky and elbow of the statue.
"Kid! Hey! Darkbrewing! You know you can hear us." Two voices made Jackie squint her eyes at two birds on the arm of the statue.
"Oh. Look at that. You're not deaf, I see." A robin with a reddish and orange underbelly turned his head, looking over at the blue-eyed girl who was looking up at them.
Jackie turned into a bolt of electricity before bouncing from a powerline and landing on the roof of a noodle shop.
The Robin and a grey Pigeon followed the girl, landing on the support of the Business sign.
Hot Boiled.
"Hey, guys." Jackie raised to her feet.
"'Don't hey guys' Me. Where's the food you promise?" The robin spoke.
"As promise." Jackie reached through her hoodie pocket, fishing a zipped bag of blueberries and chopped apples, making the pigeon and robin beak drop. "Do you believe me now?" She raised a brow.
"They look artificial." The pigeon squints her eyes.
"Spirit. We did business for so long, you still don't trust me?" Jackie stuffed the stash within her pockets.
"We can't afford to have any leaks."
"Better yet, beggars." The robin adds. "I didn't fly all the way here to be friends."
"Aren't you the one who magically appeared in my aunt's garden?" Jackie questioned.
"The ventilation happened to be off at the time." The robin flipped his black wings. "It was a cold season."
"Wow. How are we not caught right now? Is a miracle." Spirit stared ahead at the many buildings and rooftops from their spot."
The robin only tilted his head.
"Alright. Alright. Follow along." Jackie turned to the Watertower on the roof next door.
She rushed across the roof before leaping towards the water tower. Her fingers and high-top shoes were planted against the outer shell. She climbed the black steel wall before flipping into the roof's opening.
She lands on her grey rubber mat, listening to the solid echo of her entrance.
Jackie looks up at her Haven, which consists of a red couch, a portable television on a coffee table, and a black steel box on the left arm of the sofa.
She planted herself on the couch with a sigh. The girl turns on the television with a finger flick while Spirit and the robin take their place on the metal box.
Jackie opened her hand before pulling it down. This pulled the lever down from the roof of the cylinder, closing the entrance shut.
"Any news Rockefeller?" Jackie planted her elbow on the arm of the couch, watching the television of a TV show.
"Well, there's. Word your father might be alive." The robin spoke, getting the girl's attention. "They say he's in the null void."
"Why there?"
"Something about a crime he committed. And here's the kicker. He got the life sentence." Rockefeller tilted his head. "Something as heavy as that is not him stealing food, that's for sure."
"You said might." Jackie planted her fist along her head. "How do you know that's him for sure?"
"Hey, Hey! I have my sources. And don't forget I risked my neck out for you!" The robin squinted his eyes. "While you are sitting cozily on your butt. I was making plays. Have you ever heard don't look a gift elfen in their eyes?"
"You mean gift horse?" Spirit, the pigeon, cut in.
"Potato, Patato. I have mouths to feed." Rockefeller flipped his wings.
"I would like to speak if you don't mind." Spirit looks to Jackie. "I know how much you hate his voice."
"Trash eater say what?" Rockefeller remarked.
Jackie lingered on Rockefeller, who only looked back with a head tilt.
"You have the floor."
"It seems your mother and her band of 'soldiers' have managed to claim the other side of the galaxy. This war might increase prices. Like you should worry about that." Spirit shrugs her wings.
"Anything else?"
"That aunt of yours made a device. An egg."
"An Egg?" Rockefeller questioned. "What's she going to do? Make an omelet?"
"And how do you know about an omelet?" Jackie raised a brow.
"Oh. You know. I have the experience of watching my friend's children turn into an English breakfast with a side of biscuits. I'm surprised I'm still sane."
"Truly. You are blessed." Spirit remarked. "Anyway. With a press of a button, it can contain organisms and objects. She has made just about one so far. I believe it's for your mother."
"Oh, course." Jackie clicked her tongue. "Is it fine you passed the message? I'll throw in a few extra berries."
"Whoa! Whoa! You act like I'm not here." Rockefeller steps closer to the hoodie girl.
"I'm sorry, but you must sit this one out." Jackie dug her hand into the couch cushion, fetching a notebook of ripped paper.
"Yeah. Of course."
Jackie wrapped a piece of paper around Spirit's leg.
"And as promised." Jackie dumped the berries before the two birds, happily chowing down. "I'm gonna get a bite as well. And this will be our new meeting spot. Hopefully, my mother will stop soon."
The girl leaped, planting her foot along the wall before grabbing the head of the ladder.
She climbed out of the water tower, sliding down the ladder. She raced towards the end of the roof before performing a backflip, landing in the alleyway.
Jackie made her way toward a stool in the noodle shop. Listening to the hissing green and blue slab of meat on a cooking stove and the boiling water in a pot.
An elf with grey skin and black pearl eyes turned to the girl, planting herself on the stool before him. He leans on the shiny brown counter, eyeing Jackie up and down.
"No money. No service." The Elfen cocked his head while Jackie reached into the pockets of her jeans, pulling out a rectangular slab of plastic with a glass button on the center.
She pressed it, causing a glass slab to slide out, revealing a glowing number of ten credits.
"Hmph." The Elfen pulled his hovering glass slab over hers, getting a chime. He grew a smile ear to ear. "What are you having?"
"The Vegan bowl, Please." Jackie stuffed her slab back into her pocket.
"Right away, boss." The Elfen chief got to work, pulling various shapes and colored plants along his cutting board. "Thick? Or thin?"
"Thick."
The Elfen noddle chief grabbed a handful of dry, thick noodles before dumping them in a sliver pot.
Jackie's tiny fingers drummed along the counter before turning to her neighbor with four bowls of noodles and now finishing up his fifth.
The white-haired man hissed, dropping the ceramic blue bowl with a stack of empty ones.
"Make it one more. This time, the Slyros special."
"It's the hottest bowl we got." The elfen noodle chief dropped the vegetables on his flat cooking stove. "You sure?"
"I can take it. What time do you close?" The white-haired man raised a brow.
"About six."
"Hmph." He stared at the radio on the counter between Jackie and him, seeing the time.
4:36pm
Jackie and her neighbor remained quiet, listening to their time's radio and classical music.
Jackie's eyes wandered to the man and his bowls.
"Ah. Sorry." Jackie spoke up, getting a side eye from the white-haired man. "Where do you work?"
"The prison in the Null Void. I'm one of the correction officers."The man takes a sip from a glass filled with a green liquid.
"Thanks for your service." The noodle chief looked over his shoulder before focusing on his service.
"Don't you have school or something?" The man questioned, keeping his eyes on the noodle chief.
"Home.School." Jackie answered, receiving her order. "By the way, it's a weekend." She blew on her steaming hot noodles along her silver fork. "What is it like as an officer?"
"Classified." The white-haired man takes a swig once more. "All I can say is keep learning and stay out of trouble."
The steaming white meat sizzled along the cooking stove, hissing into the quiet atmosphere and releasing the aroma of pungent spices.
"Here you are." The noodle chief dropped the bowl within his first customer's grasp before cleaning his mess.
Jackie's neighbor chowed into his bowl like he hadn't eaten for days.
The sound of a car hitting its brakes erupts behind Jackie. Revealing XLR8 10k.
"Let's make this easy." The speedster visor disengaged, revealing her smooth blue skin, solid green eyes, and black eyelashes. Her eyes quickly shift to Jackie before returning to the white-haired man devouring his noodles. "You come with me now. This all will be forgiven."
"Ah." The white-haired man hissed before dropping his bowl into the stack. "You two better go."
The noodle chef sprinted from behind the counter, chasing a crowd of civilians down the street.
"You heard him kid." XLR8 visor came to life, blocking her face.
Jackie hopped from her stool, taking her leave; she took cover behind a wall within an alley a block away.
"I'm not looking for a fight. Not today, at least."
"I'm in the same boat." The man took a swig of his drink. "Tell me, earth hero. Where's my daughter?"
"Not here."
"Don't make me search this entire place." He grew a smirk, taking the last drink before placing the glass on its head.
"She's far from you, that's what matters."
"I don't want to kill you, but don't make me try." He looks over his shoulder, his white pupil staring daggers at XLR8's visor. He stood from his stool facing the blue speedster. Slowly making his way towards her, swinging his arms. "I'm honestly surprised you didn't take Kaitlyn out. Knowing her history, she's a lost cause."
"She's there for due process."
"Right. And did you know Levin broke out? Of course not. My ex-wife is stirring trouble."
"That's far enough." XLR8 bends her knees, halting the white-haired man a few feet away.
"You're busy. So I'd dealt with the problem."
"What do you mean?"
"Those aliens you placed in the null void were Kaitlyn's snacks. She hoped to get back here to finish the job. I stopped it. Those boys in the room were her connection, but of course, you've known that."
"What did. You do?" XLR8 strengthened her voice.
"You know what I did. You can't be friends with a murderer."
"You have no right." XLR8 closes her shaky fists. "She needs help!"
"Of course. And so do you. Final Warning. Where's the hell is my Jacqueline?" The white-haired man squinted his eyes.
"Will Anthony Glover. You are sentenced to life in the Null Void due to the Genocide of Vilgaxia. Under Plumber law, I will exercise my right to defend myself. I will ask again. Surrender or Prepare." XLR8's shaky arms became a blur.
"It's Mr. Glover to you."
In a blur, XLR8 lands the first blow. Mr. Glover took off, crashing through the counter of the noodle shop and into the bottom cabinets, causing wood and hot water to fly.
He grunts, standing to his feet with the support of the stove burning into his hand. Mr.Glover grabs the handles along the stove before chunking it at XLR8, who quickly sidestepped.
The stove crashed into a meat vendor, and a blue and black line followed up, tackling XLR8 through a wall. Wall after Brick wall caved in, leaving a mess of twenty behind.
"Ragh!" Grid with leaner muscle tone hurled XLR8 across a street, crashing into a wall and creating a web of cracks.
The cries of both aliens and humans separate from the fight while XLR8 lands on the balls of her feet.
Mature Grid rushed, and a green light flashed, revealing Fourarms grabbing his throat with her third arm.
"Ah! Ragh!" Fourarms lands two hooks to Grid's visor and an uppercut to his gut. She threw another toward his visor, only for Red Riot to headbutt her fist with a burst of electricity burning from his eyes.
Standing nine feet, the same size as Fourarms 10k, his lean muscles are now more prominent than the muscular woman. He grasps her neck with his large red hand while she keeps her around his thick black beard.
Mature Red Riot threw his fist across her jaw before backhanding her. Fourarms threw an uppercut into his gut, making him leave the ground; gravity brought him back. She connects a three-hit combo with her free arms.
She threw a hook, only for Mature Red Riot to block and throw a hook of his own, making her stumble back. She threw a straight punch, only for him to spin on his heels and grasp her neck with his arm. Putting her in a chokehold.
Fourarms elbowed Red Riot, yet he remained firm.
A green flash erupts, revealing a puffer fish with legs called Spitter. The alien became free from Red Riot's grasp before spitting a concentrated blast of brown slime into her bulky opponent.
Red Riot flew through twenty walls before sliding along the concrete back to Glover Street.
He clenched his bloody teeth before watching a green light erupt within the hole of a hotel. Revealing Stinkfly with sharper claws and a wider body. She shoots green slime from the eyes of her four at Red Riot.
Zero tagged in, appearing in his brute form. He flew over the green slime before taking in a breath.
A vast yellow ball hits Zero directly, making him fly down two blocks.
The ball lands on the street a few feet from the Stun Zero before rolling next to Stinkfly 10k. It unravels, revealing CannonBolt with solid brown eyes.
"Kenneth! I told you to look after the kid!" Stinkfly raised her voice, keeping an eye on the recovering Zero.
"He's not going anywhere, Mom. And You need my help." Cannonbolt Ken protest.
"I knew you looked familiar." An amplified voice of Mr.Glover called down the street from them. An earphone jacked was jacked into his neck. "That's your first watch...So this must be Kenneth. I used to walk you down this street. And it looks like I will have to do this again."
"I don't know who you are! But you want my mom. You will have to go through me!" A green light erupts, replacing CanonBolt with Buzzshock, a small alien with characteristics of a battery.
It turned into a bolt of electricity traveling along the powerlines towards Mr.Glover.
"Ken!" Stinkfly grunts, flying after him.
"You don't remember your uncle?" Mr.Glover walked towards the two aliens charging him. "Of course not. It's been seven years. Your so-called mom thought taking my rights as a father was the right way. Have you forgotten Vilgax shattered White and Yellow, leaving Blue to pick up the pieces?"
"Better yet, EVERY YEAR, he spits in our faces, coming back as a COCKROACH that never just STAYED DEAD! His technology grows, yet everyone is scared because of his diplomatic immunity! Fear is his addiction, and a lifetime of pain is punishment! Me! Sunny! The Spark! We ENDED IT!!" Mr.Glover roared while Ken and Benita's 10k grew close. "The Plumbers only came when they saw us winning! And I gave the killer blow! Phill is right! I fight not only for me but for everyone on earth and my daughter!"
Mr. Glover's eyes glowed white. Buzzshock ejects from the powerlines, shooting an electricity chain from his fingertips towards Mr.Glover. A flying car crashed in the middle of them, absorbing the attack.
It exploded, breaking the quiet environment. Mr.Glover slid on his heels while Stinkfly caught Buzzshock Ken in her arms. Black smoke resides between the two parties, revealing the hunk of metal in flames.
"Tell me, Mom. Why didn't you tell me?" A familiar voice brought their attention to Jackie on the roof, looking down on Stinkfly and Buzzshock.
"I told you to go home." Stinkfly acknowledged. "It's not safe!"
"I have the right to see my father!" Jackie raised her voice. "So many years you lied to me! YOU LIED TO EVERYONE!!!"
"Ken, take your sister-"
"He's not my brother!" Jackie flared her nose. "What makes you think I could trust you?! Why do I have to learn from a serious offender? My father I knew died during Vilgaxia! I HATE ALL OF YOU!!!"
"Jackie?" Mr.Glover said under his breath with widened eyes. Jackie turned from the roof. "Stop!"
He leaps towards the roof only for Stinkfly to hurl green slime from her mouth, attaching it to Mr. Glover's ankle. She pulled him down, slamming him into the concrete, releasing dust.
"You did enough!" Stinkfly raised her voice, making Mr.Glover flare his teeth. "You need help! Just like Kait!"
"Follow my advice." He said under his breath. "You're going to have to kill me!" Mr.Glover snapped his head back, widening his pupil.
A shipping container slams into Mr.Glover.
"I'm waiting, old man!!" Mutant Devlin hovered above Stinkfly and Buzzshock with the help of his stinkfly wings. "Come out! And let's end this!"
The shipping container twisted like a drained rag before retaking its wobbly shape. It ripped into sharpnels rushing both Devlin and the Tennysons.
Diamondhead tags in, providing a wall of diamonds for her and her son, while Devlin dodges and uses his flames from his Heatblast arm at any close calls.
Mr.Glover raised his hands, and metal pipes erupted from the ground, entangling both Diamondhead and Buzzshock; the snake pipes rushed up at Devlin, who dodged and weaved only to get caught around the ankle.
A multiple green flash gains Mr. Glover's attention, only to get entangled by a green goo by Goop.
"Agh!" Mr.Glover stumbles on his heels only to flick his wrist, tossing a small saucer down a few blocks. He leans back, dodging a diamond shard.
Diamond Head Ken rushed Mr.Glover, shooting hordes of shards.
Mr.Glover sidesteps, spins on his heel, and swings his leg corkscrewing between the incoming projectiles.
His hand hits the ground before backspringing from Devlin, driving his diamond arm into the ground where Mr. Glover's last stood, leaving dust.
A black and blue line dash at Mr.Glover, revealing Devlin. The mutant threw strikes, leaving lines, while Mr.Glover did the same on the defensive.
Devlin pushed Mr.Glover back in the heated and blurred exchange. In quick secession, Mr.Glover ducks and leans from an onslaught of punches and kicks before redirecting a flying hook on sneaky Diamond Head Ken.
Devlin's redirected punch shattered the side of Ken's face. Throwing him on the side of the road made Devlin's eyes widen. In a blur, the sound of a shotgun erupts.
Devlin stumbled back. Mr. Glover throws a blurring uppercut into Devlin's gut-breaking sound once more. Mr.Glover gave nasty hooks before uppercutting Devlin's lower jaw.
Mr.Glover backflipped and unleashed a bunny kick. Devlin flew from his back before skipping down the street.
With glowing purple eyes, Mr.Glover took off to the opposite side of the street, only for Way Big to cut him off. Her large fist drives into the insect of the white-haired man.
The street caved in.
"Ah! AGH! HA!" Way Big roared after each ground-shaking punch. The windows shook while the cries of the To'kustar filled the quiet city of Bellwood. Each arm pulled back, Mr.Glover stuck to her knuckle before another connected into him.
Way Big stopped her onslaught of punches, looking down at the tattered and battered Mr.Glover. He coughs blood, wheezing, and looks up at his giant executioner.
The To'kustar remained silent, listening to wheezing and coughing with shaky and bloodied fists. She raised another fist aimed at Mr.Glover.
"Namu." Mr.Glover forced out his lips.
Immediately, Mr.Glover took the size of a To'Kustar, clamping his many rows of fangs into her shoulder and upper chest.
Way Big screamed while the head of an orange glowing-eyed shark drew more green blood. Way Big punches the gills on the side of the shark's head before it lets go.
Namu kicked Way Big over a few businesses before it crashed into a building.
"Agh! Ragh!" Way Big winced, glaring down the pool of green blood drooling down her shoulder and chest. She looks up at the shark rising to his feet.
He carried many orange spikes and fins along his body. The shark stood on its legs and flashed its sharp, glowing claws before releasing an ear-piercing scream.
Green blood flew from his glowing orange mouth while windows shattered.
Way Big stood to her feet, clenching her bloodied fists.
'Maybe. I should've stayed.'