"Six stories of twists and turns," said Ben excitedly.
"Hurdling down a two-hundred-foot plunge," Gwen continued with glee.
"At speeds of over twenty-five miles per hour!"
"Then splashing down in a churning three hundred-thousand-gallon wave pool!"
"You've entered the Riptide Rapid zone!" Ben and Gwen shouted in unison, giving each other a high-five.
Ben and Gwen, dressed in swimsuits, walked through the water park, excited about the attractions. In front of them, the massive "Super Slide Six Thousand" stood out with its dizzying curves.
"This is going to be amazing! The most epic slide ever!" exclaimed Ben, barely able to contain his excitement.
At the entrance, Gwen passed through without issue, but the attendant extended his arm, stopping Ben.
"Hey! What's the problem?" Ben protested.
"Sorry, kiddo. You don't meet the minimum height requirement," replied the attendant, pointing to the mark.
"This is ridiculous!" Ben complained as Gwen laughed. "Maybe next time, Ben."
Irritated, Ben walked away and hid behind a nearby pillar. He glanced at the Omnitrix on his wrist, hidden under a blue bracelet.
"Okay, maybe it's time to teach this guy a lesson," Ben muttered. He activated the Omnitrix, scrolling through until he found Ripjaws. "This'll show them who's small here!"
The Omnitrix dial spun on its own, changing the symbol to another form. Just as he was about to press it, he saw Ghostfreak on the interface.
"Oh, no. Not this one," Ben said, feeling a chill as he looked at the Omnitrix. He quickly turned the dial back to Ripjaws and pressed it again, but instead, he transformed into Greymatter.
"Ah, great! I said giant fish, not tiny green guy!" Greymatter grumbled, looking at his small hands. He sighed. "Well, maybe I can work with this..."
Small and agile, Greymatter sneaked between the legs of the visitors, avoiding being noticed. The plan seemed to work, but a stampede of kids running toward a nearby ride almost crushed him.
"Cut it out! Hey! I may be small, but I still have dignity!" Greymatter shouted, narrowly escaping.
When he finally reached the entrance to the water slide, he saw the attendant distracted, arguing with an excited man who was talking nonstop.
"Aliens landed here in 1951! This place needs to be studied! I just need soil samples!" the man said.
The attendant, clearly tired, mocked him. "Sure, sure. Why don't you talk to my invisible supervisor? I'll transfer the call." He pretended to answer an imaginary phone.
As they argued, Greymatter tied the attendant's shoelaces together. "Time to tie up some loose ends," he said, smiling with satisfaction.
Suddenly, the man looked down and saw him. "Look! An alien!"
The attendant scoffed. "Yeah, sure. There's a loose man here..."
The man ignored the attendant and lunged toward Greymatter, who quickly fled toward the water slide.
When Greymatter finally reached the base of the slide, he grinned mischievously. "Okay, time to have some fun!"
He jumped onto one of the inflatable tubes at the start of the slide, holding on tight as the current carried him. The small alien was launched through twists and turns, laughing the entire time.
"This is amazing!" he exclaimed as he was tossed around by the force of the water.
At the end, Ben emerged from the pool, laughing. "That was awesome! Worth every second of effort!"
Before he could get out of the water, Gwen came down right behind him, almost hitting him as she surfaced.
"Ben?! What are you doing here?" Gwen asked, incredulous.
"Relax, Gwen! I just wanted to enjoy the slide too. And I did, didn't I?" Greymatter replied with a satisfied smile.
"You know Grandpa is going to be furious when he finds out you used the Omnitrix for this," Gwen said, crossing her arms.
Ben just shrugged. "Ah, how's he going to find out? It's all under control."
Before they could continue arguing, the man came out of the water and grabbed Greymatter. "Ah, you're my ticket to fame!" he exclaimed, holding the small alien firmly.
"Gwen! Help!" Greymatter shouted, struggling to break free.
"Let him go right now!" Gwen demanded, but the man had already stuffed him into a cooler.
"Sorry, but this little guy is coming with me!" He dashed to his car and sped out of the park before Gwen could stop him.
Gwen ran to Max, who was parked outside. "Grandpa! Some guy took Ben and drove off!"
Max frowned. "Let's go after him. Gwen, get in!"
As Max started the engine, Gwen muttered to herself, "I hope Ben can get out of that cooler..."
The Rustbucket sped onto the road, with Max determined to rescue his grandson.
_________________________________________________________________________
[Scene: Inside the Nerd's House]
The man hurried into his house, carrying the cooler like a trophy. The automatic hallway lights turned on as he walked in, his wet shoes leaving trails on the immaculate floor.
"Security system disarmed," he announced firmly.
A mechanical sound echoed through the house as the laser grids deactivated, allowing him to pass. Two cleaning robots slid across the floor behind him, wiping away any traces of water he had left.
On his way to the kitchen, he passed walls covered in posters of flying saucers, diagrams of alien technology, and newspaper clippings with UFO headlines. An adjacent room was filled with monitors showing security camera footage and amateur radio transmissions.
In the kitchen, the man placed the cooler on the counter with excessive care, as if it contained a precious artifact.
"Lights on. Prepare dinner," he ordered again.
The lights brightened, and the microwave began to spin slowly, cooking a frozen meal that looked anything but appetizing.
A white cat, which had been hiding, jumped onto the counter, drawn to the cooler. It sniffed curiously for a few seconds before arching its back, fur bristling. With a hiss of displeasure, it tried to scratch the box.
"No, no, this one's all mine!" the man exclaimed, grabbing the cooler before the cat could cause any damage.
He held the cooler tightly, glaring at the cat as if it were a dangerous rival. The feline retreated to the floor, giving him a disdainful look before walking away, tail held high.
The man placed the cooler on a small table in the center of the kitchen. His eyes gleaming with anticipation, he began to examine the object.
"Now... let's see what you really are," he murmured to himself.
He pulled out a series of tools, including a screwdriver, pliers, and an LED magnifying glass. With almost surgical precision, he began to open the lid of the cooler.
Inside, Greymatter watched everything closely, his eyes narrowing as he analyzed the man's movements. Despite the situation, the small alien was already devising a plan to escape.
"You're my proof! Finally, I'll show the world I was right about you aliens!" the nerd exclaimed enthusiastically, unaware that his "proof" was wide awake and planning to turn the tables.
Greymatter, his small eyes still gleaming, watched the man with a hint of cynicism. "Ah, finally, the big moment. You really think you've caught me? How adorable."
The man, excited, adjusted his glasses and said eagerly, "Finally, the proof everyone doubted! I am Howell Wayneright, the great scientist who will expose the truth about aliens!"
Greymatter, with a mischievous smile, stretched out his tiny arms, gesturing as if preparing for a grand speech. "As if I cared about your name, buddy. I think I'll have to put this on a very high shelf in my intergalactic office... which, by the way, I'm not even sure I have. By the way, how's your mom doing?"
Howell looked confused, not quite understanding, but decided to press on. "Which galaxy are you from? I need concrete information for my fieldwork!"
Greymatter shook his head, his eyes closing as if processing something extremely complex, before replying, articulating each syllable exaggeratedly, as if it were an otherworldly response: "Iiiii'm... dee... eee... dee... ohh... tee... ahh."
Howell, thrilled with the response, quickly repeated the syllables Greymatter had said.
"So it's... Iiiii'm... dee... eee... dee... ohh... tee... ahh!" Howell said enthusiastically, trying to process the information.
He began jotting it down in his notebook, almost convincing himself that he finally had something valuable in his hands. "This definitely sounds like a distant galaxy! Wow, this is... impressive!"
Greymatter, barely holding back laughter, watched Howell getting excited over the "response." "Yes, you got it! Now, can we move on to the next topic, Mr. Scientist?"
Howell, not realizing the meaning of the phrase, began repeating it again, almost like a mantra. "Iiiii'm... dee... eee... dee... ohh... tee... ahh... I got it!"
He felt victorious for having "communicated" with the extraterrestrial, not realizing he had just repeatedly said, "I'm an idiot." Greymatter, on the other hand, couldn't hold back his laughter any longer and burst out laughing.
"You really said that? I knew you were special, but I never thought you were an... 'idiot'! Hahaha!"
Howell, visibly confused, looked at Greymatter and then realized the joke, though he didn't want to admit it. "You're messing with me, right? This was a prank?"
Greymatter smirked mischievously. "You really thought I knew where I was from? Look, buddy, I don't even know the name of my species, let alone my home planet. In fact, I'm starting to think you might be the only alien around here!"
Howell, with a mix of frustration and fascination, continued, trying to maintain his composure. "That's not possible! It can't be! You must have come from somewhere!"
Greymatter chuckled softly, giving a small cynical laugh. "Sure, I'm sure I came from a fantastic place, full of... what? If you take a picture, it'll last longer. Maybe you can even put it in a scrapbook? Wouldn't that be great?"
Howell, clearly obsessed with the idea of proving his discovery, began rummaging through his pocket. "You're telling me that... a photo would be the best way to prove this?"
"Yes, of course!" Greymatter replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "It'll look great on the wall. 'Bought a Greymatter at the water park.' It'll be a hit at the science fair."
Finally, Howell, determined not to miss the chance for concrete evidence, grabbed his camera and began taking quick photos of Greymatter, who struck awkward and playful poses.
After a few minutes, Howell looked at the photos and, with a triumphant smile, said, "Now that I have proof, I'll call the Organization. They're going to love this!"
He picked up his phone and sent the images to someone named Enoch. "I finally have proof. These photos are of an extraterrestrial creature I found at a local water park."
The response came quickly and authoritatively. "For once, your antics have yielded results, Howell. We'll need to study the specimen in much greater detail. We'll send some of our men to escort you to our base of operations. Prepare for the big moment, Howell."
Howell smiled, excited. "Yes, sir!"
Greymatter, on the other hand, just let out a deep sigh, as if he already knew his plan to escape in style was underway. "Ah, you and your organizations... I'm going to love seeing where this goes. But deep down, it's just another day in the life of a Greymatter."
His eyes gleamed as he noticed something interesting: Howell's cat, which was approaching, curious. A clever idea formed in his mind.
"Here, kitty, kitty! I like chicken!" Greymatter called, using a soft, persuasive voice, enough to attract the feline.
The cat, drawn by the promise, began pawing at the walls of the glass jar, trying to reach Greymatter. But, unintentionally, the cat hit hard enough to break the jar, allowing Greymatter to escape. He quickly slipped out, jumping to freedom.
At that moment, Howell's cleaning robots appeared, their mechanical and emotionless movements ready to handle the mess. They began cleaning up the broken glass, leaving Greymatter in the middle of them, unsure what to do.
Seizing the distraction, Greymatter made a skillful leap onto the vacuum cleaner, ignoring the robots' attempts to capture him, and quickly ran down the hallway. He disappeared before the robots could react.
Howell, his head filled with grand thoughts, was upstairs, saying to himself, "Imagine how famous I'll become once people recognize me as an alien discoverer. Howell Wayneright, the scientist of the century." He smiled to himself, unaware that the scene of his great achievement was about to crumble.
Howell entered the room where Greymatter had been, but found nothing but a mess of broken glass. "What happened? Where is he?" he muttered, clearly frustrated. He began searching the area while Greymatter, now free, was in the kitchen.
Greymatter, with his small size, quickly scaled the cabinets to the counter, where he saw a phone. He approached it and, with a mischievous smile, picked up the phone. He quickly dialed a number and waited, eager to talk to someone.
"Hello?" came the familiar voice of Gwen, answering the phone.
"Gwen! It's me, Ben!" Greymatter exclaimed, clearly excited to finally make contact.
"Gwen?" she replied, confused. "Ben? Wait, you haven't changed back yet?"
"No. There's something wrong with the watch right now," Greymatter explained, with a slightly impatient tone.
"Where are you now?" Gwen asked, already starting to understand the situation.
"I'm about two football fields away from the water park, in a house that's made of—"
"Brainiac!" Gwen interrupted, knowing what was coming. "How about a street name?"
Greymatter, a little frustrated, tried to respond, "Oh, right, it's Ripley S—"
But before he could finish the sentence, he placed his hands on the window, and suddenly a loud alarm sounded, followed by the clang of a steel shutter covering the window. Greymatter quickly dodged, but the phone fell from his hand and shattered on impact, cutting off the call.
"Ah, great," he grumbled, annoyed at the situation. He looked around to figure out what to do next, but soon heard footsteps approaching. Howell, with a determined expression, appeared at the kitchen door, now aware that something was wrong.
Greymatter, wasting no time, began running around the room, trying to escape, but Howell grabbed him. Greymatter, in turn, made a quick move and jumped onto Howell's shirt, trying to hide. Howell, surprised, tried to reach the alien, but Greymatter, with an agile leap, escaped the shirt and started climbing toward a vent.
Howell, desperate not to let Greymatter escape, reached for him, but before the alien could get away, he bit Howell's hand, making him yell in pain and drop Greymatter.
With a mischievous laugh, Greymatter finally escaped, climbing into the vent with impressive agility.
Inside the house's ducts, Greymatter quickly crawled through the pipes and vents, a mix of frustration and curiosity dominating his thoughts. "What's wrong with the Omnitrix?" he muttered to himself as he moved nimbly through a tight pipe. "It must have shorted out at the water park, probably from getting wet. Combined with the impact of hitting the pillar... And of course, the moment I transformed, that must have locked me in this form... Probably an ignition failure with the amino acid sequence interacting with the circuits on the front panel... It's good to be smart."
He then realized Howell wouldn't give up so easily. The sound of a vent fan was heard, followed by a powerful gust of air. Greymatter was immediately pushed forward, carried by it until he reached a ceiling grate. With dexterity, he opened the grate and, looking down, spotted Howell wielding a broom, searching for the small alien.
"You're not catching me with that!" Greymatter shouted, skillfully dodging the broom swings as he jumped onto the sink. Howell, undeterred, shouted in frustration: "I can't afford to lose you!"
It was then that Howell, in a desperate move, turned on the faucet, flooding the sink and sending a stream of water toward Greymatter. The water quickly began pushing him through the house's pipes, dragging him into the bathroom, where he was dumped into a puddle of dirty water. "Ugh. This is so gross!" Greymatter muttered, doing his best to stay afloat as the current carried him through even dirtier and darker places.
In Howell's house, he was now monitoring the security cameras, his eyes fixed on the screens. He adjusted one of the images and, with a satisfied smile, shouted: "There you are!" He ran to the house's main switch, wielding a flashlight.
Greymatter, now looking for an escape route, ran down a narrow hallway until he found the chimney. Quickly, he opened the chimney, luring Howell into the obvious route. Howell, unaware of the trap, approached with the flashlight and, in doing so, lit a cigarette, trying to force Greymatter out.
"Cough, cough... this is too much, man! Woah!" Greymatter exclaimed, being pushed by the hot smoke. He lost control and was dragged out of the chimney, but was immediately caught by a fishing net prepared by Howell.
"You're not escaping this time!" Howell shouted with a victorious smile, still holding the net. He quickly grabbed Greymatter and placed him in a compartment with his collection of alien figurines, sealing him inside.
Greymatter looked around, clearly bored and sarcastic. "Wow, I can only imagine how many friends you must have," he commented with irony, his eyes gleaming with a slight cynical smile.
Howell, proud of his discovery, responded enthusiastically: "It doesn't matter. After making a fortune, I'll be world-famous for discovering alien life!"
Greymatter, shaking his head with a low laugh, muttered to himself: "Oh, if only you knew..." Already knowing it would take more than this to keep him captured permanently.
The door then opened. The Organization entered, composed of shadowy figures wearing trench coats and fedoras. Howell, eager, ran to the door and greeted them. "Welcome, gentlemen. I have the alien securely contained. He's going to make me a famous man."
Three of the Organization's henchmen entered, carrying a small electrified container. Howell, with a proud smile, looked at them and, with a gesture, pointed to Greymatter trapped inside. "Here he is. Let's take him to the others. Prepare to witness the greatest discovery in history."
The henchmen promptly picked up the container and placed Greymatter inside, making him even more uncomfortable. He watched with irony as the Organization's men left, taking him into the unknown. "Ah, this can only get worse," he thought to himself, preparing for another of his unlikely escapes.
Inside the RV, Max and Gwen were hunched over a map, with several streets marked and names circled, trying to figure out where Howell had taken Greymatter. The search seemed endless, and frustration was starting to grow.
Gwen, her eyes fixed on the map, looked up at Max. "Once we find him, GreyMatter should eventually turn back to normal and escape on his own, right?" she asked, with hope disguised as concern.
Max, with a serious and worried expression, looked at her and replied, "But he should have done that by now. Something must be wrong with the Omnitrix. We haven't figured out the problem yet."
Gwen frowned, skeptical. "Well, GreyMatter has the advantage of his intelligence. Maybe by the time we find him, he'll have already escaped on his own?"
Max sighed, gripping the RV's steering wheel. "We can only hope."
A few minutes later…
Meanwhile, in the neighborhood, Gwen and Max were split up. Each was searching the houses on streets with "Ripley" in the name. The search was proving more difficult than they imagined. Gwen was repelled by a sprinkler that unexpectedly started spraying water, while Max was startled by a spider, causing them to regroup and, laughing nervously, decide to abandon the search and continue with the RV strategy.
At some point, they found Howell's car parked in the garage of one of the houses, but Max, without thinking much, was ready to knock on the door. "Let's knock! We'll make him talk," he suggested, but was interrupted by Gwen, who held him back.
"That's going to backfire," she said, pointing to the house next door. "That's not the right house."
Suddenly, an elderly woman appeared at the door with her dog. She was in a wheelchair and, upon seeing Max and Gwen, immediately shouted: "Sic 'em, Bruno!" The dog, impulsively, ran to attack, making Max struggle to keep the situation under control.
"We need a better strategy," Max muttered as he tried to calm the dog. Gwen watched the scene, but her eyes quickly turned to the other side of the street, where she saw two men pushing Howell into his car, apparently ready to flee.
"Grandpa! They're getting away!" Gwen exclaimed, pointing.
Max, quickly, made a face as he realized the situation. He patted the dog's head to calm it and, with a gesture, made it fall asleep. Gwen looked on, impressed.
"Woah, where did you learn to do that?" she asked, surprised.
Max smiled faintly. "In my line of work, you pick up a few things. Now, let's go!"
Not knowing where to go, they decided to investigate Howell's house. Meanwhile, Max observed the cars parked around the elderly woman's house.
"Good thing they live in the same neighborhood," Max muttered with a sarcastic smile.
Gwen, with her keen eyes, began searching Howell's house. It was then, while rummaging through some drawers, that she found Howell's phone, along with a series of photos of Greymatter. The images showed the small alien in various moments of discomfort, even looking quite sad.
Gwen, with a tone of anger in her voice, said: "Jeez. He looks miserable. No one does this to my cousin and gets away with it!"
Max, observing the scene more calmly, had an idea. "I have an idea. We can get an address from the call history if we do a reverse lookup on the numbers."
Gwen looked at him, her eyes shining with admiration and excitement. "Great idea. Let's hope it works..."
Inside the Organization's car, GreyMatter didn't seem the least bit thrilled with the situation. He was trapped in the small glass compartment, visibly irritated.
"You know," GreyMatter said, looking disdainfully at Howell, "these guys are more trouble than you."
Howell, not paying much attention to the complaint, looked at him and replied with an arrogant smile. "Well, you're in the cage, not me. So, you don't get a say right now."
As the car moved forward, GreyMatter felt the tension rise as they approached their destination. When they finally arrived at the castle, the Organization's men pushed Howell out of the car and, firmly, began escorting him and GreyMatter into the massive, sinister building.
Inside the castle, the atmosphere was dark and filled with scientists and guards at every corner. The henchmen pushed Howell and GreyMatter into a room where Enoch and other scientists were waiting.
Howell, trying to maintain a confident demeanor, spoke enthusiastically. "So, um, how are we going to spread the word about this incredible discovery? Radio shows? Joint press conferences?"
Enoch, seated behind a large desk, looked at Howell with a cold, calculated smile. Showing no excitement, he replied: "We prefer to keep discoveries to ourselves. Such a discovery is useless to the general public."
Howell was shocked, his eyes widening in disbelief. "What? You can't do that! We made the discovery of the century! The world needs to know!"
The frustration in his voice was evident, but before he could continue, one of the henchmen grabbed him by the shoulders, immobilizing him as Enoch, impassive, said: "You and many others like you are expendable. Take him away. And make sure he doesn't talk."
Howell, still struggling against the henchmen, shouted: "What are you going to do with the alien?!"
Enoch looked at GreyMatter, who was being taken away by another henchman, and replied with a chilling coldness: "We're going to run some tests."
As he was dragged away, GreyMatter shouted, trying to stay calm: "I've never been good at tests! Or even quizzes!"
Howell, furious at the situation, was taken out of the room and thrown down the stairs. He quickly got up, his anger boiling over as he pushed one of the henchmen into a cabinet, causing the man to lose his balance. Without hesitation, Howell ran as fast as he could, trying to reach the scientists' room where GreyMatter was being taken.
"You can't do this! You can't do this to me, or to that alien!" Howell shouted, now completely desperate, as he tried to make his way through the hallways.
Max and Gwen approached the castle carefully, staying in the shadows as they watched the guards' movements around the place. The fortress looked more like a prison than a house. Max, with a keen eye, was observing every detail.
"These guys are more dangerous than they seem," Max said, lowering his voice to Gwen as she looked around. "They're called the Forever Knights. A secret group of elites with access to advanced alien technology. And, if what we've heard is true, they're not just after GreyMatter, but something much darker."
Gwen nodded, but the concern in her eyes was evident. "This isn't going to be easy."
Before they could discuss further, they approached a tree near the castle. Gwen smiled as she saw the opportunity: a branch large enough to support her weight. "Here. Let's climb and try a more discreet entrance."
Max gave a slight smile, trusting Gwen's plan. "Nothing too crazy. Let's do it."
With surprising agility, the two climbed the tree. Gwen, using her agility and luck, was the first to reach the top, while Max followed close behind. The branch swayed slightly under their weight but held firm. When the nearest guard passed without noticing their presence, they continued along the branch until they were close to a window.
Carefully, Gwen pulled back the curtain and looked inside. "Looks like no one's here," she murmured. "Let's go in."
Gwen made a quick move, ducking and jumping through the open window, with Max right behind her.
"Who knew finding GreyMatter would be so complicated," said Gwen.
"Yeah, but with them around, we need to be quick," Max replied, looking around. "And discreet."
Gwen nodded, but as she took a step forward, she bumped into a metal trash can, making a loud noise that echoed down the hallway.
"Ugh, that wasn't good," she muttered to herself, but quickly composed herself. "Come on, Grandpa!"
Max, already preparing for action, looked at the group of knights approaching quickly. "I'll handle them. Stay back."
With skill, Max lunged toward one of the knights, dodging a spear thrust before shoving him and stealing his sword. Using his newly acquired weapon, he deflected a laser shot from another direction and, with a quick move, cut a path to face the other guards.
"Let's see what you've got!" Max shouted, wielding the sword, blocking lasers with mastery as he advanced, stealing a weapon and starting to take down some knights.
Meanwhile, Gwen noticed more knights approaching, her situation becoming increasingly complicated. But she wasn't helpless. From her pocket, she pulled out her spell book, quickly flipping through the pages. She read in a low voice as she prepared.
"Tempestas fulgor!" Gwen pronounced, her voice firm but her body feeling the pressure of the magic being channeled through her. She extended her hands, and lightning began to surge, shooting toward the knights.
The knights were struck hard, falling to the ground as sparks of electricity jumped across the castle walls. However, as soon as the energy dissipated, Gwen felt a sudden dizziness and almost lost her balance.
"Ugh..." she groaned, feeling lightheaded. She almost fell backward, but Max quickly caught her. "I... I can't do that again... It's too much for me. Using so much mana at once... I can't... I can't."
Max helped her steady herself, looking at her with concern. "Careful, Gwen. We can't overdo it. Let's get out of here fast."
He picked her up and ran, Gwen breathing deeply, trying to regain her strength. "I know... just... I hope that was enough to slow those knights down."
The armed scientists dragged GreyMatter into a cold, desolate room, illuminated only by a single spotlight on the ceiling. In the center, a heavily equipped surgical table with robotic arms, coils, and sharp instruments occupied the space. Beside it, a wooden doll with a disturbing resemblance to GreyMatter was positioned, ready to be the initial target of the tests.
One of the scientists adjusted a device with a lens in front of his face and connected three cables to the main machine. Small lasers emerged, cutting the doll with frightening precision. GreyMatter swallowed hard, trying to maintain his composure.
"Prepare the subject for dissection," ordered the lead scientist.
"Dissection? Seriously? You scientists have a weird obsession with that," said GreyMatter, trying to mask his fear with sarcasm. "You know, it's because of stuff like this that movies portray us as the good guys."
The scientists ignored him, tying him to the table as he struggled uselessly. As they began their preparations, one of them failed to notice a shadowy figure entering the room silently, knocking him out with a precise strike.
"Y-you don't even need to open me up! I'm great with detailed anatomical descriptions!" GreyMatter tried to negotiate, but the machine was about to activate.
Before the lasers could start cutting, Howell Wayneright emerged from the shadows and hit the lead scientist on the head with a fire extinguisher. The man fell to the ground, unconscious, as Howell revealed himself.
"What are you doing here?" asked GreyMatter, incredulous.
"Saving you," replied Howell, fiddling with the machine's controls.
GreyMatter watched skeptically as Howell tried to deactivate the restraints. With every second, it seemed more likely he would mess things up, but Howell, surprisingly, managed to free the alien's arms. Before they could escape, more scientists entered the room, carrying glass jars.
"Go back! You don't need this! Aliens... well, they're living beings too, right?" Howell shouted, improvising.
He quickly reactivated the machine, using the robotic arms to grab the scientists and lift them into the air. As they struggled to break free, Howell released the last restraints holding GreyMatter and carefully carried him.
"I hope this isn't another betrayal," murmured GreyMatter.
"Relax, little buddy," said Howell, trying to sound confident. But before they could leave, one of the scientists Howell had knocked out recovered, attacking him from behind and causing Howell to fall to the ground. GreyMatter was thrown from his hand, sliding away.
Howell, even dazed, grabbed the scientist's ankle and pulled him down, allowing GreyMatter to escape down the hallway. Running aimlessly, the alien ended up colliding with something—or someone.
He looked up, fearing the worst, but felt relieved to see Max and Gwen. Gwen, still panting and visibly exhausted, was wearing her new Lucky Girl outfit, while Max held a sword in one hand and a laser gun in the other.
"Finally found you, GreyMatter," said Max with relief. "Let's get out of here before the Forever Knights find us."
"Ow!" whined GreyMatter, rubbing his cheek. "How does that hurt when you're so small?"
"Let's save that for after we get out of here," said Lucky Girl urgently.
GreyMatter and the others silently agreed and retreated the way they came, entering another hallway between a pair of suits of armor. They paused for a moment as a group of security guards ran past before slipping into a side corridor. Unfortunately, another group of guards was heard at the end of the hall. Max quickly opened the nearest door, gesturing for Ben and Lucky Girl to enter, closing it behind them as the guards passed.
The room was dark at first, but soon lights shone beneath their feet, spreading in a spiderweb pattern, revealing display cases with various machines and devices that seemed impossible to create with Earth's technology.
"Look at all this alien tech," said GreyMatter, amazed. His bulbous eyes gleamed as he analyzed the devices. "This is incredible! I doubt it's from Earth... but there's something strange about them. Every piece here could be extremely valuable and dangerous. Do these Forever Knights even know what they have?"
"I have a feeling they do," said Lucky Girl.
"We need to destroy this before they figure out how to use it," GreyMatter stated urgently.
Before they could act, the golden-masked leader of the Forever Knights entered the chamber, accompanied by half a dozen guards armed with advanced weapons. They brought with them Howell, dragged as a prisoner.
"Fan out and find them," ordered the leader. The soldiers began searching the area while two knights dragged Howell further inside.
Ben, Gwen, and Max crouched behind a massive machine in the center of the room. Lucky Girl looked at GreyMatter, who was deep in thought.
"Lucky Girl, grab that dilithium capacitor," ordered GreyMatter. "Grandpa Max, distract them. I can overload the devices here!"
Max fired a series of energy shots, buying time as Gwen collected the components GreyMatter had identified. However, one of the guards spotted Ben and Gwen.
"They're here!" shouted the guard.
Max faced the group but was outnumbered. GreyMatter, agile and small, hid inside the main machine, adjusting wires and connecting the devices. The system began to spin, building up energy.
"Get ready to run!" shouted GreyMatter.
The masked leader realized the plan and ordered his men to retreat, but left Howell behind as "payment."
Howell groaned weakly as he got up, shaking his head slightly, and looked at GreyMatter, surprised to find a small alien amidst all the chaos.
"Huh? Where did you come from?" asked Howell, confused.
"We don't have time for this!" GreyMatter muttered urgently. "Help me out of this before we all blow up!"
Howell blinked a few times, processing what was happening, but decided it wasn't the time for questions. Carefully, he began pulling GreyMatter's tiny hand free from the mechanism.
"Hold on, little guy," said Howell as he pulled harder.
After a few seconds of joint effort, they finally managed to free GreyMatter.
"Thank you!" said GreyMatter, relieved. "Now run! This thing is about to explode!"
Without hesitation, Howell picked up GreyMatter and placed him in his coat pocket. Together, they ran out of the storage room, through the hallway, and out the front doors. Howell barely managed to cross the last step before the machine's energy began circulating throughout the castle, causing it to implode into a miniature black hole.
When the dust settled, Howell took GreyMatter out of his pocket and looked at him, holding him in the palm of his hand.
"Okay, that was... surreal. You're some kind of alien genius, aren't you?" asked Howell.
"Yes, yes, I'm smart," GreyMatter replied impatiently. "Now, hand me over to them before something else goes wrong."
Howell nodded, walking over to where Max and Gwen were.
"I believe this belongs to you," said Howell, extending GreyMatter to Max.
Max carefully took the small alien and gave a slight smile. "Well, thank you for the help. It seems you pitched in quite a bit today."
Howell sighed and nodded. "Yeah, but I think I've had enough of aliens for a while. I'll go back to my normal life, far away from intergalactic stuff, thank you."
With a final nod, Howell walked away, leaving the Tennysons in peace.
"Finally!" exclaimed GreyMatter. "Grandpa, can you put me down and turn me back? Being small is useful sometimes, but I'm done for today."
Max lowered GreyMatter to the ground and gave the Omnitrix a light tap. "Let's see if this fixes it..."
After a few seconds, the Omnitrix glowed, and GreyMatter began transforming back into Ben. However, as soon as Ben was fully formed, the Omnitrix flashed red and emitted a small spark.
"Ah, great!" complained Ben, looking at the device. "It seems to be getting worse every day. This is definitely not my fault!"
Gwen crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. "Really, Ben? Because I remember you messing with the Omnitrix the other day.."
"Hey! I already said I was just trying to see how it worked!" retorted Ben, pointing at the faulty watch. "Besides, the problem is clearly in the system, not me."
Max placed a hand on Ben's shoulder, laughing lightly. "Come on, kids. We'll discuss this later. For now, we're all okay, and that's what matters."
The group began walking away from the explosion site as Ben continued muttering under his breath about the Omnitrix.
The golden-masked knight sat in his car, surrounded by several monitors glowing faintly inside the vehicle. The glow from the nearest screen illuminated the intricate details of his mask as he watched the footage of his mansion's destruction.
Even with the wreckage still smoldering, he didn't seem angry. In fact, there was an almost unsettling calm in his posture.
"Interesting..." he murmured, zooming in on the security camera footage. On the screen, Max Tennyson placed a small Greymatter on the ground before tapping the Omnitrix, transforming him back into Ben. He watched intently as the device on the boy's wrist absorbed every detail.
The knight leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms as he reflected.
"Was it good luck or bad luck?" he asked, more to himself than anyone else. "Good luck that we discovered that kid can turn into a Galvan, which could mean fascinating possibilities... or bad luck that we attracted Max Tennyson and the damn P.L.U.M.B.E.R.S to our doorstep after staying in the shadows for so long?"
His voice carried a mix of curiosity and irritation, like someone pondering the price of an unexpected opportunity.
He gestured to the driver, who remained motionless, awaiting orders. "Check Max Tennyson's movements over the past few months. We need to understand how they found us. And fast."
The driver nodded, immediately beginning to operate a tablet connected to the vehicle's system.
The golden knight turned his attention to the communication interface on one of the monitors, where the P.L.U.M.B.E.R.S symbol glowed. He pressed a few buttons and initiated a call.
"That mansion was supposed to be secure against any P.L.U.M.B.E.R.S infiltration," he said, his tone cold and calculated. "I want a full report on any information leaks. If there was a traitor, find out who it is. We can't afford another mistake like this."
On the other end of the line, a firm voice responded: "Understood, sir. The report will be in your hands within hours."
He ended the communication and turned his attention back to the monitor showing Ben transforming back into his human form.
"Whether it's luck or bad luck," he murmured, a smile forming beneath his mask, "this could be the start of something much bigger... for them and for us."