The Bridge.

3K 86 12
                                    

Ben was dumbfounded. One moment he was a multitude of small aliens with a vast amount of connected consciousness running all over London. The next moment he was back in the very room he and Mikoto had just escaped from and he was a human again. It wasn't a dream he could tell. For one thing, the door was still blasted off the hinges from EchoEcho's sonic attack, and the three nuns in the room with him were still nursing bruises from having been stampeded over by over a thousand mini amplifiers. What in the world happened? Ben thought back. He and Mikoto had finally gained the upper hand on Tsuchimikado and his pals when the entire station had suddenly glowed extremely bright. Suddenly he and Mikoto were back where they started, enjoying all the comforts of a safe house prison.

"Whoo, you really had us there Monster Kid." Tsuchimikado was sitting at a chair by the desk."I was actually expecting you to use Humungousaur* back there! But instead you used the power of strategy to outnumber us and totally take us by surprise."

Ben could only stutter. "Wha-what? How?"

Mikoto on the other hand just sat there next to Ben with an extremely confused expression on her face. She opened her mouth and closed it again, then she opened her mouth and closed it again.

"How do you like our space distortion spell?" Tsuchimikado said. "It instantly warps reality to our desire, but there's a limit to how much we can use it and how it can be used. However I think it did pretty well in ending our little test eh? Sparky Girl and Monster Kid."

"So I was right, you were playing us". Ben said with a slight edge in his voice. "So why did we need to be tested? What's your game?".

"Now now, Benjy". Tsuchimikado said with that ever familiar grin on his face. "Didn't I say all would be explained in time?"

"That was before you got us to rampage over London and cause mass panic".

Tsuchimikado chuckled. "No pain no gain, right? Good things sometimes have to come with a spectacular mess."

"Just....... tell .......us why ...........the heck we are here." Mikoto had finally come out of her shock and with each pause in her words the crackling electricity surrounding her grew larger and brighter.

Sensing the danger, Tauchimikado immediately cleared his throat. "So Benjy, Miss Misaka, have you ever heard of the enmity between science and magic?"

Ben and Mikoto looked at each other for a moment. To be rather honest, Ben's grandfather, though he might have explained about Necessarius and other unusual occurrences, had never told Ben anything about an ongoing conflict between science and magic. Mikoto on the other hand...

" It's because science and magic are opposites right? So they are natural enemies."

Tsuchimikado clapped his hands."Very good Sparky. The thing is, what I said about the alien mercenaries were actually part true. We do intend to keep them away from you as much as possible. But we also want Bens help taking down the master mind. Problem is, once you enter the world of magic from the church, well it's not easy to get out. We wanted to make sure you could take it."

"Why me specifically," Ben asked. "What about me is so special that it involves magic?"

"What about you is so special that it involves magic AND science." Tsuchimikado corrected. "You see Ben, that Omnitirix of yours is more than just something that gives you a change of face once in a while. Because it contains the DNA of every intelligent being in this galaxy, you encompass both worlds".

"I don't understand."

"Think about it this way Benjy: While some of your aliens are able to use abilities that are solely based on mere adaptation there are others that are completely dependent on magic. Take your grandmother Verdona* for instance, she's a Annodite completely comprised of Mana. Mana is a form of magic that depends on life energy. The DNA of beings like that are inside your Omnitrix. Than there's the indisputable fact that the Omnitrix is the greatest invention of the smartest scientific mind in 5 galaxies."

Ben looked like he was about to have a miniature brain blow out, but he got the gist of what Tsuchimikado was saying.

"So what your saying is that I'm like some sort of bridge because of the Omnitrix."

Tsuchimikado grinned. "So close Benjy! Your not just A bridge, you're THE bridge. There is no one else as connected to both worlds. Whether there ever will be anything like it in the future, who knows? Point is, your a valuable tool to both Academy city and Necessarius, the oldest ever formed alliance between science and magic."

"So that's what he is now?" Mikoto was sparking again. "A 'tool'? Ben isn't some handy wrench you can use at your own leisure you self centered doof! If you want his help ask him, don't go kidnapping us and thrusting him into some ridiculous test!"

"Mikoto......" Ben didn't know what to say. He had only known this girl a maximum of four days and she was defending him like an old friend.

Tsuchimikado sighed. "You do know I'm just stating the opinion of my superiors right? To be perfectly honest I kind of agree with you, using people is not something I particularly enjoy. But you two actually don't have a choice. If you want to survive, you will need cooperation from both science and magic sides."

"Survive what?" Ben asked.

" A second Alliance between science and magic." Tsuchimikado said his glasses flashing.

" You mean another alliance besides the one between Academy City and Necessarius?"

Tsuchimikado nodded. "The union between Academy City and Necessarius was formed primarily to ensure peace between the two sides. However this new alliance seems to have a very different goal. For some reason they seem to be after dear sparky over here, and you got caught up in it. And to make things more complicated, they were somehow able to contact alien mercenaries."

"So whose in this alliance?" Mikoto asked.

"A cult we believe to be called The Fist of Cthulhu." The nun called Agnese said. "And a company that was originally thought to have failed, Radiowave."

Mikoto suddenly looked like she had seen a ghost. "No, that's impossible, you don't mean...?"

"Yeah, " Tsuchimikado said grimly. "The very same company that helped fund the Radio Noise project."

Mikoto started breathing very hard. She stood up only to collapse. Ben caught Mikoto before she could injure herself. "Mikoto!? What's wrong? What's Radio Noise?!"

Mikoto just shook her head. "I'm sorry Ben, I'm not ready to say just yet. I promise I'll tell you some day but now....." Mikoto took a deep breath.

"Don't worry too much," Tsuchimikado said. "It may be the same buildings and tech, but it's not the same guys who funded the Radio Noise Project. The company was bought out by a guy named by a guy called Al Galvan. No one knows what he looks like since he's never been seen in public."

"Wait, did you say Al Galvan?" Said Ben with dawning recognition.

Tsuchimikado nodded

"Darn, I can't believe he's still using that same stupid alias!!!" Ben said shaking his head.

"You know this guy?" Tsuchimikado looked a little shocked.

Ben gave everyone a serious look. "Let's just say we share a certain resemblance."

*Humungousaur is Ben 10s Vaxisaurian form. Humungousaur is a 16 ft dinosaur man with super strength, a tough body, and the ability to grow up to 60 ft tall.

*Verdona is an Annodite who met Ben's Grandpa Max during his Plumber days. Verdona became the mother of both Ben's uncle and father and therefore Ben's grandmother. Strangely enough, Ben's cousin Gwen is the only Tennyson to ever inherit their grandmother's powers over mana.

A Certain Powerful Omnitrix. (とある パワ の Omnitrix)Where stories live. Discover now