[5] Something Feels Off

Chapter 5: Something Feels Off

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I darted away from the gruesome scene, my XLR8 legs carrying me faster than human eyes could track. The world blurred around me in streaks of color as I ducked into a narrow alleyway between two brick buildings. Despite my alien form's enhanced physiology, my heart hammered against my ribs.

Magneto. Here. Why?

Magneto. Not some low-level thug or alien mercenary. A powerful mutant who could single-handedly take on the X-Men and the Avengers. A man who had leveled entire cities just to make a point. And he was here. In Washington D.C.

Magneto always was up to something big whenever he was in Washington DC, so I was worried. This wasn't some petty criminal or alien robot – this was a goddamn omega-level mutant terrorist with a body count in the thousands.

I’d watched movies where he was the bad guy, but watching it happen in real time? In movies, I knew he’d be defeated, but what about real life? This was different. This was terrifying. The chance was low, but what if he was after the Omnitrix? If… by any chance, he decided to come after the Omnitrix—could I defend myself?

Once hidden from view, I tapped the Omnitrix symbol on my chest. A flash of red light washed over me, and I felt my alien anatomy reconfigure back into human form—bones shortened, muscles reshaped, and the exoskeleton melted away.

The sudden absence of XLR8's power left me feeling unnervingly sluggish and vulnerable. "Shit, shit, shit," I muttered, peeking out from the alley to make sure nobody had followed me.

I needed to find Grandpa and Gwen. If Magneto was operating in DC, we were all in danger. The Rust Bucket might have been retrofitted with Plumber's tech, but it was still made of metal—practically a death trap with someone like Magneto around.

I sprinted out of the alley and down the street, scanning frantically for any sign of our RV. My lungs burned as I pushed myself, weaving through confused pedestrians who were all focused on the commotion in the distance.

Maybe I shouldn’t have returned to human form. I just wanted to save up the charge in case of emergencies, but it’d be useless if I couldn’t find the RV.

"The RV... where's the—"

That's when I spotted it – the familiar shape of the Rust Bucket parked half a block away. Gwen's face appeared in the side window, her eyes wide with alarm. She spotted me immediately and waved frantically, gesturing for me to hurry.

I rushed toward the vehicle, relief washing over me. As I approached, the door swung open with a familiar creak. I leaped inside, gasping for breath.

"What have you done, Ben?!" Grandpa Max's voice thundered through the confined space before I could catch my breath. His face was flushed with anger, and worry lines were etched deep around his eyes. He pointed at the flattened car out the window. “This is insane!”

"What?" I blinked, momentarily confused until it clicked. "Wait, you think I did that to those guys?"

"Two men crushed inside a vehicle right after you chased them? What am I supposed to think?" Grandpa's hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white.

"It's not me!" I threw my hands up in frustration. "The alien I turned into had super speed, not whatever did this. Do you guys forget I am not the only superpowered person in this country? Just go to the crowd there and ask!"

Grandpa stared at me, his expression shifting from anger to uncertainty. "What are you talking about?"

"It was Magneto," I said, the name hanging heavy in the air. "Or at least someone with his powers. Some old guy in a helmet crushed that car with a twist of his finger. A witness saw the whole thing."

Grandpa Max hesitated, glancing toward the chaos outside. His jaw clenched, his eyes scanning my face like he was looking for a lie. After a few seconds, the tension in his shoulders eased slightly as he processed my words.

He closed his eyes and let out a long, weary sigh. "I'm sorry, Ben. I jumped to conclusions." He ran a hand over his face. "I'll go check it out myself."

As Grandpa stepped outside, I slumped onto the small dining booth, the adrenaline finally wearing off. I hadn't noticed the slight tremble on my hands. I wasn’t used to seeing such grotesque deaths.

"That was... intense," I muttered, more to myself than to Gwen, who sat across from me. She stayed silent for a bit before putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Are you okay?" she asked quietly, studying my face with unusual concern.

"Yeah, just... caught off guard." I attempted a smile that probably looked more like a grimace. "Didn’t expect such gore on our little road trip. Plus, it's done by a world-class super criminal who I think is still in the city.”

"Did you actually see him?" Gwen leaned forward, her voice dropping to a whisper.

"No, just the aftermath." I shut my eyes, the image of those crushed bodies flashing unbidden behind my eyelids. "But the witness description... it has to be him since it mentioned a helmet. Unless someone with similar powers is trying to ruin his reputation."

We sat in uncomfortable silence for a moment, hand still on my shoulder. Then, to my surprise, Gwen sat closer and moved her arm to hold my hands and squeeze them.

"Hey," she said softly, "you did good today. You saved that family from the fire. That counts for something. Don’t worry about the Magnetto situation. We’ll figure something out."

The unexpected kindness from my usually snarky cousin left me momentarily speechless. It made me take a better look at her. She really was worried. Her beautiful face, etched with concern for me, was touching.

Before I could formulate a response, the RV door opened again, and Grandpa Max climbed back inside, his expression grim.

"Well?" I asked, straightening up.

"You were right." Grandpa settled into the driver's seat with a heavy sigh. "Multiple witnesses described the same thing – an elderly man in a red helmet. One even recognized him as Magneto from news reports."

"So... what now?" Gwen asked.

"Well, first of all, I'm sorry I accused you, Ben." Grandpa turned to face us, his eyes sincere. "Of course, I knew you would never, but I thought you made an accident. I should have known better."

"It's fine," I mumbled, though part of me was still irritated at how quickly he'd assumed the worst.

"You did well today," he continued, echoing Gwen's sentiment from moments before. "Secondly, we have to stop this criminal, whoever did this. And since we initially came here to buy some groceries, let's do that first. Let’s stop by a nearby Walmart."

"Walmart?" I frowned. "How does that help with Magneto?"

"We need supplies if we're going to be tracking a dangerous mutant," Grandpa replied cryptically. "Plus, public places are good for gathering information. People talk."

"Makes sense," Gwen nodded. "I could use some new notebooks anyway."

"Wait, we're actually going after Magneto?" I asked, feeling a little worried about them. "Shouldn't we leave this to the X-Men or something?"

When I was trembling earlier, it wasn't because I was scared of Magneto. I was scared that if we got involved with him, he'd flatten the truck and hurt Gwen and Grandpa.

However…

If they were willing to hunt him down, I wasn't going to say no.

“I’m sorry if you feel pressured, Ben. But you have an incredibly powerful device on your wrist,” Grandpa started the engine, his eyes meeting mine in the rearview mirror. "Sometimes you have to face the danger in front of you. Especially when you have the tools to make a difference."

The Omnitrix felt suddenly heavier on my wrist as Grandpa pulled the RV away from the curb, heading toward the nearest superstore.

****

The florescent lights of Walmart buzzed overhead as I stood mesmerized before a glass display case.

Inside, arranged in neat rows, sat the limited edition Sumo Slammer Deluxe Card Collection—holographic covers gleaming under the display lights.

I couldn't believe my eyes.

"...Holy shit, they have the platinum edition," I whispered, pressing my face against the glass like a kid at a candy store.

The foil-stamped cards glinted with each subtle movement of my head, showing different angles of Ishiyama in his signature battle stance.

Grandpa wasn't here, busy finding supplies. So I was enjoying my time.

"You're not a kid anymore, can't you stop obsessing over it?"

I turned to find Gwen standing behind me, arms crossed and eyebrows raised in a judgmental way. By now, it was her signature look.

"Hey, Sumo Slammers is a classic. You won't understand." I said, straightening up and attempting to look casual. "Besides, these are collector's items. So they'll be worth something someday."

"Right," Gwen rolled her eyes. "Just like those baseball cards you swore would pay for college? The ones rotting in your closet?"

"That was different," I muttered as I shot her a flare. "Besides, I don't see you giving up your nerdy physics forums."

"Hey, stupid, physics has real-world applications?? Giant men in diapers slapping each other? Not so much."

"It's a mawashi, not a diaper," I corrected her. "And the stories explore complex themes of honor and—"

Gwen grumbled and shoved her phone in my face, cutting me off mid-sentence. "I don't care. Just saw this video right now. It's that dude who was recording the car crash back there. This is you, right?"

The video showed me talking to the guy who was talking about Magneto while recording the destroyed car. I was in my alien form, of course.

"Oh yeah, that's me. That alien is called XLR8, he's super fast." I couldn't keep the pride from my voice.

Gwen's expression flattened. "...XLR8? Seriously? Sounds like a rejected brand of energy drink."

I huffed, crossing my arms defensively. "Sounds like you're jealous.”

"Yuck." She said. "This is why you never had a girlfriend, Ben. We girls don't like a guy who's too fast… specially if he has a bad naming sense. Try to do better, and maybe you'll get a girl."

"Oh shut up," I scowled and then had an idea to taunt her. "Just watch. I'm gonna seduce girls, bring her to the RV, and ruin your bedsheets. I'll see how you sleep at night.”

She grabbed her stomach and burst out laughing. “You? Bring a girl to the RV under grandpa's nose? Did the meteorite hit your head and damage your brain?”

I laughed back at her. “Oh, Gwen, you’re so idiotic for a nerd. If you really think I can't get a girl despite being a super—"

The rest of my retort died in my throat as an explosive crash shook the entire store. The wall to our right shattered, sending debris and merchandise flying across the aisle.

Through the newly created hole bounded a massive frog. By massive, I meant crazy hig. It was easily the size of a small car, and it had an old man perched on its back.

My body moved before my brain could catch up. I positioned myself in front of Gwen, arms spread wide in a protective stance as dust and plaster rained down around us.

The old man sitting atop the giant amphibian had wild white hair that stood up like he'd stuck his finger in an electrical socket. His lab coat was tattered and stained with unidentifiable substances, and a pair of cracked red goggles rested on his forehead.

I recognized him instantly—Dr. Aloysius Animo. I had kind of expected him since I recalled he was part of this episode too, but…

Something was off. He didn't have his trademark mind-control headgear or any visible technology. Yet, he was controlling the frog. He also had an odd aura about him.

Something told me his presence here might not be unrelated to Magneto.

The giant frog's throat bulged as it let out a deep, wet croak that rattled the shelves around us. Customers screamed and scattered, diving behind displays or rushing for exits.

Animo surveyed the chaos with detached interest before his gaze settled on us. "Kids," he said, his voice surprisingly ordinary for someone who'd just crashed through a wall on a mutant frog. "Where's the pet section?"

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