NOVEL NEXT Chapter 8: Checkmate! I win!
"At last." A massive yellow-armored being gazed at the barren line he had dug around the wildfire zone to contain the blaze. Sure, there might have been a better way to put out a wildfire — but letting it burn everything within the boundary… just worked and was the only viable solution he could think of… Heatblast couldn't just absorb fire like in the saga… it wasn't logical in the first place… too bad… every plant, insect, and small animal inside was doomed.
The Omnitrix symbol on his torso identified him as Ben Tennyson. He'd transformed into Armodrillo again, just like the day before, to quickly dig containment lines around the fire. Though first, he'd used another transformation to regenerate his limbs, reducing his transformation time.
His eyes scanned the surroundings. 'I feel… that I have less than two minutes before I turn back to human. What do I do with him?'
Against a nearby tree lay the unconscious form of Captain Nemesis — or what remained of him; his missing arm served as a stark reminder of their fierce battle. He wore only his black bodysuit now, while pieces of his orange metallic powersuit lay scattered across the burning zone like confetti.
'Better wake him up and knock him out again than risk him waking during the time-out.' Armodrillo watched Nemesis carefully. 'He's unarmed, but—' His thought cut short as he caught the slight twitch of Nemesis's hand (the obviously remaining one). 'Let's knock him out.'
The bulky alien strode toward his fallen opponent.
"FREEZE, TEN BENNYSON!" Nemesis picked up a device from behind him — a detonator, its red button already under his thumb.
Ben froze, hearing only the roar of the contained wildfire. "You had nothing on you. How—?"
"Awake the whole time. You think that beating was enough? I survived Computron and his entire army alone. Your little teleportation trick — or whatever it was — just caught me off guard." He shook the device with a smirk. "Lucky I stashed this nearby… Now hand over that watch, or else!"
"Else… what? What exactly does this detonator trigger?" Ben's voice remained casual. 'One minute left. No matter what happens, I NEED TO DEAL WITH IT.'
If he were human, sweat would have been streaming down his face. Fortunately, Armodrillo's mechanical features couldn't betray emotion — though his green eyes flickered with barely contained emotion.
"Several bombs underneath your bus… or what's the term? RV? Motor Home? Anyway, if I press this button, the old man who should be your grandfather and the girl who should be your cousin will die." The declaration hit Ben like ice water. This wasn't something he could handle in a straightforward manner.
Nemesis continued.
"If you're wondering, I was torn between killing you or just kidnapping you. Not that I have any reservations about murder, but we are strangers after all." Nemesis's voice dripped with cruel amusement. "I planted the explosives right after your lights went out. Then you wandered out of the vehicle, and… well, you know the rest. And…"
Ben ignored Nemesis's continued monologue. 'Thirty seconds left. Less if I transform again — maybe just seconds.'
"Oh, and…" Nemesis pressed the button but kept his thumb firmly in place. "Just to be on the safe side. If this is released, then THEY EXPLODE!"
Despite his racing heart, Ben's mind remained focused, the adrenaline helping him stay clear-headed. Seconds stretched into eternity. He wasn't a genius, and he had no plan, but he knew exactly which alien he needed. He slammed his metallic hand against the dial at his torso, making Nemesis flinch as green light flooded the area.
"If you destroy the detonator or my thumb releases, IT WILL GO OFF!" Nemesis screamed, squinting his eyes.
The exposed brain of an orange crablike alien began to charge with electricity. Its codename was Brainstorm.
'Four seconds remaining… Child's play. This transformation is quite fascinating, really. It's almost as if my superior intellect has been unleashed, affecting my thought process, making me less worried about everything. I wonder, what drives Dr. Psychobos to seek to be the greatest mind? Not that it matters.'
'3.90 seconds remaining. Now that I have this transformation, I can finally tackle the really important questions. Is a soup a drink or a dish?'
'3.80 seconds remaining. Let's analyze it. Is the definition of a drink something that we drink? Then a soup should be considered a drink.'
'3.70 seconds remaining. However, some soups have solid, undrinkable objects in them. Does that make them a drink? Additionally, some drinks also have solid, undrinkable objects in them. It's an interesting paradox.'
'3.60 seconds remaining. We usually eat/drink a soup with a spoon, like a dish, and not like a drink.'
'3.50 seconds remaining. Most restaurants list soups as a dish, not a drink. But that's just a human convention.'
'3.40 seconds remaining. I'm not bound by those conventions, though. I can see the issue from multiple angles.'
'3.30 seconds remaining. Hmm… I forgot something… Ah yes, Nemesis. I should act quickly, only my brain runs in superspeed.'
'3.20 seconds remaining. Given my current limitations in power mastery and knowledge, I've devised a single viable plan based on instinctual knowledge.
Success rate: 100%.
Failure is never an option for a mind like mine. Fortunately, the transformation's light blinded Nemesis. Without that advantage, the odds might have been hypothetically closer to 50%, not that I'd ever truly be at risk of failure.'
Brainstorm's brain fully crackled with electricity before releasing a precise stream forward — far from a mindless attack.
In real time, Nemesis barely opened his eyes before electricity coursed through his body, like thousands of needles piercing his slightly carbonized skin.
'I can't move!'
Five beeps pierced the air over three seconds before a final, blinding red flash. Completely paralyzed, Nemesis couldn't even twitch his eyelids at the annoying flash. Ten Bennyson approached, but his face showed no smugness — only pity.
"...You only have yourself to blame, Nemesis."
Why did he begin with that?
"I think the exact term used should be muscle contraction, muscle paralysis or muscle something, an instinct that Brainstorm has to chase and protect itself. I caused it your entire body, but obviously, I couldn't be bothered to learn the limits of a human body, so I had to use all my charge to stop you.
I don't know the full extent of your current damage, but at least there shouldn't be any internal organ failure. However, your whole body might be unusable forever…"
Nemesis's pupils contracted — the only movement his body could still manage.
The teenager paused, then added:
"I didn't think it was possible — you'd already hit rock bottom in my esteem, but somehow you found a shovel and kept digging."
No movement came from Nemesis; only tears dripped from his eyes. Of course, he wasn't crying from Ben's comment but from his complete paralysis — and the audacity of his tormentor to blame him for it. He remained still as a statue, or more accurately, a water fountain.
"I won't call for a hospital. Whether you die or not has nothing to do with me. You really need a hero now." Ben walked away. "Kind of ironic to have chosen the path of freedom only to no longer have it."
…
'I lied… HAHAHAHAHAHA! IT WASN'T A DEAD MAN'S SWITCH, JUST A SIMPLE BUTTON! YOU DIDN'T HEAR ANYTHING BECAUSE OF THE FIRE, BUT I FELT IT — THE VIBRATIONS WHEN I PRESSED IT! THEY EXPLODED! THEY ARE IN PIECES! THEY ARE EVERYWHERE! THEY ARE DEAD! DEAD! DEAD! DEAD! DEAD! DEAD! DEAD! DEAD! DEAD! DEAD! YOU CLAIMED YOU DIDN'T WANT TO BE A HERO? FINE! I BELIEVE YOU NOW! I MADE SURE OF IT! THEY WERE ALREADY DEAD WHEN YOU PARALYZED ME, KID! ALL YOUR EFFORT, ALL YOUR POWER — MEANINGLESS! YOU COULDN'T SAVE ANYONE!'
Tears of joy streamed down Carl Nesmith's paralyzed face — the only movement his body could still manage. In his frozen state, this twisted ecstasy was all he had left.
'Checkmate! I win!'
Win what? Only Nemesis knew…
…ah no… even he didn't.