Chapter 2: 2. Mission
It is a fanfic and I do not own DC or Ben 10 elements and characters.
*****
A golden trail dragged behind a meteor.
"Hm, there is a meteor on the sky," A young man spoke onto his flip phone.
"I can, Zion. And don't change the subject, why did you take the car?" The voice came from the phone.
"I wanted to ride it," the young man replied.
He turned to look out the window, his eyes scanning the wheat field that stretched. He was now stealing the car of his friend to escape from his backwater town to go to a city.
"But you don't have a license!" The voice snapped at him.
"Ah c'mon, you know why I stole your car," Young man, known as Zion, snapped back.
"We already had this conversation! I know that you are bored about the stagnant state of Heavenfield but it is safer here than those high tower city," The voice explained in a tired voice.
"I know, I know. But I want something more, spice in my daily life. All my days are just a repeated of the day before," Zion replied.
He understood that his home was safe but his heart yearned for more, he wanted an adventure. He wanted the thrill of the unknowns, a calling of the danger.
Seeing that his friend wouldn't listen, the voice changed tactics. "Zion, I am not going to say anything about you going to a city but bring the car back. I need it! Get a car for yourself if you want to go to a city!"
This instantly worked. "Uhhh," Zion groaned and hit the breaks.
[Tires screeching sounds]
The car screeched to a stop.
"My tire better not be burned, Zion!" the voice said.
"Yeah yeah, your precious car's safe," Zion's voice oozed with sarcasm.
Zion didn't want to take the car away after his friend said he needed it. He never liked borrowing someones stuff. It didn't sit well with him, exactly like how he doesn't like to share his own. He only borrowed the car today because he couldn't take the boring town anymore.
"Yes, it is my precious car," the voice said, "Come back, now. Pastor asked us to deliver some milk to orphanage for the service tomorrow."
With that, as if knowing Zion would return, they call cut with a beep.
"AHHHHH," Zion groaned in frustration.
He leaned back on the seat as he felt his energy leak away. He could see the outline of the city in the distance. He could just step on the gas and reach there before sundown, his dream was within his grasp but he couldn't. He was indebted to that boring place.
Zion arrived at the church doorstep one fateful day. An abandoned baby, whose parents couldn't take care of him. He was taken in by the compassionate pastor who found him that day. Growing up in the church orphanage, Zion's childhood was marked by the comforting routines of daily prayers and the camaraderie of fellow orphans.
However, the color of his skin, a beautiful chestnut brown, and his mixed Asian heritage made him stand out in a predominantly homogeneous community. This made his stay a bit difficult as those who are different always face discrimination.
But amides these difficulties, Zion found solace in his friendship with a kind-hearted boy name Mark. Mark had a gift for making others feel valued and included, and he never judged Zion. Their friendship became something he cherished in his life.
But as he grew older, his feelings toward the town where church orphanage was located became more complex. On one hand, he cherished the close-knit community and the memories he had made within the church's walls. On the other hand, he couldn't shake the sense that the town was too small and limited. He found himself yearning for something more, an adventure beyond the familiar streets and Daily routines.
As Zion's yearning for adventure and the city grew stronger, he found himself at odds with his friend Mark, who had a completely different outlook on their hometown. While Zion saw the town as limiting and mundane, Mark cherished the tight-knit community, the familiar faces, and the sense of belonging that the town offered.
Their contrasting desires didn't diminish their friendship, but it did lead to heartfelt discussion and debates. Mark, in his genuine way, expressed how much he valued the town's simplicity and the connections they had formed over the years. He believed that there was beauty in the routine, in knowing every corner and every person by name.
Zion struggled to reconcile his own aspirations with Mark's contentment. He admired Mark's ability to find joy in what he viewed as a small world, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he was meant for something beyond.
While Zion was talking a walk down the memory lane, he noticed that the sky was brightening up. Curious, he got down from the car to gaze at the sky, only to see the light in the sky getting bigger and brighter. Zion understood that the meteor had turned and was coming towards him but instead of panicking, he stood their, mesmerized as if a spell was cast on him.
In the mesmerized state, Zion extended his left hand toward the rushing light, his moments rigid like a mannequin. He stood their until the meteor fell on him, but instead of a flaming rock hitting earth and creating a fiery crater, a golden light washed over him. When the light settled, Zion stood in place without moving.
Zion, who was in daze, slowly recovered, now filled with eons of memories, experiencing them all in but a split second. His eyes widened as his lips twitching as they curled up. With a broke smile, he looked down at his left wrist. His former empty wrist now had a watch attached to it.
The watch resembled a digital wristwatch. Its faceplate resembling a octagon but more like a square with black, white and gold color scheme. The faceplate black with two gold stripes forming an outline for hourglass and extending to the strap and around, connecting back. The watches hourglass shaped hummed with golden light before turning black
Zion looking at the watch, he knew what it was. It was Omnimatrix or Omnitrix, created by a Galvan scientist named Azmuth. It was the best of his creation, made to bring peace and harmony to the universe. But the one he was wearing now was different from the real Omnitrix even though it resembled one.
Zion then looked up to the sky, his smile widening into a grin. He now knew his purpose and his place in this universe. Even though his memory bank had expanded to an unimaginable level, his core personality and memories were retained, not changing one bit of his character. The new memories were storied like a fleeting dream not colliding with his core memories.
He was still the small town boy who want to go to the big city, just the void of purpose had been filled.
Now knowing what he need to do, Zion got into the car and turned back to Heavenfield. He still need to deliver the milk to the orphanage, which is just a bunch of bull his friend spouted to bring him back.
***
It took about an hour for Zion to return.
Seeing the 'Welcome back to Heavenfield' sign, a small smile crept up his lips. Even though he repeatedly said that he hated this small town, he still hiddenly loved it. With the car rushing into the town, Zion could already see that chapel tower in the middle of the city.
He could also see his annoying friend standing outside the church, clearly waiting for him. When his friend noticed the car coming, he looked at Zion and gave him a knowing smile. To which he scowled in annoyance.
He gently parked the car in front of the church but he didn't rush to get out. Seeing his friend not getting out and was still annoyed, Mark walked to the side and knocked on the car window. Zion begrudgingly rolled down the window. Mark propped himself on the window and looked at his angry friend.
"How was your ride?" Mark asked.
Zion scowled at Mark's remarks, clearly being poked on sore spot.
"What do you think?" Zion asked through gritted teeth.
Seeing his friend clearly frustrated at the fact that he had to return, Mark tried to sooth him, "I know, Zion, that you are trying to find your purpose but leaving your family to go to city where you don't know anyone, feels like a total pain to me."
"I wanted to see, you know, the world outside of this small town," Zion lowered his head, his anger fading away, only leaving a small frustration.
"You can but not in my car. So, now get down. You won't win sympathy from me, I know all your acts," Mark smiled as he hit Zion back.
Zion lifted his head and looked a Mark, his eyebrows furrowed, "I will and in my own car." Saying that he quickly got out of the car, letting Mark take it.
"How will you do it, my friend?" Mark asked as got in car.
"I will build it on my own. On to the junkyard, I go," Zion spoke and walked in the direction of the junkyard.
"Do you even know how to make one?" Mark chuckled at his friends antics.
"I will learn," Zion barked back and walked away.
Mark just shook his head before he reversed his car out of the church. He will finish his job first and talk with his friend later. Mark knew Zion so well, so much so he knew that Zion doesn't hold grudges for long, not with him at least.
But Mark didn't notice that Zion had something that will help him in his quest to freedom.
***
-A week later-
"Mark, How you doing kid?," A raspy, old voice said.
Mark turned his gazed to look at the old man who called him, he was Mr. John, the owner of the junkyard. The guy wore a worn, oil-stained work jacket adorned with patches and frayed edges, and a faded cap perched atop his silver hair. His eyes, though tired, held a glint of wisdom. He approached Mark with a warm smile of a grandfather.
Mark smiled back. "I am doing just fine, Uncle John."
Uncle John was one of the oldest member of the church who used to visit the orphanage often, that's the reason most in the orphanage call him uncle John. He was one of the warmest people on town.
John approached Mark and gave him a hard pat on his back before he continued, "What brings you to my Treasury?"
"Well, a grumpy friend of mine have been lost for a week now and all I know is that he has been here," Mark answered with a sigh.
He didn't think that his friend would try to build a car just so he could leave. He thought Zion was just talking in anger, like all the time before. Like usual, he thought his friend would return, but to his surprise, Zion was absent the whole week, even for the Sunday service.
So, today he try to locate him by asking around, only to find that Zion was still in the junkyard. He came to sooth his friend and take him back home, with some tasty burgers, of course. Zion is the type of person you just need to feed to make them listen.
"That kid again, huh," John exclaimed as he finally remembered, "Yes, that lad has been staying here for the past seven days. He hasn't even been going out to eat much. When I asked him what he was doing even without eating, he answered that he was building a car to leave this boring town. So Mark, I know the kid from young, tell what happened?"
Mark just sighed heavily before answering, "Well uncle, I kinda told him that he could leave the town if he were to have his own car. He took my car to leave and I had to... you know."
"I understand," John gave Mark a pat on the back, "But you should let him go, Mark. Zion has grown up, he is not the crybaby friend you have to protect anymore."
Mark just smiled at John as a response.
"And I think you better let him go. I feel like he is almost to the point of breaking down. I have been hearing unholy laughter echoing through out the junkyard all night. I gives me goosebumps every time I remember it," John said a hint of fear visible on his face.
The last seven night was trial of faith for the man. He felt like the devil was testing his faith. He even went to ask the pastor to prey for him.
Mark's smile cracked seeing the fear in John's face, he didn't know what to feel, "I will check on him," He assure John before he walked into the junkyard with the bag of burgers.
"Okay." John replied before he left Mark to his duty.
Mark felt the cold and murky atmosphere of junkyard even more after the seeing the fear on John's face. His moments became unknowingly stiff as he traveled further in. Soon Mark started to hear the sound of metals colliding from the deepest parts of the junkyard. Following the sound of the noise, he arrived at an area where a car was with many parts were laying around.
"ZION!" Mark called toward where the noise was coming from.
The sound stopped immediately at his call, the junkyard became deadly still and silent, increasing the fear in Marks heart. Mark started to feel increasingly nervous due to the deadly silence.
"Mark?" A voice came from the back of the car followed by a head, where the noise was coming from.
Mark visibly relaxed as he saw his friend walk out with a welding mask above his face. Zion was wearing a greased white long sleeve t-shirt and torn black jeans. His eyes were red with black lines covering his eyelids. He looked like a person on deaths door.
Seeing his friends state, Mark threw the bag of burgers to Zion. Zion caught the bag and immediately drooled at the smell of food, his stomach protested with a bestial growl.
"Thanks, Mark," Zion thanked as he threw the dirty gloves and opened the bag to get a burger.
"What were you doing?" Mark asked, a bit of frustration in his voice.
"What do you mean?... God, thank you for the food. This is so good," Zion chomped down on his food.
"What were you doing here? You didn't even attend the Sunday service and I haven't seen you for the past week, if not for knowing that you were in the junkyard, I would have filed a missing person case," Mark was angered by Zions demeanor.
"What? Its been a week...I didn't know," Zion shrugged as he took another burger from the bag.
At Zion's answer, Mark just gave him an angry glare.
"Okay okay, I know that I messed up. I forgot about time while I was building this baby," Zion tried to change the subject by showing his car.
The car he had been building for the last few days with some help from his new 'tool'. The car had a polished metal shine as it wasn't painted yet but the mechanics inside the car was done and upgraded with the help of Jury Rigg, Grey Matter, and Upgrade to optimizing.
Those three were proven to be deadly combo in building the car which was more of a war tank than a car at this point. The car only looked shabby on the out side as Zion wanted to be subtle with appearances. He didn't want his car to scream, 'I AM HIGH TECH, COME STEAL ME"
He didn't want any of those crazy scientists to eyes his car and try to kidnap it. He would need to go though a pain of dismantling their organization if that were to happen.
"Did you make this?" Mark looked inside the silver car.
The car looked well made for something put together with junkyard part. The car looked like a MINI Cooper, but with its unfinished job it just looked like a metal construct. Even though the car's outsides were unfinished, the insides were exquisite with leather seats with golden lines running though them, a hard black steering wheel.
"Yep, first I wanted to make the all mighty 'Truck-kun' but I don't have enough omniversal power to bring him into existence," Zion clenched his hand in frustration.
"What are you rambling about? And I still can't believe you are even capable of building this car, no offense but you are not the best tool in the shed," Mark said as he turned to Zion.
"Hey!" Zion kicked Mark lightly, "I only do thing when I want to and If I want to. If its something I wanted to, I give it my all."
Mark just dusted his jeans before he looked into Zions eyes.
"What?" Zion asked chewing the burger.
"You really are stubborn about leaving," Mark sighed.
"Hmm, mmm *gulp* I need to go now more than ever, I have something to accomplish instead of some childish dream," Zion replied as he gulp the burger.
Mark just raised his eyebrows at his words, because Zion was acting weird.
"What happened, Zion?" Mark asked, his tone demanding truth.
Zion looked at Mark, he knew that his friend is not going to be convinced by any bullshit he spouts.
"Things have changed, Mark. I have been given a mission to complete now. To do it, I have to leave this town," Zion said as he looked seriously into Mark's eyes.
"What mission? From whom?" Mark thought that Zion got pulled into some shady business by bad people.
"From a higher being, to cleanse the world of evil," Zion replied with a mystery to it.
"Zion," Mark called, his voice serious as it could get, "What happened? Who was it?" Mark was sure that Zion got deceived by some charlatan on the road.
"Mark, I wasn't deceived," Zion answered knowing what his friend thought, "I just received a gift from a senior from work."
"You don't work anywhere and you sleep at my house and eat my food," Mark folded his hand.
"Well, you haven't met him. You would love him if you had," Zion said, pulling his left sleeve, "He gave me this."
Mark looked at the white watch with gold and black lines running though it. The watch looked toy watch that doesn't show time. Mark just raised his eyebrow and gave a look at Zion that asked, 'What am I supposed to understand?"
"Look at this,"
Zion then pressed his fingers on the faceplate of the watch and circular hologram appeared above the watch, showing the faces of the different aliens in the Omnitrix. Zion then selected an OG alien in the watch. After selecting the alien, the faceplate slide up reveling the Omnitrix's core which Zion lightly pushed.
The watch sunk into his hands and a golden light flashed, turning him into a human torch. After a second the light died down, leaving a semi-armored Velociraptor. He had a black orb on his feet, a black tail with blue stripes, and bulky claws for his three fingers that can only open and close. A black cone-like helmet covered his head with a protective visor that slid down his face, which had green eyes, black lips, and stripes running under and in between his eyes. he wore a black bodysuit and turtleneck-like shirt.
Mark stumbled back in shock and fear, he couldn't comprehend what had happened to his friend. He could only see the alien Velociraptor.
"Zion?" Mark called, his voice shaking.
"Yep, its me," The helmet hummed with light before the visor rose back reveling the XlR8's face.
"WHat?... What? How?" Mark asked in shock.
"Its the Omnitrix, a high tech device that change my DNA into another," Zion explained, "Now, I am just taking one of those forms in the watch. This alien is super fast."
With that, the visor slid back and he vanished from the place leaving only an afterimage in his place. Then the next second a wind shock hit Mark causing him to stumble and when he turn to look, the car was fully painted with a black and gold scheme.
"See," Zion said as he arrived next to the shocked Mark.
"Wow!" Mark was just shocked. He didn't know what to say about his friend turning into dinosaur and moving super fast.
"I know, with this I could do things that was unimaginable before but I have also gained responsibilities," Zion said as he pressed the Omnitrix on his chest to change back.
Seeing that Zion changed back, Mark visibly relaxed. Zion put his had around Mark's shoulder and gave something to Mark. Mark looking at the thing in his hand looked at Zion with a questioning look.
"Don't say anything, It is non lethal. It fires electric pulse to knock out people," Zion explained about the gun on Mark's hands.
"But why would I need it?" Mark asked.
"I will be leaving and if the info from my seniors is correct, the world is about to became a hellhole where monsters and god-like beings will battle it out. I will go beat them to the right path while you protect this town," Zion explained.
Mark couldn't process the info Zion casually said. A fight of gods and demons that will turn the world to hell, what kind of apocalyptic novel is that.
"So, you are leaving to prevent those thing from happening?" Mark asked with a worried expression, still skeptical about it all.
Seeing the worried expression on his friends face, Zion gave an assured smile to his friend.
"It is dangerous, Zion, and I wouldn't have even believe you if you hadn't turned into an alien dinosaur. But I know that I can't stop you after you decide to do something but I just hope you don't straight up die," Mark said as his lips curled up.
"You little..." Zion tried to strangle Mark.
Mark quickly got out of Zions grasp and looked the gun in his grasp. The gun looked like a futuristic gun.
"So, how do you use this?"
*****
Add it to your library if you like it.
And I don't own anything other than my own character. So, Don't sue me for using your names like Pokémon and all.
It is really a pain to blur things you know, it take the joy out of it.