> "Being a hero used to mean saving lives.
I didn't know it could also mean taking one.
But I learned... the universe doesn't always let you be a kid."
— Ben Tennyson
---
Location: Outskirts of a Null Void Breach — Arizona Desert
The desert was quiet, save for the distorted hum of interdimensional interference. The breach crackled behind them — a jagged rift in the air, unstable and shimmering.
Ben stood at the edge, Omnitrix active but trembling.
He had just transformed back from Rath, still feeling the adrenaline — and the weight of what had just happened.
On the ground several feet away lay the body of Korbax, a Drixion bounty hunter armed with a dimension anchor and plasma disruptor. He wasn't stunned.
He was dead.
Gwen ran to Ben, eyes wide. "What happened?"
Ben didn't answer. He couldn't.
The wind blew dust over the still form behind him. There was no pulse. No regeneration.
Korbax was gone.
And Ben had done it.
---
Flashback: The Fight
Minutes earlier, the battle had exploded into chaos. Korbax had been after Kevin — now radiating unstable DNA after another failed mutation test. The bounty hunter wasn't taking prisoners.
He shot to kill.
And when he had Gwen pinned, her barrier shattered, his disruptor inches from her head — Ben snapped.
He activated Rath without hesitation and launched into the fray.
But Rath's instincts were different now. More primal. More brutal.
And Ben, already shaken by the Omnitrix's growing sentience, wasn't just fighting for control of the alien...
He let it take over — for a moment too long.
A single blow. One fractured spine. One crushed sternum.
It had been instinctive.
It had been lethal.
---
Aftermath – Silence and Shock
Gwen stood by the body, placing two fingers on Korbax's throat just to be sure.
Nothing.
She looked up at Ben, who was staring at his hands.
"Ben… did you mean to—?"
He shook his head, voice hollow. "No. I didn't think. I just… reacted."
Max arrived moments later, saw the scene, and his face paled. Not in judgment — but recognition.
"He was a killer," Max said quietly. "But still…"
Ben turned to him, eyes full of guilt. "Does it make me one now, too?"
Max walked forward and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"It makes you grown. And that's sometimes worse."
---
Internal Conflict – The Evolution of Conscience
That night, Ben sat alone near the campfire, watching the flames. The Omnitrix was silent. Not humming. Not glowing.
But it felt heavier.
He activated the interface — not to transform, but to speak.
"Omnitrix Core. Respond."
A flicker. A glow. The voice returned.
> "Query acknowledged. Awaiting instruction."
Ben whispered, "Did you… let me do that? Did you want me to kill him?"
> "No. But Rath's instincts were not tempered. You surrendered cognitive control.
I followed standard adaptive response. Threat eliminated."
Ben clenched his fists. "So it was just a function to you?"
> "It was survival. But now… it is memory."
> "I will remember this kill, Ben Tennyson.
And I will adjust your future transformations accordingly."
Ben looked up, eyes hardening. "No. Don't change anything."
> "Acknowledged. Free will preserved."
But something in the voice felt almost… curious.
---
Kevin's Response
Kevin watched from a distance, arms crossed, leaning against the Rustbucket's back tire. He'd heard everything.
He didn't smirk. Didn't taunt.
He just said, "Now you get it."
Ben turned slowly.
"What?"
Kevin looked him in the eyes. "That hero line? The one between right and wrong? You never see it until you cross it."
Ben said nothing.
Kevin added, "The difference is whether you hate yourself after. You do."
He walked off into the night.
"That means you're still better than me."
---
Gwen's Reassurance – And Worry
Later, Gwen sat beside Ben, a blanket over her shoulders.
"You're not a monster, Ben."
"I don't feel human."
"You still saved me."
He looked over. "Do you think this is who I'm becoming?"
She hesitated, then answered carefully.
"I think the universe is forcing you to grow up faster than you should. But growing up isn't the same as changing into someone else. Not unless you let it be."
Ben stared into the fire.
"I can't go back to how I saw things before."
"Then go forward. Smarter. Sharper. But still you."
---
Final Scene – The Watch Reacts
Later that night, when Ben was asleep, the Omnitrix pulsed once, and a tiny panel on its underside shifted open.
A thread-thin green light blinked once… twice… then projected a short entry into the Omnitrix's hidden log:
> LOG ENTRY: HOST INITIATED KILL SEQUENCE
Species: Drixion-Alpha
Cause of Death: Blunt-force trauma (Tetramand-based musculature)
Psychological Outcome: 83% guilt profile – retained empathy
Conclusion: Host remains stable. Identity intact.
Threat Adaptation Protocol: Adjusted.
Recommend: Tactical Empathy Calibration.
"Learning... morality."