Chapter 21: Rebellion of the Body
Ben sat alone in the meditation chamber of the Watchtower, surrounded by a silence broken only by the sound of his uneven breathing. He hadn't slept in two nights, and his body had started acting in ways he didn't understand. Every time he tried to transform, something inside him resisted—something that moved in his core.
He attempted to turn into Four Arms, but the Omnitrix glowed black and sparked violently, sending him stumbling backward. He fell to his knees, a pained groan escaping his lips.
Suddenly, Superman burst into the room, having sensed the disturbance from outside.
Superman (worried): "Ben, are you okay?"
Ben raised his head, sweat dripping from his forehead. His eyes were glowing faintly purple.
Ben (strained voice): "There's something inside me… it's not listening to me."
Without warning, his body jerked violently. Small black crystals began to form on his back, sprouting like cracks. His body started shifting—without him even touching the Omnitrix—into a massive crystalline creature, unlike anything he had ever become before.
Superman (shocked): "That… that's not from the Omnitrix."
Ben—or what looked like Ben—lunged at Superman with savage instinct. The fight wasn't normal. His movements were chaotic, driven not by logic but by some deep, foreign impulse.
After a fierce clash across the training hall, Superman managed to subdue him temporarily using a focused energy blast from his eyes. Ben collapsed unconscious.
Later, in the medical bay, Batman, Green Lantern, and Superman stood over Ben's restrained body.
Batman (serious): "The crystalline structure is fusing with his central nervous system… This isn't a transformation. It's colonization."
Green Lantern: "If this continues, these entities might build an entire consciousness inside him. We need to find a way to separate them… or we'll lose him."
Superman remained silent, his eyes fixed on the unconscious boy. Finally, he spoke quietly:
Superman: "If we start losing him… we have to be ready. Even if the choice is hard."
In the corner, Supergirl stood listening, her hands trembling. But her eyes—her eyes were more determined than ever.
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