Once everyone got their smoothies and Optimus, Glyph, and even Sky Runner parked their vehicle modes, the heroes all gathered at various tables. “So,” began Ben, “what brings you back here? Social call?”
“I wish it was, Ben,” said Megumi. “A person known as Khan is travelling to various universes to find the Sources of the Horsemen of Flourishment, the opposites to the Apocalypse Horsemen. We believe one of them is here in your universe.”
“It’s a pretty big universe here,” remarked Ben. “This Horseman could be on any planet.”
“Well, we have their names,” said Optimus. “Stop us if any of them sound familiar. Let’s see…Life.”
“Hold up, we DO have a person calling herself Life at Plumber HQ!”
“You do?!”
“Yeah, she’s a woman that looks like she came out of a black and white cartoon. Her skin’s a more inky-black, so we assumed she was an alien. She’s working as a secretary right now.”
“Wait, what did that Vilgax character say about associates?” asked Arsha.
“Oh no!” realized Ben. He then made a call through the Omnitrix. “Plumber HQ! Vilgax is transporting an enemy to kidnap Life! Repeat! Vilgax has a plot against Life!” No one replied. “…Rook?! Grandpa Max?! Patelliday?! I’d settle for Blukic and Driba! SOMEONE RESPOND!”
“Let me try!” called Megumi. Ben held the Omnitrix near her face. “Plumber HQ, this is Megumi Hishi-!”
“Your voice is as unchanged as your body,” chuckled a voice. “The arrogance lacing it is still there, but I doubt you’ve seen much combat the last time we met.” It was a man’s voice and it made Megumi, Optimus, and Arsha’s respective blood run cold.
“…Th…that’s impossible!” breathed Arsha.
“He’s dead, right?!” asked Optimus.
“I was,” replied the voice, “but now I’m back! Megumi, my daughter, it’s only fitting that you are made aware of the resurrection and triumph…of Adachi Hiro, Lord and Master of Shocker Rift and the original Kamen Rider Rogue!” Megumi said nothing, she was too scared to come up with anything in the face of her biological father returning from the grave.
“…Megumi?” asked Sonic.
“Have you nothing to say?” asked Hiro.
“Megumi, it’s all right!” urged Sonic. “We beat him once! You, more than any of us!”
“…You died,” Megumi finally addressed Hiro. “Right over Chizara Prime! Right after Vortech’s second death! I saw your ship fly into an unstable pocket dimension! …I tried to save you!”
“But it took one stronger than you to bring me back to the mortal plane,” remarked Hiro. “I believe you met him, one Khan. Totally different to the former Dalek we knew. He used his power to bring me and my wife and child back to life after we all languished in Hell!”
“That’s impossible, Heaven and Hell are locked to people like us! Only the Horsemen, gods, and god-like beings can pass freely between life and death!”
“And yet, here I am, in Plumber HQ, thanks to the Author. Oh, he had to take several major precautions to safely pass through but imagine it! A single, simple human succeeded where Kamen Riders, Transformers, and Kitsunes failed! A testament, don’t you think, to my remarkable savior.”
“And you formed a new cabal with him.”
“Him and others that Optimus and Arsha sent to Hell. We all wish revenge on you! You and your pathetic friends, too afraid to kill with your bare hands! I have a clear goal in my head, Megumi. What do you have now?”
“After all this time, everything we saw, everything we lost, I have only one thing to say to you………SAYONARA!” Megumi ended the call.
“Great, and Hiro’s probably broken Vilgax out already!” complained Ben.
“Others that we sent to Hell?” muttered Optimus. His optics then widened. “No! Not Starscream!”
“Prime?” asked Arsha.
“Starscream’s the first Arti-Vok! He died when Primacron did! He’s out for revenge!”
“Optimus,” replied Megumi, “I doubt Starscream’s involved. He’s too much of a backstabber for the Author.”
“Speculation won’t help,” remarked Sora. “Maybe infiltration is needed.”
“Ooo! Ooo! I wanna try!” called Glyph.
“Hey, save some for me!” snapped Sky Runner.
“ABSOLUTELY NOT!” shouted Optimus and Arcee.
“…Really?” remarked Sky Runner.
“It’s WAY too dangerous! You’re not exactly a fighter!” argued Optimus.
“Daddy, I don’t think we have much choice here! Besides, I’ve fought before!”
“In Seeker Tournaments! This is actual warfare!”
“Daddy, I’m scared too, but we’re in this whether we like it or not.”
“Well, Glyph’s not going!” declared Arcee.
“Mama!” protested Glyph.
“You’re an Archaeometrist!”
“I’ve shot a gun before!”
“On a firing range!”
“Girls, I’m sorry,” said Optimus, “but you’re not going and that is that!”
“‘Absolutely not’ I said,” grumbled Optimus later as he, Megumi, Xiomara, Galen, Arsha, and Willmef watched through Sky Runner’s optics from a screen. “‘Way too dangerous’ I said. ‘You’re not going and that is that’ I said. Until Ben, Amelia, Charline, and Orbak offer to go with them and Megumi and Arsha override me! ‘Yeah! Sure! I can protect them! I don’t need working legs!’” Galen then swatted the back of his head.
“Will you be quiet?!” he hissed.
“Besides, Orbak HAS fought in that wheelchair,” said Arsha. “The kids are safe.”
“Yeah, well, one of the parents doesn’t share that feeling!” replied Optimus. Xiomara then clicked the call button.
“Señorita Sky Runner, how are things?” she asked.
“Just surrounded by metal walls. Green metal walls,” replied Sky Runner. “Seriously, Mr. Tennyson, what’s the deal with the green?”
“I dunno,” replied Ben as he pushed Orbak’s chair. “Ask the Galvans. They came up with the symbol.” Just then, the Omnitrix beeped as its faceplate flashed green. “A distress signal!” he said. “A Plumber’s in trouble!” He activated a locator. “This way!” He led everyone down the hall to see two women, one standing over the other. They were both Appoplexians, tiger-like humanoids with a single black claw on the back of each hand, long eyebrow protrusions above each eye, and very muscular. One of the women wore the white suit of the Plumbers and the other wore a yellow skirt and top with a golden flower pinned to the back of her head and a string of gold beads running across her brow. The most damning thing of all was that the women looked exactly the same. “PHURY!” called Ben. “And…Phury?”
“You must be the Ben Tennyson of this universe,” remarked the skirted woman. “You’re right. I AM Phury, but not the one you’re dating.”
“Dating?” asked Megumi over the Omnitrix. “What happened to Kai?”
“We broke up,” replied Ben.
“Was that Megumi Hishikawa?!” snarled the skirted Phury. The Phury on the ground was convulsing in pain as she strained to look at Ben.
“B-Ben!” she gasped. “Run! T-Too…dangerous!”
“Takes right after her Pa, wouldn’t you say?” scoffed the skirted Phury.
“What did you do to her?!” demanded Ben.
“Just administered something to her systems,” replied the skirted Phury. “Not my concoction, though. It’s his.” She pointed behind the team. Someone stepped out of the shadows. It looked like Optimus in the old days, but his armor was purple and his helmet was black.
“Admiring the work?” he asked.
“Sickened by it!” hissed Orbak.
“Oh, don’t tell me you’re not crazy enough to try and cure her!” complained the other Optimus. “I mean, what rational being sends a guy with useless limbs down here in enemy territory?! …Speaking of limbs, think they’re shiny enough?”
“Who are you?!” demanded Glyph.
“A743642.”
“It’s bad enough you steal my dad’s old look, now you steal his serial number?!” snarled Sky Runner.
“Your dad’s look?” asked the Optimus lookalike. “So your daddy is Optimus Prime? Tell me, did he ever talk about a guy he threw onto a heap of Korlonium Crystals?”
“Yeah, his only kill that he doesn’t regret. Some schmuck named-” Sky Runner’s optics went wide. “…No! …No, that’s impossible! You’re-!”
“Some schmuck?!” The Optimus duplicate advanced menacingly on Sky Runner and her team. “That’s all the history books call me?! SOME SCHMUCK?!” He turned to the skirted Phury. “I’ll take on the Transformers! You get the results to Hiro and Borg!”
“Will do!” replied Phury.
“Wait, what did you say?!” called Orbak. Evil Phury didn’t listen, she just charged out of Plumber HQ.
“After her!” called Sky Runner.
“But we gotta get my Phury back on her feet!” protested Ben.
“You get her to a medical ward!” said Sky Runner. “We’ll-!” Her father’s evil duplicate wrapped his fingers around her neck.
“If your father is listening,” he snarled, “tell him Nemesis Prime is back and ready to sow fear into his blasted life, starting with the death of his daughter!” A fireball then struck him in the back, forcing him to release Sky Runner.
“You were right,” hissed Optimus as he stepped out of the shadows, “I WAS listening. It’s why I used Locus the instant I saw you throttle her! Sky Runner! Glyph! Help Ben get his Phury to the medical ward! Nemesis Prime is mine!”
“Will do!” After Sky Runner confirmed her orders, Ben pressed a button on the Omnitrix, activating a holographic selection ring that scrolled through the heads of aliens.
“Come on! Give me something fast! Jetray! Astrodactyl! Fasttrack!” he begged. He then slid the faceplate back and revealed a cylinder with the green hourglass symbol on it. He pushed the cylinder down and his body changed. His skin turned blue, a tail sprouted from his rear, his head became angular, his stance became that of a velociraptor, his fingers became three black claws, and he had black balls on his feet. “XLR8!” he called out. “Perfect choice, Omnitrix!” He scooped up his Phury and he, Glyph, and Sky Runner dashed down the hall to the medical ward. Nemesis Prime smiled.
“Oh Lords!” he called. Lords then appeared in the usual Borg teleport beam. “Deal with the smaller ones and pursue Ben 10. Optimus is mine!” The Lords attacked the rest of the team as the two Primes fought.