"Oh no—the guards are here!" Kevin grabbed Ben's arm and bolted toward the exit.
BOOM!
A deafening blast echoed as the warehouse door was kicked clean open. A wave of heavily armed security forces flooded in like a rising tide.
Laser rifles aimed squarely at the two startled boys. Countless red targeting dots danced over their bodies, ready to fire at any moment.
"Freeze!" the squad captain barked. "You're surrounded! Hands where I can see them!"
"In your dreams."
Kevin lunged forward, vaulting onto a nearby excavator.
Purple electricity crackled across his arms as he forced the massive machine to life.
Buzz...
The mechanical giant roared, its massive shovel arm lifting high before it barreled toward the guards like a raging beast.
"Open fire!" the captain ordered.
He hadn't attacked earlier, thinking two kids posed no real threat. But this was far from ordinary—one wrong move against a powered individual could mean death. He had no choice but to go all out to contain the situation.
Zzzap! Zzzap!
Dozens of crimson laser blasts shot out like venomous snakes, twisting through the air before slamming into the excavator.
Within seconds, Kevin's machine was riddled with smoking holes and exploded into a heap of blackened wreckage, spewing thick white smoke.
He could control the machine—but not enhance it.
Meanwhile, Ben ducked behind a towering stack of crates.
"XLR8 time!" he grinned, quickly scrolling through his options on the Omnitrix. He selected XLR8's icon and slammed his palm down.
Thud!
A flash of eerie green light flared—and then vanished.
In the next instant, a huge insect stood in the middle of the warehouse. Its body was leaf-green, wings gleaming faintly with a sharp metallic sheen.
Its eyes weren't on its head but scattered along its antennae—four yellow orbs blinking one after another.
"Oh, come on~"
Looking at the wings on his back and the clawed insect legs below, Ben realized instantly—he'd picked the wrong alien.
"A flying bug, huh? Guess I'll call you Stinkfly!"
With that, the turquoise-winged alien took to the air, stirring up a gust of wind as it swooped toward Kevin.
By now, Kevin was completely surrounded.
Hundreds of red laser dots swept over his body. One wrong move, and he'd be riddled with holes.
"You," the captain ordered, gesturing to a nearby soldier, "cuff him."
Then he turned to the rest. "The others—go after the other kid. But stay sharp."
"If he resists, shoot to kill!"
The caution in his tone was clear—Kevin's earlier stunt had put everyone on edge.
"Yes, sir!" the guards responded in unison.
But before they could advance, a violent roar of wind tore through the air above them.
The captain froze, looking up instinctively—then went rigid.
A massive, teal insect with a grotesque, alien face was plummeting straight toward them, its wings buzzing furiously.
"Fire! Now!" the captain shouted. If that thing got close, they were done for.
A dozen guards scrambled to aim and opened fire, unleashing a storm of scarlet beams.
Panic fueled their every shot. No one dared to hold back.
Stinkfly's eyes flashed. Its razor-edged wings fluttered in a blur as it darted between the beams, twisting through the air.
It dodged most of the shots, but a few searing blasts struck its body, sending sharp pain coursing through it.
Reacting on instinct, Stinkfly's antennae pulsed as it unleashed a gush of foul-smelling green slime, firing it down at the squad below.
The sticky liquid splattered across the guards before they could react, gluing them to the cold concrete floor in thick, oozing strands.
No matter how they struggled, they couldn't break free.
"Let go of me, you disgusting bug!" the guard captain shouted.
"Sorry—didn't catch that!"
With that, Stinkfly snatched the stunned Kevin and burst out of the warehouse, wings beating furiously as he shot into the night sky.
"Report! Target in sight!"
Outside, two helicopters circled overhead, their deafening rotors cutting through the air. Powerful searchlights pierced the darkness, locking onto the fleeing alien.
Holding tightly to the wide-eyed Kevin, Stinkfly flapped harder, soaring at incredible speed into the pitch-black sky.
The helicopters gave chase, firing volley after volley of blazing blue laser rounds. Each blast tore through the clouds, raining down deadly energy toward Stinkfly.
Struggling to dodge, Stinkfly darted and weaved, scanning frantically for a way out.
"Hey, why'd you save me?" Kevin yelled over the roar of the wind, one hand clamped over his nose.
"I'm Ben," Stinkfly said with a grin, his raspy voice carrying through the air. As he spoke, strands of sticky green slime dripped from his mouth, stringing through the wind with a foul stench.
"I knew it—but man, you reek!" Kevin groaned, looking absolutely miserable, half tempted to throw himself off.
He felt as though he'd been trapped inside a cloud of rotting garbage. Even with his nose covered, the smell was unbearable.
"One more word, and I'm dropping you," Stinkfly growled.
Kevin sighed in defeat, then focused his attention below, eyes sharp as he searched for any escape route.
Looking down at the dark expanse of ocean beneath them, an idea struck him. He smirked. "Ben, let's head for the city center. If we're surrounded by people, they won't dare open fire."
Stinkfly hesitated. "No way. What if they keep shooting—"
"Trust me," Kevin interrupted, confidence flashing in his eyes. "They won't."
"Fine, we'll try it your way."
Stinkfly turned sharply, wings buzzing as he sped toward the glowing skyline in the distance.
His transformation time was running out—he couldn't afford to stall.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The helicopters stayed on their tail, unleashing more rounds of searing blue plasma. The air shrieked with the sound of the blasts cutting through the sky, each one striking dangerously close.
"You think this bug can't bite?" Stinkfly snarled, twisting his head back. From his four eyes, streams of thick green slime shot out, splattering across the helicopter barrels.
BOOM!
The weapons jammed, the trapped energy detonating inside the muzzles. The barrels burst apart in a fiery explosion, scattering metal fragments across the night.
By then, Stinkfly had already dived into the city.
Down below, people screamed and scattered as the massive insect swooped overhead. Panic spread through the streets as they ran for cover, terrified of being caught in its path.
Spotting no more helicopters behind them, both Ben and Kevin finally exhaled in relief.
Beep... beep... beep...
The Omnitrix on Stinkfly's face began flashing red.
Under Kevin's astonished gaze, Stinkfly dove toward a nearby park and landed roughly in the grass.
A burst of red light flared, and in an instant, Stinkfly was gone—Ben stood in his place.
Kevin stood up, brushing grass off his clothes, and took a deep, grateful breath of clean air.
"Was that really necessary?" Ben muttered, rolling his eyes. Stinkfly might've smelled awful, but he had just saved them both.
Kevin waved it off with a grin. "So that speedster earlier—was that you too?"
"Not just him," Ben said, lifting his wrist to show the Omnitrix. "I can turn into ten different aliens."
"Awesome!" Kevin's eyes lit up instantly. "Come on, I'll take you somewhere cool…"