The dim underground railway was silent and desolate. Only a few pale light bulbs hung faintly along the tunnel walls, casting a sickly glow that barely pierced the darkness.
Every now and then, a train would thunder past, its roar briefly driving away the gloom—only to vanish moments later, plunging everything back into shadow.
After escaping from the security patrol, Kevin had led Ben all the way down here.
Staring at the maze of intersecting rails, Ben frowned. "Kevin, what are we doing down here?"
Kevin didn't answer. Instead, he ran under one of the flickering bulbs and called out, "Hey, bro, give me a hand here!"
"Why? What are you even doing?" Ben asked, confused.
Was Kevin like a cell phone—did he actually need to recharge?
Grinding his teeth, Kevin waved impatiently. "I'll explain later. Just come hold me up."
"Yeah, sure…" Ben muttered under his breath.
He walked over, crouched behind Kevin, and used both hands to brace his friend's legs so he could reach the bulb above.
"Now that's teamwork, my man," Kevin said with a cold grin.
Crackling sounds filled the air as he absorbed power from the bulb. In just a few seconds, bright arcs of electricity danced across his body—like a living battery pack humming with energy.
Before Ben could ask what he was doing, Kevin ran to the railway switch and gripped it tightly.
Snap!
A sharp metallic click echoed through the tunnel as the tracks ahead shifted, twisting at an unnatural angle toward the underground highway beside them.
Ben's eyes widened. "Hey! What are you doing?"
Kevin shrugged casually. "In a few minutes, a truck full of gold will pass through here. I just changed the rail direction. Once it collides with the train, we'll have a whole load of gold to ourselves!"
"Then you turn into XLR8, we bail out fast—no one will ever catch us."
Ben shook his head instantly. "No way! That's insane—you'll get people killed!"
Kevin's grin faltered, his tone dropping cold. "Come on, bro. Money doesn't come easy. You should have my back on this."
"No!"
Kevin sneered. "Too late. The tracks are already switched. No changing them now."
"Who says there's no way?"
Ben raised his wrist and activated the Omnitrix, cycling rapidly through alien selections.
Grey Matter. Ripjaws. Wildmutt. Diamondhead...
Watching Ben's determined expression, a glint of hostility flashed in Kevin's eyes.
"I'm warning you, bro—don't," he growled.
"You're too selfish to be my bro."
Ben glared, furious. He switched to Four Arms' icon and slammed his hand down hard.
He'd use Four Arms' brute strength to fix the tracks himself.
Thud!
A burst of green light illuminated the tunnel.
But instead of a towering red alien, a slender figure cloaked in flames appeared before Kevin.
"I wanted Four Arms, not a walking campfire…"
Heatblast sighed, staring at his glowing palms, then raised a burning hand toward Kevin.
"Fix the tracks. Now."
A blazing fireball began to form in his palm.
"Or what, watch-boy?" Kevin taunted with a smirk. "You gonna roast me?"
"I'll turn you into a barbecue if I have to," Heatblast said flatly.
"Then try me!"
Kevin suddenly lunged for the switch again, releasing a violent surge of electricity.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The light bulbs above exploded one after another, showering shards of glass onto the tracks.
The dim tunnel plunged into total darkness.
Heatblast froze—he'd lost sight of Kevin completely.
Now, the only light came from Heatblast himself, his fiery body glowing like a human torch, illuminating just a few feet around him.
"Forget it—let's just get the tracks back in place first."
Without hesitation, Heatblast swept his arm forward, unleashing a torrent of blazing fire that blasted against the twisted rails.
The red-hot flames burned intensely, softening the hardened steel within seconds.
He stepped up, crouched down, and grabbed hold of the molten metal, forcing the warped sections back into alignment with the main line. Then, with another surge of heat, he molded the glowing rails until they matched the nearby tracks perfectly.
Aside from a few rough spots in appearance, the new section was nearly identical to the original—enough for the trains to run safely.
"Phew." Heatblast let out a long breath, admiring his handiwork. "Man, I'm a genius. Fixing tracks like this—maybe I missed my calling as a railroad engineer."
Suddenly, a shadow lunged from behind.
A hand shot out of the darkness, clamping hard around his throat and draining away his fiery energy in an instant.
"L–let go of me!" Heatblast struggled, but Kevin's grip clung to him like a suction cup, refusing to budge.
"Your energy... it's all mine!" Kevin laughed wildly.
As he spoke, his body began to change—half of it turning crimson, molten cracks spreading across his skin as waves of heat radiated from him.
"Get off me!"
Heatblast seized Kevin and hurled him away, sending him crashing into a pile of scrap metal.
Buzz...
At that moment, a massive train, lights blazing, rumbled slowly down the track toward them.
At the same time, a gold-laden freight truck thundered along the crossing road, its engine roaring.
"I fixed the track—there shouldn't be any problem now," Heatblast said, hands on his hips as he watched the two vehicles approach the intersection.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a blazing fireball streaked through the air, trailing a scorching heatwave as it slammed into the side of the gold truck...
...
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