"Tony Stark!"
Ben gritted his teeth, the sound a harsh scrape in his reptilian throat. He hadn't expected Iron Man to show up here.
"Yes, I am Iron Man. You've heard of me?" The voice from inside the metal suit was dripping with casual arrogance.
"So, do zoos show the news to the animals now? Or is the zookeeper a fan? Want an autograph, little lizard?"
"Sir, I'm afraid this creature did not escape from a zoo," J.A.R.V.I.S.'s voice chimed in Tony's ear.
"Thanks for the tip, J.A.R.V.I.S.," Tony said, rolling his eyes behind his faceplate.
He could obviously tell this being wasn't any known Earth species. J.A.R.V.I.S., however, still struggled with certain nuances of human humor.
"So, Mr.... whatever you are. Who exactly are you?" Tony took the opportunity to) ask.
He'd only been out today to test the flight performance of his newly upgraded engines when he'd stumbled upon Ben in his XLR8 form "Tony Stark!"
Ben gritted his teeth, the sound a harsh scrape in his reptilian throat. He hadn't expected Iron Man to show up here.
"Yes, I am Iron Man. You've heard of me?" The voice from inside the metal suit was dripping with casual arrogance.
"So, do zoos show the news to the animals now? Or is the zookeeper a fan? Want an autograph, little lizard?"
"Sir, I'm afraid this creature did not escape from a zoo," J.A.R.V.I.S.'s voice chimed in Tony's ear.
"Thanks for the tip, J.A.R.V.I.S.," Tony said, rolling his eyes behind his faceplate.
He could obviously tell this being wasn't any known Earth species. J.A.R.V.I.S., however, still struggled with certain nuances of human humor.
"So, Mr.... whatever you are. Who exactly are you?" Tony took the opportunity to) ask.
He'd only been out today to test the flight performance of his newly upgraded engines when he'd stumbled upon Ben in his XLR8 form tearing through New York City in his search for Dennis.
Relying on his sheer speed, Ben hadn't even bothered to hide XLR8's existence. To find Dennis, he'd roughed up several thugs along the way.
Those thugs had subsequently flooded the NYPD's lines, ranting about being threatened by a "blue velociraptor."
The police, of course, dismissed it, chalking it up to drug induced hallucinations.
But J.A.R.V.I.S., while monitoring during Tony's flight, had scanned Ben's high speed movements through the city.
Tony was intensely curious about Ben's origins, but he didn't seem interested in actually letting Ben answer. He held up a hand to signal for silence and just kept talking.
"Lizard man? Dino man? Upright velociraptor? Wait, is your name Blue?"
"My god, Jurassic World is real! I bet there's some mad scientist out there trying to resurrect the prehistoric era!"
He exclaimed dramatically. Even through the armor, Ben could easily imagine the smug look on his face.
Ben didn't answer Tony's questions. He just stared coldly with his triangular eyes, while using his peripheral vision to confirm Dennis was still lying on the ground, unable to flee. Then, he issued an angry warning:
"This doesn't concern you. Stay out of it, Tony Stark."
Ben, who had no desire to be a superhero, also wanted nothing to do with Stark unless the man was willing to pay up.
A few months ago, he'd even considered buying Stark Industries stock during its massive dip, but he quickly realized he still couldn't afford it, even at rock bottom prices.
"Doesn't concern me?" Tony retorted.
"When a... thing like you tries to kill someone, it concerns me!" he said coldly.
In his view, Ben's current appearance wasn't even remotely human.
Just a monster. And weren't monsters inherently opposed to humanity?
From the very beginning, Tony had already labeled Ben a hostile target. The reason he was talking so much was just to see if he could extract some information.
This potential alien organism might have an entire species hiding among Earth's population!
He raised his palm, the suit's targeting system locking onto Ben. The glow in his repulsor palm brightened, and his voice turned icy.
"Dino boy. Hands up. Surrender!"
"With me here today, you won't be harming anyone!"
"You?"
Ben let out a cold laugh.
He didn't even take Tony seriously.
If nothing else, he was currently XLR8. Not even Tony Stark could stop him!
"Just try and stop me!"
He dropped into a sprinter's stance. Simultaneously, a black, metal like visor slid down, covering his face. A bold, blue 'X' was emblazoned on it.
He calculated the time. He probably wouldn't even need to ask for leave from school.
'Five minutes left. Kill that thug, deal with Tony Stark, and I'll still have time to get to class.'
Although he hadn't managed to hack the Omnitrix, Ben had discovered his transformation time wasn't limited to just ten minutes. Last night, as Grey Matter, he'd stayed transformed for nearly half an hour before being forced back.
The Omnitrix, a piece of technology centuries ahead of its time, shouldn't need to recharge after such a short duration. In reality, the time limit was a safety feature to protect the user's DNA from being corrupted by the alien genes.
In the cartoons, young Ben initially could only transform for about ten minutes.
Ben guessed it was because his own DNA had already been restructured and enhanced by the spider powers. The alien DNA in the watch couldn't assimilate him so easily.
Thirty minutes seemed to be his current limit; exceeding it would force the watch to revert him.
However, Ben had no intention of completely disabling the Omnitrix's protection protocols.
After all, knowingly removing a safety feature probably wasn't a great idea. Ben didn't think his intellect could rival Azmuth's.
"You're pissing me off, kid!" Tony didn't hesitate. He attacked.
The repulsors in the Mark III's palms glowed white hot. Two bright energy beams instantly shot toward Ben's location!
BOOM!
The repulsor blast packed a serious punch. With a single shot, Tony obliterated the sheet metal walkway Ben had been standing on.
The directly hit section was blown apart, a gaping hole torn through the metal. The surrounding structure, now critically weakened, began to completely collapse!
In an instant, it was like an avalanche!
"Got him!" Tony couldn't help but pump a fist in celebration inside his suit.
"Hope that dino kid isn't dead too easily," he mused aloud, pleased with himself.
He planned to sift through the rubble later, find the kid, and give this unknown life form a thorough examination.
But J.A.R.V.I.S. poured cold water on his triumph.
"I'm afraid you are mistaken, Sir. Your attack did not hit the target."
"What?" Tony's voice rose an octave, but he was still dismissive.
"Your jokes are getting a bit stale, J.A.R.V.I.S. I was only a few meters away. Do you really think anyone could dodge an energy beam at that range?"
"Looks like I need to give you an upgrade when we get back. Teach you what real humor is." Tony turned on some rock music, bopping his head mid air.
"I am not joking, Sir. Please look down," J.A.R.V.I.S. stated flatly.
Tony looked down. In his field of view, Ben was now standing right beside Dennis, his sharp claws pressed against the thug's chest.
"Let him go, Dino boy!"
"The name... is XLR8!"
With cold finality, Ben drove his claws deep into Dennis's heart.
Crimson blood sprayed, splattering across Ben's black visor.
The blood stained 'X' was horrifically stark!
tearing through New York City in his search for Dennis.
Relying on his sheer speed, Ben hadn't even bothered to hide XLR8's existence. To find Dennis, he'd roughed up several thugs along the way.
Those thugs had subsequently flooded the NYPD's lines, ranting about being threatened by a "blue velociraptor."
The police, of course, dismissed it, chalking it up to drug induced hallucinations.
But J.A.R.V.I.S., while monitoring during Tony's flight, had scanned Ben's high speed movements through the city.
Tony was intensely curious about Ben's origins, but he didn't seem interested in actually letting Ben answer. He held up a hand to signal for silence and just kept talking.
"Lizard man? Dino man? Upright velociraptor? Wait, is your name Blue?"
"My god, Jurassic World is real! I bet there's some mad scientist out there trying to resurrect the prehistoric era!"
He exclaimed dramatically. Even through the armor, Ben could easily imagine the smug look on his face.
Ben didn't answer Tony's questions. He just stared coldly with his triangular eyes, while using his peripheral vision to confirm Dennis was still lying on the ground, unable to flee. Then, he issued an angry warning:
"This doesn't concern you. Stay out of it, Tony Stark."
Ben, who had no desire to be a superhero, also wanted nothing to do with Stark unless the man was willing to pay up.
A few months ago, he'd even considered buying Stark Industries stock during its massive dip, but he quickly realized he still couldn't afford it, even at rock bottom prices.
"Doesn't concern me?" Tony retorted.
"When a... thing like you tries to kill someone, it concerns me!" he said coldly.
In his view, Ben's current appearance wasn't even remotely human.
Just a monster. And weren't monsters inherently opposed to humanity?
From the very beginning, Tony had already labeled Ben a hostile target. The reason he was talking so much was just to see if he could extract some information.
This potential alien organism might have an entire species hiding among Earth's population!
He raised his palm, the suit's targeting system locking onto Ben. The glow in his repulsor palm brightened, and his voice turned icy.
"Dino boy. Hands up. Surrender!"
"With me here today, you won't be harming anyone!"
"You?"
Ben let out a cold laugh.
He didn't even take Tony seriously.
If nothing else, he was currently XLR8. Not even Tony Stark could stop him!
"Just try and stop me!"
He dropped into a sprinter's stance. Simultaneously, a black, metal like visor slid down, covering his face. A bold, blue 'X' was emblazoned on it.
He calculated the time. He probably wouldn't even need to ask for leave from school.
'Five minutes left. Kill that thug, deal with Tony Stark, and I'll still have time to get to class.'
Although he hadn't managed to hack the Omnitrix, Ben had discovered his transformation time wasn't limited to just ten minutes. Last night, as Grey Matter, he'd stayed transformed for nearly half an hour before being forced back.
The Omnitrix, a piece of technology centuries ahead of its time, shouldn't need to recharge after such a short duration. In reality, the time limit was a safety feature to protect the user's DNA from being corrupted by the alien genes.
In the cartoons, young Ben initially could only transform for about ten minutes.
Ben guessed it was because his own DNA had already been restructured and enhanced by the spider powers. The alien DNA in the watch couldn't assimilate him so easily.
Thirty minutes seemed to be his current limit; exceeding it would force the watch to revert him.
However, Ben had no intention of completely disabling the Omnitrix's protection protocols.
After all, knowingly removing a safety feature probably wasn't a great idea. Ben didn't think his intellect could rival Azmuth's.
"You're pissing me off, kid!" Tony didn't hesitate. He attacked.
The repulsors in the Mark III's palms glowed white hot. Two bright energy beams instantly shot toward Ben's location!
BOOM!
The repulsor blast packed a serious punch. With a single shot, Tony obliterated the sheet metal walkway Ben had been standing on.
The directly hit section was blown apart, a gaping hole torn through the metal. The surrounding structure, now critically weakened, began to completely collapse!
In an instant, it was like an avalanche!
"Got him!" Tony couldn't help but pump a fist in celebration inside his suit.
"Hope that dino kid isn't dead too easily," he mused aloud, pleased with himself.
He planned to sift through the rubble later, find the kid, and give this unknown life form a thorough examination.
But J.A.R.V.I.S. poured cold water on his triumph.
"I'm afraid you are mistaken, Sir. Your attack did not hit the target."
"What?" Tony's voice rose an octave, but he was still dismissive.
"Your jokes are getting a bit stale, J.A.R.V.I.S. I was only a few meters away. Do you really think anyone could dodge an energy beam at that range?"
"Looks like I need to give you an upgrade when we get back. Teach you what real humor is." Tony turned on some rock music, bopping his head mid air.
"I am not joking, Sir. Please look down," J.A.R.V.I.S. stated flatly.
Tony looked down. In his field of view, Ben was now standing right beside Dennis, his sharp claws pressed against the thug's chest.
"Let him go, Dino boy!"
"The name... is XLR8!"
With cold finality, Ben drove his claws deep into Dennis's heart.
Crimson blood sprayed, splattering across Ben's black visor.
The blood stained 'X' was horrifically stark!
/-\
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