Zs'Skayr rushed forward, swinging his massive claws toward Frankenstrike.
Frankenstrike quickly raised his arm to block. The claws crashed against the metal plating with a loud clang, sending sparks flying across the room.
Frankenstrike immediately swung his other fist forward, aiming for Zs'Skayr's face.
The ghost alien floated backward just in time, raising both hands to catch and block the incoming punch.
Frankenstrike grinned. Green electricity suddenly began building around the conductor coils on his back before spreading down his arms and into his fist.
The moment Zs'Skayr's hands touched it, the electricity surged through him.
"AGGHHHH!"
Zs'Skayr screamed as his entire body spasmed from the electrical shock before he was forced to let go and fly backward.
"Clever, Tennyson," he hissed, steadying himself in midair. "But I always have a contingency plan."
The mummy suddenly moved. Its bandages shot toward Orfevre and wrapped tightly around her body before yanking her off the ground.
"Gahh!" Orfevre struggled against the restraints, gritting her teeth as the mummy pulled her closer.
Then the creature's chest slowly opened. A single piece of corrodium was revealed inside.
Orfevre's eyes widened. "What?! You've gotta be kidding me..."
"It will be a pleasure to watch the horror on your face as your own cousin mutates right before your eyes," Zs'Skayr said with a cruel smile.
The mummy pulled Orfevre closer and closer toward the exposed corrodium.
Orfevre clenched her teeth.
Without even thinking about it, she spread her Aura across her entire body, forming a protective layer around herself.
It was similar to the way someone would instinctively raise their arms to protect their face during a fight.
The corrodium's radiation immediately began eating away at her Aura.
She could feel the protective layer slowly weakening.
"Come on..." Orfevre muttered through clenched teeth.
Her Aura continued to crack under the radiation, but it was buying her enough time.
"What!?" Zs'Skayr suddenly shouted when Orfevre failed to mutate. "Why isn't she changing?!"
That moment of confusion was all Orfevre needed. She suddenly kicked upward, slamming her foot directly into the mummy's face.
The creature's grip loosened. Orfevre immediately spun around and delivered a second kick. Her foot struck the exposed corrodium and sent it flying out of the mummy's chest.
"Big Sis!" Gold Ship suddenly threw a butter knife toward her sister.
Orfevre caught it between her teeth. She twisted her entire body, using the knife to slice through several of the mummy's bandages and finally freeing her right arm.
"This isn't over!" Zs'Skayr shouted as he quickly flew backward toward one of the sealed airlock doors.
The mummy immediately tried to restrain Orfevre again.
But this time, she had one arm free. Orfevre slammed her right hand down onto the final gauntlet attached to her belt.
The metal snapped into place around her hand.
She planted her feet and thrust her arm forward, spreading her palm directly toward the mummy. A powerful Aura-infused electrical blast erupted from the gauntlet.
The room instantly filled with the smell of burning bandages.
The mummy was struck head-on and sent flying backward, its body crashing hard against the wall.
Using the opening Orfevre had created, Max quickly rushed over to the controls and began trying to shut down the corrodium beam.
Even though nothing had happened to Earth yet, that didn't mean they could afford to sit around and wait for something to happen, especially when the machine was already firing and could cause serious damage if Zs'Skayr managed to complete whatever he was planning.
"The controls are locked out," Max said, quickly checking through the controls before frowning. "I can't shut down the corrodium beam from here!"
"No problem," Frankenstrike said as he raised one of his fists, green electricity beginning to flare between his fingers and travel across the metal bolts on his body. "A little lightning should be enough to fry the controls."
"No! Get him!" Zs'Skayr shouted, pointing toward Frankenstrike as Dr. Viktor immediately charged forward, purple lightning gathering around his massive fist.
Frankenstrike barely had enough time to turn before Dr. Viktor's fist slammed into his own, the collision producing a loud metallic boom that sent sparks and green and purple electricity scattering across the room.
"Tch! You again?" Frankenstrike grunted as he pushed against Dr. Viktor's fist, his feet sliding backward across the metal floor. "Why don't you just buzz off already?"
Dr. Viktor responded by swinging his other fist toward Frankenstrike's head, but the larger alien ducked underneath the attack before driving his shoulder into Dr. Viktor's chest, sending the Frankenstein alien stumbling backward.
Frankenstrike immediately followed up by grabbing Dr. Viktor by the arm and swinging him around, throwing him across the room. Dr. Viktor crashed against the wall, but quickly recovered and planted his feet against it before pushing himself forward again.
Purple and green lightning continued to flare as the two aliens clashed once more, each punch causing another burst of electricity to scatter across the room.
Meanwhile, Orfevre had her own problem to deal with.
Several of the mummy's bandages shot toward her from different directions, trying to wrap around her arms and legs. She quickly ducked beneath the first bandage before jumping over another, only for a third one to whip toward her from behind.
Orfevre twisted her body in midair, allowing the bandage to pass underneath her before she landed against the metal wall.
Her feet pressed firmly against the surface as she bent her legs and immediately pushed herself away.
She shot upward over the mummy, spinning through the air before swinging her leg down.
Her kick slammed directly into the side of the mummy's head, sending it crashing against the opposite wall.
Orfevre landed on her feet and immediately turned toward it, refusing to give the alien any chance to recover.
"You've already tried grabbing me enough times," she said, raising her gauntleted hand and fleshing her fingers. "I'm getting tired of it."
The mummy hissed and launched several more bandages toward her.
Orfevre rushed forward instead of retreating, slicing through the first bandage with her gauntlet, flaring with electricity before grabbing another with her free hand and pulling herself closer.
She thrust her gauntlet across the mummy's chest, electricity flaring through several layers of its bandages before following up with a kick that sent it sliding across the floor.
Meanwhile, the shuttle ship detached from the station and began flying toward the transmitter.
Max stood inside the cockpit with a determined smile as he looked toward the transmitter growing larger in front of him.
"Yeah," he said, tightening his grip around the controls. "I still got the right stuff."
Since he couldn't shut down the corrodium beam from the station, there was really only one thing left for him to do.
If the controls couldn't stop the beam, then he would simply destroy the transmitter before it could receive the signal.
The shuttle accelerated as Max pushed the controls forward, heading straight toward the transmitter.
The distance rapidly disappeared as the shuttle raced toward its target, but just as Max prepared to crash directly into the transmitter, something strange happened.
The transmitter flickered.
Max's eyes widened slightly. "What the...?"
The entire machine flickered again before its lights suddenly disappeared, leaving the transmitter completely inactive.
Max stared at it in confusion as he quickly pulled the shuttle away, narrowly avoiding crashing into the now-useless machine.
"Well, that was convenient..."
Back inside the space station.
"What's happening!?" Zs'Skayr shouted, staring at the controls in disbelief. "WHY ISN'T IT WORKING!?"
The corrodium beam was still being fired toward Earth, but whatever was supposed to happen after it reached the transmitter simply wasn't happening.
The machine continued sending the beam, yet the transmitter on Earth didn't trigger. It was almost as if something was standing between the beam and its intended target.
Zs'Skayr's single eye narrowed as he stared at the controls, refusing to believe that his plan was failing after everything he had done to make it happen.
"No..."
He slammed his clawed hand against the control panel.
"NO!"
The controls suddenly flickered.
Zs'Skayr froze. The screen went dark. His eye widened as the entire system shut down right in front of him.
"NOOO!!!"
His fist came crashing down onto the controller, smashing the device and sending sparks flying from the broken circuitry.
For a moment, Zs'Skayr simply stared at the destroyed controls.
Something had interfered with the transmission, and now the controls had mysteriously shut themselves down before he could figure out what had happened.
There was nothing left for him to accomplish here.
Zs'Skayr slowly turned away from the broken controller, his single eye shifting toward Frankenstrike and Orfevre as the two continued fighting Dr. Viktor and the mummy.
If he couldn't complete his plan, then there was still one thing he could do.
He could take his frustration out on the people standing in front of him. More importantly, he could kill the family of the person he hated most, Ever Gold.
Zs'Skayr's expression twisted into an angry grin as he floated away from the destroyed controls and toward the battlefield.
"Fine," he muttered. "If I can't have what I want, then I'll settle for this."
He raised his clawed hand as he prepared to join the fight.
Unbeknownst to him, however, the panel underneath the control station suddenly opened with a quiet click.
Gold Ship slowly crawled out from underneath it, her helmet slightly crooked from hiding inside the cramped space.
She looked around the room, watching Zs'Skayr float away.
"That went pretty well," she whispered. She then glanced toward the destroyed controller. "...Probably."
As Zs'Skayr faded out of the floor directly in front of Orfevre, he immediately swung his sharp claws toward her face.
Orfevre's eyes widened, but she didn't freeze. Her gauntlet flared with electricity as she quickly raised her arm to intercept the attack.
Her brother's Piercing Blood moved much faster than this.
After spending so much time fighting her brother, Orfevre's reaction speed had improved considerably.
She thrust her gauntleted hand forward and released a powerful burst of electricity directly into Zs'Skayr's body.
"AAAHHH!"
Zs'Skayr screamed as the electrical blast sent him flying backward. His body passed through the wall before disappearing completely from sight.
Orfevre barely had time to catch her breath before several bandages suddenly flew toward her from the side.
Before they could reach her, a yellowish ghostly figure with a golden Omnitrix dial on his chest suddenly appeared between them.
"Yo."
Ghostfreak casually greeted before flying forward and punching the alien mummy directly across the face.
The force of the punch sent the mummy flying backward, its body slamming hard against the wall.
Ghostfreak raised one hand and activated [Pyretic Overdrive], releasing a burst of fire that washed over the mummy's body and burned through a large portion of its bandages.
The mummy hissed as most of its body disappeared into ashes.
"Took you long enough," Orfevre said, pressing the release button on her gauntlet.
The damaged equipment clicked open and fell away from her hand. Her previous electrical attack had completely fried it.
Ghostfreak glanced toward her before his single eye shifted around the room on his body.
"Where's Golshi?" His eye moved across the ceiling, walls, and floor before suddenly stopping. "...Found her."
"Big Bro! You came!" Gold Ship said proudly from the ceiling.
She had curled herself into a small position to make herself less noticeable, although the fact that she was hiding upside down on the ceiling probably wasn't making her any harder to find.
"How did you manage to pick up on my Gold Ship radar?"
Before he could answer, a loud metallic crash echoed through the space station.
Orfevre and Gold Ship immediately turned toward the noise while Ghostfreak's single eye shifted toward his right shoulder.
They saw Dr. Viktor crash into a wall, his massive body leaving a deep dent in the metal as the two towers on his back pressed against the damaged surface.
Purple electricity surged across his body.
He raised one hand and fired another powerful blast of purple lightning toward Frankenstrike.
The attack struck Frankenstrike directly, sending him crashing through one of the airlock doors. His back slammed into the wall on the other side hard enough to leave another large dent.
Red light suddenly erupted from within the room.
Ghostfreak flew toward Dr. Viktor, but before he could reach him, the red light expanded outward.
A moment later, Evan floated there.
"Perfect timing," Evan said, looking toward Dr. Viktor. "I actually managed to pull off one of Ben's moves."
The Frankenstein alien turned toward Evan and immediately unleashed another powerful burst of purple lightning.
The blast illuminated the entire hallway as purple electricity spread across the walls, causing the lights throughout the space station to flicker.
Evan raised his Another Omnitrix and activated the [Backup Spark Capacitor].
Golden light exploded outward. His body transformed once again, becoming Feedback.
Feedback immediately raised both hands, his fingers pointed forward as he absorbed the incoming electricity.
The purple lightning flowed into his body, disappearing into his electrical conduits as the energy was converted and stored.
"Thanks for the recharge."
He suddenly dashed forward. The electricity stored inside his body exploded outward, boosting his movement and sending him rushing toward Dr. Viktor at incredible speed.
Dr. Viktor raised his fist, but Feedback was already there. Electricity gathered around Feedback's clenched fist as he pulled his arm back.
"White Flash!"
His fist slammed directly into Dr. Viktor's face. The impact sent the alien flying backward through multiple sealed doors and walls.
Metal tore apart as Dr. Viktor was launched through the space station, disappearing into the distance before finally going limp.
For a moment, everything was quiet.
Then the entire space station went dark. The lights shut off one after another, leaving the corridors completely black as the station's power suddenly disappeared.
"What's happening?" Gwen asked, grabbing onto Ben as she felt herself suddenly being pulled backward.
A powerful suction force had begun dragging everything toward the massive hole that Dr. Viktor had been punched through.
"Uh-oh." Feedback looked toward the hole. "Shoot... I think I might've gone a little overboard."
He stared at the massive opening in the station's hull. His punch hadn't just knocked Dr. Viktor unconscious. It had also sent him straight through several walls and opened a hole directly into space. The vacuum immediately began pulling everything toward it.
Red light erupted around his body, and the thirty seconds granted by [Backup Spark Capacitor] came to an end.
Evan reverted back to human form.
His eyes immediately landed on several Plumber-issued hazmat badges floating through the air. The badges were being dragged toward the hole along with everything else.
"Grab those!" Evan shouted.
Everyone reached out at once.
Gwen managed to snatch one. Gold Ship somehow grabbed another while spinning through the air.
The remaining badges slipped from their hands and were immediately sucked toward the opening.
"Hold on!" Gwen shouted.
She grabbed Ben, who was closest to her, and activated the badge.
A protective hazmat suit immediately expanded around them, sealing the two inside.
The suction force grew stronger. As both of them were dragged toward the opening, disappearing into the darkness of space.
"Uhhh... can one badge be enough for three?" Gold Ship asked, looking up at her older siblings.
The three of them were clinging to whatever they could find on the walls of the space station, desperately trying to keep themselves from being pulled through the massive hole and into the vacuum of space. The station was already losing what little air remained inside, and with every passing second, breathing became harder.
"One way to find out," Orfevre said.
She reached over and grabbed the badge before pulling herself closer to Evan and Gold Ship. The three siblings pressed themselves together as tightly as they could, giving Orfevre barely enough room to activate it.
The badge immediately responded. The protective suit expanded outward, beginning to form around them.
For a moment, it looked like it might actually work. Then the suit stopped expanding. It tried to stretch farther, but the material quickly reached its limit before shrinking back around them.
There simply wasn't enough room for three people.
"You've got to be kidding me..." Orfevre muttered.
Another section of the now powerless space station tore away from the hull, disappearing into the darkness outside.
The force of the vacuum grew stronger.
Their hands began slipping.
Their lungs were burning.
They were running out of time.
"You guys go," Gold Ship suddenly said.
Orfevre looked toward her.
"Leave Golshi behind."
Her voice trembled slightly as she said it, but she still forced a smile onto her face.
Gold Ship wasn't stupid.
She liked causing trouble, she loved messing with people, and she was more than happy to act like a complete idiot whenever she thought it would be funny, but when things became serious, she could understand the situation just as well as anyone else.
And right now, she understood it perfectly.
Between the three of them, she was the weakest.
Evan could transform into aliens with abilities far beyond anything she could do, while Orfevre had her Aura.
Gold Ship had neither.
Whenever they were attacked, it was usually Evan or Orfevre who stepped between her and whatever was trying to hurt them.
She had always been the one they protected. So, for once, she wanted to be the one who protected them.
"NO!" Orfevre immediately snapped at her.
Her voice was firm, almost angry, but the fear behind it was obvious.
"Don't you dare say something like that!"
Gold Ship's smile weakened. "But-"
"No!" Orfevre repeated, grabbing her sister's arm. "We're not leaving you behind!"
She had already learned something from Evan.
Family was supposed to protect each other.
She had spent so long believing that she needed to protect herself because nobody else would, but after seeing the way Evan had changed and how seriously he took protecting his siblings, Orfevre had slowly started doing the same.
She wasn't going to let Gold Ship throw herself away just like that.
"I have an idea." Evan's voice suddenly cut through their argument.
Both sisters turned toward him.
Evan was still holding onto the wall with one hand, his body being pulled toward the opening inch by inch. Despite the situation, he gave them a small, reassuring smile.
"Ever, what are you-"
Before Orfevre could finish, Evan grabbed the badge from her hand.
He quickly slammed it against Orfevre's chest.
"What are you doing?!"
Evan's other arm immediately pushed Orfevre toward Gold Ship.
The badge activated. The protective suit expanded around the two sisters, sealing them together inside the single-person suit.
"Ever!"
Orfevre tried to reach back toward him, but the suit had already closed.
Without anything left to hold onto, the vacuum pulled them away.
"Nonononono!"
Orfevre desperately struggled inside the cramped suit, trying to force her way toward her brother, but there was barely enough room for her and Gold Ship to move.
She thrashed her hands against the inside of the suit.
"EVER!"
"BIG BRO!!"
Gold Ship's voice cracked as tears immediately began running down her face.
She struggled even harder, accidentally knocking her head against Orfevre's chin, but neither sister cared.
Their eyes were fixed entirely on Evan. He was already being carried farther away from them. Farther and farther into the cold darkness.
"BIG BRO!!"
Gold Ship pressed both hands against the suit, tears floating away from her face as she desperately tried to reach him.
Orfevre was doing the same.
"EVER! COME BACK!"
But Evan couldn't hear them; there was no sound in space. Yet he could still see them.
He could see Gold Ship crying. He could see Orfevre desperately trying to reach him. And he could understand exactly what they were saying from the movements of their lips.
So Evan smiled.
It wasn't his usual teasing smile or the smug expression he wore whenever he thought he had come up with something clever.
It was simply a gentle smile.
The kind of smile an older brother would give his younger sisters when he wanted them to stop worrying.
His lips moved slowly.
"Don't worry."
The two sisters stared at him through their tears.
"I'm your older brother."
His smile remained.
"It's normal for me to protect my sisters."
Orfevre's eyes widened. Gold Ship's face crumpled as even more tears filled her eyes.
"No..." Orfevre shook her head violently. "No, no, no..."
She pressed her hands against the suit and tried desperately to push herself toward him.
Gold Ship did the same.
But there was nothing they could do.
Evan's body slowly grew paler as the cold of space began to take hold of him. Ice gradually spread across his skin, covering his arms and creeping toward his face.
His movements became slower, his smile weakened. And his once lively eyes slowly began losing their brightness.
"BIG BRO!"
Gold Ship screamed silently, even though she knew he couldn't hear her. Orfevre's tears continued falling as she desperately reached toward him.
For once, she didn't care about looking strong or being brave.
She just wanted her brother back.
AN: Sorry for the late upload, just got a new job and haven't worked out the time yet.