Biu~biu~biu
The Omnitrix's transformation time approached its limit. The familiar alien timing-out sound echoed through the cluttered room as Grey Matter's form shimmered and began to revert.
Asher had been sitting cross-legged on the table, surrounded by scattered blueprint papers and the remains of the mechanical analysis he'd performed. As his body rapidly expanded back to human size, he quickly jumped off the table's edge, landing with a soft thud on the floor.
That blueprint...
He glanced at the complex schematic spread across the desk.
Already memorized down to the last detail!
Grey Matter's extraordinary learning ability had served him well. During the transformation, his enhanced intelligence had absorbed the intricate blueprint completely, burning every specification, every connection point, every structural element into his photographic memory.
"Ben, wait five minutes. Just five minutes, and I can transform into another alien hero and turn these parts into something incredible!" Asher's voice carried steady confidence, the kind born from having a brilliant plan fully formed in his mind.
"Which alien hero?" Ben had always been curious about the Omnitrix's vast capabilities. "Are you going to transform into Four Arms and use that strength to press the parts together? Or maybe Heatblast to weld them?"
Asher shook his head mysteriously, a slight smile playing at his lips. "You'll find out in five minutes. Don't worry."
Usually, five minutes passed in the blink of an eye.
This time, each second felt extraordinarily long.
When the Omnitrix finally recharged, Asher opened the holographic display and rotated the alien selection dial to a specific pattern, a strange, amorphous alien silhouette.
Upgrade!!
The Galvanic Mechamorph's ability was his ability to merge with any piece of technology. As long as Asher could cover these mechanical parts with Upgrade's liquid-metal body, he could use that alien's unique abilities to transform their structure and create the battle suit from the blueprint!
Asher slammed his palm down on the Omnitrix's faceplate.
Green light erupted across his body as his form dissolved into living circuitry. Upgrade's deep, synthesized voice emerged as his newly transformed body, now resembling black and green circuitry given form, dropped to the ground like living mercury.
The alien spread across the floor, flowing toward the pile of disassembled robot parts.
Under Upgrade's control, components began disassembling and reassembling themselves. High-strength metal pieces that would normally resist even a steel hammer's blow became pliable and malleable, reshaped by the Galvanic Mechamorph's technological manipulation!
Of course, this wasn't something that could be accomplished in a single transformation. The project was massive and complex, it would take multiple transformations to complete properly.
After all, building a functional battle suit from salvaged alien technology wasn't a simple task.
Meanwhile, in Times Square.
Kevin's subordinates, the tech-enhanced robbers he'd gathered, used their stolen technology recklessly throughout various shops that had long since been abandoned. Small Vilgax drones hovered around them, providing additional firepower and surveillance. The combination significantly increased their collective strength.
Kevin himself stood in the open plaza, shadow-boxing against an imaginary opponent. Left punch, right punch, he practiced his fighting form, exercising his mechanical body's enhanced strength and testing its limits.
Rojo watched from the sidelines, her attention occasionally drifting to Max and Gwen. Both were bound to chairs outside a restaurant, tied securely with thick ropes.
"Little girl, and you, old man, don't even think about struggling. It won't work," Rojo said with false kindness dripping from her voice. "If you actually manage to escape somehow, we'll just have to catch you again. And in that process, you're likely to lose an arm or a leg. Better to stay put."
The threat in her words was unmistakable.
Gwen gave up her struggling, but her expression showed no hint of discouragement. She muttered defiantly, "Asher will definitely come to save us! And that idiot Ben too, even though he's usually annoying, he's just as reliable as Asher when it really matters."
"We have to trust Asher," Max agreed, his voice calm despite their dire circumstances. He wasn't just comforting Gwen, he genuinely believed in his grandson's abilities.
Kevin, who'd been exercising nearby, paused his training regimen. A disdainful sneer crossed his face as he mocked them coldly. "He'll definitely come save you? Hahaha, stop it, you two. Are you still daydreaming? About an hour ago, when we went to snatch that armored truck, Asher showed up to try stopping us. You know what happened? We drove him away like a scared dog!!"
"Yeah, he looked pathetic!" one of the tech-enhanced robbers chimed in, laughing. "We almost beat him so badly he'd lose arms and legs! Look at him now, does he dare come to Times Square to find us? It's been how long already?"
The other tech-enhanced robbers joined in, naturally following Kevin's lead. They slandered Asher freely, their words full of malicious glee!
They conveniently ignored the fact that they'd only managed to fight Asher through shameless numbers advantage and teamwork, deliberately downplaying that crucial detail.
"Asher would never lose to you people!" Gwen still trusted Asher completely. But a small tremor of doubt appeared in her heart, and she became deeply worried.
So many enemies...
Could Asher really handle them all?
Time passed, minute by minute, second by second.
In the abandoned warehouse, Asher transformed into Grey Matter repeatedly to refine the parts, propose modifications, and perfect the blueprint's implementation.
Upgrade handled the actual construction, merging with components and reshaping their structure with technological precision.
Diamondhead contributed crystalline components when needed or helped with particularly difficult installations.
The process was methodical but not excessively long.
Ben acted as assistant throughout, anxiously handing Asher water to drink and trying unsuccessfully to hurry the process along several times.
"This can't be rushed," Asher explained during one of his brief human forms between transformations. "I can't just rescue Gwen and Grandpa Max by myself, I absolutely need your help! So until this steel suit is strong enough, we're not going anywhere. I'm responsible for your safety."
The long construction and production process continued steadily.
Time passed from midday into afternoon. The sun descended toward the horizon, painting the sky with the splendid golden-red of sunset, showing nature's most beautiful transformation.
In Times Square, Kevin yawned continuously, lethargic from boredom. He'd already completed several rounds of training exercises.
"Have Asher and Ben really been scared off by us? Too afraid to even show their faces?" Rojo wondered aloud, her expression suggesting she'd waited so long she was beginning to doubt reality itself.
"Our plan was to ambush them when it got dark, but logically, Asher should've attacked us at least once or twice by now! Maybe more! Why is it so eerily calm?" Kevin couldn't help but voice his confusion. "Could they actually be that scared?"
It seemed like they'd been frightened out of their wits, too terrified to even make an appearance!
This outcome was somewhat unexpected.
Max and Gwen waited all the way through the afternoon, approaching dusk, unable to see anyone coming to their rescue. A trace of anxiety gradually appeared in their hearts.
Occasionally, their unease would intensify, but they quickly rejected those dark thoughts.
Yet...
As time continued to drag on, their sense of dread grew heavier and heavier. Asher's invincible image in their minds began to show small cracks.
"!!!"
The red sunset glow from the sky filtered through the mottled RV window, illuminating a small object resting on the table.
An object.
The wreckage from Kraab had been completely disassembled. All the extracted parts had been transformed into a small, circular reactor sitting on the table's surface.
Even its color had been modified.
Asher stared at this reactor with barely contained excitement. He understood perfectly well what this small device represented!!
A miracle that defied conventional science! A symbol of the infinite wisdom possessed by Grey Matter's species, the same incredible intellect that had created the Omnitrix itself! The same race that had produced Azmuth, the smartest being in five galaxies!
Ben, who'd been using his arm as a pillow while sleeping at the table, dozed fitfully. The long wait had exhausted him.
He didn't wake until Asher's excited voice pulled him from a troubling dream. Ben jolted upright from the table, slightly disoriented.
"Ben, your battle suit is complete! Now put this on your chest!" Asher carefully supported the surprisingly heavy reactor with both hands, presenting it to Ben with obvious pride.
"This... this is my steel suit??"
Ben looked at the reactor in complete disbelief.
Such a small gadget???
"Asher, are you sure you didn't make a mistake?"