"Then let's take this chip back and upgrade my reactor later," Ben suggested.
"No need to wait." Asher held up the crystalline component, studying it from different angles. The advanced energy routing chip pulsed with a soft azure glow. "It's not a major overhaul, just swapping out the chip in your reactor. Simple procedure, actually."
In the current battle suit design, the chip was the weakest link. Now that Asher had gotten his hands on this high-grade component, the upgrade was practically mandatory.
Unfortunately, even with his enhanced Grey Matter knowledge, he couldn't break through the reinforced display case glass bare-handed.
"Let me handle it," Ben said.
He pressed his palm firmly against the arc reactor embedded in his chest. His body instantly armored up, silver plates sliding into place, sealing him in combat-ready plating within seconds. He raised his alloy-reinforced fist and smashed it against the exhibition glass.
CRASH!
The case shattered. Ben reached through the broken frame, retrieved the advanced chip, and handed it to Asher.
Asher examined it carefully for several moments, turning it over in his hands and running his fingers along its edges. The component was a thin square wafer, similar in design to a computer processor but far more sophisticated.
"Hold still, Ben. I'm going to install this."
Asher held the chip in his left hand and positioned his right hand carefully against Ben's chest reactor. His fingers found the tiny release mechanisms by touch alone. He opened the outer casing, disassembled the protective shell, and removed the reactor's cover with practiced precision.
The process came naturally, he'd spent hours studying the shapeshifter and little surprise trooper designs, absorbing their technical blueprints during those transformations. Grey Matter's genius-level intellect had given him an intimate understanding of mechanical systems.
Beneath the shell lay an incredibly complex internal system.
"Careful, Asher!" Ben's voice carried genuine anxiety. "Don't touch any of the internal components!"
"Relax. I know what I'm doing."
Asher carefully extracted the original chip from Ben's reactor.
Whirr... click... click... click!
The battle suit abruptly retracted, the silver armor plates folding back into the reactor. Without the core processor, there was no energy conversion, which meant no transformation capability.
Then Asher pressed the advanced chip firmly into place.
ZZZT!
Yellow electrical energy flared around Ben's body. The reactor on his chest shifted from its characteristic blue glow to a deep, brilliant gold.
Lightning danced across his torso!
"How does it feel?" Asher sealed the reactor casing and stepped back to observe.
Ben touched the reactor on his chest, his expression thoughtful. "It feels... lighter somehow. I'm not sure if that's just my imagination."
"Don't worry about it yet. You'll see the difference in actual combat."
Asher's attention shifted to the row of alien component displays lining the warehouse walls. His eyes turned cold as he surveyed the collection.
"We can't take these unused parts with us, they're too large. If we're not using them, we need to destroy them. All of them."
Skipping over the explosive ordinance section (which looked disturbingly self-destruct-adjacent), Asher, Ben, and Gwen moved systematically through the warehouse, smashing display cases and destroying every piece of alien technology they could reach.
If the Eternal Knight were present, he'd probably suffocate from rage.
CRASH!
After demolishing the final showcase,
WHAM!
The warehouse door burst open violently!
"Who's in there?!"
Multiple voices shouted in unison. "This definitely isn't a rat! What rat could make this much noise, this many times?!"
Several Forever Knights rushed into the warehouse one after another, their eyes widening at the shattered glass covering the floor.
These three intruders...
They'd actually destroyed so much of their commander's hard-won alien technology collection!
They're dead!
"You arrived at a perfect time," Ben said, his hands coming together with an audible clap. His voice carried pure confidence. "I was just looking for someone to test my new upgrades on. Looks like you're volunteering!"
Ding!
At that exact moment, the Omnitrix on Asher's wrist emitted its distinctive sound effect.
He slowly pressed down on the activation dial, and the faceplate popped up. A smile spread across his face. "Ben, Gwen, get ready to wreck these guys!"
SLAM!
The Omnitrix core activated!
Ben's palm pressed against his reactor!
Gwen's body lifted slightly off the ground, as if suspended by invisible wings!
WHOOSH!
Golden electrical energy and brilliant green light flashed simultaneously, though the emerald glow blazed brighter and more intense!
THOOM! THOOM! THOOM!
The Forever Knights stationed outside the warehouse could clearly hear the heavy, brutal sounds of combat echoing from inside. When they prepared to rush in as reinforcements, they heard,
BOOM!!
The walls on both sides of the warehouse exploded outward!
As countless broken bricks tumbled through the air, an emerald-colored figure burst through the left wall and landed in the corridor with earth-shaking force!
Diamondhead!
On the right side, Ben smashed through in his steel armor!
Compared to his previous appearance, the lightning core modification had transformed the suit's entire color scheme to red and gold. The energy output was dramatically more intense, and the visual design bore a striking resemblance to Iron Man's Max II and Max III armor iterations.
Behind both of them lay three and five unconscious Forever Knights respectively.
Their combat effectiveness had improved significantly!
"You two couldn't be a little quieter on your way out?" Gwen's exasperated voice called from behind them.
She floated gracefully through the hole in the wall, her body glowing with soft pink energy from the Charm of Luck.
"This?" Diamondhead gestured at the destroyed walls with unmistakable pride. "This is called making a heroic entrance. It suits us perfectly!"
"More enemies incoming!"
"Wait, look at the pattern on his body! That's the kid, but he's transformed into a different alien!"
The Forever Knights in the corridor stared at Diamondhead and Ben's armored form with expressions of alarm. Their bodies tensed, weapons raised defensively.
But Diamondhead didn't give them a chance to organize!
He moved with devastating efficiency. His arms morphed into massive crystalline hammers, and with a single powerful swing, he sent every enemy in the corridor flying. They smashed through walls and crashed down to the first floor in a shower of debris!
No wasted words. No hesitation.
"Asher, save some for me!" Ben complained. "What about the battle plan?"
"Battle plan? Simple." Diamondhead's voice carried absolute confidence. "You two rescue Grandpa Max and that Howell kid. I'll handle all the enemies here!"
"Dude, you're being way too cocky!" Ben protested, though his tone was more amused than annoyed. "That's supposed to be my thing!"
CRACK!
Without another word, Diamondhead leaped straight up through the hole in the wall and dropped directly into the fortress courtyard!
He landed in the open space with earth-shaking force, surrounded by dozens of Forever Knights, all eyes locked on him.
I'll take on all of you at once!
"The enemy's here, and he's alone!"
"Then we'll take him down together!"
"Activate the fortress weapons! He must be captured!"
The Forever Knights drew their energy swords, raised their laser lances, and aimed their advanced firearms at Diamondhead. Even the fortress-mounted cannons, Gatling guns, and experimental alien weaponry swiveled to target him.
In seconds, Diamondhead found himself surrounded by countless armed soldiers.
The artillery emplacements locked on. The weapons charged. The knights advanced.
Given the extremely high threat level of this mission, the system couldn't resist.
Ding!
Mission triggered: Survive the siege. Rewards available upon completion.