High above Earth’s atmosphere, drifting silently in the cold vacuum of space, Vilgax’s massive flagship hovered like a dark, metallic leviathan.
Deep within the vessel’s lowest sub-deck sat the primary detention block, a dim, subterranean corridor lined with energy-shielded holding cells.
Inside one of the cramped containment cells, the tension was thick enough to cut with a knife.
“Trusting Vilgax to actually keep his word has got to be the single dumbest decision you’ve ever made in your entire life, Ben!” Gwen snapped, her voice echoing off the seamless alloy walls.
“Yeah, man,” Kevin chimed in from the wall opposite her, his voice heavy with cynicism.
“It’s right up there with Albedo trusting that squid-face.
Seriously, what did you expect?”
All three of them were currently suspended off the floor, their wrists and ankles clamped tightly to the bulkhead by heavy, magnetic alloy rings.
Ben hung between them, wincing at the harsh criticism.
He knew he was in the wrong, but he tried his best to keep his voice calm.
“Look…
relax, alright?
Everything is completely under control.
Trust me, we’re going to be out of here before you know it.”
Seeing that there were no automated sentries or Biooids guarding the immediate corridor, Ben decided it was time to come clean.
In a quiet, hushed tone, he quickly explained his secret encounter with Albedo on the dirt road—laying out the white-haired clone’s warning, the strategy to let Vilgax take the watch, and the plan to trigger the core self-destruct command.
When Ben finished, Kevin just stared at him with an expression of pure, unadulterated pity.
“Ben…
you are an absolute idiot.”
Ben’s brow furrowed in annoyance.
“Hey!
What’s that supposed to mean?!”
Gwen, however, looked deeply troubled.
She shook her head, her eyes filled with doubt.
“Ben, do you honestly believe Albedo was telling you the truth?
What makes you think he isn’t playing his own game?”
“Well…
I mean, he seemed pretty sincere!” Ben argued, trying to defend his logic. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
“Plus, I was watching his face the entire time he was talking.
His left eyelid didn’t twitch once!”
(It was a subtle, embarrassing biological tell: whenever Ben lied under pressure, his left eyelid gave a micro-flinch.
Because Albedo shared his exact genetic structure down to the molecular level, Ben assumed the clone inherited the exact same subconscious habit.)
“Ha!
That’s brilliant, Ben,” Kevin scoffed, rolling his eyes.
“Even if that crazy clone was trying to help us out, right now he’s probably pinned under a mountain of giant Biooids on the surface.
Guy’s totally doomed.” Kevin’s tone was thoroughly unsympathetic; he still held a major grudge over how ruthlessly Albedo had knocked him out earlier.
Just as the argument was about to escalate, a soft, quiet chuckle echoed from the hallway outside.
The three teenagers snapped their heads toward the cell barrier.
Standing casually on the other side of the glowing red energy shield was Albedo, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his sharp red jacket.
When he caught them staring, he offered a cheerful, mocking wave.
“Good evening, my friends,” Albedo said, his voice smooth and entirely unbothered.
“What a fascinating conversation.
Mind if I join in?”
“Albedo?!” all three of them yelled in unison.
“The one and only,” Albedo replied, a smug smirk spreading across his pale face.
“Why do you all look so thoroughly bewildered?
Was my arrival not scheduled on your rescue itinerary?”
Ben rattled his magnetic wrist clamps, staring in shock.
“How are you standing out there?!
Weren’t you overwhelmed by Vilgax’s army?
How did you get up to the ship?”
Albedo let out a low, theatrical sigh, placing two fingers against his forehead.
“Tennyson, sometimes I truly marvel at the sheer, tragic empty space inside your skull. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
Did you honestly believe a few dozen mindless Biooids and an energy barrier could contain a genius of my caliber?
Do you think the device on my wrist is merely a fashion statement?”
He raised his left arm, proudly flashing the glowing, crimson faceplate of his Ultimatrix.
Ten minutes earlier, Albedo had indeed found himself in a identical cell further down the block.
Vilgax had taken extra precautions with him, binding his limbs in heavy magnetic restraints and encasing his left forearm in a thick, solid-titanium wrist guard designed specifically to prevent his right hand from reaching the Ultimatrix interface.
It was a clever containment strategy for an ordinary prisoner.
But Vilgax was operating on outdated knowledge of the Omnitrix interface, completely failing to account for the voice-command architecture Albedo had personally coded into his customized device.
Left entirely unsupervised in the dark cell, Albedo had simply smirked at the heavy titanium sleeve covering his arm.
“Ultimatrix: Voice Authority Mode!” he had commanded softly.
From beneath the heavy titanium plating, the cold, synthesized voice of the device had chimed: “Voice authority confirmed.
User: Albedo.”
“Execute DNA call-out sequence: Necrofriggian profile.
Authorization code: I-Love-Chili-Fries.”
“Authorization accepted.
Engaging Necrofriggian shift.”
A flash of crimson light had erupted from beneath the metal sleeve.
“Big Chill!”
Shifting instantly into the blue-and-black, moth-like phantom form, Albedo had triggered his phase-shifting ability.
His molecular density dropped to zero, allowing his intangible body to slip effortlessly out of the magnetic wall clamps and drift right through the solid titanium wrist guard like smoke.
Without breaking stride, he had floated straight through the cell’s energy barrier into the main corridor.
Once outside, he tapped the chest crest on his winged form, shifting into a short, white, silicon-based alien.
“Echo Echo!”
Utilizing his sonic multiplication ability, Albedo had instantly split into four identical copies, sending his duplicates sweeping through the flagship’s lower corridors to locate the primary detention block and secure their exit route.
Now, standing outside Ben’s cell in his human form, Albedo looked at the three bound teenagers with a cold, triumphant smile.
“Now then,” Albedo said, stepping up to the control terminal beside the cell door and bringing up his Ultimatrix interface.
“Shall we proceed with phase two of our little arrangement?”