21 CH 20: The Techtrix (E3)

(A/N: If you're curious about why Overdrive, a Predator, was able to speak in the previous chapter, it's because it's not a normal predator. It had been scanned when it was in phase 1, which didn't have any intelligence. But after constantly evolving, it gained intelligence. Just like how the other predators will be able to after unlocking their evolved form, aka ultimate form.

Also, bro, someone actually commented in the previous chapter where I said "would you like it if YOUR partner had multiple lovers" and this guy stretched what basically was "yeah, I'm okay with getting cheated on" and told me "get off your high horse". The comment freaking baffled me, goddamn. Imagine calling someone arrogant because he says he doesn't want to get cheated on. Jesus Christ, some people need a severe intelligence donation. Yes, I'm petty for calling him out in the chapter. Cry about it. Everybody has the right to be stupid sometimes, but some people actually abuse the privilege.)

-

Controlling the minisub to go down, he threw out the unconscious Jonah before he himself exited it. He turned to see the group walking towards them, but didn't see the two mercenaries anywhere.

"Where are the chatty ones?" He asked, Doc frowned :"Used a flashbang to blind us when we weren't paying attention and took a run for it." Overdrive didn't sweat about it :"It's alright. It seems like they weren't part of the actual poaching, so I don't care."

Checking for any danger, he untransformed when there wasn't any :"I'm plenty satisfied now that we got the mastermind. Actually, now that I remember, I can't just let this guy go to jail without getting some punishment."

"Going to jail isn't punishment already?" Ben asked, earning a glare from Alistair :"Ben, a mother was about to lose her children because this guy was too greedy for money. Believe me, rotting in jail still wouldn't be enough."

He pointed at the Krakken calmly waiting. She gave a gentle growl in appreciation. Smiling at her, he gently tapped the glass containing her eggs :"And here are you children, miss. Just let me help you with getting them out."

Transforming into Hecatoncheires (Fourarms) for extra efficiency, he opened the container and held up the eggs :"Here you go. Just be careful." While Ben felt a bit sour at him transforming into his aliens. The Krakken gently took the eggs with her tentacles, before nodding at him in gratitude and diving into the water.

'And that's another mother satisfied.' He chuckled mischievously, before setting his eyes on the passed out Jonah :"Now as for you," Transforming into Paracosm (Pesky Dust), he grinned evilly :"I'll make sure that you receive a suitable punishment. I promise you that."

(A/N: Fun fact, Paracosm means a very detailed imaginary world. Suits this alien to a T, right?)

Waving his hand gently, a red dust flowed from the fairy's hand and towards Jonah. Nothing happened, but they couldn't trust their eyes when Paracosm's smile widened :"Good. Make sure you reflect. Because you're stuck that way or the rest of your trashy life."

What way? Coma for life, nightmare all round.

"Uuh, what did you do?" Ben asked, having a bad feeling knowing his pal. His worry simply grew when he giggled evilly, flying beside his head and patting it :"Don't worry your little head, Benji. It's nothing for you to worry about- hm?"

From the corner of his eye, he saw something interesting. Something very interesting. Extremely interesting. Especially interesting. Exceptionally interesting. Tremendously interesting. So much so that his eyes widened in shock, and his mouth turned into a giant smile at the realization.

He saw the Galvan Infectoid piece of him that was torn thanks to Jonah. The fact that it had remained even after he transformed was already surprising. But what was more surprising was the fact that it was approaching the mechanical arm of the minisub that he had cut off.

Without hesitation, he flew towards it. Watching it intently as it crawled to its goal. To its food. The others exchanged glances, before shrugging and deciding not to bother him. They chose to tie up the criminals and call the police instead.

With Paracosm, he transformed back, and Alistair squatted down to focus entirely on the black and orange slime. Slime that when finally reached the torn machine, it began to envelope it. Devour it.

But it was slow. Very much so. And Alistair, impatient, was annoyed with waiting. When his concentration on the slime was broken, he sensed the world around him that he had ignored. Along with something else that he had ignored.

A link. A mental link. One that he sensed led right back to the piece of him that was torn away. His eyes widened, and his grin returned. Focusing entirely on the slime, on what he wanted it to do rather than waiting to see what it wanted to do, he tried to take control of it.

And he succeeded. He had Zak to thank. He already knew how to control and influence others. In fact, he knew exactly how to do it best because of the complete knowledge and methods the Nemetrix implanted in his brain.

So when he tried to control a part of him that was detached, he succeeded after barely trying. Which was weird, because it seriously didn't even take any effort. But he didn't care. Once he took control, the slime instantly devoured the entire arm. After that, it just laid there. Motionless, as if waiting for something to move it.

Containing his excitement, mentally controlling it, the command it received led to it transforming into the arm it had just absorbed. And with another mental command, it returned to being an alien blob. Cute, but about to become extremely deadly.

'Oh my god... oh my god... oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!' Alistair chanted excitedly. Looking around, his eyes landed on the minisub. Picking up the slime carefully, he walked hurriedly to the minisub.

"Alistair, what's wrong?" Max asked, getting everybody's attention but the noiret's. He was too focused in his own world to perceive the one around him. Worried and interested, they watched what he was doing curiously.

Alistair gulped nervously. His excitement through the roof. He moved it with shaky hands and placed it on the minisub, before he commanded it to act. Instantly, not even taking three seconds, the entire thing was enveloped before disappearing into the slime. Causing everybody's eyes to widen.

"Wait, did you just see that?" Zak rubbed his eyes, Fisk doing so as well :"&+#$?!" But Drew's eyes widened. The conversation they had a while ago appeared in her mind :"Oh, boy..."

Taking a deep breath to calm down, failing completely, he ordered the slime once again. And this time, it turned into the minisub. Not the damaged state that it was previously in, no, but the completely unharmed version. As if it was brand new, but just in black and orange. Now not just Drew, but others who had listened to him got the gist of what was going through his head too.

"Oh my god... oh my god, oh my god..." He chuckled dumbly, a massive smile on his face. With a simple thought, he had the slim return back to normal before he started running. But just as he was about to transform, his eyes landed on the high tech weapon on the ground. The one that Van Rook had used on him.

He stopped, let the slime absorb the weapon, then rushed inside of the cannery while everybody watched him. He ignored them all though. He simply wet inside, had the slime absorb everything, then came out. With an advanced and expensive looking laptop in hand. Alistair hated this Jonah poacher bastard, but he was beginning to seriously like his technology.

"I'll see you guys back at the Rust Bucket!" He shouted, at least announcing his departure, before transforming into MantAstral and flying away quickly. Looking at each other, Zak spoke up :"I'm not trying to sound like a jerk, but is it a good thing that he probably got a very big clue in creating the device he had in mind...?"

"Yeah, probably." Ben pursed his lips :"Maybe..." Drew sighed :"We can only hope so." Earning a confused look from her husband :"What device? What are you guys talking about?"

"Oh, right, you weren't there." The milf said, and started explaining the plans of the sinister kiddo.

-

A while later, after the police had arrived and arrested all the criminals, they all returned. Anxious but curious to see what Alistair was up to. And when they arrived, they saw the good old little technology demon, Tinkerer (Juryrigg).

He was behind the laptop that he had stolen —and had improved into a supercomputer— and was using it to control the car-sized device in front of him. The device with the Galvanic Infectoid inside, which was being worked on with lasers and such.

"Uuh, Alistair?" Gwen called out, but earned a hush :"Shhhh, quiet! I'm trying to concentrate here!" When she silenced herself, looking at others, they all shrugged and walked to sit somewhere and watch.

Seriously, Alistair loved Tinkerer and was thankful every second of the day for having him. Sure, Brainiac and Brainstacean were awesome, but Tinkerer was all about action. He didn't think, he didn't plan, he didn't formulate. He simply did everything the moment he needed to. The fact that he had super speed if technology was involved made Alistair love him all the more.

When he wanted a supercomputer to control highly advanced machinery, he made it in seconds. When he needed highly advanced machinery, he made it in seconds. He simply needed to have a goal, an idea, and his body would move instinctively. He loved it.

And now, after literally making all the equipment he needed from scrap —in less than a minute at that— he had started to work on the slime. But before everything, he had confirmed one very, VERY important fact.

The slime wasn't alive, neither did it have intelligence. Before, when it was moving by itself, he had found out that it was something like a part of a snake being cut off. Even after a snake's literal head is cut off, both the head and the body can still move around and act as if they're alive.

The same was with the piece that had been torn from him. Even though it moved like it was alive, it was still dying. Even if it had absorbed technology, it still would have died. What it was doing was actually searching for the main body. Reattaching itself was the only way for it to stay alive.

So it moved around, trying to find Alistair to return to. And once Alistair took control of it, he hadn't just taken over its mind. No, he was literally controlling his own body. Explained why it felt so easy. So right. So once Alistair had figured that out and made sure that was the case —and not that the slime was actually alive— he had begun making his device.

He had been working on it for quite a while already. While the two families were working on tying up some useless idiots, he was working on creating one of the greatest weapons in the world. A weapon that could store and function like any absorbed technology. Even the Annihilarrgh.

Minutes passed like seconds. His eyes glued to the computer screen and the slime under the special laser. And after a few hours of having his undivided attention and complete concentration on the project at hand —so much so that he hadn't noticed the two families were eating dinner meters away from him— his efforts proved to bear fruit.

Once the sizzling sound of the laser that had been going on for hours stopped, Ben looked up from the food in his dish :"Did he finish?" Catching everybody's attention. The sizzling sound had become a background noise that they had ignored. So when it stopped, they didn't even notice.

But when Ben pointed it out, they all stopped talking and turned their attention to the machine and Alistair. Transforming back, he walked towards the finishing device with heavy steps. Anxiety and excitement burning his heart from the inside out.

Looking at the black and orange cube, he couldn't help but gulp down heavily. As he reached out, the cube seemed to listen to his thoughts. It slowly deformed into liquid and began to crawl up his right hand, before circling around his wrist and turning into a black and orange bracelet.

The silence was deafening. Nobody said anything, simply waited for Alistair to say something. But he didn't mutter a word. He simply took on a nonchalant smile, eyes closed, and didn't even look at the others as he opened the Rust Bucket's door :"Please excuse me for a moment."

"... What's with him-" Ben started, but was interrupted by a loud shriek that came from the the inside of the Rust Bucket :"YEEEAAAAAHHH!!!'