"Ben? Ben!"

"Great. You broke him."

"Well his eyes are still open, and he's still breathing."

"Somebody open his head and check his brain!"

The moment someone said that, Ben screamed, snapping out of his shocked state. He had to blink multiple times to make sure he wasn't losing his mind.

After blinking for what seem to be a hundredth time, he finally stopped to accept the fact that there were freaks in front of him!

He backed away in complete shock only to fall on his back.

"I got ya, Bud." Ben felt a pair of arms hoisting him back to his feet. For some strange reason, they felt... hot.

He turned around, only to find the same flaming humanoid that saved him from those goons.

"Heat?" He just couldn't believe the freak was one of his cousins.

The creature smiled, the flames on his head danced as if reacting to his expression, "Hey Bud. Yeah it's a long story..."

He was stopped when Ben grabbed him to face him, "Oh my god! They mutated you into some flaming freak!"

"Not really, Sweetie."

Ben turned around only to find his Aunt Amelia and Grandpa Max approaching him. The former was wearing the same gray and black uniform his grandpa was wearing.

"Grandpa Max? Aunt Amelia? What's going on?" Ben asked in confusion, "Where's Mom and Dad?"

"Sweetie," Amelia placed her hand on Ben's shoulder, "your parents..."

"I'm not 5 anymore, Aunt Amelia." Ben pulled away, "That freak Vilgax got them, right?"

"Yes. Yes they did." The green humanoid crystal being approached him holding his present in his crystal hand.

Ben noticed a familiar scent coming from the crystal being and exclaimed, "Uncle Tetrax?"

"Told you he'd notice." Amelia slightly elbowed her husband.

"I am not wearing that faux musk." Tetrax complained before handing the package to Max.

"So... How did you two actually met?" Ben asked.

"Bear Attack." Both Tetrax and Amelia replied simultaneously.

"And irresponsible siblings." Amelia added.

Just as Max was about to open the package, Ben asked, "That's not my birthday present is it?"

"No." Max apologized before opening the package.

Everyone gathered around in order to take a closer look at the content of the package. Ben wanted to see it too, but he was too short compared to his taller relatives.

Are all members of his family freaks? Is he a freak too?

A large red hand suddenly grabbed him and hoisted him on the shoulder of the red four-armed freak that saved him earlier.

"Aunt Armada?" Ben recalled the freak's voice sounded just like his athletic aunt (who always butt heads with Tetrax), "Is everyone in the family all freaks?"

"Aliens, actually." Armada corrected before turning to Tetrax, "Although, some of us are."

Tetrax grumbled in annoyance before turning back to the content of the package.

Ben managed to see the object in the package; A... watch?

Well... It does look like a watch. It had a long band, wider than the circle in the middle that probably served as the clock. But instead of a ring of twelve numbers and the hands, it bore the same green and black hourglass symbol that Max and Amelia wore in their belt buckles.

"A watch?" Ben asked in disbelief, "My crazy uncle captured my parents all just for a stupid watch?"

"It's not a watch." A voice replied, but Ben couldn't see who it came from, despite the familiarity, "It's an instrument of great power. A power to unite all races. (Sigh) To your Uncle Tetrax."

Ben kept searching for the source of the voice, but couldn't. When he told the soon-to-be 10 year old to turn to Tetrax, he did. Only to find a small, gray alien perched on Tetrax' shoulder.

"Don't make me recall the Cowboy Incident." The small alien threatened with a finger.

"Uncle Ash?" Ben exclaimed in surprise. He was the only relative he knew who would recall embarrassing moments just to "discipline" him and his cousins, "You're... you're..."

Ash rolled his large eyes, "Just say it. You're not the first being in the Galaxy to say so."

Some of the other aliens on board shifted and/whistled nervously.

Max cleared his throat to return everyone's attention to the "watch", "As Azmuth said before; It's not a watch. Your parents labeled it, The Omnitrix. It was meant to be an instrument of peace, but Vilgax sees it as a weapon of destruction. A weapon to bring chaos to the entire galaxy."

"He always has been the black sheep of the family." Armada remarked.

"My mom and dad built that?" Ben asked in surprise, "I know they're top-notched mechanics, but this is crazy. Out-of-this-world crazy!"

"How soon until we can activate it?" One of the other aliens asked.

"After we run the proper diagnostics." Another alien replied.

"Uh, can we back up for a moment?" Ben called everyone's attention as he got off his aunt, "Am I an alien too?"

Max chuckled in amusement, "No Ben. You're 100% Human."

"Who's related to aliens." Ben pointed out, "I can't believe you guys didn't tell me. Especially you, Heat."

"We were going to tell you." Heat assured, looking slightly guilty.

"But your brain wasn't ready to accept the hidden truth." Amelia interjected.

"What?" Ben asked, confused.

To emphasize, the aliens parted to reveal a large screen on the wall. The screen turned on, revealing a video of a seven-year old Ben in a dinosaur costume screaming and running in circles after seeing an inflatable dragon. The screen flashed, revealing another video of an older Ben screaming and running around a man dressed in a green alien costume.

And that was just a year ago.

Ben shook his head in embarrassment and mortification.

"If it makes you any better, me and the guys were going to tell you in secret during your birthday party." Heat said in an attempt to cheer him up, only to receive disapproving glares from the older members of his family.

"Thanks Heat." Ben smiled at his cousin.

"S'more?" Heat held up a s'more and roasted it with his fiery breath before offering it to his cousin, on a plate.

"So... Where are we going exactly?" Ben asked as he stared outside from a window. When he did, his eyes widened in shock;

They weren't on Earth anymore.

They were in Space. Outer Space. Complete with stars, and floating rocks which whoever was flying the ship was trying to avoid.

Ben was so shocked, he ate Heat's s'more, hoping it was still hot enough to snap him out.

Unfortunately it wasn't. But it was delicious.

Ben watched as the ship carrying him and his family landed on a platform that was connected to a large floating space station. The hatch opened, revealing two rows of aliens and humans in the same uniform his aunt and grandpa was wearing. Both side saluted just as Ben and his family got off the ship.

Just as Ben checked the new place out, he was suddenly tackled by a giant orange beast with a long neck, a head of a wolf, two sharp horns on its head, and...with, a bushy tail of a cat?

Ben closed his eyes as he braced himself for his end.

It wasn't fair. He had so many questions; Why was he related to aliens? Why were his parents taken? Why wasn't he sent to alien School? Why...?

Ben felt something large and wet rubbed against his head. He opens his eyes, only to find the orange alien licking him.

In a rather, friendly manner.

It licked Ben several more times until his hair stood up in a mess. The alien stopped and stared at him with big yellow eyes, as if it expecting him to do something.

Ben tried to push the Alien off him, but it keeps pushing him down as if it doesn't want to let him go.

Just like... someone he knows...

Someone who always tackle him as a way of saying "hello"...

During their family reunions...

Ben looked at the alien once more with wide eyes, "Cousin Poodle?"

The alien wags her tail in delight, "Yay! You know me!"

She got off her cousin and happily bounced in place while he stares at her in confusion, "What are you? Some, kind of science experiment gone wrong?"

"Ben, don't be rude." Armada lightly scolded, "Poodle here is a Chupacabra. Due to their nature of nurturing their fur under the intense heat of the sun, most humans are quite fortunate in finding one on earth. Thus, the myth."

Ben almost couldn't believe he was just tackled by his Cousin Poodle.

The girl who was a foot shorter than him... The girl whose innocent baby-blue eyes hid her wild, energetic streak... The little girl who always give him hugs that made him think that he was going to be sent to the hospital...

Turns out to be some kind of 10 foot-tall dog-cat-goat alien creature.

"Ben!" Another alien, just like his Uncle Tetrax, picked him up and gave him a bone-crushing hug.

As Ben tried to breathe, he noticed the green crystal alien was wearing a yellow hoodie. Just like...

"Daemond!" Amelia scolds, "Stop suffocating your cousin."

To Ben's relief, Daemond broke the hug.

...

"Daemond...?!" Ben gasped as he was placed down, "You're... You're not short! And you've buffed up!"

Daemond grins and shakes his crystal hands, "Surprise!"

Ben continues to gape. His cousin Daemond... shorter than him... thin...

(And...sometimes... a little, bit... clueless...)

Was now the TOTAL OPPOSITE in front of him.

Plus he's made up of crystals.

"Who's next?" Ben remarked, "Cousin Grey? A mini-Alien like Uncle Ash?"

"The proper term, is 'Lunarian'." A small Alien resembling Azmuth hopped on Daemond's shoulder, "And yes. He is of that species."

Ben couldn't help but poke his now-miniaturized cousin. Annoyed, Grey swatted his hand away.

He feared the day his cousin would see his other self. Now here they are, and very soon, he'll have to deal with...(groan)... the questions...

Ben gazed at the strange, new place around him, "What is all this?"

Max cleared his throat, "For centuries, our family has been defending the peace, and order of the entire universe from threats and destruction. We are the protectors of the natural and unnatural. The soldiers of space and time. We are... The Plumbers."

...

"Where did the tumbleweed come from?" Daemond asked as one passed by a silent Ben.

"It's a long story of 'Who-came-up-with-the-name-first?'." Azmuth explained, "Now we know you have questions-"

"Which will have to wait because you guys have to check on the watch first." Ben interrupted, "So, while you're busy, the guys can show me around, check out some pretty cool Alien stuff, and hopefully not get into trouble."

Ben finished with a wide grin.

"Right on the mark." Max confirms, "Especially since someone already got himself into a lot of trouble earlier."

"Cousin Ghostfreak?" Ben guessed.

"How did you know?" Grey asked.

Ben shrugs, "Lucky guess."

Poodle hoisted Ben on her back and the cousins were on their way to start their tour of Plumbers Headquarters.

Max watched his human grandson go with a worried look in his eyes.

This wasn't how he wanted the reveal to go. Now thanks to Vilgax, his grandson's life is at risk. And so are his parents'.

He looks back at the device in his hands, "We have to hurry..."