#omnimatrix

With the Hybreed defeated and a new playlist of aliens to figure out, Ben let himself enjoy the parties going on at home and gave Ken the pout of his life when he was denied any alcohol.  “If I’m old enough to save the galaxy from genocide, I think I’m old enough to drink.”  Apparently, it didn’t work that way, but Mom agreed with Ben and he got a whole 8 ounces of some fruity blend of stuff.  He was dizzy the rest of the night on into his sleep.

When the celebrations were done with, Ben found himself sitting in his room, staring down at the Omnitrix.

“We saved the whole galaxy because you can alter genes on the fly.  Can you… can you answer me if I ask you questions?”

In his own voice, the watch responded, “Affirmative.”

“Would’ve been great to know but that’s my fault for not checking I guess.  So, the way that you returned the DNAliens back to human form, would you be able to fix Albedo back to his original form too?”

“Affirmative.”

“Well, that’s on the list I guess.  Ben 10,000 mentioned putting a lock on you, is there a way to make sure other people can’t transform me without my consent?”

“Affirmative, morph lock currently disengaged.  Would you like to engage the morph lock?”

“Oh my god, yes!  Engage morph lock, please.”  The watch beeped twice, then clicked, and Ben pumped his fist in the air.  “Awesome!  Okay, what else… hey, how come back when I was a kid you turned me into the wrong alien and timed out at random?”

Ben swore he felt judgment that wasn’t his hitting him from all sides.  “During referenced time of 2004 A.D. to 2005 A.D. Omnimatrix Model 1.00 was far more delicate and susceptible to glitches and damage.  User Ben Tennyson only activated the primary transformation function properly once: the very first time.”

Ben sucked on his teeth with a wince.  “Is slamming your dial the problem?”

“Transformation countdown was randomized with each excessively forceful activation.  Morph randomization is a result of built-up damage and errors typical of any prototype.  Morph randomization has since been fixed, and morph duration reliant on charge.”

Ben tilted his head, scratching his neck.  “Alright, that brings me to another question that paying attention in science class and going on adhd spirals on the internet has had me confused about.  Nothing comes from nothing, so where do you get your charge?”

“Original power source: pocket dimension crafted by First Thinker Azmuth, to which an increasing number of black holes lead, filling it with white holes.  Current secondary source: user Ben Tennyson’s excess mana, which would otherwise damage User Ben Tennyson’s body.”

Well shit.

“Elaborate on the mana part.”

“User: Ben Tennyson produces large quantities of previously unknown energy, now classified as mana.  Other sapient beings are observed to produce varying quantities of mana, the smallest being found in Galvanic Mechamorphs.  User’s human body is insufficient for containment of natural mana production.  Previous glitches involving excess mana generation include manifestation of consciousness within ectonurite genomorph.

“Reference: Verdona Tennyson of Anodine indicates failure to regulate User’s excess mana production will result in User’s human body becoming a mass of mana charged plasma, similar to the revealed true form of Verdona Tennyson.” late User’s excess mana production will result in User’s human body becoming a mass of mana charged plasma, similar to the revealed true form of Verdona Tennyson.”

Ben took a deep breath in for 4 seconds, held it for 4 more, and let it out over the course of 4 seconds.

“Asking Grandma about that is also on my to do list, at the top probably.  I just need to figure out how to contact her.”  Ben rubbed his temples and considered whether or not he could handle more answers to his questions.

“Hey omnitrix, are you able to change my human body?”

“Affirmative.”

“… Have you changed my human body in the past?”

“Negative.”

After a moment of making the kinds of changes most teenage boys would when presented with that kind of opportunity, Ben furrowed his brows in thought.

“Hey, Ship remembers all of the things he’s upgraded, so how come when I was Upgrade I never kept the blueprints for all the stuff I upgraded?”

“Galvanic Mechamorphs are completely mechanical entities with nanites in place of cells.  The Galvanic Mechamorph stores consciousness and memories very differently from how a human being does.  Maintaining a record of your memories and consciousness during the disassembly and reconstruction of your brain is no small task.”

Ben nodded, shrugging.  “Too complicated to do when you’ve got more important things to prioritize, got it.  So, before I go and figure out the new aliens you’ve given me, I’ve got one more question.