Poisoned Well

Plot
(Inside a damged Plumber ship, there is a mess of tangled metal, fires, and bodies of Plumbers slumped across the area. One manages to get up and activate a communications panel.)

PLUMBER: This is patrol X-63, requesting immeditate assistance! We've been attacked by an unknown vessel. Primary systems have failed! I repeat, this is-

(A dark, triangular, menacing ship fires upon the Plumber ship with red, rapid lasers, blowing up the devestated craft to pieces.)

---

(On Earth. It's a foggy night in a forest clearing. Ultimate Spidermonkey and Gwen are surrounded by Forever Knight soilders. One of them aims his laser lance at the Arachnichimp and fires, but the agile alien dodges just in time.)

ULTIMATE SPIDERMONKEY: You missed me.

(Spidermonkey use's his webbing to grab onto the Forever Knight, and drag him across a group of soilders, forcing them to fall down like bowling pins.)

ULTIMATE SPIDERMONKEY: But I left you a present anyway.

(Suddenly, the Rustbucket 3 swoops down, landing in the clearing. Forcing the remaining Forever Knights to retreat. The ship's ramp slides down. Kevin, Max, Manny, and Helen.)

GWEN: Grandpa? What's going on?

MAX: We've got a problem.

---

(The Rustbucket 3 soars above the clouds, Ben, Gwen, Kevin, Max, Helen, and Manny sit inside the craft.)

MAX: It was a heavily-armed ship that destroyed an entire Plumber patrol. There were no survivors. At first, I thought the attacks were random. But when I heard reports of similar incidents. I knew something was up.

HELEN: Organized? By who?

MAX: We don't know. But the important thing right now is that they need to be stopped. A few hours ago, several encrypted messages indicated that the same ship carrys some kind of toxin in massive quantities.

KEVIN: What kind of toxin are we talking about exactly?

MAX: From what we could tell, they have a enough that could be used on an entire planet. Targeting all life in the ecosystem.

GWEN: Do you have any idea where they're headed next?

MAX: As a matter of fact, I do. One of our ships was barely able to damage their engines. They were last reported heading toward our solar system.

MANNY: Look's like we're next on their list.

BEN: We have to find some way to stop them. Who knows how many ships they have roaming around.

-

[ALIEN CONTROL CENTER]

(In a dim room with a few consoles lit up and a weird contraption moving from side to side in the middle. Two alien hybrids stand next to the center of the room. A male Prypiatosian, and a female Aerophibian.)

SWIFT: Your ship is adrift and damaged, because of a single Plumber ship?

LEANDER: The ship has taken damage before. It's designed to repair itself.

SWIFT: If they find it...

LEANDER: That's the point. There's no one to capture. The ship can't even be traced back to us.

SWIFT: It's a modified Plumber ship. They would identify it the moment they inspected it.

LEANDER: They won't get the chance to.

(A door leading out of the room opens. A Cerebrocrustacean hybrid enters the control room)

LEANDER: Proctor Servantis. I didn't expect you to arrive so soon.

SERVANTIS: Give me a stadus report.

LEANDER: I'm continuing to repair the ships engines.

SERVANTIS: Is the toxin in decent condition?

LEADNER: It is.

SERVANTIS: Then I suggest you double your efforts. Once we take care of Earth, the Plumbers will be scrambling to help. That'll give us a clear shot at our primary target.

(An alarm sounds.)

LEANDER: Another ship is approaching.

SERVATNIS: Show me.

-

(Back on the Rustbucket 3, everyone takes a look at the dark, triangular ship, dead in space.)

KEVIN: I can't tell if there's anyone in it.

MANNY: We should blast the thing into bits.

GWEN: I'm gonna see what I can find out. Give me a sec.

(Gwen raise's her hands in front of her.)

GWEN: Ostendo Specialis.

(Gwen's eyes turn bright pink. She waits for a moment. Then stops the spell.)

BEN: Well?

GWEN: No one is inside that ship. I'm sure of it.

BEN: Then how is it able to move? Or even do anything?

MANNY: Maybe it's alive...or uh...

HELEN: Magister Tennyson. I can go and take a look inside, figure out if there's anything we can do with it.

MANNY: Hold on. You're going in? It might be a trap.

HELEN: Someone has to go ahead and take a look.

MAX: Easy you two. We don't know exactly what's inside.

MANNY: That's why we're both going.

HELEN: We?

MANNY: Sure. Why not. We'll be alright Max. We can take a quick peak inside.

(Max looks towards the dark ship, then turns back to the Plumbers kids.)

MAX: Alright. But if there's even the slightest hint of trouble, I need you back here.

-

(Wearing their respective space suits. Helen and Manny go through the aliens ships hatch into a dark, empty, interior with just a few consoles lit up. A large, transparent container full of what looks like a green mist is in the middle of the room, with tubes coming off of it and end up on the ceiling.)

MANNY: This looks familiar.

HELEN: Yeah, it does. Looks like the inside of a Plumber ship. Even the controls look the same. Let's see if I can slow it down.

(Back in the control center, Servantis is looking at the surveillance camera images until he spots Manny and Helen.)

SERVANTIS: Freeze that image, and zoom in.

LEANDER: It's a Kineceleran and a Tetramand.

SERVANTIS: What are they doing?

LEANDER: They're shutting down the engines. Our ship is slowing down.

SERVANTIS: Can you stop them?

LEANDER: I do. But only if you would accept what I'm proposing.

-

(The doorway closes behind them.)

MANNY: Helen, did you touch something?

HELEN: It wasn't me.

 (They both try the door controls.)

MANNY: Do the hatch controls work?

HELEN: I can't open the door.

SERVANTIS: Listen carefully, and you won't be harmed.

MANNY: Who are you?

SERVANTIS: I control this ship.

MANNY: Not anymore, you don't.

(Suddenly, a green mist slowly pours into the room, covering the interior of the ship.)

SERVANTIS: You have seven minutes. Bring back power to the engines, or you will die.

-

(Back on the Rustbucket 3. Kevin notices the Rooters ship starting to move around them.)

KEVIN: Guys. We've got a problem.

(The alien ships begins to fire on the Rustbucket 3 with it's red, rapid lasers.)

BEN: I'll see if I can stop them from firing on us.

MAX: Wait, Ben! Helen and Manny are still inside!

BEN: I'll be careful.

(Ben transforms into Bigchill, phases through the Rustbucket, entering the vaccum of space. Bigchill hits his Ultimatrix symbol on his chest, transforming into Jetray. Jetray then swoops above the alien craft, firing his Neuroshock Blasts towards the ship, but the ship is too fast for him to even make a scratch.)

-

(Manny tries to pry open the door with his hands, but fails to do so.)

MANNY: You're not...getting...this ship...back!

SERVANTIS: ''You're playing a very dangerous game. You have less than a minute left.''

HELEN: Alright! Alright, I'll...I'll do it!

MANNY: Helen...don't-

 (Manny collapses on the floor, while Helen races to bring power back to the ship.)

HELEN: There! Now shut it off and open the door!

 (The hatch opens and takes Manny in with her. She helps Manny sit up.)

HELEN: Stay with me, Manny. Stay with me.

MAX: ''Manny. Helen. Are you there?''

HELEN: Magister Tennyson? It's Helen. I'm alright. But Manny was knocked out.

MAX: Is he alright?

HELEN: I'm not sure.

MAX: ''Can you leave the ship? We'll do what we can to bring you back.''

HELEN: I'll try.

LEANDER: The human ship is heading towards us. Four Plumber vessels are not far behind.

SERVANTIS: Bring weapons at full power. Destroy the human ship, then head towards Earth.

(The Rooters ship begins to fire it's weapons. The Rustbucket 3 takes a few hits on it's right wing.)

GWEN: Can you take down their weapons?

KEVIN: It's moving too fast!

(Helen opens the airlock, leading towards the vastness of space. Manny slowly recovers, and jolts, startled by the outside view.)

HELEN: Take it easy, Manny. We're in a bit of a situation here.

MANNY: Did I miss something?

HELEN: Just take my hand. We're gonna have to jump out. I can't imagine how things could get any worse!

HELEN: I can.

(Manny takes Helens hand, and leaps into space. The Rustbucket 3 gets close enough to shield them to safety. Jetray tinkers with his Ultimatrix symbol on his chest, he finally presses it once more, becoming covered in circuitry all over him, transforming into Upgrade.

UPGRADE: Time to take this one out for a spin!

(The Galvanic Mechamorph starts to merge with the Rooters ship.)

LEANDER: Someone's taking over our ship!

SERVANTIS: Take all weapons offline. Now!

LEANDER: I've lost access!

SERVANTIS: Transport the craft back here. Now!

MAX: Just look at that!

(Everyone see's Upgrade bringing the Rooter Ship to a stop. A short, beeping sound is heard at Kevin's control panel.)

KEVIN: Looks like he wants to talk to us.

(Kevin turns on the communications panel.)

MAX: Great work, kid. You alright?

UPGRADE: ''I'm fine. But...what are we going to do with this? I can't be an alien ship for the rest of my life, you know.''

MAX: I'll have a team take a look at it. They'll be sure to inspect it.

UPGRADE: ''There was something else. I had this strange feeling that I was about to be moved to another place. It felt...odd.''

(Back at the Rooters Base.)

LEANDER: I failed. Swift was right. This was a waste of time.

SERVANTIS: This isn't a failure. It's a setback. We can't let this incident stop what we have been trying to accomplish for all these years. Max Tennyson didn't understand why we did what we did.

 (Servantis turns to a transparent window, looking towards the vastness of the Null Void.)

SERVANTIS: But we will show him. In time.

Major Events

 * Upgrade makes his debut.
 * The Rooters make their debuts.
 * Helen and Manny make their debuts.

Characters

 * Ben Tennyson
 * Gwen Tennyson
 * Kevin Levin
 * Max Tennyson
 * Plumbers Kids
 * Helen Wheels
 * Manny Armstrong

Villains

 * The Rooters
 * Servantis
 * Leander
 * Swift

Aliens Used

 * Ultimate Spidermonkey
 * Big Chill
 * Jetray
 * Upgrade