A Royal Encounter

Ben sprinted down the alley, his bare feet slapping against the cold pavement. He could still hear the crowd laughing behind him. His face was burning. His pride was in shambles. And he had no idea how to get his watch back.

"Okay, okay, think, Tennyson," he muttered to himself, hiding behind a dumpster. "I need clothes. I need the Omnitrix. I need to never show my face in Bellwood again."

He peeked out from behind the dumpster. The coast was clear. He darted toward a fire escape, planning to break into an apartment and borrow—okay, steal—a pair of pants.

That's when he heard the ship.

A low hum filled the air, followed by the unmistakable sound of an Incursean warship decloaking. The massive vessel hovered directly above the street, casting a long shadow over the fleeing hero.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," Ben groaned.

A hatch opened, and a drop beam lowered a familiar figure: Princess Attea, flanked by two hulking Incursean guards. She was wearing her usual royal attire, complete with a smug grin that could only mean trouble.

"Well, well, well," Attea said, her eyes scanning Ben from head to toe—and lingering a bit too long. "Ben Tennyson. The great hero of Earth. I came to steal the Omnitrix, but it looks like someone beat me to it. And your clothes, apparently."

Ben instinctively covered himself again. "Attea! This isn't what it looks like!"

"Oh really?" She tilted her head, amused. "Because it looks like you're standing in an alley, completely naked, while your city watches. Did I miss something?"

"It's a long story," he said through gritted teeth. "Charmcaster—"

"Don't care," Attea interrupted, stepping closer. Her guards raised their blasters. "The Omnitrix is gone. That's a problem. But you know what?" She stopped inches from him, her purple eyes glinting. "A naked Ben Tennyson is a vulnerable Ben Tennyson. And I've always wanted to see you squirm."

Ben backed against the wall. "What do you want?"

Attea smiled, slow and dangerous. "Oh, I haven't decided yet. Maybe I'll take you back to Incursea as my personal… trophy. Or maybe I'll just broadcast this little scene to the entire galaxy." She pulled out a small holographic projector. "Smile, hero. You're about to go intergalactically viral."

Ben's blood ran cold. "Attea, don't—"

"Too late," she said, pressing a button. "Say hello to the Andromeda Galaxy, Tennyson."

The projector lit up with a live feed of his embarrassed, naked face. Somewhere in space, billions of aliens were now watching.

Ben had never wanted the ground to swallow him whole more than in that moment.

"Now then," Attea purred, "let's talk about what you're going to do for me."