The screen went black. Not the black of a loading bar, but the black of a held breath. Then, a low hum filled his speakers. It wasn't the show's theme song. It was a single, oscillating frequency, like a dial tone from a broken phone.
In the corner of his actual, real-life living room, the air shimmered. A figure materialized—not Ben Tennyson, but a gaunt, gray-skinned version of him. His jacket was torn. The Ultimatrix on his wrist was cracked, glowing a sickly amber. He wasn't a hero. He looked like a survivor. Ben 10 Ultimate Alien Full Episodes-
The laptop screen melted into a puddle of liquid light. The puddle rippled, and Leo saw his own reflection—not as he was, but as the Ultimate simulation saw him: a hollowed-out man in a hero's costume, standing in an empty desert with no enemies left to fight. The screen went black
Seven… six…
He typed into the glowing abyss of his laptop: It wasn't the show's theme song
The gray Ben smiled, a thin, cruel line. "That's the problem with fans, Leo. You watch long enough, the story starts watching back."
