I Thought There Were No More Cowboys

Lance is walking down the street with his hands in his pocket, kicking a pebble as he walks down. It seems to be just a normal day of the start of rush hour. Horns honking and traffic everywhere. People are too busy to realize what's around them, like the horse Lance spotted in front of a bank. He found it very peculiar that there is a horse in the middle of a busy town. Lance went a walked over to the horse looking around. People walked past it like it was normal, and Lance wanted to make sure he wasn't just seeing things. Lance puts his hand on the nose of the horse and pets it. It nays as Lance continues to pet it, confirming that the horse is there.

"What are you doing here in the middle of this city?"

Lance asked the horse even though he knew it would not respond to him. He smiled at the horse as he continued to pet it. Then the alarm went off in the bank that they were standing in front of. Lance looked over as a cowboy type guy came running out and shot one of the guards that was chasing him. The man then pushes Lance away from his horse and onto the ground. He hops onto the horse.

Spoiler:

"Get off of my horse kid!"

The man then starts to ride off on his horse with the bags of money. Lance gets up and dusts himself off. He is a little mad right now as he steps down on the ground causing a platform to come up from the ground. Lance hops onto it and flies off chasing the man.

Ben having arrived back in Jump City decided to take a look about the place, he wanted to try and remember it from back when he was a child. I mean not much had changed in the few months he'd apparently been gone, but it had been years for himself personally. The details of time travel into a parallel universe just made his head hurt, so he just put the entire scenario out of his mind. However, as he continued his stroll he would hear an alarm go off and then a man speed past him on horseback holding money bags; following right behind him was the rock kid he had fought the super family with. He didn't remember his name, but he remembered the incident very well because the mom had left a good impression on Muscleman's face with her fist.

"Hmm, Cowboy in the middle of an urban city...Yup, not much has changed since I've been gone."

Ben would then run after the floating rock platform, while rotating the dial on the Omnitrix. He would stay back for now, for he didn't know what was going on. Growing up had taught him to be somewhat tactful in his approaches, but he was still going to change forms just incase the earth weilder did need help. After presssing down on his watch's faceplate a green light could be seen enveloping Ben, transfroming him into one of his 10 aliens.

The cowboy maneuvered his house around the traffic of the city. The cowboy looked back and saw Lance chasing after him. The man started shooting his revolver, aimed at Lance. Lance lifted his rock, so that it was slanted and the bullets hit the bottom of it. The cowboy continued his way down the street and made a sharp turn onto another block. Lance acted as quickly as he could and made the turns. his rock platform grinded up against the side of a building smashing the windows and all. lance got back control and was back to being right behind the man. Lance was ducked behind his platform as the cowboy continued to shoot at him. Lance really couldn't do much from this position.

(Mind)
"Ugh, I got to think of something."

As Lance gave chase to Tex and followed after the allusive stallion while being shot at, from over head the sound of a jet could be heard, but it sounded like a rather small one at that. Both Tex and Lance would then look up only to see a blue and white blur zip past Lance at a high speed. As the being approached the horse, it slowed down and revealed itself to be some kind of alien with pressurized water jets propelling it after the robber from it's hands and feet, sort of like that of Ironman. Little did Lance know that he had met this being before, not the alien, but the one who embodied.



"Whoa there Cowboy, this is local law enforcement. Please exit the horse and put your hands over your head."

"Sorry partner, but I reckon I just can't do that."

After reaching Tex, Jetstream would place one of his palms infront of himself and unload a straight shot of water in the cowboy's direction; but Tex would swerve out of the way and then do the same again to avoid a second stream before returning fire with his pistol. Ben taking evasive action as he saw the firearm pointed at him.

Lance was coming down fast flying straight towards the weird creature that was helping him. Tex was tightening his grip on the gun because he was pulling the trigger. Time seemed to slow down as Lance tilted the platform he was on all the way to the side. lance had his feet planted into it and was holding on so he wouldn't fall as Tex pulled the trigger. Luckily Lance's platform flew in front of Jetstream at the right time and blocked the bullet from hitting him. Lance also noticed on the alien that was helping him the green and black symbol on his shoulder.

(Mind)
"I know I've seen that before...."

Lance thought as he flew by after blocking the bullet and hopped of the platform on Tex's left side. Lance looked at Tex and back at the alien just in case.

(Mind)
"I know that symbol, but just to be on the safe side I got to watch them both."

"Sorry boys, but you're still to wet behind the ears to stop me."

"Interesting choice of words, I was thinking the same exact thing about you..Literally!"

That being said, Jetstream would dart up into the sky at and angle and then spray a geyser of water down at Tex, who again attempted to swerve to avoid the tower of liquid; but what he didn't account for was wet city streets instead dirt and grass plains. The water flooded the entire area rather than be soaked up by the ground and gave his horse less traction as it trudged though the liquid slowing him up.

Lance saw this and used this as an opportunity and brought up walls around Tex and his horse. The water Jetstream put onto the ground rose, like water being put into a pool. The water was getting higher on the horse and reached up to Tex's boots. Tex gets up ans stands on his horse. He shoots off shots at both Jetstream and Lance. Lance blocks them with rocks, as Tex tries to climb up on the wall that is surrounding him.

Jetstream seeing the incoming bullets unleashes yet another blast of water towards it from both palms at the same time, the high pressure negating the bullets on contact.

"Oh no you don't"

As Tex reaches the top of the rockwall, Ben increases the amount of water flowing from his palms. Which strikes the ground and creates a wave as it rushes toward Tex, knocking him off the wall.

Lance then makes a small man sized cage out of rock and Tex falls right into it. Lance then gets another platform of rock and puts it on top, sealing the cage. Tex was lying on the ground and his revolver fell out of the cage. Lance went and picked it up so that Tex would not get it again.

"The bad guy always gets thrown in jail."

Lance said as he looked at Tex.

As Ben turned back into his human form he recognized the boy. He was different now, more grown up.

"Well look at you. You've grown up since the last time..... Ben, right?"

Lance said guessing at a name that sounded right to him.

"Ya well, I would hope so after six years haha."

Ben rubbed the back of his head with his hand, wondering how Lance would respond to that because for him Ben had tried to just murder him and his team not too long ago when he was possessed by Ghostfreak. While for Ben that seemed like it was eons ago and had faded into a distant memory.

Lance remembers what happened last time like it was yesterday. Ben seemed to be changed though, he didn't have that evil look like he did the first time they met. Lance pulled out his sword and put it at Ben's neck.

"So tell me now. Why are you back!?"

Lance had a slight distrust in him. He wanted to see what Ben would do right now, to see if he was hostile or not.

"Hey! Whoa, that's how you treat old friends here!?!"

Ben would put his hands up and take a step back, obviously he was correct again on the whole remembering thing.

"Look I came back to stop an assassination attempt on my life and now I'm stuck here again until I can find a way home. Now can you put that thing away, if I wanted to hurt you I would've done it the moment you captured Ranger Rick over there."

Lance smirked at Ben at his comment. Boy was this kid cocky. Lance went and put the sword back into the sheath on his back.

"Right of course you could've (slight sarcasm). Now back to your assassination situation. Sounds like serious stuff. An idea what you're going to do... anything?"