*Disclaimer: I do not own Ben 10
Part 1 – The Situation
Kevin's fist came down hard, shattering Ragnarok's shield, and sending him flying backwards against the wall with a hard thud, leaving a large dent he size of a flat-screen TV in the wall, Ben had converted into Bigchill, but once Kevin had knocked their opponent out, Ben landed, and converted back into himself.
"Nice job brother," Ben said as he slapped Kevin on the shoulder.
"Thanks," Kevin said, "He's mine," Kevin walked up to the alien, absorbing the metal from his pocket-change, he grabbed Ragnarok by the back of his head, and held his fist in the air, "This is for my father."
"That's what I was counting on," Ragnarok said as he flipped his hand palm-side-up, and clicked the detonator.
The entire place shook violently, and started exploding: Kevin instantly knew what was going on, he then nailed Ragnarok on the bridge of the nose, knocking him out cold.
"BEN GET OUT OF HERE!" Kevin yelled.
"BUT KEVIN!" Ben yelled.
"I SAID GO," Kevin yelled as he shoved Ben backwards, sending him flying into an escape-pod.
Kevin then threw the largest object he could pick up at the door controls, and the door slammed shut as Ben threw himself against the glass.
"KEVIN OPEN THE DOOR," Ben yelled, "It's not too late. Come on, open the door!"
"I'm sorry," Kevin said as the escape pod was ejected from the station.
"NOOOOO!" Ben yelled as he watched Kevin's image get smaller and smaller before he couldn't see him at all, and the entire station exploded in what looked like the explosion of a red star.
Gwen's eyes flashed open, and she shot upright in her bed, "NO!" Gwen shouted.
Gwen hugged her legs to her chest, and put her chin on top of her legs, Kevin had been killed in action saving her cousin's life, and even though she missed her boyfriend and wished he was back, she was still glad her cousin was alive.
While she was at Plumbers Headquarters, she sat at her desk, and just looked over intelligence files, during Karate class she was usually the best student, but after Kevin's death she was now at the middle of the class.
When Gwen arrived at Plumbers headquarters that day she was looking over some intelligence files while Ben watched on.
"Hey Gwen." Ben said.
"Yea," Gwen said as she continued looking over the files.
"You want something to drink?" Ben asked.
"Sure," Gwen said, "Smoothie if you have them."
"Ok," Ben said as he walked into the back, Grandpa Max was generous enough to put a Nutri Ninja Pro Blender in the break room.
Gwen's favorite fruits were bananas, strawberries, and he slipped in some pineapple slices because for some reason pineapple always cheered her up.
"She still mourning?" Max asked.
"Yes," Ben said as he slipped in some non-fat yogurt, and a few ice-cubes, he hit the button, and blended it together, "It's been three months since Kevin's death."
"I'm sorry," Max said, "I know it's been hard for both you and her. I kind of miss him too. Listen if you're not busy I have something for you to do."
After, Ben poured the mixture into a cup, his head shot up, and he turned toward his Grandfather, "Say that again." Ben said.
"I said I have something for you to do." Max said.
"Grandpa that's it," Ben exclaimed, "You're a genius!"
"I am?" Max asked.
"In order to cure Gwen we need to find her something to do," Ben exclaimed, "We need to send her on a mission!"
"What kind?" Max asked.
"Something that would require her to use her skills," Ben said, "Something dangerous but not too dangerous, something she's going to have a real adventure with."
Max snapped, "I know just the thing," he said, "Something recently came up that we need more information on, and I think Gwen is the perfect person for this."
"What is it?" Ben asked.
"There is a super weapon from the First Contact wars that we believe is being replicated for use in global terrorism." Max said.
"We can't send her in alone though," Ben said, "But I can't be there, she'd want to talk about Kevin all the time."
"I have just the man," Max said, "He's only a bit older, but he's a good agent."
"What's his name?" Ben asked.
"His name is Nick James Silverstone," Max said, "He's a very skilled Plumbers Agent, the only problem is he's a bit hot-headed."
"So he's just like Kevin." Ben said.
"Exactly," Max said, "Gwen will be totally at ease."
"Let's get a mission briefing prepared." Ben said.
Yemen, Socotra Island…
A hunched-over elderly middle-eastern man dressed in a Middle-eastern style robe walked through the streets, his hood covered his face, his cane was hand-carved, and made out of some type of local wood.
As he climbed the hill, he watched as Yemeni soldiers walked by him, not giving him a second look.
Which was a mistake because as soon as he reached the top of the hill, he found his objective.
His expression changed as he rose to fully erect standing, he removed his ID mask to reveal a six-foot-three Caucasian male with Ben's hair only white, and blue eyes wearing a three-piece Savile Row tuxedo with a white/gold stud & cufflink set and a Primetime Red tie and vest combo.
It was Nick, he had been sent by the Plumbers to infiltrate a possible anti-government rebel group that was using alien technology against Yemen troops.
Nick was packing his own tech as he retrieved his Smith and Wesson M1911 .45 with a beveled mag-well, and a suppressor.
Nick inserted the magazine into the gun, then pulled back on the slide, and engaged the safety.
Five minutes later, the guards standing by the gate were standing around when someone grabbed one of them from behind, and struck them on the back of the head.
The other guard raised his Laser Lance, and as he did, someone spun around, and kicked him across the face, knocking him out cold.
Nick hid the guards in the shadows, and bound them with twist-ties.
As he entered, one of the patrolling guards turned to face Nick just in time to see him raise the M1911, the bullet flew from the end of the gun, and struck the guard in the larynx.
The man grabbed his throat just before he dropped dead against the floor.
Nick then grabbed the guard's M4A1 assault rifle, and proceeded down the stairs.
As he reached the bottom, he found himself outside the door to the security room.
He kicked open the door to the control room and as he did two of the control guys inside picked up their weapons to fight.
As the first ran at Nick, Nick swatted him across the face with the butt-stock of his rifle then placed the top of the rifle against the side of the man's neck, and swung it around the man's neck, and as it did, it made contact with the hostile soldier's temple.
Nick then grabbed the first guy he stunned by the side of the head, and slammed him into one of the computers, knocking him out cold.
He then gripped the other one by the sides of his head, and kneed him three times in the face.
After picking up the rifle, Nick walked up to the consoles before nearly tripping over something, he looked down, and there was a large grate about the size of a man-hole cover by made to look like a strainer, when he looked inside of it he saw what appeared to be a processing plant.
"What are those?" Nick asked.
After continuing on, he found himself outside something labeled Beams.
As he opened it, he found himself standing over a large set of beams directly over a large area where soldiers of unknown origin were waiting with level 5 weapons.
"That can't be right," Nick thought as he dropped down onto one of the beams, "They can't get his many level 5s in one place."
As Nick proceeded, he heard someone talking, he looked up, and saw that there was a man dressed completely in black with a strange symbol that was pinned on his lapel, but the shadows were so thick, he couldn't see the man's face.
He reached into the pocket of his jacket, and pulled out his came which was actually stuffed inside a pen, he zoomed in on the symbol, and snapped several pictures.
After continuing across the beam, he found himself in a large gap between the door and the beam.
He unraveled some dental-floss, and threw it across the gap, which wrapped around the door-knob, and after a swift yank, the door opened.
When the door opened, Nick jumped across the gap, and tried to scramble back in before the boss saw him.
"Deal with him." the boss said.
Nick then ran through halls, and found himself outside the processing plant, when he arrived, one of the guards turned to face him, and raised his Laser Lance to fire only to have Nick shoot first, "Out of all the level 5 weapons here, there has to be one guard that brings an assault rifle." Nick thought.
Nick walked over the dead guard, and to the end of the plant where he found that there were made him instantly confused, "Diamonds," Nick asked as he grabbed a handful of professionally-cut crystal-clear diamonds, "What are these guys up to?"
Nick didn't have time to think because a laser-blast missed his right ear by no more than an inch, and exploded against the forward wall.
Nick ran for it, pulling out his water-proof zip-up pouch, then dumping the diamonds in, and stuffing it inside his jacket.
He put his pistol away, and locked it in place before taking cover, then balancing the M4A1 on the block, then firing at the guards.
Once the rifle was out of ammo he took to his heels, and ran for his life.
Nick pinched his watch, and held it a few inches from his mouth, "This is Asset Metal-Zero," Nick exclaimed, "I'm ready for extraction!"
Nick continued running before discarding the rifle completely.
Once he busted free of the labs, he found himself running through a series of caves, he eventually arrived at a space he had to squeeze through before finding himself right at the exit to the cave which was thirty five feet above the water.
As he looked back, he saw the shadows from the guards running toward him.
"Max, if I live through this, I'm asking for a raise," Nick said as he faced the water, "Time for a leap of faith."
Nick took a deep breath, and dove toward the water.
Nick managed to land in deep-enough water, and when he broke the surface, he saw a Plumbers boat heading toward him.
After climbing into the boat, he contacted his CO, "Asset Metal-Zero here," Nick said, "Mission accomplished."
The next morning, Nick was awoken by the sound of his computer on the bed-side table going off, when he opened it Max Tennyson was on the screen.
"Good morning Agent." Max said.
"What is it Max?" Nick asked.
"I have a new assignment for you," Max said, "It involves some pretty powerful tech."
"What are we talking?" Nick asked.
"How's destruction of Earth sound?" Max asked.
"I'm listening," Nick said as he looked up at the screen.
"We believe that those diamonds you recovered on Socotra Island might be the missing ingredient for a powerful chemical weapon," Max said, "There's a major construction dig going on in Istanbul. Your mission should you choose to accept it would be to go to Istanbul, and figure out what's going on. You'll be allowed to take several items with you including your sidearm, and be able to choose your car, but it is essential for this mission you take a partner."
"A partner?" Nick asked.
"Yes," Max said as a picture of Gwen came on the screen.
"Whoa," Nick said as he looked closer at the screen, "Where'd you find an Agent like her?"
"She's my granddaughter." Max said.
"Oh," Nick said, "V.I.P. Cargo?"
"Exactly." Max said.
"Isn't she the one," Nick asked, "With the boyfriend on the…" Nick pointed toward the sky.
"Yes," Max said, "Nick, I don't do this very often but… please, please take her on this mission. She's been slipping little by little ever since her boyfriend died. Her grades have been slipping, she's been the top of her Karate class, but now she's the middle of her class…"
"Max," Nick said, "I get it, granddaddy's worried about his granddaughter so you want someone like me to take her mind off of him."
"Putting it simply," Max said, "Yes."
"I'll do it," Nick said, "But a few things have to be."
"What are your conditions?" Max asked.
"Number one," Nick said, "Upon mission completion, I want you to put me down for the possibility of a raise, I was almost blown up, shot, drowned, and I nearly jumped to my death on that last mission."
"I'll see what I can do about that." Max said.
"Number two," Nick said, "I want some off-time after this mission is complete."
"Done." Max said.
"Number three," Nick said, "Me and her do this investigation my way."
"Ok." Max said.
"And finally," Nick said, "I want everything you have on my parents."
"I'll see what I can do," Max said, "You'll take the mission?"
"I'm in," Nick said as he stood up, and grabbed his things from his hotel room, "I'll be on the next flight to Istanbul."
Bellwood…
"Gwen," Max said as he walked over to his granddaughter.
"Yes Grandpa?" Gwen asked.
"I need your help," Max said, "There's something important I need you to look into."
"Ask Ben." Gwen said.
"Ben's not available," Max said as he placed the mission file down in front of Gwen, "I sent him to California to investigate claims of an illegal level five alien-tech smuggling ring."
"Why me then?" Gwen asked.
"Because you're the only one available," Max said, "But while Ben's no going to be available, I'm going to assign you a temporary partner."
"Who?" Gwen asked.
"This is him," Max said as he held out Nick's file revealing a man dressed in full military formal wear with the stripes of a First Lieutenant on his lapels and shoulders, "His name is Nick 'Danger' Silverstone, Plumbers Agent and part-time Army Ranger."
"Ruggedly handsome," Gwen said, "A year older than me, young genius, graduated from West Point Military Academy at 17, multiple times at attempted Court Marshalls, all failed, and many, many, many awards, and military and Plumber commendations accredited to his name."
"He's a very good soldier." Max said.
"What's his problem," Gwen asked, "He's handsome, his smart, and his profile says he speaks a dozen languages. Why isn't he an actor or a Navy SEAL?"
"The only problem is he's a little hot-headed," Max said, "He's not afraid to speak his mind."
"I take it that's what caused his attempted court marshals?" Gwen asked.
"Yes," Max said, "But he's one of the Plumber's best."
"I'm going to need a few things if I have to work with him." Gwen said.
"What?" Max asked.
"Number one," Gwen said, "I want your guarantee that you'll get permission from my teachers that I'll be excused from school."
"Done." Max said.
"Number two," Gwen said, "I want some time off after this mission."
"Done." Max said.
"Number three," Gwen said, "I want you to promise me that this isn't just an excuse to get me to forget Kevin."
Max looked into Gwen's eyes, "I promise this is not an excuse to try and get you to forget Kevin." Max said.
"Ok," Gwen said, "What's the mission?"
"You'll be briefed by Nick when you arrive in Istanbul," Max said as he handed Gwen a pass-port, and a plane-ticket to Istanbul, Turkey.
Off to Istanbul…