One
When The Wind Settles
A man enters Reinrassic III's office, he sees him staring at a photo of him, Ben and the gang. "You knew Ben personally, didn't you?" the man asked.
"I did, his death was a tragic loss for the entire galaxy." He puts the photo down. "That's not why I summoned you lot here. When I became Highbreed Supreme, one of my long term political goals is to make changes to Highbreed Science Council. You see, the Council was responsible for creating the situation that led us to the path we once walked," Reinrassic III said.
"And that would be?" he asked.
"More than forty of your Earth years ago, the Council abducted a human from Earth and used him in their experiments to cure my people's sterility problem. Unfortunately, it made things worse and it killed off a third of our population. That was then and now we're making good progress in terms of political and economic gain. Recently, we received an invitation to join the Intergalactic Nations," Reinrassic III answered.
"And the one rule they have is that all inviting planets must come forward with any illegal genetic experiments they did before they got the invite," he said.
"Exactly, I sent my men to get the test subject, but he escaped. That's not all, it got worse a few days ago." He plays a news vid of a planet that's half hemisphere got destroyed. "He destroyed half a planet and an orbiting space station," Reinrassic III said.
"What did they do to him?" he asked.
"They modified his genetic code, making him unstable and extremely dangerous. I sent my best men to track him down, but we lost the trail," Reinrassic III said.
"And that's where we come in?" he asked.
"Exactly," Reinrassic III answered.
"We'll take the job, for free. It's out of respect for the late Ben Tennyson. Do you where the subject is heading and does it have a name?" he asked.
"The subject's name is Edward Tavern and he's heading back home to Earth," Reinrassic III answered.
"Earth, it's been a while since I went back home," he said.
In home of the late Ben Tennyson, Sandra is packing all of Ben's things into boxes as I helped her out. "I appreciate you coming here, Gwen. The last month alone has been a challenge," Sandra said.
"We're family and in times like these, we got to stick together. How's Uncle Carl doing?" I asked.
"He's barely speaking a word. I guess Ben's death has affected him just as me." She accidentally drops a framed photo; she picks it up and looks at it. "Oh my, its been ages since I looked at this photo. This was taken when Ben was seven. We took him to the Grand Canyon for the first time. He complained and whined during the trip, but he calmed down once we arrived," she answered.
She puts it down on his bed and begins to cry over the memory. I comfort her. "It's okay, it's okay," I said.
At Hangar 18, Kevin is participating in a poker tournament. The other players look nervous as they looked at their cards. "I don't know what's scary, the fact our cash is on the line or the fact that one of the players is Ben's BFF," one of the players said.
"Watch your mouth. Ben was more than a friend, he's like a brother I never had. My only regret is that I never got to say goodbye to him," Kevin said.
"I meant no disrespect. Well Tiny, are you going to place a bet or not?" the player asked.
"Hold your pale horses, Sonny." He throws some chips to the pot. "Man, I would never thought Ben would die so suddenly," Tiny said.
"I know. I'll fold," Kevin said.
Kevin puts the cards down on the table as he hears a crash. "What the heck was that?" Sonny asked.
"No idea, but I am going to find out." Kevin runs out of the bar and heads over to where the crash occurred. He sees a man in the crater. "Ben, is that you?" He realises its not Ben. "Oh, you're not Ben, but who are?" he asked.
The man faints and Kevin inspects his wounds. Sometime later at Plumber H.Q, the man lies in a hospital bed as Max enters the room. "It's been a busy night. As if we got enough problems as it is," Max said.
"You're not telling me what I already know. Who is he?" he asked.
Dr. Fai enters the room. "He's definitely human, but he does show signs of experimentation," Dr. Fai said.
"What kind of experiments?" Max asked.
"From the looks of it, its genetic, not cybernetic. I was able to get a blood sample. I should get the results by tomorrow morning," Dr. Fai answered.
"Speaking of morning, I got to take Gwen back to college. Its great talking to you again," he said.
"Kevin, thank you for taking care of Gwen," Max said.
Kevin left the ward and headed back up. Somewhere near the town border, the man and a fellow accomplice walk up to the Bellwood town sign, the man inspects the town sign. "Figures, these things always survive an alien invasion attempt," the man said.
"Could you focus, Star Warrior?" the accomplice asked.
"Of course, Xylene. Coming back must be hard for you. Especially if you know the Tennyson family," Star Warrior said.
She sheds a tear. "The last month alone hasn't been easy," she said.
"Hmm, my helmet is picking up the energy signature Tavern is emitting. He couldn't gotten that far," Star Warrior said.
Morning came; Kevin is having breakfast and watching the morning news. "A crash occurred last night in the Lower Suburbs. Witnesses said a man crash landed. The authorities have yet to comment on the latest developments," the newscaster said.
Kevin turns the TV off when his Plumber's badge beeped. He clicks it and receives a call from Max. "Kevin, we got a situation. Remember that guy you brought in last night. Well, he escaped. Dr. Fai went to check up on him and he vanished," Max said.
"What do you mean vanished?" Kevin asked.
"One moment he was in his bed, the next gone," he answered.
Kevin hears a boom; he goes over to the window, looks down and finds the man. "I think I just found him," Kevin said.
He goes outside, gets the man and brings him into his apartment. "That was quick," Max said.
Kevin places him on the couch. "Something doesn't feel right about this guy. Did you find out who he is?" Kevin asked.
"That's the weird part, his name is Prof. Edward Tavern," he answered.
"What's so weird about it?" Kevin asked.
I came out of the bedroom, fully dressed. "Morning Grandpa and who's the guy on the couch?" I asked.
"His name is Prof. Edward Tavern and as I was asking. What's so weird about it?" Kevin asked.
"He disappeared forty years ago," he answered.
"What? You're sure? He looks no older than thirty one," I said.
"Dr. Fai has confirmed that Edward has been experimented on. His DNA has been altered to an extent, making Edward either immortal or the experiment has slowed his aging process," Max said.
Edward wakes up. "We'll have to get back to you. He's waking up," I said.
Kevin turns his badge off as Edward gets up. "What happened? Did I make it back to Earth?" Edward asked.
"You did and you crash landed in Bellwood," Kevin answered.
"Hmm, my trajectory was off. I was planning to come here, but a meteor shower veered me off course," Edward said.
"I try to take it easy; you've been gone away for a very long time. What date do you think it is?" I asked.
"March 17th 1971. I was delivering lectures like I usually do. I'm a Professor, I teach literature at the college nearby. I clocked out at five thirty because I was filling in for a colleague who fell ill the previous. I was driving home like I normally when all the sudden, this bright light appeared above my car and I was abducted by aliens. They did things to me, horrible things. Too horrific to talk about," Edward answered.
Edward breaks down and cries and I comfort him. "Don't you think its weird that he come home after forty years," Kevin said.
"Edward didn't deserve this. I hate to break it to you, Professor, but its 2013. The Earth went through another invasion attempt, but it was thwarted," I said.
Edward walks over to the window. "Have I been gone away for that long? Time does fly fast around the galaxy. The thing I can do now is bring some closure to this whole ordeal. I would like to know where my wife is, Francine," Edward said.
"We can't guarantee results Professor, but we will bring some closure," I said.
"In the mean time, I'll dig around to learn the circumstances of Edward's abduction and his sudden return. The best place to start is at the local police station. There's no doubt that they a case file for Edward," Kevin said.
Back in Bellwood, Star Warrior and Xylene arrived outside Plumber H.Q. Star Warrior far less than impressed from the exterior. "Okay, now your pulling my chain, Xy. You're sure this is Plumber H.Q?" Star Warrior asked.
"Don't let the exterior and interior fool you, Warrior," she answered.
"That's odd, the readings stop here, they must have him," he said.
"Hang on; I'm hacking into Plumber communication protocols. Edward's escape, he's not at the base," Xylene said.
"That'll complicate things," Star Warrior said.
"We'll proceed as planned and keep in telepathic contact," she said.
Star Warrior leaves the area and gets his communicator out. "Pi, bring the Black Rose in. Something tells me we're going to be in for a fight," he said.
Xylene enters the store and she proceeds onward to Plumber H.Q. Xylene enters Max's office to find it empty. "Max, are you there?" she asked.
"Xylene, is that you? Sorry I didn't hear you, I was in the midst of a investigation." Max sits down at his desk. "It's been far too long," Max said.
"Too long indeed. I'm sorry for your loss. I wish I could've done something to save Ben," she cries.
She bursts into tears. "The last month alone hasn't been easy," Max said.
"I could use a friend to talk to," she said.
"So, what were you doing where the galaxy was invaded?" Max asked.
"Leading a resistance and I helped you lot free the Revonnahganders. Getting here wasn't easy, Plumbers have set up patrols in this sector," she answered.
"Yeah, they're still on the lookout for X'Andi war criminals. Also, we're short on manpower," Max said.
They left the office and Max shows her around the facility. Warrior, Edward is not here, he's escaped and the Plumbers have tracked him down.
Where?
I'm not sure this is accurate, but he's at a Ivy League College.
Back at the apartment, Kevin reads the police file as Edward enters the room. "Have you tracked down my wife?" Edward asked.
"I was making progress until it got stalled, but I did dig up the police file they had on you. On March 17th 1971: 8:36 pm, the victim Prof. Edward Tavern disappeared without a trace. The police found your car abandoned on the highway. The police found the keys in the ignition, they presumed that your car was broken down and you gone to find help. They also found your briefcase containing your notes for tomorrow's lecture and they ruled out robbery," Kevin answered.
"I was going to pick up on the lecture I carried out on that day. I was teaching my students about the works of Steinbeck," Edward said.
"Uh-huh, the investigation came to a halt after the investigators couldn't find any more leads. The case is still open," Kevin said.
"That's not a surprise. Still, I would like to know how Francine and my children are doing," Edward said.
Kevin checks his computer. "Hello, I got something. Years after your disappearance, your family declared you dead and your wife Francine moved back to Washington D.C. As your children, your eldest daughter, Karen is married and she has twins," Kevin said.
Edward becomes happy when he learned he's a grandfather. "I'm a grandfather; I don't know what to say. What about my son, Mark?" Edward asked.
"About that, he died in a car crash five years ago. He's buried right next to you, believe it or not. And that's that basically," Kevin answered.
"It's good to know that they're doing well. I need some air, you know, so I can take in all of this news," Edward said.
"I'll come with you. A lot has changed since your abduction," Kevin said.
They both left the apartment and took a stroll around the college. Edward enjoys the moment and so does Kevin. Edward begins to notice something is wrong in the air. "Something's not right, I sense a ship orbiting us and its cloaked," Edward said.
Kevin gets his Plumber's badge out and he turns the radar feature on. "You're right, it's cloaked and it's ID signature matches the Black Rose," he said.
Star Warrior flies in and he uses his gauntlet to turn the Black Rose's cloak drive off. "I really hate the Galvan. They invent just about everything to eliminate the element of surprise," Star Warrior said.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"The name's Star Warrior, kid and I suggest you hand Edward over and no one doesn't have to get hurt." Kevin uses his power to touch a lamppost and he absorbs the metal to cover himself in armour. "Osmosian, this could get interesting." He draws out his dual pistols and aims them at Kevin. "Queen, Ivy, set ammo type to black matter." The pistols activate and they set the ammo type to black matter. "Last chance kid, hand Edward over," Star Warrior said.
"I think he stays with us. He has enough of being abducted by aliens," he said.
He sighs. "Teenagers," Star Warrior sighed.
Star Warrior opens fire and the two of them begin to fight. I was nearby when the fight occurred and I joined in. "I don't know who you are, but you have no right to be here," I said.
"Anodite, couples do come in shapes and sizes. Look, I only want Edward. Nothing more, nothing less. Don't make me force my hand." He realises we won't give up. "Okay, you leave me no choice. Tetrax, time to bring in the rest of the Outlaws," Star Warrior said.
"Tetrax?" both he and I asked.
Tetrax and three more beings come out of the Black Rose. "It's been a while, Gwen, Kevin," Tetrax said.
"I take it you know them personally Rax?" Star Warrior asked.
"Its nothing personal, all we want is Edward," Tetrax said.
"Yeah right," he said.
"I told you they won't cooperate. Pi, suggestions?" Star Warrior asked.
"The human/Osmosian has a weakness to black matter. Hitting him with the stuff should slow him down or kill him. As for the human/Anodite, the source of her power comes from her will and it requires a lot of concentration," Pi said.
"Who are you guys?" I asked.
"We're the Outlaws; our mandate is protect the galaxy. I'm Star Warrior, you already know Tetrax Shard, this is Pi, she's a gynoid. Rad Dudesman, toughest smuggler in the galaxy and Rancid, expert swordsman and all around gentlemen. We're giving you a final warning, hand Edward over," Star Warrior answered.
I stood down for a moment and I used a teleportation spell to teleport both Kevin and Edward away. "You really should've listened to the man, girly girl," Rad said.
"Do you think you can take us on? Thought so," Star Warrior said.
I then engaged the Outlaws in a battle. At the Nexus Mansion, Dr. Nexus was in the drawing room, looking into his crystal ball when Legion enters the room. "I don't know how you managed to get around those gargoyles and the barriers, but that doesn't matter. Its been over a month since you left this Earth and now you returned," Dr. Nexus said.
"Spending a month exploring the multiverse does broaden your views. I sensed a huge power level. You don't suppose Ben has survived?" Legion asked.
"It's not Ben. Whatever it is, its too powerful and dangerous to be on this world. And it looks like my vision may come true if we don't intervene." Dr. Nexus gets his cell phone out and alerts the other Guardians. "We better pray that this situation is resolved," Dr. Nexus said.
Dr. Nexus then teleports over to the college. I was losing the fight against the Outlaws when Carter shows up. "What are you lot doing here?" he asked.
"Carter, you better pick a side," Star Warrior said.
"We're losing time. Pi, where's Kevin and Edward?" Tetrax asked.
"Calculating. Odd, someone is hacking into my systems," Pi answered.
Deviation, Mighty Rider and the Gauntlet arrived. "Ah shoot, we attracted the Guardians. This could be problematic," Rad said.
"Well now, I always wanted to go up against the Multiverse's Greatest Heroes," Star Warrior said.
"Easy for you to say, Warrior. This is going to get messy," Rancid said.
The teams engaged in a battle, I was relieved to see the Guardians. Kevin and Edward arrived safely on the other side of the college. "What just happened?" Edward asked.
"Gwen's teleportation spell, she teleported us to safe place." Edward begins to panic and glows. "Okay, that's new," Kevin said.
"No, I won't go back. I WON'T!" Edward shouted.
Kevin begins to notice he's building up energy just as Dr. Nexus arrives. "This is not good," Dr. Nexus said.
"What's happening?" Kevin asked.
"He's building up energy. In a matter of minutes, this side of the hemisphere will be destroyed, along with a billion lives. He'll trigger a explosion," Dr. Nexus answered.
"Can we stop it?" Kevin asked.
Dr Nexus uses his powers to create a barrier around Edward. "Cover your eyes; it's going to get very bright!" Dr. Nexus yelled.
An explosion occurred within the barrier. I, along with the Guardians and the Outlaws stopped when we saw the light. "Okay, what's with the light show?" he asked.
"It's Tavern, he went into the critical and he exploded," Star Warrior answered.
"We should get clear. Pi; activate the Black Rose's teleporters. We're getting everyone out of here," Tetrax yelled.
Pi teleports everyone onboard the Black Rose. Carter pukes on the deck. "Aw jeez, I just had this deck scrubbed for infection," Rancid said.
"Not now, Rancid. Pi, what's the situation down there?" Star Warrior asked.
"The planet is still intact, someone or something contained the blast," Pi answered.
"I'm detecting Dr. Nexus nearby. He must've set up a barrier to contain the blast. Alert, he's critically injured," Deviation said.
I become distraught over this and I begin to clear. "Teleport us to the ground. We're not losing another Guardian and everyone does not want to go to another funeral," the Mighty Rider said.
"Pi, teleport us to the ground. We're making a search for survivors," Tetrax ordered.
Pi teleports me, the Guardians and the Outlaws to where the explosion occurred. The crater was small and everyone survived. "Well, at least we minimise the casualties," Rad said.
"Not all of them. Doc's alive and so is Levin," Carter said.
I run up to Kevin and he wakes up. "Huh, I can't see a thing," Kevin said.
Deviation examines Kevin. "Kevin has become blind from the light. Luckily, its only temporary," Deviation said.
"Great, Edward's gone and we're back at square one," Rancid said.
"You lot got some explaining to do?" the Gauntlet said.
Sometime later, Xylene stands over the railings when Max walks up to her. "Why didn't you tell me you're a member of the Outlaws?" Max asked.
"Why didn't you tell Ben died. I found out through a news vid. I thought we were friends. I was going to tell you sooner or later, but it has been a busy year for us," Xylene said.
"I'm sorry, that was uncalled for. Is that why you came, to learn about Edward's whereabouts?" he asked.
Both Max and Xylene head over to the debriefing room. "You lot have got some explaining to do?" I asked.
"Like how was it Edward became explosive," Carter asked.
"And more importantly, who are you lot?" Blake asked.
Star Warrior press the button on the side of his helmet and the faceplate slides back. "My name is Second Lieutenant Gavin Harlock, but everyone usually refers to me as Star Warrior, one of the galaxy's greatest bounty hunters," Gavin answered.
"Second lieutenant? You were in the Air Force?" he asked.
"I was, I was testing out a experiment shuttle for NASA when it began to malfunction. I saved both my co-pilot and the crew before I was jettisoned to a nearby penal colony. I was forced to fight in gladiatorial battles, earning the respect of the inmates and a few crooked prison guards," Gavin answered.
"I found him battling in one of those battles and I bargained for his freedom," Tetrax said.
"When the Plumbers were at war with the Incursions. They invaded a world that contained a relic that could put the rest of the galaxy in jeopardy," Xylene said.
"So, I began recruiting some of the best operatives the galaxy offered, including Harlock, Rancid and his gynoid, Pi. Rad tagged along during one of our adventures and he joined us," Tetrax said.
"Yeah, since then, we've been having all sorts of crazy adventures. Like the time when the Elder Ones invaded," Rad said.
"Okay, that answers how you guys came together. But that still doesn't explain why you lot are after Edward?" he asked.
"We were hired to recover him actually. As you lot may already know, Edward was abducted and experimented on more than forty years ago. It was the Highbreed who abducted and experimented on him," Gavin answered.
"But why?" I asked.
"Before the Highbreed were genetically altered by the Omnitrix, they were on the verge of extinction. The Science Council believed the answer to solve their sterility problem lied within human DNA," Xylene said.
"So they abducted poor Eddie, experimented on the poor guy and they created their 'cure'. Unfortunately, it killed off a third of their population," Rad said.
"According to what Reinrassic III told us, they imprisoned Edward after they realised he can't be killed," Tetrax said.
"Wait a minute, Reinrassic III hired you. That doesn't make any sense," I said.
"Days ago, the Highbreed got a invitation to join the Intergalactic Nations. However, there's this one rule they can't disobey," Gavin said.
"A inviting species must come forward with any genetic experiments. Under current law, its illegal to conduct experiments on sentient beings," Max said.
"So far, they come forward with some of their experiments. Most of the experiments they conducted were either on plants or animals. However, Edward proved to be a challenge," Xylene said.
"He escaped captivity and things got a lot worse. Pi, play news vid 2098B," Gavin said.
Pi plays the vid and we watched via her holographic display. The footage shows Edward destroying half a planet and a orbiting space station. We were shocked by what he'd done. "That's what Earth could've become if the Sorcerer Mage hadn't contained the blast in time," Rancid said.
"Now do you see why we want to capture Edward," Gavin said.
Pi stops the footage. "But he's a victim, he panicked. You can't condemn him because of one disaster," I said.
"He killed over a billion lives with that blast. Earth could've been the same if Doc Nexus hadn't shown up," Gavin said.
"Okay, so we got a walking time bomb on the loose. What's your plan to capture him?" Carter asked.
Pi gets a container out. "With this, it should imprison Tavern in the Subatomic Universe. However, it was damage during our skirmish," Pi answered.
"I'm familiar with Dr. Gideon Grange's work regarding the Subatomic Universe. I should be able to repair it, but I need a lab," Blake said.
"You got it, Doc," Max said.
"Also, we're going to need a tracking algorithm to help us search for Edward," Blake said.
Phoebe then comes online. "Thanks to the data Trent provided. I created a search program capable of finding Edward. I've also construct a psyche profile to help us understand Edward more. Also, I have access the police files they have on him," Phoebe said.
"Well then, time's wasting, we should get to work," he said.