-Advent Beginnings-

by Kallen in Exile

Author's Notes: This fic was originally written to be a one shot, but I couldn't help but think up more ideas for it along the way. While it's my first time in portraying the characters of Ben 10, I hope things turned out alright for this chapter. I originally thought of this opening chapter being more humorous but I'm not sure I ended up doing so. Anyways, I own neither the characters or franchise, sadly enough but I'd be happy just knowing it was enjoyed. All feedback is appreciated.

-Ben10: Advent Beginnings-

It seemed pretty crazy to be working as late as midnight, but then again, the work Kevin Levin and Gwen Tennyson did was not your standard line of work. If there was one thing that the two of them were not, it was normal, but then again, that was old news. You could count on that lifestyle not being available to them any longer, but it seemed not to be a problem. Not anymore, anyways. There was no time to worry or complain, when you were busy saving the world and occasionally, the universe itself. Tonight was simply one of those nights; saving the world and kicking some bad guy butt.

Their sense of time seemed to have vanished as Kevin and Gwen, who had been lingering around the pier for hours, sat impatiently while staring at the operation, being conducted. Surveillance was only one part of the mission and one that had been completely after learning which one of the numerous warehouses housed what it was they had been searching for. It was simply another night… Except there was a slight change to the normal procedure, they followed.

There was no sign of the wielder of the Omnitrix, Ben Tennyson.

That might have explained the unusual silence of things as the two stood behind a tower of crates. Lately things seemed too quiet considering this was the fourth absence in less than three days that was now on Ben's record. The thought was enough to make Kevin grunt annoyingly as he slouched against the stack of crates.

"What the heck does he think he's doing," he asked, rather unpleasantly. "Messing around again... as if we really have the time to waste on waiting for him."

The redheaded female beside him glanced in his direction before rolling her eyes and turning her attention away from him. "You know the Omnitrix has been malfunctioning a lot. Ben can't really be of any help to us anyway, unless Azmuth can figure out what's going wrong with it." Not that the Omnitrix hadn't malfunctioned plenty of times before, but in Ben's eyes it was becoming a growing nuisance. And with recent problems, Gwen couldn't blame him for not being around. He was more of a danger to them, than anything. That and the whole argument from last night had not completely blown over, as she kept herself from looking back at the ill-tempered teen.

While she wouldn't voice the matter; the mere thought of what lay underneath the I.D. mask, being worn by Kevin beside her, made her upset. After all the trouble it placed on Kevin, she could not help but grow upset that she had still not found a way to cure him. She knew it was affecting him personally. Whether he was willing to admit it or not.

"We can't wait much longer; if he doesn't show up, then we'll just have to go on without him and hope for the best." Even saying it aloud seemed foolish. With what they were intending to deal with, it would have been better if the whole team was here, but Gwen knew that there was no putting off something as vital as this. Peering around the wooden crates, her green eyes focused in on the numerous armor-clad Forever Knights surrounding the towering archway. Honestly, the knights were enough reason to scream trouble normally, but between Gwen and Kevin, the towering archway behind them was their number one priority.

"How's it lookin'?" Leaning against her, Kevin's own eyes honed in on the situation before he found himself groaning. "You've gotta be kidding me. They're actually trying to build a Jumpgate? How stupid can you get?"

Unable to help herself, Gwen glanced back, brow raised as she watched Kevin proceed to mumble on about how stupid this entire matter seemed. "Stupid or not, they're trying and chances are, whatever they're using for isn't going to be good for anyone." Staring at him more closely, a faint smirk spread across her face. "You're not afraid are you?"

He looked at her incredulously, before standing to his full height. "Do you know what we're dealing with here? A Jumpgate, Gwen. And if you haven't noticed, it's considerably smaller and condensed to a point where, the thing looks as unstable and dangerous as the self destructive qualities of… oh I don't know four or five self destructing null void projectors."

"Not to mention the couple dozen Forever Knights we'll have to deal with." There was no sugarcoating the matter and even if it was possible, it was highly unlikely to be done. The faint pink glow of her Anodite abilities shown in her hand as she exhaled deeply. "We really don't have the luxury of waiting anymore; are you ready?"

The only response Kevin gave was in the form of removing his I.D. mask. Revealing the unusual transformation he was subjected to at the hands of the Omnitrix. Now being an individual of various elements that now made up his body, Kevin proceeded past her before allowing his right arm to shape shift into a mace. "Let's get this done with. I really want to get back and kick Ben's butt for making me work so much."

-Ben 10: Advent Beginnings-

Walking was so tiresome and to Ben Tennyson, it was kind of a waste of time; that was especially the case when this could have all been avoided, if Gwen and Kevin had waited just a while longer. Walking towards the pier wasn't exactly the shortest journey and while it was possible for him to use the Omnitrix, the chances of it working properly these days were not so likely. So here he was sucking it up; hands in pockets and sulking his way towards the pier, where Kevin and Gwen would be waiting for him.

Though the original plan was to ask Azmuth for help, no results had come from it… almost as though, he was being avoided. Just the thought alone, made Ben slightly annoyed. "Honestly, it's not as though this thing has a manual. If you're not gonna be around, what's the point of being able to contact you?" Throwing his hands around in an attempt at releasing his stress, he wound up sighing more to himself for ranting out at no one in particular; he proceeded around the corner only to collide blindly into another.

"Jeez, way to stand around," he pointed out, all too obliviously. Hand rubbing his head lightly, he gazed at figure now standing before him, before smiling incredulously. "Paradox! Azmuth! Well… kinda just throws every negative thing I was just thinking about you, out the window. Do you know how long I've been looking for you? Where the heck have you guys been? "

For a moment, it looked as though neither one was going to say anything. The scientist simply stood there while the small Galvan remained perched on his shoulder; both finding themselves unable to stare at the young hero.

The strained faces along with the tension, Ben wouldn't have wanted to try cutting through with a knife…What was going on?

"Uh, something the matter?" In Ben's opinion, the whole 'silence is golden' phrase really didn't work for him. He was simply more uncomfortable as it ensued. "Seriously guys, if you're going to give me the whole silent treatment, can you let me know what I did to deserve it first?" An attempt at humor that wound up only attracting the stares of the two scientists. Well, at least they could look at him now, but his humor still failed, it seemed.

Several attempts later and Ben was fed up with getting anything out of these two. If they were going to simply be statues, they could have done it elsewhere, instead of giving Ben the false hope that something good might from this. Waving the matter aside, Ben began walking again, but stopped abruptly as a hand fell on his shoulder. "Look, if you're not going to tell me what's wrong, then Kevin and Gwen need my help. Omnitrix malfunctioning or not, it's better than not being there at all."

"I'm sorry Ben; you'll have to pardon our rudeness... you could say that our arrival here is not for the reasons, you or we originally desired."

Ben nodded fervently all the while, frowning at the disturbing feeling, he was getting. "If you aren't here to help me with the Omnitrix, then there must be a problem, right?"

This time, it was Azmuth's voice that broke the silence; clearing his throat lightly, he sighed. "The problem lies with you, Ben Tennyson. The Omnitrix must be removed, immediately."

-Ben 10: Advent Beginnings-

"Seriously, how long does it freakin take to fix that stupid watch?" A question that fell on deaf ears as the mace hand slammed into the ground, creating an earth shattering earthquake, which tore at the ground, beneath several Forever Knights. Dust arising and shrouding all within the vicinity of the warehouse; voices and screams ceased to exist as the group of soldiers staggered about in their attempt at regaining footing in the rubble, beneath them.

"Hurry up, Gwen!"

Through the smokescreen came numerous stone staircases of mana, carrying Gwen into the sky as the flow of mana encircled her hands. "Stop barking orders, Kevin. It's seriously annoying." Releasing the stored up mana, the shower of energy beams rained down, burying the Forever Knights in mana, where they stood.

Kevin scowled as the smoke cleared, all the while reverting his right arm back to 'normal'. "That takes care of the small fry, anyways." Things had surprisingly gone smoother than he would have expected; for something as important as this Jumpgate, the defenses were crappy. Not something that generally added up in situations like these.

Lowering herself back to the ground, Gwen remained silent as her eyes scanned the rest of the warehouse. "This doesn't make any sense."

"No kidding. I can't even get mad at Ben now." Smirking at the annoyed look he received, Kevin shrugged idly before making his way towards the portal. "Seriously though, this is some crazy tech, they're trying to build. Never seen anything like it, unless you count the real deal, the Highbreed had."

"So, how do we deal with something we don't understand then?" Walking up beside him, Gwen stared at the archway, before glancing at the table that housed both, what looked like controls and a great deal of paperwork. Insight perhaps on just what the Forever Knights were planning? "It's weird though… this isn't something I'd peg the Forever Knights on doing."

"Heh, maybe and maybe not. Might not be the actual Forever Knights, we're even dealing with. But this doesn't seem too crazy for that scientist that tried to kidnap Ship or whatever its name is." Proceeding to the table, Kevin leaned over the numerous sheets of paper, engrossing him in everything that was under his eyes. Unusual as it was to see Kevin so… deep in thought, Gwen couldn't help but smile as she watched him. Rare occurrences like this and Ben wasn't even here to crack a joke.

Several minutes and she almost found herself worried over the silence. "Hello? Earth to Kevin; did you figure out what this does or not?"

Shaking his head lightly, he turned his gaze on her before gesturing towards the gate. "Just like we assumed, it's a Jumpgate. Not your ordinary one obviously, but it accomplishes the basic interstellar travel or flight, more or less. That's what they're hoping for anyways. Instead of bringing something through the gate like the Highbreed did, they're going… somewhere."

"So it's condensed like this for human usage, right? You said that it was dangerous though." Watching him rub the back of his neck, she approached the table, while placing a hand on his shoulder. "What's the danger, Kevin?"

"In theory, this sounds possible, but the chances of success are slim. Like, majorly slim Gwen. Interstellar travel isn't something that's just accomplished, out of the blue. We're not like the Highbreed, thank god, but they definitely had a better handle on things like this. Whether or not they just stole it from someone like the Galvans or not, the deal is, there's no way that it'll work if the scientist made this of his own volition."

It was easy for Gwen to see where Kevin was heading with this as she glanced at the arch, again. "So either it'll be a failure, or this is not just an issue with the Forever Knights."

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Well that's enlightening. What do we do about it, then."

Applause echoed throughout the warehouse as the two turned around to reveal the scientist, Joseph Chadwick. "Bravo you two. Though I don't applaud you on your lack of faith in my scientific know-how."

Stepping in front of Gwen, Kevin watched in anticipation as the scientist proceeded without the slightest bit of concern. What's this dude's deal?

"While the basic idea of the Jumpgate does not lie with me, it was my persistence that made what you see before you, a reality. And it is rather fortunate that I now have two test subjects."

-Ben 10: Advent Beginnings-

Ben stared speechless for a moment before shaking his head and smiling lightly. "Sorry. Thought I heard you say the Omnitrix needed to be removed?"

"You did not hear wrong, Ben Tennyson. If the Omnitrix is not removed from your wrist, terrible things will happen to not only this planet, but the entire universe."

That didn't even make sense to Ben, all things considered, but he cast his own skepticism aside for the time being. "What kind of terrible things are you talking about, Azmuth."

A frown – if it could be called that – arose on the Galvan's face as he lowered his gaze. "Unspeakable terrors, beginning with the loss of your friends… and ending with the destruction of the universe, at your hands."