One
Broken Dreams
I awoke and I find myself in the desert with Legion badly injured. I get up and rushed over to him. Aeon arrives soon after and sits on his chair as he becomes exhausted. "You got some moves back there," I said.
"That was nothing. The fight nearly drained me of my energy. During the Infinity War, I received life threatening injuries. I'm able to stand and fight for no more than twelve hours. After that, I need to recharge, which is why I sit in the chair for half an hour or so. However, it'll take me six hours to recharge after that stunt I pulled," Aeon said.
"Where are the others?" I asked
"They're safe for now. As we speak, more worlds and multiverses have fallen into the control of the Elder Ones. We must get Legion to a hospital, he won't last long," Aeon said.
A ship suddenly appears hovering above the air. The hatch opens and someone walks over to the platform. "I thought that was you?" a person said.
I then recognised the person. "You got to be kidding me. We're in Dimension 23," I said.
The ship lands on the ground and the alternative version of me heads out to greet us. "Ben, it's been too long and you have guests. He's not going to make it. I know a place where we can get him healed," he said. Minutes later, a group of Plumbers get Legion into a healing tank and they get to work. The dimensions version of Azmuth walks up to me.
"Is he going to make it?" I asked.
"He is and not a moment too soon. Another ten minutes and he would've died from his injuries," Azmuth answered.
He leaves the room. "That was too close," Aeon said.
"You think. What I don't get is how come the Elder Ones aren't here?" I asked.
"There's a barrier that prevents them from entering. It's something that human eyes can't see; only a Light or Dark God can. King Zale put the barrier up in case if the end of life came near. He must've wanted this world to survive. He knew that if hope was to survive, this world needs to be spared at all costs," Aeon answered.
"Well it is. I wonder how the others are doing," I said.
"We mustn't give up on them. There's a reason why I brought you two here, to see a charismatic individual. If you excuse me, I need to find him," Aeon said.
Aeon then leaves the building. I lie on the bed and got some sleep for the first time in weeks. I then dreamt of the time after I broke off my 'engagement' to Princess Looma. I was in a bar, drinking a soda just as Trent enters the bar. "I hate to say it, but I told you so. Your cousin is many things, but she can't predict where a relationship would go, no offense," Trent said.
"None taken, I can't believe she got herself a new boyfriend. Both Carter and Julie were right, I have become something bigger," I said.
"Believe me, even I wasn't prepared for the consequences our actions in New York had. It did me a few favours. I got my company back and everyone's taken a sudden interest in my super heroic exploits. What you have to realise is you can't have one or the other. Sometimes you need to make the hard decisions, regardless if the consequences are hard. You need to move on, I'll buy the drink," Trent said.
Trent then leaves the bar as places two dollars on the counter. Several hours, I woke up and morning came and I got out of bed. I walk up to the tank where Legion is healing up. "I'm sorry for everything that has happened so far. I should've been there on Galvan Prime to help you. Otherwise, none of this would never happen," I said.
"Despite that, you would've been defeated. Seth and the Elder Ones are too powerful," Legion said.
"I'm glad you're awake and all right," I said.
"We must be in Dimension 23. I hate this dimension and this version's Ben. He reminds too much of an emo," Legion said.
The other Ben enters the room and is offended by what Legion said. "What did you call me? I am not an emo," he said.
"If you're not, then why are you dressed like that?" Legion asked.
"I'm setting a trend," he answered.
"Enough, he's the one who saved your life," I said.
"I should thank you," Legion said.
"It's start. Azmuth says you need to stay in there for another seven hours. By then, your wounds should heal. Try to take things easy. I'll be on patrol if you two need anything," he said.
He then leaves the room. "If we're in Dimension 23, then what happened while I was out cold?" Legion asked.
"I'll give you the short version. Seth acquires the final fragment, he uses the cube to set his buddies and Aeon scattered the rest of the team across the multiverse," I answered.
"Even a plan like that tends to fail. I notice there's barrier surrounding the planet that's preventing them from entering," Legion said.
"Aeon did mention something about that and he's gone looking for someone," I said.
"Please tell me you're still training?" Legion asked.
"I am, learning the control aspect of the Burst Mode is a lot harder than summoning the power," I answered.
"Good, there's something I been meaning to ask you. You and Julie are no longer together and yet, you're planning to save her, why?" Legion asked.
"I don't know what you're talking about?" I lied.
"Don't lie to me. I was barely conscious back on Hyperion. I was able to get a quick glimpse into her mind. She's dating an interesting fellow," Legion answered.
"I admit, it's over between me and her. When we last spoke, she's taking a break from dating Hervé. I thought I could use the opportunity to reconcile, but Molly ruined it," I said.
"Using Molly to blame for your misfortune is not an excuse. Did it occur to you or did you even ask why Julie was on the phone in the first place?" Legion said.
I then became curious. "I thought she wanted to talk to me, as always," I said.
"I may not be fully recovered, but some of my telepathic powers is restored. Close your eyes and embrace my mind," Legion said.
I close my eyes and I then found myself in a strange place. "Where are we?" I asked.
"You're in my mind. Follow me," Legion answered.
We walked until we reached a memory. I then recognise the place. "I know this place. This is Julie's house and we're in her bedroom," I said.
"Correct, she can't see us, but we can hear and see her. Watch," Legion said.
We listened on the conversation between her and Julie. "I think I should go ahead and tell Ben its over," Julie said.
"What do you mean over?" Gwen asked over the phone.
"It's been a couple of weeks since the Dark God incident and Diagon. I've seen the articles and the news. Ben has become something bigger and I feel like deadweight to him. I'm going to do it," she said.
"Julie, don't do something you'll regret. Give Ben another chance, please, as a friend," Gwen said.
"This conversation is over," Julie said. She hangs up on Gwen and then rings Ben up.
"It's over, do you hear me. It's over," I said over the phone. Julie then begins to cry.
I then begin to cry as I learned the truth. We then returned back to reality. "It hurts, doesn't it?" Legion asked.
"I didn't know. And yet, I beat her to the punch," I said.
"But I know you, your still planning to save her, as a friend. Using my power must've accelerated the recovery process. Leave me be so I can rest," Legion said.
Meanwhile in the desert, Aeon hovers as he notices a flock of crows flying above him. He picks up a feather and inspects it. "Hmm, this type of crow hasn't been seen since Dark Genesis was time locked. I must be getting close." He then moves and then finds a cave. He senses something. A Dark God then appears and it does not impress Aeon. "Impersonating a dead Dark God will not win you any favours, Old One." Aeon then uses his power to remove the illusion and an old man then appears. "Hello, Sage Father," he said.
"How did you find me? I thought this barrier, along with my magic would protect me," Sage Father said.
"You thought wrong. I need your help," he said.
"I'm retired," Sage Father said.
Aeon grabs him and holds him high. "I'm not in the mood for games, Old One." He then puts him down. "Hours ago, the Elder Ones were set free and I brought some friends here to recover," he said.
"So what? You think their needs are my problem? I'm done fighting battles," Sage Father said.
"They'll become your problem once again if you don't help. I guess the years of isolation changed you," he said.
"You have no idea what the war has done to me. It nearly destroyed me and my former master. Bring your friends to me, I'll have a look for myself to see if they're worth my time," Sage Father said. Aeon then leaves the area. Azmuth then inspects Legion further.
"You used your powers, didn't you?" Azmuth asked.
"My apologies, I need to Ben, the one I know something in my mind," Legion answered.
"Other than that, you're making progress. Let's get you out of the tank." Azmuth opens the top and a crane gets Legion out of there. Azmuth then places him into a bed. "That should do it. How did you receive these wounds?" Azmuth asked.
"Let's just say that there a few bad guys that were looking to settle the score with me. Well, my ancestors to be precise," Legion said.
"I'll leave you to rest," Azmuth said.
He leaves the room as Legion gets some sleep. He then has a flashback during the time when Henry Walsh visited his cell. "Well now, this is a surprise," Legion said.
"Eli sends his apologies. He's testifying at the Supreme Court over the dismantlement of the PKD," Agent Walsh said.
Henry then sits down on a chair. "The Plumber Kid Database, the biggest civil rights violation in known Earth/Alien history," Legion said.
"You could say that. There are opponents to the dismantlement, Garret Shay, Will Harangue and social critic Diane Fullman," he said.
"I understand why the politicians created the database. They were scared and our kind back then presented a lot of unknowns. It usually tends to generate a lot of fear," Legion said.
"True, but let's not dwell on the past." Henry opens his briefcase, gets a file out and reads it. "Warden Kar tells me there haven't been any attempts on your life recently. Perhaps firing Cash did send the others a reminder. How are you feeling?" he asked.
"More safe than ever, thank you," Legion answered.
"Right, according to the reports, you seem to getting along well with Annie. Why is that?" he asked.
"Because she sees a human being inside of me," Legion answered.
"Do you love her?" Legion then looks shocked. "We know about your little close encounter with Annie. Not only does the Warden sees the footage the cameras generate, but it also them to Eli's office on board the Yamato. Under standard protocol, Special Projects would've disciplined and suspended her until a formal inquiry cleared her of any wrongdoing. In this case, he's making an exception. He believes you deserve a second chance and a relationship with anyone you choose. I think we're done here." Henry puts the file back in his briefcase and gets up. "Its better you don't mention this to Annie," he said.
Henry then leaves the cell. Hours later, Legion woke up, got out of bed steadily and got dressed. At a diner somewhere, I was having lunch with my counterpart, catching up on old times. "How come you never mention your Guardian exploits before?" Ben asked.
"It didn't occur to me at the time." Legion arrives and sits next to me. "You're looking a lot better then you were back on board the Hyperion," I said.
"My powers have been restored," Legion said.
"Good to know, I'm bringing my counterpart up to speed," I said.
"I can't believe that is happened to you. I'm sorry, I should've done more," Ben said.
"Hey now, you got your own problems." A car then exploded. We went outside to be confronted by a cybernetic ninja assassin. "Okay, who are you?" I asked.
"His name is Raiden," Ben answered.
"Raiden?" both I and Legion asked.
"He's s skilled assassin and a dangerous one. It's time to kick your butt," Ben said.
Ben then uses his Omnitrix to change into Mr. Monkey. "Is that Spidermonkey?" Legion asked.
"That's Mr. Monkey," Ben answered.
Mr. Monkey and Raiden then engage in a fight. "Yep, this Ben is definitely an emo. The name is unoriginal; he lacks discipline and the colour. Blue all over, I thought a bit of green would suit," Legion said.
"I take it you're not fond of emos?" I asked.
"I mean no offense, it's just I don't like this Ben's attitude," Legion answered.
"He's still a work in progress," I said.
"Are you two going to stand there or help me?" Ben asked.
"Coming," I answered.
I then entered and we both defeated Raiden. Legion then notices something, he looks up at the sky and the barrier is beginning to crack. "That's not good," Legion said.
"What is it, Legion?" I asked.
"The barrier is starting to fall apart. The Elder Ones have managed to figure out a way to get through it," he answered.
"That's why I came here in the first place. I need Ben's help. One of the artefacts in my clan's temple is starting to glow bright," Raiden said.
Legion then peeps into Raiden's mind. "Your clan has the Apex Tapestry. You must take us to your temple." At the temple, Raiden shows me and the others the tapestry. "I would never thought I would see it in person," he said.
"Is there something we should know about?" Ben asked.
"The Apex Tapestry is one of the few surviving Dark God artefacts. The tapestry covers my ancestor's history. From their beginnings to their eventual downfall at the end of the Infinity War. My guess, this artefact, along with the Gloucester Island Tablet were scattered across the multiverse to prevent them falling into the wrong hands," he answered.
"It's been glowing like this since this morning. If I had to guess, I say you're an expert on the subject. What does it mean?" Raiden asked.
"It's like I said. The barrier is beginning to crack," he answered.
Aeon then appears. "Is it what I think it is? The Apex Tapestry, I thought it was destroyed," Aeon said.
"Where have you been?" he asked.
"I found him and he's still cranky," Aeon answered.
"Who?" he asked.
"I found the Sage Father," Aeon said.
"What's a Sage Father?" I asked.
"The Sage Father was King Zale's former advisor. No one hasn't heard from him since the end of the war. Do you know where he is?" he asked.
"I do, but be warned. He's little sceptical." Aeon teleports us to the desert and the cave where the Sage Father is. We entered the cave. "I brought the guests, Old One," Aeon said.
The Sage Father then walks up to them and is amused. "This is them? They're just some human beings." He walks up to them and notices Legion. "Wait, I thought the line was destroyed at the Infinity War. So, Dark Sai did bore an heir. Sorry I ever doubted you. These years of isolation can drive a person insane," Sage Father said.
"So we noticed," Ben said.
"I did as you asked, Old One. Now, can you tell there's a way to defeat the Elder Ones?" Aeon asked.
"There isn't none," Sage Father answered.
I was disappointed. "What? We came all the way here for nothing," I said.
"What you seek is blind hope and blind hope is deceptive. My former king thought the Elder Ones would mature in time, but he was wrong. I was there when the war began. Zale, the Light God leader and the other two leaders of the other races attended a war council to discuss how to deal with the Elder Ones. I advise caution to all of them, knowing that the Elder Ones wouldn't listen to either of them. The first few years of the war were chaotic and violent. In the end, Zale and the others prevailed, but at a cost. Zale gave his life to seal the Elder Ones in that dimension. Now, his work was for nothing," Sage Father said.
"Listen, I know you don't hold any high regard towards humanity or me. Please, help us, I made some mistakes, some are recent, but I'm willing to make up for them and do whatever it takes to save the multiverse," I said.
The Sage Father then walks up to me and senses something. "Your words are humble and sincere. I sense tragedy within you, young Ben Tennyson. You remind of my son. He died so young; he was five years old at the time. Your words awakened something within me. Something I haven't felt in a long time. I'll help you. Tell me everything that has happened so far?" Sage Father asked.
"The Elder Ones are free obviously. It started when Legion and I fought in New York on Rex's Earth. I was using the Burst Mode at the time, while Legion was in Dark Sai's control. When we clashed, it created a huge amount of energy and I think we've figured out the rest," I answered.
"The dimension the Elder Ones were imprisoned in wasn't probably tested for stability. The dimension was created in desperation and without thought. Back then, it may seem to be our greatest weapon, but now it doesn't," Sage Father said.
"Maybe we can imprison them again," Ben said.
"It won't work. The Elder Ones will figure a way out of the dimension and carry on what they were doing a billion years ago," Legion said.
"You speak the truth, but Zale didn't trust the word of the Empress. Zale was known to be crafty. So he arranged a little trap for them. The key to winning lies within the Star of Okath itself. Think, what do you see within your memories?" Sage Father asked.
"I see Zale, not long after imprisoning the Elder Ones. He used nearly all of his power. He calls a emergency meeting to determine the best course of action if the Elder Ones should ever be released. He then orders Caliban, his sorcerer to gather all of the life energy of the Elder Ones into one seal and place it onto the Star itself. That's it, destroy the star and the Elder Ones will be destroyed along with it. Hold on, Zale orders Caliban not to include Empress's life energy," Legion answered.
"Zale must've wanted her to suffer being alone as punishment for nearly destroying existence. I'm fully aware that the barrier is coming apart and there isn't much time left. After the end of the war, Zale awarded me many things for my service. I must warn you, it's big." We then explored the cave a bit more. "Even now, every multiverse out there is feeling the effects of the Elder Ones actions. If I had to guess, your friends must be in different multiverses. Elder Ones often travel in squads and ships to cover any multiverse. Except for the Empress and her subjects, who remain on their homeworld," Sage Father said.
"Where is that?" I asked.
"It got destroyed at the end of the war. Our best guess, they must be on Earth Prime or a different multiverse," Aeon said.
"Correct, as you lot already know. Travelling to another multiverse is impossible, but not without the right technology," Sage Father said.
"So what it'll take to get to another multiverse?" Raiden asked.
"You need an Arc Cube for one and a device or a ship capable inter-dimensional travel. Unfortunately, most of the Arc Cubes were destroyed, except for a few and one of them is onboard this ship." He then shows us a massive ship. "This is the Duke's Run, Zale's most prized ship. The ship is a Dark God/Elder One design, which makes it unique" Sage Father said.
"He gave you a ship as a reward for your servitude," Aeon said.
"Among many things." We then entered the ship and entered the core. "As you can see, the Arc Cube is drained and there are number of ways to recharge the cube," Sage Father said.
"So we heard and it nearly destroyed Paradox," I said.
"That's one way and it is barbaric. Fortunately, there's a safer method and it's on a parallel earth. Earth 7952 I think it's on," he said.
"I know that Earth. Earth 7952 is where a man name Miguel Rodriguez dons the Omnitrix in the year 2099 and defends a futuristic Bellwood. One of his influences is you apparently," Legion said.
"I'm flattered and honoured," I said.
"What else does the ship need?" Legion asked.
"The weapons system is gutted. But it should be easily repaired. The outer hull is rusted and it would require some patch up work," Sage Father said.
"It should be easy," I said.
Sage Father then uses his powers to open up a portal. "Take this portal to Earth 7952. I would allow a group to go through. But age however has limited my power. Only one of you can go through," Sage Father said.
"I'll go. Legion isn't up to speed and you two are new to all of this," I said.
"Understood," Legion said.
"Don't take too long. You have at least eight hours to get the Arc Cube recharged. After that, it's game over," Sage Father said.
I then removed the Arc Cube from the core and put it into a bag. "Okay, what's next?" I asked.
Sage Father gets a ball out, throws it to the ground it opens a portal up. The portal is in flux. "This has never happened before," Sage Father said.
"It means one thing. The Elder Ones are already there," Aeon said.
"We have no choice. It's either that or all of existence dies," I said.
"He's right. We got take that risk." I then picked up the bag and put it on my back. "Well, here goes," I said.
"Good luck. You're going to need it," Sage Father said.
I then walked through the portal and onto the other side. Knowing that danger will lurk around every corner.