A/N: This is the edited version of chapter 4. I also edited chapters 1 and 2 for those who haven't noticed. Special Thanks to my friends Rookblonkorules and Cassandrameda for all their help. And thank you to all those who have reviewed and followed this story. :)
Chapter 4: Mysteries
Ben had barely landed on the sidewalk in front of the store before his Omnitrix emitted several low beeps and engulfed him in a green light. Not even waiting for his glowing figure to die down, Ben kept a steady pace towards the door of the "Max's Plumber Needs".
At any other time, he would have smiled at his grandfather's failed attempt to disguise the Plumber's headquarters. But now wasn't the time for that.
As he morphed back to his human form, Ben entered the store and raced through the aisles of tools and equipment. Thankfully, the store was empty, meaning he didn't have to deal with the weird looks from actual customers. It would be a strange sight to see a teenage boy rushing through an appliance store to get to the restroom.
The air was thick with the smell of rubber that almost forced a sneeze out of the young hero, but he couldn't complain. This was the fastest and easiest way into the Plumber base, however uncomfortable it was.
As soon as the wooden door of the bathroom was in his sight, Ben took in a large gulp of oxygen and held his breath. Oh please be quick! Please be quick! he mumbled silently. He reluctantly reached out and gripped the doorknob. As the door creaked open, Ben bit his lip and peered in.
The room was not the most sanitary place in the world, with yellow stained walls and the slimy grey tiles of the floor. The overpowering odor caused him to cringe in disgust as he dared to enter. An overhanging light-bulb cast a sickly yellow glow over the room, giving it the final touch. Ben gagged as he quickly shut the door behind him. Eww! Eww! EWW!
He didn't care to look any farther than he needed to. Overall, this room was an ironic abomination to plumbing itself. Ben had to admit it was genius. No one would ever expect this horrid area to be a secret entrance. The teen wasted no time in grabbing the metal chain attached to the bare bulb and violently yanking it down.
In an instant, the tiles of the floor separated, forming a circle around him. A low humming noise penetrated the air before the disk of floor beneath his feet illuminated the room with greenish light and steadily began to descend into the ground.
Ben let out yet a relieved sigh as he watched the last bit of the bathroom disappear above him. The round walls of the tunnel sped by as the platform dropped lower and lower.
Shoving his hands into his pockets, Ben dropped his gazed down to the floor. He felt so useless, and he couldn't help feeling responsible for everything. First that girl and now Rook. Of course, Rook wasn't dead, but Ben hadn't even seen him yet. He didn't even know how injured his partner was. And the attack on him had probably been meant for Ben. Why does this keep happening? he mentally questioned himself.
The tunnel-like elevator finally came to a slow halt and emitted a buzzing noise to announce his arrival at the Plumber's headquarters. Before he knew it, the walls departed from each other, allowing a bright entrance into the busy new world.
Ben forced himself to put aside his miserable mood and took a step out of the elevator. He stood stationary for a moment, rubbing his eyes to adjust to the brightly lit corridor. Then he looked up and scanned his new surroundings.
Plumbers both human and alien were racing about the white and green-plated hall performing their own different duties and missions. Ben smirked sadly. It was almost a funny sight to see so many different shapes and forms belonging to the same organization. And so ironic.
"Ben!" the voice stood out from the rest of the noise and turmoil. Ben reflexively turned to its source and quickly spotted the unmistakable figure of his grandfather coming towards him.
"Grandpa Max," he called out, waving his hand. The older man strolled over to him, his grey hair very reflective in the white artificial light. His furrowed eyebrows and squinty eyes granted him an odd look in contrast with his playful Hawaiian tee-shirt. Ben could tell he was worried… and he looked utterly exhausted.
"Ben, good thing you're finally here," his grandfather rasped in a hurried manner. "I was beginning to worry…" He gestured for Ben to follow him as he turned direction.
"How's Rook?" Ben asked as he began walking down the hall beside Max. The man placed his hand on his forehead and sighed wearily.
"Better than he was, but he'll be out of the action for a few days," he grumbled. "One thing I really didn't need was one of my best Plumbers down, especially after another incident like this." Ben's head drooped at the mention. The guilty feeling was returning. He slowed his pace to allow his grandfather to take lead. And glancing down at the Omnitrix, he frowned. How many people are depending on me? And I keep failing.
"Yeah, I'm sorry," he mumbled sadly. He hoped Rook was okay.
"And one thing I don't need now is you going off by yourself to do who knows what," Max continued almost accusingly, ignoring the apology completely. "I need you to listen to orders and stay focused, Ben." He paused as his momentary frustration cooled down. "There's something I need to show you."
Ben frowned. He hated being treated like a kid, especially by his grandfather. The urge to tall back was tugging from the back of his throat, but Max was noticeably more irritated than usual. And it wasn't like that was going to help strengthen his maturity level. Thankfully, curiosity soon replaced Ben's moodiness as he followed his grandfather into the monitor room.
Several Plumbers were standing around watching the ending of a video-feed on one of the large monitors. Other Plumbers were stationed at the rows computers gaining and organizing the data streaming in from the many security-cameras throughout Bellwood and Undertown.
Max lead Ben to the main control station where the tall, fish-like form of Magister Patelliday was leaning over a control panel typing various keys and squinting at the small screen in front of him. He pulled his attention away from his work long enough to acknowledge the new-comers and quietly engage Magister Tennyson in a conversation…a conversation neither Plumber cared to invite Ben into.
The teen grumbled under his breath, his former mood restored. Twisting the strings of his hoodie around his fingers impatiently, he looked up at the large over-hanging screen above the platform. He didn't have time for this. And they didn't either.
"So, what's goin' on?" he scuffed towards the two Magisters. The two forms looked over at him. His grandfather frowned. Magister Patelliday stepped back and surrendered the control panel to him.
"Just watch this and you'll find out," Max answered as he stepped up and tapped the keyboard with his fingers. Ben watched with an annoyed curiosity as the large screen lit up and began relaying a video.
The footage began with a distorted black figure zooming past the front gate of what looked like a factory building. The darkness of the night almost completely hid the form from sight. And Ben would have easily missed the barely visible figure in the black and white recording had not Max pointed to it.
"There," his grandfather said. Ben tilted his head in confusion as the blur disappeared off-screen. Magister Patelliday rewound and paused on the image of the mysterious figure.
"Umm…there what?" Ben asked, completely perplexed and frustrated by the recording and picture of a seemingly glorified blur. Max sighed.
"About 12:45 last night this thing was caught on one of the security cameras outside ZAK Labs," the Magister explained.
"So?" Ben persisted. "No offence, Grandpa, but I don't see what this has to do with anything. Can I go now? I want to see how my partner's doing."
"Ben, this is important. ZAK Laboratories mainly conducts research on animal biology. Early this morning we received a report that several containers of snake venom have gone missing," Max replied in a voice slightly edged with impatience.
Ben mouthed a somewhat sarcastic "Ohhhh," before furrowing his eyebrows in thought. "And you want me to look into it? I know that's really weird and all, but isn't this a job more suited for the police?"
The frown on Max's face grew longer as he shook his head. He sighed heavily and rubbed his temple. "No, Ben. This particular venom is…" he instinctively lowered his voice to a whisper, "from an alien species."
Ben's eyes widened a little. "Okay, that's a little weird," he stated after a few seconds, his curled finger touching his chin in thought.
But looking down at the Omnitrix once more, his expression changed. "But I still don't know why the police can't handle this. Don't we have other things to investigate right now? Like whoever attacked Rook?! Or who that guy was yesterday?! Do we really need something else too, Grandpa?" Ben snapped almost angrily as he glared at the Magister.
Max was unmoved by Ben's hostile outburst and simply turned to Magister Patelliday. "Patelliday?" he asked. The Magister nodded and took over the control panel.
Max folded his hands behind his back and stared up at the screen. He then continued without turning to his grandson, "We weren't aware of the fact that the scientists at ZAK labs were even in possession of alien life forms and fluids. Whoever stole the containers knew exactly what he was after. There was hardly any evidence of a break-in, and those containers were locked up. So our first thought was that the thief must have been on the inside somehow, but this footage seems to show…"
Ben reluctantly turned his attention to the monitor with narrowed eyes. He still wondered how this thing could possibly be more important than everything else going on, but he felt bad for snapping back at his grandfather. The least he could do was watch and listen.
A wave passed over the blurry image as the focus zoomed in on the suspect. Ben stepped closer for a better look until he was right in front of the screen. He felt a sickening curl in the pit of his stomach as the image began to sharpen to reveal a gruelingly familiar figure. Ben's jaw dropped open in shock.
"The alien sniper from yesterday!" he finished for Max. The eerie eyeless black mask and hunched form was now clearly distinct from the shadows a few inches away from the dimly lit gate. Ben bit his lip; reality had once again smacked him in the face.
"But that guy is dead! The Plumbers have the body!" He spun around to face his grandfather. "Right? How is this…What's?...I don't get it!"
"Well, it appears there might be more to this case than meets the eye," Patelliday spoke up, folding his arms across his chest. "The police handed over the bodies to the Plumbers, so we know for a fact that this fella, whoever he is, isn't the sniper from yesterday. His suit and mask obviously bare a resemblance to the sniper though."
"Yes. I was hoping you and Rook could investigate since you both seemed so eager to take action," Max continued. His frown returned immediately. "But almost right after we received this footage, your partner arrived looking pretty beat up. Apparently, he was ambushed by the Forever Knights."
Ben frowned. He squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his teeth. "Forever Knights? It just keeps getting worse, doesn't it?" he hissed quietly. His hand tightened into a fist at his side. Why the heck would the Forever Knights attack Rook? And how many snippy-mc-sniper guys can there be? It was just too weird.
His grandfather heaved out a sigh.
"Yet another nuisance to add to our plate. But let's not lose hope just yet. It pains me to ask but, do you mind going out alone today?" the Magister asked. Ben looked up at him. There was a look of distress on the teen's face which worried the Plumber. He hoped he wasn't over-burdening his grandson. "Or I could assign another Plumber to assist you."
"No, that's fine. I just want to check in on Rook first," the boy answered wearily. Max nodded.
"I'll come with you."