Author's Note: I own nothing. And now we say goodbye to Albrasix and Veraxi. At least for now.
25 Stripped
Jen would admit she hadn't expected to see another Plumber for a long while yet. For some reason they didn't come around Earth often anymore. She really didn't expect to be treated like a child by him. Dismissed out of hand, then he had to go and take Kevin's badge.
"You're kidding me! You're seriously going to strip Earth of the only protection it's got!" She stepped forward anger burning in her eyes even as Gwen tried to hold her back. "Do you have any idea what's happening down here! Did you even know Magister Labrid was dead or did you just not care?!" The Magister stepped backwards, looking taken aback.
"Did you have any idea that the DNAliens are turning people into more of them? Using something called a Xenocyte that overwrites the host DNA entirely, crumbles it apart until there's only enough left to hold the invasive DNA together?" She took another step forward. "Do you know how I know that? I know that because I used the Omnitrix to cure my cousin, the one who knew nothing about aliens I might add! Who they took hostage to find my Grandpa Max. The same Max Tennyson who blew himself up along with a Highbreed and a nest of DNAliens and Xenocytes to stop a plan to infect dozens maybe hundreds of cities! And where were you when that happened? When the DNAliens build weather machines and kids of Plumbers get blamed?"
"When the Highbreed nearly vaporized a city and I had to take down their ship?" She was up in his face at this point, one finger inches from his nose, even though she was quite a bit shorter than him. "Did you know about any of that? And I would like to point out that at no point did any of us say we were plumbers. Not even me, and I actually have a spot in Plumber ranks unless I've been very misinformed. Kevin Levin has every right to carry that badge, as every child of a Plumber has that right!" Kevin blinked. He had implied that his father was a Plumber but he hadn't exactly told them outright. The Magister frowned.
"Kevin Levin is a criminal, on parole from…" Jen cut him off.
"Kevin Levin has been more help than any Plumber I've ever worked with, except for Magister Labrid, who died to stop what he warned could be a full scale invasion! My grandfather died to fight the Highbreed and you do nothing!" The Magister bristled.
"I have it on good information that you three have been pretending to be Plumbers. You do have a Plumber rank that much is true, and when you're old enough a team waiting for you. But he's a criminal on probation, he can't be allowed to carry a badge, that's final!" He glared at Jen. "You're an uppity little human. The Galvan have ordered that you be given free reign only up to a point. Don't push me too far Tennyson. I will not hesitate to throw you into the Null Void along with your little team." With that he vanished, taking a short range teleporter back to whatever ship. Jen let out an angry breath and Kevin stared.
"Jen, you may have just signed all of our arrest warrants." Gwen said shaking her head.
"He deserved it!"
"There are better ways to do things than accusing an actual Magister of the Plumbers of not doing his job!" Kevin shrugged.
"I never thought I would say it, but I agree with Jen, guy was a dick. How did you know about my dad?" That silenced Gwen who looked like she still wanted to argue about her cousin's flouting of authority.
"First night I found out about the Hole I did some research. Why do you think you're on Parole now instead of being tossed back into the Null Void on sight by a Plumber?" Kevin stared.
"That was you? I sort of assumed it was for good behavior." Jen let out a humorless laugh.
"Dealing to Forever Knights for DNAliens is good behavior? Yes, that was me. I needed my team to be able to operate together. So much for that. Bureaucratic bastards." She kept grumbling as she made her way back to the car. Gwen took Kevin's hand.
"Your dad was a Plumber?"
"Yeah." He nodded. "He was, it's part of why I wanted to help you guys. I wanted to make him proud. I don't even remember him but I want him to be proud of who I am." Gwen squeezed his hand.
"I'm sure he would be proud of you Kevin. You've done a lot of good." Kevin smiled slightly but he frowned.
"I need my badge back."
"If I know Jen she's going to do everything in her power to get it back. She doesn't like being told no." Kevin nodded.
"That much I already knew." Gwen laughed. "Can you imagine her in charge of her own team of Plumbers." Gwen shrugged at Kevin.
"Well I could see it happening, I don't know how well it would go though. I would want a hand in picking her team, they can't bow to her every request. They need to have a spine even around the Wielder of the Omnitrix." She said the title like she used to say Doofus. Kevin laughed.
Kevin had been inches from finally kissing Gwen when the Highbreed attacked. He was very, very annoyed. The Magister showing up again was icing on the cake, but the cherry on top was the man in the metal mask attacking them, draining them. Everything went grey as the metal he'd absorbed sluffed off. He heard Jen grunt in pain. As she, as Humungousaur, tried to approach their attacker. Despite growing to twice the size as normal the black energy seemed to be draining her faster than she could compensate. She screamed and green flashed within black. Jen collapsed to her knees and the man in the metal mask spoke.
"Oh I forgot how delicious these Tennyson girls are!" Jen's eyes went wide.
"Gwen, run!" Gwen protested at her cousin's demand. "Go! You're our last hope! Go now!" Jen grunted as the black light around her flared brighter and she collapsed. Kevin's vision went dim and he passed out, hearing weak protests from the Magister as the man in the metal mask approached the still form in green. Gwen must have taken her cousin's advice and run, for she didn't seem to be anywhere around. Kevin knew she wouldn't let anyone touch her cousin if she was around.
The Magister's mind raced. He had awoken in chains, dangling in a stasis field. He wasn't alone either, the Highbreed was on one side, chained as well. Kevin Levin was here too. And Jen Tennyson. Both humans were still unconscious though that didn't last long. Kevin woke up first. There wasn't much he could do though.
"Jen! Jen, wake up! Come on Jenny, your cousin will kill me if you die and we were just finally taking steps towards actually getting somewhere."
"Oh really? When did that happen, and who asked who because if Gwen asked you Julie owes me money." The reply was weak as green eyes blinked open. Kevin laughed with relief.
"Oh good, that would not be a good way for you to go." Jen laughed, though there wasn't much humor in it.
"Nah, gotta die a hero when you live like one." The Magister stared at them. He'd heard Plumbers with years more experience than himself speak like this, never people this young, still children in the eyes of every society of every world he knew. But gallows humor wasn't something he'd ever wanted to hear from children.
"It's good to hear you still have a sense of humor Jen." The man in the metal mask stepped forwards from the shadows, ignoring the Highbreed and the Magister completely. The Magister frowned.
"You were the one who informed me they were impersonating officers! Why are you doing this?"
"Because he was lying Magister. We never pretended to be anything other than what we are. You though," here she spoke to their captor "you were a fake since the moment we met you. Weren't you Micheal?" She said it as if she'd known all along who it had been. The man in the mask laughed. Kevin tensed.
"Micheal Morningstar! The ass who tried to steal Gwen… I mean tried to kill all those girls from his school." Jen nodded, rolling her eyes at Kevin's backtracking.
"That's the one. It had to be. He's the only Plumber's kid who isn't on our side. He's not really on anyone's side. Except his own." Micheal laughed loudly as he pulled off his mask. It clattered to the floor. Jen let out an exclamation of disgust and the Magister couldn't help but agree. The skin under the mask was mottled grey, he had tufts of hair that was probably blonde at one point. His skin was stretched tight over his skull, dipping drastically at his eye sockets. Jen kept talking. "It had to be a Plumber's kid. Only they would have the tech to even contact the Magister. But getting through has been exceedingly difficult. I know I've been trying to get help down here for us for a while. But there was always something in my way. I'm betting I know why now."
"Oh aren't you the clever on Jennifer. It's why you told sweet Gwen to run. You knew who I was, or figured it out fast enough. But soon that won't matter." Mike held up a hand and black light shot from it and surrounding Jen in seconds. She screamed loudly as the light sparkled and shimmered around her.
"Leave her alone!" The Magister beat Kevin to it by a second. But Gwen beat them all when she showed up with the DNAliens pissed off about the kidnapping of their boss. Micheal was dispatched quickly and Jen waved off attempts to assist her even as she wobbled on her feet. Gwen grabbed hold of her cousin as she stumbled.
"Where's the Highbreed?" Gwen shook her head.
"Got away, DNAliens took it." The Magister shook his head at them.
"Is this the kind of thing that happens often?"
"Oh just every week or so." The Magister nodded slightly as he locked down Micheal.
"Maybe I don't need to send good men to Earth. There's already a good team here." Jen glanced around at her team.
"What are you saying Magister?" The Magister grinned as he pulled Kevin's badge from his armor.
"It means you've been drafted." He handed the badge back to Kevin who smiled. He pulled a second from his armor and handed it to Gwen. He nodded to Jen who waved him off. In a way she already had her own badge in the Watch. He nodded. "As of this moment you three are the only acting law in this sector. I won't be able to do much I have several sectors to manage but I will try and help when I can. To be honest I have six more inhabited planets to watch over. I'm trusting Earth to you three."
"So keep doing what we've been doing then?" Jen asked only slightly sarcastically. The Magister rolled his eyes.
"You know I met your grandfather. You're exactly like him." Jen grinned.
"Thanks."
"I haven't decided if that's a compliment yet." Jen's grin didn't falter.
"I'm gonna take it as one." The Magister shook his head as he teleported himself and Micheal, now in energy manacles and a dome just for safety back to his ship.