Author's Note: I own nothing!
26 Overreaction
Kevin frowned at the radio in his hands. He shook his head and played back the message.
'SOS! We're under attack! It's Jen Tennyson! Jen Ten is back!' The message cut out and Kevin sighed before he picked up his new phone. There were only a few numbers in it but it had a lot of fun extras. He opened one of his specially made apps and frowned at himself. The tech, alien of course, allowed him to access the bugs he had placed around in different devices. He'd been keeping an ear out for DNAlien activity but right now it was the Forever Knights who were interesting him. For the past three nights they'd been broadcasting emergency signals claiming to be under attack by Jen. But it couldn't be. Jen had finals this week and had told him that he was in charge of patrols unless something big came up, or he found another nest of DNAliens. Gwen was in a similar boat but seemed less worried about passing than Jen was. But then again Gwen's parents knew she had powers. Jen had apparently not told her parents about the Omnitrix yet. He hesitated a moment before he tapped in the code to access the bug he'd placed in Jen's phone.
She'd called her father, he was apparently out of town on business, that had been last night at around the same time the distress signal from the Forever Knights had started going off. She'd been texting Julie tonight. The conversation started with Julie quizzing Jen on Shakespeare quotes, for some reason. But they stopped about an hour ago. Kevin sighed heavily and exited back to the regular functions on his phone. He tapped one of the two numbers and waited as it rang. And rang.
"This is Jen's voicemail! You know what to do!" He frowned at the phone and ended the call without leaving a message. He tapped the second number, this one picked up after two rings.
"Kevin? What's up?"
"Hey Gwen, something off is going down I need your help. I tried calling Jen but I think this might have something to do with her."
"What do you mean?"
"Not sure yet but there's been a lot of radio chatter and her name keeps coming up. I wanna look into the latest one."
"Pick me up in ten?"
"Sounds good. See you then." Kevin nodded and hung up. He pulled the collar of his shirt up to his nose and frowned as he sniffed. He hopped into the shower and put on a fresh pair of clothes. Slipping his Plumber badge into his pocket made him smile. He could carry it without feeling bad about it now. He was actually a Plumber now, just like his dad had been. Now if he could just get up the nerve to talk to his mother again, maybe she'd be proud of him. But a niggling doubt in the back of his mind kept him from going back. What if she was afraid of him? What if she thought he was a freak? He shook his head and hooked his radio up to the console of his car. He could use it to track the distress signal.
"You don't think she's trying to protect us again is she?" Kevin asked as they drove away from the trashed Forever Knight castle. The only indication of what had done it was Jetray flying off into the night. Gwen was frowning.
"I don't know. It's something I could see her doing, but we're literally all deputized Plumbers now. I would think she knows we can handle ourselves." There was something else that was bothering him though. "You tried to call her back. I've never seen her completely ignore you before. She always responds somehow. I don't get it." Gwen drummed her fingers on the door.
"Drive faster." Kevin put his foot down.
"What do you think's happening?" He asked it completely seriously.
"I don't know, that's what scares me."
"What do you mean?" Gwen was silent for a moment as if choosing her words.
"We've had problems with the Omnitrix before. One of the Aliens, I don't know how it worked but it escaped the Omnitrix. It tried to kill us, all of us." Kevin looked over at Gwen, eyebrows raised.
"Which alien was this?"
"Ghostfreak." Kevin shuddered.
"I never liked that one."
"Me either. Jen's still afraid of it."
"Why? It's gone right?"
"Imprisoned by the Plumbers, so yes. But what if it's happening again? What if that's why she didn't answer?" Kevin shook his head.
"That Forever Knight we talked to said she kept asking where she was though. Like asking for herself by name. Did Ghostfreak ever do that?" Gwen shook her head.
"No, Ghostfreak was always able to tell the difference between itself and Jen. But I never understood how the Omnitrix worked. Maybe it's different now. Jen and Azmuth are the only ones who really now how the Omnitrix works. And most of the time I swear Jen's guessing." Kevin pulled the car up to Jen's house. Gwen nodded to herself. "Good Auntie Sandra's at work."
"I never asked what either of your parents do."
"Uncle Car does something with Insurance and Auntie Sandra is a nurse. My dad's a Lawyer, my moms a librarian."
"Wow, so two of the coolest people on Earth come from some of the most boring parents. Never tell Jen I said that by the way." Gwen laughed and stepped up to the door. Then she noticed Julie's bike.
"Huh, Julie's here." Kevin frowned.
"Why would Julie be here, if she was out kicking Forever Knight ass?"
"Something's not right here." Gwen stated and hammered on the door.
Jen wasn't expecting anyone else to show up at the house. Julie had her English book open on her lap.
"Which play is this quote from? 'To be or not to be, aye there's the rub.'" Jen grumbled as Ship crawled across her stomach and curled up there like a cat.
"Is it Macbeth?" Julie shook her head.
"Hamlet." Jen groaned and was almost relieved when someone started banging on the door.
"Oh thank god a break." She stood, taking Ship with her. The Mechamorph was firmly bonded to her shirt at this point so she didn't bother to try and hold him up as she made her was over to the door. "I'm coming. There's no need to break down my door." She opened the door and raised an eyebrow at Gwen as Ship nudged her hand for pets.
"Hey guys, what's up?" Kevin stepped into her house in front of Gwen, between the two.
"You know I know power can go to a person's head but I didn't expect you to snap a week after the team was made officially official." Jen frowned at him.
"What are you talking about?"
"Jen we saw you flying away from that burning Forever Knight castle as Jetray. What were you thinking, you went way overboard with that attack." Jen raised both her hands.
"I have no idea what you're talking about! I've been here studying for my English final all night! Ask Julie she got here an hour and a half ago. She's been drilling me on Shakespeare and Jane Austin for the past hour and a half!" Ship crawled up Jen's shirt to her shoulders and beeped as if agreeing with her.
"Is it smart to let a Galvanic Mechamorph climb on you like that when you've got the Omnitrix on?" Gwen asked as she stepped the rest of the way into the house, Kevin careful to stay close and between the cousins. Jen frowned.
"What are you talking about burning Forever Knight castle? Ship has been warned off touching the Omnitrix, he's a good boy he listens." Ship nodded and snuggled back into the front of Jen's shirt.
"I got a bunch of distress messages over my FTL radio over the past few days. Your name keeps coming up. Saying you're attacking." Jen sat down hard on the couch.
"Well she hasn't been out tonight. I've been here for the last hour and a half and before that she was finishing an essay for History. It was due online at eight and she just barely made the cut." Jen nodded.
"And you know English is my worst subject and History isn't far behind. I'm a science girl." Gwen nodded. She could practically see the gears whirring in her cousin's mind, running through the possibilities. She shook her head reaching forward and snapping her copy of her English text book shut.
"If I'm going to deal with a mystery I need some chili fries. Sorry we have to cut the study session short Jules." Julie nodded and whistled. Ship hopped off Jen and into Julies arms.
"It's ok. You have space cop duties. I'll see you in class tomorrow."
"Even if it kills me." Julie laughed and gathered her things. Ship beeped and Jen reached out and scratched it under what passed for its chin. "If Shakespeare hasn't killed me yet I don't think it will Ship. I'll be fine." Ship blipped out a purr and Julie laughed.
"He really does like you." Ship settled down into Julies bag.
"He likes you better." Julie waved as she left and Jen's face fell into a more serious expression.
"What do we think is happening here? Fill me in on the drive to the Burger Shack, I was serious about the fries."
Jen had known things were getting tense with Gwen and Kevin, hopefully that bubble would pop soon and they would just date and get it over with. But she hadn't thought they would ditch her at the Burger Shack, especially when they were the ones accusing her of attacking people at random. She had been feeling a bit off for a few days but nothing that bad. She just really wanted pickles and had been sick a few times in the morning. She figured it was nerves about finals.
When she finally caught up to them they were at a castle, how did no one question the amount of castles around Bellwood? How the Forever Knights ever managed to stay a secret society was beyond Jen. And they were talking to another her. They were identical in every way. She landed between her doppelganger and her team.
"Who are you?" The Omnitrix flashed and there were two identical Jens looking each other over.
"Jennifer Tennyson! You are a difficult being to get in contact with!" The voice was almost the same. But Jen's double spoke with almost an accent. "I am Albeda of the Galvan." Jen raised an eyebrow and gave her double the once over.
"You're a little tall for a Galvan." Kevin snorted behind them, Gwen shot him a look.
"What it's funny because Jen's short for a human, but tall for a Galvan."
"I got the joke Kevin! This isn't funny!" Jen ignored the other two.
"Do they always behave this way?" Jen nodded slightly. "That is of no consequence now! I created the Omnitrix and I am here to take it back." Jen raised both hands. "Remove your Omnitrix and give it to me!"
"Ok back up Albeda. First of all, this should be the only Omnitrix in the universe. Secondly A Galvan called Azmuth made it." The double, Albeda's, face twisted into an expression of pure distain.
"Azmuth is a liar! I made the Omnitrix. It is prone to catastrophic meltdown! You must remove it immediately or risk destroying yourself and the very fabric of the universe."
"What's the call off code?"
"What?"
"The code to call off the self-destruct. What is it?" Bright green eyes blinked into bright green. "How do you access Way Big?" The Galvan turned human blinked again. "How do you take off the Omnitrix?" Jen folded her arms and waited. "Well?"
"You would not have the code for the self-destruct! Way Big is always accessible! Remove the Omnitrix!" Albeda said it with all the conviction of someone who believed themselves to be telling the truth but Jen shook her head.
"Wrong on all three fronts. Try again. Start at who you are and why you're here." Albeda scowled at her for a moment.
"If you will not give up the Omnitrix willingly there are ways to take it from you!" That was when she attacked, turning into Jetray and snatching Jen up off the drawbridge before either of the others could do anything about it. The fight was quick, Jen taking down the double, forcing her on the run. She turned back to normal and the three of them took off for Kevin's car.
"How'd you know she was lying?" Jen scanned the skyline for Jetray as Kevin drove, glancing back into his rearview mirror.
"I do know the code to deactivate the self-destruct. Azmuth thought it would be a good idea after the last time I almost blew up the universe." Kevin snorted and laughed loudly. Gwen punched him, luckly not with the rock she'd picked up, to track Albeda if they lost her. Which they appeared to have done. While Gwen concentrated Jen kept talking.
"Way Big isn't currently accessible." She twiddled the dial on the Omnitrix and paused. Then she kept talking. "Azmuth gave me Way Big to help beat Vilgax. And even I don't know how to get the Omnitrix off, short of cutting off my hand. And I'm honestly not sure that would work. My hand would probably stay stuck in it." Kevin shuddered at the thought.
"If she had created the Omnitrix she'd have been able to give at least the code to call off the self-destruct. That's not a bad thing to have, as it really just prevents the universe from going boom." Kevin nodded.
"We do like it when the universe doesn't go boom." Jen rolled her eyes.
"Got her!" Gwen exclaimed making them jump. Kevin turned as Gwen commanded.