A/N: So I've been gone for a quite a while, and I'm sorry about that. If there's anyone still interested in this story, I hope you enjoy the chapter.

June 20th, 2005: 19:17 [Null Void]

It felt like someone had licked him all over, nibbled on all his exposed flesh, and spat him out.

It was a feeling that left him numb, left him tired, and left him angry. Biting angry, considering his iron lips was denting inward from the force of his bite.

It took another solid minute for his vision to clear and for the surroundings he was seeing to become readily apparent. He was standing atop a vast plateau, the cliff wall at the far end seemed to stretch upwards toward infinity and he had no desire to approach the ledge and see how far above ground he was.

His metallic body faded away as he returned to being simple flesh and blood, a soft buzz crept along the underneath of his skin. Whatever the thing that brought him here did it seemed to double or triple the current charge he was holding in, and sudden extra power made him very wobbly on his two thin legs. His body coming down, a sudden weight that he couldn't really feel before pressing on his shoulders, his bare hands touching the flat rock, only now was he realizing just how smooth the surface was, almost like glass. His Palma trembling as the force continued to bare down on him, his forehead soon joined his hands touching the ground and not long after that his entire body was flush against the strange earth. A soft thrumming could have been heard, he would have looked up but he found himself very incapable of performing said action.

"What's this we have here? A new tenant, full of fear?"

The voice that spoke was deep and had a vague gravel after effect. Each word had that sort of weight and rumble.

"W-who's there!?" Kevin barked, the pressure on him made it hard for his lungs to expand and fill with air.

"Who is there? Clearly I, are you not aware?" Came the deep voices reply.

"Agh! Why can't I move? Who are you!?"

"I am Mars, and you are held bound by the weight of my stars."

Kevin wanted so very badly to stand and punch whoever it was that was being a cryptic douchebag that was speaking to him in rhyme. Pertaining to that…

"What's with the rhyming anyway?"

"Hmm? A verse not unlike another, should often sound alike to its father."

The weight seemed to lighten, just slightly, enough for Kevin to force his head to turn and he had to admit it. This was by far the strangest sights he'd seen in a long time. Standing not ten feet away from him was a humanoid shaped creature with glowing blue eyes made out of smaller red rocks and a few more rocks floating around him.

"Left speechless it seems? Preferable now, than to hear your screams."

The eleven year old crime fighting half alien grunted in acknowledgment of the statement. His eyes were still going over the oddly out together form of the sentient standing opposite of him. The way the rocks so perfectly fit together, the strange blue glow to his eyes, the way he wasn't affected by the weird weight.

"Ugh, how come you can stand no problem?"

"Master of gravity I am. Explains much little lamb?"

Another grunt escaped Kevin, "Well! Could you turn it off!"

"Truly, you wish it gone from this place? No more weight to occupy this space?"

"Yes?"

And so without a word Mars have the slightest noncommittal shrug of one of his shoulders and a very soft flash of his glowing blue eyes did just that. He banished the presence of all gravity from the immediate area and Kevin found himself suddenly floating up.

"Huh?" He asked, a dumb expression painting his features as he tried to make sense of suddenly not feeling...any weight at all.

"It is as you asked. I have completed, what I have been tasked."

He growled, and he really wanted to walk over there and sock the humanoid rock pile for being a smartass, intentionally or otherwise.

Though he didn't receive the chance to make his discomfort known as a sudden swoosh sound filled his ears and suddenly a new figure was present. He was another tall humanoid-ish with three fingers and toes, long slender arms and relatively average length legs, the three toes in each foot looked more like talons you'd find on a bird however. His flesh was a bright red with black along the folds of his torso and two larger black lines going across each shoulder, a bright yellow film that looked like something of a wingsuit was strung between his arms and ran down to a nub that looked to have once been a tail before being shortened. The figure had two bright solid green eyes and a wide mouth with black lips and a weird crest of golden scales that only had one prong coming up over one eye while the other had been obviously snapped off. Upon closer inspection Kevin noticed on his left hand one of the fingers was missing. And he had a few scars running across his thighs and right side of his abdomen.

"What's dis' bout Mars? You gettin' your kicks from messin' with hatchlin's now?" He spoke with a voice that had a vaguely Boston accent, overlayed with the effect of someone who smoked a pack of cigarettes a day for forty years.

"I torment naught. I simply exercise a thought. For my abilities have been taught." Mars explained...mostly.

"Right, what bout you hatchlin', you gotta name? Maybe a reason for messin' round with Mars here?"

Kevin grumbled, "M'names Kevin and I didn't do anything!"

"Nothin? Then how'd you end up here? Not exactly a hop skip and a jump in either direction ya'know?"

"That asshole Phil shot me with his Null Void gun!"

The Aerophibian whistled, "Don't know nothing bout a 'Phil' but if dey got a Null Void gun, then deir eider a plumber, or one hellova well armed thug."

Leaving crossed his arms, still just kind of floating a few feet off the ground, "Whatever, you guys know the way out of here?"

The Aerophibian looked back at Mars. The Galilean did not however share in the mirth his red skinned friend was feeling. In fact the winged alien began to laugh near instantly after hearing Kevin say that.

"Sorry ta' break it to ya' but dere ain't no way out. It's da' Null Void kid. You don't just getta' leave."

Levin felt the blood leave his face, and he may not have had the best tan in the world but he wasn't exactly pale either, so when his slime turned white as a sheet the two observers each rose a brow. They were very unaware of what species the kid belonged to. Kevin rose both hands to his face…

"No...no way...I...I can't be stuck here!" He cried out. Very angry even at the implication.

"Ey!, don't blast da' messenger. Just da' way things got dealt. Best ta make da' best of it."

"And how the hell do I do that?!"

"Well...I'm Ares, how bout we get ta' know each-odda for startas?"

June 20th, 2005: 19:20

It could have all been so simple. It SHOULD have been that simple. But of course he leaves for NOT EVEN A WHOLE DAY and someone manages to get themselves stuck inside the Null Void. The damn Null Void of all places!

Gwen was hoeing daggers at him, Max had gone over to check on Phil. Six to ten the guy would likely need emergency care soon.

XLR8 hasn't yet reverted back to his human form. This was slowly becoming a bad habit...but he felt safer knowing he could run away from the magically empowered girl with three of seven Super Magical artifacts known to wreak havoc and render reality a crumpled mess like one could crumble paper. So he chose to remain in a form that promised him an easy getaway...it kept reminding him he was doing just that. Running away, and what has that gotten him? Another close friend in peril. Wonderful. What next? Vilgax returning with his new partnership with those slimy pricks of the Incursion Empire…

XLR8 looked to clear sky above and shuddered at the thought of several Goliath class war ships descending on his planet...for the second time…

"Are you even listening?!" Gwen suddenly roared, apparently the angry ten year didn't like being blatantly ignored, who knew?

Instead of instantly barking back a fed up reply—because he was fed up—he leveled a glee at her that said words a hundred times clearer than he could. He needed time to think. He needed time to form a plan. He needed time to reverse engineer some McGuffin that would bring back their osmosian buddy. Which was a lot of time that they did not have. Which meant he had even less of it to waste listening to his young and obviously upset cousin spout worthless worry at him.

His gaze turned over the files and with a sudden rush of wind he scoured the entire lot until he found it. Phil's Null Void gun. Such a tiny thing, the cause for so much issue. With a growl XLR8 rushed over to Gwen.

"Tell me exactly where Kevin was standing when he was hit by this thing." He said. His voice a calm hiss as he demanded the information.

After blinking away the minor surprise she lifted her hand and pointed a finger to a spot, four paces from them, with no discernible marking figuring out where Kevin had been struck would have taken ages...he needed Clockwork bad.

With a flash of green his body went from that of arched lizard like alien to that of the amphibian intellectual powerhouse. Grey Matter.

"Huh, I've never seen you become this one…" Gwen said, seeming to have cooled off. At least partially.

The grey scaled alien looked up, his toad like eyes shining under the moonlight, "I don't get many chances to use my intellect to resolve situation, most unfortunately. Usually a problem is simpler to resolve by bisecting it."

Gwen shuddered at the implication. She hoped to never be present the day he went through with that...she hoped that particular day would never come.

The tiny gray sentient pulled the final wire around before smirking in victory, suddenly green flashed an a Petrosapien stood to his full height, gun in hand, the finger on his free hand twitched and a small mound of crystal rose from the earth in three segmented pillars. Diamond head had just used his powers to crest a fact looking tripod. It would have been funny if the situation weren't so dire.

"This," his voice that rang like crystal wind chimes began, "is a Null Void projector. It'll open a portal for me to enter, find Kevin, and then let us back through."

Gwen rose a brightly colored brow high into her forehead, "Why do you need to go in at all?"

It was hard for the stone faced alien to express much of anything in his rigid structure, even raising an eye ridge was difficult. So he just sighed to convey the pointlessness of the question.

"The Null Void houses countless numbers of rogue aliens. Feral and intelligent ones alike. So it'll open a portal, I go through, and twelve hours later, it open again and me and Keven return. Simple."

Why twelve hours? Because Grey Matter decides that was the most appropriate and stable time Gaye for the portal to handle. Too early and he may not be ready to return. Too late and that could make complications. This seemed the best bet.

"Alright, but why did you need to set it up here and to know where Kevin got...shot?" She asked, very unsure of how to say the part at the end.

"The Null Void works like a parallel to our world. It's very vast. But like a parallel things are mirrored. Like space. Opening the gate from where Kevin was blasted brings me closer to where he may have ended up meaning less searching. Depending where in the galaxy you open a Null Gate you could find some very interesting landscape. There's an entire section of the Void filled with these floating rocks that serve no purpose than to litter around that particular area."

It was all very fascinating but…

The bright crimson ray shot from the lens of the gun at that moment and he only had a minute twenty two seconds to get in before it destabilized and shut down.

"Make sure to be here twelve hours from now and that b one messes with that gun!"

Was the last thing Gwen heard before Diamondhead ran through the portal.

June 20th, 2005: 19:23

Mars suddenly stopped and looked away from a jovial Ares and Kevin. The two had found some common ground bad mouthing each other. But Ares wasn't the type to ignore an attentive one like Mars getting sidetracked.

"Something wrong there rock head?"

"A new weight in my domain. A sentient that promises pain."

Ares raised an eye ridge before sighing, all the while dragging a hand down his face.

"Hey squirt, keep Mars company while I go let whoever this is know he's in the wrong neck of the Void."

Kevin said nothing as Ares took to the skies.

June 20th, 2005: 19: 23 [Null Void]

Golden glowing eyes took in the vastness presented before him. He stepped out of the slowly closing portal and onto the craggily rock of some mountain. It was an odd sight to see again after so long without it. He recalled the Grand Erasure event…

Vilgax was no fool, he knew what would happen if any sod with a Null Void gun got within—the arguably pitiful—range of the beam, he'd be trapped for as long as it took one of his own to find a means to release him.

The fact that Vilgax wipes an entire dimension from existence was...sickening.

Once more he scanned the immediate area and after finding no instantly observable threat he flashed green and transformed into the tall black and blue lithe moth man. Big Chill.

Taking to the...technically skies...he began his search.

It was, an odd beauty. Quiet and serene sights. Tall and ominous mountains with several plateaus a piece. The whole thing screamed perfect hermit recluse. And if he didn't have a universe to defend he might not mind retreating to some far found corner of the galaxy. Maybe…

His internal thoughts were cut off as a green ray air passed his face and a war cry pierced his ears, he was suddenly tackled.

The red blur balled into him and the two aerial beings spun around. Their opposable digits and maneuverable arms wrestling for control until Big Chill breathes out and the assailant yipped in fright at the sudden drop in temperatures. The red ones grip faltered and Bug Chill didn't hesitate to rip him from his person and throw him to the ground below, following closely to prevent the red figure from fighting himself before collision.

Good thing too considering the red one moved to do just that before gasping as the omnitrix wielder sunk his left foot into its abdomen. The smooth ground cracked from the force.

"Not very nice...attackin someone like dat for no reason…" Big Chill said in his cool and distant voice. His large nearly glowing eyes staring clean through the green eyes of the alien that assaulted him.

"Gah! Get off! I'll show ya' what for you dam spoinka!"

With a condescending head tilt Big Chill moves his foot to the chest of his opponent and applied a slight pressure.

"Argh!"

Maybe a tad more than slight.

"Listen to me air-skimmer. I'm looking for someone, and your getting in the way of that. If you want to keep alive...you should reconsider bothering me." Big Chill very calmly explained as the temperature dropped around them.

The red Aerophibian beneath his heel chuckled, "You should try ta' be friendlia. You never know when you might need one or two of dose…"

Big Chill never got to ask what that meant—though he kind of figured—when sudden gravity packed on more than a few pounds. His breath left him from the sudden exertion. His chest met ground and he could barely wobble his arms, forget about using them to push off said ground. Though it looked like whatever was afflicting him was selective in its targets…

His eyes moved back to the ground where they began to take in the yellow glow coming from his watch, whatever this was...was apparently rich in somethings DNA signature!

"In my domain you trifle, who are you to be so vile?"

The omnitrix wielded would never reply to that question as Kevin popped out from behind the rock aliens leg and spoke with surprise etched across his face and saturating his words.

"Kälte?"

The two aliens looked back at the boy, "You know dis turd Kev?" Asked Ares, his glare turning back to Kälte—Big Chill—upon mention of said turd.

"Ah Kevin, you saved me a very irritating search. Now then, friends or foes?" Big Chill inquired, the pressure leveling out since the rock one seemed to occupied in other mental activities.

Kevin for his part had completely failed to recall this particular discussion from before, where in they discussed quick and easy to discern signals to identify opponents and such. The boy seemed a little out of it this evening. Big Chill took his lack of reply for a positive in aggressive company category. Though he couldn't very well start transforming, if they figured out he was the omnitrix wielder, well…

Ares bent down and growled in his face, "Shut it, whadda you want with Kevin?"

The Necrofriggia grinned before going intangible and sinking through the rock. Ares and Mars both shared a shocked look before a hand, still intangible, came up and grabbed Kevin's ankle. The boy let out a loud yelp in shock as he was quickly dragged into the rock.

Kevin would never be quite able to describe the traumatic experience of sinking through rock like he had just done. But when he was pulled through to the other side. Apparently the mountain did have another side. He was all too thankful to be released.

"So...making buddies?"

Kevin turned to face Kälte. Not entirely sure of how to react to his presence. So he decided on the reasonable course of actions.

Raising his hand and letting out a quick but agitating burst of static to shock his pal.

"Gah! What was that for?!"

Kevin smirked as he waved away the remaining static from his flesh, "You just up and left. Uncool bro."

Kälte shook his head before letting his weeks wrap around him to form his cloak like cover.

"Didn't realize you cared. Anyway...we have some time to kill before the portal home opens. Want to fill me in?"

"In? In on what?"

"Red and rocky up there. What's their deal?"

Kevin crosses his arms remembering his bread talk with Ares.

"The red one, Ares, and the rocky one is Mars, they live on this mountain range. It's their territory."

Kälte crosses his arms before his body stilled. His gaze became set on the distant horizon. It was peppered with more mountains. Nearly identical to this one. Problem was...they were moving.

"Damn…" The Necrofiggian palmed his face before reaching over and grabbing Kevin. The boy began to express his given right to swear at the feeling of being made intangible came over him again—

Ares nearly screamed when the pair came rising out of the ground and the boy was tossed aside. The Aerophibian could do nothing when a hand tightened around his throat. The bony fingers cool like grey-iron and harder than anything and they tightened.

"Answers. Information. All of it. Now!" Kälte demanded, his hand extending towards Mars and the stream of ice began at his own heels before quickly freezing the ground on its way to the rock sentient and crossing it up to its 'neck'.

Kevin started at the scene before him. Honest shock chilling his spine. He'd seen Ben do some pretty...brutal things, but he'd never had to see it done to people who had treated him kindly.

"Kälte! Stop it! They're cool man!"

The tall black and blue skinned alien looked at the small boy for a moment before releasing the Aerophibian and gently removing the ice holding the other one captive.

The mood seemed tense for the three aliens, as far as Kevin could tell.

Ares coughed into his fist before glaring at Kälte, the bright solid green eyes of the Aerophibian narrowed as he took in the sight of this Necrofriggian standing before him, and the question came out before he could stop it.

"What a Necro like you doin' so far from da' 'Kaisaar Lands'?" He asked, no restraint on his open distaste for the race.

Kälte raised an eye ridge at that. He had no such memory from his short stint in the Null Void from his current or previous life. But unsurprisingly he didn't much care. What happened in the Null Void could very well stay in the Null Void for all he cared—a distant and quiet part of his mind whispered to him that it wasn't very heroic…

"Wouldn't you like to know...besides, I made it clear that I'm the one looking for answers." Was his curt reply to the inquisitive Aerophibian.

Ares glared harder still before smirking, "Well den, ta bad I dang know nothin' huh?"

Very nearly did Big Chill reach across and punch the smug prick, but instead he let out a calming breath, that happened to be laced with frost that just happened to hit poor Ares in the chest.

"Ah!"

"Try again." Kälte said, arms crossed, wings tightening around his form.

Mars remained silent in the background alongside Kevin, simply observing the interaction before a thought came to him.

"Here to retrieve the boy you've come. Secrets to escape, you surely have some?"

Big Chill turned to look over his shoulder, the rhyming still tad annoying. But for someone who likely had a brain made of rocks and assorted minerals—ignoring Tetrax and all the Petrosapiens—he was fairly smart to come to that particular conclusion so fast. Kevin has made friends with these two. But he had no standing information on them. He couldn't trust them.

The tall black blue alien smirked to himself, "You two don't listen well. My questions get answers first."

Mars has an unreadable look on his face, rather his lack of face, but his glowing eye sockets didn't fluctuate so that meant little expression was being made. Ares looked about ready to blow up at something, someone, anyone, anything?

"Your questions come first then, from the comfort of my den."

With comforting smile, not very comforting considering it was a smile similar to what he would plaster on his face while standing before the Plumber High Council. Which was a quaint way of saying something to disguise his near murderous thoughts. He so loved being obliged.

"Wonderful. First...why don't you tell me why the horizon keeps moving." He said, adding weight to the statement by pointing to said shifting mountains on the horizon.

Mars' blue eyes shine a little brighter for a second as he thought about how to answer that.

"This is my domain. All things act for my gain."

Kälte leaned forward, arms crossed, as he started a little harder, "Try again."

The Galilean shook its rock head, "This place vends to my will, always moving. Never still."

"Clearly. Why?"

"It's is my ability. Control over gravity."

Kälte let out a low whistle before grinning to himself as he recalled the dull yellow light that had emanated from his watch. He didn't want to hurt Kevin's friends, but he had a sneaking suspicion they wouldn't share his sentiment. And fighting to restrain was always a lot harder than fighting...to kill. The black and blue skinned alien looked back at Ares as he sat back to observe.

It was frustrating. That portal would open in a little over eleven hours. In the EXACT spot that he had opened it previously. How the hell was he supposed to find that specific spot when he didn't even know what way was actually up and not just some perspective fallacy.

"Well, since you 'control it' I'm going to ask you nicely to stop spinning the rocks. I need to be somewhere specific pretty soon."

Mars tilted his head and then the shine of his eyes brightened, "It is not within my power. Regardless of where you must be upon the hour."

"What the hell do you mean it isn't within you power?"

"Should I cease to impose my weight upon this region. The scattered few outside would swarm like the Kaisaar's legion."

Big Chill dragged both hands down his face with a frustrated grunt. He had a way to get out. He couldn't be all that far away from the damn portal anyway. He just needed the anchoring point to keep still...and somehow discern which point that was to begin with.

Kevin, tired of being silent, couldn't help but ask, "Alright, I give up. What's this 'Kaisaar' stuff about?"

Ares barked out a laugh before growing silent, "Wait your serious?"

Kevin simply nodded in acknowledgment.

Mars took the pale face of his friend as a sign to explain, as best he could in the only way he knew how, "Kaisaar the Tyrant is one to be feared. Hundreds of quadrants, already he's cleared. Your are foolish to not know if the revered."

Kälte huffed before shaking his head side to side, his gaze going over his shoulder to Kevin and Ares. The two just watching him interact with Mars. It was irritating for him, having to resolve this given that it was supposed to be simple. It was really stupid in fact, considering that if all the places in the Null Void to end up...Kevin just had to end up here.

"Right...well, now I'm just curious, what happened for you two to end up in the Null Void?"

Ares looked to Mars who was humming with internal energy, "Born within the realm I was. Unaware I am of the cause."

The Aerophibian grumbled something to himself before crossing his arms, "I took the fall for my gang."

The Necrofriggian nodded at the reasons. He didn't trust either if these two as far as Grey Matter could throw them, but they had two Null Void Guns. One made into a wonky projector, and the other still fully functional—as far as he knew—so...was it worth the risk of letting these two out even temporarily? What would that do to Kevin seeing as he made friends with these guys?

"Alright Kevin it's your call. What do you want to do?" Big Chill finally said, an uncaring shrug his only sign of expression.

The small eleven year old gaped, he was even wholly sure what he was talking about...in fact.

"My call on what?"

"Do we let Ares and Mars out of the Null Void?"

It was like a mountain coming down. The soft humming originating from Mars sounded like a car accelerating and the glow of his eyes was nearly white. Ares looked stupefied. His wife solid green eyes and gaping mouth with crooked teeth painting the clear picture.

"Whadda ya' mean...der ain't no gettin outta da' Null Void! What kinda' crap are ya' tryin to pull 'ere!?"

Kälte uncrossed his arms. Necrofriggian mas weren't very expressive by nature, unless there were smirking, it was obvious to tell by the upward turn of their mouths' sort of like right now. They way his smirk was so clearly widening, if Ares didn't already hate him, he would have by now.

"I'm not pulling anything. What you see is what you get."

"Shaddup! I've been 'ere nearly two dozen standard years! Dere ain't no way out!"

Kälte—being fairly fed up with this—walked out and placed a hand on the Aerophibians shoulder, who instantly tried and failed to pull away. Big Chills golden yellow eyes looked into the solid green of his fellow alien.

"Are you really willing to pass up this chance?"

"Chances come, chances go," Mars cut in, "You ask us for our trust...no?"

As if catching the message Ares pulled his shoulder free and nodded, "Yeah, Mars' gotta point dere, why should we trust a Necro?"

As much as Big Chill wanted to laugh at the blatant racism he pushed away, simply turning to get finality on this course of action from Kevin. After all, he did leave the choice up to him. The young Osmosian audibly swallowed the growing lump in his throat before letting out a frustrated groan as he raked both hands through his unkempt hair.

"Would you just shut up?! Yea! Let's get them out of here, no get us out!"

Ares and Mars looked between the two before being blinded by the sudden flash of green.

Their gaze moved around for a moment before returning to where the flash originated. Where there had once stood a nearly six foot tall Necrofriggian, was now a four foot ten boy similar to Kevin with long brown hair, tied back into a dangling tail.

"About that...the portal home doesn't open up for another twelve hours, and even then...I don't know where the opening with occur, since someone keeps this place in constant movement." Ben said very pointedly looking at the sentient rock man—Galilean—with slight contempt.

Ares seemed to completely forget their previous encounter. All of that pesky bad blood vanishing in an instant...before a new realization came over him…

"Yer...da' Omnitrix Wielder…"

Ben smirked as he looked at the Aerophibian, the shit eating grin plastered on his face would make anyone want to punch a kid. But thanks to the small fact that he had a super watch on his wrist that could turn him into any number of aliens in an instant made the hot blooded—figuratively—red skinned alien think twice about the action.

"Gee...how'd you guess?" Ben taunted a little more. He wouldn't act to harshly against Kevin's friends, no point, unless of course they swung first. But that was neither here nor there.

"So, Mars. I showed up here roughly fifteen earth minutes ago. I want you reverse the rotation of this mountain field to the state it was in previously, and then when the portal opens you guys can come with."

Mars remained silent for a moment, "My domain would be left for the Kaisaar to consume, I refuse, I shall remain and will not be used."

The three started at the Galilean with wide eyes. Kevin was the least surprised if the three, but Ares was nearly fuming while Ben seemed to be mildly confused.

"W-whadda ya mean ya ain't leavin' why would ya wanna stay ere!"

The Mars shifted his head slightly to look directly at his friend, "Born within the realm I was, this domain to protect my cause."

Seemingly fed up with the frankly foolish reasoning Ares pushed passed Ben, "Are ya' completely insane!" He yelled, his teeth bared and his posture poised to keep moving and grab at Mars for his foolish decision, "Der ain't no way outta ere, and ya wanna just forget about it so you can keep guardin' some damn rocks!"

Ben looked between the two. He knew the level of control this Galilean had over gravity now, to some extent, and the idea of rumbling it out didn't sit well with him. The young boy pinched his nose. He has only begun to see the variations between his own timeline and this new one, and as much as he could understand this Galilean not wanting to relinquish his home, to abandon that one place he's always known. But Ben wanted to go home to his Grandfather and cousin and to be there for his girlfriend every step of her recovery, and as much as Ares seemed like a prick...he sure didn't seem the type to deserve being stuck in the Null Void.

"Both of you shut it. Mars, I'm giving you one more chance before I revoke your choice in all this." Ben spoke as if his words were the frigid winds of the north howling in a blizzard, but Mars stood stock still as they reached his...ears?

"A threat to my person has been heard, beware how you tread lest you be slaughtered." The drawn out monotone added a certain something to the threat.

Ben balled his fist, his eyes narrowed, "Kevin...I hope you'll forgive me for this. Ares, please take Kevin away from here while I...convince Mars."

The eleven year old was slightly torn, he'd just made friends with these guys and now because one of them was stubborn he had to die? And worst still Ben was sending him off with Ares while he handled it?! So uncool!

Ben watched for a brief moment as the two retreated to some far off distance. His green gaze returned to the Galilean as he flashed the alien a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Just...keep in mind this isn't personal okay…?"

Mars said nothing as his eyes glowed the brightest they've ever have.

Ben smirked as green consumed him and a new body he's never wielded before became his own. His vibrant green eyes stared out and it felt odd being a living planet. His body was much like Mars except his own form was much larger comprised of green black and white rocks clumped together in a vaguely human shape with small moons orbiting him.

Mars nearly faltered in his steadfast approach, until the sudden weight and perspective of gravity changed axis and he was sent flying back. His rocky body cratering against the mountain wall.

Green overcome Ben as he shifted forms from his new Galilean to a buzzing and speedy Kineceleran, the world became a blur as he rushed forward and used his pincer like claw to repeatedly stab into Mars' center is mass, though it seemed slightly fruitless as he barely chipped away any of the earth at all.

The gravity seemed to catch up as Mars perception did. Green flashed again and Ghostfreak became intangible, his untouchable hand sinking into the 'skull' of the rock man, only for Ghostfreak's single violet eye to widen, there was a mind...but no brains for him to scramble. He could instill nightmares, but he didn't think Mars was a much of sleeper.

With a grunt he withdrew the hand and raised into the air before shifting form into Diamondhead, his feet close together as he dropped twenty feet onto the still standing Galilean. The loud crack and shattering sounds of stone reached his ears, and he stared happily at his demolished foe, only to be lifted and smashed into the wall before being thrown away, his golden eyes catching sight of the rocks coming back together and reforming. He grunted to himself as he changed shapes to upgrade and splattered against a floating rock, his single circular eye narrowed in frustration. This was going to be a tedious fight.

June 21st, 2005: 04:00

Gwen rubbed at the growing ache of her eyes. Her eyes kids struggling to remain open and for a moment longer she held back sleep as her head nodded forward and backward.

"For someone who sleeps a lot, you sure are sleepy pumpkin."

She nearly let out a yelp of surprise at her grandpa's sudden appearance but held the girlish scream inside as she turned to look at the man. His entire person screamed worry, it had been that way since he had returned from dropping Phil off at the hospital. Speaking of…

"So...Phil…?"

"Hmm? Oh! He'll pull through, though doctor says he might never walk quite the same, a cane is mandatory."

Gwen felt like she should have been suffering from guilt, but unsurprisingly it was more than a little difficult to feel ANYTHING other than anger towards the person that sent one of your close friends to an alternate dimension and then becomes the cause of your oddly behaving cousin to go after said friend into said dimension. So she turned her face back to the gun lying in the concrete, sour frown hidden from her grandfathers innocent eyes. More or less.

Max swallowed and moved to comfort the girl, maybe try and direct her path, when they both heard a sudden rumbling and both turned their heads to the sky above.

A ship poked through the cloud barrier above and it's four thrusters worked to keep it steady in its slow and controlled descent to the earth.

Gwen stood up instantly as a blue and purple glow came over her hands. The power coming easier to her now than before. Though at the moment of crisis she wasn't paying much mind to the growing whispers after he back of her mind.

The ship quickly landed and turned half the parking lot worth of cars into aluminum pancakes. The side door hisses as it comes apart and the tap unfurls. The light spilling out surround the figure and cast an ominous shadow, a tall silhouette stands there with...a much short and pudgier one to its side.

After a tense second the figure comes down and a pair of golden orbs stare at Gwen. A grin smile graces the figures face.

"Don't suppose you'd be happy to see me again huh?" Tetrax asked as he waits at the end of the ramp for his pilot and long time friend, "Oh, and this is Gluto, my pilot."

At this the orange-pink-peach colored blob with three pale yellow eyes surrounded by black squeaked and made several noises that seemed to have some sort of a pattern of which indicated some sort of foreign language.

Max looked at the bounty hunter with mild eyes but Gwen was somewhere between glad for some familiarity and disgusted at seeing this guy that tried to kill her cousin.

"What do you want?" She finally decided in asking, the glow around her hands dimming just slightly.

"Ah, I was in this sector aagain recently and decided to drop by and see Ben, under better circumstances considering how our previous meeting went. The ships nav computer detected the Omnitrix being used most recently here in This area…"

Gwen looked back at the Null Void PROJECTOR Gun and then toward Tetrax. A sudden fear rising that the seemingly friendly rock man wasn't so friendly after all.

"He's busy. Come back later." She adamantly declared, arms going to her side after becoming too tired to hold up.

The Petrosapien raised a crystal eye ridge and then the gun on the tripod caught his eyes as he sighed and palmed his face.

"Why do I even bother…?" He asked no one took a step back to a tie toy wait the explanation he was sure to receive from his human 'allies'.

June 21st, 2005: 06: 56 [Null Void]

Mars looked up just in time to see the mountain come down atop him. The earth below rumbled and cracked and in some places simply turned to dust as the overbearing weight destroyed more and more of the Galilean body.

The blue glow of his eyes waned and flickered as he forced as much of the weight off as he could, only for it to double down. The rocky texture rumbled and changed and suddenly turned to the shape of fingers as it gripped his 'head' and pulled. The rest of his body remaining behind and his blue eyes looked into piercing golden green. In the last few hours of constant pushing and pulling against the omnitrix bearer. He had learned one thing...his weight was light compared to this ones.

This was his last thought as the pressure surrounding his cranium grew until eventually. Mars was no more.

Miles upon miles of the field that had once been the domain of Mars rumbled in loss and grief for a second before Gravattacks will overtook it and dug deep into it. He could see-feel-BE, everywhere and anywhere. His control remained absolute until he found it, the spot, that so very important spot. His will pulled in the realm, the rocks stopping and beginning their movement in reverse, hours had passed but their starting placement was so familiar to him it wasn't even a question. The location embedded in his mind he transformed into the ghostly form of his grey skinned apparition and took off, he had to very quickly find Kevin and Ares before their window closed. For good.

The two seemed frozen. Ares having just seen his long time friend be turn to dust, and Kevin at witnessing what was essentially murder. But they had no time for either therapy session right now as Ben phased into Ares body, the dark cracks formed around his eyes and the Aerophibians usual eye color shifted to that of a violet variety, and as soon as he felt he was in control lifted himself into the air—it was second nature as he recalled the past memories of using this form, his feet grabbers latched onto Kevin's shoulder and after the Osmosian boy cried out in a slight panic they were off toward the portal.

The two slammed against the portal and just like that, they were free.

Ares had to blink as it felt like something had just spent a full minute nibbling on him. But then it hit him. That air, that light, that off feeling of natural gravity. It was all so new, and so nostalgic. And so wonderfully liberating. The Aerophibian fell to the earth in a heap, his body a mess as he heaved. The joy and sadness, all too much for him. Not to mention the relief of not having an alien—no pun intended—force controlling him.

Kevin squirmed and slowly the form of Ghostfreak phases through his body, too lazy to go around. The violet eyes looking down at the shivering boy who was slowly going to sleep. But he turned his attention back to another more pressing matter.

The rasp and chilling voice of Ghostfreak pulled the Petrosapiens attention away from the scarred Aerophibian to the Omnitrix Wielder.

"Tetrax. Long time no see…"

The large crystal man swallowed. He'd never been an easy person to intimidate, "Ah, Ben—"

"Ghostfreak. Names are very important don't you know…"

"Right. Ghostfreak, Gwen filled me in."

The sudden bark of laughter from the ectonurite was not expected in the slightest. His hunching form and disregard for the statement scarier than his mere presence.

"Great, I can skip the recap then, since your here...mind doing me a favor?"

"Huh? What kind of favor?"

"Ares here just got out of the Null Void and could use a ride home—or a new job—either works, help him out."

Ares looked between Ghostfreak and Tetrax. This...wasn't exactly what he had expected upon escaping the Null Void. But not entirely unwelcome.