Welcome back, everyone to the Ultra 10 Chronicles! Thank you so much for continuing to read and review! Over the Christmas break, I saw that we hit over a thousand views on this story! That is awesome, and I am so grateful for the attention all of you give this story! As promised, I'll be uploading two chapters today, so there's not going to be a review response to the next chapter. It'll take me a couple of hours to get it uploaded and edited, but it'll be up by tonight!
As for this chapter, there aren't any trigger warnings that apply, so I'll let you get started! Enjoy the chapter!
The Ultra 10 Chronicles: Volume 1: The Beginnings of Ultra 10
Chapter 18: Blood, Family and Parlor Tricks
Gwen's patrol
Gwen uttered the magic words to change into her uniform. From her pocket, she fitted her bluetooth into her ear, and made a call.
"Hey, Lucky Girl," Julie answered her call. "You about to go on patrol?"
"That's right," she said. "Is Ultra 10 coming tonight?"
"Yeah, but he's going to have to be on watch only. No fighting for him."
"Cool, I'll be sure to keep him out of anything physical," Lucky Girl replied. "Tell him that I'll meet him at our training spot to start the night."
"Thanks, Lucky Girl," Julie ended the call. Gwen slid open her bedroom window.
"First time in several weeks I get to see him!" She had to admit that she sounded a little giddy.
She slipped out into the evening. Snow had fallen last night. Not a whole lot, but just enough to cover everything in a light, white dusting. The moonlight reflected off of the snow, making the night not look so dark. It was kinda nice, but it was also pretty chilly.
Gwen felt a shiver run down her spine, as she made her way towards Ross Park. A lot of the small animals that usually scampered about were either hibernating or had flown South already, leaving the park incredibly silent. Almost, as it seemed, like a graveyard. Not spooky, but not alive either.
She heard the snow crunch under her shoes, as she crept through the miniature forest. Finally, she heard a sound that hadn't come from her. The crunching of the snow, not unlike her own. However, it was somewhat distant from her. Reacting, she froze, hoping not to make a sound. The other person either didn't hear her, or didn't care, as the steps continued to approach her. As silently as she could, she crept her way behind a bush, to lie in wait. The steps got closer.
"You can come out, Lucky Girl," a voice said. "I heard your steps even before you froze, trying to hide your own."
"Prove it!" Gwen shouted in the opposite direction, trying to throw her voice off. "Where am I?"
"Hiding behind a bush," the voice said. "Like I said, I heard you try to hide." Gwen came out from her hiding spot.
"Aw, you're no fun anymore!" She came forward and gave Ultra 10 a welcoming hug. "Even after so long off the street, you still have the edge!"
"Hey, it hasn't been that long!" Ultra protested. "Besides, I'm all healed up! Let's find a criminal to beat up!"
"I don't think so," Gwen chided. "Julie told me herself, no fighting for you tonight, just watching."
"Lame," Ultra said. "I can take any random thug, no problem!"
"That may be," Lucky Girl said, the two of them making their way out of the park. "But she's your doctor, and you should do what she says."
"And if I don't?" Ultra 10 asked, mock defiance in his voice.
"Then I send you back to her," Gwen joked. "And not the easy way, either."
"Whatever," Ultra 10 said. "Let's just get this patrol over with!" The two raced off on foot, Gwen noticing how pained Ultra looked when he tried to run at full speed.
All things said, the night was an easy one. There was a couple of petty thieves that were quickly talked out of their loot, once they recognized who the two were. It was kinda nice to finally be recognized by the criminals, but it also cut down a lot on the fun, as mostly the easy guys didn't even want to put up a fight. The only ones that would were the ones that somehow had gotten their hands on rocket launchers, or had a whole gang of guys to beat up. Finally, they ended the patrol, and headed back to the park to split up.
"You did pretty good tonight," Gwen tried to compliment Ultra 10. "You kept up pretty well."
"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine, just like I said I was! Perfectly healed up!"
"You know that you're not quite there yet," she said. "Otherwise you would have totally finished the patrol earlier." She put her hand on Ultra 10's shoulder. "Don't push yourself too hard, otherwise you won't finish healing up. And I need my partner at full strength."
"Hey, who is whose partner?"
"I'm just saying. Next time we face down Animo or a different villain, you need to be at full strength."
"Fine, I'll try to take it easy," Ultra relented. "I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Sure, if Julie says it's alright."
"Dang it!" Ultra complained. "I just want to get back out there!"
"You will," Lucky Girl said. She gave him a hug. ""Just give it time." She waived good bye to Ultra, and disappeared into the night. She made her way home through the darkness. It was really getting cold, and she couldn't wait to get out of the night air.
Gwen made it home again, and snuck into her bedroom through her window.
"Onscuro!" Gwen muttered, trying to keep her voice from being heard downstairs. Her Lucky Girl costume disappeared, and was replaced by the clothes she'd been wearing earlier. She quickly undressed, and changed into her pajamas. She looked at the clock, noticing that it wasn't as late as when she usually finished her patrol.
"Wow, those cameras that Julie and Lukas keep putting up is really cutting down the time it takes to sweep the city," Gwen thought. She shrugged, and pulled her Grandmother's diary out from her bedside table's drawer. She opened it up, and pulled out her notes that she'd been taking. She glanced down at the latest note she'd taken.
"On page 135, Grandma mentions using something called the 'Key' to enhance her casting. In the Arcamada Book of Spells, the Keystone of Bazel is described as amplifying the caster's natural ability."
Gwen flipped open her grandma's diary to reread her entry.
"Since finding the Key, It's been so much easier to cast, and I've had greater success too! It's been such a blessing! I wonder if there's other keys out there, that could help me too?"
"Yeah, that certainly sounds like the Keystone of Bazel," Gwen said to herself. "Although it doesn't sound like Grandma knew of the others, at least not yet." Gwen made the note on the paper.
"So if Grandma had the Keystone, how did it end up at that warehouse with those crazy security guards?" Gwen sat and wondered about that for a bit. "So what was the Keystone doing at the warehouse? If they simply found it after Grandma died, either they didn't know what it was, so why would they take it? Or they knew what it was, so why did they leave it there? If they didn't find it, and Grandma put it there before she died, then what was Grandma doing there?" There seemed to be so many questions left unanswered.
"It was hidden on one of the shelves, out of view, which certainly seems like Grandma hid it there. If that's the case, then did she work with those security guards?" Gwen wrote this question down in her notes, to ponder about later. Then another question bubbled up in her mind.
"What does Grandpa Max know about that place, or does he know? If she kept magic hidden from him, she could have kept the warehouse hidden as well. If he did know, I don't see him as keeping something like that a secret from his kids… But that doesn't mean that they know, and haven't told me…" She wrote this one down too. It seemed that every answer, if she ever did get one, only seemed to make two or three more questions. Gwen flipped through her notes, until she came on some other questions she'd left open to ponder.
"So if Grandma Verdona could cast magic, then she must have been a magician, of a magical family line. And Grandpa Max has magic in his blood, from the Arcamada line. Grandma really wanted a daughter to name Roselyn, which is where I probably have gotten my middle name…" Gwen scoured through he notes she'd taken from her talk with Grandpa Max.
"Roselyn's great-great grandmother's name was Gwendolyn, just like my name, too. In other words, I could be named after Roselyn Arcamada, and Gwendolyn Arcamada. I wonder if Grandma Verdona might have viewed me as an heir to the Arcamada line…" Gwen scribbled this down in her notes as well. The answer came to her, just like a light switch being flipped on.
"Grandma Verdona could have married Grandpa Max with hopes to access the Arcamada family line, to use the Arcamada Book of Spells. And to unite her Wheatley line with the Arcamada line…" This thought really shocked Gwen, and kinda changed how she saw her grandmother. If she was right, she didn't marry Max out of love, or at least not entirely. "She was trying to create a strong magical family line!" Quickly, Gwen wrote this down in her notes.
She was about to make more notes, but she heard the noise of her parents heading upstairs. She quickly stuffed the books back into her bedside table, and jumped underneath the covers of her bed. She had barely done so, when her mother opened up the door to her room.
Natalie glanced around and, seeing that Gwen was apparently asleep in bed, she shut off Gwen's light, and closed the door. Gwen was determined to only wait a few minutes before turning on the light again and continuing her research. However, her eyes were quickly getting heavy, and her movement slower.
"Alright, a quick nap… and then… I'll… get…" Gwen started to lightly snore as she fell asleep.
Gwen woke with a start, as her alarm was going off. Exhaustedly, she turned it off, and rolled out of bed. She took a moment to fully wake up, before getting started on her morning routine. She made off for the shower.
After a quick shower, she headed downstairs, and had breakfast, before heading off to school. Arriving at Riverview Academy, she made her way in, and towards her locker. However, she was somewhat surprised to see two girls standing on either side of it, apparently waiting for her.
"Hey, Gwen," Ellie greeted her.
"Hey, Ellie," Gwen responded, a little confused. "What's up?" She glanced at Maddie, an unsure smile on her face. She tried to waive. "Hey, Maddie."
"We have something to tell you," Ellie started. "And I think that we are going to need a bit of privacy." Gwen nodded, a little confused what both Maddie and Ellie had to talk to her. Maybe something about homework?
"I know a spot," Gwen offered, opening up her locker, and grabbing her homework and textbooks. "Follow me." The three girls made their way to the cafeteria, and found Gwen's usual table. She offered a seat to the girls, before taking an uneasy seat herself.
"So? What's up?" Gwen tried to sound confident and worry-free, though she doubted that it came off that way.
"Do you remember last year?" Maddi started. "What happened?" Gwen nodded, a pit in her stomach. Both from dread, as well as anxiety.
"Yeah, I do. I'm really sorry about that.." Gwen offered. "How can I-"
"We know," Ellie interrupted her. "We understand why you did what you did." Gwen looked at Ellie, confusion slowly being replaced by anxiety on her face.
"We?" She asked.
"She knows," Maddi said. "I told her." Gwen gulped.
"And?"
"And we want to help you," Ellie said. "Both of us." That really surprised Gwen.
"What?" She asked for clarification, confusion once again the dominant emotion.
"The two of us, helping you," Ellie continued. "And don't worry, no one else knows… About, you know what…" Maddi nodded her head.
"As hard as it was to forgive you, I really do want to help you," she said. "We want to help do some good in the world too."
"Okay…" Gwen mumbled. "Um… I think that we can make this work… Uh, what did you have in mind?"
"Well, we could like cover for you in school, or to your folks," Ellie offered. "You know, to explain why you went missing or something." Just then, the tardy bell rang.
"Think about it, alright?" Maddi asked Gwen, as she and her cousin stood up. "Whatever happens, though, your secret is still safe." They made their way to their homerooms. Gwen was in a state of shock. This is definitely not what she was expecting to happen today. She sat down in Ms. Taylor's class, her head still reeling from the whiplash.
"I guess that having a team myself wouldn't be so bad. It would help me to work separate of Team Ultra a bit better," Gwen reasoned. "And having someone that knows my identity to cover for me doesn't sound like a bad idea either." Gwen decided that the idea was probably the smartest one she had available, and was worth pursuing. In karate class, Gwen told Ellie her final decision, that she had accepted their offer.
"Cool!" Ellie said. "What's our first step?"
"Well," Gwen thought in between throwing punches. "We probably have got to come up with a code name to call ourselves. And find a way to communicate."
"That seems like a good idea," Ellie said as she blocked a punch. "Mind if we come over after school? We can brainstorm then."
"Sure!" Gwen responded. "I trust you'll get the message to Maddi?" Ellie nodded. After school, Gwen met up with Ellie and Maddi, and started the walk to Gwen's house.
"So, Maddi's told me about you casting spells," Ellie started. "But I still haven't seen anything! When do I get to see you cast a spell?"
"I use one to change into my costume. I'll show you when we get to my house," Gwen answered. She spent most of the walk to her house telling her two new friends about several of the spells that she had memorized. It felt kinda cool letting someone know about this part of her life.
"Alright," Maddi said, after Gwen had closed the door to her bedroom. "Call your spell book thing." Gwen stretched out her arms.
"Arcamada, Book of Spells, I call for you," she commanded. Mist swirled around her, forming the book, and dropping itself into her outstretched hands.
"Wow!" Ellie said. "That was cool!" Gwen resisted the urge to smile, as she opened up the book.
"So this book has a ton of spells and potion recipes in it. It tells me how to cast them, but it still takes effort and skill to actually do it."
"How do you read it?" Maddi asked, confused. "It doesn't look like there's any words written."
"You don't see… Oh, duh!" Gwen said. "It's bound to the Arcamada family line, which I'm descended of, so I can see the contents easily. But anyone else can have a hard time seeing it." Then she remembered back to her grandmother's diary. "However, I think that there is a spell that I can make that would let you both see it."
"You're descended from a family of magicians?" Ellie asked. "Cool! So your parent's probably cast spells all day long!"
"Well actually, I've not seen anyone in my family cast magic before, except for myself," Gwen admitted. "I think that it is kind of a lost ability. My grandpa doesn't even believe in magic. So I've kinda been teaching myself as best as I can."
"Sounds tough," Maddi remarked. "Though if anyone could do it, it'd be you! You're just so book-savvy!" Gwen blushed slightly from the praise.
"So, let's see a magic spell, then!" Ellie prodded Gwen.
"Alright," Gwen replied. "Stand back." Ellie and Maddi did as they were told. "Ostendo!" As Gwen said the word, her school clothes disappeared, being replaced by her Lucky Girl costume.
"Wow!" Maddi blurted out.
"Sweet!" Ellie said at the same time. "That was awesome!" She looked up and down Gwen's costume. "Girl, you lookin' good!" Gwen again blushed.
"So, what's up with your sash?" Maddi asked.
"It's a manifestation of my mana, or magic. It helps me cast the spells," Gwen explained. "It's kinda like a conductor or wand or something."
"So what are we going to call ourselves?" Ellie asked. "I like the idea of something to do with luck. You know, because you're Lucky Girl…"
"Hmm…" Maddi wondered. "You do wear a cat mask, but black cats are considered unlucky."
"I like the sound of that," Gwen suggested. "Black Cat. It's lucky for us, and unlucky for anyone who crosses our path."
"I agree," Ellie said. "It doesn't suggest a specific number, other than just Lucky Girl. There could be one or several Black Cats. Besides, it sounds cool!"
"Sounds like it's decided, then. We are Black Cat." Maddi said. "So how are we going to keep in contact?"
"Well, I have a bluetooth that connects my phone to Ultra 10," Gwen offered. "Maybe we do that too?"
"That would work," Ellie said. "Though I don't know how to hook it up."
"I can hook them up," Maddi said. "But we'd probably have to make a call on our cell phones when we need to coordinate. Which means that we need a code word, and code names." The three girls thought about that for a bit.
"I got it!" Ellie offered. "The code word is 'how is your cat?' You don't have a cat, so it would seem like nonsense to anyone listening…"
"That would work," Gwen said. "And as for codenames…"
"You are 'LG.' I can be Cat, and Ellie can be Tabby." Maddi suggested.
"I like it!" Ellie said. "So should we go shopping for bluetooth earpieces, then?"
"I actually probably should be going on patrol about now," Gwen said. "But let me know when you get your earpieces set up."
"That's so cool," Ellie said. "You going out on patrol with Ultra 10!"
"Alright, you head out on patrol, and we'll go shopping, and head back to my place. We'll meet up with you later," Maddi confirmed. They left, as Gwen slipped out the window, heading off to go on patrol.
At Sam's house
Sam took out his notebook, and checked it again. He had several photos of Ultra 10 from the newspaper taped to the pages. He read the notes that he had written.
"Ultra 10 is about 4' 3" and looks like he's about ten or eleven years old. He has brown hair, and a prepubescent voice, although it is augmented. He lives in Bellwood, and very likely attends school. He probably went to Bellwood Elementary, causing the closure in a fight, as the gas pocket story doesn't make sense. There are no gas pockets anywhere else in town. I don't have any evidence to the cause of the school's closure, just speculation." Sam opened up his notes about Ben.
"Ben is about 4' 3" and is eleven years old. He has brown hair, and hasn't hit puberty yet. He obviously lives in Bellwood, and attended Bellwood Elementary, before the school closed, after which he started to attend Riverview Academy. Last spring, he was late for our sleepover, and his mother didn't pick him up, as he never came. These always seem to happen at about the time that Ultra 10 sightings occur. Further, he is connected to me by friendship." Sam flipped the page in his notes, coming onto the page labeled, "Lucky Girl."
"Lucky Girl is a known accessory to Ultra 10. She received information regarding my name, address, and that I have been following up on Ultra 10. If Ben is Ultra 10, that would give her the connections she needed to get that information from me." Lukas turned back to his notes on Ultra 10. "Possible identities of Ultra 10? Five suspects. The closest match for the identity? Ben Tennyson." He wrote down a new note on the bottom of the page.
"Evidences that Ben is Ultra 10? None yet. However, suspicions that Ben is Ultra 10? Enough to be convincing. Now I just have to confront him about it." Sam closed his notes, and hid them under his bed.
"I still don't know for sure if Ben is Ultra 10," he said out loud. "But if I accuse him of being Ultra 10 and he isn't, it could ruin my friendship with him. And if it is him, it could also end our friendship, and compromise him." He though for a bit.
"But if I don't confront him about it, then I'll never know for sure, and it will bug me forever… Hmm…" Sam sighed. "It could all be coincidence, or it could all be my obsession. Or… I could be onto the truth. But is it worth the risk?" Sam laid back on his bed and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.
"I'll just have to wait to see if any more evidences pop up. Give me some more time to think about it, see if there's anything that I'm missing." He stood up, and flipped off the light on the wall, and got into bed. "More to think about over the Christmas break."
Alpha Centauri Star System
An incoming transmission beeped on the notification center of a small, but heavily armed ship. The owner selected the transmission, and a holographic display opened up in front of him.
"THIS IS A BOUNTY CONTRACT FOR THE BOUNTY HUNTER SIX-SIX. VOICE IDENTIFICATION REQUESTED." Six-Six made a sound that translated in his language to his name.
"RECOGNIZED. CONTRACT ISSUER: VILGAX, OF VILGAXIA. TARGET: OMNITRIX AND WIELDER, DEAD OR ALIVE. LOCATION: SOL SYSTEM 1D, LOCALLY KNOWN AS EARTH. PAYMENT UPON COMPLETION." Six-Six selected the accept option.
"CONTRACT ACCEPTED. DOWNLOADING COORDINATES." The hologram disappeared. Six-Six selected the newly downloaded information, and plugged it into his navigation computer. His ship drew a route to Earth, and blasted off towards the rocky planet. Meanwhile, Six-Six accessed the information downloaded from the contract holo, to study up on his newest target.
Gwen's house, several days later
Gwen was reading through her grandma's diary for what felt like the hundredth time. She had to be honest, that she had been reading it less often since getting the Arcamada Book of Spells, however she was still studying it from time to time. Verdona, it seemed, made a lot of allusions to spells, and spell casting, but few direct references or recipes for potions, even in the diary Gwen had picked up at Aunt Vera's house.
Still, the diaries were big ones, each one being several hundred pages long, so she was still finding a lot of pages she hadn't opened yet. The result was notes she was keeping to tru to remember what information was contained on what page, and how they were connected. At random, Gwen turned to a page in the diary. She started reading at the heading…
"Our family grew today, two grandchildren born only an hour apart. The first, Gwendolyn Rose Tennyson to Frank and Natalie. The second, Benjamin Kirby Tennyson, to Carl and Sandra.
While they aren't twins, born to different parents, the dual rule could still apply to them, evidenced by there only being an hour difference in their ages, similar to twins. What's more exciting is the boy, Ben. If he's the one with the spark, he could become very powerful indeed!
I think that I'll give him a gift, some good luck that he'll need, if he's going to develop the spark. The firstborn is the one that usually gets the spark, which could be either of the two, depending on how you see it.
Gwen is truly the firstborn, being born first in age between the two of them, however both she and Ben are firstborns to their parents. Gwen could get the spark, however I feel confident that it will be Ben, as he is still firstborn. Yes, I feel confident about it. With some luck, he'll develop the spark, and become a strong sorcerer!"
Gwen was shocked about this information she'd just stumbled upon, and she leaned back in her bed to process the information.
"Grandma thought that Ben would develop magical powers?" She asked herself. "But she was wrong, I ended up with the spark, whatever that is… Which means…" Gwen flipped through her notes. "Grandma was indeed trying to build a strong magical line!"
"She WAS trying to get access to the Arcamada Book of Spells, but she thought that neither of us were born with the spark! So she donated it to the Smithsonian for safe keeping." Gwen quickly scribbled down her notes. "She had the Keystone of Bezel, and hid that too, probably to keep it away from people like Hex. Probably because he has other charms like it, and would be trying to complete the set."
"If I want to find the rest of the charms, I have to find Hex," Gwen concluded, as she finished scribbling down her notes. She glanced them over, before flipping to her notes about Hex.
"Hex said that he'd been waiting in New Orleans for years, waiting for another member of the Arcamada line to discover the book. It's probably safe to say that that's where his base of operations is at, and probably where he keeps the other charms, if he has them." Gwen wrote down "New Orleans" on Hex's page, and circled it. "If I'm going to find him, I'm going to need a tracking spell to get me there… I guess I know where I'm going for spring break…"
"Gwen! Your birthday party's going to start in less than an hour!" Natalie called up the stairs to her. "Won't you come down and get ready?" Gwen sighed annoyed.
"Coming, Mom!" She put away her notes and her grandmother's diaries. "I guess you'll have to wait until tomorrow…" She hopped off her bed, and headed downstairs.
Ben's house
Ben sighed again, making it absolutely clear how much he didn't want to attend Gwen's birthday party, with his thrown in on the side.
"But Mom, it's the same every year! It's basically Gwen's party, and I just get to sit around and watch it, instead of having my own!"
"Ben, you told me that you didn't really want a party this year," Sandra shot back.
"Not a party, just a get together with a few friends!" Ben complained. "I don't want it to take so darn long!"
"But why not?" Sandra asked again. She was grabbing a few things before they headed out to the car. "Last year, you took all night with your friends, and I don't see what's changed this year?"
"I got a city to protect," Ben thought.
"I just… think that a party is too little kiddish, that's all."
"Look, Lukas and Sam are already going, and it would be very rude if you didn't show up," Sandra put an end to it. "So we can make it a quick party, or a long one, it's your decision. But we are going, and you are going to have some cake and open presents, just like last year."
"Ugh…" Ben grumbled. "Fine." He followed his mom into their van, and headed over to Gwen's house. They pulled up in front of the house, and Sandra opened the van door.
"Who would have thought that going to your own birthday party would be like punishment?" Sandra asked.
"It's not! I just… Want to hang out with my friends instead of a bunch of people I don't like."
"Meaning your cousin?" Sandra assumed.
"Not only her, but all of her girly friends too. I'd just rather play video games with Sam and Lukas." Sandra sighed.
"I'll tell you what, if it's alright with Lukas's mom, you can hang at his house after the party."
"Really?" Ben saw an opportunity to go on patrol tonight. "That would be awesome!" He gave her a hug, before heading into the house. "Thanks, mom! I'll ask Lukas to ask his mom!" Sandra shook her head.
"That kid spends a lot of time with Lukas… I'm glad he's such a good friend."
A/N:
And that's it for this chapter. Wow! a lot is happening this chapter! Gwen builds her team, learns about her magical family line, and learns more about her grandma's reasons for marrying Max. She also has a plan moving forward to obtain the remainder of the charms, whether or not they are all at Hex's residence. And What do you think about Sam not keeping his promise to Lucky Girl? He is on the verge of finding out Ben's secret, how do you think that that will go down? More importantly, when do you think that it will go down? Will he become a member of the team, like Fox or Nightwing, or more of an informant/correspondent, like Commissioner Gordon to Batman? Any thoughts about when Gwen is going to find out about the PLUMMERs or Grandpa Max's alter ego?
Big thanks to Uchiha for his review on Chapter 6! His review inspired some elements in this chapter, specifically the explanation for how Ben is constantly so lucky. This is not set in stone, and Gwen will eventually become the "lucky" one. There will be more into this subplot as the story continues, but thank you for the review!
Thanks for reading, reviewing, favoriting and following! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and have an awesome day!
Review Responses:
UchihaNaruto247: I'll admit that I put Cooper in the back of my mind in this story because of what's been happening, I feel bad for what he's going through, at least he has Julie in his life to talk about his problems. It's cool how Gwen is about to get her own team, at least she won't feel so left out when she's out patrolling, she can talk to someone that knows both her life. It's always amusing to see Ben and Gwen talk to each other as their normal identity despite unknowingly talking, hugging and hanging with each other the night prior. I honestly can't to to see how they find each other's identities out, it'll either be really funny or disastrous.
Yeah, Cooper is dealing with trauma, both from the fight, and from much earlier in his life. This story has a good deal of angst in it after all. I hope that it feels like a real world, with each character's own stories, struggles, strengths and experiences. There will be more on Cooper's backstory as well as the story continues, like what happened with his father, and how Cooper got his powers. (They aren't his natural powers.) Yeah, Gwen's team is cool, but they are going to struggle without their access to Cooper's tech and manufacturing skills. Gwen's magic may have to compensate, or find another way that doesn't exhaust her.
Trust me, their mutual reveal is still a ways out, but it's going to be great. Dramatic, of course, but great...