"Haha! I knew you could do it!" Aidan laughed as he patted Ben on the back.
"Are you telling me that you believe this mission was a success? Where in the report did it say to destroy the planet? Not only that but the queen escaped with some survivors!" Captain Rick yelled in the quiet room.
"Oh come on, sir, he brought Horus back alive and prevented a coup. That at least deserves some credit," Aidan replied.
"HE HAD HIS ORDERS! And he failed them...again."
"When I arrived on scene the destroyed capital had turned into a warzone, and the Supernova 2 had already crashed so I had no support. I had no choice but to retrieve Horus and escape," Ben finally spoke.
"BUT YOU DIDN'T JUST ESCAPE, did you? In fact it would've been better if you ran away because at least the Plumbers wouldn't've lost all that progress. And no choice? You act like you don't have the most powerful device attached to your wrist. Make them submit to you!"
"The situation was out of control and I handled it, if the planet was so important maybe the Plumbers shouldn't have fucked up," Ben snapped at the commander.
"Watch your tone, boy."
"He's right, sir. If Horus hadn't failed in the first place then this would have never happened. You can't blame Tennyson for acting the way he did," Blink surprisingly spoke up.
Captain Rick turned to his second in command and opened his mouth to speak again but decided against it. He seemed to consider the woman's words for the moment and placed his head in his hands.
"I'll let the panel members deal with you," Rick said coldly as he left the room. "Dismissed."
Ruby and King left together without a word but Aidan shot him a goofy grin and a peace sign before retreating. Blink stood up and was about to take her leave as well.
"Why did you stand up for me?" Ben abruptly asked.
"Don't think much of it. I simply found it unfair for you to be blamed for someone else's problem. I may be able to stop the commander from making rash decisions but I can not speak for the panel members, they're a whole different breed of monsters. BUT what I did doesn't mean I trust you and you'd be wise to remember that."
Blink exited the room before Ben could get another word out. The agent was called over the intercom to report to the panel member board room and Ben proceeded to make his way there. He told Carly to be on standby for new orders, though the man doubted they'd be getting any work soon. Miller was the only member that was present when he entered the board room, and he had a solemn expression on his face; somehow even more grim than his usual one.
"Come sit, my boy," Miller offered with a wave of his hand.
Ben took his seat across from the older man and waited for him to speak.
"What do you think it is that the Plumbers do?" he asked slowly.
Silence lingered over the room.
"Seriously, this isn't a trick question."
"We protect the galaxy from threats, no matter how big, with the intention of preserving the God-given universe for generations to come."
That was the answer that Max gave him when Ben asked about the Plumbers after the second year of receiving the watch. He remembered his naive kid-self thinking that was so cool and swearing to be just like his grandpa Max.
"Can you honestly tell me that's what you've been doing?"
Ben sucked his teeth and slammed his fist on the table.
"How dare you speak to me about serving and protecting after what you've done to countless planets? What were you doing on Zostea?! Why are you taking over people's homes on the false pretense of saving people?!" Ben snapped.
"Listen Ben-"
"NO YOU LISTEN! YOU KILLED AZMUTH FOR NO REASON! WHERE WERE YOU WHEN ALBEDO WAS KILLED BY VILGAX! AND MY GRANDPA-" Ben screamed with every bit of his heart.
Tears poured down his cheeks as he bit his lip to limit his sobs but he couldn't take it anymore. He's put on this stone-faced persona for so long, hoping that he could just push through it and in time everything would be worth it. Ben didn't mean for this to go so far, Max and Gwen was his motivation; If he could just grin and bear it then they'd be on the other side waiting for him when the job was and snot ran down the man's face. It's not fair! Why did he have to die?! He tried to envision his grandpa's smiling face but all he was left with was the look of discontent back on Zostea.
"When I was ten my mother and father were killed by a violent alien. That doesn't excuse my actions, I know. But the very next week a mother lost her son to the same alien and a man buried his wife in the same week because of the alien. Now you might say this is the police's fault but we can play the blame game all day. Some species just weren't meant to intermingle and the evidence is written in every murder, battle, and war that plagued this reality. I want to separate the aliens, not from humans, but each other. Everyone has their own planet and maybe their homeworld isn't the best but that's when we step in to create that ideal world for them. Every planet is ruled by the Plumbers and placed in their own little box, a paradise where only your species exist. We were collecting the resources needed to execute our plan on Zostea."
"You can't just segregate people!"
"Sure Earth engaged in segregation once before but that was against another race of the same species on biased notions. We're putting entire species in a locked away paradise. Can you even consider this segregation when they think they're the only species of intelligent life in the universe?"
"And what of those with interspecies marriages and families?"
"I never said it was going to be easy. The atrocities that you're witnessing now is the phase of persuasion, some people will need more convincing than others; but in the end they'll understand."
"Why are you telling me this? I thought I was going to be punished for failing the mission."
"You were when I saw that you resorted to such extreme violence to handle the situation but the guilt of killing your grandfather is enough punishment."
Ben's eyes widened at Miller's statement and he lowered his head even more.
"Now onto more pressing matters. This will most likely be your last mission but an important one all the same. You are to eliminate Gwen Tennyson. She and her legion of heroes are only going to delay our objective in the future. And I would rather have as little suffering as possible from our plans. I hope you can understand, Benjamin."
Just like me… Ben realized that Miller wanted peace in the same way that he did, by eliminating the potential factors of chaos. Ben wanted to rewrite the universe without any evil, so there'd be no need for heroes and people could return to their normal lives. He wanted this villain-less reality so bad that he was ready to use any opportunity to do so. Ben was tired of lying to himself about fighting for justice. He wasted his entire childhood running after these heroic ideals and in the end what did he change? Sure he became an idol for hope and justice but did people really believe death and destruction didn't continue to exist after his appearance? Ben didn't want to be a hero forever and he saw the same convictions in Miller's plan. He assumed that this older man was sick and tired of the never-ending evil that he fought against everyday. Ben and Miller were one in the same, someone who wanted to make an impact in the cycle of order and chaos.
Miller waited for a response from the young man before patting him on the shoulder and leaving. Ben shuttered when he heard the door close and he was pulled back into reality. He heard the door open again and glanced up with his sullen eyes to a frowning Carly. She sat down next to her superior and held his head against her chest. Ben was shocked for a moment till he realized what she was trying to do. Tears returned to the man's eyes and all his emotions seemed to appear at once. Ben continued to wail in agony over the death of his grandfather as Carly gently consoled him.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Gwen almost jumped out of her skin at the sudden taps on her front door. She was downstairs baking with her mom and aunt for her father's birthday when the sound came.
"I'll get it!" the red-head volunteered.
A second set of knocks came when she was walking over to the door and a small chill went down her spine as she stopped on her mom's "welcome" mat. She ignored it and opened the door anyway to a shocking scene. Gwen locked eyes with Tetrax's solid yellow ones, her eyes flicked to another presence standing beside the ex-Plumber.
"Lucy?"
The blonde was wrapped with bandages from head to toe with her arm in a splint, her usually electric blue eyes were now a dull ice blue. She looked like she could barely stand with the condition she was in.
"Hello Gwendolyn, can we come in?" Tetrax asked politely.
Gwen quickly ushered the duo inside without a second thought, she peeked at the ship they came in before closing the door. She helped Lucy over to the couch and gently sat her down. Tetrax remained standing at the end of the coffee table. By this time Sandra and Natalie had made their way into the living room from the kitchen with curious looks on their faces.
"Gwen, honey? What's going on?" Natalie questioned as she looked at the strange faces in her house.
"Um this is Tetrax Shard, a friend of grandpa Max and I know it's hard to recognize her face with all those bandages, but that's Lucy Mann."
"Lucy?!" Sandra and Natalie gasped.
"Oh Lucy what have you been-" Natalie started to ask.
"With all due respect, Mrs. Tennyson but that's not important right now," Lucy interrupted with a solemn expression.
Sandra and Natalie did not know of Lucy's involvement with Viglax and his band of villains, they only remember Max telling them she had joined the Plumbers a few years ago. Gwen didn't feel comfortable having a potentially dangerous enemy in her mother's home but she was just as curious about her sudden appearance.
"As of 72 hours ago Max Tennyson has been pronounced dead," Tetrax stated.
Gwen was about three seconds from losing her lunch at the alien's announcement, she felt sick and her face lost its color. The room was completely silent after Tetrax's statement. And as if to seal the deal he pulled a Plumber badge from his pocket and extended it out for Gwen to take.
"No no no! Who's Plumber badge is that? What are you talking about?! WHERE'S GRANDPA MAX?!" Gwen screeched at the guests.
Natalie grabbed her daughter and enveloped her in a warm hug, she ran her hand down her daughter's back in a calming motion. Sandra just sat there silent with tears in her eyes, yet another loved one slipped through her grasp.
"Mom! Mommy, where's grandpa?!" Gwen sobbed into her mother's chest.
Natalie felt her heart break into pieces from the news but she had to stay strong for her daughter. The same daughter that always puts on a tough act for her loved ones. It was about time she started to be a proper mother.
"Shh it's okay, baby. It's okay."
Lucy felt tears returning to her eyes at the sight of uncle Max's loved ones mourning for him. Dammit! Why couldn't it have been me? He had all these people waiting for him back at home! Why did I let him go? The blonde's tears streamed down her face and she bit her upper lip in frustration, Lucy shut her eyes as she began to wail again like a big baby. She felt a pair of warm arms wrap around her and Lucy opened her eyes to see the blonde hair of Sandra Tennyson hugging her.
"For those of us that have no one to share our hardships with, let us comfort each other."
The door opened to a confused Frank who saw the room of his crying family and immediately understood.
"Dad?" Gwen croaked as she tried to wipe the tears and snot.
"Oh princess," Frank said as he rushed to his wife and daughter's side. "I'm sorry."
The man had a feeling that his father was behind this agony but he decided not to say anything.
"Max Tennyson was one of millions that perished on the planet of Zostea after it was destroyed by Ben Tennyson," Tetrax explained.
Ben did this? Gwen thought as she glanced up at Tetrax.
"Ben killed grandpa Max?" she asked quietly.
"Ben was going to destroy the planet and Max tried to stop him. I'm sorry I should have never let him leave the ship," Lucy cried.
The news of his death spread across galaxies like wildfire. Max Tennyson was a famous veteran Plumber that was a beacon of hope for people, even before the hero Ben Ten came around. For some people Max's work was more wholesome, he was a normal human with no powers helping total strangers acquire a better life. No one knew his reasoning behind it but some say he was inspired by someone before him. Max provided humanitarian assistance to war-torn planets throughout the galaxy, cared for those without guardians, and sought out peace and harmony for all. He expanded the Plumber legacy of helping others to another level and was responsible for their good reputation on different worlds. The mere presence of Max brought happiness to anyone around, nothing could top the rapport he had with people.
The old generation of Plumbers had a moment of silence when the news came over the radio. People threw mass memorials for Max on their planets with massive banner portraits of him and parades acknowledging his greatness. Others rioted in the streets against Plumber takeover saying "enough is enough" and blaming the new regime for the hero's death. Tensions between the Plumbers and citizens intensified after the report of Max's death. Plumber HQ held a mass memorial on planet Earth and Bellwood erected a statue of Max Tennyson. This was the day that the entire galaxy cried tears for one man.
Ben Tennyson didn't attend any of these events, instead he locked himself in his room. He ignored Carly's texts and calls, and anyone who tried to come comfort him was hit with a door in the face. The man continued to fester in his misery all the way up until the official Max Tennyson funeral hosted by the family. Panel member Miller didn't bother the agent during his time of grief and exempted him from any missions. The young man was totally alone.
Carly was the one who informed him of his grandfather's upcoming funeral during the week. Nobody could get it through their thick skulls, how can the murderer attend his victim's funeral? There are some things in this world that one shouldn't do. Ben didn't have the heart to face his family. He was starting to think that he should do this by himself after all. Fighting the Plumbers has thrown his entire social life into disarray and the bodies keep piling up. Now Gwen had a direct target on her back, he could lag behind on his mission but how long would it be before Miller sent someone else after her. The brown haired boy knew time was ticking for this charade and soon he'd be outed as a traitor. He could only imagine the tragedy that would follow. Would they only kill him? Or would his loved ones be punished instead? Ben couldn't think about these future possibilities anymore without an intense feeling of sorrow invading his mind. A knock broke the man out of his depressed state, and he trudged over to the door before opening it enough to see a small slit of his face.
"Ben, the funeral is today," Carly said quietly.
"What don't you get? They don't want me there."
"It seems that you're the one who doesn't understand. They just lost a loved one, do you really think they want another loved one ostracizing themselves from the family during this time of mourning?"
"Yeah if that loved one was the reason for the funeral," Ben retaliated.
"Can you stop being a selfish prick for once in your life? How about you think about someone else's feelings or are you incapable of doing that? Woe is me, the tale of a tragic hero… if you skip this then you'll regret it for the rest of your life." Carly snapped at the agent before leaving the man with his thoughts.
He was surprised that Carly was able to rip into him like that without apologizing or saying "sir". What does she know about my life?! Ben was slightly pissed that she'd speak on something that she knew nothing about. He crawled his way back to his bed, passing the black suit that was hanging on his closet door with a sticky note saying "wear this- Carly" attached to it. Why was she going out of her way to make me go? The hero climbed back into bed and threw the blankets over his head.
Carly sat in the back of the church away from any big crowds. It was a private funeral and yet the church was packed with people wearing black. The blonde noticed a red-head near the front with older people and assumed that they were Ben's family. Carly saw old and retired Plumbers filing in through a side door. Max was more well known than she had previously thought. She glanced at the tanned skin of a father and daughter that sat nearby, they looked to be Native American. They shot her a sad smile before kneeling to offer their prayers. People from all walks of life attended Max Tennyson's funeral.
How could he not show his face! Carly thought as people started to file out to the cemetery for the burial. Families gathered around the hole and the golden casket was lowered slowly into the ground. Carly heard the tears and sniffles of loved ones over the smooth voice of the priest's final rites. She respected Max for his work done in his Plumber lifetime, but she didn't know the impact of his death spread this far. Carly thought people avoided funerals, at least that's what she told herself when nobody showed up for her deadbeat father's funeral. That's the result of love and respect. Most of the crowd was dispersing after giving their condolences to the Tennyson family. Soon the cemetery was filled with a handful of people, close friends and loved ones mourning the old hero. Carly noticed Gwen and her family moving towards the road and she rushed to intercept them.
"I sincerely apologize!" she said firmly as she bowed in front of the family. "I am Ben Tennyson's partner, he couldn't make it so I am here in his stead. I send my utmost condolences to you and your family."
Carly glanced up from her lowered position when she heard no response from the family. She noticed their eyes were widened in shock at her. No… something behind me? A hand grabbed the agent's shoulder and pulled her upright.
"Raise your head, Carly. Don't apologize for my actions."
My? She thought as she turned around to see Ben Tennyson standing there with a sad smile on his face in the suit that she picked out for him.
"I realized I was being a selfish prick," Ben said.
The man stepped forward to face his family with confidence.
"I'm sorry-"
A beam of pink energy blasted him backwards into an idling car by the roadside. Spittle shot from his mouth during first impact and all the air escaped his lungs when he collided with the sedan.
"BEN!" Carly yelled as she watched him crash into the car.
"Get up. That wasn't a hard hit."
Carly slowly turned back towards the cold voice and saw a glowing Gwen step out from behind her family. Natalie and Frank tried to calm their daughter only to be ignored by the enraged Gwen, while Sandra could only stand in shock at seeing her only son for the first time in months. Carly quickly drew her service pistol and pointed it directly at the hostile girl's head. It was not surprising that she'd be angry at her cousin for killing their grandfather but she won't allow the redhead to do as she pleased.
"Stand back, Carly. She'll tear you apart in three seconds and her fight is with me anyway. Let your superior handle it." Ben said as he coughed out a bit of blood.
He had to pull himself out from the dented car and he knew his back was all fucked up but that didn't matter. He had a sneaking suspicion that he would have to face Gwen if he showed his face and that was a part of him confronting his family as a whole. It wouldn't be right if he didn't after being the cause of all their grief.
"Fine I'll play ball, Gwen but know that I won't hold back… so project all that anger and pain my way."
A green flash covered the agent and in his place was Diamondhead in a battle stance. Nobody deserves to feel Gwen's wrath other than himself, but he also had hidden frustrations that he'd like to release. The cemetery was completely quiet, even the birds stopped their singing for the serious battle ahead. All attendees including the Tennyson family had cleared out of the future battlefield and took cover behind trees and cars. Carly knew if Ben was being serious then she'd have to evacuate them even further, so she called for ex-Plumbers to help her round up the civilians to bring them back inside the church. The blonde glanced back at the empty graveyard at her boss and his cousin. Don't die.
Gwen made the first move by sending several mana blasts in the hero's direction. Diamondhead created a blade out of his hand and sliced through the energy like butter. Smoke covered the man's vision and he jumped back to regain view of his target but she was already gone. A tendril of pink mana wrapped around him and picked him 30 feet off the ground, before sending him flying through the warm summer sky. Ben tried to stop himself from flipping through the air, so he wouldn't fly uncontrollably into anything important. The top part of a tall tree was splintered as Diamondhead clipped it and was sent spiraling into the dirt below. Ben stabbed his hand into the ground to slow himself to a stop before standing to survey his surroundings again. He was still in the graveyard and several tombstones were destroyed from him crash landing into the ground. No sight of Gwen but the agent kept his guard up for any sneak attacks, he was surprised to see her superhero land ten feet away.
Ben blocked another magic projectile and sent several small crystal shards in her direction like a machine gun. It was about time he went on the offensive before this got too ugly. He kept shooting the crystals as he quickly approached the girl who was hiding behind her pink shield. Gwen quickly switched out her shield for a blade of mana to block the slash at her face, and she was yet again put on the defensive from Ben's violent swings. Her arms felt like jello from every deflect and her legs were struggling not to bend underneath his weight. Gwen sucked her teeth and battened down on her determination.
**PAGE BREAK**
"It's been a while since we've had mother/daughter time like this," Natalie spoke as she brushed the long red hair of her daughter.
Gwen stayed quiet for the moment as her mom continued to share old memories of a younger them going to the beach and sharing ice cream on the boardwalk. Her father was always busy with work but he made sure to show up for the important milestones. Gwen couldn't complain about her family life, but she remembered that Ben didn't have much of a childhood with his parents since they were workaholics. That's why he was constantly around for dinners, play dates, and even birthdays. Natalie stood her daughter up and gave the slender woman a onceover in the mirror, the older woman couldn't believe how beautiful her daughter had grown to become.
"You have really become a beautiful woman, Gwen," Natalie complimented as she held her shoulders. "I know grandpa won't be around anymore but I'll still support you. And I know I can't be on the battlefield like he was and I really don't know everything you're going through. I want you to remember that everytime you walk through that front door or pick up that phone, you'll always be my Gwendolyn."
Natalie wrapped her arms around her daughter tightly, hoping that she takes her words to heart. One thing that she counted on Max to do is guide her daughter through the ugliness of the world and she'll never forget the debt she owed to him for doing so.
"Okay, Gwen?"
"Mhm," she mumbled as she tried to hide her teary eyes. "Okay, mom."
The mother and daughter continued to share a hug and let their silent tears drip from their eyes. Gwen was crying for another reason, she had come to a realization during her mother's speech; but she didn't know if she had the strength to do it. Natalie's unrelenting support reminded the red-head of herself. Gwen's unwillingness to accept the facts had brought them to this point. She supported Ben no matter what situation he put himself in, and failed to understand that her hero was slowly disappearing. Gwen kept telling herself that he had some sort of plan for the future, then everything he's done so far would be justified after he saved everyone. Why couldn't she see before that there was no plan? Gwen partially blamed herself for all these deaths because she refused to see what Ben was becoming. The woman thought back to when she saw those images of chaos in the future of her killing him, and she couldn't help but wonder if those images were even related. Back then she assumed that Ben dying would leave the universe unguarded and vulnerable to any villain. It pained her to admit that Ben has caused more destruction than anything she saw in that future.
It was about time she stood up for the things that Ben originally helped build, and was now actively aiding in their collapse. A decision sank in her mind that she never thought would come to fruition and she would eternally hate him for making her do this. Ben Tennyson is ripping this world apart, completely turning the idea of heroes on its head. Everyone suffered more at the revelation of his betrayal, it cut deep when someone you trusted lets you down. He would no longer be considered a hero in her eyes. The beginning of this year marked a war between the Plumbers and the universe, Gwen had to understand that they were on different sides. And with that note, she finally made the decision to kill Ben and end this war.
**PAGE BREAK**
Gwen ignited the energy within the mana blade and an explosion created some distance between her and Ben. Gwen placed her hands together as she chanted a silent spell that summoned dozens of small pink orbs. They glowed a bright pink that almost completely blinded Diamondhead before zooming into his direction. Like missiles, they exploded on contact with any matter but Ben was having a tough time dodging them. They were locked onto his very life energy so there would be no way to trick them, he'd just have to be faster and his bulky crystal form wasn't the fastest. A green flash appeared again as several balls converged on him, XLR8 raced out of the smoke plume, easily avoiding the oncoming explosive attacks with his extreme speed.
Gwen predicted his transformation into a speed-type and snapped her fingers as he fell into her trap. The ground underneath the man softened to that of elastic, Ben sunk down to his chest which effectively hindered XLR8's movement indefinitely as the ground hardened back to its original state. Gwen approached the struggling man with a glowing hand and stopped a foot in front of him with an expressionless face.
"Why? Why did you kill grandpa?" she asked calmly.
Ben ignored his cousin and continued his futile escape attempt. The red-head was irritated that Ben would act so cold to his closest family member after all she did for him.
"WHY?! AFTER ALL HE DID FOR YOU! THE BLOOD HE SPILT FOR AN UNGRATEFUL PRICK THAT KILLED HIM LIKE A DOG!" Gwen yelled at the alien.
"I have nothing to say to you," Ben replied slowly.
"Then this conversation is over."
Gwen raised her glowing hand in front of the hero and was about to release a charged beam when a gunshot rang out and pain shot up her shoulder. A bullet just grazed her and the angered woman spun around to reveal the culprit. Carly stood several feet away with her smoking barrel pointed at the red-head. Gwen recognized her as the girl who was apologizing on Ben's behalf. It didn't matter who she was because Gwen was a second from vaporizing her entire existence. How dare she interrupt me was her thought as she stepped towards the attacker.
Gwen heard the cracking and shifting of the ground behind her and was just in time to put up a shield against NRG's radioactive blast. The armored titan stood to his full stature as the ground crumbled around him and dirt fell off his bulky armor.
"She's not involved in this…" Ben said in the russian accent of NRG.
"You're right," she replied quickly.
Gwen roundhouse kicked the metal faceplate of NRG, which made him stumble backwards slightly before she delivered a powerful blast to his chest; sending the alien flying 50 feet backwards through several tree trunks.
"So I'll just kill her after I'm done with you!" Gwen shouted at him.
Ben dusted himself off after immediately standing up from his cousin's attack. He stomped his foot and a crack appeared in the ground between him and Gwen, an eruption of lava exited the vent and spewed in the sorceress' direction, she erected a wall of solid mana in front of her that blocked the fiery liquid.
"I see through your tricks," Gwen mumbled to herself.
She widened her eyes when her wall shattered into pieces and revealed Ben to be on the immediate other side with his red-hot hand outstretched. How'd he cover the distance so quickly?! The witch disappeared before Ben's fingertips could come in contact with her skin. Ben stopped his advance and slowly glanced back to see his cousin standing far behind him. She had scorch marks on her dress and was breathing heavily. Teleportation huh? She really has improved but it seems that she can't do it often.
"So you were still holding back, huh?"
NRG blasted another beam from his front vent that Gwen dodged easily.
"But don't you see? We've traded places and now I'm the one closest to the church filled with innocent people. The villain tries to win by using the hero's disadvantage of empathy towards others against them and the hero ends up being injured in an attempt to save those around them. I learned that from the countless times someone got in my way, swearing they can help but ended up being a fucking nuisance. All those times I had to save you or grandpa Max instead of worrying about beating the son of a bitch causing the problem and I have the scars to prove it."
Ben extended his hand out in the direction of the church that everyone was hiding in.
"Let this be hero lesson number one: everyone else comes first," he stated as a beam burst from his hand towards the building.
Gwen didn't have time to think and acted in the only way she could, by teleporting between the attack and the church. She tried to conjure a shield to protect herself but almost passed out from exhaustion, only able to put up a light defense. The redhead winced as drops of the extremely hot liquid seared her skin, her dress was in tatters leaving her burned stomach and legs exposed to warm air. Gwen sank to her knees from exhaustion before collapsing onto her side, she was breathing heavily as her mana tried to heal the wounds. The woman seized from the agonizing pain of her wound slowly closing then suddenly opening back up due to lack of mana.
"I'm sorry it had to be this way," Ben said as he stood over her, readying another attack.
"BEN STOP!" Carly yelled. "You've proved your point! Let's just leave, okay?"
"As if I'd let things end like-"
The almost indestructible metal of NRG's armor dented inwards underneath the intense pressure of the surprise magic attack. Ben was stunned as he felt the shockwaves of the impact from Gwen's punch and this time the alien was catapulted 200 feet into the air before landing 300 feet away from the graveyard. Carly widened her eyes at the appearance of her boss' cousin who looked like a superhero from a movie. A dark magenta cloak that had strange symbols inscribed on it flowed behind the woman, the long cloak covered her glowing body like a blanket. She donned a masquerade mask of the same color that hid the top half of her face. Knee high boots pressed firmly against the ground in the woman's half-crouched state with Gwen's healed arm still extended upwards from punching NRG.
"Fuck you, hero."
Carly took one look at Gwen's new form and knew it was going to be a problem for Ben. She slowly backed away from the fence with the intention of running away to call for back-up. A sudden small burst of wind passed by the cowering woman. Silver hair? Moon colored hair bounced in the mysterious woman's mid level ponytail as she stepped past the agent.
"Damn, I'm a little late," she told herself.
Was this someone from the funeral? Carly didn't know who this surprise guest was but her main goal was to keep civilians safe, and having them walk up to that monster right now would be a death sentence.
"Hey wait-"
Hope raised her arm up and formed a finger gun with her hand, it glowed purple for a second before a massive beam of energy launched out in Gwen's direction. The attack blew past the redhead to collide with an orange beam of equal size aimed at Gwen. An explosion was the result of the impact and Carly braced herself but the hot deadly air never showed. When she opened her eyes, a purple bubble surrounded the entire church. Another magic user? Carly wanted to ask their name but only got a glimpse of her purple cloak as they disappeared into thin air.
Hope reappeared in front of Gwen within a second and tapped her forehead.
"I need you to calm down for me."
The redhead reverted to her normal form and immediately slumped into the silver-haired witch's arm, Hope shifted the woman onto her shoulder and held the back of her knees for support. Charmcaster stuck out her arm, in time, for her wand to absorb the second shot of approaching radioactive firepower. NRG came over the hill into view and recognized his new target with his cousin slung over their shoulder. He changed back into Ben Tennyson and stared into the witch's eyes.
"I'll stay in touch," Hope called out before disappearing.
Ben limped towards the bystanding Carly and asked her about the wellbeing of his family and the others. He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that they were okay.
"What was the plan there? What if Gwen didn't teleport in time?"
"She would've gotten there in time because that's what I would've done," Ben replied as he leaned on the shoulder of his partner.
"And who was that strange woman with the silver hair?"
"An old friend. Now come on, let's get back to HQ."
Soon the perimeter was lined with cops trying to secure the scene and paramedics tending to the traumatized. Ben and Carly were nowhere to be found by the time municipal Plumbers found their way to the church. Media took it as a chance to slander Ben by saying he crashed his grandfather's funeral and attacked family and friends. The hate for Ben Tennyson continued to rise with every waking moment.