Chasing Happiness

Chapter 4: Plumber Headquarters

A.N. Here you go the next chapter as promised; I finished this at like midnight to post it.

Third-person POV

On the winding road into the mountains they drove careful to keep an eye out for any civilians on the way there. There wasn't much that they could do about the distance as when Max became the head of the Earth Plumbers the entrance in his old shop was removed. The headquarters was now in the mountains with a waterfall hiding the entrance, there was talk of a space station being built but Kevin wasn't sure that was true. At the waterfall Nova pressed the old Plumber communicator that Max gave them to get in, if they decided to come. There was a deep rumbling as the waterfall parted changing what was a dead end into a path that seemed to be surrounded by cameras and sensors on the mouth of the cave.

The path led to a massive cavern housed not only the headquarters but what seemed like an army training base, storage crates worth of confiscated alien tech and aliens of all types walking around in the standard armour. One of the Plumbers rifling through the storage crates stopped and stared at them, pulling out a communicator as they went past. "Well that's not threatening at all," Kevin wasn't really sure where he was supposed to go and more people were stopping to stare. "Nova, keep one hand on the port anything happens you start up and blast, okay," he kept an even tone with her but his own fear was readily apparent. One hand on the port she still looked out, unlike Kevin she wasn't afraid but she was concerned, 'There are almost no humans in here, where are they, surely earth's government wouldn't allow themselves to be so outnumbered.'

At the entrance of the monolith Max was standing with a Kineceleran and a Thep Khufan, 'Are these guys… lawyers?' the two were dressed like those intergalactic attorneys Kevin saw at the swearing in ceremony of the new ambassadors to earth. "Is it just me or do these dudes not look happy to see us?" as they parked Max was smiling coming down the steps but his companions seemed displeased, "I'm sure that it's nothing," her faux cheer didn't make him feel any better but it was all he was going to get as she had been eerily quiet all day.

Getting out of the car he was greeted by Max with a firm handshake, "Kevin! Great to see you, glad to see you changed your mind." Kevin chuckled weakly as Kevin had been saying yes then no for the last few weeks till Max just handed him his old Plumber communicator and said to stop by when he was ready. "So these are the freelancers, I must say Max you have outdone yourself," the tone the Kineceleran's tone made it clear she wasn't impressed and looking at the Thep Khufan showed he wasn't either. 'This is going to be a long day' Kevin thought as Max led them inside.

They were taken to a large almost bare room that had only a long table and some chairs. "Sorry about the lack of refreshments but we are still setting up as you can see, and not everything is here from the old base," Max apologised and they did see as they were walking through the halls and even in the glass elevator they saw a super computer being set up. "Magister Tennyson, if we could please begin," the lawyer carrying the briefcase interrupted as he set it on the table taking out documents. "Ah, well we should get this show on the road. Kevin, Supernova these are Mr Flax and Ms S-D, they are the attorney's that draw up all of the contracts for our freelancers. Mr Flax, Ms S-D, these are Supernova and Kevin Levin." During Max's introduction the lawyers had put a clock on the table that seemed to be adding Taydens by the second.

Kevin and Nova were both handed copies of the contract draft as they took seats at the table, "What you have before you is a draft that Magister Tennyson had us draw up for the two of you," Kevin shot Max a dirty look as he had clearly been planning for them long before they said agreed to work with the Plumbers. "This is a five year contract that may be renewed up to six months before…" The contract seemed pretty good from what they were hearing, Max must have been working hard trying to make all the clauses that were in it like them not being separated and protection unless in the case of unquestionable betrayal of the Plumbers' secrets. There were no problems that they could see so there was a quick recess before the signing.

"Max thought of everything huh," Nova chirped as Kevin, barely even hearing her, flipped through the pages repeatedly trying to find some trick that the suits snuck in. "Yeah, sure," he was even more nervous when he saw their joined pay, it was good, too good and why the hell were they also listed as 'advisors to the Magister'. While this was happening, Nova was getting bored with the silence and short answers. Nova was now floating near the table slowly rotating a chair with her Mana, with time more and more chairs joined until she was making them dance all over the room, progressively picking up more items and then the still focused Kevin and the contract draft were lifted with his chair in the air making slow rotations around the room upside down with him occasionally muttering about some random thing Max put in the contract, "I have PATERNITY LEAVE." Nova thought it was great, better than she expected but Kevin was having a hard time adjusting, sometimes he needed to stop and smell the roses, "They're just gonna let us TAKE the materials the Plumbers don't need!" maybe she should have tried harder to keep him calm he kept seeing things as a trap, at this rate she was going to have to drive them home.

Sensing Max walking back down back to the room, the floating furniture were gently put back where they belong but Kevin was left in the air just as the door opened. "Ah great you two are still here, I was worried I had scared you off today," the kindly man that lead Earth's Plumbers took a seat near where the two were floating looking like he wanted their approval. "It is an amazing offer Max, thank you, I think, Kevin is still processing right now," "Is this even real," there were a few seconds of silence as Max watched Kevin's back as he stared at the pages in his lap.

"Kevin, I think Max has something he wants to say." Bringing him down Kevin finally puts down the papers looks Max in the eyes and quietly, "Why?" Max sighed and looked at them, "Kevin from the moment I met you I wanted to help, but knew you wouldn't accept it. I watched from afar for years trying my best to give you two the space you needed to grow and you did, you became a man that I am proud of. There was a part of me that wanted to stop you whenever you told me about some dangerous mission that you went on but whenever I looked into your eyes I saw the conviction of a man doing whatever it took to provide for his family." He was looking at Kevin fondly, "You eventually got into mechanics and you flourished whenever you would come to me with some idea or with a new type of engine you saw on your travels I felt like I was watching a younger me. You have seen the good and bad of the world and came out amazing, you are what the Plumbers are supposed to be and you are also someone I consider a second son." There were no words in the room as both men sat there with eyes shining neither giving in to their tears, Nova on the side staring, bursting into tears when Kevin and Max finally embrace. "Let's do this," with all his fear gone they got the lawyers and signed the papers ready to enter a new stage in their lives.

A.N. So there it is with a bit of a tear-jerking scene at the end. This is just the beginning in a few chapters shenanigans can finally begin. The currency mentioned is canon from the classic Ben 10 universe. I also had the Plumbers be moving to a new location at this time so they are too busy to bug Kevin and Nova but not the space station because it seemed inconvenient for what I plan to do in the future. Kevin is super OOC right now but I promise it will be addressed in another chapter. You got to see more of Nova being spacy and if you couldn't tell I'm having her body function a bit more like the Galvanic Mechamorphs. The next chapter should be posted in two weeks,

Bye!

~Ace