Welcome Ultras to the next chapter of The Ultra 10 Chronicles! For the readers in the USA, I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving Holliday! As for everyone else, I hope your week was equally as great! As for me, in between cooking, eating, traveling and spending time with family, I seriously struggled with writer's block, so this chapter is really short, as it's literally all I could stand to write. But I hope to be back in the groove of things next week, so wish me luck!

Trigger warnings that apply to this chapter are several instances of choice language. The first instance is in the paragraph which reads, "Look, I say we don't trist him with everything..." The second insitance is in the paragraph which reads, "I'd never have thought that I would be running around..." The third instance is in the paragraph which reads, "Careful where you waive..." And the last instance is two paragraphs down from the third one.

Soundtrack for this chapter would be the song, "The World I Know" by Collective Soul. I think that it is a bittersweet song that pretty well conveys Kevin's feeling at coming back out of the Null Void. He doesn't really know what he's doing, nor how to do it, but he is trying to make the best out of a pretty crappy situation. You can listen to it on youtube by going to youtube dot com/watch?v=nDUO-MgiT9U

Enjoy the chapter!

The Ultra 10 Chronicles: Volume 2: A Hero Earth Needs

Chapter 61: The Enemy of My Enemy

Julie's apartment, the next day

Julie leaned back from the kitchen table she'd been sitting at for most of the day, as well as yesterday. Her laptop was still in front of her with various police codes and alerts all over the screen. Maddi had been across the table in her wheelchair, but she'd retired to Julie's couch several hours ago to catch some much needed sleep.

"Ben, this is Julie," Julie spoke into her communicator. "We're trying to get the team together to talk about what exactly happened yesterday."

"My watch is charging," Ben replied. "But it shouldn't take long. I'll go Accelerate as soon as I can."

"Thanks," Julie replied before ending the call. She was tired. Tired of staring at the screen of her computer, tired of staying up all night being the tech support for the team, and tired of the adrenaline that came with it all. But, as tired as she was, there was still too much to do for her to take a break. Calling Cooper and Sam, she relayed the same message before calling Gwen and Ellie. They were all going to meet up as soon as possible. She had a feeling that their problems with Ben and Gwen's doubles were no where close to being over.

Finally, they all had arrived. Julie looked at the lot of them. They were scratched, scorched, hurt and exhausted. But no one looked like they were too bad off, which was a relief.

"So what exactly happened yesterday?" Sam broke the uncomfortable silence. "It all just happened all at once, it seemed."

"Someone broke those psychiatric patients out," Ellie offered.

"And it looked like it was magic that did it," Gwen added. "Which means that we've got a magic user on the loose."

"Ben said that he and Gwen have doubles," Julie added. "Perhaps they have our powers too?" Cooper nodded.

"Yeah, I ran into both of them in my garage," he said. "They had their own Omnitrix, and the girl could use magic."

"How did you take them down?" Sam asked. "Maybe they have a weakness we could exploit?"

"They weren't interested in fighting," Cooper corrected, shaking his head. "They simply ran away when they had the chance. If they have a weakness, I didn't see it."

"You said he had my Omnitrix," Ben interjected. "So it's safe to say that he's got the same limitations as I do. If his forms take damage, that translates over to him."

"And he has a timeout," Ellie added. "So hurt him while he's in form, and wait for him to time out."

"My double probably has the same limitations as I do as well," Gwen offered. "Basically overwhelm her so she can't cast or exhaust her."

"I think that we're jumping over the elephant in the room here," Maddi spoke up for the first time in the conversation.

"What's that?" Sam asked, focusing on Maddi.

"How did Ben know about the doubles, before Cooper faced them?" She asked. "If Cooper hadn't realized that they were the doubles, things could have ended up even worse for him. How did Ben know?" At the question, all eyes focused on Ben.

"The crimes were something that I'd come up with, if I were trying to hide my trail," Ben offered. "It was only logical that someone was either trying to imitate me, or they were a copy of me."

"Just because someone thinks like you, it doesn't mean that they're your double…" Julie pressed.

"You said that someone told you about them," Ellie said. "As well as told you that Alex Animal is back."

"Alex is back?" Sam interjected. "Who told you that?"

"He's no one that is important," Ben tried to cover his trail.

"But he knew of the doubles before we did," Cooper pressured. "Which makes him either important, dangerous, or in danger."

"He's not in danger," Ben offered.

"Which means that he's either important, or dangerous," Gwen said. "Spit it out."

"He's someone from my past," Ben confessed. "Someone who is trying not to be who they used to be."

"Someone that we've fought?" Cooper pressured further. "Someone that was in the Null Void with Alex Animal."

"It was Kevin," Gwen muttered. "He escaped as well."

"How can you be sure?" Julie asked.

"The only other guy in the Null Void with a past with Ben is Vilgax," Cooper put it together. "And we would have definitely known if it was him."

"He didn't act like he did before he was thrown in," Ben spoke up, trying to speak up for Kevin. "He wasn't a psychopath or bent on destruction."

"You don't know what his intentions are for sure," Gwen replied back. "We beat him before as a team, maybe he was lying to you to avoid getting beat again?"

"I'm with Gwen on this," Julie said. "Remember what he did to you? The scar he left on your shoulder?"

"Even if he's on our side, and I don't think he is, he's still dangerous," Maddi agreed.

"Ben didn't take him down alone. If he was plotting to attack, last night would have been his chance," Sam spoke up. "I say we figure out what he's doing here before we try to pick a fight with him."

"I didn't know who he was," Ellie confessed. "But someone else was bringing back the patients last night in addition to Ben and Gwen. I agree with Sam." The group looked to Cooper, who sighed under their collective pressure.

"Look, I say we don't trust him with everything. We go suited up for a fight." Cooper finally said. "But I say we talk to Kevin, to see what he's doing here. If it's a fight he wants, we kick his ass hard and fast. But if he's actually changed, then… Well, let's see what he wants." At that, it was settled.

"Alright," Ben responded. "I'll try to contact him again, see if he's willing to meet up and talk."

"Well, if that's decided, then the next thing on my mind is where we set up base at," Julie offered. "We need somewhere that Maddi and I can coordinate the team, but is protected enough to keep us out of the fight."

"What about the PLUMMER headquarters?" Ellie offered. "Alpha's gone, and they could really use us on call."

"Alpha wasn't the only problem with the PLUMMERs," Cooper responded. "The only guy there that I think that I actually trust is Max. The rest of them are just allies, so long as our priorities are aligned." Sam nodded.

"They've been good since the Vilgax incident, but I agree. They are only allies so long as we share enemies."

"So what do you suggest," Ben asked Cooper.

"Vilgax's ship," Cooper answered. "It's remote enough to stay out of the fight, but the amount of tech still on it would be helpful in repairing our suits or beefing up our communicators."

"Not to mention that it would help Maddi and I coordinate the team," Julie butted in.

"The ship is in PLUMMER custody," Ben retorted. "You sure they would just let us take it?"

"They have their protected base," Sam answered. "Besides, Cooper could keep an open channel with them. We'd be on call, but not in their base."

"It's worth a shot," Gwen agreed.

"If our houses have anything to say," Julie offered. "Then we're in need of somewhere we can be safe in."

"I say we do it," Ellie said.

"I guess that it's worth a shot," Ben conceded. "But how are we going to get there and back? My aliens wouldn't have a problem, nor would Cooper's suits. But what about Gwen or Julie or Maddi?"

"I've been thinking about that for a while," Cooper answered. "If there's any unused escape shuttles, between my power and your aliens, I'm sure we could make it into a working ship."

"And if there isn't?" Sam asked.

"Then we repurpose some of the tech on the ship into a ship," Cooper responded. "We don't need the entire ship, just the necessary rooms. The deck, medical bay, engines room, things like that."

"That could work," Sam said. "How do we tell the PLUMMERs to get off though?"

"Ellie's got probably the best relationship with the PLUMMERs as a whole," Maddi offered. "Maybe she's the one to tell them?"

"Her and I will do it," Sam volunteered. "We spent some time with Max, and I think that it'll count for something, especially among those that doesn't want to see another leader like Alpha. They'll want us to keep their leader in check."

"Then it's settled," Ben said. "I'll try to get Kevin to agree to a meeting, and Sam and Ellie will tell the PLUMMERs of our using the Spirit Breaker as a new base."

"It needs a better name than that, though," Gwen interjected. "The Spirit Breaker? Sounds like a villain's ship."

"It was a villain's ship," Cooper reminded her.

"But not anymore," Gwen retorted. "It needs a name that will inspire people, rather than make them fear."

"How about the Guardian?" Julie asked. "After all, that is what we're using it for now."

"I like it," Ben replied. "The Guardian it is then."

On the streets of Bellwood, the next night

Kevin carefully walked through the streets of the city. Rain was pouring down, and had been for hours now. But Kevin cared very little about getting soaked. He had to keep moving, to keep an eye focused on whoever was behind him. If Alex found him, or either of the two look-alikes, then there would be no way he could fight his way out without using his powers again. And that was something he didn't want to do.

So he kept moving. Looking for some way that he could help Ben and his little club of cosplayers take them out. Hopefully before they found him. Sure he'd broken into more than one house already. But that was only for the things he needed. Food, water, a blanket, stuff like that. He knew that if he got too carried away, he risked either giving Alex a trail to follow, or loosing what little trust he had made with the real Ben.

"I'd never have thought that I would be running around trying to act nice, just so that some little twerp like Tennyson wouldn't kick my ass," Kevin muttered to himself. "And all the while freezing it off." He shivered as he shook off the rain and pulled his somewhat rainproof coat tighter around his shoulders.

His outfit was one of the first things to go after he got back from the Void. Although it seemed to change with him when he had turned into that monster thing, it had returned when his battery had run out. Which meant that he had worn the same clothes in the Null Void for years. And every year inside the Void, it had gotten more cuts and tears until it was hardly even worth putting up with.

Eventually, he had replaced them with what he could find or make for himself. It was never much, but it kept him warm enough to keep from freezing, and provided enough protection so that he could survive. But it was never enough. So that first night here he had broken into a few houses and found some clothes that fit him, at least, better than what he had made in the Void.

And that is what he was now wearing. A stolen T-shirt from some rock band that he didn't recognize, jeans that were too long for him, and had a tear in one of the knees, and some running shoes he had found that were only slightly too small for him. He also had been able to snatch an old coat that was made mostly out of polyester. He had torn the jeans to fit him better, and if it were by choice, the torn cuffs might have actually looked stylish. But that would only be before he had hidden in that dumpster to catch a few hours of sleep, and before he had otherwise been wearing through them quickly.

Now, they looked more like the way he felt inside. Like a dirty, smelly outlaw. He had hurt people, and he had killed people in the Void. He knew that he was nothing worth keeping. The only thing that he cared about, his home, was what was worth protecting. So he would still try to do something worthwhile.

Suddenly, Kevin heard a noise up ahead. Instantly pulled from his thoughts, he crept towards the nearest shadow, relying on the downpour of rain to cover the little noise that his movement created. He held his breath, waiting for whoever it was to reveal themselves.

Faintly, he saw the shadow of a large canine stalk towards him. Letting out a howl, the beast reached for its arm, before it exploded in a flash of red light.

"Kevin, I know you're here, I tracked you here," Ben spoke out, having lost his ability to position Kevin based on his scent when he had transitioned back into human form. "I talked to the team about you, and they're wanting to meet with you." With that bit of information, Kevin slowly stepped out of the shadow he had been sucked up in.

"My gosh, Kevin," Ben exclaimed, getting a powerful whiff of the kid. "When was the last time you showered?"

"I had a run-in with a dumpster, alright?" Kevin bit back, trying hard not to explode at the kid.

"By the smell of it, I'd say the dumpster won that fight," Ben gaged out.

"Let it go, Tennyson, unless you want me to practice my butt-kicking on you," he barked back. "What did you come here to say anyway? I'd prefer it if you wouldn't sit around and waste my time…"

"Look, I talked to the team," Ben repeated, halfway gagging. "They'll listen to what you have to say, especially if you have any information about Alex or our doubles."

"I can do that," Kevin answered testily. "Where and when?"

"Remember Riverview Academy?" Ben asked, which was apparently a stupid question.

"Of course I remember Riverview Academy!" Kevin shot back. "I only went there for six years!" Then he realized what he'd said. "Sorry, I'm just a bit on edge… Riverview Academy?" Ben nodded.

"There's the area in the back of the school where the teachers all park. Meet us there," Ben said. Kevin nodded in acknowledgement.

"When?" He asked.

"Tonight," Ben responded. "At ten."

"I'll see you all then," Kevin replied, turning away and beginning to walk away. Ben got a thought in his head that he instantly disliked. But the feeling in his gut wouldn't let him discount it.

"Hey, Kevin," Ben winced as he spoke. Kevin turned back around.

"What is it now, Tennyson?" He asked, annoyed.

"I've… got some extra clothes," Ben bit out, each word bitter as he spoke. "Would you like to try them on?"

"I don't need your charity," Kevin spat back at him. "I got other clothes, these are just disguise!" Ben couldn't believe that he was putting up with Kevin's attitude, much less offering him some of his clothes.

"My Grandpa Max bought me some clothes after my house got burned down," Ben continued. "And I haven't even worn them yet. Would you like them?"

"And why do you think that I would want them?" Kevin asked.

"Because if you're trying to blend in, then you're going to need some more normal clothes," Ben continued. Kevin looked down at his feet for a moment before looking back up at Ben.

"Fine, but I'm probably just going to throw them away anyway," he said annoyed. "Because I wouldn't be caught dead taking charity from such a shrimp." Ben bit back another insult, taking a deep breath before continuing.

"I'll bring them back here," he said. "It'll only take me a moment to grab them as one of my aliens." He raised his wrist up, activating the Omnitrix. Kevin took a few steps back.

"Careful where you waive that thing around," Kevin shouted. "How would you like it if I waived shit in your face?"

"You already smell like that," Ben muttered before instantly regretting it. "Sorry…"

"So that's why the charity, huh?" Kevin replied sounding hurt. "Forget it. I'll show up tonight, but you can forget all about taking care of me like I'm one of your damn pet projects!" With that, he turned again and started walking off into the darkness of the evening.

"I try to do something nice for him, and he shoves it in my face," Ben muttered to himself. "As soon as he steps out of line, I'm sending him back to the Null Void myself!" With that, he slammed down on the dial, exploding in a flash of green light.

"Accelerate!" He shouted before speeding off to retrieve the clothes that he'd been talking about. He raced into Gwen's house and up to his makeshift bedroom where he'd been living for the last year and a half. That, as well as Grandpa Max's RV whenever he was actually staying in town, which was less and less often. Still, his life as Ultra 10 had meant that he'd rarely spent more time in the room then he had to sleep. And even that never felt like it was enough.

Flipping open the closet, Ben grabbed a couple of T-shirts a long-sleeved shirt, a sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants. Grabbing one of the several pairs of shoes that Natalie and Frank had boughten him, and a winter coat, he draped them over his arm and sped out of the house.

Only a few moments later, he had returned to the alley he'd talked to Kevin in. However, the guy was nowhere to be seen. Grumbling, Ben wrapped the clothes roughly in the winter coat and stashed them in the shadowy corner that Kevin had emerged from.

"Here's your clothes!" Ben shouted annoyedly for Kevin to no reply. "I'm leaving them here, no need to thank me!" With that, he sped off; off to patrol the city or talk with the rest of the team or something. He wasn't sure what, but he'd had about as much as he could handle from Kevin for a while.

"Julie," Ben spoke into his comm link. "I told him to meet us at ten at my school."

"Do you think that he will show?" Julie asked back.

"He was annoyed, but he said that he would. Seemed to mean it too," Ben grumbled back. "Told him that we'll listen to him if he's got any information that we want."

"Sounds like a plan," Julie replied. "I'll let the rest of the team know." With that, she ended the communication.

A/N:

Yeah, not my best writing this chapter, I know. That aside, what were your thoughts about Kevin meeting with the Team? Any other ideas, thoughts, critiques or comments? Please leave them in a review below! Thanks for reading, and have an awesome day!

Review Responses:

Kingpizzathe3: Thanks for the chapter!

Always glad that you folks enjoy it! I enjoy writing it, and it is reader feedback that help me stay motivated when I hit blocks like I did this week, so thank you!

Darthdresden: Heh heh, i like Zombozo and his antiques. Kevin being an anti-hero sounds plausible, but I guess Team Ultra's going to help him to control his powers, and he might then develop his matter-absorbing powers.

Neb's ill-treatment of Newg is gonna bite him in the ass soon, most probably during the final showdown. These are just my thoughts, anyway, great going man!

Thanks for the review, man! I'm glad that you enjoyed it! Yeah, I had fun writing the banter between Zombozo and the Circus Freak Trio, though their stories are far from over! There's a little bit of time before they actually go up against Team Ultra, but it is going to happen!

As for Kevin, he's certainly trying to be a different person then he was before. However, is his time around Ben, and possibly fighting around the Omnitrix, going to drive him mad again? I guess time will tell... As for Neb's attitude towards Newg, Neb is a bada** without any weaknesses... or so he would have you believe. He's still Benjamin Tennyson. So perhaps some of his anger could be because he is trying to hide something? Or it could be something similar to what our Ben is dealing with? I guess that we'll have to wait and see. Thanks for reading!

Ushindi: Amazing chapter! The origin of Circus Freak Trio was good. Kevin was serious about helping Ben and trying to be a better person, granted they may not be friends since both hate each other. Plus he's not stupid to actually try to trick Ben, otherwise it's back to the Null Void. Neb and Newg must be looking for a high tech weapon or something that is of use to Neb.

Thanks for reading! I'm glad you thought it was amazing! I really appreciate you telling me so! The Circus Freak Trio have this love-hate relationship with Zombozo, and you'd better believe that some of his influence over them is due to the domination that Vladats exercise over their minions. I always liked how, in the OS, the Circus Freak Trio were with Zombozo when we were introduced to them, but afterwards, they usually were seperate of him. I like to think that it was because of his rough treatment of them in Zombozo's debut episode. So I tried to incorporate that kind of a feeling into our universe's version of them.

As for Neb and Newg, they have shown to be pretty quick at adapting to our hero's dimension, and they may have picked up on some high tech that Cooper had stored in there, or perhaps they were just checking it out from what Xam had told them. Speaking of which... I wonder what Xam or Nroht have been up to? Probably nothing good...

yraj2004: 4 things:

1. So Zombozo and his freaks, are a Vladat-human hybrid, further mutated by Chimeran healing slime. Though their bulletproofness was actually pretty surprising.
2. Will they cross paths with Neb, Newg, and Alex? And if they do, will they team up, or will there be a civil war between the villains?
3. Can't Ben use Brainstorm (if he has that) to help out Carl with his insanity?
4. Nice to see you reintroducing the Spirit Breaker, even if a bit hastily, which made it look a bit out of the blue.

1: You hit the nail on the head. Vilgax's healing slime tried to correct the "DNA Mutation" in Zombozo, but being designed for a completely different alien species, only half-way did the job. Which is why they are somewhat more human than Mot or other vampires, like Vlad. And, like vampires in folklore, they have a healing factor. There are specific things that can negate their healing factor, such as fire or wood impaled into them. But something like a lead bullet would only exhaust them as they healed. If not for just barely feeding, Zombozo could have taken hours or days to regain consciousness. But unless Vladats and Vladat-hybrids are killed by something (Chemical or otherwise) that would stop their healing factor, they would eventually regain consciousness.

2: To be honest, I haven't decided yet. This is for sure though, they wouldn't team up against Team Ultra. Maybe they fight each other, (Newg hates chaos) or perhaps they simply agree to stay clear of each other, or perhaps they simply don't even come into contact until much later, if at all. They are a fairly new addition into the plot, and so I haven't worked out all the details on how they are affecting the story.

3: No, he can't because he hasn't unlocked BrainStorm yet. If he had, he probably could help him a lot. But as it sits, as soon as some of the chaos backs down, he'll have to find another way to help his father. Perhaps another alien?

4: Yeah, I never had planned on leaving the Spirit Breaker out of the story, in fact I had planned on Team Ultra to gradually set up their base in the ship, but I never worked out some of the details, and so it got "forgotten" about until push came to shove. So yeah, it was definitely hasty, but hopefully not so much as to be unbelievable.

Thanks for the review!