Author's note: Sorry if the pace seems slow, trying to build character relationships and dynamics here. We're definitely getting to the first Avengers team up soon. Real soon.

Without much further ado, here's the next chapter. Gotta admit, this one has a lot going on, but do let me know if it works, okay?

Obligatory disclaimer: I do not own Marvel or Ben 10 (though I wish I did)


CHAPTER 4:

The More They Stay The Same.


...

Natasha Romanoff, aka the Black Widow, spy extraordinaire, was not in the best mood. She'd been pulled out of an active mission interrogating a bunch of idiot Russian Black Market dealers, only to get called up by Agent Coulson. Her mission cut short, she promptly dispatched of the henchmen before extracting herself from the dingy warehouse.

Apparently, Director Fury needed her for a "special mission, with a special asset of utmost importance", only for her to discover who it was. A kid who could apparently shapeshift into aliens and also get on her nerves in ways she never thought possible, with his cocksure attitude and never-ending rambling. Fury had classified him a "level 10 priority", trumping even the likes of Dr Banner, who was a lower level of 7.

Currently, she and her teenage companion were navigating the dark tunnel, trying to locate some missing alien criminals who just attempted to blow up a Smoothie store. Her "simple tailing mission" had devolved into a clusterfuck, leaving her scrambling to gain some semblance of control of the situation. Unfortunately she was already down the rabbit hole, both figuratively and literally, and much like Alice she was led by an unreal character with a fascinating watch, through a tunnel into unfamiliar ground.

Her SHIELD comms weren't helping very much. Sure, she was already aware of the bad blood between her agency and the Plumbers, and Bellwood was TECHNICALLY not under SHIELD's jurisdiction, but this tunnel was somehow deliberately blocking her comms. Like whatever we down here didn't want to be discovered.

She was broken out of her musings by a rambling Ben, who was trying to make up some kind of plan, and failing along the way. Ben was also flustered (for obvious reasons, she knew the effect she had on men, and hormonal teenage boys were no exception) and was doing a rather dismal job of hiding it. So he switched demeanors, taking on the air of a veteran detective guarding a rookie.

"I'm telling you, Nat, it's pretty basic. Bad guys run away scared, meaning there's a big bad out there. We follow them and they lead us to whoever's running this racket. Easy peasy. And if that doesn't work out, I'll just let them know Ben Tennyson is here and that'll definitely get the big bad's attention"

She had to admit, using Ben as bait was pretty tempting, but she brushed off the idea. Fury had been keen on the boy, and it wouldn't do if her asset was endangered in any way. Wouldn't do so well for her record, and she hated excuses.

Ben, however, was in a bind. He'd just wanted to cool off with a Smoothie and ponder his existential crisis as a hero in peace. Y'know, typical teenage boy stuff. And here he was, in a dark tunnel, looking for a bunch of alien crooks who apparently had their hands on level 5 tech like they were giving out free candy at Villain-Con. Oh, not to mention the fact that his companion was a dangerous, attractive super-spy capable of taking down enemies much bigger than herself with moves that would make even his martial-arts-expert-cousin blush.

"Seriously, does she go to work in that?", Ben questioned, trying to keep his gaze from going below her waistline. His parents (and grandpa) raised a gentleman after all, or so he'd hoped. His previous relationships with the opposite sex left much to be desired.

The Tunnel had scarce lighting, but Ben could notice the tracks that were lining the floors, as well as the mess of wiring tangled on the ceiling. It seems this was a common route for the rogue elements of Bellwood's alien populace,

Nat stopped. They'd apparently reached a crossroads, the tunnels had split off into three paths. She knelt down, looking for tracks left behind by their fleeing targets.

Ben, on the other hand, was fiddling with his wrist device, twisting the dial here and there, seemingly a form of combination.

"What are you doing?", the femme Fatale inquired. If he wasn't going to be helping, this new partnership wasn't going to last very long.

"Trying to access the Plumbers database. Figured the Omnitrix could use some of their GPS tracking tech we could use and help navigate this place".

"Plumber's Database?"

"You ask a lot of questions for a superspy, lady", Ben leveled a semi-glare at the redhead.

"Maybe I'm just curious", her smirk was teasing at its edge.

"Right. Or maybe you're fishing for Plumber's classified intel on your boss's orders", Ben pointed out, his gaze turned to steel. He wasn't a naive kid, and years of experience had made him naturally wary of others with hidden agendas.

Natasha bit her lip. She'd to admit, the kid was quite perceptive and didn't trust her. Yet he was willing to work with her, and if there was any chance of building trust, it was here.

She decided to switch tactics, or better put, conversation topics.

"Seriously, who built that thing?", Natasha inquired pointing at the device. Regardless of her intentions, she was quite intrigued by the Omnitrix.

Such a device had limitless potential, and she'd wondered what it's creator was thinking giving it to an adolescent. Admittedly, he had some experience, she could tell that much, and knew how to handle himself in a fight.

" A grouchy old Galvan named Azmuth", Ben explained vaguely, "long story. Alien stuff, Yada Yada Yada. You wouldn't understand"

Natasha's eye twitched, "Wait, so why didn't you use it before we started wandering in this dark hole?" she crossed her arms.

"Hey, it's not like Azmuth tells me EVERYTHING! One time I almost blew up thanks to a glitch he didn't...Oh here we go!". The Omnitrix lit up the tunnel with a 3D hologram representation of their immediate surroundings, drawing Nat's gaze to the teen.

"Impressive", she studied the 3D map, a finger supporting her chin. Ben was temporarily drawn to her features, watching her study the projection with rapt focus, her visage illuminated like an emerald apparition.

"Seems we're in a network of some kind of underground transport tunnels", she deduced, "the tracks seem to be integrated via a circuit in the walls. Our new friends must be using them as a shortcut"

"Got any ideas?"

She rolled her eyes, "Sure, let me do all the heavy lifting"

"Hey now, you're the one who's in charge, I'm just the backup"

She stood straight, arms akimbo, "Remember that, hero. See these tracks?", she pointed ahead, "They're conductive, meaning whatever's in these tunnels can carry a charge for miles"

"So we can use the circuits from the tracks like a lightning rod to kinda smoke out our new friends?", Ben caught on. She was mildly impressed.

"Got anything in that watch for the job?"

The teen grinned before activating the Omnitrix with a beep.

Turning the dial, he selected the hologram displaying an alien version of Frankenstein's monster.

FLASH!!!!

"FRANKENSTRIKE!"

Now as a Transylian, Ben stretched his hands apart, activating an electromagnetic pulse towards the magnetic rails. Of course, he'd also diverted some charges to prevent his companion from receiving the brunt of the attack.

BZZZZAAATTTTTT!!!!!

The pulses travelled through the worn tracks, illuminating them with bright blue arcs of energy.

A flash illuminated the Northwest side of the tunnel. Followed by loud crashes.

As Natasha planned, targets had been caught in the attack, the charges from the rails causing a chain reaction with their metallic gear.

"Ha! Gotcha!", Ben exclaimed. The duo picked up the pace towards the source of the chaos, with Ben grinding the rails for mobility thanks to his electrostatic body.

They soon caught sight of the alien trio at a cross rails, who'd apparently slowed their pace, hoping the coast was clear. Quickly, they took the nearest exit, reaching a walled off tunnel, Ben and Natasha in pursuit.

"Wait, why are they heading towards a dead end?", Ben wondered. His answer came in the form of a low rumble.

Coming from the other tunnel, an alien locomotive was speeding out of control. Ben's electromagnetic trap worked a LITTLE too well.

The trio managed to scatter, leaving Ben and Natasha directly in the runaway cargo train's path. Thinking fast the teen hero grabbed the redhead and pulled her into a hug, curling into a ball to cushion the impact.

CRASH!!!!!

The duo were flung through an opening in the floors, where they landed on an open area corrugated roofs and scaffolding.

"Oww, anyone got the number of that runaway train?" Frankenstrike landed on his back, absorbing most of the impact from the crash.

"My hero! Now do you mind letting go ?", Natasha's muffled voice could be heard, her body still enveloped in Ben's sturdy frame.

"Heh, sorry about that", the transformed teen straightened up and placed her down, blushing. Scratching the back of his head, he surveyed their surroundings. Somehow, they'd found themselves in the middle of what seemed to be a large underground alien town.

"Well, this definitely isn't Kansas", the redhead quipped.


Steve Rogers grunted, every strike on the punching bag bringing him back to the moment before he went under the ice. The empty gym reverberated with heavy thuds as he continued dealing punishment to the bag, each recollection hitting him even heavier.

SLAM!

The chain holding the bag had snapped from the force of his final punch, sending the bag flying. Undaunted, he picked up another bag, placing it on the hook before resuming his previous assault.

"Trouble sleeping?", Nick Fury entered the room, interrupting his reminiscing.

"Been asleep for 70 years sir, I think I've had my fill", grunted Steve, his fists still pummeling the bag.

"Then you should be out there celebrating, seeing the world", the eyepatched man simply stated. The larger man finally ceased his routine, unwrapping his hands.

"When I went under, the world was at war. When I woke, they said we won", Steve placed his gear in a duffel bag, "they never said what we lost".

"We may have made a few mistakes along the way, some very recently", Fury produced a file presented it to the Super Soldier. The document contained details surrounding the Tessaract, including its recent abduction by a hostile entity.

The message was clear: There was a new mission.

Steve wasn't sure of the world he woke up to, it was strange, alien even. New, fascinating technologies, new solution, new problems. Some things changed, while others remained the same. There was always a world to save, someone to stop, a war to fight.

And Steve was never one to back down from a fight.

The world still needed a good soldier, a good man. The world needed Captain America.


The unlikely pair of Ben and Natasha made their way through the underground alien town,which Ben immediately dubbed "Under town", earning him an eye roll from the redhead.

"I can't believe there's an entire alien town right underneath Bellwood! I can't even believe no one at Plumbers HQ told me anything!", Ben ranted, throwing his hands up in exasperation. Natasha, on the other hand, was more absorbed in her immediate surroundings.

She'd seen strange and amazing things working for SHIELD, even as a double agent infiltrating HYDRA. But nothing could've prepared her for the wonderous sights before her.

Entire blocks of alien architecture, twisting spires and strange devices, neon lights that seemed to pulse with otherworldly nature, it's inhabitants equally alien in appearance, bustling about their business and conversing with one another. It was like a scene out of a scifi novel, except she was experiencing it with her own eyes.

"невероятный...", she whispered. The sight was indeed, truly incredible , in its own way. The place felt like a visit to another planet. Another dingy, cramped and technologically consumed planet. Some things, she supposed, never changed. Even in an alien world.

" Hey, earth to spy lady!", Ben hollered, snapping her from her reverie.

"Enjoying the view? I guess even world famous spies can be impressed, after all", the teen teased, "Good to know there's still a human girl under the suit". Nat bristled at the last comment, causing the brunette to flinch a little. May have hit a nerve there! way to be sensitive, BEN!, he chided himself

"Aw, you sure know how to take a girl to the nicest places!", she bounced back, "this the point where your dates get swept off their feet, hero?", there was a spark in her eyes, daring Ben to respond.

"Nah, they get swept off their feet after I save the day. And give 'em a lift in my car", he added.

She gave a mirth chuckle, her smile reaching her eyes. The Omnitrix wielder had that effect, she noticed, being unconsciously able to bring out genuine emotion from her. She sauntered forward, before whispering in his ear, "And what happens later?".

Ben went red, his tongue frozen in embarrassment. Apparently he was also fun to tease, she noticed.

"Cmon, let's go before you drown in your own drool, Tennyson", she smirked, the twinkle in her eye not diminished.

The duo quickly made their way through the city blocks, no time to fully immerse and enjoy their surroundings. They still had criminals to catch, after all, and Ben needed answers.

"Nope!", Natasha yanked Ben away from a nearby alien store. The latter had attempted to approach the vendor, but to the superspy's dismay, he'd been trying to order alien food.

"But I'm STARVING! And I didn't even get to taste my smoothie!" Ben lamented.

"First off, we don't have time. Secondly, I'm pretty sure whatever's on the menu isn't compatible with human metabolism. And from what I've seen, I'm pretty sure you're human", the superspy was on the ball. Ben raised a finger in protest, but couldn't come up with a response.

"Fine", he grumbled, "what now? Our guys could be anywhere", the teen pointed out.

They'd reached a large open square in the market, a hubbub of activity. Natasha suggested they ask around for any unusual activity, Ben had volunteered to do the talking. "I'm kind of a celebrity around here, plus I'm pretty sure you don't speak alien", he added.

She merely rolled her eyes and let him take the lead.

Their first encounter was with a Galvanic Mechamorph with his own pet symbiote. Ben attempted to make conversation, only for the alien to brush off Ben's attempts with an air of indignation. Ben tried making interrogating a nearby tentacle vendor, only to get a spray of alien slime for his efforts. Natasha got a good laugh out of that.

Their investigation led them to an alien hardware emporium, manned by a small, round, reptilian like alien with multiple cybernetic attachments introducing himself as Pakmar. Despite his appearance, he was quite amiable and enthusiastic, calling the duo of Ben and Natasha, "good, good customers!", showing them around his store, even trying to sell them an alien toilet.

"Pakmar knows good! Very good for human couples, very good!", he energetically explained. The duo were quick to correct him on their relationship status, Ben blushing furiously all the way. Eventually, Pakmar was able to point them in the direction of an alien bar, said to have "very not good customers".

The duo had reached the entrance bar described by Pakmar, only to run into an unexpected (but totally expected) surprise.

"Argit?"

Argit was a rodent-like bipedal creature, with a mane of spiky black hair, wearing an orange, zipped up jacket with yellow accents, with a pair of orange and yellow shorts. He turned, quickly recognizing Ben.

"Ah, flark", the ratman cursed, before breaking into a sprint. Ben followed, with Natasha not too far behind.

"Who and what the hell is that?", she asked, trying to catch up.

"A rat, in every sense of the term", Ben growled, dodging over a cluster of fruit thrown in his way by the scampering rodent. He'd quite a checkered past with the scampering rodent-like alien, a past filled with backstabs and deceptions on Argit's part. No coincidence that he'd be here, most likely conducting his latest scheme with the criminal elements in the town.

Argit had sprinted away from the bar after sighting the duo, his natural agility and speed enabling him to manoeuvre through the crowds as well as the urban environment. The chase continued into the narrow alleyways, across a pipeline from a nearby production facility and down the bustling streets

"Crap! Gotta keep sight of him, we can't lose the little rascal! ", Ben grunted, vaulting over a large pipe in his path. Natasha moved much faster, using agile moves to expertly navigate the streets.

Qucikly activating the Omnitrix, Ben spun the dial and pressed it down, another burst of green light illuminating the area.

"EYEGUY??!!! That'll work!", the teen's form was quite macabre, a humanoid covered with eyes of different sizes, prominent bat light ears prominent on his face (which ironically had no eyes).

The Opticoid leapt towards higher ground, firing lasers from the eyes in his palm to boost his ascension. He landed on a roof, while Natasha continued below. He scaned the area for the ratman, his multiple eyes darting from each corner.

Sighting his target, Ben leapt from roof to roof, his alien physiology letting him easily avoid obstacles in his way. He could also hear the worried exclamations of the many aliens down below, as the escaping ratman ducked and weaved through crowds.

He managed to cut off Argit, reaching a vantage point and leaping directly into the streets. The ratman squealed, his path cut off by the Opticoid. Ben unleashed a barrage of rays from his form's eyes, ranging from stun to freeze. Impressively, Argit was able to narrowly dodge the attacks leaping and ducking frantically.

Ben used the distraction to close the gap, grabbing hold of the man-sized rodent. The small alien managed to slip from his grasp, before turning round and firing barbed tips from his porcupine hair. Ben expertly dodged the organic projectiles, his many eyes proving effective in keeping him aware of his surroundings.

Argit used that opportunity to slip into a walled off section of the street, with Ben in hot pursuit. The transformed teen shot off another barrage of lasers, with one finally managing to tag Argit, causing him to stumble and crash in his tracks.

Stretching his hands, Ben shot a freeze ray, capturing the rat man in a prison of ice.

"Ahhh! C-cold! Watch the jacket! ", Argit shrieked, "h-hheyyy Benji! No time no see! How's it hanging?"

Ben stalked up to the rodent-like alien, "Can it, Argit! I know you're up to no good, slinking around in these parts! What's the latest scheme huh? Terrorizing local businesses?! "

"W-w-what? No way! Ben, I've gone clean I swear!", the rodent shivered out, "I've been laying low, keeping my tail outta the gutter, y'know..."

"Yeah, and I'm the mayor", Ben retorted. "Now where are your three friends hiding?"

"Y-you gotta me specific, Benny-O. I got a lotta friends. Powerful friends, in fact. And I just led you straight through his front door!", Argit grinned, his whiskers twitching with maniacal glee.

Ben paused, his many eyes scanning around. They were in an open area, near the entrance to a factory walled off by concrete. As if on Cue, the sound of many laser guns activating could be heard from every corner of the compound. Ben had just been led into a trap.

If I had a nickel for everytime I got ambushed..., Ben thought.

As if on cue, the alien trio Ben had been pursuing came out of hiding, but they weren't the only ones. A whole gang of alien criminals had their weapons trained on the hero, forming a semicircle around Ben and Argit.

"Ben, I'm sure you've met Bubble Helmet, Fistina and Liam?", Argit was quick to put on airs, "By the way guys, nice going busting up a job by the way! Seriously, I give one simple job.."

Wait, where's the Big Bad? There's no way Argit thought of this by himself.

"Wait, who's factory is this?"

" HAHAHAHA!! ", A booming laugh rang from the entrance of the factory, and Ben could never mistake its owner. The twisted, guttural cackle belonging to one the most depraved, scummy and narcissistic criminal element of the intergalactic network.

"Vulcanus", Ben recognized that laugh any day.

The Detrovite's appearance was every bit as dramatic as possible, his Techadon Armor enhanced with multiple levels of tech, steam puffing out of the shoulder pads. Vulcacnjs had appeared marching from the factory's entrance , flanked by even more of his goons. Seems his ego remained intact despite the many losses he'd taken in scuffles against the teen hero.

Detrovites were a proud warfaring race, but the collapse of their leadership due to infighting led to the splintering of their empire into warring factions, the worst offenders being banished off-world. Vulcanus was one of such offenders, quickly becoming one of the galaxy's most notorious black market kingpins.

His mechanical armor hissed and groaned, the heat emanating from it causing a light steam to boil out, giving its wearer a tense aura.

"Was wondering when you'd show up, Baby man!", Ben teased.

"Ben Tennyson! Another persistent thorn in my side! Seems you're out of luck! This time I'm prepared!"

The Armored henchmen, high tech explosives, t all made sense now. Someone with the right connections, money and muscle to back up the while operation.

"You've been meddling for too long, Tennyson! Do you have any idea how hard it is to manage a successful smuggling operation AND a loan business at the same damn time?"

Typical Vulcanus. The brute was crafty, no doubt, but he'd the habit of ranting his frustrations to the point of spelling out his plans and operations.

"So what's the gig this time? Threatening smoothie shops?"

"Wait, are you interrogating me while being held at gunpoint?", Vulcanus raised an eyebrow.

"Well, now that you've got me cornered, might as well tell me your evil plan...unless it wasn't a really good plan to begin with", Ben shrugged.

"Hey! Still stuck here! Anyone wanna help? Today?", Argit piped up.

"I'm a businessman, Tennyson", Ignoring the rodent, Vulcanus continued, "I gave out loans to those ungrateful schmucks up top, and they get extensions in exchange for using their stores as fronts to launder taydenite. Had to resort to hiring this sorry bunch just to keep 'em in line",he gestured towards the trio Ben had been chasing.

"But it doesn't matter! I've got enough Bombs to cook this town AND the one above! And if anyone tries to stop me or my BUSINESS", he narrowed his eyes at the transformed teen, "they're gonna get what's coming to them "

"Love the cliché villain speech, Baby man, but I think nows the point I kick you and your henchmen's asses and shut you down. Again.", Ben got into a combat stance.

"I don't think so! Take 'em, boys!", Vulcanus ordered his goons.

"Hey! I'm still here! Watch for friendly fire!", Argit screamed.

BOOOMMM!!

Vulcanus fell backwards, a high powered charge had just flown from nowhere and struck the Detrovite. Everyone was looked back from the fallen giant to see Natasha standing at the main gate, arm outstretched and Widow bites smoking.

"What was that about me being in charge, Tennyson?", she smirked.

The Teen hero grinned, before firing a Salvo of energy beams from multiple eyes, scattering the formation of henchmen surrounding him. Some ran into cover, others ran forward to confront the duo. Natasha flipped into the fight, soaring over the henchmen before unleashing her own barrage from her Widow's bites.

Ben slapped the Omnitrix symbol on his belt, transforming once again. Despite Eyeguy having massive firepower, Opticoids were notably less durable than many of Ben's forms, their skeletons made out of mostly cartilage.

"WATER HAZARD!"

Ben launched into the fray, striking and blasting all attackers, while his sturdy Orishan armor tanked most of the laser fire from Vulcanus' henchmen. The others cocked their guns simultaneously, shooting as a unit, the Orishan's armor taking the full brunt of the attack as he slid backwards from the impact. Natasha managed to dispatch a few goons before she started feeling overwhelmed. A trio of unwary alien thugs she could handle, but an entire squad of brutes armed to the teeth and she was getting pressed back. She fired another charge, dropping a particularly crafty one trying to line up a shot.

A red blur flew past her, slamming into a particularly large brute giving her trouble, his cybernetic body shuddering from the impact. Waterhazard had shot himself like a humanoid missile propelled by water jets from his palms.

In the chaos, Argit had slunk away, his head buried for fear of stray fire.

"Boy am I glad to see you!", Ben hollered over the chaos, his water jets sending the pink alien and bubble helmet flying into the nearby steam pipes. Scratch two, he smirked.

"Less talking, more fighting!", the SHIELD agent retorted, sending out a particularly wicked roundhouse that hit the chicken-like alien in his soft bits. Ben winced a little.

Unconsciously the duo ended up fighting together, back to back, keeping enemies of each other's flanks. Ben's water jets kept the larger ones at bay, while the smaller ones that got past the torrents getting the nasty end of Natasha's martial arts.

It was a strangely beautiful dance between the two, a brilliant tango of strikes and blasts. From this distance Ben could truly admire her grace and form, she was like a deadly ballerina, her strikes were like her namesake in speed and lethality. They watched each other's backs, dispatching their foes, with their attacks complementing each other.

"BEN! GO HIGH!", Natasha warned as she leapt on his shoulders. Ben immediately responded by firing a deluge of water jets from his palms pointed downwards, sending the two flying like an aquatic rocket. Simultaneously, she shot off two charges at the waterlogged floor, completely enveloping their surroundings with conducted electricity.

ZZZATTT!!!!!

The attack enveloped all unlock henchmen within its range, knocking them out completely. Ben landed safely with Natasha once again in his arms, hitting the water in a loud splash.

"Okay, you're officially cool", Ben remarked, still holding her bridal style

"And you're officially still handsy, it seems", she remarked right back, still held bridal style "don't get any ideas". If Ben was human, he'd be blushing again.

"ARRGH, DAMMIT!!!! ", a frustrated roar alerted the duo to the last loose end of this operation. The Big Bad himself.

Vulcanus had awakened, seeing his gang dispatched, activated a switch on his suit. A barrage of red lights blinked to life, dotting the walls of the factory. The red hues illuminated miniature versions of the bomb used by the alien trio at the Smoothie shop.

The maniac had rigged the factory to blow.

"You've meddled in my affairs for the last time Tennyson! I'm taking you out for GOOD!", cackling menacingly, he activated the switch.

Thinking fast, Ben shot out two powerful jets that knocked Vulcanus back, the switch falling from his hand. Unfortunately, he got knocked back directly into the factory, in the cluster of Bombs lined at the factory's gate.

BOOOOM!!!!

The factory exploded, sending massive shock waves which caused the rest of the compound to collapse. Ben managed to grab Natasha before dashing out, the crumbling architecture nearly catching them in a concrete prison.

"Oooofff!!!"

They both landed in a heap, a good distance from the collapse. The blast was relatively small, but the shock waves had reached the outer parts of the city, causing what seemed to be an earthquake.

A good chunk of Undertown was completely crushed as a result.

"What have I done?"


Within the hour, Plumbers authorities were cleaning up the scene. Vulcanus and his henchmen were being taken away, some in critical condition from the blast. Civilians were given top priority, many had been trapped under the debris from the shockwave. Dust and debris filled the scene, while chatter and ambulance sirens filled the air.

Other plumbers on scene were taking catalogue of the damage, others were salvaging tech from the factory, including Thermonuclear Bombs, Techadon armor pieces, illegal alien cyberware and most peculiar : Stark Industries Weapons.

Maxwell Tennyson, retired Plumber veteran and grandfather to Ben, was also at the scene, overseeing the operations. His trademark tropical shirt was hard to miss among the black-and-white armor decals of other plumbers. He wore a grim look, his features wrinkled with age but nonetheless furrowed in concentration. Letting out a sigh, he made his way to the one person he knew would feel the most responsible: His grandson.

"Good to see you, Ben", Max made his way over to his grandson, who was in the company of a redhead wearing a familiar black tightsuit.

"Good to see you too, Grandpa", Ben greeted the old man with a hug, their bond only strengthened over the past few years.

"Mister Tennyson", the redhead greeted, "Natasha Romanov, SHIELD operative", his firm hand clenched hers in a handshake, a modest smile on her face.

"Please dear, call me Max. Don't wanna start feeling old yet! And I'm well aware of who you are, we Plumbers like to keep tabs our neighbours",his eyes scanned hers with sagely knowledge.

"Its a pleasure, Max", she pursed her lips as she met his gaze halfway.

"I take it the Black Widows are still active then?", his question caused her to freeze up a little, the implication not lost on her. "Black Widows? What's that, some sort of SHIELD spy team or something?", Ben butted in.

Max quickly changed the subject, "So, quite a mess we got here..."

Ben hung his head. Max put a hand on his shoulder, his words soft but firm. "You did more good than bad, son," the veteran stated," Saved a whole lot of lives. Probably a lot more than you realize. Don't beat yourself up over this, kiddo"

"Grandpa, I.."

"Did what you could do. Comes with the job, knowing that sometimes, despite your best efforts you can't save everyone". The old man was no stranger to collateral damage, having seen his fair share during his days as a cadet.

Max gave Ben a reasurring nod, the teen giving a small reassured smile.

Natasha smiled softly at their interaction, reminding her of the older days, her own family, before the Red Room, before going undercover working for Hydra...

"...what about Bellwood?" , Ben's inquiries broke her out of yet another moment of reminiscing.

"We're taking stock of the damage, luckily the underground took most of the hits. Bellwood got off lucky, a few buildings and stations got taken down but no major casualties", Max stated.

"Vulcanus?" Ben asked.

"He escaped in the chaos. We can't get a hold of him yet. Plumbers are stretched thin, a lot more important matters, Ben. We've been picking up a lot of Code Reds. Alien activity, distress calls, general unrest. And it's not just local, our contacts around the galaxy are getting the same", Max's brow was furrowed in thought.

"Who exactly are we talking about?", Ben piped up

"It's...a little complicated, Ben. Don't suppose you've heard of an alien race called The Chitauri?".

Natasha paused. This kind of Intel would be valuable to SHIELD, if she could find a way to extract and relay it to her superiors. Maybe even get Nick Fury in on this.

Or maybe it was the time for honesty. In truth, neither SHIELD nor the Plumbers had the time for bureaucratic idiosyncrasies at the moment. She didn't have time either, her partner Barton was in trouble

"SHIELD sent me to gather intel", she spoke up. Both Tennyson turned to look at her. "We've been getting unknown readings from what we believe could be an extraterrestrial artefact, made of unknown energy: The Tessaract"

She produced her compact data pad, turning on its interface and projected the image of the Tessaract.

"We believe this could be the key. Recently a SHIELD base was compromised by what we believe to be an alien entity, apparently pulled in by the artefact. His whereabouts are currently unknown. We could use the Plumber's intel"

Max was stunned, spies normally didn't volunteer information, after all. Collecting the data pad, he scanned through the documents, most of which were related to the experiments done with the Tesseract. SHIELD seemed to be making headway, they definitely didn't lack the resources.

Maybe it was time to extend olive branches.

"Let's go then, Miss Romanov", Max led the duo of Ben and Romanov into the Rust bucket. The old RV was a modified Plumbers safe house, stuffed with tech, communicators and weapons. Ben had many fond memories inside the old machine, his adventures with his cousin and Grandpa came to mind.

"Woah!", Ben exclaimed. Some things never did stay the same, after all. The interior was like a miniature high-tech hub, with monitors and devices now overlaying the furniture and compartments.

Grandpa Max simply smirked, before closing the door hatch, "Yep! The old girl's got a major overhaul. Decided to try something...futuristic, what with the new age and all" The old timer fired up the engine, the machine coming to life in response.

Surprisingly, the old Rust bucket had transformed into a sleek, flying machine. Taking off, Max punched in coordinates into the driving console.

Next stop, Plumbers HQ.


Author's Notes:

As you can see, I decided to go in a different direction from the Canon episode. Personally I always preferred Vulcanus to Psyphon as a villain. Vulcanus is way more fun and has more entertaining personality than just "evil bad guy with minions". He's more of a hustler, and it made sense to tie him with the bombs and the rackets. He's got experience with bombs and he's got enough connections in the underground.

Also, you may not notice, but I rewrote a huge chunk of this chapter. It felt a bit flat in terms of emotional complexity, even though there were some character moments. I also cut out the sub-plot with the Alien Bounty hunter. I think I'll save him for later, probably in a spinoff or something.

Don't forget, review if you like what you see. Review if you don't, I like getting feedback.