"... and then 'kablamo', no more Vilgax. Or so I thought, until today."
Ben stayed silent as he listened to Max telling his tale as a young Plumber. He had paid attention closely to what the old man said, looking for any clues about the events that happened nine years ago. He disappointedly sighed, realizing Max had stopped his story at some old rocket launching incident. He figured out hearing about his "kidnapping" would be out of the question.
After coming back to the RV, Ben had told Max and Gwen about what happened. Or at least, the version of the events he and Vilgax agreed on. He said the ruler managed to disable the auto-destruct launch sequence but still ended up under a pile of rubble after Upgrade apparently turned his entire ship against him.
Ben claimed having redirected the ship to crash far from where it was originally parked (if he could say that about an alien spaceship), leaving Vilgax to burn inside. He still had trouble believing his lie worked, even more after Max said he sent the warlord on a nuclear rocket to explode against the Chimerian Hammer. Hard to imagine that someone who survived that could not survive a simple crash. He told himself it was for the best though, not wanting to give anyone the benefit of the doubt.
If his father (he still had trouble taking that in) was presumed dead for now, the Plumbers, Max included, should feel more at ease and lower their guard down.
He still didn't understand why Max hasn't said a thing about him being taken away yet. Vilgax just came in, it was impossible for him not to spill the beans. Come on! Sure, Ben said Vilgax barely interacted with him before trying to take off the Omnitrix and bringing him to the control room, but it felt like Max was blindly trying to avoid the inevitable. He was responsible for what happened to Ben in the first place, he should try and fix it rather than leaving Ben hanging and still hiding the truth after Vilgax obviously revealed it to the boy.
He knew today had been stressful for everyone, he just wished Max made an effort to fix his mess when it got really bad. And the old man didn't, making Ben even more upset. Why would Max not tell him he was the son of an intergalactic tyrant even after meeting said tyrant?
It's not like Ben would immediately go to Vilgax's side just because they were related. He may have felt bad for the king back there, but it's because he thought he saw him die. And because, despite just having met each other, Vilgax showed softness and trust in Ben, letting him carry out his stunt back on the ship. He had told him the truth about his origins and almost didn't mention the Omnitrix after recognizing him, as if it wasn't the reason he came on Earth anymore.
He doubted that Vilgax was heartless. He felt that the alien was maybe ruthless, cruel, definitely threatening, but the fact that he took Ben out of the way, exposing himself to a potentially deadly blast, just so Ben wouldn't get harmed... He doubted anyone could call that act heartless.
Besides, if Ben and him were related, he couldn't be that bad. 'Right? Right?!' he thought to himself.
He looked back at Max, still having a hard time believing he had secretly been a cop. According to his story, he was a Plumber, in the sense he was a space cop charged of keeping the galaxy safe. Had Ben heard about it before, he would've wanted to become a Plumber too, probably even considering himself as one in training. Now he wasn't so sure if he wanted to follow that path in the future, he didn't really get a good first impression of the job.
It sounded like a good way to officially start his hero career, but if his father was enemies with them, he seriously doubted it'd be a good idea. Not to mention Ben didn't want to be the reason one of his relatives (if he knew them like he thought he did before) died, if Vilgax wasn't the only one on the list. He'd have to look for another path if he wanted to be seen as a great hero someday, and being an intergalactic warlord's son would probably not help his case if he ever thought of becoming a Plumber.
Unless they wanted to use him as leverage...
"And you knew about the watch the whole time?" asked Gwen, snapping Ben out of his thoughts.
"Not really, just rumors and scuttlebutt. I was as surprised as you guys when it turned up on Ben's wrist." answered Max.
"You always told us we could tell you anything, Grandpa. Guess you didn't feel the same." she sighed, looking away from him.
Ben felt he couldn't relate any more to her in that moment.
Despite only hearing half of the story, Gwen ended up doubting a lot of what her grandfather had been telling her this whole time. She felt betrayed, and rightly so. She didn't know her cousin was related to the giant squid they met earlier that day, but she still was wary of what was going on. Ben realized she truly was the smart one between the two of them.
Had it been her instead of him, Ben was sure he would've kept on believing Max was completely right in what he did, never questioning his actions.
They heard police sirens and looked at the window as Max parked the RV, seeing a few police cars and an ambulance coming. Ben undid his seatbelt, going to talk to Gwen.
"Interested in helping me 'unclog' this new challenge?" he suggested.
"Maybe you should start by unclogging that hairball in your brain, mister plumber." she teased.
"I hope you never change, cous'." said Ben, as he opened the RV's door.
"Uh, Ben?" Gwen questioned.
"Ben, wait!" warned Max.
He didn't see the boy glaring at him as he went outside, fiddling with the watch to get XLR8. The young hero was out of luck as he turned into Ripjaws.
"I know there's sea alien blood in me, but come on, man! This is so not helpful." The fish alien pouted, spotting a fire truck coming. Sneakily hanging onto its back, he started musing about Vilgax's words. "What did he mean by Earth's water and unlocking our, or I guess right now, his species' true form?"
Vilgax quietly observed his schedule for the next two months, looking at the rest of the meetings he had take care of. He needed to empty it out as much as he could, so he could aid Ben sooner. A king had much to do, many armies to keep active, commanders to receive reports from, drones to keep in check, the ones on his fleet as well as the ones he left to protect his palace, and finally restock his arsenal of weaponry. He didn't want to make the same mistake as last time, after all.
He trusted his people and knew they had taken no role in his son's disappearance, but he knew as well they couldn't get the job done as well as he did. Vilgaxia's inhabitants always preached peace before he came into power, and while his actions as their ruler managed to make them more aware of how their peace couldn't solve everything, it took him losing Ben to show how unforgivable he could be, and most did well in complying with Vilgax rather than keep the ideals that led him to lose his only child and heir.
He hummed, realizing it would take some time before he could return to Earth. It wasn't so bad, as he could start preparing Ben's rooms at home, and with his son to back up the Earth's Plumber bases' rumors, he was believed to be dead as of now, just like one or two decades ago. And now that Ben knew how much Max Tennyson was full of lies, his son could see the old bastard for who he really was.
Vilgax didn't like leaving him behind, but like Ben himself said, his absence on Earth would raise a few flags, and until the life waiting for him on Vilgaxia was fully prepared, he couldn't go back home yet. But staying with Max Tennyson could open the child's eyes, show him how despicable the man could be when his true colors were revealed.
Besides, while he couldn't show up on Earth again like he did before, it wouldn't stop him from regularly checking on the young boy, just to see how his son could manage living on that pitiful planet for the time being. When they would both get home, he'd show Ben everything he missed, everything he was supposed to see, the place where he should have grown up with other Vilgaxians, where he was always meant to live with his real family.
Now he had to be patient, and await the right moment to go back to Ben. While he missed his son more than ever now that he finally got to properly know him, he needed to go undetected from the Plumbers' surveillance. That damned Uxorite that carried the Omnitrix had damaged his body enough to force him to stay back and use his drones rather than go fetch it himself.
It would be better if he interacted with the boy while being whole, not wanting to go back into the healing pod for who knew how long, especially with the injuries he already had. He wished he was still intact when he met Ben again, instead of having to rely on mere enhancements and a breathing mask to make his body function correctly. He needed to go back to training as soon as he was healed, otherwise he was running a big risk staying inactive for too long.
But he knew he didn't have to worry much about Ben. The boy had proven himself to be quite resourceful when it came to fending himself, and if he managed to defeat the girl his drone has possessed this well, he would do fine in a low territory such as Earth. But he was still only 10, and without help from anyone outside the Plumbers, he could end up in a fight he wasn't sure to win.
He pondered, coming to the conclusion that if he couldn't help his son now, he could still send him help and feedback until they met again. He also needed to be wary of who to hire, knowing the "Tetrax Shard" and "Hoverboard" incidents should never be repeated.
Well, he just hoped that while he wasn't there to supervise Ben, his son wouldn't complain too much about having Bounty Hunters bodyguards for now.
Ben wondered if it was possible for someone's mood to get this sour in only a few hours.
He pouted. After being mocked by a weird dwarf alien, getting shot by that Phil guy (he began to sense a pattern with what happened on the Chimerian Hammer), receiving ear (gill? nostril?) torture from the same Phil, being humiliated twice and accidentally revealing to that old Plumber partner and friend of Max that the Omnitrix existed, he now found himself in a hotel room, still owned by that Phil guy.
He halfheartedly listened to both Plumbers' conversation, unnerved by the attitude Max's old friend was showing. Phil claimed having all of that room thanks to helping out the manager with his "alien problem" as if it was just a casualty. Although being related to an alien and being able to turn into ten of them was a factor, that wasn't what annoyed Ben.
Something smelled fishy about this whole thing (and it wasn't the bowl of shrimps he had been angrily munching on to drown his terrible mood in food). The guy looked filthy rich and had prime quality room service, but how did he get all of this? Max said the Plumbers were (mostly) disbanded, and even if they were active, was it normal to draw the public's attention to their activities like Phil had been doing?
He had spent a good portion of the summer hiding the watch from the rest of the world, as advised by Max. Now why was someone that worked with Max doing the exact opposite? Sure, Max may have been a bit hypocritical with how he treated Ben by hiding his whole bloodline from him, but this wasn't about being hypocritical, this was about having common sense.
Usually, people saw dangers like the ones Ben kept dealing with as something terrible, nothing to be excited about. Ben was the only one who liked danger because it meant it was his time to shine, as reckless and selfish as it was.
But now Phil had been doing the same (seeking attention, asking for rewards, showing off), and he was a grown adult, not an immature 10-year old alien shapeshifter. It seemed as if the lessons Ben had been given ever since he got the watch didn't apply to Phil.
That, or there was something shady about the newcomer.
"This is only the tip of the old alien iceberg." said Phil. "You know, Ben, you'd make a great Plumber."
Ben gulped down his shrimp while looking down, not bothering to face the man. "Yeah, no thanks." he answered, making sure his tone didn't sound too cold.
"Really? You should really think about it though. With your powers, Max's experience and my instincts, we'd be an unstoppable team." Phil insisted, turning to Max. "What do you think?"
"I'm thinking what an odd coincidence for a Hyper Weasel and two Mega Mutts to turn up on the same day." Max pondered.
That came out of the blue. Ben blinked. Max was right, three aliens in the same location on the same night was a bit too unlikely, to say the least. Unless Vilgax left some animals behind when he went back to space, there was no logical reason for three bad guys Max knew about to all suddenly appear at the same time. Unless...
Someone was targeting him.
No way anyone knew about Ben's real identity, Max made sure to keep him a secret. Maybe he told Phil about it? So Phil would know who Ben really is. But if he did, why keep up the façade for that long? Why was he stalling so much instead of cutting to the chase?
Max was right. It didn't make sense for three alien monsters to appear when Phil was still nearby. It was as if they asked to be captured, as silly as that sounded. He probably left them in town so they'd kill Ben, but they were still too easily beaten, too easy to fight off to be a threat. So why did Phil even bother releasing space criminals like that when they weren't that hard to defeat?
"Aliens, Go figure." Phil shrugged.
"I need some fresh air." Max said, frowning. He walked out of the room, heading to the RV.
"Hey kids, order whatever you'd like on the room service." Phil said as he moved to follow Max.
It was like he wanted his plan to fail then, those guys seemed too unreliable to use against Ben, much less able to beat him in the first place. What purpose did Phil have in letting them attack innocents like that? He was a Plumber, he should be protecting people, not letting dangerous creatures roam around when he was supposed to eliminate an Omnitrix-wielding 10-year old.
Why did Phil even let Gwen stay with Ben, if he planned to kill the boy? She was an ally of Ben, she'd certainly be able to witness her cousin getting killed by her grandfather's old friend if he let her stay in this hotel room. Why take them in this room if it wasn't to trap Ben in a closed location? Okay, it would've been suspicious to only bring Ben in, but he could've told Gwen to go fetch something for him or some other distraction if he planned to off Ben without her around.
Come to think of it, Phil overdid it if he tried to look unsuspicious to them. He kept acting too nice and too inviting when they came in, and he showed them how much he got from capturing those alien guys. How was someone supposed to keep the galaxy safe if he was so quick to reveal what his job was? Sure, Max being around could help, but he certainly didn't need to show off to Ben and Gwen, or to the people he saved.
Ben started disliking the place he was in even more. It belonged to Phil and he got it from taking out aliens Ben got rid off for him. The guy was just making profit while on a mission to get rid of him, and Ben wondered if he was more annoyed with how the man toyed with him by asking him to join, or if it was because Phil got all of those gifts from saving people from danger he himself caused.
Then it finally clicked.
Ben turned to Gwen, and was surprised to see he shared the same distrustful expression as her.
"We have to follow them!" they said in unison.
Both kids went silent when they realized they agreed on the exact same thing. Learning about Max's secrets and past life certainly changed their own lives.
"You also think they're up to something?" asked Gwen.
"I think Phil is also hiding things from us. Remember the very first time we met Animo?" asked Ben.
"Uh, yeah? We went to Washington DC and got attacked by Animo's mutant zoo animals collection? What does this have to do with Phil?"
"That day, I kept wanting a Sumo Slammers golden card, but you guys didn't want me to have it because saving people should already feel like a reward."
"Ben, we're getting off-topic."
"Grandpa is the one who taught us that from his old days, so why does someone from his old days do the same as me?" Gwen's eyes widened, as she started to think Ben was onto something.
"Where are you getting at?"
"I think Phil is the one behind the alien attacks we faced tonight. Look at how much he gets for saving people when proof of alien existence is supposed to stay a secret! I thought he wanted to get rid of me because... uhhhhh..." Ben realized he wasn't supposed to talk about Vilgax in this situation. "ummm... because... because I have the Omnitrix!" he managed to correct himself before following, "But then, he tried to get me to work with him when he realized I knew how to fend myself and that I could stop him."
"And then, he tried to rope Grandpa into his plan when he understood Grandpa would learn the truth sooner or later!" concluded Gwen. "Oh my god, Ben, you're right! Phil must be the one behind all of this, and Grandpa must've gotten away from us so he'd stop him by himself. Ugh, why does he keep insisting on working on his own? It's like..."
"Like everything he ever taught us only applies to us, and never to him." Ben said, visibly upset that Max was still lying to him and Gwen, even now. "We need to stop Phil before he does any harm to the town. Or us."
"Or Grandpa Max."
"Yeah, him too. I really could use some help for this one, wanna be in?"
"Why are you even asking, doofus? I'm not going to let you have all of the spotlight." she teased, before asking "You know, Ben, you changed a lot, recently."
"Huh? How so?" asked Ben, raising a brow.
"We didn't argue at all today. You didn't make fun of me or pull a prank on me, and now you didn't even try to leave me behind and go solo. And when we fought the space Mutts, even though you rushed in and went hero, you asked for my help (if you call barking desperately at me and showing me your smelly mouth a call for help). Even if Grandpa was the one helping you defeat them."
Ben crossed his arms, thinking of what to answer.
"I just think that if I was in a situation where bad guys could try to hurt my family, my friends and other people I care about, I should drop whatever I'm doing to help and protect you and everyone else." he said.
"Ben..." Gwen said, "that was... so corny coming from you!" she teased. "But I'm impressed. It means you're more mature than you were before. Does that mean you'll stop acting like a doofus all the time?"
"Yeah, don't count on it too much, dweeb!" Ben teased back. "I guess meeting Vilgax had more than one good thing coming out of it."
Gwen was about to say something else regarding Ben's behavior, but she changed her mind and decided to go straight to the point.
"Okay, how do we get back to Mt. Rushmore?"
"You think they went there? Oh wait, the Plumber base is in there. That's where Phil probably got the specific tools he needed to deal with the aliens he freed!"
"Yeah! That... makes sense?" 'I just thought they'd be back here because it's the closest and only base I knew, but Ben's reasoning totally makes sense. Is Ben gonna be the smart cousin from now on? Oh god! Please tell me I'm not gonna have to be the doofus now!' "Have any idea of how to get there fast?"
"I could use Heatblast to fly us there quickly but I don't think I need to have a Kentucky Fried Gwen for the rest of the summer. So, Stinkfly or XLR8?"
"Is that even a question?" asked Gwen, rolling her eyes.
"Master Vilgax, I, Psyphon, your humble servant, only live to serve you. Please, tell me how I may aid you with my services tod-"
"Yes yes yes, Psyphon! I've already heard it all before, last time we spoke." Vilgax cut him short, not feeling patient with his right-hand man tonight. He was still some planets away from returning to Vilgaxia, and while his ship was fixed, the communications were still terribly malfunctioning. He needed better pieces and could only use the communications for a little while before they eventually went static.
"My excuses, Lord Vilgax."
"Listen well, Psyphon. I want you to tell the servants around the house to clean up the old rooms in the castle's left wing."
"The old rooms? The ones you forbid us from ever entering under any circumstances?" Psyphon asked.
"Yes, those are the ones. Tell them to start preparing the place and make sure it's in good condition. If I take more time than expected to come back, they must continue keeping it in good state." Vilgax's tone was stern.
"If I may ask, master, is there any reason we have to do so? If I remember well, you demanded that nobody ever enters those rooms, even in case of emergency."
"You will know more when I return. For now, do as I tell you, Psyphon." Vilgax said, a menacing look on his face.
"I understand, Lord Vilgax." said Psyphon, before his image disappeared from the screen.
Vilgax frowned. Ever since his son was taken away, he didn't allow anybody to go to his personal rooms. He didn't let any maid clean the bedroom, any servant clean the bath, he didn't let anybody in. He'd have to ask one of his architects to make sure Ben's quarters were still usable after reaching Vilgaxia.
After Benjamin's kidnapping, the king had sunken into anger and deep regrets. For two years, he came to Benjamin's room to mourn his disappearance. It was only during the third year that he was able to comprehend that falling in despair and lamenting his loss would not bring his son or his wife back to him. As such, he stopped going here and left the place isolated from everyone, deciding that clinging onto his losses would only weaken him in battle.
Now that Ben was revealed to still be alive and well, Vilgax had to make sure his son had a place to live and grow up worthy of a prince. He doubted any place on Earth could give Ben the luxury and comfort someone with his status deserved. And if Kraab and Sixsix's reports were to be taken into consideration, Ben had lived for the past few weeks in Max Tennyson's rusty old vehicle. Something as primitive and old-fashioned as that mobile home convinced Vilgax the old man was more attached to the past than he was.
He then thought of the next step to make. He needed to get Ben to trust him more than Max or anybody else on Earth. Max Tennyson already did a part of the job by lying to Ben for his whole life, but it still wouldn't be that easy. His child had spent almost all his life away from him, and if the boy had as much of a forgiving and generous heart as his mother, there was a good chance Ben grew attached to that miserable planet, as despicable as it could be. On the meantime, he also had to make sure nobody would ever attempt taking the Omnitrix away.
While he originally planned to use it for himself, letting Ben keep it could be of use. From what he saw, the boy shared his power thrill and eagerness in using the device to reach his ends. He also quickly thought of a solution on the field on his own while Max and Vilgax were fighting, even though it was the first time he saw the place. Ben had an inner strength and an untamed potential, begging to be molded into something greater, something stronger.
Being born as a human did nothing to hinder that power the boy possessed, and with Vilgax's guidance and without Max Tennyson's interference, he would be a force to be reckoned with, like he was always meant to be.
The alien king thought back of his original intentions with the Omnitrix. Beside conquest, there was another reason he wanted the device. A reason that would have certainly discouraged him of ever becoming his home planet's ruler if he heard of it before coming back home, when he had regrettably sided with the Plumbers once in the past. The same reason Ben saw no resemblance between the two of them. The same reason Ben's mother wasn't around anymore. The reason he...
He'd tell Ben sooner or later when they meet again. For now, he just needed to return to his palace to fix the Chimerian Hammer properly, deal with some business back home, restock his drones and other weapons, then he could return to Earth and meet with his son again. He didn't need his emotions to get the best him for now, only to focus on his goal: get back the only family he had left.
Gwen struggled to take the Null Void projector out of Phil's hands, and definitely didn't expect the giant grey flying creature they met earlier to land on the windshield.
Her eyes widening, she tried to keep her balance on the backseat as the car, still on autopilot mode, went left and right without stopping. Until it crashed into something hard, sending both humans forward. Thankfully she was on the passenger seat so she just bumped into Phil's seat. But Phil wasn't as lucky.
Gwen hurried outside of the car, not wanting to face the angry Plumber, who now had bits of glass on his face. When did summer vacation get so creepy? Oh, that's right. Ben, of course. Speaking of which, she was relieved, albeit a bit worried, to see that what had stopped the car from crashing into the obviously not very solid bridge, was none other than Diamondhead.
"Ben!" she exclaimed, running to her cousin, hesitating between thanking him or berating him for using his own body to stop a car from going too fast.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"I'm fine. Phil on the other hand looks terrible." she answered.
"Nothing new then." he said.
Both cousins took a defensive stance as they saw the driver door open, Phil coming out with the Null Void projector aimed at the crystal alien.
"A shame. You would've made a very good Plumber." said Phil.
"I already told you before. If being a Plumber is anything like you are, then I'll never be a Plumber. Never." angrily said Diamondhead.
"Your loss." said Phil, shooting an orange ray at the young hero.
He hadn't expected Diamondhead to simply raise his arm protectively, reflecting the Null Void portal ray onto the Null Void guardian. Phil gasped as he saw the creature he summoned disappearing, and he yelped as a piece of diamond hit him in the face, making him drop the projector, right in front of Diamondhead's foot.
"One good thing that came out of this alien's home planet being destroyed, you don't know how to defend yourself against me." mocked Diamondhead.
Phil put his hand on his face, forcefully taking the piece of crystal off. He went silent as he realized how much his face was bloody, feeling the injury on his right eye. He growled, about to stand up, but he was stopped when crystals landed in front of his feet, discouraging him from trying to move away.
"B-Ben, listen! It doesn't have to be this way, we could all work together!" he pleaded in fear, making Diamondhead scoff.
"No way. This is one hero who's not for sale, especially not to a monster like you!" declared Diamondhead, picking up the device and pointing it towards Phil.
"Look! I know a lot of things about being a Plumber! I could show you! If you don't take my advice, you'll take forever to get rid of alien scum like Incurseans or... or Vilgax!" said Phil, not realizing he struck a nerve.
"You don't know a thing about me, do you?" asked Diamondhead, feeling his anger rising. "I don't need any help from people like you, you're the real scum on this planet! And if you were smarter, you'd realize where I'm coming from, and that I've already dealt with people worse than Vilgax ever was. Like you, for instance."
Phil tried to move back, and another crystal shredding his outfit, almost reaching his arm, prevented him from doing so. Gwen covered her mouth, taken aback at how far Ben went to stop the man. Almost too far.
"You're just a coward, attention-seeking, greedy jerk who risks innocent lives for his own benefit, I don't want to be someone like that."
"Then what are you going to become?! C-Come on, kiddo!" he said, a fearful smile on his face. "The Omnitrix is all you need to be as great as Max, you don't need him to tell you what-"
"Grandpa Max is a thousand times better than you!" shouted Gwen, getting their attention. "He showed Ben how to be a proper hero ever since summer began, and even if he lied to us, he did it to protect us!"
Both Ben and Phil stared at her sudden outburst.
"Ben, look. I... I know you're mad about what happened today, you don't like being lied to and, I don't like it any more than you do. But, I know that Grandpa Max was dead worried when you were kidnapped. He was hyperventilating when we landed back after escaping Vilgax's ship. He still didn't tell me anything but..." she paused, "Grandpa Max really cares. I really hate that he lied to me too, and probably to our parents too, but I know that he never meant to hurt us when he kept his Plumber job a secret."
"H-He didn't tell you about his past? Why not?" said Phil, attempting to make a distraction.
"If he did, Ben would've wanted to get into this alien stuff way before he got the watch, he could've gotten himself in danger and I can't bear to imagine how bad he'd feel about losing him. You, on the other hand, are just a selfish jerk only in it for the money, nothing to do with him or what Plumbers are supposed to be!" she said, glaring at the man for scamming them.
"See, Ben? Max never told you the truth, it probably means he never thought you should follow his footsteps, he probably thought you were too weak. Don't you want to prove him wrong?" Phil argued, making Diamondhead wince in hesitation.
"Ben! Don't listen to what he's saying!"
"Come on, Ben!"
"Ben!"
"Ben!"
"BOTH OF YOU, SHUT UP!" shouted Diamondhead, clasping his head, the projector still in hand.
"Be careful with that thing, kid. Just give it to me, and I'll leave." said Phil.
"Like I'd believe that." said the alien, aiming at him again with a confident smirk. "Sorry, but I've already made my choice, and I'll be doing my own business without you. Let's see how you like being in there." he threatened, proud as Phil looked intimidated. "Too bad I won't be joining you, I wish I could see how the people you've captured and used for your own gain feel about you being trapped with them."
"You... you haven't heard the last of me, Ben Tennyson! If there's a way in, there's always a way out! I'll get out of the Null Void and I'll take care of you like all the criminals I've faced before."
"Calling me a criminal and using the old villain speech isn't gonna stop me, Plumber." coldly said Diamondhead.
Phil desperately tried to do flee again, but it wasn't possible anymore as the crystal alien shot the orange ray at him, a portal immediately opening next to him and dragging him inside.
"You'll see, I'll- I'll take you down someday! Just so you wait and I'll show you! I'll show you, you little-"
"Funny how so many people say that, but none of them ever succeed."
It was then that Phil realized something disturbing about Ben's attitude, and how familiar it was. His body language, his animosity with the Plumber, his calm but dangerous fighting that he didn't expect from a kid like him, the resentment in his voice during their battle, and the cruel look in his eyes... It felt like he was back in the past, battling against Vilgax instead of Max's grandson, and it wasn't a comforting thought one had before disappearing from the scene.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO..." he shouted, and then there wasn't any Phil in here anymore.
Gwen held her breath as soon as the portal disappeared. She looked at her cousin, unsure of how to respond to what just happened. What...
What did Ben just do?
"Ben?" she dared asking. Diamondhead turned around, looking at the young girl.
"Yes?" he said with no hint of emotion.
She felt like freaking out.
Ben went full vigilante mode in front of her. In a matter of seconds, he destroyed a car, heavily harmed Phil's face, threatened him, neutralized the beast Phil had sent, fearlessly defied the Plumber and wounded him numerous times before sending him to a prison dimension. Without breaking a sweat or even taking a step back.
She had never seen Ben this cold and efficient before, he used his powers while fully aiming to harm Phil for attacking them. He showed skills at Tetrax's level of combat, and while he still sounded full of himself when he fought, his words had genuinely been intimidating and it looked like he meant every single of them before getting rid of Phil.
This wasn't the cocky and arrogant Ben she was used to. It didn't feel like she was dealing with her cousin anymore. She didn't know what happened inside Vilgax's ship, but whatever it was, it definitely changed something in Ben, he wasn't the same doofus she had to spend the rest of her summer with.
Her thoughts were interrupted as Diamondhead spoke up.
"Hello? Earth to Gwendolyn? Did the Dweeb Queen give up her tongue so she wouldn't have to thank me for the rescue?"
Never mind, he hasn't changed at all. She exasperatedly sighed.
"You almost got lost inside another dimension, and that's all what you have to say? Ugh, don't know why I even bother!" she said as the crystal alien turned back into Ben, his tongue still sticking out.
"Hey, we got rid of that jerk, I schooled a bunch of space bad guys on who was the real boss on this planet and I wrecked his annoying classy car, so all's well that ends well, right?" he said, proudly putting his hands on his hips.
"I guess. Oh! Grandpa is coming." she said, pointing to the Rustbucket.
The Org Beast let out a cry as it was hit by the orange ray, glowing orange before disappearing into the device Max held. "And that's the last of 'em."
He turned to Ben, looking at his grandson who was still frowning, looking away with his hands crossed.
"Ben, I... I'm sorry I had to keep my past a secret for so long. I should've known I could trust you guys."
"It's okay." said Gwen, looking concerned as she understood they still weren't done with their family problems.
"Ben... Look, I..." Max hesitated.
Ben turned back, surprised by Max's newfound awkwardness in talking to him. Why would he have trouble talking when he spent Ben's entire life lying to him? Max just apologized for not telling them about the Plumber thing, what else did he have in mind to tell them?
"Ben, I... I'm sorry about what happened with Vilgax."
Ben blinked. Was he still talking about the incident that happened earlier, or was he...
Was he going to tell Ben about what happened nine years ago?
"He... he's targeting you for more than just the Omnitrix and... it's my fault. I should've known I couldn't keep it a secret and I... I'm sorry."
Ben's eyes widened. So he was finally telling him the truth!
"I know it was hard for you, and I know you probably don't trust me after this entire mess." Max put his hand on his face. "If I knew how hard everything would be for you, if I... No. I should've told you from the beginning, so you wouldn't suffer like I've forced you to today."
Ben dropped his fed up expression, fully listening to Max, while Gwen observed the whole ordeal from behind Max.
"I lied to you. To Gwen. To my whole family. To everyone I care about regarding this. And you had to pay the price because of me. It's not fair. At all. If..." he sounded more and more vulnerable as he spoke. "If I told them, I know they could've prevented this, they would've sorted things out better than I ever could."
Ben silently gasped. Max... didn't tell his family? Carl and Sandra... Uncle Frank and Aunt Natalie... He didn't tell them. So they probably didn't even know he was an alien! If Carl and Sandra knew he wasn't their real son, they probably didn't know who he was and where he came from either! From their point of view, maybe Ben was a normal human. From what Ben could understand, Carl and Sandra...
Carl and Sandra thought he was just like them, a human being with nothing out of the ordinary, nothing to do with all the weird alien stuff Max dealt with.
To Carl and Sandra, he was a normal child. Even if they didn't tell him he was adopted, it meant...
They really raised him by thinking of him as their own.
Max swept Ben's origins under the rug, and as a consequence, his... adoptive parents didn't exactly lie to him as much as they didn't know who Ben really was. But now that Ben knew the truth, Max would have to tell them.
And for now, he had to tell Ben.
"I thought I was protecting you all, but instead, all I ever did was putting you in harm's way. Ben, I... I..." he was freezing up.
Ben felt like Max was stalling, but before he could tell him to go straight to the point, Gwen interjected.
"Just, go ahead and tell us what's wrong!"
Max and Ben stared at her.
"Look, I noticed, Grandpa noticed, we all noticed, you've been moody all day long and you barely talked to Grandpa at all tonight. You can be so annoying when you keep stuff to yourself sometimes, even if I'd wish you were this discrete more often."
She was looking at them both, deeply sighing because she seriously wanted to just go to bed and forget any of this ever happened.
"Are you finally done giving him the cold shoulder or what, doofus?" she said.
Ben hesitated, looking back at Max. In less than 24 hours, his whole life was turned upside down, and not by the Omnitrix this time. He wanted answers, he wanted to know why Max did that, why he made himself an enemy by taking him away years ago. But...
But that wasn't what bothered him the most.
"I'm not mad about Vilgax." he finally said.
"W... what?" Max asked.
"I said, I wasn't mad about what happened with Vilgax. I now know what kind of guy he is and what he's capable of. I know why you were scared for me after everything he's done and what you did to him but... That's not the problem."
Max narrowed his eyes, realizing where he made a mistake.
"I am mad because... because all this time, all you did was lie. To me. To mom and dad. And to Gwen too. You lied about everything you did to everyone! And that really ticks me off because, I looked up to you, Grandpa Max."
"Ben..."
"I always felt like I could trust you with everything I have to deal with. I wanted to be as confident as you, I wanted to do things your way. But... you still lied to everyone. I know you meant well and you just didn't want us to get ourselves into trouble, but it hurts me to know you didn't think we'd understand or that we'd try making it easier for you."
Max looked sadly at Ben. He really messed up this time.
"You didn't explain to us how you knew Vilgax or about the Omnitrix until he came for me. You didn't tell us anything about your real Plumber career until we almost died because of it. And even now, you didn't tell us anything when you knew Phil was up to something. It took me and Gwen helping you to come out of it alive and I'm mad because... because I always trusted you, but you didn't."
"Ben, I-"
"I'm not even sure you've told us everything, you didn't even say a thing when Aunt Vera was put into danger! I need you, we need you, to have faith in us, Grandpa. You always told us we could trust you, but what you're doing makes me feel like you don't trust us." Ben sighed. "I know that you want to keep us, to keep me safe. But until you tell me everything, I don't think I'm okay with your way of doing things."
He looked down. He really couldn't stand it anymore. He wanted to know more, he wanted to know who he really was, and he wanted to hear it from Max's mouth. He wanted to trust Max, he wanted to feel like it was still the Grandpa he grew up knowing and having fun with, the one who always helped him making the right choices.
But he knew he couldn't pressure Max into saying the truth, he knew his Grandpa all too well.
"I forgive you this time, but I don't care what's stopping you from telling me. I won't be mad if you don't say it, but please, Grandpa, just... talk to me!"
His eyes were getting misty as spoke. He didn't see that Max himself was starting to tear up, too busy pushing away the tension and pressure he felt ever since he left Vilgax's ship.
"Ever since I came back, you kept saying you were sorry, and I know you are. You're my grandpa and nothing will ever change that, but my trust is something you'll have to earn back."
The same words he had told Ben when Kevin caused them trouble now echoed in Max's mind. He really messed up, didn't he?
His grandson was the one pointing it out for him, and that was after risking his life once more for him. Ben was completely right. He was doing a terrible job at protecting everyone. He failed to put an end to Vilgax, he let Ben get kidnapped and possibly tortured, his failure to look after his grandchildren lead Ben to get involved in a grudge older than a decade, and whenever he tried to cover things up or explain himself, it only made things worse.
How could Ben even trust him now? How could he ever tell Ben about what happened to him and his parents as a baby? Would Ben even accept hearing him?
Would Ben even believe Max now?
"Ben." Gwen started. "Look, Grandpa didn't mean to-"
Ben shook his head and walked away, looking down as he went in direction of the Rustbucket.
"Ben!" Gwen called. "You doofus! I'm not finished yet! Wait, I-"
She was stopped from following him by a hand on her shoulder.
"Leave him be, Gwen." Max sadly said.
"What?! But Grandpa! Didn't you see what he just did? He needs to-"
"What your cousin needs is some space. Away from my past as a Plumber, away from all the alien attacks, and away from me." He sighed. Things weren't going to be easy.
Gwen looked insistently at him, but rolled her eyes.
"Okay, I'll leave that doofus off the hook for talking like that. I know he doesn't like when someone is hiding a secret from him - trust me, I speak from personal experience - but right now, he's acting weird. Even more than usual."
"Ben just has a lot on his plate, he's doing the best he can to cope from what I did. I think everyone here needs a little rest. Come on, let's go inside."
She nodded, and followed him into the RV.
She gave a glance towards Ben's bunk, and winced as she saw he pulled the curtains around him. Ben usually wasn't one to want that much privacy, he was more like the kind of guy to invade other people's privacy. If he wanted peace while sleeping, the heavy and lazy sleeper he is would wait until morning, when everyone is already up and about, to shut out the rest of the world and sleep in.
If he already went to bed before they came back, it meant he really didn't want to talk to anyone. She didn't expect him to be any more compliant the morning after.
She sighed. Summer vacation was supposed to be about fun, not family drama. If there was drama, she thought Ben would be the cause, not Max, and it felt strange to know Ben was right about complaining, although she didn't think he'd be that serious about it.
She went to her bunk and pulled the covers over herself. She'd think about the rest tomorrow. For now, she needed a good night sleep and stop thinking about her alien cousin.
Ben didn't feel like he could fall asleep anytime soon.
He just mauled Phil and sent him to another dimension. He attacked someone after putting them in a defenseless situation and taunted the hell out of Phil before getting rid of him as if it was nothing. Worse, he didn't feel that bad about it!
This was wrong, Ben was a hero, he wasn't supposed to take pleasure in hurting someone else like that, even if Phil was a jerk. But for a moment, it felt... satisfying.
He felt like he was in power when he got rid of the Plumber, like he was unstoppable. Like he was meant to win and got what he wanted. It felt... empowering to be this way, he didn't feel like anything could have stopped him. Had he been any other alien or his human (he still had to figure that out) self instead, he felt like he could've won anyway.
If only he had that confidence more when he needed to become a hero. And speaking of being a hero...
Vilgax.
Ben frowned, still not forgetting what he learned about him. Vilgax was a warlord, he took over planets, conquered them, made whoever opposed him a slave or killed them, and he obviously didn't have the look of a choirboy.
It screamed 'bad guy' material to Ben, not to mention he barely even knew the guy, but he knew he had no choice.
Only Vilgax knew the answers that Ben needed about himself. Max obviously wasn't willing to tell him anything about it, and it didn't look like anyone else knew anything about his past, judging from how Carl and Sandra let him go with Max for the summer despite the high risk it presented and how Phil, despite knowing Max for years and being his old partner, never heard a thing about Ben.
Whether or not Vilgax was a good guy, Ben needed to know more, he needed to learn about what part of his life he was missing, and he knew that Vilgax would be more than happy to tell him the truth.
The man threw himself in front of a deadly blast and tried to convince Ben to come with him, rather than forcing him to obey, and he accepted Ben's choice in staying on Earth for the time being. Even if Vilgax was as cruel and rough as he was told, Ben felt that the alien king still had a heart, and was willing to give Ben what he asked for.
He didn't care if it was to get the Omnitrix or to have Ben as his heir, Ben knew that at least, Vilgax cared. He just hoped he wouldn't become as bad as Vilgax was said to be.
He was supposed to be a hero, a good person, someone people would look up to and admire, not a monster or a tyrant making everyone scared. He wished that what Phil and Max told him about Vilgax wasn't too accurate. The man had people to reign over, and he didn't hear anything about Vilgaxia (that planet seriously needed a name change) being a bad place.
If anything, Vilgax seemed protective when he talked about the planet, he couldn't be a tyrannical and heartless jerk if he really wanted his planet (and, his son) to be safe and out of harm's way.
Even if Vilgax was a bad guy, he couldn't have been completely horrible.
Right?
WOOOOO! I'm alive! And this fic is still going!
I'm sorry if it took a long time to update guys, but the heat over here is killing me, along with some family stuff I can't avoid, and writer's block *puts on a helmet to protect myself about the incoming rain of very justified complaints*
Anyway, in this chapter, Ben finally confronts Max about his lies and Gwen realizes something is different about him. Vilgax's role in Ben's life is starting to take place.
If you liked, don't forget to review and I'll see you next time, bye!
*disappears for years of hiatus*