BEN 10 DOES NOT BELONG TO ME, JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. APPARENTLY, THE RIGHT TO GET A HUG DOES NOT BELONG TO ME EITHER. WHY DOES NO ONE LOVE ME?
Wow, it's been a while since I've made an Interim chapter, huh? I know I promised to do them more often, but I got caught up in the plot. However, Bigby the Big Bad Wolf made an interesting point in his review; what would Cadmus do about a hero who has more abilities than the entire League put together?
Ben 10: Unlimited
In The Interim
Veiled Threats
San Francisco
After the incident on San Baquero, Ben had been sent home for a much-needed break. Even before getting injured, he had been putting in more hours than most of the other heroes. Ben had tried to object, but he'd been overruled by the senior members, and was thus back home in San Francisco. Of course, that didn't mean that he couldn't do his job and protect his city, but since he was rarely needed there, it was more of a part-time job than anything else.
For the first few days of his temporary exile, Kara had stayed with him, and they enjoyed being a normal couple for that time. Unfortunately, Kara was soon needed elsewhere; the League required her to help end a dispute between two neighboring star systems, and that left Ben alone. So Ben ended up doing what he normally did when he wasn't with Kara or being a superhero.
He was making money in the stock market.
Since coming to this universe, Ben had never spent much money to begin with, save for his car, but he knew from experience that heroes needed resources of some kind, and almost all resources cost money. Ben might have been wealthy, thanks to Bruce Wayne, but he had decided to make some extra, just in case he needed something expensive. He had turned into Grey Matter and, using his vast intelligence, figured out what to invest in. It wasn't insider trading or anything illegal; he was just being smart with his money.
After a few hours of that, Ben went on patrol, spending more time than usual to make sure that everything was fine. Normally, he'd be happy that everything was quiet, but after spending so much in the League, and going from one crisis to the next, he found himself getting restless without something to do. He remembered telling Supergirl to enjoy the downtime, and now he saw the irony.
Still, he wanted something to happen.
…
Cadmus Headquarters
Amanda Waller sat in her office, reading the latest report on the members of the Justice League; while she wasn't responsible for finding out their weaknesses, she did review their files, in case they were updated and something new was to be learned. Knowledge was power, and Waller considered herself very powerful.
"Excuse me, ma'am." Waller looked up and saw a Cadmus soldier in her doorway. "Professor Hamilton would like a word with you, ma'am."
Waller sighed, then nodded; she had a feeling that she knew what Hamilton wanted to discuss. It had moved beyond scientific curiosity and into a disturbing obsession. Waller had to constantly keep the professor busy with other projects in order to distract him; sadly, Hamilton was able to complete every task presented to him with incredible speed, and always returned to his most-discussed topic.
Ben Tennyson and the Ultimatrix.
Cadmus had easily discovered the identity of the shapeshifting hero; if Batman's identity had been uncovered, there was no way that Ben could hide his own. Still, they had no reason to try to blackmail Ben with this information; at least, not until he did something to warrant such an action.
As Waller made her way to Hamilton's lab, she reflected on just how worrying the wielder of the Ultimatrix was. He had dozens of different alien forms, and more powers than the entire Justice League put together, and Waller had a sneaking suspicion that they hadn't seen all of Ben's transformations yet. It was entirely possible that he had even more powerful forms that he'd yet to reveal; something more powerful than Way Big was a terrifying prospect.
Waller entered Hamilton's lab, only to be greeted by a horrible noise; it sounded like nails on a chalkboard, mixed with a chainsaw against wood.
"Hamilton!" Waller shouted over the noise, "Turn that racket off!"
After a moment, the noise died down, and the professor stepped around a large machine that he'd been behind. The machine looked like a massive microscope, but instead of a lens, the device had laser cutters, saws, and other instruments attached.
"Ah, Mrs. Waller," said Hamilton, "I'm glad that you're here; I've made a few interesting discoveries since you were last here."
"This better be good, professor," Waller growled, "and it better be about that new Kryptonite delivery-system." After the debacle of San Baquero, Kryptonite-laced missiles had been declared off-limits, and thus Cadmus required a new way to fight Kryptonians.
"Oh, that," Hamilton waved dismissively at a bulky rifle lying on a table, "the prototype is ready for testing; once it passes inspection, we can begin construction of at least two-dozen more with the resources available."
Despite Waller's dislike of Hamilton's obsession, it did motivate him to finish his projects faster, if only to return to his pet project.
"If it's finished, then what do you want to show me?"
"This." Hamilton led Waller over to his computer, where he brought up a series of statistics on all of Ben Tennyson's aliens. "I've been going over our data on these alien forms, and I believe that we might be able to incorporate some of their abilities into our genetics program; we might be able give our soldiers incredible regenerative abilities, or invulnerability. If I could get that device, the Ultimatrix, the possibilities are endless!"
Waller didn't show it, but she was becoming decidedly uncomfortable with what Hamilton was suggesting; she had no problem with creating artificial humans with superpowers, like the Ultimen, but she didn't like the idea of changing a normal human into a monster. She would order such a thing, if necessary, but that was one line she hadn't crossed, at least, so far.
"Professor, I appreciate your enthusiasm," Waller lied, "but I'm not going to have our soldiers getting combined with alien DNA unless we have no other choice. We have another plan to take down the League if it becomes necessary, and unless something happens to that plan, I see no reason to change it!"
"But the Ultimatrix is still a wild card!" Hamilton protested. "As long as that many powers exist in one person, there are too many variables to rely on only one plan!"
Waller tapped her chin in thought. "From our observations, it seems like Galatea could fight him one-on-one; she was able to fight one of those Ultimate forms; still, you do have a point. I have another plan, however; one without risk to a team of soldiers."
"You do?" asked Hamilton, surprised, "How are you going to obtain the Ultimatrix so easily?"
"Simple." Waller smirked. "I don't know if we can obtain the device; but maybe we can do something about its user."
…
San Francisco
"And that, kids, is why you look both ways before crossing the street." XLR8 looked at the two boys he'd just prevented from being hit by a car.
"Okay, Mister Alien, we will." The older boy, who looked around 8 years old, said seriously.
The younger one reached into his backpack and pulled out a bag of cookies. "Thank you, Mister Alien; do you want a cookie?"
"Uh, thanks." Taking a cookie in his talons, he popped it into his mouth. "Now you kids get home now, all right?"
Both boys nodded, then ran to a nearby house. XLR8 ran back to his own home, his extended patrol finally over. He'd spent an extra 2 hours patrolling, and in all that time, he'd stopped a purse-snatcher, put out a fire and now he'd just saved those kids from becoming a smear on the ground.
He transformed into Ghostfreak, phased into his home, then turned back to normal.
"Impressive."
Ben spun around to see Amanda Waller sitting on his couch, her fingers interlocked and positioned so that only the top half of her face was visible.
"What are you doing here?" Ben snarled, his hand reaching for the Ultimatrix.
"I'm not here to fight, Mr. Tennyson, so you can stop reaching for the Ultimatrix." If Waller had hoped to rattle Ben by revealing that she knew who he was and the name of his watch, she was disappointed. All Ben did was raise an eyebrow. "You don't seem surprised."
Ben shrugged. "If you could figure out who Batman is, what chance did I have?" his hand, however, did not move away from the Ultimatrix, "Now what do you want?"
"I'm here to offer a deal." Waller stood and walked up to him; her head didn't even reach up to his chest, and he might have been one of the most powerful people on the planet, but she didn't even blink. Ben had to give her credit for that, at least.
"What kind of deal?" There was no way that Ben was going to do anything for Cadmus, but maybe he could learn something useful.
"I want you to work for Cadmus."
Ben stared at her. "… And?"
"And what?"
"You think I'm just going to join up with you people, with no incentive?" Ben shook his head. "Because you have more than a few points against you right now."
"Is protecting the world from the threat posed by the Justice League not a good enough reason? What do have against Cadmus?"
"Are you kidding me!?" Ben began ticking off reasons on his fingers. "You people cloned Supergirl, then sent that clone off to kill people in order to cover up your dirty little secrets. You created the Ultimen, giving them a false past, then you took them off to have who-knows-what done to them." Ben chose not to reveal that he knew the final fate of the Ultimen, safe in his own universe.
"Then there was the fact that you sent a nuclear-freaking-missile against a civilian population, all to try to destroy Doomsday, one of your own creations." Ben didn't actually have proof that Cadmus created Doomsday, but the odds were pretty good that they had.
"The incident with Doomsday shouldn't have happened!" snapped Waller. "He was released by a mentally unstable scientist, and the missile was launched without my authority."
Ben sneered; inwardly, he was smiling, since Waller had all but confirmed that they'd created Doomsday. "Well, it looks like you've got a personnel problem, don't you? You're not making a good case for recruiting me."
Waller took a deep breath. "That problem is another reason for you to join us; your sense of right and wrong could do well to curtail some of Cadmus'… darker aspects." She held out her hand, as if she expected him to shake it. "You have an incredible amount of power; if the Justice League ever went rogue, we'll need an even greater amount of power in order to stop them."
"And you want that power to come from me? Let me tell you a little story." He turned away from her, though he activated the Ultimatrix and set the dial to Rath, just in case. "I know the threat of having too much power; it can be intoxicating, addicting. A few years ago, I was once put in a position where I had limitless power. I could have reconstructed the entire universe, in any way I wanted."
Waller's eyes widened at the implication; this boy had, at one point, become a god? "But I chose not to. I didn't do it because there were people with me who knew who I truly was, and wouldn't let me force my will on the universe like that. The same thing is true for the League; we won't let another member join the bad guys, and if they do, we'll stop them. We don't need a shadowy group like Cadmus to keep us in check; we'll do that on our own."
"And what happens if you're wrong?" Waller demanded, "What happens if the entire League turns, and no one is around to stop you?"
Ben walked over to his door and opened it, gesturing for her to get out. "If something like that were to happen, then you're welcome to take your best shot. It won't happen, though." As Waller began to leave, Ben grabbed her shoulder and gave her a glare that would have made Batman proud.
"But know this," he warned, "if you ever try to attack the League, if for no other reason than out of your own fear, there won't be a rock for you to hide under. I will find you, and I will end you." Waller saw the look in his eyes; she had seen the eyes of stone-cold killers look more merciful than the retribution promised by this young man.
"We're done here." As she walked out, she gave Ben one last look. "I think we know where the other stands."
…
Watchtower
"She tried to recruit you!?" Superman shouted, his hands gripping the armrests on his chair hard enough to warp the metal. "How could she think that that would work!?"
After Waller's visit, Ben had gone back to the Watchtower and called for an emergency meeting with the senior members. He told them about what happened, and like Superman, they were outraged. They would have been the same for any member of the League, but Ben was like a little brother to them.
"I'm not sure that it supposed to work." Said Batman; of all the Leaguers, he was the most composed. "I think it was supposed to shake Ben's faith in the League, so that if Cadmus did ever attack us, he would at least stay neutral."
"Well, it didn't work." Ben sat up straight. "Cadmus has crossed the line with their genetic experiments; I'd never join them, and I know that you guys will never go bad. Neither will anyone else in the League."
"Still, there is a problem," said Shayera, "Cadmus knows where you live, and you basically threatened them. They'll know that they could easily take you out in your sleep; your security is at risk."
Ben shrugged. "My security was at risk back in my own universe, back when everyone found out my secret identity; I'm not worried."
"And what about the Ultimatrix?" asked Batman, "What if they get their hands on it? Even if they only unlock a few of the powers it contains, it could give them an army of metahumans, all trained to fight us. Until the situation with Cadmus is over, you're going to stay on the Watchtower."
Ben looked ready to protest, but the other Leaguers looked like they would support the Dark Knight's decision. He sighed; he was getting used to going home with Kara after a long day of being a superhero. However, Batman had made a valid point; he had enough experience with people trying to take the Ultimatrix.
"Okay, fine; I don't suppose I can have some of my stuff brought up from home?" Some of the other Leaguers nodded, and with that, the meeting was adjourned. As Ben walked out to head to his quarters, he was stopped by Shayera.
"Ben, are you really all right?" she put a hand on his shoulder. "You don't have to act like you aren't scared; no one will judge you."
Ben smirked. "Shayera, I've faced supervillains, alien invaders, mad scientists and a space-god, all while dealing with high school; a bunch of shadow-ops guys aren't going to make me lose any sleep." Shayera nodded.
"Good." She started to walk away, but then turned back. "Speaking of sleep, remember that you'll be here most of the time, so try to get some rest; take it easy with poor Kara, okay?"
Ben put his hand to his forehead and groaned. "You guys will never let it go, will you?"
Shayera pretended to think about it. "Hmm, nah."
…
Cadmus Headquarters
Amanda Waller stood in front of Professor Hamilton and General Eiling. The general didn't seem to care about the failure to sway Ben Tennyson to their cause, but Hamilton looked ready to break down in tears; probably because he knew that Cadmus would sooner destroy the Ultimatrix before letting it out of their control.
"As you said before, Professor, the Ultimatrix is a wild card; but now we know that it's a wild card devoted to stopping us." Waller sat down in her chair with a scowl.
"It doesn't matter," said Eiling dismissively, "that kid can only turn into one freak at a time; we'll be able to take him down, it just might be a little costly."
Hamilton took a deep breath. "I suppose you're right; while the aliens inside of the Ultimatrix aren't as powerful as, say, Superman, it is his variety that makes him such a threat."
Waller nodded. "Well then, we'll put Tennyson on our second-highest priority; unless something changes, Superman is now on top of the list."
The three stood up and walked into another room, where they met their benefactor.
"And I know that you're just the man for the job." Waller said.
Lex Luthor smiled.
Hooray, I'm back! Sorry, between life, school and a mild case of writers block, I haven't been able to do much about this story. Still, I'm back, and I hope to get more chapters out sooner.
I know that this story had no action in it, but I wanted to focus on just how deluded Cadmus could be; after all, creating a sociopathic Kryptonian like Galatea and Doomsday, and they still think that they have the moral high ground? Someone needs to slap some sense into these idiots, and I think that Ben is just the hero to do it.
One last thing I want to do is give a couple of thanks. First, to Bigby, for giving me the idea for this chapter. Next, I want to thank all of you who have favorite/followed me. When I began this story, I had no idea that so many people would like it, and it makes me feel bad that I couldn't get you more chapters, but I'm doing my best.
Stay tuned, next episode is "Clash".
We're off to see the Muffin, the wonderful Muffin of Oz!