"I can't believe it!"

"HOW! Why did he have to die? We beat the bad guys, we saved Galvan Prime! There was no reason!" Gwen was crying over her cousin, who had died on their latest mission. The mission had seemed so routine for them; just take down the bad guys, and save the planet. It should have been easy, they had beaten the goons and Dr. Psychobos had been apprehended.

But somehow the unimaginable had happened. A gigantic laser had blasted a hole in the ship, and taken a moon, but it had gone horribly wrong at the last moment.

Ben Tennyson, wielder of the Omnitrix, had died.

Now his cousin, friend and partner were going back to earth to report the terrible news to his grandpa. They brought with them the only remains that they could find. A shoe and a part of a black T-shirt that had a green stripe and a white 10 on it. It was unmistakably Ben's. Rook was holding on them tightly, feeling like this wasn't really happening. His first partner had died, and he was blaming himself for it. "It is all my fault. I should have been watching Psychobos, I could have stopped him. It was my net he escaped from, I did this." He kept thinking this as they flew close to Earth.

Kevin had been quiet, choosing to grief in silence. His fist's clenched the steering wheel, making small dents in it. He had been angry, at Psychobos, at Rook, at Gwen, and at the universe itself. Hell, he even blamed professor Paradox for not warning them! He looked at Gwen, who looked like she had cried an ocean.

While Gwen usually kept her cool, she had completely lost it when Ben died. She had cried out for him, and burst into tears when she saw what was left of him. Who could blame her? Sure he was a dweeb, but he was HER dweeb! He always seemed so indestructible when he fought, and he always managed to come out of the fight with a smile and a bad pun. It was a shock to her that Ben had lost, and she kept repeating how unfair it all was.

When they arrived at the Plumber base, Magister Tennyson walked up to them."Ah Gwen, how did the mission go?" Gwen burst into tears and ran, not wanting and being unable to be the one to bring the news to their grandfather. Kevin walked right past Max, his face torn between devastated and infuriated, and he only said one thing.

"Ben didn't make it."

Max stopped in his tracks, as the words sunk into his mind. In a single second he had gone from a parental grandfather to an empty shell. He tried to speak, but somewhere between his mind and his mouth, the words became stuck in his throat. He saw Rook approaching him with two objects in his hands. Recognizing the distinct 10 on the piece of cloth Max felt sick. He had been the one to send the teens on that mission. Magister Patelliday approached the man. "Max, are you okay? What happened?" asked the Piscciss Volann. "I… I need to be alone, Patelliday." "But what happened Max?" Rook spoke up. "Ben was killed in action. Please excuse me. I must notify the family."Rook had tried to keep a straight face while he said that, but it was clear to see how much this was affecting him. He carried the piece of T-shirt away from the older Magistrates as he made his way to the home of Ben's parents.

When he arrived at Carl's and Sandra's home he needed a moment before knocking the door. He felt awful for doing this. Who would like to tell anyone that their son is dead? Nobody that he knew. With a heavy heart he knocked on the door, and Sandra opened it. "Hello Rook, how lovely to see you! Come in, I just made some tea." Carl entered the hallway, and saw the fabric Rook had held up. "Rook, what is that?" asked Carl Tennyson. "Mister Tennyson, I" " Sandra felt sick."Rook, is this a joke? Because it is NOT FUNNY!" she backed away, not wanting to believe it. Carl was not prepared at all, but both their world shattered when Rook spoke up again.

"I'm sorry."