One
Months Gone By
Months have passed since the universe fell into the hands of the Elder Ones. I exited the hospital with some equipment with Kevin not that far behind. The streets are quiet, no quiet than usual. We hid as an Elder One patrol strolls on by. They were gone and we came out of hiding.
"That was too close," I said.
"I know. And I thought this was going to be hard. Is this everything we need?" Kevin asked.
"For now, Molly is about to give birth at any moment. So every bit counts." I sense someone. "Who goes there?" I yelled.
A group of men came out of the alley. "Stealing hospital equipment? Isn't that a new low for you two?" one of the men asked.
"One of our members is pregnant and she could give birth at any moment. I'm Gwen Tennyson and you three are?" I asked.
"Right, I'm Sgt. Joe Miller of the United States Marine Corps. This is my number two, Corp. Harris Payne and this is Private Gary Updike. We were sent by the President to make sure you guys are all right," Joe answered.
I was relieved. We entered the sewerage system and headed over to the main junction where we set up base of operations. The base was busy as Max walks up to us.
"I was wondering when the President will send someone to check up on us. How's the President doing?" Max asked.
"We're moving bunker to bunker to avoid getting captured by the Elder Ones. Eli and what's left of Special Projects is with him. How are things on your end?" Joe asked.
"Not good, the Elder Ones are making steadily progress," he answered.
"Have you had any luck tracking down the Guardians?" Joe asked.
Cooper stands up and walks over to us. "No, I tried everything. From tracking their energy and life signatures to detecting fluctuations in the timeline, but nothing. I tried get through to Mason Enterprises' main computer, Phoebe. But she's in lockdown and so is the Mystery Men Mansion," Cooper answered.
"What about the Plumber Base?" Joe asked.
"As per regulation, both the bases here and at Mt. Rushmore are in lockdown to prevent the enemy from getting their hands on the tech stored there," he answered.
"This could complicate things. The Elder Ones are using Washington D.C. as a base of operations. They're using Capitol Hill as headquarters and the rest of the city as a launch pad for a bigger invasion. So our intelligence says. As of now, we're coming up with a plan to retake the capital and end the invasion," Joe said.
"It's not that simple. The Elder Ones have advanced technology and we stand little chance of succeeding. You have no idea what they did to Galvan Prime," Cooper answered.
He then experiences a psychotic episode and I calmed him down. "Its okay, Cooper. It's okay," I said.
"Still, he's right. If we're going to succeed, we're going to need united the galaxy together to stop this threat," he said.
"I wish I have your optimism, but it won't do any good here. Both the President and Eli wanted me to tell you to keep fighting and don't give up. That's all we have to say," Joe said.
"I'll show you the way out," Kevin said.
Kevin then escorts the Marines out of the sewers. Max and I walked up to the table. "Well, that went well," Max said.
Molly then walks up to us, she then sits down on the chair. "What do you expect? Marines like him expect the worse," she said.
"Are you okay, Molly?" I asked.
"Yeah I'm fine. I just wish Carter was here, you know. To attend the birth and to be there," she answered.
"You should lie down. You're due to give birth at any moment," I said.
We head over to a makeshift hospital ward. Molly lies down on a bed. "It's strange. I should be out there, fighting the good fight with the other team members," she said.
"They'll return, I'm sure of it," I said.
"I'm starting to see some wear and tear in you. I heard the stories about Galvan Prime. I feel sorry for what's happened with Cooper Daniels. Losing a limb, especially an arm isn't easy," she said.
"Things have been rough, with my brother and cousin M.I.A. There are times when I just want to scream at the top of my lungs," I cried.
"We'll get through this. It's like the Marine said: don't give up," she said.
Meanwhile, a wormhole opened up in the sky and the Duke's Run came through. On board the bridge, Ben looks at the monitors. "Cloaking device is activated and we weren't detected," Ben said.
"Good, we better keep it that way. The Elder Ones have been busy since we got separated. We need a plan in order liberate our Earth," Trent said.
"Both the Plumber Corp and Special Projects have procedures in case of an invasion. Both organisations are already in lockdown to prevent the invaders from getting their hands on some tech," Carter said.
"I have similar procedures in place. Phoebe is in lockdown and so is the Mystery Men Mansion. If we can get them online, I might be able to do an assessment on what's happened in the last few months," Trent said.
"Also, it might be wise to find out if there's a resistance movement. If there is, we should make contact with them," Ken said.
"Hold on, I'm getting Elder One communication chatter. They're using Washington D.C. as command and control," Blake said.
"Okay, we should split into three teams. Trent will take the extra help and get Phoebe back online. While one team will liberate Washington D.C. and I take the other team to Bellwood," Ben said.
"You're sure that's a good idea?" Legion asked.
"I hate to admit, but Legion is right. We saw firsthand what those Elder Ones can do and they'll stop at nothing to restore Earth Prime," Carter answered.
"Three teams is better than one. Besides, they can't hit all of us at once," Ben said.
"True, Plumber Headquarters is in lockdown. You're going to need to deactivate it. I got access," Carter said.
"I got that covered," Ken said.
"First of, you're not a Plumber and you need top level clearance. Which is something I have," Carter said.
"Molly is still out there, waiting to give birth. You want to be there when the child will be born, don't you?" Ken said.
He gives Ken his Plumber badge. "This should get you into the base," he said.
"Okay, Ken's got the Plumber base covered. I'll take Legion and Carter to find the resistance and provide whatever help they need," Ben said.
"I, Rex, Dania and Solaris will liberate Washington D.C. and provide a distraction," Blake said.
"It looks like we got a plan. We'll dock the ship in the docks. We'll take it from there," Ben said.
They docked the Duke's Run in the docks. They got out of the ship and they split up and head in different directions. Back in the sewers, a doctor was doing an ultrasonic scan on Molly as I entered the room.
"Hey, you just miss the scan. The baby is doing fine and still kicking," Molly said.
"It's fortunate I'm here. Anodite pregnancies are similar to human pregnancies, but more complicated. I'm Dr. Fai," he said.
"Complicated in what way?" I asked.
"Anodites tend to build up a lot of mana. It's the source of our power and when a female Anodite get pregnant. They transfer some of that energy to the baby. Otherwise, it'll die," she answered.
"Noted, I should get back to work." I left the room and head back into the main command centre. "How are things here, Grandpa?" I asked.
"I just received more bad news. Manny's group have been taken prisoner," Max answered.
"Isn't everyday a bad news. I just wish we had good news. Cooper is taking this hard," I said.
"Losing your left arm isn't an easy thing, but he's committed," he said.
Cooper then rushes up to us. "I think I may've got something." He brings an energy reading display on the main screen. "A wormhole has just opened up recently. Something came through, but the energy signature doesn't match any of the known Elder One ships we've seen. Also, this ship was cloaked," Cooper said.
"What do you think, Grandpa?" I asked.
"There are a number of possibilities. It could be time travellers or something different. It's too risky to investigate," he answered.
"We'll go and investigate. We'll be quick, I promise," I said.
"Don't take too long," he said.
Sometime later, we head up to the surface to investigate the disturbance. Cooper gets his scanner out and scans the area. "Hmm, this area contains a huge trace of chronologic energy," Cooper said.
"Chronologic energy, what's that?" I asked.
"According to what I heard, chronologic energy is unique. It allows an individual or a device to travel back and forth in time. Something came thought that wormhole a moment, but it closed," Cooper answered.
"It could be a false alarm," I said.
"Maybe you're right. We should get back before we attracted an Elder One patrol." Cooper looks down at his left cybernetic arm. "It still feels cold now and then," Cooper said.
"Come on," I said.
We head back into the sewers; we were unaware that an Elder One patrol spotted us. "Contact Hun and tell him we got a lead on the resistance movement," an Elder One soldier said.
Meanwhile, Dr. Nexus arrives outside the entrance to Plumber Headquarters. "I would never thought the secret entrance to Plumber HQ would be in a plumber supply store." He enters the store, pulls the chain and enters HQ. He heads into Max's office and turns the computer on. He plugs in Carter's Plumber's badge. "Let's see." An error message appears on the screen. "Carter, I got a problem. The Plumber lockdown is still in effect and there are a number of glitches preventing me to overriding it," Dr. Nexus said.
"Those two did mention the lockdown was experimental," Carter said over the radio.
"Would Phoebe be able to ratify the glitches and override the lockdown?" Dr. Nexus asked.
"It's possible. Okay, we just arrived in New York," the Mighty Rider over the radio.
Over at the sewers, I was minding my own business when she sensed something. I then heard screams coming from the entrance of the main junction. A Plumber rushes in. "It's the Elder Ones, they found us," he yelled.
He was stabbed in the back. More explosions occurred when Max runs up to me. "Get the others out of here," Max said.
I then heard another scream. "Great, Molly has gone into labour. This will complicate things," I said.
Hun then arrives as the other Elder Ones rounded up the resistance. "It took us a few months to track the resistance movement. It's an honour to meet this Max Tennyson in person. You lot have been causing quite a stir," Hun said.
A couple of Elder One soldiers grabbed Max and bring him over to Hun.
"What can I say? I aim to please," Max said.
"Once this is over, this Earth, along with the rest of this multiverse will be ours," Hun said.
Another Elder One grabs me and hands over to Hun. "I found this one trying to run away. Also, there's another one, she's going into labour," she said.
"Put the mother and baby out of their miseries," Hun ordered.
I'm shocked by what he just said. "I can't believe you're willing to execute a mother and her soon-to-be child," I said.
"Its better they face death. Both of them would only serve as a liability," Hun said.
"A liability. Are all of your Elder Ones emotionless?" I asked.
Hun picks me up by the neck and holds me high. "We gave up everything the moment the other four races declared our plan to restore balance as insane. Some of us severed ties with all emotions in order to achieve peace," Hun answered.
"Then do it. End it," I said.
"At least some beings in this multiverse do have a sense of honour." Hun's communicator beeps and he answers it. "What is it? I was about to commit an execution," Hun asked.
"Washington D.C is under attack from costumed beings," an Elder One answered.
One of the Elder Ones collapses onto the ground after being killed with an arrow. Hun turns around and for the first time in months, the Guardians have returned. "Get your hands off my cousin!" Ben said.
"We need a plan," Legion said.
Hun notices Legion wielding the Redeemer. "I don't believe it! He's wielding the Redeemer, the Elder One Slayer." He drops my cousin. "Get him!" Hun shouted.
The Elder Ones ganged up on the Guardians and they fought them. "At least we got their attention. I'll handle the leader," Ben said.
Ben changes into Rath and lunges onto Hun and those two fought. Carter and Legion fought the other Elder Ones. "Now this is how it was supposed to happen back on Galvan Prime," Carter said.
Carter fires a couple of trick arrows into the Elder Ones. "Let's hope the others are having better luck." They hear Molly screaming in pain and Legion senses it. "Molly's gone into labour," Legion said.
Carter double times it with the shooting. "Hang on, babe. I'm coming," he yelled.
"Dr. Nexus, we got a problem," Legion said.
"I'm on it. I'm opening portals from your location to the med bay at Plumber H.Q." A portal opens up on the other side of the junction. "Tell the others to start evacuating the sewers. I'll guard the base while supervising the evacuation," Dr. Nexus said over the radio.
Legion notices Max and the other Plumbers taking cover behind some rubble. "I know you have reservations about me. But right now, I need you to start evacuation non personnel out of the sewers and into the portal. It should take you to Plumber H.Q. Don't worry, we're dealing with the lockdown," Legion yelled.
Max nods and he begins evacuating non personnel out of the sewers and into the portal. "Legion, this is Trent. I've arrived at Mason Tower; the extra help is buying me some time to get Phoebe online. Hopefully, it shouldn't take too long," Trent said over the radio.
"Okay, we're taking care of the ones in Bellwood. There is still no word from the other team in Washington D.C," Legion said.
"This is Solaris, we're making progress and the resistance movement here is making things easier. We're making a push towards Capitol Hill," Solaris said over the radio.
Ben and Hun carried on fighting and it was in a stalemate. "You and I are both evenly matched. Surrender and I'll make your death less painful," Hun said.
Ben activates the Burst Mode, he transforms into a being of pure energy. "That's the problem with you Elder Ones. You talk too much. Let's take this outside," Ben said.
He grabs Hun, throws up high, through the ceiling and back onto the service. Ben follows in pursuit. "Got it, Phoebe is coming online now," Trent said over the radio.
"For some reason, I was offline for a very long period," Phoebe said.
"I know you were, right now, we need you to ratify the glitches with the Plumber H.Q. lockdown," Legion said.
"Following the Dark God Incident, I became familiar with Plumber security protocols. It should take a minute to ratify the glitches. Got it, overriding lockdown and activating the Plumber Defence Network," Phoebe said.
"All right, Phoebe. Let's wrap this up," Carter yelled.
Legion and Carter head back to the service. Hun lands hard on the ground as Ben comes up to the service. "You impress me, human. It's no wonder why you were able to defeat Riger with ease, but I'm much tougher." Hun draws out his big sword; Legion and Carter arrive to back Ben up. "Now you'll witness the full fury of the Seven Swordsmen of Umaga," Hun yelled.
Hun opens up six portals behind and six swordsmen entered through the portals. Legion and Ben sense the amount of energy the seven of them are generating. "This is unbelievable. The power those seven are generating is immense," Ben said.
"This is much worse. Now we have to deal with the Empress's most brutal and dangerous unit: The Seven Swordsmen of Umaga. The Koku Siblings: Di and Sian, Jengo, Mo, Tenzen, Red Fang and Hun himself. We need to be extra careful if we're going to defeat each swordsman," Legion said.
"You stand no chance of defeating us. Attack!" Hun yelled.
They engaged the Swordsmen. Dr. Nexus soon joins in the fight. "Is there room for one more?" Dr. Nexus asked.
They fought the swordsmen. "Is Molly safe?" Carter asked.
"She is, she's about to get ready to give birth," Dr. Nexus said.
"Could we focus on defeating the swordsmen?" Legion suggested.
Jengo strikes his sword at Ben, but he catches it. "These swordsmen are tough. We need a plan and fast," Ben said.
Ben leaps back and they took a breather. "We should split up. It'll make fighting the swordsmen a lot easier," Dr. Nexus said.
"The problem with that plan is there's going to be a lot of collateral damage. There's a chance civilians could get hurt. If we take them all on, it'll minimise casualties," Carter said.
"Both those plans are viable," Legion said.
"I say we take them all on. We don't want any casualties. Enough blood has spilled since Eon and Seth put their plans into motion," Ben said.
They resumed fighting the swordsmen. Ben was able to defeat the Koku Siblings, while Carter defeated Mo and Dr. Nexus defeats Red Fang. "That just leaves Hun, Jengo and Tenzen," Legion said.
"I got this. You three take a seat, you earned it," Ben said.
The others took a break while Ben fights the remaining swordsmen. "Guys, this is Solaris again. We captured Capitol Hill, the others are making a break for the White House," Solaris said over the radio.
"Victory is near," Dr. Nexus said.
"For the first time in months, it's good to see things like that," Carter said.
Ben defeats Jengo and Tenzen, with Hun the only remaining swordsmen left. "You're the only swordsmen left, Hun. Tell us where the Empress is," Ben said.
"I will never betray the cause," Hun said.
Hun goes in for the attack; Ben deflects it by kicking him into the wall. He grabs his sword, throws it into Hun, effectively killing him. "And that makes seven," Ben said.
I and Kevin head up to the service and we were stunned by what we saw. "You did the impossible." I then hugged him and cried. "It's good to see you," I cried.
Dr. Nexus summons an urn and he uses it to imprison the surviving swordsmen. Kevin takes Jengo's sword as a souvenir. "You better be careful using that sword, Kevin. There, I already removed any traps the sword carries," Legion said.
I then hugged Dr. Nexus. "You have no idea what we've been through. I can't believe its over," I said.
"No its not. It's just the beginning, Ben said.
Sometime later, we were back at Plumber H.Q. the other Plumbers were maintaining the base as Max and Cooper get communications set up. They did in the end and they patch Eli through.
"So the rumours are true. The Guardians have returned. Where have you lot been for the last four months?" Eli said.
"We got split up and ended up in different parts of the multiverse," Ben answered.
"I figured as much. We already arrived safely in Washington. The President wants to thank you lot personally when this is over," Eli said.
"It's all right," Ben said.
"Since you lot came back. It's time for Max and me to bring you lot up to speed. Things are getting desperate and what you lot did has got the Elder Ones panicked and scared. Which is a first since they arrived," Eli said.
"I guess defeating the swordsmen did us a few favours," Dr. Nexus said.
"So to speak. Even though North America is liberated, but the rest of the world and the galaxy is still feeling the Elder One presence," Eli said.
"Shortly after they arrived, we lost all communication throughout the galaxy. Making it difficult to maintain communication with the other Plumbers and the Supreme Commander," Max said.
"I might be able to get communication with the rest of the galaxy back online. However, it'll have to be on a different frequency to avoid detection," Phoebe said.
"Also, conventional weapons aren't making a dent. It would seem the Elder Ones are near indestructible," Eli said.
"We were able to gather bits of intel. Ranging from a black box from a crashed Sentry Drone to some journals belonging to Alonso Juarez," Ben said.
"That name has come up once or twice during the occupation. Not long after, we began pooling all resources into finding where the Empress is hiding," Eli said.
"It won't be simple. She's smart, clever and is willing to avoid capture altogether," Dr. Nexus said.
"We need to end this fast before there'll be nothing left. Moss out," Eli said.
Max then patches the rest of the team online. "It's good to see you're still in one piece, Ben," Rex said.
"How's the rest of the country holding up?" Ben asked.
"Most of North America is liberated. The Mystery Men Mansion is intact and we're rounding up what's left of the Elder Ones," the Mighty Rider answered.
"The same can be said for Washington," Dania replied.
"Our next priority is to locate the Empress, Eon and the others," Blake said.
"We tried everything," Cooper said.
"Not true, during our journeys, we made some discoveries that can help. But it'll take time," Blake said.
"Time is something we don't have," Max said.
The communication unit shuts down as Dr. Fai enters the room. "Excuse me; I'm looking for a Carter Tavistock?" Dr. Fai asked.
"That would be me, Doc," Carter answered.
"I got some good news. Your girlfriend is doing fine and she's given birth to a baby girl. Congratulations, you can go see both of them now," Dr. Fai said.
Carter smiles for the first time in month, He leaves the room and heads over to see them. Sometime later, I stood outside the room as Molly and Carter cared for their daughter. Legion walks up to me. "It's change for once. Not having to worry about the Elder Ones. I think the couple are planning to name the kid Hope," Legion said.
I punched my hand to the wall. "It's not fair. Ever since we got split up. All I thought about is what went wrong with my relationship with Julie. Did I lose my humanity after I defeated Diagon?" Ben asked.
"You're still you. Something is on your mind, isn't there?" Legion asked.
"Sometimes I wonder if I did the right by joining the Guardians. I knew the world needed us back then and now. Was there any justification in doing so?" Ben asked.
"To ask yourself that means you're giving in. Right now, hope is something this multiverse needs. I understands you're need to reconnect to humanity," Legion answered.
"Once this is over, I'm retiring for good. The thought of retirement crossed my mind a dozen times. Finding a successor will not be easy," Ben said.
"You better hope the individual will be worthy," Legion said.
In a lab, Cooper goes through the data Blake and Trent provided and is amazed by the findings. Max enters the lab.
"Find anything useful?" Max asked.
"These findings raise more questions than answers. All of this will take time to assimilate. Alonso Juarez knew that this was going to happen and was trying to find a way to stop it," Cooper answered.
"Who's Alonso Juarez?" Max asked.
"According to what Blake told me, Alonso is a brilliant scientist who figured out a way to reverse engineer a Arc Cube fragment. He used the fragment to travel back and forth through multiverses, parallel Earths and time. This excerpt dated 31st December 1999 indicated he was on Multiverse E, parallel Earth 336. He described the world where the Y2K event destroyed everything," Cooper answered.
"Hmm, it sounds like he's seen it all," Max said.
"What's worse is he's being held prisoner with the Elder Ones. The black box from the crashed Sentry Drone did provided some useful information. We're not the only multiverse experiencing these problems with the Elder Ones. if we don't find a way soon, it's game over," Cooper said.
Evening came, as Ben stood outside, watching the starry night sky, I joined him. "I overheard your conversation with Legion. Do you think retiring will make a difference?" I asked.
"Its what I want," Ben answered.
"I don't believe what I'm hearing. Six years ago, you were over the moon when you got the Omnitrix. Now its different," I said.
"You're going to be the first person I told you this. When you and Kevin left, I literally thought about ending my life. With you two gone, I'm nothing. I pretended to be excited about going solo. My perspective changed when I met Rook. All I ever wanted was a normal life," Ben said.
"That's it! I'm talking some sense into you. You're not the cousin I once knew. Something changed," I said.
I and Ben engaged in a fight. Legion and Dr. Nexus intervened and stopped us. "That's enough, Gwen! I understand Ben's intentions. But you can't force him to carry on being a hero," Dr. Nexus said.
"You're better than this, both of you. There is no point fighting against each other. We need to work together in order to defeat the Elder Ones," Legion said.
We went back inside and we knew things were going to get tougher.
Meanwhile on the other side of the galaxy, Aeon teleports to a remote planet. He walks until he finds what he's looking for.
""I know you're there, old friend," Aeon said.
A face suddenly appeared on the mountain. It's been too long, Aeon. The rumours about the Elder Ones return is true.
"I wish I bear good news, Ergo the Living Rock, for I have none. The Guardians have returned and I need your advice," he said.
I sense doubt in your voice. It is understandable. Even in these times, you must cling onto hope.
"Tell me, Ergo. What did you see in your visions?" he asked.
I saw victory, but it comes at a price. Ben must make the ultimate decision in order to secure victory.