Four
Here's To You
A silence fell upon the Earth, we should be celebrating our victory over the Elder Ones. Instead, we mourn the loss of Ben Tennyson, Carter walks up to me and looks at in denial. "No, its not true. Ben must've teleported to a nearby multiverse," Carter said.
"I can no longer sense him or the Omnitrix," I cried.
Everyone around us begins to cry and Gwen falls to her knees. "No, no, no," Gwen said.
"I better the call," Carter said.
He gets his Plumber's badge and makes the call. Alonso uses his gauntlet to open up two portals. "These portals should get you us back home. You better hurry, Superboy. All the locks that separate the multiverses apart are being put back into place. Take the yellow portal." Superboy jumps into the yellow and it closes behind him. "There are no words that can be said here. Thank you for saving me and end the nightmare I started twenty years ago. You have my deepest sympathies and I am sorry for your loss. Goodbye and good luck," Alonso said.
Both Alonso and Zak go through the portal and it closes behind them. Eli arrives at the scene. "We got the call. Say it ain't so?" Eli said.
Eli sheds a tear over Ben's death. It took the rest of the galaxy not long to learn Ben had died in battle. A week passed over at the Old Bellwood Penitentiary, Jeremy enters the hall and sits at the table, opposite Len. "It's weird. Ben 10 is dead. I had to explain to my son what death does. How do you explain something like that to a seven year old with cerebral palsy?" Len asked.
"My father died when I was eight. He died trying to save a kid from drowning in a flowing river. I think the coverage of the funeral is about to start," Jeremy said.
Len turns the TV on. "This is Alpha News, with Harry Miller live from Washington D.C," the announcer said.
"We're coming to live from Washington D.C. For the state funeral of Ben Tennyson, the boy who gave his life to save everything and everyone," Harry said.
Back in Bellwood at the home of Ben Tennyson, Sandra stares at Ben's bedroom and begins to cry, Carl comforts her. They left the house and drove over to Washington D.C. At Plumber H.Q, Max picks up a photo of Ben and Gwen and looks at it. "It's not fair, isn't it? Hearing your grandson has died before you," the Supreme Commander said.
"No one doesn't deserve to bury a child, especially a grandchild. I'm surprised you turned up, Commander," Max said.
He turns around and looks at the Commander. "Galaxy owes everything to Ben. Rook is taking it hard, so he won't be joining us. Given the suffering he and his people went through. They need time to adjust," he said.
"There's no doubt Carl will ever forgive me," Max said.
"It's not your fault. Ben made a choice, a very difficult choice. I know what's its like to bury a child before your time is up. Its never a easy thing. How's the rest of the family handling it?" he asked.
"So far no one hasn't a word. Even now, the press are still on their doorstep, but Eli was able to get a court order to get them away from the house," Max answered.
"We should get going. I got a eulogy to give," he said.
They left the headquarters, boarded a plane and they flew over to Washington D.C. In a cafe, Rex was drinking a latte when Ken and Sylvia arrived and sat next to him at the bar. "We had no idea you were here," Ken said.
"I arrived here a few days ago. Blake has said portal activity between parallel Earths has stabilised. I got here on a fluke," Rex said.
"Your Earth has been through a lot. How bad was the damage?" he asked.
"After what its been through, it's still standing. I'm still having a hard time, not just dealing with Ben's death, but also my father. When we got split up, me and Trent travelled through time back a week before the Nanite Event. At least it brought me closure." He checks his watch. "We should get going. The funeral starts in fifteen minutes," Rex said.
They left the cafe and head over to the church. Back in Bellwood, Carter is standing over Pierce's grave and it began to rain. "Typical, it always rains during a funeral. At least irony has survived," Carter said.
"I'm surprised you turned up, Carter." Helen arrives and places flowers on the grave. "This is the first time I've seen you come here," Helen said.
"I've been coming here since I got over my Forever Knight issues. Also, I came here fifteen minutes ago. How's Manny doing?" Carter said.
"Still in critical condition. The doctors say he's going to make it, but he requires therapy to help him get back on his own two feet," she answered.
"Manny's tough, but he'll pull. We better get going, we don't want to be late," Carter said.
They left the cemetery and head over to Washington D.C. I stood upon a rooftop, watching the people enter the church, Aeon arrives and stood beside me. "I see you got your legs back," I said.
"You're sure this is what you want, Legion?" Aeon asked.
"Its better this way. Also, not everyone will forgive me for what happened before the Elder Ones," I said.
"Is it true that the other Guardians offered you membership?" Aeon asked.
"It is, but I told them I'll think about it. I sense so much sorrow in the air. Thank you for helping the galaxy during its hour of need," I said.
"It took me a while to snap our ruler out of her stupor. I heard you were offered Guardian membership?" Aeon asked.
"I did, but I told them I'll think about it. Right now, I'm not popular with most people. That's the despite the fact I got pardon three days ago," I answered.
"What're you going to do now since you're a free man or demigod?" Aeon asked.
"Well, it's a big multiverse. I might as well go explore it to see what role I fit in after what's happened," I said.
"Take care and be careful. You're not the only super-powered being out there," Aeon said.
I left the area and teleported to a nearby multiverse to begin my journey. Inside the church, everyone who was invited to funeral has arrived and the Supreme Commander takes centre stage.
"We've gathered today to pay our final respects and goodbyes to the late Ben Tennyson. Throughout his life, Ben saw himself as a hero and was willing to do anything to help out. His noble acts of heroism have gained him the respect from just about every corner of the galaxy and me. When I first heard the reports about him, I was sceptical. In time, I began t saw Ben who he was, not just as Max's grandson, but a friend," the Supreme Commander said.
The Commander leaves the stage and Eli walks on. "Throughout my life, I made a lot of decisions. Some were, others were bad. One of my former partners, Devin Levin always had a suspicion that superheroes would return one day. If they did, he would bring together a band of heroes to fight the battles that no one could. Ben did just that, he brought about the best of us and he led us to victory at the cost of his life," Eli said.
Time passes and each eulogy given is a testament to Ben and what he stood. A hour passes and the organist begins to play Here's To You. Aeon stood watch as he witnesses the people leaving the church. He begins to cry. Sometime later at the Mystery Men, Max, the Supreme Commander, Eli and Trent were sitting at the fireplace. "Today wasn't easy, but I still I like to know why Ben chose Here's To You to be played at his funeral?" the Supreme Commander asked.
"He once told me that the song represented the many injustices people go through and it represents civil rights," Max answered.
"Now that we're all here, its time to do the full debriefing," Eli said.
"Blake and I ran scans and all the locks that separate our multiverse from the others are back in place. It means Earth Prime is off limits and safe," Trent said.
"The galaxy is also safe. You wouldn't believe who showed up during those final moments: the Light Gods," he said.
"Legion did mention something about that when we last spoke," Trent said.
"Speaking of that, when is he?" Max asked.
"Shortly after we defeated the Elder Ones, we offered both Legion and Deviation full Guardian membership. Deviation accepted and I sent him over to Mason Enterprises' Singapore branch for maintenance. To make sure Eon didn't leave any nasty surprises in it. As for Legion, I haven't been able to track down. My guess, he may be on a parallel Earth doing some exploring," Trent answered.
"I still don't like the idea of you giving Legion a full pardon. Given that the list of crimes he's committed is lengthy. What about Julie and those villains Eon recruited?" he asked.
"That's Dark Sai's doing, not his. Also, he could've taken out the team during this whole affair. As for Julie, whatever Deviation did seem to work. She's currently in rehab following a whole ordeal. I ordered my science team to make sure Eon didn't leave any surprises. As for the villains, Sludge was captured and so was Black Knight. Rex took Black Knight back with him so she can face trial for crimes against humanity. Lord Zero still remains at large," Eli said.
"What about the rest of the galaxy ?" Trent asked.
"The galaxy is safe and Revonnahganders have been liberated and so have the Galvan. I have to admit, that was a close call," he answered.
"I'm willing to lend you my resources to help you and the rest of the galaxy rebuild," Trent said.
"Thank you, before I leave, there's something I would to give to you, Max." The Commander gets a small box out, opens it and there's a medal inside. "I was planning to give the Arcadian Star to Ben during a formal dinner, but that point became moot when he sacrificed his life," he said.
He gives Max the medal. "Only seventy Plumbers have been awarded the Arcadian Star. Only five were award posthumously. Thank you," Max said.
"I think we're done," Eli said.
Outside, in the gallery, Carter stares at In Memoriam section of the gallery and stares at the portrait of Ben. "I didn't think it would be this soon. I always thought you died until you get old. I take it Black Knight wasn't a problem?" Carter said.
Rex arrives and stands next to him. "No, she seemed awfully quiet during the transfer. I didn't think we would lose a member this early and it had to be Ben," Rex said.
"I tried speaking to Gwen during the wake, but she kept on crying. Months back, before all of this, Ben asked me how I met her and I usually replied we worked together on a murder case. But Ben wanted all the details and try my best to stay quiet about it. It was around the middle of winter, late November/early December I think. Kevin was on vacation with his mom, while Ben was off world at the time," Carter said.
"What happened?" Rex asked.
"A Plumber kid was murdered, in a back alley during a botched mugging. The killer shot the kid in the heart, when the kid fell, his ID mask broke and it revealed his true form. Det. Louie Fisk was assigned to the case. Louie was a former Plumber, so he was the best candidate to solve the case. But Commissioner Mick Anglo wasn't convinced, so he tried to get Ben to be a consultant or so he thought. Instead, he ended recruiting Gwen," he answered.
"That doesn't sound so bad," Rex said.
"At first, things went well. However, things took a turn for the worst. Gwen returned to the scene of the crime to find more clues to help them solve the murder. Then, a man walked up behind her, he asked for money and Gwen refused. He grabs and holds her to the wall. She tries to scream, but she can't because her face is in the wall. She's crying, she becomes terrified and scared. The man yells for her money as he holds a knife against her throat. Then, I came in, I took the would-be mugger out and left him for the cops. The whole ordeal would've scarred Gwen emotionally, but she's a strong girl. Just like the rest of the family," he said.
Kevin walks up to them, having heard every word Carter has said. "I have no idea that this actually happened, especially to Gwen," Kevin said.
He sheds a tear. "After we solved the case. Gwen made me took a oath of silence to not mention about how I met her, only a small margin of it. She didn't want you to worry about her," he said.
"Thank you," Kevin said.
In the conference room, Blake looks at the files for potential replacements when Trent enters the room. "I've read the files and there isn't anyone who can replace Ben," Blake said.
"Its better this way. The press have been going on about us going our separate ways, but we won't. We're Guardians and we right the wrongs villains commit. It's a brave new world we're entering and its a world without Ben," Trent said.
Meanwhile, Ben wakes up to find himself in a dimension he doesn't recognise. He checks his wrist and the Omnitrix is destroyed. He gets up and stares at the sun. "Okay, I'm in a dimension I don't recognise and the Omnitrix is destroyed. Along with any chance of getting home. This can be problematic," Ben said.
The End?