Chapter 8: Hanging Chad

Ben deliberately kept on the move the following morning, curious to see if the former Number 274 was all he was cracked up to be. Fortified with the largest cup of coffee available from the cafeteria, Ben started his day by visiting Mandy's secretaries. Nazz, Muriel, Mrs. Warthog, and Assistant Scoutmaster Slinkman all greeted him enthusiastically, and Mrs. Warthog informed him that Eddy, in a wildly uncharacteristic move, had indeed donated a lump sum of cash (mostly in quarters) to the pizza party fund.

"I don't get it," grunted Mrs. Warthog.

"Self-preservation," Ben replied humorlessly.

"We have enough for a party tomorrow night," she said. "I'll get the word out."

Ben had been to only one of the pizza parties that were held whenever there was enough money in the kitty. It had been a loud and noisy affair that allowed the child soldiers to kick back and be kids and work off some tension. That might be a decent first date for Nigel and . . .

He sighed. Dexter was right. His mind was made up. It had been all along. Nigel and Chad. He was just going through the motions of interviews right now.

Applications were still trickling in, and he passed them off to whichever Dexbot was closest, to be converted into confetti. Putting a stopper on Eddy's money-making scheme seemed to have worked.

It was a perfect summer day, and Ben was itching to get outside. Heaven knew Dexter would never willingly step foot outside unless the building was burning down, so Ben was on his own. Deciding a visit to the hangars was in order, Ben set out on the four-mile foot path. It roughly paralleled the road and wound through patches of trees and a few gardens and lawns on its way to the hangars. The DexLabs grounds were as nice as the building even if Dexter never went there himself.

There were a few soldiers out and about, most of them training. Ben paused by a large field to sip his coffee and watch a small troop of trainees. At the onset of the war with Planet Fusion, Dexter had allowed the Kids Next Door to set up an obstacle course on his property. True to form it utilized some (in Ben's opinion) bizarre items to get results - swing sets, clothes lines, a whole gauntlet of swinging doors, a school bus, and a dozen kiddie pools among other things. This was where everyone found out if their individually designed 'uniforms' would actually protect them while allowing them to move and fight. This group of newbies happened to be a band of Ronin, meaning they were die-hard fans of Samurai Jack. Conical straw hats, kimonos, and wooden sandals were all the rage. Ben thought they all looked as if they were running around in bath robes, but whatever worked for them.

There was also a shooting range half a mile further down the path, which Dexter had expanded considerably at the KND's request. A few dozen trainees were practicing with their Null-Void guns under the strict eye of DexLabs Security Sgt. Lee and the stricter eye of KND Operative 1941. Considerably more experienced than the Ronin he had just passed, these troops had refined their dress code to something more practical than kimonos. Most were in various sorts of armor and helmets and visors, because Null-Voids were bright even in daylight and looking at the beams too long could give anyone a headache. In full-bore vacation mode, Ben happily watched everyone else working while he enjoyed more coffee. Standing between Lee and 1941, he kept his voice flat as he announced,

"Pizza party tomorrow night."

Lee groaned. 1941 grinned. Ben caffeinated and continued his morning stroll.

Slinging his green jacket over his shoulder as the sun grew warmer on his back, he made way when 1941 and his troop came jogging by, singing out a cadence as they headed toward the hangars. Their song was fading in the distance when a familiar (and expected) voice said from a little ways behind him,

"Commander Tennyson?"

He turned. Generic black-and-gray armor and a helmet and visor favored by just about every third ECF trooper served to hide Chad's identity today. Only someone looking for him would have recognized him in that non-descript armor – Ben barely recalled spotting him on the range just ten minutes earlier.

"G'morning," he said wryly, letting Chad see how impressed he was. Would 1941's crew even notice they were missing one? He gave a quick smile. "Good cover."

Chad nodded at the compliment and pulled off the helmet, automatically brushing his blond hair out of his eyes. "Thanks. And thanks for making this a bit easier on me. Getting in and out of DexLabs undetected is no picnic, and I wasn't sure I'd be able to do it again. I got your message, so I take it you got my application."

Briefly Ben contemplated telling him that blue ink, complete sentences, and semi-colons had gone far towards scoring him a date, but he didn't know how much time Chad had and those details could wait. "I did," he said, "and now I've got a question for you."

()()()()()()()()()()

Miraculously, they were mostly dressed when Computress contacted them. Decontamination, which under normal circumstances consisted of an hour in the decontamination chamber followed by a half-hour shower, had ended up being an hour in the chamber and a three-hour shower. Ben loved showers, Dexter loved Ben, and Ben loved Dexter in the shower. To put it mildly, they were squeaky clean.

"Dexter," said the super computer after chiming them (she knew better than to interrupt when they were in Dexter's private rooms). "I've finished with the files on Chad Dickson. Two of the files are identical. There are four videos and three document files. Would you like to see them?"

"In a moment," Dexter replied, shrugging on a fresh lab coat. "What time is it?"

"Five-oh-five PM."

"Print the document files. We'll join you in the lab."

Pulling on his purple gloves, he turned and looked at Ben, who sprawled on the loveseat behind him. He had gotten as far as putting on his jeans before opting to watch Dexter getting dressed. Appealing as a shirtless Ben Tennyson might be, though (and he was very appealing), they needed to be back home by six for dinner, and that meant clothes.

"Ben – shirt."

He looked at the black t-shirt with distaste. "Do I have to?"

Playfully he balled up the shirt and threw it Ben's head. "If I'm going to be of any use with these files, yes."

Ben smiled, pleased with himself. He held up the shirt in question and said, "Sleep in it tonight and give it back in the morning and I will."

"Deal." He headed for the door, buttoning his coat as he went. "Come, my love. Lab."

Thus indulged, Ben scooped up his shirt and jacket and followed, dressing as they headed back to the lab. The quick walk sufficed to get their minds off each other and onto the business at hand. Once they reached Dexter's work station the redhead called, "Computress, play the videos."

There was no cuddling or snuggling this time around. With Nigel's best interests at stake, they were deathly serious. Side by side, they watched the videos the Kids Next Door had not wanted anyone, not even their own operatives, to see.

()()()()()()()()()()

The handsome young man pressed his lips together in something close to a grimace, drawing a deep breath and bracing himself. It was very clear he was nervous over what Ben may or may not know or want to know. Standing a little straighter, he raised his chin and looked at Ben squarely. "I'll answer what I can, Commander, but I might not be able to tell you everything. I'm sure you understand."

"I do," Ben replied honestly. They were both soldiers in a war. Secrets made up huge parts of their lives.

"What did you want to ask me?"

"Well, before I get to that, I want you to know that Dexter's been helping me with this whole finding Nigel a date thing and . . . he's done his homework."

For a moment Chad Dickson was caught off guard, and then he let out his breath and closed his gaping mouth with an audible snap as things added up in his mind. He shook his head and sighed in equal parts admiration and annoyance. "Homework. Riiight. They thought it was the Kremlin."

Ben grinned, proud of his genius boyfriend. "He wanted them to."

"It's because I got into his headquarters, right? Tell him I promise I won't bust in again if he won't."

"I'll try. At least you guys got the new Sumo Slammers game out of the deal."

Chad rethought his annoyance. "Yeah, that is pretty awesome."

"I hate you all," muttered Ben10, and Chad had to look away quickly to keep from getting caught gloating. Ben made a face, and before they could stop themselves, they both laughed. For a brief moment these two exceptional young men enjoyed the company of a peer, a rare event for them both. It passed all too quickly when a KND vehicle drove past. Chad turned his face away from the road, casually pointing as if something off the path was worth their attention. Taking his cue, Ben also looked away as if interested.

"We should keep moving," said Chad, getting back to business. He put his helmet back on, leaving the visor up. "What's C.H.O.P.S.T.I.C.K.?"

Ben fell in beside him. "Nothing. Dexter just knows how the KND filing system works."

There was a long pause.

"So. You saw my file," he said softly, bitterly.

"Yeah."

()()()()()()()()()()

A double agent. Chad Dickson was one of two KND operatives that had been retained beyond his thirteenth birthday. His supposed betrayal had been an elaborate ruse to entice the Teen Ninjas to recruit him. He had willingly let his name be smeared to continue serving the organization he loved, working behind the scenes to serve the KND even as he worked to thwart the Teen Ninjas and their allies. His cover was perfect – sometimes too perfect as he had been forced on several occasions to fight Sector V. There were several clips of ten- and eleven-year-old Nigel Uno reporting about Chad in scathing, almost acidic tones.

"Man, he's got some serious issues with teenagers," observed Ben as a younger Number One ranted passionately.

"Something tells me Mr. Dickson is in part responsible for that stance."

"Say what?"

Dexter crossed his arms and shrewdly said, "Methinks the Kid doth protest too much."

"Ah."

There were dozens of clips of Chad reporting to some unnamed superior that he had assisted the various sectors with missions. Most of these efforts, they were quick to note, had been in Sector V, and Nigel's name came up time and again as Chad thwarted one villain's plan after another. He was shown in various disguises and uniforms, and more than once he reported from a hospital bed. One intriguing bit of video footage showed Chad sitting in a shadowy room, in a chair in front of a desk, his elbows on his knees and his head hung low. He looked spent and defeated.

"After all this – they don't want me?" the blond asked in pained disbelief. "How can they do that to me?"

"I'm sorry, 274," said a girl's voice. "I don't think it's a question of they don't want you – I think it's just that you're needed here more. Something is coming, something terrible. Not even the Plumbers can stop it and it's heading toward earth. You've been reassigned. You're going to be posted here, on the moon base."

"What good can I do here, Rachel?" he snapped, looking up in fury.

"You can keep me safe," was her quiet reply, and he was stricken for having unleashed on her.

"Rachel?" asked Dexter.

"362. The Supreme Leader before Nigel was appointed. She was at the moon base when we lost contact."

"Who is this 'they'?"

He shrugged. "Someone a step up from Supreme Leader, I guess."

Dexter rolled his eyes at this very obvious statement.

()()()()()()()()()()

Dickson's whole body seemed to sag with sudden fatigue and he stopped in his tracks. "Commander -"

"Call me Ben and I saw the whole thing."

He hesitated. "All of it?"

Ben nodded.

"The videos? All the reports?" confirmed Chad. He stepped in front of Ben and seized him by the forearms in a powerful hold, anxiety and excitement in his blue eyes.

"Everything."

Relief filled him. Loosening his grip, Chad lowered his head and gasped.

"You okay?" asked Ben, putting his hand on Chad's shoulder reassuringly.

His voice shook the least bit. "I can't begin to tell you how glad I am that someone else has seen that whole file. It's the only proof I've got. 362 was the only one that knew anything about what I'm doing for the Kids Next Door and now that she's gone . . . I didn't think there'd be any way I could convince anyone that I'm not a traitor."

"I believe you."

"You can't tell anyone, Ben."

"Swear. And don't worry about Dexter, he never sees anyone anyway, but I'll let him know."

"Thank you," breathed Number 274, and Ben knew it was thanks for far more than a promise of silence.

()()()()()()()()()()

"You were right, Dex."

"Of course. Which time?"

"He's the one."

()()()()()()()()()()

"Which brings us around to my question," said Ben.

Still overwhelmed, Chad gave him a weak half-smile. "What do you want to know?"

Ben matched him smile for smile. "So where you taking Nigel tomorrow night?"