Plumber's Charm

A Ben 10 Fanfic

By Adam Leigh

Chapter 3 – Reparations and Preparations

July 9, 2010

Bellwood, CA

-(X)-

Ben stood outside of Julie's house and knocked again.

"Julie?" he called out. He'd tried the doorbell, but there had been no response. There were no cars in the driveway, which at least meant her parents were out, but he wanted to be sure before leaving. "Are you in there?"

Ben waited for at least a minute more before stepping down off the porch. At nearly the same moment, the door finally opened.

Ben spun on his foot and looked to see Julie sticking her head through the opening of the door, glaring. He felt his blood go cold and had to concentrate on not shivering.

"What do you what?" asked Julie.

Ben had come up with lots of excuses for ... whatever he'd done last night, but on his way to his car Gwen stopped him, held him in the air with her magic, and forced him to swear to only tell Julie the truth. Of course, since Gwen wasn't here, there's no way she could know, but Ben was starting to learn better than to tempt fate like that. Besides, Gwen sometimes manifested strange new powers due to their Anodite heritage, and for all he knew she was watching.

"I honestly have no idea what happened last night after I changed into Benwolf," said Ben, quickly. He took a breath to stop himself from speaking too fast. "You know this has happened to me before and I can't control it."

Julie looked even angrier for a moment. Her lips turned deeply down and grooves formed on her forehead as if she was struggling to keep her skin on her skull. Ben shifted his weight in preparation to flee in case something came flying at him.

Then, suddenly, she closed her eyes and the scowl faded. "Come in," she said, drolly. She turned and walked back into her house leaving the door open.

Ben wasn't sure what happened but followed her inside.

Julie's house was smaller than Ben's, but much more stylishly decorated. Julie's father was an interior designer and often ended up with leftovers from contract work that he would bring home and decorate a bedroom or bathroom with. The simple ranch on the outside belied the hardwood floors and intricate crown molding in the inside.

Julie sat down on the living room couch and looked at Ben. In return, he moved over to sit on the couch as well, cautiously keeping a little distance between them.

"Nobody will tell me what happened," said Ben. "I don't even know what I should be sorry for."

"You had a thing for her, didn't you?" Julie said right out.

"Her? Kai?" asked Ben. He nodded slowly. "Just a crush, when I first met her over five years ago. I thought she was cute."

"And now?" asked Julie with a brow.

"And now... she's older?" said Ben.

Julie sighed and it seemed some of the tension in her body faded. She leaned back on the couch. "Ben, I wish I could be ..." she trailed off and bit her lip.

"She was never interested in me," said Ben, hoping to explain. "She liked Benwolf, but only because she wanted him as a pet. Like a collie."

Julie laughed briefly and Ben finally felt like he wasn't going to die in this house.

"Well, like a collie would probably be how I would describe how you were acting last night," said Julie. She looked at Ben with a small smile. "You never seem to be that trained for me."

"I'm not sure I'm comfortable saying I've been trained at all," said Ben.

"Of course not," said Julie, with just a hint of ire. "That alien of yours hasn't gotten over its crush though."

"He shouldn't remember," said Ben. "I mean, it's not like the aliens are paused when they're in the Ultimatrix. Their DNA stream goes back to Primus. It's just a copy anyway. I think."

"You think?" asked Julie.

"I'm not sure exactly how that Big Chill thing happened or what went on with Ghostfreak if the DNA Codon stream from Primus is just a copy," said Ben. "I would think there's no way for an alien form to remember anything from the prior times I used it."

"Would seem to be a question for Azmuth," said Julie. "Who you were going to talk to about the Ultimatrix anyway."

Ben shook his head and looked at Julie. "I'm sorry," he said, suddenly like he needed to say so.

"It's okay," said Julie. "You can't control it." She muttered something beneath her breath then continued. "The bigger problem is if you need to use the Ultimatrix again. Will you turn into Benwolf?"

"I'm not sure," said Ben. "I have no idea what will happen next time, especially since Kai will be around."

"Why would Kai be around?" asked Julie. She frowned slightly.

"Grandpa Max asked us to go with her to Painted Rock," said Ben. "There's a good chance an alien is going to show up there to trash the place."

"And you're going? Even though you can't rely on the Ultimatrix right now?"

"I can't just ignore an alien attack," said Ben. "If I have to I'll fight it myself, but I'm not just going to wait around."

Julie looked at Ben and then sat up. She reached out and touched Ben's cheek softly. "I like you, Ben," she said. There was a slight pink flush on her cheeks. "Even when you're being an idiot, you're better than all the boys I've ever met."

"Idiot?" said Ben, offended.

"I'm coming with you."

Ben's mouth hung open for a second. "N-no, if something goes wrong with the Ultimatrix—"

"Ben." Julie's soft touch grew firmer until she was holding his jaw in her fingers. "You're going on a road trip with Kai and you can't control yourself around her when you're in alien mode." She looked him directly in the eyes. "I'm coming with you."

Ben swallowed. "Okay," he said.

Julie patted him on the head. "Good boy," she said. Then leaned in closer and kissed him quickly on the nose before letting go. "Besides, I have Ship. He'll keep me safe."

-(X)-

Gwen packed her things into the trunk of Kevin's car and closed it firmly. She turned back to watch Kai and Wes moving their things around the Rustbucket – Grandpa Max's old RV – while Grandpa himself was doing something in the driver's seat.

Gwen was concerned about Kai and Ben, for a multitude of reasons. She knew a little something about old crushes, and worried that Ben might sacrifice something meaningful and real to chase a dream. That could present a number of problems in the future, but they really all paled to the problem with the Ultimatrix.

She and Kevin could hold their own in a fight but the truth was, after a year or so, they'd gotten used to fighting as a team. A largely uncoordinated team, but a team nonetheless. Ben's contributions to their fights were meaningful. But if he was going to go all dog-in-heat around Kai every time he transformed into an alien, they were going to have trouble fighting whatever it was they were after.

Which brought up another issue altogether.

"Hey," said Kevin as he came around the back of the car. He had been doing something under the hood, as usual. Gwen only had the barest idea of what Kevin did half the time when he was fiddling with his Mustang Special. Cars weren't really her thing. For all she knew he was adding concealed guns or changing the oil.

"Finished?" asked Gwen, turning to face her boyfriend.

"Yeah, we should be set," said Kevin. "As ready as we'll be for a completely unknown enemy."

"That worries me," said Gwen, putting a hand to her chin. "We've never run into a Chamatronian or a Thermian before and Grandpa Max doesn't seem to be very forthcoming with the details about them."

"Chamatronians are urban legends," said Kevin. "Like the boogie man. I'd bet on the Thermian, whatever those are, though I can't imagine why any alien would want old Native American burial grounds," said Kevin.

"They're heritage sites," said Gwen. "You've heard of Chamatronians before?"

"A little bit," said Kevin. "Some of tech dealers I've worked with have been superstitious. They were always worried that one of their customers would turn out to be a Chamatronian. Apparently they're disguise artists or mimics, only scarier."

"Scarier?" asked Gwen.

"I'm not sure why," said Kevin. "I mean, Osmosians are mimics too, but nobody seems to go around terrified your drinking buddy might be an Osmosian." He contemplated that. "Probably should though."

"That doesn't tell us what could be at these grounds that the alien wants. I would think that if there was something powerful in these sites that Wes would know about it, but he's been tight lipped."

"Too many questions," Kevin shook his head. "Never a good sign. Why do I get the feeling that although we're planning the ambush, we're the ones who are going to be ambushed?"

"You're not alone," said Gwen.

"Maybe you can wrestle some information out of his granddaughter," said Kevin. "Or maybe Ben can." He grinned.

"We didn't leave on good terms five years ago," said Gwen. "And I think we should keep Ben as far from her as possible."

"Hey, she came to us for help," said Kevin. "She's gotta be willing to tell us something." He puffed up his chest a bit. "I can give it shot if you want."

"You're... going to rely on your charm?" asked Gwen, skeptically.

"Hey, I'm smooth."

Gwen stared.

"Sorta." Kevin crossed his arms. "Hey, it worked on you."

Gwen frowned.

"Okay, I'm going to stop talking to you now, and start talking to Kai," said Kevin. He turned before he could see any expression on Gwen's face and headed over to the Rustbucket.

Gwen sighed and went back inside to grab her jacket.

-(X)-

"Hey," said Kevin to Kai as the latter was coming out of the Rustbucket.

"Hi," said Kai. "Kevin, right?"

"Yeah," smiled Kevin. "I wanted to talk to you for a second about this alien thing."

"Okay," Kai said cautiously. She leaned against the RV and put one heel up against the tire. "Shoot."

"Well, uh..." Kevin hesitated, having neglected to fully plan out his conversation in advance. "It just seems to me that maybe there's more to what's going on than your Grandfather and Gwen's Grandfather are saying. And I was... you know... wondering if you might... uh... agree?" He winced.

"Grandpa doesn't really tell me much about his Plumber days," said Kai. "I'm probably as much in the dark about this as you are."

"Hrm," said Kevin. He probably wouldn't learn much from her and would have to go to Max now. "Did your parents know about the Plumbers?" He was a little curious about how other Plumbers' families dealt with the secret. Kevin's father had told his mother, and from what Gwen said, her parents knew about Verdona.

"They probably did, but I don't know," said Kai. "I haven't seen them in a long time."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I never really knew them. They left Earth when I was just two."

"Left... Earth? They were aliens?" Kevin was surprised. There was no outward sign of it at all in Kai. Though, to be fair, there was little sign in Kevin himself when he wasn't using his power.

"Mom was," said Kai. "My father was Grandpa Wes' son, so he was human. " She frowned. "I think anyway. Grandpa doesn't talk about it much either."

"You're a half-alien," said Kevin. "Like me."

"You?" asked Kai. "What are you?"

"Half Osmosian," said Kevin.

"Osmosian?"

"I can absorb energy and matter and use it to protect myself or turn it into weapons. What about you?"

"Uh..." Kai hedged.

"Lemme guess, your Grandpa hasn't told you."

Kai shook her head. "He's very reluctant to speak anything about Plumbers or aliens or anything to do with my parents. I think he's upset with them for leaving me with him."

Kevin's eyes widened.

"Uh, not that he doesn't like having me around," said Kai quickly. "He's always been kind, but I think he thinks his son abandoned me, and is upset about it."

"Wow," said Kevin. "I used to think my family was strange." He looked Kai over again. "So, got any strange powers or anything?"

Kai shook her head. "No, not hat I ever noticed. I'm really good with animals, but so are a lot of completely normal humans."

"Ben and Gwen's parents are like that," said Kevin. "They're part Anodite, but none of them ever showed it. Only Gwen."

Kai looked past Kevin over at Gwen, who seemed to be trying to watch their conversation without looking like she was watching their conversation. As Kai stared, Gwen quickly opened the door of Kevin's car and started playing in the glove box.

"She doesn't look very different," said Kai. "I don't remember anything strange about her five years ago."

"It's subtle," Kevin said. "She's capable of turning into energy if she wants, but she doesn't like it."

"I see, I guess," said Kai. She frowned. "Wait, you can absorb energy. And your girlfriend is a being made of energy."

"Yeah, that's right."

"Kinky," Kai grinned.

Kevin blushed heavily and then coughed. "Um, so you don't know anything about what might be hidden under those ceremonial sites?"

Kai shrugged, but continued to grin. "Remains of our ancestors? Old talons and things like that? Nothing that Grandpa has ever spent more than a moment talking about."

"All right. It was worth a try." Kevin turned to head back to his car.

"What about Max?" asked Kai. Kevin turned slightly back. "Grandpa told me that Max spent a lot more time in the Plumbers than he did. He had partners both before and after him."

"I'm not sure Max ever left the Plumbers," said Kevin. "He says the Earth Plumbers were disbanded after Vilgax was defeated the first time, but I don't buy it. My father wasn't that old, for one thing, but he still worked with Max in the Plumbers." He shook his head. "I think the old man took it underground, but never lost touch with the rest of the organization."

"Then he's probably the one who knows what's really going on," said Kai.

"Good luck getting it out of him," said Kevin. He started to head back to his car.

"Hey, wait," Kai called out. "Have you seen Ben anywhere?"

"Why?" asked Kevin, a little more defensively than he intended.

"I... just wanted to talk to him," said Kai. "Now that he's... you know, upright."

"And not a wolf," added Kevin.

"Yeah," Kai said quietly.

Kevin turned away again. "He's off reconciling with his girlfriend. I'd give him space until he's ready."

"Oh. Okay," he heard Kai say in a dejected manner. He didn't look back. He didn't want to sympathize, but it was hard to look on a sad girl and do nothing about it.

He wondered if he was becoming a pushover.

Gwen was sitting in the passenger seat staring into the side view mirror when Kevin reached her. "What are you doing?" he asked.

Gwen leaned out the window and looked up at Kevin. "What were you blushing about?"

Kevin stiffened. "Nothing." He pulled at the neck of his shirt slightly. "Kai doesn't know anything. Apparently Wes is as quiet on the matter as Max has been. She suggested we try to get more out of Max, but that's like getting blood from a stone."

Gwen narrowed her eyes but leaned back into her seat again. "Then away in the unknown we go."

Kevin shrugged. "No different than usual. Although I think I have an idea of how to get more information. We can check it out on the way."

-(X)-

When Ben and Julie showed up back at Ben's house, everyone had finished packing and were standing around waiting to go. Ben ran inside briefly to gather a few things leaving Julie on her own.

"I'm coming," she informed Gwen.

"Figured you might be," replied Gwen with a smile. "Gotta keep a handle on these boys." She looked briefly over her shoulder at Kevin who was currently talking with Max about improvements to the RV's armaments.

"Tell me about it," said Julie. She looked over at Kai who was reading a book on the porch of the house. She had dusky skin and long black hair, wearing cutoff jeans and a red tank top. One leg was bent up with her foot on the porch so that her book could rest on her knee. The other leg was extended out casually displaying her ankle tattoos just above her sneakers. She almost looked to be basking in the sun. "She is kind of stunning. You don't think—"

"No," Gwen said firmly. Julie looked back at her. "You know Ben better than she ever will. Don't let it get to you."

"But, Benwolf—"

"Silliness with the Ultimatrix," Gwen cut her off again. "Besides, she hasn't expressed any interest in him since she arrived. It was all the alien." She smiled and put her hand reassuringly on Julie's shoulder. "If she ever does make a move on him, though, I'll help you tear her limb from limb."

Julie smiled and looked down. She nodded slowly. "Thanks."

"It's okay," said Gwen. "You're a lot cooler than her anyway."

Julie looked back at Kai. "I don't have any slutty tattoos, though."

"They're probably tribal," laughed Gwen. "So I don't imagine they're supposed to be 'slutty.' But I get the idea. We can always get you some of your own if you want."

Julie looked back at Gwen with wide eyes. "I don't think I could ever... "

Gwen patted her on the back. "Come on. Let's get Ship and your stuff into Kevin's car."

-(X)-

July 9th, 2010

Interstate 5, California

Kevin followed the Rustbucket on the highway as they headed towards the Carrizo Plain. Gwen was beside him with Ben and Julie in the back seat. The dashboard monitor was up showing a video of young boy with light brown hair and dark brown eyes.

"Painted Rock?" asked Jimmy Jones over the video chat.

"Its part of Carrizo Plain," said Ben from the back seat. "Apparently it's significant to the Native Americans."

Jimmy shrugged. "Well, the Omnipedia says it's a rock formation where several Native American tribes left their marks in the form of pictographs and signatures. Even some carvings into the stone by western explorers all the way up to the mid-twentieth century. Chumash, Salinan, Yokut... there's a long list."

"What about alien influence?" asked Kevin. "Something that somebody would come to Earth to find or get?"

"Hmmm," mused Jimmy. He tapped at his keyboard rapidly which was just below the view of the camera. "I haven't found any alien activity in the Carrizo Plain before. Not very much in the rumors and legends areas either, beyond your typical ghostly stuff."

"What ghostly stuff?" asked Gwen.

"Well, it's a Native American heritage site, so there's lots of stories about the ancestors of the natives coming to life around campfires to talk about the future." Jimmy shook his head. "But that's normal in any area with historical importance like this one. There are stories like that about the Grand Canyon."

"Anything else?" asked Ben. "It's a giant horseshoe shaped rock. Maybe somebody created it?"

"The omnipedia says the whole area used to be beneath a shallow lake," said Jimmy. "About twenty million years ago. It's not an unusual shape if you think about it being underwater and run over by waves for millions of years."

"That's pretty clever, Jimmy," said Julie.

Jimmy blushed. "It's just what it says on the site..." he trailed off.

"Great, so we still have no idea why this alien has been trashing ceremony sites," said Kevin.

"Painted Rock is just the next place on his path," said Gwen. "It's possible what he's looking for is somewhere else."

"Wait," said Jimmy. "Are you guys chasing the alien that landed in New Mexico last week?"

"You know about it?" asked Ben.

"Of course, Mr. Tennyson!" said Jimmy, smiling widely. "A lanky blue alien starts thrashing public places and you think I wouldn't?"

"What do you know?" asked Gwen. "Do you have a picture?"

"Better," said Jimmy. He looked down for a second then clicked something with his mouse. The screen changed to show a dark, fragment video of a circle of rocks being thrown about by a shadowy figure.

"Is this the guy?" asked Kevin. "He doesn't look so terrifying."

"It's hard to tell, but I used some image processing software I downloaded off the internet to clean it up a bit," said Jimmy.

The image changed slightly and now was slightly brighter but also somewhat faded. The outline of the figure could easily be seen but very little detail made it onto the video. The alien was clearly thin, tall, and had long arms it was using to dig up rocks and then throw them to the side. After a few moments it started digging into the ground throwing up huge clumps of dirt as it burrowed.

"How did you get this video?" said Gwen. "Were you there?"

"Oh, no," said Jimmy. "Someone there at the time had an iPhone. They just took a video."

The alien on the video continued to throw dirt everywhere.

"Okay, he's going to give up soon," said Jimmy. "Watch, you'll get a brief look at him."

The alien was hip deep in the ground when it growled loudly and thumped the earth four times. It then climbed up out of the hole, turned its hands into fists, and looked up into the sky. A bright light suddenly flashed from the alien and it rocketed into the sky a split second later.

"Woah, wait, I didn't see it," said Ben.

"I'll back it up for you, Mr. Tennyson," said Jimmy.

The video froze and rewound up until the flash of light, then stepped back frame by frame until just as the flash was starting. The upper half of alien was clearly lit up for just one frame before he took off. The alien looked tall, with blue, shiny skin, and large yellow eyes. He had a black stripe around his neck and that ran down his body bisecting it.

"What is that?" asked Julie.

"It's a Lumerian," said Kevin, with a frown.

"So, not a Chamatronian or a Thermian?" asked Ben.

"No, they're largely bureaucrats from a planet called Lemmox," said Kevin. "I've seen a number of them in the G. P. as well as in a few united governments. Pencil pushers, but they've got this ability to turn into walking shadows at will. Great at night, not so great during the day."

"Why is this one digging holes on Earth?" asked Gwen.

"Dunno," said Kevin. "It's certainly not typical."

"At least we know what to look for," said Ben.

"Yeah, a walking shadow," said Julie. "At night."

"I didn't say it would be easy," said Ben.

-(X)-

March 16, 1923

Black Hills, South Dakota

Linus Tennyson gripped his phased disrupter pistol tightly and breathed. He wasn't sure what was going on, but the alien that landed nearby had seemed out for him from the moment it emerged from the small transport ship. He pressed his back against the trees and peeked around.

The Back Hills mountains were covered in trees and quite tall, making them both a good and a poor place to mount a defense. Good because, since he was on higher ground – probably, by his reckoning, on Rushmore, though it was hard to tell since all the mountains looked the same here – but bad because the dense trees made it hard to see an enemy approaching from the sky, which this one clearly could.

Listening to the deafening quiet, Linus decided to risk calling his partner. He tapped his Plumber's badge once. "Werner," he whispered.

"Ja, Tennyson," came Werner's accented voice. There was a lot of prejudice these days against those of Bavarian descent after the end of the Great War, but Werner and Linus went back for years. He never had any reason to distrust him because of his heritage. Besides, he was only half German, he was also half Osmosian. "I thought you might have bit it back there in the crash."

"Same here," said Linus. "How about you? I didn't see where the crane landed. Are you alright?"

"No worse for wear, mein freund," said Werner. "I am below you. Perhaps one hundred meters."

"Can you see him?" asked Linus. "The alien?"

"Ne. He jumped into the canopy a few minutes ago and I lost track."

"I think he's after me," said Linus. "Not sure why."

"Probably just hates Plumbers," said Werner said.

"We need a new uniform," Linus sighed.

The sound of branches breaking to the east caught his attention and he lowered his voice. "I think he's near, I'm going to head further up."

"Be careful!"

Linus pocketed his Plumber's badge and moved swiftly between the trees, keeping his gun at the ready. He was nervous at how much damage this alien has soaked up without missing a beat. Their tech level was atrociously low compared to the swiftly approaching 'Green Line' – as the Plumbers called it – the ever expanding common fly area in the major arm of the inhabited part of the galaxy. Aliens were going to start showing up more and more in the coming years and they were going to be much better equipped.

He sighed and moved further up the wooded mountain. Fortunately the Black Hills were fairly easy to traverse and he didn't have to put his gun down often to get a footing. He hoped the even ground would allow Werner to catch up quickly while the alien was flying atop the canopy.

"TENNYSON!" came a roar and Linus blindly jumped to the left. He nicked a tree with the side of his leg but avoided the crashing alien that surely would have ended his life. Without a thought, he brought his weapon to bear and fired. The orange glow of the beam lanced out and struck the alien in the upper chest but did nothing but momentarily throw his balance.

Linus let got of the trigger and then flicked a switch on the barrel of the gun as he lowered it. "That's not fair," he said. "You know me but I know nothing of you. Were you at that mixer last week and I forgot?"

"You'll suffer the sins of your ancestors a hundred fold!" said the alien. He was a hulking figure, Linus now saw. Tall, broad chested, with scaly skin and black eyes that peered at him directly through the shadows. He was no species that Linus had ever encountered before, but one that he had seen a picture of.

"Brozz?" ventured Linus, hoping he was wrong.

The alien roared and charged in a blur at Linus. He could only move a foot or two before the impact but it was enough to only get clipped by the alien and get thrown to the side. The tree that Linus was standing in front of was uprooted and splintered at the force of the charge.

Pain arced across Linus' body as he recognized the feeling of a dislocated shoulder. He didn't have time or tools to set it now so he used his good arm and pushed himself off the ground. Wincing in agony, he launched himself down the mountain, rushing between the trees to put some distance between him and his attacker.

It made little difference as the sounds of falling trees quickly reached him. Linus jumped again to the side when he saw the broken branches of the canopy falling in his peripheral vision. The alien rushed past, barely missing him.

"I'm guessing that's a yes," called Linus. He needed to find some other way of distracting the alien. He knew from his father and grandfather of the danger of Brozz and the likelihood of his return. But the equipment they built to fight him was back at his headquarters in Nevada. There was nothing all the way out here on Mount Rushmore. He needed help, and Werner wasn't going to be enough.

Linus pressed his palm on his pocket where his badge was resting. He heard the click of the beacon activate as he held it down, hoping someone was monitoring the emergency code.

"Listen, I know you're a little angry at my family, but, I think we can work it out in a civil, agreeable, convers— UGH!" Linus was struck from out of nowhere and flung up into the air. His back struck a tree and he felt bones somewhere in his body snap as he fell towards the ground. His face was lacerated by small branches and twigs as he fell, finally slamming against the earth hard, knocking the wind out of him.

Linus gasped as he heard heavy footfalls approach him. His vision blurred as he struggled to catch his breath.

"Your pitiful species deserves nothing but oblivion," growled Brozz. "Your only redeemable value is your disgustingly good luck, but even that has finally run out."

Linus finally took a deep breath in but it burned in his throat. He coughed repeatedly, each one feeling like nails in his chest. Some of his ribs had clearly been broken and he tasted copper in his mouth. Somewhere he was bleeding internally.

"You are like fleas to me," said Brozz.

Linus rose his head and looked angrily at Brozz. He could feel blood trickling out the side of his mouth. "So what... does that make you... Gulliver? Toppled by fleas not just once... but seven times."

Brozz grabbed Linus' throat and lifted him into the air. Once again, Linus couldn't breathe and he clawed at Brozz' scaly hands to free himself.

"Six times," said Brozz. "But this is my victory game."

"Count—" struggled Linus. His neck felt light it was going to snap at any moment. "Again."

"Oh, I have," said Brozz. "For a hundred years I have awaited this day, to feel your life ebb through my fingers. I have made no mistake!"

"You did forget about me, fraulein," said Werner as ran out from behind a tree. He quickly stretched his hands out and pressed them into Brozz's back. His hands glowed brightly and the glow quickly grew into the alien's back.

Brozz dropped Linus in surprise. Air rushed back into Linus' lungs once more causing him to cough loudly and painfully. He raises his blurry eyes to watch the scene unfolding beside him.

Werner was grinning widely as he kept his hands on Brozz. The larger alien was surprised at Werner's actions but soon a deliberate stoicism overtook him and he reached out slowly to put his own hands on the Plumber's shoulders.

Werner's smile quickly faded and his face became pained.

"Never met one of my kind before, have you Osmosian?" said Brozz.

Werner grunted as he winced in pain. Linus couldn't see Brozz do anything but look at him but it was clear Werner was being assaulted by an unseen force.

Brozz laughed suddenly then Werner began to scream in horror.

"Let him go, Werner!" yelled Linus.

"Yes, let me go, flea," Brozz wryly echoed.

The glow from Werner's hands was flickering and now Linus could see a strange fading of his partner's complexion, as if he was turning gray. His cheeks became sunken and his eyes blackened into dark shadows.

"STOP IT!" Linus screamed out. Something had gone horribly wrong and now Linus looked to be dying. Brozz's periodic laughter only made it clearer that the alien was in charge of the absorption.

Werner's scream went silent but his mouth continued to hang open. His body began to sag and the light flickered out entirely. A few seconds later he dropped like dead weight to the forest floor.

Brozz licked his lips.

"I still count six," he said to Linus.

Linus closed his eyes and put his face down into the dirt. With as little movement as possible, his good hand snaked into his pocket and touched the Plumber's badge. He twisted the housing of the device slowly and deliberately.

"Giving up already?" asked Brozz. "I want to hear more agony from your lips. How else can I pain you? Is there someone else? Another partner? A family? Have any children?"

The click of the Plumber's badge going into self-destruct was practically silent. Linus picked up his head again and scowled at Brozz.

"I have a son," said Linus. "But you'll never touch a hair on his body."

"I beg to differ," said Brozz. He knelt down and leaned over Linus' body. His hand reached out and grabbed the collar of the Plumber's uniform, lifting him off the ground. "Because I doubt he fell far from the tree. For generations you Tennyson's have been Plumbers, and I'm sure I just need to run down every badge on the planet to be sure I've wiped your disgusting family out."

"We'll stop you," said Linus. "We always do."

"It doesn't matter," said Brozz. "Because when I'm done, I'll destroy this planet. I'll reach into the core of your Earth and crush it with my palm. Your Plumber friends won't be able to stop me. Nobody can stop me. Because there's never been a weapon strong enough to kill me."

"Maybe not," said Linus. He gripped the badge in his pocket. "But history shows you can be slowed down." He pulled the badge out and slapped it against Brozz's neck. "Destruct code, Delta Omega One!"

In a flash, the badge exploded and Linus welcomed oblivion.

-(X)-

Atop a small outcropping in the steppes of Mount Rushmore, Paradox watched the dozen or so Plumbers running around . He was quietly standing with his hands in his pockets, chewing on a gumball.

Charmcaster and Phil were beside him with somewhat more perplexed looks on their faces. A glowing pink visor was on Charmcaster's face, giving her a closer view of the proceedings below while Phil was using a slightly more mundane pair of binoculars.

Three Plumber ships had landed in the area by the explosion, which joined the two Plumbers already on the ground.

One of the two that had arrived first was a younger man with dark hair and green eyes. His face had been a mask of conflicting emotions since he arrived but the appearance of the three Plumber ships brought the anger in his eyes to the fore.

When a tall, purple walking crystalline petrosapien approached, the young man exploded.

"How many more times is this going to happen?" the young man yelled. "Werner is a skeleton and... and... and there isn't enough of my father left to fill a soup can!" He gestured around at the smoking crater with Brozz lying in the center and the large hole blown into the side of Mount Rushmore.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Jeffrey Tennyson," said the purple crystalline Plumber. "But as your father knew, we have done our best to contain Brozz for many years. His escape from the Null Void was an unfortunate mistake."

"A mistake?" said Jeffery. "Is that all you have to say, Commodore Metrod? Sorry, we made an oopsie and once again your planet was threatened by one of the worst murderers in the galaxy?"

"The Earthian Plumbers exist to contain and neutralize threats to this planet," said Metrod. "We can't treat you differently just because of Brozz. And he is far from the worst we've dealt with. The Detrovites for example-"

"I. Don't. Care." Jeffery pointed at Brozz again. "He has ONE routine, ONE goal. He breaks out, he comes here. There's no mystery to it! The moment he got out of your stupid Galvan prison you should have sent a fleet here!"

"We are not the GP," said Metrod. "We don't have a fleet that can be easily assembled. We brought who we could, but there is a limit to our manpower. Your father knew that. He understood the threat from Brozz and he was supposed to have prepared for it. I cannot say why his preparations didn't work."

"Probably because he had NO HEADS UP from you!"

"That is enough, Tennyson," snapped Metrod. "The Chairman of the Plumber Central Command has a soft spot for this planet and that is the only reason we supply a planet - that isn't even within the Green Line - technology to fight immigrant species."

"Tech level two technology," muttered Jeffrey.

"Enough! You are unique in this regard only. We have other matters that require much more constant supervision. We cannot spend our time and resources protecting a planet that has no significance other than Chairman Ion likes it."

Metrod turned to a thin, red skinned, four armed female tetramand beside him and nodded. "Clean up this mess and have Brozz sent back to the Null Void."

The tetramand nodded. "Yes, sir," she said.

"Since Linus is dead, and Jeffrey here clearly lacks the authoritative experience—"

"What?" said Jeffrey.

"—assign a curator for this planet. Whoever is on the top list for new assignments."

"Wait a minute—"

"That will be all," Metrod said abruptly and turned towards the ship that he came in.

"You can't do that!" yelled Jeffrey. "This our planet!"

"He can," said the tetramand while she was writing something on a tablet with two of her hands and operating a communication device with a third. "The Commodore has full authority over this arm of the galaxy."

"That's garbage," said Jeffrey, crossing his arms. "Ion was a much better Commodore."

The tetramand stopped what she was doing and looked at Jeffrey, narrowing her four eyes. "If you wish to eventually be the point of contact on this planet, you would do well to learn to respect your superiors."

"He's a superior horse's ass."

The tetramand sighed and tapped on her tablet. "Listen, I'll do you a favor here, because the Chairman does indeed have great respect for Earth." She handed her tablet to Jeffrey. "This is Xylene."

"An Uxorite?" asked Jeffrey.

"Very good," nodded tetramand. "She's young, smart, and terribly hot headed. She's not the top of the list, but close enough to appease Metrod."

"Why do I want a hothead in charge of Earth?" asked Jeffrey, angrily.

"So you have someone to prove yourself more restrained than," said the tetramand.

Jeffrey blinked and looked at the tetramand. "I'm –"

"Going to need to grow up now," interrupted the tetramand. "You can grieve, for your loss is significant, but after that you need to prove yourself every bit the Plumber your father was. Plan for the worst, and you'll always be ready."

Jeffrey looked down and then slowly handed the tablet back to the tetramand. "Thank you," he said.

The tetramand padded Jeffrey on the back and then turned to follow Metrod back to the shuttle.

The young Plumber stood there silently while Brozz was lifted and taken back into a separate shuttle and soon the entourage of ships was sailing off into the sky.

Jeffrey turned and looked at the crater in the side of Mount Rushmore once the plumbers were gone. He made a fist and held it so tight his palms began to bleed. "Never again," he said darkly.

He turned and walked back into the woods and out of view from the trio standing on the ledge of the mountain. Paradox shook his head and consulted his pocket watch. "Still too early."

"I don't get it, why are we on this history of the Tennyson family ride and can we skip to the part where I blow things up?" asked Charmcaster. She waved her hand and the purple visor vanished from her face.

"I had no idea the Tennysons went this far back," said Phil. "I thought Max was the first to join the Plumbers."

Paradox looked between the two for a moment, then settled on Phil. "There is a break in the line of Tennysons in the Plumbers, which we are rapidly coming up to."

He turned to Charmcaster next. "I have miscalculated my arrival several times now, which is why we are seeing this. Time-space is clearly disturbed by what is happening in your present, and it affects my ability to transport you with precision. Tracing history forward is the easiest way to find the disturbance point."

"What disturbance point?" asked Charmcaster. "You STILL haven't explained to us what we're doing!"

"You'll see shortly," said Paradox, closing his watch. "Or you won't, and it will be too late."

With a flash, the three vanished again.

-(X)-