Chapter 8 –The Unsavory Plan

July 11th, 2010

Bellwood, California

-(X)-

Kai knocked on the door carefully and held her breath as the resident came to answer. He was tall and looked down at her with a perplexed expression.

"Ben's place is on the other side of town," said Kevin.

"I-I know," said Kai. She swallowed the lump in her throat. "I wanted to come see you."

"Me? What for?" asked Kevin.

"Can I come in?"

Kevin arched a brow at the request but stepped back and motioned for Kai to enter. The younger girl walked in and then followed Kevin towards the kitchen where they sat at the breakfast nook.

"What is it?" said Kevin, once again getting right to the point.

"Don't you have, like, a mother you share this house with?" asked Kai, looking around.

"She's working," he said. "You're acting incredibly suspicious, though. What's going on?"

"Yesterday," started Kai slowly. "You said you had a good teacher. For your powers."

"That's right," said Kevin with a nod. "Kwarrel was his name."

"Was he an Osmosian?" asked Kai.

Kevin folded his arms and frowned. "No, he wasn't. I'm not sure where he was from, honestly. It didn't really matter at the time. I needed help and he knew what it took to help me."

"Where is he now?" Kai sounded hopeful.

"Dead," said Kevin curtly. "He died on Incarcecon."

"Oh," said Kai, deflating.

"What is this all about?" asked Kevin. "You sudden had a deep interest in my prison days?"

"I... I was hoping that someone could... you know," Kai gestured futility towards herself with her hands.

"Teach you," Kevin completed for her.

"Yeah," admitted Kai.

"I see," said Kevin. He shook his head. "Sorry. He's long gone."

Kai sighed. "What was he like?" she asked idly.

Kevin looked out of the window of the breakfast nook and towards the afternoon sky. "He was calm," he said. "The biggest brute you'd ever seen in your life but he didn't act like it. He kept his temper in check and took everything in stride. At least he did around me."

"What was he in for?" asked Kai.

"He never told me." Kevin shrugged. "Only said it was 'bad', and that he was in there for a good reason. Didn't seem like it though. I was a stupid brat and he went out of his way to help me. Even stalled the guards when I escaped."

Kai's eyes went wide. "So you're also a fugitive?"

"I was," said Kevin, stressing the last word sharply. "I'm a Plumber now. I don't belong in the Null Void anymore."

"Seems like a lot of people escape," said Kai.

"Less now than there used to be," said Kevin. "But, yeah, it's not a perfect prison. No place is. That's why constantly locking up Brozz isn't the answer. You put anyone in a bind they'll spend every waking hour trying to get free. It's ten times as bad when you're talking mimics like Osmosian and Chamatronians."

Kai studied Kevin carefully, enough that he began to shift uncomfortably in his chair.

"What is it?" asked Kevin.

"You seem really comfortable talking about this," said Kai.

Kevin glared. "Is that really what you're taking away from this interrogation?"

"I-I'm sorry!" Kai looked away quickly. "I just wouldn't think that someone who spent time in there would be able to deal with putting people in there all the time."

"I don't have much of a choice do I?" asked Kevin. "I was put in there, I got out. I used to let my anger get the better of me and it landed me in more trouble than I could handle. So now I don't. I wasn't given another option."

"But you didn't have to join the Plumbers—" started Kai.

"Yeah, well," Kevin rolled his eyes then turned to the side. "Things happen. I wasn't offered a legit opportunity to be a mechanic, or race in the Turcroxian Leagues, as much as I would have wanted that. I was offered a chance to be a Plumber. And, well, it was probably the best option for me in the long run anyway. Besides, my father was one; a good one, I'm told." He chewed on his lip for a minute. "I can't take back what I did as a stupid kid, but I can atone."

Kai looked closely at Kevin. He was frowning as he stared out the window, and seemed oddly sad.

"I hurt her once, you know," he said suddenly.

"Who?" asked Kai.

"Gwen," said Kevin slowly. "When I was still young. When we were still enemies. I wanted to get at Ben, but I would have used either Gwen or Max to get at him. I could have –" he stopped suddenly and blinked, as if he suddenly realized what he was doing. His expression slowly returned to netural and looked at Kai. "I still have bad days, but I was heading someplace terrible before I got control of myself. If I have to be constantly reminded of the place I was locked up for years to have that control... well, I'm okay with it. The alternative is much worse."

Kai was stunned that he considered such things and wondered again how hard it must be to live with so many regrets. She made a choice.

"Can you teach it to me?" asked Kai.

"Teach what?" asked Kevin.

"The control," said Kai.

"I don't see you blowing up things randomly." Kevin waved his hand. "What are you trying to control?"

Kai held up her hands and looked at them. "This power," she said. "I could have gotten Ben killed if I hadn't taken my mind off of him during that fight with Brozz. I want to learn how to use my ability."

"I don't know anything about Petrastill training," said Kevin.

"But you know about control," said Kai. "Isn't that what you said the power was? 'Stabilization of violent energy reactions' is how you described it. You said you met other Petrastills before."

"Briefly," stressed Kevin. "Behind glass. In a pirate ship."

Kai shook her head. "My parents are gone," she said slowly. "I don't know where they are or even if they're still alive. I don't have anyone else to teach me this."

"I'm still probably not the best teacher," said Kevin, wringing his hands slowly.

"But you're the only one I know right now," said Kai. "And I want to try to help you all with Brozz."

Kevin sighed again. He looked at Kai with skepticism. "This could all go horribly wrong."

"We won't know unless we try?" offered Kai with a small smile.

Kevin seemed unconvinced. He studied his hands as he slowly ran his thumb over the tips of his fingers for several minutes. Kai began to think he'd gotten stuck in a look when he looked up again. "First you have to tell me something," he said. "What's your deal with Ben? You like him?"

"He doesn't seem interested," said Kai as her eyes widened.

"That's not what I asked." Kevin leaned forward. "Are you interested in him?"

"I, uh..." Kai hedged.

"I'm not going to teach anybody who can't tell me the truth," said Kevin brusquely. He pointed a finger at her. "Your power has been interfering with the Ultimatrix for several days now and I imagine that takes more than simple fancy to do by accident. Do you like him?"

"Yeah, I guess," said Kai quietly.

"Why?"

She looked back with a blank expression. "What do you mean, 'why'? Why does anyone like anybody?"

Kevin growled slightly. "You haven't seen Ben in over six years, then you show up all Kathy Bates over him only three weeks after he becomes world famous?" He shook his head. "I don't buy it. Not without a good explanation."

Kai's was horrified. "You think I came here to leech off his fame?"

"I don't know," said Kevin. "I want you to tell me."

"I came here chasing Brozz, you know that," said Kai, angrily.

"Something Wes could have done on his own," pointed out Kevin. "I'm sure he would have preferred you stay out of anything Plumber related."

Kai glared. "You just want me out of the way for Julie."

"I don't care who Ben dates," said Kevin, throwing his hands up in the air. He got up from the table and began to pace. "I care that you don't understand why you feel the way you feel and that's why it's going to be impossible to teach you the discipline you need to control your ability. You can't control the power you have unless you understand what causes it to move."

He pointed at his chest with his thumb. "I was reckless and selfish because I was afraid of losing something I wanted. Some of it had to do with my father dying and some of it was the effects of energy addition my species has. I had to understand and give some of my potential to control my absorption abilities. There was no other way to teach me."

He looked distantly at the light hanging above the table. "An Osmosian is never stronger than when he's absorbed the energy of other species. But the power comes with a terrible madness that can't be controlled. It's not an option I can ever consider. I have to live knowing that I could easily be stronger but can't be without turning on my friends."

He shook his head then shrugged. "I don't know what your deal is, but Ben clearly is the focus of it right now. If you want more control, we have to understand what caused it and how to move it onto something a little less destructive."

"Destructive?" asked Kai.

"Did you come here to break up Julie and Ben?" Kevin said pointedly.

"N-no," replied Kai after a second's hesitation, though she still wasn't sure.

"Then you gotta pick something else to focus on or that's what you're going to do to him," said Kevin. "You gotta at least understand that." Kai wasn't sure she had to understand anything, but she nodded all the same.

Kevin looked at her intensely for a minute, then looked up at the light again above the table. "I'll give it a try, but I won't promise you anything. First, turn off this light."

Kai blinked, then stood up and walked over to a nearby light switch and flipped it off.

Kevin stared at her blankly. "With your ability."

Kai blushed. "Oh, we're starting now? We're starting now. Okay. I'm sorry."

-(X)-

Gwen and Charmcaster walked slowly through the large library in Hex's mansion, their eyes tracking the bindings of the books. This was their third time through the massive library and already they had four books each in their hands as 'potentials.'

"He doesn't keep a card catalog or anything?" asked Gwen lightly.

"No," Charmcaster said. "Do you?"

"Of the books at my house? No, but my library is three or four half height book shelves that I share with my father's law books. It's not an entire room with two story walls."

Charmcaster shrugged. "If you know what you're looking for, it's a simple recall spell to have the book brought to you."

"Then shouldn't we have Hex here?" asked Gwen.

Charmcaster turned and gave Gwen an evil eye. "Your grandfather had my Uncle shipped off to the Null Void."

"Oh right," said Gwen, looking a little embarrassed. Charmcaster turned back to the books. "I thought you two were, um, not speaking anymore?"

"We're not," said Charmcaster. "I don't agree with what he did at all, but... he did save my life. And depending on how things have been going in Ledgerdomain, he may be the only other person from my home left." She sighed. "So I do feel a kinship to him, and I am only a little surprised at how quickly your Plumber friends were to cage him while at the same time pardoning me and Phil."

"Different circumstances," said Gwen, analytically. "Surely you can see that. Hex didn't turn himself in. He helped a colossally powerful criminal break free of the prison that you put him in."

"I know," Charmcaster said loudly. She turned again to look at Gwen. "Look, I know we're allies here and everything, but I'm finding it a little hard to forget the last seven years overnight. So I'd appreciate it if you'd stop pressing my buttons!"

"Geeze, sorry," said Gwen.

"Ugh! Can't you be anything other than an insufferable know-it-all?"

"I'm not being a know-it-all, I'm just trying to have a rational conversation with you," said Gwen.

"You're doing a poor job at it!" snapped Charmcaster. She then stormed over to the opposite side of the room and began looking at books there.

Gwen stared at the books on the shelf in front of her, but found it hard to concentrate. She hadn't intended to irritate Charmcaster and felt, at least for now, she should be getting along with the only other spellcaster in their team. It was hard to forget the years of animosity between them, but Gwen believed that she could separate her emotion from her duty and simply ignore the sinking feeling that she was about to be attacked every time Charmcaster scowled.

In practice, however, Charmcaster's reaction showed she wasn't being careful enough. Gwen knew that in all likelihood it was mostly Charmcaster who was letting her emotions getting in the way, but having momentary allies that hated her was a depressingly common occurrence as a Plumber.

Gwen pulled out an old book without any markings on the spine to see what it was. She nearly gasped when she saw it was the Book of Archamada, the old text that Hex used when they were young, and the source of the time travel spell Gwen herself used last year that ended up screwing up the timeline.

With a shiver, Gwen remembered that the screwed up timeline featured a maniacal Charmcaster and Hex ruling over the world having enslaved Ben and Kevin. It was a terrible sight to behold and was the reason she resigned herself never to screw around with time travel again. At the time she blamed herself heavily for what happened, but now she realized something: Charmcaster and Hex had all the power in the world in that timeline, and yet they were still here. They hadn't gone back to Ledgerdomain.

"What's Ledgerdomain like?" asked Gwen as she placed the book back on the shelf.

"Like?" Charmcaster said with confusion. "It's ... different. From here, anyway. Cosmetically and, well... it's different."

"How different?" asked Gwen.

"I don't know," Charmcaster shook her head while studying the spines of books before her. "I haven't been there since I was, like, five. My memories are not particularly useful. Most of what I know about it comes from Hex's garbage stories."

"Garbage?" asked Gwen, confused as to why she'd phrase it like that.

"Look, he's a liar, okay?" snapped Charmcaster. She turned her head to the side to speak but didn't look at Gwen. "I thought, for a long time, that he was being honest with me and just lying to everyone else. Well, it turned out he was lying to me too. Serves me right for being gullible." She pulled a book off the shelf without looking at it and then opened it to a seemingly random page.

Gwen felt guilty for bringing this up now, too. "You shouldn't have to question your family's honesty," she said, diplomatically.

"Of course you do," Charmcaster grumbled. "People don't change who they are just because they share blood with you. I knew that, too. I was just being stupid." She closed the book loudly then looked at Gwen. "It seems even your grandfather got the raw end of that."

Gwen frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean five generations of Tennyson Plumbers, and yet your grandfather thought he was the first."

"Oh," said Gwen. She was more than a little interested in knowing about that, but had been too timid to ask Grandpa Max directly. In fact, she had only asked Charmcaster such a similar question because she wasn't particularly concerned about the witch's opinion of her.

Gwen sighed. She had a long way to go before she could really treat Charmcaster as an ally.

"You'd probably find it weird," said Charmcaster slowly. "It's not like Earth at all."

"Ledgerdomain?" asked Gwen. Charmcaster nodded.

"It's the source of all mana in the universe," continued Charmcaster. "Endless potential mixes and flows through that realm. It looks a little like the Null Void on the surface, actually, but it's a very different place. There's no strict gravity like there is around planets here. We have to sort of 'give' objects mass and form and rules. It's amazingly liberating."

Charmcaster crossed her arms and leaned against the bookshelf beside her. "There are more than our share of dangers there, but if you have enough people in one place, that place takes on an inertia that allows it to persist in the form it's in." She chuckled. "Which is horribly ironic, because my people have all these strict rules about intentionally manipulating the mana, and yet, their very existence causing the mana to change. It has to, or we'd all just be floating helplessly in the ether."

"How did your people get there?" asked Gwen.

Charmcaster sthrugged. "How did yours? There's no less controversy in Ledgerdomain than here. Some say we were formed out of a primordial urge while others say it's much more likely we evolved elsewhere and migrated to Ledgerdomain in the Formative Era. It doesn't really matter. We're there now." Her small smile faded. "Or were."

"What happened?" asked Gwen.

Charmcaster frowned slightly but just stared at the rugs. "Adwaita came. I have no idea from where. His control over the mana was unparalleled. His very presence disrupted the inertia of our cities. We – my people – asked him to leave. In response he demanded our servitude. I suppose, in the end, he got it. If it wasn't for the Cult of Archamada, there wouldn't have even been a resistence."

Gwen's eyes widened and she glanced back at the book she'd been holding just minutes before. "Archamada?"

Charmcaster nodded. "Yeah. I told you controlling the mana was taboo, but some of us have the talent that makes it so easy it's a crime not to. Those who rebelled, who secretly trained those with the talent, were called the Cult of Archamada. We... they were the only ones who stood up to Adwaita's rule."

"They failed," said Gwen in the ensuing silence.

"Obviously," whispered Charmcaster. She spoke up slightly when she continued. "I'm not sure anymore precisely what really happened. Hex told me the cult beat Adwaita back and then our people turned against them for using the mana and exiled us from Ledgerdomain." She scowled. "I only learned yesterday that was not the truth. The truth was that Adwaita was only pushed back long enough for Hex to take me and escape. Presumably he's ruled over my people ever since."

That explained almost everything to Gwen. Charmcaster didn't know that returning home was an option because Hex had hid it from her. The remaining question was why Hex wouldn't have told her in the alternate timeline once they'd amassed their army. But the answer seemed pretty obvious to her: fear. Hex had never appeared to her to be terribly complex, and the idea of ruling over a planet full of humans versus making a potential suicide run against a monstrous mana beast was a pretty easy one. They'd lived on earth for so long already, why go back now?

Which was, she realized, where the sudden humility of Charmcaster was coming from. Gwen swallowed. The more she thought about this the greater the divide she saw between Hex and his niece. Neither had been particularly ethical in their lives, but while Hex sat on the knowledge that their people were subjugated regardless of the circumstances, as soon as Charmcaster found out she turned to Gwen for help.

Did that mean, deep down inside, Charmcaster really was a good person? Did the horror of barely escaping your home with your life offset the chaos and destruction she wrought as a kid with power and a teenager seeking vengeance?

That was a more difficult question than Gwen felt she could navigate in one day. But it did help her recognize that maybe Charmcaster was owed a bit more effort when it came to making friends.

"Do you really think there's anything here?" asked Gwen, motioning towards the shelves. Charmcaster looked up and then seemed lost in thought.

"There is some great magic locked in these books," said Charmcaster. "But all spells fall under a limited number of domains. Either we trap him, send him away, transform him, or destroy him. And those last two are effectively the same for high energy beings." She shrugged. "As much as I hate to admit it, without a cage of some sort to contain him, I'm not sure even you and I combined can summon enough power to lock him up for good."

Gwen nodded even though it wasn't what she was hoping to hear. "Maybe if we had a dozen more of us, right?" she joked.

Charmcaster stared with a frown at Gwen for a moment. "You have contact with your relatives?"

"Besides the obvious ones?" asked Gwen.

"The Anodite ones."

"Oh," said Gwen. "I know my grandma Verdona beyond that I really haven't met anyone else. I suppose if I needed to, Verdona could put me in touch with someone." Gwen raised an eyebrow. "Why? What are you thinking?"

Charmcaster turned and stuck her foot onto one of the lower shelves, kicking away a few books in the process. Pulling herself up she reached onto the tops shelves and pulled down a thin book, old, and hand bound. The cover had a simple star on the front, etched in what Gwen assumed was gold paint that hat heavily flaked over the years.

Once back on the ground, Charmcaster flipped quickly through the book and stopped at a page roughly halfway through.

"I'm thinking of taking out two birds with one stone," said Charmcaster. She turned the book around and held it up to Gwen.

Gwen stepped forwards to take a look and struggled for a moment to decipher the squiggly, hand-written incantations and directions. It was a spell to open a door back to Ledgerdomain.

"You want to send Brozz after Adwaita?" asked Gwen, more than a little unnerved by such a plan. "How do we know what will happen? How do we know who will win?"

"Doesn't matter," said Charmcaster. "The point is that they keep each other occupied while we rally some of the biggest mana users in two worlds."

"We don't even know if they'll do that," said Gwen. "They might join forces. Or Brozz might just copy Adwaita's power and conquer Ledgerdomain in his place."

"Don't be silly," Charmcaster dismissed her casually. "If there's anything I've learned in the last week it's that power hungry people on this scale just fight for more power, they don't bargain. Being part of a team is hard. Killing your enemies is easier."

Gwen stared at her.

"Relax, I'm not going to be killing you any time soon," grinned Charmcaster.

"How delightful," groaned Gwen.

-(X)-

"I don't like it," said Max as he was cooking...something on the stove in his rustbucket. The 'something' included stringy worm-things with small green pellet-like peas and a leafy orange... Kevin wasn't sure.

"It keeps the collateral damage to Earth low," pointed out Charmcaster.

"I don't want to see your people suffer either," said Max. "What if they ally?"

"Ugh," moaned Charmcaster. "They won't. They're not that sort of monsters."

"Says you," said Kevin. He was also quite skeptical of this plan, and voiced his concerns when Gwen told him of it earlier, but she still wanted to go to Max anyway. "Why wouldn't he join up with someone who could substantially increase his power?"

"Because then he'd have to share," stressed Charmcaster. "We're talking about someone who has thrown himself up against the same Tennyson wall for over 150 years just because he doesn't like them very much. The only growth in his power in that time has been adapting to the things the Plumbers threw at him to keep him contained."

"She's right, you know," said Phil from the back of the RV. "This guy hasn't shown any original tactics since the early 1800s. Apart from a few days ago, anyway, with the decoy attack to make time for Hex to do his magic-y thing."

"And that's what you're forgetting," said Max. "He took Paradox's powers. He could be learning at an incredible rate."

"Tactics is different than goals," said Charmcaster. "He's still a power hungry monster, and he won't share the spotlight with Adwaita if there's a chance for him to take his power."

"So he becomes even stronger then?" said Ben. "I don't like what that means for us."

"I'm not sure he'll even be able to take Adwaita's power, given how he's been vulnerable to magic in the past. But the point is to get them both while they're fighting," said Charmcaster. "We don't stand equal footing with Brozz, that much is obvious. Without the containment vessel, even my magic probably can't hold him for long. But because he is vulnerable to magic, there's no better place than Ledgerdomain to attack him. A place suffused with mana."

"How do we attack him?" asked Max.

"By rallying what's left of the Cult of Archamada, and bringing any Anodite who will follow us," said Charmcaster.

"And how are we supposed to get Anodyne to help us?" asked Kevin.

Charmcaster grinned at Gwen. "By counting on familial love."

"Yeah, I'm not thrilled about this part of the plan either," said Gwen. "But we can at least ask Grandma Verdona for help and maybe she could find a few others to assist."

"It shouldn't take much," said Charmcaster. "I suspect in Ledgerdomain, you'll find your powers much stronger than usual. And while Brozz can resist your power easier than mine, I'm figuring it'll be enough to knock him around a bit and allow time for my people to cast the spell."

"Woah, what spell?" asked Ben.

"Diaspora," said Charmcaster in a low voice.

"Is that—" started Kevin, but didn't get far.

"It's exactly what it sounds like," said Charmcaster. "With the right circumstances and power I think we could use it on both of them."

"That's not exactly the Plumber way," said Max.

Charmcaster leveled her eyes at him. "Maybe not, but consider this. In 1821, your ancestor, Wilbur Tennyson, saw Brozz attacking a Lumerian and hit him with a shovel. Brozz was weak back then and he went down like a chump. Because of that, Brozz has systematically escaped prison and hunted down every one of your ancestors that joined the Plumbers until your father finally sealed him away." She shook her head. "Now he's back. And if we don't destroy him he'll be back again someday to come after you, and if not you, then Ben and Gwen, and their children, and their children. He's a monster, Tennyson. And while he can be stopped, he'll never give up."

Max was speechless for a full minute, just studying the pan in front of him, probably turning the details over in his mind. Eventually he flipped the pile of 'food' in the pan and made a small smile. "I can't let my personal feelings get in the way of doing what's right, or I'm no better than a criminal."

Phil laughed. "My how a man changes in twenty years."

Max looked quickly at Phil and the ex-Plumber simply held up his hands and grinned. "Hey, man. Its water under the bridge," said Phil.

Max grimaced and turned back towards Charmcaster and Gwen. "I don't like it," he said. "But you kids are in charge."

Gwen turned to look at Ben, and Kevin decided to follow suit. The boy hero always wanted to be center of attention, now he'd have to bear the guilt of being in charge.

"I haven't seen any better ideas yet," said Ben. "And I've never seen anyone actually stop Paradox before, so if Brozz has his abilities, we may really be in trouble."

"You're okay with killing Brozz?" asked Gwen.

Ben looked at his Ultimatrix. "No. But I'm less okay with him destroying the planet. Everything I've heard about this alien tells me there's no chance of reform. If that's true, then... what choice do we have?"

Ben looked around but nobody said anything in response.

"Then unless we have a better idea before Brozz shows up again, this is the plan," said Ben. He looked to Charmcaster. "What do you need to make it happen?"

"Opening the Door To Anywhere is easy," said Charmcaster. "You just have to speak the true name of the place you want to go. The spell I have will summon the Door to wherever I am. I need some time to cast, and then you have to make Brozz go through it."

"Oh, is that all?" asked Kevin. "Just have to make him go through it."

"I'm sure you have some alien in there big enough to knock him through a doorway," said Charmcaster, gesturing towards the Ultimatrix. "Other than a few minutes lead time with the door, the only thing we need to do before that is some recon."

"Recon?" asked Gwen. "You never mentioned any recon before."

"Well, we gotta find some Archamada members to help us," said Charmcaster, as if it were obvious. "I don't want to waste time looking for them when Brozz is right there. We need to go in ahead and find the people we need and teach them what to do."

"We?" asked Kevin.

"Me, Hex, and Gwen," said Charmcaster.

"Woah, woah," said Kevin, holding up his hands. "No way, I don't like this."

"Well you're not going to be much help there," said Charmcaster. "And I want to know how much more powerful an Anodite is when they're in Ledgerdomain."

"I thought I needed to go get help from Anodyne?" said Gwen.

"Eh, your grandpa can do it, he married her after all," said Charmcaster.

Max raised an eyebrow. "I can ask Verdona, but I don't like this any more than Kevin. And we just sent Hex to the Null Void."

"Gwen and I stand the best chance of getting in unnoticed," said Charmcaster. "But the last time I was in Ledgerdomain I was just a kid. I need Hex to help us get around."

"Even if we trust you," started Kevin, feeling the bile rise in his throat at saying those words. "We definitely don't trust Hex. There's no telling what he'll do once he's free."

"I can keep my Uncle under control," said Charmcaster. "And he's hardly the biggest problem facing us."

"Maybe not, but we can't just go letting every criminal out of the Null Void just to help us," said Max.

"We won't be," interrupted Ben. He looked around with a grim expression. "But Hex is just one criminal, and he has experience with Brozz. We might be able to keep him on track."

"It'll be your responsibility, Ben, even if you send him off with Charmcaster," said Max. "The Plumbers will blame you if he escapes."

"Hey, I'm the galactic hero," grinned Ben, in a dramatic change from his previous expression. Kevin could see the strain behind his eyes, though. He was forcing it. "Who's going to get angry at me?"

Max simply shook his head. "I hope you know what you're doing."

"Me too!" said Ben with a smile, but Kevin had known lies like that before.

-(X)-

Gwen looked at her watch and then looked up at the gigantic stone door before her filled with purple runes and showing a swirling portal beyond. She could feel... something in there, pulling at her subtly. It was a strange force, enticing in a way. As if something was touching the core of her being in a comforting way.

"I can feel it," said Gwen absently. She held up her hand towards the door and could sense the swirling mana on her palm.

"Are you sure she won't be consumed by the mana flows?" asked Hex to his niece. "She's pure energy."

"She's energy with consciousness," said Charmcaster. "If anything, there's more of a risk we'll be eaten by Ledgerdomain than her. She practically embodies the essence of the realm."

"So you say," said Hex, frowning. "I've seen more horrific things than that happen to foolish spellcasters in Yawatacsip."

Gwen listened distractedly at their conversation but found it hard to be concerned with what they were saying. The feeling from the doorway was calming, soothing her worries away with ease. She wondered if this is how it felt to be on Anodyne.

A strong hand on her shoulder drew her attention away from the purple swirls and she looked at Kevin.

"You're going to be alright, right?" he asked, wearing a face that screamed fear. It was touching that he worried so much for her, but silly at the same time.

"I'll be fine," said Gwen, calmly. "Don't worry."

"No chance of that," said Kevin, staring up at the door. "I'll be here when you come out."

"Don't wait," said Gwen. "I'm sure there are things you should be doing. Like helping Kai."

Kevin looked conflicted for a second. "I'll keep her here."

"Don't be silly," said Gwen. "Go, be a good teacher, and I'll contact you when we're back."

Kevin appeared to steel himself. "Don't be long."

Gwen smiled. In a way she wished he could be this emotional all the time. She stepped up and kissed him on the cheek. "I won't," she said softly.

"Are you ready, yet?" asked Charmcaster, tapping her foot on the stone pathway.

Gwen shook her head. This was going to be an interesting trip. "Yeah, let's go."

Stepping away from her boyfriend, Gwen took a deep breath and walked up to the doorway. The pull was so strong where she was she almost tipped forward. Catching herself, though, she settled herself on the feet and then took a purposeful stride forward.