Plumber's Charm

by TempestDash

The Tennysons have been at the vanguard of Earth's defense for generations, but when their oldest enemy returns for revenge, it will take more than the Ultimatrix to stop him. Fortunately Paradox has found some help... in the Null Void.

11. Chapter 10 Bad Blood

Chapter 10 – Bad Blood

July 12, 2010

Bellwood, California

- (X) -

Gwen smiled as she stepped up and kissed Kevin on the cheek before the Door to Anywhere.

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

Gwen shook her head. "Yeah, let's go."

Stepping away from Kevin, Gwen walked up to the doorway. For a moment she seemed unbalanced and she almost tipped forward. Catching herself, she settled on her feet and then took a purposeful stride forward and through the doorway which closed behind her, Charmcaster, and Hex.

Kevin stared at the archway as it gently faded back to wherever it came from and tried to ignore the gnawing feeling in his stomach. He hated being this far apart from Gwen, and hated more the fact that there was nothing he could do to get to her if something went wrong. They were literally on another dimensional through a locked door that the only two key holders had passed through. They were putting all their faith in Charmcaster to bring Gwen back alive.

And Kevin knew exactly how much you could trust Charmcaster.

But it wasn't his plan, it wasn't his decision, and Gwen was determined to do this. He couldn't stop her, and trying would have been worse. So he swallowed the lump in his throat, and let her go.

And now he was regretting it.

He turned back towards his mustang and began walking, hoping the dread would eventually pass. He got back into the car and looked over at Kai, his student, who had been dutifully waiting in the car while he bid his farewell to his girlfriend. She was sitting with her eyes closed and her body relaxed, almost as if she were sleeping. She was holding a blackened match between two fingers of her left hand.

"Now," said Kevin suddenly. Kai's eyes snapped open and the match flared back into a flame.

"Yes!" cheered Kai a second later then squeezed the tip to put the match out.

Kevin nodded. He had told Kai to stall the reactions in the flame and hold them until he told her otherwise. He had been standing outside for fifteen minutes, during which time she had apparently kept the fire perfectly suspended. It was impressive. He never expected her to advance this quickly given her psychological hang-ups.

He was a little worried that her progress was not all his doing.

"Now what?" asked Kai with a broad smile.

Kevin turned the car on and put it into gear. "Now we're going to find out what what's been hidden from us."

"What do you mean?" asked Kai as they turned onto the highway. "Where are we going?"

"To the hangar," said Kevin.

"Hangar?" asked Kai. "What hangar?"

"Where I keep the Rustbucket III," said Kevin. "My ship."

"You have a ship? A space ship?"

"Yeah, I built it myself... well, out of a Plumber ship."

Kai stared at Kevin and he smirked at the reaction. Nobody ever thinks of him as the engineer, but if there was a way to have made a wealthy living after escaping the Null Void just building things, he would have done it. But he had no money, and that mean no parts. With no parts he couldn't very well build things, and few places with the tech Kevin liked to tinker with would employ an ex-Null Void inhabitant. Especially an Osmosian one.

"Where are we going in the ship?"

"The Plumber Academy," said Kevin, shaking his head. Then added, because he knew she'd ask, "We need access to their archives. They have a direct connection to the Plumber Codex and the GP Core."

"What are those?"

"Databases," said Kevin. "According to Phil and Charmcaster, Brozz has been a threat for almost two hundred years. There has to be information about him. If not in the Plumber's computers, then in the Galaxy Police's."

"I thought the Plumbers were the police," said Kai, confused.

"No," Kevin shook his head. "The Plumbers are a specialist force that mainly focuses on the fringe of the galaxy. They're like SWAT. The GP is way bigger and deals with more mundane issues. They overlap a lot in the fringe, though, which is where Earth is. The GP handles things more often near the galactic core where the Plumbers are only called in for big threats."

"So who, like, sponsors them?" asked Kai. "Are the Plumbers part of the GP?"

"Not really," said Kevin. "The Plumbers extract an operating tax from Tech Level 3 and above planets. They're independent from the GP, and as such, the GP has to pay the Plumbers when they're called in to do their work." He sighed. "Which used to be a good way to get around the GP in the core, since they were reluctant to incur the fee involved with calling in the GP and would rather let small time smugglers get away. But a couple years ago the Plumbers instituted a subscription system, like the tax they charge to Tech-3 planets, and now the GP calls them in all the time."

"That's good, though, right?" said Kai. "Now the GP gets the support they need."

"Not so good for small time smugglers though," said Kevin.

Kai looked at him.

"Which I'm not, anymore, so it shouldn't bother me," said Kevin. "But it does."

- (X) -

Phil was waiting by the Rustbucket III with crossed arms when Kevin and Kai pulled up. Kevin looked at him with a frown and Phil countered with a smirk.

"What are you doing here?" asked Kevin.

"I need a lift," said Phil.

Kevin rolled his eyes. "Trying to escape already?"

Phil frowned. "Don't get smart with me, kid, I could have left this fail train long ago if I wanted to. But Brozz is a threat and I'm not running off until he's dealt with."

"Then... what?" asked Kai, equally confused.

Phil shook his head. "Azmuth wants his time machine back."

"You're going to see Azmuth?" asked Kevin. "Like, in person?"

"He told me – in no uncertain terms – that when we got here I was supposed to deliver it to Galvan Prime first thing, assuming Brozz wasn't in the process of tearing up downtown."

"Galvan Prime's gone," said Kevin. "Destroyed by the Highbreed."

"Wow," said Phil, momentarily stunned. "Really? Where is Azmuth now?"

Kevin shook his head as he stepped into the Rustbucket. He walked past the silvery time machine parked in the cargo bay and wondered how Phil got it in there. "Dunno. I imagine someone in Plumber Central Command knows, we can ask. Or we can just have the Academy deliver it for us."

"Gotta be personally," said Phil. "I know better than to question Azmuth." He paused. "The Academy, huh? I didn't realize one existed. Is that where you're going?"

"There are several," said Kevin, sitting down in the cockpit and flipping on the pre-flight power generators. "One's pretty close, though, so we're heading there."

"We're hoping to get some information on Brozz from the Plumber databases," said Kai, helpfully.

"I'm going to look for information," corrected Kevin. He reached under the console and pulled out a device that looked like a white pistol. He tossed it towards her. "You're going to go into the back and work on this."

Kai looked confused at the gun. "Target practice?"

"That's a standard issue GP pistol," said Kevin. "Uses the same battery pack as a Plumber UR-15. I want you to find a way to defend yourself from it. Maybe neutralize the battery pack and keep it from firing."

"Okay," Kai said slowly. "Um, should we expect to be attacked by the Galaxy Police anytime soon?"

"It doesn't hurt to be prepared," said Kevin. "You never want to be on the wrong end of a gun."

Kai looked at the pistol in her hand and then slowly started walking back into the cargo area. Phil watched her go before taking the seat next to Kevin.

"Is that safe?" he asked.

"There's a target area back there," said Kevin. "Should be fine."

"'Should?'" said Phil. "That's a deadly weapon you just handed her."

Kevin glared at Phil. "She's a hell of a lot safer than I was when I learned how to master my powers. She should consider herself lucky."

"She's just a kid!" said Phil.

"So was I," said Kevin, angrily. "Sooner or later you have to give that up if you want to survive. Surely you know that. You attacked a ten-year old boy and his cousin." He stared intensely at Phil.

Phil looked uneasily around. "Uh, right," he said finally, and then said nothing more.

"I have no reason to be nice to you, but I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt anyway," said Kevin. "We're going to get along, right?"

Phil nodded. "Where did you get a GP pistol?"

Kevin grinned at him.

- (X) -

Ben was absolutely certain this was a bad idea, and had voiced as much several times beforehand, but somehow he'd been usurped by his grandfather and so here he was sitting in Gwen's parents' living room, next to Julie, across from Max, Uncle Frank, and Aunt Lily, while they all waited for Grandma Verdona to arrive. There was very little talking going on.

"Ship is nearby, right?" Ben whispered to Julie.

"He's always nearby," said Julie, shrugging. "Are you expecting a fight?"

"I'm expecting to have to escape quickly," said Ben.

"So, Julie," said Lily. "I heard you ranked very well last year in the USTA Regionals, are you going to play in the National Tournaments next year?"

Julie nodded. "Yes, my coach is planning on entering me in several Tournaments this year, more Regionals, the Challengers, and the Nationals in Spring."

"That sounds like a lot of hard work," said Lily.

"Only if I qualify each time," said Julie. "But it is very important to me. I hope to one day play for the ITF."

"I wish you luck," said Lily. Then she turned ever so slightly towards Max. "And I hope nothing gets in the way of your dream."

Max cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"I'm pretty good getting around obstacles," said Julie, not missing a beat.

Ben found he was holding his breath and quietly let it out. He was sure this whole night was going to go disastrously, but this was the only way Verdona would come to talk to them, and so Max set it up. Ben wished he could have just asked his Grandmother over the Plumber's network or by messenger or something that wouldn't have involved Gwen's parents, but these were the conditions, and he would endure for the sake of the planet.

Lily looked at her watch and arched her brow. "Well, how long are we going to wait for her?"

Ben checked his own watch. It was only five minutes past the hour.

"She's travelling halfway across the galaxy, dear," said Frank, trying to calm his wife. "I'm sure it's not an easy trip to make."

"You don't honestly think there's traffic in space, do you?" asked Lily with a frown.

"Uh," started Frank and then looked awkwardly towards Max.

"I'm sure she'll be here any minute," said Max reassuringly. "Verdona hates being late."

Lily looked at her watch again. "Doesn't hate it too much, apparently."

A flash of magenta light flooded the room and for a moment a glowing being of pure energy floated just off the ground before it coalesced into the form of an elderly woman with gray hair and flawless complexion. A brief wave of force accompanied the transformation, which caused the lamps to rattle and the sound of shaking dishes to echo in from the dining room.

"Oh my, am I late?" Verdona said with a pleasant smile. She was wearing a lavender full-length skirt with a matching coat and pillbox hat. She looked like she had just stepped from a fifty year old photograph.

"Just barely, my dear," said Max quickly enough to cut off any comment from Lily.

"Max!" said Verdona as she turned and looked at him with a wide smile. She stepped up and touched the sides of his face tenderly. "I'm so glad that you're safe."

Max reached and gently took her hands in his own. "It's good to see you too," he said softly and looked deeply into her eyes.

"Hey, Mom," said Frank, walking slowly up to his parents.

Verdona turned and quickly swept Frank into a hug. "Frankie! How have you been?"

Frank laughed self-consciously as he pulled away. "Oh, you know, busy."

"Busy?" asked Verdona.

Frank motioned towards Ben casually. "My nephew has forced me into the forefront of a whole new set of case laws to deal with aliens and the massive collateral damage they cause." He shook his head. "It's a full time job just trying to keep people from trying to send Ben to jail for all the damage the aliens cause, to say nothing of the civil suits my associates handle."

"Sorry about that," said Ben, feeling a little embarrassed. "It's not always my fault."

"No, not always," said Frank. "And since our wonderful Federal Government refuses to acknowledge the existence of its own alien defense organization, I've managed to carve out a little shelter for you as the only capable peacekeeping force in the country. That should keep you safe for a little while."

"Thanks, Uncle Frank," said Ben.

"Hmm," mused Verdona. "Human politics are always so silly. I never understood how you people can ignore so much of what goes on in front of your eyes. Were it not for my husband and grandson, this planet would have been destroyed many times over, and yet they never receive the honors and prestige they deserve."

"Yes, us humans are so silly," said Lily with a sneer. "Hello, Verdona."

Verdona smiled kindly. "Good to see you again, Natalie."

"The pleasures all yours," said Lily. "Please use the door next time. My living room is not a landing strip."

"Of course," said Verdona, still smiling.

Lily rolled her eyes and turned to walk out of the room. "I need to check on the roast."

Verdona watched her go then turned towards Ben and Julie. "Sorry, there, kids. I hadn't forgotten you." She swooped in with a hug for them too. "How are you both?"

"Fine, grandma," struggled Ben through the force of the hug.

"Very well, Ms. Tennyson," said Julie, equally as strained.

Verdona straightened herself. "Oh, you don't have to call me that, sweetie. Call me Verdona."

"Uh, okay, thank you... Verdona," said Julie.

"Ben told me you're a sports star?" asked Verdona.

Julie laughed lightly. "I play tennis. I'm not sure how much of a star I am."

"Oh, so modest," said Verdona. She looked serious all of a sudden. "Don't let my grandson walk all over you with that attitude."

"No risk of that, Grandma—OW!" Ben rubbed his shoulder where Julie had punched it.

Verdona laughed and looked towards Ben. "Still running your mouth off in the wrong places?"

"Where's the right place?" asked Ben.

"So, where are Gwen and Kevin?" asked Verdona.

"They're ... away," said Ben. "Doing Plumber business. It's actually related to what I wanted to talk to you about tonight—"

"Oh, let's not get into that so soon!" interrupted Verdona suddenly. She wagged a finger at him. "Requests are dessert conversation and we haven't even started dinner yet!" She looked up in the direction of the kitchen. "Speaking of which, I wonder if there is anything I can do to help Natalie." She started walking out of the room.

"Uh, Mom, I'm not sure that's..." started Frank but Verdona swept out of the room without a hesitation. "Oh, this won't be good." He looked towards Max. "I hope you know what you're doing, Dad."

"This isn't my doing at all," admitted Max.

"Yeah, this dinner was Grandma Verdona's request," said Ben, uneasily.

"Why?" asked Frank desperately. Ben could only shrug in response.

- (X) -

Kai looked at the gun in her hand as if it were the most evil device on earth... or space. She had spent the last three hours trying to get the gun to stop working with her power and still it refused to listen to reason. She wondered what she was doing wrong. She could feel – distantly – the reactions going on inside the gun that was generating the plasma bolt, but she couldn't shut them down quick enough. They only existed for a split second before the gun fired and that wasn't enough time for her to neutralize it.

She could slightly feel the chemical reaction going on inside the battery that was generating the current, but she didn't know if she could affect a chemical and wasn't quite sure how to try. Kevin had told her to neutralize the battery, but did he understand what that meant? Did he know Petrastills well enough to ask her to neutralize a chemical?

She held up the gun towards the target at the other end of the cargo bay and concentrated on the gun. Just after she pulled the trigger the gun would flare up with energy, if she could anticipate the reaction and neutralize it ahead of time, she believed it would stop the gun from firing. The only problem was that she didn't know how to do that. How could she neutralize something that hadn't happened yet?

Tightly squeezing the trigger the gun flared up briefly and fired, sending a green bolt flying down the cargo bay and exploding against a large target on the other end. Kai sighed.

"Still not working, huh?"

Kai spun on her foot to see Phil standing behind her with his arms crossed. She couldn't figure out how he could have gotten so close without her hearing him.

"I told Levin he was jumping three levels with this crap," Phil continued, shaking his head. "Do you even understand the basic foundations of what you're doing?"

"What ... what do you mean?" asked Kai. She wasn't sure if she should be taking any advice from the ex-Plumber, but she was feeling more than a little frustrated by this exercise.

"How much do you know about physics?"

Kai stared. "Um, a little? I've gone to school. I haven't taken a Physics class yet, though."

"How about Einstein? E=mc squared?"

"Yeah, I know about that," said Kai. She knew... of the equation. She really didn't know what it meant.

"Okay, well, the equation says that energy equals mass times the speed of light squared," explained Phil. "Which implies - among a host of other things that Azmuth claims is all wrong but at least doesn't object to this – that matter and energy are interchangeable. In short, everything is energy in some form. Which means, everything is subject to your ability. Even the cells in your body."

Kai's mouth opened slightly. "Everything?" she said.

"Everything," said Phil. "Now, I don't know the limits to your species' power, but if you can control the decay of a star, you can probably set about slowing down the motion of molecules around you."

"I can control a star?" asked Kai. This was the first she'd heard of it.

"Walk before you run," said Phil, motioning towards the gun in Kai's hands. "I imagine you're having a hard time conceiving of what you're trying to do with that thing. Forget about the complexities of how the gun works and focus on something simpler. There is twenty yards of random air molecules and background radiation between you and that target, plenty of things to slow down and get in the way of that plasma bolt." He pointed. "Try again, and this time solidify the 'air' between you and the target."

"Solidify into what?" asked Kai, raising the gun towards the target again.

"It doesn't matter," saidPhil. "The point is to stop the motion of the subatomic particles. Think of a cube, sitting between you and the target, and stop the motion of everything in the cube. But don't think of fire or an explosion, and instead think of the fundamental building blocks of the universe. Everything is made of molecules, which are made of atoms, which are composed of subatomic particles. They're constantly in motion, moving so fast nobody can even guess where they are at. Normally when something comes at them, they move out the way to let that thing pass. Stop them. Make them hold their ground. Like an army of a billion, trillion soldiers, all standing up against a bully."

Kai closed her eyes again and tried to envision what Phil was describing. It was almost inconceivable that there was so much invisible stuff hanging out in the emptiness between her and the target.

But what if it was true? Was all that space filled with more than just air? Could AIR itself ever become strong enough to stop a gun? Was such a power within her ability? Would it hurt to try?

Kai let out her breath and believed there was a cube of ... something, filling up the space between her and the target. So much something that it looked like a raging storm, a hurricane of invisible things. She reached out with her mind and asked that storm to slow. Just like she kept the fire from that match in suspense, she would touch each piece of something and ask it to stop and wait for her cue to begin again. It didn't matter what that something was, she realized. She didn't understand how the Ultimatrix worked, after all, but she was able to control it subconsciously. Surely if she could do that, she could ask the air to slow down a bit.

"Now fire," Phil's voice softly said, and Kai pulled the trigger.

She felt the bloom of heat from the gun and the recoil but then saw a flash of bright light beyond her eyelids and a second burst of hot air brushed against her face, surprising her. She let go of the storm and let it be controlled by whatever natural forces existed in the cargo bay. She opened her eyes slowly.

"Good job," said Phil with a smirk.

Kai saw nothing different but noticed a strangely strong ozone smell in the air that wasn't there before. The gun normally created a small amount of the odor when she fired, but this was much more intense and she scrunched up her nose in response.

"Not perfect," said Phil. "But you dramatically lessened the intensity of the blast."

"I wasn't looking," said Kai, and wondered what exactly had happened.

"It's just as well, the flash was much brighter than I thought it would be," said Phil. "The bolt ionized all the air in the cube and probably scattered much of the radiation as it was diffused. You should be wearing goggles." He paused. "Or a lead suit."

Kai swallowed nervously. "You don't think—"

"I'm sure it's fine," said Phil. "But it worked. If you can control that, and be able to do it on command, it would be better than wearing armor."

Kai started to smile at the accomplishment, but then Kevin's voice echoed from down the hall.

"Hey, you two!" said Kevin. "We're nearing the station, get back up here."

Kai stuck the gun in her pocket and ran towards the cockpit.

- (X) -

The sound of clattering dishes was sharp and sudden. Ben, Max, and Frank ran into the kitchen within seconds to see what had happened. They found Lily by the counter looking angrily at Verdona who was standing a few steps away with a blissful smile on her face. There was a stack of plates on the counter in front of Lily that appeared undamaged but looked as if they were just dropped from her hands.

"You had no right!" Lily shouted just as they were arriving.

"Don't be this way, Lily," Verdona said in a friendly manner. "It all worked out in the end. Everything is fine."

"Everything did not work out! You're still flitting around the universe and I have to—" Lily trailed off as she looked at her husband and nephew entering the room. She closed her eyes briefly and sighed then wiped her hands on a towel.

"Please take care of this, Frank," she said softly before fleeing the room.

Max waited until Lily was gone before glaring at the Anodite. "Verdona," he said sternly.

"Oh, don't get that way," replied Verdona with a smile. "This is just girl talk. You boys needn't worry."

Julie cleared her throat. Verdona looked at her directly.

"This shouldn't be your concern for a long time, if ever," said Verdona, cryptically. Then she laughed lightly and slowly followed after Lily.

"Alright, dad, I've had enough," Frank said, looking to Max. "What was that all about?"

"I don't know, son," said Max. "I haven't really... been part of Verdona's life for quite a while."

"They've always been at each other's throats!" said Frank, exasperated. "I let it lie because mom left Earth right after we married, but now it's like she directly antagonizing her."

"I wouldn't go so far—" started Max, but his son cut him off.

"Why else would she force this dinner on us?" asked Frank. "What does dinner with Lily and me have to do with your battle with aliens."

"This is my fault," started Ben, but Frank waved him off just as quickly.

"No, it really isn't, Ben," Frank said. He looked at his father with a strangely pleading look. "We've all been silent for too long about this, and we can't let it go on forever. Without the Spark, we just don't matter to her."

"Hey!" Max looked angry. "Watch what you say about your mother! She raised you when I couldn't be around. She took you to school. Tended your wounds. Hosted your birthday parties. She loved you, and your brothers."

"She did what she was obligated to do, then left as soon as we were independent," said Frank.

"You have no idea what you are talking about," said Max, his anger rising. Ben had never seen him look this furious before. "You have no idea what it was it was like for her. She's Anodite but she lived as a human for twenty years. She didn't just give up her freedom for you, she gave up her identity. Do you think that was easy? Do you think she would have done that for anyone?" He suddenly looked weary. "Do you think she would have done it just for me?"

The anger drained from Max's face and he moved to sit down by the breakfast table.

"Grandpa," said Ben, cautiously. Max suddenly looked terrible.

"You boys were off to have your own lives," said Max slowly. "Your own adventurers. You didn't need me or your mother dragging you down." He breathed slowly. "She didn't run out on you at all. She ran out on me."

"Dad..." Frank said.

"I knew you kids were bitter about it," said Max, looking down. "I tried to do my best to fill in for her. I left the Plumbers as soon as I could to be there every time you needed help." He reached out and put a hand on Ben's arm. "And be there for your kids when they needed help."

"You were, dad," said Frank, sounding regretful suddenly.

"But don't blame your mother," said Max. "It wasn't malicious, it was just her nature."

"Is that what you thought?" came a voice from the hall.

Max turned as Verdona returned from the back half of the house and stood just at the edge of the kitchen as it led towards the dining room. "You were always such a strong boy, I thought you could endure anything."

Max chuckled ruefully. "I'm not a boy anymore, Verdona. I wasn't when you left, either. I'm an old man now, and everything... well..."

Verdona came gracefully over and wrapped her arms around Max from behind, placing her head on her shoulder. "And so you ran, too," she said. "Into your RV and across the country."

"Only so they wouldn't see," said Max softly, motioning toward Frank. "I had friends everywhere thanks to the Plumbers. I could go and find new people to be around."

"So you wouldn't be alone," said Verdona. She tightened her grip around him and pressed her cheek against his. "You didn't have to be. You could have come with me."

"Someone had to stay, dear," admonished Max. "Or we would really have abandoned them."

"And so you wrapped yourself in your resolve to use as armor against the world while you ... died inside," said Verdona. "Oh, my dearest Max. So strong, and so weak at the same time. I didn't know."

"It's not as bad as you make it sound," said Max with a small smile. "Certainly not since our grandchildren were born. Love can come in many forms."

Verdona looked downwards and was silent. "Frankie," she said after a moment. "Go talk to Lily. She won't see me, but... she should talk to someone."

"What is this really about, mom?"

"She'll tell you," said Verdona. "She's ready to."

Frank sighed, frustrated, but left the kitchen the way Verdona came.

"Verdona...?" prompted Max, but she shook her head.

"I couldn't have stayed," she said. "I told you as much when we first met."

"I know," said Max. "That's why I never fought you on it. I could never have abandoned Earth anyway."

"I knew that as well," said Verdona. "So I never tried to convince you. But I should have." Verdona came around to kneel in front of Max's char. "We should have fought."

"It would have ended the same way, it would have been futile," said Max.

"Isn't love futile sometimes?" asked Verdona with a hint of a smile. She caressed his face with her outstretched hand. "Oh, Max. At least you would have known. I never abandoned you. I carved out the piece of me that was inseparable from you and forced myself to leave it behind because there was no other way."

Max rested his hand on top of hers. "And now you're back, but I'm too old to change my ways anymore."

"Or too proud," chided Verdona lightly.

"Perhaps so," laughed Max. "These kids need me more than you do now." He looked into her eyes. "And they need you as well."

Verdona nodded. "Yawatacsip. The font of life. There are legends—"

"They're true," said Ben, stepping in. "There are people there, oppressed by an evil alien, and we need your help to save them."

"Gwen is there now, I take it?" said Verdona, turning towards Ben.

Ben nodded. "Scouting ahead to lay the groundwork for our arrival. We need Anodyne's help, and to find a way to lure Brozz in."

"What's Brozz?" asked Verdona.

"A Chamatronian," said Max.

Verdona looked shocked. "Surely not."

"I've seen him in person, a little closer than I would have liked as well," said Max, rubbing his side.

She looked at him with a compassionate look. "Much that is myth is coming true today. I wonder if it is an omen." She frowned then turned to look at Ben and, specifically, his Ultimatrix. "For all the weight you bore on your shoulders, Max, our grandson carries that much more on his wrist."

"I can handle it," said Ben confidently. Julie then poked him in the side. "With help, I mean."

"You needn't be overly brave," said Verdona. "Don't follow your grandfather's example too closely. Let your friends support you."

"We do," said Julie with a smile. "He'd be lost without us."

Ben sighed loudly and Julie punched him playfully in the arm. "Ow," he said. "Anyway, Gwen and Kevin need that advice more than me."

"Oh, I'll have words with them before this is all over," said Verdona waving her finger at them.

"Please wait until it is actually all over before you do that," said Max. "We still need to beat Brozz."

"Very well," said Verdona in a dispassionate tone that was betrayed by her impish grin. "Just tell me where and when, and I'll yoke the Beasts of Wendiliu if I have to in order to help."

"Uh, thanks?" said Ben. "What's a Beast of Wendiliu?"

"Oh, it's a great legend," said Verdona, who then hopped onto Max's lap. "Hopefully you haven't actually run into one yet. Are you sure you haven't seen a three-headed, two-tailed, sixteen-legged, twelve story tall, African wildcat in your adventures?"

"Er, no." Ben stared. "I think I'd remember if I had."

- (X) -

Kevin, Phil and Kai sat in the Captain's office at the Plumber's Academy opposite a black desk where a tall, green skinned humanoid with an equally green Mohawk sat. He was looking over floating holographic screens and occasionally flicking data from one to another or off the edge of the windows altogether.

"Sorry to interrupt, Korwak," said Phil to the Captain, diplomatically. "I'm sure you're busy with all these cadets."

Korwak made a half-smile. "I always have time for friends of Max."

Phil grumbled something incomprehensible under his breath.

"Just let me finish dealing with these student issues," he continued. "We've had a large influx of new cadets to fill our ranks since the Highbreed Genocide and it hasn't been easy coping with so many at once. Discipline has been difficult for the other Academies to maintain."

"But not here?" asked Kevin.

"There is a natural order to things," said Korwak as he began closing windows. "Chaos happens when you fail to recognize that pattern and try to use your own. Discipline is not formulaic, it is adaptive, and proper control can only be maintained when you understand."

"And you do," said Kevin.

"I do," grinned Korwak as the last of the windows vanished. "But it requires a lot of diligence to maintain. Thus..." he motioned to where the windows had previously floated. "Busy."

"We don't need much of your time," said Kevin. "Just access to a public terminal with Plumber Codex authority."

Korwak studied Kevin and Kai for a moment then leaned slightly back in his chair. "Your badge has Codex access. Why isn't this enough?"

"It's restricted," said Kevin.

"So would any terminal I gave you access to," said Korwak. "In fact, there is no advantage gained from using one of my Academy's terminals except, perhaps, the anonymity of your actions not being connected to your badge. But that wouldn't be of any use unless you were planning on doing something that you didn't want traced back to you." He bridged his fingers across his lap. "So, I ask again: Why isn't your badge's access enough?"

"It's...got a larger screen," said Kevin.

Korwak's eyes flicked towards Phil once then settled back at Kevin. "I'm familiar with your file, Levin. Your past is ... to put it diplomatically: colorful."

"I've been around," said Kevin.

"Yes you have," nodded Korwak, who then leaned forward and summoned a new screen on his desk. "Been places I'd never wish on my students, in fact. And yet, through great luck, you've ended up in the company of Ben Tennyson where most people would lose you in the shadow of the Bearer of the Omnitrix."

With a frown, Korwak folded his arms. "Most people."

"Yeah, I get it, you don't like my criminal record," said Kevin. "But I'm working for the good guys now. I'm legit."

"Oh, your allegiances aren't in doubt," said Korwak. "It's your methods." He turned towards Phil. "All of your methods."

"Ben Tennyson has vouched for all of us," said Phil. "Where do you get off giving us the stink eye?"

"Ben Tennyson is a child," said Korwak. "He is capable, impressively so, but his track record points to a certain amount of... flawed judgment. How do I know you are trustworthy? You may claim devotion to 'good,' but if you use unjust methods to accomplish your goals, then justice has lost in the end."

"What do you want from me?" asked Kevin. "By your logic nobody deserves a second chance."

"Second chances are given in controlled conditions," said Korwak. "Anybody can claim to be turning a new leaf, so it always pays to be cautious." He pointed a finger at Kevin. "What I want from you is the truth. Stop lying to me and tell me what you intend to do with my terminals."

Kevin looked to Phil who shrugged and then to Kai who appeared to have turned into a terrified-looking statue during the conversation. With a sigh, Kevin pulled out his Plumber's badge and pressed the faceplate, revealing a holographic picture of Brozz.

"We need to know everything about this guy," said Kevin. "But every search I make on him comes back 'Classified.'"

Korwak looked at the figure briefly. "Why?"

"I don't know, because someone is hiding the information?" said Kevin.

Korwak rolled his eyes. "Why do you need to know about him?"

"Because he's trying to destroy our planet!"

For several moments, Korwak was silent, his expression unreadable. Then he pressed a panel on his desk and the screens vanished once more. "And your intent here was what? To compromise Codex to get the information you wanted?"

"My intent is to do whatever is necessary to save my planet," said Kevin, angrily.

Korwak nodded then stood and paced around his desk to stand in front of Kevin. "I've seen a lot of terrible things done in the service of 'whatever is necessary to save something.'" He folded his arms again. "There are proper channels to request the declassification of information, which is something you'd know if any of you Earth Plumbers had been required to come to the Academy."

"We don't exactly have a lot of time for proper channels," said Phil. "That beast could come back at any moment and he's aiming to destroy Earth."

"There is always time for proper channels," said Korwak, dismissively. "You think you're the only ones in a bind? We are Plumbers. If we're active, we're dealing with threats both large and colossal. Why are you so special? Did you ever consider that while security is being rebuilt in the Codex after your infiltration, some other Plumber may be denied the information they need. What if that Plumber is trying to save a star system? Or the galaxy?" He shook his head and then reached to take Kevin's badge, still showing the picture of Brozz.

"The channels exist not to slow you down with bureaucratic nonsense, but to make sure everyone gets what they need, when they need it, without childish line jumping," said Korwak. He walked back around his desk and placed the badge on the surface. Immediately several screens sprang to life around it, many showing the red bar of the 'Classified' tag. He waved his hands and the red vanished and was replaced with scrolling text and squared pictures.

A few moments passed and then Korwak's brows raised and he looked slightly agast.

"This criminal is at large again?" he said suddenly.

"Yeah, he showed up a few days ago and tore up parts of North America," said Kevin. "We tried to stop him but he sort of... well, he escaped."

Korwak sighed and leaned back in his chair, looking vacantly at the floating screens. "That explains Chairman Ion."

"I thought he was retired from Central Command," said Phil. "When I was a Plumber, the Chairman was Lorbil."

"Chairman Lorbil was Chairman Ion's successor," said Korwak, looked down at Phil. "Ion was murdered last week and his personal transport stolen." He tapped one of the screens and it spun around to face Kevin, Kai, and Phil. "The damage was extensive and the GP was unsure who could have caused it. I'm sure if they knew Brozz was loose again, they would have connected the dots."

Kevin looked at the screen showing the picture of Ion and ship. To his surprise, he recognized both. "That's how Brozz looked when he showed up on Earth," he said, pointing to the picture of Ion. "He must have stolen his appearance... I don't know why, though."

"Revenge," said Phil. "Ion always loved the Tennysons, and he was the one who was chasing Brozz when he first landed on Earth." He shook his head. "Since he was retired, he probably wasn't being protected as closely as he used to be when he was a Commodore or Chairman."

Korwak nodded. "I would guess that as well. Ion's connection to Brozz was well known, as well as his love of Earth."

"That's Thermian design," said Kevin, pointing to the second picture. "The cruiser? I think that landed on Earth." He looked to Kai. "It left those imprints at the burial grounds he first disrupted."

"Heritage sites," said Kai.

"Whatever."

"Why take a ship, though?" asked Phil. "At his power level, with Paradox's abilities, he could be anywhere, any when. Why steal a cruiser? And where is that cruiser now?"

Korwak studied Kevin, Phil, and Kai intensely. "Central Command knows Brozz has attacked Earth?"

"I reported it myself," said Phil.

Korwak moved his fingers over the screens, tossing text to the side and summoning up new data. He looked at the stream of blue text closely. "This is ... unusual."

"Unusual?" asked Kevin.

"Normally—" started Korwak but he was suddenly interrupted by a melodic tone followed by a screen appearing showing large green text in a language Kevin didn't recognize.

Korwak looked startled and then reached under his desk and pulled out a small grey rectangle that he held up to his ear. "Yes, Chairman?" he said as his eyes darted about the room.

Kevin looked worriedly at Phil who returned a concerned gaze.

"No, sir, I'm with Kevin Levin," said Korwak. Now he was looked directly at Kevin with a frown. After a moment, his eyes widened slightly. "Yes, sir, he's here as well." He hesitated. "I'll make sure. Thank you, sir." Then he put the rectangle down on his desk and stared at it stiffly.

"What's going on?" asked Phil.

Korwak looked up like a deer in the headlights which was the least menacing expression he'd worn yet. Then he jumped out of his chair, grabbed the Plumber's badge on his desk, and began quickly walking over to Kevin. Roughly, he took Kevin's hand and shoved the badge back into it.

"You need to get out of here," said Korwak and he began pushing Kevin and company towards the door.

Kevin motioned for Kai to follow as they walked quickly through the halls of the Academy. "Something's gone wrong, then," he said.

"I've been asked to detain you all," said Korwak. "While other Plumbers come to get you."

Kevin pulled his arm from Korwak's grip and glared at him. "What?" he shouted loudly.

Korwak growled and grabbed Kevin's arm again and pulled him along. "I'm not going to do it!" he growled.

"Why?" asked Phil. "You didn't like us."

"I never said that at all," said Korwak as they turned a corner towards the docking ring. "In fact, I told you from the start that I always had time for friends of Max." He brought them to a corner and stopped to peer around. He held them back with a motion from his hand. "I may disapprove of his methods, but Max has been – with a few obvious exceptions – an excellent judge of character."

Phil raised an eyebrow. "You're talking about me, aren't you?"

Korwak ignored him. "There are no records of your report that Brozz is free again, and, in fact, there appears to be misinformation in the report on Chairman Ion's death. Someone is covering something up, and based on that call I just got, Lorbil is involved."

"You're defying the Chairman for us?" asked Kai.

Korwak peered around the corner and then pulled Kevin along again. The rest of the team followed closely.

"I'm responding to someone trying to subvert the process," said Korwak.

"Isn't this also subverting the process?" asked Kevin.

"This is an exception routine for when the process fails," said Korwak quickly. "And I'm not comfortable with the Chairman doling out justice on his own in secret. We all heard the stories about Brozz, he's not the kind of criminal you play games with."

They reached the docking ring and Korwak stopped at a console to enter in his security code. "Head back to your ship and get out of here. I don't doubt that we're minutes from people showing up here to grab you."

Kevin and Phil started running towards the Rustbucket III, but Kevin hesitated when he noticed Kai wasn't with them. He stopped and turned back.

"What's going to happen to you?" asked Kai to Korwak. "You should come with us if you're going to get in trouble."

Korwak smiled. "My students are more important," he said. "Don't worry, not even the Chairman can do much to me out here."

Kai seemed uneasy. "Are you sure?"

"Go now, and find out what's going on," said Korwak. "That's the best thing you can do for me. Figure out if something illegal is happening and expose it. That's the way you really protect people."

With a slow nod, Kai eventually turned and joined up with Kai and Phil as they ran to the ship.

- (X) -

The actual meal at Gwen's parents' house was dreadfully silent. Ben watched his family closely, with Julie eating quietly beside him. On his other side was Max, who was perhaps just as curious as he was, while Verdona, beside him, seemed cheerful as always. Lily and Frank, however, moved mechanically and only spoke when passing dishes from person to person.

"This is a wonderful meal, Lily," said Verdona spontaneously. "It's one of the things I always forget about when I'm not in this form: how wonderful eating physical food is."

Lily grunted.

"What do you eat when you're on Anodyne?" Ben tried desperately to lighten the mood.

"There isn't a real need to," explained Verdona. "Mana is pervasive throughout the universe. After infancy, we absorb the energy around us as a means of replenishing what we use. It's only because the human form is so complicated that we need to eat or sleep."

"You don't sleep?" asked Julie, playing along.

"Not in my natural form," said Verdona. "But this human body needs it, so I've developed a taste for it. It's actually quite calming. And eating is fun, though not as efficient at restoring lost energy as absorbing mana directly." Her wan smile turned slightly more heartfelt as she reached out and placed a gentle hand on Max's shoulder. "Your Grandpa found some creative ways of getting the extra energy I needed into our meals."

"And you were quite patient with all my culinary experiments," smiled Max.

Ben nodded, then stopped and frowned confusingly. Across the table, Frank suddenly looked up and dropped his fork on his plate. "Wait. What?"

"Normal foods were not being digested properly," explained Max. "She was tired all the time and losing energy. We had to find different meals to make that weren't always available at the supermarket."

"S-so... all the earthworms, and the odd seeds, and the grass... all that was for mom?" said Frank, his eyes wide.

"Of course," said Max in a matter-of-fact tone. "It wasn't Plumber food. Most stuff they serve at the Academy comes in a cube."

"Ugh, I can vouch for that," said Ben, remembering his brief visit there last year to get Manny, Helen, and Pierce admitted. "But... you still eat that way. Grandma Verdona hasn't been around for years!"

"I didn't cook it just for Verdona," said Max. "Besides, after twenty-five years, I came to really like it."

The table, save for Verdona, stared at Max, dumbfounded.

"Never do that to me," Ben whispered to Julie. "Please."

Julie ignored him. "Does that mean Gwen doesn't need to eat either?" she asked.

"As long as she has a physical form she does," said Verdona. She looked towards Lily. "And unlike me, she has a fully working normal human body which can digest food properly."

Lily grumbled something about being 'normal' but Ben couldn't catch it.

Turning back towards Julie, Verdona continued, "Though once she sheds that form, she'll be able to exist on ambient mana just like me."

Lily slammed her fork down on the table. "She's not going to shed her body! She doesn't have a normal human form, she is a normal human."

"Only on the outside, dear," said Verdona with a smile.

"All the way through," Lily growled at her mother in law. "You don't get to take her from me. She's going to be human!"

"That's far beyond either of our control at this point," said Verdona. "Even if she chooses to limit herself to this existence, her body will grow old and die when her spark is still young. Unless you expect her to voluntarily extinguish her essence at that point, she will eventually take on her Anodite form for good. You don't want her to kill herself, do you?"

"How dare you ask me that?" said Lily. "You tried to kill her!"

"I only tried to reveal her potential," said Verdona. "And it worked. She knows now, and she has – despite your protests – embraced it."

"What?" spat Lily.

"She's taken on Anodite form several times by now," said Verdona. "I could feel it each time. Even across the vast distances of the galaxy I could sense my granddaughters. She knows the power that form holds for her. Do you really expect her to forget now?"

Lily clutched her napkin in her fist so hard her knuckles turned white.

"Lil'," said Frank softly.

"How could you just sit there?" Lily suddenly turned on her husband. "She's our daughter!"

Frank nodded and placed his hand on top of his wife's. "And she'll always be our daughter, no matter what form she takes. And while I vehemently disagree with what mom did," he shot a sharp look at Verdona. "Even I can see that our influence on Gwen is waning, even if she didn't know of her Anodite nature. She's growing up, faster than we could ever have hoped for. We can't force her to forget all this any more than my mother could force Gwen to come to Anodyne. She's her own girl now, and deserves that respect."

Lily looked stricken and some of the anger drained out of her face as she stared searching at her husband. Her eyes darted around his face until they finally closed and she sighed and shook her head slowly.

There was more silence in the room as everyone held there breath for what the next retort would be.

Lily eventually raised her head again and spoke.

"Does anyone want Dessert?"

-(X)-

Max gently grabbed his wife and pulled her into the living room after the pies had been cleared away. Ben and Julie discretely followed, thinking that if they weren't invited, they would be told to leave. Max didn't protest.

Once out of earshot of Lily and Frank again, Max looked serious, and frustrated. "Why was this necessary, Verdona?" he asked pointedly.

"I wanted to see my family again," said Verdona with a smile.

"Stop it," said Max.

Verdona's smile mostly faded and she looked mildly at Ben. "There's no way anyone on Anodyne will help you with Brozz." Her voice was steady and stern. "I'm sorry, Ben, but your ... actions with the Highbreed were both noble and heroic, but not universally accepted." She sighed after a moment and then sat down on the couch.

"Anodyne doesn't like me?" asked Ben, genuinely surprised.

"Some don't, because of what you did," said Verdona. "The level of forced genetic change on a species that you enacted was... under other circumstances it would be criminal. You had no right to do that to them, and only the fact that they were two short steps away from conquering the galaxy has kept anyone from confronting you with that."

Ben paled. He was considered a criminal?

"Then there are those who hate you for what you didn't do," continued Verdona. "The Highbreed were vicious conquerors who spared no remorse for the people they killed or how they killed them. Many believed they deserved to be wiped out entirely. That saving them was akin to forgiving their savage rampage. They would have seen you commit genocide and called it good."

Verdona's smile became warmer again. "I, for one, do not agree with either of these opinions, but I'm obviously biased."

Ben nodded but hung his head. Julie gently stroked his back.

"I don't feel it was within your right to do anything else but what you did. You were never chosen to be the galaxy's defender, leader, or executioner. Your solution was the best compromise in a murky situation. But, on Anodyne at least, the tolerant view is in the minority. I am the only support you'll likely have."

Ben sighed. "Thanks for trying, Grandma."

"Don't lose hope yet!" said Verdona. She almost seemed cheerful now. "I think you and Gwen have underestimated what one Anodite can do. If it's raw mana you need, then you don't need more than me."

Max frowned deeper. "But Brozz has evolved so rapidly—"

"I'm no spring chicken, dear," Verdona cut Max off. "As I'm sure you already know! I have a few tricks left up my sleeve to control the local mana flows. I promise you, you'll have all the power you need for your spell."

"So you'll help us?" said Ben.

"Of course," nodded Verdona. "Did you doubt it?"

Ben breathed a sigh of relief. "And you're sure you'll be enough on your own?"

"Gwen may fear being overcome by the power, but I am more than capable of handling it," assured Verdona. "I'll be ready when you need me."

Ben moved forward and hugged his grandmother. "Thank you, Grandma." She wrapped her arms around him softly as well.

After a moment, they released one another and Ben straightened. Verdona looked towards the kitchen. "Why don't you go help your Aunt and Uncle with the dinner plates?"

Ben nodded and took Julie's hand to head into the kitchen.

- ( X ) -

Max watched his grandchildren go, leaving him alone with Verdona. His wife, once upon a great long time ago, but now perhaps as much strangers as when they meet near that airbase.

"Still lying to our children," observed Max quietly.

"Hush you," said Verdona playfully. "Like you did any better before the Omnitrix fell on Ben's wrist."

"I only hid what they didn't need to know," said Max.

Verdona turned and took Max's hands in her own. "That's all I'm doing here."

Max's expression softened. "What's really going on?"

Verdona took a deep breath. "I never wanted to be away from them, or you. But nature was irresistible. Though I did try, for a very long time."

"You could have come back," said Max. "Visited."

"And then leave again?" she said wistfully. "No, that hurt too much the one time. To keep doing it would be... it would be too much." She shook her head. "You were the brave one, Max, not me. I couldn't bear the thought of going through that over and over again. I ran away. A coward."

Max slid his arms around the waist of his once lover and held her close. "I wouldn't go that far."

Verdona leaned her head on Max's shoulder. "You don't know. I took the easy way out when I should have known better. Twenty five years as a human and learned nothing."

"So, fighting with our son and daughter-in-law was your way of reconnecting?" asked Max, confused.

"It was a... precaution," Verdona said uneasily. "Just in case."

Max's eyes widened and he pushed Verdona slightly away so he could look into her eyes. They were red and she was crying, to his surprise. "Just in case... what?"

Verdona gently placed her fingertips on Max's cheek. "You've been doing this for so long, Max. You know what I mean."

Max's jaw dropped slightly. "You don't think you'll get another chance?"

With a steeled expression, Verdona nodded. "There are limits to what even a matriarch like me can channel. I have far more ability than our granddaughters, but even I could lose myself in the flow. I won't let our grandson down, though. Even if it costs me everything, I'll make ever drop of mana in the universe available to him."

"Oh... Verdona..." said Max sadly.

"Shh," hushed Verdona. "Don't let them hear."

"There must be another way," said Max.

"You've faced this choice before," said Verdona. "I've seen you make it time and time again. You always put our family above yourself. It's just my turn."

Max opened his mouth to retort but couldn't honestly contest her. He HAD always taken the responsibility upon his shoulder. He always made the choice to be the sacrifice instead of others. It just had always worked out in favor in the past. Sure there were many close calls, but he made it through.

Just like Verdona might make it through this.

With a sinking feeling, he held his wife close to him once more. He wasn't sure, after all this time, if he should still consider her his wife given the separation, but, right now, the clarity came to him. She would always be his. Just like he never stopped being hers.

Max swallowed the lump in his throat and brought down the mask again, the one he wore to hide his work from his family for so long. He wouldn't betray Verdona's choice to Ben and Julie.

"I do have one question," Max spoke softly into her ear.

Verdona nuzzled against his cheek. "What is it?"

"You keep saying granddaughters," said Max. "When you're referring to Gwen."

Verdona perked her head up and looked at Max. "You mean you haven't heard about Sunny?"