Good day, Ultras! And it feels good to finally be back on this site! This chapter has a lot of moving parts, and introduces several characters, including Captain Nemesis' debut!
Trigger warnings: There are several instances of choice language in the chapter. The first instance is in the paragraph which follows the one that reads, "Friday, Gwen replied. You've been out for almost three whole days." The second is in the paragraph which reads, "I can keep it in check, Ben said, sounding annoyed." The third instance is in the paragraph which follows the one that reads, "I'm here to see Don Maroni," Carl proclaimed." The fourth one occurs in the paragraph The last instance is in the paragraph which follows the one that reads, "Hey guys, let's calm down and do what the PLUMMERs ordered, Nemesis said."
Enjoy the chapter!
The Ultra 10 Chronicles: Volume 3: Storms Gathering
Chapter 70: Spinning a Web
Suburbs of Denver, Colorado
"Your plan isn't working," Newg said tersely. "Ben hasn't investigated anything we've done, and we still have no idea where Neb is." She crossed her arms, annoyed as she sat in the passenger seat of the sedan they'd acquired.
"I don't understand it either," Xam admitted. "It's as if he's just ignoring us, or like there's something else that's gotten his attention. But the news stations haven't reported anything out of the ordinary." Xam fiddled with the gadget he'd been constructing over the last several days. He'd managed to pull out the antennas from the PLUMMER suit, and had engineered an apparatus for him to control it with.
"Well, what's plan B?" Newg asked. "Assuming that you actually have a plan B that is?"
"Of course I have a plan B," Xam replied. "I am a former PLUMMER after all." Xam put down the screw driver he'd been tweaking something on the apparatus with. Pressing a button on the side of the gauntlet-shaped device, the thing came to life with energy coursing through it.
"Well?" Newg intoned.
"This is going to survey the internet for us," Xam explained. "Every bit of information traveling from computer to computer this thing is going to intercept. It's going to help us speed up our search for Neb by using facial recognition and language detection."
"And if he's not on Earth?" Newg asked. "He could have been sent to the Null Void."
"Then hopefully this will allow us to know that as soon as possible," Xam replied. "There's no way I can jerry-rig a Null-Void projector, not even a crude one. The tech required for that is far above my abilities. But there are other ways of getting into the Void, even if we have to steal a projector from a PLUMMER base. We just should be sure that he's there before we go about risking our necks on a rescue mission."
"Makes sense," Newg replied. "How does your little thing there work?"
"I'll just have to let it run its program, and it'll start accessing the internet, scanning for Neb," Xam explained. "With any luck, it should be able to monitor the entire net in a few days. If we're lucky, it could even puck up on him before that." Newg nodded.
Nichol Plaza
Kevin stood in the shadows of the plaza, waiting for Carl to pull up. Lucy was annoying him by exploring every nook and cranny of the buildings that butted up against two sides of the small plaza. Before long, a black SUV pulled up, Carl stepping out with two other men.
"What's the plan, boss?" Carl asked as they approached the teenage heroes.
"We're turning the DUL over to law enforcement," Kevin replied. "All of the leading trouble makers. Organizing them was a mistake from the start."
"And how do you plan on nabbing them all at once?" Carl asked.
"We need to catch them in a crime," Kevin said. "Otherwise the law won't be able to keep them for long. They'll be out again, and pissed off. What weaknesses can we exploit?"
"They're mostly off the drug trade since you and Ultra reorganized them," Carl admitted. "The town's got no one to rob from, and I don't think they'd do it, even if there were." Carl paused a moment, as if he were trying to think of something. "Weapon running would probably be the only big thing we could stick them with."
"They're doing that?" Kevin asked. From the edge of the plaza Lucy finally noticed the men that had pulled up and were talking to Kevin. She immediately ran over, trying to act as mature as she could.
"You must be Carl," she said, looking at the three men. "Or, one of you are at least!" Carl gave a confused look to Kevin.
"Who is she?"
"She's with me for the moment," Kevin waived off the question. "Helped me deal with the police station." Carl nodded a confused acknowledgement.
"Back to the topic at hand," he continued. "The DUL's not big into selling firepower, but they are trying to collect it. Anything to get the edge over the police or even the PLUMMERs."
"Those DUL guys are buying guns?" Lucy repeated excitedly. Kevin glared at her.
"If you want to tag along, you're going to have to zip it, got it?" Kevin asked. Lucy nodded, mimicking a zipping motion across her mouth.
"Yes, those 'DUL guys' are stockpiling firepower. Guns, ammo, explosives, armor; anything to help them. If we could catch them trying to take some stolen weapons, we could lock them away for quite a while. That should be the ticket to dissolve the DUL," Carl relayed.
"There's some Vilgaxian equipment onboard The Guardian that we could run you," Kevin suggested. "Looks like organics armor, nothing too dangerous, but enough to be tempting. We'll place it here in this plaza, and tip off both the DUL and the PLUMMERs about it."
"I'm not so sure about using Vilgaxian tech," Carl admitted. "Wouldn't that point to you or Ultra?"
"There's been enough of fighting with Vilgaxian drones on the street that it's not impossible to have missed somewhere," Kevin said. "And if you tell them you found it, then the PLUMMERs will believe that it was scavenged by the DUL. So even just finding it could be enough to frame them."
"And in truth, it will have been found by them," Carl concluded. "I like it."
"Then it's settled," Kevin said. "I'll collect up some Vilgaxian tech and armor for you to stow here. You tell the DUL, and I'll inform the PLUMMERs. In three days' time, we'll tell them it's here, and they'll bump into each other."
"Great plan, boss," Carl concluded. With that, he and his two buddies piled back into their SUV and drove off down the street.
"Can I talk now?" Lucy asked.
"I'd prefer it if you didn't," Kevin snarked.
"How well do you trust this Carl guy?" Lucy asked.
"About as far as I can throw him," Kevin replied. "Which is farther than most, but I'm still keeping an eye on him."
"Then how can you be sure that you can trust him to follow through with the plan?" Lucy asked.
"Because the plan is for the PLUMMERs to find the tech in the hands of the DUL," Kevin replied. "But that doesn't mean that the DUL has to be present when the police arrive. Carl and I will move the equipment here tonight, and tell the police it's here tomorrow. That gives them two days to set up an ambush for whoever comes for them. Which hopefully will be the DUL."
"Smart," Lucy said. "The PLUMMERs won't even have to risk them getting it."
"Exactly," Kevin replied. "But let's keep this between us, alright? No telling the team what we're up to."
"Why not?" Lucy pouted.
"Just trust me on this. They'll think it's too dangerous or something," Kevin replied. "Just let me take care of this mess."
"Alright," Lucy agreed dejectedly. "I'll keep my lips sealed." Kevin nodded, taking out his comm link from his pocket.
"Gwen, we need you to open up a portal from Nichol Plaza to the Guardian," Kevin asked.
"Working on it," Gwen replied. "Give me a minute." With that, Kevin returned the communicator back to his pocket.
"So where is the gear at?" Lucy asked impatiently.
"It's in the hangar," Kevin said. "Found some armor plates in some of the discarded ships. I think that the star-fighter Coop and I've been working on is repaired enough to take us back and forth. That way we wouldn't need to ask Gwen every time for a ride." In front of them a portal opened up, growing in size until it was big enough to walk through.
The duo emerged from the portal, appearing in the command bridge, which the team had been using as a kind of common room. Gwen was standing in front of them, her eyes and hand glowing with mana, keeping the portal open. As soon as she saw them, her eyes faded back into her natural greens, the portal behind them collapsing into nothingness.
"So, how was the trip?" Gwen asked.
"No problem," Kevin responded, sidestepping the inquiry.
"Really?" Gwen asked. "Everything was hunky-dory?"
"Hunky-dory!" Lucy replied enthusiastically, giving Gwen a two-thumbs up.
"Alright," Gwen conceded. "Sam is finishing up his patrol, and then I'm heading to bed." With that, Gwen sat back down in one of the chairs and began reading from her sorcery book. Kevin left, heading down the hallway and towards the hangar, with Lucy quickly following him.
They entered the hangar, seeing the confusing mix between crashed star fighters and the ones that he and Cooper had disassembled to study and to rebuild.
"So… where is it?" Lucy asked. Kevin ignored her, making his way towards one of the totaled fighters, smashed against a dozen others and rammed into the wall. Absorbing the metallic sheeting of it, he lifted it up, revealing several cardboard boxes, which had fit inside the shattered cockpit.
"There it is," Kevin replied.
"You said it was in the hangar, but you never said you'd been collecting them," Lucy quipped.
"Well, I was saving them for later," Kevin admitted. "You know, keepsakes and stuff."
"More like saving them to pawn them later," Lucy corrected with a giggle.
"Shut up," Kevin hissed. "You don't want anyone to hear us." Lucy picked up the boxes, allowing Kevin to set the fighter down where it had been.
"So? When are we going?" Lucy asked.
"There's no we," Kevin reiterated. "I work best alone." Lucy pouted a bit. "But as it turns out, I need someone to cover for me. Make sure I'm not missed while I'm gone."
"Got it!" Lucy saluted like a soldier.
"Enough with the childishness," Kevin groaned. "Just make sure that I'm good to leave, and good to come back. With that, Kevin grabbed the boxes from her and walked over to the fighter he and Cooper had been working on. He opened the hatch, dropping the cardboard onto the seat, and climbing in himself.
"You sure that this thing is flyable?" Lucy asked.
"Cooper and I have been working on this thing for months now," Kevin said defensively. "There are only two people who know how it works, and I'm one of them!" With that, he pressed the ignition, watching as energy spread through the craft. The twin engines began to hum, and the repulsers lifted the fighter into the air, hovering only a foot or so above the floor.
"Told ya it's flyable!" Kevin exclaimed, excitement momentarily disturbing his normal gloomy expression.
"You'd better be quick," Lucy reminded him. Kevin nodded, pushing the throttle forward. The fighter responded eagerly, heading towards the exit, which had recently been cleared of debris. With a cocky wave, Kevin shot out of the hangar, down towards the surface of Bellwood.
"NO!" Ben shouted, his eyes flicking open as he sat up. His sudden movement startled Gwen, who nearly dropped the Arcamada Book of Spells. Ben frantically looked around, confused as to where he was.
"Ben?" Gwen asked, the Arcamada Book of Spells vanishing into smoke as she stood up and rushed to his side. "Ben, are you alright?"
"Where… What?" Ben muttered, still in a state of confusion.
"Calm down, Ben," Gwen tried to sooth him. She put her hand on Ben's shoulder, trying to calm him. "You're onboard The Guardian, in the infirmary." At her touch, Ben calmed a little, laying back down in the bed.
"What… what day is it?" He asked.
"Friday," Gwen replied. "You've been out for almost three whole days." Gwen sat back down in her chair. "How are you feeling?"
"Like shit," Ben replied. "What's happened since I've been out?"
"You gave everyone a pretty good scare with how you were acting," Gwen admitted. "You were getting violent, more and more so. Like an addiction or something."
"I-I couldn't help it," Ben admitted. "It was like I was riding passenger to myself. I couldn't stop."
"What was it?" Gwen asked. To that, Ben shook his head.
"It was me… but at the same time, it wasn't me at all," he replied. "Like there were two different versions of me, each vying for dominance."
"It reminded me of when you got bit," Gwen admitted. "Of when I was bitten. Just that unhinged anger and rage." She looked at her cousin intently. "Are you sure you're okay?" Ben nodded his head.
"I'm fine," Ben replied.
"I'll go get Julie then," Gwen said. "I'm sure Julie's going to want to run some tests on you, just to make sure it doesn't happen again." With that, Gwen stood up, leaving the room to look for Julie.
Nichol Plaza
Kevin landed the Vilgaxian star-fighter in the middle of the plaza, seeing Carl approach from off to the side of the park.
"You got the tech?" Carl asked, to which Kevin nodded. He exited the craft with the box of Vilgaxian tech in his hands.
"Got a good spot to cache it?" Kevin asked. Carl nodded, pointing to the edge of the plaza, where a mess of destroyed drones had been temporarily been pushed to.
"We can stash it under the scraps," Carl said. "That'll at least make it seem plausible." He helped Kevin place the armor plates and tech in the pile, and then covered it with the scraps.
"I'd better be getting back to the Guardian, before anyone notices I'm gone," Kevin said, climbing back into the Vilgaxian star-fighter. "Remember the plan."
"Three days," Carl said, nodding. "I'll tip off the DUL, you tip off the PLUMMERs. No one gets their hands on the tech, but we take down the DUL." Kevin nodded, before taking off in the star-fighter. As soon as he was gone, Carl pulled out his cell phone.
"Hey, Frankie," Carl spoke into the receiver. "Bring the van to Nichol Plaza. We've got some tech to pick up."
"You got it, boss," the voice on the other line replied. Only a few minutes later, the black SUV pulled up to the small urban park. Frankie and another man stepped out, walking towards Carl.
"Where's the goods?" Frankie asked.
"It's just under that scrap heap," Carl said, walking over the the pile. The three mended out the tech, loading it into the SUV.
"This'll make us some good dough on the market," the third man said, adjusting his glasses.
"This isn't going to the market," Carl said, surprising both men.
"What do you mean, not going to the market?" Frankie asked.
"I'm tired of scraping by, it's time to go for the big league," Carl replied. "Simons, what do you think you can make with this tech?" The third man took another look through the tech they had loaded into the car.
"Most of it is Vilgaxian armor," he replied. "I'm sure I can fashion you an armored suit. One that would rival anything those PLUMMERs have."
"Get on it," Carl answered. "It's time to make my mark on the market, and I think that the superhero market can be much more lucrative than the black market." Carl and Frankie rearranged the scrap pile to appear as though they hadn't touched it, and then piled into the SUV before driving away.
Two days later, Nesmith Industries
"Simons! What's the progress on my suit?" Carl questioned his engineer.
"It is nearly complete, sir," Simons replied typing away on a computer. In front of him an orange and black suit was connected to various wires, all plugged into a power source. "I'm just tweaking a few more settings, and we'll be good to go for a test run."
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Frankie asked, walking up behind Carl. "I mean, we've never stepped out of the shadows before. What if something goes wrong?"
"What could possibly go wrong?" Carl replied, still looking off of the balcony, down at where Simons was working on the suit.
"What if Team Ultra recognizes the tech? What if the suit fails while you're out there in the middle of a fight?" Frankie continued. "What if the core fails when you try it on? There's a lot that could go catastrophically wrong. Selling the tech makes it our buyers' problem, not ours."
"I trust Simons," Carl answered. "He's one of the smartest engineers I know. If anyone can make it work, it's him. Besides, this'll at least ensure that we stay ahead of any competition."
"And what about Team Ultra?" Frankie reminded him. "What happens if they get wise to our stealing their tech?"
"Has anyone ever told you that you worry too much?" Carl shot back. "We gave it a paint job. There's no way that it'll be recognized. We'll just tell them that the DUL got to it before we thought they would. Just another reason for Team Ultra to take them down for us."
"It's done," Simons called out from down below. "The suit's ready for a test run." Carl turned around to look at his partner. "You're about to see a transformation for our business." With that, he walked down the stairs, towards the suit. As he approached it, the suit opened up, almost as though it were waiting for him. Turning around, Carl backed up into the suit, the metallic plates sealing together over him with a hiss. With a final puff of steam, the wires severed themselves from the suit, fizzing as they dangled. Carl took a step forward, testing his suit.
"What if someone sees you in the suit, and word gets out?" Frankie asked from the balcony.
"I won't be myself while in the suit," Carl replied as the suit's systems came online. "I'm going to be Captain Nemesis. If word gets out, I'm goin' to be just another hero that showed up out of the blue. A benevolent crusader, who of course makes a little extra dough on the side." Carl tried punching the air, testing the suit's reflexes. Pressing a button on his gauntlet, the wall leading to the courtyard of the tower slid open.
"Time to see what this suit can do," Carl said.
"It does have it's limits," Simons spoke up cautiously. "The Nitron core could fail if you pushed it to its limits, so I've installed safeguards. Power regulators, limiters, excess converters. You'll be able to continuously use the suit, so long as you are careful about the strain you put on it."
"I ain't planning on doin' much actual fighting," Carl responded. "Just taking out enough local punks to keep business rolling." With that, Carl blasted off into the night sky.
Onboard the Guardian
"Everything ready for the setup tonight?" Lucy asked cheerily as Kevin strode by her, heading towards the hangar.
"Could you possibly be any less discrete?" Kevin responded.
"Relax, Cooper's on the surface on patrol, and the rest of the team aren't anywhere near us!" Lucy shot back, falling in behind Kevin. "There's no one to ask any questions."
"Ask questions about what?" Ben ask, surprising the two and forcing a surprised squeal from Lucy. Kevin glared at her. Ben was leaning against one of the star-fighters that Cooper and Kevin had been tinkering on.
"Well?" Ben asked after a moment of silence. "What are you two up to?"
"Kevin… is just going on patrol!" Lucy fibbed as naturally as she could muster.
"Cooper, Sam and Gwen are on patrol," Ben deadpanned. "And last I checked, Kevin didn't really want anything to do with the heroing part of the team."
"Yes, well I… uh," Kevin tried to come up with a believable story. "I was heading to the surface to grab a burger from Burger Barn."
"Little late for dinner, isn't it?" Ben asked.
"Yeah, well, what are you doing up and about anyway?" Kevin deflected. "Didn't Julie tell you to take it easy? In case… you know…"
"I can keep it in check," Ben said, sounding annoyed. "Going for a damned walk around the ship isn't going to send me into another psychotic episode."
"Well like he said," Lucy spoke up, "Kevin was just on his way to grab some fast food. You know, because they don't deliver to the ship." She gave Kevin an exaggerated wink.
"Yep, that's what I was doing," Kevin said. "Because you know, I missed dinner and all that." Before Ben could object again, Lucy took him by the arm.
"Speaking of which, you look a little tired. I'd better help you back towards the med-bay. What kind of a friend would I be if I let you strain yourself trying to get there in the state you're in?" She tried to strong-arm Ben out of the hangar, back into the ship.
"Yeah, whatever," Ben said, wrestling his arm away from Lucy. "Have fun on the surface." With that, he walked out of the hangar.
"Well, at least she's trying," Kevin scoffed, making his way towards the operational star-fighter. Getting inside, he powered it up and shot towards the surface.
"Alright, Lucy, your distraction worked," Ben said. "Now what were you and Kevin up to really?"
"We weren't up to anything!" She deflected. "What makes you think that we were up to anything?"
"You two were trying to avoid detection by the rest of the team," Ben shot back. "Probably doing something you think the rest of the team would object to. Something dangerous or illegal."
"That is one crazy idea you've got," Lucy tried to deflect again. "Are you sure you're feeling alright?"
"Lucy, I've got a modified communicator, just like Kevin does. I know it has something to do with the DUL." Lucy bit her lip.
"Well… he's just trying to help the police take them down a notch," Lucy burst out. "He's working with the police and PLUMMERs, and it's not even going to be all that dangerous!"
"I think he can handle himself," Ben said. "I mean, he survived the Null Void by himself, and I can't imagine that the DUL even compares to that."
"Really?" Lucy asked, unaware of Kevin's time in the Null Void.
"I'll have to fill you in later, but what I'm concerned about, is that whatever he's doing, it's going to get out of hand," Ben said.
"It's just a setup," Lucy said. "The cops will be there even before the DUL get their hands on the equipment."
"What equipment?" Ben cut her off. Lucy gasped, not intending to let loose that bit of information.
"Uh, just scraps from Vilgax's drones. Broken scraps," Lucy stuttered. "Nothing actually usable, either to the PLUMMERs or the DUL."
"I hope not," Ben replied. "Vilgaxian tech is dangerous stuff, especially in the wrong hands. There's no point in giving any potential enemies dangerous tech."
Streets of Bellwood
Carl landed in an alleyway, the rockets in his suit sounding like a small jet engine powering down. Three small rods extended down from the rockets, providing a tripod to hold the rockets. Pressing a few buttons in his gauntlet, the rockets detached with a hiss.
"Nitron core stabilized," the suit said with a metallic disembodied voice. "Rocket boosters recharging. Time to full charge: twenty-seven minutes."
Time to pay the Maroni's a visit," Carl muttered to himself. He walked up to the door and wound up for a punch. The door blasted off of its hinges, splintering as it gave way.
"What in the world?" One of the goons on the inside exclaimed, drawing his pistol reflexively.
"I'm here to see Don Maroni," Carl proclaimed, completely unfazed by the pistol.
"Yeah? And who the hell's asking?"
"Captain Nemesis," Carl proclaimed. "And you might want to put that gun down, before you get yourself killed." From his shoulder, a barrel popped out, powering up as it aimed at the man.
"S-sure thing," he replied, holstering the pistol. "I'll just go tell Don you're here to see him right away." With that, he backed up wearily to the stairs behind him, nearly stumbling before turning around to go up them.
"Coward," Carl muttered to himself as the barrel on his shoulder powered down and went back into his armor. In a moment, Don along with three other men came down the stairs, all with their weapons drawn.
"Carl?" Don Maroni asked unsure. "Is that you?"
"The name's Captain Nemesis," Carl replied. "And you'd better remember that going forward."
"What the hell do you want?" Don asked.
"I want your guys to stay out of my town," Carl stated.
"You're town?" Don scoffed. "Since when did it become your town?"
"Ever since I got this suit that can take any number of your boys," Carl replied. "If I see them out there and my gut tells me they're doin' something they shouldn't be, I'm going to be taking them out."
"You're an arms trader, and a damn good one," Don responded. "Why the career change?"
"I'm expanding business," Carl said. "People pay better when they have nothing to worry about. And if your guys get in the way of my business…"
"Bada-bing, yeah I get it," Don replied. "You betta keep your eyes and ears open, making demands like this. 'Cuz if you step outta your suit, someone might just take advantage of it."
"Just stay outta my town, and we'll have no problems," Carl said menacing as he turned to leave the building. Outside, he saw his rocket boosters still charging. Backing up into them, they let out a hiss of air as they reattached to his back. The tripod retracted into the boosters, and Carl ignited them, blasting off into the sky.
"Hey Jack," Don called to one of his goons. "Put a guy on Frankie Nesmith and that egghead Carl's always hanging out with. Make sure they stay low. But if there's a weakness to Carl's new suit, I wanna har about it. We'll teach him to go around like he owns the place."
"Sure thing, boss." Jack said, heading back into the building.
The Guardian hangar
"So… You getting ready to bust those DUL guys?" Lucy said as she popped up beside Kevin working on the modified Vilgaxian ship.
"Agh!" Kevin exclaimed. "Don't do that! How did you even get in here?"
"I'm a Sludgepuppy, I can fit through small cracks with ease!" Lucy responded cheerily.
"Right, forgot about that," Kevin muttered as he returned his attention to the ship.
"So… You getting ready to bust the DUL?" Lucy reiterated.
"Yeah," Kevin replied. "The PLUMMERs are in position, and Carl said that the DUL haven't found the cache yet, but they're in the area. Ben and I am heading there to give the PLUMMERs any needed back-up."
"Ooh, Ben's coming too?" Lucy asked.
"Yeah, thanks to someone that couldn't keep it secret," Kevin intoned. "That and the fact that I'm not exactly off of the PLUMMER's wanted list." Just then, the hangar bay door slid open, with Ben entering the room.
"You sure you're up to this?" Kevin asked him as he approached them.
"I'm ready to get out of this ship," Ben replied. "Besides, you need me to keep you off of the PLUMMER's radar."
"Then let's get going," Kevin said, as he pressed a button on the hull of the ship, a panel removing to lead into the craft.
"You and Cooper's really been working at rebuilding this shuttle," Ben commented as the two flew to the surface of Bellwood.
"As convenient as having Lucky Girl open up a portal every time, it's not really that feasible," Kevin replied from the cockpit. "Especially if we're headed into a fight, and she needs all the stamina she can muster."
"Smart, except that it's not as quick to get us into the action as the teleportation spell is."
"We're working on that," Kevin replied. "Cooper's prototyping an engine that can shoot us to the surface in under thirty seconds."
"I'm honestly surprised how much of a team player you've been," Ben muttered. "At least, for someone who doesn't want anything to do with the team."
"Me working on a vehicle counts as a team player?" Kevin questioned.
"Not just that," Ben replied. "But working on the shuttle, starting the Deputies, and spending time with Lucy too."
"Lucy's not a member of the team either," Kevin remarked.
"She doesn't really have connections on planet," Ben said. "That and she knows our identities. But that's not the point. You seem awful comfortable working with us."
"You got a problem with that?" Kevin snarked.
"Not at all," Ben replied. "Just pointing it out. Maybe joining up would be a good match for you."
"You don't want me on your team," Kevin whispered to himself. He landed the shuttle off in parking lot a block away from the sting operation.
"You sure you're good for this?" Kevin asked as he opened the entrance to the shuttle.
"Ultra's been quiet for several days," Ben replied. "I should be able to handle this."
"I just don't want to have to save your sorry ass another time," Kevin responded.
"I'm not even planing on engaging," Ben said. "So long as your guy has set up the burn operation with the PLUMMERs."
"He seemed legit," Kevin said. "Or as much as a Deputy willing to turn on the DUL can be. Just let those PLUMMERs deal with it." Ben nodded as he left the shuttle, making his way towards Nichol Plaza. As he approached, he saw something fly overhead.
"What is that?" Ben questioned, seeing the orange and black object touch down at the edge of the plaza.
"Ultra 10, good to meet you!" The apparent figure said, walking towards him. "I'm Captain Nemesis."
"What are you doing in Bellwood?" Ben asked, clearly a bit confused as to whether this armored man was friend or foe.
"I've been interested in following in your path," Captain Nemesis replied. "Taking out criminals and making the city safe again."
"I'm happy to use the help, but I'm in a bit of a hurry," Ben said.
"To the stinger operation," Captain Nemesis filled in. "I can help with that!"
"How did you…"
"Oh, well Carl is one of my informants too. He works with some of my engineers. The ones that helped design my suit," Captain Nemesis filled in, just a little too eagerly to be entirely convincing.
"Right, well let's get a move on," Ben replied. "We'll see how good that suit of yours is." The two walked towards the plaza, seeing the pile of scraps hidden in the far corner, across the clearing.
"The PLUMMERs already secured the scraps you left," Captain Nemesis informed, tapping his helmet. "Got the police radios built in."
"Convenient," Ben muttered. "But where's the DUL?" As if on cue, several black SUVs pulled up to the Plaza. Several dozen heavily armed thugs climbed out, obviously being the DUL.
"Seems like they just arrived," Captain Nemesis said. "The clock appears to be ticking for the PLUMMERs."
"Ultra Lord?" Ben muttered. "What's up with that?" Captain Nemesis shrugged his shoulders.
"Hero worship I guess?" He said. Just then a PLUMMER transport van pulled up, the side sliding open and half a dozen agents pouring out. A second and third van pulled up behind it, with two or three more pulling up from the other sides of the plaza.
"By the authority of the PLUMMERs of Earth, you lot are under arrest," the agent in charge proclaimed. "Do not resist arrest, or you will be met with force."
"We serve Ultra Lord," one DUL member proclaimed. "And we're not going to be going to jail! Especially not because some government cronies said so!"
"Hey, it sounds like the PLUMMERs just arrived," Kevin said through Ben's communicator.
"Yeah, and the burn operation is already heating up," Ben replied back.
"Drop your weapons now and submit to your arrest," a magister of the PLUMMERs commanded.
"Make us!" Another DUL member fired back, pulling out his pistols and aiming them at the PLUMMERs.
"Hey, Ultra Lord works with those PLUMMERs," one of the DUL guys said. "Maybe we should stand down."
"Shut up!" The guy beside him demanded. "Ultra Lord would want us to stand our ground!"
"Listen to him, son," the PLUMMER warned testily. "You do not want to start a fight with us." Several of the Deputies nodded their heads in agreement, placing their guns onto the pavement and stepping back. But most of them snarled in defiance.
"Drop your weapons now and submit to arrest," the PLUMMER reiterated with more force in his voice. "You will not receive another warning!"
"Looks like its time to jump in," Captain Nemesis said, sprinting forward into the plaza to mediate between the two sides. Ben activated the Omnitrix.
"Hey Kevin, keep ready in case we need some back up," he said as he scrolled through the Omnitrix's interface. "It doesn't sound like this is going to remain entirely peaceful." Finding the silhouette he was looking for, he slammed down on the face plate. "StinkFly!"
"Hey guys, let's calm down and do what the PLUMMERs ordered," Nemesis said, approaching the band of vigilantes.
"I don't know who the hell you are, but you'll stay out of this if you know what's good for you," the head DUL guy said, just as threateningly to Captain Nemesis as to the PLUMMER agents. Ben had heard enough of this stand off, and flew into the plaza above their heads. Using his eyes, he shot goop at several of the Deputies, pinning them to the ground.
"Is that Ultra Lord?" One of the guys Deputies exclaimed, confused.
"It's got to be a psyop! It's one of those alien guys from the Galactic Enforcers!" Another concluded. With that, they open fired.
"Shots fired," the PLUMMER Magister shouted into his communicator. "Multiple combatants are armed and dangerous!" Ben dodged several shots fired at him, blasting his goop at several other Deputies, pinning them to the ground. Captain Nemesis fired several concussion missiles from his shoulder compartments before rushing forward to melee with several Deputies.
"Fall back!" One of the DUL members shouted, running for their SUVs. The few conscious and free DUL members remaining piled into the SUV's, tires screeching as they took off from the place.
"Suspects are fleeing the scene," a PLUMMER agent noted. "We're going to require support to contain them!" Captain Nemesis activated the jets built into his suit, flying after the SUVs.
"Try a form a bit faster," he shouted back to Ben. "I'll make sure we don't loose them!" Ben nodded as he slapped the Omnitrix symbol on his chest, resorting back into his human form.
"So it was Ultra 10," the magister called out as he saw Ben detransform. "Glad we have you on our side against those fanatics!" With that, he climbed into a PLUMMER transport van and peeled off in the direction of the DUL SUVs.
"I'm not on anyone's side, I'm just trying to keep these fools breathing," Ben muttered to himself. "Accelerate!" With that, he zoomed off towards the action. In not much longer than a few seconds, he placed a stray bit of rubble in front of the first SUV, causing it to loose control.
"Agh!" The driver shouted as he struggled to correct for the sudden bump. Unwittingly, the car drove head first into a shop, crashing through the doors and stopping as he slammed into the cashiers' desk. The second SUV screeched to a holt outside the shop, narrowly missing a street lamp, with the third SUV popping the curb beside it. Captain Nemesis approached from the sky, still several dozen yards behind.
"You guys have to stand down," Ben urged them in his reptilian voice. "If not, people could get hurt."
"Wait, is that you, Ultra?" One of the thugs asked, seeing the Omnitrix badge of Accelerate's chest. Just then, Captain Nemesis fired several rockets at the Deputies, the explosions adding chaos to the situation.
"What are you doing?" Ben shouted up to Captain Nemesis as he approached. Several of the thugs ran inside the shop to check on the first SUV's passengers, pulling them out from the smoking vehicle.
"Neutralizing the threat," Nemesis spoke back as the sound of PLUMMER transport vans sounded in the distance, closing in.
"They're not a threat," Ben contested him. "Stand down!"
Nemesis landed on the sidewalk near to Ben, still aiming his rockets at the DUL guys. Reacting to the threat, one of them fired his pistol at Captain Nemesis, the bullets bouncing harmlessly off of his armor.
"They're armed and dangerous," Nemesis said, firing several of his rockets at the SUV that was crashed inside the shop. The vehicle exploded into flames. Several more of the gangsters fired back at Captain Nemesis, though it had little effect. Behind him, the first of the PLUMMER vehicles pulled up, seeing the Deputies firing on Captain Nemesis. Immediately the PLUMMERs open fired at the Deputies too, gunning two of them down before they had even spotted the PLUMMERs.
"Enough!" Ben shouted, feeling his anger starting to burn within his chest. He zoomed around, grabbing the weapons from both the PLUMMERs and the Deputies, dropping them in a pile on the ground. No sooner had he done so, than one of Captain Nemesis' rockets fired at him, sending him into a far wall, smoking from the micro explosion. The Deputies ran over to him, pulling him out of the hole he'd made in the wall. His Omnitrix began to beep, transforming him back into his human form. The PLUMMER agents looked menacingly at Captain Nemesis.
"Stand down!" The Magister commanded Captain Nemesis, pulling a canister blaster from his belt and activating it, it growing into a pistol-sized gun. He then aimed it at the armored man.
"Can't you see that I'm on your side?" Nemesis angrily shouted back. "I'm here to help you arrest those Deputies!"
"I said stand down!" The magister commanded again, several of the other agents having retrieved their weapons and pointed them at Nemesis.
"You're all going down!" Nemesis shouted, several more guns emerging from his back and arms. They fired rockets all around, blasting concrete and glass into the air. The walls cracked, threatening to drop the ceiling onto them. The sudden threat forced everyone to pay attention, glancing up at the cracks spreading through the ceiling. Behind them the smoking SUV blew up, a shock wave and shrapnel toppling the nearest wall, dropping the ceiling on the group of people.
"Look out!" A Deputy shouted, a redundant warning as a light fixture still fizzing with electricity fell onto the SUV, crushing the hood and scattering sparks all along the carpeted floor. A dozen miniature fires started, burning into the clothing rack nearest to the SUV. Smoke billowed up, much of it floating along the cracking and crumbling ceiling.
"Everybody out!" Ben shouted, directing towards the demolished front side of the shop. Ceiling sprinklers activated, spraying the area down with water. It was short lasting, as a chunk of ceiling fell, ripping the water pipe off with it. Rather than spraying the water everywhere, it now gushed out near the SUV, right next to the sparking light fixture. In an instant, an electrical currant passed through the water and into Captain Nemesis' metal-plated legs.
"Agh!" Carl shouted as he was electrocuted. He fell over into the water, still spasming from the electrical currant passing through his body, over and over again. Finally the shop lost power, stopping Captain Nemesis' electrocution. His suit's power regulators fried, he laid there on the floor unmoving.
"He's gone, kid," a PLUMMER agent said, discouraging Ben from heading back into the building to get him. "We've got to make sure the building's safe to enter before retrieving his body." Outside the shop both the group of PLUMMERs and the Deputies were in shock as to what happened, seemingly to have forgotten who had been arresting whom.
"Which one of you are in charge?" Ben asked the PLUMMERs. The magister stepped forward.
"What do you want, Ultra?" He said.
"These DUL members only formed to stop crime in the streets," Ben said, looking at the Deputies. "They're supposed to be helping you and the police. So don't arrest them, recruit them."
"That's out of the question," the magister replied. "I had orders to arrest the leaders of the organization."
"Well that would be me then," Ben said. "I organized them, and they serve me. So I guess you'll have to arrest me."
"Ultra, you can't just let them take you like that!" One of the Deputies protested. "Stand up for yourself!"
"That won't be necessary," the magister said. "Fortunately for you, you seem to have gotten good with some high-ranking PLUMMERs. I was told specifically not to arrest you, or your teammates."
"Way to go, Max," Ben muttered.
"That said, if you're caught making a problem again, I won't hesitate to haul you off to prison, that goes for all of you," the magister said, raising his voice so the Deputies were sure to get the message. "Now I need to get some equipment here to extract that man's body." Just then Captain Nemesis' suit powered up, Carl's eyes snapping open filled with fury.
"Agh!" He angrily shouted, standing up from where he'd been lying. "No! You ruined everything!" He glared at Ben with menace in his face. "They were supposed to arrest them!" He angrily tossed some rubble out of his way, the clothing rack exploding against the wall. He started stomping towards Ben, his movement awkward and clunky, as if his suit was only halfway working.
"Thank goodness I got your system online," Simons' voice spoke over Nemesis' helmet interface. "Your Nitron core is about to go critical, I need to diffuse the excess radiation immediately!"
"Shut up!" Nemesis growled back. "I am taking out everyone in my way. Right here, right now!" With that, nearly a dozen guns all along his shoulders, arms and legs popped out, arming themselves and aiming at the PLUMMERs, Deputies and Ben. The group stepped back in surprise, Ben glancing down at the watch to see if it was green yet. But he didn't have any luck there yet.
"Sorry sir, but I have to diffuse the radiation immediately. Activating the Return to Base protocol." With that, the guns returned to their storage cavities, and the jet booster attached to his back fired, sending him through the ceiling and hurdling back towards Nesmith Industries.
"No! Simons! You coward! Simons!" Captain Nemesis shouted as he flew away through the sky. They all watched as he disappeared into the skyline. Ben felt the familiar tingle of adrenaline course through his veins, and he forced his eyes shut to drown out his alter's angry shouting.
"Look, you two have to play nice with clean-up duty," Ben said to the PLUMMERs and the DUL guys. "I've got somewhere to be. Keep me in touch when you figure out where that guy flew off to." With that, Ben activated the now-green Omnitrix, transforming into Accelerate in a flash of emerald, and sped off towards where he and Kevin had left the shuttle.
A/N:
That'll be it for the chapter. Ben is still struggling with controlling Ultra, but it's a lot better than last chapter. As for Captain Nemesis, he's not done with Ultra, and he's bitter that nothing went according to his plan. I was going to introduce another villain this chapter, one connected to Captain Nemesis, but I guess that'll be left for next chapter. Any other thoughts, comments or questions? Leave them in a review! Thanks for reading, and have an awesome day!
Review Responses:
Eagle 10000: I wonder what Kevin's plan is and weather or not Lucy is going to mess it up or help.
Most of that became clear this chapter. Basically, set up the DUL to take the fall in a burner operation with the PLUMMERs, so that they get broken up. As for Lucy, she may be a bit of an airhead, but she's not dumb. She's pretty quick at adapting to the situation. Thanks for the review!
jasongd: And another great story congrats. I'll be waiting for next chapter.
BWEN FOREVER
Thanks for the review! Sorry it took such a ridiculous amount of time to pick up the story again. Thanks for waiting!
adriandragonus: Well... it's weird to have Ben being the impulsive one and Kevin being the one with more sense to rein him in. It's like the freaky Friday body swap scene... I believe the the battle between Ben and Ultra had been hinted way back from Volume 1, correct? Back then, I thought it was Zs'skyr trying to usurp the mind of Ben, now I'm not so sure... The interaction between Kevin and Lucy is entertaining. You're smart when you decided to pair them for this chapter! And I'm not enjoying this "lawless bellwood" arc here. I think Ben 10 is more entertaining when his neighborhood doesn't look like a war-torn one where cops and gangs is in a deep fight, and houses be abandoned. A simple story where Ben, Gwen, Kevin, Lucy, Sam, Ellie, and Maddie balancing their high school life and battling incoming threat should be good...
Thanks for the reviews, and for joining the community! So glad you're enjoying the story! Yes, the underlying problem with that voice in his head has been hinted and growing ever since Volume 1. Glad you're enjoying the pairing up of Lucy with Kevin for the time being. As for your critique, thank you for sharing your opinion! I really appreciate it! Bellwood has better days ahead of it, and it will again become a relatively normal, peaceful city once Ben and company, and the PLUMMERs are able to reassert control long enough for people to come back. And that will be happening sooner or later in the story. I feel that I am a better action writer than a slice-of-life or drama writer, so I tend to favor the war-torn streets of Bellwood than the peaceful Bellwood, but that's not to say that I won't be giving the slice-of-live genre a try!