A/N: Lost over a thousand words while editing this, but here it is. Part 2 of The Purge. Hope you enjoy.
"Plumber Ben Tennyson. I'm here to talk to the Colonel about a recent situation," Ben told the guard at the gate, showing him the Ultimatrix.
"Very well," the guard said before standing in front of him. "If you follow me, I can take you to him."
"I can find him easily," Ben told him, waving a careless hand before flying towards Rozum's mana signature.
"Damn paperwork..." Rozum muttered, shaking his hand to relieve the small cramp that had been building up.
"Never saw you as a corner office kind of guy," Ben said, standing in the doorway as Rozum looked up.
"I'm not. But because of that mess you made back at Area 51, I'm the one who got stuck with the paperwork," the colonel said before putting his pen down. "Did you come back to gloat? Maybe enforce the threat you made the last time?"
"Nothing that petty. I need to talk to your higher ups," Ben told him.
"If this is about that situation, I had full permission to set it up. You-"
"Not that," Ben snapped, waving his hand impatiently. He quickly clamped down on his anger, and in that brief instance, it almost threatened to overwhelm him. He really hated having to be the responsible one sometimes.
"What else could there be?" Rozum asked.
"Four exceptions to agreement three in Plumber/Earth relations," Ben told him.
"'No Earthlings are to be taken prisoner by the Plumbers,'" Rozum recited with a frown. "Are you out of your mind?"
"You'll know if I am. But I have a problem, and that's my solution," Ben told him.
"What problem justifies that?" Rozum questioned.
"The Forever Knights have gotten stronger. And they decided to test their newfound strength by murdering Pierce," Ben growled.
"One of your partners?" Rozum questioned, a bit surprised by that. Regardless of his current distaste for their team at the moment, he respected their strength.
"And friends. He was on a date, and they just killed him," Ben said. The grief in his voice only there for a split second before he bounced back. "Now I want to disband the Knights before they get any stronger. And imprisoning all their leaders is how I plan on doing it. Earth can't keep them imprisoned when the Knights go to try and break them out."
That, Rozum knew to be true. Tennyson's team had brought in members of the leading members of the Knights, but their prisons couldn't hold them. Military or otherwise. Their alien tech was plenty powerful to plow right through Earth prisons easily.
"Just those four?" Rozum asked.
"Just those four," Ben agreed with a nod.
"Follow me," Rozum said, getting up from his desk. "At least it gets me out of doing paperwork for the moment."
Ben had been silent throughout the entire walk, his hands trembling with pent up energy. He knew he had to do this by the book, but he'd be lying if he didn't just want to storm each of the Knights' castles and just get it done. But no. It was his job to do it properly.
"Sometimes, I miss the days where I could just act," Ben thought to himself.
"You could, if you really wanted to." The Anodite quickly clamped down on that thought. There'd be consequences to that - ones he had no intent on making good on if he didn't have to.
Rozum eventually led him to a room with three different monitors up top, and there was a table right in the center for what he could only assume for high-ranking military officials.
"This room's only supposed to be used for emergencies that warrants the attention of all acting organizations that involve themselves with aliens," Rozum told him.
"Directors of the Air Force, CIA, and FBI," Ben said, and Rozum nodded.
"You figure this warrants this?" he asked.
"This is an agreement between the Plumbers and Earth's government. If I'm going to circumvent the particulars of that agreement, I need their approval," Ben said evenly. Though technically speaking, they didn't have nowhere near enough power to stop him if he did want to take them away. But it would be far more troublesome.
"Yeah. I guess you do," Rozum said before hitting a big red button. After a few moments, three different men appeared on the monitors. And each of them had an inquisitive frown on their faces.
"You hadn't even hit this button when the Earth was being invaded," the first Director said. "What is it, Rozum?"
"I didn't call you here at my request," Rozum said, and the three Directors looked over at Ben.
"That's Ben Tennyson," the third Director said, his frown deepening.
"Rozum, don't tell us you called us here because some famous teenager..."
"Section two dash four of the Plumber/Earth agreement," Ben interjected, causing each of the Directors to look directly at him.
"What?" the first Director asked.
"'Any and all situations regarding proposed changes to the agreement must be run through the Senior Magister of the sector and the three Earth powers associated with assisting them,'" the third Director said, and Ben narrowed him down as the CIA director. Because he actually knew something.
"Him? I have grandchildren older than him," the first Director said.
"How many of them saved the Earth? Even once?" Ben questioned, putting a fist on his hip.
"I guess I can concede to that point," the first Director said. "I suppose we ought to formally introduce ourselves then."
"Director Marion Cooper of the Air Force on the first monitor," the Ultimatrix suddenly said. Primarily to save time. "Director Arthur Clinton of the FBI on the second, and Director Christopher Goldstein of the CIA on the third."
"Your watch talks?" Director Christopher questioned with a raised brow.
"I am one of the most advanced pieces of technology in the universe. Of course, I can talk," the Ultimatrix said in an as-a-matter-of-fact tone.
"Back on topic. What part about this agreement did you call us here for?" Director Marion questioned.
"The one about keeping Earth's prisoners strictly on the planet. I need four in Plumber custody," Ben told them.
"Just like that?" Director Arthur asked with a raised brow.
"Preferably now, yes," Ben said, crossing his arms.
"Why? You've saved the universe. What threat does anyone here pose compared to what you can do?" Director Marion asked.
"This is different. I'm sure most, if not all of you are at least somewhat aware of the Forever Knights," Ben said.
"The strange organization that loves to dress up in armor and hoard any technology off world? Well aware," Director Christopher said. "They seem to pose little threat to you, regardless of their weaponry. And their efforts don't focus on causing any kind of harm to regular people."
"This is different. They've gotten far stronger recently. They even took the lives of one of my partners recently. Pierce Wheels," Ben said, managing to keep his tone level. He doubted that they would listen to him if he wasn't level headed.
"He was perfectly fine just today," Director Christopher said with a frown.
"It happened just a few hours ago. According to the one witness we had, she said the Knights were sporting more advanced armor. Previously, the Knights were outmatched by Pierce. Not in terms of weaponry, but skill and strength. If they could beat him, they're definitely getting stronger. And I want to put an end to that before they get even stronger," Ben explained. "It's only the four leaders I'm after. Without them, most of the syndicate falls apart."
"Give us a moment," Director Marion said before each of the monitors cut off.
Ben nodded before starting to pace around the room, his hands stuffed in his pockets. The mana inside of him started pulsating like a rapid heartbeat due to his need to do... something. Pierce was dead, and he was over here asking the government that hadn't even followed what few rules they made for permission to do what he felt he needed to do. He hated it.
"But it's necessary. To prevent this from becoming a gigantic mess," Ben thought, repeating those words to himself several times over to ease his thoughts a bit.
"You've decided?" Ben questioned once all three Directors came back.
"We have. And we've decided against amending the rule," Director Marion said.
"Why?!" Ben questioned, his tone coming out furious before he could even think to calm himself down.
"The imprisoning of the people of Earth is the responsibility of Earth themselves. That was the reason that agreement was made in the first place, and we've decided to stand by what they originally wanted," Director Marion told me.
"And in that very same agreement, you agreed to turn over any and all aliens that were not living here peacefully were to be turned over us. Does Area 51 ring a bell?" Ben questioned with a growl in his voice.
"An unfortunate situation. But that had been made before our time. You can't ask us to take responsibility for that," Director Arthur questioned.
"While that might be true, it was still allowed to keep on going. You can't expect me to believe you weren't told that it was under there," Ben told them, pointing a finger at the monitors. "Two hundred and sixty-three prisoners were dead on our arrival. Five hundred and twelve of them were alive, and of that amount, less than a hundred of them were criminals. The rest hadn't had an inkling of criminal history. That's what you allowed to continue, and you can't give the Plumbers four prisoners to remove from an organization that is steadily getting more powerful?"
"Our choice remains the same," Director Marion said, and Ben only scoffed in disgust.
"Typical. All too willing to bend the rules when it doesn't concern you, aren't you?" the Anodite said.
"If it makes you feel any better, we will take full responsibility of the criminals once you apprehend them," Director Arthur said.
"I wouldn't trust any of you with a dog," Ben said, and the venom in his tone had everyone on edge.
"It was an isolated incident - it won't happen again," Director Christopher told him.
"Oh, I'll make sure of that," Ben said before walking out. But not before punching a hole in the wall next the door before he left the room.
Rozum then looked up at the monitors, a curious expression on his face.
"Why did you deny him?" Rozum asked.
"You agree with him?" Director Marion said with a raised brow.
"I didn't say that, sir. I was just curious," Rozum said.
"As am I," Director Christopher said with a thoughtful frown. "By all accounts, giving them the leaders of the Forever Knights seems more than beneficial to everyone. Why am I the only one who thought it was a good idea?"
"They're not putting us on our heels, Goldstein," Director Arthur told him.
"What does that even mean?" Director Christopher questioned.
"If we give in this instance, then there will start to be more exceptions. Soon everyone will be wondering why the agreement was even made in the first place we allow it to continue. Besides, I'm sure that child is blowing this thing out of proportion," Director Marion said.
"I don't," Director Christopher said.
"You agree with him?" Director Marion questioned.
"A child would've come to us on nothing but emotion. And all of his points were valid. The name of my game is intelligence, and because of that, it was easy to understand that Area 51 was going to bite us one of these days. I have nothing but regret for agreeing to be complicit. Because all of us were major dumbasses for thinking it wasn't going to have consequences," Director Christopher said bluntly.
"Who the hell are you calling a dumbass?" Director Marion told him, heat entering his tone.
"I'm not the one who just told a teenager who was powerful enough to save the universe he couldn't do something," Director Christopher retorted.
"There's little he could do that wouldn't have some form of severe consequence," Director Marion assured him.
"Besides imprison you alongside the Forever Knights," Rozum suddenly spoke up.
"What?" his boss questioned.
"After finding out I had a hand in helping keep that prison running, he came down to my house. Warned me that if I ever took custody of an alien unlawfully again, he would send me to Plumber jail. I have no doubt that goes for anyone in the government if he finds out," Rozum explained.
"You never told us this?" Director Marion questioned.
"I had no reason to. I relayed everything concerning the Area 51 incident prior to this incident, and you told me it wouldn't be a problem. I took that as a sign that we were going to keep our hands out of the alien imprisoning business," Rozum explained.
"Which would be a logical thing to do," Director Christopher added.
"We don't have the means to have a prison like that even if we wanted to. Tennyson and his team saw to that," Director Cooper said with a grimace.
Every bit of any alien tech that they had was gone. They had searched every military base they had from top to bottom, ensuring there was nothing else they could use. But it was pointless. Every bit of it that they had disappeared along with all of Area 51. He was not all comfortable with the fact that a group of teenagers that answered to an entirely different branch of government could just trample all over military security at their leisure.
"Listen gentlemen. Regardless of how we feel about the situation, there's a large chance that he's going to do it anyway," Director Christopher said.
"What makes you believe that?" Director Arthur asked.
"Pierce Wheels was a personal friend of his. The chances of him listening to us just because we told him no are very slim. And we aren't exactly in his good books after Area 51," Director Christopher said.
"He wouldn't," Director Cooper said.
"Can't and won't are two entirely different things," Rozum said in an almost trance-like state. "Tennyson told me that."
"He's out of his mind," Director Cooper said.
"Drop the ego for a second, Marion. We are not the strongest force on Earth anymore - not even close. I realized that a long time ago. And you need to realize that if we don't want something drastic on our hands," Director Christopher said.
"You suggest we, the American government, heed the whims of a teenager?" Director Arthur questioned.
"I'm suggesting you heed the words of someone who knows what he's doing. Because if any of you paid attention, you would know as well as I do that what he was telling us weren't the ramblings of a whiny teenager who didn't get his way. That's someone who's experienced in their field. And all of us know that when the professional speaks, listen," Director Christopher snapped in an impatient tone. "His request wasn't even unreasonable. But sure. Say no because you want to play chicken with a government power stronger than us."
Neither of the other two directors, nor Rozum had anything to say to that. The Plumbers had never been something all that tangible before. Aside from Max Tennyson, who they had been able to control somewhat due to his previous time in the Air Force. Ben Tennyson had no such affiliations, and was more of a loose cannon than Max was. And it was because of him that suddenly this threat of the entire world changing was breathing down their neck.
It all came down to the words he told his superiors - if he even had any.
"Shit," Director Cooper said, looking to the side.
"I see you've finally realized what you've started," Director Christopher said.
"We could just tell him we've changed our minds," Director Arthur said.
"Have you? Have you really?" Director Christopher questioned.
"I think it's worth swallowing our pride on this matter to avoid potential government destabilization," Director Arthur said in an annoyed tone.
"And I'm fairly certain that it's far too late for that now. Tennyson tried to parley with us - even when he had no reason to. And look where that got him. If he chooses to change things to avoid complications with any future problems, he can hardly be blamed," Director Christopher said.
"So what? Do we just wait?" Director Arthur asked.
"We have no choice. And see what kind of shit show you two may have just started," Director Christopher said, disconnecting from the line.
Director Cooper swore before looking at Rozum, who had a worried expression on his face.
"Rozum. Keep an eye on Tennyson's movement when you can. Follow procedure, but... do what you can to avoid making things worse," Director Cooper told him.
"Yes sir," Rozum said before walking out of the room.
"Stupid, damnable..." Ben thought to himself, disintegrating a tree with a mana blast.
"If you would like, I can mimic the voice of your cousin to calm you down," the Ultimatrix said.
"That would come off as creepy rather than comforting," Ben said, putting his hand down.
"It got you to stop blasting the wilderness at the least," the Ultimatrix said.
"True. It's just... ugh! What the hell is with Earth leadership? They aren't Incurseans, but they're still frustrating!" Ben exclaimed, kicking a rock a hundred feet away across the lake next to him.
"Simple. You are more powerful than them. In influence, strength, and fame. They have to put on the bravado that they're in charge do in order to make it seem like they are. But you know better," the Ultimatrix told him.
"I do. But I don't like using the advantages I have to get my way," Ben said.
"You will most likely have to," the Ultimatrix told him. "The Forever Knights have established themselves as credible, deadly threats. You know what's going to happen if they aren't permanently stopped."
"They're going to get worse. Possibly kill even more of my friends," Ben said, looking to the side.
"Surely that's worth changing things," the Ultimatrix told him.
"But changing the entire government?" Ben questioned.
It had taken every bit of persuasion that Ben and Max had collectively in order for the Plumbers to abstain from coming down on the Earth government like a hurricane. Both of them were smart enough to understand that the Plumbers arresting everyone involved in Area 51 would've been messy. What it would've looked like for the rest of the world if a foreign power started arresting government officials.
"You yourself know that drastic things are sometimes needed for things to change for the better. I know you well, Ben Tennyson. In addition to the different autonomy your mana has granted, I have witnessed your behavior. And deep within, you know that I am correct," the Ultimatrix told him.
"Yeah. I do. Guess we're doing this the messy way. Ping Magister Hulka's badge," Ben said, raising the Ultimatrix up to mouth level.
There was a pause, and then Hulka said his name over the line in a familiar gruff tone of voice.
"It's Ben Tennyson, Magister," the Anodite said.
"Tennyson? What would you need from me?" Magister Hulka asked.
"Just a bit of info. What's the Plumber's stance currently on the Earth agreement?" Ben asked.
"That? You mean no one's told you anything?" Magister Hulka asked.
"No. Why?" Ben asked.
"Damn, the information branch is really lacking on their updates. Hold on," Magister Hulka said before a screen popped on his Ultimatrix. "Here. Read that."
"'Due to the word of Senior Magister Ben Tennyson and ex-Senior Magister Max Tennyson, Plumber involvement will not escalate to a mass arrest due to responsibility complications and possible consequences to the mass adjustment of the Earth's government,'" Ben read off, his eyes widening when he saw the next part. "'However, the agreement made with Earth's government has been considered null and void due to the fact that everything recorded in it was more to the government's convenience than the Plumbers.'"
"Trying to stop a complete shitstorm by not taking action is something everyone definitely understands. But they cannot expect us to cooperate with something they want after pulling something that heinous. So if you don't want to follow the agreement, you don't have to," Magister Hulka told him.
"Thank you. That was all I needed to hear," Ben said, tightening his fists.
"Earth is making things difficult for you, huh?" Magister Hulka asked.
"More than necessary. I asked for four prisoners to be put in Plumber custody, and I couldn't even get that," Ben said in a frustrated tone.
"Then by all means, call a shuttle and imprison anyone that's broken the law. And if necessary, there are more Plumbers on standby that can help with the Earth government," Magister Hulka explained.
"That's a last resort, but..." Ben sighed. "I'll make sure to keep in mind if thinks escalate any more."
"Good luck Tennyson," Magister Hulka said before getting off the comm.
"I'm coming for you sons of bitches," Ben thought fiercely before teleporting away.
Pierce's funeral had far from a small turnout. The story had made public news, and while a lot of people only recognized him as someone who worked with Ben 10, everyone from the orphanage he worked at was there. People he worked with, kids, members of staff. There was a major turnout, but even the media had the decency to be quiet. They had still shown up, but in a far more reserved way.
Good thing too, because Manny probably would've chased them out with his blasters if they dared to try and cause any kind of mess there. And everyone would've helped.
Helen had been in tears throughout the entire thing, and Manny had been right there next to her shedding silent tears of his own. Kevin, Gwen, and Alan had been mostly silent in their grieving, though Gwen had also shed a few tears while Alan and Kevin looked to be in pain throughout the whole thing. Aurra's expression hadn't changed at all.
Ben had been the prime example of silent grieving - his expression staying mostly neutral except in certain instances where his façade cracked and it had been impossible not to show the emotion he was feeling on his face.
Though tears did end up breaking free on his face when it came time to lower Pierce's casket in the ground. It had been a group effort from their entire team, and the weight of this hit hard. It was all of them facing that their friend was gone forever.
"How are you feeling?" Gwen asked, taking a seat next to Ben and grabbing his hand.
"Like shit," he said, wiping several tears from his eyes. "You?"
"Same. Doesn't help when we try and bottle everything up until we can't anymore," Gwen said with a sad smile.
"There's a time and a place for that, and the place was here," Ben said, looking to Helen and Manny. That made his face fall even more. "But I know whatever I'm feeling, they're feeling it ten times worse."
"I know," Gwen said in a sad tone.
As good of a friend Pierce was to them, he, Helen, and Manny had been together even longer. They had already thought they lost him once. And today, they did.
"How are you holding up?" Ben asked in a soft tone.
"Wishing this was all a dream," Gwen said with a rueful chuckle. "Hoping that I'm just trapped in some nightmare world and wanting to wake up."
"Sad to say that is reality," Ben said, putting an arm around her shoulders.
"I want them gone, Ben. No one else deserves to have this happens to them," Gwen said, her tone holding an intense fury.
"We'll make them pay for this. As soon as..." As if they had heard them, each of their teammates walked up to them. And each of their faces held an expression that showed nothing but anger and determination. All except for Alan, who seemed to be having a heated discussion with his mother and father.
"We're ready," Helen said in a grimly determined tone.
"Alan isn't," Aurra said, looking at the half Pyronite out of the corner of her eye.
"Doesn't look good," Gwen said, frowning at the sight.
After a few moments more, his mother had walked away, and his father looked grim. Alan then made his way over to them, face set in a grimace.
"Mom wanted me to quit," Alan said in response to his teammates looks.
"They were worried about you, I take it?" Ben questioned.
"Yeah. She hadn't expected anyone to die cause you were with me. But then Pierce happened, and she got worried. I stood my ground. Told them if I was afraid to put my life on the line for this, then I had no business being a Plumber. Dad understood that. Besides, there's no way I'm letting them get away with doing this to Pierce. Not a chance," Alan said fiercely.
"Then it's time to begin," Ben said as he teleported them all to the Plumber base. "Sergeant?"
"Yes, Magister Tennyson?" the Sergeant asked.
"We ever get those Plumbers sourced?" Ben asked.
"We did. HQ gave us fifteen more Plumbers for this temporary squad of yours. They've already been set up and going to work," the Sergeant said.
"Good," Ben said with a nod. "Make sure they're ready."
"Temporary squad?" Kevin asked when Ben shut the call off.
"I asked for a favor. I managed to get the help of a few off-duty Plumbers that can focus their full efforts on finding the Knights. And that is their only responsibility. They'll relay anything that might be remotely useful to us. I also told them to get the cells ready. Any Knight we catch is being imprisoned off world - high ranking or bottom of the barrel," Ben said, making everyone's eyes widen.
"That's what you were getting ready for," Gwen said.
"Yup. Only thing is that the higher ups in the government don't like that. So once they find out, they'll try and cause problems," Ben said.
"And we can just break the agreement?" Gwen asked.
"The Plumbers wanted to completely dismantle the Earth government and arrest anyone who had a hand in anything that involved Area 51. The only reason they didn't is because me and grandpa asked them not to. What they want doesn't really matter at this point," Ben told them.
"No. It doesn't," Kevin said.
"So what happens if the government gets in our way?" Helen asked.
"You give them a knot upside the head and continue on with your day. They go further than that, then we'll be imprisoning them too. After Area 51, I didn't think about how I could deal with the fallout of arresting members of a government off world. Now I have no reason to hold back because now I have a way to mitigate the damage I thought might happen," Ben explained.
"How are you going to mitigate it?" Aurra asked.
"People care about aliens now. They aren't the constant threat to the Earth like people thought before. They're people, same as they are. Much as I hate to admit it, the media coverage around Pierce's death helped with that. It made a lot of people look at aliens differently. That they shouldn't be hunted just for being different. Now if they try to stop us, everyone will know about Area 51. They'll know what went on for fifty years..." Ben trailed.
"And when you arrest them, people will be backing you," Kevin said.
"Exactly. You don't screw with a united people. Even if it doesn't turn out as revolutionary as that, it's still not going to stop us," Gwen said, crossing her arms. "We're going to enforce the law by any means necessary."
Suddenly Ben's Ultimatrix pinged with an urgent beeping, and he gave each of his teammates a nod before answering it.
"Magister Tennyson! There are several groups of Forever Knights moving out towards the homes of different aliens!" a Plumber exclaimed.
"Then we separate. Gwen, go with Alan. Helen and Kevin, you're with Aurra. Manny, with me. No one goes alone. Not anymore," Ben said, a serious look on his face as everyone nodded before stepping through a portal.
"We live here! You have no right to take us from here!" the alien father exclaimed, flinching when the Knight in front of him waved an energy sword in front of his face.
"By order of the Knights, your presence on this planet will no longer be tolerated. You will leave this planet or be exterminated," the Knight said in an unyielding tone.
There had been silence, the father's eyes flashing between his wife and children behind him. Then looked back at the laser sword, making his heart race even faster.
Then a laser blast shot filled the room with noise, causing the father to scream. But it wasn't just his yell that filled the air - it was also of the Knight in front of him. The laser blast had come from Manny, and it knocked him flat on his face, though there was no visible damage.
The other three Knights that accompanied the first immediately turned around, drawing blades and shields immediately.
"Better blasters?" Ben questioned as they walked in the room, his expression cold.
"Yeah," Manny told him.
"Hope they hurt," Ben said.
"Ben Tennyson! Your interference here will not be tole-" The Knight was cut off by a tendril grabbing him by the throat pulling him into his hand, releasing a powerful mana blast that was strong enough to blast his helmet apart. Any less restraint, and his head would've gone with it.
"Shut up," Ben growled as Manny weaved through two different blade swipes, using two of his hands to grab them by their legs. Then with his remaining two hands, he grabbed them by their heads and slammed them into each other. The fact that their swords pierced each other's shoulders was only convenient for him.
A Knight immediately got his feet and grabbed his sword, but Ben grabbed his sword arm and held it above his head. The Knight gasped in pain when he felt two of Ben's tendrils pierce his shoulders. Then several more of them lifted two of the other Knights in the air. All of their electrocution and struggling did nothing to relinquish their grip.
"Enough out of that," Manny growled, grabbing the hands that were channeling electricity and squeezing them hard enough to break the gauntlets. And their hands along with it.
"We'll never tell you anything," the first Knight said. And then was promptly slammed into the floor without his helmet.
"Don't worry. I don't want information," Ben said before getting on the comm. "Got four here for you. They're gonna need a medic."
"There's more out there, Magister Tennyson. Sending you the coordinates," the Plumber said.
"You were warned," the Knight said before raising his sword in the air.
Though before he could bring it down on the alien, five different mana tendrils burst through the door and drug each of the Knights out despite all of their struggling and squirming.
"Release us at..." any words the Knight was about to say died when he saw the giant, furious Anodite towering above him.
"Where's that bravado now?" Alan questioned, breaking his flaming rock over the Knight's head.
They didn't even have a chance to get up before Gwen sent them flying by more mana blasts that blasted holes through their armor as if it wasn't even there.
And when they got their next target, Gwen practically drug Alan along with little hesitation. If Alan had a way to describe her, it would be that of a relentless killing machine.
The Knights that Aurra, Helen, and Kevin fought ended up cursed, disoriented, and had their bones broken after the whole ordeal.
Aurra in particular found herself using the much more severe curses she knew. Nothing for sleep or just sheer force. Instead using ones that cut, burned, electrocuted, or made them sick. She knew plenty of those kinds of spells, and was almost tempted to do worse.
She hated this feeling. The feeling of wanting to hurt other people. It ran contrary to the kind of person she wanted to be. But at the same time, she couldn't lie to herself and say that they didn't deserve what they had coming to them. Pierce had done nothing but help people even on his off time, and they killed him. And that left this really ugly feeling in her she couldn't get rid of.
"Hope they were some nasty spells," Kevin said, cracking his knuckles.
"They were," Aurra said, a bit of malice slipping in her tone.
"Any other spots?" Helen asked over the comm.
"Plenty. By the looks of all of the activity tonight, yesterday seemed to just be the testing phase," the Plumber base said.
"Well then... let's show them that we're not going to let them do whatever they want to these people," Aurra said, her teammates nodding in agreement.
"Seventy-five Forever Knights," Ben tallied.
"And they all seemed to be after aliens. Looks like they were trying to make them leave. And if they refused, they were going to kill them," Gwen said with her arms crossed.
"That won't be a problem anymore. We'll get them to some prisons. Not the Null Void, but some secure ones," the Plumber said.
"Good. We'll keep hunting for the rest of them. Keep them as separated as you possibly can. Let's not make it easy for any of the more ambitious Knights," Ben told him.
"Gladly. Alright, everyone. Get these scumbags out of here," the Plumber said, violently gesturing towards the starship.
"You will not get away with this, Ben Tennyson!" a Knight yelled. "Our Lord will come for us, and we will read this world of the alien scum that infects this planet."
"Your Lords are just like you - cowardly and has more cruelty than sense," Ben said, and the Knight was pushed forward before he could respond.
"That all of them?" Ben asked the base, bringing them up on the Ultimatrix.
"No more aliens seem to be under attack. It's clear," the Plumber said.
"Don't stop looking. The less time they have to plan, the better," Ben said before shutting it off.
"Felt good to get some payback," Manny said, cracking his knuckles.
"That's a dent in the Forever Knight's forces for sure, but none of them were any of the leaders," Gwen reminded them.
"Then we need to find a way to lure them out," Kevin said.
"Well, we know that they're going after aliens specifically. Pierce was just one of many," Aurra said.
"But why? It doesn't make them any money. If anything, they've only got everything to lose for doing something like this," Ben questioned.
"That is the question right there," Gwen said with a thoughtful frown.
"New management maybe? After all, the Knights have been rocking the same pieces of armor ever since we started fighting them. Now they got this more advanced stuff that actually takes more effort to punch through. Maybe they got some super smart brain whiz on their team to make them better suits," Kevin suggested.
"That sounds like it could be it," Ben acknowledged.
"So chances are we can't get whoever's behind the Knights' new changes, but maybe us taking a bunch of their men and stopping them from killing the aliens might make them upset enough to draw them out," Gwen said.
"Let's try the alien market. Maybe we'll find a lead there," Kevin said.
"We ought to keep our group small. Too many of us would probably attract their attention. We don't want to cause trouble for Mr. Baumann, if possible," Gwen said.
"Me and Gwen can go. The rest of you can take a break if you want," Ben said.
"Not a chance. I'm going to keep looking," Manny told him.
"I'll help," Kevin said with his arms crossed.
"Same," Helen agreed with a nod.
"I'll take your advice," Aurra told Ben. Only because she needed the break before she wound up doing something she would regret.
"Suit yourselves. Just don't do anything crazy," Ben said, looking at each of them. "And remember..."
"No one goes alone," Kevin, Manny, and Helen said at the same time.
"Good," Ben said with a satisfied nod before looking at Gwen, who teleported them to a rooftop overlooking the market. "Let's keep this quiet."
Ben created an entirely different body for both of them - him as a blonde adult man and Gwen as an adult brunette.
"Just keep your mana flowing through it, and it'll hold up for a while," Ben told Gwen, and she nodded.
Both of them looked at different spots on the rooftop, seeing no trace of the Forever Knights nearby. Once it was clear, Gwen brought both of them down to ground level in an alleyway. Once clear, they walked out holding each other's hands. To everyone else, they looked like a regular couple.
"Been years since I been back here," Ben said, looking around the market curiously. Then he wrinkled his nose. "Did it always smell this bad?"
"Since he didn't have alien produce at the time, no. But you hadn't discovered personal hygiene yet, so you wouldn't have noticed it anyway," Gwen said with a small smile.
"Funny," Ben said flatly as they approached the counter. He tapped the bell quickly, and Mr. Baumann appeared out of the back room swiftly.
"Well. how can I help you two lovely people today?" he said with a wide smile.
"Sorry to say that we're not here to buy," Gwen said, showing him her Plumber's badge. "We're here on official business."
"Does it concern me?" Mr. Baumann said with a frown. "I'm not sure if I've done anything that would warrant Plumber attention."
"Oh, no. Nothing you've done. We're just wondering if you've seen any Forever Knights around. Their behavior lately has been a serious threat to the security of other aliens, and it needs to be dealt with," Ben asked. Mr. Baumann only blinked at him.
"No. Afraid I haven't," he said with a frown. Then he gave them a look of apology. "Sorry I couldn't be of any help."
"It's fine. Come on," Ben said, tilting to his head to get Gwen to follow him out.
"He's lying," Gwen said once they were outside. "His market has become known for alien produce for a while now. There's no way the Knights wouldn't take advantage of that to find more people."
"He has no reason to help the Knights, so I can't see why he would lie," Ben said.
"Unless he's being watched," Gwen said, narrowing her eyes as she looked around the shop.
"If he is, there's no shot they'll show themselves in broad daylight like this. We'll wait," Ben told her.
It wasn't until night time that anything notable happened. No Forever Knights showed up, but even though the shop closed down, Mr. Baumann didn't exit the store.
"Something's up," Ben said as he got to his feet. Gwen's eyes started to glow a bright pink for a bit before looking over at Ben.
"He's still in there. That rules out a secret passage if he was attempting to escape without going out of the store directly," she told him.
"Then let's see what he's up to. We should question him without the disguises this time. I really hope the Knights aren't coercing him into turning in a bunch of aliens," Ben said.
"Threatening someone to get what they want isn't exactly outside of the Knights' MO," Gwen said with a grimace. "Let's keep this quiet."
"Agreed," Ben said before tearing his disguise off his face. Gwen attempted to do the same, but just ended up pinching her skin really hard.
"Ow. Could you..."
Ben nodded and took the disguise off her face with a gentle, but firm tear. To Gwen, the sensation was akin to that of peeling a face mask off - only across her entire body instead of her face.
With that, the two of them made their way down to street level, cloaked under Gwen's invisibility spell. The streets were completely empty, as news of the Forever Knights' exploits had been all over the news. They had correctly theorized that aliens were the ones being targeted - not humans. But that hadn't stopped people from still being intimidated enough to stay in their homes. Especially ones that had even minor ties to aliens. The situation alone disgusted Ben to his core.
With a glow of pink mana and a twitch of the fingers, the door opened with a near silent click and both cousins made their way inside with silent footsteps. The entire store was completely dark, aside from the bits of moonlight that came out of the windows.
Seeing that there was practically no activity in the front of the store, they went towards the backroom. And not only did they see a light, voices started to reach them as well.
"We need to get you to the truck," Mr. Baumann said.
"If we go out there, we are dead. Wouldn't it just be better to stay here until the Plumbers have dealt with whoever these Forever Knights are?" someone asked.
"With the Tennysons going after them, it's only a matter of time before they turn the pressure up on me. They're going to search the store, and I don't think that small space down there is going to stay hidden for long if they search this place from top to bottom," Mr. Baumann reasoned.
"Why in all that is sacred did you turn away the Plumbers that visited you today?" an alien questioned, sounding both scared and furious.
"And if that had been one of those Knights? What kind of situation would we be in if it was a trick?" an alien asked just as furiously, and both Gwen and Ben looked at each other with grimaces on their faces. That wouldn't have been something that would've happened if they had come without disguises.
"There's no use thinking about it. The fact of the matter is that..." Mr. Baumann suddenly shut up, and both Gwen and Ben stilled as well. There was a loud pounding at the door, and it wasn't going to take much guessing to figure out who was at the door.
"Forever Knights. Open the door shopkeeper, or we will break it down," a gruff voice at the front door. Ben clenched his fists, and Gwen was shaking with rage.
"Dammit, they're already here. Quick, back under!" Mr. Baumann silently yelled.
"I'll be back," Gwen said before teleporting outside of the store.
"Who-" The Knight only got one word out before there was a loud bang. There were sounds of the pavement breaking, screams from two different people, and sounds of impact on metal. She was beating them with her fists out there.
"Did the Plumbers find us?" an alien asked, and Ben figured that was the time to knock on the door.
"In a matter of speaking," he said. "Could I come in?"
A shuffle of feet later, and the door was opened to reveal Mr. Baumann alone in the room. The man audibly sighed in relief before stepping aside to let him pass.
"It's clear," the shopkeeper said, causing multiple aliens to poke their heads out of a compartment hidden under the floor.
"Oh, thank heavens," one of the aliens said.
"How long have they been here?" Ben questioned.
"Not that long. The night before, I had been doing some extra preparation for tomorrow. Good thing too. I was still in the shop when they came running this way. Hid them in the floor, and turned away the Knights that came asking. They told me they would be watching me, so I've just kept them here the entire time," Mr. Baumann explained.
Ben looked over. There were four greenish aliens with eyeballs that extended above their heads. Looked to be a mother, father, a child, and a relative of some sort. Before Ben even had time to process his anger out of his system, the door behind them swung open.
Gwen had three mana tendrils extending from her head, and in each of them was a Forever Knight. She tossed them roughly on the floor, and each of the aliens jumped in surprise from the force of it.
"That takes care of your detail," she said with a nod.
"Thank you. But how do you know?" Mr. Baumann asked.
"I asked them. They told me," Gwen said with a shrug. That simple response killed any desire Mr. Baumann might've had to ask more questions. "I'll get these three out of here. Finish up here, and I'll make sure the Plumbers get a security detail around here."
"Take them with you first," Ben said, nodding at the family over in the corner. "I think they'll feel a lot safer if they're somewhere that isn't where the Knights attempted to bust down."
"Good point," Gwen said, her gaze becoming noticeably softer once her eyes turned on them. "Come with me. I'll take you to headquarters - they'll give you some place you can sleep peacefully."
"Thank you," the mother of the group said in a grateful tone, and Gwen smiled before teleporting all of them away. Ben then looked back over to Mr. Baumann.
"When did they come?" he asked.
"When I opened up shot after Pierce's funeral. Said they wanted me to spread the word that Earth was for Earthlings, and that the Forever Knights were gonna get rid of any aliens they came across - one way or another," Mr. Baumann said, causing Ben's face to twist into anger. "I take you're not going to let that happen."
"Definitely not. We've imprisoned a lot of them so far, but it seems like they have a lot more members to spare by the sound of things," Ben told him.
"They'll need them considering the supply ship that's coming soon," Mr. Baumann said.
"Supply ship?" Ben questioned.
"My busiest day of the week. My best products come in. Even if I closed down, people would still show up. And I have no way of warning them of what will be waiting for them," Mr. Baumann said.
"And chances are, the Knights are counting on that," Ben said, his face set in a grim frown. "When does it arrive?"
"Thursday," Mr. Baumann said.
"Two days from now. Well, at least we know where they're striking next. Let's make them regret ever thinking this was ever a good change of pace," Ben said before walking towards the exit. "Stay safe, Mr. Baumann."
"I'll definitely do what I can," Mr. Baumann said as Ben handed him a scrap of paper.
"That's my number. Send me a message of any kind of the Knights come knocking. I'll take care of them," Ben told him, and Mr. Baumann nodded.
"What is it Driscoll?" George asked.
"My Lord, the purge has run into a very troublesome interruption in the form of Ben Tennyson," Driscoll said in a displeased tone.
"The teenager you mentioned who commands the strength of aliens?" George questioned.
"Yes. The first night of purging continued with no interruptions, but each Knight we have deployed to all known alien locations the evening after has not reported in. They are more than likely imprisoned. That as well as the squad we sent to watch over the shopkeeper of the alien market. Not to mention the two teams we sent in to investigate," Driscoll said, causing George to frown.
"That is troublesome," he said.
"He has been a constant thorn in the Forever Knight's side for years now. My lord, I would suggest that we dispatch Ben Tennyson before we continue with purging this planet. He will continue to interfere without rest," Driscoll said.
"Cutting down their presence on the planet is quite important Driscoll, but the priority. What comes after them is. We would be risking many of our Knights in an all-out brawl if we were to directly fight him, and he has proven his competence. And will need as many men as we can muster for the coming days," George told him.
"Yes my lord, but we cannot just... sit here and wait to be picked off by the likes of him," Driscoll said in a venomous tone. "If only you had your full strength..."
"My blade is in the heart of the very creature whose revival we are attempting to delay. That is a venture that will need more preparation," George told him.
"Then I beseech you M'lord - send me in. Even if it means sacrificing everything, including my honor... then I will do whatever it takes to take care of these alien menaces," Driscoll said, standing to his full height. George looked at the man for a brief moment before getting to his feet.
"If there is anything that should be known Driscoll, it is that honor is for the honorable - not for the alien menaces that would threaten our home," the older man said. "If you are intent on this, then I will have you oversee the raid on the market. I will allow you access to a limited number of men and resources, but know this - if you fail, we cannot abandon our mission here to rescue you. If the fight itself does not result in your death," George told him.
"I understand. But for the good of the future of the Knights, Ben Tennyson must be taken out of the picture. He is far too much of a threat to be left alone," Driscoll told him.
"Then may your belief in our cause give you the strength you need to succeed," George said, and Driscoll swiftly kneeled before making his way out of the room. "May your blade strike true, Ser Driscoll."
"Anything?" Ben asked.
The six of them had been posted at the supply ship location for the past ten minutes prior to it arriving, and so far, there hadn't been hide nor hair of the Knights so far. Ben was on a rooftop, Gwen and Aurra on the ground, Kevin and Alan were hidden behind some crates, and Helen and Manny were standing guard inside the store.
"Not a trace of armor anywhere so far," Helen remarked.
"Too soon to say though. If the Forever Knights know about this supply ship, they're going to be here. They can't resist this many aliens showing up casually," Kevin mentioned.
"Which is sure to mean plenty of Knights to round up," Helen finished.
"Then let's hope they're well informed," Manny said gruffly.
Not long after that statement, the supply ship the aliens were waiting for showed up, which elicited a cheer from the aliens waiting for it. Ben's eyes narrowed before looking over at a nearby rooftop, seeing a group of Forever Knights jump down and over the fence.
"There they are!" Ben exclaimed.
"Then let's get to it," Helen said, who swiftly grabbed Manny and sped them both towards the action.
Gwen teleported to the top of one of the walkers that cut off the panicked aliens and instantly turned into her Anodite body, punching a hole through the glass and yanking the pilot out with a tendril, kicking him into a wall followed it up with a mana blast that sent him flying through the warehouse. She rendered the tank useless with a careless mana blast from her hand that blew it to pieces.
Kevin was on the ground with Ultimate Lodestar's metal absorbed into his body, parrying the blows of two Knights before kicking one in the face and grabbing the other by the head before slamming him into the ground. He stomped on his head for good measure.
Helen sped around a group of the Knights, catching them in a whirlwind that took them off of the ground while Alan shot a plume of flame into the whirlwind that was set alight while Aurra cast a lightning spell that fused with Alan's fire in order to create a lightning/fire tornado that did a fair amount of damage to the Knights shiny new armor.
Alan then jumped off of the flaming rock he was riding on in order to kick it towards a Knight charging his way, knocking him through the fence. Aurra then cast a second lightning spell that chained to each of the Knights around him before waving her hands in an odd pattern that caused the lightning to blow up in an electric blast on contact.
Ben jumped down as XLR8, quickly moving in order to get the aliens that had shown up out of the hot zone safely before one of the Knights' walkers stalked over to him with a laser ready to fire. He immediately shifted Ultimate Big Chill and created a giant plume of plasma underneath it. But he created a portal and stuck a hand through it, forcefully yanking the Knight out of his tank before the entire thing froze solid. Then he blasted him in the face with a wave of mana to knock him out.
"Hurry up at get them out of here," Gwen told him, and Ben nodded before turning around only to see two tanks surround his position.
"Great," the evolved Necrofriggian thought before sniping a flying bike out of the air with a mana blast from his finger.
Both tanks primed a laser, and Ben quickly changed to Diamondhead to create a wall of diamonds thick enough to block the blasts. Before he moved to finish them off, he was hit in the back with a laser blast that bounced off with a loud 'ping' before turning to face the source, which was one of the leaders of the Knights they had been looking for.
"Driscoll," Diamondhead growled.
"Hope you're prepared Ben Tennyson," Driscoll said, placing his helmet on his head before infusing one of his fists with electricity.
Ben grabbed the electricity imbued hand, casually creating an ice spike out of the middle of his hand to break the gauntlet. Driscoll's sword hand came around to try and stab him, but that hand was grabbed by its wrist before the Knight was flung through what little remained of the fence around them.
He was quickly forced to create another wall of diamonds that surrounded the aliens before haphazardly creating another one for him. It didn't have enough power to block the tank's blast, and it sent him flying through the building behind them.
"Those tanks have got to go," Diamondhead thought, turning back into his Anodite body and quickly flying back through the hole his body created. He created a portal in front of the blast Driscoll shot at one of the aliens before sending it back at him. Though it had no effect on his armor.
"Meaningless," Driscoll said before commanding his tanks to fire again.
"Kevin!" Ben exclaimed as he created a shield to block the blasts.
"On it!" Kevin exclaimed before using Spidermonkey's agility to leap over a Knight that was charging and then using Jetray's flight to quickly make his way over to the tank on Ben's left.
Transforming both of his hands into swords, he cut a circle shaped hole into the tank and pried the sliced armor off. A Knight immediately stabbed a laser sword up at Kevin that he narrowly avoided before grabbing his arm and creating a hammer out of his right arm. Kevin pinned the Knight against the tank and smacked him in the back with it hard enough to elicit a scream out of him.
"Sorry about that," Kevin said in an insincere tone before kicking him into Manny, who grabbed him and threw him down to the ground.
Aurra initially cast a lightning spell on it, but the armor on the tank was insulated. So instead, she levitated herself in front of the tank, baiting it into firing a blast before she quickly jammed the cannon with one of the Knights' kinetic lasers that she was also controlling via levitation.
The Knight inside quickly abandoned the tank, but Alan kicked him off it before he even had a chance to remove himself from it all the way. Aurra looked at the Knights around the tank, and with the knowledge that their armor would protect from the blast, left them to take the brunt of the explosion.
With his teammates' help, Ben was able to get to get all of the aliens to follow him so he could get them away from all of the fighting. But then two more tanks appeared around the corner Ben was about to round, forcing him to halt their progress.
"No way out, Tennyson," Driscoll said, who was standing behind them.
"Your toys can't kill me, Driscoll," Ben told him.
"But they can kill these aliens. And you don't want to risk that, do you?" Driscoll questioned. "If you value their lives, you'll leave. Now."
"You think I'm stupid? What else would you be here for if not to kill them? No, I've got a better idea. You. Me. Duel. If I win, you and your little toy soldiers surrender," Ben told him.
Driscoll grimaced on the outside but couldn't help but smile victoriously on the inside. An opportunity like this was exactly what Driscoll needed to get him in a position to kill him.
"I accept. The victor while be declared upon yielding... or death," Driscoll said in a serious tone.
"Age before power asshole," Ben said, cracking his knuckles.
"Hope you don't plan on making this one quick," Manny said as they all walked towards a more open area.
"That all depends on him. He knows he's not going to win, but his sense of honor demands that he doesn't back down. I don't know what it'll take to make him give up," Ben said.
"Just do whatever you feel like you need to," Gwen said, which made Ben nod.
He didn't want to kill Driscoll, but he would if the man's honor outweighed his sense of self-preservation.
"That's a Kinetic Lance he's got there," Kevin told him.
"Faster he moves, harder he hits. So his hover bike has got to go," Ben summed up.
"For Earth!" Driscoll exclaimed, and the statement immediately spiked anger in Ben. What would he know about the good of Earth, doing what he was doing?
Ben hadn't bothered saying anything as he and Driscoll charged at each other, him with a lance made of mana in his hand. Ben jumped over the lance and nailed Driscoll in the chest with it, sending him flying off his bike. He then surrounded the vehicle with a sphere made of mana before destroying it by making it smaller, crushing it into a small ball.
"Unless that new armor comes with super speed, that lance of yours isn't going to do much," Ben told him.
"You insufferable little-" Driscoll growled before charging at him with a laser sword.
Ben easily parried the swipe Driscoll attempted before kicking his helmet off his head and following it up with a smack from his tendrils that was hard enough to send him spinning in the air.
"Yield," Ben said, charging his fists with energized mana.
"You think it will be that easy?" Driscoll said in a rhetorical tone before getting to his feet, rapidly slashing at Ben who dodged by simply weaving back and forth with his hands behind his back.
"How do you expect to kill me when you can't even hit me?" Ben questioned before grabbing Driscoll's hand and transforming into Ultimate Brainstorm. He wrapped many of his mechanical tendrils around Driscoll before channeling a just enough electricity through his tendrils to hurt the Knight before raising him above his head and throwing him into the wall next to them.
"Yield," Ultimate Brainstorm said, his voice steadily getting more frustrated.
"Never," Driscoll said before lunging forward. Ben transformed back into his Anodite form and kneed him in the face before his blow could even come out all of the way.
"Yield," Ben repeated.
"No," Driscoll told him.
Ben growled in further frustration before socking Driscoll in the face hard enough to make his head bleed when it hit the wall. Then he headbutted him in the face to knock him down to the ground, his fists clenched in fury.
"Give up!" the Anodite exclaimed.
"Never!" Driscoll said, spitting blood in Ben's face. The Anodite's eyes flashed dangerously before continuously punching the Knight in the face twenty times with enough force that every time his fist impacted, blood coated his knuckles.
Not even bothering to offer another yield statement this time, Ben threw him face first in the ground before grabbing him by the back his neck and bodily throwing him hard enough to launch him through one of the Knight's destroyed walkers.
Driscoll spit another glob of blood on the ground before looking back towards Ben, who was slowly walking towards him. The Anodite's hands were twitching furiously - out of anger or something else, Driscoll didn't know.
He put a hand on his armor, which was now broken before turning around and moving to crawl away towards a fallen laser lance since he couldn't summon the strength to get to his feet. His legs were grabbed before he even made it halfway before Ben lifted him in the air by his throat with one hand, eyes full of anger.
"Is this really how you want to die? On some misguided sense of honor? You don't know a damn thing about what it means to have it," Ben growled.
"I will-" Driscoll coughed furiously, blood coming out of every hack that was wrenched from Driscoll's chest. "-have more than you do, at any rate."
Ben hesitated, his look of anger darkening to something even colder. He wouldn't yield, and when it all came down to it, there was only one other option available to him.
Meanwhile, Driscoll looked over at the rest of his Knights, who were still armed and standing at attention while looking at the aliens. Their mission was of prime importance, and he was going to get it done. Regardless of what it took. And like his lord said, honor mattered little against those like Ben Tennyson.
Which is why the tanks behind them immediately fired a blast at their position, due to the order he gave his Knights beforehand.
"No!" Gwen exclaimed as Ben's position had been completely covered by smoke. She saw him fly out of the smoke with a large amount of force, and something in her broke.
Raising a hand, Gwen surrounded both tanks in a heavy aura of mana. Everyone could see in her eyes that she was beyond furious, but a voice rang out that stopped her.
"Don't," Ben said, coming out of the place his body impacted. He looked unharmed, and it was almost as if the tank didn't even hit him.
The really notable part was what he was holding. It was Driscoll's corpse - head gone, but body reduced to nothing but skeletal remains. He tossed them for each of the remaining Knights to look out, and he didn't need to see their faces to know that their confidence had been all but shattered. Good.
"Ignorant dumbass," Ben said in a spiteful tone as he turned to look at Gwen. "If you would..."
"Gladly," Gwen said before restraining each conscious Knight with mana bindings holding them by their torso in a tight grip.
"That's over with. Now to get them out of here," Ben said, moving to walk past the Knights.
"You will pay for this Ben Tennyson. You..." The man's voice started coming out strangled when Ben's head tendril started constricting around his neck. He looked at the Knight over his shoulder rather than facing him directly, lifting him in the air while he pitifully attempted to struggle.
"If you would like to join your fearless leader, then by all means. Feel free to keep talking. I don't mind adding you to the pile," Ben said coldly. Aurra, Manny, Helen, and Alan felt chills go down their spine at his tone.
The Forever Knights looked at him, but nothing but fearful breaths came out. The cold expression on Ben's face conveyed nothing but deadly power, and no more words came out of their mouths aside from heavy breathing.
"Good. That fear you're feeling? Hold on to it. It's the one thing that's keeping you from doing something stupid. Which means, it's also keeping you alive. Now for the cleanup," Ben said, dropping the Knight as he opened a portal. Out walked numerous Plumbers that were posted in the base they had, and the Sergeant among them surveyed the wreckage thoroughly.
"Must've been quite the battle here," the Sergeant said.
"It was. One of them thought it would be best to risk his own life to kill me as opposed to giving up when he was beaten," Ben told him, pointing to what was left of Driscoll. "Though everyone else is alive. Medical attention is needed for them though."
"We'll take care of it," the Sergeant assured him, making Ben nod.
"That's one," Kevin said as he landed next to Ben. "You ok?"
"Perfectly fine. The idiot killed himself as far as I'm concerned," Ben said before letting out a puff of breath. "After this, it'll be hard to get any of the others out. But that's why I got a group of Plumbers looking for them. When they find anyone, we move. I still mean what I said. No one goes alone."
He looked at everyone, but his gaze lingered on Manny longer.
"I got it. If it happened to Pierce, it can happen to any of us," the Tetramand said.
"Right. In the meantime, we just look out for the regular crimes we're used to. From there... just take it easy on yourselves. Alright?" Ben asked, a soft expression on his face.
"Don't worry about us. It'll... it'll be ok," Helen said, giving Ben a weak smile before she and Manny stepped through a portal Aurra made. Alan nodded at his teammates pulled a rock from the ground and flew away on it.
"I'm amazed you restrained yourself," Aurra said.
"That shouldn't be an achievement," Ben said with a frown.
"For someone who can kill and cares about his friends as much as you do? I would disagree," Aurra said, and Ben managed a small smile.
"Thanks. You holding up alright? I never asked," he said.
"Upset. But managing," Aurra said in a somewhat awkward tone. She wasn't used to talking to anyone about what she was feeling aside from her mother.
"That's good. I'm going to help the rest of the Plumbers round the Knights up," Ben said, but Kevin put a hand on his chest to stop him from moving forward.
"Nope," the Osmosian said simply, and Ben gave him a perplexed expression.
"I'm with Kevin on this one, buster. The Plumbers can handle that. You're taking it easy just like you told the others to do. These guys can handle it," Gwen said before looking at a Plumber, who was escorting a captured Knight inside the portal Ben left open. "Right?"
"Easily. From what I've seen so far, most of these guys are either unconscious, injured beyond resisting, or restrained by your abilities. If we have any sort of trouble, we will let you know," the Plumber said, and Gwen gave her cousin that look she always gave him when she just had her point proven.
"Fine. I'll let up," Ben said.
"It's ok to take breaks even in rough situations. You do know that, right?" Aurra questioned in a tone that was genuine rather than sarcastic.
"Yeah, I know. It's just... I get caught up with everything sometimes," Ben told her.
"As we've all noticed. Just learn to take your own advice sometimes," Kevin said, clapping a hand on his friend's shoulder.
"Which I for one, am going to do," Aurra said before stepping through a portal. Though not before giving them a small salute before leaving.
"We're seeing more of the real her. She definitely cares, even if she doesn't like to show it. About you and Pierce," Gwen told him.
"Yeah. I would've just preferred if we could've seen something like that in better times than this," Ben said before sighing. "Still, despite complications, we've managed to keep this whole thing going mostly without any blood being shed. I would rather keep it that way."
"And we'll be sure to help you," Gwen said.
Ben nodded before closing his eyes, looking up at the sky and enjoying the breeze on his face.
The carnage brought upon the battle between Ben Tennyson's team and Driscoll had been broadcast on the news, and it was safe to say that Driscoll was not returning. Somewhat troublesome but expected. The Knights were down another member of leadership as well as a few dozen Knights.
Extremely bothersome considering that they needed every Knight they could get, but he could not fault Driscoll for wanting to take this quest upon himself. The alien abominations that made up this sort were far too competent than he was comfortable with. Yet they didn't seem particularly dangerous to the people of Earth.
Old George shook his head. He didn't have the time to waste on these frivolities. He needed to prepare, which meant he needed to leave the Forever Knights momentarily until he retrieved Ascalon again. The Knights needed to remain off of Ben Tennyson's radar in the meantime, so he would leave that in the hands of Ser Patrick.
This would be the battle that would last a hundred lifetimes, and he needed every Knight he could muster in order to win it.
A/N: I bounced back and forth with a lot of extra ideas while editing this chapter, so I'm relatively happy with the way it turned out. Plus I didn't want to make it too complicated in case I added something I would end up completely forgetting about later on. Hope you enjoyed.