I don't own Ben 10.

Chapter 63: Safeguards

Omnitrix City; Tennyson Tower; December 22nd, 2025; 8:47PM.

Jennifer sobbed, sitting on the curb to the entrance of the auditorium attached to the ground floor of Tennyson Towers; the flashing of police and firetruck lights flashed brightly in her eyes but, her focus was entirely on her own hands, slicked in the blood of her now deceased enemy. Her hands shook as she stared down at them, recalling the remorse in her opponents eyes seconds before she melted her synapses with heat-vision. The sirens that whaled from the ambulances and firetrucks dulled into the background of her thoughts, like they weren't even there, she couldn't believe what she'd done, she never knew how ruthless she could be.

Ben and Gwendolyn approached with somber expressions, looking each other in the eye before stepping into her field of vision, the former placing his hand on hers. Finding that they'd been washed off long ago, Jennifer realized that the blood she envisioned was just in her head, looking up at her parents with eyes too stressed to cry a single tear more.

After being told of the events that would be transpiring soon, Ben was too anxious to not mention them to Gwendolyn, even as they took brief respite in the moments before joining Albedo against Volt, "It happened again," Ben muttered to himself aloud, catching the attention of his wife who glanced back at him.

"What?" she asked, "I know this looks bad but, Albedo can-" she was silenced by the expression of seriousness that overtook her husbands face, she had never seen him so stoic.

"The Time War, the man I told you about last year, he came to me again while I was regenerating as Celestial, he showed me…" Ben took a shallow breath and shook his head, "We have to go… we have to help Albedo and finish this before its too late."

Gwendolyn gasped, furrowing her brow in a determined nod, and gesturing out to the side forming a ring of orange-yellow light which quickly spun into a Bezelian seal-portal leading to the other side of the battlefield, "As ironic as it sounds, I thought we'd have more time," she chortled sarcastically one last time before they stepped through.

…

Australian Coast; Indian Ocean; December 23rd, 2025; 12:39PM.

Ultimate Midknight sighed, trying to buy time for his wound to heal if even just a little bit, he tried better to understand his opponent, "I don't get it, I've always heard the Cosmians were an honorable-warrior race but, invading a planet and executing a local should be against the Galactic Code."

Volt sneered at him, his over-confidence blinding him to what Albedo was trying to accomplish by stalling, "The Queen was all about the politics, but now that Princess Natalia has taken the throne… our leashes have been loosened, so to speak…" he floated closer, folding his arms across his chest, "If you think I'm strong… oh boy, you wouldn't want to meet her."

"Something tells me she's the one who ordered you two to this planet, is she not?" Midknight asked.

He chuckled arrogantly back at his opponent, "Good guess, the Queen couldn't care less about Earth, you're so far away but, the Princess, she cant stand some sacrilegious vermin transforming into our kind." Figuring he's spent the last few minutes answering questions, Volt decided that they'd done enough talking, "I think it's time we get back to the matter at hand though, vermin…" his vibrant-yellow aura flourished and swelled around his body with just a flex of his muscles, his wings were consumed by a glittering golden-yellow energy as well as he prepared to advance.

Ultimate Midknight floated back for only a second before his burning-crimson aura engulfed his body with a flex, unnatural flames wisping off his skin, his black feathered wings aggressively shooting out to either side. They charged through the skies at each other moving at thousands of times the speed of light, colliding forearms with such force that it unleashed a shockwave reverberating off the ocean below them, through the miles of water. The entire hemisphere shook vigorously from their sheer strength, not enough to bring down buildings but, enough that every human could feel the vibrations beneath their feet like a stampede of bulls running through every street.

They continued to exchange blows at massively faster than light speeds to the point where their movements were completely imperceptible to the human eye. Their powerful forms darted across the sky at velocities beyond human comprehension, creating sonic booms that echoed over the waves. The sunlight caught the gleam of their white wings as they soared through the atmosphere, leaving ephemeral trails of brilliance in their wake colliding again and again in heated combat. With each powerful thrust, the ocean below surged in response, creating colossal waves that bore witness to the clash of titans. Cosmian strength was unleashed with thunderous punches that shattered the sound barrier like an afterthought. The shockwaves resonated through the water, sending shock and awe beneath the surface as marine life scattered in response to the celestial conflict above. Their combat blurred the line between earth and sky, a dazzling display of power that left the air electrified. Energy beams and black lightning, brighter than the sun and darker than the night, clashed, lancing through the heavens, illuminating the clouds with an otherworldly radiance. As Albedo grappled mid-air with Volt, struggling to keep pace, their movements still defied the laws of physics themselves. Each attempted restraint sent shockwaves through the atmosphere, distorting the very fabric of reality. The ocean's surface mirrored the intensity above, as if the elements themselves were caught in the cosmic struggle. The contrast of their radiant wings against the deep blue expanse of the ocean created a visual symphony of power and grace. It was a clash of beings beyond earthly limits, a cosmic spectacle that etched its mark on the planet's memory, leaving the ocean beneath to bear witness to the remnants of their extraordinary encounter.

Just as their last encounter sent them flying in opposite directions, Albedo stopped just in time to avoid flying through a Bezelian portal of orange-light which opened up the sky nearest to him; Ben and Gwendolyn floated out pretty urgently, looking to end this conflict as soon as possible.

Ultimate Midknight turned to face them in the air, wondering what they were doing here, and how they managed to get passed Valeria; Volt was just as shocked to see them so soon, he was sure that she would have killed at least one or two of them though, it looked like the younger-girl wasn't with them. "What's going on? Did you defeat the other Cosmian?" Midknight asked, taking a moment to catch his breath as he inquired about the outcome of their battle.

Ben's deadpan expression never wavered, he was more serious than he had been in a long time, the visions he was shown by his Timeless variant proved there was no room for jokes or levity, not anymore, "Yes," he spoke up intentionally loud enough for Volt to hear him, "Harmony tore out her spine and fried her brain stem from the eyes," he announced confidently, trying his best to play up the sequence of events to dissuade the enemy from continuing their attack, "That's what Earth's defenders are capable of!"

The heroes floated in silence for several seconds waiting a for a response to their gloat and to his teammates gruesome demise at their hands, eventually he began chuckling arrogantly, "I can't believe Valeria slacked and got herself killed, what an amateur," his attitude towards her death was unexpected at least to everyone aside from Ben and Albedo whom both knew what to expect one way or another from the Cosmian race. Volt quickly stretched his hands, extending his fingers as arcs of vibrant yellow electricity forms between them, "Don't worry, I'll make sure not to make the same mistakes," the hilt to a long, sleek, katana blade formed in his hands and with a one swing through the air at them, sent powerful shockwaves through the sky blowing back against them. Gwendolyn struggled to keep her eyes open against the high winds, her cloak billowing out behind her rapidly, it was even difficult to keep herself afloat at that point. She knew she was outclassed in every way but, it didn't matter to her, she had to be there to support her husband, she had to be there to protect her world.

An explosion of emerald light consumed Ben as he transformed straight into an evolved Cosmian, his Celestial form at an imposing 7 feet tall, this god-like transformation exuded a commanding presence that captured the attention of his opponent as soon as he appeared. His chiseled features sculpted an extraordinary visage, blending strength and elegance in perfect harmony. Glowing like strands of woven sunlight, his shoulder-length blonde hair cascaded in waves, radiating an ethereal luminescence. Each strand seemed to catch the light, creating an almost celestial halo around his formidable countenance. Adorning his powerful frame were two sets of magnificent, bright white wings that spanned wide, reflecting a pristine purity. The feathers caught and refracted ambient light, creating a mesmerizing interplay of shadow and radiance. Every movement, whether deliberate or swift, showcased a fluidity that defied the limitations of mere mortals. With each step, his presence resonated, leaving an indelible impression on Volt that was entirely different than what he experienced the first time they met, as if witnessing a living embodiment of divine grace and power, of humanity.

"W-What is this? Not only can he evolve like the other one but, his power is way higher than it was before, there's no way regeneration could have done this!" Volt floated backward muttering to himself but, retained a confident demeanor as he held his open-palmed hand out, summoning a hard-light holographic scanner from his glove.

"You're right, I was holding back before, trying to give you guys the chance to leave this world in peace, now I'm done talking," Ultimate Celestial's flaming golden aura swelled around his body, surging with arcs of golden-lightning forms across the ethereal energy billowing from his very skin.

Volt checked the levels and was astonished but, couldn't let his opponent know that, feigning that he could easily still handle them both when in reality they had a very good chance of winning should they work together, "Heh, very impressive, but… it's still only seventy-thousand! I'm more powerful than that on my worst day!"

Gwendolyn scoffed as the ocean's breeze blew through her pixie-cut orange hair, summoning her staff into her right hand with a flash of teal-blue light, twirling it expertly before aiming it aggressively at Volt, "Funny, I told your partner the same thing I'll tell you just before she died, you rely too much on those fancy numbers."

Volt sneered, "We'll see about that!" He began charging a powerful golden aura of bright, wisping energy surrounding and swelling around his body; vibrant bolts of golden-lightning arced between his white heavenly feathered wings. They were all in awe of his strength clearly out classing any single person there to witness it. The sky formed thick, dark clouds over the ocean as thunder echoed through the atmosphere along with bright flashes of lightning striking the ocean around him; his muscles tightened and his power continued to rise even higher now than it was before.

Celestial, Midknight, and Gwendolyn floated back through the air, avoiding bolts of electricity cascading down at them from the clouds; typhoons of ocean water spouted up into the sky, channeling pillars of liquids into the atmosphere. "This is what true power looks like!" Volt shouted over the roar of thunder erupting from above him, though he wasn't expecting the clouds to suddenly illuminate neon-magenta, getting brighter as something from the heavens careened through their stratosphere at insane speeds. The glowing clouds parted for a flaming ball of pink energy that quickly formed into a humanoid-women as she slowed down on her approach; the glowing Anodite woman planted her foot against Volt's unsuspecting chin just as he turned to look up at what was headed for them. Her strike sent a sonic-boom in every direction, rolling over the ocean for hundreds of miles, even hitting the Australian coast-line making an entire city of ears ring meanwhile, Volt was sent hurtling into the ocean and subsequently cratering against the ocean floor in one motion, even as he powered up to his full strength.

The clouds above them soon returned to normal, the thunder quelling and the flashes of lightning vanishing as the familiar Anodite reformed her body into her normal nude energy form, her long, glowing mana-mane hung below her exposed rear, "Hey, everyone! How's it going? Who's your friend?" jabbing her thumb behind her towards the water still settling from Volt's collision against its surface.

"Finally!" Celestial shouted at her, floating through the air towards her slowly, gesturing at her in frustration, "Where've you been? You were supposed to be here this morning!"

Sunny scoffed and frowned at him, folding her arms over her exposed, glowing breasts, "Uh, fuck you! I just saved your asses from that bird-guy and this is the thanks I get?" her profanity had clearly not gotten any tamer than last they'd spoken, "I was on my way here like a normal person when for your party, cause I fuckin love parties, and out of no where this fleet of ships headed in the same direction started firing on me!"

Gwendolyn floated towards her to levitate next to her husband, "Did you happen to maybe destroy them all? Because they're probably related to the ones headed here to start a time-war…"

"What?" Albedo nearly shouted just as Ultimate Midknight and Ultimate Celestial both returned to their base forms to conserve stamina, the waves of crimson and emerald energy cascaded over their bodies devolving them back into regular Cosmian warriors.

"We can tell you all about it later, did you destroy those ships?" Celestial asked urgently, placing his hand on his cousins glowing shoulder.

Sunny looked away with a frustrated expression, "I tried… their shields are like crazy strong, I was hitting them with the force of an exploding planet and nothing," she glanced back down at the water where a concerning number of bubbles were rising to the surface from the ocean floor, "If I had known they were headed to Earth specifically, I might have put my back into it…"

"We have to get back to Omnitrix City, I can't leave it undefended…" Celestial announced to them, just as Volt slowly rose from the surface, dripping salt-water from his wings and still bleeding from his lower-lip, his soaked expression couldn't possibly be confused for anything other than raw, visceral hate. "Sunny, you can teleport without making portals or beaming across space like Azmuth's satellite?"

"Pfft," Sunny confidently smirked, raising her hands above her heads to run her fingers through the energy-mane that was her hair, exposing her chest to everyone as she did so nonchalantly, "Can I teleport? It was the first thing I learned how to do… only shmucks need portals," Midknight couldn't help but avert his gaze from her breasts which she noticed, having missed his cute expressions when she teased him.

Celestial placed another hand on her shoulder as Volt floated back into the sky with them, drying his wings with a surge of white-hot golden aura swelling around his body forming steam, "You think you can take him? Or at least hold him back while we get back to the city? I've got it on good authority that the fleet you encountered is headed here just like you and we need-"

Sunny held her hand up suddenly, pressing a finger to his lips, "Okay, okay, you had me at 'can you take em' of course I can, if it means that much to you, I'll bring you his head back on a silver-" she was interrupted when Celestial backed away suddenly, in shock as his eyes were widened in fear. She raised her glowing brow, glancing down at a bright glowing golden-energy weapon pultruding from between her breasts now, "-Platter… Awe," she cooed narrowing her eyes with anger, turning around in mid-air as Volt backed away, expecting a more surreal response from his opponent realizing she'd been skewered by his katana, "Is this your personal life force energy you're weaponizing? That's super cute," without even moving, the blade vanished as it appeared that the golden-energy was flooded with bright hot-pink mana before being consumed by her completely uninjured body. Sunny glanced over her shoulders at her cousins and boytoy, "He just pissed me off, go now and I'll meet you back at Tennyson Tower with this guys head."

Celestial looked over at Midknight who shrugged in response, Anodite's were an extremely powerful species and if any were capable of handling a Cosmian, it would be them; their pure energy forms gave them the advantage against conjurers who used life-energy to form their armaments, allowing them to manipulate or even absorb their enemies weapons. Gwendolyn held her hand out, forming a ring of orange-light in mid-air behind her as it spun into a portal which connected them directly to the command-center on floor fifty-five within Tennyson Tower.

As Ben and Albedo floated through, quickly returning to their human forms to avoid any unnecessary detection, Gwendolyn was the last to come through as they watched Volt tackle Sunny through the air with incredible strength just before the portal closed in front of them.

Cooper, Rook, Lucy, and Julie were all standing around the holodeck, waiting for any further information on the situation, luckily the giant hole in their building was just outside in the hall, avoiding all of the sensitive technology in the command-center. "I restored auxiliary power to the entire building, everything should be operational, so…"

Lucy cleared her throat, stepping out in front of Gwendolyn, grabbing her by the shoulders, "What the heck is happening out there!?" she shook her half-cousin vigorously as she shouted her question in her face, having been completely confused for the last hour about everything that was going on with the Cosmian's.

…

Omnitrix City; Tennyson Tower; December 22nd, 2025; 9:02PM.

"So, let me get this straight," After spending the last ten minutes having the details of the warnings Ben had received about the time-war explained to them, Cooper was still doing his best to wrap his head around it, "Ever since your battle with Malware, you've been having prophetic dreams about a giant war that you apparently lead against Eon through out all of space and time? And you didn't feel the need to tell anyone about this outside of your little inner-circle because you weren't sure how long you had?"

Ben scoffed, folding his arms over his chest, "Don't use Eon, it's such a try-hard name…"

"And you think Prometheus is any better?" Lucy chuckled, snorting once or twice in the process.

"So not the point!" Cooper announced, stepping out from behind his control-desk, "You should have told us about this! We could have been preparing!"

"You were," Ben responded, walking passed him and towards the large bay-windows that over-looked the city he'd spent the better part of the last twenty-years developing, the innocent people hustling below them in harmony, living their lives in peace, "Alpha-Omega-Red-Zero-One-Zero," Ben stated coldly, not looking back at his team as they were all stumped at what he could have meant aside from Cooper.

"You can't be serious, Ben, that isn't something we can just undo… You have to be absolutely positive before-"

The hero turned around on a dime, walking quickly into Cooper's close quarters, looking him in the eye as the technopath even backed up a step or two, "These visions weren't just dreams; I could feel the heat of the explosions, I could hear the screams of infinitely damned souls of entire timelines, you wondered why I didn't tell the rest of the group? It's because you wouldn't be able to understand what I saw, how real it was, I didn't want to burden you with something this heavy…"

Cooper shook his head, slightly intimidated by the seriousness in his friends eyes, something he very rarely has seen, "That's why you have a team, so you don't have to carry the weight on your own."

Ben sighed, backing away from him as he recollected his composure, running his fingers through his short, brown hair; Gwendolyn noticed him struggling, nonchalantly approaching him from the right side, placing her hand gently on his shoulder before moving it upward to caress the side of his face, "Just breathe, there's a lot going on but its noting we cant handle…"

Suddenly, sirens began to blare all throughout the tower, the green-aesthetic LED lighting around the command-center and holodeck turned bright crimson; the Danger Alert summoned several large holographic views from satellites perched in orbit around their planet. A wave of dozens of massive war-ships passed the Moon and approached Earth at encroaching speeds, looking up into the night sky the people of the world could see the ships above them casting shadows over the planet from the moonlight.

At that moment, Jennifer walked in through the sliding metallic automatic doors as the sirens whaled above her; she looked like she'd been crying the entire time, her eyes bloodshot and her expression exhausted. It was also clear that her hands were stinging red, as if she'd spent the last twenty minutes thoroughly scrubbing them with near-boiling hot water, trying desperately to get the blood off them. "What's going on?" she asked loudly, over the sound of the sirens.

"Cooper! Alpha-Omega-Red-Zero-One-Zero!" The hero shouted urgently across the room and over the blaring alarms; Cooper rushed back behind his desk, never having felt the injury to his leg more than when he needed to move quickly. He summoned a holographic interface from his desk-top, swiping his hands through the air as a small squared-platform opened up on his desk revealing a bright crimson button. The technopath glanced back up at Ben one last time before receiving a determined nod confirming what had to be done. Cooper slammed his palm over the button on his desk, sending the loud clank of internal gears turning throughout the building.

Atop Tennyson Tower itself was a massive circular-ring made of titanium and glass, other than being a pleasing aesthetic choice, it also had another purpose. The entire ring began to rise as the singular support beam extended out dozens of feet higher into the air above the highest point in the city. Under the sprawling canvas of the cosmos, the colossal city of intergalactic unity pulsed with the heartbeat of advanced civilizations. As the looming threat from the cosmic abyss approached, a symphony of shimmering lights cascaded across the urban expanse signifying their arrival. Within Tennyson Tower, a masterful technopath initiated the deployment of the emerald dome—a marvel of advanced technology woven with the essence of advanced hard-light energy. As the dome unfurled its radiant barrier, a soft hum resonated through the air, the echo of a shield forging a sanctuary against the impending intrusion. Within the city's heart, plazas adorned with statues of marble shaped like their hero, Ben Ten Thousand, gleamed in the ambient radiance, reflecting the wisdom of countless civilizations that had converged in this cosmic haven that he had created for them. A network of levitating pathways crisscrossed between floating gardens, where exotic flora from distant galaxies flourished, each blossom whispering tales of distant worlds and cooperative coexistence. The citizens, a diverse tapestry of beings from myriad galaxies, moved gracefully through the urban tapestry.

The radiant barrier shimmered with the collective knowledge of a thousand star systems, its emerald glow reflecting the amalgamation of science and artistry. A gentle hum resonated through the air, a lullaby of reassurance for the frightened citizens. Within the city's bustling thoroughfares, streets adorned with luminescent pathways led to plazas decorated with sculptures and technology representing the myriad forms of life that had found harmony in this celestial sanctuary. Yet, as the emerald dome materialized overhead, a hushed unease settled among the diverse inhabitants. Faces etched with uncertainty gazed upward, eyes reflecting the collective concern that rippled through the intergalactic society. The citizens, representing a spectrum of species and cultures, found solace in one another's presence, a shared vulnerability transcending cosmic boundaries. The protective dome, now fully formed, radiated a calming glow, casting its safeguarding embrace over the technologically advanced marvel below. The citizens, though scared and confused, stood united beneath the celestial safeguard, their collective spirit resilient against the encroaching shadows from the cosmos.

Ben, his family, and his team watched along with the rest of his citizens as the emerald dome sealed the city in a radiant cocoon; glaring up at the sky as warship after warship blinked into their atmosphere, exiting faster-than-light speeds just above their planet. "How long have you been working on that?" Gwendolyn asked, curling her arm around his own out of habit, keeping his close.

"The day after we defeated Malware, I had a strong feeling we'd be needing it…" Ben responded, nobody was confident enough to look away from the sky just yet, not even him.

Cooper spoke up, "It's made of pure hard-light energy, it's denser than tadenite, it cant be absorbed, it doesn't age, and its nearly a mile thick. Now that its up, portal tech and teleportation beams cant get in or out; not even Teleportal or Eon can breach space in here…"

Albedo immediately frowned, looking over at Ben with an urgent expression though, the hero was too busy staring up to notice him until he spoke up, "Is that why you asked Sunny about her teleportation capabilities?"

"Yep, she should be able to pop in and out of here…" he responded.

"You mean if she survives against in a battle against Volt? We should not have left her like that," Albedo said out loud though, even he wasn't sure exactly who he was saying it to, Ben or himself? He shook his head, knowing it wasn't possible for him to leave the city now, all he could do was wait.

Jennifer approached the window, standing next to her father as she stared up at the invading ships hovering over their world, "You can beat these guys, right?" she asked with a somber tone, unsure of herself or anything at the moment, glancing up into his distant eyes.

Ben looked back down at her, seeing the fear in her eyes, the trauma she still hadn't faced, he exhaled and put his hand on her shoulder, "I don't know if it's going to be that simple this time around, hun."

Jennifer raised her brow, never having seen her father's confidence waver like this, "I heard you guys say something about a time-war… is that what this is?" she was a smart girl, putting the pieces together herself quite easily.

Ben didn't want to answer her, he didn't even know how, he wasn't entirely sure what this was the beginning of but, so far there was no sign of Eon which was good. Instead of answering his daughter, he turned to his team catching their attention with just a look, "Lucy, Rook, I need you both to help the Plumber's with crowd control… there's bound to be plenty of scared and confused people down there. Cooper, try to make contact with the Plumbers Helpers and fill them in, maybe we can get Sunny to pick them up at some point… as for the rest of us-"

Just as Rook and Lucy turned to leave, a bright pink flash of light warped through reality, folding across space, and dropping a confident Anodite in her full energy form with something dangling from her hands. "Nice shield," she announced, approaching the holodeck with a nonchalant strut as they all followed her with their eyes, noticing the crimson liquid dripping over the floor as she stepped closer. Sunny aggressively dropped the decapitated head of the Cosmian warrior Volt on top of the holodeck, the blood from his severed neck splattering over the glass, "Now, does anyone want to fill me in what the actual fuck is happening? Or should I have asked this guy?" she pointed lazily at the head as Jennifer projectile vomited nearly on sight, turning, and releasing her bowls all over the floor behind her. Even with her superhuman metabolism, all the alcohol mixed with the high-speed combat, and added on top of mutilated bodies made it impossible to hold down her dinner.

Gwendolyn approached her quickly from behind, placing on hand on her upper-back and the other helping to hold back her long brown hair from getting vomit in it, "Shh…" she cooed, trying to ease Jennifer's now gagging and saliva dripping.

Sunny chuckled a bit, folding her arms over her exposed chest, "What?! You guys left me there alone with no answers, plenty of questions, and this fucking chicken-wing asshole!" she once again pointed directly at the severed head.

Ben nodded at Rook and Lucy who glanced back at one another before making their way out of the room, this had become the usual for them since joining Ben Ten Thousand's crusade. Gwendolyn escorted Jennifer out of the room, heading for the bathroom where they could help her work out the rest of her stomach, hopefully not needing to spend the rest of the night over the toilet. This left Albedo, Sunny, and Ben to discuss what was happening, giving her the same long winded explanation that he gave the rest of his team minutes before she arrived.

As he explained himself for the second time that day, Ben glanced back out at the city now enclosed in a bright luminescent energy dome, getting the curious feeling that this was just getting started.

…

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No sign of Eon, is the Time-War really beginning?

…