Cousin Lucy had teleported to Mount Rushmore two hours later. Azmuth probably had something to do with it, but Ben was delighted to see his lenopan relative again.
And so was she, since she hugged him tightly. "Hi, Ben!"
"Hey, Lucy!" Ben smiled. "I would ask if everything is okay, but-"
"Don't even." Lucy grinned back. "Gwen told us about what you did. Max is not happy."
"I wouldn't think he would be. But I don't see any other options."
"I find it risky, Ben." She voiced her opinions. "But hey, why did you need me on the ground anyway?"
"Because you are the closest person I have on the team," Ben explained. "And two of your members just flipped to the other side."
Lucy looked away with some shame. "I didn't know what was happening. It seemed like Leander was always under Servantis's control.
"Is that why Khyber is freed?" Ben questioned.
The blonde shrugged. "Probably. From what I know he received a transfer order to Incarcecon, but never got there.
"Makes sense." Ben looked into her pink eyes, not like what a human would have naturally. "And Swift?"
At that, Lucy seemed truly heartbroken. "I... oh, Ben I was actually starting to be friends with her and then she got brainwashed!"
"Really?" He asked.
"Yeah. I was even making the team watch movies together. But now she's just a... mindless soldier."
"Maybe..." Ben pondered for a moment. "Maybe we can take her back?"
Lucy's eyes darted up. "How?"
"I remember Kevin used Brainstorm and Feedback's powers to erase Servantis's control on Manny, Helen, and Alan," Ben recalled. "Maybe we can... like, do that, to Swift."
"That's a good idea!" Lucy smiled. "But how are we gonna get her? She is always patrolling, and if she sees you-"
"Maybe we can drive her away from the city..." He scratched his neck. "Or maybe you can try to pretend that you just want to convince her to go back to the team. Like she can decide it, but won't. You're a good actor."
"I am!" Lucy confirmed.
"Then we have a plan."
...
Chamalien was excellent for stealthy missions. Ghostfreak and Big Chill were also good, but sometimes Ben felt like being in the ground. And this transformation suited him the best.
Here he was, in one of those recently built Bellwood suburbs, following Lucy closely. She had been disguised until very recently, and that had been the best option since they had bumped into a few criminals, eager to get the bounty on Ben. But Lucy was nobody when in disguise, so she was left alone.
Until now.
"She ought to see me any moment." She said, back to her blonde look. "She is fast and has eyes everywhere. So, she will see me..."
"Here's hoping," Ben responded, still invisible. Around them, they saw no movement. It was very late in the night, but all movement could be heard, even the wind, a strong breeze made the night colder.
But Lucy had been right. It was mere minutes before a red form landed on the street.
"Swift," Lucy called. "You don't have to do this."
"Where is he?" The Aerophibian hybrid answered without much emotion. "You know where he is, don't you?"
"I don't!" The Lenopan said. "Please, snap out of it. I came to talk."
"I don't need talking." The rooter's tone was implacable. "You know nothing, Lenopan."
Even if Lucy knew Swift was brainwashed, Ben could see that his cousin was still heartbroken. "I know you're my friend. And that you don't want to do this."
"Like I said..." Swift rose in the sky, her eyes glowing red. "You know nothing."
And then she started attacking. Red blasts were shot from her tail and eyes, and Lucy morphed and moved to evade them, occasionally stretching her arms to try and stop Swift, but clearly not as hard as Lucy could hit, trying not to hurt her friend.
But Ben wasn't sure that would be the best option right now, although he didn't want to go for a lethal strike. The best option now would be to wait for Lucy to give him an opening to quickly change to Brainstorm without alerting Swift... but that seemed like an improbable plausibility. Lucy was smart, cunning, and very strong. But she was certainly not as fast as an Aerophibian hybrid, and that made a huge difference.
However, she was cunning enough to take Swift off guard when the Aerophibian had briefly landed, knocking her out on the ground. Ben took this opportunity and slapped the Omnitrix, changing into Brainstorm. Immediately, Swift, still on the ground, noticed his presence, widening her eyes.
"Tennys- AH!" Her words were interrupted by Brainstorm's lightning bolts, which didn't simply stunt her, but rewrote her synapses. And it seemed to work after mere seconds of lightning, and the aerophibian finally fell unconscious.
"Quite an ingenious plan." Ben smiled to himself and changed back to human. He dragged Swift away from the middle of the road, still keen on not being detected, and Lucy followed him closely.
"Swift..." Lucy called when they reached a house with high enough fences. "Wake up."
The Aerophibian groaned. "Where... oh, no... Lucy..." Her crimson eyes panicked.
"Shh..." Lucy smirked. "It's done."
"I'm relieved wasn't harsher than I was already..." Swift looked at Ben. "You... you can't stay here, Tennyson."
"I know," Ben said. "It's good we brought you back. Lucy here trusts you fully, so I trust you."
"That means a lot," Swift said, surprising Ben a bit. "What do you need of me?"
"Stay with Servantis for now," Ben suggested, although Lucy seemed like she wanted to protest. "Be on the lookout for me. Cavalry is coming, just... try to pretend everything is still the same. And we will be fine."
"Ben, that's not-" Lucy began.
"He's right." Swift cut his cousin. "I can stay away enough that he won't notice."
"Then we're set." Ben declared.
"Just one more thing," Swift got up from the ground, groaning. "Gosh, Lucy you get stronger every day." His cousin smiled apologetically. "What's with that clone of you?"
"Wait, what?"
"Don't you know? There's a version of you with black hair and sea-green eyes running around-"
"I do know. Have you seen him?"
"Servantis convinced him to stay with him," Swift told him. "Not much of an abduction or anything like it. Servantis just wanted to know what was up with that Ben Tennyson."
"Damn it." The idea of Bad Ben fooling around with Servantis didn't bring joy to his heart. "Keep an eye on him for me."
"Will do." Swift nodded and turned back to Lucy. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," Lucy answered. "Go and do your thing. When this ends, we'll be eating snacks and playing together again!"
The Aerophibian smiled. "I would love that." And then she took off, returning to the skies above.
"Interesting friend you made," Ben said. "Nice job, cuz."
The blonde smiled. "Glad to help, Ben!" She paused, looking at the stars above. "What now?"
"Get back to the HQ," Ben told her. "I will probably go back to Mount Rushmore."
"Alright." Lucy turned away, but then she took a final look at him. "What's with a clone of you running around?"
"I'll explain later." Ben switched through the dial of the Omnitrix, changing into XLR8. "Gotta run!"
And ran off, he did, leaving his cousin alone, before she was teleported back to the Headquarters.
...
Servantis didn't seem too sane.
Of course, his intellect and cognitive abilities were sharp as ever. It was the decision-making that puzzled Benjamin.
One thing was trusting Khyber and Malware. They were both deceitful and evil beings. But they had a shared hatred for Ben Tennyson that bonded them together. If there was going to be a fallout after... maybe. But even then, there was something that justified their alliance.
What Benjamin thought was lunacy was hiring, or at least outsourcing their duties to small-time villains, bounty hunters, and regular scumbags. Sure, their team wasn't huge...
But Benjamin couldn't stand seeing the Vreedles brothers agreeing to hunt Ben. The reward of the equivalent of sixty million dollars was tempting even for him... but come on, this was insanity. Malware could certainly hack bank accounts to acquire such money, but it was still so weird...
Right now, it was the fourth day of the siege and no sign of Ben Tennyson. Benjamin had returned to the hotel, in part to show that any uses from Ben's phone would be from Benjamin. Servantis had quickly nodded but also had made it clear that it was best if Benjamin remained under their watch for the time being.
And Benjamin was here now, sitting at the Plumber facility that had become the virtual headquarters of the operation. He was alone. Malware and Servantis were out to negotiate terms with those interested in participating in the hunt, Phil and Leander serving as their bodyguards. Khyber was away, but since he was in control of the To'kustars, he had eyes everywhere.
And Swift was on patrol, like always... or at least until now, since the Aerophibian woman had just come through the door, immediately grabbing a glass of water for her.
Benjamin felt awkward. With Servantis, they often had long conversations. Both men were aware their moralities were different, even if Benjamin was already harsher than Ben. But they still enjoyed their conversations.
In the end, though, Benjamin hoped Ben would beat Servantis. This was too much chaos, chaos that he had learned to put under control in his world, at a high price. But Benjamin also hoped his younger counterpart wouldn't kill the former Proctor.
He was struck away from his thoughts when Swift sat in a chair near him.
"Yes?" Benjamin asked, unsure of what this brainwashed soldier could even say.
She sighed. "Talk normally. Don't arouse suspicions." He figured out what was happening almost immediately. "I saw him."
"And I imagine he brought your mind back."
She nodded, drinking from her water. "Indeed. He is worried about you. I am tasked with keeping an eye on you."
"I do not need protection," Benjamin argued.
"I am not protecting you," Swift assured him. "I am doing a favor for a friend. I know you're cozying up to Servantis, so try not to fall for his silver tongue."
"I'm a neutral party, Swift." He answered. "I am a mere spectator."
"Then don't die." That wasn't a request, more like an order. "I do not want to disappoint a friend again."
"Is that friend Ben?" Benjamin asked curiously.
"It's Lucy. You might not know her."
"I know Lucy." He said, remembering the young Lenopan he had danced with in Joel Tennyson's marriage, who had become a Plumber later in her life, though Benjamin hadn't seen her too often. "Not enough to say she would be angry at you for being brainwashed..."
"It's just that she puts her trust in me." Swift looked around, but they remained alone. "Most of my actions were out of my own will, even if I was indoctrinated. It took a lot to make me see the world in another manner."
"I... I can relate. In parts." Benjamin grimaced. "Ben Tennyson helped me in being less... miserable. We both went through losses recently, though, I dare to say, mine was worse."
"What was your loss?" Swift asked. "Sorry, I just-"
"It's fine." He quickly reassured her. "My girlfriend. Elena Validus. She died, taking half of Undertown with her."
Swift widened her eyes. "That's... I'm deeply sorry."
"It was mostly my fault," Benjamin said. "I too have done terrible things. I am a complicated man; I know that much. And I never intend on... being a hero, in a traditional sense."
"I also don't feel like I could ever be Ben 10. Or Lucy. But I try."
"Then you are on a good course. They are both people good to replicate. Though a younger version of me would swirl in disgust at their sight."
"I can relate firmly to that." She gave him a sad smile. "It meant a lot to me to know that Ben trusts me, even if only because Lucy does."
"He trusts me as well. More than even I do." Benjamin took a strand of hair away from his eye. "Soon this will be over."
Swift seemed to want to answer, but noise was heard outside the doors. She quickly got up, returning to her soldier mannerisms, while shooting a last sympathetic glance towards him.
Benjamin felt a bit better.
...
This was stupid.
But a good plan nonetheless.
Jetray was fast, and so was Astrodactyl, though less so. But both were quite noticeable. And Ben didn't want any sensors scanning him if he was transformed into Ghostfreak or Big Chill. And any other aliens that could fly were also exempt simply because they would be noticeable. Too noticeable.
So... Nanomech. The journey would be extended an extra hour, or two... or three. But he had a lot to think about while he traveled to the HQ.
Mostly about Hope.
Ben felt like he was over Kai. At least enough that thinking about her didn't make his heart clench. He was still a bit saddened... but time healed him.
And not just time...
From an outside point of view, it would be weird for him, the barely out of his teens young man, to not feel anything sleeping beside a woman like that. But damn, this was too complicated.
Because he wasn't an ordinary boy. No, he was the Ben 10. And Hope was one of his enemies, whom he had been butting heads with since he first got the Omnitrix.
He knew she was teasing him; he wasn't that oblivious. Which made things more complicated. Because there was the possibility that she had some feelings towards him... or that she was just amused by how flustered he always became when she did something.
And Hope was also no ordinary woman. More so in the sense that she had done horrible things. Hell, she even killed him once. But... why did he feel like forgetting all that and starting fresh?
No one would be happy if he was seen with Hope. Gwen least of all. After all, it was just like when she first dated Kevin. The guy was a psychopath, he killed, maimed, hurt him, and...
It took only a few weeks for him to become his friend. His best friend even.
Could he... well, hope that with Charmcaster things would be similar? Maybe...
But they weren't even dating, damn it. And this could always be just a fling. Ben wasn't unfamiliar with the concept, Eunice came to mind, but...
Oh, damn it all.
He got to the HQ soon after, transforming back to human, startling the Plumbers already there, some pointing their weapons. Ben raised his hands.
"It's me!" Ben said. "Where's Magister Tennyson?"
"Right here." Grandpa Max called from afar. Ben walked towards him and smiled.
"Hey, Grandpa."
"Ben." His grandfather acknowledged him. "Come, we have some people eager to see you."
"I bet." And then they walked a little bit to the elevator, going all the way down to one of the last levels. When the elevator doors opened, Ben saw the entire Alien Force there, although with the obvious absence of Leander and Swift... but with the addition of Kevin and Gwen.
"Hey." Ben greeted awkwardly. Kevin was the first to move, coming closer and giving him a brief hug.
"We were worried, man."
He smiled apologetically to the long-haired man. "I know... I was just busy."
"Busy enough not to notice Servantis taking over Earth?" Manny was the one who said that, but Ben didn't take the bait. The tetramand always had an antagonistic history with him.
"Yes. Unfortunately." Ben looked around the room, finding the most sympathetic looks to come from his two cousins. "I know we're playing a gamble here..."
"Is that what allying with Vilgax is called now?" Alan said though he was more sarcastic than hostile.
"He takes what I said seriously. Gwen can vouch for me."
"Unfortunately, he is right." The redhead said.
"Then, what now?" Helen asked.
"We wait one more day." Ben laid out what he had planned in his head. "There are a lot of people searching for me, but less that are enthusiastic about fighting all of us. Vilgax is closing by, so we start the attack... and he will arrive when Servantis is distracted."
"And what of the Way Bads?" Cooper inquired.
"My problem., Ben stated.
"You can't be serious." Kevin crossed his arms. "They're just as strong as Way Big."
"But they aren't as smart as I can be." He argued, leading to some eye rolls and a chuckle from Lucy. "In all seriousness, I just need to hold them off... can we send them back to the Null Void?
"The projectors are being prepared." Grandpa Max told him. "It's gonna take a lot."
"I'll do it. The only thing I need is for you guys to give them hell. Swift is gonna join us when it all comes down."
"Leander could also be brought back," Lucy argued, to which Ben nodded.
"We will work on that. Try to subdue him, everyone. As for the rest..." He paused, looking around the room. "Don't play with Malware. If you can take him down, do it." His tone was more serious than ever. "And did we find out who is controlling the Way Bads?"
"Khyber." Cooper once more spoke. "Lucy got that intel from Swift."
"Then we don't take him down immediately. Remember what happened when those Way Bads were out of control." Ben paused for a last time. "I think that's all. For today, let's all rest chill out, rest, prepare. Tomorrow, we go to war."