Ben X Chapter 49

Rescue Arc

Regrouping

Professor Paradox stood watching the hands of his Chronometer tick by. He stood at their designated rendezvous point, waiting for the Omnitrix users to return, hopefully with escapees in tow. He had done the part of reconnaissance, locating the locations of Ben's closest captured allies and identifying which of Eon's new generals held them captive. However Paradox was never much of a combatant, preferring to outwit his adversaries. So when it had come time to divy up responsibilities, Paradox had elected to secure their rendezvous point. Said task currently found him loitering about one of the tunnels under Bellwood leading to Undertown. But despite being a timewalker with approximate knowledge of future events, he was still nervous and on edge. He could not help but worry for the safety of this newfound team, especially when they had split off into pairs like they had. For many of them, this would be the first serious test of their skills.

Thankfully, his fears were unfounded. Soon he saw a flock of figures approaching, and leading the charge were two brightly colored Omnitrix users. Bengar and Punk Ben approached the meeting place with several of Ben's close allies, along with many other escapees. Not long after that, others began to gather. Jen and Ben 101 soon joined the group, followed by tired looking Gwen and Charmcaster. Soon after them came Hook Blonko and Gwen 10 accompanied by even more allies. Finally, last to arrive on scene was Ben 10 and Ben 23 with Kai, Julie, and a few other escapees in tow. The groups mingled together, led by their mysterious rescuers. But as with any group this large there was initial confusion as they merged together. However, this confusion soon gave way to relief and heartfelt reunions as individuals began to recognize each other and embrace. Everyone was relieved to see their allies in more or less one piece, although all parties appeared equally worse for wear.

Gwen and Kevin immediately sought each other out through the throngs of people. They embraced in a warm hug and shared a kiss, much to the surprise of a blushing Gwen 10 who looked on the scene from afar, out of their eyeshot. Charmcaster too, found Kai through the crowd and the other woman also made her way to the sorceress. There was a moment of awkward tension before Hope threw her arms around Kai's neck. Kai at first was stiff and unsure, but gradually slipped her own hands around Hope's midesection, lingering her hands on her hips. The pair shared few words, their relief to find each other unharmed communicated solely through their actions. Happy and tearful reunions were had by many as they rejoiced at their escape. No longer would they suffer from the terrors of Eon's machinations. But there was one reunion that was yet to happen.

Cooper Daniels searched high and low through the crowds, searching for the person most precious to him. But try as he might he could not seem to find Lucy Mann. For a frightening few moments, he thought that the worst might have happened. Thoughts of Lucy's potential demise raced through his head. But he desperately continued searching, refusing to face that possibility. At last he spotted the rest of Gamma Squad, who he was separated from after Eon took over. He rushed over to the group, calling out Lucy's name. Her voice called back to him, but not with the words he was hoping for.

"No!" She shouted, shocking him to his core. "Stay away." Cooper was incredulous and looked to the rest of Gamma Squad who were equally confused. Cooper pushed past them, ignoring Lucy's pleas for him to stop. He found her curled up on the ground, hiding away from his eyes. She was in her hybrid human form, hands clutched to her chest and refusing to meet his eyes. The ooze pooling off her body and onto the ground around her. Despite her amorphous state she appeared weak and frail looking.

"Lucy? What's wrong?" He asked concerned. She looked away, sheepish and embarrassed.

"I… I don't want you to see me like this." She finally admitted, her voice strained and tired.

"Your hybrid form? But I've already seen you like that." Cooper said still confused.

"Not like that… Like this." She said as she could no longer hold her form. Her body expanded growing larger and amorphous. She reverted to her full Lenopan form, her antenna like tentacles drooping sadly around her face. Cooper stared at her mouth agape and still concerned. She shied away from him yet again. "I'm too weak, I can't hold my human form. You must think I look horrifying." She said dejectedly.

"Lucy," Cooper said softly. He reached up to her face, tilting her head so that she was forced to meet his eyes. "Do you really think I would care what you looked like?" He asked her with a gentle smile. Lucy's eyes widened and she opened her mouth as if to speak, but no words would come. "I love you Lucy, no matter what." He said and pulled her closer. Lucy smiled with tears as their lips met.

The rest of Gamma Squad turned away to give the couple privacy. They turned their attentions instead to reuniting with their other allies, including Kevin, Gwen, Patelliday, and Rook. Even Julie eventually made her way over to express her gratitude that they were all okay. They exchanged greetings and hugs speaking amongst themselves for a time. But eventually they could no longer ignore the elephant in the room, or tunnel as it were. Their attention collectively turned to the mysterious group which had rescued them.

The collection of mostly teenagers had stayed by themselves. Partly out of unfamiliarity with those they rescued and in celebration of their successful missions. While it was clear that all of them were Omnitrix users and many of them resembled Ben in some way, the group could not be more eclectic. They watched as Ben himself eventually made his way over to the group exchanging congratulations and high fives all around.

"Good job everyone!" Ben said to the Omnitrix users.

"Good job? Are you kidding me? We smashed that!" Ben Punk said making a metal horn gesture with his hand.

"Wooh! Yeah we did!" Jen said jumping into the air. Next to her Bengar shared her sentiment, throwing his arms in the air and hollering wildly before grabbing as many as three or four others in his arms for a crushing hug.

"I must concur, it seems our plan was a critical success." Hook said squeezing out from Bengar's embrace.

"Hell yeah! Score one for… uh, huh, hey do we even have a team name?" Ben 23 asked aloud.

"A team name? Please, we're not some comic book super hero team." Ben 101 added.

"I think that's by definition what we are though?" Gwen 10 observed.

"Ooh, I gots a suggestion." Benny spoke up. "We could call ourselves the Alien Adjacent Adolescents Against Tyrrany!" He said spreading his arms out.

"That's kind of a mouthful though. What about: The Omni-Men!" Ben 23 supplied.

"Uh, hello, two of us are women?" Gwen 10 said exasperated.

"I thought we were just called the Omnitrix Army?" Jen said standing next to Gwen 10.

"Do we even need a name? I mean we didn't have one last time." Gwen 10 pointed out.

"We didn't have this many of us last time." Ben 23 responded back.

"Guys!" Ben 10 spoke up gathering their attention and interrupting their discussion. "We can settle on a name later, right now we still have work to do, people to move, and introductions to make." He said pointing a thumb back at the other escapees who stared at the Omnitrix users confused. Ben 10 turned to them gesturing for the Omnitrix users to follow him. He addressed his friends with a warm smile.

"Guys, it's so great to see you all. I'm so happy you're all alright. And I want to introduce you to our new allies. With Professor Paradox's help we went around to different universes, gathering different Omnitrix users. They've all agreed to help us take down Eon, once and for all." He explained and punched his fist for emphasis. At first their was an awkward silence as the two groups scrutinized one another. But, ever the gregarious one, Ben Punk broke the tension by stepping out in front.

"Sup tossers, name's Benny, or Ben Punk, or Punk Diez, I'm not much into labels so call me whatever you like." The brightly colored leather and denim clad Ben took much of the group by surprise, but eventually tensions eased and the two groups began to mingle. For some though, they were more preoccupied with their own dopplegangers.

"Hi, uh, you're me right? Or another version of me?" Gwen 10 said going up to her counterpart. Gwendolyn's eyes widened. She thought she saw a person that looked suspiciously like her, but now that she was up close, the resemblance was shocking. This Gwen looked like her spitting image from ten years ago. Her style was drastically different though. She wore a large blue jacket, emblazoned with her cat symbol. She also wore her hair up in a ponytail, a style which Gwendolyn herself had abandoned some years ago. She was so lost in staring at her counterpart she almost forgot to respond.

"Uh, yeah, I guess so." Gwendolyn responded.

"Wow… you're so cool. Uh, I mean uh" Gwen 10 stammered as she thoughtlessly let her inner monologue slip. Gwendolyn smiled at the shorter girl.

"Thanks, I think you're pretty cool too." She responded and Gwen 10 hid a blush.

"So um, in this universe are you the one who got magic powers?" She asked.

"Oh, uh yeah." Gwendolyn said still somewhat surprised by the appearance of a doppleganger. She held out her hand and a ball of magenta energy appeared in her palm. Gwen 10's eyes widened as she witnessed the display of magic.

"That's so weird. In my universe Ben's the one who got magic." She said.

"Heh, I bet that must have made him insufferable." Gwendolyn said with a smirk and roll of her eyes. Gwen 10 laughed back.

"Oh for the first few years definitely. But he's more or less got the hang of them now." The pair of red heads continued chatting amicably about their similarities and differences, the other Omnitrix users ignored in favor of speaking with each other.

Nearby, another set of twins were circling each other and examining one another with a critical eye. Rook and Hook stared each other over, it was like looking into a mirror, a mirror which changed the color of your reflection, but a mirror nonetheless. But once again the awkward silence did not last long as Hook was the first to break it. "You must be Rook Blonko. Your Ben has told me much about you. I am your counterpart Hook Blonko." He said holding his hand out. Rook was still befuddled by this turn of events but still shook the offered hand, not wanting to be rude.

"I cannot say I have heard of you. I am sorry, I am just, confused is all. You look and move just like me, but your color is different, and you have an Omnitrix. Tell me, what other differences are there?" Rook inquired. But Hook simply smiled back and it looked both melancholy and amused at the same time.

"I suspect there are many differences between us. For instance, I have gathered that your relationship with Ben is not the same as the one I had with my Ben." He responded. Rook was even more confused at this point.

"Had? What happened to him? And what do you mean?" He asked. But the same sad smile alighted on Hook's face.

"I think this is not the time or place for that discussion. I will explain later, for now we should focus on getting to safety." Hook said.

Some of the other Omnitrix users stayed behind, opting to let others come to them. Two of such individuals were both Jen and Bengar. Jen 10, initially was taking in the different group members. She was familiar with almost all of them, having met them as alternate gendered counterparts in her universe. It was a fact she was trying to reconcile as she observed the group. But her attention was drawn away from the group at large and over to Bengar who was cowering behind some stones and watching the newcomers warily. Concerned, she made her way over to the caveman.

"Bengar? Buddy, are you alright?" She asked him gently. Bengar averted his eyes and looked back at the group.

"Bengar shy." He responded. "Bengar scared of new people. What if they think Bengar scary, or stupid?" Bengar said dejectedly. Jen's face softened.

"It'll be alright Bengar, I'm sure these people will like you." Jen tried to reassure him but Bengar was not persuaded. Trying a different tactic she scooted closer to Bengar, crouching next to him. "Hey, you're like the strongest guy I know. I'm sure they won't mind you, but even if they do, you're super strong! You don't have anything to be afraid of!" Jen said to him. Bengar considered her words for a minute before looking back to her with hopeful eyes, but he dared not move from his spot. "Come on, I'll stay with you to introduce you. How does that sound?" Jen said reaching out a hand. Bengar tentatively grabbed her hand, his palm englufing her smaller limb. Together, she led them over to Ben's other allies.

"Hey, guys! I'm Jen 10! I've got someone here who would really like to meet you." She said gesturing to Bengar, who despite his muscular frame cowered like a kitten. "Say hello Bengar." She coaxed him gently. Swallowing his nerves, Bengar stepped forward.

"Hello, me am Bengar. Me hope we can be friends?" He said still unsure. Ben's allies looked between themselves unsure, before Kevin took a step forward and held out his hand in greeting. Bengar smiled widely before garbbing Kevin's hand with his oversized palms and shaking up and down vigorously. After his introduction, Bengar's uncharacteristic shyness disappeared and he went around shaking hands with as many people as possible. Sometimes even interrupting them mid-conversation. Punk Ben joined behind him soon, bolstering his already incredible confidence.

With the ice broken between the two groups, they eventually came together to discuss their plans. They took stock of their injuries, counted their people, and formulated their next steps. "We should proceed to Undertown like we originally planned." Ben said. "We can regroup there, establish a base of operations, and plan on how to take Eon out once and for all." Around him his allies nodded their heads in assent. So with their destination set, Ben and his group rounded up civilians they had helped rescue. They offered them protection and safe passage. The escapees were all too exhausted from their ordeals to protest, and instead agreed to move out with the group who so far had helped them escape. It helped matters that many of them recognized Ben 10 as well as most of the prisoners had worked with Kevin and the others in Vulcanus' mines.

The group travelled in loose formation through the large tunnel. It was a leftover from Bellwood's attempts to establish a subway system in the 90's. The project had never been finished, but Bellwood's new alien residents had co-opted the structure during the construction of Undertown. It now served as one of the main thoroughfares into the underground city. Now though, there was no sign of travel or life along the route. It was also dark in parts of the submerged tunnel, making it a disconcerting trip. But Ben knew the route by heart and led the group fearlessly into the dark.

When they finally emerged from the tunnel, they were dismayed at what they found. Undertown appeared to be abandoned. The streets and stalls which normally made up the heart of the city were devoid of life. The many buildings and structures were boarded up and locked down. There were no scents of alien cuisine filling the air. The lively sounds of alien music and voices calling out in the streets were nowhere to be found. The once colorful and vibrant atmosphere of Undertown was replaced by haunting silence and a sense of loss and despair. But Ben shouldn't have been surprised, most of Bellwood was in the same state from what he observed up top. It should have been obvious that Undertown would be the same. Still, he had no time to dwell on these thoughts, there were people that needed attention and they needed to set up defenses, then finally after all that he still needed to come up with a plan for Eon. There was so much to do and he didn't know how much time he would have. Therefore, every second counted.

But Ben was scarcely able to start in his efforts to help before he was accosted. "Freeze! Put your hands in the air!" Shouted a demanding voice. Ben looked up to see several individuals threatening them with weapons. He was so shocked by their appearance that his hands flew up to comply with the demand, not wanting to anger them and risk someone getting hurt. It was only a second later that he was able to observe the group closer. They were only about five or seven, dressed in a combination of ramshackle body armor, some appearing to be plumber issue, and some more standard tactical wear like what military or police might wear. The individuals advanced on their group, brandishing weapons as varied as their armor. Some of the guns appeared to be earth rifles, some bolt action, some semi-automatic, while others held alien weaponry. The group all appeared to be human however. It was a strange occurrence that left Ben wondering exactly who these people were and why they were threatening them.

The individuals closed in around their group, and although Ben and his allies outnumbered them, they did not have any weapons of their own and most were already tired from their ordeals. "Let's go, everybody form a circle, form a circle! And nobody think of making a move or I'll shoot!" One of the voices called out, apparently the leader. But something struck Ben as familiar about the voice, even as he temporarily complied with the demands. It wasn't until a second smaller figure stepped up next to the first that recognition flashed in Ben's brain.

"Cash? JT? Is that you guys?" The pair of young men turned to look at him. One with a pair of round glasses and unkempt brown hair, the other with short trimmed black hair and a scowl that could curdle milk. "It's me, Ben?" He said gesturing to his Omnitrix up in the air. Cash looked at him, somewhat surprised but his attention diverted as JT spoke up.

"I told you it was him man." JT scolded.

"Shut up, it could still be one of Eon's tricks." Cash retorted.

"Eon? Dude that's who we've come to stop. We're on the same side!" Ben tried to plea. But his former bully apparently was not in the mood to hear him.

"I said shut it Tennyson! I say we call in to Commander Hobble, let him make the call. Until then, nobody moves!" Cash threatened once more. The other soldiers with them seemed uncertain but unwilling to question Cash's authority. So they kept their guns just high enough to comply. But while the weapons were enough to frighten the normal citizens they had with them, Ben's battle hardened allies were not intimidated, and even more than a little irritated by the group's actions. But at Ben's urging they held back. If Hobble was indeed with this group he would surely recognize them and bring this situation to a peaceful end. So they waited together in tense standoff for the better part of fifteen minutes as they waited for Hobble to reach them. Unfortunately, Ben was too curious to keep quiet, especially knowing that Cash and JT were involved.

"So, what are you guys doing here anyway? And what's with the weapons?" He asked.

"We're part of the Resistance obviously." JT replied a little snarkily.

"JT! Don't give out info to the enemy!" Cash chastised him.

"Come on, this is obviously Ben." JT said with a roll of his eyes.

"I don't care. Even if it is I don't think we should trust him. It's his fault we're in this mess in the first place. He's always brought weird alien threats to Bellwood." Cash retorted.

At this, several of Ben's allies tried to speak up in his defense. Tensions began to rise quickly as the other soldiers raised their weapons. But Ben's voice cut through the air like a knife, settling the quarrel. "No, he's right." He admitted silencing both sides. "Eon is my mistake, but I'm here to fix it, no matter what. That's a promise." Ben said seriously, staring straight at Cash who withered under the intense glare.

But at that moment they heard a gruff voice echo out in the silence. "All right maggots what's the situation?!" All of the heads turned to see who could command such an impressive voice, only to be surprised to see a short green insectoid alien wearing a red plumber suit. Ben and crew were particularly surprised to see a scar running across his left eye, as well as a grim and serious scowl in place of his normally meek expression. Hobble walked up to Cash and JT who saluted in deference. Hobble took in the scene before him with shock and confusion before his eyes landed on Ben.

"Are you boys nuts?!" He turned to Cash and JT. "This isn't a 'major perimeter breach'! That's Ben 10! These people are our allies!" Hobble said authoritatively.

"But sir, what if they're another sleeper cell?" Cash tried to counter.

"Use your brain! Eon wouldn't send a sleeper cell this big!" Hobble said. "Now come on, we need to bring these people inside, they look like they've got wounded. All right maggots! Help these people to move in and cover their tracks, watch our six!" Hobble began barking orders and the several soldiers heeded his command. Ben and Rook exchanged glances, this was not the old Hobble they were familiar with.

Soon the group of escapees were being escorted further into Undertown. Ben had wanted to talk to Hobble, but he appeared to be giving a sit-rep to Magister Patelliday. He didn't think he would get answers from Cash or JT either. So for now, Ben simply followed Hobble and his team deeper through the abandoned streets of Undertown. Only as they travelled deeper in, Ben noticed several changes. Fortifications were laid out in the street, barricades and barbed wire. He also noticed more of the militia members at defensive positions. Ben briefly wondered what they could be defending but the answer soon became clear as it loomed in front of them.

They were being led to an enormous gate. It was large and cobbled together between wood, stone, and sheet metal, with two large doors sealing the entrance. Barbed wire lined the top of the fence, behind which a cat walk stood for look outs. It separated the deeper parts of Undertown from where they came from. Ben noticed some familiar plumbers milling about alongside the militia, although he could not recall their names. It was such a strange sight to see in what used to be the market district of Undertown. Ben wasn't sure whether to be impressed or saddened by the sight.

"Hobble, what exactly is this place?" Ben finally asked as they neared the massive gate.

Hobble smirked as he sent a signal up to the operators on the top. Slowly, the enormous gate began to open inwards. Hobble turned back to look at Ben as the doors swung open.

"Welcome to the Resistance."

A/N: Sup everyone. Been a minute since the last update. I hope you're all still enjoying the story. I can say confidently there's just one more chapter until the final arc. As to how many chapters will be in said arc I haven't fully decided. Probably at least five or seven depending on how long I want to make it. Which also brings me to the point that I'm considering making each chapter individually longer. The next chapter was originally supposed to be part of this one but I would have had to pack a lot into it so I've decided to split it. Also I'm thinking I might resume my previous upload schedule of every 2 weeks. And lastly I have come up with an ending that I think is going to be epic enough to be deserving of the Ben 10 canon. I can't wait to get to that point. Until next time!