Ben widened his eyes open.
Sleeping was a difficult task for Ben, or at least it was tonight. He thought of grabbing his phone, but… didn't feel like it. He hadn't opened his social media in a while, and the last thing he needed was a picture of Kai to appear on his Instagram feed. Regardless, he didn't want to wake the sleeping witch on the bed right next to him.
He sighed. Would there at least be some chili fries left? Unlikely. He liked them too much to leave any for later. This hotel was fancy enough to have a fan on the ceiling, which was nice. Otherwise, he would undoubtedly be suffering from the summer heat. An AC wouldn't be bad either.
"Can't sleep?" A voice asked, startling Ben. His hand, trigger-happy as always, already lunged towards the Omnitrix before he noticed the pair of purple eyes staring at him in the dark. He relaxed a little bit, just as much as he could while sleeping right next to Charmcaster.
"No." He answered, turning on the bed in her direction. Ben noticed she had barely changed her outfit. Only her… witch coat? He wasn't sure what type of clothing that was. Regardless, only that was lacking from her usual attire.
"I hope that I don't have too much part in that," Charmcaster smirked.
Ben couldn't help but smile as well. "Maybe just a little bit. I'm still afraid you might stab me."
"That'd make a huge mess. There are so many other subtle ways." Her eyes glittered, not to Ben's amusement, whose smile faded.
"I'd rather not know." Ben sat on the bed, staring at the turned-off television on the wall.
"But the watch would save you, right?" She inquired. Ben could swear her eyes were glowing.
Ben once more turned to face her. Her eyes were, in fact, not glowing. At least not now. "Curious to learn secrets?"
"I'm not interested in it," Charmcaster said, but Ben wasn't inclined to believe her.
"I remember very clearly when you attempted to switch bodies with me to get the Omnitrix." He reminded her, thinking explicitly of the experience of swapping bodies with Gwen. Something he never wanted to repeat, ever.
Even in the darkness of the room, he could notice she was embarrassed. "I… okay, that was a stupid plan. But it was worth a shot."
"You do realize I would have all your powers, right?"
Charmcaster chuckled. "Like you could use them. I would have defeated you without a fuss."
"So you admit you could only defeat me while having my body?" Ben teased, happy to notice the glare from the witch.
"It would have been me, with the Omnitrix, against you, without a clue on how to do magic," Charmcaster argued.
"Using the Omnitrix isn't as easy as slapping it and turning into an alien." He said. "Especially the prototype. You might have wanted to turn into Four-Arms, but you could have just turned into Grey Matter or Stinkfly. Then what?"
"I would have thought of something." Charmcaster stubbornly stated.
"Whatever you say." Ben sighed, though he noticed the witch was smiling. At least she wasn't just trying to get on his nerves. "But if you tried to-" He interrupted himself as his cell phone started to vibrate inside his jacket.
"Do you want me to leave you alone?" The white-haired witch inquired.
Ben grabbed his phone to see the call was from an unknown number. Just spam? No, not in the middle of the night. He shook his head. "Nah, it's okay. It's... whatever." He picked up the call. "Hello?"
"Ben." That was his grandpa. What was he calling for at two in the morning? "Did I wake you?"
"No, Grandpa." He answered. "I was already awake."
"I thought as much," Max said, worry in his voice. "I'd rather let you deal with your current assignment, but... there's an issue."
Ben wanted to sigh. "What is it?"
"We've been monitoring several individuals and vehicles coming in and out of Bellwood for the last weeks. And... the things we've seen... we're not too sure of what it means, Ben. It resembles the Highbreed invasion if anything. Disguised workers, fake trucks. All that."
"It can't be the Highbreed." Ben's tiredness already vanished, replaced by concern and his commitment to duty. "Reiny is still their leader." He said, remembering the current Highbreed Supreme who Ben had created a bond with when they were stranded in that desert planet.
"We know," Max stated. "But what we don't know is what exactly we're dealing with."
"You need me to investigate?" He asked. "Why not send the team to do that?" Even through his best efforts, just a tiny amount of bitterness remained in his words.
"Look, Ben. I am sorry I didn't tell you. But there wasn't really any time. And regardless, they're busy with the work you usually do in front of the cameras. I know you may find all this revolting, but you could never be replaced. That's why I'm asking you to do this. I would not trust anyone else for such a secretive and important mission."
While Ben still felt a bit of anger and resentment towards his grandpa, he couldn't stay mad for long. Talking with him was always therapy. In one way or another. "Alright. What do you need me to do?"
"I'm sending you coordinates to a location in Undertown. A shipment of something will arrive by sunrise. See what it is, and who is involved. Then report back. After that, we will take it over, and if you're needed again, we will contact you."
Ben pursed his lips, evaluating the information. "Alright. Count me in."
"Great. And... how's the other you?" Max questioned. Ben looked at the wall that separated the rooms in which he and Charmcaster were sleeping and the one where Bad Ben was.
"Nothing crazy. He is a bit of a jerk most of the time. But he hasn't sabotaged me yet."
"You will get to know him more soon, I hope. See what you can do for him. And to yourself as well."
"I will, Grandpa," Ben reassured his grandfather, who hummed in return.
"I hope so, Ben. I will leave you to rest now. Good night."
"Good night." Ben hung up the call, still staring at the same wall as before. Sunrise. He could do it.
"Are you going?" Charmcaster asked, looking at him, now also sat in bed. Ben frowned.
"How much did you hear?"
The witch shrugged. "Everything. It's pretty quiet, you know. Didn't even need to put it on the speaker."
"I suppose it is my fault that I let you listen to Plumber untel, isn't it?" He ran a hand through his hair.
Charmcaster smirked. "I'm practically part of your club now, aren't I? I mean, surely that cousin of yours is at least an associate."
"Not really," Ben said, remembering how much of a brat Sunny had been the last time he had seen her. "She is a problem child if I ever seen one. But I suppose it wouldn't hurt to use your help." He looked up, meeting Charmcaster's eyes. He couldn't quite read her expression, but the usual amusement was still prevalent.
"Whatever you need, hero."
For an underground city that technically didn't have distinction on day and night, the emptiness in the streets truly caused Ben to shiver as he drove through Undertown in Mark 10, his old car, which had only recently returned from repairs. While he appreciated the birthday gift from Kevin, he wasn't using it for a while, not when Rook was always driving the Proto-TRUK around, and before that, when the group constantly used Kevin's car and Rust Bucket 3 to get around. All in all, Ben didn't regret gifting it to his mom, but he was grateful to have it now. He liked the new all-black paint, with the wheels also not having the Plumbers symbol anymore. Stealthy enough for this mission.
It was also great that Undertown had some reforms and expansions lately. So driving through the city wasn't as a bother when compared to some years ago. You couldn't drive two feet without bumping into a wall.
"How close are we?" Charmcaster questioned, already wearing her Sunny disguise. It felt so weird to see the face of his cousin, especially because it could barely be described as Sunny's face. No, it was mostly Gwen. Of course, someone who knew Gwen could tell the difference, but Ben hoped there wasn't much risk of her being recognized.
"Very." To Ben's annoyance, his counterpart had not worn the mask yet. His face was at full display, and he could only be thankful that it was early enough for there not to be anyone to glance at the car, otherwise, things could get… confusing. At best. "If the location is correct."
"Why wouldn't it be?" Ben argued, feeling the glare on the back of his head.
"Fake Intel is easy enough to share. And I am at least skeptical of the Plumbers' reliability."
"It's gonna be fine." He reassured the group, more to himself than anything. Because he felt tense, maybe it was the lack of trustworthy companions. With either Kai or Rook to help him, he never felt in true danger. But he didn't know how well he would fare with these two psychos.
"We're here." He stopped the car right next to the small pier that bordered the Undertown's river. The place was deserted, and very silent. It was unnerving, a feeling akin to a ghost town. "Put on the mask."
While he felt the glare growing into a death look, his counterpart acquiesced, placing the mask over his face and morphing into Jonathan. Ben took a deep breath and got out of the car, pressing one of the buttons present in the keys when the group followed him. The Mark 10 disappeared, turning completely invisible. It was not intangible, but that was good enough.
"Don't you have a transformation that can also cover us?" Charmcaster asked.
"I thought you would have a spell for that." He answered, noticing that in the distance, he could hear the sound of a vehicle, approaching their position.
"No time for that." Bad Ben hissed. "Get in there." He pointed to a small building that looked more like an abandoned house than anything. The place was dirty, warm and humid. Ben could hear the squeakings inside, and small forms roaming around the floor. But, at least, there was an easily accessible window, from which they could watch as a red truck parked not far from where the Mark 10 was.
"Do you guys see anything?" Ben asked, just as a middle-aged-looking man exited the truck's cabin. He stopped near the pier, looking in the opposite direction from where they were.
"No…" Charmcaster said. "Wait… there's someone else coming."
And she was right. A van was slowly approaching, with only the sight of it being the indicator of its presence, with the engine being incredibly quiet. It parked right beside the truck, with another man, this time a bearded and younger-looking one, walking towards the middle-aged truck driver.
"Do you have it?" The older man inquired, earning a chuckle from the younger.
"Yeah, I wouldn't have come here empty-handed." He opened the van's back doors, picked up a box, and opened it for the truck driver to see. Unfortunately, from where they were, there was no chance for Ben to discover what was in the box.
"Good. Your payment will be deposited soon." The truck driver stayed blatantly, already walking towards his vehicle. The van driver scoffed.
"Nice making business with you too, asshole." He said something under his breath while smiling. But his smile didn't make Ben think it was something nice, at all.
"They're going," Ben said, as the van backed up and turned, speeding off into the distance. "I'm gonna follow it."
"What?" Charmcaster asked.
"I'll follow the van. You guys can follow the truck. See where it goes." He scrambled his pockets for his keys, giving them to Bad Ben. "I trust you can drive?"
"Since my thirteenth birthday."
For the first time, he smiled genuinely at his counterpart. "You might do, after all." With that, he span the dial of the Omnitrix, until he found the icon of Big Chill. One press of the button later, and he transformed into the blue necrofriggian.
"See you soon." He said in his icy voice and turned intangible, flying off through the roof. Ben briefly looked down, thankful to see that the older driver hadn't noticed him. Scanning the area around, it wasn't long until he noticed movement in the distance, finding it to be the van.
The problem was that Undertown had decided to wake up already. Vehicles drove around, pedestrians roamed across the street, and food stands were open. He cursed. There was no way he could stop the van down here. But… would the van remain in Undertown? The driver was a human, so maybe not? He didn't have a choice other than to continue to follow the van from above.
"Ben?" That was Sunny's voice in his ear. Of course, the car was connected to the Plumbers' frequency. "Can you hear me?"
"Yes." He answered, still hunting the van like a predator would to its prey. "How's the chase?"
"We're onto it." His own voice answered, which was unnerving. "It's headed towards the southern exit."
"Good. Keep on their tail." He answered, now noticing the van was approaching the Undertown's vehicle elevator, which multiple cars, usually carrying cargo and such, would use all the time. He smiled and waited patiently until the van reached the surface. When that happened, it once more sped up, heading towards south central Bellwood. Ben needed just one opportune moment… and it presented itself when the van made a turn into a not-fully empty but quiet street.
Ben took into action, diving towards the ground fast. With a powerful blow, the road beneath the car was frozen, making the driver lose control of the van. Before it could turn over, Ben erected a wall of ice in front of the van, and while the crash wouldn't leave the vehicle unharmed, it would barely leave a mark on the still-conscious driver, who tried to scramble his way out of the van. Too slow, however, as Ben grabbed his hand and pressed him against the van.
"What the hell?!" The man exclaimed in panic. Ben flinched to see the driver had a few bloody cuts from the shattered glass, but he doubted the man would know when a Necrofriggian was flinching.
"Greetings," Ben said, making sure his voice was as icy as he could, which wasn't hard to do as Big Chill. "I was hoping you could fill me in your deal."
The man's eyes widened. "I-I... I don't know what you're talking about."
Ben narrowed his eyes. "Is that so?" He approached the driver, making sure his cold presence did its best to scare the man into confessing. "So would I be crazy to say that I saw you dealing with an old man just half an hour ago in Undertown?"
Any pretenses or excuses that the man might have thought off seemed to vanish as his look of panic turned into defeat. "Look, I really can't tell you much."
Ben crossed his arms, retracting his wings. "Really?"
The man nodded eagerly. "I'm in big trouble if I slip anything. Nothing you can do will reassure me that they won't go after me."
"Nothing you do can stop me from delivering you to jail. Break-outs from the Plumbers' prison are next to none if I need to remind you."
The man arched an eyebrow. "So?"
Ben smiled, and he was sure the hairs on the driver's arms went up. "You will be protected enough there. No one will reach you. And I doubt whoever you work for will go after you later. Or I could just drop you at the Bellwood Police Department. And let them come for you."
"No!" The driver exclaimed. "Alright, alright. I'll tell you.'
Unfolding his arms, Ben retreated a bit amidst the broken van. "I'm waiting."
The man sighed. "I'm not fully aware of who we're dealing with. I swear."
"What are you dealing with, exactly? Tech?"
"Sort of." Ben waited for the guy to tell more. "More like parts. Some are more raw than others. I just know that we don't even have names. Just that they are cryptic. Very much so."
"And who's we?" He inquired, noticing the driver starting to sweat.
"I'm not a higher-up or anything, I swear to God!" The man said. "I... I work through middlemen. I just know of one name. The Sword. That's all I know, please, you gotta believe in me!"
And Ben sensed no lie. Of course, he could be certain by doing something like turning into Whampire or Ghostfreak and hijacking his mind. But that seemed too far. He could see there wasn't anything else the man could give to him.
"I do." With that, Ben transformed back to human, reaching for the Omnitrix, and sending a quick message to Plumbers HQ, to pick this guy up. "You're gonna be picked up very soon." Before Ben left the remains of the van, he looked back. "Oh, and I wouldn't run if I were you."
Even amidst the pain, the man managed to chuckle. "I can't even move, Ben 10. You did your job too well."
"I'll make it up for you later." Ben joked, and left the van, noticing a small crowd was already present, but no traffic. At least drivers were kind enough to stay away from the streets.
"Ben?" Now it was Charmcaster's voice, not Sunny's, that echoed from the Omnitrix. "We lost it."
"What do you mean lost it?" Ben responded.
"The truck vanished." Bad Ben said. "Not even magic seemed to locate it."
A frown appeared on Ben's forehead. "Okay... we'll... meet back at the hotel. Then you guys can tell me what happened."
"Fine." Was the short answer that came right after. Ben sighed. This wasn't good.
First, a shadowy organization that traded tech away through middlemen. The Sword. He had a few ideas of what that could mean. His thought process, was, however, interrupted, when a swirl of wind and dust made him cough and his hair to fly around. Looking up with his hand covering his eye, his heart skipped a beat when he noticed the green and purple pod that was landing right on the street. From its opening hatch, walked a frog-looking being wearing black and silver uniform.
"Ben 10." The alien pompously said with a croak. "I am agent Arfar of the Incursean Empire. Empress Attea personally requests your presence."