Love After Love Drabbles: Volume XVII - Part 2

Sneaking through the corridors of the Rooters base had been a little too easy. Granted, it was a massive station on the same scale as the Plumbers base, and currently occupied by only five people, so the chances of bumping into Swift, Phil, Leander, or Servantis were minimal. But to not even have any cybernetic security patrolling the corridors? Sloppy. Or, a trap: one Kevin was eager to spring so long as he got the answers he needed.

Forcing the doors of the turbolift open, Kevin strode out onto the command deck of the Rooters base and looked up to the ops ring where Servantis stood.

“Welcome home, Kevin Levin,” Servantis said.

Kevin grinned darkly and replied, “Kinda figured it was too easy breaking in here. Where are your lap dogs?”

Servantis turned to face Kevin and pointed behind the 'osmosian' as he said, “Where they can keep an eye on you.”

Kevin turned to look at the opposite side of the ops ring to see the other three Rooters standing at the ready.

“I was hoping, “ Servantis said, as he walked down the lower, central area, “that you were going to bring the new recruits with you all 'guns a blazing'.”

“Sorry to disappoint ya,” Kevin replied cheekily.

“I am disappointed,” Servantis admitted. “We are going to need all your help in our our fight against the Coming Storm.”

Kevin frowned as rage coursed through his body. A lifetime of bad choices and even worse repercussions reminding him of where it had all started. Right there, with that man using him against...

“Stop calling him that! His name is Ben Tennyson!” Kevin barked. “And he's my friend.”

Servantis smirked cruelly and said, “Come now, Kevin. Ben Tennyson, Coming Storm, Destroyer of the Universe? What difference does a name really make? This is what you always wanted. His destruction is what you and I created the children for.”

“Yeah? Well Ben's not here, and you and I aren't partners anymore,” Kevin replied, narrowing his eyes. “I'm not leaving here until we settle accounts.”

Anything more from Servantis was halted by Swift's shout of, “INCOMING!”

And just like that, Atomix crashed through one of the windows and landed right next to Kevin before turning back into Ben himself. “Surprise,” Ben said before slapping Kevin's forearm and saying, “How pig-headed and chauvinistic could you be to just run off on your own and leave Alan, your crush since age 11, your possible soul-mate, all by his lonesome with nothing but his fears and insecurities to keep him company? Seriously, for someone trying to turn over a new leave, your not doing it very well.”

Kevin grit his teeth in frustration. “Ben, you bone-head!” he barked. “This wasn't some chauvinistic gesture! This was me trying to protect Alan, and you, and the others! I have this handled!”

Ben frowned in return and said, “Well too bad. Cause I'm bringing the cavalry!”

On cue, within a floating sphere of mana, came Gwen, Rook, Ester, Cooper, Zed, Alan, Manny, Helen, Argit, and two techadon soldiers.

Whipping around to face the group, Kevin barked, “After all I did to keep all of you away from the Rooters, you just bring come here?! Didn't you get Argit's note?!”

“Yeah, we did,” Ester answered before grinning darkly and glaring at her boyfriend. “And trust me when I say Argit's going to get his for his part in all of this.”

“Hey, for all intents and purposes, I was coerced!” Argit said in defense of his actions.

Kevin then looked to Alan and said, “And you...can't you see that I'm trying to protect you?”

Alan smiled grimly and replied, “That's real sweet, but I can protect myself just fine.”

“You see, it's time the protector allowed himself to be protected,” Ben teased. “Alan told me everything. Look at you being so sweet.”

“Ben...,” Kevin growled in warning.

“At any rate, we are providing you with backup,” Rook said. “You ought to be thanking us.”

“Thank you,” Servantis said mockingly, causing everyone to remember where they were and who was here with them. This mistake cost them as the Rooters leader zapped Kevin with psychic energy, causing him to drop his metal exterior, before branching off to Alan, Helen, and Manny.

“Wh-What did you do to us?” Manny asked when it was over.

“It's like a million bells just stopped ringing,” Helen commented.

“I reconnected your psychic link to your team leader,” Servantis explained. “Kevin, you and I need to speak.” Servantis then used his psychic energy to lift both him and a reluctant Kevin up into the air before surrounding them in a sphere of energy to protect them as they talked. “Children, keep them busy.”

"Our pleasure," Alan responded before turning into his pyronite form just as Manny and Helen aimed their blasters at Ben.

Ben and the others turned and stared in alarm. Zed growled darkly in defense of her master and his friends and Ester wrapped an arm around Argit in fear.

"Oh, your bad now?" Ben said in disbelief. "This is just great, I try to rescue my ex-boyfriend...er...lover...partner...whatever..."

Gwen and Rook stared at Ben oddly, as he fumbled trying to think of an appropriate term to label Kevin.

"...and this is what I get? Turn-table shenanigans?" Ben shouted upset.

"Gwen, Argit, Ester, Cooper, and Rook, you're free to go," Helen told the others in a monotone.

"Our battle is with Ben," Manny added darkly.

"Since when?!" Gwen spat out in anger.

"Since forever, I guess," Alan answered, sounding a little confused himself. "Hard to say. I guess my reason would be Ben being the object of Kevin's affections, misguided and redirected as they were."

"Oh come on, Alan! We both know that's a weak and lame excuse! You should be blaming Servantis for that!" Cooper snapped in outrage, his gauntlets forming over his arms, along with a helmet, see-through mask, and shoulder-guards.

"Right," Argit said with both fear and finality in his voice. Pointing to the three former Plumbers Helpers Argit said, "Boys, take 'em down!"

"Argit! We can't kill them!" Ester shrieked.

Argit grumbled and added, "Take 'em down without killing them; just make them unconscious. Go!"

With that command, the two techadon soldiers engaged the three amalgams.

"It would appear that Ester is being a good influence on you," Rook commented, a snarl on his face. "Be grateful for that, else I would've torn you limb from limb had you abandoned my Beloved!" Rook then unleashed a furious roar as his fangs and claws grew before he entered the fray.

Cooper's eyes went wide before he glanced at Ben with an uncomfortable grin. "Sheesh, your farm boy sure can be a bit of a lion, huh?"

Ben returned the grin and replied, "You haven't seen anything yet." Ben then activated the Omnitrix and turned into Feedback before rushing in himself.

"Come on, Cooper!" Gwen called, as she flew after Helen.

Cooper sighed and said to himself, "If you can't beat them, join them." Locking eyes with Manny, Cooper called forth to him parts from around the station to surround him in a suit of tech-armor before targeting the tetramand amalgam and firing all his weapons.

It wasn't long until the battle was joined by Phil in his terror form. Luckily, Gwen had managed to pull everyone together and surround them in a mana shield before Phil could harm any of them. The impact of his attack shattered the shield. And now they were now sitting ducks with Helen running and flying around them.

"Ben," Gwen said to her cousin, "Rook, Cooper, Ester, Argit and I will take care of the Plumbers Helpers. You handle the Rooters themselves," Gwen finished.

"I was hoping you'd say that," Feedback replied.

"And do be careful, my Emerald," Rook panted, as he strained to reign in his feral beast instincts. "This situation is taxing on my state of mind."

"You know it, Blonko," Feedback said, giving a teasing zap to Rook's bum as he did. Rook was startled just enough to come out of his feral rage just enough to give Ben a playful glare.

"Ah. To know me is to love me," Feedback teased as he backed away so that the others had clear lines of sight with the Rooters and the Plumbers Helpers.

Zed barked as she shot toward Helen, but jumped to avoid blasts from Alan who immediately had to dodge blasts from Cooper.

"Hey! LEAVE MY DOG ALONE!" Cooper shouted. Gwen drew up another shield, smaller than the last, to block the return fire from Alan. Once the volley ended, she and Cooper returned fire together at the pyronite amalgam.

Argit and Ester stood back behind their two techadon soldiers, allowing the machines to provide the fire power. Argit continuously fed them orders to adjust their attack either to press an advantage or to keep any of the amalgams from advancing on them.

As the fighting waged around him, Feedback tore open a panel on the floor, enabling him to stick his antennae into the circuits to charge up before firing lightning blasts from his hands at Swift, Leander and Phil.

Manny ran at Rook, firing at the revonnahgander, who quickly blocked the blasts with his Proto-Tool before he knocked the guns out of Manny's hands.

"You'd do anything to nail that tail, wouldn't you Rook?" Manny taunted the revonnahgander. "I don't blame ya, but way I saw it during the trial, he's not a virgin anymore, so you sure you want to go where so many have gone before?"

"HOW DARE YOU!" Rook howled. "Mind control or not, you are gonna pay for that slur against my Heart's Flame's purity!"

Rook threw aside his proto-tool and bared his fangs slaws sprout. What made Rook all the more imposing was how each muscle in his body seemed to bulge and grow ever so slightly under the power of his ferality.

"BRING IT!" Manny shouted in excitement for the brawl.

Rook got in a couple of lucky punches, cracking Manny's armor, but the amalgam brushed them off and managed to kick Rook a few times as well.

"Come on, I get harder hits from my girl's love taps," Manny taunted.

"Then, I guess that makes you a masochist with a fiance who's stronger and more domineering than you!" Rook taunted back, causing Manny let out a yell of anger at the insult to Looma.

The amalgam roared in fury as he lunged at Rook, only to get an uppercut under his chin. As Rook made to jab Manny in the side, the amalgam grabbed his fist. Rook grunted as he tried to punch Manny with his other fist, which was then grabbed, and then he tried to kick at Manny only to find both his legs already in Manny's clutch.

"Give up? Trust me, Ben's not worth it. He's a danger to everyone in the universe," Manny said to Rook. Manny then yelped in pain when Rook angrily spat upon him. But instead of saliva, a milky substance...venom...was ejected from the revonnahgander's mouth. The acidity of the venom caused Manny's helmet to melt and warp, and the amalgam was forced to tear it off his head before it ate away at the skin of his face. As it was, a few drops had managed to his his nose, the corner of his mouth, and his chin.

"I beg to differ," Rook growled, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand before drop-kicking Manny unconscious. "If anything, he's the only good thing keeping this crazy universe in check," Rook rolled his neck causing it to crack.

As the battle waged below, Kevin watched in horror and rage. "Call them off, Servantis!" Kevin shouted, banging on the psychic bubble.

"For what purpose?" Servantis asked angrily. "The creation of the amalgams and their current service to us; it is all because of HIM!" Servantis pointed, practically jabbed, his finger at Feedback, who had Phil in his grip and was draining energy from the Rooter's body.

Kevin reached into his pouch, pulled out a shard of tadenite he had previously acquired from Cooper's car, and formed a tadenite gauntlet around his fist. Lunging at Servantis, Kevin made to punch the man as he cried out, "He's my best friend! And I was his first!"

But the Proctor easily evaded the punch before blasting Kevin with psychic energy, forcing Kevin to his knees and releasing the tadenite from his hand. "A complication; a gratuitous error," Servantis hissed in displeasure. "Your memories were altered to get you closer to the target, but you were not supposed to get that close!"  

"I wouldn't have done that to him if you hadn't fucked with my head!" Kevin snapped. "Nor would I have been with Gwen!"

"You were never supposed to be with either of them! The anodite half-breed was simply the lesser of two evils!" Servantis shouted. "When I realized how disgustingly close you were getting to the target, I altered your memories so that you would feel attracted to his cousin instead."

"Yeah, that worked out well, didn't it?" Kevin snidely responded. "I still wound up using Ben like he was nothing important and doing it behind his cousin's back. I may not have had serious feelings for Ben, with or without your mind tricks. I would've most likely dated him for a while and then broke up kindly. But I never would've treated him so coldly! You never could comprehend matters of the heart, being a wretched genophobic yourself!"

"BE SILENT!" Servantis cried as he zapped Kevin again. "I've always relied on you because of your abilities, but you're proving to be too much of a wild card; this was never supposed to get so messy."

"I can't do anything to him!" Kevin defiantly responded. "After what I did to him, did you really think I was gonna hurt him? You're the idiot who thought a mental suggestion was enough, it's not my fault my mind misinterpreted it."

"There was no misinterpretation," Servantis growled. "And this child is far too dangerous to let live."

"He's saved the universe a dozen times!" Kevin retorted.

"And he destroyed it! Even abusing his powers to de-age himself so he'd be 'clean' and 'pure' for his revonnahgander lover," Servantis said in a tone dripping with contempt.

"Something he'd never have to do if you hadn't meddled in our lives," Kevin growled. "He's in therapy because of me, and you too!"

"Precisely why he's a threat! And why you should've accomplished your mission and neutralized him in the first place all those years! But even then, you were defiant, and attracted to Alan."

Kevin's eyes widened in alarm.

"Yes, I know all about you two," Servantis said with an evil grin, before dropping into a frown. "It was precisely for that reason that I chose you to befriend Ben Tennyson. It was all too clear how close the two of you were, and what your feelings for each other would eventually evolve to. I could not affect your emotions, but I could affect your memories. But even that wasn't enough. With the arrival of the DNAliens I found the perfect excuse to separate you two for a prolonged period. And with all that passion now directed at Ben Tennyson, thanks to my modifications to your memory, the chances of you and Alan ever forming any sort of relationship aside from team-mates was minimal."

"You bastard!" Kevin screamed, making to lunge at Servantis but was forced to his knees again by the Proctor's psychic blast. “You made me fall in love with Ben because you wouldn't allow me to fall in love with Alan, and then you made me fall in love with Gwen because I wasn't supposed to fall in love with Ben,” Kevin said in a defeated tone. “And I hurt all three as a result.” Looking up at Servantis with absolute rage Kevin hissed, “I hurt them because of you. So if you think you can just turn me into one of you, you've got another think coming.”

"Turn you?" Servantis' smile gave Kevin the chills. "Why, Kevin, you already ARE one of us."

"What? ...Why?" Kevin turned to look at the battle below with a morose frown. "After everything you've done... Besides, he's no 'Coming Storm', he's just a kid!" Kevin watched as Ben managed to blast Swift and Leander out of the sky while Cooper knocked out Alan, who stood over Gwen with fireballs ready. Rook sucker-punched Phil unconscious, causing Phil to revert to his human form.

"Precisely!" Servantis hissed. "A device with extraordinary powers as the Omnitrix was never meant to be wielded by an unpredictable and immature child!"

Servantis rant ended just as Ben transformed into Alien-X and levitated the Helpers, along with the Rooters, away from his friends and family and slammed them against the wall. Kevin's face scrunched up in pain seeing Alan getting roughed up like that. Leander tried blasting at Alien-X, but the celestialsapien held up his hand to deflect the blast. The laser split into several beams, forcing Rook, Gwen, Cooper, and Zed duck behind Argit's two techadon soldiers and into the hole in the floor that Argit and Ester had earlier ripped open to avoid getting caught in the cross-fire.

"Babe, look out!" Argit yelped, pushing Ester to the side as Rook, Gwen, Cooper and Zed slammed into him, pinning him to the ground.

The techadons, sensing their boss was in danger, aimed their blasters at them to fire.

"Oi! Don't shoot, they're on top of me! And it's cool, they're cool!" Argit shouted at the robots, causing them to stand down.

"You guys, alright?" Ester asked worried.

"What the heck is Benny doing?! It sounds like a war-zone up there," Argit asked worried.

"Ben has control of Alien-X," Rook said matter of factly. He seemed so calm about it, his fangs and claws gone.

Argit and Ester eyed each other in shock at hearing Ben having control of his most powerful, most dangerous, form.

Topside, Alien-X motioned at the others, causing them to float over and stand in rows on either side in front of the celestialsapian.

"He was NEVER supposed to receive the Omnitrix," Servantis carried on again. "He was NEVER supposed to wield such powers! You KNEW this instinctively."

And with another gesture from Alien-X, the Rooters and Helpers began to attack each other, knocking them all out, until only Alan was left standing.

Kevin watched this with an anguished expression as Servantis kept on ranting into his ear.

"Who was it that drove you mad? Who was it that sent you to the Null Void when your were only a child?"

Alien-X then levitated everyone up again around him and he beckoned to Alan with a finger, causing the pyronite amalgam to be drawn toward him.

"You know what you must do, Agent Levin: save the universe from Ben Tennyson!" Servantis kept piling it on Kevin, who's expression was wracked with emotion. "Be the hero you were always meant to be!"

And when Kevin saw that Alien-X was pulling back his arm to punch Alan, it seemed to be the proverbial feather that broke the camel's back. He was allowed to drop out of the bubble and land in between Alan and Alien-X.

"STOP!" Kevin shouted.

Alien-X lowered his arms, causing the others to fall to the ground just as the Omnitrix deactivated and returned Ben to his natural form.

"Kevin? Sorry, but I wasn't exactly getting through to them," Ben apologized. "And they seemed so damn set on killing me."

"So, you were just gonna whale on them all? Even Alan?!" Keivn snapped. "And you know how I feel about him! So what, taking some kinda of payback, Tennyson?"

"What? NO!" Ben declared in alarm. "I...look, you and I, we had our shot. But we both know we were never meant to be. Now I know that and it doesn't matter any more. So if he likes you, and you like him, go for it! I want you two to be happy. I wasn't trying..." Seeing Servantis, still in his protective bubble, behind Kevin, Ben narrowed his eyes. “Don't you see what he's doing? Proctor Servantis messed with their heads and now he's messed with yours!” Activating the Omnitrix once more, Ben transformed into Kickin Hawk. “Now let me at 'em,” the avian alien said as he made to move past Kevin.

“No,” Kevin said as he stood his ground and pushed Kickin Hawk back.

“Dude, don't you see what Servantis is doing? He wants to pit us against each other! You've got to snap out of whatever voodoo he's put you under,” Kickin Hawk said, getting both frustrated and fearful.

“I was never put under any voodoo,” Kevin replied bitterly. “I've always been nothing but me. I tried to deny it for so long, but it's right there for all to see: you're the Coming Storm!” And with that, Kevin quickly absorbed the metal of the deck plating beneath him before morphing his left hand into a sword blade and slashing at Kickin Hawk's legs.

Kickin Hawk quickly jumped and followed with a side kick before having to dodge a hammer head.

“None of this would've happened if you hadn't found the Omnitrix!” Kevin growled in righteous fury, stunning Kickin Hawk with his words. Trying to take advantage of Kickin Hawk's reaction, Kevin tried to rush at him, but the avian managed to catch him and slam his knee right into Kevin's stomach before dropping him.

“You don't know that!” Kickin Hawk cried.

“I would've never been sent to the Null Void!” Kevin continued, slamming his hammer head fist against the side of Kickin Hawk's head, throwing him back. “Alan, Helen, and Manny would still be regular human kids!” Again he rushed Kickin Hawk, this time successfully landing a blow against him before running at him again. “And Pierce might still be alive!” Slamming the hammer down hard on Kickin Hawk, he nearly sent the avian alien straight through the deck.

“Kevin, please! We were friends once! We can still be friends!” Kickin Hawk pleaded.

Kevin sneered and replied, “My best friend would have listened to Argit and stayed home!” Kevin then picked Kickin Hawk up and held him over his body. “You're not my friend!” he screamed before tossing Kickin Hawk right back to the deck plating he'd cracked, causing him to fall right through.

“BEN!” Rook screamed as he ran over to his fiance's side, Gwen, Cooper, Zed, Ester, and Argit right behind him.

“Is he alive?” Ester asked.

“Plug...the hole,” Kickin Hawk grunted as he looked up.

Gwen looked up and gasped, seeing Kevin about to jump down and attack again. Instinct kicking in, she quickly formed a mana barrier, thus plugging the hole in the deck plating and preventing Kevin from following them.

“Boys! Grab him and let's run!” Argit cried, pointing to Kickin Hawk. His two techadon soldiers quickly complied, and the team made their escape.

--BRoken--

Ben had long forgotten how long they'd been running, but apparently they'd covered a hell of a lot of ground as the Rooter base was no longer in sight. After the Omnitrix had timed out, Gwen had been forced to mend a fractured rib that had carried over on the fly. Normally the Omnitrix would have healed injuries sustained while in another form, but having used Alien-X had drained too much of it's energy and it was unable to do so. Once healed, Ben had insisted on running on his own, but Rook had insisted otherwise.

“Alright, I think we're in the clear. Halt!” Argit called, like a General ordering his troops to stop marching.

And like that, everyone dropped to their knees. All their adrenaline was spent and they could no longer keep upright. Even Rook, with both his Revonnah Kai training and Plumber training was hard-pressed to remain upright for much longer.

“Okay...so let me get...this straight,” Cooper said between gasps of air. “Kevin was...supposed to...destroy you?!”

“Yeah, that's what he said,” Ben replied, at long last being allowed to get down from the techadon soldier. As Ben walked away, the two techadon soldiers collapsed back into cubes which Ester gathered.

“Where does he stand now?” Gwen asked grimly.

Ben frowned and looked behind him, “Back where I left him after we first met. Six years later and he's back where he started.”

At this, everyone dropped their heads in sorrow. All except for Argit. “Well, shit! Kevin's back to being a Ben-hating punk, the Rooters have all the weapons and vehicles, and that Helen girl is the fastest kineceleran I've ever seen! We seriously need a plan!”

“Correct me if I am wrong,” Rook said, “but is not Kevin supposed to have been reformed and loyal to the Plumbers and, to some extent, Ben?”

“That's what troubles me,” Gwen replied. “This isn't the Kevin I know!”

“No, but it's the Kevin I know,” Ben said bitterly. “This is the Kevin I knew from the first day I met him till shortly after he joined us to stop the DNAliens.”

“Hey, look on the brightside,” Argit said, causing all eyes to turn to him, albeit narrowed.

“What brightside?” Cooper asked.

“...They never turned me to the dark-uh, whatever?” Argit answered meekly.

“Small favors,” Ester replied with a grin.

Any further words were interrupted by Zed growling at something ahead of them. The group turned to see a pack of evil Wilmutts heading there way. They readied themselves but faltered when the Wildmutts stopped dead in their tracks and ran the other way.

“What got into them?” Cooper asked.

“Beats me,” Ester answered before turning around and gaping at an evil Way Big...a Way Bad!

“Give me some room, everybody!” Ben commanded as he activated the Omnitrix. “Way Big's gonna knock this...eh...” Ben faltered as he realized that instead of growing larger he'd grown smaller. He had turned into Ball-Weevil. Before the Way Bad could take a bite out of him ,though, Ball-Weevil spat out a glob and rolled it as fast as he could to get away.

Thinking on her feet, Gwen created a mana sphere around herself and the others and followed after Ball-Weevil in the hopes of escaping the Way Bad.

“Argit! Discharge all your quills at the Way Bad at once!” Rook commanded.

“Hey, it's not like I can just close my eyes and make it happen,” Argit snapped defensively. “It's an instinct caused by fear, and as insane as it may sound, I ain't scared enough!”

Rook turned back to keep an eye on Ben and watched in slow motion as the Way Bad came down on Ben's location. “BEN!” he cried.

The shockwave of the Way Bad's landing disrupted Gwen's concentration, causing the mana sphere to falter and send everyone sprawling onto the ground. Rook quickly picked himself up and looked up at the Way Bad as it lifted up it's foot to observe the squashed goo-ball stuck to it just before it exploded. Rook fell to his knees in horror, feeling as though his world had just been destroyed. Somewhere in the back of his mind he registered Zed barking at something, but couldn't bring himself to care. Ben was dead.

A sudden outcry of “BEN!” had Rook pulling himself out and turning to his left to see Ball-Weevil starring up at him in concern. Rook's eyes went wide before he snatched Ball-Weevil up off his new goo-ball and cradled him in his arms. “Bralla-Da! I thought you were dead! Don't you ever do that to me again!”

“Sorry. Had to cut it close,” Ball-Weevil replied just before the Omnitrix timed-out, causing Rook to hold an armful of human teenager.

Rook placed a gentle hand on the back of Ben's head and pulled him into a kiss, desperately needing the comfort to assuage his fears.

Once the two pulled away and everyone was quickly checked out, Argit lead them the rest of the way to a hidden hide-out he'd kept secret from the Rooters...even Kevin. The first rule of survival in the Null Void, Argit had told them, was to trust nobody...especially friends. As he dished out some 5-year-old provisions, Ben asked him what he knew about Servantis' plans and why Ben had been labeled the “Coming Storm”.

"So, as you know, the Rooters scrounged up a few different species as DNA samples," Argit explained. “I was by far the cutest."

"Stick to the story, Snuggle-Nose," Ester scolded, the use of her pet name for Argit making him blush and the others chuckle.

"Anyway..."

…

Argit sat in his cage with a forlon expression, which immediately perked up when a small rat-like creature was tossed in.

“Extra rations, hedgehog,” Kevin said.

“Thanks, man,” Argit replied as he pounced on the treat.

"I'm shipping out back to Earth. And between you and me, this guy deserves what's coming," Kevin growled as he tossed a dirty, wrinkly, and slightly torn picture in to Argit's cage before walking off.

"Okay, man. Well, hurry back."

…

"Kevin thought I had it coming? Just cause he absorbed the Omnitrix and went crazy?" Ben asked, stunned.

"You gotta realize, Kevin was disappointed by a lot of people in his life," Argit said sadly. "When you left him on the streets, not wanting to help him take out that train, and then getting him thrown into the Null Void, it was like he was being abandoned all over again. Rejected, just like his parents did."

"I...did not think about it like that," Rook said with a fretful expression, stroking his chin in thought. "I cannot imagine my parents not wanting me, to the point I would be forced to leave home. It is unthinkable."

"Yeah, and I was basically the one person he opened up to," Ben said, thinking back to that day. "I never meant to turn from him, but that didn't excuse him

from trying to crash that train!" Ben vehemently declared.

"Not saying it does, but it does explain it. And what happened next." Argit continued. "You see all those other missions they'd gone on were training for this one mission. Benny..." Argit faltered, unsure of how to say it.

"I get it," Ben said bitterly. "They were coming after me, why else would Kevin be so eager to 'give me what I deserved'?"

"But why would Proctor Servantis think Ben was such a threat?" Ester asked in indignation. "He's a good guy, he's helped people out."

"True. But Ben wasn't the most...gracious...hero back then," Gwen said as she glanced at Ben, who blushed in slight embarrassment.

"Yeah, and the Omnitrix was a lot of power for a scuzzy little brat to have-" Argit stopped and squeaked when Rook glared and growled at him. "Eh-heh," Argit nervously held up his hands in surrender, "no offense, Ben...Rook."

"Down, Blonko," Ben scolded Rook before turning to Argit. "And I wasn't scuzzy."

"Hey, my story," Argit said. "And to us aliens, you human kids ARE a little scuzzy." When Rook growled again, Argit whipped his head around and, in an incensed tone, said, "Easy man, I'm not insulting him! Plus, we're all entitled to our own opinions!" Argit then looked back to Ben. "Scuzzy or not, they were after you, and I saw the whole thing," Argit continued. He explained how he had snuck onto the Rooters truck and hid inside a storage trunk, listening to Servantis go on about how dangerous Ben was, especially given how he could turn into a celestial-sapien and wish everything out of existence.

"And given how you used your Celestialsapian powers to 'un-pop' your cherry," Gwen started, unsure of how Ben would react.

"Yeah, yeah..." Ben sighed in a defeated manner. "I guess that was an irresponsible use of my power. But just the once!"

"Still, to a psychopathic control-freak like Servantis, that's all the excuse he would need," Cooper added.

"And yet, Kevin listened to him?" Rook asked dubiously.

"Kevin was the key to the whole operation; the Rooters secret weapon," Argit explained. "And Servantis knew exactly what to say to get Kevin to see his point of view. So Servantis laid it on thick, telling Kevin that he was the hero and that Ben was the villain. And poor Kevin just ate it up."

"It makes sense," Ben said, saddened. "Kevin once told me how his parents had called him a 'freak' and a 'monster'. So, to be accepted by Servantis...it must have made the Proctor some sort of a father figure in his eyes.”

Argit nodded in agreement. “So...”

…

The amalgams and Kevin drove their truck through the portal, taking them from the Null Void to Earth. As soon as they arrived they began to unpack. As he did, Kevin noticed the lid of one of the trunks open slightly and shut. His eyes narrowed in suspicion before walking over to it and snatching the lid open. Inside was Argit.

"Hey, Man..." Argit squeaked nervously, upon seeing Kevin.

Kevin had half a mind to return Argit to Servantis but thought better of it. Argit had served his purpose and was no longer needed. Besides, Kevin reasoned, if they were successful tonight, they would all be going home. So, with a sigh, Kevin said, "If you're running, you better start," in a warning tone to Argit.

Argit was surprised but very pleased to be given permission to leave.

…

"My Kevin Levin experience, Benny-Boy, was much different from yours. I could trust him, and he was there for me," Argit said.

"A shame that Servantis made Ben and Gwen experience the worst of him," Etster commented.

…

Alan looked up to see Argit sneaking away and so moved to apprehend him but was halted by Kevin putting his hand on his shoulder. He looked up at Kevin questioningly, but a soft smile made him hold back. The others did the same, seeing that their leader was making no moves to apprehend Argit.

Soon after the possum alien dove into the bushes, Kevin turned to see the Rustbucket heading straight for them. Kevin stood his ground in the middle of the road with the most menacing look he could give, forcing the RV to come to a stop. And who should happen to be the first to hop out to face Kevin but the Coming Storm himself: Ben Tennyson.

"Kevin 11," Ben said with a sneer. "I barely recognize you since you stopped copy-catting me!"

"Get over it, you little snot-rag," Kevin replied with a devious smile. He then pulled out his blaster and started firing at Ben, who ducked behind a tree for cover.

Gwen jumped out of the RV, followed by Grandpa Max, to back up her cousin, but both were forced to duck when Pierce started to shoot his quills at them. Max returned fire with his own blaster, hitting Pierce square in the chest.

Once Pierce was knocked out, Max fired on the others, but an angry Helen quickly swiped Max's blaster. Gwen formed a mana bar to trip Helen in retaliation.

…

"I had no idea those were the Plumbers Helpers," Gwen said in surprise.

"Yeah, bit of a different dress-code back then," Argit replied bitterly.

…

Alan burst into his pyronite form and charged at Gwen and Max with Manny at his side.

Meanwhile, Ben had turned into Eye Guy, faking having been blinded before blasting Kevin dead center. Eye Guy, then leaped onto the boy to pin him down.

"Since when do you use a blaster?" Eye Guy asked interrogatively.

"It's not a good idea for me to get too close," Kevin grunted in reply before grabbing onto the Omnitrix symbol on Eye Guy's belt.

There was a burst of light followed by Ben's human body being thrown back against a tree. When the smoke finally cleared, though, everyone looked on in horror at what had become of Kevin.

“Good going, Tennyson,” Kevin snarked before examining himself properly and grinning maniacly. “This batch is even better than the last one!”

“And here comes the crazy,” Ben sighed, readying himself to go back into battle.

“CRAZY?!” Kevin screeched before firing the Eye-Guy lasers attached to his forearms in a 360 degree arc. Manny and Helen managed to duck in time, but Alan wasn't so lucky. Kevin didn't seem to notice, though. The corrupted combination of DNA had indeed brought back Kevin's insanity; he only had eyes for Ben. “I got friends in high places now, brat! I'm there hero, and you're the problem!” Kevin declared before cackling with wild abandon.

…

Argit paused as his mouth formed a grimace. “I had never seen him freak like that: before...or since.”

“And he didn't even notice that he had hit Alan,” Ester noted.

“To be honest? I don't think he even cared,” Argit replied before laying eyes on the Omnitrix. “There's a reason Kevin shouldn't touch that thing. All that DNA, all that energy, it messes with his head. He stops being the guy I've been best friends with for years.”

…

“And all this time, you let me think I was the problem when it's...YOU!” Kevin screamed.

Before Kevin could make a move Ben activated the Omnitrix again, transforming into XLR8, and dashing away at high speed. He wasn't fast enough, unfortunately, as Kevin was able to use Wildvine's vines to capture XLR8...as well as Gwen, Max, Helen, Manny, Pierce, and Alan.

“ALL OF YOU! YOU'RE THE PROBLEM! ...And I'm the solution. Hehehaha! I wonder if I can get you all with one blast,” Kevin said before pulling out a chunk of earth. “Let's find out!” Before he could consume the chunk and use Upchuck's ability, Gwen through a mana blast at him, which shattered on impact and failed to so much as faze Kevin. “Lame,” Kevin mocked.

“Snap out of it!” Gwen cried. “You need to focus, Kevin!” Gwen tried again to use magic against Kevin, and once more it failed.

“Lame, lame, la- GUH!!!” Kevin's words faltered as a volley of quills his the side of his neck. His giant, mutated body then tipped over and collapsed. Behind him, Argit was crouched and panting heavily. However, the quills had done their job, as the vines receded from Ben, his family, and the Rooters.

Gwen walked over to Kevin, who had reverted back to his human form, and plucked the quills from his neck. “Hey, Creepy? You okay?”

“He-” Kevin started before his eyes went wide and he sat straight up, turning to look over to Alan, who was being helped by Helen. “ALAN!” he cried.

Anything else he might have said or done was halted by the arrival of a canister dispensing a smoke screen. The Rooters packed up into their truck and blasted through a Null Void portal.

…

“The Proctor wasn't too impressed,” Argit said. “He called the whole project a failure. He wiped everyone's memories and set them loose in the Null Void. Me too, even though I was an innocent bystander.”

“So...why didn't Servantis try again with the other Rooters? Or a new Ben hit-squad?” Ben asked.

Rook's eyes narrowed in understanding as he answered, “The threat passed.”

“Huh? Oh, right,” Ben said, as the answer dawned on him as well, “when I stopped wearing the Omnitrix.”

“But Servantis would have heard, recently, about your recreating the universe,” Rook said before adding with a blush, “And of the...alterations...you made to yourself.”

Ben blushed as well, still a bit ashamed at how far he had let his lack of self-worth take him.

“Or he may have somehow sensed it, or measured it,” Gwen said, her analytical brain reviewing all possibilities. Her tone then softened to one of reassurance as she added, “He might not have even known of your alterations.”

“Either way, that would explain why he went looking for Kevin and the others; the perceived threat had returned,” Cooper said. “But here's the question: if Kevin is some kind of sleeper agent, was he ever really...?” Cooper didn't dare finish; everyone in the cave knew what he was asking.

Argit sighed and scratched behind his head in a bashful manner. “Look, just...don't give up on him, okay? We all owe him that much.” Argit then hopped of the rock he'd been sitting on and asked, “Did I give up on any of you guys when the Incurseans invaded?”

“Yes!” everyone cried at once (even Zed gave an affirmative bark), causing Argit to wince.

“Yeaaah, th-that's a totally different situation,” Argit quickly back-tracked sheepishly.

“Hardly,” Ester quipped with a small grin, “but you've made your point, so I'll let you sleep on the bed...for now.”

“Hey, uh, total non sequitur here, but are you two actually, uh, sleeping together now?” Cooper asked.

“Cooper!” Gwen exclaimed, slapping her boyfriend on the arm while Ben giggled and Rook smiled. It was worth it, though, Cooper thought to himself, just to see everyone taking their mind's of the situation...if only for a few seconds.

Returning to business, Rook said, “We have to keep Ben away from the Rooters, but their Null Void projector is the only way out and it is heavily defended.”

Ben turned to Rook and replied, “We'll settle the Kevin thing on the way, so just as soon as it's quiet outside-”

Ben's words were halted by an explosion caused by a new Way Bad tearing the ceiling off of Argit's hide-out.

“Or now,” Ben said, panicked. “Now is good too!”

As the planetoid Argit's hide-out was based in was being tipped over by the new Way Bad, Zed and Cooper found themselves tumbling towards the Way Bad's open maw. Argit would have too had it not been for Ester quickly stretching out and grabbing him. Meanwhile, Rook had managed to grab a hold of Ben. Gwen, however, was forced to act fast; quickly changing into her anodite form, she created a mana slide to catch Zed and Cooper and guide them towards a nearby planetoid. Zed and Cooper had just managed to make it to the planetoid when the Way Bad bit the slide and shattered it.

Gwen didn't have time to feel relief, though, as a second new Way Bad reared it's ugly head. The five quickly jumped off just as the planetoid was shattered. Gwen then created a mana platform and surfed on it through the air, grabbing Ben, Rook, Argit, and Ester along the way before chasing after her boyfriend and his dog.

“Cooper! Zed! JUMP!” Gwen cried once she was parallel with them.

Cooper signaled Zed to go first before jumping after her. Once they were both aboard, Ben activated the Omnitrix and turned into Gutrot.

“Beloved, whatever Gutrot is mixing...” Rook started.

“It's a pheromone that attracts Way Bads,” Gutrot said, turning to look at Rook.

“Attracts?!” Rook exclaimed.

“Yeah, like how the scent of you right after you've been sparring a couple of rounds with Molly attracts me,” Gutrot replied with a wink before turning serious. “I know it sounds wrong, but please: bear with me. Gwen? Floor it!”

Right as Gwen did just that, Gutrot released the to'kustar pheromones, creating a trail leading the two Way Bads right to the Rooters HQ.

When the Way Bads crashed into the Rooters HQ Kevin barely managed to knock Servantis out of the way of the collapsing ceiling. Though Kevin had absorbed the material to save himself from harm, the Proctor had landed on a steel-beam, injuring his side.

"They're trying to reach the Null Void Projector!" Servantis warned him as Helen helped him up on to his feet.

"On it," Kevin replied.

In the main control room, Rook, Cooper and Gwen burst through the doors, followed by Argit, perched on Zed, and Ester, using her long legs to take great strides. They came upon the Null Void Projector, and behind it stood Leander and Swift.

Rook aimed his Proto-Tool at the two but was cut off when the two techadon soldiers were once more spat out by Argit. They punched the two Rooters away from the projector, allowing Rook, Gwen, Cooper, Ester and Zed to immediately attack. Everyone missed Argit sneaking under a grate and into a vent. Everyone that is....except for said rat-boy’s girlfriend.

END VOLUME XVII - PART 2