I'm baaaaack!

Chapter Seven: Perspective Part One

"Kevin, come back!" Gwen shouted as I drove off in the Rust Bucket.

"Damn it! I knew I couldn't trust you!" Ben angrily shouted.

My name is Kevin and as you can see, I'll be your narrator for this chapter. As to why I just stole the Rust Bucket...Well, let me rewind things a bit. Back to just before my reunion with the Tennysons.

It had been two months since I arrived back in Bellwood and a little over a year since I escaped the Null Void. The night started off pretty routine, for me at least.

About an hour before my fateful reunion with the Tennysons I was in my garage when I got a call from a...well I wouldn't exactly call him a friend. He's not the kinda guy you'd want as a friend. But he's a guy who I've been through quite a bit with.

"I'm hearing some whisperings from some pretty deep sources. Something big's about to happen."

"Yeah. Yeah. You always think something big's about to happen, Argit."

"This time is different, man. I'm tellin' ya."

"Sure it is. Like the time you thought the president was replaced by a replicant?"

"I'm still not convinced he isn't, but that's beside the point. Just keep your ear to the ground."

"Whatever you say, man. I gotta go. Got a gig."

Yeah, a gig. It was supposed to be just a normal gig. A deal between the Forever Knights and some other party I now know to be the Brainguts or DNAliens. They were very vague on their details but the pay offered was solid. Of course, as you're aware, the night turned out anything but standard.

When I saw them charging down to confront us. I didn't know what to think. So in the chaos of their battle with the Forever Knights and Brainguts I hid. I knew I'd encounter him eventually. Hell, at times I even thought about seeking him out myself. To do what exactly? I'm not sure. I had years to think about what I'd do when I saw him again. At first, it was pure vengeance. I harbored a hatred for him greater than anyone else. But then things changed. I changed.

As I watched from the shadows as Ben, Gwen, and the man I'd come to know as Labrid fought off the enemy my mind raced. I thought about helping my clients, after all, they were the ones paying me, but I made a promise, a promise to be better. True, I was helping criminals trade in illegal goods, and I'd pull the odd grift on some unsuspecting suckers here and there, only people I knew could afford to lose a bit of petty cash, but I stayed clear of hurting innocent people.

But this was Ben Tennyson, BEN 10. A man whose past has been intertwined with mine even longer than he realizes. A man who's been the sole focus of my hatred for some time. I thought I had shaken it, but seeing him again...Some part of that was still there.

And then...I was face to face with him. Despite my cool demeanor on the outside, I was filled with a storm of conflicting emotions on the inside. Here was the man who had caused my transformation into a monster. Who trapped me in hell for nearly four years, but on the other side of that coin I had ultimately brought that transformation into a monster on myself, maybe it just reflected what I truly was on the inside. And that hellish landscape of the Null Void and a certain someone I met there helped me become the person I am now.

"Kevin." He said with a bitterness I don't blame him one bit for.

"Tennyson." I replied trying but I think mostly failing to hide my own anger.

"Move! You're letting them get away!"

For a moment I thought about standing aside and letting him pass. I really did, but...I let that little bit of anger and resentment still within me get the better of me and, well we know how that fight turned out.

After I came too, the first thing that caught my focus was Gwen. Now that I got a good look at her she was...stunning. And I did not attempt to hide that fact.

"Dang Gwen, when did you get hot?"

In hindsight maybe that wasn't the best thing I could have said. I didn't exactly make her life any easier when we were younger. But I'm kind of glad I did, it did lead to the second thing, Ben's reaction.

"Watch it."

It could have just been him being protective of his cousin, but there felt more to it than that. See I'd like to think I'm pretty good at reading people, and while I could tell he was trying to hide it I could see the tint of jealousy in his expression.

Next, I'll skip to the inside the Forever Knights base. Labrid and I had just split up from Tennyson and Gwen and a little way into the corridor Labrid stopped.

"Something wrong?" I asked.

"Your name. Your last name. It's Levin, correct?"

"Yeah."

"Are you the son of Devin Levin?"

"You...You knew my father?"

"Yes. Much like Max Tennyson, I recruited him into the Plumbers as well."

That's right. I, Kevin Levin, am the son of a Plumber.

"Does Ben know? About your father? About Max?"

"No. And I'd appreciate it if you kept quiet about that."

"No worries. It's your secret to tell. Not mine."

Yeah, my secret to tell. Something I'll get around to...eventually.

"I…"

"Shh…" Labrid interrupted using the wireless communication. "Up ahead."

We entered into a room filled with training equipment, including several dummies made to look like tall grey aliens, one of which was being beaten on by a Forever Knight, a rookie, judging by his lack of full armor and the words he was venting out loud.

"Do this, squire. Fetch this, squire. Polish my helmet, squire. 'You still need your map to get around this place? Ha, 'tis pathetic.' Well, excuse me. This place is a literal freaking castle! I swear when I become a full knight I'm going to ride the new plebs so hard!"

"Feel good to get that off your chest?" I asked as Labrid and I stood behind him.

"Absolutely...I wait a minute! Who…"

Before he could turn around Labrid knocked him out with a chop to the back of his neck.

"What are you doing?" Labrid asked as I knelt down and began searching the knight.

"I heard him mention something about a map." And sure enough, a scroll was tied to his waist. After unrolling it, it seemed like an ordinary map showing the layout of the castle. Although it appeared to be made of ordinary papyrus there seemed to be something mixed into it that allowed it to show our location. "I'll contact Gwen and Tennyson and let 'em know we found a map."

"Wait. I'd like to continue our conversation for a minute first. Your dad was an honorable man, and a proud Plumber. Is this how you choose to honor him? By being a two-bit swindler?"

"Hey, I ain't two-bit. I happen to be good at what I do." Yeah, that was always my justification for not going on the straight and narrow. I was good at what I did. Very good. So why bother trying to be an upstanding member of society? Why bother being a hero?

"We're wasting time. I'm going to contact the others before anyone else…arrives." I finished with a sigh as the sound of several footsteps could be heard approaching. Labrid and I, along with the unconscious knight I had to drag, managed to hide behind some training dummies that were close enough together to provide coverage. We made it just in time as eight fully armored knights entered the room.

"Alright, boys. We're doing an endurance exercise. The last one standing gets the last leg of...lamb in the fridge."

"Something wrong?"

"Must have been the wind."

"Looks like they're going to the other side of the room." Labrid observed. "If we wait for the right moment we might be able to get the drop on…"

The chances of getting the drop on anyone was quickly ruined as the unconscious knight stirred slightly, knocking over a dummy and alerting the other knights to our location.

"Things can't ever go that smoothly can they?" I groaned as Labrid and I prepared to fight.

"Intruders! Get them!"

Luckily the knights were unarmed but eight against two still proved a bit tough. I absorbed the material from a large metal shield that decorated the wall behind while Labrid decided not to use his pistol and instead took out two batons.

"Eight vs two. I can't say I like those odds." Labrid said.

"Aw, that ain't so bad."

"I meant for them."

Shortly after engaging in the fight, we were contacted by the Tennysons.

"Can you guys hear me?" Ben asked.

"Yeah!"

"We encountered some Forever Knights." Gwen continued. "We took care of them but they seemed to be using Laser Lances but they don't quite look like the ones we saw at the train yard."

"On your left!" I mentally shouted to Labrid as a knight nearly decked him. "Sorry, but we're a little busy right now. We encountered some Forever Knights too!"

"Are you guys, alright?" Gwen asked.

"It's nothing we can't handle." Labrid assured them. "Don't worry about those lances. Older models like those are only level three technology. Still illegal but nothing worth prioritizing right now."

"Can you tell us where you are?" Ben asked. "Maybe we can come and help you?"

"No." Labrid replied. "You may get lost. Just sit back and we'll contact you when we're done with these lightweights.

"If you say so." Ben replied before cutting communication.

These guys weren't too tough, but the rookie had managed to recover, grab a mace, and swing it at Labrid, but I was able to step in front of it and block it with my shielded body before knocking him back into unconsciousness with a right hook.

"Thanks."

After a lot of ducking and dodging and fist swinging the last knight dropped.

"Those were some fine moves." Labrid applauded. "With some proper training, you'd make a fine Plumber."

"I'm no Plumber…" I disagreed.

"You say that now. But give it time. You just may surprise yourself."

I tried to push his words out of my head but they stuck in there deep down.

After that, we contacted Ben and Gwen and used the map to make our way to the weapons room. On our way there Labrid and I chatted, mostly about fighting strategy. I didn't know him for very long but he was pretty easy to talk to.

The next much larger group and well-armed group of Forever Knights Labrid and I faced were anything but pushovers. As Ben, and Gwen battled the dragon Labrid and I did our best to fend off the hoard of Forever Knights. A few Forever Knights had managed to corner me and while metal surrounding me might have protected me from one laser lance, three might have been a bit much. Thankfully Labrid managed to disarm them, pulling off an insane trick shot by bouncing three shots from his energy pistol off me and onto their laser lances causing them to drop them.

"Now you owe me one." Labrid said as we took cover behind a nearby pillar.

"No way. If anything we're even."

"Nuh-uh. That was three people. Therefore you owe me one."

"But that only counts as one save."

Our banter suddenly stopped as Labrid noticed that one of the lances the knights picked back up now had a small crack in it.

"Wait! Don't fire that! Its core is exposed if you fire it now…"

But his cries fell on deaf ears as the knight proceeded to fire the lance causing a small explosion that completely atomized him and the other two knights next to him. Save for a few pieces of shrapnel that managed to fly our way, but it seemed none of them managed to hit us.

"Fool!"

After that bit of brutality, we continued to try and keep the Forever Knights at bay, but it was obvious their numbers were too much for just Labrid and myself. After Ben destroyed the dragon I knew he didn't have much time left, but that gave me an idea. Bluff my ass off.

"See what he just did to that dragon? Whataya think he's gonna be able to do to you? I suggest you drop your weapons and leave with all your limbs still attached."

Thank god it worked, because I had nothing else after that.

It was a weird feeling. The feeling of being triumphant. That I'd actually done some good. I wish it had lasted longer at that moment…

'I shouldn't feel that sad about it.' I tried to stupidly tell myself that at that time. It was just one death. I'd dealt death before. Hell, I'd damn near caused several myself. But this felt different. And those words…

"He'd be proud of who you were today."

More words that stuck with me. And as Labrid faded away I made a promise to myself and his memory that I'd see this through to the end. Of course, some bad habits die hard.

"Seriously, man? Not a great start to this partnership." Ben scolded me as I handed Gwen the laser lance I'd hidden.

"I figured it might come in handy for somethin'. I was right wasn't I?"

That was a total lie. I was planning on selling it to a contact on the intergalactic black market. It would have still been taken off Earth, and I would have made a nifty little profit, but using it to further our cause works too.

As we followed Gwen to the enemy's location a thought crept into my head. Ben's earlier reaction to my flirting with Gwen. Was there something more to it? I decided to test it.

"So your cousin seeing anyone?"

"I don't…" Ben replied before falling silent.

And there it was, not jealousy this time, but a look of concern which he tried and failed to hide as he thought about my question.

"Hello, Earth to Tennyson."

"I don't think so. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason." I replied.

Did Tennyson have a crush on Gwen? It was something to think about but I wasn't one hundred percent sure. That was until we reached the enemy's base. When I saw Gwen get smacked against the wall my first instinct was to check on her but I stopped as I noticed how fast Ben even in his lumbering Humungosaur form rushed over to her. The concern in his booming voice was obvious. That's what sealed it.

"Kevin, get over here."

"So, what's the strategy? Cause I wanna bust that thing a new one."

"Get her out of here."

"You sure man?"

I thought about objecting but to be honest I was curious to see how Gwen would react.

"Yes."

"Alright."

"But…" Gwen began to say before I picked her and put her over my shoulder.

And to no one's surprise, she objected.

"But I can still fight!"

"He's too strong. I need to be able to fight him without the risk of you getting hurt. Kevin…"

I nodded and took off with Gwen firmly in my grasp.

"Kevin, put me down!" Gwen demanded as she uselessly pounded on my shoulder.

"Nope, not gonna happen."

After we were several feet away from the ship I put Gwen down.

"Kevin, let me go back!" Gwen shouted as I blocked her path.

"I told you not gonna happen.

"But…"

"The man said he wants to fight alone. I say we let him."

"But I don't know if he can handle that thing on his own. When my energy touched him I could feel his strength it was unreal."

"I think this could be a lesson for him. And if he needs help, we'll wait right here."

"Alright." Gwen reluctantly agreed before closing her eyes.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm keeping track of him using his vibrational pattern. If anything serious happens to him I'll know."

And sure enough, not even five minutes passed before something happened.

"Oh no!" Gwen suddenly exclaimed as her eyes shot open.

"Trouble?"

"Yeah, follow me!"

I followed Gwen to a different side of the ship where she began to look around until spotting something.

"There!"

It took me a few seconds but I was able to find what Gwen was looking at, an open area of the ship. Humungosaur was being held near the Highbreed, looking close to breaking his neck.

"We have to do…" I began to say but, Gwen apparently already had a plan as she put a beam of energy at the ship putting a ring around Humongosaur and pulling him down some feet away from us. "That'll do."

"Ben!" Gwen shouted as she took off in a sprint towards him. "Now it's my turn to ask, are you alright?"

"Yeah...You saved my life, Gwen. Thank you."

"Maybe next time you'll listen to me."

"I know. Wait where's…" He looked up to see the Highbreed had retreated into the ship, and after a few brief moments it started up with Gwen shielding us from the rocket's flames.

"Oh no! We can't let that ship take off!"

"Why? So he goes off to lick his wounds."

"He's planning on killing everyone within five miles."

"Oh, that's bad."

"Very bad."

"So what do we do, Ben?"

"This time I really do have to handle this one myself."

"Go for it."

Humungosaur grew larger as he grabbed onto the ship as it took off leaving us behind.

"We should head to the lift." I suggested.

"I think I have a faster way. Keep steady." Gwen said as she stood close to me.

She used her energy to create a platform beneath lifting us directly up and out of the hole that opened up to let the ship out. As we reached the top, the ship had already gained quite a bit of distance and was now firing a massive freaking laser.

"Come on, Ben. You can do it." Gwen said out loud though more to herself than directly to me.

I could see the concern on her face, but there was even more to it than that. I wondered could she also have feelings for him as he does for her? Was she even aware that she did? After we reached a certain point in the sky we stopped. All we could really do at that point was watch as the ship got further away until suddenly the laser stopped and the ship began to fall.

"He did it!" Gwen happily shouted. That happiness was incredibly short-lived as we both noticed Humungosaur falling as well. "Oh no!" Gwen looked absolutely distraught as he hit the ground making a large crater as a result. "Ben!"

Gwen made the platform move fast, and I'm talkin' very fast. We landed near the crater. Gwen practically bolted towards it while I followed behind. I could see Gwen breathe a huge sigh of relief when she saw him sitting there unharmed.

"How'd you find me?"

"Giant you shaped hole. Not hard to miss."

"Ben, you did it." She hugged him tightly. Perhaps a second or two longer than your average hug. "I'm so glad you're okay. When I saw you hit the ground I got so worried."

Yeah, there was definitely something there. Something more than just a familial bond. I don't think Gwen quite realized it yet.

After I dropped them off at their houses it was time for me to go home to mine. Something I wasn't looking forward to, to say the least. I moved as quietly as possible as I unlocked the front door, but that proved completely pointless as my mom and Harvey, my step-father was waiting for me. I'd hoped they were asleep by now. Guess not.

"Do you have any idea what time it is!" Harvey shouted angrily.

"Do you?"

"Kevin, do not take that tone with him. Harvey, I can handle this. You can go to bed."

"If you insist. Try not to be too long."

"Kevin, where were you?"

"I was…" I hesitated to answer.

"You were what? Getting into trouble again. Working with criminals? You promised me you'd stop this."

I hated lying to her. My mom didn't deserve to have a son like me. For years I held some stupid grudge against her all because of a misunderstanding.

"I know...I'm sorry."

"I know you haven't been going to school. I called the other day. They said you haven't shown up since you've been back."

I had bribed some people in the school district to keep quiet about my truancy, but I guess someone didn't get the memo. I guess that's what counts for bribery these days.

"I'm s..."

"Don't apologize again. I made some calls and they're willing to let you return to school with no punishment. You start on Monday."

"I…" I thought about arguing. I thought about saying I had better things to do with my time than study, but the look on my Mom's face. The hurt in my mom's eyes. I couldn't give her any more disappointment. "Okay."

"Thank you." I could see the relief on her face.

When I told Ben I came to school to discuss strategies. I wasn't necessarily lying. I did think of that fact later.

"Now please get some sleep."

"I will."

But not before heading out to my office/shed in the backyard. I picked up the phone, a separate line I had set up for 'work' purposes.

"Yo, big man. What's up!"

"Argit, I need you to keep your eyes out for something."

Then the next week passed. I don't really have too much to say about finding Alan or going to school so I'll skip to Friday. The day of Julie's tennis match.

"I'll take care of it, Tennyson."

"But…"

"Don't worry, I won't tell her about your feelings for Gwen."

On my way to Julie, I walked past Gwen leaning on a nearby beam of the stands, and just for a brief moment, there seemed to be a bewildered look on her face. Did she hear our conversation? I wondered.

Now, when I told Ben I was going to talk to Julie that's all it intended to be just a talk to let her down easy. When I approached her she was sitting down near the tennis court rubbing some lotion on her legs. Seeing her then reaffirmed my earlier assertion, she was cute. Not just cute stunning.

"Oh hey, Kevin."

"Um hey, Julie."

"What's up?"

"I wanted to talk to you about Ben."

"What about? Did he say something about me?" she asked with a slight hint of hope in your voice.

"He's interested in someone else." I said bluntly. I could see the instant disappointment on her face. "He knows you have a crush on him, but he'd prefer it if you were just friends."

"I see." She replied sadly. "Why didn't he tell me himself? Why send you?"

"He didn't. I volunteered. Ben's a nice guy. He didn't want to see your feelings hurt. So I told him I'd come talk to you."

"Oh." She giggled lightly to my surprise. "You must be a pretty nice guy yourself if you're willing to do that for a friend."

"Can't say I've been called nice too many times."

"Well, you are. Thanks for letting me know."

"No problem."

I started to turn around and walk away but something stopped me. I don't know whether it was the disappointment still lingering on her face hidden behind a small smile, but I couldn't leave her alone just yet.

"Hey, I know this is going to sound sudden, but would you like to go out sometime?"

I could see her think for a second before her saddened smile turned to a genuine one.

"Yeah, sure."

"Cool. Listen, I'm going to be busy most of Spring Break so how about the pier, Monday at six o'clock?"

"Sounds good."

And it was settled Monday at six I had a date with Julie. A nice simple evening with no alien activity. At least, that's how it was supposed to be.

I stopped by Julie's house, located in an upper-class neighborhood I'd never thought I'd be caught dead in other than to case some houses. They were pretty nice ones too. Probably a lot of valuable nick-nacks that they wouldn't necessarily notice missing.

A felt oddly nervous as I pulled into the drive-way of the Yamamoto residence. I'd had some relationships in the past but nothing serious except for one...but that's a subject I'd rather not get into. This was my first proper date. Before I got out of the car, however, the cellphone which I recently acquired began to ring.

"This better be important, Argit."

"Ya know would it kill you to just say 'Hey there, Argit buddy, how ya doin?' Every once in a while?"

"Just get to the point." I sighed.

"Fine. Fine. Listen, I think I'm close to finding it. I've tracked down a lead close by and I'm going to check it out."

"Good. Keep me posted."

"Alri…" He began to reply before I ended the call and exited the car.

I took in a deep anxious breath as I rang the doorbell. It was Julie's step-mother who answered the door. Though she didn't say it, I could see the immediate look of disapproval on her face as she eyed me up and down. I'm pretty used to getting disapproving looks from a step-parent. It's usually my own though.

"Good, evening Mrs. Yamamoto."

"Yamamoto-Liwanag." She corrected. "But you can just call me Mrs. Liwanag. It's Kevin right?"

"Yes, Mrs. Liwanag."

"Julie! Your dates here!"

"I'll be down in five minutes!" I could hear her shout back.

And about twenty minutes later Julie finally came down the stairs. We agreed to casual attire so we wore usual attire. I'm not really sure why she needed all that time to get ready. She was wearing a bit of extra makeup. Although if you ask me she didn't really need it. Some aspects of women will always be a mystery to me.

"Hey, Kevin."

"You look good."

"Thanks."

"You will be back promptly at 8." Mrs. Liwanag said sternly.

It was enough to make me a little intimidated.

"Yes, mam."

After a short car ride, we found ourselves at the pier. The evening air was refreshingly cool. There weren't a whole lot of people around which made for a much more romantic atmosphere. Shame atmosphere didn't last too long.

"So, um, what do you want to do first?" I asked. "How about the Ferris wheel?"

"Nah, I think we should save that for last. Ooh, how about bumper cars!?"She asked excitedly."

"Bumper cars it is."

"Yeah! You call that bumping! This is bumping!" Julie exclaimed loudly as she plowed into me.

I didn't even think bumper cars could move that fast, but somehow she found a way. I tried to put my driving skills to work and outmaneuver her but she cut me off at every opportunity. I only managed to get her once. While she got me several times.

"That was fun!"

"I think I might have whiplash." I said semi-jokingly as I rubbed the back of my neck.

"Oops, sorry. I tend to get a bit competitive sometimes." She replied as her cheeks turned slightly red with embarrassment.

"I think that's a bit of an understatement." I teased. She giggled at that, and oh boy what an adorable giggle it was. "You know all that bumping made me thirsty."

"Me too. How about I go grab us a couple drinks."

"Kay. Ooh and some cotton candy."

"As you wish."

Things were going smoothly. 'Almost a bit too smoothly' was another thought that crept into my mind. And fate being the smug bitch that she can be, decided to throw a monkey wrench into the plans. That giggle and the peaceful atmosphere was completely shattered by the sound of my Plumbers' badge going off like crazy.

"What's that?"

"It's. uh, my alarm. I have to take my gout medication…"

Yeah, that was definitely not my best lie.

"You don't look like the kind of person who'd get gout."

"It runs in the family. I'll go grab us our grub. Take my pills and be back in a jiffy."

"Alright. I think I'll wait at the funhouse."

"Got it."

I began walking towards the concessions, while fiddling with my still blaring badge. Though the sound seemed to drop a little as I got further away from the bumper cars.

"Come on, what is wrong with you?" As I tried to give the badge a well-calibrated tap, I was suddenly set upon by…a bumper car. Yep, I think my question was definitely answered.

"What the hell!?" I shouted as the car's seat belt latched itself tightly around my waist.

Whatever this thing was I had no intention of it letting it haul me off to freakin' Timbuktu. So I attempted to absorb some of the material from the bumper car but nothing happened.

"Damn it!"

I tried to look around for the nearest metal thing I could absorb and settled on a lamppost that the bumper car drove close enough by. I absorbed enough to cover hands and forearms and made quick work tearing through the seatbelt. I wasted no time in leaping from the rogue bumper car. It was then I got a good look at it. It was green and black.

'A Galvanic Mechamorph!?' I thought. Or as Ben would refer to it,

an 'Upgrade.'

I had no idea what it was doing there or why it was attacking me, maybe it was something the Forever Knights or the DNAliens sent after me. That was my best guess at the time, but whatever the reason, I knew I had to stop it.

The Mechamorph came to a screeching halt as it noticed my escape and made a sharp U-turn to face me.

You know, I've been through some weird stuff, but if someone had told me that on my date night I would be playing matador with a possessed bumper car I would not have believed them. Yet there I was in a staredown with a carnival ride.

The Mechamorph revved its wheels before charging at me. I swiftly stepped to the side causing to shoot several feet behind me. It made a quick 180 and tried again only for me to sidestep it a second time.

'Okay, this needs to stop now...'

I managed to move close to a nearby water tank and absorbed the metal from it to strengthen my arms. The Mechamorph charged at me once again. I sidestepped it like usual but this time just as it began to move past me I brought my fist down through the hood of the car causing it to stop dead in its tracks. The Mechamorph quickly separated itself from the car in a shapeless form.

I attempted to grab at it but it was too fast as it moved under a slit in the pier's floor and completely out of sight. I readied myself to attack in case it came back but after a few moments, it seemed it had actually left.

"What the hell was that about…" I wondered to myself. "I...Oh, crap Julie!"

I quickly made my way to the funhouse and found Julie leaning against a guardrail next to a large sign that read 'Trifecta Fun House. Three rooms of wonder.'

"Hey, Kevin. Where's the grub?"

"Weird thing. They were all out."

"Really? There's practically nobody here. How could they run out of snacks?"

"You know that is a good question. Actually, now that I think about it this place is pretty lame. We should bounce."

"Aw, but I was really hoping to check out the funhouse. I hear it's really cozy in there." She said with a wink.

"But..."

I knew she wouldn't listen as she began to make her way through the empty line. It's not like I could just come out and say 'We need to leave. There's a technology possessing alien on the loose.' And if I show her my powers she might freak out and run away. So I had no choice but to follow along.

"As you wish." I said under my breath as I began to follow her lead.

We came into the first section. A standard house of mirrors nothing to really write home about there. Then the next section 'The Slithering Snake Pit Tunnel.' A darkly lit tunnel with 'snakes' crawling around the bottom. They were obviously just rubber snakes moved around by a series of fans. It did seem to have an effect on Julie though who clung tightly to me as we walked through the tunnel.

"Afraid of snakes are we?" I teased as we exited the tunnel.

"No. Just rubber ones."

"Wait, seriously?"

"Yeah." She replied with a tone that indicated she knew exactly how silly that sounded. "It's a long story. I'll tell you about it some time."

"Alright."

The third and final room we entered was called the 'Funtastic Future Room.' A bargain bin version of a much better and well-known theme park attraction. There were several displays filled with models of 'potential future technology' such as the Super Portable phone, a phone the size of a brick with a screen the size of a postage stamp or the all in one travel computer a bulky tower with a screen the size of a slightly larger postage stamp built into it.

"Something tells me this room hasn't been updated in a while." I said to Julie.

"I think that adds to the charm."

"Well, this certainly isn't charming." I said as I approached a weird slightly rusted silver mannequin clad in a butler's outfit centered in the back of the room.

"Mr. Jeeves. The butler of the future. Complete with ultra-hydraulic legs for speedy service" Julie read off a plaque next to the mannequin. "Something is unsettling about it."

I stared deeply at it and even though it didn't have eyes it felt like it was staring back. For a moment there was pure silence and then...

"Ah!" I screamed as it suddenly bent forward.

'The mechamorph!' I thought as I bent down to absorb the concrete ground.

"Relax." I heard Julie say. "It's just an animatronic. See."

I stood up and took another look at the mannequin as Julie waved her hand in front of it. The animatronic leaned forward, bent down, then stood as if it were picking up a serving tray. It obviously hadn't been serviced in ages but it surprisingly still functioned.

"Oh. That makes sense."

"Did I hear you scream?"

"Not a word to anyone…"

"Don't worry it'll be our little secret." She winked. "Why so jumpy anyway?"

"I, um, don't like mannequins." That wasn't necessarily a lie either. Mannequins are just a couple notches below ventriloquist dummies in terms of the creepiness factor.

"You know the night's still young." Julie said as she took out a phone from her hoodie and looked at the time. "If we hurry we should be able to catch a movie."

I think Julie could tell that sticking around there was making me on edge, but probably not for the reason she was thinking.

"Yeah, that sounds good."

I breathed a silent sigh of relief as we began to leave the funhouse, but that may have been a bit premature.

All of a sudden my badge started beeping again, but before I could look around to check, something ran up from behind, grabbed Julie, and began sprinting away. It was the animatronic or rather the mechamorph possessing the animatronic.

"Kevin!" Julie screamed helplessly

"Julie!"

And then it too yelled a single word

"Ship!"

But I didn't pay much attention to that at the moment as I focused on rescuing Julie. I quickly absorbed the concrete ground and ran after them, but this thing was fast and instead of heading towards the exit, it made one of its own by shooting a large green blast from its head at the sidewall.

I was able to keep pace with it as it maneuvered its way through the peer grounds with Julie tucked tightly under its arm, but its enhanced speed let it keep a short distance between us. I thought about trying to find something to throw at it, but at the rate it was moving, I was afraid I'd lose track of it or worse, accidentally hit Julie. It's a good thing I keep up with my cardio because I chased it for over a mile before we found ourselves on the nearby freeway. Traffic was also sparse, not a car in sight...except for the semi-truck that the mechamorph nearly ran headfirst into.

"Aw shit!" I shouted as the mechamorph darted out of the semi's way which unfortunately left me with little time to do the same.

Doing the first action that came to mind, I slid on my knees and bent backward as flat as I could just as the truck was about to hit me, and just as it began to pass over me I absorbed some of the metal from the truck's undercarriage which helped spare me from the pain of my legs scraping against the road.

'Damn, it's probably out of my sight by…' I thought as I popped up to a standing position barely even a second after the truck passed over me, but to my surprise, it wasn't. It was standing there just slightly in the distance. It made 'eye' contact with me. Well, as much eye contact as you can make with a green circle. Then I heard Julie. But they were far enough away that I couldn't really make out what she was saying except for...

"Help!"

"Let her go!" I demanded.

I wasn't sure if it could even understand me. It simply tilted its head at me. At that moment, even in that creepy animatronic body, it didn't even seem threatening, but that didn't matter. It had Julie, and if it was a threat to her then it had to go down. I sprinted towards it as fast as I could, but just as I closed the gap between us by over half it began to move again.

"Ship!" It shouted again before taking off into the nearby wooded area.

After getting fairly deep into the woods it seemed to slow down.

'Now's my chance!' I thought as I sprinted at full force.

I finally managed to catch up to it. The best thing I could think to do at the moment was a lower shoulder tackle to take out its legs.

"Ahh!" Julie screamed as she went up into the air thanks to the force of the tackle.

"Don't worry. I got you." I said as I caught Julie in my arms.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

"You're like some kind of superhero or something." Julie declared, her eyes went wide at the sight of my metal enhanced body.

"Something is more like it." I replied as I put her down. "I'll explain later, but right now I need to take care of our little friend."

I approached the downed mechamorph as it just separated from the animatronic. It was then I got a good look at its true form. It was small, a lot smaller than a traditional mechamorph, and it seemed to move on all fours or rather threes. It was kind of like a combination of a slug and a dog in a way.

As it noticed me approaching, it let out another "Ship!" as it began to crawl away.

"Oh no, you're not going anywhere."

I grabbed it by its neck and held it up in the air.

"Messing with me is one thing, but targeting someone I care about. That's crossing the line."

I pulled my fist back when Julie spoke up.

"Kevin, wait!"

"What...but…"

"I don't think it was trying to hurt me. Ship, that word it kept yelling. It was saying it to me over and over as you were chasing me. I think it was using me to lead you here. I think it's trying to get help."

"Help? Help for what?"

"Ship! Ship! Ship!"

"You're trying to lead us to a ship?" I asked.

"Ship! Ship! Ship!" It replied in an even more urgent manner before transforming into a small replica of an elongated spacecraft he then exploded and came back together.

"Are you saying the ship's going to explode?" Julie asked.

"Ship!" It replied before taking off.

That seemed to imply yes.

We didn't have to follow it for long before coming across a crashed spaceship. It was mostly intact but had a large gash in the middle of it. The gash itself was protected by a forcefield, but we could still see through it. Inside was a downed and unconscious mechamorph pinned by debris from the ship. and a ruptured core next to a panel that displayed a countdown in Galvanic numbers. Judging from the basic Galvanic that I know, which isn't a whole lot, that timer didn't have much time left.

"Looks like a ruptured warp core. We need to move fast."

"How do you know that, and How are you going to get in there?"

"Like I said I'll explain later. As for your second question, this should work." I replied as I absorbed some of the material from the ship's exterior. I took a deep breath and slowly passed through the shield. Besides a few sparks flying off of me here and there I was able to pass through without an issue. "Phew, thank god that worked."

"Wait, you didn't know that would work?" Julie asked from outside the ship.

"I was like ninety-eight percent sure."

"Uh, Hello, there." A posh voice suddenly spoke out. It was the downed Mechamorph, now awake. "I'm not sure who you are, but if you wouldn't mind getting that the hell out of here before we both get atomized!"

"Right." I ripped the device from its attachments and went to exit the ship but then I realized it might not be that easy. "Uh say what would happen if I were to take this through the shield.

"Oh right. That would be quite bad. See that panel over there." He pointed to a panel close by the opening. "Press Alphoid, Zigmand, Detra."

"Press what now?"

"Ugh, primitives." I heard him mutter. "Press the first button, the sixth button, and the fourth button."

"Got it."

I quickly put in the code and jetted out of the ship sprinting a little bit before throwing the device far into the air as hard as I could, and just in time too as the device exploded sending a shockwave powerful enough to knock me on my butt.

"Are you alright?" Julie asked as she offered her hand to me.

"Besides the ringing in my ear, yeah."

"A little help here would be appreciated!" The mechamorph shouted.

I made my way back inside the ship and removed the debris.

"Thank you."

"No problem. I'm Kevin, this is Julie." "

"Baz-l, It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Somehow I didn't quite buy that.

"What exactly happened here?" Julie asked.

"I was on a brief expedition when one of my warp cores decided to rupture. This ship has been a bit overdue for service, but I have been a bit busy and have not had a chance to take it in. After I crash-landed here, I spawned this symbiote to seek the help of a Plumber."

"A Plumber? Were you expecting them to help you with a leaky pipe?"

"It's a different kind of Plumber." I replied. "The help of a Plumber...Wait, is that why my badge kept beeping?"

"Well, of course, what are they teaching you Plumbers these days."

"Well, I'm not exactly a Plumber, more like an associate."

"Well, be that as it may, you do have my gratitude."

"So you say you spawned him does that mean you're like ship's father?" Julie asked.

"Ship?" I replied.

"Yeah, I figured that would be a fitting name for him."

"Oh, heavens no!" He said in an almost offended tone. "I am no one's father. Ship, as you called him, is simply a...you know what it would take too long to explain and I don't want to stay here on this backwater planet longer than I have too."

"Do you need any help? I'm pretty good with repairs."

"No need. I should have this thing up and running in no time."

"If you insist."

"Alright then. Come along sym...Ship"

"Ship! Ship! Ship!" It said excitedly as it rubbed against Julie's leg.

"I think you've made a new friend." I noted.

"It does appear to have taken a liking to you."

"Are you saying you want to stay with me?" Julie asked Ship.

"Ship! Ship! Ship! Shiiiiip!" He replied as he jumped up and down while his 'tail' wagged like crazy.

"I think that's a yes."

"Well, do you think he could stay here with us?"

"Hmm, I suppose I don't really have much you use for it anymore. Ship, you may stay with the humans."

"Ship! Ship! Ship!" He exclaimed once again before leaping into Julie's arms.

"It's okay, boy. Settle down. I'm happy too."

"Okay, if it's all the same to you. I'd quite like to get started on these repairs. So if you could vamoose."

"Dude, anyone ever tell you. You're kind of a dick." I said bluntly.

"Kevin!" Julie exclaimed, in an, I can't believe you just said that sort of tone, but I could tell from the look on her face she agreed one hundred percent.

"Oh, every day." he replied, completely unfazed by my words.

After that, we said one last goodbye to Baz-l and began to make our way back to my car. We walked in silence for a bit but as we continued along the Freeway, Julie spoke up.

"I don't think we're going to make that movie." She said jokingly.

"I don't think so either." I chuckled.

"So...what exactly are you? How come you can absorb stuff like that. Are you an alien, like Baz-l?"

"Not exactly. I'm more like half-alien. My father was from another world."

"I see. That's cool, and what about the Plumbers? What exactly are they?"

"They're an intergalactic peacekeeping force. Basically, space cops."

"Really? But you said you're not one of them. How come you have that badge?"

"This...it...belonged to someone I knew. He passed away recently."

"I'm sorry…"

"It's alright. You didn't know."

"I think that's all the questions I have for now. So, uh, this was some first date huh?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry it turned out like this. I didn't think having my badge on me would lead to this. I understand if you don't want to go on a second one."

"Are you kidding me? Of course, I want to go on a second one. but maybe something a little less life-threatening next time. How about laser-tag?"

"It's a date." I smiled.

We eventually made our way back to my car, and as we neared it my phone started to ring...It was Argit.

"I'm sorry. I have to take this. It's my mom. Here are the keys to the car. Go ahead and get off your feet."

"Alright, I'll be waiting."

I waited for a minute to make sure Julie was completely out of earshot before answering the call.

"I hope you're calling with good news, Argit."

"It's more of a good news-bad news situation. I got a firm lock on the location of the holo-disc. The bad news is it somehow got in Vulkanus' hands and he ain't givin' it up for free."

"...I think I got something I could give him."

A short drive later Julie and I were at here doorway, just a couple of minutes before ten.

"So thanks for tonight, Kevin. I really did have a lot of fun. Even if it wasn't the original plan."

"I had fun too."

"Goodnight."

Julie leaned in to give me a kiss on the cheek, but as she did the door swung and her step-mom was standing there tapping on her watching witch had just turned ten. I could feel that all too familiar glare of disapproval again.

"Mr. Levin. Thank you for bringing my daughter back in a prompt fashion."

"Um, you're welcome, mam." There weren't too many people that intimidated me, but for some reason, she was on the intimidation list.

"Goodnight, Julie."

"Goodnight." Julie said again before heading inside with her stepmom closing the door immediately behind her.

After getting in my car. I called Arlo up one more time.

"Yo, yo, yo, what's the plan, K-man?"

"Tell Vulkanus, I have a Plumber RV I can trade him for the holo-disc. I can get it to him by tomorrow. He can set up the time if he wants."

"Alright. Sounds like we got a deal."

Yeah, perhaps, I should have told them my plan. I'm not sure why I didn't, to be honest. I wasn't exactly sure if they'd go along with the plan. I know how much the Rust Bucket means to them, or maybe I just didn't want them to see me as a two-bit crook again. My plan was to steal the RV, lose them, make the deal, and explain myself afterward. But of course, Mr. Ben 10 himself wasn't going to make it that easy.

A/N

Hey there, sorry I haven't updated in awhile its a long story, but I am back as of now so the wait for the next chapter shouldn't be anywhere near as long.. Sorry if you're disappointed in the lack of Bwen in this chapter, but I want this story to be more than just a Bwen fic. I hope you liked seeing the earlier moments from Kevin's perspective as well as the Kevin and Julie stuff. Anyway, let me know your thoughts and your favorite moment from the chapter. Oh, and by the way, a little heads up for the next chapter. It will be told from Gwen's perspective. Cya.