A/N: The new cover image for this story was done by Danny vs A Month and the one shot request will probably be the next thing I do so look out for it.

Also one reviewer mentioned I was going a bit off track with the story. I know it seems the whole Null Void thing is taking over but trust me there are reasons for why I'm stretching this out. Remember the true issue is the Highbreed Invasion and the two Gwen are a byproduct of it. So even though this is taking place in the Null Void the Highbreed's presence there still makes an impact on the invasion thing. But don't worry I haven't forgotten about the double Gwen dilemma at all.

Some interesting things happen in this chapter.

Bittersweet Reunions

"I know finding the Helpers are important, but shouldn't we go to Grandpa first?" Gwen asked Ben as they flew side by side.

Ben in the form of Big Chill gazed at Gwen with a sympatric look before answering her question.

"Believe me Gwen, I'm eager to see Grandpa Max too, but we can't lose sight of what's important. The Null Void is in a serious situation and we need to do whatever we can to help and right now that means finding and working with the Helpers," explained Ben causing a defeated sigh to leave Gwen's mouth.

"You're right, the people in the Null Void need us more and knowing Grandpa he's probably involved with the Helpers anyway," Gwen replied with a small smile.

"Then lets hurry," remarked Ben as he started flying faster before Gwen increased her speed as well.

Ben and Gwen had arrived at the collection site in a matter of seconds after having decided to continue their flight race from earlier. Once there, Ben and Gwen quickly realized why the place was called the collection site. They watched as several Null Guardians carried off filled mining carts and to their dismay some of the farmer aliens that had been pushing them as well. However Ben and Gwen knew that they couldn't stay out in the open for long as they had noticed several DNAliens working at the collection site too. Not wanting to be spotted, their eyes hurriedly searched the area for any hint of where the Helper's hideout could be.

"Can you track down their mana?" Ben asked Gwen in a low voice to not draw any attention to them.

"It doesn't exactly work when I don't know the identity of who I'm looking for Ben," sighed Gwen.

Ben realized that Gwen had a point and quickly thought of another idea.

"What about Manie and Helen. I'm sure they must be working with the Helpers and the Wrench to," he suggested causing Gwen to nod in agreement.

"I'm on it," Gwen stated before her eyes lit up in a pink glow.

It only took a few seconds before the glow left Gwen's eyes as she was able to find who she was looking for.

"Manie and Helen are still together. Follow me," Gwen told Ben before she led him in the direction she sensed they were at.

The two eventually made their descent at a secluded part of the collection site and ended up landing in front of a cave.

"Seriously, another cave?" replied Ben while turning back human after his feet hit the ground.

"Well it's not like the Null Void is known for its diversity in land structure," remarked Gwen as they both started walking into the cave.

Walking deeper into the cave, it became darker as there was no light source to illuminate the walls. Gwen swiftly lit up a ball of glowing pink mana in her hand to give the two some light. The cave wasn't much of a site to see, there was only the damp rock walls and the jagged narrow path they were currently walking on.

"Not as homey as Azar's place," stated Ben after seeing how mundane the cave was.

"Well this is supposed to be a hideout not a hotel," quipped Gwen which made Ben turn to her with an annoyed look.

"Do you always have to rebuke everything I say?" he asked in irritation, even though a grin was threatening to come on his lips.

"Only when you keep saying things that need to be rebuked, which is mostly anything that comes out of your mouth," teased Gwen with a smirk in Ben's direction.

"Know-it-all dweeb," Ben muttered jokingly knowing that Gwen would hear him.

And Gwen did hear the remark causing her to swiftly reply right back.

"Think-headed doofus," shot back Gwen.

Their eyes met and grins formed on their faces from their nostalgic banter. However the moment was broken when a white blast hit Ben in the chest and knocked the hero to the ground.

"Ben!" exclaimed Gwen as she quickly went down beside her cousin to check on him.

A painful groan came from Ben when he sat up and his hand instinctively covered over the area where he had been shot. When Gwen saw the action, she placed one of her hands on Ben's back to help sit him up. She then gently removed Ben's hand away from his chest so that she could replace it with her own.

"Gwen, that you?" Ben asked quietly as he tried to see in the now dark cave.

That's when Gwen remembered that she had been their current light source in the cave but her worry for Ben had made her lose focus on the mana ball that had been in her hand. Now the cave was as black as night and nothing could be seen, not even the cave walls. Gwen knew that the only reason she could still see was because she could sense the mana around her to help her navigate in the dark.

"Yeah it's me. Can you see anything?" she asked softly knowing that whoever attacked them had to be close by.

"No, it is pitch black in here and I'm guessing the person that shot at me is having the same problem," he answered figuring that the offender would have attacked again otherwise.

Gwen believed that Ben was right in his assumption and began to think of what to do next. Ben was hurt and she planned on healing him right away, but doing that would give up their position as the bright glow of her mana would be showing during the process. Unfortunately more shots were fired off and now seemed to continue nonstop. Luckily the shots were heading in random directions but Ben and Gwen had instantly noticed that every blast would illuminate the cave for a second after it hit against the cave walls. Both realized that their attacker was using the small light from the blasts to try and find their location. Understanding that they needed to move before one of the shots came in their direction, Gwen hastily searched the area for a place they could take some cover. Gwen was relieved when she saw a large think stalagmite near the right end of the cave and hastily carried Ben behind the stalagmite.

"You ok?" Gwen softly asked after they were safely behind the rock.

"Yeah, my chest hurts a bit but it's nothing serious. Though whoever's shooting seemed to have lost their patience," stated Ben with a bit of amusement in his voice when he noticed how rapid the firing of blasts had now become.

Ben's statement made Gwen realize who was attacking them. Gwen immediately locked on to the attacker's mana to make sure that her assumption was correct and when she had confirmed that it was, she knew she had to say something and quick.

"Manie, stop shooting it's us Ben and Gwen!" she shouted as loud as she could so that her voice could be heard over the sound of the firing blasts.

The sequence of shooting had before a familiar voice spoke.

"If you are who you really say you are then come out of hiding!" commanded Manie in a fierce tone.

"We're not coming out until we know that you won't shoot at us first," Ben stated seriously to which Manie didn't take too kindly to.

"Like I'm really going to leave myself open for an attack!" Manie harshly proclaimed as his fingers inched more on the trigger of his blasters.

Realizing that this was getting them nowhere, Gwen decided to handle the situation herself. Before Manie could react, Gwen stepped out from their hiding place and launched two small whips of mana around the blasters and swiftly pulled them out of Manie's hands and into hers. She then tossed the guns to where she was sure Manie wouldn't be able to reach them and then sent a huge ball of mana at him. Manie soon found himself trapped inside a pink bubble.

"There, now if you don't mind I have to heal Ben since you shot at him," Gwen announced with annoyance while sending an irate glare in Manie's direction.

Manie started banging his fists against the bubble trying to escape, but Gwen just ignored him and went back over to Ben.

"Manie is definitely a lot like Kevin huh," Ben said as the sound of banging and words of frustration could be heard in the background.

Gwen cracked a small smile in agreement before she focused back to the task at hand.

"Lift up your shirt," she instructed Ben to which a sly grin came to his face.

"Should we be doing that now?" he asked in a teasing way making Gwen reply to this by hitting Ben over the head.

"Knock it off, I need to heal you doofus!" declared Gwen as a small blush came to her cheeks.

"Gwen you don't have to heal every little injury I get," Ben responded in a more serious tone

"You said that when I healed that bruise on your face on the way to your house and just like then I'm going to do it anyway. Besides if we're going to be dealing with the Highbreed and Dr. Animo we're going to need to be in top condition," proclaimed Gwen with a stern expression on her face.

Realizing this was one of the things he wouldn't win against Gwen, Ben sighed in defeat as he lifted up his black shirt to above his chest. Gwen barely kept the gasp that wanted to come out of her mouth when she saw the red-brownish burn on Ben's stomach. True it wasn't a serious wound like Ben had said but it didn't ease Gwen to know that he had still gotten hurt. Not wasting any more time, a faint pink outline surrounded Gwen's body before she placed her hands tenderly on the burnt area of Ben's stomach. Just like when she had healed the bruise on his face, Ben felt soothing warmth spread over that area of his body. His eyes closed for a moment as he bathed in the comfortable sensation that was caused by Gwen healing him. Having Gwen's hands slowly caressing over the burn in a gentle motion, definitely was helping Ben to enjoy it even more.

"There all better," Gwen stated when she was finished.

Ben felt a moment of disappointment when Gwen's hands left his chest, but quickly tried to hide it. However Gwen had caught the disappointment that briefly showed on Ben's face and understood exactly what it meant. Gwen then hugged Ben before placing a small kiss on his cheek.

"Anytime you want a slight touch, just let me know Ben," she whispered affectionately in his ear.

Ben received Gwen's message and deep down he couldn't help but feel happy about it.

"Thanks Gwen," he said graciously as he hugged her back.

Both were savoring the physical connection between them as they tightened their hold on one another. Yet their cherished moment was ruined by Manie once again.

"Let me out now!" he screamed which succeeded in snapping Ben and Gwen's attention back to their current surroundings.

Blushes were on their faces as they separated from each other. They had been fortunate that the cave's darkness and the stalagmite had hid their affectionate actions from Manie's sight. After getting themselves compassed, they had to decide what to do about Manie.

"What do you think? Should I let him out?" Gwen asked Ben after taking a quick glance at the Tetramand still angrily pounding against the mana bubble.

Ben too took a look at Manie and shook his head at the Tetramand's brashness before coming to a decision.

"I say we find Helen and get her to help calm Manie down before we release him," suggested Ben.

"Actually Helen just showed up," Gwen stated as she pointed to the said Kineceleran who had just speed in front Manie.

"Manie, what happened?" Helen asked in alarm when she noticed her friend imprisoned inside the pink bubble.

"I'm trapped in this thing and can't get out!" answered Manie with a growl causing a confused but alert expression to show on Helen's face.

"Who did this?" she asked back no becoming even more worried.

Helen had just recently escaped from being captured and she certainly wasn't looking forward to repeat the experience. Fortunately for Helen, Ben and Gwen choose that moment to come out from their hiding spot and show themselves.

"I did, but to be fair he shot at us first," remarked Gwen with her hand aglow with mana to provide some light in the cave once more.

The second Helen saw Ben and Gwen a happy expression came to her face.

"Ben, Gwen, you're here!" she exclaimed in relief.

"Of course we're here, you called for our help remember," said Ben with a friendly smile on his lips.

"You called them for help?" asked Manie as this was news to him.

Gwen quickly put the pieces together as she now understood why Manie reacted to them the way he had.

"Helen, you didn't tell Manie you contacted us did you?" Gwen asked even though she figured out the answer already.

An apologetic look crossed Helen's face as she knew she had to explain herself.

"The truth is that I decided to contact you even though I wasn't supposed to ask for your help," confessed Helen.

"Why not? It sure looks like you guys need all the help you can get," stated Ben in confusion.

Before Helen could answer Ben, Manie decided to harshly interrupt.

"Because the Wrench said it wasn't your battle to fight. And I agree with him. It's our battle and you shouldn't get involved. Of course somebody here obviously disagreed with this and the Wretch," he stated angrily as he turned a glare at Helen.

Helen looked back at Manie with determination on her face as she responded to what he said.

"I know the Wretch is a great leader and he has never led us astray, but I felt that in this case he was wrong. Ben's right, we need all the help we can get Manie and who better to help us then him and his team. Besides we all know things are just getting worse around here and we are standing on our last leg," she argued back strongly.

Manie knew that Helen was right about how their situation was becoming worse and how getting more help would be beneficial to them, yet Manie was a stubborn person and wasn't planning on losing the argument just yet.

"That still didn't give you the right to go behind everyone's back and contact them. That's what almost got you captured in the first place and why I had to come save you," Manie reminded her which caused Helen to twinge with guilt.

At this point Ben and Gwen had grasped that Helen and Manie were the Helpers that they had been looking for. Realizing this, Ben decided to intervene so they could move on with what they came here to do.

"Look I agree that Helen shouldn't have contacted us behind everyone's backs," began Ben to which made Helen feel even guiltier.

"But her intentions were good and reasonable," continued Ben as he sent a look of understanding in Helen's direction.

Getting where Ben was going with this, Gwen decided to give her own input.

"Helen, you did what you believed was right and honestly I would've probably done the same thing. It's sometimes hard for people, especially leaders to admit when they need some help. Just remember that when you're part of a team your actions affect everyone," explained Gwen giving Helen an encouraging smile.

"Besides we're here now and we don't plan on leaving anytime soon so we might as well work together," finished Ben.

Helen felt a lot better after hearing and understanding what Ben and Gwen were telling her.

"Thanks, I needed to hear that," said Helen with a small smile.

"No problem," replied Ben before Manie decided to rudely interrupt once more.

"If you three are done, I would like to be let out now," he said in frustration while hitting the pink bubble for emphasis.

The three looked at Manie with amused grins on their faces.

"Sure," merrily replied Gwen before she manipulated the mana bubble away and released Manie.

A few grumbles left Manie's mouth at finally being free before he walked impolitely between Ben and Gwen over to his discarded blasters that Gwen had taken from him earlier. Helen shook her head at her teammate's behavior before she decided to get back to business.

"Before you both came we had received a message from the Wrench to meet him. He told us that he couldn't explain the reason for the meeting over the communication link but that it was urgent and to come right away," Helen told the two cousins.

"Then we're coming with you," announced Ben.

"Just don't slow us down," Manie remarked after retrieving his blasters and placing them back into their holders.

Ben and Gwen gained amused looks on their faces knowing that that was Manie's way of saying he accepted them tagging along.

As the four journeyed through the Null Void to where the Wrench was located, Ben and Gwen had noticed that they were heading in a familiar direction.

"Is it me or are we heading in the direction where you said Grandpa Max is at?" Ben whispered to Gwen not wanting Helen or Manie to hear.

Gwen glanced at their two comrades who were a few feet in front of them, making sure they weren't listening in before she replied.

"We are, the closer we get the stronger I can feel Grandpa's mana," quietly answered Gwen.

"So Grandpa is working with the Wrench and the Helpers after all," reasoned Ben to which Gwen felt the need to respond to.

"Ben, I think Grandpa is the Wrench," she stated causing an inquisitive look to come on Ben's face.

"Now that I think about it, this does sound like Grandpa. Plumber, wrench they do go together," Ben realized.

"So does a plumber having a helper. Plumber's Helpers, it makes sense now," added Gwen.

A serious look appeared on Ben's face as he just thought of something.

"If Grandpa is really the Wrench, then why didn't he want us to help?"

Gwen gained a sympathetic look towards Ben as she too was just thinking the same thing.

"I think Grandpa might have let his personal feelings get in the way. He may be one of the best Plumbers around but he's still our grandpa," Gwen said sincerely.

Ben nodded his head in agreement to what Gwen said knowing that it was true. Ben then turned to Gwen for some input on their next move.

"Since we're sure Grandpa is the Wrench, we need to decide how we are going to act around him. He obviously didn't tell any of the Helpers who he really is otherwise Helen or Manie would have said something by now. And he's not expecting us so that might cause some trouble amongst the Helpers. What do you think we should do?" he asked Gwen.

Gwen took some time to think about their current situation before finally coming up with an answer.

"We play along. When we see him, he'll be just the Wrench to us. Let's let Grandpa decide if he wants to be revealed or not. This is his mission and we're just here to help."

Ben agreed with the idea even though the two cousins didn't exactly like the thought of how they possibly had to act around their grandfather. With that settled, they remained silent for the rest of the trip until they all arrived at their destination.

"We're here," announced Manie as the group came to a halt.

In front of the group was a small sized castle-like dwelling made entirely out of brown stalagmite shaped rocks. There was even a thin stone paved walkway that went to the entrance of the place that acted like a bridge.

"This is where the Wrench lives. The meeting will take place inside. Let's go," Helen told Ben and Gwen.

Without further delay, the group started walking onto the rock path. However they were soon stopped by the sudden arrival of a porcupine looking teenaged male.

"You brought outsiders to the Wrench?!" the male exclaimed in a fierce tone, looking at Helen and Manie with a glare of disapproval.

"They're friends Pierce. They are the ones who helped us find you and I called them to help us," explained Helen.

"And how do you know they're not shape shifters or DNAliens in disguise sent to trick you?" Pierce asked back narrowing his eyes at Ben and Gwen.

Helen didn't have an answer to that as the possibility hadn't crossed her mind. As for Manie, the second he heard this, his hands were subtly itching closer to his blasters while taking a side glance in the two cousins' direction. Yet when Ben had heard what Pierce had said, it had brought back the memory of Gwen asking him something similar only a few hours ago.

"I-It's r-really you right? P-Please tell me this isn't another trick."

Recalling this, Ben couldn't help but glance in Gwen's direction. Catching the troubled look that Ben was giving her, Gwen realized what was going through his mind. She could see the burning question that Ben wanted to ask her.

"It's best that you don't know," whispered Gwen as she avoided her eyes away from Ben.

Ben wanted to make a retort at that but when he saw the uncomfortable expression on Gwen's face, he understood that she wasn't ready to reveal anything more about her imprisonment at the moment. Ben gave Gwen an empathetic look to which sent an appreciative smile back in return.

"Are you two going to say something already or stare at each other all day?" Manie asked impatiently as he was starting to get annoyed with the two cousins.

This caused Ben and Gwen to turn their attention back on the three Helpers reminding them that they weren't alone. Both looked at each other quickly silently communication and decided Gwen would be the best one to address the issue at hand.

"We're not imposters; we're just here to help. If there is anything we can do to prove that to you then tell us and we'll do it," she announced strongly to them.

Pierce narrowed his eyes at the both of them as he came to a decision.

"You'll be allowed to pass only if you can defeat me in battle. I'll gladly take both of you on at once," declared Pierce with a slight smirk on his face.

Ben and Gwen didn't like the idea of having to fight someone that was really an ally, but knew that they had no other choice.

"Fine, we'll accept your challenge," stated Ben.

The moment Ben and Gwen discovered that the three of them would be fighting on the stone bridge, they realized that the two of them would be at a disadvantage. Because of the size of the walkway, their movements would be restricted greatly. There was also the fact that the two cousins knew that they had different fighting styles and have never really fought together like this before. Ben and Gwen understood that if they weren't careful they could easily get in each other's way and end up hurting the other in the process.

As the three of them took their places on the walkway, Ben and Gwen exchanged a quick look silently telling the other to be careful. Gwen ended up being on the left side of Pierce while Ben was on Pierce's right. Pierce's eyes shifted from Ben to Gwen, keeping his eyes locked on both of them as he went into a battle stance. Seeing this, Ben and Gwen immediately formed their own battle stances in response. Pierce then extended two quills from his arms and broke them off to use them like twin swords as his choice of weapon. Recognizing that they were both unarmed, Gwen quickly remedied the situation by creating two long pole-like shapes of mana.

"Ben, catch!" shouted Gwen as she tossed one of the mana poles in Ben's direction.

Ben lifted his hand in the air and successfully caught the pole in his grip. Ben made a few motions with the pole to get used to the feeling of the mana formed weapon and was pleased to find that it felt comfortable enough for him use. He sent Gwen a grateful look before taking the weapon with both hands and resuming his battle stance. When they were all ready, Pierce was the first to attack.

Pierce decided to take on Ben first, using his makeshift quills to attempt to strike the hero. Ben used the mana pole to block each strike while trying to hit Pierce back with it at the same time. As the two continued trading blows, Gwen waited patiently until she saw the opening that she needed. With her own mana pole tightly gripped in her hands, Gwen made a swift low swing at Pierce's legs. Pierce barely dogged the attempted trip up by making a small leap off the ground, yet Ben hastily used the opportunity to hit Pierce in the chest with the end of his pole. The hit was a success as it disoriented Pierce enough for Gwen to make an attack of her own. Gwen made a rapid blow with the pole to Pierce's exposed backside and then followed it up by successfully knocking the boy off his feet. With Pierce now knocked down on the ground, Ben attempted to strike at the fallen Helper; however Pierce was far from finished. Before Ben's pole could hit him, Pierce made a quick hand stand and turned it into a back flip to avoid the blow. The moment his feet was back on the ground several quills extended from his arms and soon numerous quills were being thrown at both Ben and Gwen like flying small missiles. Ben and Gwen tried their best to use the poles to knock away as many as the quills as they could, however there were just too many for them to block and so some of the quills made direct hits on them. Pierce was pleased when he saw that the two had been scathed by his quills, glad that he managed to do some damage to the cousins, yet he knew that that wouldn't be enough. Taking it up a notch, Pierce made a surprising move by immediately extending long sharp quills from his back that headed straight for Ben. Before Ben could react the quills struck him hard which caused him to lose his grip on his pole and get knocked down to the ground.

"Ben!" cried Gwen in worry when she saw Ben go down.

Seeing that Gwen was momentarily distracted, Pierce wasted no time and launched a similar attack on her. However Gwen's reflexes were quicker as she dodged the incoming quills with a leap. Taking advantage of being airborne, Gwen made a surprising move of her own by making her mana pole extend in length and hit Pierce in his face. The hit had enough force behind it that Pierce's body fell to the ground. Gwen used her extended pole to propel herself over to Ben's side and land in front of her cousin.

"Ben, you okay?" Gwen asked while keeping her eyes on Pierce to wait for his next move.

At this point Ben had gotten up from the ground and was ready to rejoin the fight.

"I'm fine; he just caught me off guard there. But I lost my pole though," admitted Ben remembering that when he lost his hold on the weapon that it had rolled off the edge of the walkway.

When Gwen heard this she had an idea of how Ben could get his weapon back, yet she didn't know if it would actually work or not.

"This is my chance to see if my theory is correct, if not then I'll just have to make another pole for Ben," thought Gwen.

Seeing that Pierce had gotten up and was ready to take action, Gwen knew she had to talk to Ben quickly.

"Ben, that pole was made of mana. You can make it come back to you if you focus enough. Just use your own mana to draw it to you," instructed Gwen before she decided to take the initiative and rush forward to engage Pierce in close combat.

Ben looked uncertain about whether or not he could pull off what Gwen just told him to do. He had no idea how to even begin using mana let alone his own, however Gwen seemed to believe that he could do it and so Ben decided to give it a shot.

"Gwen said I need to use my own mana to draw the pole…just like a magnet draws metal to it. So I just have to try and make my mana act like a magnet!" discovered Ben as a firm look of came on his face.

"Well here goes nothing," muttered Ben extended both arms forward and closed his eyes in concentration.

Following Gwen's advice, Ben tried tapping into his own mana for the first time. At first it seemed that nothing was happing as he continued to hone into his mana, however Ben let out a small gasp in surprise when he started feeling a surge of energy rushing throughout his whole body. Ben immediately opened his eyes and to his amazement saw a light pink aura surrounding the outline of his body.

"Wow, I actually did it!" thought Ben with excitement before Gwen's voice broke through his thoughts.

"Ben, move!" she shouted in urgency.

The pink aura instantly disappeared as Ben turned and saw the barrage of porcupine spikes swiftly heading straight for him. Pierce had been successfully holding off Gwen's advances in close combat while using his ability to launch his spikes from any part of his body to send an attack on Ben while he was distracted. Reacting quickly, Ben threw himself to the ground and rolled out of the way just as the spikes passed over his head and impacted the spot where he had been standing only seconds ago. Ben sighed in relief at avoiding the surprise attack yet it was short lived as he noticed another set of projectiles coming his way. Ben had to roll out of the spikes way once again unfortunately this left him dangerously close to the edge which is exactly what Pierce wanted.

When Gwen saw how close Ben was to the edge and that Pierce was preparing to launch more spikes at her cousin, she reacted quickly.

"Don't even try it!" yelled Gwen as she managed to slam her pole forcefully against the side of Pierce's face.

The force from that hit knocked Pierce right to the ground causing an angry growl to come out of his mouth. The Helper quickly retaliated by using his position on the ground and pulled one of Gwen's legs from under her bringing her crashing to the ground as well. Unfortunately for Gwen, when she had fallen her head hit the ground hard causing her to become disoriented. Seeing his chance, Pierce got to his feet immediately and grabbed Gwen's leg once more. He then used his strength to lift her up by her leg and spun her around in a circle before tossing the girl several feet away up in the air. It was clear that Gwen was still too much disoriented as she seemed to be trying but failing to get her bearings back. However it seemed the force of the toss had ended its hold on her and gravity took control instead.

"Gwen!" cried Ben with wide eyes when he saw that Gwen started dropping fast.

Normally in situations like this Ben would immediately transform into one of his aliens, but the fear of seeing Gwen falling from the sky towards the endless bottom of the Null Void was causing Ben to lose all rational thought. Something inside of Ben had been unleashed in that moment as his instincts had completely taken over. Ben's mana was now savagely surging inside of him as a pink outline covered his form once again, however this time Ben's eyes were now glowing bright pink. Ben instinctively tapped into the power that was eagerly waiting to be used and launched two thick solid pink streams towards Gwen. The two streams of mana swiftly reached Gwen and wrapped tightly around her frame, successfully stopping her fall.

"What?" Gwen asked in a surprise stupor when she was able to regain her composure.

Gwen briefly looked at the streams of mana cradling her body before following the trail of the beams to its source. A small smile graced her lips when she saw that Ben was the one who had used mana to save her and was now pulling her back to the walkway.

"I was right after all!" thought Gwen in excitement, yet it was broken the second she noticed Pierce going for another attack on Ben.

"Ben, incoming!" warned Gwen just as Pierce threw a barrage of spikes at Ben.

Ben must have heard Gwen's warning as his head turned slightly to see the spikes coming right at him. A small scowl slipped on his face before sticking out one of his hands in front of him and created a circular mana shield. The spikes harshly impacted the shield causing Ben to wince in pain as small cracks were made in it. Gwen could tell by how the mana streams around her were weakening that Ben was having trouble trying to maintain both forms of mana at the same time. Realizing that Ben would need some help, Gwen focused her own mana and started pouring it through the streams. Ben gave Gwen a grateful look as he felt the extra energy she was giving him and was more than willing to use it. With the excess mana at his disposal, Ben put more mana into both his shield and the streams which caused them to become much stronger than before.

Now sure that his shield would hold off Pierce's attacks, Ben gave Gwen a look that even though his eyes were still completely pink, she got the message loud and clear. Gwen gave an affirmative nod in reply to Ben which was all that he needed. Ben quickly focused on controlling the streams around Gwen as she took a crouching position and with a powerful swing of his arm, sent Gwen sailing through the air. Pierce only had time to look surprised before Gwen flipped in midair and pummeled both her feet right in his chest, making the Helper scream in immense pain while being knocked to the ground from the force of the hit. After landing the blow, Gwen landed back on her feet and watched Pierce carefully to see if he was going to get back up.

To Gwen's amazement, even after that Pierce was slowly but surely getting back on his feet. He was glaring irritably at Gwen as he finally mustered enough strength to stand. However Gwen soon relaxed as a she gave Pierce a serious look.

"This battle's over, you've lost," she stated with certainty to which Pierce sneered at.

"I'm still standing," rebuked Pierce in defiance.

Yet as soon as Pierce said that he was knocked unconscious to the ground after being wacked in the back of his head.

"And now you're not," said Ben with a smirk while twirling in his hands the mana pole that was used to knock out Pierce.

Gwen shook her head in amusement at Ben's antics before turning her attention to Pierce. With a heavy sigh she knelt down next to his unconscious form and began healing his injuries. It only took a few seconds for Pierce to come to and immediately got to his feet. Both Ben and Gwen grew tense when Pierce resumed a fighting stance and glared at them both with critical eyes. Nonetheless when Pierce dropped his stance with a pleased smile on his lips, they both sensed the fight was officially over.

Fatigue unexpectedly claimed Ben as his eyes lost their pink glow and all traces of mana left his person. Gwen noticing that Ben was about to faint, quickly made her way over to him and caught him just in time as he was about to fall.

"Looks like it's my turn to be the energy reserve," Gwen said with a grin before once more giving some of her mana to Ben.

After only a few seconds Ben felt as energetic as ever.

"I feel better already, thanks Gwen," he replied with a smile as he could now stand on his own.

"Anytime and congratulations, looks like you have the spark after all," stated Gwen cheerfully while giving Ben a knowing look.

"Looks like, I'm still going to need help learning how to use it though," Ben said, staring right at Gwen hoping she would say yes to his unspoken question.

"I'd be happy to teach you," answered Gwen with enthusiasm in her voice.

"Apparently ignoring everyone else around you two when you're talking to each other is a habit," remarked Manie as he and Helen walked over to the three and crossed all of his four arms in annoyance.

This brought blushes to Ben and Gwen's faces when they realized that there was some truth in Manie's comment as they had been doing that a lot lately. Helen gave Manie a punch in his side for the comment earning the intelligent "What did I say?" response from the Tetramand.

"It seems the stories about you two aren't over exaggerated. You guys are pretty good," commented Pierce, bringing Ben and Gwen's attention to him.

It only took a second for Ben and Gwen to register what Pierce said before they became irritated.

"You knew who we were the whole time and you had us fight you!" yelled Ben causing his eyes to glow pink more a brief second.

"I knew 'who' you looked like but I wasn't sure if you both were the real deal," Pierce explained calmly.

"So the whole me conjuring and manipulation mana wasn't enough of a giveaway?" Gwen asked in a sarcastic tone.

"I saw no evidence of that until the fight started and from what I heard, I expected Ben to use the Omnitrix in the fight. Since he didn't use it I was still skeptical," replied Pierce.

Ben was about to comment that he could fight just fine without using the Omnitrix. But Gwen knowing what he was about to say, simply shook her head at Ben telling him to just drop it. Getting back to the matter at hand, Gwen led the conversation back on track.

"So now that we passed the test, can you take us to the Wrench now?" asked Gwen with all seriousness in her voice.

"I'll take you to him," answered Pierce before bringing his attention to the other two Helpers.

"In the mean time you two should head to the meeting chamber and wait for the others to arrive. I'll be there shortly after I take them to the Wrench."

Manie and Helen immediately followed Pierce's command and made their way to the meeting place. When the two left, Pierce spoke to Ben and Gwen.

"Follow me," said Pierce as he began walking.

Ben and Gwen followed Pierce without hesitation across the bridge towards the castle-like dwelling. When the three reached an entrance with a tarp covering it, Pierce turned back to face Ben and Gwen.

"I'll go in first to let the Wrench know that you two are here since he wasn't expecting you. Wait here until I tell you to come in," Pierce told them before going inside, leaving Ben and Gwen by themselves.

When Ben was sure Pierce was far enough inside, he spoke.

"So is Grandpa Max in there?" he asked Gwen.

Gwen closed her eyes in concentration for a brief moment before answering Ben's question.

"Yeah, he is. Guess we were right about him being the Wrench," replied Gwen with a small grin.

"At least we get to see him in private. We won't have to worry about keeping up pretenses right now at least," Ben stated a bit cheerfully with the knowledge that he would be seeing his grandpa very soon.

Gwen nodded to this as a thoughtful expression came to her face.

"You know, this is almost like old times. When it was just you, me, and Grandpa Max dealing with this kind of stuff," remarked Gwen as her smile grew at the fun memories the three of them shared together.

Ben couldn't help but grin as a sense of nostalgia hit him as well.

"This would be like old times wouldn't it?" asked Ben, sharing in the reminiscing of past adventures with his cousin and grandpa.

"Yeah, the only thing were missing is the Rust Bucket," Gwen sighed as she remembered what happened to the RV.

The grin began to slip off of Ben's face as he remembered what happened to the vehicle as well. Even though Kevin had good intensions, Ben still felt sore about losing something so precious to his grandpa, Gwen, and himself. Ben was about to add his own thoughts to the conversation, but then Pierce came out of the entrance.

"The Wrench will see you now," Pierce announced as he stepped to the side and pulled the tarp out of the way. "I'll go to the meeting area and let the rest of the Helpers know you two will be joining us. Also a piece of advice, don't eat any of the food the Wrench offers you."

Gwen and Ben shared a knowing look as they tried not to grin at Pierce's warning. Instead they settled for giving Pierce a simple nod and walked inside. The area was medium sized at best and seemed to be a cooking/eating room similar to Azar's. However Ben and Gwen's attention was locked on the figure in a brown hooded cloak that was currently cooking some food on the fire pit. The figure's back was turned to them, yet the two cousins knew exactly who was under that cloak. No longer able to contain themselves, Ben and Gwen made their move.

"Grandpa!" they both shouted happily as they ran over to embrace the cloaked figure.

The figure barely had time to turn around before the two teens rushed into his arms. This made the figure quickly pull back his hood and reveal his face for his grandkids as he gladly wrapped his arms around them both.

"It's good to see you both," claimed Max with a slight chuckle after the three finished their happy reunion hug.

"You too Grandpa," Ben replied back with a joyful smile.

Max returned the smile back at his grandson and then turned to his granddaughter to find a few tears leaving her eyes.

"Pumpkin, what's wrong?" asked Max in concern as he noticed more tears coming from her eyes.

"I-I'm just so h-happy you're alive," Gwen said thankfully as she wiped away her tears.

He smiled warmly at this and pulled Gwen into another hug, feeling that his granddaughter really needed it. Gwen brought her arms around her grandfather in a tight hold as though she was afraid that if she didn't hold on to him he would disappear. A few sobs managed to escape her mouth at the fact that she was hugging her not dead grandfather and felt the relief that another person she had thought dead was actually alive. Max could tell by the way Gwen was clinging on to him that something was wrong and he subtly looked in Ben's direction hoping to get an answer for Gwen's behavior from him. But it seemed Ben was paying more attention to Gwen as his eyes seemed glued to her. There was a look of sympathy and understanding clearly displayed on Ben's face and it made Max all the more suspicious that something more was going on with Gwen.

Just then Gwen removed herself from her grandpa and a placid expression came to her face, looking as if she hadn't been crying just seconds ago.

"So how'd you come up with 'The Wrench' anyhow? I thought it was Ben's job to create alternating names for himself" remarked Gwen with laughter in her voice.

Ben realizing that Gwen was secretly trying to get her emotions back under control decided to help and play along

"Oh that's rich coming from you…Lucky Girl," Ben retorted back at Gwen.

A small smile slipped on Gwen's lips when she knew Ben was supporting her by joining in the conversation.

"I only have that one, you have way more since you have to name all your alien forms," Gwen answered in an exasperated tone to which Ben found humorous.

"You say that like it's a bad thing. Would you rather me stop naming then like my jerky fu…"

Ben quickly stopped speaking when he realized what he was about to say knowing that they had never told their grandpa about their little trip to the future. Gwen's eyes widened as she too knew what Ben had almost said. Yet it wasn't that she was worried about their grandfather finding out about it, but something else entirely. She was completely frozen in shock as the memory of what Gwendolyn had revealed to her long ago played through her mind.

Flashback

Ten year old Gwen had a smile on her face when Ben 10,000 had just turned down the urgent alert and decided to celebrate their grandpa's eightieth birthday. She couldn't help but notice that Gwendolyn had the same smile on her face as she too watched the exchange. Seeing the happy and relieved expression on her older self's face helped Gwen to realize the truth.

"The crisis was never Dr. Animo was it? Your Ben just needed a major attitude adjustment huh?" she said as she walked closer to Gwendolyn with a knowing look on her face.

Gwendolyn's smile grew wider, not surprised that her younger self had figured it out.

"Yeah, I couldn't let Grandpa celebrate his eightieth birthday without him," Gwendolyn replied turning to face her younger self.

A look that Gwen didn't understand came on Gwendolyn's face as she knelt down to the younger girl's level.

"Look Gwen, I know your Ben can be a major dweeb, but enjoy him while you can," Gwendolyn told her before standing back up and turning away from Gwen.

However Gwen didn't miss the sorrowful frown that came to Gwendolyn's lips afterwards and the sadness that had shown in her eyes. Seeing that was enough to make Gwen worry as the words Gwendolyn spoke fully registered in her mind.

"What do you mean while I can? Are you saying Ben is still going to act like how Ben 10,000 was even after all this happened?" Gwen asked in concern at her future self.

Gwendolyn's back was still facing her, yet when Gwen saws how tense the woman's body became and the slight nervous twitch of her fingers she had gotten her answer. An uneasy feeling set in Gwen's stomach at the revelation and now she needed to know more.

"What happened to Ben to make him act like that?" Gwen whispered as the fear of losing her Ben was becoming more real to her.

If it was even possible, Gwendolyn became tenser but now her hands were curled tightly into fists as though she was trying to keep herself together. However it only lasted a second before she decided to speak.

"It's complicated," was all Gwendolyn said, not ever once looking back at Gwen.

Nevertheless hearing this just made Gwen more determined to get some answers.

"But if you tell me maybe I can prevent it from ever happening in the first place," reasoned Gwen with an urgency in her voice causing Gwendolyn to glance in her direction.

Gwen looked into her older self's eyes and could see so many emotions going through them. She saw in her eyes uncertainty, fear, sadness, pain, and the one that surprised Gwen the must, hopelessness.

"Even if you knew, it wouldn't change anything," Gwendolyn remarked as a feeling of dejection covered her whole being.

Gwen could tell that Gwendolyn was now trying to hold in the pain she was feeling just from having this conversation. Every part of Gwen wanted more than ever to prevent the obvious terrible thing that happened to cause the change in Ben after witnessing how Gwendolyn was affected just from her thinking about it.

"There has to be some way to stop it," desperately said Gwen silently pleading with her older self to agree.

Instead she was met with eyes full of grief before Gwendolyn looked suddenly looked away from the young girl.

"I've already tried, but they still always find a way to capture us," Gwendolyn muttered quietly as she was trying very hard at this point not to cry.

Gwen was surprised by this and it made her realize that Ben 10,000 hadn't been the only one that was dramatically affected by what happened.

"This is the first time she used 'us' and not 'you'. She still carries some wounds from it too," thought Gwen as a look of sympathy showed on her face.

Gwen knew it was best to drop the subject as it would only cause Gwendolyn more pain and because now she wasn't sure if she really wanted to know anymore. Still there was one more question she wanted to ask and she hoped that Gwendolyn would feel generous enough to answer it

"Can you at least tell me when it happens?" begged Gwen.

However it seemed she wasn't going to get the answer. To her astonishment Gwendolyn suddenly went from forlorn to normal in under a minute.

"It's time for you both to return home," she announced softly as she walked forward and created the time portal she used to bring them to the future.

"Now come on, the portal is ready. There's another birthday party you guys have to get to," Gwendolyn declared loudly so that all of the other occupants in the room could hear her.

Gwen frowned at not having her last question answered, but she had no choice but to accept it. So she waited for Ben, who was still taking to Ben 10,000. While Ben 10,000 was giving Ben a metallic cube, Gwendolyn warned them that the portal was closing. Hearing this, the two ten years said their goodbyes to their future selves and entered into the light of the portal. However to Gwen's surprise as they were traveling through the time portal, she heard Gwendolyn's voice one more time.

"When we're fifteen."

End Flashback

"How could I have forgotten that?" thought Gwen as her future self's words and actions finally made sense to her.

Right then Gwen wanted to cry. She now understood what started the trigger that would change Ben into that Ben 10,000.

"It was the Highbreed imprisoning me. None of our other enemies ever got that far because Ben always managed to save me and defeat them. But not this time, this time he couldn't have saved me. They had planned it too well. That's why Gwendolyn said it couldn't be changed. If their first attempt hadn't of worked they wouldn't came up with another way," realized Gwen as tears threatened to leak from her eyes

"Why me?! Why did they have to take me?! Why couldn't they have just done something else, anything else?!"

However Gwen knew the answers to those questions. They took her because she was the most informative and strongest in their group as well as the closest one to Ben. It was a common war tactic to take out the strongest first, the one that holds the group together. Then there was the possibility of enemy infiltration since there was another Gwen there to take her place. Nonetheless Gwen feared that the impact of the Highbreeds' plans had already made its impact on Ben.

She knew that Ben didn't take the news of her capture well and she had already seen enough of his anger towards the Highbreed that it did frighten her some. In fact she was sure that the only reason Ben wasn't even more furious was because she was keeping him grounded. The fact that there was the whole situation with her double that they still had to deal with was probably providing a decent distraction from his anger.

"No matter how this all plays out, the affects will leave too much of an impact on us. Ben is on his way to becoming like Ben 10,000 and it's my fault!" she though in sorrow as she quickly turned her back to Ben and Max so they wouldn't see the tears that started to fall.

Max's worry grew even more when he saw how quickly Gwen's mood shifted and the clear pain that was displayed on her face before she turned away from him. Max was about to comfort his granddaughter and try to find out what had set her off, yet Ben beat him to it. Before he knew it Ben went over to Gwen and pulled her into his arms as he started whispering things to her that Max couldn't' hear. Ben started rubbing her back in a calming motion and soon Gwen wrapped her arms tightly around Ben's waist. Only a minute passed before Gwen seemed to be feeling better and was now whispering something back to Ben. Max watched as a serious expression came on Ben's face as he nodded to whatever Gwen had said.

"Grandpa, I need to talk with Gwen…alone," Ben immediately told Max.

For a moment Max was planning on denying the request as he felt he had a right to know what was going on with Gwen. Yet seeing the strong resolve on Ben's face he knew that this was something that they weren't ready to involve him in just yet. Besides as much as he hated to admit it, there were other pressing matters that he had to attend to.

"I'll hold off the meeting as long as I can. When you're done you can join us," he stated with a tired sigh.

"Thanks Grandpa," said Gwen, giving Max a small smile.

He couldn't help but give her a smile back before leaving the room to give the two cousins the time they had asked for. While making his way to the meeting room, Helen speeded right in front of him causing him to stop in his tracks. It didn't take long for Max to notice the troubled and uncertain look on Helen's face and it made him slip into his Wrench persona right away.

"What's the emergency Helen?" he asked in a strict voice.

A frown came to Helen's lips at what she was about to tell the Wrench.

"There are two more people that just came unexpectedly," she answered causing Max to become interested and alert at the information.

"And who would they be?" he questioned, figuring that whoever the unexpected guest were had to be important in order for Helen to feel the need to inform him about them right away.

"Kevin and…Gwen," replied Helen causing Max's eyes to widen in disbelief.