Chapter Text
CHAPTER ONE: MISSING
7:45, PM
….tick…..tick….tick…
7:46, PM
"Focus Ben!"
"Argh!" A brown-haired teen moaned, dropping his eyes from the clock and slamming his head against the coffee table, "I can't. You know how much I hate math, Julie."
The Asian girl sitting next to him on the couch shook her head, "Your right, with that attitude you can't. Come on, the finals are tomorrow."
Ben looked up at Julie. She was always like that - stubborn would be a word to describe her. He felt the smile creep over his face. But he even loved that about her, everything from her black pixie-cut, to her green delicate socked feet, folded nicely underneath her as she sat upon his parents couch. Even though she was wearing a plain skirt and a white tank top, he couldn't help but be amazed by her beauty.
"What?" She smirked.
Ben smiled and rested his head in his hand matter-of-factly, "I was just wondering how someone like me could end up with someone like you?"
"Someone like me? Ben, you saved the entire world numerous times." Julie replied, shuffling papers, "Keep it up and I'll start getting jealous every time a girl looks at you."
Ben sighed and looked back at his study sheet. It was covered in doodles of aliens instead of answers, "Yeah, but no one knows that."
He looked up at his reflection in the dark television across from the coffee table. The reflection that stared back at him was hardly Hero material. He looked like a dork, he pouted, his hair was short and brushed to the side, he usually wore plain blue jeans, and a black tee-shirt. When he wore his jacket, you could not even really see the muscular build that he had built up fighting aliens all those years.
"Oh come on Ben!" Julie said, placing her hand on his arm, "They don't need to know. Look at all those super heroes in those comics, they all have secret identities. 'Ben' is just yours."
Ben smiled, "Thanks Julie."
"No problem….now speaking of problems, stop procrastinating and lets work on studying." She smiled back.
"Well lookie here! We leave you alone for ten minutes and the clothing is still on? Good children."
Ben looked up and smiled at the familiar voice. His ex-nemesis/best friend stood in the doorway, carrying a tray of drinks. Kevin Levin, an ex-con and now a member of the Galactic Police commonly known as the Plumbers, was always someone to be wary of. He usually got what he want, using tactics Ben wished he could hate him for. He was everything Ben wasn't, while Ben looked like a dork, Kevin looked like someone who would be a hero. His raven hair and muscular build attracted attention, while his down-to-earth, take no crap attitude made him a mini celebrity in Bellwood, they're home town.
"Did you bring me a carrot-orange-banana?" Ben's face lit up,
"No. How does Pineapple-I-Don't-Care sound?" Kevin replied, dropping a smoothy in front of Ben, he turned to Julie and politely handed her another drink, "Here ya go."
"Thanks." Julie replied, grabbing the drink.
"Kevin, what did I tell you about teasing Ben?" A voice came from the doorway.
Both Ben and Kevin looked up as Ben's cousin walked in the room. Her red-orange hair was pulled back into a ponytail, draping over her shoulders. Ben smiled without even realizing it as she strutted into the room.
"Not to?" Kevin replied sarcastically,
"Oh hey Gwen!" Ben waved.
She ignored him and walked past and sat on the chair adjacent to the couch. She folded her arms and waited for Kevin to hand her drink to her.
"Well, I think that's all the studying we're getting in today." Julie sighed, she looked up at Gwen and Kevin, "I better get going."
"Really? But I just got here." Gwen replied,
Julie shook her head, "I was here to help Ben study for the Math Finals, but I've got other classes to study for as well."
"I'll walk you home." Ben offered, standing up,
"And who's going to walk you home?" Gwen asked,
Ben pointed to his wrist, where a green and black 'watch' rested. The hour-glass symbol in the middle glowed dully, "Bearer of the Omnitrix, remember?"
"Hey Ben! Guess what?" Kevin snuffled, "Trix are for Kids. Get it? Omnitrix, Trix? the cereal?"
Gwen smacked him lightly on the back of the head.
"Hey? What was that for?" Kevin pouted.
Ben and Julie quietly picked up their things while the other two were distracted and headed towards the door. Ben pulled his green jacket on and looked down at the Omnitrix. It had been nearly seven years now since he first obtained it. Back when he and Gwen argued over everything, and Kevin was a villain…
…He was so young back then. He had no idea what he was up against when the damn thing jumped up onto his wrist that summer night. Since then, he had fought many different villains, like the alien warlord Vilgax, the sorcerer Hex, the Forever Knights, the Highbreeds, even had to go on an interstellar journey to stop the stupid thing from self destructing. Luckily though, the last two years had been pretty quiet. Grade nine and ten nearly went by without any trouble at all, and they had barely missed any school this year due to out of town missions.
"Well, we're here." Julie said suddenly, snapping Ben out of his thoughts.
"Oh, right." Ben smiled. He looked up at Julie's parent's large home. He didn't even remember leaving his own house,. Ben looked back down at Julie, "So I'll see you at school tomorrow?"
"Bright and early so we can study before the exam." Julie nodded.
"But the Exam isn't until the afternoon." Ben sighed,
"I know." Julie nodded, "But this way we have before first period, then at lunch as well for studying."
"Great." Ben complained. Julie giggled and reached up to kiss Ben lightly on the cheek before heading inside.
Ben sighed and turned away from the Yamamoto's home and off back towards his home, shoving his hands deep into his pockets.
... ... ...
"Is that him?" A voice said from the shadows, hidden within the bushes alongside the Yamamoto's house.
"That's him, just the person the Boss was looking for."
"Shall we grab him?"
"No. Not yet, let's wait… we can't risk the chance going in unprepared against the Omnitrix, or risk anyone seeing us."
... ... ...
Ben swore he heard something, but he was not sure. It sounded like whispering, he whirled around and looked back towards his girlfriend's house. He could see nothing but shadows. "Is someone there?" He called, but got no answer. He shrugged and continued back towards his home. It must have been the wind through the trees he was hearing...
... ... ...
"Good morning Ben!" Julie smiled, "How did you sleep?"
Ben yawned and stretched, "Terrible. I felt like someone was watching me all night long."
Gwen pushed a lock of her hair off her shoulder, "You sure Kevin did not sneak into you room last night?"
"How could I babe? I was with you all night." Kevin smirked.
"Uh guys? Did not need to know that!" Ben spat.
Ben turned away from them and looked around the cafeteria of their local high school. Kevin had driven them to school again, and yet again they met up with Julie at the same table, and yet again all eyes turned towards them - right through Ben and straight to Kevin and Gwen, the King and Queen of the school. Ben shook his head trying to disperse that thought.
The bell rang, and the entire student body climbed to their feet. Ben once again felt lost in a sea of taller high school students as he fought against them to his English Class., and yet again, he sat in the middle of his class, avoiding the teachers watchful eye as he doodled on his page until the break bell finally rang.
"Meeting with Gwen at break today?" Someone said as Ben picked up his jacket,
"Actually, I was thinking about getting a smoothie." Ben replied. He was getting tired of men always wanting him to put a word for them to his cousin.
"Ah well, if you see her at lunch today, can you somewhere in your conversation, slip in a…"
…here it comes….
"good word for me?" He asked,
"I could. But I don't think it would help." Ben replied, "She's been with Kevin for nearly two years now."
"Yeah well, maybe she could want something new?" He asked, "Just say something for your old buddy?"
"Sure." Ben lied. He didn't even know this boy's name. He knew he'd forget by the end of the break.
He closed his locker and yawned loudly. Julie would be waiting for him by their table... but he knew he was too tired to study - and he knew Gwen and Kevin would be there, to remind him how invisible 'Ben Tennyson' was. He was the savior of the entire universe! He had hundreds of awards and trophies from all over the Milky Way and beyond... and yet he could not walk down the hall at school without being pushed into a locker...
And then there was still that creepy feeling of being watched. He could not shake it. The feeling clung to him wherever he went, and had persisted since yesterday after he dropped Julie off at home. He felt a shiver go down his spine. No, there was no way he could study right now... he needed a break, a mental break. What he needed was a Smoothy. He shrugged on his jacket. Not many kids left the school on a fifteen minute break, but Mr. Smoothy was not far, and he could walk there and back in no time. He slipped out of the school yard without being noticed - no one gave him a second look.
... ... ...
"Now?"
"Now."
... ... ...
Ben could feel a presence slip behind him. He stopped walking and turned around. Two shadows stopped behind him. Ben turned back to the sidewalk and kept walking, but their presence still nagged at his senses. He whirled around and they were still following him. He took a deep breath, "Can I help you?"
"Yes you can." Said on in a deep angry sounding voice, "By coming with us that is."
Ben raised an eyebrow, "Excuse me?"
"The Boss would like to see you!" The smaller one cooed, his voice sounded like a typical grunt. Ben's nerves pricked at him, telling his brain to run. He took a step back, his hand falling on the Omnitrix.
"Now don't try to fight us boy, you'll only end up hurt." The taller one laughed,
"Y-yeah!" The smaller one finished.
"I don't think so!" Ben smirked, twisting the Omnitrix to his desired Alien, "It's you who are going to get hurt!" He pressed down the dial, and he felt his body transform. When his new form finished transforming, he roared loudly as the vulpimancer, Wildmutt. He had re-unlocked this one last year. The older version of Wildmutt now included the tail.
Wildmutt roared angrily and charged at the two shadows, but they were quicker. The taller one easily sidestepped Wildmutt's attack, and countered by slamming his fist hard into its stomach. Wildmutt whimpered and collapsed on the ground.
Wildmutt whimpered and staggered back to his feet. He shook his head with a grunt, the gills along his neck flared, sensing the area around it. Wildmutt saw the thermal heat of a boot heading his way and he jumped back, landing on all fours safely away from his attackers.
"I would expect no less from the famous Ben 10." The taller one said, "But we cannot fight, for our Boss wants you back unharmed."
"Grrwwl?" Wildmutt grunted, tilting his head in wonder.
The shadow floated up into the air, and Wildmutt prepared to pounce at him, when suddenly a pain washed across his back. Wildmutt howled as the pain spread through his body, and he collapsed on the ground. The pain was quickly followed by a wave of numbness that quickly washed over his entire body, sending a prickly 'pins-and-needles' feeling that he only felt when he laid on an arm for too long, or sat cross-legged. Wildmutt groaned, the energy sapping out of him, he turned back into Ben in a flash of light.
Ben struggled to get back up into a crouching position, bracing himself up with his hands and knees. His body did not want to work, every movement was forced. He felt like his body was turning to stone, or ice.
"W-What did you do to me?" Ben gasped, his vision was starting to blur, and the world around him was growing dim.
The shorter shadow walked around him, kicking Ben in the side hard enough to knock him over. Ben gasped as the air was knocked out of him, but he did not feel himself hit the ground... he did not feel anything at all. He looked up at the shorter shadow - he was carrying a strange weapon.
"Alien Tranquillizer Darts." He chuckled, "Nighty-night hero."
The taller one reached down and picked Ben up, throwing him over his shoulder, as the world around Ben faded to black.