Hidden inheritance

Chapter 4: Incomplete Truth

"Okay, how do we get back to Mt. Rushmore?"

"You think they went there? Oh wait, the Plumber base is in there. That's where Phil probably got the specific tools he needed to deal with the aliens he freed!"

"Yeah! That... makes sense?" 'I just thought they'd be back here because it's the closest and only base I knew, but Ben's reasoning totally makes sense. Is Ben gonna be the smart cousin from now on? Oh god! Please tell me I'm not gonna have to be the doofus now!' "Have any idea of how to get there fast?"

"I could use Heatblast to fly us there quickly but I don't think I need to have a Kentucky Fried Gwen for the rest of the summer. So, Stinkfly or XLR8?"

"Is that even a question?" asked Gwen, rolling her eyes.

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"Master Vilgax, I, Psyphon, your humble servant, only live to serve you. Please, tell me how I may aid you with my services tod-"

"Yes yes yes, Psyphon! I've already heard it all before, last time we spoke." Vilgax cut him short, not feeling patient with his right-hand man tonight. He was still some planets away from returning to Vilgaxia, and while his ship was fixed, the communications were still terribly malfunctioning. He needed better pieces and could only use the communications for a little while before they eventually went static.

"My excuses, Lord Vilgax."

"Listen well, Psyphon. I want you to tell the servants around the house to clean up the old rooms in the castle's left wing."

"The old rooms? The ones you forbid us from ever entering under any circumstances?" Psyphon asked.

"Yes, those are the ones. Tell them to start preparing the place and make sure it's in good condition. If I take more time than expected to come back, they must continue keeping it in good state." Vilgax's tone was stern.

"If I may ask, master, is there any reason we have to do so? If I remember well, you demanded that nobody ever enters those rooms, even in case of emergency."

"You will know more when I return. For now, do as I tell you, Psyphon." Vilgax said, a menacing look on his face.

"I understand, Lord Vilgax." said Psyphon, before his image disappeared from the screen.

Vilgax frowned. Ever since his son was taken away, he didn't allow anybody to go to his personal rooms. He didn't let any maid clean the bedroom, any servant clean the bath, he didn't let anybody in. He'd have to ask one of his architects to make sure Ben's quarters were still usable after reaching Vilgaxia.

After Benjamin's kidnapping, the king had sunken into anger and deep regrets. For two years, he came to Benjamin's room to mourn his disappearance. It was only during the third year that he was able to comprehend that falling in despair and lamenting his loss would not bring his son or his wife back to him. As such, he stopped going here and left the place isolated from everyone, deciding that clinging onto his losses would only weaken him in battle.

Now that Ben was revealed to still be alive and well, Vilgax had to make sure his son had a place to live and grow up worthy of a prince. He doubted any place on Earth could give Ben the luxury and comfort someone with his status deserved. And if Kraab and Sixsix's reports were to be taken into consideration, Ben had lived for the past few weeks in Max Tennyson's rusty old vehicle. Something as primitive and old-fashioned as that mobile home convinced Vilgax the old man was more attached to the past than he was.

He then thought of the next step to make. He needed to get Ben to trust him more than Max or anybody else on Earth. Max Tennyson already did a part of the job by lying to Ben for his whole life, but it still wouldn't be that easy. His child had spent almost all his life away from him, and if the boy had as much of a forgiving and generous heart as his mother, there was a good chance Ben grew attached to that miserable planet, as despicable as it could be. On the meantime, he also had to make sure nobody would ever attempt taking the Omnitrix away.