Gwen, Lucy and Ben were all at Ben's. All resting together. Gwen and Lucy looked on as Ben kicked a ball into a pile of bowling pins while complaining about an incident during her time with the Saturdays.
Ben: Okay, so I'm not allowed to be on the Football team, Cuz I can't be trusted without using my powers? Sure, why not. So, I can do a test, and no one would worry about that? Or telekinetically transfer answers to others?
Gwen: Ben got telekinesis?
Lucy: No. He's kidding... I think. He had some new stuff up his sleeves since the whole Zs'Skayr thing. He did this cool water trick where he threw a man a beam into a lake and it cut down and made a giant explosion of water and sent the Circus Freaks flying.
Gwen: Wow...the one time I've had to leave Bellwood.
As she looked to her left, she saw Mr Baumann, Ben's neighbour. He worked at a shop in Bellwood that people often went to. Thing is, Ben often went to that shop...
Gwen: So...Mr Baumann seems the same, how many times have you wrecked his car since I was gone.
Ben and Lucy: Eleven.
Gwen: Okay, Ben, I'm not coming around often.
Ben: They weren't that bad.
Gwen: I'm doubting that. Hey, he's wearing a suit, what's he all dressed up for?
Ben: I dunno. Moving? Helping someone move?
Gwen: After 10 whole things in a couple of weeks? Would to. Hi, Mr Baumann!
Mr Baumann saw Gwen and waved back, he had an anxious look on his face and skittered across nervously the more he saw Ben.
Mr Baumann: Ahh, Gwen, nice to see you... I don't know why, but for the past few weeks, I thought I saw you without your freckles. I must've imagined.
Gwen peered at Lucy, who stared back...at her cheeks.
Gwen: Yeh, I sometimes forget I have them myself. So, what's with the suit?
Mr Baumann: Housewarming party at the old Collins house, keep Ben away and we're even for the accident a couple ago.
Gwen gave Lucy a harsher stare, Lucy smiled back. Then turned to Mr Baumann.
Lucy: Wait, the Collins house? I've heard that place is haunted.
Mr Baumann: Please, the Collins house isn't haunted, its public property usable to anyone, pick up a newspaper why don't you...
Mr Baumann sighed and began walking to it, as Gwen, Ben and Lucy all perched, all saw him walk over to it.
An hour or 2 later, the girls were still watching Ben play Football.
Ben: So, then I say to Jonesy, Checkmate!
Ben shoots and misses, and Gwen and Lucy hold back laughter.
Gwen: So...you miss completely and lose the ball?
Ben: No... not at all.
Ben runs to grab the ball, but suddenly, Gwen appears in front of him and kicks the ball, which Lucy grabs with her feet and kicks into the bowling pins, shapeshifting to do so.
Ben: Hey, cheating!
Ben reset the bowling pins, but as Gwen kicked the ball, Ben pulled out a man a shield.
Ben: Powers are allowed here?
Gwen: And who was complaining about them not letting you in because of powers?
Ben: Hey, I see someone bust out powers, I'm the same.
Gwen shrugs and transforms into Ball Weevil, she proceeds to make a ball and kick it, awkwardly with the tiny legs, into the bowling pins, it hits the mana shield Ben made and shatters through, but a shard from the shield ends up hurtling into Mr Baumann's car.
Ben saw Mr Baumann coming and gasped.
Ben: Maybe I can make the car invisible or something?
Gwen: You can do that?
Ben: No... I'm pinning this on you.
Gwen: Come on, I don't use magic, he knows that!
Mr Baumann walked up to the car and peered at it.
Ben: Mr Baumann, Gwen didn't do it on purpose, she's just been having a tough week and she'd like to apologize...but it was her fault.
He turned to face them, and they all backpedalled at his rage...which wasn't there. He looked a bit sleepy-eyed; one was open wide, other was close to shut.
Mr Baumann: that's all right Ben, I know you didn't mean to.
Ben: Oh...okay. So how was the party? Any drinks? Any girls?
Mr Baumann: Party? Oh yeah, loads of those, well... I'm heading inside, today is a scorcher, bright isn't it?
Ben: The sun set an hour ago...
Mr Baumann: Matter of fact, should probably hit the sack under all this heat. I'll see you all.
He walked inside, and the three looked on in bewilderment.
Ben: Ok, what in what?
Later, dead at the night, Ben woke up after hearing some noise and walked outside to see Mr Baumann standing in his respective yard, mana shard still engraved in his car window. Ben, confused, was preparing to ask him, but groggy and tired he slipped and fell, deciding against moving further, he slumped back to his bed.
The next day, he had told Gwen and Lucy about this.
Ben: It was weird, he was just, staring off into space.
Gwen: That was weird? I had one where I was fighting Vilgax and Hex, but Hex was using weird water abilities and suddenly Animo showed up on that mutant bird and Rojo ended up with Heat blast's leg.
Ben: No, but his eyes were closed, and I could tell he was
Lucy: Walking an invisible dog.
Ben: No... just stari- oh.
Right there was a man, walking down a street, a dog leash slagging behind. There were a whole lotta people like that, hallucinating actions. All the old guys. With their eyes half-closed.
Ben: What's going on?
Gwen: Pink eye epidemic?
Lucy: I'll be fine if it's a pink-eye epidemic, I can't catch a human virus.
Ben: The cold you had a few days before Gwen got back.
Lucy: The snorting? Oh, that's a developed thing.
Gwen: Guys, we gotta check on everyone here. They started like this since yesterday...
Lucy: At the Collins house.
Gwen: Uhh, yeh. Let's go see Grandpa Max.
A couple of minutes later and Grandpa looked inside the Collins' house, a couple of minutes later, he walked out with one eye closed just like the others.
Grandpa: It's all fine, no need to worry.
Ben: So, what was it about?
Grandpa: Something absolutely fine.
Grandpa walked off, freaking out the three.
Ben: Okay, it got Grandpa, whatever it is, it got Grandpa!
Gwen: Okay, I'm gonna go in there as Grey Matter...
Lucy: And risk being caught by whatever's going on.
Ben: Yeh... oh, Uhh, how's Cooper? He could whip up some techno thing to get inside.
Gwen: I dunno, he could be busy.
A couple later, back at Ben's, where Jonesy had made it, Cooper burst through the door, carrying a small, rectangular device a little later.
Lucy: What invention is that?
Ben: It's a US-
Cooper: Gwen, I got the thing done, I can help.
Gwen walks down the stairs; she just used the bathroom.
Gwen: Uhh, what thing?
Cooper: Y-you don't remember? Uhh, never mind. Where's your laptop?
Gwen pointed to a table, and after a bit, Cooper inserted the USB in, and the screen flickered to a dark place.
Cooper: Check it out, surveillance on the Collins house, using the...
Cooper posed dramatically.
Cooper: Surveillance Spider!
Ben: Man, your voice deepened quickly.
The Surveillance Spider scoured the place, and soon, a giant eye appeared in front of it. It was a cat... everyone screamed before they saw the cat, and they all breathed a sigh of relief, when they focused back on her laptop, the screen flickered on and off, and the Spider had lost its connection.
Cooper: Its last identified location was 1300 feet underground.
Gwen: 1300?
Ben: All right, we'll have to finally get to this ourselves?
Jonesy: On a school night? I mean, you know, Ben, I thought you'd like some time without adults, without teachers and
Ben: Dude, my dad and my Mom are gone, we do need to find our parents...and the other adults.
They walk inside the castle. And as Lucy shapeshifted out the form of furniture, to be sly or something, suddenly, a floorboard fell out beneath them, and they all began falling.
Lucy tried sticking to the rocks.
Ben: Gwen, Stink fly! Or someone who can help!
Gwen: I got it.
Gwen activates the Omnitrix and selects Stink fly, she slams down and gets Way big, everyone lands on her back and as she slides down, using the rocks to slow her fall, she comes to a stop and gets stuck.
Gwen: Ahh, Way Big is Way Too Big. Right?
One of them coughed awkwardly, probably Ben.
Jonesy: Hah.
She drops to the floor and transforms back to normal, everyone landing on her back as they get up and look around. Ben lights up the place with mana. A bunch of caves are seen.
Cooper: A load of... underground caves, like a system.
Ben: Who would've thought this'd be under Bellwood of all places?
???: Never thought I'd see you down here.
Ben: Is that?
From a shady corner walked out Kevin.
Kevin: So, Tennyson, what are you doing down here?
Ben: Huh, I could ask you the same thing, didn't you have to stay in the Null Void after that whole thing?
Gwen: What whole thing?
Ben: Ahh right, you weren't there.
Kevin: If you really wanna know, I met a guy named J Collins, hitched a ride with him to get out. In return, I'm mining Hedorium for him.
Ben: What's stopping you from leaving?
Kevin: Behind me, doofus.
Kevin was linked to a cable, going through a red portal to the Null Void.
Kevin: I can only get so far away. Before this pulls me back, but you guys.
Ben: Something with this house, adults, getting them back. Hopefully before 10. We'll see ya.
Ben turns around and begins walking off.
Kevin: Hey, let me out of here!
He turns around, and stares at Kevin, so does Gwen and the rest?
Ben: And why?
Kevin: I can help, you know what I can do!
Ben: Yep, absorb someone's power and have the freakout of the century.
Gwen: Come on, Ben.
Ben: All right, Gwen, Coops, watch him. Lucy, Elena, Jonesy, with me...
Gwen turned to see Kevin and she sighed.
Gwen: You gotta promise you won't try to kill me if we get you out of there.
Kevin: Never wanted to hurt you.
Gwen blushed for a moment before activating her Omnitrix.
Gwen: What are we thinking Cooper?
Cooper: Easy, I still need to see what's going on with that portal. If it's self-sustaining there may be a way to use that to our advantage.
Gwen stepped back and pressed the button on the Omnitrix again, lowering the Core. We then cut to the others going down the cave, Elena dragging her hand across the walls of the cave.
Elena: this stuff is weirdly stable, compared to how much mining seems to have gone on.
Jonesy: I'm going to be honest. I completely forgot you were here.
Ben: larger cast than usual today I suppose.
Jonesy: Sometimes I even wonder why I hang out with you guys. Nothing going on today is normal.
Lucy: What, you already know about Ben's magic, that I'm an alien and Elena's infected with those nano chips.
Jonesy: but this is just... well I guess after meeting those guys from that other universe this is pretty normal.
The four leaped down a small ditch with Elena carrying Jonesy down.
Jonesy: You know I can carry myself down, right?
Elena: I'm sure of it. But no harm in being safe.
The group came across a part of the cave where the way through had shrunk, now creating walls they could hide behind, something they were going to need as soon as Lucy called out that she could hear something. The rest of the group looked forward to seeing Max holding his blaster, one eye still squinting.
Max: Hello children.
Ben: Grandpa Uhh...why do you have a blaster.
Jonesy: This is one of the only times I mind your grandpa being cool.
Lucy: Hold on, something's wrong here.
Max: There's nothing wrong children.
Max's fingers tensed on the trigger.
Max: Nothing at all.
He fires, and Ben dives, instinctively putting up a shield as Lucy bobs and weaves in sludge form, throwing herself towards Max while Elena leaps with Jonesy out the way.
Ben: Grandpa, it's Ben, Lucy and Jonesy. This is the Hedorium isn't it? You've been Hedorised!
Lucy: I doubt that.
Max: That's nice.
We cut back to Gwen, Cooper and Kevin.
Kevin: So, you and Gwen. Did you get a connection? Anything like that?
Gwen: Oh, lay off him, Kevin.
Cooper: We don't, "have a connection."
Kevin: Ahh, so would I be able to take her off?
Cooper: Haven't you tried wiping her out?
Kevin: You know, the past was the past... besides, doughy nerds lose to guys like me.
Gwen: Kevin, come on man.
Kevin: What? Just speaking to the truth.
Gwen rolled her eyes and walked off to take a breather.
Kevin: See, emotional reaction.
Cooper: Uh-huh. Bravo Kev... but how did you do tha-
The fight between Ben's group and Max carried on as Max shot at Ben, only for it to be Lucy as with one good man a blast, Max Was toppled over and sent down.
Back with Cooper and Kevin. The former pulled on the cable and fell over. The latter looked down on him.
Kevin: What, do you need gloves so that your precious mittens don't burn?
Cooper: My hands? They'll be fine. Look, I can't disconnect you and the gateway,
Kevin: Gateway?
Cooper: But I should be able to make it mobile.
Kevin: Ahh, nice. It would move with me. Sure, better than nothing.
Cooper: If I can reroute the connection to the Null Void through the cable to be different? Then you can be as nimble as ever while not being completely free.
Kevin: You still don't trust me fully?
Kevin raised an eyebrow while crossing his arms.
Cooper: Let's just say...your reputation surrounds you.
Kevin shrugged and after Cooper pressed some buttons on the device on Kevin's chest, Kevin was unable to move.
Kevin: So... I'm not moving.
Cooper: I'm not done. You need a burst of energy for it to work.
Then, they saw a flash of light, Gwen as the alien Eye Gal, shooting energy at the Portal.
Eye Gal: Sorry, wanted Frankenstrike, but this thing was being this thing.
Kevin could thankfully move.
Kevin: All right, finally.
The three began moving.
Back with Ben's group, they were all walking around when there was a noise. Something mechanical.
Jonesy: Anyone else hear that?
Lucy: Nope, nothing. Nada, none at all.
Jonesy: Uhh?
Lucy: We hear it, we're kidding.
Elena: Maybe it's a machine?
Ben: Or whatever's making the adults go all shut-eyed.
As they turn the corner, they run into Gwen, Kevin and Cooper.
Ben: Wait? Is he still?
Cooper: He moves, but he's still stuck. One throw from Four Arms and he's back in there if he tries anything.
Ben: Cool. Why is Gwen Eye Gal?
Cooper: Science thing.
They all turned towards the next cave. Walking towards it to reveal something big.
All the adults could be seen mining away with shovels, tossing Hedorium into a fire where it would grow as a purple gateway.
Cooper: No way.
He ran a couple of steps closer to take a look, small bubbles of excitement building.
Cooper: An open transmat portal!
The others looked on.
Ben: Oh, yeah. No way, love those. Saw one while fighting Dr Amino last week, he really put it to work... yeh.
Cooper: A wormhole linking two points in the universe together by Trans-Mat connection. That's something Dr Animo would do?
Ben: Mhm.
Cooper: A portal you can send things in and out from?
Ben: Maybe it was Hex.
Gwen: Does it matter? We just need to stop it.
There was a flight of stairs up to a machine puffing some kind of smoke, feet trod on it as everyone began making their way upwards as quickly as possible, as Gwen turned back to human. Stopped as a man in a large, vampire-like suit stood over them.
Gwen: And you must be Good Old Collins.
Ben: Or in more accurate words, Grand Old Collins.
Collins: We meet again, Tennyson.
Gwen or Ben: Again?
Ben: I don't remember "Man in Tie" in my rogue's gallery.
Gwen: Our, rogues gallery? But what he said.
Collins: Well not in this form, you will.
With that, he began changing. Their limbs grew slightly thinner, head turning as bones cracked leaving him in slight pain.
Gwen: Zs'Skayr!
Ben: Human bodies don't work like that man.
Gwen: Wait...Kevin, you've been working for Zs'Skayr?
Kevin: You think on purpose? He creeps me out, why do you think I never used his power?
Zs'Skayr: I've had to steal this body after what Ben did.
Ben: It was a long story, but we met him after you went with the Saturdays.
Zs'Skayr: He weakened me, to my final breath. But as I fell underground, I found a stack of Hedorium, powering me. Strengthening me. And I knew, I could be returned to full vitality, but I needed help, so I had my own kind come back. So that I could come back, and my kind could have a new home.
Ironically, the only one not listening was Gwen. Who felt a deep itch bubbling up in her arm.
Zs'Skayr: So, Tennyson.
Gwen: Hmm? What?
Zs'Skayr: How will you stop me?
Ben: Hey, that fog coming out? That's coming up to the surface.
Zs'Skayr: I'm well aware Tennyson. As it travels to the surface of your lovely planet. It will trap it in darkness, covering it in a shadow, in the name of Ectonurite!
Ben: Woah, awesome name. Who made that?
Gwen: Huh, you are admitting defeat in the naming game, never expected that.
Ben: It's not admitting defeat.
Jonesy: Guys?
They all looked down to see all the adults mount as an army, ascending the stairs.
Ben: Those are twenty- to sixty-year-old adults, what's Ectonurite in it?
Elena: Creepily, possessed adults.
Cooper: That's what the trans-mat portal is for, to bring them from their world.
Ectonurite flew out of the Portal in groups, swimming through the air in tight circles intimidatingly.
Jonesy: Guys, this might be my last hurrah.
Lucy: Come on, Jonesy we'll be fine.
Jonesy: No, I mean, I am not going anywhere with you, I'm a sit-at-home. And chill. TV and chill, that is all after this.
Lucy: Sure, let's just break through this first.
Ben: Which means...
He gave Gwen a look when she had already activated the dial, and she sighed, before bursting energetically into a pose where she was about to slam down on the Omnitrix.
Gwen: It's hero time!
And she slammed down. Transforming into Upgrade.
Gwen: Happy?
Ben: Satisfied...
Gwen: I'm going to figure out how to shut down the machine. You kick their butt.
Upgrade leapt towards the machine as Ben sent all the adults back. Zs'Skayr broke out the body and rushed at Gwen, sending her back.
Zs'Skayr: Well, isn't this something...
Upgrade tackled Zs'Skayr and by stretching her Galvanic Mechamorph arms, sent him flying back. Zs'Skayr grits his teeth and laughed as she shot a laser which went right through his phasing body.
Zs'Skayr: Don't be afraid of the dark now...
Gwen: You hiss like a cat at the slightest of light, hypocrite
Ben watched as Mr Baumann and Grandpa Max made vain efforts to break through the shield she put up.
Ben: Cooper, shut down the trans-mat portal. I'm pretty sure I have a spell for this. Hey, Gwen, change of plan. I'll shut it down!
Gwen nodded as Zs'Skayr with his claw-like nails cut her into pieces, her dropping to the floor in a lack of mass as a puddle.
In the mask, Ben looked for a spell, he found one and got ready to use it.
Cooper: Oh, hey, you understand the littlest of science terms. Great, now I can start teaching you about extrapolation.
He cheerily grinned at Ben, who under the mask smiled back.
Cooper: Sever the connection, uninvited guests will be pulled back to their home.
Lucy: So, it's our job to keep them off you.
Jonesy: Of course, it is.
Cooper jumped over the shield and over the horde, Lucy leaping over to as Cooper landed with a tuck and roll while Lucy shot down a couple of adults who tried catching him. He shot off towards the Portal while Lucy fended him off.
Jonesy: Well, here we go again.
He ran into the fray. Ben turned to Kevin.
Ben: Kevin, we're not saying be a hero, probably not you. But stick in a hand once in a whi-
Kevin: I got it, I got it.
He ran down towards them.
Cooper: Shut off the Hedorium collider, someone!
Kevin was swinging the Null Void Gateway on the cable. Ben was casting a spell while Jonesy and Cooper fended off the adults with a stick and Elena's and Lucy's assistance. Gwen dropped by the Surveillance Spider.
Jonesy: I think I have the collider.
He dove forward for a shovel, picked it up and accidentally hitting an adult.
Jonesy: Sorry, Mr RIZEA!?
He ran towards it.
Gwen: Ooh, what do we have here?
She wrapped around it, upgrading it and enlarging it to be better.
And as Zs'Skayr flew down to her, he was blasted back up by a mechanical spider donning pink and black technological patterns scaling the wall.
Gwen: And then she said, "Let there be light!"
Bathing Zs'Skayr in pink lights as he screamed.
As they edged close to Ben, he finished casting it.
Ben: Homolius Ectorus!
He shot out a beam which hit all the adults, sending other ectonurite out of the bodies and reeling as they changed at the group.
Ben: Coops?
Cooper connected two wires in a panel on the machine. Just as Jonesy picked up a shovel and jammed it into the machine with a well-earned grunt. It was stuck until electricity flashed, sending it flying out as it hit a rock on the ceiling. The rock fell out and onto the machine, resulting in a massive, purple explosion as it erupted into Flames.
Elena: Nice work, Jonesy.
Jonesy smiled back. At awe of his work. At that same time, Cooper connected two fried wires. Which caused all the ectonurite to be sucked into the Portal.
Cooper: Hey Kevin, who's cool now?!
Kevin rolled his eyes, slightly impressed.
Jonesy: Back from where you came and stay off my planet!
Zs'Skayr held on to the Portal ridges to say one last thing, desperate to make it.
Zs'Skayr: This isn't over, I'm back and at full power, I will and can return.
Gwen turned back to the human and landed down. Smiling confidently.
Gwen: Why don't you come out and face me like a human when you do?
He yelled in anger and anguish, falling into the portal with all the other ectonurite. The Portal closed.
The gang celebrated. But as the effects of J. Collins wore off from Earth, the cable began to tug Kevin back. Ben shot out a man a rope but was only pulled along. Gwen and the others caught on.
Cooper: Lemme get to him, I might be able to disconnect the-
Ben's hand slipped from Levin's foot. He rocketed back into the Null Void, his yell filled with fear, and the gateway closed. Ben and Gwen fell to the Earth, as the adults woke up. With them having their free will back, they all cheered.
Ben: Yep, no prob. My team got it.
They all waved back. Gwen had a heavy heart after losing Kevin. And even after making sure none of them knew anything. And as she was sitting down on the pavement, Ben walked up to her.
Ben: Careful, you'll get pink eye.
Gwen stayed silent.
Ben: There's no way you could possibly blame yourself for this. Kevin was gonna fly back, either way, I'm the one that let go of him.
Gwen: I still should've done something to deal with him, Zs'Skayr is my responsibility.
Ben: Don't even, you sound too similar to this new comic I've started reading. And besides. You did what you have to, if you're gonna start talking about responsibility. Then be proud for once. You're not screwing up every time you know.
Elena walked behind Ben.
Elena: Ben's right. Everyone's parents, teachers, emergency services and others are totally thankful to you. And I know that that one thing will get to you. Because it's you.
Ben: So... just know you did well. And have one on me.
Gwen looked at what Ben was holding.
Gwen: Is that...a
Ben: Strawberry smoothie.
Gwen took a sip, it was good.
Ben: Come on, Max is making food, and This'll help wash it down.
He and Elena ran off, Gwen chasing after them.
Gwen: Ben likes smoothies... I missed a lot.