That HoE Over There

That HoE Over There is the sixth episode of Project Deca. It serves as a tribute episode to Ben 10: Heroes of Evolution, the Featured Series for 2014.

Episode


"This city is a city of devils."

The cloaked man's face was not visible as he spoke, giving him an air of the unknown.

"Man fights man." He continued. "Man kills man. They claim to have their reasons, but in the real world, there are no excuses; no quarter for sinners. Those whose hearts have been blackened become the devils of the world, and I, in turn, became the man who sees their evil deeds. The man who watches. I am...Devil Watcher."

There was a brief pause.

"Sir, this is a Starbucks." The thoroughly-unimpressed employee behind the counter stated flatly.

"I- yes, I know that." The cloaked man grumbled, mildly flustered. "Just- just write 'Devil Watcher' on the cup, it'll be important later."

"Whatever you say, sir."

Ubermensch walked down the hallways of his fleet's flagship, adjusting several settings on his helmet. Terox hovered in the air alongside him, thoroughly enjoying the act of being a nuisance.

"Once you're done messing with your piehole shield, you gonna go out and actually do something about your alternate self, or you just gonna sit around like usual?" Terox prodded.

"I have better things to do." Ubermensch stated flatly.

"So you're really just gonna let the guy live, huh?" Terox laughed.

"It would be a waste of time to kill a dead man." Ubermensch replied. "That being said, if he poses a significant enough threat before he dies, I'll finish him off myself."

"You sure about that?" A voice came from behind the two.

Ubermensch and Terox turned to find Millennia behind the counter of a small stand she had set up, with plates of various baked goods set out for sale.

"What are you doing here?" Ubermensch scowled.

"Makin' bank." Millennia replied cheerfully. "We may not have a contract going, but let me tell you, nobody buys up traditional pastries like homesick soldiers."

"You have a lot of nerve showing up uninvited to peddle your wares."

"Geez, someone's cranky." Millennia held out a cookie covered in powdered sugar. "Here, try one of these. They're called pfeffernüsse, I think."

"I know what they are." Ubermensch said. "My mother used to make them around Christmas before the war started."

"Your mother?" Millennia looked confused. "Wait, so you have your memories?"

"Of course I do." Ubermensch replied. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Attai doesn't." Millennia shrugged.

"Oh, the incomplete one." Ubermensch tsked. "If his brain wasn't completely put together, I suppose that makes sense. He likely still has those memories, but isn't able to access them."

"So if his brain got put back together he could?"

"Potentially, although I doubt it would be a good idea." Ubermensch said. "Without a careful touch during the procedure, it's possible he would also gain the memories of the two other subjects that went into Project Deca."

"Now there's an interesting concept." Terox muttered to himself.

Ubermensch shot Terox a questioning look before turning back to Millennia.

"At any rate, I'm going to ask you to leave." Ubermensch grunted. "You're not welcome here."

"Gonna use me and ditch me, huh?" Millennia sighed. "Man, what a bunch of Nazis."

"You do realize that insult doesn't work when you're saying it to actual Nazis."

"I'm not a Nazi, I'm just a psychopath." Terox interjected.

"Not relevant."

"But more constructive than your input." Millennia snapped her fingers, causing her stand to vanish in a pink flash. "Just let it be known that I'll be leaving you a terrible service review."

"Do what you want as long as it's not here." Ubermensch growled.

"Alright, I'll be leaving then." Millennia turned to walk away, but paused for a moment to look back at Ubermensch. "Oh, one last piece of advice."

"What is it?" Ubermensch impatiently.

"If you try to kill Attai, I'm going to turn that soulless husk you call a body into a corpse, okay?" Millennia flashed him a dissonantly sweet grin. "Bye now~!"

Millennia disappeared in another pink flash, leaving behind a thoroughly confused Ubermensch and a thoroughly amused Terox.

Rain poured down on the roads of Bellwood, giving the town's night air the scent of petrichor. Blue and red lights flashed and sirens wailed as a lone police car drove through the suburbs, splashing through long-neglected potholes that had turned into rather impressive puddles.

The car eventually pulled to the side of the road in front of an apartment complex, where several other police vehicles were already waiting for it. Police tape was set up around the entrance to one of the apartments, out of which emerged a man somewhere in his late twenties wearing the uniform of the precinct's detectives.

The door of the newly-arrived car opened, allowing a middle-aged man wearing the garb of the force's captain to step out of the vehicle. He walked over to the detective, nodding an acknowledgment to the other officers at the scene as he passed them.

"So, what are we looking at here, detective?" The captain asked.

"Captain Rozum, sir." The detective gave a quick salute. "We're not quite sure what to make of the scene at the moment. More importantly, why are you out here yourself?"

"The officer who reported in had suspicions this might be an alien-related crime." Rozum said. "If that's true, I'll need to call in Tennyson."

"That kid again?" The detective's expression soured. "Why do we have to keep relying on him for these things?"

"Because he can take on a super-powered freak of nature and we can't."

"Only because he turns into one himself." The detective grumbled.

"And by that logic, I suppose you have a problem carrying a gun because criminals have them too." Rozum said sarcastically. "Stop whining so we can get to the crime scene already."

Rozum and the detective entered the apartment, putting on vinyl examination gloves to avoid contaminating the scene. When they got inside, they were greeted by a spotless apartment with nothing out of place; in fact, it would have seemed perfectly normal if it weren't for the pile of flesh-colored cubes lying in the far left corner of the dining room.

Rozum and the detective shared a questioning look before approaching the pile. Rozum leaned down and picked one up, squeezing it a bit to check its consistency before placing it in a plastic evidence bag.

"Can't say for sure what this is, but I've got a hell of a hunch." Rozum handed the bag to the detective. "Make sure this gets to the lab. I've got a sneaking suspicion this is what's left of our missing person."

"Are you suggesting this man was bloodlessly diced without even putting up a struggle?" The detective said, gesturing to the cleanliness of the room. "Even with alien abilities taken into account, that seems farfetched."

"Like I said, it's a hunch." Rozum stated. "The lab results will tell us whether I'm right or not. For now, keep searching to see if there's anything out of place. I'm gonna head back to the station and check if this guy had any shady business he might've been involved in. Something this absurd screams illicit dealings."

"Got it."

Rozum exited the apartment, leaving the detective there by himself. He began searching through drawers and cabinets to see if there was anything hidden away, but only found fairly standard household items and some inappropriate magazines. He was about to give up searching when he spotted a scrap of paper stuffed into one of the legs of the dining room table.

"What the hell..." The detective carefully removed the piece of paper and flattened it out to read. "What is this?"

'The devil has paid his dues.' The paper read. '71 19 11 83 47 41 2 43 83 23 71 19 71 83 47 71 2 23 37 67 31 43 47 83 67 71 19 11 43 2 41 11 97 47 73 41 73 67 71 67 11 11 31. The Number Game has begun.'

"...You gotta be shittin' me."

Early the next morning, the police station was abuzz with activity processing paperwork for the new case. The detective made his way through the bustling halls into Captain Rozum's office, where his superior was waiting for him with a large folder.

"Detective Blake, you're in a bit late." Rozum chided.

"Sorry about that, Captain." Blake replied. "Stoplight's out on 45th and there are a bunch of service trucks heading to that hotel on 73rd. Made the traffic getting here a real mess."

"I can imagine." Rozum sighed, placing a stack of papers onto his desk. "We got the results back from the lab. I was right about those cubes being the remains of our victim."

"Seriously?" Blake's brow furrowed. "Anything else?"

"The victim's reported name was Jared Charleson, but as it turns out, that was a fake identity he assumed to get away from the cops." Rozum said. "His real name is Daniel Connors, the main suspect in a murder case that went cold a few years back."

"'The devil has paid his dues'..." Blake muttered. "Great, so we're dealing with some sort of alien vigilante, then."

"That's the working theory." Rozum confirmed. "I'm having detectives check up on the families of his victims to see if they know anything about it."

"Got it." Blake nodded. "I'll head out right away, then."

"Not so fast, I've got a different assignment for you." Rozum interjected. "I want you to look into that note you found at the apartment last night."

"Captain, the murderer's obviously just trying to toy with us." Blake protested.

"I'm aware." Rozum said. "Every once in a while we get these copycat types who think because Jack the Ripper or the Zodiac Killer got away with taunting police, they won't have any problems with it when they try to act like hot shit. Most of the time they end up finding out why those cases are an exception rather than the rule."

"Good point." Blake tsked, scratching the back of his neck. "I know we can't expect these people to act like civilized human beings, but could they at least act like adults?"

"I get the feeling I'll be asking you the same question in a second."

"What?"

Rozum gestured behind Blake, prompting him to turn around. Standing in the doorway, arms folded and leaning against the frame, was Ben Tennyson.

"Captain called me this morning and said you'd need a safety buddy." Ben smirked.

"You can't be serious." Blake snapped, turning back to Rozum. "You want me to take him along?!"

"Since this is an alien case, you're liable to run into something your gun might not work on." Rozum explained. "I requested that Tennyson act as backup in the event that happens."

"I refuse to work with this-this child!" Blake slammed his fist on Rozum's desk. "He's a smug brat who doesn't know the first thing about police work!"

"Hey, this isn't my first time working with you guys." Ben protested.

"That's why I know you're not qualified!" Blake hissed. "With all due respect, Captain, this is a terrible idea!"

"Tennyson isn't there to do any police work, so his qualifications for it don't matter." Rozum said impatiently. "The investigation is your job. He's just there to make sure you don't end up in a coffin by the end of all this. Stop whining and start taking your job more seriously. You're a detective. Your badge should come before any petty squabbles."

"...Understood." Blake hung his head in defeat.

Blake turned and walked out of the room with Ben in tow. Both of them kept silent as they exited the building and got into Blake's squad car, with Blake driving and Ben taking shotgun.

"Alright, let's get one thing straight here, Tennyson." Blake said as soon as they closed their doors. "You do anything to hinder this investigation and I'm dropping you off in a lake. Got it?"

"Just chill out, dude." Ben replied. "I haven't gotten in the way of a case before. What's your problem?"

"My problem is that we do all the hard work tracking down perps, and right at the last second, you swoop in with some alien freakshow and take out the criminal yourself." Blake snapped. "And guess who gets all the credit for the takedown then?"

"That's not my fault." Ben argued. "I don't care who gets the credit, I just step in when something's too much for the police to handle."

"And who gets to decide when that is? You?" Blake scoffed. "Look, forget it. Chief wants me working with you, I'll work with you, but just know I'm not happy about it."

"Gee, couldn't have guessed." Ben grumbled. "That aside, where are we going?"

"Dunno if the captain told you, but the killer left behind a note with a bunch of numbers on it." Blake said, starting up the card. "Turned out to be a prime numbers cipher that translated out to 'the woman with two tails knows the name you must seek'. Real pretentious shit."

"And you figured out where to go from that?" Ben asked, confused.

"More or less." Blake grunted. "There's a reason I'm a detective and you're not."

Blake's car pulled up in front of a Starbucks on the outskirts of downtown. He and Ben got out of the car, with Ben looked around confusedly.

"This is the closest Starbucks to the scene of the crime." Blake explained, noticing Ben's befuddlement. "Only makes sense to check here first."

"But why are we checking Starbucks specifically?" Ben asked. "This some kind of brand deal?"

"No, Starbucks is overpriced garbage." Blake grumbled. "You tell me what else 'the woman with two tails' is supposed to be talking about."

"I don't get how that relates to coffee."

"The Starbucks logo is a mermaid with two tails." Blake explained. "Pay attention."

"Wait, it is?" Ben looked up at the logo as Blake walked into the shop. "Man, I don't get minimalism."

Blake walked up to the counter, where he was greeted by the flat stare of the barista.

"So, what's your order?" The barista asked.

"One steaming-hot mug of justice!" Ben exclaimed, stepping up next to Blake.

"Tennyson, I swear to God." Blake snapped, then pulled out his badge. "Bellwood PD. We're here on an investigation."

"So...no coffee?" The barista raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry ma'am, but this is a bit more important than your overdressed energy shots." Blake put his badge away. "We're here on the trail of a murder suspect. Have you noticed any strange customers passing through here today?"

"You mean stranger than usual?" The barista replied flatly. "Yeah, I guess. There was this one guy who called himself 'Devil Watcher' or something. He taped a note to the underside of his table when he thought I wasn't looking."

"Devil Watcher, huh?" Blake tsked. "Clearly we're not dealing with a master of subtlety here."

"What did he look like?" Ben asked.

"Couldn't see his face." The barista shrugged. "The guy was wearing a black cloak that covered everything. Looked kinda like a cheap ghost costume if we're being honest."

"Right." Blake huffed. "Do you still have the note?"

"It's still there." The barista pointed to a table in a corner near the windows. "Boss hasn't noticed it yet and I can't be bothered to grab it."

"Your laziness is excused on the grounds of making things more convenient for us." Blake said.

Blake and Ben walked over to the table in the corner. Blake pulled out a pair of plastic gloves and put them on before grabbing the note.

"You always carry those around with you?" Ben asked.

"When I'm on an investigation." Blake explained. "Don't need my own fingerprints screwing up any evidence."

"Oh, okay." Ben nodded. "That makes more sense than what I was thinking."

"What were you thinking?" Blake raised a suspicious eyebrow.

"Something along the lines of an impromptu bake sale."

"Good Lord." Blake rolled his eyes, then began reading the note.

'H and 2-0 is your next stop.' Was written on the note in sloppy handwriting. 'Dock your 10-4 to find the way on top.'

"Wow, that makes absolutely zero sense." Ben remarked, reading the note over Blake's shoulder. "You got any ideas?"

"The first part obviously means this has something to do with water." Blake said. "No idea what the other half is supposed to mean."

"'Dock your 10-4'..." Ben mused. "Come to think of it, aren't those old docks at the end corners of 10th and 4th streets?"

"I'd hate to think he picked something that obvious, but then again, this is apparently a guy calling himself 'Devil Watcher'." Blake huffed, placing the note in a plastic evidence bag he pulled out of his coat. "Let's head out."

Ben and Blake arrived at the docks in short fashion and began making their way through the area, finding themselves surrounded by large, abandoned warehouses.

"Abandoned warehouse district." Blake grumbled. "Always a good sign."

"Why are there so many of these things anyway?" Ben asked, examining his surroundings. "Is there some real estate mogul who goes around building warehouses and then never selling them?"

"Good theory, but it's the result of a recession." Blake rolled his eyes. "This dock stopped being used for shipping about thirty years ago. The city keeps saying they'll do something with it, but God forbid they actually get off their asses to do it."

"Yeah, I guess that makes more sense." Ben said. "Do you know which warehouse the guy's hiding in?"

"I doubt he's even here." Blake replied. "This is probably just a setup for us to find another note."

"Hey, do you hear something?" Ben asked.

A forklift suddenly came barreling around a corner and shot straight at the two, moving faster than a forklift should reasonably be allowed to move. Ben pulled up the Omnitrix and transformed into Armodrillo, stopping the forklift in its tracks and drilling a hole in its engine.

"Tennyson, if you get us in trouble for destruction of property, I swear to God-" Blake snapped.

"Whose property?" Armodrillo fired back. "Nobody's here!"

"Well, what about the guy driving the-" Blake cut himself off as he spotted the forklift's cab. "...Hoo boy."

"What?" Armodrillo bent down to look inside the cab, finding that there was nobody inside. "Oh, that's not good."

The dock filled with the sound of engines starting up as a veritable army of old forklifts began swarming the two, swerving around corners at such high speeds that some of them toppled over.

"The hell is going on here?!" Blake pulled out his gun and began firing at the forklifts' tires, sending a few of them crashing into each other.

"Probably an alien with technology-controlling powers." Armodrillo said, slamming his arms into the ground. "This was a trap!"

"Figures." Blake spat.

Armodrillo started up the pumps on his arms, creating an earthquake that wreaked havoc on a sizable portion of the forklifts, knocking over some and sending the others crashing into either each other or the walls of nearby warehouses. Despite this small victory, more forklifts quickly swarmed in to take their place.

"Where the hell did this guy get so many god damn forklifts?!" Blake yelled furiously.

"If this keeps up, we're forked!" Armodrillo said.

"If we survive this, I'm going to kill you for that pun myself!"

The forklifts were closing in despite Armodrillo's best efforts to wreck them, swarming forward faster than he could destroy the attacking vehicles. Right as several were about to break through his defense, black tendrils shot towards them from behind, grabbing a hold of their dashboards. Almost immediately, the forklifts being held onto turned on the other machines, using their forks to upend them as they rushed forward.

"Tennyson, are you doing that?" Blake demanded.

"Does it look like I'm doing it?!" Armodrillo snapped. "I don't know what's going on either!"

The tendrils began jumping from forklift to forklift, hanging on to each one long enough to crash them into another forklift before moving on to the next. Before long, the crowd of forklifts had been cleared out entirely, with multiple tendrils wrapping around the last remaining vehicle and throwing it into the air, causing it to crash to the ground and break apart on impact. The tendrils retracted, and after a few seconds, a black-shelled humanoid alien climbed over the pile of wrecked machines, revealing himself to Armodrillo and Blake.

"Don't move!" Blake pointed his gun at the approaching alien. "You're going to tell us what just happened here!"

The alien stared at Blake flatly for a moment before replying.

"I was trying to find Tennyson and he was getting attacked by forklifts because God hates me." The alien replied, sounding almost bored. "Don't know anything beyond that."

"Wait, so you're not the one who was controlling those things?" Armodrillo asked, reverting back to human.

"Obviously." The alien tsked. "I'm sure you saw, but my ability to hijack vehicles is a bit more limited than that."

"So who are you, then?" Blake asked, keeping his gun level. "Some sort of hired assassin?"

"Are you stupid?" The alien rolled its eyes and summoned a scan gun, reverting to human and revealing Attai, who had blood running down from one of his eyes. "The name's Attai Zehn. I'm here to do my job."

Attai spent a few minutes explaining himself in an exasperated manner.

"A 'Timewalker', huh?" Blake raised an eyebrow. "And you expect me to believe that?"

"I do." Ben said. "I've met Paradox, and if this guy does stuff for him, he's gotta be at least a little bit trustworthy."

"Assuming he's not lying." Blake pointed out.

"Damn, you've caught me in my grand plan to trick you into thinking I know a guy you don't know about." Attai scoffed. "Who are you supposed to be, anyway? Tennyson's annoying sidekick?"

"Wha-I'm a police detective!" Blake snapped. "If anything, Tennyson is my sidekick!"

"Bodyguard." Ben corrected.

"Shut it!"

"Whatever." Attai tsked. "Either way, I need to scan Ben catching some guy called 'Devil Watcher'. You have any idea who that is?"

"That's who we're tracking down right now." Blake grumbled. "And for your information, it's my job to catch the guy. Not his."

"Good for you." Attai said dismissively. "I just want to get this over with."

"Well, we're probably looking for a note Devil Watcher left around here." Ben said. "You see anything like that?"

"I did find this piece of paper on one of the forklifts on my way over." Attai pulled out a small sticky note. "Don't know what it means, though."

Blake snatched the note from Attai's hand and read through it, giving Attai a strange look.

"It's just an address." Blake said. "What do you mean you don't know what it means?"

"I don't know how addresses work." Attai replied.

Blake gave Attai an incredulous stare for a few seconds before turning away and pocketing the note.

"This day is not doing my blood pressure any favors." Blake grumbled. "Come on, Tennyson, let's head to the next place."

"Hang on a second." Ben said, pointing to the bottom of a flipped-over forklift nearby. "What's that?"

Blake walked over to the forklift and spotted a small, circular device blinking red near the forklift's engine. He carefully pried the device from the machine and began looking it over.

"No idea." Blake tsked. "Probably alien tech, if I had to guess."

"Alien tech, huh?" Ben said. "Before we head to the next address, I think there's someone we should talk to first."

Blake's car pulled up in front of a Mr. Smoothy, with Attai riding the DecaCycle shortly behind. Waiting for them were Kevin and Gwen, who were seated at a table out front. Ben and Blake got out of the car as Attai hopped off his motorcycle, causing it to dissipate.

"So, Ben, who're your new friends?" Kevin asked, raising an eyebrow as they approached.

"I'm Detective Blake from the Bellwood police department." Blake flashed his badge. "Tennyson here says you know your way around alien tech."

"And who's tall, pale, and moody over there?" Kevin gestured to Attai, who was observing the situation with an unimpressed expression.

"He says his name is Attai Zehn or something." Ben shrugged. "He's just tagging along, I guess."

"Right..." Kevin said. "So, what's the tech you need to know about?"

"Actually, there are a couple of things I needed to ask." Blake dug around in one of his coat pockets and pulled out a photo of the last night's crime scene. "Firstly, you know of anything that could do that to a person?"

"Looks like the work of a Servean Dicer." Kevin said, looking at the photo. "They're tools that create an energy grid used for cubing meat without making a mess. Normally they have a safety lock that keeps them from working on anything moving, so either this guy killed the victim before using the Dicer on him, or he somehow bypassed the safety."

"Considering how we just got attacked by a bunch of forklifts at those abandoned docks, I think we're looking at someone who can bypass a thing or two." Ben said.

"You what?" Gwen raised an eyebrow.

Blake put away the photo and pulled one of the circular modules out of a different pocket.

"Every vehicle had one of these placed near the engines." Blake explained. "No drivers."

"That's an RC Bug." Kevin identified the object. "You put it on any machine and it gives you remote control over it. Pretty pricy tech. Whoever you're looking for must have a boatload of money on their hands."

"But why use it on a bunch of forklifts?" Ben asked.

"Probably to blend in with the area." Gwen speculated. "Abandoned forklifts on a former shipping pier wouldn't raise too much suspicion."

"Seems like a whole lot of trouble for a whole lot of nothing." Attai grunted. "It feels like this guy doesn't really know what he's doing."

"Either that or he's trying to slow us down with some attention-grabbing gimmicks." Blake posited.

"What do you mean?" Ben asked.

"Nothing about a trap consisting of dozens of forklifts using expensive alien tech screams 'practical' to me, but it sure does scream 'distracting'." Blake explained. "This whole 'Number Game' he set up might just be trying to slow down the investigation."

"Number Game?" Kevin asked.

"This guy keeps leaving behind notes with numbers on them telling us where to go next." Ben elaborated.

"But if the suspect hadn't left behind any notes, you wouldn't be on his trail like this in the first place." Gwen pointed out. "What's the point of giving the police a lead when you don't need to?"

"If he was smart, this would all be an elaborate wild goose chase." Blake said. "That being said, it seems like we're dealing with an obsessive. People like this value theatrics more than common sense."

"You mean like Ben?" Kevin said.

"Exactly."

"Hey!" Ben protested.

"At any rate, we have the address for the next location." Blake said. "Must've gotten lazy since he didn't even put a twist on it. We need to head out ASAP."

"We should bring Gwen and Kevin with us." Ben said. "Just in case we run into something we can't handle again."

"I..." Blake pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Fine, but they'll have to ride in the back."

"Wouldn't be the first time I've been in the back of a police car." Kevin quipped, prompting a suspicious glare from Blake. "What can I say? I'm a classic 'bad boy'."

"Oh please, you're an edgy teddy bear." Gwen elbowed him playfully.

"I stopped listening after 'edgy'."

Blake's car and Attai's motorcycle pulled up in front of an empty building with a long-neglected 'For Sale' sign sticking out of the ground in front of it. Attai dismounted his bike and walked over to the side of the squad car, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Alright, I'm going to get in trouble if civilians get hurt, so you people make sure to cover your asses." Blake said as his group exited the car.

"We're actually not civilians, technically speaking." Gwen pointed out. "We're Plumber officers."

"Oh yeah, the space police." Blake grumbled. "Why doesn't this kind of thing fall under their jurisdiction?"

"It does." Kevin said. "Did you think we tagged along for funsies?"

"Should've guessed." Blake tsked, then pointed to Attai. "What about you?"

"If you want to get really technical, I'm from the German military." Attai huffed. "Either way, not really a civilian."

"Right..." Blake sighed gruffly. "Well, whatever. As long as this doesn't bite me in the ass."

Blake kicked in the door to the unfinished complex, pulling out his gun just to be safe. All five people entered the main area behind the entryway and immediately recoiled at what they saw. Bodies scattered the building's floor, with blood and char marks dotted throughout the entire room. Standing in the middle of the carnage was Terox, humming gleefully to himself with his back turned to the approaching group.

"Looks like I guessed right." Terox slowly turned around to face the group with a wide, toothy grin. "Follow the strangest-acting goons and the 'heroes' will show up eventually."

"What the hell..." Blake turned his gun to point at Terox's forehead. "Who are you?!"

"Someone that peashooter of yours ain't gonna work on, I can tell you that much." Terox laughed.

"That's Terox." Attai said grimly. "He's an interdimensional bastard who can absorb universes."

"'Interdimensional bastard', I like that." Terox smirked. "Though I imagine it wasn't said in good faith."

"Did you kill all these people?!" Ben demanded.

"I think the term 'slaughter' would be more appropriate, but in a nutshell, yes."

"Why?!"

"Why not?" Terox shrugged. "It's no big deal. Don't get your panties in a twist."

"You-"

"Fools!" A hidden screen mounted on the other side of the room suddenly sprang to life, displaying a black avatar with glowing red eyes. "The last note is guarded by an army of devils I've hand-picked for the slaughter! Kill or be killed! Fight or-"

Devil Watcher trailed off as the scene before him started to sink in.

"Oh, I, uh..." Devil Watcher paused. "I thought goading you into killing would be more difficult."

"Don't give them credit for something they didn't do." Terox rolled his eyes. "They're getting all pissy about me killing your guard dogs."

"Who are you?" Devil Watcher demanded. "You're not part of my plans!"

"I'm a spontaneous guy, what can I say?" Terox replied lazily.

"Just get out of here!" Devil Watcher snapped. "You're ruining my number game!"

"...Your what?" Terox raised an eyebrow.

"My number game!" Devil Watcher repeated. "I give these fools clues in the form of notes with number puzzles, and they have to get past my traps and decode the meaning of the numbers to pursue me!"

"I..." Terox seemed genuinely unsure how to respond to that. "You...."

"It's all very deep and cool, so I don't expect you to get it, but I do need you to leave!" Devil Watcher hissed.

In that moment, for the first time in as long as he could remember, Terox was left utterly speechless. He wasn't quite sure what a stroke felt like, but he was fairly certain that if he could get one, it would feel very much like this did.

"...You have absolutely no grasp on reality, do you?" Terox finally said, completely dumfounded by the gall of this man.

"I have a better grasp on reality than ANYONE!" Devil Watcher yelled. "You're all fools! Idiots! Morons! Only I know how this all turns out! You're all just pawns under my command! Chickens inside my coop! Sheep inside-"

Terox blasted Devil Watcher's screen apart, wearing a blank gaze as he did so. He slowly turned back towards the group, trying desperately to remember what he was doing there in the first place in spite of the seething rage consuming the entirety of his being.

"Attai Zehn." Terox muttered. "I'm feeling a bit perturbed right now, so I'm going to keep this simple. You haven't scanned this universe yet, right?"

Attai simply glared at Terox, refusing to answer but nonetheless unintentionally telling him everything he needed to know.

"I see." Terox said. "So, how would you feel if I destroyed it?"

"We wouldn't let that happen!" Ben yelled.

"NOBODY CARES ABOUT YOU, BEN TENNYSON!" Terox snapped. "NOT ONE PERSON! THE ONLY REASON ANYONE HERE IS INTERACTING WITH YOU IS OUT OF PURE OBLIGATION! YOU'RE A SHIT CHARACTER! SHIT! JUST SHUT UP ALREADY!"

The room went silent as Terox took a few moments to calm down.

"Look, here's the deal." Terox said, gritting his teeth. "Do you want to fight me, or do you want to see this universe go up in flames?"

"If you're inviting me to kick your ass, then I'm game." Attai raised the CataloGun.

"You're pretty confident for someone who can't use that thing too much anymore." Terox chuckled. "Let's see how long that attitude of yours keeps up."

Before either Attai or Terox could move, Millennia suddenly teleported into the room, appearing between the two in a pink flash.

"Nope, I'm calling this off." Millennia pointed Attai. "You and your friends get going. I need to have a chat with tall, dark, and spiky over here."

Attai gave Millennia a suspicious look before gesturing the rest of the group to follow him. They stuck to the edges of the room and made their way through to the hallway on the other side of the floor, disappearing from sight. Millennia sighed and turned towards Terox, who was staring her down with a mixture of bemusement and annoyance.

"What's this about?" Terox growled.

"What I said to Ubermensch earlier applies to you, too." Millennia made a cutting motion across her throat. "Just wanted you to know that."

"Is that supposed to scare me?" Terox laughed. "I know Chronians are supposed to be strong, but you're not 'take me down' strong."

"Maybe not, but that doesn't mean I won't try." Millennia shrugged.

"For your information, I wasn't planning on killing him." Terox turned away from her dismissively. "Yet, anyway. I just wanted to get him separated from the group."

"Why?" Millennia raised an eyebrow.

"That's for me to know and you to mind your own business." Terox snorted. "What's your problem, anyway? Not like it affects you if the guy dies."

"I've got my reasons." Millennia replied. "Let's say it's quality customer service and leave it at that."

"Whatever you say." Terox chuckled. "It's funny seeing you people try to act tough in the face of a god."

"Don't you think you're tooting your own horn a bit much?" Millennia laughed. "You're strong, but what makes you a god?"

"Well, for one thing, I got my god powers by absorbing a god, so mark that down." Terox huffed. "Besides, you've seen me kill universes and shit. How can you look at that and say I'm not a god?"

"If mass genocide could make you a god, I'd be positively divine." Millennia remarked wryly.

"What?"

Terox turned back to face Millennia, only to see that she had disappeared, leaving him alone in a room full of corpses.

"...The hell was that supposed to mean?" Terox grumbled before disappearing himself.

"What exactly was that thing?" Blake demanded as the group made their way up a flight of stairs. "Do you seriously want us to just leave it be?"

"As much as I hate to say it, I think we're better off letting Millennia handle it." Attai grumbled. "I'm not entirely sure what Terox is either, but he's way out of your league."

"Millennia?" Kevin asked. "You mean that chick with the black hair that teleported in?"

"Yeah."

"What's her deal?"

"Couldn't tell you if I tried." Attai tsked. "Stop asking pointless questions."

"I'd say these are pretty important questions!" Blake snapped.

"Hang on a second, I can feel something up ahead." Gwen interjected, her eyes glowing with mana. "I think it's another group of hired guns."

"Oh, fantastic." Blake grumbled. "God knows we haven't dealt with enough stupid shit today."

"Story of my life." Attai mumbled wearily. "Let's just get this over with."

The group made their way to a closed door at the top of the stairs. Blake motioned for everyone to step aside and kicked open the door, aiming his gun into the room. He was immediately greeted by a hailstorm of bullets, which were stopped inches away from his body by one of Gwen's mana shields. Gwen projected the shield outwards, slamming it into the goons firing at them and stunning them for a moment.

"KABOOM!" Devil Watcher's voice played over loudspeakers that had evidently been hastily taped to the ceiling. "Bet you didn't expect that explosion noise or this second wave of minions!"

"Kinda did." Blake spat.

"More importantly, did you just say the word 'kaboom' out loud instead of playing an actual explosion noise?" Kevin asked.

The room went silent for a few moments.

"Maybe." Devil Watcher mumbled. "Not important! Time to fight!"

Ben pulled up the Omnitrix and transformed into Chromastone as Kevin grabbed a nearby metal beam to turn his skin into steel. The goons had already started to get up and quickly began firing at the group again. Gwen put up another mana shield for defense as Chromastone and Kevin ran into action, fighting the mooks up close and personal.

Attai hung back behind the shield, leaning past it to fire the CataloGun whenever he could get a shot in. Blake began rummaging through the room, with Gwen walking in front of him to keep him shielded from the incoming bullets as he did so. He eventually found a piece of paper crumpled up in a crack on the wall, pulling it out and uncrumpling it to reveal-

"This note doesn't have anything on it!" Blake snapped.

"What do you mean, 'it doesn't have anything on it'?!" Kevin grunted, blocking a blow from one of the attackers.

"What do you think I mean, asshole?!"

"It might be written with some kind of invisible ink." Gwen said as she tossed a mana disk at a nearby grunt, throwing him to the ground.

"I don't exactly have a blacklight on me!" Blake yelled.

"Then what are we supposed to do?!" Chromastone said, shooting a beam of ultraviolet light towards an approaching mook.

Blake noticed something on the paper light up as Chromastone fired his beam.

"Tennyson, get over here!" Blake ordered. "That light you're shooting is making the words show up!"

"I'm kinda busy right now!" Chromastone rebutted, punching an approaching alien in the gut.

"Then I'll do it." Attai grumbled, scanning Chromastone with the CataloGun.

A card with Chromastone's information on it appeared next to the gun, followed by Attai choking up some blood.

"Gott verdammt..." Attai hissed as he wiped the blood from his mouth, his throat burning. "This better be worth it."

Attai slid the card through the CataloGun and transformed, becoming an exact copy of Chromastone. He knelt down next to Blake and made one of his hands glow without firing off the energy, revealing the text on the note.

'The bombs are set at 7300 by 832.' The note read. 'The devil who watches is waiting for you.'

"Alright, we got the info!" Blake stuffed the note into his pocket. "Let's get the hell out of here!"

"Do you know where we're going?" Attai reverted back to human.

"This is the address for a hotel downtown." Blake replied. "There are some police stationed there already since it's hosting a fundraiser banquet for a bunch of rich folks and local politicians."

"How ballsy do you have to be to attack somewhere there are already gonna be police?!" Kevin slammed another grunt into the wall.

"Ballsy enough to unironically call yourself 'Devil Watcher', I guess." Blake said. "One of you make a distraction so we can leave!"

Attai placed the Chromastone card into the back of the CataloGun and fired several low-intensity beams of light into the eyes of each of the attackers, temporarily blinding them.

"Alright, I guess that works." Kevin took the opportunity to knock out the mook closest to him. "Let's scram!"

Blake's car screeched to a halt in front of the hotel on 73rd. Blake quickly put his cellphone away and jumped out of the vehicle, followed by Ben, Gwen, and Kevin. Attai pulled up next to them on the DecaCycle after a moment and dismounted it.

"Alright, I called in the bomb squad in case Devil Watcher was actually being serious about having set up bombs." Blake said. "The note said he'd be here, so we need to split up and look for this guy. I'll investigate inside the hotel. Gwen and Kevin will take the buildings next to the hotel, and you two check out the building across the street." Blake pointed at Ben and Attai. "Call me if you find anything."

"Got it." Ben nodded. "Good luck."

Blake gave Ben a hesitant nod before running inside the hotel. Gwen and Kevin split up to check the buildings on either side of the hotel as Ben and Attai crossed the street, entering the lobby of an apartment complex directly across from the hotel.

"Excuse me." Ben said, walking up to the lady sitting behind the lobby's main desk. "Have you seen a guy in a dark cloak pass through here?"

"Yeah, he came through about an hour ago." The receptionist replied. "He said he was going to the roof. I told him that was off-limits but he just walked away laughing under his breath. Crackheads these days, honestly."

"Okay, thank you!"

Ben and Attai ran to the elevators without waiting for a response. One slower-than-usual elevator ride later, they were at the top floor of the complex, scrambling to find the access door to the roof. They eventually found it a few minutes later, noticing that the lock had been smashed off the handle. They burst through the door and up a small set of stairs to discover Devil watcher standing near the edge of the roof with his back turned to them.

"So, you finally made it." Devil Watcher turned around to face them. "Ben Tennyson and-."

Devil Watcher paused for a moment.

"I was expecting your police partner." Devil Watcher said, confused. "Who...who is this?"

"The name's Attai Zehn." Attai tsked. "I'm here to kick your ass."

"Detective Blake is busy looking for you inside that hotel." Ben pointed across the street. "You know, where your note said you were?"

"The note only said I set bombs at the hotel, not specifically that I was there myself." Devil Watcher said defensively.

"That's what the wording implied, though." Attai muttered.

"SHUT IT!" Devil Watcher snapped.

There were a few awkward moments of silence.

"You know, Tennyson..." Devil Watcher sighed. "We're not so different, you and I."

"Like hell we aren't!" Ben snapped. "I'd rather die than be like you!"

"...Wow, okay." Devil Watcher grumbled. "Rude."

"But not undeserved." Attai stated dryly.

"I simply meant we're both trying to reduce the effects of crime in this city." Devil Watcher said. "You through alien battles, and I through...more direct means."

"You mean murder." Attai rolled his eyes.

"Alright, first off, when you put it like that, it sounds bad." Devil Watcher cleared his throat. "Secondly, is it really murder if you're murdering a murderer?"

"Legally speaking, yeah." Attai pointed out.

"I'm not talking to you, I'm talking to Tennyson!" Devil Watcher snapped. "Nobody invited you!"

"And yet here I am."

"Alright, I'm just going to get down to business." Devil Watcher growled, pointing to the hotel across the street. "The bombs in that building are going to go off in five minutes. I have the trigger linked to a pulse monitor on my body. The only way to stop those bombs from detonating...is to kill me."

"Are you crazy?!" Ben yelled.

"No, I'm making a point!" Devil Watcher hissed. "Tell me, Tennyson, how many criminals do you arrest that end up back on the streets anyway?"

"What does that have to do with this?!"

"Everything!" Devil Watcher snapped. "You just let these devils run loose in the city, killing and looting from innocent people, all for their own selfish desires!"

"What am I supposed to do, kill them?!" Ben argued.

"Yes!" Devil Watcher exclaimed. "These people will never change, yet you allow them to live and continue destroying lives! You're no better than any of them!"

"That's not my call to make!" Ben protested. "We have a justice system for a reason!"

"And it has failed!" Devil Watcher said. "You've always been sheltered by bureaucracy, so now I'm making you face the reality of the situation! If a choice this immediate doesn't wake you up to the real world, I don't know what will!"

Devil Watcher pulled out a pistol and threw it at Ben's feet.

"Kill me with that gun, and the day will be saved." Devil Watcher stated. "You'll go down as a hero who did what he had to do. Refuse, and the innocent people in that building die. You'll be regarded as a failure."

Ben began reaching for the Omnitrix, to which Devil Watcher pulled out a trigger.

"Cheat using your transformations, and they die on the spot." Devil Watcher growled.

"You..." Ben clenched his fists.

"Which will it be, Tennyson?!" Devil Watcher demanded. "Your morals, or their lives?! Which do you think is more valuable?!"

"I-"

Attai shoved Ben out of the way and picked up the gun, aiming it at Devil Watcher.

"If you won't do it, I will." Attai hissed.

"Wait!" Ben grabbed Attai's arm, throwing off his aim.

"We don't have time for this!" Attai yelled.

"What is wrong with you two?!" Ben snapped, pushing Attai to the ground. "This isn't how I do things!"

"The way you do things gets people killed!" Devil Watcher snapped.

"Yeah, you know what? Maybe it does." Ben glared at Devil Watcher. "Maybe people die who don't need to because I didn't take their killer's life when I had the chance."

"Then you-"

"BUT!" Ben snapped. "That's how it has to be."

"What?!" Devil Watcher yelled. "Don't you care about the people who die?!"

"I care about everyone who dies." Ben said solemnly. "But the fact is, I'm a hero. I'm not a judge, a jury, or an executioner. I'm not even really a cop. My job is to save people, not kill them. I once had the chance to wipe out everything 'evil' from the universe, and I decided not to do it. You know why?"

"Because you're a coward!" Devil Watcher snapped.

"Because that wasn't my decision to make." Ben replied sternly. "It's not my job to decide what's right and wrong. It's my job to keep people safe."

"You're naive!"

"I might be naive, but if you think killing people is the solution to people being killed, you're just stupid!" Ben retorted.

"Then what do you think of war, Tennyson?" Devil Watcher hissed. "If your people are being killed en masse, will you let them die, or will you stand up and kill your enemies to defend your home?!"

"Don't change the subject, blodhammel." Attai interjected wearily. "War is different from conflict in everyday life. That being said..."

Attai glanced at Ben and then back at Devil Watcher.



"Sometimes, you might have to kill to survive. That's a given." Attai said. "But killing when you don't need to automatically shoots you off the moral high ground."

"That's hypocritical coming from you, isn't it?" Devil Watcher sneered. "You just tried to shoot me!"

"You created an ultimatum where killing you is the only way out of letting people die." Attai pointed out. "The only thing you're proving here is that you're too obsessive to care about how the real world works."

"And what of Tennyson, then?" Devil Watcher spat. "According to him, you should never kill. What makes his naive ideals any better than mine?!"

"I'm not a fan of him either, but in case you didn't know, killing is worse than not killing." Attai grumbled. "What are you, a kindergartener?"

"A kindergartener?!" Devil Watcher clenched his fists in rage. "How dare you-"

"Easily." Attai interrupted. "You go around calling yourself 'Devil Watcher', wearing 'edgy' clothes, putting together an 'oh my gosh so epic' number game that just wasted the time of everyone involved, and your idea of morality apparently never advanced past fifth grade. The only people who would think any of this was impactful or interesting would be children who have nothing better to compare it to. You're just an edgy kid who never matured and got way too much power."

Attai pointed at Devil Watcher sternly, pausing for a brief moment to let the point sink in before continuing.

"Grow. Up."

A few tense moments passed where everything was silent. Devil Watcher was practically shaking with fury at this point and slowly began raising the trigger in his hand.

"If I can't make you see my point of view through talk..." Devil Watcher growled. "Then I'll show you through force!"

Ben sprung into action, tackling Devil Watcher off the side of the building. He grabbed the arm that was holding the trigger and wrenched its wrist sideways, forcing Devil Watcher to drop it.

"So, you decided to kill me after all, Tennyson!" Devil Watcher laughed maniacally. "I knew you'd come around!"

"Don't get ahead of yourself!" Ben snapped.

Ben pulled up the Ultimatrix and transformed into Jetray, grabbing onto Devil Watcher with his hind legs as he swooped upwards, flying back into the air.

"Wha-" Devil Watcher stammered. "What do you think you're doing?! Those people are all going to die at any moment, you fool!"

"Not on my watch."

Jetray tossed Devil Watcher onto the roof of the building with Attai and flew down to the road, transforming into Clockwork. He slowed down time, practically bringing it to a halt, and ran inside the hotel. Attai grumbled and ran after him, using the fire escape on the side of the building to get down there more quickly. He followed Clockwork into the lobby, seeing him trying to grab two civilians at once.

"Tennyson, how long can you keep this up?" Attai asked.

"I-wait, you can move?!" Clockwork exclaimed.

"I'm a Timewalker, remember?" Attai explained impatiently. "Just tell me how long you can slow down time like this."

"I don't know, maybe five minutes of our time?" Clockwork said. "It's really draining, but I'm not sure what else to do."

"Right, and I can't stop time myself, so I don't think we're going to have enough wiggle room to evacuate everyone." Attai muttered. "I...wait a minute."

"What is it?" Clockwork asked.

"I think we're both idiots."

"I don't know what you're planning, Tennyson, but-" Devil Watcher began, but stopped upon realizing that Ben and Attai had seemingly teleported in front of him. "What...did you do?"

"I used Clockwork to buy us some time." Ben said. "Those bombs of yours aren't going off."

"You're bluffing!" Devil Watcher snapped, scrambling to his feet. "You couldn't have possibly found and defused all of them!"

"You're right." Attai interjected, holding up a portable pulse monitor attached to a jumble of wires. "Good thing we didn't need to."

"We grabbed that setup off your body while time was frozen." Ben explained. "And without your trigger, you can't set the bombs off manually."

"You..." Devil Watcher ground his teeth together. "You cheated!"

"Maybe by your rules." Ben glared. "But you're the only one who was treating this like a game to begin with."

There was a sound of metal clanging and heavy breathing as Blake suddenly appeared at the top of the fire escape, gun drawn and out of breath.

"Damn it, Tennyson!" Blake panted. "You were supposed to signal me if you found the guy!"

"Sorry about that." Ben replied. "Things got a little intense."

"You ruined everything!" Devil Watcher yelled. "You and that white-haired cosplayer asshole!"

"I don't know what a cosplayer is but I get the feeling it's an insult." Attai interjected.

"No, it's just someone who dresses up like a fictional character." Ben explained.

"I'm not dressed as anyone." Attai stated flatly.

"Really?" Blake raised an eyebrow. "That's your actual outfit?"

"What's wrong with my suit?" Attai growled. "It's perfectly functional."

"You look like a rejected Spaceballs character."

"I don't know what that is either."

"Stop talking already!" Devil Watcher screeched. "What is with you people and your inane chatter?!"

"Oh yeah, you." Ben pointed at Devil Watcher. "Jig's up already. Why don't you take off that cloak and show us who you really are?"

"Fine then." Devil Watcher hissed. "But be warned that you may find me unrecognizable."

Devil Watcher slowly grabbed his cloak and tossed it off to the side, revealing...

"...Who the hell are you?" Blake grunted.

The man standing before them was a middle-aged man wearing a casual suit and tie. He wore thin-rimmed reading glasses that were partially obscured by his black hair, which was currently a bit of a mess thanks to the hood of the cloak.

"I just told you that you may find me unrecognizable." Devil Watcher said impatiently.

"Sure, but that wording usually means-" Blake shook his head. "You know what, forget it. Hands behind your head. You're under arrest."

"Wait, you're not even going to ask me about my backstory?" Devil Watcher asked. "Aren't you curious about how I got to this point?"

"Not really."

"Too bad!" Devil Watcher pulled a second pistol out of his suit jacket and pointed it at Blake. "Nobody move until I'm done talking!"

"Are you serious?" Attai grumbled.

"Yes!" Devil Watcher snapped. "You need to know what happened to me! Maybe then you'll finally see my point!"

"Oh my god." Attai groaned.

"You see, twenty years ago, I was just your average office worker." Devil Watcher ignored him. "My wife and I had just had a daughter, and I had just been hired on for a position in IT at a large company. We were living with my parents at the time, and we were planning on moving out soon. But one day, after I got home from work-"

"Your wife left you?" Blake snarked.

"She was dead!" Devil Watcher shouted angrily, starting to tear up. "My wife, my daughter, my parents, everyone! Someone broke into our house and killed all of them!"

"Who would do something like that?" Ben asked.

"That's exactly the problem!" Devil Watcher hissed. "The police half-assed the investigation and never found out who did it or why!"

"I doubt they half-assed anything." Blake interjected. "Sometimes there's just not enough evidence to go off of."

"Bullshit!" Devil Watcher spat. "There had to have been something they could do, but no! The person who did it got away, and there was never any justice for my family!"

Devil Watcher took a moment to collect himself before continuing.

"After that, I began to notice it more." He ground his teeth together. "The lack of justice in this world. The incompetence of the legal system. Every day, these murderers and thieves- these devils- kept destroying the lives of the innocent with no recompense. And then you came along."

Devil Watcher glared at Ben.

"You, with your alien device that let you just...punch your troubles away!" Devil Watcher growled. "A man with limitless power who let these devils live time and time again, only for them to continually return and wreak havoc time and time again. A monument to naivety!"

"That's not-" Ben started.

"You have no idea!" Devil Watcher suddenly roared. "You have no idea what it's like to be a loser who lost everything and see nothing done about it! You have no idea how it feels to see the world crumbling around you!"

Devil Watcher's left eye began twitching.

"So I gained a new purpose in life." Devil Watcher hissed. "I decided to pick up the slack left behind by you and the police. I learned the ins and outs of all the technology I could and used those skills to procure funds for my crusade."

Devil Watcher slowly began lowering his gun.

"The fact is, Tennyson, the only way to redeem a devil is through death." Devil Watcher said. "That's what I need you to understand about all this."

Ben went silent for a few moments.

"You know..." Ben said, making eye contact with Devil Watcher. "I used to think the same thing."

"You what?" Blake demanded.

"I almost killed my best friend because I thought it was the only way to save the people around him." Ben ignored Blake. "But I was wrong. My friends showed me another way, and you know what? It worked."

Ben took a step towards Devil Watcher.

"Everyone lived." Ben stated firmly. "It was difficult for me to get out of my own head and accept other people's ideas, but because I did, everyone was saved. Including the person I was trying to kill."

"You-" Devil Watcher started.

"You said we were a lot alike earlier." Ben interrupted. "Maybe we used to be. Thing is, even though I might look like some naive kid, I've had to do a lot of growing up because of situations like that. You've never even tried."

Devil Watcher stared at Ben in silence.

"...So, you're just going to brush me off like that, huh?" Devil Watcher chuckled morosely. "You think 'being mature' means trying to save everyone, is that it?"

"That's not-"

"Well, I'm sorry, Tennyson." Devil Watcher raised his gun towards Ben. "But there's one person you're not saving tonight."

Blake sprang into action, jumping in front of Ben. Right as he was about to pull the trigger on his own gun, Devil Watcher suddenly put the pistol he was wielding to his head and took the shot. A loud crack rang out through the night sky as his body tipped over backward, falling down to the streets below.

"No!" Ben yelled, running over to the edge of the roof.

Looking down, he found that Devil Watcher had already hit the ground, lying unmoving on the pavement.

"Why..." Ben fell to his knees. "Why did he do that?!"

"It's not uncommon for people headed for a life sentence to kill themselves first." Blake said, holstering his gun. "But with this guy, I think this was his way of trying to give you one last middle finger."

"He died over something as petty as that?!" Ben yelled.

"To him, I don't think it seemed petty at all." Blake sighed. "You talk a big talk, kid, but in this line of business, there are some people you just can't help."

Several police vehicles and bomb squad vans surrounded the outside of the hotel the banquet was being held in. Bomb squad members evacuated civilians from the hotel with help from several officers as Ben, Blake, and Attai stood on the sidelines and watched. Several hysterical relatives of the people evacuating the building were being held back behind police lines. Gwen and Kevin made their way over to the three, noticing the dark expression on Ben's face.

"What happened?" Kevin asked. "We miss anything important?"

"Devil Watcher offed himself before we could arrest him." Blake explained. "Tennyson ain't taking it too well."

"If I had just done something different..." Ben mumbled.

"He might've gone and killed himself anyway." Kevin said. "No point blaming yourself for it."

"But-"

"No buts, Ben." Gwen interrupted sternly. "You can't blame yourself for this. It's not healthy."

"...I know it isn't." Ben muttered. "I just can't help it."

"This is why I didn't think you were qualified to tag along." Blake sighed. "You aren't detached enough to be dealing with these things yet."

Blake pulled out a cigarette and lit it up as Ben gave him a questioning look.

"Stick to punching aliens in the face if you can, kid." Blake said. "You're too good for this job."

Another police car pulled up to the scene, parking near the group. Captain Rozum got out of the vehicle, prompting a quick salute from Blake.

"I heard the report on the way here." Rozum looked at Ben. "You did good, kid. Better than any of us would've cared to."

"So you know what ended up happening with Devil Watcher then, I'm assuming." Blake said.

"Right." Rozum nodded. "Any living family members?"

"From the sounds of it, no." Blake replied.

"Good." Rozum sighed. "Might sound harsh, but that's a relief."

"A relief?" Ben looked confused. "How?"

"Telling people that a family member was killed is hard enough, but when you have to look someone's parents in the eyes and tell 'em their kid did themselves in..." Rozum paused. "Well, those are the nights I wonder if this job is really worth it."

"And...is it?" Attai asked.

"At the end of the day? Yeah." Rozum looked across the street, observing relieved family members reuniting on the other side of the police tape. "Yeah, I think it is."

Rozum went silent for a moment before looking back at Attai.

"Gwen and Kevin I recognize, but who are you?" Rozum questioned.

"Some German guy who tagged along with Ben." Blake interjected. "Says he's from military stock. Can't confirm that, but he was at least a little bit helpful."

"Oh yeah, Attai, you said you were here to do a job." Ben said. "Did you ever do that?"

"Yeah, I scanned you grabbing the fuse device off Devil Watcher." Attai explained. "Your universe is fully backed up."

"I ain't got a living clue what you're talking about, but thank you for helping with the investigation." Rozum extended a hand towards Attai. "You didn't have any obligation to do so."

"You say that, but I always feel obligated to stick my nose into these sorts of things." Attai hesitantly shook his hand. "It's a real pain in der arsch."

"That means you got a meddler's soul, kid." Rozum laughed. "That kind of spirit'll get you pretty far in a career like this."

"I guess we'll see about that."

Attai summoned the DecaCycle and hopped on, turning back to give one last nod to the group before riding off into the distance and disappearing in a green flash of light.

"...Could he have just teleported us around like that at any time?" Kevin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That son of a-" Blake cut himself off as he remembered the captain's presence. "...beach."

Darkness.

Just darkness.

Had he gone blind?

Wait, no, those were his eyelids.

Attai's eyes flew open, and he found himself lying in a sunny field of tall, green grass. He squinted as his eyes adjusted to the brightness and he got to his feet, looking around at his surroundings. He was in what appeared to be open farmland, with a dirt path leading to a small house a few hundred meters away.

"Gonna go out on a limb and say this isn't the Archives." Attai grumbled. "Where the hell am I?"

"No idea." A voice came from behind him. "I'm picking through your brain right now, not mine."

Attai whipped around to find Terox leaning smugly against a nearby tree. He tried to summon the CataloGun, but nothing happened.

"Sorry, but this is my world, and I have a pretty strict gun control policy." Terox taunted.

"What are you talking about?" Attai growled. "What is this place?"

"It's a cute little pocket dimension I came up with that changes according to my whims." Terox explained. "Welcome to the Transmundane!"



Major Events

 * Attai scans Chromastone.
 * Earth 98-A is scanned.
 * Terox traps Attai in a new Transmundane.

Protagonists

 * Attai Zehn
 * Ben Tennyson (Earth 98-A)
 * Detective Blake

Neutral

 * Millennia

Antagonists

 * Devil Watcher
 * Terox

By Attai

 * Ridejacker
 * Chromastone

By Ben

 * Armodrillo
 * Chromastone
 * Jetray
 * Clockwork

Trivia

 * This episode is primarily based on the HoE episode "The Number Game", albeit rather loosely.