Life On Earth

Ben 10: Road Trip
Season 2, Episode 2
Logo by CaT
Air Date	N/A
Written by	Aaron
Director	Aaron
General Information
Planet(s)	Earth
Episode Guide
Previous Tides of War	Next The Library of Encephalonus IV

Life On Earth is the ninth episode of Ben 10: Road Trip and the second episode of its second season. It was written by Aaron.

This page was made after Road Trip was cancelled, and therefore exists only to summarise the intended events.

Plot

Scene 1

Rumours of a shapeshifter and a string of unusual deaths in Undertown have attracted the attention of the Plumbers- including a very annoyed honorary member. Escorted by Gwen and Kevin, Kai is allowed inside the house of the latest poor soul. A recently bloomed Methanosian lies dead in the middle of his living room, the upper half of his body reduced to blasted ash. The room around them is scarred with thick black blast marks. An explosion, Kevin and Gwen reason, that's the conclusion the Plumbers had come to as well.

Gwen: "Why do you think this has anything to do with Ben?"

But Kai sees what the others hadn't. In the remnants of the unfortunate alien, are the blackened husks of several small, winged insects. Kai picks one up carefully using a pair of tweezers she would normally use on delicate ancient artefacts, and brings it into sight of the other two. Kevin recognises it after a few seconds, but Gwen recognises it when she sees one crawling across the other side of the room just a moment later. A whole swarm of the creatures emerges from the cracks and crevices in the damaged walls. There was no explosion. There was a fight, and the murderer is still here! The swarm merges into a single solid form- Hivemind!

Gwen and Kevin immediately jump into action; Gwen readies her mana and Kevin absorbs some nearby rotting wood and instantly regrets his decision. Although Kai has never seen this alien before- she recognises the Omnitrix symbol even through its magenta discolouration and sunken shape.

Kai: "Ben?"

Hivemind strikes for her. Gwen attempts to shield her, but the swarm smashes through it with ease and surrounds Kai- dragging her towards the main body.

Kai: "Ben?!"

Before the swarm can swallow her whole, a strange yellow humanoid with two white faces materialises behind her. It grabs her shoulders and drags her across the multiverse, arriving safely in a very confused ex-mormon's bedroom.

Kai: "Ben what the hell is going on?"

Alien: "I took you out of time for a second, we'll go back in a second."

Kai: "What was that thing? I thought it was you!"

Alien: "That thing is precisely why I'm back in Bellwood. And now that we've given it a few seconds to move onto Gwen and Kevin, it should be safe to take you back."

CaT: "Hey yo what the frickety fuck is happening?"

Kai and Ben arrive back in Undertown as Hivemind slams Kevin into the ceiling, the individual insect drones eating away at his nutrient-rich wooden flesh. Gwen is firing mana discs into the monster's arms trying to cut the swarm apart but to little effect. Ben stands infront of Kai and with a flash is transformed into a tall robotic alien with a massive screen upon his chest. He extends his tube-like arms in front of himself and blasts subsonic waves through the hive. The creature's form is instantly compromised. It screams as it loses the ability to hold the swarm together and dissolves to the ground.

After a second, Ben halts his sound attack. The neutralised swarm melts into crimson light, merging into a cybernetically massacred Bovenent. Ben watches as the cyborg climbs back to its feet. Its arms transform into drills as it hobbles towards the robotic transformation, but before it can attack Ben simply grabs it and blasts it into the far wall with a sonic blast.Kevin returns to his normal skin and Gwen puts away her mana, before the four of them slowly approach the unconscious alien monstrosity. It has a black and grey metal Omnitrix on its wrist, clearly tossed together haphazardly.

Gwen: "Oh my god, that poor alien..."

Kevin: "This looks like Techadon tech. ...Shit."

Kai: "What?"

Gwen: "It's a Techadon Degradation. Just like the Lenopans the other week."

Alien: "I can hear chatter coming from that trix on its wrist. Definitely Techadon frequencies. Can't get a fix on location though. Sounds like it's coming from the Ectonurite levels."

Ben detransforms.

Ben: "Which would make sense, the first reports of disappearances came from down there."

Kevin: "They're ghosts. They disappear all the time."

Gwen elbows him.

Gwen: "So the Blacksmith didn't hold up his end of the bargain and has begun making knock-off Omnitrixes?"

Kevin: "Using genetic material Ben must've left behind in their last fight. But this tech is far FAR beyond him. Where'd he get his hands on it?"

Ben: "Take this poor soul into Plumber custody. Get the Galvans to remove his watch. Destroy it."

Gwen: "And what about you?"

Ben: "I'm going to put an end to it. The murders, the Degradations, and the Omnitrixes. Alone."

Kai: "Oh no you don't! You are NOT leaving me again! We have a lot to talk about!"

Ben: "And I can't convince you otherwise?"

Kai: "Oh fuck you!"

Gwen: "We're coming too!"

Kevin: "Yeahh I think we should leave Ben to his girl problems on his own. Kai, take this. Use it to call the Plumbers if Ben gets you two into trouble."

Kevin tosses her a Plumbers badge and leaves with Gwen.

Scene 2

Kai: "So first you just leave Earth and all I get is a text message, which I get. You're busy, things come up, you're needed on other planets. But then you come back and you don't even think to let me know? I was in Bellwood that day! I only found out you were back on Earth when Gwen and Kevin told me after you'd already fucked off again!"

The pair are wondering through the shadowing lower levels of Undertown. These areas are seldom touched by outsiders, kept to the tightly-knit communities that make their home down here.

Ben: "Kai, I'm sorry for what I did but you need to keep quiet in this area. Noise could get us killed."

Kai, whispering: "Dick. Head. Fuck you."

Ben: "Shhh!! Look!"

A Transylian stomps with robotic movement through the streets. It stops at a crossroads, and its top-half pivots like a turret as it studies the abandoned streets. Ben studies it, while Kai's hand hovers over a pistol strapped to her utility belt. Techadon technology contrasts the naturally-formed metal components of the Transylian, with the same bastardised Omnitrix technology strapped to its wrist. It halts abruptly, bleeps, and transforms instantly into a tall Fulmini form before striking an invisible Ectonurite out of the air with a bolt of lightning.

Fulmini: "Curfew violated! Punishment: Execution."

Ben: "Shit, I thought it was a bit quiet around here!"

Kai: "Do something!"

Ben: "Doing something!"

Ben slams his Omnitrix, transforming instantly into a floating mass of red and green crystals. He picks up a nearby trash can with an invisible force and smashes it into to Fulmini's head. The Ectonurite slinks away into the shadows.

Kai: "This guy looks new, what's he called?"

Alien: "I call him, uhh, MindMaster!"

Fulmini: "Intruder detected! Punishment: Execution."

MindMaster: "Oh be quiet."

MindMaster lifts the Fulmini into the air and lets him go. He free-flies up a short distance before falling helplessly to the ground.

Kai: "This seems kinda cruel, I don't think it can fight back."

MindMaster: "That's because it is. It's mind has been turned off. Whoever he was, he was killed long before that watch was slapped onto its wrist."

The Fulmini attempts to stand back up, but MindMaster holds him down from afar.

MindMaster: "I'm gonna put him out of his misery with Biohazard."

Kai: "Biohazard?"

MindMaster floats over the to the Fulmini before changing into the green-clothed purple humanoid Biohazard. He leans down over the Fulmini and blasts his head with CO₂ gas. The Fulmini hacks and coughs, his electrical energy fading and sparking before reverting back to his Transylian form. Kai watches, silently horrified. Biohazard continues his attack and the Transylian is sent into a peaceful coma.

Kai: "Who are you?!"

Biohazard: "I'm sorry."

Kai: "You're not Ben!"

Biohazard: "I'm sorry."

Kai: "Ben would've found any way to help that poor alien! Anything! And you killed him..."

Biohazard: "I'm sorry. There was nothing--"

Kai: "Not to mention that the alien you're using is called Gutrot!"

Biohazard: "Ah. Shit."

Kai: "Who are you? Really?"

Biohazard: "Until the end of today, I'm Ben. I can tell you more then. But for now-"

Kai: "No! Treat me with some fucking respect! Tell me who you really are!"

"Ben" reverts to his human form.

Ben: "Quiet! Shut up! You have no idea what's going on! That alien shouldn't even have existed in this dimension! Do you think my identity is even in the same order of magnitude of problems you have today? Do you really? And I am sorry. You deserve better than to be treated like an idiot, especially since you were the first person on this planet to suspect that an Omnitrix user was behind all this. But time is precious and limited. Today I am Ben, anything else can wait until tomorrow. Okay?"

Kai is stunned silent. Ben transforms back into the robotic alien from earlier.

Alien: "The signal is getting stronger. We're getting close. If you don't trust me, don't follow me."

Scene 3

The large robotic alien approaches a dishevelled factory, whirring and cutting noises emanating from within. Ben sets his arm down for Kai to climb on.

Alien: "You take the higher route. Pincer movement. Break everything you see."

Kai nods, now standing on an access gangway on a higher level. She quietly, but quickly, disappears into the building. Bens hand hovers over the Omnitrix symbol on his crotch for a moment. He briefly considers using his Glasscrest form- the one specifically named for such a task- but remembers that the Ectonurite wasn't even hidden. He settles instead on his extradimensional form. With a glow, his body becomes a slender humanoid with ashy skin and four eyes. He slips through higher dimensions and enters the factory, completely undetectable.

In the top floors of the factory, Kai finds room after room of hastily welded together cages weakly holding the lifeless, upright bodies of innumerable aliens stolen off the streets. Every single one of them had an ugly metal off-brand Omnitrix device welded onto their wrists. Small robotic arms hold computer chips just inches away from cybernetic implants in the side of each body's skull- the activating mechanism. "Ben" had clearly been telling the truth. She was the only living thing in the room. The activator arms all seemed to be wired up to a box in the centre of the doorway, from which another two wired emerged; the first trailed out of the room but the second was hooked up to a security camera in the corner of the ceiling.

Kai had learned a thing or two about motion-sensing security systems during her exploits in South America- so she immediately knew what to do. She pulled a laser pointer from one of the small satchels on her belt, and drew her magnum pistol with her other hand just to be safe. She slowly and carefully moves to the other side of the room, into what is likely to be the camera's blindspot. She points the laser pointer at one of the bodies near the front of the room and shakes the dot rapidly. Successfully grabbing the camera's attention, the activation mechanism triggers. The minimalistic cage pulls away and lifts to the ceiling as the cyborg- formerly a Pisciss Volann- drops to the ground with a thud disguised by the noise from the machinery on the floor below.

The Volann's head pivots as it scans a narrow area in front of itself, looking for movement. Kai shines the laser pointer at the wall in front of it. As soon as the Volann's gaze locks on, its watch activates with its signature crimson glow. When the light fades a Petrosapien has replaced the cyborg. It extends one arm outward and a blade of crystal launches into the wall. Inspired, Kai moves the dot into the wiring overhead. Just as expected, the drone sabotages the entire room with only a single attack. She puts away her gun and quickly pulls out a bad of ball bearings. Before the Petrosapien has a chance to think its task is completed, Kai tosses one of the metal balls into the corridor outside. The drone moves to investigate, and Kai follows it.

Downstairs, Ben observes the inner workings of the factory from his fourth-dimensional vantage point. Room after room dedicated to melding flesh and bone to steel and wiring, with a small room near the back where the Blacksmith manufactures his Omnitrixes by hand. This was clearly a long-term operation. Whatever had been occupying the Techadon previously must've been a front. Ben makes his way past the gruesome production lines and towards the occupied backroom, to find that the Blacksmith is not alone. Ben hangs back in the extradimensional space, watching as the inspector shows off his progress to Timekiller.

Timekiller: "The marriage of Omnitrix and Degradation technology is impressive, Blacksmith, very well done."

Blacksmith: "Omni? Pah. Don't sully my work with that Galvan misnomer. These are the Techadon Genetic Matrices. My Techtrixes."

Timekiller: "A secret you cracked after the Galvans had done all the legwork. But enough antagonisation. I assume the commission is complete?"

Blacksmith: "Ah yes, the zenith of my work so far. The Negativitrix. Designed with countermeasures to prevent the Galvan articles from gaining any advantages, and impregnated with the genetic samples you have provided me with. I assume you don't mind that I borrowed some of these samples for my own projects?"

Timekiller: "Not at all. Whatever gets the work done."

Blacksmith: "Excellent. Though, I am afraid that most of the samples have proven too complex for the Degradations to utilise. I've had to gather some new samples myself."

Timekiller: "Aha! I appreciate the problem. My Time Breakers often suffer a similar problem."

Blacksmith pulls the Negativitrix from a secret compartment in the floor beneath his workbench.

Blacksmith: "Which wrist would you like this on?"

Timekiller: "Oh it isn't for me."

Blacksmith: "You have someone else in mind?"

Timekiller: "Indeed."

Timekiller turns his head to the wall, his gaze passing straight through the dimensionally-hidden Ben. The Blacksmith follows his gaze.

Blacksmith: "Expecting someone?"

Timekiller: "They're late. No bother. I appreciate your efforts, Professor Blacksmith. I hope they will be enough for you."

He snatches the Negativitrix from the Blacksmith's hands and disappears with a blue flash. Alarmed by the betrayal, but equally by the expectation of guests, the Blacksmith reaches for a long-barrelled weapon of red metal stood beside the workbench.

Blacksmith: "Show yourselves!"

Ben steps out of the wall, regaining his 3-D form before reverting to his human self.

Blacksmith: "Tennyson!"

Ben: "Not quite. Gotta say, I am grateful you made sure the Negativitrix was compatible with ID Masks."

Ben reaches for his face, and pulls away an invisible mask that then shuts down to its default grey form. Ben's hair becomes a shining white and his eyes a deep red. His skintight clothes are black with red stripes, and his chest is encased in the distinctive purple armour of a Time Breaker.

Blacksmith, through gritted teeth: "Albedo. And with my Negativitrix no less. On orders to kill me?"

Albedo: "Not at all. In fact I'm here without his knowledge. Undertown used to be quite lively, or so I'm told. And now you have it under marshal law!"

Blacksmith: "And that's a problem how? You never cared for this place."

Albedo: "Not before. But I've reevaluated my priorities. When all is said and done, I was thinking of retiring here. I'll have to clean up a bit before I move in, however."

In a single second, Albedo slams the core of his watch as the Blacksmith lines up his shot. The red glow fades as the shot is fired, hitting MindMaster directly but to no effect. Without his disguise, MindMaster appears as a primarily white mass of floating crystals, with two sharp central shards being a bright ruby red.

MindMaster: "A Gamma Gun, correct? Useless. As you should well know. Sentient Chemicoal are made of radiation."

MindMaster pushes the Blacksmith into the wall and pulls the gun away from him with the same motion. He grabs the weapon with one hand and swipes his other arm to send the Blacksmith flying through the doorway. He snaps the Gamma Gun in half and moves to follow his target.

The Blacksmith clambers to his feet and bolts into the main factory floor. He stands beside a large red button on a pedestal near the centre of an open space, the walls on both sides covered with production lines for his Degradations. As MindMaster approaches, the Techadon slams the button down. Huge robotic arms pull away chunks of the ceiling, revealing six rooms full of Techtrix-wielding degradations held by weak cages. There is a moment of silence as the Blacksmith waits for them to deploy and MindMaster waits to see what happens. But nothing moves. All six rooms had their wiring severed by cyan Petrosapien crystals.

A lone ball bearing skids across the factory floor, followed closely by a slow, stumbling Petrosapien.

Kai: "How's this for a pincer movement?"

Kai trails behind the Petrosapien. She pulls out her laser pointer and aims it at the Blacksmith's feet, but he dodges the following crystal blast.

MindMaster: "You're surrounded."

Blacksmith: "As are you. At this very moment, the units I sent to secure this district are returning home to protect their master!"

MindMaster: "That only makes our job easier."

MindMaster grabs the Blacksmith's head with telekinetic force and quickly pulls him into his clenched fist, knocking the Techdon out pretty immediately. The motion attracts the attention of the Petrosapien, but MindMaster catches the volley of shards out of mid-air with ease. He flips one of the shards back around and launches it straight into the Techtrix emblem on the Petrosapien's chest, cracking the fragile glass face. His attack successful, he launches most of the rest at the same target in quick succession- obliterating the jury-rigged device. With a sparking purple flash, it reverts to its Volann form. With one last shard, the machinery embedded into the Degradation's head is pierced and destroyed. The Volann falls to the floor, dead.

Kai moves from behind where the Degradation had been stood, horrified but quietly glad that the death had been a quick one. MindMaster detransforms, and Kai see's "Ben"'s true form for the first time, though this only raised more questions in her mind than were answered since said true form was just Ben but with silver hair, scarlet eyes, and purple plated armour. She hesitates to ask, but experience tells her now is not the time.

Albedo: "Kai, use the Plumber Badge Kevin gave you to call for backup and get to cover. We're gonna need some help cleaning up after this and I don't value your odds against the drones."

Kai nods, before running into the backroom the Blacksmith had been hiding in only a minute ago. Albedo waits in the middle of the factory floor.

Before long he can hear a distant whirring, followed by the noise of concrete and metal giving way. Two already-transformed Techadon Degradations burst through the wall leading to the front of the factory, several walls had been pAlowed through with little respect. The first of the two had turned into a Bovenent, while the second had assumed the form of a Millganite.

The Bovenent- a minotaur-like creature- charged Albedo with its entire forearms turned into long drills. Albedo decided to dodge the first strike without transforming. This drone was much faster and more fluid than the others he had fought, but still sluggish enough that Albedo's human body could move out of the way of the attacks. With little thought, Albedo chooses his alien and prepares to fight back. He transforms into Intersect once more. Jumping through 4-D space for a moment, he sees that the Millganite was waiting back and eating the rubble of the factory walls in preparation.

The first Degradation looks around in confusion, and Albedo sees his chance. He pops his head back into visible space for the Bovenent to attack before slipping away again. He moves a few steps back and rematerialises. It attacks again. Albedo repeats the process until the Bovenent is tricked into striking the Millganite. For a moment, you could be mistaken for thinking that sentience had returned to the hollowed minds of the two creatures. The Bovenent pauses, calculating the scale of the error it had just made. The Millganite ceases eating, letting the bite it had just taken crumble out of its lipless jaw as it turns in silent anger towards the source of the friendly fire.

The Millganite swipes with its trunk-like arms at its ally and sending it flying. It slams its rubbery arms into the ground and screeches like a gorilla. Its arms extend out and grab the Bovenent from several metres away while standing completely still. It slams the Bovenent into the ground several times before the Techtrix forcibly reverts it into its natural Transylian form. Victorious, but no less enraged, the Millganite turns to Albedo. Its arms stretch out again, but Intersect slips out of space to avoid them. Approaching invisibly, Intersect's hand appears in front of the Millganite's face but before it has chance to bite Albedo pushes the monster's head through into the higher plane. The rest of the body remained where it was in 3-D space, still attached but unable to act. The body collapses, unconscious.

Thinking he might have won, Intersect returns the head to regular space but the Millganite awakens instantly. It sweeps for Intersect's legs and knocks him over, before pinning him down with his other hand. The Millganite's fingers extend over Intersect's body like a cage, with sharp claws embedded into the floor to keep Albedo pinned. The Degradation rights itself, keeping its claws locked in place but moving its body into a less awkward position. Albedo, on the other hand, disappears into thin air, opting not to worry about the limitations of life in 3-D reality.

Confused, the Degradation searches around in vain for something to attack. Albedo decides to take an alternative route, and hovers among the factory machines. Eventually he finds what he is looking for- a conveniently placed crowbar- and returns to the Millganite. Intersect watches for a minute as his opponent meanders about, blindly hunting a prey it cannot track.

Albedo lines up his shot when the Millganite pauses for a second. Intersect reappears for a brief moment before shoving the jagged end of the crowbar directly into the Techtrix core of the Techadon Degradation. The dial smashes and bursts into magenta fire. Intersect shields himself by slipping back into the fourth dimension before the Techtrix explodes. The Millganite is blasted onto its back, unable to revert to its base form. Albedo watches it for movement, even returning to his human form. Nothing. The destruction of the Techtrix had not only prevented the alien's DNA from changing back, but had also severed the connection to any of the Techadon Degradation technology that had replaced its higher brain functions. Pitifully shoddy engineering, littered with faults that Azmuth and Albedo had hammered out long before the earliest Unitrix prototype was even considered for active testing.

Looking up, Albedo sees a second Fulmini having just entered the factory through the gaping hole in the wall. It prepares to attack, only to be pulled away by a huge claw of bright pink magic. Outside, Gwen pulls the Fulmini to the ground where the Plumbers move into restrain it. A small squadron of Plumbers file into the factory, circling around Albedo and aiming their rifles at him. He puts his hands in the air, but none of them dare approach. Kai emerges from the backroom as Gwen and Kevin enter to confront Albedo themselves.

Gwen: "Well, if it isn't Albedo... Where's Ben?"

Albedo: "On the other side of the galaxy, I should suspect."

Kevin: "Real funny. What did you do with him?"

Kai: "He's telling the truth."

Kevin: "Wait so the Ben we were talking to earlier..."

Albedo: "Was me, yes."

Gwen: "Alright cut to the chase. What are you doing here Albedo?"

Kai: "Is no one going to explain to me why there is a colour-swapped version of my boyfriend in front of me?"

Albedo: "I'm an ex-Galvan-"

Kevin: "-Grey Matter-"

Albedo: "-Who made his own Omnitrix, made a few mistakes, got stuck with Ben's DNA, and now I-- wait, BOYFRIEND?! You've done nothing but shout at me all day!"

Kevin: "Women, am I right?"

Kai, Gwen, and Albedo simultaneously: "Shut up!"

Kai: "Sorry. I thought you were Ben. He's not been very thoughtful lately, I was mad at him. Still am, really."

Albedo: "Kai, I don't know you at all but I do know Ben. He's an idiot. But he's not a jerk. Usually. What I said earlier about the scale of our problems was true, though. There's a war burning across the galaxy right now, and pretty soon all of history is going to get involved as well. He hasn't forgotten about but, and I mean this in the nicest possible terms, he does not have time for you right now. Every life is at stake if he cannot gain the upperhand before this war gets out of hand."

Gwen: "The Time War, by any chance?"

Kai: "Didn't he already put a stop to that?"

Albedo: "Yes and yes, but time isn't linear. What you saw before was Maltruant sneaking around in the shadow of what's about to happen. If you ever see him again, you'll be lucky."

Kevin: "And what about you? What's your story? Or are you just busting an illegal weapons operation out of the goodness of your heart?"

Albedo looks outside the Plumbers were busy slotting ring-like devices over the Techtrixes of any further Degradations that were showing up, too slow to fight against the Plumbers' overwhelming numbers. The devices were reverting the Degradations to their cybernetic base forms.

Albedo: "Would you believe me if I said yes?"

Kevin: "No."

Albedo: "Very well then."

There is a moment of silence.

Gwen: "Aren't you going to try a little harder?"

Albedo: "I'm not as dumb as a I perhaps once was. I know I've expended any semblance of good faith you had in me."

Kevin: "So you're just going to come quietly?"

Albedo: "I am."

Albedo extends his left arm.

Albedo: "I cannot take this off. If you want to hold me prisoner, you will have to place one of those discs over my Negativitrix."

Gwen: "Negativitrix? That's such a dumb name."

Kevin pulls one of the ring-like devices from his back pocket. He approaches, but Albedo holds up his finger in warning.

Albedo: "I suspect this device was made by your resident Galvan team? Be aware that this may never come off again. Be especially aware that I am the only person presently able to help Ben on his quest. If you arrest me, you could very well be throwing this war to Timekiller."

Gwen: "You're wearing Time Breaker armour. I do not trust you."

Albedo: "Then proceed."

Kevin places the ring over the Negativitrix, before a group of Plumbers move in to handcuff Albedo. They heard him into the back of a van and drive off immediately.

Scene 4

Gwen, Kevin, and Kai have all returned to the Bellwood Plumber Base. The elevator slowly brings them to the lower levels of the facility.

Kai: "I think he was telling the truth."

Kevin: "You don't know Albedo like we know Albedo."

Kai: "Exactly. I don't know him. He knows that I don't know him. He had no reason to keep up his act as long as he did. Even if he was bad at it-"

Gwen: "It doesn't matter that you didn't know him. He saw Kevin give you the Badge. As soon as he revealed himself you would've called us, right? He definitely knew that."

Kai: "I didn't call the Plumbers until he told me to."

The small room falls silent as Gwen and Kevin turn to Kai in disbelief. After a second, the elevator reaches its destination. The doors slide open to the prison cell complex and the trio steps out.

Gwen: "And you didn't think to call us as soon as you realised he was acting strange?"

Kevin: "Or platinum blond?"

Kai: "No, not really. There was a bigger problem to deal with."

Gwen: "He- he didn't hurt you did he?"

Kai: "No. I handled myself just fine."

They approach Albedo's cell. He is sat arms crossed on his bench, leaning against the back wall with one leg raised onto the bench and the other dangling to the floor. He stares absently out of the front of his cell, but his gaze affixes to his guests as they approach.

Albedo: "Not to admit I've tried to take it off, but this limiting device is rather impressive compared to the usual calibre of tech from your science team."

Gwen: "Alright, Albedo. What do you want, really?"

Albedo: "The same as your do. I want to retire. I want to no longer be needed, to no longer fight."

Kevin: "Trust me, no one needs you to fight. If anything we'd rather you stopped."

Albedo: "Really? And when was the Plumber raid on the Techtrix factory scheduled for?"

Kevin: "They'd have found it eventually!"

Albedo: "My point proven. You amateurs didn't even know to look for Omnitrix wielders! Kai was the first among you to suspect it, the first to find evidence of it, and the individual who shut down more Degradations than anyone else, me included. And she doesn't even work for you! Y'know, if you'd beaten me to the factory by just a few minutes, I'd have never gotten my hands on the Negativitrix in the first place. And before you ask, no I didn't get it at the factory. Time travel was involved."

Gwen: "If you're asking for us to just let you go, we're not going to."

Albedo: "Three days."

Gwen: "Pardon?"

Albedo: "In three days, the Time War ends. Today, I saved Kai, a civilian, the entire Anurian Disctrict, and potentially the entire galaxy from a plague of mass-produced Techadon Omnitrixes. In three days I need to stand beside my formsake to make a play for all of creation. If we lose, nothing will stand in the way of Timekiller and MALtruant's domination. And besides..."

He shows them the Negativitrix.

Albedo: "Even if you let me go, if you can't take this device off of my Negativitrix then we've already lost."

Gwen: "That is such a dumb name. But you're still wearing Time Breaker armour. That spells trouble."

Albedo: "Trust me, after the last few times I'm not dumb enough to be working with the main villain again if I didn't have a trick up my sleeve."

Kevin: "And that trick is?"

Albedo: "That I don't hate Ben anymore. On the contrary I want to apologise to him."

Gwen: "Good God, he has changed."

Kai: "Let him go. I trust him."

Kevin: "You shouldn't."

Albedo stands up and walks to the cell door.

Albedo, solemnly: "This isn't a game. I'm so very tired of playing. Let me fight one more time, then you will never hear from me again. For what little it's worth, I promise you this much."

Kevin: "And we're supposed to just trust that you're not going to go out and try to kill Ben again?"

Albedo: "Kevin, why do you think I'm here? I'm as far away from Ben as I can get, and all I've done is solve a problem that Ben would have to deal with if I hadn't. Listen: Nothing that has happened to me has ever been Ben's fault. He has always acted in the best interests of this planet. My mistakes have always been my own, and I'm ready to admit that now. Except for the time that fucker Hugh convinced you all to stop me from curing myself of this human form. My grudge against him is justified. ...But I don't even want to remove this skin now. I'm content with just being human. I'm content with just being."

Kevin is astounded.

Albedo: "I'm sorry. For everything."

Without another word Kevin moves to the control panel of Albedo's cage. With a few button presses, the huge clear door slides away. He pulls a small piece of his taydenite car out from his pockets, absorbing it and turning himself into glistening cyan crystal.

Kevin: "Wrist."

Albedo holds out his left wrist, given Kevin access to the Negativitrix. Kevin grabs his arm with one hand, before turning the other into a sharp chisel and prying the inhibiting cover off. It flicks onto the floor as Kevin releases his grip. Fading back to normal flesh, he picks the ring up from the floor.

Albedo: "Oh wow that just came straight off."

Kevin: "The cell is already enough to hold any alien you could attempt to break out with without endangering yourself. This was just to get you here safely."

Albedo: "...Sure. Thank you all for placing your trust in me. You are better than I deserve. And Kai, I'll tell Ben you miss him. I'll leave out the expletives."

Kai: "Thank you."

Albedo brings up his Negativitrix. Searching through his short playlist of aliens, he settles for Doormensional and presses down the selection dial.

Doormensional: "Goodbye for now."

Albedo vanishes, fizzling out of reality. Rook looks up from his clipboard as he prepares to finish the paperwork for Albedo's arrest.

Rook: "What did you just do?!"

Noteworthy Events

• Kai and Albedo meet for the first time.
• Kai and Albedo shut down Techtrix production and defeat the Blacksmith.
• It is revealed that Timekiller commissioned the Blacksmith to produce the Negativitrix for Albedo.

Minor Events

• Kai returns to Bellwood.
• Mindmaster, the final Negativitrix alien, makes his debut.

Characters

• Kai Green
• Gwen Tennyson
• Kevin Levin
• Albedo
• CaT
• Plumbers
• Ectonurite
• Rook Blonko (cameo)

Villains

• The Blacksmith
  • Techadon Degradations
    • Techtrix Wielders
      • Bovenent
      • Two Transylians (first deceased)
      • Pisciss Volann (deceased)
      • several of unknown species (one deceased)
• Timekiller

Aliens Used

By Techtrix Wielders

• Hivemind
• Fulmini (x2)
• Petrosapien
• Bovenent
• Millganite

By "Ben"

• Doormensional (x2, first time disguised as 4D2)
• Haywire (x2, disguised as Intermission)
• MindMaster (x2, first time disguised as MindMatter)
• Biohazard (disguised as Gutrot)
• Intersect (x2)

Trivia

• In the photo of CaT, you can see the discord conversation of me asking him to take this photo on his second monitor.
• The disguises of Albedo's aliens are more neutral approximations of what he assumes Ben's versions would look like, with the sole exception of MindMaster who he knows should be red and green.