Escape
Chapter 1: Risk
Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10.
A.N.: Sorry to any reading my other stuff, like 'Ben Kidnapped'. I haven't felt like updating it, and I think it's because I haven't been watching any Ben 10. Not my fault, the makers of Ben 10 need to make a new cartoon, but anyways, I guess I could watch re-runs, but that just isn't me. More importantly, there may be spoilers in this. Also, this was inspired by a dream I had the other night. This takes place some time after Omniverse.

"Hey," Ben shouts as he chases Albedo further into the alleys of Undertown, "You're not going anywhere with those Plumber weapons!"

Albedo continues running quickly, his breathing fast and shallow from the long chase. By now he would usually have lost Ben, but this is different. This time he had no plan ahead of getting the weapons and taking off in a ship, but that plan hadn't stood, thanks to his mole in the Plumbers base getting found out.

Now he had been running for at least thirty something minutes, and though he could run longer, he would rather not. It doesn't make matters any better that one of the Plumbers at the hanger had hit his left leg with a stun-blaster.

He doesn't plan on giving up though. He can't give Ben that satisfaction.

While wiping some sweat from his head, Albedo jumps onto a crate before jumping to a flat roof. He runs on the roof for a while before jumping to the next closely-spaced roof.

Albedo halts though as he spots Ben's partner, Rook.

"You are surrounded. Give up."

Albedo whirls around to see that he is indeed surrounded. Ben and Rook are both about five feet away on either side of him. He considers jumping for a moment, but Ben and Rook were blocking the other nearby houses. There are houses free on the side they aren't blocking, but with an alley between this house and those houses, it'd be too far a jump.

Albedo looks down in frustration, "Of course."

Ben checks his still timed-out Omnitrix, then turns to look at Albedo again, "It'll only be a few minutes for it to be working again, then I'll take you to your new room."

Albedo grits his teeth, considering his options. He comes to the conclusion that he could never be taken to a prison again. He also realizes that he would rather die than be mocked by the 'Great Ben Tennyson'.

He glances down at the bag on his shoulder that he's keeping the stolen Plumbers weapons in. It would not take a lot to make them explode.

He takes one of the larger and more dangerous weapons out, "I'd rather die."

Ben's stare becomes something closer to a glare as he taps the Omnitrix impatiently, "Didn't anyone ever tell you? You don't always get what you want."

Albedo takes out a tiny multi-use tool and begins tinkering with the weapon, "I believe the counter to is that sometimes you get what you need."

Rook steps forward to stop Albedo, but Albedo lifts the weapon, threatening to shoot him.

Ben stands still, watching angrily, "You wouldn't."

Albedo turns to shoot a glare Ben's way, "I would. Though if either of you would like to test me, then feel free to step forward."

Defeated, Rook steps back again, a scowl on his blue and furry face.

Only six minutes pass before Albedo smirks a bit to himself and drops the large weapon on the roof at his feet, "That will explode in sixty seconds. The explosion will kill or injure anyone within three feet...I think. So, either you back away and let me leave, or I and maybe you both will all either get killed or injured."

"You're bluffing!"

Rook looks at Ben, "We can't take the chance."

Ben growls, looking at his Omnitrix again in anger, "Well, we can't just let him go."

Albedo laughs without humor, "So you'd rather I die?"

"You're insane."

Silence fills the air around the three of them, then a ticking begins, making Albedo smirk, "Five seconds left."

Ben runs forward, pushing Albedo towards the edge of the roof that Rook's on. Albedo struggles to get free, but Ben holds him tightly with Albedo facing away from him.

Rook runs forward to grab the dangerous weapon and bomb, then throws it in the air as far as he can.

After a long five three seconds, a loud noise is heard and flames go up in the air.

Ben turns to look at the mess of debris falling from the sky along with flaming pieces of the used-to-be weapon, "You were serious..."

Albedo bites is lower lip so badly that he tastes the familiar rusty-salty taste of blood. He can stop the few tears that trail down his face, even though he'd promised himself that he'd never cry in front of anyone. Especially the enemy.

Ben lets him go, allowing Albedo to fall to his knees. Only then does Ben see a bit of blood running down his chin from his lip, and the tears running down from his eyes.

He glances at Rook who is busily stomping out what flames remain with the help of some resident aliens, then he turns to Albedo again, feeling odd seeing his enemy like this.

Ben slowly reaches down to grab Albedo by his upper arm, then he pulls him up, "Get yourself together, man."

Albedo turns away from him, ignoring Ben as Ben took the bag of weapons from him.

Ben walks over to give Rook the bag so Rook could give it to a Plumbers ship which had landed on the ground a good ways off, then he turns his attention back to Albedo, "You okay?"

Albedo wipes his red sleeve over his face, "You don't care."

Ben sighs, "Look, I can admit to not liking you, and you have to admit that you don't expect otherwise, but I do care."

Albedo looks away, "Save you and I both from the awkwardness of you trying to comfort your enemy and stop now."

Ben watches his white haired look-alike quietly for a moment, then speaks again, "We're only enemies because of you."

Albedo turns towards Ben to protest, but he fell silent at the truth behind Tennyson's words. He had wanted the Omnitrix, and even after Azmuth denied his request, he still sought out Ben Tennyson, and fought him as soon as he was sure Ben wouldn't just hand him the Omnitrix.

It is his fault. He'd been running from the truth for so long. Only ever so often thinking of how he regrets things he had done, and then pushing those thoughts aside before continuing onward to do yet more stupid things.

"I can't change the past," Albedo begins reluctantly, not meeting Ben's eyes, "No matter how much I regret things I've done."

"You can change the future."

Albedo looks directly at Ben now, "I can't go to prison."

Ben stares back at him, "Why not? If you'd just wait you'd probably be free by now."

"It's torture! I just sit in a outrageously small room and what? Think about how I am wrong? The only thing that sitting in a prison room makes me think about, is how badly I want revenge on Azmuth and you."

Ben glances over at the Plumbers truck a good ways off and below. Rook is watching him, and Ben guesses that Rook is wondering what's taking so long.

Ben turns back to Albedo, "I almost want to help you. Wouldn't be the first time that I was overly gullible to a villain, but if this goes like the first time then you'll just betray me."

"Are you seriously considering helping me?"

Ben shrugs lightly, "Or we could just doing this. You trying to get revenge, me stopping you..."

"Don't mock me, Tennyson!"

"I'm being serious. I either continue like that until you're stronger or smarter and win or cause a lot of trouble...or I take this opportunity to help you and maybe you'll change a bit?"

Albedo looks down, "Is such a thing possible?"

"Hey, it's worked before."

Albedo looks up now, hope in his unusually red eyes, "Help me then."

Ben bites his lip while taking a moment to glance at Rook, "It's a risk, though."

Albedo nods, "And I will likely never say anything as unbelievably idiotic as this, but...take the risk...please."