On the Road Again

alt titles:
* And Then There Were Tennysons
* And Then There Was Ben 10
NEEDS MORE CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS
== Script ==
The scene opens on the night sky, panning across twinkling stars.
(Narrator): Look up towards the stars, Tennyson.
The camera zooms out and down, revealing our narrator - Vilgax, a green squid-man wielding a sword in his hand.
He stands on the bow of a ship, but a look at the background (midnight sky, shadowed trees, and the sound of rushing water) reveals he 
(Vilgax): Each of them home to a planet, maybe ten planets more. Each home to an empire, standing tall, on its own, wanting to conquer the other stars. Wanting to conquer you.
Vilgax gestures his sword to the stars.
The camera continues to zoom out. In the bottom corner, a glowing green light appears.
(Vilgax): I've offered you this once, and I'll offer it to you again: Join me, Tennyson. Join my empire.
Though the light is dim, the hologram projected by the Omnitrix is clearly identifiable - a 
(Vilgax): You wouldn't.
(Tennyson): I think you'll find that the stars in the sky aren't my enemies.
Tennyson presses down on the Omnitrix as he takes a step forward. The camera warps around to watch the shadowed Tennyson as he walks across the bow of the spaceship. His steps begin to slow - though not to a complete stop - and the shadows cling tighter to his body. A white silhouette outlines his body.
Fade to black.
----
Fade into a sunny day... The sound of running, sweat, a crowd cheering...
(Announcer): Here comes our hero, Tennyson!
(Announcer): Tennyson's got the ball... He's running towards the goal... Will he make it in time?
The goalkeeper, wearing his Groversville Martians getup,
----We open back up to Ben's POV. His vision is blurry and teetering from side-to-side. As his vision clears up, we can tell we're in the back of an ambulance.
(Gwen): Look who's finally up.
(Ben): Did I... make the goal?
(Gwen, snickering): Ben, you were on the bench the whole time. You were staring at some girl in the crowd when a stray kick hit you in the side of the head and knocked you out cold.
Ben blushes, slightly embarrassed. He moves to sit up.
(Ben): Oh. Well... Get me back on the field! I can make that goal now.
Gwen frowns.
(Gwen): Well... About that? You're gonna have to ask Coach Elirio next season. 
(Ben): What?
(Gwen): You were passed out for the whole game. 
(Ben): Well... Did we at least win?
(Gwen): Bellwood lost 10 to none. 
(Ben): It's nil-to-ten, geek... 
Ben groans.
(Ben): I'm surprised Grandpa's not here. He's always hovering over me like a helicopter.
Gwen frowns.
(Gwen): He's outside the truck in a lawnchair. He... fell asleep while waiting for you to wake up.
Ben sighs.
(Ben): Everyone in this family ends up a loser. No offense, Gwen.
(Gwen): No offense. I get it. 
As Gwen speaks, Max pokes his heads around the corner of the ambulance.
(Gwen, cont.): ...That's just how Bellwood is.
Beat.
Max steps fully into frame. 
(Max): Ben, glad to see you're back and up! Your parents are out here. 
(Ben, sarcastically): Great.
Before anyone can do anything else, Ben's parents rush in.
Carl Tennyson is a middle-aged bald man. 
(Sandra Tennyson, thick Jersey accent): Oh, Ben! I was so worried! We came as fast as we could!
(Carl Tennyson, equally thick Jersey accent): Yeah. Sorry we couldn't be at the big game to watch you play, son. You know how it is, ehh, uhh, business. Don't want this one to close on us, too!
Carl forces a nervous laugh. Ben rubs the back of his head.
(Ben): No, it's... Fine. 
(Gwen): You didn't miss much.
(Sandra): Oh, nonsense! Our little boy's a great athlete! The college scouts will be all over him in no time!
(Ben): Yeah, but right now, mom... You are... Could you lay off so I can breathe?
Sandra backs off of her son.
(Carl): Your mom's got a point, though, you know. Keep on practicing and you can go to college like Chris or Uncle Frank.
(Ben): Uhh, sure. Yeah. That sounds exciting. 
(Ben, cont., sarcastically): I'd sure love to be like them.
Carl's brow furrows.
(Carl): Hey, c'mon, Ben - don't be mean to Uncle Frank. Without him, hey, we wouldn't have my landscaping business or cousin Gwen!
Ben rolls his eyes.
(Sandra): Besides, honey... They're coming up right now.
(Carl): Right, Ben. Look presentable.
Gwen smirks as Ben looks down, questioning what he's supposed to do to look presentable in the back of an ambulance.
Frank and Natalie poke their heads around the corner of the ambulance as well.
Frank is much skinnier and taller than his brother, but looks much more professional. A pair of rectangular browline glasses rest upon his eyes, wrinkled by chronic stress. 
(Frank): Everything alright back here?
(Ben): I mean, yeah, I guess. I'm still here.
(Frank): Lovely!
Max frowns, having been overhearing the conversation.
(Max): Boys, can we have a quick moment?
(Carl): Sure, Dad.
Max, Carl, and Frank head around the side of the ambulance.
(Frank): Right, then, Dad. What's all this about? Ben alright?
(Max): Yeah, on that... Would you guys mind if I took Ben and Gwen on a roadtrip for a few days?
(Carl): You so sure? I mean, my wife's gonna raise hell if I tell her - didn't you say Ben got a little bit of a concussion?
(Max): Son, you know different. Tennyson men are built different - we all got a few bumps on our heads, growing up...
Frank raises an eyebrow.
(Max, cont.): ..besides Frank, and I'd say we all turned out alright. Besides, might help to alleviate some bitter feelings to get them out of this small town for a while. Heaven knows I wanted to back when I was their age.
(Frank): Yeah, and look where that got you.
(Max): You know, your grandfather felt the same way about me leaving...
(Frank): Alright, point taken. Just... Just don't take them out to Uncle Gordon's.
(Carl): Or worse... Mom's.
(Max): Relax, I won't. It'll just be a nice camping trip out in the woods. I'll show 'em just how skilled a Tennyson can be.
Frank sighs and relents.
(Frank): Alright.
(Carl): Guess we'd better go tell the ladies.
Frank raises an eye at his brother's words before the two of them walk off.
As his children walk off, Max stares at the dashboard of his RV. On the dashboard, next to a dancing hula girl wearing a purple dress, is a tentacle in a jar. The camera zooms in on it...
----The camera zooms out on the tentacle in a jar. The RV is now on the road, with the Tennyson kids in tow.
(Ben): Is it... A national park? Ooh, Mom said you were thinking of taking us out to Yo-suh-mite!
(Gwen, smugly): Yosemite.
Ben flashes Gwen an annoyed look.
(Max): Relax, Ben. Like I've said ten times before, it's a surprise.
(Gwen): Well, we'd better be getting close, because we're nearing the border and I don't think mom packed my passport. 
(Ben): You don't need a passport to cross a land border. You use it for flying. 
(Gwen): Yeah? And how would you know? This is like, the farthest away from home you've ever been.
(Ben): Uncle Manny told me 'bout that time he went to Mexico. He didn't need any documents.
(Gwen): Yeah, but you're missing a crucial part of the story. That's because the border guards assumed he was a gorilla. 
(Ben): Well, if a gorilla doesn't need a passport, I don't see why I would.
Gwen, dejected and annoyed, sits back in her seat.
(Gwen): Fine. Go ahead and turn into a gorilla for all I care.
Gwen's eyes flick towards the window.
(Gwen): Oh my god, is that...?
----
(Ben): We're not even at Niagara Falls - we're outside of it. We're not even good enough for Niagara Falls.
Ben storms off into the night
----
 
The device is projecting a digital hologram, text that reads "TIME INACTIVE:" followed by a value that is increasing too rapidly for Ben to legibly discern. 
Ben waves his hand through the hologram, watching the light-screen disappear. He plays around with the light for a few seconds, moving his hand left to right, and then up and down, until his hand waves too close to the device... 
The device suddenly beeps. 
(Device): DNA lock
 
Ben disregards the 
----
(the tentacle approaches the fallen drones and makes them rise like a preacher to a choir)
vilgax drones are generally emotive, "animated" like disney critters
(Max pulls out a prototool)
----Setting: Highway rest stop
(Max, on payphone): Yeah, yeah... Everything's gonna be okay. The kids are just gonna be a few days later.
Mumbled voices from the other line.
(Max): Ben... Got stung. Nothing I can't handle, just... 
Max's eyes float up as he ponders.
(Max): Nothing the doctors can handle. Alien b.s., y'know. 
The mumbled voices from the other line grow agitated.
(Max): Listen, this is what happens when you lobby to get them shut down. But it'll be fine. I know where there's a Plumber cache that should be able to take care of it. I'll get him back to you good as normal.
While Max tries to 
 
Max turns and sees the tentacle inching away. He drops the blaster and tries to tackle it, but the tentacle deftly hops out of the way in time. As it bounces away, it lets out a series of squeaks, as if laughing maniacally. 
Before it can get too far, though, a glass jar slams down on it from up top. 
The camera pans upward, and we see Gwen standing confidently. 
Grandpa Max smiles a proud smile. He slowly gets up and brushes the dirt off of himself. 
 
(Heatblast): Nuh-uh, you won't get away that easy... 
Heatblast ignites his flames hotter... 
(Max): Easy, Ben. You're young - you can't win 'em all. 
Ben is sipping on a Mr. Smoothie milkshake. Gwen twists the cherry stem off the top of a sundae.
(Gwen): Doesn't it kind of bother you that Grandpa just had that... Lazer gun in the back of the Rustbucket?
=== Post-credits ===
Deep in space, a part of the spaceship from the introduction is flying through orbit. One of the red disc-shaped drones from earlier approaches its dock.
CUT TO: Inside the Star Cleaver.
Now inside of the ship, the drone continues to fly. It passes tens of other drones - some doing ship maintenance, others doing drone maintenance, others simply hibernating. As it passes them, its lights flash in some sort of code. The other drones turn to watch.
Our drone flies into another airlock and up a chute. 
It spills out of the chute into some sort of medical chamber, outfitted with a tub of red liquid. 
The drone lands before the tube. It leans forward, almost as if to bow, while still flickering its lights and chirping away.
Within the tube, a familiar pair of eyes flash open.
== Cast ==
* Vilgax the Conqueror (102023 debut)
* Max Tennyson (101023 debut)
*Announcer - dream sequence character
* Ben Tennyson (102023 debut)
* Gwen Tennyson (102023 debut)
*Sandra Tennyson (102023 debut)
*Carl Tennyson (102023 debut)
*Chris Tennyson (referenced)
*Frank Tennyson (102023 debut)
*Natalie Tennyson (102023 debut)
*Uncle Gordon Tennyson (referenced)
*Grandma Vera Tennyson (referenced)
*Little Tentacle (debut)
*Manny Tennyson (referenced)
*Vilgax Drones (102023 debut)
=== Aliens Used ===
* Alien X (by Max, 102023 debut)
* Heatblast (102023 debut)
* Water Hazard (101023 debut)
== Trivia ==
* Any practical errors with the writing of the soccer scene could be attributed to the author's lack of knowledge, but also, it was a dream sequence, so who's to say Ben's dreams just are bad at understanding soccer?
* The Bellwood soccer team is playing against the Groversville team. Groversville is a reference to Grovers Mill, a town in south Jersey that is also where the martian saucer landed in Orson Welles' rendition of War of the Worlds.
Category:Episodes