THE ROAD SO FAR
After defeating the evil sorcerer Hex and saving the planet Anodyne, Ben and Gwen returned to Earth, but several unpleasant events happened: Charmcaster used the Charm of Luck to seduce Ben, and when Gwen found out, the friendship between them was shaken and Charmcaster left. After this, Ben's parents were kidnapped by Ectonurites, who demanded Ben's surrender. The young hero received a mysterious call stating that the only one who could help him rescue his parents and get out of this situation alive was Zs'Skayr, the alien whose DNA was used as the genetic source for Ghostfreak…
NOW
Chapter 1 - The Lesser Evil
"Circulus prensio omnis immundus spiritus," Gwen recited the spell, and a bright circle covered with magical symbols appeared on the floor of the living room of Ben's house. The windows were all closed and covered with curtains, so no curious neighbor could peek at what was going on inside.
Ben positioned himself in the center of the circle and took a deep breath. He didn't like Ghostfreak. Each alien made him feel different: he felt hyperactive as XLR8, he felt calmer and politer as Gray Matter, he felt angry as Benwolf... He was used to the 'mood swings' of the aliens. But with Ghostfreak, it wasn't Ben's personality that changed. He felt another personality entirely different inside his mind, fighting him to take control. This other personality was Zs'Skayr - the original source of Ghostfreak's DNA. And now he would have to leave Zs'Skayr totally in control.
That's what the magic circle was for: to contain the alien while Zs'Skayr was in control. There was no danger. He trusted Gwen's spell. He only felt discomfort with letting it happen. But there was no time to lose: Ben's parents had been kidnapped by Ectonurites and interrogating Zs'Skayr was the only chance to discover anything.
The hero dialed his watch and turned into Ghostfreak, a floating white mass with black stripes of ectoplasm running through his body and a single eye in his head.
"Hello." Zs'Skayr greeted Gwen, "It's a pleasure to meet you. Ben's friends are my friends. My name is Zs'Skayr, but you probably already know that. "
"Cut the crap," Gwen said, "Ben already told me how he is afraid of you, of your evil instincts. You're a demon, and everyone knows there's no such thing as a good demon."
"That name doesn't fit me at all. Besides, some people would say there's no such thing as a good witch too, but I'm sure you wouldn't agree with that, right, my dear? And about my 'evil instincts'," he said making air quotes, "this only happens because Ben tries to repress me, so he ends up getting a lot of raw emotions from me without my intellect to filter them. And I have to confess, being locked up in a cage in the Null-Void for centuries has left me with a lot of strong raw emotions."
"Ben's parents. Where are they, who got them, and how can we save them?" Gwen asked, ignoring Zs'Skayr's explanations.
"First, for you to understand, let me tell you my story. I'm the first and only real Ectonurite to set foot on your planet. I grew attached to you, humans, and I decided to stay here and protect you. Like Vladats and Loboans, Ectonurites can turn other people into Ectonurites too, only willing ones in our case, though, and I turned some humans to help me. People didn't call us demons or ghosts back then, they thought we were angels!" Zs'Skayr said in a passionate tone.
Then he sighed, took a pause and later proceeded, "But even angels can fall. I was betrayed and caged, and most of my former helpers were either killed or let the power go to their heads. The Ectonurites are now synonyms with evil, and their leader is Darius, a vile and putrid man. The only thing I want is to be free, so I can turn the Ectonurites into a force of good again."
He seemed sincere, but Gwen's instincts told her not to trust him.
"Fortunately, I still have some allies among them, people who are not loyal to Darius and want me back. A while ago, I arranged for my DNA to be collected and added to the Omnitrix, so I could make it happen. Unfortunately, my enemies have discovered this and now are looking for the Omnitrix to destroy the means of my return. That's why Darius wants Ben. He'll cut his arm off, destroy the Omnitrix, and I'm pretty sure that afterwards he'll kill Ben and his parents too."
"Let me guess." Gwen folded her arms, "You will help us save Ben's parents if we get you out of your cage?"
"You're a feisty one, aren't you?" Zs'Skayr chuckled.
"Shut up!" Gwen yelled.
"Getting me out of the cage would be the best option, indeed, but it would take time, time that Ben's parents probably don't have. Ben just needs to go to Darius' ambush, turn into Ghostfreak and let me do my job. I'm the only chance you have," he said grimly.
Shortly thereafter the beeping sound was heard, the Omnitrix plate on his chest flashed red, and Ghostfreak turned back into Ben.
"That was weird," Ben said, stepping out of the magic circle, "But Zs'Skayr's right. I'm going to have to use Ghostfreak. "
"Have you ever stopped to think that's exactly what he wants? What guarantee do we have that he will keep his word and help us free Uncle Carl and Aunt Sandra? Or that he himself isn't behind everything, and all of this is just a plan to make you vulnerable to his influence?" Gwen argued, "We need a plan that does not involve you using Ghostfreak."
"But do you have one?" Ben asked worriedly.
After a few moments of silence, Gwen finally answered with a confident smile, "I do."
The next day...
"Hello? I'm here to surrender," Ben Tennyson said, entering the abandoned warehouse with his hands up.
There was a group of a dozen people in there, their eyes completely black. They clearly were humans possessed by Ectonurites.
"No cars out there, guys," three possessed men, who were patrolling the area, entered the warehouse right after Ben. "He's clean."
"That's a surprise. I did not expect you to actually turn yourself in," a woman said, "We will have to ask the boss what to do with you. "
"Darius is not here in person? I feel offended by that," Ben said as four men approached him, "Not so fast! I want to see my parents first, or I'll turn alien right now," Ben threatened the henchmen.
"Okay," the woman, who seemed to be the leader, nodded, and a man opened a metal door, revealing Carl and Sandra restrained by ropes in a small room. Meanwhile, the men pinned Ben to the ground and handcuffed him.
Suddenly, a loud noise was heard from above, and a huge hole was cracked open on the roof, from there, Lucky Girl descended with a red metallic alien with forearms filled with water and two tubes of water reaching from a respirator his "mouth" to his back - Overflow.
"What the hell?" The confused villains turned their eyes from Ben to Overflow several times.
'Ben' smiled and turned into a puddle of purple mud, escaping the handcuffs, and then reformed into a pretty blonde girl, "Psych!"
'Ben' was actually Lucy Mann, a Lenopan - part of an alien race with the ability to shapeshift - and a trusted friend of the Tennysons, while the real Ben was actually Overflow.
"Lucy, go save my parents!" Overflow yelled.
The hero knew he couldn't hurt the men and women there. These were probably just innocent people possessed by Ectonurites. Thankfully, he wouldn't have to. Overflow pointed his water cannons at them, "Don't come any closer!"
"Water? Do you think that can hurt us?" one of the Ectonurites mocked him as they stepped closer.
Overflow twirled and blasted them with jets of water. The Ectonurites let out a high-pitched scream of pain. The men and women opened their mouths and expelled small clouds of black smoke from their bodies, "Well, it can when it's filled with salt, and I absorbed a good amount of salt water before I entered here!"
The formerly possessed men and women stared at the scene in front of them in confusion and left the warehouse in a hurry. But now misshapen nightmarish creatures - the Ectonurites in their true forms - were floating around Overflow and Lucky Girl, and they were furious. He tried blasting them with more salt water, but they were very fast and agile.
"Leave this to me," Lucky Girl stretched her hands up, "Solis Radii!"
The heroine's hands shined very bright, like a tiny sun. Another high-pitched scream was heard from the Ectonurites, and they turned into black clouds to flee through the air vents and escape the light.
"Did we win?" Ben asked in surprise, turning back to normal.
"We did," Lucky Girl said as she gave Ben a tight hug, "I said we didn't need Ghostfreak." And then she gave him a quick victory peck on the lips.
Ben grinned like a fool, "I love winning."
Gwen just rolled her eyes.
Lucy cleared her throat and gestured for the heroes to tone down the displays of affection as she approached Ben and Gwen followed by Carl and Sandra Tennyson.
Carl and Sandra just stared at everything with a smiley face... They seemed too happy for anyone who had just been kidnapped and had discovered that their son is a superhero. They did not look shocked or surprised. Ben felt a chill up his spine, realizing there was something strange about all that.
"Dad, Mom, are you okay?" He asked worriedly.
Carl and Sandra's eyes turned completely black.
They were possessed too.
"You should have done what you were told," Carl said in a horrifying voice. He pulled out a knife and stabbed himself in the belly. And Sandra did the same thing.
"NOOOOOO!" Ben, Gwen and Lucy screamed at the same time, completely in shock.
"The ectoplasm running in our veins is keeping your parents alive... for now," Sandra said with a gloomy smile as blood poured from the wound, "Let's see if that extra pressure makes you more obedient."
Ben panicked, and his heart stopped beating for a moment.
"What do you guys want?" Lucky Girl asked in a trembling voice.
"This is between the watch boy and us. You two sluts can walk away," Carl said.
"Ben, no. You can't give yourself to them. They'll kill you!" Lucky Girl, desperate, whispered in her cousin's ear.
"I have no choice," Ben said with a hopeless expression on his face, until an idea came to his mind. Ben quickly dialed his watch.
"You don't want to do this!" Carl threatened.
Ben slammed the watch, turned into Ghostfreak, and allowed Zs'Skayr to be in control.
"Lord Zs'Skayr?" The two Ectonurites spoke, trembling with fear.
Ghostfreak put his hands over Carl and Sandra's mouths, and spurted a black liquid - his own ectoplasm - into them. The Ectonurites who were possessing them left their bodies as black clouds and hurried away as fast as they could.
"My ectoplasm will heal Mr. and Mrs. Tennyson now," the ghost alien said, and then completed in a sarcastic tone, "I saved the day. You're welcome."
Hours later, in a top secret S.E.C.T. facility somewhere else.
"How are they, Grandpa?" Ben asked, looking at his parents who were resting in the hospital wing.
"Fortunately, they are recovering very fast, and they will not have any after-effects," Grandpa Max replied.
"Thanks to Ghostfreak's ectoplasm," Ben said.
"Ben, you have to make sure they don't take it anymore. Ectoplasm is very addictive, and when people are under its effect, Ectonurites can possess them. We have to make sure your parents have a complete detox. This worries me a lot more than the injuries," Grandpa Max warned, "And I will personally take care of the safety of my son and my daughter-in-law. I will assign people of my absolute trust to protect your house 24/7. You can be sure of this."
"While I go after the son of a b*tch who gave the order to kidnap them." Ben clenched his fists in anger.
"Calm down, Ben." Grandpa Max put a hand on his shoulder, "Now worry about being with your parents. You have a lot to talk about."
Ben entered the room, gave a kiss on his mother's cheek and another one on his father's cheek, "Hi, Mom, Hi Dad. I'm sorry for putting you two in danger. I'm so glad you're ok. What do you remember? "
"First, you have nothing to apologize for, ok, son? We were having dinner at an inn, and suddenly ghosts showed up," Carl said in a shaky voice, "After they possessed us, it's all a bunch of confusing flashes. I don't remember much until I woke up here. but ... are you a hero, son? "
Ben gulped. He broke out in a cold sweat and didn't say anything for a moment, until he finally decided to tell the truth to his parents from the beginning to end. He told them about Gwen being Lucky Girl too - but he obviously omitted the 'deep friendship' between them. After almost an hour of conversation, Ben's parents' reaction was different than what he expected.
"We'd rather you not risk your life as a hero, but we know something like this is what you've always wanted and you're as stubborn as your grandfather," Carl said with a chuckle, "and we're very proud that you decided to use that watch on your wrist to do good things."
Sandra took her husband's hand in hers and smiled in a silent confirmation of his words. Ben gently squeezed his parents' hands and smiled at them very happy.
A few hours later, Gwen's house.
"Gwendolyn Tennyson, where were you?" Natalie asked with her arms folded in a very displeased voice tone.
"Helping Ben, mom. His parents were kidnapped, but it's all good now," Gwen said in a tired voice.
"Actually, your grandfather called and told us everything," Frank said.
"Did he tell you that Ben is in a very delicate situation right now?" Since the battle in Anodyne, Gwen's parents also knew about her secret identity, so it was easier to talk about certain subjects now, "There's this alien, an Ectonurite named Zs'Skayr. I'm pretty sure he's trying to manipulate Ben. I need to be there with him, to keep him grounded and make sure he's not going to do anything stupid. So, I'm going to have to spend a few days, maybe a few weeks, at Ben's house. Don't worry, I- "
"What? Do you want to move in to your cousin's house?" Natalie asked in surprise.
"It's only temporary, mom. Until this situation is resolved," Gwen argued.
"Do you know what situation needs to be resolved? This ... thing ... between you and Ben. He's a bad influence on you, drags you into these superhero problems. You can have a normal life, finish high school, earn a college degree, find a good job, get rich. This whole Lucky Girl thing will only delay you from reaching your true potential. And ... let's talk about the elephant in the room ... You and Ben are already too close for cousins and moving into his house for weeks would only make it worse. No way we're going to allow it."
"Mom, this is not fair! I love being a hero and helping people. It helps me to reach my full potential. Potential is not just about money, you should know that, mom!" Gwen said, very upset," And there's nothing wrong between me and Ben. We're just cousins, nothing more."
Gwen glanced at her father for support. But he remained silent, in support of his wife. Angrily, Gwen stormed up the stairs to her bedroom, making sure her parents would hear her loud footsteps to show her unpleasantness with the situation.
Downstairs, Frank argued with Natalie. "Honey, you know Ben is her best friend. With him, she doesn't have to hide what she is or the magical powers that she has. It's healthy for her to have someone her age she can trust."
"It's only healthy until the point the two of them start having sex. We can't be blind to this. The signs are already clear in front of us. There is something going on between our daughter and your nephew, "Natalie said in a reprimanding tone. "What we need to do is make sure Gwen finds another person to connect with very fast. That boy, Natan Salas, is very interested in her. He is perfect: he has magic just like our daughter, so she can be herself around him, but, unlike Ben, he doesn't go out there in the streets looking for bad guys to beat up. Besides, he's handsome, he's from a rich family and he is well educated. He would be an excellent boyfriend to Gwen."
"Well, he is interested in her, but it remains to be seen if Gwen is interested in him." Frank scratched his chin.
"We'll help her with that. I called Natan to have dinner with us here tomorrow. "
"What?" Frank asked in surprise, "Did you tell Gwen about this? Maybe she doesn't want to."
"It's going to be a surprise blind date. I'm sure Gwen will like it," Natalie said with a smirk.
Next day at Ben's house.
Ben insisted on making dinner, so his parents could rest. He was not an expert in the kitchen, but he knew how to prepare rice, instant noodles and bananas and chicken in the air fryer.
As everyone was sitting at the table and eating comfortably, Ben asked, "So, what do you guys think of the dinner?"
"Remember, son, I grew up on your grandfather's cooking. For me, you look like a master chef," Carl started to laugh, and Sandra laughed too. But their laughter ceased abruptly, and their eyes turned completely black with white pupils.
Ben felt a chill run through him.
"Don't worry, Ben. It's me, your old friend Zs'Skayr," Carl and Sandra said in unison.
"Don't do this, Zs'Skayr," Ben said, trying his best to make sure his voice wouldn't break even though he was terrified, "Let them go. Now."
"I said you don't have to worry. I'm your friend. I don't want to hurt your parents. While my ectoplasm is still inside them, I'll take the opportunity to briefly talk to you," Carl and Sandra said together. "We have a common enemy. The only real way to make sure that your parents will never be threatened again is to eliminate Darius once and for all, and I'll tell you how to do that."
To be continued…
Author's Notes
* To all the readers who are still following/favoriting/reviewing my stories, I am extremely grateful for your support! Also, thanks to Aurora Nightstar for beta-reading this. Any clarification you need, about this or other stories, feel free to ask me over PM or review. I have several plans in mind and things I should say, but I don't want to blab too much without need LOL
* If you want to check the cover poster, you can see it fully on AO3:
archiveofourown DOT org/works/16641303/chapters/39015555