Here's a collaboration story by Redbat132 and myself! Enjoy and no flames please!
In an abandoned warehouse nestled in the dark, sleazy underbelly of Bellwood, Dana the Ectonurite was fighting Sixsix.
"Last time, Sixsix! Give up now!" Dana demanded.
Sixsix responded in his native tongue. What he said made Dana gasp. "THAT'S IT!" She charged forward to possess him, but the alien skillfully dodged the alien ghost and swung a high-tech weapon at her.
The weapon actually managed to cut Dana's left arm. She howled in pain as she crashed into a pile of crates.
"MY ARM!" Dana threw her hand over the gaping wound; she froze in helpless shock. She always thought nothing can scar her, being an alien ghost and all.
Sixsix laughed as he was ready to finish Dana. But he felt his body freeze as a black and green blob took over his battle suit.
"That's enough, Sixsix!" Ben roared as Upgrade. Thanks to his alien form's powers, Sixsix's armor was dismantled and destroyed, rendering him powerless.
The Plumbers were called in to take Sixsix away as a medical team took Dana away to be treated for her injury.
At the Plumber's medical center, Ben paced outside the emergency room. His grandfather, Max Tennyson was the first to come out through the doors.
"Grandpa, is Dana going to be okay?" a worried Ben asked.
Sadness filled the elderly man's eyes. "Well, she suffered a severe laceration on her forearm. It'll be a while before she heals and goes back out in the game. It turns out that because she's a hybrid of human and alien, whatever damage she takes in one form, the other form has the same damage."
Ben couldn't believe it. "But...how?!"
"You know those sun guns used to fight Ectonurites? Well, Sixsix had a sun blade. Basically, it's a sword made of pure light. It's a miracle her arm is still attached."
Ben felt sick to his stomach. He never thought Dana could be hurt so quickly and easily.
"BEN!" A sudden voice broke the still. Ben looked to see his friend Kevin Levin running toward him. He grabbed the hero by the shoulders. "Where's Dana?!"
Ben could feel the intensity of Kevin's words. Max pulled Kevin off of Ben and took him away to tell Kevin what happened.
As Max talked to Kevin, Ben peeked into the emergency room. Dana was lying on the medical bed in her human form. Her arm heavily bandaged. But what disturbed Ben was the look on Dana's face. There wasn't a hint of her trademark optimism. Her eyes were dull and lifeless. Ben slowly entered the room. "Hey, Dana."
"Hey." Dana's voice was so dull, Ben almost didn't recognize her.
"I'm sorry about your arm." Ben said from the bottom of his heart. "I know what you've been through was scary, but you have to remember that wounds heal eventually. I've had broken bones, cuts and bruises that I don't even want to think about. But they all healed in time. That means this will be alright too." Ben pointed to Dana's injured arm.
Kevin burst through the door before Dana had a chance to process Ben's words. "Dana!" He gasped when he saw Dana's arm. His face turned white.
"Take it easy, Kevin." Ben warned before Kevin blew his top. "We're in a hospital." He watched Kevin tighten his fists. The rage in his eyes frightened even Ben a little.
"I'm never gonna let you get hurt again." Kevin said beneath his breath. He took out his phone.
"Who are you calling?" asked Ben.
"My boss." Kevin responded. "I'm gonna take some time off." He left the room to talk with his boss in private.
Ben sighed. "I really don't like where this is going."
A few days later, Dana was back at the Grant Mansion. She walked into the kitchen to grab a snack. But then, Kevin suddenly ran in front of her.
Dana frowned.
"Where do you think you're going?!" Kevin interrogated.
"Uh, the kitchen." Dana replied; her voice snarky. "I'm just getting a snack."
"No way!" Kevin barked. "You're not setting foot in that kitchen! Think of all the knives and cutting tools in there!"
Dana sighed, facepalming at Kevin's overprotectiveness. For the past few days, he wouldn't let Dana do anything. Go outside, play with her friends, or go into any other rooms unattended. He wouldn't even let her near a baby deer Rachel and Sasha found in the forest, once. Told her that it might have rabies, even though fawns are harmless.
Kevin pointed to the stairs. "Back to your room!"
Knowing she wasn't going to win talking back, Dana dragged herself back to her room. She carefully lied in bed and sighed.
"Hey,"
Dana looked to the side and saw Ben coming in through her open window. "Hey,"
"So, Kevin still being the overprotective nanny, huh?" asked Ben.
"No kidding."
"I just don't get it! Why is Kevin so insanely protective of you?!"
Dana threw her head onto her pillow. "Well, I might have a wild guess that this involves my human side's past with him."
"And what makes you believe that?"
"Because I had some kind of memory about it, last night," Dana answered, moving her face to look at Ben better and sat halfway backup.
That caught the Omnitrix Wielder's attention. "What!? Y-you had another memory involving Human Dana's past?!"
The last time the alien hybrid remembered her human side's life, she passed out during the middle of a trained combat fight with Ben.
"Don't worry. I had it when I was sleeping in my bed," Dana explained, placing a hand on her forehead. "Like some kind of weird dream memory."
"So…What was this dream memory about?" Ben wondered in slight curiosity.
Dana threw her head onto her pillow once more, looking up at the ceiling. "Well, it all started when we were in the Rooters. I got hurt when I was sparring with Manny..."
Six years ago, at Rooter HQ
Human Dana was thrown across the room after Manny blindsided her.
Kevin and Helen were watching from the sidelines. "Hard to believe she's still at this." said Helen. "She keeps getting up no matter how much she's battered up."
Kevin was silent as he kept watching. Dana was thrown, beaten, and blindsided over and over again.
"Had enough?" said Manny, cracking his knuckles.
Dana tried to stand. "I'm...not...giving...up..." She felt a sharp pain in her shoulder and tried not to scream at the top of her lungs.
Pierce came in with some bottled water. "Man, she's like a bad cold. You just can't shake her off."
But Pierce was caught off guard when Kevin plucked one of Pierce's quills by absorbing some metal to avoid getting stung, walked over to Dana, and poked her in the shoulder with the quill before she had the chance to stand back up.
"OWW!" Dana yelped before she was out cold.
What felt like forever, Dana slowly felt her mind working again but not her body. Adjusting her eyes, she realized that she was flat on her stomach in her own private quarters and felt strong hands on her back.
"Huh? How did I…," Dana started, only to look over her shoulder to see a familiar face and remember what happened. "KEVIN!" she shouted in anger, unable to move her body.
"You'll thank me later. Now quit being stubborn and relax," Kevin remarked, now placing his hands on her shoulders and eased the tension out of them.
"RELAX?! WHAT THE HECK, KEV?!" Dana kept yelling in frustration. "I was in the middle of a fight with Manny! I almost had him!"
"More like you were losing badly to a point that your whole body couldn't take it anymore," Kevin stated. "If I hadn't knocked you out with Pierce's quill, you wouldn't still be alive right now. Don't just keep diving in head first with the same routine when it clearly doesn't work."
"Yeah? Well, at least I keep trying and don't give up," Dana remarked, only to cry in agony when feeling something sharp on her left shoulder.
"Getting back up again is one thing, but you got to listen to your body in knowing when it's enough and take a moments rest for it to heal," Kevin went to Dana's left shoulder and gently felt around it. "If you don't take care of yourself, then you won't be well enough to do anything."
Dana became quiet, trying to sink in what Kevin said while lightly screaming in more pain when feeling Kevin press his fingers gently on the source of her ache.
"Just as I thought. Your left shoulder has been dislocated. I'm gonna try popping it back in place. Want something to bite down, first, before I do it?"
"No, I'm good. Go ahead and just-" Dana didn't finish that sentence because Kevin immediately popped her shoulder back where it belonged that made her hold back a loud scream and gave a hard glare at the Osmosian Kid. "…Real nice."
"You're welcome. Now, do you mind telling me why you never told anyone about being in pain?" Kevin asked, as he continued massaging her body.
"Oh, please. Nobody cares how I feel," Dana answered harshly. "Blackgate barely cares about street rats like me. Why should it be any different here with Servantis and the others?"
"Because this is where outcasts like us belong." said Kevin. "And we outcasts have to stick together."
But Dana didn't seem convinced, resulting a sigh. "Look, Kev. I appreciate you trying to cheer me up, but I know how these things go more than you were in diapers. People act like they care. They act that they think you're special. But, in the end, it's all just a big lie, just to get something from you and toss you out like yesterday's garbage. Trust me, I've learned my lesson: only person to depend on is yourself."
"I've been there." Kevin said knowingly.
"I bet they wouldn't even care if I'm missing, hurt, or dead," Dana muttered bleakly.
"I would," Kevin replied.
"Yeah, right. You're only just saying that," Dana stated, rolling her eyes.
Kevin seized his massage. "Dana, why would I share all this sappy feeling junk with you if it wasn't true?!" he asked, impatience in his voice. "Or even be doing any of this, for that matter?! I'm bearing my soul out here and you're giving me the brush off?! I don't think so! I'm here for you, whether you trust me or not!"
Dana took a moment to think. The Osmosian Bad Boy had a point. He wasn't the type to be sappy or show any sympathy unless he actually cared. And he clearly showed that he was looking out for her when almost getting herself beat up very badly.
"Kevin…If I do end up getting hurt or nearly close to losing my life, you promise to be by my side until I'm all good as new?" Dana asked, giving a slight hopeful look to Kevin. "It would actually be nice to have someone that truly cares for me around when I'm not doing well."
"I'll always be there for you, Dana." said Kevin, giving a small sincere smile. "No matter what the cost."
Back in the Present
"And Kevin's been overprotective of me ever since." Dana concluded her story.
"Sheesh! No wonder Kevin keeps hovering around you." said Ben. "He made a promise to your human self."
"Bingo," said Dana. "And after that freak accident of him not being there for human Dana, Kevin is trying to make it up to me and actually be by my side." She sighed, placing her hands on her face. "What am I gonna do?"
"You don't have to do anything, Dana." Ben stood up. "You stay here and rest up and we will take care of Kevin."
"We?"
Ben gave a nod. "Yep. If anyone can convince Kevin to cool it, it's my friends. They're the masters of convincing."
"Are you sure? Kevin's stubborn as an ox." Dana mentioned. "I don't think your friends can handle him."
Ben turned to Dana with a serious look. So serious, Dana was taken back a little. "Dana," said Ben. "my friends at this mansion have saved me from myself more times than I can remember. I'm sure they can handle Kevin." And the hero took off to find his devoted friends.
That night, Kevin returned to the mansion with his hands full of shopping bags. He tried to go upstairs but Ben and the Galactic Monsters were blocking the stairs.
"Move, please." Kevin said with a hint of harsh. "I gotta get this stuff to Dana."
"Kev, put the stuff down. We need to talk." Ben said in his most serious voice. Ghostfreak and Whampire unloaded Kevin's supplies.
Ghostfreak peeked into one of the bags. "Oooh! Cookies!"
"Hey! Those are for Dana!" Kevin tried to stop the alien ghost but Frankenstrike grabbed his arm.
"Relax, kiddo. I think Dana will be fine without your precious cookies." Frankenstrike rolled his solid green eyes.
"Let me go, you Franken-monster!" Kevin snapped.
"Cool it, Kev." Ben said. "We need to talk about your condition."
"What condition?! I don't have a condition!" snapped Kevin.
"But you do have a condition. I've seen it before." said Frankenstrike. "And it can be serious."
"Serious?!"
"Constant over-nursing. I know you want to take care of Dana. But she needs space and not endless attention."
"What do you know?!" Kevin snapped. "You're just a mad scientist!"
Ben stomped his foot, making Kevin look at him. "He's not a mad scientist, he's a doctor."
The tone of Ben's voice was so shockingly serious, everyone present in the room was stunned.
"Frankenstrike knows more about healing than you do." said Ben. "And I should know. He's saved my life in so many ways. And it's not just me, but everyone else in this mansion. Trust me, he knows what he's doing."
"Thank you, Ben." Frankenstrike said politely. "Now, Kevin, think about it. You want Dana to feel better, don't you?"
"Well, yeah." Kevin said, uncharacteristically calm.
"Then you wouldn't want to bring her down with all this overprotectiveness and slow down her recovery, do you?"
Kevin blinked. He never thought about that.
"And when she recovers, how is sheltering her from doing anything fun or active any better?" Frankenstrike added gently. "You want her to be happy, don't you?"
Kevin nodded mutely.
"Then you should let her enjoy life and not live in fear." said the alien doctor. "Do you understand?"
Kevin took a long, deep breath. He hated admitting he was wrong.
Ben gave a sly grin. "Come on, Kev. It takes a big man to admit he's wrong. So, time to be the big man."
After throwing the teen hero some shade and sighing again. "Fine, you guys are right. I'll take it easy."
"Awesome! So, who's up for some cookies?" said Ghostfreak. He offered Ben his bag of cookies.
Ben took the bag and looked inside. "Ghostfreak! There are only two cookies left!"
"I know. I wanted you to have them!" Ghostfreak said. Ben rolled his eyes.
"Why don't I make a real dinner?" Sasha suggested as she and Rachel came in, overhearing everything. "Perhaps some chicken pot pies and scalloped potatoes?"
"Now you're talking!" Ben rubbed his tummy.
"That's what I call a real dinner!" said a familiar voice from upstairs. Everyone looked up and saw Dana practically glowing. She looked happy and healthy with a big smile despite her injured hand.
Seeing this, Kevin realized Dana wasn't in bad condition as he thought. He grew a smile and waved at Dana. "Well, don't just stand there! Come on down!"
Dana nodded and headed down the stairs all by herself.
A few weeks later, Dana was going to have her stitches removed by Frankenstrike. Thanks to her Ectonurite DNA, she was able to recover quicker.
"Thanks for everything, Frankenstrike!" Dana saw her hand was good as new!
"You're welcome, Sweetie." Frankenstrike said. "Other than your hand, anything else you want to me to check on?"
"Well, there is that memory thing we talked about." Dana mentioned. "Think you can do it or not?"
Frankenstrike scratched his head. "It's a distinct possibility. But I'm going to need some help doing it. Are you sure you want to do this?"
"I do. And nothing is going to keep me from doing it." Dana replied.
Knowing her mind was made up, Frankenstrike shrugged. "If you say so." He smiled and went to the candy jar on the counter. "And don't forget your lollipop for being a good patient." He offered Dana to pick what flavor.
"Yay!" Dana took a cherry lollipop, hopped off the medical bench, and left the lab. As soon as she left, Frankenstrike got to work.