All of my collections
I'll share them all with you
Maybe by next summer
We won't have changed our tunes
-Come Along With Me; by/from Adventure Time & Ashley Eriksson
Aliens. . .who would've thought, right? It always seemed like the fanatics were the ones who believed in them. The ones who were building "special alien tech", hoping to communicate with extraterrestrials. Any person with half a brain would know they didn't exist. Anika thought the whole idea of otherworldly creatures was made up; a little myth to tell around a campfire. But then she found out her heritage. She was half-alien. Half-Necrofriggian, if she wanted to be specific. That was the word her mother used, which didn't roll off the tongue very well. Either way, Anika apparently didn't know herself as well as she once thought. Just like she didn't know her mother all that well, either.
Life had a very funny sense of humor, apparently.
But life as a hybrid had its ups and downs. Anika learned to control her abilities. She learned how to shift between human and Necrofriggian form; that was the important one. And to top it all off, Anika had to learn everything — almost everything — there was about the various types of alien species out there. Since she was half-Necrofriggian, that was at the top.
Dede was very specific. She went from mother to teacher in an instant, leaving no room for arguing and absolutely no room for second-guessing.
"It's imperative that you learn about this," Dede would say. "If you don't, then you'll never be able to coexist with yourself."
Coexist. That was a very strong word, in Anika's book. She didn't know if it was possible to do that. Finding out she was some weird, ice-breathing, moth-man-looking hybrid didn't exactly scream "inner balance". It didn't exactly shout anything positive for that matter. Anika was having a great deal of inner conflict, and it seemed to make things more difficult for herself and for Dede. It was because of that conflict that Anika chose to leave. She couldn't stand the thought of causing so much pain to her mother. Antony had abandoned them, so that pain was still fresh. He had a good reason for leaving, though. It still hurt, though.
And all that pain Anika felt? She chose to use it to her advantage. From her first transformation to the day she chose to leave, the teen was set on using her hurt to strengthen herself. She'd make it in the world. She would. Anika would show everyone just how powerful she was and just how determined she was to survive. Aliens had ruined her life, and she was going to show everyone just how pissed off she was. Whether they liked it or not.
S.J.
"An arms deal?" Anika crossed her arms over her chest, her brows furrowing a little. She'd been under the impression there were no underground markets going on in the town she resided in, especially alien underground markets. But then again, being able to find good informants were so rare, it's probably understandable that Anika didn't know about it at first. "What kind of arms deal are we talking about?" Anika asked.
"A bunch of stolen Plumber stuff." Anika's informant, Ramona, was leaning against a nearby wall, her hands shoved in her pockets. "I've heard a lot if it has been altered, too."
"Why didn't I know about this sooner?"
"I didn't find out until recently," Ramona sighed. "A lot of these people are good at covering their tracks."
"You're my informant, Mona." Anika threw a glare her companion's way. "I'm starting to wonder why I keep you around."
"'Cause I'm the only one willing to help you."
Anika snorted and rolled her eyes. "Do you at least know where the meet-up is?" she asked. "I could go in there and take it down without being noticed."
"Yeah, a Necrofriggian interfering with a black market sale," Ramona muttered. "That'll be quite the story."
"You said these people have some Plumbers stuff," Anika said. "Not to mention some of it will be altered. A lot of my stuff is shorting out; I think it's about time I upgrade."
Ramona shrugged, a look of indifference on her face. "That's your decision," she stated. "All I'm hoping for is a payment after this. So try not to die, okay?"
"I'll see you later, Mona."
"By the way," Ramona said, heading toward the exit, "the deal's being done near the old shipyard. It's being done tomorrow night, I think."
Once Ramona was gone, Anika could finally take the time to think. Being able to know about the arms deal earlier would've been great. Since a lot of what would be dealt were Plumbers weaponry — a lot of it enhanced, too — that meant there was someone working with the Plumbers to get that kind of stuff, or there were some exceptional thieves in the alien underground. Anika liked to think the latter made more sense, but she knew the former was a possibility, as well. In the end, however, it didn't matter how the weapons were obtained. All that mattered was getting them. If Anika managed to switch into her Necrofriggian form and snatch what she could, then she'd be set for a while. A lot of the weapons she did have were on the verge of short-circuiting. Only time would tell how much time was left.
I could go intangible, freeze the sellers and buyers, and then snatch the weapons, Anika thought. It wasn't half bad, but there would have to be some more thought put into it. The teen knew enough about those kinds of investments to know people were always armed.* She couldn't go in and hope that her Necrofriggian form and abilities would keep her safe. She'd have to bring her own weapons, too.
Anika couldn't help but scowl at that. What was the point of having alien powers if you still had to keep guns and blasters with you for protection?
S.J.
Rosewood Town was fairly small, but not big enough to get put on the map. It wasn't really known for anything, which was probably why no one had any actual idea it existed. In all honesty, it was a miracle if anyone managed to drive past it to begin with; that's how small and unnoticed it is. But sometimes things change, and people start to pay attention.
Kevin had been first to catch wind about some special deals going on outside of Bellwood, and he thought about checking it out. He chose not to, knowing Ben and Gwen would need him more. But even if he chose not to go out of his way and check out the activity, he did reach out. He was curious. Besides, illegal purchasing and selling was something Kevin was familiar with.
When he finally did reach out, Kevin's curiosity piqued. So did his concern. Turns out the items being distributed were stolen Plumber weapons, some of them altered in some way. But what really caught his attention was an unknown red dot dead center in Rosewood. Kevin wasn't sure what that meant, but he sure as hell knew it couldn't be any good.
S.J.
Digging through her backpack, Anika let out a frustrated huff. She didn't pack a whole lot of personal belongings, only the things that were necessary for her travels. It was important to not over-pack, since having too many things would weigh her down. But Anika was still dissatisfied with what she had. She planned on going to the old shipyard to intercept the deal, and she hoped that she could at least find some kind of weapon strong enough to get the job done. The only problem was Anika hated the weapons she had on her. Almost all of her blasters and guns were either outdated or close to breaking down. She wouldn't be able to get anything done with weapons that were close to failing.
I guess I'll be relying on what my Necrofriggian can do, Anika thought bitterly. What a letdown.
(A/N):
First off, I'd like to apologize for the wait on the chapter. I got sidetracked by a few things, so this got pushed off to the side. If you've got any constructive criticism on how I can improve this and the previous chapter, I'd love to hear it! In my opinion, constructive criticism is one of the many ways this story can improve. It'll help me get an understanding on what's bothering you guys regarding my writing and whatnot. So. . .yeah.
Nothing in the Ben 10 universe belongs to me. All I own are my OCs, my subplots, and the bed I sleep on. If you've got ideas for OCs or subplots, be sure to PM me or leave a review. I'll add them in as soon as possible.
Be sure to leave random facts in the reviews, guys. I'm a pretty curious person, so I'd love to know what you guys have learned recently or in the past. But whether or not you guys do it is up to you.
Thank you guys so, so much!
Be kind to one another, okay?
Sloane Johnson
