Chapter 3:
Once everyone was settled they sat around the control room, both brother's had showered and changed before Aviva tended to their wounds again. Aviva sat between the brother's after handing out hot chocolate to everyone. The brother's told them in detail everything that had happened and the little info they had on the jet and Stone's men. Throughout the conversation Ben was quiet; he was pulled out of his thoughts by Chris.
"Ben are you okay?"
"Yeah…I'm fine! Why?" Ben asked faking a smile.
"You seemed like you were a million mile's away!" Chris said.
"Okay…I haven't been entirely truthful to all of you!" Ben said standing.
"What do you mean?" Martin questioned.
"Everything I told you about me is true; I just left out one little detail!" Ben said guiltily.
"How little?" Chris asked.
"Umm…I kind of know Stone and Carter!" Ben answered.
"What?" All five said together.
"How do you kind of know them?" Martin asked.
"I'm…I'm Stone's younger brother!" Ben said as he looked away.
"You're brothers?" Chris asked hoping he had heard him wrong.
"Yes!" Ben answered.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Martin asked.
"I…I didn't want you to hate me!"
"Hate you? Why would we hate you?" Chris asked confused.
"Oh, I don't know…maybe because I'm the brother of the guy who had you beat and then left for dead? I'm nothing like my brother I swear, I…" Martin cut him off.
"Ben, stop please! You've proven to us already you're nothing like him, we don't hate you Ben honestly!" Martin said smiling.
"Really?" Ben asked.
"Really!" Chris answered smiling. "Its just hard to believe you two are brother's, you're so different!"
"Always have been actually!" Ben said sighing as he sat. "Growing up Thomas was always a bully, he wasn't happy unless he was tormenting someone; usually me! I was into science and I was always looking for a way to help people and nature, and Thomas was always looking for a way to stop me! It got worse as we grew older, Thomas' life became all about making money, it didn't matter who he had to step on to get it! Nothing is as important to my brother as money and power! I…I haven't seen my brother in 10 year's since I moved here!" Ben said sadly.
"That's horrible Ben! We're sorry!" Jimmy said the other's agreeing.
"Seeing how close Martin and Chris are made me realize that just because Thomas and I weren't close it doesn't have to make me bitter or hateful! I'm done feeling like I got screwed out of a loving family! I want Thomas to learn that money and power aren't everything, family is!" Ben said.
"Ben do you really want to do this? You're going to be facing your brother, is that something you can do?" Chris asked gently.
"I need to do this Chris; if I don't then Thomas will be running my life forever!" Ben answered. "He need's to be stopped!"
"Alright, we need a plan if we're going to stop Stone and save those bear's!" Martin said.
Later:
After coming up with a plan to free the bear's and stop Stone they began to get ready, Martin and Chris weren't 100 percent, so Ben and the team were worried about them. Ben watched Martin getting ready and wished that he had met the brother's under different circumstances. He really liked both brother's, and seeing the way the brother's were with each other made Ben wish that he had had that relationship with his own brother, he sighed as he finished getting ready Chris joined him and saw how sad he looked.
"Ben are you okay? You look sad!" Chris asked concerned.
"I'm fine…I was just thinking about how close you and Martin are!"
"We're lucky; we've been best friends since we were kids!" Chris said smiling.
"Family is the most important thing in life! You're lucky to have an older brother who love's and care's about you!" Ben said sadly.
"I' am pretty lucky!" Chris said watching Martin as he smiled sadly.
"Don't lose each other Chris, don't become like Thomas and I!"
"Ben I'm sorry you don't have a relationship with Thomas!"
"Don't be, not every family can be close like you guy's! Never be sorry for being close to your family!" Ben said smiling as he patted Chris's back.
"Ready to go?" Martin asked as he joined them.
"Yep, we're all set!" Ben answered as Chris nodded.
"Okay, remember the plan we get in free the bear's, then while Stone's men are busy with the bear's we go after Stone!" Martin said.
"Right! Wait, what about Carter? He won't be far from Thomas, he never is!" Ben asked.
"We'll have to figure it out once we're there! We'll probably have to fight him, he won't just surrender!" Chris answered.
"Okay, let's go! We only have a small window of clear weather left before another blizzard blows in!" Martin said.
After saying goodbye to the team Martin, Chris and Ben took off to stop Stone all three on snowmobiles. As they neared the jet the snow began to fall again, they got off their sleds and went the rest of the way on foot. Once near the jet they used a snowdrift for cover as they used their binoculars to scan the area. They saw only two men on guard, Stone figured that being out in the Arctic, with the brother's gone there wasn't any need for a lot of security. Martin smiled, Stone wasn't prepared for them thing's were finally going in their favour! Sticking to the plan they separated and each of them crept closer to the jet, no one saw them. Using the air vent Chris had found the last time they were at the jet they snuck inside and crawled through the vent's Stone's men completely oblivious they were there! They had no idea where the bear's were being kept, so they continued crawling through the vent's until they heard Carter yelling at two other men angrily.
"You idiot's! Why can't you follow simple instructions?" Carter yelled angrily.
"Sir, we tried to do our job, but those damn beasts are too angry! We can't get near their cages!" One of the men said.
"You idiot's, use the tranquilizer gun on them first! Once they're sleeping you can do your damn job! Do I have to tell you everything?"
"No sir, we can do our job!"
"Good! Any more screw-up's and you're going to be lunch for the bear's! Understood?"
"Yes sir, Mr. Carter sir!" The other man said as Carter walked away.
Once he was gone they waited until the two men went into the room before after making sure the coast was clear they quickly, but quietly climbed out of the vent. They then went up to the door and Martin peeked inside and saw the two men with their back's to the door getting the tranquillizer's ready. They snuck into the room and Martin and Chris snuck up behind the two men grabbing two tranquillizer dart's off the table before they used the dart's to knock the men out catching them before they fell. Once they were knocked out they put them into an empty cage, Ben looked at the bear's six in total.
"How are they?" Martin asked as they joined him.
"They look fine, they're angry, but don't look injured!" Ben answered grateful.
"Great! Alright, I'm going to check the hall!" Chris said as he opened the door enough to peek out. "All clear! Let's get these bear's out of their cage's and while they do their thing we'll go after Stone!" Chris said smiling.
"Alright, let's do this!" Ben said smiling.
They opened the door and then quickly unlocked the cage's using the key's they found on the table. When all the cage's were unlocked they opened them and the bear's ran out of them and went into the hall. They waited a few second's before they heard Stone's men shouting and they looked out the door to see all six bear's running out the front of the jet to their freedom. Stone was nowhere to be found, neither was Carter as one of the men pushed an alarm, and suddenly the sound of a gun was heard it was Carter.
"Get those bear's! Who the hell let them out?" Carter yelled raising his tranquillizer gun and fired, but he missed. "Damnit! Get in those truck's and get those damn bear's!"
"It's a blizzard out there sir!" One man said.
"I don't care if it's a freaking tornado you little pissant! Go get those bear's and bring them back alive or I will leave you out here for the animal's to eat!" Carter yelled.
"You heard him boy's, let's go!" The man yelled to the other's.
"That's what I thought you little weasel! Get the cargo truck and pick me up!" Carter yelled. "MOVE!"
"Now's our chance! Carter's leaving with the other's, Stone will be by himself!" Martin said smiling.
They snuck back along the hall towards the control room, Ben told them to go ahead he wanted to grab some tranquillizer dart's and gun in case they needed them to get away. So Martin and Chris left him and headed to confront Stone, they went inside the control room and found Stone starring out the window angrily he began talking to himself.
"Idiot's! I'm surrounded by a bunch of useless, worthless idiot's!" He said angrily.
"Good help is so hard to find isn't it?" Martin said smiling.
"You're so right bro!" Chris added. "Its tough to find good minion's these day's!"
"Those annoying voice's…those sarcastic comment's can only belong to the supposed to be dead Wild Ratt's!" Stone said as he turned around to see the brother's standing together smiling. "I knew it was you two, the smell of loser is all over you!" Stone said.
"Is that anyway to talk to guest's?" Chris asked.
"More like pest's! Like all pest's, you exterminate them!" Stone said smiling; neither brother had noticed Carter come up from behind them yet.
"Exterminate us? That didn't really work well for you the last time did it Stone?" Martin asked, but before anyone could speak or move Carter hit Martin in the rib's from the side with his dart gun bringing him to his knee's his rib's still injured from the last attack on the brother's. "Car…Carter!" Martin wheezed holding his injured rib's.
"Miss me?" Carter asked smiling as he slammed the gun into Chris' stomach.
"Carter I thought you said they were finished? Yet here they are! What the hell happened?" Stone demanded angrily.
"I left them in the middle of nowhere, they had no warm clothes and I beat the crap out of them! There's no way they could have survived!" Carter defended himself angrily.
"Yet here they are Carter!" Stone repeated pointing at them.
"This time I'll make no mistake's! After I teach these pissant's another lesson in staying out of your way, I'll take them to the water and drop them in it!"
"Sound's like the perfect plan Carter, just don't mess up again or you'll find yourself out in the snow with these insect's understood?"
"Yes sir Mr. Stone! I won't fail you a second time!" Carter said smiling evilly.
"Goodbye Wild Ratt's!" Stone said as he turned and left the room.
"This time I'll make sure I get the job done! No second chance this time loser's!" Carter said punching Chris in the face, knocking him down.
Carter beat on the brother's who tried to fight back, but being injured already they couldn't do much. Just then as Carter went to kick Martin in the face Ben snuck up behind him and knocked him out with the butt of his dart gun.
"Ben!" Chris said smiling as Ben knelt between the brother's checking them out.
"I'm so sorry it took me awhile to get here, but I got lost!" Ben said feeling beyond horrible they were hurt again. "I should have stayed with you damnit!"
"Its alright Ben, you're here now!" Martin said smiling sadly as Ben gently helped both brother's up, he still felt guilty he could have stopped Carter before they got hurt.
"Where's my brother?" Ben asked looking around.
"I'm right here!" Stone said from behind them. "Hello Ben!" Stone said disgusted.
"Thomas!" Ben replied angrily.
"Made some new friend's have you?" Stone said starring at Ben. "Still the scrawny, pathetic, little boy huh? Something's never change!"
"You're right something's don't! You're still the same bully you've always been! Only this time I'm not that scared, little boy you used to pick on!" Ben said smiling.
"Really? Then why are you hiding behind these two insect's?" Stone asked.
"He's not hiding behind anyone Stone!" Chris said angrily a brother on either side of Ben; all three angrily stood starring at Stone who didn't seem concerned by them.
"Isn't that sweet? Wait…don't tell me? Ben you think of them as the brother's you never had?" Stone said laughing.
"No! I think of them as friend's, and we're going to stop you!" Ben answered.
"Is this the part where I see the error of my way's, and surrender hoping my wittle brother will forgive me?" Stone mocked.
"No, this is the part where we finish this whether you surrender or not! You'd save yourself problem's if you did surrender!" Ben answered.
"Hmm…decision's, decision's! I choose you three trying to stop me, if you can!" Stone said as he took off running.
"Damn him!" Ben yelled as they followed trying to keep up with him.
They made it outside in time to see Stone get on a snowmobile and drive away; Ben looked around and saw three other snowmobile's and told the brother's. They all got on the sled's, put the helmet's on and then took off after Stone, they decided to separate and see if they could make him stop by boxing him in. Stone realized what they were planning and moved out of the way going left. He sped up continuing going left, Ben realized where he was going, Stone was heading to Widow's Edge, a cliff with a sheer drop to the rock's and tree's below it. Using the headset built into the helmet's Ben told the brother's to stop, so confused the brother's pulled up beside Ben a brother on either side of him, Chris looked at Ben and spoke.
"What's wrong?" Chris asked confused.
"Why did we stop? Stone's getting away!" Martin asked.
"Stone's not going anywhere!" Ben answered.
"What? Why?" Chris asked.
"He's headed for Widow's Edge!"
"What's that?"
"It's a cliff that has a sheer drop to the bottom, where there's nothing, but tree's and rock's! Many people have fallen to their death there, it's a very dangerous place to be and not many people know its there!" Ben said worried, even though Stone was evil he was still his brother! "I don't think Thomas knows its there!"
"Alright…how far is it from here?" Martin asked.
"Not far, 10 minute's at the most! Thomas is at least five minute's ahead of us!" He said.
"Let's go after him, we can warn him over the headset's on the way!" Chris said as they took off after him.
They raced after Stone; Ben tried to reach him on the headset, but got no answer and that scared Ben not knowing if he had fallen. They reached the cliff, and Ben was relieved to see Stone standing next to his snowmobile at the edge of the cliff. The blizzard picked up as they got off their sled's and walked up to him, Stone never moved Ben spoke to him.
"There's no where to go Thomas! Just give up!" Ben yelled.
"Ben you still think you're going to win? How utterly pathetic!"
"Stone there's the three of us in front of you, and a sheer drop behind you its over give up!" Chris yelled.
"You think you can beat me? You honestly believe two tree hugger's, and my weak, pathetic brother can stop me?"
"Look's that way to us!" Martin said smiling.
"I never lose! You need to remember that!" Stone said as suddenly he began to beep, it got louder and louder. "Ah, right on time!" Stone said.
The other's looked at each other confused when suddenly the wind picked up blowing the snow harder, they covered their face's as they turned away from the wind. When they looked back at Stone he was gone, they suddenly heard laughter.
"I'm up here you idiot's!" Stone yelled, they looked up and saw him standing in the doorway of his jet. "I told you I never lose! The next time we meet, and I promise you we will meet again, I will finish you off for good! Goodbye Wild Ratt's, oh and Ben I enjoyed catching up with you, let's do it again soon little brother!" Stone said laughing as he went inside the jet and they left.
"Ben are you okay?" Martin asked gently once they were alone.
"I'm not sure. Knowing Thomas got away make's me nervous, but at least I can take comfort knowing he didn't get away with the bear's!"
"You did good Ben; you saved the bear's from being used by your brother! He got away, but he now knows that not only will we be there to stop him, but you will be too! He can't push you around anymore!" Chris said.
"Thanks guy's, come on let's get back to the Tortuga and get you two cleaned up!" Ben said smiling.
Later:
Despite the blizzard they made it back to the Tortuga, once again the brother's had shower's before Aviva tended their wound's while Ben spent time with his dog's. When everyone was together again Jimmy handed out hot chocolate and they told the team everything that had happened, the team were relieved all three were okay Jimmy spoke.
"Ben now that everything's over what are you going to do?" Jimmy asked, Ben smiled as he reached down and scratched one of his dog's head's before answering.
"You know Jimmy I haven't really thought about it!" Ben answered.
"Why don't you come with us? We've got lot's of room and your dog's will love going to new place's!" Chris spoke up smiling.
"As much as I'd like to my answer is no, I'm sorry!" Ben said.
"What? Why?" Martin asked.
"Look you guy's are the adventurous one's, me not so much! I like my life the way it is, I like being able to make a difference in my own way! I'm not like you guy's, I don't like going from place to place exploring I'm happy living alone with my dog's!" Ben answered smiling. "I hope you can understand?"
"Of course we do Ben!" Aviva answered the other's agreeing.
"Do you think Stone will return?" Koki asked.
"I know my brother, he will be back! It might not be here, but he will return!" Ben said.
"We'll be waiting when he does! We'll stop him and when we do Ben you'll be by our side!" Martin said smiling.
"Thank you all for everything you've done! You showed me that I can be strong and face my brother, I'm no longer that scared, little boy!" Ben said smiling.
"Nope, you're a Wild Kratt!" Chris said as everyone cheered.
"Its getting late, I should go thank you all again!" Ben said.
"Wait, I have something for you!" Aviva said getting up, she went to a table and picked something up before returning smiling. "Here, it's a Creature pod like the brother's have! That way we can keep in touch, no matter where we are!" She said handing it to him.
"This is great! Thank you!" Ben said. "Goodbye Wild Kratt's team take care of each other, and try to keep the brother's here out of trouble!" Ben said nudging both brother's lightly as they all laughed before he hugged all of them Martin spoke.
"Come on Chris and I will walk you out!" Martin said smiling.
After Ben was dressed, he got his sled and dog's ready to go with the brother's help, when he was ready to go he hugged the brother's before he spoke to them.
"I lied to Thomas earlier, you two really are like the brother's I never had! I only wish Thomas and I could have been like you two!" Ben said sadly.
"Not every family can be close Ben, its not your choice its his! You're a great guy Ben, without you neither of us would be here right now! You saved our lives, and we'll always be grateful!" Chris said gently.
"Don't let Thomas in your head; he's a disturbed man who will end up where he belongs one day! You're the better man Ben, and you'll always have us!" Martin added.
"Thank you both! Take care of yourselves and each other!" Ben said.
"You too buddy!" Chris said smiling sadly.
"Don't take your bond for granted okay? Don't become like Thomas and I, family is the most important thing in life!" Ben said sadly.
"We won't, we promise!" Martin answered, Chris agreed.
"Hey, the storm stopped! I better go; safe travel's Kratt brother's, come back and see me sometime huh?" Ben said as he hugged them.
"We will for sure, take care Ben!" Chris said.
"Bye brother's!" Ben said as he gave the command and the dog's took off for home, the brother's stood watching until they couldn't see him anymore Chris spoke.
"Martin have I told you lately I love you?" Chris asked.
"I love you too little brother!" Martin said as he hugged him.
Later that night after everyone had gone to bed, Martin lay in the dark thinking about everything that had happened. As he thought of Ben and Stone his heart felt heavy knowing they'd never have the kind of bond he and Chris had. Chris was his best friend, his partner in crime and he'd be lost without him! Even though they had met Ben under the worst circumstance's, they had become friend's and they'd always be there for him, they were his family now and he hoped that they'd be able to help Ben let go of his hurt! He heard the gentle snore's coming from his brother and smiled sleepily, he closed his eye's and knew they'd be okay because they had each other, they were family and family really was all you needed!
THE END!