To explain the "glitches" that B.E.N. is having more and more often, I borrowed an important idea from Lilo and Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch. The only difference between the two is that B.E.N. never goes berserk and starts wrecking everything in his path like Stitch when he has his "glitches."

Chapter Four: Escape

"Take you're hands off!" Annie growled, struggling against Geckron's grip. B.E.N. had no intention of struggling. He was too frightened of the razor sharp palms of Rooks' dangerous claws, afraid that they would rip right through his metal like tin foil.

When the schooner approached a larger, menacing ship that was black with red sails, the pirates that had taken them hostage stepped out of the schooner with them and onto the ship's deck. A number of other pirates surrounded Rooks, Geckron, and their captives.

One of the pirates stepped through the crowd and into the circle. This one was larger than life, wearing a black leather cloak and a black hat. The clothing underneath the cloak was red. The belt he wore was a darker crimson with a black skull buckle. His face was the same color as his belt, skeletal with fangs and one or two gold teeth, and six eyes sat in his skull. To B.E.N.'s horror, this guy looked almost exactly like the long late Captain Flint! And when the pirate laughed, his deep, booming voice shook the entire ship.

"So, yer the one we've been searchin' for," the pirate guffawed loudly, gesturing to a cowering B.E.N., who was no more than half his size. "Pretty scrawny, I'd say."

"Captain Stronghold," said Annie. "I might've known."

"I'll not be hearin' a word out of you, Missy," the captain sneered to the felinid. "Ye were clever to have evaded me once. But how is it, may I ask, that ye lived to tell the tale after I shot ye down like a pathetic, little bird?"

"B.E.N. was at the right place at the right time, and he helped me. But thanks to you, Stronghold, my arm is broken. Not that it would concern you."

"Yer right, it wouldn't, and it don't," he said matter-of-factly and turned to the small, frightened B.E.N. "Welcome to the Black Wing, your passport to a new home. And you, my little fellow, are going to be delivered straight to our boss."

"Oh, great," B.E.N. replied with a shudder. "Eh, what exactly do you mean by 'delivered'?"

"Our boss is waiting to see ya personally. Ye see, you've got somethin' he wants and we're not about to let yer lady friend here help ye escape." Stronghold turned to Geckron. "Geckron, would ye be so kind as to show our little lass to the brig? The robot's mine."

"With pleasure, sir," replied the makriki. Opening a grated door in the floor, Geckron promptly tossed Annie down into the brig. She landed on the floor with a hard thud and screamed out in pain from landing on her bad arm, which was still in the sling.

Frightened for his friend, B.E.N. was freed from Rooks' grip, and he rushed over to the now locked brig door, dropped to his hands and knees, and looked down through the grating at the felinid. "Annie! Annie, you all right?" he cried. "Say something!"

"Don't worry about me," Annie called up in return. "I can take care of myself. It's you I'm worried about, B.E.N. I don't want you to get hurt."

Without warning, Stronghold snatched B.E.N.'s arm and yanked him away. "Whoa! Wait a minute, Mr. Pirate Guy—er, Stronghold, whatever your name is. That's my friend down there! Come on! Help! Somebody! Help!"

"B.E.N.!" Annie screamed from down in the dark brig, where the only light that trickled in was through the grate holes of the door. Poor B.E.N. had been taken to the hold next door to the captain's quarters. "This is all my fault," she sobbed to herself.

Stronghold opened the door to the hold. B.E.N. chattered on rather quickly, trying to convince the pirate captain to let him go, but he was thrown inside. The door closed shut behind him. The room was small and dark with only one window on the left that was barred with metal and one seat on the right. The door had a peephole with which Stronghold used to look in on B.E.N. as the robot stood and backed against the wall, fidgeting.

"This is yer room until I present ya to the boss in person," Stronghold told B.E.N. "Besides, I'm waitin' for somethin' to happen with ya."

"Huh? What somethin'?" B.E.N. wanted to know, perplexed and scared. Stronghold's cold, hard, sneering stare burned into the frightened robot's mind, and it disturbed him. "Wh-why are you looking at me like that?" he asked, drawing back further. "I think you've got the wrong robot. Really, I—" Just then, it happened again. B.E.N.'s eyes flashed white, his face twisted into a grimace, his upper-body jerked from the strong tug at his consciousness. He shook his head as he shuddered, dazed and confused.

"That's it!" Stronghold pointed out.

"What's it?" B.E.N. queried, and he jerked again, his eyes flashing white. "Ooh," he grunted.

"That! The call."

"Call? What call?" A third time, he jerked, the same symptoms taking place. This time the tug was more of a yank. "Whoa!" He held his head. "Ouch. That one was a doozy."

"Ha! Living proof! You are the one!"

"Huh? Wha—?" B.E.N. looked up in time to see Stronghold gone from the peephole. Alarmed he jumped to his feet and called out, "Hey! Wait! You're not gonna leave me here, are ya? Don't I get at least one decent say in this—I guess not." He gave up and sat on the seat in the little room, and he jerked a fourth time and held his head.

"Oh, my poor head." Once again it happened. The glitches were growing stronger little by little. "Ah! There I go again with the glitches! Which…are all…just like hiccups," he told himself, remembering what Annie had said. "Yeah, just some kinda irritation. It'll stop soon. Yeah! There's absolutely nothing wrong with—" Again the glitch came. "Yow! Okay, huge headache, not good," he moaned. "Guess I'll just have ta wait it on out. I mean it's not so bad. I'll bet Annie's formulating a plan right now that'll help us both escape! Yeah! That's it!"

ooo

A little while went by since B.E.N. and Annie's capture.

Annie sat alone on one of the large crates in the back of the brig's hold. Since the minute she was dropped down in here, she sat, thinking solemn thoughts to herself. She was losing hope as time passed her by. She almost gave up hope completely. "This is all my fault," she whispered. "Stupid me. Had I only known my being with him would put him in danger with Stronghold." She exhaled in helpless defeat before continuing to herself. "And now it wouldn't matter anymore if I die here."

But then she mentally kicked herself for even thinking that way. "What am I saying? I can't give up now. B.E.N. needs my help, now more than ever. There's gotta be something I can do to get out of here. There's gotta be a way out."

Listening carefully, Annie could make out overlapping snoring emitting from outside. "Ha, they're asleep." Smiling with newfound determination, her mind racing, she jumped to her feet, turned, and stood back and looked over the rows of crates that stood before her. She then cast an upward glance at the above locked doorway to the brig. The formulation of a plan was coming together. If she could stack the crates up to the opening and climb up and out…. "Hmmm," Annie mused with a smirk.

It was most likely that these were food crates and this brig doubled as a small cargo hold. The food crates were probably empty because they felt hollow. If they were completely empty, they would be easy to move. Annie gripped at a crate and was able to slide it across the floor with ease. Also, they were all half her height. She finally created a small tower with the stacked crates and began to scale them like a mountain.

At the top, she noticed the lock and reached for the scrunchie in her hair and pulled out a crooked pin. With it, she began picking the lock. She stopped, alert from a pirate's loud snort. Knowing now that he only stirred and fell back to sleep, she went on picking the lock. At last the lock came undone with a click and Annie opened the door and silently climbed out onto the deck.

Next, she panned around and she spotted a lifeboat that was painted black. Then she looked out into the etherium behind her. Montressor was in sight! Perhaps that lifeboat had enough power to transport both B.E.N. and herself back home. Moving on silent feet around the snoozing pirates, Annie climbed into the lifeboat, untied it from the Black Wing's bow, and drove it quietly along the side of the ship. A small, barred window with another lock came into view. That was B.E.N.'s little prison cell. Doubtless he was in there. "I'm coming, B.E.N." she whispered.

In his room, B.E.N. struggled to keep himself awake. The quite of the night was taking its sleepy toll on him. "Sure has been a while," he yawned. "Wonder if she's thought of a plan yet."

Just then, the sound of hover jets met his audio sensors (meaning his ears), alerting him much more awake. He leapt to his feet and rushed to the window to find the source if the sound. And who should appear to him in a lifeboat, coming to his rescue once again? "Annie!" he beamed in sheer joy. Then he quieted himself and lowered the volume of his voice. "Annie, is that you?"

"Who else would it be?" Annie replied teasingly, keeping her own voice low.

"How'd ya get out?"

"Just picked a few locks."

"Boy, are you smart or what?"

"Oh, well, I don't like to brag. Here, lemme pick this lock for you and we can both go home." She then came close to the barred window, pulled out the pin from her hair, and began to pick the lock. "Just sit tight there and I'll have you out of here in no time."

"Yes! Remind me ta hug ya when you do, 'cause I gotta hug ya!"

"Try to keep your voice down, okay?" Annie whispered gently.

"Ooh! Right. Sorry."

"It's okay. You have good reason to be happy."

Suddenly, while Annie was right in the middle of picking the lock, a brief noise caused her to stop and listen. The noise emitted from outside. "Wait a minute."

"What? What's goin' on?"

"Listen. Hear that?"

"Hear what?" B.E.N. whispered cautiously. "Your ears are better than mine. But come to think of it, I can adjust how loud things are in my audio sensors."

"Go to the door. I have a sinking feeling."

"Okay. Gotcha." B.E.N. did as he was told and peeked through the peephole and noticed that Rooks, who had been sleeping right outside, was beginning to stir. At this realization, frightening thoughts of being caught went through the robot's mind, and he began to panic. "Uh-oh," he hissed as quietly as possible. He turned to Annie, who continued picking the stubborn lock. "Eh, ya might wanna pick up the pace there. The big, scary, spider pirate guy's waking up."

"I knew it."

"Ooh. Hurry." B.E.N. looked back through the peephole and caught his breath in his throat. Rooks was already on his insectoid feet. "Okay, go back to sleep now." But the robot's attempt failed.

"Don't worry, I've almost got it."

"He's…he's not falling back asleep. I think we're in big trouble."

"I just about have it."

"We are in big trouble!"

"Come on, stupid lock!"

Rooks was at the door now, staring through the peephole with angry, narrowing insectlike eyes that looked B.E.N. right in the eye, hissing menacingly. B.E.N. jumped back from the arachnian, who exploded through the door with a loud, vicious snarl.

B.E.N. shuddered and grinned nervously. "Ah…hi, Mr. Killer," he said and laughed sheepishly. Rooks loomed over him threateningly, growling.

"I got it! Yes!" Annie exclaimed with triumph abruptly. Finally, the barred door swung up and open. "Come on! We're outta here!"

B.E.N. immediately make a break for the window, but only half of him made it through. Annie started helping him climb through and into the lifeboat, but Rooks lunged and caught B.E.N.'s thin leg! "Ye'll not be escapin'!" Rooks roared.

"Ah! Annie! Help!" B.E.N. cried.

"Fight him!" Annie told him, never letting up her grip on his arms.

"Fight him?" he repeated. "But I never hit any—"

"No, I mean fight his grip!"

"Oh, right." And he pulled at his legs, attempting to loosen Rooks' vile hold, but Rooks proved much stronger than B.E.N. "Quite a grip ya got," he grunted.

"Try jerking your legs," Annie told the robot encouragingly. "Yank from his grip!"

"Gotcha!" B.E.N. then gave it a try. He pulled a bit and yanked his legs right our of Rooks' ruthless grasp, stumbling out of the window headfirst and into the lifeboat outside, finally with Annie once again. He'd landed upside down in the boat.

"Let's go!" Annie exclaimed, thrusting her good hand down hard against the lever, and the lifeboat took right off with a loud zoooom! Away they went, far from the Black Wing's range. In the cavity of the lifeboat, B.E.N. struggled to set himself upright. When he flipped up, he and Annie looked back out at the shrinking ship. Rooks could be heard roaring in rage at the top of his lungs. B.E.N. and Annie laughed out loud as they went, and B.E.N. wrapped Annie up in a big huge as he'd said we would. The two friends were triumphant. Soon the Black Wing was out of sight.

On the Black Wing, Rooks snarled angrily and cursed to himself. He then sauntered out of the hold, into the captain's quarters, and over to the sleeping Stronghold, not knowing just what to say to him. "Sir," Rooks hissed.

Stronghold stirred and sat up grumpily in his bed. He fluttered his six eyes open and glanced at Rooks expectantly. "What is it, Rooks?" the captain demanded. "Ye'd better have a good reason for rousin' me at this hour."

"Sir," said Rooks, taking his time, looking over each word carefully before letting it escape from his mandible. "The girl and the robot. They…they've escaped, sir."

"What!" roared Stronghold, who shot up with burning rage and clutched Rooks' thin, bony neck, choking him. "Why did ye not inform me of this sooner, ye ingrate?" He then threw Rooks to the floor with great force.

"I…I tried to stop 'em, sir," Rooks rasped in reply, rubbing his neck to sooth the pain Stronghold had just given him. "But they got away from me. That robot and his girl friend were stronger than I realized. Believe me, sir, I don't approve of this anymore than you do."

Stronghold growled and glowered down at the arachnian, clearly still angered by the news of B.E.N. and Annie's escape. "Hang it all! Now I won't get that heap o' treasure I was promised," he whined to himself. He thought for a brief moment, then said, "Fine," taking a seat at his desk and burying his head in his hands. "The boss should have us proceed to Plan B. First we must report back to the boss himself. Send 'er 'round. We're setting course for Draco."

"Aye, sir."

"And Rooks."

"Aye?"

"Tell the cook to get me a tall, stiff brandy. Helps me think straight." (Yeah, right.)

ooo

Back down at the quiet Benbow Inn, everyone and everything was melancholy. Sarah and Morph sat at one of the tables with hopelessness. Morph had been told by Jim to keep Sarah company, but it didn't seem to be working much. The two had been thinking of the well being of B.E.N. and Annie, wondering whether they were safe and sound and whether Jim, Doppler, and Amelia had located them and/or their captors, the pirates.

"It's been too long," Sarah exhaled sadly.

"Too long! Too long!" Morph mimicked with the same feeling.

"Where do you think they could be?"

Morph shook his head, unknowing.

At last, Jim, Doppler, and Amelia arrived back at the inn, coming through the door with the same solemn expressions "Well?" Sarah queried anxiously.

"Our search was in vain, Sarah," replied Doppler regretfully.

"No sign of them," stated Amelia.

"Not of B.E.N., Annie, or the pirates," added Jim. "Not even the constables can find a trace of them anywhere."

"So, their gone?" Sarah advanced.

"I'm afraid so," said Doppler. "And it's very unlikely that those blackguard delinquents would freely and willingly hand them over to us."

Just then, the sound of hover jets met their ears, prompting them all outside the door to investigate. They were able to make out a lifeboat painted black and floating downward towards them. At first they all assumed that it was controlled by a pirate, but then they immediately took notice of a strangely familiar figure with a pair of large, bright, blue eyes. Next to the figure was a catlike alien. Seeing these two figures, Jim, Sarah, Morph, Doppler, and Amelia's hearts were swelling with excitement. They knew now who the figures were. B.E.N. and Annie! They were safe!

"Aloha, Jimmy!" the robot called out happily, waving enthusiastically. "Hello, Doc! Sarah! Morphy! Captain! Great to see ya!"

"Hi, everyone!" Annie called out from the lifeboat as well.

When the boat touched down, she and B.E.N. leapt out to greet the group. It was a frenzy of hugs and warm welcomes back and mentioning of how much everyone missed one another, which lasted a few minutes. And they all stepped inside and settled down at a table.

"How did you two escape the terrible clutches of those pirates?" Doppler wanted to know.

"Well, I tell ya, Doc, it wasn't easy!" said B.E.N.

"All I did was pick a couple of locks and we flew away in a lifeboat," Annie put in simply. "Sneaking past a bunch of sleeping pirates along the way and broke free of an arachnian's grip."

"She helped escape! But I just barely made it out with my legs in tact! That big spider guy almost got me! Boy, was I scared outta my wits or what!"

"Ooh!" Morph chirped with interest.

"Wow," mused Sarah.

"Most impressive," observed Amelia.

"I doubt we'll be seeing those pirates again," finished Annie. "Ever again."

"Yeah," Jim said, "but that still doesn't explain why they were after you, B.E.N."

"The captain said somethin' about delivering me to their boss, whoever the heck that is," B.E.N. replied, unable to provide a better answer.

"Wait a minute. What do you mean delivered? And how would their boss even know about you?"

B.E.N. thought for a second, but his mind was blank. "Not a clue!" he admitted.

ooo

Stronghold and his crew had returned to their boss' quarters in a far off place. The room was colossal and pitch black and dark. The entire room was shrouded in sinister obscurity. A tall being loomed dangerously over Stronghold and his crew from a high throne. The being clutched a long, black staff with a small purple orb at the top end.

"You lost him?" the dark being queried in repetition, his voice even deeper and more booming than Stronghold's.

"He got away from us," Stronghold explained. "It wasn't our fault."

"Hmmm," rumbled the being, who sat back in his throne in thought. "Very well. I shall proceed with Plan B. This time I'll have him for sure."

"And we'll be sure not to let him escape again."

"You'll be sure? You, Stronghold, have failed to complete your mission. What gives you the notion of you and crew setting off again to fetch the little one for me?"

"But if ye'll just give us another chance, sir…" Stronghold protested, but he was interrupted.

"Silence, you fool!" the dark being bellowed. "Stronghold, I say again, you have failed. You and your crew are of no further use to me."

"No, sir! Please!"

"I said silence! You must face the consequences!"

The dark being casually waved a hand over the orb of his staff and the orb began to pulse with a purple glow. A distant roar echoed throughout the room, frightening the cowardly pirates. "Devianta's spirit hungers for nourishment," the dark being sneered with a toothy grin.

And out of the orb twisted a purple stream of transparent material in the shape of a ravenous serpent, its eyes shining blood red. The phantom increased in size significantly, looming right above Stronghold, who was frozen on the spot from sheer horror. The creature parted its jaws, grabbed Stronghold in its huge maw, and he disappeared down its throat. Then the creature vanished back into the orb. The frightened crewmembers clutched their necks and winced in disgust. Their captain was long gone.

"His perish was quick and painless," the dark being said simply. "Your punishments will be quite the opposite, however."

The pirates screamed in terror and scrambled about the floor of the room in a feeble attempt to escape the dark being, who down-pointed his staff at them. "Don't you run from me, you lot of swines." A flash sparked from the staff's orb. The spark made contact with the pirates and they all transformed into furry, tusk-mouthed, squealing pigs! The dark being bellowed out in laughter at the sight, amused. Then, two guards herded the pigs out of the room to be slaughtered later on.

The dark being ceased his laughter and turned to a larger orb off to the right of his throne. In it flashed moving, soundless images of B.E.N. surrounded by his friends. The dark being could see that there was a conversation going on, and he grinned malevolently into the orb.

"Soon, little one," the dark being mused to himself in a low ominous tone. "Soon."

To be continued…

Oooohh…scary. What did I tell you? A lot of foreshadowing right there. Wanna know what happens next? Well, just wait for the next chapter! Don't forget to review. Thank you!