I own it not.
Ben felt as though he had been hit on the head with an eighteen wheeler, but even that amount of force didn't knock him out.
By pushing off a few dozen bits of rubble, Ben was able to look at his surroundings. He wasn't just inside the foundation, as he had first suspected, but inside an underground tunnel. He didn't know how far it went.
Ben dug around where he was buried until he was able to get out. He jumped to the ground from the rubble, wondering vaguely why there was a ceiling after the cave-in. But he let the matter go when he realized he had more pressing matters to worry about.
Johnny was no where to be seen in the rubble. Ben dug frantically for him, picking up boulders that ranged from ball-size to dog house size to the size of a small car. Finally, near the middle, he found his friend.
Johnny's body was broken and bruised, making Ben wish for a fleeting instant that he was like Doom ― made of metal. The thought was banished instantly when a small groan redirected his focus to Johnny.
Just to see that he was alive was enough for Ben. He pulled Johnny until he was standing upright, then let go only to watch as Johnny fell again.
"Shoot!" the word that came out of Johnny's mouth cracked and was turned into a fit of coughing. The man beat a hand against the rock, unknowingly setting the hand aflame.
Ben knelt down, worry etched all over his face, "What's wrong, kid? Your leg?" he hoped not. They needed to get out of here, and that meant walking.
Johnny's bruised hand enclosed his ankle, pressing on different points until he cried out in pain. "My ankle, but it's not broken." He looked over at his left arm, which dangled uselessly at his side, sticking out at a strange angle, "That, however..."
Ben pushed Johnny's sleeve up, ignoring his cry of pain, "Sorry Kid, I need this." He ripped the fabric, exposing the skin. "You dislocated it too. Want me to fix that?"
Johnny looked away, knowing that this was going to hurt, especially since it was broken too. "Go ahead."
Ben's fingers gingerly pressed on the skin, expertly securing it back in place in less then a second. After the initial searing pain ebbed, Johnny nodded his head, realizing that sweat was pouring down his face. "That's better, thanks." He waited as Ben wrapped up the broken bones and helped him to his feet.
Carefully, Johnny pressed down on the foot, letting his weight even out and trying to push away the pain that flooded his brain. "O-okay," he said, the pain making him stutter, "let's get out of here."
They both knew, or at least guessed who had brought them to this place. Doom had wanted to get even with them, and for a megalomaniac, nothing short of killing his enemies was enough.
But neither of them mentioned it to each other as they walked, hobbled, and stumbled through the dimly lit halls of Doom's torture chamber, knowing full well that they'd discuss it soon enough, when the time came to fight for their lives.
Again.
In case you havn't noticed, I like Ben and Johnny the best. But I do try to be fair, so the next chapter will be Reed and Susan. And Doom. Anyways, review!