I have to apologize to everyone. I'm sorry that I haven't been updating the story as I should but I'm sure you'll all find this chapter a very exciting one. I made it darker to show the seriousness of what's happening. I wasn't sure if I wanted to make this two chapters or not, it seems a little to much detail for one chapter but also doesn't seem to 'fit' right with two chapters. This is my favorite chapter I've written thus far and has a very crucial turning point and I hope you all enjoy it. Part of the reason why it took so long to update is because I really didn't want to take the time to write this whole chapter. But I wasn't able to do anything else for three weeks so I finally took the time to write it.
Chapter 6: The 175th
Gwen sat on her school bus and stared out the window thinking to herself. Ben sat in the seat in front of her and numerous others sat around them. A small insect, appearing to be a fly, landed on the top of Ben's seat facing Gwen. She looked up at it, frowned, and turned back towards the window.
These last few days of school wouldn't be so bad if grandpa didn't have those things watching me twenty-four seven.
"I'm sure it'll get easier, why worry about it?"
I don't like how much he doesn't trust me.
"I told you that after what you did with running away before."
But that was over a month ago
"None the less it takes time to rebuild trust. And with me being here it doesn't necessarily make it easier on you."
"Hey Gwen can I burrow the math homework. I, uh, forgot to do mine." Ben had stuck his head around his seat to Gwen.
"Heh dufus, we have just one week left of school and you can't 'remember' to do the last ten easy questions." Gwen was relieved when she spoke because it took her mind off the idea of being watched.
"Hey help a poor cousin out will ya?" Ben said.
"Nah, we're too close to the school now and you wouldn't have enough time to finish copying it anyway," Gwen responded.
"You can copy mine if you want Ben." A boy spoke from the seat across from Gwen. He had his legs out in the isle facing the both of them and had been listening to their conversation. He had dirty-blondie hair and hazel eyes, a rather small face for his age which was accompanied by his short height. Even though he was a few weeks older then Ben he seemed to be much shorter.
"Oh really? Thanks," Ben smiled graciously.
"Trey! There's no need to help him out; he'll probably fail anyway," Gwen said semi-jokingly.
"Gwen!" Ben nudge Gwen's leg with a playful punch. Gwen's face showed that she started to enjoy herself quite well.
"You twit you want to play that way?" Gwen was about to retaliate but then she realized Max's fly monitor was still there so she backed down. "I'll get you back some other time," Gwen stuck her tong out at Ben. Trey chuckled a little and handed his notebook to Ben.
"Hey, guess what my brother got me while he was in Moscow?" Trey asked them. Ben made a polite "Huh?" while copying the problems, not looking up. Gwen also looked over in interest. Trey took a rather small leather case out of his backpack.
"He told me I shouldn't carry it around so carelessly but I like it to much to just have it sit in my room." Trey explained as he opened the case, he took out a pen of average length but a bit thick cylinderwith an extrinsic eye-catching design throughout the instrument and a ruby-like gem on top.
"Wow I've never seen anything like it." Gwen exclaimed as she saw it.
"That's... haha I can't believe one still exists."
What is it?
"Oh nothing don't worry about it."
You can't just say something like that and stop midway, spill it!
"I'd rather not, maybe later"
Ohh that's so not fair you better tell me.
"And how are you going to get me to?"
"Eh looks fancy, what's it for?" Ben asked bringing Gwen's focus back outside.
"I dunno but I love how it looks, kinda funny though because it doesn't work and won't write." Trey answered
"That's cause it isn't ment for writing."
You know... if you're not going to tell me anything then stop teasing me!
"Hehe but it's so much fun"
The bus pulled into the school; Ben, Trey, and Gwen got off and went inside as a group followed by the fly.
"As you know in 5 days you will all become apart of the seventh grade, I'm very proud of everyone in this class, congratulations to you, and hope you continue to succeed in the future." The teacher of the class stood in the front of the room next to the chalkboard facing the class. "However tomorrow, as many of you know, are required exams for you to take. Seeing as this is the last day of prep time I hope you all use the time wisely. Now let us begin."
The school day carried on like any other day. Each class did their last day of preparation, there was lunch, recess, and afterwards the last official period of gym (the last day of actual physical activity). Ben, Gwen, and Trey had the same gym class so they often stuck around together.
"I really don't see how this helps you, been going to school with you for some time now and it still looks stupid."
It's some federal thing.
"Too many rules about it all, no wonder this world is getting worse overall."
What does that mean?
"All your people talk about is nonviolent discipline, nonviolent solutions, etc. You're actually making it worse that way. Sometimes actual physical force is needed, and not just by those 'granted' the privilege to do so, to solve issues. It's how a kid learns to act politely when needed. How a burglar learns to not steal anymore. But to do that people would lose control over the masses. Complete order and freedom are not able to coexist, so it appears this world is run by the few. They continually add more and more regulations to keep up order thereby reducing your freedom greater and greater."
You think way to much about stuff.
"Hehe someday you'll see."
If you say. Opps I'm up to kick, stop distracting me!
"Eh quit complaining, not like this 'Kickball' is much fun anyway."
"You dose out Gwen?" The teacher asked Gwen as she went out onto the field.
"Eh, oh, sorry Mr. Rivend just excited with school almost ending" Gwen said as she passed.
"On second thought, could I kick it?"
You just said it didn't look like fun.
"Yea the game doesn't seem like fun. But think of all those in the outfield skirmishing to get a ball that 'just' seems to slip though their hands."
You can't cheat!
"I don't want to win so it's not cheating."
Wow you have serious problems
"Just shut up and say yes."
Gwen started to laugh out loud a bit.
"You sure you're okay Gwen?" Rivend asked.
"Yea I'm fine, just remembered something funny someone said to me." Gwen readied herself to kick but her eyes changed to blue and she stood back up normal. Ben was on the opposite team and noticed the change standing in the field next to Trey.
"Uh Trey, I think we might as well not try." Ben told Trey.
"Why, you scared of your cousin?" Trey responded.
"Ha of her? no. Go ahead if you want I bet even if he kicks it right to you that you won't be able to get her out."
"Wimp, you'll owe me a soda after this." Trey appeared to be getting serious; Ben just stepped back and put his hands on his head to watch.
Gwen continued to stand there as the pitch came to her. Right before it went past her she swung her left leg, kicked, and just started walking to first base.
"Why is she kicking lefty? She's always kicked with her right foot. Doesn't matter it's comming right to me, sorry Gwen but you're out." Trey talked to himself as he reached up to catch the ball. The ball entered the space between both his hands and he began to close the gap. The ball then spun around his right arm moving to the outside and continuedto circle his body counterclockwise.
"What the!?" Trey was stunned and without realising it the ball cut it's spiral short by his left arm and wailed him in the face, bouncing off and knocking him to the ground. Ben watched and couldn't help himself from laughing.
That wasn't nice at all.
"Opps guess I put too much spin on it"
'Too much 'spin'? I know better then that you purposely did that.
"Hehe didn't hurt anything, plus this gives you something to talk about later."
That's not the point.
"He's fine stop winning, see he's already chasing after us."
Trey had gotten up and picked up the ball and started running to tag Gwen who was making her way to second base now. A few feet before he got to her the ball slipped out of his hands and bounced away behind him. He turned around to go pick it up but another kid got to it first and threw a pass to third base where Gwen was headed. The kid at third reached out to catch it but it swerved last second and went to the right of the base, off the field, and stopped short of the parking lot. Gwen finished at home plate and walked back to the bench.
"Too easy." Gwen said to herself as she sat down.
You said you didn't want to win.
"I didn't want to but I did anyway so might as well enjoy it."
You twist words way too much.
"Opps my bad hehe"
Oh shut up, you're not sorry at all.
"You're so right, makes me feel so much better glad we had this talk."
Geeze I might as well not try
"Heh"
"Well Gwen that was interesting." Rivend said as he motioned the next kicker to come up.
On the bus ride back Ben, Trey, and Gwen were sitting in the same seats as they did that morning.
"So how did you do that Gwen?" Trey asked about gym.
"I dunno, was just lucky I guess." Gwen responded.
"Well then you're a lucky girl I guess" Trey said.
"Oh you wouldn't know the half of it." Ben cut into the conversation.
"Hehe care to explain in detail about it Ben? Just think how you're part will go over." Gwen said with a smirk.
"Uh it's nothing really." Ben smiled with a hesitant expression.
"You two are weird." Trey told them.
"Nah just one is awesome and the other is not." Ben said sitting up high.
"True, awesome at stinking." Gwen mocked him. Trey looked up and became wide-eyed.
"Shi..."
Gwen started to turn to look when an unknown force stuck the bus right where Ben and Gwen were sitting. It knocked the bus on it's side and slid it into a wall.
Walking out from the wreckage Gwen stopped in the intersection she had some cuts, bruises and a little blood dripping down her left arm.
"Damn the impact caused her to go unconscious. What the hell was that." Gwen continued to look around for a clue. She noticed Fourarms work his way out of the wreck also and approached Gwen. He noticed the blue eyes.
"What happened to Gwen?" Fourarms asked.
"She got knocked out. How did you make it out?" Gwen was waving her right hand over her left arm slowly, causing the cuts to start to heal.
"Luckily the omnitrix hit up against something at the start of the crash before anything serious happened. I'm going to start pulling people out." Fourarms started to walk towards the wreck.
"That won't be necessary." A familiarvoice came from behind them causing both to turn quickly to look.
"Vilgax?" Fourarms charged him but before Fourarms got to him a blue flash caused him to trip and fall sliding to a stop a few feet in front of Vilgax.
"That's right bow before me!" Vilgax grabbed Fourarms's head and held him in the air. "Now the omnitrix, give it to me."
"Make me." Fourarms swung two of his right arms at Vilgax knocking him back. Fourams went to swing his other two for a combo but the blue flash came again. This time though in front of Fourarms a hand held back a blue and black stripped tail.
"Heh you may be fast but I can be just as fast." Gwen stood in front of Fourarms holding back the tail.
"An XLR8? Why is it helping Vilgax?" Fourarms spoke aloud to himself.
"Does it matter?" Vilgax tackled Fourarms and they started a quarl a bit from Gwen and the alien. The Kineceleran flashed back and stood stood about ten feet in front of Gwen.
"So now what are you going to do?" Gwen stared at the alien. "Damn." Gwen jumped out of the way of another Kineceleran flipping and slamming it's tail down where Gwen was standing, just missing her.
"Another one... three!?" Gwen dodged a similar attack from yet another Kineceleran. She jumped back and observed the group.
"I see, since you don't have much natural strengthth you combine your high speed and momentum with your thick tail to create quite a blow, very creative. Going to be a little difficult to keep track of you all but shouldn't be a problem." Gwen eyes grew three smaller pupils around the original one. "I can see everything you attempt."
(Author's note: In case that confused you a bit; think of Gwen(Fal) having a Sharingan, from Naruto. I like the design of it so I decided to include it. However I mean the design to be on blue eyes and not red, like it a little better that way.)
"What!? Ten... fifteen... thirty... fifty... eighty... a hundred... a hundred forty Kinecelerans..." Gwen stood surrounded by an army of Kinecelerans.
"Why are so many Kinecelerans helping Vilgax?"
"Shit." Gwen turned and blocked an attack by and Kineceleran at her right side. After she dodged the first attack she quickly turned again to dodge another directed behind her. As she blocked the second one a tail struck her left side and caused her to hit the ground and roll for a few feet.
"Bah." Gwen stood up, attempted to go on the offensive but before she could she was already dodging another attack. This time she blocked two attacks at once on both sides of her using her arms. Another Kineceleran came and swung it's tail at Gwen's face in the front. She jumped up to dodge it and was stuck in the back causing her to fly forward. A Kineceleran appeared in front of her but she managed to block that attack and veered off to the right, upside down now, still in the air. As she looked back she was stuck again causing her to fly at a high speed into the side of a building.
"Damn it... I can't keep up with all of them." Gwen walked out from the hole she made, she was badly bruised and had blood running down her face. She attempted to start to heal herself but before she started she dodge more Kinecelerans coming at her. She blocked the first one but was hit on her right side and slid to a stop. She began to stand up and was hit again, being sent into another building.
"I... can't concentrate at all anymore, everything is blurry and I have... a concussion. They're not giving me the light of day to... recover either...
At this rate I won't... be able to hold it..."
(Author's note again ^^: From now on I'll have "" in certain points of the story. When that happens the scene of events is switched back and forth between the inside of Gwen's mind and the outside. I do this so I can include imagery in certain parts that need it.)
""
Gwen stood on top of the surface of water. The water went to the horizon in every direction and the only noticeable difference was in the area Gwen was in. There were staircases, walkways, and doors stretching up endlessly into the sky above.
What happened. Fal you there?...
Fal?...
"Where am I?" Gwen started to walk around. She climbed up the maze of stairs above her, looking into a door every now and then. She eventually decided to enter one of the doors and walked through a narrow and cold hallway lined with brown bricks and only enough light to see where she stepped. After some time she came out to an opening; the hallway behind her disappeared and she stood in a dark room with a blue floor. She was only able to see a few feet in front of her and wasn't able to see the walls or the ceiling.
"This is familiar somehow. Where have I seen this before?" Gwen walked aways before she sat down on the floor to rest. "I remember now, this is the similar to the place I first saw Fal. But how did I get here." A deep raspy voice seemed to come from the darkness around her.
"...fulfil...
...our pact..."
Gwen stood up quickly in shock.
"Who's there?" Gwen circled around many times but couldn't find the source of the voice.
"...ignorance...
...child..."
"I'm serious, who and where are you." Gwen attempted to cast a spell but nothing happened. "Not good." She prepared herself for anything as the voice continued.
"...wager...
...mortal..." The voice seemed to be getting excited and heightened.
"...provide...
...eternity...
...amusement..."
""
Vilgax picked up Fourarms and threw him into the corner of the building in the intersection. Vilgax approached the collision, Fourarms jumped out and tackled Vilgaxramming him into a building on the oppositete side of the street. A flash of red light went off and Vilgax walked out holding Ben in the air by Ben's left arm.
"You're beaten, I claim the omnitrix as my prize." Vilgax raised his other hand towards the omnitrix but before they touched and blue beam took Vilgax, releasing Ben from his grip, and threw Vilgax down the road.
"Stay away from my grandson. When will you learn." Max waked into view caring one of his plumber guns. "You okay Ben?"
"Yea I'm fine." Ben turned the omntrix in a fruitless attempt to get it to work again.
"Where's Gwen?" Max asked as Vilgax stood up and charged Max, catching Max and Ben off guard. Vilgax grabbed the gun and threw Max on the other side of the road. He crushed the gun in his hands and dropped it on the ground, Vilgax approached Ben.
"Now no more interruptions." Vilgax began to reach towards Ben when in an instant Gwen got in the air in between Vilgax and Ben. She swung a punch and kknocked Vilgax across the the street.
"Gwen?" Ben stood there paralyzed.
"You broke my mask! How did you break it and what happened to the Kinecelerans?" Vilgax stumbled onto his feet, some blood ran down from where his mask was.
"T...ta...t..tas...t...te...tey..." Gwen held her head high with wide-eyes and had a smile unlike before, it had a dark look to it. She licked off some of the dried blood that was on her face around her lips. Her hand was busted and disfigured from punching Vilgaxbut it started to move on it's own and form back together as it's previous state.
(Another note: To describe it better the way Gwen's face looked is that she seemed insane but not really. If you've ever watched Bleach it's like Ichigo's hollow when it smiles. It has a very delighted look to it when the host is a causer of great suffering.)
Vilgax stumbled towards Gwen until he was close enough to throw a punch of his own. When he extended his arm towards Gwen and blue flame came out of the ground straight up and cut through Vilgax's arm just below the shoulder. The arm dropped to the ground and Vilgax stumbled back in shock, Gwen didn't move at all and just looked up at him.
"You severed my arm!" Vilgaxbecame enraged and confused, he went to punch with his other arm but Gwen put up one hand and caught Vilgax's hand. Gwen's expression hadn't changed and Vilgax's arm Gwen was holding started imploding and destroying itself until Vilgax stumbled backwards and fell to the ground face up.
"Fu...Fun..." Gwen's expression grew more excited as she turned and stood at Vilgax's feet. Gwen held up her right hand in front of her. When she did about twenty knife-like objects appeared above Vilgax. As she twitched her hand the objects struck down one by one into Vilgax. When one of the objects stabbed Vilgax it would disappear and reappear back in the air while the wound would instantly heal itself creating a nonstop stream of pain. Gwen continued this torture for awhile never hitting any vital points causing Vilgax to suffer greatly.
"Gwen?..." Ben, now, was sitting on the ground in shock and horror as his cousin continued the torture.
"That's not Gwen." Max walked up and stood beside Ben. "She'd never do this."
"That's not Fal either." Ben replied hesitantly. Max looked down at him with a scowl.
"That's why I didn't want you to get involved with him, neither of you two really know who this 'Fal' is."
"B... but..." Ben started to speak.
"There's no 'buts' about it." Max interrupted Ben and ran to Gwen. He grabbed her by the shoulders, knelt down to eye level, and forced her to turn around to face him
"Gwen!... stop this.
Gwen!"
""
A door appeared and opened suddenly to the right of Gwen.
"Gwen!" Fal appeared at the door. Gwen looked and tears came down her eyes as she saw him.
"Thank God." Gwen ran towards Fal and started to cry when she got to him. He put his arms around her.
"Shh, shh, everything is alright now." Fal looked up as the door started to close behind Gwen. Two deep yellow eyes appeared in the darkness of the room and the voice spoke again.
"...impossible...
...to forget..." And the doors closed.
""
Gwen's eyes suddenly looked normal as she stared Max in the face.
"Gr...grand...pa..." Gwen fainted falling forward but Max caught her. He stood up carrying her back towards where Ben was.
"You... little brat. I swear I'll kill you, even if it's in you're sleep!" Vilgax spoke through the pain as Max carried Gwen away. Two robots appeared and carried Vilgax into the sky where a small ship, almost in an instant, appeared and flew away with Vilgax.
