It's been just over a year since I last updated right? Hmmm, I can't really excuse myself for that. I'm pretty much halfway through the next chapter as well so don't give up on me yet loyal reviewers.
Ben leapt heavily across the roof beams, landing quietly with considerable effort. His thoughts wondered to his grandpa and his snobbish cousin. Always trying so hard to understand. Maybe a little too hard. It was unfair of him to think it but they were suffocating him with concern and suspicion. Hero work was his only escape from their random interrogations. It was difficult to puzzle over what to do next with them nagging him every time they saw him. It also dissuaded him from telling them the truth.
He refused to let his thoughts wonder to Kevin and searched for something to distract him from doing just that. The more he thought about him, the more he kept changing his mind. Was he evil and unable to change? Was he just misunderstood? Could Ben possibly change who he is? Or was Kevin capable of changing him? Why was he thinking about this when he'd been repeatedly telling himself not to?
Movement below him finally distracted him. A group of gunmen on patrol by the look of them. Black uniforms and large revolvers. "We've lost them. Keep circling the building until backup arrives." Ben sighed in relief. They're on my side then, as long as they don't spot me. He climbed higher up the warehouse girders until he found a way onto the roof. The building was large but not tall so he didn't have a very good view of the surrounding area.
He looked to the taller building beside him and thought bitterly about his lack of stinkfly's wings. No matter how much more he'd look like Kevin with them, flight was obviously stinkfly's most advantageous trait. He took a running jump and crashed into the wall opposite, claws and nails crumbling brick so that he had something to grip onto. A few metres below another group of gunmen were talking. Ben swung his head back silently to listen in on them. Maybe he could gain information from them.
"Yes, sir!" The man leading the group saluted his superior hastily. "The suspect is toting some sort of stun gun." Ben crawled closer down the wall. A stun gun…
The superior paused for a moment. "No fire arm?" He asked simply.
"No sir. But he caught one of our units by surprise with a powerful stun gun." Their Sergeant nodded.
"And what was stolen?"
"We're led to believe that they hacked into the systems and withdrew over ten thousand-"
CRASH!!!"Ow!" Ben groaned and rubbed his shoulder. He shifted his gaze to the men before him who's gazes had settled. Six guns were aimed in his direction. He gulped. Bad move.
"W-What is that thing?" One of the units asked his leader.
"Another one of those alien villains!" Their sergeant spat and lifted an arm to shoot on his command. Ben twisted uncomfortably in the crates he'd landed on and broken. Brick rubble rolled off him.
"N-no you don't get it!" Ben tried to reason. The men backed away. "I'm a good guy!"
"Yeah, sure you are," his arm was lowered and triggers were pulled.
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"Where are we going grandpa?" Gwen asked the driver. He wasn't quick to reply due to the large throngs of traffic he had trouble dodging. "Aren't we backing Ben up?"
"Of course we are!" Max replied impatiently. "But not in the way he thinks."
"What do you mean?" She was sure that Max would never fail to back his grandson up during an armed robbery. "How are we going to help him? He won't let us help him with anything?" She said it with a tinge of resentment. Her relative felt it too.
"I know," he turned back to the wheel. Gwen recognised where they were, barely. "I kept a few minor details from him about the robbery. It's reported that there was only one suspect, so he doesn't really need our help with that…
…so we're going to find out where he went yesterday."
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Ben hit the ground as a chorus of bangs surrounded him. On reload he was on his feet and clumsily skating away from them. If he took to the roofs once more he'd be out of sight as long as they didn't spot him climb to them, as well as giving him a beneficial scouting position. Unfortunately he wasn't moving very fast despite XLR8's legs. His body was just too cumbersome to move quickly.
A backup group came to surround him but he ploughed through them. Managing to slip into a small ally he crept quietly up the gutters and up three storeys onto the flat roof. From this height he could see the positions of almost five groups of guards. Most of them were heading in the same direction. Ben followed them north of the bank.
Only minutes had passed before he overtook the gunmen. The men had all gathered in one position. They're pursuit had ended. Ben neared the group and heard voices. Loud demanding voices. Orders to raise their hands. The figure came into view in the shadows, surrounded by men and guns.
"Put your hands in the air and drop the weapon!" A gun was loaded in warning. A stun gun…Ben replayed in his head, straining to see the suspect backed up against the wall.
"But what if I'm not holding a weapon…?" a voice sneered. Ben's eyes widened. That almost sounds like- A shock of electricity split the shadows and the cornered boy broke free. His dark hair and pale skin could only belong to one person.
Ben watched from above. He didn't want to move. He didn't want to face him again. This sudden thought angered him. I am not scared of him! He leapt to a lower roof with a ground shaking thud. Kevin electrified another group ahead of him but then he stopped. He'd run out of juice.
Ben watched as he glanced around every corner he passed looking for a power pack. Ben glanced down. He was standing just above one and Kevin was heading in the opposite direction. He smirked. No doubt he was going to get caught whether Ben joined in or not. He obviously hadn't planned this out very well.
He watched carefully. Kevin didn't look anxious though he glanced back after every lane he'd searched. The men moving along the ground weren't falling behind but they weren't catching up either. A man in uniform stood in a large area of open ground and lifted an arm. But there were no gunmen in range to see him. Unless…
Ben shifted his gaze to the surrounding roofs just as the arm began to descend. It was more out of impulse than anything and the word just burst out of his mouth from a painful rush of blood.
"Kevin!" The boy turned in his direction briefly as he launched himself from the roof to aid his rival. The snipers on the roof were caught briefly in the moment and hesitated their fire. Ben took the chance to coax the thief out of the lime-light.
"This way!" he ordered urgently, turned and ran. Kevin hesitated. The mutant's back was exposed to him again, his moral and aggressive side turned away and the guilt an pity showing through. Is that what this was? Guilt and pity. Or was it the fear of witnessing death? He shrugged his shoulders. As long as it saved his ass should he even care?
He followed his ally enemy a while back from where he'd come until Ben came to a stop and lent a gesture towards the wall. Kevin's face harboured a greedy smile when he saw it was an electricity box and turned to Ben with malicious humour. "You helping me avoid justice or something?" he laughed. Ben sneered inwardly. Yet he couldn't think of anything to respond with. He was right after all.
Kevin laughed again at his lack of reply. "How good of you, hero."His sarcasm on his last word was enough to rouse anger within Ben. Kevin's shirt was caught hastily as he went to reach for more fuel. Ben immediately regretted it.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he warned. Ben felt the darkness around him close in. His hand released the other's collar as if possessed by fear. Ben watched closely as Kevin 'energized' himself. His dark charisma seemed to have increased tenfold when he turned around again, the faint blue glow in his eyes almost demonic as it slowly faded away.
With Ben's lack of response Kevin was encouraged to continue teasing. "If you help me out I'll even give you a cut of the cash." He laughed in mock even though the mutant in front of him was trembling with anger.
"I don't plan on letting you make off with that you know!" he replied forcefully, though no matter how he said it Kevin didn't take him seriously.
"Then how about, if you help me out…" he paused a moment in false thought even though Ben knew perfectly well he already knew what he was going to say, "…I'll tell you a little secret?" His arrogant smirk spoke something else. Kevin held out a hand and Ben felt sick all of a sudden. That same hand he'd shook in hope of understanding and freedom. That hand was willing to kill innocent people for greed. A hand with hidden claws that would sink in if you got too close. A hand which held strings that took control when cast out in such a way.
But Ben could never fight his curiosity after all. What was better than learning a secret? His own paw hovered above the pallid skin as Kevin's eyes flashed with victory.
"There they are!" The voice turned both their heads and the moment of decision had come and gone. Once more Ben was threatened by guns. It was daunting even though it had happened before. But even now, after he'd been purposefully angered by the boy, he still felt the need to protect Kevin. "Drop any items and weapons and don't move."
"So what do you say?" Ben looked down at the floor. He could easily escape and leave Kevin to the police. He looked down at his hands in grief. But what use would he be to him then? I'm just being as selfish as him, he told himself angrily. But I have better reason to be.
The bullets were caught midair by static charge and fell to the ground. Kevin was running and then so was Ben. Where they were going Ben wasn't sure but he somehow trusted Kevin not to get them killed. Whenever a pedestrian got in their way Kevin would be the one to shock them and then the burly mutant behind would apologise heartily.
"Are we safe?" Kevin asked suddenly. They'd been running for a few minutes and Ben had begun to wear out. "I said are we being followed?" Kevin continued impatiently. Ben glanced behind them and realise that they were both unexpectedly alone in the dark winding alleys.
"No." He felt the need to stop as Kevin did. He watched the boy regain his breath from a distance, not wanting to be approached by an ambiguous hand once more.
The bag of loot was swung heavily over a black clad shoulder. Kevin turned around and went to walk away. "Where are you going?" Ben demanded but the boy didn't turn. "Hey!"
Kevin stopped as his path was blocked. Talking was impossible to avoid. He threw his arm out in emphasis, "So why'd you help me, Ben? What do you expect me to help you too?" He pointed a finger in accusation. "Well you can forget it!" Ben was taken aback by his upfront response. "And you suck at using your powers."
"What?!" Ben bristled at the inappropriate insult. "What's that got to do with it?" He had the sudden feeling that he was being mislead. "And anyway, we had a deal!"
Kevin lowered his voice. "Yeah, we did." Ben gulped almost audibly. Maybe that was the wrong way to put it. He wasn't trying to anger anyone. Kevin smirked unexpectedly. "I came all the way down here just to see you!"
