Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 still :]


Chapter 6: Of Devils and Martyrs

"Show me a hero and I'll write you a tragedy."— F. Scott Fitzgerald


Pain.

Excruciating pain was flooding through his body.

Hurt! Hurt! Hurt! Hurt! GOD DAMN IT! THIS FUCKING HURTS!

His mind was going numb from the torture of the electric shock from a device which was coiled tightly like a damn viper around his neck! It was choking him to a level of suffocation. While his hands and legs were chained to the white mattress as he forcefully pulled (wrists and ankles bleeding, staining the mattress in a dark crimson), struggled (he felt weak, helpless and vulnerable…he was scared. He never felt like this before!) and screamed (the sound fell on deaf ears as his voice gave out and he never felt so defeated). His throat completely dried, throbbing and damaged. He was voiceless and he felt like he was choking from his own blood. All he remembered was the sudden black out after his awakening and then soundless darkness… FOR WHO KNOWS HOW LONG! It felt like time malfunction to torture his mind with nothing but anxiety, dread and Gwen. Nothing makes sense and the worse part was that he didn't know what time, day and month it was. Seconds seemed to pass slowly like years as he yelled, punched, and paced around the prison like some crazy, psycho maniac in a white cell. He now knew why people seriously started going insane from being trapped, caged, and observed. The overwhelming feeling of fear, anger and confusion swirled in a cycle of despair inside him. He even started hallucinating massive swarms of flies cornering him. They were surrounding him like vultures, watching, waiting, millions of red glowing eyes in the ever present darkness with their deafening BUZZING! FUCK, HE WAS GOING CRAZY!

He wanted to faint, he was gonna faint, there was this prickling sensation on his neck... something vile was flowing inside him. The pain won't go away! HELP! HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME! But he only see a devouring darkness. Everything was escaping him. He was tired, but he was afraid if he did close his heavy eyelids, then the shock would come back stronger. He tried to say awake, tried desperately to open his eyes and not watch the horrifying video of Gwen's captured in Xenon and his powerlessness to rescue her.. However, it was hopeless because it kept on replaying again and again and again and—it was a never ending loop of horror repeated at the moment she pushed him out of the way to the vines encircling her instead of him and she was taken! The video never showed the moment she came back to him. If this keeps up, he'll really start to lose it and really will think she's gone. He was losing grip with reality and was desperately trying to retain a hold of what was left of himself. It was a hopeless battle.

The white walls boxing him in this eternal nightmare displays the footage in endless clarity as he watch in the suffocating darkness. The bastard who did this was clever; efficiently torturing him both mentally and physically.

At Gwen's continuous screams after an eternity, he finally snapped.

FUCK THIS SHIT!

His fear manifested into rage. Pain, fear and sanity was all devour by a strong sense of murder.

The filth who did this was sick in the head, whatever grudge they have against him, knew exactly where to push all the right buttons, on instant repeat. The scum was dead. Once he gets out of here the little shit will die, he won't be sending this bastard to the Null Void. No, the place was way too good for this sickening jackass. The asshole will be slaughter by his fucking hands.

Whoever the fuck planned this sick shit was going to pay. The motherfucker will be torture, skinned, sink in burning acid before they can beg him to end their miserable existence!

"I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU!" Ben yelled in pure hysteria as he completely lost himself in a beast like rage struggling against his confines.

He now couldn't even feel the pain.


"Ben don't go!" She ran and ran trying hard to reach out her right hand desperately trying to cling onto his fading back. But no matter how fast she chase him, screamed and yelled at him, he never turned back, never seeming to notice her as she cried for him to stop and just look at her. So desperate in getting her cousin's attention she stumbled and trip over herself landing face first onto the concrete floor. Laying on the ground in pain with her knees and hands in a bloody mess, Gwen struggled to get up and continue with her pursuit. She didn't care about the pain because she was hopeful that her fall would gain Ben's attention, but she was sadly mistaken. He was getting further and further away and she was terrify to be left behind.

"Don't leave me!"

Her tears continue flowing and the figure was still walking away. She close her eyes in utter despair. When she finally open them too afraid that he would be gone... She didn't expect to see two of him. But what surprised her was that one was turning back, while the other now wearing red continued his path. She couldn't see his face but the Ben who turned was coming back to her. She smiled as he reach his hand out to her. She eagerly grab his outstretch hand as she looked up.

The sky was an ominous red and black rose petals rained from the heavens.

What she saw made her froze in fear. The sclera of his eyes were black and his iris were a dark crimson. There were tears of blood dripping down his face... His smile was predatory. His clothes were all black showing none of the brilliant green she was expecting. His hand was griping tightly onto hers, his nails dug deeply into her skin. It was starting to bleed and she forced her hand away. It was futile as he pull her closer to him. His entire body was cold. Ben then brought his icy lips to her ear and she could feel the frozen breath.

"You're mine."

Gwen woke up in a cold sweat. She was breathing heavily as her heart pound in her chest. She was in a dizziness like state of unease as it filled her with a whirlpool of trepidation. This wasn't her usual nightmares. This foreboding fear wasn't good.

She got a bad feeling about this…


"What took you so long?" The boy in front asked in a cocky tone.

"I was trying to repair all the damages and chaos you caused in those dimensions you visited. The dimensions that heavily relies on your military strength is in an absolute mess. That was your plan right? Creating chaos to keep me busy."

The boy only laughed.

"Benjamin it's not too late to stop all this and return everything to the way it was. You don't have to do this."

"I have lost too much just to reach this point. Do you really expect me to turn back now? Tell me, why bother discussing this with me when you clearly know the results?" The tyrant came closer with a gleaming amusement in his dark emeralds.

"Unlike Eon, I considered you to be a reasonable person Benjamin."

"You're funny when you're not trying. How could someone like me, who came, saw and end up conquering the dimensions I visited be reasonable? And I thought you were more concern with my military holding this dimension hostage." The demon let out a snort.

The man who can travel through time and space frowned.

"Guess I have no choice but to stop you by force, Benjamin."

"Why do you think you could stop me this time? You know Professor, all of this could have been prevented if you had brought Gwen back to me. It's because of your actions—no it's due to the actions untaken that we're here now. Tell me, why didn't you do anything?"

"You already know the answer and its outcome. After all, it's too late to change anything now."

"True. However, I prefer that it be him instead of me! Why take her away from me?"

"Because Benjamin, everything has a purpose."

"She is mine to begin with." The devil narrowed his eyes turning them a sinister jade.

"You know full well what I'm referring to."

"No, I don't. I always hated your riddles. Guess our conversation ends here."

"Indeed. Then I'll be taking my leave."

"I wish I could say the same."

"What is going on?! Why can't I use my powers?!"

"Professor Paradox, you really assumed I wasn't prepared for our meeting? After all, this place was especially build for you. Your own isolation chamber invented by the one and only Azmuth." The monster standing above him smirked. For some reason his legs were weak and his eyes heavy.

"What are you planning?"

"No spoilers." The devil smiled.

"You are a great unspeakable evil! A catastrophe upon us! The Devil himself!"

"Wow. This is the first time I've witness you this distress. Then if you don't mind, I would like you to stay out of this one. After all, no one likes a meddler… Do enjoy the sleeping gas."

His eyes became hazy, "You won't get away with this…"

"But I already have."

That was the last thing he saw before the gas in the room finally took him.

And darkness consumes all.


-Flashback-

"Kevin stop!" Julie shouted as she yank her wrist out of his tightening grip.

"What the hell is wrong with you? How could you just leave them like that?! We need to go back and tell them it was all a misunderstanding! Maybe… maybe we can convince Gwen—"

"There's no point if Ben sticks near her like the plague." Kevin replied as he sat down on a nearby bench. They were now at the park. He was still messily dressed, but dressed nonetheless with his hair and clothes disordered and wrinkled. She was in the same situation.

"About Ben…"

Kevin glared up at her.

"Don't you get it Julie? That fucking bastard drugged us!"

Julie's eyes widen in shock.

"W-What…? Ben wouldn't do that!" She protested.

"Yeah, he did. Otherwise, explain his possessive behaviors, why we can't remember having sex in his house and the cause of this fucking headache!" Kevin stood angrily and at his every word, he would jabbed her painfully with his index finger, managing successfully to push her back every time.

"Well… It's true Ben is acting strange… But don't you think Gwen was strange too?" Julie injected as she slapped Kevin's pointing finger away.

"Duh, that's for sure. She would usually listen to reason. She was completely hysterical—"

"And Ben was oddly calm the whole time… Like… he was enjoying it." Julie shivered as she finished Kevin's sentence.

There was an eerily silence between them.

Julie was again reminded by Ben's sinister glare. The way he utterly dominated the situation like a tyrant looking down on his insignificant subjects and the horror of his obsession towards Gwen. Julie never imagine she would get herself in such a frightening situation. It never occur to her that Ben could be so... She harshly shook her head, trying to rid herself of the image.

"So, what now?" She questioned.

"We save Gwen." Kevin's voice was clear and determined.

"…Hey… What about Ben? Do you really think that scary person was Ben…?"

Kevin was quiet as he sat back down and stare at his fists.

With the welcome silence she was encouraged to continue. "Maybe that's an alien disguised as him! Or he's being brainwash! He might be in danger!"

"Why do you keep on defending him?! He drugged you knowing full well this would happen! He's a monster!" Kevin stated trembling in anger.

"…But there is a possibility that Ben was replac—" She was interrupted with a baritone, "You're close to the truth, human girl."

Both exhausted teens turned to the source of the voice.

Kevin stood up straight as he pulled Julie back and moved in front.

"What are you doing here, Vilgax?!"

-End of Flashback-


The weekend passed in a blink of an eye. In the end she never went to Kevin's house and Grandpa Max never came to visit. He had to leave because of a sudden Plumber's emergency (Surprisingly Ben never asked about the emergency. In a matter of fact, he allowed her to speak the entire time through the Plumber Badge). After that devastating morning, Ben convinced her to help him with the bake sale. So throughout Saturday they baked, anything from cookies, brownies to cupcakes and muffins, they made it all. It was odd, but surprisingly fun. Gwen knew Ben was trying to cheer her up seeing as she fell asleep like a baby after she cried her eyes out. It was super embarrassing, however knowing it was Ben who saw her, she didn't really mind all that much. And she knew Ben was only trying to help her forget the whole Kevin and Julie thing.

Gwen was thankful, but she also wanted to ease his pain. After all, he experienced the same suffering… but compared to her, he was surprisingly more mature in handling the aftereffects. Yet, she still wanted to be his support seeing as Ben was acting increasingly strange and after that crazy moment (which will not be named) and her newest nightmare, it was a cause for concerns. Knowing Ben who always act in the extremes, he might completely close himself off due to the fear of getting hurt… Yeah, that might be a highly possible reason seeing as Julie was his first girlfriend… and maybe it'll take a while more for the wounds to heal… meaning Ben can act spontaneously during this time. Definitely this trauma will leave deep scars on them both. And now that this happened of all things… Ben practically implied that he only needed family… This was a great concern because she couldn't be with him forever.

For now she will take slow steps to recovery. She would help her cousin along the way. The wounds will heal. Everything will be normal again. She won't date for awhile (maybe a long while) but she won't become so afraid to ever be with someone again. But Ben might be a different story... But knowing him she might be completely wrong and in time he'll find another girl he likes! So with an optimistic mindset she went through the motion of each day.

When Sunday rolled in, she was helping Ben set up the bake sales as well as aiding to hand out the treats. Normalcy and busying herself always helped her forget all her worries. As always, wherever Ben goes, there would be crowds. It was annoying to the point of lunacy. It was like watching the same scene over and over again as his fangirls repeatedly flirts and offers their assistance, while trying to get his phone number, schedule and DNA samples. The other volunteers, which were thankfully not Ben's admirers, did not mind seeing as they were getting more attention with Ben there. But the work was increasingly harder as more people came and it got rapidly rowdier. People were pushing to get glimpses of the famous Hero and having the Media there didn't help. It would likely end in disaster like usual. Ben will always mess things up after all.

But unexpectedly, Ben got the situation under control because the rest of the day was surprisingly peaceful. It all happened when he announced the idea of getting a handshake, his autograph and pictures with him if they donate for mental health awareness. The treats then became an added bonus. She was slightly surprise how resourceful and commanding Ben was. This was the first time he initiated using his fame for the goodness of others. Usually he would just bathe in the screaming cheers, then run away when it gets too chaotic and eventually destroying the entire event. For a second she seriously considered her cousin was replaced with his good twin lost at birth. Then she quickly dismissed the notion when he came to her with a cocky grin as he stuffed himself with bake goods given to him by his fans. Gwen rolled her eyes, gave him a teasing punch to the arm and continued the process for the rest of the day.

That evening Ben drove her home and she thanked him. Before she could head in to greet her parents, her doofus of a cousin suddenly shouted, "Gwen!"

She turned, looking at him to continue.

"It's not bad spending time together right?" He gave her a big goofy smile.

Gwen stare at him puzzled. What was he getting at? Even if she doesn't want to, they were always together. They were best of friends. Her friends sometimes teased her that she and Ben were joined at the hips. She only sighed and let out a small smile.

"Stupid, we're always together!" She stuck her tongue out and went inside.

What she missed was her cousin's menacing frown covered by the shadows of the night.


Myaxx was ashamed with what she was doing. In a sense she was volunteering herself to torture another lifeform. She wasn't a torturer, she was a scientist! But really? Who cares at this point when fear lurks everywhere and you're trapped in a lion's den? So torturer she was. She definitely don't want to end up like Azmuth. Imprisonment was a pleasant term for labeling Azmuth's current predicament.

Therefore, now it has been days without sleep since she have been overseeing this insane act. She watched the bloody teenage boy through the double mirror slowly break down and be consumed with madness to the point of being unsure that it was psychologically human... the teen transformed into a raging beast hungry for murder. In a way, it satisfies her to see the same face of the monster she despised so much go through such torture. At a certain point of this torture session Myaxx made herself think it was him. It was getting harder to tell the difference between the two; the lines were blurring that it was getting easier to think the person in there was that monster getting what he deserved for destroying life like it was meaningless. She knew she was losing her sense of self, reality and overall going utterly crazy, similarly to everyone else working for this demon! They were all being devoured by his madness.

"Higher the dose." The devil spoke beside her.

At this point she knew not to question. She press a few controls on her tablet and mechanical sharp hands inside the room injected the needle into the boy's neck.

As soon as the substance was inserted, there came a loud deafening scream in the room that penetrated through the thick walls and pierce into her ears. She cringed at the horrible sound of a cracking pitch.

"Now bring the shock to maximum." The devil grin in glee as his eyes gleam dark pools of fury.

Myaxx stared at the green eyes devil in utter horror.

"But… with the heighten pain medication and additional stimulus to his current nervous system… That would potentially be fatal." She whispered.

"He won't die. Do it." His calm voice spoke volumes.

Suddenly a stupid bravery spark in her as she asked, "…Don't you think this is too extreme? Why go through the effort of torturing him when you could simply end him and be done with?!"

His green eyes glare her down. Myaxx only wished the floors could shallow her whole. The monster before her was not in a good mood ever since he got back. She could never gauge his exact emotional state. He was always flipping his switch and that was a ticking time bomb for her. When she thought he wouldn't reply, the devil in the shape of a mere boy spoke.

"That would be merciful. It's more fun to let him suffer before he dies. This is my revenge."

She saw the tyrant before her smirk in pure hatred, loathing and his green eyes that screamed of jealousy.

"…You're crazy…" The words accidently slipped out. She immediately covered her mouth as her body trembled in terror.

"No," The devil then point at the screaming boy in the white room.

"He's the one crazy enough to want his own cousin. That's crazy."

The space around them became distorted, the situation was devoured in shades of red, green, white, black, and soundless screams all wrapped neatly within the space of insanity.

The darkness of the room made his sharp eyes glow an eerie jade as his index finger stayed pointing at the thrashing boy still receiving the electric shock.

Myaxx was utterly speechless. Does this person before her not comprehend what he just said? Does he not understand his actions? His own madness? The utter craziness he would go to for his selfish desires? The crimes he committed for his twisted love?!

Just how deep is this abyss…?

Myaxx didn't need an answer because the consuming obsession in his jade eyes said it all. Her eyes closed in resignation. She truly was stuck in hell.

Truly, a tragedy is upon her.


TBC

Sorry for the late update. It's because I have been working on my other story, but this story will not die on my part!

Again there are lots of symbolism so look for them ;)

Reviews are love!