Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10.
Chapter 9 – Her Faith
GWEN
Grandpa was out. I was left staring at the empty bunk at the back of the RV. The heavy rock stuck in my heart weighted just a few more tons and broke a hole right through at the bottom.
My grandfather wouldn't phone Uncle Carl and Aunt Sandra and tell them about Ben, so I was left with the wretched job. I guess I couldn't blame Grandpa, though it would do too if he just understood that I was feeling the same as he was, too.
Suddenly the world gave an enormous shiver. The RV shook wildly and I was thrown to the ground. Wincing in pain, I gritted my teeth and scrambled to my feet. Explosions sounded outside the Rustbucket as the roof of my Grandpa's home was ripped apart, revealing a sky of red, disc-like spinning robots.
"Vilgax?" I cried out in terror. There was no reason for him to be here!
Before I could recover from my shock, though, the RV was burst open and I found myself being lifted into the air and crushed in the firm grip of Mr. Tentacle Beard.
"What do you want, Vilgax?" I yelled at his ugly face, trying hard not to show my fear. "There's nothing for you here!"
"Not so, human!" Vilgax responded, cracking a taunting, wicked smile, squeezing me tighter still.
"The Omnitrix is gone! Ben's gone!" My voice shook as I said it, but I held my tears back. I struggled furiously, punching and kicking. Everything reminded me of the scene back in the Null Void, except that this time, Kevin wasn't here, and nor was Ben.
"Really?" The hideous alien grinned. "Well, I've got two pieces of news for you, human! The good news, your cousin isn't dead. The bad news, I'm using you to lure him to me!"
I was too taken aback at Vilgax's words that I failed to do anything but stare, my mouth opened in disbelief, even when the alien brought me back into his spaceship and threw me down to the ground.
"W-what do you mean, B-Ben isn't dead?" I stuttered, grabbing my throbbing left arm that I had landed right upon.
"Duh! I saw him! Need there be a better explanation?"
"You saw him?"
"My tracking device received signals from the Omnitrix, signifying that the watch was being used," Vilgax turned to me, his voice deep and grave. "I couldn't believe it at first, but your cousin survived the fall, human. When he turned alien, me sensors picked up the signals instantly. I went after him; I tracked him down. However, he escaped me. But this time," Vilgax bore down on me, his eyes flashing, "he's not going to be so lucky."
"He's not going to come!" I shouted, definitely. "He's not that stupid!"
"Yeah right," Vilgax sneered, narrowing his eyes. "Then why are you sounding so worried?"
"I'm not worried about him," I lied, easily, thinking fast. "It's just that, won't you feel a little nervous if you're hung from the top of a thirty-story building by a mere rope?"
I squirmed about in the thick cords binding me fast. My hands were tied behind my back, but my legs were left free. I was dangling in aloft, ninety feet above the ground, held only by a rope which other end was tied to a metal railing bordering the top of the structure.
"I wouldn't move too much if I were you," Vilgax called down to me. "The rope might break!"
I scowled, annoyed that he was probably right. A long way beneath me feet, cars zoomed past and people walked by, not knowing that a ten-year old girl was being held hostage right above their heads.
I kept my eyes from the dizzy sight. I didn't know how I could get myself out of this situation, but if Vilgax wasn't lying and Ben wasn't dead, I still didn't want him to come looking for trouble because of me.
Ben was alive! That was a good thing, right? I would have my cousin again. Grandpa would have his grandson again. Uncle Carl and Aunt Sandra will never have to go over all that grief we have suffered. Everyone would be joyous as if nothing terrible had ever happened.
On the other hand, the world would be in danger once more. Aliens would constantly come looking for Ben and his Omnitrix, causing chaos in our world. There would be a lot of trouble for Ben's family, for instance, like now.
But even at the risk of dropping down a million miles onto the hard concrete floor below couldn't override the joy and happiness bursting within me. Ben wasn't dead. He was still here! He must have used the Omnitrix to save himself or something. Maybe he turned into Ripjaws and swam away. Or perhaps XLR8? That alien could run on water, couldn't he? That would explain why we couldn't find him; he was too fast for us to see.
What if Ben didn't jump off the cliff with the intent to kill himself, but only to fake his death so that Vilgax would leave us alone? That would seem more like him. Just leave it to him to play the biggest prank on the whole world!
But if that was true, why did he actuate the Omnitrix again, knowing that it would catch the attention of all his enemies? Unless…he didn't have a choice?
A foul smell stung my nose. Fear grasped me like an icy hand closing upon my heart. That odor…surely Ben wasn't really stupid enough to come picking a fight with Vilgax?
Something snatched me with such force that the rope holding me snapped into two. Before I knew it I was zhooshing in the sky at seventy kilometers per hour. I blinked, finding myself in the firm clutches of Stinkfly.
"Ben!" I didn't know whether to be wary or happy. "You stupid…you weren't supposed to…you're alive!"
"You didn't have to remind me of that," my cousin grunted, sounding extremely upset. I frowned and cocked my head in confusion. Huh?
Stinkfly held me with two of his legs and untied me with another two. The ropes fell freely down onto the street below and landed on the hood of some blue truck.
My arms now free, I hugged him, hard, like I had in the Null Void. I found myself overcome with emotions so great that one tear escaped my eye despite my efforts to hold it back.
"You came back for me…" I mumbled, only half-conscious of what I was saying. "You didn't die. You came here. You…Vilgax…you're going to fight…"
"I'm sorry," Stinkfly interrupted, sounding awfully depressed and pitiable. "I tried, Gwen. I tried to keep Vilgax away from you and Grandpa, but I made a mistake, I used the Omnitrix, I…the building was burning down, there was a little girl in there, I couldn't let her die…"
"Ben…" He looked so small and pathetic that I couldn't help feeling sorry for him. I wanted to tell him it wasn't his fault. I wanted to tell him how happy I am to see him. I wanted to comfort him, to remove the pain from his voice, but before I could say anything, a large shadow closed in upon us.
"Look out!" I screamed, pointing, as the giant squid-head alien came crashing down on Stinkfly, grabbing the tail and digging his claws into it. It must have hurt, but Stinkfly only flinched and showed no more signs of pain.
I considered the extent of human ignorance. We had to be the strangest threesome in the world – a girl clinging onto the back of a huge, stinking insect with four eyes while a big bald alien held onto the fly's tail, whizzing through in a slightly out of controlled way between the buildings – and yet nobody in the streets, none at all, spotted us.
Stinkfly was doing alright at first, thrashing his tail about in attempt to throw Vilgax off, but the big bad wolf hung on securely, refusing to be shaken off. After a while the villain's weight was too much for my cousin, who couldn't say airborne and started losing height.
"Ben!" I shouted, terrified, but Stinkfly didn't fret. Sweat trickled down his alien skin as he gave burst of speed. His wings buzzed furiously and he zipped forwards, dropping me on the roof of a candy shop.
"Wait!" I cried, but Stinkfly was already way out of sight, somewhere in the distance, with Vilgax clinging onto his tail. Fumbling for my cell phone, I dialed Grandpa's number.
"Grandpa!" I said, failing to keep the excitement and worry out of my voice. "We need your help!" I took a deep breath. "Ben's back!"
