I am back! Let's face it, this isn't the longest you've ever had to wait for a chapter from me, but I worked really hard on this one because there's so much action in this and turns out I find it difficult to write action.
Disclaimer: I do not own Ben 10.
Underline - Communicator channel
"Everyone in place?" Grey Matter called out over the comm. Even though he'd spoken at a normal volume, I could hardly hear him properly with how my heart was throbbing in my ears. Uncomfortable dampness covered my palms as I frantically wiped them on my shirt or jeans, wherever my hands were able to land. I needed to be able to keep a firm grip on my sword in case things got rough. Not that I was hoping for that, I'm praying that this is going to be an easy-in, easy-out mission.
God, a mission. That's what this was. It was an (undoubtedly by now) illegal breaking and entering. And theft, can't forget that. Possibly assault depending on how things go.
I'd never been on such a covert mission before.
Back with grandpa, it was more of a right place wrong time sort of life where there were no real 'missions' to stop the bad guy. We may as well have just knocked on the villain's door and punched them in the face. Aside from no one actually finding the link with Ben and the aliens, there was no subtleness.
"Working on iAHH!" I gasped as a blunt force against my shin made me topple over, face first to the floor. My knees actually hit the ground first, allowing me to shield myself with my arms in enough time to save my face. It's been through enough the past week. Leave my poor face alone you cruel, cruel world.
"Oh my giddy aunt, are you okay? I am so sorry! Let me help you" a frantic high squeak came from above me. A pale hand decorated with blue with white stars nail polish was stretched out in front of me. I didn't even look up as I grabbed it. Imagine my surprise, and fear, that somebody else was still back here. I knew some acts had retired back to their accommodation for the night. They were being put up by a nearby B&B supposedly. No way Calamare would actually put them in a real hotel that actually cost money. Immoral an a cheapskate. People actually look up to him?
"I am super sorry. I was meant to put these blasted things away." the young woman chuckled nervously, twirling her hair. The bright ginger really stood out against the blue of her nails and even the paleness of her skin.
"You shouldn't twirl your hair, you'll pull it out." I stated nonchalantly. She quickly withdrew her hand, looking to the ground in embarrassment. Her cheeks were starting to flourish with blood, making her look like she'd just run a marathon. "Um… Marlene, right?" Her head shot up, eyes twinkling in the excitement of being acknowledged.
"Uh huh! I'm the magic act!" before becoming crestfallen again. "At least, until tomorrow night that is."
"Whaddya mean?" I asked, concerned about her. She didn't seem so bad. Why was he even in a place like this? She sighed before going down to pick up the stuff I tripped over. I quickly knelt down to help her.
"Abi! Stay on mission! Everyone else is in place!" Grey Matter hissed impatiently over the comm.
"In a minute!" I hissed back.
"Huh?" Marlene asked me. Shoot.
"Uh, I said 'does it matter'?" I trailed off, not even believing my own lie.
"Course i' does! The circus is my life! It's all I've ever known. I make a few mistakes and they're just going to leave me here." she drawled. She picked something up from the box of props in front of us. "Look at this - Ah'm the best baton twirler this side of the Atlantic. Have been since I was 5. See these?" she pointed to the button in the middle and the slider underneath.
"Yeah?" She suddenly pressed the button and fire shot out of both ends, making me jump in surprise. "Woah! That's awesome! You can use these?"
"Like a champ. And yeah, I suppose they are pretty cool, but I'm never allowed to go more than a quarter of the power" she extinguished the flames with another push of the button. "It's just as well, the fuel in the baton runs out faster the higher the slider." she shrugged.
"Forget that! You are brilliant and you shouldn't let that Mr. Cala-Nightmare control you. Take a stand and be you. If that means playing with fire, then you go for it."
"Really?" she was shocked as I lifted both of us up from the ground, dusting off her shoulders. God, looking after all these aliens is turning me into a mother 10 years early.
"I mean it. I wouldn't say it if I didn't." I said firmly. She picked up her red, white and blue top hat from the box. I could see her debating in her head. Grinning, she flipped the hat onto her head before securing it in place.
"By the way, 'Cala-Nightmare?' Gotta remember that one when I trash talk my old man." she chuckled, making my heart stop.
"You're… Calamare's daughter?" I choked.
"The only one, thank God." he sighed, her smile disappearing again. "He's not the best dad in the world. Especially when you can't live up to his expectations. Ya need ta be careful. You slip up and," she made special effects with her mouth while throwing a few mid-air punches.
He hit. His. Daughter.
"Sorry Marlene, but there something I need to take care of. You get away from that man if it's the last thing you do okay. Promise me that."
"Abi, move! We're starting." Grey Matter told me. Suddenly, all the power went off, plunging us into near darkness.
"What the- what's goin' on?" Marlene wondered aloud, sounding a little spooked.
"I'm sorry," I whispered before running past her.
Running in darkness was maybe not our brightest moment. Abandoned props and backdrops were scattered all around, making it difficult to manoeuvre myself through everything. If memory serves me right, Four Arms' cage was up ahead, and judging by the dim light I could see behind the curtains, Heatblast was already there, executing his part of the plan. I threw myself under the curtain.
"I'm here." I panted, tired from running. "How's it going?" Molten chains lay askew on the ground, varying from a dull burnt orange, to almost neon looking.
"Nothing I can't handle," Heatblast grunted.
"You hanging in there Four Arms?" Silence. I gingerly eased my hand into the cage, resting my palm on his cheek. My thumb glided back and forth across his rough skin at some attempt at consolation. "We're gonna get you outta here big guy" I practically cooed at him. His eyes lulled shut in what could have been either comfort or defeat, only he would know. Heatblast muttered behind him about being nearly done. More chains rattled down to the ground.
"You came back sooner." he rasped. He sounded like he was really dehydrated. My hatred towards the circus grew more every minute.
"We couldn't leave you here. "Heatblast inputted.
"And two nights was far too long. You are not going to Australia. You're coming home with us." I stood my ground. "You need someone to care for you, at least for a little while."
"Got it." The final chain became molten, falling slack. Only the cuffs around Four Arms' wrists and ankles remained, but they could be taken care of once we were all safe. We couldn't spare any more time than I'd already wasted talking to Marlene. The door easily opened with the keys that Calamare had entrusted me with and my brother and I were able to help Four Arms out of the cramped space.
He was so frail.
When Ben would transform into Four Arms, he was hulking, able to take on the Wooly Mammoth exhibit created by Dr. Animo, but now, he would easily lose that fight. He would even lose against someone Diamondhead's size.
Then I noticed the black choker still around his neck.
"Shit!" I cursed. "He's still got the choker. Buzzshock," I called into the earpiece, "we need you to short-circuit an electrifying choker necklace. Think you can do it?"
"Yeah, just get him here." came the response.
"Alright, come on, we gotta get back to the jet." I tried to help Heatblast support the weak Tetramand. He didn't even try to pull away. Tetramands were known for being prideful warriors, so to accept aid without any resistance just went to show how exhausted he was from all of the malnutrition, dehydration, abuse and violence night after night for months. "Fastest way out's through the main stage." Heatblast directed us. "Let's go." I nodded.
We ducked our way through the drapes, nearing the wings to the main stage when some of the crew caught us.
"Freaks! Get them!" one of them yelled. They barely had the chance to charge us when Heatblast knocked them both out with fire blasts.
"They'll wake up a little soft boiled but they'll be okay, sadly." he huffed before taking part of Four Arms' weight again.
"I see the exit!" I exclaimed as we crossed the main stage.
Something wasn't right. This was getting too easy.
"Ladies and gentlemen, may I suggest that those with weak stomachs turn away now!" a voice behind us called out, open flames lit all around the edge of the tent, threatening to send the entire place up in flames. Calamare was in the centre ring, holding Ditto up by the throat in a vice grip. Ditto was clawing at the ringmaster's hand, but to no avail. "For this next part is not suitable for young viewers." he cackled.
"Let him go Calamare. Let them all go." I ordered him.
"Says who?" he barked. "A child who thinks these freaks are anything more than that?"
"No, says me. Someone who has humanity and sees these aliens as amazing individuals who are capable of so much more than you will ever be." Calamare growled at this. He pressed a button on his remote, the choker on Four Arms started at full power and our exit slammed shut, reinforced with steel doors. The Tetramand collapsed in agony, desperately pulling at the collar.
"Stop it! Stop it now!" I cried, looking back to Four Arms behind me. A blast of fire flew at the remote. I turned to see my brother coming back from an overarm throw. The remote fell from Calamare's hands as it became molten and hot to the touch. His innate reaction of releasing what was causing him pain also caused him to release Ditto from his other hand who scrambled over to us. "Heatblast, take Four Arms and Ditto and find another way out of here. I'll hold off Calamare." I commanded.
"No way Abi, I'm not leaving you." he protested. I unsheathed my sword, holding it in both hands.
"Four Arms can't walk himself, he needs Grey Matter and Buzzshock who are already at the jet and you can't keep him up alone. Now go, I'll be fine. I'll meet you at the jet."
"Come on," Ditto nudged him, taking Four Arms under one of his arms, Heatblast joining him on the other side before the hurried back to the wings to find another way out.
"Looks like it's a fight for the spotlight." Calamare chuckled.
"So it is," I replied. We started circling.
"I underestimated you, Abigail. Of course, I knew from the start there was something that you were hiding, but to actually consider these beasts as being even remotely capable of human emotion is a joke." he was snide.
"You're the only joke here Calamare. You trap and beat innocent people to make a quick buck, even your own daughter. No wonder other aliens are always trying to take over or destroy the world if you were the example of humanity I saw, I'd try to wipe us all out too." I berated him.
"News flash kid, not everything in this world is sunshine and rainbows. And not everyone in this world is as 'kind-hearted' as you are." he mocked me.
"Yeah, there'll always be bad people, but like I told someone else who thought there was only bad, for every bad person, there are good people. At least not all of them are as bad as you." He lunged at me with a small knife, fury written on his face. I quickly sidestepped before kicking him in the side, sending him to the ground.
3rd PoV
"Is Abi going to be okay?" Ditto wondered out loud as the three of them tried to find another exit. "We just left her behind." Heatblast looked at him.
"She'll be fine. She has to be."
"Why are you with that human? They only torture and laugh at us for being different." Four Arms growled.
"Not Abi." Heatblast stood his ground as he looked around for a possible exit. "She hasn't done anything to show that she'd even consider hurting us. She was the first person I met that didn't run screaming."
"I came from nowhere and she just let me stay, no questions asked. Said she got this gig by telling Azmuth that there are both good and bad people. I think she's pretty cool to do that for us." Ditto put his two cents in.
"Hhmmn." They kept going through the circus tent, trying to find a way out while staying as incognito as three aliens could. The three of them froze when one of the acts walked in front of them, noticing them. She gasped, eyes darting between the three of them, not sure which one was going to kill her first.
"Don't scream!" Heatblast pleaded, holding his hands up.
"What- who- what?" she spluttered. Very dignified. "There's… more?" she tilted her head like a confused baby trying to find out how its nose got stolen.
"Yeah… more." Ditto shrugged, not seeing it as a big deal.
"And you're… you're having a conversation with me?" she inched closer ever so slightly, her body mostly turned away in case they tried to attack her and she could make a run for it. Her teeth were chattering in fear, making her voice come out quite choppy.
"We're not mindless monsters." Four Arms snarled at her. She leapt back, trying to get out of what she considered the danger zone.
"All my days, I never stopped to think you were…" she trailed off, muttering to herself. Four Arms suddenly started to keel over, his eyes closing. The girl's head snapped up from where she was muttering to herself.
"Oh my god, is he okay?" she panicked, forgetting her fear of getting killed by them. She slid down to her knees, cupping his cheek. "I am so sorry. I was a part of this."
"We're running out of time. We need to get to the jet." Heatblast ignored her, trying his best to hold the Tetramand up. Ditto started multiplying in order to help distribute the load.
"You're looking for the way out? The main entrance is the other way," she told them, pointing behind them.
"Calamare's there. Abi's holding him off." Ditto told her.
"Abi!?" she gasped. "She's with you?" A few of the Dittos nodded. The girl frowned. "Down this aisle, first right then second on the left is the stagehand's exit. You can get to wherever your jet is from there," she informed them. "I'll get Abi and get her out of here for you."
"Thank you." Heatblast thanked her. He adjusted his grip on Four Arms before they started moving.
"Don't thank me yet. Just tell… whoever 'the Abomination' really is, that I'm never going to forgive myself for the role I played in his pain." he nodded and then the girl was left alone. She looked to her right and saw a first aid kit and sighed in relief.
Abi's PoV
I hurt. All over. He's good. Calamare may look like an unfit slow man, but he used my underestimation of him to his advantage. He's got a lot of tricks up his sleeve. I should've been able to take him, apart from the fact he had an endless amount of electrical grenade patches that attached themselves to my skin, sending a live wire through my body, leaving me immobile and giving him free access to strike.
He's good.
No, not good. Sneaky. I'm losing.
"You just had to play hero didn't you?" he struck me with a metal bat he'd gotten from the sidelines which one of the acts had used earlier on in the night. "It's just a freak, a monster, nothing more." Strike. "A mindless creature." Strike. "You couldn't leave well enough alone. Trying to ruin me." Strike. I cried. "But I'll get him back, your other friends too. I'll be more popular than ever!" Strike.
I was on the ground at this point, covering my head as best I could, praying he wouldn't go for my head or neck and hoping for a miracle that would make him avoid my spine. I wanted to walk at the end of this. If there was an end.
"You're wrong." I coughed, then groaning at the pain that went down the side of my chest from it. "You're the one who trapped a sentient being, the one who would hit his own daughter when she didn't 'meet your expectations'. You're the only monster here. You and your cronies." I spat, my saliva landing on his face. He coiled back in disgust, trying to wipe the spit from his face. He struck me again, this time landing solidly on my ribs. I screamed.
"You insolent, little-ugh!" he started before keeling over in front of me. Behind him stood a girl with two batons in her hands.
"M-Marlene!" I gawked. "What are you doing?" She grabbed my arm before stabbing me with something. "Ow! What was that?"
"Help. If you want to get to your friends, then follow me." she pulled me up. I felt the jostle of my ribs but no actual pain came from there. Whatever she gave me, she gave me the good stuff. "Come on." Marlene started pulling me towards the main exit , stepping over Calamare.
"Thank you." I whimpered, there may be no pain but I could still feel the soreness and discomfort with every jostle.
"Don't thank me yet." we were leaving the ring when it seemed every act and stagehand found this the best time to step out from the curtains, blocking the exit. Again. "Like I said, don't thank me yet! Move!" she squealed the last part, twisting around and pulling me along. The circus crew ran after us.
We ran. "Why are you even helping us when you've been hurting Four Arms for months!?" I yelled at her over the noise the crew were making as they ran after us. We made a sharp right.
"I didn't know! I thought he couldn't feel or think. Then they all started speaking to me. Here." she pulled me to the left. "This is where your friends went. Get out of here." she pushed me out the door, locking it after me. I fell to the ground, not expecting the sudden push. I turned to where the locking mechanism was ticking as it sealed. I sat up, banging on the door which was made of some kind of metal. Probably the same metal that they used Four Arms' chains for, to stop him getting through the door and escaping somehow.
"Marlene, stop this. Let me in. Or at least come out. I can get you away from him." I begged her.
"Go!" I heard her shout. She sounded far away. "I won't stand a chance for long." she wobbled.
"You are such a badass, Marlene. Thank you. I won't forget this." I pushed myself off the grass, getting to my feet. She'd thrown my sword out too so I quickly sheathed it and started running as fast as I could. The jet was in a clearing just in the forest.
"Start the jet! Do you hear me? Start. The. Jet." I ordered into the comm unit.
"Abi, you're not here yet" Ditto disobeyed.
"I'm almost there. But people are on my tail. Now start taking off. Leave the ramp down!" I turned off the comm link and kept running. Marlene had bought me a few more seconds but the circus acts were chasing after me again and catching up with my ragged pace. I was sore and getting tired so they had the upper hand.
I could finally see the jet as I entered the clearing. They had decided to listen to me and were starting to take off, the ramp still hanging open. I jumped up and yanked myself up with my arms which were shaking from all the adrenaline and exhaustion. As we climbed higher, I leaned forwards, bringing myself onto the ramp up to my waist, my legs still trying to get onto the jet. As I tried to crawl forwards more, something gripped onto my ankle, pulling me back, only one forearm and a hand holding onto the ramp. I looked down to see one of the gymnastic acts snarling at me as we ascended higher into the sky. We were now easily twice as high as the tallest tree. Panicking, I kicked her hands, trying to pry her off me.
"Are you crazy!?" I screamed over the turbines which were surely making me deaf. My chest was burning! I kicked again, this time landing on her face, but I could feel my weight slowly teetering backwards on my hand and arm, meaning I was going to fall to my death. My hair was blowing all over the place, not letting me see anything other than a sandstorm of brown. Both the gymnast and I started falling, but something grabbed my wrist. Something firm. The recoil of my saviour grabbing me, jostled the gymnast so much that she slipped off my foot, falling to the treeline below. I think I could hear her screaming as she fell. Or it could have just been the turbines. I could only look up as someone pulled me up onto the ramp. Green crystal was visible through my hair.
"Diamondhead! I breathed. Realising how high up we were, he pulled me away from the edge of the ramp. "I think... I… I just killed someone." I was frantic. I don't know whether he heard me or not. "My... side." I was too tired. I hurt too much. I heard Diamondhead calling my name, I think. I closed my eyes. 10 minute nap.
I'm just gonna apologise for the unresolved ending now. yes, I am a horrible person. Yes, I will be going to hell for this.
Review!
You can still choose which alien you want to be saved next from the list on the previous chapter so check that out if you haven't already.