I'm so sorry! I apologize! I don't deserve to live! (ehehe, Ritsu from Fruits Basket quote there...)
But seriously, I'm super dooper sorry! I'm afraid to say that the plotbunny that had been fueling me up to this point has died without leaving an heir. I HAVE WRITER'S BLOCK *cries*
That is why this chapter is late and rather short :'( I'm still trying hard to keep the ideas flowing so I can keep updating. So if you have any suggestions, this is the time to send them my way!
Rakcrack15: You are most welcome, anything to help a fellow author xoxo
AKA99: I'm trying hard, and it's not as you think ;)
I Love Field Hockey: Here *gives you more suspense* [insert evil laugh here] :D
Remisolleke: Thank you again!
Avatar Aang: Thank you! Your reviews are appreciated!
Disclaimer: I bet MOA don't have these kinds of problems D': (therefore, I do not own Ben 10)
Kevin struggled to hold on to Ben as the pink mana vortex sucked them in. Although he couldn't see more than a few metres ahead, he knew Gwen was the cause of it; she was teleporting them. He silently cried out to his beloved car, knowing full well it would be left behind.
The vortex suddenly faltered and the small Plumber team landed heavily on the concrete floor. Abandoning his charge, Kevin sprung up and raced over to Gwen.
"Are you okay?" he asked as he helped her into a sitting position.
"Yeah," Gwen placed a hand on her throbbing forehead. "Just tired. That spell really takes a lot out of me."
"That's why you shouldn't use it!"
"It got us out of there; we would all be dead if I didn't!" she turned her attention to the limp form of Ben lying a few metres away. "Is he okay?"
Max staggered to his feet and stumbled over to his grandson. He bent down and lifted the unconscious boy. "I think he's okay, he's just unconscious."
Kevin helped Gwen to her feet and looked around the room. There was a small faded red couch pushed against the far wall and a few unidentifiable pieces of machinery lay scattered about. "You really like Los Soledad, huh?"
"No," Gwen hobbled over to the couch and eased herself down. "It just makes for a good place to go; there's nobody around to see us."
Max carried Ben over to the couch and placed him gently down beside Gwen. "Is that what happened last time?" he asked.
"It's similar. Same kind of reaction; one minute it looks like he's being destroyed and the next he's like a completely different person," Kevin replied.
"We'll ask him what he remembers when he wakes up."
As if in response to Max's words, Ben's eyelids fluttered open and a groan escaped lips. Everyone was on guard, in case it wasn't Ben they were dealing with.
"Ben?" Gwen shuffled back a bit, watching her cousin carefully.
"Ah," Ben raised his hands to his head. "I feel like I've been hit by a truck."
Ben gazed around the room and he noticed Max, Kevin and Gwen watching him with apprehension. "What?"
"…How much do you remember?" Max asked hesitantly.
Ben shut his eyes and thought back. He remembered being overwhelmed by Sir Leonard as Rath. He remembered the feeling of detachment as something else took control of his body. And he remembered the promise he had made.
"Everything," he replied honestly.
"Really?" Kevin asked incredulously. "Then do you mind explaining what happened back there?"
"What do you mean?"
"What I mean is for a moment there we thought you were going to be snapped in two and then all of a sudden you were creaming that guy!"
"Is it really that hard to believe that it was me the whole time?" Ben didn't want to lie to them, not to mention they would know if he did, so he chose his responses carefully. He would make sure to keep his promise.
"A little," Gwen shrugged.
Ben frowned. He knew he was going to have a hard time convincing them. "So what are we going to do now?" he changed the subject. "I mean, we failed to stop the Forever Knights and who knows what they're planning?"
"Ben's right," Max agreed. "We need to come up with a plan."
"We should start by getting back our cars before the Forever Knights strip them clean," Kevin thought about his car in the hands of those madmen and suppressed a shudder.
"Good idea, but Los Soledad isn't exactly within walking distance of the Forever Knights' base," Gwen pointed out. "And I'm not up to another teleportation spell."
"Well that's easy," Ben said. "I'll just go Jetray and bring back my car and we can drive."
"NO!" they all exclaimed simultaneously. Ben quickly put up his hands defensively.
"Why not? It won't take long, and we need to move before it's too late."
"It's probably not a good idea to go by yourself," Gwen said.
"I can't fly if I have to carry one of you!"
"Then we'll find another option."
Ben knew what the problem was. They didn't believe him about the incident with the Forever Knights and they were worried that if he went by himself something similar would happen. At least, he thought that was the problem. "Look," he got to his feet and his headache quickly escalated. He covered the pain with a forced monotone expression. "I'll be back in no time at all!"
"I really don't think–" Gwen was quickly cut off by a flash of green as Ben transformed into Jetray.
"I'll be right back!" and with that, he flew off and out into the night.
It was only a matter of minutes before Ben's house loomed into view on the horizon. Despite the darkness, Jetray found that he could make it out clear enough. He scanned the driveway and stopped, frowning, when he saw that his car wasn't there. Where had he left it? Chances were that piece of information was part of the massive holes that had made themselves known of late.
Jetray remained motionless, hovering in the air above the houses of Bellwood, thinking. He thought back to the information Gwen and Kevin had given him earlier that day; he had been in detention, then he and Julie had gone to get smoothies, then he had been found by Gwen and Kevin…The smoothies! Gwen had said that Julie had seen him turn into Jetray and fly off. Maybe his car was still there.
Jetray repositioned himself and flew off in the direction of the Mr. Smoothy he most frequently visited. Even before he arrived he could see the familiar black sports car parked in the empty car park. Jetray came in to land beside the car and reverted back to being Ben. He silently hoped he had his keys with him as he dug through the pocket of his jeans.
With a sigh of relief, Ben unlocked his car and climbed in. In a moment he had started the engine and was moving off, back to Los Soledad where he would be greeted by three very grumpy people.
Gwen sighed for the umpteenth time since Ben had flown off. She wasn't the only one who was feeling irritated; Kevin was pacing back and forth while Max was fiddling with the gun he had been holding when they had been teleported.
"He shouldn't have gone alone," she said again.
"We know," Kevin stopped pacing and looked at her. "You keep telling us."
"What if that thing possesses him while he's gone? How would we know? We can't even get to him!"
"There's no point worrying about it now," Max put down his gun. "Let's just have a little faith and wait. I'm sure he'll be fine."
Gwen fell into a stubborn silence. She knew her grandpa was right, but she didn't like it.
Kevin pulled out his Plumber's badge and a small holographic screen popped up. A small red dot flashed as it moved across the map. "I've traced the Ultimatrix, that way we can see where he is. If he goes off course, we'll know something's up." He passed the badge over to Gwen and Max sat down beside her.
They watched in silence as the red dot darted across the map with alarming speed. Gwen gathered that Ben was already nearing his house. Then all of a sudden the dot stopped. It remained still for a moment. Gwen would have thought him to have landed and be getting into his car but the map indicated his house was still a good 500 metres away. They all flinched when the dot started moving again in the same fast pace, this time in a completely different direction.
"Where's he going?" Gwen asked, leaning in slightly.
"I don't know, but that's not the way back here or to his house," Kevin pointed out.
"Do you think…?"
"I'll give him a call," Max pulled out his phone and dialled Ben's number. There was a short pause. "Ben? Where are you?" Another pause, longer this time. "No, that's not it…we were just worried, Ben…See you soon." He hung up the phone and turned to the two teens watching him anxiously. "He says his car wasn't at home so he headed to Mr Smoothy's to see if he had left it there from his date with Julie. He knows we were tracking him."
Kevin groaned. They weren't doing much in the way of being good friends. It felt bad doubting Ben's actions; whether he would suddenly change and attack them. And now Ben knew they were doubting him. Nothing good would come from that. He promised himself to be more trusting. Maybe that way Ben would be more likely to open up if something was bothering him. And then he remembered.
"Hey," all eyes turned to Kevin. "A while back Ben came to me and tried to tell me something. It was something about dreams…I wasn't really listening." But now I wish I had, he added mentally. "When I told him to get a nightlight, he actually agreed with me, said it might work…"
Gwen perked up at the sudden announcement. "Do you think it had something to do with the Arkhirathi? The file said it's weak against light; maybe Ben figured it out."
"It's possible. When we get back the Rust Bucket I'll show him the file," Max said. "He might recognise the photo."
The trio all jumped to their feet as the familiar sound of Ben's car made its way to their ears. They quickly hurried outside to find Ben watching them from his seat in the car. His face was expressionless but they all knew what he was thinking. He waited patiently for them to get in, Max in the front and Gwen and Kevin in the back, before turning the car around and going back the way he had come; towards the hole in the wall that marked the barrier of the abandoned town.
They drove in silence most of the way, no one wanted to say anything. They knew there was nothing they could say to ease the tension that had settled over them. When they were within a kilometre from the Forever Knights' base, Ben pulled over and cut the engine.
"It's safer if we walk from here. We might be able to get in and out without being spotted…or heard," he said as he undid he seat belt and got out. The others weren't far behind him.
The walk to the base was as uneventful as the drive. However, unlike the smooth drive, the walk took them through thick forest (they didn't want to walk on the open road) but it served well as a cover. It wasn't long before they could see the two vehicles in a clearing between the trees.
"Alright," Gwen squatted down by the base of a tree just hidden from the base's view. "We need to keep this low key; sneak in, grab the cars and sneak out."
"How can we sneak?" Kevin asked in a equally hushed tone. "As soon as we start the engines they're going to know we're here."
"So far it doesn't look like we've been spotted and they either haven't noticed the cars or decided not to strip them. By the time we get the engines going, they won't have time to stop us."
"Okay; Gwen and I will act as cover in case they see us before we're ready," Ben said.
The four slowly edged out from the forest, Kevin and Max heading for their respective vehicles and Ben and Gwen watching the castle carefully for any Forever Knight movement. It was easy; too easy. Ben was suspicious. For all their security he was sure they should have noticed something by now. So he wasn't in the least bit surprised by the reaction they received just moments later.
Kevin and Max were in their vehicles, ready to start their engines. Gwen had begun making her way over to Kevin's Camaro where she got into the front passenger's seat. The two of them looked at Ben expectantly, waiting for him to do the same.
Ben couldn't help but listen to the niggling feeling worming around in his gut. Something told him that the moment the keys turned in the ignition the Knights would be on them like bees to honey. Moving on instinct, he reached for the Ultimatrix and pressed down on the dial. He resisted the urge to call out 'Goop' as his body dissolved into the toxic green slime alien.
Gwen, Kevin and Max stared at him in outrage and confusion as Ben turned away from them and stared up at the open turrets. He held out a hand and signaled to them to start the engines. The two cars roared to life in freakish unison, shattering the silence.
Almost instantly Knights appeared on the turrets and started firing. Max and Kevin slammed down on the accelerator and the cars skidded forwards. Despite Gwen's protests at leaving with Ben still outside, Kevin didn't stop. He did, however, look back long enough to see Goop's body stretch as he tried to cover their getaway, taking every shot that rained down from above.