The only good thing about Ben choosing to be an Aerophibian is that at least his speed is limited. That's probably ironic to say when talking about an alien that can travel faster than light, but Ben can't be going very far or off-planet. If he gets anywhere near the speed of light, the close quarters of being on-planet as well as the uncontrollable speed is going to result in a lot of damage, be it to himself or property.
Although, a noticeable trail of property damage would be helpful.
Even if they don't understand why, all of the Plumbers currently in the base are suddenly on high alert. The alarms are blaring, flashing red lights flooding the compound, and the sound of feet pounding on the tile flooring echoes from every level like a mantra.
"Scan for any unidentified aircraft!" Having been sleeping in his office in order to stay close to HQ, Magister Tennyson is still in his pajamas. Despite wearing bunny slippers and blue-stripped pajamas decorated with little, sleeping moons, he still makes for an intimidating picture as he seizes command of HQ. "See if you can get a location on the Omnitrix, and scan for his DNA signature! And someone get in contact with Agent Levin! I want him and Gwendolyn awake and present an hour ago!"
There aren't a lot of Plumbers working the graveyard shift, but the ones present are quick to carry out his orders. Rook ignores them, running up to face Magister Tennyson. "Sir, I—" he starts to apologize, only for Max to shake his head.
"No time for that right now, Rook." He points to the monitor in front of him, where a map of Earth is visible. It zooms in on Bellwood, cycling through a five-second loop that the scanners recorded nearly a minute ago. On it, a few Plumber ships are shown patrolling. The Omnitrix symbol shoots by so fast that Rook can barely see it. "Five minutes to midnight. We've lost the Omnitrix's symbol. Rook, I need you to—"
"I am already on it," Rook interrupts, grabbing the keys to his Proto-TRUK. It looks like Ben is heading back to Bellwood, and if that's the case, then there's only so many places he can go.
"See if you can find whoever is behind this," Max says with a scowl. "If not, don't worry about it now. Just make sure that you bring Ben back here. He has a lot of questions to answer."
Rook nods, resolute. He turns to go, only for a mana bubble to materialize in the middle of the room. Gwendolyn and Kevin appear inside of it a moment later, and she almost immediately has to take a knee, breathing hard. Kevin kneels down, placing a hand on her shoulder. Still, the look he gives Rook is determined and severe. "What'd Tennyson get into this time?"
Standing up straight, Gwendolyn shakes her head. It obviously doesn't help with her dizziness, but she stubbornly forges on anyway. "Tell us on the way, Rook. Let's go."
Since Gwendolyn is wearing a pair of leggings and one of Kevin's shirts, and Kevin is only wearing socks and a pair of loose boxers, Rook lets them change in the back of his truck while he gets them caught up. They didn't exactly pack for the trip, but Gwendolyn summons a suitable change of clothes for them, much to Kevin's displeasure. Clothes don't take a lot of energy, but she's already dizzy, and more teleportation doesn't help.
"So he slammed down the Omnitrix and ran off?" Kevin asks from where he's sitting next to Rook. Behind them, in the cargo space of the small spaceship, Gwendolyn has the divider parted slightly so she can still hear the conversation while she changes. "He didn't say anything at all?"
Frustrated with himself, Rook shakes his head. "No, he was silent. I managed to catch him briefly with an energy net, but Jetray did not have any problems breaking out of it," he explains.
"Huh. Interesting." Gwendolyn slides into the seat next to Kevin, her eyes glowing briefly as she teleports her pajamas home. Since Kevin had only been wearing underwear to bed in the first place, the act of getting dressed was much easier for him. "Ben isn't usually silent. Even when he's having trouble with his aliens, they'll say something. What do you think, Kevin?"
He shrugs, as if uninterested. "Does it matter? For once, I doubt this is something up with the watch. Either way, we'll knock some sense into him. And if this has anything to do with that brain surgery stuff, then we'll find the guy who did that and finish him." He gives Gwendolyn a pointed look, eyes narrowed. "And don't make me specify — you know exactly what I mean by 'finish,'" he says lowly.
Although Gwendolyn looks far from pleased, she only nods before turning to face Rook a little better. "What I want to know is, how did Ben get his hands on the keycard? You had it on you, didn't you?" The cabin of the ship goes quiet for a long moment. Gwendolyn raises a pointed eyebrow. "Didn't you? Rook?"
Shifting awkwardly, Rook clears his throat. "...there were extenuating circumstances," he admits slowly. "Ben's file did mention that he's an exceptionally quick pickpocket, but I take the blame for allowing him to get close, and… distracting me."
Even though he's not looking at Gwendolyn and Kevin, Rook can almost feel when the pieces snap into place for both of them at the same time.
"Dude, oh my God, that's—!" Kevin makes a gagging sound.
With a scowl on her face, Gwendolyn smacks him on the arm. "Kevin, be more mature! There's nothing wrong with—"
"I didn't say there was anything wrong with it," Kevin interrupts, "but I am saying that if you don't find some sort of doggie bag laying around here, I'm going to ruin these leather seats in about three seconds." In his defense, he is looking a little sick.
"Kevin Ethan Levin, there is nothing to be sick over!" Gwendolyn chastises him, though Kevin doesn't look at all convinced. "So what if Ben wants to be with Rook? I think it's sweet."
The look on Kevin's face is skeptical, to say the least. "Really? So you like thinking about what your teenage cousin could have been doing with an alien, alone in a room for twenty-four hours, with nothing but time to kill?" With phrasing like that, even Rook grimaces. It sounds a lot worse with context.
"Well…" Gwendolyn hesitates. "Well, maybe I don't really like thinking about it, but it's not our place to judge what they want to do together." She pauses, thinking about something. "...what are the laws of consent in space?"
"Can we change the subject?" Rook speaks up before Kevin can cut in. "All we did was— kiss. We kissed. Is that a satisfying enough answer? I doubt that he meant it anyway, considering his current state. It was most likely a tactic to get me to lower my guard so he could grab the keycard. It did not mean anything." Thinking on it leaves a bitter taste in his mouth. Knowing that Ben didn't mean any of it is cutting, twisting his chest in an entirely non-physical way that still manages to leave him breathless.
And the worst part is that Rook is certain now that he truly wants Ben to mean it. He had been denying having any sort of feelings for Ben for months, convinced that any lingering doubts would fade on their own if he ignored them. The kiss has left him a lot to think about, but they can wait until later. Rook resolutely pushes his complex feelings away, squeezing the ship's controls to ground himself to reality.
The rest of the flight passes in silence, which Rook is grateful for. Reentry requires a lot of concentration. He doesn't exactly take his time or follow the proper procedures, but doing so would be a waste of time. He'll have to spend some time later touching up the scorch marks on his ship, but for the time being, that's the last thing he cares about.
"Gwendolyn, where is Ben? Can you locate him?" Rook asks as they near Bellwood. With all of the anti-alien propaganda around every corner, the spaceship is probably going to scare civilians. The sooner he knows where Ben is, the sooner Rook can be on the ground.
Taking a deep breath, Gwendolyn's eyes begin to glow magenta. She struggles for a moment, muttering quietly under her breath. "This would be so much easier with something that belongs to him… You're lucky that I'm so familiar with— got him!" Her eyes snap back to their normal green, and she points to the south. "By the warehouse district, it's not far! Rook, step on it!"
He doesn't need to be told twice. Gwendolyn has barely finished speaking when Rook slams down on the gas pedal. He's not normally a reckless driver, but given the circumstances, he can manage to forgive himself.
As they get close enough to see the warehouses in the distance, Rook brings the ship down closer to the highway. He presses the button to convert it back into a truck, and the three of them all brace themselves as the wheels hit the ground hard. It jars them for a moment, but the truck is quick to adjust to asphalt instead of open air. Rook doesn't let up on the gas for even a second, and he only just manages to bring the truck to a squealing stop before ramming into the side of one of the warehouses.
Without needing prompting, Gwendolyn's eyes are already glowing. She focuses for a moment, then points to her left. "Down there," she says, climbing out of the truck. Kevin follows her, with Rook close behind. "Be quiet, I don't think he knows we're here. We can sneak up on him."
Even though sneaking involves being quiet and therefore slow, Rook nods. Sneaking is the best plan so far. If Ben really tried, there is no way that the three of them could take him in a head-on fight. And based off of some of the things Rook has read about in Ben's file and had the rare opportunity to see for himself, he really doesn't want to see what it's like when Ben is actually trying.
They pass a few different warehouses, and the further down the line they go, the quieter everything gets. The hum of a few late-night workers fades away, and even the cars on the highway become faint and impossible to hear through the maze of buildings. With the sun long below the horizon and the moon high in the sky, darkness blankets their surroundings and suffocates all but the sound of the three of them breathing. Rook knows that it's an illogical thought, but he can't help but think that the air really is thick. It's hard to breathe, and even his exceptional night vision can't help him see in the near pitch blackness. Only the magenta aura of Gwendolyn's glowing eyes allows him to orient himself and put one foot in front of the other.
For a while, Gwendolyn had been leading them down the line of identical warehouses, but she suddenly stops. The glow of her eyes is extinguished, and she wordlessly points to the metal door leading into the warehouse they're leaning against. From his angle on the ground, Rook can't see what the sign above it says, but looking around at the other falling apart buildings, it's most likely abandoned anyway.
The door that Gwendolyn points out is slightly ajar. Hesitantly, Rook steps up to it, peeking inside. The inside matches the idea that it's abandoned, too. There's no machinery or merchandise lying around. Instead, the interior is nearly completely empty, save a few small boxes and tarps lying around.
True to Gwendolyn's word, Ben is already there. The glow of his Omnitrix is weak but enough to tell Rook that it's him. He's pacing the room back and forth, obviously impatient.
Turning back to Gwendolyn and Kevin, Rook gives a short nod. They share a look, then Kevin reaches into his pocket, pulling out his phone. He holds it up for them both to see, pointing to where the time is displayed. Midnight. Which means that all they have to do is wait.
Unlike what they were expecting, the man that Ben came to meet doesn't show himself immediately. He also doesn't show himself a minute later, or five minutes after that. For all of the build-up, Rook is starting to feel a little underwhelmed. At some point, Ben stops pacing, but no one else appears or speaks up. For whatever reason, the man who Ben had risked his cover to meet had decided not to show up.
The three of them wait for a little while longer, but after ten minutes, Rook gives the signal to move in. He's not sure if Gwendolyn and Kevin understand basic Plumber-taught hand signals, but kicking the door of the warehouse open seems to be obvious enough to get their attention.
Shooting her hand out, Gwendolyn's eyes glow for a moment before a mana bubble surrounds Ben. Rook isn't sure if it's airtight like the last one she used on him, but he hopes not. The three of them run over to him, and surprisingly, Ben doesn't look the least bit perturbed to be in the bubble. He's annoyed, yes, and meets them all with a matching glare, but isn't even looking at the Omnitrix or trying to break out.
"You know, this isn't as bad as it looks," Ben says as they come to a stop in front of him.
Gwendolyn scowls. "Really?"
Giving a forced chuckle, Ben shrugs. "...no, not really. No." He starts to say something more, only to close his mouth as Kevin takes a step towards him.
"You've got a lot of explaining to do, Tennyson." He jabs a finger against the bubble and it sounds like he's tapping on glass. "I want to know what's going on. This is all way too convoluted, even for you."
This time, Ben doesn't even try to answer. Behind them, the door that they came through swings shut. The warehouse is plunged into darkness, saved only by the pink glow from Gwendolyn's mana bubble. Rook reaches for his Proto-Tool, tensed and on edge, but the next second, the lights are flicked on.
The building hums with the energy needed to power such old wiring, and a few of the bulbs hanging well-above their heads flicker before going out. "If you want answers," a familiar voice pipes up from the doorway, "I think that I can shed some light on that for you."
Immediately, Gwendolyn flicks her hand out. A thick rope made of mana lashes around the man who spoke, pulling him to the center of the room where the rest of them are standing. Like Ben, he doesn't seem upset by his situation. He comes willingly, a pleasant smile on his lips even when facing all of them glaring at him. If looks could kill, as the saying goes, then Rook is certain that they would have a funeral to plan. Still, the man doesn't look the least bit concerned.
Looking at his face, Rook gets the feeling that they've met before. He struggles to match names to faces, only for Gwendolyn to suddenly gasp.
"Daniel Collins? What are you doing here?" For a moment, Gwendolyn looks like she's going to let him go, only for her scowl to deepen and her fist to squeeze. A tiny part of Rook is pleased to see Daniel choke, struggling to maintain his aloof persona. Now that he knows the name, it's easier to see the resemblance. Rook hadn't recognized him with half of his hair singed away and a faded burn mark across his left cheek.
"Wait, hold on a second," Kevin interrupts, taking a step forward as Daniel goes to speak. "Who's this guy?"
It's tempting to skip the introductions and get right to the part where Daniel starts explaining himself, but Gwendolyn beats Rook to it. "He's a wealthy philanthropist and the founder of dozens of successful companies all over the world. And, up until a week ago, he was a very active member of the pro-alien group. But after there was another alien attack in Washington D.C., his stance suddenly changed." There's an angry accusation in Gwendolyn's voice. She brushes past Kevin to stand directly in front of Daniel, contempt written into her eyes as she looks down at him. "What changed? After being pro-alien for years, I doubt that one attack was enough to make you change your mind."
Daniel shrugs about as well as he can with mana encasing his torso. "What can I say?" He grins. "I was inspired to stop lying and finally be honest to the public. Since when is honesty a crime?"
Before Gwendolyn can give into the clear desire to beat him, Rook steps in. He places a hand on her shoulder, coaxing her to calm down while he focuses on Daniel. "So," Rook says with mock casualness, "you must be the one who forced Ben to undergo brain surgery. I want to know why." He's barely keeping himself from using contractions. With people like this, it's important to appear calm and rational.
Still, that doesn't keep Rook from boiling with rage at the sight of the man who forcibly modified Ben. And not just his body, either, but his brain. It's a very complex and easily damaged organ, and thanks to this man, Ben doesn't know right from wrong, and Rook can't be sure how much of his partner is still left in there. As far as he's concerned, Daniel deserves nothing less than a life sentence at the bottom of a cold, dark pit, alone.
His unapologetic demeanor is probably the worst part. Daniel knows that he's a criminal, but he doesn't care. To him, it's all justified. "Well, isn't it obvious?" He smirks, amused. "In my research for this drug — which Ben tells me that you all call "Venom" — I had to be sure that it wouldn't affect humans. This is a chemical designed only to target aliens. To succeed at this, I didn't have to design the drug to attack alien brains. All I had to do was teach it to avoid human brains. Did you know that one of the many companies I own that overseer the development of brain science and advanced medicine?" His smirk widens as realization gradually dawns on the group. "In my research, I found out some interesting things about the frontal lobe. Not only is it the easiest part of the brain to access, since you can go through the forehead, but it's also the part of the brain that controls reasoning, self-control, and decision making. Now—" If his hands had been free, he would have been stroking his chin. "—I wonder what a wealthy man with nothing to lose could possibly do with that information and a willing test subject? Well, "willing" is a strong word, but he was unconscious, so—"
His statement is cut off as Kevin abruptly slaps him across the face. Coming from Kevin of all people, a slap is the last thing Rook had been expecting. Nonetheless, he grabs Daniel by the shirt front, hefting him off of the ground to glare at him. The contempt oozing from Kevin is tangible. For a second, Daniel's smirk even falters. "I'm only gonna say this once," Kevin mutters darkly, "so listen close. Fix him, or I will shove my hand through your chest and show you what that cold heart of yours looks like for as long as it's still beating."
Managing an awkward laugh, Daniel turns his head to the side and does his best to lean away from Kevin. "It's not really a matter of "fixing" him," he replies conversationally as if Kevin hadn't just promised to brutally kill him. "See, it's not like I rewired his brain. I simply added an implant that allows me to trick the synapses into connecting the way I want. The only problem is that it needs an injection every few days to keep the implant working." He stops there, giving the three of them an expectant look.
After a moment, Rook finally steps towards him. He signals for Kevin to move out of the way, which he does grudgingly, and Rook reaches into Daniel's jacket pocket. His hand closes around a long, narrow box. Pulling it out, Rook almost doesn't want to open it. Ben is being quiet, seemingly fine with everything that Daniel is telling them. He knows that he won't like what he sees if he looks at Ben, so Rook resists the strong urge. He opens the discrete black box.
Inside, as promised, is a syringe. The material inside of it is surprisingly normal looking. It's a see-through liquid with the consistency of water. Rook holds it up, letting Gwendolyn and Kevin get a good look, before abruptly dropping it on the ground and slamming his boot down on top of it. The serum seeps out of the shattered glass and into the floor beneath it, eroding the concrete and eating its way into the dirt below. Horrified, Rook almost drops the box.
"In my defense," Daniel says with an amused voice, "it doesn't do that to organic material. While in contact with skin cells and tissues, it's actually quite harmless."
"Except for the brainwashing part!" Gwendolyn snaps at him. "Is it reversible? You might want to think about your answer carefully, considering your position." To make her point, she squeezes her fist tighter, causing the mana binds around Daniel to tighten until he lets out a gasp of pain.
Even still, he manages to laugh. "How should I know if it's reversible?" He shakes his head. "It's a completely new product that I'm testing for the first time. To succeed in life, you have to be willing to be flexible and take risks. And Ben doesn't mind, isn't that right?"
They all turn to look at Ben, who is quick to shake his head. "No, not really," he answers. "Calm down, Gwendolyn. It's not like it hurts or anything — it feels kinda tingly, actually." The fact that he's restrained from saying anything until Daniel addressed him is unsettling, to say the least. It's almost as alarming as the fact that he's advocating for being manipulated and controlled. Good or evil doesn't change the outcome — Ben hates being told what to do.
Gwendolyn looks appalled. "Calm down?" She repeats, voice rising several octaves. "Ben, I can't believe you— that you're—!" She has to pause to take a deep breath, though it doesn't seem to help her feel much better. "Ben, he's controlling you! Doesn't that upset you even a little bit?"
The question makes Ben waver. He thinks about it for a moment but is soon shaking his head. "Should it?" He frowns. "It's not like I'm all that trustworthy. What other choice did he have?"
Whereas his statement floors Gwendolyn, Kevin doesn't have that problem. "Alright, that's it!" He hauls Daniel up by the shirt-front, holding him off the ground. "First I'm gonna beat this guy within an inch of his life, then we take him back to the Plumbers and get them to get that thing out of Ben's head. Any objections?" He pulls his fist back, ready for the go-ahead from the other two.
"Actually," Daniel speaks up, "being arrested doesn't really work for my schedule. Do you think we could postpone and I can squeeze you in on Tuesday instead?"
Kevin doesn't respond immediately. He looks a little lost, stunned by the arrogance being demonstrated. After a long moment, he lowers Daniel down to be at eye-level. "Do you think this is a joke?" He asks in a low, warning voice.
"Remarkably, no." There's no grin on Daniel's face anymore, but the gleam in his eyes can hardly mean anything good. "But being arrested puts a stop on my plans. You kids are starting to get annoying. My original plan was to release my Venom in gas form and flood Undertown, sparking a "rebellion" against the good people of Bellwood. It doesn't affect humans, so the populous will be running from evil aliens who are angrily wrecking everything in sight. I was going to have the great Ben Tennyson lead them in the first strike against humanity and frame it so that his alien half was to blame for his treachery, but he's starting to be more trouble than he's worth. I'm sure that the media conveniently finding the four, mutilated bodies of Ben and his team after the rampage is over will be enough of a statement." Ignoring Kevin, he turns to look at Ben. "You can break out of there now. Finish them off for me, won't you?"
Eagerly, as though having been waiting for the command, Ben activates his Omnitrix and slams down on it. There's a flash of green light, and when it dies down, Big Chill is left in his place. He presses his hands against the side of Gwendolyn's mana bubble, pushing on it. He struggles for a moment, but soon the tips of his fingers are sticking out, quickly followed by his head and the rest of his body. Alarmed, Gwendolyn drops Daniel and throws up a shield to protect herself when Big Chill abruptly lunges for her.
"Ben, stop!" She tries pleading, throwing a mana disk in Ben's direction. "This isn't you, you know that!"
If Ben hears her, then he chooses not to acknowledge it. Rook doesn't want to hurt him, but the net won't hold Big Chill, and he's obviously not going to stop of his own free will. He grabs his Proto-Tool anyway, using the blaster to nail Big Chill in his side and fling him back against the wall.
Using the split second that Rook bought them, Gwendolyn turns to Kevin. "Get him out of here!" She jerks her head toward Daniel. "Call the Plumbers and tell them that we found Ben! Rook and I will hold him off!"
It's obvious that Kevin doesn't like the idea of leaving his girlfriend to fight, but he nods and doesn't argue as he throws Daniel over his shoulder. The mana shackles hold as he makes a run for it. He's almost to the door when ice suddenly encases it, freezing it shut. A second later, Big Chill phases into the room through the wall, floating in front of Kevin. Necrofriggians aren't the most expressive race in the universe, but even so, the genuine rage in his eyes is impossible to mistake.
"No one is going anywhere," he hisses. Jumping out of the way in time to avoid a slash from Big Chill's claws, Kevin ducks down and touches the floor. A layer of concrete encases his body just in time as the next hit from Big Chill sends him skidding back. His heels kick up sparks where they're digging into the ground, leaving impressive grooves in the floor.
"That's more like it." Kevin grins. Keeping one arm around Daniel to hold him in place, Kevin's free hand lengthens and tapers off to a point, leaving him with an impressive concrete sword. "What'd'ya say, Tennyson? Another fight, just for old time's sake?"
Big Chill lands on the ground in front of him, his wings settling over his shoulders and head like a cloak. "If it's like old times, then this isn't going to be much of a fight."
He takes a deep breath, exhaling, only for the freezing gas to be stopped by one of Gwendolyn's mana shields. She takes a running jump at it, shattering the mana on impact and following through to land a kick square in Ben's chest. It sends him flying backward, and he digs his claws into the ground to catch himself.
The angry snarl that rips from Big Chill's throat is more unnerving than Rook wants to admit. Reality suddenly sinks in. Despite all they've been through together, in this moment, Ben doesn't see any of his friends as anything more than obstacles.
This time, when Big Chill takes a deep breath, what comes out isn't ice. It's freezing, gale-force wind, cutting through Rook's fur and biting into his skin. He takes a knee, trying to find traction where there isn't any. Gwendolyn gets knocked over first, crashing into Rook and sending them both to the ground. The wind stops, but the cold lingers until every breath makes Rook's lungs ache with frost.
He hears flurried movements and the sound of concrete cracking, then Kevin lands on the ground next to them. The concrete protection over him is cracked, revealing his skin and clothes. With a groan, Kevin pushes himself up, glaring at Daniel as Big Chill helps him to his feet.
Shivering and doing her best to keep her teeth from chattering, Gwendolyn raises both hands and aims them at Ben. "M- Meena Goh!" A focused blast of heat extends from her palms, cutting through the quivering air to engulf Big Chill in flames. Even though he's immune to extreme heat, the force of the blow still has Big Chill reeling.
Rook pushes himself up onto his feet, not hesitating to aim his Proto-Tool. He holds the trigger down, sending out rapid-fire energy bursts. Ben is quick to take to the air, dodging them, but doesn't last long against so many small projectiles. One clips his shoulder, making him freeze for a second too long. A flurry of blasts descends on him, flinging Big Chill back against the wall and prying a weak groan of pain from his throat.
"I've had just about enough of this," Kevin snaps impatiently, reabsorbing the concrete ground to fix his armor. "New plan. We finish off that Collins guy and Ben won't have any more reason to be loyal to him. All in agreement? Good." Without waiting for either of the other two to reply, Kevin forms his hands into hammers, taking a running start where he dropped Daniel.
"Kevin, don't!" Gwendolyn reaches out to stop him with a mana shield, but she doesn't move nearly fast enough.
"Don't touch him!" Big Chill shouts furiously, darting in front of Daniel almost faster than human eyes can track and sending Kevin flying with a wicked backhand. The sound of concrete snapping echoes through the huge warehouse as Kevin's limp body hits the far wall and crumbles to the ground. There isn't a hint of regret on Ben's face — only cold determination to match his burning outrage.
Finally getting back on her feet, Gwendolyn watches with horror. "Kevin!" It takes less than a second for that shock to turn to fury, and as she turns back to Ben, more than her eyes start to glow. Her skin radiates light, giving the appearance of her body being incinerated as she sheds the cover of skin to reveal the pure energy of the Anodite beneath it.
Ben doesn't seem at all bothered by this. Actually, it almost looks like Big Chill is smiling. "Why are you bothering?" He asks, hovering off of the ground casually. "We've fought before. You know that you can't beat me."
The statement rings with an air of truth, but instead of being dissuaded, Gwendolyn raises herself to his level in the air, holding her hands out as they glow with mana. "Maybe I can't," she admits, her voice echoing with raw power, "but that won't keep me from trying. Eradiko!"
In a second that seems to last an eternity, nothing happens. The weight of the spell settles in the air around them, and then suddenly, Ben tenses up. He screams, a drawn-out, painful shriek as his body lights up and explodes from the inside out. The force sends him careening into the ground, smoke and dust billowing up around the shattered concrete where he landed.
As quickly as it appeared, Gwendolyn's Anodite form recedes. "Ben?" She calls in her normal voice. "Oh my God, Ben!" With Rook right behind her, she dashes over to where he crashed, kneeling down to wave away the smoke. "Ben, can you hear me? I'm so sorry, that spell is— I shouldn't have used it, I was—" Being an empath, Rook can hardly blame her for being angry. Everyone in the room was filled with hatred and hostility, multiplying her own unsteady emotional state by four. And considering how panicked and confused Rook's own emotional state is, it can hardly be easy for her to stay level-headed.
Just as Gwendolyn reaches out, Big Chill's clawed hand shoots through the smoke. He looms out of the crater, towering above them. Though he looks a little worse for wear, the hand wrapped around Gwendolyn's neck doesn't hesitate to squeeze. Without any effort or sympathy, Big Chill tosses her over his shoulder like she weighs little more than a sack of flour. Her body hits the ground hard, only to skid and tumble before finally slamming into the far wall. Gwendolyn lets out a low groan but doesn't move again.
It's hard to describe what Rook is feeling when Big Chill turns those glowing green eyes on him. He almost wants to take a step back, but what good will one step do? Instead, he swallows his trepidation and holds himself still, watching Big Chill carefully pick himself up out of the hole.
His wings look bent and torn, hanging off of him limply where they fold over his body. Scorch marks litter his torso, and there are indents in his arms and legs as if the blast carved holes in the weaker parts of his body. The pain must be more than Ben is letting on, because even though Necrofriggians don't need to breathe, he's panting like he ran a marathon.
At this point, fighting Ben seems inhumane. Not that Rook has a problem with taking on weaker enemies, but knowing Ben and having experience with how hard he tries not to let on that he's struggling or in pain, Rook can only imagine how horribly it must hurt. Making a split-second decision, Rook relaxes his position and swings his Proto-Tool over his shoulder, sheathing it in place.
Despite his limited facial expressions, Big Chill still manages to look surprised. "Why… why aren't you... attacking me?" He manages, struggling through every word.
Rook closes his eyes for a second. He's about to lie through his teeth to Ben, but if he knows his partner even half as well as he thinks he does, then this might work. Letting out a long sigh, he gives Ben the most apologetic look he can muster. "You are already hurt. There is no reason for me to make it worse, especially considering all the ways I have already gotten you hurt in the past few months." He holds up his hand, ticking off incidents as he names them. "It is my fault that your arm was badly damaged in Undertown, making your absence from Earth and the resulting anti-alien movement my fault, too. Once we came back, I allowed you to take a dangerous undercover mission alone and failed to immediately report it when you did not check in. By extension, it is my fault that you were forced to undergo surgery and that Gwendolyn and Kevin got hurt while fighting you today. If you are going to attack me, Ben, I will not stop you. This is all my fault, so I deserve it."
The hesitance Ben is feeling is practically palpable. He actually takes a step back from Rook. "I…" He lets the word trail off, unable to finish.
The truth is that Rook doesn't blame himself for any of this at all, but he knows intuitively that Ben does. Somewhere in his head, the part of him that can't stand hurting his friends has to have at least a little bit of control.
For a second, Rook thinks that it isn't going to work. He prays that his poker face is good enough to fool his partner. One close look shows all of the obvious tells — Rook isn't making eye-contact, he won't stop fidgeting, and it's a battle in itself to keep from biting his lip. Ben's eyes narrow, but then he falters. His body seems caught between taking a step towards Rook and saying something. Finally, Ben seems to reach a decision. He—
"What are you waiting for?" Daniel's harsh, impatient tone breaks the atmosphere between them. "Finish him off! I don't have the entire night to waste waiting for you to do what I ordered you to do!"
Big Chill stiffens, closing his eyes for the briefest moment. When he opens them, his face is expressionless. He raises his wings to lift himself into the air, ignoring the considerable effort it takes and the pain that it must inflict. Rook braces himself for a rush of icy air, but all he feels is a slight stir of cold against his fur as Big Chill flaps his wings and propels himself away.
"Tennyson! What do you think you're—? No, stay back! Stop! You're supposed to obey—!" Daniel's shout is cut off abruptly, and the warehouse is filled only with the sound of ice cracking and settling as Big Chill encases the business man's body from head-to-toe.
Stunned, Rook doesn't move from where he's standing. He watches Big Chill finish and land gracefully on the ground. The Necrofriggian manages to hold himself up for a moment, only for his legs to suddenly shake and send him to his knees. The Omnitrix beeps weakly, and a flash of light later, Ben is groaning on the ground in Big Chill's place. That finally pushes Rook to move, and he's quick to drop down at Ben's side.
"Ben! Are you—?" Rook isn't sure what he's going to ask. Is he okay? Is he himself?
Lifting his head, Ben manages a weak smile. "Yeah," he says with a nod. "I'm good, Rook. Mostly, anyway." He grimaces in pain, and while his arms (and likely the rest of his body) are lined with bruises, he looks fine otherwise.
Somehow, Rook musters up the energy to return Ben's smile. It's not the right time nor the place, but he can't resist pulling Ben into a hug. It's only supposed to last a second, but Ben returns it with a passion, clinging to Rook like he's going to disappear if they let go. Pulling away seems like too much to ask. Nonetheless, Rook does, holding Ben at arm's length to get a good look at him.
"How did you—? I thought that you were under his control." As much as he wants to be serious about this, the smile on Rook's face doesn't feel like it's going away any time soon. They did it. Daniel is captured, the populace is safe, and Ben is in control of his own body. Everything is going to be fine.
Smiling seems to be infectious because Ben is grinning like nothing could make him happier than sitting on that concrete floor with Rook, covered in bruises but very much alive and in control. "I still am," Ben admits. "It wasn't easy, to— well, you know what I mean. Whatever he did to me, I'm still not upset about it, but I finally figured out that the only thing I'm more loyal to than Daniel, is you." He looks away nervously. "And, uh, Gwendolyn and Kevin. Them, too."
In a perfect world, this would be the part where they kiss. Rook would turn Ben to face him, they would stare longingly into each other's eyes, and the feeling of their lips meeting would be passionate and sweet, as addictive as ecstasy.
Instead, Ben puts his hands on Rook's shoulders and shakily pushes himself to his feet. "I'm gonna call Grandpa Max," he says, already holding the Omnitrix up to access its communication features. "You get Gwendolyn and Kevin. They're both gonna kill me for this when they wake up. Not that I blame them."
Instead of replying, Rook nods and stands.
At least for the night, this is the only happy ending that he needs.