Chapter Fourteen: Out Cold

With all his inhuman strength he forced his way through the barrier. He could think of no instances in the past when he had such a difficult time phasing through anything before. Whether it was the hitherto unencountered energy field or the presence of Dexter or both, Big Chill had never had to struggle to move through dimensions. If the sensation was painful and unnatural for the Necrofriggian, Ben could not imagine what it was like for Dexter.

He was fighting a current. His forward motion was slowed to a crawl as the barrier grew stronger and tried to push him away, snatching at him with weird undercurrents and unexpected eddies. The walls had condensed and concentrated, making his progress that much more difficult. It dragged at him, refusing to release him, compelling him to battle for every inch he traveled toward freedom.

So focused was he on protecting Dexter from the burning cold while plowing straight through the force field that he lost all sense of time. It could have taken seconds or minutes or an hour – he had no way of judging. The energy clung like thick syrup, letting them go only reluctantly when he twisted out of its range. Ben's only thoughts were for regaining solid form and making sure Dexter was still alive, but he needed some distance between himself and the shrinking cage. He would not have put it past the Fusion Utonium to have the last say with some nasty surprise at the end, and so he fled from the cage to a spot far removed across the lot. He came back to being still clutching Dexter closely. The small figure was not as warm or tense against Big Chill's chest as he had been earlier. Voices rose up and he could hear pounding feet, but he ignored them since no weapons were being fired. Instead he looked down at the boy nestled in his arms.

"Dex? Dexter!"

There was no response. Dexter was so limp he almost slipped from his grasp. Powering off the Omnitrix, Ben frantically called him again. He knelt and very carefully set his friend down, cradling his head and bunching the green jacket up as a pillow. In the weird, shifting light of the green energy field he desperately tried to see his friend clearly.

Rapidly melting frost covered Dexter's red hair, and his skin and clothes were covered with a sheen of rime that turned to water in the warm summer air. His cheek was pale and clammy to Ben's touch. For a hideous moment there was no sign of life in the younger boy. Just as panic was starting to rob Ben of his sense and control, Dexter took a long, shuddering breath before coughing weakly. When he did not open his eyes, Ben realized he was out cold – literally.

A pillar of billowing smoke and flames erupted a few feet away. Ben rose with a shout of alarm, fearing the worst and ready to go hero on whatever was attacking them. He sagged in relief as he recognized Mr. Green stepping out of the conflagration. That the demon could transport himself came as a belated surprise, but Ben was very glad to see him.

"What happened?" Green demanded, as alarmed as Ben had been a moment ago. His olive skin and white hair shone with lurid colors in the green glow.

"F-Fusions," Ben replied, suddenly breathless as reaction set in upon him. He sank back down to his friend's side.

"Oh, no," whispered the demon, bending over his student. "Which ones?" As he spoke he stripped off his long cape and covered Dexter warmly. He pointed at the cape and sternly ordered, "Stay!"

Ben's voice was weary. "Utonium, Blossom, and Bubbles. The guards got Bubbles."

A little sigh escaped Green, and his expression was the same distressed look he had worn the night he told Ben about the explosion in the DexCorp plant. "Did they . . . ?"

"Yeah. They made a Fusion of him. I couldn't get past the barrier in time to stop them," Ben replied. "I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "It's not your fault, Ben. We've got to get him-"

"Tennyson!"

He looked up as Number One and Number Five came racing toward their spot, weapons at the ready. Behind them, more KND troops and some of the new trainees spread through the area.

"Keep away from that!" shouted Ben, jumping up and pointing at what was left of the energy cage. Some curious idiots (including Number Four) ventured too close and got shocked. It was brighter than burning magnesium now and only a few feet across. A loud, high-pitched whine filled the air.

"Fall back!" Nigel ordered, waving them off. "Number Three, set up a parameter! Number Two, see to those grown-ups! Ben, Mr. Green – what's happened?"

"We got attacked by some Fusions." He jerked his thumb at the glowing pen, now a narrow column of green light. "Big Chill had to phase through that thing carrying Dexter."

As he spoke the barrier shrank further and grew brighter until there was nothing but a line of light as brilliant as the sun cutting through the night - a very noisy and unstable line of light at that. Sparks and ball and forks of lightning danced on its surface, arching towards the ground and the sky and driving the children back. The whole area was cast in a ghastly green light.

"Not good," observed their resident particle physicist, his black horns drooping low as he realized what was about to happen. Mr. Green waved frantically. "Get down!"

"Down! Everyone down!" bellowed Number One. He dragged Number Two to the tarmac and shoved Ben down.

All through the parking lot people hit the ground, covering their heads. Ben instinctively threw himself over Dexter, protecting him as best he could. Mr. Green likewise shielded his unconscious student and Ben as well. The sound rose in pitch, like a shriek of pain, until it abruptly stopped. The silence barely lasted a second and a painful, staggering vacuum followed. Then the green light collapsed to a pinpoint before it exploded out in all directions.

The expanding energy let out a boom louder than thunder. It shook the earth and the children and bounced them about like popping corn. A blistering hot wind swept over them, blasting them with dirt and dust and proving to some of the recruits that their outlandish clothing ensembles were not entirely suitable for the battlefield. A few screams rang out, and then the world returned to normal.

"Good heavens," said Number One, adjusting his askew sunglasses as he raised his head. He blinked, trying to get rid of the after-image of the explosion that lingered despite his dark glasses. "Anyone hurt? Number Two, Number Five, check for wounded." He rolled over, gaining his feet, and glanced at the epicenter of the blast. There were no signs of the cage or detonation left save that all the grass and the one tree that had been touched by the barrier were brown and dead and a few shrubs had been flattened. They had gotten off easy, he thought as he hurried over to where Ben and Mr. Green were slowly rising.

Dexter had roused, jolted awake by the noise and jostling that accompanied an explosion. He looked awful. Tired, wet, shivering, he let out a small groan as Mr. Green helped him to sit up, then held him upright. The demon draped his cape over the boy's shoulders, trying to warm him.

"You okay?" pressed Ben anxiously, retrieving his jacket.

His teeth were chattering as he rasped, "M-m-my hands . . . h-hurt."

"Let me see," said Mr. Green, gently easing one of Dexter's gloves off. The genius' fingers were bright red and icy cold to the touch. The demon pursed his green lips in sympathy. "I think you have frostbite, Dexter."

He was shaking too hard to reply, but he nodded in agreement.

Ben dropped down on one knee beside them and hesitantly touched Dexter's shoulder. The kid was a mess, no doubt of that. "You gonna be okay, Dex?"

Lifting his head, Dexter gave his friend a bone-weary look. After a moment he nodded again, and then coughed and hissed in pain as his ribs were aggravated.

"Good," Ben said. "You guys take care of him. I'll be back."

"Where are you going?" demanded Number One.

Ben cast the KND leader a knowing smile. "I'm going to go kick some Fusion butt."

"What?" exploded Nigel Uno and Green in astonished unison.

Dexter looked up in alarm. He tired to rise but lacked the leverage and strength and Green had done too a good job of cocooning him in the flowing cape.

"We can't just let them walk," Ben declared. He adjusted the Omnitrix as he spoke. Jetray would do nicely right now since he needed to find them before they got too far away. "I'm going after them. I just might be able to stop them and that'll be three less of those things we have to worry about."

He slapped down the control, giving himself over to the Galvin technology to borrow the form of an Aerophibian. He hissed, spreading his wings wide in anticipation of speed . . . and a fight.

"Wait," said Number One. He dug in his pocket and, after sorting through sundry bits of equipment and some odds and ends and a few candies, he produced a homing device. It was a rounded disk about two inches across and its bulkiness produced a look of disgust from the owner of DexCorp International. "It's magnetic. It's keyed to our radio frequencies. Keep it on you - we'll catch up."

"All right," he agreed, and affixed it to the Omnitrix logo on his chest. He paused when Dexter gestured him to come closer.

"B-Blossom attacks from above," the redhead whispered, shivering. He paused to swallow, and tried to speak without having his teeth chatter or his words slur together with indifferent results. "If she c-can, she'll come at you from behind. She always cle-clenches her h-hands when she's about to use heat vision."

Jetray could not smile, but his gratitude came out in his voice. "Thanks."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Be careful," he murmured a moment before the Aerophibian launched into the air amidst a swirl of dust. In moments Ben vanished into the darkness above, swallowed by the low, heavy clouds. Dexter felt a pang of fear. He knew what the leader of the Powerpuff Girls was capable of doing even if she was alone, but he did not know how she compared to the aliens available to Ben.

He could feel the eyes of the KND agents upon him, but he ignored their stares and tried to focus on his teacher. He was having trouble concentrating. Warmth was just a distant memory.

"M-Morton?"

"The security team?" Nigel asked. "They were knocked unconscious. We're getting them to medical. That's where you belong."

He lacked the will to argue. "What time is it?" wondered Dexter. He was light-headed and faintly nauseous, and to his own ears his voice sounded distant and distorted.

"Ten forty-two," Green said, steadying him.

Dexter stared up at his teacher, stunned. Little more than half an hour had passed since he and Ben had come out here to test the hoverboard. In that span, the world had been turned upside down and Fuse had taken immense strides forward in this war. In less than an hour, his life had been threatened and stolen away and forever changed.

It was overwhelming. Dexter felt as if an immense weight pressed against his shoulders, forcing him down. He ached. His ribs stabbed at each breath and his face and feet and hands were tender and even the touch of his clothes against his skin hurt. Blackness crept in on the edges of his vision and he lacked the strength to stand against the advancing shadows. He felt strong arms wrap around him, gathering him close and warm and secure. Dexter never quite knew when the darkness claimed him, but it was a welcome sensation.