Chapter 146: Rallying Cry
Disclaimer: I Don't Own Ben 10 Or Any Of The Characters
Disclaimer: I Don't Own The Rights To Nathan Black Or Any Associated Characters, The Rights Go To annihalator2015
Author's Note:
* Hello and welcome to Chapter One Hundred and Forty Six!
* So, in this chapter, things will start to pick up. That's all I can and will say. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!
Earth-Prime
Monday, February 4th, 2019
The Tennyson House
Ben
I woke up the next morning barely feeling any better. I decided to just skip breakfast and continue going over files until it was time to leave for school. It was five thirty when I woke up. After getting dressed in the same jeans from yesterday and a new long sleeved cotton shirt, I returned downstairs. I saw that in my haste, I had left my laptop on overnight. The battery was almost dead, but I was able to plug it in and get back to my research without much of a hassle.
Maybe it was just the pure shock and disgust of the situation last night, but I recalled how Clancy was injected with a modified version of Animo's super soldier serum. I suddenly found myself standing in Grandpa Max's R.V, the Rustbucket. A slightly younger version of me was sitting across from him.
"You mentioned that Animo was a biological terrorist. What does that mean?" the past version of me asked.
"It started back in the late seventies with Animo. He wasn't known by that name back then." Grandpa Max replied. "A young man name Aloysius James Animo was put onto a scientific research team."
The past version of me leaned forward.
"Animo was a scientist? Seriously?"
"Seriously. Dr. Animo was on a research team, trying to rewrite the human genome. They were trying to make a serum that would create super soldiers. Early into the eighties, maybe 1982, he was the first one to create a serum. The rest of the team insisted that he handed it over so they could test it on lab rats, but, no. He had to himself."
"What happened?"
"He went and tested it on himself. The serum made him stronger, faster, smarter. But it came with a cost. Animo quickly lost his sanity."
"That doesn't surprise me."
"It shouldn't. Anyway, his insanity made him easier to pick off. So he was quickly put behind bars. The bars of the Null Void that is."
My trip down memory lane ended and I was back in my basement. That's all I needed to see.
"Doctor Animo lost his mind when he tested the serum on himself. What if Clancy was just an inn…"
No! Don't say that! Clancy is a psychotic murderer!
I took a deep breath and cleared my head. I brought my laptop out of sleep mode and went back through searching through files. After a while, I hit something that piqued my interest. Audio files from the 1950s.
Did they even have tape recorders back then?
Nevertheless, I opened the file as I put my earbuds back in and began listening.
"My name is Jack Abernathy and the date is March 19th, 1957. Today is the opening day of Blue Cross Pharmaceuticals! We wish to help people and that's why in ten years' time, with our low cost medicines and treatments, we'll be the number one pharmaceutical company in the city! We're putting ourselves on the map!"
The audio file ended there.
Okay. Mr. Abernathy sounds like he means well. But what is this doing in with all of the Forever Knight's files?
I dismissed my question and clicked on the next file, which was from the 60s.
"David Enoch. May 23rd, 1968. That idiot Aber-what's-it didn't know what the hell he was doing. A medicine company? No, no, no. Medicine is the thing of the past. Alien DNA and technology is the future! Everyone thinks of Roswell, New Mexico in July of 1947, but that's all a bunch of bullshit, too. Aliens exist, people! And we have proof! From 1947 to 1965, there was a war between us and the Chimera Sui Generis. When the war ended, they left a ton of their elements and technology behind on our planet. And the Forever Knights have just enough to get ourselves started!"
So, did the Enochs kicked Abernathy out of his own business? Are the Forever Knights the unfortunate legacy of Blue Cross?
I moved on to the final audio file and was surprised to hear Abernathy's voice again. Only this time, instead of hearing the hype and excitement in his voice, I sensed depression and anger.
"Jack Abernathy. The eve of May 24th, 1968. Blue Cross is dead. Those bastard knights from England came to Bellwood and bought out my company. My company! The forced me out and told me that there was no future for my kind. I'm done. All the money that I invested into the company, all wasted. I could start again somewhere else, but they would just cheat me out again. I'm going to get even. Those English bastards don't know about a secret entrance to the basement, that's in the sewers. I'll sneak in through there, with a bag of explosives. Enough to cripple the building's support. Now I must destroy what I made. It'll be hard, but I can't allow myself to sit back and watch as the company I built evolves into a cult obsessed with genetic engineering and bioweaponry! If this is the last anyone hears of me, assume that I died in the fallout. Or at the very least, that I'm not around anymore."
That's where the audio file ended. I just sat there, now feeling depressed myself.
So, the Forever Knights stole everything that Abernathy had done with his life and then they kicked him out of the company. "To hell with you", I guess.
Even as sad as it was, I had to push myself to keep searching. After another half hour, I found what I had been looking for. The first thing was a file on that Rojo person from last week, the one that Albedo had saved me from. I read through it and found out some surprising information. According to her file, before Enoch's uncle took over, she had been their chief of security. Once Enoch's nephew took over after Kevin and I were at their tower, Rojo was let go.
She told me that she was a mercenary who had worked with the Forever Knights last summer. But this file says the opposite! Why did she lie to me? Well, she was hired to fight me, so why would she tell me the truth?
I kept this window open so that I could print it off later. I began searching again and found another file, this time on Sixsix, formerly Leon Jones. I needed to find out where he would be hiding after our fight the other day, the fight which he surprisingly didn't try to fight back in. The file stated several locations of warehouses where he stored his gear. How he got all of those suits of armor and weapons, I'd likely never know.
I found myself looking at the Ultimate Sixsix, as he spoke.
"The original Sixsix's weaponry and battle armor was right there at the Riverfront, but they were no longer meant for him! I saw to that! There was only one true Sixsix, The Ultimate Sixsix!"
I shook my head, clearing the flashback away.
God damn it, Tennyson! Stop looking back into the past and focus!
"Well, sorry if I can't predict when these flashbacks happen!"
I facepalmed once I realized that I was essentially talking to myself. Anyway, I made a mental note to print that off, as well. The next person, erm, individuals, that I needed to find were Vilgax and Clancy. I had Nathan on finding Vilgax's location. Unfortunately, even though they were the one who created him, or at least the version of him that I knew, the Forever Knights didn't have a file on Clancy. So, finding him would be difficult. But I remembered that in his video file, Enoch mentioned that Clancy was a homeless guy.
There are a lot of homeless people in Bellwood…
I let out a sigh.
"Who knows if I'll find him?"
I heard the door to Albedo and Sunny's room and looked up to see Albedo, dressed for school. I guess it had taken me a while to look through data, because I didn't have long until I had to leave. He gave me a look of concern.
"So, I'm going to ask you again. Are you good? What made you sick last night?"
I shook my head.
"You don't want to know."
He nodded.
"Yeah, I do. If it made you sick last night, spill it."
I sighed.
"I saw something that I'd rather not have seen."
"Like what?"
"You don't want to know." I insisted.
"But I kind of do, though!"
"Okay, if you insist. Had you planned on eating this morning?"
"Um, maybe? Why?"
"What I saw made me sick to my stomach and it may make you lose your appetite. Last chance to back out."
"Not a uh, chance?"
I chuckled at his phrasing.
"If you insist. Come over here."
He sat down next to me and I pulled up the video file on Clancy's first transformation. I grabbed my earbuds and handed them to him.
"Here you go. No jokes, Albedo. This is serious."
"I wasn't going to make a joke. I know it's serious."
I got up.
"It's all yours. I can't watch this again."
He put the earbuds in and started the video. A few seconds after sitting there, he spoke up.
"What is this?"
"Just watch it. I'll answer any questions that you could possibly have after you're done."
And so he did. A few minutes passed and he took out the earbuds.
"Oh, God." He said in uneasy tone.
He stood up, covering his mouth. I thought he would have the same reaction I did, but he held in the urge to vomit.
Lucky, I thought.
"Well?" I asked.
He looked at me.
"What the fuck was that?"
"I think you know. That was Clancy's first transformation. Enoch gave him his abilities."
"What the fuck. Was Clancy normal before then?"
"About as normal as a homeless drunk can get, I suppose."
"You're not listening. Ben, try to understand. Is it possible that Clancy was perfectly sane before the injections?"
I gave it some thought.
"Ben, for God's sake! Animo's super soldier serum drove him crazy! It pushed him to do things that a normal person wouldn't do! Maybe it drove Clancy crazy and turned him into something that he wasn't before!"
I briefly saw Clancy digging into that guard's head while in his bug suit and I shuddered.
"Like causing a man to rip a person's head in half with their bare hands?" I finally asked.
"Yeah. Exactly."
I shrugged.
"Maybe a mix of the two serums made Clancy into something entirely different than what Animo became when he took the serum."
"You never know." He said with a nod.
Any chance of our conversation continuing was cut when we heard footsteps coming down the stairs, followed by the door to their bedroom opening. Gwen approached from behind me as Sunny came into view behind Albedo.
"What?" I asked, looking at Sunny before I turned to Gwen.
"I heard you talking with Ben out here and I felt weird that you didn't involve me, especially after the talk we all had last night. So, I texted Gwen about it and asked her what we should do. So, here we are."
I looked at her and then back at Gwen.
"It's not important." I decided.
"Um, yes it is!" Gwen chimed in. "She specifically heard you talking about Clancy. We want to know!"
I sighed.
"Enoch and his Forever Knights gave Clancy his powers. There's a video file to prove it."
"Well?" Sunny asked. "Let's see it, then!"
I really wasn't ready to fight with Sunny about this, but luckily, Albedo spoke up for me.
"Look, the video wasn't at all for the faint of heart and it made me lose my appetite. I don't want either of you to forfeit eating breakfast. You can watch it later, after school."
Sunny rolled her eyes, but she didn't refuse.
"Okay, fine. Whatever."
"We have half an hour until we leave." Gwen replied. "Are you guys ready?"
I nodded.
"I'll drive. I have a parking pass. I'll be up soon. I need to print some things off for Nathan."
"What kind of things?" Albedo asked.
I turned back to him.
"Albedo? Just chill. I'm not leaving you guys in the dark. You'll learn what I've found out and soon. But not yet. Just relax."
He sighed.
"Alright, fine. I trust you, brother. You tell us when you're ready."
I nodded.
"I will. Now, I need to handle stuff before we leave."
The three of them departed and left me alone. Well, besides Sunny. She stayed behind for a bit longer.
"Hey, if there's ever anything bugging you, just know that we'll hear you out, okay?"
I looked at Sunny with a weird look on my face, but nodded, nonetheless.
"Uh, thanks, Sunny."
I expected her to get snarky or frown, but she didn't. She just smiled at me.
"No one wants to see you suffer, Ben. I hope that your dad makes it through this. You may have given me a home, but your parents were the ones who allowed me to stay, even with knowing what I was."
"There's no need to express your thanks, Sunny. We weren't going to kick you out."
"I know. You're parents aren't like that. Anyway, get what you need to do done so we can leave, okay?"
I nodded. She left me and I just stood there. I put out my hands on either side of me.
"What was that all about? Why is she suddenly being nice to me?!"
I expected to hear the Omnitrix in my head, but then I remembered: No Omnitrix. I got back to work and printed off the blueprints and all of the files that I had read through this morning for Nathan. I went into the laundry room which doubled as a storage room in search of a folder. After a few minutes of searching, I found a blue file and put all of the papers into it. I made sure to put my laptop into sleep mode before shutting off the lights and going upstairs.
I put the file into my backpack and then I thought about emailing the audio files and the video file on Clancy to myself—for later. I decided that I'd do that, but after that I would at least try to eat something small for breakfast. Before I left, I decided to write down Cooper's phone number and the address of his warehouse for Nathan. I had a feeling that they should be introduced prior to the planning.
Later That Day
Madison High School
When lunch rolled around, Albedo was pleased like you wouldn't believe. We sat down at our lunch table, where most of our friends had already arrived. As Albedo took half of one of his chicken strips with one bite, he let out a overly happy sound.
"Oh, that's so much better! I had been starving all day today!" he exclaimed, before turning to me. "Thanks to you, dickweed!"
I disregarded what he just said.
"Hey, it was your fault. You insisted on seeing the video."
"Dickweed?" Kai asked as she walked by and put her tray down, sitting down two chairs away from me. "Did you come up with that one on your own?"
Albedo looked up at her.
"Well, you know, I…"
"Kai, settling in already, I see?" I asked, cutting him off as I turned to look at her.
Albedo let out a sigh of defeat, but he didn't try to persist.
"What can I say? I feel like I've known you guys for years. I finally feel like I belong."
"Well, I'm glad."
Sunny looked at Nathan as she bit into her apple, chewed and swallowed.
"I understand that Ben visited you for a while on Sunday." She said. "I won't ask what you guys talked about, but did everything go well?"
"Everything went quite alright." Nathan replied with a small smile.
"Ben can give me trouble sometimes. Did he give you any trouble, Nathan?"
"He gave me no trouble at all. We had a pleasant conversation, he informed me about how his father was in the hospital, and so I gave him a bag of freshly baked goods along with a small basket of Get Well gifts."
He didn't give her any hint that it was anymore than a simple conversation, however I don't think he was lying. I think he was just bending the truth a little bit.
Don't worry, Sunny. You guys won't be kept in the dark for too long.
Kai leaned into my view so that I could see her face more clearly. She looked sympathetic.
"Gwen told me about your dad, Ben. I'm so sorry."
That triggered a whole bunch of people to begin talking at once. I sighed and lifted my hands up.
"Guys, please. Let's not do this. I appreciate all the sympathy, but my dad will be fine. It's just going to take time for him to recover."
I turned to Nathan.
"Thanks again, Nathan. Talking to you really helped me. It made me feel like I wasn't completely hopeless."
"No problem. Everyone needs to vent once in a while, so I was happy to help." Nathan politely said to me.
Cash leaned over to look at Nathan.
"Hey man, I could have sworn that you mentioned you played video games from time to time. Do you have any favorites? I used to be into Final Fantasy a few years ago, but I recently lost touch with the series, for reasons that don't really matter."
"For the most part, I'm a real fan of Battlefield, so I'm hoping the next title ends up better than V. I'm a real fan of Skyrim, and have a couple thousand hours into it. And I have played a bit of Fallout. Played some Witcher as well, and bought FFXV a couple days ago. I'm more of a Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and FPS guy. Not into platformers or fighting games."
"That's cool, man. It's always nice to meet someone with a different taste than I. I guess it wouldn't hurt to mention that the reason I quit playing FF is because the games just got too long for me to consistently play. I'm currently playing through Red Dead Redemption 2 and I'm loving ever second of it. I already know that I'm going to put even more hours into the game once the main story wraps up. I loved Red Dead 1 as well, I put many hours into the single player and even more into Undead Nightmare and the online multiplayer."
"Never had the chance to play RDR1. Played RDR2 though, was definitely pretty fun. Customized every single one of my guns, though I didn't bother playing the multiplayer. Was in a terrible state for too long, so I never bothered playing even after the multiplayer became good. As for FF, better to stick to the mainline single player games, rather than the multiplayer ones. At that point you're only dealing with story and side missions, and they're a lot shorter than people realize. At least those games can be completed in a week or two. Try playing Skyrim, you can play for a month and still not complete the game, because the game straight up cannot be completed. There are always miscellaneous quests, making it impossible to truly complete it. Still pretty fun though, especially with mods."
"Nice, nice."
Before anyone could say anything else, I turned to Nathan.
"Nathan, will you hang around for a few minutes after the bell rings? I have something I want to talk to you about."
"Aye, I can do that. I'll not ask what it's about, you'll tell me once we get to talking."
I nodded back, that much was for sure. Eventually the bell rung and everyone cleared out, except for Nathan and I.
"Okay, Nathan." I began speaking in a low tone. "I got a little bit of data that might help. It's not a lot, there's probably a lot more that I could have had. I'd rather not trade data here. There's a public park about three blocks from Madison High. If you leave through the main entrance, turn left and keep heading that direction, you can't miss it. Meet me there after school and we'll discuss what both of us have found so far."
"Ah, I understand now. You keep a sharp eye and a firm grip on that information, Tennyson, I'll be sure to collect it later in trade for what I've gathered since we last spoke." Nathan spoke in a low voice as well, despite us being alone at the table.
Making sure to take precautions just in case.
I nodded at him and we both got up, each going our separate ways.
Later That Day
Public Park
I entered the park, to see Nathan standing several feet away from me, under a tree. I let out a sigh as I approached. For some reason, I was nervous. Maybe I still felt like something wasn't quite right about Nathan. But, I digress.
"Hey, Nathan." I greeted him.
Nathan gave me a nod of acknowledgement before waving me closer.
"So, what've you got for me?" he said in a low voice as he scanned the area so subtly that I almost didn't notice what he was doing.
I hunched down as I took off my backpack and unzipped it, taking out the blue file that I had picked out this morning. I stood up and handed it to him.
"Here you go. All of the blueprints I could find, plus a few files on some individuals that Enoch used to employ, should you ever need to track them down yourself. However, seeing as Enoch used them as pawns, I don't think they'll be a problem. Also, I apologize in advance for the blueprints being in black and white. We don't have a color printer. Just because my dad has a government job, doesn't mean that we're rich. And I think that won't be getting any better anytime soon."
"Well, the least this raid will do is take the heat off of your family, let you guys breathe easier for a while. As for your financial situation, I'm sure Enoch has some hidden safe in his office. Might have documents, might have cash, might have both. Find a way to discreetly deposit it into your family's bank account and it should help, I can get you in touch with a contact of mine if you need help with that."
Nathan started skimming through the file, stopping for half a second on each of the names before moving to the next.
"Hmmm, most of these people have fairly normal living conditions, only three of them live in pretty expensive places, likely paid very well for their services, as well as keeping them compliant in case they are of further use to Enoch. Blueprints are fine, no matter what colour they're in, long as they're accurate."
Nathan handed me a small flash drive.
"This has all the information you want on Vilgax that my guy was able to procure. Photos, notes, and details concerning his location and what you can expect until you get to his hidden bunker. My contact couldn't get in there, so what's on here is the best you'll be getting, unfortunately. There's also a detailed map of the sewer system, along with directions to the bunker location."
I took the flash drive from Nathan.
"I don't want any of that bastard's money and neither would my family! If you want it for yourself, go for it. I won't tell you what to do. And as for a few individuals who don't have great living conditions, I think I can mold them to temporarily side with me. People who have been wronged by Enoch."
I let out a sigh and gestured to him with the drive.
"Thank you, Nathan. You've made what comes next just a tad bit easier."
"I'm sure I have. And if you don't want the money, I can put it to good use." Nathan said as he continued looking through the file, before closing it and putting it in his bag. "Pleasure doing business with you, Tennyson. And with this new info, the raid should go fairly smooth if everything goes according to plan, though prepare for the worst nonetheless."
"One more thing, Nathan."
I took out my phone and pulled up the three audio recordings that I had emailed to myself this morning, concerning Blue Cross, Abernathy, and the Enochs.
"Give this a listen, buddy."
I handed my phone to him.
"It's nothing that really helps us, but I think it's well worth a listen."
Nathan listened to all three of them before handing my phone back. He put his hand to his face and tapped his jaw in thought.
"Jack Abernathy… I think I've heard of him before. Pretty much what went on in these recordings. His company was bought out and he was forced out, company took on a new name, however it was primarily a front from that point on, a way to make money while disguising their true intentions. But this David Enoch fellow, he was killed some several months ago, wasn't he? He used to run the company, before he died and his nephew took things over and got to sit in the big chair."
"David Enoch? This was back in the sixties, Nathan. The guy I saw last summer looked young, not like he was nearing the end of his life. The Forever Knights are capable of cloning, but besides that, what else do we have? We can't be sure that the guy I saw was the David Enoch."
"Well, the CEO didn't seem like some conspiracy theory nutcase, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was a clone that died, and the real David is still alive somewhere. Pull a proper disappearing act and vanish off of every map, make everyone think you're dead and gone for good. I'll have to look into that later, but what interests me more right now is this Jack Abernathy fellow, while his last message sounded pretty final, the bloke might still be alive, albeit a secluded hermit who doesn't talk to anyone. When I did research on Enoch and his company here, I never saw anything about Jack being found dead, or even about the founder of Blue Cross passing away. From what I found, Jack was in his mid to late twenties, and could still be alive, though he's likely to be bedridden or near to at this point if he's still kicking. At the very least, he's left us a way in as well as an escape route for when the building gets locked down. Once we blow the place, the police are definitely showing up, along with S.W.A.T. and possibly even Homeland Defence. The local constabulary might look the other way when Enoch's paying them to ignore some gunfire, but the building being bombed? They're going to be on the scene right quick at that point."
Nathan sighed before looking at me.
"Thanks for the information, Tennyson, this will end up helping us more than you know."
"Let's uh, not talk about blowing the place as of right now. But what about Mr. Abernathy, though? Am I in the minority when I say that I feel sorry for him? He sounded so excited and ambitious in his first entry. We can't know that his company was legitimate, but it had to be, right? The Enochs cheated him out of his own company with no way back in and I can't help but feel sorry for him!"
"Trust me, Tennyson, by getting rid of Enoch Jr. we'll be getting justice for everyone him and his uncle have screwed over or experimented on over the years. I'll see what I can dig up on old Jack, and maybe find out if he's still walking the mortal coil. We can have a chat with him if that's the case, see what his company was about from him firsthand. But for now, we should probably split and head back to our homes, we've been hanging around here for too long, and if there's anyone watching us, they'll be wondering what exactly our exchange was."
"Look, I understand that you want to get home and so do I, but there's two last things. I'll say that I need another favor right out of the gate, but my last thoughts on Mr. Abernathy. His last recording was inconclusive. He could be alive or dead. We'll just have to see. Do you think they caught wind of what he was trying to do? Why else would that recording be in with their files?"
"Maybe, but if that were the case, you'd think there would be some mention of what happened to Jack from David. It could be as simple as them keeping him in isolation, as keeping something like the death of an up and coming pharmaceutical company's founder and CEO during the sixties would've been damn near impossible, the media back then was fucking relentless in getting the scoop of any possible big story, especially from reporters trying to make it big. But keeping the founder and CEO under lock and key instead of killing him? Way easier to cover up, especially with bribes to the local police and government officials. He was likely nabbed, seeing as the building wasn't sunk into the ground to collapse in on itself like he intended to, but I doubt he was killed."
"Fair enough. Anyway, that favor? One of those individuals, Clancy? I need to find him, too. I think I can get him to work with me. There are two more video files that I have, but I didn't have the time to save them so that I could email them. Well, I have one, but not both. I could possibly get them for you tomorrow, if you're interested. Anyway, if I can show Clancy that Enoch turned him into that bug man that he is today, maybe he'll be willing to push aside his hatred for me a brief while. Now, I have a feeling that you're the type of guy who'd carry a gun, which brings me back to Clancy. If he tries to attack, I'm defenseless. If he does try to attack, I think I can talk him down, but why risk that? I guess I'm asking you if you'll come with me and watch my back in case he can't be talked down."
"You want to recruit a total psychopath onto the team?" Nathan said with a snort. "Alright, but if he goes for you he's getting dropped immediately, because I'm not willing to take any chances, his situation be damned. His file said that he killed innocents simply for the fun of it, so keeping him alive is out of the question, even if his powers were taken away, because he'd still remain a complete and total psychopath."
"I don't think he's beyond saving! I think the serum that Enoch injected him with fucked with his mind. Enoch didn't do anything to keep him out of prison after he was taken out of the equation, he was a pawn to him! I can talk him into siding with me, I know I can."
"If you think you can keep him on a leash for the duration of the raid, fine. But the moment he tries to take you out, he's getting two to the chest and one to the head. The last thing we need is you being injured, and a rogue asset with us trying to rip you to bloody pieces. Best just to cut him out of the picture if he tries to kill you or anyone else on the team, end of discussion."
"Fine, then."
One Hour Later
Downtown Bellwood
It took us about an hour to find Clancy. We found him in an alley in Downtown Bellwood. Before I could approach him, Nathan spoke.
"Remember, Tennyson, if you can't talk him down, he's getting dropped right then and there."
I turned my head to face him.
"Alright, alright, Nathan. You don't need to remind me. Let's get this done."
I entered the alley and approached Clancy, with Nathan following closely behind me. I took a deep breath as I approached Clancy, who seemed to be asleep against the wall of the alley, in dirty clothing.
"Hey, you." I said. "Wake up."
I didn't get a response from him. I kicked him in the foot.
"Hey! I said, 'wake up'!"
Clancy began to move and spoke as he did.
"Who are you? What the hell do you—"
He stopped speaking once he saw me. He let out a snarl of anger and got up, grabbing me by the throat as his bug suit formed around him. He formed talons with his free hand and aimed them at my face.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't end you." He hissed.
Nathan had already pulled a gun out, I saw it out of the corner of my eye, as if that wasn't enough of a good reason.
"I may have a problem with killing Clancy, but my friend here?" I gestured to Nathan so Clancy could see him. "My friend, however, has no problem with killing. So, here's the deal. We either play nice and act like adults or my friend empties his clip into you. Your choice."
Nathan spoke as soon as I finished my proposal.
"I suggest you listen, because option A leads to you living a little longer, while option B ends with you dead before you even hit the ground, your grey matter painting the wall, and you getting to know the reaper real fucking well."
His tone was completely even and rather quiet, hopefully making Clancy aware that he really did only have two options to make at this point in time. Nathan began counting down from fifteen and I could see Clancy's glowing yellow eye spots alternate between looking at me and Nathan. He was probably thinking if he could move quick enough if he decided he wasn't in a talking mood. Thankfully, he eventually let out a loud snarl of anger before dropping me onto my rear end.
"Ow." I replied.
His bug suit deformed and he shrunk back into a sitting position against the alley wall. It was at this point as well that Nathan returned his gun to his underarm holster.
"Speak." Clancy said.
I stood up and cleared my throat.
"Okay. My friend and I are forming a team to raid the Forever Knights' main headquarters. I want to pay him back for everything that he's done to me. And I want you to help me."
"And should you decide to pounce on an opportunity to kill Tennyson here during the raid, you won't even have the time to regret taking that opportunity." Nathan spoke, with a small and sincere smile that I saw out of the corner of my eye.
All I heard was a low growl from Clancy in response to what he said.
"Why would I want to help you? I hate you, Tennyson."
"Oh, I know you do, Clancy! And trust me, the feeling's mutual. Maybe this will get you interested."
I took my phone out and put my password in before going to my gallery and selecting the copy of Clancy's video file that I had saved this morning. I held it out to him.
"Here, watch this."
"Why would I want to watch…"
"Clancy, please just do it."
He rolled his eyes and took my phone from me. A couple minutes later, he tossed my phone back to me and I caught it, before closing my gallery and putting my phone back in my pocket.
"What the hell was that?"
"That was a video file of the Forever Knights experimenting on you that I recently found."
"You're saying that they did this to me?"
"Are you saying that you don't…"
Clancy cut me off.
"No, I don't remember! As far as I knew, I woke up one day with this freakish set of abilities."
"Well, I can't say that I would remember puking up centipedes and getting covered from head to toe in bugs and splitting a man's head in half. Feeling all of those things crawling on me, not to mention the blood…"
Clancy lifted his hands up and dropped them to his knees once more.
"Okay, let's say I help you. What's in it for me?"
"Well, for starters, you can pay the Forever Knights back for what they did to you. But know this. Enoch himself belongs to us. You don't get to touch him. You can slaughter as many guards as you want, but civilians are off limits, as well."
I let out a sigh.
Moment of truth, my main bartering chip.
I looked at Nathan for a brief second. I knew that he wouldn't like this. I looked back at Clancy.
"And if you help us, you're off the hook. As long as you leave me alone, I'll leave you alone, too. You can keep playing the homeless card, I don't care about that. That's fine."
I hunched down so that I could look Clancy in the face.
"Now, I want to make sure that this is crystal clear to you, friend. If…"
"I'm not your friend!"
"Shut up. If I get word that you've returned to killing after all this is over, it's not me you'll have to worry about. I have a friend that would make a fight with me look like child's play. You remember him, don't you? I'll sic my friend on you, Clancy. Know that he's a hell of a lot meaner and scarier than I am. If he has to come after you, you won't live long enough to regret your decision."
I stood up as Clancy looked at me with uncertainty.
"How do I know that I can trust you?"
"You're still alive, aren't you?"
I turned to Nathan.
"Nathan, do you want to say something, maybe to encourage our friend here?"
"Much like we can't trust you, you can't trust us either. However the Forever Knights have your number, and have more than enough resources to put down their rabid dog if they ever have the inclination. You can only deal with them for so long until they decide to bring out the fancy toys and deal with you permanently. So you have vested interest in taking them down before they take you out. Plain and simple as that."
Clancy let out another growl.
"Fine. I'll help you, but only if I get to go free!"
"Sure, free to do exactly what you're doing now."
I took out a card and handed it to him.
"This is the address of the warehouse where we're meeting. Stay in this alley until I come to let you know that we're planning the raid in a couple days' time. If you try to backstab us before the raid can even start, just know that you're punishment will be worse than if you return to killing after we're done. Be the bigger man and let go of your grudge against me and you can go free. It's as simple as that. Don't mess it up."
He took the card from me and stuffed it into his shirt pocket.
"Nathan, anything else you want to say?"
"No, I believe we're done here."
"Splendid. Let's go, then. Clancy, we'll be seeing you. Keep your nose clean, buddy."
After we leave the alley and were well clear of Clancy, Nathan spoke in a low voice that only I could hear.
"You shouldn't have promised him freedom, Tennyson. The moment he gets tired of living as a beggar, he'll start going around slaughtering innocent people. I guarantee you that whatever the Forever Knights injected him with is way more potent than what Ken got, and is likely impossible to get rid of. How long do you think it'll be before he starts murdering folk? A year? It won't be a week before he starts dropping bodies."
I let out a sigh.
"Believe me Nathan, I know that I shouldn't have promised him freedom. But sometimes you have to make compromises when you make a deal. He wouldn't have been interested in helping if I hadn't promised him his freedom. And hell, I know he'll go back to killing. And if he does, I'll beat him to death. I could hold off on him long enough for you to deliver the killing blow, but at that point, it would just be a mercy killing."
"You wouldn't need to waste any time beating on him. He'd be dead before he even knew what hit him if I went after him alone. But all the same, we didn't need him to begin with, he's a wildcard that we have no control over, and too much of a liability."
"Which brings me to my next point. If I have no idea what I'm talking about with this, fine. I'm dumb. After seeing what happened when I tried to make a truce with Enoch, I do think I'm kinda dumb. But the Forever Knights turned him into that… thing. He wasn't born like that, nor is he a shapeshifting alien. They injected him with a modified version of the super solder serum that one Doctor Animo made back in the eighties. The original serum drove him crazy when he injected himself with it and he became a monster with a lust for chaos, kind of like Clancy, but also different than Clancy."
I sighed before continuing.
"Before them, Clancy was just a down on his luck homeless guy who I beat up after he tried to get a little too close to my girlfriend. He lost everything and he turned to alcoholism to cope. Who wouldn't? He told me himself. He had a grudge against me because of what I did to him before they turned him into that monster. He started murdering people to get back at me and to draw me out of hiding, not because he was crazy before. That being said, if there is a way to take away his abilities, could he be rehabilitated? Can a man go back to living normally, after what they made him into?"
"Who's to say he doesn't want his abilities? Without them, he's back to being a regular homeless person, back to being what he would likely perceive as weak. He likely wants to keep his powers, meaning he's too dangerous to be kept around. We've already seen that he will kill innocent people just because he can, after he got his powers. While he may have killed innocents to draw you out before he got them, he's killed people because he can after he got them."
Well, he didn't start killing until after he got his abilities. But I'm not looking to start an argument.
"Not to mention, there's no way to contain him, since he can just shrug off tranquilizers like they're nothing. They only way to rehabilitate him would be to wipe his memory so he remembers everything till the day he was kidnapped. No memory of anything that happened afterwards, in addition to somehow taking his powers away. That'd be the only way to make rehabilitation possible. So unless you plan on grabbing anything related to the serum from the Forever Knights' databanks and handing it to S.E.C.T. along with his unconscious body after the raid, the best course of action is to put a bullet through his skull and burn the body afterwards."
I sighed.
"Then is it wrong for me to feel sympathy for him after what they did? Or is that nonsensical, too? Because if I'm being honest, what you just said makes me feel like I'm just about the dumbest person on the planet right now."
"You can feel sympathy for him, but just because you can sympathize with him doesn't mean he's redeemable, Tennyson. He's already shown that he's more than okay with killing civilians, so the best course of action is to put him down once he's served his purpose. Better than letting him roam around to kill more people."
"Fine. Look, I think we've done all we can today. I need to find someone else and as well as me not wanting to keep you from getting home, I'd like to get it done so that I can go home. I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Yeah, see you tomorrow, Tennyson."
"Okay, get home safe, Nathan."
I offered him my fist as I spoke. Nathan bumped my fist before walking away.
"You too, Tennyson." Nathan said over his shoulder.
Later That Night
Downtown Bellwood – Outside A Bar
I stood atop a one story building, in front of a ladder down to the ground, looking down into an alley. This was the bar that Rojo frequented when she wasn't doing a job. There was no way that I would get inside, so I was keeping an eye on the place from outside. I had been standing here for a while now, just waiting and I wasn't sure how much longer I'd be comfortable with waiting. Luckily, I wouldn't have to. Suddenly, the back door was kicked open and a lady with curly red hair was thrown out into the alley.
"And stay out!" a man shouted.
The lady stood up.
"Fuck you, you bastards! I paid for my booze! Not let me the fuck back in!"
The man shut the door behind him and she was forced to bang on the door, getting no reply.
That's Rojo, all right. I remember that accent from last week. And… she sounds like she's drunk. Perfect. Well, let's get this over with.
I slid down the ladder to the ground below, Rojo somehow not noticing this. I reached the ground and turned to look at her, with her back still to me.
"Damn, Ms. Rojo." I said. "This is low even for your standards."
She whirled around to look at me with a look of surprise and confusion.
"Who the hell are you?" she asked.
Okay, not too drunk to form a coherent sentence.
"Ben Tennyson?" I asked. "You cornered me on a rooftop last week before you were knocked out?"
Why did I lead with that? I should have led with something about Enoch!
She looked confused still, so I took the opportunity to try again.
"Um, a man named Ulysses Enoch hired you to kill me?"
I almost facepalmed after I said that.
Why the fuck did I say that?!
The confusion on her face seemed to clear up. However, she didn't get aggressive like I had predicted. She turned away from me as she spoke.
"Get out of here kid, before I kill you."
I guess I tried to push my luck here.
"You won't kill me, Ms. Rojo."
"Why shouldn't I kill you?"
"Because I know that Enoch left you to rot in jail and you had to escape on your own."
She turned to look at me.
"How do you know that?"
"I have a file on you that I stole from the Forever Knights. It says that you used to be their chief of security. But when David Enoch's nephew took over, you were let go. Later, he hired you again to try and kill me. When you were dealt with and sent to jail, he cut you loose, as if you were dead weight."
She let out a sigh as she sat down on the ground. I resisted the urge to sit down with her.
"What do you want, kid?" she asked, staring at the ground.
I bent down so that I was at her level.
"Ms. Rojo, please listen to me. I'm going to hit the Forever Knights with a team I'm setting up. We'll move real soon. I want to make Enoch pay for what he's done to me. He hired a hitman to kill my father. He's in the hospital after the attempt, but he'll be okay."
She looked up at me and I saw legitimate sympathy in her eyes.
"He put a hit out on your father? I'm so sorry, kid."
"Please, I need help, Ms. Rojo. Please fight with us!"
"If I do fight with you, what's in it for me?"
"I can guarantee that you can get back at the people who wronged you after working for them for so long. Don't you want to get even with Enoch for leaving you in the dust?"
"Yeah, I do. Actually, I do."
"And if you help me, I'll agree to turn a blind eye if you tend to do anything naughty, to a certain extent."
She gave me a confused and slightly offended expression.
"What the hell does that mean?"
"As long as you don't go around guns blazing, murdering innocent folk, gun and drug running, I won't come after you."
She let out a grunt.
"I suppose that's fair."
"So, will you help us?"
After a few seconds, she grunted once more.
"Sure. You have my support."
"You'll keep my identity a secret?"
She gave me a weird expression.
"I'm a mercenary, kid. Not heartless. Your secret's safe."
I let out a breath of relief.
"Thank you. So, how do I find you for when we meet up for planning?"
She reached into the breast pocket of her jacket.
"Here's my card." She said.
"Oh, cool. That's…"
She handed me an index card.
"…Cool."
I looked at her with confusion, which she returned with her own confused look.
"What?"
I held up the card.
"This is an index card with your name and a phone number on it."
"Hey, don't ask, don't tell."
"Also, you have a phone?"
"Of course, I do! I have to have a phone, I'm a mercenary!"
"Got it. I'll call you with the meeting place once I know when I'm meeting."
She nodded as she stood up, which I followed her lead.
"Alright, kid. I'll see you when I see you. Now get out of here. I need to find another place to drink at."
I sighed.
"Ms. Rojo, please try to be sober while you're fighting with us!"
"Kid, don't tell me how to do my job. Now, get the hell out of here."
She walked down the alley and I walked the other way, ready to get home for the night. I'd find Vilgax and Leon tomorrow.
Tuesday, February 5th, 2019
The Tennyson House
Same drill this morning as yesterday. Searching through whatever data I had left and sending the video files on Clancy and Ken to Nathan, via text message. Also, Mom was still against me going up against Enoch, but I wasn't stopping. I found one last thing that caught my eye. It was an apparent diary entry from one of Enoch's scientists. And due to the nature of the entry, I had a good feeling that this person was no longer around. It read as follows:
I thought that coming to work for David Enoch and his Forever Knights would be good for me. I thought. The tech was next level, the experiments and work was inspired, but that didn't make up for one thing. The treatment of the workers was, is, terrible. They're underpaid, they eat when they're told to eat, sleep when they're told to sleep and go home when they're told to go home.
I remember when a group of workers had had enough of all the bullshit and formed a worker's union, to try and make things right. I also remember how that story ended. The morning following the union's protest, every member and anyone who were even suspected of supporting them, were found dead, floating in the river. By writing this alone, I could end up dead. But if there's one thing that I've learned in my time here, it's this: When you join up with the Forever Knights, there is no getting out.
After reading it, it only furthered my disdain for Enoch. I decided to print that off and show it to Nathan at school today. I printed it off and took it upstairs to take with me.
Later That Day
Madison High School
At lunch that day, I again asked Nathan to stay behind. Once everyone had cleared out, I got into my backpack, which I had brought with me and pulled out the journal entry that I had printed off this morning.
"Here, Nathan." I spoke in a low voice, placing the paper face down on the table and pushing it over to him. "It won't help much, but it might help us decide how we'll deal with a few things."
Nathan picked the paper and flipped it over.
"Mm." he said after reading it. "Well we might be able to influence any of the armed personnel at the building to stand down and go back to their loved ones and families if they have any, inform them that they can put their weapons down and leave without any issue, and that Enoch won't be coming after any of them after that night."
"About the actual scientists… Do you think that all of them deserve to be put to death? Surely there are a few who have been pretending to be loyal, that can have the chance to get out and to actually have a life?"
"If any of them try to come at us, they're being put down. They get one warning before I start clearing rooms. I'm giving them one chance, and if they don't take it, it's their fault for what happens next."
"Fair enough, I guess."
I reached into my jacket pocket and pulled out an index card. "Here. I got a bit worked up last night and forgot to give this to you."
I handed him the index card.
"This is Cooper's number, my hacker buddy. The address of his warehouse, too. You should call him and introduce yourself before we actually meet at his warehouse to plan this thing. Just tell that I told you to call him."
"Heh, old reliable, huh? Well, I'll be sure to give him a call when I'm able to. Thanks, Tennyson." He said as he raised the card slightly in thanks.
Later That Afternoon
The Docks
After school that day, I headed to the docks in my search of Vilgax and his bunker. I had checked out the map and all of the notes that Nathan had given to me last night. I stood over a manhole, looking down at it.
"According to the map and the notes, this manhole leads down to the tunnel that I need to take."
Only problem is, how do I lift the damn thing?
I figured starting with my hands would be a good idea, but guess what? Not a chance. I let out a sigh, finding myself stuck. I looked around me for anything I could use as leverage to get the cover up. I found myself looking at a crowbar leaning against the wall of a warehouse not too far away from the cover. I walked over and picked it up.
That's convenient, I thought.
I returned to the cover and stuck one end of the crowbar in the notch in between the edge of the cover and the rim. I began to push the crowbar down by the other end and although it wasn't easy, after some time, I began to see the cover move a little. I continued applying the leverage to it for a while until I was able to use my hands to push it the rest of the way up.
Eventually it fell over onto the ground, so that the other end was facing up. I stood back up and returned the crowbar to where I had found it. I returned to the now open shaft and stared down it. I took a deep breath as I started down the ladder.
Holy shit, I'm headed down into the sewer, I thought.
For some reason it was just now hitting me. I reached the bottom of the ladder and turned around, taking out my flashlight and turning it on. In my other hand, were the directions to the location of Vilgax's bunker. And so, I headed off in search of this bunker.
Sometime Later
I'm going to skip the details of me finding my way to the bunker's entrance. You're really not missing out on anything. I had found the entrance to the bunker and I was now standing in a tunnel with the entrance to the bunker at the other end of said tunnel. The entrance was gigantic, like it were the entrance to some giant bank vault. I turned around the corner so that the entrance was no longer in view and took a deep breath.
Well, it's now or never.
I rounded the corner again and approached the entrance this time. As I got within range of the entrance, an unseen alarm began blaring and two turrets of some kind came out of either wall, pointed at me. I heard a foreign, alien language being spoken through a speaker, which I obviously couldn't understand.
"No!" I exclaimed. "English! English!"
I don't know why I had expected anything to change from me saying that, yet it did. The alien language coming from the intercom switched to an English voice and I now realized that it was automated.
"You are trespassing on private property, human. Leave or be destroyed."
Like the idiot I was, I continued in my approach and in response, I heard the turrets begin cycling.
"Vilgax, it's Ben Tennyson! We met at a water park last summer, where you demanded the Omnitrix from me!"
I didn't get an answer, but I heard the cycling of the turrets and the alarm both die down.
"Vilgax, I told you it's Ben Tennyson! I know you're in there!"
Still nothing. If nothing else had happened, I would have spoken again, but of course, something did happen. The entrance opened, with the door, if you could call it that, splitting in half to reveal nothing but a dark area on the inside. Right now, every instinct of mine was screaming for me to get out of here. But of course, I didn't back down. I began walking again and entered the darkness. I continued walking for a few seconds, before bright lights turned on all around me.
"That's far enough, Tennyson." A chillingly familiar voice spoke.
I looked up to see Vilgax sitting on a big chair that closely resembled a throne about ten feet away from where I was standing.
"How did you find us?"
Us? As far as I know, you're all…
Then I took a look around me, to see myself surrounding my aliens wearing orange and black helmets, with interesting body structures, all of them holding me at gunpoint with laser weapons.
…alone.
I looked back at Vilgax, who was expecting an answer from me.
"Um, a contact of a friend of mine found your bunker and gave me directions."
"Who?"
"I wouldn't tell you."
"Alright, then. Why did you come here?"
"Because I need your help."
Vilgax just stared at me in response for a few seconds. And then he let roared with laughter. After he finished laughing, he looked at me seriously again.
"Help you? Why would I ever do such a thing?"
Well, time to see if my persuasion can continue.
"Because, if you do, I'll give you the Omnitrix."
Vilgax didn't laugh this time, he just stared at me.
"You don't have the Omnitrix." He said in a serious tone.
"No, I don't. But getting the Omnitrix for you wouldn't be difficult. I know you want it, so if you help me, it's yours."
He narrowed his eyes.
"What do you need?"
"Have you heard of the Forever Knights?"
"Of course, I have. They have a lot of technology that I'd really like to have. What does this have to do with you?"
"They've done a lot to hurt me. I'm forming a team to assault them and make sure that they can hurt anyone ever again. And I want your help."
"Well, getting them out of the way may help me, so I think I could help you."
"Wait, just like that?"
"Yes, just like that. Would you rather I refuse?"
I raised my hands in defense.
"No, no, no! Of course not! I just think this is too easy!"
"As long as you don't try to back out of your side of the deal, it won't be 'too difficult'."
"You needn't worry, Vilgax. I fully intend to hand it over."
"Alright, then. Well, if you're being sincere, I'll lend you a hand. Here."
He tossed me a pad of some kind. I hefted it.
"What's this?"
"It's a transmitter. You press that button and some of my drones will travel to your location and will be calibrated to follow you. I can spare a dozen or so."
"A dozen? That's it?"
"Yes. And that's all you're getting. Unless you want to take your chances without me."
"No. Of course not."
"Good. Return here with the Omnitrix when you've achieved your objective. I believe we're done here. Guards, dispose of our guest."
"Wait, wha…Mmmph!"
As I spoke, I heard footsteps approaching from behind and then a burlap sack was put over my head, drowning out my speech.
Sometime Later
I was thrown face down into a pool of water, which surprised me. Luckily my arms and legs weren't bound, so getting up and getting the sack off of my head wouldn't be a problem. I stood up and felt around the bottom of the sack, to find that they had tied it around my neck.
I suddenly began to panic, but managed to undo the tie and get the sack off. I let out several deep breathes as I dropped the sack onto the ground. I found myself standing on a boat ramp. They hadn't thrown me into a pool of water, I had been thrown into the slowly rising waves.
"They certainly knew what they were doing." I spoke to myself as I let out a sigh.
I turned around and walked up the ramp. I had one more person to go see. But to do that, I needed to go home and get my car. It would make this part much easier.
Later That Night
Docks and Warehouses District – Bellwood
I had checked some of the addresses listed in Leon's file and I found him at the third or fourth warehouse that I checked out. I got out of my car and shut the door, then approached. I reached the door and knocked on it. I didn't get an answer, but when I looked up to the windows, I thought I could see light on the inside.
I looked around the building and eventually spotted a ladder. I gripped the rungs and begun my climb to the roof. Once I got to the roof, I began looking around and confirmed that there were lights on in the warehouse.
Had I found him?
I noticed a hole in one of the windows and approached it. I noticed some wooden boxes stacked up to the window. I crouched and crept in through the window. There was a formation of boxes all around me, which provided a safe way down. I began to creep down from my position and about halfway down, I called out.
"Leon? Are you here?"
Almost immediately after, I heard gunfire, most likely aimed at me.
"Get out of here! Get out!"
"Fuck, fuck, fuck, shit!" I exclaimed in panic as I worked my way down from the boxes.
He must have heard me open, he couldn't have fired so quickly if he hadn't. Of you know, he heard me knock.
I got down from the boxes and heard him begin to reload.
Okay, this is my chance to hide and wait for him to fire and reload again. Then I'll try to talk him down!
"Whoever you are, come out. Before I start shooting again."
I didn't want to leave my cover, but I didn't have much of a choice. I stood up and left my cover, getting into his line of sight, while remaining in the shadows.
"Who are you?" he asked, with a handgun aimed at me.
"It's me, Leon." I said in a calm tone. "It's Ben Tennyson."
He didn't move for a few seconds. Eventually he moved to a table within my line of sight, piled high with guns and sat his handgun down.
"Get out of here. Leave."
Now that he wasn't aiming his gun at me, I approached.
"Please, Leon. I need your help to fight the Forever Knights."
I stepped into the light so that I could see him better. He had never replaced the helmet that I shattered.
"Leon, please. After what he forced you to do, you should help me. You could get payback on them."
He ignored what I said as he turned to face me. As he did, his face came into view and I saw what I had done to him. The skin that had struggling to grow back had been torn and bruised and the muscle tissue on his face looked damaged.
"You don't deserve my help." He said with anger.
I sighed.
"Leon, please."
He didn't say anything. I needed to appeal to him somehow.
"Leon, your wife and kid wouldn't want you to do this. They'd want you to help someone when they're in need."
That's when he said something I wasn't expecting.
"Fuck you!" he exclaimed in an even angrier tone.
"That's not the…"
"You manipulative little prick!"
I said nothing this time.
"Oh, boo hoo-hoo, my wife wouldn't want me to do this! Why the fuck would I care either way?!"
"I'm sorry about what I did to you." I tried to cool him down. "You weren't the one I should have been blaming."
"I don't care if you're sorry! You shouldn't have fucked with someone more powerful than you! Now get the hell out of here!"
I slowly looked away with a sad look on my face. I couldn't get through to him. He wouldn't help.
"Are you deaf?! Get out! Get out!"
I looked back at Leon, to see him moving toward the table, reaching for a Spas-12 shotgun. I started running, you didn't have to tell me twice. I ran away from him and toward a door that was behind me.
"Get. The fuck. Out!"
He started firing as I threw the door open and I somehow wasn't hit. I ran out of the warehouse and back to my car. I gunned it away from there, scared for my life. I only slowed down for the speed limit.
Close To Midnight
The Tennyson House
I felt defeated. I had been on a roll with recruiting up until now. Everyone I had spoken to told me that they'd help me, to various degrees. So, when Leon refused to help me, I was disappointed and saddened by that fact. And when he called me a manipulative prick for mentioning his deceased wife…
I wasn't trying to manipulate him! I really thought that his wife and kid wouldn't want this life for him! But he wouldn't listen and after having seen his face, after seeing how I had beaten him more clearly, I can't say that I blamed him. Maybe I deserved a refusal here and there. I was sitting down in the basement, attempting to sift through more files, but it was no use.
After what happened at his warehouse, I couldn't even think straight. I was just sitting there, in front of my laptop, when I heard something from it. I snapped out of the daze that I had been in and looked at the screen. I couldn't tell what the sound hand been, so I brought up the Google Chrome tab that had been open since the day before yesterday.
I always had a tab with my inbox open, just in case I got mail. And I had just gotten one. I stared at the most recent piece of mail in there. There was nothing in the subject line, it was from an unknown sender and not to mention the fact that it was maybe a minute or so until midnight.
What the hell? Who sends an email this late at night?
I opened it and saw that there was no text. Only a video attachment. I should have closed it and forgotten about it right then and there. But against my better judgement, I downloaded the video attachment, put in my headphones and opened it. The first thing I saw was Ulysses Enoch, standing in front of a dark background. My blood immediately began to boil, but I needed to focus on what was to come.
"Good evening, Tennyson. I hope you aren't doing well, given recent events."
Why you fucking prick!
I held my tongue. Talking wouldn't do me any good, so I paid attention.
"You know, it's funny how things work. I appreciated that you came to me, offering to get off my back in exchange for us leaving you alone. Now, I was going to leave you alone, I really was! But you're a loose end, unfortunately! How can I trust that you'd keep your side of the bargain?"
You son of a bitch. You want to talk about trust? What about you?! What did you do?!
"However, the assassination attempt on your father clearly didn't send the message that I wanted you to get. I know you're plotting against me. You're getting ready to come for me. Maybe this will discourage you, no that there's anyway out of this for you. Please enjoy, my friend."
My friend? Where does he…
I didn't have time to finish that thought. As I was thinking, Enoch and the dark background disappeared and was replaced by a view into his office. And surprisingly, I was there! And even more, I recognized what this was. This was us when we went to confront Enoch after I woke up! Why would he send me a recording of this? I would soon understand that.
When I appeared on the screen, I was in costume, just as I had remembered and walked up to his desk where he sat. I grabbed the back of his head and forced him forward, so that his face impacted the top of the desk. I pulled him back so that he faced me and I pulled off my mask. When this happened, the camera had a good angle on my face for several seconds.
I never took off my mask during this confrontation, did I? And even if I did, that camera hadn't had a good angle on my face!
"Listen to me and listen well! Do not make me come back here. If I have to come back to beat you even further, I will kill you! Do we understand each other?"
I never said those things to him!
"Yes." He spoke in a slurred voice.
"Good." I said as I let go of him.
Then I went for his keyboard, picked it up and whacked him across the face with it. Once he went back down onto the desk, I dropped the keyboard.
Okay, I know I did that, but did I really use as much force as what was shown here?
"Glad that we have an understanding. See you around, Enoch."
That's where the footage ended and I was still confused, although I was also a bit worried now. Enoch appeared back on screen, but this time he was at his desk, sitting with his hands folded onto the desk, the camera facing him.
"Enjoy that, Tennyson? At midnight tomorrow night, I'll leak this footage to every major newspaper company in the city. After that, you'll have nowhere left to hide. You shouldn't have fucked with me and my people, kid. Enjoy your last twenty four hours of freedom, Tennyson."
The video went black and the replay button appeared, although I didn't press it. Why would I? Now it was time for me to panic. I glanced at my phone sitting on the arm of the couch. I had to call Nathan, tell him that we needed to do the raid tomorrow after school, or I was done. Hopefully he'd give me some advice. I didn't know what to think right now.
As I stood up, I tripped over myself and hit my head on the edge of the couch. It didn't hurt that much, maybe it was the adrenaline flowing through me. I grabbed my phone, put in my password and opened my contact list. I selected Nathan's information and dialed his number. I put my phone to my ear, running my hands through my messy hair as sweat beaded up on my forehead.
"Come on, come on." I silently urged. "Pick up, pick up!"
Author's Note:
* And that's it for this chapter! I hope that you enjoyed!
* So, what do you think of this twist at the very end? Maybe this kind of twist is a cliché, but I've had this idea for a while now and it wasn't going to go any differently.
* Um, just one housekeeping thing to get through before I end this thing: About two weeks ago, I uploaded a new Ben 10 story, called Ben 10: Ultimate Alien (not related to the cartoon of the same name). If any of my readers want to read a different Ben 10 story, where characters and story develop over longer periods of time, then I highly suggest checking out Ultimate Alien.
* That's going to do it for me. I'm going to go, so have a Bwen-tastic day and bye.
Next Chapter: In the Volume Finale, everything comes to a head. Our group plans the raid, where Cooper reveals a project that he had been keeping under wraps and the voice in Ben's head causes him to go rogue. On Enoch's end, an interesting event will transpire.