Ben was engaging the hostile Plumber jets when he was sideswiped by something. Or someone. They were currently dropping out of the sky at high speeds. Whoever it was had a black helmet masking their identity. Heatblast's eyes widened in shock when he recognized the insignia on the black armor. Rick was here? Ben cursed as he tried to get control of the current fight. But the person wasn't budging on their position, so Ben grabbed the person in a bearhug and released an inferno of flames.
Heatblast tried to counter the velocity with a flame ignition from his back. Nothing was working and the fighters were still losing altitude rapidly. Ben glanced back at where they were inevitably going to land and felt his blood run cold. The city of Bellwood was coming into view from the clouds and Ben's struggle was suddenly invigorated with determination. His actions were futile though. It felt like the man was glued to infinitely heavy rock; no matter how much he pushed back, it wasn't enough.
"Hey asshole! We're about to fall on top of a packed city square! I don't know if you took physics but if we crash at this speed, a lot of people are going to die!" Ben retorted.
Heatblast beat down on the person's back with his oversized fist to no avail. Ben once again attempted to change their direction or slow their velocity. It was too late. They crashed into the cobblestone square with an immediate explosion that annihilated everything within a 100 foot circle, cracking the earth underneath them in a 30 foot crater. The resulting shockwave tossed cars and debris like toys, destroying smaller buildings and crippling larger ones. A ring of fire appears within the devastation, highlighting the chaos for the world to see. Citizens were immediately thrown into disarray; they frantically ran away from the flames like ants scattering. The souls in the blast were erased instantly, while the unlucky ones were left on the brink of death from their injuries. Death didn't discriminate; it took men, women, and children, young and old, guilty or not.
Ben slowly stood up from the crater, scanning the devastation around him. He glanced up at the edge of the hole to see the Black Ops soldier standing there looking down at him. He could barely see through all the fire.
"Why! Why did you do this! I thought the Plumbers were about saving lives!" He called out.
The person stayed silent, sliding into the crater and approaching the young man. Ben tried another question.
"Who are you?"
"I'm hurt! You don't even recognize your own teammate?"
Heatblast's eyes widened as King's voice rang out from the flames. Ben was always skeptical of King's powers and abilities. He wasn't given any orders or missions from Rick and the man had never seen combat before.
"You sent those people to their deaths…"
"Rick's orders are absolute. Nothing else matters in the long run; anyone stupid enough to get in his way will be erased."
"And what exactly are his orders?" Heatblast asked.
"The elimination of Ben Tennyson by any means necessary. I'll kill every human on this planet if I have to."
Heatblast growled from the threat and his flame body ignited in anger. Fire exploded underneath his feet, propelling him forward like a jet. The fire alien wrapped his arms around King's waist in a powerful tackle. Ben's main concern was to get King as far away from Bellwood as possible.
"Please," King scoffed.
The soldier laced his fingers together and raised his hands above his head. King dropped his hands in a hammer fashion onto the alien's back. Ben almost blacked out from the impact, slamming into the ground. King grabbed the back of Ben's neck like a cat picking up her kitten. He spun around slowly before tossing Ben out of the ring of fire into a nearby building with ease. Saying Ben was shocked would be an understatement. He slowly got to his feet with his hand clutching his aching head. The fearful eyes of the people hiding inside fell on him.
"Get outta here. Help anyone who can't escape on their own."
"It's too late for them. They chose their side when they decided to resist the Plumbers."
Ben's head spun towards the gaping hole he crashed through to see the menacing figure of King. The man pulled his helmet off and revealed his face to Ben. A black-haired man with yellow eyes stared at the hero. Though the white skin hinted he was from Earth, everything else pointed at him being not from this world. The citizens froze up and could only watch the confrontation between the two powerful people.
"I said get outta here!" Ben yelled as he rushed forward.
Red light emitted from King's eyes for a moment before a solid laser beam shot out, nailing the hero right in the chest. Ben tanked the blast by absorbing the intense heat the beam generated.
"Sorry buddy but you're not gonna win a battle of heat with me!" Ben taunted.
"Then let's see how they fare against it."
Ben was confused for a moment before realizing what King meant. He ran towards him with his fire-powered fist cocked back for a punch. It was already too late, the people hiding in fear of the battle were struck down by King's laser vision. Ben tried to stop him by pummeling the soldier with devastating punches. One by one innocent men and women were sliced to ribbons by the attack. Tennyson was sure that their screams would stay with him for the rest of time.
"STOP!" Ben pleaded desperately.
King didn't respond as he tanked the hits from Ben to continue the slaughter. Suddenly the yelling stopped and was replaced with the sound of flames burning. Heatblast glanced to his left and right and saw the mutilated bodies of innocent people around the room. No… Their bodies were chopped into pieces like they went through the butcher shop. The mere scene made vomit rise up in the young man's throat.
"You killed them…"
"To show you how pointless this all is," King answered grimly. "And I assure you they won't be the last."
King suckerpunched Heatblast in the jaw, expecting to send him flying again. Tennyson stood his ground; his head glowing a bright red in return. King pulled his smoking hand away and grinned at the blood-lusted man.
"You finally manned up…I guess I'll have to stop pulling my punches."
"Killing good people for NO REASON AT ALL! IT'S UNACCEPTABLE!" he yelled, partially at himself.
King noticed flames swirling around them, being sucked into the alien's body at an alarming rate. He glanced outside to see even the hellstorm dissipating into mere embers as it was all absorbed by Heatblast. The flames whipped wickedly around the alien, flickering into a bluish hue. Two horns made of flame appear on his head paired with a white hot ring forming around his waist. King felt like he was standing inches away from the surface of the sun. The concrete and metal of their current location were melting and fusing together.
Ben raised his arm before swinging downwards with a chopping motion. The hand sliced right through the front of the "indestructible" suit. King managed to jump back in time and cocked his hand back for a punch and Ben did the same. Their fists collided in a battle of fire and strength, for a moment they were locked in a stalemate of an unstoppable force and immovable object. The energy being expended was far too great; the opponents were blown out of the building in opposite directions.
A miniature mushroom cloud could be seen by fleeing citizens. News reporters turned to the scene in horror trying their best to explain what was happening. One would say the end was near and those who came to that conclusion weren't too far off the mark. They saw a fireball come hurtling in their direction and everyone scattered for cover. The object crashed through the asphalt and was sent sliding another two blocks.
Ben reverted back into his human self and groaned loudly. There were cuts and bruises along his face and the man's body felt like it was engulfed in flames. Pain was the only thing running through his mind. He winced as he tried to move from the crater, his muscles didn't respond to his demands. The most he could do is roll onto his stomach and attempt the world's hardest push-up. Tennyson's biceps were screaming for a release from the agony, and his core was reduced to jello at the moment. He was hearing voices and the man thought he was going crazy from the pain.
"Is that him?"
"Ben Tennyson?"
"Wait… that's Ben 10!"
Ben noticed the shadows of bystanders to his left and right. He cursed himself for being so weak. Now all these people were going to die.
"Who cares…"
"He left us for the Plumbers…"
Ben widened his eyes, mentally unprepared for the last statement.
"He's no hero, he betrayed us."
Images of a simpler time flashed through his mind. A time when it was just him, Gwen, and grandpa Max traveling across the country fighting bad guys. Then more moments revealed itself: Ben beating Vilgax for the first time, The war against the highbreed, conflicts with warhawk alien species, fighting bad guys as a team with Gwen and Kevin. Ben could feel tears dripping on the ground below him. One voice pulled him out of his trance.
"Don't give up! I know you're still good! I know it!"
Ben finally looked to his side to see all the distraught people staring back at him, along with one freckled little boy with tears in his eyes.
"You can't give up! Because you're Ben 10!" he shouted.
Tennyson saw a dirtied Four-arms action figure in the boy's hands. After all this time and everything he's done, people still believed in him. Ben saw others nodding in response to the boy's statement. He pushed himself to his knees, huffing heavily with newly instilled motivation. Ben finally stood to his feet and limped forward slowly.
King landed on a street corner with a groan. He quickly got up and noticed the bad state of his armor. The man ripped chunks of the broken suit off, leaving him in a black latex under-armor. King began to levitate upwards with his head on a swivel in hopes of finding his enemy. He flew over the tall buildings and his hawk-like vision honed in on an injured Tennyson. The soldier made his way over and landed 20 feet away from the younger man.
"See? Look at you! What can you possibly do against me?" King shouted, putting his hands up.
Ben didn't respond to the man's taunting and merely glanced back at the boy and crowd.
"Thanks for making me remember who I was. Now get to safety while I handle this!" he told them.
Ben fiddled with his watch praying for it to give him who he needed. He grinned before slamming down on the watch-face. A green flash enveloped the hero and a loud roar was heard from within. Humongousaur grew to a hulking 30 feet tall with armored plates appearing along his chest and back.
"IT'S HERO TIME!"
Ben started to stomp towards the seemingly invincible man with a nasty glare, small craters forming underneath his feet with every step. King allowed the alien to come within inches of him. It was an intense staredown between a hulking dinosaur and the black ops soldier.
"Someone found their confidence," King mocked.
"Unlucky for you," Ben snapped back.
King threw, and landed, the first punch that moved at supersonic speed. You could hear the crack of impact from a mile away. Humougousaur simply grinned at the man. So King swung again and again with hooks, haymakers, and uppercuts at Ben's face. The alien staggered back a few steps from the devastating hits. King was winding back for another punch when he was swatted aside like a fly. The man went cartwheeling through an apartment building into a gas station that erupted instantaneously.
Ben jumped effortlessly into the air and slammed down near the scene. He rushed into the flames in search of his foe and was sideswiped by a metal beam that sent him staggering onto an empty bus. The steel piece of debris came flying out of the firestorm aimed at Ben, who quickly spatted it away. King came rocketing out next and delivered a gut punch to the dinosaur alien. Spittle came out of the alien's mouth at the surprise attack. King used the opportunity to land a deafening blow to Ben's chin, cracking his head back from impact.
Tennyson used his meaty forearm to block the flurry of punches that King sent his way, each hit more powerful than the last. Ben used his free arm to grab the bus from underneath him and swing it at his opponent. Like smacking a bug out of the air with a rolled-up newspaper, King was thrown to the ground and crushed by the 14 ton passenger bus. Ben tried to finish the job with a follow-up ground pound, but King emerged from the side of the vehicle before collision. The dodge caused him to slide across the street. Ben picked the bus up over his head with the intent of doing more damage. King had a different plan; his laser vision cutting the bus in half. Humougousaur pitched the two pieces at him, to which the man responded by taking flight into the air.
As Ben watched the man soar into the sky, he attempted to hatch a plan to beat the soldier. Tennyson has been looking for weaknesses as they fought, but the man showed no sign of relenting. Extreme strength and durability, flight, heat vision; this guy was straight out of a comic book! Ben knew he couldn't fight King forever and the city wouldn't hold up in an all-out battle between them.
King came rocketing out of the sky towards the hero, dodging the pieces of debris that was flung at him. Ben swung at the incoming foe in a last-ditch effort. King cut right at the last second and countered with his own monstrous punch to the jaw. It was followed by another punch that broke the sound barrier making contact with Ben's cheek. Humougousaur was knocked off balance and collapsed onto a building, gripping onto anything stable to regain his wits.
Ben glanced up to see King come barreling towards him with his fists extended out in front of him. The alien was forced completely through the building and landed on his back. In the street, hiding bystanders could see King pummeling the dinosaur mercilessly. The soldier was pulling no punches and the blood pouring out of Humungousaur's nose was evident of that. Every lightning -fast hit had the crack of thunder behind it. Ben was no longer moving at the end of the assault, having blacked in and out of consciousness due to King's power.
A green flash returned Ben to his human form with a banged up face. He was breathing heavily and could barely open his eyes due to the swelling. Ben's face was broken and cut in every place possible. Too many injuries for the Omnimatrix to catch up. The watch was simply keeping him alive in spite of all his facial and head trauma. One couldn't know if that was a blessing or a curse at the moment. Ben has been on the edge of death many times before. But this time felt so real. Every other occasion he knew he'd pull through but now Tennyson didn't have an answer. I'm sorry… Was his last thought before everything went dark.
King stood over the unconscious body of his sworn enemy. He felt no remorse, no guilt, no empathy for the man underneath him. Only malice. King's eyes began to slowly glow red as he activated his final attack. Goodbye, Ben Tennyson. Bystanders could only watch in horror at the scene unfolding before them. There laid the greatest hero in the world beaten at the hands of the Plumbers. Tears ran down the cheeks of many, dread flooded their minds as Hope was snuffed out.
Two pink orbs zoomed towards King from the side. He couldn't even sense their presence as the projectiles blindsided him, throwing him 30 feet away from Tennyson. Even the crowd was shocked by the sudden colorful attack. A silver-haired woman came into view holding something in her hand. A spellbook and a wand. Hope had a determined look on her face as she shot another spell at the recovering man. King dodged and lunged to attack his new prey with hate in his eyes. Charmcaster uttered another spell at that moment. King instantly stopped mid-air before being blown backwards, out of sight, in the opposite direction.
Lucy rushed up to the unconscious Ben as Hope secured the perimeter. She held the man in her arms and took one look at him. The witch scanned the area for any sign of more enemies, she didn't know who that man was but his life force was massive.
"He needs a doctor right now…"
"Then let's go," Hope answered as she chanted another spell.
A pink portal opened up in front of the blonde. Lucy lifted the man in her arms as quickly as she could. She walked through the bright pink light and arrived in the place they left, the headquarters of the resistance.
**PAGE BREAK**
Gwen murmured a silent prayer as she clung on for dear life. The stray jet had landed a fatal hit to Tetrax's ship, destroying one of the turbo engines in the process. They were currently spinning out of control towards downtown. The redhead called out to Lucy and ordered her to retrieve Hope and Carly. Gwen didn't want them perishing in this shipwreck. The sorceress extended her arms out to the side and closed her eyes. One of Gwen's strengths was the ability to concentrate in the worst situations. A small orb of mana appears quickly expanding to engulf the entire ship in the magical bubble. It didn't stop the spacecraft from crashing into a building. The sudden impact made Gwen wince as she focused on keeping the shield up. Dropping the barrier now would only result in immediate death for her friends.
Scattered citizens on the ground could see the out-of-control ship tear through the concrete building before coming to a stop near the edge. People saw the bubble flicker in and out before disappearing altogether, they were internally scratching their heads at the strange vessel. But the one person who needed to see it witnessed the scene unfold.
Hera's eyes had not deceived her, she saw the faint presence of Gwen's magic. It had to be; Hera wouldn't take no for an answer. The soldier controlling the radio looked up for her commander's guidance.
"Tell everyone to suit up and enter the city for disaster relief support!" Hera ordered swiftly.
"And what about the heroes, ma'am?"
"We need them on the frontlines to confront the attacking Plumbers, and make sure to tell them to push the fighting towards the outskirts."
The soldiers in the room nodded and acted out their leader's wishes. Hera requested a team come with her on a search and rescue mission. Five soldiers stood up tall to escort their commander into battle. She made her way back to her office, where Manny and Julie were waiting.
"Manny, we could use you out there," Hera called out.
"I'm not going…"
Hera stopped putting on her armor for a second and turned to the red alien with a confused look.
"Alan and Helen were murdered in cold blood… When I find their killer, I'll rip 'em in half."
"This isn't the time to think about revenge; we're about to go to war!" Hera shouted.
Manny raised his head and glared at the woman, "You think I give a fuck about any of that?", he snarled.
Hera narrowed her eyes at the man's selfishness. He's not the only person grieving their loss. Helen and Alan were good soldiers and even greater people. She treated them like family and they were ripped away from her. The woman could only wish that she got her hands on the person who caused all of this, but right now she has to put all of that hate behind her. Hera didn't want to say it but they had more important things to deal with.
"I am ordering you to ready up with a squad and go out on the frontlines with all the other heroes."
"I'm going after Alan's killer. And don't call me a hero; that was the stupid title Alan gave to me."
Manny stomps out of the room, despite the threats thrown at him from Hera. The commander slams her fist on the desk and murmurs a foreign curse underneath her breath. No use getting mad now… Gwen was still out there. She glances over at a quiet Julie, not knowing what to do with her. The woman almost forgot she was tied up in all of this. Hera calls in two guards and requests that they watch over her. For protection purposes, she told herself.
"Let's go," she called out to her squad.
Tetrax was helping Lucy pull Charmcaster and Carly out of the wreckage. Gwen was able to protect them from the fiery crash. The alien hadn't heard back from Cooper in a while, worried that he had gotten too cocky and slipped up. Gwen was the last to exit the vessel and stood in the fortunately abandoned building. Gwen kneels beside the two injured and looks them over for a moment. Hope's breathing had stabilized and she wasn't sweating bullets anymore. That was a good sign but this heat definitely wasn't doing the witch any favors.
"We need to get them out of here," Gwen observed.
Tetrax nodded as he tossed the women on his broad shoulders. He followed closely behind Gwen and Lucy who nativagated the treacherous terrain. Fire was closing in on both sides of the group. Gwen could see the exit come into view through the flames. Rubble began to levitate surrounded by a pink aura, quickly moving out of the way for the team. Sunlight leaked into the dreary building as they rushed outside into safety.
Tetrax gently placed Carly and Hope against the wall of an empty alley. He quickly checked their pulses and didn't notice anything abnormal. Gwen kneeled beside them and kept watch as Tetrax and Lucy secured the perimeter. Still no word from Cooper and Lucy was getting worried that something happened. A small voice told her to go look for him but she couldn't abandon the others at the moment.
Tetrax pulled his laser pistol out as several shadows appeared from around the corner. He kept his barrel pointed at the corner and waited for them to reveal themselves. It could be a couple of helpless civilians looking to take shelter from the destruction on the streets. He wouldn't blame them but he couldn't take the risk of Plumbers patrolling the area after their ship crashed. Five soldiers walked around the corner with their weapons up. Tetrax noticed an armored tall woman standing in the back. The alien heard Gwen gasp from behind him and he wondered if she knew these people.
"Hera?"
Hera? Tetrax couldn't recognize the ally with her helmet and gear on. He was beyond relieved to see another friendly face in this shitshow. Hera rushed past the guards to envelop Gwen in a tight hug.
"Oh thank the gods!" she whispered.
An explosion rang out in the distance that brought the group back to their senses. Hera ordered the soldiers to take care of the injured women. They would need to stay on the move. If the resistance caught sight of Gwen's ship then no doubt the Plumbers were searching for them as well. The group stuck to the shadows on their way back to base. Gwen's stomach dropped at the sight of the men and women fighting against the Plumbers. The city that she loved and protected was now in flames. The stench of death was everywhere, Gwen could sense all the lost souls being taken away.
"Ma'am! You returned!" The soldiers greeted Hera.
Gwen stepped into the vast underground base and could only look on in awe from how much progress they've made since she was gone.
"The mission was a success! Gwen Tennyson has returned to us!" Hera shouted to listening soldiers.
The arena erupted into cheers and claps for the returned leader of the resistance. Gwen was speechless at the sheer amount of people that surrounded them. It felt like she was at a major sporting event. Hera pushed the redhead to the front of the pack and the cheers got even louder at her presence. Gwen ran her hands through her tangled hair in an attempt to make herself presentable.
"Thank you for waiting and lending your loyalty to Hera. Things from now on are going to be hard… uh- like really hard," Gwen stuttered, not knowing what to say.
Hera placed a hand on Gwen's shoulder as a sign of support. Gwen looked down at the patiently waiting soldiers staring back at her. Everyone here wanted to be here. No reason to be nervous now.
"The Plumbers want to take away our way of life in exchange for safety! To HELL with that! We've been protecting ourselves all these years and we'll continue to protect ourselves, our cities, and the ones we love. It's about time we show the Plumbers exactly how WE PROTECT our city!"
A blare of cheering rang out as the soldiers raised their weapons into the air and cheered out.
"We are going to take back Bellwood, then we're gonna take back the WORLD, and after that we're going to free every planet underneath Plumber control!"
"YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!" the soldier cheered.
"Fight with me, brothers and sisters! Today will be the last day of the Plumber regime!"
Gwen's team gathered together in Hera's office for a quick meeting; they would need to discuss some strategy to win this war.
"They really loved you out there," Hera pointed out.
"A motivational speech will get anyone riled up," Gwen answered.
"I've been meaning to ask about Ben."
"We got him back but…" the redhead trailed off.
"But?"
"He was attacked by an unknown enemy in the sky. We have no clue where he is," Tetrax spoke up quickly.
"No… I can sense him. He's still in a battle with someone near the main square."
"The town center? That must have been what we heard earlier; a massive explosion went off before you crashed. My people on the ground say it's an absolute mess over there," Hera informed.
"If that's true when we need to head over there right now," Gwen barked.
"No way, you're the leader of an entire resistance now. You can't run around the battlefield as you please! What if you're captured, or worse, killed? These people can't take a mortal hit like that, it'll crush them."
"What do you expect me to do? Let my cousin go MIA?"
"I expect you to lead!" Hera shouted back.
Silence filled the room as Gwen narrowed her eyes at the woman. Tetrax was about to step in when the door swung open with a bandaged Charmcaster on the other side. She had a determined look on her face.
"She's right. You need to stay here. I'll go get Ben."
"You?" Gwen and Hera questioned simultaneously.
"You shouldn't even be out of bed right now!" Gwen scolded.
"Not to mention I don't 100% trust you either…" Hera grumbled.
"Fine… I'll go with Lucy to his location and bring him back," Hope suggested.
"How do you expect to pull him out if he's in the middle of a fight?" Hera asked.
"With a teleportation spell of course, we'll slip in and out before the enemy even knows what happened."
"Hope, you really shouldn't be using mana so soon after your accident," Gwen rebuked.
The witch scoffed, "Worry about yourself."
"We don't have time to argue this further,"Tetrax chimed in. "Hope and Lucy, can we trust you to deliver Tennyson back to us?" He added with a glance towards the girls.
Hope nodded and Lucy gave the alien a thumbs-up. Tetrax looked over at Gwen for her final say.
"Go and come back. No detours and if Ben doesn't want to go then… Just leave him."
Hope pulled a wand from her sleeve and murmured a spell underneath her breath. A pink portal opened up in the middle of the room. Gwen watched the two disappear into the portal, closing behind them. Now they could focus on their strategy, it was hard to brainstorm without knowing the Plumber's true intentions. The person who created the regime was now dead by the hands of his own people. What was their next objective? Did they want to continue controlling the galaxies? Gwen had no clue. All the redhead knew was that they had to stop the Plumbers.
"We don't even know what their plan is," Tetrax revealed solemnly.
"I may be able to help with that…"
The trio turned to a familiar blonde leaning against the doorway. Carly had a stern look on her face as she limped into the room. Gwen explained to Hera that she was an ally of Ben's.
"That doesn't mean anything. We don't even know if Ben is on our side. Why is she even free roaming around? She should be locked up!"
"Please… Give me a chance to prove my worth," Carly pleaded loudly.
Hera quieted down and gave Carly the room. The blonde nodded her thanks at Hera and Gwen. Carly started with the hierarchy of the Plumbers. The idea of starting a multi-galactic regime was Panel leader Miller's. The two other panel members were always skeptical about the whole plan to become the ONE security force, not wanting the tremendous responsibility. Since Miller had the support of his black ops squad, not a single soul wanted to challenge his authority. Now that Miller is out of the picture nobody knew who Rick was working for, if anyone at all. The absence of power was scattered between the two remaining panel members.
Carly moved onto her next topic: the Plumber's original plan. She made it clear to Gwen and Hera that the Plumber's first choice wasn't dictatorship. Operation Helping Hand was focused on spreading Plumber assistance into the farthest reaches of the galaxy to invoke positive Plumber influence. That plan fell apart when the Plumbers were pulled into several different conflicts, one even spanning over 50 years. Miller came to the conclusion that peace wasn't spreading because people actively tried to oppose it for their own selfish purposes. He figured that aliens would never stop fighting, so it was time for him to place them in a permanent timeout.
Much like Ben, Miller was tired of the fighting. He would return every alien to their home planet and restrict them from leaving; where they would be forced into a bubble utopia under Plumber watch. Doing so would destroy a lot of societal structures but he didn't care. Carly theorized that his murderers killed him in a hope to prevent an economic collapse, a lot of people were going to lose money and they couldn't have that.
"So you're blaming this on the greediness of others?" Hera scoffed.
"Someone saw an opportunity for ultimate power and somehow convinced the closest person to Miller to partake in their schemes. The Plumbers are more powerful than they've ever been," Carly informed the trio. "The organization has control of several extremely advanced civilizations."
Tetrax shuddered, remembering what happened to Lady Reina and her victory became less and less likely as time passed. Carly pointed out that their only advantage was the dysfunction caused within the organization by Miller's death. If we keep splitting the Plumbers apart they wouldn't be able to keep control of their sectors. She mentioned that Gwen's goal should be to kill the two remaining panel members.
"Where would they even be?" the redhead questioned.
"Rick would know…"
Lucy fell through the portal with a badly injured Ben in her arms. Hera immediately called for medical attention and soldiers told the man away. Charmcaster stepped through the portal and it immediately closed behind her. She fell to her knees huffing for air as she tried to keep herself from passing out.
"What happened?" Gwen yelled to the women.
"He lost…" Hope groaned out.