I'm back with another chapter, on schedule. I just wanted to say that I was gratified by the general response of last chapter. It's inspiring me to write even more! For that, thank you. Wanting to create a fic that is well-responded to is a great motivator.
And I'd be lying if I said I wasn't gunning for that Number 1 spot on Ben 10/Marvel crossovers. Will I ever reach those aspirations? Who knows. Won't stop me from trying, though!
Thank you for reading, and giving my story the light of day. I appreciate all types of reviews, and any and all kinds of feedback. Whether that criticism or compliments or a combination of the two. Nevertheless, I wanna say thank you all for giving this story a chance. It's because of you all that there is a chapter four.
Anyways, REVIEWS!
Rednumber39: To be honest, I was never a fan of that particular decision the writers made. And to quote the elegant Nick Fury: I recognize that the Council has made a decision. But given that it's a stupid-ass decision, I've elected to ignore it.
Maximum Rhapsody: Another fantastic review. I'm going to have some fun answering this one. Secret Wars, Secret Invasion, and Dark Phoenix are all terrific stories. I personally love every one of them. Fun fact, Dark Phoenix was one of the first Marvel stories I read. It'll always hold a special place in my heart. As for me including them… I will be featuring stories and characters from the comics. Gwen and Kevin, there are plans for them. That's all I'll say about them for the moment.
Featuring Rex is a curious idea.
I always enjoyed Charmcaster's character. She's fun, engaging, and has a set of very remarkable abilities. Unfortunately, Ester is not a character I was entirely too fond of when I first watched Omniverse. I didn't not like her, she didn't leap out at me as Charmcaster did. This story will feature the whole Marvel universe, so this story will undoubtedly be massive.
Omnitrixdelta846: I'm sorry, but I'm way more comfortable writing in first person. It's what I normally do. It is what is most in tune with my writing style. The first two chapters were a pain to write. They always are, more so for me writing it in third person. I can understand if you lose interest in the story, and it's not skin off my teeth if you no longer like this fic. Nevertheless, I appreciate your feedback. Magneto always seemed like a person that was more interested in the people variety of weapons, rather than actual weapons. Mr. Sinister on the other hand, I can see him being very interested.
OmnitrixUltimateGod: That's a good point. I still believe that Celestials are much more powerful than Celestiaspaiens, however. You also have to keep in mind that comics have a tendency to undercut their own characters. Anime does it to. Personally, I, and along with a whole lotta people have a term for that: "Plot Induced Stupidity." I.e, what they did to Madara in Naruto. They made the fucker so OP they didn't know how to kill him.
Speed Reader: Hey, thanks for the positive words! I've seen a few stories dabbling at an older Ben story, and decided to try my hand at it but with my own twist. Ben's maturity and mindset were one of the driving factors in creating this story. Thank you for noticing, and thank you for taking the time out of your day to leave a review!
Sakra95: No, the normal Celestials as a are Multiversal+. Thor killing Exitar was a terrible outlier that made no sense and is wildly regarded as one of the most controversial feats in Marvel comics. At least by Thor standards. Their reasoning for allowing Thor to kill Exitar was, "Oh, Thor has this magic axe that's enchanted to pierce Celestial armor, so he should be able to kill Exitar! One of the most powerful Celestials in Marvel!" Either the writer didn't know just how powerful the Celestials were, especially Exitar, or didn't care. Either way, it's an outlier, and I will ignore the feat. You have characters like Galactus and Odin getting fucked up by one normal Celestial.
Two characters who are wildly more powerful than base Thor (without God blast). The might of Odin and two other Skyfathers couldn't even push, stagger, harm, or even affect one Celestial at all. Odin himself was forced to kneel to them for peace.
Chapter IV: Pursuit
The full moon was gleaming overhead like an achingly astonishing spectacle. I settled into Colorado within mere minutes of leaving Jackson. As Jetray, my eyes hung low, fatigued from an inability to sleep. I hadn't rested a moment since I woke up in a containment cell.
Confessedly, it was not my first rodeo. Being captured happened more than I'd like to admit. My penchant for slithering out of tight spots and my stubborn refusal to die kept me alive this long. That, and the jolly green watch that let me transfer into a couple of dozen monster busters. I remembered making that remark when I was ten.
"We'll leave this to the experts, Ben," his grandfather had said after they encountered the Kraken for the first time.
"Experts? Who better to snag a lake monster than the guy with the monster-buster on his wrist!" I so cockily responded, eager to carve out my share of flesh.
I was just a kid then. The Omnitrix had only just leaped on my wrist a week prior. I was still hungry to kick some ass, earn recognition, and get praised for my efforts. Before, I did it for the glory, the thrill of the fight. As I grew more experienced over that summer, I realized it wasn't some game. Even before then, I knew it wasn't a game. I just didn't know. Not until Vilgax came around. No one had made me feel as terrified as he did. He haunted my dreams days before I met him and years after I did. Despite throwing him into space, I always felt like he was watching me.
It took years until I was no longer looking over my shoulder, reaching for the Omnitrix, only to realize that it wasn't on my wrist. After that, I was normal again for a while. I even felt normal.
Some part of me forgot about all the life-changing adventures I had with Grandpa Max and my annoying cousin, Gwen. Throughout the years, I began forgetting more and more. Finally, with that allaying peace, I was no longer afraid. Vilgax no longer occupied my thoughts, nor my former long-standing enemies, or all the other times I was nearly killed. Or worse, Grandpa Max and Gwen.
Normal. I was finally normal. For the first time in years, I began to play sports again. Baseball had slipped out of my interest. Watching it was boring. I always thought that. Before that summer road trip, I still loved playing it. There was something about catching a hit in right field or scoping up a ball knocked in my direction, tossing it to first base, and getting a runner out. While I wasn't the best player on the field, far from it, actually, I never put in any dedication whatsoever.
Practicing, training after school. None of that. Looking back on it now, it came as no surprise that I never excelled in anything. Gwen always told me how good I would be at certain things if I just applied myself. Like almost everything else, I disagreed with her, figuring that was just her way of jabbing at me with her "oh-so superior brain" of hers.
When Grandpa Max went missing, and I put on the Omnitrix again, I saw that she wasn't making fun of me. On the contrary, she was encouraging me as a big sister would. I took comfort in that. She looked after me like the sibling I never had.
I had a lot of maturing to do. My first step was to abandon the everyday life I had to save Grandpa Max. Later, with the help of Kevin and Gwen, we would unveil an alien conspiracy and a millennium-old alien war that threatened to spill onto Earth. It was bigger than just saving my grandfather. More significant than anything I'd ever handled before. Here, unlike all the other threats I've faced, I didn't have the wisdom of my grandfather. I had no one to teach me or guide me. All I had was Gwen and Kevin. Three teenage kids up against an entire galactic conspiracy.
Crushing my ambient thoughts, I dashed across a rooftop. A dark figure leaped ahead of me, ducking, sweeping, and sliding under various obstructions. I followed swiftly, not letting him out of my sight for even a moment. He was a slippery bugger. One wrong turn and he was gone. I'd considered going alien, it would make this process a lot smoother. But then, I squashed the idea. Since I joined the Plumbers, I'd learned that becoming reliant on the Omnitrix was a spell for disaster. I no longer used it to solve my problems or make my life easier.
I only used it when the situation called for it. A problem could grow and devolve beyond my control. A new foe could present themselves, one beyond my capabilities. Other genuinely dire circumstances. What happened when the Omnitrix times out, and I was left defenseless? That's why I used it when I needed to. Not whenever things got a little problematic. My instructor advised me that becoming overly dependent on the Omnitrix would sign my death warrant. Initially, I brushed off his device. Why wouldn't I? I'd saved the world with the watch. Who was he to tell me how I should use it?
A scoff escaped my actively breathing mouth.
I was an ignorant, arrogant child back then. Just like Azmuth would always tell me. I thought he was being pretentious in return. In reality, Azmuth, while conceited beyond belief, had an intelligence unrivaled in all the universe. If he weren't pompous, I'd think he was hiding his true self. While possessing a larger-than-life ego, it wasn't undeserved. His wisdom was not unfounded either. I was too blind to see his cutting remarks as his way of teaching me. Back then, I was too much of a fool to listen. The more competent, more experienced I got, the less I saw, and the more my ego grew. Azmuth noticed this. Despite his warnings, I never listened to him.
Not until I became a Plumber.
Slipping under a safety railing, I fell down the wall of the apartment building I was formerly sprinting across. A hand grasped firmly on the edge. Peering below, I bore in my surroundings. Buildings of varying heights and widths stood tall. Street lamps helped illuminate the darkened streets. Unfortunately, they did little to brighten the rooftops. Carefully studying the vicinity, I scrutinized for the person I was chasing. He'd dropped off the structure just moments prior. Then, just as I was losing hope, I glimpsed an obscure shadow dart across a shadowy canopy.
Grinning, I hailed my Plumber suit. Drilling a cord to the roof, I watched as he scampered off. I lingered for the crown to pierce the cement. Some force pulled at the end of the rope. Drawing out some extra line, I detached it from the gun and linked it to the safety rail above me. I clutched onto the rope. Dismissing my grip on the roof, I skated down. Within seconds, I rolled onto the lower roof.
Wheezing out a breath, I snapped my gaze up. A barely visible figure scurried out, dropping off a neighboring roof. I sped off like a defensive lineman. Gliding under a clothesline, I ran, bound up, and sank onto a car, denting it. Not that I cared. My gaze uncovered the short little thing I'd been pursuing.
He desperately glanced up, ensnared by a dead-end. Then, nervous, he turned around to see a tall, looming figure slowly march over to him.
I stood across, from it, or rather, him.
"Hey, Benji," he laughed awkwardly, caressing the black spines he had for hair. "Been a while…"
"Argit," I let out a low breath. "Still running?"
"Ah, no! I haven't sold guns in ages, man! I'm clean, too! I don't do that no more!" A step, more like a stomp forward, and Argit coward back, his posterior rubbing up against the brick wall. "I'm serious, man!"
"You're a criminal, Argit."
"Ex-criminal."
"There are no ex-criminals. Only ones that aren't breaking the law right now." Argit quivered as I assumed my blaster. I never aimed it at him. Merely, I allowed it to weigh in my hand. A reminder of what would happen if he lied to me again. "And you want to know how I know you're lying?"
"Not really…"
"Vulkanus is in town." Argit snapped his eyes shut, head sagged, and shook even harder. "You two were old partners with Kevin. Vulkanus is without any weapons. He escaped me. Do you know what that means?"
"Please, enlighten me," Argit bit out.
"Old habits. Vulkanus would never go to a new employer now. It's too risky. He's got too much heat on him. That's why you ran." The little porcupine-opossum cringed. "I'm going to give you one chance to be honest. Where is Vulkanus?"
"I don't know." Now, I aimed it. The barrel bore another shade, a fatal one. "I swear it! I don't know! Come on, Benji! You know Vulkanus! Do you really think he'd give me his address?! He contacted me! Said he wanted to meet! We talked, and I may or may not have slipped something under the table for him!"
"I thought you didn't gun run anymore, Argit?"
"And I thought we were bein' honest with one another?" he snapped back, hands still raised.
Fair enough. "You have a way to contact him. It's how he got a hold of you after so many years."
By the look on the rat's face, I was right. "Yeah, I do," he divulged reluctantly. Very, very reluctantly. "A communicator. If I give it to you, will you leave me in peace?"
Don't tempt me. A small breath in through my nose—I loathed making deals with criminals. But Vulkanus was the more significant threat, as was Khyber. Argit was a gun runner—a good one too, who had a habit of snuffing his small-time consumers and stealing their money. I hated a coward just as much as anyone, but a selfish, backstabbing, power-hungry gun-runner made my blood boil. Personally, I don't know how Kevin could stand working with someone like Argit. If I'd been stuck in the same room with him for more than an hour, only one of us would be walking out.
Almost as reluctantly as him, I nodded, pocketing my weapon. Argit sighed, tense shoulders slumping. He reached inside his pocket. I focused steely on that hand, ready for him to pull out something I didn't like. A remote communications device lay in his rat hand. He cautiously ambled over to me and held out what I wanted.
Just as I took it into my grasp, the spines on Argit's hair began to shift. "Ya shouldn't have come here, Benji. I normally hate killin' Kevin's friends, but I'll make an exception for you." A rain of ebony needs stormed out of his hair and rushed me. Argit swallowed deeply when they impacted what appeared like an invisible wall. "Oh, shit…" the sounds of them dinking at my feet.
"Energy shielding. Cool, right?"
The gun-runner noted the coldness in my tone. Chuckling nervously, he took a few discrete steps back. "In hindsight? Not my best move." I moved closer, my massive figure menacing to him. "Is there any way we can, you know, talk this out?"
"After that, no."
"C'mon, man! You can't blame me for trying!" Argit groaned as his back smacked into the wall. "Please, man! I don't want no trouble."
I stored the device Argit was kind enough to give me. "You won't be causing any more trouble where you're going. Incarcecon, I think you'd fit right in with the other dirtbags."
"Incarcecon?!" Argit's eyes widened in absolute horror. "No, man! You can't send me there! Do you know what they do to pungrattas there?! They're eaten alive!"
"Seeing as how you backstab your way along for a good deal, I see that as a match made in heaven." Blaster raised, I moved even closer. Argit shook his head, desperately darting for a way out.
"I won't go to Incarcecon! I'll die first!"
Argit sent out a few wired balls. They rebounded off the ground, orbiting me. I glared into Argit's squirmy gaze, then a wave of electromagnetic energy enveloped me. My shielding winked in and out before leaving altogether. I met Argit's grin, and his hair began ruffling. Knowing those spines would hit me now without my shielding, I had no choice but to take lethal action. I'd tried to resolve this with both of us walking away alive. In Argit's case, he'd have been in cuffs and sent straight off to Incarcecon, but alive nonetheless.
Now…
Just as I was about to fire, a figure blitzed me, knocking my blaster out of hand. I grunted in surprise, only to see Argit himself get kicked in the mouth. He sprawled into a group of overflowing trashcans. I reflexively tackled the figure, ramming the person into the wall Argit had been leaning against. I rasped as a powerful elbow found my back, though I held on and tried spinning the person around. Instead, the person's knee whammed into my face, shattering my mask and showering my face with hardened glass.
I backed up, clutching my bleeding face as sharp pain cut across my cheek, chin, and nose. Blood seeped out from my digits. Glaring out—my eyes were undamaged. I could still see. Thankfully.
That figure, now, was no longer a figure but a woman dressed in a black bodysuit that looked one size too small for her. The woman's blood-red hair stuck out even in the dark, where I could hardly see her face. Rather, her fierce blue eyes met my angered emerald ones.
"You work with Argit?" I asked. "Bodyguard? Hate to say it, I'm surprised he didn't get one earlier with all the people he screws over."
"I don't work with him," the woman said, her voice just as severe as her gaze.
"Then what the hell?"
"I couldn't let you kill him."
Oh. Oh… "A vigilante?" was the determination I arrived at. "Listen, honey, you're better off saving the nearest puppy stuck in a tree than him." I pointed bitterly to the downed rat. She didn't reply. "I don't suppose we can both part ways?" Argit already gave me what I wanted. If it was one thing I learned over the years, it was to minimize altercations like these. She'd already gotten the drop on me, and I didn't know anything about her. It was best to be cautious. I frowned on taking unnecessary risks like engaging in fights in a back alley against an opponent I knew nothing of.
"Not likely." Now it was her turn to brandish a pair of handguns. I cocked my head. Regular guns? Ones that fired actual bullets? Wait… no lackey of Vulkanus would ever get caught using Earth guns. Especially not when you had access to particle rifles or plasma blasters.
"You don't work for Vulkanus?" There was a slight, and I mean slight, head cock. I barely saw it, even with my training. That was the look of someone who just heard a name she hadn't ever heard uttered before.
"Who is Vulkanus?" the woman inquired.
Just as I was about to answer, I saw a group of small shadows sweep across the flanking rooftops. The woman saw them too, as she turned one of her guns on them while keeping one positioned on me. They stepped into the light—red dwarven figures. I knew exactly what they were, even before I saw them. The nervous chittering gave it away. The little creatures aimed energy pistols or held pickaxes.
"Friends of yours?"
"Not likely," I returned to her. By the agitated twitch above her eyebrow, she caught the jab. "Do you want to make it out of here alive?" I asked her. The woman glanced over to me before snapping it back on the grouped aliens. Their chittering volume increased, now verging on deafening. "Follow my lead!"
Hand flying to my waist, I pulled out three grenades. Trapped in between three fingers, I hurled them up at them. They squealed, firing down on us. The detonations blanketed us for a moment, hopefully taking out a large portion of them. Next, I shot my grapple gun to the building the woman's back was facing.
"Let's go!" I yelled at her, hand out. She looked back and forth before making her decision. She clutched my forearm, and I clasped hers. A flick, we were both reeling up several stories. We rolled to a halt. I bound up first, instantly flying over to the edge, reviewing the damage. Fog still shrouded the neighboring rooftop. I still heard chittering, though—a healthy amount. There were still more alive. That told me all I needed to know.
"We need to leave—now."
"What are those things?" the woman followed me as we ran. The chittering my hearing. We both did summersaults, landing safely on a torn-up mattress. My shoulder smacked into a safety railing while the woman acrobatically rolled herself to a stop. I caught a peek of that. I'd never seen anyone move so fluidly.
"You really want to know?" I never demonstrated weakness. Especially not to an unknown who just held a gun to my head a moment ago. So, I played off my shoulder injury like it was nothing. Getting a few bruises would be the least of my concerns compared to what'd happen if we didn't escape them.
"I asked, didn't I?"
Snippy. "Vognols."
"Mutants?" The woman inquired.
I gave her a weird look. "No," I said slowly. Whatever the hell mutants were, I didn't have it in me to ask. "Aliens."
The woman frowned. "What did you do to piss them off?"
"It's more like, "What did they do to piss me off." Are you sure you want to know?" I questioned guardedly. To trust this woman so soon after what she just did to me would be foolish. I wasn't so quick to trust anymore. A couple of betrayals later, a decade of growing up, and seeing the absolute worst in people kept me cautious.
Vulkanus probably sent them to take out Argit. He most likely predicted I would come for him. Argit was his only loose end. Vulkanus always handled loose ends. The vognols were his pet soldiers. I doubted there was a single vognol in this star system that was not under his control. At that moment, I cursed neural uplinks—such a brilliant invention, modified to be used with such deplorable methods.
"It's not like I have a choice," she said diligently.
I sucked on my teeth. She was right. Whatever reason she had for confronting me paled compared to the danger we were both in. What put me off was how quick she was willing to put aside that sole reason. Regardless, she was correct. If she wanted to survive this ordeal, she needed to know what was happening. Just as I was going to open my mouth, more chittering reached our ears. I glared darkly.
"Later."
She nodded. The two of us dropped off another roof. Rolling to soften their descent, both of us propped immediately. I stared back and watched a row of vognols set up on the railing behind us. Yelling out a warning, we both bolted across the long building as lasers impacted all around us. I swiped my arm, hoping to see the light indicating my shields were back online.
Nothing.
As we flew across the roof, urgently scouring for cover, she began passing me in our sprint. She reeled around, waiting for me to pass her, and yanked down a heap of crates, faulting them over. A flurry of beams struck the wooden cases, shielding them. The boxes were pulverized instantly. We pressed our posteriors against a cement wall, gathering our breaths. Well, I had to. She was, somehow, still fresh.
"We can hold our ground," she proposed.
Peeking over, I watched as some repelled down while others remained perched. "No," I decided. "They have the high ground. We get into a fire-fight here; we'll be sitting ducks."
"Are we expecting reinforcements?" Their reinforcements, I assumed she meant.
"It's possible. I'm not going to wait and see, though."
"Fighting here is still an option. It's better than putting our backs to them again." She had a point, but she overlooked one massive problem.
"You're not going to hurt them with those peashooters," I told her. She looked vaguely offended that I insulted her guns. "Anything less than a plasma blaster is dick to them."
"After you, then," she said tersely.
Lead by example. Although, not sure how I felt about giving this woman my back. She could very well turn those peashooters onto me. Despite not being able to harm the vognols, I guarantee they'd do more than scratch me. No time to dispute, however, I just bit the bullet and took off. The woman fired off shots. Not at me, thankfully. A relieved huff left me. I was sure I was dead when I heard the first shot. Then, no pain.
I didn't have to cast a look behind me to know she was concealing our escape. Either she did not believe me about her guns not working on them, or she meant to provide a distraction at best. Still, it worked as the number of energy blasts sailing around me lessened. She must have startled some of them into ducking. Good.
Vaulting over a substantial wall, I bound across onto another rooftop. I mistily saw a volley of overindulged rubbish cans as I cleared the alleyway. A peep over my shoulder—the red-head was right on my tail. Damn, she was fast. Unfortunately for us, so were they. An ocean of them started raining from another rooftop. They clattered, discharging another wave of plasma. Just then, a cheerful gleam beeped on my forearm.
Yes!
Whirling around, I punched the ground. An energy shield erupted from my fist. The woman leaped up, clearing the protection, and swerved behind it. Beams collided with blue fortification harmlessly.
"We're not going to outrun them," I said apprehensively, wincing as a particularly thick beam bounced off the shield. Then, finally, it seemed she agreed with me.
"Sooner or later, they will nail one of us."
I could transform. The thought did enter my mind. It shone, almost begging me to use it. I bit my lip. Employing it in front of someone I'd never met was dangerous. On Earth, no less. I couldn't take that chance. There was a still chance that we could escape, I told myself. Deep down, I knew I could solve this whole problem if I just used the Omnitrix. But I also knew using it here would potentially be even more dangerous in the long run.
I took a breath and searched my utility belt with my free hand. Every few seconds, I ensured the vognols didn't advance on us. "C'mon," I whispered before I found it. My last grenade. A unique one. "I can get us out of here. We have one shot. But they'll be back on us within minutes." At best, it would buy us a few minutes to rest. Seeing as how we just ran two miles, leaping across rooftops, that sounded pretty good right about now.
"I have a place half a mile from here," she told me, much to my relief and further apprehension. Yet, I knew I did not have time to question it. I'd take what I could get.
"You ready?" I asked her as the vognol began advancing on us. Dozens of them. All armed with blasters. My luck, I killed all the ones that possessed melee weapons. The ones that I was least worried about.
She took a breath. A nod and I flung the grenade over the shield. It bounced rebounded off the edge of an encased stairwell, rolled off a gutter, and trilled at the feat of a vognol. The last sound it ever made was a horrific mechanical screech. An explosion rocked the building. A massive amount of synthetic smoke flooded the entire roof. I coughed into my hand. It was always unpleasant whenever I used it. But, on the other hand, it saved my life more than I'd like to acknowledge.
That was the signal, and we both bolted the other way. The initial scramble was coarse. The smoke had gotten to both of us. Neither of us stopped, though. We both knew what it meant to stop. We'd be giving up crucial time to get as far away as possible from those freaks. So I ran as fast as I could. Even then, she still kept a few paces ahead of me. I didn't know how she did it, nor did I have time to question it, but she was much faster than me.
Before long, we took our race to the streets. We mutually agreed to switch our paths. They would be looking for us high, not low. As much distance as we could put between them and us minimized the risk, we'd be seen getting into this woman's place. It took us a few minutes, but she led me up a fire escape and into an apartment window on the fourth floor.
Drenched in sweat, I heaved out a few ragged breaths. Even she was breathing roughly. It seemed like run had finally caught up with her. Good, I wondered if she was alien, too, despite her human appearance. Her beautiful human appearance.
"We should be safe here," she said, latching the window. I wiped off sweat that drenched my brow. "You want to tell me what that was back there?" she questioned concisely.
"Not really," I mumbled. "You got yourself into this situation yourself."
"I stopped you from murdering someone."
I let out a laugh. "Is that what you think? Man, I hate when people interject themselves into things they don't understand."
"Does it have to do with Vulkanus?"
I sat up when I heard her utter that name. Then, just as when I was about to challenge her on it, I remembered.
"You don't work for Vulkanus?" There was a slight, and I mean slight head cock. I barely saw it, even with my training. That was the look of someone who just heard a name she hadn't ever heard uttered before.
"Who is Vulkanus?" the woman inquired.
"The asshole who sent those goons." The woman seemed to think on that for a moment. "Someone that you don't want to screw with."
"He's alien." It wasn't a question—more of a matter of fact.
I hummed. "Asshole who uses tech to enslave weaker races for foot soldiers and worker bees. Anything to save him a few dollars." A sneer briefly tore through that beautiful façade of hers. She had great control over her emotions, but not as good as she thought. "And before you kicked my blaster away—thanks, by the way, almost got us killed—he handed me this." I spun a micro-communications device for her to see.
"What is that? Some USB drive?"
"Do you have a computer?" I asked in return, only to spot a laptop lying around. I grabbed it, and her firm grasp found my wrist. "Honey, we've just met. I don't know how I feel about such intimate interactions."
"I'm not letting you use my stuff unless you tell me what that is," she said, her grip actually hurting me now. I withheld a grimace.
"Why tell you when I can show you?" I snatched my wrist out of her grasp, flipped open her laptop, and inserted the device. I quickly let myself through her security while the files attached to the communications apparatus were uploaded. She wore an annoyed expression which evaporated as soon as she saw a program she didn't recognize activate. "Argit, the little rat you saved, is Vulkanus' weapons supplier. He's as much of a coward as he is paranoid. He has transcripts, encrypted files, receipts—everything of his dealings with Vulkanus. This little thing is Vulkanus' achilles heel. If I can work some magic, I'll be able to track where he made his most recent purchases from."
"If we're going to do this, it's best we go with the A-game." She nudged me out of the way and began stormily typing on the keyboard. I observed her write lines of code faster than I could even register. Okay, so she could handle herself in a fight, outrun him, and hack very well. What couldn't this woman do? My suspicions of her only rose.
"When did this become a "we" thing? I'm curious."
"The second I nearly caught a laser saving your ass," she mumbled, eyebrows knitted. Unlike what the movies indicated, hacking was far from flashy or glamorous. It was a tedious procedure that took more practice than skill. If you didn't understand a program or quickly learn it, there was no possibility of breaking through it. Once again, unlike what Hollywood wanted you to believe, there was no such thing as "brute forcing" your way through a firewall. Instead, it took time, precise decisions, and many numerous attempts.
I felt it was pointless to correct her. I'd already told her this was her fault, but she didn't want to hear me or ignored me. Frankly, I don't know which was worse. There were many things already that did not add up with this woman. Her discordant personality and abundance of skills continued to mount with every passing moment. There was also her ability to process an incredibly stressful ordeal without blinking.
I decided not to confront her against my younger, impulsive nature, which still teemed within me. For now, I'd let it go. Until the time came that I forced myself to brave this issue, I would duck my head and trudge on.
I seized a seat on her twin bed, tearing off my raggedy mask. After shaking out the glass chunks from my hair and the mask, I ensured no glass was stuck in my skin. My heart was still pulsating, adrenaline pumping frantically through my veins. I could very well be damaged but oblivious to the pain. Fortunately, I was clear. My face was cut up; I'd already known that. I recalled that devastating knee to my mask, which shattered it, showering my face with glass. Anything less than a miracle, and I would no longer have a working set of eyes.
Mask off, my shaggy hair sprung free. Some of it was glued to my sweaty forehead. I just barely felt a slight sting as sweat seeped into a particularly deep gash in the crease of my forehead. Patting it with my suit, I buffed out what grime, sweat, and blood I could without worsening it. My beard protected the lower half of my face from being cut. Never had I thanked my beard before. Then again, this was the longest I had been on Earth in a long time.
I wasn't strolling out of my comfort zone; I was virtually thrust from it. Speaking of comfort, I took in a glimpse of her bed, then her room. It was vacant, almost bare. No pictures, photos of anyone, including herself. Personal belongings that would indicate any sort of personal character. Like statues, paperweights, trophies, scented candles, anything. There was nothing in this bedroom other than the essentials. Either this woman lived like a monk, or she didn't live here at all.
My studious gaze traveled lower to the bed.
A twin. Not a full, or even a queen. Humming, I arrived at a conclusion. She lived alone—no one special to share a bed with. A striking woman like her, I found that very hard to believe. If she was a vigilante, that could explain her marital status. Not that I knew much of vigilantes. Sure, I was one. A hero, I used to fashion myself. But, I learned firsthand how difficult being one and having a relationship was. Julie could attest to that. It didn't help that my ego sky-rocketed after the Highbreed Invasion, either. I couldn't solely blame my job as a 'hero' for my failed relationship with Julie. It would be easier, but it was far from the truth. Though, I knew that running from accountability never did anyone any good.
Gwen commented how I'd grown up before then. How much I'd changed, matured, and grew as a person. Then, I saved the world, and I was back to being that overzealous, cocky little kid again. It never failed, looking back on myself—my previous decisions. Azmuth, Grandpa Max, Gwen, hell, even Kevin warned me that I'd get myself killed if I didn't take things seriously.
Eyes closed, I felt a migraine come on.
I only wished I had listened.
Maybe… maybe then—
"It's done."
Her remark yanked me out of my head. Standing up, I stared at her thankfully, grateful to get a distraction. Always moving, continually occupied. It kept me out of my mind. There were always more missions, more training, and more things to focus on for someone like me. For that, I was eternally thankful. It kept me busy.
"Where?" I queried softly.
She fixated her steely gaze on the screen. A red dot pinned an area on the globe as I inspected it. It zoomed in at her command. I predicted it to clear into America. But instead, the globe turned right while the dot pinned a territory in Europe's Iberian Peninsula. It blinked steadily, and she pointed.
"Spain."
You all can review and favorite if yall want. I'm not gonna force you. Your opinions mean a lot to me, though. For the ones that do a review, and leave compliments, questions, or constructive criticism are all welcome. But for the ones that just wanna read the story, that's totally alright to me. I'm not chasing reviews or whatever to bolster my stats. I'm just doing this for fun, and as a hobby to write the best story I can while having fun doing it.
For the ones that are interested in having a choice about the pairing, check out the poll I have on my profile. I can certainly use your feedback on the subject, cause I am stuck on the subject. Reviews and suggestions about the pairing are welcome there too. Anyhow, thank you for all you all for reading, and have a fantastic day.
