Stripped
Disclaimer: I own Ben, Chester Meroff, Ms. Welsh and her kids, and Kreela. The rest is Disney's.
It was nearing sun down when they finally made it to the docks. Basil and James busied themselves looking for possible clues into the hideout, crawling along the edge of the dock. Ben and Kreela stood off to the side, engaged in a mental conversation about Ben's newly found powers.
"So, all I have to do is control my emotions and I'll be on my way to being a Jedi, right?" Ben asked, trying to get her facts straight.
"That's right Young one. Remember, There is no emotion, there is peace," Kreela said, reminding her about the Jedi Code.
"That's proving to be hard," Ben told her.
"Do not fret. You will learn in time," Kreela reassured her.
Ben looked away, breaking off the conversation. "I'm going to see if the boys found anything yet," She told Kreela, going over to Basil and James, looking over their shoulders. "Find anything?" She asked.
"Well, we did find that rope," James told her, rising and pointing at a dangling piece of rope that looked a bit out of place.
"It almost looks like someone placed it there," Ben said, knitting her brows as she thought. "More likely, it leads to the hideout, or close to it anyway."
"But, if you look a bit closer, you can see that it is tied to a lever," Basil cut in, pointing at the top of the rope.
"Hmm," Ben squinted up at the lever, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "I think you have to pull-" She got cut off as Basil pulled the rope, causing a trapdoor to open beneath him and James.
"Damn," Ben cursed, as they fell down. She ran over to the rope, pulling it so the door stayed open. She then went over to the railing of the dock, flinging the rope around it.
"Hold this while I tie it," Ben told Kreela. Once the rope was securely tied in place, Ben stepped back, dusting her hands off.
"That should hold for awhile," She said. "Now, let's go," Ben said, gesturing to the door.
"Young one, this isn't a good idea," Kreela told her, looking down into the door. She had no idea how far down it was.
"Do we have any other choice?" Ben asked. Kreela shook her head. "Well then, let's go."
"I have a bad feeling about this," Kreela said, as Ben jumped down, landing on her feet.
"Long time no see," James quipped, smiling as Ben landed next to them. Ben just cast him a look. "Kreela, it's not that far down. Just jump," Ben called up to her. Ben stepped out of the way, just as Kreela came down, landing without a sound.
"Let us go. I get the feeling he is near," Kreela whispered. Ben nodded.
They made their way down a dimly lit tunnel, looking for a door, or something that signaled where the hideout was located. Ben ran her hands along the wall, pushing spider webs and years of built up dust around. She pulled her hands off the wall quickly, dusting them off on her pants.
As they walked, Ben started to get a hopeless feeling in the pit of her stomach. At this point, they've been walking for quite some time, and gotten nowhere. Just as Ben was prepared to turn back, she noticed her footsteps sounded hollow. She paused, stomping her foot.
"Hey guys, I think I found something," She called out, crouching down to push away the dirt. As she was digging, she heard a low growl coming from the shadows in front of her. She stopped, rising slowly, not liking the sound of that growl at all. As the others crowded around Ben, the creature behind the growl slowly moved out of the shadows, its mangy, gray furred face scrunched in a menacing growl.
"CAT!" They all screamed in unison, as the scrawny feline stalked them, its lone fang dripping with saliva.
James ran between them and the cat. "Go! I'll hold it off!" He yelled, running through the cat's legs, leading it away from the others.
Ben crouched down, frantically throwing dirt around, until she unearthed another trap door. "Help me open this!" She said, yanking the door. Kreela then pulled what looked like a handle of a sword off of her belt. She ignited it, slicing through the hinges of the door as easily as a hot knife through butter.
"James, come on!" Ben yelled, as the others jumped down the hole. James started to run back towards them, but the cat's paw came down on him, pinning him to the ground.
"Just…go…" He managed to get out, as the grinning feline prepared to feast on its prey.
Ben stared for a second longer, before following the others down. "What a brave mouse, sacrificing himself for us," She said quietly, looking up. Just then, there was a flash of light, bright enough to temporarily blind them all.
"Well, well, it looks as if you found me. I didn't think you had the brains, or guts, enough to pursue me either," A voice announced, echoing off the walls.
"Chester," Ben whispered, her eyes widening.
They finally found Chester's hideout. Took them long enough huh?
There's more on its way, so sit tight.