Ben10 & Digimon Tamers
Heroes and Humanity
Part 02: Humanity and Heroes
The Beginning – Chapter 22
Inspiration: Howie Day - Collide
Originally Written: Monday July 6, 2015 419PM to 733PM
A/N: -randomly takes a peek at view count- Whoa! That's a big number relative to how much I post. Thank you all for taking a look at and reading Humanity and Heroes. I greatly appreciate it.
. . . . .
Fridge, Swamps and Hugh trailed behind Albedo as they walked through the apartment halls. The male kept his distance from them, hands shoved into his jacket pockets. He wore his ID Mask alongside the three, marking himself as Alex Strong. An odd name, Swamps especially thought, for if anyone truly took the time to look at Albedo, even when disguised as a black haired, brown-eyed human, they would truly see how strong he currently was not.
Hugh looked back and forth between his alien companions, wringing his hands. "He's not very happy."
"I wouldn't even worry about it." Swamps scoffed. "What we said needed to be said. How no one thought that woman had lost her mind is beyond me."
"It's as Takato said," Fridge raised his arms and stretched as he spoke. "She's worried about Henry, as we are of Albedo."
Albedo looked at Spinelli, speaking to a tall pale skinned human dressed to the nines, as though she had no reason to be in an apartment of beings like Albedo. She smoothed out her red skirt, and shifted her stance on her high heels.
"You're not worried?" The woman spoke to Spinelli, strands of curly consilk hair in a high ponytail shifted as she looked around nervously, "My husband, Joco, is thinking of leaving."
Hugh, Swamps and Fridge looked over to them as Spinelli waved to them and Albedo. They greeted her in kind.
"Not much place to go. They'll come as they see fit. I don't mind being here with Albedo and you guys." Spinelli said as the quartet continued on.
"W-what was that about?" Hugh questioned.
Swamps shrugged his shoulders, "Nice to see that people like us around here, though."
Fridge nodded in agreement.
"Not like in Bellwood. Damn happy that chick doesn't represent all thoughts around here." Swamps continued.
Fridge shook her head and Hugh chuckled, snorting.
"Her name is Rika." Albedo spat. He stopped walking and glared at the floor.
"Name's meaningless when the first appearance shows you a bitch." Swamps retorted.
Fridge gasped and shoved him.
Swamps held out his arms as Albedo turned around. "Come on, you've been angry with us for days. Just get it over with already."
Albedo's eyes dilated as rage took him, "What the hell was that!?" He spoke softly, still aware of his surroundings, somehow. "Just what did you think you were doing!?" He stalked over to Swamps.
Swamps stood his ground while Hugh and Fridge backed up. "I call it defending you from a woman who thought she owned the damn building." Swamps folded his arms, "You know, since you weren't in the mood and all."
"Do you know what you've done!?"
"Put a bitch in her place?" Swamps raised an eyebrow confused.
"That bitch isn't just a Tamer, you fool! She's a musical celebrity and she's dating a Plumber! So when you got into it with her Digimon and decided to go all amateur superhero and reveal your true self to her, and she calls up the Plumbers in defense, just what did you plan on doing next?!" Albedo snarled, breathing heavily.
Swamps fell silent.
"I d-don't regret my words or actions." Hugh spoke softly, "I-it's not fair she gets t-t-to treat you that way because of her social standing." He pressed his fingers together.
Fridge and Swamps looked at him, then nodded in agreement.
Albedo pinched the bridge of his nose.
"S-she d-doesn't know e-everything." Hugh continued.
"Oh? And you know enough that you're fully comfortable winding up in a Plumber facility right next to me?"
"We've gotten out of worse scrapes." Fridge stepped forward.
"You three are fools. Idiots." Albedo turned around grumbling to himself.
"You ain't ditch us yet. You think we do this for fun? Are you nuts!?" Swamps walked up to him, grabbed his shoulders and spun him around. "We do this 'cause we are your friends. We consider you a friend and we want to help you."
"I don't need your help." He spat, brushing Swamp's hands off.
"Would you stop it!?" Fridge clenched his eyes, "We know about the Cassiopean Dream Eater." He glanced at Albedo before lowering his head.
Hugh looked at Fridge, gasping. "I thought we weren't g-going to-"
"Oh, you have some nerve!" Albedo spat, stalking towards the two. "That's not why I coached you in hacking!"
"O-of c-course not." Hugh retorted. "Y-you didn't know one of those was going to wind up on y-your h-head." Hugh took a step back while he twiddled his fingers. He flinched when Albedo growled at him.
"What gives you the right to go snooping around my past?"
"Probably watching you willing to drive yourself mad sitting in that cell." Swamps spat. Albedo not appreciating their actions was odd to him. Almost insulting. When Hugh had sabotaged Albedo's plans for leaving Earth, he expected him to rage at all of them when he found out. Instead, he took it out on Ben, and Ben hurt him in the process.
No, Maybe this reaction of Albedo's was right. They had retrieved him from a shitty prison facility, but now Albedo had to contend with a human who seemed to not even want them there or had yet to make up his mind about it. Then while he left the apartment, he had to stay out the sight of plumbers and keep people like that Rika chick who were angry at him for whatever dumb reason or another from beating him up and calling the Plumbers on him. All this while running on way less sleep than he needed.
A part of Swamps felt like, even without the Ben Tennyson Worship, and 'Ben Tennyson can do no wrong so we've nothing to worry about' mindset of Bellwood, West Shinjuku was just as hard for Albedo to live in. He wondered if bringing Albedo here was the right choice. He didn't think it warranted Albedo's reaction but...
Fridge kept looking at Swamps, expecting him to dodge one of Albedo's offensive strikes. "We saw you in the Plumber base. We wanted to know why you were this way."
"That is none of your business." Albedo turned around. He looked up at the ceiling, wondering how angry Jenrya would be if he learned any of this. Jenrya would probably tell him he earned this. He and Tennyson were two monsters, working to battle each other for superiority. Albedo only wished he had less nosey people on his team.
"That's why we broke you out." Fridge continued.
"I didn't ask for your help." Albedo sighed heavily as he ran his fingers through his hair, raking his hands through it and pulling at the ends. "I was just fine."
"You didn't mind us helping you with the show." Hugh shifted his eyes, watching Albedo pace. "I-I don't mind helping you. I-I don't know why you find it such a problem now."
"Back then, you weren't running around doing God knows what only making things worse!" Albedo threw his arms out to the side.
Swamps wondered if the Dream Eater had affected his memory for the worse.
"Back then, you simply did what I asked. My superior intellect allows me to plan and process better than you three combined." Albedo continued.
"Then for Celestial Sapien's sake! Tell us what we need to do to help you so we can stop screwing up!" Swamps stared hard at him, hands clenched. "I don't have a clue anymore. Nothing works. You're always miserable and eerily quiet and dammit I wish I could make it stop 'cause it fucking hurts!" Swamps held up an arm. "That human we thought was your friend has ignored you more often than not. He's only there when it's convenient for him. His and your so called friends are apparently all pissed at you like you murdered someone! This is crazy!"
Fridge and Hugh lowered their heads.
Albedo stood silent, staring at Swamps. He looked at Hugh and Fridge. Both stood as though they were mourning, stiff, with their arms by their sides. Swamps sighed and lowered his hand.
"H-how do you want us to help you?" Hugh whispered, "You can't...You t-took a shower with your clothes on the other day. I-I don't think I-I've ever heard of humans w-washing like that." He pressed his fingers together, "I-I don't like violence much, a-and I bruise easily, but I'm a giant dinosaur who towers over e-everyone, y-yet y-you find the corner of whatever room you're in more p-protective. Y-You curl up t-there, like y-you're afraid of something only y-you c-can s-see..."
"You never would have let anyone talk to you or about you the way Rika did." Fridge added, keeping his head bowed low. "You may not like what we did, or how we did it, but it was us helping the only way we knew how, and I won't be scolded for that."
Albedo clenched his fists and spoke through clenched fists, "Who the hell said I needed help, let alone wanted it?"
"That awkward silence for one." Swamps watched Albedo walk away from them. "You walking away is two!" He continued.
Albedo flipped him the bird.
"Oh come on!" He called after him. "You don't have a damn clue do you!?" Swamps kept yelling as Albedo continued outside. Fridge grabbed for him, but Swamps kept screaming and walking forward.
Albedo stopped at the door and turned around, red eyes blazing. "Shut. UP!"
The trio ducked as lights exploded. A shower of glass fell just in front of them from above. They looked at Albedo wide-eyed, and catching the last bits of some kind of aura fading from around his hands.
Albedo's arms fell limp as he looked at the glass. Then he looked at the trio. His eyes widened in terror and he ran out that building as fast as his legs could take him.
"Albedo!" Hugh called on sheer reflex.
Fridge grabbed his hand, digging his heels into the tile though it didn't help much. "Let him go."
Hugh looked at him, worry shining in his eyes, and a frown on his face.
"We shouldn't have pushed him." Fridge stood up straight.
"...Holy shit." Swamps stood for a while, staring at the protective glass and the remains of a cylindrical energy saving light bulb. The Methanosian looked back at Hugh and Fridge. He ran a hand through his green streaked hair.
Behind him Spinelli and the tall human looked at the group in silence.
Swamps waved halfheartedly, a strained smile on his face. Hugh and Fridge turned around and waved as well. Spinelli and the female waved back, before returning the way they came, too shy to ask anything.
"Where the hell did that come from?" Swamps asked.
"This entire building is carefully built t-to stand up against a-alien or other abnormal o-occurrences." Hugh held his glasses in place as he looked down at the mess Albedo left for them. "Even a-after the building was built, further modifications w-were put into p-place. What just happened, shouldn't be p-possible." He looked at them. "I-I can only assume we really a-angered him."
"For telling the truth?" Swamps flung his arms out, "You gotta be kidding. What is his problem?" Swamps spat breathing hard as he crossed his arms over his gut. "What's so hard about admitting you need help? He's done it before."
Hugh fixed his glasses, "Maybe this is really hard for him? L-Like it is for us?"
Swamps looked at the ceiling.
"I-it's as you said. W-we don't know w-what we-re doing." Hugh continued.
"Albedo is a Galvan." Fridge spoke calmly. He ran a hand across his chest in an effort to calm himself. "Galvan pride is as in your face as their intelligence and technology. Galvans are the ones who invented the removal process of Cassiopeian Dream Eaters. Before it was cut off the head and then burn the Dream Eater. The 'host'," Fridge mimicked quotation marks with his fingers, "was going to die anyway." Fridge lowered his hands. "Imagine being a Galvan and getting caught in one?"
Swamps shook his head, "He should know we don't care about that kind'o'stuff."
"W-we don't." Hugh took off his glasses and shined the lenses against his shirt sleeve. "The t-time in jail d-didn't help either."
"See why I got so much problems with the government and politicians?" Swamps lazily threw his hands up.
Fridge sighed, almost snarling, "Don't. Start."
"I can't imagine what the fuck those Plumber goons did to him to make him able to do that." Swamps gestured to the broken glass. He lowered his head, "Shit. What are the odds he hates us now?"
Hugh gasped. "Shut your plant trap!"
Swamps easily imagined Albedo wanting nothing to do with any of them anymore. If Rika really had strong connections, alongside that temper, they could all be in serious trouble, especially Albedo.