SOS chapter 9

Disclaimer: No.

Back in business everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter. I can't believe how many awesome reviews this story is getting. I'm having a lot of fun with it, and I'm glad other people are too.

Without further ado, here is chapter nine. Enjoy!

Written mostly to Within Temptation, Skillet and My Darkest Days.

"No matter how much knowledge you gain, you will always find yourself lacking."

- Code of the New Crysitus Scientists

Four Years Ago

There was a dull clang as the last robot collapsed onto the ground. It was missing its head and its chest plates were bent and twisted. Ben spat the metal head onto the floor where it bounced once and spun slightly, dripping saliva. His gills flared as he took in the room and he turned to face the only creature besides himself who was still standing. Vilgax was watching him silently.

Ben was tired. He could feel a bruise forming on his back despite Wildmut's tough hide, and the metallic taste on his tongue made him think of blood, but he wasn't ready to stop fighting yet. Being able to use the omnitrix again almost felt like a rush, filling him with adrenalin and the illusion of freedom. His gills fluttered again, testing the air for new targets and finding none.

"That's enough for now," his captor growled, and Ben turned again, almost growling himself. He wanted to leap at Vilgax and was acutely aware of his inability to do so.

"Change back boy," Vilgax ordered after a moment. It wasn't a command, but Ben couldn't have obeyed in any case. He would have rolled his eyes if he'd had any. He let out a sort of howling whine and shook his head. Vilgax's tentacles lashed the air and then stilled. Ben thought he was beginning to figure them out. That meant Vilgax was angry. Ah, what insight he had gained.

"Stand still," Vilgax said, and Ben shook his head again and backed up. Adrenalin was still pumping through his body, and since he wasn't able to attack or escape, this was all he could do.

Not that it did any good. "Stand still", Vilgax commanded, and Ben could hear the anger beneath the normally expressionless voice the way tension rippled through the clouds before the first flash of lightning. He froze helplessly as Vilgax approached and, crouching, touched the omnitrix symbol with a claw. He was blinded by the red flash and shrank back into himself.

Vilgax did not look at him, but turned away, tentacles flexing. "Now come," he said and Ben came.

It was night again, or at least so far as Ben could tell. He was back in his cell, back to counting the walls, and back to wishing he had a watch.

At least he now felt slightly less like a balloon about to pop. It hadn't really been very long since he had last used the omnitrix; not even two days, yet it seemed like much longer. He was used to using it all the time. Even when there were no enemies to fight, he usually found a reason to change, either to tease Gwen, escape some boring situation, or just for fun. Now he was locked in his own body as assuredly as he was trapped in this room, on this ship, and it was just as hard. Turning into Wildmut had been a relief, but it had been short, and now he was stuck as Ben Tennyson again.

He glanced down at the omnitrix. It was strange to see it on his wrist, glowing its normal gentle green, yet knowing that it was impossible for him to reach out and activate it. He put his right hand up gingerly to his collar and hooked his fingers around the warm metal. He had previously felt all along it without finding a single crack, control panel or clue he could use to get it off. Now he simply held it. It was light and the same temperature as his skin, and it would have been easy to forget that it was even there if his thoughts hadn`t kept bringing it back to his notice. He ran his thumb along the metal and then tugged at it so he could feel it pressing against the vertebrae of his neck. He didn`t pull at it with any hope that it would come loose, but simply because it felt less like he was just accepting it that way. He let the collar go after a moment and wiped his hand on his pants to get rid of the feeling of the metal.

He wondered whether it was bedtime yet. He didn't want to go to bed, not being tired and still feeling a little stretched underneath his skin, but there was really nothing else to do, and at least if he slept he could stop glancing at the omnitrix where it sat, infuriatingly bare, on his wrist.

Ben collapsed backwards onto the bed, on top of the neatly arranged covers. His mom always got annoyed when he did that. She said he left wrinkles.

At the thought it was as though a deep pit had opened in his stomach. He felt so helpless and trapped and the thing he wanted most at that minute was for his mom to be there. He wanted to feel her arms wrapped around him, and he wanted to let himself forget where he was, even for a moment. He stared up at the bare, gray ceiling and fought the tears that were building behind his eyes. He stretched his eyes as wide as possible, afraid to blink lest the tears escape. He could feel two of them forming in his eyes, ready to spill over and down his cheeks. He didn't want Vilgax to see him cry, but he didn't know how much longer he could hold out. He had to stay strong. He'd only been here two days. Gwen and Grandpa would come after him soon. He focussed his gaze on a patch of ceiling and concentrated on taking deep breaths until the tears receded. When it was safe again he sighed, relaxing. He supposed he should at least try to sleep. The lights were still on, but maybe they would go out if he closed his eyes.

Slowly Ben rolled onto his side and pulled his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them. His shoes were still on, and he rubbed one foot against the other until the shoe slipped off and fell to the floor, then hooked the toes of his sock-clad foot into the heal of his remaining shoe and pushed until it flopped off as well. Then he closed his eyes and hunched his shoulders.

After a minute, Ben cracked one eye open and saw that the light had already begun to dim. At least one mystery had been solved. He closed the eye again and worked on breathing deeply. He could feel the tears threatening again. As he lay there in the growing dark, he couldn't help wishing that he could go to sleep as easily as a light going out.

Ben didn't remember dropping off, but he must have slept because he woke to what was presumably morning. He made this assumption based on the appearance of a new casserole dish, black this time, which was the first thing he noticed in the brightening light. He was stretched out a little more on the bed now, but the covers were still crumpled underneath him, so last time must have been his imagination. That was something of a relief.

His eyes were gummy with sleep and he rubbed at them. Better. Of course, he was still here, still on this stupid ship with this stupid collar around his neck. He put his hand up to the smooth, metal circlet and ran his fingers along it. Part of him just wanted to see it. There was no mirror in his cell, and he had seen the collar only for a moment before Vilgax put it on him, and he hadn't even known what it was back then. If he could see it, maybe he could find some clue about how to get it off. However, only part of him wanted to see it. The other part wanted to pretend it didn't exist.

Ben shook himself mentally and climbed off the bed. He went to the washroom and rubbed some cold water on his face as on the previous day. He was planning to inspect his breakfast next, but as he emerged from the washroom he was arrested by the sound of heavy footsteps outside his door, followed by the click of its handle. Ben could feel his shoulders tighten as his captor entered, filling the room. As usual, Ben resisted the urge to back up. However, there seemed to be something different about Vilgax. Whereas the previous night the alien had clearly been angry, which had resulted in another awful command, this morning he seemed almost wary. Ben couldn't have said what gave him this feeling. There were certainly no indicators on what little he could see of the alien's face. Perhaps the almost hesitant, less forceful way he moved or the slight shifting of his tentacles created the impression. Or maybe he was reading too much into it.

Ben put his back up as Vilgax looked at him. He was fully prepared to continue his show of defiance from the night before, little as it had accomplished. At least this way he was doing something. Unfortunately, he wasn't given the option. Perhaps Vilgax had seen Ben's thoughts in his eyes.

"Come," he commanded, and Ben was reminded afresh of how awful that felt. It was like someone had wrapped his soul in chains and was trying to drag it through the flesh of his chest. Even as Vilgax stalked from the room and his own legs moved obediently to follow, the feeling seemed to flow up his throat and out of his mouth in a desperate cry.

"Wait!"

Vilgax halted and turned, red eyes narrowing as they regarded him, and Ben regretted the outburst. He swallowed the feeling of desperation again and forced as much calm into his voice as he could manage. "At least tell me where we're going." Was his voice still shaking?

Vilgax seemed about to ignore the question and continue walking, but instead he suddenly knelt so that his face was almost level with Ben. It was unexpected, and Ben took a nervous step back before the command halted his feet.

"We are going to the infirmary," Vilgax said, his burning gaze meeting Ben's yellow-green one. "You require a vaccination." He paused for a moment and the ends of several tentacles twitched. Ben flinched at the movement. "It will not hurt," Vilgax added.

Ben found his voice. "A vaccination for what?" he asked. This was the most of a response he'd ever gotten from Vilgax, but he was disappointed if he expected more information. Vilgax simply rose, dismissing him and his question, and walked off again. Ben followed.

At least he knew where they were going now, though he did not like the idea of an alien vaccine. He didn't like injections on Earth, alien ones were frankly terrifying. But it was oddly a comfort just to know where he was being lead and why. He hated the way Vilgax just left him in his cell without telling him anything, and the only times he was allowed out were when he was shepherded from one unknown place or another.

He glanced up at his captor's back. Vilgax had said the vaccine wouldn't hurt. Ben would have bristled at the words had he not been so terrified. Why had Vilgax said that he'd never seemed to mind hurting Ben before. Heck, what did he think this collar was anyway, a fashion statement? Likely this was just another way Vilgax was messing with him. Ben concluded that Vilgax seriously needed a hobby.

The grim gray hallways stretched on ahead of him, but despite his thoughts, Ben couldn't help feeling better for knowing where they lead.

Well, here they were. Ben entered the infirmary several steps behind his captor, looking warily around at the familiar room. There was no one here today. The infirmary was empty, clean and gleaming from the touch of some zealous caretaker, or possibly maintenance robots. Ben wasn't really sure whose job it was to clean the ship. Vilgax touched a softly glowing circle on the surface of the spongy beige desk Ben had seen previously, and there was a low hum like a distant swarm of bees. In response, part of one wall slid open, revealing a chamber beyond. The alien from Ben's last 'visit' emerged from the second room, rubbing its long, spindly hands together as though cleansing them.

"Greetings Lord," it said in its sweet voice, inclining its head gracefully. In fact, every movement it made was graceful, even small things like the way it turned its head or the movement of its twig-like hands.

"Are you ready?" Vilgax asked.

The other alien nodded, frowning slightly. Last time, Ben had noticed that its expressions were fluid, but almost more exaggerated than a human's, maybe because of its large eyes. Now, he thought that it looked a little unhappy. He wasn't feeling all that chipper himself. How did Vilgax even know whether this stuff worked on humans? He hadn't seen through the entire ship, but he was pretty sure Vilgax didn't have any humans working for him. His palms felt sweaty and he discreetly rubbed them on his pants. In He was feeling a little panicky again. In fact, if he wasn't still under the command to follow Vilgax, he might have made a break for it. His eyes locked onto the medic, who had turned and opened a sliding panel in the wall beside the door. It lifted out something that looked like a black circle of Velcro.

"Hold out one hand, palm up," it instructed Ben.

Was that the vaccine? Bemused, Ben held up his right hand as instructed. The alien touched the circular pad to the soft skin of Ben's wrist. Ben couldn't help flinching as the pad made contact with his skin. It seemed almost to wriggle and adhered like a suction cup. Ben looked at it nervously. He wondered if it was busy digging hundreds of tiny needles into his skin, injecting something into him. If it was, he couldn't feel it. It just felt like a rather large band aide. Even as he watched, it wriggled again and then came loose and fell to the floor. Ben inspected his wrist for pin pricks but didn't see any.

"That's it?" he asked uncertainly.

"It is," The medic confirmed. It turned to Vilgax. "Remember what I said Lord," it said with another dip of the head.

Vilgax didn`t answer, but again a tentacle flicked to the side. Ben wondered if that was a sign of agreement or an admonishment not to talk about whatever it was. The medic`s words didn`t mean anything to him, but he kept it in mind. He looked back at his wrist, wondering if the skin was starting to itch or if it was just his imagination.

Vilgax moved toward the door and Ben`s heart twisted. He didn`t particularly want to stay here getting stuck full of alien medicine, but he really didn`t want to go back to his cell. He didn`t want to go back to staring at the walls and wondering if anyone was coming to rescue him, and he didn`t want to eat more of those spongy patties Vilgax kept giving him. He almost called out to Vilgax to stop again, but what could he say? He bit the inside of his lip instead and stared around the infirmary with false interest. Then his feet moved helplessly and he trailed after Vilgax down the halls once again.

Vilgax was pleased. He had gone to the bridge after returning Ben to his room, and now stood surveying the busy pilots as they checked calculations and studied the new information the Antarasin`s computers were constantlyproviding. There had been no hostile encounters during their escape from earth, and Vilgax was now confident that the distractions he had provided had been sufficient to prevent Tennyson from following. By now the humans surly believed the Ben was dead. Why would they not? During his previous encounters with Ben he had made no secret of what he intended to do to the young human once he had the boy on his ship. Even if they did not yet believe the boy was dead, at this point there would be no way for them to track him or discover where he was bound. Tennyson had lost, and Ben was his.

He was also pleased with Ben`s behavior today. Although he had given Ben no chance to physically disobey him, he had expected much more of an emotional outburst, particularly when the young human learned where they were going and why. Instead, though he was clearly frightened, Ben had remained quiet and obedient, a strange reaction after his defiance the day before.

It was difficult to predict how Ben would react to any given scenario. Just when he believed that he had figured the human out he would do something unexpected. Today`s reaction was a perfect example. Vilgax had not planned to tell Ben why they were going to the infirmary. The lack of answers would have aided the feelings of helplessness and isolation that he wanted to instill in the boy. However, it seemed that Ben was being affected much more strongly than Vilgax had anticipated. Vilgax was now being constantly reminded of how young Ben actually was. He had been deprived of his family, his planet and even his ability to be a hero, and Vilgax had begun to see him more as a frightened child. That was the only part that worried him, but he was sure that the confident and resourceful fighter in Ben would eventually return once the boy had been properly broken.

Vilgax was not a very patient being, but he knew that he must take his time when dealing with Ben. He could not allow himself to expect too much permanent change at first. Ben needed to fully realize that there would be no escape, and he would, of that Vilgax would make certain.

They had encountered no unexpected obstacles and would be arriving at Crito-Ah tomorrow. Then he could begin to train Ben properly.

The Zithsian looked out again over the bridge of his warship with its gleaming instruments and controls at which crewmembers worked like a tribe of tireless frirx. (1) His conquest would come soon enough. Now he needed to ensure that his most powerful weapon would be ready.

(1) A kind of tiny, burrowing mammal native to Zith.

Thanks for reading everyone!

Sorry this was late. I was having trouble with the infirmary scene, and Vilgax`s reflections nearly drove me up the wall. Hope those scenes were alright.

I know I promised to update one of my Kim Possible stories next, and I am really sorry about that. The update for Loving You Behind Closed Doors is coming. I am having trouble finding time to write recently, and I keep getting ideas for Shades of Self, which is why these chapters are still coming out. Sorry guys.

Hope you`re all still enjoying Shades of Self. Next chapter gets interesting. We will see a new planet, and may even find out the answer to why Vilgax started this whole thing in the first place. War is a part of Zithsian culture, Vilgax`s race in this story, and you will likely hear something about their politics next chapter.

See you all next time!