Summary: Nat and Ben track down an unusual thief and end up somewhere unexpected.
Hot and Cold
Sirens blared through the chilly air of the city that never sleeps, as an unknown figure leaped through the urban jungle with the NYPD in hot pursuit. Despite being one of the coldest days in the winter, the snow had yet to blanket the entire cityscape, giving it an almost surreal-like landscape in broad daylight
The figure continued their athletic ascension through the city's rooftops, evading the brass with an uncanny level of agility and finesse. Garbed in a padded suit that covered every inch of skin w with an unconventional backpack slung across their backs, the figure fluidly slid through the metal railings of a nearby fire escape before vaulting unto a nearby pole, catapulting into the next building
Hot on the heels of the chase, a pair of riders zoomed through the streets atop their bikes, one in black and the other in green. The black rider skirted ahead while leading the green rider along
"Try to keep up, hero!", Natasha taunted, taking a moment to glance behind her as the green-garbed shapeshifter tagged closely along
"No one likes a show-off, Nat!", Ben retorted, putting more effort into avoiding slipping on the powdery ice that swept through the streets in a chilly torrent, a side-effect of their high speed pursuit.
"Not if they're losing to one, they don't!"
"...let's just focus on catching this perp, huh?", said the shapeshifter, before making another swerce down the road. "Hey Nat?"
"What?"
"What exactly are we chasing after?"
"...you didn't pay attention to the debrief, did you?", queried the superspy, her disgruntled tone blaring through the comms.
"Uhhhhhh..."
Minutes Earlier
"Any details on the suspect?", Nat queried as she methodically sorted through her SHIELD Inventory, packing up the necessary gear for the mission. When Coulson called, she'd expected another general briefing, only for said briefing to involve a retrieval mission.
"Our last footage shows the suspect is likely female, 5'11, wearing some sort of high tech jumpsuit", clarified Coulson, "seems she grabbed a piece of tech from one of our bases in Upstate"
"What about our team Downtown?", Nat pressed. SHIELD possessed a myriad of field agents who could easily bring in a common thief, not to mention having the necessary facilities and tech within the closer vicinity.
"An...unforseen incident occured due to gross miscalculation"
"Meaning, sir?"
"They were already taken out...by our suspect", Coulson admitted, his tone disconcerted by the implication that a mere thief took out a squad of elite SHIELD agents.
Nat stifled a snicker before assembling her gear, "do we have eyes on the target?"
"Traffic cams indicate she's already on the move southwards, on foot. Footage shows target may possess enhanced agility of some sort, she's on the rooftops and showing no signs of slowing down in negative degrees temperature"
"Well what are we waiting for? Let's goooo!!! ", Ben cut in as he entered the briefing room while he zipped up his leather jacket. After a few weeks cooped up in the Tower, in addition to the thicket of snow that , the youngest Avenger was understandably jittery, eager for any form of stimulating exercise. What better way to get the blood pumping again like a high speed chase straight out of a spy movie.
"Might want to ease up there, Tiger", Nat eyed the youngest Avenger as he paced like an overactive teen (which in some ways he still was)
"As much as I appreciate your... enthusiasm, Mr Tennyson", Coulson added," but this matter is kinda delicate–literally. Our thief stole a secret, highly experimental fusion device from our lab base"
"Must've not been secret if our perp knew about it", smirked Ben.
"...just get our suspect, Tennyson", the Assistant Director sighed, "and try not to blow up half of New York while you're at it. Lord knows it's already been through a lot"
Back to the Present
"Okay, so maybe I skipped on a few details", Ben admitted
Underneath her helmet, Nat rolled her eyes. "We're heading up the intersection, keep your eyes peeled"
The road ahead was littered with police cars, surrounding what appeared to be a bloackade of sorts. Plumes of smoke wafted from the debris field that sat in the middle of the road. What appeared to be a crashed police helicopter, had cut off the law enforcement officials from the chase.
"Looks like a diversion up ahead!", Natasha announced over the comms.
"I see it..", responded Ben, "but I don't see our perp! Gonna check the scanners for this one!". Unlike it's predecessor, the Tenn-Cycle 2.0 had been built using sophisticated Stark tech rather than buts of scrap from a junkyard, affording new functions like a sonar scanner
"Ben! Didn't anyone ever tell you not to check your screen while driving!", Nat chided
"Gottem!"
Reaching the diversion, the duo zoomed past the blockade, stunning the officials that remained within the vicinity to keep civilians away. The draft left behind by the duo left the officers scratching their heads in confusion, while the youngest Avenger shapeshifter overtook the superspy whilst in their pursuit of the burglar.
"I see em overhead!", Ben yelled over the comms, trying to maintain his momentum as he slowed down a little, stepping off his bike's foot pedals to balance himself on his seat.
"Ben, you better not be thinking something dangerous or stupid!" Nat warned as she observed the youngest Avenger readjusting his posture atop the bike, resembling the atheltic stance of a sprinter ready to run.
Moments later, he leapt off the bike and soared through the air like a cannon, his fingers already pressing the Omnitrix's dial.
BLAMMM!!!!!
FLASSSHHHHH!!!
"Snare-Oh!", the shapeshifter bellowedas he spun mid air, using his new form's wrappings as an impromptu bungee cord, latching unto an incoming pole and launching himself even further, momentum propelling him towards the rooftops.
Without skipping a beat, Ben launched into a rooftop chase, immediately sighting the silhouette of a feminine figure parkouring across the urban jungle. An amber glow pulsed from an object she gripped in both her hands, seemingly halting to examine her haul
"Hey!!", Ben blurted, before mentally smacking himself in the head as the girl took off running. A new chase ensued, with the Thep-Khufan seemingly one step behind the enigmatic girl. Ben shot out multiple wrappings like tendrils, attempting to ensnare the their only for her to effortlessly avoid the barrage while still keeping her momentum.
Eventually the chase led to a construction site, where the duo leapt across precarious scaffold beams. The girl seemed to struggle a bit before Ben closed the distance, managing to reach her thanks to his form's unnatural ability to self-balance. The Thep-Khufan landed in front of the girl, cornering her between a steep fall and a series of unstable beams
"Looks like you're at the end of your road", Ben cockily crossed his arms, observing the girl.
A soft hiss emanated from her headgear as her mechanical mask split open, revealing a pinkish pale skinned female, her large doe eyes framed by a heart-shaped face streaked with unusual magenta markings, and bushy boreal brows raised up in a smug expression
"Ohhh looks like you caught me", she winked, "what are you going to do now?"
"Well first off, you can hand over what you stole"
"Why? Gonna make me, Ben Tennyson?"
That stunned the shapeshifter, "Wait, wha...how do you–"
She barely gave him time to react before she leapt off the railing into the scaffolding beneath. Still stunned, Ben's honed instincts took over, taking him over the beams, falling after the thief. As the duo plummetted, she added to his surprise by extending her hands, literally stretching the appendages like rubber lifelines towards the beam they previously leap t off
"It's been a pleasure, hero", the girl hollered as soared upwards, regaining altitude. Deftly flipping back on the beams, she made a beeline for a nearby fire escape adjacent to the construction site.
WHOOSSSH
Strands of tendrils wrapped across the beams pulled Ben back from his downfall before he resumed chase. An enahnced leap saw him clear multiple blocked before glimpsing the fleeing form of the girl once again, back on the rooftops this time.
She whipped her head back just in time to dodge a lashing elbow from the shapeshifter, sliding underneath before flipping over a barrage of elastic bandages propelled by the Thep Khufan.
"Who are you? And how do you know me?"
"Awww wouldn't you like to know?", She teased as she seemingly danced circles round the youngest Avenger
"Uh–yeah! That's why I'm asking!", Ben retorted, "you're not one of those crazy alien fan-girls are ya?"
"Well I might be a fan, and a girl", her voice in an almost singsong tone as she continued to dodge his attempts to restrain her. "But crazy? C'mon hot-stuff, you should know better than to call girl crazy"
"And why's that...hey!!". Too late, Ben noticed that while she was dodging his bandages, she'd successfully tricked him into tangling himself instead. Ben unsuccessfully flailed around in an attempt to let himself loose. The shapeshifter tugged at his bandages in a futile attempt to break free, realizing too late he'd been tricked.
"Let's do this again sometime!", came the retreating voice of the mysterious girl," –or anything else, really!"
"Dammit!", Ben could've smacked himself physically if he could, as he continued to struggle with his self-inflicted bonds. Even reaching the Omnitrix would prove Sisyphean in nature as his appendages were tangled up in the mess of bandages like the Gordian knot.
A soft thud on the rooftop nearby drew the youngest Avenger's attention to Natasha Romanov lithely landing on the edge after a swing across using her grappling hook.
Her usual attire of a black suit had been altered with small bell sleeves and pants, complete with a hooded trenchcoat that that dropped to her ankles.
"What did I say about doing something stupid?"
Ben grumbled as he continually fought against his bonds, "Yeah, less sounding like my grade-school teacher and more catching the bad guy who's getting away!"
The redhead fixed him with a deadpan glare, making him almost wither if his form wasn't already a husk, before she leapt across the rooftops, like a shadow she was already gone, in a dogged pursuit against
"Hey, what about me–aw nevermind!"
Natasha had to admit, the girl was good. Definitely metahuman, seeing the way she moved. But she hadn't been in a race against someone of the superspy's caliber. Added to the fact that the redhead knew the city's maps like the back of her hand. Most cities, in fact.
BANG!!
A warning shot sliced through the air, startling the girl. The next shot clipped the concrete next to her, tearing her attention away from the path ahead. Natasha used the opportunity to decrease the gap between them, leapfrogging over a patio to level her pistols square against the now unmasked girl
"I'd say keep your hands where I can see 'em", Natasha trained both her pistols on the girl, "but I'm guessing there's no telling where your hands could go"
A small smirk flickered across the girls face as she paused before lashing out with a sucker punch, a piston of a right hook aimed at disorienting the superspy. Nat reacted faster, ducking under the punch before flicking her wrist and launching her grapple hook directly into the concrete directly next to the girl, closing the distance in a mere moment.
The two females stared at each other for a moment before springing into action; a wild haymaker thrown by the elastic girl seeming to create an opening, while Natasha moved like a shadow, evading and returning the strike with her own. Another stretched sweep kick met air as the redhead sidestepped before pivoting, her inhuman reflexes propelling her upwards in a flip before she pirouetted mid-air, landing with a vicious axe kick that nearly caught the girl
The girl was good, but Nat was better. Every clash saw the girl throw wild haymakers only for them to be stuffed and countered by the redhead. Natasha could sense the girl getting desperate for an escape; combat was clearly not her strong suit, and the redhead could also notice her slowing down the more the fight wore on. A wild kick from the girl connected with Nat's midsection, taking a little wind from the redhead before she retaliated, grabbing hold of the offending foot and twisting in a single motion to slam the girl unto the pavement.
"You...you're pretty good", Ester panted, completely winded "–wanna call it a tie?"
WHUMP!!!
The thief crumbled in a heap, the resulting impact knocking the lights out of her.
"Sometimes I forget how scary you can be", Ben commented lugged the girl's limp body behind Natasha, while the redhead discreetly opened a secret passage into one of the many spy safehouses located around the city
"Well, better you don't forget", Nat quipped as she turned on the heating units, divesting herself of the trenchcoat before leading them into another room within the apartment
"Say, Nat...why don't we just toss her over to the cops?", Ben asked as he gently placed the girl on the chair at the center of the room
"The same reason she got the jump on you", the redhead flicker in the lights within the interrogation room," she's not entirely human. Rather not risk the wrong people asking questions"
Ben nodded in silent acquiescence, before tapping the Omnitrix dial, reverting to human form in a flash of verdant light. "So what,we just leave her here?"
"We need answers, Ben", Natasha peeled off her gloves before popping her knuckles methodicall, the "we don't exactly know if she was hired by someone, or she's got accomplices"
"Woah, woah, woah!", Ben raised his hands in protest,"look, I get that you're scary and all but is this really necessarry? I mean she's just a girl"
She gave him a quizzical look, "You mean the same girl that made you look like an amateur just minutes ago?"
Ben seemed to shrink, turning away in embarrassment."She kinda caught me off guard. And hey–I did catch up to her so... problem solved?"
"Caught you, huh?", Nat pried further, "seemed like you were distracted to me"
The youngest Avenger flushed, both from the temperature and embarrassment "Distracted??"
She simply reverted back to a deadpan glare, folding her arms across her bust.
"What?? Why would I be distracted? I mean sure she looks cute and all, but she just caught me off guard when she called me by my name", Ben nudged the back of his head sheepishly, "I guess she's probably some kinda alien so it makes sense".
"She looks cute, huh??"
"No! yeah? I mean sure she looks kinda cute, pretty even..", the redhead rolled her eyes at his lame attempt at an explanation
"B-but it's not like i'm attracted to her or anything. But she is kind of attractive.. but–", he was promptly cut off by yet another trademark Romanov glare.
"I'm not helping my case, am I?", Ben's shoulders sagged in defeat.
"Let's just get this over with", she promptly turned heel and marched into the room, noticing the girl had already stirred awake and had begun examining the bandages that held her to the chair.
"Wait!", Ben called after her, "do we get to do Good Cop, Bad Cop? I've always wanted to do that!"
"How about you just be silent cop?"
His shoulders fell in a defeated sigh, "Does it help if I say you look really hot today?"
Needless to say, it wasn't much of an interrogation. Natasha locked the girl in her gaze, even as the girl gave a cheeky smile in return. Her eyes gleamed with mischief, her lips curved in a sly, almost all knowing smile.
"I'm only gonna ask this once", Natasha placed both hands on the table, "who sent you to steal from SHIELD?"
"What makes you think someone sent me?", The girl asked ,"for all you know, your guys just got sloppy"
Nat blinked "Didn't answer my question"
"Didn't need to",
"You probably should", Ben chimed in, "she gets real intense, real quick. Like, real quick"
"Ohhhh I get it!", The girl waved a finger at the duo ,"good coo bad cop! Lemme guess, you're supposed to be the bad cop", she pointed at the redhead, before turning to Ben "and your boyfriend here-"
"He's not–", Nat snapped, before regaining composure, "listen, Miss–"
"Ester, pleased to meet", the girl answered smugly before turning back her attention to the shapeshifter, "and since cutie here's still on the market, I think I'll go with good cop. How about that, hero? I've been a baaad, bad girl"
"I'm uh, gonna go...get some smoothies", Ben stuttered awkwardly.
"Ben, stay", Nat ordered, not taking her eyes of Ester.
"But.."
She threw him another glance.
"Fine..."
"And you", she returned her gaze back to Ester, "I'm gonna need you to start talking. To me", she emphasized. "Why did you break into a SHIELD base?"
"Hey, a girl's gotta eat", Ester shrugged, "it's not like we aliens have a lotta options on this mudball planet"
"So there's more of you", Nat surmised, her sharp mind already piecing the details, "that means you were probably sent here. By who? Your folks? What for?"
"Pfft, what makes you think that?"
"You barely fought back when confronted", the superspy added, "you needed to go somewhere. Somewhere quick. You act calm but you're nervous"
That paused the alien girl in her tracks. Natasha's eyes bore over her like a hawk, seemingly ready to pounce on every detail, every expression.
"Wow, she's intense alright", Ester switched up tactics, returning her cheeky gaze to Ben, "I bet she's all types of fun in the sack, eh stud?"
Ben nearly choked on his smoothie, his bewilderment compounded with the "why me?" look on his face as he began to sweat nervously. "Is it hot in here?"
"I'm a Krahoo, hot-stuff", Ester replied, her wavy magenta hair bounced as she cocked her head sideways, fixing the hero with a smoldering gaze, "let's just say...we have a way with heat"
Cheeks flaring, the youngest Avenger shifted uncomfortably. Nat on the other hand, seemed more agitated, arms folded with one arm gripping the bicep feverishly, a lone finger tapping almost endlessly.
"So–you two haven't...", Ester continued, pointing at the two before making obsvene gestures, taking full advantage of Ben's flummoxed state
"Wh-what? Why would–"
"I'm asking the questions here", Natasha cut in.
"Oh, so there is something going on between you two!", Ester grinned smugly, "guess you're not the only detective here, Red"
"I'm an assassin", the redhead replied, "an assassin–who's running out of patience"
"Ohhh touched a nerve didn't I? Don't worry, you can have hot-stuff all to yourself–for now. Or we could always...share"
"I'm standing right here!"
Natasha pressed on, ignoring the obvious amateurish jabs. "You're obviously stalling for time. Just tell me what I need to know, this doesn't have to get ugly–for you, of course"
"Ohh, and she's kinky too", Ester shifted on her seat, ruffling her bonds, "you sure know how to pick 'em, hero!".
"Okay, this isn't going anywhere", Nat muttered, unfolding her hands before making for the exit, with the shapeshifter right on her heels.
"Looks, she's just trying to get into your head", Ben pointed out once the duo were out of earshot. The youngest Avenger wondered how Nat, often cold and stoic, yet the girl seemed to elicit some form of reaction from her.
"More like she's trying to get into your pants", Nat countered
"Wait, why is this about me?", Ben asked, a puzzled expression on his face.
"The flirting? The jabs?", the redhead explained,"she's clearly got a fixation on you, and you don't see it"
"Nat, I can turn into nearly every alien in the Milky Way", Ben dismissed her argument with a wave, oblivious to the redhead's discourse. "Ester's probably just got an attraction to Ditto: he is my cutest alien, so I've heard"
"Cutest alien?"
"Yeah, according to the fan sites"
"боже, ты не в курсе", Nat facepalmed with a sigh. The youngest Avenger, while being capable in his own right, could often be clueless and naive, especially about the opposite sex. Sometimes she wondered how he'd survived for so long...then again the answer was obvious in the question.
"Hey could you turn up the heat?", Ester yelled from the interrogation room, "feels like a refrigerator in here!"
"Weird.. it's like a toaster in here", Ben observed, "how's she still cold in the room?"
"Ben...", Nat queried, "where's the Fusion Device?"
"Uhhhh", he pondered, "bathroom?". Nat quickly turned to the entrance, Ester's words echoing in her mind
We have a way with heat
Nat's instincts flared. DANGER!!!!!
BOOOOOM
Natasha tackled the brunette to the floor, as walls of the room erupted in a plume of snow and debris. The duo tumbled through the living room, over the furniture and into cover. With Ben under her, the redhead risked a peek into the living room: muliple hostiles had breached the perimeter of the safehouse, smashing through the main entrance in the process of their assault.
"Well, this is new", Ben said as he looked up at the redhead straddling him. The redhead scowled, realizing their...compromised position. She quickly adjusted her position before picking herself up and pulling the youngest Avenger next to her on the floor, their backs firmly placed against the relative safety of he upturned sofa.
"How'd they find us?", Ben wondered aloud.
"The Fusion Device", the redhead replied in a clipped tone as she arming her weapons, "I'll hold them off, go and secure the device!"
"Wait, what about you?"
"What about me?", she retorted, "just go!"
SMASSHHHHHHH
The couch sailed toward the duo in a blinding crash, exploding into splinters that ricocheted across the hallway. They ducked again, popping up a second later as Nat readied her handguns and yelled at the Omnitrix wielder ,"Go! I'll cover you!!"
Ben dove out of cover, the sounds of gunshots flooding the background as he ducked and crawled his way into the containment facility. Peering through the blizzard that poured in from outside, he could make out the vague shapes of heir assailants. Large, hulking figures completely enclosed within pressurized suits, red-hot channels flowing across the suits edges under large furry parkas. The phrase "Spooky Snowmen" somehow kept flaring up in Ben's mind.
"Oh crap..."
One of the assailants snapped his head towards the youngest Avenger, his helmet's visor glowing an ominous red before dashing in a mad scramble to get to the youngest Avenger. Ben dove just int time to avoid he pile-driver that sent the lumbering giant into the nearby restroom. Or what remained of it anyways.
It was a wonder how these guys were built like trucks and yet moved like bullets. Luckily, Ben had plenty of experience running circles around brutes like him . If only he could spare a second to activate the Omnitrix...
Ben took off in a hazy sprint, the cold blast of air from the breached wall hampering his movements, leaving him stunned and sluggish. Leaping over another elongated fist meant to floor him, he glimpsed the familiar glow of the fusion device. Ben advanced in a desperate attempt to reach the device only the feel the floor give way under him as he was tripped by an unseen force
"I'll be taking that, hot-stuff!", the unseen force had a familiar, if not annoying voice. Like a cracked whip, the elongated arm of Ester snapped up containment unit ike a hawk, pulling it out of the youngest Avenger's reach into the grasp of the Magenta haired girl.
"Hey give that back!!", The youngest Avenger's attempts were stuffed by the elastic girl as she yanked him up with his Omnitrix hand. She was surprisingly strong despite her lithe and petite figure.
"Sorry, can't hear you!",came the cheeky reply, as she playfully tossed him up before half-tossing him aside "besides, looks like you're girlfriend's not doing so hot–pun intended"
Ben spared a glance towards his handler, who was knee deep trying to fight off multiple brutes at once. The redhead frantically ducked and weaved and shot, her ammo doing little except either stun or piss off her attackers more.
Of course, the moment his attention was turned, Ester had made good on her escape. Ben muttered in disbelief as he dialed up the Omnitrix, ready to press on the faceplate before he noticed another brute attempting to blindsided the redhead.
"Watch out!!!", Ben's limbs propelled him faster than he could think, adrenaline giving him the extra boost as he tackled the redhead out of a nasty backhand that tore through the walls like cardboard
"Oooffff!!" Nat wheezed on impact as the youngest Avenger's full weight sat atop her prone form.
"You okay?", Ben asked, both hands planted next to the redhead's sides
"Where's the Device?",the superspy yelled back
"You're not gonna like this, but–oooof", Ben buckled as Nat reversed their position, getting up to see the mysterious mutants in suits make their escape from the scene. Their departure was as abrupt as their arrival, the last sightings of the group covered by the blizzard that enveloped the room
"Dammit, Ben!", Natasha lamented, her hand cradling her temple in exasperation, "you had one job!!"
"You're welcome", Ben muttered, rolling his eyes sarcastically while he worked to repair the hideout, using Swampfire's vines to replace the compromised structural integrity
"Excuse me?"
"Hey last I checked, I was saving you", Ben pointed out, tapping the dial on the Omnitrix and reverting with a blast of light "you were one second away from being a moleman's pinata"
"Last I checked, I had it handled", she snapped, her brows furrowing as she rummaged through the confines of the storage, "Last I checked, I'm not a fragile porcelain doll, hero. And you were supposed to keep dangerous tech away from the bad guys!"
"What's gotten into you?"
"What's getting into you?",she repeated, redirecting the accusation, "first you get played like an amateur, now you can't even handle a simple task: secure the Fusion Device. Now our thief and her merry band of molemen are at large, doing shit-knows-what, all because you're getting distracted!"
Ben winced a little as she practically bellowed the last sentence while yanking out a black box from storage. Her recent outburst left him confused but also agitated.
"Distracted! I was helping!"
"You let them get away!", Nat countered, pointing at the dormant Omnitrix on his wrist, "and you didn't even go alien. Face it hero, you were played. By an amateur".
Was he the one at fault for trying to help? Or was this something of which he was most certainly oblivious of?
The tension in her gaze was palpable. Whatever the case, they weren't going anywhere just arguing.
"...let's just get the Fusion thing back", he grumbled, a frustrated hand combing through his hair as the redhead stepped out of the room.
Despite the vines insulating the room, Ben could still feel the frigid cold, and not just from the weather outside. Natasha was often an enigma in his eyes, her temperance flitting hot and cold simultaneously. Those piercing eyes still held a bevy of secrets and emotions kept away from reach.
Even now, some part of him could sense the frustration wafting off the redhead in waves, smothering the room in thick layer of palpable tension. Dense as Ben could be (most of the time), clearly he could notice something about the interrogation had sourer the redhead's disposition, and it wasn't just about missing tech.
An uneasy bout of silence accompanied the duo as they trudged through the subterranean labyrinth that was the New York underground. The air was damp and musty, combined with the cold temperature made the tunnels even less inviting than normal.
Save for the occasional feedback emitted by Natasha's communicator as it honed in on the tracker she'd snuck on Ester, their interaction had been devoid of any sound
Ben felt a surge of deja Vu as he followed the redhead: their first meeting followed a similar pattern, an underground chase, circumstances forcing them both to work together. Not to mention the uneasy stir in the youngest Avenger's gut. And of course, there was the obvious fact that Nat was mad at him for some reason.
"Stop doing that?", she clipped
"Doing what?",
"You're whistling the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme", Natasha mentioned offhandedly, " it's both annoying and distracting"
"First off, I think it's awesome you understood that reference, and second", he raised a finger for emphasis, "if you watched the show you'd know it's pretty appropriate given where we are"
"Mind keeping your voice down?", Nat hushed, "also we're in a tunnel, not the sewers"
"Hey, it's still underground", Ben argued, "and what exactly are we supposed to look out for? Unless the rats got trained by Sensei splinter, I don't see–"
WHIRRRR
While Ben went off a rant in the background, her tracking device honed in a signal coming from deep within the granite bowels of the underground levels.
"...look if you're still mad about Ester, I told you I'm not–"
She held up a finger, beckoning for silence. The beeps became louder as she navigated past the metal piping that coursed through the walls. Ben followed her gaze, reaching a large sinkhole that seemed welded shut.
"Wait is that what I think it is?", Ben queried as he peered through the openings between the thick sheet of metal that barricaded it's entrance.
"Only one way to find out", Nat nodded at the shapeshifter.
A flash of bright light later, Ben ripped through the mass of concrete and steel that covered the sinkhole, his Tetramand form heaving the innucuous door aside revealing another tunnel.
"Huh..."
Echoes of familiarity ran through the duo as they made their way through the hidden tunnel, a mass of interconnected corrugated pipes that led even deeper into the underground.
Electric sparks flared into the darkness, revealing a well trodden path deeper into the confines of the tunnels. Nat and Ben reached another tunnel, noticing the familiar tracks. A few steps further and they reached a large opening, the tunnels spilling into another massive area. Situated at the tail end of the tunnels was a massive complex spanning several city blocks.
"No way...", the brunette breathed, bewilderment written over his face as he surveyed the area.
"Well, this is... unexpected", Nat commented, her gaze meeting the spread of cobbled together architecture and lighting, combined with the ceaseless activity that filled the lanes snaking through the unfamiliar district.
Below the bowels of New York City, existed yet another bustling, fully occupied, alien undertown
"Wut? I ain't seen no mole-men around here! Now are ye buying or not?", bellowed the shopkeeper, a bloated mullusc-like being covered in a dark-orange hue, wearing a comically small apron. In his many appendages he gripped a multitude of utensils ranging from utensils to menacing gadgets used for disemboweling live produce.
"Uh, sorry about that!", Ben stepped back in apology, before meeting up with the redhead again.
The duo had wasted no time in familiarizing themselves again with yet another alien settlement that somehow found its way beneath the Big Apple, while seeking information from the locals on thee whereabouts of their previous attackers.
"Wow, another Undertown? What are odds? Not even ole eyepatch had a clue there was an alien colony right in New York!", Ben rejoined with Nat while she filtered her comms. As usual, no coverage down here. Silently, she surveyed the environment, piercing eyes scanning for exit points, movement channels, anything that could be used by multiple people while on the run.
The Bazaar was less spacious than the last Undertown, a cluster of prefab shacks and stalls, giving it an almost shantytown vibe. The neon drenched signs and sounds were still present, but less animated and more muted.
"We should split up, cover more ground", Natasha turned to the shapeshifter.
"Doesn't sound like much of a plan, Nat", Ben answered, "plus it just seems like you're avoiding me"
"I'm not–" she sighed, "look, let's just focus on getting that Fusion Device, shall we? We can talk about... everything else later".
"Right, the Mission always comes first", Ben pouted. The redhead raised a brow before letting out a half-sigh.
"Ben, that thing's got enough power to level an entire chunk of New York, and that's including this place", she pointed out, "remember what happened the last time we were in Undertown?"
Their eyes met before he silently acquiesced, giving the redhead a half nod.
"Fine...you win this time, Agent Romanov"
A part of her flinched at the bile in his tone. The other part shut it down quickly before assuming control.
"Chances are they probably need it for something, but on the off chance they've managed to pawn it off, I need you to track it down", Natasha continued as she put away her communicator, "I'll see if I can track down our guys in suits. We can rendezvous here if we find something, just keep in contact"
Ben could only agree silently. She was in full mission mode now, at least she wasn't mad with him, so he hoped.
"Hey, Nat?", he called after her, his tone "...just be safe, okay?"
She paused before nodding bluntly, taking off with a grapple into the ceiling beams that hovered over the underground complex.
A small sigh escaped his lips as he surveyed the crowd that covered every nook and cranny of the market
Where do I even start?
Natasha wiped the sweat off her brow as she crawled through the heated vents that seemed to go even deeper than the Bazaar at the underground alien complex. While she was no stranger to missions going off the rails, she'd never thought she'd been wading through crusty tunnels on the hunt for an alien thief.
Her outburst earlier had surprised not only Ben, but herself. She'd often prided herself on having a complete handle on her emotions (many in the spy circle held the assumption she had none), yet for some reason interrogating Ester left her thoroughly irritated and perplexed.
But at what? At Ester's incessant flirting towards Ben? Ben getting distracted by her and nearly compromising the mission?
Or was she angry simply at the fact she'd actually gotten angry?
Nat sighed as she pressed on, the air getting even warmer than back at Undertown's tunnels. Before all this, before Tennyson, everything was less complicated. Simpler, stable. Or as stable as her life could be.
Now with Tennyson it felt like her life had been put into a blender, with all the craziness that ensued. Why did she feel this way? What was she feeling beneath the simmering resentment and unease? Jealousy? Fear?
Her comms beeped once again, indicating she was closing in on her quarry. The vents gave way to yet another tunnel filled with a larger network of pipes, Nat surmising each one delivered a different resource or the other to the thriving metropolis beneath the city. How long had they been living there, under the noses of the New Yorkers, and even SHIELD?
A cluster of voices grabbed her attention as she made her way into an open cloister, using the piping system as her vantage point. Peering below, she spotted Ester along with her rescuers, engaged in what appeared to be a heated exchange, getting more animated by the minute
"Your antics nearly cost us the mission, Ester!"
"Hey, you got what you wanted didn't you?", The magenta haired girl retorted, "besides I had it handled until you guys decided to break cover. I guess all that talk about the Krahoo way was all bullshit, huh?"
Enclosing the girl in a semicircle were the other Krahoo, each bearing a striking resemblance to the alien girl: light bluish purple-skinned humanoids with antler like brows, the main difference being their burly and stocky stature that towered over Ester's lithe and petite frame.
Despite the temperature being above room temperature, the Krahoo still exhibited signs of extreme cold: many of them shivered heavily, gusts of cold air
Was this a common occurrence among their species? Nat wondered.
"Don't speak to me about the Krahoo way, girl", the largest and most probably the leader, addressed the girl.
"All you do is spend your time frolicking about the surface world, abandoning your duties to your family!"
Ester stared down the hulking Krahoo viciously, "maybe because there's more to our family than just living in crusty caves, Seebik! Or maybe because the Krahoo way is just whatever you want it to be!"
"H-hey Seebik, c-can we wrap th-this up?", a rather portly Krahoo asked, shivering like a baptized cat.
Ignoring the Krahoo's complaint, Seebik turned back to Ester,"Are you questioning my leadership, girl?"
"All this?", she spread her arms wide for emphasis. "The hiding? Scrapping around? It's all in the past, Seebik!"
"Have you forgotten our past with the surface dwellers, Ester?", another Krahoo retorted, cold vapor streaming from every word.
"It's been long enough, Jorrha: we can go back to the surface, all of us coexist..."
"Enough!", Seebik bellowed, "we will speak no more of this!Your father would be disappointed in you if he were here!"
"Well, he's not", she glared daggers at the larger Krahoo, "and you don't get to bring him up–"
CREEEAKKK
The groaning of metal nearby alerted everyone to the shadowy presence nearby. It appeared the rusted support columns had given way, not designed to support the extra weight of the superspy.
So much for recon I guess, Natasha thought as she flipped off the railing before it collapsed in a pile of rusted scrap. Her descent was accompanied by the resounding crash of rusted piping and debris
Landing softly in her trademark spider-crouch, Nat glanced across the cave. All eyes were on the black clad assassin as she elegantly rose to her full height .
Over a dozen Krahoo, plus Ester. Against a single human agent. Quite the odds indeed.
"What do we have here?",crowed one of the Krahoo, "another surface dweller
"Some kind of spy perhaps", Seebik bellowed, "you see what your antics have caused, Ester?"
"Can't really blame her, tough guy", Nat readied her weapons, fixing Ester with a hard stare, "you guys were just plain sloppy. I'll be taking back the Fusion Device thank you very much. Also, you owe me a new safehouse"
"S-seriously guys!", The quivering Krahoo piped up , "I feel like I'm trapped in an icebox!"
"Enough whinging, Lackno!", Seebik bellowed, " the rest of you, tear her apart!"
"Wait, what?", Ester protested, "that wasn't–"
With a series of mechanical clicks, the Krahoo advanced, now brandishing advanced plasma cannons primed and aimed at the superspy. Unfazed, Natasha branded her Widow's Bites, the electric discharges illuminating her hardened gaze in harsh blue
"Let's get this over with, shall we?"
"...now it might look like space junk, but at this price, it's a bargain!"
Ben's next few attempts to track down the Fusion Device had as much success as looking for a normal earth recipe in Grandpa Max's cuisine. Everywhere he went he was either being cajoled into buying junk like thermoelectric generators and vacuum engines.
His last stop was another innocuous shack on the borders of Undertown. Beyond it's confines was a deserted district, nothing more than a scrap pit. Recent cave-ins had forced the former denizens to desert the settlements, leaving the ruinous ghost towns in their wake.
Ben was surprisingly met by a familiar face. A face not too pleased to see his.
"Ack! Ben Tennyson!", Pakmar the shopkeep groaned, "just when Pakmar thought his fortunes had come around!"
"H-hey little guy!", Ben waved awkwardly, "didn't expect to see you in New York! Not after... y'know"
"That's precisely why Pakmar moved, to get away Ben Tennyson!", The shapeshifter winced at the shopkeeper's accusation
"Bellwood bad for business! Now Pakmar gets here only to deal with cave-ins, nutjobs and Krahoo thugs causing trouble about his glorious emporium!"
"Well I'm sure–wait, did you say Krahoo?!"
"What are you, deaf?", Pakmar snapped as he began his lengthy tirade, "Krahoo migrate here from planet, work in colony. Need power to keep warm, even when inside heat. Must be Tungsten based, I heard. Other aliens not welcoming, Krahoo not able to coexist! Now Krahoo live in underground, scavenging and raiding settlements! Even tried to rob poor Pakmar!"
The diminutive alien brandished some random tech part menacingly,"But Pakmar show them! Pakmar show them that Pakmar is not afraid! Pakmar–"
THUNK!!
An unseen projectile nearly whacked the shopkeep before ricocheting off the shop's sign, causing the structure to come apart almost in an instant.
Pakmar's rants only became more aggravated as he dusted himself off, "Lousy kids and lousy ball! Stay away from Pakmar's Emporium!"
"Sorry!!!"
ZOOOMM!!!
Gusts of wind temporarily caused the shapeshifter to shield his eyes, uncovering them to see himself surrounded by a bunch of Kineceleran kids, their bluish alien features contrasting with the random articles of typical earth clothing each wore.
"Hey, it's Ben Tennyson!", One of the kids exclaimed.
"Uhhhh, hi?", Ben waved awkwardly as he was buffeted by the gangly group.
"No way! He's actually here!", one in a bright yellow coat beamed, clamoring for the shapeshifting hero. It wasn't long before they began to bombard him with their questions, it wasn't everyday one met their heroes in person.
"Hey, can you turn into something cool?"
"Tell us about that time you freed a dragon!"
"Well uhh...", Ben awkwardly began. For the shapeshifter, being the center of attention was never his forte, despite his status as both a global and intergalactic hero. Part of him always wondered how he'd turn out if his growing years had included the fame and stardom
"Did you really stand up to Ma Vreedle?"
"What's your favorite transformation? Is it Kineceleran?"
"Is it true you have Necrofriggian kids?"
"Wanna come play with us?! You can be on my team!"
The questions only grew as the kids practically dragged the shapeshifter away from the store.
"Hey wait–", Ben weakly protested, now an unwitting hostage of his adoring, juvenile fans.
"C'mon, let's go!"
"Hey what about Pakmar's store?!", the diminutive shopkeeper called after the fleeing bunch.
"Uh–put it on my tab!"
"Pakmar does not keep tabs!"
The shapeshifter managed to toss a couple of Taydenite chips at the shopkeep, the cerulean currency clinking loudly on Pakmar's counter.
"You do nowwww...!", Ben's voice trailed as the shapeshifter was whisked away by his adoring speedster fans.
Perspiration dotted the superspy's forehead as she fought back yet another assailant. Compared to their previous encounter, the Krahoo were somehow more relentless in the heat below than in the cold above.
Another warrior swiped at her with his massive rubbery fists, missing by only a hair. Nat flipped out of danger, retreating to avoid getting cornered by their encroaching numbers.
"Seebik, stop! This wasn't part of the deal!", somewhere in the background, Ester's protests fell on deaf ears.
"You don't give the orders around here Ester!
Yup, definitely how I pictured my day going, Nat internally groaned. She wouldn't admit it, but part of her wished she'd gotten Ben to tag along. At the very least shapeshifter had a way of adapting to the absurdity of situations.
"Oh for Pete's sake!", Natasha fired a round from her Widow's bites point blank into another Krahoo before addressing the bickering duo.
"Can we get this over with? Dunno what's worse: dealing with your brutes or listening to your family drama!"
Nat brandished a pair of batons she'd unholstered from her hips, staring down the remaining Krahoo that still remained standing.
"I couldn't agree more",Seebik growled, pushing past the half-Krahoo girl towards the superspy
"Aww finally picking on someone your own size, bigboy?",quipped Natasha.
"Merely seeing to your burial personally, surface-dweller", the Krahoo chieftain stated. He spread his arms wide, signalling to his clansmen. Similar to the formation she'd seen before, the Krahoo formed a semicircle around the superspy
Slightly perturbed, the redhead watched as the band linked their arms together, before stamping vigorously on the ground in one accord.
STOMP!! STOMP!!! STOMP!!
Their combined efforts unleashed massive tremors, wreaking havoc on the structural integrity of the cave systems. Cracks began bursting unto the walls, chunks of debris falling and enveloping the area in a thick dusty fog
"No! Stay back! They're gonna bury you alive!", Ester called out somewhere from the haze.
Natasha could barely focus with the tremors, added to he limited visibility and breathing options the fog had induced. Moments later, a pair of stretched hands shot out from the murky caverns, pulling the superspy into a nearby tunnel grate.
"C'mon!", Ester pulled the redhead to her feet before guiding her out of the area, navigating the duo through yet another system of hidden tunnels
"What was that about?", Nat queried the magenta haired girl once they were out of earshot. "Why did you help me?"
"I...this wasn't part of the plan", Ester admitted, "I was just supposed to bring them the fusion device. You and your boy-toy were an... unexpected complication"
"He's not–"
"Oh please, Red, I can totally see the way he looks at you...you've got him wrapped around your little finger..."
"Alright, enough ", Nat interrupted before uncovering her firearm, holding the girl at gunpoint, "let's resume the interrogation: what did your folks need the device for?"
"Look, they didn't tell me, okay?", The Krahoo hybrid raised her hands up in the air, "to them, I'm just an outsider"
"You seemed real chummy back in the cave... relatively speaking"
"Look, I'm only half-Krahoo, my mom was human", Ester admitted, "doesn't matter to the clan, I'm still an outcast; only useful as a pretty face–for blending in".
"And I'm supposed to buy that story?"
"Well, I did save your ass back there so..."
Nat's piercing eyes narrowed as she studied the girl's face before slowly lowering the firearm. Another lesson taught at the Academy: never let your target know more about you than you about them. Ester was laying her cards bare, at least somewhat. Natasha suspected the young Krahoo still had plenty of cards up her sleeve
"You get that a lot too, dont'cha?", Ester noted, her head cocking slightly, "they always underestimate us, treat us like fragile little things, even when they need us"
"Don't pretend like you know me", Nat said derisively. She staggered slightly, the heat getting to her jumpsuit.
"I don't have to pretend", Ester added as she stretched languidly, a satisfied smile plastered on her lips as her freezing limbs loosed with each pop. "It's written all over you. It's a little cliche', but we're actually more alike than you think".
"Somehow I doubt that", redhead remarked snidely, "where are we, exactly?"
"A little shortcut of mine, discovered it a few weeks after the cave-ins", Ester told the wary agent, "just down this tunnel and we're home free"
"And where exactly is that?"
"Again again again!!!", whooped the Kineceleran kids as Ben sighed for the umpteenth time. After being dragged away by the kids, he unofficially became the chaperone the boisterous bunch.
As XLR8, he was their goalie in what must've been some obscure alien game, because it made no sense to him
Using Armodrillo, he constructed a large obstacle-filled crater for the young Kinecelerans to play in. When they got overheated from hyper activity, he used Water Hazard to flood the crater, turning it into an improvised pool.
"Well, what have we here?", Ben snapped his attention to the new voice.
"Yayy, Ester's here!!", the gregarious Kinecelerans yelled in unison
"Wait, you know them?", Ben's face was colored with surprise as the half-Krahoo sashayed past him, throwing a sly wink along the way.
"Surprised?", she replied," Don't be: they're practically my kids, hot-stuff", the half-Krahoo bounded over to the group, all smiles and giggles. Ben noticed she took care greeting each one by name, patting them on the heads as they flocked over her.
Ben returned his attention back to the redhead, silent as they both shared a gaze. Her last battle left her worn and weary, combined with the sweltering heat made worse by her skintight suit.
"Hey.."
"Hey, yourself", she gave a half-smirk in reply. The youngest avenger wasted no time in wrapping his arms around her, pulling her into an emphatic hug
"You're okay", Ben breathed. She stiffened at first, before slowly relaxing into the hug.
"Why wouldn't I be?", she remarked saucily, whispering in his ear.
"Ahem–", Ben reddened slightly, "it's not like I wasn't worried or anything. You're kickass enough by yourself... "
"Nice save, hero", she rolled her eyes before her expression softened
"So, did you find anything?", he inquired.
"Not yet..", She glanced at Ester before returning her gaze back to the shapeshifter, "Guess I uh...might've overreacted back then"
"Did...did you just apologize?", Ben's eyes widened. She sighed in dismay, knowing he wasn't going to let it slide so easily.
"I'm probably the first person ever to get an apology from Natasha Romanov!"
"That doesn't..."
He waggled his finger in her face, "Ah-ah-ah, no takebacks!"
"... ты придурок", she sighed in exasperation.
"Hey Ben! Wanna race again?", one of the kids zoomed in, mercifully cutting her torture short.
"Uhhhh, sure Leena, why not?"
The Kineceleran girl gazed at Natasha, with a wide-eyed wonder in her childish eyes. The superspy fell silent as the girl seemed to examine her like a probe.
"You're pretty!!", exclaimed the girl, her white eyes widening with enthusiasm, "are you Ben Tennyson's girlfriend?"
"Wha-", the seemingly innocent question toon the superspy by surprise
"Oookay, off we go!!", Ben frantically ushered the Kineceleran girl away, flustering ever so brightly.
"Bye, pretty lady!", The girl waved back at Natasha, a subconscious grin appearing on the superspy's lips.
"So...you and Benji", Ester continued as soon as the shapeshifter left the redhead, "you're relationship just got a lot more complicated, didn't it?"
"Don't know what you're talking about"
"So what is he? Partner? Boss? Asset? Wow, don't tell me you even got the hots for hot-stuff over there"
"No, and can you stop calling him that?", the redhead snapped in annoyance.
"Why? I thought you don't like him?", the half-Krahoo smirked
"I don't", huffed the superspy," Doesn't mean you can call him that. He's a human, not a piece of meat"
"Well, he's a hot piece of something alright–I'm kidding!", Ester threw her hands up in mock surrender.
"What are you really planning?", Nat folded her hands, glaring at the magenta-haired girl. Nat could clearly see Ben was nothing more than a distraction for her, a chip she held to push the redhead's buttons. Keeping your target rattled and emotional; the perfect distraction.
"Still don't trust me do you...", Ester clutched her heart, putting on her best faux-disappointment face, "and here I thought we had a real connection, Red!"
"I don't trust anyone", Nat stated bluntly, "especially not your people. They have a dangerous device on their hands and we still don't know what they'll do with it"
"You mean the Fusion thing? It'll be fine, they just–"
RUMMBBBLLLEEE
A series of tremors rocked the entirety of Undertown, a shower of stalactites accompanying the quakes
"What the-"
The group watched as the outskirts of the city glowed amber, plumes of molten lava oozed to the surface. The discharge began rapidly encompassing the old shantytown and even near residential area. Residents scrambled in a melee as more fissures cracked open the ground, releasing more sprouts of magma to the surface.
"No...", Ester whispered under her breath, shock and disbelief clouding her features. Fearing for their lives, the kids zoomed to shelter, their frightful screams haunting the half-Krahoo.
"Dammit, this is what your people wanted?", Natasha reprimanded, the molten avalanche looming dangerously close to the city's main districts.
"We can play the blame game later!",yelled Ben, dialing up the Omnitrix.
"It's hero time!"
BLAMMMMM!!!!
A burst of verdant light saw the shapeshifter switch into his new alien form: a blue, bipedal lizard-like alien with glowing gills and spikes protruding from his bike. Cold vapor oozed from every breath, his scales hardened against the coldest of temperatures.
"Arctiguana!", The Polar Manzardill exclaimed before examining his three toed appendages, "well, I was going for Big Chill, but I guess it'll work!"
Taking deep breath, Ben unleashed a vortex of ice from his widened maw, launching the spray in as wide an area as he could manage. The torrent of ice had its intended effect, freezing the magma into solid obsidian in mere moments. The disaster had been averted, for the time being.
"It's not gonna hold for long Ben", Nat pointed at the overflow of lava that kept on pouring from the fissures, "we're looking at massive casualties if that thing hits the town. Could even flow up to the city!"
"Okay, enough games", Ben addressed the half-Krahoo as he transformed back in flash, " What are the Krahoo really doing with the fusion engine?"
"Hey, that's not fair!", Ester protested weakly, "How can you know if it was us? For all we know, there could've just a lava overflow or underground work went wrong!"
"There are no volcanoes underneath New York city, Ester", Nat argued, " And what kind of underground work produce lava?"
"There are lives at stake here Ester", Ben's eyes narrowed as he approached the magenta haired girl.
"Easy...there hot stuff", she backed up warily, hands held up, "Wouldn't want to get all angry now would-"
"No", the shapeshifter growled, his tone darkening, "no more jokes. No more games. All of this is for real. Your friends are in danger, Ester! Innocent people too!"
Dejected, the girl glanced meekly at the Kinecelerans.
"I'm gonna ask you nicely, one last time. What did the Krahoo do with the fusion engine?"
Ester sighed in frustration,"They said they were making a hotspot"
"A what?"
"Krahoo don't do well in temperatures less than 1500 degrees. They were going to use the Fusion Device to create some kind of heating zone deep in the cave systems, a place where the Krahoo could thrive. But they didn't tell me they were terra-forming!"
"Bloody hell", Nat hissed
"Where is it?", Ben pressed," the hotspot, where can we find it?"
"You're asking me to betray my own people?"
"I'm asking you to save lives, Ester", Ben persuaded, his tone less harsh as he addressed the girl. He pointed to the city, populated with inhabitants and nowhere to run, appealing to her sense of morality.
"Ester..Help me save them", he asked, "All of them"
The caverns swelled with heat as the trio went deeper, perspiration dotting the foreheads of Ben and Nat as they finally reached their destination.
The hotspot was a large clearing within the heart of the tunnels, comprised of old machinery once used for excavation now repurposed into a makeshift base of operations, patrolled by former Krahoo workmen turned soldiers.
In the center stood the hulking Terraforming machine, built from space junk either scavenged or stolen from Undertown. Pockets of lava oozed from it's underbelly as it continued its
"I think you should stay back", Ben spoke up, addressing the redhead, "it's not exactly human temperature down there"
"What, and let you have all the fun?"
"I'm serious, Nat", Ben placed a hand on her shoulder, drawing a raised eyebrow from the superspy.
"I think we both know I can handle myself, Tennyson", she swatted his hand dismissively before fixing him with a hard stare.
"I know", the shapeshifter sighed, "doesn't mean I'm going to let you put yourself in harm's way". He glanced around, surveying the area. "Look, you're tough, but you're not adapted to the temperature like me and Ester. And if something goes wrong..."
Her eyes flitted over him, from his downcast expression to the hint of nervousness etched on his brow. Ben wasn't just on edge, he was actively fearing for her survival. A feat she would've dismissed a while ago, but coming from someone who'd faced the worst the Galaxy had to offer...it held a greater weight than just mere irrational fear.
"Okay"
"Really?", Ben's gaze shot back up, somewhat surprised at her response.
"Really", it was her turn to place a hand on his shoulder, nodding in the direction of the machine, "Kick their asses for me okay? And be quick, we don't have much time!".
"You got it, Agent Romanov!"
He beamed brightly, before nodding back and heading towards the hotspot, dialing up the Omnitrix as he ran.
"What the hell is all this, Seebik?", Ester stormed towards the Krahoo, the others giving way for the girl's furious march.
"This is not your concern Ester", the leader waved her off
"Not my concern?", she cried, "you lied to me! About everything!"
The leader sighed, "It was for your own good! For the good of the Krahoo?"
"Have you lost your mind?"
"How many years have we spent slaving away in the burrows of other civilizations? Hiding in the shadows? No more! We need a world of our own, Ester!"
"This world doesn't belong to you or to any of us!", she retorted, "You have to stop this, right now!"
"And remain pariahs forever? Let the others cast Krahoos aside like gutter trash? Is that the Krahoo way? It's time for a new era! The krahoo era!"
Unbeknownst to the Krahoo, Ben had used Ester's distraction, steadily making his way to the device. His form wasn't suited for stealth, but with Ester's distraction, he could pull it off in one piece. Plus the tremors also dampened the loud thunks of his footsteps as he approached from the Southend of the cavern.
"Alright, let's crash this party", the shapeshifter braced against the massive drill and began heaving valiantly.
GROOOAAANNN
All eyes fell on the Prypiatosian-B and his brute force attempt to dismantle the hulking machinery
"Uhhhh...don't mind me, comrades", Ben's metallic voice bellowed from NRG's containment suit. "Just saving everyone in the city, da?"
"Ben Tennyson?!", Seebik yelled, his visage distorted in consternation. The Krahoo clamored upon hearing the legendary name, while the leader turned back to the half-Krahoo in gruff accusation.
"You..you brought him here!"
"I had no choice, Seebik!",Ester retorted, "you gave me no choice! After all, it's for the good of the clan!"
"Enough! Seize them! Both of them!"
The Krahoo sprang into action immediately, two burly Krahoo detaining the magenta haired girl while the rest descended upon Ben.
While transformed, he'd the size advantage as he towered over them easily, they were much faster, more agile and had the numbers advantage. Like a vengeful horde, they swarmed the hero, who despite his superior strength was hampered by his sluggish movements due to the bulky suit
As the fight wore on, the Krahoo only grew stronger, more ferocious. The rapidly expanding pools of boiling lava only gave them the home field advantage, overwhelming and forcing the hero away from the device. Ben struggled against the sheer tide of their numbers, smacking away anyone in range only for another to engage. His radiation beams had little effect except to stun them momentarily
"Don't let him near the Generator!"
BOOOOMMM!!!
A beam of pure ice tore through the Krahoo numbers, incapacitating a few. Everyone turned to see Natasha Romanov, brandishing a massive alien laser cannon, a dangerous glare in her yes contrasted with the leering smirk on her lips
"Hello boys", she quipped, "sorry to barge in on this party, but you're gonna have to step away from my asset. RIGHT. NOW". The cannon hummed menacingly as she took aim.
"Natasha?!", Ben exclaimed, "how–where did you..."
"Made a visit to an old friend of ours", she charged up the Frost Cannon, taking aim. "Pakmar sends his regards"
BOOOMM!!!
With Natasha's intervention, the fight's tempo had switched. While Ben worked on the Device, she and Ester kept the Krahoo at bay. At some point, the two ladies wound up said by side, battling away at the Krahoo numbers
"Nice one Red! Not bad for our first team up", Ester delivered a stretched roundhouse, bludgeoning the nearby grunt with a resounding THWACK!
"Would be a lot better if you weren't talking!", Nat fired another blast, the frosty feedback of energy nearly freezing her hands solid. Combined with the extreme heat, and she was starting to feel woozy. They were losing a war of attrition, time wasn't on their side
"Red?"
Stumbling slightly, Natasha found her footing before nearly falling into the dirt. Ester's rubbery hands steadied her before pulling the Redhead out of harm's way.
"Ben! Your girlfriend's not doing so hot! Whatever you need to do, do it quick!"
"I'm...trying!" Ben strained against the heart of the machine, rearing back to slap away another Krahoo. Needless to say, multitasking wasn't NRG's strong suit, no pun intended.
HUMMMMMMM
"Uhhhh, guys!", Ben hollered, "we might have problem here!" The Generator hummed violently before erupting in a burst of energy, doubling the magnitude of the earthquakes. The magma eruptions became more volatile, molten discharges nearly covering the entire hotspot. The Krahoo were undeterred in their attempt to keep the hero away from what they perceived to be their salvation.
"Dammit, it's overloading!", Ben grunted, turning back to Ester as she held a sweltering Natasha in a fireman's carry, "get her out of here!!!"
Ester secured the redhead only for a series of tremors to dislodge a hail of boulders that slammed into the cave floor, blocking off access to the tunnels. "We're trapped!"
Running out of options, Ben attempted one last resort. Reaching to the latch on his suit, the shapeshifter pulled with all his might. The generator's activity went ballistic, causing massive amounts
"Ben!" Ester's alarmed voice rang in he background, cradling Nat's unconscious body, "she's passed out!"
The hero doubled his efforts, the metal of his suit creaking loudly in protest as he manually forced open the port, his suit unleashing a bright blast of energy.
WHOOOOOMMM
A fiery being leapt out of NRG'S suit, the true Prypiatosian form enveloped in a bright aura of radioactive energy.
Seebik's eyes widened as Ben flew into the generator, "No! Don't let him..."
Ben emerged from the rapidly deteriorating machine, holding the overheated Fusion Device. He tossed the glowing device in his mouth, his alien physiilogu letitng him consume the energy source
"...do that"
Fully charged up, Ben went ballistic. A halo of energy bolts fired from NRG's true form pelted the ceilings above the Krahoo warriors, keeping them at bay while the rest blasted through the cave's walls, reopening the tunnels.
RUMBLERUMBLERUMBLE
"Everybody! Out! Now!", Ben yelled as the cave's support systems finally gave way, crumbling down in a heap
"...is she okay?"
"Your girlfriend's fine, keep your panties on hot-stuff"
Nat opened her eyes to see Ben and Ester looking down over her. The shapeshifter's face broke into a relieved grin, while the half-Krahoo just smirked in satisfaction.
"How long was I out?", Nat sat up
"No too long" Ben replied, "we managed to evacuate the rest of the neighborhoods, and cooled down the lava. Ester helped, she even got the other Krahoo on board". The magenta haired girl beamed proudly
"Now there's a litt unfinished business" Ester turned back to the leader of the Krahoo.
The shamefaced leader approached the magenta haired girl, towering over her. To Ben's surprise, the leader dropped to a knee, lowering his head before the girl.
"The clan is yours...by right", Seebik acknowledged, the rest of the clan following suit.
"Well, isn't this a surprise", muttered Nat. Deja Vu.
"...and?", Ester asked Seebik.
"...and the Krahoo way is yours to command as you see fit"
"There we go! Took you long enough!" Ester grinned like a Cheshire cat, hand on her hips.
Ben, of course, was the last to clue in on current events, "Wait, you mean.."
"She's Krahoo royalty", Nat deduced, "and she just used us to get back her throne. That's why they never completely kicked her out of the clan!"
"Wait wha-"
"Hey it's only fair, Red", Ester reminded, "we all got what we wanted in the end. Well technically, only I did, but hey–that's life!"
"This isn't...you...", The shapeshifter was at a complete loss for words
"What's to stop us form taking you in?", Nat glared at the half-Krahoo.
"And let a bunch of leaderless Krahoo lose on Undertown?", Ester raised her antler-like brow, "I think not. If you thought the cave-ins were bad, wait till you see what a bunch of loose cannons like these bozos can do when there's no one holding the leash"
"You planned this, didn't you?"
"Well, not completely", Ester shrugged, "just made do with the hand I was dealt. And if it's any consolation, you played your part perfectly"
Nat sneezed loudly, the after effects of the cannon finally coming back to haunt her.
"Well, looks like you two have your hands full with...whatever earth thing that is", the half-Krahoo continued as she returned to her clan, "but don't worry, I'm keeping my promise. The Krahoo will co-exist with rest of Undertown and we'll even sweeten the pot, by restoring the Old parts of the city".
"W-wait, we will?", One of the Krahoo asked.
"Yes, we will, Lackno", Ester retorted, fixing the Krahoo with a hard stare."As for these two, I think they need to be escorted back to the surface, no?"
The redhead gave another sneeze.
Once again, the duo found themselves back in the Tower, the weariness of the mission finally taking its toll. Natasha had faced the worst of it, the rapid changes in temperatures wreaking havoc on her immune system. Even for a Widow, there was only so much she could take.
"Here you go!", Ben walked in the living room with a steaming teacup," and don't worry on your boss seeing you being taking care of your asset. I turned off every CCTV in the penthouse"
"W-what are you talking about?", Natasha sniffled slightly, shifting her reclined posture on the couch
"Please Nat", Ben took a seat beside her, "Do you know how many bugs i removed the day I moved here? I'm sure Fury popped a vein when he found out"
"I don't what you're talking about"
"Seriously Nat?", He sighed," Look i get it okay? You're just doing your job, not gonna hold that against you. But I'm not stupid"
He locked stares with the redhead
"You're my handler, not because i'm reckless or sloppy or a loose cannon. No. You're my handler so Fury can keep tabs on me and to get a hold over me, sorry but that's not gonna happen. I thought being able to resist Loki's whammy would've made that point clear; I'm not gonna be under anyone's thumb"
"You never really told me what happened there, with Loki", she reminded him
Cup in hand, Ben momentarily froze but recovered just as quickly
"We...we can talk about that another time. Promise"
She didn't respond, her silent suspicions only radiating through her gaze
"Look if you're worried about me making your job harder than it already is, then you don't have to", Ben stated,. "I'm willing to play ball as long as Fury wants to keep an 'eye' on me. Which would probably last..."
Ben glanced down at the Omnitrix for dramatic effect, "...forever. And the soup's getting cold"
Ben said as stood up went to the kitchen part of the penthouse and Nat looking at him
"You...you made this?"
"Yeah...figured you might need it, with your cold and all" the young Avenger transfered some soup in a bowl with a small plate under it
"Didn't know you could cook", Nat teases, causing the shapeshifter to chuckle in response.
"Hey, I did say I'm full of surprises! Plus, when your grandfather has the weirdest possible taste, you gotta learn to fend for yourself. Plus you're on your own and–"
"Alone?". Puzzled, the superspy watched him shuffle to a seat right in front of her.
"Yeah.. both of my parents used to have a work when i was a kid", said the shapeshifter , "I don't hold it again't them really. It's.. kind of where i got the bravado i have when I was a kid that I can take care of myself or I don't need anyone. She bristled at that, the implications of his words clear.
"Kind of also the reason why i'm always excited to be with Grandpa and Gwen", he stop blowing on the soup and raised the spoon for her.
"I can do that myself", she stated, raising a hand in protest. Another sneeze escaped her lips, nearly causing Ben to spill the soup on himself
"You... sure about that?"
She glared at him for several seconds before grudgingly acquiescing.
"Come on, say ah..."
"Seriously?
"What?", Ben chuckled lightly, a merry jingle like music to her ears.
"Y'know, Widows aren't even supposed to get sick", she lamented, another sneeze wracking through her.
"Well, first time for everything"
"I'm serious! I've camped in literal snowstorms, cleared out an entire camp's worth of terrorists in the mosquito infested Amazon and survived a month's worth of torture in a Panamanian prison", Natasha put on a semi-serious face, causing Ben to flinch.
"Yeah, we know you're a super hot badass who can probably take on an army with this spoon", he rolled his eyes, causing her to glare at him again, "I get that you can take care of yourself. I'm not doing this because I need to, I'm doing this because I want to"
A comfortable silence blanketed their conversation for a while before Natasha addressed him again.
"So...did you like her? Ester, I mean"
He squirmed a little under her piercing gaze, "I mean.. she is pretty and all...but no". She raised an eyebrow warily, trying to ascertain his words
"Probably because I'm attracted to someone, or still attracted to someone"
"What, like an old flame or something?"
"Nah", he stared longingly at the redhead then grinned, "nothing like that"
Minutes later, she was slowly dozing off on the couch, snuggled under a thin blanket with little warmth.
"Alright sleepyhead, let's get you to bed", Ben announced to the redhead.
"No..later", she mumbled.
"You look like a seahorse out of water", Ben nudged her slightly,"c'mon, bed–now"
"...no"
"What if I offered to carry you?"
"Hmmm...", She said dreamily, " my own personal nurse"
"You're heavier than I thought", he grunted as he carefully carried the redhead to her room, depositing her safely on the soft sheets.
"Did you just call me fat?"
"Err...wouldn't dream of it, Nat", Ben knew she was still capable of whooping his ass if she really wanted. At least in his human form.
The two shared a smile before he gently tucked her in, pulling the covers over her curled up frame
She sneezed softly before whispering, "Thanks, Ben. For this..all of this"
The shapeshifter smiled in response, "Anytime, Nat. Just get some rest"
A light chuckle escaped her lips,"I'll be fine, hero. Quit making a fuss"
Ben shrugged, "Hey, until you're better I'm gonna have to be your nurse. Now get some rest"
"You're a dork...", she gave the warmest of smiles
"Yeah, but that's why you love me", he smirked, "Plus I'm also a hero, on my best days anyway. Oh, and your overly handsome and charming nurse apparently"
She watched him make for the door before whispering again, under her tired breath, "ты все"
"Huh?", Ben turned to see her already asleep. She looked so peaceful, so vulnerable in this position.
And yet, so much at peace. He took a last look at the sleeping assassin before closing the door
"Goodnight, Nat"
"
.
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END
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Author's Note:
Previously I said I'd try and make this oneshot shorter
Well that was a fuckin' lie...
Truth be told, I did NOT expect this oneshot to get so complicated overtime. But I guess that's part.of writing, or so I heard. Many thanks once again to my assistant writer for keeping me motivated and inspired. And thanks to everyone at the Discord.
Anyways, expect the next one to take a while again. As always, reviews and Criticisms are welcome. Seriously guys, anything. It keeps me going.
Till next time.
EXCELSIOR!!
P.S: If you want to see how 19 year old Ben looks in the Age of Marvels Universe, check out my Profile picture.
