Chapter 15: In Which Ben Trains With Phineas

Ooh, lookit, a brand new chapter a week early! Y'all better be happy about that. I had to work my ass off to get this up so early. I doubt it'll happen again.

Before I forget: next chapter's author's note is gonna be awesome. So don't forget to read it!

Ben had another vision while he was flying in midair.

"Where are you taking me?" Ben asked nervously. Carter shushed him and led the way through the forest. They were at the outskirts of Bellwood for some reason; Carter had coerced Ben into going with her to see something cool. So far, she wasn't coughing up any information.

It was about a month after their first meeting, and they were on the fast track to becoming friends, though Carter didn't like admitting it. She had changed attitudes since then, from a cold, sarcastic girl to a somewhat warm and friendly person.

"We're almost there!" Carter called out to Ben, who groaned audibly. They were going up a steep hill now, much to Ben's chagrin. Why Carter wouldn't let him change into Stink Fly or XLR8 to speed things up was beyond him. Despite the complaining, Ben followed her all the way up the grassy hill.

When Carter reached the top, she turned around and waited for Ben to come up. Ben, who was tired and sweaty from hiking in the woods, was taking his sweet time catching up. Carter waited patiently, though, and when Ben finally walked up to her, she smiled.

"There's something you have to see," she said, not tired from the trek at all.

"Why can't you just tell me what it is?" Ben whined, but Carter just grabbed his arm and led him from the trail.

"Close your eyes," she ordered. Ben groaned again, but complied. She led him a little ways before stopping. "Okay, open your eyes."

"Finally!" Ben huffed as he opened them. What he saw before him sucked the breath out of him. They were on a grassy cliff with clumps of wild forest flowers here and there. The cliff overlooked the entire city of Bellwood, all the streets and buildings that weren't hidden from the afternoon sun's glare. Ben could even see the road that led out of Bellwood into the desert.

"Whoa," was all Ben needed to say.

"It's even more beautiful at night," Carter said next to him, "what with all the lights."

Ben turned to look at her. "How'd you find this place?"

She shrugged. "I heard about it from my grandparents. My parents used to meet up here all the time when they were teenagers."

Carter walked towards the edge of the cliff. Ben would have called out to warn her, but he had seen her fly. She would have no problem here. "Ben, come up here!" She gestured to him. Ben walked up to her, confused.

"Have you ever wanted to fly without the Omnitrix?" Carter asked him seriously.

"Well, yeah," Ben answered honestly.

"Close your eyes," she ordered again, and he did. He felt her touch his spine and it sent a jolt through his body. Then she let go, and there was something heavy on his back. Before Ben could ask, Carter shoved him hard, and he fell off the cliff.

"WAKE UP!"

Ben opened his eyes in time to see himself plummeting to the ground. He spread his wings and flapped quickly, just in time; he was about to hit a building and splatter his remains on the roof. He stayed roughly in the same place, constricting his wings slightly and flapping them repeatedly as he calmed down and got his bearings.

Carter caught up to him, doing the same exact movements with her wings. "What was that?" she asked worriedly.

Ben rubbed his eyes. "It was another vision. We were on a cliff… you pushed me off a cliff!" He pointed an accusing finger at her.

"You had wings!" Carter protested. "And besides, you forgot about that when you were flying for the first time in your life." Carter refused to say anything more, and crossed her arms to emphasize that.

Ben eyed her suspiciously. "You're seriously not going to tell me more about these visions." He didn't bother to ask anymore.

"No." Carter stared at him defiantly, because she really wouldn't. Ben sighed in defeat.

"Fine, let's just go to my house before my curfew." He stretched his wings to their full size and flew upward, leaving Carter to follow.

The vision was forgotten for the moment, because Ben was really enjoying the feeling of flying. Some innate part of him knew how to fly, knew that it loved the wind on his face and the feeling of running his fingers in puffy, white clouds. How could Ben possibly forget this?

Soon, Ben could see his neighborhood and eventually his house. He swooped down and landed softly, his wings folding and disappearing into his back. "How do they do that?" he asked as Carter landed.

As her wings disappeared, she said, "I don't know, but it's convenient."

"Yeah," Ben agreed as his knees buckled. Exhaustion roared from every muscle and bone in his body, like he had just run a marathon without any training. Ben had trouble keeping his eyes open, and he barely registered Carter's arms around him as she caught him.

"This happens to everyone who flies for the first time," she explained. "You haven't used your wings in years, and you traveled a long distance too. I'm surprised you actually did it." Ben slowly stood up with Carter's help. He had to use every ounce of his will power to keep himself from collapsing.

"I had fun tonight," Carter admitted softly. Ben looked to see her smiling sincerely. "I think I'll see you tomorrow," she said.

"What's happening tomorrow?" Ben asked.

"If I'm right, you're going to train for the first time," Carter answered. "I'm not sure, though."

Carter could see that Ben couldn't take much more of this, so she gave him a little kiss on the cheek and said, "Later!" She ran away from him, jumped, and her wings sprouted from her back. Ben watched as she flew away, feeling the spot where Carter's soft lips touched his face. His fatigue forgotten, Ben threw his fist in the air in victory and turned around to run into his house.

Carter finally got home around eleven, completely exhausted. Flying from the Pier to Ben's house was hard enough, but then going to her own home? She should have called someone to pick her up.

But the night had been really nice, at least until Ship. Carter couldn't believe she had been afraid of a machine, unable to use her powers just because of it. But then again, machines weren't capable of mercy; they merely did their job to the T. Humans could feel mercy though. They were easier to bargain with, if they hadn't suppressed their emotions. Carter knew that with enough compassion, she could convince people not to hurt or kill her. It was just simple logic.

And Carter really should have paid more attention when Cordelia was explaining all the functions of the Plumbers badges. But it had been a warm day and it was after lunch, and she had been feeling really sleepy inside Isaac's study. It had been a challenge to stay awake really.

That reminded her of Ben. How was he holding up now? No doubt he was sleeping like a rock right now. Carter remembered how Ben had felt back when they were ten, after he learned to fly the first time. He had been using muscles he hadn't used before, and he nearly collapsed when he landed on the ground and folded his wings away. It would take some getting used to.

Carter was about to fall asleep when the memory of her kissing Ben suddenly popped up. What the fuck, brain? She thought angrily as she felt her face heat up.

Carter thought of herself as having a complex character. She played the role of the obedient granddaughter to Cordelia, completing jobs that she sent out for loads of cash. That was why Carter was so driven to finish a job; money helped her through the psychological pain. Every now and then Carter would have a nightmare that included all the people she killed. It didn't matter if they were a bad guy. All she saw was a bloody corpse with her standing over it, coldly looking over it like it wasn't even there. That was why Carter seethed inwardly whenever a new job came up. The nightmares, though rare, really freaked her out.

But Carter was good at bottling up her emotions. That way she could do her duties as Aquaria's vessel without snapping, like a good little girl. Or, at least she was until she liked someone. Then she would become bold and say what she really felt. Maybe that was why Carter dated a lot when she was growing up; to let go of all the emotions she was holding back.

But the guys Carter usually dated expected her to be exactly what they saw: an aloof yet obedient person. She had a tendency to date Slayer boys, who grew up seeing her as a dutiful vessel to Aquaria. They never thought of her as a real person, only as some faraway goddess they could look at but never touch (that was Evan's description of her, anyway). Maybe that was why nearly all of Carter's relationships ended quickly. They never expected her to take the first initiative, thinking that Sam was supposed to be the wild one, when the opposite was true.

But Carter wanted to be the one who wanted to make out instead of talk, to fool around whenever she and her guy were alone. Was that so wrong? According to her ex-boyfriends, it was, or at least they weren't used to it. On the plus side, Slayer boys rarely kissed and told people, so there were no nasty rumors circulating about Carter being a slut. Not that anyone would even think to believe it, since Carter was so important and dutiful (oooh, the sarcasm was so thick a chainsaw could cut through it. Where was Sam when Carter needed her?).

But what really worried Carter was Ben. Would he like that in a girl? She had been loud and sarcastic even back when they were kids, so maybe. But things could have changed in the last five years, so maybe Ben wanted a recessive girlfriend who didn't get dirty jokes or laughed at them or looked innocent and scared when he suggested taking things to the next level.

Then again, Ben was pretty stupid when it came to girls. Maybe it would be better if Carter did all that. That way Ben wouldn't have to decide if Carter wanted him to kiss her and fear messing things up between them.

For some reason, Carter liked that idea, or at least liked it well enough to go to sleep with a smile on her face.

Wake up.

I don't wanna.

Damn teenager. WAKE UP!

For the second time that week, Ben had been rudely awakened from his comfortable nap. Only this time Ben was safely in his bed and not about to crash into a building with an uncomfortable splat.

Ben slowly got up and groaned when his bones creaked painfully. He had been able to shower and change into clean boxers and a t-shirt before his body finally gave out on his bed. Ben had no idea that flying would be so exhausting. He looked at the clock; ten in the morning. Pretty late for a Sunday, even for Ben. At least this time Ben had done all of his homework on Friday. It had felt weird, but now he didn't have anything to worry about.

Except for training with Phineas. Didn't Carter say she didn't know for sure? She hadn't said she was going to call… Ben decided to get ready, just in case. He put on clean clothes, combed his hair, and went downstairs to find nobody in the house. He went into the kitchen to see a note on the table: his mother was visiting a friend. Ben could vaguely hear the sounds of a lawn mower outside. He looked out the window to see his dad mowing the lawn.

Ben grabbed himself a bowl of cereal and began to eat breakfast. After about ten minutes, his phone rang upstairs. Abandoning his dishes in the sink, he raced up to see Carter's name on the ID. "H-hello?" he gasped.

"I think I have good news," Carter said, sounding a bit anxious.

"What do you mean?" Ben asked.

"Phineas has agreed to train you, and everything's been set up." She stopped there, unsure whether she should continue.

"Am I meeting up at your place?"

"No, you're going to the Carmichael manor." The mansion was in Sterling Hills, not too far from Carter's place, actually. Ben would have to get there by himself, though. Ben pocketed his phone after the call, grabbed his jacket and went to the kitchen. Grabbing a pen and paper from a cabinet, he quickly wrote out a plausible lie, explaining his absence for the day. Then he was out the back door, his Omnitrix set at Jetray.

Ben saw the house soon enough. It was large like all the mansions in Sterling Hills, with a brown roof and red brick walls. There was a black fence surrounding the house, with a long, narrow driveway coming up to it. Ben landed on the front steps and changed back into human. He rang the doorbell and waited.

After what seemed like forever, the front door opened into a large, circular lobby with a staircase in the middle. Ben could see the stairs leading into a white hallway, but that was it.

"Who the hell are you?" an unfriendly voice from Ben's left said. He turned to see a boy around his age, with blond hair, blue eyes, and a hateful sneer on his pretty face. He was wearing clean skinny jeans with a white shirt, like he was trying to be casual.

"Ben Tennyson. You?" Ben responded.

"Ezekiel Carmichael. Now what are you doing in my house?" Ezekiel's sneer got even wider when he gave Ben a once over.

That irked Ben. "I'm going to train with Phineas," he replied annoyed. The sneer dropped from Ezekiel's face for a moment before being replaced completely with a scowl.

"That's impossible. Phineas is busy working today."

Ben didn't believe him. "Really? Because I got a call from Carter-" Ezekiel sucked in a breath and glared at Ben with utmost hatred. The venom on his face forced Ben to not instinctively take a step back.

"You're the vessel for Ventus?" Something told Ben his relative couldn't believe that.

"Uh, yeah," he said, rolling his eyes. "Didn't anyone tell you?"

"So, what, now you think that just because you've got a god in your head you can just waltz into someone's house and lord over people?"

"No! Where did that even come from?"

"'Cause you-"

"Ezekiel!" boomed a voice from Ben's right. It was a young-looking man wearing a black flannel suit and a blue tie. His blond hair was wavy and thick and he had an authentic-looking surfer's tan. He looked like a serious version of Ventus.

"What is wrong with you, Zeke?" Phineas shook his head. "You see your cousin for the very first time and you try to tear out his throat? Your mother raised you better than that." Ezekiel tried to say something, but Phineas shot him down. "Go." Ben's cousin gave him a withering look before stomping up the stairs. Ben watched him go before staring at Phineas. Phineas stared back. "If you've got something to say, say it now."

"Why haven't I heard from you before now? Why hasn't anyone told me about this side of my family? And what the hell is that guy's problem?" Ben pointed up the stairs where Zeke had gone.

"One, I wanted to, but after that incident it was decided that no one would contact you until you were older. Two, I assume that Sandra must have told you, but you've forgotten. I haven't seen you since you were a child; naturally you would forget about the Carmichael family. And three…" Phineas shook his head. "Before you were ten, Zeke was the family favorite. Everyone thought he would be Ventus's vessel, but then you came along and people stopped acting like he was special. He's hated you ever since."

Phineas cocked his head to the side. "I thought you would be angrier at me."

Ben shrugged his shoulders. "I know I should be, but Isaac explained everything, and I can't really blame you."

Phineas raised an eyebrow. "How pragmatic of you. Now come along, we have to start your training."

They were in the basement which, according to Phineas, had been converted into a time pocket. "Basically, hours pass by in here, but outside it's only been a few minutes," he explained as he took off his jacket, revealing a fancy blue button down shirt. "We don't have a lot of time until the High Breeds invade, and you can't always rely on the Omnitrix, so this seemed like the best solution. So, you've had more training than experience, I presume."

"Well, yeah," Ben said, still reeling over the fact that they were disconnected from time.

"This will be easy then." Before Ben could react, a bolt of lightning was aimed at his head. With a yell of fright, Ben dodged to the side just as the lightning bolt hit the ground. An explosion was heard, and a small crater was left. The air in the basement smelled like ozone, and Phineas was holding a ball of yellow electricity in the palm of his hand.

"What the hell?" Ben cried out when he got his voice back.

"I figured you would be more used to something like this instead of martial arts training," Phineas answered calmly, like he hadn't just tried to kill his nephew. "Remember, you can't use the Omnitrix. Force the power right out of you." And Phineas shot at him again, a crackling ball of electricity aimed at Ben's head, flying at lightning speed. Ben dodged again and just barely landed safely before he had to dodge again.

Already dodging three bolts and Ben was running out of steam. He had no idea what to do. This wasn't like with the Omnitrix, where he could experiment with the alien. If Ben didn't figure out how to use his powers, he could seriously die.

At the mention of the word die, something reacted inside Ben, something he rarely felt. It was pure, undiluted fear. Ben had always been afraid for someone else, like his cousin or his family or, more recently, Carter. He was afraid that he couldn't protect them, save them from danger like a hero. But Ben had never once considered that he could need saving. He never had to thanks to the Omnitrix. But now he couldn't even use that.

Ben was in serious danger, and no one could help him except himself.

After dodging the last bolt, Ben jumped up. He could feel air pooling under him, keeping him afloat and propelling him upward. He willed energy into his hand- he didn't know if this would work, he had never done it before- and as soon as he heard a crackle of electricity in his hand, Ben flung the ball at Phineas. It was the size of a softball-Ben didn't even know he had it in him. Phineas's eyes widened and he crossed his arms in front of him. The explosion knocked Ben to the ground, the air no longer keeping a safe cushion under his feet. He must have hit his head, because he was slipping in and out of consciousness.

He didn't see the end of the explosion, how Phineas had absorbed the lightning into himself. The amount of power in that attack was pretty damn impressive; even the trajectory was incredible. Considering the amount of time Ben had to figure it out and the amount of stress he was under, it was simply mind blowing. And now Ben was unconscious, from the attack or from the impact when he hit the ground, Phineas didn't know.

The Omnitrix must have helped Ben. Ben was all experience and very little training. All the aliens he had faced, all the situations he was forced into because of that thing, it must have taught him to keep calm under intense pressure, to not panic when his life was in danger. It might have even given him an edge when it came to using his powers.

Looking over his unconscious form, Phineas told his grandson, "You are a frightening child, Benjamin."

Ben woke up feeling like he had been hit by a ton of bricks. For a second there he thought Kevin was behind it, but then he remembered the training with Phineas. Ben shot up to a sitting position and immediately regretted it. Pain coursed through his body like adrenaline, and his head felt like it was going to explode.

"Glad to see you're awake," said Phineas. Ben slowly swiveled his head to see his grandfather on the other side of the room, smoking half a cigarette. He took it out to say, "'Bout time too. This is my second one. Anymore and Isaac would be on my case."

"You tried to kill me," Ben croaked out finally, having difficulty standing up.

Phineas took a long drag before answering. "I knew that you have been put in life-or-death situations without any training before. I merely did what you were most comfortable with."

"Whoever said I was comfortable with that?"

"Okay, fine, scratch that last part. I merely did what you were used to. Happy?"

"…Not really."

Phineas sighed as he stubbed out his cigarette. "At least now we know you can use that power with the Omnitrix on. Now you have to learn how to control it. Have you ever seen Sam conduct lightning?"

Ben thought back to the Morningstar incident. "Yes."

"As you know, there are four elements, and one of them is your exact opposite. That's earth. You can't use any power that's earth-based, it's impossible. But you can use anything that's air, water, or fire-based. You following me?"

"So far," Ben said. He was starting to feel less zapped by now.

"Good. Now that means that you can create lightning, which if basically fire, and create small bursts of fog or mist, which has water particles. Right now we're going to be working on your lightning control, so that means learning some special martial arts specifically for it. Ready?"

"Not like I have a choice."

"You always have a choice, Ben. Remember that. Now the first thing you do is spread your legs-don't give me that look, you pervert!" Phineas glared at Ben.

"I'm a teenage boy!" Ben protested.

"And a very immature one at that. Now spread your legs, like a stance…"

After what seemed like hours, Ben was finally able to conduct lightning. His pride did crumble when it was only a pitiful spark instead of the impressive blast from before.

"You're just tired," Phineas said reassuringly. "At least we know you can do it."

This did not reassure Ben.

"Now we're going to work on the martial arts specifically for wind users such as yourself," Phineas instructed. "Baguazhang is all about circular motions, like circle walking. It's about flexibility and proper body alignment, and uses a wide variety of techniques such as strikes from the palm, fist, elbow, and fingers, and also kicks, joint locks, throws, and evasive circular footwork. Since your just beginning, we'll start with flexibility and proper body alignment."

Ben shrugged, too exhausted to do much else. "Seems easy enough."

"That's what you think."

Phineas was right. By the time he said Ben was done for today, he had to call in a stretcher to get his grandson out of the time pocket. He was slipping into unconsciousness, but he could feel someone carrying up the stairs, stripping him of every article of clothing on his person, and finally putting him into something that felt like water, but smelled like herbs and cough syrup. The smell was odd, but somehow comforting. He was asleep in seconds.

When Ben awoke, he was still in the liquid. From the dim lighting, he could see that it was beige colored, and really was the viscosity of water. He somehow felt energized, the pain inflicted on him and the exhaustion he felt afterwards simply gone. He reached out in front of him and figured that he was laying down in a metal tub with foggy glass over it. There was plenty of oxygen, but it didn't stop Ben from panicking.

He heard a whirring sound, and the medicinal liquid covering him began to drain away from an unseen drainage hole. The glass cover over him began to clear up and recede from the side, and Ben slowly got out of the tub. He was in a dimly lit room with titanium walls and pipes running through the ceiling, somewhat visible to Ben. He looked to his sides and noticed other tubs exactly like his, all made out of gray metal with a thick glass covering over them. There was a table with Ben's clothes and a white towel on it next to his tub, so Ben toweled himself dry and quickly put on his clothes. They smelled nice and were warm, like they were recently laundered.

When Ben was done, he noticed a lone titanium door to his right, so Ben walked up to it and was glad when it slid open. He walked out of that room, bumping right in to Carter.

"Carter! Man, am I glad to see you!" Ben cried out, relieved.

Carter smiled at him. "Sorry I couldn't be here earlier. I found out this morning that Cordelia made me an unwilling guinea pig for one of her pharmaceutical experiments."

"Is that even legal?"

"Well, the results are great and there have been no side effects so far, and there's a sum of money in my bank account because of it…"

"So, I take that as a yes?"

Carter waved a dismissive hand and began to walk down the hallway. "So how was training?" Ben groaned loudly. "That bad, huh?" Carter sighed. "I figured Phineas would work you to the bone, especially because of the time pocket."

"How long was I in there, anyway?"

"On this side, an hour."

"S-seriously?" Ben spluttered as the hallway ended to the main entrance where Ben first entered. Phineas was there with someone who looked very important. He noticed the two teens in the room, and gave Ben a wink and a smile. Phineas then directed the important looking man to the left doorway, leaving the kids in peace.

Ben looked around the room. "What, no Zeke to say good bye?" he joked.

This time Carter groaned. "Oh, God, did he accuse you of stealing his glory?"

"No, but he did say I wasn't special. What's his problem, anyway? I heard a little from Phineas, but…"

Carter sighed. "Zeke thinks that if he was the vessel, he would automatically become the family star and have all of the attention, have Evan as a best friend, Sam as a bodyguard, and me as his girlfriend."

Ben gave a low whistle. "Doesn't look like he wants out of the spotlight, huh?"

"No, and we hated him for it." Ben assumed 'we' was Carter, Sam, and Evan. "He always wants the spotlight; it's like he can't live without it. And he was a major jerk back when we were kids. That's why we were overjoyed when we found out you were Ventus's vessel."

"…You didn't rub it in his face, did you?"

Carter looked at him sheepishly.

"No wonder he hates me!"

"He had it coming!" Carter protested.

"Yeah, whatever," Ben dismissed. He gestured towards the front door. "So, what happens now?"

Carter thought for a moment. "We could call up the gang and have band practice. We haven't done that in a while."

"I don't have my guitar with me."

"Do you want to use subspace?"

Ben smiled.

Remember, the next AN is gonna be great. I have something written that'll probably scare you.