Chapter 45: Breaking the Fourth Wall Part 2

In this chapter, the Fourth Wall may as well be collapsing. You can tell by the Yu-Gi-Oh! Abridged joke.

Oh, before I forget: Happy Holidays!

In the mad scientist's lab

The scientist and Sir Morton were down there, facing a large sphere. It was connected to the ceiling, and from it electricity was guarding the huge sphere, turning it into an inescapable prison. The scientist was in front of a machine, fiddling with the buttons and readings for said prison.

Ship was inside the sphere, desperate for a way out. He was hitting the sides like a pinball, going at racecar speeds. For just a second he stopped, turning himself back into his doggie form. He seemed tired, almost dejected. And then he started up again, turning into a shot as it searched for a weak spot.

"Scrappy little bloke, isn't he?" Sir Morton remarked as the scientist did his readings. He looked up to face the Knight.

"Yes, but not so terribly bright." The scientist pressed a few buttons, forcing the sphere to get smaller. It was turning into a tiny orb; Ship turned back into his blobby self and molded to the new shape. Only it was too small. He couldn't possibly fit.

And then a hole appeared in the unbreakable prison. Ship put his head through it, the rest of him stuck in the sphere. He struggled only to realize that he was still trapped.

And then he felt something on the back of his neck. It was a gentle pressing. He could hear a slight hiss behind him. Ship tried to turn his head, but the hole was too small.

The scientist smiled triumphantly. "Now, you will do as I command." He held up a remote control and pressed another button. Electricity exploded from Ship's neck; he wriggled as the overwhelming pain coursed through him-he wanted out he wanted Carter and Newt oh God it hurt-

Ship fainted with electricity buzzing around him. And then, like a mind controlled slave, his head shot straight up and his glowing green eye turned red.

When Kevin stopped at the traffic light, the car doors were thrown open and Evan and Gwen ran out.

For twenty minutes the two of them had been at the mercy of Carter's frigid anger. Kevin had tried to combat the cold with his car heater, turning it all the way up, but it did very little for the two in the back seat. So Sam tried using some of her fire power to heat the car up. But thanks to Carter the heat came in flashes, so the car felt like a frozen tundra one minute, the Sahara desert the next.

Fed up, Evan and Gwen left. "You two work it out," Evan said as pleasantly as he could. "I'll fly Gwen up and follow you guys."

Before closing the door, Gwen fixed Ben a glare and said, "You better fix this, Tennyson." And then she slammed the door shut. Evan chose that moment to pick Gwen up bridal style. She shrieked, since it was a sudden motion.

And then Evan summoned his wings.

She stared, transfixed, as Evan shot through the air. The air whooshed beneath him like a sonic boom, only smaller so Gwen's eardrums didn't burst. He flapped his wings to stay afloat, staring at the car as it stood to the laws of the red traffic light.

Gwen reached out to Evan's right, feeling the soft feathers. The angel part of the set was a deep forest green, the same shade as his eyes. On the feather were little tawny brown spots, making the sharp feathers seem softer somehow. The devil part was the same, only it was leathery looking and more menacing.

"Were your wings always like this?" Gwen asked, staring at the feather she plucked.

"It's a Slayer thing."

"Why angel and devil?"

"Because like humans, we aren't good or evil," Evan stated. "We are all sinners and saints inside. At least, that's what Carter always said," he added as an afterthought.

"That's beautiful," Gwen said breathlessly. And then she realized something. "Does Ben…?"

"Oh, yeah, he's got the wings too," Evan said flippantly. "He just can't use them often. If Azmuth found out that Ben was actually part alien-part Slayer, really-he might take away the Omnitrix."

"He wouldn't," Gwen scoffed. "He said it himself; Ben's the only person in the universe who used the Omnitrix as a force for good. There's no way Azmuth would destroy his chance to see universal peace."

"We don't want to take that chance." Kevin's car started moving. "Hold on, this could be a little rough. I've never carried someone while flying before." Evan flapped his wings and flew to follow the car, Gwen clutching his shirt for dear life.

In the moving car, Kevin and Sam were trying not to pay attention the conversation Ben was trying to start.

"Look, I'm not trying to be a jerk here, but Ship's been captured by the Forever Knights," he began. "You don't know what you're dealing with."

"I've dealt with mass murderers, sociopaths, psychopaths with sociopathic tendencies, and Evan after he finds out there's a new Grand Theft Auto game coming out," Carter said. "I know exactly what I'm getting into."

"They use electricity in their attacks. You can't handle that kind of power!"

"I have Sam for that!"

"Great, I'm a bodyguard now," Sam grumbled as she slumped in her seat.

"The point is, you don't trust me to take care of myself," Carter snapped. She poked Ben's chest for emphasis. "You can't handle someone taking the limelight for even a second. You always have to be the hero!"

"I do not!"

"Yeah, you do," Kevin said from the driver's seat. Ben was about to retort back, but then he saw the looks Kevin and Sam were giving him.

"Can we discuss this later?" Ben whispered to Carter. She turned her back on him.

Lancelot Lake Estates looked exactly like the pictures in the brochure. A moat cut off the island from the rest of the world. A drawbridge was the only thing connecting the two. The so-called castles didn't exactly look like castles: they were wooden with white paint and red roofs. But they were large and had stone towers guarding each home, so it did have a medieval feel.

…Except there was one particular home that looked exactly like a medieval castle. It was smack dab in the middle of the island. It was clearly the Forever Knights' headquarters.

There was a conveniently placed dense forest next to the castle. Kevin parked there and the four got out. Evan chose that moment to land with Gwen in his arms. Her hair was tousled from the wind and her cheeks were rosy, but she was otherwise fine.

"That was fun," she said as Evan retracted his wings. "We should do that again."

"We will as soon as Carter and Ben have another fight," he said jovially. "Speaking of which…" he trailed off as he saw the two standing far away from each other, similar stubborn looks plastered on their faces. "Of course they didn't make up," Evan muttered with an eye roll.

Kevin was rubbing his hands together and blowing warm breath on them. "God, that was awful! Why didn't you make up with her, Ben? You could have saved my hands from frostbite."

"You won't get frostbite," Carter pointed out. "If you're so cold, just hug Sam."

Kevin gave the redhead a look. "Oh, yeah, fire powers." And so he hugged her, right in front of everyone. Sam widened her eyes, her face flushing furiously as Kevin held her tight. Not that anyone could see, since Sam's face was pressed into Kevin's chest.

He held up a hand and bent the fingers. "Hey, I'm defrosting!" he said happily. Suddenly he could feel something hot against him. Steam started to billow out from Sam's face. He held her shoulders and pushed her away to arm's length. He blinked when he saw her tomato red face.

"Oh right, she gets embarrassed when used as a heater," Evan noted as he finally remembered.

"I forgot," Carter said apologetically as Sam walked over to her. She put her face on the Goth's shoulder and hugged her. White steam came out, but a lot less than before.

"What's she doing?" Gwen asked an eyebrow arched.

"She's cooling down," Carter answered, hugging Sam back. "You guys go on ahead. We'll catch up."

"You heard the lady. Let's go!" With a spring in his step Evan walked up to one of the stone towers. Kevin and Gwen shrugged their shoulders and followed him. Ben took one look at the angry face Carter was sending him and quickly ran after them.

When Sam was pinker in the face than red, the two girls joined the others near the entrance of the castle. They were hiding behind one of the watch towers, eyeing the entrance and planning their next move.

Ben gently rapped his knuckles against the stone, hearing the hollow insides. "Looks like a gigantic miniature golf course."

"It's not like you can use actual stones for building houses," Sam pointed out. She refused to be mute like earlier. "They'd either have to be bricks made to look like medieval stones -which are expensive- or make it fake."

"Oh, so you can talk now," Kevin said wolfishly with a grin to match. Sam glared at him, but since she was still pink in the face, it fell flat. In fact, she looked downright cute. Kevin's smile grew wider.

"So, in other words, it's time to bust the door down," Evan said with a smile. If Kevin could grin any wider, he would.

"Let's try a more subtle approach for a change," Ben said with a lilt in his voice.

They used to the door.

…Clearly this was a novel concept if you were used to busting doors down.

To be precise, the door was in the watch tower, hidden from view. It was a small room with a fridge and a table and little else. But it was connected to the main building, and that was all that mattered.

Evan opened the door, the creak small. Ben and Gwen were hovering over him, surveying the room. Or they were until they heard a popping sound and the hiss of carbonated air behind them. Gwen opened the door to reveal the open fridge and Kevin gulping down soda.

"Really?" Carter said.

Kevin put down the can. "I was really thirsty."

Carter just sighed. "Okay then."

"What, that's it?" Sam asked. "When I do something like that, I get yelled at. But when Evan or Kevin does it your okay with it. This is BS, man!"

"Stop trying to quote LittleKuriboh and get in here!" Carter snapped as she and the others walked into the main room. Sam shrugged her shoulders and followed.

"Nice place," Kevin remarked. Indeed it was: low red velvet couches, and giant ornate fireplace, fancy drapes hanging from the ceiling, and empty Forever Knight armor littered the room. It was truly wonderful. Kevin couldn't wait to pilfer it.

Ben stepped up to one of the suits of armor and snapped his fingers in front of the helmet. There was no reaction. He then pulled one of the drapes from behind the Knight. "Do they really think these drapes go with chainmail?"

"Well, we think it works for us," Sir Morton said. Everyone turned to see him on the far side of the room, an electric club in his hands.

There was a metallic sound and everyone jumped back from the armor as they came alive. All of them had electric clubs in their hands.

Gwen stood on the coffee table and whipped up a mana shield. An electric blast splintered it apart and she fell back into an armchair, which fell to the floor.

Evan, who was nearest her, asked, "You okay?"

"Better than them," she said resolutely before getting back up. With one flick of her wrist a mana tentacle picked up Sir Morton and threw him into the wall. He slid to the floor unconscious. Kevin took that moment to absorb his metal armor.

Three Forever Knights fell to the ground with a cry. Their legs were bent at funny angles, and three people were standing over them. Carter was in the middle, sandwiched between Sam and Evan protectively. The two were in identical fighting poses, facing away from each other.

Carter bent down and picked up one of the electric clubs. Out of the corner of her eye she saw movement. She hit the Forever Knight creeping behind her in the head, using the club like a baseball bat. The Forever Knight groaned and fell to the ground.

"Hey look, you're not useless!" Sam told her cheerfully.

"I know right?" Carter said giddily as she swung the club at another Knight.

Kevin punched out a Forever Knight. He yelled, "Hey Gwen, wanna wrap this up?"

"My pleasure," she said like a boss. All of the Forever Knights were swirling in the air, pink mana strips at their waists. They swirled in a circle before they were flung into the door. The wood broke apart and the Knights were out of there.

With the fight over, Ben stood up from the ground. A hand was over the open Omnitrix, an alien hologram at his disposal. "I just couldn't get a break, could I?"

Carter patted his shoulder patronizingly. "Don't worry; I'm sure there'll be a chance when you're not totally useless." She swung the club over her shoulder and walked past him.

"Did she just make fun of me?" Ben whispered to Gwen.

"Obviously," she said flatly.

Everyone walked to the doorway, which led to an underground staircase. The Forever Knights were draped over the stairs, groaning in pain. Sir Morton himself was slumped against the wall, moaning as his helmet slid over his face.

Everyone ignored the heaps of broken bodies and made their way to the dark basement. It was full of strange and diabolical machines. Of course Kevin had to make a comment before the point of the episode came to a head.

"You know, most accidents do happen in the home," he quipped.

A convenient spotlight lit up, illuminating the scientist underneath it. "Ah, you young people are so amusing." Everyone was shocked for a second…

…and then Ben decided to step up to the plate. "And you would be?"

"Dr. Joseph Hedrick," the scientist revealed for the first time this episode, "director of technology for the Forever Knights. And you," he growled at the boy, "are the meddler who freed our ancient enemy, the dragon!"

"I wouldn't say meddler," Ben said sheepishly.

"Fuck that! Tell me where my dog is before I beat it out of you!" Carter pointed an accusing finger at the scientist, hell-bent fury scrawled over her face.

The scientist eyed her coolly before allowing himself to triumphantly smirk. "Your dog?" he drawled, teasing her. "Ah, is this what you mean?" He held up a remote control and pressed a button. The lights beside lit up, and there was Ship.

Only it wasn't him, not really. He was enormous, twice the size of a normal airplane. His wigs elongated form the sides before turning downward, revealing a multitude of alien weaponry. In fact, he was made up of alien weaponry, all blocks and missiles and lasers.

But that wasn't the worst part. Oh no. The worst part was that Ship's circuit design wasn't the familiar green Carter associated him with. No; it was an evil red color. Ship wasn't himself anymore.

The alien vessel hovered over them all, air blowing downward as he lifted himself up. "SSSHHHHIIIIIPPPPP," he said in a demonic voice. It seemed to come from the depths of hell itself.

The good guys were staring in pure shock before they all glared at Hedrick. The scientist continued to smirk as Forever Knights flanked him, electric clubs in their hands. Even Sir Morton was there, which was strange since he had been clearly knocked out earlier.

(The author smells a plot hole, but for the sake of the story, she will continue on as if she hadn't noticed it.)

Infer-red lights shot out of Evil Ship. There were dozens of them aimed right at the people he once considered family, all six of them. He didn't care.

"Oh this is so not good," Evan pointed out obviously.

"Looks like an Ontarian Obliterator," Kevin noted coolly. "Nasty piece of work."

Ben's hand hovered over the Omnitrix. "How nasty?"

"Fire!" Hedrick commanded. Evil Ship sent out a gigantic laser at the group. Everyone dodged to the sides as the laser hit the floor where they once stood. The ground immediately blew up in a shower of fire.

When the fire settled down a bit, Kevin piped up, "Stay-out-of-the-way nasty."

Carter poked her head out from whoever was holding her down. She saw a green sleeve in the corner of her eye-it was Ben. Strange; he wasn't holding her down. Yes, he was on top of her, but she wasn't trapped under him like she thought.

Wait. Was he protecting her? Just because he was her boyfriend-

…Oh. So that's what he meant earlier when he said it was too dangerous. He had been concerned for her well-being-he was still concerned. Not that it was necessary-she had faced plenty worse- but given his earlier behavior it made a lot of sense.

...Wow, was she dense.

"How do we stop that thing?" Ben shouted. Carter cringed, since she had a front row seat to hear him.

"We can't! That thing's a flying arsenal!" Kevin yelled.

"Fire!" Hedrick screamed. "Fire! FIRE!"

Another laser shot out of Evil Ship followed by shots from one of the artillery cannons. Everyone ran out of the way-Ben quickly pulled Carter up by her arm. They tried to make it to shelter only to have two laser blasts block their way.

"Fuck…Fuck!" Carter growled under her breath. Ship wasn't supposed to act this way. He was supposed to wag his tail and bop his head and bleat, "Ship!" happily. He wasn't a weapon, not really. He was a mischievous pet who couldn't hate anyone.

But now he was a monster. All thanks to those Forever Knights.

Kevin had slid to the floor and absorbed the ground only to have two inferred lasers peg him. Evan stood in front of him and whipped up a quick earth shield straight from the ground. The laser hit and the shield cracked apart. Evan was sent back into a metal machine, his body forming a dent in the metal. Blood was seeping out of his mouth and his eyes widened and he fell to the floor in a heap.

While Kevin was dragging him to safety, Sam sent some fireballs at Hedrick. He and the Knights dodged (they screamed like little girls, but they still dodged the attack). And then, to protect his new masters, Evil Ship sent a barrage of shots at her.

Gwen created a mana shield to protect Sam, but the energy splintered apart. The shots hit and Sam fell to the floor with smoke around her.

Carter's eyes widened. Her throat closed on her. Tears were welling up in her eyes as the sight of fallen Evan and Sam in broken heaps flashed in her mind. Ship wasn't supposed to do that to them. He loved Sam and Evan.

He attacked thanks to those damn Forever Knights.

Kevin and Gwen were gearing up for another attack. Ben had a hand over his Omnitrix, anger etched on his face. They were going to attack Ship because he was evil.

And he was evil thanks to those damn Forever Knights.

An animalistic shriek tore form Carter's throat. She couldn't see anymore; panic was blinding her. She could feel herself running, no sliding- her ice powers were making her slide across the floor at lightning speeds. The Forever Knights were getting closer, closer, closer-Hedrick was yelling at Ship-THOSE DAMN FOREVER KNIGHTS WERE YELLING AT SHIP-

One of the Knights was holding an electric club. Carter turned her fingers to ice and sliced it in half. And then she grabbed the Knight and threw it into another one. They were closing in on her, the electric clubs were sparking, and Evil Ship was hovering over her menacingly-

Carter grabbed another Forever Knight and slammed her knee into his stomach. Then she threw him against the other three and they stayed down. She could hear footsteps rushing behind her. She slammed her fist into Sir Morton's chest, sending him to the ground.

She landed on his chest and punched him in the face. His electric club went skidding across the floor. He reached for it but then another fist landed on his face. Carter was punching him, making blood spurt everywhere because this was the man who took Ship, put him in a glass prison and turned him into a monster-

Sir Morton's face was no longer recognizable. Carter stood up, back straight. She turned her head sharply in a possessed motion. She stalked over to Hedrick. He was holding a club, the electricity fizzling around it.

"Fire!" he commanded Evil Ship. But the behemoth stood by and watched. In fact, everyone was watching. Kevin and Gwen were holding Sam and Evan up in a strange four person chain, and Ben was off to the side slightly. They were all watching transfixed.

But that didn't matter. The haunted look in Carter's eyes faded because they were all safe. Ship hadn't done any lasting damage to them; he could still be saved.

She turned to the scientist and uttered a single word: "Why?"

Hedrick blinked, eyebrows crinkled in puzzlement. He didn't lower the club. "What?"

"Why Ship? Why did you turn him into a monster?" Her voice was level. Her eyes were clear, the blind panic fading fast.

"He was always a monster," Hedrick sneered.

"Does a monster know how to play patty-cake?"

Hedrick's eyes widened incredulously. The club lowered slightly.

"Does a monster enjoy making his family smile? Does a monster use his powers to make people happy?" Tears were sliding down her face but her voice wasn't cracking. "How can Ship possibly be a monster?"

Sparks were fizzling out of Ship. He was panicking, his red lights switching between red and green. Something was wrong he was supposed to listen to the scientist with the remote not the crying girl why was this happening why did he care-

Oh. He liked her smile.

He liked to see Carter smile.

Rapidly the red slid off of Ship, turning into his normal green and black color. Carter was walking over to the other side of the void; she didn't want to be near Hedrick any more than she had to. Ship was turning smaller, smaller, spinning in midair until he was back into his normal blobby form.

He bounded over to Carter leaping into her arms like always. He was purring, his little green tongue flicking out and licking the tears off her face. When they were gone he put his head on her shoulder and purred loudly.

Sam tapped Ship on the head, interrupting the reunion. "Ship, could you turn back into the Obliterator?" she asked pleasantly. "You got a score to settle with him."

Ship turned his head to Hedrick, the only Forever Knight standing. Ship shook before leaping into the air. He was transforming, turning larger and larger until he was once again the Ontarian Obliterator. A single green laser cannon was aimed at the scientist.

Hedrick gulped and held up his hands. "I surrender."

Carter had an idea. She had a horrible idea. She had a horrible, brilliant idea.

"Ship!" she called out. "Blow this place sky high!"

"I don't like where this is going!" Kevin shouted fearfully.

Ship ignored him, sending out a barrage of lasers at the scientist. He was lost in the onslaught, the smoke clouding everything. Ship chose that moment to set himself down and open the hatch, leading the six out of seven members of his family to safety. Once everyone was inside he closed the hatch and flew upwards, sending a grenade at the ceiling.

The roof flew apart. And to add insult to injury Ship sent down a few more bombs, sending the place sky high as he flew away.

Ship should have landed in the Valentine backyard. Instead he hovered over the yard and dropped everyone before turning back into his lovable canine self. He bounced around happily, bleating "Ship, ship!" as everyone got their bearings.

"Evan, Sam, you okay?" Carter asked the first one to recover.

Sam scoffed. "Do you honestly think I'd die because of Ship?" She scratched the dog's head affectionately. "And I'm pretty sure the only reason Evan coughed up blood was because he hit his head again. Hey, Evan, how's your head?"

"Thinking good and stuff."

"See, he's fine," Sam dismissed with a wave of her hand.

"I doubt it," Gwen muttered under her breath.

"What I want to know was who taught that thing patty-cake." Kevin pointed at Ship who was rubbing his head against Evan's leg.

"I did," Evan answered.

"Of course you did," he muttered. "Why?"

"Because the author thought it was cute."

"I got a few words to say to her," Kevin growled. (The author looked up from her computer fearfully. She quickly made a plan to buy a baseball bat as soon as possible.)

Sam took Ship's blobby hands into hers and started to play patty-cake. Ship bleated happily and followed along easily.

"That's adorable," Gwen said as almost everyone crowded around them. Ben pulled Carter aside to the other side of the lawn, far away from their friends.

"I'm sorry," was the first thing he said.

"I don't believe you."

"What? Why?"

"Because if he hadn't been kidnapped you never would have cared about him," Carter pointed out. "The only reason why you came along was because I was going to save him."

"That-! Okay, that's kind of true," Ben admitted, "but even if he wasn't your pet I still would have saved him."

"So the Forever Knights wouldn't get their hands on a super weapon."

"You have to admit Ship is a weapon," Ben said seriously. His eyes softened. "But it's kind of hard to believe when you see him like that." They both turned to see Ship turning into a bicycle. He started to butt Kevin in the arm, making him yell and run away. Ben had to laugh with the rest.

"I'm sorry for not caring before," he finally said, turning back to her.

Carter gave him a half-smile. "I'm sorry for not telling you about him before. I guess I was afraid of your reaction."

"My reaction?"

"You did say he was a menace."

Ben held up a finger and opened his mouth. He thought better of it and clammed up. He put his two forefingers together in a sheepish motion. He looked so cute and innocent Carter had to hug him.

Just as Ben was about to hug her back he felt something hit his legs. He nearly buckled, Carter having to pull him up. They both looked down to see Ship in front of them. But instead of his usual circular eye, the top half was caved into a glare.

"Uh, Ship?" Ben said hesitantly. "…Good boy?"

Ship swiftly turned his head away from him. He was clearly pouting.

"I guess he must not like you with me," Carter noted to Ben's chagrin.

"Or maybe he knows you're his deadbeat dad!" Evan shouted from across the lawn.

"Shut up Evan!" Ben yelled back.

"Batman doesn't need to shut up! Batman is the terror that flaps in the night!"

"It's morning!" Carter yelled back. Her voice lowering she turned to Ship. "If you got your revenge on Ben, would you feel better?"

"What?"

Ship's eye widened and nodded his head. "Get your revenge!" Carter called as she ran away.

"What?" Ben turned to Ship's single eye-he was totally smirking- and stared in horror as the alien pet leaped into the air. He was transforming, turning bigger and ball-like…

…Was he turning into a giant ball?

Ben closed his eyes as Ship landed on him.

Carter was the first to get to the crater. Ship was staring at Ben's unconscious body, a content look on his face. Or it would be content if he could show emotions.

Carter kneeled down in time to see Ben's eyes flicker. He groaned and peered over at Carter. She leaned over him, her hair falling on his face.

"Did Ventus tell you about that Victoria's Secret coupon?" she whispered. He could feel her breath on his face.

He muttered a quiet, "Yes."

"I told Aquaria to tell him that so you would find out. I lied."

Ben's eyes snapped open. "Why?"

She smirked. "So I could make you regret not wanting to spend time with me." She stood up and walked away with a bounce in her step, Ship bounding after her.

Ben stared up at the sky and angrily muttered one word: "Girls."

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Or at least angry.

So, thoughts?