Chapter 75: Little Vampire Fangs

A late holiday gift to you all! XD

So, the Vreedle plot line took way longer than I expected, but there was a good reason for it- mainly delving a bit into Ben's psyche. Seriously, I'm pretty sure it's canon that the guy has PTSD, but it's never really touched upon in the show, so I don't know for sure. Seriously, kids can have PTSD for numerous reasons- you'd think with how dark AF and UA was, they'd be okay with showing something like that. Hmm.

Anyway, on with the chapter!

Gwen made her way over to Sam, who was still lying in heap on the ground. A growing pool of blood surrounded her, staining her blue shirt in various shades of red and brown. Her hand was over her wound, wisps of smoke curling out from her palm. Gwen nearly gagged from the sickly sweet stench of burning flesh, but then she saw Sam's face. She was wincing, but her eyes held that cold determination that Gwen had associated with her and the Pride. It was a look that said: You think you can take me down? Keep trying. I fucking dare you.

Gwen had to wonder if she ever looked like that.

She made her over to her fellow redhead and helped to prop her up into a sitting position, as far from the growing pool of blood as she could. "How are you feeling?" she asked Sam.

Sam coughed a little, her eyes closing, hiding the remnants of tears. "I've been better. His blaster packs a lot more firepower than I thought it did."

"But… it looks so normal. For alien tech, I mean."

"It also hit an artery. I think." Sam's eyes glossed over for a minute, like she was trying to think but failing at the moment. "The blood loss is making it hard to concentrate."

"We need to get you to a hospital," Gwen stated. She was surprised at how calm and methodical she sounded, even in the face of such gore. She was getting used to it, she realized. Later she would think about how horrible that was.

"We don't have time," Sam snapped back, sending her friend a glare. "The Vreedle Brothers need to be taken care of first. Besides, I can do some temporary repairs on myself. Just give me a minute."

Gwen eyed the pool of blood. "I think you need more than a minute."

"Shut up and go save Ship."

Gwen turned her head towards Carter. "I think that's covered, to be honest."

Sam turned her head towards her friend, taking in the sight of her odd Mechamorph suit. "I really hope you're right, Gwen."

"...Not gonna lie, this is really weird," Carter said as she looked at her hands. Ship had stretched over her skin, covering it with a thin layer of black and green. She then looked at the Vreedle Brothers, who looked just as confused as she was. Yellow scanners locked onto their faces, and one of her arms suddenly lifted itself up. The suit stretched and morphed into an enormous blaster, at least four times the size of Carter's arm.

"I am not doing this," Carter said in shock.

And then the cannon sent a steady stream of green energy at the repo men, searing the street and cutting cars in half horizontally. The two of them had to run for cover, but that was limited by the heat and the burning metal. Her arm slowly slid in a half-circle, destroying bits of the street in the process.

"This might be me," Carter said bemusedly.

"Make up your damn mind!" Sam snapped, struggling to stand.

"Carter, stop shooting!" Gwen suddenly cried out. Carter took a look at the steady beam and where it was headed: the nearest gas pump.

"Ship, stop the cannon NOW!"

Ship bleated and promptly did so. And then Carter started to walk towards the Vreedle Brothers, who were still hiding behind half-destroyed vehicles.

"Wait, Ship, stop walking! This is too dangerous!" she pleaded. The suit then stopped in the middle of the parking lot, and she breathed a sigh of relief. "You know I was practically hospitalized recently, right? If we're going to fight, we're going to have to think strategically. Besides, I don't think we can shoot at them. We don't want to give them another reason to take you away."

And then an angry red beam was sent her way. Her arms moving involuntarily, Ship summoned a green shield eerily similar to Gwen's and stood his ground. There was an explosion, a smoky film covering the air, and the glow of green energy filtering through.

Once the smoke cleared, Gwen remarked, "Hey! That move's trademarked!"

"Ship!" the Mechamorph replied cheekily.

"I gotta admit, this is awesome," Sam said, smiling. She had made her way to Gwen's position at that point, hand still over her wound. Some color had returned to her cheeks, oddly enough.

Carter turned her head back to them and smirked. "Let's see just how fast I can end this." And then she ran towards the repo men.

"Oh no," Gwen whispered, running after her.

"We're all going to die," Sam whined as she followed.

In the spaceship

"Are we there yet?" Newt complained from the backseat. Ben had lapsed into a silence so thick with brooding that it was suffocating everyone else in the hangar. They needed to land on Coda-Coda, now.

"We're close enough," Kevin told him. And then he said to the rest of them, "Okay, here's how it's gonna go down: I've got loads of experience in a courtroom setting-"

"As a defendant," Evan cut in.

"So just follow my lead," he continued, as if Evan hadn't said anything.

"And like I said, my stepmom has taught me a lot about the courtroom," the younger boy pointed out. "And Newt's good at the whole emotional manipulation thing. We can help."

"You make me sound so evil," Newt grumbled.

"Hey, you were taught how to use emotional appeal to whip a crowd into a righteous frenzy," Evan stated. "I just calls it like it sees it."

"Except Coda-Coda doesn't normally have audiences," Kevin piped up.

There was a beat of silence.

"I can be emotional support," Newt said quickly.

"Emotional support is always good," Evan agreed.

"Ben, you just hang back and let me do all the talking," Kevin said. "Just having you there boosts our cred. You don't have to say anything."

"That's fine," Ben said curtly. "I'm not good at public speaking anyway." And then he realized something. "Wait, do we even want criminal mastermind Kevin Eleven speaking for us?"

"Mastermind?" Kevin said hopefully.

Evan threw his hands up. "Okay, that's it, I'll do the talking."

"What? No!"

"Ben does bring up a pretty good point," Newt pointed out.

"I hate you all!"

On Coda-Coda

The courtroom wasn't so much a courtroom as it was a judge's podium on top of a platform. The backdrop was pure black with stars and small asteroids dotting the place. A predominantly red High Breed stood on guard next to the judge, a familiar looking alien with an uncovered brain and purple and black robes.

The four boys were phased into the courtroom just as the judge decreed, "You do not eat children! Yes, they are delicious, but we have laws!" He struck the gavel and the two slug-like aliens were teleported out of there.

"…Did he just say something about eating children?" Newt said, his face tinged with green.

"That would explain some recent child disappearances," Evan mused quietly just as the judge asked, "What's next on the docket, bailiff?"

A blue screen appeared before the High Breed. "A challenge to the court order of the repossession belonging to a Galvanic Mechamorph by the name of Baz-El."

And then said Galvanic Mechamorph was phased into the courtroom. "This the guy?" Kevin whispered to Ben, leaning over slightly.

"Yep."

"Kitty called it on this one," Newt told them quietly. "There's no way we could've brought Ship here and not cause an inter-universal incident."

"Present, your honor, if it please the court," Baz-El said cheerfully. "Once the word spread about my property's participation nothing short of saving the entire universe from eradication by the uncouth, foul-smelling High Breed-!"

"Hey!" shouted the High Breed bailiff. He slammed his fist down on the podium. "Objection!"

"Sustained!" decreed the judge.

"Well, how could I not wish to reclaim what is rightfully mine?" Baz-El ended his spiel with a dramatic wave of his hands.

"You left Ship on Earth!" Ben spat out, pointing an accusing finger. "You gave him away!"

"Ship is my legal property," Baz-El said smugly. "Ipso facto, he must be returned to me. I rest my case."

"And where is the property now?" the judge said in the most apathetic tone possible.

"The Vreedle Brothers are in the process of retrieving it for me, your honor."

"The Vreedle Brothers?!" The Judge leaned forward, aghast. "Who in their right mind would hire the Vreedle Brothers to bring someone back alive?!"

Evan and Newt raised simultaneous eyebrows and smiled at each other. Jackpot.

Ben and Kevin, however, exchanged worried glances. "We probably shouldn't have left the girls behind," Kevin whispered.

"No, we shouldn't have," Ben said, closing his eyes.

Back at Mr. Smoothies

"I AM THE GODDESS OF DESTRUCTION!" A rocket was shot at the Goth, only to have it be sliced apart in midair. The resulting explosions were much smaller in comparison to the other ones. "YOU THINK YOU CAN TAKE ME DOWN?! I SCOFF AT YOUR FEEBLE ATTEMPTS! SCOFF I SAY!"

"Oh dear god we can't take her anywhere," Gwen moaned as she buried her face in her hands. Sam, as Pearl stitched her up, could only watch as Carter and Ship playfully batted away the Vreedle Brothers useless attempts at taking them down. The three of them- sans Goth girl- were sitting on a wooden table, one of the last remaining ones the smoothie joint had. Carter had not been tactful enough to avoid causing any property damage, but in her defense, she was up against the Vreedle Brothers. There was obviously going to be some destruction.

"She's always been hammy," Pearl said affectionately as she began to pack away tools. "You'll be fine, doll face, but you should have Isaac or Cordelia check this out. And I think some time in the healing pods will do wonders for you."

"Thank you Pearlie," Sam said happily. Pearl tousled her soft hair before turning to Gwen.

"How are you holding up?"

She shrugged. "I've been better. I really think I should be helping."

There were more explosions. "MWA-HA-HA-HA!"

Pearl winced. "Do you really think so?"

Gwen grimaced. "Maybe not… I just feel useless."

"You and me both," Sam muttered.

"Don't worry about it," the vampire said flippantly. "It's just bad circumstances. And who knows, you might be needed sooner than you think."

Sam grew concerned at the thought. "Carter really shouldn't be fighting so soon after her rehabilitation."

"I highly doubt Ship would let her get hurt," Gwen pointed out in a worried tone.

"Good point."

"Oh, let's just watch, shall we?" Pearl picked up her Styrofoam cup of AB negative and smiled over the rim.

Carter suddenly dove towards the nearby dumpster and started to pop something. Both brothers stopped shooting and stood transfixed as they heard the sounds of something being obliterated. Carter then threw the thing at them.

"Bubble wrap?!" Sam and Gwen cried out incredulously. Pearl snorted, blood going up her nose as she laughed heartily.

The Vreedle Brothers then sat down to play with it. Carter chose that moment to run over to her friends, smiling giddily as Ship bleated in amusement. "They're distracted," she told them. "Let's retreat for now."

"Yeah, we should go before the workers here get wise to us," Sam said, gesturing to the remains of the parking lot. "They're gonna ban us from coming here any day now."

"And we should get you medical attention," Pearl noted, eyeing her stitched up side. "At least a little before the next attack."

Carter winced sympathetically. "We can discuss it in our getaway car."

"We have one of those, right?" Gwen asked hopefully.

Pearl easily hoisted Sam into her arms bridal style and smirked. "The hearse is out back. Come on." The ones who could use their legs followed her as fast as they could, but Pearl was a vampire. Her speed was no match for theirs, even if she was barely using it.

While they were running, Gwen turned to Carter and asked, "Are you sure you don't want to shoot at them and just end this already?"

"Honestly, I don't know," she admitted. "I didn't want them to know how valuable Ship was, so I didn't want to shoot at them, and I don't want Ship detained for harming the Vreedles. But I'm not feeling so great right now and I kind of just want to end this already, despite the fact that taking down their attacks is actually a lot of fun."

"Well, if you're indecisive, you've at least bought a little time to think," Gwen remarked as they neared the hearse. "We can figure something out once we're far enough away from here."

"That'd be nice." Carter suddenly gave a heavy sigh. "I'm just hoping the guys are doing better than we are."

"I'm sure they're fine," Sam said from inside the car. "Now get inside, quickly!"

Back on Coda-Coda

"Don't I know you?" the judge drawled out, narrowing his eyes at Kevin.

"Don't think so, sir," the teen said, his voice cracking.

The judge drew his head back. "You're Kevin Levin!"

"We're fucked," Ben muttered under his breath.

"Didn't I tell you the next time I saw you in my courtroom, I'd chuck you into the Null Void?!"

As his three friends glared at him accusingly, Kevin stuttered out, "No, wait, I can explain!"

"That's what you always say!"

"We are so fucked," Ben whispered, closing his eyes.

Back to Earth

"We should go to a hospital," James said as he drove the car towards the outskirts of Bellwood. He eyed Sam through the rearview mirror.

"And lead the Vreedle Brothers towards a possible hostage situation? I don't think so," Pearl snapped. James the Awesome Chauffeur gave her a disgruntled look, but slid up the black window anyway.

"What should we do then?" Carter asked, wiping the sweat off her forehead. She had taken off her green-tinted science glasses and was now rubbing at her eyes, her face paler than usual. Her legs were hurting her again, pinpricks of pain that were slowly, steadily becoming roaring waves of agony.

"We need to end this. Now," Sam insisted, her eyes narrowed.

"I really don't think we can avoid shooting at them for long," Gwen added.

Carter gave a long sigh and put her glasses back on. "Not like I have a choice at this point."

The road suddenly turned bumpy. Sam rolled down the window to reveal trees and dirt and hills. Thunder crackled in the air, and the metallic scent in the air signaled the coming of rain.

"Stop the car," Pearl ordered. The hearse slowed, and everyone except James got out. "Keep hidden. We may need a ride to a doctor soon," she told him quietly, leaning through the window of the driver seat. James gave a curt nod and drove off, the black hearse blending into the night.

And then, there were the explosions. The yellow space ship had found them, if the whooping and hollering coming from the sky was any indication. There was another explosion, fire suddenly breaking out of the trees dangerously close to the four of them.

Sam looked up at the smoke curling into the sky. "Oh, no," she whispered, horrified. "They're trying to start a forest fire," she called out to her friends. There was a sharp intake of breath from her side- Pearl? "I'm going to go try and put them out."

"Gwen, go with her, she might collapse before she gets very far," the vampire ordered, her tone leaving no room for debate.

"Your complete and utter faith in me is astounding, Pearl," Sam deadpanned as she and Gwen ran into the trees.

"Just you and me, Sunshine," Pearl said, giving Carter a wink. The Goth gave a weak smile back.

"I think you did that on purpose."

"No, I just think Gwen's strong enough to knock Sam out in her state," the vampire stated. "Sam needs medical attention, but she doesn't need it now. Absorbing some fire will help, but it might not be enough to actually heal the wound. Gwen can get her back to us quickly if need be."

"And it's not like you can put out a forest fire anyway," Carter mused. She shook her head. "Do you think you can handle the Vreedles?"

"Yes." Pearl looked up to where the spaceship landed- about forty feet from them. "Come on sunshine, let's break some limbs."

Carter smirked. "I thought you'd never ask."

Court is back in session

Ben nervously fiddled with his Omnitrix as Newt stepped up to the plate. "Your Honor, to my knowledge the Vreedle Brothers were hired by Baz-El to take away some poor kid's dog. I mean, who does that?" He shot a glare at the Mechamorph.

And then Ben suddenly turned into Humungousaur. Everyone stared at him while the alien blinked, his hand still pawing over his wrist. He gave a low, sheepish laugh. "Sorry."

Evan looked like he was about to say something, but then changed his mind, face palming instead. Kevin just said, "Try and change back, Ben," before everyone turned back to the problem at hand.

Baz-El suddenly said, "Your honor, my property is an extremely versatile piece of equipment. It can change its shape to any form imaginable, as long as it is technology based, of course. I highly doubt a human child has the intellect to comprehend such a thing."

Evan bristled at his smug tone, and then smirked. "Anything, you say? How about weaponry?"

He scoffed. "As I said, as long as its technology based, my property can shape shift into it."

Evan's smirk grew wider. "Does that include explosives?"

Baz-El froze.

"I mean, sure, the chances of the Vreedle Brothers discovering Ship's power are low, but that doesn't mean they can't figure it out," he went on, smirking. "And Ship has the intelligence of an Earth dog; tell him to bark, he does so. Tell him to change into a weapon, and he will."

"Your honor, I do believe-!" Baz-El interrupted.

"Rude," Evan sniffed. "I wasn't done." He turned back to the judge, who looked somewhat amused despite his impassive manor. He made a gesture for the younger boy to continue, and he did so. "And let's be honest, we already know Baz-El left this creature, who he knew was capable of becoming a dangerous weapon, on Earth, free to roam and to become the pawn of any madman he came across."

"And then when he finally heard about how valuable his 'property' was," Newt spat out the word like it was poison, "he sent in some of the most incompetent repo men to kidnap it. Do you really want to give Ship to a guy like that?"

The judge leaned back, steepling his fingers. "No, I do not. Now explain to me why I should allow the charge be left in the hands of someone who considers it a mere pet."

"Simple," Newt said, pointing a finger into the air. "His owners won't see him as a weapon, but as part of the family. They won't try to use him as a weapon unless it's for some form of self-defense. Ship will be safe and sound with someone who genuinely cares about him." He shot another glare at Baz-El, who just looked so utterly flabbergasted.

The judge stared at them for an impossibly long moment, his eyes boring into them all, forcing them to fidget uncomfortably. He then raised his gavel. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but…" he sighed, "the court rules in favor of Kevin Levin and his cohorts." The resulting bang of his gavel resonated throughout the silent courtroom.

"What?!" Baz-El cried out.

"I can't believe that worked," Humungousaur said, stupefied.

"You haven't changed back yet?" Kevin asked, raising an eyebrow.

There was a flash of green light. "Now I did," Ben stated with a lilt in his voice.

"The court order to return Baz-El's property is rescinded," the judge went on to say. "Baz-El is from here on required to call off his agents."

"W-well, of course Your Honor, anything you say," the Mechamorph simpered, giving a low bow.

The judge walked past them. "Levin." He hit Kevin with the gavel.

"Ow!"

"You probably deserved that," Evan teased.

"I, uh, don't suppose you fellows could give me a lift to Earth?" Baz-El asked sheepishly.

Back near the smoldering crater that is Bellwood (just kidding!)

If there was one thing Carter was proud of, it was that she survived her childhood sparring sessions with Pearl.

The vampire flitted across the battlefield on light feet, practically a blur to the naked eye. The heat and pressure of the explosions did little to slow her down; if anything, they fed into the cold anger Pearl was known for. And then she flipped off the ground, showing midair somersaults and front flips that would have made an Olympian see green with envy.

With a solid kick the oversized cannon in Rhomboid's hands was thrown upwards. Pearl flipped again, plucking the machine right out of the air. She landed behind them, forcing the repo men to face her.

Pearl grinned as she broke the cannon in half, right over her knee.

And then she tossed the sparking remains at the Vreedle Brothers. Octagon shrieked something, and the two of them ducked for cover just as a fiery explosion rang through the air. Smoke fanned out, covering the repo men and the vampire from Carter's sight.

Rhomboid was coughing, waving the smoke away from his face. He hesitated to open his eyes, and when he did, he immediately regretted the decision. Two eyes suddenly shone through the smoke, and a smile that showed far too many fanged teeth and oversized canines loomed at him. Clawed hands reached for him, and a guttural snarl escaped Pearl's lips as her fingers clamped onto his retreating form.

There were two sickening snaps, and Rhomboid screamed.

"BOID!" his brother shouted.

"PEARL! LEAVE THEM!" Carter barked, her right hand glowing ominously.

The vampire dove out of the smoke, standing next to the younger girl in half the time it took to blink. Her maroon lips peeled back to revealed glistening white canines. "What's the matter, sunshine?" she sneered in a raspy voice. "Afraid of a little blood?"

Carter grimaced, avoiding those once warm brown eyes, now a cold and glittery yellow. "No." Her right arm suddenly elongated and enlarged, becoming a cybernetic cannon five times her size. Metal rods suddenly shot out of it and imbedded themselves into the ground, stabilizing the weapon.

Carter looked Pearl right in the eye and said, "I'm finishing this my way."

And then she let loose the green laser.

There was silence. There was blinding light. There was burning.

And then, static. The sounds of embers shifting and crackling. The smell of burning metal wafting through the air, tinged with wood smoke. Pearl opened her eyes, yellow eyes back to brown, and stared.

Where once was forest, there was now barren wasteland. Foliage and grass had disintegrated, and only ash remained. A half mile of blistering dry land, wisps of smoke curling over it.

The ship the Vreedle Brothers was still intact, mercifully. The brothers themselves weren't to be seen. Carter's arm returned to its original form, and she used it to fruitlessly wipe the sweat off her face.

Pearl shot her a concerned look. "Are you okay, sunshine?"

Carter flitted her eyes towards her, making sure brown was there. "I'm gonna need bedrest. But that's nothing new at this point."

There was a low whistle. Both women turned around to see Sam and Gwen staring at the wreckage that was once forest. Gwen had her hand over her nose, her eyes showing her disgust at the smell. Sam just had an impressed look on her face. "Not bad, Valentine," she said approvingly.

Carter rolled her eyes. "Only you would love this much carnage, DuBaer."

Gwen's forehead crinkled in concern. "The Vreedle Brothers?" she asked, her voice nasally as she continued to pinch her nose.

Pearl shrugged. "No idea. Should we look for them?"

Hot air suddenly billowed down on them, and the familiar white ship Kevin had 'borrowed' loomed over them. Within seconds it landed, platforms jutting out of the bottom. The hatch opened, revealing a humanoid Galvanic Mechamorph, quickly followed by four human boys.

"The Vreedle Brothers are no longer in my employ!" Baz-El announced. And then he noticed the lack of repo men. "Where are they?"

Pearl shrugged. "Dead, probably."

"That tends to happen a lot- are you bleeding?" Kevin stared at the growing stain of red marring Sam's blue shirt.

An angry scowl on her paling face, Sam marched right up to Baz-El and growled, "You're paying for my medical bills! I think Octagon hit an artery!"

Ben crossed his arms. "If he hit an artery, wouldn't you have bleed dry by now?"

"I absorbed all the forest fires," she said flippantly. "But the most important thing is that I get compensation!"

"I second the notion!" Evan glared at Baz-El. The Mechamorph gave a sheepish chuckle.

"Cool battle suit," Newt told his cousin approvingly.

Carter gave an exaggerated bow. "Thanks, it's a Galvanic original."

Gwen furrowed her brow at the Goth. "Shouldn't you be resting?"

She raised a finger. "Hold on. Hey, Sam, do you want to go to the hospital right now?"

"YES! AND GET THIS FUCKER TO PAY FOR MY MEDICAL BILLS!"

Baz-El spluttered angrily.

Oh Sam, how I love thee right now.

So, thoughts anyone?