Normal? Nope. Well, Normal Tennyson Style
(Part Two to For the Love of Cousins)
The summer was indeed far from over. After Ben and Gwen left the hospital with Grandpa Max, Max decided to take the kids on a trip to Niagara Falls. On the way there, Ben and Gwen were in utter shock. As far as they knew, with Grandpa now Gwen's legal guardian and Ben's Dad preoccupied as he tried to win back Sandra, neither Ben nor Gwen had to hide their affection anymore. That's not to say that all they did on the trip to the falls was kiss and hug. In fact, it didn't seem like much had changed. Gwen was on her computer, and Ben was bored as he looked out the window at the rolling scenery.
So, Gwen loves me. The boy thought as a small grin formed on his face. Despite the oddness of a ten year old being in true love, he liked the idea. It would save him so much trouble when school came back around because Ben already knew who he would ask to any school dance. It then occurred to Ben that he had no idea how to dance. I'll ask Gwen if she can teach me when I need to. He thought calmly. He then looked at the Watch on his wrist, and doubt crept into his mind. He began to suspect that the only reason she loved him was because of the alien tech on his wrist. He gave Gwen a quick look from across the RV and scolded himself. Gwen is nothing like Kia! He told himself with a sigh. The doubt shrank to a small splinter in the back of his mind but refused to leave. Gwen was a ball of nerves. As she stared at the computer screen before her, she started to think about what it would be like to live with Grandpa Max on the road 24/7. The thought of seeing so many new places and honing her magic powers made her happy until she realized she would only be able to see Ben during his Summer Vacation. A frown slid onto her face when she realized that. She sighed and shut the laptop down. "Ben, you want to play a game?" She offered with a small smile.
Ben looked at her with a grin as he nodded and ran to get the videogame ready. As they were setting the game up, it started to rain. "Be careful, you two." Max warned as they started to play. Ben and Gwen got engrossed in the game quickly and failed to see a bolt of lightning strike the RV. The electricity traveled through the outlet, into the game system, and out of the controllers. Ben and Gwen screamed as the shock hit them. Then, the Omnitrix absorbed the energy and glowed blindingly green with the overcharge. Ben and Gwen vanished in the green light. When Max looked back to see what was wrong, all he saw was a strange green discharge from the left controller.
Ben and Gwen woke up with a groan and looked around. "Where are we?" Gwen asked as she looked around at the Japanese Architecture that seemed to float on some sort of hover boards. "No way!" Ben said as he saw Gwen. Her hair was in a Japanese ponytail, and she was wearing a light blue almost grey suit with dark blue pads on her shoulders. Ben was wearing brown leather armor, and the Omnitrix was strapped to his wrist like a buckler. Ben had to admit. Gwen looked good in what the game had given her. "We're inside the game somehow." Ben said as he tried the Omnitrix, but it wouldn't move. Great! Ben thought sadly as the sound of cannon fire and explosions greeted their ears. Ben rolled his eyes. Here we go. He thought as he and Gwen got in their respective battle stances.
Gwen was not really surprised when she saw they were fighting small round robots. Ben and Gwen fought back to back. Gwen used her Karate training to defeat the robots easily. Ben, on the other hand, had more of a street fighting approach and used the robots small size against them. He even ripped the arms off one and turned them into clawed gloves. As hard as they fought, Ben and Gwen began to tire. Their strikes began to slow, and Gwen knew the little grunt robots would overwhelm them if they didn't do something quick. "Ben, we have to find the dojo. It's the only way to get to the next level!" Ben nodded and scanned the area for an open space. When he couldn't find one, he made one with a powerful sonic blast from his Loboan form. "Let's move!" He yelled as he started running.
Ben froze when he heard Gwen scream in pain. His ears twitched, and he turned on a dime and ran through the robots in anger as he screamed Gwen's name. He heard a weak groan and tore through rows of robots toward the sound. What the young boy saw when he got to Gwen made his stomach turn. Gwen missed an attack, and the robot's little claws now dug into her body as blood dripped from the wound. "Get your hands off her!" Ben growled at the robot before dismantling the thing. Ben was sure to leave the claws in because he knew if he tried to take them out, Gwen would bleed out. Now, it's personal! Ben thought to himself as he carried Gwen to the waiting Dojo. As he laid her on the Dojo floor, he didn't want to let go because he was terrified of losing her.
Gwen smiled as Ben laid her on the Dojo. Everything was going well until one of the robots was able to get behind her and stab her. Gwen remembered the thought she had that morning when they started. What harm could come from playing a game? She scolded herself for that and was instantly reminded of Jumanji. The movie centered on a game, that as you played, became more and more real until the house was consumed by jungle. She then noticed the panic and fear in Ben's eyes as he looked at her. "I'll be fine, Doofus. I promise." As Gwen told Ben that, the platform started to rise. The higher it rose, the better Gwen felt, but she also watched one of the three yellow orbs on her right shoulder fade to black as she healed. "Ben, please be careful." She said as she stood and put a hand on his shoulder just before the dojo stopped at level two.
The game programmers really outdid themselves on this one. Gwen thought to herself as she saw flying furnaces coming for them. "Heads up, Ben!" She yelled as she saw Ben leaping like a mountain goat toward a spinning chest for some reason. Then, video game logic kicked in. Power ups! She reminded herself as she sprinted off toward the chest. As Ben sliced it open, Gwen watched with a grin as a Four Arms token and a sword appeared. Strangely, Ben took the sword. What is he thinking?! Gwen thought to herself worriedly. Gwen was left with little choice but to take the Omnitrix token. As she did, she was only momentarily confused when the token did nothing. Damn it, Ben! What's wrong? She thought to herself as they sliced through multiple enemies.
Ben could tell by the way Gwen fought. She was aggravated with him, and Ben thought he knew why. She's aggravated because I didn't use Four Arms to pound these guys! Ben told himself as he continued to slaughter the Flying Furnace Robots. He was so distracted by his thoughts that a giant boulder almost crushed him. He looked up to see the main character of the game, Ishiyama, throwing the boulder into the void below them. Ben smiled at Ishiyama. "Thanks." He said as he scratched the back of his head. "You wouldn't happen to know a shortcut to Level 13, would you?" The large sumo wrestler smiled at that and nodded. "Follow me."
Ben smiled when Gwen walked up. He was about to follow Ishiyama when Gwen jerked him to the side. "Before I take another step, I want to know what's wrong." She said to him as she glared at him. Ben saw the pain and fear in Gwen's eyes and decided to tell her in hopes of making her feel better. "I…thought you were like Kia and only liked me for the Watch." Ben was surprised but really shouldn't have been when Gwen slapped him. Gwen's face turned red in irritation as she puffed out her cheeks and let go of a long stream of air. "I love you for you, not the Watch!" She said with a small frown. "The Watch just helped me realize it." She said with a smile and a light peck on the lips.
Ishiyama smiled as he waited for them. "I trust good has come of your deliberations?" The children nodded. "We are ready for the journey." Gwen said with a smile as she handed Ben the Four Arms token. As soon as Ben took it, the token vanished, and he smiled when he saw Four Arm's shadow on the dial. "This will be a long trek." Ishiyama warned as they started walking. Ben sighed as he and Gwen ran into a temple-like complex. Once there, Ishiyama slipped away. This roused both Ben and Gwen's suspicions. "Keep on your toes." Gwen whispered as Ben nodded.
As they entered the temple, Ben felt as if all the statues were staring at him and Gwen. The uneasiness only grew as they got closer to what only could be described as an oversized bucket of water over the door prank. Ben approached it nervously, bowed, and was drenched. The water filled channels on either side of the room and started to turn water wheels which slowly lifted the wall which was actually a massive stone door. As the door rose, Ben heard Kenko's laughter. "It's a trap!" Ben yelled as Gwen felt her hands charge with energy. The statues all turned to Ben and Gwen and ripped weapons from the stone with their hands. Ben glared at the statues and activated the Omnitrix. He became a Sumo Slammer's version of Four Arms and quickly turned the statues to rubble. Gwen gasped as the door started to close. "BEN! Hurry!" She yelled at him. Ben dove for the door and held it open for Gwen. Once she slipped through, the Watch started to beep. "I hate that sound." Ben grumbled as a bright red flash along with the massive door slam told Gwen that her cousin was dead as she began to sob quietly to herself.
Ben's muscles tensed, and his lungs filled to capacity. Then, as the flash dissipated and was answered almost instantly by the slam of the stone slab door, Ben rolled and found he and Gwen were in a dark cavern. Ben's hybrid eyes adjusted quickly to the darkness. The first thing he saw was Gwen. As her sobs reached Ben, his heart shattered. Ben debated calling out to her. He decided she probably wouldn't hear him and slowly walked up to her before he hugged her gently. "Shhhh…I'm here." Ben said quietly as he helped Gwen up. "How…?" Ben grinned. "Relax and roll." Gwen giggled at that. "Let's hurry. Before…" She stopped. Ben looked at her with a small smile. "I think I've had my fill of video games for a long while." Ben said with a half-hearted smile as light started to show ahead of them. Well, here goes nothing. Ben thought with a sigh as they stepped into the light together.
As Ben's eyes began to adjust to the sudden influx of light, he saw that they had walked into an arena. Power Up Chests lined the entire edge of the battle field. Ben could have strangled the game programmers if the Omnitrix didn't start shooting beams of green light at certain chests. Ben smirked. Thank you, Omnitrix! Ben thought. Gwen smiled, closed her eyes, focused on the boxes the Omnitrix identified, and mumbled "Infernus!" Said chests exploded and released their contents. Nine Omnitrix tokens now levitated above where their former prisons were. Ben smiled at the sight of them, but Ben also knew it would be only a matter of time until Kenko found out about the Upgrade Token and freed himself from the game. Ben jumped from icon to icon and quickly restored most of his alien heroes to their proper home on his wrist.
As Ben jumped up to seize the Upgrade Icon, he was batted back by an unseen force as Kenko's laughter echoed through the arena. Ben smirked to himself. Why is it that I always fall for that when I play the game? Ben thought to himself as he dodged a fist which left a crater a split second later. "Kenko, you haven't met any of my friends, have you?" Ben asked calmly as he pushed down the faceplate of the Omnitrix. Gwen used the distracting flash of the Watch to summon her staff. As the staff appeared in her hand, Gwen smiled and ran at the Shape-shifter. As she raised the staff to strike, everything froze.
Max woke up from his nap annoyed. How many times have I told Ben to shut this thing off? As Max reached for the power button, Ben realized what was happening and yelled, "Grandpa, DON'T!" Max turned toward the screen, surprised. "Ben?! Gwen?!" Gwen smiled. "It's a long story, Grandpa." Ben smiled. "The short version is we got zapped into a game, and now, the game's bad guy knows about Upgrade and plans to use him to escape the game." Max just nodded. This surprised his grandkids. When he saw their confused looks, Max grinned. "I've heard some wild stories that actually were true." He smiled and resumed the game.
Ben smiled as he fell on top of Kenko. "Kenko, meet Cannonbolt." Ben said before he ricocheted around the arena and repeatedly struck Kenko until the monster was motionless. "Gwen, can you restrain him until we can get out of here?" She smiled and nodded as the metal bar that separated the seating area from the battlefield glowed blue and began to move like a snake, leaped on Kenko, and wrapped around him tightly. When Kenko saw brute strength failed, he turned to his words. "You are quite a powerful sorceress for one so young, child. Join me, and I could strengthen your abilities, my dear." Gwen tightened the grip of Kenko's binds. "Not on your life, Creep!" Gwen growled as she walked over to Ben and helped him search the remaining trunks to find Upgrade.
"You're fools!" Kenko said with a deep, rumbling laugh as he revealed the real Upgrade Token to them that was hidden in his sash. Ben just smiled at Kenko as he remembered how Gwen was unable to use the Four Arms Token. As Kenko crushed the token with a deathly evil grin, the Watch glowed and showed that Ben now has access to the techno-organic alien once again. "Sayonara, Sucker!" Ben yelled as he activated the Omnitrix and became Upgrade. Gwen smiled at him but soon became annoyed. "Let's go, Doofus before you time out again!" Ben nodded and grabbed Gwen before they disappeared back into the real world. As they were thrown out of the game, Max couldn't help but chuckle as he thought of an '80's music video from a band named A-Ha to a song called "Take On Me".
Ben gave Max an odd look when he saw the old man tapping his toe to the song as it played in his head. I don't want to know. Ben decided as he looked out a window and saw the sky had cleared. Gwen was reading a book like always, so Ben smiled, pulled the book down from her face, and kissed her gently with longing not lust or furious passion. "I was afraid I wouldn't get to do that ever again earlier today." He said with just a hint of sadness as he looked into Gwen's eyes and drank in their beauty.
Gwen smiled. "Come on, Doofus. I have a new spell I want to try," she said as Ben gave her a nervous look. "It's just a levitation spell." Ben smiled and nodded as he took a few steps back because he knew how when Gwen learned a new spell, it usually didn't go as planned. Gwen took a deep breath and recited the spell in her mind. Leviton Aerio. Gwen thought calmly. A blue disc formed underneath her, took her into the air about three feet, and stayed there. "Collapse." Gwen said with a smile. Nothing happened. Ben smiled and encouraged her. "Concentrate on the disc, and tell it that." Ben offered. When Gwen mentally ordered the disc to collapse, it disappeared, and she started to fall. Ben caught Gwen with a smile. "Good first try, Gwen." He said as he set her back on her feet. "Hey, have you tried to do two spells at once?" Ben asked with a grin as he thought of something. Gwen shook her head. "No. I don't think I can," she said with a sigh. "Why do you ask?" She wondered as she looked at him. "Just a hunch," he said with a laugh. "I was thinking you could fly if you combined the levitation spell with a propulsion spell together." She nodded thoughtfully. "If only you applied yourself as much in school…" She said with a giggle.
Max smiled as they arrived at the falls. "Welcome to Niagara Falls!" Max said as the brakes of the Rustbucket screeched to a halt. Ben and Gwen smiled at each other. "Act like we're regular cousins." Gwen said to Ben as he nodded slowly. She's right, he told himself. We need to keep a lid on it just in case we run into someone who is friends with Dad. The company has a satellite complex here, and I don't want to get him fired. Ben thought to himself as he smiled and started to look out the viewing deck. Gwen sighed and breathed in the damp air with a smile. The rushing water that echoed in her ears almost put her to sleep. The peaceful moment was interrupted as a…creature roared in what sounded like twisted laughter. Gwen froze as she realized who it was.
Ben's entire face morphed into a deadly scowl as he noticed the grotesque form of Kevin zooming strait for Gwen from the air. Guess again, you demented monster! Ben growled in his mind as he slipped away, activated the Omnitrix, and tackled Kevin as Ripjaws. Ben knew Kevin had him in brawn, so Ben had to outsmart him. Think fast, Ben! He told himself as he thought back to the summer before. Sandra and his Dad had almost pulled him under with the current they created when they swam quickly in circles around the pool. That's it! Ben yelled triumphantly in his mind as he started swimming in circles as fast as the alien body would allow him. Kevin started laughing at Ben. "What is that going to do, Pipsqueak?" In response,
Ben just smiled and swam still faster.
Pretty soon after; a massive riptide formed, grabbed Kevin while he screamed a line of obscenities at Ben, and sucked him down to the bottom of Lake Ontario. Ben swam for as long as he could before the beeps of the Watch warmed him to swim to the surface as quickly as possible. He threw all his strength into a leap and landed on a gondola overhead. Luckily, thanks to Kevin's surprise attack, the only others on the car were Gwen and Grandpa Max. As the Watch timed out, Ben saw Gwen staring at the massive whirlpool he had created. "Gwen, can you cause the lake bed at the center of the riptide to break apart?" She nodded. Ben grabbed her hand as she said the spell and felt the floor give under Kevin. As the heated magma rose up and cooled to refill the fissure, Gwen gave Ben a tired but happy smile and fell asleep as he cradled her in his arms
Meanwhile, light years away, a creature writhed, twitched, and screamed from inside a black hole. The monster's wails echoed throughout the system of two planets and a moon. With his mind torn between his own body and a genetic prison most called the Omnitrix, the creature was very angry and powerful. "Azmuth…you are truly a fool." The creature, known as Zs'Skayr, laughed darkly from his home, down in the bowels of the black hole. "I SHALL BE FREE!" He vowed as his body vanished from the darkness.
As Ben, Gwen, and Max got back in the RV after a day of fun, Ben held his head and plopped into a chair with a tired and painful look etched into his face. Gwen was instantly concerned. "What's wrong, Ben?" He shocked her as he jumped up out of the chair and screamed, "Gwen!" She took him in her arms and rubbed his back gently. "I'm here. I'm here." She said calmly. "…but Ben is not." A strange voice said as it laughed with twisted delight. The voice that came from Ben's mouth wasn't his. The voice was deep and scratchy. It sounded to Gwen like the voice of someone who was intubated. "What have you done with Ben?!" The entity in Ben grinned as his green eyes now were small purple circles in a void of black inside the boy's eye sockets. "I am Zs'Skayr, Ecto-lord Supreme!" Gwen shivered and started to back away from Ben's body as painful tears flowed from her eyes. "Why would you do this to Ben, you monster?!" She yelled angrily. "He stole my body! I am returning the favor." The ghost-like creature said calmly. Zs'Skayr then noticed the anger and fear in the young girl's eyes. A grotesque grin grew on Ben's mouth. The creature's eyes glowed faintly with sadistic pleasure as he realized why Gwen was so afraid and angry. "So, you care for this pathetic meat sack?" Zs'Skayr tried to punch Gwen but grunted with effort as Ben fought him back. "You'll never touch her!" Ben's voice exploded from his mouth before Ben's body doubled over. Grayish ooze formed on Ben's body. While this was happening, the Omnitrix glowed red around Ghostfreak's representation on the dial and slowly erased the icon with red light before the Omnitrix went into Recharge Mode.
The ooze was thrown from Ben's body as he roared in anger. It collected on the floor and formed into something that looked like a Scooby Doo spook, but Ben and Gwen both knew the thing was far from friendly. They each approached it cautiously; unsure of what would happen next. Under the protective outer skin, Zs'Skayr smirked, a grotesque thing where his maxilla detached from the rest of his skull and completely inverted his mouth so that it looked like a human smile floated in the middle of nowhere. "Looks like I have my pick of the litter." Zs'Skayr said as he leaped at Gwen. Before he could merge with her, the Omnitrix produced two black bracelets with a green square on top of them. The Omnitrix then ejected the bracelets which latched onto both Gwen and Max.
As Zs'Skayr's hand touched Gwen, he screeched in a combination of pain and anger. A bolt of green lightning zapped him. Gwen's bracelet seemed to smile at him. A voice from the bracelet then said, "Ectonurite Protection Shell is now active." Zs'Skayr threw all of the force he could muster into pushing himself through the shell, determined to possess Gwen. He actually got through! Before Gwen lost complete control of her body, she funneled magic into the device. Gwen's body jolted as the supercharged shield expelled Zs'Skayr from Gwen's body. Gwen smiled at the ghost-like being. "I would let you go without a problem, but…" Her grin turned to a scowl. "You possessed Ben." Zs'Skayr paled, if that was possible for Ectonaurites. She was about to let her fury lose on the creature when Ben put his hand on her shoulder. "Don't do it, Gwen. You can lock him in another dimension, but don't kill him, please." Ben said as he looked into her eyes. "It's time for you to listen to your own advice. Don't stoop to their level, Dweeb." Gwen nodded at Ben and used a spell from Charmcaster's spellbook she stole during their last meeting to create a portal back to Zs'Skayr's home, but she also generated a dwarf star for the black hole to pull in and fry Zs'Skayr with the radiation from the black hole turned quasar.
Ben shivered violently before he collapsed from the draining experience of being possessed. Gwen caught him as the portal vanished and shot Grandpa Max a scared look. "Please tell me the Doofus will be ok." Gwen said as tears brimmed in her eyes. Max knelt and checked on his grandson as Gwen laid him on her bunk. "What happened?" He asked Gwen calmly. "Ben was taken over by something that knew about…us and toyed with Ben's body. The monster tried to make Ben hit me, but Ben got pissed and overpowered him." She said as Max's eyes widened. Ben strong enough to break the King of Ectonurites? I guess if you hit Ben's buttons in the right combination, he'll do anything to protect Gwen. Max thought with mild worry in his eyes. Once the bad guys figure that out… Max didn't dare to finish the thought. "He'll be alright, Gwen. He just needs to rest." Max said to the scared girl with a comforting smile and hand on her shoulder.
Ben woke up a few hours later and groaned. What hap- That was as far as his groggy, slow to wake mind got before he felt the sting of a slap. "You Doofus!" He heard a certain fiery redhead yell at him. "Hello to you, too, Dweeb." Ben managed as his head pounded like a stereo with the bass set too high. As Ben held his head. Gwen handed him some Motrin and a glass of water. "Grandpa said you would need those when you woke up." Grandpa sure knows quite a lot. Ben thought suspiciously as he downed the medicine and water. "What happened? The last thing I remember is some…creature's grin in my face. Then, he tried to attack you. Finally, nothing at all until I woke up with your beautiful face staring at me in anger then relief." Ben asked Gwen as he looked at her. "Are you sure you want to know?" Gwen asked as she silently pleaded for him not to be overly curious. Who am I kidding? Curious is Ben's middle name. Gwen thought to herself with a small smile. Ben smiled and waved her off when he saw the hint of worry in her eyes. "No, it's not important." He said with a calm smile as he kissed her forehead and went to get something to eat.
Max watched Ben closely for the next few days. Ectonurites had a habit of leaving a bit of their personality in their former host for a while. Ben kept hearing the scratchy voice in his mind. I will make you pay, boy! Ben hoped no one saw him shiver as he sat down to a breakfast of cereal. Gwen saw the bags under his eyes as she sat across from him and knew he hadn't been able to sleep well ever since the encounter with the Ghost Alien. "Ben, what's wrong? Please, tell me." Gwen said as she put her hand on his. Ben shivered. "He's still in my mind," Ben said quietly as he looked at her. Gwen knew from Ben's tone. He was scared. "Please, don't tell Grandpa. I don't want him to worry." Ben said as he frowned. Gwen smiled. "I've been looking through Charmcaster's spellbook, and I think I can use a spell to clean your mind. Think of it like a mystical mind defragmenter." Gwen had started teaching Ben about her computer after he woke up in an attempt to distract Ben from the possession, so Ben understood and nodded. "Let's do it."
Gwen had Ben sit in the booth as she sat next to him. She then mumbled a spell as her hands glowed with energy and placed her hands on Ben's temples. Gwen's eyes glowed blue as she felt her mind enter Ben's. "I'm definitely taking a shower after this." Gwen mumbled as she headed for the storm cloud in the back of Ben's mind. As she walked through the odd landscape, she tried to ignore urges to go dig while inside Ben's mind. "I've got a mission. Stick to it, Gwen." She told herself with a serious look. Gwen smiled as she felt herself teleported to the edge of the storm. Purple clouds swirled and dipped in front of here. It looked so calm and peaceful, but Gwen knew that was a lie as she started into the storm.
The clouds made her eyes burn and tear up as if the clouds were made of a strange, powerful acid. "Ok. Sight is out." Gwen mumbled as she closed her eyes and heard the whining roar of Heatblast's fire. With a grunt she rolled left of the flame and charged toward what she knew was a Zs'Skayr Copy of Heatblast. "Tempestus Aero!" Gwen yelled as a blast of wind assaulted the Copy. It grew angry, and the flame that made up the majority of its face grew. Gwen poured more energy into the spell, and as she teetered, hands gently caught her. "Don't you know not to start a fight without me, Dweeb?" Gwen smiled as he looked at Ben. "How…?" Ben smirked. "This is MY mind, Dweeb." He said with a smile. As they turned to look at the fallen Heatblast Copy, it dissolved into the surrounding clouds.
"Well, it looks like we have to best your aliens." Gwen said to Ben with a nervous sigh. They walked a little further into the cloudbank. Ben heard growling. "Wildmutt! Look out!" He said as he pushed Gwen down. The Vulpimancer charged Ben. Ben grabbed its head with his feet and blocked Wildmutt's thermal pits in the process before he slammed it into the ground. "Who says Mortal Kombat doesn't pay off?" Ben asked the air with a grin. The dog-like alien shrugged off the attack and leaped at Ben. He rolled out of the way, but the alien managed to grab Ben's shirt in one of its front paws. "Infernus!" Gwen yelled as the Wildmutt Copy started to burn. It faded away into wisps of purple smoke.
Gwen had a thought as the last of the Wildmutt Copy burned away. "Ben, why haven't you banished what's left of Zs'Skayr's influence out of your mind?" Ben sighed mournfully. "I may have home court advantage, but he's just too powerful for me to beat." Gwen snorted. "You maybe. Not us." She said with a smile as she offered him her hand. He took it and stood. As he glared at the cloudy surroundings, the clouds formed into a solid mass which then further defined itself as Ghostfreak. Gwen and Ben nodded to each other. Before Ghostfreak could even think about opening his hidden macabre mouth to start a classic villain monologue, Ben morphed into his Loboan form and threw Gwen into the air. She recited her recently learned levitation spell and landed on a circle of blue energy as she waited for Ben to do his part. Ben ran at Ghostfreak, dug his claws into Ghostfreak, and ripped away the protective skin. "Gwen, NOW!" Ben yelled as he leaped out of the way. Gwen closed her eyes and focused on the nightmarish creature. "Illumini Ejecta!" Gwen yelled as a bright beam of light shot from both her hands and merged before the focused beam of light impacted Ghostfreak's unshielded body. The creature tried to dodge, but the light was so bright that it dissolved him away even though he wasn't hit directly by the light. Gwen walked up to the creature while light continued to pour out from her hands and cause the Ectonurite to scream and howl in agony. Gwen glared at the fading manifestation of Zs'Skayr's consciousness and growled, "Try to infect Ben again, and I promise you. I'll wipe the floor with your miserable Scooby Doo reject hide!"
Ben stared at Gwen for a moment in disbelief, wide-eyed. Then, he realized he had recently assigned Kevin to a similar fate on the monster's last attempt to take Gwen from him. Ben flashed Gwen a genuine smile and bolted to the girl who he loved with a relieved look on his face. "Let's get you out of here." Ben said with a smile before he snapped his fingers. Gwen snapped awake and worriedly looked at Ben. "He looks better…" She mumbled to herself with a small smile. She then heard snoring and realized Ben was fast asleep. I don't blame him. She thought as she got the pillow from his bunk and laid it under his head in the booth. Gwen sighed after she watched Ben sleep for a little while. Then, she decided to sit down and read a good book. A week left until school. Gwen thought to herself as she smiled at that. Ben probably has no idea.
Gwen was happily reading a book when Ben screamed and stared crying. Max beat Gwen to Ben but only just. "What is it, Ben?" Max asked his grandson worriedly. "It was a nightmare! Gwen was dating Kevin, and I was married to Kia!" Gwen walked over and smiled before she kissed him gently. "Why would I dump you for Kevin the Stalker?" She asked as she took him in a tight hug. Ben felt better about that but was still nervous. The nightmare was so real as if he'd actually been taken to that horrid future while he slept.
Paradox sighed. He knew he was only to be an observer and only step in when things were at their worst, but this qualified to him The main timeline was in danger of going on an irreversible path to self-destruction. "Right on time." The Time Walker said to himself as he watched Ben return from the future in a cold sweat. "You will remember this trip only as a dream." Paradox had told the boy before he woke. Paradox let a rare smile of delight pass his lips as he felt the Timestream correct itself. "Everything is as it should be."
After the Circus Freak Trio robbed Fort Knox on Monday, Doctor Animo used a horde of flies to terrorize Washington, DC on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Gwen and Ben had to deal with Hex and Charmcaster. It seemed the duo had learned from their previous defeat and kept Gwen out of the fight with a magic-nullifying spell. That just pissed Ben off and made him fight harder as he made them think twice about messing with Gwen again.
Everything was going well as they headed toward Bellwood on Thursday until a manhole cover exploded from the street with so much force that it sent the RV flying. Ben jumped out of the RV door, activated the Omnitrix, went Four Arms, and caught it with a grunt before he set it down back on the road. That was strange. Ben thought as he looked around. It was late; no one was on the roads at this hour. Max, Gwen, and Ben kept looking around until the Watch timed out. "A pipe must have been broken." Max decided as the kids got back in the Rustbucket. As they left, steam billowed from the hole and a creepy laugh echoed through the underground.
Gwen knew Grandpa had told them it was just a broken pipe, but the whole situation made her uneasy. In her mind, she reviewed what she knew. There were no warning signs like sound or movement that the pipe was about to decompress. It was late at night, and consequently, no one was around when they had searched the immediate area. Remote detonation? Gwen thought. No. There would've been beeping and an explosion. Not knowing what was happening made Gwen very tense as she went to her bunk and tried in vain to sleep. As Gwen looked above her at the bottom of Ben's bunk, she heard him toss and turn above her.
Ben couldn't sleep. He knew beyond the shadow of a doubt who had caused the manhole cover to blow, but he couldn't understand how Kevin had done it. That worried him almost as much as what the prospect of the monster to be alive meant for Gwen. His rational mind fought back. How could Kevin survive inside the Earth? He decided to answer that question laterand tried to get to sleep by imagining Gwen speaking to him. After about fifteen minutes, it worked. In his sleep, Ben no longer had nightmares every night. Luckily for Ben, tonight was a night of pleasant dreams.
The next morning, Ben was greeted as he got out of his bunk and headed to the shower by the sounds of Gwen in a good mood also known as the sound of fingers as they flew across her keyboard. He laughed at himself. Seriously, Ben, he thought. You've got it bad. He took a quick shower and got dressed. As Ben sat down in the booth, he watched the "Welcome to Bellwood: The Most Normal City in the USA". Gwen smiled as Ben groaned. "From super hero back to plain old super geek!" Ben just sighed. "Yeah…" You haven't met JT and Cash. Ben thought with a sigh as Max dropped him off. Carl and Sandra seemed in good moods since the lasttime they saw each other. Gwen smiled at her Aunt and Uncle. "Hey, Uncle Carl and Aunt Sandra!" Sandra smiled. "Hello, Gwen. How was the rest of your Summer Vacation?" Gwen smiled and grabbed Ben in a headlock. "It's been a blast." She said as she gave Ben a subtle wink. Ben smiled. "I see you've picked up some of Ben's personality." Sandra said with a smile. More than you know. Gwen thought as she smiled. Max broke up the conversation. "We better get going, Gwen. We still have to get you settled at my house." Ben and Gwen shared a few perfectly synced insults before Gwen sadly got in the Rustbucket.
As Gwen looked back toward her cousin's shrinking house, a smile was shared between them before she watched him walk into his house. As she walked to the passenger seat of The Rustbucket, sadness gripped her. Max instantly noticed and smiled. "You'll see him again soon, Gwen." She looked like he'd killed her. "You call a year soon?" She asked quietly as Gwen folded her arms in disappointment. She was a little surprised when Grandpa Max stopped at a small cookie cutter house about a thirty minute bike away from Ben's house. Gwen looked at her grandfather stunned. "I did say I needed to get you settled, didn't I?" He asked with a wide grin. Gwen shot into the house so fast that Max was surprised the pavement didn't catch fire.
Fiery eyes watched Gwen enter the new house from street level. Kevin smiled as he used his mutated form to create a body out of the pavement. He shaped and molded the stone into the likeness of his "good buddy Benji". Showtime! Kevin's damaged mind thought as his eyes glowed and made the stone look like an exact copy of Ben. The copy walked up and knocked on the door. Unknown to Kevin, he forgot on major piece of Ben's wardrobe: the Omnitrix.
Gwen shivered as she heard a knock on the door. "Gwen, you there?" She heard what sounded like Ben's voice say. Gwen's mind instantly went on the alert. No one told Ben where I was. She thought as she grabbed her staff from her bag and closed her eyes. The magic of the staff allowed her to look through the door. What she saw made her jump. "Ben?" She asked as her alert was still blaring in the back of her mind. The figure smiled. "Hey, Gwen." She heard that and glared at the door. Her staff charged with energy as she opened the door with spell and let the full force of her anger translate into anger. The staff's mouth glowed white and exploded with energy that obliterated the copy and made car alarms for two blocks go off.
Ben sighed as his Dad walked him inside. "So, Ben?" His Dad asked. "Did you master any new tricks this summer?" Ben smiled."You could say that." Ben told his father with a mischievous grin. Carl sighed and went to work in the backyard. Sandra sighed loudly as she walked Ben to his room and pushed open the door. "Here's your room, Ben. Please, clean it up." She said as she left Ben to his work. A green flash and a black and light blue tornado later, Ben had his room completely spotless. "Now, to score some-" He was interrupted in his thoughts by an explosion followed almost instantaneously by dozens of car alarms going off out of sync. "Gwen!" Ben yelled, scared as he tore the road a new one towards Gwen.
Ben caught Gwen just as she collapsed. "Ben…someone's mimicking you." She said quietly as she pointed weakly to the pile of rock on the front lawn as Ben timed out. He sighed. "So that's how he survived." Ben mumbled to himself. Gwen heard the word "survived" and turned white as a sheet. It can't be! Gwen thought in a panic. "Ben…" Her plea was answered silently as Ben gripped her hand with a smile. "He won't touch you while I'm here!" Ben growled as rock began to creep up Ben's body. Gwen fought fear as she saw Ben struggle against his growing petro-prison. In the rock, she heard Kevin's voice. "Ah! This looks familiar. Where have I seen this before? REMEMBER WHEN YOU TRAPPED ME THAT CRYSTAL PRISION, BENJI?! "
Gwen furiously scanned through the spells her grandmother knew though her link with the staff. "Terra Seperant!"Gwen yelled as she focused on Kevin. Kevin screamed in agony as lava boiled up from a fissure created by the spell. As Kevin molded himself into a solid humanoid mass, the rocks around Ben crumbled into sand and fell away from him. Ben couldn't believe Kevin still retained that much strength after he was magically ripped from his source of power. Now, Ben stared at an older looking Kevin. In his newest mutation, Kevin had a steel right leg, a left leg of sandstone, a steel left arm, and a crystal lattice right arm with his face matching his arms.
Ben smirked and howled. The right side of Kevin's face and his right arm cracked as he dropped to his knees in agony. "Leave Gwen alone, you piece of shit!" Ben growled angrily before he picked up Kevin and threw him around like a ragdoll as adrenaline pushed Ben's naturally enhanced strength to the threshold of superhuman levels. Ben then threw him in the air before punching Kevin hard enough to generate a supersonic shockwave from the point of impact on Kevin's chest.
As Ben came down from his rage, he looked at Gwen and held her tightly as he tried to calm her down. She kept rambling on. "Kevin could have killed you! He's more dangerous than you realize, Ben! I love you, Doofus, but you are so think-headed! I-" Ben sighed with a grin and kissed her to shut her up. Gwen sighed happily and pushed back against Ben's lips before she closed her eyes to enjoy the kiss. They were interrupted as someone cleared his throat. Ben looked up and saw his father glaring down at him. Gwen held Ben's hand in hers to offer him silent comfort as he looked into the deadly glare of Carl Tennyson.
"Dad, I can explain!" Ben spat out with a pale look. Carl looked his son in the eye. "Do you love her?" Ben became serious in an instant. "If I didn't love her, I wouldn't be caught dead with her." Ben was getting annoyed with his father. Gwen decided to jump in. "Uncle Carl, something happened during the summer that allowed us to fall in love." Perhaps it was unconscious, but Gwen quickly glanced at the Omnitrix on Ben's wrist with a small smile. "I suppose the fact you're cousins doesn't matter to you?" Gwen and Ben smiled. "Does it matter that you had me with an alien?' Ben asked his father with a grin. Carl sighed. "I suppose it doesn't really matter. Just be careful, ok?" He asked as Ben smiled. "We will be." Ben said calmly.
The next day, school started. Ben walked into school slowly. After he and Gwen got caught yesterday, Ben was nervous to see how fast the news spread. Luckily, something else was on everyone else's minds. Ben sighed as he kept his mouth shut. Apparently, news had been all over Ben and Gwen's summer exploits, but no one knew who the helpful aliens were. "My favorite is that big wrestler dude. Ah. What's his name? Quad Hands" Ben sighed and coughed. "Four Arms…" The kids gave him strange looks. "We're good friends." Ben said. "Hey, Tennyson!" Cash. Ben thought with a sigh. He sniffed the air. Cherry… Ben thought as he calmly dodged the smoothie bomb.
Ben was about to give Cash a knuckle sandwich when the outside wall to the cafeteria exploded. The room cleared like magic with the exception of four people. Ben looked around and saw Gwen run to him as relief spread across his face. Cash and JT were crouched behind the counter in the kitchen. "What the heck just happened?" JT asked, clearly scared as Cash slapped him. "Quiet!" He growled in a low voice. Cash and JT felt terror build within them as the dust showed a monster silhouetted behind the cover of dirt.
As the dust cleared, Vilgax growled. "The Omnitrix! NOW!" Ben rolled his eyes as Gwen nodded at him. "I know you are a psycho, Vilgax, but why obsess over a watch?" Ben asked as he calmly rolled out of the way of a deadly claw. Ben smiled and activated the Omnitrix. JT and Cash watched in shock and then terror as the kid they had picked on for years was removed permanently from their hit list in a single instance. As the flash dissipated, Diamondhead went to attack Vilgax but was knocked back by drones. "Never could do your dirty work yourself." Ben growled as Gwen destroyed the drones with practiced ease.
"You will pay for that, girl!" Vilgax roared as he lunged at Gwen. She dodged but barely. Magic…must take more out of me than I thought it would. She said in her mind as she heaved down air for her muscles as they cried out for relief. Then, it happened. She tripped. As Gwen tried to get back up, Vilgax closed in. "Ben!" Gwen yelled hoarsely as Vilgax seized her in his clutches. Ben stared at Gwen's eyes for as second and noticed she dropped her staff when she tripped. Ben threw it toward her. Gwen struggled to reach out and grab it with her mind, but once she did, she felt a lot better and turned the staff toward the back of Vilgax's head before she made the staff fire a blast of energy. Vilgax grunted in annoyance and dropped Gwen as Ben's heart sank. Gwen summoned just enough energy to steady her fall and gently lower her wounded body to the ground before she passed out
Ben saw Gwen's limp body. She can't be! Ben thought as his tears gave way to burning rage. "Just you and me, Vilgax!" Ben yelled as he stood between Gwen and the brute. Ben slammed his fists into Vilgax. Vilgax chuckled as Ben reared back for another punch. Vilgax caught the punch with ease and used the momentum to Judo flip Ben onto a table as it split in two under the sudden strain. As Ben looked up a Vilgax, he got an insane idea. Ben howled as he felt the crystalline body of Diamondhead start to break as he reached the resonance frequency of his body. Shards imbedded themselves in Vilgax's body as he growled in annoyance. "You think your pathetic bee stings will harm me?" Ben smiled as he sat up and fought blinding pain. "Those…were pieces…of my body." Vilgax paled as the plan Ben had concocted connected in his mind. Ben stood on shaky legs as Vilgax looked down at his body in horror. "Die!" Ben growled as diamond shards grew out of Vilgax's body. The edges of the crystals were painted red with Vilgax's blood as they bust from his body and soon incased the former warlord in crystal.
As Ben's fury left him, the Watch timed out. He ran to Gwen as fast as he could. She looked up and smiled weakly at him. "Gwen! I thought I lost you!" Ben said quietly before he lost it and stared to bawl into Gwen's shirt. She rubbed his back gently. "It will take more than a galactic conqueror to take me from you." She said with a smile as she gripped her staff and leaned on it to stand. Ben smiled. "I guess I'm going to have to help an old lady after all." Gwen reached over with her free hand and slapped Ben playfully. Then, they both laughed at the cliché Ben was vaguely referring to. As they stopped laughing, Ben brought her into a tender kiss that they both enjoyed for a long minute.
JT and Cash were stunned as they watched the whole scene play out from the safety of their hide behind the counter. Cash was still pale from what he saw as Ben ripped apart the giant squid guy without touching him and whispered, "Did you see that?" The smile Cash had plastered to his face from the show of violence quickly turned to annoyance when JT failed to respond and just stared at something in front of him. Cash was about to slap him when JT gripped his friend's head and turned it toward the scene in a trance-like motion. Cash's eyes got huge as he watched Ben and an unknown girl make out. As Cash and JT slipped away from the wrecked cafeteria, they knew this school year would be more eventful than they first thought. If it wasn't the rumor mill that would start tomorrow that made things interesting, it would certainly get interesting when another enemy came looking for Ben. That, Cash knew. Ben's personality was a bully's and/or a villain's worst nightmare.
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