"Hey, guys," called Kevin. "You might wanna get over here!"

Curiously, the two cousins peeked over their friend's broad shoulders. What they saw rendered them speechless. Gwen's mouth formed a soundless "oh" of surprise. Ben felt his eyebrows disappear into his hairline.

"Well… this looks familiar." He took in the scene before him. An emerald glow illuminated a number of unconscious people lined up, stretched out on metal slabs. Each person was fastened to a strangely shaped helmet with wires coming out of it. At the far end of the chamber, Ben recognized a wired gadget Kevin had once identified as an energy modulator.

"This– this is just like at Vortex," Gwen referred to the nightclub that had burned down a few months earlier.

"Yeah… almost. This is different," Kevin stepped forwards to point at the energy modulator.

"How?" Ben asked. The device looked identical to him.

"Well, these weren't there before." He gestured at a jumble of buttons and knobs Ben couldn't categorize.

"I'll take your word for it." He sighed and glanced back at the slumbering rows. "Any idea how to wake them up?" Ben looked towards his teammates hopefully.

"Actually, I do," Kevin volunteered. "These symbols here are similar to the Scalpasc System dialect. I picked up a bit out there."

"Oh."

"If I just do this…" He jabbed at some buttons. "…And then this here…" Suddenly the machine let out a loud processing tone. The head coverings released with a hiss of pressure. "Hey, presto!"

There was a low collective moan. Ben turned watch the comatose people stir and awaken. The three teens hurried towards them.

"Are you alright, ma'am?" asked Gwen, helping up a middle-aged woman. Kevin pulled an elderly man to his feet.

"Is everyone okay?" Ben called out as he guided a little girl to her father. There was a general murmur of agreement. "Okay then. I'm sure you've all got questions to as how you got here but…" He paused as the ground beneath his feet rumbled.

"What is that?" Gwen asked.

Pop! Pop! Pop! Stones cracked and burst forth as salt water rapidly spurted into the chamber.

"RUN!" Kevin yelled. People screamed and dashed towards the only exit. The three heroes followed closely behind.

Racing out of the flooding tunnel, Ben mused to himself how this could have happened. Had they been watched… Probably not. No safe way to get a camera in there without risk of water damage. Did someone step on a trip-wire…

"The vibrations from Echo-Echo must have loosened the rocks," he cried out in sudden realization.

"Really not helpful now, Ben," Gwen shouted at him.

A large part of the stone ceiling fell just behind him causing some water to splash on the back of his pants legs. Ben ran a little faster.

Then they were outside. They were safe. Ben glanced over his shoulder back at the watery deathtrap they'd just escaped. Water burst forth the narrow entrance with the force of a fire-hose aimed straight for them. The crowd in back of him screamed.

Gwen leaped in front of the salty rush creating a curved mana-shield to funnel the water harmlessly away. Everyone was safe. Ben let out a breathe of relief. He stepped forwards.

"Excuse me," Ben pitched his voice to carry out over the crowd. "Can anyone tell us what happened? How you got here? Who took you?"

Everyone gazed blankly at each other and then back at him. A few people shook their heads sadly admitting defeat to their rescuers.

Ben sighed trying not to show the disappointment he felt on his face. After all, it wasn't their faults they couldn't remember anything.

"Thank you, anyway," he called out. "I'm sure you've all got things to do, so you can be on your way." He made a little shooing motion. Slowly, the throng wandered off in a daze.

"You think that's a good idea?" Kevin asked. "They seem pretty out of it."

"I'm sure they'll be fine," Gwen said. "I'm more worried about whoever is doing this." She turned towards them. "Any thoughts?"

"Uhh…" Ben racked his brain for something intelligent to say. He was suddenly feeling exhausted and overwhelmed. He tried to think of a tactful way to tell Gwen he really needed a break just now.

"Yeah. I'm hungry." Kevin rubbed his stomach. Ben smiled slightly. Trust Kevin to be direct.

"Kevin!" Gwen exclaimed disbelievingly.

"What?" He spread his hand innocuously. "I'll think better on a full stomach." She glared furiously at him.

"Actually, Gwen, I could go for some food, too," Ben admitted sheepishly.

"Hotdogs?" Kevin asked.

"Hotdogs," Ben agreed heartily. They headed in the direction of the vendors on the boardwalk.

"Boys!" Gwen threw up her hands in disgust before trailing after them.

XxXxXxXxX

Despite her grumbling, Gwen purchased a soda at the snack-stand while Kevin and Ben enthusiastically pointed out the toppings they wanted for their hotdogs. They walked along the boardwalk discussing the day's events.

"Let's see… so far a humongous metal fish tried to drown us, then thousands of metal crabs attacked us…" Ben ducked as a large white bird swooped down on him, trying to snatch his hotdog. "…And now the seagulls… Anyone seeing a pattern here?"

"We've got the worst run of luck ever?" Kevin offered biting into his own hotdog.

"Pattern… yes…" Gwen mused under her breath.

"Huh?" Ben turned towards her.

"Hold on a minute, I'll be right back." She shoved her drink into Kevin's hand and took off.

"Hey, wait!" Gwen had already vanished.

"What was that about?" Kevin asked.

"No idea…" Ben scanned the crowded streets for his cousin. Just then, he spotted Gwen was hurrying over to them with a rolled up newspaper clutched in one hand.

"The idea just hit me…" she frantically leafed through the paper. "I don't know why I didn't think of it before…"

"Think of what?" Ben was utterly confused.

"Hey, wait, you're throwing out the sports section?" Kevin objected as Gwen continued to shuffle around the pages.

"Aha!" Gwen folded back the paper triumphantly. "Here!" She shoved it at the boys. They peered blankly at it.

"Get Your Daily Horoscope…" Ben slowly read off the title.

"I studied constellation and horoscopes back when I was into magic," Gwen explained. "That metal fish… Pisces and the crabs are Cancer…" She pointed them out on the page.

Kevin and Ben stared at her uncomprehendingly.

"Don't you see? They're connected somehow, I just know it," she finished breathlessly.

"That's a pretty far stretch there," Kevin said doubtfully. Ben took the newspaper from her to gaze more closely at it.

Screams from down the street drew their attention away from Gwen's discovery.

"Oh, what now?" Ben groaned.

A new Ben 10: AF season is out. Yah!

It took me a long time to post this chapter. Hopefully I'll get next one up a bit sooner.