A/N: I'm tired…so sorry if anything is sloppy. For the lack of Ben in the last chapter, we will start this one off with him! And please don't hate me too much Rygel-n…I know your image of Ben doesn't work anymore…he's too skinny now…don't worry, its leading up to something.
CHAPTER EIGHT: TROUBLE
Ben groaned as he woke up. He looked over as the sun beamed through the window. It felt as if it was burning him, he closed his eyes against the blare and tried to roll over. Week four…and he already looked four months pregnant…Mei said that the moment an egg is ejected into a male, the egg starts to swell. She never said how big it would swell, or when the swelling would stop. All she said was that when the baby outgrew the egg, it would absorb the shell for its 'nutrients' and then begin growing in Ben's 'womb'.
It had been exactly a month since Mei last raped him, and left him like this. He looked over in the bed he was forced to share with her. She was gone, so she must be at school. He leaned up and felt sick again. Swearing, he pushed himself out of bed and ran to the bathroom, throwing up once again, what little he had in his stomach. He weakly held onto the toilet as he dizzily stared into the greenish sludge that he coughed up.
He pulled himself up from the toilet and stumbled towards the mirror. His reflection disgusted him. He wanted to break the mirror again, but thought better of it. Last time, Mei had slapped him across the face so hard he thought she liquefied his brain, he still had a fading bruise to prove it. Instead of starring at that skinny, pale, and sickly looking boy in the mirror, he left the bathroom and headed to the kitchen.
His cravings told him to have something crunchy, something with lots of batter and texture…but that did not exist on this planet. Everything was raw meat, except for those burgers Mei sometimes gave him. His stomach rumbled, he didn't eat last night again, not after seeing Mei slice the head off of their 'dinner'. He slunk down against the side of the fridge. Something didn't feel right…something was wrong…
Ben shook his head. No, it was just because he was hungry…he looked up at the freezer, if he dragged an oversized chair over, he could climb up and grab himself a burger. Mei couldn't punish him either for fear of loosing the baby. He smiled and pulled himself weakly from the floor. His body felt so heavy, as if there were weights tied to each one of his limbs.
He finally managed to pull a chair over to the fridge and climbed up on top of it. He opened the freezer, and there, hidden among countless multicolored meat, was the brightly wrapped burgers. He quickly grabbed one and jumped down. He sat on the chair and mercilessly ripped into the wrapper, taking a large bite of the burger.
And ran straight back to the bathroom.
He did not know how many times he threw up before he collapsed on the ground panting. He was terrified, not because he just threw up the burger he worked so hard to steal, but because of the feel of it hitting his stomach. It physically hurt! The moment the meat hit his stomach, it burned like he had swallowed acid. He bit his lip and crawled back to the bedroom, forcing himself onto the bed and collapsed.
Gwen gasped as she woke up. She leaned up so fast she felt dizzy. She looked around, she was lying on a makeshift bed, still inside Ship. She rubbed her forehead, someone had bandaged the injury on her head. She looked around, Kevin was lying next to her, his face deathly pale, but someone had bandaged up his injuries as well…he was nearly covered in bandages.
"Gwen! You're finally awake!" Julie gasped, running over to where she lay. Gwen blinked a few times, Julie looked basically unharmed, besides a bandage wrapped around her hand. Gwen nodded slowly, "Yes?"
Julie sighed in relief, "We were worried that you did have a concussion and slipped into a coma on us."
"How long was I asleep?" Gwen asked,
"Eleven hours." Julie replied, "How are you feeling?"
Gwen did not feel like answering that. Instead she looked around the small cabin, "Where is Ana?"
Julie nodded to the far side of the cabin. "Over there, talking to your grandfather about where your grandmother lives. Shockingly, she had a lot of stuff hidden within her trench coat, like these bandages and a walkie-talkie thingy that can connect straight to the Plumbers headquarters on earth, no matter where it is in the universe."
"And Grandpa Max is staying at Mt. Rushmore until we come back…" Gwen whispered, "Hang on…"
She jumped up, ignoring Julie's comments about resting and not moving too fast. She hurried over to where Ana stood. The Assassin was confirming coordinates with the person on the other side of the walkie-talkie, and Gwen was sure it was Grandpa Max. Ana looked so tired…her pale skin somehow looked even paler, but besides that she looked normal. She was not wearing the trench coat anymore, and she had removed the corset from around her middle. The white shirt frilled down around her middle, open to reveal a black lacy bra, and thick bandages wrapped around her middle, and a golden chain that must have been hidden under her shirt, it held a locket with red monograms spelling, 'RL'. Gwen noticed as Ana turned towards her that she was also covered in bandages and gauzes. Somehow, she had been too preoccupied with Kevin's welfare to notice the others.
"Ok, so we're clear. She will know we're coming? Thank you." She saw Gwen standing there and smiled, "Oh! Your granddaughter is awake now. Yes? You want to talk to her?" Ana nodded, seemingly to forget that Grandpa Max cannot see her through the phone. Ana grinned and handed the phone to Gwen, "Its for you!"
Gwen slowly reached out for the walkie-talkie, "Grandpa?"
"Gwen. Thank goodness. I was so worried." Grandpa Max sighed, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine Grandpa." Gwen replied, "How are you doing?"
"Tired." And he sounded it, his voice sounded so weary over the phone,
"Well get some rest. We're fine now." Gwen ordered,
"Say hello to your grandmother for me, will you?" Grandpa Max asked,
"I will Grandpa…um, we're going to be longer then we first thought." Gwen stated,
"I know. But its only the middle of summer vacation." Grandpa Max said.
Gwen gritted her teeth, already? Seriously?
Grandpa Max continued, "I told your parents that I took you and Kevin on another summer trip to get your mind off Ben. It was the only thing I could think of short notice about your disappearance."
"Thank you Grandpa." Gwen breathed a sigh of relief. She was worried about what her parents would do when she went missing as well.
"If your not back before a week to the end of summer vacation, I will tell them that we're having some problems with the Rustbucket and may have to stop for repairs." He promised,
"I owe you one, Grandpa." Gwen nodded, also forgetting he couldn't see her,
"Just get Ben back, and we'll call it even."
Gwen's eyes watered up, "I will Grandpa…I promise."
"And, be safe. Get back in one piece will you? I love you."
Gwen felt her herself crack up, large tears spilled from her eyes and her voice broke as she spoke, "I will…I love you too Grandpa. Bye."
"Bye dear." She could tell by his voice that he was cracking up as well.
As Gwen hung up the phone, she couldn't help but wonder how he must feel. He was an Ex-Plumber, used to being out there helping people, not sitting back and waiting. It must be harder on him then anyone else…
Ana smiled, though her smile was tired and sad, "You have a nice family."
Gwen nodded, "Yeah."
Ana leaned against the wall behind her and slid down, folding her legs and wrapping her arms around them, "Must be nice. My family was never like that."
Gwen jumped. She felt shocked, Ana never opened up, never spoke how she was feeling. She usually had such tough guards up that Gwen thought must be normal for her type of alien. But, as she looked at her now, her expression looked more then human. Gwen walked over to her and sat down, leaning against the wall as well.
Ana looked down at the ground, "My parents…they always used to fight - over everything. And then, my Dad would get drunk and get violent." She fiddled with the locket, and Gwen craved to know what was inside it. "Apparently, my mother was not faithful to my Dad. That's how me and my brother were born."
"You have a brother?" Gwen asked,
Ana looked down at the locket, tracing the initials with her thumb, "Had a brother." She looked up, avoiding Gwen's face, "But…he disappeared, shortly before my parents got divorced. It's the main reason I became what I am, so I could find him."
"Did you ever find him?" Gwen asked stupidly,
A small smile stretched across Ana's face. She closed her eyes and clenched the locket tightly in her fist, "Yes."
"Then why?" Gwen asked,
"Why am I still an Assassin and not with him?" Ana snorted, "Because by the time I found him - it was too late." She finally looked over at Gwen, and Gwen was shocked to see those large eyes of hers tearing up, "I guess he got into a life of crime, and wound up in jail."
"Really?" Gwen asked, "But aren't you an assassin, wouldn't that not bother you?"
Ana shook her head, "It didn't. I busted him out of there. But…well he's a lot happier now without me around." She smiled, "He has friends now, people he sees as family. He doesn't want to remember his past, and therefore, he doesn't need me. He's an adult now, he can protect himself."
She fell silent, looking down at the necklace.
Gwen felt a little numb. She looked over and said, "Ana…that locket, what's inside, who is RL?"
Ana did not respond, and for a while, Gwen regretted asking, but instead of letting the question hang in the air, Ana flicked open the locket, revealing a picture. It was a picture of a woman and a man, each holding a young child, the kids must have been twins.
"This?" Ana smiled thoughtfully, "This is a locket that belongs to a dead girl. A girl who no longer exists…carrying a phony picture of her sitting there with a make belief happy family." There was something about her tone that burned Gwen's ears. She held out her hand, "May I see it?"
Ana nodded and pulled the locket off her neck, handing it to the Anodite.
Gwen carefully handled the necklace. The golden locket shone in the green light glowing off of Ship. The woman had black hair, and the man had completely blond hair. The two children they held looked almost identical to their mother, both with black hair and black eyes. They were human, or at least they looked human. They looked forcefully happy, like there was someone behind the camera telling them all to smile, but behind the smiles, the boy looked angry, and the mother had tears in her eyes. Gwen closed the locket and traced the initials, RL…She wondered if it belonged to the mother, or the daughter. She handed the locket back silently. Ana thanked her and slid it back on her neck.
"That girl must remind you of you and your brother…that's why you're keeping it right?" Gwen asked,
Ana smiled and stood up, "Sure." She walked off. Gwen stood up and followed her.
Ana walked over to where Julie and Owen sat, "We're almost there. Prepare to land."
"Do you want me to leave?" Owen asked, "I don't think I'll be welcome on Anadonia."
"Nonsense!" Gwen snapped, "I bet Grandma would want to meet her great-grandson."
Owen shook his head, "Anodites aren't really known for their hospitality, plus, they hate Necrofriggians."
"He's right." Ana stated, "They do hate Necrofriggians."
"Ana!" Gwen snapped,
"It's okay Aunt Gwen." Owen smiled, "I don't want to wait here for you to recover anyway. I'm going to continue following Dad's scent and find him."
"What if you run into Dana Lyn?" Gwen replied.
"I'll run. Anyway, she's probably after you, she's never seen me." Owen shrugged, "Right now, I just want to rescue Dad."
Gwen nodded. She reached out and hugged Owen, "Be safe…"
"I will." He nodded,
"Will I ever see you again?" Gwen replied,
"Yes. I'll be with Dad when you come to pick him up." Owen nodded, "I promise."
"Good." Gwen nodded.
"Hurry up, we're about to enter Anadonia's gravitational field." Ana snapped.
Owen nodded and turned away from them. He pulled the ID Mask off his face, turning back into his Necrofriggian form, before taking off through Ship, and out into outer space. Seconds later, Ship started to rock violently. The Mechamorph called out against the friction of reentry, but Julie sat there, saying comforting words to her alien dog. Gwen ran to Kevin's side and held him as the rocking threw her off her feet. Ana walked over to the front of Ship and started giving directions, leading him where to land. She watched as the purple land beneath them came into view, and then a continent formed, before finally a city appeared beneath them, and she directed Ship towards a suburban area full of mansions. She ordered him down in front of a large white one.
As soon as Ship landed, he opened the door, and they walked out, an Anodite came rushing out of the house and threw her arms around Gwen, her long glowing hair flowing behind her.
"Grandma Verdona." Gwen smiled,
"My look at you!" Verdona laughed, her sleek purple body shivered with delight, "Your so grown up! Max told me everything." She turned to a male Anodite, "There is an injured man on that spacecraft. Carry him inside."
The Anodite nodded and walked off towards Ship, as soon as he carried Kevin out, Ship transformed back to his original form and came hopping over to Julie. She scooped him up as Verdona led them inside.
Gwen looked around, "Um, Grandma Verdona, where are the stairs?"
Verdona smiled and turned around to look at Gwen, "There are no stairs dear. We Anodites can float, so we have no need for them."
Julie looked around the mansion, it was extravagant. Though the lack of stairs made it look rather interesting, the doors from the second floor opened up into the large front entrance, it made the room have an almost fantasy feel too it. "Wow…"
Verdona turned towards them, "I will personally take you all to the informatory. We will start healing you all right away."
Gwen felt relief pass over her, "Thank you Grandma."
Verdona smiled, "Oh don't worry, you're going to pay me for this."
"But I don't have any money." Gwen complained,
"I don't want money." Verdona shook her head, "All I want is to train you."
"Grandma." Gwen snapped,
"Hear me out." Verdona continued, "I want to train you until your friends recover, so that if you run into Dana Lyn again, you may have a fighting chance. I want to teach you a few things, like flight and Matter Control."
"Just until Kevin can move?" Gwen questioned,
"Yes." She agreed, "I'd hate to see a young Anodite die because she refused to learn the basics."
Gwen nodded, "Ok. Thank you Grandma."
TWO WEEKS LATER
Gwen stepped out of the shower, she felt exhausted. Verdona's training style was more like boot camp then anything else. But then again, it had only been two weeks, and she had already mastered flight. It was the Matter Control, manipulating objects to do as she pleased, that was tricky.
She sighed, time to go visit Kevin, she usually did after training. She walked up to the informatory. It would be really nice if today was the day he woke up. It had nearly taken a week just to get him stabilized, and twice his heart stopped beating. But the Anodites knew what they were doing, they kept him alive and after all hope seemed lost, they got him stabilized.
She walked up to Kevin's room and froze. Verdona had him placed in his own room, with a glass wall that opened up into the hallway so the doctor's could keep an eye on him. Through the glass Gwen saw Ana sitting with him, she had her legs folded up again, and her arms wrapped around them, like that day on Ship. She had such a lost expression on her face that Gwen felt sorry for her. She seemed to be saying something to Kevin, even though he was still unconscious, and through the glass, Gwen couldn't hear what she was saying, but her expression said that she was telling him something that was very hurtful to her. Gwen slipped away, deciding not to disturb them. She guessed that Ana needed to get something off her chest, maybe she was still hurting from Griffon's death down on Anur Phaetos? Something told Gwen otherwise though, it was just, the look on the Assassin's face was deeper then the loss of a friend…
She sighed and went off to find Julie.
Ben screamed out in pain as he clenched his enlarged belly. He had no idea what happened, one moment he was standing there in the living room, the next he was on the ground in agony. He wound his fingers through the shag and groaned as Mei ran to his side. She lifted his head onto his lap, "Honey what's wrong?"
Ben opened his mouth, but no sound can out. He felt his eyes roll back into his head against the pain.
Mei picked him off the floor and placed him on the couch, Ben almost wished she hadn't, the couch was less comfortable then the shag. He gripped her arm tightly as she placed him down, seemingly unable to let go. Mei wrenched his hand away from her and looked down at him with interest. Ben closed his eyes, this was not the first time this happened. Usually though, thank goodness one of these fits happened while she was at school or out on a walk. That way he could avoid this coming conversation.
"Ben?" Mei asked.
Ben gasped and leaned up, looking her in the eyes, "Mei…I-I need a doctor."
"Doctor? What's that?" Mei asked,
Ben stared at her in agony, his eyes wide in shock as the pain started to recede again, "A-a doctor…someone you go to when your hurt or sick."
"We don't have such things here. People who are weak die." She shrugged, "I heard that people who are pregnant are more prone to illness. Let's hope your not sick."
Ben just stared at her in shock. He shook his head, "Then take me to a planet where there is a doctor! Mei…please…it hurts…"
Mei shook her head, "If your sick, you die. That's the way things work. Too bad too, because I wasted a lot of money on you."
Ben took in a sharp breath, "Mei…I'm not sick."
"What?" She sounded excited.
"Human men aren't supposed to get pregnant." Ben said, trying to keep his voice steady, "I was Big Chill through most of my last one…"
"And?" Mei asked,
"I-I think my body is rejecting the egg." Ben moaned, letting his head fall back on the hard couch, "Like the egg poisoning you get…I'm rejecting it…I need a doctor."
Mei folded her arms, "If your rejecting my baby, the doctor would only remove it right?"
Ben scowled at her, what happened to not knowing what a doctor was? He closed his eyes.
Mei shook her head, "If you loose this baby Ben, I will kill you."
Ben just looked at her with shock, his green eyes widened and he opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He just watched her stand up, and walk away.
Gwen finished her training early today. Verdona had something she had to do, so she let Gwen go early. She floated up towards the informatory, there was no need for a shower after her training today, she did not even break a sweat. She went straight for Kevin's room, feeling guilty that she did not visit him yesterday. She opened the glass door and walked in, he was still lying there, not moving. Gwen sighed and sat in the chair next to his bed, the same one Ana was sitting in yesterday, "Hey Kevin."
His face was scrunched, and his hands were balled into fists. By the way his eyes were twitching under his eyelids, she knew he was dreaming. She reached out and grabbed his hand, wincing at how cold it was.
"R-Ravin…" He muttered in his sleep.
"Ravin?" Gwen snapped. She glared at Kevin as he muttered some unknown girl's name over and over again in his sleep. She stood up and folded her arms, "Oh when you wake up you are SO telling me who this Ravin is."
"Did you want to find out?"
Gwen whirled around, "G-grandma Verdona?"
Verdona walked into the room, well, more like glided into the room. She stood beside Gwen and looked down at Kevin's sleeping form, "It was a trick I wanted to teach you anyway."
"Trick?" Gwen asked,
"To see into people's dreams." Verdona explained, "it's a useful trick, and the best way to get to know someone."
Gwen nodded, "Alright."
Verdona placed a hand on Kevin's head and closed her glowing purple eyes, with her other hand, she grabbed Gwen's.
Gwen gasped as the world faded around her, and just like a dream of her own, she watched Kevin's dream unfold around her.
A/N: Got to go to work, so leaving it here. I'll continue when I get home.
