Chapter Fourteen: Balance and Control

In the end Mandy didn't have to clap her null-void blaster to Number Seventy-Seven's head to get him to release Dexter for an hour or two, but she was forced to come very close to such a method of persuasion. Even after ten days of recovery the medico was reluctant to let Dexter walk very far, citing ongoing inner ear problems leading to balance issues. When he found out that Mandy intended to take his impatient patient down to the laboratory, the young doctor almost nixed the trip until Ben volunteered to tag along and carry Dexter back if he 'became more unbalanced.' Dexter, who had only part of his hearing back and could communicate only in whispers, did not catch Ben's comment. He was clearly chomping at the bit to get out of the medical ward. Seventy-Seven relented only because he knew it would make Dexter appreciate being in here all the more.

His knees almost buckled in the elevator as it dropped swiftly downwards, but Ben quietly caught him by the elbows and they all pointedly ignored the moment of weakness. When the doors opened again Dexter hesitated, clearly apprehensive about seeing what had been done to his laboratory. Steeling himself, he exited the elevator and followed them down the hall.

Only the blast doors had been replaced, and that out of necessity. All the debris had been cleared away, all traces of laser fire and Fusion Matter removed, the damaged equipment sorted and laid out neatly for repair, but nothing more. Dexter walked slowly through the different sections of the laboratory, mentally noting what could and couldn't be salvaged and assessing the extent of the damage wrought by the Fusion Mechs. On the surface he seemed calm, but his companions could tell he was deeply agitated by the savage destruction of so much of his work, and he only glanced swiftly at the wrecked Megabot prototype before turning away. At least it had been completed and was about to go into production, so it could be quickly replaced by the first unit off the line. It was still distressing to see years of labor and research demolished, but given that the Mechs had practically melted this corner of the laboratory with their lasers in order to destroy the suit gave him a faint glimmer of pleasure.

Mandy waited by his work station, but Ben trailed a few steps behind his friend as he wandered about. Dexter's hands were clasped behind his back in his usual stance for contemplation, and the older boy could not help but note how tightly they were clenched.

Finally he came to the center of the lab where DeeDee had danced and teased him. Mandy joined them as they gazed at the ragged, gaping hole in the floor. It looked like the maw of some strange beast, and Dexter faced the monster that had swallowed him whole. What little color he had gained drained from his face, leaving him ashen and strained, but after a few minutes he seemed to recover somewhat.

"I didn't want them to repair anything until you had a chance to see it," Mandy said loudly enough for him to hear.

Dexter nodded in appreciation, staring at the abyss that plunged down into darkness. Leaning close to Mandy so he needn't repeat himself, Dexter asked in a hoarse whisper, "Where does this lead to?"

"Computress, project the map of this tunnel," called Mandy.

Immediately a 3-D image appeared at eye level showing the long, deep excavation cut right through the bedrock. Dexter's bloodshot eyes, not quite back to normal yet, narrowed sharply behind his glasses as he studied the route the Mechs had hewn out to reach his laboratory from below. Mandy filled in the details, pointing to the illuminated tunnel.

"It's just less than five miles long," she said. "It starts here, at the quarry, goes under our security parameter, beneath the Secure Zone by Downtown, and ends up directly under your lab. We don't have any idea how long it took them to make this, but we're figuring your evil twin created some specialized kind of drilling Mech to tunnel it out. We can't figure any other way they could have managed it. We would have noticed blasting or Infection."

"Secure?" he wondered, glancing at the hole.

"KND patrols are holding it at the quarry and they've sealed off the entrance," said Ben. He was watching Dexter, but not for any sign of exhaustion. His interest lay in his friend's reaction. Dexter went back to studying the image of the tunnel.

"Well?" asked Mandy before Ben could. They leaned close to catch his whispered reply.

"Much as I hate to say it, I think it would be wise to keep this intact. It may prove useful some day."

"I was thinking the same thing," Mandy agreed, nodding as she glared at the pit.

"I will secure it once I get back to work," Dexter promised, and they knew that by the time he was done a gnat wouldn't be able to fly past it undetected.

Ben's expression was worried. "You gonna be okay to work down here again?"

There was a long pause before Dexter slowly nodded. "Yes," he answered softly, an edge to his rough voice. He swallowed and grimaced at the pain the motion caused.

"Alone?"

"I will have Computress, as always, and I'm sure Billy and DeeDee will break in and annoy me."

There was something akin to concern in Mandy's voice as she said, "I'd like to say take your time about getting back to work . . ."

Again, he nodded. "But you can't. I understand."

"I need you working, but I need you back to yourself, too," she said, exchanging a look with Tennyson. "Whatever you decide you want to do, let me know. Whatever it takes to keep you safe, just do it and tell me after. Got it?"

"I will make it my top priority."

"Good. I'll make it an order if I have to."

Dexter gave her a little smile. She had come dangerously close to being humorous.

"Guess you'll have to renovate," reasoned Ben, looking around at the facility.

The younger boy sighed. "I did that last year," he said, and then raised his eyes and addressed the empty space. "Computress," he rasped softly, "recognize Dexter. Transfer command back to me, command code Juno one, two, two, three, post invasion protocol, restore."

"Command transferred. Welcome home, Dexter," said the computer.

"I will work on restoring your memory as soon as the lab is fully secured," he promised, gazing at the damage done to the super computer's main unit. It had taken him years to perfect Computress. He would have to check every system and function. Weeks of work, even if he could get Professor Utonium to help. How far had his doppleganger set them behind? He caught Mandy's angry expression and made an annoyed gesture of inquiry, as much to say, 'Now what?'

She folded her arms. "How come I don't have a computer like that?"

Glad for the distraction, Dexter managed to glower and look superior at the same time. "I told you. Computress was not in the lease."

"Wish I'd known. It was a mighty handy thing to have while you were away."

"Isn't she, though? But you won't let me leave, so you don't have to worry about it."

They exchanged a long, hard look. Ben broke the tension by ducking his head as he tried not to laugh aloud, and finally Dexter relented.

"Fine. Fine! I will give you the same basic access as before."

She nodded in satisfaction. "It's all I want."

He pointed at her imperiously, his voice little more than a thin, savage hiss. "Basic command and communication functions. Nothing more! And do not even think about trying to access any of her higher functions or my records!"

"I don't know how and I wouldn't want to," she snapped. "Keep your math homework, Brainiac, I've got more important things to do."

Dexter had that look in his eye that said he was about to inform Mandy of exactly how right she was and how incapable she was of fathoming the brilliance behind Computress and his own staggering genius when a wave of dizziness abruptly hit him and he felt himself go pale. He opened his mouth to speak but produced only a choking sound, having pushed himself too far with that outburst. He wavered, losing his balance where he stood. Ben and Mandy were both moving to catch him as he crumbled and together they saved him from hitting the floor, easing him down. So light-headed and weak was he that Dexter couldn't even sit up for long. At Ben's urging he lay down, curling up on the cold floor to let the dizziness pass, his head pillowed on his friend's jacket. They sat beside him, Ben close by, Mandy keeping her distance and her silence as Dexter tried to restore his focus. They knew what was coming and he knew that they would not tell Seventy-Seven about this episode. It was one among many reactions to having been captured and tortured, things he had to deal with as they came. Dexter just closed his eyes and kept still, uncertain of how much of this spell was physical and how much was emotional and not certain why it mattered to him that he should know.

He put a trembling hand to his head, pulling off his glasses to rub his eyes (carefully, lest he disturb the half-healed burns on his temples) and shield them from the glaring lights. His head was pounding. If he didn't stop panting, he knew he'd hyperventilate, and his skin was clammy with sweat. He drew a deep breath and held it, trying hard not to be overwhelmed, but it was more than one child could bear and his breath escaped in a shuddering sigh. For a long while they stayed clustered together on the floor of the laboratory, three warriors as different from one another as it was possible to be, but united by their common cause and the dependence upon one another. When Dexter was finally able to stand again, neither of his companions said a word about his red-rimmed eyes or the traces of tears on his face.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Three days later Ben Tennyson returned to the front. Fighting had erupted in the Rocky Mountain Range along the Canadian border and the Royal Canadian branch of the KND were screaming for aid. A new variety of flying Mech made its debut in the fight and Earth's Combined Forces scrambled to respond. Mandy reluctantly dispatched him along with the team she was sending, with additional orders not to stick around once they had dealt with the Mechs.

On Mandy's order he had spent those three days baby sitting Dexter, making him eat, and preventing him from wearing himself out completely. Ben was amazed at the amount of work Dexter got done, and the speed at which he worked was even more astounding. By the end of the first day he had the renovation plans for the laboratory completed. Work orders to his own company's production facilities were issued the next day and by the afternoon there were DexCorp employees swarming through headquarters, much to the chagrin of Security. The KND complaints fell on deaf ears - Mandy didn't care of Dexter called in an entire army of tech geeks, so long as he got back to work as quickly as possible.

Ben10 wasn't fooled for a moment. If he could not control his reactions, Dexter was trying very hard to control his actions. He knew Dexter threw himself full-bore into the project in order to avoid another breakdown. Ben didn't, couldn't blame him, but he also knew Dexter didn't possess the strength to keep this pace up for very long. Something would give and he knew it would be his friend.

Having once tasted freedom, Dexter didn't even bother seeking his doctor's permission to leave medical, he just left with Ben to go check on the laboratory. Leaving Dexter to hobnob with his foreman in charge, Ben wandered around and let himself be amazed at the amount of work getting done in record time. The workers from DexCorp fully understood the need to get their boss and his facility up and running again. Talking to a few techs that were struggling to move a generator (and finally converting to Big Chill to move it for them), Ben was mildly surprised and very pleased to hear them talk about Dexter with equal amounts of admiration and respect. The consensus was that while a very demanding employer, he was also very generous. Any job associated with the DexTech industry was considered a mark of prestige, and even the smartest of them had trouble keeping up with his genius.

The third day was spent back in medical under the same set of security guards Number Seventy-Seven had sent after them the previous afternoon. Ben suspected Dexter wasn't quite up to the demands he was putting on himself because he didn't even put up a token argument when the guards arrived in the lab, he just let himself be hauled back to his hospital room. Ordered not to work, move, talk, or think by the irate medico, Dexter had placed one call to his lawyers and then gave himself over to spending the day with his friend, a rare enough event in both their lives that they almost didn't know what to do with it. Things were fine until Dexter sneezed. The ensuing nosebleed was bad enough that Seventy-Seven came in on his day off to cauterize the broken blood vessels. Miserable beyond telling, his good mood spoiled by this renewal of his Fusion's abuses, Dexter fell completely silent and morose.

Ben wisely let him stew for a while, and then went and fetched them something to drink. Handing over the can of soda and the obligatory straw, the older boy sank into his usual chair, gazing at his friend. Finally Dexter sighed and looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to speak.

He leaned his elbows on his knees, looking straight into those eyes that were still a horrible mix of red, white, and blue. "Way I see it, Dex, you can do one of two things: You can let this beat you and then that twisted puke will win, or you can get mad and fight back. I can't talk for you, but personally I'm mad and I plan on staying that way." He smiled faintly, saluting with his drink. "You're the only one who can decide who won and who lost this round. I don't think I need to tell you that you've got my vote."

Dexter listened with his fullest attention. It struck him that Ben could see the situation with far greater clarity than he could right now. He was at a crossroad, and his friend had just saved him from getting hopelessly lost.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"What the heck are you doing up? It's . . . yick. It's four in the morning!"

"Almost. Will you put that stupid watch on your other wrist? I'm sick of fixing it. And I'm saying good-bye to you, what does it look like?"

"Actually, it looks like someone slugged you, Dex."

"Sneeze, slug - it's all the same."

"You're so going to have Number Seventy-Seven on your case."

"Like he won't be on it anyway?"

"Good point. You gonna be okay?"

"Yes. I've taken your advice to heart."

"Good. I've seen you mad. It's scary. Planet Fusion won't know what hit it."

"Thank you. You're going to Alberta?"

"Yeah. The Royal Canadian KND are getting hammered just outside of Banff. We're a lot closer than Ottawa and we have more reserves than Vancouver, though Edmonton is sending some troops to help."

"Be on your guard, Ben. My Fusion double is . . ."

"Crazy? Obsessed? Rabid?"

"To put it nicely."

"You be careful, too. Don't over do it, kiddo."

"I'll try. I never thanked you."

"What makes you think you have to?"

"Nothing. But nonetheless, thank you for saving my life . . . and I suppose DeeDee's as well."

"You're welcome. I'll send you a bill."

"Don't bother. However much it is, your watch repairs will come out to much more. My time is very valuable."

"So I've heard."

"I . . . I do have one request to make of you."

"Fire away."

"Please . . . please, I'm begging you - don't ever let Mandark find out you did mouth-to-mouth on me."

"Don't worry, pal, the only people that know can't talk about it, so that little fact is going with me to the grave."

"Thank you. Be safe, Ben."

"You too."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Dex-ter!"

He drew a deep breath and held it, trying not to explode at the sound of the squeaky, slightly distorted voice ringing in his ears. This was the third week since he had been discharged from the medical ward. His hearing was mostly restored, his eyes were almost cleared up, but he still could not speak loudly or for very long. The burns on his face were healing, though it would be a long time before the scars faded. He was prone to eye fatigue and headaches, too, which Seventy-Seven assured him would lessen as his health improved. It couldn't happen soon enough for Dexter, who wanted to do nothing but resume his previous schedule of nonstop work.

His wounds were healing, the ones on his body mending far faster than the ones on his psyche. Time, work, and the support of his small circle of friends were the cure.

"Oh, Dex-ter!"

He spun in his chair, making sure DeeDee could see him as he mouthed, 'WHAT?' at her with a glare of sheer annoyance. He was busy and was in no mood to be interrupted.

His older sister grinned at him as she crossed the floor. She must have come straight here from her dance lesson because she was wearing a tutu that made her look like some weird subspecies of sugarplum fairy. In her hands she carried a tray from the dining hall that held a covered dish. She dropped it right on top of the calculations he was working on, shoving his work aside so that half of it cascaded to the floor. He let out a squeak and tried to dive after his paperwork, but she was right in the way.

"I brought you something good to eat!"

In vain he pined for the pages under her ballerina slippers, and he looked at the tray.

"I'm not hungry," he said, the response an automatic one.

"You're going to want to eat this," she sang and plopped her crinoline-bedecked behind right down onto his desk. She leaned back, well pleased with herself and her present, and felt something move behind her as her weight flipped several levers. "Oops!"

"DeeDee! Noooo!"

He scrambled to reset the defensive system she'd just activated, then whirled on her in fury, winding up to erupt.

She clasped her hands, waiting in breathless expectation for her little brother to shout at her and order her out of his laboratory. He paused, finger raised, mouth open, realizing that this was the first time in over a month that she had managed to make him lose his temper. DeeDee grinned in delight and anticipation.

"Go ahead and yell, Dexter. Or just whisper real loud. I can take it."

He let his breath out, defeated, and chuckled instead. "No. I won't yell. But I will enjoy the fact that I want to."

DeeDee laughed, and before he could dodge she kissed his cheek and bounced to her big feet. "Eat your snack!"

With a giggle she danced out of the lab. He gathered up his paperwork and tossed it onto the work station beside the tray. He stared at the domed plate, then curiosity got the better of him and he lifted the lid.

Steamed broccoli.

Dexter found himself laughing out loud, and with a grin he picked up a piece. It was just the thing. Really now, who would have guessed that his sister could be so clever?