And here we are with Chapter 2! I think this story has great potential. There's just one thing: I'll need help if I'm gonna go through this to the end! I only have one Chapter story that I can see myself finishing and that's Mending the Breach. If this is gonna be my second completed multi-chapter work, I'll need REVIEWS! I'm sure you guys can oblige, right? Anyway, this chapter deals mostly with Kevin's struggles. And some comfort. Yes, he's gonna get some comfort here. I think he's suffered enough and deserves some hugs pretty early in this story, don't you? Anyway, here we go!
Kevin hardly even noticed the blisters forming on his feet. He hadn't tried absorbing any metal or stone to make it easier to endure the elements. He couldn't. 'No more...no absorb...touch...bad...bad touch...' He tripped over a crack in the pavement and let out a soundless gasp of pain. The sun was just beginning to rise. He had just left his mom's house. He had placed the Plumber's badge on the doorstep before leaving. He wouldn't go back. He couldn't face her... 'Monster...bad hurt...pain...'
Honestly, he had no clue what he was going to do next. He had tried getting into his car and driving quietly away from the house, but his mind wasn't connected enough to drive. Heck, it was hardly in a state that allowed him to walk! All at once, Kevin felt his feet move out from under him as he fell smack on the sidewalk. He could feel his vocal chords vibrating as they would if he was able to whimper. He lifted his hand to see a warm trickle of blood running across it. The rough cement had cut his hand. Without thinking about it, he touched his tongue to the small wound, not really feeling the pain of it. 'Is...possible...me...more pain?'
A faint gurgling sound sound came to his ears. He turned his head left and right, trying to figure what it could have been. Then he felt an uncomfortable burning sensation in his stomach. 'Food...eat...eat food...' He started jerkily walking toward the nearest grocery store. If he was lucky, he'd be able to buy something and get out before anyone started asking questions.
Kevin felt the five dollar bill in his pocket and felt a sinking sensation in his chest as he entered the store. 'Not...much...food...buy...money...buy...'
In the end, he bought half a loaf of the cheapest white bread and an apple. He had about a dollar left. 'Slow...eat...slowly eat...slow...' He thought grimly to himself, taking a tiny bite of the bruised red fruit. It fell into his empty stomach, making the acid burnings and rumbles even worse than before. The sun was starting to get high. 'People...come...hide...' He quickly ducked into a nearby alleyway. He wrinkled his nose. It smelled foul, like carrion and feet. Grimacing, trying not to look at what he was walking on, Kevin made his way to the other end and sat down against a filthy brick wall. Well, there was a plus side to his surroundings: He wasn't likely to get his appetite back for awhile.
…...
"Where is he?" Gwen was pacing back and forth, tapping her finger impatiently against her wrist.
"He'll be here soon." Ben replied for the thousandth time.
"He was scheduled to be here two minutes ago!"
"Gwen, he's a dog-like Mechamorph. I don't think he pays much attention to time."
"We need to talk to Julie. She needs to train him some more."
"Gwen, you just need to be-"
"Ship!"
Gwen did a 180º turn and was kneeling down in front of Ship before Ben could even blink. "How is he, Ship?"
"Ship..." Ship's face took on a sad appearance. He shook his blob head once and made a low whining sound. "Ship..."
"Can I take the next shift?" Gwen asked, her green eyes glinting frantically.
"Sure. Just make sure to-" She bolted out the door before Ben could finish. He breathed a sigh and held out his hand to Ship. "Good boy, Ship." The little Mechamorph nuzzled Ben's hand and blinked proudly.
Gwen, meanwhile, was running on a mana path about a half mile about the town, following the directions she had seen in Ship's mind. She felt a familiar pulse and noticed a flash of dark blue energy. 'Kevin...' Immediately, she sloped her path downward and toward the roof of the building on one side of the alley.
Her heart nearly shattered at what she saw: Kevin lying curled up in a filthy corner, surrounded by garbage. It was all she could do to not just run down, throw her arms around him, and try to convince him to come home. She knew he wouldn't listen. Still, it wasn't easy just sitting around. She noticed a plastic bag of white bread and a fresh apple core close to him. She slipped a hand into her pocket, located a twenty dollar bill, and allowed it to flutter down next to Kevin's head.
At that moment, Gwen heard a rustle of movement further down the alley. Kevin stirred and she quickly ducked out of sight.
…...
"AND FURTHERMORE, THIS ISN'T THE FIRST TIME YOUR MEDIOCRE CONDUCT HAS HAD THESE REPURCUSSIONS THROUGHOUT THE UNIVERSE! IF YOU HAD ONE SHRED OF SENSE-"
"AZMUTH!" Ben shouted over the raging Galvin. "Shut up!"
Azmuth's image on the Plumber badge shook, as if he was trembling with rage. "Do you think that Level 10 technology grows on trees?"
"No, I-"
"Do you think I have an endless supply of Ultimatrixes and Omnitrixes?"
"No, but-"
"So why would you even think that-"
"He's my best friend!" Ben snapped. "What was I supposed to do? Just before you were going all crazy because he was a problem. He isn't anymore and now you're yelling at me about my methods!"
"Ben Tennyson, you are probably the most-"
"Yeah, yeah." Ben waved his hand dismissively. "I've heard it all already. I'm an idiotic, stupid Neanderthal who doesn't know how to tie my shoes. Can we move on please? What's done is done! I need your help for the current time!"
Azmuth took a deep breath. He appeared to be trying very hard to calm down. He closed his green eyes for a moment before breathing a heavy sigh. "Very well. What is wrong this time, Ben Tennyson?"
Ben felt a wave of relief wash over him. If anyone knew what to do, it would be Azmuth. "It's Kevin. After the Ultimatrix was destroyed and he became human again...he wasn't...right."
"How so?"
"His eyes...they were..." Ben struggled to find the right word. "...shadowy, as if he wasn't completely seeing us. He didn't speak at all." He stared at the ground as he remembered Kevin's odd behavior. "He just gaped a few times. Then, he seemed to finally realize we were there. He jumped away and ran. He hasn't been home. He's just been...wandering."
Azmuth was nodding his head, a sympathetic glimmer coming to his intelligent eyes. "That's to be expected."
"What?" Ben's head snapped up. "What do you-"
"Kevin Levin has gone through enough trauma in his life to make at least five ordinary humans lose their minds. This incident of turning into a monster and going insane before turning back again must have been the last straw." Azmuth folded his arms. "It was only a matter of time the way he was going..."
Ben felt his stomach sink down to his feet. "You mean...Kevin's lost his mind? For good?"
"I'm afraid that's impossible to say." Azmuth shrugged his shoulders, his expression calculating. "He could have finally lost it, meaning that he now is going to have mental and emotional issues for the rest of his life. He may be suffering a form of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, poor child. Perhaps the rapid physical changes have rendered him unable to talk and he fled out of sheer guilt. His mind may be fine. Until we get a better idea, I advise simply watching him and keeping him well fed and out of danger. If the sight of you upsets him, do everything in secret."
"We planned on approaching him in a week."
"A good idea." Azmuth nodded. "But I would suggest only one of you going to him at a time. This may be a slow process."
"I understand." Ben muttered, frowning at these unwelcome possibilities. "Thanks, Azmuth."
"You're welcome, Ben Tennyson." Azmuth's image flickered. "I must go now. I'd best get starting on another watch... I am greatly debating the knowledge in giving it to you when I finish..." With that, the hologram vanished, leaving Ben to his thoughts.
…...
Kevin's throat vibrated in a weak attempt to groan as his eyes opened. He had heard a sound... 'Who...sound...noise make...come...here?' He could hear the sound of light feet trotting across the hard ground. Judging by the small space of time between feetfalls, the being was a quadruped. 'Good...no person...want...no...'
"Gr..." A weak snarl sounded nearby.
Kevin sat up and stared at where the sound had come from: the shadowed area on the far end of a dumpster. A smallish figure was crouched there. He could see the glint of eyes. He crawled forward a little.
"Grrrrr..." The growl was slightly stronger and more insistent.
'Dog...growl...sound feet...dog...' Kevin moved a bit closer, which was odd: Normally, he would have either ignored or shooed the creature away. Something was different this time. He couldn't put a finger on why he was doing what he was doing. It just felt right. He reached behind him into the bag of white bread, broke a piece off of one of the slices and held it out toward the hostile animal.
The dog was sniffing the air, trying to detect exactly what the source of the food smell was. She started forward, slowly and hesitantly. As she came out into the light, Kevin was able to get a better look at her. She was an Australian Shepherd with a white coat dappled with gray and brown, and speckled with black spots. Her right eye was a dark, rich brown while her left was a clear, crystal blue color. Kevin could easily count each rib sticking out of her chest. Her head was poised forward, as if she wanted to move closer but was afraid to.
Kevin held out the bread and made a soft clicking sound with his tongue. The dog's ears perked up at the sound and she took a few steps nearer. Kevin tossed the bread so it was sitting at her feet. Immediately, she fell on the tiny morsel ravenously. 'Hungry...dog...is...hungry...' Kevin quickly turned and grabbed another bigger piece of bread and threw it toward the dog, who inhaled it even quicker than the last piece.
It became an automatic motion. His arm shot back and grabbed some bread and tossed it at the dog, who ate it. This series of actions went on, one after the other, until Kevin's hand hit nothing but empty bag. His eyes widened with horror. 'Food...my...eat...gone now...' He looked over his shoulder. How much of that apple was- His mouth dropped open. Lying on the ground was a crisp, green twenty dollar bill. 'Money...for food...buy...food...' He grabbed the money and quickly stuffed it into his pocket, as if he was worried that someone would snatch it. 'Good...food buy...'
A low whine from the dog made Kevin turn his head. She was still standing a distance away, but her eyes were now shining and hopeful. Kevin felt a flash of sadness. 'No can...feed...both dog...me...' Sighing silently, he got to his feet and started to walk back up the alley toward where the grocery store was.
Click, click, click.
Kevin looked back over his shoulder. The dog was following him. He waved his hand in a shooing motion before continuing.
Click, click, click.
Kevin turned and stomped his foot firmly on the ground before waving his hand in a more insistent fashion. 'If only...speak...' He turned on his heel and kept walking.
Click, click, click.
Kevin stooped down and picked up a rock. He spun around and threw it as hard as he could, not aiming for the dog but at a garbage can nearby. The dog barked at the loud noise and quickly bolted out of sight. Kevin felt a pang of sadness at the dog's departure but forced himself to turn back toward the store. 'No can...take care...dog...me...both...'
Later that evening, Kevin sat down to a meal of cheese, a single slice of watermelon, and a hunk of bread washed down with some water from the store's drinking fountain. That night he fell asleep full, but not satisfied.
It was a chilly night and Kevin was shivering violently, even in his state of deep sleep. Little did he know, shortly after the tremors began, they were halted by the sudden arrival of something furry and warm curling up against him...
Like the dog? I don't care how irrelevant it may seem... Kevin needs a dog, darnit! I mean, if he's gonna be isolating himself from Ben and Gwen after a traumatic monstrous experience that left him a shadow of his former self, he's gonna need something nice. Also, I was ticked when he left behind the adorable fishy. I've been wanting him to have a pet for ages so now he's got one! Moving on...I need to vent on this new episode...
BEN IS A TOTAL BUTTFACE! *start sarcasm* Then again, his thoughts make total sense: Save the evil murderer who is making prisoners break their backs mining Alien Acid, but resolve to kill your mentally unstable best friend. What impeccable logic! *end sarcasm* I mean REALLY! Isn't he the one always preaching that they can't go killing people. KEVIN DIDN'T EVEN KILL ANYONE YET! And yet the Alien Acid dealer deserves sympathy? GAAAAAH!
Still, I gotta give it some props... The look into Kevin's past was pretty good. It also brought one of my early Prophecies back into the realm of possibility! Those of you who have read my fanfic From Nightmare to Fantasy know that I have always had a theory of Kevin becoming a monster but changing back because Gwen tells him that she loves him. The fact that his first transformation was cured through his own mental efforts MAKES THAT A POSSIBILITY AGAIN! So I'm hopeful. ^_^ Either that, the Ultimatrix will break, or Darkstar will absorb all the excess energy, making HIM the main villain.
Something else that blew me away was the Alien Acid (that's my name for the blue dust drug that creep was selling by the way). I mean, HOLD UP! I can't comprehend this: a cartoon in this day and age that is geared toward children, is not rated PG, but has... *gasp* adult undertones? *dramatic music* I mean, I knew Ben 10 has its moments but...Alien Acid...maybe not all animation studios think that kids are a bunch of wussy marshmallows after all...
Well, I think that was a long enough review. Speaking of reviews...REVIEW! The Prophet has left the building!