Gwendolyn lay hopeless on the rocky surface in a brown cave. She had crawled away from danger in the midst of the fog that covered the planet. For now, she was safe - but not for much longer.
In a large sum of pain, she had removed the ship shard from her calf and ripped part of her sleeve off to use as a bandage. It was a rough way to perform a medical procedure, but at least she was alive. However, every move she had made in crawling - and every move she still makes - is followed by pain of unmeasurable amounts. Her back was still broken, and there was nothing she could do about it.
Lying alone, in despair, in a dark cave waiting for the bashing to stop. The bashing was being caused by the large dragon-kin alien trying to break its way into the cave. Every hit would cause small pebbles to fall from the cave ceiling and walls. Sometimes they would tumbled down onto Gwendolyn's head.
She cried every night, wishing that someone would come to her aid. Nobody did. Only one thing kept her going, and that was the hope that Ben had gotten her message. Why wasn't he there? Why hadn't he come in with the Omnitrix and saved her, and told her for the thousandth time that everything would be okay? Like he had done almost every day that very first summer that she spent with him.
Now, all she wanted to do was drift off in an eternal sleep. No one would come to her rescue, and she was sure that nobody even knew she was in danger. Ben wouldn't be there to save her this time. Not anymore. Never again.
His face, his figure, still appeared in her head. His smiling, and careless, attitude appealed to her in such a dire situation where all that was around her was sadness.
Another smash against the cave entranced caused her mind to spin. It had been several days - without food or water - and the monster still hadn't given up. Her powers were useless without energy to feed them. Her life was dwindling down to its last few ounces.
But something kept her alive. A rivalry which dated back thirty years ago. Ever since that day Zombozo had stolen everyone's happiness, except for Ben's, and he still saved each person on his own, Gwen had learned to never give up. Ben had been alone, by himself, and he was still able to pull through.
No way was she going to just lay down and be beaten because she didn't try her hardest. Using the cave wall to pull herself up, Gwendolyn stood in a hunched stance - blood coming out of her nose and face wounds. Her back twisted in gruesome formations, but she had been in pain for days. No longer could she feel anything.
Smiling deviously, she look at the cave entrance and locked eyes with the enormous monster. The golden eyes of the alien stared into her green ones - battling each other in order strike fear. It was no use. Gwendolyn had been hanging onto life by a thread, and had witnessed the pains of fear and battle.
"Alright beastie, you wanna play?" she said, wincing at every word. Her hands began to glow with a faint blue aura as she drew the last of her energy. It was tiring, but she wouldn't be remembered as the girl who cowered in a cave and didn't even try to stand up.
Her green eyes glistened in the bleak light from the cave entrance. She began to walk towards certain death, knowing that she was much to weak to last even a minute. Her heart beat mercilessly against her chest as she moved inch by inch to the openening, making her ribs ache even more than they had been early.
The dragon monster screeched in delight as the prey it had stalked for days was coming towards it. Nothing could stop it now from getting exactly what it wanted, or so the alien had thought.
Suddenly, the sounds of two heavy engines were heard emitting from the atmosphere. The noise was enough to grab Gwendolyn's attention and stop her from walking any further.
"No way..." she managed to say and saw a large, and strangely familiar, shuttle ship land a couple miles away from the cave.
Instantly, the dragon-kin swapped its simplistic attention from her to its new prey. The ship would be easier to attack and destroy rather than trying to break into a cave. However, instead of meeting with a defenseless space ship, the alien met head to head with a crystal shard.
The green shard didn't phase the skin of the monster, but it was enough to make it mad. Tetrax jumped out of the grounded ship and began to battle with the large monster. Seeing anyone was enough to make the wounded Gwendolyn smile.
The green-diamond tetramand dodged and rolled in different directions, making sure not to be struck by the thick talons of the monster. From the corner of his eye, Tetrax spotted someone in the barren cave, standing drowsily at its entrance. He recognized the bright orange hair and quickly radioed Max before dodging yet another possible impact.
"She's in the cave just ahead. I'll keep this one busy, you get her."
Max, who was suited up in an armored jumpsuit and equipped with a photon cannon, heard the radio message and sighed with relief. She was alive, and that was all that mattered right then.
Quickly, he exited the ship from the back of the cargo bay and unexpectedly stopped to take a look at the planet. It was all flat, with a few rock formations jutting from the ground - like the desert. Everything was dry and brown and dusty, no color other than brown.
He then turned to face the cave Tetrax had been speaking of, Max could make out a person in the cave with bright orange hair. He couldn't help but let a tear fall from his eye.
"At least I didn't lose you too," he said and then began to run to the cave. Taking a route that went around the battle with the dragon-kin, Max was on a straight path to the cave.
Gwendolyn watched as the events before her played out so quickly. It was all unexpected. She smiled as a familiar face was heading towards her. It was her grandfather, Max. Does that mean Ben got her message?
In a matter of minutes, Maxwell Tennyson had made it to the cave entrance. There he began to pant from the long run, but knew his health wasn't in question. He lifted his head and examined Gwen, when he saw her figure his jaw dropped. She was a complete wreck. Blood ran down each one of arms and both of cheeks. Her eyes had formed dark circles around them and her skin was paler than any vampire in old horror films.
"Gwendolyn...my god..." he managed to say.
She could only smile, as it was all she could really do. Her mouth wasn't able to move much anymore.
Without any warning, she toppled over, but Max moved to catch her.
"Don't worry. I'm going to get us-"
A loud crashing noise was made as Tetrax flew into the cave and was slammed against the wall. The tetramand was now unconscious and out for the count - while the dragon monster once again triumphed over yet another challenger.
"Uh oh..." Max said, witnessing the worst possible scenario. Gwendolyn, who was resting in her grandfather's grasp, sighed. So close yet so far.
"W-where... is Ben?" she managed to say in a hoarse voice. Why wasn't he there helping them?
The elderly man's face changed from worry to sickness. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Was this the right time to explain such a horrible outcome?
"What's wrong?" Gwendolyn pressed him with her words once again. Ben should be helping them escape from the planet, from the cave. If he got her message, then where was he? Did he send Max out to get her because he didn't want to do it himself? The thoughts caused the orange-haired woman to become angry. He hadn't come, and was probably at his headquarters enjoying a day off.
For the third time that day, a miracle made itself known. Kenny appeared as XLR8 and began to dash around the cave entrance - attracting the attention of the dragon-kin. Every couple of seconds he would throw a series of kicks at its head or tail.
"Kenny!" Max called out in surprise and anger. He had told him to stay in the ship.
"They're both safe!" XLR8 called back and continued to distract the monster.
Tetrax heard the three words come from the speed creature. He smiled and let out a tired chuckle as he lie barely conscious against the rocky cave wall.
"It worked."