Lost Hero

by PaulXion

After a horrific incident that happened 5 years ago, the Tennysons are now separated from each other. Ben was now but a shadow of his former hero glory and Gwen had turned her robes to become a full fledge Plumber. Reader's discretion is advised.....PEACE

3. The Bad Cast

Chapter 3: The Bad Cast

(Cooper's lab) (The next day) (03:50 PM) (Gwen's POV)

A few hours after that little incident at the Burger Palace, I immediately head to Cooper to file in my report. To say the least, he was quite surprise to hear that I had found Ben in such a short notice. The police force were everywhere that afternoon so I was only able to talk to him through my laptop. I cherished that look he had on his face when I told him that I saw Ben. He was so happy that he almost went onto a verge of crying. I understand his feelings for Ben, they were probably just as deep as mine.

Once I arrived at his office, I explained everything in brief detail to him to which he found hard to believe. After I finished my long term speech he and I quickly took the elevator to a secret floor that could only be accessed through a super secret button bashing on the switches. As the elevator took us deep down towards the ground floor, I immediately handed him the wallet that I found in the crime scene in a plastic bag. It was standard procedure to put those in contained bags to keep the evidence clean and any traces untouched.

"So you're sure this is really Ben's wallet?" he questioned as he analyzed the things inside the plastic bag.

"I'm sure…" came my solemn reply, "He turned into XLR8 right in front of my eyes and…… and… I couldn't stop him"

"Well we shouldn't jump to conclusions just yet" he told me, "I'll have this thing analyzed for DNA. It could take awhile so we'll conclude today's session" after waiting for a few more minutes, the elevator door suddenly opened up revealing me to a large basement room that was hidden from the other employees.

The place was huge, that much I'll say. There were a lot of high-tech gears and so many computers that it would take about two dozen workers to get this place running. There was a giant monitor screen on the east wall overlooking all of us so that whatever was in one of the computers would be shown there. There was also a large training room on the other side which was just a short stairs walk down.

"Wow…" that was the word of the day for me. I never really knew that a place like this existed inside an old apartment building. "What is this place?"

Cooper turned to me and smiled, "Oh didn't they tell you? This building we're standing in used to be a mini hospital until it closed down due to lack of funding. This place used to be a morgue and once they turned it into an apartment it became a hideout for a hidden criminal organization's counterfeiting operation. When the FBI raided the place the apartment closed down and the Damien corp. took over. So now, I'm using this place as my lab"

"Great… a storage for dead people then a illegal racket area now a Plumber's lab" I groaned disgustingly about the room's bad history, "You really know how to pick a spot Cooper"

He chuckled, "Why thank you" he then focused his mind onto the computers in the room and with a blink of an eye, they all turned on and begin to activate on their own. "Alright… let's see" he slowly put on his personal lab coat and cotton white gloves and a flu mask to keep his germs to himself. He then took out a pair of tweezers from the operation table and analyzed the contents of the wallet. "Hmm… well there's nothing much to see. A few one dollar bills, six quarters, nine nickels, three pennies and… hello… what's this?" he then picked out the small piece of paper that was crumpled down inside the ID holder. "Don't Ever Go Back" Cooper read the words out loud, "Does that mean anything to you?"

"If I could read Ben's head, I would've won the Nobel Prize a long time ago" I replied sarcastically. To tell you the truth, I didn't exactly know what Ben actually meant there either. Don't Ever Go Back? There's got to be a hundred places in the world that he doesn't want to go back to and any of them could probably be a hint. "Maybe it's some sort of clue" I theorized.

But Cooper simply shot back a mocking look. "Please… Ben can be a detective at times but he's no Sherlock Holmes. It's probably just something he wrote down to pass the time. Anyway… I'm gonna analyze these now and check on the DNA scans. It might take a while so we might as well look at the incident at the mall this afternoon" he quickly turned to the TV and used his techno abilities to flip through the channels like a living remote control. After awhile, he came to the GNN (Global News Network) and with luck it was broadcasting right at the scene of the crime.

"This is Sandy Taylor reporting to you live at the central mall where… a few hours ago, six heavily armed robbers were attempting to rob a whole floor today" the news caster began, "But a few minutes after the attack, the local security force were able to take down the thugs without losing a single life. There had been several injured civilians during the fire fight but luckily no one was seriously hurt. Some of the patrons say that two teens who looked like academy students were the ones responsible for taking out the thieves. Unfortunately their names will be kept hidden to prevent any vendettas. Back to you Lannie at the station"

Cooper then pressed the mute button up and turned his attention back to his second computer, "What are you doing now?" I asked.

"Hacking in to the mall's security cams" he answered professionally, "There are no secrets between me and the truth. Now let's see… camera number one, hidden cam seven and… aha! Here it is! The Burger Palace cam!" the screen on his computer quickly went to the big giant monitor screen on the east wall so that an enlarged picture would help. "Let's see now… hmm… fast forwarding to the eleven o'clock. (to Gwen) Hey, when did the incident happen?"

"About twelve I think. Maybe even later"

"Ok… I'll go to twelve o'clock this afternoon" he quickly fast forwarded the recording tape onto the exact date and time and analyzed the picture. I scanned through picture, looking at each and every person that came in and out of the Burger Palace. Luckily the camera was facing the cash register and everyone around it in a twelve seconds relapse. After a few minutes of going through, I finally yelled out. "Stop…" Cooper paused and we both looked at the screen. I could see myself walking in and talking to the attendant who then called for Lewis. I saw myself chatting for awhile and began ordering the food.

After a few seconds when I was digging into my purse, Ben entered through the side entrance of the fast food joint and placed his hand right on the counter next to me. Cooper then pause the screen and zoomed in on the boy. "I…… I don't believe it…" his voice matched his words almost too perfectly, "It… it really is…"

Fuzzy brown hair, green eyes, and that determined look… there was no doubt about it… that was Ben… THE Ben I have been looking for… for the past five years of my life.

As I tilted my head around, Cooper let out a small sob sniff like his nose was clogged or something. A stream of tears rolled down his eyes as he tried to wipe them with his hands. He was probably wishing that he could've just been there to get a glimpse of him in person. As the video continued, I began to hear myself talking with him. Damn it! How could I be such an idiot!? The clues were right there and he was right in front of your grasp and you missed the chance to take it… TWICE!! Oh I could kick myself in the rear I would've done it a long time ago.

"He… he really does look like him" Cooper finished trying not to lift his hopes too much.

"What are you talking about?" I questioned, "That has to be him! Look at him, he has the Omnitrix on his left arm!"

"It could just be another watch Gwen" he explained to me, "Once we confirm the DNA on the wallet, then I'll believe it"

I could probably understand why he was like that. Other than me, grandpa and other agents, Cooper had always hoped that Ben would return someday. The poor boy had his heart broken so many times during so many missions that might've involved Ben.

"So… do you know where he lives?" he added to me.

I shook my head in reply, "No… I've only seen him a couple of times during my first week here so I don't exactly know where he lives or where comes from"

"Hmm… I'll take a picture of this and send them to the other agents in the city" after he pressed a few keys on the keyboard, the screen suddenly turned to a map of the entire city and its surroundings. The lights then dimmed a little to keep our focus on the screen. "Alright, what you're seeing now is the city of Bellwood. The other settlement to the north and North West are outlying farms and food stands. The red dots you see now are the number of active agents on the field" with a press of a button a few a couple of red dots appeared on the map, outlying almost all sides of the city.

"Whoa…" was the word of the day. At first I expected Grandpa Max to send about a dozen agents or so… but to send an entire company was almost as if he wanted to take the city. Heck, just about five of us were more than enough to take down the entire defense force with our eyes closed. "That's… a lot" I added.

"A few days ago, there were just about six of us. But then Commander Paullina sent more just in case we needed more man power" Paullina, I should've known. Doesn't she know anything about being discreet? I sighed and let Cooper continue his explanation. "I'll have one agent stationed at the Burger Palace just in case. We have two field agents patrolling the industrial district, another three in downtown, another five at New Bellwood and the rest are scattered around the countryside"

But as I inspected the map area, I soon noticed that that there were two areas that were not marked with red dots. The Old Bellwood and the academy, "Hey Cooper, why aren't there any agents in these areas?"

"The academy is currently off limits" he explained, "We tried getting some of our boys in there but security is pretty tight. You were lucky because your credentials won you a recommendation from the mayor. So you're gonna be the only agent inside school grounds, ok?" I nodded my head back in reply.

"Ok… but what about this place?" I pointed at old Bellwood.

"Old Bellwood has been cut off from the rest of the city" Cooper gradually let out a cough before continuing, "The police force only extends its protection onto the main entrance and the water banks around it. The rest of the district is run completely by gangs, low lives and hobos. We sent an agent there about a week before you arrived. We found him three days later in the central police hospital… he was transferred back to HQ for treatment"

But then I quickly remembered a phrase that Ben mentioned to me before he left.

'Sorry, the authorities makes my skin crawl. So if you don't mind, I think I'll head off now. See ya!'

I remembered it as clear as day. It was a perfect place for him to hide from the rest of the world. A large body of water protected it from invaders and only one point of entry that could be watched at any time. Yup… it was definitely a place where he would hang out.

I took down a mental note to look for him there tomorrow. If he was there then he would be easy to find among the rubble houses that littered the area. Who else here would have a high-tech wrist watch that could turn them into ten different aliens?

Just as I moved back towards Cooper, I quickly pulled out my new exo-suit to check out its status. If things should somehow get ugly, I wanted to make sure that I was prepared. But this did not escape the technoid's eyes. "Whoa! That's the new Multi-Class stealth suit!? Wow… I can't believe it! This thing wasn't supposed to go one the shelves until next year!" he analyzed the suit carefully like it was made out of gold. "Wow… soft fabric fiber with a thin layer of adamantium. Self procuring gizzy lights and nearly 18 hours of energy.

"How did you know that?" I asked, "This is supposed to be a classified technology"

"No duh! I was the one who designed it!" he yelled back, "But I got to say, I never expected to see this again until I got back from my mission. I spent all my free time trying to get this little baby together"

"Well that's great then" I added this, "I don't want to waste my time reading the manual so maybe you can just give me the crash course on how to work this thing"

"It'll be my pleasure!" he replied, "We can use the training room on the lower floor" I quickly began putting the suit on until he stopped me, "Hey! Come on! Don't you have some dignity in you? There a changing room out back. Use that!" even though the guy was a mechanical genius, he was still a geek who had his own pride.

I went to the rest room back at the hall and changed into that super suit. Its scaly appearance made me look like a dark snake sneaking through the corridors and I found it to be a little bigger than I had expected. I guess I shouldn't be surprised for an experimental model like this. "Uh hey Cooper" I called out to him, "This suit is a little too big for me"

"Once you put it on fully, turn the knob on your right wrist" he replied still working on something on his computer.

I finally located the knob on my right wrist and twisted it gently. Before I knew it, the suit suddenly skinned in and fit perfectly around my body from neck to toe. I checked myself in the mirror and saw my chest sticking out a little bit. But I guess I wouldn't mind. "Hey… pretty neat" I soon entered the training room that Cooper designated me to go to and stood in the middle of the field. "Ok… so how do you work this thing?"

"Wait a minute…" the blonde boy replied, "The suit is reconfiguring with your form right now. I'm also downloading some clothes so you can wear that twenty four seven" I waited a few minutes later and suddenly the suit began to glow blue like it was run by some energy. "Alright, the suit's ready. We'll get the field done. Listen carefully because this info might just save your life one day"

"Please…" I said sarcastically, "You're starting to sound like Paullina"

"Ok… all systems are… go!" immediately after that word, the knob on my right wrist began reforming into a strange device, blending with the suit perfectly. "Whoa! What is this?" I analyzed the new wristband and found it to be similar to Ben's Omnitrix. "It looks like… the Omnitrix?"

"Not exactly" Cooper corrected, "A few years ago, Ben let me take a look at his Omnitrix for awhile. The designs on that thing allow you to change into any of the clothes you like. I downloaded a few so try them out"

I quickly pressed the activation button and saw the main button push right up. It was definitely just like the Omnitrix, except that it glowed blue rather than green. Blue was my favorite color anyway. After finding one that I like, I pressed the switch and allowed the suit to do its job. In an instant the exo-suit reformed itself on me like some kind of a snake slithering through my clothes. By the time I opened up my eyes, I was wearing my regular clothes again. "Whoa cool! This so saves me the time on changing into my pajamas" the suit's main control vanished from my wrist and turned into a simple watch that allowed me to change into another costume. "Alright, let's try another one"

"You don't need to worry about the energy either" Cooper inquired, "Changing costumes doesn't take up a lot of power"

I quickly changed into another costume and soon found myself in a cheerleading outfit. "Hey… wait a minute" I noted the name on the back, "This is my high school cheering outfit……… Marian? Oh Cooper you devil" I mocked him to which he just blushed back at me.

"Hey I was fourteen, sue me!" he yelled. After changing into a couple more outfits and uniforms from the limitless list, the boy quickly began explaining the finer details of the exo-suit. "Ok, listen up Gwen. That suit is the state of the art weapon and you just can't go around without knowing its full potential"

"Come on, how hard can it be?"

"There are a total of five modes in the suit" he began, "The one you're in is Normal Mode. I lightened up the fabrics on the hand so you can use your magic. You can only change your uniform during Normal Mode. The second one would be Siege Mode. This mode turns you into a living battle tank" I quickly turn the dial on the Omnitrix-like device and switched to Siege Mode. In an instant, the suit began to form up armors on me and in a matter of seconds I was turned into what appeared to be the Terminator Mark five! "You must be extremely careful when using this mode because you'll never know what you might hit. Any questions?"

"Just one" I replied with a chuckle, "Does this armor make me look fat?"

A short awkward pause erupted before Cooper resumed, "Moving on…" he said with a blush, "The third mode is Stealth Mode. This allows you disappear completely through the naked eye. Make sure you use this carefully"

"Sweet" I stated cheaply as I noticed myself disappear after activating Stealth Mode. In an instant I vanished from sight like you would see in magic shows or something.

"The forth mode would be speed mode" he continued with his explanation. The moment I pressed the button to Speed Mode, a rocket powered jet skateboard appeared beneath my feet. I had trained with these things before back when I was still a rookie. SK. Mark II. It was used by the agents to pursue against fast opponents.

"I remember these" I noted, "I had them during basic training years ago. I can't believe we're still using these for seven years now"

"I noticed you were pretty good with them so I added it just in case you needed to chase someone down" Cooper then moved on to the final mode, "Ok… the final mode is Aqua Mode. As the name applies, it takes you underwater. I also believe you know how to use it"

"This is awesome Cooper" I complimented his work. "You must've put a lot of effort into making this. It's like you designed it just for me" a strange silence loomed over the boy as I said those words. Did I say something wrong? I was only complimenting him on his machine.

"Actually…" he sighed out like he was confessing, "I made that suit a few years ago as a gift for…… for Ben" I flinched slightly by his words. I guess it was blindly obvious to me why the boy made it in the first place. "I planned to give it to him on his birthday… but he wasn't around anymore when we came to his place"

"Oh……… I… I'm sorry" I lowered my head in shame. To think that I was wearing something that was actually meant for someone else made me hate myself even more than before.

I know why Cooper would go through such lengths to give Ben this super suit. Back about seven years ago when Cooper moved into Bellwood, he and Ben became the best of buddies in just a matter of days. When Cash and JT bullied him, Ben would stand up to him like a big brother guardian angel. Ben was always there for Cooper and Cooper was always there for Ben. Their closeness during the first two years in school made me kind of jealous at times, but hey… I guess boys their age only hang out with boys.

"Oh don't be…" Cooper replied, "Having his cousin wear it is probably the next best thing" but that statement didn't exactly made me feel any better than I was before.

(Slums) (Ben's POV) (05:52 PM)

I arrived not long after that little incident back at the Burger Palace. I unlocked the door and entered my living room with an exhausting yawn. The trip to my favorite fast food joint was just a complete waste of my time. Not only did I attract a lot of attention to myself, but I also lost five bucks due to that attack. Man… its hard getting money nowadays and even harder to find jobs around the industrial district. Well… at least I was able to get a pineapple pie from all of this.

As I sat down on my favorite rocking chair near the window next to my rifle, I took out the said treat from my pocket and began chowing it down my throat. I savored the flavor on my tongue and moaned pleasurely as I swallowed it down. Having a normal meal was one thing but having a tasty treat like this was totally different.

But just as I was enjoying myself by the window, a sudden voice occurred from the side of the room I was in, "Umm… hello?" I dropped my food, grabbed my rifle and aimed at the intruder. Whoever snuck into my place must've either be a very good ninja or a person who I knew well. "Who's there!?" I demanded threateningly not lowering my weapon slightly. "Come out to the light where I can see you"

The presence gladly complied with my demands and soon appeared before me. But to my surprise it was actually just a little girl probably about ten years old. She had one green eye and one red eye, purple hair, and wore a torn down looking T-shirt. Just by here appearance, I could already tell who it was. "Alex?" I spoke up her name to which she shyly nodded. Alex is short for Alexis. She's Wallace's little sister. She was sensitive, fragile and extremely shy to strangers and had a habit of bringing her stuffed bear everywhere she went.

I quickly put my weapon back into the corner and approach the little girl. I had not seen her for a long time and for her to come here must've been really important. "What are you doing here Alex? Shouldn't you be with your brother?"

"Wallace is… is in trouble" she replied emotionlessly like she was but a shell of person. I guess I was probably used to it by now. Back when I first met her, she was also like this. Alex had a hard time expressing her emotions to people so now she's nothing but cold and hard… like a rock.

I sighed out loud knowing full well what trouble the boy was in. "Let me guess… Verdon?" Alex only nodded back to me boringly in reply. "(sigh) All right… wait here and don't touch anything. I'll be back" it was times like these that made me wish I had never met these two.

As I exited my house, I put on my jacket and covered my head with my hood to keep others from seeing me. Where I was about to go now would probably be similar to walking towards the gates of hell itself. I braced myself and readied my Omnitrix just in case if things tend to turn ugly. Verdon's lackeys weren't exactly the welcoming type and were extremely hostile to those who didn't wear their jackets. As I took the first step towards the deep end of the city, I held my head up high and breathed in… hoping that things would go out smoothly.

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Deep within the southern part of the Slums near the edge of a junkyard was Verdon's main hideout. A place you would really call 'hell on earth'. As the sun sets down, the lights in those areas soon come to life. This was the only place in the slums where electricity was present since the last working power generator could be found here. As I made my way near the other end of the district, I spotted the old orange building that was on the other end of the dead garden. The place was known to the people as the border line as it was maximum extent of Verndon's influence.

The dead garden that stood between the neutral areas of the slums and Verdon's territory was amply named because it was the killing field for Verdon's men. Anyone who tried to attack them were immediately shot on sight without any questions asked. Only those who come through the road were safe since the guards could see them from a distance.

I knew that the moment I crossed through that border line I would immediately be in enemy territory. Verdon's men and I had met once in awhile and it usually led to the same result. Violence. The boss of the gang tried to recruit me into his services a few times and offered me to become his second in command. It was a very tempting offer but right then I couldn't possibly even think of joining him.

As I crossed through the road of the dead garden I noticed that the gang raiders were piling up dead bodies on the sidelines to ward off attackers. Stakes were lined up on the end of the road with heads of dead animals and people on its edge giving out the most painful expression of their lives. But those things didn't scare or surprise me anymore. I've seen a lot of dead people here in the slums and more than anyone could possibly know.

When I reached the border line of Verdon's territory, a dozen guards dressed in their famed leather jacket stepped out and looked at me with snickering eyes. The one who looked like the leader of this group approached me. "Well well well… what do we have here… fresh meat, come to join us?" the gangsters laughed at me like I was some kind of joke. Obviously these men didn't know who I am. "What do you want here kid?"

"I have business with Verdon…" I replied coldly not taking my eyes off him. "I'll only be a minute"

"Well Mr. Verdon is busy with entertainment right now and doesn't want to see anyone" the boss of the gang snickered at me, letting out a spit on my jacket. "Why don't you come maybe…… next year? AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!" his laugh was so disgusting that some of his saliva was dropping onto my hood.

"I told you… I'll only be a minute" I repeated my threat more thoroughly this time.

But it seemed like that last threat only angered the boss, "Oh… and you think you can just walk in here like you own this place!? You think you're so tough just because you're wearing a jacket" he poked at my chest hardly which made me take a step back, "Who do you think you are?"

Seeing that this was just going to take longer than I had expected, I decided to reveal my identity to them, "I'm an old acquaintance of Verdon" the moment I removed my hood from my face, the boss of the gang looked as if he was going to have a heart attack. Seems like this guy was one of the first who experienced my skills first hand, "Now step aside…" I threatened him to which he hesitantly complied. The other members of the group could only stare in shock as they watch their boss quiver with fear.

I continued my stroll through the living hell of the slums being as cautious as I can be. And just as I expected, the place didn't change one bit since I came here the last time. Everywhere I looked there was gang member talking, yelling, drinking or smoking like there was no law to follow… and there probably wasn't any law at all anyway.

As I made my way through the first block, I began to notice a heavy stench in the area. The building next to me was probably the place where they store all their drugs and alcohol. The smell was so strong and nauseating that I felt a little woozy just walking pass it already.

By the time I reached the junkyard, I knew right away that this was hell it self made by the evil in men's hearts. Gallows made of steel lined the walls with starving victims hanging in them. These were either men who had wronged Verdon or traitors of the gang. They would be left there for the crows to feed on and crowd to laugh at. Barbed wires and guard towers were also abundance, making it almost look like a prison camp rather than a fortress.

As I walked through the main gates of the junkyard, I realized that Verdon himself had made some certain… 'improvements' to the place to fit his psychotic self esteem. Broken down cars and all sorts of junk littered the area blocking the path but making enough room for a passage to go through. Verdon's elite guards were the only ones allowed to carry weapons in this place and with good reasons too. You wouldn't want visitors carrying firearms into your house now, would you?

Verdon's hideout consisted of three parts in the junkyard.

First was the guard rack, the place where all the men and soldiers of the gang take their breaks after a hard days work… heh… if they did any work at all that is. This is where you are likely to come first since the main entrance of the junkyard was through this place. If you look around long enough, you would begin to think that this area could actually hold off an army. Snipers took to the high ground and more than a hundred goons were waiting to take to the field.

The second part of that dirty place was of course… the coliseum. This is where Verdon would appear the most other than his personal suite of course. All of his men and guards would gather here every night to witness carnage, fights, blood and gore. I came here once myself but I didn't exactly like the entertainment. The fighting ground down there was known as the pit. Once a day, Verdon would provide entertainment to his men by throwing a girl or two in there to be violently harassed by the gladiators. Some might call it dirty business, but in truth they call this sport.

The third and last part of the junkyard of course was none other than Verdon's personal place. I've never really seen the place before so details there are low. But the only thing I do know is that he has more than three girls in there once a day.

When I finally made my way to the coliseum I noticed that there was a fight going on below. I quickly put on my hood and joined the crowd to see who were fighting. As I looked down, I quickly got the urge to look away.

Apparently tonight was girl's night and that meant that three gladiator ladies were battling it out for freedom. They were fighting with sickles and knives and playing it dirty in the mud. Since it was going to take awhile before a victor would be decided, I thought that this would be a good time to show you guys who the big dogs were around these joints. Lucky for me… everyone who was 'anyone' were present today.

Over on the other side of my area dressed complete white and surrounded with sluts and whores was none other but Lorry Kent, the dealer of death himself. I never thought that he would be interested in these kinds of entertainment. I probably told you about him before, but just to make sure, I'll remind you.

Lorry Kent owns the only active clinic here in the slums. He may look like a kind and caring doctor at first sight, but inside, he was a drug dealer at heart. He would get kids addicted to his powder so fast that he would be making big bucks in a matter of days. Usually I would never approach crime masterminds like him unless I wanted to beat them up. I had made some normal deals with this… death dealer from time to time but nothing illegal of that sort. Whenever I had illness or wounds from battles I would come to him to get patched up. Right now he currently owes me a few bucks for a delivery job I did for him weeks ago.

Right next to him wearing an eye patch and carrying a sub machine gun on his torso was Bulldog. No one really knows his true name so they just called him Bulldog because of the bulldog tattoo on his shoulder. He was Verdon's enforcer and the head leader of Verdon's entire army. He commanded respect from his troops and kill anyone without any mercy. I know very little of him myself but just seeing the reaction coming from those around him tell me that he wasn't someone to mess with.

As I shifted my gaze to Verdon's throne, I immediately recognize Viper, the assassin. Viper's real name was actually Vanessa but she changed it when she joined up with Verdon. Back when I first came here three years ago, she tried to get me to bed with her once. I thought she was only inviting me for a cup of coffee but when she loosened up my pants that was when I panicked and excused myself from her house. But don't let her sexy appearance fool you. A lot of people died just trying to touch that body of hers and all met the same fate. The only guy allowed to touch her was Verdon, Bulldog and if necessary…… me. I don't really know what she sees in me.

So these are probably just the one's you need to fear around Verdon's gang. Mess with one of these guys and you'll probably have a number placed on your head.

By the time I finished analyzing the others I soon noticed that the match was already finished. Two of the gladiator girls were dead on the floor and one stood triumphant. As I turned my gaze back to the throne, the head hancho of the mob appeared before me.

And there he was… sitting on his golden throne decorated with skulls and snakes vinyl surrounded with three girls was none other… than Verdon himself. His bald head and snake eyes was more than enough to strike fear onto his enemies with one powerful gaze. I doubt his name was really Verdon and I doubt I'll be able to find the truth from neither him nor his lackeys.

"Congratulations are in order!" he began with his speech, "You have bested the others and so forth… you have earned… your freedom…" the girl who thought was going to be free let out a joyous smile as the gate to the pits opened up to her. But her smile soon faded when six hell hounds poured out from it. As expected, she didn't stand a chance. She tried to fight back against those dogs but it was useless. She was too tired and too scared to even lift a finger. She screamed out for help but the crowd only laughed at her. She begged them to stop but the crowd just simply enjoyed the dogs tearing up her clothes. When the mutt ended her cry by biting her throat, a gush of blood came out which sickened me to no end. I guess Verdon kept true to his word. Death… was freedom after all. "Ah! The pleasure of death… I wonder how it feels ahmmhmmhmmhmmhmmhmm…" he snickered very loudly at his audience which humored him to no end.

But her death didn't matter to the audience. They simply cheered out altogether when the hounds feast on her skinny flesh. Once the girl was dragged away from the scene of the battle, I took a look around to see if there were any other competitors for the night. But that's when I saw Wallace in a cage just down below. He was cowering and hiding his face, terrified of the whole fight to the death. Soon later I decided to take this opportunity to make my presence felt through the coliseum.

I leaped down into the pits and shouted out; "Hey snake eyes!" in an instant, all other voices died down as if an angel had passed by. No one would dare to call Verdon 'snake eyes' because it was just a similar as signing your own death contract. Once I called out to him, Viper and Bulldog immediately shook from their seats and starred at me like I was going to be the next dead guy in the coliseum.

"Who… dares…?" Verdon groaned at me angrily, "Who dares call to me lightly?!"

I smirked at him and immediately took off my hood to show my face around. It wasn't a surprise to hear some gasps and gossips from the others members since I was sort of famous around the gang. "Long time no see… V man" the anger and hatred immediately vanished from Verdon's face and was replaced with a warm snakelike smile. That could only mean that he was either happy to see me or expecting me.

"Ah… Benjamin Tennyson, my favorite custodian. Welcome! Please, make yourself at home"

"Thanks, but I'll only be a minute" I wonder how many times I used that line already, "I'm here for the 'kid' named Wallace"

"Wallace?" he tilted his head around confusingly, "Wallace? Hmm… AH! You mean the boy. I have him with me and I was going to feed him to the hounds a few minutes from now. I hope you would stay for the feast"

"Sorry, but that kid's with me" I groaned, "What did he do this time?"

"He tried to steal from ME" he emphasized the word 'me' strictly. "He tried to steal some of my famous baby back ribs and unfortunately his gluttony became his downfall"

"Then would you mind bringing him back to me? He's just a little kid"

"That's what I like about you Tennyson. So naïve so innocent at times" she grinned at me from ear to ear, "But as you might've already know: This place is mine now. I own this district and my word alone is law! The child steals from a king and therefore he shall have a king's punishment. Isn't that right everyone!?" the crowd let out a cheer altogether like a tribe agreeing with their shaman.

"Then how about a trade?" I offered him which silenced the crowd instantly.

"A trade?" he chuckled, "What could you possibly have that will interest me?"

I turned my gaze to Lorry, the death dealer, "Lorry here owes me a favor. I'll set you on a deal in exchange for the kid"

"A favor?" he questioned me before turning to the death dealer, "Is this true?" Lorry simply let out a bored nod back to him. A long silence ebrupted before Verdon spoke again, "Hmm… an interesting offer Mr. Tennyson. But I think you can pull a better deal than that"

I knew that guy wasn't gonna put in with my deal so easily. "Ok… How about I don't kick your ass and set up the deal? It can't get any better than that" Ok… maybe threatening the most powerful gang lord in the entire district was a bad idea, but I didn't want to stay here any longer than anyone does. It makes my skin crawl just standing in this pile of mud.

As obvious as it may be, the crowd gasped up knowing full well that I had done the wrong moves. But then surprisingly, Verdon grinned at me, "I think we might have an agreement there... Benjamin. BRING THE MEAL!"

"BRING THE MEAL!" another one of the goons repeated. And right on cue, the prison bars opened up to me revealing Wallace. Thank god… it looks like they didn't hurt him… yet. Once the guards went back, he rushed towards me and hugged my leg like it was the only thing in the world that mattered.

"You ok Wally?" I rubbed his head gently trying to shake the fear away from the boy. The little guy must've been so scared of death that it shook him to the very core. "Y… yeah…" he replied shaken. As I took his hand, I immediately turned my eyes towards the main exit of the coliseum. But if there's one thing I know about Verdon…… he wasn't going to let me go this easily.

"You may leave now Tennyson" he hissed to me. "If you can… that is… hmmhmmhmmhmm" when my eyes turned towards the gate, the hell hounds that feasted on the gladiator's flesh immediately appeared before me. I knew nothing was going to be this easy… and I wasn't exactly glad that I was right. I turned my head back to Verdon who was still grinning at me like a snake, "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!! For tonight's encore entertainment: I give you the hounds VS Benjamin Tennyson!!" it wasn't a surprise why everyone here wanted me dead. I was a thorn on their side before and I still was today.

To think that I was still seventeen and already I had a hit on my head.

I then noted that Wallace's hands were shaking in fear. The boy was too frightened to even move from his spot. I guess this must be the reason why Verdon accepted my deal so easily.

I crouched down to the boy's height and whispered into his ears, "Ok Wallace… listen to me. I want you to close your eyes and count from one to one hundred. Think out loud and ignore all the sounds you are about to hear… understand?" the boy simply nodded back to me wiping the tears off his face. "Ok…" he replied with a sob. And with that he began counting.

I knew that I couldn't possibly go hero here or the gang will be coming at me faster than a stink on a skunk, so I decided to grab the crowbar and sickle from one of the dead gladiators around. But soon I realize that this fight was going to take longer than I thought. "Hey, make that two hundred" I said to Wallace as he counted.

As I turned my attention back to the hounds, I quickly noted their skinny figure, uncontrollable drool and sharp razor fangs pointing at me. It wasn't hard to raise one of these mutts. Just get a dog, train it and then starve it for a couple of days and you got yourselves a killing machine. These methods were used during the First World War to train attack dogs in hunting prisoners and deserters…… or was that the Second World War? Oh who cares?!

The moment the hounds leaped up and attack, I cut through one of their throats using my sickle and kicked another one of them to the side. But right now I was really at a disadvantage. Not only did I have to protect myself, but I also had to protect Wallace while he was busy counting to two hundred.

As I tried to shoo the dogs away I suddenly found myself struggling against my opponents. I lost focus and soon found that one of them bit a part of my jacket off, "Oh great! This was my favorite jacket you little wimp!" when the dog came back to attack me I put my crowbar into its mouth and slammed it against the ground about three times, breaking all the bones in its body. "That'll teach you to mess with Ben Tennyson!" two down… four to go!

"Ahh pure entertainment" I heard Verdon snickered as he enjoyed the scene of me struggling against his dogs. On the background I could hear several other patrons gambling away everything they had. Either it was money, ammo, cigarettes or powder it didn't matter. Anything here can be used as currency.

As I cut the next mutt up in half, I turned my attention back to the last three and stood close to Wallace. "Hey Wallace, this might take a little while so make it five hundred will ya?"

"Ok…" and with that he continued counting.

"Alright you little mutts" I growled at them with my weapons in hand, "You made me miss dinner, run all the way to the junkyard, lose a favor that I could've used for a better thing and now… you ruined my favorite jacket! That's it… I'm making you guys dinner!" and when I meant dinner… I meant they… were dinner.

And with that, they charged at me like I was going to be their next meal of the day. I've fought against alien warlords, demons and legions of robots when I was still a kid… how long did you think these goons will last?

I sliced another dog by the gut and threw it to a stake that was hanging on the wall. Once the last two came at me, I slab my sickle right onto its forehead making a sickening bone cracking sound. It couldn't be removed from there again.

When the last of the hell hounds fell to the ground motionless, I picked up the crowbar I dropped on the ground and shuffled my jacket a little bit to get the mud off the sleeves. "Tch… talk about hot dogs…" I then grabbed Wallace and put him on my back as I walked out of the place. I know Verdon still had his eyes on me because of my skill as a soldier… but I couldn't possibly work for someone as dirty as him. But right now that didn't matter. I got Wallace back in one piece and I'm betting anything that his sister is probably worried sick about him.

So this about summarizes everything and everyone you need to know here at the slums. All the good guys, all the bad guys and not-so-bad guys. So if you're ever around these parts at anytime…… please… don't look for me…

(Bellwood downtown district) (Gwen's POV) (07:20 PM)

After I tested out the battle suit that Cooper developed for a little while longer, I decided that it was time for me to head back to the dorm. The DNA analysis was going to take a little longer than he expected due to the fact that he was the only working in that lab. After I got my things together the boy escorted me to the library and out the main door.

"Thanks for the help Cooper" I thanked him as I left the building. But he just waved if off, "Oh don't know mention it. It's my job as your backup anyway. The DNA test should be ready by tomorrow. I'll give you a call through your cell phone when it's done"

"Thanks. I'll see you around" and with that, we parted ways.

The city was really different at night. Even though most of the stores and malls were closed there were still plenty of people hanging out the sidewalk as if they were going to party or something. I then remembered that today was Friday and that I had no curfew. I could've just easily teleported my way to my room but instead, I wanted to find a place where I could stress my mind a little. If grandpa were here he would say that it was not a good thing for young teens like us to be wandering around the street because there are a lot of bad people out there. But come on! I've battled robot armies, zombies and warlords from outer space and he never complained about those. What can a bunch of rapist and hookers possibly do to me? Men are such strange creatures… they'll probably do anything just to have their way.

After I stressed myself out a bit on the road, I suddenly stumbled upon a bar which was somewhat close to the building where Cooper was working on. Well… I didn't have dinner anyway so I might as well eat up. I got plenty of money anyway.

Once I got in, I ordered a whole jug of beer all for myself and starred blindly at the river that stood between me and my school. It's been so long since I've waited for this mission and here I am now… waiting for someone to give me a clue. I was planning to head off towards the old Bellwood district but by the time I reach there it would probably be too dark for me to do anything. There were still plenty of leads for me to check up so I won't have to worry if that place leads me to a dead end.

"Excuse me ma'am" came the waiter's voice, "Your order is ready" he slowly put the plates in front of me and bowed politely.

"Oh wait" I stopped him before he left me, "Could I have an ashtray please?" he simply nodded and went to get me the said item. Yup… that's me. 17 year old Gwendolyn Tennyson, an alcoholic and a smoker. Believe it or not, I've been drinking and smoking since I was fifteen. Grandpa was strongly against it but every time I was on missions or a task I would take them as stress relievers of some sort. No one really influenced me to take them… it just kinda happen one day.

As I pop a stick onto my mouth I quickly looked at my purse to search for that damn lighter I keep misplacing all the time. But then I remembered why is misplaced it in the first place. I didn't really need a lighter… all I had to do was wave my finger around and poof… instant fire. It saves me money and time… but mostly just time. After I put my bag down, a picture suddenly slipped out from one of my note books and onto the couch. "Ahh man… what is it now?" I groaned out as I picked it up. But soon my anger and stress disappeared when I looked at the picture.

This was the picture of me and Ben that grandpa took about six years ago. It was during the birthday we were having in some fancy old restaurant that I couldn't remember. Believe it or not, Ben and I were actually born on the same day. Call it fate and just plain coincidence if you want, but it's the truth. Oh… I remember that day like it was just yesterday.

It was just an ordinary birthday at first with caroling and friends and family coming by to greet each other. We had our birthday cake and presents followed soon after. But then suddenly… Ben got an idea on how to make the day more memorable. After he 'accidentally' took the first slice of cake from me, he threw it onto the clown that his dad got to entertain him. Unfortunately he didn't know that his son was still afraid of clowns during that time. The rest of the incident was probably just accidental after that, but boy it was a day I probably won't ever forget. I got creamed by pudding and cake and Ben was smothered with fruit punch and pies.

When grandpa came out to deliver one of his 'famous' worm salad, he quickly took a picture of us right away saying that it was the funniest thing he had ever seen……… and now I can see why…

I wish those good old days would come back again… those good old days when we didn't have to care about anything or anyone else in the world. The days when we could just enjoy being ourselves and not have to worry about the future…… yeah… those were the days.

I put the picture down on the table and puffed a few smoke from my mouth. My eyes remained fixed on the bright full moon right above the sky. This of course… made me wonder about something…………

(Ben's house) (Ben's POV)

Exhausting…… that was the word I was looking for when I came back to my house at the slums. I lost a lot of good favors today and only had a crowbar in return. I probably also almost declared war with the entire Verdon gang as well. When I finally made it back to my place, I noticed that Wallace had already fallen asleep on my back as he counted to 305. It was probably like counting sheeps during bed time so I wasn't angry. But I was definitely going to give him a lecture tomorrow when he gets up.

By the time I got back into my place, Alex was already sleeping on my bed still holding her stuffed bear in her arms. I let out a huge sigh and knew right away that pulling her away from that comfy place would just make her sad. She didn't express her emotions too many times but I could tell if she was sad, angry or happy

Since the bed was occupied by one pipsqueak, I decided to put Wallace there too so at least they'll be able to see each other when they wake up. I tucked them in bed and folded the blanket onto them. Looks like I'll be taking the couch this time.

But instead of taking that comfy place, I decided to return to my favorite rocking chair and look back at myself. I really screwed up things this time. By tomorrow I'll probably be having Verdon wanabes trying to earn favor with their boss by defeating me. My head already had a bounty on it so that wasn't anything new to me. But as I reflect on this… I figured out that I was now wanted by both the good guys and bad guys. The Plumber organization wanted me and now the biggest gang in the city wanted me. Man… talk about bad luck.

But… there was no point in groveling about it now. What's done is done: That's what I always tell myself. Tomorrow will just be another day and hopefully… I might still be alive to see it then.

I looked up to the moon smiling goofily. It was times like these that made me wish I had some kind of musical instrument to play. I may not look like it, but I'm actually quite a good flute player.

I practiced playing the flute and several other instruments right after my twelfth birthday. It wasn't of course by choice. I was forced to play them because they were the only gifts I ever got. Gwen got all the good stuff like video games and laptop and everything………

Gwen……

That name alone brings back so many memories. The last time I ever saw her in a normal condition was during that birth we had six years ago. Man… I remember well how I totally that day a memorable one. First the cake on the clown then the balloons popped, all that pranks I set up… man… those were the good times.

But thinking about that particular day made me remember something. I stood up from my chair and approach a cabinet that was hidden beneath a couple of crates that I found on the beach. I opened it and saw the hairclip that Gwen wore when she was still about ten or eleven. It fell off her hair during the food fight on the birthday party and I've been wanting to give it back to her for a long time now but it kinda fell off my mind for a moment. And of course… I never got the chance to return it to her… because of that incident five years ago.

This hairclip was all I had left to remind me of her. I didn't have any pictures or photographs to remember her by, heck I don't even know how she'd look right now if she stared at me in front of my face (You have no idea…) But if there was something I would remember about her…… it would probably be her strong attitude and her geekiness. We were so different yet at the same time we were so similar.

As I looked at this hairclip I couldn't help but stare at the moon through my window. And of course… this made me wonder about something……………

(Author's POV)

And so two separated individuals starred up onto the same moon on different corners wondering and thinking about each other……

And in that time… they both wondered the same thing……

'Is Ben looking at the same moon now?'

'Is Gwen looking at the same moon now?'