You actually don't know how much I had to control myself not to immediately write this after I posted the first chapter. It's kind of…disturbing…how much I want to write a story where I basically torture the main character (oh yeah…forgot to mention that in the first part; huh? Hopefully, it was obvious by the summary.) Thanks for all the praise thus far!

School's coming which means less time for writing. Sigh.

Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10. If I did, there would be a heck of a lot more angst. And gore. And on-screen character death.

"No matter how great and destructive your problems may seem now, remember, you've probably only seen the tip of them."
Despairdotcom (It exists.)

Chapter Two

"If it isn't Ben Tennyson. How nice to see you again."

Oh…Crap…

Even in his banged-up state, there was no mistaking that voice.

"Sunder," Ben managed to choke out between gasps for air. He wheezed, clawing at the iron-grip that constricted his throat. This was not good.

The Bounty Hunter seemed pleased by the recognition; the corners of his mouth quivering at the edges. He pulled Ben in closer for inspection. "When I was hired for this job, I wasn't expecting much of a challenge." He smirked. "I guess I was right."

Ben's mind raced through several dirty comebacks, none of which seemed appropriate to use against someone who could crush his neck without even trying.

Alright then; let's just skip to the part where I go hero.

He let his arms fall from his neck, his right arm instinctively racing for the Ultimatrix on his left wrist. The daze and shock from earlier retreated as Ben slipped into battle-mode; all preexisting thoughts slipping to a far corner of his mind. He'd had a terrible week and a worse weekend. Gwen, Kevin, and Julie weren't talking to him. He'd been freaking knocked off the road by this guy in the middle of the night. He was going to enjoy sending him to the Null Void.

Too bad for him Sunder had other ideas in mind.

Having fought with the hero on previous occasions, Sunder had been watching the hero like a hawk; waiting for the right moment to strike. As much fun as it was to see the Savior of the Universe struggle in vain, he really had no time for trifling fights.

The Bounty Hunter's eye caught the motion of Ben's hand, even before the teen could register that his appendage was moving towards the watch. Milliseconds before Ben had punched down on the dial, Sunder, one hand still holding Ben by the neck, shot out a second thick, meaty, paw. He caught the teen just at the right forearm.

Then, without so much as batting an eye, he snapped it in half.

There was something sickening about the crack that permeated the air; nauseating, offensive, frightening. The pain hit Ben a second later; rippling across his flesh in tendrils of red-hot flames.

He screamed.

It was cut short by a blunt blow to his stomach, the air rushing from his lungs and sending him gasping like a fish out of water. "Quiet!"

Vaguely, Ben was aware of being tossed to the ground, where he fell, limply, like a rag doll. The impact jarred his arm and his head; his vision went spotty and a yelp rose from his throat. This cry was followed by a swift kick to his abdomen, and Ben could feel his eyes watering with the pain. Resisting the urge to scream again, he settled for a slight whimper. Protectively, he brought around his left hand onto his damaged right arm. He turned his gaze to meet it.

The sight that awaited him horrified him.

Despite it being night, Ben could easily see the mess that was now his right forearm, although it didn't resemble the appendage in the slightest. The pale figure of his bone glinted white against the soft tone of his flesh. He gagged when he pressed the skin around the break; he could feel his bone give way. "Oh shit…"

The rest of his arm felt warm and wet; blood freely oozing from the fresh cut.

He shut his eyes, trying not to throw up what little food was in his stomach. He didn't dare make a go for the Ultimatrix again (the last attempt went oh so well;) and with Sunder watching him…Ben shuddered. Besides; his arm hurt too damn much to move it.

What the hell do I do now?

Sunder answered the unasked question for him. From his belt, he pulled out a small set of cuffs. His smirk was beginning to turn into an all out smile.

"What the…" Ben began, to which Sunder rewarded him with a slap across the forehead. Stars flashed.

"Arms behind your back."

Ben hesitated and then tried the simple approach. "No."

With a grin, Sunder bashed a fist into Ben's lower jaw. The teen could feel his two rows of teeth bang together, and a sharp, needle-like prick came into being after he bit down on his tongue. An unwelcome, coppery taste filled his mouth.

"Arms behind your back." This time, Ben complied. He closed his eyes against the pain that threatened to overwhelm him at the movement of his arm. The whole damn thing seemed to pound with its own inner beat, and the skin around it felt too tight; like there wasn't enough to fit over the bone. As the cuffs were secured, Ben kept his eyes low so as not to show the panic that was slowly escalating as the seconds went on. It would not do for the Sunder to see him this scared.

Once he was secured, Ben's abductor roughly lifted him up by the shoulder, jostling his injured arm. The teen winced when he felt the bones scrape against one another, his teeth chattering; his whole mind set on edge. "Now move."

"Where are you taking me?"

"Does it really matter?" As the alien pushed him forward, Ben struggled to catch himself. He winced as his arm jounced, the bone seeming to move in two different directions. He stopped to gag and was rewarded with a swift kick to the back of his leg.

For what felt like hours, but what could've only been minutes, this continued. Ben would be shoved forward so that he'd keep up a decent pace. Eventually, the sheer agony that clawed at his arm, ripping it to shreds, would cause him to falter. Then, he'd either be kicked or hit. His whole body ached, his arms numb from the awkward position (except when he moved the broken one; he could sure as hell feel that,) and his chest felt like it was burning. His breathing seemed harder and more labored; he was panting heavily, struggling to take in enough oxygen.

"I said move!" Sunder kicked Ben, yet again, sending the hero sprawling onto the earth. Both hands cuffed behind his back, he couldn't catch himself and landed rather painfully on his side. He cried out as the bones in his arm clanked against each other. "Move it!" Desperately, he tried to inch away from the flying blows, only to suffer a kick to his broken arm which screeched painfully.

Oh, Jesus, it hurts.

And, for the second time that night, he began to scream.

He was cut off with another blow to the stomach. While winded, the Bounty Hunter yanked Ben's arms back, seeming to put extra pressure on the injured appendage. The hero winced, another yelp forcing its way out of his mouth. He felt so helpless.

"You bastard." A kick. Something seemed to explode in his chest.

Ben curled into a ball. Another kick hit his lower back, another, his side. Both left a pounding ache which sent his mind reeling. Finally, mercifully, something hit the back of his skull.

He then proceeded to black out.

So there's the chapter. Rather longish...I know.

It took me a while to write it the way I wanted, (hence the reason I didn't post this sooner.) Gwen and Kevin will probably be the basis of the next chapter. I couldn't quite find a reason to add them in this one.

Anyways, I've been reading Misery by Stephen King (a great horrific, angsty torture-ish kind of novel for all those who like that sort of stuff.)

TGW