Kevin stood there absolutely silent, and still, not at all interested in answering Ben's sudden questioning about his well being. After all, it would seem that at this point in time, the Osmosian was pretty much just in shock. Plus, it was as if Ben really cared about what was truly going on inside of that head of his in the first place... And in all honesty, Kevin would never openly express his feelings freely to just anyone, regardless of the situation. Even if it was his own pitiful life that were hanging on the line. To Kevin, it just simply wasn't going to happen.
Thinking that the ex-con hadn't heard a single word that came flowing out of his mouth, the hero yet again, asks his friend the same question once more. "Kevin, are you sure you're okay? I mean, you are still with us, here on earth, right?" He finishes, snapping his two fingers in front of the man's cold hardened features.
The raven haired hero quickly shook his head, as he let out a small muffled. "Hm?" causing the hero to justifiably roll his eyes in an irritating like gesture. "Forget it, Gwen." Ben said, as he looked behind his shoulder, shooting a dumbfounded expression toward his cousin. "It's pretty clear that Kevin's gone completely delusional."
That of course, brought Kevin out of his incoherent like state. "Doubt it." He heatedly replies, snorting slightly under his breath. "I just can't believe all the stuff I've been hearing, that's all." He sighs, folding his arms across his chest, while leaning back against the tool bench ever so coolly.
"Believe what, dare I ask?" Ben heavily sighs, knowing that nothing good would come out of this conversation. He knew from past experience on how this whole thing was going to eventually pan out.
…Poorly, and so not in his favor.
Kevin absent mindedly scratches the tip of his nose, as he shows no signs of any real emotion. Trying his hardest to hide one of his signature smirks, he finally gives Ben an answer to his little question, shrugging his shoulders carelessly in the process. "That someone like her could even come close to being related to someone whose constantly annoying twenty four seven." He finally smiles, laughing under his breath. "I mean look at you, Ben. Nobody in their right mind would ever admit to something like that."
"Hey!" Ben cried out in defense, while smacking his friend hard onto the shoulder. "I resent that remark!"
"More like "resemble" that remark." Kevin interrupts, grinning even wider, more sinister at his comrade. Ben sure was making things pretty easy on him today, and so far, Kevin wasn't going to come out and complain. He secretly wished that most times it would be as simple as this with every insult he'd throw at the young hero. It'd sure make things a whole lot better for him in the long run that was for sure.
Just across the way, Gwen was watching and observing intently on how those two interacted with each other. Though, slightly annoyed with their endless, and constant bickering, she actually liked the fact that Ben had finally found a friend he could relate too. Ben never had any real close friends when he was a kid. If anything, he got picked on by other children his own age, more so than making any close tight nit, friendships. She smiled full heartedly to herself. For once in her life, she was genuinely happy for Ben. "Wow." Gwen thought, as she lifted a curious brow. "Did I just have a mature, rational moment of thought about Ben?"
Smiling to herself on a job well done, a high pitched beeping sound suddenly came screaming out from Ben's watch, bringing everyone out of their own personal battles.
Upon hearing the obnoxious beeping, Ben instinctively brings up his now glowing wrist , letting it hover ever so slightly into the air. Pushing the intercom button on the devise, it was at that moment when Grandpa Max's voice echoed into the silence that had quickly enveloped inside the auto repair shop.
"Grandpa?" Ben spoke in surprise, staring intently at the ultimatrix, while Kevin and Gwen made their way closer to the intercom, waiting for the elder plumber to speak his mind.
"Hi, Ben." Max replied gravely, while sighing heavily into the device. The way old man was carrying the tone of his voice, basically told the hero that he wasn't calling to have a nice, family like conversation. Taking in another deep breath, Max continues. "Something's going down just on the outskirts of town, and it's causing a lot of havoc with the locals. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but it seems to have destroyed half the town. I've sent some plumbers from my end to handle the town folk. But it's up to you guys to stop whatever's out there from doing any more damage." He sighs, clearing his throat. "Or, worse."
"You know we can handle any situation that decides to get in our way Grandpa." Ben said seriously, reassuring the old man that he and his friends were the right people to do the job.
"I know, but the problem is, is that the information I received has been coming in on my radar as a signal of distress." Max pauses for a moment, gathering up his thoughts. "It's hard to explain, Ben, but with half a town being destroyed, and having more questions than answers, it's only telling me that this whole thing might be something far worse than a just simple cry for help."
"Why's that grandpa?" Gwen cuts in, curious to know what was exactly going on."Maybe the distress signal was a desperate cry for help. Until we go and check it out, we won't know for sure."
"Hi, pumpkin." Max chimes in, his voice cheering up slightly at the sound of his granddaughter's voice. "I'm glad to hear that you made it home safely." He chuckled, making Gwen slightly grin. "Thank goodness Kevin was there to help out with your unexpected car trouble."
"Wait…" Kevin cuts in. "How did you know that I-"
"Kid?" Max laughs lightly to himself, interrupting the wide eyed ex-con. "I know more about what goes on in this world, that young kids like you, can only dream about."
Kevin simply rolls his eyes at the experienced plumber's answer. Seriously, sometimes he thought that the old man would purposely get under his skin just to try and get a rise out him, and really, Kevin wasn't even close to being a kid anymore, so why did Max still consider him being one? Kevin had come a long way since then, and it annoyed him to no end that the older man still saw him as a small helpless child.
Gwen smiled coyly at Kevin on her grandpa's response, then, pushing the amusement she was receiving aside, she began to focus all of her attention back onto the intercom. "As I was trying say earlier Grandpa, how do we know that it's not a cry for help? Like I said before-"
"Because." Max breathed out, disrupting the girl. "The signal is also reading high levels of radiation."
Ben furrows his brow with curiosity, and in concern. Knowing that half of the town had been recently destroyed, with the possibility of the people that resided there getting badly hurt , they needed to act soon if the team was going to make any kind of head way on finding the culprit, or culprits that were causing the mass hysteria, and destruction with the locals.
….In other words, Ben and his team needed to leave, now.
"We'll get to the bottom of this." Ben said darkly into his bright green contraption. "And take whatever is out there, down. You have my word, Grandpa. We'll fix this."
"I never had any doubts, Ben." Max said, his voice showing a knowing smile. "Just promise me that all of you will be careful out there. We don't know who or what were dealing with."
"And Where's the fun in that, if we're all careful?" Kevin said jokingly, while folding his arms over his chest in amusement. "Can't we just say, that we'll try and make it home alive? I hate making promises that I can't keep."
"Now is not the time for jokes, son." Max scolded, correcting the young Osmosian. "I've gotta go now, Ben. I need to try and see if I can find you some more information that can benefit with your guys' latest mission."
"Alright, Grandpa." Ben replies, clicking the button causing the intercom to go dead, as the green glowing light faded into the distance. " You heard what he said guys."He continued, putting a more serious tone upon his features, while bringing his watch into view. "It's hero time!"
LOVE. LOVE. LOVE.
The car ride had been silent for most of the way. Ben was finding the view of the passenger side window quite entertaining at the moment, while Gwen was just happy at reading one of her ancient, and mystical spell books.
Which, basically brings us back around to Kevin.
Staring out at the road just ahead of him, Kevin finally had the time to think and reflect about what had transpired in the garage only thirty minutes ago. "She was his cousin?" He thought long and hard to himself. "How is that even possible? She looks nothin' like the guy."
Cringing at the thought of such a beautiful girl, looking like his moronic friend, Kevin instantly clears that horrible sight and scenario out of his mind.
It wasn't worth the threat of vomiting in the long run, really.
Turning yet another corner towards their destination, Kevin quickly notices a bright yellowish glow in the corner of his eye, and before he had any time to react, the said bright glow collided with his beloved green challenger. "SHIT!" Kevin screamed out, as the vehicle began to sway uncontrollably against the black top located beneath the car's tires, burning the rubber as his foot clamped down on the breaks, while trying to gain control once again of his precious ride.
Gwen flew instantly to the floor, while Ben's head crashed into the glass window, causing it to break on contact.
"What the heck is going on!" Ben bellowed out in fear, while placing his hand against his throbbing head.
"Does it look like I know! " Kevin screamed back, his knuckles turning white against the steering wheel, as he was trying to avoid all the yellow flashing like bombs that were suddenly attacking them. "I'm just trying not to get us all killed!"
Gwen slowly rises up off the floor of the car, her forehead bleeding from hitting one of the pieces of Kevin's alien tech that had been lying beneath her feet. Seeing the boys' distress, she leans forward, setting herself between the two guys. "Both of you need to just calm down!" She cried out, as she fell to the side once more by Kevin's sudden spastic, driving. "None of us are going to solve anything by being at each other's throats!"
"Gwen." Kevin bellows out, his eyes widening in concern for her, he didn't know why, but, he was suddenly worried for her. "Your head? Are you alright?" He chokes out, placing his free hand against the front of her scalp.
"I'm fine." She shortly replies. "Right now, we need to concentrate on getting out of here alive."
"Working on it!" Kevin said, now taking his hand of the girl, bringing it back to the steering wheel, while swerving forcefully to his left, trying to avoid more of the liquid like fire bombs.
"Work faster." Gwen said, taking in a sharp shallow breath. Ben turned to look at her, and followed her gaze out the back window. The hero's eyes instantly widened with fear on what he saw just behind them. "Um.. K-kevin?" Ben stutters under his worried tone. "I think we have company."
"What?" Kevin tightens his brow, as he looked into his review mirror. "What the hell!" He sighs, his own eyes, now widening in disbelief. "What Is that thing!"
"It looks to me like a really big, giant, glowing, um, bug type thing, that can shoot fire balls with acid?" Ben rhetorically asked, while griping the handle just above his head, trying to gain some ground, so he could avoid yet another blow to the face.
"Yeah. I can see that!" Kevin growls out, dodging another ball of acid fire. "So, how do we get this giant pest of our backs?"
Ben reaches for the dial on the ultimatrix, searching for the alien that he wanted for the task at hand. "I'd say, when you're dealing with someone who's all fired up in a self loathing temper tantrum, it's time to give them a chance to 'chill' out, and relax." He smirks at the older man, smacking the dial down. "BIG CHILL!" He proclaimed as he flew out the passenger side window.
"Lame." Kevin shouted out, shaking his head in disappointment, as he watched Ben exit the hunted down green challenger. "I've heard way better."
"Let me see if I can help Ben by slowing the thing down." Gwen spoke up, as she rolled the back window down, putting her head and torso through it, while the sound of the glass opening brought Kevin back to the fight they found themselves getting into.
"Oh, right." Kevin rolls his eyes at the girl. "And what can you do to stop it, princess?" He half jokingly said, looking into the side view mirrors of his car out of habit, as he notices that the hero was starting to run out of steam. "It looks like Ben's even having a hard time-"
Suddenly, Gwen's delicate hands began to glow a magenta, bright flashing light. To the ex-con, it seemed as if the said glow magically flowed effortlessly from her finger tips. The whole thing to him, was just intoxicatingly amazing, and without a shadow of a doubt, beautiful. Moving his eyes back and forth between the road, Gwen, and Ben with the large bug like creature, Kevin couldn't help himself, but to be drawn in by her, very intrigued with her glowish pink powers.
Gwen fired off a couple of rounds at the creature. Its' glowing outer red shell seemed to be protecting itself from all of her booming manna attacks. "I'm not even making a dent into the thing!" She cries out, bringing half her head back inside the window. "Kevin, stop the car!"
"What? No!" Kevin retorted back, pushing his gas pedal harder to the floor. Ben wasn't getting very far with the beast, and the damn thing was getting to close for his comfort. Anybody in their right frame of mind wouldn't just heed all driving during an alien invasion. There was absolutely no way was he going to stop now.
"Do it Kevin, now! I've gotta go and help, Ben!" Tears started to form into her eyes in fear for the ice blowing hero. "He's weakening out there all on his own! He needs me… You.. All of us!"
Kevin saw her eyes widen in desperation, and without so much as another argument, Kevin stops the car, spinning it just a few feet to the right of the burning red monster. Gwen, without any hesitation, fled out of the back seat of Kevin's car, and began firing all that she had to try and bring the creature down.
Kevin quickly absorbed the elements from his car, forming one of his arms into a long, sharp and slender sword. Letting out his signature battle cry, he joins the newest member of their teams' side, trying desperately to bring the big ugly thing into submission.
"Nice of you to join us, Kevin." A raspy voice called down to the osmosian.
"Yeah, yeah." The raven haired man retorted rolling his eyes. "So, how do we beat this thing down, Tennyson!"
"I don't know… Let me think." Big Chill breathed out, as a cool white mist escaped his blue tinted lips. Putting a finger up to his chin in thought, Gwen decided that it was now or never to put in her expert advice onto bringing all of this nonsense, and fighting to a wanting end.
"BEN!" She spat out, throwing more manna orbs towards the large alien bug. "There seems to be a major soft, vulnerable spot underneath the gut of this thing!" She grunts, struggling to keep the monster at bay. Finally she wraps a few tendrils of manna around its' legs, trying with all of her efforts on slowing it down before it had time to reach yet another oncoming, small, innocent town. "I think that if you freeze it." She continues, sweat now dripping off her brow. "Then Kevin can use his extended arm, and bust the stomach open, dropping the thing dead on contact!"
Kevin and Ben nodded in unison, agreeing with the red head that this plan of her's just might actually work.
Following the girls instructions to a "t", Kevin and Ben still struggled to bring the giant insect to its' knees. One last stitch effort though, was all that the team had left in strength, and in energy to finally put this fight of theirs to one over exhausting end.
Big Chill refroze the creature once more, while Kevin had to continue to duck and dodge the acid like arsenal coming from the creature's elongated mouth, before he even got close to the undercarriage of the large alien from space. Finally reaching the belly of the beast, Gwen frees one of her hands, and makes manna filled steps for the Osmosian to walk up on. Getting as close as he could without falling off the manna based stepping stools, Kevin arches back his green tinted arm, and forcefully pushes the sharp edge into the abdomen of the creature.
On feeling such tremendous pain from the attack, the oversized bug began to thrash its' large prickly legs into the air, kicking an unknowing Big Chill to the ground, while screeching an unbearable high pitched howl into the warm, afternoon air.
Gwen tried to stop Ben from falling, but to no avail. The cool blue alien fell to the ground with an unstoppable 'thud', causing Ben's watch to automatically time out, as the huge fire breathing bug began to fall in its' own deathly demise.
Kevin and Gwen rushed to Ben's side. Gwen swiftly brought up a pink colored shield over them for cover, trying desperately to keep the acid like liquid that had fallen out of the beast's cut open stomach from burning them all alive.
In the end, Kevin couldn't help but secretly stare in awe at the girl. The Osmosian had become very impressed with the newest member of their team.
Kind of long.. But… Eh, I hope you enjoyed this new chapter! Seriously though, I don't even know I managed to get all of this done in one go. :D
Anyways, please leave a sweet little review?
Laughs to the people,
The Spoon. :D