Ever since receiving the omnitrix, Ben Tennyson had seen many battlefields. So when he and a small battalion of plumbers arrived in the darklands to inspect what had caused the earlier tremors, Ben wasn't entirely shocked by what he saw. A decimated forest filled with fire and shoulder deep craters in the ground was sadly very commonplace, especially where fusions and heroes were involved.
However, what did perplex Ben was the lack of any traces of fusion matter at the clearing where the most fighting had obviously taken place. All the signs of heroes coming to blows with a fusion horde, except for the most damning evidence of fusion activity. In fact, Ben could only find two pieces of evidence that heroes were involved; a few dozen scattered heart pills, and Ed's green windbreaker.
Ben held up the jacket, brow furrowed as he inspected it. The windbreaker was slightly singed at the edges, and was caked in dirt and dust. Thankfully, though, there was no sign of blood on the garment, thus retaining a sliver of hope for the rookie hero's survival. Ben folded up and handed the windbreaker to a plumber. "Get this back to the ship, and use the computer to issue an M.I.A on Edward Alba, Kira Niste, and Samurai Jack," he said.
"Yes sir, right away," said the plumber, who ran back to the ship.
Ben turned back around to inspect the rest of the battlefield, but instead found himself facing yet another plumber, who stopped in front of him, panting heavily. "S-sir," he said, getting back his breath. "We uh, we believe to have found the source of the earlier quakes."
"And?" asked Ben, who helped the soldier stand up straight.
"It, uh, would be easier to show you." The plumber gestured to the way he came from, and Ben followed him to the site.
Ben stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening in sheer awe at what was before him.
A half-mile deep crater the size of four football fields. "What the hell…?" Ben asked no one in particular.
"From what we can gather, sir," said the plumber. "The shape of the crater suggests that something had risen out to shape the hole the way it did. However, whatever had done so has either been removed, or so thoroughly destroyed that not a trace of it remains."
Ben couldn't respond. His mind raced for something to say and came up with nothing. Was it a new fusion weapon? Was a villain testing out a new experiment behind their backs? Either way, he needed help on this. Ben turned back around to the plumber. "Contact the other guides," he said. "Now!"
"And that makes 5 points! You win again, Kira!" said Evelyn Niste, who grabbed Kira's 5 year old hands as the toddler jumped for joy. "You are the queen of horseshoes!"
Kira could only laugh as her mother lifted her into the air and spun her around. This was her home; Haven Heights. Quiet, serene, boring, and utterly perfect for a little girl in no way aware of the chaos of the world outside. It was just her, her mommy and her daddy. This "war" thingy the other grownups kept talking about wasn't real, they were just being stupid, as grownups tended to be.
The laughter was broken, however, when mommy winced in pain, placing Kira down as gently as she could. Evelyn fell onto her butt, grabbing her right leg as she bit down a curse. Kira ran up to her mommy's side. "Your leg again?" she asked.
Evelyn turned to Kira, forcing on a smile for her little girl as she pulled up her pant leg to inspect the prosthetic limb beneath. "Just some pain, don't worry," she said. "Could you runt to the garage and get mommy the crescent wrench?"
Kira nodded fiercely, running as fast as she could into and through the house. Since these pains happened to mommy a lot, the wrenches they used to make the pain go away were just left out on a work bench. Kira grabbed the wrench and scampered back to her mom. But when she got back to the backyard, she saw her daddy, home early from his job, helping mommy up into his arms. "What do you mean they're coming?" she heard mommy ask.
"I mean they're coming," daddy said, sounding awfully scared. Which scared Kira, because if her daddy was scared of something, she knew it was something to be afraid of. "We have to get Kira and get out of here, now!"
"Daddy?" Kira asked, stepping out from behind the door. "What's going on?"
Her daddy rushed up to her, still carrying mommy in his arms. "Kira, I'll explain in the car. I need you to take the wrench to the car and sit and wait for mommy and daddy, okay?"
Kira wanted to argue, demand to know what was happening. But her daddy had his most serious face on, so she knew better. "Okay daddy," she said. She had just gotten back into the doorway when a sound like thunder vibrated past her ears. Kira turned around to look at what caused the sound, but only saw the fabric of her parent's shirts as they tackled her. Then, a white hot pain all across her body. Then, silence.
Kira awoke, dragging herself out from whatever was on top of her. Her eyes were watery from the smoke, her clothes torn to tatters, and her hair completely singed off of her head. Only when her eyes had stopped burning in their sockets, did she realize that the two pitch black objects that were on top of her were once her mommy and daddy, and that the sheer nothingness around her was once Haven Heights.
Kira stared dead-eyed up into the blackened sky, unable to even bring herself to scream…
"Kira! Kira!" The shouting echoing through her ears from outside her mind awoke Kira with a sharp gasp. Kira shot up, her head darting around in panic. She tried moving more, but winced in pain when her wrists met resistance. Kira craned her neck back, seeing cuffs around her wrists, which were connected to the practically shining white wall behind her bed by a thin blue line of energy.
"What the-?" Kira asked no one in particular. Then the memories came rushing back, hitting her like a tidal wave. Oh yeah, she thought to herself, we got our asses kicked.
"Kira!" Came the same shouting from before. Kira turned her head to her right to find Ed, his wrists chained to the wall above his head like her, except that he did not have a bed. To his left was Jack, also chained, but his were much longer than Ed's, allowing Jack to calmly meditate on the ground. Ed's shoulders slumped in relief. "You're okay…" he sighed.
Kira's panic subsided, her head dropping forward to let out a tired groan. "Not for lack of trying on our new friends' parts," she said, rubbing her eyes with her right hand. Kira's eyes shot back open, seeing that her arms, while still cuffed, were now able to move more freely then before. Kira pulled her arm out further, testing the limit of the line. There didn't seem to be one, and Kira got up from the bed and walked over to her friends, the line stretching to give her necessary slack. Kira walked up to Ed and put her hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay, tiny?"
Ed smiled softly down at Kira. "Well, my pride is a bit wounded, but I'm used to that," he said with a small chuckle. Then, with a small buzzing sound, his hands dropped down to his side. Still cuffed, but now free to move around. Ed looked down at his freed hands. "Wait, what?" he asked.
"It would seem these cuffs react to our level of anxiety," said Jack, without even opening his eyes. "Kira, the cuffs kept you restrained while you panicked, and while you were asleep, Ed lashed out at one of the guards who brought us food. Thus, the cuffs restrain you to the wall until you calm down."
Kira looked down at her cuffs, lightly tugging on one. "Lovely," she muttered. Kira looked back at Ed, finally noticing what was around his neck. It was a metal collar, with only one tiny red light at the front. "Ed, did they put this on you?" she asked.
"Not just me," Ed said, lightly touching Kira's neck, bringing her attention to the same collar around her neck. Kira looked at Jack, seeing yet another collar on him.
Kira touched the collar herself. "I hadn't even noticed it," she said. Kira then looked back at her friends, worry breaking out all over her face. "So, what happens now?"
"Now," said Jack. "We wait and see what they do with us."
Of course, the cell the three were trapped in was under heavy and constant surveillance. Tiny cameras hidden in the walls watched their every move like scientists watching rats in a box. And on the other end of these cameras, in a nearby viewing room, the warrior in black, now without his helmet, watched them from over the shoulder of one of his technicians. The warrior's ruby red eyes focused on Kira, watching her with a mix of confusion and intrigue. A tap on his shoulder brought the warrior's attention to another technician, who presented him with a small computer chip. The warrior took the chip and inserted it into a small console on the right gauntlet on his armor. Three button presses later, the warrior opened his mouth, and perfect English poured out. "So many years of gathering dust on a shelf, yet those collars still work like a charm," he said. His voice could best be described as Keith David if he were on testosterone pills.
"We're having the same data synched up to the vocal implants of every armor on the ship," said the technician. "Everyone here should know our prisoners' language inside and out within the hour"
"Excellent," said the warrior. "I will go speak with our guests of honor. They owe us some answers." With that, he turned and walked out of the viewing room.
Kira spent the next hour sitting against the wall between her two friends. Her knees were brought up to her chest, and somewhere along the way, her head had fallen on Ed's shoulder. Not that either of them noticed, being so utterly bored. Ed was fast asleep, his snores echoed through the small cell. This, of course, kept Kira from falling asleep herself. Bless his soul, but Ed slept like a neutered humpback whale.
Just as Kira had finished bleaching that mental image from her brain, the door to their cell opened, and the warrior walked in, stopping just two steps out of the doorway and placing his hands behind his back. Kira quickly shook Ed awake, and the three sprung to their feet. The warrior chuckled, his red eyes drifting between the three. "Slept well, I take it?" he asked.
"So it does talk," Kira grunted, her fists brought up, ready to fight. Kira took this time to get a good look at the warrior's face, now that she could see it. Firstly, he was completely bald, having no hair on his head or his face. Most likely shaved off to accommodate the helmet from earlier. The color of his eyes, while off putting, didn't bother Kira too much. The eyes themselves, however, almost made Kira freeze in place. His gaze carried with it the gravity of an experienced veteran, but the confidence of a younger man. One look at those ruby eyes told Kira that even if they weren't captured, he wouldn't be intimidated by them in the least.
He smiled, scarred lips opening to reveal pearly whites. "Of course," he said. "Apologies for the silent treatment earlier. Until the translator collars were placed on you, no one here knew anything about your language."
Kira's hand ghosted over her collar, So that's what these are. Kira's eyes narrowed at her captor. "Who are you, and what do you want from us?" she growled.
He shrugged. "Now I suppose that is fair, isn't it?" he asked rhetorically. "My name is Abelardus, and I am the captain of this ship, The Heaven's Lament, on which you have been brought as our very special guests. As for what I want from you, it's quite simple. I want answers."
Though Kira and Ed were confused, Jack sighed. "About the pyramid," he said.
Abelardus nodded. "You catch on quick, old soldier," he said. "That "pyramid" as you call it, was a distress beacon, built over a millennia ago by my people. In your language, we are known as the Terrans. The beacon was programmed to only activate when it recognized Terran DNA. So I believe the pressing question is obvious…"
"How did I activate the beacon?" Kira finished, looking down at the hand that had opened the pyramid's doors.
Abelardus nodded toward Kira. "How indeed," he said. "Ms. Kira, I believe? I would like to ask you and your friends some more questions. In private. So if you would please come with me…" Abelardus took half a step forward, holding up a hand for Kira. But Ed stepped in between the two, glaring at Abelardus. Abelardus rolled his eyes. "Did our last confrontation not paint a clear enough picture of where this is going to go?" he asked.
Ed growled. "You. Aren't. Touching. Her," he said through gritted teeth.
Abelardus raised an eyebrow, thoroughly unimpressed. "Oh would you quit your lovesick whining?"
"I'm an Alba. Alba's don't whine-"Ed leapt at Abelardus, arms aimed at his throat. "-They roar!" Abelardus didn't even flinch as Ed flew towards him. Just as Ed was within inches of his target, the cuffs around his wrists violently pulled back, sending Ed back into the wall.
"Some roar," scoffed Abelardus. "You'll find that your powers have been completely negated by your cuffs. These cells were designed to hold Terrans, my boy. And as you've seen, we are no slouches." Abelardus returned his attention to Kira. "So, have I convinced you to come quietly yet?" Abelardus held his hand back up for Kira. Kira glared at Abelardus, but sighed and took his hand. Abelardus gave a curt smile, leading Kira to the door out of the cell.
"Kira!" shouted Ed.
Kira looked back at Ed, forcing on a smile. "Don't worry, I've gotten out of worse than this," she said. "Just cool your jets, and please don't give them reason to kill you."
"I'd listen to her," said Abelardus as he opened the cell door. "The cell you're in? We call it the Long Goodbye. You cause enough trouble, and we eject this cell out into space." Abelardus lead Kira out of the cell, and the door closed behind them.
Ed's cuffs slacked again, and Ed was dropped back on the ground. Ed growled and slammed his fist into the wall, hurting him more than the wall. "Kira is right, Ed," said Jack, who returned to his meditative stance. "We cannot risk confrontation on this ship. We would not survive." Ed's shoulders slumped and he placed his forehead on the wall. "She'll be alright, Ed, I'm sure of it."
"She'd better," Ed growled. If she returned with one hair out of place, he'd tear this stupid ship to pieces.
This war had taken everything else from him. It wasn't going to have her as well.
Kira felt like she was in a noir. Sitting quietly in a dimly lit room, occupied only by a small table and two chairs. About to be interrogated for a crime she apparently committed. Only instead of Bogart, she got psycho alien Spartans.
Lucky her.
Kira distracted herself from her panicking thoughts by focusing on her twiddling thumbs. It wasn't even the interrogation that had her riled up, but what conclusion her captors may end up coming to. This "Abelardus" made it clear that only a Terran could activate the pyramid, so what did that mean for her? Was she somehow a Terran? How was that possible, and what would the other Terrans do with her if that was the case?
The sliding door creaked open, snapping Kira back to reality. Kira looked up to see Abelardus standing on the other side of the table. He sat down, clasped his hands together, and looked her dead in the eyes. "Who are you?" he asked.
"W-wha…?" Kira sputtered.
"Tell me who you are. Start at the beginning, and when you get to right now, stop. Leave nothing out. Even the slightest detail may be important."
Kira fidgeted in her seat. "Abelardus, was it?" she asked. "Do…do you think I may be a…"
"That's what we're here to find out." Abelardus gestured for Kira to continue, keeping his intent stare locked on her.
Kira's lips folded inwards as she felt herself freeze under his stare. Finally, though, Kira sighed, her shoulders sagged, and her head dropped. "Alright, you win," she said. Kira looked back up at Abelardus and laid her folded arms on the table. "I'll tell you my story."