I hope everyone had a wonderful New Years party! I wouldn't know, since I'm still dead and all (what, you forgot that I died over Thanksgiving? Wow, hurtful). On an unrelated note, Hades is actually way nicer than most people portray him, though he has anger management issues.
My new digs aside, I have some people to thank as usual. They may be the same people, but they still deserve the thanks they've earned.
DJ Rodriguez is definitely the brains behind this operation. I seriously wouldn't have progressed this far without his help. I should really start paying him.
As usual, Sallem Cortez 004 is handing me ideas on a silver platter. And despite me stretching their idea out for at least three chapters, it still works! Give them a hand!
As always, comment, review, suggest, and request below!
Onwards!
"Time to beat a hasty retreat," Four Arms announced, holding the lamp tightly in one hand. Toralei and Clawdeen rolled their eyes and slunk out of the set of doors, the Tetramand following after making Kuphulu would be down for the count. The trio turned right, retracing their steps a ways and taking out any guards they came across before coming to a crossroads. Down one hallway, Clawdeen picked up the sound of claws scrabbling on the hard, stone floor. Down another, Toralei picked up the heat signatures of more guards. The final hallway, the one in front of them, seemed clear enough; the trio took that one after firing a few rounds down the other hallways.
Four Arms pumped his arms, tightening his grip on the lantern in his hand; he could not afford to lose it and leave Gigi to suffer more after rescuing her. He simply refused to fail the mission, fail Twyla and the Rebellion, and fail Gigi; in short, he didn't now the meaning of the word 'fail', despite what some people told him. They came to a set of doors, and from the information Toralei managed to gather, it led outside. With a grunt, Four Arms punched down the heavy set of doors with a solid punch of two fists, cold wind blasting them in the face and snow quickly piling up inside. As if things weren't bad enough, a blizzard had struck while they were inside.
"Screw it," Four Arms cursed and pushed out into the flurry, Toralei and Clawdeen behind him. The snow had begun to pile up on the walkways between the towers, several surprised guards wading as fast as they could towards them. Yelling, Clawdeen drew his pistols and shot a quick round of bullets into a mutant Aerophibian that had managed to fly over to them in the high winds. More guards were approaching from in front of them, some of them waving spears and others simply using their natural abilities. A Corrodium infected human lunged at Four Arms and pinned him to the ground, snapping its jaws at his head until the Tetramand managed to stand up and throw it over the side, the dying screams of the mutant as it tumbled down the mountainside music to his ears.
A Necrofriggian with torn wings and long, spiked tail leaped at Toralei, earning a throwing knife to the heart. The were-cat then threw the carcass behind her, bowling over a dozen guards that had managed to sneak up behind them in the hallway. Toralei swung her mace-tipped tail and smashed it into the skull of what could have once been a squirrel. That is, if squirrels were the size of dogs and has gigantic teeth. The trio were becoming surrounding, brave or stupid Lepidopterran and Aerophibian guards covering from the air and a variety of mutants covering from the ground. Four Arms glanced around wildly, looking for an escape route of any kind. With little options left, he roughly grabbed Clawdeen and Toralei by the back of their shirts and promptly jumped over the side of the wall, plummeting towards the snow covered mountain below.
"Are you crazy!?" Toralie yelled.
"No, I'm saving our butts from both the guards and the avalanche you just caused." Four Arms grumbled as he pulled Toralei and Clawdeen over his shoulders, just before he landed feet first on a large slab of ice that jutted out from the mountainside. The slab broke off with the trio still on it as Clawdeen glanced behind to not only see several brave Aerophibians following them, but approximately fifty-two tons of freezing, cold, and very heavy snow rushing at them at in impossible speed. The castle quickly disappeared behind the oncoming wave of snow as Four Arms glanced behind him, freaked out a bit, and pushed off with one of his feet, riding the slab of ice like a snow board down the mountain.
"Try to keep it steady so I can deal with our unwelcome hitchhikers!" Clawdeen instructed the Tetramand, as they shot off a ramp of ice covered rock and sailed through the air a little ways. The werewolf took the opportunity to fire off several rounds from her guns at the mutants, dots of greenish blood appearing over a couple of them before they dropped to the ground and were consumed by the avalanche.
"Woo-hoo! Yeah!" Four Arms whooped as they came crashing back down, landing on the slab of ice once more. Now getting into the hang of things, the Tetramand began to do simply tricks, which proved to actually be useful when dodging neuroshock blasts from the Aerophibian's eyes and tails. He quickly served right and went off another incline, gripping the slab with his arms and doing a barrel roll in midair while the ghouls screamed at the sudden maneuver. Four Arms quickly righted himself just as they came back down, thoroughly frightening the ghouls witless.
"Never. Do. That. Again." Toralei hissed, quickly turning around and throwing a knife into an Aerophibian's chest.
"Aw, come on! Lighten up a bit!" Four Arms replied.
"We're being chased by mutant guards and an avalanche of mass proportions!" Clawdeen argued.
"Fine," Four Arms grumbled. "Just after this jump!"
"What!?"
"YEE-HAW!" Four Arms roared as they rocketed off another jump and soared through the air again, much higher than the last few times they had jumped. While the Tetramand seemed thrilled at this, the ghouls seemed less than happy about it, digging their claws into Four Arm's skin as hung on for dear life. As they suddenly began to plummet back down to earth, Four Arms slapped the Omnitrix on his belt, nearly squishing Skurd as the familiar green light washed over him and worked its magic.
"Seriously!? Now!?" Toralie screamed. Ben ignored her as he was briefly returned to human form and injected with another set of alien DNA.
His wrists bloated to the size of basketballs, his fingers reduced to black claws as the blubber from his hands traveled up the length of his arms, expanding and growing and swelling to massive proportions on his shoulders. His belly suddenly exploded outwards, and it would have been funny had they not been plummet towards some very hard ground. His legs became short and stubby, his toes becoming bony and sharp, reduced to claws like his fingers had been. Hard plating began to pile itself up on his shoulders and his expanding hips, his entire back becoming covered in the durable armor that could withstand almost anything. His head became round like a beach ball before muscles and skin melted his face into his chest, his neck disappearing altogether. Black stripes and coloring formed over his pure white body, the armor turning yellowing as it formed on the back of his hands and shoulers. The final transformations were the sudden flexibility of his spine and the addition of the Omnitrix and Sjurd on his chest, a little ways below his wide mouth.
"How this thing supposed to help!?" Toralei cried as the ground came closer and closer.
"You haven't ever heard the saying "Don't judge an alien by its cover"? I thought you of all people would remember that after the Toepick Incident!" Cannonbolt argued.
"Don't bring that up!" Toralei shot back as the Arburian Pelarota grabbed Clawdeen and Toralei from his shoulders and shoved them onto his stomach, handing Clawdeen the lamp for safe keeping. "Hang on! This could get weird!" he grumbled.
"Everything about this is weird!" Clawdeen cried. Cannonbolt ignored her and instead curled up on himself, wrapping his arms over his head and bend his legs back, turning into a perfect sphere protected entirely by impenetrable armor. The ball slammed into the ground before bouncing up and coming back down again, shooting off of the ground at high speed across the frozen tundra as the avalanche gave a final roar and stopped at the base of the mountain, its rein of terror over.
The yellow sphere rolled across the ground for a couple miles as fast as it could before coming to a stop and uncurling itself, Cannonbolt lying on his back and breathing heavily as the girls got up and stretched themselves out.
"Ugh, it smells awful in there!" Clawdeen complained, pinching her sensitive nose shut and waving a hand in front of her face.
"That's what Rex said, but he thanked me later," the Arburian Pelarota rumbled as he heaved himself back up onto his legs, the green light washing over him and returning him back to normal form.
"Who?" Skurd wondered.
"A story for another time," Ben answered. "We better get back to base before Bandage Face sends out scouts." He then turned on the Omnitrix and cycled through his aliens before coming across the one he desired and slapped the activation button. The green light washed over him for a second time and began to change his DNA. His skin turned black and blue, forming racing stripes and sharp arrows as sharp spikes popped out of his slightly more muscled arms. Two large horns that formed a sort of mask sprouted from his face, curving backwards as a light layer of fur covered his body, finishing off the transformation.
"Fasttrack!" he cried. He quickly scooped up Toralei and Clawdeen threw them on his shoulders. The ghouls quickly wrapped their arms around his neck as the Citrakayah picked Gigi's lamp up from the ground and cradled it in his hands. He quickly assumed a pitcher's stance, as if he were going to throw something, and raced across the frozen desert, leaving nothing but a black and blue after trail of him.
Twyla bit her lip as she waited impenitently outside of the base, wrapped in a white parka ringed with white fur. She knew it was risky waiting out in the open with no back up, but she already concerned about what was happening to Ben. What had happened in the med bay after Lagoona's death? Why was it that she, Spectra, and Skelita all saw something different that horrified only them, and then Abbey didn't seem affected by it? The yeti hadn't said a word after the encounter, and generally ignored any questions asked about the subject. Twyla pushed the thought aside when she heard a dull boom off in the distance. She shielded her eyes with her hand as she peered into the distance to see a black and blue blur speeding straight towards her without slowing down.
"Move! I can't stop!" was all Fasttrack cried as he neared the base. Twyla quickly dove to the side as Toralei and Clawdeen released their hold on the Citrakayah, rolling and tumbling in the snow for a bit before stopping. With a yelp, Fasttrack slammed against the doors to the base, apparently stuck to the surface of the doors until Twyla was kind enough to peel him off. Rubbing his aching skull, the Omnitrix deactivated and returned Fasttrack back to Ben.
"Somebody get the number on that truck . . ." he mumbled before giving his head a shake and standing up, brushing snow of him as he wobbled slightly. Twyla smiled and led him into the base after he picked up Gigi's lamp, Toralei and Clawdeen right behind them. "How is Gigi?" the Rebellion leader asked. Ben filled her in on what had happened and her expression turned from happy to worried to vengeful.
"On the bright side of things, we might be able to find Whisp before Zs'Skayr does," Ben said, trying to sound happy as they made their way to the med bay. Ghoulia met them at the the door and took the lamp from Twyla's hands, allowing her and Ben to follow her in. Lagoona's body had been removed from the bed she had died in, Frankie still asleep in her bed; Ghoulia reassured Ben that she would wake up soon. The trio walked over to an hospital bed next to Frankie and Ghoulia rubbed the lamp with her weary, gray fingers. A bright light filled the room, blinding all those who were awake for a few brief moments before dying down to reveal Gigi slump over the edge of the bed, her head resting on the sheets as Ben hefted the rest of her onto the bed.
Ghoulia did a quick once over, wincing at the gaping wounds in her legs. Last time Ben had seen the genie, she had looked worse for wear, but the lamp seemed to have done some good for her; most of the cuts and bruises on her arms and legs were gone and the gaping holes in her ankles seemed to be clotting a bit. Unfortunately when Ghoulia gently forced open an eye, Gigi's pupil's no longer dilated when she shined a small light into them, making her still blind. Ghoulia then finished her examination, she informed Ben and Twyla of Gigi's condition.
"Aaaaaaiiiiiii-eeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaa."
"So she's stuck like this?" Ben guessed. Ghoulia grimly nodded, and Ben cursed.
"Ben, if we find Whisp, we could give Gigi her vision back," Twyla told him. Ben sighed and pinched his brow. "You got a gym in here or something?"
Twyla nodded and gave him the directions and clearance. Normally the gym didn't need any security, but ever since Heath had managed to set fire to a pool filled with water, the gym had been off limits to most of the new comers, specifically Hoodude and Heath for obvious reasons. Twyla watched Ben walk out of the infirmary, apparently needing time to cool off.
Jinafire was used to being in chaotic conditions; living with seven brothers alone was more than enough proof. However, being blasted into the future where your worst enemy had taken control of the entire planet, and the only person who could help set everything right was missing. Unlike most people however, Jinafire had kept calm, meditating about a hundred feet or so above the gymnasium the base used for training exercises, balancing on a beam overhead as she mused. She sucked in a deep breath, keeping her eyes closed as she thought calm thoughts, wisps of smoking curling from her lips as she breathed out. The process of meditation helped deeply calm her nerves, though there was the constant gnawing sensation of fear in her gut. She hadn't managed to contact her family, if they even existed in the future; Twyla had informed her that they had tried grabbing more recruits for the Rebellion by freeing prisoners at labor camps, but these were rarely successful. The freed monsters would either turn tail and run, hoping to make a better living out on the frozen tundra, or turn right back around and turn themselves back into the came, completely devoid of any hope.
She heard the door to the gymnasium slide open and cracked open an eye to see who had entered; ever since the Pool Incident, security had tightened around the new comers; Jinafire herself had to use her skills to sneak into the gymnasium for some peace and quiet. She looked down to the floor far beneath her to see Ben standing there, obviously bothered by something. For some reason, Jinafire decided to not yet reveal herself Ben, instead deciding to watch him from afar. She watched intently as the watch wearer quietly paced around the floor, holding his aching head with his hands before stopping and turning to walk over to a bench press. He sat down on the bench and removed his black and green shirt, tossing to the floor as he lay back on the bench and grabbed the weight in his hands, lifting it off the bar and beginning to lift it over his head, pushing up and letting the weight push his arms back down, repeating the process in a mind numbing rhythm.
Jinafire realized she was blushing and drooling slightly as she watched Ben work out, mentally slapping herself for acting so foolish. While she loved Ben as a friend, she could never imagine herself actually falling for him. There were however, two factors that pushed against this, the first being that she could take her eyes off of him as he lifted the weight up and down. Her eyes traced over his muscles, watching as they tensed and relaxed with each movement; Ben was actually more muscled than she thought him to be, being well muscled and yet staying lean at the same time, not like some of the boys she had seen back home.
The second thing that contradicted what she kept on telling herself was the dream. She made it a point to herself to always remember any dreams she ever had, as her old master had told her that dreams could and would often give her hints towards present or future problems. Thusly, she remembered the dream she had the night of Cleo's birthday party clearly, as if it had only happened seconds ago. She, a young woman, was married to Ben and with children on the way, baking in constant flame and being tended by both parents. The dream seemed so wrong and bizarre, yet so perfect and lovely it was tearing her apart. In her culture, woman were thought as inferior beings, meant to stay home and take care of the house, children, and husband while the men were off working in the fields or in war, whatever the case may be; Ben had treated her as an equal in the dream, as if she actually meant something.
Sure, she had a bit more freedom than most ghouls back home, growing up in a family with no mother and seven older brothers. If she wanted anything, she had to fight for it, which meant she had a wider range of options than most girls. However, the moment her father had tried to marry her off, she had left home to pursue her dream as a fashion designer, wanting no part in the arranged marriage with a pompous dragon that had constantly belittled her throughout her life. Given any choice at any man in the world, she would have chosen Ben.
But she couldn't. She refused to accept that she was falling for him. While there were parts of her culture she didn't like, she simply flat out refused to fall for anyone without reason. Unfortunately, Ben had many reasons for her to love him. He was kind and charming, seeing everyone as an equal and treating them with the amount of respect they deserved. She was honored to have fought by his side numerous times, and would do it without another thought if only to feel the rush of fighting alongside of him. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and peered down again to see Ben had stopped lifting weights, taking a break on the bench, seemingly chatting with Skurd. She wanted to show herself to him now, but paused when he got up from the bench and walked to the other side of the room. Jinafire had to turn her entire body on the beam to see what he was doing.
He had turned the lights on in that section of the gym, dragging out stuffed dummies that lined one wall and setting them up in a loose square of about nine dummies in all. The young dragon figured he would use the Omnitrix and turn into Humungousaur or Wildmutt and obliterate the dummies without even trying. Instead, Ben got into a fighting stance, raising his fists up and studying the dummies for a moment before leaping forward at the first dummy. Her mind continued to predict that he would suddenly use the Omnitrix at any time, but she was proven wrong.
Ben instead quickly jabbed a fist forward, socking the dummy in the collarbone area before lashing out with a round house kick, actually cutting the dummy in half and surprising Jinafire as he moved onto the next dummy, quickly dismembering it with a thrust to the abdomen area and sweeping the dummies "legs" out from underneath it. He repeated the process with the next few dummies, quickly finishing them off without the use of the Omnitrix. With eight dummies down, Ben turned to the final dummy, looking it over with steely eyes as sweat dripped down his forehead. He sucked in a deep breath and leaped into the air, doing a quick flip before lashing out with a foot, slicing the dummies head off and thrusting two hands forward, blowing the dummy back towards the wall where it fell into a pile of dismembered body parts.
Jinafire had to say she was impressed as Ben wiped his brow; she had fully expected him to use the Omnitrix, and yet he had demonstrated he was fully capable of fighting without it, should the need arise. She recognized several fighting forms from various martial arts, mostly kung fu and judo in this case, though she didn't doubt he knew more. She knew he was capable of fighting in his alien forms, using their natural abilities to his advantage and using surprisingly complicated fighting styles, but never knew he was this good in human form. He could become a master within a few years given enough training and patience.
Ben suddenly jerked his head up and nearly causing Jinafire to lose her balance at the sudden movement. She quickly recomposed herself and gave a friendly wave as her eyes traced over his muscles once more, unable to control herself. She nearly fainted when he gestured for her to come down, though mentally slapping herself for acting some crazed fan. Careful not to show she was too excited, she stood straight up on the beam and jump into nothingness, curling herself up into a ball and then spreading out her limbs, landing on her hands and pushing up to flip and land on her feet; she noticed Ben hadn't moved an inch from his original spot. This made her like him even more; he knew she was fully capable of getting herself down from that height and didn't try to save her. She knew he still would have done had she actually been danger, but the fact that he hadn't tried to save her when she didn't need it was touching. She quickly tried to brush away her flustered cheeks, hoping Ben wouldn't notice.
Of course however, he did.
"You like what ya see?" he lightly joked, flexing his muscles for her with a goofy grin on his face. Jinafire smiled and rolled her eyes, her face turning a darker red.
Ben laughed. "So, what were you doing up there anyway? I'm pretty sure you weren't stalking me."
Jinafire sighed and walked back over to the bench press area, sitting down on the bench and rubbing her temples. Ben walked over with a concerned look on his face and sat down, putting his surprisingly large hand on her small one. "You upset too?" he asked as she looked up at him. She slowly nodded, rubbing her aching temple with one hand, for some reason refusing to use the one Ben's hand rested upon. "I am trained to deal with all sorts of situations and to control my emotions," she began. "However, ever since you have entered our domain, all my training has become meaningless."
Ben was about to speak, but Jinafire continued on. "I never expected to be transported to the future, into a world where my family my no longer exist. I do not hold this against you Ben, but I am unsure of what to do or feel." she sighed. "I . . . I keep having this dream . . ." she started, unsure of whether she should continue or not. Ben gently urged her continue, promising not to judge her for anything she might say. "This dream . . . . you and I are in it . . . . you have won my hand in marriage," she continued on, her voice cracking slightly and her throat feeling unnaturally dry. "We are happy together and . . . . we have a family . . . ." she stopped, unable to continue further on. She normally didn't feel this uncomfortable talking about her dreams, but Ben just seemed to make it more difficult. They sat there in total silence and in near darkness, Jinafire's mind completely blank.
"Was it a good dream?" Ben finally asked.
"Yes." Jinafire answered after a while.
Ben didn't speak after that for a long time, and Jinafire feared she had blown all chances of ever being friends with him or otherwise. "Jinafire, I know this whole experience may be scary for you, and I am well aware that you are not easily frightened. But I swear on my Omnitrix that I will help you get through this and find your family if its the last thing I do," he said. "And I'm not just doing this because I'm a hero; I have a family and friends back home that I miss as much as you miss yours. I don't even know if I can go back or not, and I am literally nothing by a kid with a fancy watch on his wrist without them. They complete me."
Jinafire blinked; she hadn't expected this out of the semi-cocky hero. She had seen him as somewhat invincible to a point, maybe even immortal. It was nearly shocking when she heard about this vulnerably of his; he was incredibly loyal to friends and family, even laying down his own life without a second thought to save them. They really mattered to him, and she only realized until then that he had adapted to the sudden change. He had replaced the friends and family he had lost with the new ones he had made. He had his own family right here.
"I know that you're not a girl who can't defend yourself; I've seen you prove that many times. And I'm grateful for that." he added with a smile. Jinafire smiled too and her face turned red; the compliment, simple as it was, meant the world to her. Her culture did not permit such things for woman or girls, and this meant much to her, especially since she had left her family behind to pursue her dream. Faster then she or Ben process it, she pressed her lips against his, keeping them there for a split second before tearing them away, her entire face red. The kiss, no matter how quick it was, was empowering. She felt refreshed and . . . and . . . actually wanted to do it again. She restrained her however as Ben grinned at her.
"I shall also make a promise Ben," the young dragon said. "I shall promise to help you and our friends through this, through thick and thin, until the darkness has been banished." she promised. "And . . . thank you." she smiled, pulling Ben into a light hug before getting up from the bench to walk out of the gymnasium, leaving a somewhat stunned Ben sitting there to collect his thoughts.
Ben sat there, not quite believing what had happened. He had kissed many girls many times over his time in the Monster High universe, but had never experienced a kiss like Jinafire's; it quick and hot, like eternal fire that danced around inside. While Twyla tasted of the sweet darkness of the shadows and Venus tasted of fresh flowers and of the earth, Jinafire was of the forge, hot and steamy like age old fire, flames that could burn as fast as they could heal.
With a smile on his face, Ben grabbed his shirt and slung over his shoulder, following Jinafire out of the gymnasium.
Things had quickly gone down hill after Ben had left the gym.
He was calmly walking down a hallway towards the showers, when he was suddenly slammed into from the side and tackled to the ground, cold and scaly fists pummeling his body as he struggled to get up. Skurd quickly activated the Omnitrix and cycled through the available aliens before pressing down the activation button, changing Ben's form in a flash of green light.
Muscles quickly piled themselves onto Ben's arms and chest, short, brown feathers sprouting up from his skin to cover them. His and mouth melted together like butter, hardening into a yellow, horny beak as teeth lined them. The feathers continued to cover his body, racing up over his back and stomach, growing on nearly every inch of his body. Ben's wrists and ankles began to harden as thick scales appeared on them, his fingers molding together into three digits. His fingernails grew longer and bigger, becoming curved and black as they turned into talons. His toes all formed together into two long digits, his heel bone grinding against his foot as a third toe popped out behind them, the toenails growing into long talons. A white plume appeared on Ben's head, looking like a Mohawk of sorts as a pair of large, sharp blades grew out from his elbows. Green wrist and ankle guards materialized on his body, as well as a pair of black briefs and green and white striped belt. A green mask fit over his face as a green strap vest appeared on his body, the Omnitrix and Skurd appearing on the vest hooker.
With a bird-like screech, Kickin' Hawk pushed his attacker off of him, bouncing onto his feet and giving the figure a swift kick to the gut, shoving to the ground and pinning them with his talons, holding a fist up to throw down if the person so much as flinched.
"Gil?" the alien squawked. "What are doing, dude!?"
"Avenging Lagoona," Gil growled. "You're the reason she's dead! If you had never come her, she wouldn't be dead! It's all your fault!" he yelled, retching himself free of Kickin' Hawk's grip and slugging him in the face. The alien stumbled back a few feet but quickly recomposed himself, sharpening his blades before rushing forward and delivering a swift roundhouse kick to Gil's head, cracking the glass on the dome slightly. He quickly dodged a punch thrown by the monster and swept his legs out from underneath him, sending him to the floor where he stayed. Kickin' Hawk stood over him with a grim expression on his face, the sound of running feet catching his attention as Twyla, Venus, Jinafire, and Nefera came running into the hallway, quickly noticing the scene before them.
"Ben! What did you do!?" Twyla cried upon seeing Gil's unconscious form on the ground.
Kickin' Hawk hesitated before speaking. "Defending myself . . . Gil attacked me, kept saying that it was my fault that Lagoona died," he explained with some difficultly. Gil's words stung deep and true into him, the Omnitrix timing out as he thought to himself; Venus and Jinafire each grabbed one of Gil's arms and dragged him off to the med bay for a quick check up before they would bring him to Twyla to question. The Rebellion leader and rubbed her aching temples, walking away from the scene with an exasperated tone. Only Nefera remained.
Biting her lip, she tentatively stepped over to Ben, reaching with a cautious hand to touch him. She was still getting used to this "New Nefera" business that she had been trying with mixed results. Most of the ghouls seemed at least tolerate of the new Nefera, but Cleo sure hadn't. She acted as if Nefera had been an imposter, not used to the idea that her sister could even be nice. And now, here in the future, there was no possible way to prove it. Cleo had . . . .
She pushed the thought aside as she gently touched Ben's shoulder to catch his attention. He looked up at her with those same green eyes she had grown to love over the last few months. They were dark green and stormy, full of both wisdom and a carefree spirit, being both responsible and childish at the same time. She hesitated before speaking. "Do you really blame yourself?" she asked.
Ben sighed and began walking away, gesturing for Nefera to follow him. The mummy obeyed, noticing that he was still shirtless; she found it very attractive, but chose to try and hide this from him. Now was the time to help Ben and not oggle over him. "I honestly don't know," Ben began as they turned down a hallway. "What he said was kind of true; if I had never come here, I never would have met Lagoona, got her associated with me, and she never would have been hurt by Zs'Skayr."
"That's not true, Ben." Nefera said stubbornly. "Think about it: if Paradox had never sent you here, Zs'Skayr would have succeeded in his plans, and would have taken over the world. Lagoona could have been killed on the spot, she could have been killed later, she could have even been alive and subjected to a life worse than death. Whatever the reason, you coming here was the best option for her." she told him. "And besides, this is just the future. If we fix the whole Maltruant thing, Lagoona will technically be alive back in past, safe and in one piece."
Ben smiled at the thought; Lagoona would once again live once Maltruant was gone. Somehow, the idea seemed a bit poetic.
"And," Nefera continued, a familiar red blush coming to her face. "I never would have met you if Paradox hadn't brought you here. I would never have become the person I am now, and I never would have . . ." she paused, unable to find the words. Ben smiled and took her hand.
"Never would have been able to do this?" he guess,ed pressing his pale lips to her own cyan colored. Nefera was surprised but quickly leaned into the kiss, letting Ben snake his hand around her waist as she pulled her own around his neck, Ben having grown a few inches taller than her in the past few weeks. Used to being the one in charge, she wanted to take things a step forward and forced Ben's lips open with her own, driving her tongue into his own. She moaned softly as she put her hands on Ben's bare chest, feeling his rock hard muscles on his relatively thin body. She kept the act up, the two making out and swapping spit so to speak for the next few minutes, Ben leaning against to support for their body weights as Nefera directed his hands down to her ass. Ben paused for a second, but Nefera forced him to continue, letting him know it was okay. Ben didn't argue and gently groped her ass, causing the mummy to moan even more. After after a few more minutes of this, they finally parted, their faces red as they embraced each other.
"I love you, Ben." Nefera sighed.
"Love you too, my Jewel of the Nile." Ben smiled.
The med bay doors automatically slid open upon command, a blood red Aerophibian swooping in through the door. The alien was a pair of black briefs and a green strap vest with the Omnitrix on the vest hook. Jetray flew around the room once before hooking his legs on a light overhead, swinging down and hanging upside down like a bat, folding his wings together. He had been called into the med bay a few minutes ago; being on the far side of the base, he had used the Omnitrix to originally try to transform into XLR8 or Fasttrack. Instead, he got Jetray.
The green light washed over him, returning him to his human form and sending him tumbling to the floor where he landed with a loud thwack! Groaning and rubbing his skull, Ben peeled himself off the floor and looked up at Twyla, Ghoulia, and Spectra. "I meant to do that . . ." he moaned, climbing to his feet. Twyla rolled her eye and continued on. "Gigi's awake, Ben." she told him. "And apparently, you are the proud own of 13 wishes."
"Who with the what now?" Ben wondered.
Twyla sighed. "I think it might be better if she explains it to you." Ben nodded and walked over to Gigi's hospital bed, relieved that the genie was sitting up in bed and seemingly looking at him. Her gaze however, was a few degrees off; her eyes blinked, but Ben knew that blinking was practically useless to her now. Ben gently grabbed her hand and she flinched for a second before she recognized the warm touch that flowed up her arm and into the rest of her body; it felt good, but she wasn't ready to tell Ben how she felt. Not yet.
"Ben? Thanks for saving my butt back there," she sighed with relief, holding her head slightly with her other hand. She was fine, really, but ever since the incident that cost her her sight, she would occasionally get headaches that could go on for hours at a time before ending, only restart minutes afterward. "I'm sure Twyla's told you already." she continued on, Spectra absentmindedly floating around the ceiling above her, twiddling her thumbs. "Since you returned me to the lamp, it's kind of locked onto your touch; until you've used up all 13 wishes, you are my Finder."
"What happens if I use all 13 wishes?" Ben asked.
"Either me or Whisp will return to the lamp, whichever is closest," Gigi explained, her headache gone for the moment. "And that's not the worst part. Once I'm back in the lamp, you won't be able to bring me back out. Once a Finder has used all 13 wishes, they aren't allowed to use the same lamp again, a sort fail safe." Ben pursed his lips at the thought of one of the sisters being pulled back into the lamp, unable to be released.
"Would you like to make your first wish?" Gigi asked.
Ben shook his head, though he doubt Gigi could tell. "No. Not until you're all better at least. Maybe until Ghoulia manages to fix those headaches of yours."
"How did you-"
"It's kind of hard to ignore," Ben admitted.
Gigi nodded, touched that Ben cared that much about her; most of her past wishers had made their first few wishes right away, whether she was feeling alright or not. With a pained sigh, she lay back down and closed her eyes, drifting off back into slumber. Ben set her hand back on the bed and let her rest, following Ghoulia into her lab, the zombie saying she had a surprise for him. Twyla and Spectra left the med bay, attending to other things.
"So what did you want to show me?" Ben asked as Rivet darted out from the shadows, ran up his leg and sat on his shoulder, playfully nibbling on a bolt like a chew toy. Ghoulia led Ben through the maze of tables and inventions, slowing down on her spider legs as they walked past the display case. She really misses running around in that suit, doesn't she? Ben thought, pushing the thought aside for later as Ghoulia stopped at a large lab table towards the back of the lab. Rivet bounced off of Ben's shoulder and disappeared back into the labyrinth of Ghoulia's lab, darting between a stack of messy papers. Ben ignored the sudden movement and looked at what was on the table, nearly collapsing from the sight of it.
There lay Robecca, both her halves welded back together so smoothly, it looked as if she hadn't been damaged in the first place. She clothes were neat and ironed with her copper hands folded over her stomach. The hatch to her insides were open, revealing all of her tubing and wiring. Ghoulia took out a screwdriver and proceeded to tighten a few things inside her before closing the hatch, slipping the shirt back on as Ben covered his eyes; even when she was technically dead, he didn't want to embarrass her. "Ghoulia? Did you do it?" Ben asked in a shaky voice. "Is she fully repaired?"
"Eeeeh!" was the reply.
"Well, how do we boot her back up?" Ben asked eagerly.
"Aaaaaiiiiiii-yyyyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh." Ghoulia moaned, a smirk on her face.
Ben cocked an eyebrow. "Is that how it really works, or are you pulling my leg?" he asked skeptically.
Ghoulia jerked her head up and down, perhaps a little too quickly. Ben narrowed his eyes but shrugged it off; if it was the only way, then he wouldn't hesitate to do it. He sucked an a deep breath and realized that his palms were sweaty, his nerves grating. Was Robecca really fixed? Even if she was, would she remember her past, her friends and family? Would she remember him? He then realized he was just psyching himself out and decided to get it over with, ready to have his Copper Beauty back.
He quickly leaned down on the table and smashed his lips against her cold copper lips, putting everything he had into it. He poured every memory, every special moment he had with Robecca into the kiss, similar to how he had recharged Frankie during the raid that had sent them spiraling into this mess in the first place. He soon parted and grimly looked over the copper girl, fearing Ghoulia had been wrong and it didn't work. He was about to leave the lab to go sulk when his eye caught a slight movement in Robecca's fingertips. Slowly, but surely, Robecca's eyes fluttered open and she sat up on the table with a blank expression.
"Robecca Steam is online and fully operational," she said in a monotone voice, devoid of any emotion. Her head twisted to gaze upon Ben, her optical sensors blinking as she studied him with blank eyes, and for a moment Ben believed she had lost her memory when Ghoulia had done repairs on her processor. Robecca's face then split into a grin, and Ben knew he was wrong. He rushed over to the table and scooped up his Copper Beauty and hugging her tight as Robecca embraced, happy to be reunited once more. Ghoulia stood by with a smirk on her face and red on her cheeks.
"You don't mind dating a robot?" Robecca asked.
"Does this answer you're question?" Ben asked, pressing his lips to hers. A massive amount of steam escaped from Robecca's ears, engulfing the lovers and blocking Ghoulia's view as the happy couple made out right then and there, Ben slipping his tongue into her mouth as she did the same. Ben didn't quite know what material Robecca's tongue was, but honestly didn't care. He loved her dearly, his Copper Beauty, and that was all that mattered, that they were together again after so long. Robecca was having the time of her life, having the privilege of seeing Ben's smiling face the first moment she woke up. One moment she had been seeing blackness, and the next was Ben's shining face, with Ghoulia standing in the background of a strange lab, apparently missing her legs; she was sure Ben would explain later. Right now though, all she wanted to do was show the love of her life how much she had missed him. And that was all that mattered.
And there it is! How I am able to post this chapters up so quickly is beyond me. Oh wait, yes I do! Not only to I have awesome and loyal readers like you (yes, you. The very one reading this right now!), but I also happen to be a Tetramand who has perished and spends his free time in the Underworld working on his stories (yes, I'm a guy writing a Ben 10/Monster High Xover. Don't judge!). When one is dead and actually has access to Wifi, the possibilities are nearly limitless, as the Underworld rarely has issues with the internet; Hades makes sure of that.
But enough about my new digs! I should probably begin the pathetic begging for some fan art for this story, but I probably shouldn't. I really shouldn't.
Ah, what the heck.
PLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASE!
There. I think I've humiliated myself enough.
As always, comment, review, suggest, and request below, and I shall have the next chapter out in a couple of weeks!
Hasta Luego!