Ben10 & Digimon Tamers
Heroes and Humanity
Part 02: Humanity and Heroes
Another Myself – Chapter 86 Part 1
Originally Written: Wednesday, October 4, 2017 649PM to Thursday, October 5, 2017 550PM
A/N: I watched very few episodes in Arc 5 & Arc 6 of Ben 10 Omniverse. By Arc 4 I couldn't stand how terrible the plots in the episodes were, and realized it was not going to get better. I could not stand only 2 episodes out of every 10 not being...entertaining... anymore. So, slight apologies if this Arc of H&H isn't up to quality for you.
Also, thank you for reading, reviewing and following me and my stories! It really makes my day!
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Albedo, Jenrya, Ryo, Rika, Terriermon, Renamon and Monodramon looked around confused. Around them various creatures Albedo recognized as aliens walked around what looked like a large shopping center taking care of their daily needs. Albedo took a tentative step back. Houses of various shapes and sizes littered the spaces between the shops and markets. All of the buildings were various bright colors. Many of them appeared to have been made of some kind of metal.
Though there was no sun, a soft breeze did flow through the area, though Albedo couldn't discern if it were the people passing them by or the natural air in the area creating said wind.
"What happened?" Rika looked at Renamon. Albedo wasn't sure if she knew she was holding Ryo's hand tightly, but he knew well enough not to tell her.
"I heard something metal bang together." Terriermon spoke from his perch on Jenrya's shoulder.
"Something pushed Paradox." Albedo commented. He gripped the handle of his bag tightly. "I didn't see what it was though. It moved too quickly." He looked around, working to quell the tightness building up within him. He lightly pressed his free hand against the bandages hidden underneath his new black long sleeve shirt.
His old jacket and clothes were neatly folded in his bag. Paradox didn't recommend leaving anything they brought with them behind when they left. In some morbid act, the clothes had been laundered. The blood stains wouldn't ever come out, but they were not as prominent as before. He supposed it didn't matter. He had no intention of keeping these items once he got home.
When Paradox had learned that he and Ryo were up and walking around, albeit a bit slowly in Albedo's case, he brought up the topic of leaving once more. The others hadn't agreed, but Ryo and Albedo had. Monodramon also said that it was best. It had taken some time to convince everyone else, but they had. Albedo quickly spun them around with his words, so he liked to think. In the end, they had packed up their items, and said their goodbyes.
"Eon," Monodramon spat out in a raspy growl. "His stench wafts off him like death on rotten meat."
"And now I've lost my appetite," Terriermon replied in a whine.
"Great." Jenrya spoke, voice deadpan. "What, was he waiting for us to leave?" He looked around, turning full circle.
"It is possible." Renamon chimed in her two cents.
Rika placed a hand on her hip. Without any other words or actions, Renamon disappeared into the shadows.
"I have no idea where we are now," Ryo folded his arms. "At least we can breathe the air." He ignored the look Jenrya was giving him. "Any ideas..."
Albedo looked at Ryo looking at him. He knew his red eyes were wide. Both of his hands tightly gripped his bag like a lifeline. He breathed in quick breaths that hurt his injured frame. He vaguely remembered the doctors telling him to not breathe like that and to rest.
"Al?" Ryo stepped towards him.
Albedo shook his head. "I cannot be here."
"What?" Rika asked, "Why not?"
"I-I cannot be here." He repeated, his body shook as he took a few steps back. Jenrya quickly grabbed his wrist. Jenrya ran a thumb against the back of his hand. He didn't find it soothing.
"Where are we, Al?" Ryo looked at him.
Why were they all looking at him? They were going to attract attention to him. Then he'd wind up- He swallowed thickly. "Look somewhere else. Anywhere else." He snapped as he shrunk into himself. His eyes darted around like little mice trying to find an exit. "If he sees me, he'll kill me."
"Eon?" Rika questioned.
His eyes looked at her for a moment. She frowned in confusion.
"No." He snapped. "Tennyson." The name felt like sandpaper and tasted like blood on his tongue. He felt like he just incurred the wrath of a God for speaking in tongues he didn't understand. He shuddered. His legs felt as though they would not hold him up much longer. Green eyes haunted him in his mind.
The group went silent for a few moments. Various aliens went about selling and buying their wares as though there was nothing to be gained from watching them. Albedo struggled against Jenrya's hold.
"Shhh." Jenrya held him in a hug. "Shh. It's okay. He's not here."
The look on Ryo's face told him otherwise.
"He's not here. Juggernaut isn't detecting him." Jenrya spoke softly in his ear.
"He'll show up. He will. He's always here." His eyes continued darting around as he continued pushing on Jenrya's frame.
"Is this Undertown?" Ryo questioned.
Albedo jumped in reflex at the area's name. He watched Ryo look around. How in the world could he be impressed right now!?
"Wow, it's changed a lot..."
"He's gonna find me."
"No. No he won't."
He shook his head, and caught Jenrya off guard. He shoved him hard enough to make him let go. He sprinted off in the opposite direction. He heard footsteps behind him, as he ran. They should be running with him. If he found him, he was going to beat them all to a pulp. He circled around a corner, and nearly knocked into an alien pushing a food cart.
"Sorry!" He heard Jenrya call in Japanese.
A small part of him wanted to tell Jenrya that Undertown was in America, but it got overruled by the part telling him to flee. He ignored Juggernaut warning him about the risk he was taking by pushing himself this much after his injuries. He ignored the pain, and just pushed himself further. He could take this. He could not take Tennyson cutting off his head.
"I'm so bored."
He skidded to a halt, stumbling onto his own two feet. He pressed himself flat to the side of a cold metal building of a small department store selling all sorts of wares, including sheets that claimed to make themselves on the bed.
"You say that as if you want him to show up?"
He wrapped his arms tightly around himself. He slowly took a few steps to the left, back towards the way he came.
"At this point," a male yawned loudly and dramatically, "I'd take anything."
"No." Albedo murmured, "Don't walk this way."
As if the universe itself was joking with him or something, Juggernaut took this moment to speak to him, 'Ben Tennyson detected. No current threat detected.'
Albedo did not believe that for a moment. He stumbled over, and fell into a large box of sheets. A staff member, a female Florauna (Wildvine), tried to shoo him away with a broom that kicked up dust and pollen. Albedo stumbled out the box and removed the pillowcase from his head. He placed it down gently, worried about the pillowcase making some kind of noise. He sighed softly. He looked at the Florauna and smiled a very strained smile as he slowly backed away. He ignored the few aliens giggling at him as he passed by.
'Ben Tennyson directly to your left.'
Albedo sharply turned his head. He took a few moments, brain and body both frozen in surprise, to take in this Tennyson's black shirt with green stripes, brown pants, and green and white sneakers. He looked at that dark brown hair, styled similar, yet different than his own. Tennyson's green eyes looked at him with surprise and confusion, before narrowing.
Albedo stumbled as he turned around and started to run. A hand grabbed his wrist. He instinctively hauled his other elbow back. He heard Tennyson mumble out an "My nose!," as he fled down the street back the way he came.
He sharply turned a street corner, knocking into an alien kid gingerly sipping on a smoothy. He heard voices shouting behind him, but ignored them. His injuries pained him as he pushed himself faster. His heart beat quickly in his chest.
'Albedo!' Jenrya called to him in his mind.
A rush of words filled his mind, as he worked to convey his thoughts to Jenrya. It came out as a mess he couldn't make much sense of. Worry and concern filled him, filling him along with his own mess of fear and loathing and the utter unwillingness to stay. Where was this dumb town's exit!?
He leaned up against an old abandoned building, breathing heavy. He felt blood running down his stomach and soaking into his shirt, ever so slowly. He fell to his knees, and then sat down on the stone floor. Did it even make sense to run. Even if he did, he'd just wind up in Bellwood, and then Tennyson's lackeys would attack him. It would be just as bad and then some as in those dreams.
He ran a hand through his hair. He pushed himself to his feet. He thought of Jenrya stuck down here with Ryo and Rika. He didn't think either of them knew where they were well. He clenched his fists, mind made up.
He looked around him taking a few turns in place. Juggernaut didn't detect anything, or decided to tell him it didn't. He fixed his clothes, and his bag. He took in a deep breath, and walked off. He wasn't wearing red, so the biggest things he had to worry about were his hair and his eyes. He melded into the crowd as he walked, working to make himself seem like just another face.
He grabbed the least gaudy hat he could from a stand when no one was looking. He looked at the red hat he had grabbed, holding it up with shaking hands. He frowned and hung the item off of a woman's baby carriage when she wasn't looking. He swore someone was looking at him and laughing their confident backsides off.
'Where are you?' Jenrya asked, his voice sounded faint.
He couldn't tell Jenrya even if he knew. He was too far away and not skilled enough at mental conversation to make it work from this distance. His D-Terminal buzzed in his bag. He looked around. When he deemed it safe he looked at the device.
'A crapton of Plumbers just lost their shit. Something has them on edge. Stay out of sight.' - Ryo
He decided to move to a higher vantage point. He climbed on the roof of a shorter building with ease. He traversed the rooftops as though he had done so all his life. Considering his originally short stature, and all the planets and buildings on Galvan Prime that had to accommodate taller species, he supposed he had.
'Ben Tennyson detected.'
He pulled his foot back and hid behind a much taller building. He knelt on the roof of the shorter building he was on.
"Mr. Tennyson, sir!" The plumber was loud even among all the other noises in the surrounding area. "Are you alright?"
"I'mmmmm fine." Tennyson slurred.
Albedo risked taking a peek. Tennyson shook ever so slightly. It was only noticeable if you were looking for it.
"What the heck kind of weapon was that?" He slurred once more, though much less than when he first spoke. He watched Tennyson shake his head, and then his arms. As though he were waking up his limbs and shaking away the cobwebs in a mind that couldn't think as well as usual. He went silent for a moment.
Albedo's eyes widened.
"Psh." Tennyson waved a hand. "You expect me to believe some weird guy with a gun aimed at me?" Tennyson held his hands out in front of him, "It's Albedo."
Albedo narrowed his eyes, and clenched his fists.
"Most people drink coffee or a smoothy with their breakfast. Him? He drinks a cup of 'being a public nuisance'." Tennyson was loud, despite whatever effect the attack on him had.
'I had a glass of water this morning, for your information.' He mentally snapped. 'It was all the doctors would let me drink.' A scowl set firm on his face.
Tennyson suddenly shuddered, and looked around.
His eyes widened, and he slid down the roof as quietly as he could. He somehow made it to the next roof just as quietly. He heard Tennyson speaking to the plumbers. A tall male Albedo recognized as a Revonnahgander ran up to Ben, holding an oddly shaped gun. It looked like a standard plumber weapon, but the colors and shape seemed to be wrong. Albedo recognized the male as Rook after he spoke, though his voice sounded off as well.
"It is just... That Albedo seemed off."
"It's Albedo." Ben continued, as though that was all the explanation needed.
"He looked too old." Rook shook his head.
"It's Albedo." Ben emphasized. It took Rook some time to convince Ben, but they decided to keep diligent watch in case Albedo showed up, instead of blindly chasing after what they could not find.
Albedo moved for a while, barely taking in his surroundings. He finally decided to get off the rooftops when his vision went blurry for a moment, and he nearly slipped. He slid off a relatively shabby orange metal rooftop with occasional bits of rust on it.
He almost ran into a group of plumbers, but managed to evade them, because they didn't seem to be as well trained. It was exactly as Ryo had told him. Something had the Plumbers on edge. He peeked out of the cardboard box he was sitting in, ignoring the spiders and whatever else may be in it with him. He touched a finger to his chest and winced.
He frowned, knowing he had pulled a stitch or two in his panic. He ran his hands through his hair. His heart only now deemed it safe to not race as though he were running a marathon.
'Jenrya?' He slowly climbed out of the box. A part of him thought about a time where he would have never imagined hiding in a box of all things.
'Henry Wong is out of range.'
He closed his eyes for a moment. He looked around, taking in his surroundings. The buildings here weren't as well made as the ones back where he had been were. Maybe they had been at one point, but were neglected and now in need of maintenance. A few people walked around, paying no attention to him. Their clothes and style of dress varied wildly and the cloth not quite as pristine.
Albedo looked in a random direction and started walking. The buildings looked different, yet more familiar than this Undertown's more crowded, booming business section. He took deep heavy breaths as he walked slowly, looking around. His muscles burned, and his head pounded loudly disrupting his thoughts.
He saw a metal bench off to the side on the black sidewalk. He took a seat next to a Necrofriggian. At least, it looked like a Necrofriggian... kind of. This one was still blue, as Necrofriggians normally were, but this one had a large upper body, as a bodybuilder or wrestler would. Their cloak of wings looked more jagged, the edges sharp and unrefined, as it wrapped around them. It almost seemed to hunch over in their seat, as though their back was bad. Albedo had a feeling it was more that that was just the way their body was shaped.
He rested his back against the back of the bench. Green eyes speckled with bright teal looked at him curiously. Albedo brushed a few gray strands of hair out of his eyes. He held his bag tightly against his body. He closed his eyes, as people passed him by.
The Necrofriggian next to him gently patted his head a few times.
Albedo looked up at him. Something told him he knew this alien, even with how different they seemed.
"You are hurt." They spoke softly, their voice deep and raspy. They looked at him with their large eyes, and smiled an awkward odd-looking smile, as Necrofriggians tended to do.
Albedo looked away, refusing to confirm or deny the statement.
The metal bench creaked as they stood up. They gently picked him up, holding him as though cradling a child. Their large wings hung behind them, like hanging drapes on the line. He closed his eyes, and curled up on himself. He gently pressed his hands to his chest, a small smile on his face.
"Fridge?" Albedo whispered.
The Necroffrigian hummed a small tune. His voice was deeper and raspier than what Albedo was used to, but it was nice all the same.