Ben10 & Digimon Tamers

Heroes and Humanity

Part 02: Humanity and Heroes

What Happens in Bellwood... – Chapter 59

Originally Written: Tuesday February 7, 2017 509PM to Thursday February 9, 2017 approx. 200PM

. . . . .

"Where are they?" Henry murmured to himself. A plumber stood next to him, thumbing through a touchpad's program windows. He looked around peering into the small apartment. This one was a few floors below the floor he was staying on. Right now though, no one was inside.

"I was told they were bringing them today." The plumber spoke, voice quiet yet hard. "I hope they weren't pulling my leg."

"I think you rank too highly for that." Henry smiled. He stepped back from the doorway.

The plumber giggled and walked down the hall.

Henry quickly followed. He hoped to get back to Albedo soon. The male was practicing his meditation and he didn't want to come back only to find that he was stuck to the ceiling or something. He shook his head. He wished he could learn more about what Anodites could do, but it seemed even the plumber database, in his case, Albedo himself, only knew so much.

"We're headed to the basement." The plumber said, "That's where Ryo is taking them."

"Change of location," Henry noted.

"Less security down there. Whoever was behind attacking Albedo knew exactly where he was. We're attempting to lessen the chances of that occurring again. Last time he had a squad of plumbers around him at all times."

"A big giveaway of where he was." He shook his head.

"Exactly."

"Dammit."

"It won't happen again Henry." The two entered an elevator.

"I'm not going to let it." He folded his arms and scowled.

"I know it won't." The plumber smiled an amused smile, eyes shining.

"Hmph." Henry looked away.

"You still like him?" The plumber sang as they watched the numbers above the elevator doors light up.

Henry sighed, "Did I ever stop, Jeri?" He lowered his head.

"I wouldn't know." She sang.

"Course not." He huffed.

The plumber tapped her ID mask. "There's five in the lobby. Ryo's already downstairs."

"Alright." He tried not to flinch when Jeri touched his shoulder. She had a firm grip under the guise of this tall male. He wasn't sure if she was doing it to fit in or if it was because she had set the ID mask to alter a few things. Albedo had told him that ID masks were quite versatile when it came to altering one's senses. Even more so with the later, experimental models.

"Haruhi?" A guard questioned as the plumber and Henry stepped out of the elevator. "Thought it was Daichi's day?"

"You know he's not fond of Juggernaut."

Henry flinched. She wasn't wrong about that. Daichi treated him with respect, but Henry did not like standing next to the burly man. He reminded him of one of Trang's friends, Jace. He closed his eyes. Fuck Jace.

"So he let me escort him. Kid needs some space. The technology is making it agitated."

The guard nodded, "Alright then."

"We're headed downstairs. Too hot to go topside."

Henry looked at her, wondering what that meant. She couldn't be talking about the weather, and if there was a threat, he would definitely know about it. Juggernaut wouldn't have it any other way.

The guard waved a hand. The plumber led Henry downstairs. The basement was dark, but somehow not creepy. A few lights hung from the ceiling, not bright enough to illuminate an entire room, but bright enough to make it feel a bit cozy. Then again, considering the circumstances, Henry had no problem with the room more likely because he could see Swamps, Hugh and Fridge disguised as Sean, Humhrey and Frank.

Henry walked up to a male plumber and clapped him on the shoulder.

'Identity confirmed,' Juggernaut spoke to him.

Henry smiled, "Find your way easy, Ryo?"

The plumber snorted, shifting to one leg. A bang of jet black hair elegantly cascaded down over an eye.

Henry almost laughed, but kept it to a grin.

"These stiffs are so paranoid, that'll probably be what ruins the whole thing. Doesn't help that Mr. Green over there keeps forgetting he's a plant, not a tree." The plumber jerked his head towards Swamps, pale skin shining under the lights.

"Can't help with the plumbers, but I'll see if I can calm Sw-Sean down."

"Yea."

"Please tell Terriermon and the others I said 'Hi.'." Henry walked past them, towards the wayward trio of Albedo's friends. He heard a soft, "Sure thing" and smiled as he waved to the small group.

"H-Henry." Hugh shifted and fumbled his hands. "I-is Albedo o-okay?" He looked at Henry.

Henry felt like the male was sizing him up or something. "Yes, he's fine. Just as grumpy as ever." He couldn't see why though. Unless someone had altered his strength behind the mask, he was pretty sure Hugh could smash him into a pancake with one swing of his hand.

"T-that's good." Hugh smiled warmly.

"Wait!" Swamps narrowed his eyes, "You guys saw Albedo already? Without me?"

Henry almost swore he saw steam rising from the male's ears.

"Only once." Fridge rolled his eyes, "And we made fools of ourselves doing it."

Hugh lowered his head.

"You didn't want to be there." The blue haired male shook his head.

"Probably would have gone smoothly if I was." Swamps muttered.

"I-I doubt it."

"No one asked you." Swamps snapped. He turned his head away from the group and clenched his fists.

Hugh smiled sheepishly while Fridge grinned at him, and Henry chuckled.

"Traitors," Swamp muttered. "Why are we down here anyway?" He looked around the large area.

"Because I have some questions that I can't ask around all those plumbers." Henry spoke sharply. He folded his arms. "If I tried upstairs, they'd immediately send me back to my room."

"Hm..." Fridge looked at him, "And what about those two behind you." He almost hissed. He stamped on Swamp's foot before the Methanosian even opened his mouth.

"They're with me. I trust them."

"T-that only t-tells us they're looking o-out f-for you." Hugh fiddled with his hands. "Why s-should we answer anything? N-no one here is f-for us."

Hugh looked at Swamps and Fridge. Both nodded.

"Because you three want to help Albedo, right? That's what all this comes down to." Henry returned Swamps' glare right back at him.

"Is that a threat?" Swamps cracked his currently human fingers.

"Against you, I hope it doesn't come to that. Against Albedo, no." Henry ignored the slight raise in temperature immediately around him. Fire didn't scare him anymore, and it didn't work as a taunt either. Not nearly as much as guilt did. Guilt stuck to you like tar, and took forever to get off of you. At least fire had the decency to either take you down in moderately quick suffering, or scar you and then go away. Guilt was a lowdown dirty piece of shit. Henry scowled. "Right now, I"m more concerned about Albedo way more than anyone else could possibly be."

"I'm taking offense to that." Fridge frowned.

"Feel free. You three have information I need, and I will get it."

Hugh looked at him, eyes shifting and hands fiddling. Swamps glared at him as though that would change his mind or make him back down. Fridge focused on the plumbers behind him; small clouds flowed out of his mouth as he breathed.

"Easy way or hard way." He folded his arms, "Up to you, but know I'm not going away."

"You've got a mean streak in you." Fridge commented.

Swamps kept glaring.

"I think everyone does in some way." Henry looked at Swamps, "The more prudent question is 'When is such a streak justified?'."

The Methanosian sighed audibly, "Alright already! So dramatic." He muttered. Hugh and Fridge looked at him. He nodded and the trio looked at a smiling Henry.

"Whatdya wanna know?"

Henry looked down, and clenched his fists. "What do you know about Cassiopeian Dream Eaters?" He looked up.

"...They latch onto your head, like in those bad horror or sci-fi movies, ya call 'em." Swamps inhaled deeply, "They put you to sleep and make you have nightmares." He shifted his eyes towards Fridge on his right and Hugh on his left.

"W-When you have a nightmare, your body produces chemicals. T-the chemicals a-are what it eats." Hugh pushed his glasses up on his face. "T-they c-could probably g-get it from y-you while you're a-awake, b-but i-it w-wouldn't be s-so easy." The male stuttered.

"One attacked Albedo." Henry looked off to the side, "How did that happen?"

"He was going to use it on Ben Tennyson, take the Omnitrix, hopefully somehow take it off of Ben and then run." Fridge shook his head, "He probably wasn't going to take it off, but I like to think he would have. He messed up along the way, and it wound up on him."

Henry looked at the floor once more. "Could it be what causes his current nightmares?"

"Hell no." Swamps spat, "Those aren't nightmares." He scowled, "They're night terrors. Shit's bad enough he won't even sleep! They know that!" His voice got increasingly loud, "And they just-!"

"Shut it!" Fridge snapped. He shifted his eyes, looking at the plumbers behind Henry.

"T-they know what they did." Hugh glared at Henry.

"But I don't." He replied.

"They'll just use what we tell you to incriminate us." Fridge explained.

"Unless I testify against you in court, I'm not sure that would work." Henry rubbed at his arms, "But I'm not a lawyer. I just want to help Albedo. That's all."

The trio looked at each other.

"He can't go around suffering like this. He's going to wind up sick and die." Henry blinked quickly. "I can't...I don't..." He sighed deeply. His heart raced in his chest. "Just thinking about that makes me ill. I don't know what I would do."

"They trust him." Fridge looked at Swamps.

The male scoffed, "That don't mean nothing. Him speaking for us don't guarantee shit in our favor. Government does what it wants, no matter what people say."

Henry inhaled.

"No." Swamps spat before the tamer could get a word in, "Don't give me nothing about how you promise that won't happen. Albedo's done for anyway. Wouldn't be surprised if he never got back out, but I'll be damned if I let anyone use anything we say against him."

"They're not that bad, Swamps." Fridge murmured, "On the cusp of corrupt maybe."

"Twice." Hugh looked at Henry, hands still fiddling. "T-they tortured him t-twice. I-I'm not one for violence, b-but B-Ben T-Tennyson will not be able to help a-any of them i-if I s-see i-it happen a t-third time." Hugh scowled, a determined fire in his eyes.

"Bellwood." Henry looked at Hugh. "What happened in Bellwood?"

"Go ask a plumber." Swamps spat.

Fridge shook his head, "They know."

"They shut me up and out whenever I try." He looked at them with pleading eyes. "You think I would come to you if they were speaking?"

"I don't know w-what they did the second time. T-the first time they p-put him a cell. T-they left him there w-with his n-night terrors. No one d-did anything, e-except mock and ridicule him. T-the most unprofessional p-plumbers I-I've ever seen."

Swamps gaped at him.

"H-He's not a plumber."

"Ben Ten Live all over again." Swamps groaned.

"I-I'm not lying t-this time." Hugh stood up straight and glared at him.

Henry wondered if the male was going to stomp his feet.

"I have the f-footage. Y-you saw it!" Hugh continued, voice reflecting a whine. "Y-you watched it w-with us, and we-!"

"Hugh." Fridge spoke softly. He looked at Henry watching him intently.

Swamps sighed, "I know." He looked at Henry too.

Henry however, looked at Hugh.

"T-they knew a Cassiopeian Dream Eater hurt Albedo, and they didn't d-do anything t-to help. I always h-heard about plumbers doing g-great things to a-assist a-aliens all through s-space." The alien sniffled loudly, "I-I don't know w-what to believe a-anymore."

"I do." Swamps spat, "Plumbers are pieces of shit."

Fridge lowered his head.

Henry shook his head. He inhaled and exhaled deeply a few times. "Shit." He ran a hand through his hair, "Shit." His stomach churned, and his body froze. "Fucking hell."

"W-we r-risked our freedom a-and w-well-being t-to help a friend they won't, a-and they s-screw him up again." Hugh nearly sounded like Swamps, so determined in his views. "I-I'm not surprised h-he doesn't like them." He looked at the two guards for just a moment, "I'm n-not s-sure I do either."

"Do you?" Henry shook his head. "Do you have the footage still?"

Hugh looked at him, then Swamps. Swamps shook his head. He looked at Fridge. Fridge looked at the ground, strands of blue human hair falling around his face. Hugh looked at Henry, silent.

"No." Henry murmured, "no," his body shook, "you can't go silent on me now." He shook his head.

"Fridge ain't going to talk anymore. So we go silent too." Swamps explained, "It's as simple as that."

Henry breathed a shuddering breath, tears falling down his face. "I'm not going to stop asking questions." He wiped his eyes, "I'll figure all of this out."

"Figuring all of this out won't let Albedo get a proper night's sleep, even if it did get him justice." Swamps continued. "He's always going to be afraid."

"That Ben Tennyson is going to kill him."

"Yea." Swamps looked off to the side, "If Hugh said this much to you, you probably mean well."

"I do!" Henry shouted, clenching his fists. "There's no way I couldn't!"

"So maybe, you work from here. We work from there." Swamps gave him a hard look.

Fridge glanced up for just a moment.

Hugh resumed fiddling with his hands.

Henry smiled a watery smile. "Okay." He ran his hands down his shirt, smoothing it down and wiping off his hands, "We can do that."