Chapter 2: Washington Dc

Flames engulfed the towering building, thick smoke billowing into the night sky as sirens wailed. Firefighters rushed to the scene, pulling people from the inferno, but a mother and her young son remained trapped inside, unable to escape.

Their cries for help echoed through the burning halls as the ceiling above them groaned, ready to collapse. Just as debris threatened to fall, a blazing figure burst through the flames. His body radiated heat, his molten skin flickering like a living inferno.

"Don't be afraid," he reassured them, his voice steady despite the chaos. "I'm here to help."

The mother and son stared in awe at the being wreathed in fire. He absorbed the surrounding flames, creating a safe path through the room. Then, with a swift motion, he formed an opening in the wall large enough for them to fit through.

"We're too high up!" the mother cried, clutching her son tightly.

"Trust me."

With a wave of his hand, the fire engulfed them—but it didn't burn. Instead, it shielded them as he leaped from the building, landing smoothly on the ground. The flames around them vanished, leaving them unharmed.

Tears streamed down the mother's face as she held her son close. "Thank you… thank you so much!"

But the fiery figure, Heatblast, simply nodded before walking away, disappearing into the night.

Later, heatblast sat in the passenger seat of the RV, arms crossed as they pursued a getaway car filled with robbers. This time, Gwen didn't even think about dousing him with a fire extinguisher. After what had happened earlier, she wasn't sure how he would react.

As the RV closed in on the fleeing criminals, Ben casually lifted a hand and sent a small burst of fire toward their rear wheel. The tire exploded, sending the car skidding into a nearby traffic pole. Police sirens blared as officers arrived and swiftly apprehended the criminals.

heatblast smirked, leaning back in his seat. "Too easy."

The next morning, they stopped at a grocery store before hitting the road again. Max insisted Ben join them, but he refused, opting to stay in the RV instead.

Inside the store, Gwen and Max wandered through the aisles. Max inspected a fresh octopus at the seafood counter, his eyes lighting up.

"What do you think, Gwen?" he asked, holding it up.

She grimaced. "Can we have normal food for once?"

Max chuckled and moved along, while Gwen rolled her eyes and went to check out the snack aisle.

That's when the ground trembled.

At first, it felt like a minor earthquake, but then—a loud crash. A massive hole burst open in the store's wall, sending debris flying. Emerging from the dust was a grotesquely large frog, its slimy body gleaming under the fluorescent lights.

Perched on its back was a man in a filthy lab coat, his wild grin stretching across his face.

Gwen barely reacted. After everything she had seen recently, this was just another Wednesday.

"Well," she muttered, watching the strange duo enter. "If I hadn't seen Ben turning into aliens and acting all weird, I might've actually been surprised."

She placed a hand on her hip and called out, "Hey! You're supposed to buy things, not break in and steal them!"

The man let out a dramatic laugh. "Hah! Foolish girl! No one can stop the genius of Dr. Animo!"

Gwen promptly picked up a can from the nearest shelf and hurled it at his head. It bounced off with a dull thunk.

Animo barely flinched. Instead, he rode his monstrous frog toward the pet section, pulling out a device. With a flick of a switch, a pulse of green energy shot out, hitting a bird and a hamster inside their cages.

Both animals instantly mutated—growing in size, their eyes glowing an unnatural yellow.

The hamster, now the size of a large beast, let out a screech and charged.

Gwen's eyes widened. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me."

She spotted a mini scooter on display, jumped onto it, and sped off, leading the mutated rodent away from the other shoppers. Meanwhile, Max squared off against the monstrous bird, dodging its powerful talons while trying to find an opening to take it down.

At the same time, Dr. Animo casually strolled through the chaos, scooping up stolen goods.

That's when Ben arrived.

People were sprinting out of the store, screaming in terror. He walked in the opposite direction, toward the source of the destruction. His eyes scanned the wreckage, taking in the mutated creatures, the collapsing shelves, and the smug-looking scientist riding his oversized frog.

Ben took in the chaos—the wrecked store, the mutated creatures, the panicked people fleeing. Without hesitation, he pressed the Omnitrix.

In a flash of green light, he transformed into XLR8.

Without slowing, he darted forward, a blue blur streaking across the store. Before Animo could react, his giant frog reeled back with a painful croak, struck by something too fast to see.

Animo barely had time to process what was happening before he was thrown off balance. A sharp gust of wind followed, and suddenly, a sleek, velociraptor-like creature stood before him.

XLR8's visor slid open. "Grandpa, you okay?"

Max steadied himself. "I'm fine, Ben. You got here just in time."

Before Ben could respond, the mutant bird shrieked and lunged at him. In an instant, he vanished—reappearing mid-air, landing rapid punches to its beak. The creature recoiled with a pained screech.

Meanwhile, Gwen gritted her teeth as she sped through the aisles on the mini scooter, the massive hamster right behind her. No matter how fast she went, it was gaining on her.

Her heart pounded. The end of the aisle was coming fast—too fast.

No way out.

Her breath caught. This was it.

Then, a blue blur zipped past.

In the blink of an eye, Gwen felt herself lifted off the scooter. The next second, she was on solid ground—safe.

Realization struck, and instead of relief, fury boiled inside her.

Animo, now satisfied with what he had stolen, wasted no time making his escape.

Gwen didn't care.

She turned on Ben, seething. "Where were you this whole time?!"

XLR8's visor slid open again. "I was in the RV. When I heard the commotion, I came."

Gwen clenched her fists. "Do you have any idea what could've happened if you were late?!"

"But I wasn't," Ben said simply.

Gwen's eyes burned. "Whatever. You're so selfish and full of yourself." Her voice dripped with anger, but then—without thinking—she said the words that cut deeper than she realized.

"No wonder you didn't shed a single tear when your parents died. You're a freak."

Silence.

The words struck Ben like lightning.

Even as XLR8, he froze.

Max's eyes widened. "Gwen!" His voice was sharp, heavy with disappointment and sadness.

But the damage was done.

Ben didn't move. His mind was suddenly drowning—flooded with memories from a year ago.

Everything else faded away.

A Year Ago

It had been a year since Ben underwent surgery. Since then, emotions and empathy had become foreign to him. Now nine years old, he rarely spoke to anyone except his parents and Grandpa Max.

Even after the surgery, he remained distant from others, unable to connect. His parents, knowing his struggles, decided to take a short trip, leaving Ben in Max's care. Socializing was difficult for him, so staying with Max for the ten days of their trip seemed like the best option.

Then, one day, everything changed.

Max's phone rang. When he answered, the color drained from his face. His grip on the phone tightened as the words on the other end of the line sank in. His heart pounded, not for himself, but for Ben.

He turned slowly, eyes landing on the boy. How do I tell him?

Ben, noticing his grandfather's expression, tilted his head slightly. "Grandpa? What happened?"

Max hesitated, then took a deep breath. His voice was heavy when he spoke.

"Ben… I just got a call." He paused. "Your mom and dad… they were in a car accident." His voice wavered. "A truck driver fell asleep at the wheel. He crashed into them. They… they didn't make it."

Silence.

Ben remained still. His expression didn't change. His breathing remained steady.

Max had expected this reaction, but it didn't make it any easier. His heart ached as he looked at the boy—so young, so detached. A year ago, he had believed the surgery would help, but now he regretted that decision more than anything. Not even Plumber technology could reverse what had been done.

Ben would have to live the rest of his life like this.

The news spread quickly to their closest family members—Frank Tennyson, Natalie, Gwen, and other relatives like Vera and Jordan. Shock and grief hit them all. But what truly stunned them was Ben.

He didn't didn't frown. He didn't react at all.

A week later, at the funeral, every relative attended, expecting the boy to break down when the coffins were lowered. But Ben remained unmoved.

Gwen, the same age as him, watched in disbelief. For the first time in her life, she felt afraid of her own cousin. There was something unnatural about his silence, about the way he simply existed without grief.

From that day forward, she kept her distance.

None of the relatives knew about Ben's surgery. Max had kept it a secret, believing it was best for Ben. Now, watching the growing fear and confusion around him, he wasn't sure anymore.

Soon, news of Ben's reaction—or lack thereof—reached his school. The students whispered. They stared. And then, the name-calling began.

"Freak."

"Monster."

Someone even painted the words on his locker.

Ben didn't understand.

One day, he asked a classmate, "Why are you calling me those things?"

They scoffed. "Because you didn't cry when your parents died."

Ben tilted his head. "Was I supposed to cry?"

The other kids were taken aback by the question. News of that conversation spread through the school like wildfire.

Back at Max's RV, Ben finally voiced the question weighing on his mind.

"Grandpa… am I a freak? A monster?"

Max's heart clenched. He turned to face Ben, forcing himself to stay composed. "No, Ben. You're not any of those things. Why are you asking?"

Ben's face remained blank. "All my classmates keep calling me that."

Max hesitated. "Do you know why they're saying it?"

"They told me it's because I didn't cry when my parents died. I asked if I was supposed to, and then the whole school started calling me those names."

Max felt tears sting his eyes, but he held them back. Instead, he pulled Ben into a tight embrace.

"Don't listen to them, Ben. You're not a monster. You're a good kid."

Ben remained still in his arms, but after a moment, he pulled back slightly, looking up at Max with something close to curiosity.

"You're crying."

Max quickly wiped his face. "Yeah."

Ben frowned. "Everyone else can cry… but why can't I?"

Max swallowed the lump in his throat. He wanted to tell Ben the truth, to tell him that the surgery had changed him, that it wasn't his fault.

But instead, he forced a sad smile.

"Because you're strong, Ben." He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "And strong people don't cry."

Ben nodded slowly, accepting the words.

Max felt his heart break.

End of Flashback

The memories of his parents' death flooded Ben's mind. Every painful detail resurfaced—the blank stares, the whispers, the cruel words from his classmates.

His fists clenched. His body trembled.

Then, for the first time in years, his voice cracked.

"You're right, Gwen."

Both Gwen and Max turned to him, startled.

"I am a freak. A monster."

As he lifted his head, tears—real, undeniable tears—streamed down his face.

Max's eyes widened in shock. Gwen stood frozen, her breath caught in her throat.

"Why did you lie to me, Grandpa?" Ben's voice wavered, filled with a pain neither of them had ever heard before. "That day… when I asked you why I didn't cry, you told me it was because I was strong." His tears fell faster now. "You should have just told me the truth… That I am a freak. That I am a monster. Now I understand why they called me that."

Before Max or Gwen could react, Ben turned and ran.

"Ben, wait!" Max called after him, but it was too late—he was gone.

Gwen stood there, her mind reeling. She had never seen Ben cry before. And she had never realized…

"He was bullied…" she whispered to herself, horrified. "All this time… and I never knew."

Max turned to her, his face filled with anger—not just frustration, but deep, genuine anger.

"Gwendolyn Tennyson," he said, his voice sharp and firm. "Do you realize what you just said?"

Gwen flinched. She had never heard her grandfather speak to her like that before.

"You don't understand why Ben is the way he is," Max continued. "And because of your words, he's now shutting himself off from everyone he knows."

"But, Grandpa… you know that if Ben had been there earlier, we could have escaped more easily," Gwen argued weakly.

Max's expression darkened. "That does not give you the right to say what you did. When he heard the commotion, he came to help us immediately. And this is how you treat him?"

Gwen looked down, guilt creeping up her spine. "But Grandpa…"

"I'm not done," Max interrupted sternly. "I thought by now, you would have realized that Ben is different from us. But you didn't."

Gwen bit her lip, her guilt deepening.

Max took a slow breath, then spoke with quiet gravity.

"Do you know why Ben didn't cry when his parents died?" he asked. "But now… now, after all this time, he finally did?"

Gwen shook her head. "How could I know?" she asked, her voice breaking. "I asked you before, but you never told me! And now you're blaming me?"

She clenched her fists, then lowered her head.

"I'm sorry, Grandpa," she whispered. "I just… I just want to understand him."

Max studied her for a moment before sighing deeply. His anger didn't fade, but there was something else in his eyes now—pain.

"Gwen," he said carefully, "Ben… doesn't feel human emotions. He doesn't experience empathy like we do."

Gwen's breath hitched.

She looked up at him, her face pale.

"What…?" she whispered.

Max nodded gravely. "That's why he didn't cry back then. But now, for the first time, he is."

Gwen's heart clenched with remorse.

"Why?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Why didn't you tell me before? And why… why is Ben like this?"

Max's face was heavy with sadness. "I'll explain everything… but only if Ben is okay with it." He exhaled and straightened. "Right now, we need to find him."

Gwen swallowed hard and nodded.

For the first time, she truly wanted to understand Ben.

And for the first time, she realized just how much pain he had been carrying all alone.

Xlr8 arrived to a secluded place he transformed back to ben the tear marks are visible on bens face but his expression remained normal there is no hint of sadness

A Few Hours Later

The RV door creaked open, and Ben stepped inside. Gwen and Max, who had been waiting anxiously, turned to him immediately.

"Ben, are you okay?" Max asked carefully.

"I am," Ben responded, his voice quiet.

Gwen took a deep breath and stepped forward. "Ben… I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to call you those things. I didn't know about your condition, and I shouldn't have said what I did. I'm sorry."

Ben looked at her for a moment before shifting his gaze to Max.

"What did you tell her?" he asked.

"Not everything," Max admitted. "Just that you don't feel emotions like we do."

"Why?"

Max hesitated. "What do you mean?"

"Why didn't you tell her the whole truth?"

"I thought it would be better if you decided whether or not to share it," Max explained. "If you don't want to, you don't have to. And Gwen won't tell anyone."

Ben was silent for a moment. "I don't understand why you kept it a secret from everyone."

"We thought it was for the best," Max said. "But things didn't go the way we expected."

"…Fine. There's no point in hiding it anymore."

Max nodded, about to begin explaining—

CRASH!

A loud rumble shook the RV, followed by distant screams. Through the window, they saw a massive T-Rex stomping through the city, cars flipping and people running in panic.

Gwen groaned. "Really? A T-Rex? This summer just keeps getting weirder."

Ben narrowed his eyes. "This has to be Dr. Animo's doing. He kept ranting about turning Washington, D.C. into Washington, B.C. and stealing an award he thought he deserved."

Max nodded. "Then we need to stop him before this gets worse."

At Verity's Lab

Dr. Verity, a renowned scientist in animal genetics, stood on stage, moments away from receiving an award for his groundbreaking research.

Then—

BOOM!

A massive T-Rex crashed into the venue, sending guests scrambling.

Before Dr. Verity could react, a giant mutated frog shot its tongue at him, wrapping around his torso. The scientist struggled, his terrified screams echoing through the hall. The frog prepared to swallow him whole—

SLASH!

A large, insect-like creature swooped in, slicing through the frog's tongue with a sharp tail. Dr. Verity dropped to the floor as the creature landed beside him.

"Run!" the alien ordered.

It was Ben—transformed into Stinkfly.

Dr. Verity didn't hesitate. He bolted.

Meanwhile, Stinkfly turned to face the massive frog. Before he could attack, the T-Rex roared and lunged at him. With quick reflexes, he dodged midair, then shot thick, gooey slime from his eyes, blinding the dinosaur.

Perched atop the frog, Dr. Animo cackled. "At last! The recognition I deserve!" He jumped down, snatching the award from the stage. Holding it high, he grinned maniacally. "Finally, my genius is acknowledged—"

WHAM!

Stinkfly swooped in, slamming his tail into Animo's chest, sending him sprawling. The award flew from his grasp, landing several feet away.

Ben landed and folded his arms. "Really? You caused all this chaos… for an award? And people call me a freak. Unbelievable."

Animo scowled, but before he could retort—

CRACK!

The sound of shattering metal filled the air.

Ben turned in time to see Animo's transmodulator—the device controlling the mutated creatures—get crushed under the weight of the very frog he had experimented on.

Animo's eyes widened in horror. "No—NO!"

The chaos escalated as the mutated animals—now free from Animo's control—went wild. The T-Rex roared one last time before its flesh disintegrated, leaving behind a skeleton. The frog and other creatures rapidly reverted to their normal forms.

Ben de-transformed, picking up the remains of the transmodulator. The sun was beginning to rise, casting golden light over the city.

Police sirens wailed in the distance. Within minutes, officers surrounded Animo, slapping handcuffs on him.

As he was shoved into the police car, he glared at the Tennyson family.

"This isn't over," he snarled. "Mark my words, I will have my revenge!"

Ben rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Get in line."

As the first light of dawn crept over the horizon, the chaos of the night finally settled.

"At least Washington, D.C., didn't turn into Washington B.C.," Max said with a tired smile. "You did a great job, Ben."

Ben gave a small nod, but his expression remained distant.

Gwen hesitated before speaking. "Ben… you really did great. But there's something I need to tell you, and I want to understand what happened to you." She paused, then added, "But not like this. Turn into XLR8."

Ben furrowed his brows. "Why?"

"Just trust me. Transform, and I'll explain. Not here—let's go inside the RV."

Once inside, Ben activated the Omnitrix and transformed into XLR8. His voice took on its usual upbeat tone. "Alright, Gwen, what's up?"

Gwen took a deep breath. "Ben, I'm really sorry for what I said before. I didn't know about your condition, and I wasn't trying to hurt you. Please forgive me for not understanding."

XLR8 tilted his head. "Didn't you already say that?"

"I did," she admitted. "But I know you didn't really feel it. That's why I wanted to say it again—to make sure you knew I meant it."

XLR8 hesitated for a moment before nodding. "It's okay, Gwen. You didn't know. If I were in your place, I probably would've said the same thing."

With a flash of green, he turned back into Ben.

Gwen looked at Max, her voice softer now. "What happened to him?"

Max sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. "Gwen, you remember how aggressive Ben used to be when he was younger?"

She nodded.

"Well, it started causing problems. Carl and Sandra took him to several doctors, hoping to find a solution. Eventually, they were told that the best option was to remove a part of his insular cortex—the part linked to emotions and empathy. The doctors warned them that if they went through with the surgery, there was a chance he'd lose his emotions completely."

Gwen's eyes widened. "But they still did it?"

"They couldn't stand seeing him struggle," Max said, his voice heavy. "They hoped for the best. But… you can see what happened."

Gwen swallowed hard, blinking back tears. "He lost his humanity…" She turned to Ben, guilt written all over her face. "I'm so sorry, Ben."

Ben didn't react. He simply stared at her, unreadable.

Max continued. "Nobody else in the family knows—except me."

"Why?" Gwen asked.

"Carl and Sandra wanted to keep it a secret. I don't know why, but I respected their wishes. They trusted me to look after Ben. Then… a year later, they died. And I never told anyone."

Gwen clenched her fists. "But why tell me now? You could've just said Ben can't feel emotions without mentioning the surgery."

Max sighed. "I didn't plan on telling you. It just… happened. But I trust you, Gwen. I know you won't tell anyone." He met her eyes. "Can I trust you?"

Gwen wiped her eyes and nodded. "Of course. This stays between us."

Max exhaled, relief washing over him. "Good. Now, let's get some rest. This night was a mess."

As the RV fell into silence, Gwen stole one last glance at Ben. He sat there, unmoving—his face emotionless, his eyes hollow.

And for the first time, she realized just how much he had lost.

8/4/2025

I hope you all like this chapter drop a review about how it felt while reading and read my other stories also