Chapter 9 - Chapter 9

Chapter 9



- Are you all right? – asked Ben.
- I knew you would come back. – replied Gwen, and hugged him. First, Ben surprised, but a few seconds later, he returned the hug.
- Everyone else thought you’re dead! Even I believed it! But deep within my heart I knew you’re alive somewhere! – continued Gwen, as she stood up. Then she felt Ben’s rigid look on herself.
- You still hate me, right? – asked she.
Ben remained silent. They just looked into each other’s eye, as the wind blew their hair. Ben had to admit himself that Gwen became a foxy woman after all these years. She had long hair, expressive, warm eyes and an excellent body. Of course, he still looked at her as a relative.
- You’ll never forgive me. – declared Gwen softly.
- I will never forget that day, Gwen. Never! – said Ben.
- I’m sad you still find it this way.
Ben almost said, he’s not here because of her, it was just a random idea to come home, but he decided not to mention it.
Suddenly, he saw something flying in the air...
- Look out! – said he and rescued Gwen from the explosion. She surprised, because Ben owned Xlr8’s speed, without transforming into him.
- How did you do that? – asked she.
- Later, we have company! – replied he shortly and pointed to a ruin of a smaller building. A vicious group of flourana appeared on the roof. They were throwing explosive seeds to them. Ben rapidly took Gwen to a safer place, behind a wall.
- How did those Wildvines got here? – asked he.
- That’s a long story. – said Gwen.
- You’re always saying that! – laughed Ben nervously. He changed into Brainstorm and flew up. When he was in the air, he became Cannonbolt and fell upon the flourana. However, some of them avoided Ben’s attack and captured him with their stalks. Cannonbolt went Grey Matter, so he could get out of the deadly squeeze. When the flourana attacked him again, he was already Heatblast. He fried most of the Wildvines, but a few still remained and threw more seeds at him. The explosion forced Heatblast to the ground. Before the flourana could trap him again, he went Xlr8 and eluded from them. He found a hiding place and transformed into himself, to work out his strategy.
- Ben! Cold kills mostly all kinds of plants! – yelled Gwen from the other side of the building.
- That’s it! – smiled Ben. He revealed his position on purpose. When the flourana attacked him, he changed into Artiquana and froze the rest of them.
- Thanks for the tip. – said Artiquana.
- It’s nothing. Just like in the old times. – smiled Gwen.
The alien transformed back, and walked to his cousin.
- What happened here? – asked her Ben.
- I’ll tell you everything later, I promise. But we gotta go! It’s not safe, soon there will be more creatures! – explained she.
She grabbed Ben’s hand and led him through a labyrinth of ruins and debris. They found themselves in the former downtown. Gwen stopped before an old theatre.
- Here we are! - declared she and pulled Ben inside.
- This is where you live? – asked he.
- Yes. – replied Gwen, as they entered the main concert hall. She led Ben further on, until they arrived to the dressing rooms.
She invited Ben inside. There were candles, books and cans everywhere. He also recognized a strange writing on the walls.
- Hungry? – asked Gwen holding a canned bean in her hands.
- Yeah, I could eat. – said Ben with a pale smile.
They set down to a table and shared the food.
- Huh... How romantic... dinner in candlelight... – remarked Ben.
- The electricity went out four years ago. – answered Gwen.
They finished the rest of the can in silence. After they snug themselves on a sofa Ben asked his cousin once more, to tell him what happened on Earth.
Gwen closed her eyes as she began to remember to all of those terrible events.
- It began after a year, you’ve disappeared... Nobody could stand a chance against them. It was a dark day, when Kevin gained control over the portals of the Null Void. I don’t know how he could do that, but he released every creature from the Null Void. Those aliens hunted in hordes and grew stronger. We tried to defend ourselves first, but their supernatural powers rapidly destroyed our forces. The great cities have fallen, one after the other. A little hope emerged, when Tetrax came to rescue us. He fought violently, but there were too many. He had been captured and maybe killed, I’m not sure... After he defeated Tetrax, Kevin declared himself as ruler of the world. He subjugated anyone, who dared to oppose him. He became stronger and stronger, as he obtained more and more alien DNA. But this was merely the beginning... some of those alien life forms extinct, our climate wasn’t the best for them, I suppose... However, most of them survived, furthermore, they began to mushroom. Soon, they reached the other continents. I don’t know if they succeeded there or not... But America is doomed. Only a few resistant groups remained... Even now, we can’t unite, you saw those men back there. If you hadn’t come...
Gwen finished the story. Ben listened thoughtfully.
- How did you survive? – asked he.
- After they destroyed the bigger cities and towns and their population, most of the aliens preferred to stay in the middle of the continent. At least I see this way. But, there’s been only a few aliens appeared, since I live here.
Ben recognized a teardrop, on Gwen’s face. He touched her cheek.
- Do you know where Kevin is? – Ben looked deeply into her eyes.
- Of course. Everyone knows that. But nobody dares to go there. It’s the most dangerous part of the continent.
- Where?
- That was the first city, which has fallen. They call it, the Beyond Recovery-City... New York.
Ben’s eyes grew large.
- Lantara...
- What? - asked back Gwen nervously.
- Don’t have time! – replied Ben, and changed into Xlr8.
- No, wait! You can’t leave me here like this! – stooped him Gwen.
- Why? You left me there alone, remember? – said Ben shrewdly. Before his cousin could react, he stormed out.

When Xlr8 arrived back to New York, he found no one there. He became Ben. He walked to the capsule carefully. His eyes were watchfully scanning the area. He sneaked to Tetrax’s ship and stood against it’s casing quietly. Suddenly, a hand stopped his mouth from behind and pulled him through the casing. It was Lantara.
- What are you doing... – began Ben, but he was interrupted.
- Ssssh! They are everywhere. – whispered the ectonurite.
- Where?
She led him to a creek.
- Look! – said she.
Ben saw a blue, four-legged, six-eyed alien, with huge teeth and sharp claws. It was sniffing on the ground.
- It’s just one... – said he.
A few seconds later, a full-grown vulpimancer jumped down from a rock. He was followed by three blue aliens.
- Damn it, it’s a Wildmutt. He has heat vision he might spot us. – worried Ben.
- I know. Stay calm, we’ll see. – eased him Lantara.
Soon, another two blue creatures appeared. They slowly approached Ben and Lantara, as they were sniffing. Suddenly, the vulpimancer recognized their heat signs. He roared and ran there to kill.
- There’s gonna be trouble! – yelled Ben and turned into Spiderweb (a brachyptherran, a creepy, arachnid alien, with six hands and eyes. His power is to capture anything in a cocoon, or quickly weave strong web, to use it as a rope or something. He can quickly climb up on upright objects or he can move upside down. His bite contains a venom, that causes temporary paralysis).
He raised his hands and fired a white mass, which turned into a cocoon in the air and captured some of the blue creatures. But the vulpimancer evaded from Spiderweb’s shots and continued his rampage to kill Ben.
Spiderweb changed into Spitter and fired his slime on the vulpimancer. He didn’t see it, because it was cold. He rolled a few times, then went sprawling on the ground. But, he wasn’t defeated. He shake his head and stood up, but Lantara shot him with and energy blast. Then she merged with the vulpimancer and knocked him out.
- We should go, before there will be more! – suggested Lantara.
Ben almost agreed, when he glanced at Tetrax’s broken ship. Then Gwen’s words came to his mind. He fought violently, but there were too many. He had been captured and maybe killed, I’m not sure...

- No, I must check something out! – replied Ben.
- Not now! – said Lantara.
More and more various aliens emerged from the ruins.
- I owe him! Without him, I wouldn’t be here! – shouted Ben.
- I know what you’re planning to do. But I’m sure he doesn’t want you to get killed. Because if we stay, we won’t live for long! – said Lantara, with a little anger in her voice.
- Okay, move out! – agreed Ben.
They got to the capsule and took off, before the aliens could tear them into shreds.

Meanwhile, in the highest skycraper, Charmcaster reported to her master.
- Master! Someone entered the city.
The man, set on a throne, made out of stone. The shadows covered his face.
- Who? – asked the man. His voice was cold, commanding and sharp.
- It seems that Ben Tennyson has returned. – replied Charmcaster.
- I can’t believe it! I though he hanged himself up! – smiled the man.
- What do you want me to do? – asked Charmcaster.
- Go down to the prison block and guard the petrosapien! Sit tight, no matter what! Understand?
- Of course.
- Good girl! Now go! – commanded the man.
Charmcaster left him alone. He stood up and slowly walked to the window. As he stepped out from the shadows, his features evolved.
He was Kevin.

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