ARNING, Dark topics will be brought up but the chapter is on the overall lighter side compared to others.
We had been camping a lot lately, mostly roughing it with the stars to keep us company. Occasionally though, we would sleep in the Rust Bucket if the weather was bad or we suspected general miserable conditions. Tonight though, was one of the less than five moments we've had so far where we got to stay in a hotel.
It wasn't anything fancy, just a motel along the road in a small town on our way to our next destination. We had just gotten past Flagstaff, no, not Six Flags, I don't think there were plans to visit that amusement park. Kinda wish we did though, if only because I never got to.
Max had surprised us with it, since we had to skip staying in Vegas given what happened he used some of the money he would have spent on a hotel there to give us time to enjoy a full bed with reliable air conditioning and a television. It would give Max some time to do maintenance on the RV, maybe to help think over our recent troubles as he engrossed himself in the machine he became closely familiar with.
I did offer to assist, even without the usage of an alien, but I didn't push it when he turned it down. within the red mountains and hills littered with shrubs and cacti, Gwen and I elected that once we got settled into the room that we would try out the pool.
It had a decent view of the desert, and dipping myself into its cool waters I felt the heat of the day wash away. Drifting in the pool, I heard Gwen wading back and forth on the other side, each of us claiming our own section to ourselves as no others were using it.
I started enjoying pools the older I got, and maybe that was because I didn't have siblings attempting to start a splash fight or make another argument. Perhaps now I could make some better memories of swimming in this new life, especially since I had a period of time where I had a phobia of any open waters that were larger than a bathtub.
So lost in thought, letting my mind wander and drift through its routines without serious effort, I zoned out into a meditative state floating along the waters. I stared upwards, not on anything in particular but noting how the evening sky began to fill with colors that were enhanced by the few clouds that mirrored my own aimless drifting.
"A lot on your mind?" Gwen's muffled voice echoed through the water that my ears were submerged in. Pointing my toes down and letting their weight pivot my body upright, my mindless escape had come to a soft close as I returned to the present
"Not really, I was just bogging."
"Huh?" She pushed herself up higher onto her pool floatie, as if it would help to hear better.
"I was lost in thought, without thinking about anything in specific." That was my best explanation. It was more of an inside joke I shared with those closest to me, which I guess I was starting to loop Gwen and Max into that circle. "Kind of like wandering through a thick fog in the middle of a wet woodlands area with no real goal in sight but still walking."
"Oh, did I interrupt?"
"I don't mind." Shrugging, I moved back a few feet so I could prop my arm up against the side of the pool. "Did you have anything on your mind you wanted to talk about?"
"Yes." Her immediate answer was something I was worried about. "I just, don't know if what I'm feeling is what I should be feeling. And I'm worried about what it might mean."
Now it was my time to be confused. Gwen submerged herself more into the pool, as if to hide herself away as her eyes barely peered over the floatation device she clenched to. "So, Ben is gone. Right?"
It was finally happening, the long awaited conversation that I wanted to have in the first place but had no tangible evidence to show. Gwen figured it out without that, and I would answer what questions she had to the best of my ability. "I think so."
"You, think?"
Even if I was wearing Ben's face, I don't think either of us acknowledged it as the mask it was anymore. "I didn't have a lot to go off of. A couple dreams, unproven theories, and lots of things were happening all around that. But, when those charms of bezel were active, I felt it ripping at my soul. Not sure if that's what was actually happening but, when trying to make sure Kevin didn't go far enough to kill Charmcaster, I thought I witnessed Ben jump out of my-this body and push Kevin into the charms. They fell out of the universe from what I could tell. But that's the thing, I really don't know for sure how accurate any of that is. I like math, mechanics, geometry, things I can know every factor of and collect multiple points of data to prove something for certain. I've wanted to give you and Max answers, the truth believe me, but I don't even have any for myself."
Was it therapeutic to get it out? The thoughts in the back of my mind that I wrestled with ever since day one? I'm not sure, I felt as calm as I was just minutes ago. Maybe because I had come to the dead end of my questioning and realized there was nothing more I could do.
Now, I was left with a new set of questions and worries. How would Gwen respond? Would she tell Max, and if so how would he react? Given how I was now living that very thought I watched cautiously as Gwen mulled it over in her mind.
And she seemed, just as calm as I was. "Are you angry?"
"Huh? For what?"
"I just admitted that I body swapped your cousin and kept that from you for months." I was more confused than before.
"Well." Gwen looked me over again, seeing me in Ben instead of some unfamiliar version of her cousin. "That's…part of what I wanted to talk to you about. This is going to sound really bad, and I mean really bad. So promise not to tell anyone."
Her stern demand had an anxious plea behind it, so nodding along I would do my best to meet her honesty head on. "I won't tell anyone unless you want me to."
My words didn't ease her, but they eventually broke her silence. "I'm happy you replaced Ben."
She wasn't exaggerating, that did sound terrible for her to say, but I already committed to listening to her and I had a feeling I would understand her more than she would expect me to.
Taking a deep breath, Gwen began to explain her worries. "Maybe if I didn't get to know you, share half a summer with you and have you save my life over and over I would be upset. But after yesterday, when I examined your aura alone and saw who you used to be, you made me realize that I already knew I could trust you with my life. I knew you were kind, proactive, knowledgeable, and always kept looking for ways to help. So when I eventually realized that you weren't Ben, it just made so much sense, because Ben wasn't that kind of person."
Turning herself around, Gwen had a harder time voicing her next thoughts. "I never got along with Ben. He was always a jerk to me. And even if he was family, I don't feel bad that he's gone. I know I should because he might be dead but, I don't feel anything. I recognize that him being gone now is sad, and I never would have wanted that to happen to him. So, am I a bad person if I don't feel sad about this?"
I can't say I knew the right answer for that, and I don't know if there was one. One thing I could claim though, is that I understood.
"I never really got along with my younger brother." I turned around, folding my arms over the pools edge as I reflected back on myself and my last life. "There were times where we could play together, share something, and I knew he wasn't all bad but….he was very quick to anger. I was often the target of it, usually he would decide to break my stuff or rip up my work. Once he even broke my most prized possession and laughed about it to my face when I found out. He always got away with it, and while he did mellow out overtime, he could still get angry."
Peeking behind myself, I realized that this topic was extremely heavy, and I hesitated because it was irresponsible for an adult to suddenly tell this to a ten year old. But, it didn't feel wrong. Gwen was in a similar situation and I might be one of the few who could relate to her.
"One day." I continued, the words flowing out without restraint. "When he was just a month away from turning nineteen, he asked to borrow my car to visit some friends. He always had trouble making friends so, I encouraged it. I always tried to be nice to him, and if I wasn't I would try again. The next day, he didn't come back."
Gwen was beside me now, listening closely as I hesitated to speak the next words. "Did he get in an accident?"
"No, he committed suicide."
The faintest of gasps escaped her, Gwen, and probably many children her age, rarely were exposed to that tragedy. Even in media it was something that was shielded from them. Now I had crossed the line, and I had to keep going further to reach her.
"Everyone else was devastated." I remembered my older brother, who I was with when the cop told us, was so distraught he vomited. The phone call with my mother, who was on the other side of the country on a vacation with her best friend. My father, my grandparents, so many faces around me breaking down.
"I wasn't." I felt the guilt over it again, not of his death but because I didn't even feel any semblance of grief. "For weeks, all I was doing was trying to comfort my family. I didn't have time to rest, just moving from spending time from one person to the next, handling everything from cleaning to being the primary contact for the detective over the case. I thought that I might have felt something once I saw his body but, when we went to go identify and see him at the morgue, I didn't. The few moments I had to think, I was disturbed by how calm I was. When I even picked up my car and was cleaning it out after what happened, I tried calling my best friend to see if maybe talking about it to someone who wasn't busy crying would allow me to break down but, I didn't."
Leaning back with my fingers gripping the concrete corner finished with waterproof tiling, I grew anxious enough over the topic that I had to relieve it in a stretch. "I still feel this way to this day, years after it happened. So Gwen, after I've told you this, do you think I'm a bad person?"
She knew what I was getting at, my question was just a way for her to see herself from the same angle I saw her at this moment. "No, I guess not."
With that out of the way, I felt that the chilling cold in the pool that was meant to balance the heat of the desert started to grow too much. Glancing up, I saw that night had already taken over the sky and with it the heat of the day. We moved to the vacant hot tub, enjoying the jets, the bubbles, and the warmth as we stewed over our conversation.
"I know you're not a bad person." Gwen resumed just as we were settled in. "But, I also don't know who you are. I trust you, but now that I know you're not Ben I don't know much about you besides what you've shown this summer. And it's not a lot."
"Well, ask away." I reclined back, open as could be about my life now that it was out in the open. "Can't promise I'll share everything. I do have to keep it pg after all."
"Ok then." Gwen started from the beginning, ready to actually discover who she had been sharing an RV with. "What's your name?"
"Ben! Gwen!" Max hollered from the second story floor, standing in front of the room we were booked for. What we immediately noticed, was the pizza box in his hand. "Time to come eat and wash off."
Neither of us hesitated to chase after the smell of roasted cheese and pepperoni. Our bare feet slapping against the wet floor as we did our best not to slip in our haste.
"Does that feel weird?" Gwen whispered to me. "Being called Ben? Or did that happen to also be your name?"
"It wasn't, but for a while now I've answered to it. For the foreseeable future, and maybe the rest of my life, that's my name now."
"Are we, going to tell Grandpa?"
I dared not to think about the wrath the man might have against me. He may understand, he may mourn and come to accept me, but the moment he finds out that I was involved in the probable death of his grandson, I couldn't see any other response than fury.
"Not until we have some kind of evidence." But he deserved to know, and word alone wasn't good enough. Magic was also outside his understanding, and so Gwen might not be able to help prove Ben's soul is gone. "I'd like to tell him sooner than later though."
The next day brought us into Navajo Nation, specifically a small town bordering New Mexico. It was just past noon, and as we pulled into town I couldn't help but stare at the simple architecture reminiscent of adobe homes. It was enough to spark recognition, making me leave my spot in the Rust Bucket and move towards the back where I stashed my notebook.
"We're almost there." Max announced as he pulled onto an unpaved road. "This place is full of history and culture. I hope you two can learn a lot while we're here."
Maybe we would, finding the page for the contents I read along all the details I could remember. If this was the place I thought it was, then that likely meant it didn't need my intervention. The source of all of the conflict, besides a flash flood, was from Ghost Freak. Things have changed a lot since then, and that meant I couldn't expect the same outcome of his servants trying to revive him.
So, maybe we could actually focus on enjoying our summer a little more. As I closed the notebook with satisfaction, and just a hint of caution in case my assumptions were wrong, I felt the brakes of the RV slow us down to a stop.
"Hey." Gwen finally looked up from her laptop, shutting it down and noticing my own book. "What's in there?"
Max stepped out from the driver's door, and once he did I was clear to discuss it more openly. "We'll talk about it when we get back."
"Promise?" She let it go, for now.
"Yes." Because at this point, enough has changed that I don't know how much of it is reliable information now. Still, hearing that I came from a universe where this was a cartoon and I had notes of the future was something she needed to be sitting down for.
Following Max into the somewhat bustling street, we saw several canopies, tents, and booths lining up the main street from the museum until the only stop light. Each of them sold trinkets ranging from dreamcatchers to ponchos. Some were homemade, but most seemed to get theirs from the same mass produced source and called it good to make a quick buck.
Still, I always wanted a poncho. I borrowed a cotton one camping trip with my Dad and my older brother and not only was it comfortable and warm, I rocked it.
I found myself stopping more often, slowly browsing the options even if they were outside the price range of what little money Ben brought for this trip. There were plenty of things that I could see that would have appealed to a younger me, but after doing some growing I didn't really see how I would get any use out of a taxidermy snake or a dried cactus walking stick.
"You seem to be enjoying yourself." Max came over while Gwen herself had become distracted by some women's clothing. "I don't usually see you this interested unless it's a music store. Do you like Native American culture?"
I did grow up in desert regions for most of my life, so naturally the cultures' influences and style were all around me for years. Schools also loved to try and educate us about the natives of the region, ranging from foods, fashion, religion, and lifestyle. Not sure how much was accurate but that could be a factor. "There's something appealing about it to me. Can't think of what exactly that is, but it always catches my eye."
"I'm sure Wes would be happy to share some knowledge of his people with you."
"What do you wish to know?" Spoke an older native man, close to Max's age who approached us from the crowd.
"Wes!" The men gave one another a hearty handshake, smiling fondly to one another in a brotherly bond. "It's been ages since we've talked."
"Indeed Max, it is good to see you. Is this your grandson?" He acknowledged me, just as I saw Gwen coming over to join us.
"This is Ben." Max stepped aside, allowing me to shake the man's hand. It was odd, trying to go for my usual handshake only to have my palm engulfed in his. "And this is Gwen. Kids, this is Wes Green. We've worked together quite a few times in our plumbing days."
The moment I questioned how Max could talk so openly about, I realized that to the average person plumbing wasn't about dealing with aliens.
"Pleasure to meet you." Gwen politely shook his hand.
"And you." The man finished as he looked past the crowd where a small gathering was forming around a beating of drums and chanting. "My granddaughter is performing today. Would you like to meet her?"
Ah, her.
We were already stepping behind Wes as he guided us through the crowd. Mentally, I braced myself for whatever might occur. Out of all of the things this episode might still have left, was his granddaughter.
I knew this meeting was eventually going to happen. In the show, she was Ben's crush, maybe his first. I didn't have any worries about falling into his footsteps. She was ten, a child!
But I knew I couldn't just distance myself and act disgusted anytime I saw her and thought about it. It would be rude. All I had to do, was not think about it, because I knew nothing remotely close to the show would occur on Ben's short lived romance plotline.
The moment we found a gap in the cluster of people observing the dance, I was relieved. Yep, she looked exactly like a ten year old girl, just moving from one foot to the other in a simple ceremony. There wasn't some cartoon filter over everything making the characters look different, they looked real to me.
These were real people, and I was just happy to be amongst them at the moment.
The song ended before I knew it, the men with their instruments taking a break for a moment which gave their dancer a chance to approach us.
"This is my granddaughter, Kai." Wes introduced, the girl seemingly impassive to our presence.
Don't know if that was because we were strangers or this was her default expression. Either way, I extended a hand towards her.
"Hi, I'm Ben."
She didn't shake it, only responding with a bland "hi."
"And I'm Gwen." Gwen greeted with a small wave, a little more chipper and maybe that had to do with the fact that she had been deprived of talking to a girl her age for a while.
What was Gwen's friend circle like? She was a social girl at heart despite her intense studying habits.
It made me realize yet again how distant I had been keeping myself from the inner workings of the day to day lives of those around me. I was just keeping away from the topic because I didn't know Ben's more personal life to share, and my own was a secret.
Now that Gwen knew, I could finally open up a little more. Maybe she can help me gather what I would need to convince Max of my situation.
I doubted he would believe me if I just said it, but was it unfair that I wouldn't even give him the chance?
A distant roll of thunder brought me out of my internal musings, and just as I looked up a single drop of water fell on my face. Gentle taps of rain began falling around us, peppering the dry ground in wet dots over the landscape.
No, no it couldn't be. I thought my actions had changed things too much for this to occur. Just as I hoped it was just a small storm passing by, I witnessed it.
Purple lightning along the horizon. It was so small, so fleeting, that I didn't have a chance to confirm it with anyone else.
"You don't get storms around here often." Max pointed out, reaching out with his hand for the droplets to kiss against his skin. "Isn't this town in a flash flood zone?"
"The heart storm appears further north." Wes pointed out towards the thickest points of the clouds. "So long as the riverbed doesn't spill over into our path, the water will be directed away from us."
I didn't let the storm leave my sight for the rest of the light rain that misted our surroundings. It was a relief from the heat, but not to my mind. Even while I had a chance to ask Wes about the significance of each material used in Navajo culture, I couldn't keep the darkening sky out of the corner of my eye.
Even if that poncho over there looked really friggin cool.
The festivities for the day ended, Wes offering his home to us for a night. Max didn't even seem to hesitate this time, grateful to his friend as we went back to the Rust Bucket.
Though, while I had promised to relay the contents of my journal to Gwen, we had some unexpected company with us. Since Wes and Kai had walked over, Max offered them a lift back over since we were all heading there anyways.
Gwen and Kai were able to make some conversation, just the basics for the area of Arizona we were in and what school was like around the region. I did keep an ear open when they mentioned activities, but most of what I did was hold onto the notebook that held information that may or may not be relevant anymore.
Gwen would sneak a peek its way every now and then, idle curiosity must be burning in her mind now. I had confirmed I wasn't Ben yesterday, but since then we haven't had a chance to talk about who I am, where I come from, and what I know.
I can't imagine how much it's eating her up inside. The only barrier preventing her from asking is present company.
So anyone could imagine the moment Max put the Rust Bucket in park in front of the adobe styled home, Gwen was already to her feet, giving Kai the room she needed to lead the way out.
I lingered by the doorway, holding it open for them, but Gwen did not exit with Kai.
"Are you two coming inside?" The native girl asked while Max and Wes were already joyously laughing away with hearty bellows from their guts, engrossed in their own conversation as they walked up to the front door.
"We just got to grab some things, that's all." Was Gwen's retort before grabbing the collar of my shirt and yanking me back inside.
I stumbled, letting out a short gag before the door swung. Rubbing my throat I gave Gwen a disapproving glare, but got straight to the point. "Where do you want to start?"
"Well I want to know what happened." Gwen began, folding her arms but shoulders relaxing a little as she let go of the building tension for this conversation. "But, you don't either, do you?"
Deciding to pack a small bag for the night to bring inside the home, I talked while I worked. It felt easier that way. "Not even Ghost Freak seemed to know."
"Ok then." She picked up the notebook I had set on the table, giving it a look over as she continued. "So, what's the last thing you remember happening before you woke up as Ben?"
"Well, I had just gone to bed but, it wasn't long before my wedding."
"Married?!" Her sudden squeal of a reaction harshly reminded me that she was still an excitable little girl. But, the mature aspect of Gwen kicked in, and slowly that joy turned into a somber frown. "Oh, you….is that who Andromeda was talking about?"
Gwen is too clever for her age. With a frightening memory too.
My hands were frozen over the bag, that heavy weight resting on my mind about her becoming more noticeable through my expression. "Yeah. I really miss her."
But while this was a heavy topic, this uncomfortable silence wasn't giving Gwen the answers she deserved.
"It was February, 2023 when I went to sleep. I was living in central Utah, and worked as a security guard." Resuming the information as if it was a report, helped me regain full control of my emotions. "I was also twenty three years old. Not sure how that works now but-"
"Wait, slow down." Gwen wasn't as ready for my sudden shift into spewing facts. "So, you're human, and an adult, so back when that ship was changing people, that was your real self?"
"Yeah. I'm normally much taller." I added humorly. Yes, it sucked being short, but I had hope I would grow out of it.
Nodding along, Gwen braced herself against the table as she connected the person she saw me briefly turn into a couple times, to who I really am. "Ok….I guess you being an adult makes sense, and working in security must be why you can be so calm during high stress situations."
Well, it was because I had that ability to handle dangerous and super stressful moments with laser focused attention is why I went into security in the first place. I had a talent I knew not a lot of people had and I wanted to make use of it to help.
Who knew I would be using that skill to fight aliens and monsters?
"But, wait, 2023?" Gwen thought back to that little bit of information. "And, twenty three years old, so you would be just a few years younger than us right now."
I was, back in 2006.
"So, if you're from the future, did you know us somehow or someway then? Or, back then, or now?" Her head was swimming attempting to connect the timelines together.
"I knew you, Max, and Ben, in a way."
"What way?"
I was now gesturing to the notebook. "That's, where it starts getting even more complicated."
She stared down at the cover, where I didn't give it any kind of title or phrasing over it just in case it might spark a little too much curiosity. As far as Max and Gwen knew, that was where I drew out plans and sketches for technology beyond this world to make with the sparse sci fi scraps I have left.
While those projects would help me in the future, this notebook was to help in a more direct manner. Before she opened it, I placed my hand over the cover, firmly asking the next question.
"Are you sure you want to know about your future?"
I wouldn't fully stop her if she demanded to know, but right now there was a lot for her to process. I just gave her the most bare summary of who I was and what I did before becoming Ben, and while she already knew there was a stark difference between the Ben she knew and the Ben she was with this summer, to accept I was someone entirely different would take time.
Time she needed, before she would be ready to handle anything that could make her question her own life.
"Ben! Gwen! What are you two doing in there?" Max hollered from outside, Gwen's hands immediately snapping the notebook close to herself and hugging it to her chest like it was the biggest secret ever.
Which, it might be.
Hoisting the bag over my shoulder, I motioned for Gwen to follow as I opened the side door to the Rust Bucket. "Just grabbing some stuff for the night!"
Numbly, with a gaze wider than I ever saw on Gwen's face, she followed me as we walked inside the house. All around were various tapestries, relics, a guitar sitting up on a stand next to the couch, or even family portraits of Wes and others I didn't recognize. But one face that I met today, Kai, who was in many photos was currently sifting through one of the shelves that housed an even greater collection of relics.
VHS tapes.
"Do you two want to watch anything?" Kai offered as she stepped aside for us to browse through the options. "I think our Grandpas are going to be talking all night."
"Sure." Man, some of these movies here I was too young to really remember what actually happened. I glanced back to Gwen to see if she had an opinion, but her distant stare told me she had a lot more to think about at the moment. So, sliding my eyes over what was available, I started to notice a pattern.
"Are these yours?" I asked, because all the movies were animated films. Spirit, Balto, Brother Bear, Fox and the Hound, Beauty and The Beast.
"My Grandpa and I pick one out to watch whenever I come over to visit." Kai squatted down next to me, finding one particular movie and pulling it out. "This one's my favorite."
Robin Hood….the animated one where they're all animals. I realized there was a theme now, all of them animal based, or blurring the lines between man and beast. Between Kai's tastes in film, and recalling how tolerant and affectionate she was when Ben was turning into what she thought was a werewolf, I now had reasonable suspicions of the kind of girl she was.
She was in her early stages of becoming a furry.
"Oh, can we watch this one?" Sure, the movie I picked had a weird scene in it, but overall it's one that my own family watched fondly.
"The Last Unicorn?" Gwen read the title, coming back to her senses. "You like that one?"
Kai seemed equally as confused. "Boys don't usually like unicorns."
"As long as it has good characters and tells a good story, I don't mind unicorns and ponies."
So, the night came to a close on a more mythical note. Watching a movie on the couch and Wes and Max spent a long time catching up in the backyard, occasionally popping in to check on us and get us some food or drinks. I watched the film, nostalgia rolling through me as Gwen took this time to view me in a different light. Maybe not as different than just previously, but it was getting brighter each minute.
I made sure she was always in the corner of my eye, as I might have made a mistake of potentially leaking dangerous knowledge of the future into the hands of those it would most harm.
But, I was tired of hiding the truth. And the truth is, I don't know how much the future has changed, or what Ghost Freak is up to.
What I do know, is that seeing purple lightning wasn't going to bring me any comfort tonight.
There was one thing I was starting to enjoy a lot lately, now that both Ghost Freak and Ben were out of my head, my thoughts and dreams were solely my own. I didn't have a lot of control over my life at the moment, so to finally be given back my personal playground was a tender mercy.
Within my own dream land, I could command it all. Carve out mountains with a swipe of my hand, conjure buildings to rise out from the landscape, and even alter my own body. To be honest, lately I've just been reliving my real body.
So, after recreating Zion National Park, I sat down on the porch of a copy of my family's worn down cabin to watch the scenery of burning waterfalls running down the red cliffs that were highlighted by the setting sun. The cabin wasn't actually here, in reality it was about three hundred miles away but hey, it's my dream so it can be wherever I want it to be.
I also don't have to deal with the crowds that typically swarm Zion.
Kicking up my feet, summoning a frosted mug of root beer into my hand, I reached down with my other to pet my childhood dog Lucy who sat at attention at my side.
I could have conjured up others to join me, friends, family, or a particular someone that I missed the most. But, for my own sanity I didn't think that would be good. Instead, I just basked in the moment, having to do a little clean up of my dream every now and then as something shifted in the dreamscape.
Nothing major, just random changes in scenery would spontaneously occur, other persons or animals materializing in the hazy corners. Dreams were never content to remain as is, and I had to constantly correct all its impulses.
But when I tipped my head back to take a swig from my icy cold beverage, I saw the scenery had changed drastically. I was no longer in Zion, or even at my cabin.
It was some abandoned town, straight from a western but desperately needing some maintenance. I was sitting on a rickety rocking chair, my loyal companion from a previous time sitting up as her ears kept flickering in different directions.
Dark clouds above roared over the landscape, and just before I could correct the shift I saw something dance within it.
Purple Lightning.
Lucy let out a growl, alerting me to a presence entering into my private domain. Dropping the mug I had, the beverage dissolving before it could hit the ground, I stepped out into the large street of dirt as I squared off against the newcomer.
He wore a tattered black cloak, a hood covering his misshapen head, long claws of his bony hand gripped a scythe. No, wait, it was machinery of some form. Just before Lucy could chase away the specter, I knelt down to give her some calming pats on her side. "It's ok girl, go inside."
As I had commanded, she left my dream and returned to the memories inside me.
"Such a loyal companion." The raspy voice commented as it drew near, halting twenty paces across from me.
My poncho (yes, I wore a cool looking poncho in my dream with matching boots and hat. It's a western setting afterall) flickered in the wind as my hat tipped down just above my questioning gaze. "You're really here, aren't you?"
"As much as I could safely be." Grasping the hood with his ghostly appendage as the darkest of the clouds circled overhead to shield his form from the light, Zs'skayr made himself fully known. "I wasn't sure if you warned the plumbers of our….understanding."
"Max knows, and so does Gwen." I kept myself rooted in place, absorbing the surroundings because it was so familiar to me. Yet, I know I never set foot in a place like this before. "I thought you went home."
"There have been complications." The ghost tore open the front of his cloak, showing just how empty he really was. "My strength is waning. I would not survive the journey. I am in need of your assistance to finish what you promised."
"I promised to help set you free." I corrected. "Help I can give, but I can't guarantee any results. And poking around with the omnitrix is out."
"Oh, but the omnitrix isn't what I'm after." Zs'skayr hovered closer to me, not a speck of dust moved by his presence. "I might have been too dismissive of your aptitude to utilize your aliens to repurpose and utilize foreign technology through unconventional means."
He wanted me to work on something, ok, that I wasn't as against. Still I was cautious, because Ghost Freak went to drastic measures to attempt to take the omnitrix to make himself whole again.
Even more when he was resurrected by his minions. Speaking of-
"Do you already have others assisting you now?"
My question made him narrow his single ethereal eye towards me. Judging my assumptions, my knowledge of things I shouldn't know. He already suspected me of being from the future, but my knowledge ran further than basic human knowledge of past events.
"By nightfall, return to this place." He made his demand. "I will converse with you in person, and satisfy your suspicions."
With a crack of his foreign technology, a strike of vibrant colored lightning stuck his frame, sending a blinding flash through the air.
I awoke with a jolt, before I remembered where I was. Sitting up on the couch, I rubbed my eyes as I saw everyone else had already started their morning around me.
"Morning Ben!" Max called out from the dining room. "You sleep well? We had a hard time waking you up."
"Yeah." Gwen agreed. "Any longer and I would have considered using a firecracker to wake you up."
While I might have had one problem add up from last night's visitor, at least Gwen's friendly attitude towards me demonstrated that she didn't see me as a stranger. Not that I would have blamed her.
Wes and Kai were already eating away at their meals, and while I was rubbing the sleep from my eyes I could make out Max setting down a plate in front of the seat in front of me.
"Come on Ben. We've got a full day ahead of us." He cheerfully informed me.
Not just a full day, but a full night too.
"Hope you have fun." Gwen commented, a hint of bitterness in her tone.
Nevertheless, Max picked up on it and sternly reminded her. "It's their land, their traditions."
I could only guess what they were referring to, but it reminded me of a similar argument from this very episode.
Turns out, it was because this morning had something lined up that women in the local culture were not exactly allowed to do. Now, did I have my own thoughts about that? Absolutely, but this wasn't exactly anything to cause a fuss over.
Wes was just taking Max and I shooting, instead of hunting an alien Werewolf. Gwen and Kai were back at Wes's home, where apparently Kai's mother was coming over to do some prep work for a demonstration today.
The metal disc on the hill away from us let out a resounding ping, marking yet another successful hit.
"Good shot Ben!" Max complimented my aim. Shooting was another one of my talents that had carried over. Now, since I had access to the omnitrix at a moment's notice, carrying a gun that might not even work against most of the creatures we faced didn't seem as pressing. I doubt I could even get a concealed license as a ten year old. Ten Ten was the only alien I had to flex that muscle.
That is, until today.
My aim was now lined up with the can even further away, and with a steady release from my lungs and a pull of the trigger, it only took a moment before I heard a clunk as the can was knocked over with a new hole in it.
Bringing up the older rifle, I slung it around my shoulder so I could lower my hearing protection to better converse with the older pair. "Thanks, it's been a while since I've done this."
"I'm surprised your father ever let you." Max said as I passed the weapon back to him. "He might have loved this growing up, and had a fair aim, but once he married your mother he distanced himself from anything 'violent'."
"It makes your grandson's accomplishments stand out even more then." Wes came to Max's side, smiling down towards me. "He told me quite a bit about you Ben. Max is very proud and he has a right to be so. If only your father knew how great of a warrior you are."
A warrior, there it was again. "What makes you think I'm a warrior?"
Max rolled his eyes to Wes, who gave a chuckle in response. It's like these two knew I would respond like this.
"He told me of moments you were given the tools of war, yet you only sought to keep the peace." Wes began as Max emptied the clip from the gun, setting it aside as he grabbed his own plumber issue choice of firearm. "Ben, you have had an abrupt journey to manhood this summer. Many times you faced deadly foes, and prevailed over every one of them. Even when you had your enemy's life in your hands, you chose to spare them because they were no longer a threat."
"Let's not bring Donovan into this." Max uttered, before taking aim and letting out a quick series of shots, bringing my own ego in check.
Donovan, so Max told Wes about him and what happened back then. They probably talked about Phil too. Max lost two old friends this summer, both of them showing how much time had changed them.
This summer, what change was happening with me? Was I even the same person I remember being before I got the omnitrix?
"I wasn't thinking about mercy then." I admitted, looking downrange as Max continued to demonstrate his experience. "I just, didn't trust myself to make a good decision. Not while I was so angry. I didn't even know I could get that angry."
Rolling over my wrist, I stared into the heart of the omnitrix, that alien green glow that held more secrets than I think the show ever really knew what to do with. "At least when I use the omnitrix, I know what I'm changing into. Can't say the same for who I'll be if something like that happens again."
Wes nodding in understanding, confusing me because how could he? How could anyone understand what I was going through?
"The wind will howl and snap our branches, and the seasons will change the color of our leaves for a time, but where we choose to plant our seeds will determine where our roots grow."
That was, vague. I always saw myself as an adult but, I guess I still had a lot of growing up to do if I'm going to figure out what that really meant. Sure, I had an idea but….what was Wes looking at?
The moment Max stopped firing, Wes held up a hand to keep him from continuing as he crossed our line in the dirt. Stepping further into the desert, Max and I following right behind him, Wes knelt down as he examined something that neither of us could see at first glance.
A paw print, a massive one.
"That doesn't look like a bobcat." Max scratched at his chin as Wes took on a more serious expression.
"A Yenaldooshi." He muttered, and that sparked another moment of recognition.
"I don't think so." I dared to challenge his native knowledge, only because I knew exactly what left that and who was involved. "Grandpa, do you remember how Ghost Freak was showing up in my dreams a lot before I released him?"
"Yes? Why do you bring that up now?"
"Because he showed up again, and he has company."
I shared as much as I saw on the drive back, while also sketching as many details of the town as I could recall. Abandoned, ill maintained, yet not a single collapsed building in the western town. Wes didn't seem to recognize it, but it had to be decently close to us if Zs'skayr expected me to arrive by nightfall.
Right as soon as we pulled up to the house, we hastily got out of the car and marched into the home.
"Dad?" Kai's mother, or at least the woman I assumed was her mother stood up from the table with several fabrics and half strung plants laying about. "What is-"
"I'm sorry." Wes apologized but didn't stop moving as he collected a stash of ammunition. "But I must ask you to watch Kai for the night."
"Gwen." I called out to 'my' cousin, who was already slipping out from the chair with a fabric made of patterns of grays. "I need your help to find a town."
"Sure." She nodded and moved towards her own bag, already picking up on our sense of urgency. I could hear some confusion, maybe bickering coming from the Green family over this sudden change of plans and demanding answers. It wasn't as loud as a full argument, but the displeasure could still be picked up on.
Once Gwen got her computer booted up I showed her the sketch of the town. "We need to find this place, somewhere within close enough driving distance to get there by tonight."
"That's not a lot to go off of." Gwen admitted, staring at the photo. "It looks old, is the town even still there?"
"I think so." I answered, guessing based off of how the town appeared in my dream but also because it was too familiar for me to assume I never got a chance to see it.
"Ben." Max came up to me, putting his hand on my shoulder as he typically did to help reassure he was here for me. "Are you sure we should be doing this? We'll prepare for the worst but what if it's a trap to take the omnitrix?"
A trap may be likely, and maybe I was biased towards how I saw Zs'skayr treat Ben in the show, but the fact that he was asking as nicely as he could instead of ambushing when I would least expect it already proved he would prefer not to break our shaky alliance.
"I have to try to help." I rose up my arm to show the prison that confined him for who knows how long. "The omnitrix is why he's so weak, and since I'm the wielder it's my responsibility to set things right as much as I can."
Besides, I was very aware of his weaknesses and his allies. WIth two plumbers, an array of specially made equipment to combat him, and a magic user, I don't even know if the omnitrix will be necessary.
"Got it." Gwen turned her computer towards us. "Bonanza City, an old mining town in New Mexico built in the late eighteen hundreds. There's not a lot left of the town itself but there's a movie set made nearby to resemble the town that looks exactly like Ben sketched."
An echo of an over excited man shouting 'Let's go pioneers!' resounded in my head, awakening an old memory in me. "Holy crap Kid Nation."
The two Tennysons gave me an odd look in response.
"Wait." I had such a huge flashback that I couldn't resist uttering the name of that show I watched with my family as a kid. I don't remember much, other than that one little beauty pageant girl being a massive pain in the butt. "Has Kid Nation even come out yet?"
"Is that some movie?"
This was getting us sidetracked. "Just, forget it. Let's focus on the possible alien threat."
"Gwen." Max pointed towards the screen. "Can you connect to Wes's printer and get us a map to where that is?"
"Already on it." She pressed a key, a sudden click and hum coming in the other room.
"I'll go get that and go over our gear." Max declared, going to retrieve the map. "You two stay here and pack up your things. I'll come get you when Wes and I are ready."
"Got it." I affirmed, Gwen quickly grabbing her laptop and myself moving over to just grab a few toiletries to put back in the small sack I brought in. It wasn't long before we were left waiting for the adults to finish their preparations, Kai coming into the living room with a small frown on her face.
She might not be happy with going home early, but the fact that she barely had any negative reaction to the news told me that she was already aware there was nothing she could say or do to convince anyone otherwise.
Silently, the stress built up as we waited for our next set of instructions. I wanted to talk about a few things, and I'm sure Gwen had more questions about my past, but we had no idea if Kai was in on the secret about Wes's plumbing days.
Feeling to awkward to look at either of them, my eyes wandered around the place until they settled on the guitar next to the couch. I studied it, thinking towards the guitar I inherited from my Uncle after his passing. It wasn't until I was an adult that I decided to spend some of my time to try and teach myself the instrument. I couldn't say I was any good, only knowing the bare basics, and I had no idea how much I even remembered.
"Do you want to play?" Kai asked, bringing me out of my reminiscing.
"I don't think you want to hear me play." I confessed, not trusting my current skill level to actually play in front of others.
Gwen wouldn't let it go though. "Come on Ben, I haven't even gotten to hear you play yet."
"I'd rather not."
"Hey." A mischievous smirk plucked her lips. "Remember how I said you'd owe me big for keeping an eye on Edwin and Kevin."
No, she wouldn't dare.
"You owe me that."
Sighing in resignation, I cursed myself for Gwen having such a good memory and being too honest in my promises to ignore the request. Stepping up to the instrument that was much larger than I was used to playing, I picked it up, sitting on the couch next to Kai as I rested the body on my leg, trying to adjust my grip to compensate for my hand being half the size as my adult one.
Once I brought my wrist up higher, pressing down on each string to test my ability to even do a note, I tried to remember if I had even played for anyone before.
I only practiced, sometimes a roommate here or there to be present but never anything like this. Now I realized, I never even got to play for my fiance. A song came to my mind, fingers adopting the proper positions as I allowed the first song I'd ever sing with this voice to express a part of my deepest thoughts.
Savior - Ghost Note Symphonies by Rise Against
"It kills me not to know this
But I've all but just forgotten
What the color of her eyes were
And her scars or how she got them."
Each day I was without her, I felt like I was losing another detail of my memory of her.
"As the telling signs of age rain down
A single tear is dropping
Through the valleys of an aging face
That this world has forgotten."
The world I'm from, if I truly vanished from it, would eventually forget me. By now they might be moving on with their lives without me.
"There is no reconciliation
That will put me in my place
And there is no time like the present
To drink these draining seconds."
Even if I figured out what happened, could I ever be satisfied with it?
"But seldom do these words ring true
When I'm constantly failing you
Walls that we just can't break through
Until we disappear."
I was faintly aware that this wasn't the true meaning of the lyrics, but I still identified with this song enough to make it my own, give it my own meaning as I allowed it to voice the ever present frustration within me.
"So tell me now
If this ain't love then how do we get out?
'Cause I don't know."
My fingers began to strain, this body never having practiced before in music, but I needed to get this off my chest, to sing. Maybe Andrea would have known something about this song that was stuck in my heart.
"That's when she said
"I don't hate you boy
I just want to save you
While there's still something left to save"."
For how long, I wasn't sure. Or even if I could be saved anymore.
"That's when I told her, "I love you girl
But I'm not the answer
For the questions that you still have"."
So, so many questions, and never a good enough answer. Would I ever stop asking?
As an uncertainty tripped my thoughts, my fingers slipped on the chords, a harsh noise interrupting my first ever performance and making me wince over the noise. "Sorry, I'm really out of practice."
"Keep going." Kai suddenly requested next to me. "It's really good."
Gwen was quick to nod in agreement. "Did you write that? It sounded so, personal."
No, but I swore this song was already released.
But this moment was over, the real adults all gathering at the front door. Before Max could even request it I got up, placing the guitar back where it belonged, and considered never picking one up ever again. Just something to let go of, to be part of the past.
"Oh, wait." Gwen ran back to grab something from the table, one of the things she had been working on with Kai and her mother. Holding it up to my frame, I quickly realized what it was.
"Is this-"
"Let's get going now." Max interrupted, Wes holding the door open for everyone to exit. Quickly throwing the attire over my head, Gwen and I moved out to see what needed to be prepared before we faced off against Zs'skayr.
The area had been scouted beforehand, and we had no issue getting into the unsupervised western town. Max had fitted himself back into his old service uniform, standing beside me as we walked down the empty street filled with dust.
Wes had positioned himself in one of the buildings, keeping an eye on us from a distance and ready to provide cover fire. Gwen wasn't too far either, hiding behind one of the doors with her staff in hand, ready to release a barrage of magic.
But, as the dusk grew darker, the winds blowing a little colder, we had yet to see any sign of any other life besides ourselves. No matter, this gave me a moment to stand there stoically with my new dope poncho blowing in the breeze. Max trusted me enough now to let me carry a sidearm on missions such as these, my hand hovering over a modified plumber issue blaster on my hip.
In my other hand, was the retracted laser sword I had picked up from some Forever Knight remnants, also modified to give off a lot more light than originally designed.
But, despite our prep work, the cool scenery, and my awesome load out, we were missing our promised company.
"Maybe it was just a dream." Max hummed, still not letting his guard down. "If he doesn't come, we should follow up on Wes's suspicions of a-"
I stopped listening to him as I saw a distant flash of color over the horizon. An arc of energy raced through the sky, until crashing down on the other side of town.
I remained stoic, but my playful internal thoughts turned to business as a very real and dangerous person materialized. And he wasn't alone.
While Zs'skayr appeared just as he did in my dream, the details of whatever mechanism he held were more defined in reality. At a glance, I couldn't determine what function it had. A weapon? Life support? Or something more universal to also control their teleporter.
Next to the ghostly alien, standing with a strong healthy frame, was the alien werewolf I saw only on television. It was a lot more intimidating in person, my human mind clearly identifying a predator that was more dangerous than perhaps anything my planet was home to.
I heard the click of a safety being released on Max's weapon, earning a growl in response by Zs'skayr's escort.
He rose a hand of claws and bone to silence it, both of us still wishing to keep the peace.
"I hope you don't mind that I brought company." I started our negotiations. "It puts them more at ease knowing I didn't come alone."
"Then our allies think alike." Zs'skayr nodded in understanding, motioning for his own partner to remain in place as he hovered forward. I did the same, Max expressing his disapproval through a frown yet trusting me enough to walk towards the center of town.
Now in person, and familiar with one another, Zs'skayr and I continued to walk towards one another until only a few feet were between us.
Despite his supposedly weakened state, he was a lot more terrifying than I gave him credit for previously.
"You wanted my help restoring your body." I began, judging the state of his health more directly. "Do you already have something in mind?"
"My minions are retrieving the necessary materials." He answered, something that I was afraid of.
I remember he and his 'minions' built a machine that corrupted the entire planet with dark energy. Made from a substance that was seen over multiple episodes.
"Corrodium." The name of it was tough to remember, but after days dwelling on it I was able to retrieve that much. It was a very pointed name after all.
He didn't give me a reaction I could read, instead, grabbing a piece of metal from his own tool to hand down towards me. "I have had designs drawn up with the safety of your humans in mind, as I previously promised. Look over them, and do not linger in contacting me about how to better utilize the scarce resources this planet possess."
This was a rather reasonable plan, and I appreciated being kept in the loop. It almost made his dark and mysterious persona trustworthy. Almost everything was fair, but something wasn't adding up.
Just as he was turning away to return to his escort, I spoke up. "Just one thing doesn't make sense, how come you haven't contacted your home system? They would have everything you needed right?"
He paused, the nightly breeze brustling the edges of his dark cloak growing colder.
"For reasons unknown, the Anur System has grown quiet." His head turned, his single piercing eye glowing vibrantly with untold power still at his grasp. "Now that you understand my haste, do not delay my request."
He was their leader, and the fact that he can't get a hold of them was concerning. If I didn't make this a priority it would be as if I unofficially declared war. Nodding at his words, I allowed him to drift back over to the beastly alien, before in another flash of crackling purple they vanished.
Max didn't hesitate to return to my side, the rushing footsteps of Gwen quickly drawing near as I inspected the device.
"I'm worried about you getting involved in this Ben." Max spoke with understandable concern. "If he really doesn't have a way to contact wherever he's from, then he might be dragging you into something that you shouldn't be."
"My only goals right now is too keep Earth safe from whatever is happening out there, and return Zs'skayr's strength that the omnitrix took away from him." I promised, turning around to see that Wes himself had now returned to us from his sniper's perch. "As far as I know, most of the universe is ignorant that the omnitrix is on Earth. I want to keep it that way, and the best way to do that is keeping myself out of any potential interplanetary conflict."
While the tension of tonight being a battle was eased, it didn't mean we could fully relax. I had to figure out everything that Zs'skayr has planned, and confirm he really wouldn't bring Earth under any harm by himself or another party.
Geez, so much for getting a proper summer vacation. At least I got a poncho out of today. "Hey Wes, think there's a place still open where I can get a hat like yours?"
I needed one to match my poncho afterall.
Hey everyone! It's been a long break since the last chapter, nearly half a year! Well, I'm getting back in the rhythm again and guess what?
I have a discord server now! Keep up to date with the latest info, alongside the opportunity to also have a say in how the next chapter goes. You can also see channels for each of my other stories, and others to just chat and hang out. Go check it out!
/S46dcywpfv
REMINDER! I won't be using any content created outside of the original Ben 10 show. No content from Alien Force, Ultimate Alien, Omniverse, or reboot will be used. That includes aliens, abilities, plot points, lore, and just about anything not seen in the OG show.
Shisui No Akatsuki: You've clearly ignored the well established fact that magic interferes with the very loose anchor SI-Ben's soul has on this world.
Language barriers are a thing, and as someone who took two years of Latin (the most common language to use for fictional magic) I personally can attest that it's a struggle.
But while there are several reasons I've established why SI-Ben shouldn't learn magic, I gave you a chance to offer a good enough reason other than "I want it to happen".
In the end, you've blatantly declared you don't care for the most important aspect in writing a story, plot. So I've come to understand that your statement "It's just that you, as a writer, don't want him learning Magic, plain and simple. There is no shame in admitting it." is just projection about your own feelings on the matter.
Chronosign: I'll have him be aware of the spin off movie at the least, but I think I'll keep out any knowledge of the sequel shows.
Some1call4MR-E: Honestly, the best place to stop watching DW is at the end of Capaldi's era. That's when the quality nose dives.
Glad you appreciate my guilty pleasure chapter, even if it might not be for the best of the overall story.
Bsh41194: I had to have Ben leave because unfortunately, it would be too difficult to write this alternative Ben due to many readers only really knowing canon Ben, and they would obviously be too different from one another to be satisfying.
Guest: This is my fic, and in it I'm only using the OG story as a reference. Kevin being half alien, and Gwen being an anodite are not from the OG story.
Zealot07: And how was he supposed to have Gwen be ready if any other aliens showed up? Anytime I think about your solution, it doesn't fit the story and it doesn't seem like a realistic approach.