Chapter 7 - Chapter 7 - Darkness

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Chapter 7[br]
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Darkness[br]
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- So it was you who shut the power down? – asked his cousin Ben, as they enjoyed the warmness of the fire. It was priceless in the cold desert night. Even the moon was hiding behind dark clouds.[br]
- Exactly. I’ve been following Lantara, since I managed to locate her once. I didn’t know she was going after you… It seems her senses are more precise than mine. I only comprehended your emotions, when I was close to the city. – replied Gwen.[br]
- It was a really good idea to turn off the electricity though. I’ve never would have defeated Dr. Vicktor any other way. – added Lantara. [br]
- I’m very grateful for both of you! Without you, the omnitrix would definitely be in GhostKevin’s hands by now. – smiled Ben.[br]
- Not to mention you. – Lantara said and bowed down her head.[br]
- What’s the matter? – Ben asked.[br]
- It’s just… I can’t believe I almost lost you! – admitted the alien. Ben moved closer to her and put his arm around her waist.[br]
- It’s all right now! I’ll always be here for you. [br]
Suddenly, Gwen stood up. [br]
- I’m gonna go collect more firewood. – declared she and started walking. Soon, she disappeared in the darkness.[br]
Ben and Lantara set on the ground, and watched the orange flames. Then they gazed at each other. [br]
- You know, when I saw the Omni-Tower collapsing, while you were inside… It was awful, no, it was beyond all bearings! That’s why I went after the aliens, and decided to hunt down the source. GhostKevin took away many things that were important for me… I could not take another loss… your loss… I thought I’ll find him, and make him regret everything; make him beg for death’s sweet release… to avenge yours… I know I never said it before… but… you’re the only one I have besides Gwen. We have been through a lot together, and… [br]
- Say it… - whispered Lantara.[br]
- I love you! – exclaimed the man.[br]
- You don’t care how I look? I’m not one of the most beautiful beings in the galaxy… [br]
- It doesn’t matter. Looks aren’t everything… Over the last few weeks, I realized how much I need you… I love you. - repeated Ben.[br]
- I love you too! You can’t imagine how long I’ve been waiting for you to say this… but I feared I’ll remain a hideous alien, just an ally; a comrade in your human eyes… – replied Lantara and hugged Ben tightly. Their heads moved closer and closer to each other, and they almost kissed, but unexpectedly, something else got Lantara’s attention.[br]
- What? Did I do something against your will? – surprised the man. He was shocked a bit.[br]
- No, you did everything right… - said Lantara monotonously, she’s mind were somewhere else.[br]
- What are you… - Ben began but he was interrupted.[br]
- Wait… Something is wrong… - declared the ectonurite and rose hear right hand, like if she would touch an invisible wall. Then she clenched her fists.[br]
- What is it? – asked Ben impatiently. He was more and more anxious. Lantara glanced at him, their visage met.[br]
- Where’s Gwen? – exclaimed both of them in the same time. They spread out to find her. [br]
- Ben! Over here, I found something! – yelled Lantara. Ben arrived with Xlr8’s speed. The ectonurite was holding a piece of Gwen’s costume in her hand. [br]
- What’s going on here? GhostKevin must have kidnapped her! – hissed Ben.[br]
- Look, Gwen’s footsteps stop here. – Lantara pointed at the ground. – And see? The sand is darker in this little circle![br]
- Yes! – agreed Ben picking up a handful of sand. He triturated it among his fingers then dropped it.[br]
- Inter-dimensional portal. – said he. – Can you locate her?[br]
- No, something’s blocking my senses.[br]
Ben’s eyes began to glow for a second.[br]
- I can’t reach her telepathically eighter![br]
Lantara raised her hand again, like before. [br]
- What? You sense something? – urged her Ben.[br]
- I… I… - Lantara hesitated. – I feel… LOOK OUT! – shouted she, and the next moment, something evolved from the darkness. Its target was obviously Ben. He evaded with Xlr8’s velocity, and the large, black hand struck the ground only. After the attack, it vanished. [br]
- What was that? – freaked out Ben.[br]
- Just a little foretaste! – replied a third person unexpectedly.[br]
- Show yourself, coward! – shouted Lantara, however she already knew the identity of their guest, but she wished her senses were wrong.[br]
- With pleasure! – laughed Raven and revealed herself. Her black outfit matched the complete darkness around her. Fortunately for the heroic team, the clouds cleared up, and the full moon could illuminate the desert, and Ben examined Raven's features. [br]
- Who are you and what have you done with Gwen?![br]
Raven swung her blue cape with a devilish grin, and uncovered Gwen’s unconscious body.[br]
- What have you done with her?! – roared Ben.[br]
- It’s nothing compared what I’m going to do with you! – said Raven menacingly.[br]
- Raven, what are you doing?! – intervened Lantara. [br]
- You know her??? – yelled Ben.[br]
- Yes, she saved my life back at the Tower…[br]
- Enough! Lantara, stand aside! I have no trouble with you! I only want Ben 10 000![br]
- No, I will not! I know what you feel, you told me what you've been through, but Ben's not the one to blame! GhostKevin is responsible for everything what happened, not Ben! - replied the ectonurite.[br]
- Lies! He's responsible, he should have been here to protect the planet, but he abandoned us instead! GhostKevin could do what he did, because Ben was not here to stop him![br]
- Kevin killed my grandfather that day! I was a silly child, and could not handle that loss alone... but Lantara was there for me. How could I possibly know, that this will happen?! - chafed Ben.[br]
- Silence! This is my last warning! Lantara, stand aside, now! – demanded Raven, ignoring Ben's question.[br]
- Never! If you want him, you'll have to deal with me first! - hissed the alien clenched her fists.[br]
- This is your last word?[br]
- Most certainly yes! - exclaimed Lantara,.[br]
- Pity. - simpered Raven and captured the alien in a black force field dome. Seeing this, Ben immediately changed into Diamondhead.[br]
- Listen, I don't know who you are, I don't know why do you hate me so much, but I don't want to fight you... - said the petrosapien.[br]
- But I want to fight you! - roared Raven and took off. She attacked Ben from the air. She stretched her hands, and shot black energy blasts, however they could not penetrate Diamondhead's crystalline skin.[br]
- Stop this foolishness at once! - shouted Ben, still attempting to convince his opponent. But Raven was too headstrong... and she did not stop. She picked up a huge pile of sand with her mind, and threw it towards Diamondhead. Before it could bury him alive, he formed a spear on both of his arms, and sliced the earth into two pieces. Then a black energy rope coiled around his body, and he was unable to get out of its grasp. With the regular flash, he became Brainstorm. The green aura of his mind surrounded the dark energy rope and broke it apart. [br]
At this point, Ben realized, that any persuasion is useless, he have to fight back.[br]
Therefore, he flew up and adapted Xlr8's speed in the air, by creating an energy path before his foot. He ran towards Raven and grabbed her. They both fell down, Ben landed above his adversary. Raven struggled, but Brainstrom was already Fourarms, so she couldn't move, the muscular red arms held her tightly.[br]
- You're really testing my patience. - said the tetramand slowly.[br]
- Get off me! - responded Raven and a black energy beam coming from the gem on her forehead struck Fourarms. The blast made him fly back, but Raven flew after him. Her other energy blast hit the tetramand in the stomach and forced him to the ground. The dust seethed around the place where he landed, then it settled down. [br]
- That's it! You want to play dirty?! Here I am! - growled Fourarms and transformed into Wildvine. His hands enlarged and grabbed Raven's leg, eventually she was dragged down to the sand. The green fringes trapped her arms, she squirmed in their grasp like a fish. Suddenly, two Mummy arms grew out of Wildvine's torso. The bandages snaked around Raven's entire body, even her eyes disappeared among this strange mass.[br]
- You're only making it worse... - ascertained Ben. Unexpectedly, Raven's black aura surrounded all his arms, and she torn her cocoon apart. Her eyes went red.[br]
- You will learn to be afraid of the dark! - Laughed she and dozens of black hands emerged from under her cape. They all grabbed Wildvine and started to pull him closer and closer to Raven. Suddenly, he disappeared, as Grey Matter. A second later, when he got rid of the energy hands, the omnitrix flashed again, transforming Ben into Stinkfly. He took off, and smiled back at Raven, but he realized, the hands were coming after him, so as his nemesis. He evaded them with tricky maneuvers, but he could not last long. He went Heatblast and his curtain of fire decimated the hands, but Raven's dark energy was everywhere, soon he was captured and tied up. With a red flash, the omnitrix reverted him to his human form. Raven towered upon him and created a sharp formation, which pointed at Ben's face.[br]
- You don't deserve the omnitrix! You're too weak to possess such power! - said she disdainfully. She raised her hands, ready to strike down and end Ben's life. All of a sudden she heard an agonized roar...[br]
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Meanwhile Ben and Raven were fighting, Lantara hopelessly tried to free herself from her prison, but her attempt were futile. At first, she wanted to phase through the black aura, however she could not. Next, she shot it with an energy beam, to no avail of course, the it was too strong. She even hit the force field with her fists as she struggled to get out. Something changed in her mind, when she saw Ben lying on the ground, and the familiar emotion filled her soul, the same thing she felt before she battled Dr. Vicktor. That horrible scream Raven heard, came from Lantara herself, at the moment she neutralized the dome. The black aura broke into hundreds of pieces like glass, then it disappeared.[br]
- Raven! - she yelled, and a second later she fired a very powerful energy beam. The attack caught Raven unexpected. The purple laser struck her, made her fly back, and the spiky formation vanished from above Ben.[br]
- Are you all right? - worried Lantara.[br]
- Yeah, but I can't really do anything with her dark energy stuff... - acknowledged the man.[br]
- Listen, she's lost her mind, she's not like this, I know. You have to let me talk to her, before you go Powersource on her! - jabbered the ectonurite.[br]
- No! She must be stopped, she's too powerful! Maybe she's working for GhostKevin! Besides, you did not seem so chatty a ten seconds ago... - said Ben referring to Lantara's previous action against Raven.[br]
- She's just confused, I doubt that she's working for GhostKevin. - replied she and her new blow knocked Ben out.[br]
- I'm nobody's servant! I don't stand on anyone's side, because nobody stands on my side! - shouted Raven.[br]
- Raven, listen... - began Lantara and glanced at Ben.[br]
- I don't care. I thought we became close, but you take his side! We have nothing to talk about! - declared Raven.[br]
- I will not allow you to hurt him! Why can't we just talk about this for a second?![br]
- If you're not with me...you're against me. If I have to strike you down, to tear Ben up into little shreds, I'll do what I must! - declared Raven. Her voice was sinister and menacing.[br]
- I beg you to reconsider! - said Lantara.[br]
Raven's respond was a sharp energy disk, that cut her on her left arm.[br]
- Raven, don't make me do this! I don't want to hurt you! - begged the alien and drew back, when the sorceress forced her into a hand to hand combat. She just defended herself, avoiding any other confrontation. When Raven released another energy disk, Lantara caught it and threw it back at the sender. Raven avoided her own blast, propelled in the air and landed in front of Lantara. They grabbed each other's hands and tried to force the other to the ground. Body distended to body, but as an alien, Lantara was stronger. Suddenly, she changed her protoplasma, and Raven fell off through her ghostly body. [br]
- I said it before, but I'll say it again: I don't want to hurt you! Stay down! - commanded the ectonurite. [br]
- Not until I get revenge on Tennyson! - insisted the sorceress and quickly took off. She sent two more energy disks, but they were destroyed by Lantara's purple laser beam. Raven formed a black shield to defend herself. Nevertheless, the next blast broke through the dark aura and struck her down. Her expression reflected surprise. [br]
- You're not the only one who's in her element in the dark! AARRRGH!- growled Lantara as she converted to her full potential. She went bigger and more muscular, three spikes grew out of her shoulders, her claws became longer and sharper, her chest opened and the tentacles coiled out of it, and her teeth grew spiky. Seeing this horrible metamorphosis, Raven retreated, but it was too late, Lantara could not control herself any longer. The fury flooded her mind and she fought Raven with great intensity. The sorceress could not attack anymore, the initiation slipped out of her hands. She formed black spikes to cover her escape, but Lantara shot a purple energy beam, which was like a guided missile. It evaded the spikes and went after Raven. She flew faster, but the laser eventually struck her. She fell down. Lantara approached her menacingly.[br]
- What's the matter?! You're afraid of the dark? - said the ectonurite. Even her voice changed; it was raucous, cruel and lifeless. [br]
Raven was cornered, and that made her more aggressive. Those black hands evolved from under her cape again, trying to grab Lantara, but she became a ghost. With a swing of her claws, she broke the dark energy apart. Suddenly, Raven attacked her furiously, even Lantara had to draw back a bit. After a few more minutes of fighting, something happened, something that put an end to this pointless battle. Raven wanted to strike with a powerful spell, but Lantara was faster. Her sharp claws struck Raven right in the face. She flew back and fell on the ground. Her hood was torn apart by the ectonurite's blow; her long hair messed up, and covered her face. She screamed in pain, and used her healing abilities to minimize the damage. She slowly stood up and took a few faltering steps. Only then Lantara realized what she did. Her eyes grew large and she retreated, when she looked at the scar on Raven's face... It was almost the same as Ben's. Then she gazed at her own claws.[br]
- I did this... - whispered she in horror and reverted to her normal shape.[br]
- What have you done to me?! I'm going to make you regret this! - cried Raven and wanted to attack the alien, who was in complete shock. Suddenly, a deep voice yelled at her:[br]
- You will not![br]
- Ben! - hissed Raven.[br]
- You left me no other choice! - declared the man. With a green flash he became Powersource.[br]
Raven shot a massive, black energy beam, but when it reached the alien's gauzy body, Powersource absorbed it. Then, a blue, snake-like thing coiled around the beam and it headed to Raven.[br]
- What is this? What re you doing?! - cried she in panic, because the blue snake reached and surrounded her body, and began to pull her to the creepy alien. [br]
- Let me go! What is this? I can't control my powers! - roared the sorceress. When she was close enough, Powersource's tentacles grabbed her. They snaked around her body. She struggled very hard to get out of this deadly grasp, but she felt weaker and weaker by every second. She did not even see that black clouds exited her and floated towards Powersource. Soon, Raven's body slacked, and she fainted. The method was complete, the alien put her down on the ground softly. The omnitrix flashed and Ben appeared from the greenness.[br]
- Your power is mine... - said he. His voice did not sound victorious, but sad and sympathetic instead. He spent a few minutes examining Raven' features. Besides her pale skin, he found her quite attractive. Then he recognized the fresh scar. His face distorted, as he recalled the moment when he got his scar from Kevin. Lantara slowly floated to Ben.[br]
- Is she alive? - asked the ectonurite.[br]
- Yes. She'll live. I suppose Powersource did a pretty good job on her though.... But maybe, it would be wise to kill her now... if she's still a threat... What do you think? - wondered Ben.[br]
- No. That intention is no more inside of her, I can sense it. - replied Lantara.[br]
- Fine. Let's check out Gwen! - agreed the man and ran to his cousin with Xlr8's speed.[br]
- How is she?[br]
- Still faint. Gwen, Gwen, wake up![br]
Gwen opened her eyes and saw Ben and Lantara beside her.[br]
- The sorceress! - yelled she in panic.[br]
- It's all right now, she's taken care of! - calmed her Ben.[br]
- What happened? - asked Gwen on a veiled voice.[br]
- Got myself a new ability. - smiled Ben, raised his hand, and black fire was coming out of his palm. [br]
- Can you stand? - asked Lantara.[br]
- I guess so. - replied Gwen, and managed to stand up.[br]
- Great, lets get out of here, I had enough of the desert! - suggested she.[br]
- Agreed. - bowed Ben.[br]
- What about her... What a... - surprised Lantara, with her mouth ajar. Raven was gone. Suddenly, Ben turned around and she was standing right in front of him. Gwen and Lantara braced for battle, but Ben remained calm. He looked into Raven's eyes and they stared each other like this for long seconds. Then Raven broke the silence.[br]
- I'm sorry... For all of you...For everything... - admitted she. - When your alien held me, I unwillingly received memories of your past... I understand you now...[br]
- You see, I'm not a cruel monster... I'm just a man... even with the omnitrix on my wrist. And I make mistakes, like everyone else. Leaving Kevin alive was a mistake. - answered Ben.[br]
- Peace? - asked he.[br]
- Peace. - accepted Raven and shook hands with Ben. [br]
- Why don't you join us? We could use any help against GhostKevin... - suggested Lantara.[br]
- No... I couldn't... after what I did... - resisted Raven, swung her cape and disappeared with a black flash.[br]
- Weird... Do you think we'll see her again? - asked Gwen.[br]
- Something tells me this is not the last time we saw of Raven. - replied Ben mysteriously. Lantara drifted closer to him and touched his hand, as they watched the rising sun.[br]
- Well, that was a long night... - said Ben sarcastically. [br]
- Will things ever be the same again? - questioned Gwen.[br]
- Not until we destroy GhostKevin... - declared Ben. - And he escaped again... who knows where he goes next? [br]
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