The Adventures Of Abraxis And Graymite (Open)

"Erixa!!! Good to see that you're still with us then!!!" Exclaimed the Chief. He got up, adjusting his tie of course, as Lockheed went out into the main Foyer to make an assessment of the situation. The One Security Guard was still wiping blood from his armor, but was otherwise alright. Rebecca took a deep breath, sighing in relief. "Things have gotten a bit complicated. the......" began Vantrix, but suddenly, a familiar face placed his left hand on Vantrix's shoulder. It was BENAIRES!!! he then giggled out, "heheheh...guess my Beacon is working the everyone!!! Okay, so, here is what is going on Erixa...and I will explain in full detail while the Staff help with cleanup and status-check. Erixa.....a pleasure to see you again....Asher, you are not going to chicken out because of some little explosion are you kid? Come onnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn, the fun is just beginning!!!! Keep your head up; I promised to protect you and your sister kid. It's no big deal. Okay...everyone sit down....."

Said this version of Benaires!!! This was most confusing even to Rebecca, who was simply scratching her head in dismal awe.

"There are.....let's see......five other expressionistic versions of myself, each individual copy with the same stream of thoughts, but their own actions you see. When I TOUCHED Erixa, Abraxis and Asher, I PURPOSELY left an IMPRINT on their Psyche. In other words, when we find my other selves, I can get myself BACK into one SINGULARITY. While I do not know the reversal spell, the imprint does have bits and pieces of the original spell deep in their minds somewhere. I'm pretty clueless when it comes to doing certain things, but I assure you that this will get better everyone. Chief, we need to find two more Dopplgangers within a few hours, would you agree?"

The Chief nodded in agreement, pointing to Erixa and Asher. "Very well. Asher, I'm going to put YOU with your sister and this version of Benaires, since her seems to have a better idea on how to handle this turn of events on short notice. I'll have a cleanup crew get those bodies out of the Corridor and to try to track Amanda down. While that explosion was mind-numbing, it is probably going to take a lot more than that to kill Amanda. I am sure she has made an embarrassing retreat to lick her wounds and to regroup of course."

Abraxis ran over to Benaires (Copy2) hugging him happily. Ben laughed at her, trying to make things look a bit cheerful. He then looked up at her, for Abraxis was a bit taller than the average female, beginning with, "So you used a Dark Terror Bomb did you? Very good rookie!!! I knew you would execute things so well. I'm sure Amanda will think twice about trying to attack us from here on out perhaps. And why did she have so many of those creatures? Something is going on here and I don't like that looks of it. Is she mass-producing them or something? I saw them in the Corridors; mangled, misshapen, patches of fur missing. What the hell is she trying to accomplish? Well, let's get ME to the Hospital to check on my other self immediately!! I think we should head out of the front this time since the Corridor is a mess everyone."

Abraxis then wrote something down on her writing tool quickly and showed it to everyone: "We need to move quickly. That explosion is not enough to cause significant damage to Amanda, but I am quite sure that she is severely injured."



____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Amanda was walking along the underground tunnels, bleeding badly, but otherwise alive. She had four remaining Broken Broods with her as escort. She pushed her long hair to side, favoring her other arm as well. She was injured, tired and frustrated seriously. "How could I been so FUCKING STUPID?? And for that matter, how in the FUUUUCCCK did my ex-best friend get THAT powerful? There is just NO way that she has more skills than I do!!! When I heal up, I'm going to make them SORRY that they ever crossed my path. I don't have time for this bullshit!!!"



"Do not get your nipples in proverbial twist dear Amanda; there will be other opportunities to even things out; just not right now. My nephew is waayy beyond your skill set. You would not last ten minutes with him. And Abraxis has been taking his teachings and using them for a very long time. You cannot take her on as of right NOW...but soon..."

A horrible scream built up in Erixa's chest upon Ben's arrival. It almost escaped, too, but she gulped it down.

"Fuck you," she whispered before nearly tackling Ben in a bearhug. It didn't last long. The second she let go, she slammed a fist into his jaw. "Quit scaring me, Ben! You - well, part of you - nearly dies and you come back - no, show up - acting like nothing is a big deal when we're fucking being attacked and you're gonna die in 100 hours and...and...DON'T EXPECT ANY LOVE OR SYMPATHY FROM ME, YOUR HIGHNESS!"

She stormed past him, her blue ponytail swinging angrily behind her like a snake.

Asher looked up at Ben sheepishly. "She really does like you."

O_O

All of this reaction at the same time confused even the MIGHTY DAICHON. He KNEW that Erixa was his fiancée, UNOFFICALLY, but he had no idea that she seemed to be upset at him for his antics. The vermon all circled around the corpse, but no one had made a decision to eat upon it!! he placed his hand on his face, now tearing up. Why did she NOT understand what he was really going through? The Chief shook his head, now jumping down from the meeting table, signaling for everyone else to leave poor Ben by himself.

"Let's go.........here we go again with THIS shit......" Said Rebecca, who clasped her hand into her partner's, shaking her head as usual. A NEW Employee, Vermillion, was walking in, when everyone was leaving OUT of the meeting room. She had very long hair that was Salt and Pepper. She looked to be about in her mid-seventies, but dressed properly for the job.

Ben just dropped to his knees, curling up, sobbing like a lost kid. Did she NOT know that everything affected even his COPIES and it was AMPLIFIED by 2000? Ben felt useless, hopeless and just sad. He thought to himself,

"I'm trying to HOLD my other selves together and SHE is ANGRY at me? Why? I'm really trying to get this in shape and she has the NERVE to HIT me? I can't even keep my fiancée HAPPY? This is crazy? Who is making my life miserable?"

Abraxis, however, did not see this as a very pleasant experience. She had BEEN raped, molested, beaten and tortured back in the Asylum. She was to move a bit faster for Erixa, now stopping HER in her mid-stride. Abraxis' face was red with anger; she never would' have thought that her close friend would hit her Master. She put her writing tool down, now taking the hood off of her head, revealing that silver/green-looking hair. It seemed that the guidance of the Horses only led to a lake of Acid this time, and the driver did not have a slight clue as to where they were actually going.

Rebecca suddenly stopped, yelling out to her best friend, "ABRAXIS!!! DON'T!! She is your friend!!!"

Abraxis then flashed her eyes a gold color, indicating a threat to everyone. She pointed to Rebecca's left arm, making it snap like some twigs!!!! Vantrix ran over to the fallen, non-powered team mate, ready to get some repairs done. Vantrix was not a fighter, but had the abilities to heal anyone within 600 feet. Rebecca screamed in agony, while Abraxis shifted her attention to an angry Erixa.

Her writing tool was to raise up into air on its own volition, only to begin to write by itself!!

"Noone......ABSOLUTELY NOONE is to lay a HAND ON MY COUSIN!! You CRAZY BITCH!! HE IS ALL THAT I HAVE!!! I WILL BREAK EVERY SINGLE BONE IN YOUR FRAILE LITTLE BODY!!!! I HATE YOU!! I HATE YOU!! I HATE YOU ERIXA...HOW COULD YOU????"

The Chief only shook his head, placing his hands into his Suit pockets, now walking over to Erixa and Abraxis. he Kindly began to speak out, as Abraxis now was to begin calming down, thanks to her Conduit, Graymite, who was right in front of her, trying to reason with her.

"Abraxis, you and Erixa are NOW suspended. I don't have time for this non sense, as it were. Asher, you are to go with your sister to talk with a belittled Benaires. Everyone ELSE is to come with ME, and that's an order, thanks children."

Graymite could not believe what he was hearing!!!! It was the Chief's orders, so no one questioned them.

Erixa couldn't stand it. She opened her mouth, preparing to scream some very hateful things at Abraxis, but a strange little mewl was all she could make. She stared up at Abraxis for a moment...

...and burst into tears.

Years of pent up frustration, anger, and fear streamed down her face. She sank to her knees, great, heaving sobs wracking her body. Asher ran to his sister, placing protective hands on her shoulders. She looked up at him.

Can I do nothing right? her eyes pleaded.

She'd done so much...so much...to keep everyone she knew safe. And Ben! She loved him so much. Nearly losing one version of him was hard, and realizing she might not end up having a future with him at all scared the mess out of her. But, not knowing how to show such emotion, the only thing she could think of to do was to hit the nearest person she could - that person being Ben. She couldn't handle that much fear, that much stress...not with her Arrangement that was going on in the background behind all of this.

She remained on the floor, crying, as the others silently filed out of the room. Asher sat next to her. He rubbed her back until the tears dried and the sobs turned to painful hiccups.

"C'mon. Let's get this all talked out," Asher said gently. He tried a small smile. "Already going through couple's therapy, eh?"

Erixa threw a halfhearted punch at him as he rose. She staggered to her feet, hastily wiping her eyes. Mascara coated her hands.

"Ben...I...I didn't mean..." she stammered. "I just...I'm so scared...I don't know what I'm doing...I'm sorry..."

She knelt in front of him, taking his hand in hers.

"Ben, please...I'm really sorry...I love you..."

Ben would hear Asher's gentle voice and his betrothed, trying to communicate with him. Ben then sat up quickly, wiping his eyes while he was to reach into his back pack to hand Erixa some tissue.

"We are a mess aren't we partner? heheh...Gr-GRAMS???? What the? What are YOU doing here Grams? Oh, how rude of me, heheh...Erixa, Asher, this lady is my Grandmother, Lady Versailles Vermillion; she's my observer from time to time. Grams.....this is Asher and his sister Erixa..."

Ben's Grandmother was to instantly stand Erixa up to her feet first off. She then commenced to placing her old hands upon Erixa's hips, rubbing them gently!!!

"Hmmm.......you have very strong hips my dear.....I'm sure you will bear many children for my Grandson!!! Well, that is good news to me. Anyways...I was sent here to help you all out and to reverse the suspension, at least for Erixa. I don't give a damn about that Abraxis girl; even though she is my relative somewhere down the line, I am sure she can handle her own problems. And for starters Erixa, where is your Engagement Ring? Don't tell me my Grandson can't even AFFORD to BUY you one? Benaires..........."

O_O

Ben blushed from head to toe!!!

"Grams.............this isn't the time to discuss my love life....come on....We've got work to do....."

His Grandmother nodded, now pulling out a Clipboard and a pen to sign off on a few things for Erixa. She then smiled at Asher, now walking over to him.

"You seem afraid...and yet there is something sleeping inside of you still....Hmmm...Alright, let's get to the Hospital then everyone..."

Erixa paled, then went a bright shade of fuchsia at the Lady's comment.

"I...uh...things got complicated with the uh, ring..." she stammered. She avoided stating the fact that Ben technically wasn't even there when she accepted the proposal. "And children may have to wait a while, seeing the current situation?" She immediately wanted to swallow that sentence. Trying to play it off, she walked over to her fiance, helping him to his feet.

Asher managed a shy smile for Ben's grandmother. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, my lady," he said with a half bow. Behind him, Erixa rolled her eyes.

"Alrighty, let's get this show on the road?"

And with that, she led Ben out of the building.

Erixa moved quickly to Ben's other side, grabbing his hand. "Like the hair," she muttered, winking at Benaires Alpha. Asher looked affronted.

"Oh, so other guys with long hair is okay?" he hissed.

"Shaddup, it doesn't become you," Erixa replied dismissively. She smirked at her brother, who huffed and turned away. The smile slid off seconds later, and Erixa bent over Ben again.

"Uhm, you're sure this is safe, right? Earlier you mentioned something of assimilating?" she whispered as the other forms of Ben moved closer.

Dr. Fowler bolted into the ICU to see that Ben was finally awake, sipping on some water. She pulled the curtain back to see that Ben was bleeding a little bit, but was otherwise aware and awake. She sighed, picking up her clipboard to look over his vitals and such. He tilted his head into her direction in utter confusion, wondering what she was doing.

"I am guessing she's found one then Doc?" ben said, now sitting up a bit more, reaching for his back pack.

"Uhm-hmm...and this is a good thing, right Ben? How are you going to fix this situation? I mean, I understand that your power output has been cut drastically, but how are you going to, I don't know...put yourselves back together? Medically speaking, this is just crazy, you know? I don't completely understand how this is going to work. Years go by and you do not have the skill set for thoroughly explaining things to me. I do not know how I get myself INTO these situations, especially when it has to do with you. Well, anyways, they are on their way and I am very interested to see how you are going to DO this." She replied, now setting up a few needles of Astenite for injecting into him. Ben giggled, wiping the blood from his mouth, pointing at the set of seven syringes that contained the shiny, blue fluid.

"You know....after all of these years Doc, you never told me what exactly that stuff really IS." Ben chirped out, now nibbling on a Strawberry or two.

"Ah, your appetite is returning then? Well that is very good. You don't eat very much, and when you do, it's ravenous. OH, sorry...I almost forgot that you asked. Hmm, I could've sworn that I already told you what this compound actually was. It's called Astenite; it's a synthetic compound that keeps you from bleeding out. Since I can't use normal things like Blood Coagulants and the like, Astenite works perfectly on your physical composition. I'm working very hard to keep you alive Benaires, you KNOW that, right? No matter WHAT I try to test you on, nothing in this entire Hospital's inventory of medical practices NOR medicines work on you BUT Astenite and Vitamins. The theory itself is just weird; I do not have to devote more time trying to break things down to you on a scientific level. You are not going to absorb it even if I forced it upon you. Now would you roll back your right sleeve please Benny? I have to get you prepped for some unknown reason. Hell, I don't even know what I'm DOING. I'm just following my thoughts really. Hold still; I'm going to give you about seven injections and some vitamins alright? I'm HOPING this will be the LAST time that I have to keep pumping you full of this stuff because it is getting expensive."



Vermillion, Erixa, Ben (Copy 2) and Asher were busily making their way over to the ICU, along with Phylla, Avixis and a few other nurses. A few other Doctors that were busily scurrying along the hallways were to join in the journey as well, quite curious about how all of this was about to occur. Benaires finally arrived in the ICU, as the Security Guards were to open the double doors to the room. Now arriving over to Unit 3, Benaires smirked at himself, as Dr. Fowler just stood there in complete awe; she was staring at TWO versions of Benaires!!! Lady Vermillion laughed, as she was to give her Grandson a kiss on the cheek, now wiping blood from his mouth again.

"I don't even know what to say!!! Erixa, you DID it!!! Good job!!!" Said the ben in the bed. The other Benaires nodded, "Uhm, I only followed the signature, but I could detect Asher and Erixa mostly, so I followed them like a beacon, and here I am. I've got a serious question Benaires Strata....how in the hell did you know to summon the rest of you? Or us? Or....oh you KNOW what I mean me...you....Ben!!! Oh shit...this IS a bit confusing!!!"

Dr. Fowler then interrupted, now beginning on Ben's injections of Astenite, "That is very easy to answer you know. Upon touching Erixa, Asher and even sitting Abraxis into his lap, he.........left a key energy signature, more like a bookmark.

"Hey!!! You CAN'T go around sitting other women in your lap when you're engaged you DOLT!! How many times do I have to KEEP telling you that shit?"

"This is not the time for semantics you two, so shush now. Doctor's orders...... Okay ben, a few more injections and you can begin, alright? I've GOT to see this for myself!!"

One Doctor was noticing this and then began to speak out, "How is this even possible? None of this is making any sense. is he your twin brother or something benaires? There is absolutely no way that you can have multiple versions of your own individual self. "

"Uhm, I was thinking the exact same thing, but we just KEEP appearing!!! Who is sending out a beacon signal? It's ringing in my head like a loud BELL.....Do you know how FAR I had to travel just to GET here? Erixa? Is that you?" Said yet ANOTHER benaires!!! This one was tall, lanky and looked to be about 17 or so. He had long, black hair that was tied neatly into a ponytail.
Two Nurses simply shook their heads; what was all of this even ABOUT right now? Abraxis was over in the next waiting area, talking to Graymite a bit about her suspension.

"You are going to have to apologize to Erixa you know. Her and Master Benaires always argue like that. It's nothing new to us Lady Abraxis." Said Graymite, who was to hand Abraxis a cup of hot tea while they waited for further orders. She nodded in agreement, taking a few sips of the hot fluid.

"Is this even HAPPENING right now? How in the hell is this even POSSIBLE? All of you look like dead ringers of one another, save for a few features like hair length and body type. Are you Triplets or something?" asked one Nurse, who was simply flabbergasted and in total awe.

The MAIN Benaires laughed, then flinched a bit as Dr. Fowler finished the seventh injection, now tossing the used Syringe into the Biohazard container.

"It's a lot to explain, and it would take waaay too long for the details. Alright Doc, I need for everyone to clear the area at a safe distance; I would not want to assimilate any of you. That would NOOTT turn out right....hehehehehe.. Erixa, Asher, Grams, you three are my Anchors for the merging. Erixa, you just stand next to me. You do not have to DO anything. After this is done, you will feel a tingling sensation in your head, but nothing serious. THAT will be the markers wearing off that I put on you and your brother. Abraxis can stay in the waiting area; I'm sure that all of this is still a bit much for her to handle right now.

Okay, since you all ARE asking, how can I explain this as best that I can then? Hmmm...."

"Just tell it the best way that you know HOW kid." Said yet ANOTHER voice....it was Ben's old friend and Chief Researcher from ASCAB laboratories, Dr. Rhivard Stevenson!!! He walked on in and hugged the other TWO Benaires' Copies, now winking at Lady Vermillion and Erixa.

"Asher, it's good to see that you're still working on your abilities. With Ben here teaching you, you will be back up to STATUS Quo in a few weeks, TOPS...Okay ben, sorry I'm late; I had to take two Airships here since your "Eccentric" Cousin Gothra decided to stop off somewhere and talk to Benaires Omega about plans for the Geostratum or something to that degree. I'm sure that you KNOW what I'm talking about. We can discuss the details later. So, your crazy Aunt is on the rampage again eh? Ah, I bet that proves for old times kid. I'm sorry...we can do introductions later on...Tell them the best that you can deem fit kid."

Uhm, let's see....from the beginning; my Aunt kept making fun of me and how I was not able to do all of these tasks to really get uhm, things in order. So one day, about two years ago, she challenged me. She wanted to see if I could withstand my power output being cut down all while trying to maintain THIS form. This form is called Benaires Strata. Let's see uhm, MY personality is a bit stripped down from my main self, which is just plain Benaires. the copy that is with Erixa and Asher and Grams, uhm....HE is Benaires Beta, and every action, thought and expression of ME is split into his own individuality. HE, uhm followed the signature of the Marker that I put on Erixa, Asher and Abraxis. I had to formulate some kind of an action since I just cannot be in multiple places at multiple times to collect my other selves. Now the one that just entered is:"

Ben said, as he waited for the Nurses to remove his I.V Needles. Vermillion took Asher's hand, guiding him over to the right of Benaires. She then looked the young Telepath in the eyes.

"Asher sweetheart, this is not going to hurt at all. You just have to stand next to me, and once my Grandson remerges, you will feel a very slight tingling sensation as the marker wears off. You have nothing to worry about. I'm here as well, so nothing will go wrong dear, okies?"



"Benaires Alpha, Version 3.1. Every action, thought and idea are transferred to MY form for updates. Okay Benaires Strata, let's show them what we can do then!!!"

Erixa moved quickly to Ben's other side, grabbing his hand. "Like the hair," she muttered, winking at Benaires Alpha. Asher looked affronted.

"Oh, so other guys with long hair is okay?" he hissed.

"Shaddup, it doesn't become you," Erixa replied dismissively. She smirked at her brother, who huffed and turned away. The smile slid off seconds later, and Erixa bent over Ben again.

"Uhm, you're sure this is safe, right? Earlier you mentioned something of assimilating?" she whispered as the other forms of Ben moved closer.



"Oh, I was just kidding dear. My other selves are tuning to my Alpha-waves. Just you watch and see." Replied Benaires Strata. Everyone stood back a safe distance, as the THREE benaires all were to start glowing a strange aura of black, purple and pink hues. Erixa, Asher and Lady Vermillion would feel a vibration thrumming deep within their bodies now; something of peace, tranquility and fluidity. Benaires Strata was rise up out of the Hospital bed and walk over to Benaires Beta, now merging into one being with such ease. Benaires Alpha then raised his fist at Dr. Stevenson, who raised a fist right back at him!!! A very bright light would radiate from the point of the merging right now; so peaceful and warm. The Nurses and the Doctors were totally speechless; how could someone perform trickery such as this? Or was it some kind of an illusion?

The Light completely faded, leaving ONE singular Benaires, now glowing blue and red, his hair now mixed of different shades of Red; the hair elongated down to his very feet!!! His eyes of Onyx Black were now of a Seaweed Green; full of vigor, hope and a bit of sadness though; he had been split up for SO long that it actually felt great to be back at least 70 percent power!!! He was to walk over to Erixa and plant a gentle kiss right on her lips!!!!



"Thank you!!! I'll treat you to a vacation and BIG dinner when this is over....AND A ring of course!!!"

"Uhm, WHY don't we ALL leave Benaires and Erixa alone to talk for a few minutes while I go and file these reports and lab results everyone? I am sure that they have MUCH to talk about and we are getting in the way...Okay...okay-everyone OUT....Doctor's orders...shoo!! shoo!!!!" Demanded Dr. Fowler.

Lady Vermillion took Asher by the hand, as he would feel the SAID sensation on the back of his neck for a few seconds, and then it would just stop instantly.



"Come on Asher; I'll treat you to something to eat; since all that you have BEEN thinking about is drinking!!! let's go..."

Everyone would leave out, along with Dr. Stevenson, who winked at Erixa once again!!



Ben stood closer to Erixa, now placing his arms on her waist, trying to bring her in even closer TO him; Ben was SUCH a flirt!!

"You saved my miserable life Partner!!! I don't know HOW to thank you for this. I was not even sure that sending a beacon out this strong would even work. Dr. Stevenson SURE likes you and your brother; he was at the Hospital when I was first brought here. He seems to know of a way to lock out your nightmares and flash backs of things that happened with your father. Speaking of which, why won't you tell me ANYTHING about him? You're always so.....i don't ...distant when it comes to that subject. I just don't........want for anything to happen to you; I'd be completely lost, you know? Erixa; I have been in love with you since you became of age. I know that sounds kinda creepy...but....I'm totally blowing the mood again, aren't I?"

And for the FIRST time since they have been partners, Erixa would actually see Benaires BLUSH!!!! He turned his head away from her, trying to cover his expression since his other two selves were now re-merged with his form. Was Ben trying to BE romantic to his own PARTNER!!!!

Erixa shook her head, laughing quietly. "Oh, Ben. You know I love you, right? Despite our little disagreements?" She reached up, turning his face toward her. "Now I guess it's time for me to admit that I've loved you longer than I care to admit. Even as a little girl," she went pink, "I'd pretend that I would grow up and marry you. And look at us now..."

She couldn't believe that it was actually her lacing her fingers through Ben's, that her hand was resting on his chest, that she was the one rising up on her tiptoes, closing the space between them - was she still a little girl, dressed up in a table cloth with a string of pearls draped haphazardly around her neck? Surely she was, surely this was all her imagination, that she was only eight years old, unaware of what was to come -

Then their lips connected and she knew that it wasn't one of her play-pretend scenarios. She let go of his hand to bury her fingers in his hair, trying to pull him closer, loving every second of it. Why couldn't it just last forever?

"Uhm, excuse me........I'm looking for Erixa and benaires Strata?" Said a voice from the front doors of the ICU Room. he looked just like Benaires; only in that his hair was cut short and there was half of his hair in the front covering his left eye. The hair was Purple, with blue high-lights and a black outline to shape it up. He knocked on the doors again and cleared his throat.

O_O



Ben placed his index finger up to the direction of the voice while he and his Fiancee were engaged in an exchange of saliva fluids!!! After a few seconds, Ben then closed his eyes; he was dreaming right? Did he want for this to actually HAPPEN, knowing what forces that they were up against?



"I'm sorry, but are you two supposed to be kissing in the ICU like that? And why does your boyfriend look exactly LIKE me Erixa?" Benaires asked her. Ben then sighed, walking over to his other self, pointing to Erixa once again,

"Partner...meet the DUMB Version of myself: benaires Gamma......"

"Well, one does not have to swim in Tomato juice to know that he is going to drown... Let's get downstairs to eat. I'm famished!!" Said the other version of Ben.

"One does not have to......whaaa???" Replied ben, as he just shook his head in disbelief.

"Geeze ben...were you THIS stupid as a kid or something?" Asked Rebecca, who came in with Vantrix, Graymite and Lady Abraxis, who was standing in the doorway, staring at the floor in embarrassment.

"Hey, that is NOT how I acted when I was younger Becca; you of all people should already KNOW that.!!!"

"I don't know ben..before he GOT here, he flipped up two of the nurses dresses and then laughed at them!!"



O_O

Erixa frowned at Benaires Gamma, struggling to work his comments out without looking abashed at being caught mid-kiss. She avoided everyone's gaze but refused to leave Ben's side.

"Gotta admit, the dress thing sounds familiar," Erixa muttered. "You morphing with him too?"

She grinned sheepishly at Gamma.

O_O

"HEY!!! NO FAIR!!!" ben yelled out, now blushing from head to toe!!! He then thought about when he had pinned Erixa to that wall.

"Oh, you are SO dead Erixa, COME HERE!!!!" He said, now picking her up playfully and and pulling her into his arms, now TICKLING HER weak spot!!!

"I see how it is, so YOU want to flirt in front of me while trying to flirt in FRONT of my dumb version huh PARTNER of mines? How more embarrassing can I be? WELL LET ME SHOW you!! Take this!! and take that....giving UP yet? I can DO this ALL day until you piss on yourself!!!"

Rebecca then playfully yelled out, "HEY!!! No picking on us girls BEN!!! GET HIM!!!!" She ran at benaires, along with Lady Abraxis!!! Ben wasn't paying them any attention though; Benaires Gamma then leaped in front of the both of them, giggling as well.

"Nu-uh!!!! No ganging up on the guys you two; that is isn't an even match you know!!!! What should I do Strata?" He asked, having his arms stretched out to prevent Abraxis and Rebeccas from coming any further. Erixa's weakness would probably put her into a state of helplessness. She KNEW that ONLY benaires could find a ways to playfully break her down when she got TOO nervous or uptight; the sensation would last for HOURS.

"Take em down!! I GOT this one already!!!"

The Chief was to take a seat and break out a bag of Earth Popcorn; He figured that since they were going to be fighting against Amanda and Xethrian that they may as well have some down time and a little fun!!!

However, when Dr. Fowler came into the ICU with fresh Strawberries for her patient, she only witnessed ben tickling his new Fiancee. She was to drop the entire tray, as juice, water and fruit spilled all along the ICU floor. She stood there in tears..........how could she keep putting UP with this? The Chief hopped out of his chair, only to walk over to the good Doctor, patting her on her left thigh in support. She HAD to witness this and get OVER HIM: Ben did NOT want to marry HER in particular!!!



_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Xethrian, A Female Without Boundaries, Part 1

Deep within the Sewer System, a very large laboratory could be seen from a view to many. It had the latest technological advances, and yet, the staff seemed to be content with working underground. She was sipping on some Wine, adoring Amanda's healing and sleeping.

"Uh....my head is pounding....what.....where......AM I?" Amanda asked, now drinking in her new surroundings.

"Abraxis walked away from you, leaving a Dark Terror Bomb. She BLEW you through three WALLS you fucking moron!!" Replied the woman who was sipping on her Wine. Amanda then sat up, taking the straps off of her slowly; she was still a bit disoriented, so she had to take her time.

"Abraxis....she CANNOT be more powerful than I am!! We used to train together at the Asylum!!! There is no way in hell she could have quadrupled her abilities beyond mines!!!" Amanda exclaimed, now hopping off the hospital-like bed and grabbing a bottle of Wine to drink for herself.

Xenthrian then laughed maniacally out loud, dropping her wine glass, making it shatter into pieces. Two Staff members ran over to immediately clean up the mess.

"You are SUCH a FUCKING moron!!! If you tried to fight her right now, she'd kill you instantly!! Quadrupled her powers? How about being almost ten-thousand TIMES stronger than you? You'd be like an infant trying to fight against her AND Benaires...Now who do you think she got the training from after all of these years dear? Think about it. Now have some Wine and cool down please.....we have plans to go over...."

Amanda then thought about it;

"She--she received training from....the DOG?????"

An angry look found its way onto Xethrian's face though.

"DO NOT disrespect our race!!!!" She demanded, now placing her hand on her hip while another Staff worker handed her a fresh glass of Wine.



"Madam......reports from Sector 14 indicate a failure in the transport. According to our intel, lady Abraxis shut down the entire building and killed 14 of our best guards. Bill, Ren and Slogra are in a maximum-security Polorized Holding Facility."

Xethrian sighed, picking up her Wine glass, taking a sip.

"That FUCKING CUNT KEEPS disrupting our business!!! I'm not going to even MENTION my Nephew. This is very, VERY complicated!!! I'm going to have a "Talk" with my nephew...AND his little fling.....YOU my dear Amanda need training. I'm going to have to get you into shape to shatter the dreams of this stupid fiancée idea that Benaires has inside of his multi-heart system....."

E

Posted January 29, 2018
Erixa let out an inhumane shriek, tumbling into giggles and writhing in Ben's arms.

"Take...Gamma...eek...out! Shouldn't be too...hard!" Erixa squealed at the girls.

She was vaguely aware of the sound of a tray dropping, but was too worried about escaping Ben to look in the direction. She tried everything she could: pinching, kicking, punching, but it was all half-hearted. Ben knew exactly how to get her helpless. At least, in her physical form.

A slow grin crawled across her face. She forced herself to relax, to concentrate on her mediumship. No one else could see the shade leaving Ben's arms; only herself and the spirits that she had joined in another dimension. They wafted about her, oblivious to the newcomer.

Glancing over her shoulder, Erixa could see a hazy outline of Ben holding a now limp form of herself.

God, I need to get my hair touched up, she thought, frowning at the fading color in her hair. She waited for Ben to put two and two together of what had happened.

A multilayered voice suddenly thundered in her head.

Erixa Dimont.

"Dammit," Erixa whispered. She turned around to a see a group of spirits standing before her. "Look, I haven't come to talk, boys. And girl," she added hastily, nodding at a young woman standing among them.

Erixa Dimont.

"Yes. That's me." Erixa huffed.

You are in grave danger. One of the shades pointed at her, then beyond the barrier between the human and spirit world. All of them.

"Yeah, I think we figured that out a few sec- ack!"

Cold hands had closed around her throat. A shade stood before her, a wild light in its dead eyes.

The DIACHONs have plans. You have interfered with them. They will target you first. When they finish with you, they will move to the next until they break Benaires, once and for all.

A faint little laugh escaped Erixa's lips. "They will not target me."

We know of your arrangement. It will not save you. Nor the others. She is angry. They all are.

Death waits.

The spirit released her, shoving her backwards.

"I take my leave," Erixa said hoarsely.

Not for long, sister. Not for long.

She slipped out of the spirit world, sheltering herself in her body. Her physical form gasped like someone surfacing from a long dive. Gingerly, she felt her throat. There would be bruises.

"Ben. Ben, let me go!" she hissed. All amusement was gone. With newfound strength, Erixa peeled herself from his arms, standing unsteadily. She didn't look anyone in the eye as she quietly left the room.

"Erixa? What's the matter....h-hey!!!" ben exclaimed out, now looking puzzled. he then folded his arms, now in deep thought, "Who WAS that? I'm sure that I detected something or SOMEONE...What's going on here?"

Rebecca looked to see a distraught Stephanie now turn heel and walk out as well, heading into the South Corridor. Benaires Gamma put Abraxis down, now walking over the window in ICU. he was in a bit of a funk so to speak as to what just happened.

"Did you feel that? had a mixture of hate, envy and misdirection."

"Sure as hell DID....but what WAS it? Or what were THEY is the question? Just stay here.....I'll be right back. Abraxis, you sweep the room and check for any residue alright?" ben asked, as Abraxis gave him a thumbs up.

A slow migration into truth.

Would a ring, a promise and just a bunch of empty words be ENOUGH to keep her? Ben had thought about this for a very, very long time. He was now on the very roof of the Hospital itself, having a cigarette, just stuck in deep thought. He sighed, trying to figure out who those voices were that he had sensed that were threatening his newly-found fiancée. he was hoping that the Elders hadn't made any threats to her, as they did not take kindly to Ben just PICKING his own bride-to-be without their blessings and approval for that matter. What was he going to do NOW? The Chief was downstairs in the Lobby answering questions to the media about the recent set of attacks that Ben and the team were trying to get their bearings ready for. He simply had to keep the public at bay so as to not cause some kind of a panic.

"You seem pretty worried about her Benaires. You don't usually smoke cigarettes unless you're THAT worried about someone you know." Said Dr. Fowler, who had some flowers in her hands. She was still in her lab jacket and her Hospital uniform of course. Ben was to turn around quickly, now putting the cancer stick out beneath his left shoe, smiling at his Doctor.

"I can't hide shit from YOU huh Doc? Well, to be................." Ben started, but he was suddenly cut off by Dr. Fowler's presenting of the beautiful flowers to HIM!!

"I've been acting like some spoiled 6-year old who can't get his or her way with a toy they want so badly. I'm sorry..."



O_O

"Whoa!!! Well these are nice. Uhm thank you, that means a lot to me.......Uhm, what is all of this about anyways?" Ben replied, now taking in a deep whiff of the Roses.

Erixa sat curled up in a broom closet, tears burning her eyes. Her nails dug into her knees.

I've made a mistake. A terrible mistake. She thought. She stared at the outline of light surrounding the door, half expecting a shade to come bursting through and drag her back into their dimension. They knew. They knew. The arrangement...was it no longer a secret to anyone? She'd been so careful to cover her tracks, to set cold trails - had it all been for nothing? She groaned, covering her face.

Maybe she should tell Ben...?

No. That would make things worse.

At least go and talk to him. Her mind reasoned.

She stood up, pushing open the door. She heard the rush of a crowd down the hall, so she took a back way, stopping doctors and nurses every so often to ask about Ben. One young man pointed towards the roof.

"Thanks," Erixa muttered. She sprinted up the stairs, pushing open the door to find Ben with Dr. Fowler. She glanced from the flowers, to Ben, to the doctor. She half wanted to slam the door and hide in a broom closet again. Instead, she stepped out into the open, clearing her throat.

"Am I interrupting something?" she said innocently, desperately fighting back a glare for the doctor.

"Of course not!!! Being his Primary Care Specialist, I'm just trying to cheer him up despite all of my short-comings. I'll leave you two to talk. I have to finish these reports and examine the data from when he got sick outside of the Hospital's Entrance. Ben, TRY, please...TRY not to get sick again!! My hair is already turning WHITE from YOU driving me BONKERS you lap dog!!!!"

O_O

Ben then blushed from head to toe, in utter AWE that she would still call him by his pet name that she had given him so many years ago!!!

"L-LAP DOG? First you give me flowers and now you just INSULT ME?? YOU OLD HAG!! I thought I told you to STOP calling me THAT!!! I hope you get hit by a PARKED CAR you wrinkled old SHROOM!!!" Ben replied, sticking his tongue out at her playfully.

"Old HAG? How many times have I saved yer skinny ass? Hmmmpph......drop DEAD!!!! Gosh he's such an idiot at times....." The good Doctor said, now walking back into the building to leave the two to talk things over.

Ben plopped to the roof of the very Hospital itself, lowering his head...now smelling the flowers she had given him.

"I wish I knew that reversal Spell to change her old ass back to normal; she is becoming quite aggressive. Oh never mind HER....WHO in the hell were those VOICES that were making threats to you? And you can't lie to me; I detected them almost faster than they began to speak to you too. What's going on partner?" ben asked, now reaching into his backpack to nibble on some Strawberries.

Abronex had finally arrived at the Hospital; she was moving around in different locations, well-aware of Xylex's mission to deliver the Drakenite. She stared up at the large sign that read; "Saint Claire's Medical Center and Health Care; Stephanie Fowler, CEO."

"So, he changed Stephanie into one of us then? This is going to be a very, VERY interesting job to do. I'd better meet with the rest of the team and see where we stand right now."

Erixa sighed, staying on her feet. She wrapped her arms around herself. Her eyes fixed on the horizon, seeking something far away - something that burned her to the core.

"It's nothing to get worked up over," she mumbled. "Just some medium-ship mistakes. Accidentally stumbled into some feisty shades. Spooks. Ghosts, whatever you wanna call 'em. Nothing I couldn't handle."

She forced a laugh, gingerly touching her neck where the bruises started.

"I always thought I'd somehow be able to lead a normal life, but it appears like it's out of the question," she said, trying to change the subject. She turned to Ben, an uncertain smile on her face. "You know what? I want to do something crazy. Before this goes any farther, I want to be stupid. To go wild."

O_O "Hmmm....WILD Eh? Well, there IS something that I CAN do that could be fun, BUT you have to PROMISE not to freak out or anything. How about taking a flight? And I Do mean a FLIGHT? Uhm....I haven't DONE this in SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Long, that it MIGHT take about seven minutes or so. Okay, I'll explain......here goes.....let me get over to the Helipad marking so that I can have more room....gosh I hope I don't bleed out from doing this.......I'm SO rusty....................." ben first said, now jogging over TO the Markings of the gigantic heli-pad. His intricate determination often put him in quite the spot, but the walls of his wild feelings carved love into his own Heart most of the time, when he wasn't angry at his father. He began to take off his shirt first, now tossing it to the side. Erixa would see hundreds upon hundreds of various tattoos and scientific formulates all inked across his chest, his back and his abdomen.

"This is uhm....probably why I don't get undressed in FRONT of you...This is branding from the days of the House of Magnus. ANYWAYS.......here are the details....first off, MALE DAICHONS have the great ability of flight or what the Elders call DCN Flutter....it's a rather crude and clumsy way of moving around, but since I cannot change into my other form, this will have to do until something triggers it to come about. ANYWAYS.......let me start....uhm, let's see....Uhm....they are called Geo-Wings, and they can stretch out to about 30 feet or so, and........uhm....they DO have great lifting abilities.....so......it should NOT be much of a problems carryin you along....uhm....hmm....Let me think here...." Ben said, now scratching his head some.....

he walked about the giant marker for the Heli-pad, now sniffing the very air, tasting it some. He then stood erect, his arms now stretched out to his sides for as far as he could stretch them. He then closed his eyes, whispering some kind of an incantation, though it sounded quite faint indeed. The winds began to pick up around him as the incantation began to manifest around him quickly. His shoulder blades began ripping through his upper back, as blood, water and a black substance started pouring from the openings on each side of his back. Wings of black were to now stretch out into the very air, dripping wet with blood, water and clumps of flesh that slammed onto the roof of the Heli-pad. Ben was not yelling or screaming; he was simply concentrating on those muffled words being chanted over and over again. The Geo Wings were to pulsate some, as they expanded outwards, becoming thicker by the second. On the inner-workings of the Dorsal side of Ben, an eight-pointed star now was to take shape on the inner sides of each wing, round-about the mid section of each one. They were now each extended a mind-numbing 30 feet per WING, as they still dripped the Black substance, but they were drying out nicely. Ben then stopped chanting, folding his arms together as he simply waited for his wings to dry off. Staring at Erixa, he knew that she would not be able to believe her own eyes!!!

"Alright.......we are taking a flight!!! uhm, you will have to hold onto me tight while we climb up; but when I level off, I can envelop us in a protective shield, and you can actually stand up inside of it if you want to. I know that I don't show off my other abilities TO anyone, but I figured that since we are going to be fighting those things again, we may as well do something crazy to bring some peace of mind for a little while...don't you think?"

Erixa wasn't sure whether to laugh maniacally, cry, or to kneel. She seriously considered the last one; she felt faint. She gingerly took a step forward.

"I don't know where to start," she whispered, teetering over to him. She gently traced the tattoos with her forefinger, eyes locked on the wings protruding from Ben's back. "You've got a lot of secrets up your sleeve, don't you love?"

With a shaky hand, she reached out to touch one of the wings, only to hesitate and drop her arm to her side.

"You know, I don't think I'm going to even try to understand," Erixa laughed weakly. "Do you have a plan in mind, or are we gonna wing it? Get it? Wing it?" She laughed again before burying her face in his chest. Puns. She was making goddamned, terrible puns. What was the world coming to?

An end, it seems. She thought. Whatever. Just enjoy this time, this moment. The future would come later.

"All right, let's get a move on. I don't want to waste any more time," Erixa mumbled. She stood on her toes, gently placing a kiss on Ben's cheek as she wrapped her arms tightly around his waist.

"That was a terrible joke you know, hehehe...alright, hold on...here we GO!!!" Ben exclaimed, now wrapping his arms around her waist while looking upwards to the sky itself. But before they would take off, a slice of great speed would actually CUT off ben's left Wing COMPLETELY!!! He winced in pain, not saying anything. He was to push Erixa out of the way, turning around to see what it was that sliced his wing off.

It was a Broken Brood!!!! This one was a bit more groomed than the previous ones they had fought before.

"Dammit!!! Who in the hell keeps SENDING these things!! Erixa, RUUNN!!!!" Ben yelled out, as he quickly pulled in his other functioning wing. The tall Broken Brood howled something horrible, as three MORE Broken Broods were slam down onto the helipad, each one now locked on Erixa.

"Shit, when I get my hands on that Blue-dressed maniac......."
Erixa couldn't help it. She screamed. She hastily scrambled away from the Broods, hair falling into her eyes. Adrenaline kicked in. Her hand dropped to her hip, right where her crossbow should be...

Her fingers closed around air.

Again she screamed, this time out of frustration. A Brood swiped at her, sending Erixa reeling back, a stream of curses in her wake.

"What do they want?" Erixa bellowed. "Besides to kill you?!"

Or me.

She dodged another blow, hitting the ground and rolling. Claws sank into the concrete, just inches away from her face. There was no way she'd be able to keep this up. These were genetically engineered mutants. Erixa was only a human with special abilities.

SPECIAL ABILITIES.

So use them, you asshat!

She jumped to her feet, arms outstretched towards the shadows. They began to writhe, seeping away from their makers, slowly creeping towards her. Erixa was so focused on drawing them that she missed the first Broken Brood stalking towards her.

"Hey, leave me fiancée alone!!!! That DOES IT!!!!" ben yelled out, as a glow of purple, black and pink quickly enveloped his body. The very air ebbed outwards in all directions around him, as the sky was to suddenly become dark, as if something horrific was about to rear its head. One of the Broods ran towards Benaires, with an attempt to slash at his face, but Ben reached out quickly and caught the creature's left arm, pulling it completely OFF its body!!!! The creature screamed out in agony and pain, as it jumped back, blood pouring from it wound now. The Other Broken Broods turned to see benaires aglow. They themselves began to re-group, now gathering over to the left of where Ben was.

"That will be QUITE enough my pets; come over here right now!!!" Said a shrilled voiced of sorts. Ben peered over to where the voice was coming from, only to buck his eyes wide open; it was his AUNT!! Ben then stopped powering himself in his prep stage so that he could talk to her.

"Auntie Xetty? What the hell are YOU doing with those things?"

"Oh Benny dear; you KNEW that I was going to come for you sooner or later; AND your cute girlfriend over there as well. I don't think Benny has told you about me Erixa dear. I'm his Aunt Xethrian. We have a bit of unfinished business and you all are in my way. Nephew, it is time to CHOOSE sides. Once The Rembrandt arrives here, every single telepath in this city ALONE will bow to HER will. And if you think you are going to call that STUPID ENOS, then you are sadly mistaken. WE WILL take over the DAICHON Empire and the Broken Brood will be a Household name Nephew......CHOOSE sides soon Benaires. Erixa, it was a PLEASURE meeting you dear. You chose a very nice husband.....It would be nice to call you my Niece in LAW.......Let's get out of here my pets. Brood Nine, you need medical attention......."

Erixa stood there, shaking. Shadows swirled about her feet like attention-seeking cats. She stared at Xethrian, desperately trying to voice her thoughts.

"So, uh...you're a bad guy?" she said stupidly.

She crossed over to Ben, steering clear of the Broken Broods and Xethrian, unsure of what to do. The shadows slunk back to their proper places as she let go of them.

"Bad guys? ehehehe....YOU are going to have to do better than that dear. Ask your so-called FIANCEE' about what is currently happening. Ta-ta for now Benny boy...heheheh...!!!!"

Ben frowned up as he went over to examine his lobbed off wing, now reaching down to pick it up as it was still leaking that black substance and blood from the opening from where it was separated from his shoulder blade.

"She is SO irritating!!! If you want to know WHY she is trying to kill me; that is a question that I really do NOT have an answer to. Come on, let's get my wing fixed and go over to my parent's house to get some answers dear. Oh that's right!! You've NEVER MET my parents have you? Oh wow...MOM is going to be SO geeked to meet you. I'd better call ahead." Ben said, now folding his bloody wing up so that he could carry it back down the elevator to get it fixed by the good Doctor. She was to meet them in Post-op on the 12th floor, which wasn't too far from the helipad itself. Ben then rolled over onto his stomach of the operating table, as calm as ever, but a bit frustrated that all of this was happening so fast!! Dr. Fowler giggled to herself internally; it was like she was raising a child at this rate!!

"Whoa....I leave you alone for 10 minutes and you get your wing chopped off huh Benny boy?" Said the Doctor, who was already on her way back up since she did hear the noise from so far away. Ben shrugged his shoulders, looking completely puzzled. Dr. Fowler sat down her Doctor's Bag first, as two other Nurses helped to prep for on-the-spot repairs, so it seemed.

"You know WHAT Benaires? You CERTAINLY know how to make me earn my PAY-CHECK at the end of the week. THAT is for SURE!!! Sit still while I give you some Astenite injections and fix your over-sized Turkey Wings lap-dog. Just let me raise up he back of your shirt will ya???"

Ben kindly raised up his shirt, hoping that Erixa would be at his side while Stephanie made the repairs. She then began to inject the large syringes of Blue fluid into his arms; about seven of them to be exact. Ben took a deep breath, now reaching out for Erixa's hand in support.

She began the tough task of mending the broken tendons, bones and the flesh back to the part of the shoulder blade that had been damaged. "Miss Erixa, you MAY want to turn your head for this as it is pretty gruesome. Hold still Ben; I'll only be a few minutes and then you can fold them back into wherever you put them. Geez, I still cannot figure out how in the hell you have 30-foot Turkey Wings folded neatly into your back like this. You are ONE strange dude. Oh, by the way; your dear cousin Abronex just arrived as well. Once I'm done here, you should go and brief her on what our next move is going to be; and I have NO idea what The Chief is going to do about all of this right now. Everyone is so scattered about and simply trying to figure out what to do next. Personally, I want to kick the ass of whoever it is that is causing this mess in the first place, and I'm pretty sure that it is going to get worse. And WHY did you BUILD me a HOSPITAL in the first place lap-dog?"

Faustus watched Benaires and Erixa as they made their exit from the battle-torn heli-pad into the interior of the medical center. He shed the dark shadows which had, to that point, cloistered him. He dressed as if made of shadow – black slacks and shirt seemed to blend into one another, black shoes made his feet melt into the darkness all around, black hair stood in contrast to the pale skin and striking gold eyes set into the sunken features of a man constantly caught between health and emaciation.

Ben had taken with him his vivisected wing. Xethrian absconded with her brood in tow. So Faustus walked to the big H in the center of the concrete field and let his eyes trace the streaks of fantastical blood; he had paid close attention to which streak belonged to Ben, and which belonged to the Broken Brood creature. Next to it lay an arm.

Moments later Faustus was putting his hand in his pocket, coveting two vials of ichorous blood as he navigated the hallways of the medical center. No one paid him much attention. He was unremarkable to look at, save for his eyes, but the rest of his features blended into the faces of those around him; his silhouette was indistinct, impossible to separate from the background. Nurses and orderlies would have run into him if Faustus did not angle his body away from them at the moment before collision.

He waited outside of the operating room until the good doctor Fowler concluded her elaborate surgery. Faustus knocked to announce himself and then popped in just his head. He locked his eyes onto Ben as he laid stretched out on the operating table.

"Benny boy! Fancy seeing you here of all places."

The light in his eyes faded; just as quickly the smile which teased the ends of his lips drooped into a frown.

"Puppies are good at chasing their tails Ben. Not at winning wars. Your aunt is laughing her ass off because she thinks she's going to win this, and I gotta tell you, seeing you like this, I'm wondering which horse to bet on. Is this how you plan to win? On your back?"

1/3

Faustus watched Benaires and Erixa as they made their exit from the battle-torn heli-pad into the interior of the medical center. He shed the dark shadows which had, to that point, cloistered him. He dressed as if made of shadow – black slacks and shirt seemed to blend into one another, black shoes made his feet melt into the darkness all around, black hair stood in contrast to the pale skin and striking gold eyes set into the sunken features of a man constantly caught between health and emaciation.

Ben had taken with him his vivisected wing. Xethrian absconded with her brood in tow. So Faustus walked to the big H in the center of the concrete field and let his eyes trace the streaks of fantastical blood; he had paid close attention to which streak belonged to Ben, and which belonged to the Broken Brood creature. Next to it lay an arm.

Moments later Faustus was putting his hand in his pocket, coveting two vials of ichorous blood as he navigated the hallways of the medical center. No one paid him much attention. He was unremarkable to look at, save for his eyes, but the rest of his features blended into the faces of those around him; his silhouette was indistinct, impossible to separate from the background. Nurses and orderlies would have run into him if Faustus did not angle his body away from them at the moment before collision.

He waited outside of the operating room until the good doctor Fowler concluded her elaborate surgery. Faustus knocked to announce himself and then popped in just his head. He locked his eyes onto Ben as he laid stretched out on the operating table.

"Benny boy! Fancy seeing you here of all places."

The light in his eyes faded; just as quickly the smile which teased the ends of his lips drooped into a frown.

"Puppies are good at chasing their tails Ben. Not at winning wars. Your aunt is laughing her ass off because she thinks she's going to win this, and I gotta tell you, seeing you like this, I'm wondering which horse to bet on. Is this how you plan to win? On your back?"

1/3