FusionFall: Invasion

Chapter Twelve: A Looming Shadow

I groaned as my eyes fluttered open. I squinted at the light. My eyes swiveled to take everything in. I was on a short bed in a half-circular room wrapping around a massive tree limb. The KND treehouse... I realized. I shifted my arm to pull the blanket off of me, but was met by excruciating pain that lit up my brain and made my vision go white. I yelled out and let my arm fall, which only hurt more. I whimpered. I heard a whoosh as the door on the far end slid up and four people rushed in. I recognized the first as Ali. I tried to smile, but that hurt too, and I groaned in pain again. She skidded to a stop beside the bed and put a cold hand on my forehead, murmuring comforting words I couldn't quite make out. The second person was Blake, who ran up too, talking too fast for me to follow. The last two people who walked into the room was Dexter and Blossom.

I saw Dexter say something, but his speech was muffled. Suddenly, something covering my ears was removed and I heard the flood of words. It was too much and I yelped, trying to lift my arms again to cover my ears, and was met again by a wall of pain. I screamed again. I saw Blake go quiet and Ali's eyes filled with tears.

"Is there anything we can do?" She asked, turning to Dexter. He put up a hand.

"I," He started, "For the life of me, cannot understand what you did, Benjamin. Somehow, you flew through the sky, tearing a 6-foot-wide hole in the center of Don Doom." I noticed his use of Chris' name for the monster and tried not to laugh. Looks like he got to propose those to the Heroes. I laughed mentally.

Dexter continued. "I've done extensive calculations on you for the past week you have been out. Your Imaginary Energy is absolutely off the charts. It's dangerously close to exceeding the amount of it in the youth Mac or even Madame Foster of the such named orphanage. I believe this is what caused you to propel up and allowed you to destroy the beast. It's amazing."

"The damage in Pokey Oaks and Sector V..." Blossom started. "Is overwhelming. But we'll fix it in no time! I tried to help, but I underestimated Don Doom. He hit me so hard I flew into the side of a mountain. I was unconscious and couldn't help. But it seemed you did an amazing job taking care of it yourself, Ben!" She smiled at me. My eyes flicked over to Ali. I saw her tears were gone and dismayed look replaced by a more...determined look. Oh boy.

Dexter started up again. "However...your method of damaging the monster caused you to be injured almost beyond repair. The amount of broken bones, fractures, and burns is innumerable. I mean that relatively, of course." He looked over his glasses at me and grinned. "But I've concocted a machine that will fix you up in the space of a few hours. It speeds up the body's..." He lapsed into a scientific speech I didn't understand. I looked at Blake, who looked at me nervously. I noticed his eyes flicked over at Blossom again and again, and I had to force myself not to laugh again.

I was hooked up to a large machine now. It consisted of a metal table, set at about a 50 degree angle, on which I lay on and was strapped to to stop me from slipping off. There were probably around 100 different wires clipped onto my skin in various places. A sort of arc stood over me, a white light enveloping me. A hum sounded through the machinery, and as it ran, I could feel my strength returning. It had already been about 3 hours. Dexter declared a few more minutes and I could be freed from it.

I breathed slowly and evenly as I recalled the events that had transpired before...

Don Doom, a massive creature, looming over the army...

Crushing people with pointed legs and snapping them into pieces with massive claws...

Blood soaking the ground, causing people to slip over internal organs and tripping over piles of skin and bones...