"We cannot go to your dwelling," Vala argued, pacing the length of the dusty subway platform. Her armor clanked with every step. "If you are the Beacon, you will lead the wolves to your den."

  Ben was shivering. He was shirtless, his delivery uniform shredded when he transformed into the ape. He hugged his chest, trying to cover the object embedded in his skin. It was a crystal, cut into a perfect twenty-sided shape, fused flush with his sternum like a second heart. It was currently pulsing a dull, dead Grey.

  "Lady, I live in a fourth-floor walk-up in Sector 4," Ben said through chattering teeth. "The cockroaches there are tougher than the wolves. Besides, my Grandma needs her insulin shot at 8:00 PM. If I’m not there, she tries to do it herself and she has shaky hands. I can't leave her."

  Vala stopped pacing. She looked at Ben with a strange expression. "You would risk your life... for an elder?"

  "She raised me," Ben said. He walked over to his moped and popped open the storage box under the seat. It was a mess of tools, but he found what he needed: an old, grease-stained mechanic’s jumpsuit and a roll of gray duct tape.

  "And about this," Ben muttered, looking down at the Grey Chaos Heart in his chest. "I can't walk around with a sci-fi nightlight stuck in my skin."

  He tore off a strip of duct tape and slapped it directly over the crystal. "Ow." He put another piece on. It blocked the dull grey light effectively. He pulled the thick jumpsuit on, zipping it up to his chin. "Problem solved. Now, put this on." He tossed a yellow plastic rain poncho from the storage box to Vala.

  Vala looked at the plastic sheet with disdain. "This is... the armor of your clan?"

  "Yes," Ben lied. "It creates a stealth field. Put it on. People in my neighborhood get nervous when they see swords."

  [SCENE BREAK: The Apartment]

  Sneaking a six-foot-tall warrior princess into a cramped apartment complex wasn't easy. Ben shoved Vala into the service elevator, praying the squeaky cables wouldn't snap.

  They reached apartment 4B. Ben unlocked the door quietly. "Stay here," he whispered to Vala in the hallway. "Don't move. Don't stab the mailman."

  Ben slipped inside. The TV was blaring. "Grandma?" "Benny?" a frail voice called from the recliner. "You're late! And did you feel that shaking? The news said there was a huge explosion downtown!"

  "I felt it, Grams. Just... gas pipes, probably," Ben lied effortlessly. He walked over, grabbed the insulin kit from the table, and knelt beside her. "Okay, small pinch." He administered the shot with practiced ease. "There. All good. I'm gonna go lie down, okay? Headache."

  "There's stew in the fridge!" Grandma yelled as Ben retreated.

  Ben grabbed Vala from the hallway, dragged her into his bedroom, and locked the door. It was a small room. A mattress on the floor, a desk covered in spare robot parts, and walls covered in old movie posters.

  Vala pulled off the poncho, revealing her shining armor. She looked around the messy room, unimpressed. "This is your fortress?" she asked, picking up a soldering iron. "It is... quaint."

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  "It's home," Ben sighed, collapsing onto his mattress. He unzipped the jumpsuit slightly to peel back the tape and check the Artifact. It was still Grey. [COOLDOWN: 21 HOURS REMAINING.]

  "Twenty-one hours," Ben whispered, letting his head hit the pillow. "It stopped pulsing. I think it's out of juice. Finally."

  "You are relieved?" Vala asked, standing guard by the window. "You are defenseless."

  "I'm not relieved, I'm exhausted," Ben mumbled, closing his eyes. "If it's dead, it means I can sleep without turning into King Kong. I'll take defenseless over 'accidental monster' any day."

  "You are foolish," Vala muttered. "I will watch the perimeter. Sleep, Carrier."

  Ben didn't argue. He was out cold in seconds.

  KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

  Ben jolted awake. The room was dark. Vala was tense, crouching by the door, hand on her sword hilt.

  KNOCK. KNOCK. "Ben? Open up! I know you're in there!"

  Ben’s eyes widened. He knew that voice. "Wait!" Ben hissed at Vala. "Don't attack! That's my neighbor!"

  "It is an intruder," Vala whispered, eyes blazing. "She demands entry."

  "It's Mia! She lives next door! She's harmless!"

  "Open the door, Ben!" Mia yelled from the hallway. "I saw your bike downstairs! The exhaust pipe is crushed and there are scorch marks on the frame! Did you crash again?"

  Ben panicked. He looked at Vala (Warrior Princess). He looked at the door. "Just... hide!" Ben whispered.

  "I do not hide!" Vala spat. "I am a Knight of the—"

  "It's a stealth mission!" Ben hissed, pointing at the closet. "If she sees you, our cover is blown! Get in the tactical bunker!"

  Vala paused. "Tactical bunker?" She looked at the closet full of old junk. She nodded solemnly. "Understood. Maintaining stealth."

  She stepped into the closet and pulled the door shut. Her sword clanked against a box of old comics.

  Ben took a deep breath, zipped his jumpsuit up to his chin to hide the tape, and opened the bedroom door.

  Mia stood there. She was short, wearing oversized overalls covered in grease, with welding goggles resting on her messy brown hair. She held a heavy wrench like she might use it. "You," she pointed the wrench at his face. "You smell like smoke. And... ozone?"

  "Hey, Mia," Ben gave a forced smile. "Just a rough delivery. Pizza oven... malfunctioned."

  Mia narrowed her eyes. She pushed past him into the room, looking around. "Malfunctioned? Ben, your bike looks like it got hit by a truck. Are you hurt?"

  She reached out to grab his arm. "I'm fine, really," Ben said, backing up. "Just a scratch."

  CLANG.

  A loud, metallic crash came from the closet. Like a suit of armor falling into a pile of junk.

  Mia froze. She looked at the closet. She looked at Ben. "Ben," she said slowly. "Why does your closet sound like a medieval blacksmith?"

  Ben opened his mouth to make up a lie, but it was too late. The closet door kicked open. Vala stepped out, sword drawn, pointing it directly at Mia.

  "Step away from him, mechanic!" Vala shouted. "Your primitive tools are a threat!"

  Mia didn't scream. She didn't run. She looked at the six-foot-tall woman with the sword. She looked at the red hair, the shining armor, and the deadly serious expression. Then she looked at Ben.

  "Okay," Mia said, her voice dangerously calm. "So you're not hurt. You're just... busy. With your cosplayer girlfriend."

  "I am NOT his girlfriend!" Vala roared, offended. "I am Vala, Princess of the Crimson Verse! And I will sever your hand if you touch him again!"

  "Okay, everyone chill!" Ben stepped between them. "Mia, she's not a cosplayer. Vala, she's not an assassin. Can we just—"

  Suddenly, the Die in Ben’s chest flared up beneath the duct tape. The dull Grey light vanished. It began to pulse with a violent Red.

  Ben gasped, clutching his chest. "Argh! It’s burning!" The mechanical voice in his head screamed, bypassing the cooldown warning.

  [WARNING: PROXIMITY ALERT.] [HUNTER CLASS DETECTED WITHIN 10 METERS.]

  Ben looked at the window. "Ten meters?" he whispered. "We're on the fourth floor."

  Vala sensed it too. She spun toward the window, her eyes widening. "The wall," she hissed. "It is on the wall."

  CRASH.

  The bedroom window shattered inward. A black, clawed hand gripped the windowsill. Then another. A creature pulled itself into the room. It wasn't a wolf. It looked like a man made of black sludge, with no face, only a white symbol painted where its face should be.

  Mia screamed. Vala raised her sword. Ben looked at the cooldown timer in his head. [20 HOURS REMAINING.]

  "Uh oh," Ben said.

  [TO BE CONTINUED IN EPISODE 4]