Chapter 35: A rock in a hard place

"Grandpa? Benita? Will? Sunny?" Gwen voiced within her bud, staring out the blinds of the Max's Rv. "Can anyone hear me?" 

"Pick up." Pearl paces along the center lane of the RV, passing Zed, who's remained in front of the RV door. The white gem kept her white flip phone to her ear while her eyes bounced at every RV window. "Steven?" 

"Hello?" A voice escapes the phone, causing Pearl to release a sigh. 

"Thank the gods. Where are you?" This gains Gwen's and Zed's attention. 

"We ran into a problem! We fought this Krab made of some metal. He shot lasers, rotated his limbs, and dug into the ground. We managed to beat him, and we're heading back to you guys now." 

"Krab? Wait. Wait. Wait. Garnet with you?" 

"Yep, but we have a problem. Mr.Krab said he was looking for Benita and Will. Are they, by any chance, with you?" 

"No. The children and the others haven't come back." 

Pearl eyed Gwen, dialing into her flip phone.

"Look. Steven. We also encounter the same phenomenon." 

"WHAT!!" Pearl pulled her ear from the phone. "Are you okay?! How about Gwen and Zed?!" 

"We're fine. A mercenary only tries to press us for answers, to go who knows where." 

"Okay. We'll talk more when we're there," Garnet says from the phone, getting a sigh from Pearl. 

"We'll be waiting." Pearl hangs up, watching Gwen do the same with a growl. "No one?" 

"I think Will just hung up on me." 

"This is fine. We'll wait for Garnet and Steven's return, and they'll know what to do." Pearl paces to the front, peeking from the driver's window. "You think your illusion will work?" 

"It worked back at one of our missions on getting back Ben." Gwen looks out the window, staring at Phil's RV in a vast empty parking lot stretching to the roads of a few houses in front of the school. "The only downside is if anyone entered our bubble, they could really see what's going on here. I hope they are brainless like my cousin and that knucklehead." 

Silence entered the Rv while Gwen struck with something else. 

"Pearl?" 

"Yes?" 

"Do you know Phil? I don't think Zed truly liked him. And believe it or not, I don't like him treating you guys like that." 

"Well, yes. Phil fought in the war and kept his eyes on us, just like Max." Pearl chuckled. "Believe it or not, he was tamer back then—bearable. Anyway, the day came, and we fought back with the help of the two and soon some of their field agents. Your grandpa was out of commission, and Phil wanted one of us to carry him to safety. We kept our eyes on them in the heat of the moment." 

Pearl sighs, sheltering her eyes with her pale white hands. 

"A few of the Japser's gunships came firing at me, and Garnet put Phil and Max in the gunfire. Garnet and I did our best, but one slipped past our defense. Phil sacrifices himself, only to lose his eyes." 

"Wow." Gwen's widened eyes look at the brown pattern carpet. "What makes this place trigger my Grandpa?" 

"I don't know after the war. We haven't seen the two since." Pearl grabs her arms. "He didn't even leave a postcard," she says under her breath.

"Did you two date?" Gwen crossed her legs, getting a dark blush from the white gem. 

"Oh. No." She clears her throat. "I like him more than I should." Pearl darts her eyes from Gwen before approaching the counter and looking out the window. 

"You know. It's never too late." 

"WHAT?! What?" 

"I never seen anyone claim dibs, and my grandpa hardly talk about his love life." Gwen shrugged. "It can't hurt to ask." 

"At a time like this." Pearl snapped her head back at the window. "I have all the time in the world." 

------

Sunny floats over a brick wall while Amethyst follows up. Her white boots hit the light brown dirt. 

Before them was a lumber mill. 

A tall, weathered red house loomed in front of them by a river that stretched from the sea, flanked by neatly stacked logs, railroad tracks, and various sizes of carts.

"Cool a riverbed. We can follow it to the coast and return to the bay." Amethyst went ahead while Sunny only followed. 

The purple gem steps over the tracks, maneuvering around shipping carts from red to blue. She looks over her shoulder at Gwen's twin and stares at Sunny's shoes, which are not hitting the ground. 

"What are you anyway?" Amethyst questioned. "I never seen anyone like ya." 

"I'm just a girl who's not answering your question," Sunny said, keeping her gaze forward. 

"Cool, just keep floating, miss high and mighty." 

"And that I will do." Sunny halts before staring at the sky. 

"What is it?" Amethyst looks back at the girl. 

"Oh hell." The girl only deepened her gaze. 

"Sunny!" A cheery feminine voice exploded above their heads.

Dark purple skin roamed from the girls' toes toward their toned jaws. Their glowing pink eyes stared down at the two with their mature faces. 

The one with a smile had a long, fat braid along her left shoulder, and the other was skinny and behind her right. They were made of pink mana; the mana hair danced within the night sky. 

Another young woman floated by her side, arms crossed. Her hair, made of pink mana, was in a long braid hanging along her spine. 

"Vanessa. Maya. What are you two doing here?" Sunny squinted her eyes at the two anodites. 

"It's V and M. To you, sweetheart." The twin tails anodite cocked her head with a smile. "Vanessa, like myself, is someone worth our time. Unlike you." 

"My mana is churning because of your narcissism. Why keep up with describing yourself in the third person? We're talking. Not making a novel." Sunny remarked, getting V to flash her pure-infused white teeth. 

"We're here because Verdona gave you off to an old man named Maxwell Tennyson. Am I correct?" The single braid anodite named M voiced. 

"First. Off. Max will kick both of your asses without breaking a sweat. And Second. I'm going to break my foot off your ass if you don't give him the respect that's due." Sunny tilted her head with squinted eyes.

 V burst into laughter. 

"You're cute!" She wipes her non-existent tears. "Look at your cheeks! Vanessa could only pinch them." She bends down, sticking out her lips. 

Sunny only growls while her glowing pink eyes break through the night at V and M. Amethyst stands before Sunny. 

"What do you want with them?" Amethyst questioned. 

"To help them." M gazed at the purple gem with a blank gaze. 

"And by help, I mean kidnapped." V followed up, getting a side eye from M. This got Sunny and Amethyst ready. "Vanessa means. They will be dead. So why beat around it?" 

"We will talk." M glared at her twin. 

"I think. Not." Sunny summoned her mana blade. 

"Believe it or not. You know what will happen." M states, staring down at a growling Sunny. "Benita and Will Glover. Is under a considerable amount of credits, and we are willing to share it." 

"You're out of your mind!" V exclaimed. 

"Shut it!" M growled. 

Sunny loses her glow before tilting her head. 

"How much are you talking?" 

"You wouldn't. Dare." Amethyst whispered, flashing her teeth. 

"A million credits. So much. We could buy our own ship and other things without worry. Unless you know how to spend it!" M raised her voice at the last sentence, getting a growl from V. 

Sunny snaps her hand towards Amethyst, who uses her whip to bind her. 

"I'll forget you'd try that!" Amethyst roared. "Don't forget! You've been with Max and the others! And you're telling me you're willing to throw it away for some coins in your pockets?!" 

"Exactly." Sunny opened her palms towards the ground. Summoning her pink whips that drove into the ground. 

The purple gem backflips from two spikes erupting from her last position. Her hand pushes onto the mud before summoning another whip covered with crystal spikes, sharing her color from the gem between her chest. 

"Ah!" A burst of pink energy breaks the restraints of Amethyst's bindings on Sunny. "Take it!" 

Sunny hurls her pink discs. It soared across the heavy rain and at the purple gem. 

Amethyst drives her whip, destroying three; she twists her hips, dismissing four more before spinning on her heels, giving an across-the-shoulder slash. 

The purple gem cartwheel flips, escaping four more spikes that erupt from the ground. She flips from a log dump car. Amethyst twisted her body, allowing the whip to wrap around her waist before delivering the whip back into the stack logs that came crashing down on Gwen's Cousin. 

The weight of the logs breaks through the heavy rain, allowing the purple gem to gaze at her environment before staring up at the Anodites Twins. 

"I hope you're enjoying this!" She clenches her fist before throwing it to the side. "Because you're next!" 

Amethyst ducks as pieces of her white hair separate from their home on her head while the gem steps back, gaining her footing. 

Sunny follows with glowing pink eyes and two mana blades covering her fist to her elbow. 

"Ragh!" Sunny gave a slash that Amethyst backstep. "Ah! Ugh! Ragh!" The purple gem stepped left and right before ducking, delivering a double palm strike to Sunny gut. 

The girl slid on her heels, collecting as much mud and water as possible before falling to a knee. Sunny flashed her teeth with a wince while the purple gem stood tall with a blank look.

"What will the others think?" Amethyst voiced through the song of the rain. "You turn your back on your family on a whim! Betray Max, Gwen, Benita, and Will. Just for what! Power? Credits? Maybe a slice of attention!" 

"Shut up! And fight me!!" Sunny snaps her head over her shoulder to V, floating closer. "She's mine!!" 

Sunny propels herself with an explosive burst, causing the mud and water to scatter. 

"Ragh!" She drives her fist into Amethyst, who hurls her into the ground. Sunny skips along the ground before driving her nails into the mud. A pink light engulfs her, revealing Sunny's anodite form. 

Anodite Sunny rushes once more. She threw punches and kicks at Amethyst, who only blocked or dodged. 

Sunny threw two punches, only for the purple gem to slap away. The anodite thrust her mana blade into Amethyst, who only jumped back. 

Sunny summons a pink dome, trapping Amethyst inside before a purple mist escapes from her, seeking into Sunny's fingers. 

"I may have craved attention, but you craved death!" The Anodite slowly grew a smile, watching the purple gem punching the dome that didn't budge. 

"AHHH!!!" Amethyst roared, punching faster and harder. Causing cracks to form.

"Give up! I won!" Sunny giggled, watching Amethyst drop to a knee. 

"You haven't won. This isn't over." The purple gem's eyes flickered before her body was engulfed in a gem. 

The dome floats toward Sunny before the Purple gem hits her hand. 

"YEAH!!!" Sunny roared into the heavy rain, hitting every pore on her body. "LET'S GO!!!" 

"Vanessa knows." V's voice gets a smile from Sunny. "That boost can get quite addictive. Don't get greedy." 

"Alright." Sunny looks down at Amethyst's gem in her palm. 

"Now, show us where they are." M floats beside her sister. 

"Of course. And don't make me regret it." Sunny squinted her eyes, pocketing Amethyst. 

---- 

Benita and Anthony paced through the woods, their eyes roaming every blindspot and shadow that lurked in a sea of trees.

Benita looks over her shoulder. 

"What?" Will questioned. "What is it?" 

"Nothing, just keeping my eyes out." She turns her head to her partner in crime. "I still think we should head back." 

"I know. I think I saw something." 

"And?" 

"That could reveal why your grandpa is so tied to this place." 

"And now is a good time?" The boy kept his gaze forward. "Will. You have to be patient." 

"I can't get it out of my head." The boy sighs. "He's slipping...."

 "Don't remind me." Benita cut him off before sighing. "We don't find anything, and then we're gone." 

"Thanks." The boy smirked. 

"Yeah. Yeah." She waved it off. "There's no convincing you." 

"Hey. Can I ask you something?" 

"And that is?" Benita raised a brow. 

"How could you switch aliens so quick? Back with the Onmi-Hex user, it really helped out." 

Benita scoffs. 

"Please. Future Me did something to the Onmitrix back when we were fighting Vilgax. I saw her slap it, so I did the same," she smirked. "But I'm still figuring it out." 

"Wait. Is the Benita we met in the future are you or--" 

"I don't know. But, thinking about it hurts my head." She gazed away from Will's eyes, who only nodded before staring ahead. "What's a bummer. The watch gives me a period to switch to any alien I want just by slapping the symbol when I go alien. It took hours to get it working again." 

"You got a name for it?" 

Benita smirked. 

"Bioshock." 

"You and these names." Anthony shook his head with a smirk. 

"Uh." She leans close to his face with her fists on her hips. "You're the one to talk. Morphing Ranger." 

Will grabs her face, only for Benita to lick his hand. He draws it back. 

"Ugh! You're disgusting." He shakes his wet hand. 

"Right back at ya, dweeb." She rests her hands on her neck. 

The two exited the tree line only to see an ashen field of charcoal trees and Abandoned half-eaten buildings. Two large pillars stood tall within the bland grey environment. They paced past the barrier of green grass and into the black dirt. 

The children stop in front of a rusted fence blocking their entry. Zero towered over Benita before reaching out his hand. 

"You're asking me out for my hand of marriage? How sweet," Benita says, grabbing Zero's three-fingered hand. 

They phased through their obstacle before Anthony stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Benita. 

The two continued their journey along the blackened street of rubble, listening to the weighted steps and watching the parade of half-eaten or demolished storage sheds and a factory towering over the children. 

Its grey brick walls stared back at the boy and Ben. The glass within its window frames was non-existent, while a rusted white door and a vast faded logo of a man in a trenched coat with a smile held a glass bottle of red liquid. 

 Vito's 

"Hey, were any of those at gas stations or vending machines by chance?" Anthony kept his gaze on the logo while Benita did the same. 

"Nope. It's cherry strawberry. An odd combination. Wish future Gwen would offer refreshments." 

Will gripped the handle, and the door remained locked. Red Riot stood in the boy's place before driving his shoulder into the door. The metal door whined loudly, releasing a loud bang into the dead silent environment. 

The door hangs open while the red-skinned young man enters with widened eyes, followed by Benita. 

The large factory was just a front. Before them lay the other side of the ashen crater, overlooking a body of water with giant pillars. Up close, they saw steam pillars made of bricks. Two pillars loomed above the children, while the third was dismantled, leaning against the cliff and into the dark water.

"The hell happened here?" Red Riot roamed his eyes at the half-eaten factory, the machinery, and the layout. 

"Hey!" Benita called Red Riot over, standing by the edge of the caved cliff. She points. "I found our way in." 

"Cool." Red Riot scoops the little girl within his red arms before taking flight. 

He fell onto the cliff, hanging on the side of the dominant rock. A cave presented itself, and a giant steam pipe rested along the rocky platform, giving the two great shade from the now pouring rain. 

"Be ready." Anthony snaps his fingers, igniting Novis's (Nova) Hand. 

They entered the giant hole, lighting the way within a sheet of pitch black. Nova's fingers crackled from the small pour of flames at his thumb; the heavy rain and their shoes clicking sang to them. 

"Hey, Willy? Can you go, full alien? It's getting hard to see." She stared into the dark void surrounded by rock. 

"Alright." Nova took the boy's place, giving more light yet not dinting the gaze the void gave them. 

"Thanks." 

"No. Problem." 

A minute passed, and the man covered with magma and rock and the girl in a black and white shirt exited the hall of rock into an open cave. On their right was a rounded wall, and another hall of rock was on their left.

"This looks oddly familiar." Benita approached the rounded wall, followed by Nova. 

"It's a smooth, rounded wall. It could be anything." He brought light to it while Benita brushed her hand along it. 

"Maybe." 

Nova brushed his hand along it, which only caused it to shimmer. A purple light erupts from the rounded wall, showering the cave in its glow. 

Nova and Benita rocketed from the wall to the other side of the cave. 

"WHAT?! WHAT?! FUCK?!" Benita roared, scanning her body with Nova, who only raised her hands to the girl. 

"Ben, you're okay," Nova reassured, listening to Benita's rough breathing. "BEN!" the girl jolted, her eyes bouncing from the firey humanoid to the purple shimmering rock towering over them. "You're fine," Nova said. 

"H-How do you know?!" 

"Because I don't feel anything." 

"And that is supposed to make me immune!" Her eyes quaked as she continued backing into the other hall of darkness. "I'm not turning into that freak! NO WAY!!" She croaked. 

"We would already have." Nova looked over his shoulder at the wall before not giving his back. "You know who to call." 

"Grandpa! Hey! It's me, Benita. Your favorite grandniece." She paced behind Nova, eying the glowing wall and biting her lip. "We have a severe problem. There is this wall of corrodium on the other side of the bay. You know the rock at the farm." She scratched her short, brown, fuzzy hair. "Will and I were exposed, and we're not sure we were infected. How should we tackle this?" 

Benita presses her bud once more. 

"Hello? Grandpa? Max!" 

"What?" Nova turned to Benita, looking about, avoiding her gaze from the wall. 

"He's not picking up. Gwen? Sunny?" 

"My. My." A sweet-voiced erupts from the entrance and exit hall of the cave. "What are you cuties doing in here?" 

Black metal fingers grip the edge of the dark hall before a torso containing feminine traits pokes out, revealing a glowing pink Decepticon symbol on her left metal breast. 

Her slim jaw and glowing pink eyes wandered the cave before staring at Benita and Nova's eyes, slowly climbing to their skulls. 

"I see you found. Corrodium." Airachnid gave a grin. " I shall reassure you it's long due." 

"Crap!" Benita gazed at the red hourglass in the center of her watch. "It's still charging!" She staggered back.

 Nova fired beams of fire that the Spider-bot tanked within her palm. 

"Go!" Benita remained silent, watching a growing smile from Airachnid. "Get out of here!!" Nova roared before clenching his jaw at the slowly descending Airachnid. 

Benita breaks into the hall of darkness, going deeper within the cave. 

"Ragh!" The spider-bot drives one of her spider legs into Nova, who flies to the ceiling. 

Edge takes control, sticking to the ceiling. 

"Oh. It's truly a pleasure to be given such a display." She looks up at the grey-blue symbiote towering within the small space. "And I thought you forgot me." She pouts. 

"How can I forget?" Edge spat before leaping away from a purple beam larger than himself. 

Benita's rapid clicking of her shoes filled the hall of darkness, and so did the fight with The boy and the spider-bot. 

"I was beginning to wonder when little Arcee will let you go. Let Mama take care of you for a while." Airachnid voice within the firing blasters. 

"I have one! And don't need another!" Edge shouts. 

"AH! You little! Will come here right this instant!!" 

"MAKE ME!!" 

Benita staggered before looking over her shoulder to where she had come from. She jammed her hand into her pant pocket, fishing out a blue thumb-size flashlight. 

With the help of her light, she ran further into the darkness, and the fight behind her slowly died out as she came to an end. 

A rock slope continued to another hall of darkness past the cliff and the dark drop below the stone bridge. The girl continued. She looks to her watch, only to click her tongue.

"H-hey!" A static voice breaks within Benita's ear, causing her to stumble to a stop. "Hey! Brat! Anthony!" Sunny's voice came clear. 

"What is it?" She pants. "We got a giant eight-hundred-pound spider Decepticon on our butts!" 

"Where are you? Is Will with you?" 

"He's keeping her busy. I'm going back to deliver a hit-run." 

"Just tell me where you are!" Sunny growls. 

"At the other side of the bay. Under a factory name Vito's." 

"Grab the boy and go. We'll meet back at the RV." 

"Hello?" Benita voiced within the bud, eyeing back at the dark hall. 

"B-E-N-I-T-A." Airachnid spelled out down the hall the girl came. "An odd name, yet you will be remembered for your sacrifice." 

Benita drew in a sharp breath before taking down the hall. 

"Have you ever wondered why you're given the power bestowed upon you? Is it a curse? Is it a gift?" The spider-bot giggled while the girl only charged through the darkness, pushing past her dire breaths. "The root of the problem." The metal-hitting rock multiplied behind Benita, growing louder with each step. "Will you stop being selfish?" 

Benita flashed the light between the gap in the wall on her right in mid-sprint. She rushed between them, getting a growl from Airachnid. 

"What is up with you humans with tight spaces?" Her sharp fingers plunge after Benita, who ducks from a grab that gives weight before her ears.

 Benita shimmied along the wall. With the wall's help, she climbed over a rock to her waist before looking back at Airachnid's pink glowing eyes between the cracks. 

The spider-bot smirked, listening to Benita's heavy pants before taking her leave. The girl continued along the walls with a wince, then popped out from the gap in the wall. 

Still, within the cave, the dim-lit area was opened. Spikes of rocks of various sizes scattered around the wet cave toward the platform of rocks she could climb on towards another gap in the wall. 

Black spiked rocks surrounded the soft blue light in the cave's center, and heavy rain poured onto the cold, glistening rocks below. 

The sound of metal hitting rock made Benita take the nearest cover. Airachnid scaled from the opened center, scanning the cave. 

"You know. Your partner in crime is quite heroic." Airachnid spoked. "I almost shed a tear." She crawls along the ceiling, staring down the spike rocks. 

On the other side of the cave, Benita crouched and sprinted past two of her covers, leaving her open only for her to hide behind and along the rock, keeping her from the eyes of the spider-bot. 

"You two are sweet and a bunch of demons if I made add." She heads toward Benita's position. "I've seen what you did to Megatron's ship." 

A pop filled the cave, causing Airachnid to snap her head across the room. She headed that way while Benita paced along the small wall of spike rocks before coming to a dead end. 

She peeks around the rock to the center of the cave and another group of rocks leading to the platforms of stones at the other side of the room.

"You know. Your boy toy of yours. I want him." Airachnid voiced, blocking Benita's way. The girl pressed her back against the wall, giving a sigh. "I like to take him. Raise him. Make him my pet. And do you know why?" 

Benita reached into her green cargo pants' leg pocket. She pulled out a small rock wrapped in white paper, resting between her thumb and index finger. 

"A pup is more accessible to tame than an adult. Perform a few actions like bathing it, feeding it, protecting it. It's all yours. And a whisper in his ear could do the trick. 

Benita hurled the rock past two groups of spiked stones along her lane of hiding spots. 

The spider-bot rushes while Benita quickly made way across the room. She snuck along the row of spike stones before climbing on the platform and another. 

She shimmies within the gap wall, going over and under rocks that could halt her advance, and then Ben exits. 

Benita smiled, looking out into the open cave, releasing rain as heavy as a group of coins. She followed the light, revealing the swarm of trees, only for a hand to grasp her mouth. 

"MpH!" She wrestled the unyielding attacker only to halt at Airachnid peeking within the cave. Her pink eyes scanned for movement before she clicked her tongue, taking her leave. 

The hand released her mouth, and she looked over her shoulder at Anthony, who pressed his finger against his lip. They paced slowly towards the exit before the boy opened his hand toward Benita. 

She took it while the two became invisible to the naked eye. The girl dropped her jaw at the boy, who moved his mouth. 

"We'll talk later." Not a sound escapes Will's mouth. 

They exit the cave, looking up at the wall above the hole, seeing no one. 

Slowly but steadily. Anthony and Benita made their way through the swarm of trees bathing in the rain, feeling their damp shirts pressed against their figures and their hairs on their faces. 

The wet grass underneath their shoes gave squeaks while their beating hearts and rain sang to them. 

...

 Still within the woods, the two pick up pace. 

"You can turn invisible!" Benita shouts in a whisper. 

"I couldn't fight her in that enclosed place. Yet, she has the experience to back it up. I had to leave to meet you, so I'm glad I did." Will sighs. "And to answer your question. Do you remember the fight with Vilgax?" Benita nodded. "I believe I've bonded with more aliens than four." 

"Gwen is so going to bust you." She shakes her head. 

"Aaa. So my eyes don't deceive me." Airachnid's voice cried out through the heavy rain, causing Benita and Anthony to go back to back. "And I must say you, Benita, had thrown me for a loop." 

The spider-bot crashed into the front of the two, causing the water to erupt from underneath the impact. 

Airachnid towers over the two like a two-story building. Her pink glowing eyes, grin, and stretched spider legs loom down at them. 

"As much I like to play longer. I have the world I could save." Her weighted steps made the children's knees buck, but they remained firm. 

"Will!" Benita cried out. 

"Stand behind me!" 

The spider-bot hands stretch out. 

A ball of white light rushes and smacks Airanchnid's cheek. The children make a break from it. 

"Agh!" She growls and swipes away the dark smoke. She went after them before getting tackled by an Earth-tone-corrupted Jasper. 

Airachnid flew across the open, tumbling on her shoulder before her spider legs halted her, and she hoisted herself over the damaged grass. 

The giant wolf-like gem released a ground-shaking roar. 

"What is it doing here?!" Benita shouts before uncovering her ears. 

"I don't know! But this is where we run!" Will shouts, sprinting after Benita.

Airachnid sees this before snapping to her blind spot over her shoulder. She hurls a white tone, corrupted jasper over her head and into the ground, causing mud and water to fly. 

The white-tone jasper stood to its feet, whipping its sliver hair submerged in mud. 

"Just my luck." Her yellow stingers erupted from her wrists before four of her four spider legs fired white beams toward the two corrupted jaspers. 

The white-tone jasper rushes Airachnid, dodging around the beams, while the Earth-tone jasper rushes after Benita and Will. 

The white-tone jasper whipped its head forward, lashing her sliver hair like a whip at the Decepticon. Airachnid leaped over the attack that snapped two trees in half. The crash of trees rustling fills Benita and Anthony's ears. 

She twirls mid-air before driving her fist into the ground at the white-tone jasper, who dodges at the last moment. 

The spider-bot fired, webbing from her legs on her back at the Earth-tone jasper, who grew close to her prey. The webbing hits the back of the jasper's leg. 

"It's rude!" Airachnid pulled the jasper off its hind legs. "To steal!!" The spider-bot hurls earth-tone jasper on the other side of the opened woods. 

"The hell is happening?!" Will shouts. 

"Just run!" Benita shouted before running down the hill, eyeing the back of Helicon Bay. "Finally!" 

The weighted sprinting from white-tone jasper entered their ears. The boy grasped Benita's hand, causing it to halt. 

"Don't look back!" Anthony shouts while leaping and vaulting over the wooden railing over their heads. At the same time, Benita briefly slows down and climbs over. Will looks back, watching the silver-haired corrupted jasper racing down the hill at the two. "Ben! Come on!" 

The girl's shoes hit the boardwalk while Anthony hoists her to her feet. 

They ran down the boardwalk, passing a business and a boat house. Benita's heavy panting, the rain-filled boy's ears, and soon the corrupted jasper weighted sprinted. 

"Go. Without me." Benita huffed, slowing down for Will to halt and throw her on his back. 

The boy picked up speed, leaping over a wooden crate in the boardwalk's center. The jasper bulldozed it, causing splitters to fly. Will and Benita cloaked. The jasper stays on their tail. 

"Fuck!" Will shouts. 

"Drop me!" Benita's voice, looking from his shoulder at the white-tone jasper fast approaching. "PUT ME DOWN!!" 

"RAGH!!" Anthony roared, leaning forward and taking distance from the white-tone jasper on their tail. Mar's Prowess light dims into nothing, causing the boy to let out a loud gasp. "Rah!" 

He leaps over the metal fence blocking the docks from the town's main streets. The boy kept Cheeta's pace while the white-tone jasper gradually picked up to match the boy. 

Benita pinches before twisting the skin on Will's neck. 

"AH!!" Benita tumbles down the street. "Ben!!" Will slides to a halt, and so did their pursuer. As the white-tone jasper slowed, it raised its giant foot over the tumbling girl. "BENITA!!!" 

The boy cried over the heavy rain.