Ben 10 GL:TAS Queens of the Ram Ch 6

Chapter 6 - Aya

Posted for Razaya Week Day 5 Crossovers

*Because this chapter of my story has a sweet Razaya scene taken form Razer's memory, I decided to post it at the Razaya group. To read the rest of the story, please visit my deviant art page.

Plumber Base - The Patio

At first, Gwen didn't know where to go. She only wanted to get Razer away from the main control room and find a quiet place for them to talk. With the base on red alert, the Plumbers would break only for meals or training sessions. Recreation would be the last thing allowed, but not off limits.

"We're going to the Patio," Gwen announced pressing the elevator floor button to go down.

"The Patio?" Saint Walker repeated.

"Ah! A very good choice," Rook said. "It was build as a sort of cultural experience since so many of the Plumbers are from off planet. And as a way to deal with being homesick."

They exited the first elevator and walked down a hallway toward another. Gwen still kept the crook of her arm around Razer. Kevin walked directly behind them. The teenage girl gazed back at her roguish beau every once in a while to smile at him assuring he had nothing to worry about. However, Kevin remained annoyed at Gwen giving the alien this much attention. Razer's outburst had been very unhinging. Gwen wished she could remind him verbally of his own anger issues, but didn't want to unpack their past again. At least not yet.

Gwen tried for some small talk.

"This reminds me of the days my brother and I would go for walks when I was in grade school," she said.

"You have a sibling?" Razer stated.

"Yes. Kenny. He's in college like me. I haven seen him in a long time. I think he'd be about you're age. Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"No. I have no one left."

Gwen grimaced. Great. His entire family is gone. No wonder he's so lonely.

They reached another elevator that ran up the outer rim of the base and stopped at level just below the exit doors for the Plumber ships.

After passing through another corridor, they entered a huge room filled with what looked like natural light. A skylight bathed the room in a warm buttery glow. There were chairs of different designs made for various kinds of aliens surrounding small tables. A small podium stood to one side of the atrium facing a blank wall the shape of a movie theater screen.

"This is the Patio," Gwen explained. "Plumbers come here to relax and visit home for a while."

"How?" Razer asked.

"Holographic imagery," Kevin explained finally needing to talk. "The skylight isn't real. It's a projection using Plumber tech called spy cubes. It's positioned so its looking at Earth's sky. But the techs made it so it also will give off the heat as if you were really outside."

"Very impressive," Saint Walker said.

"That's only half of it," Kevin said walking over to the podium.

He touched the surface, starting up a dormant computer screen built into the veneer. He pressed several touch screen buttons in the virtual program until the screen illuminated and showed a desert landscape. The image appeared to be so real that Zed walked towards it, sniffed her nose at the edge of the image, before whining and sitting down in disappointment.

"The first time she saw it," Kevin recalled, "she ran into the projection and slammed her head on the back wall."

Razer walked up and placed his hand against the apparition. He felt the side of the room through the image.

"Pretty awesome, huh?" Kevin said.

"Agreed," Razer replied and smiled.

"And there are hundreds of other planets in the data base," Rook said. "Allow me to show you a few."

Kevin let the Revonnahgander take over the controls. He scrolled through the list of inhabited worlds and picked one out. It switched to mountain range overlooking a city of toadstool like structures below. The skylight also flickered as it responding to the change. The temperature in the room felt a little balmier.

"That is Galvin Prime, home of Blukic and Driba as well as Azmuth, creator of the Omnitrix," Rook said. "The sky light has switched from a view of the Earth's sky to correspond to the one above Galvin."

"What happens when you pick a planet with a cold climate?" Razer asked.

"You put on a jacket," Gwen said.

As an example Rook brought up a dark crystalline world that had a twilight sky full of stars. It suddenly felt a great deal colder but not freezing.

"This is Petropia," Rook said.

Saint Walker looked up at the skylight to see dozens of twinkling stars, several of them, larger than the others to indicate their closeness to the planet.

"Razer. Look at this," Saint Walker gestured to Razer. The Volkregian joined his friend to observe a comet flying between two distant suns.

While distracted by the view, Rook put another planet and instantly the skylight rippled with sunlight flooding through deep water. When the two Lanterns looked at the main view screen schools of bizarre fish alien fish. One huge beast resembling an eel entered the frame scattering the others sea creatures.

"The water planet Piscciss," Rook explained. "We're fortunate today. Magister Pike has to replace the spy cubes constantly. They get eaten by the locals."

After several minutes, Walker requested another change to Rook. "May I observe your planet, brother?"

Rook imputed the request. The viewer switched to Revonnah, showing rich grass plains, step structures full of Amber Ogia and quant homesteads. The atmosphere turned more temperate in the room. Saint Walker steeped closer to the screen, smiling at the view.

"A lovely world," he complimented.

"We are a community of farmers, living off the same native plants for countless generations."

"Is this the only way you have seen it since you left?"

Rook shook his head. "I have gone home to my planet twice since I got stationed here. The first time was to visit my family for the Harvest Festival."

"Do you have a large family?"

"Yes. I am the oldest of five. My sister, Rook Shar, wants to be a Plumber well. My little brother likely will too, when he is old enough. He actually flew a modified harvester to Earth to find me. Incurseans had invaded our planet. Ben and I assisted in saving my home."

"You are greatly blessed brother."

"Yes," Razer concurred. "You are lucky to have saved your planet."

The Volkregian gazed at one of the farmhouses, his mind rewinding to his shattered home and his losses.

Gwen could see Razer's despair supplanting him again and quickly intervened by suggesting, "Let me show you my favorite place."

Gwen took over the podium, sorting though the Earth database until she found a view of a lake surrounded by woods and mountains. The spy cube was positioned so you felt as if you could step into the projection and walk out on the dock.

"A lake," Razer mused.

"My grandfather used to take me and my cousin here when we were little," she said. "Ben, Kevin and I would go up there to take breaks when it was just us trying to stop the Highbreed invasion."

"The good old days," Kevin said. "It feels a lot longer than twenty mouths ago."

"Actually closer to twenty one," Gwen corrected.

Razer stared at the view telling Gwen, "I wish I could show you something but there is no way to show anyone where we've been."

Gwen stared down at the podium, thinking of the possibilities.

"Maybe. By using a little magic," she said.

"You can really use magic?" The Red Lantern asked.

"She's made of the stuff," Kevin said. "In this universe, mana or violet energy, is the source of magic."

"I could project your thoughts," Gwen offered, "by accessing your memory."

Razer narrowed his eyes at her, "You can read people's minds?"

"I never do it without asking."

"I have had my memory probed against my will. I don't want that again."

Gwen didn't suppress her disgust. The Volkregian had been through so much loss and pain. How much could one person be so cursed? She snapped, "I'd never do that! It's a cruel abuse of power!"

The red head then calmed herself she added in a softer tone, "I want to be a friend, Razer. You can trust me."

Razer still looked very reluctant. He exchanged a look with Saint Walker.

"I believe her, Razer," Saint Walker. "Don't you?"

"Are you sure I should do this Bro'Dee?" Razer caught his error. " I am sorry. I didn't mean to -."

"It's all right, brother. There are no secrets when someone allows another into their mind. But are you ready of it?"

The Astonian maintained a soft forgiving smile. Gwen realized Razer had used another name for Saint Walker, likely his real name by mistake. Gwen told Razer, "I will only access what memories you let me. I promise."

"I believe you," the alien nodded. "How shall we do this?"

"Stand in front of the podium. Place your hands on it to keep yourself steady, face forward and look at the screen. I'll do the rest."

Razer did as instructed. Gwen stood on Razer's right side with Saint Walker while Kevin and Rook were on the left. The teenager pressed her left hand to the Volkregian's right temple while putting her right on top of the computer interface. A violet light glow enveloped the podium, arched its way through Gwen and illuminated Razer's eyes.
Almost instantly an image flickered on the screen of a lovely planet with vibrant azure vegetation, mountains the color of white marble and a lake as pure as the one on in Gwen's holo image.

"That is Odym," Saint Walker told Kevin and Rook. "Home for the Blue Lantern Corps."

"It's lovely," Gwen said.

Gwen eyes were closed but she could see the vision in her mind. Through Razer's eyes the others could see the Volkregian's memory from his perspective. The view moved to show Saint Walker and a second alien resembling a humanoid elephant.

"Wow! Check it out!" Kevin exclaimed. "That guy looks like Trombipular."

"The species does look almost identical," Rook said. "There are bound to be many of the same kinds aliens existing in both universes."

"His name is Brother Warth," Saint Walker said. "I recruited him into the Blue Lantern Corps."

"How many Blue Lanterns are there?" the Revonnahgander asked.

"Presently only two. Three additional rings were sent out. They have likely all found their owners."

Razer seemed to wince. Gwen felt his discomfort and asked, "Do you want to stop, Razer?"

"No. I will be fine," he said. "You still need to see someone else."

Razer changed the image. They were now on the bridge of a ship. The starlight of space filled the curved viewpoint. A nearby nebula of purplish gases added color to the darkness. Four antigravity chairs rimmed a panel of workstations.

"Nice!" Kevin said.

"That was the Interceptor, piloted by Hal Jordan," Saint Walker explained. "It was utilized by the Guardians for long range space travel."

"So maybe those guys do know something about building sweet looking ma... chines...?" Kevin's voice faltered.  

A female android had been sitting in the chair closest to the center of the console. She had swiveled her seat around to look in Razer's direction. Her skin was the same shade of green as Green Lantern constructs with sleek white metallic robot parts for a helmet, upper torso, shoulders, forearms, waist and legs. Her startling eyes were deep azure in the center with a lighter hue of aqua for the whites.

"I did not expect that," Kevin said a little awed.

"You consider her to be attractive by human standards?" Rook figured.

"Well... I've never seen an android like her. Even though she's not as human looking as others she’s...”

Kevin's voice trailed off again. Rook had fought with an android fairly recently. A kid genius named Billy Billions possessed a female robot servant named Mazuma. She resembled a Earth cheerleader but fought like an ancient Amazon warrior. Although blonde and beautiful, her eyes had optical sensors that made them look blood red. Also she her emotional facial responses that looked fake, making her nothing but a cold and menacing. But when Aya tilted her head and smiled there seemed something genuine in the action. Something...

"Real?" Rook offered.

"Yeah," Kevin said.

"I have completed diagnostics on the ultra warp core," Aya announced. "All systems are operating at peek efficiently. The engine's power battery is operating at 92.6 percent."

"Thank you Aya," Razer replied.

It was the first time Razer spoke as part of interacting with his own memories. He acted as if this were the first time this conversation were taking place, even though it took place months before.

"The ships auto pilot can take over for your sleep cycle Razer," Aya said. "Green Lantern's Hal Jordan and Kilowog are already in there quarters for downtime."

"It is all right Aya," Razer insisted. "I don't mind piloting for a little while longer. Besides, how often does Hal Jordan let my fly the ship.”?

"It is true Green Lantern Hal is obsessive about doing that function. Still I require you to receive sufficient rest to assist me in maintaining the ship's engines."

"I know Aya. Sleep is essential for most organic life forms."

"Yes. Even I require time to shut down my systems to run internal diagnostics and make minor program corrections."

"Aya?" Razer asked. "When you do so, do you dream?"

The android blinked her eyes as she processed the question.

"I have never experienced a dream. I do replay many types of information stored in my memory banks from time to time when inactive. But it does not possess the variations in what you would call a dream."

"You are fortunate," Razer said.

"But are not dreams meant to bring pleasure?"

"I do not know that. My dreams are not usually pleasant."

"You refer to nightmares?"

"Yes."

"Like the one you had one the prison planet? When they forced you to relive the death of Illana?"

"Yes," Razer hissed suddenly agitated. "Like I wanted that to be brought up."

Aya stool up, her hands clasped in front of her, looking very apologetic.

"I am sorry Razer. I did not intend to upset you."

Razer took a deep breath. "I know you didn't mean it. But my dreams are rarely peaceful, Aya. I sometimes wish I could stop having them."

"Although I cannot have dreams, I would still wish to possess that function."

"You would?"

"Yes."

"What would you want to dream about?"

"You." Aya paused. "Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and Kilowog."

"You can see us every day, Aya."

"Not always. When I was confined on Oa, I though a lot about you until Scar shut me down. I did not like that."

Aya sounded genuinely upset when recalling the separation.

"I thought of you while I was on Odym," Razer said.

"Did you miss me?" she asked.

"Yes."

"I missed you too."

Again came a small pause, the kind those watching could tell was associated with the awkward shyness of two people wanting to admit to caring about each other, but stifled by a fear of trying. Kevin and Gwen were most familiar with that feeling. How long had it taken Kevin to admit or even say he liked Gwen and visa versa?    

"When you dream Razer, do you sometimes see me?" Aya asked.

"Yes," Razer replied his voice sounding fuller of emotion than the memory.

"Perhaps if you think about me, your dreams will be more pleasant," she suggested.

"I will remember that. I will go now. Good night, Aya."

"Good night, Razer."

The A.I. android smiled to him. As the memory cut off, Kevin, Rook and Saint Walker saw the image of the Interceptor vanish before Aya did. She seemed to stand there for a few seconds, the sweet smile on her radiant green face before she vanished as well.

"Razer?" Gwen asked choking with sadness.

Gwen felt the dampness of tears that had flowed over the thumb of her left hand. Razer had started to cry at the moment Aya said she missed him.

Kevin heard the distress in his girlfriend’s voice and at first worried about her. But then he saw Razer's face and understood why she had reacted. Kevin had learned to hide his pain from everyone but his girlfriend. Gwen had seen charming rogue cry a few times when they were alone. Kevin had always kept his emotions in check so the sudden site of Razer openly weeping unnerved him. He had been jealous of him talking to Gwen because he seemed to have made some kind of connection with her, but it obviously wasn't a physical attraction.

Gwen simply knew Razer was hurting and needed help. Still, even this bordered on the times he shared deep memories with Gwen and he personally disliked having her relating to someone else.

In one gaze Gwen asked Kevin to pardon her next impulse and he nodded in reluctant acceptance.

Gwen stepped up to Razer's side and embraced him. It was the kind of hug a person gave to comfort, saying your sorry for your loss. The Red Lantern gasped at the action, but didn't try to escape her hold. Razer kept his arms at his sides, refusing to touch Gwen out of respect for her being Kevin's girl. As it was, Razer felt Kevin laid his hand one his shoulder.

"It's okay, man," Kevin whispered although still not comfortable about it.

Razer stared at Kevin, the tears blurring his vision. He blinked to clear them, letting them fall out of his eyes before using the back of his hand to wipe them away.

Gwen released Razer, looking up at him.

"Thank you," the Red Lantern managed to say.

"I'm so sorry," Gwen told him. "Aya was beautiful."

"Yes. I will always love her like she loved me."

"How did she learn to love?" Rook carefully asked. "I've never heard of an A.I. developing emotions in this universe."

"Aya was more than just navigation computer or a machine," Razer said. "She was alive."

Rook furrowed his brow. "Alive? How?"

"The Green Energy that makes up the Green Lantern's power comes from a living being in the Lantern Corps Central Battery. Aya's creator used a sliver of that being to create her, but then tried to keep Aya from developing emotions. She could feel."

"She was an energy being," Gwen realized.

"Yes," Razer looked away, becoming angry with himself. "And I destroyed her."

"Razer. No," Saint Walker said. "It can not be your fault."

"I knew inside I loved Aya but I thought loving a machine was foolish. When I lied to her that I didn't love her, I wounded her so badly, she went mad. She turned herself into an emotionless automaton and became the leader of the Manhunters. She intended to end all live in the universe because I caused her pain!" Razer glared at Gwen. "Can you imagine someone you love turning into a monster you have no choice but to kill them to save the universe?"

"Yes," Gwen said softly. "I know exactly what that's like."

Razer stared at her incredulous to accepting yet another coincidence, but Kevin added, "Dude. You'd better sit down. We've got a lot more to talk about."

Plumber's Base - Command Center

Blukic and Driba used the same technology the Alpha Team had rigged into their Plumber Ship to allow direct interface with a Green Lantern Ring. The ease in which the green energy could utilize Plumber equipment was considered part of the mirroring parallel universes could attain. Blukic and Driba went on for several minutes about something they had called Dimension 23 before Ben told them had to focus on what Hal had to tell them.

With the hook up complete, Hal loaded projections of information on the Plumber monitors including images of the Red Lanterns and the Anti Monitor. The story he told not only explained Aya but Razer's past as well. Aya who they had thought to be simply a nav computer, and Razer, a former member of a murderous group of Red Lanterns, both earned Hal's trust as valued members of the team. He suspected Razer and Aya had a deep relationship since the time of the Red Lantern's intent at reformation. What had surprised both Hal and Kilowog was the sudden revelation the relationship became one involving love that turned tragic. Adding to it was the knowledge that Aya possessed more than emotions, but was alive.

Hal played the very recording from Guardian Scar's secret base explaining Aya's creation for the Plumbers, the same one he had used in an attempted to get through to her after she had gone mad and intended to wipe out all life in the universe. In spite of all this, Razer almost dying by Aya's hand had been the thing to wake her from the darkness she plunged into. In the end, to undo everything she caused, she unleashed a computer virus that not only deactivated the reprogrammed Manhunters but killed her as well.

After the explanation, Ben could only express himself in teenager vernacular by saying, "That's pretty messed up."

"In a nut shell," Hal agreed.

"The poor thing," Molly said. "She lost control of herself."

"Poor thing?" Kodek repeated. "She tried to destroy the universe. Or a universe."

"It's wasn't her fault she went crazy. She didn't know how to handle being rejected by a guy she loved."

Molly and Kodek were staring at each other so hard, Hal asked, "Do you two need a moment before we continue?"

"No!" They insisted.

Ben looked confused making Kilowog mutter, "And I thought Hal and I were blind."

"Having a friend go insane," Ben said," is something I'm too familiar with. During a battle to stop an alien named Agreggor from taking over the universe, Kevin absorbed the powers of my last Omnitrix. He pretty much tried to kill me and everybody I cared about."

"Seriously?" Kilowog asked.

"It's all on file," Grandpa Max said nodding to Molly who added the image of Ultimate Kevin to one of the display windows.

"Sheesh!" The Green Lantern Sergeant winced. "And I though he was ugly looking now."

"Were Kevin and Gwen a couple when this happened?" Hal asked.

"Yeah. She refused to help me track Kevin down if it meant killing him," Ben said.

"Wow," Hal shook his head.

"I know right?"

"This parallel universe stuff is really creeping me out," Blukic said.

"Definitely!" Driba agreed. "Our interaction might cause both universes to implode!"

"There are differences," Ben reminded them. "One sadly being that Aya is dead."

"Maybe," Hal said.

"Oh boy," Kilowog groaned.

"What?" Ben asked. "She's not dead?"

"Razer doesn't think so," Hal confessed. "He's been on a one man mission to find her."

"Yeah," Kodek remembered. "When we met Razer, he said he was looking for someone, but we didn't ask who."

"We'll he's sort of found her," Driba warned. "That evil program."

"Which is why Razer freak out," Molly concluded. "Hearing her voice out of that Aya Hunter as you called it and seeing that image of the Nanite Queen. It's upset him."

"Both universes could be destroyed if we don't stop that other Aya Hunter," Grandpa Max said.

"Her and your psychotic ex gal pal," Kilowog stated to Ben.  

"Elena was a just crush," Ben insisted. "It wasn't like Razer and Aya. Those nano chips destroyed her. What's left has never listened to me. And I don't want a girlfriend who would take over or destroy the universe."

"Maybe there's still a way you could reach her," Hal said.

"I don't think so. Every time I tried, Elena almost choked me to death with nano chips. Trust me when I say, even though she was once human, she's no Aya."

Bellwood/ Industry Boulevard

The Nanite Queens human slaves were busy filling containers of chips, loading them into different means to transport them. The homeless put them into shopping carts. A possessed construction worker had placed his cargo in the back of an old pick up truck. A couple of security guards had borrowed a panel van. The groups went out in sets of twos, at well spaced intervals to bring the chips in various locations around the city. The discretion was needed so not to alert the enemy.

Dark Aya 2.0 watched all of this with continued emotionless interest.

"When the large amount of chips are activated," Elena the Queen explained, "our enemies will immediately detect them. We must put our inactive soldiers in position through out Bellwood before we are suspected."

"Have you sent the chips to the Plumber Base to learn of their intended actions against us?" Aya's daughter asked.

"Yes," Elena agreed. "The chips will take control of several host bodies. They will double as spies and a preemptive strike force."

Dark Aya gazed at the computer monitors. Images gleaned from her old memory files along with those from Elena's past had already given the automaton a list of the targets. Ben Tennyson, his cousin Gwen, their friend Kevin Levin, Rook Blanco and Max Tennyson were filed along side images of the three Lanterns the Aya Hunter's memory had recalled the strongest, Hal Jordan, Sergeant Kilowog and Razer. All of these made sense to her with one exception.

"Who is this human?" Dark Aya asked pointing to the image of an Asian American girl wearing tennis cloths with her dark hair in up pigtails.

"Julie Yamamoto," Elena stated. "An old rival that must be eliminated. When we liked Ben, he liked her more. We didn't like that."

"That is a decision based on emotion."

"It is a means to harm Ben Tennyson. Once we know what makes an opponent weak, we must exploit it. You're appearance will help weaken the Lanterns."

"How is that so?" Aya asked.

"Because your existence will trigger an emotional response."

The computer console began to beep. Suddenly one of the monitors began broadcasting part of the conversation-taking place at the Plumber command center.

"So every time you tried to reason with Elena," Kilowog summarized. "She tried to kill you. That sounds pretty close to how Aya acted."

"Not until Razer got hurt," Hal said. "Aya snapped out of it."

"I don't think I'm willing to have another near death experience to get through to Elena," Ben said.

"But you will at least try talking to her again?" Hal asked.

"Yeah. I hope so," the teen sighed.

"An emotional response," Elena stated. "When it occurs this time, we will be ready to make sure it kills him."

"But I'm not Razer either," Ben added. "He might have reached Aya but only because they both loved each other. This won't be the same."

Dark Aya stared at the images again and tapped on the one of Razer, "This is the one called Razer."

"I believe you are correct," Elena said.

"My presence will be his weakness?"

"Yes."

"Then Red Lantern Razer is doomed."