Ben, Mikita, Saphir, Raki, and Perona were inside Lexie. They were cutting through the waves toward Malti Island. Saphir sat at the controls.
"You've gotten quite good at driving Lexie, Saphir," Ben remarked, as he watched her handle with ease.
"Thank you, Ben," Saphir responded. "HQ actually gave us all basic lessons recently," she added.
"She did?" Ben asked, a bit surprised.
"Yes, she did," Raki replied from the back. "Though I thought it was a bit unnecessary for some of us," she added.
"I think it was a good idea in principle," Mikita said as she leaned back in her seat. "That way, anyone could jump in and drive us away from danger if things get messy," she added.
"That is a good idea," Ben agreed. He wondered why he hadn't been part of those lessons. He thought it would have a word with HQ later. He smiled to himself and thought the girls were being so proactive.
He looked over at Perona. "Did you get the lessons too, Perona?" he asked.
"No, but HQ said my turn is coming soon," Perona replied.
"Are you looking forward to it?" Ben asked.
"I am. Lexie is actually very cute," Perona said as she patted the side of the vehicle.
Ben chuckled. "You really do love cute things. Tell me, am I cute?" he teased.
Perona turned to look at him. Her pale face was flushing a light pink. She didn't expect the direct question.
"He's a lot more than just cute," Mikita teased as she gave Perona a playful look.
Perona looked at Mikita and Saphir and then back at Ben. "Ben, do all your former female enemies end up joining you?" she asked.
"More or less," Raki responded before he could.
"Not all," Ben corrected with a shrug. He thought Alpha did not join.
"Yet," Mikita added with a mischievous smirk.
"He just has a strange connection with all of us," Raki remarked.
"It is a very strong connection," Mikita agreed.
"It really is," Saphir added as the silhouette of Malti Island began to appear in the distance.
As they drew closer to Malti Island, they saw a wide, sweeping sandy beach that hugged the coastline. The white sand looked pristine from a distance, but the shore was dotted with iron spikes and coastal lookouts. Beyond the sand, there was a small dense forest. The trees were thick with tropical foliage. Cutting directly through the greenery was a dirt track road.
Dominating the skyline behind the trees was the Marine Base. It was a massive, sterile structure of white stone and reinforced steel. It was topped with several communication towers and a giant fluttering Marine flag.
"There it is," Saphir whispered as she slowed Lexie down so they wouldn't create a large wake.
"Look at that road," Mikita pointed out. "It's the only way toward the town and the drawbridge from this side," she added.
Ben nodded."I doubt the Life Gem will be in the Marine base or in the town. We need to be careful. If the Marines spot Lexie on that beach, the whole base will be on us in minutes," he added.
Perona looked around. "I can send my Hollow Ghost to scout ahead," Perona said.
"That sounds like a good idea, let's keep to the dirt road for now and use the forest for cover," he added.
Perona raised her hand. "Negative Hollow," she said as two ghosts appeared from her hands. The hollow disappeared.
"Did they turn invisible?" Ben asked.
"Yes, I have sent them out to look around," Perona replied.
"Ben, we are heading for land," Saphir remarked.
"Sure, go ahead," Ben responded.
Saphir drove Lexie onto shore. The oversized, high-traction tires gripped the ground as Saphir steered them toward the dirt road. They cut through the small forest. The engine purred.
"The road is narrow," Saphir noted.
"Another forest," Mikita remarked.
"There are probably some pirates here," Raki commented.
As they drove down half a mile down the dusty track, they encountered a road block made with fallen logs. "What is this?" Saphir asked as she looked at the blockade.
"Looks like a trap," Raki said.
At that moment a group of rowdy pirates emerged from the brush. They were a rough-looking lot.
"Look at this fancy carriage," their leader sneered, as he raised a heavy mace. "Hand over everything and the girls, and maybe we'll let," he said.
He didn't get to finish as Lexie's door swung open. Before the pirate could blink, Mikita was out the door and jumped into the air. "Gravity Stomp," Mikita said as she increased her weight dramatically, making herself as heavy as a boulder. She went down towards the center of the blockade. The logs splintered into toothpicks, and the shockwave sent the pirates flying into the undergrowth.
"What was that?" one pirate groaned. He looked to see his fellow pirate on the ground.
Mikita swung her leg and kicked the pirate in the face. The pirate spat blood. His teeth broke as he went flying and crashed into a tree.
"Do not get cocky," the leader said as he raised his mace.
Raki stepped out with Ben. "Storm Leg," Raki said as she kicked at high speed and strength which launched a sharp compressed blade of wind. The blade went towards the pirate and hit him in the chest. He spat blood and went flying back. He hit the ground with a big thud. He was knocked out and laying in a pool of his own blood.
"Ran away," one pirate shouted.
"Stop," Mikita commanded.
The pirate froze.
Ben smiled. He thought Mikita and Raki were not playing around. "What were you guys doing here?" Ben asked.
The pirate did not say anything.
"Answer the question," Mikita said as she stomped her foot and broke a piece of branch in half.
"That could be your back," Raki added as she threatened him.
The pirate started to sweat. "We were looting people as they came by," the pirate said.
"Is it because of the announcement?" Perona asked as she stepped out.
"Yes, we know this place will be filled with pirates and we thought we would loot everyone," the pirate responded.
"Do you know where the Life Gem is?" Ben asked.
Mikita snapped another branch with her foot.
The pirate jumped up. "No, but we heard there is a monster guarding it," the pirate responded.
"Monster?" Ben asked. He thought about what that could be.
"Please spare me," the pirate said as he cried.
"Scram," Ben said. The pirate immediately got to his feet and ran away into the forest.
"Was that a good idea, letting him get away?" Mikita asked as she watched him run away.
"He could alert his friends," Raki said as she crossed her arms.
"We will deal with them," Ben responded.
"Is he like this?" Perona questioned.
Raki and Mikita nodded.
Ben thought he could not harm them. "I can have you all watch my back," Ben remarked.
"Well what do you think the monster is?" Mikita asked.
"I am not exactly sure," Ben replied. "We need to keep our guard up," Ben added.
"Where would this be?" Perona asked.
"The island isn't too big. With Lexie's speed, we can circle the entire road system in under an hour. If there's something, we're going to find it," Ben said.
"Sounds like a plan," Saphir said out loud.
"Let's see what we can find," Raki said as she sat back down inside Lexie.
They all hopped into their seats.
"Let's see what else they've got waiting for us," Saphir said as she floored the pedal. Lexie surged forward.
Lexie continued to tear down the dirt road. The small forest gradually gave way to more open clearings, and soon, they found themselves on the outskirts of what looked like a derelict graveyard.
"Hold on," Ben said. "Slow down, Saphir," he added.
"Okay Captain," Saphir responded as she slowed down.
They saw an old, dilapidated house. Its windows were boarded up. Its roof sagged and moss clung to its weathered wooden walls. It looked as if it hadn't seen a living soul in decades.
"That building looks strange," Mikita remarked. "It's completely off the main road, but visible enough," Mikita added.
"It is in plain sight," Raki added.
"Since it is out here, maybe no one decided to check," Perona said. "Or maybe there is something else," she added.
As Saphir carefully drove Lexie closer, they spotted a crudely painted sign nailed to a leaning post near the front gate. The faded red letters warned: "BEWARE: MONSTER." The sign had a picture of a figure with a powerful, bulky upper body. Its chest had markings. The head of the figure looked like a tall golden pyramid. The lower body was disconnected and floated.
Perona looked at the drawings. "Horo-horo, that's not cute at all," she remarked.
"This drawing," Mikita said.
"It looks like a general," Ben said.
"If there was a monster, would the Marines have not dealt with it?" Mikita questioned.
"They could have treated it as a rumor and if the locals knew about it they might have just avoided this place," Ben responded.
"Are we going to explore?" Raki questioned.
"Sure, this is either a decoy, or someone's guarding something very important. Either way, it's suspicious enough to be our next lead," Ben responded.
Everyone agreed. Saphir parked Lexie discreetly behind the house. They disembarked, and immediately noticed something else. They saw fresh footsteps in the damp earth leading toward the front door.
"Someone went in recently," Raki observed.
"Be careful," Ben warned. "Lets, keep our guard up," he added.
Perona, Mikita and Saphir nodded.
They moved towards the front of the house. "This place gives me the creeps," Saphir remarked.
"This feels like home," Perona replied.
The door was slightly open. "Let's keep going," Ben said as he pushed it open further. A chilling sight greeted them inside the dusty, cobweb-filled entrance hall.
They saw bodies on the floor. They were pirates who were all dead.
"What in the world?" Mikita whispered.
"The probability of you finding this particular path was 90%," a voice said.
"Who is there?" Raki asked.
They all turned and looked to see a tall man with long, golden-blonde hair sitting on a chair. He was laying out a fresh set of tarot cards on a makeshift table.
"But the probability of your survival is favourable," Hawkins continued as he looked at Ben and his crew,
Ben's eyes narrowed. He instantly recognised the Supernova. "Basil Hawkins," Ben remarked.