#metalbeard

Another year and a half passed, with little to no word from the outside world. By now, all but a handful of Master Builders resided in Cloud Cuckooland. The few holdouts were Ken and Lenny, Metalbeard, Batman, Vitruvius, and his last pupil whose name Benny could never keep track of, she changed it so often. Snazzypants, maybe. Last he heard, she was hunting down the Piece of Resistance. There were so few of them left now, they couldn’t afford to wait for it to surface on its own.

Benny himself had been confined to Cloud Cuckooland within the last few months; his need to Build spaceships had gotten to be too overwhelming, and he so often lost himself in that obsession. At least there, if he did manage to finish one before someone caught him, it would be where the Super Secret Police wouldn’t spot it.

And then came the email. The Piece of Resistance had been found. Vitruvius had The Special with him, and they were on their way to Cloud Cuckooland to try to come up with a plan. Whatever they decided to do, it would be their final stand. Their do-or-die moment.

Benny hoped it involved spaceships.

He waited in the Dome of Gathering (which Unikitty had affectionately nicknamed the ‘Dog’, and explained once its appearance had been inspired by her little brother), occasionally being tugged back down by either Ken or Lenny. He draped himself over Ken. “How long do you think it’ll take them to get here?” he complained. Ken reached up, raking gloved fingers through Benny’s curls before nudging his broken helmet back at him. Benny pulled it on without a word.

“Not much longer, I hope,” he answered.

“I got a spaceship to finish…”

“We really should have taken him with us to the moon base,” Lenny whispered, leaning close to Ken. “This is getting bad.”

“You know we can’t, Benny’s grounded,” Ken whispered back. “The rules are in place for a reason. What if he got away from us, and got lost in space?” Lenny sighed.

“Yeah, but- what number did Unikitty say he’s on now? One-thirty-two, or so? He’s going to completely flip out if he doesn’t get to finish a spaceship soon.”

Finally, the last of the Master Builders trickled in, followed by Batman, Vitruvius, his student, and an unfamiliar young man Benny could only guess was The Special. Slowly, a grin stretched across his face.

Unfamiliar.

That meant not a Master Builder.

Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. He saw something come flying out of the shattered window, a speck too small to see from that distance. But his ears soon told him what it was.

“JONAS!!” Benny engaged his jetpack, shooting up to catch the mangled remains of his best friend. The pirate captain was screaming in agony, limbs missing, torso shredded beyond recognition. Oh, God, there was so much blood… Benny let himself drop back down, wasting no time getting below deck. His cryostasis pod was still in the cargo hold, still functioning, last he checked. His heart was pounding in his ears as he gently laid his friend in it, closing the lid and turning it on. It was a while before the muffled screaming faded, and Jonas fell into blissful unconsciousness.

Benny took one look as his suit, and bolted back up onto the deck to lean over the railing, shoving off his helmet before heaving up the contents of his stomach. He couldn’t- couldn’t just sit here- had to get away- Bad Cop would come at any second to finish the job-

Willing his stomach back into obedience, he staggered up to the helm, determined to get the Sea Cow as far away from the Tower as quickly as possible. He took just long enough to wriggle out of his space suit and fling it away, not caring he was just in a t-shirt and boxers, then turned on the propellers to help steer the ship away from the Tower. Strangely, there didn’t seem to be any pursuit, but he wasn’t about to question his luck. He simply got back to Cloud Cuckooland as quickly as he could manage.

Unikitty bounced in excitement to see the Sea Cow float up the rainbow to land among the clouds. She galloped out to greet the pirate crew back, but slid to a halt when the only person she saw on deck was Benny, who for some reason wasn’t wearing his space suit.

Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. Willing herself into motion again, she gathered her legs under herself and leapt up onto the ship. “Benny? What’s going on?” She froze when she nearly stepped on the discarded space suit, eyes going wide when she saw all the blood.

“We failed,” the spaceman said, voice shaking. “The crew’s all gone, and Jonas- Jonas is-”

Unikitty went very still. “He’s- he’s not dead, is he…?”

Benny swallowed hard. “Not yet.”

Unikitty’s big eyes immediately welled up with tears. “Oh, no. Oh, Jonas-”

“He’s in my stasis pod for now,” Benny interrupted, and she took a shaky breath. That would buy them some time.

“We have to get to work,” the princess said, steeling herself in determination. “There must be something we can do for him!”

“I- I had some ideas, on the way here,” Benny admitted. “You could use the ship for parts, build him a new body- I think he’ll like that-”

“Just me?” Unikitty stared him down in challenge. “Aren’t you a Master Builder, too?”

Benny shifted uncomfortably. “’Kitty, you know what everyone else says-”

“I don’t give a fig what everyone else says.”

“But it doesn’t change the fact that I can only Build spaceships! I don’t wanna mess this up for him!”

“You’re helping me, and that’s final.”

In the end, Benny had helped, if only because he was the only one who knew his cryostasis system inside and out. It made him sick to his stomach, knowing that Metalbeard would be dependent upon it for the rest of his life. They’d found a vet to remove the remaining damaged organs, and Unikitty healed him up to the best of her ability before they placed him inside what amounted to a mobile life support unit.

And then they waited for him to wake up.

It was several days before he opened his eyes again, and Unikitty cried in relief when he did. It had been so hard for her to stay positive, when faced with the possible death of a friend. But her persistent optimism had paid off, and he was still alive, and conscious now. “What happened…?” he asked groggily.

“I told you that raid was a bad idea,” Benny told him, barely refraining from snapping at him. “You’re the only one who survived, and just barely at that!”

“Nay, lad,” Metalbeard said after a moment. “Not the only one who survived. Just the only one who escaped.”

“Jonas??” Unikitty pressed.

“The other Master Builders aren’t dead,” he told them, voice tinged with some emotion Benny couldn’t place. Possibly even several. “They’re trapped.”

“…I think you better tell us everything,” Benny said. And Metalbeard did. He told them about the hall of eerie relics, and Business’ security measures, and most of all, the Think Tank. Benny shuddered. That was… almost a fate worse than death, for a Master Builder. Unikitty’s eyes were wide, her ears flat against her skull and her tail poofed out as she tried to hide her trembling. He reached over, gently stroking her fur. “Hey, it’s okay,” he tried to soothe her. “Maybe the raid wasn’t a total bust- now we’ve got a better idea of what we’re up against.”

“If ye be thinkin’ of raidin’ that Tower again, Benny, ye be on yer own,” Metalbeard sighed. “Tis a fool’s errand, goin’ back.”

“It was a fool’s errand going in the first place. I tried to tell you that.”

“Aye, lad, ye did,” Metalbeard admitted quietly. “And now I’ve paid for not listenin’.”

“Oh, Jonas,” Unikitty sniffled, nuzzling his cheek. “I’m so sorry! We did our best…” He looked around at himself, then tried getting to his new feet. He turned this way and that, testing his balance, his control, his agility, his dexterity, and nodded to himself, seemingly satisfied.

“Ye did well, Princess. Tis a fine piece of work. Me feather, did it…?”

“It’s still there,” Benny assured. “A little singed at the tip, but otherwise whole.” Metalbeard heaved a sigh in relief. Benny grinned at him. “You ever gonna tell us how that’s ‘a piece of her’, or are we just going to have to spend the rest of our lives wondering?”

“You know, it’s incredibly rare that someone ‘just becomes’ a Master Builder.”

Benny smirked, lacing his fingers together and resting his hands on the table. “Wow, you don’t beat around the bush, do you?” She smiled sweetly back at him. “I have been very curious about that.”

“You don’t remember what happened?”

Benny glanced down at his hands. “None of us really remembers what happened, the cryostasis kinda messed with our memory. But mine’s the worst; I guess I suffered from oxygen deprivation for a bit before I managed to get into my own pod. And it’s not just that particular flight I’m missing, I’ve lost other things too. But I think I definitely would have remembered training to become a Master Builder. I mean, that’s not something that happens overnight, right?”

“In most cases, you would be right,” someone else answered, and Benny startled. He hadn’t heard anyone else come in.

“Vitruvius!” Unikitty cheered. “I’m so glad you could make it! Have a seat!” Benny frowned as the wizard meandered his way in their direction, before realizing the old man was blind.

“Oh,” Benny said, but before he could even think to offer to help, Vitruvius had found his way to a stool and sat down on it.

“Benny, this is Vitruvius! He’s one of the greatest Master Builders to ever live, and the most knowledgeable about Master Building and The Man Upstairs. He’ll be able to explain things better than I can.”

“You flatter me, Princess,” Vitruvius teased. “Benny. You must have so many questions.”

“Always,” Benny said, grinning. “Are you really the Vitruvius? The guy who stood up to Lord Business and tried to stop him from taking the Kragle? Alone? And made the prophecy about The Special?”

“That would be me,” the wizard replied in good humor. “Though it cost me the use of my eyes.”

“I’m sorry to hear about that…”

“Oh don’t be, it’s only a minor hindrance. I can still See plenty.”

Benny tilted his head at that, then shrugged. “So uh. How does someone like me happen?”

“Every so often, our world faces great peril. Some of the threats are obvious- like Lord Business and his plans for the Kragle- and some, only a very few ever know about. I suspect the latter may have been the case when you were chosen.”

“Chosen??”

“When our world is threatened, The Man Upstairs chooses a Champion to stop the evil that would destroy us. Sometimes that Champion is already a Master Builder, and sometimes the Champion becomes one upon being chosen.”

“…I was chosen…?”

“It’s the only explanation I can think of, for you to suddenly become a Master Builder.”

Benny curled in on himself. “I wish I could remember what happened.”

“Perhaps it’s best that you don’t, I can’t imagine such a burden would be pleasant to bear.”

“But- is that…” Benny looked down at his hands. “Am I not a ‘Champion’ anymore? Is that why all I can Build is spaceships, even after being a Master Builder for a couple years? I mean I love building spaceships, it’s my favorite thing in the world! But…”

“But everyone else says you’re not a real Master Builder because that’s all you Build?” Vitruvius guessed.

Benny shrugged. “Yeah.”

“I can’t say whether you’re still a Champion or not,” Vitruvius answered. “There is much about the nature of The Man Upstairs that’s beyond even me. But Champion or not, I believe He does still have a purpose for you. Don’t let the others discourage you, Benny, you belong here as much as any of them.”

The conversation turned to lighter topics after that, and after about an hour, Benny excused himself. He hated to seem rude, but that had been… quite a revelation Vitruvius had given him. That he was once a Champion…

Whoever The Special turned out to be, they would surely be the new Champion. Already, he felt a sort of protectiveness over them. Somehow he doubted it would be any of the Master Builders, no matter what the prophecy said. Not even Vitruvius’ star pupil. Their attitudes had improved since he went under, but really not by much. There was still a lot of arrogance among their numbers.

He left Cloud Cuckooland, needing some peace and quiet, and sat on its doorstep to think. Metalbeard was starting to get Ideas, about raiding Octan Tower and putting an end to Lord Business’ threat then and there. He was currently out seeking a new crew with which to do just that. Benny, on the other hand, had a bad feeling about it. Lord Business was sure to have many failsafes in place, for just such an event. The man was smart, really smart, to have taken over the world so thoroughly as he had. While Master Builders were hated and hunted, its other citizens believed he had brought peace and prosperity.

And honestly, he had, Benny noted, the few times he ventured out in disguise. The world had changed so much since he was last truly a part of it. There was little crime left at all, and most of that was the sort of vandalism to be expected of protesting Master Builders. People seemed to get along for the most part, there were no traffic accidents, no theft, no murder, no harassment, no rules against who you could love… To those inside the law, the world had become a utopia. Though it was honestly ridiculous, the price for coffee anymore. It wasn’t cheap to get it across the borders Business had built up around the realms.

The sun was setting, and that high up into the sky, he had an unimpeded view of the stars. Benny’s heart sank. How he wished he could be up among them again… His fingers itched with the need to Build.

He shook his head, snapping himself out of it before he headed back into Cloud Cuckooland in search of pieces for a spaceship that would never get finished anyway. Attempt #68 would have to wait; back to the topic on hand. He had to find some way to convince Metalbeard the raid was a bad idea. They could come up with countless plans, but Master Builders thought too outside the box. Lord Business would be ready for them. And that was why he thought- he hoped- that The Special wouldn’t be a Master Builder. Because that wasn’t what they needed.

Benny and Metalbeard were quite pleased with the results of their trip to Cloud Cuckooland. It really was difficult to find, never in the same location twice, as it drifted through the skies disguised as clouds. They had come to the Island to advertise its current whereabouts, and hopefully convince their people to move on. And that was when all hell broke loose.

There had been no warning, no indication whatsoever that a veritable army of Super Secret Police had been right outside Rock Island’s doors until they were smashed in, that damned cop in the lead. “You’re all under arrest,” Bad Cop snarled, and Benny could feel his blood freeze in his veins. The guy was massive, only a couple inches shy of Metalbeard’s own impressive height, and every bit as built as his pirate friend. Benny glanced around the gathering room, but this time there wasn’t really much that would be of any use in causing mass destruction, like he had the last time. Not unless he simply set fire to the place, and he doubted that would do them any favors, when Bad Cop’s forces were all made of metal.

Several of the braver souls rushed to try to take him on hand to hand, and Benny could only stare in awe. The man fought like a thing possessed; the Master Builders, though fairly skilled themselves, didn’t stand a chance. All three were in cuffs within minutes, and handed off to robot escorts.

The bright blue of his suit must have caught Bad Cop’s attention, because the next thing he knew, that scowl was turned onto him. “You,” the officer growled, and Benny paled. As Bad Cop stalked toward him, he did the only thing he could think of through the panic- he turned on his jetpack, flying far out of reach.

“Benny!” Metalbeard hollered, and he latched onto the sound, searching for his friend. Master Builders were going down everywhere, and it was hard to spot any familiar faces in the chaos. Finally he spotted the captain, and dropped himself back down into the madness. Bad Cop was bellowing orders, throwing Master Builders and robots alike out of his path as he hunted the astronaut down, all unholy rage. “There be no winning this one,” Metalbeard said once they’d found each other again. “Come on lad, into the tunnels- it be our only chance of escape.”

“But what about the others?”

“There be no hope for them now, we were caught too off-guard.”

“It’s not like you to just give up.”

“Well what do ye suggest we do?! Most of our numbers already be caught and cuffed! Rule number two, Benny!”

Always abandon a lost cause.

Benny wanted to protest further, but one glance across the room convinced him to keep his mouth shut. There were more bots than Builders now. With a nod he ducked into the tunnels as directed, Metalbeard only managing to corral a few more before he was forced to put the cleverly disguised door back in place.

Benny sat curled up in his hammock, alone in the crews’ quarters. Most of the others had been caught in the raid, and the two others that had made it out were avoiding him at all costs. Not that he could blame them. He was feeling pretty rotten, himself. Somehow it felt like it was his fault that Bad Cop had found them. He should have at least fought, rather than running away like such a coward.

You saw him fight. You wouldn’t have stood a chance against him, up close like that, no matter how many tricks you had up your sleeve, he tried to tell himself, but it wasn’t any consolation.

If only he could Build something other than just spaceships, maybe then he could have done something to help…

Benny swallowed past the lump in his throat and buried his face in his blanket. “Augh, what is wrong with me?!”

“Would you like that listed in order of incidence, or alphabetically?”

Benny jolted, then glowered in Skeeter’s direction. “Oh, fuck off,” he grumbled, and Skeeter snickered. He was something of a friend, being the only member of the crew that didn’t constantly harass Benny for his Master Building skills (or lack thereof), even if Skeeter really grated on his nerves sometimes. His nickname was well-earned. “Can you even alphabetize?” he added after a moment.

“Pfft, just because I’m not a nerd like you doesn’t mean I don’t know my letters.” He plopped himself into Benny’s hammock, nearly dumping the spaceman out of it. Benny yelped and held on, trying to regain balance. “Seriously, mate, what’s eating you?”

“The usual,” Benny sighed. “That I’m the most worthless Master Builder that ever was. If I could just Build something, anything, other than spaceships… Maybe…”

“You realize there were several dozen other Master Builders who were just as helpless, right?” Skeeter pointed out. “Cap’n’s feeling pretty low right now, too. Bad Cop’s just gotten too good.”

“I guess…”

“Yeah well I know.”

“But I took out his troops so easily last time!” Skeeter reeled back at his vehemence. “Why did I chicken out this time?!”

“It be a safe haven for Master Builders, or so they say,” Metalbeard answered. “Tis bein’ built by a princess from a kingdom far across the seas, I hear, someplace untouched by Lord Business’ reign. How she heard of our plight, I couldn’t tell ye, but I be glad for some help. Some lass who goes by ‘Unikitty’, whatever that means.”

“She sounds like fun already,” Benny said, grinning.

“Captain! Rainbow ahead!” the lookout called down.

“Rainbow?? Why’s that important?”

“Tis how ye find Cloud Cuckooland!” Metalbeard crowed as he sailed straight for it. Benny gasped in surprise as the ship sailed straight up the rainbow, flailing as he fell backwards off his perch.

“Oh!”

“Quit playin’ around, lad,” Metalbeard told him, looking down at him as he lay sprawled on the deck.

“Oh, but it’s just so comfy down here.”

“That be enough o’ yer sass.” Benny snickered and sat up, looking around.

“Well I get the ‘cloud’ part for sure. You’re certain this is it?”

“Aye. We just have to give the secret knock!” He marched over and rapped his hook against the door, a single loud blow.

“…That’s it? That’s the secret knock?” Benny cackled. “It’s so simple!”

“Sometimes the simplest solution be the best,” Metalbeard said, though he was also grinning. The door swung open, granting them entrance.

“Whoa,” Benny said.

“Aye,” Metalbeard agreed.

“Okay, I get the ‘cuckooland’ part now too, this is just…”

“Too much?”

“A bit.”

“HIIIIII! Welcome to Cloud Cuckooland~!”

Benny yelped, leaping into the air- and staying there. A half-unicorn, half-cat hybrid about the size of a tiger had leapt down right before them, smiling brightly. “Ohh wow, you can float too! You know, we have a couple other guys here that dress like you that can do that-”

“Ken and Lenny are here?!” Benny squealed, grinning. “I haven’t seen them in forever!”

“Oh, you’re already friends! That’s great!”

“I see why ye be called ‘Unikitty’ now, Princess,” Metalbeard chuckled. “That be yer actual name, or just a nickname?”

“A bit of both!” she chirped. “Names have power, you see, so everyone in the Unikingdom has a second name! What are your names?”

“I be Captain Metalbeard, and this be Benny Blue,” the pirate introduced them. “Tis a pleasure to meet ye, Princess.”

“Oh, you don’t have to be so formal with me! Rick does it all the time and it’s so annoying. You’re Master Builders, so you’re my friends now! You can just call me Unikitty! Come on, let me give you the grand tour!” She trotted ahead of them, giving an obviously rehearsed spiel as she showed them around. The place was total anarchy, somewhat surprising for someone raised as royalty, but Benny found it growing on him.

“So how do you keep this place floating?” he asked, craning his neck as he tried to catch a glimpse of everything. There was so much to see, it was almost impossible. Metalbeard pressed his hand to Benny’s back to nudge him along.

“Your friends have actually been a great help with that! They rigged up our Silly Cloud Stabilizers! I guess having experience with spaceships helped a lot! They said having you around would help a lot more though- you’re an engineer?”

At the mention of spaceships, Benny’s attention snapped back to her. He blinked as the question processed a second later. “Oh- yeah! I’m an engineer.”

“What do engineers do?”

Benny snickered. “Well we’re a lot like Master Builders- we design and make stuff. But it takes engineers a lot longer to build stuff ‘cause we don’t have a Master Builder’s matter manipulation ability so we have to wait on all our parts to be fabricated.”

Unikitty paused, giving him a strange look. “You say that as if you’re not a Master Builder.”

“Sorry, it’s- a thing I’m still getting used to, honestly.”

The strange look didn’t go away. “So you’re saying you didn’t train to become one.”

“No, it um… just kind of happened.” There were a few murmurs of disapproval from the crew that had Unikitty outright frowning. They fell silent, and she smiled again.

Time went on. Some of Metalbeard’s original crew left, annoyed with their captain’s persistent protection of the spaceman who didn’t quite fit in. Not for lack of trying, of course, but all Benny seemed able to talk about was space, and spaceships, and how much he wanted to be back among the stars. The skies had called to him all his life, and he had worked too hard to get himself up there to have to keep his feet on the ground. It wore on him in ways he couldn’t explain.

And finally, one day, he decided enough was enough. He was a Master Builder now, wasn’t he? There was nothing holding him back from just making his own spaceship and going for a flight. So he dug into the ship’s stores of parts, kept handy for when a Master Builder’s urge to create struck, and found the materials he would need. He hauled everything up onto the deck, and got to work.

He was maybe halfway through when he found himself being bodily hauled away. “Hey!” he protested. “Put me down!”

“Benny, what are ye doin’?” the captain asked. Benny glared up at him petulantly.

“Building a spaceship, what’s it look like?”

“Ye think Bad Cop isn’t watchin’ the skies for unauthorized aircraft?”

“It’s not an aircraft, it’s a spacecraft.”

“Either or. He’s still hellbent on catchin’ ye, lad, and I’m not willin’ to let ye risk yerself like that.”

“But…”

“Besides, it be yer Director’s orders, aye? Tis for yer own good.” Benny scowled up at him. So the captain had won this round, but he wasn’t going to just roll over and give up. He waited several weeks, giving Metalbeard a false sense of security, before trying again.

And getting caught again.

And again.

And again.

He screeched in frustration when Metalbeard pulled him away from a half-finished spaceship for the eleventh time.

“Look, I know what it be like, havin’ to give up the things ye love-”

“No, you don’t!” Benny shouted, thrashing to get free. “You still have your ship, and the seas! You still have what calls you, so why can’t I have the stars?!” The fight seemed to leave him then, and Metalbeard finally set him back down. He sat down hard, sniffling. “Why won’t you let me have the stars…”

Metalbeard stared down at him for a bit, before lowering himself to the deck beside the spaceman. They sat in silence for a while. “I’ve a wife and three children,” the captain said at length. Benny wiped his eyes and glanced up at him. “I love them more than anything in the world, even the sea. And… it’s been more than a year since I’ve last seen them. I can’t go home, for fear Bad Cop and Business will take them, and use them against me. I don’t know when I will see them again. Not ‘til this nightmare ends, at least. If I survive it. This feather?” He tapped the decoration at his temple. “Me Pearl gave it to me. Her people don’t use wedding bands; they give a piece of themselves.” He chuckled at the bemused look on Benny’s face as he tried to figure that one out. “Maybe I’ll tell ye someday lad, but I can’t trust ye with that information just yet.”

Benny huffed at him, and glanced back down at his hands. “…I’m sorry,” he finally murmured after a while.

“I don’t blame ye for bein’ upset, lad. I’ve raged me fair share at how unfair everything be, these days. Have ye looked up?”

Benny gave him a puzzled look, then tilted his head back. “…Oh,” he gasped. “It’s so clear tonight…”

Metalbeard smirked. “Why don’t ye get up, take a peep over the railing.” Benny shoved himself to his feet, looking around, eyes wide. The waters were so still, they were almost a mirror, reflecting the pinpoints of light far above.

“You…”

Metalbeard stood, reaching over to gently squeeze his shoulder. “Ye still have yer stars, lad. Ye just had to look, is all.”

Benny sniffled again. “Thanks,” he murmured. “I think I’m going to stay here for a while…”

“Aye lad, just don’t be up too late.” Metalbeard smirked at him. “I’m still puttin’ ye to work in the morning.” Benny snickered.

The spaceship attempts continued after that, though without the desperation that previously accompanied them. It seemed more to be that Master Builder itch that was getting to Benny, giving him the urge to make something. Metalbeard was still vigilant though, just in case.

Crew members continued to come and go with alarming regularity. It wasn’t long before Skeeter was the only member of his original crew left. Loyalty apparently didn’t account for much in the face of a space-obsessed crewmate.

“Sometimes I’m surprised ye still be around,” Metalbeard told Skeeter one day.

And he had Ken and Lenny with him, too, and Metalbeard seemed to be on his side. They couldn’t go back to the hideout they had been using before; Bad Cop had done a real number on it, shortly after they’d left, apparently taking out his frustration on the Master Builders hiding there. It had been a massive stroke of luck that they’d left when they did.

“Guys, I really don’t see why you’re all so scared of him. I mean, what’s so scary about him? I took out eight of his transports in like, six minutes. Piece of cake.”

“Luck,” Shifty snorted. “He was prepared for us; he wasn’t prepared for you. But you can bet he’ll have a plan in place for the next time he comes across you.”

“You haven’t really seen him in action,” Mollie added. “I heard he actually fought a Master Builder, back when he was still on the normal police force in Bricksburg. Took him on in hand to hand combat and actually managed to cuff him! They couldn’t hold him, of course- once those cuffs were off, there was nothing to stop him from escaping- but the fact that he even made the arrest in the first place is… It’s incredible.”

Benny frowned. “I’m actually supposed to believe this guy was able to take on a Master Builder in unarmed combat? I know how strong you guys are.”

“He’s got a terrifying temper too, very short fuse. Doesn’t hesitate to cause mass destruction when he’s pissed about something. That hideout in Ninjago? Not the first one he’s demolished in one of his tantrums.”

Benny glanced at his friends for confirmation. Ken shrugged. “That’s what all the reports have said. It’s gone.”

“So where are we going, then?”

“Not to Pirate’s Cove, I hope,” Ken said, giving the captain a look.

“Nay, lad, I know he be searchin’ for us there.” Ken relaxed, glad they were on the same page.

“Think he’d think to look for us in Bricksburg?” Benny snickered.

“Hidin’ right under Bad Cop’s nose?” Metalbeard stroked his beard thoughtfully. “Tis a bold idea, lad, and it may work- for a short time.”

“A short time is all we’ll need to figure something else out.”

It had taken a lot of work to hide the Sea Cow where she wouldn’t be discovered, and then a painstaking trek across the city-realm to a safehouse in the ‘bad’ part of town. The three astronauts and Metalbeard’s crew had changed their usual attire to better blend in as citizens of the city, but it had taken some improvisation to help Metalbeard. The astronauts had rigged up some ‘proper’ prosthetics for him, to hide his peg leg and hook, and the eyepatch and metal beard had to come off. He’d grumbled quite a bit about losing his namesake, for however brief a time. Benny couldn’t stop giggling.

“Is it really that bad…?” the captain asked him.

“It’s not bad, it’s just-” Benny snorted. “I got so used to seeing you with it, you don’t really look like you. It’s weird.”

“That’s the point,” Lenny said patiently. “As tall as he is, he stands out too much already. The more unrecognizable he is, the better.” He nudged himself up off the ground to better reach, and tied Metalbeard’s dreadlocks back. “I’m afraid this is going to have to come out too,” he said, reaching for the large, brightly-colored feather at the captain’s temple, and gasped when a hand clamped tightly around his wrist.

“Hey!” Ken protested. “What the hell?! It’s just a feather, let him go!” Benny had simply frozen in shock.

“Don’t ye touch that,” Metalbeard snarled, tightening his grip. Lenny flinched, but kept his cool.

“Alright, I won’t touch it,” he soothed, and sighed in relief when the tight grip relented.

“Would you mind explaining what that was all about?” Ken growled, reaching for Lenny. The other astronaut snuggled close, rubbing at his wrist.

“Tis me own business.”

“Fair enough,” Lenny agreed, trying to keep the peace. “It’s still going to have to come out though, it’s too big an identifier.” Metalbeard stared him down for a bit, then sighed and reached up to take it off. It got tucked inside his jacket pocket instead, close to his heart.

“All that fuss about a damn feather,” Ken grumbled.

“It might be a cultural thing, Ken. At any rate, it obviously holds significant meaning for him. Leave him be.”

Calm restored once more, they made their way through the city. There was a handful of other Master Builders there when they arrived. They looked like they’d been there for a while. “Hey, this is our hideout! Go find your own!”

“We won’t be here long,” Benny explained. “Just until we can find another place to lay low for a while.”

Which… wasn’t as easy as they’d hoped. Benny had suggested the Old West, which got nixed immediately. Metalbeard couldn’t handle the thought of being so far from the ocean, surrounded by nothing but desert. Cape Space was Master Builder friendly, but likely to be as thoroughly combed as Pirate’s Cove for the foreseeable future.

“Dino Island?”

“How about Middle Zealand?”

“Viking’s Landing?”

“Pharaoh’s Quest?”

“The Outlands,” Benny tossed out as a joke. That got a round of horrified gasps, and he cackled.

“Ye might as well be askin’ us to hide in the Forest,” Metalbeard grumbled.

“Which probably wouldn’t actually be a bad idea, it’s the last place he’d look for us. If he ever did.” He only got a round of disapproving stares. “Well come on you guys, we gotta figure out someplace,” Benny huffed in response.

The residents of Cape Space had a lot of questions for them. Where had they found Benny? How had they found him? Did they still have his stasis pod? What was he like?

There was one other concern Metalbeard had, and after dropping several very specific words, he found who he needed to talk to about it.

Who knew the Director was sympathetic to the Master Builder cause?

“Captain, this doesn’t leave my office.”

“Aye, I understand.”

“Blue’s crew are still alive. Black and Yellow are here, but Red and White had to go into hiding- they started training to become Master Builders shortly after they were all retrieved, I think it may have something to do with the accident. But they never mentioned Blue ever training for it…”

“He didn’t have a very high opinion of us at first, so I doubt it. But I know what I saw- the lad was shapin’ metal with his bare hands. Only Master Builders can manipulate matter like that. I’ve no doubt he be one of us, somehow.”

“I’ll send word to Black, she’s the only one who’ll know how to get ahold of Red and White. They’ll want to see him for themselves.”

“I’d like to see the lad as well.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that. Only relatives are permitted to see him right now.”

“What? But ye can let his crew see him?”

Kenning quirked a rueful smile at the captain. “They’re the only family Benny has left.”

Benny heaved a bored sigh, toying with one of the few leads still attached to him. There had been so many tests, since he’d been brought to the hospital. So many tests. And they wouldn’t give him the results of any of them. But he hadn’t really received much for treatment, so he supposed he was in decent health. He did get scolded for using his head as a battering ram, though- it was a miracle he didn’t have a concussion. When he brought up the numbers, he only got odd looks. He didn’t bring them up again.

The nurses had told him that his new pirate friends had inquired about him, but no one else had come to see him. His family, he wasn’t surprised about, but his crew… They would have knocked down every door between them, just for a glimpse of him. If they were still alive. He hadn’t been told anything of them one way or the other. He squeezed his eyes shut, willing himself not to start crying again. He felt like such a baby.

There was a commotion in the hallway, and he wiped at his eyes as his door opened to admit a rather harried doctor. “You have visitors,” he announced flatly before promptly leaving again. Benny tilted his head. There was something familiar about all that racket…

“BENNY!” came a chorus of shouts as a very colorful crowd of four piled through the door, and he lit right up.

“Guys!!” He gave up trying to stop the tears when they crowded around him, practically smothering him with affection. “You’re all okay?!”

“I can’t believe you’re still alive!” Jenny sobbed as she clinged to him. Benny clinged back just as fervently. “They announced you officially dead when we couldn’t find you after a year…! We started to think you got burned up in atmo with the ship…”

“I asked so many times, but nobody would tell me anything about whether you guys were still alive or not…”

“We’re still here, Bluebird, thanks to you,” Ken assured, giving him a squeeze. “We were drifting for just under a day before they managed to pick us up.”

Benny frowned as he realized something, pulling back to look at them. “Hey, why do you all still look so young?”

“I’m assuming they haven’t said a word to you about that either,” Penelope ventured.

“No,” Benny confirmed. “They’ve put me through an absolute shit ton of tests, but not a single word about what they’re for or what the results are. What’s going on?”

“It’s because of the cryostasis,” Lenny answered. “It worked too well. It’s been twenty years since the accident, and yet we’ve barely aged one. And we were only under for about twenty-two hours. Benny… you…”

He drew in a shaky breath. “Just tell me, Lenny.”

“Barring any catastrophic events that would leave you in itty bitty particles, it’s looking like you’ll effectively be immortal. You might even recover lost limbs,” Penelope said. “Your regenerative abilities are off the charts right now.”

Benny gave a wobbly grin as it sank in. “Hey, does that mean I’m the cure for cancer?” he tried to joke.

“You might be,” Penelope answered, all seriousness.

“Oh, God.”

“Hey, it’s not all bad, is it?” Lenny said, giving him a reassuring smile. “You’ll still have us for a good long while.”

“But not forever,” Benny said quietly, miserably. “And what if… What if I meet someone? And fall in love and get married? He’s only gonna have a normal lifespan, I won’t be able to grow old with him, I’ll lose him way too soon…”

“Hey, we don’t know for sure yet,” Lenny soothed. “And even if Penn’s right, they might still wind up finding a cure for us.”

“Yeah right,” Benny huffed, leaning against him. “It was hell trying to figure out how to make the system work in the first place.”

“There’s one other thing, Benny,” Ken said. Benny looked back at him. “You’re, uh. Kind of on Lord Business’ hit list now.”

“What? Why? I’m not a Master Builder!”

“Actually, you are,” Lenny said softly. “Metalbeard told us about what you did to his ship, to help everyone escape. Tell me, have you been seeing anything weird? Floating numbers, maybe?” Benny froze. “You have, haven’t you?”

“How did you…”

“Ken and I are Master Builders now, too. But we had to train for it; how you just up and became one is beyond me.”

“Then why are you guys here? Why aren’t you in hiding?”

“We were,” Ken said. “Soon as Penn and Jenny told us you’d been found, we had to come see you.”

“So that’s what took you all so long…”

“And why no one would tell you anything about us.”

“Nobody here is going to breathe a word about you, either,” Jenny assured. She grinned. “We’re actually here to ‘break you out’, as it were. So they have an alibi.” Benny’s eyes went wide.

“But- but what if I’m not-”