The Legend of Ben 10: Book 1, Sentience.

Chapter 5: The Tree of Death

"Easy Ben, just stay still."

An orange sheen seemed blaze across the Rust Bucket's dirty exterior as it flew through the clouds, still partially covered in swamp guck. 

Just past its windows, a massive Banyan Grove Tree the size of a skyscraper could be seen towering below, the center of the swamp which now held so much trauma for Ben

He was now sitting on a stool in the Rust Bucket, his shirt lying on the dining table as Katara went to work, bending water through the wounds he sustained from the Matriarch fleet, her healing skills coming into play. 

"Your body's healing faster than anything I've ever seen." Katara murmured as the glum and despondent Ben felt a sting from her pushing water through the pores on his burned scars on his back. "Like normally I'd say these would leave some permanent scars, but its already starting to fade, I take it the Omnitrix can accelerate your healing?"

"Yeah." Ben murmured.

"Good, but even so I'd like to keep an eye on your wounds. Don't make it harder on that watch of yours." said Katara as she began to wrap bandages around Ben's torso. "You really took a ton of punishment this time. I'm not even sure how Ripjaws was able to keep swimming with how much pain you must've been in."

"I'm used to the pain." Ben murmured. "Gwen used to have patch me and Kevin up after a few scrapes-."

He froze up as tears began to well up in his eyes. "Sh-she's dead isn't she? That... that thing is just using her body as a meat puppet.."

Katara bowed her head, she then hugged Ben closely. "I'm sorry.. I'm so sorry."

"Look, the Ladies took a lot of things from us." Sokka said, standing up from the driver's seat of the Rust Bucket. "But the best thing we can do to take revenge right now is to get to Zuko as quick as we can.  We have what they need, and that's you Ben. You're our fighting chance!"

"Chance? They took Gwen, they turned her.. she's more powerful than any of you even know.." Ben murmured quietly. "What's even the point? We're doomed. Besides, I'm a failure of a hero, couldn't even save my own cousin."

"Ben that's not true, Ben..?" Katara tried to comfort Ben, but he pulled away from her hug, pulled his shirt back on and flopped down into the bunk bed, pulling the covers over him as he turned to look at the wall. 

"Just leave me alone." Ben murmured quietly. "I wanna die."

Katara sighed. "Just rest a little, when you want to talk, we're here okay?"

Katara took Ben's windbreaker off the dining table and made to lay it over Ben like a blanket, but he bat it away with hand. 

"I don't want it, that thing belongs to a hero.. I'm not a hero." Ben murmured. 

Katara could only look at Ben in mournful silence as he continued to silently stare at the wall in dejection. 

Sokka gritted his teeth and shook his head. "I understand how you feel right now Ben, in fact I'd say I've come pretty close to feeling exactly what you're feeling. But I can't give up, and I won't let you give up either, we're sticking to the plan and making a direct course for Zuko! No more landing, no more stops, we're back on the nonstop flight plan!"

"Sokka!" said Katara. "Ben can't stay cooped up in here the entire trip-."

"And we can't delay when hundreds or thousands of girls are being sacrificed to become new body suits for baby Lady people!" said Sokka. "They're killing us so they can procreate, nobody should have the right to do that! Rust Bucket, ready universal Translator."