Bluebird

The Derelict

It was a couple years before their next encounter- before Benny really understood why Bad Cop was such a terrifying figure. The pirates were too given to exaggeration for him to really trust their judgment, and though Ken had sat him down and explained things in a bit more detail, Benny held onto the fact that he had beaten Bad Cop- surprisingly easily- and escaped unscathed.

Until the raid on Pirate's Cove two years later.

Many Master Builders had already moved to the haven Princess Unikitty was still working on, but word still hadn't reached all of them. Rock Island was one of the few holdouts Master Builders had been using up to that point, but it was getting to where there were too many of them hiding there. It was only a matter of time before Bad Cop discovered them.

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?!"

"Ah, so there's the problem." Skeeter reached over, patting his shoulder. "You had the advantage of surprise, last time. This time, he did. It happens, you know? And there's nothing wrong with realizing you're in over your head. We're good, but we can't be perfect." He grinned. "At least, not all the time." Benny finally cracked a smile at him. "There we go. Keep your chin up, Benny, you can whup him good next time."