Incursean Invasion-Part 5
Recap: Ben, Gwen and Kevin have agreed to Professor Paradox's plan to travel through time to learn from experience what it takes to become a leader. Little do they know the trouble they are getting themselves into.
Note: The next few chapters will focus entirely on Ben's adventures through the time stream. Some items are anachronisms meaning they did not exist yet during the time period in which Ben, Gwen and Kevin are traveling through.
"Ok young Tennysons and Kevin E. Levin, time to step into the portal and save mankind," said Paradox.
"Where are how far back are we headed?" asked Gwen.
"Oh, it'll be like two hours ago for me. For you guys, not so much. Anywho, the first destination will be the plains of Thermopylae, Greece, the site of an extremely important battle between the Greeks and the Persians, in the year 480 B.C. "
"And how would going back so far in time help me become an effective strategist?" asked Ben. "Their techniques are obsolete."
"A common misconception, my young friend. The ancients were just as smart as and probably even smarter than the people of today."
"And what am I supposed to learn there? How to stab someone with a spear and throw a few rocks?" asked Ben.
"Well, that and a thing I like to call tactic. You'll be figuring out all sorts of strategies on your journeys," said Paradox.
"Wait, you won't tell me what I'm supposed to be figuring out?"
"That's for you to decide on your own."
"And if I happen to pick up the wrong strategy?"
"That's why you have your friend and cousin here to support you."
"Ha! He called you a loser!" jeered Kevin.
"Cut it out! No one makes fun of my cousin except for me and I don't do that anymore!" said Gwen.
"As long as we get back in time for lunch. I left on partially empty stomach 'cuz I only ate like the Big Breakfast Platter from McDonalds," said Kevin.
"Time travel is strange. You can go back in time for weeks and when you come back, only a few hours would have passed. Trust me, I've been doing this for eons," said Paradox.
"Can we get going now? We kind of have a universe to save here?" said Gwen, impatiently.
"I haven't told you the most important fact yet. It is crucial that you listen to me on this: pick the losing side in this battle," said Paradox.
"And why on earth would I do that? I'm Ben Tennyson! I play to win!"
"This time, you'll die if you do that."
"Paradox is right on this one, Ben. You have to listen to him," said Gwen.
"No way! I do things my own way!"
"I can't bear to see you die. You're my cousin and that means we've gotta protect each other. Please Ben, if you're not doing this for Paradox, at least do it for me," pleaded Gwen.
"Whatever."
"Professor Paradox, can I speak with you for a moment in private?" asked Gwen.
"Of course you can, Ms. Tennyson," Paradox replied as he followed her a few hundred feet to a bench.
"Am I allowed to do magic? I mean it could alter history and of course, we don't want that."
"Only in the most dire of circumstances, such as to protect yourself, Ben or Kevin. Don't alter the events even if your side is losing. You can always teleport out of there back to the portal should events prove that to be necessary."
"Got it."
"Good. We must get going if Kevin is going to make it back here for lunch." Paradox and Gwen walked back to Ben and Kevin.
"So, are you going to tell us if we're on the Greek or Persian side?" asked Ben as soon as he saw Paradox approach.
"That too is for you to figure out."
"So you're going to leave me stranded without a clue as to what I'm supposed to find, fighting a losing battle against an enemy I know nothing about?"
"Pretty much. I thought it would be both fun and educational, which reminds me. I could've taken you to the History Museum in D.C to learn about this.
"Even a trip to the museum would be better than getting killed on the battlefield," said Ben and Kevin together.
"I agree. I hate the sight of blood. That's why you'll never see me be a doctor," said Gwen.
Why can't we go to the History Museum?" asked the trio.
"Oh, it will soon be turned into a pile of rubble by Milleous, who doesn't want any evidence of human existence. Ever since that referendum, he's been destroying all traces of civilization and transforming the capital into one giant fortress," said Paradox.
"Dang it, my day is ruined," said Ben.
"You can still have a bright ending if you go through that portal I created," Paradox said, smiling.
"What portal- Oh, that one," said Ben, noticing the blue orb of energy right next to him.
"We better get a move on people!" Gwen exclaimed.
"I'll be here waiting. Call me if you need anything."
"We'll be back soon. Don't worry," the trio said.
"Good luck!" Ben, Gwen and Kevin stepped through the portal. Ben saw history fly by his very eyes. Obama was elected President. A plane flew into the Twin towers. Al Gore invented the Internet. The Berlin Wall fell. The USA dropped the atomic bomb on Japan. Germany invaded Poland. The Stock Market crashed Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated. The Titanic sank in the Atlantic. Centuries whizzed on by. Finally, they arrived in 480 B.C.
Athens, Greece, 480. B.C
Everyone ok?" Ben shouted.
"We're fine!" Gwen and Kevin replied.
"Any idea what side we're on?" Ben asked.
Gwen suddenly gasped. "Oh-My-God, I think we're all naked!"
Ben looked down. "Gah! Nobody look at me!"
"Let's just run to the nearest uniform facility and get some clothes," Kevin said.
"Great idea. The only problem is, we don't know where that is!" screeched Ben.
"Everyone start in a different direction and walk for a few minutes. If we're lucky, there ought to be some storeroom around here," suggested Gwen.
"Great idea. We'll meet up in 10 minutes," said Ben and Kevin.
The three teens began to walk blindly around with their eyes tightly shut. Soon, Gwen bumped into something hard.
"Hey watch it! That was my leg!" Ben shouted.
"Sorry!"
Kevin had some more success. After miraculously avoiding his two teammates, he wandered up a hill and onto an abandoned cottage. Inside, he found a chest full of clothing. He took out a pair, put them on and started to lug the chest back to Ben and Gwen, who were still wandering around aimlessly.
"Hey you lot! I found some clothing we can wear!"
"Awesome!" Ben said as he opened his eyes and immediately shut them again for he had seen a traumatizing image. Ben and Gwen each grabbed a pair of garments, both blushing furiously.
"We are all clothed and as such I can open my eyes and not be accused of indecent exposure by my cousin, right?" Ben asked.
"Right. Now we have to join the army," Gwen said.
"And we have to pick the right one, the losing one remember?" added Kevin.
"How are we going to do that?" Ben asked.
"Well, we have 50-50 shot at getting this correct the first time. Let's just continue walking and ask the first person we see," said Gwen. They continued up the hill, passed the abandoned cottage, onto the paved road, which led to a small town.
"I hope this town is Greek," Ben said.
"Let's ask the sentry over there," Kevin said as he approached the gate.
"Hey. Where can I find the nearest army recruiting station?" Kevin inquired.
"Ποιος είσαι εσύ;" the solider asked.
"Excuse me? Didn't catch that."
"Ποιος είσαι εσύ;" the soldier repeated as he leveled his spear at Kevin.
"Whoa! Back off buddy. I'm here to do your country a great service," Kevin said as Gwen and Ben came running.
"Idiot! They don't understand English. You'll have to use those universal translators that Paradox gave us,' Gwen said. All three of them took out the translators and put them on. Now they could understand and speak every single language fluently. They turned back to the guard, who was still waiting patiently for a response, although still with spear in hand.
"Hey you strangers! What are you doing in this town?"
"We are ordinary citizens who heard about the Persian invasion of Greece. We want to join the army to help stop the threat," Kevin explained.
"All right. Go through this gate and you'll see a sign that says: Army Recruiting Station. You'll have to give them your names and submit to a physical,"
"Thank you sir," Gwen said as they walked through the gate.
"Gwen! I just thought of something,' Ben said suddenly as they were searching for the station.
"And what is that?" Gwen asked.
"They won't let you into the army because they'll find out that you're a girl. You'll have to cut your hair and look buff or something."
"Great! Does anyone see a barber shop around here?"
"I have no clue. I can't read Greek."
"Hmm. I see a sign with a pair of scissors on it. Must be the barber shop!" Gwen yelled.
"Tell you what. Kevin and I'll go sign us up under fake names while you get your hair cut."
"Sounds like a plan to me," Gwen said. She practically ran to the barber shop while Ben and Kevin shuffled forwards.
"Hello there. What do you need help with young missy?" the store owner asked her.
"Is this a barber shop? I'd like to get my hair cut."
"You want me to cut your hair with an awl? The result won't be pretty, I can assure you."
"What? This isn't a barber shop?"
"No. This is a hardware store. The finest one in all of Greece. All sorts of tools, from chisels to axes and saws."
"Um, I'm not interested in tools."
"I also am a blacksmith. I make fine weapons. Swords, axes, pikes, spears, shields, bows and arrow. You name it, I've got it."
"Actually, come to think of it, I do need some weapons. My cousin's going off to fight in the war you see, and he needs the proper equipment."
"Ahh of course. He'll need armor, a shield, a spear and a sword," the merchant said as he handed over the weapons. "By the way, how will you pay for all of this?"
"Um yeah, about that. We're really poor and we can't afford any of this. But a draft's a draft, so my cousin has to fight."
"I understand. My son was also forced to join. I received word he was killed just a few weeks ago. I heard he killed over a dozen Persians before he was overwhelmed."
"I'm so sorry for your loss."
"I'll get over it. Here, take the weapons free of charge. It's the least I can do. Anything else I can help you with?"
"Yeah. You still haven't told me where the barber is."
"Oh, he's down the street from here. I think three doors down."
"Thanks sir!" Gwen yelled as she ran down the street towards the barber.
Meanwhile back at the recruiting station…
"Names?" the recruiter asked.
"I'm Darius III, this here is my brother, Alexander the Great and my cousin, Julius Caesar, who unfortunately had to leave for an important event," Ben invented wildly.
"Ok. If I have it correctly, you are trying to register your family for the defense of Greece?"
"That's exactly right sir."
"Ok. You guys are in if you can pass this one simple task."
"And what's that?" Kevin asked.
"The task is to run across a field of stinging nettles without crying aloud. If you can prove you can endure the pain, you're in."
"And what kind of torture is this? In my country-ouch! Why'd you hit me Kev- I mean Alexander?"
"The U.S doesn't exist yet and won't for another 2000 years!" Kevin hissed.
"Yes, you were saying in your country, what?"
"Um, we do that kind of thing all the time in my country."
"And where might your country be. Sounds an awful lot like Sparta."
"Yeah! Sparta! As I was saying, I have to do that a lot in Sparta. Great country to live in , don't you think?"
"Sparta's a city-state, not a country. Are you not a learned person?"
"No I'm not. I'm an illiterate peasant who used to work on my father's farm all day before he died."
"That explains a lot. Anyways, enough chit-chat. It's time to begin your test."
"Can we wait till my cousin gets back here. He's getting his hair cut at the barber as we speak."
At the Barber's
"Let me get this straight. You want me to cut your hair so you are almost bald," the barber said.
"Yep. That's exactly what I said."
"And why would you want to look like that?"
"Can you keep a secret?"
"I swear on the river Styx that I shall."
"Ok. I want to join the army."
"You? A girl?! Get out of here! You won't survive one step!"
"Just cut my hair already!"
Ten minutes later, Gwen emerged looking almost like a boy. There was only one small problem as Ben and Kevin immediately saw.
"Your chest is disproportionate to the rest of your body," Ben said laughing.
"I can't help that! Puberty happened ok?"
"We'll just say that he has a deformity that makes him look like a girl," Kevin said.
"By the way, your name is Julius Caesar. I just made up a random name. Worked out perfectly, didn't it?" Ben asked.
"Caesar wasn't even born yet, but whatever."
"Hello, are you Julius Caesar?" the recruiter asked.
"Yes sir, I am."
"Right. Your cousin already registered you. All you have to do is pass the test and all of you are in."
The four of them walked to the testing field. It was covered in nettles.
"On your mark, get set, Go!" the recruiter yelled. Gwen quickly cast a spell to block all outsiders from hearing their screams of pain. Thus, although their legs were covered in angry welts, it seemed as though they hadn't made a sound.
"Wow! You guys should try out for the Olympics! That was a new world record! You're all in!"
"Awesome. Now I get to play soldier and kill people right?" Ben asked.
"Well yes. We don't have time to train you, so you'll have to learn on the spot. Dress quickly. You must go to Sparta to meet with King Leonidas." The three changed into their cumbersome armor, shouldered their weapons and prepared to make the march to Sparta, which was estimated to take a few days at a fast pace.
Road from Athens to Sparta ≈150 miles
"So Gwen? What took you so long?" Ben asked.
"I went to the wrong store. The one with the scissors on it was hardware store. I wasted 20 minutes there chatting with the owner, who kept trying to get me to buy his weapons. I finally did, just to shut him up."
"Hahaha." Ben laughed.
Kevin suddenly collapsed on the ground and yanked on Ben's leg.
"Why don't you just teleport us? I'm dying in this armor," Kevin complained.
"No you're not."
"It's called heat stroke. Kinda hard to avoid when you've been baking outside for the past five hours!"
"Fine! I'll teleport you this time."
In a flash they landed in Sparta.
Sparta
"Hello soldiers. You must be the new recruit that Athens sent to get hands on training," a voice said.
"Huh, yeah. That's us," Be replied.
"I never expected you so early. They only sent me that report six hours ago."
"Oh, we all ran like that runner at the Battle of Marathon. You know, the guy who ran 26 miles in two hours."
"Yes, I've heard of him. Such a pity he died after delivering the news of a victory. Anyways, I'm King Leonidas of Sparta. Who are you?"
"I'm Darius III, no relation to that Persian king," Ben said.
"I'm Alexander the Great," said Kevin.
"And I'm Julius Caesar," finished Gwen.
"Pleased to meet all of you," Leonidas said. Suddenly there was a commotion outside the city gates. A sentry came in with a Persian under the white flag of truce.
"What do you want?" Leonidas asked the Persian.
"My master, King Xerxes, has demanded that you surrender or face the consequences."
"I choose to fight!"
"That is not an option."
"You bring the crowns and heads of conquered kings to my city steps. You threaten my people with slavery and death!"
"You're a madman! No one threatens a messenger!"
"Oh really?"
"This is madness!"
"Madness?... THIS IS SPARTA!".
"Ok. I'll just be going then." The messenger flees the city.
"Was that really necessary? You scared the devil out of that guy," Ben said.
"Yes. I had to get him pissed so he'd run back to Xerxes and Xerxes would try to invade us."
"So we better prepare for the defense of the city?" Gwen asked.
"No. We are meeting the Athenians on the plains of Thermopylae. I feel that the flat terrain gives us an advantage."
"And where will we be in all of this?" Kevin asked.
"You are a part of my Spartan legion. Come, we must march onwards to Thermopylae."
Plains of Thermopylae
After a long day's march, Leonidas' army finally reached Thermopylae. There they were met by the Athenian commander, Plato.
"We number no more than 20,000 troops. That is what Lord Zeus sent us and that is what we have to make battle with," Plato briefed Leonidas.
"How many Persians are we going up against?" Leonidas asked, dreading the answer.
"Anywhere from 100,000 to 200,000 of the enemy."
"Good lord. This'll be the greatest slaughter in history."
"Not so. I believe we have better training and better equipment. We'll probably lose, but the Persians shall suffer greatly."
"Tell your men to get some rest. I shall do likewise. We attack at dawn tomorrow."
The Night Before
"Ok guys. Are you ready for the big one?" Ben asked.
"The one where every last one of us dies? I'd rather not think about it right now," replied Gwen.
"And I thought we'd be in and out by now. Paradox still owes me a Big Mac!" Kevin grumbled.
"Relax people. Nobody's gonna die. At the first sign of real action, I'll go hero and wipe every last Persian off the map."
"If you do that Ben, you'll be changing history. Paradox said that's extremely dangerous to do!"
"Since when did I let Paradox be the boss of me? I can do whatever I want! I always have and it's always worked out in the end."
"That's because you had me and Kevin to bail you out. There's no telling if that will happen tomorrow."
"I'm done talking. Try and get some sleep you two. It's going to be a long next few days."
The trio drifted off to sleep. In his dreams, Ben imagined turning into Waybig and annihilating the Persians.
Battle of Thermopylae-Day 3
The diary of King Leonidas of Sparta
Dear Diary,
For the past two days, my men have defended, against overwhelming odds, the Greek homeland. Every attack the Persians have launched has been repelled, with great loss of life on both sides. We have been reduced to a few thousand men, most of whom are wounded. Against us are over 50,000 troops under King Xerxes. At the sight of this vast army, our Athenian allies withdrew into the heartland, trusting us to fight a delaying action and kill as many Persians as possible before we ourselves are eventually killed. I pray to the almighty Zeus so that he may look favorably upon us and grant us the will to resist one last time. Long live Greece! I have failed my country and must now pay the price. I hope whoever finds this diary will treat it well.
Sincerely,
King Leonidas of Sparta
King Leonidas signed his name and sighed. Perhaps this was the last entry he was ever going to make. He made up his mind and decided to fight until the last man.
"Gather around me my brave warriors. Hear my final speech before I die at the hands of some obscure Persian."
The remaining members of Leonidas' army gathered around him to hear his speech.
"Are we all here?"
"No. The wounded refuse to leave their tents and have elected to commit suicide instead. We only number around three hundred," Ben said.
"Be as it may be, we shall still fight till the bitter end. I am proud to have been your commander throughout this entire campaign. Now I release you from your bondage of servitude. Do whatever you feel like doing. I will not stop you. Now it's every man for himself!"
"I say we stay and fight!" Ben yelled.
"Aye!" three hundred voices shouted.
King Leonidas mentioned for Ben to talk with him in private.
"Darius III, I have noticed your extraordinary talent for rousing my army. Perhaps you would like to take over as commander?"
"Of course sir. It would be an honor."
"I now pronounce you leader of the army of Sparta!"
"Thank you sir." Ben walked back to Gwen and Kevin.
"Listen, I just got promoted to commander."
"That's awesome!" Gwen said.
"Now you can really kick some butt!" Kevin commented.
"Listen, I don't know if I can lead you guys. Perhaps you guys can help me?"
"I saw this exact battle in the movie 300. Every last Greek here was slaughtered," Gwen said.
"Would you agree that I have to change history now?" Ben asked.
"I'm not so sure, but go ahead. We can't die now!" Kevin said.
"At least give the impression that you're trying to lead. Then you can transform into the one man army," Gwen said.
"I don't know any ancient battle formations! What can I do?" Ben moaned.
"Try the Phalanx formation. It was standard Greek strategy at the time," Gwen said.
"What's that?" Ben asked.
"It involves marching with your shield held in front of you to deflect any missiles launched horizontally. It is not effective against those fired parabolically."
"I bet the Persian will try that eventually. What else is there?"
"This one wasn't invented until the rise of the Roman Empire about 500 years after this battle. Besides, it probably won't work with the shields of this time period."
"Just tell me!"
"The Testudo formation was used by the Romans to counter missiles coming from all directions. It involves a group of soldiers raising their shields so that the front, back, and sides are covered. The only downsides are that it reduces mobility and fighting ability."
"Hmm. I think I'll have half of the troops do a Testudo while the other half does the Phalanx." Just then a soldier ran in.
"Darius sir. The Persian Army is advancing towards our position. We're going to lose!"
"Not if I can help it. Assemble the troops!" Ben cried.
Within seconds, all the troops were lined up and awaiting Ben's orders.
"Half of you do the Phalanx. The other half, follow my orders. I need 15 rows of 10 soldiers each. The front and back rows will cover the front and back of the formation respectively. The people on the sides will need to cover the sides of the formation. The rest of you, lift you're your shield above your heads and cover the top. This should make you immune to all the arrows," Ben said.
"And what will you be doing Ben?" whispered Gwen.
"You and Kevin will stay with me here, praying for a miracle."
To the rest of the troops, he said, "Ok everybody. Hope for a miracle! Now run at the Persians and hope you don't get killed before said miracle happens!"
The troops all ran at the advancing Persians yelling strange battle cries. Fierce hand to hand combat soon erupted and the Greeks slowly gave way under vastly superior numbers.
"Ok Ben. Ready to change history?" Gwen asked.
"You bet I am!"
"My burger depends on it!" Kevin said.
In a flash, Ben transformed into Waybig and Gwen teleported them to the site of the battle. The Persians had the Greeks encircled and were slowly tightening the noose when Ben arrived. Fewer than 100 Spartans were still alive.
"I am he who is called Waybig! I was sent by Lord Zeus to punish you Persian worms!" Waybig roared.
The Persians sent 50,000 arrows flying at him, but they simply broke against Waybig's skin.
"Hah! You did not do any damage to me! Now it is time for me to return the favor!" Waybig began to charge up his cosmic destruction ray.
"Run everybody! We cannot fight against the Gods!" screamed King Xerxes.
"It's too late! Your reign of terror has come to an end!" The cosmic ray incinerated everything for five miles including all 50,000 of Xerxes' troops. Xerxes himself was spared as was the rest of Darius' army.
"What did you do to my army?" Xerxes yelled.
"I banished them to the depths of Hades."
"Arrgh! I give up! There's no point in fighting against a God."
"Actually, there was no God. It was just me."
"What do you mean?"
Waybig transformed back to Darius III aka Ben Tennyson. "See what I mean?"
"Who are you?"
"You mean, who are we? We are time travelers from the 21st century," Gwen said.
"Time travel? That's impossible!" Xerxes snorted.
"Not if you have magic, like this." Gwen snapped her fingers and Professor Paradox suddenly appeared.
"I know you! You're that time walker that never dies!"
"You were expecting someone else?"
"I'm tired of your constant meddling!"
Xerxes turned to Ben, Gwen and Kevin. "He's been sending people back to alter the events of this battle for quite some time now. I mean it's happened like 50 times already. Every single time we've lost."
"Wow! It sure sucks to be you!" Ben said.
"Now you realize my life. It's so pointless that I want to go somewhere else."
"Like where?"
"How about with you guys? I've always wanted to see what life 26 centuries into the future looks like."
"Hmm. Professor Paradox, can we bring people from the past into our time stream?"
"I don't think a few would hurt. BUT ONLY A FEW!"
"Thanks Professor," said Gwen.
Paradox turned to Ben. "I believe you found what you were looking for?"
"Yep. First lesson to being a good leader: Always let your soldiers go into battle before you do. It cuts down on the chances of you getting killed."
"That wasn't what I had in mind, but I'm sure your strategy would work too."
"Can we go home now? I think I just missed lunch," Kevin complained.
"Nonsense! It's only 11:30 in the morning."
"Anyways, I'm hungry, so can we please go now?"
Paradox opened the portal again and him, Ben, Gwen, Kevin and King Xerxes stepped through.
UN, Geneva, Switzerland
Max beamed when he saw the trio reappear, but his smile disappeared when he saw the newcomer. "Who's this?" he asked.
"He's a Persian king who lived around 2,600 years ago. His name's King Xerxes," Gwen explained.
"Who are you old man? You look like you're about to die of old age," Xerxes said.
"I am Max Tennyson. These are my Grandkids Ben Tennyson, Gwen Tennyson and their friend, Kevin E. Levin."
"Who?"
Ben stepped in. "I used fake names to register for the army. I was Darius III, but my real name is Ben Tennyson. Gwen was Julius Caesar and Kevin was Alexander the Great. Sorry to deceive you like that."
"And where are we exactly?"
"This place is known as Geneva, Switzerland, home of the UN."
"What's that?"
"Oh, you have a bunch of things to learn about. Let we walk you through. But first I'm hungry!" said Kevin.
"Yeah! Let's go to the McDonalds on the corner. Paradox, you're paying!"
"I haven't had fast food in ages! Why should I have to pay?"
"You have all kinds of money from every century. We, on the other hand, are dead broke."
"Fine. But don't think I'll do it again, even if you ask nicely! My job is a mentor, not a piggy bank!"
The six of them all laughed and headed to the McDonalds on the corner.
How did you like it? What time period should the quartet hit next? Where in the world should they go next? Fav and review please!