Incursean Invasion-Part 6
In this part: Ben, Gwen, Kevin, Rook, Max and Xerxes travel back to ancient China to recover a revolutionary book that will teach Ben all the military strategies that he will need to know. However, finding it will not be easy as 450s B.C China is in the midst of a bloody internal conflict known as the Warring States Period!
Note: The Mandarin here is westernized.
Warning: contains graphic violence, summary executions, implied drug use, suicide and threats of suicide, death by burning, songs by Disney, drag-racing, references to real-life people and real events, references to the Harry Potter universe, disrespect of elders, swearing, attempted assassinations, successful assassinations and a major character death. Don't read if you're offended by any or all of these. The pair of asterisks is my lame attempt at character bonding. Skip it if you feel it sucks.
On the way to McDonalds, Ben suddenly realized they had forgotten a very important someone.
"What happened to President Obama, Gramps?" he asked.
"Oh. I left him in a secure location in the basement of the UN complex telling him that we'll come and get him once the war is over," Max said.
"You left him with no security?! What if the Incurseans come looking for him?" Gwen asked.
"Heck! I don't even remember where I put the President! I suppose we'll have to search for him later."
Behind them, Xerxes was gesturing at everything excitedly. "What's this?" he asked, pointing to the sidewalk where they were walking on.
"That's a road made out of cement that people can walk on," Kevin explained.
"Ah… I've heard of cement. It's that material that people put on roads to make it all smooth. Much better than paved stone."
"Anything else you want to know about?"
"What's that hunk of metal that's moving on the street?"
"That's a car. It's sorta like a mechanical chariot."
"Oooh! I have a chariot! I beat I can beat that car over there in a race!"
"That's not the best idea. I don't think-," Kevin began.
Xerxes snapped his fingers and a chariot suddenly appeared with four horses. Ben, Gwen and Max turned around.
"Whoa! Where did that come from?" Max asked.
"I think he used magic," Gwen said.
"Magic? No, there was no magic. I was just born with the ability to summon stuff," Xerxes said.
"But you can do so across time periods! That's magic!" Gwen exclaimed.
"Not so Ms. Tennyson," Paradox said, smiling.
"What do you mean?"
"Any individual, when brought to a future century, is able to summon anything from his time period that he wants to help him."
"Seems like some sort of law to me," Max said.
"In fact, it is a law. Specifically Article I, Section VI of the International Convention Regarding Time Travel or ICRTT for short."
"I've never heard of it."
"Well, that's because humans only invented time travel machines in the 22md century."
"Hello? I'm starving back here, so would you mind finishing your conversation so we can get to the McDonalds by closing time?" Kevin shouted.
"I'm so sorry, Mr. Levin. I was just explaining the rules of the game, so to speak."
Have no worries my newly found friends! We can ride in the chariot and get to this McDonalds that you speak of," Xerxes said.
"Are you a certified driver?" Ben asked.
"Of course I am! I once placed first in the Olympics in Greece before I joined the Persian Army. You'll be perfectly safe with me!"
"I'm not sure. That chariot looks a bit shaky," Ben told Gwen, Max and Kevin.
"Don't be a wuss, Ben. I've got this covered," Gwen said as she grabbed Ben's arm and forced him into the chariot. Max and Kevin followed.
"Don't worry about me! I'll be waiting inside the UN for you when you come back. There's another mission you guys have to do," Paradox said as he vanished.
"Ok, Xerxes. Just drive to the restaurant with the golden M. Try not to get into any altercations with other motorists," Max warned. It was already too late.
"Hey man! I bet my four horses that you could never beat me in a race!" Xerxes yelled at a driver in a red mustang. The driver looked at him and laughed.
"You and that puny chariot? My car has got 250 horsepower!"
"What's horsepower?" Xerxes whispered to Gwen.
"It's a measure of how much power your vehicle has. That car has the equivalent of 250 horses pulling on it."
"I don't believe in numbers! I'm going to win this!" Xerxes shouted.
"The first vehicle to the next intersection wins!" the driver proclaimed. The light turned green and the race was on! The driver gunned the engine and quickly took the lead. Seeing that he was losing, Xerxes started to drive on the left side of the road.
Beeeep!
"Watch it, Xerxes!" Ben yelled. "I think the Swedes drive on the right. You can't drive into oncoming traffic like that!"
"You almost gave me a heart attack," said Max.
"I have money. I can afford to pay my medical expenses," Xerxes replied as he continued to drive on the left. A semi swerved and just barely avoided the chariot.
"I'm driving!" Gwen announced. She conjured up magical reins and wrenched the car to the right. "Give me those controls!" Xerxes screamed as the two fought for control of the chariot. The chariot careened into the path of a plumbing service truck.
"Look out for that oddly familiar truck!" Ben screamed.
"It's the proto-truck!" Gwen yelled. "Rook! Look out!"
"What am I looking out for, Gwen?" Rook yelled.
"We're going to hit you!" Gwen screamed.
"If you wreck my chariot, you'll pay big time!" Xerxes swore.
"Not if I can help it!" Ben said. He quickly transformed into Bloxx and physically separated the chariot from the proto-truck while blocking all lanes of traffic. Kevin jumped out, covered himself in cement and ran to the front of the chariot, acting as a makeshift front bumper. The chariot stopped just after bumping into Bloxx. Rook got out of the truck, shaken but unhurt. Bloxx transformed back into Ben and everyone else got out of the chariot.
"Why did I even let you drive? You almost got us killed!" Max scolded Xerxes.
"Hey! I didn't sign up for 21st century driving. I was made for 4th century B.C chariot racing! Back then, we had no such thing as rules of the road!" Xerxes countered.
"You are not driving then until you become accustomed with the 21st century," Max decided. He walked over to Rook. "Are you all right son?"
"I am fine Magister Tennyson. Thank you for your concern."
"Hey Rook! Where were you?" Ben asked.
"Magister Tennyson sent me on patrol duty, which happened to take me to the Burger Shack. I got you all burgers and chili fries."
"Thanks Rook! You're much better than my former teammates here," Ben mentioned to Gwen and Kevin, "They wouldn't let me eat that stuff!"
"You know, Ben, it was for your own good. Too much junk food is bad for you, especially when you're going through puberty," Gwen said.
"Your point is? You're the same age as me. We're both 17."
"Whatever. I suppose we could indulge a bit. It's been forever since I had this stuff!" Gwen exclaimed as she began to hungrily devour her portion.
"So Ben, what have you been up to?" Rook asked.
"I waz goin through tim nd learning de art uff military strategee," Ben tried to say as he chomped on 20 fries at a time.
"Come again? What did you say you were doing?"
"I said, I was going through time and learning the art of military strategy."
"Ben didn't actually learn anything. It was just something he said to satisfy Paradox," Kevin corrected.
"Excuse me? I did learn not to be at the front of your troops when attacking the enemy," Ben retorted.
"If you count relearning how to be a coward as learning then I suppose so," Kevin said.
"Cut it out you two! Would you mind going back in time to help us out?" Max asked.
"Of course sir. Anything to help defeat Milleous."
As soon as they were done, Rook drove them all back to the UN, where Paradox was waiting for them.
"Back again? I trust that your lunch went well?"
"It was lousy in more ways than one," said Kevin.
"That's too bad. Anywho, I have a very special mission for you all. If you complete this one successfully, Ben will have all the resources he needs to lead the rebellion. Of course, you'll still need to go back in time to practice those strategies."
"What's the mission?" Ben asked.
"I'm getting to that. You are to go to ancient China a retrieve a sacred book."
"A book? You're kidding, right? How is a book going to help me defeat Milleous?"
"It's not just any old book. This book is considered the greatest books on military strategy ever published. Generals throughout history have used it. In fact, it is required reading for anyone who wants to join the U.S military."
"If it's that famous, then why don't we go to the local library and borrow one?"
"That's not possible. You'll have to go directly to the source and get it yourself. To make this more interesting, I'm not going to tell you what the book is called or who wrote it. You'll have to figure that all out on your own."
"Come on Paradox! The world is at stake here! Why can't you just tell us the title already? Then we could at least have a chance of finding it."
"At least one of your party already knows the name of the book."
"That's a great help! How do we know who the person is?"
"All will reveal itself shortly, but first, I must take Xerxes here on a trip to the 22nd century to learn about your century," Paradox said as he pulled Xerxes into the time portal. Ten minutes later, Xerxes came out babbling about all the wondrous things he had learned.
"Did you know that to time travel, you just need to travel faster than the speed of light, which is currently impossible, but will be achieved in the next 50 years?"
"Yeah, we know," Kevin said.
"I bet you don't know that humans will one day live on Mars!"
"Never cared about that and I never will," Ben replied. Paradox reappeared.
"Is Xerxes bothering you?"
"Yes he is! Can we leave him here with you?" Ben asked.
"No. He's essential to finding the book."
"Ah ha!" Gwen shouted, "He knows what the book is called!"
"How did you deduce that?" Ben asked.
"I put two and two together."
"And you came up with five. I'm not telling you if he actually knows or not, so your plan failed! Here's the portal to China! Good luck!" The six heroes stepped into the portal. The world spun. Everyone screamed and lost consciousness.
Ancient China-450 B.C
Ben groggily opened his eyes. Where am I, he thought.
Clang! Clang!
"Wake up Oogway! You're late to the Shaolin Temple! Master Shifu expected you to be there at noon sharp, but it's already 11 A.M and you're still not ready!"a shrill voice said.
"Go away, Gwen, and let me sleep," Ben groaned.
"Who's Gwen? You have girlfriend already? I told you no girlfriend!"
"Yes, I have a girlfriend, but it's not Gwen! Anyways, who are you?"
"Who am I? I am your father and I am ordering you out of bed right this instant!" An old man stood directly in front of Ben glowering at him.
"You must be mistaken. I am not your son. I am a kid from the future who is on a mission to find a book."
"Keep dreaming Oogway! After the temple, perhaps we can send you to a prestigious university. Then you can read all the books you want."
"My name is not Oogway! It's Ben Tennyson!"
"Oogway is a moniker. We call you this because you're slow in everything you do, including getting out of bed!"
"Just five more minutes."
"You want me to bang the pots and pans again? I told you to get up and I mean it!"
"Ok, ok. I'm getting up."
"That's more like it. You have ten minutes to get dressed. Your mother and I will be waiting for you." The man left the room.
What have I gotten myself into? Why does the old man think I'm his son? Why do I have to go to the temple? Where's everybody else? Where am I? Thoughts swirled inside Ben's head as he got up from the bed and headed downstairs.
"Hello Oogway. I see that you are finally up," a short haired woman said.
"I'm sorry; I must have gotten amnesia from sleeping too much or something. Who am I and who are all of you guys?" Ben asked.
"This is Ryu, your mother, I'm Chou, your father, and you are Chang."
"Why do I have to go to the temple?"
"You must prepare to join the army. The temple is where you will complete your training," Chou said.
"I don't want to join the army! I've had enough experience with the Greek Army!"
"Greek Army? What blasphemy is this? You haven't been out of China in your entire life!" Chou roared.
"Come now dear husband. Don't yell at him. He's got his first lesson in an hour and he still hasn't eaten breakfast," Ryu scolded. She turned to Ben. "What do you want to eat, son?"
"You have any Sumo Slammers cereal?"
"I don't know what that is. We have rice gruel, pickled vegetables, mantou and sliced beef. What do you want to eat?" Ryu asked.
"I think I'll have it all," Ben said. He cut open the mantou, put the beef in the center and made himself a sandwich. Ten minutes later, after this filling breakfast, Ben felt ready to go to the temple.
"Here's twenty Yuan to pay for the taxi," Chou said.
"Can't I just walk?"
"It takes half an hour to walk there. It's better to take the taxi."
"Fine," Ben said as he took the money and headed out the door.
"Oh my son is all grown up!" Ryu cried.
"This training will make him a man!" Change declared.
On the other side of town
Ming Pao Ads
New Shaolin Temple Grand Master wanted! Must be black belt and willing to work with complete novices. Benefits: You get to order people around and make and screw your own rules. Competitive wages! What happened to the old master you ask? He was permanently handicapped after his former student "accidentally" kicked the guy in the lower back, causing a permanent bending of the spine. To avoid this, we encourage all masters to respect their students.
"Hmmm," Gwen said, reading the advertisement. "Looks like my specialty. Only problem is, I don't know how to get there!" She walked past a man on the side of the road.
"Excuse me sir, but do you know how to get to Wudang Shaolin Temple?"
"I do," the man said, "It's just a 45 minute walk from here."
"Thank you sir," Gwen said as she ran towards the temple. About twenty minutes later, she passed a small cottage. The man and woman waved her inside.
"Are you the new kung-fu instructor?" Chou asked.
"Yes. Is anything wrong?"
"Our son just started this morning. He's a bit slow, so please try and be patient with him," Ryu said.
"I'll try my best." Gwen left the house and continued on her journey.
Meanwhile…
"Taxi! Taxi!" Ben shouted. An old man pulling a rickshaw slowed down in front of Ben.
"You have need for taxi?" he asked.
"Yes. I need it to get to Wudang temple."
"Give me ten Yuan and I shall take you there." Ben gave the man his ten Yuan and hopped in the rickshaw. Ten minutes later, Ben arrived at the temple. It was a slightly crooked grey structure of five stories.
I wonder who on Earth would want to train here, He thought.
Ben pushed open the tall doors and walked inside. "Hello! Is anybody home?" he said. He was met with silence. "I guess I'll just wait outside for the teacher then." He walked back outside and sat on the steps. Five minutes later, a red-haired tall girl came running up the steps and tripped over him.
"Hey! Watch where you sit, will you?" The girl shouted at Ben.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to block your path like that," Ben replied sheepishly.
"Who are you?"
"I'm the new student. My "parents" sent me to the temple to learn Kung-Fu. Said it was in preparation for the military."
"Hold on- Are you the one called Oogway because you're slow at everything you do?"
Ben turned red. "How did you know that?"
"I met his parents on the way here."
"So you're the replacement teacher?"
"Well you could say that. I was just passing through town when I noticed the ad for the new teacher. Technically, I'm not qualified to teach, but I do have a black-belt, so I thought, why not?"
"I don't believe you. You look about my age."
"Is that a challenge? Ok, let's go inside and see what you're really made of!"
Ben followed the mysterious girl into the arena. She turned around and he gasped.
"Gwen? Is that you?" He ran over and hugged her. She reciprocated in kind.
"Where were you? I've been looking everywhere for you!" Ben said.
"I told you. I was wandering through town and I found this temple. I guess it was pure coincidence that we met when we did."
"You haven't met any of the others?" Ben asked, meaning Kevin, Rook, Max or Xerxes.
"No. I'm sorry."
"So what do you want to do now?"
"I guess I could spar with you while we figure out what to do. Go transform into one of your aliens."
"Are you sure we don't want to go search for them first?"
"It's noon time now. The streets are full of people. It'll be harder to track the rest of our team with so much interference."
"I don't feel like sparring. Let's just talk."
"About what?"
"About why our relationship changed all of a sudden."
"Hmm. I guess we learned to care about each other more."
"Yeah. I still remember when we were like ten. I used to think you were the biggest dweeb on the block!"
"That's funny. I still think you're a doofus sometimes."
"But then I realized that…that even though we had our squabbles, deep down, I knew I would do anything for you."
"Remember that time when you went hero, even though the Omnitrix could have self-destructed, just to save me from those mutant plant things?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"I never told you how grateful I was. You risked your own life to save your annoying cousin!"
"I couldn't bear to see you hurt."
"That's so sweet of you."
"Everything changed when we turned 15. All of a sudden, you were civil towards me."
"I said it was only because we were searching for Grandpa Max, but I wasn't entirely truthful. We bonded through that and I guess it sorta lasted till the present."
"We argued a lot less frequently after that."
"Yes. Until we were faced with our first challenge: Mutant Kevin."
"I remember that! I wanted to kill him because I thought he was too far gone."
"And I wanted to save him."
"It led to our first actual battle, which you won because I was holding back."
"I actually tried to get rid of you because you were in the way."
"If you really were, you would have killed me once you knocked me out!"
"But I didn't. I knew I wouldn't be able to forgive myself for not listening to you."
Ha-ha. Turns out I was right after all. Kevin could be saved if you knew how to get to him."
"And it was lucky you did. Kevin's one valuable guy to have around!"
"That's for sure. I'm glad you gave him a second chance."
I'm proud to have you as a cousin, Gwen."
"Me too!"
"Would you look at the time! It's already 5," Ben said.
"The Omnitrix now has a built in watch?"
"Yup. I programmed it. As we can't bring cell-phones back in time, I had to be able to get the time somehow."
"Smart move. Can you meet me back here in 20 minutes?"
"Sure, but why?"
"Just to tell your "parents" that you'll be with me for a while. Make something up about what it is that we'll be doing." Ben ran down the steps, hailed a rickshaw and managed to make home it back in 10 minutes.
"Hello son, how was training?" asked Chou.
"It was great! I have a favor to ask you though."
"What is it?" asked Ryu.
"I have to go on a special field trip with my teacher. We have to visit other martial arts temples and stuff. The whole trip might take a couple of weeks."
"The first day we send you to school, you're already scheming to get out of our clutches!" Chou raged.
"That's not how it is! I love you guys, but I have to go!"
"Humph," Chou snorted, " You said you got amnesia remember? You couldn't even recognize your own parents, let alone tell them you love them!"
"Just let him go. It's for an educational purpose."
"Family comes before education in Asian culture! You're not going!" Chou told Ben.
"Don't make me do something I'm going to regret," Ben said.
"What are you going to do? Try and get past me? You're so slow that my mama could beat you to your own funeral!"
"What? That doesn't make any sense whatsoever."
"It's not supposed to make sense!"
"Are you going to let me go or not?"
" FOR THE LAST TIME, NO WAY IN 10000 YEARS!"
"I'm sorry I have to do this to you then."
"Bring it on Oogway! I'll be waiting for you, if you even get here while I'm still alive that is!"
Ben transformed into XLR8 and bowled the old man down. Chou had a heart attack from the shock of seeing such insane speed and died on the spot, face-down on the ground."
"I told the old man that he would hurt himself eventually and I was right," Ryu said.
"Sorry I killed your husband. I didn't mean to."
"It's fine. I never really liked him anyway."
"What?! How can you say such a thing?"
"See for yourself." Ben's father turned into a DNAlien.
"Eww. That's gross! Anyways, who are you? Are you an alien too?" Ben asked cautiously, his hand on the Omnitrix dial.
"Calm yourself. I'm a plumber like you. Paradox sent me here to help you guys find the book."
"I got to verify that." He used the Omnitrix to scan her. "Human DNA detected," the Omnitrix said.
"Ok, you're clean. Let's go to the temple."
The plumber grabbed onto XLR8 and they got to the temple in a minute.
"Who's this, Ben?" Gwen asked.
"I'm Molly Günter from the Alpha Squad. You might have seen me around during some of your previous missions. I was the one, for example, told Rook how to stop that crazy cat lady's mind control of you, Ben."
"I thank you for that."
"So Paradox sent you to help us find the book?" Gwen asked.
"Uh-huh. He knew you guys would probably need help navigating and he was right. Also, I'm quite good at H2H."
"Yeah. I think we can take care of ourselves on that one. Hand to hand was always Kevin's specialty," Ben said.
"We don't have him with us right now. I can be the sub."
"I guess you can help us then," Gwen said.
"Did I also tell you that I'm fluent in over 20 languages including Chinese?"
"We won't need that service. We've got language translators," Ben said.
"And the language translators got most of the translations from Google."
"I see our point. Ok, you're in!" Ben decided.
Five minutes later, everyone was doing last minute checks in preparation for the long journey.
"Are you sure you have everything Gwen?"
"Yeah. Shirts, pants, intimate apparel, trail mix, spell book, chips, hotdogs, locket with Kevin's picture on it, …"
"My list is more exciting. Sumo slammers for the Wii-U, Raman noodles, Wii-U, Frozen, all 552 episodes of the Simpsons, South Park, …" (They begin the journey up a mountain at this point.)
" Frozen? You've watched it like 10 times already! You don't even have a DVD player!"
"Correction. I did not have a DVD player until I hacked the Wii-U as Grey Matter and added it."
"As long as you don't start singing! If you do, I'm going to magically seal your lips!"
"I've seen Frozen. Magister Tennyson made us all watch it during the holiday," chimed in Molly.
"Yeah! And now you can't Let It Go!" exclaimed Ben.
"I'm warning you, Ben."
"You know you want to sing along! If you do just this one, I won't sing it anymore…ever!"
"Fine, if this'll make you shut-up!"
"The snow glows bright on the mountain tonight…"
"Not a footprint to be seen…" sang Gwen halfheartedly.
"A kingdom of isolation…"
"And it looks like, I'm the queen…"
Thirty seconds later…
"LET IT GO! LET IT GO! CAN'T HOLD IT BACK ANYMORE!"
"Ben! Keep it down! Do you want us to be discovered?"
"Nobody can hear us for miles. We're on a mountain for Christ's sake!"
"Still, it is wise to not announce our presence," Molly said.
"No one can hear-Arggh!" They all stopped their forwards motion.
"What happened, Ben?" cried Gwen.
"I got shot in the arm with a crossbow!" Ben screamed as he looked down to see the arrow sticking out of his forearm.
"Hold on. I've got a first aid kit in my bag," said Molly.
"Don't do anything stupid." Gwen said, calmly.
"Too late. I yanked it out already!" Ben said as he watched the blood gush out.
"It's an ambush!" Gwen cried as arrows began to rain down on the three of them. She erected a dome that prevented any further damage.
"Can you run to that cave over there, Ben?" Molly asked, pointing to a small opening in the mountain that was, coincidentally, just large enough for three people.
"I can if I don't faint first!"
Gwen and Molly half dragged/half carried Ben to the cave, where Molly applied a tourniquet. The blood still gushed out, so Molly put a bandage over the tourniquet, which stopped the bleeding. Just as they were about to continue on their journey, a voice shouted at them.
"Come out from there! We have you surrounded!"
"And if we don't?" Gwen yelled back.
"You can come out and be prisoners of the Qin Empire or be shot full of arrows!"
"I have to discuss this with the rest of my team. Give us two minutes!"
"Fine. But no more!"
"What do you guys think? Should be go with them or fight?" Gwen whispered to Ben and Molly.
"I'm in no condition to battle right now. I say we go with the soldiers," said Ben.
"Perhaps we can find Grandpa Max, Rook or Kevin wherever they're taking us," said Gwen.
"Dang it! I was going to say we fight, but I guess two beats one."
Gwen poked her head out of the cave. "We'll go with you," she told the soldier. A minute later, Gwen and Molly were prodded up the mountain at spear-point. Ben had to be carried because he couldn't walk on his own (a side effect of seeing his own blood). They marched for four days without stopping except for the occasional food and bathroom break. By the end, all three were tired and sweaty. Finally they reached the Qin Emperor's Imperial Palace, a huge fortress made with gilded roof tiles.
"Sir, we brought you some prisoners! What shall we do with them?" the garrison commanded asked of the Emperor.
"Let them rot in the dungeons until I see fit to try them. No doubt they are spies sent by the other states to learn about our plans."
"Yes sir!"
"Move!" the soldiers ordered as they shoved the trio down to the dungeons. "You know what's down here. This is where you'll stay until the emperor is ready to see you." The jail warden opened the prison door and pushed Ben inside.
"What about the others?" he inquired, meaning Molly and Gwen.
"Don't worry. They'll be housed in another part for uh… security purposes," the warden told him. Ben was left to his own devices as the guard led Gwen and Molly away. As soon as they left, Ben's eyelids grew heavy and he fell into a deep slumber.
"Ben- dude, wake up!" A voice shook Ben out of the comforting embrace of darkness.
"Whuz-goin-on? Who's there?" Ben asked groggily as he opened his eyes to see Rook smiling at him.
"Rook! Buddy! It's so good to see you again!" Ben cried as he ran towards the blue Revonnahgander and hugged him.
"What are you doing Ben? I have researched your species and have concluded that displays of affection between two human beings of the male gender indicate abnormality."
"What was that you just said?" Ben asked, curious, as he was still hugging Rook and getting his ears smashed.
"Oh, it was nothing. It is good to see you too Ben."
"So how'd you end up in this dump?" Ben asked, glancing around the prison.
"We and by that I mean myself, your grandpa, Kevin and that guy you brought back from Greece-what was his name again?"
"Xerxes."
"Right. Anyways, we, as you humans might say, "had a sh**ty day" and landed right next to this magnificent palace. Of course, we were caught right away and sent to the dungeons because the Emperor feared we were spies."
"The same thing happened to us!"
"They separated us," said Rook.
"And what happened to Xerxes?"
"Well, they tried to force him into the cell on my left, but he resisted."
"So he's dead?!" cried Ben, shocked.
"Like many of your human fairy tales, this one has a happy ending. No, Xerxes summoned a bunch of soldiers from nowhere, overpowered the garrison, escaped the palace and has not been heard from since. Rumor has it that Xerxes is now the leader of a rival group vying for control of China. I have no idea where Kevin and Magister Tennyson are."
"So, all we have to do is escape from here and link up with Xerxes."
"That is the plan, yes."
The door opened and Gwen and Molly were shoved inside.
"Hey Ben! Hey Rook!" both said.
"What did those people do to you guys?"
"Nothing. They wanted to keep the genders separate, that's all. It kinda makes sense, in a way. We both got a shower and were allowed to change," replied Gwen.
"We didn't get a shower yet!" screamed Ben. As if on cue, the warder came back. "You guys," mentioning to Rook and Ben, "get a ten minute shower each. After that, all of you have a meeting with the Emperor." Ben and Rook left to take their showers. Afterwards, everyone was prodded to the throne room to meet the Emperor.
"All hail Emperor Qin Shi Huang, leader of the glorious Qin Empire!" cried a herald.
"I guess this is the point we all get down on our knees and perform the kow-tow?" snickered Ben.
"Ben! That's extremely offensive towards East Asians!" said Gwen.
"What is this kow-tow that you speak of?" Rook asked Gwen.
"It's a custom that East Asians have to show respect, especially to the Emperor."
"You are now required to kow-tow in front of the Emperor!" said the herald.
"Not me! I don't see why I have to!" yelled Ben.
"Just do it!" hissed Gwen, "You get beheaded if you don't!"
"The boy is refusing to do the kow-tow!" All of the soldiers gasped. "Off with his head!" yelled a few.
"No! I forbid it!" said Qin Shi Huang. "Tell me foreigner, what makes you so brave?"
"I frequently disobey rules that I see are unjust. As the reverend Martin Luther King Jr. will say exactly 2,443 years from now, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere!"
"I like you. Tell you what. I'll set you and all your friends free if you'll be willing to do me one small favor."
"And what's that?"
"Help me to become ruler of all of China by defeating the six rival factions."
"Deal!" Ben walked back to Gwen, Rook and Molly.
"Hold on. We can't accept his terms yet. We don't get an equal reward," hissed Gwen.
"Ask for help locating the author of that elusive book Paradox sent you to find," suggested Molly.
"And while you are at it, we should ascertain the locations of Kevin and Magister Tennyson," added Rook. Ben walked back up to the Emperor.
"I have a counter-offer," he announced.
"What? You dare scoff at my generous offering?!"
"Oh no, I would never do that!"
"Of course you wouldn't," snorted the Emperor.
"I offer to help you conquer China if you offer help us locate a book on military strategy, and tell us where the two other foreign prisoners you have are. One is chubby and white. The other is tall, skinny and can manipulate matter."
"I have no idea what book you are searching for. As for the two prisoners, I have no idea where they are. They escaped with that Greek scoundrel by the name of Xerxes."
"Surely you must know the name of the greatest military book ever written?"
"Let me think…" Thirty seconds passed.
"Ah, yes. You are referring to the Art of War by Sun Tzu. Unfortunately, we do not have him. The Han do. They are our neighbor directly to the northeast."
"So, who are you guys fighting against?"
"The Han, the Wei, the Zhao, the Qi, the Chu, and the Yan."
"You'll have a unified China in no time sir. I can promise you that!"
"Good luck!"
Ben left with Rook, Gwen and Molly. After securing a luxury suite complements of Emperor Qin, the group decided on their next plan of attack.
"I say we meet up with Xerxes first. We can't take on entire armies by ourselves even with the Omnitrix," said Ben.
"That's the first time all day that you've said something logical. Anyways, we could if we knew what faction he belonged to," said Gwen.
"We could walk under a flag of truce to each of the armies," suggested Rook.
"And get our butts handed to us?" asked Molly.
"Since it is a truce, under the law, they can't attack us," said Ben.
"Right. Which group are we going to ask first?" asked Gwen.
"Let us start with the one farthest from the Qin, the Wei. It will take us the longest time to get there," said Rook.
"Anyone know where they are?" asked Gwen.
"Omnitrix, how far is it from Charlotte, North Carolina to Los Angeles, California?" asked Ben.
"Around 2,800 miles. At an average walking pace, you should get there in about 34 days," replied the Omnitrix.
"And the point of that was?" asked Gwen.
"It's about the distance we have to walk. The Wei live in the Gobi Desert."
"More than a month? Where are we going to get food and shelter?"
"Our benevolent Emperor will provide. After all, he thinks we are working for him," said Rook.
"We'll bump into the Zhao, the Chu and the Yun along the way. Let's just hope Xerxes is the leader of one of them," said Ben. After all four of them agreed on a plan, they went back to the Emperor for an update.
"So you are planning to travel to the Gobi Desert and you want me to provide you with 40 days worth of food?"
"Yes, your majesty," said Gwen.
"Consider it done. I shall also provide you with 10,000 soldiers and living accommodations."
"Thank you for being so generous," said Rook. They set off for the Gobi Desert later that night. Three weeks later, they finally ran out of food because Gwen insisted on giving some to the orphans along the way, Rook gave some to the Zhou, the Chu and the Yun to appease them and everyone ate the rest. Rook's strategy didn't work due to the fact that none of the factions liked the idea of getting a bribe to allow safe passage through their territory. As a result, the group had no choice but to fight their way past the hostile states, which they didn't like one bit. The schedule went something like this (Ben's POV):
Monday: Met up with some Zhou. Warlike tribe who refused to accept our generous gift of a week's worth of food. Pretended to accept us and proceeded to launch a surprise attack at night. Luckily, Gwen was able to shield us as we ran for our lives under a hail of fire arrows. The Zhou followed us. Lost around 100 soldiers.
Tuesday: Turned the tide as we tired the Zhou out. I went Atomix and nuked them into oblivion. Afterwards, we all agreed it was a complete waste of time and that we should've bypassed the Zhou as soon as we learned of their violent natures. Gwen gave a day's food to some "poor orphans" along the way. Afterwards, they took off their rags and we realized that we'd been duped. Guess I won't be getting any of that orange chicken back!
Sunday: Rook almost died today. It happened as we were crossing a bridge. We had made a pact with the Yun, but as we were crossing, they took out their knives and sawed off the ropes holding the bridge up. I always though those Yun looked suspicious, especially since they told us to get on the bridge first. Transformed into Ditto and split myself to catch Molly and Rook, but his hands slipped out of mine. Molly was able to catch Rook before he tumbled into the abyss. Some 600 soldiers weren't so lucky.
Wednesday: Bumped into the Chu today. Seemed pretty helpful until they built us a boat and told us to get in to cross a large body of water. Turns out they put a hole in it and the moment the boat reached the middle, it sank. We didn't know that they did it at the time and they insisted it was an accident. We set up camp for the night when suddenly Rook's plumber badge went off. Apparently, the Chu had surrounded us and were planning to offer us up as a sacrifice to their God. After some fierce hand to hand combat in which most of the soldiers given to us were killed, I finally got tired of it all and transformed into Alien X. I managed to disarm them and make them leave us alone. Gwen was hit in the leg with a poison dart and I was forced to suck out the venom. It was disgusting. Managed to pillage some food from the Chu, but it's not nearly enough.
Wednesday (2 weeks later): We entered into the Gobi Desert today. The rest of our soldiers got lost in a giant sandstorm and I think they're all dead. It's just the four of us now. My arm got infected because some sand got under the bandage. We had some disinfectant, but Gwen said it was a month expired. I still used it and it kind of worked. At least the pain is gone. Food is short, so we're limited to 1,000 calories a day. Even that's better than nothing I suppose.
Saturday (a week later): The food is gone entirely! Never before have I gone without food. I guess this is my first night.
Sunday: Spent a day without food. I guess this is what most present day North Koreans have to go through every day. It's horrible. My stomach is growling for sustenance, but I can't give it any.
Monday: Gwen collapsed from hunger and exhaustion earlier in the day. We spend turns carrying her. I hope we reach civilization soon or we're all goners! At least we still have mineral water.
Friday: Ran out of water too! Gwen breathing is extremely shallow and I'm afraid if we don't get her something soon, she's going to die!
Sunday: Held a meeting with Rook and Molly on the worsening conditions. I proposed that we eat Gwen when she dies to keep the rest of us alive. Cannibalism is sick, but what choice do we have? I'm proud to have known Gwen for 14 years.
That night: Finally reached the Wei today! Gwen's still alive. I think she heard us talking about cannibalizing her and it freaked her out, giving her the will to live. Turns out Xerxes is in change. Our first priority was getting Gwen something to eat and drink. As soon as we did, she woke up and was healthy again. So glad I didn't have to eat my cousin! We also met up with Kevin and Grandpa Max. They seem healthy for people who've been in captivity for so long. Guess the Qin didn't mistreat the either. I'll have to thank Emperor Qin later!
"So, how'd you get way out here?" asked Gwen.
"I needed a safe place to hide out where the Qin couldn't find me. The Gobi Desert was perfect. You guys were barely even able to make it out here!"
"As soon as we are rested, we need you to help us track down the Art of War. It's that book Paradox told us about. I think you're familiar with it?" Ben said.
"Yes, I'm very familiar with it."
"Get some rest everybody. We've got a long journey ahead of us." Everyone dispersed for some much needed sleep.
Two days later
Brigggg!
Ben cracked open his eyes to see the Omnitrix watch alarm beeping. Time to wake the others, he thought. I can't believe I actually slept for two whole days! I must be totally out of it!
"Wake up, Rook! It's time to get the book!"
"Ben-dude, it is too early!"
"It's 11:00 in the morning. You've been out for two whole days!"
"Someone has been keeping track of the time?"
"My watch says it's been two days since I've moved my body."
"I see. Go wake the others. I will go fix us some breakfast."
"Make it edible, please?"
"I shall do my best to please your peculiar human taste-buds." Ben left to wake Gwen and Molly, who were bunking together in the other room.
"Look alive people!" Ben cried. As he entered the tent, a mysterious force hoisted him by the ankle and left him dangling from the ceiling. Molly sprang up and pointed a blaster at him.
"Hold your fire! It's me, Ben!" Gwen illumined him in purple light and discovered the truth.
"Put the gun down. It's only Ben," she told Molly. Molly holstered the weapon.
Suddenly, Ben fell down to the ground in a heap. He got back up, rubbing his ankle.
"How'd you do that?" asked Gwen. "You aren't an energy-being like me! In other words, you can't do magic!"
"I can't do your kind of magic, but I do have experience with certain nonverbal spells from the Harry Potter universe. Levicorpus and its counter-spell Liberacorpus are one of them. "
"I see you've been studying," Gwen said with a laugh.
"You're always telling me that I'm not working to my full potential in school. This proves you wrong!" Ben replied.
"So, are we leaving?" asked Molly.
"As soon as Rook's ready with the breakfast. Xerxes is already saddled up and waiting for us. We better hurry!" shouted Ben as he left the tent. Five minutes later, everyone was settling down to buttermilk pancakes and hot sausage links.
"Where'd you get all this food, Rook?" asked Ben in between bites.
"I have been hoarding food ever since you started taking me on those weekly shopping trips to the human supermarkets."
"Eww!" screamed Ben and Gwen as they spat out the food. "You mean to tell us that this food is expired?!"
"I only hoard fresh produce, so calm yourselves. I know the difference between a ripe banana and one that is rotten." After this announcement, Ben and Gwen resumed eating.
"Anyone think the Han are going to be friendly?" asked Molly, who wasn't eating much because she complained of stomachaches.
"After what we've been through, fat chance of that," said Ben.
"They'll probably betray us, like all the other factions did," added Gwen.
Xerxes came back to badger them. "Hurry up! I don't have all day to lead an expedition you know!"
"Ok, ok! We're going!" Ben cried, exasperated. After an uneventful two weeks, they arrived back at the Qin palace. Ben went in with Xerxes to explain the situation.
"Your majesty, we have come back after defeating most of your enemies. I have brought back the "scoundrel" Xerxes. We are best buddies and I wish that you do not execute him."
"Any buddy of yours is a buddy of mine!" the Emperor cried.
"I propose that we join forces to conquer a common adversary known as the Han," said Xerxes.
"Of course! However, I ran out of soldiers helping him," the emperor pointed at Ben, "cross the desert, so you'll have to make do with your own soldiers."
"That won't be a problem." Xerxes snapped his fingers and an entire Greco Army group materialized out of thin air outside the palace walls complete with five artillery regiments, two field armies and ten mounted cavalry brigades.
"Wow!" exclaimed Ben. "You control all of this?"
"I do right now, but I'm going to need help."
"You needed help locating the book, yes?" asked the Emperor.
"I'm sure the Han have hid it somewhere deep inside their palace," said Xerxes.
"It'll be all the sweeter taking it from them then. First we crack the cell, and then we get the nuts inside!" cried Ben.
"Careful you don't bite off more than you can chew," warned Xerxes.
"I can single-handedly overcome their defense."
"We'll see."
"Then go now and don't come back until you've defeated the Han scum, pretty please?" said Qin Shi Huang. Xerxes, Ben, Gwen, Kevin, Molly and Grandpa Max left with their army shortly after dawn on Friday the 18th of November for the week long journey to the Han palace.
One week later (25th of November)-Skirmish at the Han River Bridge
"One more bridge to cross? Why are there so many of them?" asked a very frustrated Ben, who had already been forced to cross more than twenty bridges so far.
"Think about it Einstein. This is a river we're talking about," sneered Kevin. "Perhaps you can use a bridge to cross the river?"
"Well, we're not crossing that bridge without a fight! Look up ahead. There appears to be a garrison stationed just beyond the bridge, holed up in some sort of fort," said Gwen.
"Shall I bring out the catapults?" asked Xerxes.
"Not yet. Let's see if they'll be willing to surrender first. Come Gwen, I'll need you to act as a shield," said Ben. Ben and Gwen walked toward the fort (around 3 miles away) under an invisible dome. The watchman on the tower saw them and shouted.
"Halt! Who goes there, friend or foe?"
"Well, it depends. If you surrender, we can all be friends," said Ben.
"Fat chance. There are only two of you and over two hundred of us! We can easily overwhelm you! I suggest that you surrender!"
"No, I suggest that you surrender on the orders of Emperor Qin of the Qin Empire!"
"I say you are mad to think that you can intimidate us like that!"
"This is Benjamin Kirby Tennyson accompanying Gwendolyn Tennyson. We are both qualified plumber agents and you will comply with our demands or face the full might of the Omnitrix in all its glory along with some incredible magical acrobatics!"
"Excuse me? Are you threatening me sir?"
"That's for you to judge, sir. Please make the right choice and surrender. Don't make life difficult."
"I can tell you that I am not easily intimidated by this so called "Omnitrix" and its teenage wielder! Nor am I frightened of some girl who can do some enhanced back-flips!"
"I'm sorry; you have chosen the wrong choice! Fighting us was not an option. You just flunked How to Negotiate with Someone Clearly Stronger Than you. Thanks for playing and see you next time, if there is a next time for you!"
"You're bluffing right? I don't see your army. What are you going to fight us with? Two sticks and a stone? This fort can't be penetrated by conventional means!"
"We shall be discussing our course of action. Please refrain from any violence until we reach a decision. Then you shall be free to attempt to kill us!"
"What are we going to do, Gwen?" asked Ben.
"Let's go back and talk with Xerxes. It may be time to take out the heavy artillery!"
"Ok, you blokes! We've decided to go back and storm your fort by force!"
"Kill them! Shoot them full of arrows!" the captain of the guard roared. Archers appeared on top of the battlements and began to rain down arrows. The duo ran back to Xerxes with arrows bouncing off the shield Gwen put up.
"So, no dice?" Xerxes asked.
"Does it look like we succeeded?" replied Gwen, sarcastically, as she pointed to the fifty arrows imbedded in the shield.
"Now we go bust down the front door with a battering ram?" suggested Kevin.
"No, I have a better idea. Do you guys know what Greek fire is?"
"The fire that isn't extinguished even when doused with water?" asked Gwen.
"Exactly!"
"Brilliant mate!" exclaimed Ben. "We can burn down their fort."
"To make it easier to apply, I put the fire into jars. Just take a jar and lob it at their fortifications. The instant it touches wood, it'll start eating away at the material. However, someone needs to get close again aka "pretend to negotiate". We're out of range for the catapults to launch and it takes too much effort to wheel the catapults into position."
"I'll do it," volunteered Ben. He walked back to the fort.
"Come back to negotiate, eh? Realize that there's absolutely nothing you can do that will cause us to surrender?" sneered the captain.
"I can sing a song for you."
"And how will that help your cause?"
"Just listen and I think you'll find out!" Ben opened his mouth and began to sing:
I've got a jar of dirt
I've got a jar of dirt
I've got a jar of dirt
And guess what's inside it
I've got a jar of dirt
I've got a jar of dirt
I've got a jar of dirt
And guess what's inside it
I've got a jar of dirt
I've got a jar of dirt
I've got a jar of dirt
And guess what's inside it
I've got a jar of dirt
I've got a jar of dirt
I've got a jar of dirt
And guess what's inside it
I've got a jar of dirt
I've got a jar of dirt
I've got a jar of dirt
And guess what's insideit
On top of the battlements, the captain snickered and ordered that the entire garrison come up to watch the spectacle. "Isn't this first rate? I get paid to sanction this kind of thing!"
"Perhaps the thing he's holding might actually help him," suggested a general.
Oh shut-up! What can a jar of dirt possibly do?"
I've got a jar of dirt
I've got a jar of dirt
I've got a jar of dirt
And guess what's inside it
I've got a jar of dirt
I've got a jar of dirt
I've got a jar of dirt
And guess what's inside it
"I'm getting annoyed. Can I give the order to open fire?" pestered the general.
"No. Wait till that buffoon's done!"
I've got a jar of dirt
I've got a jar of dirt
I've got a jar of dirt
And guess what's inside it
I've got a jar of dirt
I've got a jar of dirt
I've got a jar of dirt
And guess what's inside it
"I'm done! Did that convince you?" asked Ben.
"Not in the slightest, but it was good entertainment," complemented the captain.
"Thanks. Do I get a reward or something?"
"Yeah. Your reward is 100 arrows up your bottom!" screamed the general. "Archers, open fire!" Arrows once again whizzed through the sky. Ben hurled the jar of Greek fire at the gate.
"Oh no! There goes my jar of dirt!" He cried as he ran for his life back to the other side of the river through a barrage of arrows.
"What did he throw?" asked the captain.
"His jar of dirt. I think he was bluffing. There's probably nothing in there," said the general
"Better go check it out all the same." The captain told ten soldiers to go down and clear the mess. They went down and opened the gate.
"What's this?" one soldier asked another, holding some "sand" in his hand.
"Beats me. It came from the lunatic's jar."
"Drop it! The sand could be dangerous," said the commander, running over. Just as he said this warning, the sand ignited, engulfing the ten soldiers in a fireball.
"Aggrh!" they all screamed and rolled on the ground in a vain attempt to smother the flames. When that didn't work, the soldiers ran towards the gate.
"What in God's name is going on down there?" asked the captain as he peered over the edge of the parapet. Seeing the soldiers struggling to put out the flames, he ordered the cook to upend his pot of water on them. Although the water offered some immediate relief, the fire could not be put out and the ten soldiers soon died agonizing deaths. However, the horror wasn't over just yet. One of the soldiers managed to grasp at the gate in his death throes and the wooden structure caught fire.
"Fire alert!" the general yelled.
"Send all available soldiers to put out the fire!" the captain replied. However, before anyone even got to staircase to go downstairs, the entire fort was engulfed in flames. The captain and the general scrambled to get out of the burning structure before it was too late.
"Everyone evacuate the building! I, however, go first because I'm the most important. The rest of you follow in order of rank. Good luck, you'll need it!" yelled the captain.
No one paid attention to his order in the slightest and the result was mass chaos. The captain and general ran into a fireproof room that held an emergency exit, which they escaped from. Some of the soldiers crowded onto the staircase and tried to follow them. However, the weight was too much and the staircase collapsed, spilling everyone on it into the flames below. Others, seeing that the situation was hopeless, jumped from the battlements and splattered their brains out on the ground 200 feet below. In all, 3,000 people died from the fire, collapse or jump. Three miles away, Ben saw the whole event in shock.
"I can't believe we killed 3,000 people with one jar of dirt!" he cried. Gwen buried her head in Ben's shoulder and cried.
"We're not murderers are we? It doesn't seem fair that so many people who were just following orders were killed," she managed in between sobs.
"This is war. Nothing in war is fair," Ben consoled her.
"Get over it! War isn't kind and the more you think about it, the less pain it will bring you," said Xerxes harshly. This shocked Gwen so much that she stopped crying and lifted her head off Ben.
"You can justify it anyway you like, but it still doesn't change the fact that we killed," she told Xerxes.
"We should have a moment of silence for all who died," chimed in Grandpa Max.
"I agree. It's the least we can do to show we still have humanity," said Molly.
"Do what you have to, but please make it quick. I'll be over there in that tree planning our next attack," said Xerxes. He climbed the tree and made a great show of looking away from the group.
"Let's do this," said Kevin. They all bowed their heads and held a moment of silence. For an instant, nothing but birds chirping and the wind whispering could be heard. Finally, Ben spoke up.
"I guess that does it. Let's get going."
"Right. The sooner we get the Art of War from the Han palace, the sooner all of this can be put behind us," said Max. They signaled to Xerxes that they were ready and everybody continued on their journey.
Meanwhile at the Han Palace
"My lord, a huge army is approaching this castle," said the captain.
"What? How is this possible?" asked the Han Emperor.
"We tried to stop them, sir, but they burned down our fort with some incendiary device. The entire garrison minus us was killed," said the general.
"Then you should've died with them! How dare you abandon your men?!" the Emperor raged.
"We thought that you would've wanted some advance warning of an attack. Because we escaped, we are able to do so.
"That still doesn't justify leaving behind 3,000 soldiers!"
"Think about how many you would lose if we hadn't been able to warn you in time."
"You make a good point. You'll be spared punishment," here the two cowards looked at each other in relief, "… only for the duration of the siege." The smiles quickly faded.
"Go now! Get everybody inside the castle and prepare the defenses! We need at least a day to get ready!"
The two men scrambled up off their feet and ran towards the door, eager to avoid upsetting their emperor. They bumped heads and sat down rubbing their heads.
"Idiots! Can't you guys get anything right?" The emperor asked, annoyed. When they didn't answer, he threw both his shoes at them, which prompted them to get up and run out of the door to find the herald.
"You!" they both shouted to a boy no older than twenty. The boy was so startled that he dropped his trumpet on the ground, where it shattered. Both commanders snickered cruelly.
"When you obtain a new one, go and sound the warning. Enemy forces are rapidly approaching the city and we need everyone to get inside for their own safety." The boy hurried off to the musicians shop to rent another bugle and when he finally did after much arguing with the store keeper, who thought he was using it to cause trouble, he blew the warning note. The pre-arranged sound was the signal for everyone outside the castle walls to pack up their belongings and stream into the castle where they could shelter in place until the danger passed. Hordes of farmers, their crops on their back and their families in tow flooded through the gate. The crush was so bad, soldiers had to be assigned to crowd control to makes sure the population was kept calm. Five hundred soldiers were stationed just outside the gate to keep the crowds moving. Additional soldiers guided the population into the courtyard where all the civilians were assembled. The situation was tense and soldiers were permitted to fire on anyone who was impeding progress. After five hours, the mass exodus was complete and the soldiers could begin the real task of fortifying the fortress. Teams of three hundred people each were required to haul the huge catapults up to the battlements. A giant stockpile of boulders was stationed near the center of the rooftop for easy access during the battle. Ballistae were mounted at five meter intervals along the wall, already primed with iron bolts. Mattresses were lowered behind the main gate to resist battering rams and the drawbridge was pulled up. The double portcullis chain was cut and the iron doors slammed shut behind the wooden gate. Hot oil and sand were piled next to the murder-holes, which were located directly above the iron doors. During a battle, any attackers lucky to make it inside would be trapped by the double doors and fall to a combination of oil, sand and arrows. Wooden stakes were placed on the grounds outside to deflect any potential cavalry charge. Two lines of trenches were dug to provide shelter for the defenders in the field. All able-bodied craftsmen went to work making arrows, armor, swards, crossbows, and maces. The flurry of activity lasted well into the night and no one was given much sleep. The defenders expected to be able to hold out for months until help arrived from allies. All that was left to do was to watch and wait for the attacking army.
Battle for the Imperial Palace
"Look up ahead! I see the Palace of the Han Emperor!" cried Ben as he viewed it through the spyglass.
"We have to brace ourselves for a long siege. Prepare for battle!" Xerxes ordered. The catapults were loaded and formations were rehearsed. The 1,000,000 man strong army looked impressive as it marched on the road to the Palace. Several times the Han Army sent out units to delay their advance, but the overwhelming force could not be stopped. Xerxes' army along with Ben, Gwen, Kevin, Rook, Molly and Max arrived at the outskirts of the palace on December 1st.
"Shall I go and try the same trick again?" asked Ben.
"No fool's going to fall for it again," exclaimed Kevin.
"Perhaps I can tear down the walls with my magic?" suggested Gwen.
"You'll rip out your arm sockets before you even budge a stone," warned Ben.
"I suppose this is the time to finally use my catapults. We can load them with the Greek fire and lob them over the walls. Although the castle itself is fireproof due to it being made out of stone, I bet whatever's inside isn't. We can burn their buildings to force them to surrender," cried Xerxes.
"This is for the common good, Gwen," Ben said gently. "I know you're afraid of harming more civilians, but think about how many more lives we can save back home in the present if we can just get our hands on this one book."
"All right."
"Load catapults!" 10,000 catapults were loaded with Greek fire. "FIRE ALL!" Xerxes ordered. 10,000 jars of dirt flew into the air, traveling in parabolic arcs until they impacted on the scores of buildings inside the castle. However the defenders had prepared well for exactly this kind of situation and had erected springy nets, which caught the jars of dirt and hurled them right back at the attackers! Luckily, Xerxes' Army was too far away to be hit and the Greek fire jars landed right outside the castle walls, where they started a fire that scorched the earth. The defender's catapults began firing rocks of their own and hundreds of Xerxes' men were crushed to death. Everyone ran to seek shelter under the cover of siege engines, which were brought up to scale the walls. Gradually the attackers began to gain ground. The defenders in the two trenches began to fall back to the main defense point inside the castle. From the battlements, a volley of rocks and arrows forced the attackers to hide behind portable shields. Kevin led the charge to the main gate under the cover of an armored battering ram and began to organize a breaching of the gate. The defenders fought tenaciously under extraordinary circumstances and even managed to beat back the attacks on the walls and gate for a while. Xerxes, seeing that conventional weapons were going nowhere, ordered the secret weapon to be brought out to attack the gate. It was the Mons Meg. The massive cannon could only be fired once a day and the recoil was so large that men were killed every time it was fired. Despite this powerful advantage, the cannon didn't even dent the gate, although it killed a dozen of Xerxes' men. Ben transformed into Alien X and tried to remove the castle from existence, but the castle remained untouched. Gwen tried to rip apart the walls, but only succeeded in dislocating her sockets. Ben was able to pop them back in after much pain on Gwen's part. The stalemate went on for another twenty four days, with both sides taking extreme casualties. On Christmas day, Ben decided to try something radical.
"Let's try and negotiate again?" he suggested.
"They must be running out of people almost as fast as we are. Only they can't afford to replace the casualties. I'd say now is a great time to negotiate," said Xerxes. Ben raised the white flag and walked to the gate.
"Hello! I'd like to propose a ceasefire while we negotiate. Please send your Emperor out so we can have a meaningful dialogue," he said. A minute later the Han Emperor appeared on the battlements.
"What do you want?" the Emperor asked. "We aren't surrendering, you know!"
"I didn't expect you to. Instead I offer a truce. You let us get a certain book and we won't bother you anymore."
"So all you want is a book? You could've just asked politely you know!"
"Well, negotiating didn't work well last time, so I thought we would try something a bit more convincing."
"Come in and help yourself." The Emperor ordered the gate be opened to invite in their former enemy turned guest. He personally escorted Ben to the library and insisted on helping him find the book."
"So what is the book you want?"
"It's called the Art of War. I suppose you've heard of it?"
"I have. It is not here in the public library. I have it in my personal study. I can give it to you since I have renounced all war after these tragic few days."
"Thank you sir." The Emperor entered his private study and gave Ben the book.
"Use it well, now. May this book bring you as much success on the battlefield as it did for me."
"No wonder your castle was so well built and resistant to everything we threw at it! You must've followed everything the book said to do."
"Exactly." The group was invited to stay in the castle for a few days to recuperate.
The Coup
The captain and the general were quite bitter at having been embarrassed in front of their emperor and furious at him for receiving his former enemies so well while the two were forced to scrub the horse stalls as punishment for cowardice.
"I hate this life," complained the general as the horse kicked him for stealing its carrot (They had gone without food for days).
"Me too," the captain agreed as another horse defecated on him. "Eww! That's disgusting" he cried as he flung dung from his person.
"I say we launch a Coup d'état. We'll show that power hungry warlord who's really boss!" cried the general.
"Right. I'll give the Emperor a cup of poisoned wine at the dinner tonight. Once he drinks it, he'll fall down dead as a door nail and we can take over!"
"Where are we going to get the poison? No one in their right mind would sell anything to us two!"
"I know an alchemist on the outskirts of town who might be able to help us." Later that night, the two of them went to the mad alchemist and purchased a small bottle of arsenic, chosen because of its virtual odorless and tasteless complexion. They planned to slip the contents into the Emperor's cup while he was distracted.
The State Dinner
The guests arrived for the small reception held in their honor. Only Ben, Gwen, Kevin, Rook, Max and Xerxes were invited. In between bites of caviar and mussels, which were the appetizer, the Emperor told an anecdote on how he had became the leader through a lucky shot.
"So I was driving through town, and I came upon a pole on top of which sat a clay pigeon. Next to the pole was a crossbow and bolts. I asked several passerby what the meaning of this was.
"Whoever manages to shoot down the clay pigeon from its perch shall be crowned Emperor!" they said. So, I took the crossbow, placed a bolt on it and without really aiming, fired. I put down the weapon and walked away, sure that I had just wasted five minutes of my time, but people were gasping and pointing! I saw what they were pointing at and it turned out to be the clay pigeon! It was lying on the ground in pieces. Apparently I shot it down, which made me the new Emperor!
"Wow! What a great story of success!" everyone exclaimed.
"I think this occasion calls for some wine!" announced the Emperor. The captain came forward with the poisoned wine. He poured the contents into the cup and gave it to the Emperor to drink. At that moment, the Omnitrix acted of its own accord and transformed Ben into Wildmutt.
"What is it, Ben?" asked Gwen. "Is something amiss?"
Wildmutt only growled in response and moved towards the Emperor. Gwen stood up too, concerned. Rook took out his proto-tool and aimed it at Ben, afraid he had gone berserk. Just as the Emperor was about to take the first sip from the poisoned cup, Wildmutt sprang into action and knocked the goblet from his hands.
"Bad dog! What are you doing?" the Emperor exclaimed. Wildmutt transformed back into Ben.
"Someone tried to poison you," he told the Emperor. " I sniffed arsenic in that cup of yours. One sip and you would've been a goner!"
"Next time, tell me when you are going to do something. I almost shot you!" said Rook.
"Let me see that cup. I might be able to trace the fingerprints on it," said Gwen. She took the cup, closed her eyes and began to mover her hands in a circle. "Ah ha! Just as I suspected! It was the captain and the general!"
"Why would they do that?" asked Ben. "They seem pretty loyal to you," he told the Emperor.
"That was before I assigned them to work in the stalls for neglecting their post."
"We have to find them and bring them to justice!" declared Ben.
"I'm already on it," said Max. He took out a motion detector and discovered the two criminals running for their lives towards the outer perimeter.
"Close the gate!" ordered the Emperor. The two were trapped within the double doors of the portcullis. Everyone hurried to the gate.
"Well, what do you have to say for yourselves?"
"We are not afraid to die!" said both the captain and the general as they took out grenades and pulled the pins. Protego! Gwen cried and a transparent shield expanded to cover the entire group. The force of the explosion cracked the shield, but the only casualties were that of the general and the captain, whose remains were scattered all over the walls.
"I guess this was enough carnage for a day," yawned the Emperor.
"Seriously, you need to keep tabs on who you trust," said Kevin.
"I sure will after this." The Emperor turned to Ben.
"Thanks for saving my life back there."
"It was nothing."
"Don't be modest Ben. We all know you to be a hero to both friends and foes!" sad Gwen with a laugh.
"You all will be leaving tomorrow, yes?" asked the Emperor.
"We stayed past what our budget would allow, so I'm afraid so," said Max.
"Enjoy your last night here, then."
"Thanks. I'm sure we will!" said Ben.
The Send-Off and a character death
The next morning, everyone woke up bright and early to pack their stuff and head back to the Qin Emperor for one last status report. Ben made sure to pack the Art of War on the very top of his knapsack. The time finally came for everyone to say goodbye.
"Thanks for everything!" cried the Emperor.
"Thank you for hosting us for a month!" replied Max.
"Read that book! You'll go far with it!" the Emperor told Ben.
"I will!"
The next two weeks passed without a hitch. The group finally arrived back at the Qin Palace in February. They were immediately brought to see the Emperor.
"So, did you finally defeat all the other factions?" Qin Shi Huang asked.
"We did, except for the Han," Gwen said.
"Why? You promised me you would."
"Turns out that the Han Emperor was a nice guy who let us have the book we wanted without too much of a struggle. So, we let him off." At this the Emperor flew into a rage and took out his sword, preparing to behead Gwen to set an example. Rook quickly stepped in front of her and blocked the strike with his proto-tool.
"Whoa! Calm down man! You'll hurt yourself if you're not careful!" said Ben.
"Did you realize that I was the true enemy all along? Ever wonder why I gave you all those soldiers and equipment? It was so you could fight all my battles for me! Now that you have, I have no further use for you!" The Emperor took out a pistol and shot Gwen once point-blank in the chest before she had time to block it. Gwen staggered sideways, gasped once and collapsed on the floor, her front covered in blood. The Emperor laughed and ran away, carrying the blood-smeared weapon, followed closely by Ben, Rook, Kevin, and Grandpa Max. Xerxes was standing outside the front gate, wondering what the strange foot race was about. Then he heard Ben shout.
"Stop that man! He shot Gwen!"
Xerxes quickly stepped in front of the Emperor, who very nearly escaped.
"Step aside if you value your life!" the Emperor snarled.
"No."
"Excuse me?"
"I'm not sure why my friends are chasing you, but I'm sure it's for something you did. As such, you can't leave until you've been held accountable for your crime."
"I'm not accountable to anyone. Now step aside or I'll clobber you! This is your last warning!"
When Xerxes wouldn't move, Emperor Qin tried to pistol-whip him. Xerxes quickly stepped aside so the blow only glanced off his skull. Then he used the Emperor's momentum against him and grabbed the gun with both hands, pried it from the Emperor's hands and pointed it at him.
"I surrender, I surrender!" screamed the Emperor.
"I wonder what you did when your prisoners begged for mercy. I suppose we'll find out soon enough."
"You can't shoot me! I'm a prisoner of war and you must treat me humanely!"
"Then I'll make this as quick and painless as possible." Xerxes aimed and fired a single shot into the Emperor's forehead. The Emperor pitched forward, dead. The rest of the gang arrived shortly afterwards.
"You killed him?" Ben asked.
"Yeah. He was too dangerous to be kept alive. He had this gun with someone's blood in it. Was someone shot?"
"Gwen was," Ben said sadly.
"Where?"
"Once, point-black in the chest."
"Is she still alive?"
"Yes, but we're losing her fast!" At this, everyone ran back to the palace. Molly was cradling Gwen in her arms. Xerxes made a surprise announcement.
"I'm going to make this quick since I realize you have a bit of an emergency on your hands. I've decided to stay here in China and become the new ruler. However, since I was in the 22nd century briefly, I learned the secrets of immortality. If you ever come back in the future, just stop by. I'll probably still be around!" Gwen remained motionless on the floor.
"Quick! We have to get her to the real world!" cried Max.
"Paradox! We need you to open the time portal stat!" Ben shouted. "Gwen's been shot!"
Paradox complied at once and the team was transported back to the UN building. Gwen wasn't looking too good. Every second, more blood pooled around her body. Her pulse was erratic and weak.
"Quick! Get her clothes off and start CPR while I call the fire department!" Grandpa Max ordered. Ben and Kevin stripped off Gwen's clothing and took turns giving her chest compressions and rescue breaths. Once her heartbeat grew stronger, they applied a standard field dressing to stop further bleeding. They put her clothes back on.
"I've got the ambulance on its way!" Max reported.
"It'll be too late for that. By the time they get here, she'll be long gone." Molly said.
"I know of a way, but it requires extreme luck," said Ben.
"You don't mean Alien X?" said Kevin, shocked.
"It's our only chance of saving her."
Ben transformed into Alien X and tried to convince Bellicus and Serena to help him.
"Help me right now and I promise to listen to your arguments in the future, ok?" Ben pleaded.
"We aren't finished discussing the outcome of WWIII," said Bellicus.
"My cousin is dying, dammit!"
"Watch your language, Ben dear. If you want us to help you, you'll have to ask nicely. Please and thank you should work," said Serena.
"Fine!" Ben yelled, extremely pissed off. "My cousin got shot by a lunatic and she's dying right now. I need you help to save her. Can you do that for me, please?"
"See what happens when you ask nicely? The whole process becomes much more streamlined. I vote that we vote on Ben's proposal for us to intervene to prevent his precious cousin's death," said Serena.
" I second," grumbled Bellicus.
"Great! So can we go save her now?"
"We'll consider it."
"What?! We need to act right now!"
"Request denied. We won't be saving her. You're on your own, kid," Bellicus told Ben.
"I can't believe I got you two as parts of my most powerful alien! You guys aren't even reliable!"
"Leave us and return to the human world," Bellicus boomed. Ben complied.
"Sorry guys, Serena and Bellicus won't intervene."
"So we watch her die?"
"That's all what we can do."
Gwen stirred. "Oh great. I'm dying!"
"Ben tried to go Alien X, but he couldn't get Serena and Bellicus to agree to save you," said Kevin.
"Will dying hurt?"
"No. All you'll get is a floating sensation and then you'll just leave," said Max as he tried to hold back tears.
"Come back Gwen! I never told you I was in love with you!" cried Kevin.
"I always suspected that," Gwen told him.
"Goodbye Ms. Tennyson. It was a pleasure working with you," said Rook.
"I'll miss your smart- alack remarks," said Molly.
Lastly, Gwen turned to Ben. "Anything you have to say before I go?"
"Gwen, you are the most amazing person in my life. Even though we had our differences, you were always there for me when I needed it. I especially remember those childhood squabbles fondly. We would have arguments, but would always make up in the end. You'll always be my smart, athletic, beautiful and slightly annoying cousin. Thank you for the years of joy we shared together. You weren't only my favorite cousin; you were also my best friend."
Ben kissed Gwen on the hand for the last time. Gwen smiled at him and closed her eyes forever.
"Now she belongs to the ages!" Paradox declared.
Tears streamed down Ben's face as he howled and pounded the floor. Everyone knew the cousins were close, but they hadn't expected anything quite like this. Suddenly, Ben slammed on the Omnitrix and transformed back into Alien X.
"What have you got to say for yourselves?" he demanded of Serena and Bellicus.
"Um, we're sorry for your loss," they both said.
"I just lost a cousin! That's all you're going to say?!"
"That's about right. I'm not going to stoop down to your level," Bellicus said.
"I have a feeling you're going through quite a bit of emotional stress, am I right?" asked Serena.
"Yes I am," said Ben.
"And you're seriously contemplating suicide because you can't bear to live without your cousin?" she pressed.
"I was about to say I was going to deliberately provoke the police into shooting me, so yes."
"Good, good. Go off yourself right now so I can be rid of you!" boomed Bellicus.
"You do realize that our little discussions with young Tennyson will come to an end right?" Serena told Bellicus.
"And why in the world should I care?"
"We won't exist without Ben. The Omnitrix is fused with Ben's DNA, so if he goes, so do we."
"I never thought about that." Serena turned to Ben.
"For the first time, I think there is something we can all agree on."
"And what is that exactly?" Ben asked.
"You can't live without your cousin and we can't live without you, so we're going to grant you your wish."
"So you'll bring my cousin back to life?"
"Yeah. I'm doing solely because I can't operate without you and not because I care about your feelings," grumbled Bellicus.
"Your act of dedication convinced me Ben. Your ability to love can conquer death," Serena told Ben.
"Let's get this over with. All in favor of bringing Ben's cousin back to life say 'aye'"
"Aye!" everyone said. Bellicus and Serena worked their magic and reversed the space-time continuum, which brought Gwen back to life without a wound.
Gwen opened her eyes. "Wasn't I just dead? Is that why everyone's staring at me?"
Ben offered her a hand up and she accepted it. "You were dead, but I gave all I had to bring you back to life."
"Hey! Budge over will you?" butted in Kevin. "She accepted my proposal just before she died and now that she came back to life, we're a couple!"
"Now we're just officially dating! Marriage is a long ways off for me!" Gwen warned.
"Celebration at Mr. Smoothy!" yelled Ben.
"We can't. Mr. Smoothy's only in North America, remember doofus?" Gwen said playfully as she gave him a shove with her magic.
"Ah, the old Gwen is back!" Ben sighed happily.
Arm in arm, everyone went to McDonalds to order off the dollar menu.
"I wonder where we're going to go next." Ben said aloud, but almost to himself.
How'd you like it? Emperor Qin was on LSD so that's why he was such an unpredictable character. This is my longest chapter yet (almost as long as my previous 5 chapters combined!) Review please!