A carnival had rolled into town at the same time as the Tennysons when they arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After the experience with Zombozo, but Max had assured her that a Carnival and a circus were two completely different events. Thus far, Trixie had gone on several roller coasters without puking, Ben had eaten unhealthy amounts of fried foods, and Gwen (unintentionally, she claims) ruined a street magician's performance by exposing the cards hidden in his sleeves. And for once, they hadn't run into any criminals or aliens since that awkward encounter with Trixie 10K (which Trixie refused to elaborate on.)
But the night was still young.
Gwen and Trixie were standing off to the side – the later gulping down a large soda with a bored stared – while they watched Ben try to win the bottle knock down game. But instead of bottle, they were heads of the founding father, Benjamin Franklin, which was very disturbing in Gwen's opinion. They and the stall vendor were waiting impatiently when Ben started narrating his own pitch.
"Bottom of the ninth," said Ben aloud "Two out, full count. Tennyson winds up and…."
Finally, he tossed the ball with all his strength, hitting the bottle dead center. But to Ben's surprise and outrage, the bottles hardly moved despite the ball bouncing back and hitting the counter with enough force to make it shake. The vendor's smug expression didn't idea that there was some heavy-handed cheating taking place.
"No way!" shouted Ben. "This has got to be rigged! I totally nailed Ben Franklin!"
"Knock over the Ben Franklins, you win a prize," said the vendor condescendingly. "Knock over squat, you win squat."
Ben grumbled under his breath and stomped away; Trixie and Gwen following in step behind him.
"I told you it was a waste of money, Benjamin," said Trixie. "It's a well-known fact that carnivals rig all their games while enticing the patrons to spend money on the off chance of a real victory."
"You'd think in the City of Brotherly Love they wouldn't cheat," Ben complained.
"That's the way life is, Ben," said Max, suddenly popping up out of nowhere. "You win some, you lose some. Now come on, kids. You can't visit Philadelphia without seeing the Liberty Bell."
"If I went hero, I'd win every one of those stupid games," said Ben while the children followed Max towards the carnival exit.
"Sure, use the most powerful device in the universe to cheat at whack-a-mole," said Gwen, glaring at her cousin. "That's real heroic."
Ben pointed with his hands in his pockets. They were almost out of the carnival when a disturbance caught their attention. Several people were screaming and running away from something. It was quickly revealed that they were trying to escape a runaway truck, which smashed through one of the vendor stalls, swerving dangerously around the pedestrians. There were two men standing on the truck bed, steadying themselves by clinging to a giant bell they had roped down.
The driver regained control of the wheel and drove in Ben's direction.
"Whoa, not good!" yelled Ben.
"Move, you doofus!" yelled Gwen before she ran and tackled him out of the way. Max pulled Trixie off the ground and flattened himself against the wall as the truck swerved around the corner, breaking through a hotdog stand. As they screeched away, the retired Plumber was the first to notice the object they were carrying.
"They're getting away with the Liberty Bell!" shouted Max.
"Not if Fasttrack has anything to say about it!" said Ben, shoving Gwen off and pressing the watch's activation switch. He turned the dial until he found the speedster's silhouette and slammed down the faceplate. Realizing that they were still out in the open where anyone could see, Gwen moved her body to block Ben and closed her eyes when the green light exploded in her fast. But instead of a black-and-blue furred hero standing over her, the sorceress-in-training looked down….
"Evidently, he doesn't," said Gwen, grimacing.
"Oh, come on!" Grey Matter complained.
Up ahead, the Tennysons noticed the thieves' truck suddenly spinning around, breaking the bottle knock down booth, to Grey Matter's delight. Their reason for turning back was because of the three police cars that appeared at the end of the road, immediately pursuing the criminals.
"Gwen, toss me!" Grey Matter shouted at the redhead.
Gwen nodded, understanding what her cousin was thinking.
The redhead picked up the Galvan and stepped back as the truck came hurtling toward them at full speed. Gwen threw her cousin like a baseball at the truck as it passed; Grey Matter successfully stuck to the vehicles hood with the help of his species natural adhesive abilities.
Grey Matter crawled down the side of the truck towards the vehicle's wheels, which should provide him access to underneath the hood. He used the brake cables to swing inside, dodging the rotor and slipping through the belt until he reaches the cables connecting to the vehicle's axles. It was a simple matter of unscrewing a few binders and ripping several cables until the truck started to lose control. Grey Matter's secret tactic was a huge success as the vehicle swerved into a pole, which all but folded the truck in half. Unfortunately, the sudden stop also launched Grey Matter through a hole in the truck's hood, sending him flying across the road.
It was a miracle that he happened to land in a giant bin filled with jellybeans. The Galvan crawled to the surface, grinned proudly as he tasted one of the jellybeans that saved him from be splattered, which were about the size of his head.
"Now that's what I call a sweet landing," said Grey Matter jokingly. He checked to see what became of the thieves and was relieved to see the police circling the crooks. Gray Matter started to swim out of the jellybean pool before he noticed the giant sigh overhead and read aloud. "'Guess how many jellybeans and win a free music pocket.' Way too easy for the little guy with the mega brain!"
Ben found his family standing outside an electronic store just a block away from the carnival with his new music pocket in hand. They had been watching the police escort the Liberty Bell thieves to make sure that none of them tried to escape.
"What did they hope to achieve by stealing a national monument?" asked Trixie. "It's not like there is anyone dumb enough to buy it, even on the black market. The entire US government would hunt them down in days."
"Criminals are hardly the brightest bunch," said Max.
"Hey, nice music pocket," said Gwen, taking notice of Ben's new device. "How'd you get it?"
"Let's just say a little friend helped me make a lucky guess," said Ben cryptically.
"You used Grey Matter?" Gwen gasped. "That's cheating!"
"I didn't see any 'no aliens allowed' signs," said Ben smugly.
"Sounds like we know what today's lesson is going to be about," said Trixie exasperatedly.
"Hey, Ben, check it out!" said Max enthusiastically, pointing at one of the televisions left on in the store (which was a huge waste of electricity.) On the screen was a group of children in baseball uniforms. "Your hometown baseball team, the Bellwood Cannons, are in the finals of the Little League World Series."
"No way!" shouted Ben in surprise, peeking through the window. "I was supposed to be on that team!"
"Yeah, if only you could hit, or throw, or run," Gwen insulted him, counting off her fingers.
"I never understood the excitement around baseball," said Trixie blandly. "What's so fun about hit a ball with a stick and running in circles?"
"Hey, baseball is the greatest sport ever!" said Ben defensively, then rounded to Max. "Can we go, grandpa?"
"Or catch, or slide," Gwen continued smugly. "Stop me if I'm leaving anything out."
"Williamsport, PA," said Max wistfully as the Rust Bucket made its approach to the Little League Sports Complex. "The birthplace of little league baseball. That honored institution where dreams of greatness are first forged in young minds, along with the life lessons of fair play."
"Coming off a little strong, aren't you, Maxwell?" Trixie commented, deflating the retired Plumber.
"I don't know," said Gwen, scathingly glaring at her cousin. "I think some people could learn a thing or two about fair play."
"Pfft, you're just jealous cause I won't listen to my music pocket," said Ben, who was blatantly showing off his ill-gotten gains to purposely irritate the redhead.
The Rust Bucket came to a sudden stop at the gates, which was guarded by a surprising number of law enforcers. Several of them went around the Rust Bucket with mirrors to check the underside and police dogs for sniffing out anything potentially dangerous. Oddly enough, they didn't have the idea of checking inside the RV, which was a more likely place to hide something.
"What's with all the extra security?" asked Gwen as the same officer passed under the window for a second time.
"The president is a big baseball fan," Max informed them. "He likes to make an appearance to cheer the kids on."
"Well, not I'm less enthusiastic to be here," said Trixie, who had been tapping away at her laptop the whole time.
"Wait, is it the orange idiot or the old idiot?" asked Ben.
"Does it matter?" Gwen retorted.
Once they were given the all clear by the guards, Max drove the Rust Bucket inside and found a place to park near the practice fields beside the stadium. The Tennysons hopped out of the RV and Ben immediately spotted a team of children in sky-blue baseball uniforms already on the field practicing for the big game.
"There's the Cannons!" Ben pointed out excitedly. "I'm gonna go say hi!"
Ben hopped the fence and took off running. He was halfway across the field when he suddenly found himself pulled back by his pants, letting out a startled cry. In an impressive display, the wielder of the Omnitrix was hanged from a fence pole by his pants (despite there really being nothing to hold him there.) As Ben flailed to free himself, he caught a look at the responsible party and grimaced when he saw two familiar faces.
"Ugh, J.T and Cash," Ben groaned, face palming himself.
"Look who's still hanging around, J.T. – Wedgie Tennyson," said Cash mockingly while Ben finally managed to pry himself free. "Thought you'd be hiding out frokm us until school started, shrimp."
"Yeah, well, I've been a little busy saving the – " Ben started until Trixie intervened, slapping a hand over his mouth.
"Really, Benjamin?" said Trixie, giving him an unimpressed stare. "Of all the people we've met, you want to tell them?"
"Hey, hey, who's the cutie?" said Cash, wagging his brows at Trixie. Both she, Ben, and Gwen made disgusted expressions.
"What're you doing hanging around with Tennyson?" J.T. joined in, flexing his nonexistent muscles. "Ditch the loser and come hang out with a couple of real men."
"One: I'm gay," said Trixie bluntly. "And two: even if I wasn't, I'm way out of your league."
Ben and Gwen snickered behind their hands while Cash turned red with embarrassment and anger and J.T. looked dejected.
"Oh yeah, well…," Cash sputtered. "Your hair is dumb!"
"It must have taken a lot of gray matter to come up with that witty remark," said Trixie sarcastically, then turned to Ben. "Who are these clowns?"
"Just a couple of jerks," said Ben, frowning. "How'd you guys make the team, anyway?"
"Talent," said Cash condescendingly. "One hundred percent pure talent."
"Oh, and four guys got chickenpox," J.T. added, which earned him an elbow from his annoyed best friend.
"Aw man, that means I would've made the team, too," Ben groaned.
"Yeah, by default," Gwen scoffed.
Ben was about to snap back when they heard something whizzing through the air. The children turned and quickly ducked out of the way by a baseball that must've been flying a hundred miles per hour. The ball was effortlessly caught by a scowling boy in a dark crimson baseball uniform. Another boy in a similar uniform was standing on the opposite end of the field, but he had nothing that would cause the ball to fly so fast other than his glove. Did he throw it? No, that's impossible, Trixie thought.
"Came for a preview of what we're gonna do to you in the next game?" Cash, obviously, antagonized them.
"The score in our last game was 28-3," said the opposing player in a strange monotone. "The next one won't be that close."
"Yeah, well, I'd like to see that!" said J.T., which earned him another elbow from Cash.
The Tennysons exchanged curious looks before turning back to the player on the opposite side, startled when there was three of them suddenly winding up. Ben pulled Gwen and Trixie to the ground as the scowling players practically launched the ball like rockets, narrowly missing Cash and J.T., who screamed like little girls and dived to the ground. The balls were caught by three more players on the opposite end of the field in perfect synch.
"Hey, watch where you're – " Ben started to yell, but dropped back down when the player systematically threw the balls back. They kept throwing the balls back and forth, almost mechanically, ignoring Tennysons as if they weren't there.
"Hello!" Gwen screamed. "In case you didn't notice, we're not wearing uniforms!"
Snap!
As if a switch had been flipped, the crimson-uniformed players stopped throwing and lined up in a row as if they were soldiers awaiting their drill sergeant. And judging by the steely gaze of the coach that suddenly appeared on the field, it probably wasn't too far off.
"Excellent drill," said the coach apathetically.
"Drill!" shouted Max, who had been watching from behind the fence. "They nearly took those kid's heads off!"
"Maybe next time they'll stay out of the way," said the coach indifferently. He snapped his fingers again and the players immediately lined up behind him. "Good luck, Cannons. You're going to need it."
Cash growled in frustration, picking up a baseball, and shouted, "You forgot something!"
He shot the baseball at the player in the back of the row, only for his (and everyone else's) jaws to drop when they caught the ball without even turning their head.
"…Yeah, there's no way that's normal," Trixie pointed out.
When the actual game started, there were dozens of secret service agents roaming around the stands, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. They were looking in the wrong place, Trixie thought. While Ben, Gwen, and Max were actually paying attention to the game, she was tapping her laptop furiously, going through a dozen windows a minute. The suspicious behavior of those kids – the Squires, she learned – made the human Omnitrix want to investigate them a little more.
"If the Cannons don't win this game, the series is over," said Max.
"Something about those guys is weird," Ben told his grandfather, watching the Squires throw the ball between each other like bullets and easily catching them. Though it would have been better if his mouth was crammed full of hotdog meat. "They're too…perfect."
"Exactly what I was thinking," Trixie mumbled. "Let's see what I can find on them…."
The Bellwood Cannons soon took the field. Cash took his place on the pitcher's mound, which clearly did not sit well with Ben.
We want a pitcher, not a hairy – " he was cut off by Max pulling Ben back in his seat.
"Benjamin," said Max with an edge of warning in his tone.
"What?" said Ben innocently.
Then the real game started.
From the beginning, the whole game turned into a one-side beat down. The Cannons started off strong with a seemingly perfect first inning homerun, only for the Squires to pull off an impossible leap and catch the ball in midair. One of the Cannon's players hit a foul ball that went backwards over the cage. The catcher could have just as easily let it go, but he instead climbed the fence and, to the shock of both player and umpire, hanged upside down from the top bar and caught the ball in his glove. He flipped back down to his original position and tossed the ball back to the pitcher like nothing had happened. After three consecutive outs, it was now the Squires' turn at bat.
Despite Cash purposely aiming his throw at the batter, the Squire player nailed a perfect swing while simultaneously snapping his bat in two. The ball launched through the air and hit the overhead lights, impossibly destroying them the entire thing while the batter ran the bases in less than ten seconds. And when the Squires pitched again, they were literally throwing the ball so fast it caught on fire, burning a literally hole through the bat.
"Aw man, we're getting destroyed," Ben groaned, flailing back in his seat.
"I thought you hated Cash and J.T.," said Gwen.
"I do," Ben admitted, "but I want them to stink, not the team."
"Something is definitely off about this game," Trixie interjected, still tapping away at her laptop. "Listen to these stats I pulled up: The Squires' team ERA is less than one, slugging percentage 986." Ben and Max were both gobsmacked by this news. "No one in history – not the majors, minors, collage, or little league – has ever been this perfect."
This information gave Ben pause. He suddenly rose from his seat saying, "I'll be back. I need another double chili cheese dog." Gwen, of course, was suspicious, but didn't say anything.
Down on the field, the Cannons had finally managed to get someone on first base, but the odds were still against them. The Squires' pitcher threw the ball and the Cannon's batter miraculously managed to get a hit, barely staying within the line. The ball seemed to be heading towards the third baseman, an almost easy out, when the ball suddenly redirected in midair and skipped past the Squires' baseman. The Cannons now had two on base.
The next Cannons' batter was up. The Squires' pitcher threw the ball and the Cannons' player hit it straight into the air. It was a complete lob, one that the Squire's midfielder was ready to catch. But just as it was within a foot of his glove, the ball suddenly rocketed into the stands, giving the Cannons and homerun.
"Wow, did you see that homerun?!" said Max, visibly impressed.
"Yeah, that was amazing," said Gwen in equal parts astonished and suspicious. She pulled out her smartphone and turned on the video recording. "Maybe too amazing. Time for a little instant replay."
Cash was next up to the plate, feeling confident about their chances with their sudden change of luck. The Squires' pitcher threw the ball and it looked like it was going to fly over the plate from Cash's perspective. Then, all of a sudden, the ball changed directions midair and nailed him in the side, the area throbbing painfully and was likely to bruise. Cash whimpered as he dragged himself over to first base, but he could have sworn he heard something like laughter in the wind….
Next up to bat for the Cannons was J.T. The Squires' pitcher threw the ball and it successfully went over the plate with J.T. completely whiffing the swing. Then, J.T. felt something around his feet go taut and he collapsed face first on the mound. The bespectacled bully looked down and realized that his shoelaces were tied together. But how could that have happened, he wondered. They were perfectly fine a second ago.
Trixie and Gwen exchanged suspicious stares. Both Cash and J.T. had their share of misfortune while the rest of their team had surprising good luck. There was only one explanation: Ben was behind this.
As fixing his laces, J.T. bunted the next pitch and took off toward first base. The ball bounced toward the third baseman when it suddenly changed direction and swerved past him. The outfielders tried diving for the ball, but it kept changing course away from the Squires as if it were alive. By the time the ball reached the end of the field and one of the Squires' outfielders finally got their hands on it, the Cannons had managed to get all their players to home base, putting the Cannon's score ahead of the Squires and ending the game.
While the Cannons ran onto the field celebrating, the Squires were surprisingly unexpressive about their loss.
"That was amazing!" Max cheered when he noticed someone was missing. "Where's Ben?"
"Five chili cheese dogs?" said Gwen. "Take one guess."
"I am so not on bathroom duty," said Trixie immediately.
Sometime after the game had ended, Ben finally made an appearance after suddenly going for chili cheese dog and never came back. He had been on his way back to the Rust Bucket when he heard an annoyingly familiar voice: Cash. Which J.T. must also be nearby.
Not wanting to deal with him, especially after winning the game likely gave him an ego boost, Ben took cover behind a tree and waited for them to pass.
"Hey, hey, hey, who rules?" Cash was singing his own praises. "Let me tell ya: The Cashter! The Cashman! Sir Cash-a-lot!"
Ben rolled his eyes, withholding an annoyed groaned. Ben knew this was gonna happen. Now his bullies were going to be even more unbearable. Ben had hoped that they would just leave soon so that he could make it back to his family without having to deal with their inflated egos.
That plan, unfortunately, fell through when members of the Squires suddenly appeared out of the trees and circled the bullies. That caught Ben by surprise; he hadn't seen or heard any of them coming.
"Come with us," one of the Squires demanded.
"Outta my face, weirdo!" Cash snapped.
He swung his metal baseball bat above his head as a means to threaten them. But one of the Squires not only snatched the bat out of his grip, he bended the implement into a horseshoe with his bare hands! Cash was understandably terrified; J.T passed out.
"Oh man…," Cash moaned. "You guys need to back off on those new energy drinks…."
"Ugh, seriously," Ben groaned. Despite every fiber in his body telling him not to, Ben knew he had to save the bullies from getting beaten to a pulp. "What does doing the right thing feel so wrong?"
Ben tried activating the Omnitrix, but the device was still in Recharge Mode after his…intervention during the game. He won't admit it to anyone, least of all Gwen, but he was starting to think it might not have been a good idea to cheat.
Giving up on getting the Omnitrix to work, Ben pressed himself against the tree to remain concealed, deciding to watch how everything played out. Cash, ever the genius, tried punching his way out. Not only did the Squires catch his hand, but he humiliated Cash by making him punch himself, effectively knocking him out. The Squires picked up the unconscious bullies and carried them away. And with the Omnitrix nonfunctional at the moment, the best thing Ben could do for his bullies was – reluctantly – follow silently behind them.
Meanwhile, back at the Rust Bucket, Gwen was going over the video she recorded during the game while Max putting away their souvenirs in the overhead compartment and Trixie was forever glued to her computer.
"I knew it!" Gwen shouted triumphantly. "Grandpa, look at this. It's super, super, super slow motion."
Gwen played the footage of the ball's strange redirection trick at normal speed first. Then she rewound and turned down the video speed, pausing when they got a clear view of a certain blue-and-black alien moving the ball.
"Fasttrack," said Max with a disappointed glare. "Ben should know better. You don't cheat in baseball."
"Actually, quite a few people cheat," Trixie pointed out.
"Well, Tennysons don't!" said Max heatedly. "Ben is going to be grounded for this!"
"Before you lay down the law, I believe Benjamin had probable reason for going hero," said Trixie, turning her laptop around, showing them several windows of information she had spent the entire afternoon gathering. "I've been researching the Squires on the internet. When you cross-reference the Squires' roster with the baseball hall of fame database, the Squires have the same names as several professional players from the 1950s. After learning this, I reached out to Dexter and the Test Twins and neither of them have found proof that these children even exist. No birth certificates, medical records, report cards – nothing."
"That's not all that's weird," said Gwen, pointing out the window.
Max and Trixie follow the direction she was pointing. For whatever reason, the Squires' coach was standing outside the Rust Bucket, closely observing to members of the president's security, who were also just standing around for no reason. Seemingly satisfied with what he got, the coach quietly walked away.
"Now why would a coach be checking on the secret service instead of his own team before a game?" Max asked suspiciously.
"I don't know," said Trixie. "But something tells me we're about to find out."
Ben silently followed the Squires to what seemed to be an abandoned railway station in the middle of the woods, ducking behind the rusted train cars just out of the Squires' vision. The bolted iron doors automatically opened when the Squires approached. Ben narrowly managed to slip inside before the door closed behind them and took shelter behind a nearby machine, which looked oddly new compared to the rest of the building. That's when he realized it wasn't as abandoned as everyone was lead to believe.
The station was covered in wires and pipes connection to blocks of advance machinery that Ben couldn't even name, all managed by dozens of beetle-like robots. In the middle were eight metal bed, two of which the Squires strapped Cash and J.T. into. In the beds opposite of them were a pair of bodies wearing the Cannons' uniforms, but their heads were flat and metallic with a pair of red bulbs for eyes. That's when it hit Ben.
"They're robot," Ben realized. "That's why they're so perfect."
Just then, the doors behind him started opening again. Ben looked around for a place to hide and noticed a hidden hatch beside him. The Omnitrix wielder quickly pried the door open and jumped inside just as the Squires' coach entered the station. Ben stole a quick peek as the coach walked pass, though he thought he saw several shadows coming up behind him before the doors seal shut.
"I don't know how they took control in that last inning," said the coach, "but we cannot risk it happening again. Scan them."
A couple of the beetle drones descended from the ceiling stopping in front of Cash and J.T.'s faces, right as the two bullies were beginning to regain consciousness.
"Ugh…I had the weirdest dream…," J.T. groaned. "We were kidnapped by the Squires and – WAAH!"
The bullies cried in terror as the beetle drones extended their pointed legs inches from their faces. But neither of them were harmed, to Ben's disappointment. Instead, the beetle drones seemed to be scanning their faces. While this was happening, machines pressed down on the android's flat faces, giving them fake skin, and similar scanners started molding the skin.
"This would be so cool if it weren't so freaky," Ben muttered to himself.
When the machines were finished molding the fake flesh, the androids had become perfect copies of J.T. and Cash – a robot arm even provided the former with a set of matching glasses, which was very weird in all honesty.
"These players will be our insurance policy," said the coach. "Dispose of the originals. And the spy, while you're at it," he added, glancing towards Bern through the opening in his hiding place.
Realizing that he had been caught, Ben pushed the hatch open and made a break for it. The wielder of the Omnitrix looked over his shoulder as he reached the wall. One of the Squires dropped a duffle bag on the ground and unzipped the bag, which contained dozens of baseballs. Three of the androids picked up the balls and started systematically throwing them like bullets. Ben looked down, spotting a rusted hole in the floor, and jumped inside, the balls narrowly missing his head. He poked out of the hole a moment later and looked back to see the baseballs had done the impossible: puncture holes through a solid steel wall.
"Hey, you could seriously hurt someone with those!" shouted Ben.
"That's the point," said the coach, nodding for his players to continue their assault.
Ben dived back into the hole as the Squires threw another bombardment of baseballs, tearing off more of the wall. They stopped shooting after a few seconds and chance another peek outside. It seemed the Squires had given up throwing baseballs and were now resorting to bats. One android jumped into the air and threw a bat into Ben's hole, nearly taking his head off and fracturing the floor behind him. Ben quickly crawled through the tight space as more bats were smashed into the ground around him.
The two android who had been assigned to dispose of Cash and J.T. took notice of their teammates having difficulty getting rid of Ben and left their prisoners to join the hunt.
"Was that Tennyson?" asked J.T when the androids were gone.
"Here? That wimp?" Cash scoffed. "Get real."
The baseball hailstorm was getting closer and closer. The androids were honing in on his location and starting to block him off from all sides. Ben was backed into a corner when he heard the blessed chime of the Omnitrix signaling the end of its recharge. Ben didn't waste time searching through his options – any of his aliens would be better than this! – and slammed down on the faceplate.
The Squires raised their arms to block out the blinding flash of green light that erupted below the floor. The next thing they knew, a crag of crystalized spikes ripped through the floor, sending several androids who had been standing there flying. The crystals receded and Diamondhead stared down the androids in contempt.
"Whoa, it's one of those alien hero guys like in the news!" shouted J.T. to a stunned Cash.
One of the androids swung a wood bat at Diamondhead, which seemed very impractical against a silicon-based species. The bat snapped against his arm and Diamondhead swatted the Squire like a common fly. He leapt forward and punched the coach, but was surprised when he deftly ducked out of the way. The coach backed away from the silicon hero and the J.T. robot jumped on Diamondhead's shoulder in a fruitless attempt to pin him down. Diamondhead casually peeled him off, then grabbed the Cash android. He looked between them for a moment and, with a satisfied grin, smashed their heads together, breaking them into a dozen pieces.
"Is it just me, or was that thing smiling when it smashed our robots together?" asked J.T.
The coach leered at Diamondhead as the silicon hero faced him and said. "Support units only!"
Diamondhead took a single step forward when he heard a bunch of mechanical whirring above and tilted his head back. The beetle maintenance drones sprang into action and jumped toward the silicon hero.
"That can't be good," Diamondhead commented.
Diamondhead smashed through a few of the initial drones, but more and more kept piling on and quickly overwhelmed him.
All the while, nobody noticed a section of the steel wall behind the machines suddenly rusted and melted as a green gas seeped through. Trixie (in half-Lavoisian form) stepped through the hole she made with her oxidized gas with Gwen and Max behind her. The three of them hid behind one of the machines and surveyed the situation.
"We have to free those kids," said Max, referring to Cash and J.T.
"Do we, though?" asked Trixie. Max shot her a disapproving leer and Trixie sighed exasperatedly.
Diamondhead managed to break free from the drone pile up and jumped to the top of the nearby machine blocks. While he sliced and diced his way through the encroaching swarm, Gwen and Max secretly slipped in between Cash and J.T.'s beds and started fiddling with the shackles. Trixie left them to save the bullies and scanned the area when she noticed a computer on the desk that had conveniently been left open, displaying a complete facial scan of the President of the United States.
"So that's what they're up to," said Trixie, not realizing how much her voice bounced off the metal walls.
The Squires' coach spun around quickly as Max and Gwen released the bullies. He narrowed his eyes and ordered his androids, "Team, move out!"
"Whoa, these guys take their baseball way too seriously," J.T. commented as they watched the Squires flee the building, shutting the doors behind them.
"The Squires are getting away!" shouted Max.
"I think we have bigger problems," said Gwen. She pointed at the machine powering the facility, noting that it was sparking dangerously. "The coach rigged it to explode!"
"Diamondhead!" Max called out as the silicon heroes tore through two drones at once. "We need a way out! Fast!"
The silicon hero took one look at the sparking machine and quickly assessed the situation. He hopped down to the floor, standing in front of his family and bullies. The beetle drones started clustering together in front of them, which suited Diamondhead just fine. The silicon hero slammed both fists into the ground and generated a wave of sharp crystals that skewered the beetle drones and torn through the steel door like it was made of paper. Diamondhead retracted his crystals, exposing a sizable gap in the door.
"Go!" he yelled.
They didn't need to be told twice. Cash and J.T. were the first ones out of the building, followed shortly by Max and Gwen. Trixie lagged behind, breathing another cloud of oxidized gas at the next swarm of beetle drones that crawled down from the ceiling. The gas instantly rusted the robots' joints, stopping them in their tracks. Diamondhead picked up his partner and ran towards the exit just as they building was caught in a fiery explosion.
On the outside, Gwen, Max, Cash, and J.t. were tossed through the air as the shockwave of the explosion catapulted them off the ground. Gwen was the first to pick herself up, looking back at the burning remains of the secret complex.
"Ben? Trixie?" cried Gwen. "Did they – "
"I'm sure they're fine," said Max reassuringly. "They're tough."
"Are…are those robots all gone," J.T. stuttered as he and Cash turned to Max for answers, just missing the brief glimpse of red light inside the flames.
"Destroy all humans!" Ben shouted in a would-be robotic voice as he and Trixie walked out of the wreckage, completely unscathed. He laughed as the bullies screamed and took cover behind his grandfather. "Hah! Gotcha, losers!"
"Oh, hardy-har," said Cash scathingly. "You missed all the action as usual, Tennyson."
"…They're not really that stupid, are they?" asked Trixie, wondering how they could miss the obvious clues.
"They really are," said Ben, smirking at the bully's indignant outcries.
"What was all that about?" asked Gwen. "Why bother kidnapping these dweebs?"
"We're right here, you know!" shouted J.T.
"They don't care about these morons," said Trixie, ignoring the bully's continued complaints. "While we were inside, I saw their database. They had a copy of the president's facial features."
"If they could switch out those kids for robots," said Max gravely, "they could do the same with the president."
"We'll need a way to get on the field to stop them," said Gwen seriously.
"Well…," Cash spoke up, drawing attention to him and J.T. "Thanks for all your help and stuff, but er…we've got a game to play."
Gwen's eyes lit up with inspiration and turned to the rest of her family. The others seemed to reach the same conclusion, though it took Ben a few seconds longer to understand.
"Not so fast!" Max called out to the kids, stopping them.
"It's game time and the favored Squires have taken the field!" the game's commentator announced as the Squires resumed their places, warming up by shooting the ball between them.
"Nine innings and our plan shall be complete," the coach muttered to himself. He looked back at the single player who had been taken off the field, satisfied as he watched the Squires transform into a perfect replica of the president before his eyes. Yes, his plan would go off without a hitch….
The Cannons were making their way into the stadium, unaware that one of their plyers wasn't really a member of the team. Ben cackled quietly as he slipped past the guards. Gwen watched her cousin sneak inside through the Rust Bucket window while their grandfather opens a hidden compartment between the seats, pulling out another alien rifle. They and Trixie start to leave the Rust Bucket when –
"Hey, what about us?" Cash complained, standing in the middle of the RV in his underwear, to Trixie's disgust.
"First off, get some new underwear," Gwen grimaced. "Second, don't move."
And on that note, she slammed the door in their faces.
"First up to bat for the Cannons: Cash Murrey!"
Though he loathed everyone to think that he was Cash, Ben stepped up to the plate, keeping his head down so his face was concealed under the helmet. He knew he should transformed right there while he had the element…but realizing that he was playing for his home team at the world series (even if he was disguised as he bully) made Ben want to savor the moment for a little longer.
"I guess hero time can wait one pitch," Ben muttered to himself.
The Squire pitcher threw the first ball…and Ben completely whiffed, falling flat on his back.
"Strike one!"
"Or two," Ben told himself, dusting off his uniform. "Come on, you can do this."
The Squire threw the next pitch…and it completely sailed over the plate before Ben even had a chance to swing.
"Strike two!"
At that time, Gwen, Max, and Trixie entered the stands. How they managed to slip past security while Max was carrying a giant gun was anybody's guess.
"What's he waiting for?" asked Trixie.
"My guess is a fast ball, low and away," said Max, grinning.
Ben tightened his grip on the bat, his eyes narrowing seriously. The Squires' pitcher winded up, threw the ball down the plate, Ben swung the bat…and connected! Ben was genuinely astonished as the ball went sailing over the pitcher's head…then remembered he needed to run. That was an important part of the game (or so I heard.)
Ben rounded first as the ball miraculously sailed over the midfielder's glove and make a break for second base. The Squires finally managed to retrieve the ball and threw it to the second baseman. Ben jumped into a serious dive, kicking up a cloud of dirt that obscured everyone's view of him and the green flash that exploded inside.
"You're…," the second base ref started to declare…until Subwolfer suddenly jumped to his feet, snarling down at the smaller man.
"Safe, right?" Subwolfer barked. The ref just nodded; he wasn't about to argue with a werewolf.
Now with his personal goal accomplished, Subwolfer picked up the second baseman by the nape…and the Squire broke free with a solid kick to the werewolf's face. The Squire landed on all-fours with his head on backwards, then took a quick second to straighten it back. Of course, the damage was already done as the whole stadium saw it. Now that it was exposed, the Squires decided it was time to end the charade and reveal their true forms: crab-like machines with burning-red eyes and blades hands.
The crowd understandable gasped. The former second baseman jumped on Subwolfer, who grabbed the robot's sharp hands before it could puncture his eyes. The Loboan lifted the robot higher, snapped his powerful jaws on its legs, and pulled until the android was torn in half. He tossed the wrecked remains aside and turned his attention to the rest of the Squire robots, who were making a beeline for the president. Subwolfer looked around quickly and discovered a bucket of baseballs that was conveniently left out with no probable explanation.
"Here comes the pitch!" said Subwolfer.
He emptied the bucket into in gaping maw, cramming his cheeks, and exhaled with a sonic howl, sending the baseballs flying across the field like speeding bullets. The balls smashed against the androids like hailstones, breaking them into dozens of pieces like they were made of glass.
Unfortunately, one of the robots managed to slip away in the middle of the fight and leapt in front of the president as he was being escorted by the secret service. The guards shot the robot point blank with their pistols, but they just bounced off the machine's armor. It took little effort for the android to defeat the secret service, only really needing to release a shockwave of electricity that conveniently targeted everyone except the president. The president turned to run, but ran into a second android coming up from behind.
Just as they started to close in, one of the androids was melted by a column of flames and the second's head exploded as it was struck with electricity. Trixie heroically landed in front of the president with her hair on fire and arms made of magma, but hard electrified nodes on her limbs and a crazy smile.
The president had no time to even consider how strange this day had become before Max and Gwen appeared behind him, the latter shooting down the rogue machines with his gun and the latter throwing magic bolts.
"Mr. President, come with us!" shouted Max.
Well, he certainly wasn't going to stand around at let these crazy machines get him, that was for sure.
Max and Gwen guided the president down the stairs and through the tunnel into the stadium. They were being pursued by more androids, but Trixie covered their rear as she smashed through the robots with a crackling laugh. Gwen, Max, and the president duck inside a small museum dedicated to Little League baseball, taking cover behind an oversized glove and baseball bat.
"We'll be okay in here," said Max.
"Are you sure…," Gen moaned worriedly, pointing to the opposite side of the museum where the Squires' coach had ominously appeared.
Max raised his gun threateningly to the coach, but the man just smiled in a smug manner. He suddenly ran across the room faster than any of them had anticipated and knocked Max flat on the ground before he could pull the trigger. He then shoved Gwen into a nearby cage, bending the metal lock with his bare hands. And for extra insurance, he stuffed Max into the giant baseball gloves and closed it around the old man to prevent him from escaping.
And, as to be expected from the leader of the United States, the president tried to slip away, leaving a couple of innocent people to take the fall for him. Karma caught up to him quick enough as the coach zipped around to block his path and shoved the president to the ground.
"I don't think so," said the coach threateningly. "Soon, we shall control the White House."
With the snap of his fingers, the fake president stepped into the museum, smirking down at his real counterpart. The coach and the fake president move in to dispose of the genuine article when they felt the room rumble. Next thing they knew, the wall behind them fell on top of the fake president as Subwolfer made his dramatic entrance.
"Not while I'm in the house!" Subwolfer announced heroically. He paused for a moment, realizing that there were two presidents in the room, one of which he had crushed under his paw. "Aw man, please tell me that's the fake president."
Luckily, it was; the fake president's disguise wore off and Subwolfer released a sigh of relief.
Another crash came from the opposite side of the room. The coach spun around, glaring as Trixie walked in dragging the broken remains of two androids in her wake.
"Game over, coach!" said Subwolfer. "You're – "
Subwolfer was suddenly blasted back into the wall by a powerful laser beam that shot out of nowhere. Everyone in the room was left dumbfounded when they saw that the Squires' coach had suddenly sprouted two massive laser cannons from his shoulders.
"Think again," said the coach dangerously as he revealed his true form: a larger version of the Squires androids with two shoulder-mounted cannons and four more laser emitters on his chest.
"Yeah, that tracks," said Gwen dryly.
Trixie jumped forward at the coach with a crackling screech, her arms awash with flames and electricity. The coach turned itself around by the waist and fire all six lasers at the mutated girl, knocking her out of the air and collapsing on a display case of sports memorabilia. Subwolfer snarled as he watched his friend get hurt. The alien werewolf reached over and ripped the oversized baseball bat out of the ground, lifting it over his shoulders. The coach noticed what he was doing and blasted the oversized bat with his lasers, breaking the display in half. But that wasn't a problem for Subwolfer – it actually made the thing lighter.
"Welcome to the seventh inning stretch!" howled Subwolfer.
Subwolfer charged at the android coach, dodging the lasers, and swung the bat when the coach was in range. The initial impact caused the coach to break in half, its joints shattered and its cannons crushed. The remains exploded in a blaze of glory as it hit the wall on the opposite end of the room, creating a gaping hole in the wall. Eh, it's fine, Subwolfer thought. The president can pay for it….
After helping Trixie get back on her feet (thankfully with nothing more than a bump on the head), Subwolfer broke the latch on the cage to set Gwen free, then opened the glove to release Max. And just in time, too. The Omnitrix beeped and Ben reverted back to human form in a burst of red light…which somehow escaped the president's notice despite being only feet away.
"Where'd that creature go?" asked the president. "I wanted to thank him for his bravery."
Ben walked up behind the president, ready to reveal himself as the alien hero that save his life…then Trixie came up behind him, and slapped a hand over his mouth to silence him.
"I'll give him the message, sir," said Max, shaking his head subtly towards Ben.
"Trixie, why…," Ben complained after removing her hand.
"You know why," said Trixie, shooting him a stern look.
The president stepped away from the Tennysons, examining the wrecked head of the coach android in curiosity…when the head suddenly lit up and turned toward the president.
"We shall not be stopped!" yelled the coach android as it opened its face plate, revealing a hidden cannon as a desperate last attempt.
"Okay, now that's cheating!" said Ben.
Ben acted quick and picked up a sharp piece of metal scrap off the floor. He shoved the president out of the way and stabbed the shard into the cannon's mouth, jamming the opening. Max picked up his grandson and Gwen and Trixie pulled the president away as the android exploded again (man, they really love explosions!) When the heat subsided, not even a nut or bolt of the coach's head remained.
"You're out!" shouted Gwen humorously. Ben and Trixie gave her an unimpressed look. "C'mon, even I couldn't resist."
"The details of the attack are a matter of national security," the president announced in front of a press conference one hour after the Squires' defeat. The Tennysons watched from afar in the Rust Bucket as they were heading out. Ben crossed his arms in the front seat with an annoyed pout. "But I am proud to introduce you to the boy who saved my life."
He is, of course, referring to Cash, who was sucking up all the glory with J.T. by his side despite doing nothing to earn it.
"Aw man, they so do not deserve that!" Ben naturally complained.
"Just like someone else I know didn't deserve that music pocket," Max retorted with a smirk.
"…By the way, where is my…" Ben started to ask when he noticed his cousin at the table, listening to his music pocket.
"It's like I always say, Ben: cheaters never prosper," said Gwen smugly. "But sometimes their cousins do."
"Be sure to remember that when you decide to cheat on your summer homework using magic," said Trixie bluntly, effectively wiping the smirk off the redhead's face.
"Okay, I get it," Ben groaned, leaning back in his seat. "I don't want to be a cheater, but…."
A wicked grin crossed his lips as he activated the Omnitrix. There was a flash of green light, a rush of wind, and the RV door opening and closing in rapid succession. Trixie, who had been watching the press conference on her laptop, was unsurprised when Cash and J.T. suddenly vanished in the middle of Cash's overblown interview. The camera eventually panned to the overhead signpost where the bullies were found dangling from the corners by their underwear.
A moment later, Fasttrack returned to the Rust Bucket with a hearty laugh.
"That doesn't mean I'm not a sore loser," he said.
Meanwhile, Max's former partner, Phil, made an audible gulping noise as the Forever Knights inspected the wreckage of what had once been the Squires' coach. To say that Enoch was displeased was an understatement. The golden masked leader of the faction stomped furiously on one of the android's heads with more force than necessary, cracking the ground under his boot.
"This entire operation was supposed to make up for the capital we lost when the Infinitrix disappeared!" said Enoch with restrained fury. "And once again, it is ruined by those accused Tennysons. By the crest of the Forever Knights, the Tennyson family will pay with their lives!"
Next chapter: The Visitor