Now that Benjamin had made some new friends, they freed some of the other prisoners that had been detained and went to the security room, which had its own armory right next to it. Some of the weapons it carried were the ones brought in with the detainees. Including, one particular item Benjamin found that was quite unique. It was a pair of leather gloves with razor-sharp blades sticking out of the knuckle areas.
"Hey!" He was lightly shoved to the side by Ben Turner. "Those are mine, kid," he noted before taking them out of the box and strapping them on.
Benjamin couldn't help but admire the menacing nature of those gloves, especially when worn by the likes of this big dude, who seemed to be in his zone with them.
"So.... Bronze Tiger, huh?" He asked and only got a side-eye in return.
"There's no broadcasting radio in the security room," Eddie said as he entered the armory. "We can't contact the Chinese government with one of their handheld ones."
"We gotta reach someone close by," one of his teammates said. "We can't take this ship without 'em, not with White's whole army here."
"Wait, I've seen one!" Ben noted, grabbing everyone's attention. "She has one in her office. I couldn't figure out how to work it, but I can lead you to it."
"Is it far from here?" Eddie asked as he approached.
"It's a bit of a hike, but I think we can make it."
Eddie glanced around the room and at his team before he came up with an idea.
"Put your mask back on. You're gonna give us an escort to her office as ordered by your captain," he noted while removing his gun and giving it back to Ben, who nodded in understanding. "I think we can bring one more with us without raising suspicion. Bronze, you in?"
"Is that even a question?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Just make sure nobody can see your claws; and the rest of you stay here and wait for my call. We'll be in touch," he noted as he held up the walkie-talkie.
They were able to find a channel they could communicate on while ensuring no one else would listen in. Benjamin was also delighted to know he could still bring his bow and arrows with him. Once the trio approached the exit to the rest of the ship, Eddie stopped them for something urgent.
"Now, Ben?" He asked and both Bens glanced at him. "Sorry, McFarland, listen; what happened to your dad was wrong and I'm sorry about that, but it's important that we take China White in alive. Can you understand that?"
Benjamin took in a deep breath while averting his gaze before nodding.
"I need her alive, too. I need to know why she killed my dad."
"You help us take her down, and that'll be the first thing we beat out of her. You have my word."
He held out his hand as a promise, which Benjamin gladly took with a nod.
"Let's do it then!"
In the time it took to reach the office, Eddie and Bronze Tiger marched with their hands behind their backs as if handcuffed while Ben followed close behind, continuing to pose as one of them while informing the two which corners to turn. Every now and then, crew members would pass by and whoever noticed the prisoners would give them a quick glance, then either step aside or continue about their own business once they noticed their escort.
However, this one pair of crew members stopped right in front of the trio upon noticing them. They spoke at Benjamin in their native tongue, which he still didn't understand, but he did speak the few words Bronze taught him in case this happened, which simply translated to....
"To our Dragon's Head's office, by her orders."
However, that only seems to confuse the two crew members. Whether it was because China White was still on the island or Benjamin's imperfect dialect or even both, suspicion arised in the two. They continue questioning Benjamin in words he cannot understand, not looking happy either, but Bronze could understand them, and knew right away this wasn't going to be a smooth talk.
So, he resorted to his own methods by stabbing one assailant and slicing at the other, killing them both easily and in the blink of an eye.
"Dear God, bro!" Benjamin said out of shock and horror, having never seen anything like that before.
"Get used to it, kid," Eddie added. "You're bound to see much worse before the day is over."
They moved the bodies to where nobody would find them before carrying on. They reached China White's office before much longer and Eddie went straight for the radio, working the frequencies while McFarland and Turner kept guard, McFarland at the door and Turner ducked by the window.
Back on the island, China White is still with her people on the beach, ensuring their business there is going smoothly as always while waiting for further results.
Everything is until her attention is called by some of her men. She quickly walks over to the returning search team and discovers one of them is without his uniform. It's the same man Benjamin jumped earlier. He is holding his head in pain as the others are helping him to stay up.
He informs his leader of everything that happened, or at least of what he can remember, before he was found.
China White's eyes widen with anger as she already knows what has happened and glances back over to the ship.
Meanwhile, back in her office, Eddie shuts off the radio and turns back to his allies.
"Alright, the good news is, the Chinese are sending their naval forces out as we speak to help out and take this ship; and they're gonna contact our American friends along the way and have 'em pick us up afterwards."
"Ok, and the bad news?" Benjamin asked.
Fyers had an awkward expression as he replied.
"It's gonna take 'em a couple of hours to get here..."
"Figures," Benjamin rolled his eyes. "Well, it's taken almost half a year to get this far. What's a couple more hours?"
After he said that, alarms started going off and some red lights started flashing.
"Oh shit..." He whispers.
"That better be a fast couple of hours," Bronze Tiger replied as he looked out the window, seeing all the triad members running around. "Because we're definitely made."
"We gotta get back down and regroup with the others!" Eddie urgently noted. "Once the rest of 'em get back from the island, things are gonna get even harrier!"
The trio exits the office, checking every bit of their surroundings, and begin making their way back down to rejoin the others. They moved together as one, staying quick, quiet, and as careful as possible.
Unfortunately, it wasn't long at all before a couple of bad guys circled around a corner and spotted the trio. Eddie quickly disposes of them with his AK-47, but the sound of gunfire was bound to draw more unwanted attention.
"Go! Keep moving!" He shouted.
The trio starts moving even faster through the halls, but they are stopped by more flying bullets sent their way. Eddie returns fire, taking down one of the shooters as they retreat behind a corner. He keeps shooting to keep the enemy at bay before being handed a clip from Benjamin to reload. It's then when the archer realizes Eddie's the only one with an actual gun; and therefore, the only one fighting off their adversaries.
"Yo, Bronze! You thought about picking up a gun sometime today?!"
"Oh, that's cute coming from you, Robin Hood! How's that bow working for ya?!"
"I'm better with this than a gun. What's your excuse?!"
"I don't need a gun! Guns are beneath me!"
"Oh, that's real cute! You're really-"
"Hey! Children!" Eddie shouted over the gunfire to cut them off. "Do you mind?! We need to get through there to get back to the Brig!"
He continues firing, but they keep taking cover.
"Dammit! I can't shoot around the corners!"
"I can!" Benjamin replies before taking out one of his arrows and placing it correctly on the bow.
He then leans his head against the wall and takes a deep breath before letting it out.
"You ready?" Eddie asks and Benjamin nods.
"Cover me!"
Eddie fires again while the archer moves quickly, sticking to the side while keeping his head down. He crouches down to a knee and takes aim, knowing exactly where to hit. As soon as Eddie stops shooting, Ben launches his arrow, bouncing it off the back wall and ricocheting it right into the spine of one of the hiding gunmen. He groans in agony while uncontrollably squeezing the trigger, going full-auto on the legs and feet of both his allies. All three bad guys dropped like potato sacks while groaning in deep agony.
"Damn, that worked out better than I thought it would," Ben said to himself with shock and impression while taking another arrow out; and it's a good thing he did.
Another shooter popped out from behind the other corner and Ben quickly reacted by shooting another arrow, nailing him right in the gut. One of his buddies popped out to try and assist him and for whatever reason, perhaps instinct, Benjamin was charging at him. The assailant moves his injured buddy and raises his gun to shoot, but Benjamin baseball slides under the raging bullets and swings his bow like a bat, taking out his lower legs and causing him to face plant on the hard floor. Another gunman immediately pops up from behind the corner, which Ben slides into a kick at his inner kneecap. This forces him to kneel and allows Ben to shift himself into a kick to the head. He quickly rolls to a stance in order to finish the guy he tripped over, roundhouse-kicking his head into the wall. Then, the first guy he shot in the gut with an arrow tried to get the jump on him. Benjamin drove his elbow back into his already injured gut and then again into his face. The attacker hit the wall before kicking McFarland back and attempting a punch. Ben blocked and followed with a left hook and a hit to the gut, again rocking the agony caused by the arrow. He then hits a forearm straight to the face, which already had a broken nose thanks to his elbow, before grabbing him by the ears and driving his knees straight to his face. He is knocked out, but the third guy Benjamin fought off returns to his feet with a pistol drawn. He puts the gun up to the back of his head....
*POP!*
Benjamin almost ducks with a flinch as the gunman drops behind him. He then whips his head to see Eddie with smoke coming out of his gun.
"Nice work, kid, but you need to watch your surroundings," he says before they keep moving.
They start getting closer to the Brig in order to regroup with the others. As they turn another hallway, they could hear more bad guys approaching in the distance.
"I'll deal with these ones," Bronze Tiger says as he walks ahead of the others.
The group of thugs pop out from behind the corner and Turner goes to work, kicking one guy away before slicing and dicing another. In a flawlessly quick fashion, he disarms their weapons, knocks them back, and starts cutting them down one by one. The last man he blocked his right punch before driving a knee into his gut, then taking him down before driving a straight stabbing punch straight to the heart.
"Son of a bitch, where did you find this guy?" Benjamin asked Eddie.
"I didn't, we just got stuck with him, not complaining though." He continues marching on with his weapon as Benjamin follows.
Meanwhile, outside the ship, China White and the rest of her triad members had returned and were now boarding the ship. She keeps barking orders at her men to get them moving and get the situation under control. Now that everyone was back on the ship, things were bound to return in their favor.
"Go! Go! Kill them all!!!"
Back inside the ship, the trio made it back to the Brig, finding a few more bodies along the way. Clearly, their friends had some trouble themselves, but managed to pull through just like them. Eddie contacted them through the radio and they called them back near the armory.
"Hey, is everyone OK?" Eddie checked.
"A couple of wounded, but nothing serious," one of his teammates answered.
"A good number of them have tried to get in here, but we've kept them all back for now," the one that took Benjamin's wooden bow said.
"It won't be long, though, before more of 'em get down here," another squad member said.
"Don't worry, we were able to get in touch with some friends. We just hafta hang tight until they get here," Eddie informed.
Then suddenly, some voices came from the third radio they had kept on the original channel to listen in. One of which sounded like China's. Those among the group who could understand the language listened closely, and they didn't seem to enjoy what they heard.
"Oh, crap," Eddie sighed.
"What? What is it?" McFarland asked and Turner answered.
"They're getting the ship moving again in case we called for help, which we did!"
"We gotta get to the bridge and stop this thing before it gets too far for the rescues to see!" Eddie urgently stated. "Everyone stock up on ammo and weapons! We're in for a lotta fight!"
The whole team began moving through the ship in order to get to the bridge. Some of them even had some heavy-duty armor on, like the kind worn for riots, and carried shields with some big guns as well. They started getting closer to the areas that had more company waiting for them, which they would have to go through in order to reach the bridge.
"Remember, if you see China White, don't kill her. If we can take her alive, we can get the rest of the ship to surrender," Eddie informed.
"Let's not waste any time then! Let's go!" Ben stated and everyone began progressing forward.
The triad spotted the group and began firing at them. They took cover behind the shield wall while firing back, taking out as much of the enemy as they could. One of the assailants tosses a grenade, but Ben spots it and quickly fires an arrow to smack it away, causing it to explode in midair and knock down some of the attackers. This made them easy targets for retaliation until another grenade was tossed. Only this one is kicked away by Turner and sent into a whole group of bad guys, wiping them out. Benjamin fired an arrow here and there at whoever posed the biggest threat or was about to attack one of his allies, but he needed to be careful of how many he used. He didn't have very many arrows and needed to preserve as much as he could. Fyers and Turner would use their fighting skills any chance they could or needed to in order to take out an enemy. Bronze Tiger continued to be a lethal force with his bladed gloves as he disposed of everyone in his path. It wasn't going super smooth, though, as some of the escapees were getting shot.
One particular person who was shot was a member of Eddie's team. He fell right next to Benjamin and died instantly. This causes Benjamin to have a flashback to the night his father died, seeing his life stolen in such an undeserving fashion. Now, it's happened to this poor soul, right as he was about to regain his freedom no less. This enraged the young archer. He was sick and tired of seeing people have their lives stripped away, especially because of China White and her cartel. She had to be stopped.
It was time to end this!
He notices a ceiling light hanging from above the group of bad guys ahead of them. He fires an arrow to drop the large light right on top of the group. Eddie and his team unleash hell with the new advantage and decrease the number of oppositions in their path.
Even crazier, Benjamin took charge of the offenders all by himself. Eddie and some others tried to call for him and stop him, but it's like he was in some sort of frenzy. He charges at the nearest foe while he's crouched, jumping off his back and flying into a knee strike to another's face, then using his punches and elbows to fight off anyone close to him. The triad members tried to stop him, but he was quick, he was clever, and he was especially relentless in his attack. The others managed to help, gunning down those who were distracted while also taking down any nearby enemies. Benjamin then kicks a few of his attackers away before making a break for it. Eddie and his team took out the remainder of the evildoers here, but couldn't stop or catch up to him in time.
Meanwhile, China White was at the bridge rushing the crew to get this ship moving. She remains insistent and demanding, constantly giving orders around the room until she is suddenly interrupted.
"China White!"
She stops immediately, along with everyone on the bridge, and grows stoic before slowly turning to see Benjamin aiming an arrow at her.
"Don't move. It's over," he warned with sincerity.
China just smirks as she remains calm and keeps watching him, recognizing the outfit he has.
"So, you're the stray we picked up? Quite the amount of trouble you caused."
"Trouble you brought on yourself. I was only on that island because of you," he notes and she looks at him with confusion.
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't you remember? You sunk my father's gambit several months ago not far from here."
Realization came upon China White with a slight look of surprise.
"You? The rich brat?"
Benjamin laughed a smirk.
"Guess you picked a fight with the wrong family. Now, stop the ship, then call all your dogs and tell 'em to stand down. It's over."
China just looks at him deadpan before she tosses a knife at him out of nowhere. Ben dives to the side to dodge before launching his arrow, but China swiftly dodges the attack.
"What the?!" Ben exclaimed before jumping up and reaching for his other arrow.
It was his last one, too.
Unfortunately, China kicked it and the bow away before side-kicking Benjamin away. She then roundhouse kicked him with her other leg, bringing him to a knee before putting him in a sleeper hold.
"You should've just died with your father. He got it easy compared to what will happen to you!"
This enrages Ben as he pushes himself up, willing himself through as China kept her hold around his neck. He had done great in building his strength while on the island and is able to reach his feet and push her back into the wall. She only tightens her grip, so Benjamin slams himself back again, loosening her grip before he grabs her arm and throws her off. She lands hard on the floor, but quickly rolls up for Ben to run into a knee to the head. She's knocked back and he capitalizes with a forearm and a left hook. He then goes for knee attacks, but she blocks them and shoves him away. She then connects with a Kung Fu roundhouse that sends him back to the wall. Ben tries to fight back, but China blocks every attempt before countering with a series of punches and kicks, even sending him over the control panels.
Benjamin grunts as he slowly reaches his feet. Clearly, China White was the more skilled and more experienced fighter. It didn't matter to Benjamin, though. She needed to be stopped no matter what; and he would find a way to do so one way or another.
China circled around to confront him once again. Benjamin held his ground, ready to stand and fight. The guys running the ship had already cleared out, waiting for these two to settle their business. China approaches and Ben is the first to strike, faking a jab attempt before going for some kicks. He lands a few to the legs and ribs, but she manages to block most of them before retaliating. She does a straight kick to the gut before throwing a straight punch, which Ben catches and turns into a jujitsu armbar. White groans as he brings her down to a knee, then punching at his side before managing to force him off. She then pulls out two knives and tries to slash at him.
"Woah!" Ben exclaims as he moves as quick as possible to avoid getting cut.
He sways and ducks as China also adds a few kicks into her assault. She kicks Ben in his side and attempts to follow with more slashes, but Ben manages to block them before landing a couple of punches to the gut. He tries to follow with a kick, but she catches him and swings him to the ground before looking for a stab. McFarland kicks her off before it connects and rolls back to a stance. She advances again with a roundhouse that Ben ducks, but then turns into a spinning heel kick that knocks him into the front of the panels. Benjamin backs away while quickly crawling to his feet. China continues to kick and slash at him while he continues to block and dodge. He blocks a kick and grabs her arm after a slice attempt, blocking the other one and having both arms in a tight hold. He kicks at her shin before using his strength to slam her against the panels and then to the other side. He drives a couple of knee shots to her ribs before throwing her over the panels and back to where they started this fight. Benjamin jumps on top of the panels before hopping back down with an elbow drop to the top of her head. He capitalizes with a few kicks to the head, keeping her rocked and struggling to stand. Yet somehow, she surprises him with a spin kick to the gut, then jumps into another kick that knocks him back. White then launches herself into almost a hurricanrana-like takedown while keeping her legs wrapped around him for a triangle choke. Benjamin struggles to escape, using all he can to break the hold or even lift her into a powerbomb. China sees what he's attempting and releases the hold in order to kick him away.
Unfortunately, she didn't realize where she had kicked him towards. Once she popped back up, she found out he had retrieved his bow and arrow, stopping her dead in her tracks.
"As much as I love a good Kung Fu showdown, it's been a long enough day for me," he panted, almost out of breath.
"You couldn't hit me with the last one, and now you're down to your last arrow. You sure you can make this one count?"
Benjamin pants for a second before answering, knowing what he had to do.
"Yea, I think so."
He fires the arrow, but not at China White, but at the main controls he saw one of her men at, preventing the ship from moving any further. The head of the triad turned back to him with irritation.
"Brave move, but a foolish mistake."
She marches toward him, ready to make him regret that decision, but immediately stops at the sound of a gunshot.
"He may have run out of arrows, but he's got plenty of friends with a lot of bullets," Eddie says with his gun on China White.
"Now you show up?" Benjamin asked.
"Hey, there's a lot of traffic. Not to mention, you charging off like Galahad earlier," Eddie joked before turning back to the villain. "And you China White are under arrest."
She just stares at them in anger and defeat before dropping both of her blades.
With China White captured, they were able to bring the rest of her army to a surrender. Not long after that, the Chinese military had arrived to help take over the ship, arrest the entire triad, and rescue the prisoners. Benjamin's new friends were even nice enough to help retrieve all the arrows he used.
Currently, he is now outside and on the back deck of the ship, watching the island as they pull further and further away from it. It was hard to believe that he was finally leaving this place after such a time. It was almost like he was leaving a part of him behind on the island now. In a strange way, he would almost miss it, but he hoped never to return here. After all the time he spent fighting, surviving, wondering whether or not he would actually make it off, it was finally happening.
"How long was it exactly?" Eddie asked as he joined him.
"A hundred and sixty-seven days."
"Damn! Was it as difficult as I can imagine it to be?"
"Probably even more so," Ben nodded and Eddie laughingly scoffed.
"No shit, but I'm glad you made it, Ben. You're a tough kid, and we'll make sure you make it back home safe and sound. You've earned it."
Benjamin nodded with appreciation.
"But you know, you handled yourself quite well through all the shit that happened here, too; especially against China White, which is the most surprising." Ben laughed a little with flattery. "Honestly, I think the C.I.A. could use someone like you."
Ben grew a laughing grin while shaking his head.
"Somehow, when you said federal agent, I just knew that's what you meant."
Eddie laughed as well.
"Seriously though, I think there's a lot you could accomplish with the right training, if you're interested?"
Benjamin smirked as he was flattered by the offer, but he already had his mind made up.
"I appreciate that a lot, but I have my own mission back home that needs me more."
Eddie nodded with understanding.
"I respect that, but the offer still stands if you change your mind. In the meantime, I have my end of the bargain to keep up." Benjamin looked at him questionably. "I promised to get you your answers from China White and I'm a man of my word."
He held his fist for him to bump and he gladly accepted it.
"Wherever you go, if you ever do need any help, we'll be there for you," he stated with promise and Ben believed him.
It was good to know he had a new friend for life he could always count on. Eddie left him to himself and went to interrogate China White. Once he was gone, Benjamin was joined by another new friend.
"He's right, you know?" He turned to see Bronze Tiger approach. "I saw that same potential back there. There's much more to you than I thought; and, as much as I hate to admit it, I'd probably be dead by now if you hadn't come along. So, I wanna say thank you."
Ben smiled in return.
"Well, you helped make sure I'd get to see my family again in return, so thank you."
Bronze nodded with gratitude and even honor.
"If you don't mind me asking, what did you mean when you told Fyers you had your own mission back home?"
Benjamin thought for a moment as he stared off.
"One of the last things my father told me was that I would find my path again, my place in the world. I know what that is now, and it's back home. There's a lot that needs to be done over there, things that need to be set right, and only I can do that now."
Turner could see the look in his eyes and knew exactly what he was striving for, what his mission was; and he knew a great way to repay what Benjamin has done for him.
"Maybe there's a way we can all get what we want." Benjamin gives him a questioning look before he continues. "Since we're heading back to China anyway, I can introduce you to some people I know over there, people that can help you with your mission."
McFarland was starting to see where he was going with this and grew intrigued.
"Granted, it may cost you some more time away from your family, probably more than you've already spent, but I can guarantee you this: by the time you do make it back home, you will be everything you need to be and ready to take on anything you must."
That was quite a choice for him. On one hand, he wanted nothing more than to see his family again and hated the mere thought of spending any more time away from them. On the other hand, the thought of what he could be capable of, the man he could be for his city, the possibilities seemed endless. But again, it was more time away from his family than he had already spent.
"The choice is yours. I'll leave you to meditate on it," Turner noted, able to tell the predicament he was in.
He leaves Benjamin alone with his thoughts, which are deep in contemplation as he continues to watch the island fade away. The thought alone of spending any more time away from home was painful enough; but on the other hand, he couldn't forgive himself if he returned as anything less than who he needed to be.
Thus, today would be the birth of a whole new hero.
End of Arc 1.
(A/N: Next chapter will be the beginning of Arc 2 and introduce some of the additional cast members!
What y'all think of Arc 1?
How did y'all like the fights?
What do u think will occur in Arc 2? And why do you think his father was killed?
Stay tuned and find out!)