Chapter 5-The Enemy Below part 2
Ratchet wondered, not for the first time since being stationed on Terra, just how mind numbingly odd this day had become. Just this morning he was concerned with the increasing lack of feeling in his hands (a bad sign for an old mech like him) and barely paid any attention to the news aside from the discovery of an entire race living within the ocean. He was just focused on reading medical reports from Pharma and Ambulon that beamed in from Delphi when he got a panicked message from Optimus.
"Ratchet!" Optimus burst into the medibay carrying two bodies in his hands. Ratchet immediately recognized the humanoid forms as the queen and crown prince of Atlantis. "Ratchet, we need-"
"Put them on the beds, now!" Ratchet was in full medical mode as he had Optimus hook them up to life support machines, a new addition to the Ark's medibay in the case the kids suffered from anymore life threatening injuries. Longarm got to work in checking them over, and he already knew it wasn't looking good for them.
"Ratchet, they're suffering from extreme internal damages." Longarm said, running an X-ray scanner along their bodies. "And the prince is sporting severe burns. He's worse off than the queen."
"Scrap." Ratchet hissed.
"Can you help them, Ratchet?" Optimus asked.
"This medical equipment was built with humans in mind. I don't know what to use on merfolk without knowing if their bodies will accept it without harmful side effects." Ratchet said.
He was right. They had no idea if human medicine wouldn't do more damage to them or not. Optimus knew that the atlantians probably had some form of medical system for their people, but time was of the essence.
'If we can't use medicine, then maybe there's something else we can do.' Optimus thought. 'They're from the sea, so their bodies are adapted to aquatic environments…that's it!'
"Ratchet, take one of the miniature CR tanks and fill it with water." He said.
Ratchet looked at him confused. "What?"
"Just do it, Ratchet!"
Ratchet hurried over to where he stored his medical supplies and took out two of the spare miniature CR tanks that was reserved for Minicon-use. He quickly filled it with water and placed the two atlantian royals into the tanks. Longarm looked at their readings and saw that their heart monitors were slowly stabilizing.
Longarm looked at Optimus. "How…?"
"The atlantians may be amphibious, but they're bodies are mostly suited for an underwater environment. Their bodies will heal faster in water until we can give them proper treatment." Optimus explained.
"And you suggested this based on a hunch?" Ratchet said disapprovingly.
"Did you have any other ideas?" Optimus replied.
Longarm looked the two royals over. Tyr was in much better condition than her son. Finn, who had jumped in front of his mother and took the brunt of the second explosion, was covered in serious burns and even when sitting in water his condition only improved slightly.
"This is a disaster. The Atlantians will see this as an act of war." Optimus sighed.
"Go ahead and talk with Barnett. We can handle things here." Ratchet said, turning to the two merfolk. "At this point, all we can do is pray that they make it through the night."
XXXXXX
Optimus and Prowl stood in the command center talking with Barnett on what to do next. Thankfully, they were actually in a better position now than earlier with their guests.
"I already have local law enforcement searching for the person behind the bombings. Judging from your description, it was a known esper mercenary Tabitha Sawyer. She can create tiny orbs that explode at will." Barnett told them. "The entire city's on high alert for her right now, but the top brass is dragging their feet after that stung Queen Tyr pulled at the world assembly."
"I assume they know we have the queen and her son in our possession?" Optimus asked.
"Yes, and they want you to turn them over into their custody. Some of the high ranking military officials, mostly in the Navy, think it might be helpful to have some leverage over the atlantians." Barnett rubbed his forehead and sighed. "The Navy and Coast Guard are on high alert, guys. This is looking to be an international incident."
"Prime, Teletran's getting a transmission across the local television channels." Prowl said, pointing at the main monitor. "I think the queen's daughter is out for blood."
Optimus looked at the screen and saw Princess Astrea standing before her council, clad in armor and carrying her mother's trident.
"Here me, people of Osea. My mother and brother took a chance coming to the surface world to protect our people from those who threaten our peace and independence. She did not want to fight or start a war. None of us did. But despite her calls for peace, you spat in her face and then had the audacity to attack them without provocation! If this is how humanity conducts business with those different from them, then no wonder the espers seek your extinction!"
"This is on all channels by the way. She's somehow hijacking the cable networks to get her message across." Prowl said.
"Can they do that?" Barnett asked.
"They have the technology to do that and more. This is tech that was brought over from thousands of years ago. Ancient and powerful stuff." Prowl answered.
"Because of this attack on my family and a ruling sovereign of Atlantis, I hereby declare war on humanity, starting with Osea. Your oceans belong to us, and your Navy is nothing compared to the power we possess." Astrea continued. "And this last part is to the Autobots. Return the remains of my mother and brother over to me within 48 hours or we will start attacking coastal cities along the east coast of Osea. Not a second longer."
The message ended and the screen went black. Optimus, Prowl and Barnett stood in silence as the full weight of the situation came down on them.
"This…is going to be really bloody." Prowl muttered.
"Not if we can stop this before it starts." Optimus said. "Find that mercenary. Someone had her attack those royals, and I want to know who!"
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Once the broadcast was over, Astrea relaxed her tensed shoulders and stepped down from the podium, with her guard, Kiani, following her like a shadow. Her uncle, Gryphon, stood close by with her mother's trident, which was worth more than any crown their people made. Since she couldn't take the throne until she was eighteen, it fell to her uncle to manage things until she was old enough. Astrea didn't mind that, as she was still reeling from losing both her mother and brother. There was too much on her mind right now to really think about ruling a kingdom.
"48 hour, princess?" Gryphon asked curiously, walking in pace with Astrea. "With all due respect, princess, that's too broad a time frame. You're giving them too much time to prepare."
"I'm also giving ourselves time to prepare." Astrea said. "We still need time to get our forces into position, uncle. We can't do that if we push the humans into mustering up a counterattack before we've even deployed the gigas."
They reached the atrium of the palace, where they had a wide view of the sprawling city before them-Mu, Atlantis' capital city. The entire city sat atop a massive ship that was built thousands of years ago, a city-ship that lay buried under the ocean floor and well hidden from non-merfolk live. Everything they used was built and maintained using technology humans once wielded back in the Age of Wonders, technology that the merfolk have refined over the centuries to better acclimate to the changing world.
Astrea knew of the overwhelming capabilities of human weaponry, everyone in the political and military arenas knew. Thus no one was too worried about their more powerful weapons, as they had been paying close attention to them since the Industrial Revolution. The humans may have their missiles and bombs, but the Atlantians controlled the seven seas…and more.
"General Killian, how are our defenses?" Gryphon asked Killian.
"The outer colonies are on high alert of any human underwater vehicles and Autobot presences in the area. Leviathan gigas are on standby and the Tigersharks are prepped and ready to deploy." Killian said. "Be it an assault or a skirmish, we'll be ready for it."
"Has there been any word from Garen on the surface?" Astrea asked.
"Nothing of note, princess." Killian said. "I'm sorry."
Astrea closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Okay…that will be all."
Killian and Gryphon bowed to her and they walked out of the atrium. As they made their way down the hall, they waited to make sure they were alone before starting their conversation.
"You know, this isn't such a bad thing." Killian said.
"Oh really?" Gryphon grunted disapprovingly. "Even after all this time, the princess still holds some affection for the hairless apes on land. I admire her code of conduct, but the humans will no doubt use this grace period to bombard the ocean with their weapons."
"She was right in the idea that we can also use this time to prepare. The humans have no idea where our cities are, and we are within striking distance of every settlement along the coastline of Osea." Killian explained, placing a hand on the man's shoulder. "Gryphon, 48 hours is more than enough for us to activate the Blue Sun."
Gryphon paled and glared at Killian. "Are you mad, Killian?! The Blue Sun is a doomsday weapon that shouldn't be fired to blatantly!"
"You and I both know that even though our quarrel is with Osea, all it takes is one nation to lead the rest of the world into war with us. We may have advanced weapons but they have numbers on us. If we want to at least have a chance at winning, we need to cut them down to size, and the Blue Sun can do just that."
Gryphon grimaced and looked away. "But…to fire it without even informing the princess…"
"She'll refuse our request in a heartbeat. She's like your sister in that regard, unwilling to take the next step in winning for our people's existence." Killian placed a hand on Gryphon's shoulder. "There's no backing out of this now. We've gone too far. All we can do is make sure our actions weren't for nothing."
Gryphon inhaled sharply through his nose and nodded before walking down the hall to the war room with his general. They needed to win this coming war at any cost. For Atlantis, and her people.
XXXXXX
"Optimus Prime, don't make this any harder than it has to be. Hand over the two Atlantians."
Optimus wasn't one to really dislike people, but he found himself disliking this Director Hollander more and more as the meeting went on. The director of the now defunct Skywatch organization was met with General Abernathy and Agent Barnett, who were acting on the President's behalf in "requesting" that they turn the two Atlantians to Osean custody. Prime's refusal sparked a rather heated argument in which he had to keep deflecting the three men to keep the two merfolk from falling into less reputable hands.
"I've said this before, Director Hollander, until the queen and her son are in a stable enough condition to be moved, they will not be going anywhere. And I will not allow them to be treated as hostages or lab rats on my watch."
"That's not your call to make, Prime. We are on the verge of war, and we need every advantage we can get." Hollander said. "We barely have two days to prepare for an invasion we have no idea when or where it's going to start."
"When the Queen recovers, we can have her stop her daughter from waging war on us." Optimus said. "She's only waging war on us because she thinks that we tried to kill her mother and brother. This exchange may be the only way to avoid an all-out war."
"Exactly, so hand them over into Osean custody so we can at least have some leverage over the princess." Hollander glared at Optimus, who glared back at him. "Don't think that you have the authority to interfere in Terran matters like this. You can't just go behind our back and withhold enemies of humanity like this."
"Given that you are the new director of Skywatch, you're the last person to be talking about going behind people's backs." Optimus remarked. This got him an ever colder glare from Hollander.
Abernathy considered Prime's words and nodded. "Okay, Prime, we'll trust you on this one. I'll put a word in for the President and you try to resolve this mess with the Queen. Just remember that we can't hold back forever. If they shoot first, we'll shoot back."
Optimus nodded and the general signed off, and Hollander did the same, but not before giving Optimus a baleful glare. Now alone, Barnett gave Optimus a look.
"You didn't tell them about the prince?" He asked.
"If I did, they would've been more adamant to get his remains, and I will not have a hand in them desecrating his body." Optimus said and looked to the medibay across the hall, where he saw the Queen still sleeping on her bed…and her son lying still beneath a white sheet placed over him.
XXXXXX
"Is the target sighted, Bee?" Prowl asked.
"Not yet." Bumblebee said with a sigh. "This is getting a bit dull."
Bumblebee was a scout trained to move fast in short periods of time and wait only as long as it was beneficial to his survival. He rarely had to wait in one place for so long and it was staring to wear on his patience. But Prowl had to admire his tenacity for keeping still for so long; a far cry from Armorhide. He just wouldn't shut up.
The two Autobots were paired up for their specific skills to locate and capture the esper woman, Tabitha Smythe, who bombed the world assembly and tried to assassinate the two Atlantian royals. Optimus ordered them to interrogate her on the spot, preferably before the Atlantians found her first and killed her.
Prowl had checked the security cameras in the area on the day of the attack and since then, he noticed that Tabitha hadn't left the city yet, but was laying low until she found an opening to slip past. The entire city was on high alert for her, so she couldn't just hitch a ride to New Jersey. After some more inspection, Prowl learned that she liked to hang out at an underground bar for espers she frequented often before heading to her apartment. It didn't take long to find the place and together they waited for their prey to make her move.
"How long does it take for a woman to get drunk and go home?" Bumblebee groaned.
"From what I've heard, our woman can hold her alcohol pretty well." Prowl said. "Be glad she's not a complete heavyweight or we'd be here for a long time…wait, I see her."
They hushed up when they saw Tabitha climbing up the stairs while hefting a large steel chest on her shoulder, which was covered in strange symbols. Prowl did a quick scan of the chest and noted that it was built with a metal that wasn't known to his databases. She put the large chest into the back of her van and quickly waddled into the driver's seat, despite clearly being plastered. As soon as she started the van, she abruptly drove in reverse and knocked over a fire hydrant before speeding down the street.
"Let's go before she runs someone over." Prowl said. He and Bumblebee drove after her and Prowl switched on his siren.
In her van, Tabitha was trying to keep her vision from turning double as she drove drunkenly to her safe house. She didn't usually get so drunk before driving, but she just hit the biggest payday of her life. With this money, she was set for life! Then she heard that dreaded police siren and looked at her rear view mirror to see a police cruiser gaining on her tail.
"You bastards aren't gonna ruin my night!" Tabitha growled and blew into her hand. Several small energy spheres formed in her hand and she tossed them out the window onto the street, letting them roll towards Prowl. She waited for the Autobot to get closer before snapping her fingers, mentally detonating them.
Prowl cursed as the street suddenly exploded right in front of him. The force of the explosion flipped him forward, throwing him nearly a foot into the air before he crashed onto the sidewalk.
"Prowl!" Bumblebee exclaimed.
"Circle around the block and cut her off!" Prowl yelled, changing to robot mode to right himself. "Hurry before she get's away!"
Tabitha laughed loudly at her supposed victory. "Stupid cop. Should've stayed back to finish his doughnuts!" She turned back to face the road and jumped when a small yellow car suddenly stopped in her path. "Fuck!"
She tried to swerve out of the way to avoid hitting the car, but she got another surprise when the VW Beetle unfolded and reshaped itself into a robot. Bumblebee leaned forward and easily caught her van in his grip, skidding back a bit, but managing to stop her in her tracks.
"Isn't it illegal to drink and drive?" He asked.
"Get fucked you stupid tin can!" Tabitha kicked her door open and jumped out, throwing a couple of energy bombs at his face. Bumblebee scrambled back as the tiny but deceptively powerful bombs exploded in his face, blinding his optic sensors with the energy discharge that left him with blurry vision for a moment. Tabitha used this chance to make a run for it.
"Stop!" Bumblebee stumbled after her, but as his vision recovered, he missed the energy bombs she left on the ground. He stepped on one, and when it detonated, it caused a chain reaction that coated his legs in flames. "Ow!"
"Later loser!"
Tabitha's parting shot and subsequent victory was cut short when a jet of water hit her in the chest and knocked her down. "What the hell was that?"
From around the corner, a pale skinned man clad in dark gray armor that looked like hardened shark skin walked out of the darkness and into the light of the flames behind her. He pointed a sharp looking weapon at her that fit over his hand like a gauntlet. "I did, murderer."
Bumblebee blinked to clear the static from his vision as he looked at the newcomer. "Who are you?"
"My name is Garen, agent of Princess Astrea, and you, assassin, are under arrest for the murder of Queen Tyr and Prince Finn." The man said.
"Agent? But you're human!" Bumblebee said.
Before anything else could be said, Prowl sped around the corner and changed forms, pointing his rifle at Garen. "Stand down! This woman's in our custody."
"Stay out of Atlantian affairs, Autobot." Garen glared up at Prowl. "This doesn't concern you."
Seeing that things were about to get violent, Bumblebee stepped between them. "Hold on, let's not fight. We can talk about this."
"There's nothing to talk about!" Garen glared down at the esper on the ground, still holding his weapon at her. "This woman will be brought to Atlantis for questioning, and she will pay for her crimes against our people."
"Like hell I will, blondie!" Tabitha jumped up to attack him, but Garen was faster. He pulled the trigger on his weapon and fired a thin beam of energy that hit her in the right arm, completely engulfing it in ice. She fell to her knees screaming in pain as the extremely cold ice started to seep into her skin slowly freezing her arm from the outside in. "Shit, that hurts!"
"This gun can either give you a severe case of frostbite in the middle of summer or it can completely tear you apart in a single shot. You don't want me to use the lethal setting."
"Look, just stop for a minute. She isn't the one you're looking for." Prowl said. "She's a mercenary. Whoever paid her to attack the queen and prince is the one we're trying to find out."
"So spill it, who paid you to kill them?" Bumblebee demanded.
"I don't know! I don't ask questions from paying clients!" Tabitha grunted. She was already starting to lose feeling in her arm. "Get this crap off me!"
"Not until you answer our questions." Garen said. "What did your client look like?"
"I don't know, he just had on this swanky robe and didn't show his face. Dude was super secretive." She answered.
Prowl looked to the van and walked over to it. Prying the trunk open, he reached inside and took out the chest, dropping it onto the ground and prying the lid open. Ignoring Tabitha's cries to let her money go, he threw the chest to the ground and a whole pile of gold coins fell onto the street.
"Gold coins? Wow, whoever's behind this must be filthy rich." Bumblebee said.
Garen narrowed his eyes and knelt down to inspect the gold. Picking up a coin, he was shocked to find that he recognized the coin. "It can't be…these are Atlantian-made coins. Gold coins that could only be found in the royal treasury!"
"No way." Bumblebee breathed.
"Garen, are you saying that the instigator is Atlantian?" Prowl asked.
"Not just that." Garen stood up, looking very disturbed. "Whoever ordered the assassination has ties to the royal family."
"Or they could be a member of the royal family themselves." Prowl said grimly. "Garen, I know you don't want our help, but right now I think you need to meet Prime. We just stumbled across a case of political subterfuge that might spell danger for both humans and merfolk!"
XXXXXX
Prowl and Bumblebee brought Garen back to the Ark with them, right after informing Optimus of this update, and the man took only a second to marvel a bit at the massive ship he found himself in after steeping out of the ground bridge. Agent Barnett, who was paying the Autobots a visit, walked into the shuttle bay to get him.
"Garen, right? I'm-"
"Take me to them." Garen said firmly. Barnett nodded and had Garen follow him deeper into the ship.
The next few minutes were tense. Barnett led Garen through the Ark, down the familiar set of halls towards the medibay, where they heard someone crying within. Recognizing the voice, Garen pushed past Barnett and ran into the medibay. He spotted the now awake Queen Tyr leaning over a bed covered in bandages. Garen almost called out to her when he noticed the motionless body of Prince Finn on the bed.
"No," Garen breathed. "How…?"
"The prince had taken the brunt of the explosion when he was protecting the queen." Longarm walked up to him. "The severe burns and internal damage he suffered was too much for him to handle and he…didn't make it." He sighed and looked at the weeping mother. "You're welcome to go see her."
Garen nodded and walked over to the crying queen. Tyr had bandages along her arms and a couple on her torso, but she was mostly healed. He stood next to her and got on one knee.
"Your grace, I…I am so sorry for your loss." Garen said softly. "If I had been there-"
"There was nothing you…you could have done, Garen." Tyr sniffled, looking at him with red eyes. She pulled him into a hug, which he returned. "We can't change what has already passed. Right now, all we can do is worry about the present. How is Astrea?"
"She is coping with losing you and the prince, but your brother has taken the throne after news of the attack reached Atlantis. Everyone believes you two are dead." Garen glanced at Finn on the bed. "Lord Gryphon has already declared war on the humans, starting with Osea, and is mustering the Atlantian Army for a devastating first strike on coastal regions all over the country."
"What?!" Tyr stood up in outrage. "He has no right to declare war without the council's approval!"
"He has the princess's support and used that to overturn their decision, using the attack on you and the prince as reason enough to wage war. But I fear that there's more to it than that." Garen said, looking back at the Autobots. "The Autobots have made a rather…disturbing discovery behind the circumstances of the attack."
Optimus chose that moment to enter the conversation. "Your grace, I know you must grieve for your son, but we need to stop this war before it starts. Prowl has discovered that woman who attacked was a mercenary paid in Atlantian gold."
"Atlantian?" Tyr gasped. "No, it can't be!"
Prowl handed her some of the coins he got from the chest. "It's true. The woman was a pain in the chest with a chest full of Atlantian coins that, according to Garen, were from your palace's treasury."
Tyr looked at the coins in her trembling hands. She recognized these coins-gold was something even rarer in the ocean than on land. Abundant quantities of this metal could belong to the royal family, and this brought her down a thought process that she wasn't liking.
"Only a handful of people including myself have access to the royal treasury, and only one person has the audacity to use the royal funds for this." Tyr's tear-stricken face changed into an angry expression reminiscent of a shark. "Gryphon!"
"Your younger brother?" Optimus said. "But why would he do that? Why drag Atlantis into a war?"
"The answer is obvious." Tyr growled. "Because he thinks he's doing our people a favor by wiping out the humans. Garen!"
"Yes, your grace?" Garen straightened up.
"Get me my clothes. Prime, I want to use your communications systems." Tyr commanded. "It's time I had a talk with my brother!"
A couple of minutes later, Tyr was dressed in her slightly burnt and torn robes, marching down the hallway with Garen towards the command center where Optimus was contacting the Atlantian military outpost. They had just reached the room as Optimus finally made contact with the Atlantian palace…only it wasn't the person they were expecting.
"Optimus Prime, this is a surprise." General Killian said, raising his eyebrow. "Are the humans such cowards that they asked their alien champion to speak for them instead?"
"Killian!" Tyr shouted, marching up to the console.
"Queen Tyr, you're alive. How wonderful." Killian didn't sound the least bit surprised at seeing her alive…or pleased.
"Killian, where's Gryphon? I want to speak to him." She demanded.
"That's King Gryphon to you, and he's a bit busy preparing the extermination of mankind." Killian said.
"I'm not dead, you fool, and I know Gryphon paid an esper mercenary to assassinate me. My son is dead because of that bastard!" She snarled. "So tell me where he is right now!"
"I'm afraid that's not possible. Right now we're on the verge of war, and I will be leading the charge to ensure our people's independence and safety from the rabid animals your alien friends are beholden to. We're simply doing what needs to be done. What you were too afraid to do. It's a shame the prince is dead, but at least your daughter will know that certain measures must be taken in order to ensure the continuation of our species." Killian said. "This will be the last time we'll talk, Queen Tyr. Rest assured, we'll name the new underwater kingdom of Osea in your honor."
"KILLIAN!" Tyr roared and shot her hand forward, shooting a jet of water at the screen and destroying it.
"That was unnecessary." Prowl muttered.
"So I take it we're going to stop the Gryphon and Killian from wiping out all life on Osea." Bumblebee said.
"You won't last long against the full force of the Atlantian military." Garen said. "As advanced as this ship is, their technology and weaponry were designed to deal with large, heavily armored vessels. I doubt you'll reach Gryphon before they do serious damage."
"Then what are our options?" Prowl asked.
"Perhaps we can anticipate what they'll do next. Surely Killian doesn't expect to attack Osea without having the rest of the world coming down on them. There must be a contingency to call upon in situations like these." Optimus looked to the still fuming queen. "Queen Tyr, is there any place where the Atlantians can launch an instant strike on any nation they target?"
"Yes, we have a doomsday weapon designed in the worst case scenario if we were embroiled in a war with the entire human race. A weapon designed to cause maximum damage in a short period of time." Tyr said. "The Blue Sun."
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The Atlantians called it the Blue Sun. According to Tyr, it was an Atlantian doomsday device developed by the Atlantian Science Division under orders of her grandfather in response to the growing advancements in human weaponry, particularly the creation of weapons of mass destruction.
It was a satellite that, when launched from its holding site at the North Pole, would be deployed into the atmosphere and build up energy from solar radiation it absorbs. Using that energy, it will fire a beam down into the North Pole, causing a severe polar meltdown that will cause sea levels to rise. Once that process is initiated, the Atlantians would use their most powerful espers to control the water and direct it towards the most populous areas all over the world, turning the flood into a weapon that will cause devastating amounts of damage.
The Autobots looked at Queen Tyr in shock as she explained the process and method behind the Blue Sun's activation. A weapon that used the forces of nature against humanity. It was unbelievable that such a thing even existed.
"Primus," Optimus muttered. "And you would've set that loose on mankind?"
"As I said, I was a weapon of last resort, should the humans prove too powerful to defeat." Tyr said. "But the thing is, I never armed it. The Blue Sun was designed to be activated only by the acting ruler of Atlantis using the Trident, and only I know the place where its fusion power source is stored."
"But you won't need a power source when you have plutonium on hand." Prowl said, making Tyr scowl. "I guess we know who took the plutonium too."
"If the polar ice caps melt, the world will sink beneath the waves. That alone will cause more destruction than Megatron entire army combined." Optimus said, marching to the door. "Gryphon must be stopped."
"And he will." Tyr said darkly. "I'll kill him myself."
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Once Tyr had given them the coordinates to the launch site, the Autobots had taken a ground bridge to the North Pole and mobilized immediately. They arrived at the edge of a glacier in their vehicle modes, with Optimus, Tyr and Garen in the front, following by a strike team consisting of Prowl, Ironhide, Jazz, Arcee, Bulkhead, Trailbreaker, Skyfire and Tomahawk. They were heading toward the large mountain of ice that was just a few miles away from them that held the Blue Sun satellite within.
"It's inside that mountain, hollowed out and hidden in plain sight." Tyr said. "If I can get there, I can deactivate it by removing the plutonium inside the satellite's reactor."
"I think we're already too late for that." Tomahawk said above them. "I'm spotting smoke coming from the top of the mountain."
"They're probably starting up the launch sequence already." Bumblebee said.
"Okay, if that's the case, then where are the baddies?" Jazz asked. "I'm not seeing anyone in sight."
He got his answer when a large pillar of fire burst from the ground in front of them. The Autobots skidded to a stop as the ice cracked and broke apart before them, giving way to the massive Atlantian carrier that tore through the glacier with great ease. Another ship broke through the ice in the open water behind them, and both ships deployed almost a three dozen gigas from their launch bays each.
These humanoid machines were sleeker and more agile than the golems that were once used by humans. Each one was twenty feet tall, and they sported dense composite armor that could a couple of direct hits from a tank shell. Armed with laser blasters built into their arms, they flooded out of the transport ships and charged at the Autobots from both sides.
"Oh scrap." Bulkhead groaned.
"We don't have time for a battle now." Tyr said to Optimus. "Gryphon could already be at the launch site right now."
"Tell that to the fully armed robots charging at us." Jazz said.
"She's right. We don't have time for this. Autobots, fight them back, but try to avoid causing any casualties." Optimus replied and called up to Skyfire. "Skyfire, I need you to warp us as close to the mountain as possible."
"You got it, Prime." Skyfire transformed and landed next to Optimus.
"You better brace yourself, your grace." Optimus said to Tyr. "Warping for the first time tends to make organics a bit dizzy."
Tyr blinked at him. "What do you mean-"
Her question was cut off as she suddenly found her vision engulfed in a bright green flash as she, Optimus and Skyfire teleported away from the battlefield just as the gigas closed in on the Autobots. The team transformed and took out their weapons.
"What's the plan?" Jazz asked.
"Fight off the robots, try not to die and hold out long enough for the queen to stop her mad brother and save the world." Prowl said.
"Straight and to the point." Ironhide grinned and took out his dual laser cannons. "I like that plan."
He combined his cannons into one massive plasma cannon and hefted the large weapon onto his shoulder. Bulkhead and Arcee wisely stood clear of him as he took aim at the gigas running at them.
"Fire in the hole!"
A blinding plasma burst shot from his cannon and hit the oncoming gigas dead on. Over a dozen robots were destroyed in that single blast, which caused an explosion that rattled the ground they stood on. The other Autobots opened fire on the ones that were still charging at them while also avoiding the laser blasts that were being shot back.
Whether or not they could defeat the Atlantian army was not the question. All they needed to do was hold out long enough for Optimus and the queen to fix this mess before the entire world got a rendition of the biblical flood.
XXXXXX
Optimus and Skyfire reappeared at the foot of the mountain with Tyr in hand. The queen looked greener than she naturally was and she closed her eyes for a moment to keep herself from getting sick.
"Never do that again." She groaned.
"Apologies, mate. Forgot that not everyone takes it well the first time." Skyfire said and looked up at the mountain. There was a cave that led straight into the mountain just a few feet from them. "You better get a move on, princess. It's about to get-"
The ice under Skyfire's feet suddenly rose up and engulfed her body, completely freezing everything below her shoulders. Before Optimus or Tyr could do anything, an azure energy beam was fired from the space in front of the cave and slammed into Skyfire's head, blasting her off her feet and knocking her out. Optimus took out his ion blaster and pointed it at the mountain.
"Queen Tyr, I knew you would come." The air shimmered and a tall robot appeared from thin air. It looked like a gigas, but had sleeker black armor, and a more defined head. A long, curved sword hung on its side, and a cannon rested on its left arm, folded up but its barrel still smoking from its recent shot. "I would've been disappointed if you didn't try to stop us."
Tyr recognized this gigas as one of the new models that the Atlantian military had been testing. It was a gigas based on the human talos, created to be piloted by an Atlantian, but instead of joysticks and pedals, it was manipulated using motion controls. The pilot wore a data suit that read their movements and controlled the gigas as if it were a second body. Field tests had proven the gigas to be very powerful and fast, but there wasn't a chance to really test in live combat operations…until now, it seemed.
"Killian." Tyr growled. "What the hell are you doing?"
"I'm doing my duty to my people, your grace." Killian replied. "A duty to ensure their safety."
"So your duty led you to conspire with my brother and attack your queen and prince?" Tyr snarled. "You have some nerve. What you're doing is treason, plain and simple!"
"I regret the actions I had to take to put things into motion, but I will never regret why I did it all. Think about it, do you really think the humans will accept us, when they can barely accept a subspecies that they demonize thoughtlessly?" He went on. "They've already been making plans to kill us or use us as lab rats to study our biology, while stealing our technology to kill themselves faster."
"Not all humans are evil, Killian. Yes, there are many who will commit atrocities for many reasons, but that's no reason to commit genocide like this." Optimus said. "Doing this will make you no better than the most evil of humans you despise so much."
"You shouldn't be talking, Autobot." Killian spat. "Do you think your Autobots are safe from this? I'm pretty sure there are many elements within the Osean government planning to pilfer your technology to make weapons to stab you in the back with. I wonder how long it'll be before they betray you and put your troops on a lab table to cut them open!"
"Enough! This ends now, Killian!" Tyr went to attack, but Optimus stepped in her way. "Get out of the way, Prime!"
"No, your fight is with your brother. We don't have time for a prolonged conflict with him." Optimus glared at Killian. "Let me handle Killian."
Tyr scowled, but nodded and let him take the lead. She raised her hands and the ice she stood on rose into the air, and with another hand motion she turned the ice into water and rode the water wave around Killian towards the cave. Killian pointed his cannon at her, but was forced to duck under an ion blast that almost took his gigas's head off.
"Your fight is with me, Killian." Optimus said.
"That's your first mistake since coming to Atlantis, Prime." Killian growled.
The ice cracked and broke apart under his gigas, and the ice changed into three large spiraling jets of water that rose above him and shot at Optimus. Optimus charged forward, dodging the water jets that crashed into the ground hard enough to crack the ice and fired his ion blaster at the gigas. Killian summoned ice shields to block the blasts while also firing his cannon at Optimus, on top of sending more tendrils of ice at the Prime.
They both charged at each other still firing their weapons. As they got closer, Optimus and Killian threw a punch at each other, landing direct hits on their faces. They stumbled back from their respective hits, but Killian tried to shoot Optimus down with his laser cannon, though his weapon arm was diverted just enough to avoid hitting Prime in the face. They dueled in the snow like this for a minute before Killian lost his patience and raised his other arm, which deployed a long, curved blade that he slashed at Optimus.
The blade dug into his chest plate, leaving behind a deep cut. Optimus tossed his ion blaster aside and took out his battle axe, spinning right under Killian's next strike to bury his axe into the side of his cockpit. The gigas's thick armor saved Killian from a potentially fatal blow, but he was still thrown off balance a bit, and Optimus used this chance to ram himself into the gigas and throw him to the ground.
Mounting the gigas, Optimus rained down a series of powerful punches to the robot's head, his fists denting the machine's armor. Killian felt each blow echoed by his data suit and he cursed the Autobot as he began hitting the gigas's cockpit. Anymore of this and the gigas's frame would be destroyed under Prime's bare hands, and Killian wasn't going to let that happen.
Focusing on the ice under his machine, Killian commanded the ice to shoot out around him and hit Optimus. Four ice spikes shot out of the ground and slammed into Prime, stabbing him in the shoulders and lower abdomen while throwing him off Killian. As the Autobot leader crashed into the canyon wall, Killian shakily got to his feet, both his body and his gigas still ringing from the assault Optimus dealt to him.
"You're good, Prime. Too good." Killian breathed and raised his arms. The ice around him shot from the ground and turned into water, gathering into a ball above him that got larger as more water was added to it. "Looks like I should take you seriously this time."
He thrust his arms forward and the water shot at Optimus, turning into a rapidly spinning drill that would tear the Autobot leader in half at the speeds it was spinning at.
XXXXXX
Tyr ran through the tunnel that led into the mountain. She could hear the sounds of battle outside and knew that Optimus and Killian were fighting fiercely. She would not let Prime's generosity be in vain as she headed down the vaguely familiar corridor that led to the launch chamber.
The launch chamber was built inside of the hollowed out mountain, with reinforced ice bridges connecting separate platforms on different levels. Tyr was on the lowest level, and the control panel for the launch was on the third level, where she was sure her brother would be. The satellite, which looked nothing like any of the satellites that the humans had built over the past decades, was still inside its cradle deep underground, although judging from the steam rising from the dark abyss showed that it wouldn't be sitting idle for long.
Tyr walked out onto the bridge and saw a figure standing on the edge of the third level-it was Gryphon. He stood clad in battle armor that looked like shark skin, and in his hand was the golden trident that he probably used to activate the launch sequence. He wore no expression on his face, but Tyr could see his hand lightly trembling around the trident.
"Sister," Gryphon called out. "So it's true, you are alive."
"I am, and my son is dead." Tyr growled.
Despite himself, Gryphon actually grimaced at that. "It wasn't supposed to be like this. If you had just listened to us-"
"I'm done listening to you, and I'm done talking." Tyr said. "You killed my son, Gryphon. Prepare to die!"
Tyr shot her hands up and sent a water jet at Gryphon. He jumped off the ledge as the water jet destroyed the spot he was standing in and fell towards her, firing golden energy bolts from the trident. Tyr brought up an ice shield from the ground to block the bolts as she ran along the side of the chamber, shooting ice bullets at Gryphon as he landed on the bridge connecting both sides of the circular chamber. He swiped the trident and sent an arc of energy slamming into the platform Tyr stood on, destroying her shield and the ground she stood on. She jumped up and propelled herself at Gryphon on a water jet, slamming into him and flipping over his head to land behind him. Gryphon quickly got back to his feet and raised the trident.
"Do you even know how to use that thing?" Tyr asked spitefully. "That relic is wasted on you."
"I am of royal blood just like you, sister." Gryphon replied. "I can use the trident's power just as easily as you can."
"Yes, but unlike you, the trident chose me upon my coronation."
Tyr held out her hand, and as if by magic, the trident was pulled from Gryphon's grasp and flew over the chasm into her hand. Gryphon could only stare at her in shock as she held her weapon in one hand, lifting the solid gold trident in the air as if it were made of steel.
"I believe the humans have a phrase for moments like this. Oh yes!" Tyr said and pointed the trident at Gryphon. "You're fucked."
At Tyr's command, the trident fired off an energy bolt that was noticeably more powerful than when Gryphon held it. He brought up an ice shield, but the force of the blast sent him flying across the chasm and crashing into the wall. Tyr flew after him and brought the trident down on his face, nearly breaking his jaw as he hit the ground.
"N-No!" Gryphon created another ice shield to stop Tyr from impaling him with her trident, but she merely used its energy current to shatter his flimsy defense. "Sister, please! I was only doing what I thought was best for our pe-"
"I said I was done talking!" Tyr smashed the trident onto his shoulder, shattering the bone there and getting a cry of pain from her brother.
Gryphon crumpled to the ground, clutching his shattered shoulder blade as Tyr stood over him, holding the tip of her glowing trident against his face. He looked up at her fearfully as she prepared to execute him in the heart of the ends of the world.
"The humans will betray us no matter what we do. They'll take our kindness and spit in our face!" He hollered. "Are you prepared for the consequences if they retaliate against us?"
"Any retaliation on their part will be because of your actions today. And if they do betray us, then I'll deal with it accordingly." Tyr replied. "Just like you."
Gryphon made to scream at Tyr, but his voice was drowned out by the explosive burst fired from the trident. Its golden energy tore his upper body apart and completely burned him away. Tyr didn't even flinch as she incinerated her own brother.
XXXXXX
Optimus managed to avoid getting impaled by the water drill, but he was still hit by the full force of the wave, which slammed into him with such force that the armor on his right arm was dented. The drill crashed into the canyon wall behind him and the ice completely broke apart, sending large chunks raining down on him. Optimus ran to avoid getting buried alive and crushed, but as he did so, he was hit in the shoulder by a blast from Killian.
"You cannot win, Prime!" Killian bellowed. "This entire continent is my weapon! Everything the ice touches can be used against you!"
With a smoking hole in his left shoulder, Optimus rolled across the ground to avoid another blast from Killian, getting to his knees to fire off a shot at the gigas. He scored a direct hit on the robot's shoulder, blasting off a good chunk of its joint and causing the blade arm to fall off, but Killian was far from done.
Focusing all of his power into controlling the ice, Killian sent multiple ice tendrils at Optimus. Wounded, but far from defeated, Optimus charged at Killian, dodging the ice whenever he could. What he could not dodge, he simply smashed apart with his bare hands. Prime's charge didn't slow down or waver as he continued advancing towards Killian while dodging and punching away his attacks and Killian was starting to get desperate. When a large spike burst from the ground to impale him, Optimus avoided the spike and used it to push him up into the air before kicking off it and lunging at Killian.
Everything seemed to slow down for Killian as he saw Prime's bright blue eyes glaring at him through his monitor. Optimus was rearing his fist back to deliver a solid punch that would've caused some serious damage. Killian, moving faster than he ever had in his entire military career, shot his right arm up and smacked Optimus away with a large ice construct that sent the Autobot leader flying away from him.
The minute Optimus hit the ground, his body was encased in ice that trapped his arms and legs, leaving him immobile. Killian limped over to Optimus in his damaged gigas and pointed his cannon at his head.
"You're a powerful warrior, Prime, but you're no leader. A true leader will do what must be done, and you simply don't have the conviction for those kinds of decisions." Killian said.
"You don't know what I've done in this war, Killian. I've left millions of people to die just to save a million more." Optimus grunted. His arms strained against the ice, but without leverage, he couldn't even budge. "What you call conviction, I call a lack of morals."
"Then we'll just agree to disagree then." He said. "Goodbye, Optimus Prime."
Just as Killian was about to shoot, a golden bolt shot from the cave and hit his gigas, blasting one of its legs off in a single shot. Killian stumbled, spinning around to the cave where the attack came from and saw another bolt that destroyed the cannon on his arm. It didn't take him long to figure out the culprit.
"The queen…" He hissed. "Damn you, Gryphon!"
As the gigas crashed to the ground, Killian used his water powers to rip away the cockpit hatch of his unit and jumped out of his damaged unit. Just then, he saw the cave entrance explode in a shower of ice and water as the queen raced to fight him, trident in hand, riding in a towering water spout like the great Atlantian kings of old.
'Fighting her would be tough enough as it is. With the power of the trident, she's not someone I want to fight right now.' Killian thought.
Unfortunately, he had no choice, as Tyr unleashed a barrage on him with her trident. Bolts of lightning rained down on him, destroying the very ground he stood on, blasting him off his feet and sent him tumbling across the cold ice. He stood up, but Tyr was already upon him, using the trident like a club to smack back down to the ground. He tried to command the water with his powers, but Tyr was quicker, trapping his arms and legs in ice and stabbing the tips of the trident into his chest to deliver a powerful electrical current into his body that completely numbed him.
"N-NO!" Killian roared as he dropped to the ground, unable to move. He glared up at the stoic queen, who glared back down at him without a hint of remorse in her expression.
"You had this coming, Killian." Tyr said and used her Trident to shatter the ice holding Optimus. "The Blue Sun is staying right here, hidden and deactivated. And you will face justice for your crimes against the royal family."
"You fool! If we don't wipe them out now, they'll destroy us all!" Killian shouted at her. "We have to see this through or our people will die!"
"And whose fault is that?" She shot back. "Don't worry, Killian, I won't let our people suffer because of your xenophobia. Atlantis will stand strong, just as it always has."
A large shadow fell over them, and Tyr looked back at the towering form of Optimus Prime.
"And we will not stand alone this time."
XXXXXX
The aftermath of the battle was almost as hectic as the battle itself. Following the death of her brother, and Killian's arrest, Queen Tyr took up her throne and ordered her forces to disengage and return to Atlantis. She didn't waste any time in informing both her people and the world of the treachery she suffered and what had almost happened. Optimus had acted as her messenger to the Osean government, setting up a meeting before the League of Nations once more, this time in a more orderly manner.
"I would like to apologize to the world for my rash actions. I was so quick to mistrust humanity based on their follies that I forgot that we merfolk are also capable of great good and great evil. It's just sad that it took me losing my son to remember that fact." Tyr said, standing before the world assembly that broadcasted her address to the world. "I know that things will be tense between our peoples, but I hope to have both humans and merfolk eventually join together as a united force against those who threaten our world, most of all the Decepticons."
Queen Tyr was already in talks with President Flagg about a possible alliance between Atlantis and Osea, with future talks with Nippon in the works as well. Garen, the sole human who was raised in Atlantis, was her liaison to the Osean government, and even Optimus was involved in the peace accords as well.
Despite all the media attention and political maneuvering, the queen was still able to have some quiet moments too. After having a tearful reunion with her daughter, they both held a state funeral for Finn. The Autobots were in attendance too, and when Finn's body was laid to rest and Astrea was declared the crown princess of Atlantis, Tyr went to speak to Optimus privately.
"I can't thank you enough for risking so much to uncover the truth, Optimus Prime." She said to the Autobots leader. "Had you not gone out of your way to figure things out, humans and merfolk would be at war now, and the Decepticons would be reaping the rewards."
"We're just doing our jobs, your grace." Optimus said politely. "We all know the cost of war, and its lasting damages. The best we can hope for is to make sure that no other species will have to go through the same pain as we have."
"How correct you are." She replied. "You may count on Atlantis' aid in your fight against the Decepticons. And I hope that our alliance can extend past the war as well."
"That would be perfect, your grace." He nodded. "Your help is greatly appreciated."
Tyr smiled and walked over to the vast window that overlooked the entire city. "All I wanted was peace for my people, and after what happened, it's only gotten harder for us to maintain it."
"But considering the alternative, I believe that such a peace is still worth fighting for, no matter what." Optimus said. "There's no such thing as a lasting peace, but our job is making sure we can make it last as long as possible for future generations."
"You have a point." Tyr smiled, thinking of her daughter. "We need to preserve this peace for our children. That's all I could ever want as a mother."
The two leaders stood together in the throne room, watching the underwater world in all its strange, aquatic beauty. The crisis had been averted, but it was just another chapter in the never-ending story that was Terra's rich history.
Sorry it took so damn long to post this. I was working on a fantasy story I wanted to post on Fictionpress and got super distracted. It's called Fantasia, and I should have the first chapter up in a few days. My fictionpress account is called Saya3x3 by the way. Up next for Transformers Titan is a chapter involving Ironhide and an old human friend of his. Be sure to check out the official Transformers Titan website on Wordpress, directions to the link are in my profile. Thanks for reading and please leave a review.