Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Marvel Comics characters featured in this story. I also do not own any DC Comics characters.
Written by: ScorpinokXV
Story idea from: Crazyboi23
Chapter 6 - Freedom Force Part 4
Time-skip : Beneath the Ocean Depths - On-board Cadmus Deep Sea Submarine
Steve Rogers also known as the Star Spangled Avenger Captain America is briefing his new team, Freedom Force on their current mission to gain an audience with Aquaman in the underwater city of Atlantis. "Listen up, Freedom Force! We're going into a hostile environment with very little Intel on the Atlantian people, or what type of weaponry they might bring against us! We're trying diplomacy first with myself, Sif, and Thor. We will try to gain access into the city to talk with Aquaman to see why he took Grundy with him. Toyman, I want you to be ready at a moments notice to get the team to safety in the sub if diplomacy fails."
Galatea, Volcana. and Giganta look like they are about to object, when Steve holds up a red gloved hand to stop any arguments. "This isn't up for discussion! Trust me, I've thought this through: Sif can use her sword to cleave a portal for us to get back to the sub if worst comes to worst." Cap sees everyone nodding their heads, and Cap smiles over at his team. "Good. Now, to check on the equipment from Cadmus that Waller loaded onto the sub before we left." Steve walks over to the high tech equipment that includes underwater wet suits, and a underwater weapon that Amanda wanted the team to test out in the field.
Cap glances out of the corner of his eye at a worried looking Ace, and that Volcana keeps looking out at the ocean waters through the reinforced glass window of the sub, and shivering uncomfortably. Cap returns to his work, and double checks the equipment to make sure that its all in working order. "What is our ETA to Atlantis, Toyman?" Steve asks the diminutive Toyman, who is currently piloting the Cadmus submarine.
Toyman takes a moment from pressing some buttons on the main control console for the submarine to answer Steve. "We're less than 20 minutes from reaching Atlantis' borders, Captain. By the way, thank you for letting me pilot this sub...I love learning how to work a new controller." Toyman spins back around in his chair, and lets out a happy sigh returning to the sub's console.
Volcana takes a moment to look over at Toyman, and shakes her head causing her long red hair to sway back and forth. "You're a little weirdo, you know that right?" Toyman giggles mirthfully, and continues to monitor their progress to the underwater city. "You say that like its a bad thing, Hot Stuff...I'm a misunderstood genius at best, and an eccentric nut-job at worst. That's what my Cadmus court ordered psychiatrist always said. She also has several restraining orders against me, although I haven't the foggiest idea as to why." Volcana laughs out loud, and pats Toyman on the top of his doll head. "I can see why, but thanks for the laugh Toyboy...it helped get me out of my funk about being powerless with all this water around us."
"Good work, soldier...your methods may be unconventional, but you've helped a teammate forget her fear, even for a short time. This team may work out after all." Cap turns to look over at the Asgardian duo talking with Ace, and notices that the girl is beginning to lower her guard around others. "I can't imagine what it was like for her being a guinea pig for Cadmus, but their days of using people as experiments are numbered if I have anything to say about it! Just one of the many issues that I will discuss with the President when I get a meeting with him." Steve finishes the last check of the equipment, and walks over to the command center of the sub, where Galatea and Giganta are talking with Galatea grimacing like she swallowed something sour.
"You mean Grodd never bathed...not once...disgusting! Besides the fact that you were seeing a talking Gorilla that is..." Giganta frowned, and puts her gloved hands on her shapely hips with her face invading Galatea's personal space. "I was mind controlled! I couldn't fight his mental powers...the fact that he warped my mind to love him makes my skin crawl!" Giganta is hugging herself around the shoulders with a sad look on her face. Galatea puts her head down slightly feeling a foreign feeling inside her. "What is this...I actually feel sorry for her. I can tell this has nothing to do with the empathic link I have with Supergirl. Father told me that I don't need emotions since I'm a clone, but I still love my father even though he never returns my feelings."
Galatea is still deep in thought when Steve approaches the two meta-humans, and places a gloved hand on Giganta's shoulder causing her to jump and gasp in surprise. "Sorry, Giganta. I didn't mean to startle you. I wanted to show you the special wet-suit that Cadmus designed for you. Waller tells me that its able to change size along with you, so that you won't have any issues with tearing it underwater if we have to leave the sub." Giganta puts a pink gloved hand over her heart, and takes a deep breath to slow its rapid beating down. "Sure thing, Cap. I'm going to have to put a bell on you...I've seen cats that make more noise than you." Steve chuckles, and adjusts the shoulder straps for his indestructible shield. "All a part of my training, Ma'am." Steve gives Giganta a salute, and this has Giganta giggling lightly.
Galatea hears the giggling, and smirks over at the two. "Why Captain, it almost seems like your flirting with her. A girl could get jealous that you're giving so much attention to someone else." Galatea nods her head over to a frowning Sif, who notices their looks, and puts her head down to start sharpening her sword Dragonfang with a special stone she brought with her from Asgard.
Steve stares at Galatea, and folds his costumed arms over his broad chest. "There is more to being on a team than the mission itself, Galatea. Building trust for your teammates, and getting to know one another on a personal level helps the team to work better as a unit. I've seen superhero teams from my world fall apart, because they were strangers to each other and didn't trust one another. That's not how I run things, and I hope that you'll let your teammates get to know you better as well." Galatea sees the slight blush on Giganta's cheeks, and stares back at Steve with a knowing smile, and taps a slender gloved finger on her chin. "Maybe...you've got a certain charm, for a human. We'll see." An alarm starts to sound that puts the entire crew on alert, and Steve rushes over to the front view screen showing the waters directly outside the sub.
"What's the situation, Toyman? Are we under attack?!" Toyman shakes his head to the Captain. "No, that was a perimeter alarm letting us know that we've got company." Toyman points to the monitor screen, and the team sees large high tech underwater attack vessels, and smaller manned crafts with Atlantian soldiers carrying staff like weapons that are trained on the Cadmus submarine. Captain America quickly locates the comm device that lets them communicate outside of the sub underwater, and lifts the mic to start speaking to the Atlantian Armada.
"Attention, Attention! We apologize for entering your waters without permission. We mean you no harm, and wish only to have an audience with your king, Aquaman. This vessel is unarmed, and we are on a peaceful mission. Please...do not attack this vessel! We request a meeting with your king...that is our only reason for entering the waters this close to your city!"
There is a pregnant pause after Cap finishes speaking to the Atlantians, and everyone on board the Cadmus sub is on edge. Sif draws her sword from its sheath, and Thor has Mjölnir in his left hand, and his eyes narrow at the armada. Galatea grins at the possibility of showing her teammates how strong she is, and hits her two fists together in anticipation. Volcana is putting on her wet-suit while the other members of Freedom Force have their backs turned. "No way am I going to become fish food." Volcana murmurs to herself.
"Should I use my power to drive them all mad?" Ace says to Steve with no outward emotions shown on her face. Cap turns around, and walks to Ace and crouches down to eye level and puts a gloved hand on her shoulder. "Good initiative, Soldier...but we're trying the diplomacy route first, and if that fails we may need you to help out." Cap smiles at Ace, and gets a head nod from her. Steve can feel Ace's powers starting to affect him, so he averts his gaze from Ace in a way that won't upset her.
"One of the fish men is approaching the sub!" Toyman states with urgency, and Steve rushes back over to the controls.
"Humans! We have been ordered to take you into the city. You will be under constant surveillance, and your primitive craft will be docked within under heavy guard! We will now tow your vessel inside the city dome...make no sudden moves, or we will open fire and destroy you!" The Atlantian scowls at the sub, and places his communication device back inside his smaller craft, and speeds off back to the armada. The Freedom Force team can feel a tug on their sub, and can see through the reinforced window that a large Altantian attack cruiser has an energy field around the sub that is pulling them towards the city.
Steve narrows his eyes, and leans over to press some buttons on the control panel for the submarine. Toyman gasps, and starts to panic slightly. "W-what are you doing?!" Steve turns his cowled head to stare down Toyman, who backs off from the confrontation. "I'm cutting the engines, and letting them tow us without any resistance. If we need to make an escape from the city, then we'll need all the fuel we can spare." Thor walks up to his friend, and team leader and clasps his large hand on Cap's shoulder.
"Aye, we shall not be caught unaware if the need arises." Thor takes in the city with curious eyes as the sub fully enters Atlantis. "I hath visited Namor many times, and this city bares a striking resemblance to his own Kingdom of Atlantis. T'would be a boon to make allies of these people, and not let them become enemies." Thor hung his enchanted hammer back on the side of his hip, and Sif mirrored him by placing Dragonfang back in its scabbard.
"You're word rings true, my Prince...and, thy judgement so far hath been sound, Steve. I doth hope that reason prevails to avoid shedding needless blood." Sif said this while looking down at her sword Dragonfang with a melancholic gaze. Cap glances over his shoulder at Sif, and his eyes soften. "That's a belief that we both share, Sif. Wars have no winners, and everyone loses."
The Submarine suddenly drops down with a loud metallic clang, and it shakes up the Freedom Force team within. Cap turns around to address his team. "Okay. You all know the plan. If we aren't back here within twenty minutes time, you are to take the sub and get as far away from Atlantis as you can. We've got our contingency in case, so don't worry about leaving us in the city. Thor, Sif, let's get going." Cap made his way to the hatch, but is suddenly stopped by Giganta who kisses Steve on his right cheek. Steve is surprised by this, and touches the side of his cheek with his gloved hand.
Giganta backs away with a nervous smile, and a slight blush on her cheeks with her hands connected behind the small of her back. "Umm...it's for luck! Good luck, Cap!" Steve nods slightly to Giganta, and tries to keep his head in the here and now. "Yes...thank you, Giganta." Steve turns back, and presses a button above the exit hatchway and it hisses open to reveal Atlantian soldiers waiting for them to disembark with weapons at the ready.
"Step out slowly, humans! Her majesty awaits you in the great hall! Come!" The Atlantian soldier grunts out, and makes a sweeping motion with his staff weapon in the air. Cap ignores the soldier's bluster, and walks calmly out of the sub with the imposing figure of Thor, and Sif following close behind. Cap is deep in thought as they make their way slowly to the Atlantian Great Hall next to the Throne Room. "Hmmm. Her Majesty...that means Aquaman isn't here in the city. He doesn't strike me as the type to let his Queen meet with just anybody without him being present to ensure her safety, and the safety of his Kingdom. Whatever is going on must be too important for him to leave...but what does it have to do with Grundy is the question I want answered." Steve took in the uneasy feeling that the Atlantian soldiers were giving off, and it has the Super Soldier frowning. Thor, and Sif notices the soldier's behavior and nod over to Steve who nods back knowingly.
"The Atlantian Army is expecting an attack of some kind. Not from us, because they had no way of knowing that we were coming here...who, or what has them so on edge?" Cap, Thor, and Sif are all stopped by the Altantian guards with their staff like weapons crisscrossed in front of their faces a few feet away. The Freedom Force members all look up to see a redheaded woman in an elegant light green dress with a gold belt around her slim waist. She has a gold pointy crown in the shape of a tiara on top of her head. She has attractive features, and sea green eyes with shapely hips, and an above average bust size. The green dress has a split down the sides to show her long toned legs. She begins to walk down the steps leading to the Throne she sat on until she was 10 feet from the Freedom Force delegates.
Queen Mera turns her head to the Captain of the Guard, and nods to him getting him to salute her with his armored arm hitting his chest-plate. "Yes, you Highness! The Sovereign Queen of Atlantis, the Lady Mera will now have an audience with you surface dwellers! Show respect, and it will be given accordingly!" The Captain of The Guard bows at the waist to Queen Mera, and walks backwards to stand back in the row with the other soldiers.
"You will state your reason for trespassing in Atlantian waters, who speaks for your people?" Steve steps forward, and bows his head in greeting to the Queen and looks up to address her.
"We apologize for not clearing passage through your waters with you, but we need to speak to your King on an urgent manner." Queen Mera folds her arms in front of her underneath her bust line. "My King is away, and cannot be disturbed at the moment. What is this urgent matter that requires his attention?" Queen Mera asks, and takes side glances at the two Asgardians on both sides of Steve.
"My team was tracking down a known Super-Villain by the name of Solomon Grundy, and we found him at the docks near Central City. We fought with him, and we were about to bring him in when a giant octopus grabbed one of my teammates, and we had to kill it. Then a giant Sea Serpent surfaced with Aquaman on its head. He then offered Grundy gold to come with him. We tried reasoning with your King, but he was adamant that Grundy was coming with him. The last we saw of Aquaman, he was battling these strange lizard like creatures and soon after left with Grundy." Steve left out the part where they fought with Aquaman, because he doubted that Mera would let them leave the city if she knew.
At the mention of the creatures, Cap and the others noticed Mera tensing up but she soon regains her composure. "My King does not need permission from the surface world to do what is right for his people. Their fate is in his hands, and he will do anything within his power to keep us safe. This audience is now ended. Leave my city immediately." Queen Mera turns around, and begins walking back to the throne, when the whole city is rocked by huge tremors. An Atlantian guardsman comes running through the Great Hall and into the Throne Room. When he reaches the Throne Room, he quickly drops to his knees, and salutes his Queen. The others can see that he's in a panicked state, and that his breathing is labored.
"Y-your Majesty! T-the Old Ones are here, and they attack the city!" Queen Mera's sea green eyes go wide, and she gestures out her right arm quickly to her Atlantian Soldiers. "Begin counter-attack measures! Evacuate the civilian population to the shelters! Do not let them breach the dome!"
"At once, my Queen!" The Atlantian soldiers reply in unison, and quickly dawn their helmets and staff weapons to race out to battle the Old Ones. "Your Majesty, we can help you to protect Atlantis!" Mera stares down at Steve with a disbelieving look. "What can you do? Humans aren't strong enough to battle the Old Ones." Thor, and Sif took offense to Mera questioning their strength in battle and scoffed lightly at her words.
"We are not human, O'Queen...the Lady Sif, and I are Asgardian born! We hath faced a thousand horrors from the nine realms, and lived to tell the tale! We shall bring the full might of the Gods down on these 'Old Ones', and will give them no quarter! Come, my friends! They shall sing songs of our glorious victory in the halls of Valhalla!" Sif smiles, and shakes her head at her Prince.
"Thou shalt never change." Sif said with a laugh in her voice as she unsheathes her sword Dragonfang from her scabbard, and cleaves the air causing a white tear to form revealing the interior of the Cadmus Submarine within. Sif motions for Steve to join them, and Mera looks on with wide eyes. Cap turns to Mera, and smiles confidently at her. "We'll do all that we can to protect your city, and its people...you have my word, your Majesty." Cap turns, and rushes over to join his two teammates, and they pass through the white portal that closes shortly afterwards.
Back Onboard Cadmus Deep Sea Submarine
The other members of Freedom Force have put on their high tech wet-suits with built in tech that converts the water around them to breathable oxygen, and Toyman insisted that they leave the city of Atlantis only to see a swirling vortex open up in the water ahead of them.
"You're like a bad luck charm, I swear! Every time we listen to you, this is the result!" Volcana yells at Toyman, and throws her arms up in anger, and frustration. Ace is just finishing putting on her wet-suit, and lifts her breathing helmet over her head. "Now is not the time to argue. I sense something coming through the vortex...anger, hunger, and a need to destroy." Ace said with a frown on her face. Galatea smiles over at Ace, and runs a slender hand over the left arm of her wet-suit, and makes a fist with her hand.
"I'm ready, bring them on...let's get this party started!" Galatea is about to use the upper level of the sub where there is a room that can be flooded with a hatch leading underwater, when she hears Giganta calling out to her. "Wait, Galatea! We should wait for Cap, and the others before taking on these things!" Giganta reasons with a scoffing Galatea. "You can be the good soldier-girl if you want. I'm going, unless you think you can stop me?" Galatea smirks when she sees Giganta putting her head down, and gritting her teeth. "That's what I thought." A white tear in the air appears in the submarine with Cap, Sif, and Thor exiting it. The three waste no time in getting into their high tech wet-suits, and Cap takes his disk shaped shield off his back, and puts on the harness for the Cadmus weapon that Waller stored on board.
"Good to see that you're all set for action! Atlantis is under attack by these creatures called the Old Ones! We're going to help the Atlantian Armada to defend Atlantis, and repel these invaders! Toyman...you and Volcana stay behind in the sub, and move it away from the battlefield! Freedom Force, time to move!" All the other Freedom Force Members climb up the step ladder to the top floor, and enter the room with the upper hatch. Steve presses a button on the wall of the room, and it is quickly flooded in water. Thor starts turning the valve to open the hatchway, and once it is open, they all start swimming toward the battle.
"Thor...start clearing those creatures away from the dome! Galatea, back Thor up! Ace, Sif, you're with me! Giganta, I need you to assist in getting the wounded, and injured soldiers out of the war-zone!" Steve hears affirmatives over the communication device built into their helmets, and starts swimming at top speed toward a large group of Old Ones. "Time to see if the tech boys gushing about this weapon were right." Cap taps several buttons on the shoulder harness of the weapon, and can feel the hum of it powering up with the barrel located on his chest area glowing a dark blue.
Steve grasps onto the handle grips on each side of the weapon, and prepares for the kickback that will follow the weapon discharging. "Sif! Ace! Get clear! I checked the gear, but this weapon is still in the testing phase. and I don't want you caught in the blast if it backfires!" Sif nods with a worried look at Steve, and takes Ace by the shoulder, and disappears though a tear created by Sif's Dragonfang. Steve sees the large group of Old Ones swimming to his location at top speed. Steve presses the two buttons on the handle grips, and the weapon fires with a strong wave of energy that scores a direct hit on the Old Ones. Cap sighs in relief when there is only pieces of the creatures floating in the water left.
"Have at thee, foul creatures! HAAA!" Thor's battle-cry sounds off over the communication devices as he uses his enchanted hammer Mjölnir to streak through the water to quickly dispatch the Old Ones trying to batter their way through Atlantis' dome. Galatea has an Old One that is struggling in her grip, and she uses her kryptonian strength to rip the creature in half. "Ooow! Cut it out, Goldilocks! I have a super-sense of hearing, and I think I'm now deaf from all your bellowing!" Galatea uses her heat vision to cut apart more of the Old Ones, and swims through several more leaving a trail of dead Old Ones in her wake.
"My apologies, Lady Galatea. The call to battle lives within the blood of all Asgardians, but I shall remember your words!" Thor bashes an Old One that attempts to bite down on his head from behind, and Galatea laughs out loud. "Better be careful, Asgardian...that one almost had your number." Galatea smiles over at Thor, and uses an abandoned and destroyed Atlantian cruiser to push the Old Ones back from the dome.
Sif, and Steve are protecting Ace as they cleave, and blast the Old Ones away. "This is taking too long, and innocent lives are at stake! We need to gather all the creatures in one spot, and take them out, and find a way to close up that vortex!" Cap, and the others watch as Giganta grows to 50 feet tall, and tag teams with Galatea to push most of the Old Ones away from the city.
"We hear you, Cap! Where do you want us to put these zoo rejects?" Giganta said with a smile over to Steve, who nods over to her and Galatea. "We're going to use them as a stop gap to stop any more from coming through! Look out, Giganta! They're trying to swim free!" Giganta, and Galatea start dispatching the stragglers, until a clawed hand from one of the Old Ones slashes at Galatea.
"AAaggggh!" Galatea is holding her midsection in pain, and blood can be seen seeping out of the cut in her wet-suit. Cap quickly turns to Sif with an urgent tone in his voice. "Sif, get Galatea to the Sub's med-bay before she bleeds out!" Sif nods, and turns around to create another portal tear with her sword and then appears a moment later in a similar one next to a groaning Galatea. Sif quickly swims over to Galatea, and takes her through the portal before the Old One can finish what it started.
Cap sighs in relief, but soon gets his head back in the fight. "Thor, we need a cyclone!"
"Ho, Captain! It shall be done!" Thor spins his mighty hammer in a circular motion, and it soon creates a powerful underwater cyclone that spins the remaining Old Ones toward the vortex.
Ace stares intently at the Old Ones, and Thor is surprised to see them attacking one another. Cap, and Giganta look over at Ace for an explanation. "I have driven them insane with my stare. They won't be a problem anymore." Ace states in a monotone voice while glaring at the Old Ones.
Cap starts up his Cadmus weapon, and it charges quickly. "Thor! Get Clear! I'm going to send these creatures back where they came from!" Thor smiles over at Steve, and uses his hammer to get away from the blast zone. The Old Ones are still being propelled toward the vortex, and Cap is waiting for them to get in range. "NOW!" Cap yells. and fires the weapon at maximum power. The destructive blue energy wave travels through the water at amazing speed, and completely destroys the Old Ones, and the white swirling vortex soon disappears from sight.
Steve smiles over at Giganta, Ace, and a returning Thor. "Good work, Team! Now, we have to see to our injured, and make sure the Atlantians who were hurt in the battle get medical care!" Thor nods at Cap, and takes him under one arm, and Ace swims up to latch onto his long red cape. Thor chuckles at this, and spins his hammer Mjölnir. "I shall return us to our vessel! Hang on tightly, Lady Ace!" Thor, and his two companions are propelled through the water, and are soon back over next to the submarine.
Time-skip : On-board the Cadmus Submarine - Medical Bay
Steve is staring down at the still form of Galatea, who is resting on a cot in the Medical Bay with her abdomen heavily wrapped up with Giganta checking her vitals on the medical equipment,
"Well, Cap...it could've been a lot worse. Fortunately, Professor Hamilton prepared a vial of serum that increases the Kryptonian ability to heal at an accelerated rate...add to this the yellow sun radiation lamps that we've got overhead...I'd say she'll make a quick recovery." Steve has a relieved smile on his face, and holds a red gloved hand on Giganta's shoulder. "That's good news...I was worried when I saw her get injured like that...but the only thing that was able to injure Galatea before was..." Cap trailed off, and Giganta finishes his sentence. "Magic! She was hurt when Aquaman's trident, and Thor's hammer clashed with Magical energies...which means..."
Cap nods with a grim look on his features. "Those creatures are magical in origin. I think its time I have another audience with Queen Mera." Steve takes his circular shield, and puts it across his back with the leather handles looped under his armpits. Cap turns his head to have another look at the sleeping form of Galatea, and nods his head at Giganta before leaving the Med-Bay.
Author's Note: Wow! It's been a while, but I'm back and working on some new chapters for my first stories! Thanks for all the favorites, follows, and reviews! It really motivates me to make new chapters! :) Let me know what you thought of this chapter, and I hope to see you in 'Warrior's of Two Earths: The Dreaded One Part1!' : )