Raise the Roof

Looking into the cavern chamber it looked like there were two hundred plus of these monsters including the Large one that Arthur fought to a standstill. He was swimming in front of the mouth of the huge Monster and the rest looked like they were just staring fixatedly at it.

Arthur, {What is this?}

Mera, {Don't you recognize a King and a Queen when you see them?}

On the back of the Queen, as Mera called it, Logan saw some boil-like protrusions and he wondered if she was sick or disfigured. Then he saw one pop and out came one of those sickly-looking young creatures that were floating into the cave their group was in.

Logan, {That was mildly disgusting, she gives birth through the zits on her back?}

J'onn, {The lack of food must be the reason so many are dying right after birth. She must be waiting for all these to be borne before she starts a new breeding cycle with the food the King brought from the surface world. I feel no sentient thought beyond eating and breeding from the Queen. The only thing I feel besides that from the King is the need to feed the Queen.}

Arthur, {Look, the cocoons are on the ceiling of the chamber, we can't break the people out or they would just drown if they aren't dead already.}

J'onn, {I can use my telekinesis to lift the roof to the surface, but I will need Mera to use her water magic to steady the pressure around the cocoons to prevent the people from getting decompression sickness. I will also need to be close to lift something of that size.}

Logan, {If we try and steal their food they will come after us, the Queen too if she is able to move.}

Arthur, {You and I will have to keep them off J'onn and Mera Logan.}

Logan, {Too bad it's so narrow down here or I could change into a form that would demolish them with ease.} The Mosasaurs would make quick work of this group if logan thought he could stomach eating them all.

{Looks like we better get moving, the King just spotted us.} Logan said.

Mera quickly formed a whirlpool around the group as they rushed the room and headed for the roof. They all used their strength to break the ceiling away for J'onn to lift easier. The creatures watched us in surprise, probably not yet understanding their purpose. That is until it started working, as the ceiling tore free Mera used her magic to not only help with the water pressure on the cocoons but also to help J'onn with lifting the ceiling itself.

(Obligatory roof joke incoming.)

Logan, {Now that's how you raise the roof!}

Once they figured out what the group was doing the creatures responded about how you would think they would. Nothing like thieves coming in and stealing your fridge right after a successful shopping hunt.

Mera, {They are catching up.}

Logan, {Let's let them do the hard work, Arthur. You and I can go kick some butt.}

Arthur, {We will buy you the time Mera!}

As the King reached them, he had eyes only for Arthur, so Logan went after any that continued towards the roof J'onn and Mera were carrying.

Logan could feel Arthur attempting to telepathically connect to the King, but all he was receiving back was a wall of hunger and rage.

Arthur, {I wish we could talk. If only I could make you understand that I can't allow you to use us as food.}

Logan, however, was getting a crash course in fighting underwater. Trying to muscle your way through the water to strike killed 60% of your attack. Logan accidentally discovered that if he followed the current they were creating with their movements he could make use of their wake and strike them harder than if he was on the surface.

Add to that Ripjaws claws and yes teeth, then he became a ball of terror for these creatures. If Logan wounded one enough, his buddies took him away, knowing what he knew, it surely wasn't to get them medical attention. That became his method of fighting, wounding them enough that another took the first away. That took two opponents out of his area.

It seemed like hours of just ripping and biting with no care to what direction he was moving, so long as Logan didn't let any get past him to the roof J'onn and Mera were lifting.

Logan saw the King take advantage of Arthur's reluctance to kill him and he got the high ground and started to push Arthur towards the hole in the vessel we had made. Logan had a bad feeling about this, so he started towards him.

Logan saw the Queen pop out of the vessel and open her mouth wide trying to drag Arthur to her massive teeth with a tentacle that came from her back. Using the vortex the Queen was creating by trying to swallow Arthur, Logan swam along with the current and tail slammed the King from behind, and swiped at the tentacle that had wrapped around Arthur's neck. Logan's momentum crashed both himself and Aquaman to the side of the Queen but at least they were out of her suction force.

{You have to take off the kid gloves here Aquaman. If they get past us, then your wife is next to die. Add to that, we have freed the queen from the cavern so she can go anywhere and feed until the ocean is filled with only these monsters of hunger. I understand your hesitation, but this is the path these creatures have chosen, the path of slaughter, it is just a matter of us walking that path or them.}

Arthur looked sad but resigned, {The Volcanic vent, I have one shot. Clear out, Logan. I am sorry.} Logan hoped that last thought was only directed at the Queen, as he swam as fast as he could straight up.

Logan felt an incredible burst of heat and his gills filled with more volcanic chemicals. Logan looked back and saw Aquaman retrieving his Trident from a crack in one of the volcanic vents. When he grabbed and twisted it the vent spewed more lava directly onto the Queen resulting in her almost instant death.

Logan heard Mera's concern for Arthur, but she calmed down seeing both Logan and Arthur race out of the cloud the new lava stream created. Arthur went directly to an overhang and started trying to collapse it into the trench to seal all the monsters in the hole that was quickly filling with lava.

Logan swam above Arthur and mentally shouted, {Clear out Arthur I don't want to squash you.}

[Red don't kill me too soon, I have so many more to show you.]

Next to the Red Wall in his mind, Logan created the image of the largest aquatic animal found in the deep oceans of Pandora. Logan changed into a Tulkun. Three times the size of the largest blue whale ever found on Earth and armored to boot. As soon as he got his bearings, Logan used his armored head to smash into the overhangs and took most of the trench wall with it. Logan saw the King and his followers buried under all the rubble he created and then a deep exhaustion overtook him and he blacked out.

Logan was swimming but it was all black and just as he got his head above water, his eyes opened to the sight of the docks and ambulances everywhere. He had been unconscious.

Logan shouted out, "Please tell me it was Mera who gave me CPR!"

"Hey, that's my wife you're talking about boy!"

Logan looked over, "What, you were hoping I would wake up and say, 'Please tell me it was Arthur that gave me CPR', sorry but you're not my type oh great king of the seas.

Mera's laughter was loud and long!

J'onn also chuckled, and assured Logan, "CPR was unnecessary Logan, Morph covered your face until we reached the surface and has anxiously watched you since."

Logan reached for Morph on his shoulder and rubbed his hand over him, "Good looking out little brother, I want to be awake for my first kiss in this body."

Logan stumbled to his feet and J,onn steadied him. "Take care Logan you exhausted your energy with that last form."

Mera asked Logan, "What was that monstrosity? It looked like it could flatten all of Atlantis in just minutes. I have never even heard of something like that. It frightened me more than the creatures."

Logan, "Just call it something from my imagination Lady Mera, a form I don't plan to take again for a very long time if ever." [I just hope there won't be a need for something that size again anytime soon.]

All around them, people were being removed from the cocoons and yelling for their loved ones. A little boy ran to Arthur and said, "Thank you for saving me and mommy, you were always my favorite hero!"

Agent Lance walked over, "It's a miracle, of all those you managed to bring back only two didn't survive. Shield will need a full report and any pictures or video you took."

Arthur, "You're joking, right? No way we had time to take video or pictures."

Agent Lance, "Just standard protocol to ask."

Logan spoke out, "Well guys, I think I will head on back to safe old Gotham. Too much excitement here for my taste. Thanks for the advice and the lead on a broker, I'll talk with Robin and decide with him what to do."

As J'onn lifted them away, Logan asked him, {You could have done that whole mission by yourself couldn't you have?}

{Yes, but I can't be everywhere. It is good to let young and new heroes grow under the guidance of us older Leaguers. I would wager that Mera and Arthur could have done just fine without our presence.}

{Thank you J'onn, for everything.}