I don't own Transformers or the Riordanverse; they belong to their owners.

Chapter 36: White Sheep of the Family.

Three Days Later

On the sandy shores of Myrtle Beach, a crowd had gathered in front of a large podium that had recently been erected. Most of the attendees were journalists and environmentalists, all there to watch the Governor of South Carolina deliver a speech about a recent initiative to clean the ocean.

At last, the man himself, a Chinese American named Galen Land, took the stage and stepped up to the podium, two bodyguards on his sides.

Governor Land raised his hand, asking for silence. As the crowd settled down, he took a deep breath in and began to speak.

"As many of you know, before I became governor of South Carolina, I was a marine biologist," he started. "I've seen the wonders of the ocean up close and personal, and I know how important it is to our ecosystem. But it also means I'm all too aware of the pain and suffering we humans have caused it... with our terrible habit of throwing our trash away into it."

He gave a sad sigh before continuing. "I know we can't fix the problem overnight, and I know I'm just one man and that many other people in our government don't share my stances. But that doesn't mean I shouldn't try to make a difference."

His gaze narrowed, and with a determined look, his voice rose. "My family always believed that if you have the power to save the world, you should do so, charging headlong in regardless of the consequences."

"I don't agree with my family on a lot of things, especially these days, but that's something that's always stuck with me. I believe in change; I believe in helping the world. And even though it may seem futile, I know I'm not alone. I have all of you brilliant environmentalists and more helping today. Working together, I know we can achieve anything."

He smiled as he gave this last part. "The mission to clean our oceans starts here, and together, we'll take it further."

The crowd cheered, and journalists walked up to the podium. Almost all of them had the same question. "Is there anything else you'd like to say?"

Galen paused. There was one other thing he could say, one other thing he should say. It would be so easy; just take the paper out of his pocket and then–

"No," he finally said. "I'm finished."

As Galen walked off the podium, one of the environmentalists, a young college-aged Chinese American girl, approached him and gave him a big hug. "Thanks for sponsoring all this, Dad," she said.

Galen returned the hug lovingly. "It's no problem, Faye," he said softly. "This was important to me too…"

Faye disengaged with her dad and took a step back. "So what's the next big project after this?" she asked.

"I'm not sure." Galen admitted. "A governor's work is never done."

"Neither is an environmentalist's." Faye laughed as she headed off to join her companions in the ocean-cleaning efforts.

As Galen watched his daughter leave, his cell phone rang. He picked it up and looked at the caller ID; it was his wife, Llyra.

Galen answered the phone and put it to his ear. "That was a great speech," she greeted.

"Thanks, dear," said Galen.

"Sorry again I couldn't be there in person, but the parent-teacher conference with Jun's teacher couldn't wait."

"No, I understand," Galen said. "I'm glad he has at least one parent who could be there."

"So what's next?" Llyra asked.

Galen laughed. "You know Faye asked me the same thing, and I'm telling you the same thing I told her, I'm not–"

Just then his cell phone rang again.

"Pardon me, Llyra; I've got another call," Galen said. "It could be important."

"It's okay. After all, we fully expected this sort of thing when you got elected." With that, Llyra hung up, and Galen looked at the other caller's ID. It said, "Caller unknown."

Galen sighed as he answered it. "If you're with Harding and Pencroft, I already told you I'm not interested…" He muttered, annoyed.

"I'm afraid I'm not familiar with those people." the voice said on the other end. Whoever it was, his voice sounded quite young.

"Then what do you want?"

"Hello Govener Land, my name is Luke Castellan."

"Nice to meet you?" asked Galen, confused. "How did you get this number?"

"Listen, I don't have a lot of time to talk; I can't be on a cell phone too long." Luke explained.

"This is setting off all sorts of red flags." Galen warned.

"Just hear me out; I promise you won't come to any harm," Luke said assuringly.

Galen sighed and put his hand to his face; he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Alright," he said. "What's this about?"

"Are you aware of Ned Land?" Luke asked.

Galen's entire body tensed. "I thought you weren't with Harding and Pencroft," he said.

"I still don't know who those are…" Luke said sincerely.

"How is that possible?" Galen asked.

"I don't know," Luke said. "Like I said, I don't know who they are, but I do know your ancestor. You're a many times grandson of Ned Land, the nonfictional Canadian harpooner who Captain Nemo captured."

Galen scowled "How do you know about that?" he asked, his voice now a hushed whisper.

"I can explain better in person. I have a location we can meet."

"I didn't get this job by being stupid, Mr. Castellan."

"I know there's a lot to take on faith, but trust me, we're the good guys," Luke said assuringly.

Galen sighed. He really hoped he wasn't making a big mistake. "Alright. Where do you want to meet?"

Luke gave the location, a coffee shop that was nearby.

"See you soon," Luke said before hanging up.

Galen sighed again. He turned to one of his bodyguards. "Fred?" he asked.

"Yeah?"

"Tell my assistant to cancel all my appointments for the rest of the day; something important came up," Galen ordered.

"Sure, but what is it?"

"Family business…" Galen muttered.

Galen drove over to the address this "Luke Castellan" had given him and stepped out of the car. It looked like an average coffee shop to him.

He walked inside and looked around. There weren't many customers today. He moved over to the front desk. "Excuse me," he said.

The employee on duty, an average-looking man with brown hair, turned around to face Galen."Yes, what would you like?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm not thirsty," Galen answered. "I'm just here to meet someone. Do you know anything about a Luke Castellan being here?"

"I think there was one here earlier, but he had to leave very quickly," the employee answered. "But he said he'd be back as soon as possible."

Galen sighed. This was just great…

Still, he went to a nearby empty table, took a seat, and began to wait.

Five minutes passed.

Ten minutes passed.

At the fifteen-minute mark, Galen was just about to leave when a blond-haired boy about fourteen years old stepped into the coffee shop. He looked exhausted and out of breath; he wheezed hard.

"Are you okay?" Galen asked.

"I'm fine… I'm fine…" the boy panted.

"Are you sure? Do you need help sitting down?" Galen asked.

"Yeah, yeah, okay," the boy muttered.

Galen sat up to help the man, and when he got closer, the boy's eyes widened. "Oh. Governor Land," he said. "I'm the Luke Castellan who called you."

"Yes, I had a feeling," Galen said as he took Luke to the table and helped him sit down.

"What did you need to run off for?" Galen asked as he sat back down.

"Oh, you know," Luke shrugged. "Personal stuff."

Galen raised an eyebrow. "What kind of personal stuff leaves you out of breath–" His eyes narrowed when he saw something on Luke's shoulder. "Is that gold dust?"

Luke looked at his shoulder and gave a shocked expression before wiping it off. "Uh nope. Not really…" he said nervously.

Galen sighed and began to sit up. "This was a mistake. I'll be going now–"

"Wait!" Luke shouted

"What?" Galen asked, sitting back down.

"Look, I'm sorry, I'm not really all that composed right now, but we seriously need to talk about... your grandpa," Luke said.

"So, talk," ordered Galen, his tone indicating his patience was running thin.

Luke sighed in preparation. "Look, I have some friends who figured out something about Nemo."

"Like the fact he exists?" Galen asked.

"Well yeah, but more specific," Luke said. "We think that Nemo had possession of an artifact that is very important to my friends."

"What sort of artifact?"

"Before I tell you you have to promise you can keep this a secret," Luke stated emphatically.

"Kid, even before I went into politics, I needed to keep a lot of secrets," Galen said with a confident smirk.

"Good," Luke said. "This artifact... it's basically an unlimited power source."

Galen's ears perked up. "A power source?" he asked.

"Yeah," Luke confirmed. "I don't fully understand it myself, but it's supposed to be this font of energy and power. It... belongs to my friends, and they've been trying to keep it out of the hands of bad guys."

"And let me guess, since I'm Ned Land's descendent, you think I might know something?"

"Pretty much."

Galen was quiet. His fingers strummed on the table. "Let's say I go with you; what happens exactly?"

"We'll meet with my friends, and they'll explain everything," Luke answered.

Galen gave a contemplative sigh. "Very well," he finally said. "But if I find out this is some sort of trick, I'm going to... do something."

"Honestly, that's fair."

Galen took Luke to his car, and the two drove off to the meeting spot Luke had given directions to. When they arrived there, Galen saw that it was an open field; the only thing in it was a red semi-truck.

"Why is this the meeting place?" Galen asked, confused.

"You'll see…" Luke said.

Galen scowled. "I'm beginning to get very irritated with you stringing me along like this, Mr. Castellan," he responded.

"I know, I know, but this needs to be a secret," Luke answered. "I promise it's gonna become clear soon."

Galen growled, parked the car, and stepped outside into the field. He looked around. Still no sign of anyone.

Galen turned to face Luke, who had stepped into the field with him. "Is this some kind of joke?" he asked angrily.

Luke gave him a blank look. "Three… two… one…" he counted down.

Galen was about to ask why Luke was doing that when he heard a metallic noise behind him. When he turned around, he saw the semi-truck was shifting and changing. Arms popped out from its side, its rear axle turned into legs, and a head popped out from the roof.

Galen stood there frozen in fear and confusion.

The giant robot kneeled down so he was at a closer eye level with Galen. "Hello, Galen Land," it–he greeted. "My name is Optimus Prime."

Upon hearing the robot speak, Galen shook his head and did his best to compose himself. "Uh… yes…nice to meet you," he muttered as the pieces started coming together in his brain.

"I understand this is a bit of a shock, but we need your help," Optimus said.

"I'm going to need the full explanation first..." Galen pointed out.

"Then come with us to our ship, the Ark-27," Optimus said. "There we can explain the full story to you."

"Ship!?" Galen asked.

"As in a spaceship," Luke added behind him.

Galen's eyes widened. "You're an alien!?"

"Yes," Optimus confirmed.

Galen frowned. "I'm sure you know aliens don't have the best reputation on this planet," he said.

"I know, that's why we must remain a secret for now," Optimus explained.

Galen just stood there, tempted to run away, before he shook his head again. "Alright," he said. "Take me to your ship then."

Galen was quiet when Optimus took him and Luke to where the Ark-27 was hidden. He found a reason to talk when he walked inside and was greeted with even more giant robots and two other kids.

"Do these children have parents?" Galen asked, concerned.

"It's complicated," Thalia answered.

"This is raising so many red flags…" Galen muttered.

"Governor Land, I assure you everything is, as you humans say, okay," Optimus said. "We can prove it to you if you just let us discuss this."

Galen sighed for what felt like the millionth time that day. "Fine," he said.

He was taken to the briefing room of the ship, where he was given a seat, and the "Autobots" began their explanation. They told him everything—the war on their home planet, how they were forced to launch the Allspark to Earth in order to keep it out of Decepticon hands, how they came to Earth thousands of years later to find it, how they met the three kids, and the evidence they found that suggested that Nemo had taken the Allspark from Atlantis.

Aside from a few moments where he asked for some clarity, Galen was mostly silent during the explanation. As the Autobots finished up, he looked towards the wall.

"Galen?" asked Optimus.

"You know I always had a feeling..." he muttered.

"About what?" asked Sunstreaker.

"That Nemo had a bit of outside help…" Galen said, turning his head back towards the Autobots. "Prince Dakarr was a brilliant inventor, a man ahead of his time, but he was still stuck in the 1800s. He would have been limited by the technology of his time. After all, a breakthrough invention isn't much good if you don't have the power source to make it run."

"You sound like you studied the guy," Ratchet noted.

Galen gave a bitter laugh. "My family has been obsessed with Nemo for generations. Ironic right? Ned Land wanted to get off the Nautilus as soon as possible, and then he ended up spending the rest of his life trying to find Nemo again. Something he passed onto his son, and then his grandson, and so on…"

"Is that what Land Insitute does?" Prowl asked.

Galen frowned. "I don't know how much I should tell you."

"You have to tell us something!" answered Chromia.

"Well, I can tell you that my family and yes, Land Insitute has been dedicated to tracking down and finding as much of Nemo's discarded technology as possible," Galen explained. "We want to use it to help build a better world."

"Well, that doesn't sound so bad." Hot Rod said.

Galen frowned again. "Don't buy into it," he said. "They're mostly interested in the weapons application of most of Nemo's tech."

"Oh," said Hot Rod quietly.

"Yeah. The world's had enough weapons that have started wars and killed innocent people. Thank you very much." Galen murmured.

"Is that why you're not with them anymore?" Hound asked.

"Left one day with my wife Llyra and never looked back," Galen confirmed.

"You turned your back on your family?" Luke asked.

"Yeah…"

"I guess we have something in common then..." Luke muttered.

"What?"

"It's a long story," Hound explained.

"Listen, Galen," Ratchet began. "We know it's a long shot, but if you've been studying Nemo and his tech in the past, have you heard anything about a cube with unlimited power?"

Galen shook his head. "No, nothing. Nemo kept a lot of secrets. Ratched."

"It's Ratchet."

"Right. Sorry. Anyway, Nemo had a lot of hidden bases all over the world, some of them even Aronnax and my great-great-great grandfather didn't get to see. In the ones we've been able to find, there's no mention of anything like that. Galen explained.

"Makes sense, sadly..." Prowl lamented. "If Nemo was the type to keep secrets, he'd probably want to keep the secret of the source of his power to the grave."

"So now what?!" Sunstreaker asked.

Galen was quiet.

"Galen, can you give us anything?" Optimus asked.

Galen hesitated for a moment before answering. "I can't tell you where the Allspark is, but I can tell you where the Nautilus was built."

"You can?" asked Hot Rod.

"Yeah, and it's one of the hidden bases Nemo had that hasn't been ransacked by Land Institute," Galen said.

"Why not?" asked Hound.

"Because I didn't tell them I found it."

"Sounds like there's a story there," guessed Chromia.

"Yeah…" Galen admitted. "Me and a few others were on an expedition into the Indian Ocean, looking for any sign of Nemo. We knew he was from India, so that's where a lot of his early work must have been."

"To make a long story short, I got separated from my friends in a lifeboat, and I found it. A small island, cloaked from radar deep in the ocean. Filled to the brim with some of Nemo's prototypes and the bay where the Nautalis was constructed."

"Cool," Thalia said.

"So why didn't you tell your bosses about it?" asked Hound.

Galen put his head down.

"Galen?" asked Hound.

"Because I knew if I did, I'd just be fueling this stupid search for a dead man's tech even more." Galen lamented. "So much effort for what? Some fancy toys? You don't need toys to help the world. There's other ways to do it."

"And that's why you became governor." Optimus guessed.

"Yeah," Galen said proudly. "I didn't see any giant cube on that island, but if that was Nemo's initial testing grounds..."

"There's got to be a hint of it there," Ratchet said.

"I'll give you the coordinates; I had them saved in case of an emergency." Galen offered.

"Thank you, Governor Land," Optimus gratefully said. "Your assistance will be most valuable."

"Hey, if your world is as bad as you say it is right now, then I'd be helping two worlds," Galen smirked. "That sounds just right to me."

After handing Optimus and the other Autobots the coordinates, Galen walked over to the brown Autobot in the corner. He was shuffling nervously as if he didn't quite belong.

"You're Nightprowler right?" Galen asked him.

"Yes," Nightprowler said hesitantly.

"You're the one who actually talked to Nemo?"

Nightprowler nodded, and Galen was quiet for a minute or two.

"What was he like?" Galen finally asked.

"Why do you want to know?" Nightprowler asked back.

Galen shrugged. "Like I said, my family has been obsessed with him for years. I know I said I've been trying to put that behind me, but... I still need to know."

Nightprowler had his own moment of silence before speaking. "I didn't really get a decent chance to know him," he admitted. "Mostly because I was trying to stop him."

"Is there nothing you can tell me?"

Nightprowler shrugged. "When I first met him, I thought he was crazy," he explained. "I talked to him and warned him that the cube was too dangerous for any one man to use. But he didn't care; he just wanted something, anything, so he could make his dream of a massive underwater ship come true."

"But knowing what I know now about how his family were killed... I realize now there was some sadness there. That he just wanted an escape from the world that hurt him and everyone he loved," Nightprowler finished.

Galen nodded. "That's about what I expected," he admitted. "But I still had to know...you're probably one of the only people still alive today who got the chance to meet him."

"Not sure I want that honor," Nightprowler said sadly.

"Alright," said Prowl, walking up. "I think it's time to take you home, Galen. You ready?"

Galen turned to face Prowl. "Yes, I'm ready," he said.

After saying his goodbyes to everyone, Prowl escorted Galen back to the field where his car was still parked.

"Remember," Prowl said. "We don't exist. Never speak of this to anyone, and if you do, we will find you."

"Don't worry. I won't." Galen answered.

"Thank you again for your help, then Galen," Prowl said. "Maybe we'll see each other again someday."

With that, he turned, transformed into his police car mode, and left Galen alone. He watched the alien robot drive off silently before getting in his car and driving off himself.

Galen drove back to the Governor's Mansion in South Carolina in silence, his thoughts stewing in his head. When he got there, it was getting dark. He also found his wife Llyra waiting for him.

"There you are," she said. "What happened?"

"Nothing," Galen said as he stepped out of his car.

"What did that person want to meet about?"

"Just some people who needed my expertise for a project they were working on."

"What sort of project?" Llyra asked, putting her hands on her hips.

Galen was quiet. "Llyra, you trust me, right?" he asked.

"Of course I do."

"Then you know I have to keep this secret."

"Oh," said Llyra knowingly. "Well… I hope it went well at least. You ready for dinner?"

Galen shrugged. "I think I need some time to myself. I'll join you in a bit."

Llyra nodded, and Galen left. He walked to his office, more thoughts stewing in his head—thoughts he hadn't had to think about in a long time.

When he finally got to his office, he shut the door and sat at his desk in silence. He pinched the bridge of his nose before pulling out something from his coat pocket—a letter he'd written a long time ago.

He read the letter for what felt like the thousandth time.

I know this may be hard to believe, but the fictional character Captain Nemo from the novel 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is real. I know this because Ned Land is my ancestor, and I can prove this to you with time.

I'm telling you this because my family's school, Land Institute, is not what it seems; it's–

He stopped reading, placed his shoulders on his desk, and put his head down into his hands. He let out a huge tired, exasperated, and sad sigh…

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