I don't own Transformers or the Riordanverse; they belong to their owners.
Chapter 34: Leagues To Go.
After Nightprowler was taken to the Autobots' ship, everything was a blur for him. His injuries and fatigue made it hard for him to focus, and he wasn't able to fully take in and recognize the highly advanced ship he was being brought into. The second he was taken to the one they call "Ratchet"'s operating table, he allowed himself to pass out and rest.
When he woke up, he saw Ratchet looking over him.
Nightprowler groaned. "Urg, thank you for your assistance, Doctor Ratchet," he said as he rubbed his head.
"Thanks, but just Ratchet is fine enough." Ratchet insisted.
Nightprowler sat himself up from the operating table and looked around Ratchet's lab. As he looked around, inspecting all the vast, complicated machinery, his eyes locked on something to the side.
All of the Altantean Cybertronians the Autobots had managed to retrieve from Atlantis were piled up in a corner.
Nightprowler's eyes widened, and he walked over to them.
"Sorry at how… unprofessionally they're organized," Ratchet said. "I didn't have much time to sort through them properly."
Nightprowler was silent. He just looked at them.
"Airazor," he said, staring at the one with brown wings and a feminine body.
"Is she one of your friends?" asked Ratchet.
"Yes," Nightprowler said. "Some of the others are as well... Tasmania, Tigatron, Rattrap, Rhinox, Razorbeast, Wolfgang, Polar Claw... As he listed them off, he looked more and more somber and weary.
"They still had some life in them," Ratchet explained. "It might take a while, maybe even a few stellar cycles, but there's still a chance we can save them…"
Nightprowler turned around to look at Ratchet. "You truly are noble," he said. "I was wrong to suspect you."
"Don't be," Ratchet said assuringly. "In your position, I would have been just as skeptical."
"Did you never try to fix your allies?" he asked.
Nightprowler's head drooped. "I didn't know how," he admitted shamefully. "I could have used the cube to help them, but... I was scared. That cube saved Atlantis, but it drove its leaders to crave more and more power…"
"That's what we call being a victim of your own success," Ratchet said snarkily.
"A wise statement," Nightprowler noted.
"Come on, it's been two days," Ratchet said. "Everyone is ready to meet you properly. And you still owe us some answers."
Nightprowler nodded. "I do."
With that, the two bots walked off.
Nightprowler entered the briefing room with Ratchet. All the other Autobots and their three human friends had already gathered inside, ready to speak with the mysterious bot.
Nightprowler shuffled awkwardly. "I… hello," he said nervously.
"Stage fright?" Ratchet asked.
"Yes, very much," Nightprowler admitted.
"It's okay, Nightprowler," Optimus said assuringly. "Take all the time you need."
"We don't have time!" Prowl pointed out. "We have the advantage; we need every second we can get!"
"Prowl, calm down," ordered Optimus.
Prowl sighed. "Yes sir."
Annabeth sighed too. "Sorry, Mr. Nightprowler," she said. "Prowl can get like that."
"Ye… yes.." Nightprowler said with a twinge of unsureness. He looked around a little confused. "Where's the other one?" he asked.
"What other one?" asked Sunstreaker.
"The small green bot who was fighting in the plaza with us?" Nightprowler asked. "I think his name was Brawn?"
"He died," said Hound bitterly. "So we could save you."
Nightprowler's face fell. "I promise I'll try to be worthy of his sacrifice," he said.
"That's the least you can do…" muttered Hound.
"Anyway," said Prowl. "We've already related what you told us in the ruins about how Atlantis fell to the rest of the crew. So there's no need to go over that again."
"Okay…" Nightprowler murmured.
"Now, get to what you were about to tell us," Prowl ordered. "Who took the Allspark from Atlantis?"
Nightprowler took on a somber look. "As I said, it was a man from the country known as India. I confronted him and his crew when their ship arrived in the area. He told me he was looking for a power source. He had heard the legends of Atlantis as this mythical utopia that was ahead of its time and thought there was a chance it could have something he could use."
"What did he want it for?" asked Hot Rod.
"He wanted to build a new kind of ship. One that could travel underwater." Nightprowler explained.
"A submarine?" asked Luke.
"What's a submarine?" asked Nightprowler.
"It's what you just described." Chromia answers. "A ship that travels underwater. When was this?"
Nightprowler grimaced as he thought. "I don't know the exact year. I just woke up, remember?"
"Well, that's helpful…" Sunstreaker murmured.
Prowl thought for a moment. "Nightprowler, how much of the outside world were you aware of when you were guarding the Allspark?"
"Sometimes I listened in on sailors who were passing by my area," Nightprowler explained. "But I don't think that qualifies as a proper history lesson."
"Do you know anything about the continent known as North America?" asked Prowl.
Nightprowler bunched up his face as he thought. "Yes… Some new land was discovered across the Atlantic Ocean? Some of the sailors passing by talked about it."
"Do you know anything about a Great War? Or possibly a World War?" Prowl asked.
"No…"
"So that probably means the human who took the Allspark came sometime in the 1800s." Prowl surmised.
"Dang, that's a long time ago." Thalia murmured.
"Who took it?" Prowl asked.
"He called himself Prince Dakarr," Nightprowler said.
Annabeth's ears perked up.
"Did he give a first name?" asked Optimus.
"I'm afraid not."
"Great." Thalia lamented. "There's gotta be like a million Dakarr's out there!"
"Hold it!" said Annabeth.
Everyone was silent.
"Annabeth?" asked Luke.
"Did…" Annabeth stammered as she tried to ask the question. She looked shaky. "Did he say anything else when you talked to him?"
Nightprowler put his hand to his chin and looked through his memory. "I told him not to take it…" he finally said. "I told him the cube would only bring pain and suffering. Its power was too great for one nation, let alone one man. I also told him it would make him a target. He just said he'd have to become a nobody. A Nemo."
Annabeth's face turned pale.
"A nemo?" asked Hot Rod.
Ratchet turned to explain. "It's the Latin word for no–"
"NO WAY!" Annabeth shouted. Her face was pale with shock, and she looked astonished.
"No, it's the Latin word for noBODY." Ratchet corrected.
"No, not that!" Annabeth said.
"What? What is it?" asked Thalia.
"Yeah, seriously, Annabeth, are you okay?" Luke asked.
Annabeth turned to her friends. "Are you serious?" she asked. "Did you pay any attention in English class?"
"We're ADHD and dyslexia, Annabeth…" Thalia pointed out.
"Don't you get it!? India, the 1800s, Prince Dakarr, wanting to build a submarine? Nemo!?"
When it was all laid out like that, Thalia and Luke turned pale themselves.
"Wait," said Thalia. "Are you saying that…"
"Saying what?!" asked Hot Rod. "What are you talking about!?"
"Guys, I think the Allspark was taken by Captain Nemo!" Annabeth said.
"Who's Captain Nemo?" asked Optimus.
"He's a character from a really old and famous book," Luke said. "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea."
"And The Mysterious Island," added Annabeth. "My dad has a copy of both, and sometimes I read through them before I left."
"Wait. What? Slow down!' Prowl ordered.
"The point is Nemo's one of the most famous book characters of all time!" Annabeth said.
Thalia frowned. "Yeah, but...aren't those books nonfiction?" she asked.
"Aren't the Greek gods nonfiction in some eyes?" Luke pointed out.
"That's different!" Thalia protested.
"Just…who is Captain Nemo exactly?" Prowl asked. "In the books, I mean. What's he like?" The other Autobots stayed silent, listening intently.
Annabeth took a deep breath in. "He's a former Indian prince whose family was killed in some big fight in India by the Britsh," she explained.
"Excuse me?" asked Sunstreaker.
"Britain used to occupy India," Luke explained. "Not really a great time from what I've read."
"Yeah, and according to the books," Annabeth continued, "Nemo built the Nautilus, a huge submarine, in order to explore the world and fight against the British Empire."
"So he fought imperialism," said Chromia. "I think I like this guy."
"And if Nightprowler's story is true," Ratchet added. "Then that means he used the Allspark to build this Nautilus."
"Alright, we've got a lead!" Hot Rod said, sitting up all excited. "Where do we go next?"
Annabeth gave an awkward look. "That's complicated. In the books, Nemo was a guy shrouded in mystery. They never gave the full story about him."
"Great," muttered Sunstreaker. "We might as well be back to square one."
"Don't say that," said Optimus. "Hot Rod is right. It may be loose, but this is still more of a lead than we had before."
"So what do we do?" asked Chromia. "How do we find a fictional character?"
"We just have to be thorough," Optimus said. "If Captain Nemo really did exist, there has to be evidence of it somewhere in the world."
"So what's the plan?" asked Hound.
Optimus looked at Ratchet. "Ratchet, I need you to comb the internet. See if you can find any trace of Nemo's existence. Maybe get in contact with Chromedome on Cybertron to get his help."
"Can do Prime," Ratchet responded.
"The rest of us, we need to start reading those books Annabeth mentioned," Optimus ordered. "There could be some hints buried in the text. Plus, we need as much info as we can get on this captain."
"Yes, sir!" everyone saluted except for Thalia.
"Wait," she said. "We have to read? I thought part of the point of running away and going along with you guys was to get away from all the crappy stuff back home."
"Reading isn't crappy." Annabeth protested.
"It is when you're dyslexic," Thalia muttered.
"In case you forgot, I'm dyslexic too." Annabeth pointed out.
"Yeah, but you're a daughter of Athena." Thalia insisted. "Reading and being knowledgeable is hardwired into you."
"Guys, cut it out," Luke ordered. "Look, if the Autobots need us to read, we read. Okay, Thalia?"
Thalia sighed. "Fine," she said.
As everyone conversed, Nightrprowler stayed silent. He gave a sad look before going to walk away.
He was just exiting the door when Optimus noticed him. He walked over to the ancient bot. "Nightprowler, where are you going?" Optimus asked.
"I don't know," Nightprowler asked, not even turning around. "My place here is done," he said sadly.
"That's not true," Optimus said.
"Is it?" Nightprowler asked. "You've got the information you needed from me... I doubt you need me for anything else."
"We could always use another helping hand," Optimus assured him.
"But I failed my mission…" Nightprowler pointed out.
"And now here's your chance to finish it." Optimus put a hand on Nightprowler's shoulder. "Nightprowler, would you like to join the Autobots?"
Nightprowler was silent for a moment. "Would you really have me?" he asked. "A bot out of time?"
"As long as you're willing to fight the Decepticons and all that they stand for, we would gladly welcome you to our ranks."
Nightprowler thought it over. "Very well. I'll do it," he finally said. "To finish my mission that Poseidon gave me long ago. To keep the great cube—the Allspark—out of the wrong hands."
"That's what I like to hear." Optimus said, "Now, if you'll come with me, I can get you up to speed with everything you need to know."
Nightprowler nodded, and Optimus led him down the hallways of the Ark-27. Eventually taking him to a room filled with a bunch of data packs lined up on shelves. Optimus picked one up and gave it to Nightprowler. "Here," Optimus said. "This data pack contains most of the relevant information about the Autobots. Read through this."
NIghtprowler nodded. "Thank you… Optimus," he said. "I'll get to work right away."
As Nightprowler walked off to find a quiet spot to read, Optimus was left by himself. He stood there in contemplation before walking over to the communication room alone.
He sat down. "Teletrann-1, establish contact with Cybertron. Elita One."
A few seconds later, Elita-One appeared on the communication screen. "Optimus. Is everything okay?"
"Depends on your definition..." Optimus said sadly.
"What's wrong?"
"We got a major head start over the Decepticons over the search for the Allspark, but we lost Brawn."
Elita's face fell. "Oh… Oh no…" she said.
"Yes, it's hard on all of us…" Optimus admitted.
"So do you wanna talk for a bit?" Elita asked.
"Yes, but there's something else," Optimus said. "With Brawn dead, I think it's time to bring in more backup from Cybertron…"
So just to be clear for those in the know... No. We're still not crossing over with Daughter of the Deep. The Nemo stuff is here because it's important lore for shared universe building. The proper crossover will come later.
Although now you can probably see where the Daughter of the Deep crossover would have gone had it been voted for.
Thanks for reading, and don't forget to leave a review!