"Well I'll probably bubble a lot, but pressure and stuff doesn't bug me much. "
"It will take the Manta Sub about 6 hours to reach the trench. The Leviathan can make the same trip in an hour, but I know some of you can do it much faster."
"What are we to expect once we're down there? Are these all your forces?"
"I have lost a sub and much of this sub's crew to the attacks we have made thus far. I have about 20 more on the sub, some automated attack drones, and the Manta sub has its own armaments. Thus my need to acquire the Leviathan."
"They have a drilling device of Atlantean technology, squads of Atlantean soldiers, Arthur and Mareena, and the various animals that Arthur has summoned to defend them. Megalodons, something that must have been a Basilosaurus adapted for deep water, swarms of smaller sharks and squid. And of course the small Starro creatures, which can take over your mind if they catch you."
Forzare whistles.
"That is some heavy defense. Once we fight through those, what then? How do you remove these starfish things?"
"Do they not bleed? We managed to remove one by freezing it. The creature seemed to drop into a sort of torpor. Of course, the host Atlantean died in the process..."
"Travelling to extreme depths? Wonderful, another environment where my talents will be impeded. At least it is not as limiting as space."
He takes a brief moment to look at the assembled villains, as well as the distant leviathan.
"How is that mechanation going to aid you in countering the Atlantians? Removing the Stars threat seems far more like a precision task, and hardly suited to that automaton."
Turning to his comrades he says, "We will need to request non-Lethal weaponry, suited to disabling humanoid targets in a high pressure aquatic environment. Such may be necessary to incapacitate the Atlantians hosts, until a way can be found to remove the Starro creatures."
"Do you still have that specimen? We could possibly engineer a biological agent that doesn't kill the host."
"SHALE, have you ever fought Aquaman or his daughter in the depths of the Ocean? There is something more than precision needed."
As for the small Star, it is in cold storage in the sub. Even in its lethargic state, it is powerfully telepathic, so we avoid it.
"Ah, so since confronting them blunted arms would prove too difficult, you will instead surpass them by overwhelming force. Of course, should the royal family not survive the counter-assault, you would no doubt selflessly offer your services to fill the void, that no power-vacuum needlessly destabilize the region further."
"You'd have to think us fools to agree to such a thing, and give you the weapon you would need to at last enact the coup you have so long struggled to achieve."
"If you were to offer your word to take no life of an innocent, lest no other option be tenable, and that you would surrender these arms once the threat reached surecease - and if it could be established that you indeed hold your sooth fast, only thence might we venture to accept your bond, and agree to stand in league with thee."
The tines of Black Manta's fork snap back into place, an arc of electricity buzzing menacingly between them. He spins around slowly in the air, making sure no one is too close to him.
"I do not have time to convene a meeting of the United Nations. Either join my forces or get out of the way..."
"You don't need to. Agree now and we'll happily enforce your word if you break it."
"You're strong, Manta, but you and I both know you can't take on all of us and expect to win. Even with the Leviathan under your control. Which, last I checked, it wasn't right now. Your choices are to agree and help us out, or get beaten down, we destroy the leviathan, and then we go off to solve the problem ourselves."
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Guys, we're wasting time!
I can't believe that -I- have to be the voice of reason here, but what if we can't do this on our own? Manta has already given us intel that we needed, but didn't know that we needed. What else might we not know that he knows that we need that we don't know that we need!
*mental sigh* Look, this is an invasion. People die during invasions. Shale, it's unfair to make him promise not to hurt an innocent. He, and us, are going to save a civilization from an instinction-level alien invasion, He can't be hesitating to make sure that every lightning blast conforms to contract from a subcommittee!
Forzare, this is coming from me, so you know it means something: Stop being an egomaniac. Stop wildly threatening to beat people down. We need all of us onboard, and it's possible we might not be able to win then.
How about -I- promise something? I promise to make all of you think you're little girls of you keep arguing! How's that?
So, unless you wanna start dropping trough so I can get a ruler, maybe y'all let -me- have a little convo with your alien-alien star-star and then go beat some alien star buttocks? I promise not to break its mind too much.' ;)
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"Nay Kara; the opportunity to lay low the enemies of his lifetime is no small wanting messure. I do not expect him to ask afore every volley, but I will have his word he'll not set out with a mind to end any life but that he has no choice but to cut short, save that the lives of he or his lie upon the point of the sword. It is not ego that sayith so, but rather folly not to have his sworn bond."
"Enough, I will vow not to unnecessarily kill or maim Arthur or his kin in our quest to free them from the Amoral Alien Starfish Lord. Does that suffice, Sir Speedy Renaisance Faire?" Manta intones with no small amount of disdain and a dash of mockery.
At that moment, the Leviathan moves with a shriek of metal on metal. The plates burned slightly out of shape by Sinter's attacks slide over each other, and the tentacles flare backward like those of a squid.
The massive construct dives into the sea, leaving a surprisingly small wake behind.
At that, Manta grows hostile, "Fools, now the construct is fleeing..."
Sinter makes a buzzing noise which those who know him is akin to laughter.
in a low voice "speedy Renaissance faire"
and more buzz.
Shale nods at the would be Ruler-of-the-seas.
He raises a hand, extending his thumb and pinkie fingers, and giving them a waggle. Affecting a California surfer accent, he adds, "Totally copacetic, bra'. Let's go harsh on this Jaeger-Monster and tote's crimp on his mellow."
He looks back to the titan in it's retreat, and then addresses Kara, "The control system; wouldst it be upon the mech itself, or upon the North Rheelasian command ship?"
"You speaking in that accent raises so many questions. I thought the Victorian speech was just because you didn't know any better."
"I speak in the fashion I do because it it is what is familiar to me; the pattern of speech that was used in my homeland, though it is closer to your Middle-English than the Victorian age. It is close enough that I needs not or'burden myself translating to your idiom. I am familiar with numerous more commonplace inflections, but that does not make my native speech any less instinctive to mine own."
He waits a beat then adds, in the same surfer voice, "Fixin' my jive all the time is, like, a total drag, yo."
"Shale, I....You know what, I'm not gonna ask."
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Imagine's guard hovers closer around her, and she turns to face them. In silence several members nod as if affirming some unheard instructions. After a few moments of this the silent conference ends and the SecTeam slams home fresh clips.
She turns and, after taking out a small compact, begins to fix her makeup.
'I hope you speak Rheelasian or else I don't how you're take over that ship,' she thinks-says, without a hint of irony.
Robo reaches out through his Datalink to contact the Rheelesian Destroyer now headed toward you, flitting over their almost laughable drive-by-wire controls for conventional weapons, navigation, engines, until he lights upon the far more sophisticated Leviathan Control Module (LCM). His control sinks easily through the basic user interface, his software translating the characters into English.
Beneath the surface, however, he encounters a familiar opponent. In his mind's eye, LuthorCorp software defense protocols form a translucent wireframe shell around the controls. With the speed of dozens of supercomputers, Robo deploys probes to test areas of the shell to no avail.
Moments later, one of the shell segments flares red, signalling a security alert. The red rolls out across the shell, quickly engulfing the control software locked within.
Neil can see the code of alert messages as they fly from the system to several external locations.
The Leviathan disappears beneath the waves.
"Did you get it or do we need to go blast it?"
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Imagine continues to gaze into the small mirror and apply concealer to her forehead. 'The thing is under the water again, Neil. Did you screw up again? 'Cause I don't think I can go get it. Can we just let the nice MantaMan have his bite at the apple now?
Hey, speaking of which, Black Mantis, or can I call ya Black? Key, great, Black. Hey, Black, can I have a quick look at your Star-alien-creature-thingy? 'Cause if it can mind-talk I just GOT to get all up in that grill.
Up in it's business even!'
Manta's, the Leviathan escapes. Let us pursue before it is too late. You are welcome to join us aboard the , Miss.
At that, the sub breaches beneath you, coming to rest on the surface.
Unless anyone has any objections, Manta and his men fly down toward it.
I tend to believe that swimming power is basically flight with the limitation: only in water. So yes, flight works fine unless your descriptor would keep it from working.
"Did I get it? Uh... not quite. I should've given LexCorp more credit."
Sinter dives into the water following Manta's Sub.
This releases a huge gout of steam , and the ocean boils around him.
I tend to believe that swimming power is basically flight with the limitation: only in water. So yes, flight works fine unless your descriptor would keep it from working.
Forzare, too, submerges to follow the rest of the group.
The team loads themselves into the Manta sub or follows along as is appropriate.
On the bridge of the sub, Black Manta issues orders to his crew, using all manner of sophisticated sensors to track the Leviathan.
A Manta man reports:
"We are having some luck tracking its wake, Captain, but all direct attempts to locate it have failed.It appears to have the ability to dampen or scramble all of our electronic detection systems and is completely immune to sonar. Even the water it displaces is insufficient for a vessel of its size."
Meanwhile, Black Manta dispatches one of his men to take Imagine to the cold storage to meet her starfish.
"Robo, is there any way you can boost the sensors to defeat this scrambling?"
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As the man arrives to guide Kara, she slips her arm around his elbow and sashays forward as if lead to a fancy party.
Captain Aterro leads his squads of suited men into the sub until they come across a cafeteria...or at least a cargo room large enough for them all to sit down. The squad takes seats with creeks and groan of machines and equipment, and they gratefully take out tasteless-but-filling rations, mixing and trading amongst themselves until choice dishes are concocted, and the room fills with the silence of men that truly enjoy the taste of coffee grounds, powdered coffee creamer, powdered jello, and a packet of sugar all mixed together to wash down a packet of something that called itself chili, but looks more the leftovers of a post-mortem.
As shudder is being led in the ship he just quietly observes
Imagine is led to a small but high tech operating room. It looks like a combination of the medbay from Alien and a medical examiner's laboratory, all black stainless steel and white robot arms.
Unusually, the room is extremely cold, surfaces lightly frosted.
On a black stainless table is a small starfish like creature, a staring red eye in the center of the arms.
Shale zips across the surface of the water, following the wake of the Leviathan for as long as possible, and then moving up to a height above the water whereby he can see the shadow of the massive Mech beneath the waves. (Early submarines were defenceless against planes as things that are invisible at sea level can still often still be easily seen from the air, to any of the depths the early subs could reach.) He calls in the device's location and heading for as long as he is able to see it.
Neil tilts his head slightly, the way a dog would.
"Possibly... let's have a look"
A hologram display appears as a five foot sphere. In the center, the Manta sub. Blue waves emanate from the submarine, signifying the vessel's search efforts.
Neil's eyes begin to glimmer a deep amber color as he leads his own scan. An amber wave overlaps and expands past the blue.
Shale is unable to keep track of the Leviathan as it engages some sort of cloak. It's image wavers for a moment and then vanishes.
Through some serious alien tech, The Leviathan is cloaked against nearly all forms of detection, including sight, sound, lasers, and many super-things. It cannot, however, completely shield the small bits of electromagnetic distortion it creates. Robo is able to dial his Technology Awareness and Detect tech down to find it.
Here in the Sea of Japan, it is only able to get about a mile and a half below the surface (we'll say 7000 feet). The construct is sitting on the sea floor, doing its best to stay hidden.
An image of the Leviathan becomes visible on the display.
"There. On the sea floor. Manta, do you have a means to wrestle the controls?"
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Kara leans heavily on her guide, languorously enjoying the walk along an alien sub to meet an actual alien.
The irony that she herself has a gene-code that can no longer be called fully "human" bothers her head not at all.
As the guide leads her in she sends to him, smiling slightly. 'Why is it so cold? Did you people do this? Also, I'll need to stay, love. Things might get...complicated.'
She spends a moment letting the Mask of Un-Seriousness that she wears for the world slip off, summoning her mental defenses and letting the Power pool and acquire as though from a dam that held back a nebula.
When she see finds herself ready, she extends her power out to enwrap, enthrall and ensnare the cyclopean starfish.
But she begins with a simple message. As like the English nobles at Stirling that met Wallace (played by the eternally yummy Mel Gibson!), an attempt at civility...before the battle.
'Hello. What are you doing here?'
Signaling the others via the Justice League com system, Shale reports, "I lost mine eye of the construct shortly ere it was subsumed by the sea, yet but before I should have. Wherefore, it must have some sort of adaptive camouflage. I believe it was mentioned the control panel for the construct was located on the North Rheelasian Destroyer. As the device attacked a non-partisan vessel, and beyond their bonded waters, I believe we thereupon bear sufficient grounds to board and disable said control. Shall I tilt at them?"
An image of the Leviathan becomes visible on the display.
"There. On the sea floor. Manta, do you have a means to wrestle the controls?"
I have a device that should override the commands of the control console. I just need to attach it to the Leviathan.
Perhaps the fiery one would be willing to provide a distraction.?
'Hello. What are you doing here?'
Imagine has the impression of a wilted bloom affixed to a vine as strong as Nth metal. Opening her mind to the creature, she hears the cacophonous reply.
"LORD STARRO IS LORD STARRO STARRO IS STARRO STARRO IS COMING IS LORD IS SERVING IS STARRO IS STARRO LORD SERVANT STARO IS COMING..."
And on it goes, seemingly without end.
Frozen, the creature cannot move to attack her.
Sinter, 'flying' alongside the sub remains in radio contact via his radio sense.
"Distraction? What do you want? I can blast it some, that might get its attention. "