Chapter Fifty-Six: Preemptive Strikes
The ritual both opened up the gate to show them where the medallion was and also energized them. Harry lead his generals, the four who acquired the medallions so far, into position. Kara and Sara stood directly behind him. Nyssa moved behind them, and Gwen moved behind them as well. They were far more confident they could locate what they needed to locate.
"We're going to find it," Gwen said. "I can feel it. I can feel it. It's close."
Gwen wished she had been a more direct participation in the ritual. Still, she felt enough through the bond she shared with Harry and her fellow Alpha Wives that it brought her a new sense of purpose. The five of them stood up on the beach.
"This way."
Harry's declaration was short, sweet, and to the point. He moved closer towards his quest. The wizard swept through the sand on the ground when maneuvering directly towards the location which he searched for. He knew it was right on the beach.
"I can't believe it," Sara said. "It should have been obvious."
Nyssa smiled and put her hand on Sara's shoulder from behind. She gave the younger blonde a solid squeeze of her shoulder. "There are some times where the obvious answer is not so obvious after all."
One statement resounded with all of them in different ways. Harry stepped onto the beach. Initial appearances told Harry everything was pretty natural on this beach. Harry learned a long time ago not to trust initial appearances when heading into a location.
'Especially one which contains a highly powerful magical artifact. Something that I'm sure the person who hid it wants hidden.'
No doubt entered Harry's mind despite this situation being a potentially frustrating one. He held his hand down onto the sand. The sand rippled underneath Harry's fingers the second he pulled back from it. Harry lingered back a fraction of a step and drew in his breath.
"We're getting close."
None of the girls questioned Harry's declaration. They knew that Harry knew where he was heading. They crept up the beach to a certain point. Their destination closed in the closer the three girls and Harry moved. The lighthouse stood at the end of the beach.
The layout of the beach was not entirely unfamiliar to Harry. He saw this to be a good sign. Harry, Kara, Gwen, Sara, and Nyssa all moved closer to the lighthouse. The door bolted with a single latch. Harry noted this to be a particularly surprising security measure for a medallion so powerful.
"I feel something," Nyssa said. "Do you all feel it?"
They did not only just feel it. Their medallions flashed with light and indicated they were getting closer to the edge. Harry put his hand on the door and something vibrated through his hand. Kara and Sara both jumped back, having been closest to Harry. Their lack of proximity did not stop Nyssa and Gwen from feeling the similar feelings shooting back through the air.
"Traps," Kara said. "Of course there would have to be traps."
Harry studied the area around him for a couple of seconds. He already was formulating a plan to get around these traps the best he could. Harry leaned back and touched the top of his head. "Okay, Kara, get here. Gwen, get here. Nyssa get over here. And Sara, you're over here. On my signal, I want you to turn your medallions in about a tenth of an inch to your right."
All of them followed Harry's words. His instincts more often than not showed to be pretty key on. All four girls waited for Harry to give the signal. His hand raised up and rapped gently on the door. The door rocked underneath Harry's fingers. He rapped on the door a second time to rock it.
The medallions lit up in a flare of light. The door rattled and opened up. Harry moved into the light house with the four of them following. Their collective breath held in when moving further into the light house. The rickety stairs lead up to where Harry assumed the medallion would be held.
"Those aren't very sturdy," Gwen said. "Maybe I can swing up there and snatch the medallion?"
Harry appreciated the offer. He figured though there would be safeguards to prevent anyone, even with Gwen's spider-themed abilities, from simply cheating the stairs. Harry moved to the side of the stairs and studied the runes. His mind calculated a response.
"Access."
The stairs flashed and grew solid without the rickety nature they held before. Harry climbed up the first step. Durable and he climbed up about six more steps. Harry figured there were no tricks to be held. He took a few more steps before giving the signal.
Sara stepped onto the stairs. The stairs held both of them. Gwen followed, with Kara moving in, and Nyssa moving in behind her. Harry and his girls moved up the steps and made their way to the top of the steps. They ran into a solid wall.
"You've got be kidding me!" Gwen yelled.
Kara held u a single finger and shook her head. She looked through the other side of the wall with her X-Ray vision. It was hard for her to look for very long. The Girl of Steel stepped back a couple of inches from the wall and drew in a deep breath.
"It's there….we have to put the medallions in the slots to open it."
Kara, Gwen, and Sara all removed their medallions and placed them in the key slots. It was a good thing they only needed three of the medallions and not all six of them. The wall shook around and parted ways to allow them to enter inside.
They took their medallions off of the shelf and reclaimed them. Harry moved forward to come face to face with the fabled Merfolk Medallion. A golden cage surrounded the medallion. Harry stepped through and passed through the light which tickled him.
'It would burn anyone who is not worthy to hold this particular item.'
Harry continued to move closer to the edge. His fingertips slipped around the medallion and pulled it out of position. The light flashed the second Harry grabbed the medallion in his hand.
'Success.'
This particular achievement brought a smile to Harry's face. The easy part was over. They had the medallion. The hard part was about ready to begin.
Mera's imprisonment continued. Most would have been long since broken by now. Mera feared she was edging towards that way sooner rather than later. Her head throbbed. Every day Hila came down to inform her of all the rebels she had executed for treason.
Whether or not there was any validity to her sister's words, Mera could not one hundred percent be for certain. The fear those words might be valid kept Mera completely locked in the prison. Her head rolled back and the Queen deeply breathed in.
Mera closed her eyes and hoped to drift up to sleep. Something appeared in her mind's eye which made Mera sit up straight. She stood almost bolt upright at the instance this vision slipped into her mind.
A green-eyed young man who Mera swore she met before appeared at the edge of a lighthouse. Three beautiful women with blonde hair stepped next to him, along with a dark-haired woman. They circled around him and entered the Lighthouse. They were tested all of the way.
'The medallion?'
One stirring of hope entered Mera's body. She felt a bit more alive than ever before. Mera held herself up proudly and moved to the edge of the cell. She had been looking for structural weaknesses for a long time. Unfortunately, this prison was built too well to hold the prisoners.
'Little did we know it would come back to bite us later on.'
Mera sensed the approaching holder of the medallion. She would finally have her hold on it. Mera could hardly wait for it to come to her. Her excitement reached a fever pitch. She tried to reach out with her mind.
Unfortunately, the dampeners on this cell prevented it. Mera took a deep breath and then noticed a guard approaching. Mera coughed. The coughing grew louder which drew the guards attention. She breathed in heavily as the guard peered at her.
"What?"
"Water!" Mera yelled. "I need water!"
The guard hesitated for a second. Mera looked like she was choking to death. Hila gave the guards instructions that Mera was to be kept preserved no matter what. The guard stepped back a couple of feet and rushed to get his hands on the water in question.
The moment the glass of water was in the cell, Mera manipulated the water into the circuits of the cell doors. The door fried and the guard jumped back to avoid getting struck. Mera had a three-second opportunity to get out of the cell. She dove out and caught the guard in the chest with a punch to drop him down on the ground.
The guard tried to reach for something to communicate the prisoner was lost. Mera put the guard down for the count by wrapping her arm around the man's neck and smashing him face first down to the ground.
"I know you're doing your job. But I need to do mine."
Mera held the guard's energy staff when moving down the hallway. It was not the most elegant weapon in the world. One could argue this particular weapon was crude and very rudimentary. Still, it was the best chance Mera had of escaping and she had to take it.
'Closer.'
More guards appeared at the end of the hallway. Mera waved the energy weapon in her hand. The first of the guards rushed Mera. Mera dodged the attack from the guard and slammed the weapon into the back of the guard's leg. The guard dropped down to the ground from the attack.
"The prisoner has escaped!"
Mera did not hesitate in taking the guard down with an energy baton to the chest. The waves of energy caught him around the head. Another guard physically tried to restrain Mera. Mera broke free of the guard's grip by slamming her elbow into the side of the man's face.
The Queen of Atlantis almost had been in the clear. She moved down the hallway. The guard nearest to the door tried to restrain her. Mera held him back and smashed him against the wall. Repeated elbows impacted the side of the guard's face to knock him down to the ground.
Three guards appeared and all shocked Mera to drop her to her knees. Mera took one of the guards down. The other two guards grabbed Mera and forced the imprisoned Queen to her feet to go and face Hila who ascended the stairs. She clutched the energy staff tight with a wicked smile on her face.
"You're still weak. And I'm strong. As it always should be"
A bombardment of power from the energy staff dropped Mera down to the ground. Hila stared down at her sister with an expression of sheer contempt burning through her eyes. Mera tried to struggle back to her feet. Hila held her down to the ground with the energy staff.
"I could kill you right now."
Hila put the energy staff at the edge of Mera's throat. It would have been easy as anything else to slice her throat and spill Mera's blood all over the floor. Mera's burning gaze popped up towards Hila.
"Do it, if you think it will do any good."
The devious woman responded with laughter while pulling the staff away from Mera's throat. It would have been easy and that was the point. She wanted Mera to understand that death could come at any point. The only reason she lived was because of Hila's mercy.
"I could kill you, but I would prefer to do it in a public venue where the citizens who think you're something special can watch you suffer and stew."
A huge part of Mera thought Hila made one of the biggest mistakes of her life. The guards grabbed Mera and slapped her in chains before leading her down the hallway back to the holding cell.
Hila took a few seconds to realize why Mera would have broken free now. The answer struck the schemer as plain as day.
"Someone has the medallion."
She searched high and low for the one element which would bring her superiority over land and sea. It would be the ultimate humiliation over Mera if Hila had acquired that particular medallion.
'Someone has it. And I must now.'
Tess knew Harry was a person that when he set his mind to do something, there was pretty much no stopping him from accomplishing his goals. Harry stepped into her penthouse with the medallion in his hand. The smiling woman took a few seconds to marvel at the fact Harry acquired the treasure many searched for some time for.
"It's very tempting to get down on my knees and start worshiping you right now."
Harry smiled at the woman.
"Business before pleasure."
Tess figured about as much. She was just so excited that particular item was now in Harry's hands. Tess heard the stories of the fabled medallions. It had been an obsession with many people. Tess would not say she was obsessed with getting her hands on the medallions. She did see the medallions as a very interesting curiosity and nothing really more to be honest.
"Yes," Tess said. "Yes. I figured about as much."
The two of them made their way into a study area. Tess already had several books out on the table on the subject. She had prepared for Harry to acquire the medallion.
"You've been busy."
Tess grinned and patted on the couch for Harry to sit down. He sat down. Several newspaper clippings regarding Atlantis were within the books. Harry whistled while soaking in the information and there was a lot of information. A lot of the information raised a few more questions than they did answers which made Harry more than intrigued to be perfectly honest.
"Always have to keep busy," Tess said. "But, you'd know all about keeping busy, don't you?
Harry moved over to look at the article which detailed a rumored submarine disappearance. It was from about six months ago and the writer branded Atlantis as a rogue state.
"There are a lot of people who are reluctant to…."
A knock on the door caused Tess's statement to stop completely in mid-sentence. She shook her head before rising to her feet.
"Come in!"
Shado made her way into the room. She held a leather bound book in her head. Harry rose to her feet to greet her. Shado stole a quick kiss from Harry before pulling away and getting down to business.
"Someone found this washed up on the shore. It's a log…dating back to at least six months ago. I believe it was written by one of the rebels in Atlantis."
The log painted a very grim story about how Mera's sister, Hila, and her followers, took control over Atlantis. They killed the king of Atlantis. The story of the very grisly execution of the former ruler came off on the piece of paper in very vivid and slightly disturbing details. Harry flipped through the pages.
"This person saw a lot and….there could be problems getting into Atlantis…they have weapons they intend to use against the surface dwellers."
No matter how dangerous it was, the fact the entire world could be in danger thanks to Hila and her followers showed to Harry how important it was to get into Atlantis.
"The UN sent people to broker peace," Tess said. "Three months ago and well….."
The newspaper article detailing missing diplomats had been brought to Harry's attention. He doubted very much they were missing. They were killed and there was nothing that any nation in the world could do about it. Especially if the evidence in this log was right, and there were many indications.
"The minute we enter Atlantis, they're going to know we're coming," Harry said.
"All we need is something to bypass security," Shado said.
"Magic…is a no go," Harry said.
Harry pointed out the passage of the log which detailed there were very strong defenses ordered by Hila which would detect any attempts of magical intrusion or use of magic as a force. Harry was confident that he could get around the barriers given enough time.
It would take weeks or months for Harry to do so.
"Magic isn't the answer to everything," Harry said. "And this case, it could expose us quicker. I could find a back door in time, but the problem is….."
Tess finished off Harry's statement. "We don't have any time. I know. And I understand."
She moved over to the phone and thought about something. Time was running out for them all. Tess needed to do something and she had an idea.
"Time for me to call in a favor."
Tess picked up the phone and dialed. Harry and Shado wondered what kind of favor Tess intended in calling in. Harry got to know the woman a bit and understood how she got things done.
"Remember when you said you owed me for helping you on that paper?" Tess asked. "Well, I'm cashing in on that favor now. I'm going to need to borrow the scrambler for your boss….and yes, the fate of the entire world rests on it. I'll have it returned when we're done with it. He's at a conference? Good?"
The phone hung up with Tess turning her attention to Harry and Shado. Both of them wondered what plan Tess had. Tess just smiled.
"We have a way to get around the barriers for you to perform your magic," Tess said. "It might not drop the barriers for more than five minutes though. Is that long enough?"
"It is," Harry confirmed.
It was almost like Tess had been planning for a way to breach security in Atlantis for a very long time. She moved over to collect her things.
"Are the two of you up for a trip to Central City?"
Nymphadora Tonks knew all about the touchy situation with Atlantis. She knew they had weapons which that trigger happy bitch who took control of the kingdom would use. Diplomats disappeared when trying to broker peace, submarines disappeared on the water, and entire cruise ships had been taken out as well. No one seemed willing to act.
"And when no one is willing to act, that's when ARGUS has to act."
Holly just took a second to compose her thoughts. She hoped to hell this was one of those situations where Waller would be inclined to act.
"It's a politically messy situation," Holly said. "But, I've never given a fuck about politics."
The bluntness of her partner had been appreciated. Holly marched to Amanda Waller's office with a purpose. She knocked on the door.
"Waller, I know you're in there. This is urgent. You're going to open up."
Nym shook her head. There was a chance that Waller was not in there. Not a big chance, as no sooner did this thought cross Nym's mind the door opened up and Amanda Waller stepped out. She looked from Nym to Holly and motioned both of the women inside.
"The hot sight has been breached."
Holly got straight to the point. Waller motioned for them to sit down without another word.
"It was Atlantis," Holly said. "They are attacking ARGUS based now. Are we really going to sit back and let them bully us because some tyrant threatened to use weapons on us?"
"I'm aware of the ARGUS base being breached," Waller said. "I've just been speaking to the United Nations. They are as useful as they always are in a crisis."
Holly could only imagine. She did not agree with Waller for many years. Dealing with the nations of the world who refused to work together for a common cause was one of them. Waller's had been more handcuffed than Holly thought she was before.
'I can't say I respect her one hundred percent of the time. She does have a lot more on her plate than I realize. Still…I have to wonder what…'
Nym jumped into the conversation with her usual level of tact. "What are we doing about Atlantis? There's something we have to do it. We can't just stand back and do nothing."
"I'm exploring my options," Waller said. "We couldn't even put a dent in their defenses if we wanted to."
Both of the government agents whistled in response. Nym was about ready to open her mouth to suggest what might have been one of the more obvious solutions in the world.
"I know you're going to suggest magic. Unfortunately, it's not plausible. I know enough to tell you that Hila has automated defenses set up which prevent any kind of magical intrusion. You're going to need a miracle…and I owe him already enough favors."
Nym's mouth hung open as Waller just shut down two suggestions of hers without ever saying it. She wondered how the hell Waller just seemed to pluck that thought seemingly out of thin air.
"He might already be on his way there knowing him."
Waller only acknowledged Holly's statement. She eyed the cabinet in her office. Holly just smiled when she realized what Waller might have been looking at.
"Don't worry," she said in a reassuring voice. "All of us go for one every now and then. Especially after a mission briefing of some kind."
"I'm considering it. But I think it's best if….."
The entire ground underneath them rattled. Nym jumped out of her chair at the huge attack. Holly grabbed onto the edge of the desk to prevent it from toppling over. Another loud crack echoed when some mysterious force came out of the distance.
"What now?" Waller demanded.
The Director of ARGUS made her way to a standing position. She moved her way out. The red lights shined and the sounds of sirens blared in the middle. Several of the government agents rushed around like chickens with their heads cut off. The leader of the government agents skidded to a stop.
"Director Waller we need to see this!"
A swift motion gave the man the opening to walk Waller through the hallway. She made her way through the war room which flashed an image on the screen. Something blinked and that something was a location which Waller hoped was not the sight she thought it was.
Waller moved swiftly and sure enough it was close enough to the sight she thought it was. The loud rumbling underneath the ground made Waller wonder what the hell was going on.
"Was this an attack?" one of the agents wondered.
"No," Waller said. "Merely a warning. Hila's getting ready to go to war."
"We should bring a team down there and stop her from launching whatever attack she wants to launch."
A hand pressed on the back of the chair and forced the gentleman to look up at Waller. Her steely gaze indicated Waller did not think this was a good idea at all.
"You're going to end up getting us….."
Another rattling attack made Waller cling onto the edge of the wall. A hissing sound echoed from underneath the building. The cameras came on to reveal a giant hole in one of the underground sub-basements of the facility.
"Get the cameras on!" Waller barked. "See if you can get a look at the person who did this. Do you understand me?"
The man shook his hand in response. He steadied the cameras to try and get a very clear fix on the scene in front of him. The ARGUS agent spent a moment situation the camera into the perfect position. His deep breathing escalated for a mere moment.
"There's nothing down there. It was a hit and run, or maybe someone planted something down there."
Waller put a hand on the side of her face and nodded. She would have to comb the base from top to bottom in an attempt to figure it out. The vibrations finally stopped and the warning shots ceased.
Many times during her life Amanda Waller had been trapped between a rock and a hard place. She knew Hila and her forces would roll over them whether or not they defended themselves. When given the choice between fight or flight, Amanda Waller always voted fight one hundred and ten percent of the time.
"Tonks, Granger, get in here!"
The commanding voice of Amanda Waller brought the two agents in there.
"Someone has breached the facility. It wasn't an invasion. It was just a warning shot. We can't allow them to get into position for a second shot. Go down and prepare the guards down at Level Nine."
Level Nine held some of their most dangerous prisoners, among those were part of Amanda's aptly named Suicide Squad project. Officially on the books, ARGUS called it Task Force X. Any agent who had the clearance high enough to know what it was.
Amanda Waller prepared to deploy some of her worst weapons in kind of Hila and her followers. Causalities would be high on both sides no matter what she did. She preferred to strike than sit and take it even though there were some in the United States who talked appeasement.
A black van pulled out in the side alley behind Star Labs. Harry exited the van with Shado following a half of a step behind him. Tess departed from the van next. The three prepared to arrive in the lab. Only a half of a dozen steps of the van showed them that they were not the only ones who showed up today.
A white van pulled up with two redhead twin women walking out. Amanda stopped a few seconds across and locked her eyes on Shado, Tess, and then to Harry. Emily just smiled.
"It looks like great minds think a like."
"You've come to the same conclusion we have about dealing with the magic problem?" Harry asked. "I figured as much. I guess intelligence runs in the family."
Amanda's smug smile only lasted a few seconds before Emily pushed her elbow into the side of Amanda's stomach. Amanda bolted up with a frown etched on her face. She was about ready to enter a full pout mode which brought a never-ending wave of amusement to Emily's face.
"You better not let her get a big ego. Her head won't fit through the ground."
Amanda stuck out her tongue. "Oh, and you're not….."
"You're in your twenties, one would think that you would be a bit mature now," Tess interrupted. She tried to sound stern even though amusement danced through her eyes.
"One would think that," Amanda offered.
The three became five when they walked towards the side entrance. Tess stopped short of the door to address Amanda and Emily.
"Doctor Snow is waiting for us with the device. It's a lucky break Doctor Wells is not here because this will be a lot easier. I'm not sure if he's willing to part with it."
"Well, we intended to ask Caitlin real nice to let us copy it," Amanda said. "We have…well…we have a nifty little invention which is kind of illegal which comes in handy in a crisis."
Tess shook her head and knocked on the door. Three knocks later and the door opened. A very attractive brunette dressed in a white lab coat, a skirt, and a pair of knee high stockings entered the room.
"Tess, and….Mandy and Emmy, this is a surprise," Caitlin said. "And…what are you two up to now?"
"You trust us so little?" Amanda asked in a voice of mock sorrow. "You think we're up to something….."
Caitlin shook her head. Tess decided that an introduction to the two people Caitlin did not know would be a perfect thing to do right about now.
"This is Shado and this is Harry Potter," Tess announced.
The brainy brunette's eyes looked at Harry. She looked into the same green eyes which stared back at her so many times over the years with mischief dancing in them.
"Any relationship to the twin terrors over there?" Caitlin asked.
"Well…it's complicated," Harry said.
"You didn't clone yourself a brother?" Caitlin asked.
Emily shook her head and grinned. "Hey, if we could take credit for Harry, we would. He just dropped out of the sky one day."
"He is made pretty well, wouldn't you agree?" Amanda chimed in. She could see Caitlin alternating between checking Harry out and trying to act like she was not checking Harry out.
"Doctor Snow," Harry said. "We understand Star Labs has a descrambler that we can use. It should be able to disable any sensors."
Caitlin bit down on her lip and looked very nervous. The twins and Tess instantly knew by the look on her face.
"Well, I looked into it a little bit before you got here. Turns out it doesn't work as well as Doctor Wells would have liked. It doesn't even work so….I'm not sure what you need it before, but it just turns on, hums, and then eventually start smoking."
"Could be a problem," Harry said.
"No, not really."
Amanda stepped into the lab where the device had been set on the table. She clung onto the device and performed one quick swipe over it. The remote scanned the device.
"We can build a copy of the device back at Horizon and find a way to get it to work," Amanda said. "Tess, do you think you can help us?"
"I'll give it a shot," Tess said. "That's the completely illegal invention you talked about which copies a detailed blueprint of any scientific device."
Amanda confirmed Tess's statement and then shrugged. "To be fair, it would only be illegal if we intended to replicate the device at a profit. Which would not be the smartest idea to be perfectly honest."
Curiosity hit Caitlin very suddenly. "What do you need it for?"
"To invade Atlantis," Harry said without missing a beat.
Out of all of the things, Caitlin expected to hear this was pretty low on the list. Her guest saw themselves out of the lab as quickly as they appeared to leave Caitlin in shock. Harry stopped and smiled at her.
"It's a pleasure meeting you."
"Yes," Caitlin said only scarcely aware Harry kissed her hand "Thank you."
She needed to sit down who would be insane enough to invade Atlantis. Caitlin didn't really follow politics that much but she knew enough to know no one was breaching that country.
'The twins had to have put him up to it.'
Chapter Fifty-Seven: Avenging Atlantis.
So many things could have gone wrong with thisplan, Harry was not going to lie. The twins duplicated the de-scrambler invention to the best of their abilities. Amanda and Emily settled into the vessel which was a lot bigger on the inside than on the outside. It also resembled a standard grade submarine, nothing too extraordinary on the outside. It's functionality and ability to cloak itself made it extraordinary.
Tess and Shado joined them as well. And naturally, Kara, Gwen, Sara, and Nyssa all joined them. The Atlantis Medallion settled in a box right to the side of Harry. He flipped his attention over his shoulders to all of the girls. They were waiting for him to say something.
"I'm not going to sugarcoat it. As much as can go right today, there is also so much that we can do wrong. With any luck, we can get inside Atlantis and break the Queen. We can assist the rebel army and displace Hila."
"With any luck," Amanda said. "I know you have to know this, but those are always some pretty famous last words."
Emily elbowed her twin in the side to cause Amanda to behave or at least maintain the illusion of behaving. Harry gazed across the way at his twin sisters who locked on with a smile. They approached the point where they would have to turn the descrambler on, at least long enough for Harry to breach the gates.
"It should work for about two minutes, maybe three tops. Do you think you can work that fast?"
Harry only answered with a nod. He would have to be perfectly honest. There were tighter conditions where Harry worked in. A couple more surprises were created by the twins which might also assist them. They were going to have to go through the gates which would be the easy part.
Everything from here would be hard as hell. Harry convinced himself along with the others that everything is going to go right.
"She'll return home," Sara said. "I'm surprised she hasn't tried to break out just yet."
Gwen laughed at Sara's statement. "Are you surprised? Do you really think she hasn't even tried to break out? I know she's tried to break out. There's not a question in my mind she hasn't tried."
The fact she had not broken out showed Mera's unfortunate lack of success. Gwen, Kara, Nyssa, and Sara could sense her on the other side of the dome. The dome covered the city of Atlantis with castles which could have stretched high into the sky. It had been hidden for many years from the human eye and thought that it was lost to civilization.
"If the circumstances weren't so dire, this would be amazing," Tess remarked.
Tess tried not to get too excited or ahead of themselves. The gates would open and there were two guards. Nyssa gave Harry a smile at his raised eyebrows.
"Leave the guards to Sara and myself."
Harry knew his wife had a plan. They always did have plans. Harry raised his hand to give the signal to Amanda. She did the honors of engaging the de-scrambler. The detectors for magic had been blocked. Harry raised his hand and waved it.
The gates clicked open and allowed the sub to move through the gates. They would have only a few minutes before the guards realized something was wrong.
One of them looked up, and Sara launched a grenade out of the vessel. The grenade broke open and released a gas which caused the guards to scream. The guards raised their arms into the air and thrashed around. One of them ripped into his face and started to scratch at him.
"Help. Someone help me!"
Nyssa dropped down in a wet suit with the glass bubble covering the top of her head. The older of the Tengu medallion grabbed the Atlantis guard by the back of the head. The guard struggled to catch his breath just in time for Nyssa rendered him unconscious the rest of the way.
Sara dropped down and caught the second guard around the back of the head. A kick rendered him unconscious. Sara pulled the crystal key off of the guard's belt.
Several more guards moved on the way, to engage their adversaries in battle. Another grenade released caused them to stagger forward.
"Quick, we need water!"
They were completely underneath water yet they felt like they were stranded on dry land which they were completely drying out. Nyssa and Sara made quick work of them with Gwen and Kara joining in the battle.
"We better move quickly."
Kara zipped from guard to guard and pulled their clothes off to leave them wearing nothing other than their undergarments. Kara broke out into a smile when moving the guards into a station so they could not be discovered straight away.
"Step one down," Harry said.
It went without saying there were several more steps to go before they were able to get to Mera. Harry held the Merfolk medallion in his hand and the energy glow pressed tightly against his skin. Harry searched very carefully to see how close they were getting and they were getting close.
Hila swept down in the hallway in a very towering rage. She could not believe someone managed to get through the gates. The sensors disappeared for a few seconds from the area. A few seconds was all they needed. The Queen did not hold her composure. She looked more of a snarling beast than a regal ruler. Her snarling continued with fingers digging into the side of her head.
The guards around her on all ends gave her enough room. Hila was not going to throw herself against the wall just yet.
"All of you, go and investigate what's happening. If there's someone who has breached my palace, I need to know now what's going on!"
They all responded with nods before moving off. Hila turned away from the guards and moved to the prison cell where she put Mera back in after her escape some days ago.
"You know what's going on, don't you?"
Mera made eye contact with her sister. That brief moment of a smile crossing her face made Hila want nothing better than to slap it off of Mera. Her anger bubbled and was getting closer to reaching a certain fever pitch.
"He approaches," Mera commented. "You can feel it, can't you?"
Hila felt something enter her body. She clutched the magical staff tightly. A whisper told her to finish off Mera. A stronger and more powerful though told her making the Queen suffer was something she wanted to do. Killing Mera now would feel so good and also be way too easy.
"You think you're clever, don't you? You think your savior will come. You think they will tear Atlantis away from my hands."
No answer came from Mera other than a smile. The smallest gesture caused Hila immense rage. She turned around and pointed the staff at a point on the wall. The energy blitzed through the staff and exploded the wall to send dust flying in every single direction.
"ANSWER ME!"
Hila wished to drop the cell wall just long enough to strangle Mera. No, no, this was what she wanted. Mera wanted her to lose control. Mera wanted Hila to prove she was the unbalanced dangerous woman everyone thought she was. She took in a couple of breaths.
'You're losing control.'
This voice almost sounded like Hila's mother, mocking her. Her mother was cold and never really appreciated Hila for who she was. Even when Mera betrayed the family by disregarding her mission to kill the King of Atlantis, and marrying the bastard instead, they still thought Mera was the golden child.
"I'm going to tell you what I'm going to do," Hila said.
"I'm here to listen to you. What are you going to do?"
The fact Mera spoke so calmly infuriated Hila. The small smile tugging at the corners of her lips showed how Mera was well aware of what Hila was doing. Anger and rage flashed through the eyes of the Queen of Atlantis.
"You think you're clever, don't you?" Hila asked.
"No, I understand the road you're going down."
Hila raise the staff one more time. Mera sat in the cage and stared down the staff without blinking in the slightest. Her breathing increased a few seconds later.
"I'm going to tell you what I'm going to do. I'm going to take the Dragon and his pets, and I'm going to rip their heads off and mount their trophies as pikes in the throne room. That's what I'm going to do."
Another smile flashed over Mera's face. One more time Hila almost flew off of the handle. She caught herself before attacking Mera.
"You should show, not tell."
Hila drew her breathing into herself. One of the guards moved down the hallway. Hila pointed the staff towards the guard who dropped to his knees and threw his hands over the top of his head. He screamed out in anger. Hila's lack of patient finally reached its boiling point when she slapped the man and forced him to look her in the eye.
"Report."
"The rebels are storming the palace," the guard said.
Hila would have thought it to be impossible. No man who showed this much fear due to the consequences of the matter would dare lie to her. Her staff aimed towards the throat of the man who whimpered. The coward absolutely refused to look her in the eye.
"Our forces are strong. They should not have….."
"Half of them are screaming because they think they are on dry land," the guard said. "Please, my Queen, don't…I'm just….I had to get away before the madness would hit me. I think it's him. I think he's here, and I think that he's going to destroy him."
"I have no use for the thoughts of a worthless individual."
Purple energy erupted from the staff and shot through the guard's body. He howled in pain as if his body had been turned from inside out. He dropped down onto the ground from the impact of one swift shot.
"I'll show you."
Hila refused to allow them to take everything she worked so hard to obtain.
Harry Potter held one of the guards up in the air. The medallion of the dragon flickered into the face of the guard. He normally was a brave man full of a great deal of bravado. Even the bravest man could always fold underneath the gaze of such a powerful man.
"I'm going to ask you this once and one time only. If you don't answer me, there are going to be consequences."
"I'm just….they threatened my family," the guard sputtered. "Hila and her followers…my wife, and children…they…."
Harry believed he was telling the truth. He would have known if the guard had been lying. He heard his wives and allies helping take control of the palace. Harry relaxed his grip on the guard and made him face him.
Had the guard been deceiving him, he would have attacked him at the first opportunity? The guard stepped back for a few seconds.
"You can find Mera in the Dungeons. They are directly underneath the throne room in the North Palace."
The guard pointed his finger at the palace. Harry took some seconds to vet the guard's information and shift through his mind to find out the guard was not lying. This gave Harry a very evident piece of mind when he returned to the conversation at hand.
'Kara?' Harry asked.
'Alright there, love,' Kara said.
The guard received a blast from an orange energy bolt which burned his arm completely off. He screamed in agony just in time for Harry to turn around and face a very angry purple haired woman dressed in thick green battle armor which strange symbols which represented water carved into it. One of them looked like a shark circling its prey from the water.
"Hila," Harry said.
"You're the Dragon," Hila said. "I will prove I'm stronger than my sister."
The mystical staff fired a bolt of energy towards Harry. Harry lifted his hand and blocked the attack which resulted in Hila to step back and consult the staff.
"Impossible," Hila said. "I'll have to do this the hard way."
She dropped the staff and replaced it with two mystical blades. Hila dove into the air with a solid war cry going out of her. She plunged the blades down onto the ground. The woman turned her attention back around and realized that Harry flashed out of the way.
"Stand up and face me!" Hila yelled.
The woman rushed Harry one more time with the blades fully extended at him. Harry vanished into a blast of light to cause Hila to drop down onto the ground.
Hila maneuvered herself and then faked out attacking Harry. She turned around and stabbed him when he dropped down to the ground. The blade doubled Harry over for a second. Hila whipped a huge attack at Harry with her water which drove him back.
"You're good."
Harry caught Hila's arm. The wound on his abdomen healed just seconds later thanks to his abilities. It still burned slightly and took a lot longer for the pain to fade thanks to the mystical powers of the medallion. Harry learned to block such thoughts out of his mind. He held Hila's arm behind her back and forced her to a kneeling position. Hila grimaced while Harry held her arm.
She broke free with a thunderous attack. Hila's flaring knives came inches away from slicing into Harry's body. Harry avoided the attacks from coming up against her. The wizard picked up the pace with rapid fire attacks which made Hila catching Harry across the back of the head.
"It ends tonight, Dragon!"
She stabs a sword through Harry's body. Harry disappeared into a cloud of dust. The real one dropped down behind Hila and disarmed her. The woman flew back from the sheer impact of Harry's attack. Hila put her hands on the back of the ground.
Anger spread through Hila's eyes as she made her way back up. "NO!"
Hila brought herself up to her feet and tried to engage her enemy again. Three of the attacks had been blocked and she had been dropped down onto the ground. Hila tried to pull herself up only to be put back down.
Mera dropped down onto the ground before Hila before she could attack the Dragon again. The true Queen of Atlantis stared down at the woman who acquired the Kingdom by sheer force. Hila reclaimed her glowing daggers and Mera had hers as well. Both sisters circled each other, both ready to see how the better war was.
"Let's see how you fare in a fair fight."
"I'll kill you as he watches!"
Hila and Mera jumped into the air. The flash of light signaled their daggers connecting flashed through the kingdom.
The rebels all moved in. All fighting ceased the second Mera and Hila moved in. The few of Hila's loyalists even watched their Queen move in towards Mera. A whip of water caught Hila across the face and knocked her back a couple of steps.
"I should have killed you a long time ago!" Hila howled.
Her sister always had gotten hung up on what she should have down. Hila found herself sprung down to the ground. The rush of warm water splattered her in the face. Hila rolled over on the attack and moved to reclaim the energy staff.
Mera did not allow Hila to reclaim the same weapon she used to kill one guard and wound another. Both women struggled on the ground, with Mera pulling Hila up. Hila aimed a dagger at Mera's chest. Mera blocked the dagger and wrestled it away from her sister.
"Mother will be proud of me when I finally butcher you!" Hila yelled.
"You keep talking," Mera said. "And I'm done listening."
Mera flipped Hila down and drove her down into the dirt. Large blasts of bubbles kicked up with Mera repeatedly stomping her sister down onto the ground. Hila tried to rise up off of the ground. Each attempt of a rise just dropped Hila down to the ground. Mera rolled over Hila and threw her down onto the ground at the feet of the Dragon.
Hila's knees sunk down onto the ground with a deep breath coming from her. Mera held her dagger at the neck of Hila.
"You've lost."
The rebels cheered Mera's return to power. She snapped some cuffs on Hila and turned to some of the rebels. One of them had been one of her most trusted aides, Tula.
"I believe my former cell will be to her liking until I can figure out what to do with her."
Hila screeched in anger until Mera put a bubble over the top of her head. The woman's screams just rebounded across the bubble with no sense of whether or not they would be heard. Mera turned her attention to Harry, who had been joined by the other medallion holders.
"Thank you. I knew you'd come."
Mera studied the damage to her once beautiful Kingdom. She would be lying if she was pleased. Hila created a lot of bloodshed. Those guards who stood alongside Hila looked nervously at Mera when she passed. None of them knew what to say. None of them knew if anything they could have said would be considered appropriate by any measures. They all stood up to face Mera. The Queen studied their expressions on their faces with a calmness which they would not have expected.
"We've not shown the best side of Atlantis during this entire war, have we?"
They had come close to destroying the surface world and destroying themselves. Hila wanted to prove herself to a mother who was long dead. A mother which she had thought Mera had gotten the approval of. But had Mera got her approval? Not truthfully, not as much as Hila believed, and perhaps not at all.
"Please, we….."
"You will all get your chance to state why you've done what you've done," Mera said. "Many have fled after today. You have stayed. That proves you should and will get your chance."
All of them looked on in relief. The demise of King Arthur brought many of them into a state of discontent. There were those who hated the late King of Atlantis. He ruled them and did not put up their attitudes against the surface world. Oh, he could be tough against the people on land when he wanted to and there were times where he, in fact, did hold strong on them.
Still, the King of Atlantis was gone and they put everything behind Hila to rule them into a new age. She almost ruled the into their destruction.
"You stayed without fleeing. I will find out your intentions why in due time. Some of you, you've had friends and family, loved ones which my sister threatened to do something dire with, should you not put your toe firmly in line. And that much, I understand."
All of them bowed before the gratitude of the Queen. Mera held something up which they all gasped of. The lost medallion held in the palm of her hand.
"This proves above all else why I have the strength to rule. And rule I will. But, everything will be done fairly. All will have their chance to defend themselves. And we will make many new allies as we go into a new age of Atlantis."
Harry stepped into the picture off to Mera's side. He did not say anything to the people around him. Sara, Gwen, Nyssa, and Kara all showed up in place. Shado, Tess, and the twins moved a step back to observe. They were part of something grand.
"I hope for Atlantis to rebuild. I hope you can all understand what we need to do going forward. And I even hope for redemption for my sister. Her cruelty cannot be forgotten, but in time, she can be forgiven."
Mera understood how skeptical they were. She heard the mutterings from the crowd assembled around her. Tula stepped into the picture and smiled at them. She put her hand on the Queen's shoulder.
"We can always rebuild," Tula said. "We can rebuild Atlantis!"
Buildings might have been broken, precious landmarks were destroyed, the streets were littered with debris. None of that mattered as long as the people who propped up a civilization stood tall.
"We will begin the first day of the rest of our lives, today."
Those words encouraged the citizens of Atlantis to stand up straight and to prepared to go forward. Mera broke out into a smile.
"Representatives from the surface world are here to meet you, my Queen."
Mera would have been a liar if she was not pleased to have to hear those words once again. Something about them brought music to her ears and a small spring to her step.
A small team of ARGUS agents turned on and among them were Nymphadora Tonks and Holly Granger. Harry, Kara, and Sara moved out to meet them. Nym looked off to the side and broke out into a fit of laughter.
"I can't believe it. We're pretty late to the party."
"That's not a news flash with you."
Harry's words just caused Nym to give him a mock glare. Harry responded with a smile directed towards the shape-shifting government agent. Her arms folded over even deeper as the two stared each other down. Holly cleared her throat.
"I can't believe I have to be the mature one," she stated.
"Yeah, no kidding," Harry said. "The Queen has her medallion."
"Oh, you found it?" Holly asked. "That's five down, six counting you, and one more to go."
Harry confirmed it was. He also knew in the back of his mind there were going to be problems acquiring the Phoenix Medallion from the reaches of space. They were going to have to get started on finding that before the representative of HIVE got to work on it.
"I'm glad you're keeping score," Harry teased her.
Mera moved out from the room. Sara and Kara greeted her with smiles.
"So, everything good with your sister?" Kara asked.
One pressing sigh came from one very frustrated Queen of Atlantis. "Everything is as ideal for her as it is going to be right now. I'm not going to lie, it's going to be a long road for her."
Mera would not dare ask a favor of Harry to try and get Hila under control. She was still in a fractured state after the battle.
"So, we're all good here?" Holly asked. "I'm not sure how much we could have helped, but….Hila was beginning to target our bases, so we had to act."
"I understand," Mera said.
She would have been lying if she was perfectly happy with what her sister was doing. The Queen would have to deal with the aftermath. Going to the United Nations when things settled down was a priority for Mera. She would have to apologize for their diplomats being captured and by all accounts tortured until Hila realized they had no information about them.
"Tula will address any questions you have," Mera said. The two government agents nodded. Mera turned her attention to Harry. "A moment, if you please."
Harry had more than a moment for any of the beautiful women. Mera grabbed him by the hand and the two made their way up the stairs. Sara and Kara took it as their cue to help the former rebels check to see if the defenses were completely back up.
The two moved their way into a lush bedroom with several curtains surrounding the room. Mera put her hand on her hip and turned to Harry with a very calm smile on her face.
"I cannot thank you enough for helping save me," Mera said. "And I mean that."
Mera edged a little bit closer towards Harry. Her hands touched the back of his head. She moved over to slip the medallion on.
"Time for me to return to you."
The medallion slipped around Mera's neck. The energy cascaded around her body as she returned back to a state where she could stand up straight and face Harry. The energy coursed through her body with a huge smile on her face.
"Finally."
Mera grabbed Harry's top and ripped it off. She held Harry's face and kissed him hard. Her lips molded against the chest of her leader. Her arms wrapped tightly around him. Harry moved his hands against her body and pulled back from her.
"You're overdressed."
She undid the front of her attire and dropped it down onto the ground. Mera stood there in all of her glory.
"And now, you're the one who is overdressed."
Mera helped Harry with that one by pulling his pants down and then his shorts underneath. She proceeded to move into to inspect the merchandise.
Each inch of Harry's body was sculpted to perfection. Mera teased his body by running her hands over his and dragging her nails against him. Harry took in a deep breath from Mera's sensual kisses invading the edge of his mouth. Harry titled back an inch or two to accept Mera's tongue going into the back of his throat and pressing herself crotch first against him.
The hardness rubbed against Mera's warm thigh. Harry guided her down to the bed and released her lips from his. Mera looked absolutely stunning. Her vibrant red hair slung against her face, obscuring some of it which added to her natural beauty. Green eyes flashed out for Harry with vibrant lips swollen from Harry's kiss. Her slender neck moved down to her tits which were both large and extremely perky. Harry took control of her chest and squeezed them before running down to explore her flat stomach and narrow waist.
The next stop appeared to her wide hips. Mera had a nice beautiful ass which was made to squeeze and fuck. Harry grabbed onto him and caused her to look at him.
"I trust you'll find something else to your liking."
Mera spread her legs for Harry. Her smooth pussy came out from in front of Harry. Her lips parted and were ready to be penetrated. Harry dragged his finger down her body from between her cleavage, past her navel, and then against her clit before shifting focus to her hole.
"Maybe I do. Maybe it's this!"
The Sorcerer pushed a finger deep inside of Mera's wet pussy and made her raise her hips up. Harry added more fingers and roughly finger-fucked the Queen. She shifted herself up and down off of the bed to meet Harry's fingers buried deep inside of her.
He switched between his fingers and his tongue. The honey-lemon taste oozing from Mera's pussy brought Harry to greater heights. She radiated power which only encouraged Harry to lap up the juices.
Mera rolled her hips back as Harry drove his tongue down into deeper parts of her. Her hands rested on the back of Harry's head to encourage further exploration of her warm pussy.
The redhead shifted underneath Harry's able tongue. He caressed the inside of her warm pussy. Mera shifted her legs up and around the side of Harry's head to bring him inside of her. Harry kissed her warm slit and then sucked on it before licking her around the center.
"I've waited a long time! I don't want to wait much longer."
Harry pulled out Mera who sat up and gave Harry a hungry kiss. She moved him over onto the bed and pinned him down. She straddled Harry's hips while putting her hands over his torso. She felt up Harry's strong body and moved in very closely to him. Her lips caught Harry's with a very tender kiss. They moved together to each other. Harry parted Mera's lips and sucked on her lower lip. She closed her eyes and increased her motions. Her tongue drove deeper inside Harry's mouth.
As much as she enjoyed the kissing, there was only one thing Mera desired above all else. Her hand grabbed around the base of Harry's cock and guided it to her entrance. The first few inches slipped against Mera's warm box and then into her body.
"It's like being reunited with an old friend, isn't it?"
Mera could not agree more. She picked up her pace when rising and dropping upon Harry's hips. His hands reached over and cupped Mera's breasts when they moved back and forth. They bounced a little bit when touching Harry's hands. The breath came through her body.
The redhead rose herself up and drove down onto Harry's aching cock. She pushed her wet pussy against Harry's hard tool when lifting up and dropping onto him. She repeatedly speared herself onto Harry and took more of his member deep inside of her.
She reached her peak and gave a delightful moan of frustration. Harry grabbed her hips and pushed Mera down onto him. He stretched her slick center and filled her up with an immense amount of cock.
"Faster," she said.
Mera's eyes flooded with lust. Harry was not about to let her down. He moved into her faster and the two met together. Mera's ass bounced against him. Harry put a hand on her lower back and caressed her plump backside. Mera shifted back as Harry rose up.
"It's time."
Harry knew what she was asking for instantly. The Sorcerer pushed his hands against Mera's ample chest and fondled them. She reacted to his actions in a very favorable manner. One nipple stuck out ready to be sucked. Harry cupped her right breast before moving a hand from her ass. He aimed Mera's left breast into his mouth and sucked on it.
Mera's eyes shifted with Harry's tongue working its magic. She missed this so very much. The two lovers indulged into each other. Mera's fingers encouraged Harry to work around him. Soft legs caressed Harry's strong waist when she kept riding and bucking down onto him.
"It's time," Harry said.
Harry buried himself face first into Mera's chest which got her motor completely running. The sultry redhead speared herself down onto him. The first signs of an orgasm passed through her. Shivers moved down her spine as she moved down to take Harry in by his cock
Mera released her own inhibitions and moaned. Harry turned up to face her and look her in the face. Her entire body rocked back and forth to drive as much of Harry inside of her as possible. Harry clutched her lower back as the ride continued to move on.
"It's time," Harry informed her.
Those two words made Mera nod in response. She pulled away from Harry and turned around. Her legs dripped and Harry now climbed behind her. Harry teased her with gentle caresses to torment her warm body.
"You really know how to draw this out, don't you?"
Her tone sounded not angry but sounded like it anticipated what was going to happen next. Harry teased and teased and teased her body to slowly bring Mera over to the edge. His fingers touched her body. Harry pulled back from entering her a couple of times.
Mera shook several times at the long feeling of denial. Harry would give her what she wanted in due time. The anticipation made Mera choke for his cock.
'Hundreds of years, subconsciously waiting,' Mera thought. 'A few more moments will be like a blink complained to them.'
That logic in her mind only died out thanks to Harry. His balls were rubbing against her. Mera could feel the treat which was in them. Her body burned up and Mera realized something. She needed sex more than life itself.
"Don't you want this?"
Mera pushed her finger inside of her pussy from behind and played with herself. She made herself fully aware of the progress Harry's eyes were making. Harry's massive cock touched her finger. She pulled out of her and braced herself for the impact.
Finally, Harry entered Mera. His hands rested against Mera's back when pushing into her. He gained some momentum. The heat and the friction coming from her body made Harry drive deeper inside of her body. Those nice throbbing balls caught Mera against her pussy the deeper Harry planted himself into her.
"I want this. And I need all of this."
Harry took a full feel of Mera's insides. Her silken walls rubbed up against his bare cock. The tension of Harry's balls just grew the deeper he planted himself inside of Mera. He touched her deepest insides with the tip of her head.
Mera allowed her body to accept his mighty intruder. Harry put a full force thrust into her body. The repeated thrusts grew even harder and even faster.
"I'm not going to hold out much longer."
Harry understood that fact. He slid back out of Mera and aimed his cock head against her entrance. It danced against Mera's slit and prepared to invade her from behind.
"You won't, but you will at the same time. Succumb to it, Mera. Don't hold back!"
He pushed into Mera and she gave into her lustful thoughts. Her walls grabbed Harry and milked him. Every time he entered her, Mera grabbed him even tighter. Harry explored her body and each touch brought Mera great pleasure. Pleasure which had been backed up out of her, but it was coming back down.
Harry sped up his fucking of Mera from behind. He slapped Mera's perfect ass and caused her to clench him. He would explore it soon enough. Now he needed to join with Mera.
"Welcome home."
Another orgasm triggered in Mera tugged on Harry's cock even harder. Harry knew his balls would only hold tight for so long. He pushed into Mera hard from behind.
The time ticked by with Mera getting another orgasm. It was when Harry struck and drove his hard cock into her. His balls shot their thick and sticky load inside of Mera's overflowing pussy. He pulled out of her and drove into Mera again repeatedly.
The blasts of white hot seed invading her body caused the medallion, the only article of clothing, to flair. The links between Harry and her fellow queens returned. Harry slammed himself deep inside of Mera before pulling completely out of her.
"Welcome home."
Harry wrapped an arm around Mera and rested against her. Their body heat shared meant that another joining was inevitable for the end of this evening.
"We have plenty of time to make up for what has been lost," Mera said.
"Indeed, we shall," Harry agreed.