A/N: I'm sorry for how long it took to write this. Bleh whatever.

Anyway here you go.

Chapter 9: Prometheus

Sergeant Tanner was a good man,

or at least he liked to think he was. In his line of work it could be hard to tell sometimes.

Sergeant Tanner is one of those people who don't exist, the most covert of covert ops, men and women who prevent wars, or global catastrophes from happening, but if they were ever caught... Well they didn't exist so no country could take blame for their covert operations, however well intentioned.

He liked his job, not everyone can say they've helped stop global catastrophes, even if you can't actually say it to anyone. He was also quite good at his job.

"What's the mission sir." Sergeant Tanner's second in command asked him.

"Target of opportunity." He replied. "A corrupt Chinese general is attempting to sell a nuclear warhead to an extremist group based along China's Western border." He pointed to a location on the map spread out on the table before him. "Since the General isn't going to admit what he was doing to his higher ups if the warhead goes missing before it gets where it's going this is a good opportunity to get one more nuke to a safe place."

The soldier nodded. "So we'll be ambushing them in the desert then?"

Sergeant Tanner nodded. "Best place to do it, right here is where I've decided." He said pointing to a particularly barren stretch of desert.

The sand still held a little warmth from the heat of the day but that was quickly fading to the frigid barren cold of the night. He raised a pair of night vision binoculars to his eyes, yes there they were. A small column of vehicles picking their way along the rough desert track, two scout cars mounting machine-guns and a large armored cargo truck in the middle. He lowered the binocs.

"Alright get ready we'll-" His words were cut off by the sudden dull thunderclap of a distant explosion. His head whipped around to the column, still the better part of two miles away, but on the flat plain of the desert he could see the lead vehicle burning brightly against the dark surroundings. The staccato reports of gunfire began floating over the dry winds to them followed shortly by another dull whump as the rear vehicle detonated.

"Get up! Go! We need to get there before they can secure the weapon!" Tanner yelled to his men as they rose from their concealed positions, appearing as if from thin air, and began running towards the distant fires.

As they got closer they began crouching and moving cover to cover to avoid being spotted, he could see soldiers moving around the decimated convoy. A large package presumably containing the nuclear warhead stood off to the side of the cargo truck. With a soft pop a small balloon with a flashing light on it erupted from the top of the package floating high up into the air.

"What the hell is that?" His second hissed into his ear.

"I don't know, get ready to move we're almost in ran-" Again his words were cut off as the low screaming roar of jet engines filled the air.

One of the soldiers jumped up onto the cab of the cargo truck and began waving around what must have been batons but they were a strange neon pink color. The whine of jet engines grew to a tremulus roar as a massive black shape flew by overhead, ungodly low to the ground, snagging the long floating line and yanking the package into the air as it passed over quickly disappearing into the inky black of the night sky, the rear of the strange aircraft lit by the purple-blue glow of six jet engines.

[Field Note: Gotha G-3 Globemaster]

By the time he looked away from the aircraft all the soldiers that had been prowling about the ruined convoy were gone, the distant rumble of engines argued it wasn't by magic but damn if it didn't feel like it.

"Sir I think we've just been had." His second in command said slowly.

"Yeah…" Was all he could muster as he scratched his head, boy was his boss gunna be mad.

"I miss Jinx already." Raven sighed as she packed equipment away into crates.

"She's only been gone for two days." Aratani rumbled her deep raspy voice lightened with soft chuckles.

"Come now you know Jinx's presence is powerful, it's much different when she isn't around." Raven argued with a slight touch of pout in her voice.

"Powerful presence Is that what you're calling her shenaniganry?" Ara replied staring at her commander with a bemused slant to her eyes.

"I think the Commander is just upset because Jinx en't around to warm her bed at night." Nix said walking in from the neighboring room with a half full box.

"..."

Ara looked at her Commander.

"She's not wrong." Raven said shrugging as her pale skin heated slightly. "She's very… comfortable." Raven paused. "Damn Ara you wouldn't really know what that feels like would you?" Raven said with a more serious expression as she looked over to the eons ancient sleepless construct.

"Actually…" Ara began suddenly becoming very unlike herself in the way she shyly rubbed her arm looking to Nix.

"Don't tell me…" Raven looked between the two as they attempted to look at anything other than each other or their Commander, Raven's face split into a wide smirk. "Well shit, I'm almost afraid to ask what that was like, hard as a rock isn't just a saying for you Ara."

Ara couldn't naturally show a lot of expression but the way she attempted to shrink into the corner of the room said plenty.

"She's not all hard..." Nix offered in a low murmur. "And you know us Tamaraneans are tougher than most!" She added a bit louder.

Raven shook her head bemusedly grinning at two of her best soldier shying away like school girls. "Whatever makes you happy right?" Raven replied letting her subordinates off the hook as she turned back to her packing. "I'm just glad to finally be going home."

The two looked at each other, Nix shrugging and smiling softly. Ara just shook her head and hefted up her crate to take outside.

Jinx whistled to herself as she sat in the cavernous cargo bay of the Globemaster transport, the bay was dimly lit while in flight only illuminated by the soft red emergency lighting, but Jinx's cat eyes weren't just for show so she didn't mind the dark. Matter of fact it rather reminded her of Raven, the imposing ex-Titan seemed to bring shadows wherever she went. Rather than feeling gloomy though it gave a very… personal feeling, as though she weren't giving a mission briefing but rather having a quiet talk in some coffee shop or something. At least that's what it made Jinx feel, it probably scared the wits out of most people.

She chuckled a little to herself.

The bright steel of the knife in her hand glinted in the low light as she shook slightly. she had been cleaning it, as her attention returned to it she gave it one last wipe with the oil rag before sliding it smoothly back into its sheath. She clicked open the display piece on her arm and the screen glowed a dull muted light to match her dim surroundings. Noting the time she climbed out of her little cargo net nest and made her way back towards the cockpit passing groups of her soldiers as she went, some asleep some not, she passed a group playing cards in the light of a flashlight hung from a cargo net. They offered her a place at the game but she declined with a wave and a smirk, continuing up towards the pilots.

Climbing the ladder up from the lower level of the cargo bay she came into the short cramped corridor that passed by the air crews meager quarters and up into the cockpit. Entering the room with long practiced silence she looked out the wide panoramic windscreen, the vast expanse of ocean and dusk lit sky that could be seen through them made the cockpit seem larger than it was. The weapons officer and navigator looked up from their instruments as she came in, their positions looking out from the beam of the aircraft so they were half turned towards the door. She nodded to them in silent greeting as she stepped up and tapped the co-pilot on the shoulder. He turned his helmeted head back towards her, the sun visor was up as the sky was only glowing with the soft colors of dusk, but she could see the bright blue of his glowing heads up display.

"We're nearing home?" She asked cocking an eyebrow slightly.

The co-pilot nodded. "Aye ma'm, about forty-five minutes, give or take." He responded, his voice coming out staticky through his helmet mic.

Jinx just nodded and the co-pilot turned back to the windscreen and his instruments, Jinx decided to stay, one hand hooked onto a hand-hold on the cabin roof as she looked out towards the slight dark bump on ocean horizon.

Terra stood on a large boulder with an excellent view of the vast ocean on the north side of Leviathan's largest island, arms crossed in her simple Leviathan fatigues. She heard the distant scream of jet engines long before she spotted the long low shape of the massive flying wing transport. It came in low tipping it's nose up as it slowed rapidly towards the calm surface of the ocean, it's engines trailed by the shimmering ripple of high temperature exhaust. Flaps and airbrakes extended along the wings slowing the aircraft further as two long skids separated from the bottom of the fuselage like a pair of giant skis. With the particular kind of grace only something as massive as the Globemaster can posses the skids cut into the water spewing up plumes of spray as the massive aircraft slowed to a stop in the water, floating gently as the waves lapped over its long low form. Covers rose up over the engine intakes and exhaust ports to prevent cool sea water from hitting the superheated metal of the engines as the sea came alive with bubbles around the giant shape. Slowly the massive transport slipped below the waves leaving only a stir of bubbles as the only trace it had even been there as it sank towards the sea floor docking ports specifically made for the massive aircraft.

"Terra!" A shout came from behind her.

She looked back over her shoulder before jumping down from the boulder and jogging the few dozen meters back to her little camp. Her commander, Heinrich Jaeger was standing there looking at a tablet in his hand, he glance up as she jogged up. "Goot, pack up we're moving out." His voice was tinged with a German accent as were his features. He almost looked as though someone had plucked a German Panzer colonel out of an old war photo and plopped him down here in Leviathan fatigues. In any case Terra liked him, he was an excellent officer calm and collected during their training exercises, but like a lot of Leviathan commanders, relaxed and easy to talk to during off time.

But currently they were in a live training exercise so she snapped off a quick. "Yes sir!" And scrambled up into the driver's hatch of the big Nishizumi E9 "Jack" tank. She settled herself down into the cramped fighting compartment as the rest of the crew climbed into the tank, taking a brief moment to wonder how she had ended up as a tank driver.

"Driver, start the engines." Jaeger order over the radio.

She nodded even though he likely couldn't see her from his position in the turret behind her. A few quick switches and with a rumbling roar the heavy warmachine came to life, it's powerful diesel engine sending vibrations through the steel to rattle her bones.

"Un-buttoned, advance." Terra popped open the armored hatch above her head and adjusted her seat so that she was more nearly upright so that her head stuck out just far enough to see out of the vehicle giving her a better view than through the tiny viewports within the tank. Stepping on the accelerator the tank began to slowly lumber forward through the pine forests covering Leviathan's home island. Their tank took the lead at the head of a column as tanks emerged from the brush onto the road.

"Driver halt!" Jaeger called out.

She had been about to stop anyway, there was a deep ditch in the road where rainwater had washed out a section of the road, the tanks might be able to crawl through it.

"Terra?" Jaeger asked with a slight smile in his voice.

Terra grinned standing up in her seat before lifting her arms bringing thick grey stone up out of the ground to fill in the ditch, yes that was why she took the offered tanker role.

Obstruction cleared the tanks rolled onwards.

Raven walked down one of the many long corridors of Leviathans subterranean base, she turned at a door that lead to one of the bunkers carved out of the stone sides of the mountain. The room was about seven feet from floor to ceiling all reinforced concrete, the far wall was split down the middle by a narrow bunker window running the length of the room. The top edge of the window revealing the edge of the massive steel blast shields that could be open or closed to protect the room. Massive naval caliber artillery pieces sat in their steel mountings pointing out the window at the distant horizon.

And there in the middle of the room sitting on top of a crate containing 305 millimeter artillery shells sat Starfire, meditating.

Raven walked up behind her quietly looking out the window as she sipped her tea. Together they sat in silence for a few minutes, Raven understood meditation and being interrupted while meditating, Starfire would address her when she was good and ready and Raven was perfectly content to wait until then.

Starfire let out a contented sigh and turned to look up at Raven. "Hello Raven."

"Hello Star, how are the arms doing?" Raven asked.

Starfire lifted the pair of mechanical arms up and out moving them slowly and precisely, followed by the second set of arms attached just below them showing off her control of the four new appendages.

"They are well, I've mostly gotten used to them now." Starfire rested two hands in her lap and leaned back on her other two smiling. "It's quite convenient you know, I should have done this sooner."

Raven shook her head. "Gods don't tell Jinx that, she's been half hoping to lose and arm in combat I don't need her actually trying to lose one." Raven replied only half joking.

Starfire chuckled smiling up at the merc commander. "Really though I'm alright, Leviathan is… different, but in a good way, I'm liking it here."

Raven nodded. "That's good to hear, because I'm clearing you for duty."

Starfire nodded. "I'm ready." She said after a short moment.

Jinx looked back over her shoulder as Drake walked towards her. "She's almost ready boss."

Drake nodded looking at the team of technicians and engineers working in the lowered workspace before them, milling around the long slender aluminum shape of a missile, components and exterior panels scattered across the table

"One, previously Chinese owned, 20 kiloton nuclear warhead, as requested." Jinx said gesturing grandly with a large smile on her face.

Drake smirked back at her. "Very good, I trust you've named it well?"

As the mission leader Jinx was given the honor of christening the warhead with a name.

Jinx smiled widely as the techs below attached the final piece of aluminum siding to the slender missile. On the side in large black lined hot pink letters was stenciled two words.

"Sucker Punch"

Field Note:

Gotha G-3 "Globemaster –

The Globemaster is a massive flying wing type transport aircraft looking somewhat like an oversized B-2 Spirit stealth bomber. It is powered by six massive engines embedded in the wings and is capable of airlifting an enormous cargo load to anywhere in the world directly from Leviathan HQ. For defense the aircraft is equipped with four vertical missile bays containing both long range air-to-air missiles and short range high speed interceptor missiles capable of shooting down aircraft or other missiles. The G-3 also serves as a flying tanker and air control aircraft. The tanker variant using most of its gargantuan two story cargo bay for massive fuel tanks is otherwise no different, and the air control version houses a small command control center and vast array of sensor, radar, and other advanced tracking equipment. Finally the bomber variant of the aircraft are filled primarily with a variety of long range missiles of various types, they fly on standby ready to assist Leviathan troops with their impressive ordinance load. Capable of cruising at speeds of up to Mach 2 with a Mach 3 top speed these aircraft spend long periods of time in the air near the edge of space, their flight endurance is so good that the aircraft contains some small living quarters and has two shifts of crew so that they can trade off. The G-3 is simply too large to land at most conventional airfields although it does have a standard set of wheeled landing gear, it usually lands on the water utilizing a massive pair of skids to land and hydroplane for takeoff. Leviathan HQ has several structures on the sea floor that the massive craft attach to for loading and unloading of cargo.

A/N: Well there it is finally, mostly just a nice tying up of the events from Jump city and a little set up for what's to come. I hope you all enjoyed and I will see you all next time.