Multiverse: Deathstroke-Chapter 488: Underground Rockets

The Justice League had exhausted its X-Metal supply. It was used to link humanity’s collective consciousness, pull Earth back into the Light Multiverse, and repair the Bleed.

There wasn’t much to begin with, and patching the Bleed was like filling a bottomless pit. Fortunately, it worked.

Later, Batman somehow acquired more X-Metal and had Green Lantern John Stewart craft it into a warhead as a contingency to destroy the Anti-Monitor.

But the League voted to let the Anti-Monitor land on Earth, so the weapon went unused. Now, John, along with Ron and Hawkgirl, was on Thanagar Prime, seeking answers about the Anti-Monitor from the Martian Prophet. Communication had been completely cut off.

Even Batman couldn’t conjure more X-Metal from thin air. It was the force that shaped and sustained the Multiverse—taking too much could harm it.

So, they had to settle for the next best thing: Atlantis’s massive divine metal rockets.

Since they decided to use Atlantis’s ancient rockets, someone needed to dive underwater to activate the control consoles.

Poseidonis was fully submerged, its outlines blurred in the deep purple ocean, swaying with the currents.

"It breaks my heart, but our city fell long ago. If its ruins can be used against alien invaders, that’s the best outcome."

Mera rubbed her arms as if cold, her face etched with grief.

Arthur embraced her, comforting his wife.

"We need to activate those towers fast, before it’s too late."

But as they spoke, a piercing screech, like claws on a chalkboard, tore through the sky.

Not just sound—the sea beneath churned with waves meters high. It felt like Earth itself was shaking, like a glass of water being jostled.

"What’s happening? Sense anything?" Barry scanned around, gripping the ship’s railing, staring at the roiling purple ocean.

Diana searched too, seeing nothing but feeling it.

"A massive threat. It’s chilling."

"There, in the sky!" Mera pointed upward, her face incredulous.

During the screech, a terrifying creature descended from space, slowly passing through the barrier.

The Leviathan, transformed by the Tear of Extinction.

The alien sea gods had recalled it to Blood Reef, infusing it with the Tear’s rule-breaking power through a magical ritual. It howled as it morphed into a colossal, tangible monster.

Its purple-green liquid form was gone, replaced by an indescribable, horrific body, red with war and destruction.

It lost its teleportation but gained traits akin to the Tear. If its tentacles touched Earth’s oceans, all life would die instantly.

Too powerful, even the Bone Ring of the Sea couldn’t fully control it. Filled with hatred and destruction, it resisted as the sea gods struggled to tighten their grip.

For now, it worked. The Death Kraken was stuck in the barrier, motionless.

Its red, kilometer-long tentacles were the only thing the Justice League could see in the sky.

"No time! I’ll go underwater to activate the equipment!" Diana checked her gear. "If it’s Atlantean tech, I should understand it."

"Diana—" Arthur had planned to go, but with the Death Kraken looming, he had to stay in the sky.

Sea monsters were his specialty.

The League had an unspoken division of labor.

Aliens? Superman, Martian Manhunter, or Green Lantern took point. Mythical creatures? Diana’s domain. Seafood? Arthur’s job.

Batman handled lunatics or confirmed that aliens or mythical beings were insane.

"You hold off their fleet. I’ll activate the rockets. Mera, can your hard-water shield protect me?" Diana took charge, assigning tasks while Batman stayed silent.

"Should be possible." Mera considered, pinching her chin. Long-range hard-water barriers were doable with extra effort.

Arthur stood bare-handed on the deck, nervously glancing at the women and the massive monster above.

He wasn’t sure his idea was right.

Diana donned the hard-water shield, ready to dive.

"Arthur, listen. They didn’t take your true power. Your strength is your hero’s heart. It’s an honor to fight beside you."

Diana wasn’t certain either. The depths were unknown, and her return was uncertain.

If only Deathstroke were here—she had things to say.

Arthur nodded, his expression steadying. At this point, there was little left to ponder.

Trusting his friends and the Justice League was the best choice.

He clapped Diana’s shoulder, sailor-style. "Honored to fight with you, Diana. I hope you’re right. Fair winds."

"Good news: I’m usually right. Amazon intuition."

Diana smiled, leaping from the railing into the sea. In the murky water, she’d need to break through Poseidonis’s foundation to reach the underground chamber.

With her gone, the others had to hold off the alien armada and delay the Kraken’s descent.

For now, the enemy’s superweapon seemed more for intimidation, stuck in the barrier like a giant red broccoli, not yet falling.

But the alien fleet was closing in, endless ships heading their way, aiming to seize the transport.

They didn’t fire, despite countless cannons that could obliterate the League’s ship instantly. Instead, they opted for boarding.

Batman’s eyes narrowed. He saw their intent, though not why they valued the ship. It was exploitable.

"Get closer to sea level, under the beast!"

He radioed Bobo with the new plan.

If the enemy cared so much about the ship, parking it under the Kraken would force hesitation if the beast fell, buying time.

Their survival? If the Kraken touched the sea, Earth was done. Their lives didn’t matter.

Bobo grimaced. He knew more than Batman, but betting everyone’s lives was insane.

Why did piloting for the League always mean unnecessary risks?

"Deathstroke, where the hell are you?"

One hand on the helm, Bobo pulled the cigar from his mouth, spat to the side, took a deep breath, and steeled his gaze.

No choice but to dive in.

Arthur stood at the bow, facing the overwhelming enemy fleet. He pounded his chest. No weapons, but he had fists.

"For sunken Earth, charge!"

Diana broke through, finding the tunnel Arthur and the older Deathstroke dug during the Metal event. She entered the mysterious underground chamber.

No wonder Arthur kept quiet. The older Deathstroke, with Atlantis’s new king, had burrowed into the ancestral tombs—a shameful secret.

Protected by strange magic, the area was dry, the tomb intact, with functioning lights.

Passing oversized golden coffins, she reached a section for burial goods.

Under the lights, the chamber spanned several football fields, filled with treasures and bizarre equipment of unknown purpose.

Everything gleamed gold, even the stone walls plated with it, exuding opulence.

The gold only deepened Diana’s confusion.

"Justice League, I’m here. Can you hear me?"

Her earpiece buzzed with static—alien jamming still worked here.

"Damn it, what am I looking for..." Diana scanned the equipment, unfamiliar to her.

"Calm down, Diana, calm down."

She muttered, urging herself to think. Everyone above was counting on her.

Recalling Deathstroke’s approach, she tried an outsider’s perspective.

She needed the rocket launch controller but couldn’t identify it among the devices.

"Arthur recognized it last time, so it must stand out, even to someone with his high school education..."

Arthur’s knowledge of Atlantean history was near zero; of Amazons, zero flat.

If he recognized rocket launch equipment, it was from human knowledge.

Weaving through the devices, Diana searched for something tying human basics to rockets.

Fuel.

Long ago, Atlantis lacked interstellar travel, summoning aliens to Earth instead of venturing out.

These rockets were Arion’s prototypes. Without alien energy, they used Earth-based fuel.

From outside, the rockets looked like giant spires. That size demanded massive fuel. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Rockets could last, but fuel—unlike the League’s alien batteries—couldn’t sit inside for millennia. That’d be a hazard.

Ten thousand years ago, Earth had no alien tech. The rockets needed fueling before launch.

Follow the thick, parallel pipes, and she’d find the underground fueling section.

That’s what Arthur understood. Ships and cars needed fuel. He likely saw the fuel ports and realized they were rockets.

Kids knew rocket basics—fireworks, water rockets, all fun stuff.

Diana sprinted, spotting four parallel metal pipes.

Following them, she found a giant lever, like a bolt, under four massive pillars, connected by pin-like joints.

The rockets extended deeper underground—this was just midsection.

Arion’s rockets were designed for passengers, cargo, and living quarters, making them enormous.

The surface spires, now Atlantean homes, were the living sections.

Here was the fueling and storage area. The engines lay deeper, in an abyssal chasm.

Diana exhaled. She’d found it.

She was slightly off. Beside the console, Arion had carved a golden tablet, nearly human height, depicting a rocket blasting into space.

Arthur saw that and realized they were rockets. Comic-style, he could understand.

Diana palmed her forehead. She’d overestimated Arthur’s smarts. School taught him nothing.