A massive holomap of the capital city glows in the center of the room. Ian and Optimus stand at the head of the briefing table, surrounded by their elite team: Ice King, Red Riot, Steel, Stark, Deadshot Valor, The Lion, Blade, Shadow, and Voltron—who towers silently in the corner.
Voltron a 8ft cyborg war machine, his voice breaks the silence, metallic and rumbling,
Voltron, cold and robotic, "I will crush anything that stands in our way." Without another word, he turns and walks out of the room.
His heavy footsteps echo down the corridor.
Ian, shrugs, "Well, that's one less thing to worry about."
He taps the holomap and brings up the capital's transit routes.
Ian- "We've got reports from the Hero Organization—multiple attempts by demons to either detonate or steal the bomb. Exact locations? Unclear. They're hitting random points, trying to smoke it out."
Optimus: "That's why we're going low-profile. No airlifts. No shuttles."
The Lion, raising a brow, "Why not just fly it out on a warship?"
Ian, flatly, "Too easy to track. A ship's a target. All it takes is one shot, and it's game over."
Optimus brings up a 3D model of a heavily-armored semi-truck.
Optimus- "We're moving it by ground—old-school. This truck's our best bet. Heavy armor. Internal shielding. Ice King will be the driver—his powers let him reinforce the vehicle if needed. Ian's riding passenger, protecting the cockpit."
Blade, leaning back, arms crossed, "What about the rest of us? Crammed in the back with the nuke?"
Optimus ignores the sarcasm, "You'll be in the trailer—next to the bomb. There's a ladder to the roof. You'll have access if we're ambushed."
Blade, murmurs, "Still not hearing anything about air conditioning…"
Ian, without looking up, "You'll live."
Optimus- "The convoy includes four armed escort trucks—two in front, two in back—and a stealth helicopter overhead for recon and air support. We roll at dawn."
Deadshot Valor- "What's the threat level?"
Ian- "High. Demons, mercenaries, corrupt factions—anyone could come after it. This isn't just an escort mission—it's a moving war zone."
The room falls quiet. Ice King, grinning, "Hope you boys packed a lunch."
Late that morning, the team rolls up in the semi truck with the convo waiting for them, the ride to go to the city on the first story takes 3 hours to get there. The armored semi-truck rumbles onto the platform as the STF team arrives. The morning sun glints off the gunmetal finish of the convoy trucks. The air is thick with tension and heat.
Deadshot Valor hops out of the trailer, cracking his neck and arms. Grumbling, "Should've brought a pillow... or a seat with lumbar support."
Shadow is already at the front, chatting with local police, exchanging intel with his usual smirk. Steel walks up to the crane operators, then grabs the cable with one arm, helping guide the massive bomb as it's lowered gently into the trailer. Meanwhile, Ian and Ice King suit up in the cab. The Lion (yawning): "So... we really didn't have to suit up for the ride down?"
Ian , buttoning his chest plate, "I never said you couldn't. Just didn't say you should."
Optimus approaches, helmet under arm. Optimus- "We're locked in. Escort units ready. Let's roll."
Everyone boards. The trailer door slams shut behind them. The convoy begins the hour-and-twenty-minute journey through the colossal house toward the outer gates of the First Story. They pass through titanic steel archways and drive beneath mega-structures that tower like mountains. Suddenly—a ripple in reality.
A shadowy demon materializes in the road ahead, glowing red eyes fixed on the convoy. Before anyone can react, a blinding flash swallows the entire semi-truck.
WHOOMPH.
The truck reappears—deep in a thick, alien jungle. Vines hang like chains, and colossal trees stretch into an emerald sky. Ian, on comms, "We've been teleported—hostile zone. Demons in the trees. All units: defend the bomb at all costs."
Inside the trailer, alarms flash red. The team leaps into action. Red Riot shoves The Lion, who's still dozing.
Red Riot- "Wake up! We got incoming!"
Demons shriek, leaping down from the trees and onto the trailer. Ian rolls down the armored window, leans halfway out with a plasma rifle, and starts lighting up the treeline.
Steel, already on the roof, grabs a demon by the throat and slams it into the pavement, then hurls another into the canopy. Red Riot doesn't wait—he leaps off the moving trailer, bounding across branches, blasting demons mid-jump.
He swings back aboard, landing beside Steel. Deadshot Valor kicks open the back doors of the trailer, diving out with twin plasma pistols blazing. Deadshot-"Let's make this quick—I hate humid battlefields."
Shadow disappears into a blur, his form zig-zagging between leaping demons, silently eliminating each one with blades and pinpoint shots. Suddenly, the trees tremble. Dark transport aircraft zip through the canopy, glowing with demonic glyphs.
Stark, looking up, annoyed, "You've gotta be kidding me…"
He leaps, landing on top of the closest aircraft. The cockpit crew freezes as Stark drives his fist through the control panel. With a roar, he forces raw Kia energy through the ship—turning it into a massive tree mid-air.
The aircraft explodes behind him as he backflips off and lands in front of the trailer.
Stark- "Lion—toss me up there!"
The Lion grins and hurls Stark onto the trailer like a cannonball. Just then, a massive swarm of demons descended like black vultures. Optimus calmly steps out of the convoy, eyes locked forward.
Optimus, drawing his sword, "Time to clear the skies."
In one sweeping arc, his blade shatters the front wave, demons disintegrating in the air. But one demon smashes into the cab, ripping the roof clean off. Ian fires a round straight into its skull, then vaults onto the trailer.
Just as he lands, another demon dropkicks him mid-sprint, sending him crashing through the roof of the trailer, slamming down next to the bomb.
Ian, grunting, already getting up, "Not. Today."
He spins, slashing his katana, sending the attacker flying back out through the hole. Above them, a flying demon charges a beam of energy through its hands, launching it toward the truck.
Steel hurls himself into the sky like a missile, tackling the demon mid-beam. The two tumble through the canopy. But part of the beam hits the cab— BOOM! The truck skids violently, plunging off a cliffside waterfall.
Ice King is thrown forward, knocked out as the truck crashes into a jungle lake, sinking fast. Ian and Optimus dive into the murky water. Optimus grabs the bomb, anchoring it to his chest.
Ian swims deeper, finding Ice King drifting unconscious. He latches onto him and kicks toward the surface. They burst out of the water and drag themselves to shore.
Ian, grumbling as he drops Ice King,"He's about to give me frostbite…"
The Lion jogs up, concerned.
The Lion- "Can I go check where Steel went?"
Ian, catching his breath, "Yeah—tell him those football days paid off."
Deadshot Valor, soaked and annoyed, pours water out of his pistols. Deadshot- "Do we have a plan B… or is it drown and hope for the best?"
Optimus, checking his comm, "Yeah. We're blasting the bomb into space. A ship's inbound now." Ian looks up. Voltron's ship descends through the jungle canopy like a silent predator.
The rear ramp lowers with a hiss of steam. Voltron, 8 feet tall, armored and glowing, steps out.
Voltron, in his cold, mechanized voice, "Apologies for the delay. I took… a detour." They load the bomb onto the ship just as a wave of elite demons breaks from the tree line, roaring.
Ian, shouting, "We need someone to hold them off!"
Voltron, drawing his energy blade, "I'll handle this. With ease."
As the ship lifts off, demon fighters rise from under the jungle, swarming toward it. Shadow jumps out the side, slicing through winged demons as he leaps from one ship to another with smooth precision.
Stark roars, leaping out behind him, landing on a demon ship and slamming his fist through the hull. He grabs the yoke and steers it into another, both crashing into the trees below in a flaming tangle. Inside the ship, an alert blares.
Optimus-"We need to jump before detonation altitude!"
Ian- "I'm staying with Shadow—we'll clean up down here!"
The two move in perfect sync—slicing through demons midair, back to back. Optimus turns to Deadshot, who's already climbing on his back like a surfboard.
Deadshot, grinning, "While we're falling, I'll shoot the demons—you focus on not letting us die." Optimus leaps, Deadshot fires in all directions, spinning as they descend.
Ian and Shadow deploy their parachutes, gliding to the jungle below just as the ship reaches critical height.
High above—BOOM! A blazing explosion tears through the sky, vaporizing the bomb and the final wave of demon reinforcements.
Back at STF HQ, the mood was electric. Music echoed through the halls, lights shimmered across the common room, and the team celebrated with laughter, dancing, and drinks. The battle was over, and for now, peace held. Ian stood near the center of the room, handing out badges and medals—recognition for bravery, sacrifice, and unity.
Ian , smiling, "Y'all earned this. Everyone of you."
But while the celebration raged on, Ian quietly stepped away. His boots echoed against the polished floor as he made his way down the dim corridor leading to the holding cells deep beneath HQ.
Inside, Drunnith the Impaler sat shackled behind reinforced energy bars. The green glow of his aura pulsed faintly in the darkness.
His armor scratched, his pride bruised—but his eyes still burned with something Ian couldn't quite place.
Drunnith, calm, voice low and unsettling, "You think you've won. That you've stopped something. But there's more to the Demon World than what your Empire understands." Ian narrowed his eyes.
Ian- "Talk." Drunnith, smirking, "The Demon World wasn't always a place of evil. It was the Old World… before yours even existed."