He swam downward into the depths, the inky blackness a yawning portal into the unknown. His body resisting pressure capable of rupturing steel, Aquaman took stroke after powerful stroke, speed surpassing any vessel known to surface dwellers or Atlanteans. His blue eyes cut through the darkness with ease, although there currently wasn't much to see.
The cold and lack of light made the abyssal plains as barren as any desert.
He estimated that he was about four miles down, with another mile or so to go. It always amused him that after all this time as King of Atlantis, he still preferred to use the measurement terms his foster father and namesake Arthur Curry had taught him.
Old habits died hard.
He paused to sink naturally and sent out a telepathic inquiry.
There wasn't much of a response, but that was hardly surprising. Unless there was a hydrothermal vent or whale fall, the marine organisms calling this forsaken place home were spread out over dozens of square miles. Most of the time there simply wasn't enough biomass to support much life.
Which was why the signal he had received was so odd. He rarely went this deep simply because there was so little down here that needed his attention. But less than a day ago, there had been a request for assistance.
From hagfish, of all creatures.
Followed quickly by tube worms.
Soon much of the benthic community in this particular area was in an uproar.
Something had spooked them, and their persistent calls for intervention soon bordered on panic.
And so, he'd left Poseidonis in the care of Tempest, told the Justice League he'd be out of contact for a while, and made the thousand mile journey in about two hours. He could have used a vehicle, but after several days of tedious administration, he'd been wanting an excuse to stretch his muscles. He enjoyed pushing himself for the first couple hundred miles and then settled into a comfortable, yet steady, marathon swim.
But all journeys must end, and so he treaded water restlessly, wondering just what all the fuss had been about. Nothing appeared amiss.
Aside from several typical and minute denizens, his telepathy picked up a large anglerfish in the vicinity. He inquired as to more specific directions to his destination and was quickly directed to a location a bit further north. He commanded it to follow. While his eyes were able to pick out most things in this utter darkness, some extra light would be appreciated if he had to examine anything in detail.
He shifted his angle of descent and approached at a more reserved pace so the fish could keep up, reaching out continuously mentally to gather further information.
Very little was forthcoming. Abyssal creatures tended to mind their own business.
A few minutes later, his telepathy happened upon a giant squid.
He beckoned the massive animal over to him and treaded effortlessly next to a foot plus diameter eye. Cephalopods had high intelligence and were usually useful to communicate with.
Any idea what's got everybody so upset down here?
The squid's tentacles convulsed restlessly as it resisted the instinctual urge to capture the anglerfish and consume it. That was always the problem with predators. Food usually dominated their minds.
Aquaman nudged it a little harder telepathically and the cephalopod relaxed, as did the anglerfish who was very careful to keep the Atlantean between it and the carnivore.
Look, the sooner you give me some information, the sooner you can get back to hunting.
The squid relented and began to explain with some satisfaction how a large sperm whale had been killed by something, creating a whale fall. Such buffets were rare but welcome occurrences in the depths, creating a short-term oasis, which would sustain life in the area for many weeks or months.
But this whale fall was different. The creature that killed the whale would not let anything else near it. Anything venturing close was either slaughtered or driven off, disrupting the natural cycle of the ocean.
Aquaman frowned. He didn't know of anything capable of warding off all the scavengers and detritivores, which would descend upon such a massive feast. Much less be capable of eating all the remains. No wonder so many organisms were getting upset.
Everything got recycled in the ocean. Hoarding was unheard of.
Okay. Thanks. You can go.
The giant squid jetted off, creating enough turbulence to send the anglerfish reeling.
Aquaman smiled at his companion. Beats getting eaten. Come on.
They descended for another few minutes, until they were mere yards from the bottom. He sent out another telepathic request and began to look around warily. It was as if there was a void of marine life around him. Aside from his companion, there was no living thing, no even a tiny clam or crab, within a 1000 yards.
It was eerie, and he felt a bit blind without the various sets of eyes that were normally at his command.
Careful not to stir up the silt of the bottom, Aquaman swam along the bottom towards the center of this lifeless sphere.
He paused briefly when he came upon the remains of several scavengers.
They had been torn apart so badly that he couldn't determine what kind of creature had attacked them. Whatever it was, it had consumed nothing. The internal organs and scales of the hapless victims drifted in their own slowly diluting blood clouds, untouched by even the smallest marine creature.
He paused briefly before he swam on, allowing the anglerfish to have its fill.
A large dark shape loomed out of the black water, towering above the bottom. A mountain of ruined flesh, which would normally be swarming with hagfish, lampreys, and crustaceans. Instead, the whale carcass lay undisturbed.
Except for the numerous claw marks covering the body.
Aquaman paused, surveying his surroundings.
Whatever it was, it was near, probably watching him. He shrugged his shoulders. Might as well get it over with.
Hang back for a moment, he directed the angler, who was only too happy to oblige. He circled the giant corpse and quickly discovered that a sizable portion of it was missing, forming a tunnel of sorts from the posterior, ventral section.
He shook his head in disgust.
Something had gutted it.
I've had enough of this, Aquaman decided. Bruce was the detective; he preferred a more direct approach.
He kicked up a few times to obtain a better vantage point of the imminent battlefield, mentally steeled himself, and shouted telepathically:
SHOW YOURSELF!!
The whale exploded outward as three creatures shot toward him, streaking upwards with a speed and ferocity that caught him momentarily off guard. By the time he recovered, they were already upon him.
Razor sharp claws slashed across his armored torso, tearing away a large swath of orange scales, while a second foe managed to cut across one of his legs. The final opponent went straight for his face, maw opening wide to bite off his head.
Aquaman raised a forearm to block the strike. Needle sharp teeth sank deep into his arm, and the jaw attached to them quickly began to crush the offending limb.
He didn't have time for diplomacy. These creatures were trying to kill him.
He wriggled powerfully from the waist down and swiftly shot up from the depths, dragging his attached opponent with him. The creature's companions gave chase, but simply could not sustain his pace and soon were lost in the depths below.
Aquaman pounced on this temporary reprieve and latched onto the creature's head with his other arm, ignoring the creature's attempts to claw at him.
Release me! He commanded telepathically.
His head exploded in pain as the sheer alieness of the creature's mind washed over him. Coarse, guttural utterances drowned out his very thoughts:
Ph-nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn
He quickly cut the connection, head pounding. He'd lost his concentration and stopped swimming. The two foes began to tumble back down through the water.
The creature brought up its hind legs and began to rake his body, attempting to eviscerate him. More of his armor flaked away, baring much of his chest and stomach. His dense bones were still resisting the pressure of the bite, but the skin overlying them wasn't doing so well.
You leave me no choice, he gasped in Atlantean, head still reeling. Gripping the upper jaw firmly by the gums, he tensed his arm muscle and ripped the jaw clear off.
A cloud of blood exploded into view and the creature screamed in agony.
Aquaman raised a powerful leg and kicked at the torso, shattering all its ribs and silencing the beast. It began to drift aimlessly, beginning the long, slow journey to join the slaughtered whale far below.
Carefully shaking his injured arm to restore its circulation, he shook his head slowly, trying to quell the throbbing of his head. He reached out to twist the creature around so it was facing him and got his first good look at his adversary.
Covered in scales, it was humanoid, with two arms and legs. In addition, it had a tail, similar to that of a tadpole or salamander. Its head was over-sized, with large glassy eyes on either side of an impressive jaw. Or at least, it had been impressive before he had torn it in half. Numerous fins complemented the scales creating a dark coloration on top, but a sickly white belly underneath.
For all intensive purposes, it was a fish-man, albeit with significant frog-like influences.
Mind finally clearing, Aquaman began to recount the various races he had encountered over the decades. None of them quite matched this individual. Perhaps Vulko would--
His lateral lines screamed in warning.
He arced crazily in the water, barely avoiding the onrushing claws of another fish-man. He dove away from this new foe, seeking the second opponent he knew must have accompanied it. A few seconds later, he spotted it, speeding away with its dead comrade.
Oh, no, you don't.
He kicked out in order to put on a burst of speed, only to have the creature he had avoided lash out and successfully claw into his calf, sending lancing pain up his leg.
Grimacing, Aquaman brought his leg in, dragging the fish-man towards him.
He slammed both fists hard into the gill slits on either side of the creature's enlarged head and was rewarded with a startled squeal.
The creature released his leg, as it convulsed in pain.
A well-placed kick to the head silenced the fish-man, who lulled listlessly in the dark water. Aquaman grabbed it carefully.
It was still alive.
He quickly scanned the surrounding ocean carefully, but there was no sign of his quarry. He flexed his leg experimentally and winced. No more high-speed swimming for the next hour or so. He'd have to let it escape.
One prisoner would have to do.
He sent out a strong telepathic inquiry for assistance.
Aside from his anglerfish, all he tagged in the vicinity was the giant squid from earlier. He summoned it, making clear it was an order, not a request.
A few minutes later, the cephalopod reared into view.
Here, hold this, he commanded the mollusk, who quickly wrapped two tentacles around the unconscious humanoid. Satisfied, Aquaman then dove back down to the whale, calling out behind him, And don't eat it!
A few seconds later, he was back by the carcass, injured leg complaining at the activity. Carefully settling into the silt, he beckoned the anglerfish to him.
Give me some light.
The fish obliged. It was a large specimen and its dangling light in combination with his own formidable vision let him observe the dead body in detail.
He soon wished he couldn't.
The creatures had literally carved out a fleshy cavern from the sperm whale. What had happened to the various internal organs was anybody's guess. Certainly, those three couldn't have eaten them all. He stood there looking at the gristly cave for several minutes, gradually coming to an unwanted conclusion. This wasn't just wanton slaughter. The whale had been carefully modified. The opening was almost perfect and he could now clearly see patterns of claw marks etched around it, forming patterns. Patterns that managed to disturb him on a primordial level. There was something aeons old about them and their malevolence was palpable.
And completely unnatural.
Aquaman shook his head grimly.
He had to go in.
But first, some precautions.
He directed the giant squid to head back to his home and not stop until it reached Poseidonis. If something happened to him, at least Tempest and Vulko would be forewarned. He maintained telepathic contact until the squid was several leagues away and arranged an escort by several dozen sharks. Nothing would stop his erstwhile courtier without a significant fight.
Then he removed his lefthand glove, exposing the water hand gifted to him by the Lady of the Lake a few years ago. The water of the hand seemed to glow in the darkness of his surroundings. He clenched his bared hand into a fist and contemplated it.
While his had unlocked several of its mystical powers, it still remained much of a mystery to him. Still, he knew it was capable of the task he needed it for now.
He reached out, spreading his liquid-like fingers and concentrated.
A moment later the organic cavern pulsed with energy as the magic of the hand dispelled or otherwise nullified any enchantments within the grotesque chamber. The anglerfish darted behind him in fear.
Not much longer, Aquaman reassured it, then turned back to the task at hand.
Soon the eldritch illumination faded.
Satisfied, he replaced his glove and kicked off the bottom.
Let's go.
The anglerfish reluctantly followed, and the two of them disappeared into the darkness.