Chapter Two: Bait
Images tumbled through AC's mind as he lapsed from consciousness to unconsciousness and back again. One minute he was in Oliver's penthouse, sparring with Bart. Then he was on a mission, breaching the security system of another anonymous LuthorCorp building and working with the guys to undermine 33.1. Images of Oliver kept recurring, first smiling, then in pain, strapped to a table in some warehouse with electricity coursing through his body. When was that? Through the cloud of his memory he couldn't quite work it out. And then there was Lex's face, gloating over him as now he was strapped to a gurney, struggling in vain as he tried to get free whilst all the time his foe tormented him with a glass of water, always just out of reach.
So many images, so many memories, and underneath it all an awareness of pain. A terrible, all-consuming pain that he knew all too well – the pain that came from dehydration.
At last the cloud began to clear, and his memories began to take on an order in his mind. He could recall it all now – Oliver's capture, the tape of his torture at the hands of who knows who, the rescue mission. He remembered staking out the Wroughton Lake Facility, seeing Oliver, bound and gagged, at Lex's feet. What had happened then? What had happened to Oliver? He didn't know. But he did remember the fight with Lex's men, how initially he'd taken them down, but then he'd been attacked with some sort of weapon, and then…. Well, then all was blackness.
He was awake now, and as his senses started to kick in he tried to work out where he was, and just how much danger he was in. Pain seemed to be eating into him, sapping the strength from every muscle in his body. And the thirst, the thirst he felt was overwhelming. He knew now why that image of Lex and the glass of water had figured so prominently in his delirium – it was the last time he'd experienced the full horror of what prolonged absence from water could do to his body.
He became aware that the pain in his arms was more acute than elsewhere, and it was quickly clear to him that he was chained up in some way. He listened carefully for any signs of life close by. After some seconds the silence told him that he was alone, at least for now, and that it was safe to open his eyes.
At first he squinted, as the glare from the lights was initially overpowering. As his eyes adjusted, he found himself in a small room, clinical in its whiteness and the absence of any form of furnishings. The only things to break the uniformity of the room's appearance was a length of blackened glass along one wall, and a small security camera mounted high in one corner, its operating light flashing silently every five seconds or so. He looked down, to find that he was hanging a good foot off the ground. A glance above his head confirmed his worst fears – he was shackled to a thick chain, secured to a large hook in the ceiling.
He tried to struggle free, but even the slightest movement sent crippling waves of pain through his muscles. He didn't know how long he'd been out, but it must have been a long time for him to have been weakened so much. He glanced down at his chest, and saw the tell-tale blisters and discoloration that told the world what he knew inside – Aquaman was in trouble.
And what about Oliver? Thoughts of his friend suddenly leapt into his mind. The last he'd seen of the Green Arrow was in that compound, with Lex pointing a gun at his head. Had Lex got him? Could he even be dead? AC groaned inwardly as the full extent of the disaster that had befallen him became ever more apparent.
He looked up at the tiny camera, blinking at him in the far corner of the room so as it to mock him. Lex could be watching him even at that moment – the thought brought a scowl of defiance to AC's face. He remembered his last face-to face encounter with Lex, when he'd been strapped to that gurney and taunted over his weakness. Feelings of bitterness swept through him, and feelings of shame – shame that he'd begged Lex for water, such was his feeling of desperation. Well he was tougher now – the Justice League had made him tougher. And this time, whatever happened, he wasn't going to beg that man for anything.
For a moment he felt empowered, an all-conquering hero once more. But then the silence of the room engulfed him, and as he was left alone with his thoughts he found it increasingly difficult to fight off a new, powerful emotion – a gnawing sense of fear.
As the minutes passed AC struggled to keep the sense of panic that was rising within him under control. The waiting was torment in itself – the uncertainty about what Lex had in store for him, whether or not Oliver was still alive. At last the ordeal came to an end, as AC heard the sound of a door opening and sets of footsteps entering the room.
"Arthur Curry, aka Aquaman," said a voice that was all too familiar to AC.
Lex.
AC kept his head down, preparing himself for the confrontation to come. He heard the sound of Lex's shoes on the hard floor, coming closer to where he hung, helpless.
"What, no greeting for an old friend?" Lex's voice dripped with sarcasm, just as AC had expected it would.
The young man lifted his head, and looked straight at Lex, his eyes sparkling with defiance.
"Go to hell, Luthor."
"Now, now, that's no way to talk. I would have thought your green friend would have taught you some manners since he fished you out of that pond."
AC's ears pricked up at the mention of Oliver. He'd referred to him as if he didn't know he was the Green Arrow – could it be that by some miracle Oliver had escaped?
Lex detected the young man's interest.
"You're wondering about your leader? I suppose you want to know what's happened to him," he said casually, circling AC and looking up at the stricken hero. There was a pause as Lex enjoyed having the upper hand over AC, who was clearly desperate to know of the Green Arrow's fate. "Unfortunately Metropolis's public enemy number one has eluded capture, for now."
AC's heart leapt at the news, the first source of hope that he'd had since he'd regained consciousness. The miracle had happened, and Oliver had survived, his identity intact. It was AC's turn to go on to the attack.
"Still a loser, hey Lex? It must be eating you up inside to know that the guys are still out there, and that they're gonna bring down 33.1."
Lex chuckled.
"Well if they are they're going to have to do without you, aren't they? See this time there's no water sprinker system to help spring you from this cell and restore all those special powers of yours. You're just going to have to hang there whilst those blisters just get worse and worse – tell me, are they painful?"
Lex held out his hand and touched a large lesion on AC's side, causing the young man to wince in pain.
"Yes, I thought they were." Lex smiled. "Still, you won't have to suffer alone for too long. Your green friend will soon be joining you – and you're going help to bring him here. What do you think about that, 'dude?'"
AC's face darkened, as he realised that he was now central to Lex's plans to capture Oliver.
"I suppose you expect me to talk?" he said.
Lex smiled and half turned towards the door, where for the first time AC noticed a man and a woman standing and watching his confrontation with Lex. "I think blondie here has been watching too many James Bond movies – what do you think, Miss Akunin?"
The woman did not reply, but instead smiled and nodded her head slightly to indicate her approval of her boss's humor.
Lex turned back towards AC. "No, my dumb friend, the very fact of you being here will be enough to lure your leader to me. He won't be able to turn his back on a member of his precious team, now will he?"
AC said nothing, knowing that Oliver and the others were bound to launch some sort of rescue mission – and that Lex was clearly preparing a welcoming committee.
"No, I don't want you to talk. I've got something far more interesting planned for the mighty Aquaman." Lex again turned towards the two observers who stood by the door. "Dr Thomas here is going to introduce you to our Oceania program – I think you're going to find it very interesting."
AC felt a shiver run down his spine. Whatever the Oceania program was, he knew it wasn't going to be good.
Next chapter will see more Chlollie, plus more info on the Oceania Program - not sure when I'll be able to post, as things are pretty busy just now.
Thanks to all those of you who reviewed Chapter One - it's really encouraging to read that you are keen to see this sequel. Please keep reading and reviewing - I appreciate it enormously.
