Chapter Twenty-Nine: Trust me, bro
Cal Durham stood impatiently by his truck, staring at the doorway which led to the cells. He was eager to get on the road; they had an eight hour journey ahead of them, and he wanted to reach his boss's base before nightfall. Lex had promised that Curry would be ready by now, but fifteen minutes after the agreed handover time and still no one had appeared. The unexpected delay left him irritated, his mood not improved by the fact that he was nursing a hangover from the night before. He and Lex had spent a few hours sampling his collection of single malts, and now he was paying the price. He consoled himself with the fact that he could catch up on some sleep during the long journey that lay ahead, the two men he had brought with him already told that that they were sharing the driving. They sat in the back of the truck, relaxed and apparently content to wait as they listened to music on their headphones. Behind them stood the thick steel bars of what appeared to be a cage, its door open and ready to receive its prisoner….
Durham looked at his watch. It was 11:19 – nearly twenty minutes after the scheduled handover time. "Where the hell is he?" he thought to himself. "He wouldn't do this if the boss was here – he wouldn't dare."
He was just weighing up whether or not to go and find out what was happening when there was the sound of voices coming from the corridor. Moments later Lex emerged, accompanied by Santos. Behind them followed AC, surrounded by six heavily armed LuthorCorp guards. Shackled with a pair of leg-irons, he shuffled awkwardly forwards, taking the smallest of steps as he edged across the floor. Handcuffs bound his wrists together in front of him, the two sets of manacles attached to each other by a heavy steel chain. As if to remind everyone of his captivity, a muzzle had been strapped tightly to his head. Like one half of a hockey mask, it completely covered the lower part of his face, save for a tiny grille over his mouth to allow him to breathe. He looked like a convict, which was exactly as Lex intended; only his costume and the anger that sparkled in his eyes served as a reminder of the fear he had once inspired in those who now stood guard over him.
"Apologies for the delay – our friend here doesn't seem to want to leave," said Lex briskly, striding over to where Durham stood waiting. "Still, a few shocks from my controller soon brought him into line – that, and some more traditional encouragement from Mr Santos."
Santos grinned, pushing AC forwards and causing the young hero to stumble. Durham could see a fresh cut above AC's right eye, presumably the price he'd paid for resisting his captors as they'd readied him for the handover. Otherwise, he appeared unharmed; whatever mix of chemicals had been in that tank, they had certainly done their work.
"Incredible, isn't it?" said Lex, as if reading the other man's mind. "I told you I'd hand him over in perfect condition – well, here he is."
Stepping past Lex, Durham confronted his soon-to-be prisoner. The two men eyed each other for a few moments, AC at first not recognising the man who stood in front of him. Then he remembered – and suddenly everything became all too clear…..
"Recognise me, Curry?" sneered Durham, spotting the fear that for a split second flashed in the other man's eyes. "Sure you do, cos we go way back, don't we? Way back to when you sabotaged that rig in the South China Sea. I lost five men that day, Curry – five good men that would still be alive today if you'd just kept your fucking nose out of it!"
Silenced by the mask, AC could not respond. He had sabotaged the rig, and five men had died – but that was only half the story. What Durham hadn't mentioned was how the rig had been responsible for polluting a pristine marine environment, destroying the livelihoods of hundreds of local fishermen, and how when some of those fishermen had complained they'd been brutally murdered by those very same men who'd died on the rig. Durham had been working for a security company then, but now he had new employer, a man whose hatred of AC had led him to pursue the young hero across the oceans of the world…
"Well now it's payback time, Aquaman," sneered Durham, his upper lip curling in contempt as he said the young hero's name. "Black Manta's waited years to get his hands on you. We're gonna dry you out and then we're gonna fuck you up, pretty boy – fuck you up so bad you're gonna wish that Kent guy really had killed you in that arena."
AC's eyes widened at the mention of his arch-enemy's name, but otherwise he betrayed no emotion. His feud with Black Manta went way back, long before he met Clark and Oliver. The two of them had clashed over a dozen of times, and on at least three occasions he'd only just escaped with his life. He knew that Black Manta had sworn to hunt him down and kill him. It made sense that Lex would have been in contact; after all, both men shared an obsession with destroying a member of the Justice League. Grimly, AC now understood everything. Lex had used him to hurt Oliver, and now he was to be handed over, no doubt for a handsome profit.
"It promises to be quite a reunion!" said Lex, joining the two of them and slapping AC on the back as if he were an old friend. "I wish I could be there, AC – I really do. But you know how it is – Oliver will get so lonely without me!"
Furious, AC glared at Lex. He was trapped, and he knew it. His powers fully restored, he could have broken the chains that held him in an instant, but it would have been pointless. The implant attached to his cerebral cortex meant that now he was little more than a slave; one push of a button and he would be forced to his knees, crippled by waves of excruciating pain.
"You'll be needing this," continued Lex, handing Durham what looked like a cell phone. "If our friend here gets a little frisky, press 1 – should bring him to heel in an instant. Not that I'd expect him to give you any trouble, not after what happened the last time he tried to escape."
Durham took the device, slipping it into his pocket. "Thanks, Lex, but we've got our own way of keeping fish boy here in line. Rogers, the necklace."
One of Durham's men stepped forward and handed him a steel ring, about the size of a man's neck. Two inches thick and hinged on one side, it was featureless save for a small box attached to its outside edge. AC watched as Durham opened the box and punched a series of numbers into a tiny touchscreen. Moments later there was a short sequence of electronic beeps, before the ring sprang open. Grinning malevolently, Durham then reached forward and fixed the ring around AC's neck. Again there was a series of electronic beeps, this time slightly longer than before. Suddenly AC felt the ring begin to tighten around his neck, digging into his skin and constricting his windpipe. Panicking, for a spilt second he thought he was going to choke. Then, without warning, the tightening stopped. Again he heard a sequence of electronic notes, before the collar locked shut.
"So…. this is what, exactly?" asked Lex, looking from AC to Durham and mildly irritated that for once he was in the dark as to what was happening.
"An explosive collar," replied Durham, staring at AC and enjoying the look of fear and uncertainty in his eyes. "If he tries to escape, it'll blow his head off. The lock's tamper proof, too – break the seal without the right code and it'll be curtains for fish boy. We're not taking any chances, Lex – he's escaped too many times for us to take any risks."
"An explosive collar!" repeated Lex, clearly impressed by Durham's explanation. "What do you think about that, AC? Seems to me you'd better do exactly what Mr Durham here says – we wouldn't want any messy accidents getting in the way of that reunion, now would we?"
"We need to get going, Lex," said Durham, glancing at his watch. "Black Manta wants him delivered by tonight, and we've got an eight hour drive ahead of us."
"Of course – we won't hold you up any longer," said Lex, turning towards AC. He stared at his captive for a few seconds, as if he were committing to memory this last moment of triumph. His hatred of AC was second only to his loathing of Oliver, and part of him regretted his decision to hand over the pleasure of killing him to someone else. However, what he knew of Black Manta convinced him that it was the right thing to do. Even by his own twisted standards the man was a sadist, and what Durham had told him of his plans made it clear that the lord of the oceans would suffer terribly before he died. AC would endure a living hell at the hands of his old enemy, just as he intended to inflict untold pain on Oliver.
"Well, I guess this is goodbye, Curry," he said playfully, a broad smile on his face. "It's been – how would you surfers put it? – real, but all good things must come to an end, mustn't they? Give my regards to your friend Black Manta – from what I hear he's got something special planned for when the two of you meet up. Oh, and don't you worry about Oliver – I'll be taking very good care of him, I promise."
AC glared at Lex, his eyes filled with anger and frustration. Durham's men then grabbed him by the arms and dragged him towards the truck. Lex watched as they bundled him inside, shoving him into the cage.
"Pleasure doing business with you, Lex," said Durham, relieved that at last they were about to be on their way. The two men shook hands, before Durham turned and clambered into the back of the truck, slamming the doors behind him. The engine started up, and seconds later the truck began to make its way out into the late morning air.
Lex watched as the truck made its way towards the main exit from the compound. "One down, one to go," he said lightly, turning towards Santos. "Is everything ready?"
"My men are fetching the kid now," replied the other man. "We should be ready to go in thirty minutes."
"And Miss Sullivan?"
"Eager to get started, sir."
Lex grinned. "You know something, Santos? I have a feeling that today's going to be a good day – a very good day indeed!"
Durham sat in the back of the truck, trying to ignore the dull ache that was developing in the small of his back. They were only fifteen minutes into the journey, but already he was regretting his decision to allow his men to ride up front. His seat was uncomfortable, and the position of the cage meant that he had no room to stretch out his legs. He'd wanted to watch over his prisoner personally; Curry had slipped through the net too many times before, and he hadn't been in a mood to take any chances. Now, however, all he could think of was the pain in his back, and the fact that the next scheduled stop was still over three hours away.
He glanced into the cage. AC stared back him, his eyes blazing. Despite the fact that he was chained up and helpless, Durham felt a pang of unease. They'd taken every precaution necessary to ensure the safe delivery of their captive, but there was something about the way the young hero watched him, as if he was biding his time, waiting for an opportunity to strike….
"What the fuck are you looking at?" he growled.
AC didn't move. The muzzle had been removed, another decision that Durham was beginning to regret. The young hero continued to stare back at him, his dumb insolence a calculated challenge to his captor.
"I said, what the fuck are you looking at?" repeated Durham, kicking at the bars of the cage; if AC was trying to unnerve him, it was working.
"What, do you want some of this?" he asked, pulling Lex's controller from his pocket. "Don't forget I've got Luthor's zapper, freak, so if you don't want this to be the journey from hell….."
He was interrupted by the sound of a phone ringing. Frowning, he pulled his cell from his jacket pocket.
"Sir!" he said, pulling himself up straight; it was obvious he wasn't expecting a call from his boss. "Yes sir, everything is going according to plan. We left Luthor's about fifteen minutes ago…. Yes, in fact I'm looking at him now…. Yes, yes, he is wearing the collar…."
Suddenly there was a screech of breaks. Durham was flung forwards against the bars of the cage, the cell falling from his hand. The vehicle spun alarmingly, before flipping over onto its side. Unable to stop himself, Durham was sent tumbling through the air, until he came crashing down onto what moments earlier had been the wall of the truck, but which was now its floor. Dazed, for a few seconds he didn't move. Then, gathering his wits, he pulled his gun from his jacket. Instinctively he knew that whatever had happened, this was no accident:
They were under attack.
He looked to his right. Much to his relief, the cage was intact, AC lying still on his side. Pulling himself to his feet, he stopped, his ears straining for any clue as to what was going on outside. There was nothing, save for the sound of his own heart pumping furiously in his chest. The seconds passed. What was happening? If they were under attack, shouldn't he have heard something by now? And what had happened to the guys up front? The questions kept coming, but still he had no answers….
Voices – he could hear voices. Was that Rogers? It sounded like him, but he couldn't be sure…..
"Rogers, is that you?" he shouted. "What's happening? What's going….?"
His words were cut short by the sound of something heavy hitting the side of the truck. He flinched, his hand grasping the gun tighter; what the hell was happening?
"Who's out there?" he demanded, trying to hide the fear he felt inside. "I'm warning you…."
One of the truck doors swung open. Wide eyed, Durham swung round and pointed his gun towards the opening, his finger already beginning to squeeze the trigger…
"Who's there?" he shouted. "Answer me or I'll shoot!"
Something moved behind the door which remained closed. Durham didn't hesitate. He fired, a dozen rounds peppering the door with bullet holes. As the sound of the gunshots faded he again listened intently, trying to work out what was happening just a few feet from where he stood. There was nothing, save for the sound of his own labored breathing. Again the seconds passed. Finally, unable to contain his curiosity any longer, he cautiously advanced towards the open door, his heart beating ever faster in his chest. Pausing to check his weapon was ready to fire, he took a deep breath, and then leapt out into the open air beyond….
Clearing the van he flung himself to the ground, rolling several times across the grass so as to present as difficult a target as possible to his as yet unseen attacker. Coming to a stop he got into a crouching position, his eyes everywhere as he scanned his surroundings for any sign of danger. Immediately he saw the bodies of his two men, lying unmoving a few feet from the overturned truck. It wasn't clear whether they'd been attacked or thrown clear as they'd crashed, but instinctively Durham knew it was the former. For a few agonising seconds he felt exposed, vulnerable; he was all too aware that a skilled marksman could take him out in a blink of an eye and they'd be nothing he could do about it. Then, as time passed and nothing happened, his fears began to subside. Maybe his attacker had fled – maybe his bullets had found their target after all. Slowly, he stood up. He remained watchful, alert to every movement, but as he began to make his way back towards the truck he felt his confidence levels returning. It had been a close run thing, but he'd survived, and he still had his prisoner. Now all he needed to do was call for some back up – Luthor could have his men here in minutes.
"Hey, fuck-wit – you looking for me?"
Durham's eyes shot upwards. There, standing on top of the overturned truck, stood a man. No more than twenty years of age, he was dressed in a pair of red pants and a red hoodie, embroidered with flashes of yellow piping…..
Durham didn't hesitate, immediately firing half a dozen shots in the direction of his attacker. The man disappeared. For a split second he thought he'd hit him, but almost as soon as he'd stopped shooting he knew that something was wrong. There was no body, no sound of the man falling to the ground….
"Dude, you gotta do better than that."
Durham span round. The man was standing immediately behind him, grinning broadly. He didn't have time to react, a well-placed kick to the gut sending him crashing to the ground. The gun fell from his hand. He reached out to grab it, but the man kicked it away. Durham looked up, wide-eyed and terrified as his attacker towered over him.
"Who are you?" he gasped. "What do you want?"
"What do I want?" asked the man. "I want my friend back, fucker."
Durham opened his mouth to speak, but a swift punch to the head knocked him unconscious.
Confident that Durham was out for the count, Bart ran over to the truck and clambered inside.
"AC? Dude, are you okay?" he said anxiously, staring at the unmoving figure lying inside the cage and suddenly fearing that he might be too late. "It's me, Bart. It's gonna be okay, bro – I'm gonna get you out of here."
AC turned. "Bart?" he asked, not quite believing what was happening. "Man, is that really you?"
Bart grinned. "In the flesh, dude," he said, relieved to see his friend was okay. "Didn't think I'd let them turn you into fish food for Black Manta, did you?"
"What's happening? Is Oliver okay?"
"Lex still has him – Roy and Emil too," replied Bart, working on the lock to the cage.
"Roy and Emil? How….?"
"I handed them over to Lex."
"You handed them over to Lex? Bro, are you crazy? What the hell…..?"
"I had to – it was the only way I could gain Lex's trust," said Bart, breaking the lock and pulling the door to the cage open. He looked at AC, suddenly aware of the distrust and uncertainty in the other man's eyes. "Dude, believe me - I've got a plan to get them all out of there, but I can't do it without your help. You've gotta trust me, bro – can you do that?"
AC stared at Bart. Reason told him this might be a trap; another of Lex's twisted games, with Bart his willing pawn. Bart's eyes, however, told a different story. They were not the eyes of the drug fuelled sadist who'd done so much damage as Lex's accomplice. Instead they were the eyes of the teenager he'd fought alongside on countless missions, the kid whose wicked sense of humour and endless stream of fish jokes had so often driven him to distraction. He knew in his heart that this was the old Bart, the Bart he'd gladly give his life for – the Bart he could trust.
"Trust me, bro – please," repeated Bart.
AC smiled. "Always," he said simply.
Seconds later and AC was free, both men clambering from the truck.
"So what's this plan of yours?" asked AC, stretching muscles that ached after days spent shackled in captivity. "It had better be good, bro – that place is swarming with Luthor's apes."
"Relax – I got it all worked out," replied Bart. "For the last twenty-four hours I've had the run of the place, and….."
Suddenly there was a loud click. Bart looked at AC, and saw a red light flashing on the collar around his neck.
"Dude, what is that?" he asked.
"You've got sixty seconds, Curry – sixty seconds before you die!"
Both men turned. Durham had regained consciousness, and was now staring up at them from the ground, a triumphant glint in his eye. In his right hand he held what looked like some sort of remote control device, a device he was pointing straight at AC.
The colour drained from AC's face. "The collar – he's activated the collar!"
"What is it? What's wrong?"
"It's a bomb, Bart," replied AC grimly. "And if I'm right, in less than a minute it's gonna blow me and this whole area into a thousand pieces!"
A new chapter - yay! Sorry it has taken so long to update - as always, real life keeps getting in the way of what's really important. Anyway, I know that some of you wanted some good news after all the angst, and here it is - Bart's back on the team! Having double-crossed (or is that triple-crossed?) Lex, we're all set up for a rescue mission - once the small matter of that explosive collar around AC's neck is dealt with, of course. They are going to have to move fast, however, as when you see what Lex has in store for Ollie and Roy...
Don't worry, angst lovers - plenty more Ollie whump, adventure and danger to come. I will try to post a new chapter in the next week or so, but in the meantime thanks so much for reading, and an extra special thank you to all my amazing reviewers. Please do post some feedback if you can - your encouragement means so, so much!
