Disclaimer: I do not own "Aquaman" or any of it's characters or concepts. All characters in this story belong to DC Comics. No profit is being made from this story.
Author's Note: This story takes place after the "Sink Atlantis" arc and before "Drowned Earth."
This story was inspired by an amazing fan-art of Dolphin entitled "DCU Dolphin Redesign attempt" by theblock. It is available on DeviantArt.
The sky was a bright blue with fluffy white clouds and the sun shining brilliantly overhead. Seagulls wheeled overhead, occasionally swooping down to snatch fish from the deeper blue expanse of the ocean beneath them. A gentle breeze formed small waves across the pristine surface of the water.
The natural beauty was sadly lost on a man who stood on the deck of an immense red white and blue factory ship as it powered through the water, leaving huge ripples in its wake. The ship, the Leviathan, was capable of processing 547,000 tons of fish per year. Despite its size the ship's facilities were almost completely automated, allowing it to function with a much smaller crew than normal. The vessel's owner preferred it that way; fewer employees meant fewer salaries to pay and thus more money for him.
The man wore a purple wetsuit, dark blue hip-length boots and a metal shoulder harness and belt. A yellow cowl with black spots kept his face in perpetual shadow although a black moustache could be made out. Attached to his belt were numerous fishing lures.
He turned to one of his henchmen and said, "ah a good day for fishing is it not?"
"Sure boss" the henchman replied. "We're coming up on one of the nets now."
"Bring it in."
He pulled a lever on a console and a winch began to reel in an enormous drift net teeming with trapped marine life.
"These drift nets of yours were a work of genius boss" said the goon, eager to ingratiate himself with his ruthless employer.
"That they are. Fine enough that nothing can slip through, strong enough that nothing can break free, nearly invisible and completely odourless. No sea creature can elude my nets" he boasted. "I will catch them all, from the tiniest minnow to the mightiest whale. For I am the Fisherman!"
He smiled evilly as the last of the catch disappeared into the hold. "On to the next."
Beneath the waves a young woman was floating amidst a seemingly endless expanse of blue water. She had snowy-white hair in a ponytail, light skin, blue eyes and a slender, lean figure. Her attire consisted of a pair of blue-black shorts and a tattered white halter top. Her name was Dolphin.
She stared in fascination at a school of fish, admiring the way their scales gleamed iridescently in the sunlight. As a native of the undersea kingdom of Atlantis she had seen fish her entire life but never so close to the surface. Up here everything was different and fascinating.
When Atlantis had first been raised to the surface Dolphin had to admit she had been anxious, even fearful. After all she had spent her entire life in the Ninth Tride, the deepest part of Atlantis. The surface world was unlike anything she had ever experienced before and something she knew little about. Sunlight, air, sky, all of these things were completely new to her.
Once her initial shock had worn off though, she had begun to find this new world intriguing. Before long her anxiety had been fully replaced by a sense of awe and wonder at all there was to see. With Aquaman and Queen Mera's blessing she had taken to leaving Atlantis and exploring the surrounding waters although she tried not to venture too far away in case she was needed.
Thinking of Aquaman and Mera brought a twinge of sadness. She knew that Aquaman cared about her deeply and considered her a close friend but his heart belonged to Mera. For the most part she had accepted that her feelings for the noble former king were unrequited but a part of her couldn't help wishing that things had been different. With an effort she pushed away the sad feeling. There was no point in dwelling on things that couldn't be changed.
Dolphin swam up and surfaced, exhilarating in the still-novel feeling of breathing air and feeling it on her skin, and gazed up at the sky. Any remaining hint of sorrow was dispelled as she looked up delightedly at the white fluffy things high above (what were they called again? Clouds, that was it) and smiled as she imagined seeing all kinds of shapes in them.
Her smile faded as a sound reached her ears. It was faint but she recognised it as the terrified cries of her namesake animal. She immediately submerged, the cries instantly becoming clearer now that she was underwater. There was no mistaking it now. They were in great danger.
Dolphin swam at full speed in the direction the cries were coming from. Within seconds she came upon a sight that momentarily left her frozen in horror.
No…
Stretching away into the distance were miles of drift nets hanging vertically in the water column. Trapped in the near-invisible mesh were countless fish of all shapes sizes and colours. Three bottlenose dolphins were also caught in the netting, one of which was just a calf. They struggled frantically but couldn't get free, uttering frightened bleats and clicks while the rest of the pod swam around them, trying to help without getting entangled themselves.
Dolphin didn't hesitate. Glittering blue scales spread across her limbs as she activated her mutation. Along with the scales her hands and feet grew pink webbing and sprouted claws sharp enough to cut through Atlantean armour.
She swam over to the baby dolphin and her claws sliced easily through the netting holding it. The calf immediately went to its mother and they rubbed their snouts together while chattering in joy and relief. The mother made a series of gentle squeaks while nodding rapidly at her. Dolphin smiled back and then quickly freed the other two. They also squeaked and nodded thankfully at her. She gestured for them to leave and the pod swam away, disappearing into the distance.
I have to tell Arthur about this she thought. But first I must see if there are any more that can be saved.
"Boss we're getting something on the sonar" said a henchman in the Leviathan's control room. "It's moving around the net."
The Fisherman frowned darkly. "Another vessel?"
"No it's too small. It's the size of a diver but it's moving way too fast for anything human."
"Activate the underwater cameras."
An image appeared on a screen. It showed a young woman with snowy-white hair and scaly blue limbs. They watched as she swam over to a seal caught in the drift net and began cutting it free with her clawed fingers. Across the net were multiple holes which were no doubt her handiwork.
"A girl?" said a confused henchman.
"An Atlantean" the Fisherman snarled. "Damaging my property and stealing my catch! Boys, get out there and deal with her!"
Dolphin finished freeing the seal and smiled as she watched it swim off. Just then she heard a series of splashes followed by the sound of several bodies moving through the water.
She turned around to see a group of men swimming towards her. They wore black suits including helmets that covered their heads completely. Attached to their backs were metal tanks connected by tubes to their helmets. Each of them was armed with a vicious-looking spear-gun.
Surface-dwellers! They must be behind this.
Two of the divers aimed and fired their spear-guns. Dolphin twisted out of the way of the deadly projectiles, letting them fly past her and embed themselves in the netting. Before the divers could reload she sped towards the nearest one and landed a punch that smashed right through his helmet and knocked him out cold.
As he floated away the second drew a knife and slashed at her head but she merely leaned back, letting the blade sail past harmlessly, then turned slightly and drove a side kick into his chest that propelled him back into his comrades. A few of them managed to get clear of the resulting tangle of limbs and fired at her but Dolphin dived under their spears and then swam back up in a sudden burst of acceleration to slam her elbow right into a diver's gut! The impact launched him back into two more of his fellows.
Dolphin began swimming around them, darting in to land devastating blows with her fists and elbows, and then darting out again before they could counter-attack. Even as she continued to outmanoeuvre her foes she heard splashes as more dropped into the water. While she had a clear advantage in underwater combat she was seriously outnumbered and they were all armed. Worse, they were beginning to co-ordinate their efforts. Three more spears zipped through the water at opposing angles and she narrowly dodged them.
Time for a different approach.
She spread her arms wide as her hair and scales began to glow. Before any of them could fire again she emitted a burst of brilliant white light. The men screamed as the flash blinded them. Dolphin grinned fiercely as she swam in and began taking them down in rapid succession.
The Fisherman watched the fight on-screen with growing annoyance as the Atlantean girl ran, or rather swam, rings around his henchmen. Just as it looked like they were starting to work as a group which might allow them to gain the advantage, the girl sent out a flash of white light. The screen immediately filled with static as the underwater cameras were fried.
"Those useless buffoons" he growled. "Bah, I'll deal with this myself."
Dolphin had just knocked out the last of the goons when she heard another splash from behind her. She spun around to see another surface dweller coming through the water. From his costume he was most likely in charge. Unlike the others he was armed not with a spear-gun but instead with a long steel rod. At the end of it was a red and white ball with three barbed hooks coming from it. A thin line connected the hooked ball to the rod.
"I am the Fisherman. You're going to pay for interfering with my business" he said, a speaker in his helmet broadcasting his voice.
With that he cast his rod forwards and the hooked ball shot forwards, trailing a line behind it. The ball detached from the line and continued onwards. Dolphin dived straight down and it missed her but then…
BUH-WHOOM!
The ball exploded, sending out a massive shockwave of pressurised water. The Fisherman was pushed back by the wave but unharmed, protected from the sudden increase in pressure by his suit. Once the wave had passed he looked down and laughed as he saw Dolphin floating lifelessly.
"Ha! That will teach you to get in my way! And to make up for the money you've cost me…"
He cast his rod again and the line looped itself around her ankle. The Fisherman turned around and started back towards his ship, dragging her behind him.
Back aboard the Leviathan he returned to the control room and laid her down on the floor. He grinned wickedly as he crouched down to examine her more closely.
"A fine catch if I say so myself" he gloated. "A real-live Atlantean will fetch a tidy sum from the right people."
Without warning Dolphin opened her eyes and glared up at him. Startled, he couldn't react in time as she sat up and knocked him sprawling with a right cross.
She was playing possum he thought as he managed to get to his feet, his jaw throbbing.
She stood up a little unsteadily. While she had taken time to practise walking and even fighting on land since Atlantis had been raised she still felt a little uncomfortable being out of water. Nonetheless she was confident she could handle herself.
The Fisherman raised his fishing rod but before he could cast it Dolphin darted forwards, snatched it out of his hand and flung it away. It hit the wall and clattered as it hit the floor.
"You won't stop me" he said with growing anxiety as he backed away. "No-one defeats the Fisherman!"
He snatched another of his explosive lures from his belt and threw it. She ducked under it and then sprang forwards, hitting him with a tackle that carried them both through the door, out of the control room and onto the deck as the lure exploded in a ball of fire.
"No! The control room…"
He was cut off as Dolphin punched him again, this time knocking him out cold. She checked that he was still breathing, then stood up and looked back at the control room. It was a blazing inferno, with flame and smoke billowing out of the door.
That should keep them from getting away she thought. Now I'll go and get Arthur.
Some time later Atlantean troops were helping to dismantle the remaining drift nets while Drift mini-subs and human police boats surrounded the Leviathan. The Fisherman and his henchmen had all been rounded up and were being held aboard one of the police boats. Commander Murk was supervising the clear-up efforts.
"Make sure you get every last bit" he said. "We don't want any ghost nets floating around these waters."
Dolphin watched the whole thing from close by. With her were Aquaman and Mera. The Queen of Atlantis was glaring at the Leviathan.
"What an abominable vessel" she said. "How many sea creatures would have been needlessly slaughtered by that thing had it not been stopped?"
"Illegal use of drift nets also threatens the livelihoods of people who fish responsibly" Aquaman added. "People who respect the sea and depend on it to support their families."
His expression became a smile as he turned to look at Dolphin.
"Well done Dolphin" he said. "You've saved a lot of innocent creatures and brought a criminal to justice. I'm very proud of you."
"Indeed" Mera added. "Not only that but you've helped improve Atlantis's standing with the surface world. Your Queen thanks you."
Dolphin smiled modestly and nodded.
Author's Note: The Leviathan is based on the real-life vessel the Damanzaihao. The biggest fish factory vessel in the world, the Damanzaihao is a black listed vessel that is banned from fishing in the South Pacific and has been stripped of it's fishing license for IUU (Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated) fishing.