5.37am... A baby's cry rung out through the household. The third that night... Kaldur let out a deep sigh and lifted himself to look at his son lying in the cot. He let out a yawn and slipped out of bed walking over and picking the child up. Raquel began to stir but he gently pushed her back down and kissed her on the cheek.
"You need rest, I will deal with him..." Declared the Atlantean
He picked up the crying baby and held him gently in his arms. Rocking him slightly to try and insure that the child stayed quiet. He had discovered that one of the things about being a parent was that his child had absolutely no concept of 'sleep' or 'a good time' if he wanted something, Amistad yelled and cried as loud as his little lungs would permit and wake up his parents. Judging by the stink, Kaldur was pretty sure he knew what the matter was.
He gently placed his son on the changing table and undid the diaper. Sure enough a horrible stink arose making the atlantean wrinkle his nose in disgust. He carried the stink over to a bin and dumped it. He came back over to his son with a fresh diaper.
"Perhaps the Light wanted you for your potential as a biological weapon..." Muttered Kaldur
He finished putting on the new diaper. His little son looked up at him and giggled lifting up his hands signalling that he wanted to be picked up. Kaldur smiled warmly and lifted him up. Amistad tried to climb over his father's shoulder, the Atlantean made sure to keep a strong grip on the curious one year old. He looked around the living room, it had been his birthday today... One year old, it was hard to believe...
The little baby, still giggling, stuck one of his little fists in the Atlantean's gills. Kaldur sneezed and coughed reacting to the child's action. Scarred the baby pulled his hand out and began screaming again. Kaldur let out a sigh and began rocking his child again to no avail. He continued crying. The father softly hushed his child but to no avail.
"Amistad, I am sorry... Quiet now..." He muttered, more crying, Kaldur let out a sigh "Στα χέρια του έναν άγγελο, να πετάξεις από εδώ Από αυτό το σκοτεινό, κρύο δωμάτιο ξενοδοχείου, και τηναπεραντοσύνη που φοβούνται Μπορείτε τραβιούνται από τα συντρίμμια του βωβού ονειροπόλησησας. Είσαι στην αγκαλιά του έναν άγγελο? Μπορεί να βρείτε κάποια άνεσηεδώ"
Kaldur's soft voice carried through the house. It was a song in his home tongue that his mother had sung to him many times when he was a boy. The goldfish in the tank began to jump out of the water and swim around excitedly. The baby stopped it's crying and slowly drifted off into a sleep. Kaldur approached the closed glass doors and looked out over the sea, it would be daylight soon... The sound of soft feet behind him attracted his attention, he turned to see Raquel.
"I've never heard you sing..." She told him
"It is a song my mother used to sing to me when I was a boy..." He said "When I cried."
"I bet that wasn't a lot..."
"Believe it or not... I was quite the 'cry baby' when I was younger... Up until the age of 14 when I was put into military service... Once you joined there crying was highly... Discouraged..."
"I can imagine..."
Raquel approached and gently stroked her son's short brown hair similar to her own. She smiled warmly and looked out over the sea. Something stirred in the water, Kaldur narrowed his eyes as Orm and several Atlantean soldiers arrived. He let out a sorry sigh. One year to the day... Raquel gently held his arm.
"No..." She muttered
"It is time." Kaldur declared
"You sure you can't kick their butts?"
"And risk a full scale attack on the island? No... Besides, I have done much wrong Raquel, it is about time I paid for it."
"But what about Amistad?"
"He has you, Lian, Jade and Roy... Besides it is like you always said : At least this way he will not grow up with a murderer for a father."
"Kaldur! I didn't mean-" He silenced her by putting a finger over her lips
"Hush now..." He instructed her
Orm and his soldiers came in the front door and stood waiting impatiently. Their guns were pointing at the couple just in case Kaldur'ahm tried somehow to escape or attack. He did not. Instead the father stood passively holding his young son. Orm pulled a parchment out of his pocket and began to read from it :
"Kaldur'ahm son of Sha'lain'a and Black Manta, you are here by sentenced to life's imprisonment for your many and terrible crimes against Atlantis..."
"Hang on uncle Kal! I'm coming!"
Lain rushed out of one of the doors armed with her toy bow and arrow set. She fired one which hit Orm straight in the middle of his head. The prince struggled with the sucker trying to remove the toy arrow but failing. Lian bravely put herself between Raquel and her family and the currently baffled atlanteans.
"Lian!" Said Kaldur surprised
"I won't let them take you uncle Kal! I stayed up all night waiting for them!" Announced the little girl
"Very brave on your part Lian..." Said Kaldur warmly "But I have no choice..."
"Sure you do I'll take the big one you get the other two and aunty Raquel can deal with the last ones..."
"Lian... It is ok, I have done much wrong and you know what happens to people who do that..."
"They go to jail... But why? I want you to stay! You're my uncle Kal!"
"I know Lian..."
"Can we please stop wasting time?" Asked Orm
"I will say farewell to my family!"Declared Kaldur
It wasn't a request, it was a statement of fact and one that Orm wasn't too willing to try and contradict. Kaldur gently passed his son to his girlfriend who held him close, the baby woke up and looked at his father and the visitors with wide eyes. Kaldur smiled at the little boy.
"Amistad, my son, you are to grow up big and strong and be good for your mother and the rest of our family..." He told the baby "If I hear that you have turned I will return to give you a row..."
"I hope you're listening to your daddy..." Muttered Raquel sadly to Amistad
"Lian, I have a very important job for you..." Kaldur said to the young girl "You are to look after everyone ok? Your mother, father, Raquel and Amistad... Promise?"
"I promise..."
Kaldur smiled down at the little girl and turned to Raquel. She smiled back up and him warmly but with sadness. Orm cleared his throat impatiently getting a glare from Black Manta's son who turned back to his girlfriend. He had so much to say but so little time... He could of spent all of eternity starring into her beautiful brown eyes...
"Live a good life..." He told her
With that he bent over and kissed her on the forehead before taking a deep breath and turning to Orm. The guards held out a pair of heavy duty handcuffs, he made no attempt to resist. The prince still had Lian's arrow stuck on his head making for a very comical appearance. Slowly the guards began to lead Kaldur'ahm away. Orm however remained and patted Amistad on his head.
"A child with such potential..." He noted
"Don't you touch him!" Yelled Rocket
She gave the prince a cold glare and narrowed her eyes. Her maternal instinct told her that this man was dangerous, that he meant harm for Amistad... Orm looked like he might be about to hit her, as ready as she was to fight him she was grateful when Kaldur although handcuffed stopped dead and gave the other Atlantean a warning sound. Knowing he didn't stand a chance Orm stood down.
Raquel carrying her son followed the Atlanteans to the patio with Lian just next to her. They slowy went deeper and deeper into the sea. Kaldur glanced back one last time over his shoulder and offered her a sad smile, then he dove into the sea like a dolphin and disappeared. Amistad began to cry... She gently nursed him and tried to console him but to no avail. She wondered if he'd just understood...
"It's ok..." She muttered
/
Prince Orm had just finished locking Kaldur'ahm in his cell. To his credit, the prisoner hadn't put up any resistance even when some of the angry crowd and started to throw various items at him or insult him of every name imaginable. It had eventually taken the interference of king Orin, queen Mera, Tempest, Tula and Lagoon boy before the crowd had departed.
Now the prince swum through the seas far away from the large city, leaving the prisoner alone in solitary confinement. He continued swimming, until he reached a large black submarine which he boarded. Inside the members of the Light were waiting patiently. Vandal Savage offered him a cold smile.
"Is it done?" He asked
"Yes... Kaldur'ahm is locked away and the prison cook's brother was wounded during one of the attacks he is willing to aid us." Said Ocean Master pulling out a small bottle
"Good. We cannot risk Kaldur'ahm interfering..." Said the Brain
"How long will this take to kill him?"
"My son is strong but if given to him on a regular basis, he should be dead within 3 years." Declared Black Manta
"So long?" Asked Orm surprised
"If a young healthy and strong man suddenly flops dead in his cell the League will know something is up..." Stated Queen Bee "We need to do this descrietely."
"Indeed... Kaldur'ahm and will learn that Light always gets what it wants..." Declared Vandal Savage