Episode Four

From Beneath the Waves

Chapter Four

Metropolis

United States

16:12 – Eastern Summer Time

June 30, 2007

The next couple of weeks passed a little too quickly for Garth. Before he knew it, he had set off with King Orin back to Metropolis and now the two of them were stood at the base of the tower, Garth with a backpack over his shoulder.

The doors opened and Superman followed by Wonder Woman stepped out to greet them. Garth stood up straight not wanting to give them a negative impression.

"Good to see you again, Aquaman," Superman said.

"You know Garth," the king said, gesturing to the young Atlantean.

"Of course," Superman said with a broad smile. "It's good to see you again and we're looking forward to working with you."

Wonder Woman looked from Orin to Garth, then back again. "We usually like to test them before we let them join."

The Atlantean king glowered. "He doesn't need any tests. I can vouch for him and his abilities."

"Maybe so," Wonder Woman said. "But we don't know his strengths or weaknesses."

"That's your problem," Orin said.

Garth decided to speak up. "I am an Atlantean. I am strong, resilient and able. My strengths are in the water, obviously, but I am a skilled fighter outside as well."

Superman nodded. "You did help defeat Metallo," he commented.

Wonder Woman wasn't having any of it. "Superman, we have a protocol that we set up in order to join. If we relax them now, then they're pointless. It's important we know what he can do before we add him to our ranks."

Orin stood his ground. "I want him in your Justice League and I know you need him. How many heroes do you have that have his skill set?"

Wonder Woman folded her arms. "We don't know what that skill set is yet apart from he can survive underwater."

Orin reluctantly conceded her point. "Fine, do what you will."

Superman gestured to the doors of the tower. "Maybe we should go inside."

Orin shook his head. "No, I need to head back home." He turned to Garth, then pulled a device from his pocket. "A means to contact us," he told him as he passed it over. He then smiled. "And Tula."

Garth studied the device in his hands. It had two buttons and a small screen. "Thank you, my king," he said with a slight bow.

Orin chuckled. "You don't have to be so formal with me, Garth," he said. "Make me and Atlantis proud."

"I will," Garth said confidently.

Orin addressed Superman and Wonder Woman. "Until we meet again."

A moment later, the king of Atlantis was walking away.

Superman gestured towards the doors again. "Let's head inside."

As the three of them entered the foyer of the tower, Garth decided that since he was going to be spending a lot of time with these people it would be best if he was a little more diplomatic and polite than his king.

"I am ready and willing to undergo whatever trials are necessary."

Superman shook his head. "There aren't any trials. Usually, we have what we loosely call a recruit, team up with one of the founders for a while. There they can evaluate what your strengths and weaknesses are. We can then aim to improve them or avoid sending you into situations we don't think you can handle."

"That makes sense," Garth said. "I am ready to begin."

"I like the eagerness," Wonder Woman approved.

"So do I," Superman agreed. "We'll leave it a couple of days so that you can settle in and get to know some of the others."

"I am at your command," Garth told them.

Superman looked a little uncomfortable. "We're not military. You have a lot of freedom here, Garth. Enjoy yourself. And you don't need to be so formal."

"I'll try not to be," Garth said. More often than not, he got the same advice from his king.

"We'll show you to your room on the Watchtower," Superman told him.

Watchtower II

Earth Orbit

June 30, 2007

19:22 – Station Time

Garth sat there in his room, staring out of the small window at the planet far below. Here he was in a place that was the exact opposite of the ocean. Space.

After having Batman meticulously scan and study the small communications device King Orin had given him, he had been allowed to keep it and had been sent on his way. Garth of course had come straight here to his cabin as he wanted to make a call.

He turned on the device and tried to connect to Tula. Unfortunately, her device was currently off, so he decided to record a message instead.

"Hello Tula. You know I told you about the thing with the Justice League. Well I'm here on their space station." He moved over to the window and turned the device around so the small camera would show the view.

"It is strange seeing the Earth from so far above," he said. "I wish you were here to see it with me."

He stood there in silence. He didn't really know what else to say, so he turned the device around so the front was facing him. "I hope to hear from you soon. Love you, bye."

He put the device down on the end of his bed and continued to stare out into space. He wondered what his first mission would be like? As it had been explained to him, there would be an observational period where he joined one of the founders on their patrols. He wondered which one it would be and where it was he would be going?

He would find out soon enough.

Gotham City

United States

July 04, 2007

23:42 – Eastern Summer Time

There was some kind of celebration going on today, with sky explosives known as fireworks littering the sky with their colourful splendour. It was a day where the people of this land honoured their forefathers and their freedom. Or at least that was how Garth understood this day.

He, unfortunately, wasn't able to observe these celebrations. Instead he was in the most off-putting, unsettling surface world city he had seen yet. The atmosphere was thick with pollution and the buildings on the older districts were adorned with creepy statues known as gargoyles.

Above these buildings were strange airships, that shone down floodlights on certain areas of the city as though they were looking for someone or something.

The reason Garth was here was that he was assisting Batman in finding someone by the name of Killer Croc. This, much to Garth's disgust, involved him swimming in the putrid waters that surrounded the city. The only thing he had to help him was a motion sensor Batman had issued him.

After searching old, now disused sewage outlets along the Gotham River, Garth made his way over to the base of the Statue of Justice where Batman was waiting for him.

Without explanation, Batman uttered what Garth considered a nonsense word. "Tricorner."

"What?" Garth asked. "I'm sorry, but that means nothing to me. What is a tricorner?"

"Shipyards," Batman explained. "It is the only area where Croc hasn't been attacking people, which means that is a good candidate to where he's been hiding out."

"Then why didn't we search there first?"

Without answering, Batman moved over to his batboat and climbed in the front seat, while Garth sat in the seat behind him. The boat accelerated hard forcing him back in his seat. He would have been surprised, but this was the fifth time he had been a passenger today alone and he was starting to grow used to it.

Once the craft had gotten up to speed, Garth leant forwards to ask a question. "How long are we going to search for?"

"Until we find him," Batman answered. "His preference is to live in areas accessible by water. We've exhausted all of his previous hangouts, so either he's changed his habits, or he's at Tricorner."

"What do I do if I find him?"

"The same thing I told you when I briefed you in the Metro Tower. You report to me, don't try and take him on and don't reveal your presence. I'll deal with him myself."

"So I'm here only to find him so you can take all of the glory," Garth surmised.

"This isn't for glory. I know how he fights, I know his strengths and weaknesses. He needs to be taken off the streets and put back where he belongs. In Arkham."

"What is Arkham?"

"Enough with the questions, we're there."

"Already?"

The Batboat slowed to a stop.

"You do the same thing as before," Batman told him. "Swim beneath the water and find any gaps, tunnels, caves or anything else. I know there's an underwater cave directly beneath us. I suggest searching there first. Now go."

Garth took a moment to mentally prepare himself before he climbed out of the Batboat and dove into the polluted water and swam downwards towards the opening in the rocks that lay near the bottom of the concrete platform that made up the wall of the docks.

Why any creature would want to live here, villain or otherwise was beyond him. It wasn't as bad here as it was in the rivers, but it still wasn't particularly pleasant.

As he approached the entrance of the underwater cave, Garth pulled out the motion tracker and began to scan. As it was currently programmed to search for anything in the size range of Killer Croc, it didn't detect anything, not even the fish or the Batboat. It was a good thing too because it made his search a lot easier when his screen wasn't full of blips.

Cautiously, Garth proceeded inside. The scanner hadn't detected anything but that didn't mean there was nothing inside. He had to be ready to fight or flee at any moment.

Garth swam through a rocky tunnel, then followed it as it turned upwards. He ascended until he breached the surface. He looked around and found himself inside an old underground structure.

Slowly, he swam to some ladders and climbed out of the water. The room was illuminated by a small light that swung overhead and the only other exit had caved in long ago.

Looking around it was clear someone was living here or rather had been. There was a damp mouldy mattress with steel springs sticking out through holes and an old chest of drawers. The most obvious, however, were the half eaten fish that were strewn about the floor, giving the place an unpleasant smell of rotting flesh.

Garth put his finger against the communicator in his ear. "I might have found something. Someone's been here fairly recently. There's dead fish and while some of it's pretty rotten, some of it still looks fresh."

"Anything else?" Batman's voice asked into his ear.

"An old mattress and a chest of drawers. The place almost empty, apart from the dead fish. If this is where Killer Croc has been living, then he doesn't have much."

"Take a quick look around, search the drawers, then return to the boat."

"Understood," Garth acknowledged.

"Make sure you don't leave anything out of place. He also has a good nose, but you smell enough like fish that he probably won't know you were there."

Garth wasn't sure how to take that. "Was that a compliment or an insult?"

"Just get it done."

"Understood," Garth repeated.

He stepped up to the drawers and pulled them open. The only thing he found were numerous pairs of pants that were roughly stuffed inside.

Garth was just closing the drawers when the motion sensor bleeped. He took out the sensor and looked at it before calling Batman.

"I have something swimming up the tunnel," he reported.

"Get out of there, it's Croc."

"I can't, he's coming up the only exit. Do I go around him, or what?"

"Try and hide," Batman suggested.

"There's nowhere to hide," Garth told him.

"I'm on my way, just try and delay any altercation until I'm there." Batman ended the call and Garth waited for this Killer Croc to reach him.

It didn't take long.

The large scaly man burst from the water and instantly saw him standing there by the drawers. Garth prepared himself for the fight that was sure to follow.

"Who are you?" the lizard-like man demanded.

"I am Garth of Atlantis."

"Huh?" Croc said, looking confused. That confusion only lasted a moment before his face contorted into one of rage. "I can smell him on you," Killer Croc growled as he charged towards him. Garth moved to the side, avoiding a powerful punch. Croc turned and swung again, but Garth easily dodged his large fist.

It became apparent very quickly that Croc was big but slow, at least on land. He would be able to use this to his advantage.

As Croc charged again, Garth moved, then kicked him hard in the back of the knee, causing him to stumble head-first into the wall. The old bricks cracked and crumbled under the blunt force of the impact. Croc bellowed out with rage as he pushed himself away from the wall and turned back to face Garth, his expression one of true anger.

"I will crush your bones," Croc yelled as lumber towards him.

Garth had seen how he moved on land. He wondered how well Killer Croc did in the water.

He edged towards the small drop off to the underwater cave, intending to jump in. His plan was, however, interrupted as Batman climbed up the old ladder with an oxygen mask adorning his face.

"Batman!" Croc roared out at the sight of him. He charged at Batman, completely forgetting about Garth. The Atlantean used this opportunity and intercepted him, knocking both himself and Croc into the water.

This was Garth's domain, this was where he belonged. Of course, Croc was also a creature of the water, but he had confidence in his ability to evade anything the lizard-like man sent his way.

The first thing Garth did was agitate him, by swimming circles around him and jabbing him with quick punches. Then, he swam down and out of the cave into the open water with Croc pursuing close behind.

From Garth's observations it seemed that Croc was a very fast swimmer, but as the young Atlantean changed direction, he noticed the large beast-man had a much wider arc. That meant he was quick in a straight line but slow on the turns.

Garth began to swim around his opponent, wearing him down with strike after strike. In the water, the Atlantean moved too fast for Croc to keep track of. The punches and kicks came before he knew they were coming. This only made him angrier. His movements became more unpredictable, but they also became slower, though more powerful.

A lucky strike sent Garth hurtling downwards, crashing into the rock and sand at the bottom.

The Atlantean recovered just in time to avoid being pummelled into the rock. He slipped around the hulking man and kicked him in the back of the head, smashing his face hard into the rocks.

For a moment Garth thought he had stopped him, but Croc managed to turn around and grab him in a crushing bear hug. He struggled to get free as he felt his spine begin to pop under the pressure.

For a brief moment, he wondered if this was how it ended. Crushed to death by a hulking man-beast.

Everything around him began to spin around him as he began to lose consciousness. His only regret before he passed out was how much his death would hurt Tula.

Watchtower II

Earth Orbit

July 05, 2007

06:21 – Station Time

Garth awoke still surrounded by water. But it didn't have the same taste or feel as the dirty water of Gotham's waterways, instead it was fresh and clean.

Slowly he opened his eyes to find himself in a small tank. Through a glass pane he could see Batman stood there glaring at him. It was obvious that he wasn't happy with him.

Garth floated up to the top and peered his head and shoulders out of the water. Batman folded his arms.

"What were you thinking trying to take on Killer Croc by yourself?" he demanded.

Garth tried to explain. "I thought I could defeat him myself. He caught me by surprise."

"Caught is right. He almost crushed you. If you Atlanteans weren't so hardy, he would have."

"What happened to him?"

"In custody," Batman told him. As he turned to leave, he paused and glanced back. "You failed."

"Failed?"

"Yes. If it wasn't for the others I would send you back to Atlantis, but they feel you deserve another shot."

"I am thankful."

"Don't be."

Batman left the room and Garth climbed out of the tank. He stood there for a moment thinking through the mistakes he had made during the fight with Croc. He had defeated much stronger and tougher foes in the past, but the truth was he had underestimated him and it had cost him.

The door slid open and a doctor stepped in with an electronic pad in his hand. "Ahh good, you're awake."

"Yes, I am," Garth confirmed unnecessarily.

"You should be resting," the doctor told him.

"I'm fine," Garth answered.

"I should at least take your blood pressure."

"I don't need it, thank you for your help." Garth moved past the doctor and stepped out of the room. He was going to head to his room and send a message to Tula. He hoped that she was available to talk, but if not a simple message would have to do.

As soon as he had stepped into his cabin, he moved over to the set of drawers and pulled the bottom one open and pulled out the small communicator and switched it on. He smiled as he found a message waiting for him.

Tula's face filled the screen as he began the recording. He became concerned when he realised she looked a little sad.

"Garth, how are you doing? Things are going well here, but I'm really missing you."

"So do I," Garth mumbled to himself.

"I wish you could be here, I've even asked if they'd let you visit, but it's a resounding no. I'm not saying I don't like Themyscira, I do it's a beautiful place, it's just that I miss home."

Garth looked around his room. He missed home too. He sometimes felt sick when he dwelt on it too long. It had been a good few years since he had spent any real length of time away from Atlantis and he forgot how much he missed home when he wasn't there.

"I can't wait to see you in person again and I can't wait to get your reply. Love you, bye."

Her face faded from the screen and Garth sat there on the edge of his bed for a few moments his thoughts taking him back to the fun he'd had with Tula. She was the love of his life and also the greatest friend he had ever had.

This separation from her made his heartache. Like being away from home, it had been an age since he had Tula had spent any real time apart.

Garth began a return message. "Hello, Tula. I'm missing you as well. The Justice League is quite an interesting organisation. Perhaps if I can't visit you there, you can visit me here. I wish I could say things were all good, but I miss you too. Very much. Also today I made a mistake. I underestimated an enemy and it nearly cost me. I made an assumption that just because he wasn't truly a creature of the oceans, that he would be somewhat easy to defeat if we were both in the water. He was slow and lumbering. Except when he wasn't and managed to catch me off guard and nearly crush me. Don't worry, I'm fine. It was a learning experience and I won't make that mistake again."

He got up off the side of the bed and walked over to the window and looked down towards the planet, specifically at the ocean.

"Like you, I too miss home, but if I was there without you, it would feel just as lonely just as it was before I came here. I love you Tula and I always will. I await the day when we can be in each other's arms once again. I will speak with you soon. Love you, bye."

He ended the call with a heavy sigh. While it was true he'd had a lot of positive experiences since he had come here, what good were they if he didn't have Tula to share them with?

Garth put the communications device back in the drawer and headed out of his room to get something to eat.

His first mission could have gone a lot better, but he would not let it get to him. If he ever encountered Killer Croc again he knew to keep his distance and go in for quick, hard attacks, then retreat to a safe distance.

Of course from what Batman had said, he wouldn't be going back to Gotham anytime soon. Garth couldn't be happier about that. Gotham was a city he never wanted to return to.

What his next mission would be, he didn't know, however, he would try better. Today he hadn't only let himself and Batman down, but his king as well. Failing again wasn't an option. He would honour the league and he would honour his king and he would honour Tula by being victorious next time. It was the only real option.

A/N and there is Ep4. This one gave me some trouble. So much so that I almost completely wrote the next one before finishing this one, so I guess expect that one soon.

Updated January 2018