YAY! New chapter. Oh my goodness, this was hard. Hope you all like it though. :) ANd thank you all for you suggestions. Really appreciate all your support.

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Update Note: I don't know why but I had a lot of problems uploading this chapter, and I guess from the update it made a few lines repeat within this chapter. I fixed as many as I could find, but if you find any repeating lines, just tell me and I'll fix it :)

I THINK I GOT ALL THE REPEATING LINES THIS TIME. IF YOU STILL SEE MORE LET ME KNOW!

Peering out from below the coffee table, I considered my options.

I could stay under this table for the rest of my life, coloring in the final details to my zombie fingers, or I could find the courage to venture out and accept my fate.

A fate that would have me going one of three ways.

As of this morning, since the team is growing bigger and we will most likely gain more members as time passes, the team as a whole will be split into three groups: Alpha, Beta, and Gamma. Those groups may vary from time to time, but to begin, each group will stay exactly the same.

Meaning that if I am put in Alpha, I will be going on all Alpha missions for a long time.

Apparently, as Kaldur explained, each group has its own level of risk. Alpha would be the teams going on the more dangerous and intense missions. Beta would be a little less so and Gamma would be mostly information gathering and such. Nothing too extreme.

I do not know how to feel about this. It feels like a good idea, putting people into teams depending on their powers or experience, but it makes me worried to where I would go.

So I decided to chill under the table to think it through.

"Hey, Arinna?" I hadn't noticed Zatanna come into the room and kneel down next to the table. "You okay down there?"
"Freaking for a few seconds, I chuckle at her. "Fine." I say.

"What are you doing under there?"
"Coloring on my fingers." I explain, wiggling them at her.

"Zombie fingers." She notes, "Almost done with season one? I really want to see the ending."

"Ugh, almost. Conner is being difficult. Keeps telling me that "I'm stifling his creativity', when I tell him Merle Dixon doesn't have a French accent."

She chuckles a bit, "I see. Good thing I found you though."

"What's up?"
"J'ohn is looking for you. Asked me to tell you if I saw you." She announced

"Oh…" my mood instantly feel.

"He said you two were having a very important session. I didn't really understand what he was talking about." She admits, giving me an expectant stare. Knowing she wanted me to tell her I sit up and crawl out from under the table.

"It's a mental session." I sigh

She purses her lips, titling her head, "A what?"

"He's going to go inside my head."

"Oh." She blinks rapidly, "What for?"

"Help me learn more about Ari? Maybe fix me."

"You say that like something is wrong with you." She frowns.

"Well, duh." I snort, "Cause there is something wrong with me. I technically have a whole second person living within my head that whenever she takes control I don't remember what happens. But when I'm in control, she remembers. I don't even know what I did yesterday." I explain.

"…You sat on the couch and read all day." she says slowly. "Like, you read 8 books. Some big ones too."
"Jeez." I cringe. "Where they good? What was Ari reading?"

(Classics)

"Shakespeare, an entire encyclopedia on the brain, a few books from back in the 90's that I've never heard of, and the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy."
"Hmm." I mumble, "Don't' remember it." I struggle to remember a lot of things lately. Nothing from my past though, if that makes sense. Such as, Ari is in control 3 days a week. All three of those days, I don't remember what happened. I can ask the others and Ari, and they will tell me, but for the life of me I just can't remember.

It is frustrating, and the others are worried about.
Zatanna was giving me a worried look that I had seen from almost everyone else. Wishing they wouldn't do that I sigh and turn away from her. "Well I'm heading off. Thanks for letting me know." I wave to her.

She waves to me slowly and I disappear down the hall.

0000-Later-0000

"Are you ready to begin Arinna?"

"Not really." I admit, staring at J'ohn. "Is this really necessary?"

We sat across from each other; our legs crossed in matching meditation poses.

"If you truly wish to understand the presence of Ari, then yes it is necessary." he nodded.

Sighing I relax my shoulders, "Very well." I reached forward, placing my hand on top of his. Giving it a few seconds, I could feel Martian Man Hunter's conscious brushing against my own. It was weird.

It felt as if some powerful force was poking my head. Like when Conner pokes my forehead just to be annoying.

Then… there was nothing.

Just a dark space that I was floating in. "...Is this good? Did I mess up?" I asked. Looking around wildly and seeing nothing I began to panic, jumping to the worse. "J'ohn? John!? Where are you?! It's pitch black. Oh gosh, I broke Man Hunter's brain with my own, didn't I?! They just smashed into each other and made bite sized brain chunks!"

"Arinna." There was a chuckle, "Rest easy, you did no such thing." J'ohn formed next to me, smiling.

"Oh…" I put a hand to my chest, "Thank goodness. Don't scare me like that." I glanced around for anything else, "Where are we?"

"Between our minds."

"Wasn't the goal to combine them though so you could figure out what is wrong with me?"

J'ohn frowned at that, "There is nothing wrong with you Arinna. Your mind is simply at war with itself due to past endeavors."

"…Oh?" he says that, but that wasn't how everyone looked at me. Whenever Ari went in control, or I argued with her aloud, they gave me weird looks. They thought something was wrong me since I wasn't acting like myself. So, if that thought that, doesn't that mean that there is something wrong with me..? "So what exactly is this place?" I motioned around.

"One can not simple blend two consciousness together, but we can form a bridge between the two. This is the bridge."

"It's empty."

"For now."

"Oh." I nod, "Then it is like a crack?"
"A crack?" he inquired.

"A mental crack. Ari and me have one." I thought of the first time Ari and me encountered each other when I regained my memories. There was this huge crack separating the two of us. The split of our personalities.

J'ohn paused, giving me a puzzled look, "Would you call Ari here? I would like to meet her in person… so to speak." he smiled. Blinking a few times, I shrugged.

"Ari?" I called, wondering if she would hear me… or come for that matter. After a few seconds, I felt something like a tug.

From below my foot, a crack shot across the darkness, digging deep into the bridge J'ohn and me had forged. Shocked, J'ohn took a step back, watching in almost awe as it formed, and with it, Ari appeared.

She stood on the other side of this crack, her face and clothes matching my own, but her expression showing mild distrust. "I don't really like this." she admits, stepping behind me as almost a shield from J'ohn.

"You can trust J'ohn." I assure her.
"As you've said many times before." she glanced around me at him. "If we must, then fine. Greetings Man Hunter, I am Arinna Kentin. You may call me Ari."

He gave a slight bow to her, "A pleasure, Ms. Ari."

"So what exactly is this about? How will you coming here help us, 'bond' or however you said."

J'ohn glanced down at the crack, moving a hand to rub his chin as if he had figured something out, "Well, you two are as you say, one person, yet your personalities clash in ways a single conscious shouldn't. I am here in hopes of helping you two combine into one." He reached down to run his hand across the edge of the crack, examining deep within. I watched him curiously, not sure what he was doing. "How often has this been here?" he inquired.

"It appeared the moment Arinna remembered." Ari answers.

He nods, "I see. Then this, split, as you will, was formed when you two came into contact. The past and the present colliding together."

"Uh… yes?" I was confused. "Split personalities. There would be a split."

"Then this is the problem." He announced. Ari and me glance at each other.

"What do you mean?" we ask.

"The reason you two are separated is because of this split. The mental manipulation and trauma you two experienced must have caused this crack to form." He states.

"…Meaning?" I cringe.

"Diminish the crack, and you two will join as one." He says simply. Simply, as in, this should be simple to do but…

I raised my hand, "How do you do that exactly?"

"You two must understand each other. Get on the same page, if you will." he smiled. "There is something preventing you from combining as you originally should have. Perhaps you two disagreed on something so deeply that it formed this crack. The reason could be anything. Perhaps if you two were to find some center point to agree with, the crack would start to disappear?"

Ari instantly pointed to me, "It is very hard to get on the same page with her."
"Same back at you." I huff.

"Our likes and dislikes are the same at times, but the way we go about situations is very different." Ari began to explain. "She is too trusting and gullible."

"And you are too untrusting and paranoid." I counter.

J'ohn was rubbing his chin as he spoke, "I see." he nodded. "Then perhaps the key in your situation isn't to force each other to think as one, but to accept the thoughts of the other?"

We blinked a few times, tilting our heads in confusion. "Huh?"

"It is normal to be trusting to some and untrusting to others. As well as easily be tricked and not tricked at all." he mused, "What I see from you two is a very black and white situation. Ari thinks one way and only that way. Same for you Arinna. To come into harmony, you must be willing to think the other way."

"So… You want me to not trust people?" I frowned.

"And me to trust blindly?" Ari scowled.

"Not necessarily." he shook his head "What I mean is that, the next time a situation arises where you must choose on whether to trust someone or not, find a balance. A middle ground if you will between your two decisions. If I am correct, you were willing to do that with your Doctor, Stephan?"

"That was different." Ari disagreed, "I don't trust that guy at all. I only agreed to get Bat Man off our backs."

"I trust Stephan." I point out. "She is the one who doesn't."
"A perfect example to your problem. As I said before, find a middle ground. Be willing to trust, but do not trust blindly. Always be cautious until the trust if proven."

We glance at each other, considering his words for a few seconds before agreeing, "We'll try."

"That is all I can ask." he bowed his head. Lifting it, he glanced around. "It appears that it is time to head back." with a snap of his fingers the three of us were yanked from the bridge, re-entering reality.

Snapping my eyes open with a start, it took only a second for me to notice Roy, or Red Arrow, between us.

"Ah Jeez!" I jumped in shock, falling over, "How long have you been standing there?!" I demanded.

"Long enough. You done?" he sniffed heavily.

"Red Arrow." J'ohn greets him.

"Hey."

"Yeah… Hey." I wave angrily to him. "You're back." I'm nervous now, hating the look on his face. I already knew what he was going to say from that look, but it didn't make it easier.

For months now I've been trying to help Red Arrow track down the original Roy Harper. Since discovering he was a clone, Red Arrow has been on a rampage, doing nothing but search and search.

We all help the best we can, but there isn't much we can do. For now, I'm Red Arrow's best option given the fact that I've spent the longest with Cenver and she seems to be behind most of the cloning processes at Cadmus.

I can't guarantee that would mean she knows where the real Roy is, but it is worth a shot.

"We need to talk." Red Arrow motions to the door over his shoulder.

I straighten, "Yeah. Um-" I glance at J'ohn, "Would you excuse me?"

"Go ahead." he smiles with a wave of his head, "We are done for today. Just remember what I said."

"I will." I rise to my feet and follow Roy out the door. When we exited the room and closed the door, Roy seemed to slouch a bit. I bit my lip, "...Didn't go well?"

I had insisted on going with him to the bunker we had discovered, but he wouldn't have it. Told me it would be faster as a one man job. I agreed, but I didn't like it. (You should have gone with him.)

(Ari, he gave me the look! I couldn't go against the look!)

"Horrible. Found nothing on him. Just a few creeps and nothing to go off of." he kicks the chair at the table to his left. "Two bunkers, both completely cleaned out." he sighed heavily as he moved to lean against the table, "We're falling behind. Can't you remember anything else?"

I sighed at him, "Remember? I remember everything. It's about actual knowledge. Cenver didn't just tell me about every secret little base she had over tea you know."

Roy grumbled something, nodding his head, "Sorry. I just-"

"I know Roy." I assure him.

The sour expression that forms on his face is followed by a little scoff, "I'm not Roy."

I don't know what to say for a while, "You kind of are." (There is no 'kind of', about it. He is completely Roy Harper. That is why it is called a clone. You're meant to be an exact replica of the intended subject.")(Ari, not now.)

(Ari, not now.)

"I'm just an easily manipulated copy." he spits, "A clone."

"Well technically, but-" I start to say.

"That is all there is to it Arinna!" Roy yelled. "I'm just some worthless double that betrayed the team and the League and-"

I shove him suddenly before I know what I'm even doing, making him stumble. Barely able to catch himself he gawks at me. "What was that for?" he demands.

I'm so furious right now I just want to smack him till he turns purple! And not the cute kind of purple! I can't begin to explain how much I am sick of hearing him talk like this. "Red Arrow isn't." I say through gritted teeth.

He stills, eyes widening.

"Speedy was never Red Arrow. You created that for yourself. You don't have to be Roy, but you can't deny the new hero you have become." I reach over and tap his shoulder, "I never knew Speedy anyway. This is who you are to me."

Shifting his weight, his shoulders slouched a bit, "I…" he stepped away, the world falling onto his shoulders, "I just feel… so empty." he sighed. "Ever since I learned what I am I just- I don't know what to do. I keep thinking that maybe if I find the real Roy I can find some closure, but I can't seem to do that."

"It's only been a few months.""And the longer it takes the less chance we have

"And the longer it takes the less chance we have at finding him. That is always how it goes." he slammed his fist into his own palm. "The League isn't much help."

(They never are.)

"They have a lot of other things to do." I frown at him and myself. "The world is a big place."

"Yeah, I guess." he glanced at me, "So how come you're still around for this?"

"What do you mean? The whole team is helping with this." I tell him.

"Yeah, but most of them knew Speedy. The others who do help out, like Artemis or M'gann, they aren't that invested into it like you are. Why are you so determined to help me find him?"

Looking away I shrugged, "I'm pretty sure I already told you why a while back."
"This can't just be about Cenver."

"It isn't." I say, "It is also about my brother."

"Vincent." he recalls. "Speedy isn't Vincent."

"No." I agree, "But if I can't help you save Speedy… then I have no chance of saving Vincent. I want to stop Cenver once and for all, and the start to that is finding the original Roy."

Taking that in, Roy seemed to accept that with a generous nod, "So, got any other leads?"

"Not since you asked last time. What I do know is that Cenver tends to be attracted to large break through in the science of evolution. Improving mankind and what not. If we keep an eye on the world's top discoveries, I'm sure we'll see Cenver show their ugly mug eventually." I paused, wondering that since my face was almost an exact copy of Cenvers... did I just call myself ugly?

"Okay. Okay.' he nods a few times. Tapping his hands against the table he glances at me. "So, what were you doing in there?" he motions to the room I was just in.

"A lesson or whatever with J'ohn." I tell him. "He is trying to help me with Ari."

(Wasn't much help, honestly. Big waste of time.)

"Ari. Right, your split personality." he was quiet, awkwardly so, for a few seconds. Tapping the table a few times he gave me this weird look. "... So uh...How did that go?"

"You are terrible at small talk." I chuckle.

"Wha- I am not." he frowned.

"Yeah you are." I shake my head at him.

"Like you have any room to judge." he folds his arms.

I gasp, "I am great at small talk!" I disagree, "It was fine though. Thanks for asking. I… I don't really know what to do about all of this. I can't just get rid of her, you know? She is me. I am her. I guess J'ohn is going to help us become more of one person. I don't even know how that works but it is worth a shot I guess."

"Are you two really that different?"

"Immensely so." I groan. "Like, some things we agree on. Other things… I'd be lucky if we can find something to compromise on." I shrug, "But that is my problem, I'll deal with that. Some how. We gotta focus on Speedy."

"Right-"

"And Atlantis." I beam

"...What?" he blinks.

My eyes double in size at that, my grin growing wide. "Oh? Did you not hear? We're visiting Atlantis today. The whole team. You too." I jab him.

He recoils, "I'm not apart of the team. I'm Justice- I mean, I'm kind of Justice League." he struggles for a second. "I didn't agree to go to Atlantis." he concludes.

"Well too bad cause you need to get your mind off of Cenver for an hour or two and just enjoy yourself for a little bit."

"But Speedy-"

"Roy.' I grab his arm, "Trust me on this. Stressing by yourself over something for days on end isn't good for you. You struggle to sleep enough as is. Give yourself some time for something else or… You'll let Cenver consume you. That isn't a road you wanna go down." I glance away. "Trust me."

Seeing that he was still thinking about it, I was relieved when he at least nodded, "Just a few hours."

"Good." I motion for him to follow.

"So how is this going to work anyway? Are we taking the Bio-ship?" he questions, quickening his step to catch up with me. It didn't take long with his giant legs. This guy always towered over me, like sheesh.

"Kind of? Red Tornado and Robin made these new suits for us to wear."

Red Arrow slowed his pace a little, "As in… Scuba suits?"

"Interested?" I coo

"...Maybe."

I laughed as we round the corner into the training room. Robin is already in there with Red Tornado and gathering the supplies, "There you are Arinna." Robin waves. "And look who decided to join us." he grins brightly at Roy, looking a little relieved to have him there. "Got one for you too." he tossed a strange looking helmet to Roy.

Catching it, he examined it curiously. "So I won't drown wearing this? Or die from the pressure of the bottom of the ocean?"

"Course not." Robin turned around. "Probably."

"Robin!" we yelled at him.

"It's full proof." he snickers. "Did a billion tests, don't worry."

"Better be." Roy grumbles, gathering the rest of the gear. "Where are the others?"

"At the Bio ship. I can't guarantee the single tanks of oxygen will last the whole time we are down there, so we are bringing a few extra on it just in case." Robin explained grabbing a couple boxes. "Arinna, yours is in that box. Wally should be here soon. Can you tell him the yellow one is his and make sure he doesn't break anything?"

"Will do." I salute, watching the two leave. Left with Red Tornado I smile at him. "Not coming with?"

"The pressure of the ocean will surely not do well with my servers despite your suits being made to adjust for it. I will stay here and monitor the cave. How was your training with Martian Man Hunter?"

"I wouldn't really call it training." I fumble with the helmet Robin had given me. There were two tubes on the back where I assume the oxygen would be flowing from. "It went okay I guess. Not much was done."

"And Ari?"

"Same old same old." she spoke aloud.

Red Tornado nods, glancing to the left when something slide into the room at an amazing speed.

"Hey Wally." I wave to him.

"Where is it?" he gushes, scrambling for the boxes.

"That one." I point to it. "Robin said not to break anything though, so be careful-" he is at the box before I can finish, pulling everything out.

"Oooh!' he said in a giddy tone, "This is going to be so sweet! Look how cool these look!"

"Very cool." I agree. "Glad you aren't nervous."

"Oh no, I'm nervous." he disagreed, "Just… water, y'know. Bottom of ocean." he glanced around. "Don't tell Artemis I said that." he pleaded.

"I won't." I assure him. "But it is worth it to go there, and Robin said the suits should be fine."

"Oh yeah, you've been there before." Wally said.

"Yes." I tell him.

"And you didn't drown?"
"Well I had my shield up the entire time."

"And it didn't break or pop?"

I pursed my lips, "There were plenty of times I thought it would cause I was just tossed back and forth like a piñata, but no, it didn't."

"Why were you tossed around? The currents aren't strong down there, are they?" he went a little pale.

"No. Some of the residence down there didn't like me." I shrug.

"...Not that comforting." Wally was taking a few pieces of equipment that would be added into a suit from Red Tornado, "Okay, so this definitely won't break from pressure and cause me to drown?" he asked hesitantly as he examined the high tech scuba gear. Hah, Red Arrow asked that too.

"Affirmative." Red Tornado nodded. "Now if you excuse me, I have my duties to attend to." he turned and left.

"See yeah." we wave. When he was gone I placed on my helmet. "I feel like an alien."

"You look like one." he snorted.

"I will eat your brains." I warn him.

"Back brain sucker!" he holds out a stick, from which I don't know where, to fend me off.

"Rawr!" I crouch a bit.

He chuckles at that, "Think the Atlanteans will freak out when they see us?"

"I dunno. Maybe." I say. "Some are pretty cool with people from the surface. Others, not so much."

"Why is that?" he asked.

"From what I could tell when I went there, they just didn't like us. Said we were un-pure."

"Pfft." Wally snorted, "Me un-pure? Please."

I giggle at him, "Still nervous?"

"I'll be fine." Wally didn't sound so sure.

Artemis, who appeared from the hall, moved around him, smirking playfully, "Don't tell me the great Kid Flash is afraid of a little water?" she teased.

The smile pulling at his lips seemed to spread along his entire face, "What, me? Babe, never."

"Right." she moves closer to take the chest plate from him and examine the oxygen levels on it.

"You'll be lucky you make it to Atlantis' front gates with how heavy you breath."

"Beautiful, you insult me." he gave a fake look of hurt.

"That isn't hard."

"Ooh!" he clutches his heart, "So cold~ Someone needs to knock you off your pedestal princess."

"Who? You?" she grins."Maybe." he leans a little closer, their noses practically touching.

"Maybe." he leans a little closer, their noses practically touching.

I covered my eyes, feeling like a child who is forced to watch their parents act 'cute' in public.

Glancing back and forth between the two, realizing they had forgotten I was there, I took a few steps backwards like the third wheel I was and skedaddled out of there. The differences between the two of them were outstanding honestly. A few months ago they couldn't stand to be in the same room, now they can't seem to spend longer than 5 minutes apart.

And 5 minutes was pushing it.

"So are the love birds ready or not?" Rocket demanded as she entered the room.

"You can ask them. They forgot I even exist at this point." I chuckle.

She snorted. "Hey! If you two could pull yourselves away from one another for a minute, we are ready to head out."

Artemis and Wally froze for a second, glaring at her, then stepped away. "Just helping him with his gear." Artemis clears her throat with a defying look

"Sure, and I'm juggling swords on top of the Eiffel tower." Rocket claps at them, "Get a move on will ya. I want to see this under water city and I am sick of waiting for you two."

Chuckling, I waited till Artemis and Wally trudged by me and out of the room to join the others to winked at Rocket, "Nice."
"Had to be done. Honestly, I think the beginning of the relationship is the worse. Everyone is like love sick puppies."

"Well, they still kind of act the same around each other from before they were dating. They just say it in a nicer way." I point out.

"Girl, that just means they have been flirting with each other for months." Rocket scoffs. "It's elementary dear Watson." she pats my head.

"Wait, why am I Watson?"
"Cause there is no way you'd be Sherlock Holmes."

"Says who?" I huff

"Says me!" we laugh.

Half way down the hall, Rocket suddenly says, "But girl, in all honestly, I need a man."

"Why is that?"

"I'm tired of spending my Friday nights alone. Some times people just want someone to hold them in those cold nights."

I kind of understood what she was talking about but… "You could always come hang out in the cave."

"With who?" she folded her arms. "On Friday night everyone is with their respected individual." she says worlds slowly, emphasizing it. "M'gann and Conner. Kaldur and you. Now there is Wally and Artemis and girl have you see Robin and Zatanna? They may not be official or what not but every where I go they are together lately."
"I noticed that too." I gushed.

"That is exactly my point. No one on this team has time for good old Rocket anymore. Either I need new friends or a boy friend."

"You could always hang out with Billy." I suggest. "Or Wolf. The Super Cycle?"

"So my choices are the 10 year old, the animal, or the machine?"

"..Red Tornado?"

"The 10 year old, the animal, or two machines?" she corrects, "No thanks."

"Red Arrow isn't dating anyone. You could hang out with him,"

"He's got his own baggage to deal with." she sighs, "I don't want to get too involved with it. I'm surprised you managed to get him to come with us. That guy is dead set on finding Speedy and that is it."

I nod in agreement, "Makes me almost afraid for when he finds him."

Rocket raised an eye brow, "What do you mean?"

"I mean…" I shrug, "I dunno. Red Arrow always knew what he wanted to do, but since learning he was a clone it is like all of that is gone. As you said, he wants to find Speedy and that is it. Then what? I'm worried that when he finally finds him, what will he do then? I doubt he has even thought about that."

"Well…" Rocket bit her lip, "We'll be there for him either way. Help him find a new goal or whatever. Get him a hobby, cause we all know he needs one, badly."

"He could trying knitting?" I suggest.

"... And make use all mittens?" she covers her mouth and snorts, "I would literally kill to see that. Or some cheddar biscuits."

"They are pretty good."
"Take out the whole team for a basket of 'em." she nods.

"Please don't."

"I would start with you."

"Why?" I demand with a gasp, "Why would I be the first person you kill?"

"You are right. I shouldn't take you out first. But at the same time, you can teleport. If I don't get your first, I might never get you after. You might take the cheddar biscuits too."

"Ooh, I totally would." I nod, 'Yeah good point. You might want to kill me first. Probably Wally next. He tends to steal food.

The sound of heavy foot prints behind us cause us to turn and see Conner, scowling, "Do I even want to know what you two are talking about?"

"Cheddar biscuits." we explain.

He blinks, "Oh, yeah, those are good. I'd kill for those."

"RIGHT!?" we yell. "They are addicting."

"What's addicting?" Zatanna inquires.

"Cheddar biscuits." we tell her.

"Ooh." she hums, "Very good. I would-"

"Kill for them." we finish for her. "Us too."

"Can we go now?" Roy grumbled at us, ready to get this show on the road.

-000-000-

"Do I look strange?" I asked, moving in front of Kaldur. He examined me closely, shaking his head.

"No." he assures, "You look as if you are just wearing the scuba suit."

"Yeah but does it make me look weird. I don't want your parents to think I look weird." We would be visiting them towards the end of this trip.

"You do not look weird." he assures me.

I nod a few times, constantly thinking to myself. "Okay Ari, we can't look stupid in front of Kaldur's parents. So either we agree I do all the talking, or we agree on what we are going to say before hand."

"If you are the one who does all the talking then we'll definitely look stupid."

Ari.

Fine, fine. You just do what you want.

Smiling at that I paused when Kaldur took my hand, "How is Ari?" he inquired.

I froze up for a second, "Oh uh…" I waited for Ari to reply. She didn't. "She's fine." I ended up saying.

"That is good." he nods.

I was grateful when Wally stole the attention a second later by saying, "I can't move too well in this thing." he was fiddling with the suit.

"Beggars can't be choosers. Just be glad we have the chance to go down here at all." Robin replies back with ease.

"So much for super speed down here." Wally frowned at his hands.

"Who says you need it?" Artemis smirked at him. "You'll just have to take things as the same pace as the rest of us."

Wally smiled at her a bit, "Doesn't sound too bad."

"And here we go." Rocket grumbled. Glancing out the window, she perked up a bit when some lights started to come into view. "Hey guys, I think we are getting close."

"We are indeed." Kaldur rose from his seat, his smile growing. "Team, I welcome you to Atlantis."

I could faintly hear a giddy giggle emerging from the back. I think it was Zatanna, but Robin was back there too and I won't cross him off of being the culprit.

After that it didn't take long for us to finish putting on our scuba gear. Struggling with the helmet for a moment, I was excited to get out there and see the friends I had made before.

Lori the mermaid and Toppo the octo-man. They were so wonderful and kind, I couldn't wait to see them once again.

"So-" Zatanna placed on the helmet, "Do these things have radio or something for us to talk through?"

"We could always use my telepathic link." M'gann didn't need the scuba suits unlike the rest of us. She could morph her body to adjust to the pressured water and give herself gills to breath. Totally cool.

"The suits have built in radio, don't worry. Those outside the suit will also be able to hear us if we click the buttons connected to our wrists." Robin announced.

"Neat." Wally examined it closely.

"Well what are we waiting for?" Artemis moved towards the bio ship door and nodded to M'gann. Smiling, M'gann opened it and water began to pool in. Quick to get out, M'gann closed the bio ship, leaving the extra oxygen tanks on board.

"This is awesome!" Rocket cheered, using lighter gravity to do multiple flips. The others were dumbstruck at the underwater city we were swimming into.

"This place is amazing." Artemis told us as she stepped out of the bio ship and into the water.

"Amazing?! Amazing does not begin to describe this under water utopia!" Zatanna exclaimed in awe.

"I would not call it a Utopia, for it still has its problems, but it is wonderful." Kaldur smiled at us.

It is.

Vincent would have loved this….

Moving out into a big group, I awkwardly swung my arms and legs in an attempt to swim. I technically didn't have to swim last time due to my bubble, so I wasn't use to it.

"I am not the best swimmer. Ah. Ahhhhhh~" I cried when I began to flip upside down, waving my arms frantically. "Help~"

Kaldur moved to grab my arm setting me upright. "Perhaps you should hold on to me?" he suggested. And excuse to cling to Kaldur?

Don't mind if I do.

Keeping a hold on my hand he motioned for the others to follow. "This way. We should make my King aware that you have arrived."

With a nod in agreement we were off. It was strange having to swim every where instead of walk. None of us were use to it, except for M'gann and Robin that is. M'gann was fine cause she had gills and what not, but Robin was just swimming with ease.

I suppose I shouldn't expect anything less from the boy wonder.

"I can't wait to meet other Atlanteans." M'gann smiles.

"Yeah. Oh but, try not to offend anyone why you are here Conner." I tell him over through the radio.

"Why would you instantly think I would be the one to insult an Atlantean?" he demanded gruffly.

"You do have a knack for pissing people off." Artemis reminded him.

"Well… yeah. That isn't my fault though. It is theirs." he insists.

"Yeah, cause Conner is a natural disaster." I say.

"How do you figure?" Robin snickered.

I smile smugly, "Cause naturally, if you were to piss him off, there would be disaster. A lot of disaster."

"Ahh." everyone nods in understandement.

"Right well, how long are we going to be down here?" Roy asked heatedly.

"Not too long." Kaldur assures him. "Perhaps you should try an enjoy yourself though since you are here."

"…" Roy sighed a bit but nodded.

Glancing around, I found myself looking back at Roy. He was in the back of the group's little line thing we had going on. His head was down and he hadn't said much. I could only assume his mind was still on Speedy.

I can't say I blame him. I find myself thinking of Vincent all the time too. Where is he right now? Is he safe? Probably not…

And that kills me.

If I think about it too long though, I loss myself, and I can't afford to do that. I'm apart of a team that needs me to focus, at least as much as an Arinna can focus. I'll find him, I know I will. I just have to keep myself together until I do.

"Hey Roy, wall." Robin tells him through the communicator.

A second later he is running head first into an underwater wall. With a grunt he swirls back.

Wally points and laughs. "Dude, nice."

Patting his helmet, Roy snorted, "Good thing these are sturdy."

"Yeah, I would like to at least get to the main gates before needing to turn back please." Zatanna says.

Roy gave a little chuckle and nodded in agreement.

Happy he was at least putting in the attempt, I swung my hand with Kaldur's. It was nice, sharing an underwater swim together.

He's pointing out different things as we go. Some I already knew of the first time I was here, but some I didn't.

Halfway through his tour, a familiar figure with an emerald tail. "No no no!" they were saying, "La'gaan, I said only a pinch of the seashell powder, not all of it!"

"Hey wait-" I tug on Kaldur's arm to make him stop. Curious to what I saw, I start to cheer when I focus on the form. Mermaid tail, long brown hair with a matching pink dress shirt!

LORI!

I begin waving my arm above my head in a wild attempt to catch the attention of the Atlantean a bit away. "Lori! Lori!" I called to her.

She seemed to be looming over a kind of pot and practicing her magic with a second figure.

I have never seen this one before.

La'gaan is what she called him. He was green, his eyes red and wide like a fish. In fact, despite having arms and legs, he was this perfect mix of a human and fish. Amazing.

Glancing up from her magic cauldron or whatever it was, Lori looked over her shoulder. Spotting me she blinked a few times, not sure what she was looking at.

The look she had of dumb confusion was priceless.

I probably looked really weird with the scuba suit. "Lori, it's me!" I called to her.

"...Arinna?" she shifted forward a bit. Seeing that Kaldur was with me, her expression slowly morphed to a smile as she shot towards us, her tail moving in powerful strokes. La'gaan stayed behind, confused.

"Arinna!" Lori rammed into me, knocking my hand out of Kaldur's and causing the two of us to spin. "It is so good to see you again friend! Look at you! You seem to have changed form. I was not aware Surface Dweller could change their skin."

I started to laugh at that, "I can't." I tell her. "It is just a suit so I can breath under water.""

"OOh!' she gushed, "Of course." she circled me. "How have you been? Have you come to visit again with Kaldur-" she paused when she noticed the team and her expression fell a bit. "...Who are they?" she hid behind me a bit.

"My team."
"Team?"
"Remember the team Kaldur and me are part of? This is them." I motioned to them.

She took a second to remember this, "...Oh. Oh yeah! Hello! Hello there!" she grinned, coming out to greet them. "I am Lori Lemaris. Pleasure to meet you."

"Dude." Wally was whispering to Robin. "A mermaid." He was grinning.

"Oh and-" she motioned wildly behind her to the other boy. "This is La'gaan. We both use to be Kaldur's classmates before he travelled up to the surface."

La'gaan curiously moved towards us, eyeing us. "Greetings." He says, "I am La'gaan. Are you truly from the surface?"

"Indeed my friend." Kaldur smiles at him. "It is good to see you. Your training has done you well." He patted La'gaan on the back. La'gaan looked thrilled to hear that, grinning from ear to ear.

"Indeed Kaldur'ahm. Are these your many allies you often spoke of?" he motioned to us, his eyes trailing over M'gann for a second longer than the rest, looking almost startled to see her.

Not in a bad way or anything, if that made sense. More of he hadn't expected to see someone like her amongst us.

"You do not wear a suit like the others." He points out. "Are you an Atlantean?" he stares at her gills.

"She is Miss Martian."

"M'gann is fine." She insists.

"Very well," Kaldur chuckles, "She is a shape shifter from the planet Mars."

"Fascinating." La'gaan says in awe. "And the others?"

"Arinna." I wave to him instantly. "Hi there."

"Yes, this is Arinna." Kaldur muses.

"Oh! Oh!" Tula raises her hand. "I want to see if I can guess their names from what Arinna told me."

"Go for it!" I cheer. Kaldur glances at me then steps to the side to let her try.

"Okay." She hums. "A little difficult with the suits but- Kid Flash." She pointed to him. "Robin. Artemis. Uh…" she falters at Zatanna and Rocket. "One is Rocket and one is Zatanna, but I can not tell which is which." She admits.

"Rocket." Rocket holds up her hand.

"Zatanna." Zatanna does the same.

"Then Conner?" Lori ended up pointed to Roy.

"Red Arrow." He corrects.

Lori clicks her teeth, "So close. Then you must be Conner." She points to him. He nods solemnly. "Oh what fun." She claps, "It is so nice to meet all of you."

"You too, Lori." Robin says.

"Have you seen Tula and Garth around, Lori? Or perhaps Toppo? I wanted to say hi to them too." I ask her.

She perks up, "Well, Toppo is actually away for a bit visiting relatives. As for Tula and Gath, you just missed them. They went that way to see the King."

"We're heading that way anyway." M'gann smiles.

"Oh I am coming with." Lori links arms with me. "We need to catch up. I was just in the middle of perfecting my latest spell, but that didn't really work out." She shot a glare at La'gaan who shrunk a bit.

"I thought it would work better with more seashell powder." He mumbles.

"Obviously it didn't!" she huffed.

"Odin's beard." He grumbled, "Perhaps it was not the seashell powder, have you considered that? Perhaps it was too much use of the floral goo you put into all of your magic spells."

Lori let out a gasp, thoroughly insulted, "Floral essence!" she corrected, "And it has nothing to do with this."

"And I have no idea what we are talking about." I admit.

Lori frowned deeply at La'gaan then began to explain, "For the past couple weeks I've been trying to master the final magic spell required for me to pass my next class. I just can not seem to get it right. La'gaan is in the same position as I, so I assumed if the two of us worked together we might be able to figure out what we are doing wrong."

La'gaan sighs, "No such luck though. Perhaps we should just go to Toppo when he returns?"

"What were you two trying to do anyway?" Artemis folded her arms.

"Camouflage. The spell should allow us to blend in perfectly with where ever we are. Good for sneaking or avoiding parents." Lori grins.

"Wish I could learn that." Wally says dreamily.

"You are the one who possesses super speed, yes? I would think that gift would be one of the best you could receive." La'gaan said honestly.

"Well yeah." Wally brushed his knuckles to his chest.

"It affects his mouth though too, so you never know what he is talking about." Robin snickered. Lori and La'gaan laugh at that.

"You are humorous surface dweller!" La'gaan grinned.

After that, La'gaan began to ask us about ourselves- such as our abilities and powers. He was very fascinated with M'gann and her multiple powers in specific. Conner didn't seem too pleased with how chummy he was, but he was a lot younger than them, mostly 12, so he was kind of being ridiculous.

Lori however didn't seem to care too much for the others, telling me constantly of the time between when we last saw each other. She told me how she had passed one of her classes and moved onto the one she was one now.

As well as how Toppo has really delved deep into story telling. He has a natural knack for it, as she explained.

"And then-" she paused, "Oh, look. There they are!" she motioned forward two a familiar pair of Atlanteans.

I recognized them instantly and waved, "Tula! Garth!"

Turning to me, the two of them smile unevenly. Not quite recognizing me a first, realization struck them when they spotted Kaldur. They swam towards us, their eyes flickering to the others for a moment before coming back to me. "Arinna." they greet me with small hugs. "You are not within your bubble. Are you able to survive down here? Is the new suit allowing you to breath?"

"It is amazing." Tula circled me.
"Yeah." I gush, "We came to visit."

"We?" they note. Kaldur steps forward a second later and clasps hands with Garth, "It is good to see you both. What brings you to Atlantis?"

"A team visit." Kaldur explain, "I hope you do not mind."
"Of course not. Any friend of yours is welcome here." he moved past him to greet us. "Welcome!" he waved.

"Hey there." Robin nodded.

"You're Garth, right? Hiya!" Rocket gave a wave back.

"It is very nice to finally meet Kaldur's surface companions. He speaks of you often." Tula smiles brightly at us. She is so pretty. I really pale in comparison.

Not that I'm comparing myself to her, cause that is stupid, I just can't help it since she was the girl Kaldur loved and ugh, confusing.

I shouldn't worry about it, but can you blame me if I do? I dunno, maybe.

Caught within my daze, I didn't notice a blond Atlantean shoot in front of Lori and me. With similar yelps, we ran head first into him.

Flung back, Lori huffed angrily. "Hey! Watch it, you-" she trailed off. Her eyes grew wide with rage at the person in front of her. It was… that dude!

I couldn't remember his name.

The guy who was a jerk to me the last time I was here. Called me unblessed or what not.

"Ronal." She growled. Ah, right. That was his name. Straightening, he blinked rapidly at us. He had just come from the palace and seemed to be in some kind of hurry.

"Lori." He said with an even, if not annoyed tone. Glancing at me, he's eyes flashed with enraged confusion before fading into something I couldn't recognize. A sense of calm almost. "Who is this?"

"Arinna. The surface dweller. You met her before." Lori explains sourly, looking like she would love to be doing anything else than talk to this guy.

Ronal moved towards me, "Hi, Ronal, I don't know if you remember me." he gave me an odd little smile.

"Yeah, you called me something along the lines of unblessed last time we saw each other."

He blinked a few times, "Did I? That seems so long ago. No hard feelings right?" he said innocently.

"…" I glanced at Lori who was tapping her tail furiously, her face turning red with anger.

"Anyone else sensing some unspoken tension?" Wally mumbled to the others.

"Well-" Kaldur moved between us, eyes narrowed dangerously, "You look well Ronal."

"Kaldur'ahm." He said stiffly. "You do as well. I see you still travel with surface dwellers. Each trip of yours seem to bring more of them down here."

"There is no problem here, is there Ronal?" Garth was moving next to Kaldur, giving Ronal the same look he did last time I was here.

"Not at all." Ronal insisted. "Simply wish to make sure these surface dwellers do not pollute our grand city, as they do with every other part of the ocean." He glared.

"The mistakes of a few should not fall upon those who are innocent." Garth says simply. "These people are allies, not the surface corporations among the surface shores."

"Every surface dweller is the same." Ronal grumbled. "To be fair though, I will not interfere." He backed away. "Atlantis welcomes all, yes?"

Finding his actions suspicious, Kaldur glared at him. "Good day to you Ronal."

Ronal gave a wicked smile and gave a bow, disappearing within the buildings.

"Charming." Zatanna says sarcastically folding her arms, "Great personality. Big fan."

"That is Ronal." Lori sighed, "He dislikes the surface, and anything to do with it."

"He claims those above water are referred to as unblessed. He believes only Atlanteans who want nothing to do with the surface are pure." Garth explains grimly. "It is not a very popular topic, but one that exists none the less. Some Atlanteans simply wish for their lives to have nothing to do with the surface, and with our King often venturing up there they are not pleased."

"Those are only a handful of Atlanteans though." Tula insisted. "I find the surface fascinating, and beautiful even. Such as sunsets. I've been to the upper waters to see at least that."

Good Carrot Cake she was so nice! Ughh mahogany table, while am I feeling all this anxiety now? I didn't feel like this last time!

(You weren't as deep into your relationship with Kaldur last time too. It is normal to be cautious about old girlfriends or what not when it comes to your boyfriend. It is fine.)

Really?
(Yes. But what is up with those weird curses?)

What do you mean?"

(Carrot cake and mahogany table?)

… I don't see your point.

(Just- never mind…)

Thankfully Aqua Man was there to chuckle his way into our conversation and off the mental topic of how perfect Tula was.

"Greetings!" he declares with a large smile, "It is good to see you all."

"Hey Aqua Man!' Wally waved to him.

"My King." The Atlanteans give him similar salutes.

"I'm happy all of you made it. Kaldur informed me you would be visiting so I thought perhaps you would like to join my wife and I for dinner? You four as well." He looked to Tula, Garth, La'Gaan and Lori.

Lori and La'gaan straightened, their eyes growing wide. "T-Truly?"

"Yes." Aqua man nods.

"Y-Yes! Yes your highness we would be honored." They bow to him, giddy smiles on their faces.

"...The Queen?" I purse my lips, grabbing M'gann's arm. "Like, the Queen Queen?"

"I have only one wife." Aqua Man nods with a chuckle.

Wally was suddenly tapping the front of his helmet, "Food. Love to. Nothing I would love more but~" he taps the glass, "Not sure how that will work with these."
"We can still join them.' Zatanna shrug.

"I do not mind not eating." M'gann agrees.

"Just sit there while they eat? Isn't that kind of weird?" Artemis questioned.

"Not for me." I say

"…Well of course it wouldn't be weird to you. Anything weird is normal to you." Conner nudged me.

"That isn't what I meant." I hit him. "Unlike you, I can teleport my food into my stomach. I could just do that."

Zatanna gave me a peculiar look, "How did you learn you could do that?"

"Trial and error." I pat my stomach.

"She teleported it into her spleen." Conner says, "Her Spleen. Stupid girl almost killed herself."
'I teleported it out."

"Then did it again later." Robin frowns at me. "You are not helping your case in any way, Arinna."

"Cause there is no case." I say, "I have no belongings on me outside this suit. And I don't carry cases around with me normally anyway."
"They meant- you- how do you still do this after recovering your memories?" Conner was bewildered.

"Ah forget you guys!" I paddle past them, "I would love to join you Aqua Man."

He has this little smile like he is trying not to laugh, "Would be honored."

Despite the conversation from earlier, everyone joined us for the dinner. We meet the queen at the dinner table. She wore an emerald green garb with beautiful hair that was a mix of orange and red.

She smiled kindly at us. I liked her.

"Welcome." She extends her hands out, "I am happy to finally meet some of my husbands companions." She paused to nods to her students, "Welcome Kaldur. Garth. Tula. Lori. La'gaan."

"My Queen." They say, bowing to her.

She smiles and motions for us to sit down. I excitedly do so, staring wildly at the room we were within. Brilliant lights hung over our heads, illuminated marble and emerald green tinted walls.

Looking down at the strange food at the table I smile and glance at everyone. They all seemed thrilled to be here, except for Roy who sat quietly; caught in deep thought. Mostly about Speedy I bet.

Sighing I look next to the Queen. There is a baby.

Wait…

"Wait, who is that?" I point to the infant in the high chair near the table. Aqua Man's wife looked up with confusion, glancing at me.

"That is my Son." Aqua Man said with pride.

The team went quiet. "...Son." red Arrow repeats slowly, pulled out of his thoughts. "As in he is yours."
"Son would imply he is my child, yes."

"...You had a kid." Wally states. "... YOU HAD A KID?!"

I gasp, squealing, "A baby! You had a baby?!" I take Aqua Man's hand into my own, hopping up and down, which kind of looked weird since I was in water, "Why didn't you tell me before? Oh my gosh, Congratulations! That is so exciting!"

"Yes." he agreed with a bright smile. "Though the correct way of saying that is that my Queen had a baby." the smile never faltered.

"Look at him." I cooed affectionately. "He is so precious~"

"Super cute." M'gann agreed.

"What is his name?" Rocket inquired.

"Arthur Jr." the queen smiles fondly. "After his Father." She reaches her hand out to run her fingers through her son's waving locks. "Takes after him too."

"He has my looks, but his spirit matches yours my love. He will grow strong." He tells her lovingly. They share a smile and I can't help but gush over it.

"So then… He's AquaBaby." Wally jokes suddenly.

I was just a second too late in stopping my self from bursting into a fit of giggles.

(Yes, laugh at the royal heir. That won't insult anyone.)

Figuring Ari was probably right, I cut myself off, smiling sheepishly, "S-Sorry."

Aqua Man on the other head was beaming, lifting his son high. "Aqua Baby!" he declared. Sharing a laugh we began dinner.

Aqua Man excitedly told us of the life within Atlantis. He talked of his people, his wife, and of the current construction going on that might help improve their life right before their eyes.

I listened carefully, messing with the bit of the food on the table. As I mentioned before, I could simply teleport the food into my stomach, but that isn't as satisfying as actually eating it.

I mean, why eat something if you can't taste and enjoy it?

That said, these fruits were so strange. So many vast colors and shapes, they were completely different from the surface.

Reaching for the bowl of fruit, I plucked one off from the side. As it moves, the underneath of the pile became visible and I saw a strange black device hidden within the center of the bowl.

"What the-?" I leaned forward to examine it more closely. As I did, I recognized the silently beeping device immediately. Having seen it first hand myself, it wasn't hard to recognize. A bomb.

My mind flashed to the night at my old house. With Cenver. I forgot how to breath.

Then the fruit drops from my hand, only to kind of float their as I panic and gag on my own spit. "B…Bomb!" I screamed through the choking, barely able to lift up a shield around the people around me before it went off.

The force was enough to shatter the table and scatter its remains. Smoke enveloped the area seconds later. I had managed to surround Roy, Rocket, Robin, Lori, Wally and Artemis when the bomb went off. A good amount of people, but not enough.

My heart went into utter panic when I realized I couldn't see the others through the heavy liquidized smoke.

"O-Odin's beard…." Lori stammered through both fear and fury. "Who would dare…?"

"Everyone okay?" Robin demanded.

"What the hell was that?!" Roy demanded furiously.

"So much for a nice trip." Artemis says groggily.

"Artemis are you okay? Are you hurt?" Wally grabbed her arm, examining her and her suit.

"I'm fine. Where are the others?" Artemis was pressing against the shield to get a better look.

In a mass frenzy I dropped the shield and screamed, "Kaldur?! Kaldur!"

"I am here." A figure was shifting through the inky black and moving fast. "Are you all alright?" he appeared a second later, unharmed, but his eyes were searching wildly around us. He was dragging an unconscious La'gaan who seemed to have been knocked out from the black

"La'gaan!" Lori swam to him to take him. "Oh poor La'gann." Her lip quivers as she takes him into her arms.

"We're here too." Conner, M'gann and Zatanna emerged with Tula and Garth. I expected Conner to be fine, and since he was next to M'gann I'm positive he protected her. These suits were insanely durable.

"Would have been a goner without Tula and Garth." Zatanna motioned to them with a smile.

"The question is what initiated an attack." Garth narrowed his eyes. "How had one managed to get such a dangerous device so close to the King-" he gasps, "My King! My Queen!" his eyes widen suddenly and turns to search for them. "Are you alright?"

"It is alright Garth." They appear from underneath a few torn sheets and food. "We are unharmed."

The queen looks frantic. "Arthur." She says wildly. 'Where is Arthur?"

Aqua Man's eyes flare and he leaps into action, scanning the perimeter.

"Arthur! Arthur!" his wife was chanting in her frantic search.

Oh no…

Then, the sound of wailing. A baby. Hope sprang up within us as we made a straight shot for the sound. Pushing ourselves over the rubble, we could see many different figures swarming into the royal dining area. Some were Atlantean soldiers, while the others were dress in black armor.

Still caught up in everything, I was thoroughly confused and my mind kept flashing back to stupid Cenver, which was not helping. "What…" I lean forward to breath. "Oh my gosh…" I gasp for air. Chill out me. Chill out.

"Black Manta's foot soldiers!" I heard Kaldur gasp in realization. They must have been the one to initiate the attack. Still doesn't make sense how they got a bomb in here, but that can be answered later.

"Atlanteans! Attack!" Aqua Man roared in rage. The battle begun half a second later, starting with mystic laser like beams shooting over our heads. Ducking for cover, or more of M'gann dragging me down behind a pillar, I turned my head to the sound of the crying.

I could see him then. Black Manta.

I had only heard about him from Kaldur; Aqua Man most despised opponent. A tyrant who wished to rule the sea with an iron fist.

"Manta!" Aqua Man had taken no time to spot him, his eyes flaring with both rage and fear at the sight of his son within his grasp. He... He had his son. I have to do something- my mind flashed to Cenver again. Just... ugh get out of my head!

"Greets oh mighty King." Manta snickered cruelly. "You seem to have lost something." He held the boy, allowing him to cry and cry. "He seems a bit frightened."

"You release my child!" The queen demanded venomously.

"Ah ah.' When she made a move to get closer, Black Manta lifted the infant higher, threatening to activate the laser within his suits' eyes sockets. "Be careful now."

The two froze instantly, eyes wide. "Manta you- have you no honor?!" Aqua man screamed.

"A good leader must be willing to make sacrifices. You never understood that. You are too soft." Manta grumbled. "But I am not without my mercy. I shall give you a chance." He paused to point out the hole that was made from the explosion, "Three hours." He explains, pulling out a strange orb looking thing from his back pocket. "That is how long you have until this infant perishes into the dark depths of the ocean. Better hurry foolish King."

"Black Manta!" Aqua Man made a break for him.

"Let us you hope you find your child before then." He says, crushing the orb in his hands, freeing a horrible inky liquid from within. It covered the area in seconds, blinding us all.

When the ink cleared, Black Manta and his troops had retreated along with the young Atlantis prince.

WHOOP! YEAH! DONE! Finally! This chapter took longer than I expected. Maybe because I was just kind of winging it and I usually had the original episode to go off of.

There, of course, is no episode for this and just off my imagination.

Hope you all liked it.

I suppose you could consider these first two chapters as how Tula and Garth join the team :D