Chapter Five: Whirlpool

Aquaman was teleported to Atlantis. His nation. His kingdom. He never forgot it, but in a way, being with the League, surrounded by the people there, he felt almost normal. He knew that Superman was as strong as him, he would never admit that Superman was stronger. He knew Diana was at the same level as well, so he felt physically amongst heroes. And the intellectual capacities of Batman and at times the Flash were also able to make him feel equal. It was always half a shock, after being amongst people who wouldn't call him anything but Arthur or Aquaman, to be addressed the way he is in Atlantis.
"My King," said a soldier next to him. He was in a small chamber that led to his throne room. The chamber was possibly one of the few rooms which had no windows to the outside. It was a small study that Arthur liked to frequent when he needed to be alone. There were books on shelves that made the chamber resemble a miniature library. A desk was placed there as well, a photograph of his father and him near the light tower was sitting there beside the lamp he'd brought from home. The guard was there in the middle of his room. He wore the blue uniform of metallic alloys that could withstand the pressure of the underwater kingdom. The breadth of his domain sometimes scared him: it was so vast, how could he possibly be able to control it?
"What news?" asked Arthur, he was not Aquaman amongst these people. The guard was standing at attention: arms to the side, body erect. He was willing to die for Arthur, his King. But Arthur didn't even know his name. With the League it made sense: they were all friends, here Arthur was not so lucky, he couldn't afford friends so easily.
"Sire, a great whirlpool has been spotted in the Pacific Ocean. We have sent units there to try and contain it, but it is only picking up speed. We were using the anti-rotation technique."
That was similar to what Superman does, it should also be able to work under water: negate the flow of water by spinning against its rotation. They walked together out of the room and into the main hall. It was a large hall with the throne at one end, their end. The throne was made from the gold of many lost sea voyages and was shaped big enough for Arthur to sit on comfortably, with some extra space as well. The back was shaped in a manner of a trident. It was quite beautiful, yet it was rejected by a part of Aquaman's inner being: so much extravagance for a job that was meant to help others. It felt like he was robbing his people. Though a part of him also enjoyed the beauty and the riches. He had never been rich until now, it was a nice change. The hall was decked with marble and was wide enough for sixty people to stand shoulder to shoulder, at least. The high ceiling was made of glass and showed the rich and beautiful life that was happening around the castle, so that all could see the King and the King could see all from his throne.
"Is the device ready to be deployed?" asked Arthur as they descended from the dais onto the hall's main level.
"Yes, my Lord. We were waiting for you to come and give the order."
"It is given. I shall go there myself as well, to make sure that I can see what the device can do."
"Sire, shall I assemble the Royal Guard?"
"No need, I'll be accompanying him," said Mera, as she entered from the great doors into the hall. She was clad in her green uniform and the small crown she was given many years ago. Her red hair glistened and flowed. Of all the people here, Arthur respected her most. She was cruelly honest, and a great fighter.
"Sire?"
"You heard the lady, I will not be needing the Royal Guard," said Aquaman and took his trident out of its sheath. The sheath was a small groove in his armour that would then smooth itself when it was no longer in use. He always enjoyed holding the trident, it made him feel stronger. More regal.
The soldier bowed and ran off to follow the orders.
"The device? Are you sure?" asked Mera as they walked over to a small room that allowed them access to a tunnel. The room was a secret one, opened by pressure on a specific spot in the wall of the hall. The tunnel would allow them to enter the waters and from there they could swim out into the sea.
"It's time to try it out," said Arthur.
"Perhaps, but is there anything else that's the matter? You are obviously concerned about it if you are going there personally. A whirlpool forming in the ocean is nothing truly new."
"I'm afraid that it might be a part of something greater, something more sinister."
"Something to do with the invasion of the surface world?"
"Yes."
"And why is it our concern?"
"Firstly, the whirlpool is a sign that it does concern us. If it is them then they have acted in hostility to my waters. Secondly, what happens to the surface world also matters to us. And to me. Doing the right thing is more important than simple prejudice and inaction due to such things."
"Spoken like a true moralist. But not necessarily like a monarch."
Cruelly honest, as always, thought Arthur, as they entered water and started to swim towards the Pacific.
It never took long, no matter the distance. He might not always be as fast as some of the others, but down here he was truly King. Sometimes he wished to know how it felt to fly, but he doubted anything could be as good as feeling the waters around you, feeling the consciousness of all the teeming aquatic life around him. He felt so comfortable, so at home.
He was nearing the site, he could feel the energy of the whirlpool sucking him further and further in. He stopped at the spot where his soldiers were, some were still trying to control it by swimming fast enough around it. It didn't seem to be working, even Arthur could feel the tug of the whirlpool increase in strength.
"Stop your movement, clear the space!" called Arthur, hoping to see the whirlpool for what it was in full.
It was a tornado under the sea. The waters were spinning round and round, starting from a point far below and only increasing in magnitude and circumference, never abating. It was a sight to behold: beautiful in its deadlines.
"Has anyone gone down to try and find the source of the whirlpool?" asked Arthur.
"Yes, my King, we couldn't find the source. It was hidden between rocks, we would have to get through them and the whirlpool to reach the source."
"My lord," came the call from behind, it was the soldiers bringing the device, "shall we deploy the device?"
"Yes, immediately." answered Arthur.
"Yes, sire. Move it!"
The device was a large rectangular box, its job was to project Mera's powers to places she couldn't access. It did more than that at times: it could freeze water, robbing it of most of its kinetic energy and thus forming it into ice. There were controls where they stood in order to stop it in time, otherwise a very large chunk of an ocean would be frozen. How large? The estimates weren't conclusive. The device had mainly been built in order to help with the problems of the glaciers, to try and equalise the climate change's effects. It could work here, thought Arthur.
The great box was tossed into the whirlpool. Very soon the box was not in sight. The people around Arthur looked on, as Mera tried remotely to halt the movement of the water. She wasn't succeeding very well.
"The device is reaching optimal positioning," said the soldier with the controls. The controls were a small piece of computer on the man's wrist.
"Detonate!" called Arthur. The man acquiesced.
Nothing happened.
They all peered harder.
Still nothing.
"Is anything wrong?" asked Arthur, fighting hard to keep worry out of his voice.
"It has detonated sir, but the whirlpool is fighting back, it's not freezing, it's not working."
"Shut it down," said Arthur.
"You better not do what I think you are about to do," said Mera.
"Where would the fun of being King be if I don't do as I please every now and then?" asked Arthur. When he joked, she knew he was worried, maybe even a little scared.
He plunged into the whirlpool. He was so fast, it was doubtful whether anyone could have stopped him from doing so. They all stood there, spreading out their formation in case he came out from another part of the whirlpool.
They waited.
And waited.
But while they waited Arthur was fighting for his life. The water was moving so fast, he wasn't able to process it into air properly. He could barely breath. His trident was in his hands. He had to try and ride the whirlpool, try and get deeper, deeper into the heart of this monster. He almost felt like one of the poor sailors from Greek mythology, who rode too close to the whirlpool. He was being flung around and tossed and turned, he could no longer tell which side was up and which was down. He got a grip on himself. Concentrated and forced himself to stand upright.
He spared no thought for anyone. He did not think of his beloved Mera as he dove down. Nor of his father or mother. Of none of his friends. He did not even wonder whether he would make it out alive. Such is the power of true leaders: they plunge headfirst, with no thought for themselves, not allowing themselves to be distracted by any other person. Pure and unrelenting focus upon the task at hand. He dove deeper and deeper into the whirlpool, using all his strength to not be turned upside down. The current was pulling him down, down to where light no longer existed. He could barely feel the consciousness of the beings around him, there were so few left around there. His eyes, always able to see in the ocean darkness, were blind down here. It was as if the whirlpool was sucking out the light itself.
He pressed his hand onto his belt. On the right side was a hidden switch, the Atlantians were very adept at these hidden gadgets, one of which was a flashlight. From the front of his belt issued a light, it lit most areas very well, but seemed to barely make a difference here.
Clang!
Something just hit his armour on the shoulder. It didn't pierce but it was a strong blunt blow. Arthur remembered that the scout had said that there were rocks down here, he must be getting close.
Clang!
Another rock hit him from behind, he now barely remembered which way was up again.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
The hits kept coming from all directions. He had no idea where he was going nor where to expect the next hit. He was picking up speed at a much more accelerated rate. He gripped his trident harder, unwilling to let it go. It could very well be that he would need it.
There! Within the darkness, the belt managed to shine upon the object of his venture. It was a large black box. Upon its top were propellers, bigger than any he had seen. Their design was unique, he had never even seen descriptions of such a thing, the curves seemed to be perfect, the lengths as well. The entire apparatus was alien. Foreign. It shouldn't be here, thought Arthur. He was coming towards it quickly. Luckily, the centre of the propellers was easily discerned even in this darkness.
Steady, thought Arthur, cooling his mind and focusing his thoughts. He was probably the best marksman in Atlantis, but that was because he managed to be calm, to be focused.
Steady.
Steady.
Now!
And with the thought came action. He thrust at the centre with all his might, burrowing deep into the machine. The propellers stopped moving, they were jammed for the moment, and Arthur didn't hesitate. He grabbed the propellor nearest to him with his great and mighty hands and tore it off, quickly doing the same to the others. It didn't take more than five seconds. He was the master of the sea, and he was the one who would always protect it. But he needed to know better what he was dealing with.
The whirlpool around him slowed down. He didn't move, he just stared at the great black box. Such a thing must weigh a lot, it wouldn't have been easy for anyone to bring it there, especially between so many rocks. He looked up and saw that he was at the bottom of a jagged cavern, one which seemed almost impossible to find without looking for it. This was not a feat done by an Atlantian. Nor by any human. This was too clinical, the machine too advanced for Earth's technology.
The whirlpool finally died down and it was gone. The soldiers, who waited at the edge of the whirlpool swam down towards him. But none as quickly as Mera. His loved one. A part of him felt guilty that he didn't think of her when events put him in the face of death, but he knew that should he truly feel on the verge of death, he'd think of her. She was his only one.
"I see you managed," said Mera. He could tell she was worried, and that she was relieved. But she also knew how to not show it, not to anyone.
"I'm fine. Though this machine needs to be removed and examined," replied Arthur. They'd have time to speak and hold each other later, now he still needed to be the King.
"Have this device brought to Atlantis immediately," ordered Arthur.
"Yes, my lord," said a soldier and they started making a perimeter and calling in the carrying ships to bring this beast of a machine out of its hidden cavern. The great ships were slow, but effective. He swam back to Atlantis with Mera at his side. She swam next to him without saying a word, every now and then she'd allow herself to brush upon him, it felt so childish to Arthur, as if he were back in fifth grade trying to show his affection to a girl he liked, without being obvious to others.
"You are worried," said Mera, she could see it on his face.
"Who could place that machine there without our knowledge?"
"I do not know, it looked undisturbed by anyone or anything, which means that either it was protected or it has been recently placed."
"I have a hunch, but I don't like it."
"You think the aliens from before placed it here?"
"They'd have the perfect cover,"
"Then you should go talk to them about it."
"Batman has probably already planned the meeting."
"And once again I am last to know."
"You're actually the only one who does beside the League."
"Hmm."
Arthur grabbed her and pulled her away, there was a reef about two kilometres to their left. Two kilometres is barely a distance for them. The motion was so quick that Mera didn't know what to do. That was very rare. Before she knew it, she was floating in front of Arthur. He stood there: majestic, beautiful, his blond hair was swirling around but it didn't make him seem stupid, it lent him a noble charm. His bulging muscles so close, but not threatening; impressive.
He looked at her, at her red hair flowing around her head, she looked like a spell. Something that couldn't be yet was. Her green uniform tight around her slim figure. She was beautiful. Mesmerising. He was lost in her.
He was found in her.
"You will always be the person I trust most," said Arthur, and she placed her hand upon his chest, the other holding his waist, just as he was pulling her close.
"I know," said Mera.
"I love you,"
"I know that as well."
He chuckled.
And they kissed. A moment of bliss within their tumultuous lives. It was all they needed to be ready for the next problem: a moment of bliss.
They swam back to the citadel. Arthur already going to his private room, he needed to speak to the Justice League, and at once.