XXI - Attack!

"Yes, we have some unfinished business, and you're going to help me catch him-"

He then grabbed her by the front of the sweater and dragged her - literally - out of the house, and with one hand. She gave a yelp - what was happening?!

"Tatiana, please just tell us where he is, and you won't get hurt." Dr. Shin looked very uncomfortable giving this request.

"Yes, do as I say, and I won't kill you too." If the eyes of the other guy's suit could narrow, they would be.

Kill you too. He was going to kill Orm? And her?! "W-why do you want to kill him?" she squeaked.

"A death for a death - but that does not matter to you. You just have to tell me where he is, but I can see that you need a bit of encouragement-" The eyes of his suit glowed brighter, and a red beam shot from them, striking a nearby rock lining the pathway up to her cottage. The rock blasted upon impact, shattering into a million tiny shards, and she was knocked off her feet. She screamed.

On his way back to the cottage now to apologize to Tatiana for his rude behaviour, Orm saw the flash, heard the blast, and heard the scream - heard her scream. Now he ran. Tatiana was in danger. And he wasn't the only one who saw and heard the commotion.

"You see what I can do, you know I'm not messing around here so answer me: Where is Aquaman?"

She was shaking and crying now. "I don't know! He left! I don't know where he was going!" Not that she would give up Orm's location even if she knew. Clearly this guy meant business and she wasn't going to give Orm up, even at the risk of her own life.

"I don't believe you." The guy stepped forward and his eyes glowed again. Tatiana squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the blast.

But it never came.

Instead she heard a groan and saw the suit guy go flying back and smash to the ground, like he had been forcibly shoved. And he had been, by-

"Tatiana?" Orm suddenly stood over her, and then he was kneeling before her, staring at her in concern.

"Orm!" She reached out and grabbed his arms, probably squeezing too hard but she didn't care in that moment. "You've got to go, he's after you!"

Unbeknownst to her, Orm recognized the attacker, for he had been the one to provide him with the Atlantean steel suit and tech. "David Kane."

The man gave a dark chuckle. "How the mighty have fallen. I never thought I would see you scraping the bottom of the barrel, living up on your detested Surface, and with a Surface Dweller no less."

"Orm go!" she shrieked. "He's after you!"

"This is not Aquaman," said the attacker. "Where is your brother?"

"Tatiana, you need to go. Run!"

"No, you need to go! He's going to kill you!"

"Go! I won't let him hurt you!"

Still she resisted. "But he'll hurt you!"

The attacker, who was apparently called David Kane, turned to Dr. Shin. "I thought you said she knew Aquaman."

"I-I thought so-" he stammered, also confused.

Now Kane turned back to her and Orm. "This is wasting my time - where is your brother?"

"Oh Tatiana, you're hurt," Orm cried, drawing his hand away from her face, it coming back slightly red. The rock shards from the blast must have cut her.

Then he whirled around, his face darkening, and honestly, it was scary. He faced Kane. "You hurt her. Now I will kill you."

Kane shrugged. "And I get to gut two royal fish, all the better for me!"

The two charged. Tatiana was barely able to utter a strangled "NO!" before the two men attacked each other. She had never seen Orm in action, but knew he was a great warrior - again, it was frightening. A side of him she had never seen before.

Then there was a flash of gold and a deafening CLANG! and the two men were launched apart and away from each other.

A trident now lay between them. A gold trident.

"What the hell is going on here?" Two new people entered the scene. It was the undercover police officers, the tall man with the tattoos and the red-haired woman. What the hell is going on here was right.

"Finally, the right brother," Kane growled.

What was he talking about? What was going on?

"Orm?" the tall guy said. Orm said nothing. "What's going on?"

"So she did lead us right to him," said Kane.

Now the tall guy looked at her. "I don't know who this woman is, but let her go, she's innocent in this. I'm the one you want."

"Yes, you are!" In one swift movement, Kane grabbed the trident and launched it - right at her.

"TATIANA!" Orm shouted, but she barely heard him thanks to the blood pumping in her ears.

She had enough sense to jump backwards, and try to get out of the weapon's path, but he had a precise throw. However, she hadn't realized how close to the cliff's edge she had gotten, and instead of jumping back to safety, she stumbled and plunged downward.

She felt herself falling, and that was it.

"NO!" Orm launched himself after her, while with a yell, Arthur launched himself at Kane.

Orm dove down into the water, and his heart swelled when he caught sight of her.

But she was limp. And there was blood running from her head. Oh no, she must have hit it when she fell.

He scooped her limp figure into his arms and stared down at her, heartbroken.

He felt a presence at his side and turned to see Mera. "Who is she?"

"Tatiana." Then he realized she couldn't breathe underwater as he could, so he quickly returned to the surface.

When they got back to the cottage, Arthur, Kane and Shin were all gone. Orm lay her on the grass. "Tatiana? Tatiana?" She was unresponsive. Oh no - was he already too late? "Mera, do something! Save her! She can't breathe!" He sounded desperate, and he was.

"You have to move out of the way then."

"I'm not leaving her-"

"Orm move! Or I can't help her!" Mera shoved him aside and jumped into action holding a hand above Tatiana's mouth and using her hydrokinesis powers to draw the water out of the other woman's lungs.

Orm held his breath as he watched, but finally, Tatiana spluttered and he gently tipped her onto her side so the water would flow out of her. Then she lay back and groaned, likely fuzzy due to her head wound.

This time he shoved Mera aside so he could be close to her again. "Tatiana, it's okay, you're okay. You're safe."

Things have taken a turn!

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :)