Chapter 59: For Atlantis
Arthur stared down Orm and General Brak, seething in rage at the latter's betrayal.
"This is a day that has been long overdue, brother," Orm seethed.
"Gotta say 'bro', I'm a little disappointed. I thought we could work out our differences eventually."
"Then you truly are a fool."
Aquaman narrowed his eyes before darting forward, barrelling through some of the soldiers. He quickly struck Brak aside before charging at Orm, who fired a blast from his fathers trident, hitting Aquaman in the chest. The blast sent him crashing to the ground, letting out a groan of pain as he tried to look up at him.
"While I can't wield the power of Atlan's trident, I have had time to repair my own. It's still quite effective."
The kingdoms… will never follow you…"
"They will. Once I rid ourselves of the menace of the surface world once and for all. Take him away and prepare the craft. I have special plans for him."
Guards dragged Arthur away, everyone unaware of three small figures hiding among the ceiling tiles of the throne room. These figures, none other than Tula, Garth, and Kaldur, all watched in horror as their king disappeared.
"That was Orm," Tula whispered. "I thought he was in prison."
"He was," Garth muttered. "General Brak must have released him..."
"This would explain why Lady Mera did not appear for our training session," Kaldur noted.
"What do we do?" Tula asked.
The three paused before Kaldur steeled himself.
"We stop him," he declared.
"How?" Garth questioned. "We're still in training."
"Then it is time to put that training to the test. You two search for Lady Mera and Vulko. I will find where they are taking our king."
Both Tula and Garth nodded, knowing thi was not the time to argue. They swam out of the throne room, careful to avoid detection as Kaldur did the same, making to follow Arthur's captors.
…
Meanwhile, the Javelin soared through the ocean depths, hoping to reach their friend in time.
"You sure this is the right way?" GL asked.
"Positive," Wonder Woman confirmed. "Atlantis is just beyond that reef."
"I can't believe this is my life now," Arrow mused. "I'm going to Atlantis… the real Atlantis."
"I know the feeling," Superman replied. "Just keep your guard up. Something tells me our arrival will bring some unwanted attention."
Just then, the ship was hit by a barrage of blaster fire.
"Looks like you called it, Supes," GL remarked.
"Aquaman must have failed when he went to deal with his General," J'onn surmised. "We must assume all of Atlantis will be out to get us."
"If it's a fight they want, I say we give it to em!" GL declared, powering up his ring.
"Alright," Superman agreed. "Arrow, take the controls!"
Arrow quickly got into the pilot's seat, taking control as the rest of the heroes made for the exit, grabbing respirators as needed. The four heroes then flew out into the water, ready to deal with the attacking Atlanteans. The soldiers' armored sharks opened fire on the League, prompting GL to form a knights shield to block the blasts. Superman zoomed past one and grabbed it by the fin, spinning it around before chucking it into a rock wall.
Wonder Woman maneuvered around numerous rock formations, attempting to avoid her pursuing soldier. Finally, she landed on one rock formation and sprung off of it, deflecting laser blasts with her bracelets before drawing her sword and slicing the guns off the shark. She then whipped out her lasso and slung it around the soldier before yanking hard and pulling him off.
J'onn simply flew towards one soldier as he rode up, before quickly becoming intangible and allowing him to pass through. He went solid and grabbed the soldier, pulling him off his shark and punching him hard enough in the face to knock him out.
GL flew upwards until he saw three approaching soldiers. He then charged at them, forming a green biplane that opened fire on them. The shots fired caused an explosion that sent one soldier spinning out of control. The remaining two held their course as they opened fire on the plane. GL easily veered around the shots as he flew up, hitting one of the soldiers with the wing and taking him out. He then dissipated the plane as he approached the last one, simply punching him out as he approached.
In the cockpit of the Javelin, Green Arrow managed to blast away the remaining soldiers as the battleship approached. He quickly evaded their blasts as he returned fire.
"If any of you guys are done, I could use some help here!" he called out.
"Hang on, Arrow!" GL called out, flying up and forming a massive sword.
He then used it to cut through the ship, leaving a gaping hole in it. Arrow piloted the Javelin through the hole, firing at the exposed wiring as he did. This managed to disable the ship and caused it to sink to the ocean floor.
"Well, that was fun," GL remarked.
"Come on!" Superman called out. "We need to make for the city!"
The five heroes took off towards Atlantis. As they passed over the reef, the entrance to Atlantis came into view. Unfortunately, the hydro cannons lining the wall also came into view, locking onto the heroes. The cannons opened fire on the heroes, forcing them to dodge and evade as quickly as they could. Unfortunately some of the blasts managed to hit the Javelin, causing it to take on water.
Superman saw this and turned to try and help. Unfortunately, this left him vulnerable to a blast from the cannons, knocking him to the ocean floor. Wonder Woman did her best to deflect the blasts, but a stray shot managed to nail her in the chest, knocking her into the rock wall. She started falling to the ground before an energy hand from GL grabbed her. He tried to form a shield, but it began to crack from the constant attacks, before finally shattering and striking him as well.
J'onn tried to stay intangible to let the blasts pass through him, but it was becoming too much for him to handle. Then, miraculously, the gunfire faded. Soldiers surrounded the fallen heroes, J'onn remaining intangible as he waited for them to strike. His eyes narrowed as the guns trained not on him, but his fallen allies.
"Surrender, surface dweller," one of the soldiers demanded, "or your allies die here and now."
Seeing no alternative, J'onn relented, turning solid once more. Once he was no longer intangible, the hydro cannons powered back up, blasting him in the back. He fell in a matter of seconds.
…
The heroes slowly came to, finding themselves kneeling in the throne room. Their respirators were still on, thankfully, but all of them were fitted with strange headgear that made it hard to think straight. They looked up, seeing Orm standing over them.
"Surface scum," he cursed.
"You…" Wonder Woman recognized. "What have you done with Aquaman?"
"I'm afraid that my idealistic fool of a brother is no longer an issue."
"What did you do to him?!" GL demanded.
"You would be wise to watch your tongue, surface dweller!"
Orm smacked GL hard with the trident, leaving a trio of scratches across his face as he fell hard to the ground.
"Your kind is a pestilence the kingdoms of Atlantis have endured for far too long. I will accept this little invasion nothing less than an act of war. You five will be executed as enemies of the state, and then I will rid the seas of you pests once and for all. Take them away!"
The heroes were dragged off as Brak approached Orm.
"Is everything ready?" Orm asked.
"Awaiting your orders, sire," Brak responded.
"Good. At last, the scourge of the surface will be nothing but a distant memory."
…
Groaning in pain, Aquaman slowly opened his eyes, finding he was in what appeared to be a stolen aircraft. He was heavily chained up, and next to him was a still unconscious and equally bound Mera.
"Mera!" He called out.
"She can't hear you," an Atlantean soldier spoke as he approached him.
"If Orm's hurt her, both you and him are going to spend the rest of your short lives regretting it."
"Tough talk, surface scum. Where we're sending you two, it's going to be a slow and agonizing death."
"Why? Where are we?"
"You'll see in a minute."
The soldier then opened up the hangar door before turning towards Mera.
"No!" Aquaman called out. "Leave her alone!"
The soldier ignored him as he grabbed Mera and tossed her out the door. He then turned towards Aquaman and grabbed hold of him too.
"Hey, hands off you lousy son of a-" Aquaman tried to protest as he struggled in his grip.
He didn't get to finish before he was tossed out the door, careening towards the ground. He landed hard, rolling for a bit before coming o a stop. As he got his bearings, he realized quickly where he and Mera had been sent: the Sahara.
"Here again…" he lamented. "Great."
He looked around, finding a familiar head of red hair poking out of the sand.
"Mera!"
He quickly ran over to her, making sure that she was alright. He looked her over, seeing the burn marks on her back as she slowly woke up herself.
"Arthur…?" she let out.
"Oh, thank god. Had me worried for a second."
Mera sat up, groaning in pain before looking around.
"Shit… what did Brak do..."
"Not just Brak. Orm."
"I should have guessed. He was always Orm's loyal pet."
"We'll take it out on their hides later. For now, we need to get out of these damn restraints and figure out which way the ocean is."
Mera maneuvered herself a bit, then Arthur heard a snap. Mera winced, then pulled her hand free, showing her thumb was dislocated. She quickly relocated it, freeing herself before turning her attention to Arthur.
"Didn't know you could do that," he noted.
"You learn a thing or two when preparing for war," Mera replied with a shrug, managing to free Arthur. "Better?"
"Much," Arthur nodded, rising to his feet before offering her a hand. "Now, let's get moving."
…
Tula and Garth were hidden above a large statue of Atlan that dominated the palace courtyard, watching as the League was dragged out the main doors.
"The surface heroes," Tula whispered. "They must have come to help our king."
"Then it is our turn to help them." Garth surveyed the scene, trying to come up with a plan. "The two green ones. Can you get close enough to remove the dampeners from their heads?"
"I can try."
Tula quickly swam off, keeping low and to the ground. She discreetly summoned a small stream of water maneuvering it towards J'onn's headpiece. It was knocked off and instantly, J'onn's mind cleared. Not about to look a gift horse in the mouth, he quickly sent out a telepathic command to the soldiers escorting them, forcing them all into a deep slumber. The other heroes took note of this as J'onn phased through his restraints, turning to Tula.
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet," Tula told him, already swimming over to free the other heroes. "Garth and I need your help."
"Of course," Superman replied as Garth removed his headpiece, allowing him to snap his restraints. "Do you know what happened to Aquaman?"
"Orm took him away somewhere," Garth explained. "We know not where, but our friend Kaldur'ahm is searching."
"We need help seeking Lady Mera and Vulko," Tula elaborated.
"Then we'd better get looking," GL remarked.
…
Elsewhere, Kaldur swam through another part of the palace, looking for any sign of where his king might be. As he approached a nearby corner, he saw a soldier entering from an Atlantean sub, approaching a superior officer.
"Is it done?" the officer asked.
"Yes. the halfbreed and his wench of a princess were cast into the sea of sand. Their end is assured."
Kaldur narrowed his eyes at the threat, keeping careful watch as the soldier began to swim off. Ducking behind a pillar, he waited until the officer was out of range before using one of his hilts to form a water whip and used it to snag the soldier. He yanked him behind the pillar before slamming him against the wall.
"Where did you drop King Arthur and Lady Mera?" he questioned.
"I don't have to tell you-"
Kaldur placed a hand on his chest, sending electricity coursing through him.
"I'll ask again."
"In the remnants of the desert kingdom! Somewhere in the middle of it."
"How long ago?"
"About two hours. They don't have long."
Kaldur then struck the soldier in the face, knocking him out. Kaldur then swam off, hoping to find help in time.
…
In the Sahara, Arthur and Mera continued trekking through the seemingly endless stretches of sand. Mera carried herself much heavier than Arthur, having to deal with both the wound from before, and the fact that she was fully Atlantean, meaning the lack of water would affect her more than him. She trudged on, but Arthur was fully aware of her condition and the toll it was taking on her.
"We should stop for a minute," he suggested.
"No time…" Mera insisted. "If we can find Nasir… he can help us… then we can call the League-"
A misstep on the sand caused her to tumble down the mound grunting in pain as a response. Arthur quickly made his way down to her, holding her up as she breathed heavily.
"I'm fine…" she insisted. "I just… need to…"
"Not a chance," Arthur cut off, picking her up bridal style.
"I can walk."
"Barely. You need to save your strength. I can take it. For a while anyway…"
With that, Arthur continued onward, hoping to make it to a safer haven while their strength still held out.
…
Back in Atlantis, Garth and Tula led the League through the city. They all marveled at the sights before them.
"I had forgotten how beautiful Atlantis is," Wonder Woman took in. "It's no wonder Arthur works so hard to protect it."
"Indeed," Garth replied. "Come, the dungeons are this way. Vulko and Lady Mera will no doubt be there."
As they rounded the corner, they were stopped by oncoming blaster fire. The group looked up and saw numerous Atlantean soldiers swimming towards them, weapons firing. Superman quickly flew in front and took the blunt of some of the shots, allowing the others to disperse and get into position. Tula formed several small water disks and tossed them as oncoming soldiers, knocking them out in rapid succession. Garth called upon two massive streams of water and lashed them out like whips, striking the soldiers back. He then wrapped one whip around the leg of a soldier and swung him around towards a nearby column, knocking him out.
Wonder Woman flew towards one soldier, deflecting the blasts before taking out her shield and smacking him aside. Seeing his discarded weapon, Green Arrow sprung off a wall and swam forward, grabbing it. He then opened fire on a few soldiers, nailing them in the shoulders or legs.
"Nice shootin," GL commented, flying up to him. "Thinking of calling yourself the Green Bullet now?"
"Well when you can't shoot a bow and arrow underwater, you improvise," GA replied.
"Maybe you can't."
GL then formed a massive bow with three arrows notched into it. He fired the arrows, nailing three soldiers in the face, knocking them out.
"Show off," Arrow remarked.
"Garth, Tula, get to the dungeon!" Superman instructed, knocking another soldier aside. "We'll hold them off!"
Garth and Tula nodded as they swam off, leaving the League to dispatch the remaining soldiers. …
Meanwhile, on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, Nasir was out on a small, floating pier, sea fishing. He had a radio playing next to him softly as he sipped from a can of beer next to him. As he did so, Kaldur sprung out from the water, causing him to choke on his beverage. He recovered, coughing and wheezing before standing to greet the aquatic teen before him.
"Wh-who are you?"
"Forgive me," Kaldur spoke. "I did not mean to startle you. I am Kaldur'ahm of Atlantis. I am searching for my king, Arthur Curry."
"Arthur…" Nasir paused, remembering the name. "Do you mean Aquaman?"
"You know him?"
"He came to my airfield awhile back with Diana. I gave them and this beautiful red-haired woman a ride out into the Sahara."
"Lady Mera. I fear they may be in trouble in this 'Sahara'. Can you help me?"
"Any friend of Diana's is a friend of mine. I'll get the plane ready."
"You have my thanks. Also, I will require any water reserves you can spare. No doubt they will be severely dehydrated when we find them."
Nasir just nodded, already rushing across the pier towards his airfield.
…
The sun was beating down hard on the two atlanteans, making Arthur's entire body feel twice as heavy. Mera's weight in his arms certainly wasn't helping matters. She had gone disturbingly limp in his arms, and he could see her skin visibly drying out, almost like fish scales. His own skin wasn't much better, both burning and drying out under the relentless heat.
A misstep on the sand caused Arthur to fall to the ground, making him drop Mera. They both rolled across the scorching sand, with Mera remaining almost completely motionless. Arthur struggled to get back up, feeling like the dry sand was leeching his strength as it clung to every inch of him. Arthur's mind struggled to find a way for them to live through this, just as he ended up slicing through his gloves and the palm of his hand on a rock protruding from the sand. Taking off the glove, he saw a small cut of blood on his hand. He squinted at it, then his eyes drifted over to the downed Mera.
"This is crazy..." he muttered as his fevered mind was already coming up with a morbid idea.
Finally seeing no other alternatives, he went over to Mera and began running his bloody hand across Mera's neck. He made sure the blood covered the faint lines that marked her gills, hoping the liquid would be enough to prolong her life. He tried to get back to his feet, but his legs suddenly gave out, causing him to topple over. His breathing started to become heavier and his vision grew fuzzy. Dread creeped over him as he realized just how dire the situation truly was.
…
Back in Atlantis, Vulko sat in his cell, silently praying to whatever gods would listen that his King would be alright. Just then, the guards keeping watch over his cell were suddenly yanked away from their posts. The muffled sounds of fighting caused Vulko to perk up and turn towards the cell door. He looked out just in time to see the guards sink to the floor, and see both Garth and Tula approaching.
"You two," he whispered. "How did you-?"
"We saw Orm usurping King Arthur," Garth explained as Tula unlocked his cell. "The surface heroes are holding off his forces."
"Quickly, where is Lady Mera?" Tula asked.
"Taken with Arthur I'm afraid," Vulko informed. "I do not know where."
"Kaldur is working on locating the King," Garth spoke up. "No doubt he will find Lady Mera as well when he does."
"In the meantime, we must leave Atlantis. It is no longer safe for any of us."
The three swam out of the cellblock, hoping to find Arthur in time.
…
Back with the League, J'onn phased through one soldier before going solid and striking him in the back of the head, knocking him out. GA took out a few more soldiers with his stolen gun before it finally ran out of charge. He quickly tossed it aside before punching one soldier in the face. GL formed a large boat motor, allowing it to plow through half a dozen soldiers, knocking them out in rapid succession. Diana easily lassoed a soldier in close so she could kick him aside while Superman just knocked the last one into a wall, knocking him out.
"Well, that was a nice workout," GL remarked.
"No doubt more will be here soon," J'onn reminded them.
"Indeed," Vulko spoke up as he and the two aqua-teens joined the group. "We must leave while we have the chance, and regroup beyond Atlantis' walls."
"There any passages out of here that the guards wouldn't know about?" Superman inquired.
"There may be something," Vulko recalled.
"Over here!" a guard called out, getting their attention. "Catch them!"
"Now or never," Green Arrow let out.
"This way!" Vulko motioned, getting everyone to follow.
They quickly took off, making their way through the city. As they continued their escape, Vulko saw someone waving them down near one of the back alleys in the lower parts of the city.
"Down there!" he pointed out, moving towards them.
The others followed after, the figure leading them through a winding passage that took them further and further from the guards hunting for them.
"Where does this passage lead?" GL inquired.
"To where Orm's men had stored your ship," the figure explained as they reached what appeared to be a tunnel entrance hidden in seaweed. "Follow this tunnel and bank right at the fork. The guards have already been cleared, but the next shift won't be long, and I fear their loyalties are with the usurper."
"And yours aren't?" Arrow questioned.
"There are those sworn to follow the true king of Atlantis. We will fight for him until he returns."
"We cannot thank you enough," Wonder Woman told him. "We will be sure Arthur knows of your honor this day."
"Thank you," the guard replied. "Now hurry!"
The group quickly took off down the tunnel, following the guards instructions until they reached where the Javelin was being held. Everyone climbed inside, including the three atlanteans as Lantern quickly took the controls.
"Hope you Atlanteans can handle the air, because we are heading for the surface!"
After getting three quick nods of affirmation, Lantern gunned the engines and the Javelin shot out of the cave.
…
Meanwhile, Arthur felt like he was on his last leg. His strength was giving out, his vision so blurry that he could barely make out Mera in front of him. Both of them were covered in dried skin and peeling scales, with Mera so pale, he feared she was already dead. With some of the last reserves on his strength, he pushed himself towards her, curling around her. He could feel her chest rising and falling, but it was thready and weak. Just as he was about to give out, the sound of an airplane suddenly reached his ear. He perked up, slowly he looked up and saw a plane flying over head.
"Hey…" he wheezed out. "Hey! Down here!"
…
Inside the plane, Kaldur looked out and saw two figures in the sand, one weakly waving. His eyes went wide as he saw the familiar shade of red of Lady Mera's hair, and the orange glint of Aquaman's armor.
"Down there!" Kaldur called out. "Take us in low!"
Without wasting a moment, Nasir dove the plane down as Kaldur opened the door. He grabbed the two hilts off his back, his marks glowing as he summoned water from a large pallet of water bottles that Nasir had loaded onto the plane. With the water, Kaldur sent out a construct that scooped up the two downed monarchs, completely swallowing them as they were lifted off the sand. They were brought into the plane, dropped into a make-shift pool. Kaldur slammed the door shut, already beginning to summon the water from four more pallets so he could keep his monarchs submerged.
"Return us to the ocean," Kaldur insisted, watching as Mera and Arthur weakly bobbed in the pool, the latter clinging to the unconscious Princess. "And please, hurry."
Nasir nodded as they flew off. Kaldur filled the pool, filling the water with as much healing energy as he could muster. As he did this, he pulled a small communicator from his felt.
"Tula, I found them. Come to the edge of the Sand Sea, to a place belonging to a man named Nasir. And if there is a surface dweller by the name of Diana among the heroes, have her direct you."
"Understood," Tula responded. "How are they?"
"Alive, thank Atlan. I am trying to heal them, but that is your forte, not mine."
"Just try not to make their condition worse," Garth quipped. "We're on our way."
…
Not long after, the Javelin streaked across the ocean, Diana having taken the controls as they flew towards Nasir's airfield. The three atlanteans were more than a little anxious, and so were the heroes.
"I can only imagine how long Arthur and Mera have been out here," Superman dreaded.
"Kaldur got to them in time, so we know they're alive," Tula reminded him.
"Let's just hope that they'll live long enough for us to get to them," Vulko said, ringing his hands anxiously.
Just as they approached the shoreline, Nasir's plane came flying towards them. Diana quickly grabbed the Javelin's radio, tuning it to the right frequency in an instant.
"Nasir?"
"Hey Diana. I got two dried fish people and a very worried fish kid in my cargo bay. Think you can take them and help them?"
"Of course. One moment."
Taking his cue, Superman opened the bay door and flew out towards the plane. The door opened for him as Kaldur met his gaze. He pointed right at the pool, now full to the brim with water, though it was turning a bit brown from sand, and what appeared to be blood. Superman didn't waste a moment picking up the pool and taking hold of Kaldur before flying back to the Javelin.
"Let's get these two up to the Watchtower," he insisted as he rejoined the others in the Javelin. "They're gonna need serious medical attention."
"Good thing Bats installed that big saltwater tank for Aquaman in the training room," Lantern remarked. "Think it'll be big enough?"
"It should," Wonder Woman replied, turning the ship upwards.
…
A few minutes later, the League returned to the Watchtower, not wasting any time submerging Arthur and Mera in the saltwater tank. After a few minutes submerged in it, Arthur slowly started waking up. The first thing he saw was Mera in his arms, the color returning to her cheeks as her skin lost its dryness. He kept holding her, needing to feel her breathing next to him until her eyes opened. He knew that would take a bit, but just knowing she was alive was already making him feel better.
A tap on the glass of the tank drew his attention and he looked out, seeing a relieved Vulko, along with all three teens. The League was in the background, all of them equally delighted to see him awake.
"How are you feeling?" Wonder Woman asked over the tank's speaker.
"Better," Arthur replied. "Who found us?"
"I did," Kaldur answered. "With the aid of an ally of Wonder Woman's."
"Then remind me to send a thank you letter to Nasir when I get the chance. What about Orm?"
"No sign of him," Superman lamented. "More than likely, he's already gone."
"No idea where though," GL lamented.
"Uh… Green Arrow," Overwatch's voice called over Green Arrow's comms.
"Yes?" GA answered.
"So, I accessed those DEO satellites like you asked, which, you better be right about being on good terms with. I could not handle Guantanamo Bay."
"Relax. I'm sure they don't send blondes there."
"I dye it." Arrow paused for a second. "I keep your secrets."
"What did you find?"
"Right. Massive thermal spike detected up at the North Pole. temperatures are rising by the hour. Three guesses as to what's causing it."
"Something powered by stolen weapons grade Plutonium."
"On the nose. With the rate temperatures are spiking, the caps will melt in a matter of hours, flooding the entire planet."
"Where would he get something that powerful?"
"No…" Vulko let out in realization. "Even he wouldn't…"
"Wouldn't what?" Superman asked.
"... it's the Doomsday Thermal Reactor. A super weapon Orm's father, King Orvax created in case the surface world ever became a threat."
This revelation caused Aquaman to leap out of the tank and walk over to Vulko.
"You mean we had a super weapon all this time and you never said anything?!"
"He could never arm it!" Vulko quickly explained, holding up his hands to try and pacify the irate king. "And I never intended for anyone to know about it. I was going to let all memory of it die, and leave it to crumble away to nothing in the Arctic."
"Except now, it is causing the Arctic to crumble away," Wonder Woman countered. "If we do not hurry."
"Then what the hell are we waiting for?" Aquaman declared.
"Arthur, are you sure you should even be out of that tank yet?" Superman questioned. "This is a lot worse then the missile. We honestly thought you might be dead for a bit."
"I'll live. Besides, this is an Atlantean mess. I should be the one to clean it up."
"My king, please," Vulko insisted, moving to stop Arthur. "We cannot lose you, not like this."
"I have to do this," Arthur insisted. "Besides, it's not like I'm going alone."
All three of the Atlantean kids stepped forward, and the Leaguers all gave nods as well.
"Just keep an eye on Mera until I get back," Arthur requested.
Vulko glanced over at Mera, who was still floating in the tank like an aquatic Sleeping Beauty, and just nodded.
"Yes, my King/"
Arthur nodded back before turning to the others.
"Let's go say the world."
…
Not long after, the League made their way to the North Pole, with GL lowering the bay doors so Aquaman could leap out and dive into the water below. He swam through the arctic waters, letting them rejuvenate him more as he prepared for the coming battle. He then sprung out of the water, flipping onto a patch of ice as the rest of the League flew up.
"Alright, Aquaman," Superman addressed. "This is your mission. What's the plan?"
"I'm gonna take down Orm. While I'm keeping him busy, Vulko will talk Lantern and Arrow through how to disarm the reactor. The rest of you keep Brak and his forces busy."
"Be careful," Wonder Woman warned. "No doubt Orm will have some sort of welcome planned. He's no doubt learned of your survival."
"I'll bet," Aquaman remarked.
Just then, a blast rang out, hitting the ice in front of the group. It send them flying back, quickly forcing them to stabilize themselves as Aquaman skidded to a stop. He looked up and saw two Atlantean battleships rising out of the ice, their weapons aimed at the heroes.
"Game time," GL remarked, flaring up his ring.
"Soldiers of Atlantis!" Brak called out. "Attack!"
Several Atlantean soldiers on shark-back rode out as the battleships opened fire. Aquaman leapt back into the water as the rest of the League flew out to engage the soldiers. Aquaman quickly swerved upwards, jumping out of the water and uppercutting a soldier off his shark before diving back under. GL quickly put up a shield to block the oncoming blaster shots, before shooting out a massive eel that wrapped around three soldiers before tightening its tail, ensnaring them and squeezing hard enough to knock them out. He dumped them back into the water before flying off. Wonder Woman quickly deflected numerous blasts before flying in close and tackling a soldier off his shark. She then tossed him at another soldier, knocking them both into the water.
J'onn meanwhile transformed into a giant squid, swatting away several soldiers as they rode up towards him. Aquaman meanwhile, used his telepathic abilities to summon one of the sharks, causing it to dive into the water and spin around to throw off the soldier. It swam past Aquaman, allowing him to grab onto it and pull himself into the seat so he could ride it. As he broke the surface, he quickly swerved around the barrage of blasts from one of the battleships. Seeing it's relentless firing, Superman flew towards it, spinning his body at super speed so he could plow through it, causing the front engines to blow out and the ship to begin sinking. As he sprung out of the water, the second battleship opened fire on him, prompting him to cross his arms to take the blow. It sent him tumbling back a bit, but he quickly recovered before returning to the battle.
Back in the water, Garth quickly swam around a seemingly endless stream of blaster fire, not letting a single one hit him. Moving quickly, he caused a massive wave of of water to rise up with him on top, allowing him to send two massive streams of water at the oncoming soldiers, knocking them away with ease. Tula quickly launched herself onto a sheet of ice so she could summon a whip of water that shot out and hit one of the oncoming soldiers. Two more tried shooting at her, but she held the water up as a shield to block their attacks before spinning it around and shooting it at them, taking them out.
Meanwhile, Kaldur leapt up and landed on a shark, using his hilts to create a hammer to knock a soldier off. He then leapt from shark to shark, taking out soldiers in rapid succession until he reached the battleship. Once on top, he came face to face with Brak, who drew his sword.
"You're on the wrong side of history, boy," he informed as Kaldur formed twin swords.
"No, I am exactly where I belong," Kaldur countered. "Fighting for the true King of Atlantis."
The two then charged at each other, blades clashing instantly. Brak's intensity was evident with each strike, but Kaldur's speed and second blade helped him match his pace. Brak swung at Kaldur's head, but the young Atlantean quickly rolled on the ground to avoid it, spinning around and transforming one of his blades into a whip, snagging the sword and yanking it out of his hands. Brak watched the blade drop into the water before being greeted by Kaldur's blade at his neck.
"Stand down," the boy demanded.
Reluctantly, Brak raised his hands in surrender.
…
Meanwhile, Orm stood in front of the reactor, gripping both tridents in his hands as it continued to power up.
"At last…"
Suddenly, he felt a tug on Aquaman's trident, as if it was trying to fly out of his hand. He tried to pull on it, but it finally slipped from his grip, allowing it to sail across the roof and into Aquaman's hand.
"I believe this is mine," he remarked.
"So, you are alive," Orm noted. "I wish I was more surprised."
"Shut it down, Orm," Aquaman pleaded. "It's going to kill countless people."
"Correction, it will kill countless surface dwellers. Those of Atlantis will survive."
"I'm not gonna let that happen!"
Aquaman leapt towards Orm, bringing his trident down. Orm brought his own trident up, blocking the strike before it could make contact. Orm quickly kicked him in the chest, knocking him to the ground so Orm could try and stab him. Aquaman quickly rolled out of the way before the trident could make contact. He then kicked Orm's feet out from under him so he could try and pin him to the ground.
"You done yet, bro?"
"Far from it."
Orm quickly punched Aquaman in the face, knocking him back so he could spring to his feet. Orm then aimed his trident at the reactor, allowing it to blast at the controls. They exploded, rendering the machine inoperable and ensuring it could not be deactivated.
"No!" Aquaman cried out.
"It appears the tide is against you, brother. Nothing can stop the reactor now!"
Aquaman fired at Orm with his own trident, but Orm quickly dove out of the way. He returned the blast in kind, knocking the trident out of his hands. Aquaman just turned towards Orm in fury, leaping towards him and grabbing him by the shoulders. He then threw Orm across the room, towards an opening to a massive drop. Orm slowly picked himself up as Aquaman ran towards him, picking up his trident along the way. Orm readied himself as the two clashed again, Orm skidding close to the edge. Thinking fast, Orm grabbed the back of Aquaman's neck and stepped aside, plunging him over the edge. Thinking fast, Aquaman plunged his trident into the side of the ice wall, skidding his fall. He looked down at the massive drop before looking back up towards Orm, who was scowling at him with malicious intent.
…
Meanwhile, Green Lantern and Green Arrow made their way inside and rushed towards the reactor. Their faces dropped when they saw the controls fried.
"Vulko, we're sunk," GL reported. "The controls are shot."
"Indeed," Vulko agreed. "I'm afraid the only way to disable it now would be to manually remove the Plutonium, but no one would be able to live long enough to finish the job."
"Wanna bet," Arrow volunteered.
"Whoa, are you crazy? You go in there, and you'll be fried."
"Not if your ring was shielding me from the radiation. Think you can do it?"
"One way to find out."
GL aimed his ring at Arrow, encasing him in an energy shield.
"Oliver," GL called out as Arrow approached the machine. "... good luck."
Arrow smirked before ditching his quiver and climbing inside.
…
Meanwhile, Aquaman climbed from one ledge to another, staying ahead of Orm's constant blasts. As he made his way to a ledge above Orm, a stray blast knocked the trident out of his hands, causing it to land on a nearby ledge below. Before he could make a move to retrieve it, Orm blasted at him again, causing him to dodge. Orm smirked at this before looking back at the reactor and seeing Lantern and Arrow at work.
"Get away from there!" he yelled, blasting at them.
Lantern quickly put up a shield to block the blast, allowing Aquaman to leap down and tackle Orm off the ledge. The two tumbled through the air, crashing on an ice bridge. Aquaman held the trident back by the prongs as Orm tried to skewer him. Mustering all his strength, he shoved the weapon aside and headbutted Orm, causing his helmet to crack. Orm stumbled back as Aquaman cast the trident aside, allowing it to fall down the chasm below. As Aquaman approached Orm, Orm pulled out a dagger from his belt and swung it at him. Aquaman barely dodged it as he leapt back, allowing Orm to get to his feet.
"You're not fit to wear the crown! You weak and gutless-"
Before he could finish, the ice bridge gave out under Orm's feet. He began to fall, but Aquaman quickly grabbed his arm.
"Oh no you don't!"
As Aquaman pulled him up, he could feel his grip slipping, both from sweat, and from all the water the two were covered in.
"Give me your other hand!" Arthur pleaded.
Orm looked down at the chasm below him, then up at Aquaman.
"I will not return to prison, brother. Never again."
He then pulled a knife from his belt, slicing at Arthur's hand. Arthur recoiled on instinct, dropping Orm into the chasm.
"No!" Arthur called out as he watched Orm fall into darkness.
Once Orm was out of sight, he dropped his head in regret, wishing he had done more.
…
Back with Lantern and Arrow, the former was becoming a little concerned with their time table.
"Hate to rush ya, Robin Hood," Lantern called out. "But you might wanna hurry!"
"I'm almost done!" Arrow called over comms.
Inside the machine, Arrow took hold of a valve and gave it a good hard turn. That was the last thing needed to shut down the reactor. GL felt a flood of relief wash over him as the machine powered down, the temperature gauges falling back to sub-arctic temperatures.
"Way to go Arrow," GL commended as he climbed out. "Ya did it."
"Hey, it was a team effort," Arrow reminded.
The two looked up as Aquaman returned with his trident in hand.
"Where's Orm?" Lantern asked.
Aquaman remained silent, just walking past them with a grim expression on his face. The two instantly recognized what that meant, their faces dropping.
"I'm sorry," Arrow concoled.
"I tried to save him..." Aquaman glanced down at his still bleeding hand. "I thought… I thought I could help him."
"Some people just don't want to be helped," Arrow lamented.
"Maybe…" Aquaman admitted, looking up at the reactor. "But I know one way I can help a few people."
He then aimed his trident at the reactor itself and went nuts, blasting it to pieces until it was nothing but scrap metal and melted ice.
"Okay… I'm kinda glad the Plutonium was rendered inert, or that would have been bad," GL commented.
"At least now, it will never hurt anyone ever again," Aquaman commented.
"And that's as good a start as any," Arrow told him. "Now, unlike you two, I am literally freezing right now, so can we leave?"
"Sure…" Aquaman replied.
With that, the three heroes left.
…
Later, the heroes returned to Atlantis, where Aquaman was addressing Brak and his men. Mera was by his side, her wounds bandaged, though she still looked weak. Still she glared angrily at Brak as she leaned on Vulko, the advisor wearing a similar hateful expression.
"Do not expect me to beg or make excuses," Brak addressed. "I did what I had to do for the greater good of Atlantis. And I would do it again if I had to."
Aquaman just remained silent for a moment before speaking.
"Take him away," he ordered.
The usurpers were all escorted off as Aquaman leaned back in his throne, looking thoroughly exhausted. The Leaguers came up towards the throne to comfort their friend, Mera and Vulko reaching out to do the same.
"I'm sorry about Orm," Mera concoled. "You did all you could to help him."
"I wish I could believe that," Arthur lamented. "With everything that's happened lately, I'm beginning to wonder if I can help anyone."
"I'd say you can," Arrow insisted. "I saw the blood around Mera's gills. You risked your own safety to save her life. If you hadn't done that, she probably would have died."
"He is right," Mera agreed. "I owe you my life."
"I was desperate," Arthur dismissed. "Willing to try anything."
"It's in times of desperation when a man's true colors are revealed," J'onn said. "You chose to save another, not yourself. And given the chance, I am certain you would again."
"Of course I would. I just wish I knew how to apply that towards being a good king."
"Perhaps establishing positive relations outside of the League," Superman suggested. "You could start with the DEO. I'm almost certain Director Faraday could help you in some form or fashion."
Aquaman pondered this for a moment, before an idea came to mind.
…
"And it is with great pride that I am proud to announce the unveiling of the Atlantean Science Center/ DEO joint operations research center!" Aquaman announced.
A large crowd of people broke into applause in front of the new building, watching as Aquaman cut the ceremonial ribbon himself. Off to the side, the League all applauded as well, each smiling happily. With them were Vulko and Mera, who was now fully healed from her ordeal. As the applause died down and Aquaman stepped away, Faraday came to join him, a warm expression on his face.
"Your Highness, thank you again for this opportunity," Faraday declared. "This research center will be of great benefit for both our worlds."
"That director is my genuine hope," Aquaman agreed.
"I'm glad Atlantis has a King like you."
Aquaman smiled at that, and for the first time since assuming the throne, he finally felt like a King.