Ch 5

After the sinking of the ships, Aquaman went with Mera to Atlantis in her ship and he was stunned at the glowing city below.

Atlantean ships zipped back and forth. Turtles and sharks carried huge cargo crates and a hyperloop train whizzed by.

Then they went to Vulko who told them that they had to find the Trident of Atlan to overthrow Orm.

"It was a time of great prosperity and technological advancement." Vulko explained.
"We had unlocked the secret of unlimited energy at a time when the rest of the world
still thought the earth was flat. But we became too ambitious,
too hungry for power. The ocean swallowed us, and Atlantis sank. But the very power that collapsed our civilization also paved the way to our future. It gave us the ability
to breathe underwater. And so, we evolved. Others regressed,
became savage. And the king lived out the remainder of his days in self-imposed exile."

After the story, Vulko gave Mera the Atlantean compass that would help them find the trident when suddenly, the wall exploded with a burst of water as white armored Atlantean soldiers came in.

They charged with their energy swords and fired their hydro-pulse rifles but Aquaman knocked them down with swift punches and kicks.

Then a red elite soldier came in. "I don't suppose you wanna talk about this, do you?" Arthur asked.

The soldier just stared at him.

"Neither do I."

Then Aquaman charged with a sword from one of the fallen soldiers. He and the elite soldier clashed and parried but the elite soldier hilt-slammed Aquaman in the face, then drove him back with his gauntlets' plasma-enhanced punches.

The last punch sent Aquaman crashing down and the last thing he saw were Mera and Vulko escaping before the elite soldier punched him down and he blacked out.