The Ball's in Atlantis' Court
As the first in line for the throne, commanding officer of all military forces, and a full blooded son of Atlantis, Orm loved his kingdom. He loved his people. He loved his brother.
Atlantis was the world, and it needed to be protected. Escaping from cataclysmic destruction had been a miracle, adapting to the harsh and pressurized depths of the ocean nigh on impossible, and retaining their culture and way of life so improbable, and yet they had. It was a source of pride, and he would not fail his kingdom, ensuring it would continue to thrive long after he was gone.
The world above had changed. Once it had been under the rule of Atlantis, an empire established by the brothers Atlan and Orin. Now, with that empire gone, "countries" had rose from the ashes, established a different world order, one that did not seem to care about its oceans and treated it as a place to put its trash.
That trash, the pollutants and the chemicals, the machines and the plastics, all of it affected how Atlantis would continue to prosper. A sinking ship was one thing; the ocean would take care of such things in time. Everything else? It boiled his blood at such disrespect.
Mother had to have known about these problems. Instead of asserting Atlantis' might, perhaps even restoring the old empire, she had decided on a different course of action. He did not understand it, not really. Negotiate with the surface dwellers, deal with them as if they were equals. They weren't equals, hardly. He had argued as much to her in his youth.
Never had he anticipated her resolve, or the lengths she would go to to fulfill her mad plan. The day he had discovered he had a brother had both been joyous and heartbreaking. He had always wanted a brother, but to be denied for years and never told why. Then to find out that he had one, that had brought back the old childhood dreams of having a partner-in-crime, the games that could have been played…
The knowledge that said brother had been living on the surface that whole time, he had been robbed, and with the brother he had never known trapped up there above the waves with those surface dwellers…it had broken his heart.
He had demanded his mother fetch him. Bring him down here. Save him. He would have done it himself, but Mother had made sure that he would not do so. Their relationship had never recovered after that, and he seethed at the powerlessness he was forced to experience.
But he should never have doubted his brother. The call of the ocean was too great. All those years, and Orin had come to him instead.
They were men now. Fully grown, and childish dreams could never take place. The resentment was still there, but the healing that could come from uniting with a prodigal family member would help to soothe the injury.
Orin was the eldest of them, and so by their own laws, Orin would be the one to take the throne. Orm had stepped aside, and allowed him, wanting to create any reason to keep Orin down here. His lack of knowledge of their people was painful, but it could be fixed, one day at a time. The day that Orin would love their people as much as he himself did, then it would not matter who sat on the throne.
He voiced his support, stood by Orin as would be usurpers cast their lot to seize power, but each time, Orin showed why he was to be king. To not only be king, but maintain the throne itself, that was not an easy feat. They did it together, securing the Royal line. There had been doubts when Mera arrived. Her background was suspect, and he was still protective of the brother he had wanted for so long.
She made him happy. And then…
If there was one thing that he can come to appreciate, Black Manta's deeds had only caused Orin to withdraw behind the city walls. To no longer return to the surface. To be the king Atlantis needed.
Now, now, Orin was confronting the surface world, and it could not be going any better than if he had planned it himself.
"Of course the surface dwellers refused. Their entitlement never surprises me," the Prince of Atlantis remarked as he received the report from Corum Rath. He had chosen well; Corum Rath was dedicated to Atlantis, fanatically so. Loyalty was never in question. The man could think for himself, but would defer as needed.
As Orin withdrew into the city, it became simple to advance those whose loyalty to Atlantis was unquestioned. Those who had supported him from the shadows, hoping that he would seize the throne could finally appreciate his cunning.
"What shall we do now?" Corum Rath asked. "I can launch an attack and invade. If our intelligence is correct, we can find where they are keeping that bastard."
"Patience," Orm told the lower ranked officer. "The decision must come from the king, and I will inform him of these developments personally along with recommending a course of action. Hold position as is, let the surface dwellers sweat as they await our response. The king must understand and see the futility of treating those on the surface as equals. He needs to remember what they are like so that the decision he needs to make will be made. Inform me immediately if there are new developments."
Corum Rath would be saluting on his end, but Orm would not see it. The communications methods they employed deliberately kept them from seeing one another. Should there be spies about, only one of their identities would be known. The audio could only be heard by the one using the device, so only one side of the conversation could be heard.
Before Orin's appointed ambassador ended the communication, he spoke a word, Orm's title in fact. The Atlantean word meant nothing up there with those savages. Should it be translated, it would be the name of the commander of the armed forces for Atlantis.
Ocean Master.
He would be a master of these oceans, all for the sake of his brother and Atlantis. His love for both had no equal.
Now, to inform the king and suggest a course of action worthy of them all.
It didn't make sense to withdraw from Gotham. The members of the League handling this situation took themselves to the rooftop of a nearby building, one that allowed a view of both the harbor and the tactical headquarters of the American forces. That they weren't joined by a certain vigilante provided proof to what Green Lantern had told the rest of them.
This many members of the League in Batman's city? Why wouldn't Batman be there in person with them?
It also figured that the vigilante would be making moves of his own. An international—if you could call it that—situation on his doorstep would have him going behind the scenes to try and diffuse it himself. The only real significance of this was that they would not be in contact with him until he had either learned something important or had resolved the situation.
Green Lantern was unable to give any more details than that.
Superman regarded the Lantern, nodding his head as he listened, putting the details of this together with everything else.
"It shouldn't be any surprise that the men in charge over there turned down Atlantis' generous offer," Hawkgirl spoke once it was clear that Lantern had nothing else more to add. The nod the Kryptonian gave was to support the veracity of the Thanagarian's words. Then she added, "Were you able to knock any sense into them? At all? Some kind of Hail Mary that might be useful later?"
He shook his head. "I don't have the best relationship with General Lane. None whatsoever with Vreeland. They were looking for more reasons to go on the offensive, at least Vreeland was. Lane doesn't seem to want it to get worse, but he has a history of questionable choices."
"How did Atlantis respond?" Wonder Woman asked.
With a hand on her hip, hip cocked, Hawkgirl shook her head to express her disbelief. "That's the surprising part. I spent enough time around that guy to know that he's an ass and that Atlantis might be spying on us."
That got more than one of their attentions. "They have spies?" Green Lantern exclaimed.
"It makes sense. Every country on this planet is spying on one another. Why not this place?" the Thanagarian snarked. "That we didn't consider it earlier. For a city that you claim disappeared from the face of this planet, they are very up to date on current events. That smug asshole brought up…he brought up what my people tried to do with the Black Hole Generator."
Espionage was not something that Superman was a stranger to. He just couldn't imagine the word with Atlantis in the same sentence. The lost city's mystique was making it easy to underestimate them.
"We will need to operate on the assumption that Atlantis may know more than what it's willing to reveal," J'onn spoke up. Regarding Hawkgirl, "Is there anything else you yourself may have picked up on?"
"If it's as obvious as the midday sun? Yeah," Hawkgirl confirmed, her arms crossed. "After the generals turned him down, Atlantis' ambassador took it. He didn't make any threats. He didn't look sad. If anything, he looked happy."
Superman had noticed that too. He hadn't, and still didn't, grasp what it meant.
"Why would he look happy?" Lantern demanded.
"Did he want to hear a refusal?" Wonder Woman asked curiously.
By his very actions, that could explain why Corum Rath reacted the way he did. The question remained as to why, though. Why was denial a goal for this man?
"It was bizarre," Hawkgirl agreed, eyes looking down to the gravel under their feet. "No one should look that happy under the circumstances."
"Unless Atlantis hasn't played all its cards," Lantern pointed out, looking thoughtful. Looking to the rest of them, "They've already done something we didn't think them capable of, hiding all the ocean's fish. What else can they do? At this point, if they do make another threat, I'm willing to believe them."
Maybe that was what was so scary about it. None of them knew what to expect from this. Atlantis came with legend in its name, and the possibilities of how it would respond to this latest rejection could be anything. Anything the imagination could come up with was on the table.
Feeling the need to go down a different route, Superman looked to Wonder Woman and J'onn. "What about you? Did you find out anything?"
Wonder Woman's eyes hardened. "Black Manta claims that Atlantis' king murdered his father."
Several pairs of eyes widened. "Excuse me, did I hear that correctly?" Hawkgirl said more than asked.
"Murdered his father?" Superman repeated.
"In this regard, it is Black Manta's father," J'onn cut in to prevent any possible misunderstanding. "The man's fury runs deep. He speaks of committing a number of evil acts to retaliate."
"Like destroying Atlantis," Green Lantern stated. The dark-skinned man sounded like he was believing that side of the story more. His eyes narrowed suddenly, "Do you think that was why he stole that sub?"
"You mentioned he stole it to find Atlantis," Wonder Woman pointed out.
Green Lantern nodded. "I checked the sub out for other clues. Batman's request. One of the rods from the nuclear reactor is missing."
More than one pair of eyes narrowed. "Do you know what he did with it?"
"No clue. He had that sub for days. The rod could be anywhere," Lantern answered. "I can't figure out why he removed it. It puts more strain on the other rods to power it, and he wants to take it to the bottom of the ocean."
"The more I learn about this, the more confused I get. Why isn't any of this making sense?" Hawkgirl growled in frustration.
"King Orin stated that Black Manta was wanted in Atlantis for crimes he committed there," J'onn said. Pausing, he then corrected himself, "No, not committed in Atlantis, but against it. If he wants the submarine to find it, does that not imply that he does not know its exact location?"
"Which is why he wanted the radar. To get the clearest picture of the ocean he can and make it easier to find," Lantern agreed.
"Black Manta is motivated by the murder of his father, but for what reason would the king of Atlantis have to commit that act?" J'onn continued. "It appears we find ourselves in the middle of a conflict, one that may be years in the making. Black Manta is motivated by revenge and hatred, King Orin for justice, or perhaps something more. A king would not set foot on another king's land without good reason."
"So it might be personal for Orin," Superman guessed. It was sometimes easy to forget J'onn's deductive skills were on par with Batman's. He was summing up everything they knew so far.
But there was so much they still did not know. Too many pieces were missing. If they were to help navigate this situation to a peaceful outcome, they needed to find out what those pieces were.
"We'll need to keep monitoring things here, make sure they don't get worse," Green Lantern stated. A grimace followed, and the Kryptonian understood why. Despite their roles now, they had little control over the worsening situation. Events were rushing ahead with no regard for those who would be caught in the middle. The grimace disappeared when his fellow Leaguer continued, "I'm concerned about that missing rod. It's nuclear waste at worst and it doesn't need to be sitting around somewhere. If the wrong person finds it, who knows what they'll do with it? If it's an innocent bystander, the risk of radiation is great. We need to find it."
"Leave that to me," Superman volunteered. "I'll start at the shipyard and then to the area around. Finding that rod is the more immediate concern we have."
"And we'll continue to monitor here," Wonder Woman agreed.
Their roles would be decided shortly, but for Superman, it was going to give his x-ray vision a workout. Green Lantern was right about that rod, but it still continued to raise other questions. Why take it out? Surely, Black Manta had to understand the risks of doing so. He was putting himself into danger, and everyone else with him.
Too many pieces were missing. Hopefully Batman was having more luck on his end.
Booted feet echoed down the hallway as the trio of Atlanteans walked down its length.
In the lead was Orin, his jaw clenched and his hands curled into fists. The regalia of a king hung on his body, weighing it down and feeling heavier from the news his brother had informed him of.
He should have known. Even faced with the impossible, the United States was going to try and throw its weight, denying him the justice his soul craved. Mera was just next to him, but behind as decorum dictated. He didn't need to look at her to know she too was upset.
"How shall we handle this?" Orm asked, keeping his voice neutral. His brother knew as well as him what they were trying to achieve, as he always did, he supported him.
The feat of single-handedly bringing the fishing industry to a halt was simpler than you thought. He had always…had a way with words when it came to marine life. He could listen and speak, and unlike children in an aquarium, he would receive a response. His command would remain until he was ready to rescind it. This meant capitulation from the surface.
But how to force the United States to give in? A response to this refusal was needed, and everyone knew it.
The thing was, how did you escalate from depriving the world of seafood? Of potentially starting famines across the globe? Of causing economic damage that would take years to recover from? It had been a power move than he hoped possessed enough power to bring this to an end quickly.
And now his options were limited.
The only show of power was one only his people could marvel at. Only Atlanteans understood what it had taken to pull this stunt, and the whispers in the streets about it continued. From what he had been told, there was no little pride in it.
Local pride was not going to bring a resolution. The only choice, unfortunately, was to up the ante. The only question was how?
"Orm, what information do we have from the rest of the surface?" Orin asked as he came to a stop. It was close to the Royal Quarters, but not quite.
"An increase in chatter. There is much distress about the absence of sealife," his brother reported. "There is nothing that says we are responsible."
The United States was keeping this to themselves. Word about Atlantis rising in Gotham should be international news, and it wouldn't be incorrect to assume their arrival was involved with the current crisis. If what Orm said was true, the connection hadn't been made, or it was about to be.
It might be a more subtle approach than what he wanted, but he couldn't do nothing. "Have our agents in the field begin whispering. Implicate the United States as being the irresponsible party, if not the one at fault." The rest of the world would be eager to jump down its throat for any reason, and while there was a part of him that still recalled his time growing up in Amnesty Bay, his loyalty had to be to his subjects right now.
Undermining American influence would take time, though, and the response still needed to be immediate.
"Also, inform the armory that I will be visiting. If you can, make the preparations for the restricted areas."
The restricted areas of the armory contained some of the most powerful and dangerous weapons that Atlantis possessed. Many of them were millennia old, but their crafting had ensure a long life span. Artifacts from the time of the founding were also kept there, each one possessing great power that needed to be kept secure.
It was his suspicion that one such weapon from the restricted area was responsible for sinking Atlantis all that time ago. He just could not figure out which one. In the end, did it really matter? Affairs were as they currently were, and finding out how it came to be was a fool's errand.
Not when there was so much at stake.
"I will make the arrangements and have our agents work their craft," Orm told him, his brother and advisor taking his leave.
This left him with Mera, and they waited until privacy was within reason. "Is it not too soon to consider those restricted weapons?" his wife and queen asked.
It was too soon. Far too soon. But he needed options, and he needed them desperately.
"I wish there was more I could do," he told her, turning so that he could look at her. Mera stood there, straight and proud, keeping her face blank as she listened. "I wish I could have found him before someone else did. I feel powerless though I sit on a throne. I rushed, and in doing so I boxed myself in instead. If you can think of other options, please, tell me."
Mera was quiet for a moment. "It has been a very difficult time adjusting to this, Arthur. I never imagined myself queen, and here I am, with you. I don't…I struggle with diplomacy and negotiating when I am so used to going for what I want. I would move the very oceans if I could, if it could make our lives that much easier."
She had no ideas. International diplomacy was a new area for both of them, it seemed. He did not blame her, far from it. He himself was also learning still. Orm had the education for this kind of thing, but would always support him.
He felt so weak. Powerless. What was the point of having this kind of power, both that of a king and being a man like himself when that power could not save anyone when it was needed most.
Black Manta had a way of taking his strength away at the worst possible times. This…war between them had gone on so long, he could almost forget how it had started.
Almost.
"Perhaps you can talk to the Conservatory of Sorcery. Maybe they know of something that can be of help?" Ah, and Mera had brought up an option he hadn't considered. Sometimes, strength wasn't enough and you needed to go in a different direction. "It has been some time since you last spoke with Garth."
His reluctance became overpowering. "I don't want to…bring back bad memories," he said, needing to look away.
"He never stopped looking up to you," Mera said, placing her hand on his shoulder. "You two used to be close, and now…how long has it been since you were both in the same room?"
Orin shut his eyes and did not answer. His silence spoke the story.
A hardness filled his wife's voice. "He has taken so much from us. Will you allow him even that?"
He wanted to answer no, but he could not. Not right now. He reached up and placed his hand over Mera's. Even now, after all of these years, it still felt so raw, a wound that had never truly healed.
No matter how long he searched and hunted Black Manta down, that wound still festered.
"I will need to make a decision soon," he told her. "When Orm sends word, I'll head for the armory. Keep yourself busy until I get back. I love you."
Mera's hand slipped out of his. "Do not linger there long. Choices like those…you may make the wrong choice more than the right."
Fully turning to face her, he reached his arms out and embraced his queen, and she reciprocated in kind. It was like succor to soul, holding her to himself. Against his larger body, she was so small and thin, but he knew better than others just how tough it truly was.
Ending the hug, he turned on his heel and headed down the hallway, heading through to a large doorway, its doors held open. He still had time to gather his thoughts, and he would heed Mera's words. To be in the restricted area of the armory was to invite the opportunity to use one of the weapons and relics kept in there.
What decision he made next was sure to change everything.
Batman really wished he knew where he was. His exploration of Atlantis had brought him to perhaps the biggest building present. He had managed to enter it unnoticed and was exploring the winding halls and various rooms. Avoiding security wasn't all that difficult as it seemed Atlantis has similar patrolling methods as the rest of the world.
Still, it was not his preference to be exploring blindly. He hadn't found anything that looked like a computer terminal since he entered the city. There were some where the various Atlantean ships docked, but those were in use by the guards, so he avoided it. Anything would have been preferable, even an electronic lock, an outlet, something that he could use to enter Atlantis' digital network.
Assuming they had one at any rate.
Taking into account the seagoing vessels they had, he was certain there was something. There had to at least be a communication system so the larger vessels could keep in contact with each other, and subsequently home base.
A sound. Batman stopped walking and focused his hearing. He heard the sound again, one he recognized as a footstep. Make that two sets of footsteps. There was talking, two voices conversing with each other. And they were growing louder, meaning they were heading in his direction.
Quickly, the dark-clad man located a door and opened it. Fortunately, the door, though reaching fifteen feet up the wall it was in, opened easily. It had a door handle that looked as if it belonged on any door one encountered on the surface. Slipping through, he gently closed the door, hardly making a sound.
"I will need to make a decision soon. When Orm sends word, I'll head for the armory. Keep yourself busy until I get back. I love you," a deep voice rumbled.
Immediately, Batman darted for cover. He found himself against a wall, one that had a mural on it. He paid it little mind as he searched for the source of the deep voice.
"Do not linger there long. Choices like those…you may make the wrong choice more than the right," a feminine voice responded.
There were two people here and they were close. Reaching the end of the mural, he found a doorway. Peering through it, he spotted two figures, the very ones he had been hearing. From his angle, he spotted a buff blond man, one that matched the description of the Atlantean King.
Well, it seemed he had found the person he wanted. It had been luck, but he found him. Now he just needed to remain undetected.
King Orin, the Aquaman, was speaking with a redhead woman, one whom wore a crown. Someone else of royalty? A queen? Princess?
Suddenly, the two embraced each other before Aquaman departed, heading out a different doorway. Batman held his ground, watching intently. He needed to follow the blond man.
That was delayed by the woman, however. She seemed to gaze forlorn after the king, not looking as if she would be moving any time soon. That was unfortunate.
So what were his options? He could go back the way he came and see if he couldn't find his way to where that door entered into. He could also cause a distraction that lured the red-haired woman away so that he could access the door. The second option wasn't a good idea as that could potentially expose him if he messed up. The first option wasn't much better as he could run into a patrol and still not be able to find where that door connected to.
There was always waiting out the woman, so long as no one used the door he had to arrive here. That was probably his best bet, no matter how tedious it could be.
As it turned out, the woman turned and made to leave the room. Batman watched her exit out another doorway, one without a door. He waited several moments before he came out of his cover and headed for the door Aquaman had used. This one was smaller than the one he had used to come to this place. Grabbing the handle, he began to open—
"Who are you?"
Batman stiffened. Slowly, he turned his head and internally kicked himself. The woman with the crown had returned to the room, and was seeing him out in the open. She was certainly attractive, though such thoughts were vanquished by her hardened jade eyes.
There was no good way out of this.
When he didn't answer her, the redhead began to raise her arms up. Whatever she intended to do, the vigilante wasn't going to let her get a clean shot at him. A hand shot to his belt, pulling out a smoke pellet. He immediately threw it at the floor, a smoke cloud erupting between the two of them.
Then out of nowhere, a torrent of water rushed right through the cloud, closing rapidly on him.
Eyes widening, Batman dove to one side, the geyser of water striking the door he had been standing in front of. Going into a roll, he ended up crouched on his feet, reaching for his belt again.
Movement caught the corner of his eyes, and the dark-clad man couldn't help but turn his attention to it. Snaking through the air was flowing water. It was literally in midair, following along some invisible track, until it arched towards him.
Again, he went into a roll to avoid the water. It passed behind his head, so he heard the sound of rushing water.
Then the geyser of water made a ninety degree turn. It just turned midair and closed in on the vigilante washing over his left arm. Immediately, Batman tried to pull back and found himself just yanking and jerking his body, but going no further.
More flows of water rushed in. Two went low, going for his feet. Because he was crouched, the vigilante jumped upwards, even if he felt his arm being held firmly. Just like before, the water made sharp turns and rushed up around his legs, each flow taking up one leg. Then, for added effort, another flow of water rushed in and latched onto his remaining free arm.
Instantly, all four of Batman's limbs were pulled out, his arms at shoulder height, his legs spread eagle. Instinctively, he fought against the watery restraints and found he couldn't so much as twitch.
"I have you now."
Head moving up, he saw the red-haired woman holding both of her arms up, his hands pointed in his direction. There was a look of concentration on her face, indicating she had something to do with what was happening to him. Clenching his jaw, Batman stopped his resistance; there was no point.
He was captured in enemy territory with no help on the way.
