This Could Have Gone Better

This was a first in Gotham City history.

This was not the first time that a foreign dignitary had come to the city, far from it. Its' long history had many foreign powers walking its streets and carrying business. Some of these powers included a king or two. No one that was one of the major powers of Europe, per se, maybe a king of Luxembourg for example. There had been princes, a few princesses, and even a parade for the recently deceased Queen of England.

Gotham had wealth. It was a burgeoning financial center, and had only increased that wealth over the centuries. It was a leader in many fields, technology, pharmaceuticals, you name it. While manufacturing had suffered a blow, services would always remain.

That said, even a politician who lived in Gotham's golden era would have never predicted meeting a man who claimed to be the king of the Lost City of Atlantis and to do so with an unknown military power backing him.

Yet, it was Mayor Sebastian Hady who found himself in that position all the same.

He had been warned by his staff not to go out there, but Hady was planning to be reelected in the future. A picture of him confronting a would-be hostile on Gotham, nay, American soil? Mayor of Gotham could easily become a Senator in the Senate.

The window of opportunity was small; it would only be a matter of time for the Feds to respond. Hady would have to respond first.

Out onto the pier did he walk in his polished dress shirts, a three-piece suit and tie, and having to endure a salty breeze to the face. Not pleasant, that breeze, but opportunity didn't knock as often as it needed to and who cared what was blown into his face?

Had to admit, that armor was not some handmade, DIY job. Light reflecting off of it was intense and he had to shield his eyes from the glare. Nevertheless, with his own security detail watching over him, Hady made his way to this self-proclaimed king, lowering his arm as he came into speaking range.

"Mayor Sebastian Hady," he called out to the bearded man. How much hair did he have? "You requested my presence?"

The intensity of those green eyes was not what Hady had expected. It pinned him down, the authority and power that accompanied it was not pretend. The hand that gripped the trident tightened and a barely perceptible shift turned the taller man to full face the mayor.

Hady expected something like "are you in charge," or "it is an honor to meet you." None of that was said.

"You have a man in custody in your jail. I request custody of him effective immediately and turned over," the man claiming to be a king stated. It was as if the mayor was being read a proclamation.

Just as what had been described to him. He knew of which man this king wanted, but the game of politics had to continue. "Which man are you looking for?"

If this king was irritated, he did not show it. "The man who calls himself Black Manta."

Yes, Black Manta, the name that had been all over the news. International criminal extraordinaire and currently sitting in a Gotham City jail cell. Do you know who else was clamoring for that man's head? The Feds, other countries, Interpol, you name it, they all wanted a piece of him. So why did this king of Atlantis want the first bite?

What made him so special to jump to the head of the line?

"I'm going to have to deny your request. Right now, there is a laundry list of various law enforcement agencies that want him for crimes he committed overseas. There's been an international manhunt for him lasting years, I'm told. Since he was arrested here, we have the first go at him," the mayor said diplomatically.

"I don't care," the king rebuffed. "He is wanted for crimes he has committed against Atlantis, and he will answer for those crimes. I no longer ask, I demand you turned him over into Atlantean custody immediately."

In what might go down in one of the top ten greatest political blunders, Hady retorted, "You and what army?"

Green eyes slipped off the mayor, which was more welcomed than he would admit, but any relief was short lived. The man claiming to be a king directed his gaze not just to the men standing behind him, but to the ships that were blocking off the harbor. Hady found himself following that nonverbal gesture, and he noted the weaponry carried by the armored men standing in formation. Then the ships themselves and how…big they were.

The trident rose up, and the men raised their weapons up. The ships that looked like hammerhead sharks began to emit a glow where the eyes should be located. Other lights from the other ships began to glow as well, not to mention that one large vessel that was already eerily glowing glowed even more eerily.

"This is only for my protection," the king stated. "The rest of it is beneath the waves. If need be, on my order, they can initiate a full scale invasion. They will find Black Manta and they will retrieve him. As one ruler to another, I advise that you reconsider."

Hady swallowed. There was an urge to pull at his collar, but he resisted that urge. That would be showing too much weakness. However, his throat had gone very dry.

While it was a lightshow, the world had changed so much that a lightshow could be deadly. While he had been internally putting air quotes around the word king in his head, he began to wonder if that wasn't too far from the truth. Everything blockading Gotham from the sea was so alien looking, and anything that looked alien was capable of anything.

It felt like another blunder when he said in a hoarse voice, "I don't think I have that authority."

"Then bring me someone who does," the King ordered. "If it is not you or anyone you know, then bring someone who can negotiate. I've heard the Justice League is more than capable of such."

The Justice League. Regarding all of that weaponry and all of those ships, was the Navy capable of taking it on? The Army? Air Force? And…weren't there more unseen under the waters just outside of the city?

Maybe…maybe having the Justice League wasn't quite a bad idea.


Meetings were regularly scheduled, but everyone knew that an emergency meeting could come at any time.

When it became clear that no, the media wasn't making up anything this time, the founding members of the Justice League came together minus one. The Flash wasn't available, and no one knew when he would be back.

Wonder Woman had continued her investigation of the ruins in Cambodia, searching for any more clues to the matter of Wonder Girl's armor when the emergency was called in and she had to leave. From one relic of Man's ancient world to another, she found herself being confronted with a story told to her from her mother.

Hippolyta…to be truthful, Wonder Woman did not know just how old her mother was, but the stories that she would tell at her bedtime, to coax her into the realm of Morpheus, included the tale of Atlantis. A city so grand, so great, it ruled the world until one day when a great cataclysm happened and the city sank beneath the waves, never to be seen from again. She was surprised when she had learned of Man's attempt to find the lost city, all attempts ending in failure.

The city had been destroyed, she had thought. A morality tale to explain why you did not anger the Gods. Except, she could not recall if the Gods had been involved in that Cataclysm. Her mother had not been free with those details either.

This revelation had come without warning, or so one would believe.

Green Lantern was taking charge of explaining related events. The recent capture of a criminal wanted across the world for his misdeeds seemed an unlikely catalyst. Batman's involvement even less so.

"I didn't believe it at first, thought it was craziness," Lantern said, summing up the tale. "But I heard him say it, that he wanted the sub and radar system to destroy Atlantis. Now, Atlantis has come knocking and they want Black Manta."

Another mystery. Why did this Black Manta want to destroy the lost city? This was a question she had to ask.

"Beats the hell out of me," Lantern answered, almost grumbling.

An unknown motive, then. Yet, this criminal was privy to a secret of Man's ancient world that no one else was, not even the Amazons of Themyscira. That troubled her. What caused more concern was how Black Manta deviated from other would-be explorers seeking the lost city. Those who had come before wanted to rediscover, return what was left back to Man's World. Black Manta wished for its destruction.

Circled around the table were the rest of the founders. Other members had been instructed to be on standby in case the situation worsened. None of them had set foot in Gotham yet, or at least confirmed their presence there, but that Batman's name was involved meant that city's protector was keeping a close eye on the developments.

"What is so special about this Atlantis?" Hawkgirl asked. It drew Wonder Woman's attention to the Thanagarian, and she wondered about the ignorance. Then she remembered that Hawkgirl was not a native of Earth, had been raised in a galactic empire hundreds of light years away. Of course the significance of Atlantis was lost to her.

"The city is ancient by human standards. It predates many civilizations. It was lost a long time ago, so long that even my own mother considered it a myth," the Amazon educated. Her hands were clasped together in front of her, resting on the table. "Mankind has searched for its ruins to no avail. That anyone survived is unimaginable."

"But not impossible if these people are to be believed," Hawkgirl said, his helmet giving her a fierce expression.

Superman spoke, "It was…Plato, right? Plato was the one who first talked about it, or at least he was the most famous for talking about it. I'm sorry, but my Ancient Greece is rusty."

J'onn was stoic, but there was a thoughtfulness to him. However, he did not share his thoughts.

"The situation has powder keg written all over it," Lantern picked up, standing with his arms crossed and acting as the de facto head of the table. "We have no idea what those ships are capable of, nor do we know exactly where they came from. Assume they are telling the truth, we have no idea where the actual city of Atlantis is located."

"They've made their demands known, right?" Superman asked. "They want Black Manta. Why?"

Hawkgirl was nodding her head at the question, but she did not speak up. Wonder Woman considered the question herself and was brought back to why Black Manta wanted Atlantis' destruction.

"From what I know, Black Manta has been committing crimes all over the world. He manages to keep his operations on the down low, enough that other heroes rarely encounter him," Lantern explained.

"Any heroes we know," Hawkgirl pointed out. "Just because no one we know has had any interaction with him does not mean someone else hasn't."

"What, like a hero from Atlantis?" Lantern said more than asked.

"Is that hard to believe?" Hawkgirl challenged.

"It would explain the animosity." Wonder Woman blinked, then realized that J'onn had spoken up. "We find ourselves not at the beginning of a case, but in its middle. There is much context that we do not know, but let us assume that there has been regular contact between Atlantis and Black Manta. They are both hostile to one another. He is wanted in Atlantis for a reason, most likely a criminal offense. The offense would have to be grave indeed if this lost city has revealed itself after untold years just to obtain custody of him."

Perhaps it was the mythos that surrounded Atlantis. Wonder Woman found herself struggling to view it in such mundane terms as Hawkgirl and J'onn seemed to be capable of. She was waiting for a comment from Flash, but had to remind herself that the speedster was absent. The levity he could bring into this was sorely missed.

Nevertheless, it made her feel grateful to have comrades who had come from across the stars. They were able to pierce through that which obstructed the rest.

However, before any further discussion could occur, there was an alert. One of the newer members of the League was on monitor duty, and recent events required more monitoring.

"Uhh, yeah, Firestorm here. Someone tried to call? Said they were Hady, a mayor. From Gotham. Anyway, he wants us to come down and do something about this Atlantis stuff. Just letting you know."

Looks were shared between them. The mayor of Gotham was reaching out to them. Batman was going to need to know about this before they set foot in that city.

If a public official was contacting them like this, then the situation must have escalated in some manner. Everyone here would agree that that wasn't good. The only question now was how had it escalated and was it a worst case scenario?

With a sigh, Green Lantern volunteered, "I'll let Batman know."


The television was silent, but it played the same news as all of the other news stations. The report of the existence of Atlantis has everyone scrambling to learn more, though it was what the alleged Atlantean King wanted that focused a lot of the coverage.

Bruce only paid it scant attention. There were other matters that required his focus, namely what was going on with his stolen radar system.

"This just keeps getting better and better," Lucius grumbled as he slouched in his seat. The two men were in Bruce's office, the younger one keeping an eye on the latest Atlantean news while the older one was looking into getting their radar back. "The radar system has been confiscated and locked up in an evidence locker, God knows where."

Bruce's sour expression reflected his old friend's irritation. It shouldn't have been surprising that the radar system would be viewed as evidence, but considering it was the U.S. government that was keeping it under lock and key, and the reason for their growing annoyance was obvious. Ultimately, they did intend on selling it to the government, but to have them seize it as part of a criminal investigation…

Well, let's just say that left a bitter taste in the mouth.

"I've already sent a request for our people to get the radar system back, but you know how it is," Lucius continued. "I imagine we'll be stonewalled and brushed off for a long while."

"I suppose we shouldn't have expected any less," Bruce mused. "Which is unfortunate; I wanted to know what Black Manta did to it."

"Aside from hooking it into the sub he stole?"

"He already modified the reactor core. There's no telling what else he was doing in there, including alternating the radar system."

"An interesting point," Lucuis admitted. "But honestly, there isn't much that can be modified with it, so I imagine it was merely going to be hooked in. I'd be more concerned with the alterations to the reactor core long before anything with the radar system."

So effectively, they had lost the radar. All of those man hours and resources poured into its development, and they lost it for nothing. That wasn't a good use of company resources. At the very least, they needed to petition the government to pay them for the system so that they got something. The contract they had needed to be honored.

"With that said," the dark-haired man said, "I'll be needing to keep my eye on the…developing situation with the King of Atlantis. It's clear they want to get their hands on Black Manta, and Black Manta wants nothing more than to destroy their city."

Lucuis nodded. "I think we can make some arrangements. Will you be taking your personal assistant with you?"

Bruce shook his head. The assistant in question was Cassandra, and this case was officially elevated to a Justice League matter thanks to the inclusion of Green Lantern. He had noticed the disgruntled looks on his children's faces, but their happiness wasn't a priority. "Cassandra will be staying here. I'm certain you can find her something to do in the meantime; certainly rescheduling all of my appointments for instance."

"How is she doing, if I may ask?"

"In her role here?" Upon seeing Lucius nod his confirmation, Bruce said, "I didn't have to do much training, which I have you to thank for that. Thanks, by the way."

"You're welcome," the dark-skinned man grinned.

"I do get the sense that she does wait for me to tell her things. She hadn't quite gotten the hang of handling things on her own."

"That'll come in time. She did have a brief layover with our little embezzler, so she just needs to remember how things went under me before she's firing on all cylinders."

"You haven't heard of anyone giving her a hard time, have you?"

Lucius shook his head. "Thanks to the alias you've given her, there haven't been too many second guesses that I've heard of. There was certainly some grumbling from the more experienced assistance, but…"

The way Lucuis trailed off made Bruce raise an eyebrow. "But?"

"Well, let's just say they think she's your latest conquest. It seems that most people don't recognize her from the news conferences during your incarceration."

Well, that was certainly disappointing. That people still hadn't made the connection between them thanks to Cassandra practically parading herself as his daughter was still baffling. It was almost like she was wearing a pair of glasses as a disguise, only the lord knew how that was still working over at the Daily Planet.

But at least there weren't complaints of nepotism—yet. He'd handle those if and when they came, though hopefully Cassandra would be firmly entrenched in her position for those claims to hardly matter. So long as she proved that she was capable of doing the job, then it hardly mattered how she got it.

That's what he was hoping for, anyways.

"See about discouraging that sort of talk," Bruce grumbled. "The last thing I want is for Cassandra to hear that. She has enough on her plate as is—she doesn't need jealous coworkers talking negatively about her."

"I'll see what I can do about that," Lucius said. "And as long as you're going to be taking that time off…"

"I'll look into the radar system, just to make certain what Black Manta specifically wanted it for." While he was certain it had everything to do with finding the location of Atlantis, there might be something else he was missing. It was too early to assume there wasn't another alternative use for the system, though he was finding it difficult to figure out any other use.

In the meantime, he'd need to have things settled at Wayne Enterprises. Long gone were the days where he could vanish and the company could run on its own without missing a beat.


Being in Gotham was nothing like being in Metropolis. You could feel the age of the older city, the architecture hostile and foreboding compared to the more smooth and welcoming metropolis. The latter at times could be futuristic while the former held onto its past in a death grip.

It also felt like there were eyes on you when you walked those streets. There were times when Superman had to brave them as Clark Kent, there on assignment and for no other reason. It was a trial in and of itself to hold himself back from intervening in, well, everything. But the eyes were always watching, waiting for a slip up.

Those were multiple now, because it wasn't just the eyes of Gotham, but those of the world. The developing situation in Gotham had continued to escalate, and by the time the Justice League had arrived, so had the military.

Army vehicles were lining the streets around Gotham's port. The National Guard was setting up posts at strategic locations. Artillery was being secreted in, their aim at the enigmatic force that had emerged from the waters. Speaking of, in the distance, destroyers and frigates were taking up positions to surround the enemy blockade from the sea. There were at least two aircraft carriers, one from the north and the other from the south.

You had the state's National Guard and the Pentagon's Army, Navy, and Air Force getting ready for a fight.

Even as the American military was setting itself up, Superman was able to spot a center of activity. Where there was a center meant there was an authority, and that needed to be addressed before they venture further into the port.

The Man of Steel led the descent to the street just outside of the port. Civilian cars had been evacuated or towed, all to make room for the military activity. With a line of sight that had the very pier in which the self-titled King of Atlantis was visible, there stood the two men who were the exact center of the military response. Those two were the ones organizing the ranks, confirming positions, and preparing for a fight.

As his red-colored boots touched down onto asphalt, drawing attention from the men and women in uniform, the Kryptonian was able to get a look at one of the two men and held back a grimace. The same could be said for the general in question who regarded him like a ticking time bomb.

Behind him, the rest landed, and they followed after him as he led the way to this unfortunately familiar face. "General Lane," he greeted, keeping his tone of voice calm and neutral.

General Lane, or better known as Sam Lane, was a man that Superman had crossed paths with before. It did not help that Lane was also Lois' father. As Clark Kent, he was able to keep it neutral and not have any negative feelings directed towards him. In fact, he thought that Lane preferred Clark over Superman.

Sam Lane was a hard man, not just in personality but also in appearance. The hardness was centered in his eyes, wrinkles in his bow hinted at a perpetual frown that had made itself at home a long time ago. The eyebrows were dark, the only hint that he still had of being related to Lois. The rest of his hair were different shades of silver, the higher up it was located, the lighter the shade while the further down, the darker.

Army green colored the button up shirt he wore, the sleeves rolled up to the elbows. On a pocket flap was the name Lane embroidered in thread, and patches were sewn into the sleeves. As always, the general's posture was impeccable.

The mustache was gone. He must have shaved recently.

"Superman," General Lane stated more than greeted. There was a wariness to his tone, and he wasn't hiding it.

"The Justice League. Whatever are you doing here?" the man beside Lane spoke up. Dressed similarly to Lane, this man also had the patches that put him at the rank of general as well. Unlike Lane, this general had some bloatedness to his face, his hairline was receding, and it was more of a dark-gray than silver.

This general's eyes were narrowed with sternness. Like Lane, his posture was also ramrod straight. Under one arm, he carried a helmet, one not unlike an infantryman's. Superman did not know who this man was, but the name sewn into the pocket flap read Vreeland.

Choosing to ignore any hostility, "We were requested to come here and resolve the situation," the Man of Steel told the two generals. "We just want a peaceful resolution to this and nothing more."

"And we have an unknown number of hostels at our gates. I think a peaceful resolution is out the window," General Vreeland retorted.

"Frank," General Lane warned. He kept his eyes on Superman, not looking away. "I think we share the same sentiment for a peaceful resolution. There's no need for force if we can avoid it. I rather not have Gotham become a warzone again."

"Eiling is a moron," Vreeland retorted, but he said no more.

"We're all on the same side," Green Lantern spoke up, moving around Superman so that he was now the center of the general's attention. "No one wants anyone blown sky high. We all need to be on the same page if we want to end this without there being any casualties."

Lane was as stoic as ever, so that left Vreeland to give a snort but nothing else. Neither of those men wanted them here, but the League did not leave until everything was resolved.

Green Lantern continued while turning his head towards the port, "That's him over there, right? The man claiming to be a king?"

"That's right," Lane confirmed. "We will be engaging him shortly."

Hopefully for negotiation and not to add more oil to this situation. Unfortunately, Superman's experiences with General Lane typically had things getting worse before they got better. Not to mention he had found out how in bed Lane was with Luthor of all people. If nothing else, he could pray that Luthor didn't get involved.

"We'll join you," Lantern offered.

"We don't need babysitters or emotional support, thank you very much," Vreeland retorted. "We can handle this."

"I bet you can," Hawkgirl remarked, her eyes trained on a tank turret that was peeking out from around a corner, blocked off by one of Gotham's many buildings.

Lantern shot Hawkgirl a look before returning to the generals. "All the same, we were requested and we might as well pool our resources together."

The back and forth would continue, Green Lantern trying to use his past history in the military to buy some unwilling respect. Not that they needed the generals' permission to join, but it tended to be better to have a local authority back you when you left your usual stomping grounds. More than once did Superman glance out into Gotham, wholly expecting to spot a certain vigilante who was very protective of it.

It did make sense why Batman was not going to be part of any negotiation. Affairs between states and nations required a skillset, and it was one that Batman more then likely chose not to develop outside of expanding the interests of Wayne Enterprises. If it didn't help Gotham, it was not relevant. His reputation also worked against him here; for all intents and purposes, he was still wanted by local law enforcement, but that was more for show than anything. After all these years, any and all attempts to apprehend him were given up.

Batman kept his interests at the local level, and not the foreign.

Eventually, the generals had their setup just the way they wanted it, and now they were making their way out into the harbor. A gray overcast had settled over the sky, and it gave a feel of dourness that the Kryptonian had not been expecting. Combined that with the salty air and sounds of water rubbing against the harbor and piers around, and the destination ahead where a man in golden armor stood could put you on high alert.

As they approached, the generals in the lead, Superman noted the features of the man holding the trident. This was a man of power, one who knew how to wield it. He held himself with a confidence that came from sitting on a throne. He gave away no sign that he was intimidated or awestruck.

Behind him, other than the line of armored troops, there were two other men in armor that stood behind the one in gold.

To the left stood a man in black and purple armor, one that was designed with a scale motif to it. He wore a helmet over his head, one that exposed the mouth and lower face. The helmet itself possessed a similar fin design that the troop helmets did, but the flourish added to it made the fin design more sharp. Lens covered the eyes, and if the sunlight struck them just right, they gleamed red.

A cape made him stand apart from the rest, black and covering much of his body in a manner similar to Batman. One arm slipped out and it too, like the man in gold armor, held a trident. Unlike the latter, this trident was black in color and possessed less of the flourishes and more curves with tips that were pointed wickedly.

To the right was the third man, one that wore armor in a dark blue color. Gold colored the shoulders, gauntlets, and boots, and under one arm did he hold a helm, much in the same manner that Vreeland carried his infantryman's helmet. The helm had the same color scheme as the rest of the man, two horns jutted from the front and to the sides. Had it been placed on, it would have revealed the eyes, nose and mouth and nothing else.

Pale skinned like the man in gold armor; unlike him, the hair was dark brown and the face had blue face paint covering the upper face. There was an arrogance to him as he watched the procession of military officials and League members.

General Lane took the lead when he said, "Identify yourselves. You are the man who calls himself the King of Atlantis?"

The man in gold armor, his long hair serving much a cape itself did not nod his head. Instead, he verbally confirmed, "I am King Orin, King of Atlantis."

General Lane gave a nod of his head. "Are these your officers?"

"It is polite to introduce one's self before asking more of the other," Orin rebutted.

Had Flash been there, there would have been a snigger before he got himself under control. The Kryptonian found himself unexpectedly missing it.

Superman didn't see General Lane's face, but he could imagine that the man might have twitched, if his ironclad control had broken that is. Without missing a beat, "General Sam Lane of the United States Army. Next to me is General Frank C. Vreeland, United States Army."

Noticeably, there was no attempt to introduce them.

King Orin made no remark about it. Instead, "Prince Orm, High Commander of the Atlantean Defense Forces." The blond-haired head tilted to his right and at the man in the black and purple armor. "Corum Rath, Commander of the Atlantean Defense Force Third Legion." The head tilted to its left and at the man in blue and gold armor. "Behind you is the Justice League, correct?"

King Orin did not seem to be a man to allow slights to go past him. As a result, Superman felt himself standing taller once he had the king's gaze on him. Green eyes fell onto him, then lowered, predictably, to the S on his chest. They moved on to the others, giving the same respect.

"They are observing," General Lane stated.

"I recall requesting their presence personally," King Orin replied, and he raised a single eyebrow. Such a small reaction felt like it carried a heavy weight to it.

"We are representing the United States of America and her interests," General Vreeland cut in. "You are currently invading American territorial waters and stand on American soil. We are the ones you will be talking to, not them."

Yes, tell us how you really feel. Now he had Flash's voice in his head.

The "very well" went unspoken. Corum Rath's hand drifted to his waist. Prince Orm did not even twitch. "My demands remain unchanged. As the head of state of the Kingdom of Atlantis, I demand the immediate extradition of the criminal Black Manta."

"For what reason do you request extradition?" General Lane questioned.

"He has committed a number of crimes against my kingdom, its people, and the throne itself. He is to stand trial for all charges," King Orin answered.

"With a jury of his peers?" General Lane pressed.

"Doubtful," General Vreeland concurred. "You have any washed up pirates in your underwater abode?"

"You will speak with respect." It was unexpected, but the command came not from King Orin, but Prince Orm. The commanding tone easily squashed any belligerence that General Vreeland had.

"Hidden barbs and demands will not aid anyone here." Wonder Woman stepped forth, coming to the side of the generals but putting enough space between herself and the other men, a clear sign that she was not taking their side and standing far enough away to set herself apart. To King Orin, she spoke next, "What crimes did this Black Manta commit against you and yours?"

"Why is it any concern of yours?" A rough voice spoke from Corum Rath.

Wonder Woman turned her gaze onto the other man. "In any matter concerning extradition, the crime committed is a requirement in such proceedings. Without this disclosure, there can be no trust."

Corum Rath looked to respond, but King Orin raised his arm and silenced him. "She speaks true," the king stated. Green eyes zeroed in on the Amazon. "The crime for which Atlantis demands extradition is murder."

Superman felt his eyebrows rising, unable to hide his shock. He had not fully considered any of the crimes—or alleged crimes—that Black Manta had committed, but that Atlantis sought out the man for something like this?

"What is the penalty should Black Manta be convicted?" Green Lantern asked this question.

"For the crime that Black Manta was perpetrated against our people, nothing short of death will suffice," Prince Orm answered.

This is where it got tricky. One of the major hangups of the extradition process was that there were many nations against the death penalty. They would flat out refuse to extradite if the death penalty was on the table. Countries who still had it had to agree to remove it from any future judicial proceedings if they wanted the extradition to go forward. This had happened many times between the United States and other countries, the United States waiving the death penalty so that they could try the alleged perpetrator.

But when it came to the United States extraditing to another country that intended to invoke the death penalty, that was a matter that rarely came up. He couldn't recall the last time such a thing had occurred.

"Black Manta is currently being held in our custody and he has pending charges here to face first," General Lane stated. "Once our justice system is through with him, then we may consider your case. Until then I request that you withdraw your forces and vacate our territorial waters effective immediately."

"You don't want to take on the full force of the United States military, son," General Vreeland added.

"There is no need for threats, General," Wonder Woman cautioned, her tone reprimanding.

"And they need to understand what they're getting themselves into. They are trying to take on the most powerful military on the planet," General Vreeland retorted, glaring at the Amazon.

"And you are threatening the might of Atlantis," Prince Orm responded. "We are up to date on your capabilities. You know nothing of us. You know nothing about our capabilities. The ocean is our domain and our king is most generous in allowing you to continue exploiting it. He has continued to extend his generosity in negotiating for Black Manta's custody. Yet, it has been one 'official' after another attempting to bluster their way over the matters of Atlantis, matters that do not concern them. Our patience is waning."

General Vreeland gave a smirk. "The United States of America does not recognize Atlantis as a sovereign country and none of the territories it claims."

.

The response was immediate. "Atlantis does not recognize the United States of America as a sovereign country nor any of the territories it claims, including waters," King Orin decreed. More than one person blinked at the proclamation, Superman included.

"Did you hit your head—" General Vreeland began to insult before General Lane cut him off.

"Frank," the general said warningly.

"We're a fully recognized country by the rest of the world, U.N. included." Vreeland was not about to stop.

However, the damage was done. "Atlantis does not recognize the authority of either the U.N. or the United States. We have been very generous in respecting your claims, but since you do not reciprocate, that recognition ends now," King Orin continued. "If you will not be reasoned with, then other actions shall be taken."

Now the Kyrptonian was alarmed. Those words could be taken as—no, they would be taken as hostile, and from what he had observed, a man like Vreeland was eager for such a thing.

"Let's not get too hasty," Green Lantern warned.

"There are too many innocent people within the firing range of your weapons," Wonder Woman added.

"I am not going to open fire on your city. I am not that savage," King Orin stated. His eyes were on the generals, and it was clear where his barb was aimed.

"You—" General Vreeland began to growl.

"No, I have other measures that can be taken before war," the Atlantean king continued. "Your fishermen are who will suffer first."

That…seemed to have come out of nowhere. Was Orin threatening…the fishermen? That had nothing to do with Black Manta.

"Excuse me?" General Lane questioned, clearly of the same mindset as the Kryptonian.

"From this moment forth, none of your ships, your trawlers, your nets will catch a single fish or any other marine lifeform," Orin said. Glancing to Corum Rath, "Corum Rath will act as my emissary and all communication shall go through him. We will make our demand one more time in seventy-two hours. This parley is now over."

"We're not done," General Vreeland refused, but Orin was already turning away, walking back to the fish-shaped ship that was docked at the end of the pier. After a few feet, the king stopped and added one last instruction.

"The only authority that Atlantis will recognize from this point forward is that of the Justice League. I hope you lot will live up to your name and help with administering justice."

The king resumed his leave, and Prince Orm followed after him, black cape fluttering in his wake.

General Vreeland was opening his mouth to speak again, more than likely another insult, but General Lane cut him off first. "Frank. Keep it to yourself." Shaking his head, Superman found himself on the receiving end of the general's look. "Looks like you lot are the middlemen now. Would it kill you not to mess this up?"

"We can't do any worse than you two," Hawkgirl offered. From out of General Lane's sight, Green Lantern winced visibly and shook his head.

Once more, Superman could hear Flash make another comment, one he was sure the speedster would have said had he been there.

Well, that could have gone better.


Author's Note: General Vreeland is a character who appeared in Batman the Animated Series in the episode Harley's Holiday. His daughter, Veronica Vreeland, who has appeared in multiple Batman stories, was kidnapped by Harley Quinn, and General Vreeland's response was to drive a tank through the streets of Gotham looking for them. General Vreeland was not given a first name in the show, and so we gave him Frank C. in reference to his voice actor, Frank Cover. Just a little fun fact there.