Fifty miles off the California coast

[jla_antimatter]

One of his lieutenants signals with a handwave. "Target is within five hundred meters."

The captain of this vessel leans back in his chair and steeples his hands thoughtfully.

I want a clean spread. Ravager and Carcheron take the above and below flanks, Perseus and Kanashimi on port and starboard, Sibilant behind. We'll flank her in front. All

Comments

[fearthehelmet]

It's been a long day's night for Black Manta.

Months of carefully orchestrated planning ruined by Hector Hammond's inability to get the job he paid for DONE. The Society had better have some sort of rules in place for punishing failure.

In his cruiser, skulking in the depths of the Pacific Ocean, he's been fuming, anger piling on anger, coiling around a burning core of hate. Utterly, utterly frustrating.

So, for a split second, he's almost thankful for the sudden emergency warnings he's getting from his control panel now.

Atlantean craft... but... not quite. But a fleet is fucking on TOP of him from NOWHERE. Still, whatever attempts Tempest has made to surprise him will FAIL.

Instantly, his hands are on the controls, arming his weapons systems.

He will NOT be taken without a fight.

[jla_antimatter]

Almost bored, a voice comes over Manta's ship comms.

Oh, honestly. Depower your weapons, please. If I wanted you dead, we would have destroyed your ship while you were cloaked.

[fearthehelmet]

Manta freezes. That much was obvious... he'd figured them simply to be stupid.

He almost spits back a reply about having to kill him, because he wouldn't be captured... but there's something wrong here. That voice is Aquaman's... but not entirely.

Ocean Master?

He narrows his eyes and flips open the comm channel.

"Maybe I want YOU dead. Speak your piece, then."

[jla_antimatter]

In response, he activates the video comm.

Interesting helmet. Once again, the similarities arise...

He leans forward in his chair.

I am Korin, King of Atlantax. Doubtless this name does not ring any bells.

[fearthehelmet]

Manta's arms cross, looking unimpressed.

Behind the helmet, he's studying the face intently. Looks EXACTLY like Aquaman.

He rolls his fingers impatiently. Get on with it.

[jla_antimatter]

Yes, yes, I quite understand your reluctance to trust someone who looks so like your sworn enemy. One second.

A snap of his fingers.

Crewman Bayle, step forward.

A junior officer steps forward and to Korin's side.

Thank you.

And then his hand rockets out and suddenly a jagged blade is rammed into Bayle's stomach. The crewman crumples slowly and topples.

Well done, Bayle.

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, I have a proposition for you.

[fearthehelmet]

His finger steeple in his chair. If he had anything resembling a sense of humor these days, he might've found that funny.

As it is, the red glare of the helmet remains constant. The man obviously knows who HE is.

"I'm listening."

[jla_antimatter]

Well, your attempted coup failed rather miserably. Honestly, self-assessment is not one of your strengths. An excellent battle tactician, certainly. A charismatic speaker, definitely. But you can't come up with a good plot to save your life.

In any case. Your interference has - totally by happenstance - taken the gloss off my own efforts to isolate Sub Diego. Things were working quite tolerably until that idiotic power play of yours guaranteed that the Atlanteans would assist in the city's rebuilding.

Now my hand is, sadly, forced. I plan to attack Sub Diego and leave it a smoking ruin, taking most of the citizens for slaves. I sense you can assist in these efforts. I strongly recommend you volunteer.

[fearthehelmet]

The eyes of the helmet glow red enough to clearly indicate the tremendous FUCK YOU he's thinking.

"I strongly recommend you tell me where the hell you came from, Korin of AtlanTAX."

[jla_antimatter]

Very well. I do so enjoy a bit of exposition.

There is another universe mirroring your own, you see. One with - doubles, in a sense. I am your Aquaman's double. On my earth, I am the king of Atlantax, the ocean realm, and I rule the seas with an iron hand. Not one piddling city, either, but the entire ocean is my demesne - something that has greatly frustrated the Crime Syndicate of America. Ultraman and Superwoman themselves have been beaten back by my navies on multiple occasions, and we have reached a sort of detente. They have the land and air, I have the sea.

I obviously find this unacceptable. And so I was greatly heartened to discover an entire city of humans converted to waterbreathers. Imagine the weaponizing applications of it! Entire cities drowning in the air after a quick mutation bomb! Glorious.

But, since your universe's humans have their DNA cross-swapped from ours, I require a large number of test subjects if we're to re-engineer the gene therapy models for our universe. I do hope you see where I'm going with this.

[fearthehelmet]

He hasn't entirely gotten over the FUCK YOU portion of this conversation, but he's definitely paying attention.

Killing the surface world, cities at a time, definitely appeals to him. And Sub Diego can implode for all he cares now. This would be what they deserve. In effect, what they asked for by siding with the royalty.

Bringing the destruction with what is essentially Aquaman himself, stripped of his pretention... the thought does give him a slow smile.

"Obviously, yes. What would you have me do?"

[jla_antimatter]

My opposite number could prove bothersome if he organized the forces of Atlantis -

He smirks at that name.

- so I would like you to arrange some reason for him to chase after you a good distance from the city. If you could get his whelp to join him, so much the better.

[fearthehelmet]

An opportunity to vent some anger on the bastard.

"Consider it done. Send me your time frame - I've got an idea already. I'll also want to see your test results once you've engineered the bombs."

[jla_antimatter]

I don't see why not. I can afford to be generous if this is successful. Still, I hope you're more effective than Devil Ray, on my world. Such a misguided idiot.

He flicks a finger at one of his men.

We're sending you a comm frequency now. You will alert us when Aquaman has left town.

Good to be doing business with you. Korin out.

He clicks off the comm.

If the idiot even gives us twenty minutes it was worth it.