Aquaman

The pair circled each other, like a planet around the sun or an electron around a nucleus. Something small rotating around something that very much was not. Circling in silence, looking each other over for any weakness or opening. Twin hunters stalking prey that was each other, and they knew it.

Aquaman glared at his foe, feeling dwarfed in comparison to the giant. By no means was Aquaman small, he stood over six feet, but the man in front of him was even taller and almost as wide. Vein-covered muscles rippled under thin flesh, the meat almost threatening to tear out through the skin with every flexing. Aquaman was far from unfit, years of swimming and training had toned his body to near-perfection, but the man-monster that towered before him made him look as skinny as a comic geek in comparison. His eyes were obscured by the large mask he wore. It was hard to tell his thoughts, but his body language said his intentions were hostile.

"You are not getting past me," the colossus said, his voice thick with accent.

"You're going to stop me?" Aquaman asked, a smile appearing on his face.

"You are nothing before me. I have drawn you out of the river to enter the building. You are in my battleground. You have no fish allies to call for help, no superheroes to get assistance from, so this fight is mine." Despite the mask it wasn't hard to tell he was smiling.

"If I couldn't handle someone like you on my own I wouldn't be much good to the League, now would I?" Aquaman said bracing himself for a charge.

His foe laughed, "What can you do?! You speak to fish and breathe underwater and neither is of use here. But I, I broke the Bat!"

Aquaman grinned, "You're in for a big surprise, Bane."

Black Manta had been quickly processed and locked away. Aquaman had entered Poseidonis in a hurry; he wanted this situation over with as soon as possible.

It had started with an escaped Atlantean criminal who had suddenly developed telekinetic powers, powers he had gotten from a drug smuggled in by Black Manta. The pirate had given up the name of his source, the island nation of Santa Prisca. Somehow, the tiny country had developed a chemical that could induce psychic powers in people, especially in the already latently telepathic Atlanteans.

The Atlantean scholars and diplomats knew little: the location and current political situation, nothing of any real use. It had taken a trip to the Watchtower to find any real information.

"It's a drug port? The sole producer of the drug Venom? Are you sure?" Aquaman asked.

Batman just raised an eyebrow. Aquaman mentally kicked himself, of course he was sure. Aquaman sighed; he'd been at this game as long as any of them but being alone in a room with Batman always made him feel like an amateur. He buried his insecurity under more arrogance and summoned up his regal appearance.

"You had quite a bad experience with Venom, didn't you, Bruce?" Aquaman asked.

"Nothing I couldn't handle," Batman said pulling up a map of the island on the view-screen. "It's a steroid derivative that works with exercise to rapidly increase strength. There's a rare variant that instantly adds strength and size to the subject. Both come solely from Santa Prisca. It's also a major port for other drug traffickers to stop and refuel."

"I've heard something about that. About a quarter of the world's heroin passes through there." The sea king rested his hand on a window and looked out across the surface of the moon. He always felt uncomfortable here; it was dryer out there than any desert on earth. He was as far out of his element as he could get. The ocean's superhero on the moon, standing out like a wounded digit. "The Venom derivative…that's what Bane used. The villain that broke your back, correct?"

Batman nodded, "I can still tell when it's going to rain."

"But you recovered."

"It's not like losing a hand."

Aquaman grunted. "You know I can still almost feel it sometimes. Even after all this time. It itches..."

"Arthur…"

"So where would this mental drug be made? This Mind-Venom. It's a small island but a big place to find a single drug lab."

Batman turned back to the keyboard, "Satellite imaging has picked out several of the larger buildings as likely targets. They'd need to be close to the water for the refining process. And the money required to redesign a drug like that would require large amounts of funding so it won't be in the cheaper areas."

"River would make my entrance easier."

Batman's white slits narrowed. "This looks like these are it. Next to the 'presidential' palace, these building have the most extensive security. Everything else is either military owned or residential. Most will likely be standard drug refining plants. Cocaine, heroin, V-9, etc. They're also located near shipping lanes for easy transportation of the chemical and drugs. "

Aquaman scanned the layouts. They all had patrols of guards and sniper towers with barbwire topped walls. It would be tricky getting in, but not impossible. He headed towards the teleporter, stopping at the communication hub first. The face of his advisor and friend Vulko appeared on the monitor.

"King Orin, what can I do for you?" the portly advisor said, the computer adjusting for the sound distortion from the water.

"Listen carefully. I have some orders for you…"

Brick split and mortar shattered. Muscle and bone impacted hard with the wall. Bane rose shakily, crawling back through the large hole he had just made with his body.

"Had enough?" Aquaman asked cracking his knuckles.

"How? You are nothing!" Bane spat out.

"I was born several miles under water. My muscles are adapted to extreme weight and pressure," Aquaman said, striding towards his foe. "Even after the pounding I've taken over the last couple days, I can still bench a truck."

Bane lunged forward; his speed was incredible, beyond human. Aquaman was faster. Spinning aside from the blow the sea king slammed his elbow into Bane's back causing the giant to stumble forward trying to keep his balance.

Bane snarled and his rage increased. "I try not to do this since I broke my addiction, but you leave me little choice." The giant pressed a meaty finger against the large red button on his forearm. The Venom derivative surged out through wires and into his brain. Bane roared as his body swelled up, his muscles surging with newfound strength and vigor. Bane smiled, the pain and aches vanished, his eyes focused on Aquaman.

He rushed forward; Aquaman was taken back by his sudden speed. The two met, their hands locking, they strained and pushed against each other. Feet slipped and struggled to find footing in the cement floor of the factory.

"So you're a bodyguard now, Bane? Everyone I meet lately seems to be slipping," Aquaman said. If he could distract Bane, find out what was going on…

Bane snarled, "I was deported from the States. The government here refused to let me be prosecuted there, demanded my return to stand trial here for murder. They really just wanted me back here. Said they'd let me go if I did one job for them."

"This place?"

"You."

Aquaman gripped tighter, that was all he needed to know. He pushed harder, letting his full strength show. Bane started to slide backwards, fighting to get back. Before the bulky killer could react, Aquaman shifted his weight to one foot and kicked forward. His foot caught Bane in the chest and lifted him off his feet. He fell hard to the ground. Aquaman quickly grabbed him by the back of the shirt and slammed him head first into the ground. The concrete cracked from the blow.

Aquaman just turned and left the room. The only exit from the room led down a metal staircase into the main factory floor. Workers, doing their best to ignore the ruckus, continued to work. Tables filled the room, covered in plant leaves, vials of fluid, and several varieties of white powder. The leader wasn't hard to spot. Everyone else was wearing old and stained work clothes, while he was dressed in a spotless white suit. He had to be at least 60 years old, his well lined face was brown from the sun, contrasting with his stark white hair and suit. He looked genuinely surprised to see Aquaman.

"You're in charge here?" Aquaman asked striding forward.

"Yes. Why?" he said his voice thick with the same accent as Bane.

"I expected someone else."

"Who?"

Aquaman thought a second. "Any one else. Kobra, Ocean Master, the Joker, a clone of Al Capone. Anyone."

"You don't need to be famous or have super powers to sell drugs."

"True enough…"

"I see you passed by our guard."

"Always hard to find good help."

"How did you find the factory?"

"You dump leftover chemicals in the river. Fish in the area told me so. Fish are sensitive to their surroundings. Every other local just dumped standard pollutants. Except here." Aquaman summoned every ounce of his regal presence, he stood over the man, towering as much as Bane had over him.

"Can I help you with anything?" the man asked looking visibly shook up.

"I want this plant shut down. I want the Mind-Venom destroyed. And I want to know why."

The man looked around. The workers were backing towards the exits. He stammered slightly, "Why… *ahem*… why else? Money. Somewhat petty, I know. Sell the drug to the crime-lords for use on their henchmen. Psychic enforcers and the like. And once they're hooked of course we can name our price. Get a piece of the global action. That fool Bisbet was supposed to take our offer to Desmond but you intercepted him."

Aquaman frowned; once again Atlantis had been drawn into some surface-dweller's plans to fill his wallet.

"It's not going to happen," Aquaman said.

The man in white straightened, it looked as if he had spontaneously grown a backbone. "Oh, it will. Bane should be recovered by now. Then we shall see."

"I beat him once I can do it agai…" Aquaman started but his words were cut short. The floor began to vibrate and shake. The door at the top of the stairs shattered into toothpick sized slivers of wood. Bane stepped through the ruined doorway. As he walked forward, the metal staircase seemed to bend and warp around him. Dust and dirt seemed to spiral around the leather-clad giant, his veins throbbed rhythmically. He had given himself a dose of the Mind-Venom.

A large dose.

To Be Continued...

Previous Issue | Next Issue