Life Ore Death
* September 7
[Aqualad PoV]
'…
Drown?'
'
Drown.'
'
Drown.'
I remembered what I had forgotten.
Then I realized what it meant.
I
moved, brutally
forcing the water to let me pass. I was at my teammates' sides in an instant, but it still seemed too long. I knew the function of the lungs – lungs and gills had been important subjects in the Conservatory's Introductory Biomancy class. It took intentional effort or external force to exhale, contracting the chest's muscles and the diaphragm to compress the lungs beyond their default state and force out precious air.
Conversely, inhaling was partially automatic, requiring only the relaxation of those muscles to create space for fresh air. Thus, while air-breathing humans had to have the breath knocked out of them, such as by a great impact, inhalation afterward was almost automatic.
But there was no fresh air here to replace what was lost when she screamed, and her lungs would not accept the re-breather's air unless they were first emptied of water.
'
CPR beneath the sea. It is hopeless,' I knew, but I would try all the same. '
Perhaps if I compress her ribs and block her nose, then apply the mask before allowing her ribs to decompress.' I reached Superboy's side just as his own breath ran out and he needed to reapply the mask to his own nose and mouth for a few moments.
It took too much time for him to breathe, but if he did not then I would have the blood of two teammates on my hands.
'
Air bubble spell, air bubble spell, what is the formula the process for the how do I cast an air bubble spell? It doesn't need to be large or last long, as long as she can breathe, just please Neptune let me pull this off!' But nothing was working. I had dropped both my water-bearers in the rush, and they were better used to manipulate the water element all the same.
'
How long has it been?' I wondered, as Superboy and I tried our best to organize some form of rescue. Ferris was stirring and slightly convulsing, which seemed a good sign, but could not convince her to inhale. '
When deprived of oxygen, the human body suffers brain death after three minutes. No, if it were thrice as long my fastest speed could not reach the capital in time for medical attention.' I began praying once more as she shifted again, perhaps unconsciously attempting to protest that I kept her nose and mouth covered each time Superboy took back the mask for his own breaths.
Behind me, I heard my friends begin to stir, recover, and reorganize.
'
Friends….'
'
Friends! Air! Magic!' I spun.
"Garth! Tula! Topo! Anyone who can cast an air bubble spell, we need you here now!" I shouted. I needed to bring my eyes back on my dying teammate to attempt to give her another breath of oxygen, but the snapshot – where Tula supported Garth and Topo as they both struggled to stand, Blubber ignored the strips torn from his hide as he paddled back to us, and Nanavue Sha'ark dragged Lori upright with his one good arm – remained seared into my mind.
'
Please,' I prayed. '
I cannot tell, but it has almost certainly been more than two minutes. Please Neptune, do not let my orders lead to the death of my friend. Please let her stirrings be well instead of ill.' Bodies shifted in the water behind me.
A pair of hands reached past me to raise an air bubble around Renka's face while someone's prone bodyweight slumped onto my shoulder.
My friend's savior was not who I would have expected.
"If anyone asks,
ever" Nanavue Sha'ark threatened, "you tell them snooty here is the one casting the air bubble spell. And if word ever gets out about this, I will eat your intestines before I kill you. Is that clear?"
The situation explained a great many things about why he had been sent to study at the Conservatory instead of learning the (water element reliant) blood magic favored in his home, along with other issues and oddities.
There was only one answer I could honorably give.
"Your Majesty, I will be grateful to my dying day, and take your secret to my grave." It was a quote from a famous Atlantean play, often repeated for secrets like these, or as part of an oath when receiving government-classified information.
He shot me a look and grunted: "Feh."
"Will she be alright?" Superboy asked. "I think she's waking up."
"If the Trident didn't kill her, I doubt a bit of wet like this will," the young king dismissed. Renka's mouth twitched and her chest shuddered. "I can't make this stupid spell work after I take my hand away, so you'd better think of something soon." Then, "Are all you surface-dwellers this tough? I'd have bet the Trident would blow her arms off." It was the closest thing to a compliment I had ever heard him give.
Superboy and I just shared a look and, as Renka's eyes opened, we laughed in relief.
She thrashed a bit, so we had to hold her down long enough to become rational again, but after scant seconds her eyes focused on our faces.
"Kaldur? Connor?" Her voice burbled to us through the air bubble.
"Like I said," Sha'ark said defensively, "I'm not so good at this muck." I refrained from pointing out that no one was paying attention to how poorly cast the bubble was, other than that it was able to feed Renka air.
"You almost died," Connor told her.
"I apologize, my friend. Ocean Master's defenses were greater than I anticipated. I should not have-," Renka rolled her shoulders in an attempt to shrug. '
No, do not try to shrug this off. You nearly died because of my poor leadership abilities. Even though he is young, Robin could undoubtedly have done better. I shou-,'
"Where is M'ga- ah, Miss Martian?" Renka asked after frowning at us. "The telepathy did not happen." Superboy and I shared look. I closed my eyes and reached out with my mind.
Nothing.
'
Please do not let the purists have caught and harmed her as well,' I hoped. I reached out, but there was nothing.
"Found her," Superboy said. "She's nearly at the end of our range, but I can just reach her. They've stopped and are at a cave with the queen."
"Then let's get patched up and follow," Lori suggested. I hadn't noticed, but she was running one glowing hand over the cuts on Renka's chest to close them, and doing the same to scrapes on King Sha'ark with the other.
"About time. I was starting to get hungry," King Sha'ark grunted. I was unspeakably grateful for his help, so I did not speak up about his comment. I also noted that his nose and lips were twitching
"Hey, Lori, you about to be done there?" La'gaan asked from behind us.
"Yeah, and I have some magic to spare for healing."
"Don't leave," Sha'ark hissed, "you're supposed to be keeping up the air bubble."
"I was never very good at those. Spirit magic and biomancy were my big things."
"I can breath now," Renka pointed out. I tried to process the incongruity of that statement. "See?" She tried to wave away the air bubble.
"No!" I grabbed her wrist. "One near death experience is more than enough, not counting what happened in Bialya. Now that Miss Martian has identified the purists' location-,"
""Who the what?"" Lori, La'gaan, and Sha'ark chorused.
"-some of our number must alert the Poseidonis guard. You should fall back to the city for medical attention." I drew on the hardness that I knew a leader needed, no matter how painful it could be. "Without the vestments that allow you breathe water, you will be a burden that could slow the rest of us down in the fight. Risking your own life is unacceptable; risking your comrade's lives is tenfold so."
"Kaldur," Superboy started, but I quelled his comment with my hand.
Renka proceeded to gaze placidly at me, and my met her eyes staunchly, refusing to yield.
Finally she volunteered a single word.
"Cadmium."
It took me a moment to remember what I had learned about her cadmium-minds.
CADMIUM=BREATH
That was what she had written. I had noted down the implications and uses, but we had moved on to bendalloy quickly after, and I had only thought a little more about it since.
More firmly, Renka once more thanked King Sha'ark before she waved away his air bubble, which he was no doubt grateful to drop before the witness count increased further.
Water collapsed back in around her face. I waited. She squirmed somewhat, but air bubbles did not flee nose and mouth, nor did she begin to struggle for air.
"You are still badly injured," I pointed out. Unimpressed, Ferris looked past me pointedly.
"She's got a point," Superboy allowed. "Everyone else is pretty badly off, too."
"Everyone else was not previously injured on another missions mere days ago," I countered firmly. Renka arched one eyebrow and pointed at me. I waited for her to get to the point.
"Oh, here," Superboy said, before he quickly gulped down a breath and handed her the breathing mask. Renka's surprise only stayed her hand for a moment, before she donned it quickly to speak.
"Then all three of us should go back by that logic, you especially. I can heal and Conner is tough, but you were out on the mission." She handed the mask back to Superboy.
"You have exhausted your gold-mind," I reminded her. I moved on to a tangential point. "You can breathe but you cannot speak, using your cadmium-minds?" She nodded.
"No air to talk with, right?" Superboy guessed. She nodded once more.
"That seems detrimental to team function," I tried. She remained unmoved.
"Not once we get in range of M'gann's telepathy, it won't be," Superboy pointed out.
'
Please stop helping her. Superboy, I thought you would take my side on this.'
"When you guys are done talking about crown secrets or surface world stuff, we need to make a plan," Blubber called.
"This is not over," I vowed as we moved to join them. Renka smirked at me.
"Sorry Aqualad, but it sort of is," Superboy pointed out.
"She could die," I reminded him.
"So could I. I mean, with magic I'm in more danger than you or her, pretty much. Hey, everyone!" he called to the group. "Is there anyone here not willing to die in the attempt to rescue queen Mera and her kid?"
Even before the offended voices spoke up, I knew their unanimous answers. Instead, I allowed the passionate voices to wash over me as each man and woman – for varying reasons, it must be admitted – reaffirmed their determination to save Queen Mera from the purists or perish in the attempt.
"Good causes," I sighed to myself in surrender. "Good causes are so easy to die for, and so difficult to live for." I raised my head, met the eyes of each warrior who floated before me, and informed them, "I count myself honored to call each and every one of you my friend. Thank you, and please try not to die."
"Yeah, we aren't supposed to die for our cause," King Sha'ark agreed, to the shock of every Atlantean in the circle. His grin then laid our surprise to rest: "We're here to make those polluting purist bottom feeders-,"
"My mother is a bottom feeder graft," Lori interrupted sharply.
"-to make those inbred purists oil well scum spreaders," he corrected, "die in the name of
their cause! Ya got it?"
"Present company excluded?" Lori drily suggested from where she attempted to heal whatever was wring with Tula's ears.
"Actually, as my parents met at a family reunion, I cannot in good conscience complain," Garth deadpanned. Most of us snickered despite ourselves, myself included.
'
Oh, Garth. You always love to bring that up, leaving out the child-by-previous-marriage, and I have yet to see it fail. Never change, my friend.'
"Did Garth just tell his inbreeding joke again? You've got that look on your face, Kaldur'ahm." More worried, I looked past Tula, to Lori, and sought out our situation.
"Report."
"Yessir," she rattled off, still focusing on her biomancy. "I've cleaned up all the obvious injuries on you, her, Sha'ark-,"
"King Sha'ark," I corrected before he could. He had earned my respect, and although we were in Poseidonis's territory, he would usually out-rank me if we were to follow formal protocol.
"-on King Sha'ark," she corrected, "La'gaan, and Garth. Though King Sha'ark did lose the edge of that fin." She pointed with her pinky, and King Sha'ark made a point of displaying only pride with no discomfort.
"He," she jerked her chin toward Superboy, "didn't get hurt much in the blast – and Neptune help me but I have no idea how that happened and it's sort of scary – and since he's some not-Atlantean, not-human species I don't know, and the bite wounds are mostly scabbed over on their own now, I decided to leave him be to be safe.
"Garth would be ship-shape to fight," Lori continued, "except he somehow managed to both dislocate and repeatedly fracture his right shoulder, and I couldn't safely deal with that unless I were completely fresh on magic, and I would still want some catalysts even then. Tula's scrapes are healed, and she'll be fine once I can un-pop at least one of her eardrums. I'm not sure I'll be able to manage both; this is finicky. Topo will have nasty bruises, but nothing broken and I closed up his scrapes. Blubber got some strips skinned off of his hide, but he's a tough guy and I stopped the bleeding again."
"Your own status?" She flinched guiltily at my question.
"I can fight with my spear," she hedged, "but I won't have much of any magic left after all of this."
"And the burn that took off almost half your scales?"
"Not that many!" she squawked.
"Ow! To loud! Wait, I can hear again! Thank you thankyouthankyou Lori!" Tula pulled her into a quick hug. Lori whimpered. "Oh! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you!"
"It was Ocean Master who trully harmed her," I insisted. I examined the black scorch along her triton's tail. "Lori, you will not be able to fight like this. I am impressed that you can move, but the speed and turning that you rely on will be beyond your reach." She made fists and glared at me.
"I said I was in this to the bitter end, didn't I? Get Queen Mera back or die trying."
"You will have a more important task, Lori. You must return to Poseidonis and alert the guard to follow us, so that Queen Mera might still be saved even if we all do, as you have said, 'die trying'." She flinched. "You should not go alone though. Will anyone else-?"
"Chum should go," King Sha'ark suggested. He had pointed to Topo. "Prey on the battlefield will only get eaten."
"…No," Topo answered before I could. "No. I am in better shape to fight than most of us, if only because I was further from the blast when it hit, so I am going to try to fight. I won't let those purists or you scare me out of doing the right thing, Nanaue Sha'ark." King Sha'ark chuckled, and I interrupted.
"I hate to say this, Garth-,"
"Kaldur," he tried.
"-but your injury is the worst and the most detrimental in your fight. Many of your spells require both of your arms, and your ability to move and strike is also impaired."
"You and I are the two who fought Ocean Master and survived! Together we-,"
"Together," I countered clinically, "we nevertheless would have been butchered if Ocean Master had not already spent his power against King Orin, who stepped in to rescue us when the exhausted Ocean Master still almost killed us. Then, Ocean Master was alone and off-guard. Now, he is prepared: fresh with his full power, surrounded by his minions, and if he has not erected wards to protect his lair I will eat my water-bearers. Our chances of winning without military reinforcements are minimal, and if the reinforcements are too late we may all have died before they arrive. You must guide them and ensure that they are not too late."
"I- You cannot order me to abandon you," he pleaded. He knew that I was right, I could see it in his eyes, but he could not reconcile pragmatism with his understanding of honor.
I hardened my heart.
"I am Aqualad,
personal apprentice to High King Orin, Aquaman, and I have been charged with the safety and retrieval of Queen Mera by Our King's chosen regent, his brother Crown Prince Orm. I can, I will, and I am ordering you to retreat with Lori to Poseidonis. Is that clear, soldier?"
Slowly, my dearest friend saluted me bitterly.
"But do not leave yet," I ordered. "We need… Superboy, you can contact Miss Martian? She is at the purists' base?"
"Vaguely." He pointed. "She's sort of in that direction, and I can just follow the pull closer."
"But you lack specific directions?"
"Yeah, for now. It'll get clearer as we go."
"I understand. Lori, leave for Poseidonis with all speed and alert the guards of our general direction." I removed my belt buckle, with the symbol of my position as King Orin's apprentice. "If all else fails, this should get their attention. When we have gone further and identified the exact location, Garth will return to lead the guard directly to the cave while we begin the first wave of assaults in hopes of stopping their plans and freeing Queen Mera." I pressed the buckle into Lori's hands. "Go."
"Right!"
I did not want to stereotype her, but Lori was very much a triton-graph, traditionally the fastest swimmers of Atlantis. There had been talks in the past of segregating sporting competitions by graft, so that naturally slower or less agile grafts would have a fair chance at their own victory rather than losing due to their genetics. Even with her injured tail she worked through the pain and had already matched my own top speed when she passed out of sight.
"Superboy, as neither Ferris nor I can reach Miss Martian," Ferris nodded shortly in agreement, "we will rely on you to direct us. Lead the way."
"Uh, right. This way." We began to swim. A few of us fell behind at first, but La'gaan and I co-operated to help Blubber keep the pace with us, and shortly after Ferris calmly latched onto King Sha'ark. I did not hear what they spoke about as we traveled, but his cackled laughter about, 'Ju-just like surf-face world lo-lobsters! Hahahahahahaha!' did not inspire great comfort.
"Do we have a plan to engage?" Tula asked after she and Garth slid in next to my group.
"I will need to see the location first," I told her. "I am formulating possibilities, based on whether there are guards posted or only magical wards, as well as… Suffice it to say that we do not know enough for firm plans. That said," I sighed heavily, "when Garth goes to alert the guards, you will be our most skillful battle mage, so I expect I will need you in a position of great risk."
"I expect so. I won't stand for you,
either of you, to coddle me," she reminded us both tartly. "If Queen Mera can single-handedly stave off a whole division of Black Manta's soldiers while pregnant, then I can certainly hold my own here."
"An entire division? Truly?" I inquired. "I had not heard the details of this; I assume it was during the recent assault when Black Manta raided the Royal Science Laboratory?"
Tula smiled in remembered admiration. "Oh yes. She, Prince Orm, and several guards were pinned down in the palace courtyard, outnumbered by more than four to one."
"Enter one giant octopus construct," Garth continued with a laugh, "and Black Manta's battalion painfully exit stage left."
"I do so wish I could have been there," I said.
""So you've said,"" they both reminded me.
"I don't believe you ever mentioned what adventure you had going on at the time?" Tula added leadingly.
"Nothing of great excitement." They still looked expectantly at me.
"Yeah, Kaldur'ahm, spill some stories from the surface world," La'gaan added, and Blubber nodded as well.
I sighed in defeat. "The Batman had asked us to follow a creature known as Clayface, which was a shapeshifter."
I continued to speak, but I broke off the stories shortly after, when Miss Martian's voice once more sounded in my head.
[
Kaldur? Renka? Oh, I'm glad to hear from you both again.]
[
Likewise,] Ferris sent, although I heard more than a touch of strain in the unusual blast her mental voice.
[
Are you well and unharmed? Is Queen Mera present? Can you transmit the location?]
[
Yes, yes, and yes. I'll send you the images and landmarks I remember. Ocean Master is gloating something to Queen Mera, I can't hear what, while he charges a big spell of some kind. What do you want me to do?]
[
Directions first, so that I may send Garth for reinforcements,] I prioritized.
"Garth, it is nearly time to go," I told him. My friend snapped to attention despite his frown. I relayed Miss Martian's instructions as best I could, and we both realized that we knew where the purists hid.
"S'atiroman Cave," Garth confirmed. "I will bring the guards as quickly as I am able."
"Take care," Tula said, and they shared a brief kiss.
"Neptune's currents speed your way," I wished him. Garth departed.
[
Miss Martian, we will reach the cave within two or three minutes. What can you tell us about the situation?]
[
Most of the purists are back on their feet, I'm afraid. I would have tried to rescue Queen Mera myself before now, and if Ocean Master starts anything I will anyway, but he's keeping her inside a prepared ritual area. It looks a little like pictures of the Great Red Martian Sorcerers' ritual sites. There are stone pillars with glowing runes, and he's either chanting something or talking to Queen Mera, and his trident is glowing brighter.]
[
Unfortunately, unless you have seen people enter or exit the ritual area, it is probably warded to prevent living beings and most objects from entering to interfere. Magic and other forms of energy, hopefully including your telekinesis, should be better able to interrupt. If you cannot break Ocean Master's concentration when combat begins, fall back and target as many purists as possible from behind, to better let us finish quickly and focus our efforts on him. Outline their formations, and I will organize a plan.]
