THUNK!

The curiosity of the denizens of the Deep is a rare trait. The aquatic life that resides in that isolated section of the world know better than to poke at things better left undisturbed.

The Deep, so named for the depth at which the area resides, rests far away from the safe borders of Sub Diego. Once a flourishing farm tract, the Deep is now nothing but dead seaweed and rough terrain. A sharp dive over the chasm in the center of the Deep might yield interesting discoveries for the curious, but very few would ever dare that feat.

If someone, or something, would be unfortunate enough to actually slip over the chasm they would run the risk of disturbing the rusted doors that had been tightly sealed centuries ago. The powerful magicks that had shut the thick doors and wrapped them in chains were put in place for a specific purpose. The dark shadows behind the doors were never meant to be free again.

THUNK!

Even though the doors kept the creatures restrained, the pure evil intent seeped out uncontrollably, making the once prosperous land of the Deep now unable to support life. It was as if a cold wraith had swept over the ocean floor, sapping the essence of life away.

The magicks were not only meant to keep the doors sealed, but also cast the inhabitants into a quiet slumber. Should the creatures ever awaken, it could spell doom for all living things beneath the surface of the sea.

However, with the recent activity on the surface world, and the rampant and chaotic energy being shuffled around on a cosmic scale, the very threads of all magic had begun to unravel. Spells long assumed too powerful to ever diminish had been shaken and stripped of their potency.

THUNK!

The horrid Nightmares of the Deep were now awake.

~~A~~

DC Infinity Proudly Presents:

AQUAMAN: The Deep

Issue #1 of 3

~~A~~

"To arms!"

A horn blared, cutting through the crystal clear waters just across the border of Sub Diego, alerting the cavalry unit that protected the city of the oncoming attack. An entire platoon of the Waterhorse Guard arose in formation behind their leader, all mounted atop the huge, armored seahorses that they unit had been named for. Spears were readied and with a wave of his arm, their leader thrust them into combat.

Aquaman, king of a fallen city and leader of the remnants of an entire nation, led the charge atop his own mount. Green mail covered his legs but his chest was bare. His blonde hair flowed behind him as he raced into the fight, eager to stave off the horde that threatened his people. In one hand he tightly gripped a spear, and the other, a magical construct of solid water, was a weapon unto itself.

"Ready yourselves," Aquaman cried, sure that the Waterhorse Guard behind him would hear his commands. He had chosen each of them and taken part in their training. They were honorable and true warriors that would defend Sub Diego with their lives.

Over fifty figures dressed in black rushed them. They bore harpoons and tasers supplied by one man, a man that had given Aquaman too much grief over the years. His own forces, while diminishing, were still a thorn in Aquaman's side. They called themselves the Manta Raiders.

The first assault was launched now that the Waterhorse Guard was close enough. Taser lines flashed by him, some finding their marks in the troops. Electrical bursts shocked the targets into submission. Several of his troops fell off their mounts, but with luck this battle would be over quickly.

Aquaman commanded his mount to dive and to spring up under the collected Manta Raiders. His spear slashed through their ranks, dividing them up the middle. The Guard swarmed around them from the left and right, packing them in tightly. The primary goal was to confine the Raiders' movements, but the secondary goal was to serve as a distraction.

"Keep to the plan!" Aquaman shouted to the Guard as he swatted the end of his spear down onto a Raider.

The Black Manta had gathered whatever people he could to make these runs on Sub Diego. Aquaman was unsure of the reasoning, save the fact that it would wound Aquaman. The feud between them had been ongoing for years. The Raiders had only started coming within the last few months, now and again making an assault on the border.

Wherever the Black Manta was recruiting these Raiders from, they were usually unskilled in water warfare. That was not to say that they weren't dangerous; the Raiders had cut off several trade lines with the surface world and were showing no signs of backing down, regardless of how many times Aquaman thwarted them.

One of the random Manta Raiders flanked Aquaman, stabbing a sharp spear at his side. The former king barely managed to slip off his mount in time to avoid being impaled. He smacked his own spear into the arm of the Raider, forcing him to drop his weapon. With speed and accuracy, Aquaman clasped the hoses extending from the back of the air tank on the Manta Raider's back, ripping them out. Air bubbles fizzled out, filling the hoses and the tank up with salt water.

The Raider kicked away from Aquaman in horrifying shock and began to ascend back to the surface. No matter the number of Raiders the Black Manta sent, they would never devote their lives to his cause. Not like the Waterhorse Guard that Aquaman had assembled.

The Guard was rallying together and keeping the Manta Raiders from getting any closer to the city, but they weren't having much luck in actually dispersing them. However, the plan had never been a full frontal attack. Their second goal was only to hold up the Raiders long enough for Aquaman's real strategy to take effect.

During the charge he had been concentrating on a mental connection he had with all sea life. In days gone by he had been able to gently nudge sea life into doing his bidding, but for reasons he didn't understand, he found it increasingly difficult to persuade them. It had taken a distraction from the Waterhorse Guard to provide enough time for him to motivate his other underwater allies into aiding them.

A pair of lumbering sperm whales crested the horizon and headed straight for the collected Manta Raiders. Their mammoth bodies slammed into the black-garbed mercenaries, knocking the fight out of them. The two whales plowed through the enemy and then circled around, preparing for a second run, but the Raiders had already begun to retreat.

Aquaman watched the last of the Raiders ascend and smiled. The Waterhorse Guard cheered at the victory, clanging their spears together in exultation. Aquaman mentally sent a silent thanks to the aiding whales, conveying his appreciation of their help.

The Guard rallied and prepared to head back to Sub Diego. Aquaman took one final look at the outlying border of his domain, remembering a different time and a different city. His mount returned to him, and with a small nudge from his heel, swept him off to rejoin the Guard.

~~A~~

"Unacceptable!"

Aquaman slashed his hand through the air to accentuate the passion behind his statement. In his private quarters, back in Sub Diego, the once-king stood irritated at his relatively new young apprentice. Lorena, dubbed Aquagirl given her recent aid in several episodes of antagonism, matched his stare with her hands on her hips.

"And what's unacceptable about it?" she replied. "It only stands to reason that the people of Sub Diego would want to open larger channels with the surface world."

"But building an entire new city to do so? Insanity."

"Orin," Lorena said. "Sub Diego is barely able to support the population now. With a new influx of lost Atlantis survivors, the fragile economy down here could buckle completely. You can't halt the progress of a nation because you're stubborn."

"Are you really so naive to think that an olive branch will simply be extended from the surface?"

"It already has. Progene placed a stake in the development of New Atlantis."

Shocked into silence, Aquaman did nothing to hide the frustration on his face. Progene was a surface corporation that had a history with Sub Diego and its place at the bottom of the sea. Its dealings with the Black Manta were enough to make Aquaman sick.

"My people--" Orin began.

"Your people?" Aquagirl said. "Orin, you aren't a king anymore. Sub Diego can decide for itself what is best."

"I didn't see the people complaining this morning after I circumvented the Manta Raiders."

"That doesn't mean you get to decide policy." Lorena finally removed her hands from her hips and shook her head. "Look, Orin. I'm sorry. Ever since the accident that created Sub Diego in the first place, I just don't think life will ever go back to normal."

"Was it an accident?"

"Yes. I mean, no. I mean it's complicated. I don't mean to lecture. Lord knows I owe you so much already. But I think you should understand that the people look up to you, not necessarily as a king, but as a leader. We need your support on this."

"We?"

"Yes. I'm on the survey team in charge of scouting locations for New Atlantis. It's sort of a reward for all the good I've, I mean, all the good we've done."

"I see."

Loud voices came through the door from the hallway. The door swished open and a pair of Aquaman's Waterhorse Guards swam into the room with urgent looks on their faces. They planted themselves in front of Aquaman, bending down into a kneeling position. Orin shot Lorena a look, as if stating that the conversation was far from over, before quickly ushering the Guards to rise.

"Sir, reports have just come in," the first Guard said. "Our scouts say that Manta Raiders were spotted placing explosive charges a few leagues outside the perimeter or Sub Diego."

"Alert the rest of the Guard," Aquaman stated. "Place the city on emergency status."

"More Raiders?" Aquagirl said.

"The first strike may have been to keep us from seeing what they were up to," Orin replied. "Tell your council friends not to worry."

Aquaman rushed off, swimming behind the two Waterhorse Guards and leaving Lorena alone in the room. She hated his stern resignation at times, but had to admit that he was the sole person alive that could ensure the safety of Sub Diego.

~~A~~

The vast sea was easy to get lost in, unless you were a person that had spent the majority of your life living in it. Now wearing his blue and white uniform from years ago, a camouflage pattern meant to aid in subterfuge, Aquaman swam through the dark waters many leagues away from the borders of Sub Diego.

The Waterhorse Guard was sweeping the ocean floor, pausing only to disperse a collection of Manta Raiders if they came across them. So far, since the last communiqué, the Guard had disarmed thirteen bombs, each strategically placed to split open fault lines.

Aquaman had left the Guard behind to round up the fleeing Raiders while he traced the longest fault line to ensure that no more bombs had been left behind. It would only take a single explosion to rock the sea floor and throw Sub Diego into chaos.

The danger to his people motivated him, but it wasn't what remained stuck in his craw. What bothered him was the Black Manta's motives. It didn't make sense. Why would he send so many agents to do his dirty work, and effectively only attack him indirectly? Their feud had always been personal. It wasn't like him to play through third parties like this.

Aquaman had no way of discerning an answer. He had no idea where the Black Manta was and none of the Raiders were talking. None of this made sense to him. But for the moment, he had other concerns.

The fault line twisted and turned, barely visible to the ordinary eye. Orin had been born without ordinary eyes, however. A thin film covered his open eyes, enabling him to see through the water clearly. The fault line, while still difficult to see, was much more evident to him.

He understood the ocean. He knew how it was meant to be. He could tell when something was out of place, and the fault line, while a natural occurrence, was not supposed to be there. It went against the grain of the ocean floor.

For as long as he had been part of the Sub Diego culture, he had rarely glossed over this section of the ocean. The last Crisis had sent a rippling effect through world, changing certain things about the planet. While most of it looked familiar, not all of it looked as he remembered. Plus, it was safe to say that he had been fairly busy over the last year to properly take the territory into account.

The fault line reached toward a dark chasm. There was no evident life anywhere in sight, as if something had snuffed out the nutrients in the terrain.

Near the edge of the chasm he saw the fault line split open slightly.

THUNK!

Aquaman paused, stopping in mid stroke. The noise-had it come from the chasm?

"Orin!"

Lorena's voice shouted out him through the electronic earwig he had taken with him to remain in contact with Sub Diego. He had forgotten about it since it had been awhile since he had gotten a report from the Waterhorse Guard.

"What is it?" he replied. "What's wrong?"

"The Raiders," Lorena said. "They came back shortly after the Guard left! They've—dear, lord—they've overrun the city, Orin!"

"What happened?"

"There were more Raiders than I've ever seen before. Hundreds! They swept in and just started attacking. Orin…a lot of people have been hurt. Or worse."

Rage flared up inside Aquaman. A direct attack while he had been tricked into leaving the city. It was inhuman, and more an act of war than of the simple schemes that the Black Manta was more known for.

He spun around, ready to race off back to the city. Every second counted. No sooner had he turned, though, than a near silent chirp sounded behind him, near the edge of the chasm.

He glanced over his shoulder in the direction of the chirp and saw the smooth, black casing of one of the explosives he had been searching for. His eyes went wide with fear and then—

KRA-BOOM!

Large chunks of rock pelted him, pushing him away. The entire top of the cliff face split away from the floor and fell down into the chasm. Boulders the size of trucks slammed against something hard and metal at the bottom of the chasm.

Aquaman skidded off the ocean floor, scraping his back against the hard and jagged rocks. His ribs felt weak after the shockwave, and the shrapnel, had bowled over him. His body was attuned to the incredible pressures of the water, but even he could be hurt.

The fault line split open to nearly double its size, criss-crossing back toward him and splintering off. Several offshoots surrounded him, each dividing into wider sections by the moment. Sooner or later, the rippling effect would find its way back to Sub Diego.

But what caught his attention was the gut-wrenching noise of metal scraping against metal that was coming from the bottom of the chasm. It reminded him of two ocean liners colliding. The water carried the sound waves easily, making him clasp his ears shut.

Silence.

Aquaman picked himself up and floated cautiously toward the chasm. He surveyed the area and saw that the dead land looked mostly the same. There was no sea life, but if there had been, it surely would have dispersed from all the noise.

He peered over the chasm, curious as to what could have been down there that would have made such a noise. A softly glowing pair of eyes stared back up at him, startling the hero.

He jumped back just as the first of seven mighty creatures, all grotesque and powerful, both in size and strength, rocketed out of the chasm.

The horrid Nightmares of the Deep were now awake.

~~A~~

NEXT ISSUE: Sub Diego is overrun with Manta Raiders! The ocean floor has been shattered along fault lines! Seven huge monsters have been unleashed! Honestly, it doesn't look good. But maybe Aquaman can find some lost friends to help out.