Part 2 of The Laughing Fish
In the aftermath of the Laughing Fish fiasco, the Intern is greeted by a familiar friend. However, his motives may not be as pure as originally thought.
Prequel: Death of a family
The Intern: The Laughing Fish
The Intern: Outreach Gala
The Intern: Visiting an old friend
The Intern: Chemical Valley
The Intern: Billionaire Boys Club
Staring out at the Atlantic Ocean, I munch on my pathetic excuse for a lunch. The PB&J has a slight twinge of fish to it. The smell alone caused my appetite to disappear. I will never look at smoothies the same way ever again.
On the dock behind me, something slams with a loud SPLAT. With a slight sigh, I slowly turn to face the next problem. A carp the size of a child shakes the deck. Its large eyes stare up at me in terror. I shrug. Due to recent developments, the danger level of invasive species has fallen below my list of worries.
"Oh buddy, what are you doing?" I coo picking the big guy up by the tail, "You know better than to swim this far downstream."
The toddler-sized silver cyprinid flops pathetically. His glassy innocent gaze makes my heart swell. I lug the big guy back into the harbor with a light swing.
"That was a lot of compassion for an invasive species." A deep voice comments from behind me.
Turning my attention to the man, I shrug. The Justice League emblem catches my attention immediately.
"Man, they really let anybody on these emergency sites," I reply with a smile. "It's always good to see you, Arthur."
With his sandy blond hair and sunkissed skin, this man could star in Baywatch, yet he is hanging with the ghouls on Gotham Pier.
"Hey Y/N," Arthur greets with firm handshake, "How's Supes?"
My fingertips start tingling the moment he releases my hand.
"Still meddling in my personal life while I'm in school. You ever get that Kryptonite out of the water supply?"
I rub my palms together to distract from the sensation.
"Eventually," He winks, "Speaking of, where is the man of the hour?”
I point to the group of men talking. Dr. Harris, the Dock Master, the Commissioner, and Detective Gordan are all in an argument. Batman watches them all from the shadows. Dr. Harris glowers at the Mayor.
"Why aren't you with them?"
The Dock Master flashes red in the face before he takes a swing at the Commissioner's head. Arthur slowly nods in understanding.
"You are welcome to sit at the Intern table if you want to avoid the boys club over there." I joke gesturing to my discarded PB&J
The Sea king marches towards the angry group of men with the confidence of a politician. If Batman asked for backup, we must really be desperate.
A chilly gust of wind creates goosebumps down my spine. The strain from the day aches in my bones. With heavy eyelids, I sag in exhaustion. Dr. Harris has disappeared of course, so my only ride home is out of commission.
"Kid, do you ever go home?" Arthur chids cutting through my drowsy haze, "I hate to break it to you, but they can survive without the intern."
The dock creaks slightly as he takes a seat next to me. His heavy gaze rests on the thermos in my palms.
"My ride is currently picking fights with the Mayor." I groan twisting the lid off.
Arthur laughs leaning back on his hands. The gold plating of his suit shimmers in the moonlight. I take a swig of the bitter liquid.
"I don't know how you do it. Those guys are something else."
Spoiler and Red Robin nod in greeting. I give a slight wave in response from across the dock.
“You get used to the intensity… They don’t trust very many people.”
The deck shifts as he takes a step closer.
I laugh bitterly while rubbing my temples. The long day has left a throbbing sensation behind my eyes.
A few minutes later, I respond.
Arthur’s right of course. Dr. Harris has most certainly forgotten about my existence . Stumbling to my feet, I make a move toward my back pack farther back on the deck.
"Y/N wait!" Arthur calls in a panic.
Looking back at him, my world shifts upside down. Arthur's expression suddenly shifts. No longer jovial the man lunges toward me, yet his fingertips barely graze my wrists. Within moments, the wind whistles past my ears. The sudden change of momentum is paralyzing. Is this... flying? The upward movement slowly comes to a stop before I start to plummet back down to the dock.
Tears cloud my vision, but I can vaguely make out the Professor's horrified demeanor. An incoherent shout escapes his mouth. It’s funny. I’ve never seen him so frightened. Annoyed yes. Angry. Frequently… but terrified… It makes the sudden drop so much worse.
It doesn't take very long for each vigilante to rush in my direction. Against my better judgment, I spread my arms and legs out to slow my descent. The wind whistles past my ears. Paralyzed with fear, I can't even manage a scream.
As I plummet towards the jagged rocks, I reflect on my final moments. Gotham does look awfully pretty today. The stars shine bright against the light pollution. As horrific as the Joker fish appear, the shutdown inadvertantly cleared the sticky film from the boats. The harbor glows from the break.
My last thought before impact is, "Maybe this was the joke after all."
I awake to the smell of sea salt, the gentle rocking of waves, and a windpipe full of water. Panic wells in my water-logged chest. Clawing at my throat, I gasp for air to no avail. I am going to die. My heart pounds so loudly that it rings in my ears.
"Shhhhh.... It's okay... You are going to be okay." A voice reassures, "I've got you."
Lunging away from my savior, I frantically crawl away. My vision blurs. The golden sand burns my feet. With one final sputter, I cough up the last bit of water. Collapsing on my back, I soak up the sun's morning rays. My entire back stings from the impact.
A shadow falls over my fallen figure. Opening one eye, I squint up at the man. The figure loams over me in a cascade of shadows.
"You are blocking my sun," I murmur covering my eyes with a hand.
"My most sincere apologies," The man remarks with a devilish smile, "You remember me?"
The voice jumps my memory. Arthur’s blinding white teeth glisten in the shadow.
"Unfortunately," I groan wiping the sand off my wet cargo pants, "What the hell?”
Arthur's face ties a visual to my most recent memory. The dock. I stumble to my feet suddenly realizing the situation I'm in.
"Oh no. What the hell happened?"
"Do you know why an Atlantean would want to kill you?" He questions
I shake my head in disbelief.
Arthur's eyes look different in the light. His shark like gaze holds a quiet intensity. Circling me not as prey, but as something he can't quite put his finger on. Arthur turns around to walk farther up the beach. The white sand causes me to hesitate. We aren't in Gotham anymore
Trailing behind the hulking man, I do my best to ring out my uniform. The mandated cargo pants were built to soak up acid before it could touch skin. Typically, the pants are great in the field with the half dozen pockets I keep snacks in. Unfortunately for me, the designers never expected to go swimming in them. With each step, the pants swish & chafe against my thighs.
"Where are we?" I question struggling to keep up with his large strides.
Arthur shrugs. Running a hand through his hair, he thinks for a moment.
"My guess would be somewhere in the Caribbean."
My jaw drops. I stop in my tracks. Gasping like a fish, I exclaim.
"The Caribbean???! I can't be in the Carribean!"
An amused smile watches my outburst.
"Now, why can't you be in the Carribean?"
Throwing my hands in the air, I search for any reason not to start an interspecies war. A seagull flies away at my sudden movement.
".Because...I have work tomorrow. Everyone thinks I'm dead!"
"So, your solution is to immediately go back where they can target those you love?" Arthur retorts, “We don’t know who we are dealing with.”
I cross my arms in annoyance. Fine.
“What would you suggest then?”
"Go off grid for a few hours.”
“I’m serious. Whoever you pissed off means business.
"What about the fish in Gotham Harbor?" I question glancing around for any suspicious onlookers.
Nobody gives us a second glance.
"I've got people on that. We’ll have this all sorted out by the end of the day.”
At my bewildered expression, he continues
"Commander of the Seas... Remember?."
I slide into a seated position. The white sand seems to glow against the midday sun. The choice seems simple enough. Write an incident report or explore an underwater city. The gentle ocean breeze flows around me in a salty embrace. Gotham can be so gloomy sometimes... Would it be such a bad thing if I pressed pause on my life for a few hours? Thirty feet from us a woman basks in the summer sun . Every couple of minutes, she takes a sip from her fruity cocktail. I've never wanted to be someone more.
"Fine... a few hours couldn’t hurt.”
Arthur smiles like he won a medal. 1st place in tricking drenched and overworked interns.
"Not so fast Mr. Curry. I'm not going anywhere until you buy me a drink.”
With a somber nod, he stretches out his palm for me to shake.
The waves crashing against the shore make for a pleasant distraction from my worries. The salty sea air is a drastic change from the waters of Gotham city. With the sunshine warming my exposed back and the charming sea king at my side, I can't imagine a more relaxing day.
"Why do you keep running back to Gotham?"
My beachy high immediately crashes. I side eye him for a moment. My palms get clammy.
“I like to keep in contact with developing talent.”
"Back in my day, we called that stalking,” I remark fiddling with one of the seashells I had collected,
I shift my weight. Running my fingertips through the water, I try to rinse the sudden anxiety off my palms.
“There’s nothing to discuss; Gotham is my home.” I continue dragging the shell against the tender sunburn on my forearm.
With a light flick of the wrist, a nurse shark the size of a child nuzzles against my calve.
"Is that why you ran away?”
Rage simmers below the surface. Keep it cool. He’s doing you a favor. At my sudden shift in demeanor, a large conch shell appears near my pinky toe.
“I didn’t run away.” I respond coolly reaching for the exuberant shell.
Within moments, 3 more shells resurface. Ignoring them, I gently pat the creature’s smooth flat head. It‘s wide round eyes melt my icy exterior.
With a final sigh, I search for something to say.
"I made someone a promise that I would always wait for them."
"Are they worth waiting for?”
My throat closes up. I flounder for something to say.
“They were.” I manage to choke out. “Now, it appears that I have a lifetime until I see them again.”
Tears sting my eyes. A light hand caresses my shoulder. When I meet his gaze, there’s a painful understanding there. He doesn’t tell me it’s going to be okay… or that it gets easier. There is no pity behind his gaze. Just sorrow.
I nod giving my little friend one last pat.
GCPD‘s main lobby buzzes with life. My flip flops lightly tap off the wooden floors. Glancing around at the bustling of the forensics team, something must have went down.
“Hey, what’s going on?” I ask a passing officer.
Briefly glancing up in between documents, he shrugs.
"Apparently an intern went missing. Top secret. Nobody in or out.”
Arthur flashes me a knowing smile.
"From what I've heard, they don't typically last long."
The young man snorts before sticking his back in between the files.
“That’s the understatement of the year.” He mutters combing through the next case study.
We slip past the chaos with surprising ease. Awkwardly, I wait outside Gordon’s office. Am I supposed to knock?
In a surprising bout of passion, a figure knocks me off my feet in an embrace.
"Where were you? What happened?" Professor Harris demands.
His frantic eyes scan my face for any signs of struggle. He ignores my reassurances that I am in fact all right.
“We’ve been scouting the docks for days.” He states focusing on the hibiscus flower by my ear.
Dr. Harris’s mask of composure slides back into place when he registers my tropical attire combined with the man by my side.
"Where did you two end up exactly?" He questions eyeing the sea shell necklace in his eyeline.
“I’m not quite sure. We didn’t stay in one place very long.” I elaborate, “We were afraid they would attack again.”
Professor Harris’s eyes narrow. Following his gaze, I am shocked to find the man beside me has vanished.
"Ms. L/N, we apprehended the man who attacked you days ago. He was supposed to attack Aquaman.”
My blood runs cold. So much for endangering my friends and family.
“Days?” I echo back at him.
The office chatter goes silent in my head. He nods.
“I need a moment.” I choke before storming out the back door.
Gotham Harbor pulsates with life. The sailors peacefully unload their cargo while enjoying the beautiful sunny days. I however sprint past them intend on kicking someone’s ass.
Arthur patiently waits at the edge of the dock completely unaware of the position he put me in.
"You kidnapped me?" I hiss stomping towards him, “You didn't tell me that I had been unconscious for TWO DAYS.”
"I couldn't exactly take you home. Norm knew where you were."
I pause for a moment. Glancing around, I watch as the curious sailors gawk at the scene unfolding. In the distance, Gordon and Harris leans against his truck waiting for the drama to unfold. Kicking him in the shin, I wait for him to lurch downwards before grabbing him by the ear.
"Do not ever lie to me again." I growl ignoring my red tainted vision, “What is wrong with you?”
“It was a favor for a friend.” He calmly replies detangling himself from my grasp.
“Clark.” I spit in disgust.
Arthur stays quiet allowing me to connect the dots.
“You need to check in with them.”
Enraged, I spit, “I'd rather drown Fish boy."
Turning on my heel, I stomp down the dock. The wooden planks creak as I stroll past.
"I can make that happen." He calls watching me leave.
Gordan narrows his eyes in disgust. Glancing at Harris, he winces, "I expect you can take care of this."
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