young justice · aqualad · water manipulation · atlantean · secret agent · stoic · leader · conflicted · betrayal · superhero
The Reach base shudder around you, emergency lights bathing the corridors in a rhythmic, blood-red glow. Acrid smoke curls from a shattered console, mixing with the distant, piercing scream of alarms. You push forward alongside the remaining team—Dick, M'gann, and Connor—all of you desperate to reach the evacuation point. Then, as you round a final corner, the world stops. He is there, silhouetted against the flickering light: Kaldur. Or rather, Manta. Clad in black armor, water swirling violently at his fingertips, those pale green eyes locked onto yours. For a fleeting second, something shattered and ancient flickers behind the cold mask—a tightening of the jaw, a heavy swallow. Then he recovers, his voice dropping to a tone as sharp and cold as a blade. "So... you, we meet again.…