Camille stretched out her arms into the early summer morning, she always knew it would be a fine day when she couldn't feel the temperature of the air. Outside had the salty fragrance of the sea and the birds chattered in the trees. The sky was blue with just a few stratus clouds making their unhurried way toward the ocean. The sun was already beaming down from above, promising more heat as the day progressed.
The reconstruction of Amnesty Bay was underway. Wooden beams were scattered around the beach, providing the skeleton of future homes. Camille was determined to assist in the building, but her mind was elsewhere. It was somewhere deep in the water's surface, in the midst of a heavy debate. She wanted to help Arthur reclaim his title as King, but didn't want to interfere where she wasn't wanted. The entire situation was headache inducing.
Luckily for her, fate had already compacted her thoughts into a single opportunity. It appeared as she approached her fellow cops. The two of them were standing by a nearby tree, speaking in hushed tones as the waves lapped upon the shore behind them. Her footsteps made them jump, but they swiftly relaxed again once they saw that it was her.
"A little on edge today, are we?" Camille teased, crossing her arms and joining the two men that towered above her.
"Hard not to be after what happened." Officer John Heath replied seriously. "That tsunami literally came out of nowhere; Ijust got off the phone with S.T.A.R. Labs. No weird readings, no weather conditions to cause it... It was done on purpose somehow."
Every muscle in Camille's body tensed, but she forced a reply to leave her frozen lips. "R-Really?"
The other officer nodded; Dean Winston was his name. They both looked as if they could be siblings with messy brown hair, green eyes, and a similarly bulky build. "This shit's too weird to be natural. Lieutenant Warnel's meeting us here to explain the whole thing."
Camille's heart almost leapt from her chest at the fright this gave her. How could they possibly know about this? She hadn't told a single soul, and Arthur hadn't left the lighthouse...
Before she had time to even consider the possibilities, a woman was walked towards them. She was broad-shouldered and severe, her blond hair twisted into the tightest of buns. She had a strangely blank, moon shaped face, wire-framed spectacles, and no makeup apart from a smear of brown lipstick.
Her eyes briefly lingered over the badges clipped to each of the officer's shirts, checking them for authenticity before continuing forward. This time her eyes remained on solely Camille. "Who's the shorty?"
Camille's cheeks immediately flared bright red, but she bit down the urge to throw an insult back. It wasn't worth it... and she had more important things to worry about. "I was assigned to Amnesty Bay permanently. I guess you could say that this is my turf."
John nodded as if to confirm her words as fact. "Best to include her in this conversation. She needs to know."
The woman simply gave Camille one more fleeting glance before nodding. If anything, she looked pleased that there was one more person present. "I'm not meant to be sharing this information, but we need this knowledge out there in the force."
The woman handed a dossier to Officer Heath, who cautiously peered inside. Camille could see that the folder was labelled with the acronym 'A.R.G.U.S.'.
"Atlanteans. Some of you might have heard of them, some of you might not have. They're an ancient warrior race, led by their King... Aquaman."
Officer Heath contained a laugh at the mention of Aquaman being a King.
"They possess the technology and the means to engineer something like this, and they have before just not directed at any inhabited areas."
Camille had to peer upwards to get a look at the files. They were a handful of photos, featuring a washed away abandoned Russian town, and two figures in the distance. They seemed to be fighting with spears, or tridents.
"Wait... so these guys could basically wash out any major coastline at any time with this weapon?" Winston mused.
The Lieutenant nodded, glancing around to make sure no one was watching them. "We know nothing, but that's reasonable to assume. This event was the exact same severity as the last, like they have perfect control of the effect."
Camille knew that Ocean Master must've been behind the tsunami. It definitely wasn't Arthur. "But these Atlantean people aren't all bad, right? Aquaman's on the Justice League."
"Fish boy's been gone for months, I saw it on the news." Winston added. "Besides, does that mean we're meant to be okay with a country having a weapon of mass destruction and no intention of letting us know? Just because it isn't a nuke doesn't mean it isn't as dangerous, right?"
Camille was getting a little tired of this. She couldn't say too much. She couldn't trust anyone.
"Look, I know someone. He isn't... in-house, for lack of a better term, but he has a way to get to this place and stop them. He just needs trained people." The Lieutenant said in hushed tones.
Heath promptly pressed "Wait, are you offering us mercenary work?"
With a spark of frustration, Warnel hushed the loud officer. "Keep your voice down! What matters is, this guy needs a crew, and he knows Atlantis inside out. He wants to take them out, to make sure shit like this won't happen again. We were lucky no one died."
The three cops fell into a contemplative silence. Camille finally spoke up. "Does this guy have a name?"
Lieutenant Warnel appeared hesitant.
"We need more than 'you know a guy'." Winston concurred.
"The Black Manta."
Suddenly, every muscle in Camille's body twitched alive, breaking out of its previous stiffness. She recognised that name. He was the one Kaldur'ahm spoke of... his father. An enemy of Arthur's that possessed a submarine that could ensure her assistance in the inevitable battle.
"What!? He's a bloody terrorist! You're in cahoots with him? I'm calling HQ." Heath snapped, before making to stroll off.
Camille latched onto his arm with her hand, and he stared into her eyes, shocked. "John, doesn't this make sense? Maybe...maybe he was right all along, and the press took Aquaman's side. Maybe Manta's just thinking the way we are. He wants to protect us."
She took the opportunity before she could even realise that one had appeared. This was her ticket in.
John's lips thinned.
"Just... check it out with me. I'm not fully convinced either, but maybe we can make a difference this way." Camille pleaded, attempting to sound as interested as possible despite the guilt she felt by getting him involved.
Both of the men took a moment to consider what she had said, but eventually, they both agreed. There was no harm in investigating it before informing HQ.
Lieutenant Warnel said, slight relief evident in her voice. "I'll inform Black Manta of your interest in his cause. Instructions will be...delivered to you."
The air around them seemed to thin once Warnel was gone. They were hit with the reality of the situation, Camille most of all. She was planning to meet with an objectively evil person just to help someone that did nothing but dismiss her. It didn't seem worth it... but the memory of that bank robbery always came flooding back into her mind. He had helped her and countless others. She wanted to repay the favour, no matter how much he denied her of that right.
She knew that there was one person, at the very least, that she could discuss this with. Kaldur'ahm. He seemed to approve of her assistance, which was more than could be said for both Arthur and Mera.
Camille was pleased to find Kaldur nestled in a quiet spot inside of the Lighthouse. He was in the upper wing, right near the light that had once shined over the ocean. It was in a permanent state of sleep nowadays. No one had turned it on for almost a decade.
"King Orin will not be pleased that you have returned." He said as if sensing her presence. "He told you to stay away."
"Yeah, well he told you the same thing and you ignored him. It's only fitting that I do it as well."
"That is a different matter entirely." Kaldur sighed. "I have fought by his side before and will again until my last breath. Besides, I am Atlantean; my place is with the rightful king."
Immediately, Camille's expression sharpened. Being under-estimated was slowly becoming more infuriating. "I might not be a 'metahuman' or whatever but that doesn't mean I'm useless." Camille crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow. "I just got a ticket into Black Manta's mercenary group. That's how you can steal his stuff; I can get inside."
Kaldur's brow thinned. "...How?"
"He's recruiting cops from places hit by tsunamis, pinning the damage on Atlantis."
Kaldur paused for a while, then continued "...I must admit, that is a clever tactic. Be that as it may, I cannot allow you to risk your life."
"I'm not asking for your permission." Camille said sternly. "I'm telling you that I have a lead, and I'm going to take it with or without your approval."
He looked extremely reluctant, but also aware of the fact that her plan was the best one that they had. A sigh whistled between his teeth as he spared her a quick nod. There was, apparently, no convincing her against this anyway. It would be a waste to not consider the benefits that could be gained. "This is the only opportunity we have been given...despite the risk...the King must be informed."
"There is no need." A different voice boomed throughout the room. Camille was made to jump half a foot in the air and spin around with a swiftness that left a kink in her neck. Arthur stood at the doorway, eyes piercing through the dark.
Kaldur pushed to his feet and bowed his head lowly.
"You will not go." Arthur stated bluntly, gaze automatically falling onto Camille. "Stop interfering. This is beyond your capabilities."
Camille's top lip twitched in anger. Perhaps he was simply being realistic about the situation, or being harsh to avoid her running in and getting herself killed, but Camille knew what her limits were. She was normal even by police standards; she had no special abilities, her grades were average and her height often left her unnoticed by the rest of the world. She wasn't fast, but she wasn't slow either. She wasn't strong, but she also wasn't weak. There was only one thing she could say to her own credit - she never knew when to give up.
"You may be a King but you don't rule over me." She said with a strange calmness in her voice despite the words slipping from her mouth. "You can reject my help if you want, but you don't get to decide what I do or don't do."
Something flickered in Arthur's expression but it disappeared too quickly for her to decipher what it was.
"I'll keep you posted on what I find." Camille continued, sauntering towards the door and easily squeezing passed the giant man still frowning beside it. "Do what you want with the information I give you. Ignore it, use it... whatever. It won't change my mind either way."
"Wait." Kaldur called. As Camille turned around, she could still see the conflict in his eyes about letting someone get into harm's way over this. "I will assist you. If you can open an airlock and gain me access inside, we can easily commandeer the vessel together. Manta will hesitate if we encounter him. I am his son, after all."
Arthur suddenly boomed "Silence! There has been enough death!"
"My King, with all due respect, there was a time where you would do the same for others. That man... he would call you selfish were he to see you now."
The King's entire face sharpened threateningly. This had obviously hit a nerve. "Consider your next words very carefully, Manta."
The word was spat like poison from his lips, filled with such anger that even Camille felt the insult tear through her chest. Kaldur's eyes visibly narrowed, there was a sheen of water in them that he swiftly forced back. He bit back the urge to retaliate and, instead, opted for the silence to inform Arthur of the line he had crossed.
Camille, suddenly, was all too aware of the change within the former Aquaman. She had noticed it in small parts, but now it hit her like a truck steering off the road. "You're only attacking him because you know it's the truth... I had to convince you to even attempt to save Amnesty Bay. The man that I met two years ago, the one that inspired me to be better than I was, never would have needed that reminder."
The atmosphere tensed around them, Camille could feel it weigh heavily on her shoulders. Still she didn't regret what she said, not even when Arthur stormed away with a low, intimidating growl. He needed to be told. It was the only way he could become aware of how far he had fallen.
"Forgive him." Kaldur said lowly. "He's been through much in the past few months... He doesn't mean what he says."
"I'm more concerned about you." She replied with a sympathetic look.
"I can handle it." was his reply, said with an air of certainty. "I owe him more than a few hurtful words."
Camille bit her lip but nodded all the same. It wasn't a subject that he wanted to remain on, she could tell that much. "Alright. I'll let you know when it's time to go."
Aqualad gave a very brief but grateful smile. One which she instantly returned. Though she would have done this alone with no hesitation, she was slightly relieved at the fact that she would have someone else's assistance. She didn't know what to expect when she finally gained access to Manta's hideout, and so it was comforting to know that there was another mind to rely on.