In the heart of a secret base carved into the slopes of Khuiten Peak, where the air was thin and the cold biting, a dark room housed a round table. Around it, seven figures were mere shadows, their features concealed by advanced scrambling technology. Only their voices, distorted and cold, filled the space. They were "THE LIGHT," and they wove their web in the world's shadows.
L-1, whose voice carried a glacial authority, was the first to speak.
"So,Atlantis exists. Our spies at the UN reports are conclusive. Arthur Curry is going to appear before the Security Council."
L-3 let out a short, dry laugh.
"I thought it was a myth.A tall tale for superstitious sailors. It seems we have underestimated our own planet's secrets."
L-7, whose voice had a distinctly non-human tone, laced with a certain contempt, retorted:
"You humans always think this world is so small.You need to broaden your horizons. The emergence of Atlantis is but a detail in a much larger game."
L-5, more pragmatic, brought the discussion back to the essentials, his voice synthetic and metallic.
"Speculation is useless.What matters is the consequence. This 'king' will unite the surface and ocean nations. Such an alliance, if realized, would create a political and military bloc too stable, too powerful. It would become far more difficult to orchestrate the conflicts necessary for our designs."
A heavy silence fell, each member weighing the threat of an Aquaman becoming a legitimate diplomatic actor.
L-2 spoke, his voice a calculated whisper.
"We have a contact in Atlantis.Dissatisfied, ambitious. He confirms the king's agenda. But for an operation of this scale and discretion, relying on a local traitor is risky. He could falter."
L-1 leaned forward, his shadow seeming to grow on the wall.
"Your analysis is correct.We need a sharper blade, a more... personal one. Someone whose hatred for Curry is the only motive we need to provide."
L-4, who had remained silent until now, added in a drawling voice:
"The King of the Sea's rabid dog.The one who dreams of seeing Atlantis burn."
A name hung in the air, colder than the ice of Khuiten Peak.
L-1 concluded, the decision made.
"Send Black Manta.Offer him the resources, the access, the intelligence. Let him do what he does best. The ocean must run red with its king's blood. The assassination of Arthur Curry in the middle of the United Nations assembly will send an unequivocal message: true power does not attend summits, it cancels them."
In the darkness, the shadows of THE LIGHT nodded in agreement. The fate of the King of Atlantis was sealed. The first step towards peace was about to become a murder scene, carefully orchestrated from the shadows.