Kaldur's Pain

Haunting Memories

Kaldur finally got a full examination the next day and the doctors found 3 bruised ribs, 2 broken ribs, a fractured leg, a mild concussion, several 2 degree burns, and he is massively under weight. They put Kaldur in several antibiotics, 2 different pain killers, anxiety pills, and antidepressants. Kaldur refused to take the last two sets of pills. He took the pill bottles, and flushed the pills down the toilet. He took the rest of the pills though. His routine was this: Wake up, take his first set of pills, eat breakfast, lay down for a nap, and try to muddle through the day. Everywhere he went, someone was watching him from the Team, his mother, and his king when he is at the tower. He would have to shut his door and lock it to at least have a little peace. It was not that he was not grateful for it but he just hated that feeling. The feeling of being weak. EVerytime he walked, his whole body ached. His mind replayed what happened to him every time his mind wandered. Kaldur even felt phantom pain in his sleep. He would wake up screaming and his team along with his mother and queen would surround him and try to figure out what happened. Kaldur couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't take the looks and the pain anymore. He couldn't take the pills anymore. He couldn't take the flashbacks anymore. He would sit at the pool and play with the water. Kaldur could never look at the water the same again. After his gills were slashed, his torturer would throw him into the water, trying to drown him. He had another small flashback to his time in the hole, as he personally called it.

He could see things fuzzily. The blood dripping to the floor along with tears. All he could feel was the heat from the lamp on the ceiling. It was almost burning. He is forcing his lungs to work.

His breathing became shallow. Garth happened to check on him, knowing he would probably be at the pool. He saw Kaldur breathing heavily and muttering a long Atlantean prayer. He rushed over to him and tried to snap him out of his flashback trance. Kaldur skin was hot to the touch.

"Kaldur, wake up brother." Garth ordered.

Kaldur could see a pin on his capture's army looking jacket. He can not tell due to the bright light. All he could see was purple and in the shape of an oval or circle. He soon thought of Megan and how he favorite color was pink and purple.

"Megan." Kaldur muttered fearfully.

"What does the girl have anything to do with this?" Garth asked confused as he went to get help.

His capture walked around the room slowly, like a lion stalking his prey. Kaldur listened carefully to his boots. He knew that they were outside boot, like for constructing. The man drove a knife into Kaldur's side and placed a picture of Aquaman on the wall. The man gripped Kaldur's neck and made him look at the picture.

"No please. Stop." Kaldur muttered painfully as the 'knife' is pulled from his side.

The man throws the knife at the picture and it hits Aquaman's face perfectly.

"Aquaman will die. Just a slowly as you will." The man whispered coldly.

"No!" Kaldur screamed as his eyes popped opened.

He was surround by the Team. He stood up and hugged Megan tightly.She rubbed his back soothing and shushed him quietly.

"What happened." Mera demanded.

"I had a flashback. I remember something about the man." Kaldur answered.

"What did you see my son." Selena asks.

"I saw the man torturing me. He had a pin on his shirt. It was purple in an oval. Or a circle. I could not tell. It was too bright." Kaldur explained remembering.

"Was anything on the pin?" Wally asked.

"Umm." Kaldur hummed softly while shutting his eyes to remember the pin.

"I did not know. It is possible the face of person. The man said something about it being the Purple something and um, I do not remember the last word, started with a 'V' possibly. There was something about his shoes that is familiar to me." Kaldur said slowly as he walked to the meet hall.

"What about them." Robin asked.

"I have heard shoes like them before." Kaldur said as he pulled up mission logs.

"Why are you pulling up old missions logs." Artemis asked.

"I remember that one of us military issued boots for a undercover operation once." Kaldur explained as he pulled up the picture of the boot.

"I still have them in my room." Connor said as he ran back to his room.

"How could know that the pin was purple? You said the light was in your eyes." Wally asked.

"Because Megan's favorite color is purple." Kaldur said simply.

"That is why you muttered her name." Garth said in understanding.

When Connor walked into the room, Kaldur stiffened. He recognized that sound as clear as a bell. Selena saw her son froze and touched his shoulder gently. Kaldur quickly grabbed her throat with one hand. When she screamed in shock, Kaldur instantly let her go and grabbed his head in pain.

All he could hear was a woman screaming. He kept seeing two women covered in blood. He knew it was an hallucination but it felt so real. He saw the faces of the two women.

"No, it's a lie." Kaldur whispered painfully as he curled into himself.

Megan entered his mind. She saw the women covered in blood, looking at Kaldur sadly. Kaldur kept muttering words in Atlantean. Megan tried to slowly pull him out of the memory.

"Kaldur, you need to relax. Just open your eyes." Megan said softly as she sat in front of him.

Kaldur eyes snapped opened and a loud scream is let out. He stayed curled into himself as he started sobbing. Mera, Shalina, Garth, and Tula tried to soothed Kaldur's nerves. The team was in shock. They have never seen Kaldur like this. So broken and torn.

"Robin, promise me when we find this son of a bitch, I get to put his head on one of my arrows." Artemis asked through the minds link.

"He won't have a head left when I'm done with him." Connor growled mentally.

"Or a stable mind to think with." Megan said as her whole shook with anger and rage.

"Enough. We need to at least figure out what happened to him on that run. Connor and Wally will stay here while me, Artemis, and Megan will go to the kidnapping site." Robin explained as he, Artemis and Megan walked to the zeta beam and headed off to Port City.