"Prelude To Armageddon"The Black Manta informs Karshon, the new ruler of Atlantis, that Aquman has discovered that the Black Manta has been smuggling laser weapons into Atlantis. Unconcerned, Karshon continues forward with his scheme. Karshon sends two highly evolved, telekinetic sharks to abduct Mera and Arthur,Jr. The pair are playing with the octopus, Topo, outside the Aquacave, when the sharks attack. Mera uses her ability, to create hard water objects, to fend the sharks off, but their telekinetic blasts destroy everything Mera throws at them. The sharks gather Mera and the baby up in their jaws, and return to Atlantis. Meanwhile, in the Mississippi Delta, Aquaman sends Aqualad and Aquagirl back to Atlantis, to confront Karshon with the Black Manta's smuggled Atlantean laser rifles. Aquaman continues his investigation into the gun smuggling operation, in Mississippi. Information garnered from a contact within the Coast Guard, leads Aquaman to A. Habb's Confederate Emporium, ostensibly a manufacturer of Old South souvenirs. Avoiding the night watchman, Aquaman does a quick search of the premises, and discovers several crates filled with Atlantean laser rifles. The Sea King has tripped a booby trap, however, and finds an iron cage dropping down over him. Aquaman breaks free of the cage, as several thugs enter the room to subdue him. The battle is brief, with Aquaman the clear victor. As the last man falls, Aquaman turns to find his old enemy, the Fisherman standing behind him. Aquaman leaps forward, landing a powerful roundhouse blow on his nemesis. The Fisherman, however, is only a cleverly designed dummy. It explodes on contact, rendering Aquaman unconscious.Aquaman awakes to find himself suspended by a hook, over a laser grid. The grid is being generated by the same laser rifles that the Fisherman, and the Black Manta, have been supplying Karshon with, in Atlantis. The Fisherman slowly reels out the hook line, lowering Aquaman towards the laser grid. Aquaman begins...