Chapter 28
Questioning...
"Are you serious?" Polybius questioned, doing his best to contain his anger.
Polybius was standing across from Red Arrow, who had encountered Montezuma last night. The Aztec had gotten away, using his powers to slip into his pocket realm before Red Arrow could call in anyone to contain him. However, before he left, he revealed to Red Arrow some disturbing information.
Polybius and Red Arrow knew of each other. And due to their close relations with Black Canary and Green Arrow, respectively, they both encountered each other quite often. It would be a stretch to call them friends, but they certainly weren't just acquaintances. They were in some sort of weird middle space that existed between the two, built on a mutual respect for one another.
"I'm afraid so." Red Arrow replied, "Now, if you ask me, something's not right about that."
"Yeah!" Polybius agreed, "I mean, how did he even figure that out?"
"You tell me." Red Arrow insisted, "He's clearly your enemy."
Polybius shook his head.
"All of this, just so Donna and I would have to postpone our first date." Polybius stated, "What the hell!?"
"I may have something that could be of use to you." Red Arrow started, "There's a mole on the Team. Montezuma may be working for whoever the mole is feeding information to."
"That has to be it." Polybius agreed, "So then the next question is, who?"
"I've got three in mind." Red Arrow started, "Superboy, Miss Martian, and Artemis."
"Artemis?" Polybius asked.
"She's hiding things." Red Arrow quickly explained.
"Oh, I know that." Polybius said, "Oliver is an only child after all. So he can't have any nieces."
"Exactly." Red Arrow said, "And Miss Martian lied about how she got to Earth."
"She stowed away, yeah, I know." Polybius confirmed, "And Superboy may be preprogrammed to do things, trust me, I'm fully aware."
"I'm glad you are." Red Arrow said, "Kaldur seems to be in denial about this."
"Then maybe he's the mole." Polybius stated, catching Red Arrow off guard.
"How?" Red Arrow asked.
"You weren't here, and I don't know if anyone's told you, but there was a serious white martian incident not that long ago." Polybius explained, "We had multiple Leaguers, and myself get kidnapped by some mystery group, that we still don't know anything about mind you, and send in white martians to pretend to be us."
"So then… anyone could be the mole." Red Arrow said.
"Anyone could be." Polybius confirmed.
"Then who do we tell about this?" Red Arrow questioned.
"I'll bring it up with my mother later." Polybius stated.
"And what if she's been compromised?" Red Arrow asked, "What if Donna's been compromised?"
"I can figure out if those two have been compromised, trust me." Polybius assured him, "But for now, we just have to wait. I'm sure, given time and proper traps, we can get this mole to reveal themselves."
"Are you going to do that?" Red Arrow asked.
"No." Polybius answered, "It's not my job, nor is it my place. However, I'm sure I can both pry information out and supplant information in my mother's head. She will listen to me, and that'll be a good starting place."
"I hope you're right." Red Arrow said.
"Come on now!" Polybius groaned, "How often am I wrong?"
"Good point." Red Arrow agreed.
"Now, with that being said…" Polybius started, "If anyone can be a mole, then how can we trust each other?"
Red Arrow was clearly caught off guard. He paused for a moment, giving Polybius the exact response he expected.
"Exactly." Polybius said, "So with that in mind, and now on a second thought, I don't think I'll say anything about this."
"Now hold on." Red Arrow spoke up, "Surely, you've gotta admit that there has to be a mole!"
"And maybe it's you." Polybius warned, "With all this mole talk, you seem to be here to tear the Team apart, making them weaker. A divide and conquer strategy. So I'd watch yourself, as a case for you being the mole could easily be made."
"I'm not the mole." Red Arrow insisted.
"And who's to say that the mole even knows that they're the mole!" Polybius added, "With how far technology has come, and it will go, it's entirely possible that they may not, nor ever know that they're the mole until it's far too late."
"I didn't think about it like that." Red Arrow admitted, "But if that's the case, then everyone's a suspect."
"Yeah, yeah." Polybius brushed off, "As I've said before, it's not my job to babysit the Team, or you, and I'm not gonna waste my time chasing after something that may not even exist or even be discoverable until later."
Polybius cut the conversation off there and went back to his work. Meanwhile, an hour later, Claudia was working at her desk like she always was. She was looking over reports of strange activity in Northern Siberia when her phone went off. She saw that it was an unknown number, but this wasn't uncommon for her to get, as the area code matched The Organization's code. So she didn't think anything of it when she picked it up.
"Hello, this is Doctor Claudia with the search for entity 82; how may I help you?" She greeted.
"Hello Doctor Claudia." A masculine voice answered, "I am Ernie with 'The Organization after Midnight.'"
The first thing Claudia noticed about the person on the other end was the way they spoke. They dragged out their words, but their flow didn't sound awkward. In fact, it sounded pretty normal. However, their voice did not sound comforting and was slightly off-putting.
"The Organization after Midnight." Claudia repeated, pushing aside her initial concerns, "That's that, uh… radio show, right? The one that keeps everybody in the loop?"
"Yes, that one!" Ernie replied, "I was hoping that I could do an interview with you in regards to the recent attack on the facility you work at."
"Eh…" Claudia started as she hesitated, "Let me think about it, and I'll give you a callback."
"I understand if you're nervous." Ernie replied, "It can be quite intimidating, and if you'd like, we could pre-record the conversation instead."
"No, no." Claudia answered, "I just got back to my desk after getting put out of work by an injury I sustained in the attack. As you can imagine, I am quite behind, and I'm still trying to figure out just how far behind I am. Let me find out, and I'll let you know if I can."
"Great!" Ernie said, "If I don't hear from you by tonight, I'll give you a call. Until then, I "ll be walking around this facility."
"Wait, you're at this facility?" Claudia asked.
"I am!" Ernie answered, "I'm here to cover the attack after all! Which is why I'd figure I'd give you a call."
"Okay." Claudia replied, "Well, I'll call you back in a few hours."
"Okay!" Ernie replied, "I'll talk to you later."
After hanging up, Claudia paused for a moment. She had never been a one for interviews, as admittedly, she had stage fright. She absolutely hated giving presentations to large groups of people, or any people at all, and disliked talking to people she didn't already know. Not only that, but she was terrified of news people as she knew how good they were at turning and manipulating words to spin their own agenda. She had been studying the media for a long time now in her search for 82, and she knew just how bad the media could make someone look, even if it was only a very minor thing in reality. Or better yet, nothing at all.
Despite all of this, Claudia was looking for some more influence within The Organization. She realized that even if she genuinely believed that she had found 82, she might not be taken seriously. This would result in her not getting the proper help she needed to recontain 82 and could potentially cause a disaster not even the combined might of the Justice League and all of the Lantern Corps could stop.
And that terrified her more than anything else.
Deciding that she needed a second opinion on this from someone who was far comfortable with this kind of stuff than she was. Someone who was far more extroverted than she was and was able to easily build relationships. Someone who complimented her well, and they ended up in a relationship for a few years.
She needed Irene's opinion.
"Hey Claudia!" Irene greeted.
"Hey Irene." Claudia returned, "I need your advice on something."
"Go ahead." Irene answered.
"So I just got a call from Ernie." Claudia started, but before she could say anything further, Irene cut her off.
"Do it." Irene said, "Do the interview."
Claudia was taken off guard by Irene's sudden but correct jump. Claudia had expected she was going to have to explain the situation to her.
"Uh, okay." Claudia replied, stumbling over her words a little bit.
"Just do it." Irene said, "It's a good way to expand your circle, which we both know is vital down here. I mean, come on! What Ernie is to us is Lois Lane to the Daily Planet. You can't pass up an interview with him!"
"Okay, okay." Claudia said, "Thanks for your opinion."
"No problem." Irene said.
As Claudia gave Ernie a callback, meanwhile, back at Black Canary's apartment, Polybius had just gotten back from work. The young man was plagued by paranoia. If what Red Arrow said was true, and Montezuma had done everything he did just so he and Donna couldn't go on their first official date, then he had to have been listening in on their conversation somehow.
Now Polybius had the vital task of finding out how.
As soon as he got home, he began searching for any evidence of wiretapping. While Montezuma had never displayed himself to be knowledgeable in the field of modern technology, Polybius did not dismiss the possibility that he was working with someone who was.
However, what Polybius didn't realize, is that Montezuma was actually a lot closer than he thought.
In the apartment above Black Canary's was Montezuma's apartment. The big man had been living here for years, just so when Polybius finally found out, he could use it against him.
Not only that, but he also had a superb hearing. He had been able to keep tabs on Polybius as he could hear the conversations in the apartment under him if he just pressed his ear lightly on the floor. And even then, that was a bit overkill as he could hear the conversations just fine sitting on his couch.
However, his super-hearing was also the reason he had never gone after Black Canary. As Polybius had pointed out before, if she and Superman ever got in a fight, Polybius's money was on her. One Canary Cry directed at Superman should be enough to bring him down because his super-hearing would amplify the sound of the cry and likely make him deaf if not outright kill him.
And it was because of these same reasons that Montezuma never went after her. He knew that one Canary Cry, and that was it for him. There would be no coming back from that from him as it would end the fight then and there.
So, rather than attack his mother, Montezuma opted to just listen to her. She talked about Polybius a lot, and Montezuma heard every word. He had notebooks filled with notes about what Polybius was doing over the years. He knew Polybius almost as well as his adoptive mother or now girlfriend Donna. And he knew exactly how he was going to destroy him.
Meanwhile, back in Mount Justice, the Team had gathered in the kitchen. Red Arrow had passed on the information he gave to Polybius to Aqualad, who decided to share it with the Team. He did not believe any of them were the mole if there even was one. However, he did take into consideration the point Polybius made and that the mole may not even know that they were a mole.
Aqualad paraphrased a lot of what Red Arrow had told him and left out a few seemingly minor details when he explained it to the Team. And they got the same reaction that he had expected to get.
"All to stop a date!?" Kid Flash asked, "What!? He's that petty!"
"I think you're missing the bigger point." Zatanna said, "How did he find out?"
"Better question, how did he get a girlfriend?" Kid Flash asked, "And Donna Tory of all people!"
"Don't complain." Artemis teased, "Means there's hope for you!"
Kid Flash felt the sting of the insult but brushed it off.
"Focus." Aqualad said, reeling them back in, "If what Red Arrow said is true, and Montezuma did do all of this just so Polybius and Donna couldn't go on their date, then we need to figure out how he found out."
"He told me he wanted to keep it on the down-low." Superboy stated, "So there is a very short list of suspects."
"And that's saying someone told them." Artemis pointed out, "He may have listened in on a conversation. From what I hear, he can go in and out of a 'pocket realm,' right?"
"He can." Aqualad confirmed, "However, it's unknown how it works. We don't know if he makes a portal anywhere he wants or if he has certain limitations to it."
"That doesn't matter." Robin said, "What matters is we've gotta bring this guy down. I mean, if he's willing to go that far as to attack some of the world's most heavily secure prisons just so Polybius would have to postpone a first date, then who knows what else he'll be willing to do!"
"He'll probably launch a nuke at Themyscira just so they couldn't see each other." Kid Flash said, half-jokingly.
"In light of this, that actually sounds like something he might do." Zatanna agreed, taking the statement as fully serious.
"Then maybe it's about time we distance ourselves from him!" Kid Flash declared, slamming his fist into the table, "We said we were gonna revote on whether or not we wanted him around, right!? Let's do it now!"
The vote was over very quickly, resulting in Kid Flash finding himself alone with wanting Polybius gone. He was surprised to see everyone now on the side of keeping Polybius around, as last time the vote had been tied.
"Dude." Robin started, "You're the only person who doesn't like him."
"He's overrated!" Kid Flash snapped back, "Not to mention he's a douche!"
"That's because every time you interact with him, you get hostile." Miss Martian pointed out.
"He started it!" Kid Flash said.
"Because he doesn't like your constant flirting." Artemis said, "And honestly, I don't blame him. Especially when you flirt with his mom right in front of him! That, honestly, is one of the rudest and disrespectful things I've ever seen. If you're gonna do it, at least do it when he's not around and can't hear you."
"Let's focus!" Aqualad said, reeling the group back in, "If we encounter Montezuma, we need a plan."
"Well first and foremost, no touching." Superboy said, "From what I hear if he starts to pull you into his pocket realm, there is no escaping it."
"So we'll be forced to rely on ranged attacks." Aqualad said.
As the Team began to formulate a plan as to how to deal with Montezuma if they should ever encounter him meanwhile, Donna was finally enjoying some downtime. The constant fighting of criminals she had endured was now taking a physical toll on her. Her entire body ached, and she felt physically weak. And while she could still put up a good fight, she was feeling a little doubtful about her odds of victory over even some of the weaker villains she faced.
However, now that Diana had returned from voting on new Justice League members, Donna could finally catch a break. So she laid in her bed and relaxed while Diana went off and patrolled. However, while she was indeed quite sore and weak, she didn't feel tired or exhausted. In fact, she felt like she had quite a bit of energy and decided to give her now official boyfriend a call over facetime.
"Hey Polybius!" Donna greeted happily.
"Hey Donna!" Polybius replied, matching her tone; however, it quickly turned serious when he added, "I need to tell you something important."
"You can tell me anything!" Donna assured him.
Polybius then went on to explain the situation to her in regards to Montezuma. She shared the same reaction as he did when Red Arrow had told him and was pissed about it.
"I don't blame you." Polybius told her, "I am just as equally as pissed about this as you are."
"How did he find out!?" Donna demanded, "I wanted to keep this circle small! Now everyone's gonna know!"
"Look, I think the League will respect our wishes on keeping our relationship on the down-low." Polybius assured her, "And I mean, they all knew that there has always been something more between us than 'just best friends.' Us becoming official shouldn't surprise anybody."
"I know." Donna admitted, "But that doesn't mean I like people knowing."
"Yeah, well, the people of Reddit have been saying for years that we've been secretly in a relationship, so…" Polybius followed up in a more light-hearted and teasing tone.
"I don't care what they think." Donna replied.
"Good, cause I don't either." Polybius said, "But I do care about you. And I just want to keep you in the loop of what's going on."
"Thank you." Donna said, "And I wish I could get up and we could do this date right now!"
"Oh?" Polybius followed up, concerned now in his tone, "Are you alright?"
Donna then explained to him about her current physical state.
"Ah, totally understand." Polybius assured her, "Been there before."
"I know you have." Donna said, "Hopefully we can do this date soon."
"We will do this very soon." Polybius assured her, "I promise."
Donna smiled as she knew she was a lucky girl to have him. When Polybius made a promise, he always kept it. And while she already knew they were gonna have their first date sooner rather than later, hearing that gave her a sense of assurance it would happen.
The two chatted for a while longer until Dinah got back to the apartment. At which point, Polybius and Donna ended their conversation and hung up.
"Hey Mom!" Polybius greeted as he walked into the kitchen.
"Hi Polybius." Dinah replied, "Hey, I need to talk to you about something."
"Hey, convenient, cause I need to update you on the Montezuma situation." Polybius said.
"You first then." Dinah said, "What I've got can wait."
Polybius then proceeded to explain what had happened to her and why Montezuma did what he did. And she had the same reaction as everyone else.
"I have no idea how he figured that out." Dinah said, "Although, I do feel concerned that he may be listening in on us right now."
"That may be true." Polybius agreed, "And if that's so, then we shouldn't have these conversations here anymore."
Polybius then motioned to the door. Dinah picked up on what he was nonverbally saying, and the two left the apartment to find a better place to talk.
Meanwhile, Claudia shifted awkwardly in her seat as despite being pumped up by Irene beforehand, she was still nervous. Ernie wanted to get the interview done as soon as possible so he could push the story while the raid was still relevant. So the two had agreed to meet up later that day as Ernie was in the facility. Now, she was just waiting for him to arrive.
And sure enough, She saw the man turn the corner.
Ernie was surprisingly short, and Claudia could tell he wasn't much taller than herself, if he even was. However, despite his short stature, he did possess a somewhat muscular build, as his sleeves were tightly hugging his biceps. He also sported a short beard and a well-groomed combover.
"Hello, ma'am." Ernie greeted as he approached her, "Are you, Claudia?"
"Yes, I am." Claudia said, standing up to shake his hand.
"Great!" Ernie said, staking her hand before the two sat down and began their interview.
As Claudia recalled the events of what had happened to her, she couldn't help but get put off by Ernie's way of talking. With how he dragged out his words, his flow shouldn't sound normal, and it really put her off.
She also noticed that every time Ernie was about to ask her a question, he would run the eraser end of his pencil along the lines of his combover.
Their interview wasn't a long one, as Claudia was knocked out for most of the raid. However, seeing as she really shouldn't have survived that raid considering the position she was in, it did make her story fascinating.
"Thank you." Ernie said as the interview finished, "Now before I go, I would like to ask a question that I'm sure everyone wants to know. Is 82 coming back, or is it gone forever?"
"82 will be back one day." Claudia assured him, "And when he does, I'll be ready."
"Glad to hear!" Ernie said, "Now, make sure you tune in Saturday when I put this story out. Remember, we always start after midnight."
"I will." Claudia lied, having no intentions of turning into the radio show, "I sure will."
Not long after that, the two went their separate ways, and Claudia felt a massive wave of relief wash over there as the interview was finally over. It was a huge step outside of her comfort zone, and now she could get back to work on finding entity 82.
Hey, I'm super sorry about the long delay, but my computer decided to have three different problems happen at once, and with the pandemic putting a huge strain on my income, it's taken me a while to get a replacement computer. That, and I've also been trying to work a side hustle as well to try and make some extra money to pay for the computer.
But regardless, I'm back now and hope to stay consistent with uploads again.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter, don't be afraid to let me know what you think of it and as always, have a good one!