Chapter 32
Guy...
"And this is Polybius." Black Canary introduced, "He is a close friend of the League. Many of us wouldn't be here today if it weren't for him."
"It is an honor to meet you all." Polybius said.
Standing before Polybius were the League's newest members, Icon, Red Arrow, Plastic Man, and Atom.
"So, what are you doing here?" Plastic Man asked, "I've never seen you with the League."
"Think of me more as like a silent, unofficial member." Polybius explained, "I don't get involved with violent affairs, but I am more than capable of holding my own. However, I hold a pacifist ideology and do everything I can to avoid fighting, but acknowledge that it is sometimes necessary."
"Plus, he doesn't like the spotlight." Red Arrow added.
"That is correct." Polybius said, "But as you all will see when I speak, everyone listens."
"And he would be an official member of the League if he stopped resisting our attempts to make him one." Black Canary also added.
"I'm not looking to get that involved." Polybius quickly said, "I'm comfortable where I'm at, and if push comes to shove, I can always be called on in the direst of times."
"You can fight?" Icon asked.
"Only when I have to." Polybius repeated, "Now, I won't hold you all up as you have to go do your in-processing, but I did want to meet all of you beforehand."
"Well, it has been very nice meeting you." Atom said.
"Thank you." Polybius said before shifting his attention over to his adoptive mother and saying, "Hey Mom, I'm gonna go hang out with Donna for a few hours before coming back to the cave and finishing up with those new sensors you all wanted me to install."
"Mom!?" Icon, Plastic Man and Atom questioned.
"Adoptive." Polybius quickly explained.
"That's odd." Black Canary replied, ignoring the three, "Usually, you're one to get all your work done before you go and play."
"Well, Donna's heading back to her home for a week, and this is the only chance we're gonna get to see each other, so we'd figured that we had better at least see each other once before she leaves."
"She's headed back to Themyscira without Diana?" Black Canary questioned.
"I thought it was weird too at first, but as she explained to me, apparently there's something going on over there, but Diana needs to be here, so she's sending Donna to go check it out instead."
"Okay." Black Canary said, "You two have fun then."
"We will." Polybius said.
Twenty minutes later, Polybius was with Donna at the 'Wonder Palace' as Polybius called it. It was a lovely and large home, but too big for Polybius's taste, but he expected nothing less from royalty.
"So, how have you been?" Polybius asked as the two took a seat on the massive couch in the living room.
"I've been great!" Donna replied.
"I'm glad!" Polybius truthfully replied, with a warm smile on his face, "You deserve it."
"And you?" Donna asked.
Polybius's smile quickly faded away as he got serious. He also broke eye contact and began looking at the floor.
"Polybius?" Donna asked, "What's wrong?"
Donna then moved closer to him and took his hand.
"You can tell me anything." Donna reassured him.
Polybius let out a long sigh before he began speaking.
"A couple weeks ago, I got so angry that I started speaking my native language." Polybius admitted.
"So?" Donna asked, unsure of what the problem was, "How's that a bad thing? Haven't you started meditating in your native language again as well?"
"I have." Polybius said, "But what's been troubling to me is this isn't the first instance where my past has come up recently. I've been thinking more and more lately about my time before I was rescued by you and the League."
"And it's bringing up a lot of bad memories." Donna said, already knowing where this was going.
"It is." Polybius admitted, "Memories I'd rather not remember, and ones I'd rather take to my grave."
"Well, it sounds like you need to take your own advice then." Donna said.
"Hm?" Polybius questioned.
"Well, I know for me, whenever I had really bad nights, calling you always helped me through them." Donna said, "And you know that if things ever get bad, you can always talk to me."
"I know." Polybius said, "I just want to know why this is coming up now? I mean, some of these events happened more than fifteen years ago, and yet I'm still haunted by them!"
"And they all it feel like it just yesterday." Donna added.
"Yeah…" Polybius admitted.
"Well, first off, you gotta remember that it wasn't your fault." Donna started, "You didn't ask to be a part of that war or that army. You just were. And you couldn't leave it either. You had to do what they said or face the consequences for disobedience. It doesn't matter what you did or what you saw, as you had no power to control nor stop it. Remember that."
"I know." Polybius replied in a defeated tone.
"It doesn't sound like you do." Donna called him out.
"Sounds more like the tables have turned." Polybius commented, "Usually, it's me telling you this, not you telling me this."
"Well, it's about time." Donna said, "You're always helping me, always there for me. If I need you, you were there. Heck, on some of my darkest nights, you left your work and came here just to comfort me. And it's only fair that I give you the same attention."
"You don't need to." Polybius told her.
"Yes, I do." Donna said, "And if I have to call off this Themyscira mission to take care of you, I will."
"Don't do that." Polybius quickly said.
"That mission is not even that important." Donna said, "I'm just there to make sure things go smoothly, that's it. I will happily stay here with you if that's what you need."
"Still." Polybius said, "Don't want you getting in trouble now."
"I don't care." Donna said, "I'm not gonna leave you here all depressed! I'm not gonna leave until I know you're okay!"
"I'm not depressed." Polybius said, "At least, I don't think I am."
"Then why do you sound so depressed!?" Donna demanded, "Polybius, we both know we've both been through that Hell before. And we both promised each other to refuse to let ourselves slip back into that hell-hole. And I intend to keep that promise!"
Donna then pulled Polybius in a tight embrace. Polybius wasn't expecting her to do this and was initially caught off guard by it.
"And I'm not gonna let you go until you start feeling better." Donna declared.
"Ah, well then, you've already succeeded." Polybius told her as he returned the embrace, "This always makes me feel better."
It was moments like these that Polybius valued the most. Had anyone told him ten years ago that he would be here, he would have called them insane. He never would have thought that he would have landed into the arms of such a caring and passionate group of people and that there was a better life outside of the war he was brought up in.
However, good things couldn't last forever, and eventually, Polybius convinced Donna to go perform her Amazonian duties as he had to get back to work.
Polybius was a little slow getting to Mount Justice as he did drag his feet a little. However, when he got there, he wished he had dragged them more.
"What the fuck?" Polybius questioned as he walked into the main room.
When the young man walked into the room, he saw the Team and a white martian in the room. He was baffled as to what was going on.
"Polybius!" The Team said unanimously in a surprised tone.
There was a brief staredown as the Team could see the gears turning in Polybius's head. Polybius wasn't sure what he had just walked in on and if he should just walk away.
"Well…" Polybius started, "This isn't the most interesting Thursday I've had. But it's certainly the most interesting one since I've started working here."
Polybius then watched as the White Martian then morphed back into Miss Martian. This initially confused Polybius. However, his brain was quick to remind him of all the times she had insisted that 'she was who she was.'
"Okay…" Polybius said, "That makes sense."
Aqualad was then quick to bring Polybius up to speed with what was going on. They explained to Polybius that multiple members of the Team were being summoned to Santa Prisca and that now they were planning on ambushing several high-profile villains there rather than be ambushed themselves.
"Sounds like fun." Polybius said, "You all go enjoy yourselves. I'mma be here."
"You seem to be taking this quite well." Zatanna commented.
"Well, I already knew Artmis's cover story was a lie." Polybius started, catching the blonde off guard, "You could fool most people, but I know Green Arrow is an only child, so the whole niece thing got called out immediately."
Polybius then looked over at Superboy.
"And you've told me about your stuff." Polybius said.
Polybius then looked over at Miss Martian.
"And you, I knew something was up. I just didn't know what." Polybius stated, "And I suppose if I cared enough to investigate it and figure it out, I would have found out."
"You know all our secrets this whole time!?" Artemis questioned.
"Didn't I just say that?" Polybius questioned.
"We are thankful that you chose to respect the Team's privacy." Aqualad spoke up.
"Yeah." Polybius said, "Well, I'm not gonna stand here and get in your way. Go teach Luthor some respect, will you?"
The Team, motivated by Polybius's request, then left him to go and defeat the villains. Polybius, meanwhile, got to work on the sensors. He found himself alone but working late due to his outing with Donna. And when midnight finally came, he was still there.
Being at work this late didn't bother Polybius, as he was used to working 2nd and 3rd shifts back at his old company. Being alone late at night reminded him of how much he missed that job. He would be working nights here if it was convenient for him.
However, between Montezuma, building closer bonds with his friends, family, and the League, and a few other things, it just wasn't convenient nor practical. Plus, with the Team living here, the last thing they needed was for him to be doing a loud project when they needed sleep. The last thing he wanted to do was be responsible for inhibiting their mission readiness.
As Polybius worked, just after midnight, Batman and Red Tornado entered the cave.
"Polybius!" Red Tornado flagged him down.
Polybius stopped dead in his tracks and watched as the two approached him.
"Yeah!" Polybius called back.
The two then proceeded to explain the events that had just transpired on the WatchTower. How Red Arrow had turned on the League because he didn't know he was a mole. How Vandal Savage was brought down, and everything was okay.
"And why are you telling me this?" Polybius asked, "You guys have never reported this kind of stuff to me before. Why now?"
"Because Red Arrow escaped, guy." Batman said.
When the word 'guy' left Batman's mouth and hit Polybius, it sent off a wave of red flags in him. Never, in the history of ever, had Batman called Polybius by anything else other than his name.
"Guy?" Polybius questioned immediately.
Polybius suddenly had a strong gut feeling that something was very wrong and that he was in danger. And considering his gut feeling had saved his life before, he trusted it more than anything else.
"He must be tired." Red Tornado said, approaching Polybius, "It's been a long day for all of us."
"Yeah." Polybius said, taking a step towards his room, "Hey, let's put this on hold real quick. These sensors I'm installing are time-sensitive. If I don't finish this part before that timer expires, I'm gonna be back at square one."
Without giving the two a chance to respond, Polybius then rushed off to his room at a jogging pace. As soon as he left, Batman nodded towards Red Tornado and then proceeded to leave the Cave. From there, Red Tornado then moved to follow Polybius with a biotech mind-control chip in his hand.
Once he entered his room, Polybius left the door open and was quick to dig into his safe and pull out his handgun. He then proceeded to use this thumb to manipulate the dial on the side to the lowest setting and, when he heard the heavy metal footsteps of Red Tornado, decided to go on the offensive.
Tucking the weapon in the waistband of his jeans and then using his shirt and jacket to conceal it, Polybius then casually strolled out of his room and confronted Red Tornado.
"Following me now?" Polybius questioned, spotting a small object in the robot's hand.
"I thought you said you were on a timer." Red Tornado pointed out.
"Did I?" Polybius questioned, "I'm sorry, I meant you were on a timer."
"Me?" Red Tornado asked, "For what?"
"To do something to me." Polybius said, "I know something's up. Batman gave it away by calling me 'guy.'"
"And that's enough reason for you to doubt me as well?" Red Tornado questioned.
"More than enough considering A, you almost completely ignored it, and B, you've been in the same place as him for how many hours?"
"I don't understand." Red Tornado started, "We've been friends for years, yet the second you think I'm traitorous, you turn on me with no hard evidence."
"Aw, now, don't feel betrayed." Polybius said, "Cause until you explain to me what that is in your hand, I ain't trusting you fool!"
"You mean this!?" Red Tornado asked.
Raising the hand that wasn't holding anything, the robot moved to shoot a tornado blast directly at Polybius's chest. However, Polybius, eager and ready to go, quickly dropped while pulling and firing the gun, landing three shots on the robot before hitting the floor.
When the gun fired, a long purple streak traveling just as fast as a regular bullet came flying out of the end of the barrel. It traveled at a blindingly fast 50 meters a second, and all three shots found their mark. The first one right where, if he were organic, his heart would be, one in his neck where his windpipe would be, and the last one in his head, right between the eyes.
These shots were not lethal but instead caused an overload of all of Red Tornado's sensors, causing him to go into emergency shut down mode to protect his robotic brain from any serious damage.
He collapsed on the group with a loud thud, which was the only thing the Team heard when they arrived at the cave.
"What was that?" Miss Martian asked.
"Probably Polybius if he's still here." Superboy brushed off, "He's probably dropped some ceiling panel."
"And if it wasn't?" Aqualad asked.
This caused the Team to realize that something may be up. They went on the alert and rushed towards the source of the sound. Polybius, hearing them coming, fell back to inside his room and hid out of sight next to the doorway.
"Red Tornado!" Miss Martian said when she saw the downed robot.
"Halt!" Polybius ordered, hidden on the other side of the doorway.
Polybius was listening for their footsteps, and they did stop when ordered. Unfortunately, however, with where his room was positioned, a viable escape route was not really available to him. If they were compromised like Red Tornado and Batman were, he would have to fight his way out.
"Polybius, what's going on?" Superboy asked.
"Red over here just attacked me." Polybius said, "And Batman called me 'guy.'"
"Batman called you 'guy?'" Robin questioned.
"I know." Polybius replied, "Something's up with the League."
"How do we know you're not lying?" Kid Flash quickly piped up.
"How can I trust you?" Polybius countered, "As far as I'm concerned, you all are against me."
"Look, Polybius." Artemis started, "We know you're probably scared, but we are equally as clueless as you are as to what's going on. Why don't you come out here, and we can talk about this."
"I'm not scared." Polybius countered, "I do not fear the Justice League. And, I do not fear you."
"If you're not afraid of us, then why are you hiding?" Rocket asked.
"Cause I'm smarter than the average bear." Polybius countered.
"Polybius." Aqualad started, taking control of the conversation, "We both know that there is nothing we can do to prove our innocence to each other. For now, it's in our best interest to blindly trust each other until we are proven, traitors. Please, come out, and let's all work together to solve why Red Tornado and Batman are behaving so weirdly."
The war veteran couldn't argue with that logic, even though he really wanted to. He knew that he had a better chance of winning by working with them rather than against them, even if they were compromised. However, as far as he could tell, they weren't. Kid Flash seemed to still hate him, and that was the only good sign he had.
"Alright." Polybius said, "I'm coming out. If any of you start shooting at me. I'll drop you."
Polybius then slowly moved to show his body to the Team. He had a firm grip on his gun and kept it pointed at the ceiling.
"Where'd the gun come from?" Kid Flash questioned upon seeing it.
"Call it 'insurance.'" Polybius told him before shifting his attention back to the group as a whole and saying, "Alright, let's hogtie Red Tornado and then compare notes."
After tying up Red Tornado and Polybius explained the situation to them.
"And how do we know you're not lying to us!?" Kid Flash was the first to question.
"I thought we were blindly trusting each other?" Polybius asked, "I mean, we really don't have any other options."
"You attacking a League member is enough reason for doubt." Kid Flash countered.
"Look." Polybius started his tone deepening, "I don't believe in a god or gods, but why in your god's name would I attack Red Tornado unless it was in self-defense?"
"Because you're the one that's compromised!" Kid Flash said, "Duh!"
"Now is not the time for spreading doubt." Aqualad said.
"He's right." Polybius backed up, "Aqualad, break up the Team into two groups. Send half of them after Red Arrow to see if he can fill in the gaps. And have the other half examine drag Red Tornado to the kitchen and have him examined there."
"Why the kitchen?" Robin asked.
"Because that room gives the most escape routes should this place become overrun." Polybius said.
"And what are you going to do?" Aqualad asked.
"I'm going to stand guard in the main room and deal with whoever the League sends to investigate. It's only a matter of time before they send someone." Polybius explained.
"Then why not just shut down the Zeta tubes and force them to take the long route?" Rocket asked.
"Because if they go down, then they know something is up. For now, since nothing immediate has been sent, we know that they don't know that we know that something is up. However, by shutting down the Zeta Tubes, we will reveal ourselves to them, and they'll swarm this place like ants, and I doubt your collective ability to hold them all off. Especially if they are all coming at us at once." Polybius quickly explained, "Aqualad, go!"
Polybius then left them and went to the main room to do exactly what he said he was going to do. And as soon as he left, Aqualad wasted no time following Polybius's instructions, leaving Robin, Rocket, Zatanna, and Kid Flash behind to investigate Red Tornado.
Zatanna and Rocket popped into the main room where they were going to go get the other body from Red Tornado's room. However, they paused for a moment when they saw Polybius sitting on the ground, back against the wall, and looking like he was meditating with a chant they couldn't understand.
"What language is he speaking?" Rocket whispered to Zatanna.
"No idea." Zatanna replied, "I think it's a romance language. I can hear the strong Latin roots in it, but otherwise, I have no idea."
Polybius, however, was actually mentally preparing himself. While he didn't want to, he was once again forced to take up arms to defend himself, and now that the ball was rolling, he was rolling with it. The inner warrior inside him that had been repressed for years was finally able to come back out and dominate the battlefield like he had years ago.
And Polybius was ready and excited.
After finishing his chant, Polybius then leaned back and locked eyes on the Zeta Tubes and waited. It wasn't a long wait as he saw the indicator light above it begin flashing, indicating that someone was using it.
Standing up and walking towards the center of the room, Polybius held his weapon firmly in his hand but kept it pointed at the ceiling.
"Recognized." The voice started, "Black Canary."
And there you go, Chapter 32. Sorry about the long delay, however, the company I work for recently lost my counterpart. We were the only two people there who know how to do that job (and it's a huge job, way too much for two people as it is) and with them gone, I now have to do everything by myself and have no motivation to write as a result. And with school finals on top of that, there has also been no time.
Regardless, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, don't be afraid to let me know what you think, especially who you think is going to come out on top between Black Canary and her adopted son Polybius. And as always, have a good one.