Chapter 33
Proposed Plans...
Hearing that name caused Polybius to hesitate. He lowered his gun and took a half step back, resulting in his body hiding the weapon.
"Why her?" Polybius mumbled to himself.
Looking back, he saw his adoptive mother, one of the people he loved the most, begin to walk towards him.
While Polybius would do what was necessary, there was a list of people he never wanted to go against. It was a shortlist of two names, that being his mother and his girlfriend. They were the only two people Polybius hesitated on fighting as he did not want to fight them if he didn't have to.
"Polybius!" Black Canary sounded surprised, "What are you still doing here? It's well past 1 AM."
"Ah, well, you know me." Polybius said, "I'd rather get the job done before leaving, and these sensors were sent with faulty wiring, so that delayed me for a long time. Now I'm just waiting on the test to see if they work."
"And how long are you going to have to wait?" Black Canary asked.
"I'm just waiting for a 'ding.'" Polybius answered, "No idea how long it's gonna take."
As Polybius delayed Black Canary, hoping that she hadn't been compromised, meanwhile, in the kitchen, Zatanna, Rocket, Robin, and Kid Flash finished downloading Red Tornado's mind into his second body.
"Team! Get out of the Cave!" Red Tornado sprang up.
"Why?" Robin asked.
"I'll explain once we've reached safety." Red Tornado said, standing up, "All you need to know is the entire Justice League is compromised."
"Then we had better go get Polybius." Rocket said.
"Where is he?" Red Tornado asked.
"He's in the main room." Zatanna answered, "Said he was going to delay any of the Leaguers who tried to enter."
"Then we must get him and go." Red Tornado said.
Meanwhile, Polybius had deduced that his mother had been compromised as well. The way she was speaking to him was off, and he knew what he had to do.
"Are you alright?" Black Canary asked as she approached him, chip in hand, "Come on, let me take you home so you can get some rest."
Polybius hated how genuine it sounded.
Polybius let out a long sigh before looking up, but not at her and saying, "You know what's fucked up?"
This question caused Black Canary to pause for a moment, five steps away from Polybius.
"What?" Black Canary asked, unsure of what he meant.
Polybius then suddenly spun around and pointed the gun at his mother's chest. As he did this, Red Tornado, Robin, Zatanna, Rocket, and Kid Flash all rushed into the main room to see what was going on.
"The fact that my mother is on the wrong end of this barrel." Polybius coldly stated.
A genuine look of shock came over Black Canary's face as, at first, she didn't know how to respond. She paused for a moment as she stared down the barrel of the gun and locked eyes with Polybius.
"Polybius!" Red Tornado shouted, "Do it!"
Polybius didn't follow the order as he could see the battle going on in his mother's eyes. There was undoubtedly a part of her trying to attack him. However, there seemed to be an either equal or greater part of her resisting whatever it was, leaving Black Canary frozen.
"Polybius!" Red Tornado shouted again, "She's being mind-controlled! Shoot her!"
"Come on, Mom." Polybius said, ignoring Red Tornado again, "Fight it!"
Then, as if someone hit an off switch on her, Black Canary proceeded to pass out and collapse. However, being quick to react, Polybius swiftly moved to catch her so she wouldn't hit her head on the ground. As she went down, she dropped the control chip, and it bounced towards Robin's feet.
"Uh, what just happened?" Rocket asked.
Polybius then proceeded to gently lay his adoptive mother on the ground and quickly rushed over to the Zeta Tubes without saying a word. He was quick to shut them down, preventing anyone else from coming down.
"Zeta Tubes are shut down." Polybius declared, "Rocket, go get me some more rope and something to use as a gag. Robin, Zatanna, go get Sphere and gather whatever supplies you can fit on it while leaving room for all of us. Red, watch my mother and don't start explaining until we're in the air. I'll be right back."
The Team was taken off guard by Polybius's sudden change in attitude. They had never seen him in a crisis situation, nor had they seen him take control.
"Hold on." Rocket spoke up again, "What happened to her?"
"Some flipped the off switch on her." Polybius quickly explained, "Which means they know that we know something is up. Now quit standing around. Every second we waste is a second our more powerful enemies close in on us, and I doubt our collective ability to take them on. Go!"
Polybius then took off running for his room. Once there, he quickly opened his safe and pulled out a device that looked like a small metal mushroom.
"Been saving you for a rainy day." Polybius commented to himself, "Today's that day."
Strapping the device to his belt under his left hip, Polybius then quickly rushed back to the main room. He then quickly rushed to his mother's side just as Rocket returned with a bunch of rope and a rag to use as a gag.
"Here, Polybius." Rocket said, handing in the items.
"Thank you." Polybius said, "Red, help me."
The two then began to tie up Black Canary. However, Polybius did not like how rough Red Tornado was with his mother.
"Easy!" Polybius scolded him.
"We don't want her breaking free." Red Tornado quickly countered.
"Yeah, well, she's still my mother." Polybius said, "Plus, it looks like she can't fight me for one reason or another, so as long as I'm here, we should be good."
"Better not to take any chances." Red Tornado said as he tightened the restraints.
After Polybius finished putting the gag on her, Robin and Zatanna came back, saying everything was ready to go. Polybius threw his mother over his shoulder and followed them to Sphere, and climbed on.
It wasn't long until the entire Team had convened and had compared notes to discover what had happened.
From what Polybius put together, by listening to both Red Tornado and Red Arrow, Vandal Savage had infected the entire Justice League with a mind-control chip. Much more impressively, without a fight. He now had near-complete control over them. What his plans were, however, were a mystery.
"Well, Friday just certainly got a whole lot more interesting." Polybius said after the group finished comparing notes, "But certainly not the most interesting Friday I've had."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Superboy asked.
"It means I've been through worse." Polybius answered, "And quite frankly, on Savage's part, this some piss-poor execution, leaving all of us like this and making it painfully clear that something's up."
"How is taking down the entire Justice League poor execution?" Rocket asked.
"And you think you could do better?" Kid Flash followed up.
"Oh yeah, I could." Polybius said, "You can ask Red Tornado over here just how bad it would go if I were to turn against the League."
"It would be the end of the League." Red Tornado explained, "Between his interpersonal knowledge of the League's members, plus all the experience he has under his belt, neither the League nor the Team could stand against him."
"And that's why I'm now your greatest asset." Polybius followed up, "Now, Aquald, correct me if I'm wrong as It's been a while since I've been there, but isn't there a nanotech lab in Alantis's capital city?"
"There is." Aqualad said.
"Good." Polybius said, "Miss Martian, take us there. Red Tornado, I need a map of the Watchtower. Everyone else rest because Friday is about to get even more interesting. I'll keep watch on my mother."
Polybius then left the main room and headed back to Sphere to find that his mother had woken up and was struggling against the restraints.
"Hey, Mom." Polybius said as he approached her.
His mother looked up at him and glared. This didn't phase Polybius, however, as he took it with a grain of salt.
"Don't worry." Polybius said, "We'll figure this out."
"Is your mother alright?" Aqualad asked as he walked into the room.
"Just angry." Polybius answered, "Can't blame her, though. I don't know much about her sexual life, or anyone's for that matter, but I know she isn't into getting tied up. Especially in a nonkinky way."
Aqualad wasn't sure how to respond to that but didn't have to as Polybius kept the conversation moving forward.
"I do want to take a moment to apologize for essentially hijacking your Team." Polybius started.
"It's alright." Aqualad assured him, "Although the Team is certainly surprised to see you step up like this."
"Yeah, well, while I may be a pacifist, I do understand that there are times when violence is necessary, and I will step up to bat." Polybius told him.
"Good to know that we have someone we can count on." Aqualad said.
"Always." Polybius said, "And just wait until I get my hands on a map of the Watchtower, and you see the plan I come up with."
True to his word, as soon as Red Tornado got Polybius the map he requested, the veteran began planning the best way to storm the place and subdue the League. Fortunately for the Team, Polybius knew way more about the League than even the League themselves realized.
However, Polybius wouldn't finish formulating his plan as the Team arrived in Atlantis. They only had a few oxygen masks on board, so most of the Team had stayed on the Bio-ship. However, Polybius and Aqualad were able to make their way off the ship and met their greeting party.
Speaking of the greeting party, they were greeted by Mera, who had been informed of the developing situation.
"Hello, Queen Mera." Polybius greeted her.
"Polybius!" Mera greeted, surprised to see him, "It's not like you to get involved in these sorts of things."
"Yeah, well, they've forced my hand." Polybius explained.
"Well then, Savage has made a terrible mistake." Mera said.
"He sure has." Polybius agreed before shifting the subject to something he wasn't aware of, "So when did this happen?"
Polybius pointed down to Mera's clearly pregnant belly.
"Back in August." Mera replied, "Nobody told you I am now with child?"
"No." Polybius answered, "This is news to me."
"Well, maybe if you stopped by more, this wouldn't be such a surprise." Mera countered.
"Well, I haven't been invited, and I don't really want to show up uninvited cause that's a bit rude." Polybius started, "Cause if I'm showing up uninvited, that means I'm kicking down a door and whoever is on the other side is about to have the worst day of their life."
"If that's the case, then assuming everything turns out well, why don't you come by next Friday?" Mera offered, "We would be honored to host you."
"Sure." Polybius replied, "I'll be here so long as victory is with us today."
About an hour later, Polybius had formulated a plan and gathered the Team to brief them on what he thought was the best course of action based on what he knew.
"Alright." Polybius started, "So based on what we know, the League is beyond reasoning and will have to be taken down by force. We also have enough reason to believe that they know that we know what's going on to a partial extent."
"Hold on." Kid Flash spoke up, "Who put you in charge?"
"I did." Polybius countered, "Now shut up and listen."
Polybius's quick snap took Kid Flash off guard as usually when Polybius fired back, they were always deep-cutting insults that he would then pour salt on top of if he stuck around. Hearing Polybius be so quick and direct was a little off-putting not just for him but the entire Team as well.
"The risk assessment for this mission is very high, and casualty predictions are either you all will come back, or none of you will. And there will be no in-between."
"Casualty prediction?" Miss Martian asked, "You think they'll kill us?"
"Maybe." Polybius answered, "With Savage at the helm, it's hard to say. I don't know much about him, and based on what I do know, he sounds like a vandal and could go either way. However, he may also try to use mind control on you as well. No doubt he'll attempt to regain control of those he's lost."
"Well, they were going after you, so that seems like a good sign." Superboy pointed out.
"My value as a target is higher than yours." Polybius quickly corrected, "Regardless, however, I have identified three separate and potential entry points. I've named them points Alpha, Quebec, and Yankee."
"Why those names?" Zatanna asked.
"Assuming that your mind link becomes compromised, I want him to believe that you all are trying to flood in through as many points as possible, thus giving you an advantage of him splitting up his forces to cover all those points, when in reality you're only coming in three." Polybius explained.
"Oh, that makes sense." Zatanna said.
"Starting at Point Alpha, this point is located at the bottom-most place in the Watchtower. The entry for this point is through a wall into a narrow hallway that will make it difficult to bring any numbers to bear but will also likely be seen as an unlikely entry point. However, in the event that this area is covered and cannot stress this next part enough, you must be very careful in your engagement because in the room next door are the generators to that whole place. These particular model of generators are also fragile. And if more than three of the five are shut off, life support becomes too questionable to continue the mission, and you must withdraw. However, if you breach and secure the area, the generators are your next step. It will be vital that you all shut down the lights, leaving the entire tower in the dark. I've identified generator 3 as the primary for lights and generator 5 as the backup. Those will be the two you'll need to knock out."
"I thought you just told us not to knock the generators?" Red Arrow asked.
"Not THREE generators." Polybius emphasized, "However, you can afford to shut down two while not having to worry about the life support."
"So then we have to stay with those generators then." Miss Martian said.
"Exactly." Polybius said, "The group coming in at Point Alpha's sole objective is to secure and hold the generators. Once they've done that, and the lights are out, the group at point Quebec, located at the topmost point of the Watchtower, will make their entry. According to the map, this room is a massive storage room for League trophies they don't display. There is no existing comprehensive report or list of what's up there. However, it certainly sparing a maximum of two to have a look around as those weapons have brought down the likes of Superman and Wonder Woman before. While there is no guarantee that these items will be there, if they can be found, they will be a huge help in the coming fight."
"You think we can take on the League?" Superboy asked.
"Long enough for the group at Yankee to make their move." Polybius said, "Back to them in a moment. The group at Quebec needs to descend two floors and reach the computer room here. This room is the main computer for the entire place. However, you all shouldn't have to touch it. The point of going to this room is it is directly over the main room, where Savage is most likely to be. Now, if you can take him down from that room, go ahead. However, that is not your objective. Your objective is to harass him from the hole you create in the floor of that room and relieve the pressure off the group at Alpha. The idea is that with you all hitting him from the top, he'll be nervous and divert Leaguers away from the generators and to you. Preferably, a large number of them, which you will then lure back up to the trophy room, and tie as many of them down there as you can."
"And what if we get overwhelmed?" Rocket asked.
"Don't worry about that because once Quebec has reached the trophy room, the group at point Yankee will begin their assault." Polybius started, "Now, Yankee's entry point is located in the conference room just behind the main room. Now, Yankee's job is to take down Savage. You all will be coming in fast and hard. It is essential that as soon as you breach the room, you all attack Savage as quickly as possible. The idea is that if you can cut the head off the snake, the rest will fall into disarray, and you'll create panic. Now, he will have time to recall Leaguers. However, if you move as fast as you should, you should be able to take him down before they arrive."
Polybius was looking at Kid Flash when he said that.
"Once Savage is down, the command should fall apart, and without any orders, the Leaguers should either stop or just go off their last orders. If that latter is the case, then Yankee, after securing Savage, will have to decide if Alpha or Quebec needs more help and then go assist them. If you chose Alpha, then once all of the Leaguers are down, Yankee will then go help Quebec with whatever Alpha can spare. The rest of Alpha will be responsible for securing the downed League members. And if Quebec needs more help, then the same will apply. Once all the Leaguers are down and secure, then it's just a question of storage. Which our friends here in Atlantis will be more than happy to help us with until we find a way to reverse the mind control. Any questions?"
The Team was somewhat shocked after hearing Polybius's plan. The fact that he had come up with this so quickly was startling.
"Sitting and holding?" Kid Flash asked after a moment of silence, "We're a covert ops team, dude! We don't sit and hold things!"
"Well, considering the Team has a record of turning recon missions into target destruction missions, I embraced that in my planning. I know you all will attack them, so I decided to assign objectives instead of having you guys creep around like pedos in a grade school and take them down one by one. Not only that, but you guys aren't really all that good at going undetected for longer than five minutes. So I already know that you all are going to be found." Polybius scolded, "Any legit questions?"
There were none.
"Alright." Polybius said, "Now, Aqualad, this isn't my Team. I don't know what your capabilities are. Therefore, I'm not going to tell you what to do with your Team. This plan is just my recommendation on what you should do, based on what I know about the Team, the League, and Savage. However, I'm willing to admit there are many gaps in my knowledge because I've never paid attention to you guys as far as mission performance. My knowledge only comes from what has been shared with me. If you don't think this is a good plan based on your interpersonal knowledge of the Team, and you have a better one, then, by all means, execute that. Again, this is just my recommendation on what I believe would be the best plan for you."
"No." Aqualad said, "This is a good plan. However, as Kid Flash said, I am worried about the idea of sitting and holding something. And how this plan would quickly fall apart if that third generator goes down."
"Then, if that's too high stakes for you, then don't execute my plan." Polybius said, "I'm not offended in any way."
"But we will keep the outline with the entry points." Aqualad said, "We'll probably drop Yankee, but keep Alpha and Quebec, and have the two meet up in the middle somewhere."
"Then I wish you the best of luck." Polybius said, "However, I am going to stay down here."
Polybius got a roar of disapproval from the Team when he said that.
"Hey now, you all shut up." Polybius snapped at them, "My reason for staying down here is not because I'm a coward, and I don't care if you think I am one for my pacifist ways. My reason for staying down here is if you all should fail, then I can still carry the fight. I don't know what I'm going to do yet, but I'll pull something out of my ass and attack Savage with a new strategy my way. I believe the saying is, 'Don't put all your eggs in one basket.' Or as they say in my native language, 'Don't stack all your bricks in one column.'"
"I have no idea what you just said, but you've got a point." Robin agreed, "If we fail, somebody needs to be here to find a way to stop both the League and us."
"Do you even have a clue as to what you would do if we fail?" Kid Flash asked.
"Well, I'm gonna certainly hit up Donna." Polybius started, "And I know a few people outside the League who could turn the tide. And if it really comes down to it, I'll go full guerilla and start a protracted war if I have to."
"You fighting a war?" Kid Flash asked, "Yeah, right!"
"Actually, I'm a veteran." Polybius corrected, "Fought for ten years in a brutal civil war. I know my way around war."
This got Kid Flash to quiet down. And Polybius, seeing as he was no longer needed, excused himself. From there, he made his way towards the nanotech lab where his mother was being held.
The guards had been told to let Polybius through, and he made his way inside the lab itself. Mera was there, personally watching over the progress of developing a vaccine.
"Geez." Polybius commented quietly as he walked in, "These 'air-rooms' always get me. I walk out of the water and into a room full of air, completely dry."
"Alateen technology is quite advanced." Mera told him as he walked in.
"Not the most advanced I've seen." Polybius countered, "Back where I come from, we have similar things too, but the science of how they work is beyond me."
"Well, you've arrived just in time." Mera said, "Our scientists believe they have already reversed engineered the chip and have made a cure."
"Damn, that was quick." Polybius commented.
"Well, we are about to try out our first attempt on your mother." Mera said, "And I'm sure seeing you first thing will be very comforting for her, considering she's tied up."
"Oh yeah, I'm sure." Polybius agreed.
The two then made their way down to the room where Black Canary was. Polybius stood about five meters away directly in front of her and watched as the Alateen scientist pressed the 'cure chip' into her neck. The thing quickly worked its way under her skin, causing her to go wide-eyed for a second before dropping her head.
"That's not promising." Polybius commented as he watched his mother's head drop.
"Her brain is doing a small reset." The scientist explained, "She should be awake in just a moment."
After waiting for a moment, Black Canary slowly came back to the world and woke up. Her vision was initially hazy, and she could feel a gag in her mouth.
"Here we go." Polybius said as he approached her.
Black Canary looked up to see Polybius walking towards her. She felt comfort seeing him but was very confused about where she was as the last thing she had a solid memory of was being on the Watchtower. Otherwise, it was just bits and pieces that made no sense in her mind.
"Polybius?" Black Canary said, muffled by the gag.
Polybius moved to take off the gag but held a hand up, ready to put it over her mouth should she start screaming.
"How you feeling?" Polybius asked.
"I've got a really bad headache." Black Canary answered, "W- Where are we?"
"A place." Polybius answered, not wanting to give anything away if she were still compromised, "I wouldn't worry too much about that. Right now, we've got we've got way worse problems."
"Yeah, you do." Black Canary said, "I don't remember who or what, but I'm pretty sure I had special orders for I think you. I don't know why I did, but I remember having those orders."
"And what were they?" Polybius asked.
"They wanted you… They wanted to talk to you." Black Canary answered.
And there you have it, Chapter 33! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, don't be afraid to let me know what you think, and as always, have a good one!