On the 16th day of the hero's 16th year
For one single precious held most dear
By the shade of evil with time in his hands
Choices will be made to determine who stands
The hidden hero will be proclaimed
After a fall leaves him heavily maimed
The day's weather will be fought
By winter, summer, and storms a lot
The land of choice is the original spot
Where she died and now lives reborn
In the world of the original's form
The Road to Happiness, The Long One
A/N: If you didn't get it in the last chapter, when you're a billionaire and want to embarrass your adoptive daughter's new boyfriend, you order wine and let him drink and make a fool of himself. Clark disliked Cal, ordered wine, made him drink, and tried to get him drunk and stupid. Needless to say, it didn't work. This story doesn't need to make sense, you readers simply can enjoy and like it.
QR (Quick Review): Cal is about to confront Batman and make him leave him alone.
Characters: Cal (Your "average" mysterious male), Mason (Cal's best and most trustworthy buddy), Kara Danvers (Kara Zor-El, AKA Supergirl), Jason (Kara's Ex), Barbara Gordon (Batgirl), Dick Grayson (Nightwing), Clark Kent (Superman), Lois Lane (Superman's wife), Batman, Bartholomew, and more that aren't quite ready to be presented yet. (Lots of characters are Out of Character (OOC).)
Chapter 12: Day 4/16
Cal sped towards Wayne Manor, taking the fastest yet most discreet path possible. He made it to the side of the cliff, stopped, and looked around carefully. He noticed a slight ripple in the side of the cliff and smiled. He hopped off his bike and walked to the slight difference in the wall of the cliff. Cal reached his hand out and tried to make contact with the side of the cliff, but his hand went through, making a fuzzy cloud around his wrist. Cal smiled and snuck in. He noticed he was on a long pathway that was extremely dimly lit. He examined the ground and noticed recent and dry tire tracks. He checked outside and realized the ground outside was wet with rain. 'I need to hurry!' Cal thought. He rushed back into the false wall and crept along the side of the runway. He silently made it to the mouth of the runway and peered in. No one was around, but he knew that someone could be there at any moment. He made his way to the top of the cave and hung out in a small space he managed to fit into. He silently waited, studying the various aspects of the cave he could see. A giant penny, a real (?) dinosaur, a large playing card with the joker symbol. 'Mason would love this place,' Cal thought. After a long half hour, the Batmobile rolled into the Bat cave. Cal waited for Batman to get out and make his way to the Bat computer. 'Why does he name everything with 'bat'? Especially all this stuff that almost literally no one else sees…' Cal thought, amused. Batman sat at the Bat computer and began researching something. Cal got up and silently fell to the floor, 30 some feet away. Cal made no noise, but Batman quickly got up and turned around.
"Callum…" Batman growled. The Protector looked confused under his helmet.
"I'm not Callum, although I do understand why you would think that," The Protector answered. "I've come simply to talk. Leave me alone, leave the innocent Callum alone, and make sure you never cross paths with me again. Or next time I won't let you run away."
"If you're not Callum, then why do you contain his blood? And if you let me train you, I won't need to track you down or take you out, whichever comes first…" Batman growled. The Protector laughed.
"My blood isn't my own. My body copy's other people's DNA when it escapes my body. For instance, if you check my blood now, I'm a 36-year-old male named Gregory Adams, 216 pounds, 5' 9", and balding. Don't take my blood too seriously," The Protector explained.
"Well, assuming I would let you off the hook, which I'm not, what are your powers? You seem to have either none or you like to keep them hidden…" Batman said suspicious. The Protector sighed and sat on the hood of the Batmobile, which made Batman growl softly.
"I have powers, but they are… unique. My powers are essentially a tool box. Many tools are available, but you don't use a screwdriver when you need a wrench. I, if I put my mind to it, could essentially destroy this world and the next without a second thought. But I don't because I know better, and your continuous attempts to piss me off really aren't helping my sanity," The Protector explained. Batman narrowed his eyes.
"So why don't you constantly use your powers? You could have beaten me with Flash's speed alone last night..." Batman said in unbelief. The Protector sighed again.
"How do I put this to make sense?" The Protector said. "My brain is like a computer. Each power is some sort of process that makes my brain slower and slower, so if I kept the powers too long, my brain could overheat in a sense and I don't know what would happen. If I use too many powers at once, my brain could crash and I don't WANT to know what would happen then. Without an additional something helping me process it all, I try to keep my powers off if I can. Last night I only used what I was taught, save a small boost in my reflexes. If you remember the gold energy, that's the raw energy that I simply can't contain because it's too much. It's harmless to anyone would touch it, but…" The Protector trailed off. "I didn't realize we could bring friends…" He got off the Batmobile and turned around. "Come on out, whoever's there!" Nightwing and Batgirl appeared and jumped over The Protector, landing near Batman.
"So the party's all here?" a cold voice called from the darkness. The Protector spun around, prepared to fight. Chronos walked out of the shadows and appeared. He wore his cold, frozen armor with a knife at his belt. Chronos had long black hair, trailing down to his shoulders. His eyes were an evil shade of silver, and his face was sharply proportioned. He sneered at The Protector, and Batgirl threw a Batarang but suddenly everything slowed, except The Protector and Chronos. Silence ensued until the Batarang made it to Chronos, who grabbed it, admired it for a second, then tossed it to the ground, where it slowly sank to the ground. "Well, Protector," Chronos spat out the name. "I figured I would take out the mastermind of the Justice League, but look who tried to beat me to it…" The Protector growled.
"I wasn't trying to kill him, unlike you. I was trying to reason with him to leave me alone, but I'm glad I came. You are a coward and you would have simply killed him while he stood frozen. No honor in that," The Protector accused. Chronos laughed.
"Honor is a fool's errand, we've talked about this before," Chronos said.
"I said by what I said, as do you, but I know I'm right," The Protector said. Chronos waved behind him.
"That's all in the past, now step aside. I'm not here for you, I'm here for Batman," Chronos said. The Protector didn't move. "Did you hear me? STEP ASIDE!" His voice echoed across the entire cave. The Protector remained still. Batman, Nightwing, and Batgirl stood in fear, unable to move quick enough to help, themselves or The Protector. "Fine, I'll just go through you. It may be a week and a half too early, but I don't care. Move or die!" Chronos materialized two swords in his hands. The swords were a cold silver, frost dancing on the edges. The hilt made a point, sharp enough to cut skin easily. The handles were wrapped in black leather. Chronos took in the feeling of hold his swords again. He motioned for The Protector to come at him. "On guard!" The Protector growled softly and materialized 2 swords in his own hands. His swords were golden colored, bronze hilted, with the handles wrapped in a blue-green leather. He made his way between Batman and Chronos. Chronos' evil grin disappeared as The Protector warmed up by gently swinging his wrists. With a yell, Chronos rushed him, opening with a rough jab. Cal quickly reacted and used his sword to push the jab away. Chronos swung his other sword, making Cal react with a simple block. Chronos slashed and jabbed, but Cal was quick enough to block each attack, staying on the defense. Chronos became more and more desperate with each failed attempt until a lucky stab sliced through the leather on the joint of Cal's left elbow. Cal grunted and dropped one of his swords. Chronos smiled and kicked Cal to the ground.
"Out of practice?" Chronos taunted. Cal quickly got to his feet. He quickly examined his wound: deep, but not deadly. He shrugged the pain to the back of his mind and swung at Chronos. He blocked, but didn't notice Cal's fist make his way to his face until it was too late. Chronos stumbled back and swung blindly. Cal knocked one of his swords out of Chronos' hands, but didn't manage to get rid of the other one. Chronos quickly recovered and lashed out angrily. Cal blocked the slash and pushed. Chronos stumbled back again and discreetly pulled his knife from his belt. Cal didn't notice and when Chronos crossed swords with Cal, getting him close, Chronos dug his knife into Cal's side, piercing his armor. Cal yelled and fell to the ground. Chronos laughed his chilling laugh and kicked Cal's weakened side. Cal rolled to his feet and faced Chronos. Chronos smiled and prepared for Cal's retaliation. Cal stumbled forward, but had enough energy to face Chronos again. They clashed for a while, till Cal managed to lock swords with Chronos. Cal used his left arm to grab Chrono's sword arm wrist, spinning around and elbowing Chronos in the face. Chronos stumbled back and Cal quickly turned and thrust his sword into Chronos' ribs. Chronos gasped, releasing the slowed time and Cal noticed a silver colored liquid, blood, pouring from the wound. Chronos gasped for air and stumbled to the ground.
"This isn't over! You mark my words!" Chronos yelled, disappearing into the shadows. The Protector made his swords disappear, turned, and noticed Batman, Nightwing, and Batgirl standing there, as still as they were while they were frozen. Suddenly, Nightwing made a move towards The Protector, but Batman held him back. Batman shook his head and looked at The Protector.
"After seeing that, and your explanation, I'm willing to leave you be, but first you need to answer some simple, not private, questions," Batman said. The Protector nodded. Batman turned to Nightwing and Batgirl. "Go to bed, get some sleep." He turned back to The Protector. "First, tell me how you knew him. The whole story. Second, where did you learn to fight like that. Third, how did you get your powers? Those are the one's I'm going to start with."
"Well, I'll briefly answer the first 2. That was Chronos, titan of time. He has a grudge against me and I against him since I foiled his plan to take over his world. I learned to fight from my mentor. He managed to make a livable hole between worlds were there was no aging. My friend and I trained there for 50 years, learning any and every style of fighting known to man. I stopped Chronos the first time, but I recently found out that he had only retreated to bide his time. His pun, not mine. I have been helping out discreetly in this world for almost 2 years. Until yesterday I was almost completely undetected. A few criminals blabbering about a man in armor here or there, but other than that, no sign of me. That's the way I preferred it. As for how I got my powers? I have less of an idea than you do. I asked my mentor many times and each time he answered with, 'The same way I got mine' so I don't think he knows either," The Protector answered. Batman was silent for a few moments, thinking.
"I'm assuming you aren't going to tell me who you are, but is there any chance I can at least get you to join the Justice League?" Batman asked. The Protector thought for a moment.
"Do I actually have a choice?"
"No," came the reply. The Protector chuckled.
"Well then, what do I do to join?"
"Stand on that pad over there," Batman said. The Protector made his way over to the pad and stood there. Batman pressed some buttons on the Bat computer and stood next to him. A few moments later, The Protector and Batman were teleported to the Watchtower. They teleported directly to the meeting room of the Justice League, where the other original 6 sat, with Supergirl in the corner waiting patiently. They were in deep discussion about The Rogue's newest member until Batman and The Protector appeared. They stopped and turned towards the 2. Supergirl's eyes lit up at the sight of The Protector. Superman sighed.
"Batman… What the hell did you do?" Superman asked.
"He came of his own free will. He's going to join us…" Batman answered.
"So why is he bleeding if he came willingly?" Green Lantern asked.
"Long story, I'll fill you in," Batman motioned for The Protector to take a seat. The Protector took a seat and Supergirl moved next to him.
"So did you actually come here willingly or what? You don't seem like the type to join this band of merry heroes…" Supergirl said.
"Willingly, but I doubt I had a choice. Batman's pretty persistent," The Protector said. Supergirl giggled.
"Chronos is a titan of time. He can slow everything down or even bring it to a halt. He is an expert swordsman and extremely sociopathic. His plan seems to be to take us each out so he has an easier time taking over the world. Our new member, The Protector, has had a run in with him before. The Protector is very skilled in a great deal of fighting techniques. His powers are, long story short, like a tool box. Any and every tool needed for any purpose. He doesn't use them all or keep them on so to speak, because otherwise he may lose control and possibly go insane. He knows how Chronos thinks and therefore knows how to beat him. Protector, would you take it from here?" Batman informed. The Protector stood up.
"Chronos' favorite style of fighting is swords, dual if possible. He is ambidextrous and uses both his swords equally, creating a difficult opponent. He still knows the basic keys to fighting in hand to hand combat, but rarely would it ever resort to that. He uses cunning and people's natural honor against his opponents. For instance, if he bribes someone to do something that is helpful to his plan, that someone will end up dead after they have finished their side of the bargain. He likes a challenge, but if it is a high possibility that he will lose, he will then make his work easier by either slowing down time or taking you by surprise. He's far too injured as of this moment to make any moves for the next few days, but be on a lookout. Chronos is one evil SOB and he doesn't exactly take loss for an answer. He will find your fatal flaw and use it against you. Chronos is someone you don't want to mess with," The Protector explained. He looked around for questions.
"So Chronos is ultimately an unstoppable force unless you bypass time?" Green Lantern asked. The Protector shook his head.
"No, he simply slows it down, stopping it takes too much of his energy. He has approximately 12 days before he makes his final move. If you have super speed you will notice the effects of time slowing down, and you will be unaffected, but unable to go at a faster rate than a normal human," The Protector answered.
"How do you know he has 12 days?" Wonder Woman asked. Others nodded in agreement.
"He… How do I say this without sounding insane? He… has a prophecy that declares when his 'final battle' takes place," The Protector explained.
"What is this prophecy say?" asked the Martian Manhunter.
"That's not relevant," The Protector said. Batman's eyes narrowed.
"So you mean that Chronos has 12 days to take us all out and take over this world?" Flash asked.
"Not exactly, in 12 days I face him. It will determine whether or not he has the power to take over multiple worlds…" The Protector struggled to explain without giving away any personal information.
"So what are we doing to help?" Cyborg asked.
"Finally a good question," The Protector muttered. "Chronos has amassed an army. By army I mean a couple thousand of his demonic and monstrous soldiers. I need you 8, plus any other heroes you guys know, to help with that. Mind you, if Chronos is defeated, the soldiers don't just stop. Some may run away, but most will continue fighting in their own chaos until they are down. They are demons and when you kill them they don't die… They simply go back to hell…" The Protector explained.
"So you're going to take on Chronos, alone?" Superman asked. Before The Protector could answer, Batman answered for him.
"Assuming Protector practices his sword play a bit, he's rusty, he will be able to beat Chronos without our help. I saw it today, The Protector certainly has the strength and skill," Batman answered.
"Not to mention I don't want to put any of you in harm's way. Chronos will be slowing down time wherever he is for about a block radius. This will prevent Wonder Woman or Batman from helping me fight Chronos in sword play. Superman, Flash, and Supergirl would be able to help near me, but I don't want any of you fighting my battle for me. Chronos will have a personal guard and will want to watch his army from a safe distance. This means that once Chronos is down for the count his army will still remain, but in an almost complete disarray. Chronos will have a general fighting, and once both he and Chronos are down, the army will turn upon itself. I hope this makes sense," The Protector said. Everyone nodded.
"Well, let's welcome the new guy!" Green Lantern said. Everyone, except Batman, cheered.
-Break-
Cal took off his armor and climbed into bed. He was now an official member of the Justice League, had Batman off his back, Chronos was weakened, and Supergirl seemed to like The Protector. Cal smiled as he laid against his pillow, thinking about Kara and himself, as well as Supergirl and The Protector. He fell asleep, his nightmares washing over him as they usually did.