"Cyborg, come in. Come in Cyborg." Cyborg swore and looked around, making sure no one was around to have heard that. When he was certain that he was alone, he turned on his communicator and almost yelled. "What the hell are you doing Robin? You could have gotten me killed!" Robin didn't move and inch, his face remained unreadable as always. "Sorry." He doesn't look or sound sorry. Cyborg thought to himself. "I know it was dangerous to contact you so soon, but I needed to know if they had taken you back to the Hive's headquarters. Are you there?"
Cyborg sat down on his bed and nodded. "Yea, they took me here and let me in. They're convinced that I'm Stone, not Cyborg." Robin let out a small sigh and relaxed slightly, a small grin played across his face. "That's good to hear. I shouldn't have worried, not after that performance. It was quite convincing." Cyborg winced and asked what he had been dreading ever since he had left the warehouse. "How are Star and Raven?"
Robin shrugged his shoulders. " I got a few cuts when I went through the window and Beast Boy is-." Cyborg cut him off in mid sentence. "I didn't ask about you or Beast Boy dammit! I asked about STAR and RAVEN!" Robin looked at him for a moment before finally saying. "Star's a little scraped up, but she's fine. Raven has a few bruises and is really sore and tired, but a few days rest and she'll be fine, although I wouldn't want to be you the next time the the two of you meet." Cyborg winced, he had to agree with Robin on that point, but he still sighed and felt relieved. "That's good to hear." He looked at Robin again and said. "Look Robin, from now on, never, EVER contact me. Okay." Robin nodded and said. "Okay, I won't. Where are you now?"
Cyborg sighed and looked around at his room. It was a large room with comfortable bed, a huge dresser for his stuff, a closet for storage, and a lot of room for other furniture and things he wanted. When they had entered the base. Mammoth and Gizmo had taken all the stolen goods and headed off, while Jinx had taken him to his room. When they had arrived she had told him. " Everyone gets their own room. They all start off this way, just a bed dresser and closet. But all the rooms are large, so you can add what ever you want. And the base has credit system so that when you complete missions your given credit that you can use to buy TV's, radios, game systems, furniture, paint jobs, you name it, the credit can buy it. I guess that's the masters way of giving us incentive to complete our missions."
Jinx looked at her watched and gasped. " Oh, crap, I got to go!" She looked up at him and smiled. "Look, the master is the one who will ultimately decide if you can join the Hive. When we give our mission debriefing in a few minutes, we'll tell him about you. Then he'll come see you himself, so in the mean time, stay here."
And so he had waited. He had thought about sneaking out and looking around, but had decided against it. And now that he had received a call from Robin, he was glad he had stayed. He looked down at Robin and said quietly. " Look, Robin, any minute now the leader of the Hive is going to come to my room and speak to me. I really don't want to have him over hear us, so I'm going to turn off my communicator and disable it from future calls." Robin looked at him and sighed. "Alright, but as the first sign that your covers been blown or will be blown, I want you to promise that you'll call us for back up, alright?" Cyborg nodded. "Yea, yea, I promise. Cyborg out." And with that he terminated the call and disconnected his communicator from future calls. Then he sat back and waited for the Hive's leader to arrive. He didn't have to wait long.
A few minutes later the door to his room opened, and an elderly man in white robes entered. Cyborg stood and waited, expecting some one else
The Next Morning
Cyborg strode into the dinning hall and stopped in his tracks, stunned by what he saw. The Titans had always known the Hive had a lot of members, but they had never imagined THIS many! There were dozens of kids of every age and size spread out across the hall in small groups, talking, laughing and yelling like a normal school. As he walked in all the chatter stopped and everyone starred at him, the room now eerily quite. As he stood there, wondering if he should smile or wave, Jinx stood up and walked over to him. "Come on Stone, you can sit with me." And with that she lead him through the hall to the where she was sitting. Gizmo and Mammoth were arguing, loudly, seeming oblivious to the rest of the room.
As he sat down, he looked at Jinx and asked quietly. "What the hell is going on. Did I do something wrong? Everyone's starring at me." But before Jinx could answer, Cyborg heard a few people approach him from behind. "Word has it that you trashed the Titans in an open fight." Cyborg stood up and slowly turned around to see who was addressing him. He wasn't surprised in the least when it turned out to be a group of people instead of one person. The boy who was addressing him was about his age, though slightly smaller. Standing behind him were four other boys, and from they way they were glaring at him and cracking their knuckles reminded him of a pack of school bullies.
"Who says I trashed the Titans?" He asked innocently, hoping that the boy would be dumb enough to take the bait. The whole Hive was watching right now, so if he could show here and now that he was the top dog, his job of infiltrating and learning about the Hive would be a lot easier.
The boy raised and hand and pointed a finger at Jinx, Gizmo and Mammoth, who had stopped fighting and were now glaring at the boy. The boy spoke again, speaking loudly so the whole hall could hear. "These three losers say you trashed the Titans and then you all made off with more stolen goods than any one else ever managed." Cyborg starred at him, slightly irritated that he was insulting Jinx and her friends. While they may be criminals, they were still only kids, just like him. And ever since he had rescued her from Raven, Jinx had been extremely friendly and helpful, helping him when ever he seemed lost or uncertain in his new surroundings, just like she had only moments ago.
He starred at the boy and asked. " Just out of curiosity, who the hell are you?" He heard everyone in the hall gasp, and Cyborg had to stop himself from smiling. He had been right. Either this guy was major bully, or he was the best member of the Hive and their top fighter. Either way, everyone recognized HIM as the top dog, so if Cyborg stood up to him and forced him to back down now, in front of everyone in the hive, then Cyborg would have a very easy time earning their respect and trust. And when you have just infiltrated a base full of enemies, having their respect and trust REALLY helped out.
The boy's face grew red and he said with an authoritative tone. "My names Muscle Punch!" He grinned after he said his name, like he expected Cyborg to know him. In truth, Cyborg did know the name. In fact, he knew the name well. He had duked it out with Muscle Punch on two occasion, and lost both. But that was when I was Cyborg. He thought to himself. Now, I'm STONE! And I want a rematch. Just to piss him off, he said to Muscle Punch in a bored tone. "Never heard of ya. Now it you don't mind, your interrupting my lunch with my friends. You know, the ones who actually BEAT the Teen Titans, instead of loosing pitiful and running back to their base with their tails between their legs." When he finished speaking, Cyborg, tuned all of his body covered by cloths into stone and waited for Muscle Punch to snap and attack him. He wasn't wrong. A second later Muscle Punch snarled in rage and lashed out at Cyborg with all his might. Muscle Punch got his name from the fact that a single nick from his fist could send a full grown man flying, and an all out punch could put someone in a coma. Cyborg made his body as dense and heavy as possible and planted his feet, preparing for the blow.
Cyborg felt the blow strike his chest, and much to his surprise, he hardly felt a thing. You know, I never thought I'd say this, but being made out of stone instead of cybernetic metal really does come in handy. A second after Muscle punch nailed him in the chest, he yawned widely for everyone to see and said again in a bored voice. "Is that the best you got? No wonder I've never heard of you."
The look on Muscle Punches face was priceless. When he realized that Cyborg hadn't even flinched or lost his breath, he went extremely pale and began to sweat. He backed up slightly until his friends were right behind him, clearly unnerved. Cyborg could hear everyone in the hall gasp in shock, and a second later everyone began whispering quietly until the entire hall was filled with buzzing conversation. Cyborg waited a moment before deciding to go all out and go for the grand affect.
Cyborg starred at Muscle punch and his friends and slowly stood up straight, rising to his full height and crossing his arms over his chest and used the rings to increase his chest and arms size several times until it looked like his arms and chest were bulging out of his shirt. He also used his rings to alter his legs into stone, beneath his jeans, raising him even higher into the air so that he now towered over all five of the boys. His arm shot forward and grabbed Muscle Punch and lifted him into the air effortlessly with one hand, even though the boy probably weighed close to three hundred pounds. He raised the boy until he was almost foot off the ground, his feet dangling in the air. The boy was now eye level with Cyborg, and he looked terrified.
Cyborg only grinned evilly and said loudly so all could hear. "Listen up, Weak Punch" He said with a laugh, speaking the name "Weak Punch" with all the contempt he could manage. "I don't know who the hell you think you are, but your nothing compared to me. Got that?" As he spoke, he shook the boy roughly, causing him to yelp. The boy only nodded in fright, unable to speak. Cyborg looked around to all the kids in the room, and spoke to them, ignoring Muscle Punch's pleas to be put down. "I don't know who he thinks he is, but I know who I am. I'm the guy that trashed four of the Titans, one after another, in a fair fight. Understand? Jinx, Gizmo, Mammoth and me beat the Titans. All of you lost to them. I know I'm knew hear, so I don't know how things work around here, let me make one thing clear. I don't back down from no one. I didn't back down from the Titans, and I sure as hell am not going to back down from this pitiful bully." He surveyedd the room again and saw he had every ones undividedd attention. "If you don't give me any trouble, I''ll get along with you just fine. But if any one you try to push me around, I'll deal with you the same way I dealt with the Titans and this gutless pig." And with that he hoisted Muscle Punch as high as he could and hurled him across the room into the wall. He hit the wall with a loud thud and slowly sank to the floor.
Cyborg turned to the four remaining boys, and one of them managed to muster the courage to ask. "Who the hell do you think you are?" Cyborg looked at him and said in a calm and friendly voice. "My names Stone. Nice to meet ya." And with that he turned around and sat back down and began to eat. Seconds later the room erupted in conversation as everyone began talking at once. Cyborg looked up to see both Mammoth and Gizmo starring at him, dumbfound. Jinx was next to him, smiling warmly and looking at with what Cyborg guessed was either respect or admiration. Mammoth finally spoke. "Thanks." He said simply.
Cyborg looked at him, confused. "For what?" He asked. Mammoth grinned and nodded to Muscle Punch lying on the floor. "For all of that. Muscle Punch was the toughest one here at the Hive. Even I'm not much of match for him." At that point Gizmo spoke up, cutting Mammoth off. "But even though he's the strongest one hear, almost everybody hates him. He a complete jerk and totally full of himself. When we came back yesterday and reported that we had beaten the Titans with your help, he had become furious and yelled that we were lying. Brother Blood had to reprimand him, which only angered him further. But you not only put hi in his place, you did it in front of the entire Hive." Gizmo grinned and looked over to where several people in purl robes were inspecting Muscle Punch's unconscious body. "I doubt any one is going to be intimidated by him any time soon."
Cyborg shrugged and shook his head. "I didn't know all that, all I knew was that guy was full of himself and needed to be put in his place. I wasn't gong to do anything originally, but once he dragged you into it and insulted you, well, lets just say I don't like it when people insult my friends." Jinx smiled when he said they were "friends", while Gizmo and Mammoth just shook their head and smiled. They both suddenly looked up, and Cyborg stood and turned around, ready encase the boys were back for more.
When he say all of the Hive getting to their feet and heading towards him, he wondered if he had gone to far and had blown his cover. But when the first one reached him, the boy only held out his hand and said. "My names Burner X, welcome to the Hive, Stone." Cyborg shook his hand, surprised at how happy the boy seemed. After that, every member of the Hive came forward and introduced themselves, all welcoming him as a friend and comrade, even though he had been there only a day and had just flattened their strongest fighter. None of them seemed afraid of his display of power, in fact, far from it. Many of them looked at him with respect and admiration, not a single person was affraid or intimidated. As Cyborg took in the endless stream of names and faces, he began to wonder about how bad the Hive really was. Their just a bunch of kids trying to make a living. Sure, their criminals, but the law is a matter of perspective. The Titans break a ton of laws tracking down criminals, and no one seems to care. So what if they steal stuff, their just kids trying to make a living. The Hive is more like a school than a criminal organization. As Cyborg shook hands with the last of the Hive members, he came to a starling conclusion. I like the Hive.
The thought stunned him, but it was there none the less. After the accident the accident that had destroyed almost all his body, and the surgery that had replaced his damaged body with cybernetic replacements, he had felt cut off from the world. He wasn't human any more, he was a machine, a metal body with a mind. He didn't even have a heart any more, just a power pack. Every where he went, people shunned him and avoided him like a plague. But hear, even if he was just made of stone and super strong, people respected and actually liked him for who he was, or, at least who they thought he was. This place felt like the home he had never had. Sure, Titan Tower was his home, for now. But there he felt like a super here 24 hours a day. Here, he felt like a normal teenager.
This is nuts. I'm here to learn how to destroy the Hive, not like them. This is so messed up. What do I do. But I can't help it, I like this place. What do I do? While he tried to make sense of his mind, he heard loud ringing that interrupted his chain of thought. He looked around to see all the kids finishing up there meals and heading out through the doors. Mammoth saw his confusion and said with a grin. "Sorry, Stone. You'll have to wait till later to get to know everybody else." Cyborg downed the last of his meal and asked in between bites. "Why, whats going on."
Gizmo hovered to his eye level and sighed. "What do you think? School." And with that he drifted off, grumbling to himself. Cyborg stood there, stunned. SCHOOL? I'm going to go to SCHOOL? The idea of attending school left him dumbstruck. It was like a bunch of guys asking if he wanted to go to the mall with them. It seemed so normal.
Jinx took his hand and lead him towards the door, mistaking his stunned expression for one of disbelief. "Yes, Stone. Even the Hive have to attend school. But don't worry, I'll sit next you and help you if you need it. So will Mammoth and Gizmo, right guys?" Gizmo and Mammoth mumbled their consent, and the group headed off. As they headed down the hall, Cyborg could hardly believe what was happening. He was inside a criminal organization that was made up of teenagers just like him, all who shared the same problem as him. Hell, the place even had school. The Hive looked more like a small community than a criminal empire. As Cyborg and the others filed into the classroom and sat down in one of the rows of tables, Cyborg's last thoughts were I'm actually about to attend school.
PLEASE REVIEW! I was always big on Teen Titans, and the episodes where Cyborg infiltrated the hive were my favorite. But I didn't like how they skipped out all the drama, or didn't even make Cyborg think about it. He kind of was imune to the whole idea. So I decided to re-write it differently. Instead of Brother Blood being a sadistic old man who uses mind controle powers, Imade him more human, and made the choice more appealing to Cyborg. So, please review and tell me what you think!