MAN OR MACHINE

VICTOR STONE

The cheerleaders are doing a routine, the crowd is cheering as the Metropolis Bayhill Tigers are in the lead. Led by the team captain Victor Stone, it will be another win for the Tigers. As usual his father Silas Stone missed another game. Instead of celebrating with the team, Victor goes home and grabs his packed clothes. He had already decided that if his father did not show up for his game he would move out. Victor had written a game and sold it to Lex-Corp for a lot of money. As such he can afford his own place.

Three days pass before his father calls his phone. He ignores it and blocks the calls. Victor has a high IQ, but prefers playing football. One of the reasons he and his father are not close. As he is leaving school one day his father is waiting by his car.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came looking for my son."

"Oh you have a son."

"Victor…Why did you move out?"

"Because you have no time for me. So I thought I would make things easy for you."

"My work…"

"Is more important to you!" Victor says interrupting, "Just do what you usually do and pretend I don't exist." Victor gets in his car and drives off.

SILAS

Silas returns home thinking about all the mistakes he made with Victor. After his wife died, it became easy to dive into his work and forget the pain of her not being their anymore. This cost him his relationship with his son. He goes home and stares at photos of his wife and son, while drinking. The next morning Silas sleeps until noon, having missed eight calls and six messages.

He takes a home remedy for his hangover and then drives to S.T.A.R. LABS. "Good afternoon." Professor Hamel says.

"If you say so."

"Problems with your son again?"

He sighs "He moved out."

"Sorry."

"What are we working on?"

As usual Silas uses his work to forget his problems. That is until he gets a phone call about his son. Silas rushes to the hospital, where Victor's Coach and the football are waiting. "Your son was in a horrible Car accident Professor Stone." The Doctor says. "His injuries are extensive…Both his arms and legs are gone and parts of the left side of his face is gone. He is on life support."

Silas has his son transferred to the medical center at STAR LABS. His cell phone rings, "Hello!"

"Professor Silas My, name is Dennis. I am a man of science like yourself. I heard about what happened to your son and I have something that will keep him alive. Give him a new life."

They meet at Goodness Hotel. "What is it?" Silas asks looking at the metallic box.

"A break through in cybernetic engineering…I call it the Father-Box. All you have to do is place it on your son's chest and let it do the rest."

"How much?"

"No charge."

Silas takes the box back to STAR LABS and after locking the door he places it on his chest. Immediately the box starts to unfold. As metal cords dig into his flesh Victor screams in pain. "Silas open the door!" Professor Emile yells. "What is going on in there?"

Victor's skin is covered in silver metal and his arms and legs are replaced with Cybernetic implants. The left side of his face is replaced as well along with his eye. When the process is done he sits up in bed. "Father?" He says speaking with a synthesized voice. The door is forced open.

"Oh my God. Silas what have you done?" "What have you done to me?"

"It was the only way to save you son…I am sorry son."

"Sorry! You turned me into a freak!"

"Calm down."

"Don't tell me what to do!" His back and legs grow jets and flies off smashing through the window.

VICTOR

He flies North, but then something compels him to fly towards the Goodness Hotel where Dennis AKA Desaad is waiting. "Impressive…Lord Darkseid will be pleased. I think I will call you Cyborg."

"Thank you Master. Hail Lord Darkseid."