Cyborg gradually woke up, slowly becoming aware of his surroundings. He was in a dark room, lying in a warm bed. He felt something pressing against him, he lazily opened one eye and saw Jinx lying next to him. As he looked at her sleeping face, he couldn't get over how beautiful she was. Slowly, he began to remember the previous night.
Brother Blood had confronted him after he had snuck into the old man's office. Blood had revealed that he knew who Cyborg was, had know all along. Cyborg had been stunned, but not nearly as stunned when Blood had offered to turn him back into a human, to let Cyborg BECOME Stone. To join the Hive and embrace his new family and friends. Cyborg hadn't know what to do.
On one hand, he could remain loyal to the Titans. But Cyborg had come to realize that while the Titans claimed to be his friends, all he really was to them was some one they knew who could do the heavy lifting. Even if they liked him, they were a team, nothing more. But the Hive, the Hive was different. They were a family. They were friends. They cared about each other and they looked out for each other. Furthermore, they all respected, admired and cared for Cyborg, even if they thought he was Stone. But Blood could change that. He could make Cyborg into Stone. Cyborg had been unable to make up his mind, so he had asked Bother Blood to give him a day to think about it. He had wound up at Jinx's room, still confused. He had talked to Jinx for a while, and she had managed to reassure Cyborg, telling him exactly what he needed to hear.
After that he had spent the rest of the night with Jinx, the two of them laughing, dancing, telling stories and enjoying themselves. Finally, late at night, Cyborg had been about to head back to his room when Jinx had stopped him. Then she had kissed him passionately for a very long time. When they had broken apart, she had looked at him and whispered softly. "Stay with me, Stone. Don't leave me." Cyborg had realized she was crying softly. He drew her closer and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm not going anywhere Jinx." They had stood their for some time, just holding on to each other. Finally Jinx had stopped crying and smiled at him.
Cyborg had scooped Jinx up in his arms and had slowly carried her back to her bed and laid her down, then crawled in next to her. For along time they had just lain there, side by side, looking at each other. They had both wanted to do more, but were afraid to go any farther. Finally they had given into their desires, and they had spent the rest of the night together in her bed. Slowly they had shed their clothes and pressed themselves against each other, giving in to the burning passion that had consumed them. That night they both shed their innocence, becoming a grown man and woman, but they didn't care, they were just glad to finally give into their feelings. Finally, after hours of passion and lust, they had dropped down on to the bed, exhausted beyond belief, yet strangely content and satisfied. As they had lay there in Jinx's bed, pressing themselves against each other, all thoughts of his choice, the decision he would have to make, the Teen Titans and the Hive disappeared from his mind. All he could think about was Jinx. All he could feel was the burning passion raging within him. Finally they had tired and fallen asleep still holding each other.
Cyborg lay there in bed, remembering all of this and more. He looked at the clock and saw that he still had four hours before he had to meet Brother Blood and give his decision. He yawned and looked back to Jinx, and was surprised to see her eyes open and starring at him. "Morning, beautiful." He said with a smile. She smiled back and closed he eyes and rested her head on his chest. "Morning, love. That was one hell of a night. If every date we have ends that good, I'm going to have get a bigger bed." Cyborg only grinned and said slyly. "Why, I enjoyed this bed just find." Jinx raised her head and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "I bet you did." She said with a laugh. "So, how long before you have to go see Brother Blood?" Cyborg sighed and said "Four hours." Jinx smiled and placed her head back on his chest. "Good. Stay here with me then, at least for a while longer." Cyborg wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer against him. "I'm not going anywhere."
The two of them lay their for a long time, glad simply to be together. Finally Cyborg felt himself drifting off to sleep when Jinx's door opened and Gizmo drifted in. "Hey Jinx, have you seen Stone? I've been looking ev-" He stopped in mid sentence when he saw the two of them lying in bed, starring dumbstruck. Mammoth walked in to but stopped in the doorway, like wise dumbstruck. The two of them starred at Jinx and Cyborg. When Jinx heard them, she looked up and saw them and yelled and pulled the covers tighter against her, although she was already completely covered when they had walked in. Cyborg sat up, his bare chest gleaming in the light, and looked at the two boys. Gizmo only looked from Cyborg who was grinning to Jinx who was covering herself and blushing furiously, her face burning red.
"Guys, if you want to talk, can it wait till breakfast. I'm, uh, kind of in the middle of something." He said. At this point Jinx seemed to regain her voice, for she then yelled at the top of her lungs, which in case if your wondering, was extremely loud. "What the HELL are you two DOING! Get out, GET THE FUCK OUT! KNOCK NEXT TIME, DAMBIT! YOU TWO GET OUT NOW OR I'LL BLAST YOU INTO NEXT WEEK!" With that, Mammoth turned around and bolted out. Gizmo paused for a second, which happened to be a second too long. Jinx hurled a spell at him that slammed into him and hurled him out of the room, and they heard a loud crash followed by a moan in pain as he hit the wall, hard. A second later the door shut, and Jinx snapped her finger and the door locked.
Cyborg looked at Jinx and saw she was still bight red. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her softly. When hey broke apart, she was slightly. "I'm going to have to start locking that door every time you come over." She said angrily. "Yea you will." Cyborg said with a small laugh. Jinx looked at him angrily and slapped him lightly on the chest. "That's not funny. Knowing those two, they'll tell every person in the Hive what they just saw." Cyborg actually laughed at this. "Jinx, you kissed me in front of the entire Hive. I don't think this will come as a surprise." Even though she nodded at this, Jinx still looked angry. Sighing, Cyborg asked. "How can I make it up to you?" Jinx paused, looked at him, and suddenly grinned at him. "I can think of one way." And with that she she threw back the covers and leaned forward and kissed him again, pressing her whole body against his, setting him on fire just like the previous night. The two of them fell back onto the bed, once again giving into the passion and burning desire that their bodies were suddenly filled with. All thoughts of everything else vanished. The two of them were in their own little world, and everything outside that world wasn't important, at least not right now.
****************
Several hours later Cyborg and Jinx walked out of her room and headed off to the cafeteria, holding hands. Several minutes later they reached and walked in. The place was only about half full. A lot of the Hive was still asleep. They grabbed their food and sat down. As they did, Gizmo and Mammoth got up from the table they had been sitting at and came over and sat down at the table across from them. As they sat down, Gizmo said slyly. "Breakfast? This is well past lunch time. Just what were you doing that took the two of you three hours?" Mammoth chuckled loudly, grinning slightly. Jinx looked up and gave him a withering glare, and he suddenly stopped laughing, and tried to stop grinning, though he only partially succeeded.
Jinx spoke up, glaring at Gizmo. "First, what Stone and I do in private is none of your concern, so don't ask, ever. And second, if you know whats good for you, you'll keep what you saw earlier to yourself." Mammoth suddenly looked uncomfortable, while Gizmo only smiled broadly. "I won't ask in the future, but I'm afraid it's a little too late for the second part." Jinx groaned and looked down. Cyborg looked around the cafeteria and saw that a lot of the kids were either laughing and whispering to themselves, or looking at Jinx and him with amused expressions.
Cyborg just sighed and shook his head. "Jinx don't worry about it. They would have found out anyway. And if anyone teases you or anything like that, let me know who it was and I'll challenge them to a one on one duel in the Arena." Cyborg spoke up for the last part, so that everyone in the room could hear. A one on one challenge in the battle Arena couldn't be refused. Also, Cyborg had faced 3 people in one on one duels, and all three of them had been carried out on stretchers and rushed to the infirmary. He looked around again, and all the grinning faces were suddenly pale and nervous looking. After that, the meal seamed to go a lot smoother.
When he checked his watch, he realized it was almost time for his meeting with Blood. He suddenly felt a little nervous. He finished his meal and stood up. Jinx instantly looked up at him. "It's time, isn't it." It wasn't a question. Cyborg sighed again. "Yea, Jinx, it's time." He leaned down and kissed her on the lips, which caused Mammoth and Gizmo to grin, and headed off. Jinx starred at him as he walked away, afraid that she would never see him again. Cyborg walked to Blood's office, nervous but at the same time determined. He knew what his choice was, and he would live with it. Minutes later he reached the door and knocked. "Enter." Blood said.
Cyborg entered and saw Blood was sitting at his desk, reading a stack of papers. When he saw Cyborg, he smiled and gestured toward the empty seat. "Come in, Stone." Blood was smiling, but that soon faded and soon looked very serious. " I believe you have made your choice, judging from the determination in your eyes. Therefore, let us get right to the point. What is you discussion?"
Cyborg breathed deeply, mustering all his determination and said calmly. "I made my choice. Let me call the Teen Titans." Brother Blood's eyebrows raised slightly. "Of course, but why, pray tell, do you need to call them." Cyborg only shook his head and sighed. "You'll find out shortly. But first, there is something I need to ask you." And with that, he told Brother Blood everything he had thought of, and outlined exactly what he was going to do. When he was finished, Brother Blood looked at him sadly. "I was hoping it wouldn't have to come to this, but so be it. You have made your choice, and I will respect it. I just hope you won't have any regrets later." Cyborg shook his head, saying to himself. "I probably will, but I can live with it."
At Titan Tower
Robin terminated his call with Cyborg and called the Titans together. "All right everyone, listen up. Cyborg has just contacted me and told me that he has a plan to help us infiltrate the Hive and destroy the organization once and for all. He told me that today all the Hive will be scattered and spread out. Apparently on Sunday they can do what ever they want, even go out into the city disguised as regular kids. He says that there will only be only a few members of the Hive at their base, and the ones there will either be sleeping or in their rooms by themselves. Either way, they will be divided and not expecting an attack. Cyborg said he disabled the defense systems, so we don't have to worry about any traps. This is it, this is what we have been waiting for. This is our chance to put the Hive out of business once and for all." Robin looked around at the teams, still a little uneasy from the call. While he was glad the time had finally come, something about Cyborg's message didn't sit well with him. Why now? Why all of the sudden. If this happened every Sunday, why didn't he call a head so they could prepare themselves? Something isn't right. Cyborg could have been captured and forced to make that call. Robin paused decided it didn't matter, if it was a trap they would spring the trap and rescue Cyborg. But he kept this part to himself. Beast Boy, Raven and Star Fire were all looking excited, and he didn't want to crush their spirit. If they went in nervous and unsettled, they would be destroyed.
"All right, Titans, move out." Robin headed for the door, the others following him. He was the leader, so he would lead them. And if something was wrong with Cyborg, he would deal with it.
Later That Day
The Titans moved down the hall way quietly, making as little noise as possible. When they had arrived at the rundown building, they had found the hidden door's camouflage disabled. They had kept in and filed down the stairs, listening for any sign of a trap or ambush. But they reached the bottom and reached the first level without any incident. Now they were moving through the Hive, unsure what to do next. Cyborg had told them that nobody would be there, but still, the place seemed like a ghost town. The lights were all dimmed, and there was no noise, vibrations, no smells, nothing. Just darkness and dead silence. Robin had a tacker in his hand, and he was following it to Cyborg, but he felt extremely uneasy. Even if almost all of them were gone, their should still be some noise, some light. He thought. Why are all the lights dimmed. Why is their no noise. Why do we feel no vibrations. What happened hear? As the tracker drew closer to Cyborg's position, he whispered. "Titans, be careful. This could be a trap." He felt rather than saw the others grow uneasy. "But Robin, it was Cyborg who contacted you, was it not?" Star asked quietly. Robin on shook his head. "That could have been a fake transmission. Or he could have been discovered, captured and forced to contact us. Or it could have been a recording made from us. Or any other countless possibilities. All I know is somethings wrong, so be on you guard." He looked at the tracker again. Almost there. He though. Hang on Cyborg. We're almost there. If your in trouble, we'll get you out. Then he thought darkly. If the Hive have done anything to him, I swear on my mask, I will make them pay dearly.
Finally the reached an armored door. The reader showed Cyborg was on the other side. "Alright Titans, Cyborg's just on the other side. When the door opens, be ready for anything." The other Titans all prepared for battle. Finally, he pushed the open door button and jumped back. The door swung open without any traps or alarms going off, so the Titans quickly filed in. But as the last of them entered, the door slammed shut behind them and locked. Beast Boy said instantly. "I have a bad feeling about this, guys." Before anyone could respond, the floor dropped out from under them and the four of them tumbled down, landing in a metal tunnel. The tunnel was pointed down and they began sliding downwards. Robin checked the tracker and yelled. "Cyborgs below us, he must have been tricked like us. When we reach the bottom, be ready for battle!" The Titans all nodded, or tried to. When your sliding rapidly down a giant metal tunnel, you have a hard to control your body.
After what seemed like an eternity, thought it was only seconds, they tumbled out of the tunnel and landed in pile. They quickly got up and dusted themselves off. They were standing in the middle of some sort of Arena. As they stood up, the lights flashed on and the entire Arena was illuminated. The Titans stood back to back and starred at their surrounding in dismay. The Arena was surrounded by a 25 foot stone wall. Above the wall were rows upon rows of seats circling the entire Arena. And in the seats were the entire Hive. "It's a trap!" Robin yelled. Beast Boy looked at him and said sarcastically. "You think?" But as Robin looked up into the stands, he saw that none of the Hive were moving to attack them or even enter the Arena. In fact, they appeared to be waiting for something. "Titans, I don't think we're fighting the Hive. Not all of it, anyway. Their waiting for something, or some one. Get ready." And as Robin looked around, scanning for any sign of Cyborg, a door opened and out strode three of the Hive's members. But as they filed out, they were followed by a larger male, who Robin instantly realized was Cyborg.
The Titans turned and faced the Hive members, ready for battle. Robin whispered so that only the Titans could hear. "I don't know what is going on, but it looks like Cyborg is still pretending to be Stone. I don't know what he's trying to do, but don''t blow his cover. We're in front of the ENTIRE Hive, and if they attack, getting out of hear alive won't be an option. If he attacks you or fights you, fight back. Don't hold back, and don't go easy on him. This is a disaster, and he is our only chance out of hear. Understand?" All the Titans nodded, and prepared for battle. But Robin couldn't stop himself from wondering. Cyborg, just what is going on hear?
*********
Cyborg walked out of the team locker room and into the Arena, nervous and uncomfortable. The Titans were standing in the middle of the room. They had no doubt fallen into one of the trap rooms and slid into the Arena, there were dozens of those rooms, all designed to transport intruders to the Arena. As he and his team squared up against the Titans, the rest of the Hive watched on, cheering team 6, and shouting insults at the Titans. Cyborg could see the Titans were ready for battle, be he wasn't so sure if he was ready. If he didn't fight them with everything he had, the Hive would become suspicious of him.
He breathed deeply, and then said in a commanding tone. "Alright guys, lets show these punks how team 6 roles. Mammoth, you take on Raven. She is good at spells and distant attacks, but if you can get in close to her, she'll be weaker and more vulnerable. Gizmo take out Star Fire. She had unlimited attacks and fly fast, so your holograms will come in handy. Use that big brain of yous your always bragging about and out think her. She's strong, but not cunning. Take her out fast, before she has a chance to do the same to you. Jinx, Robin's all yours. He likes to get in close and is excellent at hand to hand combat, so keep as far away as possible. I'll take care of Beast Boy. And remember, the second their down, help the closest teammate. If we can start working two on one, we'll finish them fast." As he spoke, his teammates looked at him with complete faith and trust. It made Cyborg feel guilty about who he really was.
He and his team strode forward until they were only a few yards away from the Titans. Cyborg saw that they were glancing at him, wondering what was going on. Sorry I got you guys into this guys. I'll get you out, I promise. He stared at Robin, waiting tensely. Seconds later, Robin yelled. "Titans, go!"At the same time he yelled. "Team 6, attack!" Both teams split up and headed in different directions, exploded into action. Cyborg turned his body into stone and charged at Beast Boy, who had changed into his massive Gorilla form. It's always a gorilla. Cyborg thought. Seconds later he was fighting Beast Boy, his stone body tougher than Beast Boy's Gorilla. Unfortunately, he was also slower than the gorilla. Cyborg tried to grab a hold of Beast Boy, but Beast only changed into eel and slipped out of his hands. But when the eel hit the floor, it quickly became a rhinoceros. Cyborg starred up at rhinoceros's eyes, and he thought of something.
He stood still and waited, not moving, baiting Beast Boy. Seconds later Beast Boy took the bait and charged. But as the rhino closed in, Cyborg, hardened his body, making it denser and heavier. He spread and planted his legs, making them as heavy and dense as possible. Finally he braced himself, and a second later Beast Boy slammed into him. Even though his body was made of stone a weighed probably several thousand pounds, he still felt the blow of the impact, and if he hadn't braced himself and prepared for the blow, he would have been knocked off his feet. Beast Boy on the other hand didn't fare so well. While he had no doubt built up quite a bit of momentum, he was still made out of flesh and bone, not stone. The impact of him hitting Cyborg's chest knocked him unconscious. He fell slowly to the floor, changing back into his original form.
Cyborg lightened his body and looked around to see what was happening. Gizmo and Star were racing all around the Arena and Mammoth was still fighting with Raven. But when he looked for Jinx, he saw her fighting hand to hand with Robin. When Cyborg saw this, he swore to himself. Jinx was trying her best to fend him off, but Robin was still landing blow after blow, viciously pummeling her in an attempt to subdue her quickly. As Cyborg saw Jinx getting pounded, he turned his body back to flesh and ran over to help. As he neared, Robin jumped on to his hands and lashed out with both his legs. One kick caught her in the stomach, the other in the head. Jinx dropped to the ground, hard. Cyborg Roared in furry and as he neared he launched himself forward.
He landed next to Robin and punched him in the throat. As Robin doubled over in pain, gasping for air, he grabbed Robin by the neck and swung himself around. Utilizing the countless hours he had spent practicing to become a master of the martial at Judo, he turned in a full circle, he flung Robin with all his might and rage. His strength and anger, combined with his momentum, sent Robin souring 20 feet into the air. He slammed into the ground on the other side of the Arena, 50 ft away. As Robin landed, Cyborg looked around and saw both Raven and Star Fire staring at him. Gizmo was lying in a pile of rubble near Robin, while Mammoth was stuck under a pile of boulders that had appeared near where he and Raven had been fighting, only his head and part of his chest were visible. Cyborg looked at both of his down male teammates, his friends who had trusted him and followed him into battle against the Teen Titans.
He looked down at Jinx, who was the first girl who he had ever cared about, and the first girl who had ever liked him as well. As he starred at their bodies, beaten up, unconscious and bleeding. Cyborg could feel a mounting rage building in his chest, swelling up inside of him, threatening to take over. When he looked up from Jinx, he saw both Robin and Beast Boy were up and standing together with Star and Raven. Right then and their, Cyborg knew instantly who his friends were, and who his enemies were. He would protect his friends and he would destroy his enemies.
He glared at the Titans and roared in rage. He charged forward, not caring that he was in human form. He would not use his weak stone powers to defeat them, he would use his own far more formidable strength. As he neared them, the four of them speed into action. Raven and Star took to the air, while Beast Boy and Robin charged him on the ground. Beast Boy reached him first, but before he could change, Cyborg grabbed his hand and spun around, snapping it behind his back and driving it up as hard as he could. He could feel Beast Boy's arm break under the pressure, and when the green boy screamed in pain, Cyborg grabbed his neck, spun him up into the air and choke slammed him into the hard floor. As Beast Boy slowly raised his head, Cyborg slammed his fist down into Beast Boy's face with such strength that a sickening crunch filled the air as Beast Boys nose and skull cracked, and everything went dark for the green Titan. Cyborg tuned to Robin and threw up his arms to block the boys double kick attack, catching Robin's right leg in his crossed arms. Then with surprising speed for some one his size, he grabbed Robin's leg and swung him around and around, and finally let go, hurling him through the air again. This time he slammed into Raven in mid air, and the two of them fell to the ground.
Cyborg turned to Star, who was starring at him in concern. She flew right above him but began circling out of range. As she circled him, she whispered so only they could hear. "Cyborg. I understand you must pretend to be Stone, but why did you lead us into a trap. Why do you fight like you really do want to kill us?" Cyborg merely followed her movement. When he had gauged her speed and movement, he waited for the right moment and pounced. He crouched low and leaped high into the air, grabbing Star's foot. As he fell back towards the ground, he used his Judo and momentum to swing Star under him. As Star slammed into the ground, he landed on top of her, driving his knees into her back, knocking the air from her lungs. A quick chop to the back of her neck rendered her unable to move, for the moment.
Cyborg slowly rose to his feet, oblivious to the cheering and screaming from the Hive as they cheered him on. He slowly turned around and faced Robin, who had risen to his feet, and was the only remaining Titan. They began to circle each other, slowly measuring each other up. As they circled, Robin whispered to him the same way Star had. "Cyborg, what the hell are you doing? I've known you for years, and in all the battles against criminals, you have never once used Judo. I didn't even know you knew Judo. The others may think this was all an act, but I know better. You meant to fight us. You MEANT to hurt us. You were fighting with almost everything you had. What happened to you? Have you forgotten who you are?" Cyborg stopped circling and stood tall, rising to his full height.
When he spoke again, it was with authority and conviction that Robin had never heard him speak with before. "I know exactly who I am, Titan." He said, his cold voice shocking Robin."I know what I am, and I know who I am. I am a member of the Hive, leader of team 6. I'll deal with you the same way I dealt with the rest of your team." With that he breathed deeply and prepared himself, striking an offensive Judo pose.
Robin immediately took a defensive posture, but he whispered back furiously, in a last desperate attempt to calm Cyborg. He could see that Cyborg was enraged, furious at the Titans. Robin could see that Cyborg had changed, had grown and matured. To Robin, he seemed more like a man than a teenager. This was not the Cyborg Robin knew. "You say you know who you? You actually think your a member of the Hive? They all think you Stone, a human teenage criminal. But I, I know who you REALLY are. You are Cyborg, one fifth of the Teen Titans. Have you been hear so long that you have forgotten who you are? Have you been wearing those rings so long that you have forgotten what you are?"
Cyborg starred at him coldly. "I know who I am, Robin. And I know what I am. I have changed a lot over the last two weeks, both mentally AND physically." With that he held out his hands and slowly removed the rings one by one. He held them up in the air for Robin to see and then tossed them at his feet. "Cyborg's dead and gone. My name is Stone, leader of the Hive's Team 6. You and your Titans hurt my team, my friends and my girlfriend. For that, you will pay. You will all pay." Robin stared at Cyborg, stunned by his declaration and the changes that had come over him. Cyborg's voice, once so full of warmth and laughter, was now cold and devoid of any warmth or compassion. The voice of some one who was dead serious.
Robin slowly bent down and picked them up, starring at Cyborg in utter shock. Robin was a hard person to surprise, but right then, he was struck dumb, unable to believe what he was seeing. He starred at Cyborg, waiting for his body to change back to cybernetic instead of flesh. But as the seconds past, and he didn't change back, Robin finally asked. " This isn't possible. What happened?"
Cyborg, no, STONE laughed. "I have new friends, Robin, true friends who don't deceive me and who have powers you wouldn't believe. Brother Blood offered me something the Teen Titans couldn't. He me back into a human and gave me a family. He turned me back into a human, and I BECAME Stone. It is like I said, Cyborg is dead and gone. I am Stone, and I'm am stronger than Cyborg ever was. On top of that, I still have a few powers left from Cyborg." To prove his point, he raised his hand and pointed it at Robin. His hand glowed and a blast of energy shot out of his hand and speed towards Robin. Robin dove out of the way, and the blast hit the wall behind him, blowing a hole in the Arena wall.
Robin looked at the hole, and turned back to Stone, his face pale. Stone pointed his hand at Robin again and said quietly, no longer grinning. "Robin, know this. I had fun as a Titan, I really did, and I'll always remember you, Star, Raven and Beast Boy and all my years as one of you. But the Titans were just that, a fun team that fought crime. Even if we stayed together forever, I would have remained a cyborg forever. If you really did consider me a friend, then consider this. If I had remained with the Titans, I would have never had a life outside the Titans. I could never age, never grow into an adult, I was stuck a teenage cyborg. I could never have had a family, or even a girl friend. As a cyborg, I didn't even have a heart, I had a battery pack. I physically couldn't fall in love, I literally wasn't attracted to girls, not like I am to Jinx. I have found something hear, something that I have been missing my whole life since the accident. The Hive has given me everything the Titans could not. I'll understand if you think I've betrayed you, but believe me when I say I did not. I care about my new friends, but I'm not completely over the Titans, not yet." He pointed his hand at Robin, his hand glowing, but he didn't fire. Robin soon realized he was pretending to threaten him, but he was really pointing.
"The hole I just made leads to a hall. When you reach the hall, turn right. Keep going straight until your reach a forked path. Turn left, and that hall will lead you straight to a hatch. Open the hatch the stairs will lead you to the surface. Get the others and get the hell out of hear. Know that this is my gift to you and the others for all the time we spent together, my final act as your ally." Robin starred at him, his face unreadable. He paused and looked around as the other Titans slowly began to move. Stone realized they had been listening the whole time.
Robin starred at him and spoke in an emotionless voice. "Know this, Stone, you have made your choice and become a member of the Hive, from now on you are our enemy." He paused again, and said slowly. "I do find this hard to believe, but I understand your choice. I hate your decision, for you chose yourself over the team, but I, I understand your need for a life, for the need to be human. But remember this, you have made your choice. You are a criminal now, and next time we meet, we will treat you again."
Robin nodded to Stone, and with a subtle hand gesture, all the Titans blasted Stone at the same time and as he fell to his feet, Star, Raven and Beast Boy bolted for the hole, but they did so one by one. As Beast Boy passed, he said quietly. "I'm gonna miss you, buddy. Sorry about all the tin can jokes and pranks. I'll remember you." And with that he was gone. Raven flew by, and when she spoke, her voice was hard and cold. "You were my friend, I trusted you. Next time we meet, I won't hold back. Your Stone now, a member of the Hive, and I'll deal with you personally." But as she flew away, he heard her say sotfly. "Good bye Cyborg, I will miss you." With that she was gone. As Star Fire passed, Stone saw she was crying. "I do not know why you must leave us, but I understand your need for a family, a mate, and the freedom to live where you feel is home. To my people, those three things are viewed as the most important things in ones life. Good by, Cyborg, I will miss you. And what ever choice you make, know you will always be my friend. If you ever feel the need to check up on us, contact me. I will not tell the others." Stone felt his eyes water, and he whispered back so only she heard. "Thanks, Star. I may have had by differences with the others, but I always liked you and considered you a friend. I'm sorry I hurt you. Fly fast, Star. The Hive may be right behind you." Finally only Robin was left.
Stone slowly stood to his feet and said softly. "Robin, go now. The Hive, my friends may attack at any time. Once they join the fight, I won't be able to stop them, nor wil I ever try to stop them. Go now, and know this is the only time I will spare you and the others. Just as you said, I am not one of you any more, I am a member of the Hive, and you are my enemy. If you areever trapped or over whelmed by the Hive again, I will help the Hive defeat you." Stone paused and finally said. "Just so you know, if I wanted to, I could have killed any one of you while you were down. You were right, I was fighting like I meant it, because I was furious, but I managed to hold back, some how. Next time, I will fight you with everything I have. Not hit me with your best shot and run like hell, and don't stop running till you reach Titan Tower. Once I get back up, I'm no longer a Titan and I'm no longer your friend or ally." As Robin tensed, Stone whispered. "And Robin? I want you know that I bear no grudge against the Titans, but I hate you. I was loyal to you, I backed you up and trusted you, and you betrayed me. You decieved me and lied to my face every day for over half a year, maybe even longer. From now on you are my sworn enemy" And with that he raised both hands and fired, deliberately missing by only and inch, the blasts hitting the ground behind Robin and throwing up a huge smoke cloud. Robin threw two hand fulls of his Robin bombs at Stone and fled as the ground all around them erupted into explosions. Half a dozen landed at his feet, and Stone was blasted high into the air, landing several dozen feet away.
As his vision cleared, he slowly climbed to his feet and saw that the Titans were all gone, and the Hive were pouring into the Arena on all sides. When he looked at the hole, he wasn't surprised to see it closed. Robin must have blasted it shut. As he thought about everything that had happened, Cyborg, no, he would never think of himself as Cyborg again. From now on, he was STONE, and only Stone. Stone thought about what had happened and smiled. It hurt that the Titans were his enemies, but only slightly. He also knew that, over time, he would come to except it.
Suddenly he saw surrounded by the Hive. "Stone, Stone, Stone!" They cheered, yelling his name in admiration. They didn't know how or why the Titans had escaped, but they didn't care. For as long as they could remember, the Titans had been the Hive's greatest enemy, and he had sent them running home. That was all they needed. Stone walked through the crowd to where his teammates lay. Mammoth was getting to his feet and dusting himself off, and Gizmo was being lowered on to a stretcher. But as he nodded to Mammoth and waved to Gizmo, who managed to raise one hand and wave back, he felt a hand on his back. He turned to find Jinx starring at him.
She smiled and said. "I don't know what all that was about, but I'm glad it's over. Your a member of the Hive, and I'm glad your alright." Stone grinned and said. "I told you I wasn't going anywhere." Ad with that he wrapped her up in his arms and kissed her, ignoring all the wolf whistles, cheers, laughs and the occasional "lucky bastard" or "I wish I was Jinx" comments. As the two of them broke apart and stood in a crowd of cheering friends, Cyborg knew he had chosen the right decision.
As Bother Blood approached them, the crowd went silent. The old man viewed him for some time before smiling and saying. "I'm glad to see what choice you took." Many of the Hive looked at the two of them confused. Then Blood looked around and said to all the Hive. "I have an important announcement." The already quite crowd went deathly silent. "As you all know, I won't be around forever, I am an old man after all. Therefor, in the event that anything should happen to me, Stone will replace me as the leader of the Hive. From now on he is second in command of all the Hive. If he asks for your help, help him as if I had asked you." The whole crowd stared in shock at brother Blood. Never before had he promoted anyone to second in comand or named his sucsesor. And with that the old man bowed to Stone, who managed to bow back, despite his shock. Blood looked around and said. "Alright everyone, the Titans are gone, but they'll be back. You may throw celebration party for the rest of today and tonight. But tomorrow we will move to a new, more secure base."
As the Hive all cheered and headed of to get ready for a party, Blood stopped Stone and Jinx. When they were alone, Blood spoke again, his voice solemn. "Stone, you have made a hard choice, but I can tell you believe that it is the right one, and I find your determination and conviction reassuring. I know you two are very close, and I have a feeling you two may grow even closer still, that is why I suggest you tell Jinx the truth, all of it. As for your old friends, I see that you let them escape. I am not mad at you for letting them go, I know it can be hard to sever all your ties at once. I am glad that you let them go, it shows that you are not a heartless fighter, and are worthy of being my successor."
He paused and stared at Stone before turning to Jinx. "And as for you young lady, know this. Stone carries a secret, one that is a heavy burden that will haunt him for some time. When he tells you his story, you may be shocked or outraged, but I caution you here and now, do not judge him until you hear the whole thing. And remember this, it doesn't matter what reason he joined the Hive for. And who or what he was before he met you doesn't matter. We all have secrets and pasts that we find painful, but always remember. The reason the Hive is so powerful is because we are a family. Regardless of who or what we were before we joined is not important. All that matters is that we are here and now." He paused again, now looking at both of them. "Now run along and enjoy the party, for tomorrow we will have a lot of work to do."
As the old man turned around and left, Stone turned to Jinx. "Jinx, look, about everything that just happened. I can explain everything." But before he could explain everything, she put her fingers to his lips and stopped him. "Blood was right, it doesn't matter who you were before you came to the Hive. Your Stone, the man I love, and that's enough for me. Now, how about that party?" And as they left, Stone looked back to the blocked tunnel. The Titans may have been his friends once upon a time, but the weren't any more. They were his enemies, and a threat to his friends and family. One day soon they would have to be dealt with. One day, Robin. One day soon I will face you and the Titans, and I will defeat all of you. I won't rest or hold back until you are all defeated. Only then will will my friends be truly safe.
PLEASE REVIEW! I can't decide if I should leave it hear, continue the story, or write a sequel series. What do you think?