Disclaimer: Me no own.
Chapter 4: Scientist
Cyborg was a scientist. If it was plausible, if it was buildable, he strived to do it. His first life had been stolen away. Instead of pushing his limits physically he now worked to stretch mentally.
His research on robotics and human life were astounding. He may have been the leading professional on the subject, but then again he kept that to himself.
Nothing sounds stranger to the general public than a hero attempting to break natural laws. Ever since his first chance at a life had been taken he had pursued this new one. It was sinful, condemning, no one could know.
The boy typed in fluid keystrokes, watching the data pass by in quick succession. They were doubling.
There was a mingled sound of contentment that rumbling in his throat.
He pushed away from the computer quickly, twirling to the adjoining table. A large telescope sat there crouching over a small sample. To the human eye there seemed to be nothing but a drop of liquid settled in the middle.
Using his human eye he peered into the eyepiece, adjusting the focus. A silly grin spread across his features as he pulled back. Without pause, he snatched a small wire behind him and plugged it into the telescope.
The opposite end of the wire lead into his computer that was now downloading the image from the telescope.
Cyborg turned to see his beautiful creation on the larger scale.
They looked like colorless egg yolks, floating beside each other. Slightly bulged in the center, the pregnant ones quickly split into two. The produced second cell was identical.
Perfect cell replication.
The two split into four.
The boy had been monitoring his experiment for some time, but it was only recently that they had started multiplying and growing. He had yet to figure out why this was occurring. Elements of the experiment had stayed the same, so why was it blooming now?
He continued watching the screen, overjoyed with every duplication. The cells were human, spliced with genetically altered iron molecules. He was generating human growth, life, much faster and much stronger than naturally possible.
It would enable humans to produce a better immune system and his altercations would create much stronger cells, therefore stronger humans.
It gave him a shiver of excitement.
Greedily, he pulled up the camera to catch where the rest of the titans were. He didn't need anyone busting in on him in mid-work. It was his alone; his baby was too premature for the world to see yet.
Beast Boy was versing Robin at a new combat game in the living room. He closed off that camera and searched for Raven. He was in luck when he caught the roof feed; both Starfire and Raven were hovering at the end of the roof in meditation.
He switched back to his cells.
The cloning had slowed, as though the process were coming to an end. Cyborg typed a command in to collect data. It was curious that the cells went through periodic growth. Natural cells duplicated perpetually, which lead him to believe his engineer modifications were the ones slowing the process.
The data came back and Cyborg quickly scanned through it, his technologically altered mind processing the stream of numbers.
The air pressure and temperature had stayed the same; the light energy input was stable but-
He sat forward in his chair, abruptly banging the computer desk and making the monitor jiggle. He placed a hand quickly on its side to steady the picture.
There seemed to be a change in chemical make up within the cells. During the replication stage the hemoglobin and copper count had spiked suddenly and dwindled back into nearly nothing.
When it reached zero, the growth had stopped.
Cyborg cupped his chin and sat back carefully. How had there been a sudden jump like that? He had made sure the air was filtered and there was nothing within proximity to accidentally get into his experiment.
But something had. He stretched out his arms, cupping his hands together in his lap. Lucky for him that something had, or he would not have gotten any progression out of his modified cells.
There had to be something around here with that make-up to...
Cyborg's eyes glazed over a small cut on his upper arm. It was a small red gash sandwiched in the skin between his mechanical parts.
Blood had both hemoglobin and copper.
"Ah, of course" He shook his head, moving back over to the sample. His iron must need an excess of the proteins and copper in blood to continue its growth.
He licked his lips with wide eyes. What he needed now was to… test his hypothesis.
With eager hands, he shuffled across his desk for the scalpel. It had to be around here somewhere. His metal hands clinked against a fellow metal member.
Wildly smiling he grasped the blade. It glittered in his overhead light.
Sample pulled in front of him; Cyborg lowered the sharp blade to his arm. Without flinching he pulled it across his dark skin. It left a quickly dotting line of crimson.
There was a pipette near by that he snatched to extract the blood cleanly.
An eye for perfection, he leaned close to the sample, holding the pipette. He pushed just a drop out. It landed without an audible sound, dissipating within the clear liquid almost instantaneously.
There was a beep from his computer at the spiking in the data.
He turned back to the screen. The cells split with an inhuman speed, two, four, eight, sixteen, thirty-two, too many to continue counting.
They were taking in all the excess proteins with a basic animalistic hunger to feed its growth. Cyborg watched like a mad scientist over his beautiful working creature. Oh, what beauty!
Humans believed that there was no higher being than themselves. It was amazing and frightening at the same time, he had just proved the race wrong. It was a base mixture of human and machine, more perfect than either of them could ever hope to be.
The machine gave the human durability and strength. Disease and aging would be slowed and machinery would allow the human mind to sort knowledge in an objective manner, setting the pains of emotions aside.
Humanity gave the machinery feelings, the ability to think with compassion, to know right from wrong not only by numbers and facts. It gave machinery the excuse to be imperfect, incorrect at times and the right to a soul.
Cyborg watched his creation until the replication slowed once again. This time his sample was larger than just a drop in the container. It had doubled its size possibly a hundred times over, filling the dish with a thin layer of coppery colored liquid.
"Hey Cy," Came a voice from the other side of his lab. The man froze for a second, then fumbled quickly to close out the program he had been watching with a sort of fatherly affection.
"What!" He snapped pulling himself quickly up to stare across at Beast Boy. The green boy was a little taken aback from the sudden burst of anger and backed a few steps out of the lab.
"Um... I uh, just wanted to see if you wanted to play the new Samurai 3." He followed it with a sheepish grin.
Cyborg motioned to the door, "Don't you ever knock?" He growled to keep the fuzzy boy's attention from wavering to other things in the room.
Laughing nervously, Beast Boy preferred to stay silent.
Cyborg crossed the room after a hefty sigh. "I'll be right down." He dictated and pushed Beast Boy gently out. He made no protest, so the door slammed tightly behind him.
A moment of fatigue melted through Cyborg and he leaned against the door. That had been… tragically close. If it had been any of the other tower's occupants… well, he would have a lot of difficult explaining to do.
After all, creating life was left to either a human partnership, or some religious force.
Cyborg would participate in neither, so he forged his own way.
Would the villagers burn him down for creating a monster? Quite possibly. Cyborg would not stop though- it was his passion. It was his new life, a life of heroic work and a life to better humanity.
Even if some of humanity refused to understand his righteous purpose.
He trucked back over to his precious cells. With a delicate caution, he capped the sample and moved over to his locking freezer. It was kept at negative 200 degrees to ensure nothing messed with the composition. In a way it was like cryogenic freezing.
He locked his baby inside and spun a new combination into the lock, just in case anyone had been snooping to figure out the combination.
Then there was the computer to deal with. Usually he hid the files deep inside the tower database in a file restricted unless you knew just how to open it.
With his knowledge of computers, he was doubtful even Robin would be able to find and openit.
Cyborg headed for the door, not tempting himself to look back. He already had a ridiculous smile on his face that his friends would probably ask about.
But it was a perfect day. It was… the breakthrough.
Locking behind him, the lab room sealed with a complicated set of entry locks. Cyborg started for the living room.
Yes, he was a scientist.
I always thought Cyborg could be easily misguided by technology and science since he's so close to the both of them. There were a few references to Frankenstein of anyone caught them.
Please review, input and ideas are always appreciated.
p.s. Go see Corpse Bride, now. It's beautiful, the music was my inspiration for this one.
:Bloody Fae: