Chapter Two: Absolute Genius
Part Three
Officially, Cyborg didn't have a cowardly bone in his body. Ignoring the ratio of cowardice to bones in his body, Cyborg knew that he wasn't being childish, he was protecting himself. From what… two days ago he knew but at this very moment, he couldn't tell if he was running away from the past or running from the future. Either way, he knew that he would cause Celine's tears again and this time he wouldn't have a hideout under her sight to bury himself, to occupy is every moment, to forget about her. Forget the best thing that had ever happened to him.
He knew sooner or later that he would run into the younger girl. She'll be eighteen in a few months, not really a girl anymore. Cyborg stood in front of his dresser and retrieved a small photo from behind a few others. It was he and Celine accepting their trophies for winning the Brock County Science Fair. They had worked together and created a model that all but solved the biggest problem facing Brock County: building a bridge to let them out. Brock had been a trap, especially for the exceptionally bright, like himself and Celine. He only lived there because his father needed a place for his research to go uninterrupted and his mother seemed to have a baby every year. Celine had lived there to take care of her mother and when Elaina Keelin died, the only thing holding Celine in Brock was Victor Kwame Stone.
She would have waited for me until she couldn't stand… I didn't think a love like that could be real, let alone long-lived. Cyborg sighed and prepared to put his treasure back in its safe place; in the shadow, away from the light where no one could see it and no accidents could mar it. Cyborg's mechanical fingers flexed and for the world he wanted to slam that hand through the wall, and the other walls as well, and collapse his room onto his shoulders. He wasn't prepared for this, seeing Celine's eyes again, hearing her voice, feeling her touch after so many years, when he had pushed as hard as he could and she had run away.
He remembered the day as clearly as a day old babe would recall his birth¹. The accident should have taken his life. It had killed everyone else: all his brothers, his mother and his sister. The house stood in shambles and beams smashed and hammered at his sixteen year old body. Breathing was hard, seeing was painful and feeling anything other than the jaggedness of his heartbeat was impossible. He could remember the heat licking at his good eye, his muscles doing nothing to save him. In a moment of clarity he saw his father's face, standing over him panicked, calling his name, before a steam filled his eyes and his lungs and took away everything.
When he woke up, Celine was sitting in the window in that cool way that had made him fall in love with the fourteen year old girl. The light played off her dark red hair, pushing and flowing over her shoulder as she played with the fleshy junction between her right thumb and index finger. He raised his left hand weakly, to caress a tattoo he had gotten only a few weeks before, much to the displeasure of his parents, to find not smooth skin or even a blanket. He found a tube and cool metal. The shape of his hand became clear to him, it wasn't brown and smooth… it was thick and mechanical. Victor's panic struck him like a current of electricity. His hand, his chest… the cold feeling on the left side of his face! The overload drained him and collapsed into a fevered sleep before Celine even turned and noticed him.
The next sharpest memory was of Celine crying, holding his hand and begging him to reconsider. He turned his face from her.
"You can't mean that! You don't Vic! I know you're hurt, but this won't change us!"
"You don't know Celine… I'm different now and I can't tie you down to me, not like this."
"Tie me down? My love for you isn't a burden!"
"You're only saying that because you're young and haven't considered this in a long term. If you stay with me, you'll stay in Brock much longer than you should ever have to. You'll wait for a day that may never come… and you'll hate me."
"That isn't true!"
"Celine, I've thought this through. I want you to take the scholarship and go the Masterson and go on with your life. We can't go any farther and I refuse to hold you back."
"Vic, if you loved me at all, you couldn't ask this of me! I'm not some little girl with one chance! I'm the smartest girl in the world! Millions of chances will be thrown at me and I'll take them, but if only if I can keep you too!" Celine's tears had stopped, but the fury behind them remained on her face as she let go of his hand to place it over his chest. Her light brown eyes bore into his face before she collapsed against his chest and cried. "I won't ever leave you Vic. Never! You can beg and fight but I'm not going anywhere unless you're coming too."
He had considered telling her he didn't love her. But lying to the girl would mean losing her forever. While he knew that was the best thing for Celine to do, he couldn't bring his heart to give him the strength to do it.
"Celine… go to Masterson, study and find out what you're going to do for the rest of your life. Come back in a year. If you still feel the same, you'll find me here, if this was meant to be."
Celine knew it was the closest thing to a compromise that Vic was capable of. She nodded against his chest and dreaded the day she'd have to leave his embrace. He wasn't cold, like Dr. Stone had warned her. He felt the same, he was the same, no matter what a mirror or her own deceitful eyes showed.
Celine, true to her word, left for Masterson and came back in a year. But Victor wasn't there. His house was empty, none of the neighbors had seen him leave and the reality of what his wicked science had done finally bore its anger on Dr. Stone's mind. Rocking slowly in his institution cell he couldn't even remember his oldest son's name.
Cyborg had told himself that the reason why he had left Celine was because he couldn't bear the thought that one day, she would see him as more machine than man. She was a child and she liked machines: taking them apart, building them, finding every inch with her fingers and eyes until she knew all there was to know and then moving on.
He didn't know if he hadn't given her enough credit; after all, she couldn't stay fourteen forever. But he didn't want to find out if he had been wrong or not, because whether he was wrong, it wouldn't be the risk of him being right, to have the look of love turn to one of curiosity.
…
Robin had never been more confused in his entire life… and that was saying something. He had finally broken Starfire's sulk, by getting her to talk and lifting, if only slightly, a painful weight from her shoulders. For all her beauty and innocence, Starfire wore insecurity like a second skin. He was happy Starfire was talking and for the most part, her old self, but now, Raven wasn't speaking to him… No, that isn't true. He was exaggerating again, a habit that came often when thinking about the dark veiled sorceress. Raven was speaking to him; she was polite and answered anything he said to her. What she wasn't doing was talking to him and there was a difference. Their conversations had become more and more like the dialog bubbles in a comic book: the words were there, but they were flat and meaningless, and in someone else's handwriting.²
He had picked up small threads in her thoughts, but more and more those threads were painful sighs as if for minutes at a time she was capable of forgetting something painful, but the moment she remembered, all the truths she knew tore her playhouse down.³
It had been exactly fourteen days since Starfire's ruined Flochort and though the tower was standing as strong as it ever had, the inside was weaker than Robin could stand. Star was still healing, Speedy had left for his monthly training regime with the Green Lantern, Bumble Bee had still yet to return from her trip to the Justice League Headquarters, Cyborg and Celine couldn't seem to remain in the same room for more than a few moments and he swore Beast Boy hadn't made a single reference to tofu, mega monkey's or stankball in eight days. Robin had a nagging suspicion that he was forgetting something important.⁴
The new Titans' system was fully functional. Celine had integrated much of her personal technology into the Titans' computer. She had her own interface that she could direct no matter where she was. Their communicators now included a direct comm-line to Celine's control panel. The Titans had never been so organized, strategy-wise. It was some sort of irony that no major crime had occurred since the system installation.
Raven found that she liked being in Celine's company. Though the girl was older than she was, Raven found she could relate to the uncertainty Celine faced everyday. Celine could program a supercomputer in minutes, lead a million men to battle, or solve one of the world's leading problems in days, but when it came to her heart, the girl might have been standing still for all her progress. Raven sat on Celine's floor for half an hour before making up her mind, she forcefully removed Celine from her latest program (that Loberos didn't object would bother Raven for days) and dragged her down a flight of stairs and into a room marked Cyborg.
Cyborg stood stunned as he watched Raven shove Celine into his arms. Raven didn't say a single word, some string of logic telling her that if she didn't say anything, it didn't constitute meddling. She was still on the border on whether or not sealing the exit behind her did.
Celine stayed in Cyborg's arms until he finally pushed her back. Her hand reached out to him, but she didn't take another step forward. Her fist clenched suddenly and her voice took a sharpness that Cyborg never heard before.
"Victor… I'm the smartest woman in the world, I've solved more problems in my short years than thousands have in lifetimes… but none of that means anything, nothing means more to me than you do. I'm not a little girl anymore and you can't run me away… unless you can tell me right now that you don't love me anymore."
"Celine… I can't say that." Cyborg finally admitted. "My loving you was never the issue."
"Then what? Why are you keeping me away… I told you before, after the accident and every day when you were asleep. This doesn't change anyth…"
"It changes everything Celine! Things are different!"
"Vic…"
"Don't call me that."
"But that's your name, your parents gave you that name, it's yours."
"Victor Stone is in the past."
Celine might have, at that very moment understood why he had pushed her away so hard for so long. Celine turned and pressed her right hand, spread fingers lying in an exact place that she knew was throbbing under all his metal. The tattoo was ever more meaningful now then it had been the night they had snuck out to get them, the night her mother had finally gone gently into that good night. The half heart, cut smooth down the middle, almost trembled with the desire Celine held in her chest. Cyborg clutched her hand, the pain of knowing his half of the heart would never see the light of day.
"All of you is in the past Vic… that's why it's your history; it's unshakable, no matter how hard you run. I know what you want Vic, a future clean of the pain of everything that isn't what you wanted it to be… but every time you run from me, you keep that pain with you to cycle through all your days. Tomorrow can be better if you let me in, if you let me love you like we did when everything was beautiful. We can have it the way you want it Vic. All the bad things can't happen again. Only good things can come, if you let them."
For a moment, Celine thought she may have misunderstood. Cyborg held perfectly still before he collapsed to his knees and buried his head in her stomach. His arms gripped her hips, his fear, his insecurity rocked both of their bodies.
"I love you."
"I love you too."
…
Just after nine PM that night the Titans' alarm went off. Celine entered her control panel; her fingers flew over the keys as a scouter⁵ dropped over her right eye. The monitors flew to life. A cool smile crossed her lips and she sent directions and initial instructions to the Titans.
"Alright guys," Celine's voice echoing from their communicators, "The villain known as Mad Mod was spotted trying to break into the Embassy in downtown Jump. Chances are he's after some of the historical artifacts. Be careful, those artifacts are priceless."
"Gotcha Celine! Titans Go!"
The team slipped nearly unnoticed into the Embassy. Cyborg's flashlight lit the government building. The Titans were surprised to find that Mad Mod wasn't in the museum. The whole team headed to the department quarters where they found him running his cane along a wall, a sharp edge was hidden from view but became apparent to the Titans when the sliced portion fell free.
"Mad Mod it's…" Robin thought for a moment and for the first time, couldn't throw out a catch phrase to mark their entrance.⁶
"Umm, aren't you supposed to say something… else?" Beast Boy asked.
"It doesn't matter. Let's stop Mad Mod from doing whatever it is he's up to."
"But my li'l duckies, how will you stop me when you don't know what I'm up to?" Mod asked before turning his cane towards the Titans releasing a pellet into the air. Mad Mod gave it a swing with his cane as he would a cricket bat. The pellet exploded and blinded the team. When the smoke cleared they realized what Mad Mod had known, behind the wall was a vault and whatever was in it was now in the possession of Mad Mod.
"Titans split up and find him. Whatever Mad Mod got his hands on, its best he doesn't have it for long."
Robin and Cyborg ran down a corridor trying to pick up Mad Mod's trail.
"Cyborg, Robin! Turn left down this hallway! My scanners picked up a heat source that isn't carrying one of my communicators!"
"Gotcha Babe! Let's go Rob!"
The sharp turn down the hall brought Robin and Cyborg to where Raven, Starfire and Beast Boy had arrived moments before. Aqualad was the first to voice his surprise.
"Wait! We were all chasing him… so who caught him?" Before the Titans, Mad Mod was planted face first into the floor, bum in the air, golden ducks and British flags swirling around his head.
"Titans! I'm picking something up on my scanners. The signal is faint, I think whoever it is uses cloaking technology… and it's pretty advanced."
Advanced cloaking technology… Robin felt the wind change above his head and only barely tumbled out of the way of the kick that would have laid him out. His would be assailant slid smoothly across the floor and tapped a disk against his shoulder.
"You know Robin, any slower and you'd be going backwards." The mechanical hum and hiss was monotone as always.
"X."
"You remembered."
"What are you doing here? Can't you see we're already handling a whack job bad guy?" Beast Boy asked.
"I couldn't let this low life have all the fun…"
"Taking out bad guys isn't like you, X. Last time you were saving your neck, what's in it for you this time?"
"Would you believe me if I told you I missed you?"
"No." Raven replied.
"Good… I'd hate to think you're that gullible." With that Red X leapt into the air and tossed two huge X's at the team. The flying Titans fled to the air as Beast Boy and Aqualad were thrown back by the first explosion and Robin and Cyborg were thrown off balance by the other. Starfire unleashed her starbolts in rapid fire and missed Red X every time. Raven's dark energy was returned, wrapping around Star and herself, hurling them both to the ground. Robin spared a glance at the girls before tackling Red X. The two grappled for position until Red X pinned Robin's arms to his sides, but not his feet. Robin planted two boots into X's stomach, his momentum bringing him to his feet. X was bashed midair by a charging green rhino and slammed silently into a support tower. He ducked under Cyborg's punch and fastened an X to Cyborg's stomach before tumbled out of the way. The X melted and poured goo across the mechanical Titan's chest and arms, pinning them to his sides before hardening.
"Ah man! Nothing gets red goop out!" Cyborg groaned.
A diving drop kick from Aqualad knocked Red X off his balance. Robin hurled two exploding disks at the copy-cat villain. When the smoke cleared Raven and the others couldn't find X.
"I've got a faint trace. Titans above!" Celine's voice pierced their communicators. All Titans turned their eyes skyward and caught a glimpse of Red X trying to make his escape. Raven's dark energy shook the beams beneath his feet and sent him back to the ground. No one had foreseen Red X vaulting at Raven and taking her to the ground with him. They landed with a loud thud, Raven's body taking most of the extent of the fall.
Red X pinned the sorceress to the ground and held a sharp X in the most threatening of manners against her cheek.
"Somehow I didn't notice before just how much of a looker you are. Great stems, awesome curves⁷, and that long hair…With you on my arm cutie, there's nothing we couldn't do in the dark."
Raven gasped at X's words catching his hand before it could grab her thigh like he intended. Robin seethed as he advanced, his rage blinding him. "Get away from her!" He demanded, arm drawn back for a punch. Red X dodged Robin's blow easily, rolling off of Raven's body. Robin tripped over Raven and watched as X fled into the darkness. He pulled himself to his knees, turning to face Raven who had yet to move from her prone position.
"Are you okay?"
Raven smiled. Robin raised his eyebrow.
"I'm better than okay. I just stole from a master thief." Raven said holding up the disk Red X had pilfered. Robin laughed and ran a hand through his hair. He put a hand to his communicator. "Celine, we stopped the robbery. Red X got away, but we've got Mad Mod. We should be back shortly."
"No worries. I've contacted the special tactics unit to take Mod to jail. See you when you get back."
Starfire and Aqualad helped free Cyborg from his red mold casing. Robin helped Raven up. Raven smiled crookedly and raised a thumb to rub out a smudge on Robin's cheek. Robin and the rest of the Titans said nothing.
End of Chapter two
A/N:
¹ That's just a long winded way of saying "like it was yesterday"
² I'm not sure where I heard that quote from, but its one of my favorites.
³ A modified version of my friend Rob's quote "I will take all the truths I know and tear your playhouse down".
⁴ That isn't referring to Aqualad and Raven. Chapter three will make this make since.
⁵If you hadn't figured it out, the red glass that Celine wears over her eye is a scouter.
⁶ It's more of I couldn't think of something clever for Robin to say.
⁷In fanfics, everyone always takes great care to mention Raven's legs and curviness. I am no different.