"Uh, Sarasim?" he called out, his back still turned.
"Yes?" her voiced drifted out from the small bathroom.
"Uh, when you're finished, can you come find me? I got somethin' you'll want to see..."
"Of course, soon as I am done," she replied, the door closing behind her. Cyborg visibly exhaled, relaxing now that she was gone. And yet in the exact same instant he started to miss her again.
It was a source of some confusion for Cyborg. And not for the first time, he wondered how exactly he felt for Sarasim as he strolled out of her room and down the corridor towards his own.
He knew he cared about her. That was a given, she was a friend and a good teammate (or she had been, in the past, they'd never tested that theory in the present) and he didn't want to see any harm come to her. He did find her attractive... and who wouldn't, she was gorgeous... but it wasn't quite a physical attraction. After all, close to 85 percent of his body was machine, and that included his reproductive organs. A year or two ago, he hadn't minded nearly as much... he'd had enough problems with the way people looked at him... treated him. But now...
Now he could love Sarasim, but he could never "make love" to her... could never give her children… never grow old with her either. Since his cybernetics could always be replaced and his flesh was chemically treated to keep it alive, he wasn't sure what his projected lifespan was anymore. He could live to a hundred or wither away at thirty.
There was perhaps no future for them. At least, not together.
But the thought of life without her, now that she'd come back... it was more unbearable than he could've imagined. Being beaten to scrap by Atlas would've hurt a lot less.
So maybe he did love her... a pure love, one bound by a spiritual connection rather than physical pleasure or attraction. He wasn't sure.
But he was going to find out.
>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>
Sarasim wrung out her hair instead of making use of the towels hanging in her bathroom. With so much to remember these days, so many new ways of doing things, she often had a moment or two she slipped back into old habits without realizing it. So much to know in this world, she mused. So big, so fast, so loud. It was all a bit much to take in.
Idly, she wondered sometimes if she would ever get used to it.
And then, as always, her argument would always be that it didn't matter. As long as she was with Cyborg, everything would be fine. He would look after her.
So it was that she donned a bathrobe, a simple garment, since it was dark and she intended to sleep soon (most of the other Titans would be up watching their movies… a concept that had initially intrigued her, but had grown too complex to follow). Plus, despite all this, she was a warrior still, and she preferred to follow a simple routine. Wake when it was bright, sleep when it was dark.
She called out to him from outside his door, letting it slide open as he welcomed her into his room. As always, he greeted her with a gentle hug. It was a welcome, soothing gesture, but for some reason they'd never gone further than that. They hadn't shared a kiss since they'd first been reunited. The former barbarian sensed that something was making Cyborg feel awkward around her, as he'd been when they'd first met in her own time. And she was forcibly reminded that, for all his power and courage, he was still underneath his armor little more than a young adult. Not that she was much older, mind you.
Sarasim would give him time. They had plenty of it now.
He smiled, unaware of her inner thoughts, and with a dramatic flourish, gestured to the work station where her gift lay. Her blue eyes opened wide in surprise.
It was a suit of armor.
The gesture was not lost on her either. When Cyborg's strength had been failing him, she'd helped the Blacksmith make a suit of armor for him. It had helped during the battle against Krall and his minions. Now, he'd done the same for her. But it wasn't just any suit of armor he'd made for her, either.
It looked state-of-the-art.
The chestplate and armguards were silvery-white with a number of blue edges, and as she peered more closely, she confirmed her initial suspicion, apart from a few design differences, it perfectly resembled Cyborg's body-armor. The new set was designed for a woman's form, however, and with great curiosity, she reached out and picked up one of the gauntlets. It was light as a feather, yet it felt sturdy as stone. A pair of boots and leg-guards rested on the floor beside the work table.
"Amazing," she said in awe.
"Took me about three days to make," replied Cyborg, stepping past her. Neatly folded into the table was a white-silver bodysuit, which he unfolded to show to her. Again, there was little doubt in her mind it was designed for her frame. "You wear this bodysuit under it, the armor links directly to it. It's like wearing a second skin. One made of titanium reinforced steel," he added, handing her the suit.
Hesitantly, she accepted it. However, a thought had occurred to her after his remark of it being 'like a second skin.' Her mouth opened but he cut her off gently, obviously having foreseen her question.
"It comes off... it's not like mine," he said.
She nodded, her fears dispelled, and then began to test out the armor. A key life lesson she'd discovered was always to test your armor before you wore it into a fight, lest you find some imperfection that, in the heat of battle, would be your demise.
The bodysuit came first, and it did indeed fit like a second skin, molding against her shapely frame. It was remarkably comfortable, and idly Sarasim wondered if there were more such suits like these she could wear all the time. Cyborg assisted with the rest of the armor. She knew where most pieces went but he knew the armor better than she. It turned out there were a number of near-invisible latches (he called them nodes) where the armor seamlessly locked into place against the suit. He also showed her exactly what to press on the pieces to remove them.
At the very end, Sarasim stood before him a change woman, an armored warrior of the 21st century, the very best of both worlds.
Sleep long forgotten by both of them, Cyborg took the time to show her how the suit worked. It wasn't just stylish and durable, after all. He'd modified it after the blueprints for his very self, which is why it had taken longer than usual to complete. The suit were laced with an experimental technology, a nanotechnology of sorts that allowed the lightweight material to be as tough as Kevlar underneath the already durable pieces of armor. They had a side benefit of increasing one's strength while worn to roughly twice that of the individual's regular power. No where near the same as having pistons and gears for real muscles, like Cyborg, but it certainly would give Sarasim an edge in modern combat.
"Got a few more bells and whistles, but I'll show you those later," said Cyborg.
"Truly, a wondrous gift… my thanks, Cyborg," she said, resting a hand gently on his shoulder.
As it had, back in the past, her touch registered as pressure on the shoulder-plate, transmitting information to his brain, allowing him to analyze it. But the human part of his mind warmed to the touch, enjoying it. She was one of the first people who'd elected to touch him of her own free will, with no hesitation. Not even a partial revulsion for the machine-like components of his body, which instinctively made most humans shy away.
She didn't see him as a machine. She saw underneath his 'armor' to the man inside.
Caught up in the moment, cyborg and barbarian almost didn't notice they were about to kiss until their lips were mere inches apart...
… and a sudden siren made them both jump in surprise, eyes snapping open. The room was lit by a bright red light, and while Sarasim jumped about in surprise, Cyborg slammed an open palm against his forehead.
"Cyborg?" she asked, unable to understand.
"Titan alert," he grumbled, irritated the moment had been ruined. "Better get to the living room, Robin will know what's up."
>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>
"Call from Titan's East," said Robin as the remaining Titans filed into the room. He stood in front of the main viewscreen, which the image of Aqualad filled. The aquatic wonder had a panicky look about him, black eyes darting like a dolphin in a school of shark. Whatever it was, it was big.
"We got a breakout at Steel City Maximum Security Penitentiary," said Aqualad, once the others had arrived.
"Isn't that where you guys locked up…?" asked Raven, but she was cut off.
"That's who broke out," said Aqualad. A quick tap of the keyboard in front of him, and the image came up on the corner of the viewscreen, super-imposed over Aqualad's. An image that all the Titans present instantly identified, leaving only Sarasim in the dark about the new image's identity.
Half of his face, the left half, was metallic, the eye a glowing infrared orb. The right was a sickly pale skin with an equally crimson orb set deep into his skull, glowing with an inner fire. No hair graced his head any longer, the gray swept back features of his metal head were designed to resemble hair. His expression was one of deep-set annoyance, his jaw line hard with a near-constant arrogance. The image of a horned skull was set onto his breastplate/chest, and a pair of wicked looking spikes graced his shoulders.
"Brother Blood," Cyborg intoned, infusing the word with equal parts disgust and anger.
"His armor…" spoke up Sarasim, for the first time since the conversation had began. "… it is like yours…"
"Brother Blood stole his blueprints and made himself into a copy-cyborg," said Beastboy, from his position perched on the couch. "Guys nuts if you ask me… nobody's good as the original," he added with a friendly slap on Cyborg's shoulder.
"Mas y Menos are prowling the city now on foot, and Bumblebee's in the air," explained Aqualad. "But she wanted us to bring in Cyborg… you knows Blood better than we do… and there's a chance Blood could try and take us over again."
"I'll be there in a few hours," said Cyborg. "Count on it."
"Titan's East out," said Aqualad with a relieved smile, flicking another switch, causing the viewscreen to go dark.
"You gonna need backup?" asked Robin.
"Nah I can handle this, you guys watch over the city… I'll be back in a day… two at most…" he said, turning around, and almost started when he saw Sarasim there. Hearing about Blood, seeing his image, had dredged up a lot of dark memories in Cyborg. He'd almost forgotten about her.
"… Sarasim…"
"You… wish me to come?" she asked, though her tone suggested she already knew the answer. Something was different about Cyborg. She could sense it. His aura was… clouded.
He shook his head. "Way too dangerous. You've never faced anyone like Brother Blood before."
"I am unafraid," she replied, with little hesitation.
"Brother Blood isn't like those hoodlums you faced a week back," said Cyborg. "He's… he's a lot worse than Krall ever was," he settled on, giving her a comparison for ease reference. Unfortunately, this didn't deter her much, and she stared up at him unflinchingly, determined to have her way.
Finally, her head dropped down, a little saddened, but she trusted to his wisdom. She felt a gentle hand placed on her shoulder, and looked up to see Cyborg smiling. A strained smile, to be sure, but a welcome sight none-the-less.
"Hey, relax… I'll have Blood back behind bars in a day or two tops, and then I'll come right back here. I promise."
She nodded, relieved.
>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>
Cyborg packed and piled up what he needed (very little, mostly some spare power cells) into the T-Car down in the hangar and left with little fuss from Titan's Tower, heading east. Considering he could drive day and night with little trouble he'd be at Steel City in under a day.
Idly he glanced up at the rear-view mirror, watching as Sarasim waved farewell, her image growing smaller and smaller in the view until she vanished, and he had to turn his attention back to the road. He didn't want to leave her… but he had to. Blood had to be stopped.
His thoughts turning away from the love of his life and towards his arch-nemesis, Cyborg idly wondered how exactly Brother Blood had managed to free himself. After his defeat in Steel City, he'd been a broken man… both literally and figuratively. Cyborg and the other Titans had been quick to make sure Blood stayed unconscious, not wishing to see him use his telepathy against them again. Or any of his other magic, for that matter.
True, they hadn't found a way to remove the cybernetic enhancements from Brother Blood. Like Cyborg, they sustained his life, replacing a vast majority of organs, not the least of which was the spinal column and heart. Take them away, and Blood would die. Not even Cyborg wanted that. So they'd had to settle on a makeshift solution.
Brother Blood had been sealed away inside of Steel City's Maximum Security Prison, at the very lowest levels, with state-of-the-art security and top notch personnel. Beyond that, his cell was designed to shackle him against the wall, preventing the use of his cybernetic strength. And he was kept on the lowest possible power setting, just barely enough to keep him alive. Power was fed to him through the prison system… any unusual drains and it was shut off, and the instant he tried to escape, he'd have at most five minutes of reserve power before he shut down completely. He wouldn't make it out the prison doors.
Yet, somehow, he had.
Deciding the atmosphere of the T-Car was entirely too quiet (and even a little foreboding) Cyborg switch on the radio and fiddled around to find a music station he liked. He'd been trying to introduce Sarasim to modern rock music but she always said it gave her a headache to listen to at any decent volume. She had a thing for the quieter instrumental musics that none of the other Titans cared much for. Finding her some music CD's has been tough, but well worth it.
Allowing his thoughts to drift away from his enemy and back towards his girlfriend, and he allowed a smile to reach his face.
Two days away wouldn't kill them. Not after waiting a thousand years. He'd be back in no time.
>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>
Author's Notes:
And so my nefarious villain has been revealed. Brother Blood! Dun-dun-dunnunununun! His was a choice inspired by the main theme of this story. Try and spot it.
Jimmy the Gothic Egg: Well then, no doubt you appreciated her brief cameo.
Todd fan: Sure does. And thank you.
ViciousAssassin: 'course it was awkward, that's half the fun! You honestly couldn't guess Blood! I practically gave that one away with the Titan East appearance!
Pnaixrose: Sarasim isn't -quite- a Titan, despite living at Titan's Tower. She has to prove herself first. Hence the unfolding element of danger in my story. It's her trial by fire.
Yomiori-Wolfdemon: First rule of entertainment, always leave them wanting more. Applies to fanfiction as well. Torture machines go yay? Cute.
SxStrngSamurai13: My romance stories, while focusing on a couple, inevitably draw in outsiders from everywhere else to move things along.
Comet-hime: Artwork, yay! Well good 'cause I got some good images in my head from this story, not the least of which is armored-Sarasim. So I'll finish, don't you fret. Get together now? They live in the same building and see each other every day, how more together can you get when someone is lacking the appropriate hardware?
Ultimate R-Man: That's the thing that always gets me, which is why I enjoy romances where the couple is reluctant to admit they're a couple, or one is chasing the other, or there is conflict. Conflict is good.
