Spock was showing Cyborg and Starfire the parts he would need to repair the replicator. They both frowned and shook their heads as they read the specification list. There was no one on Earth, or even Tamaran, who could manufacture the replacements needed. And without the replicator Spock wouldn't be able to manufacture the propulsion systems parts needed.

"Hey, maybe Hal Jordan knows someone who can make them." Cyborg remarked.

Starfire gave the tin man a mild glare as she crossed her arms. "I do not wish to ask a Green Lantern for a favor." She said in a bitter tone.

"Oh, c'mon Star, you know the Lanterns are banned by treaty from entering the Vega system. Legally they can't help Tamaran fight the Citadel or the Gordanians."

"Who are the Green Lanterns?" Spock asked.

Cyborg laughed. "Are you serious? You've never heard of them?"

"I have not."

"Man, how can I describe them? … They're the cosmic cops, with super powers."

"You are saying that they are a galactic police force?"

"Actually, they're intergalactic."

"What they are is the useless!" Starfire harrumphed as she turned away.

Cyborg noticed a curious expression on Spock's face, like he was analyzing them.

"Hey, don't listen to her. Hal's a first class guy. I'll send a message to the Watchtower and if he's free he'll swing by today."

"The Watchtower?"

It was Cyborg's turn to frown. "Are you saying there's no Justice League in the future?"

"While I cannot say with complete certainty that they or these Green Lanterns do not exist in my timeline, I have never heard of them."

Cyborg crossed his arms. "Are there any super heroes in the future?"

"If by superheroes you mean self appointed vigilantes with special abilities, all I can say is that I do not know of any."

"Were are not the vigilantes, were are the official peace officers, we work with the local police." Starfire growled as she wagged her finger at the Vulcan.

Spock inclined his head in an apologetic gesture. "Forgive me, I meant no offense."

"No worries man, I already sent Hal a message."

Their conversation was interrupted by a melodic chime over the PA system.

"Well, alright, lunch is ready!" The Tin Man shouted as he headed for the door. "C'mon, Spock, you don't want lunch to get cold."

Spock always wondered about the human infatuation with eating. The only true purpose for consuming food was to supply the body with the nutrition it required, its hedonistic aspects seemed superfluous to him. He also wondered if they would be having pizza again, as that seemed to be the staple of choice for his hosts. The Titans seemed to be addicted to nutritionally deficient food items like pizza. Vulcans had no concept of "dessert" until they made first contact with the Andorians, who like humans enjoyed consuming calorie laden sweet dishes purely for pleasure.

And then there was the issue of alcoholic beverages, from which he usually refrained except on the most auspicious of occasions. He recalled a time when the Enterprise rescued a stranded Cardassian freighter. The freighter's captain held a reception for them after his ship was repaired, and they toasted with Kanar, which Spock found to be repulsive and disgusting. Jim drank it with a straight face and complimented its delicacy. The freighter's captain, out of gratitude, gave them a whole case of Kanar, which remained unconsumed in one of the Enterprise's cargo holds. Not even Mr. Scott or Mr. Chekhov would touch it.

-(-)-

As they entered the dining area Spock's sensitive nose detected the aroma of charred meat, and it took all he could muster to suppress his gag reflex. He saw what appeared to be a platter of meat patty sandwiches on the table, along with platters of what appeared to be fried potatoes, a creamy salad made of potatoes and some sort of beans in a thick, dark sweet smelling sauce. Nutritionally deficient food. Beast Boy waved at him.

"Don't worry dude, I made us some veggie burgers!"

The five Titans and their guest took their seats at the table. Beast Boy handed him a plate with two tofu burgers, fries and beans. Spock removed the top half of the bun and tasted its contents.

"They're vegan buns." Raven remarked as she took a large bite out of her burger, its juices dripping down her chin. Spock did not betray the disgust he was feeling and handed her a paper napkin. She thanked him and wiped herself.

"I never developed a liking for bread. Vulcans don't handle gluten well, though that isn't a problem for me. In any case, I find it to be nutritionally substandard.

"I also made a green salad." Gar enthused. "That's like nutritious, right?"

Spock nodded. "Yes, I will have some salad with my vegetable … burger."

They continued to eat while the Titans bantered, except for Raven, who he had noticed was the quietest of the five. He found it interesting that she had pair bonded with the boisterous green one, as they seemed, at least on the surface, to be very different and mismatched. But as Spock had learned, there was more to the green lad than met the eye. He suspected that was also true about Raven.

The meal was interrupted by a loud rapping on the common room's giant windows. Spock looked at the source of the sound and saw a man wearing a black and green skin tight outfit, with a strange symbol on his chest. Even stranger was that the man was glowing green and was levitating. Raven gestured with her right hand and the window vanished, allowing the visitor to glide into the room. The window reappeared behind him.

Robin and Cyborg stood up to greet the visitor.

"Hal, my man, glad you could make it." Cyborg shouted as they shook hands. "So what's happening with the Justice League."

"Not, much; I just returned from Oa when I got you message."

Hal turned to look at the blue shirted guest.

"So you're the Vulcan? I can't say I ever met one before, but my beat is pretty big, so I 'm not surprised." The Lantern extended his hand in the usual human form of greeting. "Hal Jordan, Green Lantern for sector 2814."

Spock hesitantly extended his hand, another human custom he never came to terms with. Jordan squeezed it hard and shook it firmly.

"Greetings, Hal Jordan. Forgive me, what is sector 2814?" Spock asked.

"Oh right, Cyborg says you never heard of us. Anyway, I patrol sector 2814. I'm based on Earth, but my beat includes the Milky Way and another 12780 galaxies. So yeah, there's a lot systems I've never visited, and that includes Vulcan". He raised his hand to his face. "Ring, what can you tell me about Vulcan?"

Vulcan is a Class M planet in the Epsilon Eridani star system and homeworld of the humanoid Vulcans, a race with copper based blood who eschew emotions and follow the teachings of their spiritual leader, Surak. Vulcan is an arid world, known for its many deserts such as the Forge. Its wildlife includes Sehlats, large cats that many Vulcan children keep as pets. continue?

"That's OK, ring, You can stop."

Spock observed the glowing green ring on Jordan's finger and quickly surmised that it was more than decorative in purpose.

"That is an interesting piece of technology you are wearing, Mr. Jordan."

"Interesting piece of technology? Hal can form any construct he wishes, it's the most powerful weapon in the universe." Cyborg bellowed.

"More powerful than the Organians?"

The Guardians of the Universe and their Green Lantern Corps. are more powerful than the Organians. The ring responded.

Most impressive. Spock wanted to ask about who were the Guardians and where was Oa, but decided he had more pressing matters at hand.

"Cyborg says that you should be able to procure replacement parts for me."

"Yeah, about that, it's gonna take a while. I sent the request back to Oa, but everyone's busy. But they can be made, you're just gonna have to wait for a bit."

"A bit? How long is a bit?" Spock asked.

"I don't know." Jordan replied. "I wish I could give you a better estimate, but you will get them, that's a promise."

"You have my gratitude, Mr. Jordan."

"Yeah, no problem." Hal sniffed the air. "You guys made burgers for lunch?"

"Would you like to stay? I made plenty of extras." Cyborg chortled.

"You bet. I can't remember the last time I had a real burger. The food at the cafeteria on Oa is slop, and Bats only wants us to eat 'good food' in the Watchtower."

-(-)-

Spock volunteered to help Raven clear the table. She showed him the dishwasher, a primitive device that used detergent and jets of hot water to clean and sterilize its load. Again, it was mostly effective if crude, though Raven explained to him that the dishes needed to be cleared of debris before being loaded into the machine. They worked together with a Vulcan like level of efficiency. As they finished loading it, Spock addressed the gray woman.

"I am curious, you are not a vegetarian like your mate. Is there a reason?"

"My mate?" She replied in her monotone. If not for her unusual complexion, Spock thought that Raven could pass for a Vulcan.

"Forgive me, but according to what my tricorder read when I first scanned you, you have minute traces of Beast Boys DNA in parts of your reproductive tract, probably from dead spermatozoa. That would indicate that you are ..."

"He's my boyfriend."

Spock raised both of his eyebrows. "I see … what is the difference between a boyfriend and a mate?"

Raven shut the dishwasher and gave Spock a mildly irritated look. "Are you sure that you served on a starship full of humans?"

"I am, why do you ask?"

She sighed and leaned against the counter. "Because you don't seem to have a clue about humans. A boyfriend is … a significant other."

"Perhaps colloquialisms have changed over the centuries, as I have never heard the term 'boyfriend' nor 'significant other' before arriving here. I presume they are euphemisms for a committed romantic partner. But to get back to my question, is there a reason you are not a vegetarian? I ask because in many ways your spirituality parallels the Vulcan way."

Raven pressed the start button on the dishwasher, which began to hum.

"Actually … I was once a vegetarian, when I lived on Azarath."

"Interesting, what made you change your dietary habits?"

"The flavor, I guess. No one eats meat on Azarath, so when I first arrived on Earth I had no idea that it was even an option. The first time I tried it was the day we opened the Tower. Cyborg grilled cheeseburgers as part of the celebration, and I tried one. What can I say? They're delicious."

Spock opened the fridge and pulled out one of Beast Boy's vacuum sealed packages of tofu, which he showed to Raven.

"It is my understanding that your … boyfriend … refuses to eat meat because of ethical reasons and he eats a great deal of this soybean curd, which I might add is very nutritious."

"Correct, he says that he's been those animals, so he can't eat them. I don't share that view with him, and we have an understanding to respect each other's diets."

"Interesting, though technically he hasn't truly ever been one of those animals."

Raven stifled a laugh. "Don't let him ever hear you say that. Is it because he remains green?"

Spock restored the tofu to the fridge, and pulled out a can of soda pop and examined it.

"He also retains his human mind. He is essentially a human in a genetically flawed animal body, which I would like to point out defies the laws of physics."

"Defying the laws of physics is something we do. You'd better get used to that if you're going to hang around with us."

"Yes, I have noticed that … you are aware that this carbonated beverage contains 150 kilocalories of energy, all from sugar?"

"Yes, I know, it's not a healthy choice."

"Yet I have seen you drink these."

"An occasional indulgence. It isn't really all that much worse than drinking fruit juice, at least from a caloric perspective."

"That is correct. Miss Raven, I would like to ask you a question that is personal in nature."

Raven gave him a wary look. There was no telling what the Vulcan might ask.

"Go ahead and ask, though I don't promise to answer."

Spock nodded. "Very well. It is my understanding that Beast Boy has been in your mind."

She nodded. "Yes, he has."

"And that he used some sort of mirror to accomplish that."

"He did."

"Fascinating. Would it be possible for me to visit your mind?"

Raven visibly stiffened as she stood straight up.

"Why would you want to do that?"

He proceeded to explain to her about the Vulcan mind meld and how he had performed it earlier with Beast Boy, and that he saw the emoticlones, which he had never seen before.

"So Gar just let you do that?"

Spock explained the reason for the mind meld.

"I see. Mr. Spock, you must understand that my mind is a very private place for me. It is clear to me that your curiosity is scientific, but I'm afraid that I must decline your request."

"That is unfortunate, as I wish to learn more about these emoticlones. I have mind melded with humans before, but I have never encountered emoticlones during those melds."

"I'm sorry … as a consolation, how about we meditate together? I can teach you my techniques and you could teach me yours."

The Vulcan nodded his agreement. "That would be intellectually stimulating. When would you like to do this?"

Before she could answer, the crime alert went off. Red lights flashed and klaxons blared.

"Trouble." She said in wary tone.

-(-)-

Once again, Spock accompanied the Titans, this time riding in the T-Car with Robin and Cyborg. At first Spock decided he would stay behind, that is until he heard that the object of the mission was the one they called 'Slade', who was reportedly trying to steal some sort of prototype circuit from a research facility. Once again his status was officially as an observer.

Cyborg swiftly drove the T-Car down the city streets, belching pollutants into the atmosphere, swerving between traffic as they headed towards their destination, which was an unnamed and unmarked defense research facility known only by its address.

"Hey, Spock, just so you know, Slade also uses robots, and his are better than Brother Blood's, so you might wanna stay further away from the action this time." Cyborg told him.

"By the way, Slade wears body armor, so your nerve pinch won't work on him. And Cyborg's right, it's best if keep your distance this time … it could get ugly. And don't engage Slade, he's a skilled martial artist, one of the best in the world." Robin added.

The T-Car came to a screeching halt in front of a building that looked like a fortress in its construction, a massive gray concrete structure without any windows. It had a single entrance, a steel door that had been smashed. The building was surrounded by the Jump City PD special villains unit, who wore their full head helmets and body armor, brandishing their primitive laser rifles, which they aimed at the building. Spock took a position that was well behind the police perimeter, as he did not wish to be observed, or worse, photographed by anyone.

He made a mental note of how much technology Earth would lose after the coming third world war, and how close it came to meeting its doom as Tamaran would. Earth was still a post war technological waste land when Zefram Chochrane cobbled together Earth's first warp capable vessel with an unused ballistic missile and whatever tech he has been able to scavenge, leading to first contact with Vulcan, a pivotal moment in Alpha quadrant history.

He also recalled that at this point in time scientists were doing the Eugenics research that would soon lead to the rise of Khan Noonien Singh and the other Augments. Spock wondered if the world war or as it was formally known in the future, the Eugenics War, would be the reason for the end of superheroes, including the young adults who called themselves the Titans.

He watched the Titans boldly storm into the building and calculated their chances of survival as 1 in 27, though he knew from the historical records his mother found that they would survive this operation. The Titans seemed to excel at beating the odds, time and time again.

Spock was adjusting his tricorder when he heard a voice behind him.

"Hello Mr. Spock, I've been dying to meet you." A smooth baritone spoke from the shadows.

Spock turned around and saw a masked man emerge from the alley. The man was tall and had a perfect physique. It crossed Spock's mind that the man looked like an Augment.

"Slade, I presume?" The Vulcan replied.

-(-)-

Another cliffhanger!