Disclaimer: I must once again disclaim that I do not, in any way, shape, or form, own the Teen Titans.

Ascension of the Beast

Chapter IX

National Security

To say that Cyborg was in a good mood would have been the understatement of the century. S.T.A.R. Labs had sent him on an expense-paid trip to New York for the weekend, and, although it was technically a work trip, the meetings he needed to attend would likely only take up a few hours of his time. This left him with ample time of his own while he was in the Big Apple. On top of that, he had been able to spend most of the preceding evening with one of his favorite people, and would be keeping company with her once more as soon as his meeting for the day was over.

Victor could not ignore how special Sarah Simms was to him. She was among the first people who saw him for the man he was, rather the prostheses which had been forced upon him by fate. She treated him like a human being rather than recoiling in fear as if he were some sort of anthropomorphic robot. Indeed, as a testament to her humanity, even her students automatically recognized him as a man. The basic respect and kindness she showed toward him was only paralleled by the Titans; indeed, on this matter she really reminded him of his friend Garfield Logan—the younger Titan had been among the first people since his accident who, without even thinking about it, automatically saw him as a human being.

It should not be of much surprise that Gar would become his best friend. Sarah, however, was much more. On top of treating him like a man and being kind to him, she was a woman—and a beautiful one at that. The blue-eyed blonde had been one of just three women for whom he'd really shared the sort of bond which might lead to romance; the other two being metahumans themselves. Now, since Jinx was with Kid Flash and Bumblebee was with Herald, Cyborg could concentrate on what factors made Sarah special, and he ultimately had to conclude that the fact that she could understand him without needing to live the kind of life he lived made her all the more remarkable. He knew he was falling, and he knew it was hard. But, for now, that would have to wait—the man Victor Stone had business to attend to.

He had been told that New York was chosen because it afforded the unique combination of being somewhat neutral ground—the WHO had its headquarters in Geneva, the CDC had its headquarters in the Atlanta metro area, and S.T.A.R. Labs had its headquarters in Metropolis—which also had all of the amenities and access to offices which would be necessary. S.T.A.R. Labs' New York location had been chosen in particular, which Cyborg thought was somewhat odd considering the center in New York primarily dealt with research and technology, while this was a matter of disease control. Either way, these thoughts left his mind as he crossed the threshold of the meeting room.

Unsurprisingly, there were obvious representatives of the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in attendance (Victor was himself working as S.T.A.R. Labs' primary representative at the meeting). What raised his suspicions, however, was the presence of a number of individuals who did not really strike him as medical professionals. As the introductions were made, his suspicions that these were not WHO or CDC officers were confirmed.

A temporary assistant S.T.A.R. Labs had appointed for Victor for the day introduced the various individuals in attendance. In addition to himself, there were representatives of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, the FBI Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis, the Bureau of Intelligence and Research, and the Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. The presence of representatives from a large portion of the U.S. Intelligence Community made him curious, but he opted not to ask—if they wanted him to know why they were here, they'd tell him, and it was best not to ask if they didn't want him to know. But he had a stinging suspicion that his security clearance—all of the Jump City and Steel City Titans had to obtain TS security clearances when the government contracted them for a job a couple years earlier—was going to be invoked at some point during this meeting.

Initially, the meeting went pretty much as Cyborg had been previously expecting. Dr. Judith Xylander, the representative of the WHO, did most of the talking, with some input from Dr. Benjamin Connell of the CDC. They explained the mechanisms of how the virus acted and the apparent ability of non-human animals to survive infection with no ill effects. They caught his attention when they explained that the disease was endemic to Upper Lamumba, but it was when they explained the symptoms that he suddenly had an idea of why he had been chosen for this job.

"Almost immediately upon transmission, the skin in the vicinity of the bite will begin to take a greenish pigment. Within minutes, as the immune system mobilizes to attempt to counteract the virus, a high fever will begin to develop," said Dr. Xylander. "As the disease progresses into its later stages, and the virus spreads throughout the body, the green pigment initially observed at the site of the initial wound will become systemic, affecting the tone of the skin, hair and pupils. Notably, however, the discoloration will not extend to the palate, bodily fluids or any internal organs." Xylander paused for a moment. "Throughout the recorded history of the disease, its mortality rate among humans has always been one-hundred percent; with a single exception."

"Garfield Logan?" Cyborg guessed. Beast Boy's recent obsession with Lamumba was bad enough that he had to have had some sort of connection to the country. And his skin, hair and eye color were too much to really ignore. Ultimately, the answer would come from the INR representative.

"Indeed," replied Matt Breckenridge, the representative of the State Department's Office of Intelligence and Research. "A decade ago, a young boy—Mr. Logan—showed up at the embassy in Paris. He had been through quite a string of traumatic experiences during the preceding three years, but the important part of it is that he contracted Sakutia in Upper Lamumba when he was five years old."

"Mr. Logan's parents, Mark and Marie, were scientists working under the employ of S.T.A.R. Labs," Dr. Xylander added. "Together with their colleague, Dr. Samuel Register, they studied Sakutia in the hopes of finding a cure for the disease. Unfortunately, Garfield contracted Sakutia during that time. Mark Logan labored tirelessly to develop a serum to save his son's life. Fortunately, the serum worked."

"So, why do I need to develop a vaccine if there's already a serum that'll cure the disease?" asked the confused ex-Titan.

"Well, there's two problems with the serum," replied the WHO rep. "First of all, we don't really know what Dr. Logan actually did. He apparently worked solo to create this serum, and, well..." Xylander paused for a moment due to the gravity of what happened, "Mark and Marie Logan died later died in a boating accident."

"Moreover," Agent Ulysses Webb, the representative of the CIA who was present, cut in, "the serum is believed to be the source of Garfield Logan's powers. Ever since the whole fiasco with the Everyman Project, we're trying to avoid anything which could give metahuman powers to non-metahumans as best we can. And Mr. Logan could, if he wanted, be a very serious threat; the only reason he is not is because of his personality. If someone with less positive intentions were to have his powers, the consequences could be dire."

"Which is why we've found that it's better to vaccinate in order to prevent infection in the first place than to try to replicate the Logan serum," Xylander added. "On the bright side, we believe the serum's effects may have given Mr. Logan the ability to produce Sakutia antibodies, which very well could be used to produce a viable vaccine."

"On the bright side? What's the bad news, then?" Cyborg knew there had to be more to the story and gave the Intelligence Community reps a prompt to fill him in if possible.

"Before we continue, it must be made clear that everything which will be said beyond this point in this conversation is classified Top Secret," Agent Webb confirmed Cyborg's prior suspicions. "You may speak of these matters with any of your direct S.T.A.R. Labs superiors who happen to have TS clearance, and you may speak of them with Mr. Logan and Ms. Roth," it was apparent that the CIA was aware of the living situation, "but under no circumstances are you to communicate these matters to anyone else. This is a matter of national security, and any indiscretion beyond what's been explicitly permitted will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"CIA operatives working in Lamumba have uncovered evidence that Kibwana is receiving funding from private sources in the United States. We do not know precisely who these sponsors are, but the money trail seems to lead to Metropolis and Gotham." Agent Webb paused. "So far these sponsors have been extremely careful to cover their tracks, but what we do know is that they are trading financial support in exchange for the Kibwana regime's aid and blessing in the development of a new biological weapons program. They are attempting to weaponize Sakutia."

"But, that's crazy!" Cyborg said with a seriously concerned look on his face. "Sakutia is spread from fluid contact; they can't weaponize it without some serious genetic engineering..."

"Which is why they've hired him," Webb replied while laying a photo of a man in a lab coat before the half-cybernetic twenty-something. "That would be Dr. Samuel Register. The same Dr. Samuel Register who worked beside the Logans all those years ago." The CIA agent paused to gauge Cyborg's reaction, which demonstrated appropriate shock through the silence. "Register has the skills necessary to modify the virus and probably has more experience working with it than anyone else in his field."

"This is why it is imperative, Mr. Stone, that you produce a vaccine as soon as possible," added Captain Marcel Braddack, the DIA's representative in the meeting. "If Register can produce a version of this virus which can be contract via airborne exposure, it can be put into artillery shells and warheads, not to mention improvised explosives and bombs. This virus poses the potential to spark a doomsday event if it's weaponized. We need especially to vaccinate soldiers sooner than they can produce Sakutia munitions, as, the moment we receive actionable intelligence that such munitions have been produced and are field-worthy, we're going to have to send in troops to destroy them."

"Though, we hope it may not need to come to that," added Webb.

"Zuberi Kiongzi, the deposed Prime Minister of Lamumba who now leads the Lamumban government-in-exile, has been asking some interesting questions about Mr. Logan," Breckenridge rejoined the conversation.

"What kind of questions?" asked Cyborg, both out of curiosity and concern for his friend.

"Mr. Kiongzi is more than aware of the great Beast Boy," replied Breckenridge, with a hint of sarcasm in his voice in using the appellation 'great'. "He is idolized in Lamumba—especially Upper Lamumba. Around hearths and campfires throughout Upper Lamumba, people tell stories to their children about the exploits of Mnyama (as they call him). Being a superhero who was a member of two of the most important teams of superheroes in the world is enough to get one recognized, but Logan gets special attention in Lamumba because, after his parents died, King Tawaba took him in and basically adopted him as his own. Since Kibwana killed the entire Upper Lamumban royal family, that actually leaves Mr. Logan as the closest thing in existence to a legitimate claimant to that throne."

"I know operatives who are working in Lamumba," Webb added. "Recently, the conversations about Logan have taken on an almost messianic tone. Apparently, even people in Lower Lamumba are beginning to talk about how the great king Mnyama will deliver them all from Kibwana's tyranny and initiate the rebirth of Lamumban civilization."

"So, to answer your question," Breckenridge spoke once more, "Kiongzi is wondering if Mr. Logan will go to Lamumba and help topple Kibwana's regime. Of course, if he were to do so, that would save a lot of headaches with regard to the Sakutia issue, so don't expect the United States to oppose him if he chooses to do so."

"Langley would like to know if he's going to go, though," added Webb.

"As would the Pentagon," Braddack noted.

"And, of course, Foggy Bottom will need to know as well," spoke Breckenridge.

"And, if he finds any information as to who the American sponsors are, the FBI would be more than interested," added Special Agent Louisa Courtenay, the FBI's representative to the meeting.

The rest of the meeting was far less interesting—basically, an exchange of contact information, so that everyone would be in the loop about new developments. As he left the meeting, Cyborg thought about his friend, wondering how Beast Boy would react to all of this new information, and whether he would want to go to Lamumba. Little did Victor know that, across the country, the die had pretty much already been cast.

Author's Notes
Who do you think the mystery sponsors will be?

Quite a few original characters in this chapter, but I don't think they'll be making re-appearances.

Oh, and the importance of Garfield's connection to Tawaba has now skyrocketed.

Hairul The Nightrage Beast-Berserker...funny thing you should choose that term, as that's pretty much what I see him as in the form too. No concern whatsoever for his own personal safety, just an overwhelming desire to fulfill whatever his particular end might be (which, in every case where the Beast made an appearance in the cartoon, ended up being a very emphatic "protect/save Raven"), by any means necessary. Incidentally, I do have a particular mythological creature I've never seen BB transforming into in any media that I do eventually want to write him transforming into, but that'll probably be more towards the story's climax.

Annatheavidreader-Yeah, I'm feeling a need to really explore what I can of the pallet of characters DC has to offer. I'll spoil one example of someone who is not a Titan but will have a relatively important supporting role, though, seeing as she won't be much of a surprise anyway: Zatanna Zatara, who will be making her entrance into the story sometime within the next few chapters.

JasonVUK-Glad you liked it. Though, the next few chapters probably won't have as many tearjerk moments as the previous few did.