32. Stone Golem part 4

Simon Stone typed with blurred fingers across the keyboard. He brought up the string of data from the computer banks on the night of the thunderstorm. He leaned forward, looked it over once, and scratched his chin.

"Hmmmm…," he mumbled. He typed away some more and highlighted random strings. "Yup…definitely not a lightning strike that caused the power outage."

The Titans around him all murmured. I leaned against a nearby wall, watching silently.

"How do you know?" Robin asked. "I've been looking at that system for hours and couldn't notice a thing!"

"Because it's all masked by a cover stream of data…," Cyborg's Uncle said. After a river of typing, he magnified the highlighted data and extracted detailed, numerical information. "Oftentimes the cover stream goes by an invisible pattern of synthetic placement. I know this from having worked with viruses and hack jobs before. STARS has to be on its guard, ya know."

Cyborg smirked at the Boy Wonder. "I told you he's the best!"

"So what does it mean?" Robin asked the old man. "We had a virus in our Tower? A hacker?"

"Probably the latter," Simon said. "Someone deliberately snuck into your system from a remote location to access secure files," he explained, and tabbed over to a particular file that interested him or her. "Such a performance was quick and forceful…not a very graceful hacking, since it's raised suspicions since the incident. So however the hacker did it, he or she decided to use a cover stream of data to fill in the gaps of the damage done. In order to do that so quickly, however, the actual computer system of the Tower had to have been rebooted. So he or she chose to do it during a thunderstorm, knowing that y'all would pass it over as a lightning strike."

"But they failed to realize that we'd raise our eyebrows at the failure of our reserve power," Robin said, gritting his teeth and palming his fist.

"Crime doesn't pay," Simon smirked.

"What did this hacker want from our computer system?" Starfire asked.

"I'm trying to figure it out right now," the old man said. "Considering how ugly this thing was done, there shouldn't be a problem finding what they were after."

"You do seem to know your way around hacked computers…," Raven said.

"I make it my aim to."

A few keystrokes later, the digital matrix of the Tower was brought up. Simon dragged the computer through the damaged strings of information and came to a resting spot. "Aw crap…"

"What is it?" Starfire remarked.

Cyborg frowned. "My files…"

A few gasps.

"Dude…someone was so checking you out," Beast Boy remarked.

Cyborg leaned forward and read the files in question. "System Linkup…Defenses…Prostheses………Electro Magnetic Pulse Frequency…..," his voice lingered as he read off the last one.

"Is that bad?" Raven asked.

Simon sighed. "Very bad."

"My circuits function with a….wavelength of electrical energy, as it were," Cyborg explained to the other Titans. "There's a gap in the wavelength that stays neutral, or else a sudden pulse in electromagnetic would overload me. I'm sure you've all seen 'EMP Shockwaves' in sci-fi."

"Sooooooo….," Beast Boy scratched your head. "You mean…."

"Someone's trying to figure out how to land me flat in one punch."

Starfire gasped.

Robin furrowed his brow. "Slug and Reload…"

Everyone looked at him. Including me.

"What makes you think they hacked in?" Simon asked.

"If there's anything I know about criminals…," Robin glared, "…when they try to get ahold of the smoking gun, they get too much of an itchy trigger finger for their own good. And in the case of these two gunslinging newcomers of ours, that fact is twice as valid. I wouldn't doubt it if they were smart enough to hack in and acquire the EMP signature of Cyborg's, but were too careless to use it right."

"They must have thought that….b-by modulating their signatures inversely with Cyborg's…," Simon thought aloud, smiling at the revelation, "…they could counteract his powers!"

"But all they managed to do was leave themselves open for my laser blast," Cyborg said, looking at his arm. "Which operates solely on the EMP frequency operating inside of me."

"That's why they went down so hard," Robin finally smirked. "Their silver bullet bit them back."

"Heh….nice shooting, Tex. Heheheheh!" Beast Boy giggled.

"But…wh-why would they go through all that trouble to vainly attack Cyborg?" Starfire remarked.

"They didn't at all seem interested in the robbery after he and the rest of us arrived," Raven said.

Starfire nodded. "I think they just wanted him."

Simon looked over at Cyborg. "Vic. I don't like the sound of this. For some reason…those two creeps want you. And they want you bad."

Cyborg nodded. "Normally, I'd be flattered. But I don't go for obsessed fans who put my friends in danger!" He looked down at his uncle in the chair. "Simon, when our two EMP signatures clashed, there would have been a reflection of our dual frequencies, correct?"

"In theory, yeah."

Cyborg popped open an arm panel, dragged out a cord, and plugged it into the computer station. "Here're my readings from the incident. Download them into my personal program and see what information it brings up concerning our dual signatures."

"What good will that do?!" Beast Boy gestured.

"If I'm onto what my nephew is saying…," Simon smirked. "We might be able to find out specifically which gap in Cyborg's EMP signal the villains are using. And in that case—"

"We can track them by their own signal!" Robin smirked.

"Glorious!" Starfire beamed. "It enamors me when justice is so righteously pursued!"

"I dunno….," Raven folded her arms. "Sounds almost too…..easy to be true."

"Oh, it's true allright," Cyborg smirked as he stood beside his uncle. "We're gonna chase those two punks down and cart 'em off where they belong!"

"I should certainly hope so…," Raven mumbled.

I stared at her for a while.

"Vic…--I'm sorry, 'Cyborg'," Simon sighed, then smiled. "For your safety…I suggest recalibrating your EMP signature to another secure form. That way, once the studies from the crime scene are complete and we can track these crooks, you won't be anywhere near suffering from one of their attacks like they suffered from one of yours."

"That's a good idea, old man," Cyborg said. "Come on…we'll go into my laboratory to do it."

"Okay."

As Simon stood up, Robin walked over and shook his hand. "Thanks a bunch for helping us out, Mr. Stone. It shows you're one of Cyborg's kin by how reliable you are. It's a shame we don't have too many adults around here in the Tower. They can really be helpful at times."

"Pffft," Beast Boy smirked. "Speak for yourself."

Simon chuckled. "Glad to be of help. It's the purpose of STARS scientists to protect the security of our infinite domain."

"An honorable creed indeed!" Starfire giggled.

"Come on, old man," Cyborg motioned and headed for the elevator. "Don't lag behind!"

"Not on your life, kid."

They wandered off.

Robin and Starfire wandered off.

Beast Boy went to the kitchen.

I stood there, thinking to myself. I looked across the way and was half-surprised to see Raven still standing there. Her arms folded.

"That was too quick for my comfort," she said. "Mysteries never solve themselves. They take time and effort."

I cocked my head to the side.

She looked through my shades from afar. "I have a bad feeling about all of this," she said. "And in my case…that's not something to take lightly."

Yeah…yeah…

I waved and walked off.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

WHURRRRRRR-CHUNG!

The metal bed pivoted to a stop.

Simon stood over Cyborg, attaching and reattaching wires. He walked over to a console and typed away. The wires lit up a bright electric blue.

Cyborg took a deep breath. "Whoah…what a rush."

Simon smirked while typing. "Don't let it get to your head, Vic. We only do this for your electromagnetic signature…not your endorphins."

"It was always great having you around when I was taught how to change my frequencies," Cyborg twitched. "Being mechanical has its awkward sensations. Leave it to you to keep me from doing this all the time on my own when I was a kid."

"Yup…," Simon mumbled amidst computer work. "Switch your electromagnetic frequencies too much, the consequences include blindness and a hairy palm."

The two men laughed.

Silence…save for the hum of the system.

"Dad never taught me how to do cybernetic maintenance," Cyborg muttered.

"Maybe because you never let him."

"He was never around!"

"True….true…."

Cyborg sighed and stared up at the ceiling. "Over three years since his death, and suddenly I'm the belle of the ball." A pause. "Say…Robin said in the briefing that Slug and Reload were from Metropolis. Was STAR Labs asked to do a diagnostic of the crime scene where they first appeared?"

Simon slowly nodded after a while. "Yup…we were all over that site like crap on Velcro."

"Did they seem anywhere near interested in……money? At that time?"

"As far as I could tell," Simon smirked over at him. "Common criminals."

"Common criminals with titanium limbs and the ability to produce metal out of thin air."

"That too."

"This world is chock full of freaks…," Cyborg mumbled.

"Your dad would hit you for saying that, ya know."

"My dad is dead."

Silence.

"Victor…," Simon spoke. "Did you lose faith in your family?"

"Pfft…," Cyborg smirked. "Not all of it."

"Are you sure of that?"

"What are you getting at, old man?"

Simon walked over slowly and placed a hand over Cyborg's strapped wrist. "You and I…Vic…we're the last of the Stones. The very last. Does that ever bother you?"

"…..," Cyborg stared. He looked off. "I suppose I don't think about it too much."

"But I do," Simon said. "You and I….Vic….we're not just a part of something. We are something. When you left everything to the wind and became a Titan, I was scared. I was really scared, Vic, cuz I thought I might lose you. And then I'd be alone."

"You could always start dating again…," Cyborg winked.

Simon nudged his shoulder. "A man my age…I'd be lucky if I got a retirement fund, much less a woman."

"So I really mean that much to you, huh?" Cyborg said. "That is….as a remaining member of the family."

"You are who we are, Victor," Simon said. "The fact that you exist…..it…i-it makes me feel safer. It makes me feel like I'm that close to eternity." He gestured with two fingers thinly apart. "Titanium and laser rifles aside, Vic, you protect me. You protect me by existing. And whether or not you're willing to admit it, I protect you."

Cyborg was silent.

Simon sighed and walked back over towards the computer console. "Families are built to protect each other. To make each other feel significant. I'm sorry, Victor, that because of tragic circumstances, you were never fully taught that."

"I know what I've been taught…," Cyborg said shortly.

Simon nodded and typed away. "That makes the two of us."

A beat.

"I'll need the access code."

"Hmm?"

"Your password for initiating the EMP recalibration."

"Oh. It's 'ELINORE'."

Simon froze. He looked up. "Your late mother's name?"

Cyborg smirked from the bed. "I've got all the protection I need."

Simon exhaled. He slowly inserted the code. "She loved you as dearly as your father did."

"Yeah….I know."

Simon looked up. "You do?"

The young man was silent.

"I'll be quiet now," the uncle smiled and initiated the procedure.

Cyborg took a deep breath and waited tout the process. His human eye trailed where Simon couldn't see.

And he seemed troubled by something…

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

Downstairs….

Inside the garage…

The T-Car came to life.

Its insides blinked brightly with blue lights just seconds before dying out and returning to silence.

Then…nothing…

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

Hours later, I walked up to the door to Cyborg's laboratory/room and knocked with a free hand. I then resumed balancing the tray of foodstuffs. A few seconds passed as I waited at the door.

No response.

I was about to knock again when--

"Come in, Noir," said Cyborg's voice calmly from the other side.

I blinked behind my shades, opened the door, and walked through.

The room was dark, save for a glowing computer screen or two in the distance. Cyborg sat alone at the edge of his metal bed. He stared off into space.

I was concerned—but figuring who it was that I felt concerned about, I decided not to say anything. I walked over to a lab table and placed the tray down. The smell of fresh lunch filled the room.

"Beast Boy or Starfire sent you down to bring that to me?"

I gestured with a smile that I had volunteered.

He looked aside. "Sorry….not hungry."

I slowly nodded.

"I'm never hungry after an upgrade or recalibration," he said. "It reminds me that I'm mostly a machine."

I said nothing…..not like I could do otherwise.

When silence felt poisonous, I felt it was due time to leave. I turned and headed towards the door.

"Noir…you know your presence never bothers me…," he said from behind my back.

I froze in place, sighed, and slowly turned around with a curious smile.

"If….i-if you don't mind….," he gestured to a nearby chair.

I shook my head, walked over, and sat down.

Slowly, he got off what was on his titanium chest. "When I go deep into thoughts….like I'm doing a lot as of late…I enter into another world. My brain is a different place than the dark mystery it was before my transformation. I once had a mind which I assume is like yours and Robin's and Beast Boy's. Everything is dark. Everything is speculative. Everything…..shrouded. But not my cybernetic brain. I can 'see' thoughts now, Noir. I can see them exactly as they are…or were. The 'going to be' is still a mystery to me, and for that I'm at least thankful. But….my mother's dying face….I still see it."

His red eye squinted as he slowly continued:

"Right now…I'm looking at her sideways. I'm on the floor of STAR Labs. I'm bleeding all over. The portal is closing, and as its brilliant light fades….I can see her face. What isn't scarred of her skin is now cut in a dozen places. Her lips are torn a freakish curve…so that it looks like she's smiling at me as she passes away. But those are not her happy eyes. That is not her warm breath. She's looking through me with death…for she can't see her little boy anymore. All she sees is a machine…a hulk of titanium and metal with a stringy, fleshy core."

I was silent, watching him with black shades.

"I never truly forget what I'm seeing, Noir. Never a second passes that I forget who---what I am. What I could have been. What we all could have been."

A pause.

"In a blue sea of ones and zeroes….I see her. And I see my father too. And the sea of ones and zeroes turns from blue back to the black my head used to be. And for once…I hate the prospect of becoming human again. Because I'd have to deal with his face too. And I'd take the dead face of my mother any day over the smiling face of my father."

I looked down to the ground.

Cyborg looked over at me.

"Noir…tell everyone upstairs that I'm not hungry. And I'm not going to be eating in a while. Not until this whole….mess is sorted out." He looked down. "Reload…and Slug…they bother me. But it's not just them. My uncle's presence here….it keeps shaking me up. Keeps making the images I see more alive. Like I can smell her corpse too." He faltered, clenched his fists, then sighed into relaxed melancholy. "…I don't…..know why he is trying to help me."

I stared at him.

"But I think I have an idea."

Just then, the intercom went off.

"Titans!" Robin's voice shouted. "To the Main Room! On the double!"

Cyborg groaned and stood up. "How come every time I let you listen to what I have to say, there's some damn emergency?!"

I grinned and shrugged.

We both rushed towards the top of the Tower.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"It's them again…," Beast Boy said.

"Looks that way," Simon said, leaning over Robin at the computer screen.

Two signals appeared at a location far from the heart of the city.

Stafire squinted. "The Prison?"

"What do they want from there?" Cyborg remarked.

"Probably having a family reunion," Beast Boy snickered with a sweatdrop.

"They're nothing but punks with big guns…," Robin said. "Our interference last time must have ticked them off. I bet they're trying to get our attention with a threat to eliminate the security systems of the prison."

"Like how they lured us before?" Raven asked.

"Right," Robin nodded. "But we're far too smart to fall for that trick again."

"Don't be so sure," Cyborg spoke. "We're going to have to intervene eventually on behalf of the Law Enforcement, right?"

"Of course!" Robin said. "The guards won't be able to hold those two back by themselves!"

"And I did provide the smoking gun during our last run-in," Cyborg spoke. "Do we all forget that?"

Simon looked at all the Titans.

"Cyborg…," Raven said. "Your Uncle himself said that they were purposefully trying to take you down. If they're looking to do anything at the prison, they're looking to attract you."

"Not unless y'all provide a diversion for me to strike in from the side!" Cyborg said.

"Yes!" Starfire nodded. "Beast Boy and I can fly in…."

"…Raven and I can take them up front…" Robin spoke.

"…and WHAM! Knock out punch by Mr. Robot himself!" Beast Boy said.

"I think it's still too risky…," Raven said.

"If risk is what it takes," Cyborg said, looking at Raven, "…Then I'm all for it."

Simon walked over and patted his shoulder. "I'd have to agree."

Raven folded her arms. "Oh, would you?"

Simon blinked.

I stepped forward and gestured to Cyborg.

He replied. "I promise. I won't strike unless I can from the sidelines. You guys will be the frontline."

"Woo joy," Beast Boy moaned.

"Sounds like a plan…," Robin said. "We'd better make haste. Starfire, call the police, suggest to them to stay undercover till we make our appearance. No need for Slug and Reload to suspect anything by security's reaction."

"I'll keep a tracking signal on their EMP signatures," Cyborg said, pointing to his titanium wrist compartment. "I'll relay it all to you from the T-Car."

"Very good," Robin said. "Titans! Go! Normal squads!"

Everyone went their own way to exit, including me.

Cyborg stood still, however. His eyes slowly went back and forth. He spoke up, "Actually…I suggest Noir take the T-Car with me this time."

I froze, turned around, and looked at him funny.

"But…," Simon spoke. "Doesn't Miss Raven usually—"

"She needs to go ahead with Robin on the frontline," Cyborg said. "Noir can be of assistance to me by providing reconnaissance of the enemy as I strike in from the side."

"You sure about this, Cyborg?" Robin asked.

Raven was silent.

"Yes," he said. "I'm sure."

I looked over.

Raven stared directly at me for a few seconds before going off with Robin.

"Noir," Cyborg motioned. "Let's go."

When he was about to leave though, Simon was standing in his way.

"Vic?"

"Old man?"

"………good luck."

Cyborg smiled. He leaned over and the two hugged.

"Kick some butt for me, kid."

"Gladly."

The two of us rushed down to the garage.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

Minutes after departure, Raven hugged Robin as she road the back of his cycle.

"Just a little while and we'll be there!!" Robin called back to her over the rush of transit. He eyed the flying forms of Beast Boy and Starfire overhead. "Sorry if the ride's a little bumpy!! I'm not used to passengers!!"

"……."

"As soon as we get there," he continued, "…we'll form a cautious perimeter defense!! We've seen how dangerous these two metahumans are!! No need to be hasty in capturing them!! Once Cyborg helps us out, it'll be a better story!!"

Raven finally replied: "I'm not so sure Cyborg will be joining us…"

"?!?!" Robin glanced back through his helmet. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

The T-Car zoomed down city streets.

I polished Myrkblade and sheathed it…waiting impatiently in the passenger seat.

For some reason…I felt extra anxious.

Cyborg was silent the whole drive. His eyes were firm…determined. Something was on his mind.

Something was on everybody's mind.

Why was I so clueless?

My black eyes didn't notice….but Cyborg's did.

A spark or two lifted from the steering wheel and danced off his titanium fingers.

He stared at them without batting an eye. He glanced over at me.

"Noir…," he spoke.

I looked over.

He was extremely deadpan. "Are you feeling fit right now?"

I was confused. I merely nodded.

"Good," he said. "I'm going to need you."

I lifted an eyebrow.

"But of course you know…," he looked back at the road. "…we're falling into a trap."

My jaw dropped.

ZZZZZZZTTTT!!!

Cyborg grunted as an electromagnetic shockwave flew out from the core of his Baby, up the steering wheel, and deep into his cybernetic heart.

I gasped widely and jumped in my seat. The seatbelt screamed into my skin.

Cyborg's hands went limp. His blue lights turned to black.

And the T-Car careened out of control….