Cyborg's father worked for several days to get Cyborg's vital systems up and running again. It took many hours of work, but he finally managed to get everything running smoothly. Out of courtesy, he invited the other titans to witness the occasion.
"Where am I?" groaned Cyborg as blinked several times and opened his eyes.
"Victor!" cried his father, overjoyed.
"Dad?" cried Cyborg in amazement. He reached out to hug his father but his arms were nonexistent. He looked down and saw that he was missing all his limbs. His father gladly gave him the hug that he was unable to give. "Dad!" cried Cyborg again. The other titans watched as the father and son duo both burst into tears.
At the sight of the reunion, Starfire began to cry as well. Terra too could not help but wipe away several tears. Robin on the other hand looked stoic. He was determined not to cry in front of Starfire.
"I'm so proud of you!" sobbed his father as he hugged him. "You have no idea how proud I am that my son is a titan!"
"I've missed you." Cried Cyborg. He was not one who was usually given to tears, however this time he could not help himself.
"So have I!" cried his father. "It killed me inside every single day that you ran away to protect me!" Robin decided that now would be a good time for them to take their leave. They could always talk to him later. His plans were thwarted when Cyborg saw them.
"Guys!" he exclaimed. "Ya'll reunited me with my Dad! Thanks a bunch!"
"You're welcome." Said Robin warmly.
"Oh, Cyborg! I am so glad you are no longer dead!" cried Starfire as she ran towards him only to be restrained by Robin and Terra.
"Cyborg is already damaged enough!" gasped Robin. "He doesn't need your powerful hugs to squash him even further!"
Remembering that her displays of affection could sometimes hurt people, Starfire held back.
"Where's BB?" asked Cyborg noticing that only Starfire, Robin and Terra were in the room.
"He's been injured." Said Robin slowly. He was not sure how Cyborg would take it.
"How badly injured?" demanded Cyborg.
"He's dead." Replied Starfire.
"What?" screeched Cyborg. "Are you kidding me?"
"Beast Boy isn't dead!" said Robin hastily. "He's in a coma!"
"No, he's dead!" insisted Starfire. "Just like Cyborg was, Beast Boy is dead!" Cyborg now understood that Starfire had completely misunderstood the usage of the word 'dead'.
"How did he get injured?" inquired Cyborg as his father rummaged through his toolbox.
"Slade." Growled Terra.
"Did we win?" asked Cyborg fearfully.
"Yeah, we did." Said Robin with a smile. "Thanks to Terra here."
"I had quality help from Robin and your air bubble." Terra grinned.
"That's great." Said Cyborg weakly. "How long have I been out?"
"About a month or so." Replied Robin.
"What exactly is BB's condition now?" asked Cyborg anxiously.
"He broke a lot of bones." Robin sighed. "He also apparently took a hit to the head that put him in a coma."
"It may be too much to hope, but has Raven come back?" asked Cyborg hesitantly. The others knew what he was thinking. Only Raven had healing powers.
"No, she hasn't." Sighed Robin sadly as Starfire burst into tears. She had grown close to Raven over the years and missed her terribly.
"I'm sorry I asked." Mouthed Cyborg to Robin as Starfire gave him a spine-tingling hug.
"It's okay!" Robin gasped through collapsing lungs.
6 Months Later
Six months after Cyborg's father first came to the house, Beast Boy was still in a coma. After his father had fully repaired him, Cyborg did everything he could to snap his friend out of the coma. As more time passed, Cyborg became increasingly desperate. He began trying all sorts of bizarre methods of snapping someone out of a coma and Starfire was often happy to help him. Robin and Terra simply rolled their eyes and watched the nightly show.
Sunday
Having had a huge dinner of bacon and eggs, Cyborg suddenly came up with a novel idea. Running to his room, he hauled an enormous speaker into the med bay where Beast Boy lay. To his relief, Starfire willingly agreed to help him.
After doing some research, Cyborg decided to have Starfire do some dramatic vocalizations. He was hoping that her naturally high voice singing extremely high notes at top volume would jolt Beast Boy into consciousness. Eagerly, Cyborg connected the speaker to a microphone then gave everyone in the house save Beast Boy a pair of earplugs.
"Alright, Star! You're gonna sing this series of ooos and ahhhs!" announced Cyborg as he gave her the music sheet. Giving her the thumbs up, he began to play the simple track.
"Ooooooooooooooooo!" She sang. Downstairs, Robin and Terra grabbed their ears and cried. "Ahhhhhhahhhhahhh! Ahhhhahhhhahhhhhhh!" Cyborg felt his whole body vibrating. "AAAAAAAHAHAHAHA! AHHHHHHHH!" vocalized Starfire. As several windows broke and the neighbors started calling the cops, she continued "EHHHHHHHHHHHH!" This time, dishes in the dishwasher downstairs began to crack. "AHHHHHHHHHHH!" The speaker itself began to crackle. Taking a deep breath, Starfire finished off with an earsplitting "AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Cyborg's only human ear began to throb despite the protection. Only Starfire seemed unfazed. Setting down the microphone, she looked quizzically at Beast Boy. He did not even budge an inch.
Monday
After Robin had repeatedly apologized to the neighbors and to the cops, he strictly ordered Cyborg to put the speaker away. He had an unwilling Terra head to the city for more dishes for the kitchen and put Cyborg on window repair duty. However, on Monday night Cyborg had already dreamed up another idea.
"BB snapped out of the trace that Mad Mod put him under when I did something funny and when Raven said something funny." Said Cyborg as he handed Starfire another piece of paper. "All we have to do is to crack some of those jokes that he loves so much!" he said with a wink.
"That we shall do!" cried Starfire happily.
"Why did the stomach jump off the boat?" asked Cyborg before motioning for Starfire to read the line below it.
"Because the rockin' made it boated!" she exclaimed gleefully. They then looked hopefully at Beast Boy.
"Get it? Boated? Bloated?" asked Cyborg.
"I do not think that Beast Boy gets the joke." Said Starfire sadly.
"That's weird." Muttered Cyborg. "He usually finds cheesy stuff like this funny. Let's try this. Why did the fat man move to loser town?"
"So that he could lose some pounds!" smiled Starfire. The two then stared expectantly at Beast Boy for a moment.
"Why did a boy hit a rock and fall off his bicycle?"
"Because he needed bifocals!" Silence.
"How do ya make a cow smile?"
"Say cheese!" squealed Starfire.
"You do know that those jokes are beyond bad, right?" demanded Robin as he and Terra stood at the doorway, staring quizzically the two.
"But BB loves them!" cried Cyborg. "Last one! Why did the greedy wolf go to the doctor?"
"Because he wolfed down his dinner!" Read Starfire proudly. The four then stared at Beast Boy. He did not even budge an inch.
Tuesday
Having ascertained that jokes were not going to help his cause, Cyborg tried another method. After work, he wasted no time in racing over to a DIY shop in town.
"How many types feather dusters do you have?" he asked the salesgirl as he skidded into the store. She stared at him in shock for a moment and then motioned for him to follow her. Cyborg bought one of every single type of feather dusters on display.
"Your wife must be a clean freak." Commented the cashier as she bagged his purchases. Cyborg was about to protest when he remembered that he was wearing his holographic ring.
"Heh." He smiled embarrassedly as he quickly paid for his things. His face burning with mortification, Cyborg sprinted out of the DIY store.
When he returned to the house, he wasted no time taking the feather dusters up to the med bay. The others followed him eagerly.
"This has gotta be good." Thought Robin as Cyborg whipped out the first blue and red feather duster. Even Starfire watched in amusement as Cyborg went crazy with the feather dusters.
"C'mon B! I know you can feel this!" yelled Cyborg as he lifted up Beast Boy's left arm and shoved the feather duster into his armpit.
"Remind me to throw those away." Sighed Robin as Cyborg grabbed another feather duster and jammed it up Beast Boy's right sleeve.
"B! You're wearing pajamas for goodness sake! Don't pretend! Ya feel me tickling ya!" roared Cyborg as he jiggled around the feather duster. "I swear BB has no sensory neurons in his armpits!" shrieked Cyborg in frustration.
"Am I the only one who thinks he's gone crazy?" asked Robin turning to the two girls. They simply gaped at him mutely.
"BB!" cried Cyborg as he began tickling the bottom of his feet with the feather dusters. "Can ya feel this ya little grass stain?" he screamed as he wedged the feathers between Beast Boy's toes.
"Let's leave him alone." Said Robin as he backed out of the med bay. This was getting too weird. Terra and Starfire happily followed, convinced that Cyborg was losing his mind just like Beast Boy had sort of lost his. And Beast Boy did not even budge an inch.
Wednesday
Cyborg decided that shocking Beast Boy out of his coma would be the solution to their problems. So far, he had already tried singing, jokes and tickling. Deciding to take a new approach, Cyborg filled up a bathtub with cool water. He then added in some salt and tossed a small metallic device into the water.
"What are you doing?" demanded Robin as he appeared at the bathroom door with Starfire and Terra eagerly looking over his shoulders.
"This baby right here," said Cyborg lifting the device out of the water. "Can freeze water to artic temperatures! I put in some salt to lower the melting point of the water." Cyborg chuckled evilly.
"And that would help, how?" asked Terra.
"I'm gonna drop BB in here and see if the freezing cold water doesn't jolt him out of his coma!" announced Cyborg proudly. The other three were skeptical, but allowed Cyborg to carry Beast Boy to the bathroom. At this point, they too were willing to try anything.
"In ya go!" yelled Cyborg as he unceremoniously dropped Beast Boy into the bathtub that now had little chunks of ice floating on the surface. Several drops of water from the resulting splash splattered on the others causing the girls to scream with the cold. Only Cyborg felt nothing. Sticking one hand into the bathtub, he supported Beast Boy's head and watched. He did not even budge an inch.
Thursday
By Thursday, Cyborg was getting increasingly desperate. The moment he stepped into the door, the others followed him carefully, knowing full well that he was going to try another crazy thing to wake Beast Boy up. They followed him into the kitchen where he took out a mortar and pestle.
"This is one of the hottest chilies in the world, the Bhut Jolokia or the Ghost Pepper." He announced as he poured several red and orange peppers into the mortar. "It's not the hottest in the world, but it'll do." He continued as he began to pound up the chilies with the pestle.
"This wouldn't have something to do with Beast Boy, would it?" asked Robin.
"It totally has something to do with BB!" yelled Cyborg. "Just a dab of this on his tongue should be enough to burn him back into consciousness!"
"That sounds painful." Remarked Terra as she winced. "Even more painful than that freezing bathtub of ice."
"Cyborg, are you sure this is safe?" asked Robin concernedly.
"Sure it is!" insisted Cyborg. "It'll probably burn him a little but if it'll bring him back, it's worth it." He concluded as he opened a drawer and took out a small spoon.
"Is there anything to relieve the burn?" persisted Robin. "You know, in case he does wake up?"
"There is." Replied Cyborg as he opened the fridge and poured a glass of full cream cow's milk. "According to researchers, this milk is the best remedy for a chili burn. Let's go!"
The others followed him up the stairs. This was too good to miss. Starfire repeatedly begged Cyborg to let her try some, but Robin sternly forbade her from having any.
When they entered the med bay, Cyborg put down the class of milk and walked over to Beast Boy. Taking a tiny, tiny portion of the chili, he pried open Beast Boy's mouth and shoved in the spoon. Everyone watched with bated breath as his tongue began to sizzle. He did not even budge an inch.
Friday
By Friday, Cyborg was quickly running out of crazy, unconventional ideas to wake Beast Boy up. He decided to be a little more scientific and do a little bit of research. After tinkering around in his room for several hours, he came up with the most scientifically sound plan that he had come up with the entire week.
"BB is in a coma because his cerebral cortex is not functioning properly. The reason why he hasn't been able to respond to anything is because the neurons in the cerebral cortex are not delivering sensory input to the thalamus rendering the cerebral cortex incapable of facilitating many neurological functions in the brain." He explained as he fitted a cap onto Beast Boy's head, which was attached with a tangle of wires. Robin simply stared at Cyborg in confusion while Terra and Starfire scrunched up their faces as they thought really hard. "This device that I've designed should stimulate the cerebral cortex…"
"Okay, we get it." Robin cut in. "This might be the first feasible idea you've come up with all week, so hurry up and do it."
"Here we go." Said Cyborg as he began to adjust the controls of the machine that he had carried to the med bay.
Finally, he looked up and gazed at Beast Boy. He did not even budge an inch. Cyborg tried again, carefully making some tweaks. Still nothing. Gritting his teeth, Cyborg tried yet again. Beast Boy remained unmoving. Terra was rapidly growing bored and left the med bay to go on her date with her new boyfriend. Starfire remembered that she had to feed Silkie and left the room a few minutes later.
The hours passed as Cyborg tried combination after combination. Robin finally perceived that the device was not working and went to the gym. Cyborg tried everything he possibly could way into the wee hours of morning, but Beast Boy did not even budge an inch.
Saturday
Being desperate and unable to think straight due to lack of sleep and a proper charge cycle, Cyborg began to lose it. On Saturday morning, he recruited Starfire to help him with the new plan that he had concocted during breakfast.
"Alright!" Cyborg shouted dramatically as he walked into the med bay wearing a pink tutu. A very happy Starfire dressed in Robin's clothes followed him in. If they looked baggy on him, they completely engulfed her.
Cyborg lifted Beast Boy up and leaned him against the wall before forcing him to wear a modified spectacle frame that held his eyelids open.
"Introducing, Cytutu!" yelled Cyborg as he whirled around the room. "C'mon, BB! Ya know ya wanna wake up to see this!"
Behind him, Robin and Terra were clinging on to the doorway, laughter tears streaming down their faces.
"And I am Strobin!" said Starfire brightly as she too began to dance around the room. The neck hole of Robin's shirt was so big that the top half of her pink bra could be seen. In order to make Robin's pants fit; she had borrowed one of his belts and pulled it tight causing the pants to bunch up at the waist. However, the way oversized shirt she wore covered that up.
Since Starfire was taller than Robin and had longer legs, Robin's pants were much too short and looked like three-quarter pants on her. To make matters worse, she had spiked her waist long hair backwards the way Robin always did. She looked very much like a scarecrow with a pyramid attached to the back of her head.
"Cytutu and Strobin!" sang Cyborg as he and Starfire pranced around the room. He then launched into his very own rap. "Nobody in the world dressed better than us, in fashion competitions we make everybody last! Cytutu and Strobin, we dressed so fine, make em' pretty fashionistas all go blind! With our fashion choices we rock the world, dudes can rock tutus, Star yeah you go girl! BB gonna laugh until he die cuz our clothes so crazy we wear the sky!"
By this time, Robin and Terra were laughing so hard that they were convulsing on the floor in pain. As for Beast Boy, he did not even budge an inch.
Sunday again
By the time Sunday rolled around once more, Cyborg was utterly demoralized. He had tried everything he could think of, including giving up his dignity. As much as he hated to admit it, his best friend was doomed to remain brain dead forever.
"Cyborg? You in there?" asked a voice from outside Cyborg's room.
"Yup. Come in." Said Cyborg sadly. Robin entered the room and closed the door softly behind him.
"Ummm… I know you're bummed about Beast Boy." Robin started hesitantly. "But I do have one idea to wake him up that just might work."
"Ya do?" asked Cyborg looking up hopefully.
"Yes. While you were in disrepair and your dad was fixing you, Terra talked to us about Beast Boy."
"Don't tell me she's still in love with him?" asked Cyborg.
"No, she's not. But she did make a very interesting observation." Replied Robin. "She told Starfire and I that when she left, Beast Boy was really immature and such. But when she came back, he had changed and had matured greatly, to the point that he's become something like Raven."
Inwardly, Cyborg perked up, but outwardly he tried not to show any excitement as Robin continued.
"That got me thinking. Because we're always with Beast Boy, we didn't really notice it when he gradually matured. We also didn't really notice that he had started acting more and more like Raven." Cyborg held his breath. "When Terra mentioned Raven, I started thinking about the old times when she was around and I realized that Beast Boy actually started becoming more mature sometime before Raven left. So I dug up some of our old videos and I noticed one thing. In many of them, Beast Boy was almost… affectionate towards her. It's almost as though he likes Raven and became more mature just by constantly observing and thinking about her." Cyborg could not believe that Robin had figured it all out by himself.
"I told ya nothing." Said Cyborg sharply before looking away.
"Wait, Beast Boy actually told you that he likes Raven?" asked Robin, wide-eyed.
"Yeah." Admitted Cyborg. He hated spilling Beast Boy's secret but he knew what Robin was getting at and that the only way to snap Beast Boy out of his coma was to reveal his secret.
"Since Raven means so much to him, it is quite likely that he will wake up at the sound of her voice." Suggested Robin.
"My thoughts exactly." Replied Cyborg, who was already fiddling with a palm-sized device in his hand. "If I can just get this to imitate Raven's voice…" his voice trailed off. Robin nodded approvingly and left the room.
Several hours later, Cyborg called Robin and Starfire to his room. Terra had gone out on another date with her beloved boyfriend Cody.
"What a whimsical device!" exclaimed Starfire as Cyborg held up the device in front of her face.
"It's called a vocal modulator." He replied. "All I need ya to do is to say something into this." He added before pressing a red button on the side.
"Something like what?" asked Starfire but it came out in Raven's voice. Starfire jumped back in shock. "What has done the wrongdoing to my voice?" she demanded in Raven's voice.
"This machine alters your voice to make it sound like Raven's." replied Cyborg. "Now let's try saying things with less emotion."
"That could take a while." Remarked Robin eyeing Cyborg. "Can't either one of us just pretend to be Raven?"
"No." Cyborg said with a sigh. "I haven't perfected this yet. It can only alter a female voice into another female voice and since Terra has gone out again, Starfire is our only option."
"Here we go." Sighed Robin as they began trying to get a recording of Starfire saying things in a monotone. That alone took several hours. But when she got tired and bored, they finally succeeded in getting a suitable recording of "Raven's voice". With mounting excitement, they dashed to the med bay.
"Let's put it beside his ear." Cyborg suggested. Robin and Starfire gave their approval. Cyborg took a deep breath and pressed the green button.
"Beast Boy. It's me, Raven." Squawked the device in Raven's monotone. To their shock, they saw Beast Boy's left eyelid quiver. "I'm back." The device continued. This time Beast Boy groaned and shifted his legs. The others looked at each other, delight shining in their eyes as they waited for the finale. "I love you, Beast Boy." Beast Boy suddenly opened his eyes the moment he heard those words.
"Raven?" he crackled in a voice that he had not used for more than six months.
"It worked!" Exclaimed Robin in amazement.
"Beast Boy! It is so amazing to have you back!" Cried Starfire joyously.
"BB!" Yelled Cyborg. "You're back!"
"Where's Raven?" Asked Beast Boy desperately. "And why does my tongue hurt?"
"You have no idea how much we missed you!" Shrieked Starfire as she went in for a hug only to be desperately restrained by the boys.
"I asked where's Raven!" Exclaimed Beast Boy as he scanned the room.
"Oh. That. Um. She's not actually here." Cyborg admitted as he picked up the device from Beast Boy's pillow. Beast Boy was speechless for several moments.
"So she didn't actually say 'I love you' to me?" Beast Boy was deeply disappointed.
"No, she did not." Replied Cyborg after a moment of silence. The hurt in Beast Boy's eyes made the others wish that they had just left him in a coma until Raven actually returned. Poor Beast Boy was heartbroken.
Elsewhere in the city, the real Slade watched and smiled.