Timeline: 2 Weeks Post-Issue #45: Cyborg's Story

"My armor doesn't really come off."

"That must be a burden, to be a warrior every hour of the day."

"You get used to it… I guess."

Cyborg and his girlfriend Sarah Simms were having a casual date at Titans Tower. It was the perfect opportunity for the half-metal man to share his newest recipe without Beast Boy complaining about the meat specially seasoned with CYBQ sauce.

And it really was a lovely meal, but once dinner was over, Sarah decided to bring up something which had been on her mind since a recent camping trip with her youth group.

"So you said we met in a previous life."

"Huh?" Cyborg had been fiddling with a toothpick to get food out of his teeth. "Oh yeah! I said I'd explain that but I never actually did. Whoops."

"I think I now know what you meant," Sarah admitted. "Mostly."

"You do?"

"Ever since you said that, it's like all these memories were unlocked — I see them in my dreams. Everything's Hyborian and I'm leading Suen, my tribe, and you're sometimes there, but it's you as you are now because you were magically whisked back thousands of years to fight in some war. And that's what happened, isn't it?"

Cyborg nodded. "Mhm."

"And no one called me Sarah Simms, it was always—"

"Sarasim."

Sarah smiled. "Yes."

"I didn't realize until a while afterward," said Cyborg. "I knew there was something familiar about her, but I was so caught up in bein' stuck in the past that I didn't really think of it then. Really, her name should've been a massive hint." He recalled mentally kicking himself a little for not making the connection sooner. "So how's it feel to get memories of a past life?"

"It's pretty weird," Sarah remarked. "The memories are all familiar yet alien at the same time. Plus I have barely any context and they're definitely not chronological." She sighed, brushing aside a lock of blonde hair that had gotten in front of her face. "It's difficult."

"Y'know," Cyborg said after a few seconds of thought, "I've got something that could help."

An ancient suit of armor hung on one of the walls in Cyborg's room. It looked completely out of place when placed alongside the litany of modern technology, but Sarah could tell he held it in high regard.

"It's beautiful."

"Yep," Cyborg agreed. "The Suenites really knew how to work metal. Maybe you can tell me about it." He handed Sarah a big bound book sporting the Suenite insignia. "I don't know where Raven got this, but it's got plenty of stuff about Suen. Too bad I can't read any of the text. I tried running it by some cuneiform experts but it's some variant they don't recognize."

"And you think I can decipher it?" Sarah questioned.

"Much less likely things have happened, haven't they?"

Sarah couldn't argue against that. She opened the book to a random page and gasped.

"So you can read it?" Cyborg guessed.

"Yes!" Sarah exclaimed before she began reading. "'We were blessed with a mighty storm season the one hundred and twelfth year. Our crops had never been more bountiful.' I remember this! It happened when Sarasim was really young."

She flipped ahead a bit, hoping to find something about Sarasim's leadership. And she was not disappointed with what she found.

"'At age sixteen, Sarasim became our chieftain after her father succumbed to injuries from combat.'"

Sarah was suddenly struck with memories of a funeral, of a nine-day mourning period, of gaining the resolve to be the leader her people needed.

"Huh…" She skimmed ahead a bit more and found something exciting. "This part's about you!"

"Well what do they have to say?"

"'Cyborg: the warrior of another time, came to aid us in our hour of need against the villainous Krall. His heroism ensured our victory, but he was taken back to his home as swiftly as he arrived.'"

"I was so mad when Raven yanked me back," Cyborg recalled. "She literally plucked me from the middle of the big battle. And if this book didn't exist I'd have spent the rest of my life wondering how it ended."

"Ooh, this is interesting," said Sarah. "'Sarasim always wished she could meet Cyborg again, if only to properly say goodbye. One day, she requested the Witch grant her this one wish, and in exchange, the old sorceress would be allowed to rest. The Witch agreed, but as usual her magic did not fulfill a wish as intended…'"

"The hell is that supposed to mean?" Cyborg wondered.

"I think her… my… our soul lingered on for 5000 years waiting for you, Cyborg," said Sarah. "Sarasim got to meet you again through me."

"Vic."

"Hm?" Sarah looked up from the book.

"Victor Stone," said Cyborg. "If we're star-crossed lovers and all that, then you should know my real name."

Sarah smiled. "A strong name for a strong man."

"I'm not that strong."

"No, no, none of that tonight." Sarah's tone was firm yet gentle. "You are strong, you are loved, you are uniquely you."

"Damn, spoken like a true leader," Cy— no, Vic wiped a tear from his eye. "So what else does that book say 'bout Sarasim? I'm sure the kids would love to hear stories of your ancient adventures, and so would I."

Sarah sat down on his bed and patted the space next to her as invitation for him to join. "Let's read."

Suen is one of a few names given to the Mesopotamian god of the moon, and since Sarasim's tribe uses a crescent moon insignia, I figured it was an appropriate name.