Chapter 55: Tools of the Trade

It was a bright, peaceful day in Metropolis. People were going about their daily lives, and enjoying the pleasant weather. One such person was Victor Stone, who was in town with his dad. Silas had a scientific meeting with the Metropolis branch of S.T.A.R. Labs, and Vic had gone with him. At the moment, he was beside himself with boredom, so he'd ventured out to find some food. As he looked around the vast city, someone waved him down.

"Oi!" a man with a thick, gruff voice called out. "Hey tin man!"

Victor turned, half expecting a fight, but stopping when he saw it was a large, but friendly looking sailor. He relaxed, giving a small wave as the sailor approached.

"Ain't you one of Superman's pals? Uh… Cyborg! Yeah, Cyborg!"

"That's me. And you are?"

"Names Bibbo. Old pal of Supes. So what brings you to town? Thought you were a Central City guy."

"Just visiting for today. Say, you know where a guy can get something to eat around here?"

"Well, I own a barbeque place not far from here, but if you want something fast, there's a hot dog stand that's usually stationed outside of the Gold Depository. Best dogs in all Metropolis."

"Huh. I'll look into that. Thanks."

"No problem!" Bibbo called out as Victor walked off. "Next time you're in town, stop on by Bibbo's! On the house!"

Turned out Bibbo was right about the dogs, as Victor found himself buying five of them to satiate his appetite. As he munched on his fifth one, he sat on the steps of the Depository, letting out a content sigh.

"Definitely Boom Tubing here next time I want a dog," he remarked, walking up to the cart. "One please. Mustard, no sauerkraut."

The vendor laughed, making the dog.

"Do you even have a stomach under all that metal?" he asked, handing Victor the dog.

"Half of one, at least. Besides, this machinery burns a lot of calories."

"Well, far be it from me to deprive a hero of my hotdogs."

"Must see your fair share of heroes having to stop bozos from breaking into that Depository."

"Not really. You'd need a tank the size of…"

An ominous rumbling filled the street, making the vendor stop mid sentence. He looked up, eyes going wide. Victor followed his gaze as his dog slipped from his fingers.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me."

A massive tank was tearing through the streets, crushing cars like soda cans, and ripping lamp posts off their moorings with the barrel of its massive gun. Cyborg took a defensive stance as the tank rolled right up to the Depository.

"Get out of here, man," he warned, watching as the vendor fled. "Time to do what I do best."

Cyborg quickly activated his arm cannon and aimed it at the tank's gun barrel as it began to take aim. He finally fired, blasting the top of the gun clean off. Cyborg did a fist pump, until he saw the tank backing up, as in preparing to ram the building. Thinking fast, Cyborg ran up to the tank and placed his hands on the front of it, causing him to skid across the ground as he tried to stop it.

Not far away, Inspector Turpin and Chief Sawyer quickly sped down the street towards the Depository.

"Good thing we were in the neighborhood," Turpin remarked.

Several cop cars joined Turpin and Sawyer as they reached the building, much to Cyborg's relief.

"Good… the cavalry's here."

Sawyer and Turpin got out of their car, the former quickly taking control.

"Establish a perimeter! Get these people to safety!"

Turpin didn't seem to be listening, drawing his pistol before charging at the tank. Cyborg saw that, his eyes going wide.

"You idiot… get back!"

"And leave you to deal with that thing solo?! Not a chance!"

"I may have taken out the main gun… but my sensors are telling me this thing has-"

Suddenly, side turrets open up on the top of the tank, turning towards the cops on the ground. Turpin went wide eyed at the sight.

"Everyone fall back!" he ordered as the turrets opened fire.

Meanwhile, Lois and Clark were stuck in traffic caused by the tank. The former was tuning the radio, trying to figure out what was going on. Meanwhile, Clark dialed up his hearing, picking up the sounds of the guns from the tank.

"How bad is it, Smallville?" Lois questioned.

"Bad enough," Clark admitted, getting out of the car. "I'd better get down there."

"I call dibs on the story!"

Clark just smirked as he ran off towards the Depository."

Back at the Depository, the cops began opening fire on the tank, but to no avail. To counter Cyborg, the tank pulled out in reverse, causing Cyborg to tear off a piece of the tank as he fell forward. He quickly pulled himself back up as the tank prepared to charge again. Meanwhile, the cops kept firing on it uselessly, ducking behind their cars as they tried to keep the other guns off the hero.

"What're you just standing there for?!" Turpin shouted at Cyborg. "Pick up your jaw and stop that damn thing!"

As Cyborg got back to his feet, the tank plowed forward, forcing him to roll out of the way as it plowed through the entrance. Cyborg moved to the back and grabbed on tight. He then moved backwards with all his might, pulling the tank out of the building and down the steps. The tanks turrets turned around and shot at Cyborg, knocking him back and sending him crashing into one of the cop cars. The tank then rolled towards Cyborg and prepared to fire. All of a sudden, a familiar red and blue blur shot down and tore through one of the turrets. Cyborg looked up to see Superman floating midair, holding the turret in his hand before tossing it aside.

"Need a hand?" he asked.

"Only if you're offering," Cyborg remarked.

Cyborg then fired his cannon at the remaining turret, taking it out and allowing Superman to fly down and rip off the top of the tank, revealing the two goons inside manning it.

"Afternoon gentlemen," Superman greeted. "I'm sure the police would like to have a few words with you."

Superman yanked them out of the tank and flew them over to Turpin and Sawyer, dropping them at their feet. The cops quickly slapped the cuffs on them as Cyborg came over, rotating his arms slightly as he joined Supes.

"Maybe I should have just left this one to you."

"You had it handled. I just cleaned up the last of it."

"And saved my ass while you were at it."

"Hey, you're still learning. And you've come a long way. Cut yourself some slack, ok?"

Cyborg just shrugged.

Later, the Metropolis Police Department, Turpin and Sawyer were holding a press conference regarding the recent attack on the Gold Depository. Among the various reporters was Lois, who had more than a few questions.

"Inspector Turpin, what can you tell us about the ones responsible for the attack on the Gold Depository?" she began.

"We don't have any concrete leads as to who just yet," Turpin answered. "However, the MO and means seem in like with the work of Intergang."

"If this is Intergang, then how did they manage to get their hands on a Military grade tank? And how did the MPD not know about this sooner?"

"We don't know," Sawyer admitted. "But we are looking into every possible lead."

By now, other reporters were beginning to shout, calling out with their own questions.

"Does Intergang have any more military grade weapons?"

"What if this was just the beginning?"

"What are you doing to stop Intergang?"

"Are we safe?"

"Have you brought the Justice League in on this matter?"

"No more questions," Turpin declared as he and Sawyer made their way to her office.

Across town, the leader of Intergang, Bruno Manhiem, having heard about the bust on his operation, went to his armament stash in frustration.

"Useless!" he cried out knocking over boxes of weapons. "Worthless!"

He then picked up a box of grenades and threw it to the floor, much to the concern of one of his men.

"Careful, boss," he insisted. "Those things could go off!"

"I keep telling you idiots," Manhiem spoke up, clearly ignoring his flunkie's warning. "Intergang needs real weapons if we're gonna stand a chance against those super clowns. Instead, you keep giving me toys!"

Just then, a loud boom rang out, much to their surprise and confusion.

"What was that?"

Manheim and the goon drew their guns as they made their way outside. As they got outside, they saw a strange man standing in the center of the doorway. He had bowl cut hair, a clearly villainous goatee, and was carrying a strange, hi-tech staff.

"Who the hell are you?" Manheim demanded.

"My name is Kanto, Mr. Manheim," the man introduced. "And I am here to grant your wish, as it were."

"What are you talking about?"

"My… boss has authorized me to give you some assistance. And from what I have heard about your recent losses, I believe you will need it."

"Is that right? And who exactly is this 'boss' of yours."

"He will reveal himself when he deems it necessary. In the meantime…"

Kanto then pressed a button on his staff, sending out some kind of energy wave that caused their guns to fall apart, much to their surprise.

"I come bearing gifts," Kanto offered, offering him the staff.

Across town at the Metropolis S.T.A.R. Labs, Victor was telling his father about what had happened at the Depository.

"It was pretty crazy," Victor shared.

"I can imagine," Silas replied. "It's a good thing you were there."

"Eh, I didn't do that much. It was mostly Superman."

"Don't sell yourself short, son. You've proven yourself a hero a hundred times over."

"Maybe so, but I can't shake this feeling like I could be doing so much more. Like… like there's more to my cybernetics then we've unlocked."

"Have you checked your systems?"

"Yeah, I have, but they keep shutting me down everytime I try to probe deeper. My own body is rebelling against me, like there's something it doesn't want me knowing.

"Well whatever it is, I know you can overcome it," Silas encouraged, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You're stronger than any machine on this planet, or any other."

Victor looked up and smiled, genuinely touched by his dad's words. Suddenly, something caused his systems to chirp, an alert appearing in his mechanical eye. It lasted for a second, then quickly shut down.

"What was that?"

Back at Manheim's place, Kanto was demonstrating some of his new equipment for them. Once such device was a small cylindrical tube. He pressed a button on it, firing a laser at a nearby safe. Upon contact, the laser cut through the metal of the safe, causing it to melt. The goons looked at this in surprise.

"Alright… I'm impressed," Manheim commended. "But why just give all this stuff to me? What's the catch?"

"My employer simply wants to see what you can do with the equipment he provides, slipping on a pair of metal gloves. "Including these. It's called the Armature. It creates two large hands of pure energy that simulate the motions of the gloves."

Kanto turned them on and two energy hands appeared. Kanto used them to tear open another safe before crushing the pieces in his energized hands.

"The hands of course possess enhanced strength," Kanto added.

"Alright, you've made your point," Manheim conceded. "I'll take em. But what does your boss want in return?"

"Nothing… for now."

"Yeah, it's that 'for now' bit that has me on edge. I'm not a fan of being strung along like this."

"Consider this a free sample," Kanto explained, handing him the gloves. "Rest assured, my employer will make his needs known… in time. Good day."

With that, Kanto walked off, leaving Manheim alone with his new weapons.

"Call the boys," Manheim ordered. "It's time for another job."

Back with Cyborg, he was going through a systems check, trying to figure out what caused the weird alert earlier. Silas was helping him, but neither were coming up with anything.

"Are you certain you saw something?" Silas questioned.

"Positive. The alert came up, then it was just gone. It was like I was… detecting something."

"What kind of something?"

"No idea. But it's got me thinking… something's coming."

"Like what?" Superman asked, entering the room.

"Supes," Cyborg greeted, giving him a wave. "Hey. We were just talking about this alert I got a bit ago."

"Did another timer start up? Like with Brainiac?"

"No, not this time. It's more like a gut feeling."

"This gut feeling directing you anywhere in particular?"

"No, it was gone too quickly."

"Then we'll just have to keep our eyes open. Something tells me whatever it is, it's gonna find us before long."

Later that day, a train was coursing through the city, carrying multiple cases of money that were being transported. At the base of the tracks, a van full of Manheim's men pulled up and came to a stop. Three men got out and made their way up to the tracks, with one of them taking out the Armature gloves and putting them on.

"Here it comes!" one of the men called out, seeing the train fast approaching.

The goon with the gloves turned them on, quickly smashing through the tracks and taking out the supports below, causing the track to crumble. Seeing the quickly collapsing track before her, the conductor of the train quickly pulled on the emergency brakes to try and bring the train to a stop before it completely went off the rails.

Sadly, the efforts were in vain as the train careened towards the ground below. It skidded across the ground for a few moments before finally coming to a stop. This allowed another one of the goons to use the laser tube to melt away the door. Just as he did though, the guards inside the train opened fire on the goons, forcing them to take cover. This proved to be a minor inconvenience though as the third goon used Kanto's disassembler staff to destroy the guards guns, allowing the goon with the Armature gloves to grab the guards and lift them into the air.

At Metropolis PD, Sawyer was going over some files when a report came on the radio.

"All units, radio alarm from the 420 money train. Repeat, radio alarm received."

"You comin?" Turpin asked, standing in the doorway. "Can't let Superman have all the fun."

Sawyer smirked before getting out of her chair and rushing out with Turpin.

Superman's phone began to ring, prompting him to pull it from his belt. He answered it the second he saw Lois' picture appear.

"Lois, what is it?"

He could hear the sounds of various people running around wherever Lois was, as well as her frantically pressing an elevator button.

"Big train wreck, five miles north of the Planet, someone was standing on the tracks and right now I wish it was the guy who built this STUPID ELEVATOR!"

"I'm on my way," Superman replied, hanging up the phone before turning to Cyborg. "Can you boom tube us to the Northern rail line?"

"No prob," Cyborg replied, rising to his feet. "I could use a distraction."

Back at the train, the goons were in the midst of loading the money into their van when a boom tube opened up. The three thugs turned towards it in concern as Superman and Cyborg leapt out.

"Only going to ask once," Superman told them. "Surrender now."

"Or things are gonna get messy," Cyborg added, activating his arm cannon.

One of the thugs pulled out the laser tube and fired it at them. Instantly, Cyborgs systems began pinging.

"Alert! Liquifier Beam detected! Evasive maneuvers advised!"

"What the-"

Suddenly, Cyborg's body began moving on its own, forcing him out of the path of the laser.

"Cyborg!" Superman called out, dodging another oncoming beam. "Are you alright?"

"I don't know! But my systems went nuts when he pulled out that laser! Called it a Liquifier Beam!"

Superman dodged a third beam as it hit a nearby lamppost, liquifying it.

"I can see why," he remarked before turning back and using his heat vision on the tube.

The goon yelped, dropping the tube as it shattered to the ground. Superman then swooped down in hopes to detain the goon, but was slapped away by the Armature energy hands. Cyborg readied his arm cannon to fire, but his systems started acting up again.

"Alert! Armature Gloves detected! Weapons systems ineffective!"

"What?! Will you just-"

Just then, Cyborg was smacked away by the energy hands, hitting the damaged pillar of the train tracks. He barely had a chance to pick himself up when one of the hands smashed down on top of him. Having had enough, Cyborg grabbed hold of the hand and tried pushing it off of him.

"Increasing tension to arm joints."

Cyborg felt his arms growing stronger as he began bending the fingers backwards. The goon grunted in pain as he felt his own fingers flare up in pain. Seeing this, the third goon took out the disassembler staff and aimed it at Cyborg, causing his systems to go crazy once more.

"Alert! Diassembler Staff detected! Evasive Maneuvers advised!"

"Kinda busy right-"

At that moment, the staff was fired at him, causing pieces of his circuitry to fall off his body and making him cry out in pain. The alerts were even worse than before, describing every piece of machinery that was falling apart as it happened.

"Cyborg!" Superman shouted.

Just then, Turpin's car came speeding up, running right into the goon with the staff. The good went flying before hitting the ground, prompting the other two to make their escape as the cops got out of the car.

"Yeah, that's right!" Turpin called out. "You better run!"

Superman instantly flew over to Cyborg, who by now had been reduced to a torso. He was seething in pain, his mechanical eye flickering.

"Initiating Self Repairs," his systems buzzed, strange, almost techno-organic tentacles reaching out for all of the severed parts. "Warning, host stress levels at critical. Inducing sleep mode."

"Hey, the kid ok?" Turpin asked as he and Sawyer came up.

"I don't know," Superman replied, picking Cyborg up as the light dimmed in his eye. "I need to get him back to S.T.A.R. Labs."

Superman then flew off with Cyborg in hand, hoping that Silas would have some answers.

Cyborg was laid out on a large table as his body literally pulled itself back together. Silas watched in mute horror and fascination, Superman standing beside him.

"What happened to my son?" Silas let out.

"The men we were fighting had some kind of device that tore him apart," Superman explained. "I've never seen anything like it."

"He's taken gunfire without flinching, has ripped robots apart like they're nothing… he held off a tank and barely broke a sweat… but now… he was literally torn to pieces..." Silas covered his mouth with his hand.

"He's still alive in there, Silas," Superman reassured, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I can still hear his heart."

"Who did this to my son?"

"We don't know for certain. The police believe it to be Bruno Manheim and Intergang, but we don't have conclusive proof."

"This weaponry… these things that were used against my son… they're nothing like what the military has. Believe me, I've thoroughly researched the limitations of Victor's armor against all earth-based weaponry. Whatever these things are… they're not from this planet."

Meanwhile back at Metropolis PD, Turpin and Sawyer were discussing what to do about Intergang, and their new armerments. Turpin was particularly enraged after what he'd seen, practically slamming his fists on Sawyer's desk.

"Come on, Maggie! We know it was Manheim behind this! I say we load up and-"

"And what?" Sawyer interrupted. "Knock down his walls? Oh yeah, the judge will love that."

"They nearly killed a kid today, Maggie. One of the League even. Superman ain't gonna take that lying down, and neither will I!"

"Careful Turpin. You're getting real close to crossing a line that REALLY shouldn't be crossed."

"Somebody's gotta do something about this. And I aim to do it one way or another."

With that, Turpin marched out of Sawyer's office, slamming the door behind him. She winced at the slam, then sighed.

"Dan, please don't get yourself killed."

"System restoration complete. Ending sleep cycle."

Victor gasped, his eyes flying open as he sat up on the table. Instantly, he was looking himself over, flexing his fingers before grabbing his legs, as if to assure himself he was back in one piece.

"Victor!" Silas let out, rushing over and hugging him. "Are you alright?"

Victor was still panting hard, putting an arm around his dad while his free can held the metal part of his face. He didn't say anything for a moment, just holding his dad while he calmed down. Once he felt sufficiently centered, he let go of Silas and sat up, taking a few deep breaths.

"What the actually hell?!" he exclaimed, looking down at his own chest. "Months, MONTHS! I've been stuck with you as most of my body, and today you suddenly decide to actually do something?! What the actual hell?!"

"Victor?" Superman questioned.

"Son, are you-?"

"No, I am NOT okay, dad! My systems recognized the weapons, and started reacting on their own! I couldn't control my own limbs! And the alerts just kept coming!"

"Take it easy, Victor," Superman told him.

"Hold on, you said your systems recognized the weapons?" Silas recalled.

"Yeah, they did! And they wouldn't shut up about it!"

"What if..." Silas spoke up, pacing slightly as he stroked his chin. "What if these weapons… came from the same place the black box did?"

Superman and Cyborg paused, taking in what Silas had said.

"That would explain why your systems have been so defensive lately," Superman offered.

"Yeah, maybe," Cyborg admitted, looking down at his hands. "And why they won't let me dig deeper. That kind of tech… I get the feeling that something truly malicious created it."

"I asked Green Lantern to look into the term Brainiac called your armor," Superman informed. "A Motherbox. But he wasn't able to come up with anything."

"Honestly Supes… that scares me. If my armor comes from the same place as these weapons, just what is hidden in my systems? And why do I get the feeling that they're keeping me out to protect me?"

Neither of the adults had any idea how to comfort Victor, or even what to say.

"For now, get some rest, Victor," Silas tells him. "We'll try and figure this out in time."

Victor just sighed before laying down on the table, signaling Silas and Superman to walk out. As they left, Victor stewed for a moment, not even remotely tired after his forced rest at the hands of his own body.

"Where did those things come from?" he asked himself. "And why did my own body want to turn tail and run at the mere sight of them?"

Just then, another alert appeared in his cybernetic eye, nearly causing Cyborg to scream in annoyance. However, he stopped himself, instead opening the alert to see just what it was.

"Boom Tube energy signature detected."

"A Boom Tube? Where is it?"

A holographic map then suddenly appeared in front of him, showing him where the Boom Tube was opening. Cyborg's robotic eye focused in and out as his human one narrowed. Using those coordinates, he opened a Boom Tube of his own.

"Time for some answers."

At the coordinates provided, Cyborg came out and took a defensive position. He looked around, seeing he was outside some large mansion. He scanned across the area, catching sight of Kanto exiting from his own Boom Tube.

"So, you're the guy behind all this," Cyborg noted.

Just then, a pair of hands grabbed him and pulled him into some nearby bushes. He was about to yell, but a hand covered his mouth, calming him down enough to reveal it was Dan Turpin.

"Hey, kid, keep it down," he whispered. "You want everyone to know we're here?"

Cyborg stopped struggling and Turpin removed his hand.

"What are you doing here?" Cyborg hissed.

"Same as you, I'd wager. Hoping to take down Manheim and these new weapons he's dealing in."

"That's part of it, yeah. But don't you need a warrant or something to be here?"

"Not if I've got probable cause. And I just happen to see a rather suspicious character port in out of nowhere."

"Yeah, I saw him too." Cyborg activated his cannon. "I have some questions for him anyway."

The two made their way towards the house as Kanto went inside. They moved towards the side of the house and quietly snuck over to a nearby window. Turpin then pulled out a small listening device and placed it against the window. Cyborg just tapped his mechanical ear, turning up his own hearing.

"Handy," Turpin remarked.

Cyborg shushed him as they listened in.

"I must say, despite a few setbacks, you've used my employer's weapons quite well," Kanto commended. "He is quite pleased."

"Pleased enough to tell me who he is?"

"Pleased enough to give you this," Kanto replied, handing Turpin some kind of high tech gun. "It emits a concentrated energy beam capable of destroying even the most… invulnerable of targets."

Seeing the gun, Cyborg's systems went off again. Cyborg quickly muted them before they gave him away, or caused his body to act out, but made sure to squirrel the information away for later.

"You good, kid?" Turpin asked.

"Yeah, fine. We gotta get out of here."

The two got up and tried to make a break for the fence. However, some guards on the roof caught sight of them and opened fire on them. Cyborg quickly tackled Turpin out of the way before the blasts could hit.

"Alright," Cyborg let out, looking up. "What am I up against now."

"Disruptor blaster, capable of unleashing powerful blasts near equal to Omega Beams."

"What the hell's an Omega Beam?"

"Evasive maneuvers advised."

Looking up, Cyborg saw two more blasts coming, forcing him to leap out of the way before they made contact. He then fired his cannon at one of the thugs, taking him out.

"Aw yeah! That's what I'm talking about!"

He quickly evaded a second blast as Turpin pulled out his gun and fired at the roof. He managed to nail the second goon in the shoulder. He fell over, allowing Cyborg to open a Boom Tube onto the roof so he could punch him out. He then turned towards Turpin and gave him a two-fingered salute, prompting Turpin to nod in kind, smiling.

Cyborg then turned towards the roof and punched a hole into it. This allowed Cyborg to leap down and make his way to the door. He grabbed hold of the bottom and lifted it up, allowing Turpin to slip inside. Once in, the two made their way through the building, looking for any sign of Manheim.

"Alright pal," Cyborg spoke just above a whisper. "Where are you?"

Just then, the two Armature energy hands appeared out of nowhere, grabbing the two and lifting them up into the air. The two looked down to see the thug holding them, as well as Manheim standing next to him.

"Evening boys," Manheim greeted. "Glad you could join us."

"Manheim," Turpin snarled. "You no-good, slimy, son of a-!"

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Inspector," Manheim cut off. "Especially now that I have this bad boy. With this, no one can stand against me. Not even Superman."

"You think you can take down Supes with that Disruptor blaster?" Cyborg quipped. "Not a chance. He could tank a thousand Omega Beams if he had to."

"And how could you know this?" Kanto inquired, approaching the pair.

Cyborg looked at the man, his systems chiming in again.

"Identification confirmed: General Kanto."

"Wouldn't you like to know, General," Cyborg sneered. "Or would you just prefer Kanto?"

Kanto raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"I don't believe we've met."

"Pretty sure I'd remember someone as ugly as you."

"Kid," Turpin muttered, "why are you antagonizing the guy who came through the portal?"

"Boom Tube," Cyborg corrected. "The same kind that I use."

Now Kanto's curiosity was truly piqued.

"How is it you have come to know of Boom Tubes?"

"Your mama."

"Charming." Kanto began raising the disassembler staff. "Perhaps I'll learn the truth from your remains."

"Well, I'd work fast if I were you," Cyborg replied with a grin, glancing up at the sky, "because I've just been stalling until the backup arrived."

Just then, there was a loud crashing noise coming from the roof, prompting everyone to look up and see Superman flying down towards them. He landed on the ground, causing everyone to back up.

"You're lucky I was in the neighborhood," Superman remarked.

"Thanks for answering my distress call."

"When did you call for help?" Turpin questioned.

"The second we got made. I want answers, but I'm not an idiot."

"No, but you are about to die," Manheim remarked.

The goon started squeezing the two, prompting Superman to speed forward and grab his hands. He squeezed them, causing the goon to cry out in pain before letting go of Cyborg and Turpin. Manheim quickly drew his new gun and fired it at Superman, causing him to go flying backwards and crashing into a tank.

"You like that, Superman?!" Manheim let out. "And that's just on its lowest setting!"

He turned a dial on it and opened fire again, prompting Superman to move out of the way of the blasts. He managed to hit the wall next to Superman, knocking him back so he'd hit the floor.

"Ha! Nice. Now, let's see what this thing can do at full blast."

He turned the dial all the way and aimed it at Superman. Thinking fast, Turpin ran up and tackled him to the ground, causing the blast to hit a wall. The two tussed for control of the gun, firing blasts randomly around the room. Some of them even hit some of Manheim's weapons, causing them to explode and creating a large fire.

"Get off!" Manheim demanded, kicking him off.

Manheim got back to his feet, aiming the gun at him. Before he could shoot it, Cyborg's cannon blasted at the gun, causing it to explode in Manheim's hand.

"You're out of business!" Cyborg declared.

Manheim backed away in fear as he and Superman closed in on him. He looked around, seeing Kanto make his way through the hole made in the way and rushed through it.

"Kanto!" he called out.

Cyborg chased after them as Superman went to help Turpin.

"You ok, Inspector?" Superman asked.

"Just catchin my breath," Turpin reassured. "Go get em."

Outside, Manheim ran up to Kanto as he pulled out a small red device and activated it, causing a Boom Tube to open up.

"Wait!" Manheim pleaded. "You gotta help me! You gotta give me something! Some kind of weapon!"

"I'm afraid you are no longer worthy of my time, or my weaponry."

Kanto walked through the Boom Tube just as Cyborg ran up. Seeing the hero quickly approaching, Manheim took a chance and leapt through just as the Boom Tube closed up. Cyborg skidded to a stop, his eyes wide.

"No! Piggyback on that frequency! I need to follow them."

"Negative."

"What?!"

"Action forbidden. Coordinates off limits."

"What do you mean off limits?! What are you hiding from me?! Just what are you?! Why is everything related to you so EVIL?!"

There was a long silence as Cyborg stood there, catching his breath.

"Not everything," Superman reassured as he walked up. "You aren't."

"My systems… this damn machine I call a body recognizes all this vile tech, recognized that guy, who was selling weapons to gangsters."

"And yet, it saved your life when you needed it."

"And what if a day comes where instead of saving lives… it starts taking them… I know nothing about myself Supes… and that-... that scares me."

"Whatever this technology is, wherever it came from, whatever purpose it used to have," Superman put a hand on Cyborg's shoulder, "it doesn't matter anymore. It doesn't determine what kind of person you are. You do. What matters is what you do with it, and how you use it."

Cyborg stood there, looking down at himself. As he did, one final alert popped onto his screen.

"User designation: Victor Stone/Cyborg. Purpose: Hero."

"And I'm here too!" Turpin called out, limping towards the heroes. "You know, in case anybody cares!"

"Sorry about that, inspector," Superman. "Thank you for the assist, by the way."

"Well I wasn't about to just stand there and let you get offed, hero." He turned to Cyborg. "You alright kid?"

"I am now. Though there is one thing that worries me." He looked at the spot where Kanto and Manheim had vanished. "Kanto, wherever he went, wherever he's from… I have a feeling that this is only the beginning..."

When Manheim came out of the Boom Tube, he found himself in a fiery landscape, as if he had been transported into the depths of hell itself. The sky was red and the clouds were nothing but thick ash. There were fiery geysers everywhere, and the sound of rattling chains and cracking whips filled the air. In the distance, he could see thousands upon thousands of broken slaves trudging along, watched over by hordes of creatures pulled straight out of nightmares.

"Where in God's name am I?" he wondered aloud.

"That depends," Kanto replied, now dressed in a purple and gold outfit pulled straight from renaissance Italy, complete with feathered beret. "Which God are you referring to?"

"Alright, buddy!" Manheim demanded. "I am sick of these games! You gonna tell me who you work for or not?!"

Kanto just smiled as he gestured upwards. Manheims fury instantly turned to fear as he saw a lone figure standing on one of the towers. They were tall, with stone-like skin cracking across large, muscled limbs. They wore ornate, almost gothic looking armor that was so black it looked blue, with a domed helmet covering their head. The figure turned to Manheim, blood red eyes glowing with such fire and malice, Manheim half expected to be incinerated on sight.

"Welcome to Apokolips, Mr. Manheim," the figure spoke, his voice echoing slightly, as if booming with the power of untold potential.

"Who… who are you?" Manheim stammered.

"Your new lord and master," the figure replied, smoke rising from his eyes. "You may call me… Darkseid."