Chapter Text
Robin, Starfire, Cyborg and Raven were confused, when a stranger walked up to them on the beach of Titans Tower. Then they raised their eyebrows, when Logan walked up to the stranger with a happy smile.
"Garth, how are you doing?"
"I'm alright, but tell me how are you doing? I felt your animals in the ocean go crazy, then they died… well most of them." The stranger looked to the rest of the Teen Titans. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude, they call me Aqualad. But you guys can call me Garth."
Logan turned to his teammates, and gestured to Aqualad. "I know Garth from helping him with a bad guy in the ocean depths."
Logan looked back to their visitor. "They're my teammates I was telling you about. This is Robin." Garth waved, and Robin returned one himself.
"This is Starfire."
"It's nice to meet you," Garth smiled.
With a light blush Starfire replied, "it is a pleasure to meet you Garth."
"Cyborg."
"Hey there."
"How do you stay under water?"
Aqualad smiled and pointed to the gills that were barely noticeable along his neck.
"And this is Raven."
"Hi." Garth said, looking to Raven.
Raven replied with a, "… hello."
"You guys look beat, should I come another time?" Aqualad asked embarrassed.
"It should be fine, if you're a friend of Logan, you're welcome to come inside." Robin said. He tried to hide the uneasiness of having this guy around.
Logan smiled, and led Garth into the tower with the others following him.
—-
Garth was looking around the tower, nodding his head at the building. He listened to Logan talk about their living situation. Then, when they all entered the common room, the other four walked to the couch and practically threw themselves on it.
They. Were. Tired.
Garth gave them a concerned look, "Are you guys okay? You look like you've been through a meat grinder."
"We almost were," Cyborg said. "What with getting jumped on by Slade bots."
"Slade? That man who was trying to kill you all?" The others looked at Logan, then nodded their heads.
"Garth, how do you know Friend Logan? He mentioned a 'bad guy'" Starfire asked. They were all curious.
Aqualad smiled. "Logan helped me take down a water reptilian hybrid by the name of Trident. He was cloning himself and causing damage to the city where I'm from."
"Remember when I told you that I have animals out in the city?," they all nodded. "I also have fish and other aquatic animals in the ocean. I discovered Garth one day, and saw that he was fighting that Trident guy. So I helped him."
"I seriously thought Logan was a consciously aware school of fish." Garth laughed.
"How did you help Garth, you haven't spent any time away from the team or the tower?" Cyborg asked. He was curious, and so were the others. Now that they thought about it, Logan never said how he spoke to the police when he and the team had the probes.
They saw Logan grimace, like he was hesitant to tell. But he opened his mouth.
"Well…"
"Another time." Robin said. And the others nodded. Logan had shared so much with them already. They'd let him keep some secrets. They were already grateful for the things he shared with them.
Logan smiled, and they could tell he wasn't ready to share that information just yet.
Garth was looking at Logan. That Cyborg guy said he didn't leave the tower, but he'd spent some time with him. Especially taking down Trident.
"Hey!" Cyborg yelled, surprising them all. "We got rid of Slade. The least we could do is celebrate." They smiled and laughed.
"Join us friend Garth, we shall order the pizza for our victory."
Aqualad gave a nervous smile, "I don't know. I feel like I'm imposing on you guys."
Logan patted Garth on the back, and gave him a grin. "Don't worry about it. You're welcomed here." He turned to the others, looking for their approval.
The rest of the team gave Garth a once over, if Logan was happy to see him, then he was welcomed to join in the celebration.
"Sure."
"Not a problem."
"We will have to order extra of the pizza for our new friend."
Raven looked at Logan and Garth. She hadn't seen him so upbeat. This Garth, he must really mean something to Logan.
She looked Aqualad in the face, and gave a small smile.
"You're welcomed to stay."
—-
The teens sat around on the couch, open pizza boxes scattered around them. After a few minutes of quiet eating, conversations started between the heroes.
"So how did you guys stop Slade?" Garth just finished another slice of pizza.
"We enlisted the help of two Justice League members, Batman and The Flash." Cyborg said, getting another slice.
"Mmm… I'm sorry I don't know them, but I've worked with Aquaman. And he is a part of the Justice League." The others nodded.
"Where are you from, do you live in the ocean?" Raven asked.
"I live in Atlantis." he had to raise his hands to calm their excitement down. "Not THE Kingdom of Atlantis. That city was lost long ago, but another city was created centuries ago for my people. It was named after Atlantis in honor of our ancestors." They all nodded.
"Are you a hero? Or do you defend your city?" Robin asked.
Garth smiled. "I've never called myself a hero, but I've defended my city for as long as I could remember. Some of my people are skilled in fighting and telepathy, I'm one of them, and I've been using my powers for good ever since."
The Titans smiled and expressed their approval at Garth. Then they were curious when Garth's mood shifted, and he looked worried. He turned to Logan.
"I came to see how you were doing, but I also wanted to tell you about Brother Blood."
The room got serious, and the four Titans turned to Logan. He mentioned that Brother Blood was in his head, but didn't go into detail.
"Can you tell us what happened with Blood?" Robin asked. Their celebration was over. And even though Slade was no longer in the picture, Brother Blood was still a threat.
"Yes friend, can you tell us more about what happened in the base?"
Logan wasn't as joyful as he was a moment ago, so he hunched over while sitting on the coffee table and started talking.
"I told you Blood was able to get inside my head," the others nodded. Garth listened to Logan, hearing about this for the first time.
"He had made an… agreement, with someone. Someone who was able to help him reach me from outside the base." Raven looked nervous, but the others didn't notice.
"Where is he in the city?" Cyborg asked. Logan shook his head.
"He's not in Jump, he's in Steel City."
They were all shocked, Blood took over Logan, all the way from Steel!
"How?" Robin asked.
"The power he received from that someone, enhanced his mental powers… he used the amoebas and animals that I have outside, to follow and make the connection with me. When he took over, he destroyed the instincts that I and the animals use to communicate." Logan turned to Garth, "when he did that, most of my animals died."
They were quiet, absorbing how Blood was able to achieve such a feat in power. It was scary.
"Why did he want to take control of your mind?" Starfire asked after a few seconds of silence.
"He wanted to find out my secrets, he wanted to learn how my powers work. And how I can multiply myself and my conscious."
"…"
"Did he?" Raven asked nervous. They were all nervous.
Logan looked at them.
"Yeah, he did…"
Now they were scared!
"W-Wait, he found out how your powers work?" Robin asked. Why wasn't Logan being more serious. They had been laughing and eating pizza just a few minutes ago, all the while another of their major enemies just learned a dangerous secret about one of their own.
Even Garth was staring at Logan in surprise.
The knowledge that Blood had gained, could have serious consequences.
"It's not only that…" Aqualad said. Everyone looked to him, worried for more bad news. "Blood has this new technology." He turned to Cyborg.
"To be honest. The tech looks a lot like yours."
The team didn't know how this was getting worse and worse.
"What?! What do you mean it looks like mine?" Cyborg yelled. Garth didn't take offense to Cyborgs outburst. He'd be upset too if a bad guy took something from him.
So he turned to the others, "Another reason I came to see Logan, was that Blood is building an underwater lair. And on top of it, is some kind of weapon. A sonic cannon pointed to the surface of the ocean."
Aqualad fished in his pocket, until he pulled out a small storage device. "It was sent from a spy in Bloods base." Cyborg snatched it from him, then raced to plug it in their computer. After it finished loading, the underwater base and weapon were displayed on the TV. It looked exactly like his father's tech.
Cyborg stared in horror. And anger.
Raven then explained how Cyborg infiltrated the HIVE Academy, that was run by Brother Blood.
"If it's your technology, he must have gotten it from you at some point. And he has these ocean animals that also have the tech, and they're guarding the base."
Everyone looked at Logan.
"Friend Logan… you knew that Slade was building the machines. Machines that he would use to destroy us?" Starfire asked.
Logan said nothing.
"Did you know Blood was building this underwater base, that he was building this weapon?" Robin asked.
Cyborg turned and asked. "Did you know that he was using my tech?" He didn't want to believe that Logan would keep that information to himself. But he did about Slade and his machines. Did he do it about Blood too?
The common room was quiet.
Logan saw that they were waiting for him to answer. They needed one, so he sighed and nodded his head.
"Yeah, I knew…"
All of them, even Garth were… disappointed.
But no one was more disappointed than Cyborg.
He looked to Logan. He tried to say something, but couldn't think of the words. So he turned and left the room.
"Let's call it a night team. We had a long and eventful day." He turned to Garth. "It was nice meeting you Garth, but we'd like to turn in." Robin and the girls stood up. Garth stood and straightened his posture.
"Of course, thank you for having me over." The others nodded, while Logan continued to sit. Garth looked at his friend, not understanding why Logan didn't share this information. He gave him a nod, then headed to the front door.
The three looked at Logan, who still didn't move.
They said their goodnights, then headed to their rooms.
—-
Bumblebee was nervous.
She hadn't heard anything from Brother Blood for the last two days. He'd been held up in his office. The Sonic resonator was close to completion, and the Hive scientists wanted Bloods approval on the finishing touches.
She stood outside his main office, where he analyzed his plans and rested for the night. She never needed to reach out to him, since he was always walking the underwater base. But now, she needed to know what he was doing. So she knocked.
She could make out small rustling on the other side of the door. So after not receiving any acknowledgment from a second knocking, she punched in the master code to the door.
It swooshed open. There was Blood, sitting at his desk.
And the office was a mess, everything in it, was torn apart and all the furniture was toppled over. But Blood just sat there, staring out his office window.
"Blood?" He finally turned his head to her.
"Bumblebee…"
She was feeling uneasy about this. He waited a few seconds, before speaking again.
"What do you need?"
Was he serious. He sat in the middle of his wrecked office, looking reserved, and he was asking her what 'she' wanted.
"The HIVE workers have their most recent progress reports on the sonic resonator. They want you to look over them, to give approval before they add the last installments."
"…"
He looked around his office, almost searching for something. But didn't find it, so he looked back to her.
"Pause the construction for the resonator. There has been an… infiltration in the base."
Bumblebee froze.
"Have the workers use this time to rest and later, go over the schematics again. Have the soldiers do their routine patrols, looking for anything suspicious."
"… okay." Bumblebee said. Then she walked to the main hall.
"Leave my office door open."
She pushed in a sequence of numbers on the keypad, to prevent the door from closing after her.
She had no clue what was going on, but she was nervous about his discovery of the 'infiltration.'
—-
Blood finally walked out of his office, sometime after his conversation with Bumblebee. He headed down the hallways, and would stop at closed doors, before searching the rooms he was in.
As the automatic door opened, Blood looked to her as she entered the room. Bumblebee approached him, wanting to know what was needed of her.
"The workers have been double checking their construction of the resonator. And the soldiers are doing extra patrols."
"Good… I'd like to see the workers, and how far they are in their building off the machine." She nodded, then turned in the direction of the lower level that housed the resonator. And he followed.
Bumblebee was nervous, every time she turned her back to him. She was afraid he knew the truth about her being a spy. He had attempted mind control, which failed all that time ago when she first joined, but… he could still psychically attack her.
The two entered the room which housed the resonator, and made their way to the work tables used by the scientists.
One worker approached Blood, "We've gone through the plans three times already, we assembled the resonator at a safe and consistent pace, there was no need to look over them. We can continue to its completion, right now."
"We have a… third party getting involved in our business deal. Give me time to remove them, then you can finish the final construction." Blood said with a glare.
The worker backed off, aware of the short temper these types of people have. He rejoined the rest of the workers, and told them to take an extended break until told otherwise.
Blood turned to Bumblebee, and she knew that he wanted her to follow him. So they walked a ways away from the others. Until they stopped at the door.
"Override all the security doors." He told her.
Her eyebrows rose in shock. He wanted all the safety locks disabled? Anyone could travel freely through the base. He saw that she didn't understand why he would ask such a thing, so he spoke.
"We have a… spy in the base. By opening all the doors, we can watch anyone not loyal to us leave their scheduled patrols or routines. I also have an order for you."
She slowly nodded.
"I want you to do a thorough investigation on all the soldiers and workers in the base. These contracts we have with the helpers, come with being anonymous, as a formality. I want everything. Their names. Addresses. Bank accounts. Who they've worked for. And I especially want everything you can find about these scientists that are building our resonator. One of them just might be our spy."
Bumblebee almost couldn't hide her relief. He didn't suspect her, or he wasn't at the moment. But investigating the soldiers and scientists. Of course she would do that. If they were successful in stopping Blood, she'd want those responsible for helping him also jailed.
She put on her most brave and loyal face.
"Of course headmaster. The spy won't get away." She saluted for good measure, then headed to the main console to disable all the security locks on the doors.
Blood watched her go, then headed back to his office.
He sat in his chair and stared through the glass, out into the open ocean floor.
—-
*Incoming Call*
Robin was interrupted from his quick lunch. The tower had been quiet since the team spoke about Blood gaining Logan's knowledge and Cyborgs technology.
They hadn't been having team meals the past two days. They just fought the HIVE Five, led by Jinx. But the villains were defeated in the end.
Robin got up from the table, then headed to the TV. He pressed the 'accept call,' and came face to face with one of the police officers that worked with the police chief.
"Hello, Teen Titan Robin?" She asked. Robin nodded his head.
"Yes, can I help you with something officer…"
"My names Martha Smith. I'm calling to inform you and your team about the advanced tech armor from a…" she looked at her paperwork, "an Adonis." She looked to Robin.
He raised his eyebrow, then remembered Logan's questions concerning Adonis's and Cyborgs armor.
"Yes, I recall Titan Logan requesting that the armors design be shared with the team."
Officer smith nodded her head, and looked at the paper again.
"We needed a seasoned engineer and technology specialist to analyze the armor, but we were able to discover the armors original designer."
She leafed through a few pages, before finding what she was looking for.
"We don't know who actually 'built' the suit, but we did find that the schematics and main power source came from a team of scientists from STAR Labs. The lead member was a Silas Stone."
Robin grimaced at the name.
'The names Stone… Victor Stone.'
Robin thanked her, and Officer Smith gave the direct phone line to the lab Silas Stone worked at. They said goodbye.
Robin stood in the common room. He would have to tell the others. Cyborg had been ready to charge the underwater base to stop Blood, but hearing that their enemy also had Logan's knowledge put that bravado on hold. Until they could come up with something.
Robin pulled out his communicator, and called a team meeting.
Soon the others began to enter the common room, and made their way to their leader. Cyborg entered, finally leaving the garage after their discussion the other day.
They stood before him.
"Yes friend Robin?" Starfire asked.
"I received a call from the police, they wanted us to know about the origins of Adonis's armor." The two females of the team didn't give any outward reaction, but Logan and Cyborg looked interested.
"They don't know who actually built it, but they know where the designs came from…"
They looked at him, with Cyborg's human eye looking concerned.
"… the designs came from a Silas Stone, from STAR Labs."
Cyborg growled and turned away from the others. He was shaking. Not only did Blood get a hold of his father's tech, but the supplier for Adonis did too. He needed to break something. Punch something. But all he did was walk to the counter and squeeze it till it was mangled.
"Cyborg…"
"I don't want to hear it!" Cyborg yelled, then stormed away.
The three others stood there, realizing that Silas Stone must be related to… Victor Stone. They looked worried at the direction Cyborg left in.
Robin combed his hand through his hair. They didn't need this, one thing after another. He looked at the others, they were all trying to think of a way to support Cyborg. But he was too lost in his anger.
He looked at Logan, but he was addressing all of them.
"We'll let him cool off after hearing this news, then we'll go to him. We'll come up with something."
They nodded, then separated to do their own things.
—-
The next day, they had to stop Ding Dong Daddy. And man was that a disappointment compared to their recent fights. The whole team was embarrassed at fighting a low level 'villain' like him.
They made it to the common room, when Cyborg gave a loud huff, and stopped before the team. So they looked at him.
"I'm sorry for the way I've been acting. None of you guys deserved my attitude these past few days."
"There's nothing to apologize for," Raven floated to him. He was in a lot of emotional pain. What with his most personal privacy being taken from him, then his family member being involved also.
"Yes friend Cyborg, please do not feel the guilty for expressing your sorrows. We are here to help." Starfire floated to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"She's right Cyborg, none of us blame you. We're not upset, and we're ready to talk when you are." Cyborg nodded.
They looked to Logan. And he shrugged.
"I hurt you too. I hurt all of you." He looked at the team. He didn't need to say anything else.
Cyborg walked to the couch, then sat down. And the others went to him, while Logan hung in the back.
"It's really complicated." Then Cyborg told them about his accident. That it was caused by his father, who turned him into a cyborg. When he first woke up after the surgery that saved his life, but cursed him to be a monster.
"No!" Starfire leaned to Cyborg and hugged him. "You are not the monster Cyborg, please do not continue to hold such opinions of yourself." Cyborg smiled, remembering the conversations he had with her when he left for the HIVE Academy. And then when he returned.
Raven leaned to him. "You may be half machine, but I believe that you're more human than anyone we know. Your spirit. Your heart. Your kindness. Those were the things that survived the accident." Cyborg smiled.
"We're glad to have you Cyborg. No matter where you came from, or what your past was, we're happy to have you in the Titans family. It wouldn't be the same without you."
The common room was quiet. They turned to Logan, but nothing needed to be said. Because Logan always made his feelings to Cyborg known.
"You said… that you would go to Slade. To stop him from going after us." Cyborg said. Logan nodded. "That's why you kept quiet. What about Blood? Did you have a plan, if we didn't find out in time? What were you going to do, if that resonator was fully operational?"
Logan's face grew serious.
"It won't be…"
—-
Bumblebee stood before Bloods desk. It was a cake walk. Their workers security, if you could call it that, was subpar. She hacked right through their computer files.
Names. Addresses. Bank accounts. It was all there, printed in these pages she would hand to the headmaster.
Blood sat in front of her. His demeanor hadn't changed since she first found him in his office days ago. So she reached over to hand him the papers.
But he didn't take them.
"What have you done for me?" He asked.
She was startled by the question. Her stomach became queasy. Did he suspect her?
"You look nervous. Please, refresh my memory. Tell me what you have done while serving me…"
The office was silent.
"I've been an excellent student…" Blood nodded his head.
"I've been loyal to you…" He was staring into her eyes, but she didn't feel his powers attempting anything.
"I've followed your commands…" Blood raised his head, and smiled.
"I need more information than that Bumblebee… Please tell me. Have you stolen for me?" He asked.
She swallowed the spit in her throat. Scared of what tricks he was playing. Right now was not the time to start a fight. Especially when she didn't know if she could walk away from it.
"No… you've never asked me to."
"Have you lied for me… to other students. The authorities?"
"No…"
"Have you hurt anyone for me…?" He was serious.
She was scared now. What was he really asking?
"… No." She hesitated. Crap!
Blood stared at her. Really looked at her.
"You're the spy…" he finally said.
She didn't say anything. Too surprised to do anything.
Then he leaned back in his chair, and released a long exhale.
She stood frozen. Completely at a loss for what was going on. Too shocked to convince him she wasn't a spy, Blood relaxed in his chair.
Relaxed!
"Go to the main floor with the workers and the sonic resonator. Stay there until I need you.
"What-"
"Go."
Her hand was twitching towards her lightning rods. But Blood made no move to attack, so she slowly backed away from the desk. Keeping her eyes on him, and clutching the paper, she left the room and stood in the hallway. She didn't know what was going on.
—-
"What do you mean, it won't be?"
Robin asked. He wanted to know. They all wanted to know. What was Logan NOT telling them?
"… call STAR Labs."
Cyborg got up and walked to Logan, he stood before him, but not in an imposing way. He looked Logan in his eyes.
"Tell us Logan… tell me…"
He could see the hurt in Cyborgs eyes. Not only from the pain of his father's actions, not just the theft of his tech by Brother Blood…
But also the hurt from a friend that he trusted, who kept such a secret from him.
"Right now… Blood isn't a threat. I'm… suppressing him. The tech he stole from you, is put on hold. We and anyone we call, the police, heroes or STAR can walk right in and stop him."
There it was again. Logan. The guy that just rolls out the red carpet for you. Knocks around the bad guys. Can kill Slade on a whim. Spreads himself, how far? To monitor and protect. Now he has Blood 'suppressed.'
"When did you do that?" Robin was serious. Sometimes it was hard to follow and understand Logan. He would keep quiet about their enemies, drop bad news like it was nothing, then tell you we was taking care of it behind their backs.
"Two days ago…" the room was silent.
"…"
'That's why I can't lead, because I always put my judgement over others.'
They remembered his words the day after he sent Terra away.
"Is he a threat?" Raven asked. She learned it was best to just move forward with Logan. And not be overwhelmed with his way of doing things.
Logan shook his head.
"How did you do the 'supressing' of Brother Blood?" Starfire asked. They were all curious.
"When I gained control of my body, after Ravens power attack at Slades base. Bloods power over me was cut, and I sent a signal through my instincts that were gaining consciousness. I strung together a connection to Steel City, then to the ocean where he was."
"What did you do?" Robin asked.
The room was quiet.
They looked at Logan, kind of… afraid of what he would say.
"… I poisoned his brain. Put him in a coma, then I have one of my… beings, controlling his body. I took control of his vocal cords and his body's functions. Everyone there thinks I'm Brother Blood."
"…"
Damn…
That… wasn't a hero thing to do.
What do you say to that? That your teammate forced an enemy into a coma, by poison! Then controlled them…
It's was… what a villain would do.
Cyborg looked at Logan, and had trouble seeing the smiling guy that he met all that time ago. The Logan that cooked for them everyday, and always gave a listening ear. Who fought for and protected his family. Right now…
All he could see, was the Logan that could do something like this.
Raven and Starfire looked at Logan. They wanted to say something. But what could they say? What Logan did, what he was doing…
Robin looked down at the paper he had written, for the number to Silas Stone.
That man's tech was in Bloods base. In Adonis's armor. They needed to know what was going on. So he put on a brave face, and walked up to Cyborg, who turned to look at him.
"I know that this will upset you Cyborg, but… We have to call STAR Labs. We have to call your father. His technology, your tech, is out there. And it's being used for nefarious reasons. We need to find out what's going on…"
So Cyborg nodded. It was the only thing he could do.
—-
*Ring* *Ring* *Ring*
"Hello?" A young lady answered the phone.
"Hello. Is this the Jump City branch of STAR Labs?"
"Yes it is. Who is calling, this is a private line."
"I apologize if we didn't go through the proper channels, my names Robin. I'm a member of the Teen Titans."
"Oh?! A Teen Titan, is this an emergency?"
"Actually, it is. Could we please speak to the director Silas Stone?"
"Dr. Stone should be finishing up briefing the team for today's projects. Can I return your call when he's finished?"
"Yes."
"I can read the phone line you used to reach us, can I call that number?"
"Yes."
"Alright, I'll call you as soon as the Doctor is free to speak."
"Thank you."
*click*
Robin turned to the others. They were sitting around the common room. He could tell that Cyborg wasn't fully comfortable with them calling his father. They could just walk into Bloods lair, if Logan was saying it was safe, and handle the issue themselves. But Logan said contractors were in the base, doing the construction. THEY knew about cyborgs tech. And the armor that belonged to Adonis was now involved.
Cyborg was putting on a brave face, but they could tell he was uncomfortable. So Starfire and Raven stood by him, to give him support. He thanked Starfire, then turned to Raven.
"Thanks for cheering me up. I know you don't do it often, but I appreciate it all the same." He smiled.
Raven had a small smile too.
"You're welcome. I can tell how much this is affecting you, but… hopefully things work out."
He nodded his head.
*Ring* *Ring* *Ring*
Before Cyborg knew it, Robin was in front of him with the wireless receiver, holding it out to him. Cyborg stared at it.
*Ring* *Ring* *Ring*
The others looked at him, worried that he couldn't answer it.
*Ring* *Ring* *Ring*
Before Robin could take the phone back, Cyborg took it, and answered.
"Hello…"
"V-Victor…?" It was his father. The man he hadn't talked to in three years. He was probably expecting Batman's former sidekick.
"Yeah… dad. It's me. How are you?"
"… It's good to hear from you. I… I'm doing alright. Did you… need something?"
"I'm calling about a problem we're having with a villain in Steel City."
"A villain? …What can I do?"
"This villain, he was able to steal information about my body, how my systems work."
"…"
"He used that information, to build an underwater weapon. He's planning on using it to wipe out Jump City. He has contractors building the weapon, they know how my tech works."
"…"
"There's also, another villain. He's not as dangerous, and he's behind bars right now. But he has a suit, similar to how my body works. The police say that the design matches my body."
"…"
Silas hadn't said anything. Cyborg knew that he overloaded his father with a lot of information. He probably wasn't expecting to hear from his son, then has him unload all this bad news on top of him.
"… Can we talk Victor? Face to face…" his father finally spoke.
Cyborg sat with the others waiting for the conversation to end. He didn't know he had the strength to talk to him after these few years, and now he wanted to meet in person.
"… S-Sure. If you free, we'll pick you up."
The rest of the Titans pulled back, and let Cyborg finish his conversation. They spoke for a few short minutes, then Cyborg hung up the phone. He looked to the others.
"I'll swing by, and pick him up. He wants to talk in person."
Robin nodded, then turned to Logan.
"You said you have Blood suppressed. For how long?"
"Whenever I stop pumping the poison in his brain."
The room was quiet again. So Logan continued.
"We'll need a maximum security prison for Brother Blood. What he knows, what he's capable of… A normal jail won't keep him. I can hold him, until we transfer him to the best place to keep him."
He was right, the prisons in Jump City weren't equipped to house someone with mental powers like Blood. They would need to find the right place to jail him.
"There's the spy in the base, the one Garth got the information from." Raven said.
Robin remembered that the spy was watching Blood, now Logan WAS Blood.
"She collected all the identities of the people working in the base. The solders and technicians working for Blood. They'll have to be arrested too, for working with a master criminal." Logan told the team.
Robin nodded. The wrap sheet for Brother Blood went further back than when he first started the HIVE Academy. WAY back.
The scientists were working with stolen schematics and plans, and most likely getting paid for their services. And the guards were working for a known public enemy. The Titans never had to make an arrest for so many people. Even with their powers, there was no telling what the people would do, once they were cornered.
"We'll call the Steel City Police, have them patrol the waters above the base. When we go down there, we'll tell the workers they're free to go, so they don't start a riot. But they'll get arrested once their water vehicles reach the surface. Any soldiers, whether they fight or flee, will be taken down and charged.
The others nodded. And Robin turned to Logan.
"Stall the operation till the police are ready, we'll call Aqualad to aid us. Do you know who the spy is?"
"An African American girl. She's dressed like a bee."
"That's Bumblebee," the others looked at Cyborg who spoke. "She was a top student at the Academy. If she's a spy, she must have been keeping tabs on Blood for some time." Robin nodded, then looked to Logan.
"Call Aqualad, have him reach out to Bumblebee. See if she can send the employee registry to the police. We'll have their names when the police catch them breaking the surface."
"What shall we do in the meantime?" Starfire asked.
"We'll retrieve Dr. Stone, and continue defending the city, until the police force is ready."
They all nodded.
—-
Bumblebee stood close to the resonator. Its shield wasn't active, due to the workers taking their extended break. So if Blood was going to attack, he'd have to hit his precious weapon if he took any swings at her.
The technicians grumbled. They wanted to make their money, and leave as soon as possible. They'd been antsy since Blood told them there was a spy. Afraid that their names would be tied to this project. They'd already went to speak to Blood about the matter, but he told them he was close to finding the traitor.
He wasn't.
Since the night he called her a spy, he'd left her alone. Well… she didn't approach him, since she didn't believe for a second he wouldn't attack her. It took a whole day, but she started patrolling around the base, 'looking' for anything suspicious.
She walked down a windowed hallway, that looked out to the ocean floor. Then she spotted him.
Aqualad!
What was he doing so close to the base. She had a panic attack, when he began to swim straight towards her.
The idiot!
He swam up to window, and before she could physically yell at him, he held out a clear plastic pouch. And in it, was what looked like a radio. With a large T. He swam to the waste release area of the base. The only shoot that can open directly by user controller.
He pushed the pouch through a crevice, and a few seconds of opening the hatch, the communicator was within the base. She tore the package open, trying to keep the sludge from settling on her hands, before pulling out the device.
It was a communicator. And it was receiving a call. So she pushed the button.
"Hello, this is Robin of the Teen Titans. Is this Bumblebee?"
"Yes, it's Bumblebee. What are you doing calling to this location. Blood has all frequencies that's travel through the base recorded."
"I know it's hard to believe, but right now, Blood isn't a problem."
'What the heck is this boy talking about?'
"Blood asked you to collect all the information for the soldiers and workers under him, right?"
She froze. How did he know?!
"Scan the-"
"Hold up! How did you know I was collecting that information? Who told you?"
"I promise, we'll fill you in on the details. But we need you to scan and send all the data you collected, so the police can have it before we go inside the base."
"Your coming inside here? What about Blood?"
"Like I said, he's not a problem. So please, send that information. Don't worry about Blood finding out."
Then he cut the call. She looked at the communicator. He said Blood wasn't a problem. He was… acting strange for the past few days. And he put the resonator on hold, to launch a bogus investigation for a spy. He even let her walk away after calling her out.
She hesitated. Then made her way to the nearest office. After accessing one of the computers, she used a scanner to copy the documents she'd been holding onto. After they were scanned, she created the email to the Jump City Police Department. She hovered over the send button. Afraid that Blood WOULD come charging in.
She clicked the 'send' button.
Then nothing. Everything was going as usual. She pocketed the communicator, then left the office.
She made it to the main floor, where the scientists were gathered.
"We've waited long enough! If the project does not continue within the hour. WE. ARE. LEAVING!"
"What about our payment?! We've sunk months into this job, are we getting paid?"
"Talk to the client again-"
"I've BEEN talking to him, and he keeps repeating himself about a so called spy."
"Threaten him we'll go to the media, we'll give an anon-"
The scientist stopped talking when his colleagues froze. So he turned and came face to face with their client. A Mr. Brother Blood.
"…"
"So, you planned on leaving. Well…" they waited, nervous what he would do.
"Leave."
They stood there. Shocked at what he said.
"W-What about our payment?!" Someone yelled from the back.
"What about it?" They growled.
"We did most of the work. We would have finished if you'd stop this nonsense about a spy in your base. Are you telling us you'd let us leave, with the resonator unfinished?"
"Yes… because I don't need you anymore."
"O-Our payment." Another said.
Then the guards walked onto the main floor.
"… you will receive adequate payment when you leave my base. Be grateful that there hasn't been any… accidents, during your job here.
The scientists growled, but knew they could do nothing. They had to take his word. They looked at the guards surrounding them. So they started packing up what little they brought, since Blood had provided everything they needed. They made their way to the watercraft boarding area, ready to leave the base.
Bumblebee stood there shocked. The resonator wasn't finished. The force field wasn't fully operational. And Blood sent them away.
Blood turned to her.
"You've done a good thing Bumblebee. I'll be in my office." Then he told the soldiers to ease for the moment, and walked through the door.
She watched as the scientists boarded the crafts, then launched up to the ocean surface. To Steel City.
—-
Cyborg and Robin didn't talk in the car. Cyborg drove with his attention on the road, and Robin looked at the streets they passed by. They were headed to the north part of Jump City, the high rise buildings of commercial properties. One STAR Labs.
Robin was second guessing telling Cyborg to take one of them, as support. But when he looked to Starfire and Raven, they shook their heads, before Logan pointed at him. So he 'volunteered.'
"Don't be too supportive Robin…" Cyborg said. He couldn't tell if he was being serious or trying to be funny.
"I just thought I'd be nice for you to have a friend close by." Cyborg gave him a side glance.
"… it's getting a little easier. After the phone call. Now I'm seeing him again, after a few years." Robin nodded.
"I know what it feels like, to walk away, not knowing if I'd ever speak to that person again. I did it with… Batman. But after the whole Slade thing, I found closure."
"…"
"I hope you find it too Cyborg."
Cyborg gave him a small grin. Then they pulled up to the parking garage, into the space designated for the police. They exited the T-Car, and made their way to the main lobby. After confirming with the front desk their reasons for being there, Silas Stone entered the lobby.
Father and son looked at each other.
Cyborgs face fell. In the three years he'd been away from his father, it looked like he had aged ten, maybe fifteen years. His father's posture was hunched over. The man didn't have the vitality that Victor inherited. He looked overworked, more than when he and his mother were in his life. But the tired and shorter man smiled.
"Victor…"
"… Dad."
The man walked up to him slowly, and stood before him. Admiring his son. He looked like he wanted to hug him.
And a part of Cyborg wanted to hug him back.
But the joyful expression on his face faded, and his father remembered why his son and fellow hero called him.
"Hello Dr. Stone, my name is Robin. I was the one to call your office earlier today."
"Yes, I was expecting to speak with you when I called back." He turned to Cyborg, "but I spoke with Victor."
His words had a deeper meaning.
"… You wanted to speak about a villain?"
Robin looked to Cyborg, then back to Dr. Stone. "If it's alright with you, we'd like to take you to Titans Tower. There, we can have a private conversation about our current dilemma."
"… Titans Tower…" he said. He looked at both of the young men.
"If there is anything I can help with, I'll do what I can."
Robin turned to lead him to the T-Car. And Cyborg awkwardly walked side by side with his father. They made it to the parking garage, where Silas greeted the older security guard on duty. They buckled up, and were soon driving through the underwater tunnel that connected Titans Tower to the mainland.
No one spoke, but Robin could see Dr. Stone looking at the interior of the vehicle. They pulled up into their parking garage, in the base of the tower. They exited the vehicle, and waited for Cyborgs father to slowly pull himself out. The three headed to the elevator that would take them to the main floor.
—-
"Please let Teen Titan Robin know that the JCPD and the SCPD are heading to the specified location outside Steel City."
"I will. thank you for updating us."
"It was a pleasure Teen Titan Raven." The other lady on the line was bubbly talking to a Teen Titan. She hung up the line, then turned to the double doors as they opened.
Robin, Cyborg and an older gentlemen walked in. Starfire floated from the kitchen, and joined Raven as the two ladies waited for Silas Stone to finish admiring the tower.
He finally turned to the teens, embarrassed that they were waiting for him. But they smiled.
"Welcome to Titans Tower Dr. Stone." Robin said.
"Please, call me Silas. And thank you, it's a magnificent tower."
"It is all thanks to friend Cyborg, he built it from an alien battle ship." Starfire joined in. Silas smiled at his son.
Cyborg stepped forward, "This is my father, Silas Stone. Let me introduce you to the other members of the Teen Titans. This is Starfire."
Silas reached out and shook her hand.
"And this is Raven." Silas shook her hand too.
The common room was quiet. Four heads looked around, realizing Logan wasn't here. Seeing no one was talking, Silas stepped towards the large window.
"It's a wonderful home you've made Cyborg. And your friends seem very nice. But I know that you called me for something else. Something much more serious." Silas wasn't joyful anymore. His son called him for one reason, and one reason only.
Cyborg nodded, then headed to the TV. He turned the computer on, and the image of Blood's underwater base and sonic weapon was viewed on the screen. Silas made a pained expression, it was a weapon. A weapon that came from his son's body, after the accident. And it was made for the purpose of killing.
Raven walked up to Robin, telling him the police from both cities were heading to the waters above the base.
*ring* *ring*
Robin pulled out and looked to his communicator. He'd just received confirmation that the police had the spy's documents. They knew the identities of both the hired gunmen and the scientists that worked on the weapon. He turned to the father and son discussing the individual parts of the base.
"Silas…" and Dr. Stone turned to look at him.
"We have the identities of those that built the base and weapon. Can you please tell us if you know any of these people."
Robin pushed a few buttons on the communicator, then shared the data file with the TV. It's image changed from the base, to a grid view showing the hired contractors. Silas looked at the faces, not recognizing any-
He froze.
The others looking at him worried.
"M-My partner! He did this…" Silas stared at the portrait of his long time friend.
They raced to the TV, looking in the direction Silas stared. They read the man's bio, and it showed he was currently employed with STAR Labs.
Silas trembled, and took steps back from the TV. Cyborg had to watch his father, in case he fell.
"H-He told me he was injured… that he needed time away from work. That his family wanted to care for him, since he had been working so much."
Cyborg sat his father down on the couch, and the Titans surrounded him in comfort.
"Twenty years… twenty years we worked together. He was my friend… How could he do this, why would he do this…" tears poured from Silas Stones eyes, and he bowed his head in his hands.
Their hearts broke at Cyborgs father as he crumbled. They brought him into this, and even though they felt responsible for his heartache, the real culprit was Silas's friend.
*ring* *ring*
Robin read his communicator again, and the police were in position. He looked to Starfire and Raven. They looked at him, then Raven floated to Cyborg.
"Cyborg… you should stay with your dad. We'll go to the base and collect everyone involved. We'll have Aqualad and Bumblebee with us. So don't worry about Blood's base, just worry about your father."
Cyborg sat on the couch, with his father lost in his thoughts and memories. He'd been more than ready to head to Steel City and fight Blood. But his knowing how Logan's powers worked, scared him and the others. Cause if Logan could do questionable things, what could Blood do with them. So he waited, but wanted to knock out the old headmaster for stealing his body's technology.
But none of that mattered. Not in the face of his frail father crying in pain. Forget Blood. Forget the scientists…
His father needed him.
Cyborg nodded. The rest of the team ran out of the common room.
Cyborg let his father shed his tears. The older man felt betrayed by a longtime friend. To steal from his father...
"... I-It's going to be okay dad. Your friend and the other scientists aren't going to get away from stealing and using your designs. We'll st-"
"Its not my design Victor." His father cut him off.
Cyborg looked at him. Confused. His body was always his fathers design, his technology. Silas Stone was the only scientist capable of saving him after the accident. Victor stone was a marvel of engineering, unlike anything designed and built before him. All thanks to the wonderful, yet reserved mind of Dr. Silas Stone.
Silas had stopped crying, but his pained expression was still present. He shook his head, as his son looked to him.
"I've been called brilliant, and many of my discoveries and designs have been applauded by my peers and profession. But, I wasn't the one to design your body Victor... I wasn't the one that saved you."
Silas looked up to his son. And Victor looked to his father, asking what he meant. So Silas told him.
Told him about the mysterious box that saved his life, from his fathers greatest mistake.
They went down to the garage, waiting for the T-Ship to deploy from its storage. Robin pulled out his communicator and pressed the call button.
"Logan?!"
"I'm already at the base. I'll see you guys real soon."
Robin, Starfire and Raven stared at his communicator. They didn't know Logan left already, he didn't tell them. So they chose to not dwell in it. They loaded into the T-Ship and took off to Steel City.
—-
Bumblebee stood outside of Bloods office. The scientists just left the base, and the soldiers were told the spy was found and would be captured when they returned to the surface. So he ordered the men to stop their patrols and relax, since there were no more 'spies.'
She hesitated to enter, but Robin of the Teen Titans and Aqualad told her Blood wasn't a threat. So she walked in his office, since the safety locks were never reactivated.
He sat at his desk, with his back turned to her. He looked out the underwater window. Just like he'd been these past few days. He didn't say anything.
"What's going on?" She finally asked.
"The scientists are being arrested right now, their submarine was caught by SCPD. The Teen Titans and Garth are coming to the base to arrest the soldiers."
'Garth?'
"Who ARE you?" She wanted to know. A few days ago, he was the old Blood, dark and menacing. Now he was indifferent and nonchalant.
"Don't worry about it. Just know that Bloods not a danger to anyone. This'll be over real soon. Then we can all go home."
He finally turned around, but didn't look at her. He sat back in his chair.
"Turn off everything. The defenses. That squid in the water. The piranhas too. I want them to walk right in here like they own the place." He finished his sentence while looking at her.
She stood there, then walked to his computer before rotating the monitor. She pulled the keyboard to her, then typed the master password that would disable every defense the base had. She watched as the green lights in the screen turn to red. Then, the base was completely defenseless.
So they waited.
"Aqualad and Logan are here now. Robin, Raven and Starfire will be docking soon. Cyborg stayed behind, to monitor everything. Go to the main area, and prepare to fight.
It was weird, seeing Blood act like a… drone. So she turned and ran to the main floor.
—-
*Bang* *Bang* *Bang*
The soldiers fired on the teen heroes. The numbers Bumblebee had sent them, she didn't exaggerate. It was a small army, and even though they were told to stand easy, they didn't part ways with their guns. Laser fire was going everywhere, but fortunately no one was getting hurt.
The Titans and allies took down the heavy hitters first, which left the weaker fire power deprived of a good defense. During the fight, they would look up to the bullet proof window, which they found out after shooting at him, and yell at Brother Blood. Who just stood there and watched his mercenaries get taken down.
It was like shooting fish in a barrel, eventually the last of the soldiers raised their guns and hands. They surrendered. Robin urged the team to not fall for any tricks, so he ordered the soldiers to discard their weapons by tossing them behind themselves. One tried to take a shot at Starfire, but Robins birdarang hit his hand, causing the shot to hit the ceiling. No one fought after that.
The men were ordered to line up along the wall. Police squads used the underwater vehicles the scientists had taken, then began to collect the soldiers.
It was over. Partially.
When the soldiers were being carted off, the teens looked up to Blood. He still hadn't moved, just staring at the ground floor. Logan began to make his way to join the police squad.
"I'll go up. Make sure that everything goes smoothly."
Then without waiting for a reply, he hopped into the vehicle before it closed. It was released from the docking station, then made its way to the surface.
Within the hour, only three Titans, two allies, a police chief and Brother Blood remained in the base.
Brother Blood made his way down to the ground floor, he didn't look at anyone. Didn't talk. Just kept walking. Past the teens, and to the last vehicle where Police Chief Gomez stood.
"You're under control… right?"
"Yes I am."
The police chief nodded, then gestured for Robin to join her and Blood to the surface. Robin turned to the others.
"Take the T-Ship and head to the surface. Bumblebee and Aqualad can join you on the ship. We'll talk when we're done helping the police."
The others nodded, then began to board the T-Ship. Both vehicles left at the same time. Chief Gomez spoke in her radio, and she received news that all police forces were heading to Steel City. Robin sat there, looking from Blood to her.
They were half way to the surface when…
"Crap."
Robin and Chief Gomez looked to Blood in surprise.
"He's walking up." Blood said, with a glare.
They started panicking. Blood was coming to.
"Is he forcing himself conscious?!" Robin asked.
"No… he's using that power from that someone that helped him before." The two saw red wisps of power begin to exit his eyes. Robin pulled out his communicator, and warned the others that Blood was walking up. The chief got on her radio, warning her officers that a threat was present in the area.
"Push the boats at maximum speed! I don't want any bystanders in the area when this villain turns aggressive!"
Robin leaned over and pushed the speed control too high. Trying to get the vehicle to the surface fast. Blood couldn't become conscious in a cramped area with a citizen who would be in harms way. And Robin didn't know if he could engage him with the Chief at risk.
Robins communicator called out, and he heard Cyborgs voice. "Everyone is at the surface Robin, they're surrounding your location. Starfire will grab the police chief and get her to safety!"
Blood began to move as the red power spread through his body.
The vehicle finally broke the surface, and the hatch opened. Starfire flew and picked up the chief, while Robin jumped back and was suspended above the water by Ravens power.
Blood made to yell and hunched over, head close to the water. And a snake slithered out of is mouth, before jumping in the water to swim away.
"Rrrrrrgh!" Blood lifted his head and screamed, finally gaining consciousness. He released a red wave of energy that shockwaved the surrounding waters. Destroying the vehicle and pushing everyone back. He stood on the waters surface, with the red power coursing through him.
Raven waivered at seeing her fathers powers again, she struggled to fly and keep Robin on her platform.
"You insolent children!" He released his sinister enhanced lightning at the teens, which shot in all directions.
Blood felt the powers given to him by his master. They coursed through him, into every part of his body. He'd never felt so strong, so unstoppable.
"Yes! Yes! Master, I shall do your bidding, I will send a message to these children!"
[YES. YOU WILL, MY 'LOYAL' SERVANT!]
Then the powers within Blood grew. And grew. Until his body began to feel pain.
"Aaahhh!" What? What was happening?!
[YOU THINK I FORGIVE YOU, FOR FAILING TO MAKE OUR AGREED PAYMENT! YOU HAVE ONE LAST PURPOSE TO ME SEBASTIAN BLOOD! AND THAT IS TO SEND A MESSAGE. TO. MY. DAUGHTER!]
Then Blood screamed. He held his head as the red power consumed him. He shakily walked on the waters surface, screaming as his body was torn apart by his master power.
"Aaahhh!" Brother Blood screamed horrifically. He was consumed in a bright red light. And the teens could only stare in horror as the man was ingulfed in a fiery blaze of red energy.
BOOM!
Blood exploded in a shower of red, sending a shockwave throughout the waters. Body gone, but in his place, the Mark of Scath shone brightly for miles.
When the red light faded. The Teen Titans and their allies could only stare in disbelief. That whoever aided Brother Blood, also killed him. Robin yelled when the platform from Ravens powers waivered and disappeared. Bumblebee flew over to catch him before he could fall in the water. Raven shook. Robin looked to her, then called everyone to board the T-Ship.
They went to pick up Starfire, then they were all headed to Titans Tower. And Raven was utterly scared, from the sight of her father killing someone.
Cyborg sat back. He just received word from Robin that Brother Blood was killed. He was killed by the person that helped him take over Logan. Even though Cyborg hated Blood for stealing his body's secrets, he never wished the man dead. He looked to his father, who looked exhausted from telling him the truth about the incident, and the 'power' box that later saved his life.
'But after the whole Slade thing, I found closure."
Closure...
He didn't know if he was ready to say that the issue was settled between him and his father. But...
It was a step in... A direction. They would have to wait and see. But the mystery and unknown of the incident was finally clear. He... didn't hate his father. Not anymore.
The two sat on the couch. And small talk finally broke out. They were hesitant, and the topics were jumbled. But it was nice.
An hour flew by, before the tower alerted them the others had returned. So they waited for the T-Ship to dock, and the rest of the teens to make their way to the common room.
They were finally all together.
Before anyone could say anything, Robin walked up to Silas.
"You said that your partner was involved in the construction of the base and weapon. Do you think he also was involved with giving those designs to the villain Adonis's supplier?" Silas sadly nodded.
"He and the previous director were the only colleagues that I shared about what happened. He was my closest friend, i never thought he could do such a thing."
"Is it possible that your friend was the person who built the suit."
"It's possible. The more people who knew of the designs, the greater the risk it would spread, before landing in the wrong hands. We've seen that today." Everyone nodded to that.
"I'll take you home dad. Thanks for... everything."
Silas Stone nodded. He was thanked for his cooperation and expertise. He shook everyone's hands, meeting Logan, Garth and Bumblebee for the first time. The rest of the Titans relaxed, and soon Cyborg returned to the tower after dropping off his father.
They all looked at each other, then Bumblebee needed to ask.
"Okay. What the heck happened back there? What happened to Blood?" Logan stepped forward.
"I took over Blood's body a few days ago. I knew you wouldn't believe him, if he told you he was being controlled. So I asked you to collect information for him, or us, while leaving you alone. I lost him towards the end, because a friend of his wrestled control away from me. But instead of helping him fight, he killed him. Why. I don't know."
Bumblebee stood there, absorbing the information. So Robin spoke up.
"How long were you a spy for Brother Blood?"
"Almost a year. He approached me, offering to help me with my powers, and i accepted. He trained me for a few months, impressed with me. But the more time a spent with him, i started to pick up there was more to him. So I started digging, then I learned about his past. He failed in reading my mind, and never tried again. That let me get away with monitoring him. I was waiting for the right opportunity to report him, but he was always out of the police's reach."
"It was a dangerous thing to do alone, but we're all grateful that you did it. No one else could have done such a thing, and gotten away with it like you did." Aqualad said.
Everyone nodded. And Bumblebee was relieved that it was over.
Robin stepped forward. "I'd like to thank you both. For helping us take down the soldiers." He looked to Cyborg, who went to a drawer underneath their TV. He returned and handed Robin two radios.
"I'd like to offer you Honorary Teen Titan status. If you accept, we'd like to call you in any time of need to defend against villains."
Garth and Bumblebee looked to the two communicators, then they reached over and grabbed them. They smirked.
"It would be an honor."
"Sure. I don't want Blood to be the last good I do."
The Teen Titans smiled at their new allies.
The two started for the exit, waving to their new friends. They flew and swam after saying their goodbyes.
The five teens looked at each other. Then Logan turned and headed to the double doors.
"I'm turning in for the night. See you guys." Then he left, not waiting for a reply. They watched his back, wanting to talk to him. But they knew he wouldn't stop.