Hikaru descended the stairs, the sounds of the common room growing louder as he approached. Looked like the TV argument had finally resolved itself—he could hear the sound of it from here.
"There you are!" Donna appeared at the bottom of the stairs, her tall frame blocking his path. "Vic's looking for you. Said to meet him in his workshop."
"Now?"
"Yeah." She smiled. "I think it has something to do with equipment upgrades."
"Cool." Hikaru changed direction, heading toward the lower levels. "Thanks for the heads up."
"Don't let him talk your ear off about engine specs," Donna called after him. "He'll keep you there all night!"
The workshop was exactly what Hikaru expected—organized chaos. Tools hung on pegboards, spare parts littered every surface, and several of Cyborg's personal projects sat in various states of completion. The man himself was bent over a workbench.
"Hey, Vic."
Cyborg lifted head grinning. "Hey man, thanks for coming down. Grab a seat."
Hikaru perched on a stool, watching as Cyborg returned his attention to whatever he was building. The precise movements were almost meditative—each action was methodical, each connection tested before moving on.
"Whatcha working on?"
"Upgrade for my sonic cannon." Cyborg gestured to a schematic on a nearby tablet. "Trying to boost the output without draining my power core too fast. It's all about efficiency."
"Sometimes I forget that theirs a genius mind behind that easygoing exterior."
Cyborg set down his tools, leaning against the workbench. "You know the more upgrades I add to myself the less human I feel."
"Hey man I know you're half machine. But hanging out with, seeing how you act..." Hikaru shrugged. "You're more human than most fully organic people I've known."
A smile tugged at Cyborg's mouth, though something sad lingered in his eye. "Thanks, man. Some days I need to hear that."
"Rough day?"
"Nah, not today. Just..."
"You ever feel like you're split between two things? Like part of you wants to be one way, but another part pulls you somewhere else?"
Hikaru thought of his two lives, two sets of memories competing in one head. "Yeah. Yeah, I get that."
"My human half wants to be normal. Go to school, play football, maybe ask girls out without worrying about accidentally crushing their hand." Cyborg laughed, but it sounded hollow. "My machine half... it's efficient. Powerful. Useful. But sometimes I look in the mirror and I don't recognize the guy looking back."
"For what it's worth?" Hikaru met his eyes. "The guy looking back is still Victor Stone. The tech didn't replace you—it just gave you new tools to work with."
Cyborg absorbed that, then nodded slowly. "Yeah. Yeah, okay." His grin returned. "When'd you get so philosophical?"
"Hey I may not act like it but I'm decently well read" Hikaru smiled back. "By the way, Donna said you wanted to see me about something?"
"Oh, right!" Cyborg straightened, reaching into a drawer. "Almost forgot." He pulled out a small communicator—same model as the others carried, but pristine. "Here you go. Welcome to the team."
The device was lightweight, fitting easily in Hikaru's palm. The T-symbol on the front caught the workshop's fluorescent lighting.
"Thanks, man."
"No problem. Now you can't use 'I didn't get the message' as an excuse when we call for backup."
"Damn. There goes my best alibi."
They both laughed. Hikaru pocketed the communicator, the weight of it somehow felt heavier than it actually was.
A reminder that he was actually a Titan now.
The next day Hikaru found himself in his room working on homework of all things. Something he'd been putting of for a while now when an alarm shattered the rare calm he was immersed in.
Hikaru head jerked up, the blaring noise echoing through the Tower. His communicator lit up on the nightstand—Robin's voice coming through.
"Titans! Electronics store downtown—villain attacking. Move out!"
Hikaru grabbed his costume and dressed in record time. By the time he reached the common room, the others were already geared up.
"What's the situation?" Donna asked as they headed for the exit.
"Call came in about someone draining electronics." Robin led the way at a jog. "Witnesses report a 'living electricity' creature."
"Great," Beast Boy muttered. "I hate getting zapped."
Robin got on his R-cycle, as Cyborg slipped into his T-Car, as the team headed out. Kid Flash ran alongside. Hikaru took to the air with Beast Boy, Donna, and Raven, the four of them cutting across the bay while the others took the bridge.
The electronics store came into view quickly. Police had cordoned off the area, officers waving civilians back. Inside, visible through the shattered windows, electricity arced between shelves.
The Titans converged at the entrance.
"Okay," Robin said quietly. "We don't know what we're dealing with, so stay sharp. Beast Boy, Raven—you two flank left. Wonder Girl, Kid Flash—take the right. Cyborg, Seraph, you're with me up the middle."
They moved in formation, boots crunching on broken glass. The store's interior was a mess—merchandise scattered everywhere, scorch marks on the walls, small fires still smoldering.
High-voltage arcs danced among the shelves, reducing speakers to dust that was quickly absorbed. Televisions and VCRs suffered the same fate, crumbling under the electrical assault.
Standing in the center of the destruction was a large figure composed entirely of crackling electricity—save for a small dark patch at its core. Circuit board pathways formed a grinning one-eyed face. The arms stretched wide, feeding on the store's electronics.
"Mine!" the creature boomed. "All mine!"
"If you're going to take all that stuff..." Robin stepped forward, the other Titans spreading out behind him. "...you'd better be ready to pay for it."
The electric figure turned, its single eye focusing on them. "Foolish biologicals. Overload will destroy!"
He slammed both fists into the floor. Electricity surged toward the team in a crackling wave.
"Scatter!" Robin shouted.
Hikaru launched himself upward, the electrical discharge passing harmlessly beneath him. Kid Flash vibrated through it, Beast Boy became a bird and took flight, while the others dove aside.
Robin recovered first, extending his staff mid-leap. He spun, deflecting another electrical blast before flinging a handful of discs at Overload.
The villain swatted them aside easily, retaliating with a concentrated beam that caught Robin mid-air. The Boy Wonder tumbled across the store, slamming into a display stand.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"
Raven's dark energy wrapped around several pieces of hardware, launching them at Overload. The electronics vanished into his electrical body—but instead of damaging him, they seemed to make him grow. He roared, now several feet taller.
Beast Boy landed beside her in human form. "Smooth."
"Shut up."
Overload turned his attention to them. Raven teleported just as he fired, the blast demolishing the display case Beast Boy had been perched on moments before.
Hikaru dove, twin beams of concentrated light shooting from his palms. They struck Overload dead center—and did absolutely nothing.
"That's not good," he muttered, banking hard as electricity arced toward him. He phased into light form, the attack passing through harmlessly.
Donna rushed in from the side, fist cocked back. Her punch connected with Overload's midsection—and she immediately jerked back with a yelp, electricity coursing through her body.
"Yo, Radiohead!" Cyborg's sonic cannon charged up with a distinctive whine. "Listen to this!"
The blast hit Overload square in the chest. For a moment, Hikaru thought it might work—the villain staggered, his form flickering.
Then Overload laughed.
He poured himself into a nearby stereo speaker. The device grew massive, reaching from floor to ceiling, and unleashed a wall of sound that shook the entire building.
Cyborg's second yell—this one of pain—echoed as he was hurled backward. He slammed into a column and crumpled.
"Cyborg!" Hikaru started toward him, but Overload was faster.
The electrical villain reformed, grabbing Cyborg by the arm and lifting him off the ground. "Mine!"
"Yeah?" Cyborg struggled in his grip. "I'll bet you're not waterproof!"
He threw a devastating right hook that connected with Overload's face. The villain dropped him, skidding backward across the floor toward a water cooler.
Cyborg's punch shattered the cooler. Water gushed out, splashing across Overload's electrical form. The villain's face contorted in discomfort as he was soaked.
"Good idea!" Robin shouted from across the store. "Titans! Soak him!"
Raven's dark energy ripped a water fountain from the wall. Broken pipes gushed, adding to the growing puddle. Beast Boy grabbed the fallen cooler bottle, chugging the entire contents before transforming into an elephant. He used his trunk to spray water like a fire hose.
Hikaru spotted the ceiling-mounted sprinklers. "Donna! With me!"
They shot upward. Hikaru's light beams shattered several sprinklers while Donna used her sword to cut through the rest. Water rained down throughout the store, creating a proper deluge.
Robin had commandeered an actual fire hose, directing the stream at full force.
The combined assault drove Overload to his knees. His electrical form shrank with each passing second, his groan of defeat barely audible over the rushing water.
Finally, he collapsed completely. The Titans stood over him, water dripping from their costumes. Beast Boy shifted back to human form, grinning triumphantly.
"Guess he couldn't handle a little H₂O."
They wrapped Overload in a thick insulated blanket—the circuit board face barely visible through the material—and carried him outside.
Donna hefted the villain over her shoulder as they emerged into daylight. Police and emergency services had the area secured.
Beast Boy froze mid-step, staring at something across the street. His eyes went wide, jaw dropping.
Hikaru followed his gaze. An empty parking space where the T-Car should have been.
"Uh... Vic?"
Cyborg turned—and his eye went wide. "Dude, where's my car?!"