!WARNING! Strongly Implied/Remembered Semi-Graphic Torture and Dismemberment
-

"Is the kid gonna be alright?" Timber wolf asked from the kitchen when Brainiac 5, Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad came out to the main room.

"He's stable. Other then then his arm and leg, he was not hurt. I get the feeling that their removal was very deliberate." Brainy stated.

"We don't know much about him other then he's not in any database we can access." Saturn girl stated, "Although he does react to Brainy's voice and Garth's very presence."

"Reacts." He scoffs, "He grabs at me when ever I come near him even if I'm not in arms reach and he mutters, no clear words though."

Timberwolf nodded, "I'm making dinner for anybody who wants to eat. Anybody who doesn't can have the leftovers later."

Garth looked queasy at the thought of food, "Ya know, I think I'm gonna go sit with the kid incase he wakes up or something."

"I must pardon myself as well, the machines you brought back earlier have been puzzling me." Brainiac 5 dismissed himself.

"I don't think even Matter-Eater Lad could get hungry after seeing what they did to that boy." Chuck shuddered and left.

"Brin, I think Tinya and Clark are going to be the only ones eating tonight." Irma took her leave as well.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Garth sat down next to the wounded boys bed in the infrimary. As expected he rolled onto his side and reached for him. This time Garth let him hold onto his arm.

"Who are you? and for that matter why are you clinging to me?" Garth asked the sleeping boy.

All he got in response was a soft indistint mumble and keening noise.

"Why you? What make you so special?"

He mumbled again but this time he could hear a word, "...gears..." It was slurred and nearly indistinguishable, but he still heard it.

Something clicked in his head, "Gears. Hmm... hey kid I gotta go talk to Brainy. You just gave me an idea."

He gently pulled his arm away and paused to brush the boys bangs out of his face before leaving.

He jogged down the halls to Brainy's lab and entered without knocking.

"Hey Brainy, Did we run any checks through the history files when we were looking for info on the kid?"

Brainiac pulled back from his work, "No, we didn't have a reason to. Why?"

"Because I've got a hunch that we need to check." Garth started, "Between the fact we can't find anything on him in any of the current databases, The mysterious use of 21st century tech, the lack of an electrical dispercer, His reaction to me, and the fact that the kid just said 'Gears'. In his sleep, yes, but given that we just rescued him..."

"He's probably dreaming about what they made him do." Brainiac finished for him.

"Exactly."

Brainiac pulled up the history server, "So what are we looking for, Garth?"

"21st century electromancers and their companions."

Brainiac caught on to his train of thought and hit the search.

They dismissed any that did not have any companions and eventually came upon a teenaged Electromancer with a male partner his age who had been kidnapped in late 2003.

The hero Static and his partner Gear.

"It all makes sense now. He was trying to help his partner find and rescue him."

"It also explanes why he reacts to me."

"Garth go tell the others. I'm going to look up more information on him."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"So, he's a hero from the past." Irma mused

"His hero name was Gear, he was part of a duo with an electromancer named Static." Garth explaned.

"Which explanes why he reacts to you."

Garth nodded, "it also explanes why they had him hooked up to the computer system. More then likely they were using him as an idea factory."

"But then why did they hurt him like that?" Chameleon Boy asked.

"He probably refused to help them and that's how the 'convinsed' him to do what they told him to." Timberwolf said, looking rather sick at that thought.

They all shuddered and tried not to think on how it was done.

"He's probably going to be really messed up in the head."

"No kidding. If someone cut my limbs off, I'd be messed up too." Tinya shivered.

"The history file says he has robotic limbs when he reappers." Brainiac 5 entered the room, "It also says that he returns a year and two months after his kidnapping, suggesting he stays here with us for a while."

"Seeing as you know his hero name, what's his real name?" Chuck asked

"You can ask him when he wakes up." Garth gave him a pointed look.

"What room are we putting him in if he's going to stay with us?" Luornu asked

"The one across from Lightning lad of course!" Phantom girl chimed

"Seriously." Luornu huffed

"Actually, I was going to suggest that placement myself." Brainiac said, suprising the girls.

"Really?"

"Yes. Given the way he subconsciously reacts to Garth and add the fact that his partner in the 21st century is an electromancer, I suspect he feels safe when he's in the range of Garth's elecromangnetic field."

"I'll go get it ready!" Triplicate girl volunteered.

"I'll help so you don't completely girl-ify his room." Lightning Lad insisted

"I'll help too, so she doesn't gang up on you." Bouncing Boy offered

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

It was later that night when everybody was sleeping, or rather should have been sleeping, Garth sat up. He couldn't sleep. Every time he closed his eyes his mind flashed back to the mission and 'Help me. Help me. Help me.' scrolling across the screens, huge cracked scabs; dry and peeling, struggling to lift his head, brown eyes dull with pain and exhaustion and 'Help me'.

He got out of bed and grabbed his robe. To his suprise he ran into Brainiac 5 on his way to the common room.

"I take it you couldn't sleep either, Garth?"

"Yeah."

Brainiac gave him one of his almost smiles, "I'm going to make some cocoa, would you like some too?"

"Yes. Thank you." Garth smiled back at him.

They drank in silence for the most part.

"If I still can't sleep I'll be in my lab." Brainy put his cup in the sink, "If you find yourself unable to sleep, you are welcome to come by my lab. I certantly wouldn't object to company."

"You say that like you know you won't be able to get to sleep."

"I just have a feeling it's going to one of those nights."

Lightning Lad nodded at that, "You will try first, right?"

The corner of mouth twitched up, "I will try first."

"Goodnight."

"Indeed."