Dr. Silas Stone waved to his colleagues as he entered his lab. Closing the glass door behind him, he made sure to lock it and shut all the blinds to his lab. He wanted to keep his project secret.

Making his way over to his laptop, Silas passed by a small sphere about the size of a suitcase. It was completely metal with green and silver components lining it. At the center was placed a glowing, purple core. The spherical device was hooked up to fabricators and various machines.

Silas looked at the data he collected and checked to see what all had changed overnight. The core had been acting odd lately. Silas would leave for a few hours only to come back and find small machines and half-built robots strewn about his lab. 

Sighing, Silas made sure to document everything. He looked towards the back of the room where the light was dark. He thought about calling out to the... thing back there, but decided against it, knowing he'd get no response.

Silas: I'm sorry, Victor. 

As he was working, Silas failed to notice the electronic lock on his lab door open. Suddenly, a red streak raced through the building and stopped in the middle of the now open door. Papers flew about everywhere as Silas looked up. He was shocked to see a man in a red suit and metal cap and goggles.

Silas: Flash, what brings you here?

Y/N: Good morning, Dr. Stone. I would have made an appointment, but the system was a bit too slow for me. I thought I'd come and see you myself.

Silas: Yes. Yes, of course. A hero such as yourself must always be in a rush. Why is it you wish to see me?

Y/N: It concerns something we've been looking into. Something about an artifact recovered from Giza.

Silas: I have no idea what you're implying.

Y/N pointed over to the opened sphere device on the table.

Y/N: That would be it, actually. What did you find about it?

Silas: I... I don't know what you're talking about, Flash. This is just a new piece of equipment I've been working on.

Y/N: Dr. Stone, please, I'm not trying to accuse you of anything, but if that thing is what I think it is, then the whole world may be in danger. Now, we know you've been using it for a new project. What was it used for?

Silas looked at the man in red, stunned.

Silas: I... I...

Suddenly, one of the monitors next to Y/N switched on. The Flash looked over at it to see the image on screen. He was shocked when he saw the recording dated to a few months ago.

The recording showed Dr. Stone working at his desk. Behind him appeared to be the remains of his son, kept alive by machines and life support systems. His entire lower half and right arm were gone. His face was scared, revealing his skull underneath the left side of his face.

Suddenly, the core next to Silas started to glow. A series of small nanobots and silver trinkets began to flood out of it, all heading towards Victor. Victor suddenly screamed and hollered as the nanobots covered his body. Y/N was amazed as the metallic pieces actually began to reform Stone's lost body. They ended near the face. A single red eye turned on before the video cut out.

Y/N and Silas continued to stare at the monitor in disbelief. Silas was panting, realizing he'd been caught. Suddenly, both were alerted to the sound of large, metallic footsteps approaching them. They both turned around to see what it was. Y/N gasped upon seeing what was approaching.

Y/N: What the...

Stepping out of the shadows, Victor Stone approached in his new, robotic body. His limbs and hands were now completely made of metal. His left eye glowed a bright red and a blue circle glowed at the center of his forehead. A low, red light emanated from his chest. The Flash continued staring at the rebuilt man in disbelief.

Y/N: What...

Victor: Hello, Y/N.

Y/N looked at him, realizing the man knew his identity. Silas turned to his son.

Silas: Victor, why did you show him that?

Victor: To show him the monster that was made here.

Silas: You are not a monster.

Victor turned to face his father.

Victor: It's weird that you thought I meant me.

Silas was silent, biting his lip. Victor turned around to face the man in red. Y/N still stood there, his eyes wide underneath his tinted goggles.

Y/N: You... You're...

Victor: Go ahead, say it. A freak? An abomination?

Y/N: Actually, I was gonna say "phenomenal". I mean, there have been major improvements in robotic appendages for amputees, but nothing quite as advanced as a full, autonomous cyborg. The complex and sophisticated machinery needed just to keep you alive, much less mobile is astounding! 

Victor looked at Central City's hero, caught off guard by his excitement and quick acceptance of Stone's robotic body. Then again, this was the Flash. He was probably used to dealing with all sorts of meta-humans and criminals with varying, strange powers. Y/N looked at Victor, straightening his back and clearing his throat, getting back down to business. 

Y/N: So, that thing was used to reconstruct your body.

Victor nodded indicating towards the core.

Victor: It was recovered from the pod sent here. It's power is far beyond any rational understanding, no matter how much we try.

He eyed his father, indicating his disproval.

Y/N: We think it's alien.

Victor: I know.

Y/N looked at him puzzlingly.

Victor: I've seen what it can do, and I've seen what you and Mr. Wayne have been up to.

Silas: Bruce Wayne?

The other two ignored him, continuing their conversation.

Y/N: Then you know what we think is coming.

Victor: I know a lot more than that. More than you realize. More than I can comprehend.

Y/N: Brainiac. This thing sent a signal out to him.

Victor looked at the core and walked over to it.

Victor: It did. It's been dormant for over a decade, ever since it first contacted its owner. But its reactivated. Brainiac approaches. I can sense it. 

Y/N looked at him with a raised brow.

Y/N: How do you know all this?

Victor pointed to his head.

Victor: My mind is swarming with code, some of it human, some of it... foreign. I was remade by this thing. I have access to its systems. When it reawakened, it made me into this.

He held up his hand, moving his fingers into a fist. Despite being made of metal, he could actually feel the touch. It was cool and alien, unlike the human skin he once possessed.

Y/N: Is there anything else that the core has done? Anything at all? 

Silas: A few days ago, it started making all of these.

He indicated towards the drones and robots scattered around the room.

Silas: It had no input. It just started making them on its own accord.

Y/N looked at the drones and robotic skeletons strewn about. He thought for a moment before realizing something. His eyes went wide as he turned to Victor. 

Y/N: This pod is sending out a signal to Brainiac. It acts as a receiver, placed here to contact its master. If you intentionally left something behind, wouldn't you want it well guarded?

Victor caught on to what he was saying. Suddenly, the core began to glow. At that moment, the lights on all the drones and robots turned on. Glowing, green eyes stared back at the three men inside the lab.

Thinking quickly, Y/N grabbed the two men and ran out of the lab with them. They stopped just outside the door. The other doctors looked on, surprised and shocked to see the Flash and a robotic man with Dr. Stone. However, what they saw next shocked them the most.

Pairs of robotic fists punched through the glass windows surrounding Silas' lab. A small fleet of robotic skeletons and drones flew out. The skeletons were all made of a glistening steel and had white painted faces with adorned green eyes. The drones were designed to almost look like floating brains. 

Silas: Shouldn't we get out of here?

Y/N: Just give it a second. I'm enacting Plan B.

The robots and drones began to slowly approach the three men. They all then stopped and looked down, their sensors indicating something on the floor below them. Before any could react, a small explosion blew a hole in the floor, destroying some of the bots and sending others back.

A grappling hook fired from the floor and clung to the ceiling. Batman soared out of the hole before throwing down a smoke pellet. Now unable to see, the bots were blind to the various punches and kicks given by the caped crusader.

As Batman fought, Y/N started running around, smashing through some of the drones with his high speeds. Everyone in the lab began to flee, running away in terror. Some of the them tripped and fell. Others were frozen with fear. Noticing this, Batman turned to Y/N.

Bruce: Flash, get these people out of here!

Y/N: On it!

Y/N ran around the room. He grabbed people and ran outside, carrying them to safety out of the building. He'd then rush back in and grab another person. He did this repeatedly, over and over, making sure everyone was safe and sound. 

Batman continued fighting the robots. He grabbed one with his grapple gun, pulling it towards him. He punched it, quickly placing a sticky bomb on its chest. The caped crusader then spun around and kicked the robot back into two more. The bomb went off, destroying all three robots as well as a drone.

One robot ran over and tried to grab Silas and Victor. Victor's defense system kicked in. His arm formed into a canon. Bringing it up, he fired a blue ball of fiery energy at the robot. The skeletal machine was instantly vaporized, its head falling to the ground before being crushed by Victor's metallic foot. 

Victor grabbed his father and placed him far away in a corner, using a desk for cover.

Victor: Stay here.

Silas: Victor...

Victor: You've done enough work.

With a stern look, Victor ran over and joined Batman in the fight. The Bat brought out a pair of batarangs, throwing the sharp, black objects around the room at several drones. Victor continued using his arm canon to disintegrate the invading robots.

Y/N continued carrying people out of the building. He finally got the last person out, placing them across the street with the others. The scientists looked at their local hero.

Scientist: Thank you, Flash.

Y/N tipped his hat to them before turning back and running inside. As he stepped into the lab, he stopped, seeing everything in Flash-time. Y/N took in the items that were moving slowly around him. Assessing the situation, he began to run around the room. 

Flash grabbed some of the drones, throwing them back so their high speeds would cause them to crash into some of the robots. Looking at the robotic skeletons, he grabbed a few and placed them in front of Victor's blast so more would be destroyed. Others he threw back into the wall where his high speed would cause them to fall apart.

As Y/N was running, he noticed a few batarangs flying around the room. Taking off one of his gloves, Y/N touched one of the batarangs, allowing an electrical spark from his hand to charge the metal projectile. As Y/N continued running, things slowly began to speed back up.

A group of robots suddenly found themselves placed in front of Victor's canon, disintegrating before they could even process it. Some of the drones found themselves hurtling towards the wall and exploded. A lightning charged batarang hit a robot in the chest, causing orange lightning to shoot through its system, frying it. The bolt of lightning then traveled over to another nearby robot, destroying that one as well.

By this point, most of the robots had been destroyed. Batman noticed a strangler trying to run away. He fired a grapple gun at it, pulling it back towards him. As the robot flew back, Flash ran in and dismembered its lower half. Batman brought up his foot and kicked down the other half, destroying it.

Y/N ran up next to Batman, grinning. He gave the dark knight a thumbs up, of which Batman simply nodded. Suddenly, the two heard another robot approaching from behind. It jumped and leaped towards them.

Before either could react, the robot was destroyed by a blue energy blast. Victor stood across from the two heroes, his arm canon raised. Bringing his arm back down, it transformed into a normal, metallic hand.

The three made their way over to each other. Batman looked at Victor. The robotic cyborg took in the dark figure in black.

Victor: Good to see you, Mr. Wayne. Glad you got my message.

Batman looked at Victor, a very light grin appearing on his face. It switched back to business as he looked over at Y/N then down at the destroyed bots at his feet. Batman then turned and looked back at Victor.

Bruce: I see you're quite skilled, Mr. Stone.

Victor: Just Victor will do. 

Bruce: Alright, Victor, we could use your assistance.

Victor nodded.

Victor: Brainiac.

Bruce: If you were made by that core that was left in the pod and you intercepted his signal, you may be connected to his system. We could learn all we need to know from you. 

Victor: And what makes you think I'd be willing to help the two of you.

Bruce: Because, if you don't, billions of people may die. I know you know that. I also know that, despite everything, you are still Victor Stone. 

Victor: You seem to know a lot about me, Bats, for someone who's only ever read a handful of case files.

Bruce: I know the eyes of a conflicted man when I see one, or in your case "eye".

Y/N looked at Bruce with a raised brow.

Y/N: Did the Batman just make a joke?

Bruce looked at him with a scowl before turning back to Victor. Victor thought for a moment. He looked over at his father before giving his response.

Victor: Sure, I'll help you. Anything to get me away from here.

Silas looked at his son with pity and heart break.