Cyborg the Barbarian/Transcript

Cyborg the Barbarian/Transcript
Season	4
Episode	4
Air date	February 12, 2005
Preceded By	Birthmark/Transcript
Followed By	Employee of the Month/Transcript

This is the transcript for the episode "Cyborg the Barbarian".

Prologue

(Opening shot: the exterior of Titans Tower during the day. Zoom in and cut to the operations center, where Cyborg is hunched over the coffee table. Cables snake all over the floor, and sparks flicker up around his body; he is working very intently on an electrical project or three. In come Robin and Beast Boy; cut to a close-up of the determined Titan's face, bathed in the crackling glow. After a moment, he moves aside slightly, exposing the rest of the team now gathered behind him, and smiles smugly to himself.)

(He is on his feet in one swift motion. Sight gag: huge, thundering stereo speakers pop up from the floor nearby.)

Cyborg: Megaphonic sound...

(They and he disappear and are replaced by a widescreen television on which his face appears.)

Cyborg: ...ultra-plasma display...

(Cut to Cyborg, next to an enormous amplifier.)

Cyborg: ...phase-shielded amp...

(Lightning flashes from the terminals and clears to leave him facing the camera.)

Cyborg: (snaps his fingers) ...and to top it off, a brand-new, hot-off-the-shelf, impossible-to-find-anywhere GameStation XL!

(During this line, cut to a close-up of a box being set down and pull back to frame him. Now outside, he fishes something out; there is a great flash, and when it clears, the camera has pulled back farther to show him on the edge of a cliff. The aforementioned home arcade system, labeled "GSXL" and with a controller hanging free, is much larger than the box it came in and is now held above his head. Beast Boy floats slowly down the side of the screen, tears of joy running down his cheeks.)

Beast Boy: It's...beautiful.

(The sight gag ends as the camera cuts to Robin and the two girls; he has raised his cape to shield his eyes.)

Robin: I'm glad you're upgrading Ops, Cyborg, but... (Starfire moves off.) ...is any of this actually going to help us fight crime?

Cyborg: (caught off guard) Uh...sure?

(In "Super Deformed" style, Starfire pops up at the kitchen counter, where a new appliance has been set.)

Starfire: And for what purpose is this crime-fighting device?

(A cylindrical piece extends from the top and starts ejecting waffles upward at high speed.)

Starfire: Eek!

(She ducks away; brief overhead view of the kitchen as one waffle flies toward the ceiling, then back to counter level. A door on the side opens, a plate and a glass of orange juice pop out of it, and the waffles come down in a neat stack. Syrup, butter, and fork land on top of them; this thing is here to provide Cyborg with his favorite breakfast. Pull back; he slides proudly into view, while Raven appears as well and holds up one waffle.)

Raven: Evil beware. We have waffles.

(His face falls at this jibe, and she ducks away as SD Starfire straightens up to eye the food. On the next line, cut to a slow pan across Robin, communicator in hand.)

Robin: I like this stuff as much as the next guy, (Pull back to frame speakers and satellite dish.) but don't you think it's a little...

(The exterior of the Tower. Sight gag: every square inch bristles with electronics, as do the roof and the island's shores.)

Robin: (from inside) ...big?

(Gag ends. Cut to Cyborg, standing against a background of sliding stereo equalizer bars.)

Cyborg: Come on, guys, this is the future. If we don't keep up, it'll just leave us behind. Besides, don't you want to hear the new equalizer?

(Pull back. The other four Titans slide up to check out the display, which takes up an entire wall, and are absolutely flummoxed by this sheer display of technological excess. Starfire is back to normal style now. He reaches to adjust one of the controls-and just as his finger touches the panel, a lightning bolt cracks out of nowhere and vaporizes him. Head-on view of the others; Starfire is chewing something, perhaps one of the fresh waffles.)

Beast Boy: (ears drooping) Okay. Before anybody says anything, that was totally not my fault.

(Snap to black.)

OPENING THEME

Act One

(Opening shot: a patch of starry night sky. A huge flash far above clears to leave Cyborg yelling in midair; tilt down slightly as he falls to Earth, alive and well. He has barely lifted his head with a weary groan when the ground starts trembling and fierce yells are heard from o.c. A glance in that direction reveals the source; a horde of uncivilized warriors charging straight at the camera. Cyborg gasps in shock and looks the other way; here he finds a battalion of black/green alien creatures on the advance. They are only approximately humanoid, with short legs and very long arms on which they balance their upper bodies, similar to large primates. Light green abdomens and long, thin head antennae are the other dominant features.)

(Cyborg looks back and forth, realizing that he has stumbled into something that s about to get very unpleasant indeed. Dissolve to a long shot of the plain, the two armies rushing headlong at each other and him smack in the middle, then cut to the site. The battle is joined in short order; among the humans, a crescent moon is prevalent on the breastplates of those who wear armor. One fighter in a full-face helmet catches sight of an alien sneaking up and delivers two sword slashes that leave it a disintegrating mass of slime. Another man sees the reflection of an enemy appear in his sword blade, while a third, a blacksmith, runs up to give assistance by smashing it apart with his great hammer. Many more creatures surround the pair.)

(As the fighting rages all around, Cyborg crawls among the shifting legs, trying his best to stay unnoticed, and raises his forearm communicator panel.)

Cyborg: Titans! Do you read me? Somebody! Anybody!

(A sword blade stabs into the ground nearby, prompting a frightened yell from the Titan who loves a good fight, and he gets back to crawling. Presently he reaches a large fallen tree and climbs over to the other side, away from the melee.)

Cyborg: Where am I? When am I?

(He checks his forearm panel, which processes data for a moment and then displays its result...)

Cyborg: 3000 BC?!?

(Sight gag: two exclamation points appear above his face, their dots formed by his wide eyes. A shadow falls over his hiding place; cut to behind him and tilt up slowly to frame a man towering over him with sword drawn. This is Krall, whose armor displays a rising sun nestled within its crescent moon.)

Krall: Why do you hide, warrior? (He yanks Cyborg up.) Fight!

(He charges back in, leaving the Titan dazed and at a total loss.)

Cyborg: Don't do anything, don't touch anything, sci-fi rule number one.

(Sight gag: a shot slides down, showing SD Cyborg poking a stick at the word "PAST." Around it, assorted timepieces run at high speed and baby Warp-the final form of the villain who came to Jump City in "How Long Is Forever?"-cries in one corner. As he speaks, a second shot slides up. Here, a funny-face Statue of Liberty is half-buried on a beach, as in Planet of the Apes, and a large monkey in cape and crown pokes the now-disgruntled SD Cyborg with the stick.)

Cyborg: (voice over) You start messing with the past, you end up with monkeys ruling the future.

(Gag ends; view slides up to show him at the tree. Having a little bit of the free-for-all practically spill into his lap is enough to change his tune in a hurry.)

Cyborg: From the future, coming through!

(He makes a break. Sight gag: the screen changes to resemble the layout of the arcade game Frogger, and Cyborg threads through rows of onrushing combatants and dives into a "home base" spot at the top. The gag ends as he peeks out from behind a rock formation and sees a knot of slimy critters about to jump a helmeted sword fighter, whose armor also carries the sun/moon design of Krall's breastplate. As soon as they leap, the view snaps to black and is immediately pierced by a flurry of brilliant blade flashes; back to the site, where fragments of green slime go flying everywhere thanks to this assault. Two more move in and are slashed away, but the next one gets in a blindside cannonball hit and knocks the warrior all the way to the rocks. As the beast moves in for the final stroke, Cyborg leaves his spot, but Krall cuts him off.)

Krall: Make way, coward! (charges) Prepare to meet my blade!

(He lets off a roar of fury, but is smacked aside by a gooey green arm before he can strike a blow and his sword is knocked free. The creature turns its attention to the helmeted defender, struggling to get up, and gets ready to chalk this one off again. Close-up of the steel-covered head, turned to expose a large blue eye, then of the descending arm. A clash against steel is heard; back to the fallen hero, eyes squeezed tight for the inevitable, but it has not come, and the camera pulls back to show why. Cyborg has blocked the strike with his forearm and is easily holding the alien at bay. Slow pan to his side.)

Cyborg: Monkeys or not, it's about time somebody went Bronze Age on your butt!

(The free arm delivers a jab that tears the enemy apart. He offers a hand to help the downed fighter, who responds by extending a hidden blade from the back of one wrist guard. As the Titan stares perplexed, this one vaults high overhead and aims the keen edge toward the camera; pull back to show the target as an alien who has sneaked up behind him. It is swiftly shredded.)

Cyborg: Thanks, man, I owe you one.

Blue-eyes: Then let your debt be repaid in battle!

(Shaking gunk off the hands, the slugger returns to the fray; a moment later, Cyborg smiles and rushes as well. It takes him almost no time to lay into the green-tinted ranks with gusto, and he and his opposite number have great fun in the split-second massacre. Krall comes up behind him and lays a hand on his shoulder, prompting the start of a yell and whirl that he checks upon seeing that this is not a threat. The lost sword has been recovered.)

Krall: Stand aside, stranger! It is my charge to defeat--

(He gets bashed aside, losing the weapon again, and the race is on: Cyborg chasing the assailant chasing Krall. Elsewhere, Blue-eyes is hemmed in by a thick ring of aliens and ducks here and there, finding no escape route. Cyborg has the same problem; overhead view of the plain, panning slowly to show the two in adjacent clearings, then back to him. He finally makes up his mind: never mind rule number one, he wants to get out of here with his skin intact, and brings up his sonic cannon.)

Cyborg: The future says hi.

(Back and forth goes the beam, cutting a wide swath through the massed forces; around the other besieged fighter, one jumper is blown away, followed by the rest of the opposition. Both blue eyes behind the helmet stare in true bewilderment as Krall peels himself up off the ground, sword once again in hand. He gets ready to take on a couple of surviving aliens, but they, too, are atomized before he can get his blade on target. Now covered in their remains, he yells in frustration, and Cyborg fires off a new burst that takes down another bunch. A single green monster tumbles down amid a cluster of defenders, but Cyborg is there before it can make a move. Up comes the cannon, as does Krall's hand to push it aside.)

Cyborg: I'm sorry, did you want this one?

(Long shot: the really big man faces down his opponent, charges, and gets knocked back, hard. This time, there is no one to stop the cannon from doing its thing and blowing away the monster when it moves in. The entire army breaks into wild cheering, then falls quiet as Blue-eyes helps a man to his feet. He bows respectfully and backs away, and Cyborg claps a hand onto the armored back hard enough to knock its owner flat.)

Cyborg: (flips a thumbs-up) Dude! You were awesome!

(Blue-eyes stands again and starts to pull off the headgear; cut to Cyborg, whose eyes pop as a mass of black hair waves into view and his arm flops limply back to his side. Now we see the face behind the helmet; it is a young brunette, Sarasim, and her voice projects great inner strength.)

Sarasim: I am Sarasim, leader of this tribe. And who is this dude of which you speak?

(This is one too many curveballs for Cyborg to handle in one day, and he crashes down in a dead faint. Dissolve to a long shot of a walled village compound, the glow of torches visible from within and the chant "Cyborg! Cyborg! Cyborg!" resonating in the night from the approaching winners. Cut to him, being carried on the shoulders of the celebrating throng as they march along, then to an overhead view of the path. Pan ahead slightly; they are outside the main gate, which opens to let them in. Now the inhabitants drop whatever they are doing to watch the victorious, chanting fighters and their inadvertent savior. He is finally let down to the ground and subjected to plenty of congratulatory claps on the chest, back, and head; only his sudden protest brings them up short.)

Cyborg: Okay, okay, I'm feeling the love! (The chant stops.) But would somebody mind telling me how I got here?

Sarasim: (from o.c.) I do not know how you came to be here. (The crowd parts to let her through.) But clearly, you have been sent by the Ancient Ones to help us.

Cyborg: Riiiiight. So, when exactly do they send me back? (General murmur; she quiets it with a raised hand and steps to him.)

Sarasim: You will stay as our guest. All that we have is yours. (She bows.)

Cyborg: I appreciate the hospitality, but I'm not even supposed to be here.

Sarasim: You are wrong. Krall, your sword.

(Standing just behind her and to one side, his sword tucked into his belt, he is caught flat-footed by this command.)

Krall: But I have fought bravely, Leader. Surely, you don't intend--

Sarasim: Your sword!

(He quickly realizes that this is one argument he has no chance of winning, and everyone, including Cyborg, stares intently, waiting to see how he plans to get out of it. Finally, he brings out his blade, sheathed, and sets it in her hand; she lifts it high and uncovers it.)

Sarasim: For bravery in battle, pure heart in the face of evil, and selfless heroism against great peril... (Over her head, she follows the sword as she lowers it to Cyborg and continues o.c.) ...I declare you, Cyborg, our new champion.

(On the end of this, she tilts it a bit so that her eyes are reflected in the steel, then slides the scabbard back into place. Cyborg is still trying to make head or tail of everything that has happened, so he does not move; she has closed her eyes, but opens one to survey him warily. After a very long moment, he wraps his fingers around the offered sword and takes it from her hands, sparking a wild cheer from the spectators.)

Cyborg: Wow. This is amazing. But the thing is, the nearest recharging station is, like, five thousand years away, and I really need one. (Sarasim turns to address those behind her.)

Sarasim: Bring forth the feast!

(A huge rack of ribs is carried past the camera, supported on a pole carried by two men. This is enough to get Cyborg's attention off his power cell in a snap. Cut to a fire pit, where the meat has been spitted above a hearty blaze, and pan across the rest of the cooking area. More animal parts are over the flames, food is carried here and there, and a mother and son play a bit.)

Cyborg: Well, I suppose I could just stick around for dinner.

(Taking his hand with an inviting half-smile, Sarasim leads him toward the bonanza. They are followed by all the other tribesmen save one, Krall, whose turned back and stony expression reveal just how deeply he resents the Titan's presence in what should have been his finest hour. Extreme close-up in profile: his eyes narrow savagely, the lids trembling a bit as he fights to suppress his rage.)

(Dissolve to the upper reaches of a dark cavern and tilt down to the mists at ground level. Dripping water echoes hollowly in the distance as a cloaked, hooded figure makes it way up. The covering is pushed back to reveal it as Krall.)

Krall: Witch! Show yourself!

(No immediate response, so he moves farther into the cavern; the steps give us a view of a stooped, wizened old crone who has emerged from a niche behind him. Close-up of the face: snaggle-toothed, eyes clouded by cataracts, large hoops in both ears; this is the witch he has just called for. If her voice were a door hinge, it would be almost frozen with rust and in need of at least a gallon of oil.)

Witch: I await my master.

Krall: (turns to her) Why must you vex me, old woman? I woke you from an eternal slumber to serve me!

Witch: And that is my every wish. The creatures I sent, they were defeated, yes?

Krall: But not by me. I ask you to make me a hero, but instead, you send foul beasts I cannot vanquish. I ask you to send me the strength to defeat them, and you summon another warrior! Now he has been made champion, and I the fool! You are to fix this! (He strides away.)

Witch: As you wish, but know, my master, (Extreme close-up of her mouth.) that every wish has a price.

(Pull back to a long shot of her in the foggy expanse. An imposing portal forms nearby, shaped like a distorted human/beast head with a wide screaming mouth as the doorway. At a gesture from the stooped old figure, the eyes blaze with sudden fire, washing out the entire screen with their glare. Fade to black.)

Act Two

(Opening shot: the exterior of a house in the village compound. It is now the following day. Zoom n and cut to Cyborg inside; he is sitting on a bench and is wearing a harness with cables that run from his chest panel to a large machine. This looks very much like a primitive version of a hand-cranked electric generator, and as he turns the flywheel with one hand, he eyes the panel on his other forearm.)

Cyborg: Come on, hold together...

(Close-up of the panel, which is labeled "POWER REMAINING" and has two bar graphs to show the levels. They start to fill up very slowly, just what he has been hoping for, and he laughs and starts cranking faster. Sparks fly from the wheel.)

Cyborg: I just discovered electricity!

(The exterior of the house. An explosion from within shakes the camera and sends billows of smoke from every crevice; inside, the entire place is filled with the gray clouds. His jury-rigged generator has suffered a major malfunction.)

Cyborg: (from within the smoke) Or not. (The view clears to show him.)

Sarasim: (from o.c., coughing) Cyborg. (her silhouette emerges from smoke) Your conjuring...it frightens my people.

(Ground level; her legs stop near the camera and he looks up with considerable surprise, they now sport simple boots, not the armor she used in the previous night's battle.)

Sarasim: And that is no small feat.

(Head-on view, tilting up to frame all of her. The armor has been replaced by a simple garment, something like a short toga whose hem reaches about halfway to her knees.)

Sarasim: You have seen my people. (The rest of the smoke clears.)

Cyborg: (flustered) You, uh...look...different.

Sarasim: We may be a warrior people, but our armor does come off. Why have you not removed yours?

Cyborg: (unhooking himself) Uh...my armor really doesn't come off.

Sarasim: That must be a burden, to be a warrior every hour of the day.

Cyborg: (stands up) You get used to it... (Sparks from the generator.) ...I guess.

(The device goes up in one final explosion that fills the house with smoke all over again; when the air clears, he bends over to inspect the remains.)

Sarasim: Your experiment. What does it do?

Cyborg: Well, it's supposed to feed my batteries. All that blasting I did really took it outta me.

Sarasim: If it is food you require, we can provide you with all the sustenance--

Cyborg: Except that's not the kind of food I need. Look, Sarasim. I can't survive here. (walks away) It's too...primitive.

(He stops at a chest and brings out the sword she gave him, taken from Krall.)

Cyborg: Please, don't take this the wrong way. (turns to her) I'm glad I was able to help. But I have my own home, my own battles to fight. I can't accept this.

(She approaches him and gently pushes the sword down, not taking it from his hands.)

Sarasim: The sword is your prize. Keep it. But before you seek your home, please...let me show you mine.

(He mulls this over for a second and smiles in acceptance. Dissolve through a sequence of three shots that depict daily life in the village: elders teaching young children; women carrying bags and baskets of produce, sometimes on their heads; farmers tilling their fields; youngsters at play. The last shot is near the outer wall of the compound; pan/tilt up to its top edge, where Cyborg and Sarasim have stopped to watch the goings, on.)

Cyborg: You really have something worth fighting for here. (She gazes toward the setting sun.)

Sarasim: I used to love this time of day. The light...the quiet...but that was before the invaders came. Now twilight brings only fear. Will they return? Will our defenses hold? Will this night be our last?

Cyborg: That must be hard. (The sky darkens.)

Sarasim: We are warriors, Cyborg. Fear is also our enemy, and it had almost consumed us...

(Close-up of his hand; she reaches down to cover it with hers.)

Sarasim: (from o.c.) ...until you arrived.

(Pull back to frame both. After a brief indecision that must seem ten years long to either of them, both lean in, slowly and tenderly, for a kiss. However, before they can get close enough, something very large is heard whistling through the air and Cyborg looks up in alarm. Cut to the source, a flaming, black/green projectile with eyes that is coming right at them.)

Cyborg: Look out!

(He leaps off the wall, taking Sarasim with him, and the thing smashes into the masonry where they had sat. Flames blaze up all around the point of impact. As a farmer looks skyward, the glowing specks of an entire volley of shots start to grow. Within seconds, the missiles have started touching down throughout the walled village and set alight everything they hit. Cut to a close-up of a curtain as a hand reaches up to push it aside, giving a view of the freshly triggered conflagration and confusion. This view is from within a house, which is revealed as Krall's when he moves into frame.)

Krall: Infernal witch! (moves forward) This is not what I had in mind.

(One by one, the burning spheres that rained down from the sky emerge from their craters and unroll into the aliens that attacked in Act One. Pan across the flames as many others climb up, then cut to Sarasim, waving a banner decorated with the tribe's crescent symbol.)

Sarasim: To arms! Prepare for battle!

(Weapons are seized in short order, and the tribesmen carrying them burst out of one house after another. Here come the encroachers, but Cyborg is more immediately concerned for his host's personal welfare.)

Cyborg: Wait! Your armor!

Sarasim: A true warrior doesn't need armor.

(She dashes across the fields; rallying to the standard, Cyborg and the other yelling fighters follow her lead and fall to the battle in earnest. Krall has his hands full right away, smashing down creatures with a heavy mace, and chaos rages all around him. In the midst of it, Cyborg steps up to take aim with his cannon, but a look at his nearly-empty power gauges makes him think twice about opening up.)

Cyborg: Gotta save power. (He disarms.) Guess I'm doing this the old-fashioned way.

(He run ahead on the end of this and slams one metal fist into an alien's gooey chest; the arm sinks in halfway to the elbow, catching him off guard.)

Cyborg: Okay...bad idea.

(He takes a crashing blow that sends him flying and is immediately beset by a couple of others. The hammer-wielding blacksmith seen in Act One gets his tool swinging at full speed to knock away the ones moving in on him. Next he reaches to the sword strapped against his back.)

Blacksmith: (drawing/throwing it) Champion, catch!

(Cut to Cyborg and his two assailants, then to the spinning blade in midair, then to his hand as he grabs the hilt. Snap to black, which is immediately slashed apart into slimy fragments to reveal him on the warpath. He has taken down one member of the pair, and a second huge swing bisects the other neatly; it melts into smoking protoplasm at his feet.)

Cyborg: Now that's more like it!

(He barely gets the words out before another one bashes him all the way to the outer wall. Now the blacksmith rushes in, hammer at the ready, and knocks down two creatures before the next one gets hold of the shaft. Man and beast grapple, the former being pushed slowly past Sarasim.)

Blacksmith: There are too many!

(A brief overhead view of the flaming battlefield shows that his assessment may not be far off. At the tribe's front lines, he, Sarasim, Krall, and Cyborg gather and she raises her voice to address the group.)

Sarasim: We may fall... (raises her sword) ...but let them say we fought with valor! They will sing of our glory!

(Cyborg faces front grimly; cut to a slow pan across the ranks of enemy forces and the red flames roaring behind them, his perspective. The camera stops on a cascading waterfall just outside the wall and zooms in slightly, then cuts back to him.)

Cyborg: (moves ahead) I'd rather have 'em sing of our winning.

(He leaps over one foe's swings, pushes off its head, and sets off across the fields. Every swipe that comes his way is no problem for his fleet feet to avoid.)

Krall: (to Sarasim, derisively) Look at your champion now! See how he runs away?

(Said champion has now reached the dam built into the wall to hold back those waters. One punch carves a hole in a stone support; close-up of the damaged spot as he hits it again, then pull back to frame him. His bashing has weakened the structure enough to make it creak loudly.)

Cyborg: Something's gonna break here, and it's not gonna be me!

(Overhead view of the aliens, advancing on the tribesmen, then cut to the spot he has punched. The bionic fist slams into it once more, after which he runs to another support and pulverizes it to gravel, causing the creaks to grow into loud crackling. This hit destroys the outer covering of the left hand and exposes the framework underneath. Another stone column gets it next; he backs up carefully, eyeing the structure of rock and timber, which finally starts to give way under the water pressure on its outer surface. Gushers break forth between the logs for a few seconds before the entire dam collapses and a torrent pours in to flood the compound.)

(The fires set by the aliens' initial self-catapult attack are extinguished in a twinkling, and the tide sweeps over all combatants equally. When the water touches the sludgy green bodies, though, they disintegrate into fuming muck. As the last of the dammed-up water washes in through the opening and recedes, Cyborg's prone form is revealed near one of the impact craters. The moment he gets his eyes open with a small groan, a jubilant cheer floats back to him from the tribesmen; cut to several, standing amid the piles of black-and-green leftovers. He gets to his feet and eyes the damaged left hand with obvious concern; a bit of finger, flexing shows that the appendage is still operational.)

Sarasim: (walking to him) Cyborg! You did it! (He covers the hand as she approaches.)

Cyborg: Yeah. I really did.

(He walks off. Dissolve to the exterior of his guest house and cut to him inside; he is facing the home-built generator, his back to the door. Sarasim enters.)

Sarasim: You are injured? (Close-up of his chest; he covers the left.)

Cyborg: I'll be fine. (Pull back to frame both.)

Sarasim: The village wishes to honor you. Won't you join us to celebrate victory?

Cyborg: I'd love to. But the thing is, the longer I stay... (Cut to Sarasim; he continues o.c.) ...the harder it's gonna be for me to leave. It would never work for me here.

(Her eyes widen as she opens her mouth to speak; instead, she turns her face away, trying to conceal the hurt that his words have touched off.)

Sarasim: I understand. We are too simple. I am...primitive.

Cyborg: (getting up) No! No! You're amazing. (holds up his left hand) But just look at me. I'm too different.

(She approaches and clasps the naked metal fingers gently.)

Sarasim: We are not so different. See? (Close-up of the two hands; she continues o.c.) Underneath your armor, you are just like me.

(Pull back to frame both and zoom in slowly as they lean in for a kiss. Once again, it is broken off, this time when he turns away.)

Cyborg: I'm really sorry.

(He walks out; cut to the glowing crater field, where he sits down at the lip of one.)

Cyborg: (to himself) Man, you may be from the future, but you don't know a thing.

Krall: (from o.c.) Hero!

(The Titan stands up and finds the cloaked, hooded former champion threading among the depressions. After a moment, Krall exposes his face.)

Krall: If you wish to return to your own time, you will come with me... (turning away) ...quickly!

(Cyborg thinks hard for a second and sets off after him. Tilt up from the shattered dam to frame part of the mountainside nearby, then dissolve to a path leading up the steep slopes. Another tilt up shows the pair near its upper terminus, which leads into a large cavern. Cut to them inside-it is the witch's lair that Krall visited in Act One.)

Cyborg: Why are you helping me?

Krall: As you say, you do not belong in this world.

(Close-up of the upper portion of the large face portal conjured up by the witch; pull back to frame both walkers approaching it through the fog.)

Krall: Witch!

(She emerges from a niche, looks the futuristic visitor up and down as best she can, and raises one hand to throw a green beam back at the gaping stone mouth. Within the blackness, an image of the Tower forms, as if the whole thing were a big-screen television.)

Witch: Your home, is it not?

Cyborg: That's it, all right.

(He steps warily to the image, thrusts his damaged left hand forward, and sees it vanish and the surface ripple like a pool of water. Cut to Krall, who folds his arms and smiles smugly, and tilt down to his belt, where a gleaming sword hangs anew; the one taken by Sarasim, which he has stolen back for himself. Both of Cyborg's hands now disappear into the portal, but rather than advance all the way through, he pulls back and wheels to face the shamed fighter.)

Cyborg: It was you. You brought me here! You're responsible for the attacks, too, aren't you?

Krall: It was the witch's doing, not mine. Now go!

Cyborg: I'm not going anywhere.

(As the witch backs out of reach, Krall throws his cloak aside and draws his sword.)

Krall: Last chance. Retreat, outlander! (Cyborg brings up his cannon.)

Cyborg: I got enough juice in my reserve pack for one shot, (The muzzle glows.) and that's all it's gonna take.

(Close-up of the suddenly unnerved barbarian, zooming in a bit as the glare crosses his face.)

Cyborg: (from o.c.) I don't miss.

(Cut to the muzzle, which flickers out before can make good on the boast, and pan to the equally surprised Titan's face.)

Cyborg: Okay, that's not supposed to happen.

(Roaring, Krall comes in swinging; Cyborg dodges a couple of attacks, but then takes a hit that drives him toward the portal. As he raises his head, the sword whistles toward his it; he gets both hands up to clap on the blade, stopping it just short of its goal. The two struggle.)

Krall: I shall be legend!

(The kneeling Titan twists his hands sharply to one side; there is a sudden snap of fracturing steel, and Krall stumbles backward and gapes at his ruined sword. Cyborg comes up with a devastating punch that hurls the veteran far along the cavern. As soon as Krall is up again, he turns toward the...)

Krall: Witch! I need more power!

(She produces a green energy ball between her hands and raises it toward the cavern's ceiling. There is a great flash, followed by several alien creatures falling on top of Krall.)

Krall: (struggles and becomes borne to floor) What...what are you doing? (The pile glows; cut to her face, bathed in the glare.)

Witch: I do as you command, Master.

(Now he has been sucked in so far that only his face is breaking the gelatinous surface. He strains mightily but cannot break free, and soon he is enveloped entirely in the mass of bodies. There is another flash, which gives way to show a colossal human/alien thing standing up. It is at least twice Krall's height and has much more clearly defined humanoid features, and the entire body is black/dark green except for the lighter forearms. Krall has undergone a truly terrible metamorphosis at the witch's hands. He lets off a grating roar, which Cyborg meets with a silent gritting of teeth, and the view fades to black.)

Act Three

(Opening shot: Krall and Cyborg facing off in the cavern. The new giant drives one massive fist into the bionic teen and propels him against a rock formation, shattering it. As Cyborg strains to lift an enormous slab off himself, Krall steps up and knocks it away easily. Still half-prone, the former is hauled up by his collar and socked in the breadbasket; before the next blow lands, he tries to flip one leg up in a kick, but Krall catches it and slams him to the ground. As soon as Cyborg is back on his feet, he tries a right hook only to have his wrist seized and a brawny green elbow come down across his own. The chop leaves the entire bionic arm hanging loose from its cables, and when Cyborg tries to bring up his left fist, Krall grabs it with enough force to send sparks flying everywhere. A smashing kick knocks him sprawling.)

(Cyborg reels in his arm in and reattaches it as he charges with a vicious snarl, and he and Krall lock up in a grapple. Close-up of the teen's face.)

Cyborg: Come on, come on, don't give out on me now!

(Pan slightly to the power gauges on his forearm panel; they are flickering up and down in double time. Slowly, he is forced to his knees, sparks spitting from both biceps, and Krall grins nastily and bashes him into the cavern wall. The witch gestures at the portal that will take him back to his own time.)

Witch: Home is but a step away.

Krall: (passes her) No. Now I wish him to stay... (seizes Cyborg) ...to be destroyed!

(He punches at the armored gut, smashing Cyborg deeper into the rock; cut to the other side of the wall as he crashes through it. When the Titan stands again, Krall closes in on him and brandishes a long pole. Its end lashes through the air, catching Cyborg in the solar plexus and hoisting him like a hot dog being roasted over a campfire. Electricity crackles through the air from the pierced circuits, and the camera pulls back to a long shot as the bolts radiate out to the farthest reaches of the cavern.)

(Cyborg's groans of agony echo everywhere; the witch shields her eyes from the blinding radiation, Krall's grin and grip on the pole never waver, and finally Cyborg passes out as his eye implant and circuit lights fade away. His power gone, he is unceremoniously dumped to the ground and dragged away by the black/green thing that set this chain of events in motion. Long shot of a narrow ledge projecting from the mountainside. Krall drags him toward the end; in an overhead shot, he raises the unconscious fighter overhead and, after a long pause, casts him down from the dizzying height.)

(Cyborg bounces back and forth off the rocks during his plunge and finally splashes down into a river that winds along the slopes. Krall smiles quietly to himself, secure in the knowledge that he has taken care of his rival once and for all. The current carries said rival away from the camera; cut to the waterfall as the inert form hurtles over it, then to beneath the surface of the pool at its foot. Cyborg floats along and sinks into the depths, dropping slowly out of sight-but as soon as he has gone, two pairs of hands reach after him and begin to haul him up. Fade to black.)

(There is a brief flicker of sunlit sky, which resolves into a fullscreen view as Cyborg's weary groans are heard-this is his perspective, coming around again the following morning. The first person to enter his field of vision is Sarasim.)

Sarasim: Welcome back. (He reaches up to touch her; the lights in his forearm are on again.)

Cyborg: Sarasim... (his fingers twitch) ...I've got power.

(Close-up of his face; all his lights are back on, and something is plugged into his chest. He regards the twitching fingers with considerable puzzlement.)

Cyborg: How did you--?

(Pull back. The wiring harness he wore while trying to juice himself up is back in place, and charge is running along the cable hooked to it. Nearby, water flows in a small channel cut into the ground. He sits up and looks back along the cable; pan/tilt up to follow it past Sarasim to the waterfall. A new dam has been constructed, with a waterwheel to convert the energy of the falling liquid into electricity; the channel carries its runoff. The four hands that saved Cyborg were those of the tribe's leader and the blacksmith, who is inspecting the system he has put together.)

(Close-up of the dam, panning toward the wheel; a couple of men are here, helping to keep the gears turning with muscle power. Cyborg sits up as the blacksmith approaches him and Sarasim.)

Cyborg: But...my prototype didn't even work.

Sarasim: Perhaps we are not so primitive after all.

(He gets up and looks it over, but is immediately distracted by a beep from his forearm. Cut to his perspective, looking down at it; the gauges flicker a bit, after which the camera pulls back from the group. The waterwheel disintegrates in a sudden explosion, just as his first generator did-same problem as before, much larger scale. Extreme close-up of the gauge, next to which the number 7% is flashing.)

Cyborg: (from o.c.) Seven percent. (Pull back to frame him and Sarasim; he unplugs.) Not much, but it's good enough. Sarasim, there's something you need to know. Krall, he's behind everything. The attacks, my being here, all of it.

Sarasim: That is clear to us now. Our scouts bring word of a terrible army approaching. He leads it.

Cyborg: And if we're gonna beat him, we've got work to do.

Sarasim: Then...you wish to stay?

(Close-up of her hand as Cyborg takes it in his own.)

Cyborg: (from o.c.) Try and stop me.

(Close-up of a patch of dirt; the end of a stick moves into view and scratches a line, and the camera pulls back to put it in Cyborg's hand. He has drawn a sketch of the village in order to explain his plan to a group of warriors. From here, cut to another area; it is now nighttime, and men lean stout timbers against the main gate to wedge it shut. Overhead view of this spot, now well reinforced, then cut to a close-up of a forearm guard and a boot being cinched into place. A long shot behind the wearer reveals it as Cyborg, standing before a blazing fireplace with a new sword leaning against the mantel. He has now donned the tribe's armor, and the camera zooms in as he covers the circuitry of his head with a helmet next. Close-up of the sword hilt, pulling back as his fingers wrap around it and raise the blade. He has now turned to face the camera, exposing a visage set in ice-cold determination and a shield in his other hand. Sarasim, at the door, smiles warmly at his change of heart.)

(Dissolve to an overhead shot of the village, the camera pointing toward the setting sun-another day has gone by. A second dissolve and zoom puts us at one of the guard towers built into the wall, where the two are on watch. Sarasim has donned her own armor as well and is holding her helmet under one arm. He looks her way, not seeing her turn those uncertain blue eyes away from the sunset, and takes a moment to gather himself.)

Cyborg: Sarasim...if this doesn't go well, there's something I need to tell you. Something I shoulda said before. (She stops him with a kiss on the cheek and smiles.)

Sarasim: You already have.

(Leaving it at that, she puts on her helmet, and both watch the sun finish its descent below the horizon. The sky darkens into night, helped by a green mist that wells up; pull back as it boils over the wall and into the village. Men armed with all manner of weapons look around confusedly, miasma flowing thick between them, and Cyborg and Sarasim are enveloped also.)

Sarasim: (to the troops) Stand firm! This war ends tonight!

(A long silence, which is broken by Krall's long, echoing, terrible laughter. The blocked gate trembles under an assault from outside, but the defenders hold their ground.)

Sarasim: Hiding in the shadows? Are you a coward, Krall? Come out and fight!

(Cut to a close-up of her steel-clad face on this last word. The laughter and pounding both die away; pull back to a long shot of the gate, which stands quiet for a tense second before being stove in by a single gargantuan blow. People and debris fly everywhere, and the camera cuts to the spot and zooms in as Krall's human/alien figure strides in through the green mists. Behind him come a new army of the creatures that turned him into this monstrosity; an overhead view reveals just how many buddies he has brought along to finish this job.)

(Cyborg regards the forces with horror and pure fury, then hurls himself over the tower's railing with a scream to get down to it. Now the critters are the ones sent flying in all directions. Two of them meet a sudden demise from his sword, but an arm reaches out from the murk and yanks him away; behind him, another man gets knocked over. Krall makes his way through the village, plowing aside all opposition, but stops and looks off to one side upon hearing a sword thrust. Pan in that direction to frame Cyborg back at work. After putting a few more down for the count, he breaks off and charges at Krall.)

(The feuding champions face off silently; close-up of the huge black/green beast, pulling back as his forces gather all around. In no time, Cyborg finds himself surrounded as he was in Act One, but with only a sword to help him out instead of his cannon. Krall smirks down at the embattled Titan, but the next two words break his mood in an instant; tilt up to the tower on this line.)

Sarasim: (from o.c.) You coward!

(She plunges out of the mists and angles a spear toward the semi-solid invader, but he catches its shaft in both hands and whips her away. Those swift legs are soon carrying her across the plain toward Krall; meanwhile, Cyborg still has his hands full. As soon as he has dispatched the newest batch of attackers, he looks off and gasps in shock.)

Cyborg: Sarasim!

(Camera shift: he is watching her leap at Krall only to get flung away.)

Cyborg: SARASIM!!

(She crashes to the ground and Krall zeroes in on her.)

Krall: I may have failed you as a hero, but I will triumph as your conqueror!

(Now on her feet, she extends the blade hidden in her wrist guard; pull back as she tries to slip it in for a deadly sucker-punch. He is ready for it, though, and catches that fist in one hand while the other slams into her face to send her and her helmet flying in different directions. Meanwhile again, Cyborg plies his sword with gusto and takes out a few members of the throng surrounding him. The clatter of metal on the ground draws his attention; cut to the source, Sarasim, sprawled out and barely breathing, and pull back as Krall moves in for the finishing touch.)

Cyborg: (from o.c.) No! (Back to him.) Out of my way!

(He is off like the world's most heavily armed offensive lineman, plowing and hacking his way through the invading forces, but is quickly brought up short. Extreme close-up of the unconscious young woman's face; she snaps to as one of Krall's huge hands latches on to her breastplate and drags her into the air. The free hand is balled into a fist, ready to pulverize his weakly moaning nemesis into mulch, and Cyborg is so tied up fighting the underlings that he cannot get to her. They start to carry him away.)

Cyborg: Sarasim, don't move!

(She looks back toward him and catches sight of that trademark cannon emerging from the sea of black/green forms. His power gauges drain and flicker out, and for the first time in this episode, there is true fear in Sarasim's eyes.)

Cyborg: One shot, Cyborg, make it count...

(On this line, a raging, lightning-filled vortex forms in the sky and a huge black hand reaches down from it; Raven's powers have extended five millennia back in time. Cyborg is plucked out of the hordes and carried up before he can fire; cut to inside the swirling winds as he is pulled in and it closes.)

Cyborg: NOOOOOOOOO!!

(He is dragged away through the maelstrom, which culminates in a blinding flash and clears to show the operations center. A second vortex has opened here as well; pull back to frame the other four Titans, Raven floating high with her "soul-self" right behind. One of its legs has extended into the portal, and after a second it retracts with Cyborg firmly in its talons. He is dropped flat on the carpet, and the black apparition disappears. Cut to his perspective, looking up at the foursome.)

Raven: I think it worked.

Robin: Cyborg? (He sits up and runs toward the passage.)

Cyborg: Sarasim!

(Pull back. It closes just before he can reach it: his chance to rejoin the battle is gone.)

Cyborg: No! Send me back!

Starfire: Cyborg, it is us, your friends! You are home!

Cyborg: The village! It's under attack! (seizes Raven's shoulders) They need me!

Raven: (unnerved) It was kind of a one-way deal.

Beast Boy: Besides, do you have any idea how hard it is to lock on your sonic cannon's frequency from five thousand years away?

Cyborg: I made a promise. They were counting on me.

Robin: Cyborg, I'm sorry. We had no idea.

Cyborg: I didn't even get to say goodbye.

(He walks off, leaving four puzzled and concerned Titans to stare after him. Dissolve to ground level in his room, where his feet hit the floor next to the table where he sleeps and fixes himself. A tilt up reveals that he has removed the tribe's armor and fixed his left hand; flexing it a bit, he crosses the room.)

Cyborg: Welcome to the future.

(Close-up of his sword, in which his downcast face is reflected, then pull back as he sets it on a stand near his armor, now set up in a wall niche. He fixes the equipment with a long, searching gaze, lost in thoughts of what might have happened had he not been torn away from the battle before being able to fire that one cannon shot. Interruption comes in the form of the opening door; Raven is outside, holding a book.)

Raven: I have something to show you.

(Close-up of the book as it is set down on a table, then pull back. She flips pages while he watches; when she stops, he leans forward in surprise.)

Cyborg: Sarasim!

(Close-up of the page, which shows the tribal leader raising her sword amid a group of triumphant village inhabitants.)

Cyborg: (from o.c.) She did it! (Pull back slightly; she is atop Krall's motionless body.) They won! (Pull back to frame both; she leafs through.)

Raven: Apparently, they had help.

(She indicates another page. Close-up: it shows a detail of the battle, including a bare-chested man whose face is identical to the time traveler's, but it is entirely human. Zoom in slightly.)

Raven: (from o.c., pointing at him) That's you, isn't it? (Pull back to frame both.) Interesting.

(Another close-up of the man, zooming in.)

Raven: (from o.c.) You're the only one without armor. (Pull back to frame both.)

Cyborg: Yeah. Didn't need it.

(As she takes her leave, he sits down and starts to read a bit, suddenly gripped by curiosity over how the apocalyptic battle turned in the tribe's favor after he was airlifted out of it. Zoom in slowly and dissolve to the victorious Sarasim's picture. The zoom continues, framing the confident, smiling face with its clear blue eyes in full detail before the view fades to black.)