Beastboy was about to pipe up with another question or a strange quip for an attempted laugh. Humor was at times the best thing you had, it brightened you up and could even inspire hope, for that Beastboy was an angel.

He had an intuitive nature and curiosity was a healthy sign of intelligence but now was apparently not the time, thus the conviction on the ending.

They turned to leave and in their usual fashion, headed quickly out the door, each with a distinct looks on their faces, some of a slight bewilderment and some of small curiosity. Robin however only showed a deep look of hate pooling with a morbid curiosity, a face he only showed to Slade.

Cyborg was the last to go, a determined look in his eyes, Robin didn't like it either, but their leader seemed to be falling apart at the seams and piecing himself back together with every faltered move, and come hell or high water they would find out why.

To this Robin sighed and nodded his head, Cyborg now gone to the T-car, he turned back to the screen that displayed a growing list of offenses and frowned hard enough as to make the devil himself cry.

Whether it took a matter of minutes or a matter of seconds, no one could tell, but when they finally pulled up to the police barricade, the T-car screeching to a halt at an angle, Robin had been long gone. The area was a gas station; the entire building was engulfed in roaring fire that burned with an unnatural heat.

Starfire had lost track of his red motorcycle and there was no tracking signal from the beacon on his bike, all in all, this did not bode well.

"What the heck? He was just beside us and then he ditched us!"

In reply to this Beastboy received a harsh glare from Starfire.

"Robin would not abandon us when we need him, perhaps he is planning something?"

She twiddled her thumbs absent mindedly as they pulled up to the havoc that was the now burning building and thus scrambled out of the car.

Shattered glass was everywhere as evidence of a struggle, bent metal and melted rubber covered the area as the sickly unstable building was stripped bare, the eerie skeleton wading in the consuming inferno.

"Rancid blew up the store and Robin chased him out of the explosion toward the eastern area's! We managed to rescue all hostages but the fires are spreading and could consume the gas lines!"

It was as if they couldn't believe their ears, according to the battered police man Robin had somehow managed to get ahead of them and not only that he chased Rancid out of the building with no regard what so ever for the hostages!

However it did not take long for them to snap out of their shock induced revelry, as Cyborg took command in Robin's stead.

The fire was spreading out at the front near the pumping stations and threatened to catch ablaze as well.

Some of the stations had already begun burning, the place had been turned into a time bomb just ticking off the seconds, waiting to explode in all its fury.

All the while the fire spewed out deadly gasoline laden smog, thick and ashen, it would cause great harm in long exposure and Cyborg was NOT going back to the infirmary anytime soon.

He hated needles and had no desire to wake up staring at boy wonders pretty little mug, staring down at him with an annoyingly unreadable expression.

"Starfire! You go after Robin; Raven, Beastboy and I will get these fires under control and tend to the hostages!"

Remaining firemen began to ship out the few huddled victims in ambulances, the number of casualties was unknown and two of the survivors were in serious condition due to burns, smoke and breaks.

Robin definitely needed a very good explanation for this.

Given her order, she took flight immediately and with a steely resolve, chased persistently after Robin as the others did their best to contain the fires.

She may have been naïve at times, but when she was needed she was strong and extremely reliable, yet she always had compassion for herself and, above all, others.

This purity and beauty on its own never ceased to warm and aid the team in times of happiness and dire need.

Cyborg aided the firemen and Beastboy did his best to distribute water over the fires as well, large plumes of oil-laden smoke billowing into the air with their effort. Ravens manipulative powers came into great use, powerfully and expertly handling the flames and containing them far away from the gas lines, starving them of oxygen and holding off the smoke from her allies.

Flying as fast as possible was all she could do now, and she'd be damned if she didn't find her target.

The angle of the wind blew harsh fumes of ash-laden air from the east into his face as the hot tide of fire receded with the ever-growing distance between them.

The tires of Robins scarlet clad motorcycle screeched out loudly in protest to the sudden stop he had taken.

There, not far off in the inky black distance of the early morning night shone the sharp red aura of the perpetrators vehicle.

Johnny Rancid

To say the least, it was exactly what Robin had been expecting.

The onyx black steel of the mans huge and yet sleek motorcycle shone like oil in sharp contrast to the ruby markings that adorned it; blood on charcoal.

Black smoke spewed from the exhaust pipes as if it were a breathing beast.

Its whole body shook and writhed under the powerful engine that seemed to desire the freedom of the chase as much as the rider and it trembled with anticipation.

But why, why would the rider participate in something so... unlike him?

"Rancid, who's the contact?"

Robins stern voice was not asking this, he demanded to know and the engine of his own bike roared as if in some unspoken contest with the others.

They sat atop their bikes in stiff silence; neither spoke a word or so much as twitched without the other knowing.

The riders' breath came in swift battle lustful gasps, as if the oxygen in the dirty, sullen air around them could not quench the burning in their chests.

Small puffs of warm air dappled the breezy winds with quickly vanishing fog and smoke billowed restlessly from their bikes; both of which seemed to have taken a life of their own, borrowing the wind for their wings and refusing to calm.

"what do you want?"

Still no answer, just the subtle blinking of numerous angry red eyes along the black of the mans body...this was not good.

The entire scene portrayed itself below her hovering form, beneath a slowly flickering street lamp, stained with small traces of rust and bent with age.

The light would flicker on and then off again, as if it were indecisive, not knowing whether to stay lit or to blink out again or whether or not to blink on again at all.

On.

Off.

On.

The mechanical buzzing of the winking light halted and flowed with the light itself.

No one moved and strangely she herself could not move either, frozen stock still in the air of the challenge.

No one said a word, only their unsteady breath could be heard; no insects chirped nor birds sung.

Off.

There was a sudden loud screech of tires that made her skin crawl and forced her hands over her ears as she flew backwards, searching for any hint of Robin inside of the darkness of the empty streets.

Their engines roared with power and blew the morning frost abruptly from their bodies; the crimson red of Johnny's motorcycle pierced the darkness like so many ugly crimson jaws.

On.

Two large bikes ran full tilt at one another.

In his left hand Johnny held what seemed like a large iron pole, black as his form in the night and clutched tightly onto the handlebars with his other, leaning his whole body into the charge.

Robin held right handed onto his own trusted bo staff and stood atop the seat and front of his bike with expert balance.

He stood in an almost precarious position; feet spread apart as if in a fighting stance as he leaned fiercely into his attack, bike never failing to keep its balance.

The early morning sun came over the sides of the buildings ever so slightly.

Off.

There was a blaring crash as metal met metal and flesh was torn from bone.

A sickening crack rang out and Starfire nearly found herself screaming and the bulb of the street lamp exploded in a flurry of glass shards that sparkled like small stars in the light of the rising sun.

Starfire screamed as an iron pole zipped past her head, slicing open the air and trailing blood across the wound that had been torn through the jet stream.

The iron pipe flew into a nearby building with a loud ringing smack and clattered to the ground.

Not even the red of the other bike could cut the thick darkness.

The sunlight came full force in the quick dawning to tell the tale that the naked eye could not see.

Meanwhile, back at the gas station, things were not going so well either.

The fires that plagued the station clung to the old building with unnatural strength and refuse to relinquish their hold.

The others tirelessly worked to keep the flames at bay.

Raven had managed to keep the flames from spreading, using the shadows like a cloak and devouring the oxygen the fire longed for.

Cyborg had taken a shocked Beast Boy out from the ever-growing wreckage and together they had managed to secure the fuel lines from the fire.

Concentrating all of their energy beside the main fuel lines, they were able to avert and box in the flames and were in the process of defeating the flames with the help of the firemen.

The flames though would have the last laugh.

A huge explosion raged outward from the centre of the blazing structure and billowed outward as firemen scrambled for safety and the remaining Titans struggled to safeguard the exposed and fragile fuel lines.

Ash, pitch black smoke and flaming debris shot out of the inferno in one final, explosive blitzkrieg as everything ended in blackness.