DISCLAIMER: I OWN WHAT IS MY OWN.

The Spectrum of Light

By Corvus no Genmu

02: Road Rage

Blackfire winced as the cool slime-like substance was pressed against the cut of her arm which she, with supreme amounts of hesitation on her part, admitted was a pretty bad wound that'd get worse with her immune system currently shot to hell as it was without her armor supplying her with the standard intake of solar energy the rest of her kind could absorb as easily as breathing. Not for the first time did she curse her existence but unlike those times where she allowed her anger to simmer and stew in her heart, she tried to focus on something within her control and that was getting some answers out the strange human boy currently acting as her doctor.

She knew who he was by name and she had a very good inkling as to what he did with himself but the way he acted, the things he spoke about… Blackfire prided herself as the analytical one of her siblings, but even she could not get a proper read on the odd character that is Farbe-Tier. As much as she hated to admit it, she really would have to hold to her end of the bargain after all.

"What exactly is this stuff?" asked Blackfire, shivering as more salve was rubbed against the cut. It was quite cold to the touch.

"Something to help you heal and to stave off any kind of infections you might catch down here." Farbe-Tier applied the last of the salve and sat back with a smile. "There, now I'm going to get some fresh bandages for that arm, try to not touch it until then. If it feels like its getting warmer, then the salve is working." Farbe-Tier left the room and Blackfire counted the minutes that passed by until he returned, there really wasn't anything else to do in his 'borrowed' room. Aside from the bed and a cabinet filled with tasteless clothes there wasn't much to do for one's entertainment.

At least she finally had actual clothes now, if a bit too simple for her tastes. An assortment of plain summer dresses and similar wear did not a good wardrobe make but really what did she expect from a guy to have good taste in clothes? Though the form-fitting dress did feel like nice and soft on her skin, quite a change from cold metal hardware.

Farbe-Tier returned with a roll of bandages in hand. He sat down beside her and started to slowly wrap the bandage around the wound on her arm. Seeking another way to entertain herself, and to get some answers out of her enigmatic rescuer/thief, Blackfire glanced at Farbe-Tier's hair, what little of it could be seen from beneath the biker's style bandanna he opted to wear today.

"What is up with your hair?"

Farbe-Tier paused for a moment but continued wrapping Blackfire's arm. "What about my hair?"

"From Starfire's transmission she saw you with hair that was "colored like our own fair skin, sister!" but yesterday it was a blue and now its violet." Blackfire scrutinized the few locks that weren't buried underneath the bandanna. The hue was almost on par with the color of her eyes.

Farbe-Tier did not bother to correct her by telling her his hair was indigo-colored yesterday rather than blue. She'd either dismiss it as a technicality and brush it off or be even more interested. "I don't use hair dye if that's what you're assuming."

"Hair… dye…? People on this planet actually dye their hair?" Blackfire spoke as though the concept was completely alien to her, not all too surprising.

"Some do, yes. Why?" asked Farbe-Tier.

"Doesn't…" Blackfire trailed off, uncertain. "Doesn't hair color mean anything to your kind?"

"Well… no it doesn't. Hair color is just a trait; it doesn't mean they're any different than someone else. It's what's inside that matters." Farbe-Tier answered. Blackfire stared at him with a strange expression that he couldn't identify and he didn't want to cheat by reading her emotions. "Don't your people look different from each other?"

"… About ninety percent of the population has red hair, the rest have brown. Other than that, appearances are different…" She explained, her voice completely monotone.

"Really? Huh…" Farbe-Tier tied the bandage tight and sat back in his chair. He blinked with sudden realization. "What about you? How many are born with black hair?"

"…" Blackfire didn't answer but she didn't have to. Farbe-Tier already knew, or at least had a pretty good idea.

"… Well, back to your question my hair is connected to my powers. It changes every time the sun sets to the next color on the visual spectrum." He flinched with sudden realization. "Which reminds me, I'm afraid that I won't be able to see you at all tomorrow."

"What? Why?" Blackfire cursed her voice and steadfastly refused that it had sounded so, so childishly needy!

Whether he noticed it or not, Farbe-Tier didn't show it. He rose to his feet, innately knowing the day was drawing to a close and the change would soon be upon him. "My powers aren't the only thing affected by the change, my mood can be… touchy… I will not risk injuring you or anyone I care about."

Blackfire's spark came back with those words. "You think you can take me on?"

Farbe-Tier stopped just outside the door, his hand clutching the doorknob tight. "Yes. After all, it was I who hurt you before…"

The door shut quietly behind him.

"Farbe you know you shouldn't—"

"I can't risk staying down here, you know that. I will not hurt either of you when I'm… like that…"

"But the Titans might catch you this time!"

"They didn't catch me the last few times I was up there in that state… though if I run into that idiot doctor again so help me…"

"Farbe, I'm serious!"

"As am I. That idiot nearly made me go blind; the least I could do was… enforce… the idea of a repeated attempt out of his head. Look, if it'll make you feel better, I'll just stick around my usual haunts okay?"

"What, but Farbe—"

"Please, Greta?"

"Oh no, I'm not going to fold under that look again, mister! No! No I will not!"

"No I won't I said, you can't make me, I said. Why do I even bother…?" A smoky ethereal voice made Blackfire look up and bite back a startled scream as a girl a few years her junior floated through the wall, her smoky form wavering from the contact and solidifying as she drew near.

"What the—Who are you?" Blackfire demanded, trying to keep her fear out of her voice. Tamaranians are not by any means a superstitious race but even knew well of spirits and Blackfire felt the temperature drop rapidly the moment the girl entered her room.

"I'm a Secret, which is kinda my official 'work-name' too." The smoke girl smiled cheerfully, despite her earlier grumblings she wasn't too miffed about looking after Blackfire while Farbe-Tier was… out… After all, it was an opportunity to make a new friend! "So how are you feeling?"

"I'm… alright all considering I guess…" Blackfire shifted uncomfortably. This was not the behavior she expected from a denizen of the netherworld.

"Farbe's bargain applies to me as well; you can ask what you'd like." Secret said, seeing how uneasy Blackfire was around her.

"What… are you exactly? A spirit?"

"Well…" Secret floated over and sat on the end of the bed, "if you're trying to ask if I'm dead… well, I don't know really… I mean, I don't need to but I can eat food like ice cream."

Blackfire blinked at that. "Ice cream?" She repeated, tasting the words. "What is… ice cream?"

Secret's eyes widened to comical proportions. "What's ice cream? Only the best thing in the whole world!" The wraith-like girl grabbed Blackfire by the wrist and with a surprising show of strength pulled her up into the air. "C'mon, there's a pint of rocky road with Farbe's name on it!"

Sammy wondered just what he was thinking getting out of bed and facing the day. Had he known it would turn out as meticulously horrible as this he would have moved to hide under his bed and pray for mercy of a quick and possibly painless end for his idiot friend. Okay, yeah he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but at least Sammy wasn't fool enough to actually steal from the Teen Titans. Well, it wasn't entirely his idea anyway as the car was not only one-of-a-kind but handmade via the team's mechanical wonder, Cyborg. This in turn translated as a very tripped out ride.

One carefully removed car alarm and one not-so carefully removed wheel-lock later and the pair of auto-thieves were out on the open road for what had to be the best ride of their young lives. The night might not have taken a turn for the worse if Cash hadn't suggested they go and get a paintjob for their recent acquisition before moving on to Crash Alley for another chance at the prize money. If they hadn't been in such a hurry to get there, they might not have had to drive at dangerous speeds and thus nearly run down one of Jump City's notorious criminals.

Though neither Cash nor Sammy had seen him for themselves there was no mistaking him. He had traded in his Victorian overcoat for a leather jacket with a furry white collar and his top hat for a biker's bandanna and his hair, what few locks they could see falling past his eyes, was not the (in)famous orange.

Farbe-Tier's hair was red like blood.

Cash had slammed on the brakes and the T-Car proved its greatness by stopping a hair's breath away from Farbe-Tier. The two crooks breathed a relieved sigh before suddenly stiffening as Farbe-Tier openly growled at the two of them as he walked around the car and physical pulled Cash out through the side window and slamming him to the ground. He glared over his shoulder and Sammy froze, his hand on the door handle. Farbe-Tier made a 'come-hither' gesture and Sammy hastened to obey which led to the current situation of him wishing he had not gotten up that morning.

"I like to think myself a very… easygoing individual. It takes only a few small things to make me angry, but when I do get angry, well, it's rather obvious as to why. Sometimes, when I get really angry, I get this urge to start breaking things, particularly the things that made so mad to begin with. Tell me gentlemen, how do you think I feel right now?"

Sammy and Cash exchanged terrified glances before looking back down at Farbe-Tier. "Re-Really A-A-Angry?"

"Oh no, I'm not that angry. You see, while I am no fan of the modern era I cannot help but feel, what is the phrase, I believe it is something to do with wheels and the open road? Regardless, you two should consider yourselves quite fortunate. Had you a vehicle of common make, why I'd have to break your legs for nearly turning me into a pancake." Farbe-Tier's smile did not appease the two in any way. "As a thank-you for giving me my new ride, I'll allow you both to walk away…"

"Re-Really?" Cash hesitantly asked. "You're letting us go?"

"Oh most certainly. Auf Wiedersehen." Farbe-Tier released his grip on the lapels of their jackets and watched with a feral smile as the two dropped down to land in a recently filled dumpster of the restaurant he had been standing atop of while dangling the two over the street. Farbe-Tier's satisfied smile grew as one of the restaurant's waiters happened to step out with a fresh jug of fresh grease that he tossed into the dumpster.

"If revenge is sweet and life's a witch, then karma truly is one sweet witch…" Farbe-Tier sing-songed after he landed next to the dumpster. He thumped it a few times, smirking at the pained groans from within. He stepped out from the alleyway to where he had left his new prize. "Now then… I believe you and I have an appointment to keep in this… Crash Alley."

Farbe-Tier stumbled out of the car, a bit uneasy on his feet before he turned to regard it with a brilliant smile. He had been disappointed at first that his last race was to be against a toy car at first but considering the rules of the illegal tournament, which of course was that the vehicle had to possess a minimum of two wheels and absolutely no flight capabilities, it wasn't all that surprising. Based on what he heard from the stadium's gossip network there was some crazy cook who made it a particular point to turn any race he participated in into a monster truck rally whether he was winning or not.

Still, despite the strange, nearly outlandish tricks the toy car had pulled out, the T-Car's own were just as good, no, they were better than anything the toy car could hope to emulate or combat against. The custom-made car had a proton gun and missiles for God's sake! Oh and nitro boosters too but that wasn't anywhere near as cool as a military grade armaments.

Farbe-Tier might consider himself a gentleman most of the time but as he was a guy he fell to the same vice as all men and that was a love of large explosions.

"You and me…" Farbe-Tier lovingly stroked the T-Car's hood, faint tinges of purple appearing at the end of his red forelocks. "We're going to make music together!"

"Not anymore pit-sniffer!" A childish voice cackled before a globe of golden yellow enveloped Farbe-Tier, lifting him up into the air inside the force-bubble.

"Vas!" Farbe-Tier pushed against the bubble's side but it did not yield to his touch. His canines slowly started to extend as his anger grew, his hair now fully red once more. "What sorcery is this?"

"Sorcery-smorcery!" The toy car shifted and turned upon itself to reveal a small, bald-headed child decked in a green jumpsuit and a pair of goggles. The robotic components finished shifting into a small, seemingly plain metallic backpack on the small boy's back. "This is the science of Gizmo!"

"Gizmo… Of the H.I.V.E.?" Farbe-Tier's eyes narrowed. He knew well of the H.I.V.E., but then, who didn't? The only group to come close to defeating the Teen Titans, the only villains who had beaten them on their home turf and turned their precious tower into their own fortress for all of three days before the Titans took it back with a vengeance.

"That's me! Thanks for the wheels by the way. I've been needin' a faster getaway car!" Gizmo jumped up into the driver's seat, cables stretching out from his backpack and connecting to the computerized dashboard of the T-Car.

Farbe-Tier's eyes widened and his voice sounded almost guttural as he growled at the techno-genius. "Oh no! You are not taking the car! I stole it fair and square!"

"Talk ta somebody who cares! So long, snot-muncher!" Gizmo's backpack presented him with a videogame-like controller and with a press of a button; the T-Car was off and away with Gizmo behind the wheel. Farbe-Tier stared after him, his hair flickering with red-tinted energy before he took a deep breath and let it out slowly, the energy fading away as he did so.

"Okay. I just got robbed by a three-foot nothing child… it's not the most embarrassing thing to have happened to me but still… at least it can't get any worse." Farbe-Tier realized with cold certainty that he just jinxed himself just in time as a pair of robotic hands reached through the force-field and pulled the redheaded thief out by the lapels of his jacket to be held up by a very mad Cyborg.

"I want my car." Cyborg's voice was cold as ice and promised much pain if Farbe-Tier didn't respond quickly and favorably. It didn't help that Cyborg hadn't been able to buff out the brand the thief had put on his arm and had to resort to one his spares as he refused to be reminded of the act on a daily basis.

More than aware of the Titan's rage, Farbe-Tier decided that honesty was the better policy. "Well, were I currently in possession of it, I might consider a fair trade for it but seeing as I just lost it in the final race…"

"You lost my car?" One long pause. "My car lost a RACE?"

Farbe-Tier snorted at that, it was nice to know the older teen had a good sense of priorities. "As if. She left all of them in the dust."

"Really? How'd she take the curves? 'Cause, you know, I've been working on the suspension for a-d-d-d-d!" Cyborg shook his head, resuming his heated glare. "Don't you try and distract me. Who has her now?"

"A lawn gnome I'm sure you're quite familiar with. Goes by the name Gizmo?" Farbe-Tier noted the ugly look Cyborg gave him at the name. "I'm going to regret this but… if you allow me to; I shall assist you in getting your car back."

"You help me? You're the one who stole her in the first place!" exclaimed Cyborg.

"Correction. I stole her from the pair of idiots who stole her from you. Really you should be thankful because if I hadn't taken her from them, your 'baby' would be covered in a fresh coat of paint."

"They were going to paint my baby?" Cyborg shook his head, getting back to the point. "Why would you help me in getting her back? Better yet, how do I know you won't just steal her back?"

"Look, as great as she is, I don't have the kind of time to give to your car nor the devices for proper care. I would have given her back… eventually." Farbe-Tier's eyes narrowed and his hair started sparking slightly. "Besides, as far as I'm concerned your car is of no consequence. I want to teach that runt of a villain what a bad idea it is to steal from me on one of my… bad days."

Cyborg stared at Farbe-Tier for a long moment before unceremoniously shoving him back into the force-bubble.

"Hey!" Farbe-Tier's hair was crackling now, not that Cyborg could see it as he started walking away from the enraged shifter. "You can't just leave me in here!"

"You're right. I'll make sure the cops come pick you up. That field should hold you until they get here."

Farbe-Tier grumbled as he watched Cyborg leave the stadium, and once the titanium Titan was out of sight… "That's what you think Tin-man…" His forelocks bristled as red lightning danced between sharpened canines. It wasn't a quick shift and the transformation was almost impeded by the force-bubble but the shield was designed to be temporary and to contain ordinary humans.

Farbe-Tier was far from ordinary.

Standing well over eight feet tall just at the head, the monster that Farbe-Tier had become… well, at first glance one could assume him as the mighty Minotaur of Greek legend but that was far from the truth.

His legs were bovine in nature and he possessed not one but two pairs of horns atop his head, a large ram-like pair that curved over his hunched back while the smaller pair jutted forward like tusks beneath jaws more befitting a rabid short-snouted dog than an angry bull. His red skin was hard and bulbous like molten rock and his hands each had three wicked claws sharp enough to cut through the hardest metals. Black sclera with white irises slowly blinked open before fang-lined jaws let out a slow breath of smoke, a soft rumbling sigh a terrible rage.

He was no mere beast of Greek legend; he was something out of the sands of Arabia, when a thousand and one nights was still in its singular range. To put it simply, Farbe-Tier had become an efreet.

"My passions flare, I weep in sadness, wallow in despair, my passions change, anger reigns… now all lie in fear!"

"Fourteen milkshakes. Not a good sign." Raven muttered to herself before taking a seat next to a despondent Cyborg.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, eyes still on the ground as though wishing it would swallow him whole if only to end the terrible day he was having.

"Looking for your car. Soon as we turned Overload in to the police, we all split up to search the city." That did little to cheer Cyborg up any.

"Might as well stop looking. T-Car's probably halfway to Metropolis by now." Cyborg sighed. "From the day I designed her, I knew she was gonna be special. And I worked so hard, every fuel injector, every spark plug, I made her perfect. I put my heart, soul, and circuits into that car. And now she's gone forever." Another heavy sigh. "Maybe you were right. Maybe it was just a car."

"Maybe. Maybe not. When I use my powers, I have to put a little of my soul into whatever I'm moving. I become a part of it, and it becomes a part of me. That's kinda what happened here. It wasn't just a car. It was… your baby." Raven said, her voice still heavy with its usual monotone but her eyes shining with a touch of heart and darn it if Cyborg couldn't help the small smile from appearing on his somber face.

"Yeah… Thanks, Rae."

Raven's lips twitched into a small smile before her eyes caught a familiar vehicle with an equally familiar person behind the wheel. "And someone's eating onion rings in your baby."

Cyborg turned to look for himself and his eyes nearly bugged out of his skull as he caught sight of his beloved T-Car, tires spinning for a peel out with Gizmo still at the wheel. The pint-sized villain laughed as he put the pedal to the metal, the T-Car shooting off down the street leaving a disgruntled, and unpaid, waitress behind.

"HE'LL GET KETCHUP ON THE SEATS!" roared Cyborg.

At that exact moment, there came a roar of a car engine before a black convertible screeched to a halt in front of the two Titans with a hulking monstrosity behind the wheel.

"Need a lift?" Inverted eyes happened upon the stunned Raven. "Hey, Little Blackbird. Thanks for the cloak."

"Farbe-Tier?" gasped Cyborg. "How did—when did—"

"Where and why can all be answered later. I attempted a bargain with you once before and you snuffed me. Now, here's a new deal, MY deal. I give that gnome a righteous spanking and you get the chance to get your baby back. Do we have a bargain?" Farbe-Tier asked. "A quick answer would be preferred here, ja?"

Cyborg shook his head but, against his better judgment, got in next to Farbe-Tier as Raven phased into the backseat, a deep frown and distrusting glare set on her face. "Just what kind of villain are you?"

"I imagine a lot of people will be asking that for a long time to come. For now, just know that I'm one seriously ticked off efreet. Now shut up and hold on to something." Farbe-Tier's horns crackled wit red energy before the light flowed down into his massive claws and into the car. The car shook something fierce before with a sudden startling roar, it took off after the T-Car with literal flames gushing out from its exhaust pipe.

Even if it was a petty crime, Gizmo still had a good snicker over ripping off the 50's styled drive-through. The fact that he was eating in that crud-muncher Cyborg's precious car was just icing on the cake. He took a long sip of his soda and happened a glance up at the rearview mirror. He choked and sacrificed his drink to the gods of the spit-take, his beady eyes wide as he stared at the vehicle rapidly gaining on him. He instantly recognized Cyborg in the passenger seat but the monster behind the wheel was like something out of Jinx's tomes on the circles of Hell itself!

"CRUD!" Gizmo hastily took back control and punched the car to its top speed. He might be a scientific genius but even Gizmo knew well of the arcane and was well assured that there was no spitting way he was gonna go toe-to-toe with a freaking demon!

Behind the wheel of his, ahem, borrowed vehicle, Farbe-Tier felt the urge to sneeze. "Does he really think he can get away from me?" Farbe-Tier snarled, gripped the wheel tighter.

"Dawg, I'm the better drive I should drive!" Cyborg grumbled to himself before biting back a yelp as Farbe-Tier fixed him a steely glare, the car suddenly jumping in acceleration slightly, flames flickering on the hood of the car before black enveloped it once more.

"Did you just call me a dog?" Black energy enveloped Farbe-Tier's horns and forced him to look forward once more.

"Eyes on the road, please." Raven deadpanned.

Grumbling but complying, Farbe-Tier focused on the road once more and bit back a foul oath as a series of small pipes appeared at the back bumper of the T-Car, unleashing a stream of oil onto the road.

"Tch!" Farbe-Tier turned the wheel sharply to the right, leaning to the side as he did so. Thanks to the added weight, the car teetered onto the right side wheels, just skating past the oil slick before slamming back down onto all fours. The pair of Titans let out a breath they didn't know they were holding before gasping again as the T-Car's proton cannon appeared on the car's roof, swirling and locking onto them as light began to shine in the barrel.

"Booyah! Check out my baby's proton cannon!" That earned Cyborg a glare from Farbe-Tier and Raven both though the former accompanied it with an angry growl. "Uh, I mean… oh no…"

The proton cannon unleashed a small volley upon them, forcing Farbe-Tier to swerve the car like a demented serpent to avoid being hit. One shot gets too close for comfort by striking the road in front of the convertible but it drives on through regardless. Farbe-Tier glanced to the right and jerked the wheel, driving the car up along the rock face beside the road before forcing the car to go higher and higher before settling onto a stretch of old road just above the T-Car.

"Come on, man! Faster, faster!"

"Fine!" Farbe-Tier slammed the claws of his right hand through the dashboard, still keeping a grip of the steering with his left, before glancing back at Raven. "Make me angry!"

"What?"

"I said make me angry you half-blooded witch!" Raven's eyes widened in shock before narrowing into dangerous slits, a faint flicker of red shining in their depths as a black ball exploded at the end of Farbe-Tier's nose. With a roar of pain outmatched by the sudden roar of the convertible's engine, crimson energy danced around Farbe-Tier's horns before shooting down through the car.

Its black paint job fell under a sea of red and the front grill shifted and turned into beastial fangs as spikes grew from the tires. Despite his bruised nose, Farbe-Tier allowed a small smile. The transformation wouldn't last long but it would last long enough to end this race! The radio clicked suddenly to life, the beginning guitar instrumental of AC/DC's "Highway to Hell" playing loud and clear.

The car roared once more and it shot forward at startling speeds before it started to speed over a bump in the road that sent it flying over the road to land next to the T-Car and a startled/screaming Gizmo. Farbe-Tier grinned and allowed the car to do what it willed and it willed to knock fenders with the T-Car as the efreet reached over and grabbed the passenger door, gripping it tightly in his powerful claws.

"You're little joyride is over, Lawn Gnome! Pull over!"

"Make me, Goat-man!" exclaimed Gizmo, sounding braver than he actually felt.

The convertible's engine roared, gushing out another small jet of flames as red energy crackled along Farbe-Tier's horns. "I said, PULL OVER!"

Cyborg was cheering Farbe-Tier on and, not really trusting a suddenly demonic car to keep track of the road, Raven kept her eyes forward as a literal backseat driver. This proved to be the smart thing as a pair of headlights appeared on the oncoming turn and approaching too fast for any of the cars to stop.

"Azarath. Metrion. Zinthos!" There was a sound like shattering glass and the convertible was back to normal and enveloped in black light before it was hauled upwards into the air.

"CRUD!" Gizmo punched the ejector seat and launched past the flying convertible as the passengers stared down at the JCPD prison transport truck slammed into the T-Car, thankfully empty of the actual officers who jumped ship, or car as the case is, shortly before the convertible took to the air.

Raven carefully set the car down not to far away and Cyborg was up and moving toward the decimated T-Car. "Please be okay, please be okay, please be okay…"

"Heh!" Farbe-Tier glanced up to see Gizmo floating down towards them. "Looks like your stupid car is—" Black telekinesis hit the parachute, wrapping it tighter than a Christmas package, silencing the mouthy little villain.

"… I suppose that works." Farbe-Tier sighed. Raven blinked and bit back a gasp as Farbe-Tier's efreet body had vanished and he appeared as nothing more than an ordinary human with blazing red hair. A sudden crack of lightning turned their attention to the downed prison van as sparks danced along its surface before another bolt shot itself into the decimated T-Car.

"Car is better than okay…" A mechanized voice spoke from within as a floppy-disk shaped head appeared behind the wheel, attached to a body made entirely of electricity. It was the computerized golem, Overload. "Car is mine!"

Cyborg recoiled back in shock with a small gasp as Overload laughs and pulls out the circuit board that was the literal heart of the T-Car before he fed himself into the slot. With a shudder, all the damage to done to the T-Car was repair, restoring it to pristine condition shortly before the blue circuitry within shifted to red and glass a tinted black. The headlights narrowed into fierce slits, blazing to life as the engine revved up.

"Only way to stop Overload is to destroy your precious car!" taunted Overload, speaking through the sound systems of the T-Car. He surged forward with a squeal of burning rubber as Cyborg stood before it, not moving except to raise up his sonic cannon and aiming it straight ahead.

"It's not my car anymore…" Cyborg softly spoke. He unleashed a sonic blast upon the possessed vehicle, which took the full brunt of it and was literally blown to pieces of shrapnel. The only pieces still recognizable are a burning pair of fuzzy dace and Overload circuit board body lying on the ground, his body gone.

"Overload… overloaded…" He groaned before shutting down.

"She's gone… Gone forever." Cyborg whispered to himself.

"Maybe. Maybe not." Raven stepped up next to Cyborg. "These," She waved at the scattered shrapnel, "are just parts. The thing you loved about that car-the thing that made her special," She turned her attention back to Cyborg. "That came from inside you."

"Well, that and this it looks like. Shiny isn't it?" The Titans looked over toward a smirking Farbe-Tier who held up a familiar blue circuit board. Cyborg gasped and started to race over but Farbe-Tier held up a hand, the other dangling the circuit board over the ravine. "Hold on there, Tin Man. I am many things but stupid I am not. I know that those," He inclined his head at the wreckage, "are replaceable but this little thing… well, not so easy to duplicate is she?" Farbe-Tier sighed theatrically as Cyborg openly scowled at him.

"Still, I got my prize money and my quota of high-speed action for the month… so I guess I can be a little selfless today. Catch!" With a flick of his wrist, Farbe-Tier sent the circuit board flying.

"Ack!" Cyborg scrambled backwards juggling with the thing for a moment before Raven calmly caught it out of midair with her telekinesis and handed it over to him. As Cyborg cooed lovingly over the small device, Raven glanced back to Farbe-Tier, not at all surprised to see the thief was already long gone, his laughter echoing behind him. The dark sorceress glanced back at the convertible and her eyes widened in surprise for their atop the hood appearing as no more than an ordinary burnt mark was another symbol, different from the one still found on Cyborg's old arm.

This one was another circle that had a pair of lines growing from its rounded sides, the bottom, smaller pair jutting downwards like tusks while the larger pair jutted upwards like horns. This too wasn't a mark that Raven recognized but that feeling of déjà vu was far stronger in seeing this one and somewhere deep in her mixed blood, a dark spark of her heritage lit up in recognition of the sign and deep below the Earth an imprisoned demon slowly began to stir…

Farbe-Tier grumbled to himself as he shook the last bit of gravel out of his shoe. "Note to self, rolling down a small mountain is generally not a good idea, despite superior strength and ability of an efreet…" He dusted off his coat and continued walking through the catacombs of Jump City, still trailing bits of dust and grit despite the continual pat downs. He scratched at his red hair, brushing it clear of dust but though he could not see it, there at that very base of his hairline at the back of his head, a strand of hair falling down unseen in the dark.

"Well that was an interesting way to spend the night…" He took off his bandanna and shook it clear of some dust, grumbling as he did so. "I think a long shower is in order and then… yawn… bed… I can check on Blackfire in the evening…"

He walked past the kitchen area and continued on towards his room before stopping. He slowly backed up and glanced into the kitchen and repressed the urge to growl. Secret was sitting at the counter, asleep but her mouth still gooey with melted ice cream with a large pint of the stuff sitting empty beside her. He knew she had a sweet-tooth but could she at least try to stay out of his stash of ice cream? It wasn't easy getting that stuff down here before it melted you know!

He looked around the kitchen and felt his anger spark just a tad higher before confusion started to reign. Several more pints of ice cream of various flavors were littered about all over the place and while Secret could pack a lot of the stuff away and never gain an ounce, there was no way she could have eaten the entire stock of it on her own. This of course led to only one possible suspect.

"Hic! We-Well, look who's come back!" Orange-tinted arms wrapped themselves loosely about Farbe-Tier's shoulders. "Hiccup!"

"Blackfire?" Farbe-Tier looked back over his shoulder and saw that Blackfire lips were only a bit stained with leftover ice-cream and set in a very drunken smile.

"Gloriously rapturous! Hic! I can—I can taste it on the end of my tongue! Ice cream! Hic! It is a wonder how—how your people can have such wars whilst ignoring the—Hic!—applications of sweet and cold dairy creams!" Blackfire swooned a bit, struggling to stand and Farbe-Tier hastily wrapped his arms around her waist. "Oh wow…! The force of gravity is certainly fluctuating isn't it?"

Farbe-Tier was struggling to maintain balance with the teetering alien girl. For the first time in a long time, he was thankful of the monstrous strength he currently possessed that put him on equal footing with the Tamaranian princess.

"Blackfire I uh…" It was really hard to concentrate with her making soft cooing noises into his ear. "I'm a little bit concerned here. Are you—"

"Concerned!" Blackfire giggled as though it was the funniest thing she had ever heard and hugged Farbe-Tier tightly. "You're the only one who caaaaares about meeeeee!"

"Hey now, you know that's not true." Farbe-Tier carefully started to guide her back to her room. "C'mon let's get you to bed alright?"

Blackfire's eyes fluttered and she giggled. "Okay!"

Farbe-Tier quirked a red-tinted eyebrow but didn't bother to comment, focusing more on keeping a firm grip around her waist. The trip took longer than normal but wasn't that surprising considering he had his arms full with a drunk-out-of-her-mind alien. Pushing the door open, Farbe-Tier sighed in relief at the sight of the undisturbed room. "Okay, Blackfire let's—Yikes!"

Sudden like a viper, Blackfire had grabbed a firm hold of Farbe-Tier's shirt and pulled him with her as she flung herself to land atop the bed. "Too many clothes…" Smiling with a perverted light in her dark violet eyes, Blackfire started to push Farbe-Tier's jacket off and, realizing her intent, Farbe-Tier grabbed her by the wrists.

"Blackfire, listen to me, you're not thinking straight right now." The boy's hair sparked yellow at the tips, a splash of violet fighting in a sea of red. "You don't want this, not really."

"Silly boy…" Blackfire giggled, leaning back and putting emphasis on her chest which Farbe-Tier steadfastly ignored, keeping his eyes on her own. "I do want this… I want you…" She suddenly leaned forward, pressing her forehead against Farbe-Tier's, surprising the young man with the tears in her eyes. "Don't you want me?"

Violet and red clashed and Farbe-Tier grit his teeth in pain of it but he spoke the truth. "I want you to be happy Blackfire and I know you can't be happy with me… no matter how much I wish otherwise."

She surprised him with a soft smile, pushing her forehead against his once more, a darker blush spreading across her nose. "You are too selfless you know that?" She jerked her arms back, causing Farbe-Tier to lose his grip and fall down on top of her. Her arms wrapped tightly around him, pinning his own in place as she pressed her face against the crook of his neck. "Too… selfless… Zzzz…" She fell asleep.

"A startling trend that is…" Farbe-Tier sighed wondering whether it was worth the effort of trying to escape without waking her up. A pair of soft lips pressed against his neck, a soft cooing breath tickled down his spine. He sighed and resigned himself to the fact that, yes, he would indeed be killed with extreme violence once Blackfire woke up. "Guten nacht, Blackfire." He leaned forward just a bit and pressed his lips against Blackfire's cheek in a quick kiss before settling back to sleep, never seeing the smile grow on Blackfire's face.

To Be Continued...

On the next wavelength…

Rampant Fear