Razer closed in on the location Hal had given him. He still didn't know why Aya had left so suddenly. Hal had tried to explain but Razer didn't have the patience to listen. He didn't care for the reason. He only knew he needed to see her again.
He flew rapidly through the planet's milky-white cloud cover. When he finally made it through, he could see that the planet's surface was teeming with crystal spires of different hues, blues greens, yellows and purples. Light reflected off the spires, casting brilliantly colored auroras onto the undersides of the clouds.
Razer did not allow himself to be distracted. He continued to soar toward the coordinates until he saw a quartz-white plateau, a meadow in the forest of crystal spires. Even in the distance, he could make out the white-green figure standing in the middle of the plateau. Razer surged forward to meet her, his heart pounding so hard it felt as if it might tear out of his chest.
His feet impacted the plateau hard as he set down at full speed, tearing into the surface and leaving a long trail as he ground down to a halt.
"Hello, my love."
Razer breathed a sigh of relief when he looked up and could clearly see her face. "Aya . . ." he breathed in deeply, "Why did you leave me like that?"
"I am sorry," she said, "It was not my intention to cause you pain. I left in order to cultivate an understanding of physical affection. I believe I succeeded."
She reached down to help Razer to his feet. He accepted her hand then his eyes widened. "It's warm" he said.
Aya nodded, "I have made several modifications in order to better perform and accommodate actions of physical affection."
Razer turned over Aya's hand in his own, tracing a finger along it, mystified by its warmth.
"For instance, I replaced much of the surface of my outer casing with a unified, sensory, thermo-conductive gel layer in order to create erogenous zones."
Razer nodded dumbly and looked Aya up and down, which was when he noticed something else. "Aya, you . . . seem to be showing more green than before."
"Yes, that was another modification I made," she said, "It is my understanding that displaying skin is one means of stimulating arousal in a desired mate. However, because I do not—"
Razer came to his feet. He stared into Aya's blue eyes and touched a hand to her face. Warm, just like her hand. "You did not have to do this," he said, "Change yourself for me."
Aya tilted her head to the side, "My core program is unchanged. I only altered my physical attributes."
Aya suddenly remembered Razer's rejection of herself after she had returned to the Interceptor with a body of composed mostly of salvaged Manhunter components. She suppressed the fear and doubt that came with the memory.
"Do my alterations unsettle you?" she asked.
"I am getting used to them," said Razer, still mystified.
"I am pleased. I made the alterations for both of us," said Aya, relieved, then looked over across the horizon, "I endeavored to select an appropriate location for us to spend time in each other's company. Did I succeed, my love?"
"You did, my love," said Razer. He finally allowed himself to look outward and appreciate the surroundings Aya had chosen. Razer relaxed his hold on his power ring, allowing the Blue Lantern's garb to fade away.
Razer pulled Aya against himself and she arched upward on her feet to kiss him. He kissed her back and the two entwined their arms around each other under the coruscating, aurora-stained skies.