The three of us walked down the hall in silence. It was an awkward silence, not the kind I preferred. See-More walked ahead of us, his eye scanning every room we passed. I knew without asking that every room he looked into was empty. This whole palace was empty...except for the dungeon.

"Pardon me for asking..." the Titan said as we walked. I glanced sideways at her only to see that she was already looking directly at me. She smiled when our eyes met and I quickly looked away. "You are Kyd Wykkyd, yes?"

I nodded.

"And you can...how do you say...teleport?"

I nodded again, still not looking at her.

"Is that why my sister...why Blackfire freed you? For your powers?"

Even if I could speak, I could not give the Titan the answer she wanted. It was a question even I was still looking for the answer to. So I simply shrugged, keeping my eyes focused on the end of this hallway, the last hallway that See-More and I were to search before all that was left was the basement.

"Blackfire hired us sayin' that she needed to be busted out of some prison," See-More spoke up as we continued to walk. "Well, not me, exactly. I kinda joined up on my own."

"The last I saw my sister, she was the ruler of my people. My friends and I defeated her and I had her banished from Tamaran. I do not understand how she has returned...or why my own people have turned against me."

"Hey, I'm sure it's not all that bad."

"Do you not see me?!" Starfire suddenly cried, forcing See-More and I to stop. "I was attacked before I could even reach my planet! I had to fight...to hurt my own people to reach my own home safely!"

See-More and I could only look back at her. There was nothing we could say. The Titan glared back at us, tears welling up in her one visible eye again, the other covered away by a ripped sheet of fabric.

"Why did you work for my sister? Why did you allow all this to happen?!" the Titan suddenly shot, stepping up to us.

"Er..." See-More muttered, looking back at me for guidance. I looked to him and, thinking quickly. pointed to my neck...really hoping he could see what had changed about it. 

"Wha...Oh, yeah! Well, you see, my good pal, Kyd Wykkyd, had this collar thing on his neck that Blackfire put on him. I remember Fixit sayin' she could use it to track him and even kill him if she wanted to! She said she'd only remove it if we help her and when I found out about everything I had to help Kyd out. He's my...you know...friend?"

"Friend? Villains do not have friends," the Titan asserted, still glaring at us. A single tear broke free from her eye. "They only hurt and take away other's friends!"

"Well, that's kinda harsh, don't you think? I mean, yeah, me and Kyd are criminals, but we're still people, right? And it's not like we broke into your Tower with the intention of stealing Titans! That's just how it, uh, worked out?"

I let out an inaudible sigh before moving over to stand closer to See-More. Out of all the people who were left from our little group, it had to be two who could not negotiate. 

Starfire's glare deepened, her fists rose at her sides, glowing green. I gripped my cape and held it like a wall between See-More  and the Titan. See-More quickly threw up his hands defensively.

"Whoa, whoa! What're you doin'?! I thought we were gonna work togeth-!"

"It was a mistake!" Starfire cried. "Why are we even walking through this hallway?! You said my people were in the dungeon, so why are we not there?!"

"I said there was something down there. I don't know what it is!"

"You are wasting my time on purpose!"

Another step in our direction. We both took another step back.

"This was the last hallway left. We were gonna check it then check out the dungeon place together, yeah? We can't be all hasty in case it's another trap...and from what you've said you've been through trying to get here, it probably is one..."

"How can I tell what a trap is?! Being with you could be a trap!"

Another step taken forward and back.

"Starfire..." See-More said, his voice sounding softer than before. I glanced over at him to see his large green eye reflecting Starfire's face perfectly. "I know you're upset, okay? You feel hurt and betrayed. You can't trust anyone, not after what your own family has done to you, not after what Robin did."

Starfire's once anger filled face was instantly replaced with surprise and then horror.

"What...how could you..." Anger quickly returned as she placed a hand over her eye. "Stop it! Do not look at me like that! My feelings are my own, they are not for you to see! Do not think you can just look at me and pretend to know how I...how I..."

"I'm not pretending, Star," See-More pressed, his tone cutting through the air like ice. I could not take my eyes off of his eye. Was this even the same guy anymore? "Look, I know we're the bad guys, but you can trust us...We gotta work together if we want to stop your sister and save your friends."

"I..." Starfire mumbled, hand still over her eye, "I...no."

Suddenly, the Titan stood, hand moving away from the eye, which now was glowing bright green. I reacted in an instant, shoving See-More to the side just as the blast of energy connected with my shoulder, sending me sailing down the hallway. I tried to grab my cape as I whizzed through the air, but just as I felt my hand close around the material, I hit the ground, the impact knocking the wind out of me and forcing my cape up above my head.

"Kyd!" See-More called. 

Head spinning, I slowly stood up. I could see the Titan, back facing me as she began running down the hall the way we had come from.

"Kyd, man, are you okay?!" See-More asked, running up to me, though his eye went over to the Titan as well. "Maybe we should go. If you teleport..."

We can't win without her.

I took a few steps towards the Titan.

Without her, Blackfire wins.

"Kyd! Wait, man, what are you doing?!"

Without her , the other students will still be frozen...

I ran after her, ignoring the frantic calls of my teammate.

Without her, I will never be able to escape and punish those who took my only friend from me!

I gripped my cape and pulled it around me as I ran. I ran through the never ending darkness for a fraction of a second before I was again running down the hallway, only now it was towards the Titan who was now running towards me.

"Do not stop me!" She cried, hands glowing green. "I shall not hold back!"

And with that, she threw her bolts of energy at me. I danced around them. All I saw were objects. Slabs of stone, little robot drones.

"Man, you're way too good at this thing. I never had a chance."

I ducked, weaved, and avoided the bolts of energy as if they were the wind blowing fruitlessly around me. I could see the surprise and anger more clearly now that I was closer. I expected to see pain as I shoved my fist into her stomach. Instead, her anger only intensified.

"Your efforts are pointless," the Titan hissed before raising her arm and back handing me across the face. It felt like the force of a hurricane as I was sent immediately into the wall. "Do not stand in my way!"

I was dazed, battered, and bruised. Through my blurred vision, I could see the Titan walking towards me. There was no hero I could see in that face so marred by destruction. I could only see hatred and fury. 

I smiled despite myself. It was like looking into a mirror.

"Leave Kyd alone!" See-More shouted. An instant later, a red hot laser fired into the Titans back. The alien let out a hiss of anger, the glow in her eyes growing impossibly more intense as she turned on my comrade.

"What do ya say, Kyd Wykkyd? Do you want to be my fr-- ah, be a part of my...group?"

He was just a kid. A shirtless, battered eye'd kid. He was the first person who was ever nice to me after I left that academy of assassins. He was the first person who treated me as a...

"Don't worry, man. Even though Fixit is saying a million times in my eye that this is a bad idea, I still got your back!"

And there it was. That smile. That smile that was so much like 72's. It was 72's, just on a different face. On See-More's face. On the face of my...friend.

I turned my now clearing vision on the alien that was slowly approaching See-More. The Titan with her hands and eye glowing a fierce shade of murder. I tasted blood in my mouth. I clenched my one good hand. Its clawed brother was no longer flinching, it clenched and un-clenched itself on its own accord. It knew what I wanted, and it only wished to obey. 

I quickly stood on shaking legs, my body ached horribly, but I would not let myself fall. I stared straight at the Titan as I made my run for her.

I will not let a Titan kill another one of my friends!

I raced at her, my claw at the ready, and screamed. I knew it could not be heard, but I screamed all the same. I imagined it would have been a glorious scream, one that would have shaken all the empty walls of this palace, one that would have shaken the Tamaranian to the core.

When I was close enough, I did not have to tell my claw what to do before it struck. With one unconscious sweep of my arm, it raked across the back of the Titan, tearing through clothing and skin like a hot knife through butter. The Titan's screams quickly filled the hall instead of my own. Blood poured like a fountain from her wounds as she collapsed to her hands and knees at my feet. 

I looked down at her and back to my claw. It was coated in the blood and it trembled. I could feel its ecstasy, its hunger. It wanted more...and I would give it all it required!

The claw rose on its own, there was no need for me to persuade it. I stared into the bleeding wounds in the Titan's back. Just one good thrust. That's all it would take. JUST ONE GOOD THRUST AND THAT'S ALL IT WOULD TAKE!

"Kyd, no! Don't do it!" See-More cried out.

 I looked up to see him running at me just as my hand descended. There was not time for him to stop me, no time for--

"Assuming control," a disembodied, yet familiar voice  declared. An instant later, See-More's green eye switched suddenly from green to red and before I had time to react a red ball was all I could see before I was over taken.

"Are you truly this much of a fool? To let this go on for so long?" the same voice continued.

"Fixit? Is that you!?"

"Yes, See-More. I did not wish for you to learn this way, but now is not the time. I must deal with the matter at hand."

"But...how come I don't see you anywhere?"

"Like I said, there is no time for me to explain. Let's just say I am your eye. Now, about Kyd Wykkyd--"

"Right! Shit! Oh, man, Kyd!"

See-More placed his face and hands against my red prison bubble. I looked at him, but while I did not wish to move, the red-soaked claw lurched forwards, digging itself into the space of the bubble where See-More had just been a second ago.

"Hey, man, relax! It's me! It's See-More!"

I tried to tell him through my eyes that I knew. I wasn't controlling the claw. I couldn't...

"Has the corruption finally seeped into your brain, Kyd Wykkyd?" Fixit's voice questioned, red light that replaced the green of See-More's eye flickering as he talked. "Just what where you trying to accomplish by killing her?"

I didn't...I wasn't...I just wanted to protect...

"Yeah, man, what gives?! H.I.V.E doesn't just kill people...We don't kill people, man. What's happened to you?"

The claw still tried to tear itself free from the prison. But as I held See-More's gaze, I placed my only remaining hand against the ball.

This isn't me, See-More. That claw isn't me. You have to believe me, See-More. I just wanted to protect you...I just wanted to protect my friend.

I stared into his eye, knowing that both See-More and Fixit were staring back. Out of everyone in the world, they were the only ones I had left. They needed me...I needed them. There was no way we could save our fellow teammates and get out of here if we weren't together. We had to stay together.

"I am afraid this is where we part ways, Kyd Wykkyd," Fixit's voice said. The usual cold tone now felt like a spear cutting into my chest. "You have become too dangerous and are too much of a risk for the success of this mission."

There is no success if there is just you! I shouted in my head, hoping that he was paying attention. You can't just sacrifice people and expect anything good to come from it! You can't do this alone, Fixit!

"Come, See-More. We need to get moving if we hope to escape this planet."

See-More and I held gazes.

See-More...please. If you can hear me...

"What about the Titan?" See-More asked, looking away from me and down to the Tamaranian who now lay motionless on the ground, a pool of blood surrounding her.

"She has lost too much blood. Even if she were to live, she is too weak to be of any use. It is time to go now, See-More."

See-More...

"See ya, Kyd," See-More said not bothering to look at me again as he began to walk down the hall way.

Please don't leave me! I screamed in my head as I slammed both claw and fist against the ball. Please! Come back! You can't do this alone! You need me! You need-!

But See-More was gone. Without a second glance, he walked down the hallway and out the door. I was alone. Alone with the Titan that I had killed.

...I need you.