A/N - Ok, so this story is going to be a big project for me. If you wish to join me on this epic quest, please express that feeling to me (review). Any accomplished writers are encouraged to leave constructive criticism or praise.
The majority of this story does in fact take place in Jump City.
Rated M for drug use, language, and sexual themes.
(Sex!)
Overall, it's not one for the kiddies.
DISCLAIMER – I don't own any of the Teen Titans characters.
The night was humid and clear. A gentle, warm breeze swept across a small town somewhere in Middle America. The town mostly consisted of people passing through. Going somewhere, going nowhere, running to something, being chased by someone.
The few who actually lived there didn't have kids; there wasn't a school. However, there was a certain quality to this town that made it exquisitely unique to almost every other town in the area.
This town was a major rest stop for known criminals. Every cop in the police station was crooked; every figure of authority was involved in keeping this 'sanctuary for the socially challenged' hidden from prying eyes. Every now and then, on some idle Thursday, a mob group would pass through, taking residence in a certain inn down the block on main street.
This inn was infamous throughout the US. To the law-abiders and law-enforcers, it was known as "The Inn of Sin".
To everyone else who knew of its existence, it was known simply as Patty O'Reilly's bar and grill.
At roughly 11:00 at night, a boy of about 20 walked in carrying a suitcase, and sat on a stool at the bar. He eyed a scantily dressed blonde at the other end, and ordered himself a drink and told the bartender to send a tequila sunset her way. He had encountered this type of situation before. It was around this time of the month that the mob came to town, and the top men always picked new girls to play with. Most of the girls got sick of the depraved company, and ended up sitting in a lonely area in the bar while getting drunk.
It was at this time a special breed of opportunities presented themselves. Through various assessments, he decided what drink to order, and from that point on acted on instinct. He was watching as the bartender gave her the drink and told her whom it was from. She acknowledged the benefactor with a lazily inviting wave. He stood up, and walked over to her, an air of confidence surrounding him. He sat down next to her and ordered a scotch for himself.
"Hiya, stranger." She greeted him. She took a sip of her sunset and leaned on the counter with her elbow while gazing at him. He looked back at her and didn't say anything until he got his drink.
"What brings you here?" he asked, straightforward in a swaggering, indifferent kind of way. She smiled at him, giving him a brief look-over.
"Boredom." She said, trying to be equally nonchalant. He thought it was cute.
"I see. Looking for something to entertain you?" he asked, setting himself up. She took another swig of her tequila and looked at him.
"Something, maybe." She stated. He jumped on the opportunity.
"…Or someone?" It was a question, but sounded more like a fact. It had more finality than a question. She grinned and put her drink down on the counter.
"…That also is a maybe." She said.
He was pleased with the progression of the conversation.
"I don't see anyone else here but you and me."
He noticed she shivered slightly and looked around. The room was indeed empty except for the bartender, herself, and the person in front of her.
"Well, seeing as the only ones here are you and me, I should get to know you better."
She finished up her sunset.
"Who are you, exactly?"
---------------------------- FLASHBACK, YES!----------------------------
RURAL VERMONT, 19 years ago
In a hospital located in northern Vermont, Two hours and 37 minutes past midnight, life was given to a healthy baby boy. The mother's name was Abigail, and the father's name was Richard.
The first few years of the child's life were normal for one born in his environment. His mother and father had a healthy relationship, and he got along fairly well with his older sister, Anna. He was never abused in any way by any member of his family, with the exception of his sister making fun of him occasionally and his father yelling at him for doing something wrong, like stealing a piece of candy from the gas station, or pinching another student at preschool.
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I like school. It's really fun. I get to be with other kids and learn really cool things. My favorite time of the day besides lunch and nap time is free time. I get to go to the library and read any book I wanna. All of the other kids want to play tag, or play in the sand box, but I just get smarter. Mommy says if I get smarter my life will be real easy, and I don't have to do boring stuff like write cursive lines over and over. I don't get why we do that, I never see any grown-ups write cursive. My dad writes in squiggles, but mommy says she can't even read his squiggles, so that can't be cursive. Mommy's smart and she can read cursive.
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At the age of 7, his parents tested the level of his intellect at his school. They were surprised and proud to find that their son was a genius, with an IQ of 151. For a long time, his grades remained at an A+ level.
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I did the test mom said I should do, and she told me I did real well. She said I'm smarter than most kids in America, and I told her I already knew that. Most kids complain when the teacher gives us work to do, and they always say it's hard or bad. I don't like doing it, but its never hard. The teacher always tells me I do a good job. I asked her if I do a good job all the time, why does she keep giving me easy work, and she told me I had to, because everyone else has to do it. I told her that doesn't make sense at all.
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At the age of 13 and eight months, he was no longer a virgin.
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… I love females. They rock. I don't really think she started that conversation without planning to be talked into having sex with me. She must've known, that was easy… I hope she's OK now, with the bleeding and all… I've seen it on the internet, but that really must've hurt.
Maybe she'll fuck me again tomorrow…
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During high school, his grades began to drop, sometimes down to a failing or nearly failing level.
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I hate school. I haven't learned a thing since fifth grade. It's always "Do this, then do it again" in school. It's the same out of school. You can't do certain things because some old guys in a collaboratively decided that's what's best for America. Who the fuck gave them the right? Who gave them the power? The people of the United States? I've been traveling. It's the same all over. People are fucking stupid. Some of them can't grasp concepts that an infant could easily pick up in fifteen seconds. I could go on and on, it's completely ridiculous. It's completely absurd. In this kind of country, with these ridiculous rules, who, with a decent intellect, expects me to follow them?
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He didn't finished high school, due mostly to distractions from school and/or lack of interest in the educational system he enrolled in.
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Jesus, nothing's going my way. Stephanie says I'm cheating on her with Belle, and that's retarded, I barely know Belle. It's Jessica I had sex with… besides, I never committed to anyone. Not my fault. She shouldn't care, I was nice to her, I stole her that really expensive necklace from whatever that jewelry store's name is. And I tagged her name on the train that comes in every morning when school starts… I was proud of that one; it looked really good. What more could she want?
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By the time he was 15, he had committed more than five hundred crimes in a range of six states. When he turned 16, he severed ties with his family and lived on the road, forging IDs constantly and pulling major heists in different areas.
He learned the art of fighting from countless teachers. Street fighters, boxers, martial artists, wrestlers, weapon masters, and a retired drill sergeant. His will to learn grew in a manner that was directly proportional to how much he learned. He dealt with business in selling weapons, being a mercenary, a bodyguard, even a handyman, and in one case, a private tutor. To tell the full tale of his schoolings during those years of his life would be another story unto itself. (((hint hint)))
He became a known criminal and was given many names throughout the states. His most recent and infamous alias was associated by the mark he left and the clothes he wore.
---------------------------END FLASHBACK----------------------------
"So… who are you, exactly?"
He met her gaze with a rogue look in his eye.
"Just for tonight… I can be whoever you want me to be." He said, a grin tugging at his lips.
She laughed and bit her bottom lip.
"We'll see about that."
Time lapse of 3 hours, relocation to a second-floor room in the same inn
He got up quietly and went into the bathroom to take a shower. He didn't worry about waking his companion; she was utterly worn out. While he washed his body off from the fluids that had dried from 20 minutes prior, he chuckled to himself and reminisced. After about eight minutes in the shower, he got out and dried himself off. He walked out with his towel on, and changed into the extra clothes he brought with him.
He put on his black boots, top, pants, chrome steel gauntlets, his belt, cape, and finally, as he crouched on the windowsill, poised to leap, he donned his helmet, which featured his trademark - his namesake.
As he looked out into the world, he didn't notice the small mechanic marker someone had attached to his cape.
Somewhere in mid-America,
As the moon was in the middle of the sky,
Red X disappeared silently into the night.
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A/N – OOOO! You were expecting a sex scene weren't you? Well, my sex scenes will be special in this one. Like art.
OTHERWISE… I cut this one short, but wow. That was fun. Kinda like Butch Cassidy and the sundance kid type of old west dialogue. Kewlzio. READ AND REVIEW!!!
THIS IS MY FIRST FIC EVER!!! Except for that crappy naruto fic which I didn't finish. Pfff.
Yours truly, Code 7.
