It was a very dark night.

It wasn't the kind of night you would normally think of taking a walk on. I mean, it was pitch black. No moon. Only the dim glow of the streetlights illuminated my path.

I shivered. It was cold, too. Very cold. I should have brought my sweatshirt. I was wearing my white trench coat, as usual, but still… the white t-shirt underneath wasn't enough to insulate me from the frigid air.

I was going on a walk. Really. It was purely for some fresh air and some exercise. I wasn't looking for trouble.

Unfortunately, trouble found me.

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Red X was not the type of villain one would think would take a walk. I suppose everyone needs their fresh air, but he was always wearing a mask, for heaven's sake. How can you get any fresh air with a mask on?

I almost literally bumped into him, my head down as I brooded over the latest relationship issue with Raven. Sure, I loved being around her, and as far as I could tell, she liked me, but ever since Tylan had left she seemed… well, subdued.

Who can blame her? As far as I could tell, Tylan was the best guy any girl could hope to have. But for some reason, she had chosen me over him. Who was I to complain?

But I'd been seeing some signs that she really missed him. She still smiled when I walked in, but it seemed strained. She still gave me hugs, but she was tense, or hesitant. And late at night, I had heard her muttering something that sounded very much like his name.

But enough about him. I would have run straight into X had my mind-sense not tipped me off to his presence. I looked up just in time to avoid hitting him. He snapped his head around and would have glared at me, I'm sure, had he not been wearing his customary mask.

"Sorry." I wasn't like Robin. I wasn't about to arrest this guy. He'd helped me on the Zandia operation. Or at least, he'd told me where it was. I nearly wolf-whistled. That operation… quite an experience.

"You should be," he snapped back. "So, what are you doing here?"

"Taking a walk. You?" I folded my arms across my chest.

"The same."

I smiled wryly. "Wouldn't you rather teleport? That seems to be more your style."

"No. Teleporting allows no time for thinking." He folded his arms as well. "What? Not going to call your friends?"

"Nope. I'm not like Bird Boy. I don't arrest people who help me. I'm a bit more loyal than that." I cocked my head. "Why aren't you teleporting away? I mean, I could take you in."

"I figured you wouldn't. After all, I know your secret. And I haven't told it to anyone… yet." He chuckled. "But if you turned me in, that would change pretty quick."

"Fair enough." I turned around, taking in the place. "So what's a big bad, villain like yourself doing out in the open? Not stealing anything?"

He leaned in close. "I'll tell you a little secret. But we gotta go somewhere else. They've got ears everywhere."

"Alright. Where?"

He paused for a moment, considering. "Let's meet…" he scribbled on a piece of paper and handed it to me. It read, "at the warehouse on 75th and Maple."

"Fine. Now?"

"Yeah."

"See ya there."

He winked out of sight, and I turned towards the destination. Who were the people he was talking about? The "they" who had ears everywhere. I shrugged, and looked down at the scrap in my hand. Suddenly realizing why he had written it down, I pulled out my lighter and burned the paper. Then I leaped into the air, GRAVE allowing me to fly, if for only a few seconds at a time.

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I arrived a few minutes later. X was waiting for me, his arms crossed. "What took you so long?" he joked.

I groaned, but I approached him. "So… what was it you wanted to tell me?"

He glanced left and right, as if someone might be watching. "Last night, I found Slade's lair. I figured, since he was still missing, he wouldn't mind if I took some stuff. Found some pretty nasty business there.

"So? Slade's a psychopath. Not as bad as some Zandia villains I know of, but still…"

"Here's the thing. It was all fresh. It's as if Slade was there that day. Everything was pristine. No dust. I know; I check for that kind of thing all the time. Dust leaves prints. It makes it so I can't be invisible. So believe me, I would know about that."

I held up my hands. "All right, I get it. But if not Slade, then who?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. But whoever it is, it isn't the Easter Bunny. Whoever it is, they're not only interested in his stuff, but they're looking for a way to improve on it."

I shook my head. "That doesn't tell me anything. What was it that you saw? What kind of 'nasty business?'"

He leaned in close. "It's called tresterium. I don't know where it came from, but my guess is it was manufactured. I stole some data on it, and from a cursory glance, I can tell you it's not good."

"How so?"

"This stuff is extremely toxic. But not immediately. It poisons the body and mutates it some. Makes the person incredibly strong. And fast. But they age quickly, and eventually, it kills them."

"Oh." I nodded. "That's pretty interesting. Do tell; what danger is this?"

"Henchmen."

"Ah." I pondered that for a second. "That would be a good use for it."

"Yeah. Inject them with the stuff, and they get super strength and speed. And then, after a few battles, they die. You get all the benefits, and they don't get paid. Pretty smart."

"I'll say. But why are you telling me all this?"

He shrugged again. "I don't know. I guess it's because I rob bad guys too. If this gets out, my job gets that much harder. And why hire a burglar when your super-henchmen can just break in and get whatever you want?"

I nodded in understanding. "Job security."

"Precisely."

"You know I can't act on this, right?"

"Why's that?"

"What am I going to tell Bird Boy? I can see it now: 'Hey, I went for a walk last night, ran into Red X, the robber who's like your archrival, and he gave me this tip about some stuff in Slade's lair. Oh, and I didn't arrest him.'" I gave him a skeptical look. "Yeah, that would really go over well."

"Well, what if I tell you where Slade's lair is?"

I considered. "That might work. I could find it 'on my own' and then tell Bird Boy."

"But what about me?"

"I suppose we could sell the stuff on eBay and give you 50 of the profits…

"I don't want that stuff out."

"Yeah, I know. I was kidding."

"Gotcha."

I turned to go. "So, what do you get out of all of this? Personal satisfaction?"

"No. Just some job security. Or whatever you can give me. See if you can scrounge something up for me when it's over." He paused. "I know… I'll take Slade's thermal blaster. That's always been one of my favorite weapons." He chuckled again. "I'll probably be seeing you around, Smith."

"Yeah. Oh, and for the record, if we see each other when I'm actually on duty, I'm gonna have to kick your ass."

"You can try, hero."

An explosion rocked the warehouse, throwing both of us off our feet. As I got to my feet, I could see Slade-like robots streaming in through the holes in the wall, and behind them…"

"Shit…" I muttered. It was Cinderblock. And another chunky guy, with long red hair and a brown trench coat. What the…?

"Who… are you?" I whispered, dazed.

He snickered, then snorted. "I'm Slade. Or at least, all these guys think I am." He held up a remote control in his hand. "See? I'm controlling them!"

"Well, if you're really Slade, then why don't you come and face me like a man?" I growled, my eyes turning a ghostly green.

"Hmm… don't think so!" He snorted again. "I'll just have my minions destroy you!"

The robots lunged at me.

I moved quickly, casting an Illusion on myself to enhance my reflexes, and whipped out my electro-knives. They arced with miniature bolts of lightning, and I used them to tear through the slade-bots guarding the fat weirdo. I cut through the last of them, only to find myself face-to-face with Cinderblock. I smirked. Cinderblock would be a cinch compared to the robots. Tiny though it was, he had a brain, and I could do so much more with an actual mind to manipulate.

I reached down deep into my power source, searching for the right mix of words to cast the Illusion I wanted. To Cinderblock's eyes, I grew until I was eighteen feet tall, and I flickered with black flame. My eyes glowed a sickly green, and I reached out for him with my clawed hands as if to steal his soul.

He fainted.

I turned my attention to the "mastermind," who sat cowering in the corner of the room, his eyes filled with fear. "Don't come any closer!" he wailed. "I mean it!"

"Or what?" I cast an Illusion on him to make my voice sound booming and low. "What could you possibly do to me?"

He stood and dashed at me, his fist drawn back for a punch. I laughed. This out-of-shape loser couldn't possibly hurt me.

The next thing I knew, I was seeing stars, and I landed hard on the ground… all the way across the warehouse.

My belt short-circuited and blew, the intense heat frying the delicate human brain cells in it. Damn, now I can't use SHROUD or GRAVE.

"Hehehehehe! See you later!" cackled the red-haired maniac.

What was wrong? I had just had my ass kicked by a fat kid. I shook my head. I must have really been losing my touch.

And I can't get back quickly without GRAVE… I'll have to walk.

So walk I did.