Well, you voted, and here it is! The next Ult. Teen Titans tale. And the villain is...(drumroll please)...
Blackfire!
Ultimate Teen Titans
The Return Of Red X
Chapter I
The Devil's Due
I am just a man,
Not superhuman.
I'm not superhuman.
Someone save me from the hate. (...)
I need a hero
To save me now,
I need a hero
To save me now.
I need a hero to save my life.
A hero will save me
Just in time.
- John Cooper, Hero
The thugs were unloading crates, grunting under their weight.
They belonged to one of the higher gangs in Hell's Kitchen, having just received a shipment of drugs from Costa Rica.
"Hurry up," the loadmaster said urgently. "You're taking too long."
"What's the worry?" one of the thugs grumbled. "You running scared, or sumthin'?"
"Been down in Gotham," the L.M. replied. Some of the others shivered. But one laughed.
"Scared of the Batman?" he jeered. "Hell, that's over in Gotham. Ain't no way he's gonna leave his precious city for us."
"You never know," one of the others reprimanded. "He ain't even human, that one. I'm more scared of him than of Superman."
"Yeah, like you've fought Supes," a third said sarcastically. "I agree with Carlos, Batman ain't here. Who would want to make Hell's Kitchen their stomping grounds?"
"Hell's own."
A new voice entered the conversation. It was a growl, not unlike Batman's, but filled with controlled fury. The thugs all spun on the spot, looking everywhere, all of them pulling out semi-autos.
"Who would protect the Kitchen, you ask?" the voice said again, causing them all to jump.
A figure dropped from the ceiling, bringing down a lot of debris. The thugs were all taken out in one drop.
"Me," said Daredevil.
The loadmaster and some of the guards yelled, shooting at the crimson vigilante. He seemed to move with a fluidity that defied explanation, easily evading their wild shots.
Daredevil took down the guards, smacking his billy clubs against their skulls and the ground. The clubs made a strange ringing sound, and he turned to face the loadmaster.
He would have killed Daredevil. He had the shot. He was about to take it...
And then a strange, red, glowing... x appeared on the barrel of his rifle. Before he could examine it closer, it had exploded.
"Not very smart," a new voice said. It sounded young, but distorted, as if through a vocoder. "Covering your eyes like that."
"Good perception to pick up on that," Daredevil responded, hitting the club against the ground again. The echoes in this room weren't very good, so he had to make a few of his own. "Who the hell are you?"
"A comrade," the young man said, but then Daredevil sensed him slumping, clutching his side.
"Are you hurt?" he said, starting forward.
"Not for long," he replied through gritted teeth.
Daredevil heard him ripping open one of the crates of drugs. It was only now that he picked up another scent, aside from the cocaine. It was tangy, strange... it made his nose hairs bristle.
The young man picked up the small vial that contained this strange stuff. He looked back at Daredevil.
"Stand back," he warned. "It took me a while to figure out how this works."
Daredevil took a step back, wondering what the hell was going on. He smelled the young man hold the vial at arms' length.
His inner radar sense went off, and he started forward, but at that second, the young man had slammed the vial against the large X on his chest.
An explosion of power erupted around him, and Daredevil was knocked back. He quickly regained his footing, dropping into a defensive crouch.
But the strange phenomenon had vanished as soon as it had arrived. The young man was now standing tall, but the tangy smell was still in the air.
"God, that's better," he said, sounding breathless. "I'll be out of your hair in a minute. Gotta say, it's been an honor to meet you."
"Wish I could say we had met," Daredevil replied. "Who are you?"
"Red X," the young man said, flipping up and suddenly, inexplicably, vanished into thin air.
So I realized that I've been neglecting Daredevil. Fact of the matter is, he's not a Teen Titan, so therefore, I can't write a story about him. Sad, in't it? But you can! Please, by all means, if you want, write a tale about Daredevil in the DC Universe!
And my offer to write an Ultimate Teen Titans miniseries still stands! Please take it! Someone, anyone!