A/N: So check it out, this was the first ever Teen Titans thing I did and never posted. Now that's mainly because I wasn't too happy with it. So I was reading over it one last time before I deleted it and then decided it would be the perfect prequel to the story I'm working on now. True there may be some things some people don't agree with, but hey that's not totally my problem, because I still love creating it. Some parts are slow and some are a lot better than others (naturally) but if you want to understand the next story you might have to read some of this one if not all of it.

1

The Titans were sitting in the common room watching TV when a red light started flashing and a siren blared through their home. Suddenly the image on the TV changed from the movie they were watching to an image of a black clothed figure with a white mask and a red X across it.

All the titans were off the couch and out the door before Robin could yell "Go!"

Raven thought over the past six weeks. It had been eerily quiet in Jump City until a string of high profile robberies with no evidence recovered. Only Red X had enough talent to achieve a goal like that. They had encountered him at the last three scenes but each time he had escaped with his prize. Strangely each time he and Raven met he seemed hesitant to fight her.

As the Titans came into the downtown area with Raven, Starfire, and Beast Boy in the air and Robin and Cyborg in their vehicles they saw a black motorcycle exactly like Robin's outside a jewelry store with none other than Red X striding out the front door with his cape billowing behind him.

Unwilling to let him escape Robin jumped off his bike and threw a disc at the black bike that beeped as it neared its target. Three seconds after attaching to Red X's bike the thing vanished in a fireball.

Seeing them approach Red X retreated into the store slinging a backpack over his shoulder presumably holding his prizes. Stopping at the back he waited as the Titans came through the door. He swept them with a look that said he wasn't impressed until his eyes met Ravens. As they're eyes met his narrowed and he gave her a cold and calculating look as if trying to decide something.

Pivoting he threw out his arm and a series of objects came at them all. By now they were familiar with his technique and they all ducked or dove avoiding the flying projectiles.

The five teens stood and rushed at the lone figure in black as Robin yelled his favorite line. "Titans go!"

Not surprisingly just as they had learned from him Red X had learned from the Titans and knew their moves and sequences. And just like them he knew a few new tricks. Changing from his arsenal of gadgets he shifted his weight and stuck out one arm. Making a fist he revealed something new that had been strapped to his wrist. With a hiss something sprayed out into Robins face. The mask protected his eyes but it wasn't meant for the eyes. Instead he had sprayed a new toxin of his own creation designed to be breathed in.

With a piercing scream the Titan Leader fell to the ground screaming and then slowly beginning to choke as the toxin flooded his lungs and his throat began to close. As his face turned blue the other Titans panicked.

Breaking of the attack Beast Boy dropped and kneeled next to him. "Robin what's going on?" Realizing his leader couldn't talk, Beast Boy changed into a wolf and seizing the boy's cape in his jaws dragged Robin from the store and away from the fight.

Inside the store the battle continued as if it had been choreographed for years. Each combatant moved swiftly making no mistakes.

Red X continued his retreat and made it to the back room before focusing on Cyborg. Just as Cyborg fired a blast at him Red X vanished and reappeared behind him and slammed him into the wall. Slamming an X onto Cyborgs cannon it kept the robotic man from retracting his cannon and I he fired it would blow itself up.

Starfire shot one of her own blasts at the thief who moved out of the way. Moving quickly he shoved Cyborg in front of him in the path of Starfire's next blast, making him intercept it. Struck in the chest Cyborg was sent into the wall and fell to the floor in an unmoving heap as the blast bounced off his armor and went back at Starfire.

Concerned for her friend Starfire wasn't paying attention when her own star bolt struck her in the face. With a shout she landed on her back.

Red X jumped to the side to avoid a crate that would have broken his skull had it connected. Transferring into a backwards roll he came to his feet staring at Raven.

When he saw her eyes flash white he broke again into a run. Racing up the stairs he kicked the door leading to the roof open. Almost to the edge he skidded to a halt as a rather large shape appeared quickly taking the form of a raven before becoming the girl herself.

Before she could finish materializing he threw an explosive into the air which detonated fifteen feet above them. Raven ducked as she came into form and debris and shrapnel rained around her. To her surprise Red X just stood there amidst it all merely shifting is weight to let the debris miss him by inches if I came too close.

By the time she recovered a green bird appeared over the other side behind Red X. Thinking the battle would turn in their favor she hung back letting Beast Boy attack the thief. This proved to be an error when a can appeared in the thief's hand and he sprayed it into what was now a lion's face.

Beast Boy appeared to lose control as he flashed through several forms before settling on one she had only seen once before. With a crazed look in his eye Beast Boy lunged at Raven attempting to knock her over the edge.

Looking questioningly at Red X he answered in his slightly metallic voice. "It's a drug. Once it's breathed the victim relives his worst memory."

That would explain it then. The last time Raven saw Beast Boy like this she had been trapped in his jaws in the sewer beneath Jump City. The glance over at Red X had cost her and she felt a sharp pain in her right shoulder as her team mate cut deep into her shoulder with his claws. She sank to her knees as he front of her clothes were spattered with blood.

From the corner of her eye she thought she saw Red X take a step forward as if concerned. She would have laughed at the thought if her predicament hadn't been so serious. Before she could blast him back the green beast slammed into her with its full strength and all its weight slammed into her inured shoulder making her cry out again.

Their combined weight proved too much for the edge and the lip of the roof crumbled beneath the as they both plummeted several hundred yard to the street below. The predicament seemed to jar Beast Boy to his senses because he suddenly transformed into a bat and streaked upward. She was tempted to wave as she shot past him.

Raven tried to summon her power to fly or at least shield herself from the worst of the impact but the pain from her friends attack was too great and she couldn't focus. She closed her eyes when she got within one hundred feet of the pavement waiting for the collision that not even her unnatural body would be able to withstand.

Suddenly a strong arm wrapped around her and when she next opened her eyes she was lying on the roof of the building opposite. Raven looked up expecting to see Robin standing above her but instead it was none other than Red X who had saved her for some unknown reason.

Satisfied that she was going to live he ran to the edge of the roof before jumping into the air. Before she could get to her feet he vanished.

Climbing to her feet she stumbled over to the side where he had gone and looked around. He was nowhere to be seen. She swore remembering he could teleport away.

"Damn Robin for making that suit so powerful! How do we stop him when he can just vanish?" Raven thought to herself. She phased out and reappeared on the street below. Reaching up with her left hand she placed it on her right shoulder and closed the wound, instantly making the pain go away.

Walking over to the jewelry store she met Beast Boy who was stuffing Cyborg into the back seat of the T Car apparently still unconscious. Starfire was already in the back also out cold with Robin in the front seat with a lump on is head that hadn't been there before. Raven looked over at Beast Boy with an eyebrow raised.

"I had to knock him out. The guy wouldn't shut up. I'm sure he'll understand, I'll just make him some of my famous Tofu eggs and everything will be okay." Seeing she looked less than amused Beast Boy dropped his forced smile. When he saw the blood on her clothes his face turned a rather light shade of green and looked like he would faint before he squeaked a question. "Raven are you okay? I didn't hurt you that bad did I?"

"I'm fine. It was just a scratch and I closed the wound."

"Raven that doesn't look like just a scratch."

"Maybe it wasn't but it's gone now so drop it." Watching Beast Boy shut the car doors he wisely obeyed and walked around to the driver's side door.

"Man I can't believe I finally get to drive the T Car. Cyborg is going to be so mad when he finds out."

"Actually Beast Boy I don't think Cyborg's going to care at all."

"What, why not?"

The voice that answered was Cyborg's. "Because you're not driving I am."

Beast Boys jaw dropped as he saw Cyborg sitting in the front seat. "No way, you were unconscious. Besides I shut the doors, how did you get up front?"

"My system rebooted itself and then I climbed over the front seat. It wasn't that hard to do. Now get in the back seat where you belong."

Raven let out a low and evil sounding laugh as she heard the exchange. "I'll meet you all back at the tower. I'm going to assume we're not going for pizza this time. "

"Nah we better not. I want to get back and analyze some of Robins DNA. Let's find out what that dude got him with. Maybe I can make a cure so it won't work again."

"Right, I'll see you there"

The T Car pulled away and Raven looked back at the scene were Police were preparing to look for evidence left behind. She knew they wouldn't find anything. Red X was too good for that. Turning away Raven took the shape of the bird she was named after and vanished from sight thinking of Titans Tower.