Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans or any of their affiliations. All the names in this story are made up. Any similarities to actual people out there are total coincidences and are not on purpose.
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Jump City Dockyards, in the middle of the afternoon.
This was one of the city's many vital locations, crucial to its survival. Over half of the city's products pass through the dockyards from almost any conceivable location. There were plenty of tankers, cargo ships, and tug boats moving about in the nearby area, waiting to be docked or otherwise.
On the shore, gigantic cranes haul huge containers off of equally gigantic cargo ships and stack them on the available spaces on the ground along the docks. All the while, big rig trucks with containers on their beds move in back-and-forth like giant worker ants. Watching over all this activity was a control tower located somewhere in the center of the whole yard.
This was the daily life of the dockyards. For most of the time this daily toll of man and machine runs uninterrupted. Few troubles ever cause total shutdown of the facility since any sign of trouble is immediately isolated and resolved. Thus all operations continue to run ever so smoothly… most of the time.
However, this was one of those days where not everything goes smoothly. There was a problem. Not a big problem, but a problem that the management could do without. While they would have loved to fix it themselves, it was out of their authority to deal with this particular kind of problem. At least they were assured that the problem was being taken care of by the proper authorities.
Namely, the Jump City Police Department.
In one secluded spot of their dockyards was a sole container that was open and surrounded by police and their marked cars. The container was brought there specifically so that it wouldn't get in the way of the transport routes and that the police wouldn't be disturbed as well in their ongoing investigation.
From a bystander's point of view, it looked like the cops were raiding a store of miniature statues of the Venus de Milo . It was true. From out of the open container, officers pulled out bag after bag which spilled ceramic figurines of the famous statue.
Minutes later, an unmarked BMW rolled into the scene. Officers that were present took one look at the black painted saloon and didn't make an effort to stop it. The black BMW stopped just a few feet from the side of the container. The door opened and out stepped a tall man.
The man was about six feet in height, well-groomed and has a nice athletic form about him. He wore a simple polo shirt, khaki pants, shiny brown leather shoes, and a light brown trench coat over it all. His face was a little gruff, with a thick mustache and beard and a head short, red hair. There was a badge hanging around his neck on a chain. Imagine every stereotype you've ever heard of every hardened detective of those classic movies.
He moved with quiet confidence about him and all the officers around him seemed to immediately recognize his authority as he walked by. He stopped right in front of the open doors of the container and looked at the piles of miniature Venus statues. After a while, an officer came up to him and greeted him.
"Good afternoon, Detective Davenport," said the officer.
Detective Marvin Davenport turned around to acknowledge the officer. "You too, sergeant," he said in a deep voice, "Is this what I think it is?"
"I'm afraid so detective…"
The sergeant picked up one of the miniature statues and handed it to the Detective in front of him. Marvin took a good long look at it while the sergeant went on explaining.
"We got a tip just this morning, sir. The initial patrol that was sent here found the container and inspected it. They also thought that these were ordinary statues until one was broken open. After that… well, when we heard what was inside the chief wanted us here ASAP. I think you yourself can understand why, Detective."
"Yes, indeed," answered Marvin.
Marvin held both ends of the miniature statue in both hands and gripped it tightly. He then snapped it like a twig. The statue was surprisingly easy to break but not so surprising once you know why. The statue was made of cheap plaster and it was hollow. As an ornament, it was practically worthless. But for the moment it served a different purpose.
As the Detective broke the rather fragile statue in two, out from its hollow body spilled forth several small, sealed plastic bags. Inside those small, sealed plastic bags was an unusual, blue powder. Detective Davenport stared long and hard at the bluish powder knowing what it was. That knowledge disturbed him.
"…Venus…"
"That's right, sir," said the sergeant, "over four hundred pounds of it has been stashed away in this one container. They're all hidden in these cheap looking figurines. Venus de Milo too, feels like a sick joke, doesn't it."
"Exactly. And who knows how many containers like this managed to slip past by?"
"We're already questioning the manager of the docks sir. We have officers reviewing all his notes on the shipments that came within last week."
"Good job, but I doubt it would lead to much. We got lucky with this one but Falcone is a lot luckier most of the time."
The detective knew well who he was talking about. Adrian Falcone came to the city about two or three months ago, no one can be sure. Unlike what most people started to think the first time he came to this city, This was not the same Falcone that was Gotham City's last 'old-school' gangster. He was the illegitimate son, mother unknown. He set up business in the city's underground and soon accumulated a lot of power to himself and now he was one of the most powerful gangsters in the city's history. And this was his latest product out on the market.
Venus in a new kind of drug that's been circulating the streets of Jump City. It had unique properties that made it very popular. It was basically a hallucinogen. It allows people to temporarily live out their deepest and most desired fantasies and have that feeling amplified ten times over. Who wouldn't want that?
The sergeant went on and explained the rest of the situation to Marvin. Already, the rest of the officers that were not securing this particular container were searching the rest of the dockyard for similar containers. So far, no luck.
"I understand that you'll follow procedure to dispose of this stuff right away," asked Davenport.
"Of course sir," answered the sergeant.
"Alright then. Once you're done with that, continue to monitor the activity around the docks. I don't want anymore of this stuff getting through and so does half the city. Hopefully, we'll get this mess straitened out and we'll be able to clean up this city before--"
The detective was cut in his speech by a ringing cellphone. The cellphone was his and he naturally reached into his jacket to retrieve it. He answered the caller.
"Hello?… Yes, this is he… I see… He what?… Yes… Yes, I'm on my way… Thank you."
He hung-up and pocketed away the cellphone. After which, the detective gave a long exasperated sigh.
"Was it the chief?" asked the sergeant.
"Worse…" said Marvin, "…it was the Murakami School principal.
"Oh… Ohhh."
"I have to leave. You'll take care of everything here then?"
"Yes sir."
"Good man."
The detective walked away with a disappointed look on his face. He reached his BMW, got in, and started the car. Hesitating a bit, he took a moment to ponder what might be the problem this time. He'll know soon enough, but he wasn't looking forward to it, that's for sure.
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The Murakami School.
One of the most pristine schools in the city. This school is particularly famous for it's advanced facilities and top-grade staff. Each student here is given the best education money can buy. Tough a little pricey, this school holds it's own as one of the best in the city and in the country.
In the middle of the afternoon, most students, who don't have anymore classes, are starting to head home. Others hang out at the schools many open spaces and relax there with friends. It's a typical day in the school and not much has happened.
Well, actually, there was something that happened a little while ago that caught the attention of students and faculty alike. It was one of those situations that really had no chance of ever ending in a good way. That said incident now leads to mostly undesired location by students: The principal's office.
Inside the office, Principal Numataka sat behind his desk in dismay. He was in one of those situations which he preferred not to be in. He was dealing with students involved in a disturbance.
Gods knew he loved kids. He believed they were the future of our world which is also why he believed education is vital in their lives. He had visions for his students and his school, building the future and making the world a better place. Most of the time, his students don't realize any of this directly but for Numataka that was just fine. As long as they were learning.
Based on those reasons, Numataka was very irked every time a disturbance is reported involving his students. He hated to see them make mistakes, reduce themselves to levels of barbarity and illogical violence. A little piece of his mind would always tell him that he was to blame for it.
Principal Numataka looked to his left. Seated on a chair was a student in uniform, consisting of a white shirt and contrasting, navy blue slacks and tie. He was of medium build, around five and a half feet in height. His face had somewhat sharp features along with dark black eyes. His hair was jet black, not too short, and a little spiky. He sat in such a way that his boredom was obvious. He had a bandage on his cheek that hid a small cut.
Principal Numataka took note of this as he did about twenty minutes ago when this boy entered the room. It was an exceedingly trivial injury compared to the other occupants in that room. Numataka looked to his right. Seated on several other chairs, some from the room and some brought in as spares, a good distance away from the boy who sat alone where four other students flanked by their corresponding parents. All the students looked way more buffer than the lone boy to Numataka's left.
Numataka took careful note of the other students' injuries as compared to the lone boy's one single cut. One of the other students had a bruised cheek, and a neck brace. Another had two black eyes, a broken nose, and an arm in a sling. Another had a broken nose, a fat lip, and a leg in a splint. The last student had teeth missing, and a fist completely wrapped in bandages.
While Numataka was irked in the current situation, he couldn't help but be fascinated at the outcome of the said disturbance. The boy yawned, showing off his boredom which earned him a number of deceitful looks for the people on Numataka's right side. The principal sighed exasperatingly.
Moments later, the door opened. Everyone in the room turned their attention to the newcomer. It was Detective Davenport. He didn't have his trench coat on, leaving it at coat hanger just on the other side of the door.
"Sorry I'm late," he said.
"About damn time!" said one of the other parents, "You have any Idea how long we've been waiting for your sorry a--"
"Mr. Daniels, please…" interrupted the principal, "Let's try to keep things civilized."
Marvin moved to stand next to the lone seated boy who seemed to show a bit of discomfort as this happened. "Can I ask what the problem is? I was in the middle of something important."
"It's your kid!" exclaimed one of the mothers, "That's the problem!"
"Mrs. Carman, please," interrupted the principal yet again, "No more outbursts, if you all don't mind."
"My kid?" inquired the detective then looked down on the boy seated next to him, "Did Nick do something wrong?"
"I'd say so," said another mother, "I mean, look what he did to our kids!"
The detective paid close attention to the other students seated a distance from his son. They all had rather interesting sets of injuries. Looking back down on his own kid, the detective took note of the bandage covering a small cut.
"I told you people a million times already," said 'Nick', his voice exhibiting annoyance, "I barely touched your kid, lady. Plus, I'm the victim here."
"Oh, and I'm suppose to believe that?"
"I'd certainly appreciate it."
"Look here you little--"
"Enough, ma'am!" the principal again was required to interrupt, "I did not ask you all to meet here in order to argue. In fact, it was you who insisted on this meeting. And since we've all taken time out of our busy schedules to be here, like Mr. Davenport has illustrated, I suggest we spend this time in a more productive manner rather than just to constantly throw allegations at each other."
"Then can I ask again what exactly is the problem?" inquired the detective.
"Apparently, a case of attempted injury…"
Marvin looked down on his son. Nick, apparently sensing the glare, immediately looked up and answered an unspoken question. "They did the 'attempting', not me, alright?"
"He's lying!" said one of the fathers, "I mean, look at how bad our kids got hurt and all he's got is that stupid scratch! He's the only guilty person here!"
"Well, unfortunately for your theory, Mr. Brown," said Numataka, "eyewitness accounts from several other students and some surveillance videos say otherwise."
"What?"
"Mr. Nicholas Davenport's innocence has been proven already by several eyewitness accounts. If anything, he is the only one here who can actually be called the victim."
Nick smiled at this and his father seemed to wear an expression of relief and bewilderment at the same time. The other parents in the room were less than pleased at this news.
"Then why the heck are we here?" asked an angry father.
"I was simply indulging you," said Numataka, "You asked for this meeting sirs and ladies. But if you wanted to use this meeting to try and throw the blame at Nicholas by vote of majority then I'm afraid you're mistaken. The only guilty parties here are your children and not Mr. Davenport's."
"But look at what happened to them!"
"They did that to themselves apparently. Do you want to hear the story?"
"Why not?" Nick said suddenly, "It's actually a good laugh."
"Shut up you little turd!" said the father.
"Alright, enough," said the principal, "Let me tell what happened…"
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Earlier in the day.
In the school parking lot, students were either just leaving or just arriving. Nick Davenport, a junior high-school student, was one of the former, heading towards his spot on the lot, carrying a backpack. His classes were over for the day and he couldn't wait to get home and simply kick back and relax. It had been a long day, little did he know it was about to get a little longer.
He came up to his spot on the lot. Standing there was a white and red Yamaha YZF-R1 with a black bike helmet hanging off one of the handlebars. Something he managed to get a deal on at a used car lot. A relatively old '99 model, it was practically worthless when he bought it for the rock bottom price. When he took it home, it gave him something to do for about three months. He fixed it up new in that time and made himself a rather nice personal set of wheels.
Behind him, a female student dress in the standard uniform of white shirt, navy blue skirt and tie was leaning up against and brand new Cadillac CTS, looking at Nick. The girl had model looks and curly brunette hair and it was most likely that she was a senior. She started walking up to Nick.
"Hey, Nick," she called out, halfway to him.
Nick turned around to acknowledge the girl that stopped a few feet in front of him. "Oh, hi Lori."
"You leaving already?"
"Pretty much, yeah. Why do you ask?"
"Nothing. Just wanted to thank you for helping me out with my math the other day. Darn assignment was ripping my head open. Couldn't have passed it if it weren't for you, Nick."
"Don't mention it. Some people are just better at some subjects. You looked like you could've used the help and I didn't have anything to do anyway."
"Well thank you nonetheless. You know, why don't I repay you by… you know… taking you out on a--"
"Lori…"
"Right, right, right, I'm not your type. You already told me that once."
"Sorry, it's not you… Besides, aren't you dating…"
"Joshua's a total jerk. And I don't think I'll be able to stand him any longer as is."
"I see… but nevertheless, I'm looking to pick you up the rebound or in any other kind of circumstance. Hope you understand that."
"Yeah sure, okay. Too bad, you're actually quite a catch. Always doing people good, you're a real saint you know that?"
Nick gave a strange smile. "You'd think so, wouldn't you?"
As the two were going on with their short conversation, a bad turn of events was just walking up to them. Four very formidable looking boys were approaching the two. They were every conceivable stereotype for the word 'jock' if there ever were, tall muscled, and imposing. The leader, a tall blonde guy, looked at Nick in particular with a furious gaze.
He started making his way towards the two, followed by his posse which all wore a strange smile as if knowing something interesting was about to happen.
"Yo, Lori!" called out the blonde jock.
Lori and Nick immediately turned their heads towards the jock. Both immediately wore an expression that looked like the kind folks would have when they knew that nothing good will come out of a present situation.
"I thought I told you to wait by my car," said the jock, pointing behind him to the CTS.
"I was, but you took so long, I got bored," answered Lori.
"So you decided to talk to this loser?" he pointed at Nick who, despite the insult, didn't seem affected.
"I was just thanking him for helping me out with some homework, that's all."
The jock immediately looked towards Nick, approached him, and grabbed him by the collar. "How many times did I tell you to stay away from my girlfriend?"
"Actually," said Nick, with an unusual sense of calm, "I think this is the first time you ever said that to me."
"You trying to be clever, punk?"
"That depends. Am I insulting you yet?"
"Don't play dumb with me! I've been seeing you hang-out with her a lot lately, ya know. You plannin' something with her aren't you?"
"No. she just happens to have a lot of math homework."
"Josh! Stop it!" exclaimed Lori in vain.
Josh only tightened his grip around Nick. Nick showed little affect from the apparent threat and kept his cool. By now, the situation was grabbing some unwanted attention. Students mingling in the parking lot were gathering around the group and were waiting in anticipation.
Josh violently tossed Nick to the ground to his side. Nick landed on the pavement between Josh and the CTS. Nick got up quickly, showing mild annoyance towards Josh who was fuming at this point. All of the sudden, Nick felt his arms being grabbed. Looking to either side of him, Josh's posse grabbed him to make sure he couldn't escape.
"I'm gonna say this just once," said Josh, "stay away from my girlfriend!"
"Didn't you say that once already," retorted Nick, "I can see why she didn't ask you for help in math."
"You little smartass…"
Nick saw Josh adjust the large ring that was on his hand. Josh walked up to Nick and took a swing towards his face. At the same time, the guys holding onto Nick's arms let go of them. Nick was shot back and came to rest leaning on the hood of the CTS. A cut on his cheek started to bleed. Lori yelled out his name in the background then started ordering Josh to back down, who wasn't listening.
"This'll teach you a lesson," said Josh, approaching Nick again.
"I am asking you nicely now that you walk away. You don't wanna do that…" said Nick.
"Oh, yeah I do!"
Josh swung at him. Nick grinned ever so slightly, even as the fist came down on him. With cat-like reflexes, Nick side-stepped just in time and Josh's fist hit the hood of the car instead. The blow was powerful enough to create a deep dent on the hood. Josh pulled his arm back with a yelp.
In that time, Nick countered with a fist to Joshua's face. The overgrown jock never saw the attack coming and soon found himself dazed on the pavement with some teeth missing. Seeing the fall of their leader, Josh's posse swung into action. One guy charged at Nick and swung up a foot towards him. Nick hopped off the ground and mounted himself on the hood of the car. The first guy's foot hit the front bumper of the car instead, denting it. He screamed in agony.
Nick took advantage of this window of opportunity. Looking up, the last thing the first guy saw was the sole of Nick's shoe coming towards his face. As the first guy fell, a second guy was moving around and opening the back door of the car. The second guy pulled out an aluminum bat from the back seat. Kneeling on the hood, Nick could easily predict what the second guy was planning on doing with that bat. The second guy moved right next to the hood and swung the bat towards Nick.
Nick hopped over the bat as it passed by and it ended up breaking the windshield instead. Nick landed back on the pavement in front of the car and, almost immediately, became acutely aware of the third guy charging him from the back. At the same time, the second guy was just reeling up another swing with the bat. Nick was careful with his timing when he made his plan.
Just as the third guy was about to swing at Nick from behind and the second guy was about to swing his bat, Nick ducked down. The bat ended up nailing the third guy in the chin by accident, knocking him down. The second guy was in the middle of realizing his mistake when Nick popped back up and drove a leg up at the second guy's arm, causing him to drop the bat. Without hesitation, Nick drove the same foot up at the guy's face, knocking him down onto the pavement.
Then all was silent. Surprising as an outcome it was, Nick was the last one standing. For a while no one said anything. Eventually, gradually, an applause broke out as dozens of students that have gathered around the scene. Nick looked around the cheering crowd and stood proudly.
Lori walked up to the fallen body of Josh who was in the middle of waking up. Josh looked up at Lori and Lori glared back down.
"Consider this our break-up," she said.
"Wh-What?" murmured Josh.
Then Lori kicked him hard right in between the thighs. Josh let out a high-pitched squeal that could render a dog deaf. All around them, resounding laughter came from the crowd, including Nick. Lori winked at Nick and waved a farewell at him. Nick nodded in response. Lori walked away and Nick was left alone with the crowd.
Nick gave a long sigh of relief and was about to walk back to his bike when whistles were heard from beyond the crowd. The students quickly dispersed as security guards and a Discipline Officer came to the scene. The officer took one look at the scene then at Nick who grinned like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
"Alright," said the officer, "I think you boys need to accompany me to the principal's office…"
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"…and here we are" finished Principal Numataka.
The principal took note of the varying responses from everyone in the room. Nick looked mildly entertained having heard the story in the third person perspective. His father looked both surprised and relieved at the same time. The four jocks looked dismayed, unable to disprove any of the stories points. Their parents looked flabbergasted.
"As you can see," started Numataka, "It was these four who started the fight. Mr. Davenport was never physically aggressive in the first place and only acted in self-defense. Plus this four boys have already been linked to other similar cases of aggression and up to now I've been very lenient with them but I'm afraid I can't continue like this anymore. I'm putting all four of you on suspension for the rest of the term."
All four of the jocks and their respective parents looked dismayed. They all turned their angry sights towards Nick who simply smiled and shrugged at them. He won, they lost. They couldn't swallow it but they couldn't do anything about it either.
"Now that we're all settled," continued, Numataka, "I bid you all a good day…"
The dismayed folks promptly left the room, not able to stand Nick's company any longer. Nick watched them leave with a certain sense of pride. He and his father were about to leave as well when the principal called to them.
"Uh, Nichols, if I could have a word with you first?"
Nick turned around to face the principal. "Yes, sir?"
"Listen, you got lucky today but I must warn you if ever you encounter situations like this in the future."
"Don't worry about me, sir. I can take care of myself."
"Don't interrupt the principal, Nick," scolded his father.
"Nicholas, you're a smart boy. You rank one of the highest in your class as well as you entire batch. You're also very talented in many fields. You have plenty of potential, my boy. It's just that I don't want to see such potential go to waste. You have greatness in you but you don't seem to be exploiting it very much in the most positive ways. Do you understand me?"
"…Yes, Mr. Numataka… But I don't think it's as simple as you put it sir. I still have choices to make."
Numataka was a bit surprised at the mature nature of that answer. It seemed he is still underestimating this boy. Indeed, Nick is nothing short of gifted. IQ test rank him almost a total genius. His grades excel in all of his subjects and he doesn't even look like he's trying. Numataka knew that Nick was one of those "one-in-a-million" kinds of person. It was a great honor having him at this school and the only drawback of his excellent intelligence was the tendency of having a smart mouth.
Numataka knew that Nick was also right when he said he had choices to make. While Numataka would enjoy to see Nick turning into a master musician, a famous artist, a wealthy businessman, or an honorable politician, he couldn't decide that for Nick. Nick had his own choices, but as the principal, Numataka had to make sure Nick knew what those choices were that are available to him.
"I admire you, Nicholas," said Numataka, "I just hope you do make the right choices in the end. But for the meantime, I'd like to caution you in these situations were you find yourself to be under a threat."
"That mess wasn't my fault, sir. And I was only defending myself."
"Yes, yes, I know. I would just like to advise you that when you do end up in that kind of situation, do your best not to aggravate the situation further. And when you have to defend yourself, try not to be so… excessive about it."
"Okay, I got you now, sir."
"Good. I thank you for your time then, both of you, and I hope that the next time we meet it will be on much more positive circumstances."
"I'll try…"
"Thank again, Mr. Numataka," said the detective, "We'll just let ourselves out."
Nick got up from his seat and grabbed the backpack of his that was behind the chair. He slung it onto his back and walked out the door. He was promptly followed by is father who grabbed his coat from the coat rack on the way out and put it on. Principal Numataka was left alone in his office.
He breath a long and exasperating sigh. He tells himself that he'd just done a good thing. That he showed those boys a good lesson. That all theses boys he'd just met would walk away better persons. He didn't really know about the four jocks at that point, but he knew Nick would walk away a little better. That boy was special, Numataka knew that much. And it was students like that, although rare, are the reason why Numataka loves his job so much. He wouldn't trade it for anything else in the world.
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A little later in the hallways.
"Thank God that didn't go as I feared it would," said Marvin. Both he and his son were walking side by side in the school hallways on their way out. Around them, students went about their daily routines sparing the two no heed.
"Dad, you should relax," said Nick, "you know I don't pick fights."
"Yes, but you seem to have a pension for escalating tense situations. You should really watch that mouth of yours."
"I can't help it. I just hate it when people stare me down."
"So you feel an urge to disprove their underestimation of you."
"Yup."
Marvin sighed. "It's far beyond me to tell you to try and change your nature but at least try… for both our sakes."
"Alright, fine… So are you gonna go work on that big case of yours."
"How'd you know?"
"You did say you were in the middle of something when you first came here. Tell me, Dad, is it about Venus again?"
Marvin immediately turned bug-eyed and shot his glance towards Nick. "How do you know about that?"
"I'm not using it, if that's what your thinking."
Marvin knew better than to suspect his own son. He knew enough about Nick to know that he avoided all forms of vices. He never smoked more than an inch of tobacco in his life. He never drank much either, only when the occasion called for it and never over moderation. He said that he always hated those vices. He would always reason out that temporary highs are only cowardly attempts to run away from ones problems.
"Then how do you know about it?"
"Five students have already been expelled in the last few weeks for using. And that's only the discovered cases. There are probably two more students using for every one that's caught."
Marvin was devastated by the news. Now even high school students are using it. A few weeks ago it was isolated to junkies on the street but now kids? Marvin knew he wasn't doing his job right if that was the case.
"This is bad," said Marvin, "even kids are getting into it now. I have to hurry and close this case."
By now the two were already outside and in the parking lot. They both went to the same spot since, as Nick found out, Marvin's BMW was parked right next to his bike.
"So I'll just wait for at home, right?" asked Nick.
"Yeah that's right. Though I'm not so sure if I'll be getting home tonight, what with the work on top of me. You'll be fine, right?"
"Yes, Dad."
"Good boy…"
Marvin entered his BMW at the same time Nick mounted his bike and put on his helmet. The car was the first to leave, zooming off in the direction of the gate while Marvin waved at Nick through an open window. Nick waved back and watched his father until the car was out of sight. He then started his bike and rode it out the gate as well, in the direction of home.
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Later.
Through the streets of uptown Jump City, Nick's Yamaha YZF-R1 zooms down the street barely staying under the speed limit. Admittedly enough, it seemed a bit out of place among elite vehicles like Jaguars and Mercedes that were driving by his bike. He didn't care really.
Most people with money would do just that, care for what other have that they don't. They would try and match their neighbors by buying something just as or even more extravagant than their neighbors' properties. Nick wasn't like that. He bought his bike for the simple reason of wanting personal transportation with a little performance.
His bike was exceedingly cheap for him to by, being a total wreck when he bought it. He fixed it up and it was as good as knew. He didn't need anything more than that. He only took what he needed and didn't care much for anything more than necessary.
He soon arrived at his desired location. A series of three, thirty-story buildings; The Skyline Tower Apartments. He entered the underground parking garage, giving a casual wave at the security guard who cheerily waved back as if greeting a friend. Nick found his usual spot and parked.
He got off his bike and went straight to a nearby elevator. As he approached the doors conveniently opened for him. A middle-aged woman stepped out. Upon seeing Nick, she greeted him. He greeted back and they had a short conversation. Nick happened to be pretty well-known around the building yet he himself had trouble keeping names. The woman eventually left in her car and Nick took the elevator to the twenty-third floor.
After exiting the elevator, he made a bee-line through the always and stopped at a door. On the door was the number 2314, carved into a brass plaque. The knob, also brass, had a slot where a card would go into. Nick reached into his pocket and pulled out a keycard where the same number as the door was printed on the top part.
He inserted the keycard into the slot, unlocked the door, and entered the apartment. The apartment was generally not that interesting. The furniture was simple in design and the place barely had any decorations except for a few Japanese ink scrolls hanging off the wall. There was a flat screen TV on top of a stand, a couch, two recliners, and a glass-top coffee table in the living room. The kitchen was adjacent to the living room, as with most apartments. It had a refrigerator, and oven plus stove top, a sink and a counter with a microwave on top. There were three doors inside, two lead into separate bedrooms while the third was a closet. It wasn't much but it was home.
Nick dropped his backpack on the couch and turned on the TV. He kept flipping through channels with the remote for about half an hour before finally settling on the six o'clock evening news. He watched with hardly any interest as the anchorman delivered the news.
"—which is why it is unadvisable for anyone to ingest month-old sushi. And in other news, Plasmus has once again escaped from prison early this morning and was seen rampaging through town…"
A video appeared in place of the anchorman showing Plasmus wreaking havoc in another part of town. He tossed a car which in turn crashed into another causing an explosion. As soon as that happened, Nick saw the familiar images of five super powered teens entering the fray.
"…Thankfully though," continued the anchorman's voice, "the Teen Titans were there on the spot to recapture Plasmus but only after a considerable amount of hardship. As you can see here, the creature know as Plasmus put up a good fight…"
Nick watched as the screen showed Raven being knocked into Cyborg while being covered in disgusting slime from Plasmus. Strangely enough, Nick felt rather entertained watching the Titans take a fall. Eventually though, Robin must've thrown a freezing disk at Plasmus since the moster was completely frozen in an instant.
"…However, the fight proved to be in the Titans favor as Plasmus was yet again defeated…."
Nick, for some reason, felt rather annoyed at that news. At that same time, Nick felt the urge to get a soda and the phone rang. Nick decided to do both task by first pressing the speaker phone and not bothering to lift the handset.
"Hello?" he asked.
"Nick, it's me"
"Oh, hey dad," said Nick, walking towards the fridge.
"I just called to tell you that it looks like I'm not coming home tonight."
Nick reached into the fridge and took out a soda can. "Oh, really? Work piled up or something?"
"I'm afraid so. Look if you get hungry--"
"There's a TV dinner in the freezer and just plop it into the microwave, I know. Same drill as always." He plops down back on the couch with the soda in hand.
"Just making sure you know what to do."
Nick opened his soda. "If I get bored I'll just go out for a while."
"Are you sure that's smart?"
"The mall is only four blocks away, Dad. And you do remember what happened the last time I got mugged, right?"
"You sent thre men to the hospital…"
"And to jail!" Nick added proudly.
"I just want you to be safe, son. I'd rather you not go out at all. But I guess you can take care of yourself pretty well…"
Nick turned his sights towards the TV again as his dad continued to talk over the speaker phone. The story, and the anchor, had switched. The new anchorwoman was reporting the story now. But what really got Nick's attention was the picture of a golden really big ruby on the corner of the screen. He couldn't help but stare at it.
The woman delivered the story. "Today, the Jump City museum received a rather nice gift. The emerald shown here, known as "the Dream Stone", was donated by a Sir Robert Gates from England. The stone is the world's largest cut ruby, weighing in at five kilos and about the size of the average coconut. It was unveiled today at noon and announced to become one of the museums permanent exhibits."
Nick watched fixatedly at the TV screen as it showed a recorded video from earlier today. A British guy was handing over the Dream Stone to who was probably the curator of the museum. Around were svereal other men and women applauding.
"Nick can you here me? Are you still there?"
"Huh? Oh! Yeah, Dad, I'm still here," Nick said, snapping back into reality
"What happened? You got quiet all of the sudden."
"Just saw something interesting on the TV, that's all."
"Well, just making sure you're not bored. Anyway, I'll just see you tomorrow. Bye then."
"Yeah, see ya' Dad."
Marvin hung up and the phone was silent. Nick turned his attention back towards the TV screen. The news went on about the ruby's history and how valuable it was. Nick didn't care for details. He knew where the stone was and that was good enough. He smiled wryly. He didn't bother turning off the TV as he entered what would be his bedroom.
He turned on the lights and illuminated the room. There was a bed, a desk, a drawer with a lamp on top and a small bookshelf filled with all kinds of literature. There were posters of famous rock bands and action movies all over the walls. Nick walked towards his bed and pulled out an duffel bag.
He took it out of his bedroom and re-entered the living room, duffel bag in hand. By the time he got back to the couch, the news was already showing the weather. He turned off the TV with the remote. And focused on the duffel bag. He unzipped it and took out what was inside.
It looked like the remnants of a suit. First, he took out two black boots. Then, he tock out some black pants. Next he took out a black shirt of some kind with long sleeves, on the front was a familiar mark. Then, he took out a pair of gloved colored in gun metal gray, bearing the same familiar marks as the shirt. He then took out a belt, again, gun metal gray in color. Finally, he pulled out a mask.
Nick took a good long look at the mask. The mask was almost all black except for the front. The front showed the depiction of a white skull without the lower jaw. Over the white skull was the same mark on the shirt and the gloves: a slashed red 'X'
Nick grinned. His dad was right, tonight would not get boring at all. As of that moment, Nicholas Davenport was no longer just the ordinary high-school student. That persona had just left.
As of that moment, the night belonged to the Red X.
X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X