Teen Titans: Predator
Chapter 1:
It was a cold and quiet night in Jump City when a 16-year old male—standing at 5'7" with medium length black hair and a scar on his right eye—forcefully shoved an average sized adult male wearing a black leather jacket and ripped up jeans against the wall with one arm. The teens expression was mixed with anger and frustration as he let out a ferocious growl, striking fear into the man. The teen wore a tight red and black spandex bodysuit—hands covered and all—with three black tiger stripes on his waist on each side. Next were his red and black boots that went up to his calfs.
On his back was a claw shaped logo with a bold red 'P' in the center and two more stripes which trailed from the front of his thighs—covering it in all black—all the way to his shoulder blades. His arms had black lining which trailed from his shoulders, down to his middle fingers. Finally, a domino mask with sharp points at the end rested on his face, covering his eyes.
"Where is he?!" The teen asked in a tough gritty tone.
"I-I don't know what you're talkin' about." The man cried unsteadily.
"Cut the crap, dipstick! My ears can tell a lie when they hear one. Now tell me where he is or else I'll rip you apart!"
"I really don't know what you're talkin' about, man."
"I'm talking about Red X! Tell me where he is!" He said, punching a hole in the wall.
"Who's Red X? I-I don't know what you're talkin' about, man. Please just let me go!" The man begged. The teen growled, then sniffed the man's jacket and a very familiar scent escaped from him.
"You've smell like toxic chemicals." The teen growled, forcing the man to sweat. "You know where he is...and you're gonna tell me. Now start talking before I let my claws talk for me."
"Okay, okay." The man breathed. "The Red X, he...he wanted to know where he could find-" From out of nowhere, an X shaped shurriken collided against the man's skull, shocking the teen and forcing him to drop the now unconscious thug. He quickly looked in the direction it came and noticed a shadowy figure on a rooftop, fleeing from the scene.
The teen narrowed his eyebrows and growled. He quickly rushed towards the figures destination and jumped as high as he could, gripping the wall with his claws. He grunted as he jumped towards the roof again until he reached the top. He crawled about on all fours, searching for the figure but he was nowhere to be found. He rose to his feet and looked around some more until he noticed a small piece of black fabric lying on the ground. He picked it up and brought it to his nose.
He took a whiff and a wry smile grew on his cheeks. He threw it on the ground and followed the scent of leather, leading him towards his suspect.
A few minutes passed until the trail ended and he finally located the source of the trail. Unfortunately there was no sign of any life whatsoever. A look of confusion rose upon his face as he searched around a little more. No progress. Then all of a sudden, he heard something flying towards him at an unbelievable speed.
He quickly turned and leaned to the side, avoiding another X-shaped shurriken, flying towards the back of his head. He growled and glared at the culprit who threw it at him. A tall, scrawny figure wearing a completely black bodysuit with a red-x placed right over his left pectoral muscle, an ash-gray utility belt with matching gloves that had red Xs on the palms and back of the hands, a pair of black boots with steel-soles and a black cape that had an ash-gray interior.
His mask was a white skull, without a lower jaw, and a red x starting on his forehead, which ended beneath his right eye. His eyes were white reflective lenses.
"Lookin' for me, Wild Boy?" Red X asked, his voice slightly mechanical. He was pointed his hand out at the teen—a glowing red X emitting from his palms.
"The name's Predator, dirtbag." He retorted as he and Red X found themselves in a standoff, not once taking their eyes off each other. "I've been hunting you down all day, actually. I know what you did back there and now you're gonna pay!"
"Listen kid, I'd think this through if I were you." Red X warned. "Do you really think you stand a chance against me? I'm the one with the fancy gadgets...you, on the other hand have those wild animals inside you that make your eyes do that glow thing and turn you into a freak of nature. Does this seem like a fair fight to you?"
"Let's find out." Predator answered turning his eyes golden brown, sharpening his teeth and morphing his fingers into claws. He knelt down on all fours and roared a mighty roar.
"Ooh, a lion. I'm so scared." Red X admired sarastically.
"You should be." Predator said, his voice a little deeper than before. He charged at him on all fours like an actual lion. Red X stood his ground and once again pointed his palms out at him. Predator came to a stop and stood back on his feet, readying himself for what was coming. A wave of sharp, explosive red Xs rapidly shot out of Red X's palms flying towards Predator at a fast rate.
Predator morphed his eyes into those of a cheetah and ran a circle around him at an unbelievable speed. Red X however, did not ceasefire, although Predator's speed and agility got the absolute best of him.
Red X's palms suddenly started to malfunction and they stopped firing as clouds of steam started to shoot out of them. Predator came to a stop and smirked evilly.
"Huh, that hasn't happened in a while." Red X said as he ran away and leaped on another rooftop. Predator gritted his teeth and gave chase, following Red X from one rooftop to the next, attempting his absolute best to catch him.
After a few minutes, Red X leaped onto a higher building and came to a stop, realizing there was no other rooftop in sight. He heard Predator grunt from behind with not even a drop of sweat falling from his forehead.
"What's the matter? Scared to face a wild animal without your toys?" Predator teased.
"Actually..." Red X panted. "The old belts just running outta juice. Doesn't mean she has no fight left in her." He finished as the Xs on the back of his hands turned into X-blades. "Now how about we end this wild goose chase and let the real fun begin?"
"Thought you'd never ask." Predator agreed with a grin. His eyes began to glow bright yellow and his ears grew pointy while a little bit of fur grew on his cheeks. He crouched down and roared like an angry wolf. They charged at each other; the tension rising as the two opponents grew closer and closer to each other.
Red X threw his blades down but Predator effortlessly stood on both feet and caught both his wrists before either one could impale him. They glared at each other eye to eye with hatred until Red X kicked him away, causing him to grunt. Predator grasped his abdomen and quickly dodged an incoming thrust, followed by a parry.
Predator threw a round house punch but Red X avoided it and cut him in the hip, ripping part of his outfit and leaving a small, bloody scratch. Unaffected by the attack, Predator retaliated with a roundhouse kick, connecting to Red X's rib cage. Red X steadied himself and quickly charged at him again.
Predator jumped up and somersaulted over him, avoiding another incoming thrust and landed behind him on all fours. Red X turned and was caught by two hard punches to the jaw followed by another flying roundhouse. Red X performed another series of attacks; two of them managing to cut Predator across his chest and left bicep. Predator grunted but managed to avoid the rest.
Predator blocked another attack and landed a few punches to his abdomen, followed by a headbutt to the chest. Red X staggered backwards a little. Predator hit him with a running knee, followed by another punch. Unfortunately, Red X blocked it and threw a punch of his own, colliding against his left eye. Predator threw off the pain and managed to catch another incoming attack. Predator growled and fell on his back, forcing Red X to fall as well. Predator shot both legs up and kicked him into the air, flipping him over on the hard ground.
Predator kip-upped off the ground and slammed his foot towards Red X's head, but he swiftly rolled to the side. He sweep kicked Predator off his feet and connected a hook kick to his abdomen, sending him flying through the air. Predator grunted as he rolled on the ground. He quickly recovered mid roll and caught himself before he fell off the ledge.
He took the advantage to let his healing factor to take into effect but it was really taking its time in doing so.
"What's the matter? Can't handle little ol' me?"
Predator narrowed his eyebrows as he felt the bloody cut on his chest disappear.
"I'll admit, you've got moves kid." Red X said, putting the blades away. "But that anger of yours makes you way too predictable."
Predator growled angrily and morphed his eyes into those of an American black bear. He charged at him enraged and threw his claws at him twice. Red X managed to dodge them both and kneed him in the stomach. Predator grunted in pain, falling down to his knees. Though becoming increasingly tired, he managed to gather enough willpower to throw another claw towards his face. Red X sucked back and kneed him in the chin, standing him back on his feet.
Predator was caught by two hard punches and another kick to his lower chest, pushing him backwards and rolling on his back. He struggled to stand back on his feet but was kicked in the rib cage again, forcing him to roll on his back. Red X jumped up and threw his foot down.
Predator managed to catch him before he could land on his chest. With a loud grunt, he forcefully pushed Red X to the side. He slowly stood back up to his feet gasping for air—his back turned to Red X. He turned and was surprised when Red X pulled the front of his mask and smacked it against his face. Predator grunted loudly and grasped his eyes, staggering uncontrollably.
"That never gets old." Red X chuckled. Predator let go of his face and felt an unbearable burn in his eyes. He felt the red mark in his eyes throb rapidly against his sclera. He was suddenly yanked by the wrist and hit with another punch to the left eye—leaving a huge mark—followed by an uppercut. Predator tried to swing a punch of his own but Red X blocked it and sent him flying through the air with a hard punch.
"I told you, kid: you never stood a chance." Red X said, watching Predator slowly rise on one knee. "You're just like the others. A pitiful waste of precious resources. The next time you wanna fight, you might wanna learn how to control your temper. Until then..." He pulled out a small canister and rolled it on the ground towards the battered and bruised Predator. Predator stared at the can for a second until a large red cloud of what seemed like teargas blew out of it and started to choke him to death, his eyes being forced to water as well.
Predator's coughing increased as his vision became blurry. His breathing became unsteady and his throat became clogged. At that point, couldn't tell what was going on. He suddenly started to see a series of flashes in his eyes until everything slowly went dark.
"And one more thing, kid." Red X said, approaching him. "The tides have changed. I'm the real predator...and you're the prey." He kicked Predator off the roof and sent him falling into the darkness below.
Meanwhile
"Man, I cannot wait. All-You-Can-Eat Pizza Friday" Cyborg said jovially, as he drove the T-Car along the road towards his and the Titans favorite pizza joint. Robin, the team leader sat in the second seat while Starfire, Raven and Beast Boy sat in the back.
"Indeed." Starfire agreed. "I am also excited to enjoy the tangy goodness of the yellow beverage."
"Starfire, we told you..." Robin said with a smile to his girlfriend. "That's mustard. It's not exactly meant for drinking."
"Wait a second..." Cyborg said, noticing Beast Boy sticking his head out the window in the shape of a dog drooling uncontrollably again. "Yo, what did I tell you about getting drool on my car?!" He yelled, his teeth sharpened.
"Ehehe, whoops. I forgot." Beast Boy chuckled, shifting back into his normal form.
"You know what, just for that I'm getting pepperoni as soon as we get there." Cyborg threatened.
"Dude, you wouldn't!" He yelled offended.
"Oh yeah I will. Maybe that'll make you think twice before getting your slobber all over my baby."
"Dude, I said I was sorry. Come on, you're not really gonna eat meat in front of me all because I got a little drool on your car."
"The fact that you two are arguing about this just proves how frustrating it is to read around you." Raven said looking up from her book while a red nerve vibrated on her forehead. "And also, it's All-You-Can-Eat, so it really doesn't matter what pizza you get when we get there."
"But still, I've been one of those animals, so eating it in front of me makes me uneasy."
"Beast Boy, it's not the first time we've had meat around you. So I wouldn't really make such a big deal out of it." Robin suggested.
"But dude-"
"Look, let's just try not to worry about it. Right now, let's enjoy the night while it's still young and not make a big deal out of small things, okay?"
"Ugh, fine." Beast Boy said crossing his arms.
"Finally." Raven muttered relieved that she could focus on her book again. For the last few seconds, everything was quiet until:
"BASH! KLANG!" A large human-shaped obstacle came crashing down into the hood of the T-Car, the rolling against the windshield smashing the glass in the process.
"WHOA!" Cyborg exclaimed in shock as he slammed his foot on the break. Robin's eyes widened as he tightly gripped onto his seat. The car slid heavily, leaving skid marks in the road. It eventually came to a stop as the figure fell off the car and rolled on the pavement.
"Is everybody all right?" Robin asked, checking the backseat to make sure everyone was okay.
"I believe I am unharmed." Starfire said, her eyes widened and her hair a little messy. Beast Boy had his arms wrapped tight around Raven—his mouth wide open and his eyes as big as saucers. Raven's eyes were wide for a second until she glared at Beast Boy and used her telekinesis to get him off.
"Aside from everything else, I think I'm alright, too." Raven said. "What was that?"
"I don't know; it was big, though." Robin said. "Come on, let's check it out."
They all stepped out of the now slightly damaged car. Cyborg, out of consent for his 'baby' immediately started bawling his eyes out.
"Aww not again! How many times does this have to happen?" He cried, grasping his head and falling to his knees.
"Cyborg, we'll worry about the car later. Right now we need to figure out what fell on the car." Raven said.
"Well whatever or whoever it was, they better hope I don't put them through the-"
"Uh, guys?" Beast Boy called pointing at a person lying on the road. Starfire gasped as they quickly rushed towards him. They quickly noticed the 'P' on his back.
"What is it?" Beast Boy asked.
"Not what...who?" Robin corrected as he rolled the person on his back revealing multiple bruises, cuts, bloodstains and a scar on his right eye which seemed to have already dried up.
"Is he..." Starfire asked nervously.
"I don't think so. He's badly injured but I think he'll be okay." Robin answered hearing the teen quietly moan in pain. They were quickly shocked when they noticed the injuries quickly heal themselves, until they were completely gone.
"Okay, that was totally freaky!" Beast Boy commented.
"Can you hear me? Don't worry, we're gonna get you out of here. C'mon guys, help me get him in the car, we need to get him back to the tower."
"Now? But what about pizza?" Beast Boy whined.
"No time. We need to get him back to the tower, quick." Robin said as he and Raven carried the masked teenager into the T-Car. "Cyborg, is the car still functional?"
"It's just some minor damage but it should get us back to the tower fast enough."
"Then just get us there as fast as you can. Beast Boy, you, Raven and Starfire keep am eye on him until we get there." Robin ordered as he and Cyborg got back in the car.
Beast Boy sighed in disappointment as he got into the car, where Starfire and Raven were already aiding the young vigilante. His head rested on Raven's lap while his torso rested on Star's. Beast Boy lifted the teen's legs and placed them on his lap.
"Do not worry, friend." Starfire said calmingly to the unconscious boy. "You are in good hands."
"Yeah, and hopefully he can use his hands to make us a few pizzas to make up for tonight." Beast Boy said under his breath.
"Any idea who he could be?" Cyborg asked.
"Not sure. But from the way he's dressed, I've a feeling this was no accident." Robin replied, glancing back at the teen as the car headed it's way back to Titans Tower.
To Be Continued...