(A/N: Alright guys, here's the prologue to the story. I'm hoping that it just sets up the main character, who I guess you guys know will become later in the story. Hopefully I'm not too obvious about what's going to happen and who everyone is, but I digress: Enjoy (I hope))

The Forsaken Hero

Abandoned. That is a feeing Red X is all too familiar with. Feeling abandoned by his parents, friends and everyone else, Red X must come to terms with who he truly is, and stop a terrible plot from coming to fruition…..

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans (you probably already know that). This is just an AU fanfic with an OC Red X

Prologue: The birth of a hero

"But Why?" was all that Alex could wonder as he pounded his fists against the wall. "How could they…everyone abandoned me!" His room was dark, dreary, and simply only served the purpose of sleeping, nothing else. It wasn't the paint peeling off of the walls, the broken window in his room, or even the hardness of his bed that caused his grief. For any normal person, his living conditions would have been appalling, but Alex was not normal. "If only mom could see me now…" Alex thought to himself as he chuckled. He remembered that day 8 years ago as if they were just yesterday…..

~~Flashback~~

It was a normal day at first, as he, an eight year old boy, was watching his father fix a motorcycle. Alex couldn't help but wonder how the motorcycle worked, or how his father was able to fix it. The handlebars of the vehicle shined brilliantly under the intense rays of the sun. Ever since school finished a week ago, Alex had been spending more time with his dad. He had always wondered where his mom was. All he knew was that she "went on a very long trip and might never come back". He had grown lonely without his mother, but his father was there for him, having him help with building or fixing things. This was something Alex came to really enjoy. Unbeknownst to his father, Alex had a gift. It wasn't super strength, invisibility, the power to fly, or even any other super power he had read about in comic books. He could look at something and see exactly what it was made of, how he could manipulate or create something out of it, and could analyze and predict all the possible situations that arose from that object, person, or action. Right now, with his eight-year-old mind, Alex was pondering how to turn that motorcycle his father was working on into a rocket to the moon.

But then…it happened. A man knocked on the door, and Alex went to answer it.

"Hello young lad, I'm looking for your father. Is he around?", asked the man.

"Sure. Dad, someone here's here to see you!", he exclaimed happily.

Alex couldn't help but wonder why this man was here, but he shrugged it off. While he went off to his room and was busy converting his watch into a portable television so he could watch cartoons on it, he could here the conversation of his father and the other man due to the thin walls of their tenement above the garage where his father worked.

"Sir…I'm so sorry. Your wife….she was making a speedy recovery in the hospital….But then….someone came…and h-he…took her life. He…left this for you", said the man.

"It…It-It can't be….He's back!", yelled Alex's father, who was filled with anguish, anger, and above all else, a thirst for vengeance.

A while later, the man left, and his father came and sat next to him.

"Son? What's that you're making?", asked his dad.

"Dad, this is gonna be great! I'm going to turn this watch into a TV, just you wait! It's gonna be awesome!", exclaimed Alex.

"Son, I'm sure it's going to work, and it'll be great", replied his father as he chuckled at his son's work. "Listen son", he said as his face suddenly turned serious. "I'm going to go out later tonight. I-I've got to take care of something. I'll probably return, but if I don't, Know this: I love you son."

As his father left the room, Alex continued to work on his invention, completely unaware that this was the last time he would ever see his father again.

~~End~~

"Father! Why'd you have to go? Why'd you leave me? What did you have to do?" thought Alex as he sat on his bed, distraught over what had happened 8 years ago. Soon however, he was disturbed from his thoughts by a voice.

"Seriously dude. Could ya stop hitting the wall?" It's getting really hard to sleep up here with you making all that noise", said the voice.

"Yeah, sorry about that Yingwen", replied Alex. "Sometimes, I just can't stop these memories from coming back."

"Don't worry about that Alex. I guess since we're both up now, we should probably see if here's any breakfast left", said Yingwen.

"Fine", answered Alex. "But I've got dibs on the shower first."

Before Yingwen could reply, Alex raced up to the bathroom. He stared into the mirror. What he saw was his own reflection—his gravity defying spiky hair that stayed the way it was no matter what he did to it, his sharp green eyes that had the hints of sadness, pain, and grief, his sharp high cheekbones and chin, all topped off with a grimace, as Alex sighed to himself. "I can't seem to help it. Except for the eyes, I look so much like dad." With memories of his father coming back to him, he couldn't help but smile as he showered and got ready for the day. But as his memories went back to that day, his smile turned into a frown. "Why did you have to go Dad?"

Ever since the passing of both of his parents, he had been forced to reside in an orphanage on the outskirts of Jump City until he turned 18. His father, in his will, didn't leave behind a great sum of money, or something like that. He left behind a note which said, "Son, I love you so much. Just remember, look beyond what you see." , and a small rock of some sort. Soon after coming to the orphanage, Alex had befriended Yingwen, a young Chinese boy his age who lost both of his parents as well. The two were inseparable, and had been roommates at Jump City Orphanage for the past 8 years. As his best friend, Alex could tell Yingwen anything, and as he looked at Yingwen as his friend exited the bathroom, ready for the day, his mind went off. Subject observed. Identity: Yingwen. Status: Best Friend: Possible actions: Make a joke, Go to breakfast.

"Well, come on Alex! We don't want to be left with the "Breakfast Special" again, do we?", said Yingwen as he waited for his friend.

"You're right. Let's go", he replied.

Unfortunately, Yingwen was right. They were left with the infamous "Breakfast Special": two pieces of French toast, two scrambled eggs, and five strips of bacon. The breakfast looked delicious, but his mind told him otherwise. Subject: Breakfast

Status: Food. Contents: Although it appears to be delicious food on the outside, it is composed of rotten fish, curdled milk, and moldy bread. Calorie content: 700 Calories. Possible actions: Only one: DO NOT EAT! Satisfied that his mind advised him once more, he couldn't help but laugh at his friend, who was devouring the breakfast.

"Don't tell me…..", said Yingwen. "The food's bad isn't it…"

"Yep, now if I were you, I definitely wouldn't eat it.", replied Alex as he laughed at Yingwen's face. "Remember what happened to Fred?"

~~Flashback~~

Fred was one of their friends who absolutely loved to ea. He lived, breathed, slept, and even dreamt of food, whether it was a sandwich, a hamburger, or even a potato chip.

It was one of those days where both roommates had overslept and were late to breakfast. Fred was there, as usual, devouring the New "Breakfast Special", which had been added to the breakfast serving schedule. However, that day, there was something in the special that didn't agree with Fred too well, and he was taken to the hospital, never to be seen again.

That is what everyone thought had happened. Unbeknownst to everyone else, Alex had tried to warn Fred of the danger while he was eating.

"Fred, you do realize what is in the food right? It could fucking kill you!", said Alex.

"HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT FOOD COULD EVER BE DANGEROUS!" yelled Fred as he tried to lash out at Alex with his generously sized arms. It was a rare occurrence, as Fred actually stopped eating.

However, Alex, who was extremely agile for someone his age and had seen Fred coming from a mile a way, dodged Fred's attack and kneed him hard in the gut. It was this that caused Fred's to have to go to the hospital, but Alex moved faster than the human eye. Even though the food was bad, Fred survived the food. What he hadn't survived was the retaliation of a certain 16 year old teen.

~~End~~

"Aww man, it tasted really good too! Ah well, you're right though.. No one wants to turn out like Fred", said Yingwen, as both chuckled at Yingwen's reply.

After finishing breakfast, the two came went to do the chores assigned to them, well one of them did. Yingwen, because he lost their bet on who would win the NBA Finals, had to do both of their chores, which suited Alex just fine. While his friend was doing the chores, Alex sat down, looking at the rock that his father had left him. Subject: Xynthonium: a valuable substance that is very reactive and could be used for a myriad of things. Status: While it is unstable and can have negative effects when used in large amounts, this small amount of the substance is not lethal to you. Possible Actions: Anything. However, it would be best to save it for when the time is right.

All Alex had to remind him of his dad were these two things: the note, now weathered with age, and the palm-sized Xynthonium. And although he was happy with where he was now, he still felt…..utterly alone.

As he was musing in his thoughts, Alex head a loud CRASH and a scream for help coming from the kitchens. "Oh no…Yingwen….." Alex ran as fast as he could to the kitchens, but by then, it was too late.

Alex's fears were realized as he saw his friend's limp body on the kitchen floor of the orphanage. Yingwen's breathing was rushed, and he was coughing out blood.

"Yingwen, no! Don't die on me! Don't leave me! Come on. Just stay awake. Listen to my voice", said Alex as he desperately saw his friend bleeding out, and there was nothing that he could even do about it. Subject: Yingwen. Status: Critical condition, he is bleeding out. Death is imminent in several minutes. Possible actions: None. It is too late. "Damn it!"

"Sorry Alex, I-I t-t-tried t-to f-f-fi-fight h-him off b-by th-throwing these p-plates at h-him, b-but it d-did-didn't w-work. It's F-Fred, h-he's b-back. It-it's t-too late f-or me. Ev-every-yone else is d-dead. R-run while you still c-can."

And with those words, his best friend passed on, leaving Alex truly alone once more.

He stared at his friend's now dead body, the x-shaped wound which killed him, and the blood and gore that filled the room. "Damn it! What the hell? Yingwen…No…..NOOOO! I-I'll find Fred an-and avenge you. That I promise" With tears running down his pale face, Alex ran off, looking for the person who would pay for this, Fred.

It wasn't too hard to find the behemoth that was Fred. Alex followed the crashing noises until he came to the room where he found a giant purple monster, who although super strong and packed to the brim with muscles upon muscles, was blind. "Damn…is that….Fred? What…..happened to him?"

"ALEX! WHERE ARE YOU? YOU DID THIS TO ME! I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU!", yelled the monster, as he thrashed about, running through walls, breaking furniture, and pounded the ground with his many fists.

"No…..Fred's here…..because of….me…It's all my fault…..Because of me, everyone….is…dead…..But I can't stop now….I made a promise…. And Fred, Fred did all of this…He killed everyone here at the orphanage….I may have caused this, but Fred….he took everyone away from me."

"I won't forgive you Fred! This ends now!", yelled Alex.

"HAHAHAHAHA. ALEX? IS THAT YOU? 'CUZ IF IT IS, GETT READY TO DIE!", proclaimed Fred as he charged Alex.

Time seem to slow down. Alex was drawn back to the scene where his best friend's body was, lying prostrate on the ground. His mind went back to that x shaped wound—the blood, the gore, his friend's death. He pulled out the Xynthonium from his pocket, and as he concentrated, the substance transformed into an X.

"You're wrong Fred. My name, is Red X."

Subject: Fred, a now giant muscle bound monster charging at you. Speed: 10 mph Possible actions: Shift to the side at the last moment to evade then do a sweeping kick to knock the behemoth off his feet. OR Somersault over Fred's head, land on his back, then use a series of jabs to knock him unconscious.

Alex chose the second option, and time seemed to return to normal. As Fred was about to charge into and ram and him, Alex somersaulted over Fred and landed on his back. With several jabs to Fred's neck, he passed out.

With the enemy defeated, Alex stared at the X in his hand. Subject: Xynthonium. It appears to have transformed into an X shaped wrist blade. Possible reasons why: Xynthonium reacts to your emotions, your intentions. All you have to do is concentrate, and the Xynthonium will do your bidding. Possible actions: With everyone else dead, there are two options. Either stay here and wait until the authorities come, where they will ship you off to a faraway orphanage for two years, or you leave this place ad strike out on your own.

Alex looked up to the sky, smiling at first, but his smile then turned into a friend. "Dad might still be alive….I need to find him! Where are you Dad? Why did you leave me?" The silence consumed Alex once more, and he was left completely and undeniably alone for yet another time in his life.

End Chapter

Chapter's done…At least I think for now. Anyways, sorry if it's starting off kinda slow. I think the next chapter will be the one which will get the plot rolling. This is just the intro. This is my first fic, so I'm still really working out the kinks/trying to figure out what works and what doesn't. Any feedback is much appreciated.

-Thanks,

Inatorinator