A/N: Hey y'all, I hope you're all enjoying this story! This chapter is going to be short, but the next one will be better I promise.
This is more of a filler chapter that I've used to make the transition between chapter one and chapter three smoother. In order to keep people from getting confused I want to elaborate a little on Elyza/Red-X. Most of her past and background will be revealed later on, but I want to elaborate on her briefly. Elyza as Elyza and Elyza as Red-X are going to be two very different people. While they are both very sarcastic and witty, Elyza is more stressed and less in control when she's herself. The reason for that being she works two jobs and is constantly worrying about Jake. She's hotheaded, but she's also very sweet and overprotective of those she cares about. She was forced to steal at a young age but keeps those habits reserved for Red-X. Elyza as Red-X however is more manipulative, she's cunning and swift as well as a master thief. She's able to let herself go more when she's Red-X and not worry so much about what's going on in her personal life. She loves getting under people's skin, but is more calm and collected when Red-X. She worries more about Slade when she is Elyza than when she's Red-X, especially because of Jake. I hope this has cleared some stuff up and I hope you like this chapter! Until next time!
I do not own Teen Titans, DC Comics, or any of their characters.
Warnings: One swear word this chapter and that's it.
Chapter Two
Elyza let out an aggravated sigh as she continued to pace back and forth in her apartment's kitchen. Rubbing her eyes, she once again mentally went over the first assignment Slade had given her.
Slade was worried about Red-X running out of power while on a mission because she didn't have enough Xynothium, so he was sending her on a mission to retrieve a reactor that could make a virtually endless supply of the synthetic substance when given a small amount. It was experimental technology that was still being modified and tested at a government facility just outside of Jump City, which meant Elyza would most likely be out all night. Thankfully Jake was spending the night at a friend's house, which meant Elyza didn't have to worry about him. But just because she didn't have to didn't mean she wouldn't.
It didn't mean that Elyza didn't have the mother of Jake's friend's number on speed dial. It didn't mean that Elyza wouldn't have her phone on during the heist, even though keeping your phone off was rule number one in the "Thieving Handbook for Dummies".
Elyza let out another sigh as she pulled on the Red-X suit. The only reason she even agreed to let Jake have a sleepover at his friend's house was because of this assignment. She didn't trust the family, but not because of anything they did. She didn't trust anyone when it came to Jake. Half the time she didn't even trust herself.
Knowing she needed to stop stalling and get a move on, Elyza pulled on her mask, opened the kitchen window, and pulled herself up onto the roof.
She wasn't scheduled to work nights this week at the bar which made this assignment and any others she had to go on this week a lot easier. During the days Elyza either stole or waited tables at the restaurant/bar where she worked. She would bartend during the nights when she could pick up more hours. Stealing often went on the back burner when it came to her other jobs, and she prayed that this new...whatever it was she had with Slade didn't interfere with her other life. But even if it did, it was worth it to get Jake a new heart. To have Jake finally be able to have fun and just get to be a normal kid.
Taking a deep breath, Elyza shut down that part of her brain, blocking out Jake's image. She couldn't be Elyza anymore. Now was the time to be Red-X.
...
Becoming Red-X had was known almost as easy as just flipping a switch in her brain. The fact stirred something in the Elyza part of her brain, but Red-X shoved it into a far corner of her mind, as had become a habit for the thief. She needed to focus on the task at hand.
Red-X jumped from the roof she was on. Seeing she wouldn't make the next roof, she pressed a button on her belt and teleported mid fall, landing on the roof she had aimed for. Red-X smirked as she continued running.
Looks like I won't be going splat on the sidewalk today. She thought. Go me.
When Red-X reached the Military Research Facility, she put the communicator Slade had given her in her ear, biting down hard on the inside of her cheek as she did so.
"Go for Red." Red-X said as she started looking for an open window or a different way into the facility while she waited for Slade to respond. Seeing an air duct on the side of the building, Red-X smirked to herself and jumped over to the roof of the building.
"Do you have a way in?" Slade's voice came over the comm and Red-X rolled her eyes behind her mask. Man did this man grate on her nerves.
"Sure do." Red-X said as she lowered herself from the roof onto a ledge right beneath it. She pressed herself against the side of the building and grabbed an adhesive x and some rope. Sticking the adhesive x on one end of the rope, Red-X held the other end firmly before tossing the adhesive x side to where the air duct was located.
Gulping in a mouthful of air, X stepped off the ledge and swept through the air. Pulling herself up the rope, Red-X grabbed another adhesive x from her belt and made sure that it stuck to her glove before sticking it to the side of the building and putting all her weight on that arm as she fumbled the cover of the air duct open.
Pulling herself into the air duct, Red-X placed a hand over the ear that held her comm.
"I'm in." She said as she pulled out a small can of hairspray out of her tool belt, spraying it as a way to detect any security lasers. Thankfully there weren't any.
"Good." Slade's deep voice resonated over the comm as Red-X crawled through the duct. "I don't need to remind you Red-X that it is detrimental you get this reactor." Slade stated and Red-X scoffed.
"No? I thought I was merely crawling around the vents of a military research facility just for the heck of it." She said, sarcasm dripping off of every word.
"Be advised Red-X, one of these days that mouth of yours is going to get you in more trouble than your worth."
"You can already check that box." X quipped, reaching her stop and unscrewing the cover off. She couldn't help it, being sarcastic and getting under people's skin was one of the only things she was good at.
Red-X dropped from the ceiling silently, not making a sound as she landed gracefully on the floor. Pulling out the hairspray again, she sprayed it, revealing several security lasers. Red-X smiled.
"Hairspray." She said to herself as she avoided the lasers with ease and reached the pillar the reactor rested on. "A girl's best friend. This is almost too easy." And just as she was about to grab the reactor, a voice sounded behind her.
"Didn't your mom ever tell you not to take things that don't belong to you?" Cyborg said and Red-X turned around to see him and the rest of the titans blocking the entrance to the large room.
Shit.
