Masks
It had been two days since the Titans stopped the theft by one of Slade's programmed robots. It had also been two days since the team had seen Robin.
Starfire recounted Robin's anger at Slade's trick and the taunt he'd issued through video feed. She had followed Robin to assist in the defeat of the malevolent robot, but he had brushed her aside and once the robot self-destructed he took his motorcycle home without addressing a single syllable to anyone.
"I must admit, friends, Robin frightened me in that instant of such uninhibited rage." Starfire said timidly.
Raven frowned. The team has been sidestepping their leader's needs for days, choosing to fear him from afar instead of help him through his problems. Starfire's statement was definitive proof that she and Robin were as she had said 'not compatible.' Robin's intensity and passion were key parts of his character and they had to be accepted not ignored.
"I'll be in my room." Raven said, keeping her face blank as ever.
It was only five o clock, so she wasn't going to her room to sleep. In fact, she wasn't going to her room at all. She was thankful none of the Titans had questioned her intentions because lying was tiring and she had to speak to Robin privately.
Raven levitated to Robin's door, exhaling before knocking once. She wondered how she'd be received. The door swished open and her leader's tired face greeted her.
"Robin, you look exhausted."
"You interrupted my research on a demented killer to tell me that? Gee, thanks for wasting my time." He snapped.
"Watch it, Wonder Boy. It was merely an observation. I came to make sure you were okay. We haven't seen you in two days. Have you eaten anything? Or slept at all?"
By the hard edge to his jaw, she guessed the answer was no.
"My work takes precedence over any trivialities."
"Trivialities like the nutrients and rest you need to survive? Right." She said sardonically and he glared.
"I don't have to explain myself to you, Raven. We're done here." He shut the door on her face.
Raven didn't sleep well that night and she hated the fact that it was due to Robin. She had grown accustomed to his innate kindness and warmth towards her. He was the one to seek her out when she had withdrawn to her room or the roof. He saw good in her and believed there was more than a creepy empath with dark magic.
She wasn't used to this disconnected, cold Robin who was starving himself and evading sleep to track down a master criminal. But, it wasn't any master criminal. It was Slade and as the Titans were rapidly learning, he brought out the worst in all of them.
"Why did I have to carry you? Why couldn't Starfire carry you? You're heavy, dude!" Beast Boy was complaining, dropping Cyborg on their designated rooftop.
"Because I said so." He replied calmly.
"You're not the boss of me!"
"When Robin isn't around, I am the boss of you."
Beast Boy stuck his tongue out but the mention of their absent leader made Starfire's eyes sadden.
"Where is Robin, friend Cyborg?"
"He said he was following up a lead on Slade and we should take this one on our own. It's a robbery. Shouldn't be much trouble."
On a regular night, he would have been right. But this was not a common thief. Raven gasped as the moonlight fell on a darkly clad figure. He turned around and a skull mask with a prominent red X on the forehead that mirrored the one on his chest was seen.
"Who is that?" Beast Boy asked, mouth agape.
The figure seemed to grin, shifting the mask minutely. The black cape on his back rustled with the passing wind but he did not move. There was a gleaming blue security chip in his right hand, held casually by his side as if the superhero team in front of him were no threat.
"He's the thief! Titans, go!" Cyborg snapped into action, shooting his laser cannon forward.
The thief performed a high flip, landing on Cyborg's back and pulling out the secret panel that controlled his interior/exterior circuitry. Cyborg was able to let out a cry of outrage before he was manually powered down.
"Who do you think you are?" Beast Boy growled, morphing into a stampeding rhinoceros that shot straight for the villain.
Beast Boy didn't make it far before an X shaped bubble was thrown at him, forcefully stopping his movement and reverting him to human form where the strange red substance had congealed over his face and hair.
"I'm Red X. And I think I'm the one who took down the Teen Titans." The thief said arrogantly, speaking in a tinny voice that was almost metallic in pitch.
Raven narrowed her eyes. The mask must have a voice distorter to conceal the wearer's actual tone. The suit also covered every inch of his body. This guy didn't want anyone to even guess what his identity was. It reminded her of Robin.
"You have done no such thing!" Starfire's eyes illuminated and she flew overhead, shooting starbolts at Red X, who dodged each one with flips that made his thin frame glide through the air.
She was going to use her more potent eye beams when Red X released an X from his palm and chucked it at the alien girl. The X expanded in midair until it was larger than Starfire. She squeaked as the X took her down and trapped her body to the floor, trapping Cyborg's still form and Beast Boy's struggling limbs as well.
And then it was just Raven left.
She was levitating slightly over the ground, watching the thief as he sauntered forward. She could almost picture his smirk. He was planning something for her. She didn't know what but she would find out. She stretched her mind out to touch Red X's and jerked in confusion at the familiarity of the aura. Before she could delve deeper and discover exactly who was under the costume by discerning whose mind it was, Red X had lunged at her and she was forced to fly to one side to avoid the attack.
All thoughts of the thief's identity were forgotten as she began to chant her incantation to take him down.
"Azarath Met-mmph!" she fell to the ground with an abrupt thud, her knees taking most of the impact.
She had been stopped by an X that had covered her mouth before she could finish her words. Raven did not always depend on her chant to use her powers, but she had meditated very early that morning and needed to focus her energies on one thing. The mantra was what helped her do it. Now, cut off from it, she was too distracted to use her powers without releasing excess magic that could hurt her friends.
She tried prying the X off, but the material was a thick rubber that had attached itself to her lips and the edges of her cheeks and chin. She glared daggers at the thief that had knelt in front of her and grabbed her face with his gloved fingers.
"Maybe next time, pretty bird." The metallic voice was so close to her ear she could hear the subtle undertone of the device that altered his real voice.
Red X stepped back, pressed the button on his belt, and disappeared. He had successfully stolen a classified security chip from under the Teen Titans' noses.
Raven, still clutching at the X over her mouth, couldn't help but remember the soft touch of the thief's hand and the intimate whisper he'd used to give her a new nickname.
Robin had been waiting for them at home, seemingly impatient for their return. Cyborg was the best of the bunch. His system had eventually rebooted and he woke cursing Red X and the ground he walked on. Beast Boy continued to whine about the state of his hair, which looked a dirty scarlet color because of the concentrated red goop in the usually green locks. Starfire, like Cyborg, had come out unscathed. She'd managed to break the X that trapped her and had offered to fix Beast Boy's hair with some snips and combing.
Raven was the only Titan with an actual impairment as the X was still firmly on her face. She'd ridden home with Cyborg in his T-car but the android had been so busy badmouthing the new thief, he hadn't helped her with the mark said thief had left on her. Beast Boy had stolen all of Starfire's attention to his hair, so she hadn't noticed Raven's predicament until just then.
"Oh, friend Raven! You were harmed by that mad man in the ghostly mask!"
"Mm!" Raven said, disgruntled.
She had been muffled by the makeshift gag for more than an hour and her lips were numb and probably chapped by that point.
"I shall assist you in its removal!" Starfire stepped forward but she accidentally waved the scissors she had in one hand too vigorously.
The scissors flew through the air, landing in Beast Boy's hair and getting stuck in the red substance. Beast Boy squealed and Raven's eyes widened. She shook her head and backed away from the advancing Starfire, not noticing she had bumped into a hard chest behind her. She turned and saw Robin's face. It wasn't the boyish mischief that she usually saw but it was a more pleasant expression that what he displayed the night she'd tried to talk to him.
"That's okay, Starfire. I can help Raven with this. Why don't you get started on Beast Boy's hair?" Robin suggested and she nodded.
Beast Boy tried to protest but Starfire hopped on the counter behind him and pulled his head back, tugging the scissors free but also tugging some of the hair from his scalp. Cyborg winced and turned to his leader.
"We needed you today, Rob. Where were you?"
"I told you already. Following a lead."
"Did you learn anything useful?"
"No, but that doesn't mean I won't stop trying."
"Of course not. You'll keep going off to do your own thing and leave us hanging whenever you feel like it. This thief, Red X, isn't our usual criminal. He's smart."
"And wicked fast, dude! He had all these gadgets in the form of X's! It's like he knew how to take us down one by one!"
Starfire tried to alleviate the tension in the room.
"But do not worry, friend Robin, we are unharmed."
Beast Boy gestured wildly at his hair and she gave a nervous chuckle.
"Mostly?"
"Beast Boy's hair is the least of our problems. You are letting your crazy fixation on Slade get in the way of this city's safety and our safety! It's like you don't care about the team anymore!" Cyborg raised his voice and Robin's face darkened at the accusation.
"I care more about this team than anyone else. I built this team!"
"But you're quick to abandon it!"
Robin's fists tightened but he took a deep breath.
"I'm not arguing with you, Cyborg. I know what I'm doing and you're going to have to deal with my decisions. Raven, come with me so I can remove the X." he said as he exited the room.
Raven spared Cyborg a glance and saw the mix of emotions on his face. Anger. Doubt. Disappointment. Resignation. She looked away and exited the same way Robin had.
Raven had been in Robin's room before but never for more than five minutes and she'd never been on his bed. Yet, here she was sitting awkwardly on the edge of his perfectly made up bed as he soaked a washcloth with warm water in his private bathroom. Her gaze wandered around the room. There were news clippings of Slade's attacks and expected whereabouts. He had all sorts of weaponry and gadget prototypes on his desk, but what really caught her eye was one of Slade's masks, probably retrieved from one of his many clones and drones.
"Does it hurt?"
Raven looked up at Robin and slowly shook her head.
"It must be itching, though. And your lips must be sore. Your fight with Red X was hours ago. Why didn't they remove this earlier?"
Raven rolled her eyes and shrugged. Both of them knew how absent-minded their teammates could be. This was no exception. Robin nodded but his mouth was drawn tight. He was pissed about something. Maybe he was frustrated his leads to Slade didn't pan out. Or maybe he was dissatisfied with the team's performance against Red X.
"This may sting a little, but the warm water should help the material shrink more naturally so I can pull it off quickly."
She nodded once and then Robin's bare fingers had grasped her chin so his other hand could run the moist washcloth over her mouth. The familiar gesture brought a flicker of apprehension to her mind, but then he set the cloth aside and then took the tip of the X and pulled it away in one swift movement and she had to shut her eyes at the stab of pain. When it passed she licked her lips and opened her eyes again. Robin was watching her with silent contemplation.
"What?" she asked and cringed at the dryness in her throat.
"Your lips are all swollen."
"Oh. I can fix that now… Azarath Metrion Zinthos." She whispered and waited until her powers had adjusted to her body again and self-healed the injury.
"What happened?" he asked and she knew he was referring to the battle.
"I was careless. I wasn't concentrating enough and Red X caught me off-guard. But that won't happen again." She flexed her fingers and watched small wisps of black magic permeate the air she touched.
"I'm sorry, Raven."
She met his masked gaze with a furrowed brow.
"For what?"
"For not being there when you needed me. When all of you needed me." He crossed his arms and stared at his wall of Slade.
The guilt radiating from his aura was strong and she had the sneaking suspicion that his guilt had to do with something bigger than he was revealing.
"Robin… what is going on with you? Why are you so removed from us?" her voice was soft and she hoped he wouldn't throw her out of his room or push her away again.
"I-I can't tell you. Not yet."
"Why?"
"Raven." His voice was low and intense as he grabbed her hands in his. "You have to trust me when I say that I'm doing everything I'm doing for the good of this team."
She didn't speak but studied his face for what seemed like hours but was merely seconds and finally she sighed.
"I can't pretend to understand what's going through your mind at the moment. I don't know what's happening and I suppose I'm not meant to know." She pulled her hands away and turned to leave his room.
"Raven." The voice made her pause.
"What?" she looked over her shoulder.
"Do you trust me?"
She stared at the closed door in front of her.
"If you asked me that last week, I would have given you an immediate response."
"And now?"
"And now… I don't know." She admitted and left his room.
Robin slammed a bare fist against the wall that was papered with the face he loathed most of all.
"You're ruining my life." He hissed at the mask on his desk. "I need to end this quickly."
He fished through the depths of his drawer to remove the Red X costume and change into it before initializing a video connection with his enemy.
"What's next?" the metallic voice he'd taken as his own asked and Slade chuckled.
"One chip down, two to go. Are you sure you're fit for the task with the Titans on your tail?"
"I can handle the Titans."
"Very well. I expect the remaining chips by the end of the week."
"You'll get them." Red X declared.
The following night the Titans, minus Robin, had been sitting around their living room aimlessly. Robin had left his room briefly that morning to announce he was leaving to pursue a lead and he'd be back sometime the next day. No one had the energy to protest. Raven just stared at her book, not reading anything but refusing to look at her leader.
When the alarm went off and the computer reported Red X again, they exchanged brief looks before Cyborg took the lead and rushed to the garage for his T-car, while the others flew to the company building.
This time Red X seemed more intent on avoiding a confrontation with the Titans because the second he saw them appear on the scene, he ran in the other direction, ducking into the opening for the subway station. The four Titans were hot on his trail, but when they reached the underground station it was empty.
"Damn. Lost him." Cyborg grumbled.
"Think again, tin man. Lights out." Red X said before fiddling with his circuitry and powering him down once more.
Starfire and Raven began shooting energy bursts from their hands, but he dodged the respective green and black blasts easily and then hit Beast Boy with an explosive that blinded his hawk vision and sent him crashing into a wall. Starfire shot a powerful eyebeam at him but he ducked and the beam ricocheted off a fiberglass window behind him, hitting Raven instead.
The sorceress fell back onto the train tracks, landing hard on her back. She groaned as she rubbed her head, which had hit the ground first and was now aching. She'd have to self-heal later.
"Raven!" Starfire shouted as the bright lights of an incoming train zoomed closer.
Raven's eyes shut, knowing her control was next to nothing because of her fear and her powers would be no help to her as the train crushed her fragile battle between steel and iron. A rush of air hit her face and suddenly her body was being lifted off the ground and carried to the other side of the train tracks. Her eyes shot open as she realized she had been saved… by Red X.
He held her upright but didn't release her, his skull mask boring into her, using the train's passing as time to get her alone from the other Titans.
"You-you saved me." She stammered and frowned as his hold on her tightened.
"Couldn't let you die, pretty bird."
She picked up the spike of his emotions and wondered why Red X cared so much about her well-being. She quickly delved into his outer aura until she touched his mind and gasped at what she discovered.
"It can't be." She said and Red X's body tensed.
The train was almost gone and the other Titans were shouting her name, but Raven could only gape at the man in front of her.
"You have to trust me." Red X said and when the train was finally gone, he pushed her back and delivered a rough kick to her midriff so she was thrown back onto the empty train tracks.
And then he was gone. But, so was his secret.
Robin didn't come home that night. The others hadn't expected him too, but Raven knew it was because he was off masquerading as Red X. She felt stupid for not seeing it before. Red X was familiar because he was Robin's other half, a tangible form of his inner darkness and obsession with taking down Slade.
Red X had known the team's weaknesses, but he hadn't hurt them in any irreparable way. He had saved Raven's life and she had known then, he was no common criminal. But, then what was he?
She understood the point of the act. It was for Slade's benefit, but did Robin think it would work? Slade could see and hear all. Wouldn't he notice the Titans were missing a leader every time they fought one particular villain who had suddenly appeared in Jump City?
Raven thought it best to keep the information from the Titans. Starfire wouldn't have handled the news well. Her recent interest in Aqualad was still in its premature stages and the two would talk via communicator but nothing was official. Besides, Starfire had been interested in Robin since arriving on Earth and her feelings for him had not faded away into fairy dust. The girl still depended on him and her trust in his goodness was mostly intact. Beast Boy was similar. He had initially idolized Robin and joined the team to impress him. Cyborg was Robin's best friend and he would feel so betrayed. As for Raven… she might be the only one who could understand but it didn't make it hurt any less.
She was betrayed and let down. Red X had been a blow to her trust in Robin and though she could forgive him for the impulsive decision, trust did not return on its own. It would have to be earned again.
The next day, the four Titans trained on the outdoor obstacle course and patrolled the city once before returning home. Cyborg had assumed command because as the eldest, it was a privilege the others allowed him. Raven wasn't interested in leading anyway. It was a trying job from what she'd seen in Robin's experience.
"May we go to the moving pictures theater?" Starfire asked the general room.
"You mean the movie theater?" Beast Boy clarified.
"Yes, the movie theater!"
"There's nothing good playing, but I'd do anything to get out of the tower."
The alarm blared again and Beast Boy groaned.
"Aw man, we never have any fun!"
"We're superheroes, Beast Boy, not party clowns." Raven deadpanned but her remark had no fire behind it.
The signal described the thief as only Red X could be described and that meant another fight with Robin. She didn't know how to act now that she knew it was her leader behind the skull mask.
"Dark girl, everything okay?" Cyborg asked, pausing on his way to the garage for the car.
Her heart twisted as she lied to someone she cared so much about and she realized this was what Robin must have been feeling.
"Everything's fine."
The silent alarm had been tripped upon his entrance, which gave him four minutes before the Titans would arrive. Robin was tired of the secrecy and charade, but this was the final chip and then he'd have Slade right where he wanted him. He grabbed the black object in his right hand and held it up the light.
"I have to say, I wondered how far you'd take this."
Robin whirled, seeing the man himself leaning on the wall behind him.
"Slade. I have all three chips. I've done what you asked."
"Yes, but I made a deal with a villain named Red X. And you, Robin, are most certainly not a villain." The evil man laughed and Robin growled, dropping the chips behind him, and grabbing Slade by the throat.
Before he could do anything else, the roof was blasted through with one of Starfire's eyebeams. She flew inside, carrying Cyborg who aimed a sonic blast at Red X, throwing him back and releasing Slade, who ran to escape from the back of the museum. Beast Boy knocked Red X's feet out from under him with his triceratops tail.
"Stop!" Red X shouted but the three Titans did not listen.
Raven flew through the roof last and saw the chaos of the room and Slade escaping out the back.
"Stop it! That's-
"It's me!" Robin revealed his face, ripping off the mask before Starfire could knock him out with a starbolt.
The girl dropped her hands and cried out as the other two stared openmouthed. Robin put the mask back on and chased Slade out of the museum. He managed to tackle Slade to the floor but when he ripped off the mask, he met a video screen. The real Slade laughed at Robin's evident frustration.
"Your obsession with me is quite an honor, Robin. You seem to stop at nothing to get to me."
"Where are you?!" he shouted.
"Closer than you think. When the time is right you will come to me. Until then… there is an adage that says: trust is easy to destroy but it takes time to build. Consider this lesson, Robin, when you face your team." The footage cut off and Robin slammed his fist into the robot.
All his hard work had been for nothing. And Slade had won again because Robin didn't know how to explain his mistake to his team. Or to Raven.
They had yelled at him. Shouted through tears. Cyborg had cursed.
And through it all, Robin stood rigidly at the center of the room, taking in their pain, knowing it was his fault and he deserved to feel as bad as they had. An hour later, Starfire had retired to her room, eyes red and puffy, Beast Boy had turned the T.V. volume high enough to block out sound itself to play a mindless video game. Cyborg retired to the garage and his car. Raven teleported to the roof and inevitably Robin followed her there.
"You didn't scream at me." His voice was hoarse though he hadn't been the one overusing his vocal cords.
"I didn't need to. The others took care of it." She didn't look at him.
"Raven." He sighed. "I need you to understand."
"I understand perfectly, Robin, as I am not an idiot. I know what you expected to happen and why you became Red X. That isn't the problem."
"Then what is?" he sat next to her but she was careful to keep any parts of their bodies from touching.
"You lied to me. Played a game with my emotions and with my trust. You took us down with your little toys and walked away flirting. Your fixation with Slade's capture got out of hand but instead of trusting me, you created a character and pushed me-us away." She added the team as an afterthought, but both of them knew it was less a team issue than a Robin/Raven issue.
"I'm sorry. All I can say is that I'm sorry and I was stupid and thoughtless and rash and many other words I'd rather keep to myself. I know that I hurt you and I broke the trust we'd worked so hard to gain and I'm sorry. Believe me when I say that I never meant for it to go this way. I wish I'd made a different choice."
"Me too." She watched the motion of the water below her.
"Will you forgive me?"
"I already have."
He looked surprised.
"Robin." She sighed. "My forgiveness isn't the same as my trust."
"I understand. And, Raven, I will do whatever it takes to gain that trust back."
"This is helping. We're talking again. I haven't seen you for more than ten minutes in a long time."
"Missed me, huh?"
"It's incredible the way you turn a serious moment into an ego trip."
He laughed.
"My ego acts up around you. I can't help it… pretty bird."
She looked at him and glared.
"What was that for? I didn't see you giving Beast Boy a nickname."
"Beast Boy isn't a pretty bird." He said coyly and she groaned.
"Forget I asked."
"If you say so, pretty bird."
Robin's laughter earned him a punch to the shoulder, but he didn't care. He'd missed Raven and their quiet talks on the roof or in the living room. The others would come around, but Raven's forgiveness had lifted a great weight off his shoulders.