Here's another update. Hope you like it.

-Scarlet


CHAPTER 8

"Red-X!" Robin growled through his teeth. The security video on the screen showed a man running down an alley, but all I saw was a black cape.

"May I come, Robin? I can help!" I said, clenching my fists.

He shot me a suspicious glance as the others got ready. "I don't think that's…"

"Trust me," I said softly, pleading with my eyes. "Please, trust me."

He still seemed unsure, but he nodded sharply. "All right, fine. Where's Beast Boy?" he called, just as Beast Boy came stumbling into the room.

He yawned and rubbed his eyes. "Wa'sup?" he asked tiredly.

"Dezerae is coming, so you'll have to carry her. We need to get there fast."

His face brightened, and he gave me a huge green grin. "This'll be awesome. What would you prefer: Pterodactyl or giant hawk?"

"Uh…"

Before I could even put sense to what he'd just said, I was on the back of a giant flying dinosaur. I yelped when it jumped from the roof of Titans Tower, and gravity seemed like a whole new concept to me. The wind whipped at my loose hair and stung at my eyes, but the sensation was like none other. We crossed the water surrounding the Tower in no time, and soon, the glowing cityscape was flying out from under us.

Starfire carried Robin by the arms, as Raven did with Cyborg. "Ugh! You're so heavy!" Raven complained in monotone.

"Told ya we should've taken the T-car!" Cyborg shouted, crossing his arms.

"Stop fighting, you guys! We're almost there!" Robin yelled, silencing them.

I clutched the sides of the dinosaur with my knees, and tightened my arms around its neck. I held my breath as we descended lower into the buildings of downtown. The dinosaur cocked its head back and looked at me. The eyes were Beast Boy's, making me smile.

I screamed when he swooped down super-fast, holding on closer. "Beast Boy!"

He leveled out and glanced back again, and I thought I saw him smile.

"There! They're trying to block him off!" Robin called.

In the street, there were at least five police cars. Blue and reds lights flashed across my face as we passed over them. Raven and Starfire touched down with Cyborg and Robin, just beyond the blockade. "So… where is he?"

Just then, my eyes caught a dark figure coming out from in between two buildings. The man whirled around to face the Titans, and I could see a large, red "X" across his torso. A white scull mask covered his whole face.

"You won't get away this time, X!" Robin yelled, and the other Titans fell in formation behind him.

However, paying no attention to them, the caped man looked right at Beast Boy, who was still in flight with me. He suddenly took out a strange-looking gun and shot at Beast Boy. Banking abruptly to avoid the red blast, Beast Boy tossed me right off his back, sending me falling twenty feet to the hard concrete. Flashes of HIS training exercises played through my head… I rolled my landing to soften the impact, and stopped in a crouched position.

"Titians, GO!"

Explosions and yells burst into action between Red-X and the remaining Titans, and witty phrases were exchanged frequently.

Keeping my wits, I ran over to where Beast Boy had fallen. He was covered in sticky, red web-like material. He was in human form, unconscious but breathing. I bent over him and tried untangling the red stuff, but it was way too tight. I tried shaking him awake. "Beast Boy?"

Suddenly, there was a blast that knocked me to the ground on my back. I sat up and coughed on the dust that the explosion caused. My eyes stung and I couldn't see a thing. Then, I felt somebody grab my hair and lift me up. I gasped at the pain and frantically grabbed for whoever it was, trying to stand to my feet all the while.

"Well, well, well… What do we have here?" a low, husky voice said.

I squinted and looked up. The white mask that looked down at me was tipped to the side in curiosity.

"A new Titan?" He lifted me right off the ground to his eye level, and I cried out at the fire in my scalp. I griped at his strong wrists and gritted my teeth in pain. He cocked his head from side to side, getting a good look at me.

"Let me go," I commanded, glaring at the hollow black eyes of the mask.

"Put her down, X!" I heard Cyborg shout. Starfire had been pinned to the side of a building with a large "X" with a smaller one on her mouth. Raven appeared unconscious on the ground far away. Robin and Cyborg stood across from us. Cyborg's plasma cannon glowed blue, and Robin held a boomerang behind his head.

"Sure, kid… why not?" said X. He dropped me to the ground and bolted down the street.

Robin took off in pursuit, running past me. Cyborg crouched next to me. "Are you OK?"

I rubbed the back of my head; it was sore. "Y-Yeah. You better help Robin," I added quickly.

"Right." He left after Robin and X.

I stood shakily, glancing up and down the street. It was a battlefield: craters from explosions were in the street, and red "x's" were scattered everywhere. I felt hopeless. I could've helped a lot more, but the thick of battle caught me off guard. Training in HIS laboratory was a lot different than the real deal.

"Hey there, hottie."

I whipped around to see Red-X casually leaning on a building. "You! But… how did…?" I looked from him, to where I'd seen him run down the street. I hadn't seen him double-back.

"It's a hologram," he laughed, shaking his head. "They're so stupid…"

"Oh, no. You're the only stupid one here." I rubbed my fingers together, keeping my hands nonchalantly at my sides. I kept my face expressionless.

"Is that so?" he said, amused. He pushed off the brick building and walked around me in a half-circle, then stopped. "What's your power?" he asked amiably.

"I really shouldn't say," I said, imitating Raven's neutral tone. "You may find it quite… shocking."

He stepped behind me so I couldn't see him. "I'm always up for a surprise, cutes."

He grabbed me by the shoulders, but I was much faster. I grabbed his wrists and crouched, flipping him over my back. Unfortunately, he brought me tumbling down along with him. He was back on his feet before I was, but he stood back to let me make a move.

Angry, I fell for his trick and karate kicked him right in the "X" on his chest. "Hy-ya!" He didn't even flinch, instead, be caught my ankle and twisted. I flew to the ground painfully, and the impact knocked the wind out of me. He grabbed me up by the collar and slammed me into the building.

His masked face was just an inch from mine. "You may be a hottie, but you can't fight! AGH!"

I kneed him where it counts and punched him right in the jaw. This time, he staggered back. "Is that so?" I mocked.

He growled furiously and rushed at me. I held out my hands I front of me, and the charge was so gathered that it surrounded my hands in a pale, blue glow. But I'm sure it was the shining blue eyes that stopped Red-X right in his tracks.

"Who are you?" he shouted.

I stepped forward and delivered a good punch to his face… well, mask. If I over-did it, he might be more harmed than the Titans wanted him to be. He staggered backwards… and disappeared in a flash of white light.


AH! Was he the actual hologram? Sorry about another cliffhanger… I'll update again soon.

-Scarlet