A red computer chip floated in midst of a shining light surrounded by walls, floors, and ceilings of the same advanced technology. It didn't have any additional security upon it. It might as well have come with a sign that said "Take it!"

Which is what this soldier was sent to do. Adorned in a black suit with silver, metallic lining, just like its master. It reached its hand out to pluck the chip from its poorly guarded location. But when it reached out, it hesitated. This location seemed quiet. Too quiet.

It raised what would've been its eyebrow when it discovered a spiky-headed, black-haired boy hanging from the ceiling.

Robin glared hard at the warrior. "Tell Slade if he wants this, he can come get it himself!" He detached from his perch and let loose a roundhouse kick to its head . Quite strong, it slid back without much damage. Still, it was startled when the lights turned on and found itself surrounded by five other teenagers.

Six, actually. It founds this out too late as Steven swung his Keyblade, fueled with a Fire spell, across its steel-plated armor.

He twirled his Keyblade as he admired his work. "You think Slade will get the message when he doesn't come back?"

"Didn't think of that," answered Robin. "But if it gets him out in the open, then that's fine with me."

A sudden explosion from the ceiling fill part of the room with smoke. When it cleared, several copies of the fighter they had just defeated stood before them.

Robin gritted his teeth in annoyance. "Titans! Go!"

Right off the bat, the Titans' leader pounded one of the soldiers into a wall, rendering it more useless than it was while functional.

Starfire blasted one from the air as it leaped towards her. It rolled past another one, which jumped to the ceiling. Seemingly out of nowhere, it pulled a small pistol that fired a yellow laser across several cylindrical devices attached to the ceiling.

Starfire gasped as one of them fell for her. Robin vaulted to her side and pulled her away before they were flattened. As they reached the ground, three more blasters were aimed at them. But before they could retaliate, a cube-shaped computer system slid into Slade's servants and smashed them against the wall.

Cyborg dusted his hands off. "Amazing what you can do with computers these days."

Raven raised a shield of dark energy to block the incoming wave of lasers that threatened to burn into her. She was almost too distracted by the burns they made in the floor that she barely raised another strip of energy to block an incoming punch. Then she defended against a second and third strike from her foe before it kicked her legs out from underneath her, pushing her to the ground.

Right on cue, the green ram that was Beast Boy slammed his horns into Raven's attacker and it collided with the wall. He didn't take a chance and rammed it again, knocking it out cold.

Raven could hardly believe what she was seeing, even as Beast Boy chanted in victory. "You owe me bigtime, you owe me bigtime!"

He squealed as he heard a loud BANG behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see another soldier, dazed and unconcious from its collision with two computer panels. He looked back over at Raven to see her glaring at him with her hands on her hips.

Beast Boy chuckled slightly. "Call it even?"

But through it all, most of them avoided destruction. Some even avoided confrontation. One in particular jumped all over the place until it finally sprang for the column of light, snatching the computer chip away from its post. Not letting it get away, Sora flung his Keyblade, tripping the solider and sending the chip flying through the air.

"I got it!" cried Beast Boy. He morphed into a large, green anteater and used his new, incredibly long tongue to snatch the chip from the air. He skidded to a stop by the wall and gripped it tightly.

But he didn't notice another fighter jumping down from the ceiling. It landed right on his tongue. He screamed in pain and the chip popped up into the soldier's waiting hand. It threw a device at its feet that let out a cloud of smoke. When it was clear enough to see, the Teen Titans saw absolutely no one but themselves.

They began to walk away. Beast Boy trailed behind the team, his voice lisping becuase of his tongue. "That tathted tho nathty."

Robin hardly noticed, as he was already rushing down the hallway. "Titans, spread out and find him!"

They quickly put that room far behind them as they ran. Soon, they came to a chamber with several openings that led in many directions. Each Titan took a different pathway. Only one could be the right tunnel to go through.

It seems fate would have it that Robin took that tunnel. Hardly a few steps down the corridor, he spotted an open vent. Leaping down into it, he landed in a stream of water that went up to his ankles.

The soldier with the chip was running away right before him. When it noticed him, it just kept running. It blasted its laster at Robin, but he ran past it without even blinking. It turned a corner and saw a dead end. Quickly analyzing the situation, it fired its laser into the cement ceiling just behind it. The top part crumbled and collapsed, leaving rubble between it and capture.

No way to go but forward. It used its laser to cut a large hole into the wall. What it used for eyes grew in size when it saw Starfire floating right outside.

"I am asking you nicely to please stop running and-"

ZAP! The minion showed no mercy as it fired its laser at Starfire. It struck and rendered her weak. She began plummeting towards the ground. Her attacker leaped out of the opening he had just cut, as if to go after her. Rockets ignited on the bottom of its feet and it flew upward, heading away.

Until it was pulled down with a hook.

Robin had fired two of his grappling hooks. One clasped around Starfire before she hit the ground and the other tied itself around the thief. Unfortunately, it still had the rockets. Robin yelled in the heat of the moment as he and Starfire were the unwilling followers behind their enemy.

Finally, it crashed down upon the beach as both Titans slammed into the water behind it. Starfire sat up and spat water out of her mouth. Looking over, Robin grasped the criminal by the scruff of his clothes. "Alright, talk! Who's Slade? Why does he want this chip?" He grasped the minion's mask. "And why are you working for-?"

He gasped when he pulled off the mask. This was a just a robot, as were the others. Behind the mask was circuitry, as well as a small screen. Robin hardly recovered from his shock when the screen flickered and displayed a person. The man he'd been chasing, standing in the shadows of an unknown location. "Well done, Robin. I think your skills are improving."

Robin gritted his teeth. "Enough games, Slade! What do you want?!?"

"But you do lack patience," Slade replied from the screen. "If you are that curious about my intentions, perhaps we should meet, face to face."

Robin only glared harder at the screen. "Tell me where you're hiding and I'll be there in a heartbeat!"

"Patience, Robin. Patience." The screen flickered and died and Robin could no longer see the his foe.

Robin tossed the robot to the ground, irritated. This was striking his last nerve. Slade was the most dangerous criminal he'd faced. The fact that he had used Heartless in their last encounter made that clear. It wouldn't be easy bringing him down.


"Okay, guys. All work and no flicks makes me a dull Beast Boy."

Beast Boy stood in front of the TV while Starfire, Raven, Sora, Steven, and Cyborg sat on the couch. The boys and Starfire watched expectantly while Raven just kept reading her book. "So, my fellow couch potatos, which will it be?"

Beast Boy held up a movie with a picture of two samurai warriors on the front. "Ultimate Ninja Showdown 8?" He held up another movie with a Godzilla-like monster for the cover. "Or Maniac Fury: Attack of the Protozoids?"

Raven rolled her eyes. "Gee, they both sound soooo good." she mumbled sarcastically.

Sora's eyes twitched back and forth between the two movies. "I wish you'd just gotten one movie, Beast Boy. I can't decide between masterpieces that easily!"

"No kidding, man," agreed Steven. "I don't think I can choose either."

Cyborg stepped up in front of the group. "You guys may call it a tough choice, but you know what I call it?"

"What?" asked Beast Boy.

Cyborg grinned widely. "DOUBLE FEATURE!"

"WHOO!" Sora and Steven cheered.

Starfire looked around the room, remembering the absence of their leader. "Perhaps Robin will enjoy potatoing the couch with us. Tell me, is he still-?"

"-in the same place he's been since his chat session with Slade?" finished Beast Boy. "Yeah."

Cyborg shook his head. "He's been taking that whole thing way too seriously."

"Not to mention he's pushing us, too," added Sora. "He's been having combat practice a lot more often. He's been sparring with me and Steven so many times, I feel like he's just trying to find our weak spot."

"It's not like it's that hard," shrugged Beast Boy. "I mean we totally creamed you guys the night you got here."

Sora glared at Beast Boy. "Thank you," he grumbled. "We'd just gotten over that."

Steven sighed and got to his feet. He mounted his hand on the couch and hopped over it.

"Where are you going?" asked Cyborg.

"I'm gonna check on Robin," replied Steven. "See if I can get him to chill out."

"We've tried before," warned Raven. "If it's even possible for him to relax, it's painfully difficult to make it happen."

Steven opened up the doors to the hallway and began heading towards Robin's room. "Well, we'll just wait and see, then."


A solitary light shined in Robin's room. He loomed over the table over which the light hovered. His wall was plastered with newspaper articles that had articles about Slade. Several clues left by his adversary rested upon the table. All this stuff and not a single clue to go on about where Slade was or what he was up to.

Robin's eyes narrowed in deep confusion. "Who are you?"

He heard a small swoosh behind him. He glanced back briefly to see Steven enter.

"Hey, Robin," he said. "Whatcha doing?"

Robin moved his gaze to the table. "Just thinking. I need to know what Slade wanted with that chip."

Steven sighed. His leader was delved into this mess pretty deep already. If he was willing to take a break, he had to be convinced. It was now or never.

"Robin," began Steven. "Me and the others are kind of worried about you. Ever since you spoke to Slade, you shut yourself up in here and haven't come out."

"I have a lot to think about," Robin didn't even look up at his friend.

"You're working too hard, man." Steven coaxed. "Take a break. Overworking yourself is going to make your thoughts very unclear."

"I can't take a break," determined Robin. "Starfire almost got hurt. It could be worse next time. I don't even want to have to think about what could happen."

Steven let out a breath he'd been holding. This really was a lost cause. "Well, good luck." He headed for the door. Robin didn't even acknowledge him leaving.

Then Steven stopped. What the others had said had made him wonder. Their leader obviously pushed them harder because their current matters involved Slade.

But why did Robin specifically decide that he needed to spar against him and Sora as much as he had? Steven had been counting the battles for competitive purposes. He'd lost count after at least ten sparring sessions, but they kept coming and coming again and again. Robin was an agile fighter already, but the Keyblade was an unfamiliar weapon to him.

But after all these fights, that probably wasn't the case anymore.

I'm thinking too much, Steven thought. I'm turning into Robin.

As he took another step, his thinking continued. During Steven's last encounter with Slade, whether it was directly or with a decoy, Slade had expressed personal interest in both Robin and him. Why was this? He hadn't been around long enough for Slade to know anything about him.

Trapped by his curiousity, Steven turned back towards Robin.

"Robin, you and I have sparred many times since the last time we had to deal with Slade." He began walking slowly towards the table. "Me and Sora haven't been on the team for long, so I can guess that we're the only ones whose weaknesses you didn't have figured out yet."

Robin's head spun around to face Steven. Evidently, this is something he hadn't expected anyone to figure out. Perfect. thought Steven. He stepped forward again and stared into Robin's mask, the closest thing to looking at his eyes. "What are you planning?"

Robin stayed silent. Steven didn't let up his gaze. After another moment, Robin let out an exasperated sigh.

"I have an idea on how I can catch Slade."

Steven raised his head. "Alright. I can't believe I'm saying this, but-" He took a deep breath, making sure he was thinking right. "I'll help you."

Robin raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Look, I know I just said you're working too hard and need to take a break. But hear me out." Steven reasoned with Robin. "Slade didn't seem to have it out for destroying things. There's.....something deeper to it....."

He stayed silent for a moment. "I think it might involve you and me." Steven held his hand in the air. His Keyblade appeared and his hand clenched around the handle. "I'm tired of worrying about it. The sooner Slade is caught, the sooner we can get on with our lives."

Robin's feet stayed planted to the spot he stood. Slade was planning something and he had to admit, it did seem to have more than just technological intent. It was true that Robin had been pushing himself lately and Steven was a fresh, unstressed mind that would be a great aid. But if the plan succeeded, Steven wouldn't need to overthink anything before Slade was caught.

Robin slowly nodded his head. "Here's what we need to do."


Five of the Teen Titans were gathered on a rooftop. Inside the building they were on, the computer chip that had almost been stolen the previous night was being nabbed again.

Cyborg's wrist communicator displayed Robin's face. "Me and Steven are taking out a contingent of Heartless on the far side of town. After that, we're tracking a lead on Slade. Sure you guys can handle this without us?"

"No problem." assured Cyborg.

Robin gave a nod before his face vanished from the communicator. Just as it did, a door leading to the roof of a building opened up. The person who stepped out was clearly the thief, but it was not the average crook. This person wore a black suit with a ragged cape and a white mask. Across the forehead of the mask and the chest of his suit were the symbols of a red X.

It didn't take long for him to spot the Teen Titans. Cyborg raised his sonic cannon. "You working for Slade, tough guy?"

The thief's masked eyes squinted at the team. "Red X works alone." He raised his hand, which also had an X branded on the palm, and shot a projectile of the same shape. It headed fast towards the Titans, who scattered as Cyborg shot it down.

Beast Boy leaped for the attacker as a lion. Red X fired another projectile at Beast Boy. Halfway to its target, the X melted into a gooey substance that splattered Beast Boy. Once he connected with the ground, he was stuck. None of Beast Boy's animal forms could break through the it.

Starfire's starbolts and Raven's dark magic couldn't touch Red X either. He lept aside with perfect precision to avoid their attacks. He fired an X at Starfire and it clasped around her arms, pinning them to her sides. Raven hardly watched her go down and held up her hands. "Azarath Metrion-"

An X latched over her mouth before she could finish.

Only two Titans remained standing. Sora rushed forward and pointed his Keyblade at Red X. Cyborg likewise aimed his cannon. "Surrender now and we won't have to hurt you," said Sora.

"Give up after coming this far?" questioned X. "I don't think so." He pulled out another X and threw it at his feet. A cloud of smoke burst out and shrouded him. Sora and Cyborg looked around to see where he would strike from.

After hearing a small burst, Sora flung his Keyblade out, cracking an X that would've hit him directly. "You'll have to do better than that!" laughed Sora.

At that moment, he was tugged in the other direction. "WHOA!" He slammed against the wall of an air conditioner on top of the roof. He stood up and tried to return to the battle, but was being held back by something on his wrist. He looked at the air conditioner to see his hand latched there with a small X. "I guess he took it to heart," said Sora.

Cyborg flung himself at Red X, but he was too agile and soon placed an X on Cyborg's back. Unexpectedly, it opened up a panel, revealing Cyborg's circuitry. Before long, Red X was messing around with it.

"Hey!" protested Cyborg. "Who told you how to shut me down?" As he spoke, Red X simply pushed him down like a statue. Then he jumped off the roof and literally disappeared, almost just like teleporting.

"Whoa," gasped Sora. "How did he do that?"

"I don't know," replied Cyborg. "Who is that guy?"


Slade hit a switch, activating a large screen on the wall. A man in a very strange, but very unique, suit was displayed. Who was he? That didn't matter. The thing that caught Slade's eye in an instant was the chip his drones had failed to steal the night before being held up by this captor. Meaning he probably had gotten past the Teen Titans in order to get it. An impressive feat indeed.

"Rumor has it you're interested in this," spoke the figure.

"I'm interested in many things," replied Slade. "Who are you to offer this?"

"X." said the figure. "Red X."

"Hmm. Catchy." Slade didn't even raise an eyebrow. "So what are you proposing to me, Mr. X? A sale? Or a gift?"

"A partnership," Red X responded. "I give you the chip and you'll cut me in on your plans."

"Partnership?" echoed Slade. "My, my, we are ambitious, aren't we?" He turned his back to the screen. "However, my trust can't be won with a simple chip. If you're really interested in an alliance, then I'm going to need to see more."

The eyeholes of the mask squinted. "Just tell me what you want."


"Wow," Steven was dazed at the story he'd just heard. "I had no idea Red X was so tough."

Robin pounded his fist into his other hand. "No kidding. We should've been there!"

"No duh, you should've been there!" cried Beast Boy, pointing to the goo still displaced in his hair. "I'm looking at two months of bad hair days after what he did to my 'do!"

"HMMMMHHMMMM!" protested Raven. They hadn't been able to remove the X-shaped projectile from over her mouth.

Steven chuckled. "I dunno, Raven. I kinda like that look on you."

Raven's forehead throbbed when she glared at him. Cyborg pinched the edge of it and prepared to pull. "Hold still, Raven." With one swift yank, he ripped the gadget off of her mouth. The other Titans winced at the sound of it coming off. Raven's insides screamed, ready to just let out a scream, but she hardly even let her lip tremble. Barely any time passed before she wore her usual, unemotional expression.

"Ow." Raven shook her head. "Even if you guys had been there, it wouldn't have mattered."

"Yeah," said Sora. "The guy knew all of our fighting styles and the quickest way to beat us."

"He definitely had gadgets with your names on 'em too," added Cyborg.

Steven dipped his head. "Sorry, guys,"

Starfire patted him on the back. "Please do not feel guilt, for we are undamaged."

"HELLOOOOOO?!?!" Beast Boy frantically yelled, practically tearing his goo-infested hair out.

Starfire's face turned a bit red. "Well, mostly undamaged."

"So, did the lead on Slade help you guys at all?" asked Sora.

"Nothing," Robin replied. "Just a dead end."

"We got all the Heartless, but that was it," agreed Steven. "Well, we should probably get back to work."

He stood up and headed for the door, which Robin was already heading through.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Steven spun back to face them and almost flinched when he saw almost everyone giving him a suspicious stare. He could feel his face flushing a bit as they looked at him. Sora stepped forward. "Last night, you were all about getting Robin to take a break. Why the sudden flip?"

Steven shuffled nervously, slowly inching towards the door. "Well, he showed me some of the stuff he'd found and-" He put his hands up, as if he was giving in. "I got curious. Guilty as charged." He opened the door.

"You can't, dude!" Beast Boy jumped forward and landed on the ground, clutching his ankle. "Who'll I watch T.V and movies with?

"Cyborg." replied Steven, trying to pull his leg away.

Beast Boy's grip didn't relent. "Who'll play video games with me?"

"Cyborg."

"Who'll be my roommate?"

"Cy-" Steven tripped over his statement. After a moment, he sighed. "Okay, I guess you got me there." He let his leg go limp and Beast Boy let go. "Dude, don't worry about it. The sooner Robin gets what he wants done, the sooner he'll go back to normal."

"What if you become a workaholic because of this, man?" asked Cyborg. "There's only room for one of those in this tower. And that's Robin."

Steven pressed a button on the wall, which opened the door. "I promise," he assured. "What we're working on won't take long."

The team was left in confusion behind that door. Steven took a few steps down the hallway and turned a corner. He paused for a moment and let out a massive amount of breath he'd been holding. Just as he was afraid of, they had begun asking questions.

He opened up his communicator, which had been buzzing for a minute now.

"What is it, Robin?" he asked.

"I've got the location on the next chip," replied Robin. "It's in the tech sector downtown."

Steven nodded momentarily. Suspicious, he looked to see if he was being overheard. He heard no one, but dropped his voice to a whisper none the less. "Robin, I think the others are starting to catch on. As far as I know, they don't know what we're doing, but the mere fact that I'm working with you is starting to make them suspicious."

"I've noticed," said Robin. "If we keep pulling off situations where we aren't around when Red X is pulling robberies, I think the whole plan could be ruined."

Steven narrowed his eyes in thought. "You've already got something prepared, don't you?"

"Yes," confirmed Robin. "After tomorrow, any sketchy guesses about what we're doing should vanish. Here's the plan."

Steven listened for a few minutes about the plan they were going to initiate. He thought it over. He detected little flaw and only positive results to be made from it. It was brilliant. I shouldn't be surprised, he thought. This is Robin I'm working with.

"I'm counting on you," said Robin. "Don't hold back."

Steven nodded. "I was about to say the same thing."


The next night, after a day of hardly any work, the Titans were all called to their living room by an alarm. Sora was the first to fly through the doorway. "What is it, Robin?"

Sora raised an eyebrow. "Huh?" Other than the rest of the team, nobody else, including Robin and Steven, was in here. "Robin? Steven?"

"It's research-related," yawned Beast Boy, having been yanked out of bed for this. "Right now, they're probably filling out note cards at the public library or something."

"We were."

Beast Boy yelped as Steven's voice came out of the giant T.V. They could see from his surroundings that he was running. "But we spotted Red X pulling a robbery in the tech sector. We're in pursuit right now. Get here as fast as you can."

"You got it, dude," groaned Beast Boy, who was beginning to doze off. "We'll be there in a....in a......" With that, He feel asleep on the spot, drooling a little bit on one side of his mouth. Not wasting any time, Cyborg yanked him along.


They arrived in the tech sector, as Steven had instructed. Cyborg pointed at a wall. "There!"

As he spoke, Red X jumped over it into the area, Robin and Steven hot on their tail. Red X turned back for a moment and tossed a net. Steven rolled underneath it, but it caught Robin full on. Steven halted and turned to his captured comrade. A mistake he failed to realize quickly enough. For then an X pinned his hand to the wall, just like he had Sora's.

"Guys!" yelled Cyborg.

"We're fine!" shouted Robin. "Get X! Go!"

The rest of the team obeyed and followed Red X, who jumped down a flight of escalator stairs to the subway system. The rest of the team soon followed. Cyborg placed a finger on the side of his head. "Don't worry. I've set my ocular analyzer to scan in multiple sub-harmonics in the EM spectrum."

"Do you come with subtitles?" Sora asked. "I don't speak science."

"My eye should spot him even if he's invisible," explained Cyborg. He scanned the surrounding area, looking for Red X. He looked at all his surroundings, but saw nothing. He sighed as he looked straight ahead. His technology had failed him.

Then Red X jumped down right in front of him. He wasn't invisible. He had just been hiding. He slugged Cyborg across the face and sent an X towards him, as well as one towards Sora. Just like last time, it locked onto Cyborg's control panel and latched Sora to the wall.

The only thing different was that both now crackled with electricity. Sora pulled his arm from the wall as a wristband he wore used the electricity to shatter the X. Cyborg smiled as his body started doing the same thing, causing the X on his back to shatter as well. "You're gonna have to learn some new tricks, man." He gripped Red X by the cape and flung him across the station. Red X landed over by the others.

"Surrender!" commanded Starfire. "We do not wish to fight you."

"Sorry," said Red X. "I'm not through with you yet." With that, he pulled Starfire along and flung her across the room, toppling Cyborg. He brought his feet under Raven's ankle. Then he grabbed her by the feet and flung her into Beast Boy, who quickly dodged it by turning into a bird. Then he turned into a ram and slammed Red X towards the tracks.

Seeing an opportunity, Sora leaped across to subdue him. But Red X had caught onto a cement cylinder on the other side. He used his momentum to swing around and smash his foot into Sora's face. Hardly seeing it coming, Sora flew across the room and right into the middle of the tracks. He got right back on his feet. But as he surveyed the area for Red X, a flash blinded him. Half-covering his eyes, he saw a subway headed right for him. His eyes went wide as it came upon him.

But then he felt himself being pulled aside, just before the subway could hit him. Breathing heavily, he stood up and looked to the Teen Titans. They were on the other side of the subway tracks. So who had saved him? He looked to his left to see Red X standing there.

"What the-?" Sora looked back and forth between the tracks in his astonishment. "Did.....you just save me?" Before he could get any answers, Red X kicked Sora in the chest and brought him down. With all his foes taken care of, Red X made his way to the stairs and leaped up, disappearing from sight.

The other Teen Titans made their way over to Sora, who got to his feet, groaning in pain. "You okay, dude?" asked Beast Boy.

"I'm fine," Sora reassured. He looked towards the stairs. "But who is that guy?"


Red X sat before his computer. Slade's shadowy, masked face was displayed once again. "Impressive, Red X. I tapped into the security cameras to watch your performance. You made quite an entertaining show out of the Teen Titans."

"Glad you enjoyed," replied Red X, holding up both computer chips, the red one he already possessed and the bright blue chip he'd stolen tonight. "Is the audition over?"

"Patience," said Slade. "Trust is destroyed easily. But creating it takes time." Slade's face vanished from the screen, replacing his image with that of yet another chip. "One last test. Then we'll meet to discuss your future."

"Good." X shut off his computer screen and swiveled around in his chair. A teenage boy stepped out of the shadows and into the lone spotlight around the desk. Only for this boy did Red X remove his mask. For they were the perpetrators behind the identity.

Steven and Robin looked at each other. And both of their minds echoed the same thought.

It's about time we met face-to-face.


Most of the team gathered around the computer set up in the living room. "Okay," Cyborg pointed to two green dots displayed on a map of the city. "This is where X has been. All we gotta do is find out where he'll strike next."

Raven inputted the information into the computer. After a few moments, more green dots showed up on the screen until there were at least a dozen more than before.

"Well, this is just great," grumbled Sora.

Starfire looked behind to see Robin and Steven walk in the room. "Friends, our efforts to capture the Red X will benefit greatly from your help."

"It'll have to wait," Robin replied, to the dismay of the rest of the team. "I'm close to a breakthrough on Slade."

"Even more wonderful!" Starfired commended. "Perhaps we could be of assistance to-"

Robin turned back. "Sorry, but this is really important." He turned to his current partner in research. "Steven, I think I've got this on my own tonight. Can you help the others?"

Steven nodded. "No problem." With that, Robin left the room. With that, Steven let out a sigh of relief. He plopped down next to Beast Boy. "Looks like I'm finally going to be able to help you guys."

"For once," muttered Beast Boy in reply.

Steven flinched a little bit, then chuckled. "Okay, I deserved that." He turned to address the others. "Guys, I'm starting to get what you were saying about Robin."

"About time!" cried Sora. "We probably would've taken Red X down by now if we had extra backup."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but," Raven took a deep breath. "Sora's right."

Sora spun around to look at Raven. "What're you implying?"

"Don't worry about it," Steven interrupted. "Robin is definitely in the danger zone of this situation."

Cyborg scratched his head in thought. "Y'all think he's losing his grip?"

"No!" Starfire outright disagreed. "His grip is not lost! He works harder than any of us to catch Slade before something bad happens! He works to save us!"

"Yeah," Beast Boy shot back. "That's why every time we need him, he disappears."

After a few moments of silence, Steven edged his way into the computer seat and began typing.

"Whatcha doing, man?" Cyborg asked.

"I'm trying to calculate where Red X will strike next," Steven replied. "He's stolen computer chips the last couple of times, so it's likely that he'll repeat that." He hit some keys and some of the dots vanished from the digital map of the city. "Remove all places without technology," he mumbled, his fingers flying across the keys. After a minute or so, images of both computer chips that were previously stolen showed up in the sidebar.

Sora looked back and forth between Steven's keystrokes and the screen, where dots were vanishing, one by one. "How're you doing that?"

Steven paused his quick assault on the keyboard. "I picked up a few tricks from Robin." He turned back and his fingers resumed their fast paced task. Only a moment later, one dot was left. Steven hit the return key and the image of a green chip was displayed alongside the previous two. "That's where he'll be."

The others looked wide-eyed at the results.

"This is really impressive, man." Cyborg patted his teammate on the back. "About ten times faster and you could be as efficient as me."

"I have an excuse!" Steven protested. "I'm good with computers, but you are a computer!"

For the first time this week, the Titans enjoyed a laughing moment together. Raven even dared to smile a little bit.

But not Robin. For tonight was the night it would all come to an end.


Red X walked into the building. It didn't even have security over the chip besides the spotlight that surrounded the floating piece of green circuitry. Too easy, he thought as he plucked it from its position.

"Excellent work, Red X." Looking to an identical spotlight, Red X looked over to see his associate standing there. Slade had finally agreed to meet him face to face. "I honestly couldn't have done it better myself."

If Slade could've seen underneath Red X's mask, a smile would be shown. "So, do we have a deal?"

"Indeed," Slade confirmed. "You and I are very much alike. It seems only natural that we should work together." He held out his hand. "Now, I believe you brought those for me?"

"And just what're they for?" Red X asked, holding up the three chips. "I need to know what we're planning." He squinted his eyes at Slade. "Partner."

"Please be patient," Slade encouraged. "You can't expect me to trust you with sensitive information that quickly, can you?"

It was Slade's turn to surprise. "Robin."

Red X's eyes were widened. He was so shocked about this whole situation that he didn't even take notice of the net that sprang from behind him and scooped up the chips, carrying them into Slade's waiting hand. Soon, the rest of the building's lights were on, revealing a huge payload of Slade's robot soldiers, as well as many giant fighter mechs.

"Your plan was quite clever, I'll admit." Slade tossed the net of chips up and down in his hand. "But I knew. You and Steven have been tracking me down, trading places as Red X each night, using holograms of you to fool the rest of your team. But not me."

"I don't need to fool you," Red X replied. "I just need to take you down."

"Then try, if you think you can."

Red X took a fighting stance. But before he could make any moves, the roof above him rumbled and burst open, letting out a cloud of dust. "Teen Titans, go!" Cyborg's yell was heard and one by one, the rest of Robin's teammates shot down into the chamber, taking down some of Slade's mechanical army.

Red X started making his way towards Slade, but was yanked back as Sora pinned his Keyblade to the base of his cape, proceeding to grab it with his hands as well. "Gotcha!" Sora yelled victoriously. Slade took this welcome opportunity to start dashing out of the building.

"No!" Red X yelled, pointing frantically at the door. "Go! Get him!"

Steven, who had been trailing behind the team, leapt through the roof. "Let him go! You don't understand!" Red X is-"

Red X tore off his mask. "Me!"

Sora's eyes, as well as the eyes of the rest of the team bugged out. Robin was the face underneath the mask. "Robin?! What the-?!"

"Slade's getting away. Come on!" Robin yanked the cape out from under the Keyblade and he took for the door, Steven following close behind. Sora rushed for it too, but was stopped by a line of mechs. Sora groaned and summoned his Keyblade.

"I have better things to do," Sora grumbled. "So get out of my way!" He swung his Keyblade, hard, against of the of mechs. The force of it pushed the mech into the mech next to it. But there were still too many more to take down.

Well, Sora thought to himself. Better get started.


Outside, a chase was commencing. Robin, now in his regular attire, and Steven jumped across buildings in pursuit of Slade. At one final building, Slade jumped across an entire street, landing upon a construction site bathed in red light from a Japanese sign on one side. Then he just stood there, waiting, as if to taunt the other two. Not taking retreat for an answer, Robin took a running leap and landed likewise, rolling into the red light.

Steven was about to follow, but soon spotted the street below him. "I hate heights," he grumbled. Looking for an alternative, Steven spotted a power line trailing right above the site. "Perfect." He jumped out into the air and swung his Keyblade over the power line. He gripped the blade end with his other hand and zip-lined over to the other side, coming to stand in the red light with his ally and adversary.

"Careful," taunted Slade. "Wouldn't want you getting hurt."

"We aren't the ones who're going to get hurt," Steven growled, gripping his Keyblade tighter. "Now hand over the chips."

"Oh, come now," Slade replied. "We had a deal, didn't we?"

"Sorry to disappoint you," Robin snarled. "But we have a strict rule against giving stolen technology to psychos!"

"That's very noble of you two," Slade commended. "But stealing to trap me was not. Two wrongs don't make a-"

"Don't ever lecture me!" Robin snapped. "Whatever you're planning ends now!"

Slade popped his knuckles. "On the contrary, boys, it's only beginning."

Slade began moving offensively. Steven gripped his Keyblade in preparation. "I hate it when they say stuff like that."

With flawless precision, Robin and Steven began trading blows with Slade. Robin was an expert kung-fu artist and it appeared that Slade was not uneducated in that art. Robin aimed a punch at him, he swiftly avoided it. Steven attempted a strike with his Keyblade and it was blocked by the steel plating that covered Slade's suit.

Suddenly, Slade pulled a trick move. As Robin made a punch, Slade caught it in his palm. Using the leeway, he flung Robin into Steven. Both were brought to the side of the building and both toppled over the edge. Still light-headed, Steven stabbed his Keyblade into the side of the building, holding on for dear life. Robin was left gripping the edge as tightly as he could.

But the edge couldn't take much more. It began to crack and Robin's fingers began slipping. Then the edge broke under his grip. "AAH!" Robin screamed as he fell towards the busy street below. Luckily, someobody reached out and grabbed his arm.

But it was....Slade? Robin stared up at his nemesis, intrigued. "You...saved me?"

"I'm not through with you yet," was Slade's answer. He flung Robin back up. The Titan's leader regained his balance and struck back at Slade, connecting with his stomach. This hit knocked the chips out of Slade's grip and the net containing them rolled far behind them. Slade, unconscious, slid backward and slammed against the ridge of the building, resting there.

Steven groaned as he pulled himself up. "Well, at least we got him." He turned to the incapacitated bad guy. "Now let's see who's behind that mask." He yanked it off.

"Patience, Steven. You and Robin will meet me face to face some other time."

Steven frowned. Another screen had been underneath the mask. Just another proxy. The real Slade was still out of their reach.

"Oh, and speaking of time," Slade continued. A number 5 appeared on the screen. After a second, it changed to 4.

3.

Steven and Robin rushed back as far as their legs would carry them.

2.

1.

BOOM! A giant explosion completely annhilated the surface of the roof for several feet. The construction site still lay before them, undamaged.

"Well," shrugged Steven. "At least he didn't get the chips."


Steven and Robin stood before the other Titans. They all had expressions that flickered between shock and anger. Robin sighed. "Go ahead and yell at us. I can't really blame you."

"We don't wanna yell, man," Cyborg assured. "We just want to know the truth."

"Yeah," agreed Beast Boy. "Why didn't you tell us it was you underneath the mask?"

"Why didn't you include us in your plan?" added Sora.

"And why did you create the identity of Red X in the first place?" Starfire finished.

Robin calmy explained. "We needed to fool Slade, get close to him so that we could bring him down. If you guys knew it was one of us behind that mask, it wouldn't have worked. You would've held back."

"Not like it matters, anyway," Steven said miserably. "Slade found out and we don't know anything about him."

"There is one thing you know," Raven said. "You two are similar to Slade in this aspect: Slade didn't trust you, just like you didn't trust us."

The two bowed their heads. "We're sorry."

"It is alright." Starfire accepted their apology.

"Just don't exclude us next time," Sora said. "We can put all this behind us when Slade is behind bars."

Robin scanned the expressions of his teammates. They were now rid of doubt and mistrust and full of determination and strength. Smiling, he nodded.

"I'll make sure of it."


PLEASE REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF MY STORY!

P.S: DAMN! Sorry it took so long. I was just not very motivated to write. Anyways, I hope this was worth the wait and I hope it doesn't happen again.