9 - Red-X
At night in Jump City, inside a science facility filled with dozens of Deathdroids are seen breaking in the facility, as they've come up with some killer upgrades with their own unique programming. Their mission was simple: retrieve a Mark IV chip that Deathstroke ordered as they make their way into the facility.
What they don't expect was the Teen Titans already on alert on them as they meet them where the chip is located. It was then they've started to fight the Deathdroids one by one.
"Titans, don't let them get the chip!" Robin orders as he smashed two Deathdroids with his bow staff.
"No shit, what do you think we're doing? Playing patty cake with these guys!" Beast Boy snarked as his arms changed into gorilla arms as he smashed the droids one by one.
"It's just an order, Beast Boy! No need for smart talk!" Robin retorts as he was too distracted by Beast Boy's smart mouth he didn't noticed another droid aiming at him. Luckily Wonder Girl kicks it down to the ground as she mildly glared at the two.
"Both of you stop acting like boy's and focus on Deathstroke's robots!" Donna barked at the two.
"He started!" Robin and BB said at the same time while pointing at each other.
"Please friends, no arguing during battle." Starfire told them as she threw her star bolts at about 15 Deathdroids.
The titans continued fighting the Deathdroids as Kid Flash deactivates each of them using his superspeed, as well as Raven chanting her usual spells "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" as she destroys every Deathdroid she can break, and Cyborg used his sonic cannon to fire 8 of them as the cybernetic older teen noticed one Deathdroid is actually invisible as it had a cloaking feature thanks to Cyborg's infa-red eye.
"Yo, my infa-red robotic eye is detecting one droid that's invisible than the rest of its killer robot brothers." Cyborg states.
"I got this one!" Robin declared as he ran towards the cloaked droid even though he doesn't have infa-red vision.
"Robin wait!" Donna shouted for him as she punches another Deathdroid as Robin leaves.
The cloaked droid revealed itself as Robin confronts the droid by throwing bird-a-rangs towards the robot. The droid is supercharged with some red substance inside it's body as it blasts red lasers towards Robin. The boy wonder dodged it as he swings his staff like a baseball bat as he managed to knock the head of the droid as it falls down from deactivation.
"Yes!" Robin said as he congratulates himself.
"Yo Robin, are you in there?" Cyborg asked as he and the rest of the team finds Robin with the defeated droid "Whoa, guess you've found it after all."
"Yep, you guys go ahead, I'll catch up with you guys." Robin told them.
"Race ya to the Pizzaria!" Kid Flash said as he ran out of the facility.
"Then I will accept Friend Kid Flash's challenge!" Starfire said as she flew faster with her 80mph flight speed, as well as Wonder Girl and Raven following them with their speed.
"Man, guess that leads just as two slowpokes, huh BB?" Cyborg said as he saw his green friend changed into a roadrunner as he sticks his tongue out as he shouts *Meep Meep!* as he ran out of the facility with superspeed. Cyborg sighs as he uses his jet boots to follow them.
As all the Titans left, Robin looked at the unique Deathdroid with interest as he opens the stomach of the droid to find red glowing cylinders used as a power source.
So Deathstroke and Ravager are using this dangerous substance." Robin said to himself as he brings the droid in secret as he has thoughts up a plan to track down Deathstroke.
Back at the tower, the titans are up to their own activities. Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Kid Flash are playing a multiplayer racing game, Raven is reading a book, which underneath it is her Black Butler manga, and Wonder Girl and Starfire are planning something to get Robin out of his room/office.
"Friend Donna, are you sure this will get him to notice me?" Starfire asked her Amazonian friend.
"Of course, Star. I mean Robin maybe a trained detective, but he's still a hormonal teenage boy, like Gar and Wally." Donna replied to her alien friend.
"Hey, we're not that hormonal." Kid Flash defends.
"Yeah, so what if Star has big boobs that rivals Power Girl and Wonder Woman, and Raven having nice legs that rivals Black Canary and Zatanna; we're not that sex crazed." Beast Boy said, earning flick from Raven's telepathic magic energy hand as well as Kid Flash, while she reads her book and hides her blush.
"Idiots." Raven respond as she looks at her own two legs as she covers herself with her cloak.
"Don't mind them, Kori, all you have to do is use your feminine wiles." Donna instructs her as Star nodded as she flew towards Robins Room as Donna follows as she runs at Star's speed as she told her.
Robin, still in his room, is looking up some leads to Deathstroke and his partner Ravager. Robin suspects that either the two were a father/daughter criminal group, or is just like how he and Batman used to work together; Ravager could be a sidekick working for Deathstroke.
'Those two have been killing off the criminal bosses from the bad side of Jump.' Robin thought as he heard the door opens as he heard Starfire's voice.
"Friend Robin, sorry that I have interrupted your research, but I was wondering if-" Star was about to asked but she was cut off.
"Sorry Star, but whatever it is, can't it wait?" Robin said as he kept his eyes on the newspapers and reports on his desk.
Sadden of hearing Robin said, Star lowered her head. But as she forms an inward smirk as huffs as she turns "Very well then, I can go see the movies with either Friend Beast Boy or Kid Flash if they're interested."
Robin's masked eyes widen like dinner plates as he turns around and head out from his room "Nonono, you know what? Maybe finding Deathstroke and Ravager will wait, so what movie are you going to see?" He asked the alien girl, as she holds two tickets.
"I would love to see this planet's moving picture shows at a theatre. I am interest in it." Star said as Robin look dreaded that he has to take her to see either a romance movie, as he would preferred action like any other guy would.
"Are you sure there aren't-" he tried to weasel out in seeing it, but a cough from Wonder Girl said otherwise as she gives the boy wonder the same death glare her mentor Wonder Woman always gives to him and his fellow sidekick friends back in their childhood. One time he and the boys challenged Wonder Girl to prove boy's are stronger than girls, but Donna proved them wrong when she beat them without a sweat. Back then Robin demanded a rematch, but Wonder Woman sent him a scolding glare and told him Donna won fair and square and he should learned that winning isn't everything and losing should help him grow. Of course Robin's arrogance didn't have him learned that lesson as he is determined to win against the strongest foes.
"Okay Star, I'll go and see this movie with you." Robin told her as the Tamaranean girl squeals with joy.
"Joyous and let's go!" Star said as she grabs the boy wonder's hand as she drags him towards the T-Car as she gives a smile at Wonder Girl, who gives her thumbs up.
"Man, that what awesome." said Robin after the two left from the cinemas watching Guardians of The Galaxy.
"Robin, did you had a great time?" asked Starfire. The Tamaranian liked the movie as well; but she thought that it was too violent and it reminds her of her home planet.
"Hey Star." said Robin
"Yes Robin?" The Tamaranian slowly floats next to the masked wonder.
"Would you mind joining me to…" Robin was talking then Starfire interrupted him with her final word.
"Yes?" said the gleeful alien.
"To Spend time with me?" said Robin.
"Oh, I would love to!" said Starfire. She was hugging the young detective for spending their time together more.
"That's great, we will search more things about Deathstroke and Ravager after we finish dinner." said Robin.
"Huh?" Starfire was confused.
"Oh, so you don't want to send time working on how to get Deathstroke?" He replied.
'"No Robin…I thought…we..." Starfire said. The alien was struggling with words and she gently floated to the ground because of what she unexpected from her leader. Her friend...Or more of a friend, but apparently it doesn't seems that he sees it this way.
'"Is something wrong, Star?" asked Robin. Robin was worried about her of what he did make her upset.
"It's...nothing. I will meet you at The Tower Titan." said Star.
"You mean Titans Tower?" corrected Robin.
"Yes, Robin thank you for correcting .me" Star replied and went home flying without using Robin's R-Cycle.
Unknown to the two, they were being spied on by a certain white haired assassin.
"Hehehe, looks like boy blunder's totally oblivious to the alien's feelings." Ravager states as she licks her lips "This is just too good."
Starfire arrive at Titans Tower, she was upset and hurt when she read Robin's lips about his career as a superhero and not as a friend to the team she grew solely attached to the young detective ever since they first met each other during the Invasion, and now sadly their unbreakable bond is nearly shattering.
"Hey Star, how's your date?" Asked Donna.
"Please Donna, what do you mean by this date you speak?" Star relied.
"Oh, when a boy and girl are in a relationship and…" Donna was talking until Star was floating away.
"Star, what's wrong?" Donna said. Donna was concerned with the Tamaranian because she just arrives on Earth couple months ago and she is still new to Earth.
"Oh nothing friend Donna, just had…um... a headache.. Yes, friend Donna I suffer a headache, a really bad one." Starfire lied. "Oooh it hurts Owey, it really hurts." Star continues and flew to her room.
"Hmph, if she had a headache she would of walked to her room instead of flying." said Donna. Donna is not an easy individual to be fooled because after all she is an Amazonian and they were taught of fighting and wisdom.
In Robin's room, Robin went under his bed and presses a switch that opens a secret door which surfaces through the walls, it has a lot of computers checking on various areas of he Tower. Raven was reading, BB and KF were playing video games, Cyborg was cooking and Donna was watching TV. Robin couldn't find Star so she must be in her room or doing her own business elsewhere.
Robin went to another computer where they have all the details of his newest project, the list of equipments he needs to stop Deathstroke and Ravager. Being Robin would be too difficult for him to capture them all alone but if he was somebody else then it might work. Robin got up from his seat and opens his newly created project, which is sealed, in a titanium case and he was all set up for his mission to take on Slade but this time he would infiltrate rather than taking action quickly.
A week later, the Titans gathered in the common room as the Titans minus Robin tries to find what to watch on Netflix. It was then the crime alert blurt out as the titans groan that the amount of crime has been slow and now it's time to get into action.
"Oh great, who's robbing banks now!?" Beast Boy shouts angrily "We only get a week off from crime and now some chump decides to ruin it!?"
"Calm down, Garfield." Raven told him, though she has been looking forward to watch Edward Scissorhands.
It was then Robin appears on the television screen as he states "Titans, the Hive Alpha Squad are at a S.T.A.R. Labs facility downtown. I'll be investigating somewhere and catch up. Over and out." He told as the screen has been cut off from communications.
"You heard him, lets go!" Donna said as the team head to the garage to head out to stop the HIVE.
The HIVE Alpha Squad are at S.T.A.R. Labs facility where they're hired to retrieve a program for their benefactor's secret project. All the scientists were tied up and are under watch by Billy Numerous and Shimmer, while See-More's under watch duty for the police or the Titans. Jinx, Mammoth, and Gizmo are at the computer lab to download the program with a green flash drive that is slowly downloading.
"Come on, why can't it download quicker!?" Jinx asked, as she's getting impatient.
"Quiet! It takes time to download a program with so much gigabytes, so don't get your panties in a twist." Gizmo retorts, which earned a smack from the pink haired girl.
The program went from 60% percent to eighty-seven percent as the six mercenary villains kept their irritation running to their hairs.
"What's taking it so long!?" Mammoth shouts as he pulls his own hair out.
"I know, Microsoft weren't that slow." said Kid Flash who just came in which startled the group of HIVE mercenaries.
"You!" Jinx shouts as she blast a hex towards him that he quickly dodges.
"Titans, GO!" Wonder Girl shouts, as the Titans minus Robin makes their attack towards the HIVE Alpha Squad.
"Where's boy blunder?" Billy asked.
"Who knows, hidin'?" The other Billy replied as they duplicate themselves to attack the Titans.
"Attack!" Jinx calls out as the Alpha Squad charges towards the Titans except for Gizmo who's watching the program downloading to his flash drive. Mammoth makes way to charge towards Cyborg, who blasted the unshaven brute towards the machines. See-More shoots heat blasts towards Cyborg, but Starfire blasts the green helmet teen as she shoots her star-bolts towards the villains. Billy clones himself to pile up Beast Boy, but the changeling grew gorilla arms to attack them one by one as Shimmer attempts to transmute the floor to turn into quicksand, but she's swatted away by Raven's dark magic. The empath noticed Jinx charging in as she threw hexes towards her, hitting Raven to the wall. Jinx smirks at her work but then she finds herself getting tied by Wonder Girl's golden lasso as Kid Flash runs up to her.
"Hey babe, missed me?" He asked in a flattering tone.
"Oh yeah, I so missed that ginger headed speedster who I can't help but is more of a woman chasing flirt." Jinx responds as she grew irritated.
"Finally, the program's download is complete!" Gizmo said as he brings his flash drive out of the USB port, until Cyborg caught him by the shirt collar and takes the flash drive away from him "Hey! Give that back!"
"Sorry shorty, but you and the rest of your buddies are going to serve time in jail." Cyborg told has Kid Flash speeds up to tie up the HIVE Alpha Squad, as Starfire and Raven freed the scientists.
"Dudes, we just took out the villains even without Robin's help." Beast Boy states.
"I agree, where is he?" Kid Flash asked them.
"Well at least we've managed to prevent them from getting whatever the program they've downloaded." Cyborg states as he held the flash drive and is about to hand it to one of the scientists, but then a newcomer appears out of nowhere and steals the flash drive away from Cyborg's hands, much to the tin man, the scientists, and the Titans's surprise.
"Hey!" Cyborg exclaimed.
The thief in question stood before them as he gives the Titans a view of what he is. The thief is unidentified as he wore a skull mask with a red X shaped scar on his forehead, with the red slash of the X over his right eye. He wore all black with a red X as a symbol on his chest; his forearms have grey gloves with red Tron lines all over his black suit, as well as the belt that's powered with a mysterious substance. His grey boots are also styled with red X marks as straps forms around his legs of his black suit, and a crooked dark cape that connects to his shoulders.
"Sorry, but I'll be delivering the flash drive." the thief said with a distorted voice through a voice changer.
"Who does this guy think he is?" Raven questions as she prepares her magic.
"Does it really matter? We'll just take him down and-" Beast Boy didn't finished as the thief disappears and then reappears to take off.
"Come on, we can't let him get away with the flash drive!" Wonder Girl said as the titans followed the run away thief. The thief makes his way to the door of the facility as Kid Flash catch up to him. But the thief threw a red ball towards the speedster's feet that sticks Kid Flash to the floor.
"Hey, I'm stuck!" The speedster exclaimed as he tries to move, but fails.
Raven and Starfire flew forward to catch the thief as Star shoots her star bolts towards the skull-masked thief. But the thief threw another few of his gadgets as a red flash grenade blinded the Tamaranean and the dark witch as he activates roller blades beneath his boots. Raven tries to speak a chant with her magic saying "Azarath Metrion Zin-" but she is gagged by an X shaped gag thrown by the thief.
Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Wonder Girl pursue the thief as Beast Boy changed into a cheetah to chase him, as Donna carries Cyborg to fly towards him. The three remaining Titans ends up surrounding the thief as Beast Boy extends his claws, Cyborg preparing his arm cannon, and Wonder Girl getting in on a fighting stance.
"Surrender now, thief!" Donna demands.
"Yeah, um skull mask guy." Cyborg said, as he doesn't know the thief's name.
"You can call me, Red-X." The thief said.
"Obviously with the red X symbols, I would've guessed X-Man." Beast Boy said sarcastically.
Catching on to the sarcasm, Red-X pulls out X shaped gadgets as he throws them towards Cyborg, which hits his arm and starts to causing the tin man to short circuit and freeze his body over.
"Cyborg!" Wonder Girl shouts as she charges towards Red-X as he threw another red X tape towards the Amazon as it bounds her like tight rope, restraining her from her super strength.
Beast Boy then takes charge at the thief as he grows an alligator's tail in an attempt to strike him. Red-X however dodge the tail as he throws another red ball this time when it hits Beast Boy, the changeling is covered in red goo. The green Titan tries to change shape, but the stickiness prevents him from changing.
"So long, Titans." Red-X said as he makes his way to the exit until a certain alien princess flew in front of him. She is now armed with star bolts in her hands as she faces her foe.
"Surrender the drive of flash, or face my righteous fury." Star demands.
Red-X didn't say anything as he held another X tape and threw it towards Starfire as the alien girl tries to destroy the tape. But it was so fast it bounds her to the wall as she struggles to escape, but couldn't budge. She then saw Red-X making his escape as he disappears from the view of the trapped Titans.
"Who was that guy?" Cyborg asked as he's starting to reboot.
"Whoever he is, he escaped with the flash drive!" Donna states as she struggles to get loose.
"This guy knows how to beat us, like he knows how to beat us." Beast Boy said as he tries to get himself out of the goo.
The Titans were stuck like this until the police arrived to free the Titans and arrest the HIVE Alpha Squad. To say the least after they were trapped and defeated by the mysterious thief, questions were wondering in their minds about the mysterious Red-X. But the big question is where was Robin?
Red-X stood at an unknown location as he makes contact with Deathstroke with a communicator he snatched from Gizmo a while ago at the facility. The screen of the communicator then unexpectedly flash on the screen appears as it shows Deathstroke.
'You're not Gizmo, are you?" Deathstroke states.
"They call me Red-X, and I got you what you needed." Red-X told the mercenary.
"I see." Deathstroke replied "And I suppose that you need something in return, like a trade?"
"Actually, I've been thinking of a partnership." Red-X told intriguing the man.
"I see. Well then Red-X, I will contact you later, to see what else I can have you steal." Deathstroke told him over the communicator "And maybe, we can meet face to face." He said as the communications were cut off.
"Perfect." Red-X said as he smirks underneath his mask.
It was midnight, the six titans were exhausted and all they want to do is go to their beds but they need to take the stuff out from Red-X's gadgets. They spotted Robin and he was in his nightclothes and drinking a cup of coffee.
"There you guys are, I didn't know it took you so long." said Robin rubbing his eyes.
"Where were you Rob?" said Cyborg.
"I was caught by Red-X and I called you to go without me so I could find out more research about Deathstroke." Robin replied.
"You didn't say anything about Deathstroke." Wonder Girl said.
"..Red-X said that he was working for Deathstroke so therefore It will give me more time to research on what his plan is while you will fight Red-X." said Robin.
"Well okay but next time it will be the seven of us against Deathstroke and that Red X, can somebody get this goo out of my hair?" said BB, the green titan was struggling to take the red goo out of his hair.
Starfire uses her energy powers as heaters to melt the goo out of BB's hair. "Thanks Star." said BB with a smile and Star smiled back.
"Hmph." Raven mumbled cause they forgot that a sticky X tape laced around her mouth.
"I don't know Raven, that's kind of a good look to you." said Beast boy casually.
Raven felt like she's going to rip off the changeling's head and put it on a bowl of tofu until Cyborg pulled the tape from her face very hard.
"AAhhh!" BB and Star scream but Raven felt like she didn't feel a thing but it hurt her so much.
"Raven how did it feel?" said KF.
"Ow." said Raven in her usual monotone voice.
1 pm
Starfire was in her nightgown flying to pour a glass of mustard until she detect something from her alien senses. Tamaranians all have a special ability to detect heat signatures through their eyes so she sense someone who just left from the tower and it came from Robin's room.
Starfire came up to Robin's room and knocked the door. "Robin" said The Tamaranian but her ears picked up something from his room but she can't blast her way out because she won't know if it was an intruder so she needs to find another plan to get into Robin's room.
Raven was sleeping in her room dreaming about a peaceful world with no violent and her expressing her emotions and hanging out with six different student wearing St. Murakami High clothes going to the pizza shop and movies until a loud knock interrupted her endless dream.
The Door open, "What is it Starfire?" said Raven with an annoyed tone.
"Raven, I think there is something inside Robin's room.," said Starfire.
"Starfire, I don't think…" Raven was interrupted and was pulled by Star and was quickly outside in Robin's room at fast speeds.
"Raven quickly transport us into Robin's room." said Starfire. Raven use her magical powers to create a portal and went inside Robin's room.
Robin's room is dark because the lights are off so Star use her left hand as a lantern then she saw a small gap and she asked Raven to see what's inside of it, Raven uses her powers to move away which is blocking the secret room and it turns out it is filled with computers and files.
"X'Hal" Star gasped and "Holy Azar" Raven also gasped too when they saw blueprints of the Red X Suit and now they know why Robin wasn't there with them because he was Red-X. Starfire subconsciously move her arm and a small object dropped on the floor revealing a holographic video of a captured Robin. She got to tell the rest of The Titans about this.
A Week later…
"I'm going to go and do some more research on Deathstroke." Robin lied to his teammates.
"Alright Robin, but get some rest alright?" Donna told him in her big sisterly tone.
"Yeah, it's not healthy staying in your room all week." KF advised.
Robin look at all of his teammates as they all gave a look of agreement. He thought it was easy as he notice Star's sad expression, and BB was about to say something, but Cyborg covered his mouth.
He went inside his room to get his combat suit to suit to find Deathstroke and he grabbed plenty of these mysterious crimson elements to pumped it into his suit and weapons when he finds them from a former scientist name Chang.
Red X was inside Deathstroke's hideout where he saw numerous sladebots and he felt relieved that they are mindless drones and not actual humans. Robin was walking down until he saw the masked demon himself, Deathstroke and Ravager.
"I see you go the program that I wanted." said The Masked Mastermind.
"Yes, I got the flash-drive but you know what I want." said Red X.
"And what is what you desire Red X? Or would I say...Robin?" said Deathstroke, he was smiling evilly behind his mask as well as his daughter smiling and licking her sharp katana ravishingly.
Robin was shocked that Deathstroke knows who he was so he got two choices: fight Slade, Ravager and the bots all by himself or quickly call the titans until a dark circular shaped materializes in the scene between the two masked rivals and it appears to be his teammates, The Titans.
Red X thought the Titans would separate into teams and fight both him and Deathstroke but they just stood there which means that they know who he is under that helmet by showing a sad and disappointed expression.
"We know who you are…Robin." said Starfire in a sad tone.
Robin was ashamed but he realizes that a hoard of Sladebots is coming and Deathstroke and Ravager were running away which infuriates the boy wonder. "Deathstroke is getting away we had to stop him."
"What about the drones!?" Kid Flash asked.
"Star and I will catch Deathstroke and Ravager, the rest of you fight the drones." demanded Robin. The Titans obeyed and start to fight the drones.
Starfire was carrying Robin and flight at fast speed but Robin was asking her to move faster which upset Starfire but she remained in a positive way to complete her objective to find Deathstroke. Robin couldn't find Deathstroke or Ravager but he heard a loud sound up in the air and it appears to be a helicopter and the two assassins are inside the copter.
"Starfire, go up in the air so we can chase them down!" Robin orders which startled the alien, for which she reluctantly followed.
Robin and Starfire are in the sky flying at rapid speeds and it made Robin faint a little but he keeps a steady head to capture the assassins. Robin was inside the copter using Red X's X-shriuken to combat Deathstroke but was stopped by Ravager and the two teenage combatants were fighting by using their weapons until the pilot stand up and set the machine into 'auto-pilot' and shot Robin in the arm which appears to be paralysis because his body was numb and Ravager just kissed him in the cheek and pushed him out of the copter.
"Rose why did you do that for?" said Deathstroke. The tall and muscular assassin was livid at his daughter until she pointed down at the sky where Starfire saved Robin from his death.
"The alien maybe strong and resilient but she's very predictable and easy enough to exploit." said the female assassin.
The helicopter drifted away and leaving a flying Starfire carrying a paralysed Robin. She was shocked and angry that Robin attacks them as Red X but upset because he doesn't trust her or more importantly his teammates.
All of the Titans are at the tower, Robin was in his room after a huge discussion by his teammates of not trusting him, distancing himself and attacking them as Red X. Starfire appeared behind her door and his door opened showing Robin packing away his equipment and entered his room.
"If you want to yell at me go ahead too, everyone else has and I can't blame them." said Robin without any expression.
"I did not want to yell, but to yearly want to understand. Robin why didn't you tell us that you are the Red X and why didn't you tell the truth?" said Starfire with a concern tone of voice.
"I needed to fool Deathstroke; if you know that it was me under that mask, you would of held back. Don't matter Deathstorke still founded out and I hadn't found anything about him." Robin replied as he looks down.
"That is not true. Whoever Deathstroke is, you and he are similar, Deathstroke did not trust you and you did not trust us." said the Tamaranian. Starfire walked away from the room leaving a regretful Robin.
"She's right, you know." Donna told him as she appeared in front of him "Robin, I just want to say to you is that the Titans aren't just a team. We're a family, and we have to trust and treat each other like family." She then left to her own room, leaving a baffled Robin.
'Family? I can't be too attach to that, Donna.' Robin thought sadly as he continues on to put the suit away.
"Foolish Robin." Deathstroke said underneath his mask as he sits on his chair "He does not even realized that I have made a copy of the program."
"Just another step for the Titans downfall, right daddy?" Ravager states as she drinks her hot cocoa.
"Precisely my dear daughter." Deathstroke respond, "Soon the Titans and Robin will be at each other's throats, and soon his life as a hero will be no more." He said as he turns on the computer as he research the Titans, and then his focus are on a pacific file on Robin "Soon you will fall."
