I want to thank everyone for taking the time to review!
Alright guys, getting back to the episode outline. As I said before, Raven will not be as involved in these first few episodes. More so because there are certain points in the story that having her involved in would through a monkey in the wrench, like the episode "Bereft". Her presence would lead to all kinds of fucked up-ness.
~Young Justice: Red X~
Chapter 11: Welcome To Happy Harbor
|STAR CITY
|2010 July 17, 23:19 PDT
Red X was not impressed, not with how the three male members of his new team were acting nor with how Speedy was reacting towards said teammates. He narrowed his eyes in annoyance at the four teens and barely resisted the urge to leave. Green Arrow was worried about his protégé; apparently the two had something of a falling-out when the League had tried to make the sidekicks "honorary members" on that eventful fourth of July. That at least explained why the archer hadn't been involved with the Cadmus incident. Speedy had quit and was now trying to go solo.
Since Green Arrow was so worried about his wayward ward, Batman had promised to keep an eye on the younger archer, and by that he really meant that Red X would be keeping tabs on the solo sidekick, not that Green Arrow knew that last bit. X had kept up with his surveillance on Speedy, shadowing him some nights to make sure the archer didn't get in over his head. It was a designated mission, one that no one besides Batman, and probably Robin, knew about.
Red X agreed to the assignment, though really it was more of a glorified babysitting mission than anything else. He too had once been a sidekick going out on his own. True he'd only gone solo for a few days before he'd accidentally formed the Teen Titans, but no one besides Alfred, Batman, and Clark had known that he'd struck out on his own.
Still, X knew what it felt like to cut ties with your mentor and allies, to want to prove to everyone that you were ready for so much more. He'd left Batman at the age of fourteen, believing six years of training and fighting had been enough for him. How wrong he'd been. So many mistakes, Red X, Slade, Terra, Raven. He had not been ready. Speedy was eighteen though and ready to prove that he could handle the next level, which Red X honestly believed the red archer could do.
He'd received a call from Batman earlier that day, saying that he had intel that Speedy was going to bust Brick's, a low time mob boss, drug trade later that night. While Brick was stronger and more durable than human standards, Red X had no doubt the archer would be able to handle the situation on his own. Batman had agreed with his assessment, explaining that he didn't want X to help Speedy, just be nearby to keep an eye on him and only to interfere if it was an emergency. So basically he was backup, he could easily play that role. He'd headed to the freight yard an hour before Brick's deal was meant to take place and hid in the shadows of one of the larger shipping crates.
Red X had not expected to see Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad there, but he didn't report their sudden appearance to Batman. He was only given orders to watch Speedy after all. He couldn't be expected to keep an eye on all of the sidekicks.
The fight with Brick and his men had ended rather quickly. The regular thugs proved useless against the four trained sidekicks and Speedy quickly incapacitated Brick by using a very familiar inflating red adhesive. 'Clever, Speedy.' He thought somewhat proudly, knowing that the archer had taken the likes of his Adhesive X and reengineered it into a weapon of his own. 'I don't use high density polyurethane foam though.' No, X preferred to use something much more dangerous. As Professor Chang had once said, he was a good boy who enjoyed dangerous toys.
The tattered caped teen was brought out of his thoughts as he heard Speedy's response to being invited into the Titans. It was the only reason he'd decided not to join the others when they'd charged into Speedy's fight. They were trying to convince the young archer to join them, which would make his "keep an eye on the solo sidekick" much easier.
"So Speedy, you in?" Robin asked a bit too confidently, a knowing grin already playing across his face. From Speedy's tense shoulders, to the dangerously tight grip on his bow, X knew what the archer's answer would be.
"Pass. I'm done with letting Arrow and the League tell me what to do. I don't need a babysitter or a clubhouse to hang out with the other kids. Your Junior Justice League is a joke, something to keep you busy and in your place." Red X shook his head at the archer, not at all surprised by his harsh words like the three sidekicks below him were.
Deciding his mission was done for the night, X moved deeper into the shadows and looked back over his shoulder to see the three teenagers giving each other worried looks before heading back to base. 'Great, thanks for screwing with my teammates' minds already Speedy.' Red X sighed heavily. He had the worrying feeling that they were going to have a similar experience to when the Teen Titans had first fought Mammoth, Gizmo, and Jinx. He shrugged it off, knowing there was little he could do about the Speedy situation and headed back to the Old Haunt. Maybe he should give Raven a call and get her opinion on this.
~Young Justice: Red X~
|MOUNT JUSTICE
|2010 July 18, 11:08 EDT
Red X arrived at the Titans' headquarters only a few minutes late. Robin had called earlier that day to inform him that the team had decided to meet at eleven to corner Red Tornado and harass the android for a mission. X wasn't expecting much. He seriously doubted that they'd get a mission just by asking, but he kept his opinions to himself, deciding to show up anyways. If he was lucky, he might be able to convince the wound up teens to participate in a training exercise.
He needed to get to know his new teammates, the two he was least worried about being able to work with well were Robin and Kid Flash. He really didn't see how he'd be unable to collaborate with his younger self and X expected Kid Flash to fight like his counterpart had. Aqualad seemed level-headed enough and easy to work with, so besides a few training sessions, X believed he'd be able to work well with the Atlantian soon enough.
It was Superboy and Miss Martian that he was most worried about. They were both new to Earth and how to be a superhero. He didn't know how well they could control their powers either. Superboy seemed to not know the extent of his abilities, as his lack of flight at Cadmus had come as a surprise to the clone. And he had no idea what kind of control Miss Martian had. Telepathic powers were always tricky.
As he got off of his X-Cycle, Red X paused to look over at the Zeta Tubes the League used. Batman had asked for his DNA a few days ago to put into the system so that he could be transported directly into Mount Justice. Of course he'd said no. His DNA was the same as Robin's, ignoring the fact that Batman would learn who he was, X didn't know how the Zeta Tubes would react to the situation. So no, he could never travel that way and yet having the X-Cycle as his only mode of transportation was beginning to become a hindrance. He couldn't take many more tiring rides between the coasts. He'd have to think of something else to solve the long distance traveling.
Red X ran a hand through his short hair, brushing light over his spiked bangs to make sure they were still holding strong. His civilian outfit was much more casual than the clothes he had to wear when doing business involving Strike Industries. His outfit, which covered his Red X suit, sans his cape, consisted of a simple white trench coat, a thin black turtleneck underneath, and baggy black pants that were tucked into slightly oversized boots. The gray gloves of his suit were tucked inside his coat pockets. His Xenothium belt was still wrapped around his waist, but by leaving his loose shirt un-tucked no one could see it. His mask was, unfortunately, too bulky to conceal, but his domino mask was hidden in a secret pocket lined along the inside of his trench coat. To finish off the ensemble he wore a pair of black sunglasses to cover his contact colored eyes.
It was… odd to be waring civilian clothes. Uncomfortable. But Batman had hinted that some members of the League were disgruntled with how he constantly wore his costume, and how secretive he was. He normally wouldn't have cared, but Raven had been the one to point out that this wasn't their world. That they should respect how things were done here. In the end he'd decided letting others now his civilian alias couldn't do too much harm, and if it got the League of his back, then X considered the whole thing to be worth it. Still, it felt unnatural not to be wearing his domino mask when he'd worn it near constantly for the past three years.
He approached Aqualad, Superboy, and Miss Martian who were gathered in front of a holo-monitor near the entrance bay. Superboy turned towards him, having heard him first no doubt due to his super hearing, before grunting which was probably the clone's way of saying hello. Miss Martian saw him next. Her eyes instantly turned wary and she tensed up causing Aqualad to turn towards him.
"Hey team." He said simply, very much aware of the fact that two of his teammates had not recognized him. Superboy turned back to him, an eyebrow raised in surprise as if he had expected John Strike's voice to have that same metallic tone to it that Red X had. X saw both Aqualad and Miss Martian visibly relax too. Aqualad opened his mouth to speak, likely to return the greeting, but he was interrupted by the announcement of Robin's and Kid Flash's arrival.
"Recognize: Robin B-01, Kid Flash B-03."
Robin paused at seeing him, the boy's head moved up and down slowly, letting X know that his appearance was probably being memorized by the Boy Wonder. Kid Flash predictably made a bigger show of the whole situation.
"Whoa, who's the creepy punk?" Kid Flash asked, making Red X furrow his eyebrows. He hadn't tried to look like a thug, just mildly intimidating. He'd actually been a little unsure of what was acceptable for civilian clothes. He'd just chosen an outfit close to what he'd worn in Tokyo while hiding from Detective Uehara. Then again, he had stolen those clothes from a bunch of street punks. Thinking it over X mentally shrugged, he was somewhat content with the clothes he was wearing. If he came off as eerie and thuggish, well, he really didn't care.
"It's Red X, Kid Mouth. Who else would it be?" Robin retorted as he moved towards X a little. Before Kid Flash could respond the Boy Wonder turned to address Aqualad excitedly. "Did you ask him?"
"What did he say?" Kid Flash asked eagerly as he joined the group, the previous discussion about X's creepy look seemingly dismissed.
"He is just arriving now." Aqualad answered as he turned to the two younger boys. Kid Flash and Robin shared a smile as the speedster nudged a fist into Robin's shoulder.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Kid Flash asked rhetorically before he ran towards the entrance bay at a normal speed so that Robin could keep up. The others followed at a more sedated pace while Miss Martian hovered ahead. As Red Tornado arrived just outside of the base, landing in front of the team, X hung back slightly, preferring to be a part of the conversation from a far. "Red Tornado!" Kid Flash called out loudly to be heard over the whipping winds said android was creating.
"Greetings, is there a reason you're intercepting me outside of the cave?" The red robot asked, his head tilting slightly to focus on X for a second before he returned his attention to the others.
"We hoped you had a mission for us." Aqualad explained in a subdued tone.
"Mission assignments are the Batman's responsibility." Red Tornado stated tonelessly.
"But it's been over a week and nothing's–" Robin started to say before the android raised a hand to silence him.
"You'll be tested soon enough, for the time being, simply enjoy each other's company." Red Tornado said and X nodded in agreement. The missions would come soon enough, until then they should spend their time practicing on their teamwork and individual skills. Looking back on his time with the Titans, it was those moments in-between missions that X found he missed the most.
"This team is not a social club." Aqualad retorted firmly and Red X could see a few of the others glaring at Red Tornado slightly. He sighed, things were already looking bad. The new Titans were too eager to go out and fight, when they should be using this time to train.
"No, but I am told social interaction is an important team building exercise. Perhaps you can keep busy by familiarizing yourself with the cave." Red Tornado suggested as he expertly moved past the team and continued forwards into the entrance bay.
X almost followed him. He looked from his sulking and glaring teammates to the emotionless, but wise robot and knew whose company he preferred at that moment. He was also partially curious about Red Tornado as there hadn't been a version of the android in his world, not that he could recall. He was brought out of his ponderings of the odd Leaguer as Kid Flash punched Robin lightly in the shoulder.
"Keep busy." Kid Flash muttered shortly, obviously inferring to what Speedy had said last night. 'Again, Speedy, thanks for screwing with my team.' X thought as he sighed softly and looked over at Red Tornado as the android walked by.
"Does he think we're falling for this?" Robin asked somewhat loudly and Red X slowly shook his head, knowing that the others simply weren't getting it. A team takes time to build, much like trust, which was essential when it came to teamwork.
"Patience my friend, trust is easily broken, but it takes time to build."
Red X shook his head again, but this time to get rid of the unwanted memory from his earliest days as a Titan. It seemed like Slade would always be there in the darkest corners of his mind, taunting him, haunting him. He glanced back at Red Tornado, who had stopped a few from him. They held each other's stare for a few seconds before the android nodded and silently continued inside. 'Now what was that about?' X thought curiously only to be interrupted by Aqualad's bitter words.
"And now we tour the clubhouse." The Atlantian shared a grim look with Robin and Kid Flash. Behind the trio, Superboy frowned, obviously realizing that he was missing something while Miss Martian seemed happily oblivious.
"Well Superboy and I live here, we can play tour guides." Miss Martian offered warmly. Red X almost chuckled at the alarmed expression Superboy had on his face at the end of her sentence. The others turned towards him expectantly and the clone's countenance let up slightly.
"Don't look at me." The teen responded, caught off guard enough to forget to growl the answer like he usually would have.
"We won't, a private tour sounds much more fun." Kid Flash countered as he leaned forwards a little and ogled the confused alien girl next to him.
"She never said private." Robin said in an annoyed tone as he took a step towards Kid Flash and furrowed his brows. X raised his own eyebrows in response. Robin seemed to be a little defensive went it came to the alien redhead. He subtly gave the only female Titan a onceover. Miss Martian was pretty and Red X secretly admitted that he had a weakness for redheads. He could see why his counterpart would be attracted to her; he just hoped the boy had enough sense to not let his feelings run away with him.
"Team building, we'll all go." Aqualad stated simply and the others turned to move back inside with X leading the way until Miss Martian flew ahead. His steps eventually fell in place next to Superboy's as Robin and Kid Flash began to have a hushed conversation at the back of the group.
The tour went on for a while and X paid close attention to everything that was being said, committing it all to memory. There had been no Mount Justice in his world either. There had only ever been the Watchtower and the Hall of Justice. As the tour came to an end, Miss Martian pointed out that Mount Justice wasn't exactly a well-kept secret. She admitted her fears about being attacked when Robin grabbed her hand and tried to reassure here that hiding in plain sight was also a good cover.
'Looks like younger me also has a thing for redheads.' X silently mused as he watched the boy try and fail to ease Miss Martian's worries. His thoughts quickly turned to Starfire and his first crush, Barbra Gordon. He wondered how they bother were. Was Star still with Beast Boy, was she happy? Babs had been his only real friend back in Gotham. Because he's skipped a few grades, he'd had a lot of glasses with her. She'd always stuck up for Dick Grayson whenever he was being bullied. She been his first crush. Nothing had ever come of it, she'd seen him as too much of a kid, what with him being two years younger.
"I smell something burning." Superboy announced suddenly, earning him an odd look from Kid Flash.
"Oh no, my cookies!" Miss Martian shouted as she flew off down the nearest hallway. When he arrived in the kitchen along with the others, X was greeted to the sight of twelve overcooked lumps of dough. 'At least they look about right.' He thought as the burnt smell filled his nose. 'Starfire's cooking had always tasted the way it looked, horrifying.' "I was trying out grammy Jones' recipe from episode 17 of–" She suddenly looked sheepish. "Heh, never mind."
"I bet they'd have tasted great." Robin assured before chuckling. "He doesn't seem to mind." Indeed, Kid Flash was already halfway through the burned sweets.
"I… have a serious metabolism…" The speedster explained slowly to all the weird looks he was getting.
"I'll make more?" Miss Martian offered uncertainly as she smiled shyly at the fellow redhead.
"It was sweet of you to make any." Aqualad commented and X nodded in agreement.
"Thanks Aqualad, Red X."
"We're off duty. Call me Kaldur'ahm. Actually, my friends call me Kaldur." The Atlantian said warmly as he smiled at the beaming Martian.
"I'm Wally. See I already trust you with my secret ID, unlike Mr. Dark Glasses over here. Batman's forbidden Boy Wonder here from telling anyone his real name." Kid Flash added, not one to be outdone in front of a pretty girl. X rolled his eyes. 'Same old Wally West then, glad to see some things will never change.'
"Mine's no secret, it's M'gann M'orzz, but you can call me Megan. It's an Earth name and I'm on Earth now." The female of the team said to a grinning Wally.
"John Strike, but I prefer to be Red X."
Silence filled the room as X looked away from the others, subtly catching their reactions from the corner of his eye. He saw Megan smile, obviously pleased that he'd decided to share his name with the team. Wally was looking at him with his mouth slightly open, probably already believing that he wasn't going to reveal who he was so easily. Kaldur simply nodded and Superboy frowned again, which honestly could mean anything.
Robin though, was smirking at him. An eyebrow was raised and Red X easily picked up on what the kid was saying through body language alone. 'That's the best you could come up with?' He just shrugged in reply and Robin's smirk became a full-blown grin. Batman had clearly told his protégé that John Strike was an alias.
"Get out of my head!" Superboy shouted abruptly and X turned to look at a confused Megan.
'What's wrong? I don't understand, everyone on Mars communicates telepathically.' She mentally asked. Red X flinched minutely in surprise at her voice suddenly ringing in his head and he watched somewhat steadily as the others cringed forwards to grab their heads.
"M'gann stop!" Kaldur half-shouted, startling Megan and X felt her presence leave his mind. "Things are different on Earth. Here your powers are an extreme invasion of privacy." He explained more calmly.
"Besides, Cadmus's creepy little psychic G-Gnomes left a bad taste in his brain." Wally remarked rudely as he pointed at Superboy who understandably was angered at the reminder of being mind-controlled.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to–" Megan began to apologize before Superboy cut her off.
"Just stay out." He growled before he left the kitchen to go and sit on the couch, looking away from everyone. After a few seconds of silence X also left the kitchen and leaned on the wall next to the couch with his arms crossed.
He knew what it was like to be controlled, in more ways than just one. He'd been under the control of his enemies more times than he cared to remember and yet those were some of the memories that stuck out the most. Fighting the Gotham police and Batman while under the Mad Hatter's control, forced into a never ending fear filled illusion that had him lashing out at civilians thanks to the Scarecrow, becoming Slade's apprentice to protect his friends.
Red X knew exactly how terrible it was to be controlled by someone else.
"Red X… Superboy, please." Megan asked softly dragging X out of his more bitter memories. He saw that the kitchen had cleared and was a little irritated that he'd allowed his thoughts to distract him so much that he didn't notice when the others left.
"Don't talk to me." Superboy muttered just as quietly and X pushed himself off the wall, gaining the clones' attention. He gave Superboy a look and nodded his head towards the dismayed Martian. Superboy closed his eyes, looking as if he wanted to sigh tiredly, but he simply nodded instead before getting off the couch, heading towards Megan. Red X trailed behind the two until they reached the elevator where the others were waiting.
"It's my Martian Bio-ship." Megan explained as the elevator doors opened to the hanger bay, revealing a red, egg shaped aircraft.
"Cute, not very aerodynamic, but cute." Wally complimented and she smiled at him.
"It's at rest silly, I'll wake it." She raised a hand and the pod-like plane shifted sideways, rapidly increasing size and developing wings. Again Megan raised her hand and the ship responded, hovering and twisting, releasing a ramp so that they could enter her ship. 'Well it's not the T-ship, but it's still impressive.' X thought as he moved ahead of the group to look inside. He was greeted to a morphing room, the chairs and control panels literally solidify and taking shape before his eyes.
"Strap in and prepare for lift off." Megan said as she took her place at the controls. Five chairs shot out of the floor, two seats were on each side of the oval shaped cockpit and one rested in the middle a few feet in front of Megan's. Red X waited until everyone choose their seats, leaving the one in the middle open. Once he sat down, a harness clasped over his chest in the shape of an x. "Red Tornado, open the hanger's door please." She asked and then they took off, winding through the air in a way that would have been impossible for most Earth aircrafts.
In front of him X saw, as well as heard, Kaldur give Superboy advice on how to apologize to Megan. From behind he could hear Robin telling Megan that Superboy didn't mean what he'd said before Wally wisely pointed out that Superboy could likely hear them. Red X was starting to get flashbacks to his school days.
He watched with interest as Megan shape-shifted her form into female versions of Robin and Kid Flash, listening as she explained she'd yet to fully master her powers. Eventually, X closed his eyes and allowed himself to relax. He smirked a little as Robin made fun of Kid Flash to make Megan feel better about her lack of skill. Megan had just revealed that the Bio-ship could turn invisible, a very useful ability that could come in handy, when Red Tornado's voice broke through the easygoing atmosphere that had taken up residence in the cockpit.
"Red Tornado to Miss Martian, an emergency alert has been triggered at the Happy Harbor power plant. I suggest you investigate, covertly. I'm sending you the coordinates."
"Received, adjusting course." Megan said professionally and the Bio-ship titled sharply to the left.
"Pssh, Tornado's just keeping us busy again." Robin grumbled from his seat and X shook his head in response.
"Or he's giving us that test he was talking about earlier." He supposed aloud. He opened his eyes to see that everyone was looking at him so he continued. "The League is not going to send us headfirst into any kind of covert situation unless they believe we can handle it. They might be testing us now, in a controlled situation, to see how well we'll handle ourselves. Then again it could be something else entirely. The only way we'll found out is if we go take a look."
"I don't think we'll be doing this one covertly." Superboy argued as he pointed at a tornado that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere and was dangerously close to the Bio-ship.
"Everybody, brace yourselves!" X shouted as he felt the ship get pulled into the strong wind currents. The tornado jerked them in all different directions in a matter of seconds and Red X closed his eyes to avoid feeling dizzy. Just as quickly as the spinning started it stopped and they were once again flying straight. "Good work Miss Martian." He complimented as she safely landed the ship.
"Thanks Red X." She replied, sounding slightly rattled. He wasted no time to in removing his civilian clothes.
"Dude, what are you doing?" Kid Flash asked, his voice breaking slightly as he sped forwards to cover Miss Martian's eyes. X rolled his own eyes from behind his sunglasses before he peeled off his turtleneck to reveal his suit underneath.
"I'm getting ready for whatever may be out there. I don't know about the rest of you, but I always come prepared." He replied as he turned away from the others to take off his sunglasses and put on his mask. "Titans, go!" He shouted with familiarity, though the command apparently took Miss Martian off guard as she fumbled with opening the ship's hatch. They ran off the ship and onto the parking lot to find employees screaming as the fled from the tornado that was dangerously close to the power plant.
"Robin, are tornados common in New England?" Aqualad asked only to be answered with the sound of an eerie laugh that Red X was beginning to believe to be Robin's calling card.
"He was just here?" Miss Martian said in confusion and Superboy grunted in agreement.
"To answer your question Aqualad, does it matter at this point?" X replied sarcastically as he moved to help a woman who was panicking so badly she was unable to open her car door. "Ma'am, I need you to take deep breaths and calm down." He ordered gently as he gave her his arms to grab onto. She practically buried her head into his chest as she broke down.
"Oh god, oh god! I don't want to die!" Having experienced this kind of situation many times before, X spoke calmly into her ear and repeated his earlier instructions. Her grip was tight, but he didn't tell her loosen it. He knew her hold on him was psychologically grounding her, keeping her in check with the situation. After a minute she recovered enough to get into her car while she thanked him profusely.
"Alright team, our first priority is to get the civilians clear of the–" Red X cut himself off as he turned to see that the Titans were no longer behind him. He searched the area and cursed as he saw them enter the building, running past the screaming and frantic people. "Damn it!"
He teleported to the top of the power plant and turned towards the raging tornado that, thankfully, seemed to be losing its momentum slightly. He sent out the largest Constrictive X he could make, which was about the size of a two-story house, in front of the building to barricade it somewhat. He then turned towards the parking lot and shot two more X's down into the ground to give the escaping civilians some sort of shield against the powerful winds. His suit duly alerted him to the large drop in power levels those three oversized Constrictive X's had cost him.
He dropped down into the factory below and found a giant red man with a scarf hiding his face, launching tornados at the Titans. 'Taking on an unknown enemy with only 50% power, I've had worse odds.' Red X jumped into action at seeing his team, except for Kid Flash who was missing, being knocked down into the floor. He launched a sidekick into the assailant's side, sending him sprawling outside and into the ground.
"Another child? Are there not any real heroes in the vicinity to challenge me?" The nameless assaulter scoffed as he stood up and wiped the dust from his shoulders in a lazy manner.
"Sorry, but if you want to go against the big hitters, you have to prove your worth their time." X remarked as he pulled out his staff. He charged forwards only to dive into a roll out to avoid the mini cyclone that had been shot at him. 'He uses powerful long ranged attacks that are too fast for me to evade with a direct assault. Getting close to him will be impossible the normal way.'
"Already giving up, boy?" Their enemy asked and Red X smiled in response.
"I'm just getting warmed up!" He retorted before teleporting behind his target, swinging his staff at the large tube-like structures sticking out of his opponents' arms. 'Maybe he has a weakness like Bane's and I can just cut off his power supply.' His opponent turned at the last second, blocking the strike with his forearm and brought up his other hand to unleash another cyclone. The tattered caped teen teleported a safe distance away to escape the hit. Suddenly, a blur shot by in front of his face and charged straight towards the enemy.
"Kid Flash, wait!" He called out, but his warning was ignored and the speedster was hit by the tornado Red X had only managed to escape a second ago. As he moved to teleport after his hurtling teammate, he spotted the others climb out of the building and saw Miss Martian telekinetically catch Kid Flash before he hit the ground. X teleported behind Superboy to regroup with the team.
"I thought all of you would have learned your limits by now." Their opponent boasted as he slowly began to rise into the air.
"What do you want?" Aqualad shouted angrily and X frowned at his lack of control. He turned to scrutinize the rest of the Titans and found that all of them, except Miss Martian, looked angry and irritated. 'This is not good. We'll lose if everyone doesn't calm down.'
"Isn't it obvious? I'm waiting for a real hero." Their adversary taunted from his place high in the sky. 'Well, that won't ease their tempers any.' Red X thought sardonically and was proven correct as Aqualad yelled at a flustered Miss Martian to read his mind.
Miss Martian revealed that she couldn't read the enemies mind and assumed that the assailant before them must be Red Tornado in disguise, due to his special ability. X made to protest, but the others quickly latched onto her guess. With Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad believing that Speedy had been right and that they were all being duped.
"Are you kidding? You really think Red Tornado would put those people in danger just to test us?" He shouted at them in angry incredulity and while Miss Martian seemed to reevaluate her earlier statement, the others pressed forward.
"He can control tornados, X. He can shut them down whenever he wants. No one was ever really in danger." Robin debated as he moved to confront their opponent.
"You said it yourself dude, he was testing us." Kid Flash agreed as he stepped forward. "Speedy called it, we're a joke. This game is so over." The speedster growled as he marched toward their opponent with the rest of his angry teammates. X moved to stop them when Miss Martian grabbed his arm. He turned back to tell her to let go, but stilled at seeing the anxious expression openly displayed on her face.
"What if you're right? What if Mister Twister isn't Red Tornado?" She asked and Red X pulled back slightly, watching as their teammates shouted up at the enemy in anger. Superboy looked at the others in confusion before he turned to look over at them. X gestured for him to join them and Superboy returned it, quickly advancing towards him and Miss Martian.
"Then we're all about to learn a painful lesson for not taking this fight seriously." He answered indifferently and her arm fell limply to her side. He stayed close to Megan, ready to move to protect her for when things went sour. Sometimes, he hated being right.
Mister Twister summoned up a pair of thrashing tornados that crashed into each other, creating a miniature storm overhead. He heard Kid Flash ask if Red Tornado could do that before Mister Twister aimed a lightning bolt down at them. Red X turned just in time to cover Miss Martian from most of the blast and was flung backwards. He hit the ground hard and everything went black.
~Young Justice: Red X~
|HAPPY HARBOR
|2010 July 18, 13:43 EDT
Megan brought a hand to her head, she felt dizzy and there was something heavy lying on her. She sat up slightly and let out a gasp when she realized Red X was draped on top of her, his left arm still wrapped protectively around her waist. She moved him to the ground, laying him on his back and mentally checked to make sure he was okay.
She let out a relived sigh when she found that he was merely unconscious and would awaken soon. Looking around her, Megan found the rest of the Titans, save Superboy, were also unconscious. Remembering that it was Mister Twister who had caused her friends' current states, she looked up to see that the android was flying towards them. Using her mental link with the Bio-ship, she summoned the camouflaged vessel to hide her and the others. On her left side Megan heard Wally start to stir and she moved to cover his mouth so that he wouldn't blow their cover.
"I do not have time to play hide and seek, children." Mister Twister taunted as he unknowingly looked directly at them. "Know this, interfere with me again and I will destroy you." The android continued before he flew into the direction of the harbor.
"What happened?" Wally asked as the others pulled themselves off the ground.
"I hid us from Mister Twister by using the Bio-ship–" She was interrupted by Superboy who punched at some uprooted rocks that had been made when Mister Twister had blasted him into the ground.
"And that's supposed to be okay? You tricked us into believing he was Red Tornado!" He roared as he moved towards her.
"She didn't do it on purpose." Aqualad reasoned as stopped Superboy's approach.
"It was a rookie mistake; we never should have listened to her." Robin explained further to the clone and shared an uneasy look with Kid Flash. "How's Red X, is he okay?" He asked as he moved over to the only unconscious Titan.
Megan looked over at the masked teen and felt her spirits sink lower than they already were. 'I can't do anything right.' She felt horrible. Not only for screwing up, but that her mistake had hurt Red X in the end. 'You said we'd all learn a painful lesson and you were right. I'm so sorry, Red X.'
"He's all right, just unconscious, he protected me from most of Mister Twister's attack." She admitted softly, though she knew the others still heard her. A heavy silence fell over the group and Megan wanted nothing more than to disappear in that moment.
"Hey, uh, hit the showers. We can handle it from here." Wally tried to sound like everything was okay, but she didn't look up at him. He quickly dashed off with Robin trailing behind him.
"Stay out of the way." Superboy growled and that, if at all possible, made her feel even worse than she'd already did. She bowed her head to hide the tears that were beginning to build in the corner of her eyes. She hadn't meant for everything to turn out so wrong.
"I just wanted to be part of the team." She whispered miserably to the only Titan who had remained behind. She heard Aqualad sigh and she wondered what her Uncle J'hnn would say if he saw her now.
"To be honest, I'm not sure there is a team." The Atlantian muttered before he ran off after the others. She turned back to Red X and sighed. Everything was a mess, it would probably be best if she just returned to base. Perhaps she could help the Titans somehow that way.
With a heavy heart, Megan levitated Red X into the Bio-ship and headed back to base.
~Young Justice: Red X~
|HAPPY HARBOR
|2010 July 18, 13:49 EDT
When he awoke, Red X wasn't sure how much time had passed. He found himself sitting in his chair on the Bio-ship, blinking at a teary eyed Megan. He looked around the cockpit to find it empty.
"Where are the other Titans? What happened to Mister Twister?" He questioned and she quickly described everything that happened while he'd been unconscious. She told him about how she'd been wrong about Mister Twister's real identity and how she'd been able to hide the team, but then Mister Twister had stormed off to attack the town and the others had followed, telling her to "hit the showers." He tightened his fists in anger and she must have sensed his mood because she flinched and started to apologize.
"I-I'm s-sorry, you knew that he wasn't Red Tornado, b-but I–"
"Realized you might be wrong and proceeded with caution." Red X said, cutting off her apology and met her wide wet eyes evenly. "You and Superboy where the only ones who did not foolishly approach Mister Twister like he wasn't a threat. Don't let Robin and Kid Flash blame you for how things turned out. I warned them and they didn't listen, that is not your fault. They were the ones who made the rookie mistake. True, you jumped the gun a little, but you still kept your head about you, they didn't." He clarified and Megan nodded her head in thanks, looking a little shocked.
A holo-screen suddenly appeared in front of him and the two Titans found themselves staring at Red Tornado. He was about to ask what the android wanted when Megan gave a brief explanation of the situation.
"So you see, the team really needs your help." She finished nervously as the Bio-ship approached Mount Justice.
"If I interfere, it will not be to help. Still, it is an odd coincidence that this Twister shares my elemental abilities and my immunity to telepathy." Red Tornado replied and X smirked slightly at the android for letting the Titans continue their fight.
"Hello Megan." The Martian said as hit her forehead lightly, her mood sounding much better than before. Ah, so she caught his hint too.
"Thanks for the support Red Tornado." He muttered to the android.
"I have no idea what you are referring to Red X." The android stated before cutting the feed. He turned to Megan who looked over at him with a smile, her demeanor appearing more confident than before.
"I take it you have a plan?" He asked and somehow, her smile got even wider.
~Young Justice: Red X~
|MOUNT JUSTICE
|2010 July 18, 13:54 EDT
Red X watched from some nearby cliffs as the Titans launched their surprise attack, glad to see Miss Martian's plan work out accordingly as Superboy knocked Mister Twister into the ocean where Aqualad was waiting.
She had originally made a place for him in her proposal. He would have arrived with her while invisible as she pretended to be Red Tornado. Instead, he had elected to stay behind. He would be there for the team if they needed backup, but he doubted they would. From behind him, X heard the sound of whipping winds and he turned to see Red Tornado land a few feet away.
"I thought you said you weren't going to interfere with their fight?" The teen asked as he glanced at the robot from over his shoulder.
"I did. I never said anything about not watching it though, did I?" Red Tornado responded and X shook his head lightly in return, amused by the android's actions. "Why did you not join them? Your presence would not have been a hindrance to the Titans. Indeed, if my calculations are correct, you stand a high probability of defeating Mister Twister on your own."
"And that is why I'm not down there right now. I'm up here for the same reason you are, to make sure they learn how to fight on their own. The League won't always be there to bail them out. They need to learn how to stand on their own two feet." X answered, not even flinching as Miss Martian dropped a rock on the man who'd climbed out of the Mister Twister suit. Miss Martian had assured him that there was nothing organic about Mister Twister.
"You are a Titan as well, should they not come to rely on you? Should you not also learn to stand on your own?" Red Tornado asked and X sighed in response.
"I learned that lesson a very long time ago." It was silent on the cliff for a few minutes before the teenager turned to find Red Tornado studying him.
"Yes, I can see that you have." The android paused for a minute before he continued. "Come, the Titans should be returning to the mountain soon, we should be there to congratulate them." Red Tornado said before he offered X his hand.
"Thanks, but no thanks. I've had enough tornados for one day." The teen observed as he moved slightly towards the direction of Mount Justice. "Hey, Tornado, race you back to base?" He challenged with a smirk before teleporting out of the android's sight.
After several consecutive jumps, Red X landed at the entrance of Mount Justice, only to be greeted by Red Tornado. He knew it was impossible, but X could've sworn that the robot smirking at him. Red X, since he never liked to admit losing, said that he'd let Tornado win and in response the android began to neutrally explain to the young hero why he'd lost. At the end of the robot's description the Titans had returned to base.
"I still don't see how you made it back here before me." The domino masked teen muttered as he folded his arms over his chest and frowned at the android next to him.
"If you wish for me to reiterate then so be it. As I elucidated before, the velocity with which I can travel the fastest is–" Red Tornado began to say again, before Red X interrupted him.
"Alright, alright, I get, you were built to be very fast. How about we turn our attention to the remains of the robot that wanted to reprogram you?" He said as he gestured to the table covered in said robot's remains.
"Yeah, it came here after you Red Tornado. Is that why you decided not to help us?" Megan asked and Red Tornado shook his head.
"No, I did not involve myself for it was your battle. I will not insert myself into your problems, just as you will not involve yourself with my problems." The android replied and Miss Martian moved to protest, but stopped when X placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
'He let the Titans fight their own battle. We can at least return the favor. That doesn't mean that we won't be standing on a cliff nearby, ready to jump in should he need us.' He said to her telepathically, smirking a little as her eyes widened.
'You're a telepath too?' She asked excitedly and he shook his head.
'No, I can only contact someone who's telepathic and has already formed a link with me.' Megan nodded her head in understanding.
"–guess the best babysitter we could get is the one without a heart." Robin commented aloud and Red X turned to glare at his younger self before looking to Red Tornado, who was well within hearing range.
"Dude, that was harsh." Wally chided as he elbowed the younger boy in the ribs.
"Actually I do have a heart. It's made of steel-chromium alloy. I also have enhanced hearing as well." Red Tornado stated from his spot down the hallway without turning around.
"Uh, sorry Red Tornado, I'll try to be more… accurate in the future." Robin responded quietly, clearly embarrassed at being heard.
"And more respectful." Kaldur supplied as he nudged the Boy Wonder. The three Titans turned to walk towards the kitchen and Red X could hear each teenager saying that Speedy might just be wrong about the Titans. He turned to move down the hallway that led to the entrance bay where he'd parked his bike and caught a muttered sorry coming from Superboy directed towards a smiling Megan.
"Uh, Red X?" Megan began hesitantly. He stopped and turned towards her, patiently waiting for her to continue. "Thanks for what you said on the Bio-ship, it really means a lot to me." The Martian admitted bashfully as she looked down at her hands.
"You're an asset to this team Miss Martian; you proved that earlier with your plan. Don't let anyone push you around Megan, especially if they're your teammates." He stated simply before he continued down the hallway. Red X decided, as he got onto his X-Cycle, that the team's first fight hadn't turned out so bad. If anything, it would be an interesting story to tell Raven later that night.
~Young Justice: Red X~
I know there was kind of a lot of Megan in this chapter, but I felt like this episode revolved around her and her issues of trying to fit in with the team. In the end I decided not to have Red X fight Mister Twister because honestly, everyone only gave about one good hit before they passed him off to the next Titan. I much rather preferred Red X's talk with Red Tornado instead.
Red Tornado is perhaps one of my favorite characters from the first season. I mean, really, the android kicks total ass. Tornado's story is a well-known one; he simply wants to be human or at least more human-like. This is something that I think Red X would be able to understand considering all of the "I'm more than a machine" moments Cyborg used to have. The Team had always seemed to lack any real connection with Red Tornado during the show so I'm more than happy to make X the person who builds that bridge.
–Hexalys