Chapter 15 Last Round

GOTHAM HARBOR: 03:18 EST

Red X had regained his breathing while a replay of his fight with Cheshire and Ravager was shown on the TV screens. Some grunts had already come in and removed the two girls, though they had spent a good five minutes each by trying to get them out of the red adhesive.

Cheshire had come too once she had been freed and had bowed to him before she had walked off the floor while carrying a still unconscious Ravager. The grunts were still there, trying to clear away the red gunk from the arena's floor. No medic had come out to tend to his injuries this time.

Red X looked down at his broken and bleeding arm.

He was going to have another fight and he couldn't risk damaging it more than he already had. He fired a constrictive X that bound itself tightly around his arm, making him flinch in pain. It was the best kind of support he could offer his arm at the moment. Hopefully the X would provide enough protection against further attacks and keep his fractured bones in place.

He looked up at the screen and reviewed his fighting skills. He hadn't used his invisibility in the fight because he hadn't wanted to reveal all of his powers. Now that he could see the fight from a different perspective, he could see that his invisibility would have given him an advantage against two fighters, but he had to take into account that both girls could have been trained to detect the unseen.

He ran a scan on his regenerative Xenothium core and nearly cursed out loud as he read that he only had 12% of power left. He ran the power usage for his abilities through his head. That only left him with a maximum of teleporting twelve more times, meaning he should only teleport in an emergency. His X shuriken didn't take up too much power, but he definitely couldn't use anymore electric X's, they took 6% of power to make. X adhesive was also gone from his list of options.

It looked like he would have to rely on his physical abilities for the rest of his fights.

He heard a familiar insane laughter from above and as he looked past the TV he saw a balcony full of the most dangerous and renowned criminals in the world. He couldn't make out most of them, only those closest to him and the ones who stuck out like a sore thumb. As his eyes searched through the crowd, he found something that made his heart stop in cold dread.

A flash of orange, a metal mask, and that single dark eye staring down at him. His eyes widened and he searched through the crowd frantically. It was impossible! As he continued to search for several minutes, his racing pulse started to slow down and he took in a calming breath. It was just his imagination; Ravager's outfit had stirred up old memories.

Surely, if Slade had been up there, he would have made his presence known.

Tearing his eyes away from the crowd after a few minutes more minutes of searching, he closed his eyes and quietly repeated Raven's chant under his breath to help him calm down. He was tired and not in the best of health. He really didn't know how much more he could take and he could only hope that help would come soon. Where was the Justice League?

Where was Batman?

But he still had one last idea left to send an SOS signal to Batman, he hoped from the bottom of his heart that the Goddess of Fortune will smile down on him. He touches the side of his helmet.

GOTHAM HARBOR: 03:20 EST

Kaldur laid on the small bed that had been provided for him in his small cell. He had been delivered food and water throughout the day, but hadn't eaten any of it. He didn't put it past his captors to have poisoned the food in some way.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been captured, though he was sure only two days at the most had passed.

He'd been caught while fighting on the surface world. His King had given him the okay to run a solo mission, but something had gone wrong. All Kaldur could remember was being surrounded by several men and that they had used some sort of knockout gas on him.

He had come to a few hours later and had then been dragged out into an arena to fight for an auction. His first fight had gone well enough, as he had been allowed the use of his weapons, the thugs proved to be no match. His second bout had ended in a draw, leaving him unconscious for an unknown amount of time.

He wondered not for the first time, if he was the only sidekick caught up in this auction ordeal. Were Speedy, Robin, and Kid Flash somewhere here too or perhaps one of the heroes had been captured? Was his King alright, had he been captured as well, or was he searching for him right now?

Once he'd had those thoughts, his questions wandered into a darker territory. What would happen if he was not saved by the time the bidding would begin? Would he even be present there or would he simply be dragged off to the person who had won him? He knew that he had no way to escape on his own, what with most of the villain community surrounding him and the electric cuff attached to his leg.

His chances of escape were slim to none.

If he was bought by someone, he wondered whom it would be. He didn't have many enemies and those who hated his King were mostly aquatic life forms like himself. If there was anyone who would buy him, Kaldur would bet it was Trident, but he knew that the narcissistic criminal would never venture into the surface world.

Kaldur was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of the door to his cell opening. As he slowly sat up, the two thugs motioned for him to follow them. While he walked through the dark hallway, he resisted the urge to simply knockout his entourage and see if he could escape. He didn't make a break for it for two reasons. One, because he did not know the way out and two, because there could also be another hero trapped down here with him.

Just like before, he was brought to the same room that lead to the arena and his unease increased. Would he have to fight again or would the bidding finally begin? As the door opened, he narrowed his eyes at the bright and harsh lights that lit the stadium floor. Carefully, he walked out into the stadium and saw two other people there.

One was Kid Flash, who waved at him ecstatically from the other side of the arena. Kaldur smiled in relief. He felt that facing what was to come would be easier now that he was in the company of a friend.

His relieved face quickly turned into one of seriousness as he turned his attention to the other unknown person in the arena. This person was dressed in mostly black with red and grey placed throughout his costume. His mask looked like a skull that had a red X on it. He looked like no hero, but then again Batman didn't look very friendly either.

As he continued to study the skull masked man, he noticed the injuries that riddled his body. There were cuts throughout his suit and his arm was held close to his chest. The person looked back at him with an unnerving stare, never blinking once.

Not knowing what was to come, Kaldur pulled out his weapons and Kid Flash was by his side in a second. He nodded to the speedster, but focused on the skull masked character in front of him.

"Hey, Red-X. I... Ah... How's it going?" Kid Flash greeted the older teen but he sounded unsure at the end. Kaldur looked at his speedster friend in question but Kid Flash simply shrugged his shoulders. It looked like they would just have to wait and see how it will end.

GOTHAM HARBOR: 03:23 EST

Red X stared in not shock, but in something akin to disbelief as he watched both Aqualad and Kid Flash enter the arena. Were they his next match or were they going to start the bidding now? His eyes took in Kid Flash's appearance and he had already known that he is this Dimension's Wally West.

As he looked at Aqualad, he knew that this Atlantian was not the same one that he had accepted as a friend and fellow Titan. As Red X studied the new Aqualad he found himself also being studied. Kid Flash didn't pay him too much attention, but Aqualad did. He met the young man's gaze and after a moment the young hero looked away and brought out his weapons. Kid Flash was standing next to Aqualad, also readying himself for a fight but unsure of himself.

"Now for our last match of the night, a free-for-all among our items before we begin the bidding." The Riddler called from above and the crowd roared with excitement. "Our final fight, Aqualad vs. Kid Flash vs. Red X!" The Riddler shouted over the yelling masses and surprisingly Red X could hear a few shouting his name.

"Red X?" Kaldur said to himself as he looked at his opponent. He did not know much about the new hero, only that Red X had made a mistake in a fight that had involved the archers. As he looked over at the hero, he realized that Red X must have just had his fights. Had this new hero beaten Killer Croc on his own?

Kid Flash smiled to himself in relief that both of his friends were with him but still feel unsure if he can still fight against them. He may not know much about the older teen but from the bond they made even if it was a short while, he still believed in the dark hero.

"I will not fight." Kaldur called out to the Riddler. He saw the man reach for his cane and suddenly remembered the metal cuff attached to his leg. As he braced himself for the surge of electricity he knew was to come, Kaldur saw something red fly towards him in his peripheral vision and dodged it.

Kaldur looked back at Red X and saw his palm facing toward him and Kid Flash. Another red object flew out of the X in the other heroes palm and he dodged the weapon yet again. He shot a look of confusion at the other hero. Had they been wrong? Was Red X really a villain this entire time?

Red X charged at them, his steel staff at his side and as he noticed Kid Flash race towards him, he teleported in front of Aqualad and swung his staff down at the hero. Aqualad had raised his water weapons up in time to block the attack and Red X took his chance.

"If we don't fight, they'll only electrocute us until we agree to. For now it's best to play along and buy time until the Justice League can get here." Red X said quietly to Aqualad and saw understanding flash through the hero's eyes.

"But I still do not wish to fight you, you are injured." Aqualad said as he threw off Red X's staff and blocked another strike.

"Then don't think of this as a fight. Think of it as a spar." Red X responded before he jumped back to avoid the strike Kid Flash had launched at his side. As he moved further away from the two other heroes, he could see Aqualad quietly explain the plan to Kid Flash who nodded in understanding.

As they readied themselves for his next attack, Red X could only hope that the Justice League would get here soon.