Author's Note: In this chapter, you will see several spoilers and hints ahead for things to come. No, they are not things to come in the immediate future, but rather for much further down the road. If anything, I hope to get you excited for future installments to this series. Enjoy!

Episode 10: No Honor Among Thieves

Tamaran, 8 Years Ago

"It is a tinabula," Starfire said, placing the string of bells around Zadkiel's neck. "You wear them during Blorthog."

He listened to the jingling sound of the bells as he moved his neck. "I am honored that you chose to celebrate this holiday with me," he said.

The two had been friends for almost two years now. Starfire never had many friends growing up, and she was, therefore, all the more excited to have someone to celebrate the Festival of Friendship with. Still, it felt as though something was missing. They could hear the sounds of the city, just beyond the walls of the palace, all the sounds of the festivities. "I wish we could see what Blorthog was like out there," she said.

"So, you have never enjoyed your planet's own holiday outside the palace?" Zadkiel said in disbelief.

"No, I have," she replied, "but only when Galfore takes me, and even then it is only in the tunnels."

"That does not seem fair," he said. "I have been through your capital at least once every time we come, and this is your home."

He thought for a moment. "What if we could go, though?"

Starfire looked over her shoulder to make sure Galfore did not hear. At the moment, he was preoccupied with Wildfire. Zadkiel continued, giving her a half smile, which was very convincing. "It would not be as though we are doing anything dangerous, not like my brother and your sister. And who would notice another Tamaranean and Visiri on the streets today? We would be back before Galfore would know. But, leaving here would be the hard part."

"I know a way," Starfire said.

They had snuck their way into the lowest rooms of the palace. Starfire was trying to open, a large vault door. "Explain this to me again," Zadkiel said, "where exactly is it we are going?"

"The tunnels," she replied, tugging at the door. "K'norfkas care and protect another's children, but that still does not keep them safe from our enemies. So, we built this entire village underneath the city where K'norfkas and their bumgorfs live safely."

She had finally pulled the door open, and they were walking through the tunnel system. "But, you, your siblings, and Galfore do not live here," Zadkiel said.

Starfire was trying to remember her way around. "No, it's different because the royal family is a symbol of solidarity to others outside of Tamaran. But, Galfore takes us here a lot. He has friends who live here."

The tunnels seemed as roadways, leading to large, cavernous rooms filled with small homes. Zadkiel could hear a few children running about along with some chatting from adults nearby. It seemed as though everyone down here had formed their own sort of society and lived as such. They seemed to be enjoying the festivities in their own way. Starfire led Zadkiel through the small crowds, waving and greeting a few people she knew, promising that Galfore was not far behind her.

After a while, Starfire led him down some more tunnelways. "I think this is it," Starfire said, pushing on another vault door.

Opening the door, they were greeted by a full sensory experience to Tamaran's capital. The streets were particularly crowded, given the holiday. Over the din of ringing tinabulas were the typical sounds of haggling merchants and much laughter from Tamaraneans of all ages. Even a few Visirians were enjoying the festival. Starfire eagerly took Zadkiel's hand, and the two took to exploring the city. At first, it was a little frightening. Starfire had never been outside the palace on her own. She occasionally looked over her shoulder for any sign of Galfore. Despite Zadkiel's belief to the contrary, she knew Galfore would notice she was gone and would stop at nothing until he found her. She was also not so sure about being among so many strangers at once. However, Zadkiel's excitement and awe at the goings on helped put her mind at ease.

The two spent the whole afternoon enjoying a part of Tamaran that neither had experienced before. Very few in the crowds took notice of them, and they were able to go about as they pleased. A few kindly vendors let them partake of free samples of traditional foods. Zadkiel still found Tamaranean cuisine an acquired taste and was only able to choke down some of it. They were even able to take in the Blorthog parade. While Starfire could have easily hovered above the crowd to get a better view, she preferred to sit on Zadkiel's shoulders and tell him what she saw. Those who did see them found it odd for a Tamaranean and a Visiri to be so close. One or two thought it was adorable.

"We really should be going back," Starfire said as she led Zadkiel back towards the tunnels. She was already dreading the lecture Galfore would give her.

Zadkiel's ears perked and an odd scent filled his nostrils. "Is that-" he started to say.

They were shoved over by two dark blurs who were running, desperate to get away from something, or someone. As she sat up, Starfire noticed something caught on Zadkiel's horns. "Hold still," she said, trying to untangle it.

It was a necklace, Starfire realized, with a rather pretty blue stone. She was still struggling with it when she saw two Tmaranean guards approach. "Stop, thief!" they called.

If she had been using her reason, Starfire would have waited until they approached to explain their situation. Though they did not look like those who could be reasoned with, and instinct took over. She grabbed Zadkiel's arm, and they ran. Unfamiliar with the city, they ended up taking a very meandering path. They did have the advantage of being smaller and were able to duck and weave among the crowds better. For a fleeting moment, they had gotten ahead of them and had actually thought they had lost them. Their lack of knowledge of the city, though, caught up to them, and they had come down a dead end. The two guards were right on them in an instant.

"What in X'hal's name did you think you were doing?" Galfore said, his voice almost a thunderous roar.

Starfire, yet again, retold their story of the two real thieves who had somehow dropped the necklace. Galfore looked carefully at her. He could always tell when she was lying. In this case, he knew she was telling the truth, but something did not add up. The guard's description of the thieves distinctly mentioned one being Tamaranean and the other Visiri. He knew of no other two who would have been together throughout the day. Needless to say, this did not look good. He decided instead, to focus on the more important matter. "None of this would have happened if you two had not been outside the palace in the first place. Do you have any idea what sort of danger you put yourself and him in? I had no idea where you were. If something had happened to you two…"

They were interrupted when both of their fathers came. Starfire knew they were in for it now. "Please tell me my guards are lying to me when they say that my daughter and her betrothed were caught stealing in the middle of Blorthog," Emperor Myand'r said, still in disbelief himself.

Galfore tried to stop him before he could go into a rant. "I believe there is a misunderstanding, yes," he began. "I think it was a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

He emphasized that last sentence with a strong look at Starfire. "And did either of them see the 'real' culprits?" Chief Raguel asked, not all that convinced.

Blackfire and Saraqael had joined them to see what all the commotion was about. Zadkiel nudged Starfire, tapping his nose. Almost instantly, she knew what he meant. He had recognized the thieves by their scent. Starfire looked aghast as she realized it was her sister. That should not have even been possible. She was supposed to have been in the middle of a lesson when all this transpired. So how? "Koriand'r?" Galfore said, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Did you see who stole this?" the guard repeated, holding up the necklace.

The shocked look of recognition on Blackfire's face was enough to confirm it for Starfire. Of course, Blackfire would deny it if she said anything. She could see a pleading look from Blackfire. She was still her sister, despite how distant they had been lately. "No," she lied.

Only Galfore caught it but said nothing yet. Chief Raguel was still furious. "They would not have been anywhere near this if it was not for this foolish holiday."

The emperor's brow furrowed. "I'm sure your son had equal part in this. You care so little of his existence, it's no wonder he wanders off to X'hal knows where."

"You may be the Grand Ruler, but I am still in command of my people," Raguel roared. "Watch how you speak to me you…"

The words were on both their lips. It would all break loose in one fell swoop had it not been for Galfore. "Perhaps you may discuss this another time. We are diverging from the real issue."

Emperor Myand'r was the first to give. "Very well. I see that you are handling that, Galfore."

Chief Raguel had a smug grin as he muttered, "That's right, listen to your cinaedus."

Zadkiel looked horror-stricken as he said it. "I do not understand," Starfire whispered to him. "Cinaedus means 'boy,' yes?"

He shook his head. "In a way, yes, but not in a nice way at all. I fear that we have caused a lot of trouble."

How true those words would be would not be known until later, but much sooner than either of them had expected.

Jump City – Present

"Hmm…" Beast Boy was thinking, the tip of his tongue hanging out of the corner of his mouth.

He had taken the afternoon to go to lunch with Archangel and Starfire. Archangel's head was resting on his hand, inches away from slipping off and onto the table, he was so bored. "Please, for the love of Malakb, make a decision," he said.

Beast Boy waved him off. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Now, do I want to get a veggie burger or a tofu burger…or I could do a double and have one of each."

"Whatever gets us out of here faster," Archangel said with a groan.

Beast Boy was not going to let him spoil his mood. "I'm actually glad I could find someone to try this new burger place with me," he said. "I thought Cyborg would for sure, since they also do meat, but he got some new parts and he's holed up in the garage."

"Raven expressed disinterest," Archangel said, "but told me her reason was that she was immersed in a new book."

Starfire sighed. "Robin said he was busy with his latest lead on Slade."

"Uh, Star…I don't think-" Beast Boy started to say, "ow, hey!" Archangel had kicked him under the table. "Geez, fine. I'll order already."

Starfire had gotten up for a moment after they ordered. "Okay, what the heck was that for?" Beast Boy asked as soon as she was gone.

"We all know the real reason Robin did not come," Archangel explained. "No need to remind her."

"So, what, are you and me her support group now?"

"No, now that they are not together, the rest of us are in the awkward position of trying to be both their friends while things settle out. Raven has a time schedule written out for all of this. Check with her."

"So, do you have scheduled time with Robin?" he asked.

Archangel was a little downcast. "No, Robin has expressed that he does not wish to see me all that often."

"Oh…"

"Do you think that may be part of the reason this has happened?" he asked worriedly.

Beast Boy reassured him. "Look, it might've come up, but knowing these two, it escalated into other stuff. Oh, look, lunch is here."

Starfire was rejoining them when the alarm from their communicators went off. "The museum," Starfire said, dashing off.

"But, it was the perfect burger," Beast Boy whined.

"It can wait," Archangel said, grabbing Beast Boy by the collar as he tried desperately to take just one bite.

Warp burst out of the museum doors, carrying his latest treasure. "The bow and arrows of Lagonna; an ancient treasure now, a lost legend in my time," he said to himself.

"Didn't anyone tell you to look but don't touch?" Robin called from the end of the street.

He, Raven, and Cyborg were already waiting for him. He turned his head to see Starfire, Beast Boy, and Archangel approaching from the other side. "Ah, the Teen Titans," he said. "You're a few minutes early. Forgive my nostalgia, but you were one of the greats. However, it's time to make history out of you."

They hardly let him finish. Raven created portals, allowing Cyborg a more precise aim for his sonic cannon. The first blast knocked Warp off his feet. "I see you have improved your technique," he said, as he stood, "but remember, I'm the one gifted with hindsight."

Cyborg and Raven had already taken to throwing heavy objects at him. Warp hardly flinched, tapped a button on the wrist of his suit, freezing the objects in time. Turning another dial, he managed to rewind them, thereby throwing the objects right back at them. Cyborg was knocked back, but Raven had dodged the debris. She tried pelting him with spells. The reflectors on his armor turned this way and that as he reflected them away.

Getting frustrated, she resorted to a binding spell. Arms and legs held fast, she had him. He only struggled momentarily before using his suit to open another wormhole, and disappeared. He had dropped the artifact in the initial struggle. She knew he had to come back. He appeared right behind her and grabbed her. "No one touches me," she said, the anger bubbling over. "Azarath, ah-"

An electrical surge from his suit shocked her and temporarily incapacitated her. Warp could not savor this momentary victory. He was knocked in the side of the head by two hooves. Beast Boy transitioned out of horse form. "That's for Raven," he said snidely.

Warp stumbled as he tried to stand up. Beast Boy had already turned into a tiger. It was all Warp could do to barely miss the tiger leaping at him from all angles. Beast Boy was quick when he was in a fury. He was getting close to having warp backed into a corner. But as he made his final leap, Warp slid under him and Beast Boy crashed into the outside shelves of the store in front of him. Warp pushed a few more buttons, and the next thing Beast Boy knew, he was stuck in a time loop, repeating that crash over and over again.

Warp made a dash to retrieve his prize. He barely swiped it before his fingers were almost hit by a ball of fire. Looking up, he saw Archangel and Starfire buzzing overhead, pelting the ground around him with flames and starbolts. He smirked, moving carefully. "I must've overshot my destination by a few months. I had not expected the Fallen Angel to be involved."

"It's Archangel," he corrected, launching flames in his direction.

Warp narrowly missed them and had an arrow notched in the bow. "Of course," he said, realizing how silly it sounded, "I had forgotten that used to be your name."

He let loose the arrow, and it struck, straight through Archangel's left wing. He howled in pain before he crumpled and plummeted to the ground. There was still the matter of Starfire, and seeing her friend injured, she was not to be messed with. Warp ran, and ducked around several corners, able to at least temporarily lose her. Perhaps it would be enough to get back to his own time.

He started turning the dial on his suit, setting the right coordinates, when a series of smoke bombs went off, distracting him. Robin had been waiting for him, and Cyborg was there to help. Before the smoke had even cleared, Robin had shot off several grappling hooks, all of them entangling Warp. As Robin pulled the wires taut, Cyborg charged at Warp, one of his arms transformed into a chainsaw. He was taking aim at the dial at the center of Warp's suit.

Knowing it was his lifeline to his own time, Warp reacted quickly. With a last-ditch effort of strength, he snapped the cords binding him and caught Cyborg's chainsaw from the side. The two struggled, pushing each other back. Robin tried to step in and was able to get behind Warp, hoping to distract him long enough to prevent him from time traveling. However, he sensed he still had the upper hand. "Your teamwork and technique are remarkable," he said. "Good thing I did my research."

Using all his strength, he lifted Cyborg and flipped him over his head, and onto Robin. Cyborg had to shut down his saw to avoid hurting his teammate. Warp was not in the clear just yet. Starfire had caught up to him, and she had a history with him. Eyes glowing, she launched herself full-throttle at him. The wind was knocked out of him as the two collided. She had him pinned, trying to wrestle the bow out of his grip. "How do you keep returning?" she asked, surprised by how tight he held on. It must have been the suit; good for more than just time travel.

"My dear, don't you see it?" he replied. "In my time, there is no one to stop me."

While deeply concerning to her, Starfire did not let it show as she tried to scare him off using her eye beams. Warp narrowly avoided her and managed to take the advantage. Getting off of her, he finally set his dial to open up the wormhole. "Ta-ta, for now, Titans," he said. "I enjoy these meetings. It's not every day you meet long-lost heroes."

Raven and Beast Boy tried to catch him before he disappeared through the hole, but missed him by less than a second. "Dang it! He got away," Beast Boy groaned.

"No use crying over spilled milk," Cyborg said, trying to stay positive. "We'll get him next time."

Robin helped Starfire to her feet. "Except that 'next time' means nothing to Warp."

"Where is…" Starfire began to say but gasped as she looked behind her.

Archangel still lay in a heap on the street, the bronze arrow still sticking out of his wing. He was not conscious, and a small pool of blood had started to form.

Archangel was still unconscious as he lay in the Titans' medbay. Cyborg and Raven tended to him. Cyborg kept a vigilant watch on his vitals. "It just doesn't make sense," he said to himself.

The doors slid open and the others entered. "Any changes?" Starfire asked hopefully.

"What exactly happened?" Beast Boy asked.

Cyborg sighed. "Nothing yet, he said, answering Starfire's question. "So far, just a concussion a few bruised ribs. Raven's taking care of the ribs, and I won't know much about the head injury until he wakes up. I'm going to try and remove the arrow."

It was still lodged in the upper part of his left wing, just below the joints. Cyborg knew it wasn't the best idea, but given that it wasn't near any important blood vessels, he cut off the feathers and pushed the arrow completely through. More blood fell onto the floor. It was Starfire who became particularly alarmed. "Something is wrong!" she said. "His blood, it is the wrong color."

Cyborg and Raven only stared for a moment. It looked normal to them, but then, Archangel was not human. Cyborg went back to the computer screens. "Then that may explain this anomaly," he said, thinking aloud. "He's had a fever ever since we got him back here, not a big one, but noticeable. It hasn't risen yet."

"But what would cause that?" Robin asked.

Before Cyborg had a chance to muse on the idea, several alarms went off on the monitors, and Archangel started to convulse. "Fever's starting to spike," Cyborg called out, trying not to panic.

"Could use a little help here," Raven said, trying to hold him down.

Cyborg and Robin pitched in and were able to get him temporarily calmed as the fever waved subsided. It was only then that Cyborg noticed a slight reddening of the skin on his wing where the arrow had been. It gave him an idea. Quickly, he made a quick tourniquet to prevent too much blood circulation from the wing. Moving over to his right side, Cyborg drew a small sample of blood. It was a dark orange this time, and he assumed since Starfire said nothing about it, that this was its normal color. "Um, what are you…" Beast Boy started to ask.

Cyborg did not listen, placing the sample on a petri dish. He then scraped off a few flakes from the bronze tip of the arrow. Upon making contact, the blood turned red. "I'll have to run some tests to figure out what exactly is happening, but it looks like his body is having a reaction to bronze. Guess we figured out his kryptonite."

"Never a good thing," Raven said. "Anything we can do?"

Cyborg kept clacking away on the keyboard. "I won't know exactly what it's doing until I run it through our systems, but on the surface of things, it's corroding his blood. Now, there may be something to help that. There's a lab working with something called Benzotriethetone. Looking at these descriptions, I can maybe make a cure from that. Raven, I need you to use your magic to try and keep this from reaching his full circulation system. That'll buy us more time. Beast Boy, there are a few other things we'll need."

"Aye, aye!" Beast Boy said before bounding off with the list in the form of a German shepherd.

"Robin and Starfire," said Cyborg, "I need you to go get the Benzotriethetone."

The two exchanged an awkward look. They had never been alone together on assignment since their breakup. "Both of us?" Robin asked, just to be sure.

Cyborg hardly looked up from his screens. "Yes, with your security clearance and connections, you would be able to go and obtain the Benzotriethetone. However, this is a highly sought-after lab. Starfire needs to be there in case there is trouble."

"Is that necessary?" Robin asked.

Cyborg shrugged. "Perhaps, perhaps not. But the more you stay here talking about it, the sooner the bronze fully reaches his circulation system."

That already convinced Starfire, and she tugged on Robin's arm. Robin hesitated but yielded in the face of the severity of the situation. This was, by no means, an ideal situation. There was so much awkward silence between them these days. This was mostly his doing. He had no idea how to deal with this change in their relationship. On the one hand, he needed her. If anything, he wanted her around, as his friend once more. And he knew that she wanted that too. On the other hand, he could not face her. It hurt too much. She wanted time to think, after all. He was giving it to her.

By now, her arms were already wrapped around him as she sat behind him on the motorcycle. Darn!

They had been admitted into the vaults of Pemasel Labs easily. A lab assistant guided them down the halls. As they swiped their keycard for the right door and it swished open, it was apparent that something was wrong. Several slots on the shelves were empty. "They still have to be here," Robin said. "This room is sealed."

"You got that right," a distorted voice said from above.

Red X jumped down from the ceiling, various capsules strapped to his belt. Robin gritted his teeth. He could just sense the smug grin on Red X's face. "What are you doing here?" he said. "Last I knew, you stole for yourself. What do you need with all this?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Red X said in a mocking tone. "But you're right. These aren't for me. They're for an employer who will pay me."

Robin's eyes narrowed. "Slade."

Red X only shook his head, taunting him. "You wish."

He vaulted over the two of them and ran down the halls, trying to make his exit. Starfire was the one who had the advantage and flew straight after him. She easily got ahead of him, bringing him to a sudden halt. Her glare was fierce. "You will hand over the Benzotriethetone, and you will return what you have stolen."

Red X seemed surprised. He held up a vial containing a bluish liquid. "Oh, so this is what you're after?" he said, shaking it a little. "Hmm, would be a shame if I suddenly dropped it."

She tried to make a grab for it, but he tossed it into his other hand before she could react. "Please, do not…" she pleaded.

"Tell you what, cutie," he said. "I'm in a good mood today, so I'll trade you this for a kiss."

She hauled off and punched him between the eyes in response, leaving him incredibly dazed. She grabbed the vial and the rest of his stolen goods and took off. Red X managed to recover and threw an adhesive X at her. It wrapped around her body, pinning her arms to her sides, and she was tripped up. While she struggled, Red X took back his treasure. "Not letting a good paycheck get away that easily," he said before running again.

He practically skidded to a stop when he saw Robin. "Had I know this stuff was so important, I would've charged him more," Red X muttered to himself.

"Let's just say it's a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time," Robin said, whipping out his staff.

Red X had one of his own, except it was more like two welded together to form an X. He noted Robin's surprise. "Gotta protect my assets, you know."

Robin regained focus and the two went at it, exchanging blows. With the X-shaped staff, it was hard for Robin to find holes in Red X's defenses to get through. A few times, he had tried to keep him busy enough to attack with some of his other tools. Smoke bombs, exploding disks, birdaranges; nothing seemed to faze Red X. Robin could not tell what annoyed him more: the fact that he could not get ahead of Red X, or the fact that Red X knew it too. He could feel the smug sense of confidence lurking behind the mask.

Little did he know that Red X had a plan of his own. Putting a little more force behind his attack, he shoved Robin back a ways, putting some good distance between them. "Sorry to cut this short," he said, revealing a small handful of little, metal X's, "but my employer hates to wait."

He threw them out like ninja stars. They instantly stuck through Robin's cape, and pinned him to the wall. Momentarily stuck, it was Red X's chance to escape. As he ran down the hall, he was almost sure he would get away. The sound of doors opening and weapons being loaded just on the other side of his exit told him otherwise, though. Curse the cops, and the one time they actually show up to a crime in progress, he thought. He looked behind him. Starfire and Robin were also catching up. Time to weigh some options. He only wished someone was around to see the wicked smile behind his mask.

He turned to face Starfire and Robin. "You want this so bad?" he said, holding the vial. "Then take it. It's more trouble than it's worth."

He tossed it in the air, and Robin only barely caught it before it hit the ground. He scrambled up just before Red X took his leave. All of them could now hear the police on the other side. "Time's up, X," Robin said, rather pleased with himself.

Red X never wavered. "Oh, I don't think so. Last time I checked, you two will be the only ones on the security cameras. Looks like the shoe's on the other foot. Later, Titans."

Pressing a button on his belt, he seemed to vanish. Robin cursed under his breath. Starfire was more concerned with the doors being forced open. Instinct took over, and she yanked Robin by the cape and ran.

Beast Boy hummed to himself as he perused the shelves at the pharmacy. True, he was worried about his friend, but humming calmed his nerves and helped him think straight in a crisis. He did not know how Robin and Starfire were faring, but he was pretty sure he had the easiest job. He only had one or two more items off of Cyborg's list to get. "Let me see, next thing is Burn B Gone," he said to himself. Cyborg said he needed something to treat the red, irritated area on Archangel's wing. "Should be easy enough."

As he came to the shelf, he thanked his lucky stars. "Score! I got the last one."

As he reached out for it, another hand knocked into his. Surprised by the sudden stranger, Beast Boy turned only to find himself shocked. It was Gizmo. "Back off, snotwad!" Gizmo yelled. "I saw it first. What are you even doing here?"

"I should ask you the same thing," Beast Boy said. "Where's the rest of the HIVE?"

"None of your beeswax! I'm here for me. I need that. Heck, I was going to pay for that. Now, outta my way!"

As he shoved Beast Boy over, a vengeful gleam came to his eye, and he turned into a tiger. The pharmacist behind the counter had started to take cover.

Starfire had hardly given Robin time to think, she had bolted so fast. It was all he could do just to keep up with her. He was just about to tell her to stop when she pulled him into a room and slammed the door. Only after they were both sure the lock was secure did they turn around to find themselves in the surveillance room. "Just great," Robin mumbled. "Well, let's see what sort of trouble Red X has gotten us in."

He began tinkering with the machines, trying to rewind the tapes to their entrance. Starfire was right behind him. "Uh, Star," he said, "do you have to be that close? I'm trying to concentrate, and I don't need-"

Starfire had already zipped over to the far corner of the room. Robin had moved from his sad-phase to his angry one since their breakup. While Starfire was not one to put up with him when he was angry, she also knew to avoid provoking him. He had finally found what he was looking for, and he was already cursing under his breath. "Red X is good," he said. "He used some sort of cloaking mechanism to hide any trace of him on the camera. We're the only ones here, as far as they're concerned, and it doesn't look good."

Starfire watched the tapes as Robin played them back. He was right. It did look like they had stolen the chemicals. "Surely we can explain to the police that-" she began.

"Any chance we had of that was gone when you ran," Robin said. "Seriously, what were you thinking?"

"I do not know. I was scared, and I…I just do not know," she replied, becoming upset.

Robin tried to calm her. "Look, there's no changing that now. The best thing we can do to clear ourselves is to catch Red X. Starfire looked at the vial in her hands. "But what about Archie? We need to-"

Robin grabbed her shoulders. "Star, listen to me. We're being chased down by the cops, and we're outside of Jump City. They don't know us from Adam. Red X is about to hand over god-knows-what to god-knows-who. We've got bigger things to worry about. Archangel will be fine. Cyborg and Raven wouldn't let anything happen to him."

She nodded, only a little comforted with that thought. Robin was still formulating a plan. "Red X can't have gotten far yet. Security's still tight. He may still be up in the…"

Before he could finish, Starfire had blasted a small hole in the ceiling, giving them an escape route. "Up in the ventilation," he finished as debris rained down on his hair.

She had already flown up into the vents, and he scrambled to catch up with her. The only flaw to this plan, though, was that they had no idea where they were going. They had no clue where Red X was or even where to go to leave. "What I wouldn't give for Raven to be here right now," Robin thought, wishing for her ability to sense people. Starfire jumped a few times when she thought she heard the police underneath them. Crawling along blindly, they traversed the labyrinth of the building.

After a long time of crawling along, Robin and Starfire heard a loud thump just ahead. Starfire eagerly shuffled along with Robin close behind. Coming around a corner to a crossway, they saw Red X up ahead. He conveyed as much surprise as he could behind a mask, but soon regained his cool. "Not so easy when you're on this end, is it?" he said.

Robin and Starfire did not respond but chased after him. A small portion of the side of the building blew off, and Red X scrambled out is "homemade" exit, Robin and Starfire on his heels. They did split up to try and find a way to cut him off.

Starfire sped on ahead to block any routes he might take. While things were still weird between her and Robin, there was no denying that they still had a good mesh of techniques as teammates. They knew how to tag-team to cut a villain off. She finally came to a stop and turned around to find that, as predicted, Red X had taken to that particular street. Red X skidded to a stop. As annoying as the Teen Titans were, they were worthy adversaries. "You just won't let this go, will you?" he said. "I gave you what you wanted."

"You have stolen from the labs," Starfire said. "You will return these ill-gotten items." Her hands began to glow.

"That's your problem," he said. "Life ain't so black and white. Loosen up a little. Or, well, in this case, don't." He threw two X-shaped devices which struck her hands, wrapped around them, and prevented her from using her starbolts.

Before she could fly at him, he threw another one, this one much larger. It struck the ground and just looked like a painted X on the street. But it suddenly sprung to life, the legs of the X snaked up and grabbed Starfire's legs, preventing her from getting anywhere. She tried getting him with her eye beams, but Red X could easily get away from that. "I'll let you think over what I said." He took off down the street.

Robin was not far behind. He only had enough time to cut Starfire's feet free before resuming his chase. Red X was vaulting over a chain-link fence when Robin finally caught up to him. What took him by surprise was that Red X was prepared. He had laid a field of X's on the ground. Upon stepping on one, Robin learned they were electrified. Thankfully, it only took one to figure it out. Like an intense game of hopscotch, Robin hopped and dodged around the triggers. But Red X had succeeded. The distraction took up enough time from Robin for him to gain even more of a lead.

With the distance between them, Robin tried throwing as many of his gadgets out to either stop him or at least close that distance between them. But for everything he had, Red X had something to counter it. He cursed himself for making such an efficient suit.

However, Red X did not realize he was running right into their trap. He skidded to a stop in the road, caught between Starfire and Robin. "Nowhere to go now, X," Robin said, cautiously moving forward to close the gap.

He looked around and found that he was indeed at a disadvantage. But upon hearing the sound of sirens approaching, he knew he had to act fast. "Nowhere to go, except up," he said.

Red X took them by surprise. He bolted over to Robin, snatched a grappling hook off his belt, fired it at the nearest roof, and bounded off before either of them could realize what happened.

At least a dozen police cars surrounded them. After all, nobody knew it was Red X they were looking for. "Oh, this is just great," Robin muttered.

Gizmo was zipping away on his helicopter pack as a rhino came charging down the shelves of the pharmacy. "Gonna have to do better than that, foot-licker!" he taunted.

This only made Beast Boy press on further and he turned into a monkey to leap over the shelves and make a jump at Gizmo. He screeched and pounded his fists when the villain buzzed away in the nick of time. In his third attempt, he became a falcon, whizzing to catch up to the HIVE member. Just when he overtook him, he snatched up the Burn B Gone in his talons, smiling to himself. "Oh, no ya don't," Gizmo grumbled.

Metal tentacles sprung from his suit, and two of them wrapped around Beast Boy while another two grabbed the burn cream. This time, he did not stick around to gloat and took off, leaving Beast Boy still gulping in air after being strangled. "I'm not…done with…you yet," he said between breaths.

Gizmo was already out the door and did not hear him. He fumbled about, trying to get in his gyro ball of a getaway car. "C'mon, you piece of crud," he grumbled.

Beast Boy blindsided him as he tackled him. They wrestled about and tumbled on the sidewalk. "Back off, pit-muncher. It's mine!"

"I saw it first," Beast Boy grunted as he tried to pry it from him.

As the two fought, the Burn B Gone slipped out of their hands and rolled out into the street. Both boys looked on with horror-stricken faces as it slowly came to a stop in the middle of the road. Just as they gave a sigh of relief, a semi-truck ran over it, destroying it completely. Beast Boy's jaw dropped and Gizmo began blathering off a slew of curses. Neither could believe this bit of misfortune. They both sat up and winced at the practically-destroyed pharmacy. "So, wanna grab a soda?" Beast Boy laughed. "I'm buying."

"Look, I know it sounds crazy, but we're not who you're looking for," Robin said, frustrated from having told this story for the sixth time. He knew the police were only doing their job, but sometimes, they could be a real pain.

Starfire remained silent through the whole ordeal. Fear, most likely, Robin reasoned. She had not even dared to meet the interviewing officer's eyes. "Uh huh," he said, clearly not buying it. "So, I'm to understand that you're superheroes, and you just got mixed up with a supervillain. Just what kind of a fool do you take me for?"

Both of them looked at each other, confused. "But it is the truth," Starfire said meekly.

He started straightening papers. "I see, and now tell me, why should I believe you're superheroes and not supervillains?"

Robin hated having to play this card. "Look, if you just speak with my mentor, he can-"

"Who, Batman? Kid, you're not the first I've seen in that ridiculous getup. I'm not going to bother him over a silly fanboy gone rogue."

Robin ground his teeth with this statement. "And what exactly are you supposed to be?" the officer asked Starfire.

"I am from the planet Tamaran. If you do not believe that, then a sample of my DNA would-"

"Oh, I have no doubt you're from another world, sweetheart, but last time I checked, not all aliens were out to help mankind. For all I know, you're just another Kanamit."

Starfire looked puzzled. "I have never heard of these Kanamits. They were not dignitaries who visited…"

"Not now, Star," Robin interrupted. "So, let me see if I get this straight. You're going to arrest us and let the real culprit get away, all because you're too lazy to verify our claims?"

This did not sit well with the officer. "You supers are all alike. Can't tell who's the bad ones since you all cause the same amount of destruction. What's a couple less off the streets?"

Robin grabbed him by the shirt collar. "Listen, you, I've had enough of this-"

"Robin," Starfire said, gripping his shoulder with that pleading look in her eyes.

He sighed and released the officer. Even angrier, he straightened his cap and tie and said brusquely, "Right then. I've got paperwork to file on you two. Could take a while. Until then, you're staying put."

The door slammed behind him. "What do we do now?" Starfire asked.

Robin was still fuming from the guy's rant about supers. "We get out of here and go get Red X is what we do. The guy didn't even know what a Tamaranean was, so I doubt this place is made to keep someone like you in."

He was already heading for the door. "Robin, wait," she called, sighing deeply. "Is what they say about us…being destructive, really true?"

This was not the first time this debate had come up about the need or lack thereof of supers, but it was probably the first time Starfire had heard any of it before. It was a complicated topic, at best. How could he begin to describe the debate that had been going on for years? And God forbid he even try to explain the related argument about alien supers. "You've got nothing to worry about," Robin lied. "Now, come on."

Once Starfire crushed the doorknob, sneaking out was a breeze. Smaller cities, like this, just were not prepared for people like them. "Okay, during that last scuffle with Red X, I managed to get a tracking device on him," Robin said as they got outside. "Provided he doesn't figure out it's on him, we should be good."

Beast Boy snuck back into the tower, too ashamed of his failed supply run. He was doing his best to creep past the medbay. "So, how'd that go?" Cyborg's voice hollered out the door.

How did he know? Oh, that's right. Raven could sense people nearby. Darn! "Oh, uh, okay," he answered, "but, uh, I had a little trouble at the pharmacy. You see, I ran into Gizmo and-"

"Whatever, not like I needed that stuff anyway."

"What?" Beast Boy asked indignantly. "Well, then what was the point of sending me out for all this junk?"

Cyborg hardly looked up. "Kept you busy, didn't it?"

The answer did not sit well with Beast Boy, but given the seriousness of the situation, he did not complain. "So, how is he?"

"'Fair,' is the best way to describe it," Cyborg answered. "He's still unconscious, but only spasmed a couple more times. He's stable for now, but Robin and Star had better get here soon."

"Agreed," Raven said. She had been concentrating quietly the whole time. "I can't keep this healing up for much longer. I just don't understand why his body doesn't respond fully to my magic."

Cyborg sighed. "Seriously though, what is taking them so long?"

"This way," Robin said, dashing around the corner.

Red X had led them on a decent chase. It was all they could do to keep up. They had ducked through alleys, gone down unfamiliar streets, and had even gone around in circles a few times. Robin was almost certain that Red X had found the tracking device and had attached it to a dog or something, but for now, it was the only lead they had, and they had to follow it until it ran cold.

Though he was very close to giving up, the blinking light on his device finally stopped. "Must've stopped to catch his breath," Robin muttered to himself.

As they came around the last corner, they were actually surprised to find Red X. He had only just discovered the tracking device and was about to pull it off. "Thought it would be that easy to get away, didn't you?"

"Maybe I just wanted you to find me," he retorted. "Apparently, my employer said it was important I bring the Benzotriethetone. So, it seems like we can reach an agreement. Hand over the vial, and I'll make a grand show of leaving with it. The police will see me get away, and your names will be cleared."

On the one hand, that was a tempting offer. Of course, they could not let Red X get away, but with them cleared from the crime, they would have more freedom to try and catch him. However, when Robin looked and saw the worried expression on Starfire's face, he knew he would not do it. Their friend's life was on the line, even if Robin did not consider him too much of a friend right now. It was a risk not worth taking. "Sorry, but you'll have to take it from me."

"With pleasure."

Red X made a running dive for them. But just as he got close, they fizzled away, disappearing. "You forget, Red X," a voice said from behind him, "I designed the suit. I know how to make all your tricks happen."

Almost as if they had appeared out of nowhere," Robin and Starfire were right behind him. They had used some of his own hologram technology to fool him. He should have known. Likely, these two were holograms as well. "What's the matter?" Robin taunted. "Afraid of being beaten at your own game?"

Red X fumed and scoured the rooftops to see if he could find the real pair. They obviously wanted to keep him grounded. Sure enough, just out of the corner of his eye, he saw them just above. In a handful of elegant leaps, he was on the same rooftop and gave chase. He knew he had no hope of catching up to Starfire, but Robin had the vial anyway.

He followed them over the top of a building, and slid down the awning, right into a crowd of police officers. "But, but…" Red X stammered as he looked around, but could not find them in sight.

"Should've picked the ones behind you," Robin said as he and Starfire caught up to the scene. "Next time, don't overthink it."

"Or maybe you're just not thinking enough. Remember, I wanted to be found. Call me egotistical, but I couldn't stand the thought of you two taking credit for my work."

In an instant, he vanished, a hologram himself. "Robin, what does this mean?" Starfire asked worriedly.

"It means whoever Red X was working for, he already gave him the stuff."

Very rarely had Robin ever spent any time just hanging out with Archangel, but the others had gotten so exhausted with his fuming over their loss against Red X, he had little option. Archangel had healed well enough from his injury after Robin and Starfire had returned. According to Cyborg, they were cutting it close. Raven thought he was exaggerating, however. The two were stretching for a morning run on the island. Neither had really said a word.

"I understood you faced a dilemma of whether or not to save my life or to clear the trouble you and Starfire had gotten into," Archangel said a little stiffly.

"It wasn't like that," Robin defended. "I knew we'd save you. I just wanted to think of what was the best course of action against Red X. That still turned out a failure.

"Hm, I am glad then. I was worried our mutual dislike of each other would have clouded your judgment."

Robin was taken aback. "I never said I hated you."

"Nor did I," Archangel replied. "I said we dislike each other. I'm not all that fond of you, just as you are not all that fond of me."

"Well, if we're being honest about it…" Robin said sarcastically.

Archangel stood up to face him. "I'm merely stating known facts. You are not that hard to read. Besides, we are teammates. That doesn't mean we have to like each other all the time."

For a long time, the only sound that was heard was the ocean beating against the shores. "So, I know I haven't been the nicest to you after Star and I…you know. It's just a difficult change." Robin struggled as he tried to get the next part out. "So, now that we're even, I wanted to ask you something. When you came here to earth and learned that we were dating, how did you deal with it? And don't give me that stuff about wanting to see her truly happy and junk. I know that old line."

"Very well," Archangel chuckled. "I will tell you a little secret about Starfire. Truthfully, I would never speak of it with her. I'm too afraid. She is…well, she shares a particular quality with her father."

"She's determined?" Robin said.

"She is stubborn," Archangel corrected. "When she makes up her mind about anything, there is no changing it until she decides to."

Robin was not buying it. "C'mon, you're exaggerating."

"Okay then, tell me, in any disagreement you've had with her when was the last time she apologized to you?"

"That's ridiculous. We've always both ended up…Oh, my God, you're right."

Archangel nodded. "Ultimately, she may admit to you she was in the wrong, but only after you give in first. So, when I knew that she was with you, I knew there was no point trying to change her mind. If anything, even trying would hurt what friendship we still have."

"Oh," was all Robin could think to say. In a weird way, it did make some sense. "So, then what? Does this now make us rivals or something?"

"In a way, but there is no point towards exerting ourselves trying to sway her mind one way or the other."

"So, we just do nothing?"

Archangel was ready to start the run. "I never said that. There are much healthier means of engaging in this rivalry."

"Such as?"

"For example, whoever finishes the run first is buying lunch."

Robin was confused. "But you still don't understand the concept of money."

Archangel had already taken a head-start. "Which is why I do not intend to lose," he called back.

Robin rolled his eyes, and with a chuckle to himself went to catch up.

Red X threw his stash onto the desk of his employer. "Should've told me this stuff was going to be so much trouble to get."

A hand reached out from the shadows to examine his catch. "Well, let's see what you brought us, and I will tell you if it was worth the trouble." He began examining the vials, reading off the names as his mousy assistant took inventory. "Hm, now let's see: liquid kryptonite, metallic chromium, yes, it all appears to be here. Where's the Benzotriethetone?"

"A slight hiccup. Some do-gooders got away with it."

Red X hoped this would not hurt his pay. He was also wearily watching his surroundings. A lesson he had learned early: don't blindly trust an employer. "I see," was all he said. "These things happen."

The fact that his employer was not bothered by this failure sent up a million red flags for Red X. Still, he had to assess the situation. "Now then, my pay."

His unseen employer leaned back in his chair, fully obscuring himself in the shadows of the office. "Indeed, you are receiving one of the greatest payments we can give to 'your kind.' You are granted complete and total protection."

"Protection from what?" Red X asked suspiciously.

"You'll see. Of course, you will receive notification of what all this entails." Red X was handed a small tablet. "We'll call you when we pay up."

He took the device. "I was expecting a more 'physical' payment."

"I'm sure you were, but this, you will find, is much better. It's an investment for your future."

Red X shrugged, his hands gingerly moving towards his belt. "I'm more of an instant gratification guy."

A fist slammed down on the table before he could get too close. "You'll find that what we've given you is enough. Now, gentlemen, see our friend to the door."

Two hulking men picked Red X up by his arms and escorted him out. These were clearly not people not to mess around with, and he felt like he had made a bad decision. "And remember, Mr. X, Jupiter Corp. thanks you for your patronage."