DC Gothic – Red-X
Part 2
The End Of Year Exam
"As you might have heard Jinx, Gizmo and Mammoth have once again been apprehended by the Teen Titans and handed over to the Jump City Police Department" Headmistress Kane said to me from behind her desk
Actually I hadn't know that but no doubt it would be on the six o'clock news. The stations loved to show the fights between crooks and heroes, they could be more thrilling than any expensively made action movie.
"Again they have shamed this institution and worse, they have damaged my reputation in the eyes of my client for the third time in so many months".
One of the schools less well known and totally unapproved motto's was 'If at first you don't succeed try doing the exact same thing again' few people other than myself seemed to have any skill at tactical thinking.
If I'd been leading Jinx, Mammoth and Gizmo on one of their missions the Titans would be dead by now. Heck I could do it by myself, the Teen Titans had a favourite pizza joint everyone knew where it was. I'd even been there and I knew they were currently hiring. All I'd need to do was to pass the interview and then poison a pizza, or I could plant a bomb under their usual table. And those plans just came off the top of my head.
"You mean Slade?" I asked.
From what I knew Slade was actually Deathstroke the Terminator, he was considered to be the best assassin in the world, so why he would hire anyone to take out the Titans was a mystery as he was more than qualified to do the job himself, and if for some reason he couldn't then he had to know people who could.
The only way hiring the H.I.V.E made sense as if he hadn't actually wanted any of the Titans killed, like say as a distraction for what he was doing or maybe he'd been testing either or both groups.
The Headmistress hissed through her clenched teeth and that may have been a yes of some sort.
Adeline Kane was a cold hearted bitch and truly criminally insane. She didn't care about her students so if she was upset then this was about money or possibly she was upset about the damage to her reputation. Pride was by far her greatest sin.
"Your instructors tell me that you are the best possible candidate for an extraction" Kane was now saying "I have checked your records and find that I agree with that assessment. You will be assigned to oversee their removal from police custody so they can be returned to the school".
I'd heard the rumours about the end of year exams, which were very practical but this seemed a bit much.
"What kind of resources am I getting?" I inquired
I couldn't just stroll into a police station, or a prison if they'd already been transferred, and take three people out the front door, and an outright assault was suicidal so I needed tools, information and perhaps even some cannon fodder.
"You have a HIVE education" the Headmistress said.
If that was suppose to be an answer than it was a lousy one. This operation was going to have to be military in style in order to succeed, and that meant I needed real resources and proper intelligence.
"Okay let me phrase this a different way" I then said "What will you give me that will allow me to retrieve your students. I can't just click my fingers and free them I need something to work with".
At this point I'd take a map to police station, as at least that would be something.
"How about being allowed to continue your worthless life?" the Headmistress's assistant threatened.
I was not intimated by the thug. If anyone wanted me dead I'd be dead by now.
"It's not so worthless when you need me to get your three favourite students out of jail" I pointed out.
I also knew that Kane was a mercenary, she would weigh the risk and reward of any situation before taking action or allowing her henchmen to take action. It didn't do her any good to kill me, so she wouldn't.
"Face it" I said to the minion "I'm worth much more to you alive so your threat is meaningless."
No doubt Kane had expected to fall into place and so was surprised to hear me stand up to her bullies, even if it wasn't directly. I'd read enough about psychology to know how she would react.
We both knew that I had something the Headmistress wanted and that put me into a rare position of power. However I had to be careful how far I pushed this.
"What you want makes little difference to me" the Headmistress told me.
She was testing me now. I could feel it.
"And yet here you are, in need of my particular set of skills. The set of skills I started to develop long before I came to this place".
Rather than reply directly Kane started to flick through what I guessed was my file. I knew for a fact that aside from my grades and instructor comments there was no personal information for her to use against me.
"What do you want?" the Headmistress asked me.
She wanted to know what I needed to get this done because she didn't know what to give me. In places like this resources were parcelled out the rank and file troops didn't to get request special equipment unless they were also special in some way.
"I'll need all the information you can get me on where Mammoth, Jinx and Gizmo are being held" I told her "I'll need a disguise, weapons and any tools you can give me".
Her eagle eyed gaze focused on me as if I was a pet that made a mess rather than nothing more than a stain on the wall. Which all things considered was actually an improvement over our last meeting.
"Follow me" the Headmistress ordered.
I did just that and I was led to a room I'd never been in before. The sign on the door said it was a supply closet but when it was opened I discovered that it was so much more.
There was a lot here, but what drew my eye was a black suit that was marked with a red coloured X and it came with a skull mask. It had a cape which I didn't think would suit me but it went well with the rest of the outfit. It was a thing of beauty more a work of art than a suit. I wanted it and I knew it was up for grabs.
"This is both your reward and your equipment for the mission" Kane told me "Should you succeed you can keep the suit, should you fail I will have it stripped from your still warm corpse".
It was time to sink or swim, of that there was no doubt.
"That is what you need for the mission" she said "now tell me what you want in return for my students".
It didn't take me long to come up with an answer.
"I want to wring everything of worth out of this school and then I never want to see any of you again".
That was exactly what I wanted. Freedom.
"Very well" said Kane "Should you be successful I will move you up to the advanced classes".
In other words I was about to go from a freshmen to senior.
"You will need a name" Kane was now saying "The last owner of this suit was called Red-X".
Not that clever really, but it would work. It nothing else was a damn sight better than being called 'That Goth kid'.
"Red-X will be fine".
It didn't take someone like me to figure out that when I returned for my last year at this school (assuming I survived that long) then it would be as Red-X, the man I used to be would be gone.
"Now you must plan on how to break into JCPD?" Kane said "You should be able to manage that with access to all this equipment and the gadgets in this suit".
Looking around I smiled and said.
"Yeah that I can do".
Only a total fool could mess this up. Which meant I had to plan for when the fools would mess this up too.
"Red-X is on the case" I told Kane.
"He better be" the Headmistress warned.
(Line Break)
Police Station - Jump City
"Who the crud is this barf-licker?" Gizmo demanded to know in grouchy tone of voice.
Sometimes I also wondered if Gizmo was actually not an adult with a growth hormone condition, which was another theory, but rather someone more on the lines of Stewie Griffin. He might actually be a toddler, he was small enough.
"The Headmistress sent me to retrieve you" I explained, while also enjoying the way the mask distorted my voice.
"Are you going to save us with your powers?" was the foul mouthed little punks next question.
When planning this I had hoped that this wouldn't come up because I didn't have any powers.
"Maybe I have powers, maybe I don't"
I teleported into the room, but that was because of the suit let me, but Gizmo had no idea what the outfit was capable of, however neither did as of yet. I didn't even know where it had come from, but I was learning a lot very quickly.
"Now unless you want to spend a few years in max security prison I suggest you shut up and follow my led" I said.
I already knew that Jinx was in another cell. It made sense as she was a girl, even I'd noticed that and I had next to no interested in the women these days. Mostly because I was still trying to fly under the radar.
"We are so dead when we get back" Mammoth moaned even as I removed his shackles.
For such a tough guy he sure was a whiny little bitch.
"Not my problem, big guy. I was just hired to escort you home" was my uncaring reply "now wait right here while I get Jinx".
That wasn't hard given that I could teleport to anything in my line of sight. The bars meant nothing to me and soon I was in Jinx's cell. I used a small, but powerful, laser to remove her handcuffs which would allow her to use her powers to aid the escape.
"We'll take it from here" the pink haired girl said.
Clearly Jinx did not want to a damsel in distress, this was proven when she sent a hex bolt whizzing past me and blew the lock out. The door blasted open, off of its hinges and bounced off the opposing wall with an almighty clang. That hadn't been at all subtle.
"Can you guys do anything quietly?" I asked.
If the alarms went off I was so out of here. I had the suit and I'd always wanted to check out Gotham.
"Screw quiet, I just want out of here" Gizmo said as Mammoth brought down thier cell door "and we're getting out, snot for brains".
If anyone could have seen my face they'd have seen my eyes roll at this point.
"You guys are just lucky that I brought knockout gas with me" I remarked.
With that I threw the small cansiter at the guards, who now entering this part of the station. No doubt they'd seen Jinx destroy her cell door thanks to their cameras.
"Women and children first" I said as we headed to the nearest exit.
I knew that before we got out of here they'd be some bloodshed, but that wasn't my problem. My job was just to get them back home, if they left a mess doing that then that was their fault.
(Line Break)
H.I.V.E Academy.
After looking my new larger and much better decorated room, I laid back on my new king sized bed and smiled
My first mission had been a total success, almost too easy. Well at least my part had been that easy, those three idiots had made it harder but in the end that had worked out well for me too.
I'd discovered something very interesting as well. I did in fact have a super power.
During the escape I'd gotten shot. The suit hadn't been damaged but I'd gotten knocked on my ass, but when I'd checked myself in the mirror there wasn't even a bruise were the bullet had struck.
I'd then gone to test the idea that I might be super tough or having healing powers by cutting myself.
It hadn't been hard to make blood appear but the wound had closed quickly which suggested that had a healing factor like Marvel's Wolverine. That was so very cool. But it wasn't much compared to what the other meta-humans could do so I would keep it quiet.
Now that I had time, I decided to mull over what I was going to come. Having saved the members of HIVE from their failure Red-X would become the talk of the school. I had lost the very anonymity that kept me safe. When the new term started I would be in the advanced classes, that would draw even more attention towards me.
However since everyone would be looking at my costumed form. They would know me as Red-X and if I was smart no one outside the staff figure that I'd been a lower class student until now. For that to work I'd have to become Red-X I'd have to wear the suit and change my habits. Also I'd have to stand up to anyone who challenged me, and maybe even make some allies.
Still despite putting myself in the spot light going on that mission had it's advantages I was now going to be in the advanced classes, including the one covering magic. From what I already knew everyone had the potential to do magic at a basic level, but few people could actually become full blown practitioners.
After taking a test I had been little disappointed to find that I'd never be the Sorcerer Supreme, but I still had enough potential to make it worth while to take the class as even something as minor as a spell to quickly unlock a door would be helpful in my line of work, and since I was determined to learn everything I could taking even this class was important.
Also there was an engineering class that I was looking forward to. I had gadgets now so it was important for me to know how to maintain and repair these little tricks.
But all of that could wait. What I needed now was sleep and I had some time off before the new classes started so I could spend my time preparing to becoming Red-X.
However sleep was denied me as someone knocked on my door. No one ever knocked my door so it took me a moment to actually understand what was happening.
I even went to the door and opened it before I realised that I'd taken my mask off, which was really stupid of me.
It was Jinx at the door and for a moment I hoped that she wouldn't realise who I was because I wasn't wearing the mask, or the cape for that matter.
Sadly for me she wasn't the idiot I had thought her to be. She knew exactly who I was.
"Hey, Red" she said without delay "ask me out sometime".
No that didn't process at all.
"What?" was my reply,
"You're cuter than I imagined" the girl with pink hair went on to say "but not as smart as I hoped. Ask me out sometime. I will say yes".
So she was asking me out without actually asking me out. I assumed she wanted to be the courted, but I had no desire to get a girlfriend.
"I don't think so" I told her "I'm a lone wolf".
That didn't deter her at all.
"I've seen you without the mask" she said "so you might as well be my boyfriend. Besides I'll put out".
By that I assumed she meant she'd have sex with me. Although why she'd want to climb into bed with me was a total enigma. But it was tempting, she was sort of attractive even with the weird looks and it had been a while since I'd gotten laid. Sex would be nice, and I just had been thinking that an ally might be a good idea.
"Okay" I said "Will you go out with me?"
Rather than answer right away Jinx walked into the room and looked around before saying.
"Well if you really want to. I do need a date for the prom. I got a new dress and everything".
Right then I had a date for the prom. Now I just needed to find out when and where the prom was because until now I'd decided not to go.
"Okay" was what I then said "I'll see you then".
As she left I stood there and wondered why the hell I'd agreed to do something as horrible as go to a prom. I felt so dirty right now that I needed a shower.
Then I'd finally sleep.