DC Gothic – Red-X 2
Part 3
Abandoned Steel Mill – Jump City
Like a hunting cat I landed on my feet and also much like a feline stalking his prey I began to prowl around what remained of Slade's hideout. I'd practically lived in this place, at least for a short time, so at once I knew that something was very wrong here.
To start with it was too quiet, the machinery, that had always created a consent background noise, were no longer working and all the robots were gone too. I had no idea where they had gone, and by the looks of things someone had come along and cleared up even the spare parts.
My prime suspects were the Justice League, the Teen Titans, and perhaps eCADMUS. If any, or even all them, had been here they would have taken all the advanced tech and then cleaned up after. A criminal group would have take anything of value, and left only a mess.
Next I headed to my room, and I discovered that all my stuff was gone. More than that someone else, a female someone judging by the clothes left behind, had been living here. However when I checked Rose's room it looked as if she'd packed up and left.
I couldn't think of any reason why she would move into my room as it wasn't any larger than mine, and the personal effects I'd found weren't really Rose's style. Besides Slade's daughter had never been a typical messy teenager, whoever had been staying in my room had been a slob.
As for my stuff, that had all been boxed up and left in a nearby store room. Which was good because I wanted my books, my extra weapons and my xenomorph skull. The thing might have given me nightmares once, but now it was a trophy of a great victory.
While I was happy to have these things I had to wonder why they were still here. I could understand why no one would have taken the books, they were nothing special. But the weapons should have been confiscated, and I could not imagine the xenomorph skull being thought of as unimportant.
Then when I got to the basement I saw something that at first defied my understanding.
It looked as if the ground itself had opened up and swallowed Slade. There was no other explanation for what I could see, and I knew that Wilson was gone. I was able to feel it deep down in my gut.
Which was good for me as it meant I was free. Deathstroke would have forgotten about me as a person, but he would have remembered having Red-X as his appretince. Now that was no longer an issue.
What I didn't understand was how it had happened. There had been nothing on the news, and no one in town was discussing anything strange that had happened. There had been an earthquake, but this was California so that wasn't strange.
I used my mask to switch the infra-red and then back to night-vision, but I saw nothing odd other than the disturbed ground. Yet I knew this wasn't natural as an earthquake strong enough to do something like this would have caused wide spread devastation. This had been an attack of some sort.
During my time with Doctor Fate I'd explored my magical abilities, and while my mentor hadn't been able to teach me much in the way of spellcasting, as my magic was very different than his, there were certain skills anyone with mystical potential could learn to use.
One of them was the ability to sense powerful enchanted items and where arcane powers had been used. Magic could be sensed it different ways, to some it was almost a smell, that was why in the past certain people had been able to sniff out witches. They'd even made a profession out of it.
For people like me this sense was harder to define. There was nothing tangible about it, no smell, or change in temperature, or even a reaction by hairs on the back of the neck. Yet I could just feel it on some spiritual level.
Dark magic was the easiest to sense as it unnaturalness practically assaulted the senses of someone sensitive enough, and this kind of damage could only have been caused my someone with hostile intent. Evil magic wasn't much good for people who didn't want to cause harm to others.
However I was getting nothing from this place I was no expert at sensing mystical energy, but even a novice should have been able to pick up on something. Which meant that this was not the work of magic user.
Sadly that didn't narrow things down much as the scene could be the result of some sort of device, or an exotic weapon. It could even the work of a meta-human with strange powers.
As odd as all this was the question going through my mind was: What happened to Rose?
I'd just have to solve that mystery another time as it was getting late and I had a date with Raven. I didn't want to be late.
(Line Break)
Steel Mill – Jump City
Not long after Red-X had left a black limo rolled to a halt just outside of the Steel Mill. From the drivers seat came a butler, who then moved to the passenger door and opened it.
"We've arrived young miss" the man with the British accent said.
The window came down to show a girl with white hair, which reached her shoulders. Her grey eyes had a coldness them in them that went well with her pale skin.
As she stepped out of the car anyone watching would have admired her decent bust, her long legs, and her athletic build that had been improved by exercise and training. She was wearing tight fitting material of some sort, and even some armour. She also carried two swords.
"I'll only be a minute or two" the young woman told the driver.
With grace that had been earned through hard work that had been brought out natural abilities, the girl made her way down into the basement.
"I know we didn't always get along" the young woman said to the ruined ground "And I know I wasn't the daughter you wanted, but I'm going to change all that. I'll make them pay for your death… Father"
She then she placed a bouquet of flowers onto the torn up ground.
"Roses from Rose" she whispered
She then stood up straight and took out something from inside her outfit. It was copper and black facial mask that only had one eyehole. It was all she had left of him.
"I'll make them pay" she swore to the mask.
Now that she paid her respects, Rose Wilson turned and left the Steel Mill.
"Miss Wilson" said the butler when Rose got back to the car "We should return home"
With that he held open the door for her, but the young lady didn't get back inside the limbo right away.
"Wintergreen" Rose said "Have you been keeping an eye on those that did this to my father?"
The butler was silent for a few moments before finally nodding.
"I have Miss Wilson" he told her "I have recorded every fight, every win or loss since your father's untimely demise".
Upon hearing that Rose narrowed her eyes at the large T shaped building in the distance.
"You may have defeated my father" Rose whispered "But now you must deal with the Ravager".
Then she got back into the limbo and seconds later Wintergreen drove them both away.
(Line Break)
Streets – Jump City
Shortly before her date was due to start Raven appeared in an alley. She'd not exactly teleported, as she didn't want to do that while pregnant, but moving through shadows was less risky and since it was night time there was plenty of darkness around.
At a brisk pace she headed down the streets with her hands in her coat pockets. She didn't normally dress in civilian clothes, but for once she actually wanted to blend in. That was hard to do when you had purple hair, but thankfully there were plenty of emo and goths about so she was able to move about unnoticed.
When she joined the general pubic she looked around and was pleanstly surprised that one seemed to pay her any attention.
'I might actually get used to this' she thought to herself before wondering what film Red-X and she would see. She hoped that it wasn't another horror movie as while she enjoyed that genre she might lose control of powers if she got too emotional and she was already somewhat stressed due to the fact that she was scared to tell her date that he'd gotten her pregnant.
"Hello" said a voice from behind her
Then Teen Titan nearly jumped out of her skin, as she hadn't sensed him with empathy and she hadn't heard him coming either. Turning she gave the dark haired young man an annoyed glare while also taking in what her date was wearing.
As ever he was in black, but what he wore now was no super suit. He wore simple boots, jeans, a plain t-shirt and over the top of that he had on was a long black coat. The only accessories he wore were two rings.
"What?" Red-X questioned as Raven rolled her eyes at him "Did I do something wrong?"
He had, sort of, but that wasn't what had upset her. At least not this time.
"How did you do that?" she questioned "You came out of nowhere".
Hearing that made the crook smile.
"I'm a master thief" he reminded her "If I couldn't sneak about then I'd have gotten myself arrested by now".
That explained why Raven hadn't heard the young criminal coming, but she didn't understand why her empathic senses had warned her he was close by.
"Ready to go, Sunshine?" Red-X then asked.
The Titan resisted the urge to grind her teeth upon hearing that nickname.
"Why are you calling me that?" she demanded to known.
That question made the criminal chuckle.
"Using your real name might draw attention" Red-X told her "Besides it's my affectionate nickname for you".
While she liked the idea of having him call her something other than the name her friends used, Sunshine wasn't a good choice.
"Call me something else" she pretty much ordered "And not Rae-Rae".
Red-X mulled over his choices.
"How about just Ray" he suggested "Cause your such a ray of sunshine".
With a nod Raven showed that she had decided that it was the lesser of two evils.
"Ray it is then" Red-X then said.
With that the two super powered young people headed into the cinema to see what movies were on offer. She'd already checked out online reviews and movie times, but she was happy to let her date pick the movie. He was after all paying for everything.
"The Matrix Reloaded" Raven read while checking out the time the films started.
Red-X hated the idea of seeing that movie.
"I saw that one" he told his date "It's just confusing".
The Teen Titan thought that remark as it made no sense to her.
"It just came out" she said "When did you get a chance to see it?".
Raven knew exactly where the young crook had been for the last couple of months.
The thief looked around to make sure no one was listening before he answered the question.
"My world is years ahead of this one in time" the crook explained "So I've already seen all three of the Matrix films, and trust they just aren't worth it unless your a hardcore sci fi fan".
Raven decided to take her date's word on it. She didn't really care what film they saw anyway.
"Freddy verses Jason" Red-X then read out "That one wasn't too bad, and you look like the type to enjoy the scary stuff".
The purple haired girl was against this.
"No way" she said a way that made her opinion on the matter clear.
Given the time there was only one other choice.
"Underworld" Red-X said "Vampires verses Werewolves. It's got lot of action. A romance plot, and of course monsters".
It seemed the best choice so the thief reached into his coat for his wallet. While he didn't have access to regular income now that he was no longer employed by Deathstroke, a felon like him could always access some cash. There were plenty of pocket's to pick, and he found it very fun to go around mugging the muggers.
"Two for Underworld" he then said at the girl at the booth.
It amused Raven for a moment that the teenager who took the money had no idea that she was looking right at a Teen Titan and a graduate of the H.I.V.E academy.
"Want anything before the movie starts?" Red-X then questioned Raven.
Then young heroine then sensed something and she just nodded her head when she saw that her date had also noticed that they were spied on.
"I'll get us some popcorn" the thief then said.
(Line Break)
Out of the corner of his eye Red-X had seen two folks who didn't really fit with the people here.
One of then was a large a bald African American teen who looked like he like he spent too much time at the gym. However that wasn't what made him look out of place, the way the youth moved was somehow wrong and he seem to take up more space than he needed to.
The other was a short, skinny kid who was pretty much buried under his outfit. He wore a big hat, oversized sunglasses, a large coat and even a scarf despite the fact that it wasn't cold. The young man had made every effort he could to cover as much of himself as possible.
The two were of course Cyborg and Beast Boy, and with little to no regard for their friend's privacy, they had decided to spy on her.
As to how they had followed Raven here. Cyborg had simply checked the purple haired girl's internet history and had seen that she had been checking out movie times. So it had been a simple matter to get here before she had even left the tower.
Starfire was also here hiding behind a potted plant. However she was not following Raven and Red-X. She seemed to be spying on another teenager, one who had dark hair and also wore sunglasses indoors.
Cyborg soon realised that Robin was spying on Raven while Starfire had followed the Boy Wonder, perhaps thinking her love interest had come here on a date of his own.
"What's Star doing here?" BB questioned his friend.
The large hero sighed as he came to understand that his green skinned friend hadn't spotted Robin. Not that he was surprised as judging by the shape shifters disguise he really wasn't cut out for sneaky stuff, at least not when in his human form.
"I think she's spying on Robin, and he's spying on Raven " Cyborg muttered "Or maybe she's trying to stop Robin from spying on Raven. She might be worried that Rob will ruin the date and upset Rae".
Robin had of course already spotted Starfire despite the fact that she was actually doing a good job of hiding herself all thing considered. Also Cyborg didn't doubt that Robin had figured that he and BB were here.
"Friend Beast Boy, are you worried for Friend Raven also?" Starfire whispered as she hide herself behind her friends
While the alien princess was not the most subtly of people she was rather good at moving around without making noise. Of course it helped that her feet didn't have to touch the floor.
"Why are worried about Rae, Star?" asked Beast Boy "She can take care of herself".
The alien babe did not agree.
"I do not wish to see her hurt again" Starfire explained "And I think that may happen should Robin do something foolish".
The Boy Wonder was protective of his friends, even if he would deny it, so it made sense that he might try to scare off anyone who got close to one of the Titans. After what had happened with Terra it was excusable for their leader to be extra weary, but ruining Raven's social life was not acceptable.
"Well I got tickets for the movie their seeing" said Beast Boy "So let's go in there and stop Robin from doing anything I would do".
By that Starfire and Cyborg assumed that their team mate meant something very foolish and humiliating that he might do.
"Why did you get four tickets?" Cyborg questioned.
The part-man/part machine had told him to only get two.
"I kind of figured Rob and Star would follow us, when they figured out we were following Raven" the meta-human informed his friend.
Cyborg was actually impressed by his little buddy, but he said nothing as they needed to follow Raven before they lost sight of her.
(Line Break)
Red-X and Raven quickly found a pair of seats and sat down just in time to see previews for upcoming films. Which made more than enough noise to cover their discussion.
"Why are you team mates all following us?" the thief asked.
He had easily spotted Starfire because she had knocked over a plant and Beast Boy's efforts to hide his appearance only drew attention to him. As for Cyborg his disguise while clever hadn't fooled Red-X because he had taken the time to study the Titans and so he knew exactly what Victor Stone had looked like before becoming part machine.
Also there was a dark haired young man sitting by himself watching the screen while wearing 3D glasses even though it wasn't a 3D movie. The crook couldn't be certain, but he guessed that was Robin.
"Beast Boy just doesn't respect people's privacy" Raven told her date "I guess Robin's worried you're a villain whose using me to infiltrate the Titans".
Given that Terra had done with Beast Boy it was understanable.
"As for Cyborg, well he would have tried to stop Beast Boy to start with" Raven was now saying "but then would have agreed to come along to keep that green menace out of trouble".
Which was exactly what had happened.
"Starfire is following Robin because she must have thought he was here to met a girl" the part demon explained "And now that she knows the truth she just wants to stop him from doing something stupid".
The thief was impressed by how well the purple haired girl knew her friends.
"And they have no idea who I am?" Red-X then asked.
The Titan just nodded her head.
"Speaking of friends" Raven then said as she stole some of her date's popcorn "You haven't told me what your situation is with Jinx. Are you to back together now your staying in the city".
Red-X decided not to tell the whole of the truth.
"We're just room mates" he told her "The H.I.V.E Five put me in charge of their little group.
The thief downplayed it, but really he was rather pleased with the arrangement. He now had control over a criminal group that was made up of super powered being. If he could get them to work well as a team they could become highly successful.
"You still hang out with the HIVE?" said a surprised Raven "I thought you weren't really a super villain".
Compared to most crooks who had powers Red-X wasn't much a danger, so it surprised Raven that her love interest would join such a group. Not they were very dangerous either.
"There my friends" the goth pointed out "and I didn't have anywhere else to go. Besides they just want me to plan the crimes and keep your lot from foiling all their schemes. I'm not interested in taking over the city, or committing major mayhem".
She was somewhat happy about that.
"I guess I should thank you for that." Raven said as the previews came to an end.
Her voice had been casually, but truthfully she was happy that the Titans wouldn't have to worry about Red-X becoming a crime lord as in the past he'd been able to commit felonies and her team had never been able to do more than make him run from the scenes of those crimes.
"Wanna make out?" Raven suddenly asked.
She didn't actually care about the film, and as it turned out neither did he.
(Line Break)
Rows behind Raven and Red-X sat Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Starfire who had all sat there and pretended to watch the previews
"Dude why didn't we sit closer to them?" the small meta-human asked of his two friends.
From here it was impossible to hear what either their friend or her date was saying.
"Please be silent friends, the movie of viewing has started and I wish not to be thrown out" Starfire pleaded.
Sadly Beast Boy couldn't keep his mouth shut.
"There making out!" he suddenly shouted.
Moments later he was in fact thrown out. Cyborg and Starfire decided to go with him. Robin, who in fact the guy in 3D glasses, smirked.
"Amateurs" he said.
He was sure he hadn't been spotted, and he wasn't until he saw what Raven was now getting up to. He couldn't control himself then, and also ended up getting thrown out.