DC Gothic – Red-X 2
Part 6
Titan Tower – Jump City
"Raven, I'm sorry, but I have a bad feeling about this guy" Beast Boy said, while following Raven across living area "And after Terra I think we all need to be a bit more careful about who we hangout with".
At first the purple haired girl had been worried that her little green friend may have just be jealous, but given what had happened recently he did have a valid point.
"Beast Boy, it's nice of you to care" Raven said "But I'm sure he's not up anything bad".
Actually she was sure he was, she just didn't care about Red-X stealing things. She was willing to look past such things, to try to build a future for herself and her unborn child. She was sure that once the thief got a chance to see what being a hero was like he would want to change sides and live here in the tower with her.
"You have nothing to worry about" Raven assured the meta-human "He's never given me a reason to think he might hurt me".
In fact judging by recent experiences he was going out of his way to ensure that no one harmed her. That had made the battle between the H.I.V.E Five, or whatever it was the six of them were calling themselves now, somewhat strange as no one had attacked her.
"Alright, but I'll be watching him." Beast Boy said as he went back to playing video games with Cyborg.
With that done Raven went to find Starfire. She was in her room with playing with Silkie like the grub was some kind of baby rather a horrible drool machine. Which in that respect did make it a lot like a baby, only not as cute.
"Star, can we talk?" Raven asked her.
There was no chance of the alien princess saying no to girl talk.
"Of course Raven. What do you wish to talk about?" Starfire asked.
The part demon closed the door and sat down before saying anything.
"Well you know my plan to deal with Red-X" Raven said "He agreed to come to the Tower just like we discussed".
She had been about to say more, but she didn't get the chance.
"Raven, this is glorious! I am overjoyed for you! I cannot wait to meet him when he visits tomorrow! Starfire shouted.
The alien princess was aware that she had met Red-X before when he wasn't in his suit, she just couldn't remember it so for her this was like meeting Raven's boyfriend for the first time.
"Well, yeah, tomorrow you guys can meet" Raven confirmed before making a request "Listen I need you to be extra nice to him because the boys won't be and I don't want him scared off".
That would be Robin's job.
"Of course I will be nice to your friend who is a boy" Starfire assured "And I will not tell anyone that he is Red-X".
This was good.
"Thanks. I'll see you in the morning Starfire." Raven said as she walked out the door.
"Silkie, isn't this marvelous?" she heard Starfire say as she walked down the hallway.
Raven spent a moment wondering if she should have gotten someone else to help her with her scheme, but it was too late to change her mind.
(Line Break)
After Beast Boy had finished playing with Cyborg, he went to the training room which Robin spent a lot of time in.
"Want to tell me what's wrong?" Robin said when he saw his friend's worried expression " I won't tell anyone. I promise".
The Boy Wonder not only knew what this talk would be about he had also been expecting it for some time.
"Okay so you, know Raven's new boyfriend" BB said after gathering his thoughts "I have a bad feeling about him".
Robin had his concerns to, but not because of anything the guy had done, but because of the actions of others. Malchior included.
"What about Raven?" the Boy Wonder then asked "She has something to do with this. I know she does".
If he wasn't already that colour then Tim Drake would be sure that BB would often turn green when Raven mention any guy.
"Alright, fine. I'm just jealous!" Beast Boy nearly yelled "I want to be the one with her. I've always loved her. I wanted to give her some time after what happened, but then some guy comes along and she falls for him!"
Thankfully Robin had prepared for this.
"You want her to be happy, right?" Robin asked of Beast Boy.
The meta-human nodded
"Yeah, and I don't want her to get hurt again." Beast Boy said.
Robin patted his friend's shoulder in a comforting way.
"Raven won't go out with you if she's seeing someone else, and she won't thank you if interfere with her life either" he said "So all you can do is be there for her if things go wrong".
That was all anyone could do.
(Line Break)
Rooftops – Jump City
"Alright, so what's the plan?" Gizmo asked me.
Currently I and the rest Shadow Squad were standing on the of roof adjacent to the Waynetech building. I was now dressed in the improved X-Suit and I was looking forward to seeing what it could do.
"First of all, have you got the diagrams for this place?" I inquired
Gizmo pulled a small metal disc and when he pressed a button a hologram appeared which showed us the layout of the building.
"Nice work little buddy" I commented before getting back to the matter at hand "Now then, what about the security?".
While I did have some expertise with electronics, since I was very much into industrial espionage, my tiny team mate was far more skilled with this sort of thing.
"Near as I can tell the guards don't have a set route or any time table" Gizmo told me "But I can disable the cameras and the alarms by uploading a virus on their system. As for the phones I can reroute the landlines and Jinx had a scrambler so no one can make a call on their cell phones".
So that was hardware and the software sorted out, now we only had to worry the wetware, and of course getting into the building.
"Any skylights or vents we can access?" I asked while looking at the building "Cause otherwise I'm going to have to cut a hole in".
Which was time consuming and we were on the clock here. The sun was setting right now and since I had promised Raven that I would visit Titan Tower this evening I didn't have all night to complete this job.
I didn't know who the client was, but the person hiring us to steal the gadget Waynetech was working on was willing to pay a small fortune for it, and they'd paid half up front so failure was not an option here. Which meant this had to be done now or the gadget might be moved.
Thankfully for us the Titans recent defeat meant it was unlikely that they'd interfere, but even if they did I could handle it.
"No vents" the team's tech support said "Not ones big enough to crawl through, but the place has a skylight; it's on the roof. The problem is the security office is on the first floor and I need you to hook me into the system before you barf-snifers hit R&D labs".
Some systems were accessible from the outside and some weren't. At times this wasn't an issue, but Waynetech had very good security, in fact the company had invented some of their own defences. Which made this more tricky.
"Kyd" I said "Do you think you can sneak in, get to the main hub, and disable the security office?" I inquired of the mute.
He just nodded in reply.
"Gizmo, give him one of those things you need hooked up to the computer" I ordered
He did just that.
"Jinx and I will be on the top floor. Gizmo you stay here and let us know when Kyd has taken out the security office and you've hacked into the system" I was now saying. "Mammoth I want you to stay here and make sure no one bothers Gizmo. Blackfire get somewhere high and keep an eye on things. If you see the cops or any heroes let everyone know".
Since I couldn't carry anyone when teleporting I used a zipline to get Jinx and I across to the other roof. When we got there I took a moment to admire her change in outfit.
"Steel capped knee high boots, super tight leather trousers and a tiny top that shows what you got" I said to Jinx "But I miss the skirt".
The magic girl smiled at me.
"Well I had to wear the sexy pants" she told me "cause I'm not wearing any underwear".
I had to ask about that.
"And why aren't you wearing any knickers?"
She smiled again.
"Why don't you take a look and find out" she suggested.
I would have questioned her more on that subject but I had no time for that.
"Red" I heard Gizmo over the comm built into my mask "Kyd got me into the secure systems and I found our prize. It's only two levels below you. Kyd will met you there... I guess".
Given that Wyykd was mute we couldn't talk to him over the radio. Well we could talk to him, he just wouldn't be able to answer.
"Blackfire" I then said into the radio "Any sign of trouble?".
Given that this was the Waynetech building I wouldn't have been surprised if Robin already knew we were here. After all I'd run into him in the old Waynetech building.
"Its all good, handsome" she replied.
That was encourging to hear.
"Is the way clear, little buddy?" I then asked our groups tech wizard.
He confirmed that it was, but as it turned out it wasn't. Gizmo had been able to defeat the electronic defences but he couldn't stop the guards from being at the wrong place at the wrong time.
"Freeze!" a man in uniform shouted out.
He never even got the chance to do anything as I teleported right behind him and knocked him out. Then Jinx and I stuffed him into a closest before moving down two floor and meeting up with Wyykd.
'Bout time you got here' was what I imagined Kyd would have said should he have been able to talk.
"So… how are we gonna get in?" Jinx asked when we found the secure door that bared away.
I reached for something in my belt and then I attached to the door. The little device hacked the lock and soon we inside the R&D department.
"Keep going the device is in a vault nearby" Gizmo informed me.
This part of the building was filled with all sorts of odd gadgets, but our focus was on the vault.
"My turn" said Jinx.
As planned she used her powers to open the vault. Which was loud, but also effective.
"Alright little buddy, we are in" I then told Gizmo.
The thing we were looking for was a sort of robot arm, only it was nothing like the clunky ones used to build cars. Someone could have done brain surgery with such a fine tool.
"When you grab it you will have a limited time to get out" the team's tech support warned "I can't disable the pressure plate so take the device and get out of their snot-lickers".
Thankfully we were able to get out to the roof without any trouble and seconds after that Jinx and I had used the zip line to get to the other building. Kyd vanished into the darkness and got there ahead of us.
"We got the goods, and not a cop or Titan in sight" I said once we had regrouped "So lets get out of here".
(Line Break)
Titan Tower – Jump City
Later that evening I was at Titan Tower, and I felt more like I was off to meet Raven's parents rather than her friends.
"Do you really think this is going to work?" I asked as Raven when she met me in the lobby of the Tower "I mean even if they don't figure out that I'm X I just don't think they'll let me look after an entire city".
Ray had decided that I would use the name Gothic, because that was the best thing we'd been able to come up with between us and because it was online handle. Plus I was dressed as a goth so it worked.
"You'll do fine" the Titan said softly "Just remember you're a Warlock from the Hidden City and a Homo-magi who I met at a book store that sells real spell books".
That seemed simple enough, at least for this messed up world.
"We've been dating for a few weeks now" she went on to say "and while you're not a hero you don't mind keeping an eye on things while we're gone and you have magical powers to help you do that".
That was when she turned to look at me.
"You can do more than basic illusion spells right?" she asked.
Rather than reply verbally I used the ring given to me by Seeker, to send a fireball at the wall. The scorch mark left behind was proof that it was no mere illusion.
"Yeah that works" my sort of girlfriend said.
Fireballs were a common bit of magic so while I had used that magical attack before it shouldn't expose me as Red-X.
"Oh Starfire does know because..."
Raven stopped then as if she was trying to phrase her words correctly.
"We've talked a lot about what happened when the Master of Games held us captive" she told me "She doesn't remember your face, but she does know that your Red-X. But the guys don't have a clue.
Once she had finished talking we headed into the lift and started going up.
"Why do the five of you have so much space?" I then asked.
The Tower was huge, and I didn't doubt that it had a big basement too.
"When Robin set things up he planned for a big team" Ray explained "There's lots of sidekicks and young heroes out there. The idea was they'd come here, but that didn't work out".
I knew that there was another group of Teen Titans out east and there was talk of there becoming a southern team as well, but that was only a rumour going around.
"Try to relax" Ray said as the lift doors opened.
The room we walked into was occupied by all the other Titans, and I felt like I'd just walked into a den of hungry wolves.
"Hello, Raven's friend who is a boy" Starfire greeted before hugging me.
I had no idea why she was so happy to see me, but I didn't question as that would have required being able to fill my lungs. Also it would be nice if my feet could touch the ground.
"Star, put him down" Raven ordered "He needs to breathe".
It took me a moment to recover from the ordeal of Starfire's hugs.
"Hello" I then said to everyone else.
Since they'd all seen me making out with their team mate not that long ago I wasn't surprised that they were a little awkward around me.
"So what qualifies you look after our city while we are gone?" Robin rather aggressively asked to know.
Now I felt I was guest staring on Dragon's Den.
"I was under the impression I was doing you guys a favour not apply for a job" I said to the boy wonder.
He didn't seem to like the me I was now anymore than Red-X. Which bothered me more than I would have liked.
"We can't leave this place in this hands of amateur" the hero went on to say.
Now I felt really insulted.
"Not everyone wants to show off their special powers all the time, kid" I said "But if you insist I could give you a demonstration".
My offer was accepted and we all headed down to the training room where there was space for such things.
"You chose the weapon" Robin told me.
At first I desired to use a staff, however I knew that Bird Boy would be tipped off should I wield that weapon. So instead I chose a basic sword. I wasn't as good with a two sided blade as I was with a one sided blade, but I didn't need to be as I only had to show the Boy Blunder that I could fight. Plus the swords here were all wood anyway, so even if I did make a mistake it wouldn't be lethal.
To my surprise Robin chose the same weapon and without warning he then lunged forward at me. I grinned then as I span my sword and soon our blades met combat. He'd been trying to scare me not hit me.
When Batman's sidekick backed off I span my blade in order to give myself a chance to get used to both the weight and the grip of the blunted weapon.
Robin then jumped and slashed at me, bringing his sword down which I easily blocked then I used my strength to shove him back. The Boy-Wonder flipped back and landed in a crouch. He was showing off how acrobatic he was.
The hero then swung his sword at me and I quickly used my blade to block that move and then I kicked him in the chest, knocking him back. He hadn't expected me to do that so he'd been caught off-guard.
I was actually disappointed. Robin's skill with the sword was minor. All he knew was to swing the thing and block. Clearly the Dark Knight had left a gap in his student's eduction.
"You do know how to fight, don't you?" I asked, trying to sound innocent "I don't think you've ever used real weapon"
Robin start to glare at me while slowly crouching down low with his sword held firmly in both hands at his side. He looked like he was about to pounce and since I sae it coming I was able to move out of the way when he did move.
He then came out with more style than I had expected so I was forced to defend myself. I now understood that he'd been keeping this simple either for my sake so as not to discourage me, or because he'd wanted to surprise me.
So I decided to kick things up just a notch. I sent a fireball at Robin's feet, and while the magical attack did knock him off his feet the young hero turned into a roll and he was soon standing up again.
Then he attacked me with unexpected fierceness as he dropped his sword and came with his martial arts. I was forced to let go off my sword, and I got a small taste of what it was like to fight Robin without getting to wear the Red-X suit. It was everything I could do just to block and avoid his blows, and he didn't give me a second to counter attack.
So it no surprise that I soon ended up on flat on my backside.
"STOP!" I then heard Raven shout "I think you've proved point, Robin".
If this had all been some sort of alpha male rubbish then I was going to be very miffed.
"I needed to know if the city was in safe hands" Robin told his friend.
Raven was not soothed by those words.
"That's not an excuse for beating up my boyfriend" she said.
While I was in some pain all that went away when she said the word 'boyfriend' I wanted to get up and runaway. I was Red-X I didn't do proper romantic relationships I had sexual partners and that was it.
With that in mind it was tempting to expose who I really was, and ruin this whole thing, but if I did that then I'd never get the run of the Tower. Besides getting to play hero for a while would be an amusing diversion.
"So did I pass the audition?" I asked while getting off the floor.