Chapter Twenty-Back

An old friend is back. While pursuing the villain, Robin sees a familiar face. But can he stop both in time?

The alarm sounded at three. Starfire and I had been back for a month. Robbery in the Text Sector. The other Titans saw a note that I had left on the table:

Titan's,

Went to the library. Be back soon

-Robin

They arrived. Red X. He was back "Nice try, Robin. But we know it's you," Beast Boy said, morphing back from a T-Rex into a human. Cyborg's communicator rang. "Guys, is everything okay? My crime see-er says there is a robbery in the Text-Sector," I said over Cyborg's arm. They were speechless as Starfire was. He was back, and it wasn't me this time.

Red X brought them down easy as the first time. He had the chip. Starfire was easily defeated with an X that wrapped around her where she couldn't use Starbolts. He triumphed over Raven by simply sealing her mouth with an X that was faced sideways. Cyborg's systems were shut down by Red X himself by a smaller sized X that opened the door to his systems. Beast Boy got stuck in the sticky X. And he locked Terra's wrists in handcuff Xs. He escaped with the chip, only leaving the fallen Titans behind.

I arrived at the crime scene several minutes after he had gone. I helped Starfire, Raven, and Terra free of the Xs that had stopped them. After cutting Beast Boy free of the gooze, I began to reboot Cyborg. The alarm sounded below us. I told Raven to fix Cyborg, and I would handle Red X. I went through the trapdoor on the roof, not knowing whether to expect X or Slade.

I caught him at the door. By the cape. He struggled to get free, but my grip was too strong for him. He did eventually get away by throwing me into the shock alarm that he had missed on his way in. I fell to the ground with a pink smoke coming from me. I weakly got up, him then pushing me once more into the shock alarm. Seeing that I was defeated, he ran. Seconds after he had been gone, the other Titans ran to my side. "Robin! You are undamaged?" Starfire asked immediately. I looked at her as if to say 'HELL NO!'. Raven said I would need to be in the med.-lab. for one or two days.

On the second day in the med.-lab., the alarm sounded. It was X. Red X. I told Raven I was going, and that she couldn't convince me otherwise, I was going whether or not she wanted me. She didn't even try to talk me out of it.

We got to the crime scene quickly thanks to the help of the T-Car and my R-Cycle. The tires squealed as if fingers were scraping down a chalk board (niobe: ugh! I can't STAND that noise!), us jumping out before they stopped. We were in awe when we discovered who was the crook. Red X, but he wasn't the surprise. Slade was with him. "I'll get Slade, you grab X!" I said turning towards Slade. "Robin, are you sure-" Raven asked. "Get X!" I yelled in a reply to her unfinished statement.

I was not sure if I could handle him. But I wanted to. He had caused me a long time of misery. He had to pay. The thing that surprised me the most was that he hadn't burnt up in the factory fire. He may not have died then, but he was now.

author's note: Cool. I was reading this short chapter and realized something. The title, "Back" refers to Red X coming back. I now realize that it could also be referring to the fact that Slade is back. I did not do that on purpose :P heh heh! Peace!

Niobe