'The Mall of Shopping'
The doors of the Jump City Mega-mall were smoking now, blown open by Red X, who seemed to be on a Christmas Shopping Spree. The Five titans followed him in, after chasing him throughout downtown for the better part of the night.
"So…why would the Red X journey to the wonderful mall of shopping? Does he wish to procure some wonderful hair ornaments?"
Robin shook his head. "Most likely because he wants us to split up to search for him, it's a pretty big place." The Titans entered the dark hollow hallways as Robin spoke.
The mall also seemed like a scary place, especially at night. The Malls central hallway was lit by the moonlight, which filtered through the huge skylight in the roof. Although colorful Christmas decorations were put up, they were shrouded in an ominous darkness, a darkness that seemed to play on the imagination of a person. A Christmas tree branch here might look like the silhouette of an arm at first sight. Toy dolls, their faces smiling in joy, might look like sinister trolls grinning in the eerie moonlight.
"Dude, this guy has some sick twisted humor making us chase him into here….its soooo creepy, almost reminds me of one of those horror movies. " Beast Boy shuffled nervously as he walked….behind Cyborg into the building.
"My scanners aren't picking up any signs of him, maybe he's flown the coup?" Cyborg commented as his ocular implants were having trouble detecting X in such a large open space.
"Raven?" Robin asked.
"I'm sensing nothing….yet." Her eyes were closed as she floated along with the team, she was trying to use her other senses and magic to see what her eyes couldn't in the dark….
It was quiet however…..too quiet.
Then once again Beast Boy had to open his mouth.
"Maybe…he's not here?" He shrugged.
Two Giant Red Xs shot down from the ceiling, exploding right above the Titans in a blinding red flash, illuminating the hallways as bright as day.
"Titans! Scatter!" Robin shouted, taking out his Bo staff, pole vaulted out of the way as the second X, an explosive one, blasted an 'X' shaped crater in the spot where the five Titans were just standing.
"Where is he?" Cyborg shouted out, slightly annoyed that he was unable to pick that up.
A blurred image of a figure stood on the second floor now, and the team watched as X seemingly teleported to the top of the first floor escalator. "Hey Kids, How bout some early Christmas Shopping?" His voice was all cool and cocky like always.
"How bout giving us back our Presents! Do you have any idea how long I had to think before I decided what to get?!" Beast Boy shouted, shaking his fist.
Red X just chuckled. "You'll have to find them first. Or catch me……as if you can do either." He jumped off the escalator handrail now, and ran to the large Toy store that dominated the second floor.
"Let's us proceed!" Starfire said hurriedly, and she and Raven were the first to fly into the store, only seconds ahead of Robin, Beast Boy and Cyborg.
The Toy Store was completely dark, although they could make out the shapes of the Toy Soldier statues that stood by the main entrance. Mountains of dolls were in one section, while a gigantic model of Santa and his Reindeer dangled from the ceiling. Although most of the lights were out, there were still a few on in the store, highlighting the various models and Christmas displays the store had put on for its customers.
Another X was shot at the Titans, only this one was from the group's left. Cyborg and BeastBoy jumped out of the way, while Raven and Starfire simply flew up. Robin backflipped to the side. The X harmlessly cut one of the giant ten foot statues into four pieces, causing a huge explosion that temporarily lit up the room.
"Where is he?" Raven muttered to himself as she flew beside Starfire. There was barely time for Starfire to reply however, for less than a second later, a dark shape moved behind her, kicking her down onto the ground with a great groan of pain.
"Star?" Raven turned, only to see another Red X going towards her face.
Not this time She blocked her face with both her hands, blasting the X away from her. She floated down to the ground now, and saw the dark figure standing over the temporarily dazed Starfire.
"Think you can take me on?" Red X smirked as he activated the X-shaped blades on his arms. He rushed her. Just as Raven was about to fire a bolt of energy at him however, he disappeared right in front of her eyes.
"Azerath Metrion Zinthos!" She covered herself in a black dome shield now, remembering his last trick. There was no way he could attack now…..
The ground beneath Raven's feet was splitting, and red bursts of light were erupting from her feet, forming an X shaped hole in the floor. Raven grunted as she collapsed the dome, grabbing onto the edge of the hole and pulled herself up, just as she emerged from the hole however, she stared straight into the face of Red X.
"Is that the best you got?" He taunted her, and Raven immediately surrounded her hands with chakra, blocking each of Red X's punches and kicks, but the villain was too fast, and soon Raven saw a fist heading towards her face, and she found that she did not have the speed to block this next hit.
She closed her eyes in anticipation, but the punch never came.
Raven opened her eyes now, and saw that the fist had suddenly opened into a bright red palm that was pointed at her face. X gave a smirk.
"Boo."
He let loose an energy blast from his hands now, sending Raven slamming against the wall behind her.
"That was easy enough." Red X casually dusted his suit, then he jumped, barely avoiding Cyborg's plasma blast.
X escaped into the toy section, and the android pursued him relentlessly; Beast Boy and Robin close behind. Cyborg saw X now, standing ontop one of the giant toy soldier statues. He pointed his plasma cannon now, certain that he would hit him this time.
"Aren't you a little old for toys man?" Cyborg shot out as he charged his cannon for the blast.
"You're right, maybe I'll go for some electronics." X spread his arms now, pointing both palms to the walls beside him and shot a Red laser at the dark piles of merchandise that flanked him and Cyborg. From the Red light, Cyborg made out that the piles of store merchandise were actually a mountain of TVs and computers.
Uh oh.
The red beams filtered through the electronics, causing unnatural red cackles of electricity that sparked through the room, with Cyborg directly in the middle of it.
"AIEEEEE!" Cyborg shuddered as he shouted gibberish, the electricity throwing his circuits off. The TVs around him eventually exploded, burying him under a mountain of electronics.
Beast Boy was next up to bat, and turned into a Rhino, knocking down the Statue that X was standing on. The Villain jumped off just in time, only to receive a swift kick in the stomach from Robin, who timed the attack perfectly with Beast Boy.
Red X grunted as he flew right into one of the displays, sending another ten-foot nutcracker statue crashing to the ground.
Beast Boy, Robin and a newly recovered Cyborg gathered now, and watched as Red X emerged from the rubble.
"I've always wondered kid," X replied sarcastically as he rubbed his battered and bruised head. "aren't you suppose to be in school this time of year?"
"I don't need lectures on how to stop criminals like you." Robin's voice was dead serious, and he took out two bird-a-rangs from his belt just as he finished the sentence.
Red X met their glares with another casual shrug.
"Maybe not kid, but you really need a lesson in lightening up. Learn how to have a little fun once in a while chuckles." He grinned, and just as Beast Boy transformed into a tiger and pounced at him, he vanished, letting Beast Boy have a face full of concrete as he slammed into the wall.
Robin and Cyborg were still scratching their heads when suddenly, X appeared behind Cyborg, a new gadget in his hand.
"I've heard you've always wanted to fly tin man, so I thought up the perfect present for you. Courtesy of Wayne Enterprises" He smirked, attaching a small jet pack onto Cyborg's back, and before the Cyborg could even reply, pressed the button on the pack, Which sent a screaming Cyborg straight up into the air, crashing through the roof and leaving a trail of smoke as well as a giant hole behind him.
Beast Boy, just recovering, shook off his concussion and changed into a Deer, charging Red X and hoping to crash into him with his Antlers.
X smiled, and shot two gigantic strips of red goo that attached themselves to the wall like a sling. Beast Boy was persistent however, and he kept charging, even though his body was caught in the red goo.
Aw man…not my hair again! He's so gonna pay!
Beast Boy grunted with strain as he struggled against the strength of the goo. His advance started to slow down however, as he got ever closer to Red X, the goo began stretching out like a rubber band as Beast Boy advanced, getting closer and closer to X….
Just when he was a few inches from the villain however, he simply smiled.
"Hey Rudolph, don't forget your nose." X produced a red goo ball in his hand now, and with a gentle, almost mocking flick of a finger, sent it straight at Beast Boy's face.
That did it.
"WHOA!" Beast Boy screamed fell back, the red goo swinging him back as if he were being sling-shotted. The goo held however, acting like a bungie cord, and Beast Boy found himself swinging back and forth between both ends of the room. He was already dizzy and by the time he stopped, Beast Boy's eyes were spinning and he began muttering something about cookies before finally collapsing into the puddle of Red goo.
He took out two blades now, but barely had time to use them as Robin knocked them out of his hand with his Bird-a-rangs. Starfire came to assist now, having recovered from her fall.
"Give it up X, you're not getting away." Robin shouted as he assumed his combat ready stance.
"You will return our gifts to us!" Starfire said with a slight tone of outrage.
"If you want them so bad, they're there." Red X pointed casually to the gigantic Christmas Tree that overlooked the entire store. Underneath it, in the spotlight, were five nicely wrapped gifts. "Of course, assuming you can get past me."
He activated his blades again, each red blade on his wrist began whirring like a sawblade, it was a sickening sound.
Starfire was the first to attack, charging him with a barrage of Starbolts and Laser eyes. Robin threw a packet of ball bearing like bombs at the villain.
Red X simply backflipped away from Starfire's blasts, and phasing away from Robin's explosives. The store began rocking violently from the series of explosions as the two titans fought their hardest to bring the villain down.
Meanwhile, in the corner of the Store, where no one was watching, the dark figure spied the five presents that were under the spotlight with intense interest. He also saw the fight at hand, and the room was lit in bright green one second, then in red, then in orange from the three fighters, as explosions and lasers stabbed through the darkness.
"This is going to be easier than I thought…" The villain chuckled sinisterly, then he began moving towards the presents……
"Give it up X!" Robin said icily as he held his Bo staff against Red X's throat. Starfire was beside the boy wonder, her eyes glowing fiercely in green and both her hands were charged, ready to put the coup de grace on this villain.
X was trapped, and he knew it, cornered against the wall like a rat, there was no way he could get out, no possible way. Or at least that was what Robin was thinking, until X starting chuckling.
"What…may I ask, is so humorous?" Starfire asked
"You'll never catch me kids, these weapons are designed specifically to beat you."
"I beg to differ X." Robin grinned, the bo staff already pinning Red X's mask against the wall.
"Oh really? I think not." Another smirk.
Robin was taken aback now…just what was he planning?
Then it became obvious. It began lightly at first, but then suddenly got louder as it got nearer.
Cyborg's scream.
The android crashed through the roof now, making yet another hole, but this time above Robin and Starfire. The dizzy Android was unable to move, his little Rocket ride taking most of his sense out of him. While underneath him and the mountain of rubble, Robin and Starfire were still dazed from the suddenly collapse of the roof, although Starfire's strength saved them from being crushed.
"Smooth kid, real smooth." Red X gave his customary salute, then jumped out to the hole Cyborg just made in the roof.
"Get back here!" Robin shouted as he pulled himself from the rubble,
"Catch ya later kid." X smirked, then disappeared, leaving five slightly dazed and confused titans to recover in the store….
----------------------
"Aw man!" Cyborg cried out in frustration. "I cannot believe he did what he just did!" He was still angry over the whole jetpack incident, and how he still couldn't get the ringing out of his head. With a sigh, he sat down on the couch with the rest of the Titans, who were just a sore from their last encounter with the villain.
"So…what did he give you?" Cyborg said with an aching groan as he messaged his sore head.
"A red bleeding nose." Beast Boy said in a muffled voice, as if he were having a cold. He was in an angry mood, and the ice pack that he held against his nose did nothing to cheer him up.
Raven couldn't speak, since her mouth was tied up nicely by a red X…AGAIN. Robin meanwhile, brooded by himself on the other end of the couch. Once again, he was feeling guilty since he still (amazingly!) thought the whole thing was his responsibility.
"Do not despair my friends!" Starfire said cheerfully. "We shall catch him another day!"
The gloomy atmosphere remained, and the four other titans sat quietly down on the couch. Then an idea hit Starfire.
"I know! Since it is past midnight, and is already the eve of your Christmas, let us open our presents! That will cheer us up!"
The presents, at least, were recovered from Red X, the one thing that compensated for a whole night of failure.
"You know Star, Thad might actually bee a Gud Idea." Beast Boy said excitedly, his nose still bruised and stuff. The rest of the Titans nodded in agreement, and they got up to open their presents. To the joy of Star, the atmosphere that the Titans had a few hours ago was slowly returning.
"Oh OH! Let me open mine first! I am most curious to see what Robin gave me." Starfire zipped past the four titans now, and she held up her present with avid curiousity as the other titans gathered around the tree, each picking up their presents.
"I wonder who this came from." Starfire said innocently, although deep down she already knew when Robin gave a slight blush on his cheek. She began peeling the wrapping off delicately, savouring this moment. The other titans picked up their present.
Starfire's eyes lit up as she saw what was in the box.
"Oh! I received a cute little animal friend." Starfire said as she opened the present, hugging the teddy bear affectionately. The other titans gave her a dumbfounded look.
"Um Star…" Robin was the first to speak out.
"Yes? Robin? Was it you? Oh thank you Robin!" She flew to hug him, and he stuttered as she shook him violently in her insanely strong embrace.
"Staaar…..th…thanks…buuu..t…it….issssn't…mine!" Robin shouted.
Starfire stopped hugging Robin now, and she peered curiously into the box one more time, flipping it upside down to see what other contents were within.
A familiar object fell out of the box, making a sharp metallic clinking sound as it fell onto the ground. It was one of Red X's red ninja stars.
"That thief! He switched presents on us!" Robin's face lit up with pure rage as he realized what had just happened.
"What about our other presents?" Beast Boy said with concern. "Did he switch them too?"
"Only one way to find out." Cyborg said dutifully, as the four titans tore the wrapping viciously off their presents.
The presents were switched all right, and Raven, Robin, Cyborg and BeastBoy stared with amazement as they saw what they received.
Wooden puppet replicas of themselves.
"This can't be…" Raven began. "Quick! Throw-"
It was different this time. Before they even had time to throw the boxes to the ground, the spell took effect. It took affect the second they stared into the doll's cold lifeless eyes. Soon Beast Boy, Cyborg, Raven and Robin's eyes turned blank, then green as a stream of pure magic shrouded their bodies, encasing their souls within the puppets.
"Aw nooo. Not again" Beast Boy said as he lay helpless on the floor, unable to move. The four Titans' bodies meanwhile, their eyes glowing bright with green, stared darkly at Starfire, as if ready to attack.
A maniacal laugh echoed through Titans Tower now, and one of the Presents beside the four puppets began to jiggle violently. Starfire watched with horror as the large gift bursted open, revealing the sinister figure as he emerged from the beautiful wrapping. The deranged eyes, the insane cackle, his eerie crown and soldier's uniform that had given her nightmares the first time she saw him.
"Ohh..but this time you will stay puppets longer…much longer." The Puppet King laugh maniacally as he dangled the four titans in his hands.
"And this time deary." He turned menacingly to Starfire, "You too, will become part of my collection…." He began cackling insanely now, the eerie laughs echoing into the dark Christmas night….