All the King's horses and all the King's men.....
Red X snapped out of his concussion now, and already produced two X blades in his hands, each one glinting menacingly in the moonlit room.
"Today must be my lucky day cutie, I never thought I'd tango with just you."
Starfire however, had other things in mind and a bewildered Red X watched with curiosity as she powered down, landing right in front of him.
"Couldn't do it alone? Thought so." Red X said slyly as he retracted his blades into his wrists.
Stafire however, had an unusually serious look on her face.
"What have you done with my friends? And why are you allied with the Puppet King?"
Red X gave an amused look. "Puppet who? Did I hit you on the head too hard or something?"
This is serious X. a voice came from somewhere.
"Who said that?!" Red X took a step back, taking out his red ninja stars as Starfire revealed the speaker. She reached for the Robin doll that was tied to her waist, holding it up for X to see.
"Kid?" Red X said in amazement
"Why are you working with the puppet King." The puppet asked.
Red X stood there, motionless for a second, but then suddenly he broke out into a huge uproar of laughter. He clenched his stomach as if it was in pain and almost fell over laughing. He barely managed to squeeze in the next few lines.
"Ya know kid," X gave a satisfying grin. "Out of all the things I've seen, this has made my night. There must be a Santa because this is the best Present I could ever ask for."
"This is a serious situation." Starfire said in as friendly a voice as she could, slightly offended. She tried hard to resist punching him again.
"Look, its obvious you and doll-boy have some issues to work out, but as for me, I work alone. I don't know who this puppet guy is and I don't care, I'm a lone wolf, that's my style."
"Did you not replace our presents?" Starfire asked.
Red X gave a shrug. "Only yours, don't worry, I have bird boy's present if you want it. Was gonna return it in time for Thanksgiving." He smirked.
"That is not why I am here." Starfire replied.
"Then what do you want?" Red X said impatiently.
Before X could reply however, a gigantic explosions tore into the warehouse, making Starfire jump up in surprise. The front double doors were blown open; scattering jagged pieces of metal all over the warehouse, some even digging into the walls. Through the dust, X could make out three pairs of green, glowing eyes....
That didn't concern him now however, for he just noticed that Starfire had jumped into his arms.
He was carrying her.
The Tamaranian, realizing what she had done, began assuming an outraged tone, although she did manage to say it politely. "Ahem, you may put me down now."
"Yea Put her down!" The Robin puppet shouted furiously
"Whatever you say." X dropped her on the ground now, and jumped straight into the air, Both narrowly avoiding Cyborg's plasma beam as it was shot straight in between them.
"Came back for more?" X grinned as he saw the silhouettes of Cyborg, Robin and BeastBoy appear through the smoke.
"Please! Do not hurt my friends, it is not their doing." Starfire asked as took her place beside Red X as he took out his X-shaped blades. Robin was already strapped onto Star's belt, tagging along for the ride.
"Whatever." X managed to say just as the two dodged a sonic blast from Cyborg. This was no time for talk now. For the Christmas Eve battle had just begun.
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Starfire flew in the air, attempting to hit Beast Boy with a barrage of Starbolts, but the puppet was proving very adapt at using Beast Boy's powers, transforming into an agile eagle, a swift falcon and a small hummingbird to avoid every blast. While this was happening, X took on Cyborg and Robin, who resorted to close quarters combat.
Red X gave an amused laugh as he easily dodged the zombie titans' clumsy attacks.
"I gotta say kid, at least this one fights better than you." X shouted at the real Robin as he mockingly dodged a clumsy punch from the zombified Robin.
"Hey hey! Careful with the body! Robin shouted from Starfire's belt as he watched X pummel the zombified Robin with a series of punches and kicks, while Cyborg was easily taken care of by an electrified Red X that was plastered onto his chest. That wasn't his only concern though, Robin was starting to feel sick, as Starfire swerved around the building, attempting to dodge Beast Boy's attacks.
The changeling decided to go on the offensive now, and just as he swooped down on Starfire as a falcon, he transformed into a Velociraptor, threatening to dig his sharp talons and teeth into the young Tamaranian.
Starfire flew out of the way, leaving Beast Boy to chew on nothing but a wooden box.
"I'm so sorry." She closed her eyes as she buried Beast Boy under a barrage of green starbolts. The pile of boxes that Beast Boy landed on quickly collapsed, burying him under a mountain of wood and wreckage.
Red X meanwhile, was having a blast with the zombie Robin. He swiftly avoided a bo staff lunge from the titan, then teleported behind him and wrapped Robin's face up with his own cape, sealing it in synothium synthesized rope. To finish it off, he even stuck Robin's feet onto the ground with red goo, leaving a confused zombified robin struggling to get out of his own cape while trying not to trip on his own two feet.
"Is that really necessary X?" Robin spoke in an irritated tone as Starfire landed right next to him.
"You didn't want me to hurt your friends right? Well, look, they're perfectly fine." X happily pointed to a zombified Cyborg who was still smoking from the electric shocks.
X yawned now, casually cracking his knuckles as if that little skirmish had been comparable to a stroll in the park.
An entire section of the wall exploded next to them now, revealing around ten gigantic red-coated Robots.
"How nice, more company." Red X commented slyly as the towering figures approached in their ominous giant steps, each one leveling their muskets…..
"How is the Mad-mod here?" Starfire asked.
"I don't think its mod." Puppet Robin replied.
Starfire and Red X prepared to dodge the inevitable attack now, but the Robots were faster. Tongues of flame lashed out from each musket as they unloaded their volley at their targets. Red X was thrown back with a big grunt as two shells exploded near him, Starfire was soon to follow.
"We got to get out of here!" Robin shouted as even more explosives rocked the pile of crates they were hiding behind. Another section of the wall exploded next to them, revealing even more robots.
"I hate to say it, but even I think Bird-boy is right." X crossed his arms again, then suddenly produced two red glowing bo-staffs that retracted out into the shape of an 'X'
"I don't remember giving you that." Robin said, slightly annoyed.
X grinned, "I've been doing some Christmas shopping kid, just for you. Five finger discount."
"What do we-" Starfire asked, then was cut off as Red X dashed out into the open, abandoning the two titans.
"Why that zarbnarf!"
Starfire barely had time to do anything else though, for more Robots emerged from behind her. Instinctively, she flew out to where Red X ran.
X meanwhile, tried to clear a path. He ran up to the robot with his synothium charged bo staff and quickly sliced the first one in half, while another got off with one less arm. Both exploded shortly afterwards.
"Wait for us!" Starfire pleaded as she flew after the thief.
"If you can keep up." X said indifferently as he dodged another Robot's punch, using his bo staff to pole vault over another's shoulder.
Starfire tried her best, even charging her palms and flying straight through one of the Robot's, digging a clean hole through it's chest.
The two eventually reached the hole in the wall, but in their way stood about six more Robot's, while Robin, Cyborg and Beast boy, not to mention even more robots, were emerging from the warehouse behind them.
"Oh…what are we going to do?" Starfire said concernedly as the Robots and the three titans surrounded them.
"This " Red X produced a circular gadget in his hand. "Swiped it from laughing boy over there." He was referring to Robin, "close your eyes."
X threw it in the air now, where the device detonated, bathing the whole warehouse in blinding white light.
Starfire was blinded as well, but X grabbed her wrist, urging her to flee. The two eventually disappeared onto the rooftops of a nearby warehouse, where they escaped for now…..
"That was…close." Starfire managed to catch her breath as she and Red X stopped on the rooftop of a warehouse several blocks away. "I must express my deepest gratitude for assisting us."
"I know a good way you can show your gratitude cutie-" Red X smirked.
"Oh no!" Starfire said, in sudden realization.
"What?" X replied.
"Robin is gone!" Stafire checked all over, in every pocket, but Robin's doll was gone.
Back at the warehouse.
"Starfire…..heellp." Robin shouted helplessly as the Robots and Zombie titans gathered around him, making way for a small figure to approach them.
"Ah….excellent." The Puppet king gave a small cackle of satisfaction as he picked a protesting Robin up.
"four down….one to go."