As I said this storyis from a message board RPG I am part of. If you would like to see what the RPG is like, just go to ezboard dot com (had to write the url because the site will not post it). The forum is called TEEN TITANS UNLIMITED ULTIMATE. Joining ezboard is free and has lots of message boards for everyone. And please review my story. Its my first and I need the confidence. And please read my fellow admins stories. They are: Immortal Demons by Xion Glydus and True Awakening by Gohan Strife. And PLEASE review Xion's story. He needs and moral boost.

Red X has an off night

It was a bleak, moonless night, the stars were only slightly visible over the city lights. This is the type of night that was made for villains to move, undetected. The type of night that was made for thievery.

On the roof tops, unseen by the law-abiding citizens of Jump City, a shadow moved. This shadow was moved with the grace of a gymnast and the speed of a sprinter. The figure came to a building edge and leapt, bounding down, from wall to wall and landed soundlessly on the pavement. As the shadow landed, a naked doorway lamp illuminated his garb.

He wore a mask with a skull-like visage, black bodysuit, and a long tattered cape. The mask had a red X on the forehead. The trademark of Red X, the shadowy thief.

'Man, this suit still amazes me' X thought as he moved to the back door of the store. 'Man, this sucks. Having to rob pee-wee little store. Damn Robin, always watching the papers for myheists. Reduced from banks and museums to back alley shops. How the mighty have fallen.'

Red X knelt in front of the doorknob and pulled out his trusty lockpick "No point in wasting my precious Zinothium on this piece of crap lock," X mused to himself quietly, as the lock clicked open. "I still got it. Why am I so good?"

X entered the store and looked around quickly. No onewas in the store. This shop was notorious for buying stolen goods, especially from muggers and car jackers. Two types of thieves X did not care for. 'No panache' X often said to himself. He silently moved to the counter and looked at the merchandise.

Taking a page from the crook Gizmo X thought over to himself.

'Crap,' his said to a fake Rolex. 'Crud,' to a car stereo. 'Snot,' to ANOTHER fake Rolex. 'Man, what shitty stuff. Well, maybe the safe has SOME money in it worth my time.'

Moving to the safe, X mentally activated his Spinner X on the back of his right hand and cut the hinges off. Inside was...

"TWO HUNDRED DAMN DOLLARS!" He yelled louder then he meant to "All this way for two hundred bucks! I use to SPEND that much on the casing of a place, back in the day! Jesus, have I fallen that far? Ah, well. Beggars can't be choosers."

X stuffed the cash in his boot cuff. Then a wicked idea crossed his mind.

"Where is that goods manifest," he asked. After five minutes of searching the manifest was found. X then went to the alarm and tripped it, leaving no trace of his passing, except for the manifest, with the STOLEN goods.

"Next time, get some good stuff to steal, you loser," X said out loud as he teleported to the roof opposite the door a took off.

'What will I tell my kids if I have them."Yeah, I used to steal from banks and museums but I thought, Hey, why steal from banks when I can hit crooked pawn shops for less money.", they'll think I'm nuts,' X thought.

Suddenly a shout for help yanked X from an alley below. Red X crept to the edge and looked down in. He saw a young woman surrounded by a group of five teen thugs. The lead thug was grabbing the woman's purse and the others brandished bats and knives.

"What, no cash? You bitch," he said as he slapped her, "now, we have to take something else from you."

The two behind her grabbed the woman and tried to throw her to the ground. "This ain't my fight," X said to himself.As he turned, the woman screamed. 'I hate playing the hero,' X thought as he teleported to the shadows.

"Please, don't. No," the woman pleaded. She squirmed in the two boy's grasp as they laughed.

"Too bad you didn't carry cash. Now you pay the hard way," the leader said.

"Don't know if you boys know, but when a girl says no, it means, NO," X said as he launched a large sticky X at the lead thug, surprising him and sticking him to the wall with a THUD. The other four looked and saw Red X, the legendary (in his own mind) unknown thief coming out of the shadows.

"DON'T JUST STAND THERE, GET THAT COSTUMED FREAK!" their lead shouted from the wall. One knife-wielder charged X and made a clumsy stab. The lithe thief easily dodged to the left and punched the thug in the side of the face, staggering him and following up with a strong side kick to the same spot, knocking the boy down and out.

Two other thugs, one with a bat, the other with a knife charged at him. "Guys, two on one isn't fair. Your at a disadvantage," X said confidently as he teleported from the bat wielder's swing. The knife guy thought he had X and tried to stab him in the back. Unfortunately, X knew it was coming. He spun and dropped at the last second and uppercuted the thug. He staggered back at his friend swung and hit X in the back.

"That's one for you," X said as he recovered. The thug ran at the recovering thief at swung at his head. This time, though, X was ready. He quickly mentally called forth his spinner Xs and, in a flash of movement, stuck. The boy laughed and wound up for another swing, but his bat fell apart in his hands.

"Shoulda went aluminium," X commented as he raised his left hand and shot a small sticky X on the thug's eyes, blinding him. By now the knife kid was already running at X from behind, but tripped as an X wrapped around his ankles.

"Watch your step." X laughed at the struggling thug. X heard a ripping sound a turned in time to see the disarmed boy holding his throbbing face. He had no time to react to the thief's next attack. An electrified X hit his chest, tazering him into unconsciousness.

"Shocking," X said as he slowly walked to the final teen, who just said "sorry" to the girl and ran three steps before a freeze X froze him in his tracks. The ankle bound thug managed to get to his feet, but was wrapped in a large wrapper X at fell uselessly to the ground.

"You okay," Red X asked the woman. But he was cut off by a stray gunshot. The leader had gotten free and shot at X. X, hating guns, threw an X-arang at the thug a knocked the gun from his grasp. The thug looked up from his vacant hand to see X teleport in front of him and hisgray-gloved fist hit hard, knocking him out.

"As I was saying, you okay?"

"Yes, thank you," the girl said as she ran to X and gave him a big hug. "Your my hero." Those words stung X worse then the bat strike.

'I don't like to play the hero, but the perks are good,' he thought as he returned the hug around her neck. "Go find a cop and stay safe. Oh, and don't forget who saved you, okay?"

"Yes, I'll remember," she said as she ran to find a policeman.

X teleported to the roof and looked at the carnage below.

"I can DEFINITELY get used to the perks," X Red X said, examining the triple set diamond necklace around his right index finger he had stolen from the girl's neck. With that he headed back to his hideout to appraise the bauble.