This one-shot is connected to my main story. It takes place…well, I think it would be easy to place. There are only two characters here…and I just had to write this. The first is a character from the show. The other? Another character adapted from the comics. I hope it works out.
Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans. In fact, I only own my interpretation of the comic book character that will appear in this fic.
(Begin fic)
He stood on a rooftop, looking out at the city skyline.
Jump City? No. A different town, same state.
It was nighttime. The stars only faintly glowed.
The figure was lithe, dragged a cape behind him, and seemed to wear a biker helmet, based on his shadow.
He looked around him, waiting for his…contact.
"Tee hee hee!" He swirled around at the girlish giggle.
There she was in the air, walking-not flying-towards him. But her feet were not on the roof. No, every step the air solidified into a misty platform that disappeared when she was off it. She gave the impression of walking on a set of stairs that appeared when you stepped on and vanished when you stepped off.
He ignored her powers and looked at the lady herself. She was about as old as he was, her black eyes contrasting with her short red hair that covered her ears. She was almost fully dressed in dark blue, only a belt buckle separating her closed leather jacket from her pants. An aquamarine choker hung around her neck. Light blue bumps were on the forearms of her suit leading to bracelets of the same color. Her gloves ended at the knuckles of her fingers. Similar bumps were on the left and ride side of her pants, which in fact were raised pockets. Her legs descended to cuffs, and then black-blue boots.
The face was in a girlish smile. "How are ya, Reddy?" Her voice was very feminine and bubbly.
He groaned at the name. "Don't call me that." His voice seemed a distorted a bit, was obviously the voice of a cocky teenager.
"Okay Greenie!" Her smile just grew wider.
"Ughhh…"
The names she gave annoyed him to no end. Ever since they met she was tormenting him with Greenie.
'Why did I tell her to call me whatever she wanted? Why did I have to be wearing a mask that showed my eyes?'
It was a long time ago. When he was just some extremely good but nameless burglar, out trying to survive in this planet called "Earth". And he never could find a mask that covered his eyes and gave him visibility.
Until now, of course. "If I wanted you to annoy me, I would have called you." His voice was curt.
"Ouch." She still smiled, and giggled again. "But really, I think your going to like this." She reached into her pocket, and pulled out a ruby.
"A ruby? I went all the way here for a simple piece of jewelry that I can steal from any museum?"
She grinned. "You men never appreciate the value of jewels." She then closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and her face went down in concentration.
The ruby wavered a bit, as though heat waves were in front of it. The shimmering stopped as the ruby began to glow with a small red light.
He was shocked. "Did you…?"
She opened her eyes and grinned. "Almost. It's exactly like it, in every way. There's only two differences: It's a LOT more stable, and a LOT more longer lasting."
She handed the jewel over to him. He took it, staring at the red element in his hand. "Test it yourself if you want to. It won't change back."
He looked up at her. "I thought this would be too complex for your powers."
She laughed this time. "Just because I can't change complex objects doesn't mean I can't change things into complex objects. Of course, there are still limits, and I can't change them back…but it's nice, isn't it?"
He nodded, holding the gem up. "It is. I think things are going to get a lot better for me.
Although the mask blocked it, he smiled as he put the gem away. When he looked up though, the lady's cheerfulness was replaced with concern and sadness.
"What? Did I just steal your prized possession? Or is this another attempt to get me to join your criminal club?"
She shook her head. "I'm leaving it…I've been accepted into H.A.E.Y.P."
"Never heard of it."
"The HIVE Academy for Extraordinary Young People." She sighed. "Surely you know what HIVE is, right?"
"The Hierarchy for International Vengeance and Extermination. Yes, I heard of that." His head turned up at those words, then looked back down. "But aren't things in there a little bit crazy at the moment?"
She gave a short reply. "My brother is there."
He was taken aback. "He is?" She nodded, solemnly. An emotion he rarely felt washed over him: Happiness for someone else. "I'm happy for you…I really am." He put his hand on her shoulder.
She looked down at the ground. "I should be happy. I'm seeing my little brother for the first time in a long time. The school provides for its students, or so I've heard. I should be happy…but I'm not."
She looked up. "They're very strict at HIVE Academy. When you're there, you have little contact with the outside, except on assignment. We might not meet again for a year…longer."
He removed his arm, knowing where this was going. "Let me guess, you want to join?"
"You would be an amazing student. You have talent. They'll accept you in a heartbeat, I know that."
He turned to the side and looked at the skyline. "No."
"But we may never see each other again!" She was pleading.
"Shimmer, why do you even care whether I'm with you or not? What are you getting out of this?"
Her face was serious. "When you can turn any object into a priceless gem, you realize that the true valuables in life are your friends and family. And you…Red X, whoever you are under that mask…you're my friend. And I don't want to lose you."
He chuckled. "I've said it before Shimmer, and I'll say it again. I prefer to work alone. I don't like having anyone to tell me what to do, and I don't need anyone helping me out. And if I joined your little school, I'd have to go through both."
She was hurt. Normally her face was jovial, kiddish…but that was a mask in itself. And he was one of the few who could see under it.
But…she didn't need to see his face to see under his mask. "Tell me Red X, tell me…have you always been a lone wolf? Have you ever worked with anyone?"
His past seemed to superimpose itself on the city skyline. Days of training under his teacher flashed by…days of things happening and things not happening…
Then time jumped forward. He saw himself battling alongside the Boy Wonder…and he found him liking it…
And then he looked at the girl who called him "friend"…and he realized she was one to him too.
He stood up and walked directly up to her. He looked at her face as she looked at his skeletal mask.
And he said a single word. "Never."
"Fine! Be that way!" She turned around and stormed off…away from him, off the rooftop, the air making platforms under her as the blue figure of Shimmer walked away into the night.
Red X watched her go, then looked at the skyline again. He looked at the red marks on the palms of his black costume. He looked at the cape behind him.
If he had a mirror, or if he was in a private place, he would have looked at his white skeleton mask. The white eye sockets. The large X on the forehead.
Yes…he thought of her as friend…but he knew that friends left, that nothing lasts. Still, he wondered why he lied to her.
Red X, or whatever was the name of the boy behind the mask, took off in the other direction, moving with an athletic grace. He had a belt waiting at home that needed a power source…and he got it.
That was the reason he came, right? To get a power source for the new belt he made?
It wasn't to see Shimmer again, that was for sure.
As he jumped acrobatically across the city, a dove flew past him. It circled and landed on a metallic hand. Another one reached out to stroke the creature.
The hands were connected to a brown cloak. And that cloak was connected to another white mask.
Phantasm stroked the bird with the other metallic hand. The ghost looked at the figure of Red X, then looked at the figure of Shimmer, the brown cloaked spirit betraying- as always- no sign of expression.
Phantasm looked at the bird and raised it to the sky. The dove flew off, a spark of white in a blue sky.
And Phantasm spoke after the white bird, in the multitude of ghostly voices. "Go. Make sure that this meeting is not the last. Guard them against the cursed path. Let them find the meaning of friendship and love. Give them a message of hope."
And the phantom turned around, and with a flash of white, was gone.
(Fade to black…)