DISCLAIMER: I don't own Teen Titans. If I did, this would be on TV and not here.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This doesn't take place in the same storyline as my "Forced Base" and "Fractured Heart" stories, so forget those when you're reading this. Also, this takes place after the fourth season, so anything that happens in the show after that isn't applicable to this. Also, about Sanza/Red X: When he's wearing the mask, he's Red X. When he's not, he's Sanza. Simple as that.

O-O-O

Though it had been a wonderful night for Sanza, all good things must come to an end, and that includes the fall dance. After the final song ended, the students began to file out of the gym, walking to their own cars in the parking lot or waiting for their parents to come pick them up. Sanza, Cleo, Rob, and Marcy walked out together into the parking lot. Outside, the wind was beginning to pick up, and a clap of thunder could faintly be heard.

"We'd better get in the car before it starts raining..." said Rob, walking out to his car with Marcy. "I'll see you in school tomorrow, Sanza!"

"Seeya, Rob..." said Sanza, who began scanning the parking lot for his own car, unaware that it had been stolen by his 'friends' Vick and Mick. "That's weird... I thought my car was-"

"I'd better get to my own car too, Sanza," said Cleo, leaning over and kissing her friend on the cheek. By now, it had begun sprinkling droplets of rain, and another thunderclap sounded, a clear indication of the coming storm. "I had a wonderful evening... I'll see you at school, okay?"

Cleo ran to her car and pulled out of the parking lot, leaving Sanza alone among the thinning crowds of students. Sighing and putting his hands into his pockets, Sanza slowly began walking toward where he'd remembered he'd parked his car.

"It's getting pretty late," thought Sanza, looking up to see a bright flash of lightning in the sky. A few seconds later, a thunderclap registered the lightning bolt, indicating that the storm wasn't too far away. "I can't just keep Starfire in my trunk all night, can I?"

Now Sanza began to worry again. If he was going to threaten the Titans with Starfire, he'd have to do it tonight. School was the following morning, and if he kept Starfire overnight and through school the next day, she'd be unattended for sixteen hours. She could be found, or worse, she could come into harm by being without human contact for so long.

But what happened to Starfire would be a moot point if Sanza couldn't find his car... and as Sanza continued to look, he realized that his car was nowhere to be seen. He ran over to the exact spot that he remembered parking his car... but there was nothing there. The rain had intensified, and Sanza was rapidly being doused with water. The night was cold from the effect of the wind and rain, causing Sanza to shiver slightly, his heart pounding faster and faster with each second.

"Where the hell is my car?" Sanza shouted, looking around the parking lot. "Oh no... what if... what if the cops found it, and towed it? What if the Titans were able to find Starfire?"

Another loud clap of thunder, but by now, the storm was no longer on Sanza's mind. His car was gone, and he was sure that it was because the Titans had found it. They'd found out he'd kidnapped Starfire... they found out he was Red X... Sanza's life was over... how could he be so careless?

The cell phone in Sanza's left pocket rang. Most likely, it was his mother, calling to see when he would be home. Sanza cringed at the thought of having to tell her the car was missing. Reluctantly, he pulled out his cell phone and answered it.

"Hello?"

The voice at the other end wasn't Sanza's mother... in fact, it sounded like no one Sanza had ever heard before.

"Am I speaking to Sanza Salazar, or Red X?"

The voice was deep, while at the same time having a contemplative, methodical quality that made it seem almost... sinister. Sanza nearly dropped the phone, but kept his grip at the last second and nervously choked out "Who is this?"

"Let's just say I'm a fan of yours... an admirer, if you will. I must say, you have excellent taste in hostages. I'll bet the Teen Titans are looking for you... well, four of them, anyway," the voice continued.

"Whoever's at the other end knows I'm Red X... knows I have Starfire..." thought Sanza, his body shaking more from fear than it was from the coldness of the wind and rain now whipping his body. Still, he managed to steel himself enough to retain the confidence in his voice. Whoever this person was, Sanza knew he couldn't afford to show any fear. "What the hell do you want?"

"I'd like you to meet me at the park... come alone, or don't, it's up to you, although anyone you bring is going to learn your secret. Actually, I guess it's not much of a secret anymore, is it?"

Sanza didn't know how to respond. Was this some sort of trap? Maybe this person was a cop, who'd found Starfire and was now trying to get Sanza to show himself so that he could be arrested... no, that couldn't be the case. The person at the other end definitely wasn't a cop... the voice gave Sanza chills.

But if Sanza didn't come, he knew that the person on the other end of the phone would find him... he found the car and Starfire, and he would find Sanza too.

"I'll be there," Sanza replied.

"Good... I'll be waiting for you. Since you don't have your car, I'll wait a little while... but try to get here as quickly as you can. It'll be much more fun that way."

Sanza ended the call and began running toward the park as fast as his legs could carry him, ignoring the thunder, the lightning, the wind and the rain. Sanza couldn't be bothered with a storm... he knew he had much bigger problems to worry about.

O-O-O

Someone else in Jump City was ignoring the storm... a creature of the night, unhindered by fear or adversity, fueled only by determination to find his friend.

The Titans had all split up to search the city for Starfire, and though Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy certainly looked diligently for her, Robin was the most determined of all, scouring the city and every nook and cranny of it he could find. He leapt from building to building, looking up to the sky and down into dark, dirty alleys, doing everything he could to find... her.

"Wherever you are, Starfire... I'm going to find you... I made you a promise, and I'm going to keep it," thought Robin, standing out on an elevated balcony on one of the largest buildings in Jump City. Through his night-vision binoculars, he could see cars, people, and even the smallest of street animals... but no Starfire, not even a hint of her. As he looked, lightning struck a nearby building, creating such a powerful boom that it nearly threw Robin from his perch. But he was undeterred, keeping his feet planted on the balcony and paying little attention to the lightning that, had it struck the building he was on, very well could have killed him. "STARFIRE!"

O-O-O

Sanza reached the park in just ten minutes of running, taking every shortcut he knew to reach Jump City Park as quickly as possible. The park was still quite large, and he knew that his car, Starfire, and the mysterious caller would still be hard to find. That was complicated by the fact that the rain, now in the form of a torrential downpour, made visibility at the park nearly zero. Only streetlights that lit up the park's winding walkways could provide any sort of stable landmarks for Sanza to follow.

He had no idea what he was getting into, though he knew what had started it. He never should have taken Starfire... he should have cut his losses at the museum and gone ahead to the dance. Instead, he let his emotions and his sense of entitlement take over... and he grabbed Starfire when he realized he couldn't have anything else.

Now someone knew who Sanza was. The secret he'd kept for six months, the incredible job he'd done not letting anyone know the identity of the master thief Red X, all that hard work... completely gone. And for what? He could only hope that the mysterious caller hadn't harmed Starfire... because then it would be Sanza's fault.

Another flash of lightning lit up the entire park... and there, in the shadows, was the outline of a face. Or half of a face, anyway... half concealed by a mask, half concealed by the shadows. Sanza ran toward the mysterious face, allowing the lightning to guide him forward. After a few seconds of running, he began to hear muffled cries over the rain and the thunder, and he stopped running toward the face and ran toward the sound, which just happened to be off in a slightly different direction. As the sounds grew louder and louder, Sanza hoped for something, anything to give him light to see the source of the sound...

A bolt of lightning gave Sanza his wish. There, just a short distance in front of him were his friends Vick and Mick, tied with cables to a tree. Tape had been placed over their mouths, and their eyes reflected the same fear that Sanza had seen in Starfire after placing her in the trunk.

"Vick? Mick? What the hell are-"

"You know, for being your friends, they certainly don't behave like it... stealing your car and all."

The voice came from behind Sanza, and when he turned around, another flash of lightning shot through the sky, lighting up the park and revealing Sanza's mysterious caller once and for all. It was a man Sanza had seen only in pictures on the news... a criminal mastermind unlike any Jump City had ever seen.

"Slade..." thought Sanza, his entire body beginning to tremble. He took a single step back, forgetting completely that his friends Vick and Mick had taken his car, and focusing only on a single, horrible fact. "Slade knows my secret... he knows that I'm Red X..."

"Let's take a walk, shall we?"

Slade turned and began walking down a path illuminated by street lights, giving no visual indication of whether or not he wanted Sanza to follow him. Sanza took one last look at Vick and Mick, whose muffled cries clearly begged their friend to save them.

"I should help them, but... they're part of the reason I'm in this mess," thought Sanza, turning back toward the path and following Slade, ignoring the cries of his friends. "You guys can just chill out there for a while..."

As Sanza began to follow Slade, his nervousness continually tried to surface. He was getting another adrenaline rush again, and there were several times that he wondered whether or not to just turn and flee, go back home and forget that Slade had ever called him...

But he couldn't do that now. Slade knew Sanza's secret, and if he didn't follow Slade now, Slade would follow him... back home, to Maddy and his mother. And then Sanza would be failing in the one mission he'd promised to fulfill since putting on the suit... he'd be failing to protect his family.

Sanza followed Slade to the small parking lot where Vick and Mick had parked Sanza's mother's car more than half an hour ago. It was still there, unmoved from its original spot. The thumps and loud muffled cries from inside the trunk indicated that Starfire too was unmoved.

From inside the trunk, Starfire could hear only indecipherable noises, unsure who was talking and certainly unsure of what they were saying. The car had been stopped for quite some time, and Starfire wondered whether or not her 'saviors' had been held up before they could return her to the police station like they'd promised.

"So, Slade..." said Sanza in as confident and casual of a voice he could, knowing that Slade would pounce on any sign of fear, "how did you find out, anyway?"

"I've been watching you, Sanza..." replied Slade, pacing back and forth in front of the trunk that held Starfire, his every step pronounced and prominent. "For the past week I've been following you, watching your every move, trying to learn all I could about the man who'd stolen the incredible supersuit. Even I was surprised to find out that it had been taken by a mere boy."

Sanza couldn't believe what he was hearing. Slade had been stalking him! He must have followed him as Red X back to his home and had watched him change out of the suit. But if Slade knew who Sanza was, and where Sanza lived... he might be a danger to Sanza's family as well.

"You stalked me, Slade... I can't believe it," said Sanza, no longer able to conceal the growing fear on his face.

"I prefer to call it... protecting my investment," Slade replied. He ceased pacing in front of the trunk and began walking up to Sanza, waiting until he was just a few feet away from him before continuing to speak. "You see, for quite some time now, I've been looking for an apprentice, someone to carry on my legacy. My last two apprentices have been... well, rebellious, to put it lightly. Of course, so are you... I can see it in your eyes, Sanza."

"What are you getting at, Slade?"

"I've dealt with Red X before. You probably know that before you stole that suit, it was used by Robin in an attempt to gain my trust... but of course, I knew it was Robin the whole time. The same determination, the same ruthlessness in battle... you've stolen a suit specifically designed to exploit the Teen Titans' weaknesses. Only Robin could've known what they were and how to best take advantage of them... that was the final clue."

"So that's why a suit like that was in the tower," thought Sanza, nervously remembering that he'd left the Red X suit in the glove compartment of his mother's car.

"So imagine my surprise when I learned that someone else was in possession of the suit... and I knew that I had to meet that person," said Slade, looking directly into Sanza's eyes. "Consider yourself lucky... you're getting a golden opportunity."

Another flash of lightning, immediately followed by a burst of thunder. The storm was probably directly over the park by now... but an even greater storm was already brewing.

"You want me... to be your apprentice?" asked Sanza, a nervous smirk crossing his lips. Though he feared Slade, he feared working for him even more... he wasn't going to be used by anyone. "Yeah, right."

"I had a feeling you'd say that..." said Slade, his voice remaining calm, not showing the anger that Sanza was sure would result from his refusal. "Then at least tell me something. Why did you take the suit in the first place? Was it for the power that the suit gave you? Was it a desire to steal that compelled you to take it? Or was it something else?"

Sanza's eyes widened. If Slade could spy on him, then he knew Slade could spy on-

"Was it because you knew it was the only way to protect little Maddy?"

Sanza gasped. It had already begun...

"You son of a bitch, what-" Sanza began before Slade gave a slight chuckle.

"I have some of my men posted right outside of your house, Sanza," said Slade, his tone quickly becoming serious. "Your family can't see them, and rest assured, if you do everything I say tonight, they'll never even know my men were there. I have a very simple set of instructions for you, but first..."

Slade walked over to Sanza's mother's car and opened the passenger side door. He reached into the glove compartment and pulled out the Red X costume, then closed the door of the car and tossed the suit to Sanza. Sanza caught it, still enraged that Slade would threaten his family.

"I should put on this suit and kick your ass, Slade," said Sanza, but Slade merely continued giving instructions.

"I'm going to leave, but I have cameras hidden in the nearby trees that will allow me to see and hear everything that happens in this clearing. What I want to happen is this. I'm going to leave, and you're going to take Starfire out of that trunk and put her somewhere she can easily be seen. Then, you're going to use your cell phone to contact Robin's T-Com and tell him to come here, alone, if he ever wants to see Starfire alive again."

Sanza was beginning to realize exactly what Slade was trying to do. A test... a battle test... and his opponent was going to be-

"When Robin gets here, you're going to kill him," said Slade, handing Sanza a slip of paper with instructions on contacting Robin. He then placed a small, metallic device in Sanza's ear, which would enable Slade to give the boy instructions should the need arise. "Do whatever it takes... I'm sure that that suit has everything you need. I'm not concerned with Starfire, you may do whatever you wish to her, but before you leave this clearing tonight, you're going to kill Robin. If you don't, your mother and sister will be dead when you come home tonight."

Sanza clenched his fists. His body was now soaked by the rain that still came pouring down, and the coldness of the water on his body stung him into an even more intense rage. All of his anger and hatred were now focused on Slade... when they probably should've been concentrated on Robin.

Because when Robin came and saw Starfire... he was going to be just as mad as Sanza was.

"If you hurt my familia, Slade, I swear, I'll-"

"You kill Robin and they won't be harmed," said Slade, his tone returning to its casual, almost uncaring approach to evil. "I'll be watching..."

And with that, Slade turned and left the parking lot, leaving Sanza alone with his car and the driving rain. Sanza looked down at his Red X suit in his hands, knowing exactly what he had to do.

"I really screwed up this time..."

O-O-O

After putting on the suit, Red X prepared to open the trunk for the first time since he'd placed Starfire inside and had slammed the lid down on her. He walked up to the trunk, took out his keys, and slowly turned them in the lock.

As soon as he opened the trunk, two feet slammed into his face at once, knocking him back and nearly causing him to stumble on the wet ground. Starfire, it seems, had positioned her body in the trunk so that if Red X opened it up, she could kick him in the face with as much strength he could muster. Annoyed, slightly angry, Red X walked over to the trunk and lifted Starfire out. He closed the lid and turned around, walking over to a large tree that faced the parking lot. The entire time she was being carried to the tree, Starfire struggled and screamed in Red X's grasp, the rain quickly soaking her bright red hair.

"You will let me go right now!" thought Starfire, desperately wishing to be released from her bonds so that she could teach Red X a lesson he'd never forget. Or if she couldn't teach him a lesson, she hoped that the other Titans could... especially Robin. "Robin will find me, and when he does..."

Red X pressed Starfire's bound form against the tree, and shot out an X that wrapped around her body, hooking through the metallic bands that tied Starfire's arms to her back and looping around the entire trunk of the tree, pinning the Tamaranian girl helplessly in place. She continued to thrash against the tree, and from what Red X could tell, she looked terrified as the bright lightning flashed high in the sky above her head.

"I don't want do to this, kid, believe me..." thought Red X, sighing as he watched Starfire's helpless struggles. In an attempt to comfort her, he reached up and stroked his hand across the side of her face... only to have her emit two muffled shouts and try to move her head away. "I promise I won't hurt you... though I can't say the same for Robin..."

"Don't you touch me!" Starfire thought, helpless to move Red X's hand away from her face. Had she been able to see through his mask, she could have seen a touch of sympathy in fear in his eyes... but on the face of Red X, she could see only evil and hatred... and she despised him for it.

Red X turned away from Starfire and walked to the center of the parking lot, pulling his cell phone from his pocket and looking at the sheet of paper Slade had given him.

"I'd better get this over with..." thought Red X, nervously pressing several buttons on his phone.

O-O-O

Meanwhile, Robin, who was so determined to find Starfire that he put his life at risk by climbing up tall buildings in a furious thunderstorm, was beginning to feel the effects of fatigue on his body. He'd been searching for Starfire for hours, had visited more warehouses, dark alleys, and abandoned buildings then he'd cared to mention, and now, he was beginning to get frustrated. Frustrated with Red X for kidnapping Starfire, and frustrated with himself for not being able to find her.

But Robin never gave up hope. He continued his search, entering the old Jump City Textiles Factory and repeatedly calling out Starfire's name. The rain outside pounded the tin roof of the building, making such noise that Robin could barely hear his own voice. He'd become hoarse from calling out to Starfire, but he knew his efforts were worth it... when every 'STARFIRE!' could be answered with a desperate 'ROBIN!' in the most beautiful, delicate voice the Boy Wonder had ever heard...

But the factory search was fruitless, and Robin found himself on his knees in the center of the old, broken-down, spider-infested building, looking up through a shattered window and screaming Starfire's name in a loud, anguished cry.

"WHERE IS SHE, YOU BASTARD?" shouted Robin, hoping that wherever Red X was, he could hear Robin's rage. "I'M GONNA FIND HER! I'M GONNA FIND STARFIRE AND I'M GONNA MAKE YOU PAY!"

The T-Com in Robin's pocket began lighting up and playing a short, digitized version of Puffy Ami Yumi's Titans song. Robin pulled it out, expecting to see one of his teammates on the other end.

Instead, he saw the answer to his prayers... and a man very much in danger of a serious asskicking.

"Red X," said Robin, his eyes narrowing in rage at the fuzzy figure on the other end, shown through the lens of X's cameraphone. "What have you done with Starfire?"

The image shifted to Starfire, gagged and bound to a tree. Then, Red X's face reappeared on the T-Com.

"Come to the park if you ever want to see Starfire again," said Red X, trying to sound as menacing and intimidating as he could. "And come alone."

The image on the other end of Robin's T-Com flashed off before Robin could offer up a response. But he knew that Red X had a pretty good idea of what he was going to say. Still, he couldn't even begin to imagine what Robin was going to do...

"I told you I'd make you pay, X," said Robin, running out of the factory and hopping onto his T-Cycle, racing toward the park at a blazing fast speed. "I'll make you wish you never laid a hand on her!"

O-O-O

No amount of wishing could stop the inevitable... what Red X knew he'd be in for. A life-or-death showdown with Robin, whom Red X could tell was furious over the phone. His eyes, his voice... he'd said it all with just a few short words.

He took another look at Starfire, rain now drenching her immobile body. She struggled and strained, but knew that she was about to bear witness to a battle between the dangerous criminal Red X and her best friend Robin... and that she would be helpless to interfere in any way.

"Please..." thought Starfire, staring up into the lightning-filled sky, "whatever happens, please let Robin be okay..."

And the waiting game began. Five minutes, ten minutes... then, the sound of a motorcycle rolling into the park. The sound stopped a short distance away, and Red X knew that his battle was about to begin. He clenched his fists, trying to will himself into what he was about to do.

"I've fought the Titans before... this is going to be a piece of cake..." thought Red X, but he was lying to himself, and he knew it. The Robin he'd seen on his phone, the Robin he'd heard over the speaker... that wasn't any Robin he'd ever fought before. This was a Robin who was ready to fight to protect his friends... ready to fight to the death, and maybe even ready to cause a death.

A series of footsteps in the rain... the street lamp shining down on the parking lot, lighting up Red X, Starfire, and as soon as he took the first step out of the shadow of the walkway... Robin.

Robin and Red X's eyes met, but Robin didn't rush forward... not yet. He walked out into the parking lot and glanced over to the tree. Through the X plastered over her mouth, Starfire cried out Robin's name.

"Why her?" said Robin, turning back to Red X, the anger clearly showing in his voice. "Why her... and why me?"

"Anything to make you squirm, kid," said Red X, getting into a fighting stance. "You screwed up my trip to the museum, so I decided to toy with you a bit. It's just you and me now, Robin."

"I'll fight to save Starfire... you know that," said Robin, extending his bo staff and pointing it at Red X. "If you've hurt her-"

"She's fine," replied Red X. "It's your own skin that you oughta be worried about."

Robin had given the thief one chance to release Starfire. That chance was over. With a loud battlecry, Robin rushed forward, swinging his bo staff straight down at Red X's head. The X on Red X's right palm began to glow, and a long, red blade appeared in his hand. He swung it upward, parrying Robin's attack. Robin swung the staff again, and again, Red X parried.

"He's never swung his staff like that before..." Red X thought, noticing the intense fury in Robin's assault. "If I didn't know better, I'd say he was trying to kill me..."

Robin swung his staff again, and this time, Red X was unable to parry. The staff caught him right in the chest, knocking him backward and throwing him to the cold, wet ground. Another bolt of lightning lit up the sky, and Robin removed two cluster bombs from his utility belt. He threw them down at Red X, who rolled out of the way just in time, the bombs impacting the concrete and making a small crater.

"I'm gonna lose if I don't go on the offensive..." Red X thought, retracting the blade into his hand and causing the X on his palm to glow again. He stood up and fired several small Xs at Robin. Several of them exploded against his chest, stopping him from charging at Red X. One of the Xs expanded behind Robin's back, ensnaring his arms and entwining them together, forcing Robin to drop the staff and fall hard to the ground. "Not so tough now, are ya, kid?"

Seizing the opportunity, Red X ran over to the incapacitated crime fighter and kicked him several times, each kick causing the Boy Wonder to let out a loud cry of pain. Without his arms, his bo staff was useless... but Robin still had his legs, and he shot out with a kick that hit Red X right in the stomach, knocking him back and causing him to double over.

"You never should've messed with my friends..." said Robin, leaping to his feet and trying to reach his utility belt with his bound hands. "Plenty of criminals have tried that, and they all learned their lesson... the hard way."

"I'm sick of your little superhero sentiments, kid!" shouted Red X, stretching out his hands and causing a large energy net to appear in-between them. He tossed the net at Robin, who'd been able to pull out a Bat-a-Rang and was now using it to cut the X from around his wrists. The net was fast, but Robin was faster, doing a backflip to escape the net and freeing his hands at the same time with the Bat-a-Rang. With a twirl, Robin threw the Bat-a-Rang at Red X, clipping him across the chest and making a small cut across the front of his uniform... as well as across his skin.

Starfire's eyes lit up when she saw Robin escape... but that didn't mean that she shouldn't be trying to escape as well. She continued struggling against the tight metallic bands, hoping that she would soon be able to join the fight.

"Damn... that really smarts..." thought Red X, stumbling back with his hand pressed over his chest. He knew that the longer the fight pressed on, the angrier and more intense Robin was getting. "Not too bad, kid... not too bad at all."

"Don't hold back..." came a soft, yet firm voice over the hearing device in Red X's ear. "You know what you have to do, so do it!"

Red X pointed his palms at Robin and fired four small, red spikes about six inches long. The spikes flew toward Robin, but all of them missed, imbedding themselves in the ground around the Boy Wonder and forming a square on the ground about ten feet in diameter.

"If you're going to fight me," said Robin, picking his bo staff up from the ground and extending it once more, "you'd better improve your-"

Suddenly, the spikes began to glow, triggering an electric field that completely covered the space encompassed by the square. The red electricity surged through Robin's veins, sending pain shooting through his body and collapsing him to his knees. Red X smiled, walking over to Robin and picking up one of the spikes. The electric field was immediately ceased, but the damage had been done, and Robin remained on the ground in serious pain.

"Time to end this," thought Red X, walking up to Robin with the spike in his hand and lifting it over the boy's head. Starfire, seeing what Red X was about to do, began screaming loudly, terrified for Robin.

"PLEASE, NO!" thought Starfire, her eyes wide and filling with tears. But Red X ignored Starfire, bringing the spike down toward Robin's head.

Robin's hand suddenly shot out, grabbing Red X by the wrist and holding him in place. He dropped the spike and let out a cry of pain, as Robin was squeezing hard enough to nearly break his wrist. Robin stood up, a look of pure rage on his face.

"I'm going to defeat you and rescue Starfire... and there's nothing you can do to stop me!" Robin shouted, firing his Batcables at Red X. The cables wrapped around the thief's midsection, pinning his arms to his chest. Robin grabbed the end of the Batcable and, displaying seemingly inhuman strength, began spinning Red X around like a top, fighting the force of the wind from the storm as he swung his opponent in a wide circle. Robin then released the cable, sending Red X flying into a tree, his back slamming hard into the wooden trunk. As Red X struggled to stand, Robin began throwing Bat-a-rang after Bat-a-rang at him, trying to pin the thief to the tree itself. Red X quickly rolled out of the way, ducking behind the tree and extending another blade. He could feel the carbon dioxide from his frequent breaths quickly filling his mask, and he had to fight off the urge to remove it, if even for a second.

"I've never seen anyone fight at this level before..." thought Red X, leaning against the tree and silently contemplating his next move. He could hear Robin running rapidly toward him, and he quickly spun around, using his blade to slide the tree nearly in two. The blade carved effortlessly through the trunk of the tree, which quickly began falling forward, toward the parking lot... and toward Robin. "Timber."

Robin gasped, quickly turning around and running in the opposite direction. "He's psychotic... he'd cut down a whole tree just to take me out?"

Robin too noticed a difference in his costumed rival... like Robin, Red X was fighting with much more determination than normal... as well as a hint of desperation. Robin leapt out of the path of the tree just in time, its massive girth taking up nearly a fifth of the parking lot as it hit the ground. "Why's he fighting so well? He doesn't have anyone to fight for, does he?"

Robin took another glance at Starfire, watching the fight with great anxiety, still worried about the slightest attack that connected with her dear friend Robin. She'd screamed while the tree that Red X had chopped down was falling, and breathed a sigh of relief when he'd manage to evade it.

"Could he be... fighting for her as well?" Robin thought, aware of the crush that Red X had on Starfire from what she'd told him after the very first battle the new Red X and the Titans had had. "Is that the real reason he took her?"

But Robin had no time to think about that, for while he was running from the tree, X was running on top of it, dashing along its trunk for a clean shot at Robin. As soon as Robin turned back toward the tree, X was already upon him, leaping from a fallen branch and striking Robin hard with a punch to the face. Before he could strike again, Robin lunged forward with a punch of his own, nearly as hard as the one X had delivered. Red X swooped in with another punch, but this time, Robin ducked, then swung his leg at X's side.

"Don't think so!" Red X shouted, grabbing Robin's leg and trying to force him off-balance. Robin hopped up once on his other leg, then swung it upward, slamming it into the side of Red X's face and knocking both fighters apart from one another. Robin's kick did indeed send him off-balance, but he quickly recovered back into a standing position. Red X, on the other hand, took a bit longer to recover from the kick. As soon as he turned back around, Robin's outstretched palm slammed into the front of his chest, and he fell backwards, stumbling over the fallen tree behind him, his back slamming hard into the ground.

"Now's my chance," thought Robin, leaping over the tree and extending his bo staff, swinging it down at Red X's head.

The hard fall had knocked the wind out of Red X, and he could barely even breathe, let alone see Robin leaping toward him with his staff. A single bolt of lightning illuminated Robin just enough for Red X to be able to throw up a leg to defend himself, catching Robin in the jaw and knocking him backward. The back of Robin's head slammed into the hard tree trunk, immediately knocking the boy into a daze. Red X stood up, pointing his palm at Robin and preparing to fire an X that would pin him against the trunk of the tree, making him helpless.

He didn't get the chance, because Robin quickly recovered, leaping up and striking Red X in the face with a hard mule kick. Red X flew backwards, and Robin capitalized, running forward and striking Red X with a punch to the face. The punch was followed by another, and Red X could begin to taste blood beginning to pool in his mouth.

"Not good!" Red X thought. Robin continued rushing forward, preparing to hit Red X with another brutal punch, one that would certainly knock the thief to the ground again. Red X knew that he didn't have nearly the martial arts training that Robin did... if he tried to fight him hand-to-hand, he'd be beaten, and badly. "I have to do this... Slade will kill Maddy if I don't beat Robin... I have to win!"

Red X ducked under the punch, grabbing Robin's arm and tossing him to the ground with a surprising amount of strength. Robin hit the concrete hard, his shoulder taking the brunt of the impact. As Robin screamed in pain, Red X immediately spotted the weakness, stomping down hard on Robin's shoulder. Another scream from Robin was followed by a loud, muffled scream from Starfire that could clearly be heard over the thunder that roared through the sky every few seconds.

Robin heard Starfire's scream, and his eyes narrowed. His fists clenched, his heart pounded, and his entire psyche became overwhelmed with determination. He had to save Starfire, no matter what... he would never give up, he would never surrender.

"That's it, kid... scream... nobody's gonna hear you," said Red X, beginning to feel the viciousness that came packaged free with the implications of a must-win battle. He lifted his foot and prepared to stomp Robin's face... but Robin again stopped him, reaching up and grabbing Red X by the ankle. Before X could react, Robin swung him hard to the ground, face-first. The two fighters weakly picked themselves up at the same time, determined to land the first blow.

Robin swung first, a mighty punch that slammed into Red X's jaw and knocked him back several seconds. By now, all Red X could taste was blood, slowly filling his mouth, pouring in from his busted lips. Without the mask, X could've easily spat out the blood... but with it on, that was impossible.

When one tastes his own blood, one can't help but feel a growing sense of fear. Even Red X, master thief, who by now was used to being in dangerous situations, was terrified by the prospect that he was fighting a losing battle. The anger in Robin's eyes gave every indication that Robin was just as likely to kill Red X as X was to kill Robin... and what Robin was fighting for was right there, in the form of Starfire, a screaming, thrashing reminder of why Robin had to win.

X didn't have that reminder... only the thought of his family at home, of Slade's robotic henchmen watching their every move, waiting for the order to kill...

Sometimes, even a reminder was vivid enough. Letting out a loud scream of pain and fury, Red X lunged forward, tackling Robin hard to the ground. Robin's shoulder once more impacted the concrete, but before he could scream, Red X began pummeling his face with furious punches.

Starfire, horrified by the brutality of Red X's attack, screamed as long as she could, struggling against her bonds and the tree enough to make the red metal actually bruise her skin, its sharp edges opening up small wounds along Starfire's arms and legs as she struggled violently to get free and help Robin.

"LET HIM GO!" thought Starfire, watching Robin take the beating of his life through the rain and lightning, tears streaming down her face. "I once thought that you were not so evil... why are you doing this to Robin? WHY?"

But Robin wasn't so easily beaten, and though his face stung from every punch, his mind retained one singular focus... beating Red X and saving Starfire. It was that focus that gave him the strength to kick X hard in the chest, knocking him back and enabling the Boy Wonder to stand. He wiped a trickle of blood from his lip and clenched his fists, his teeth clenched in anger.

Red X wasn't knocked down by the kick, but he was hurt... slightly bent over, his arms pressed against his chest, he began to cough... he knew he'd taken a bad beating, but he had no idea of what Robin was about to do next.

Robin's fury was unlike anything Red X had ever seen. Robin lunged forward, connecting with punch after punch. Red X tried to counter, but Robin dodged all but two of X's blows.

"This is insane..." thought Red X, his determination being sapped with every punch that Robin landed. X was punched in the face, the chest, and the arms, knocked back nearly all the way across the parking lot by the force of Robin's attack. In desperation, Red X threw out an X that morphed into a large pile of goo, trying to cover Robin and suffocate him. Robin simply extended his bo staff, swinging through the goo before jabbing X in the throat, then swinging the staff around to hit him in the chest. Red X stumbled, but didn't quite fall, though he could barely breathe and his chest stung from the last staff hit, which felt like he'd been shot by a cannon.

"Had enough yet?" said Robin, a lightning bolt cracking in the sky behind him. Red X, meanwhile, was now gasping for air, blood still pooling inside of his mouth. He swallowed the blood and pointed at Robin, remembering exactly what Slade had told him.

"I can't give up... my family is depending on me!"

"This... isn't over..." said Red X, his palm pointed out at Robin's face. He fired an X at Robin, who pulled a Bat-a-Rang from his utility belt.

"I've heard that a million times," Robin replied. He threw the Bat-a-Rang, which sliced through the X and continued on. It slashed across X's face, immediately eliciting a cry of pain from the thief. His gloved hand flew to his face, and when he pulled it back, it was dripping with blood. The Bat-a-rang had torn through Red X's mask, cutting a long, deep gash downward across his face, just to the right of his eye. He stumbled back, staring at Robin through the rain.

"You... you..." Red X stammered, looking back down at his blood-covered hand. "Dammit... that really hurts... worse than anything I've ever felt in my life..."

Tasting his own blood was one thing... but feeling it and seeing it, now dripping from the cut to the wet concrete below... Red X now knew he couldn't beat Robin. He looked just past him and saw Starfire, still tied tightly to the tree at the side of the parking lot. Then, he looked back toward Robin, his hand reaching down once more to his utility belt.

"How can I get out of this..." thought Red X, his eyes meeting Starfire's once more. This time was different... Starfire could clearly see the bad wound across Red X's face, and something else as well... for the first time, she thought that she could actually sense fear through the mask.

Red X looked back and forth, from Robin to Starfire and back again. It was then that he formulated a solution... and silently began praying that it would work. He pointed his palm to Robin again, and fired a small, shuriken-like X. The X whizzed past Robin's head, continuing on out into the night.

"You missed," said Robin, pulling out another Bat-a-rang, "but I won't..."

The X flew on... toward Starfire and the tree she was tied to. It sliced through her bonds in two different places... the metallic band holding her arms, and the band holding her body to the tree. Then, it embedded itself in the top of the tree's trunk.

Red X watched as Starfire was freed... and smiled under the mask.

"With your freedom, I win mine as well..."

Before Robin could throw his Bat-a-Rang, Starfire ripped the X from her mouth and cried out her first intelligible word in more than six hours.

"ROBIN!"

Robin turned around, giving Red X his chance to escape. As he leapt into his car and sped off into the night, he heard a loud voice shouting into the hearing device placed in his ear.

"What are you doing?" Slade shouted.

"The girl managed to escape somehow... I can't fight two of them at once!"

"That's a lie... go back and fight them both!"

"Fuck you, Slade."

Red X removed the device from his ear and tossed it out onto the ground, somewhere in the park. Then, he sped off down the first street he could find, back toward home... he could only hope that his engineered escape of Starfire would give him enough of an excuse to keep Slade from harming his family.

"I bought some time... not a lot, but enough to think... and enough to breathe."

Meanwhile, though Robin had seen X's car speed off, his first concern was making sure Starfire was all right... he ran up to her as she ripped off the metal bands that had been binding her legs.

"Starfire, are you all right?" asked Robin, his eyes immediately focusing on the bruises and small scrapes on Starfire's arms. "Did X-"

But Starfire didn't answer... instead, she wrapped her arms tightly around Robin, relieved to see that except for a few bruises on his face, arms, and legs, he was safe and unharmed.

"I inflicted those wounds upon myself as I was trying to escape to help you... but I am so glad to see that you are all right," said Starfire, brushing a tear from her own face. "X did not hurt me, but I was worried that he might harm-"

"I'm fine, Star..." replied Robin, returning the hug as both he and Starfire were reunited for the first time since fighting X at the museum. The thunder and lightning had stopped, and the rain had slowed to a light drizzle. Robin's worries were over... for now. He and Starfire were both safe... but Red X was still at large, and from the fight, it seemed that he was stronger and more vicious than ever. "I'm happy to see you safe too, Starfire..."

O-O-O

Meanwhile, in a dark room somewhere in the bowels of the city, Slade had watched the entire fight, from start to finish... and though he wasn't happy at all with Red X's blatant disrespect, plus the fact that he hadn't killed Robin... he was pleased. Red X was strong, very strong. With training, he could even surpass Robin...

Slade had called his men off from Sanza's house. He was sure that as long as the threat of harm to them remained, Sanza would still obey most of his instructions. Besides, if he did kill Sanza's family, there would be absolutely no chance of gaining a new apprentice. As long as he increased the threat to them just a little bit each time, Sanza could still be controlled.

"It's just a matter of time now," thought Slade, smiling to himself. "It's just a matter of time, Sanza..."

O-O-O

Sanza threw off the costume as soon as he got back to his room, shoving it under his bed and tossing his other clothes on the ground, leaving him standing in front of his mirror in nothing but his boxers. His entire body was bruised, and the cut on his face would probably need stitches... mom's not gonna like this...

But at least she was safe... and Maddy too... that was the important thing. It seemed that Slade hadn't followed through on his threat... but the threat still remained, and Sanza knew that Slade would soon be calling him again.

But he couldn't concern himself with that now. He was alive, though quite a bit worse for wear. His entire body ached... so he drew himself a hot bubble bath and slipped inside. The water was warm... soothing... and it helped wash away some of the blood from Sanza's face.

Sanza could hear footsteps outside the bathroom, and his mother's voice. Oh, how lovely it was for Sanza to hear his mother's voice!

"Sanza! Sanza Salazar, you came in and you didn't even come say hi to me? Open up this door..."

"Taking a bath, mom!"

"I don't care!"

Sanza's mother threw the door open... and was horrified when she saw what had happened to her son.

"Oh my God... Sanza, you got into another fight again, didn't you?"

"Mom, it's not that bad, really..." Sanza lied.

"Look at your face! Oh, look at your chest, all those bruises... Sanza, it looks like you got a gangbeating or something! Oh my God, this is just like your father... Sanza, what have I told you about getting into fights?"

As tears began coursing down Sanza's mother's face, and she launched into a tirade of incomprehensible Spanish, Sanza sighed and sunk his body down deeper into the bubble bath.

His mom loved him deeply, she was just trying to protect him... but she could never know that Sanza got those cuts and bruises trying to protect her.

Because Sanza knew that pretty soon, he'd have to put himself in harm's way again. Slade was still out there... still watching... still wanting a new apprentice.

And that apprentice was Red X.

O-O-O

And so, the first major arc of the story ends... but the real story is just beginning. Now that you know what Slade wants of Sanza, you also know that Sanza and the Titans will be coming into conflict again. But what kind of conflict will it be, and when will Slade strike next? And what happened to Vick and Mick, anyway? Find out in the next chapter...