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
Aside from the four hours he'd spent in detention in the morning, Sanza had had a pretty good Saturday. He hadn't received a single mission from Sorel, his mother hadn't yelled at him, and even his sister managed to stay on his good side.
Now seated at the kitchen table, Sanza gazed up at the clock on the wall. It was nearly seven, an hour until Cleo would arrive to go with him to the Fall Carnival. Sanza wasn't the only one going to the carnival, Maddy and Sanza's mother were going as well, and at the moment, they were just about to leave.
"Now Sanza," said his mother, watching Maddy to make sure she put on her purple jacket before the two of them went out, "you're not to leave this house until Cleo comes, got it?"
Sanza sighed. He'd been grounded after his fight with Robin a few days ago, but thankfully, his mother had allowed him a reprieve to take Cleo out to the festival. Good thing she didn't know about all those times he'd snuck out as Red X...
"I'm not going anywhere, don't worry," said Sanza, picking up a granola bar from the small plastic basket of them lying on the kitchen table. "You guys have a good time and I'll see both of you there."
"Have fun with your girlfriend, Sanza!" said Maddy, making mock kissing noises as she and her mother walked out the door. "Don't do anything you learned in sex ed class!"
"Maddy!" scolded Sanza's mother as the kitchen door closed behind them. Sanza sighed, taking a bite out of his granola bar and standing up. He looked at the clock... two minutes past seven, leaving him just less than an hour to get ready for his big 'date'.
"It... is a date, isn't it?" thought Sanza, throwing the granola bar wrapper in the kitchen wastebasket and running up the stairs toward his room. He was dressed in a black t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans, and though his excursion with Cleo wouldn't be the most fancy outing in the world, he at least felt that he should probably change his shirt. "Maybe a nice sweater or something..."
Sanza walked into his room and walked over to a tall dresser placed against the right wall. Because his room didn't have a closet, he had to keep all of his clothes inside the dresser. Shirts in the top drawer, pants in the second drawer... sometimes it wasn't always easy to find the clothes he wanted.
Sanza opened the top drawer and began thumbing through his folded clothes. T-shirt after t-shirt, stacked almost to the top of the dresser... all of his winter clothes, including his sweaters, were crushed into the bottom. Though it was nearly the middle of fall, Sanza didn't feel like reorganizing his clothes, and wore t-shirts even when it was fifty degrees outside.
As Sanza peeled away the bottom layer of shirts and began thumbing through his sweaters, the cell phone on his desk rang. Immediately, he knew of only one person who could be calling.
"Damn..." muttered Sanza, walking over to his phone. Though it continued to ring, he hesitated before picking it up... the last mission Sorel had sent him on nearly got him killed, and whatever this one was, it was sure to be just as dangerous. "You have to do this, Sanza... you have to protect your familia..."
But Sanza didn't hear Sorel's voice when he answered the phone. Instead, a much more pleasant sound came to his ear.
"Sanza, it's Cleo... just wanted to call and say I'm coming in fifty minutes, okay?"
With a heavy sigh, Sanza flopped down onto his bed, a smile on his face.
"Yeah... okay, Cleo," said Sanza, wiping his hand across his forehead. "I'm just getting ready now..."
"Oh, you don't have to wear anything fancy... I'm just gonna wear a tanktop, a jacket, and a long skirt... so if you're renting a tux or something, you might wanna cancel on that."
"Renting a tux?" thought Sanza, rolling his eyes. "Who does she think I-"
Cleo gave a friendly laugh, then continued on.
"Look, tonight just... don't think about what happened a few days ago, okay? I still want to be your friend, and we're going to have a really good time, I know it!"
"Thanks, Cleo," said Sanza, sitting up from the bed and walking over to his drawer. He gently closed it, no longer in need of a sweater. "See you at eight."
Sanza set the phone down on his desk, then walked over to the front of the room and flipped off the light switch, eager to have what would be his first good, fun night in quite a while. No Slade, no Sorel, no Titans... just friends, fun, and a beautiful fall night. He walked out of the room and slowly closed the door behind him.
But just as he got the door about halfway closed, his phone rang again.
"That's probably Cleo again," thought Sanza, trying to reassure himself as he walked over to his desk to pick up the phone. But this time, he would have no such good luck. The voice at the other end was Sorel's, and what Sanza thought would be a good night was about to turn into another dangerous mission.
"Good evening, Sanza... I've got another mission for you," said Sorel, his voice unusually casual. Sanza could tell that Sorel had become accustomed to giving the young man orders. "Since I'm in a bit of a hurry, I won't call you down here tonight... I'll give you your mission right over the phone."
Sanza sat down on his bed, his right hand on the phone, his left hand clenched into a fist.
"You are to collect a lock of Starfire's hair... and you are to bring it to me by midnight tonight. Is that clear?"
Sanza nearly dropped the phone, but kept his grip just long enough to mutter his confirmation into the phone.
"Good," said Sorel. "I'll be expecting you soon."
The connection ended, and Sanza threw the phone onto the bed, crying out in rage.
"Can't I just have one peaceful day?" screamed Sanza, wrapping his pillow around his face and screaming obscenities into its cool, all-absorbing fabric. "I can't take this anymore!"
Sanza sat up at the side of his bed, his face quickly turning red. He reached up to his face, his hand rubbing downward across his forehead to the bridge of his nose. He began wondering how he would possibly accommodate both his date with Cleo and the difficult task Sorel had handed him.
"If I stand up Cleo, she'll never want to see me again..." thought Sanza, "but if I don't do the mission, my family's lives could be in danger..."
And on top of that, the very contents of the mission itself... take a lock of Starfire's hair? Certainly that would require engaging her and the other Titans in battle... might even require harming Starfire, who he'd promised himself that he wouldn't injure, at least after what he'd already put her through.
Sanza looked over at the electronic clock on his desk. It was fifteen past seven... Sanza had forty-five minutes to plan out how he could uphold his commitment to Cleo and his commitment to protect his family... and maybe even his commitment to Starfire.
O-O-O
Cleo arrived right on time, exactly at eight o'clock as she had said. She walked up a flight of stairs to the front door of the Salazars' apartment, on the second floor of the three-story building where they lived. As soon as she knocked on the door, Sanza opened it up, wearing a green sweater and a pair of jeans. Though he'd decided not to wear his sweater earlier, Sorel's call had changed all that... his Red X suit was concealed underneath his clothes, with his mask in his pocket.
"Hey, Sanza... you're looking pretty sharp tonight, aren't you?" asked Cleo, wrapping her arms around Sanza's back in a warm, friendly hug. "Didn't I tell you not to dress up?"
"This is dressing up?" replied Sanza, looking up and down at Cleo, who looked as beautiful as Sanza had ever seen her, in her white tanktop, denim jacket, and sky blue skirt. "You look wonderful, Cleo..."
"You're just saying that, Sanza, I know you are," she said as Sanza stepped out of his house and closed the door behind him. She was smiling, and Sanza was relieved to see that she'd mostly, if not entirely gotten over what had happened a few days earlier. "Well, are we gonna go, or what?"
"Cleo, um... before we get there, I just want to tell you that I have to be back home by eleven, okay?" Sanza said, giving himself one hour from the end of his date with Cleo to go to Titans Tower and take the lock of Starfire's hair, then get it back to Sorel. "I just hope that's enough time..."
"Sure, okay..." said Cleo, walking down the steps of the apartment with Sanza. "Your mom have you on punishment or something?"
Sanza began to respond with a nod, but remembered that his mom and Maddy were at the festival themselves, and if Cleo saw them, his lie could be exposed. Quickly thinking of something else to tell Cleo, he came up with the best lie that he could.
"I um... got up kind of early this morning because I had to go to Saturday detention, so I'm just a bit tired is all... I'm sorry," said Sanza, trying to fake a sad frown. Cleo apparently bought it, because she leaned in and kissed Sanza on the cheek.
"That's okay... we'll still have a few hours to have fun, right? We'd better hurry... the festival's down at the pier, which is a ways away... I'll race you there!"
Cleo dashed down the sidewalk as quickly as her legs could carry her, beckoning Sanza to follow. He ran after her, slightly hampered by the effects of wearing his Red X costume under his already bulky sweater and blue jeans.
"I can't afford to tire myself out like this already..." thought Sanza, wiping the first few beads of sweat from his face. "Because if I know the Titans, and I do... I've got one helluva night ahead of me..."
O-O-O
The carnival took up nearly the entire pier, as it was packed nearly full with all sorts of rides, booths, games, and various attractions. The centerpiece of the carnival was a tall Ferris wheel nearly a hundred feet high, its lights visible in the night for miles around. The carnival itself was free, though all the rides and games required tickets for access, which could be purchased at one of the numerous ticket stands set up throughout the pier.
"It is all so beautiful, is it not?" asked Starfire, as she, Robin, and the other Teen Titans walked around the carnival, gazing at the rides and attractions laid out before them. Robin nodded in agreement, hoping that the festival would take his mind off the events of the past few days, including what had happened inside Raven's mirror.
"It's great, Starfire... I love carnivals, especially the rides," said Robin, walking up to one of the ticket vendors and slapping down a $50 bill. "I'll take 200 tickets, please."
The tickets, sold at a quarter a piece, were handed to Robin, which he then distributed in equal numbers to each of the Teen Titans.
"All right, guys," said Robin as he handed out the tickets, "go out and have fun!"
As Raven, Beast Boy, and Cyborg walked away to enjoy the festivities, Starfire stayed behind, a smile on her face. She too enjoyed the carnival, but she'd enjoy it a lot more if she had a friend along... especially a friend like Robin.
"Robin, may I... may I come along with you?" asked Starfire, her voice laden with excitement. "We shall ride rides, and eat delicious fried food, and perhaps you can win me a prize such a giant fabric-stuffed Earth animal!"
Robin smiled, nodding his head. Like Starfire, he didn't want to enjoy the festival alone, and being with Starfire always made things a bit more pleasant.
"Sure, Starfire... what do you want to do first?"
While the Titans enjoyed the festival, Sanza and Cleo had just arrived at the pier. Sanza's mind, it seemed, was always in two places, and this night would be no exception. While he wanted to have a good time with Cleo, he knew in the back of his mind that before midnight, he'd have to fulfill Sorel's latest mission. He frowned slightly, and Cleo immediately noticed.
"Sanza, are you okay?" asked Cleo, dragging him over to a stand selling sweet, fried pastries known as 'elephant ears'. "C'mon, let's split one of these elephant ears... they're really good and they're completely covered in sugar!"
Sanza walked over to the stand, offering a nervous smile and clutching his forehead. He was starting to get a headache again... maybe something sweet would calm his nerves and ease his pain.
"All right," said Sanza, pulling out his wallet and thumbing through the money he had. "Seventy dollars... should probably cover a night of fun..."
When he laid eyes on the girl behind the counter, a young woman with orange hair tied back in a ponytail... a smirk crossed his face. The receptionist from the Xantha Building, now apparently working at the carnival, selling elephant ears.
"Hey," said the girl, a nervous twitch in her voice as she pointed her finger at Sanza. "Don't I... know you from somewhere?"
"Of course not," said Sanza, offering up a smile. "You saw Red X, not me, remember? Silly girl... I'll take an elephant ear, please."
Meanwhile, Cleo had her hands on her hips, a jealous sneer across her face.
"Sanza, why would she know you?" asked Cleo, narrowing her eyes. "Is she an ex-girlfriend you never told me about?"
"Oh, c'mon, she's gotta be at least ten years older than me!" said Sanza, handing the girl three dollars as she gave him the large, fried, sugary pastry on a stack of wax paper. "Besides, I don't date fainters..."
Sanza and Cleo walked over to a small, wooden table set up by the food stands and began tearing off pieces of the pastry, talking between bites. Already, Sanza was starting to forget about Sorel's mission... even sitting down and talking to Cleo made him forget about a lot of his troubles. Still, he didn't feel the same way around her that he did around someone like Starfire... around Starfire, he felt invigorated, while Cleo just made him feel like he was with any of his other friends, like Rob or Marcy. Cleo was pretty, but... she was no Starfire. She wasn't even in Starfire's league.
And there he was, back thinking about Starfire again. "This mission's already got me bugging out..."
"So, Sanza..." said Cleo, shoveling the last piece of the elephant ear into her mouth and talking as she chewed it up. "What do you want to do next?"
"Well..." said Sanza, scanning the entire carnival, his eyes slowly gazing out across the pier, past the game booths and the haunted house, past the giant slide and the Merry-Go-Round and Ferris wheel, past the singing stage where a local rock band was performing...
"Wanna lick my fingers?" Cleo suddenly asked, holding up her sticky, sugar-covered right hand to Sanza's lips. "That elephant ear really got my hand all yucky... and I don't like licking my own fingers in public, so-"
"Is she kidding?" asked Sanza, his head slowly leaning in toward Cleo's sugar-covered fingers, waving tantalizingly in front of his face. As he leaned in, he looked past the stage and saw a ride he'd seen while entering the park, a ride he usually didn't go on, but in this case might be absolutely perfect for the occasion. "The Fireball, ooh!"
Cleo turned her head toward her right and saw The Fireball, a large, circular track on which a moving tram did a single loop, going all the way around and turning its riders briefly upside down.
"Uh, Sanza... didn't you tell me you got nauseous on that ride?" asked Cleo, a slightly worried look on her face.
"Cleo, didn't you tell me you got hysterical on that ride?" he replied, smiling. Cleo let out an angry groan and shoved her sticky, sugarcoated fingers into Sanza's mouth before standing up from the table and walking toward the ride.
"Okay, big boy, you wanna go on the Fireball, we'll go on the Fireball," said Cleo, flashing a sly smile as she briskly walked toward the right side of the pier. Sanza got up and followed her, licking some of the excess sugar from his lips.
"Maybe I'll forget about Starfire if I throw up..."
Across the carnival from the Fireball stood the bumper car ride. Sitting in a purple car marked with the number '9', in quiet, motionless meditation, was Raven, oblivious to the cars spiraling around her.
"Note to self... after this ride, get away from Cyborg and Beast Boy," thought Raven, opening one of her eyes and watching them as their cars repeatedly slammed against one another's. "Azarath, metreon-"
Suddenly, a bright orange car rammed into the side of Raven's car at maximum speed, causing both Raven and the occupant of the orange car to let out a shriek.
The occupant of the orange car was Maddy, and when she saw who she'd hit, she gasped in excitement.
"It's... it's you!" whispered Maddy, one hand over her mouth while her other hand pointed a finger at Raven. "Teen Titan..."
Raven's hands gripped the steering wheel of the car, and for a moment, her teeth clenched in anger, her quiet meditation having been interrupted by an eleven-year-old. Then, she raised her head, looked straight at Maddy... and smiled.
"I'm coming to get you..." said Raven, turning her car around and pointing it in Maddy's direction. Before Maddy could get away, Raven smashed her car into the front of Maddy's vehicle in a head-to-head collision that made Maddy jump several inches out of her seat.
Maddy began to giggle, backing up her car so that she could take another shot at Raven. Before she could, Raven's car was smashed into on both sides by cars driven by her fellow Titans, Beast Boy and Cyborg.
"Get outta the way, Rae, I'm takin' Beast Boy down!" shouted Cyborg, trying to drive his car around the side of Raven's to get at Beast Boy. Raven let out a sigh, backing her car out of the space inbetween Beast Boy and Cyborg, then turning and ramming her car into the back of yet another unsuspecting driver.
"This is fun... mindless, idiotic, but still fun," thought Raven, a smile still on her face. "And no Red X to worry about either..."
O-O-O
Sanza walked out of the Fireball's exit gate, clutching his stomach with one hand while wrapping his other around Cleo's shoulder.
"Told you you'd get nauseous," said Cleo, leading Sanza over to a nearby trash can. Sanza shook his head, though he was clearly still struggling to keep down his food.
"I'm fine..." said Sanza, wandering over to a row of benches and sitting down, his hand still over his stomach. "Just... just a bit... a bit..."
"A bit nauseous, like I said," replied Cleo, helping Sanza up from the park bench. "C'mon... maybe a nice quiet ride will help... oh, I know, how about that?"
Cleo pointed across the pier to a wooden stairway leading down to the water. A sign above the stairway read 'Tunnel of Love'. Sanza looked over at the sign and smiled, turning back toward Cleo and nudging her with his elbow.
"Sanza, I just thought it'd be a nice, soft ride, that's all..." Cleo said, though she couldn't help but betray her true intentions with a giggle. Sanza stood up and walked with Cleo past several rows of game booths until they reached the stairway, down which several other couples were going, having already thought of the same idea. Cleo and Sanza walked down the stairway together, onto a wooden path that stretched under the pier to an area where a long, enclosed tunnel had been constructed. The line stretched seven couples long, and Sanza and Cleo's arrival made eight.
"It's just a little boat ride under the pier," said Sanza, looking over at the tunnel.
"Which means you won't throw up, duh," replied Cleo, "and if you do throw up, try to aim out of the boat, okay?"
Sanza and Cleo took a step forward as the line shortened, to six couples, then down to five... Sanza looked over at Cleo, who smiled yet again, her face illuminated by the colored lights of the carnival above. Sanza couldn't help but return her smile, knowing that Cleo's willingness to take him on the Tunnel of Love meant that she'd apparently forgiven him completely for the remarks he'd made about her note.
"She liked me then, and she still likes me now..." thought Sanza, realizing that Cleo was far too mature to let one petty argument destroy her friendship with him. "Almost there now, Cleo..."
Cleo nodded, her hand briefly reaching over and gripping Sanza's fingers.
"Yeah..."
Meanwhile, the couple behind Sanza and Cleo were also holding hands... they'd just arrived, and when one of them spoke, Sanza couldn't help but listen.
"Robin, this Tunnel of Love... is this what couples do when they go out on a date? Because on my planet, the 'Tunnel of Love' is known as a special cave that houses the Tamaranian mass mating ritual of Glorthex... but perhaps I have said too much already."
Sanza turned his head behind him... and gasped. Standing in line for the Tunnel of Love were Robin and Starfire. "The Titans are here! But... why?"
Of course they were here... anyone who was anyone in Jump City, including the Teen Titans, came to the Fall Festival. But to Sanza, seeing them was still a shock... and an incredible stroke of luck.
"Don't worry, Star, the Earth tunnel of love is nothing like that," Robin said with a chuckle. "Well, mostly nothing like that..."
"Sanza, what are you looking... oh, the Teen Titans!" said Cleo, excitedly clasping her hands in front of her chest. Noticing Cleo's excitement, Robin and Starfire smiled at her, then at Sanza, who recoiled with an embarrassed smile. "Sanza, didn't you tell me about the time they saved you and Maddy from that crazy magician Mumbo Jumbo?"
"Hey... Sanza, right?" said Robin, extending his hand. "How have you and Maddy been doing, anyway?"
"Uh... just... just fine," replied Sanza, his hand trembling as he reached out to shake hands with Robin. "Doesn't he know who I am? Doesn't he know I tried to kill him? And Starfire... she has to know who I am, doesn't she?"
"It is wonderful to see you again!" said Starfire, a friendly smile on her face. "And it seems you have brought a friend... your name is-"
"Cleo," she said, wrapping her arms around Starfire in a friendly hug. The moment seemed surreal to Sanza... Robin and Starfire, the two Teen Titans he'd attacked the very most, completely unable to recognize him as who he really was... Red X, master thief, most famous criminal in the city besides Slade. By now, he and Cleo were next in line for the Tunnel of Love, and the ticket taker was becoming impatient.
"May I see your tickets, please?" asked the man, trying to hurry along the line as quickly as he could. Sanza turned to give the man the tickets for the ride, not wanting to lay eyes on Robin or Starfire... at least not until he was Red X. As Sanza, he was ashamed to even look at them... afraid they'd somehow see his costume through his clothes.
"Sorry... maybe we could meet after the ride for a hamburger or something?" asked Cleo, obviously wanting to talk to the Teen Titans far more than Sanza did.
"Cleo, they're really busy... they probably want to be left alone," said Sanza, already walking toward a small rowboat at the entrance to the tunnel.
"No, friends, we would love to talk to you, right, Robin?" said Starfire, always eager to make new friends. Robin nodded.
"Sure, we can meet up after the ride..." he said, a smile on his face. "Anything for a fan."
"Way to go, Cleo..." thought Sanza, climbing into the boat and looking up at her, his nervous tremble quickly returning to him. "There, now hurry up and get into the boat..."
"Geez, Sanza, don't rush me..." said Cleo in a slightly annoyed tone, walking quickly toward the boat. "I was just trying to-"
A loud crash from above, both heard and felt by everyone under the pier, immediately drew Robin and Starfire's attention. Starfire floated up and gasped in horror at what she saw. Cinderblock, one of the Teen Titans' most persistant foes, was slamming his powerful stone fists into the top of the merry-go-round, sending debris crashing down onto the riders below.
"Robin, Cinderblock is attacking!" shouted Starfire. Raven, Beast Boy, and Cyborg, who had been on their way to the shooting gallery, had seen Cinderblock attack as well, and were already rushing into action. With a mighty cry, Robin leapt onto the pier, and he and Starfire quickly made their way to the scene of the battle. Meanwhile, Sanza climbed off the boat as a nervous Cleo leapt into his arms. The ticket taker and the other couples were in full panic mode, several of them leaping off the pathway and taking their chances in the water, while others dashed up the stairs, trying to make their way to the exit of the carnival as soon as they could.
"Sanza, you heard Starfire... Cinderblock is attacking, we've gotta get the hell out of here!"
Now, Sanza had a decision to make... he was wearing his Red X suit, and definitely equipped to help the Titans deal with Cinderblock... but in order to make the change, he'd have to find some way to get away from Cleo, because obviously, she couldn't find out he was Red X. Plus, he still had to get a lock of Starfire's hair... if the Titans were distracted in a fight, he could probably procure it easily.
Another detail complicated Sanza's decision. His mother and sister were attending the carnival... what if Cinderblock went after them? He had to make sure they were safe... he still had a lot of thinking to do. He ran toward the stairs leading up to the top of the pier.
"Sanza, what are you doing?" shouted Cleo, nervously following him.
"Cleo, my family's still here... I have to see if they're all right!" Sanza yelled back. Once he made it to the top of the pier, he looked around... Cinderblock had picked up a food cart, and was heaving it into the Ferris wheel.
The food cart slammed into one of the wheel's spokes, bending it enough to stop the ride and nearly knock off one of the cars. The occupants of the damaged car, an old woman out with her granddaughter, began screaming in terror. Suddenly, their cart became illuminated with a black glow as it was gently lifted off of the Ferris wheel and set down on the ground. Raven appeared next to them, and she helped both the woman and her young granddaughter out of the ride.
Cinderblock was just a short distance from the stairs leading away from the pier, and as he looked down, he could see Sanza and Cleo dashing away from the stairs leading down to the abandoned Tunnel of Love.
"Oh, God!" Cleo screamed fearfully, trying to catch up to Sanza as he dashed toward a screaming crowd of people. "He's looking right at us!"
But instead of attacking Sanza and Cleo, Cinderblock suddenly turned around and walked back toward the center of the park... where all five Teen Titans were waiting.
"All right, Cinderblock... I was having a pretty good day until you showed up," said Robin, removing four cluster bombs from his utility belt. "So don't expect me to show any mercy!"
As Robin threw the bombs at Cinderblock, Starfire flew into the air and bombarded the monster with a hail of Starbolts. Cinderblock staggered back, but was mostly unfazed, reaching over to the stopped Ferris wheel and wrenching loose a large, metallic rod.
"I don't think so, pally!" shouted Cyborg, running past Cinderblock and blasting the monster's arm with blue plasma beams until he dropped the rod. "That's what I'm talking about!"
"The Titans can handle him..." thought Sanza, running with Cleo into a crowd of people fleeing for the exit. He looked through the crowd... no sign of his mother or of Maddy... but that was to be expected, as in a crowd of thousands of people, it's nearly impossible to pick out a particular two, and Sanza silently cursed himself for not being able to find them.
"Sanza, look!" shouted Cleo, pointing toward the front of the crowd at a woman and a girl running frantically along with the others. "There they are!"
Sanza peeked his head up... and breathed a sigh of relief. His mother and Maddy were among the people in the crowd who'd nearly made it out of the carnival, just a few feet away from the entrance. "Thank God, they're almost out..."
But before anyone in the crowd could reach the gate, an enormous purple blob rose up in front of it, its body covered in glowing, green spots. The hideous sludge monster Plasmus had shown up to block the exit, and as long as it stood in front of the park, no one was getting out. Both Sanza and Cleo screamed in terror.
"NO!" shouted Sanza, his fists clenching in rage. "Two monsters? You've gotta be kidding me... mom, Maddy, look out!"
The Titans had heard the roar of Plasmus as well, but they still had Cinderblock to deal with, and he seemed to be giving them as much as they could handle, as he picked up another food cart and threw it at the Titans. It was Beast Boy who stopped the attack this time, transforming into a gorilla and smashing the food cart with his powerful fists.
"We've gotta keep Plasmus from hurting any of those people," said Robin, turning toward the other Titans. "Star, you and Cyborg take on Cinderblock... me, Raven, and Beast Boy will go after Plasmus."
Starfire nodded, charging up two more Starbolts in each of her powerful hand. Meanwhile, the crowd who'd previously been running toward the edge of the pier now became even more panicked, screaming and running off in all directions, trying to take shelter under any of the rides that they could.
"C'mon, Maddy, let's try and find somewhere to hide..." shouted Sanza's mother, taking Maddy by the arm and running toward a large, striped tent between the destroyed merry-go-round and the shooting gallery.
"But what about Sanza, mom?" asked Maddy, trying to look around for any sign of her brother. "Isn't he supposed to be-"
Sanza's mother gasped, releasing her grip on Maddy's arm.
"Maddy... run to the tent and stay there... I'm going to find your brother, all right? No matter what happens, stay in the tent... I promise I'll come back for you," said Sanza's mother, reaching down and kissing her daughter on the forehead. Maddy's lips began to tremble as her mother walked away.
"Mommy... I'm really scared..." Maddy said quietly, too afraid to walk toward the tent like her mother had instructed.
Sanza's mother turned back around, a nervous smile on her face... though she was scared, she knew she had to calm her daughter, and so she slowly walked back over to Maddy, trying to comfort her as best she could.
"It's going to be okay, my daughter.." said Sanza's mother, wrapping Maddy up tightly in her arms, tears coming to her own eyes as she stroked her face against her child's hair. "You're going to be safe, and so is Sanza, I promise you... please, just go to the tent like I asked, okay?"
"Okay..." said Maddy, nodding her head as tears slowly streaked down her face. "I-"
Suddenly, a long, purple tendril of ooze reached out and grabbed Maddy, wrapping around her body from her torso to the bottom of her legs and dragging the trapped, screaming girl over to Plasmus, a sickening smile on the disgusting monster's face.
"MOMMY, HELP ME!" Maddy screamed as Plasmus held her high over its head, preparing to devour the crying Maddy in one disgusting bite. Her mother screamed, her face twisted with anguish.
"Let her go, you sick bastard!" screamed Sanza's mother, tossing her purse at the beast to try and release its grip on her daughter. The purse simply oozed into Plasmus' stomach, disappearing into the purple sludge.
Sanza, who had been watching from another part of the crowd, stood shocked as Plasmus held his sister over its head, and flashbacks from he and Maddy's encounter with Mumbo came roaring back into his mind.
"SHIT!" shouted Sanza, running toward a port-a-potty, knowing that it was now or never that he would have to transform into Red X. "This is why I became Red X in the first place... this is why I took up the call of duty... if I can't protect my sister now, I don't deserve to be her brother!"
"Sanza, what are you doing?" shouted Cleo, her hand reaching out to him. "Can't you see that your sister's in-"
"I feel sick!" Sanza yelled, slamming the port-a-potty door closed behind him. As soon as the door was shut, he began ripping off his clothes, pulling the Red X mask out of his pocket. "Whatever the hell you are, I'm not letting you hurt my sister..."
With a cry of fright, Cleo ran from the port-a-potty and toward Sanza's mother, who was now hysterical as she watched Plasmus hold her child tantalizingly above its gaping mouth.
"Mrs. Salazar, Mrs. Salazar, Sanza's in the-"
"WHERE IS SANZA?" shouted Sanza's mother, grabbing Cleo tightly by her wrists and hysterically shaking her. "Don't tell me the other one has him!"
The 'other one', Cinderblock, was still dueling Starfire and Cyborg, who literally had their hands full as the monster chucked booths, horses from the merry-go-round, and whatever it could find to throw at the two busy Titans.
"That is enough!" shouted Starfire, punching through a cotton-candy machine, which only resulted in covering the poor Tamaranian girl in the sticky pink and blue confection. It stuck to her hands, her face, and most annoyingly, her hair. "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..."
"You don't happen to have a hot-dog machine you could throw, do ya?" shouted Cyborg, running straight for the massive stone beast. "Because if you don't, I've got no more use for you!"
Cyborg reared back his fist and prepared to throw a punch straight at Cinderblock's face. But Cinderblock, enraged and completely out of control, smashed his arm hard into Cyborg's chest, sending the Titan flying straight into the nearby port-a-potty, smashing through the wall and landing inches in front of its only occupant.
"Do you mind?" asked Red X, leaping over Cyborg and making a straight-line dash toward the front of the carnival... and Plasmus. "Maddy, I'm coming..."
"Hey!" shouted Cyborg, standing up and pointing his plasma cannon at Red X's back. "You'd better not have anything to do with this, or-"
"Cyborg, assistance..." said Starfire, her voice straining as she struggled to hold back one of Cinderblock's huge fists with both of her hands. She noticed Red X out of the corner of her eye, but right now, the immediate threat was Cinderblock. "What could he possibly be-"
Maddy continued to scream as Plasmus held her over its head, its enormous mouth roaring, snarling, and drooling. Completely helpless to escape the beast's deadly grasp, she could only close her eyes and hope that the Teen Titans that she saw playing bumper cars with her would come to her rescue. "You're my only hope now..."
And her hopes were answered in the form of an enormous green gorilla, slamming its fists into Plasmus' stomach. Plasmus roared back, not releasing his grip on Maddy. Instead, a torrent of ooze gushed outward from his body, engulfing gorilla Beast Boy and dragging him inside Plasmus' oozing purple form. As Plasmus let out a victorious gurgle, Robin and Raven both ran up to him. Robin had his bo staff extended, while Raven's entire body glowed completely black.
"Let the girl go, Plasmus," said Robin, his tone completely serious. When Plasmus roared again, seemingly to mock the Teen Titans, Robin ran forward... only to be passed by by his arch rival Red X, who had prepared an attack of his own.
Six sharp Xs came flying at Plasmus. Two of them cut off the beast's arms, two cut off its legs, one decapitated him, and the other X slashed through his chest, cutting its entire body in two. As Plasmus collapsed into a puddle of ooze, and a detransformed Beast Boy was flung back over to his friends, Maddy fell out of his arms and began plummeting to the ground. Suddenly, Red X leapt upward, somersaulting over the puddle of purple ooze and sweeping Maddy into his arms, landing just under the sign that marked the entrance of the carnival. When Maddy opened her eyes and looked up, she expected to see one of the Titans... so when she saw Red X, all she could do was gasp... and then smile.
"I didn't know you were one of the Teen Titans..." said Maddy, her arms gently wrapped around Red X's neck. X, now on one knee, had no idea how to respond... he'd just saved his sister's life, but he couldn't respond as Sanza, he couldn't tell Maddy how much he loved her, or how glad he was that she was safe... couldn't remove his mask to show the tears that were forming underneath. Instead, he set Maddy gently down on the ground and took a step back.
"I'm... not a Teen Titan," said Red X, looking down at the still-smiling, still slightly bewildered Maddy. "I'm just here to help."
X couldn't see Plasmus slowly reforming behind him... but Maddy could, and the scared expression on her face was warning enough. Red X turned around... only to have a wave of purple goo wash over his entire body, smothering him underneath.
"Oh no!" Maddy shouted, but Robin, Beast Boy, and Raven were already running forward, ready to fight.
"I don't care if he's friend or foe, I don't like seeing Red X anywhere..." thought Robin, pulling a Bat-a-rang from his utility belt. "But I'm still not going to let Plasmus take him out..."
Raven was first to attack, raising her arms and taking telekinetic control of several unoccupied booths not yet destroyed by Cinderblock. She flung the booths at Plasmus, splintering them against his body as he reformed. He took a step back and spit Red X back toward the Titans, his suit now covered in green goo.
"Disgusting..." thought Red X, shaking the goo off of his body as he rose to his feet. As he stood up, he could see Maddy running past him, away from Plasmus and into her mother's arms, pointing at Red X.
"Mommy, look... there's the guy who saved me!" said Maddy.
"Great, now I'm going to have to blow off mom," thought Red X, briefly looking back toward his mother and sister.
"Thank you... for saving my daughter..." Sanza's mother choked out, wiping tears from her face. "If there's anything I can do-"
"Get out of here," Red X replied, rushing forward to join the other Titans in their battle against Plasmus. "And do it NOW."
Robin, Raven, and Beast Boy were all focusing their attacks on Plasmus, who, without a source of fresh toxic waste, was unable to gain any strength. Despite this, he was still a formidable foe, and the fact that people were now rushing around Plasmus as they tried to escape the pier only made things even harder.
"Guys, don't use any attacks that might hurt anyone but Plasmus," said Robin, swinging his bo staff at the beast with little effect. "At least not until everybody makes it safely out of the-"
Plasmus, who simply allowed Robin's staff to pass right through his partially liquid body, formed his arm into a scythe-like blade and slashed it downward at Robin, who was barely able to leap away in time.
"Better let me handle this one," said Raven, floating forward and charging up a small dark energy blast. "Azarath, metreon, zinthos!"
The blast, while not Raven's most powerful, still caused more damage to Plasmus than Robin's bo staff did. The monster stumbled back, its body smashing through the sign that marked the entrance to the pier. Fragments of the sign fell to the ground, nearly injuring several people as they ran past.
"Didn't you hear what I said?" asked Robin, a slightly angry look on his face. Clearly, the fact that Red X was back was starting to get to Robin, who knew that the sooner Plasmus and Cinderblock were dealt with, the sooner that they could try and stop Red X... who was now fighting alongside them again.
"Oh, let her have a little fun," shouted Red X, leaping up and blasting Plasmus with an X that expanded to wrap around Plasmus' entire body, then compressed him into a ball about twice the size of a basketball. Red X then ran toward the ball and kicked it high into the air, watching as it soared up into the night sky. "That was for Maddy..."
But Red X's attack didn't hold, and Plasmus snapped the X-bands into pieces, transforming into nearly two dozen tendrils that rushed down toward Red X's body. Beast Boy quickly transformed into an albatross, spreading his large wings and allowing Plasmus' sludge tendrils to slam into him instead.
Plasmus quickly reformed, forcing Beast Boy to the ground. Beast Boy transformed back to his humanoid form, where he was barely able to dodge Plasmus' fist as it slammed into the pier just in front of him, throwing hundreds of small wooden splinters into the air.
Another large red X rushed at Plasmus, this time transforming into an enormous blade that sliced through Plasmus from behind, the X cutting him into four separate pieces. In an instant, the pieces reformed, and Plasmus spun around, angrily extending his fists outward at Red X. Red X smiled, firing an X out of each hand, each one anchoring itself into the front of one of Plasmus' fists. Red X leapt back, still holding the chains that kept Plasmus anchored in place.
Robin, realizing an opportunity when he saw it, leapt in front of Red X and hurled a large cluster bomb into Plasmus' face. This time, the bomb exploded in a burst of ice that expanded to cover all of Plasmus' body, freezing him solid.
"Nice work," said Raven quietly, still knowing that Plasmus was only briefly incapacitated... he'd probably break out of the ice any second now.
"This is getting me nowhere..." thought Red X, looking behind Plasmus toward the front of the carnival. His mother, Maddy, and Cleo were no longer anywhere to be seen, and X could only assume that they'd left the park. "I saved Maddy... now I need to be getting closer to Starfire, who's probably fighting the other monster. I'll let the Titans finish off this ugly blob."
Red X ripped the anchors free from Plasmus' now frozen fists and jumped on top of Robin's head, using him as a platform to bounce over Plasmus and run back into the carnival.
"Where's he going?" asked Beast Boy, watching Red X as he disappeared past the broken-down Ferris wheel.
"My guess would be to find Cinderblock," said Raven, crouching into a fighting stance as the ice around Plasmus began to crack. "He thinks we're done with Plasmus..."
"I wouldn't be so sure..." thought Robin, knowing that Cinderblock was currently fighting Starfire and Cyborg. "He might be after something else entirely... Starfire, be careful..."
While Red X rushed to the site of the Cinderblock battle, Maddy, Cleo, and Sanza's mother could hear both battles raging... but they weren't looking for a fight, they were looking for Sanza, whom Cleo had last seen dashing into the port-a-potty. When they reached the small metallic chamber, they found it halfway destroyed... and Sanza was completely gone, as well as his clothes, as he had taken off both them and the X suit, then put his clothes back on, under the Red X suit.
"Sanza was here, I saw him!" Cleo shouted. Sanza's mother, still fearing the worst about her son, let out a loud gasp.
"This port-a-potty's destroyed... if you saw Sanza in here, then that must mean-"
"If he was in here when it was destroyed, he'd still be here... or there'd at least be a bit of blood," said Cleo, even holding her nose and looking down into the toilet. "But there's nothing here... so he must've left..."
Red X could see Cinderblock standing behind the Fireball and shielding himself from a barrage of blasts by Starfire and Cyborg. As he ran toward them, Starfire noticed him coming their way, and wondered why he was unaccompanied by Robin and the others.
"Please, tell me... is there any news of-"
"They'll be fine," said Red X, pointing his palm at Cinderblock. "Just came to check on the two of you..."
"Believe me, we'll be just fine!" shouted Cyborg, rushing toward Cinderblock and striking him with a powerful elbow to the chest. Cinderblock roared in pain and walked over to the huge Fireball ride, trying to pry it out of the ground. "Hey, there ain't no way that you're gonna-"
The sound of metal wrenching against stone could be heard as Cinderblock ripped the enormous, fifty-foot tall vertical disc from its moorings and lifted the huge ride over his head. Even Red X was taken aback by the incredible feat of strength, while Starfire gasped and took several steps backward.
"This isn't good..." thought Red X, worried that any attack he could make might throw Cinderblock off balance and cause the enormous disc to slam into the pier, possibly destroying it and drowning anyone still on the pier under its enormous weight.
"Yo, careful with that thing!" shouted Cyborg, realizing Cinderblock was about to drop the huge, metallic disc on all three of them.
Channeling her bravery, Starfire flew forward and slammed her fists into Cinderblock's chest. The hard tackle stunned Cinderblock, causing him to throw the huge disc skyward... away from the two Titans and Red X, but still onto the pier... and dangerously close to a few other people.
Cleo was the first to see the shadow, slowly becoming larger and larger under her feet. She looked up... and saw the gigantic loop-the-loop disc plummeting toward her. Maddy and Sanza's mother were a safe distance away, but Cleo was directly underneath it... and no amount of running could save her. She let out a loud scream.
Red X, Cyborg, and Starfire turned toward the scream. Cleo was nearly forty yards away, the disc just seconds away from coming down on top of her. Cyborg and Starfire started to run to save Cleo, but Cinderblock, having recovered from Starfire's tackle, grabbed them and held them tight in his arms. That left only Red X, who ran toward Cleo to push her out of the way before it was too late.
"CLEO!" thought Red X as he ran, unable to scream her name for fear of her learning his identity. He could see the shadow of the disc now covering him, but still continued to run, taking a diving leap at Cleo, his arms extended to push her out of the way.
He shoved her hard to the ground, landing on top of her as the huge disc landed just inches away from both of them, making a large crack in the wood of the pier, then falling on its side and smashing a row of booths as it fell. Cleo, gasping for breath, her entire face red with fear, looked up to see her savior lying on top of her, gasping just as hard as she was. Maddy and Sanza's mother ran over to both of them, worried looks on their faces.
"...you saved me..." whispered Cleo as Red X slowly rose to his feet, brushing himself off. Her knee had been skinned in the fall, and her skirt had been torn, but she was otherwise unharmed. "Aren't you that thief who-"
Red X turned toward the three of them, trying to conceal his relief. For the second time that night, he'd saved someone close to him, without any of them realizing who he was.
"This is... this is insane..." thought Red X, shaking his head. He looked back behind him... there, in Cinderblock's grasp were Starfire and Cyborg, struggling furiously to escape the crushing bearhug he had on them. X turned back to Cleo and his mother and sister. "I thought I told you to get out of here."
"We're... looking for someone," said Sanza's mother, and X knew instantly who they were talking about. The reason his mother, sister and Cleo were still there... they were all looking for him... looking for Sanza... he had to tell them something, or their lives would still be in danger.
"Did you happen to see anyone with black hair, in a black t-shirt... maybe swearing a lot and throwing up?" asked Cleo.
"Hey, I didn't throw up..." thought Red X, "and thanks for telling my mom I was swearing. Saw him as he was running out of the port-a-potty. I think he was headed for the entrance... told me that if me and the other Titans didn't save his sister, he'd kick all their asses. I wanted to tell him I'm not a Titan, but-"
"Oh, thank you!" said Sanza's mother, walking over to Red X and trying to give him a hug. Before she could, however, he gently pushed her away, running back toward Cinderblock, Starfire, and Cyborg.
"I don't think he's a Teen Titan, mom..." said Maddy, watching as he leapt up and kicked Cinderblock hard in the head.
"Yeah... he's more like a thief that's stolen a lot of stuff," said Cleo, but Sanza's mother shook her head, knowing that that 'thief' had saved her daughter's life... as well as the life of her son's friend.
"He's a hero to me," replied Sanza's mother, walking toward the entrance of the carnival. Robin, Raven, and Beast Boy were still fighting Plasmus, and during a dull moment in the action, the three quickly ran past, exiting the pier and heading back toward the city. "Whoever he is..."
The kick to Cinderblock's head forced him to release Starfire and Cyborg, who stood up as soon as they were dropped to the ground. Cinderblock, his attention now focused on Red X, slammed both of his fists toward him, but Red X leapt out of the way, jumping from the ground to Cinderblock's shoulder and slapping an X over the monster's eyes. Now unable to see, Cinderblock swung his fists back and forth, roaring in frustration. Red X jumped off of the monster's shoulder and took several steps back to avoid its blind rage.
"Now!" shouted Starfire, floating up and blasting the beast's legs and torso with her eye lasers. Cinderblock, now blind and in pain, stumbled back even further, and Cyborg rushed toward him, picking him up and lifting him high into the air.
"Time to take your stone butt out!" shouted Cyborg, slamming Cinderblock hard to the ground on its back. Cinderblock let out a loud groan, weakly trying to peel his battered body back upright.
Red X wouldn't give him the chance. Standing next to the fallen Cinderblock, he fired five Xs that transformed into a thick layer of sticky goo that covered Cinderblock and melded him to the ground. After waiting more than ten seconds with no motion from the lump of goo, Red X smiled under his mask. Cinderblock had been defeated.
"Wonderful... we are victorious!" shouted Starfire, raising her fists into the air. Both she and Cyborg turned to Red X, who remained next to Cinderblock. He wasn't moving... wasn't trying to run... so what exactly was he doing?
Red X looked up at Starfire. He knew what he still had to do. He turned away from Starfire and Cyborg and dashed into the hall of mirrors, a small, blue building off the main road of the carnival, untouched by Cinderblock's attack.
"Where is he going?" asked Starfire, starting to float toward the hall of mirrors before Cyborg's hand touched her on the shoulder.
"Robin and the others are still fighting Plasmus," said Cyborg, gesturing toward the back of the pier. "They might need our help."
Starfire nodded, but as Cyborg ran toward the area where Robin and the others were battling with Plasmus, she turned her head again toward the hall of mirrors, wondering why Red X would enter somewhere that would make it hard for him to escape.
"Why did he come here at all...?" thought Starfire, now once again floating toward the hall of mirrors. She took one last look toward the carnival entrance... she could hear the battle against Plasmus raging in the distance... and thought briefly of Robin, and if he might be in danger. "No, they will be all right without me... I am just going to see what the Red X is up to... that is what Robin would want me to do, I know it!"
As much as the Titans had fought Plasmus, he still remained as one of their most durable of foes, and as one of their trickiest to beat. Raven's blasts sheared away a piece of him every time they hit, but Plasmus would simply reform, more sludge filling up the piece of his body that Raven had seemingly blasted away.
"At least he can't get away bigger," thought Raven, as she dodged a large ball of goo that Plasmus had tossed her way. "Robin, how close are we to getting this guy?"
"Pretty darn close..." said Robin, reaching down and pulling his Batcable from his utility belt. "Hey Plasmus... try some of this!"
Robin launched the Batcable at Plasmus, but to his immense dismay, the monster reached out and grabbed it in his hand, using it to pull Robin slowly toward him. As Robin tried desperately to pull his cable out of Plasmus, it continued tugging him forward, his feet uselessly dragging along beneath him.
"Looks like you could use a little help!" shouted Cyborg, rushing forward and blasting Plasmus in the chest with a burst of energy from his arm cannon. Plasmus, now with a large hole in his chest, let out a shrill scream and tumbled backward, releasing Robin's Batcable and falling to the ground.
"Thanks, Cyborg..." said Robin, as his Batcable retracted back into his utility belt. "I see you guys beat Cinderblock... but where's Starfire?"
Cyborg looked behind him, thinking Starfire had followed him to the battle. When she wasn't there, he turned around and shrugged his shoulders.
"And where's Red X?" asked Beast Boy, noticing that the thief was nowhere in sight as well. "Wasn't he helping you two fight Cinderblock too?"
Robin gasped. Red X and Starfire, both unaccounted for... his worst nightmare, realized again. What if Red X had attacked her while she was alone? What if...
"Robin, look out!"
As Robin turned back toward Plasmus, all he could see was Raven, holding an enormous wall of black energy up in front of the two of them. An enormous wave of purple sludge slammed into Raven's energy wall, causing Raven to stumble back, her wall still standing.
"Starfire's in serious danger..." thought Robin, no longer able to concentrate on the fight with Plasmus now that both her and Red X were missing. For a few brief moments, he thought about abandoning the fight to go look for her... but knew that his duty to the team came first. As long as Plasmus was still a threat, he couldn't go anywhere...
"Don't worry, Robin..." said Beast Boy, running toward Plasmus. "We'll beat him quick!"
Beast Boy transformed into a cheetah, leaping into Plasmus and ceasing his assault on Raven's energy barrier. With Plasmus distracted, Raven was able to lower her shield and catch her breath... and while she was doing that, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye.
"Everyone, get out of my way, NOW!" Raven shouted. Robin and Cyborg each leapt to one side of Plasmus, while Beast Boy, who had been chewing on Plasmus' arm, jumped off of him and detransformed, standing next to Robin while Raven lifted into the air and began gathering up her energy. "I hope I can pull this off..."
As Raven began her familiar chant, she focused on the fallen Fireball ride, its huge disc still lying off to the right side of the pier. Its metallic frame began glowing with dark energy, and the entire disc lifted slowly up into the air, Raven straining to lift it with her powerful telekinesis.
Plasmus, recovered from Beast Boy's attack, now looked up at Raven. He roared with anger, and he began lunging toward the blue-cloaked Titan.
Raven continued to concentrate, lifting the huge disc over toward Plasmus. Robin, now realizing what Raven was going to do, leapt forward and kicked Plasmus away from her so that she could concentrate on her attack. He then lunged forward and struck Plasmus in the face with another punch, his fist sinking deep into Plasmus' sludge exterior.
"Robin, what are you doing?" shrieked Beast Boy, frantically waving his arms. The disc was now right over both Robin and Plasmus, and Raven, completely focused on keeping it airborne, was about to crush them both. "GET OUT OF THE WAY!"
Robin looked up and let out a cry of terror, desperately trying to wrench his fist away from Plasmus before the disc came down. Suddenly, Raven released her hold, and the disc plummeted to the ground, just as Robin finally managed to pull his arm free from Plasmus' grip. Plasmus dove for Robin, but it was too late. The disc came down on top of him, smashing through both him and the wooden pier below, crashing the mighty Plasmus into the sea along with what was once the carnival's greatest ride, the Fireball.
Raven then dove under the pier through the gaping the disk had made, pulling a sleeping, but otherwise unharmed man from the water, and setting his wet body down on the wooden planks.
"We'll take him to jail later," said Robin, walking past Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy without even congratulating Raven for taking down Plasmus. Now that Plasmus was destroyed, there were two things on Robin's mind... finding Starfire and taking Red X down once and for all. "There's some unfinished business I've got to take care of..."
O-O-O
Starfire walked slowly through the hall of mirrors, her image reflected hundreds of times on the tall panes of glass surrounding her. She constantly searched the room for Red X's reflection, but saw only her own, seemingly taunting her as she began to wonder if she was making a fruitless search.
"Please..." Starfire called quietly, trying to get Red X to come to her instead of her having to find him. "I just wish to talk with you..."
Starfire was afraid, if only slightly, as she continued to wander through the narrow passageways that the rows of mirrors provided. Though she knew that Red X had had plenty of chances to hurt her before, even when she was completely helpless... he barely even touched her after carrying her out of the trunk, and only then to reassure her.
But he had harmed Robin... Starfire was still angry at him for that, but she still thought that he hadn't truly wanted to harm Robin... he couldn't be that cruel, he'd saved the Titans' lives before, and was even afraid when he'd nearly been killed inside Raven's mirror. As Starfire caught him in her arms, he almost felt like someone else near and dear to her... carrying Red X almost felt like she was carrying Robin away from danger.
"But he is not Robin... he is not a criminal, but he is not Robin either... I have to find out who he really is..."
Red X was also in the hall of mirrors, and could hear Starfire's voice as it bounced off the walls. He couldn't believe his luck... she'd come alone, and she was looking for him.
"She wants to talk..." thought Red X, seeing Starfire's reflection in one of the mirrors nearby. He didn't want to hurt Starfire, but he knew what had to be done... and could only hope that she'd forgive him once he'd done it. "Forgive me... do I really want Starfire's forgiveness? The Titans are my enemies, aren't they? I don't need forgiveness from them..."
Red X's entire body trembled as he saw Starfire come around the corner. She didn't see him creeping toward her, his body now reflected in nearly every mirror that she could see. Red X leapt up and kicked Starfire hard in the side, slamming her body into the mirror directly behind her. When her body slammed against the mirror, a spiderweb-like crack appeared on its surface, and the sound of the mirror breaking combined with Starfire's scream into one of the most horrible sounds Red X had ever heard. His body still trembling, he walked toward Starfire... only to have her slam her own feet into his chest, sending him flying backwards into the opposite wall, his own body crashing against the mirror on the other side. As he tried to stand, Starfire's eyes lit up with a green glow, and she waited for Red X to get to his feet before she spoke.
"Why did you come here?" Starfire shouted, her voice now lined with anger. "You could have escaped, but you came in here... why?"
"What a stupid question," said Red X, running toward Starfire and leaping into the air, turning around so that his back faced the shattered mirror behind the orange alien. Pressing his feet off of the mirror, he leaped forward before Starfire could turn and grabbed her from behind, his hand clasping over her mouth. "This will only take a second..."
Suddenly, X's blade retracted from his right wrist, while his left hand remained firmly over Starfire's lips. She let out a scream upon seeing the blade, thinking that X was actually going to cut her.
"NO!" thought Starfire, letting out another scream as X's blade sliced off a small chunk of her hair. As soon as he'd cut her hair, X released Starfire and leapt back, retracting his blade and tucking the strands of hair into his belt. Letting out a loud, angry scream, Starfire blasted Red X in the chest with a Starbolt, knocking him back into another mirror, which shattered and fell to pieces on the ground behind Red X, who slumped against the frame of the broken mirror, moaning in pain. She pointed her palm out at him, charging another Starbolt in her hand. Immediately, Red X's own palm snapped forward, the X on his hand glowing as brightly as Starfire's eyes were.
For several seconds, neither Starfire nor Red X said anything, their hands still raised toward the other's head, both of them breathing heavily, sweat trickling down their faces, their eyes staring directly into the other's face.
Then Starfire, still angry at X for attacking her, yet willing to speak with him, broke the ice.
"Who... are... you?" Starfire said, breathing between every word. "And why have you attacked us every single day for the past five days? Why did you cut off a piece of my hair, and why did you help us fight Atlas, Cinderblock, and Plasmus?"
It was then that Starfire's eyes began to water, and Red X saw for the first time that though he'd caused Starfire the least physical pain out of any of the Titans, the emotional damage he'd inflicted on her had been far greater. She was confused, scared, and angry... as well as worried about Robin, who had been obsessed with catching Red X to the point where it was starting to take a toll on his health.
"Let us help you... I know, we know that you are not entirely doing these things on your own... please, tell us who is forcing you to do these evil things, tell us why you have chosen to do them, tell us and we shall help you... please..."
Part of Red X wanted to tell Starfire everything... wanted to rip off his mask and tell her about his mother, and Maddy, and Slade, and wanted to beg Starfire for forgiveness... and yet the other part, the crafty, deceitful, and sometimes even ruthless criminal part of Red X was telling him to attack Starfire...was telling him to hurt her, to have his way with her...
What he decided to do was a brilliant compromise. He fired an exploding X into the wall of the building, destroying it and sending up a huge cloud of smoke that blinded Starfire and allowed Red X to make his escape, running and running to the side of the pier and leaping off the edge. Once he hit the water, he began to swim... swim until he was sure the Titans couldn't see him, swim all the way to the Tekita Refinery... swim to the end of his mission.
Having heard Starfire's screams and having seen the explosion, Robin and the other Titans rushed toward the Hall of Mirrors... only to see Starfire stumbling out, coughing and covered with dust. Several tears streaked down her face, and Robin immediately ran to her, wrapping his arms around Starfire to comfort her.
"Star... did Red X hurt you?" asked Robin. Starfire paused for a moment, unsure exactly of how to respond. He'd attacked her, yes, he'd caused her pain, yes, but had he hurt her? The pause was enough to tell Robin exactly what he needed to know. "Bastard... I'll make him pay..."
"No sign of Red X anywhere..." said Raven, floating over the damaged hall of mirrors. "He must have jumped over the side of the pier..."
Slowly pulling away from Starfire, Robin ran to the closest edge of the pier he could find and gazed out over the surface. He couldn't see Red X, but the thought of him having hurt Starfire and then escaped made Robin nearly explode with rage.
"X!" shouted Robin, almost ready to leap out into the pier after his slippery rival. "I'M GOING TO FIND YOU, AND I'M GONNA PUT YOUR ASS IN JAIL! DO YOU HEAR ME? I'M GOING TO PUT YOU IN JAIL!"
"Robin..." thought Starfire, her hand pressed to her lips. Raven floated up to her, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder.
"He'll be fine..." said Raven quietly, trying to comfort her friend, who was about ready to start crying again. "We're going to find out why Red X is doing all of this... don't worry about Robin."
"But right now, he is all I can worry about..." Starfire replied.
O-O-O
After Red X had placed the stands of Starfire's hair into Sorel's hand, he slowly turned away, the hair clutched in his hand.
"Wait," said Red X, unwilling to let Sorel leave without telling him of the ordeal he'd gone through to receive the hair. He'd not only had to attack Starfire, but he had to save Cleo and his sister's lives as well. "I had an unexpected surprise at the pier today."
Sorel turned around... and smiled.
"I see Cinderblock and Plasmus were able to help you gain the hair like I asked," said Sorel. "I knew I was wise to send them."
Red X's blood stopped cold. Sorel... had sent the monsters that had nearly killed the very people he was trying to protect?
"You... did what?" said Red X, his teeth clenched. "You... sent Cinderblock and Plasmus...?"
"That's right," said Sorel, "they were sent to help you out, and like I said-"
"THEY NEARLY KILLED MY FAMILY!" shouted Red X, lunging toward Sorel, consumed by rage. Suddenly, a powerful electrical current shot through Red X's body, stopping him just a few feet away from Sorel. He fell face down to the ground, moaning in pain.
"You attack me again, and it won't be just you getting shocked," said Sorel, turning and walking back toward the elevator at the opposite end of the room. Slowly, Red X rose to his feet, his fists still tightly balled up.
"You... if you or anyone you send EVER touches my family again... I don't care who or why, I will destroy you... do you hear me?"
Without a word, Sorel got into the elevator.
"DO YOU HEAR ME?" screamed Red X, pounding on the glass tube as it carried Sorel up to the next level of the building. "DAMMIT!"
Red X collapsed to the ground, removing his mask and hurling it to the floor. His gloved hands flew to his face as he knelt on the ground, fighting back tears.
"I'm doing everything the bastard tells me to do, and he still can't guarantee my family's safety?" thought Sanza, pounding both of his fists on the ground. "Sooner or later, I'm just going to have to take matters into my own hands..."
O-O-O
And sooner or later, I had to stop writing. Long chapter again, I know... but again, thanks for the reviews, everyone! I write for you as well as myself, so as long as you're reading (over 800 hits!) I'll be happy..