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
Jump City's Chinatown district... a vibrant area filled with dozens of shops, booths, and restaurants. Hundreds of people walked the streets, many of them simply tourists who were there to find a bargain or admire the colorful decorations that lined the buildings.
Maria Salazar and her two children entered one of the stores, a small curio shop on the north side of Chinatown. Sanza just wanted to grab a quick bite to eat... he didn't expect that his mother would want to go shopping around, and he'd been shuffled in and out of stores for nearly two hours. Though he did get a few interesting ideas for things he would steal if he ever dropped around Chinatown as Red X, most of the trip had been horrendously boring, and he just wanted to get home to watch television.
A quiet chime sounded out as the door to the shop opened. Maria, Sanza, and Maddy stepped inside, and the fragrant aroma of incense greeted them at the door. Behind the counter was a tall, pale, slender old man with a thin mustache, wearing a decorative purple and white robe. Though the man's outfit was different from the last time Sanza had seen him, he was immediately recognizable...
"Hello," said the man, feigning a friendly smile as he looked over at the family from across the counter. Sanza's eyes locked with his, his gaze fixated on the man's face.
"Your shop is lovely," said Maria, walking over to a small shelf by the window and looking at a delicate selection of porcelain swans laid out in a beautiful display. Maddy followed her, her hand reaching down to pick up one of the swans.
"You shouldn't touch that!" shouted the man, glaring over at Maddy... "unless you have the money to pay for it."
Maddy shot the man an angry look, then turned back to Maria, a sad look on her face.
"That guy yelled at me, mommy!" Maddy shouted, grabbing onto her mother's sleeve. While this exchange was going on, Sanza was slowly walking toward a display of lava lamps toward the back of the store. The lamps were adorned with gold plating, and red globules of liquid were floating around inside of them, giving the back of the shop an eerie, red glow.
"$50,000 for a lava lamp?" thought Sanza to himself, looking once more at the man behind the counter. "So Chang's resumed his Xynothium smuggling operation... I should've guessed he'd be at it again."
"I certainly don't think you can afford any of those lamps, little boy," said Chang.
"For your information," said Sanza, turning back toward the counter with a frown on his face, "I'm sixteen. And I'm not going to touch any of them."
"See that you don't," replied Chang, continuing to watch Sanza even as he walked away from the glowing shelf. "I know your people have a reputation for that sort of thing..."
The remark, which barely fazed Sanza as he walked back toward the rest of the shop, immediately caught Maria's attention. Feeling rage quickly swell up in her body, she turned around and stormed over to the counter, pointing her finger right in Chang's face.
"You take that back!" she snapped, deeply offended by the racially-charged remark. Sanza rolled his eyes, knowing that his mother couldn't be stopped when she was having one of 'these' kinds of moments. He stood behind her, all the while glancing at the display of lava lamps by the back wall.
"I am sorry if I have offended you," said Chang, sarcasm clearly evident in his voice.
"I've had to put up with comments like that my entire life, but for you to insult my son in that manner..."
"I have every right to be suspicious. Your son was-"
"My son is a good boy!" said Maria, turning to Sanza and pointing toward the door. "Come on, Sanza, we're leaving."
Maria and Sanza walked over to the door. Maddy, still looking at the beautiful swans on the window shelf, was holding one in her hand when her mother called to her.
"Mom, can I buy-"
"We're not buying anything from here, ever!" shouted Maria, shooting an angry glare back at Dr. Chang. "Let's go!"
Sighing dejectedly, Maddy set down the swan and exited the shop with her mother. Sanza, the last to leave, took one last angry glare at Dr. Chang before exiting the shop with his family.
"And none of you are welcome in here either!" shouted Chang, shaking his fist at the door as the Salazars exited his shop. "You touch too many of my things!"
O-O-O
Now, a month later, Sanza stood in front of the curio shop again... this time as Red X. The sign on the door read 'Closed', but that didn't deter Red X... in fact, it made him want to go in even more.
"All the better that it's closed," said Red X, walking over to the window and slapping an X over it, right in the center. "I won't have to deal with that obnoxious doctor."
The X widened into a hole large enough for the thief to step through. As soon as he did, the hole closed, the X dissolving into the window glass. Red X immediately ran over to the display of lava lamps at the back... only to see that all of them were completely gone.
"Either somebody bought them, or..."
A faint red glow could be detected from underneath the small crack in a door behind the counter. The door was marked with an 'Employees Only' sign, but again, X wasn't known as someone who obeyed signs. If he did, he wouldn't be the best thief in Jump City. He hopped behind the counter and pressed his ear to the door, listening for any sign of activity. A faint, muffled voice could be heard from some distance away... there was someone in that room, and Red X was going to find out who.
He placed his hand on the doorknob and transmitted a small electric shock through the inner workings of the lock. The door immediately opened, and X slowly crept inside, hearing the voice get louder and louder. Its aged, accented tone clearly alerted X to the room's occupant.
"So, Dr. Chang, we're about to meet again..." thought Red X, walking through a narrow brick hallway that led to another closed door. This door was unlocked, and X twisted the knob open, revealing the room beyond. Inside was Dr. Chang and about fifty of his glowing red lava lamps. The doctor was finishing up a phone call, and as soon as he'd put the phone down, Red X was standing right behind him. "Miss me?"
With a startled yelp, Dr. Chang turned around, stumbling back several steps, his eyes wide and scared.
"You... you traitorous little bastard!" shouted Dr. Chang, pointing a trembling finger at Red X's chest. "I had this city and the Teen Titans on their knees, and you... you ruined it for me!"
"I think you ruined it for yourself, Chang," Red X replied, "when you wouldn't share more of your precious Xynothium... and it looks like you've got quite a stash here."
"Forty-nine kilos to be exact," said Chang, speaking of the Xynothium as if it were some sort of drug. "Street value of-"
"Two million, four hundred and fifty thousand dollars," replied Red X. "My suit runs on the stuff, remember? I'd better know exactly how much it's worth."
A wiry smile appeared on Dr. Chang's face as he picked up one of the glowing lamps, stroking it sensually in his hands.
"You've got the Xynothium reactor... so what do you need my stuff for? Or did you just come here to harass a helpless old man?"
"I need raw Xynothium, Chang... and I figured that this was the best place to get it. You really, really shouldn't leave your operation so exposed like this... anyone coming into the store would know exactly what you were doing."
Dr. Chang set down the lamp on a small table in the center of the room. The glow from the substance illuminated Chang's face as he spoke, giving his eyes an eerie red tint. X wasn't afraid in the least... he'd take all the Xynothium in the room if he had to.
"I've already got a deal coming up with a contractor that wants to purchase all of my Xynothium... so unless you can come up with 2.4 million dollars, you're out of luck, kid."
Red X smiled under his mask. Had Chang really forgotten who he was dealing with? X would just have to remind him...
"I'm not here to buy," said Red X, his palm pointed at Dr. Chang's face. "I'm Red X, remember? I'm a thief... and I'm here to steal."
"Then you might just want to look down," said Dr. Chang, pointing at Red X's feet. "Look at what you're standing in."
X looked down to see that he was standing in a large puddle on the floor that looked suspiciously like blood... but X knew exactly what the puddle was. Raw, glowing Xynothium... morphing into long tendrils that wrapped around his legs and held him in place. The next thing that came from his mouth wasn't an arrogant taunt, but a loud scream as the Xynothium sent electricity coursing through his body, bringing the costumed thief to his knees. X looked up to see Dr. Chang standing over him, a large red mallet protruding from the sleeve of his robe.
"You didn't think I didn't save a bit of Xynothium for myself, did you? After seeing all it let you do, I couldn't let a miracle substance like this go to waste..."
Dr. Chang brought the mallet down on Red X's head, and the thief's world quickly went black.
O-O-O
While Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, and Beast Boy remained in the main room of the tower to wait for Red X's return, Raven had become bored of waiting and returned to her room. She, like the other Titans, was eager to finally be taking down Slade... but after that, what would become of Red X... what would become of Sanza? Without Slade, he wouldn't have a reason to ask the Titans for help... would he go back to being a thief, or would he ask to be allowed on the team?
He was certainly a formidable foe who took the Titans to the limit every time he fought against them... and he would make a powerful ally.
Raven walked over to her desk noticing the now empty spot where her magic mirror once rested. It had been given to her as a gift just before leaving Azarath and coming to Earth... it was the only way Raven could fully deal with her pent-up emotions... and now it was gone, probably lying somewhere in the rubble of Tekita Refinery. Broken, it was useless, so even if Slade had it, he wouldn't have been able to go into Raven's mind... but she still missed the opportunity to meditate with the rest of her emotions.
A long sigh escaped from Raven's lips as she walked back to her bed and sat down, staring at the floor. I'll never see my mirror again... and it's his fault.
But was it really Red X's fault? Sure, he'd come into the tower and taken Raven's mirror, but on orders from Slade... for all she knew, Slade could've had Sanza's family at gunpoint at that very moment. She knew her emotions far to well to think that X had tried to steal her mirror on his own volition.
But the fact remained... he'd taken it, and he'd removed it from the tower. Red X was an incredibly proficient thief... if he could take the chip from the T-Car AND Raven's mirror, he could probably steal anything he wanted. Priceless art, national security secrets, dangerous weapons... Red X could steal these things, but... would Sanza?
"If the right motivation came along..." thought Raven. "I don't know whether I want him on the team or not, but... if he does join us, he won't be tempted to steal... and his family will probably be in a lot less danger from extortionists."
The door to Raven's room slid open.
"Is he back?" thought Raven, standing up and staring at the face who appeared on the other side of the door. "Oh. It's just Beast Boy."
The green superhero clearly had a worried look on his face, and whatever he wanted to discuss, he apparently wanted to discuss it with Raven. Normally, Raven would've shut the door in Beast Boy's face... but his worry and willingness to speak openly seemed genuine, and Raven decided to allow him in.
"What's wrong?" asked Raven, sitting back down on her bed as Beast Boy entered her room. "You worried about fighting Slade?"
Beast Boy shook his head. Clearly, something even more was troubling him... something that Beast Boy had begun thinking about as soon as he'd taken Red X to the Terra statue.
"Raven, I'm worried about Sanza," said Beast Boy, looking around the room for a chair to sit in. When he couldn't find one, he turned back to Raven, who had slid over to allow Beast Boy enough room to sit next to her on the bed. He walked over and sat down, his hands folded in his lap. "Terra and Sanza had a lot of things in common..."
Raven wasn't so sure of what Beast Boy was getting at.
"How so?" asked Raven, a quizzical look on her face. "They both had five letters in their name?"
A small chuckle escaped Beast Boy's lips... Raven's sarcasm, while sometimes hurtful, was often funny, at least to Beast Boy. He continued on.
"Both of them were recruited by Slade... both of them had a bad side..."
"That's where the similarities end," said Raven. "Terra was insecure about herself... about her own powers. Sanza, on the other hand, has quite an arrogant streak... and he wouldn't work for Slade unless his family was in danger. Terra worked for Slade because he helped her out. Terra was ruthless... she tried to kill all of us. Sanza didn't do that..."
"Even in the fight yesterday?" asked Beast Boy, remembering how intense the fight between X and the Titans at the refinery had been. He pointed to the small scar across Raven's cheek, which hadn't fully healed after having been cut by X's wrist blade. Raven stroked her hand across the scar, remembering how painful the cut had been at the time.
"He doesn't hate us..."
"Neither did Terra," replied Beast Boy, his expression becoming sadder with every word he spoke. "She... sacrificed herself for us... that's why I'm worried about Sanza. Sanza's so determined to take out Slade... what if he... what if something happens to-"
"Sanza's going to be fine," said Raven. "The bomb's a remote detonation device anyway, and besides, I'd be more worried about Robin... he'll be the one handling the bomb when we go to Slade's headquarters."
But Beast Boy still wasn't so sure... and every time he thought of Terra, he felt as if he wanted to cry, his mind still stinging from the terrible memory of her self-sacrifice.
"I... I think I loved her, Raven..." said Beast Boy, looking up into Raven's eyes. "I haven't told that to anyone before, but..."
"Loss is painful," said Raven, "but it's best not to dwell on those emotions."
Raven too knew the pain of loss, having had to deal with the loss of her mother Arella back on Azarath... and though she could still speak with her mother, the pain of not having her around remained... and Raven too felt sad whenever she remembered her times with her mother.
"When I went to the statue the other day... it's like I could hear Terra speaking to me... she told me not to let what happened to her happen to Sanza... she told me to protect him like I would've protected her... I'm not boring you, am I?"
Though Raven had a disinterested look on her face, she understood Beast Boy's feelings very well... and was listening clearly to every word he said. She was amazed that Beast Boy had been so frank with her concerning his feelings about Terra.
If something happened to Sanza, Beast Boy would feel as if he'd failed Terra... that he'd failed to live up to her silent mission.
"Don't worry about it, Beast Boy," said Raven, standing up from the bed and walking toward the door. "Nothing's going to happen to Sanza... we're going to beat Slade, and-"
"Thanks..." said Beast Boy, standing up and walking over to Raven. Gratitude could clearly be seen in his eyes. "Thanks... for listening to me."
"...you're welcome," Raven replied, looking back at Beast Boy as she stood in her doorway. "And don't blame yourself for what happened to Terra. That wasn't your fault."
As Raven exited her room, Beast Boy lagged behind, a pang of guilt quickly welling up inside of him. He finally stepped out of Raven's room, and the door closed behind him, its sound echoing in his clouded mind.
"Yes it was..." thought Beast Boy, thinking of the last thing he'd said to Terra before she became Slade's apprentice. "I had a chance to let her know she still had a friend, and I completely blew it... it's my fault she's gone..."
O-O-O
Red X awoke to see that he was still in the back of Chang's curio shop, in the room with the forty-nine glowing Xynothium lava lamps. He felt his back pressed up against a wooden chair, and felt metal bands around his wrists, binding them tightly to the chair's back. Similar bands around his ankles lashed them together and to a wooden bar running between the chair's two legs.
"Now I know how Starfire felt..." thought Red X, a throbbing pain in the back of his head.
"Comfortable?" came Dr. Chang's voice from behind the chair, as the man stepped around to look into Red X's face. A casual smile was on his face, and his hands were clasped in front of his chest, the glow in his eye indicating that he was very proud of the trap he'd laid for the master thief.
"I'd be really comfortable if you could get a dominatrix in here," said Red X, his joke hiding his nervousness as he shifted his feet under the chair, trying to move his legs enough to bring his switchblade out between his two feet.
"With the money I get from selling all these lamps, I could hire a thousand dominatrixes," said Dr. Chang, "but I think I'll just settle for a nice villa by the ocean and a butler serving me for the rest of my life. As for you... I would kill you, but I wanted to find out your identity first..."
"You fucking dumbass, you could just kill me and take off my mask," replied Red X, feeling the switchblade slowly slip out from under his ankle sleeve and fall down to his feet, where he grasped it in-between the back of his boots. Using the metal bands wrapped around his ankles, he flicked out the blade and began moving his feet back and forth, sawing at his bonds with the small knife.
"But what's the fun in that?" asked Dr. Chang, reaching down for the bottom of X's mask. "Then I wouldn't get to see the fear in your eyes..."
But as Dr. Chang reached down, he hadn't realized at Red X had already managed to cut his legs free... and was now holding his switchblade by the tips of his toes, lurching out his legs toward Chang's ankles. With one swift motion, the blade slashed across Chang's exposed skin, making a long gash and causing the doctor to let out a loud scream. X flipped the blade backwards into the air, just enough for him to be able to catch it in his hands. As he began working on his wrist bonds, Dr. Chang charged at him with an angry yell. Red X immediately lifted his legs, kicking Chang in the chest. The force of the kick tipped over the chair, sending the back of it crashing down on Red X's wrists, the knife still clutched in his hands.
"Not... good idea..." groaned Red X, his entire weight and the weight of the chair pressing down into his arms as he continued cutting his hands free. "Just a little more..."
Dr. Chang stood up again, his arms wrapped around his chest, where he knew he probably had a cracked rib or two. X's kick had been incredibly hard and had taken the doctor by complete surprise... wasn't it an old Chinese proverb that stated 'a cornered tiger is always the most dangerous'?
"This tiger's getting beheaded right now..." thought Dr. Chang, walking toward Red X with an agitated look on his face. As soon as he'd gotten a few steps, though, he saw that X had managed to cut his hands free... and now had his palm pointed right at Chang's face. He attempted to fire an X... only to realize that something was terribly wrong. "Oh, by the way... your little reactor is on the table. Couldn't have you using your fancy X-Blades to free yourself..."
Red X stood up, pounding his fist into his open palm.
"You do know that I've had training as a boxer, right?"
Before Chang could reply, X's fist smashed into the doctor's nose, hurling him backward. Immediately, Red X rushed to the table and grabbed the glowing Xynothium reactor, placing it back in his suit and instantly replenishing his Xynothium supply. Now Chang was in serious trouble...
"You seem to forget... I still have Xynothium too!" shouted Dr. Chang, pointing his arm at Red X and firing an X grappling hook from his suit, grabbing the thief by the arm and tugging him forward. Red X immediately countered, pointing his palm at the chain connecting the hook to his arm and firing an exploding X, which severed the chain and threw both doctor and thief backward, toward opposite walls of the room.
"You won't have your Xynothium much longer..." thought Red X, narrowing his eyes at the devilish mad scientist. "I've fought guys way tougher than you..."
O-O-O
Cyborg held the small, glowing blue computer chip in his hand, his fingers delicately gripping the item that represented the heart and soul of his beloved T-Car.
He too had grown tired of waiting for X's return, and had retreated to the garage to put the finishing touches on the replacement chip. Just a few days ago, Red X had stolen it in the middle of one of the Titans' heated battles... right out from under all of their noses. Cyborg had quickly rebuilt a new chip so that the car would be ready for the Titans' next mission, but the car wouldn't regain its full functionality until a new chip was completely finished.
He climbed inside the car and replaced the chip, smiling as the circuits lit up to indicate 100 operational capacity. He was glad that unlike Raven's mirror, the T-Chip was something that could be rebuilt, rewired, remade... like a lot of the parts in his body.
"I can always make another T-Chip, or even another T-Car, but..."
During his surveillance of the Salazars' apartment before their kidnapping at the hands of Slade, Cyborg realized just how wonderful of a family Sanza had. His mother was a kind, gentle woman who still retained strength and courage within her seemingly delicate frame. She was not only an incredible homemaker, but a brilliant, hard-working woman who brought home a lot of money so that her children could have a good life.
And Maddy was a great girl... funny, intelligent, and beautiful... if she was a few years older, Cyborg might've considered asking her out. Though she annoyed Sanza at times, the two still seemed to have a very close brother and sister relationship... and Cyborg could easily see why Sanza was willing to risk his life to protect her.
"For X, this is personal..." thought Cyborg. "It's the same for all of us, but... X's family was attacked. That makes it a lot more personal for him than it is for the rest of us... even for Robin."
Cyborg knew that Robin's own family had been victims of crime... and he was an incredibly determined crimefighter because of it. Robin's conflict was with all criminals... Sanza's conflict was with Slade. Once Slade was gone, X would have no more reason to fight alongside the Titans...
"He'll go back to being a thief..." thought Cyborg, taking another look at his car. "And we'll have to fight him again..."
Unless the Titans could convince him otherwise... and Cyborg was hoping that was the case. If they could get someone like Terra to stop being a criminal, they could convince Sanza as well...
O-O-O
Red X was the first to stand, watching Dr. Chang as he pulled his older, wearier body up from the ground. On the left of Chang were half of the Xynothium lava lamps he was planning to sell, stacked on top of an oaken table. On the other half were several rows of shelves, also stacked high with glowing red lamps.
"Careful," said Chang, standing in-between the lava lamps and raising up his hands in front of them. "You don't want to damage the merchandise..."
Unfazed by Chang's remark, Red X fired several shuriken Xs at Chang, their aim perfect, as none of the Xs came anywhere near the stacks of lava lamps. Chang screamed and pressed himself to the ground, shaking as the Xs embedded themselves into the wall behind him. Weakly, he raised one of his arms, firing out a Xynothium net that stretched out and flew at Red X, slamming into him and tangling him up before falling to the ground, its glowing wires forming a mesh that kept the thief pressed to the floor. As he struggled to stand, Chang walked over to him, his hand glowing bright red.
"Allow me to give you a demonstration of what raw Xynothium can do!" shouted Chang, firing a glowing red energy beam down at Red X, still trapped in the net. X quickly rolled out of the way, all the while wrestling with the net entangled around his body. As another energy beam surged toward him, he was finally able to throw off the net, which collided with the beam and canceled both of them out.
"I'm not very impressed," said Red X, leaping toward Dr. Chang with both his wrist blades extended. He slashed outward, catching Chang across the front of his robe and making a slash in the fabric, but barely missing any of Chang's skin. Dr. Chang laughed, forming two large red axes that materialized outward from his sleeves, three times as long as Red X's small blades. "Okay, now I'm a bit impressed..."
Chang swung one of the axes downward, causing X to somersault backward and out of the way. He landed on the table at the center of the room, which remained standing for less than a second before Chang's second axe swung through its legs, collapsing the table to the ground. X leapt off the table and struck Dr. Chang in the face with a powerful kick, knocking him back into the side wall of the room. His axes disappeared, and he slid downward to the floor, a trickle of blood coming from his nose.
"I'm also a blackbelt in karate," said X, retracting his own blades back into his wrists. Though he wasn't trained in dozens of forms of the martial arts like Robin was, he still knew enough to kick Dr. Chang's ass. Unfortunately for him, however, Chang still had plenty of Xynothium... and he knew how to use it.
As he stood up, he fired a stream of liquid Xynothium from his hand, staining the ground in front of Red X before moving up to both of his legs... and burning like acid on contact.
"What the...?" shouted Red X, stumbling back as the Xynothium began burning through the outer layers of the suit, searing the skin on his legs. "I didn't know it could do that..."
He stepped backward until he tripped over the remains of the table, his back falling flat against its broken frame, the Xynothium still burning his legs. Dr. Chang walked toward him, firing out another stream of Xynothium that landed on X's chest and arms... but instead of burning, it froze, turning into red ice as soon as it hit the table. He thrashed against the table, the ice freezing his chest as the Xynothium on his legs continued to burn.
"Raw Xynothium can do many things that your weak little reactor can't..."
A powerful electric shock surged through both the liquid and solid Xynothium on Red X's body, sending searing pain shooting through his nerves. He gritted his teeth, knowing that to scream would be to show weakness... weakness that he couldn't afford in a fight like this.
"I won't let this old bastard beat me... not here... not now... not now that I'm so close to destroying Slade!"
The icy Xynothium holding Red X to the table began to crack... but Chang, too enthralled in watching as Red X suffered from the force of the shocks, didn't even notice... but Red X, using his own Xynothium supply to create a metallic battering ram to break through the ice, took careful notice... he was just about free.
"You never should've come back here, you obnoxious little boy... I've been waiting for you or Robin to come back... although I think he would've done a lot better against me than you're doing. You didn't even make that suit... you're just a pathetic thief..."
The ice shattered, chunks of it hitting Dr. Chang and throwing him to the ground. The shocks ceased, and Red X stood up on the table, liquified Xynothium dripping from his legs. He held a large, metallic X in his right hand, its breadth more than three feet long.
"You're right about one thing," said X, hopping down from the table and standing over the fallen, stunned Dr. Chang. "I am just a thief... but don't ever, EVER call me pathetic."
Taking the large X in both hands, he swung it down on Dr. Chang's chest like a flyswatter. The force of the blow destroyed the mechanisms inside Chang's robe that allowed him to control Xynothium... and sent an enormous amount of it exploding forth from the suit like a broken red pen. The Xynothium splattered all over the room, covering both X and Chang in the highly volatile substance. While X's suit afforded him some protection, Chang's thin robe did not... and as the Xynothium began sparking, Chang let out a loud series of screams, realizing he'd made an enormous mistake in underestimating the dangerousness of the powerful chemical agent.
"Looks like you need a bath," said Red X, watching as the Xynothium covering Dr. Chang finally stopped sparking. He emitted a loud, pained gasp, then collapsed onto the ground, writhing in pain.
"Damn... you... you lousy thief..." replied Dr. Chang, stumbling up from the ground and pointing his finger in X's face. "I'll make you pay..."
"After I take your Xynothium," said Red X, shooting out an X that turned into another large, metallic band, this one pinning Chang's arms and legs to the wall. "Now you won't bother me while I-"
Suddenly, there was a loud knock at the door. X turned to Chang, a sly smile having appeared on the old man's face.
"My buyers..." said Chang, knowing that anyone who interfered with the sale would have to face the wrath of his deadly clients. "You're in big trouble n-"
A sticky X slapped over Chang's mouth, sealing it shut as Red X walked over to the door and slowly turned the knob.
"We'll see about that..." thought Red X, ready for whoever could be showing up.
O-O-O
The past few days had been an incredible adventure for Starfire... not only had she and the Titans fought both Red X and Slade numerous times, but they'd finally found out who Red X was...
Starfire's back pressed against the couch facing the Titans' large television. Her arms stretched out across the top of the couch, and her eyes stared up toward the ceiling. Somewhere out in the city, Red X was retrieving the final component he needed to put the Titans' plan into action... a plan that would mean the end of Slade, once and for all.
The Titans' battles against Slade had been some of their toughest, most emotional conflicts ever... and Starfire remembered every single one as if it were yesterday. The time Slade had placed nanoscopic probes in the Titans' bodies in order to force Robin to become his apprentice... that had definitely been one of the worst, and the pain the probes had caused Starfire was nothing compared to the pain she felt when she thought Robin... her Robin, the boy she loved, had been working for Slade... even though she suspected him only for a few brief moments, those moments were the worst of Starfire's entire life...
Until the previous day, at least... the day Starfire knew that Robin had been dreading... the day Slade finally used Robin's feelings for Starfire to try and lure him into a trap. And it had almost succeeded, had Starfire not freed herself and gotten to Robin in time... she clenched her fists at the memory, despising Slade for being the primary reason Robin didn't want to reveal his feelings to her. She knew exactly why he didn't want to show his affection...
"I assure you, Robin, I will not allow myself to be taken so easily... not again."
And not just by Slade, but by Red X... she was more helpless in Red X's hands than she ever was in Slade's. If he'd wanted to use her to get to Robin, he easily could have...
But X... no, Sanza, Sanza Salazar, who had turned out to be one of the nicest people Starfire had ever met, cared about her too much to use her in that way. He would never hurt her, unless it was to protect his own family... and even then, he was reluctant.
"He loves me like I love Robin..."
But Starfire knew she'd made the right decision in continuing to pursue Robin. It hadn't even taken her a second to decide, even after Sanza had been the first to kiss her. Robin was still the one Starfire loved, with all of her heart and soul...
And she still hadn't been completely able to tell him... in fact, they hadn't even kissed yet.
It was then that Robin re-entered the room from the kitchen, carrying two small white cups filled with a brown liquid substance, which Starfire knew to be hot chocolate. She'd had it before and loved it, almost as much as she loved the taste of mustard. Robin handed her one of the cups and sat down next to Starfire, noticing the contemplative look on her face.
"I have been thinking, Robin..."
"I can tell," he replied, showing a brief smile before his look of seriousness returned. "Care to tell me what you've been thinking about?"
"Many things... Slade... Sanza... me... you... yesterday."
Yesterday still weighed heavily on Robin's mind... the feeling of dread he felt when he realized that Starfire was nowhere to be found... his frantic search for her... abandoning Slade to rescue her from the boiler room, only to have her be the one to end up saving him by using her body as a shield to block the force and heat of the room's explosion.
He didn't want to focus on yesterday... his mind was focused on the present, and the near future... the final confrontation with Slade, or what he hoped would be the final confrontation. The point he and the other Titans had worked so hard to reach, now seemingly just moments away... he could almost see the bomb ripping Slade's body apart, ending his terrible crimes now and forever... and feeling no regret whatsoever at ending the madman's life.
"Batman doesn't kill... but I'm not Batman... and I'm not going to pretend to be."
The final straw had obviously been Slade finally doing what Robin had hoped would never happen... placing Starfire's life in danger. Sure, he'd put ALL of the Titans in danger with the probes... but an act targeted at Starfire and only Starfire...
And there Robin was again, thinking of yesterday.
After taking a sip of the cocoa, Starfire realized that Robin was getting uncomfortable... she quickly moved to change the tone of the conversation.
"After we defeat Slade, do you believe Sanza will... become one of us?"
It wasn't much of a change, but it was enough of a change to calm Robin's mind. He looked up at Starfire, showing no emotion on his face.
"A lot of that will be up to him..." said Robin, though his previous experience with allowing Terra to become a Teen Titan still stuck in his mind. Someone like Red X, who'd attacked the Titans many times before and was a known thief certainly wasn't someone who couldn't be easily trusted, even if he DID help the Titans beat Slade. "And I guess if he wants to join, I'll put the matter up to a vote."
"He will have my vote..." said Starfire, taking another sip of her cocoa. And she truly meant that, even though she'd probably been the one most touched by X's actions the past few days. Her main reason for trusting X was that she believed his promise never to hurt her to be a sacred vow, strengthened by the love that he apparently had for her. And if X would never hurt her, he could never be brought to betray any of the other Titans, especially if Slade was out of the way. "Of course... that is if he does wish to join us."
Robin doubted that he did, either way. Not only was X a thief, but he was a thief with a family, whom he apparently loved very much. Unlike the other Titans, X's family was alive and well on Earth... except of course for his father, whom Robin assumed to be dead.
Robin continued talking with Starfire as the two sipped their cups of cocoa, their conversation drifting to the subject of the battle at hand. Both of them were definitely a bit nervous to be fighting Slade again... but if the battle went well, the Titans' long ordeal with Slade would finally be over.
As soon as the two Titans finished, Raven and Beast Boy entered the room, followed next by Cyborg. Red X still hadn't returned, but the Titans were willing to wait... but Robin still had to wonder about the validity of X's supposed 'source' of Xynothium.
"Certainly he can't mean Dr. Chang..." Robin thought. "That guy's out of town by now..."
O-O-O
Red X opened the door to reveal three tough-looking Chinese men, all of them wearing identical gray business suits with shiny black dress shoes. The leader of the men was a short, middle-aged bald man with a thick black mustache, about a foot and a half shorter than the two large, burly, clean-shaven men standing behind him. The two taller men had full heads of hair, combed straight and in identical fashions, so that the two could easily pass for twins.
X blocked the three men from entering the room by standing in the doorway, unintimidated by their tough expressions.
"Are you Dr. Chang?" asked the man in front, clearly lacking any knowledge of Red X or of his exploits. The men were Triads, operating in the seedy underworld of Chinatown, with little knowledge of thieves like Red X or even of the superhero team known as the Teen Titans. "Your suit is... interesting."
Dr. Chang's muffled screams could be heard from inside the room, but the Triads apparently couldn't hear him, because their heads were fixed on Red X.
"The deal's off," said Red X, his arms pressing against the sides of the doorway. "You gentlemen had better head on home."
The Triad leader, clearly not amused, raised the tone of his voice as he began to speak again.
"We had a deal!" shouted the man, who stood as tall as Red X and was thus looking him straight in the eye. "Forty-nine kilograms of Xynothium for 2.4 million dollars! Do you not have the Xynothium?"
"I do, but I'm not giving it to you. By the way, I'm not Dr. Chang," said Red X, stepping back and allowing the men inside. As soon as they entered, they looked to their right and saw the man they were really expecting to deal with, Dr. Chang, pinned to the wall with an X across his mouth. The three Triads then turned back to Red X, their hands reaching down to their waists for their weapons. As soon as the three men had drawn their guns, X made his move, blasting the men's hands with shurikens that knocked the weapons from each of their hands. Then, X leapt into the air and kicked one of the tall Triads in the face, knocking him unconscious to the ground. In the same move, X spun around and kicked the other Triad in the side of the head, knocking him out as well. X then landed in front of the Triad leader, his eyes staring straight into the man's own.
"Who... who are you?" shouted the man, nervously stumbling back through the doorway. Red X watched the man as he left, not saying a single word, only glaring at him through the eyes of his mask, seemingly looking straight into the Triad leader's soul. The man turned and ran out of the curio shop, not even stopping to pick up his gun as he left. Red X smirked, turning back into the room and looking up at Dr. Chang, still pinned to the wall. "You know, the two lugs I knocked out are probably going to kill you when they wake up."
The horrific realization slowly dawning on him, Dr. Chang's eyes widened, and he began screaming loudly through the X over his mouth. Red X walked over and ripped the tape from Chang's face, still smiling under his mask.
"Please... you can't leave me with them!" shouted Chang, his eyes racing back and forth from the unconscious Triads to X, and back to the Triads, sweat pouring down his brow.
"I can do anything I want," said Red X, walking out of the room and into the main part of the curio shop. He looked around until he found what he wanted... a large, finely woven balsa wood basket. He carried it back into the room and lined the rim of the basket with a hard layer of Xynothium. Then, he began picking up lava lamps and cracking them over the basket like eggs, allowing the Xynothium to seep into the basket, slowly filling it up. Once he'd filled the basket completely up with Xynothium, he formed a red seal of hardened Xynothium over the top to keep the raw liquid inside. Then, he got up and began to leave the room.
"What about me?" shouted Dr. Chang, his cries becoming even more desperate as the men on the ground began to moan. "They're waking up! They'll kill me!"
"Like you were going to kill me?" asked Red X. He extended his wrist blade and lifted the tip up to Dr. Chang's throat. "On second thought, maybe I should kill you... I'd do it a lot quicker than these guys would. These guys would probably break your thumbs... while repeatedly sodomizing you."
Red X lowered the blade from Chang's throat and again began to leave the room. One of the thugs on the ground began shifting slightly.
"NO!" Chang shouted desperately, struggling against the metal band that held him to the wall. "You can't-"
Red X turned around and fired a single shuriken X that slashed across the bands, slicing them apart just enough for Chang to be able to squirm out. When he did, he hit the ground in a crumpled heap, his arms and legs bruised from the impact.
"Leave town," said Red X, a serious tone in his voice. "Because if I ever see you again..."
Before the Triads could wake up, Chang rose from the ground and fled the shop, not looking back. Red X casually strolled out of the store, picking up the most beautiful porcelain swan from the window display as he left and placing it in his pocket.
"This is for you, Maddy..." thought Red X, "because I probably won't be getting back for ice cream until late, late tonight..."
If he was getting back at all...
O-O-O
With the Xynothium-filled basket in his hands and the beautiful porcelain swan in his pocket, Red X entered Titans Tower, his legs still slightly aching from his battle with Dr. Chang.
"The Xynothium's in the bucket," said Red X, prompting Cyborg and Robin to walk over to him and take the bucket from his hands. "Should be more than enough for your proposed design..."
"We'll get right to work," said Cyborg, cradling the bucket in his hands.
"Good work," Robin added, smiling at Red X before he and Cyborg turned and left the room to work on the Xynothium bomb. As they left, Starfire walked up to Red X, a smile on her face.
"You did not have much difficulty retrieving the Xynothium, did you?" asked Starfire before noticing the slight burns in the legs of X's costume created by the acidic Xynothium Chang had used. "Oh dear... perhaps I spoke too soon..."
"No, it wasn't hard..." said Red X, walking past Starfire and sitting down on the Titans' couch. He glanced over to the kitchen area, where he could see Raven seated at the counter, sipping a cup of hot cocoa... then glanced to his left, where Beast Boy was on the couch next to him, flipping through a wrestling magazine. "You like that stuff? You know it's all scripted and fake, don't you?"
Beast Boy shot Red X an angry glare, still holding the magazine in his hands.
"For your information, wrestling is totally real!" shouted Beast Boy defensively.
Red X looked up at the ceiling, sighing under his mask. It would probably be several hours before Robin and Cyborg finished the Xynothium bomb, and there was nothing to do but sit and talk... these were the people who were about to be risking their lives alongside him, he might as well try to be as friendly to them as he could.
"...so," said Red X, his gaze working its way back to Beast Boy, "what do you think of Eddie Guerrero?"
O-O-O
The sun was setting, its beautiful red tint playing wonderfully against the clouds in the sky... and from the roof of Titans Tower, one had the most spectacular view of all, several hundred feet in the air and thousands of feet away from any buildings in the city.
"The Sun of Earth is perhaps even more beautiful than the Hygell Star of Tamaran..." thought Starfire, her emerald eyes immune to the brightness of the Sun and able to view it in full clarity, without risk of damage. It would only be a short time now... Robin and Cyborg would be finished with the construction of their Xynothium bomb at any moment, and the Titans and Red X would be headed toward the mountains to do battle with Slade.
The door behind Starfire creaked open, and when she looked back, she could see Robin coming out, a smile on his face. Starfire stood up, her hair gently waving in the light breeze... was the bomb finally finished? Could the Titans finally begin their climactic battle with Slade?
"Cyborg's doing a few last-minute diagnostics," said Robin, walking over to Starfire. "He said he'll send someone up when it's done."
"So... you came up here to-"
"Just to talk," said Robin, sitting down at the edge of the roof and still looking up at Starfire. "Is that all right?"
"It is always all right," said Starfire, sitting down next to Robin. She placed her arms across her knees, looking at the beautiful sunset out in the distance. "I guess... this is it then... after tonight... no more Slade."
"It's hard to believe..." Robin sighed, his own eyes looking out toward the setting sun. "And to think that it was Red X who made a lot of this possible..."
For all the trouble X had put the Titans through... for all he'd put Starfire through... he'd risked both his life and his family's lives to protect the Titans and help them track down Slade. He'd gotten them the Xynothium they needed to prepare the weapon that would take Slade out, and in just a few minutes, he'd be accompanying the Titans to Slade's lair, fighting alongside them against the deadly criminal.
Red X was a thief... but he was easily the most courageous and unique thief Robin or any of the Titans had ever met.
"...he'd get my vote too," said Robin, looking over at Starfire.
"Hmm?" said Starfire, her eyebrows raising.
"If X wants to join the Titans... I would vote yes," Robin replied. "He could've hurt you... he could've killed all of us... but he didn't. Even though his family was in mortal danger, he trusted us to save them, and was even going to come with me to rescue you if Slade hadn't tried to escape the factory. It's taken a lot of soul-searching, but... Red X has earned my respect, and my trust."
A smile appeared on Starfire's face... and suddenly, she wrapped her arms around Robin's back, surprising him with the force of her hug. As she pulled away, a nervous smile made its way to Robin's lips.
"What... was that?" asked Robin.
"Part of what Sanza admires about me is the ability to see the good in a person's heart, despite what they have previously done... and it is one of the things I also admire about you, Robin..."
"I'm not sure I'm following you, Star... I mean, it took an awful lot of stuff to-"
"It is not just goodness, though... it is strength, and that is something you see in me... you see that I can protect myself, and that is why you opened up to me, because you trust me to-"
You're the strongest girl I know... does she still remember I said that to her? It was true, though... even when Slade was able to capture Starfire, she fought back... she escaped... and she saved Robin's life. Yesterday was again surfacing in Robin's mind... but the more he thought about it, the more at peace he seemed to become... even when he couldn't get to Starfire, she always managed to find a way out of any situation... almost as if she was trying to prove to Robin that she could protect herself... that he could open up to her... that he shouldn't be afraid to let her know how he felt, even if some of the Titans' enemies could use it to their advantage.
"I've always trusted Starfire... but I'm just not sure if I can trust myself..."
But maybe, thought Robin... he didn't need to.
"And even if I cannot protect myself, I know that you will always be there for me... what I am trying to say is that..."
The two were now leaning toward each other again, both of them having stood up just a few seconds earlier without either of them really realizing what they were doing.
"Starfire, no matter what happens... I promise, I'll always..."
A second sacred vow... Starfire had the first, from Sanza... but this was the one that mattered. She didn't even need to hear Robin saying it... she knew that somewhere in Robin's mind, the words were being formed... even if Starfire couldn't protect herself, Robin would be there for her. He would protect her... he would save her.
"Starfire, I..."
Robin and Starfire both moved forward, their lips meeting in a tender kiss... their eyes closed as soon as the kiss began. Starfire's arms wrapped around Robin's back, and his slowly moved up as well, completing the embrace. The kiss lingered for two more seconds before their bodies finally parted, smiles on both Robin and Starfire's faces.
"I know," Starfire whispered, her eyes looking straight into his. A single tear of joy began forming in her eyes, but she held it back, and it disappeared as soon as it had come into view.
Red X had stepped onto the roof just as the kiss began, and now, leaning against the door and watching the conclusion of Robin and Starfire's joyous embrace, he couldn't help but let out a sigh, knowing that now, his chances with Starfire had officially fallen to zero.
"Guess I'll just have to take it out on Slade, won't I?" thought Red X, smiling under his mask. "Remember what I told you, Robin... you'll be fighting for her now."
O-O-O
A fitting conclusion to the penultimate chapter of the story. Can you feel it? The final battle draws near... and I must say, I'm as exciting about writing it as you guys are about reading it. Let the hype begin!