1Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans. I only own this plot, the fiction itself, and the random ideas I squeeze in here. I also own the X-Car, and thirty years worth of Zinothium. But I can't get them to work...
A/N: I have absolutely nothing better to do. So I'm gonna update. To answer a few questions I received: Yes, this will be a Red X/Terra fic. Duh.
Thanks for the reviews. Review again.
Chapter 4: Cactus City
DEET DEET DEET!
Red X woke up immediately as he heard the X-Car's alarm go off. Looking at the status screen in front of him, he found that they were mere miles away from Cactus City and approaching fast. The alarm had been set to wake him in the one-in-a-billion chance he actually fell asleep. It turned out to be a good idea.
He turned as he heard groaning behind him. Looking back, he saw Mammoth and Gizmo stirring. Jinx had apparently already been awake, as she was eying him and smiling.
"What?" he asked, referring to Jinx's stare. She grinned and pointed at Terra. Red X looked down to see the geomancer still cuddling next to him. Red X could feel himself blush. Thank gd for the mask...
"Terra..." he said, shaking the girl slightly. She continued to sleep soundly. "Terra, it's time to get up!" he repeated, louder this time.
"Five more minutes..." Terra mumbled, hugging him tighter. Jinx began to laugh from the back seat.
"Terra, please wake up!" Red X shouted, shaking the girl harder.
"Wha..." Terra yawned. The girl finally opened her eyes and looked up at the masked man she was currently hugging. "Oh, sorry..." She could feel herself begin to blush as she released him. "Are we there yet?" she asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
"Just about," Red X told her. He grabbed the wheel and pushed a few buttons. The X-Car transformed back into a car and landed on the street. The city could now be seen clearly.
Tall skyscrapers and large buildings rose up out of the barren desert around them. All around was sand and rock, but in the center of the desert lay the grand city of Cactus City. The houses and business buildings were all bright and shined in the moon's light. It was only about four, so dawn wasn't quite here yet.
"Wow..." Terra said. "Where's the Tower?"
"We...won't be living in a tower..." Red X said, hesitant. He shifted over a little, uncomfortable.
The others looked at him, but offered no other statement. They looked around the city as Red X drove the car deeper into the urban masterpiece. Everywhere tall buildings rose up and towered towards the heavens. Even small shops seemed tall here. The streets were mostly empty, because it was only four in the morning. Traffic wouldn't start for another two hours.
"Almost there," Red X told them, turning the car.
"How do you know this place so well?" Mammoth asked.
"I used to live here."
As the other four looked at each other, he took yet another turn. Finally, after another five minutes, he stopped the car.
"Here we are," he said. In front of him was a what looked like a one-story warehouse in the middle of no where. The rest of the neighborhood was suburban, but all the houses had been abandoned or condemned. The five got out of the car and walked towards the building in front of them.
"Desert Rat Middle School?" Gizmo read off the sign. "Our hideout is a freakin' school!"
"I thought you three would fit right in," Red X told them, not taking any offense. "This school was abandoned over five years. It'll be perfect for our new home."
"But why a school?" Jinx asked. Red X shrugged.
"Why not? It's perfect," Red X explained. "It has a cafeteria, a gym for training, two computer labs, and plenty of rooms for storage and board."
"Whatever..." Mammoth mumbled. "I just don't like the prospect of waking up and already being IN school!"
"But he's right," Terra admitted. "It does have enough room."
"Okay, get unpacked and find a room," Red X ordered. "All of your stuff is in the trunk."
After all of them had opened the trunk and pulled out their stuff, Red X lead them into the building. He showed them around, and gave them the full tour. Part of the classrooms area was gone, and had been boarded up. But there were still ten good classrooms to serve as bedrooms. There was a huge gym, and a cafeteria about the same size. Only one computer lab was left, but it was more than functional after Gizmo was through with it. There were even Home Ec, Tech Ed, Music, and Art rooms, for anyone who wanted to be creative.
"Okay, we have three bathrooms left..." Red X checked. "But if you want to shower, you have to use the locker rooms in the gym. Sorry."
"That's okay," Terra said. The other three just grumbled and went to claim a classroom.
Red X sighed. "I guess I'm not really that good as a leader, am I?" he wondered out loud.
"You're doing fine!" Terra reassured him. "We just didn't expect that we'd have to live in a school. By the way, how do you know this place so well?"
"I used to come here," Red X told her. "This was my middle school before they closed it down. A criminal destroyed most of the classrooms, as you saw, and they couldn't afford to re-open it. So they had it closed down. But my friends and I always used to come here to hang out. I know this place better than anywhere else."
"Oh, cool," Terra said. "So, where's your room?"
"My room is room 101, why?" X asked. Terra shrugged.
"I'm gonna get the one next to yours then," she grinned. "Room 102, here I come!"
As she lifted her bags and strolled off, Red X sighed. What a strange girl. But not bad.
XTXTXTXTXTXTXTXTXTXTXT Two weeks later XTXTXTXTXTXTXTXTXTXTXTXT
Two weeks had passed since the five had moved in to Desert Rat Middle School. Since then, they had already stopped three villains, and one bank heist. Cactus City already liked them. According to X, something was up, though. Sure, there had been a helluva lot of crime here before, but this was ridiculous. Red X always suspected a lot.
And thus, he had become much like Robin, holed up in e computer lab that Gizmo had got powered up and upgraded. He could be found there most of the day, when he wasn't beating the crap out of the gym with Mammoth.
The five of them had virtually bonded since coming together. They had learned to like the school, and they were even enjoying it. Friendships had even blossomed. Mammoth and Gizmo spent most of their time together, as did Jinx and Terra. Red X still participated with the rest of them, but he was to serious most of the time. The only person he spent much time with was Terra.
It had taken some time, but Terra was finally used to her four new friends. Jinx was probably her new best friends now, and they spent a lot of time together. Mammoth was also a lot of fun, and he was a hilarious guy. Gizmo, while childish at times, was always willing to help out, especially if it involved something mechanical.
But she wanted to spend more time with Red X. She was probably his best friend and she knew it. He didn't get out enough, as he had become a kind of super-Robin. She was the only one he really spent time with. On the off-chance that he wasn't in the computer lab, he was spending time with her. She was the only person he felt he could talk to openly. But he still spent most of his time in the lab.
And that's where Terra found him when she went looking for him yet again. He was hunched over, typing furiously.
"Sup?" Terra asked, coming right in the door. She looked over at the screen as she leaned on his shoulder. "Whatcha doin'?"
"Researching," Red X replied, not even flinching. He just kept on typing.
"WHAT are you researching?" Terra asked, persistent.
"There is someone out there controlling crime in this city," Red X said. "Have you noticed that in the past week, there have been four Tech robberies? Someone wants stolen technology."
"How do you know this?" Terra asked, worried.
"Remember the last guy we fought? Nucleus?"
"Big glowing green guy?" Terra asked. X nodded. "Yeah, what about him?"
"Did he seem smart enough to plan and rob technology?"
Terra thought about it.
:FLASHBACK:
"I am Nucleus!" roared the glowing creature in front of them. The creature stood and easy ten feet tall and had large hands and feet. His head was incredible small. His entire body looked like it was made out of nuclear energy, as it was slimy and green. And glowing.
Everyone was standing before a giant Tech company building. Nucleus was holding what appeared to be a giant ray gun of some sort. He was growling slightly, and the Titans were staring him down when Red X spoke.
"And we're the Titan Reforms," Red X informed him. "Now put down the stolen technology, and surrender."
"Nucleus no surrender! Nucleus smash!"
"Whatever," Red X said. "Reforms, GO!" he cried, commanding his four teammates.
At once, the Three HIVE students ran at Nucleus. Jinx blasted him head on with her hex blots, smashing him into the wall he had just broken through. As he fell back, Gizmo fired a barrage of missiles. The destructive weapons all hit their mark, and Nucleus screamed in pain. The monster roared as he stood back up and thrust his arm at them. The nuclear limb struck Gizmo and hit him back, breaking his wing. Jinx defended and hit him with another wave of hexes.
Nucleus was too busy dealing with Jinx to realize Mammoth had snuck up on him. The hairy behemoth lifted the nuclear monster up over his head. Spinning him around and around, he threw the beast into the air.
"Your serve, Terra!" Mammoth yelled.
"Got him!" Terra cried. The girl raised her arms as her eyes glowed yellow. At once, a huge boulder lifted from the ground and smashed into the flying Nucleus.
"Nucleus destroy!" he cried, angry. As his eyes glowed, he ran at Terra with rage. Terra pelted him with rocks, but they had no effect. At the last minute, Red X jumped in a saved Terra before Nucleus smashed into another wall.
"RAARRRGH!" the beast cried. Furious, he thrust his arms out at them. Radioactive fluid burst from them, like acid. The acid splattered against the street, making a huge hole. As Terra and X fell as one, Red X pushed a button on his belt. The two teleported out of the hole and landed right behind Nucleus.
"Take this, tough guy!" Red X cried, drawing an X blade. He threw a barrage fo the razor sharp projectiles into the creature's skin. As Nucleus cried out in pain, Red X finally threw a huge liquid X that wrapped itself around Nucleus, restraining him. The fight was over.
"NO! Nucleus must escape. Steal machine for Master! Nucleus destroy!"
Nucleus was soon silenced as Mammoth walked up to him. "Shut up." Nucleus fell silent as Mammoth punched the beast in the face, knocking him unconscious.
:END FLASHBACK:
"You're right, he wasn't that smart," Terra agreed. "And he did mention some kind of master, now that you mention it."
"Exactly," Red X said. "And I have to find out who."
"You know, sometimes you are so much like Robin it's scary," Terra grinned, punching him in the shoulder.
"He and I...do have our similarities," Red X admitted, looking down. "But we also have our differences."
"Oh, come on," Terra said, lifting up his masked face. "Don't go all Eeyore on me! You used to be a criminal, so what! You've changed and that's all that matters."
"How...did you know I felt like that?" Red X asked, surprised. Maybe he was spending too much time with Terra after all. She was becoming too much like a detective.
"I just know," Terra said, taking a seat in a swivel chair next to him. "I feel like I've known you my whole life. I can read you like a book!"
"That's what scares me," Red X admitted, laughing with her. "You spend too much time with me."
"No, I don't spend ENOUGH time with you," Terra told him. "You know, just because you're the leader, it doesn't mean you can't come out and socialize every now and then."
"I know," Red X said. "I just don't talk much. It isn't like me."
"You talk with me all the time."
"You're...different," Red X said. Seeing her face fall, he began again. "Not in a bad way! I just fell like...I can talk to you about anything. And that's new to me."
"I guess I feel that way, too." Terra was surprised. She really hadn't felt this close to anyone before, even BeastBoy. The two of them, X and her, didn't share much in common at all, but they got along like best friends. "Still, you should get out more. When was the last time you were out of the school besides missions?"
"Uh..." Red X thought about it. "Actually...only once. And that was because I had to check on something." The truth was, X had gone out to inspect his old home one night. As an insomniac, he could often go on nighttime strolls. But Terra was right, again. He hadn't been out much at all.
"Which is exactly my point," Terra said, grinning. "How about this? You and me will go out for pizza tomorrow night. Just the two of us."
"Um..." Red X turned to his computer. He couldn't find any thing anyway. He had found no leads, other than two small ones. One night couldn't kill him, or his research. Besides, he hadn't been out for a while. And he did owe Terra.
"Okay, I accept your offer," Red X told her. Suddenly, she burst out in laughter. "What?"
"YOU!" she cried, laughing harder. "'I accept your offer'? What's wrong with you?"
"Why? What am I supposed to say?" Red X asked, grinning. His eyes narrowed.
"I dunno! Something like 'Why yes Terra, I'd love to join you!'" Terra said, giggling. "You take things way too seriously!"
That struck a nerve. Red X remembered back months ago. He remembered he had said that exact same thing to Robin only months ago. Terra was right. He was becoming more like Robin every day. This time out would better for him than he thought!
"You're right..." Red X mumbled. "Okay, I'll go out for pizza with you tomorrow night."
"That's better," Terra said, still grinning. "You really do work too much." With that, Terra stood up and left the room. "Good night," she said before shutting the door.
"Good night," Red X told her. He turned back to the computer and started typing again. However, after ten minutes of accomplishing absolutely nothing, Red X stopped. He couldn't concentrate. That was unusual for him.
Then he found out why. He couldn't concentrate because his mind was still stuck on one thing. He couldn't stop thinking about a certain blond girl. . .
:ELSEWHERE:
"Report!" came the low, accented voice.
"Um...we lost Nucleus, sir," came a deep, robotic voice. "We therefore lost the ray, as well."
"Unfortunate," the mysterious figure said, making a swift hand motion. "Once Nucleus is free, have him destroyed. We need that ray!"
"Yes sir."
"What about the Zinothium?" the figure asked again. This time, it was another robot that answered.
"Safe and secure, sir," the robot answered. "Shall we begin the test?"
"Yes, do that," the figure said, walking towards him. The figure was slightly shorter than the robot, was still menacing in his won manner. "And see to it that the tests are all positive."
"Yes sir."
"Now, show me that tape again," the figure said, taking his seat once again. The nearby robot obeyed and the figure watched the tape holding the show of his last two henchmen, Nucleus and Oxide, fall at the hands of the team called the Reforms.
"Curse the Titans," the figure spat. "I leave Jump City to escape the Titans, and yet a new set appears right under my nose!" Suddenly, the figure spotted something he hadn't seen before. Pausing the tape, he walked closer to the screen. He placed a wrinkled finger on the screen. He was pointing to Red X.
"Well well," the figure said, grinning. "If it isn't the bad boy from before. It seems someone has had a change of heart!" The figure grinned. "Still, this makes it al the sweeter."
The figure walked into the light of his Zinothium container. The red core gave off a deep red glow, casting light onto the otherwise pitch black room. The light revealed the figure as a short, elderly man. He was clearly oriental, and he wore a baggy white uniform. Wires and circuits ran up and down his body, enhancing his stamina.
"I say it's about time we pay our new friends a visit," the figure grinned. "Time to show Mr. X what a bad boy Professor Chang can be!"
A/N: Well, I'm done. Probably the longest chapter yet. I'm gonna have one more chapter before Red X and Terra's date. And then Chang will strike! Kudos to those that suspected the main villain was Prof. Chang! I did kind of make it pretty obvious...
The next chapter will be more emotional. Let's just say it will have both girl talk and guy talk. Not much action there, sorry. Action picks back up in chapter 6.
REVIEW! I love reviews more than tofu pizza! And I happen to like tofu pizza, in case any of you carnivores are wondering. So, anyway, review. Though I do have school now, I can still update faster if I get reviews.
PEACE OUT!