I know I promised you some music videos this chapter, but, due to unexpected turns of events, they will be included next time, along with…can you guess it? More of the Titans replying to your reviews. Just to be clear, I talked to them and they LOVED it, yes, even Raven and Red-X. When you review this chapter, please write who of the titans do you want to reply to your review, just to make things easier for me. I'll have replies to reviews every two chapters so next chapter is titans replies and music videos
-
Disclaimer: last week I rented a high priced lawyer to help me own the Teen Titans, but he refused so I still don't own them.
-
Chapter Twelve: Questions and Decisions
-
Early morning, maybe five thirty or six A.M, the sun is lazily rising over Titans' Tower, its light slowly casting away the shadow that engulfs the T shaped tower. Inside it, all the Titans are sleeping soundly, that is, until they were woken up by a blinding one thousand volts flash of light
-
"Lieutenant Commander Lisa Valentine reporting for duty SIR!" exclaimed Lisa as she shot from her bed to a standard military tension standing (A/N: that "Ten-HOOT!" thing, I don't know how it's called)
-
"I didn't take the bat-mobile for a cruise last night, Bat-Girl's lying!" shouted Robin as he fell off his bed, his cape covering him
-
"It wasn't me!" screamed both Beast Boy and Red-X. The sudden blast of light made Red-X roll for cover, but he didn't remember where he was laying and as a result, Beast Boy looked down on the floor and saw a groaning Red-X
"Are mornings always so fun around here?" he asked while getting on his feet
"Nah, sometimes Raven wakes up with a bad mood, that's where it really gets good" replied the changeling. Red-X groaned and started making his way to the living room, where he met the other titans; a quick glance over them told him that they were also caught by surprise by the light flash
"Anyone cares to explain to me what that was?" asked Raven, she was already wearing her combat uniform and was at the kitchen, poring hot water to a cup in front of her
"Yes, please, tell me why we were woken up in such a horrible manner?" added Starfire, still wearing her "Yum, Yum, Bubblegum" pajamas, a pink shirt and a pair of pink pants with the "Yum, Yum, Bubblegum" logo in the middle of the shirt.
"Well, when Mayor Fisher told me he installed a new alarm clock system, I thought he just added a radio feature" replied Robin, still rubbing the back of his head
"Well I think it was a good idea waking us up in this hour, we'll enlist Red-X right now and save more time around the day for that new training session you wanted to test" commented Cyborg, already placing four stripes of bacon in the sizzling frying pan
"I agree with Cy, what do you think B?" asked Lisa
"It's too early to think! I wonna go back to sleep!" screamed Beast Boy, throwing himself on the couch.
"C'mon X, let's get this over with" said Robin and walked to the middle of the living room, X following him.
"Place your hand here" said Robin while pointing at a black rectangle. X did so and raised his other hand
"I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth though help me G- what?" he asked Robin who in response raised an eyebrow
"It was just a fingerprint scan for the Titans' lockdown system" replied Robin
"I…I knew that….moving on"
"Right…name?"
"Red-X"
"Age?"
"Eighteen and a half"
"Powers?"
"You should know, you built the suit"
"Right. Why do you want to join the Teen Titans?"
"'Cause I don't got anything better to do"
"To help fight evil and serve mankind…" hummed Robin "Okay, now all we have to do is let the computer fill out these forms so the whole legal issue will be sorted out. But you're now an official Teen Titan" he shook X's hand
"Now we got another problem in our hands" said Red-X
"And what's that?" asked a half awaken Beast Boy
"This" said the vigilante, pointing at his belt "I need Xenothium to keep the suit operational and I don't think you'll let me steal some every once in a month"
"Don't worry about that" said Robin, padding X on the shoulder "I made a deal with the "Trek Industries" manager, I explained to him that it'll be much more cost-effective to give you some Xenothium each month rather than having you stealing form them while destroying their security systems" X chuckled his mechanical laughter
"If you ever fail at being a superhero, you have an assured job as a politician" he said, making the other titans laugh a bit
"C'mon you guys, breakfast time" said Lisa, pointing at an already set table. The male titans stormed at the table and took their seats.
"How're you going to eat with your mask on?" asked Starfire while putting a slice of egg into her mouth
"Like this" said X, he put his cup of coffee on top of his plate, held on to it with one hand and with the other hand, pressed the center of his belt, vanishing into a black blur. He teleported back fifteen minutes later, holding a clean plate
"I gotta hand it to ya metal head, you cook up some mean bacon" said X while slapping on more stripes of bacon on his plate
"Thanks" he replied
-
"Whose turn is it to do the dishes?" asked Cyborg. In response, Beast Boy sprayed soy milk all over the titans who sat in front of him
"I think you got your answer" replied Robin, wiping his face with his hand.
"Robin, I wish to begin the new training session" said Starfire, causing all the people present to stare at her
"Good idea Star. Titans, assemble at the training course in five minutes" ordered Robin. The rest of the titans scrambled towards the exit door, except Beast Boy, who was still trying to make himself look he was doing the dishes
"You got away from today's session, but you'll have double duty next time" hisses Robin as he closed the door behind him. The changeling let out a sigh and dropped on the couch, grabbing a Game Station controller and turning on "Mega Monkeys 4: Redemption"
"Sweet gaming experience, here I come" he said to himself
-
Warm air greeted the titans as they walked towards the newly reformed training course; a long patch of naked ground, only brown dirt, some rocks and the control panel.
"Star, Raven, go man the controls" said Robin, the two complied and soon stood in the little control box
"So what's new about this session Rob?" asked Cyborg
"Well, a few days ago it came to me that we're practicing a little too more with our powers; we need some physical training, so I decided to have each of us train on his strong suit. Star and Raven will practice airborne assaults and sneak attacks, Cyborg and Lisa need to work out on strength and accuracy and Beast Boy and I were supposed to have an obstacle course, but since B is out for dishes…" he turned towards Red-X "It'll be you and me"
"Wouldn't have it any other way" he replied. Starfire flicked a switch and the patch of ground was replaced by an obstacle course consisting of a 25 meters swimming pool, followed by a 60 meters sprint, a barbed wire crossing, a beam walk, rope swing and a climbing wall.
"Don't worry kid, I'll wait for you at the finish line" said Red-X
"You'll be eating my dust all the way" replied the boy wonder
"Relax you two, it's just a stupid practice session" said Raven
"She's right you know" noted X
"Yeah, and besides, winning isn't everything"
"It's just the only thing that really matters" completed X. The two walked towards the starting line, both removing their capes and belts
"Fair play?" asked Robin
"Fair play" replied X. the countdown started
Five
They both leaned forward, one hand touching the ground
Four
Glanced were exchanged, each staring at the other
Three
Eyes narrowing to slits, looks shifting forward
Two
Muscles flexing, blood rushing faster and faster through the body
One
Adrenaline is pumping through the veins, heart racing
Go!
They both bolted forward, running at inhuman speeds, both leaping into the cold water, cutting through it like an aircraft cuts through the air, they started swimming, stroke by stroke, making their way to the other edge. Sprinting, Robin had the advantage; Red-X was a bit behind, still running at top speed, but a few inches behind The Boy Wonder. Without second thoughts, he leaped forward, diving below the barbed wire and missing it by a few millimeters; he gained a small lead over Robin as he continued to crawl under the metal wires. Reaching the end, X got up and raced across the beam, still ahead of Robin, he reached wooden platform and jumped towards the rope, but the winds of fortune blew in the other way, literally, a slight breeze pushed the rope out of X's reach and he fell face first into the mud pit below. Robin on the other hand, swung across the pit with success, now running across the next platform towards the climbing wall, he didn't notice the fact that Red-X was still running under the platform, still intending to beat Robin. reaching the climbing wall, X jumped up, leaping from one bump in the wall to another, heading upwards, he leveled with Robin and climbed much like The Boy Wonder himself, with insane speed, they both reached the top and jumped down, once again sprinting towards the finish line, only 100 meters away. Still at top speed, Robin noticed Red-X's arms were a bit ahead of his, so he ran faster, pushing his body over the limits, he had to beat him, to prove once and for all that he is better than Red-X
"You are NOT losing to this kid" screamed X's brain, forcing him to speed up even further, he closed the already small gap between himself and Robin. The finish line was inches away and time seemed to slow down; seconds becoming hours, both runners gave one last burst of energy. The buzzer went off, announcing someone crossed the finish line. They both skidded to a halt and ran towards the control box to check their times
"What?!" roared Robin
"No way" added X. The green timer beeped, two lines appearing and reappearing
Robin: 43.011 secs
Red-X: 43.011 secs
"It seems you are equally matched" said Starfire. Both Robin and Red-X looked at each other, eyes narrowing down to thin slits in their masks, when all of a sudden, Robin extended his right arm forward
"You gave one heck of a fight X"
"You're not so bad yourself kid" replied the vigilante
"One more thing, can you please stop calling me kid?"
"I can sure try ki-…ern…Robin"
"There, was that so hard?"
"Unbelievably hard"
-
Noon, the titans finished their daily training routine and were in the living room, groaning with aches. It was hot, way too hot, by now; Robin has turned to his room, to work on new leads associated with Slade, Starfire was nowhere to be found and the rest of the titans were still at the living room, laying on the couch, on the two armchairs or just sitting at the floor. Beast Boy wiped his face with a wash cloth and threw it carelessly behind him. The sweat soaked rag landed on Cyborg's face, the android peeled the rag off his face and threw it to his left
"That's the stuff…" moaned Red-X. Beast Boy, Cyborg, Raven and Lisa shifted their eyes towards him; he was laying on the left armchair, his upper body tilted back a bit and the green piece of cloth on his face
"X, you do realize you have Beast Boy sweat on your face" noted Raven while stretching her body, trying to deplete the heat buildup
"Desperate times call for desperate means" replied the vigilante. He got up and headed towards the door, throwing his belt casually over his shoulder
"Where're you going dude?" asked Beast Boy
"To hose myself down outside, you coming?" he replied
"Oh, you know it" answered Cyborg, getting up and nudging Lisa to join him. The female android got up and followed Cyborg. Red-X opened the main door and was blown back by an orange flash
"Star's home" noted Beast Boy, motioning Raven to join them outside. The half-demon raised her eyes out of her book towards him
"Whatever" she said monotonously and followed.
-
Silence ruled the space of the small investigation room; inside it, sat Robin, working on his computer, he was trying to make a connection between several leads that were given to him by Jump City's commando unit; it appears that during their last raid they may have uncovered vital clues related to Slade's true identity. He wasn't even bothered when the door shattered to bits and a very excited Starfire entered the room
"Robin, I come bearing joyous news!" she exclaimed
"Hmm…?" he replied, eyes still fixed on the small screen
"Well, I was at the store of convenience, looking for the yellow beverage by the name of mustard in order to purchase it but when I came to the register of cash, a robber appeared and attempted to rob an old man"
"Really…?" hummed Robin, obviously not interested
"Yes, after I saved the old man, he was most grateful and introduced himself as the owner of the park of amusement-" she noticed the far away look in his eyes "And talked to a fiery fellow Martian"
"That's really interesting" he replied, pounding they keys relentlessly
"And on my way back, I saw Slade"
"You saw Slade? Where?" shouted Robin, nearly blowing Starfire back
"I did not; I just wanted to turn your attention towards me. You have not been listening to me!" she frowned, it was unusual for Robin to see her that way, he knew he did something wrong
"Of course I have!" he said defensively "You went to the wall-mart to buy some mustard and saved Mr. Cooper who owns the amusement park, carry on"
"Mr. Cooper had given me two tickets for the amusement park, due tonight, will you come with me?" she asked, her eyes big and sparkling with joy
"Can't" he replied coldly, Starfire's front broke down, her eyes lost their sparkle "I need to talk to Tom Kazansky, the leader of the Jump City commandos, he said he got some new leads about Slade" when Starfire heard the last word, something snapped inside of her, her eyes welled up with tears and she snuffled
"You…you are acting as if Slade is more important to you than the team, than me" she said, sniffling once again
"Don't be silly" said Robin, getting up from his seat and walking towards her, holding her hand "It's just that I'm so close to taking him down, it's so close I can almost taste it. I'll go with you next time, why won't you go out with Raven or Lisa?"
"Oh, I shall go with someone else alright" she replied. Robin let go of her arm and she trailed off towards the living Room, where she found Beast Boy and Raven; the changeling was drying his hair with a white towel and Raven was trying to read a book. They were both dressed in their swimsuits, which caused Beast Boy to occasionally stare at Raven's figure, shifting his eyes every time he caught the glare she shot towards him. She approached them
"Friends Beast Boy and Raven, perhaps you have seen the Red-X?"
-
X was in Beast Boy's room, laying on the floor and tossing a ball of red matter towards the ceiling, catching it with his hand as it came down, and throwing it again. The door swung open and Starfire entered the room. Red-X immediately stopped throwing the ball and turned towards her
"Cutie, what a sight for sore eyes, what brings you here?" asked his distorted voice, Starfire seemed nervous when she entered the room and was even more nervous when he talked to her
"N…nothing…I was just wondering if you have any plans made for tonight"
"Not yet cutie, why?"
"Well, I was wondering if you'd like to accompany me to the amusement park tonight"
"Can't refuse to an offer from a beautiful woman; meet you at the park at ten?"
"Yes, I will meet you there" she said and left the room. X laid on the floor again, arms stretched behind his head
"You still got that old charm" he said to himself
Author Notes
Hello, hello, my place go vertigo…whoops…wrong end of the story. Anyway, did you like it? Sure hope you did, it took me a while to work on it. As you can this was just a plot-ish chappie so no fluff was included. Next chapter: the titans go on their dates. Will Raven and BB tighten the bond between them? Will Starfire finally fall for Red-X's charm? Will Cyborg and Lisa become more than just friends? And how the heck will Robin spend an entire evening alone? All the answers and more on the next chapter of Tales of the Closet.