"Organized crime in America takes in over forty billion dollars a year and spends very little on office supplies." -Woody Allen
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She was a queen in her own eyes.
Blackfire said her goodbyes to her date outside in the hallway, and walked into her lush condo on the lower west side of Jump City. The condo on the sixth floor featured a plush couch and a nice view of the city's skyline.
She wore a skimpy short white dress, and her exotic earrings sparkled as brightly as her bracelet. Her legs were long and smooth, her dark hair was silky and soft, and she boasted proof that Mother Nature was kind to her.
Young, rich, and attractive.
Oh yeah, and she was a super-powered Tamaranian who was seeking temporary refuge on Earth after being exiled from her home world when she tried to take it over.
"Hey, babe.", Red X said.
Blackfire twirled around with a bright starbolt in hand, eyes glowing bright purple with a glare.
"Whoa! Easy there, it's just me." Red X had been leaning against the doorframe leading into her kitchen, but he raised his hands in defense.
Blackfire smirked and powered down. "Well, well, if it isn't Red X, the elusive and debonair thief of this city. I was wondering when I'd see you again."
"Same to you, babe. So how'd you afford a swanky place like this anyway?" Red X crossed his arms over his chest. His cape draped over his shoulders and floated behind him like a living shadow as he walked into the living room with her.
"Oh, you know. Conning people mostly. A different kind of thief if you will.", she said.
"Gold digging?"
"Not specifically. Old money, new money, any money will do."
"Like your date just now?"
"He bought me these earrings didn't he?"
Red X chuckled to himself. "Only in our circles can you start talking about stuff like this like it's the weather."
She smirked. "So to what do I owe pleasure?", she asked.
"You're pretty popular among these parts, right?"
She laughed. "I should hope so."
"Know of anyone who really hates me?"
"You mean aside from the cops?"
"Yeah, aside from them and every museum owner around.", Red X said.
"Hmm… Well, Chang hasn't been a fan of you lately."
"Nah. He's doing time, in Black Gate or in Steel City somewhere."
"Why the sudden interest?", she asked.
"Someone wants my head on their wall."
"Oh yeah, I heard about that Plunder guy."
"You heard already? Wow, you are popular."
Blackfire smiled and walked over to a mirror, where she started taking off her jewelry. Red X found himself staring at her while her back was turned, but he eventually snapped himself out of that gaze, thankful for a photographic memory.
"Ya know, I might have heard of someone who could've hired that guy. But what's it worth to you?"
"About as much as this." Red X produced a fine diamond necklace from a compartment in his belt. The sparkling stones of the necklace shined like a beacon from where Red X was, and Blackfire could've sworn she saw her reflection in the smooth 24 karate gold surface.
He never saw the conceited, yet stunningly attractive, girl's eyes open so wide. "It's beautiful…"
Red X handed her the necklace, and she immediately spun around and put it on in front of the mirror. "This isn't stolen is it?"
"Nope. But I did buy it with money from stolen jewelry."
She smiled at her image in the mirror and how the necklace matched the curves of her face.
"Ya like?", he asked.
"Oh, I am loving this!" She turned around and looked at Red X with such glee, like he had granted her only wish. "Okay, Red X. You just bought me!"
Red X raised an eyebrow, and suppressed the urge to make a comment.
"Ever hear of a guy named Al Melee?" She sat on her plush couch, crossing one smooth leg over the other. Her index finger fondled her new necklace around her thin neck.
"Yeah, he's a major arms dealer around these parts.", he said.
"Rumor has it you're the one who emptied out his safe last month."
"Um... Maybe."
"Well, apparently he's mad.", she informed him.
"Why should he care? Those jewels and things where insured, right?"
"Yeah, but he was planning on using those right away on a Columbian deal. He may have made a little money with the insurance, but he lost a chance to do big business."
"The Columbian's are dangerous. I may have saved his life.", Red X said.
"Tell him that."
"Maybe I will." He walked behind the couch that she sat on as he thought to himself. "So, aside from Al Melee, anyone else you know of hate me?"
"No one in the mob that I can think of."
"What about the rest of the supervillian community?"
"Actually, most of them don't mind you."
"Really? Even after I helped the Titans back at Chang's observatory?"
"Thing is, Chang never told the rest of us about his little doomsday plan. We could have been vaporized too. It's called a professional courtesy!"
"Go figure." Red X supposed that meant that no one liked Slade either, he never warned anyone about the time he took over the city with Terra. Even though Red X had no doubt that Slade was smart enough to have hired Plunder, he knew that Slade wasn't the man after him, on the count that Slade was dead.
Blackfire was still resting on the couch, fiddling with her new necklace.
"Well, thanks again, cutie. But I better get going.", he said.
"So soon?", she asked with a cute smirk.
"I've got work to do."
"All work and no play can make Red X a very dull thief." She stood up from the couch.
Red X looked over his shoulder as he walked towards her open window. "I don't think we have to worry about that."
"Don't be such a stranger, X." She walked across the room to stretch her legs. "Stop by sometime."
Red X chuckled. "How many thieves can say they got that invite?"
Blackfire looked behind her shoulder at him. A breeze had blown into the condo through her open window, and it blew Red X's cape away from him, making it dance in the wind. "Not many.", she said.
Red X wasn't sure how to reply to that. You can never be too sure with this girl. You could never be sure if she really liked you, or if she was just wanted to suck your bank account dry. And Red X had a very large bank account.
She turned her head away from him, and walked towards the kitchen. She asked, "So what would it take to see what you really look like underneath that costume?"
"About the same as it would take to see what you look like under yours."
"Hey!" She whipped around, but he was gone. The window was left open and the drapes around it were blowing in breeze. "Better luck next time, I guess.", she said with a wry smirk.
-X-
11:23 pm.
Red X perched on the rooftop of Blackfire's condo complex. His thoughts drifted back towards Blackfire as he digested the images he'd saved in his photographic memory bank. The unusually warm wind blew his cape around him and made its tatters dance like a majestic living creature.
He reached in to his belt, and withdrew a grey and black version of the Titan's own communicators. Instead of a "T" painted on the cover, he had painted on a red x, of course. Actually, it was based off of the one he stole from Robin himself.
Red X had used Robin's to access the Titan's mainframe computer at the tower, and before the Titans could change frequencies or update codes, he already had an invisible backdoor into their network. Long story short, with his version of the communicator, tied into their communications network, he also could monitor any of the Titan's location at any time.
Wicked sweet.
Red X opened the communicator, and found that all the Titans where safely far away in their tower. That meant he was free to move about the city out of the shadows, for the most part. He put away the communicator, withdrew his grapnel gun, and swung off.
11:26 pm.
The monorail always slowed down as it turned the corner of King Street and State Avenue at this time in the week. On Saturdays it turned the corner three minuets later.
Red X was perched on top of a street lamp just over the monorail's path, and when it came to pass, he grabbed up the edges of his cape. He jumped off the street lamp and used the cape as a parachute to slow his fall so he could land safely on the monorail.
He landed on its surface with a thump and released his cape, the wind blowing it hard behind him. Red X narrowed his eyes as he determined how long until he reached the other side of town.
"Wow!"
Red X turned his head sharply and saw Arrowette standing a bit away behind him.
"Really, wow. Imagine my surprise to find you on the same train as me!", she said, leaning on her bow.
"Imagine my surprise to know you're not in Star City!", Red X said. He stood up, turned around, and faced Arrowette. The wind blew his cape around him and covered him as if it was protective of its master.
"Seems life's full of surprises.", she said beaming.
"So… What's a girl like you doing on a train like this?" Of course, Red X would have to use a line sooner or later.
"I was looking for you, ironically enough."
"How flattering… And why am I so popular all of the sudden?"
"Because you stole from my city."
"Oh, yeah. That."
"Yeah, that."
"Hey, I saved your butt from Adonis and let you take the credit for taking him down.", Red X said. "Doesn't that entitle me to one or two acts of forgiveness?"
"Nope." She smirked.
"Well… Guess I'm all out of luck then."
"Better luck next time…", Arrowette smirked.
"That's my line.", Red X grimaced. Then he quickly removed his grapnel gun, aimed it at rooftop, and fired.
"Wait!", she yelled.
But Red X was already in the air and swinging away, slipping even further away from Arrowette as the monorail moved away.
"I really need to get me one of those grapnel things…", she lamented.
-X-
12:15 am.
"This better be good! Why on God's green earth did you feel the need to wake me up?!", Al Melee yelled at two of his lackeys as he walked down the hall in his pajamas.
"Uh… Sir, there's a visitor for you.", one lackey said.
"So reschedule!"
"Sir, I don't believe this is the kind of visitor you reschedule...", the other lackey said.
Al Melee seemed confused, but quickly opened the doors to his office and saw Red X. And not only that, Red X was sitting in his chair at his desk! With his arms crossed and his feet on the desk even!
"Hey, Jeeves. How's it going?", X asked.
Al Melee grinned his teeth and clenched his teeth at the sight of the arrogant young brat. "You! You've got some nerve coming in here…"
"No guts, no glory.", Red X dismissed with a wave. Then he took his feet off the desk, stood up, and walked out from behind the desk. "I'll get down to business quick. Did you hire Plunder?"
"Who?"
"Plunder. Bounty hunter from Keystone City. Tried to put my head on someone else's wall. And I'd like to know who paid him to do it."
"And what makes you think I know?!"
"Word on the street is you have it out for me."
"You robbed me!"
"You don't have any proof of that ya know. Besides, the Columbians are dangerous."
"And rich! And I'm not! How could I have hired Plunder when I can barely pay my own men?"
"Don't know, but you're a smart guy. I'm sure you figured out some new way to sell something to third graders."
If Red X tried hard enough, he bet he could see a vein on Al Melee's forehead. "How'd you get in here, anyway?"
Red X pointed a thumb behind him at the open doors leading to the balcony of Al Melee's office. "Door was unlocked."
"No it wasn't!"
"Well… It is now."
That vein was clearly visible now. "You had better give me one good reason why I shouldn't off you." He snapped his fingers and his two lackeys withdrew their pistols.
Then, in a fraction of the blink of an eye, two arrows hit the lackey's pistols and they flew from their hands.
Red X turned around sharply and saw Arrowette sanding on the railing of the balcony outside. Her bow was clenched in her hand, her other hand still hovered just behind her head after she let those last two arrows fly.
"You! What are you doing here?!", Red X asked with wide eyes, honestly surprised for the second time tonight.
"You weren't the only one who heard about Al's grudge or about Plunder. Guess I figured Al probably hired him too.", she explained.
"Well, yeah. But I meant, how did I still get here before you? You were still riding the monorail and I had to get here on my own. So how'd you get here after me?!", Red X asked.
"I, um… I sorta got a little lost.", she forced out with embarrassment.
Red X just stood there quietly. Then his shoulder and chest started shaking as he tried desperately not to laugh.
"Hey! I'm new in this town!"
Red X was trying so hard not to laugh. In the end, he decided just to turn around and continue hassling Al Melee before he lost any more intimidation value. "So…" He paused for a second to swallow another laugh. "Who hired Plunder?"
Suddenly, the door to the office was kicked down and beam of blue energy came from beyond the doorway. The beam hit Red X, knocking him to the ground, and ice crystals quickly formed around him and completely froze him in an icy tomb.
Al Melee and his lackeys had dove to the floor for cover and safety. Arrowette had almost fallen off the balcony railing in surprise, but kept a steady foot down on the balcony floor. Red X continued to be suspended in a giant piece of ice, as if he was one of the works of art he'd stolen.
Beyond the doorway was a haze of mist. A foot stepped out from the mist, and the rest of the person followed soon after. It was Plunder again, holding some sort of freeze-ray rifle in hand.
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Author's Note: Sorry it took me so long to update.
