"The case has, in some respects, been not entirely devoid of interest." -Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes)
………………………………………………………………………………...
Red X stood before the Titan's huge computer screen in their living room atop their tower late that night. The large screen lit the dark room but cast Red X's long shadow far behind him. He typed away at the keyboard on the smaller computer consol below the large screen that doubled as a TV.
The screen was actually the central window of the Titan's living room, the images projected on the glass via advanced heads-up display technology. The end result was high definition images in a glorious range of colors.
It was there that Red X typed away as he accessed the Teen Titan's database. Cyborg had just left town for some reason, Robin and Beast Boy were out on patrol, Starfire was fast asleep in her room, and Raven was in a very deep state of meditation alone in her room. That meant that Red X had a chance to directly access their vast database undetected, which was not an opportunity he got too often.
He typed away and one "villain's" bio was displayed on the window-screen. It was Professor Chang's bio.
Hmm… Gotta admit, the old fart was one of my first suspects. But he's not young or rich, or in a purple suit. He's just well connected and smart. And I use the term "smart" loosely. He's the dumbest smart guy I've seen in a long time.
Red X scrolled down and began reading some data on him. He wondered in the back of his mind if Robin had hand-typed the bio himself, or if he gleaned the data from other sources.
According to the file Red X skimmed over, he was born somewhere in China, spent a lot of time in Russia back in the old days (but not much is known about that), and currently incarcerated. But interestingly enough, he was scheduled to be moved to a new prison in Steel City.
That last fact interested Red X. Why would they move him all the way over there, when he committed crimes here? Is it because prisons here in Jump are over crowded? Then again, what prison isn't over crowded?
Then a fact donned on him. Ya know… Al Melee mentioned something about Space Man having henchmen in Hazmat suits. And Space Man did hire Adonis to steal Zynothium from Star City when I did.
He stared at Chang's mug shot.
Even if Chang's not involved, his goons could be. They would be trained to handle that Zynothium.
With a few nimble strokes at the keyboard Red X had used the Titan's computer to find out when Chang would be moved. He would be police-escorted to an airport pretty early in the morning, in a few hours.
Maybe I'll wish him Bon Voyage… Now, back to the Space Man. He's young, rich, purple, and has a lot of spare time. Who like that could hire out villains? Not many. Let's start with mafia kids.
Red X searched the Titan's criminal database by age and known connections to organized crime. He only got a few results, but they were a start.
Red X could break into the prison, but Chang would be more vulnerable while he was being transported to the airport. That was hours yet to come, so Red X figured he'd pay visits to the mafia kids first.
He took Chang's and the other suspect's files and prepared to burn them on a CD that he could take with him and re-examine further at his luxury. Then he got an idea, and felt foolish for not thinking of it sooner.
Ya know, it's not every day I get to access the Titan's database directly like this. I wonder what they have on me…
But Red X didn't have much time to answer his question, so he just prepared to put his entire file on the disk along with the others. He could open it and digest it at his leisure later too, although he wondered if his curiosity would get to him first…
Meanwhile, Starfire's bedroom door opened and she emerged into the corridor. She wasn't entirely awake but wanted a midnight snack or a glass of water. When she was half way down the corridor she saw the faint light from the living room given off by the huge screen.
Red X removed the disk from the computer, complete and burned with all the information he wanted, and put it away somewhere unseen on his person.
"Robin? Beast Boy?", Starfire called out.
Red X jerked his head to the side at the sound of her.
"Have you returned from your patrol?", she said as she came closer to the end of the corridor and the entrance to the living room.
Red X quickly pressed a few important buttons on the consol, and the computer and the heads-up window screen deactivated.
"I fear I could not sleep tonight. Perhaps we could ingests the snacks of midnight, or watch the funny man with the large chin give a comedic monologue on his show of talk?", she said as she entered the living room.
She expected to find one of her dear friends, but to her disappointment, there was no one there. She was all alone in the big empty dark room late at night.
-X-
Ten hours earlier, Star City.
"You're what?", one of Cissie King Jone's, known to some as Arrowette, friends asked.
Cissie and the three other girls she called friends sat at a both in some fast food restaurant. She had broken the news to them that she needed to leave for Jump City again.
Truth be told, Arrowette (the name Red X associated with her more), understood very much what it was like to not fit in with people. Her obsessive mother had raised her since birth to be an arrow-launching machine. She couldn't lay claim to knowing an absolutely normal life, which bothered her at times. She wondered what she might have missed out on when she was younger because she was too busy shooting arrows. She also had quickly developed an underline tendency to challenge authority. Who else could so quickly defy a controlling mother like that by trying to be a better heroine? She was a perfectly nice and wonderful girl, but still had a tendency to be a tiny bit of a loner.
Nothing compared to Red X's loner complex, but still. I shrink might say she was a good girl trying to be a bad one and yet a very good one at once.
"How long are you going to be there this time?", one friend asked.
"Not sure yet, honestly."
"What in the world are you going back to Jump for anyway?", one friend asked.
"Yeah, there can't be that many archery conventions.", another friend said, referring to the cover story Arrowette used the last time.
"Why go back to Jump City? Except to see the Titans maybe. Admit it! You just want to see Robin.", another friend teased.
Seen him? I've argued with him! And won! "What? Look, it's not that big a deal."
"So why you flying all the way to Jump again then?", a friend asked. Then an idea came to that girl's blonde head. "You got a boyfriend there… Don't ya?"
The other two girls leaned in with raised eyebrows, ready to devour any piece of gossip.
"What? No!", Arrowette denied.
"Come on, Cissie. You know you got a thing for bad boys."
"What! Shut up!", Arrowette said a little louder.
"I can't believe you kept this from us."
"So come on… Tell us…"
"Well…" Truth be told, Cissie King-Jones didn't have a decent alibi for going to Jump. She planned on telling her friends it had something to do with archery, but they had no grasp of that area of her world. They only knew she was good. They had no idea she could pierce the head of a lawn gnome a hundred yards away blindfolded. She needed an alibi they'd believe. And a boyfriend in Jump City was just the kind of thing these boy-crazy bimbos would believe in a heartbeat. "There… Might be a certain guy…", she said with a smirk.
The girls all smiled or laughed in their own ways.
"Ha! I knew it!"
"What's he like?"
"Yeah, girl! Spill it."
"He handsome?"
"Well…" Come on… Think! "He's…" She tried to make her lack of ideas look more like shyness. "He's a good fighter. Great fighter. Wear's black. Rides a totally awesome bike."
"Sounds like a total hot-"
"Is he nice?", one girl interrupted another.
"Well… Actually, he's sorta a jerk, really.", Arrowette admitted
"Oh?"
"I mean, he's got it where it counts, or at least I think so. But he's kinda selfish, doesn't really open up at all, and really rough around the edges.", she explained.
The other girls all let out a collective, "Oh…"
One girl shook her head. "Tsk tsk tsk. Come on, Cissie. Don't tell us you've gotten caught up with some cold hearted snake."
"Well…", she avoided that for a moment.
"Girl, I can't tell you how many times I've seen this.", the redhead of the group said. "Tell me, do you really think he thinks about you when you're not around?"
"What? I guess so- Wait- What's that supposed to mean?" Arrowette wondered if the boyfriend-idea was more trouble then it was worth.
"He's your typical cold hearted, lying, manipulative, selfish, bad boy. Simply luscious, yes. But ultimately he's bad news for you, girl.", the redhead said again.
"He's not that bad.", Arrowette said.
"Tell me…", another girl began. "Does it ever seem like the world's a candy store and he's going trick-or-treating?"
Various images of him looting and having fun flashed in Arrowette's mind. "I really doubt he'd settle for a candy store."
Each girl either sighed or let out a moan of frustration. They all knew that kind of guy and regretted it.
"Girl, you can do so much better."
"Yeah. Your first date in how long and it's gotta be someone like that?"
"He's not that bad!", Arrowette insisted. "Okay, so he's got some rough spots, I'll admit. But he's got it where it counts."
"They all 'got it where it counts.'"
Arrowette found herself getting a little mad but didn't know why or pay much heed. "Oh yeah! Well when push comes to shove, I'm betting he's a better person then anyone else here right now!" Arrowette's eyes widened when she realized what came out of her lips. "Um… What I mean to say is…"
Every girl smirked.
"Oh no… Don't even say it. I swear, if you say it, I'll shove an arrow so far up your-!"
"Relax, girl. We're just messing with you.", one girl finally confessed. "But do be careful, all right? Bad boys are fun but they don't last. Don't get yourself too attached."
"I'll be alright.", Arrowette calmed down and smiled some what.
"So when's your plane leave?", one friend asked.
"I gotta be at the airport…" Arrowette looked at her watch and her eyes widened. "Ten minuets ago! See ya!" Arrowette jumped out of her seat, left behind her tray of fast food, and bolted out the door.
-X-
Hours after Red X broke into Titans Tower and escaped unnoticed.
It was a bumpy ride.
Chang sat on his bench on the inside of the prison transport van. His only companion, if he dared to consider him that, was an armored guard who sat across from him with rifle near by.
Bump.
Chang wasn't a very happy person at this point. He had tried to talk to his guard, boast of his prowess and great works, but the guard was uninterested in the boastings of a detained mad-scientists.
Bump.
Then, Chang heard something that made his head perk up a bit. It sounded like the raw but gentle hum of drilling. Chang looked at his guard, who was obliviously humming a tune to himself.
The guard looked up at Chang's curiosity. "Settle down, Dr. Frankenstein. You'll have a nice comfy seat on your plane in an hour or so."
"I'm not complaining about my seat this time.", Chang said, reminded of an earlier complaint he had had about his hard bench.
"Then what's wrong with you?"
"Nevermind, simpleton. Go back to humming your new age rap music to yourself."
"I'm humming Stairway To Heaven.", The guard said matter-of-factly.
When the conversation ended, Chang heard the slight hum again. Again, the guard didn't seem to notice the almost inaudible hum. For a moment, Chang wondered if his hearing was beginning to fade, or if the racket from the prison had left his ears with a faint ringing. "Probably nothing…", he muttered to himself silently.
Pfft!
"Ack!"
Chang's attention snapped back up at the guard who now had a thin dart sticking strait up out of his upper shoulder near his neck.
The guard grimaced for a moment, then slumped over on the floor unconscious with a thump.
Chang looked up at the ceiling, the only possible place a dart could have been fired from strait downwards. He found a small hall just above where the guard sat.
The humming had been from a small drill! And whoever drilled the hole shot the guard with a dart though the freshly bored hole.
A small light shined around the hold, and the light began to move away from the hole, cutting though the metal as it passed.
Chang stood up and backed away into a corner as the light quickly sliced a circle into the ceiling.
The light died, and a moment later the circular plate it had cut into the ceiling fell with a loud crash, caring a passenger…
Red X had jumped on the circular plate he'd cut, and now half-stood before Chang. His head was slightly bowed down and his cape was completely draped around him. He slowly looked up revealing the skull on his face and his eternal glare. "Hey, Slappy. Long time no see.", X mocked.
Chang was shocked at first, but then grinned with an odd sort of delight. "Well well well… If it isn't the bad boy who likes to play good boy."
"Only when it suits me, pops.", X stood up erect, opening his cape somewhat. "You were about to fry my favorite movie theater with that big telescope. Also, you had something that belonged to me."
"Yes… The Zynothium ore you and Robin both wanted so badly… But as you can see, I don't have any right now.", Chang said, talking so smoothly as he liked to do when not flustered by defeat. "Which leads me to wonder, why are you here?"
"Long story short, someone's been hiring out your old goons. I want to know everything you do about that."
"Hmmp. As if I'm still in the loop there. After you and Robin had me arrested, half my men disbanded and ran. The others were arrested too, and are not fighting their own legal battles. I've been out of contact with most of them. All thanks to you." Chang had lost his smooth talking dialect, displaying instead bitterness at X.
"Don't you mean… Thanks to us?", X referred to Robin.
"Yes… You and Robin…"
"So… Who was the highest ranking member of your henchmen?"
"He's in prison now too. Don't bother thinking he's been hired out. He's having as much discomfort with the prison food as I am."
"Yeah… I hear rice and ketchup day is a killer.", X commented. "How could anyone round up your old goons and hire them?"
"Why would you want to know?", Chang said. He had not lost his bitterness but also gained a witty edge to him. He was attempting to outwit Red X.
"That's not for you to know, pudgy."
"Don't treat me like a common moron, X. Even I heard about the word under the street. Someone wants you squashed and grinded up in a wood chipper, and frankly… I applaud."
Suddenly Red X reached out, his cape thrown out the way in the motion, and grabbed Chang by the throat. Red X leaned in real close to Chang's face, forcing Chang to stare into the ghostly whites of X's eyes.
"We're on a bumpy dirt road in the middle of nowhere. If no one saw me get on this van, no one will see me get off… With your head."
"You wouldn't!"
Red X held up his other hand and activated his new X-blade, a single spoke of the X on his backfist extended and deathly-sharpened. Red X slowly put the blade against the side of Chang's head.
"Trust me, that'll be a lot worse then a shaving cut." He paused. "Tell me how to get in contact with your goons!"
"Alright alright! Kyle Bensly…", he muttered the name. "No good slacker. He was the most popular of my remaining men. If anyone would be in contact with the rest of my men, it'd be him. But good luck finding him… He's long gone. Police haven't found him yet."
Red X leaned closer and narrowed his eyes. "Do I look like a cop?" He retracted his X-blade, pivoted on his footing, and threw Chang to the ground by the unconscious guard. "Kyle Bensly, was it?", he said after Chang had hit the ground.
Chang glared and snarled, which Red X took as a yes.
"Good. You don't got long till your Stormtrooper wakes up."
The guard began to stir, partially awaked by the loud noise Chang made when he hit the floor. Chang glanced at the guard.
"Guess that's my exit cue.", Red X said.
When Chang looked back up, X was gone. He did, however, catch a slight flutter of motion above him. He looked up just in time to see the edge of Red X's cape retreat beyond the rim of the hole in the roof. "Later!", X yelled back as he disappeared from sight.
The guard crawled back up to his hands and knees as he regained consciousness with a moan. "Ugh… What happened?" He looked up surprised to see himself on the floor next to Chang.
"Uh… We hit a big bump. I told you my seat was inadequate!", Chang explained.
-X-
Hours earlier, 218 miles outside of Star City.
Cissie King-Jones, still better known to Red X as Arrowette, sat in her plush and unbelievably comfortable chair in the first class section of the plane that was taking her to Jump City. She sipped at her sparkling spring water, which was given to her by a very polite and charming stewardess, and smiled.
Wow. When X sends you on a flight, he really sends you on a flight! I didn't expect him to buy me first class tickets! This place is great. No wonder people in coach are always so miserable.
She set down her spring water and picked up a nice magazine to read. But she never really got any reading done.
Although…. I wonder if I should feel bad about enjoying a first class ticket that was paid for with stolen money… Well, it's not like I stole it. And I'm going to Jump on business, not pleasure. Well, sorta. I mean, I'm going to help Red X find out who's been targeting him. I'm going to another city to help a bad guy find another bad guy. And I probably still couldn't catch either bad guy without the other bad guy's help.
Ya know, I'm tired of everyone calling Red X a bad guy. I mean, okay, he is a thief. But he also saved my life a few dozen times by now, and he saved all of Jump and the Teen Titans once before! Okay, so he's not a shinning pillar of morality, but still. He doesn't deserve to be burned alive at the steaks, right?
I wonder if he's ever stolen because he was hungry? I don't think to many people could be mad a person who steals food to survive. Then again, X sure doesn't look hungry to me. He gave me first class tickets! A very comfortable window seat! Like it was no big deal. The guy's a super-thief, he ain't hungry. So why does he steal? Is there really that much thrill in it?
Cissie looked over and saw the businessman next to her busy typing away on his laptop. He was completely oblivious to the entire world and wouldn't even notice if the plane crashed. He had an unopened bag of peanuts on his lap, and Cissie loved those little honey-roasted peanuts.
Five minuets later.
Cissie smiled at herself with that very bag of peanuts safely in the clutches of her closed hand. The businessman never even knew she picked it right off his lap, and one of his status and assumed wealth could never miss that bag of peanuts. But beyond some delicious peanuts, she got something else. She learned something.
That was fun!
The challenge, the trill, the skill needed. Now, granted, it was just pick pocketing a bag of peanuts from an oblivious guy's lap. Red X could probably do that with his eyes closed and barely notice the adrenalin rush. But even if it wasn't a priceless diamond, it was still fun. Stealing was fun.
Cissie looked at the businessman, so busy and stressed about the work on his laptop. Then she learned something else, the difference between her and Red X. She felt guilty.
Here this poor man was so stressed about whatever he was working on that he wouldn't noticed an amateur like her take a bag of peanuts off his lap, and she took advantage of that.
Suddenly, her little heist just wasn't worth it anymore.
"Here ya go.", she said as she handed the bag of peanuts to the man.
He looked up from his screen as if he'd never seen the bag before. "Those are mine?"
"Yeah."
"Oh, well thank you." The man took the bag and didn't even question how she'd gotten it. He looked back at his screen to catch up his thoughts, and then look back at her. "Ya know, I'm not gonna eat these. You can have them." He handed the bag back to her.
Cissie took the bag back with a smile and thanked the man. Okay… So I'm not Red X… But at least I understand him a bit more now… She mused as she ate her lovely honey roasted peanuts.
-X-
Less then an hour before sunrise.
Red X stood in a tiny room full of supplies and quite a few x-themed weapons. It was one of his satellite headquarters. In favor of a hiding place or a quick re-supply, Red X had rented a few small apartments across Jump City and stocked them with supplies. It wasn't a pretty one-bedroom apartment, but it had a table with a laptop, cases full of supplies and tools he stashed away, a cot, and a few canned goods for snacks in case he was hiding out while the heat died.
Red X knew he was good. But he always tries very hard to let his prowess and thirst for bigger heists make him careless. That's why he had these little apartment bases, so he could hide or re-supply if the odds tipped against him for whatever reason.
Tonight, he just wanted a snack and a few more shuriken. He ate a candy bar or two, a granola bar, and drank some stocked away soda. Then he topped-off his belts inventory of gadgets and re-loaded the charges on his grapnel gun.
Then he crawled out onto the fire escape, locked the window, and then he took out his freshly loaded grapnel gun and was off again.
Later, Red X swung on his line and landed on the roof of a bakery. He retracted his grapnel and noticed how this bakery never stopped smelling delicious, like cinnamon and sweet rolls. Red X loved sweet rolls.
As silently as a wraith, he moved across the roof and leaned against a chimney. He knew Arrowette's plane had already landed. She had probably already checked into the hotel X made reservations in for her. And soon she'd meet him on this rooftop as they'd agreed on in an email.
So, with nothing else to do, X took out his communicator. He used it to deduce that no other Titans were near. Good. Then he used it to begin reading the files he stole from Titans Tower's mainframe. He immediately opened the file on him and read up.
…
"Hmm, they have me figured as the dingy-apartment type.", Red X mused. He might have to improve the security around his satellite bases.
…
…
"Well, can't use that fence anymore.", Red X mused as he read about how the Titans had a close eye on Lenny's pawnshop.
…
"Yeah, right. Like I'd do that!"
"Talking to yourself?", Arrowette said.
Red X looked up to see her on the rooftop. "Just reading my horoscope.", he said as he put away the communicator.
"Sure… You were probably downloading museum blueprints."
"Yeah. Normally I download illegally pirated music.", Red X said with a smirk as he walked towards her.
"Any news?", Arrowette said.
"Yeah. The Gotham Knights beat us in last night's game. But aside from that, I have a lead on our Space Man."
Arrowette leaned on her bow. "Oh, do tell.", she said amused.
"Space Man might be using Professor Chang's old henchmen. Makes sense since Space Man hired Adonis to steal Zynothium, and Chang's goons would be trained to handle that stuff. And Al Melee did say Space Man had guys in hazmat suits with him."
"Hmm… Yeah, makes sense. But how do we find them?"
"Now that's a bit trickier. The police and the Titans rounded half of Chang's men up, and the other half disappeared. But I know the name of one popular goon. Kyle Bensly. He might either be working with the Space Man, or know where the rest of his buds are."
"So now we find Kyle Bensly?"
"Yeah."
"Great, let's get to work.", she said with a zeal.
Red X chuckled to himself and dismissed the idea with a gentle wave. "Forget it, girly. I'm going to bed. I've been up all night breaking into places, questioning mob kids, scaring people… It's been a long night." Red X looked at the horizon and saw the sun rising. "Okay… It was a long night."
"Aw… Is the big bad thief sleepy?", Arrowette teased.
"Yes."
Arrowette laughed, then said, "Okay, we'll pick up fresh tomorrow night. How do I contact you?"
"You don't. I'll come see you around sun set in your hotel."
"You're assertive."
"Well you can't just go and ask for a priceless painting, now, can you?" Red X reached down to his belt and pressed an unseen button on the compartment next to the buckle.
The roar of a bike's engine echoed through the alleyways.
"Leaving already?"
"Relax, you'll see me in twelve hours. Why? You gonna miss me?", he walked with a brisk step towards the edge of the roof.
"Hardly.", she smirked.
"Yeah right. Ya know ya dig me.", Red X laughed then grabbed the edges of his cape and leapt off the building.
Arrowette ran over and looked over the edge to see X land on his bike, and drive off. He turned an alley's corner and disappeared out of sight, the roar of his bike becoming fainter and fainter.
