Titans: Elemental

Chapter 67: X, Part 1

Dick, "it's simple…."

We see two bright red strokes flash to form an X over a lock. The tumblers line up, releasing the mechanism.

Dick, "there is good…. And there is evil."

The door slides open a bit as a caped silhouette slips in.

Dick, "there are those who commit crimes…."

The figure runs ahead, and the shaft of light widens to show Vic pushing the door open and the rest of the Titans gathered around him. All are in silhouette.

Dick, "... and those who stop them."

They advance into the room, the light coming up a bit to show them properly; Dick gives a hand signal and all charge. It takes a second for Beast Boy to get his head and body going in the same direction as he brings up the rear.

We see inside an elevator shaft; a grappling hook flies up and the caped intruder ascends on the line.

Dick, "the two sides are opposite…."

All but Beast Boy stand on the car's roof.

Dick, "... as different as day and night."

Raven exerts her powers on the cable pulley to set the car in motion. After it has risen, Beast Boy enters the shaft through an open door; he drops a few feet before turning into a giant bat and flapping his way up.

We see a laser beam that stretches across an open doorway at ankle height to act as a tripwire. The unauthorized visitor steps into view and kneels down, without breaking the light path.

Dick, "and the line between them is clear…."

A device is set on the floor, and a mirror pops up from its top; this is angled to redirect the beam straight up. We see that this passage is protected by an entire grid of lasers; all of which have been neutralized with mirrors set on the floor and clamped to the doorframe. The thief sprints ahead, and Dick, Rose, Jack, Bryan, Raven, Blackfire, and Starfire keep up the chase. Vic is the next one through, but he has to duck in order to clear the top of the frame and a few mirrors are knocked loose. Beast Boy, in human form, rund flat out; suddenly he becomes very surprised. The beams snap into place again, but he becomes a mouse and slips through easily.

We see a control panel. A shadowed fist smashes it.

Dick, "or at least….", the figure runs past, "... it's supposed to be…."

In another area of this place, which could be a warehouse, the Titans hit the brakes one at a time and Starfire lets off one very shocked gasp.

We finally see the intruder's face and pull back to frame the body. The light has come up sufficiently to reveal this person as Red X: the villainous alter ego Dick assumed to deceive Slade.

But how can this be?!

BB, "Red X? I thought NightWing was Red X!"

Rose, "but how can he be Red X if Red X is standing right in front of us?"

Bryan, "I think I'm gonna fry a circuit!"

Red X speaks a bit higher and younger-sounding than when he first crossed paths with the Titans.

Red X, "think again."

He fires X's from both palms.

Dick, "Titans! Go!"

All but Raven scatter as those projectiles stick in the ground like throwing stars; they explode in quick succession, and she puts up a shield just before the line of blasts reaches her. Taking it down, she looks across the room and finds Red X charging at her for a flying kick. Up goes another barrier, but he disappears in midair and winks back in behind her. A low sweeping kick cuts her legs out from under her; he vanishes again, then comes back a moment later once she has hit the ground. He pulls out another X, this one folded up, and flicks it out like a switchblade. Before he can do anything with this weapon, two starbolts blasts it out of his hand.

We see Starfire and Blackfire on the warpath with both fists blazing.

Red X does a long, high somersault across the warehouse, dodging every starbolt that comes his way, and rebounds off the far wall. The return trip carries him over her head; he kicks both girls in the back and they have to move fast in order to catch up. Off they go, he leaping from one girder to another, the sisters firing from above. Turning in midair to face them, he shoots a red energy beam from each hand; these hit two adjacent vertical girders and ricochet down at an angle to form a large X. The Tameranians fly right into the center of this and get blasted with agonized yells and drop out.

Jack flies in on a chunk of Earth and starts shooting balls of fire non-stop at Red X.

Red X wraps himself in his cape, which is flame retardant, and perfectly protects him from the flames as she shoots a glob of red goo at Jack's staff!

Jack managed to pull his staff away, yelling, "no! I ain't letting THAT happen again!"

He begins to form shards of ice that shoot at Red X, who expertly dodges each one before tossing an X shaped projectile at Jack, which caught against his coat and stuck him on the wall!

Up comes Beast Boy as a pterodactyl; down he comes as a large, roaring orangutan, but the enemy shoves an X into his mouth, wedging the jaws wide open, and gets away easily. The green primate struggles with the device for a moment, then becomes a hippopotamus and opens wide to let it drop free. One glance toward the floor shows him just how precarious his position really is, and he slides halfway down to hang from his front legs. The strain is too great; he plummets into a stack of crates, while Red X drops neatly to the floor nearby.

The masked evildoer looks up in surprise. Now Vic rushes in for his turn; in response, an X is fired from one gloved palm. The Titan skids to a halt, but instead of striking him, the projectile stops just short of his face and extends itself like a pair of giant rubber bands. Each of the four ends adheres to a different crate in the stacks; these are then pulled back in at high speed, smashing against him.

Behind Red X, Beast Boy returns to human form and Blackfire swoops down from above. Red X looks off to his other side and Raven and Starfire move in there, then Vic stands up from the pounding he just took as Jack lands next to him. Vic flicks a chip of wood off his shoulder, and brings up his sonic cannon as Bryan appears next to him, pointing his laser gun at Red X. Rose jumped down, spinning her staff around. All the Titans move in, Beast Boy turning into a Sasquatch, Raven levitating a crate, Jack forming a balk if lightning.

Red X, "come on, kids", he points to the X on his chest, "X marks the spot."

Bryan, "kids? We're the same age as you, bucko!"

A cannon blast and a laser blast slice toward Red X. Just as they reach his location, he leaps to avoid it and does a second jump that puts him on the floating crate. Pushing off from this spot, he dives past a few starbolts and comes down in a crouch, and we then see the huge green creature behind him. Beast Boy roars and lifts both fists, but Red X vanishes just in time to avoid their impact. The empty palms get a long puzzled look as all four girls regroup behind their owner; he shrugs and we look to a stack of crates behind the group as Red X appears atop it.

Now, at long last, Dick enters the fray with a flying tackle that carries his opposite number off the stack. Their silhouettes tumble across the floor; in full detail, both come up in a crouch and face each other down. Dick whips a Wingding at Red X, who winks out in order not to catch it with his face; as it returns to the thrower, the target materializes behind him and throws a punch at the back of his head. Dick sidesteps just in time, drops to the floor, and brings both legs up for a kick; however, Red X blocks it with one hand and pushes himself into the air from the steel boot soles. Up he goes in a high arc, which brings him back to floor level to face Dick again.

The skull-faced figure stands his ground as Dick aims a punch, then dodges it with lightning speed at the last split-second. He catches the next one and goes airborne off the extended arm; as he drops, he extends one leg straight down for a kick, and we see that his boot sole is marked with a skull and an X. Laid out flat for the moment, Dick catches the foot and slings Red X across the room to crash into the wall. Before he can move or react, Dick rushes over and plants a hand on the masked face.

Dick, "who are you?"

Red X, "if I wanted you to know that, would I be wearing a mask?"

Dick seems to recognize the voice for a split second.

He seizes that wrist, sending a powerful jolt of electricity up Dick's arm to incapacitate him, and lands a left jab to the face. The Titans' leader is driven against a stack of crates; his impact smashes them to kindling and reveals Vic, Blackfire, Bryan, Raven, and Starfire on the other side. The first two charge in as Red X gets both palms ready to go.

Raven, "Azarath Metrion-"

Before she can finish the incantation, an X sails into view between her and Vic; it zaps both and causes each one's shot to blast the other.

Red X just stands in the glare, "looks like you got your wires crossed."

He immediately has to do some gymnastics to stay ahead of the starbolts that come from Starfire and Backfire. Holding both arms straight out, palms facing front and touching, he fires two large X's ahead of himself. The sisters stop in midair and promptly get plowed away by the device, which sticks itself to the wall to bind them there.

Red X cups Blackfire's chin and says, "you know, cutie…. The only crime here is that you and I haven't gone out on a-"

He never finishes the sentence, as a mighty eye blast cuts him off and sends him thudding into a crate stack.

Blackfire blushes from his comment.

When he looks up, Red X finds Beast Boy charging in; the green Titan is back in human form, but turns into a polar bear in a twinkling. The black-clad enemy slams one palm flat onto the floor, sending glowing red lines out in all four directions to form a large X.

This forms a hole in the ground that Beast Boy, in mid-leap, drops into as Red X steps to the edge of the fissure he has just opened.

Red X, "watch your step."

He leaps across the opening.

We see Dick, still badly dazed and lying among the remains of the crates he hit; a black boot comes down on his chest and nudges him aside. The movement reveals an object half-buried in the smashed planks, and Red X clears away the debris to expose it fully. It is a device that looks something like an old-style pepperbox revolver: several barrels bored through a cylindrical block that runs the full length from trigger to muzzle. In addition, a larger barrel is cut through the center of the entire assembly. The thief picks up this item and bounds away before Dick can even stand up. Once the spiky-haired hero is back on his feet, though, he gets moving in a hurry.

Dick, "I won't let you get away with-"

An X flashes into view and wraps up his ankles, leaving him to pitch forward onto his face. Red X stops and faces him.

Red X is twirling/holstering the device as he says, "better luck next time, Dick. And thanks for the suit."

Dick went wide-eyed when he heard his name as Red X pressed a button on the belt, started to disappear, and was stunned when he winked right back into place.

Red X starts hitting the button over and over again, "come on, come on!"

Still no luck. Dick gets himself upright, breaks free of the ankle bindings, and charges again.

Red X, "great."

He wheels into a run, with Dick close behind. We go fo roof of the warehouse, one of whose skylights is open; the momentarily foiled felon leaps out through it, as does Dick, and off they go. It is nighttime. Red X hammers the vanish button again, getting nothing but a few sparks. Dick throws himself ahead. Red X leaps high and far.

Red X, "catch you later, Grayson!"

He finally makes the escape he has been trying to pull off.

As Dick stands, Starfire flies up to the roof and lands nearby with an incredulous, saucer-eyed stare. After a moment, she jabs a finger repeatedly against his shoulder, eliciting grunts of pain as the others run over.

Dick, "hey! Star! Ow", he grabs her wrist, "that hurts!"

Starfire, "then you are not a hologram?"

Dick, "no."

He lets go.

She gives him a suspicious look, recalling the decoy he used to mislead the others.

She floats next to him and pokes some more as the other's look on.

Starfire, "the last time we faced the Red X, he was you in disguise, and you were not really there."

He yells, "STARFIRE, CUT IT OUT!"

Starfire, "he is not a hologram."

BB, "he could still be a robot. Check him for batteries."

Vic pulls a rubber glove onto one hand and extends the index finger.

Dick completely freaks out once he realizes where that finger is supposed to go.

Dick, "wait! Please", he faces the others' silhouettes, "it wasn't me", he puts his right hand to his heart and his left hand in the air, "I promise! It wasn't me."

The others trade an assortment of glances.

Dick turns around and walks across the roof.

Dick, "Red X was a mistake, a mistake I won't ever make again. Whoever this guy is, he knows all about me…. Even my real name…."

That shocked the others.

….

We see inside a closed steel door, which opens to show Dick on the other side.

Dick, "I'm supposed to be one of the good guys", a computer sits on a desk, "to always do the right thing."

Computer equipment is arrayed along the walls, and he advances along the way.

Dick, "the line is supposed to be clear."

He reaches the desk.

Dick, "but for me, back then, it wasn't."

Dick recalls Slade's commando robots being braced for battle. As well as the deceased masked mastermind's face.

Dick, "a madman was threatening the city, and I had to stop him."

Dick remembers suiting up as Red X.

Dick, "so I became Red X. A ruthless thief who could get closer to the madman than NightWing ever could."

He remembers the microchips he stole in that past mission, as well as when he fought against his friends.

Dick, "but I didn't tell my teammates, and my plan didn't work."

He remembers his first fight with Slade, or rather, the robot posing as him.

Dick, "I almost lost my life, and my friends."

He remembered how hard it was to earn the trust of his friends back.

Dick, "it was the closest I've ever come to crossing the line. And I thought it was in the past…."

A heavy vault door swings shut in front of the view; it is decorated with the skull and X. Dick watches as the tumblers spin to lock it up.

Dick, "but now…."

Dick stares at the vault, whose door has been ripped off the hinges, and the now-empty backing board.

Dick, "... someone else has crossed that line. And it's my job to stop him…."

Later, we see the team in the living room.

The whole team is there, looking upon the window/screen that shows several pictures of Red X.

Vic, "but who is he? I mean, if Dick's the ex-Red X, who's the new guy?"

Pushed by Beast Boy, a dry-erase board slides into view and knocks him away. On the lower left corner is Dick's name written on it in lower case. The rest of the surface is covered with figures and notes; at the center is a large picture of the skull-masked face.

Notes: "time-traveling", a picture of Dick as Batman and an alarm clock.

"Inter-dimensional imp", Larry.

"Part of a clone army", Dick dressed as a Star Wars stormtrooper.

"Evil twin", Dick as an angelic baby, and Nibor, his devilish double.

"Long lost brother", a bald, goateed, older version of Dick, carrying a bundle on a stick.

"Jason Todd", a different, slightly larger fellow in the Boy Wonder getup.

Beast Boy thought that one was a long stretch, since Jason Todd had been dead for years.

"Bionic monkey", robot and monkey heads, DNA strand marked with Dick's face, a half-robotic primate version of Dick.

BB, "okay. If he's not Dick's evil twin, then he's obviously a bionic monkey infused with Dick's DNA."

Raven, Blackfire, Rose and Starfire give this theory the same credence they would allow if he had just said that hot dogs were raining.

Vic, Jack and Bryan pop up behind them and have the same reaction. Raven reaches out with one black-glowing hand; behind Beast Boy, her powers hit the board and set it spinning. He is caught up and flung into the kitchen with a yell, and the impact throws several food items into the air, followed by one of the moths from when they faced Killer Moth, Fang and Kitten.

Starfire and Blackfire clasp both hands to their mouths in shock as it wriggles along, but Raven and the others do not notice. Evidently, somebody decided to keep that thing as a pet after all.

Raven, "face it. Red X could be anyone. Anyone smart enough to find the suit and dumb enough to take it for a joyride."

Beast Boy puts his head up woozily.

Starfire, "and when Dick returns, he will help us to discover who."

Dick enters and crosses to the window/screen.

Dick, "it doesn't matter. I created Red X. Every system, every weapon. Whoever's inside that suit, he's my responsibility."

Bryan, "but this guy knows your name, dude. That's gotta narrow the list down."

Dick, "the only people who know that Dick Grayson is Nightwing are Batman, the current Robin, Batgirl, Oracle, Catwoman, Batwoman, an old friend, and you guys. And the only other person who did know as well…. He died several years ago when fighting a certain villain. Whoever this guy is…. He found out somehow."

Vic, "well, if we're gonna catch him, we at least need to figure out what he's after."

Dick, "I already know."

He taps a computer key; the pictures on the window/screen are replaced by the X-shaped structure of a molecule.

Dick, "Xenothium. The fuel that powers the suit."

Starfire gasps.

Raven, "no!"

Bryan, "son of a-"

Jack, "you gotta be kidding me!"

Blackfire banged her head against the wall.

BB storms out, "aw, man, I never understand anything!"

Vic, "Xenothium?! You powered that suit with Xenothium?! Are you crazy, man? That stuff is dangerous, and unstable! Tell me you were not stupid enough to go messing with it!"

Dick, "like I said, it was a mistake."

A schematic of the purloined revolver-like device pops up on the screen.

Dick, "the scanner Red X stole will locate any Xenothium within a ten-mile radius."

Starfire, "so we must locate it first."

Vic, "X isn't the only one with a scanner", he reels a cable from his chest panel and plugs it in, "I'm downloading the molecular signature and transmitting to your communicators."

Dick, "thanks", he walks to the door, "but I won't need it."

Vic, "how are you gonna find the Xenothium without a scanner?"

Dick, "the same way I found it the first time…."

By this point, he had passed out of the operations center. The door closes behind him….

….

We see an observatory that sits on a mountain peak in Jump City. Instead of a telescope, the dome sports a large, protruding object covered with tarps.

Dick climbs expertly up the dome next to it and leaps onto the thing. He gives a misty exhaled breath, it is a very cold night, and he heads inside.

Inside, we see more of the concealed object, along with various crates and barrels. Dick walks along the length down to it. Jumping to a nearby balcony, he lands in a crouch, stands for a look around, and is greeted with a laser shot that nearly takes his foot off. More fire forces him to take cover behind a cluster of barrels; one bolt almost burns his hair to the roots. He gets moving after a second, avoiding shots that blow holes in the various cargo, and the shooter can be seen down the way, a biohazard-suited figure at the far side of the observatory. Dick jumps onto a pile of crates and hurls himself down on the attacker. The weapon, something like a long electric cattle prod, skids away across the floor, and he shoves its user up against the wall. It is an elderly, snaggle-toothed fellow, wearing an emergency breathing apparatus plugged into one nostril and goggles that hide his eyes entirely.

Dick, "Professor Chang. Remember me?"

Professor Chang, "ah. The good boy who likes dangerous toys. Hehehe. How could I forget?"

Dick, "Xenothium. Where do you get it?"

Chang, "nowhere. Suppliers skipped town months ago. That stuff, there's no way to get any. Unless…."

Angered, Dick shoves him harder, "talk!"

Chang, "there's a tech company on the south end. Legend has it that they keep a generous supply of Xenothium ore in their vault. But it's not for sale, and it's locked up tight. You'd have to steal it."

Dick, "not interested", he throws Chang down and leaps away, "but I know someone who is."

The old fellow gets to his knees and looks around confusedly.

….

We see a patch of quiet water by the docks. All is calm among the deserted warehouses.

We see Vic sweeping his built-in flashlight across the area.

He addresses his forearm communicator, "West side's clean. Have you guys found anything yet?"

The panel winks on, showing Starfire in a library.

Starfire, "thus far, my search has been unsuccessful."

Another one pops up to show Beast Boy in a zoo.

BB, "what she said."

Another one pops up to show Raven in a cemetery.

Raven, "ditto."

Another pops up to show Jack at an old building.

Jack, "nothing here."

Another pops up to show Blackfire and Rose at an abandoned warehouse.

Rose, "nothing here."

Another pops up to show Bryan back at the tower, "nothing picked up on the systems."

Another pops up to show Dick somewhere else in Jump City.

Dick, "Titans! I know where Red X is going to strike. Sending coordinates."

Vic lowers his forearm and packs in the flash.

Vic, "on my way."

But then he hears something and looks elsewhere.

He is hit with a blast of energy that makes him scream and drops him to the pavement like a ton of bricks.

….

We see a section of the Jump City skyline. After a couple of seconds with no action except for the car horns echoing from ground level, we see a building's observation deck. A silhouette stands at the edge; it is revealed to be Dick. This, then, is the tech company Chang referred to. Behind him, a green owl flits in and turns into Beast Boy.

BB tosses a feather away, "so, you're pretty much kicking yourself for not getting rid of that Red X suit when you had the chance, huh?"

Dick's only answer is his motionless back. After a long, tense silence, the green joker chuckles nervously.

BB, "uh, forget I said anything."

Dick, "I couldn't destroy it. The Xenothium power core is too dangerous to dispose of. It was supposed to stay locked away."

Having said his piece for the moment, he stands quietly as Raven and Jack emerge from the deck.

Raven, "no sign of Red X."

Starfire and Backfire touch down.

Starfire, "nor of Victor."

Rose and Bryan climbed up to them as Dick fired up his communicator.

Dick, "Victor! Report! Victor", Dick lowers the device and walks past them, "X must have attacked him. If Victor's hurt, it's my fault."

Starfire, "Richard…."

Dick, "I'm responsible, Starfire, for everything that's happened."

Starfire, "no, Richard. The error you made…. It is in the past. You are no longer the one inside that suit."

"And personally…."

They all look up to see Red X standing nearby.

Red X, "I think it looks much cooler on me."

He throws a handful of X's.

Dick, "move!"

The Titans do so as the throwing-star weapons punch into the deck. X leaps from his perch and catches sight of Beast Boy, Beyan and Raven moving in fast; the former becomes a rhinoceros while the latter gets a spell ready, and the middle starts shooting lasers at him. Without missing a beat, the marked villain whips out a large X and scales it at the pair. This one extends its arms to tie up Beast Boy, sending him off balance to crash into Raven, and the bound pair tumble across the deck like a three-ton bowling ball.

Bryan jumps at X and the two start trading fists.

Bryan, "where's Cyborg!?"

Red X, "haven't a clue, Inspector Gadget."

He attaches an X to Bryan that shoots out a cable into a wall and sends Bryan flying into it!

Starfire, in their path, strains to slow Bb and Raven down; they slide to the edge and finally stop. However, the momentum bends her backward and she finds herself looking at a very long drop to the street. She gives one last desperate heave and finally gets herself upright, hoisting the two Titans overhead. She sets them down as Rose runs over to try and untie them.

Blackfire starts shooting star bolts at Red X as Jack freezes the ground underneath him.

Red X struggled to keep his balance as Blackfire flew at him with a raised fist!

Red X ducks out of the way and uses a grappling hook to pull himself safely off of the ice before throwing some smoke bombs at Blackfire and Jack, making them cough in shock.

Elsewhere on the deck, Dick charges at Red X and prepares to throw a punch, but the enemy creates an X in one palm to block it. Duck rushes again for another strike; the enemy forms a second shield and uses it to push him away, down to the concrete. As soon as Dick stands up, a gray glove plucks the bridge of his mask, stretches it like a rubber band, eliciting a pained yell, and let's go. The snap leaves Dick flailing his arms, trying not to drop backward; he finally regains his balance and claps hands to eyes. Red X takes advantage of the distraction to bail out by leaping off the deck into free fall, heading for a domed roof set many stories down.

Red X, "catch ya later, Ricky!"

Dick lowers his hands, exposing eyes and mask that throb scarlet with the pain; this soon subsides and he adjusts the disguise as if it were a pair of eyeglasses. At a distance are his teammates. Raven blows Beast Boy's rhinoceros tail out of her face, which is comically distorted for a moment by her disgust at the position she is in.

Raven, "and now, I smell like a rhino butt."

Jack, "I ain't kissing ya until AFTER you shower."

Raven, "noted."

Starfire tries to pull her loose, without success; the snap-back sends her flying and Beast Boy resumes human form.

BB, "dude! You think you gave this guy enough gadgets?!"

….

Reviews:

Canadude2029: glad you enjoyed the chapter. And you're welcome regarding the point you made.

Bailey Radcliff: great to hear all that.

raven 2012: I'm glad you liked the chapter.

….

So eventually, we'll learn Red X's identity.

Note: The "long lost brother" is a caricature of Scott Menville, who does the voices of Dick and Red X.

Also, heads up; the Green Lantern poll has been closed, since I haven't been able to get more accurate votes.

The results, (with certain votes added or taken away):

Ghia'ta 9

Laira 8

Jessica Cruz 7

Queen Iolande 6

Bleez 4

Katma Tui 3

Aga'po 2

I know the poll said Jessica had 9 votes, but I took 2 away due to people not following the poll rules.

And thus, Ghia'ta wins, and her fate will he much different from the show.

And with that said, I've got a new poll up for a Ben 10 and Teen Titans crossover.

The poll is to see who people want as Ben's love interest in an AU where Ben got the watch at 16.

Pick 5 choices if you vote on it.