Red X teleported out of the vault he had just been inside of, snagging the moon lit jewel, famous for seeming dull in all hours of the day until moonlight strikes it's truly marvelous cut. He was doing his best to move quickly. He knew such an act wouldn't alert the police, but the Titans instead. He was sick to his stomach, of cloudy mind. The words dictated as he picked up his suit kept replaying in his head like a skipping record. "Normally this is the part I tell you, do as I say or I'll kill you. But with your particular… skill set, I'm afraid that just won't do. Who's to stop you from simply skipping town? So unfortunately…." Jimmy laid a stack of photos across his desk in clear view of Jason. "This is the part where I say I'll ruin your little girlfriend instead."
Jason tensed at the threat. Specifically because he didn't use the word kill. He said ruin. The photos in front of him spilled all of their secrets, exposing a raw intimacy between hero and villain that the world simply would not understand. Jason said nothing in response to this threat. He grabbed his suit and made his way to the museum. He hated that he was directed to steal this particular possession. Red X always stole for profit, but he had boundaries, a code. He never stole precious artifacts, historically significant pieces, unless they had been acquired through less than legal means. He recalls a painting he stole that originally belonged to a Jewish family in Nazi Germany.
He teleported directly in front of the museum, his bike hidden in an alley just across the street. No one was around. He let out the deepest sigh of relief, though the alarms that blared behind him sent a vibration through his entire body. As he went to bolt from the scene of the crime, but he heard a familiar (and agitating) voice call out his alias. Suddenly he was flooded by a single emotion. All the worry and angst he felt about Raven and Jimmy faded and one thought remained…. You made her cry.
He turned aggressively turned to face the Titans. There stood Beastboy, Cyborg, Starfire, Terra, and Robin. But his vision was tunneled to the Boy Wonder. His ears grew hot as the world around him disappeared. With no actual thought behind his actions, he teleported to the roof of the museum where the Titans stood, landing a solid fist onto Robin's face. Robin countered the impact with a back flip but was soon met with a tackle from Jason. Now on top of the Titan's leader, he began to attack his face with one punch after another, forgetting he was surrounded by other foes. It seemed everything he'd held in as Raven cried to him of Robin's betrayal boiled to the surface at once.
To no one's surprise, a green bolt of energy slammed against Jason's body, sending him 20 feet away from the heroic group. He tucked and rolled and darted for the Boy Wonder again, a voice screaming in his head to focus. But the voice fell second to the image of Raven's tear and he foolishly focused on one of the five members he faced. This must have taken the team by surprise because, though they stood in an attack stance, they didn't engage the thief who clearly had no interest in them…. If only for a moment.
Robin himself was confused. Although he loathed Red X (his being only existing due to Robin's recklessness with creating and then losing the suit) he always admired, and secretly respected, the worthy opponent before him. But in this moment, he seemed to be encountering a child throwing a fit. As Robin landed hard onto the concrete roof of the scene of the crime, he saw his pupils in his peripheral view, waiting for instruction. He let out a wild laugh as he picked himself up, watching Red X catch his breath, and held up a hand. He ignored the concerned looks on his teammates' faces. He needed this. After having held so much in for so long, he NEEEDED THIS.
Red X darted toward him again. Now being more aware of this being a one on one match, Robin thought more tactically. He dodge Red X's punches, landed one or two of his own. It went on like this for about ten minutes, as the rest of the Titan's did as they were told and spectated. The brawl seemed evenly matched until Robin got the upper hand with a sharp and extremely intense blow to Red X's rib cage. Spit uncontrollably escaped his mouth and he fell to his knees.
Short of breath, blurred vision, clouded mind, Red X still only saw one thing… Raven's tearful eyes. Something snapped. Then something scratched. Then it was hot. He was hot. From head to toe he began to lose himself to something else. As powerful as he began to feel, fear struck his heart and mind. Save me. Those words that came to mind made him shake with shame… or was it this unknown presence within himself that was making him shake? He felt the ground beneath him tremble below his finger tips. Was that a red aura shadowing the outline of his bodily shape? He tried to stand, but it felt as if someone had found a way to place a semi truck delicately on his shoulders. He noticed the surprised (and extremely fearful) look on the faces of his frenemies.
Primal instinct took over. He wondered if this was how a lion felt the first time it pounced on it's prey. Now completely glowing in a deep red, Jason stood tall and powerful against five ants. A devious smirk crept onto his face and he stepped toward the group. They backed away. He took another step. They backed away again. A roar escaped Jason from deep within and the entire building shook in inanimate terror. Once again, his eyes were locked on Robin. He lunged toward him, faster than ever before, leaving a crater in the roof anywhere he stepped. The rest of the team reacted…. Star bolts, cannon blast, t rex roars, a staff aimed for his face. All met with failure.
Every attack seemed to bounce off this newly (randomly) powerful being before them. The Titans braced for impact. That is, until a huge, solid rock slammed full force into Red X. As he flew through the air, fifty feet instead of twenty this time, Jason's humanity began to restore. The red hue was gone. His mind was back. As he saw the sidewalk grow closer (so far from the battleground he was just on) he did a last minute teleportation to reduce the impact. Now face down on the cold city streets, he felt drained… and an odd numbness…. Deeper than when his parents died.I
He heard foot prints hit the ground next to him. Dainty hands gripped his shoulders and forced him to be face up. He met the gaze of wide crystal blue eyes, strands of blonde hair falling over her face. She seemed to stumble backward, almost falling onto her ass completely. Jason suddenly noticed a breeze on the left side of his face. Did his mask crack? Despite the pain shooting through his body, Jason used his arms to sit up, then felt his face. His mask did crack. He was exposed. He looked around frantically. Terra was the only one around. "I know you…. I know you!" The words cut him deeply. Rachel… I'm sorry.