Shattered Diamonds
AN: Thank you for being so patient with me, and sorry for the long wait! With the moving(more like getting kicked out), the phone number changing, school projects and the fact that the internet was down. And...and...THE CABLE WAS OUT(::Starts crying::)! I can't live without my TV!...Anyway, I'm just glad I got around to updating :D
To Corvinna: Finally, someone actually criticizes my story(lol). About the cliche part, I may not be able to avoid that, but you can't just automatically assume the whole story, because it has barely started. And I enjoy cliche(usually only sad, though), so if I enjoy it, I'm not gonna change it for anyone. And it's mainly focused on Robin, because in my last story, it was A LOT of Starfire(so I got bored, lol). But, thanx for the review!
CHAPTER FOUR
VILLIANS CONVENTION
The silence in the tower was shattered, as the alarm rang out, sending Robin off his bed, forgeting that the alarm was very, very loud. Picking himself up, Robin quickly dressed in his unifrom and charged out of his room, dashing toward the main room. Raven, Beastboy, and Cyborg were already there, staring up at the large screen. They watched, as a shady figure ran out of a bank, pounds of stolen money in his hands.
" Titans trou-" Cyborg stopped, and smiled weakly at Robin. Robin smirked, and shouted.
" Titans trouble!"
They all ran out of the tower- Beasbtoy, Cyborg, and Robin in the T-car, while Raven took flight. Robin could feel the old adrenaline and excitement flowing through him, and glanced at Cyborg and Beastboy's determined faces. It felt good to be back.
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The shady figure ran down the alley, disappearing into the darkness of the shadows. The Titans followed closely behind, boots splashing in the puddles. Raven sighed, and closed her eyes.
" Azerath Metrion Zinthos!" she chanted. A thick, black wall of energy formed, causing the figure to halt. He turned, and they each stopped, taking their fighting stances. Robin instantly remembered the mask that covered the figues face. Red X.
" The Teen Titans. Of course I have to run into you guys", he taunted, crossing his arms. Robin glared, but his anger wasn't targeted at Red X. " IT'S BEEN 5 YEARS AND YOU STILL COULDN'T CAPTURE HIM!"
"...Uh, s-sorry?...", Cyborg stammered, rubbing the back of his head.
" I guess I'm just too fast for you", he mocked, before sending a giant red X hurtling toward Robin. He jumped over it, causing it to hit Beastboy in the chest. It strapped around him, binding him as he tumbled backward into various summer-saults. Robin flung an explosive disk behind Red X while Cyborg formed his sonic canon, and sent beames of blue light at Red X. He smirked behind his mask, and jumped forward away from Robin's disks, and kicked off of Cyborg's back.
" You are very annoying", Raven whispered, before chanting her incantation once more. A stretch of black energy wrapped around Red X, stopping him from running away. Red X turned, grasped the black energy, and sent poweful waves of red electricity racing up toward her, zapping her. Groaning out of pain, she fell to the ground.
" Raven!" Beastboy yelled, and kneeled down beside her. She smiled slightly, and picked herself up with his help; his arm around her shoulders. Red X glanced once more at them, before going up a fire escape with quick speed. However, he had no time to react, as wave of pink energy snapped the railing in half, causing him to fall. He landed on his feet with ease, and glared up at his attacker.
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" Oh, dear! I have to get to my friends", Starfire panicked, as she searched through her dresser for her costume. Smiling, she remembered that it was hanging in her closet. Running over to the closet, and at the same time pulling on her purople boots, Starfire opened the closet and quickly grabbed her costume. It had been a long time since they all- all five of them- had fought as a whole team...
After several minutes, Starfire had flown down stairs past the TV(which was showing the fight), and out of her house- leaves on the pathway brushing off due to her speed. Claire sat on a chair, staring out the window as her mother went off to fight crime. Sighing, she sat up and walked to her desk where various badly drawn pictures of costumes lay. It was fun for her to create her own costume, and imagine herself beating up criminals. Claire suddenly became saddened. If only she could fly...
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" Running away, I see?" Jinx said, her hands placed on her hips. She hadn't aged much, except for being taller and cutting her light pink hair short, so that it now dangled gracefully over her shoulder. Robin remembered the fight with the Brotherhood of Evil, and knew that she had surfaced in the fight- only this time- on the side of good. She smirked, and took her place near the Titans as the stood together once more.
" Sorry kiddies, but I really don't want to chat", Red X said, and placed his hand on a red button.
"-To slow!" someone yelled, and a blurry figure ran past Red X, knocking him off balance. The figure stoppd, and Robin could see that it was Kid Flash, still standing in the same old costume.
" So many surprises", Robin whispered, half wary from the amount of changes that had taken place over the past five years. Kid Flash crossed his arms, and stood next to Jinx, who's smirk stretched further.
" You might as well give up, man. I mean, six on one?" Cyborg said. Red X placed a hand under his chin, and stared up in deep thought, before turning back to them. " Six on one? I've had much, much worse."
He then proceeded to place his palm once more on the red button that would help him teleport away, but a barage of bright green energy bolts swarmed all around him, making him jump back. Through the veil of smoke, Starfire formed, eyes glowing a savage green.
" Make that seven!"
She flew down and took her place near Robin, who smiled thankfully at her, then turned and glared dangerously at Red X, who simply cocked an eyebrow as if amused by their little "get-together".
" There was no real point in that-"
" You didn't notice, did ya?" Beastboy demanded, grinning with triumph. " She hit your little vanishy button thing!"
Red X's hand immediately shot up to where his teleportation button once was, then stepped back in shock, as the only thing left was a black circle. Glaring up at each of them, he turned, and ran for it.
" Tsk, tsk. So pathetic", Kid Flash sighed, and blasted off after him. Around the corner where they both turned, a large explosion of red smoke errupted, causing the ground to shake violently. Jinx's eyes widened, as she darted around the corner.
" Jinx, wait!" Robin called after her, and all five of them ran after her, and turned the corner.
" Awe, man...", Cyborg whispered, staring at the large rift in the cement and in the street. Scanning the area, Robin could vaguely see Jinx spinning around, eyes full of worry and fear. He couldn't see Red X, nor Kid Flash.
" Stop joking around!" Jinx yelled, clenching her fists. Starfire's eyes softened, and she took careful steps around the rift, and stalked slowly after Jinx as she made her way down the street, yelling for Kid Flash, slight anger in her voice.
" Starfire, move!" Raven yelled, and quickly dove down. Starfire looked up as large chunks of brick from the near by building came tumbling down. Starfire gasped, but Raven had quickly formed a protective shield. Robin swiftly jumped out of the way, while Beastboy -as a gorilla- grabbed a mother and her daughter, and pulled them away as rocks crashed onto the ground, crumbling into tiny pieces.
" There you are!" Jinx yelled angrily, while heading over to Kid Flash, who was leaning against a building, his yellow suit plastered with black smears. Jinx lightly slapped him the back of his head. " God, dammit! You scared the hell out of me!"
Kid Flash smirked, then grimaced. " Red X got away."
Robin merely shook his head. " It's alright, we'll find him... What did he steal?"
" Loads of cash", Raven answered, staring at the rift with expressionless eyes.
" What'd he do?" Beastboy asked, also staring at the large rift that seperated the street. Near by civilians talked and stood near them, some worried while others confused. The mother thanked Beastboy and walked quickly away from the damage, her hand clutching her daughter's.
" He used an explosive device", Kid Flash said, walking up next to them along with Jinx. " I guess when I got too close he panicked."
" Man, we haven't had Red X in a lonnggg time", Cyborg said.
" Yeah, but it's not only him", Beastboy added. " There's also other villians who haven't been doing crime for a very long time, but suddenly, wham, they decide that it's time to start again- just a few days before you came back, Robin."
" Which villians?" Robin asked.
" Cinderblock, Plazmus, Mumbo Jumbo, Mad Mod, Control Freak, the Hive Five, Johnny Rancid, Killer Moth, Overload,-"
" Wait", Robin interrupted. " I thought we caught all these villians?"
" Yeah, about that", Beastboy said, smiling weakly. " There was this big explosion, and all the villains got out of jail, they ran, we chased them, they kicked our butts. Then, a few more days later, more of them escaped, and more, and mo-"
" I guess it was hard", Raven cut in, " not having our leader and all." The others nodded in agreement. Robin felt guilt rising in his stomach, and he suddenly didn't think it was right to leave them. But, Gotham City did need his help, right?
" Do not worry, friends", Starfire spoke up, trying to shed light on the troubling dilemma. " We will work hard to catch him, and it will be easier now that Robin is back! Right Robin?"
Robin smiled lightly, and nodded. " Right."
"...Sooo? You guys wanna go out for some pizza?" Kid Flash asked. They each grinned and nodded. After heading toward the pizza place, which happened to be near, Red X stood on a the roof of a building, glaring down at the Titans as they laughed and chatted happily. Then, an odd, mischievous smile formed behind his mask.
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" Excellent work, Red X", a deep, cruel voice said. The figure of a man, clouded in the shadows while he sat on a chair formed, and he stared up at the screen, watching as Red X jumped off the roof of the building onto another. " You have gained Robin's attention."
The man stood up, an aura of evil surrounding him. " The plan has been set."
" Hey!" a deep, female voice yelled. The man turned his head slightly, glancing behind him. " When is it going to my turn?"
" Soon", the man responded nonchalantly. " Wait for the right moment."
" And I'll finally have my revenge?" the woman asked.
" Yes."
" Good", she said, stepping from the shadows of the warehouse. " Because I can't take anymore of being beaten by my 'oh so sweet' of a sister."
" You will, Blackfire." Blackfire smirked wickedly, and crossed her arms. She turned, and walked away, her movements slow and easy as if she were in no real hurry, anymore. Her figure vanished into the dark, ebony shadows that shrouded the inside.