Ch. 14 Red X

{Third Person Point Of View}

Bisharp paced in an underground bunker until a mysterious figure fell from the ceiling. He stood at 6 foot 3 wearing a black jumpsuit. A white skull mask missing its bottom jaw with a red X on it's forehead. The black jumpsuit covered every bit of flesh on his body. He had a very slim build with a thin waistline. A black metal belt is wrapped around his waist with white cubes and a circle pad with a dimly lit red X. The palms and back of his hands have a red X across them. A metal cover protected his elbows and knees with white fabric over his eyes.

The mysterious man had his voice distorted to conceal his identity, "You called?"

Bisharp looked at him, "My bosses require your assistance."

The man crossed his arms, "Red X doesn't work for free."

Bisharp frowned, "We'll pay you AFTER you help us. My master has her eyes on a new potential suit wearer but we need him to prove himself."

Red X laughed, "Pay me now and I'll consider it."

Bisharp got angry, "You will be After!"

Red X shrugged, "Fine! Can you tell me who this kid is?"

Bisharp pulled out a file, "Here's everything we have on him. Currently, Tulip is going to commit suicide. Once the shock subsides, you can go on a little thieving spree."

Red X took the file and began to leave, "Consider it done but remember, you will pay me once all is said and done."

Bisharp snorted, "You'll get your payment... just do your job."

{Rui's Point of View}

-Shortly after Red X scene-

I ran outside with Aura and looked at our steps to see Tulip was already dead. Her neck looked bent at a 90 degree angle. I didn't need to check in order to know her neck was broken. An open gash leaked deep red blood down the steps with our entire police force surrounding her body. Aura gently pushed me aside as she ran to inspect Tulip's body.

I watched Aura inspect her body before sighing, "She isn't a Zoroark."

I placed my hand on her shoulder, "Are you okay?" I asked.

She pat Tulip's head for a moment before laying her down, "Yeah... I'll be fine."

Aura got up and went back into the station, refusing to let me follow. Later that day, I went home but she never did and that worried me. I couldn't sleep, knowing that she's back at the station depressed and alone. Knowing this, I went back to the station around midnight and found her there. She wanted me to go home but I refused until she finally agreed to let me stay. We worked on some files until 2 a.m. and finally went home. Aura slept on top of me, keeping her face buried into my chest. I fell asleep shortly after she did and dreamt about nothing that night.

-1 Week Later-

Everything returned to normal faster than I expected. Even though everyone was a huge fan of GLMD, they didn't care about Tulip's funeral. I didn't like her at all but every guy seemed mesmerized by her. In the end, she was nothing but a Playboy bunny to them... That... was kind of sad even though she's nothing but an egotistic inbred pokemon. Gojiro and I worked on a lot of simple cases with a murder case or two in the mix. Then came our new case.

Gojiro and I handed Aura our lasted report, "Here's our last case."

Aura took it and read through it quickly, "Good job like always."

Gojiro shifted his gaze between us, "You two are a weird couple."

I tilted my head in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Gojiro looked at me, "It looks as though there's no warmth between you two. You never kiss, or hug, and it's, quite frankly, strange. If you two are mates, shouldn't you display some sort of affection for each other?"

Aura gave him a weird look, "Are you saying you're expecting us to make out and have sex in our office?"

Gojiro started waving his hands nervously towards her, "N-no!" he stammered.

I raised a brow, "That's really gross dude, what the fuck is wrong with you?"

Gojiro looked at me, yelling, "I didn't mean it like that!"

Aura waved her hand, "Just shut up."

Gojiro hung his head, "Okay..."

Aura looked at me, "I have a new case here for you Rui."

Justin barged into the room, "Sweet Justice has come for a new case."

Aura smacked her forehead, "Justin, get out. I need to talk to these two alone."

Justin flared up, "I am justice in human form! I demand a new case!"

Aura glared at him, "You want a new case? Then go solve the mystery on why I'll fire you if you make another demand!"

Justin sighed, "I'm sorry. Justice will have to wait outside until it can receive new orders."

"..." I looked at Aura, "Are you sure you shouldn't just fire him now?"

Justin flared up, pointing at me, "I'm still your senior because Justice trumps all!"

"..." I looked at Aura, "See my point?"

Aura laughed, "He's a moron."

Justin hung his head, "Why does everyone pick on Justice..."

He walked out of the room sadly as Gojiro suddenly yelled, "Wait a minute! Justin is two letters away from Justice!"

I said, "...Gojiro."

"Yes?" Gojiro asked.

"Can you like... go get cancer?" I asked.

Gojiro yelled, "What did I say to deserve that!?"

Aura smiled, "Rui, he can't get cancer because he IS cancer!"

I said, "Ah! That's why he brings cancer to my eyes."

Gojiro frowned, hanging his head, "You two are so mean..."

I looked at Aura, "What's the new case."

Gojiro did a silent fist pump and whispered, "Yes, he does have my back."

Aura sat back a bit, "It involves a series of robberies... special robberies."

I noticed the emphasis on special, "What makes them special?"

She turned her computer monitor to show us a short video, "Red X is in the city."

A video inside the safe of a private weapons locker started to play. The security camera looked left to right until a red X gadget stabbed into the lens. The security camera fell with a small piece of lens still showing video as Red X came on screen for a split second.

"Who's Red X?" I asked.

Aura held her hands together and laid her chin on it, "He's a thief from a far off land that came to our region recently. He uses special gadgets to get what he wants."

"Special gadgets? Such as..?" I leaned in a bit.

Aura shrugged, "How the fuck should I know? They can do a lot of things."

"...Okay, so we're going in blind on a famous criminal with weird gadgets. I'd say we're screwed." I smiled.

Gojiro pat my back, "Yeah! We are!"

Aura shook her head, "We already know his next target based on the series of targets."

I took a slip of paper from Aura as we left and I glanced at Justin as he went in. The next target is a weapon locker near Vulthurin's park.

As we drove there, I ended up asking, "Are... you sure you don't want to ask Vulthurin back?"

Gojiro flinched before sighing, "I don't want to. He's better off as a drug lord than a detective. Plus, I think you're a better partner than him."

"Really?" I asked.

Gojiro shrugged, "I... I'm not really sure. You do figure out things quickly and Aura seems to be interested in you. Whenever she and I talk about you, Aura seems to see something inside you."

I looked out the window, "Yeah... I don't know why she likes me..."

Gojiro shrugged, "Are you sure you have no idea why?"

"..." I thought about it before saying, "I think it might have to do with our parents being dead. If not... maybe she thinks I have more potential than I'm worth."

Gojiro sat back as we waited on a red light, "You think she really cares?"

I hung my head, "Well... I'm not sure but when she sleeps on me... I feel like she loves me."

Gojiro stepped on the gas when the light turned green, "I can't read that Gardevoir anymore. Ever since she left GLMD, she's been... strange. I feel like she lost something important to her."

I knew what she lost, and told him, "She lost her voice Gojiro. That's why she left the band and I know she misses it."

My mind wandered to time I heard her listening to her songs in the shower. Hearing her sobs through the door as she cried over her lost life. I never knocked but I listened to her sobs and felt her sadness.

I heard Aura's voice for a moment, 'My singing life is over... the only thing I can do is live a normal life.'

Gojiro looked so sad, "I'll be honest... I miss her songs. I know you never liked her but... it does make me happy knowing you're treating my idol right."

I started chuckling, "Treating her right? I barely tell her I like her."

Gojiro smiled, "In public, yes but I know you must feel something towards her. You wouldn't sleep with her if you didn't."

I shook my head, "I wonder how she started singing... I... I wish I was a fan when she did. I only ever listened to her songs when she started crying in the bathroom."

Gojiro sighed, "I hate to say it but you had your chance. Instead of trying to like her, you hated her for no reason. What if you caused her to lose her voice."

My eyes flashed for a moment as my hair began to raise, "I... How could I do that?"

Gojiro shrugged before saying, "What if... what if it was the bad press?"

I thought about it, 'The bad press?'

Gojiro continued, "What if they pushed her to performing at a higher level that she wasn't used to."

I started thinking about it, guilt rising, 'I have to ask her about it when I get back.'

When we arrived at the locker, I got out of the car immediately. The guards were missing from their posts and I knew it wasn't normal. This is a private military weapon locker, they'd never let this happen. The door to the building was unlocked so I ran it with my pistol drawn. Scattered destroyed Assault Rifles and unconscious guards littered the hall. The security cameras were destroyed with red X daggers in them. Some of the guards had them in their legs and arms. I rubbed some dust on the floor only to get explosive residue.

"Explosives? Flashbang? C4? Combination of the two?" I asked myself.

Gojiro ran in and grabbed my shoulder, "Come on! He has to still be here!"

"Yeah, you're right!" I yelled, running with him.

We ran down a series of hallways and stairs until we reached a long room. Halfway through, Red X walked as several lasers tried to hit him. He jumped and spun, dodging all of them, as he tried to reach the door at the far end. I kept running as Gojiro stopped in fear of his life but I didn't care. I started mirroring Red X's movements as I dodged the lasers. When I reached the end, he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.

He spoke to me, "Not bad kid, but you're going to have to do better than that to catch me."

I reached my hand out to grab his torso, "You think this is a game?" I asked as my hand phased through him.

I retracted my hand in shock, "Of course this is a game. You think you can catch me? You better hurry then, kid."

The Hologram disappeared as the doors exploded open. I shook my head and got back up to run into the next room. I saw him again as he walked on the ceiling. The floor had black screens with several machine turrets on the ceiling. I took out a pen from my pocket and threw it into the room. The instant it touched the ground, the floor lit up into a red X. The turrets opened fire and destroyed the pen with pinpoint accuracy.

"Okay Rui... how do we get through this?" I asked myself.

I looked around and found a power panel on the wall. I tried to open it but it was locked. I took out my pistol and shot the lock open. I began pulling out power cords until the lasers turn off and Gojiro joined me.

He noticed the turrets, "Okay... what's the plan?"

"Think you can throw me across the entire room with Psychic?" I asked.

Gojiro frowned, "Yeah but I could end up hurting you."

I shook my head, "That doesn't matter, what matters is catching that thieving bastard. Throw me." I demanded.

Gojiro shrugged, "Alright, you asked for it."

Gojiro picked me up with Psychic and tossed me across the room. I flew straight towards the door and felt his psychic influence leave my body. I rolled forward to kick the door open and slide along the red carpet for a bit. When I got up, I saw Red X walking towards another door. He heard me run and turned towards me with an open palm extended in my direction. Without uttering a word, the red X on his palm lit up. I watched a red X shoot out from his palm towards me. I thought I had to dodge it but the red X expanded into a large ink like X to block the path. A bit of an opening was left under it so I slid underneath. When I reached the other side, the pathway back is completely blocked.

I turned to see Red X looking at me, before speaking, "So... you made it."

I pointed my pistol at him, "Of course I did but you don't sound surprised."

Red X shrugged, "Why should I be. There are plenty of humans like me who're capable of such feat."

I asked, "What are you after!?"

Red X's white visor narrowed a bit, "Why should I tell you that?"

I glared at him, "Actually, I have a better question, Who are you?"

He laughed a bit, "Now, If I wanted you to know that, would I bother wearing a mask?"

I shot a warning shot, "I don't miss twice."

He ducked his head a bit, putting his hands up, "Kid, you take life way too seriously. Deep down, I'm not really a bad guy but you can call me Red X. What's your name chuckles?"

My glare faltered at that nickname, "My name is Rui."

Red X tilted his head a bit, "Oh! So you're that kid! The one that ruined Aura's voice."

I was caught off guard and put my gun down slightly, "What do you mean I caused Aura to lose her voice?"

Red X waved with two fingers, "Catch me if you can and I'll tell you."

As he started to run, I sprinted after him. I shot a few bullets from my pistol before putting it away. We ran for a couple minutes before reaching a safe and he couldn't open it.

"Oh great..." Red X groaned.

"Turn around!" I ordered.

He did what I asked before laid his back against the safe, "Calm down kid."

I pointed the gun at his head, "Shut up and keep your hands where I can see them!"

He chuckled a bit, "If you say so."

He palms began to glow as a couple of red Xs flew at me. I shot my gun and destroyed a few but they hit the pistol out of my hand. Red X ran forward and immediately flung me onto my back. He raised a foot to stomp my head but I rolled onto my right side and swept his legs. As I stood up, he rolled back onto his feet and pointed behind me.

"Time's up." Red X grunted.

"Huh?" I asked, looking at the safe wall.

A tiny circular device began to blink red for a moment before exploding. I flew back a few feet before sliding to a stop as Red X stepped over me.

He stopped for a moment, "Oh, don't get up." he looked at me, "I'll see myself out."

I grunted as I sat up, "Oh, no. You're not getting away from me!"

I struggled to my feet and chased after him into the safe only to find a tube of uranium suspended in the air. Red lasers surrounded it and I saw Red X at a console.

I shot at him but he dodged, "Kid, don't you know when to quit?"

"Quit? What even is that?" I asked.

I tilted his head a bit, "Heh, a bit of a smartass, typical."

I looked at the tube of Uranium, "So... what's the Uranium for?"

Red X pressed a button on the console, making the lasers disappear, "I've got a buyer, why else would I waste my time stealing it."

I shot at him again until my gun was empty but he dodged the bullets. He jumped towards the tube and grabbed it with his hands before pressing a button on his belt.

He waved at me, "See ya Chuckles."

I shot at him but he disappeared, "Great... so now I have to worry about evil pokemon, illegal humans that wear Pokemon skin AND humans dressed as super villains. My job gets easier all the time, sigh..."

I began to head back until I reached the red goo blocking the hall. I touched it and noticed it had solidified to create a solid wall. I used the butt of my pistol and started hitting it until a crack formed. After a couple of minutes, I broke a hole big enough to climb through. When I walked back to the turret room, Gojiro was waiting for me.

"He got away?" Gojiro asked.

I yelled, "Yeah, he disappeared into thin air, and I'm being serious."

Gojiro yelled back, "What was he after?"

I answered, "He was after a tube of Uranium. From what he said, this is a job for him. He's going to sell it to a buyer."

Gojiro said, "Try to find a way to turn this room off so we can leave safely. You're too far away for me to use psychic on."

I looked around and found another power panel. One minute passed before I got the turret room to turn off. I took a hesitant step on the floor and gave a sigh of relief when the turrets didn't kill me.

Gojiro pat my back as we left, "Hey, you did a great job man. So he got away, no biggy, you'll get another shot at him. While you went ahead, I called for back up so we'll be safe."

I nodded my thanks, "I just hate that he got away so easily."

Gojiro shrugged, "Humans can be very creative, what they build is unique."

I thought about what he said, 'I caused Aura to lose her voice?'

Gojiro nudged my shoulder, "You okay? You seemed to be lost in thought."

My head shot up, "Huh, oh, yeah! I'm fine, just trying to think of a way to beat Red X next time."

Gojiro shrugged, "Not really something you can do alone since you're... you know... a human."

I sighed, "Yeah... you're right..."