She stumbled back, rubbing her jaw. Pain flared and clouded her eyes just a moment. Her assailant took the opportunity to swipe at her legs and she landed hard. The air whoomphed out of her lungs. She rolled onto her back, launching herself to her feet. Robin stood before her, still in his Red X disguise. The suit was torn up and it looked like he'd be sporting a few bruises the next morning, yet somehow, his eye-mask was still fully intact.

"Oh hey, Robin. I didn't see you there," Vendetta muttered caustically. She froze when her voice came out much higher and distinctly more girlish than it was supposed to. The change in pitch also stopped Robin in his tracks. He stared open mouthed at the thief in front of him.

She took a wary step back, hesitant and cautious. Robin noted the abrupt change in the criminal's demeanor but was focusing mainly on putting together what had just happened. "Y-you….you're a… you're a-," he began but by now Vendetta had recovered from the shock of her sudden voice change and charged forward, aiming to strike, low and hard.

Robin stumbled out of the way, still staring at Vendetta. "I'm not anything," she told him harshly, the roughness coloring her voice poorly masking the femininity behind it. The distorter must have cracked from Robin's kick. Vendetta tore off the lower half of her mask; she had really only used it to hide the distorter, now it was only keeping her from a better air supply. The fabric fluttered to the ground at her feet as Vendetta let loose a flurry of desperate punches, hoping wildly that maybe she could pummel her secret out of robin's head. But her recklessness made her sloppy; Robin caught her arm and swung her to the ground, pinning her body down with a knee on the arm he held as well as on her chest.

She squirmed underneath him, fighting frantically with the hope that as long as she could just get away, this nightmare of a night would end. What had just happened? She saved him from Slade's minion's and helped him recruit his team when they fought against him, and now he had attacked her out of nowhere and discovered her secret? "How did you know it was me?" Robin all but snarled, lowering his face close to Vendetta's. "Did Slade tell you? Or did he tell you? I know you two are connected somehow."

Vendetta's face went blank; this was not exactly what she had been expecting. "Look kid, I asked you to partner up, knowing you couldn't risk your reputation as a hero," she wasn't going to hold back what she knew, what was the point? "So I figured you'd come up with a way around that little annoying fact. And it was painfully obvious when you asked to partner up as Red X. As for the connection between me and Slade, I'm a thief-for-hire. I take jobs by people who employ me. Slade's just…more possessive than most. You should know that by now," she shot at him. He flinched a bit, recalling all her warnings to stay away from the mastermind. He remained silent, mulling this all over.

"You asked before to partner up against Slade. So why didn't you help me if you knew I was Red X?" He asked, slightly less viciously this time. Vendetta shrugged.

"I didn't trust you. Simple as that. You drew too much attention so anything we could have tried wouldn't have worked. Now," She glared up at him, though he couldn't see her eyes. "Could you get off of me? Some thanks this is, after saving your butt from your own team." He clenched his teeth, but allowed her to stand. She dusted herself off, waiting for him to drop his guard. All she needed was the right moment.

Robin watched her for a long moment. "So just who are you?" he finally demanded. She spared him a glance as she checked over her gear.

Drily she retorted, "You don't really seem to grasp the concept of a mask." He flushed but waited for an answer.

"Why would you pretend to be a boy?" he pressed. Vendetta suppressed a sigh. She really was not in the mood to answer his questions. She had things to do if he wasn't going to drag her off to jail.

"Why does it matter?" she was met with silence. She huffed, but continued on. "I just thought it'd be easier to hide from the cops this way. Harder to like, you know?" she waited for his next question. She already had an idea what he would ask next.

"What's your name?" she drew closer to him, fingers sliding under her goggles. She was taking a huge gamble, she knew, but if she could just get her opening, she could get away and he wouldn't be able to find her.

Even if her did know her identity.

His eyes widened in surprise, then recognition."Vivi…?" he whispered as she drew off her goggles. She pressed her lips against his, hard. He stood completely frozen solid. She pulled away and the flash bomb she had dropped the moment their lips connected exploded, blinding Robin and allowing the girl her getaway.

She darted off, leaping from roof to roof and finally landing in a deserted alleyway. She ran zigzagging through the backstreets until she hit the park. As she ran she had secured her masks once more. She slowed under the cover of the inky night, trying to catcher breath as she made her way over to a wizened oak tree. She picked off some flaking bark and pressed her finger into the touch pad that was concealed underneath. The ground at the roots of the tree rumbled as a stairway opened up. The touchpad looked and felt like a part of the tree so Vendetta had no fear that someone could stumble across it. Besides, it was wired to her fingerprints. She descended down the stairs as the earth swallowed her up. She had a long trek back to her apartment, and it was late.

It had been a long night. Robin knew her identity. Slade knew Red X's identity. Robin would have to explain his betrayal to his team. And Vendetta still had to deliver her goods to the H.I.V.E.

With a shaky sigh she punched in a code into her elbow length fabric-metal glove. A screen appeared, illuminating her face with a greenish tinge and she sent a transmission to the headmaster, explaining that she had run into complications and would deliver his request tomorrow night. The screen winked out, leaving her in total darkness.

Even after his eyes adjusted from the "gift" Vendetta had so kindly left behind, Robin stood speechless on the rooftop. How could Vivi, Vivi, be Vendetta? It just wasn't possible. And yet, Robin knew who he saw and he knew he had to accept it. Friend or no, she was a criminal and he still had a job to do. He refused to think about her kiss. He had thought it meant something in the moment, but to her, it was simply a means of escape. He didn't know why but for some reason, that bothered him. He gazed upwards, as if the smog filled sky could give him answers.

Putting Vendetta aside, Robin had much more immediate problems. His team for one, would be expecting answers, answers he wasn't sure he could give. How could he explain to them that it wasn't lack of trust, but a need for their safety? He was sorely deluding himself if he thought they'd believe that. Especially Starfire…

Starfire. She would be hurt more than the others. She wouldn't understand, she never had his same need for justice. He was pretty sure that she only fought criminals because he had found her first; she could have just as easily turned evil as her own sister had. He reddened suddenly. He could never let her know about his little encounter with Vendetta. He didn't need relationship problems on top of everything that had happened tonight. Even if he wasn't dating the alien, they had both made it pretty clear that there was an attraction. How could he betray her further by telling her the truth about Vendetta? Vivi was a friend of Starfire's, of the whole team's.

He didn't know what to do any more. So he stood there, just a bit longer, trying to get his thoughts in order.

If only his plan had worked. If only his friends could still trust him. If only he had never met Vendetta.

She certainly made things interesting.