Teen Titans Presents; The X Files – Keep Guessing, Kids! –
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Chapter 12: Gonna Shake Things Up with My Brothers and Sisters; In the Distant Future?!
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Bat – fam title. Todd goes to the duel sided edge as Red Hood and finds a common ground with his siblings to help out. Since...Talia and Slade scare him every time he goes to sleep at night. Last chapter!
Possibly?...
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~It's up to me what I wanna do with my whole career, and at the same time? It never was. ~
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X was a face in the crowd if he ever got reincarnated as a sixteen-year-old again. Dick Grayson could guess that in the near future, he'd get to see that skull mask in his dreams.
Maybe, even as a senior advisor at Titans Tower in the big millennium much, much later.
When the city needed the most saving. Like the end of the world doubled in a single decade…
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There had been a time when Titans just showed up, trained and then became full fledged heroes.
Starfire, Raven, Cy and Dick had all talked to Titans around the world about a brand-new master plan; if they'd have more kids to help, the world would be a safer place to except meta- humans and beings from all across the galaxy.
Dick was still Nightwing and Todd with the possibly last Robin had kept to the name of hero very well into their years to appreciate what was about to happen.
"We wanna open a school for future Titans." Cy looked at the crowd with Bumble Bee and Roy Harper. "It would help kids to use their powers to help those in need and to find their inner strengths just like we did as a team under our mentor's aid. Remember Young Justice? That grew into something huge!"
"So? With your aid and support, even if it's not much at all, for just the price of a cup of coffee a day..." Gar chimed in.
"You, the…. Batman and company may experience the same wonderful changes that shall take place here, in Jump City!" Starfire smiled, all warm and bubbly as Bruce was handed the proposal. Of course, Dami and his team were there in the tower and as a teenager now, he wanted to see if this plan had great potential for all heroes and possibly even former foes.
~ How long will the school take to be up and operational, Dick? ~ Clark Kent sat right by as Superman. And to his left one more was Green Lantern. ~ Can we trust you not to blow through the space time continuum like last time? ~ John Stewart asked the group as GL.
~ Or make a demon rise from the netherworld to take over the earth? ~ Barry Allen rubbed his chin and frowned in the background. Bart and Wally both looked at one another while beside their rookie allies.
~ Or potentially signal others from dimensions untold to come to your planet and rewrite history by their diplomatic understanding of Earth's current cultural landscape. ~ Jhonn Jones or Martian Manhunter phased through a wall and was very clear on his concerns as well. ~ What will it take to convince us otherwise, we would all like to know. ~ Bruce finished, making Dick gather his courage in that instance.
"We have the funds; we have the staff willing and more than ready to step up and take charge. We just need the league to sign off on it like you did with Young Justice." Dick spoke very fairly on that point. "Future heroes means more meta kids and outcasts saved from turning away from what's right. Finding meaning. Giving them absolute hope for themselves and for others they'll come to respect and care for…We are willing…No, We WILL do everything in our power if that's the case to train the best and brightest until they can stand on their own feet, claws. You have our word, Batman." Dick bobbed his head and exhaled, righting the situation with his million-dollar grin. "I promise. Heroes for tomorrow; a foundation for the best only, will bring us to a better future if we do this as a team. As one unit working to expand our message."
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The school idea was a hit, and some didn't know much from the present day as Jason Todd in his present was about to bump heads and say "déjà vu."
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BACK In the mid - 2000's, Jay had a guy on his kill list to watch out for as he scanned the rooftops with his high-tech gear in hand. He wasn't too tired from crouching for over an hour on his knees, but it took a toll on him at his age….eh, at times.
Was even being thirty-two a big deal? Dick was still about thirty-four going on five, while Jay thankfully had his baby face and his mother's genes. He was about to doze off, had a shwing of something strange not jutted him to sit back up and look…
A portal gun? And who was that kid in the dark hood who was holding it?
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He scoped out the kid's M.O. Or tried to. He was fast!
And his gloves could open doorways, into space – he could use currents in his hands…. red ones…
And he was a red head. With freckles once the mask was pulled up.
Red Hood's jaw dropped to the floor.
~ All of those forum boards in my day…. we had a damn time – jumper on that site!! ~ (Red X of the future everyone!)
This kid, undoubtedly looked like the kid HE had posed as; Brick.
With.
A red – x mask…
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Red Hood swept onto the scene as the kid tinkered with his portal tech. Jay reached out and waved to the brat.
"That's a fun piece of –
"Hey! W- whoa…where'd he go?" Jay scratched his head in an instant. "THAAAAAT……was the xenothium."
He said, gawking. Again. "Come out! I know who you are! And…I just wanna talk! No pressure –
"If it isn't pressuring, then why'd you follow me?" The kid poked his head out of a portal. Frowning with that dang skull mask as upgraded as the next gen could get.
"I know, cause I was like you. I still have my street punk – ness but there is a way to not go sneaking around –
"I'm not familiar with you." The kid landed in a crouch onto the rooftop across from Todd. "Wh do you say you know who I am?" The scanned the adult from behind the mask.
"Cause, if you let me tell you what I did to earn the mask, you'd believe it."
"Prove it, cause this face is legendary and taboo in my time."
"Time." Jay shrugged. "What time are you outta? Your folks?"
"My dad's a prick so I left. Got powers and he flipped. Told me to get out…"
"Harsh." Jay rubbed the back of his neck. "I stole from this guy; his name was Batman. It was to help my mom out. We were not even on the bottom of the barrel and I actually lost my life trustin' the guy as his partner."
"Wait, you?? A Robin ?" The kid's grin turned to mockery and laughter as he pointed. An ugly chuckle from those lips. "There are like the hundreds in my time! Which one? The fourth? Number nine? He's –
"I was the second, actually. And Bat's biggest failure." Todd chuckled, feeling disheartened by his open mouth spouting this much to a stranger. From the future, and a meta kid!
"Whoa…what year is it?"
Todd clicked his tongue and then snapped his fingers. "Two – thousand nine, and you? What time are you outta?"
"I think…" Brink tugged his mask up again, not getting the memo that doing that was dangerous. He was just a kid, no rules applied. "Well, our Teach Nightwing is like, thirty – four and married in my time so –
"Wait, wait. Hold up." Todd stopped the kid with a stutter. "Nightwing? What'da mean " teach?" As in –
"The school for Titans? Oh, shoot, was I supposed to not say that?" Seethed the brat.
"I dunno!" Todd was blown away, but it made sense that Dickie's ego would eventually get him up on that high horse beside good old B one day.
~ That's a major B in my case. I got a fan boy in the future! Becoming a hero? Hell no! There must be a way to have…~
Jay looked at the teen and then thought back to what being himself had led to.
Struggle.
Misery.
Hiding in fear…. but this was safer for this kid. And he had actual powers (Brick does in Titans Academy comic.) Dick knew how to work better than he did with kids who needed help, like he had with his brothers.
Even Todd.
Swallowing his revenge scheme down hard, Jay rubbed the back of his neck and let out a labored sigh.
"My old comrade there is, tough on you kids?" He asked, changing the subject reluctantly.
"Naw. Everyone things he's either cool or all the girls want to date him." Brick said with his arms crossed over his chest.
Jason chuckled. "Sounds like the same old guy I knew back when we were busy in my time working together. It sounds like a lot, but I hope you wanna try this. Heroing, I mean."
"I was trying to get over my dad beating the crap outta me." The boy let his eyes droop and his face scrunched up a little. Forcing back a painful memory…and tears. Jay was in shambles by the boy's presence mirroring his own at only sixteen.
Brick's demeanor so much reminded Jay of how he was so long ago. His mom was an addict who'd been left with a kid and no way to care for him. Bruce had tried but Jason never did the right thing, so now?
He was an Outlaw for a team of those who hated their mentors but still wanted to make a big difference by any means.
Even Dickie had to say that it was a bold move, even with the Bat funding his operations at times. That Red Arrow and even Kori had played a part at times to make his life a little less bleak.
Because he'd tried again and again, to get it just right on that first landing.
Back down to earth.
"It's gonna be tough." Jay started to say, the words tumbling out of him quickly. "My teacher was tough on me too. He taught me though one very important lesson before I set off on my own." Jay knelt down with Brick looking at him, eyes suspecting a sob story.
Well, this was a moral and nothing more.
"He taught me, that a good hero does not end up bein' venerated or respected. He's feared and it's better to know when to come out an' trust others and to trust your gut when it counts. Espeically when you don't know your own limits. Logical thinking'll getcha far, but not if you don't try to only use your head – you have to think up ways to be yourself and move with every intent. A hero is all heart; they care because others hurt and they know how ta' sacrifice a part of themselves to do their best for every little thing in this world. My first real mentor opened my eyes to what I could be and at first, I did pretty good for myself. But, remember this kid; you can always have some place to go home to when things get to be too painful. If you don't close yourself off and lock away your emotions, you'll always have a place to return to. You can do anything, but you still gotta use your gut to get you through the tough stuff."
Brick didn't say anything, yet he nodded and with a meek smile, he leaned over and hugged this stranger as if they had never not known one another. "Thank you…" He whispered, before shooting off the portal gun and making off through it in a red zap of energy. Todd let his arms down, but then he felt his belt pouch's pocket with a light brush.
"Ah shit." Jay threw up his arms and could have shouted to the rooftops, but didn't.
"He took my grapple?"
A chip off the old block. Jay laughed at the exactness of their motives, almost shedding a tear.
Yah, he'd be just fine that little fire – cracker.
And Red X could only make himself even more legendary in another time.
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~ Yep. The future is full of serious mysteries just like mine, kids. Look to the past, present, and you'll see just what lies right behind that enigmatic skull – shaped face. The one and only! Another Red X, lives on for tomorrow. See ya' later! ~
~ Fin ~
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What did you think? Was it worth another? It all went and we saw just how the X of the future might be the one thing to set Jay apart from his new identity forever as Red Hood – and Brick was real! I love a happy ending, sigh…. Till next time! Read on and stay curious.