Chapter 27: X

"It's simple. There is good, and there is evil," in the dark, a lock was slashed open by an unseen assailant, and the metal door opened up.

"There are those who commits crimes," cloaked by shadows, the culprit slipped inside the pitch black building. "… And those who stop them," followed closely by the Teen Titans.

"The two sides are opposite, as different as day and night," the culprit used a grapple gun to ascend an elevator shaft, while the Titans piled on top of the elevator roof and argent used her powers to force the elevator into motion.

"And the line between them is clear," the culprit used small mirrors to divert the laser beams that blocked his path, creating a nice entrance for him to waltz through. It did the same for the Titans though, and they were swiftly closing in on their quarry.

"Or at least, it's supposed to be," at last, the Titans managed to corner the culprit, and he finally revealed himself to them. But the sight of Red X, in all his criminal glory, stopped the Titans dead in their tracks.

Thieving. When was the last time Raven had done something as simple as that? Felt like forever to her, what with Slade and Brother Blood and all the other shenanigans she had been dragged into. She needed to relax now, to take it easy for a few weeks. And what was her method of relaxing?

Why, breaking the law, of course!

Besides, it was not like this dusty old museum was really using that pretty necklace anyway. So what if it belonged to some long dead Egyptian queen or whatever? Raven was sure beyond any doubt that it would look far prettier on her.

"But honestly, is this the best they can throw at me these days?" she asked herself as she stood over the unconscious forms of five security guards. Seriously, she had more trouble brewing her morning tea than cracking this museum's joke of a security.

In fact, as she strolled through the exhibit as if she owned the place, she absentmindedly wondered if perhaps she should set off the alarm on purpose. That way, she could have a fun little chase through the city. Nothing like a high-speed chase through densely packed streets to get the adrenaline pumping.

But those were considerations for later, after she had found that necklace. That proved to be easy enough, it had its own pedestal and a freaking banner hanging above it. Well, at least the museum was kind enough to make her search easy. Maybe she should thank them by sending some donations as compensation for her theft.

…

Nah!

In any event, there she was now, standing before one of the most beautiful pieces of jewelry she had seen in a long time. Rubies and sapphires of all sizes and colors adorned its golden surface, with a purple gem situated right at its center. Raven all but squealed in joy.

"Well, aren't you a pretty one?" she cooed while drawing her sword. "Now let me get a closer look at you," with that said, she took one swing with her sword before sheathing it again, the top of the glass cage subsequently falling off. Soon enough, the necklace was in her hands, and her eyes were practically glittering as she gazed at her price.

"And whoever said crime doesn't pay," Raven scoffed to herself as she hung her newly acquired price around her neck. "I love my work,"

"So do I, sweet cheeks," someone suddenly spoke up from behind her. In the time it took to blink, Raven had drawn both her Desert Eagles and spun around to face the interloper. Who she saw was not the one she had expected.

"Bird boy, that you?" she asked in confusion as she beheld what she assumed was Robin, decked out in his Red X costume and leaning casually against the wall. "Seriously, if you're going to pull the whole 'Pretend to be a bad guy to make them drop their guard' shenanigans again, at least have the decency to come up with a new alias," surprisingly, she was met with an amused laugh from him.

"Bird boy? I guess it does fit. But no I'm not that dull little hero," the not-Robin spoke cockily, and right away Raven was convinced that this was not Robin. No way could that stick in the mud fake such a cocky attitude.

"So, you're not Mr. Traffic Light then?" she still asked for clarification, keeping her gun aimed at him. If he was troubled by this in any way, he did not show it.

"Exactly, I'm just a thief who decided he needed a change of scenery and came here," he answered, still not even drawing any weapons despite having two guns aimed squarely at his head. A surprise to Raven, considering most she met either attacked her or shit their pants at that point.

"A thief, eh? Then what the hell are you doing decked out in Robin's suit?" she asked suspiciously with narrowed eyes.

"Oh, he didn't seem to be using it all that much, and I felt it would be a huge shame for it to simply be gathering dust in some boring old vault. So I decided to take it out for a little spin. I'm sure the bird boy won't mind too much," he bragged nonchalantly. He received a pair of wide eyes from Raven before she suddenly burst out laughing.

"You stole it from Titan's Tower, right from underneath bird boy's nose?! You've got balls, I'll give you that much," she complimented the thief with an amused grin. 'Oh, how I wish I had been there to see that stick in the mud's face,' she lamented to herself.

"Why thank you, gorgeous. To receive praise from someone as lovely as you is truly an honor," Red X announced dramatically as he gave an exaggerated bow. It made Raven quirk an eyebrow while smirking at him.

"My, my, you're quite the charmer, ain't you," she said as she lazily spun her guns in her hands before holstering them, deeming him to be of no threat. For now at least.

"I do my best," Red X answered as he confidently sauntered over to the petite mercenary.

"Well, you've just earned a point over bird boy, he's never that interesting with me," Raven said, right before she let her eyes travel up and down his body in a very obvious manner, which had Red X casually flexing every part of his anatomy to give the best view.

"Like what you see, sunshine?" he asked with an inviting tone, which had Raven let out a very husky chuckle.

"Oh, definitively. And I must say, you look way better in the suit than bird boy ever did," she purred out. Suddenly, they were both stalking around each other, sizing each other up in more ways than one.

"So, what brings you to my neck of the woods?" Raven inquired innocently, hands never straying far from her Desert Eagles.

"Oh, you know, the sights, the people," even with the mask, Raven could tell that Red X was smirking at her. "Or in your case, both," a light chuckle came from Raven as she stalked closer.

"And it has nothing to do with the overabundance of pretty little trinkets to steal?" she asked teasingly.

"Compared to other assets around, I consider them a side bonus," he countered while his eyes did an obvious migration southwards.

"Eyes up here, naughty boy," Raven chastised with a sultry grin, adding a more sensual sway to her hips for good measure.

"I believe that's the pot calling the kettle black," he japed in good humor, stretching a bit to show just how tight that suit of his could be. Raven for her part made no secret about her ogling.

"Guilty as charged," by now, they were so close that they could feel each other's breaths caressing their skin. Or at least, that was the case for Raven, considering Red X was still fully decked out from head to toe. Fucking cheater.

"But enough about me, what brings a cute little girl like you out here?" Red X suddenly asked huskily.

"Aside from the gorgeous view?" Raven cheekily asked. "A bit of this, and a bit of that, I guess. I'm mostly bored and looking for a good time,"

"Oh? Then I guess you won't mind if I nick this?" as Red X asked this, he lifted up the beautiful necklace that last time Raven checked was supposed to be around her neck.

"What?!" was her less than clever retort as frantic hands confirmed that yes, the necklace was not in her possession anymore. "How did you do that?!"

"Catch me if you can, and I might answer that question," Red X challenged before, with a two-fingered salute, he teleported away with her prize. At first, there was nothing but astonishment for Raven, who silently watched where the thief had run off to. But then, rather than anger, there came a sense of excitement for her.

"Ooooh, a challenge," she all but purred as she licked her lips in anticipation. After all, criminals that could give Raven a run for her money was in a bit of a short supply these days. Forget robbery, this shit just got way more interesting.

"Then let the hunt begin,"

Atop one of countless buildings in Jump City, Robin did one of the most cliché thing among heroes, brooding at the very edge with his head lowered. Seriously, there was even a gentle breeze to make his cape flutter dramatically around him. Then again, considering he was mentally beating himself to a pulp at this very moment, he could be forgiven for his brooding.

"So, you're pretty much kicking yourself for not getting rid of that Rd X suit when you had the chance, huh?" cue the ever oblivious Beast Boy to stick his foot in his mouth, a fact he only grasped once he saw the way Robin tensed up like someone had shoved a ten foot pole up his ass. What? At least then he would have a matching pair.

"Heh heh, forget I said anything," Beast Boy sheepishly apologized. Awkwardness personified.

"I couldn't destroy it, the xenothium power core is too dangerous to dispose of. It was supposed to stay locked away," Robin grudgingly admitted, having moved on from simply beating himself to repeatedly hanging himself. Whilst dousing himself in gasoline and lighting a match.

"No sign of Red X," Argent reported in as she joined the party, followed swiftly by a visibly distressed Starfire.

"Nor of Cyborg," the orange-sinned alien added. Robin's communicator was in his hands in a heartbeat.

"Cyborg, report. Cyborg!" he urgently called, and was met with complete silence. It did not take him long to draw a conclusion as to what had happened

"X must have attacked him. If Cyborg's hurt, it's my fault," he ground out in frustration, abandoning the noose and the gasoline for a firing squad instructed to only aim at the limbs and an electric chair operated by the Joker.

"Robin," Starfire tried to offer her meager support, to little avail.

"I'm responsible, Starfire. For everything that's happened," he shamefully proclaimed, refusing to look his team in the eye out of the guilt that gnawed at him like a starved rodent.

"No, Robin. The error you made, it is in the past. You are no longer the one inside that suit," and yet still Starfire tried to reassure her distraught leader.

"And according to the ladies, it looks much better on me," and cue in Red X to break up the sappy moment with a barrage of x shurikens.

"Move!" Robin frantically called as he dived out of the way. Beast Boy and Argent attempted a glorious charge against the thief, which ended with the duo strapped together by a massive x and tumbling towards the roof's edge. Only a timely intervention from Starfire kept them from tumbling off, leaving Robin to face Red X alone.

It was a very brief and very, very embarrassing fight.

Before long, the Titans were alone of the roof, Robin with a throbbing face and battered pride, Argent and Beast Boy stuck back to back and head to ass, and Starfire furiously tugging at the duo's binds.

"Come on, already! This isn't exactly the most comfortable of positions!" Argent whined in annoyance, receiving a huff from down below.

"At least you can sit on your ass," Beast Boy grumbled from his upside down view of the world. And as they argued, Robin massaged his brow in resignation. 'Things couldn't get much worse,'

Things just got worse. Oh sure, Robin finally caught the damn thief and had him locked up with the same security he had tried to breach, but at what price? His team was captured, the xenothium was stolen, and now a madman had the means to destroy all of Jump City. All in all, toady had been a real shitty day for him.

"Ugh, ohhhh," and it seemed like the thief had just woken up from his little nap. "Okay, who were the moon men?" before he had a chance to recover his wits, Robin reactivated the systems again, trapping the thief behind solid steel bars.

"Criminals, just like you," Robin snarled as he stomped towards him.

"Come on, kid. You don't really think this little play pen can hold me," Red X taunted, completely secure in his ability to escape whenever he felt like it. A single button pushed, courtesy of a less than amused Robin, gave him a painful dose of reality, along with an electric burn or two.

"You don't even care, do you?" Robin questioned in disgust. "A lowlife maniac just got his hands on enough xenothium to disintegrate the entire city, and it's your fault!"

"Don't you mean our fault?" Red X simply countered.

"At least I'm going to do something about it. And if you cared about anything other than yourself, you'd be helping," if Robin hoped his furious accusation would do anything to convince Red X, he was about to be severely disappointed.

"Sorry, kid, some guys don't like to play the hero," the masked thief stated, completely unmoved by the shitstorm he helped unleash.

"I'll be back to take you to jail," Robin declared with finality, right before turning his back and marching away. It left Red X alone in his makeshift prison to brood and plot his escape. Or at least, that was what both believed.

"Well, ain't this a surprise," a highly amused voice commented from up above, right before the owner of said voice landed in front of Red X.

"Hey there, gorgeous. Couldn't get enough of me, could you?" he flirted with an attitude no one trapped behind bars had any right to be in possession of. Raven just chuckled at him.

"I see your predicament haven't dampened your spirit," she commented with a teasing smile on her lips.

"What can I say? Anything to impress a pretty girl," Red X answered. It had Raven leaning over the control board, arms folded beneath her chest. The position put great emphasis on her assets, something Red X was quick to notice.

"Now then…" Raven eventually spoke up, drawing Red X's attention back to her face. "… whatever should I do?" there was a wicked gleam in her eyes as she asked this question, her tongue coming out to sensually lick her lips.

"Why don't you let me out, and I can show you that I'm skilled with more than my words," Red X offered, earning himself a husky chuckle from his captor.

"Tempting, I'll admit, but I like my men restrained, means I can have my wicked way with them," she answered as a finger came to teasingly rest above the same button Robin had previously pressed. "Besides, I've always been curious about exploring my inner sadist,"

"Oh come now, babe, I can assure you I'm much more fun free," Red X tried to reason, managing to hide his growing sense of fear behind a mask of cockiness. Raven for her port looked like she was actually pondering the suggestion, a single finger on her chin while her eyes traveled to the ceiling.

"Nah! I'd much rather see you dance," she finally announced as her finger descended. Instinctively, Red X tensed up and closed his eyes in preparation for the voltages of electricity about to be pumped into him. Except, it never came, instead the bars trapping him were lowered.

"Oh how I wished I could have seen your face in that moment. I bet it would have been priceless," Raven chortled as her whole frame shook with barely restrained laughter. Red X for his part was not as amused.

"Har bloody har," he grumbled out as he gave Raven the stink eye from behind his mask, which only made her grin even wider in amusement.

"Call it payback for your stunt back at the museum," she cheekily commented before turning to walk away. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a nutjob to put in place before he destroys the city," that threw Red X for a loop, and he was quick to catch up with the merc.

"Hold up, are you seriously gonna go and play hero?" he asked in bewilderment, and was met with a snort of amusement.

"Hardly, I'm just looking after my own interests. I've got a good life here in Jump, and I ain't gonna let an old geezer in a space suit ruin it all," well, when she put it like that, Red X had to admit that she did have a point. After all, how was he supposed to rob the city if there was nothing left to rob?

"If that's the case, mind if I tag along? Bastard stole all the xenothium I came to steal anyway," he offered. Besides, it would be fun to upstage bird boy for once.

"It's a date then. You go on ahead though, I need to pick up a new toy of mine," the predatory grin that suddenly spread across Raven's face had Red X fully convinced that someone was going to have a very bad day ahead of them.

Today was not Robin's day, in any shape or form. Things just seemed to go from bad to worse every step of the way. Case and point; Robin currently dangling right in front of Professor Chang's oversized laser cannon of doom or whatever the hell he called that thing.

"Okay, good boy, who should I destroy first? You, or your pretty friends?" the professor's very much rhetorical question was punctuated by him lowering the aim of his cannon straight at the Titans' frozen forms.

"Starfire!" Robin desperately called out to the only member of his team even partially free of her icy bonds, but powerless to do much else as the power of plot convenience deemed his situation to be inescapable on his own. Starfire for her part frantically struggled to free the rest of her body, to little avail as the cannon powered up.

But in the ever classical "last minute save", Professor Chang was stopped just as he was about to pull the trigger by a flurry of x-shaped shurikens embedding themselves in his control panel. And as the old geezer flailed about in a panic, Robin finally lost his grip and plummeted down to the ground with an overly dramatic scream. Just in time to be rescued by none other than Red X in a shocking twist that I'm sure no one ever expected when they first saw the episode air on TV.

"I thought you didn't like to play the hero," Robin commented smugly.

"Doesn't mean I don't know how," Red X countered as he hauled himself over the railing to stand next to the boy wonder. "Besides, I couldn't let sunshine have all the fun," and that admission brought out a very confused expression on Robin's face.

"Sunshine?" he questioned in obvious confusion, right before they all heard it. It was faint, barely audible as it was, but as everyone stopped to listen they could hear it better. It almost sounded like… music, and it was getting louder. And now that Robin thought about it, there was the distinct sound of spinning helicopter blades approaching.

(Insert Richard Wagner - Ride Of The Valkyries)

And then finally the source of the noise revealed itself to be a Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, carrying dozens of rockets, a minigun mounted on the underside of the nose, twin loudspeakers strapped to its sides blaring out music and a maniacally grinning Raven in the cockpit.

"RAVEN'S IN THE HOUSE, BITCHES! LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!" she hollered through the loudspeakers before unleashing a fusillade of missiles and lead into the observatory, sending Chang's henchmen running for cover in a blind panic. And in the wake of this, Robin could do nothing but bury his face in his hands with a very audible groan.

"Why her? Out of all the psychos and nutjobs, why her?" he all but wailed in despair. Red X for his part was more interested in watching the carnage wrought by the gun toting chick.

"I think I just fell in love," he announced in a tone that stood somewhere between joking and serious.

"Go ahead, she's all yours," Robin grumbled sourly, receiving a sidelong glance from the thief.

"Never pegged you for the jealous type, kid," he said in a most curious tone, leaving Robin sputtering in equal parts surprise and outrage.

"What?! I'm not jealous, least of all when it concerns her!" he shouted wile wildly gesticulating at the helicopter with its hysterically cackling pilot. Somehow, Robin got the distinct feeling that the thief was smiling at him now.

"They say denial is the first step," he teased in a very much one-sided good humor.

"I'm not in denial!" Robin vehemently protested.

"See what I mean?" was the cheeky retort before Red X dove into the fray, with Robin following close behind with a very irritated grumble. What followed was an utter curbstomp as the duo laid waste to Professor Chang's goons while the aforementioned professor was busy trying to deal with a helicopter-sized problem.

"Hold still, damn you!" he shouted in anger as he fired another shot at the helicopter, which swerved away and retaliated with another barrage of red hot lead.

"Make me, you washed up Franken-wannabe!" Raven shouted back, right before a lucky shot ripped off the whole tail.

"OH COME ON, I JUST GOT THIS THING!" was the last they heard before Raven's helicopter plummeted down towards the beaches. And with her gone, the music vanished with her.

"Finally, never liked Wagner to begin with," Professor Chang grumbled, right before Robin landed right in front of him. Neither said a word to the other, but both their facial expressions told that they both knew just how fucked the good old professor was. One kick to the face later, and that knowledge became hard and painful fact. And with that move ended all current alliances.

"Time to get what I came for," Red X announced as he moved towards the humongous cannon, only to be stopped by Robin and his newly freed team (when did they get loose anyway?)

"Time's up, creep," Argent announced as they all made ready for battle, all save Robin.

"Thanks for the help, X, but don't think that means you can help yourself," he declared with a surprisingly cocky grin on his face. X was not deterred.

"No problem, kid. This should keep me going for quite a while," he stated while holding a vial of xenothium up for all to see. But Robin was still smiling.

"That won't do you much good… without this," and Robin's comment was punctuated by raising X's belt up high (tricksy bastard). Red X, understandably, went on a little brown alert moment as he confirmed that yes, his belt was indeed missing from his waist.

"Better luck next time," Robin said, taking a step towards the thief. No doubt some awesome exit courtesy of Red X would have been the next part, followed by some philosophical rambling from the Boy Wonder before the credits rolled. But this is the Mercenary, and that is not how we end things here.

"Hey, nice belt! Mind if I borrow it?" the unmistakable voice of Raven cheerfully called out, right before a grapple hook snagged the belt in Robin's hand and yanked it high into the air, straight into the waiting arms of Raven as she stood upon the cannon completely unharmed (don't even ask me how she got there in the first place, I'm lazy and tired).

"What- How- When- Arrrgh, just hand it back!" was Robin's most eloquent response, which garnered him a very much amused cackle from Raven.

"Sorry, bird boy, not that kind of girl! But don't worry, I've got something else for you!" and that was the only warning he received before a flashbang landed right smack in the middle of his team.

"COVER!" Robin shouted right before it went off, blinding them all for a few precious seconds. And do I even need to write what they found once their eyesight returned to them?

"They're gone, both of them. And they took most of the xenothium," Cyborg announced gravelly as he scanned their surroundings. In response, Robin did the only sensible thing he could do. He buried his face in his hands in mind-numbing anguish.

"I hate that girl," he muttered in frustration.

A few hours later, after a healthy amount of distance had been put between them and any would-be pursuers, the two delinquents came to a laughing stop.

"Oh man, I haven't had this much fun in weeks!" Raven said between fits of joyful laughter.

"Likewise, sunshine, likewise," though he was not laughing as wildly as his female partner in crime, there was a great deal of mirth in his tone. "Now, how about handing me that belt, and we'll call it a day," and expectant hand was extended, but Raven just dangled the belt well out of reach.

"Ah, ah, ah, not so fast there, we haven't discussed payment yet," she said while playfully waggling a finger at him.

"No honor among thieves, eh?" Red X commented, not the least bit offended by the recent turn of events.

"I don't know, you tell me," she cheekily countered. "Now, about that payment…"

"Would a 'please' be enough?" Red X innocently inquired.

"I don't know, you don't sound like you meant it," Raven countered with a teasing smile.

"Pretty, pretty please, with sugar and cherry on top?" Red X pressed on with his best imitation of a child's tone, it was not the most impressive, but A for effort at least.

"Aw, how could I say no to something so adowable," Raven cooed, as she stepped closer, handing the belt over.

"My thanks, sweet cheeks," Red X genuinely thanked as he strapped the belt back on, only to stop once he noticed the impish smile on Raven's face.

"You're quite welcome, though I think I'll be holding onto this," she said as she held up a very familiar necklace for him to see. One quick and somewhat panicked check later, and Red X could indeed confirm that it was the real deal, somehow snatched from him without him noticing.

"How did you-" he began, only to find that Raven was already running away from him, cackling like a madwoman.

"Catch me if you can!" she shouted at him before vanishing around a corner. Standing alone at the spot, Red X stared after the merc for several heartbeats. Oddly enough, he was not angry or even annoyed at her little stunt. On the contrary, he felt a sort of thrill, a sense of excitement he had not experienced in quite a while. The realization brought a smile to his lips.

"I love that girl," he muttered in good humor before giving chase. Thus began a partnership that would become the single greatest source of headaches for the local heroes.