DISCLAIMER: I don't own Teen Titans. If I did, this would be on TV and not here.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: About Sanza/Red X: When he's wearing the mask, he's Red X. When he's not, he's Sanza. Simple as that.
SECOND AUTHOR'S NOTE: This fanfic was not written by me!! This was written by an author named 'oneortheother', who gave me his express permission (and in fact insisted!) that it be posted on this account. This is the fourth installment of the Sanza Salazar saga, following "A Tale of Two Apprentices". Read the last three fanfics in the series before you read this. Also, this fic COMPLETELY IGNORES the events of the fifth season (with the exception of "Go"). For the purposes of this fic, "Things Change" NEVER HAPPENED.
O-O-O
Sanza arrived at the familiar location, though this time with a vastly different view and perception as he arrived at the beautifully tranquil entrance of the Cathedral of St. Ignacius. The normal quiet serenity was somewhat canceled out by the armed guards and the uncomfortable handcuffs that bit into Sanza's skin every time he tried to move his fingers. Thankfully, upon the fatherly priest's arrival, the senior of the armed escort complied and Sanza could actually pretend this was just another regular bout of church-going, as he shut the door of the confessional booth, scratching at the collar of his uncomfortable, high-visibility prison uniform.
He was at the confessional booth in the lovely church Sanza had been to almost every week since he had been an infant. Sanza confessed to Father Abuela in the confessional booth, but the elderly man seemed ever distant, perhaps due to the fact that he had realized the magnitude of Sanza's crimes. Father Abuela normally told Sanza at the end of every confessional to give up the life of crime. Abuela thought Sanza had succeeded in obeying him, but sadly after a moment of weakness and anger, Sanza had failed him. The police presence outside of the booth was a constant reminder of how dire the situation was.
After Sanza had confessed all the blood and gore he had seen, he talked about how simply fearful he was about the mysterious cloaked gunman he had encountered. Perhaps 'ranted' would have been a more accurate description.
"I feel so sorry that despite my skills and abilities, I failed to match up against a figure that was such a blatant mockery of our faith. I mean, he claimed to be Christian, he went by the name Reverend! How messed up is that? I mean, has he ever heard of 'thou shall not kill'? The guy barely seemed to blink as gunned those guys down!"
Father Abuela seemed to especially distant that day, simply nodding along with the words that Sanza said, occasionally throwing in some verses from scripture. Usually, he put some emotion into the spiritual counsel he gave Sanza, but today he seemed so distant that his expression could have been carved from stone, moreso even than when he confessed all the sins he had committed as Red X. Sanza hadn't seen him this stoic since he had admitted he almost let his lust get the better of him when he had Starfire at his mercy.
Sanza felt entitled to ask, though he couldn't see Father Abuela's face due to it being hidden by the walls of the confessional booth, he couldn't but help but get the feeling that there was something amiss…
"Father, is something bothering you? You seem distant today, is it because of what I have done?"
Father Abuela gave a little sigh and responded…
"While I admit I am quite distraught about all that happened today, the reason is… because my cousin was one of the casualties of that night, he shot dead while he was in that building."
"I am so sorry, Father. I can't believe what happened there that night, so many innocents died, all those workers just trying to scrape a living, I'm sorry I couldn't do anything to save them…"
Father Abuela gave a small, sad smile.
"You have a good heart Sanza. Sadly, my cousin Jose was not one of the innocents. He was one of the robbers that broke into the bank. I had been trying to convince him to give up his life of crime for years, but to no avail… and now this…"
Sanza almost felt like it was a case of role-reversal as he stepped out of the confessional booth to be greeted by the armed police escorts, before twisting past them as Sanza patted Father Abuela lightly on the shoulder.
"I'm sorry I couldn't stop his demise, Father…"
Father Abuela was about to respond when the large ceremonial door creaked open and a small figure emerged, slowly walking towards the aisles and the confessional booths. The police escorts who were under orders to not allow anyone to access the church while the felon was still embracing his religious rights immediately blocked off the hall to this patron.
"Police business. This area is off limits today, come back later," declared the captain in a gruff, strictly no nonsense voice as he trust his chest forwards and subtly shifted his weapon forward, putting forth quite a direct message...
However, this cloaked patron, who was dressed like a religious scholar or a well-dressed monk, walked with the weight of a man very close to God. And naturally that meant much less regard for meaningless things like 'the law' and whatnot, as the patron quickly sidestepped the leading armed officer, and with his head bowed, addressed the head priest Father Abuela.
"I am sorry for this intrusion Father, but I simply wished to conduct my weekly ritual of devotion to the lord. Will you not assist a man who simply wishes to embrace the Lord?"
Father Abuela paused, considering the weight of this patron's words before nodding.
"Though I apologize, due to this police business, you will have to be quick."
"Thank you Father…" the patron responded as he walked down the aisle with his head bowed and his arms clasped together in prayer, clearly oblivious to the glares that the officers were giving him. As the police continued to stare down the devout patron, Sanza turned around to continue his conversation with Father Abuela, but he couldn't shake the fact from the his mind that the cloaked regular looked eerily familiar…
"Then again, if he is a regular, I must have seen him here before, that must be why he seems so familiar."
Though as the regular turned to the Father to give his thanks for letting him go forth with letting him go forth with this supposed weekly ritual, Sanza suddenly had a disturbing revelation of why this cloaked figured looks so familiar, at first Sanza had simply assumed that he had met this so-called 'patron' before. After all, if this man visited weekly, it made sense if Sanza had come across him before right? That certainly wasn't the reason why Sanza saw this man being so eerily familiar, the way the man gathered himself, the tone in which he spoke, the way he walked and the way the man never quite turned his back on the armed officers, there could be no mistake. The cross amulet that dangled from his neck, it was a simple garment and what that certainly wouldn't look out of place in a house of worship but there was a tiny detail that was just... off. It was the color, instead of the sparkly silver favored by the ministers or the jet-black favored by heavy metal enthusiasts, it was a rancid grey, and it looked like it had been recently coated with dust.
Rubble and dust from a bank explosion.
"Wait, you're…!" gasped Sanza.
The strange patron interrupted Sanza before he could finish his train of thought, practically nudging him away as he moved to speak with Father Abuela.
"My most sincere apologies for this intrusion Father…"
But after he had said that, he gave Sanza a brief blank stare, as if he was trying to communicate something profound through his eyes. Sanza didn't have a clue what he meant, but with a quick flourish, this mysterious visitor was soon to communicate his intentions very clearly and very loudly.
In a single flourishing movement, the patron spun round and dug his hands into his coat, revealing a sinister looking pistol. He fired it against the officer furthest away from them, who had been so surprised by this action that he hadn't even had time to think about drawing his weapon before he went down. Sanza heard neither the bullet hitting its target, nor the bang from emitted from the barrel of the pistol, but he couldn't help but admire the inhuman marksmanship abilities of the gunman, who had turned around and fired his pistol in a single movement. He couldn't have gotten better that a millisecond glance at his target before firing. The gunman's vision seemed to border on the lines of superhuman as Sanza watched him skillfully dispatch a guard, the officer's body jolting as he hit the ground face first, down for the count. Sanza was seriously beginning to doubt if it was really flesh and blood under those robes and not a hyper-advanced robot with motion tracking systems and insane reflexes...
It was then it all made sense, the cross, the weapon, the ability. The pistol even looked eerily familiar…
"Cease your fire, Robert! We will not have this destruction and murder in the house of God!" Abuela shouted, holding out his hands as he desperately willed for these armed and prepared combatants to cease their firing of their deadly weapons, especially in the sacred Cathedral of St. Ignacius…
The gun-wielding patron, whose head had turned in response to Abuela calling his name, responded quickly, moving towards another of the officers. However, this one didn't make the mistake of underestimating him, and had drawn his weapon and barked a single warning.
"Surrender, or we will use lethal force!"
"Father, they'll live. They might wake up in the hospital two days later, but they'll live. Though if you don't want any gunfire in this house of God you're really going to have to ask them about it," he replied, a maniacal grin on his face that suggested he was perhaps enjoying this confrontation a little too much, as he gestured with his free hand to the currently trigger-happy officers who were trying to get a bead on the sidestepping and maneuvering patron.
He dodged a blast from the energy pistol of one of the nearby officers who, thinking he had gotten a bead on him, had opened fire, putting a charred hole in one of the wooden benches behind him. The man leapt in the air to avoid another blast, showing astounding agility, before reloading and firing another electrical taser bolt at another officer to his left, overwhelming the shocked, literally and figuratively, officer to the floor. The adjacent officer had just removed a radio from his belt and was preparing to call for back-up when he felt what must have been like his kidneys being stabbed with a cattle-prod. Sanza had launched a savaged blow from behind the officer, knowing that, no matter what, he had to clear his name, and that he, no… Red X, would do anything to achieve those goals.
"For Maddy, for mom, for Terra…" Sanza thought as he ripped the radio from the officer who was writhing on the floor in agony. He promptly shut off the radio by stomping it with his foot, crunching it hard to make sure the circuits were wrecked.
Sanza brushed past the still hooded patron who had helped him subdue the guards, but as he walked past him, Sanza looked him right in the eye. There was an expected tension, yet a somewhat amusingly jovial aura. The man's body language was almost suggesting he'd approve if Sanza offered to give him a high five. That didn't happen, as Sanza walked back to survey the situation while the mysterious gunman dispatched the remaining officers quickly by continuing to unload electrical bolts into them, zapping them into submission despite the fact that he had to reload his weapon after each shot while the energy pistol wielding officers could fire without any pause at all.
"Robert! Sanza! Please do not do this! There can surely be a peaceful resolution to this!."
The man that Abuela had named as Robert was currently preoccupied with trying to avoid blaster fire from two guards who seemed determined to try to gun him down, so Sanza took to replying to Abuela's statement, looking the priest square in the eye.
I have to clear my name Father. I didn't commit those crimes, please understand. Though I believe I might have a good lead on who might have..." Sanza finished, his voice turning sinister at the end of that sentence as he turned around and stalked after the cloaked gunman who had just saved his life. The gunman had just managed to dispatch the pair of guards when Sanza addressed him loudly, knowing that this was a question that he would want to shout to the heavens.
"You're Reverend, aren't you?"
Sanza heard Father Abuela let out an audible gasp, which was somewhat understandable, since this priest might never have imagined that he would, could, possibly achieve emotional closure through meeting the man who had slain his dear brother a mere day after the actual incident… his brother wasn't even in the ground yet... This was the stuff that bordered on unbelievable and predetermined. Wonder who believed which... The mysterious gunman still had his back to the Hispanic teen and the speechless priest, he slowly spun round to look Sanza in the eye as he returned his taser-pistol to its pouch and replied with a light, casual smile present on his face.
"The importance you put in a name is misleading, young one. You of all people should know that, don't you agree, Red X?"
Sanza stiffened, his reply catching in his throat. This man looked like he was old enough to be Sanza's father, though that could have just been from the dust in his hair and the smoke in the air from several of the police escort's missed shots that had left charred wood and burns in many of the walls. Sanza was about to open his mouth to reply, having just formulated a witty response, when the grinning gunman continued.
"I am here to right the injustice of your incarceration and for that, you should be grateful."
"The guy sure does love the sound of his own voice, but he does have a point…" thought Sanza, who then shook his head and shouted "What do you want? I'm going to help the killer who framed me!"
Sanza knew this information would surely affect Father Abuela, who would be shocked that his regular patron was in fact the one who was solely responsible for taking his brother's life away.
"You of all people were the one who killed my brother? How could you, Robert? I thought you were a good, noble, godly man…" Father Abuela said before stuttering at the end, he looked like he was ready to cry. Robert was soon to respond. He walked right past Sanza, who had gotten in a combat position as soon as he had come within striking distance and looked prepared for a grueling duel.
The man whom Sanza swore was the mass-murderer who was responsible for the 'Jump City Bank Massacre', as the media had recently dubbed it, then pulled Father Abuela into a hug, it wasn't unlike the hugs Sanza would on occasion deliver to his sweet sister Maddy.
Even someone like Sanza, who had seen it all as the devious master thief Red X, couldn't help but be surprised by this recent development.
"First he's badass and mysterious, and then he's hugging people? What the hell is going on..." thought the skeptical Sanza, unaware of the irony of his statement. Sanza was legitimately expecting this man to pull out his gun and hold Father Abuela hostage. But to Sanza's amazement, nothing of the sort happened!
Robert, undeterred by Sanza's reception, let Father Abuela cry briefly in his shoulder before spinning him round and answering him.
"I was there to help, Father, that I promise you. Your brother and his rebellious friends had to be stopped, they had killed many innocents and they just had to be stopped by any means necessary."
"Did my Brother suffer? Was it quick? Did he pray?" Abuela answered, almost weeping. Sanza could understand the feeling, he couldn't imagine what it would be like to have another of his loved ones killed…
"Yeah, it was quick. He was shot in the heart, twice," said Sanza. He was reluctant to mention that fact, but seeing the villain whom he had fought just a day ago break down and comfort an old man had really proven to change his perceptions. "I mean, it would have been so much easier to just walk away…"
"If it's any consolation Father, his death was quick and he saw the error of his ways. He repented and I pray that his soul rejoices in heaven…" Robert said with pure sincerity as Abuela continued to sob.
"Thank you. I see now that your intention was simply to right a wrong, stop the injustice. That's why you're here right now isn't it?"
Robert nodded his head, gave Abuela a last bracing hug and looked over to Sanza, and spoke calmly. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions for me, and I'll be glad to answer them, but I think this really isn't the right time or place for that kind of thing. We gotta get outta here."
Sanza paused for a second reassessing the situation, sure the guy had tried to kill him just a day ago, and sure, his shoulder was still throbbing quite severely… but he had just saved Sanza from being incarcerated for God knows how long, and had proven that despite his actions, perhaps he really was a man of God, and certainly a noble figure. Sanza took a deep breath and made his decision, looking up as he did so, hoping that God felt that he was making the correct one.
"You're right, there certainly is a lot you have to answer for. But this just isn't the place for it. We need to get out of here."
"I believe I can help you out with that," responded Abuela defiantly, and while he was well aware of the charges he would face for aiding and abetting criminals, Sanza and Robert certainly weren't criminals in his book and for that these two patrons certainly deserved his help. He paused for a moment, his eyes gazing upwards at the ornate ceiling, amazed at what he was about to do for these men. His eyes wandered, looking up at the beautiful stained glass windows. Then, he sighed. "Is this your plan for me, Lord?"
O-O-O
Abuela guided the pair through the priest's chambers, knowing that the main entrance and other subsequent passages would likely be blocked off by the police by now and that sending them out one those paths was blatant suicide. Despite the fighting prowess the unlikely duo had shown against those guards, Abuela knew that against a real army, possibly even the Teen Titans, they simply wouldn't stand a chance. Father Abuela had been a clergyman at this church for about half his lifetime, he had been there when this church had been first built, he had even participated during the construction of this holy temple, so perhaps only he had the unique knowledge of how to escape from the church undetected by the police forces that were quickly gathering about outside. Subtlety was the way to go here as Abuela guided them to an old exit, a tunnel that went through the priest's quarters that would lead them into a sewer that went directly under the old church.
"This is where we part ways," Father Abuela declared finally, as Sanza and Robert both respectively gave their own personal thanks.
"I will pray for you boys. May God be with you…"
O-O-O
Sanza lagged behind Robert as he led the way, his companion seemed to have already memorized Abuela's instructions. Sanza still didn't trust him, but felt that there was a chance that they would need each other in the near future and that it wouldn't at least hurt to have a better understanding of who he might be working with to clear his name.
"Did you mean everything you said to Father Abuela? I'm not sure I can believe you. I mean, I saw you gun those men in the bank down with seemingly no remorse or self-control at all."
Robert stopped as his tried to budge a stuck retractable ladder, as he chuckled for a bit before looking over at Sanza.
"I think the key word there is seemingly. And plus, those men I killed were all killers. I know it is still a sin to kill a killer, but I figured it was for the greater good and all. And seeing them gun down so many of those innocent bank workers in cold blood, many of them adults with families and children, it just made me want to stomp on all their injustice. So I did that somewhat literally. Hey, you were there, you know what I'm talking about."
"All I saw was you butchering them and trying to kill me," replied Sanza with hint of malice in his voice.
"You didn't watch the news? They were a gang known in Jump City known as the Opacos."
"Dark?" Sanza asked, recognizing the Spanish word.
"Yes, those robbers were members of that gang. I had long wondered why they chose that name, Opaco…"
"Why were they called that? Seems like a strange name…" queried Sanza, who struggled to think of any valid reason for using the Spanish word for 'dark' aside from the fact it sounded cool.
"Because at the end of every business deal they would kill all those involved, they would squeeze the trigger until the land was filled with innocent blood, rumor has it the clothes they wore would always be 'dark', because they were stained with the blood of their victims. All they would do was bring darkness into all our lives… they were monsters and demons, every last one of them. That is why I killed them, because they deserved it, because it was the right thing to do," continued the cloaked man, emotion subtly seeping into his voice.
Robert leaned forward and spoke softly to Sanza in an almost fatherly tone.
"I wouldn't be doing what I was doing if I didn't believe it was right. Do you have that much conviction in your heart with everything you do?"
As the stubborn ladder finally budged, Robert gestured to it, smiling slightly, clearly aware of how Sanza was struggling to come up with a good answer.
"Good to go?"
O-O-O
As Robert and Sanza trekked up several more ladders and through the sewers to a deserted facility deep underground, a place that Sanza recognized as the underground sanitation station for Jump City's Chinatown district… at least that's what the murky metallic sign claimed. However, Sanza couldn't help but feel this was a rather strange place to go. After all, the Hispanic teenager wanted nothing more than to go straight back home and talk to his mother... and oh Lord, Terra...
There was a lot of explaining to do. But all in good time, as Sanza had another pressing matter to attend to. Sanza looked at his leading companion, who as soon as they had entered the sewers and departed from the church, had taken to wearing the sinister mask that Red X sorely remembered from the bank fiasco. Finally confirming Sanza's suspicions of the connection between Robert and Reverend, it was a question Sanza intended to ask. Sanza tapped Robert on the shoulder.
"Umm… Robert? What are we doing near Chinatown?"
Robert pondered his question for a while until he answered, although it seemed his answer had very little to do with the question.
"I think Robert is too informal for me, I mean I just met you today. Well without the mask on, and just the other night we were trying to kill each other. Just call me Reverend, but if you want to be slightly more informal, Rev will do. That okay, X?"
Sanza found his request a tad bit strange, but seeing as it was a considerably minor thing, Sanza decided to oblige.
"You only have to call me Red X when I have the mask on, here I'm just Sanza," he replied. "And it looks like I'll be plain old Sanza for quite a while if my suit is still locked up in Police Headquarters or something."
"You say that like it's a bad thing. Haven't you ever heard of how 'man makes the weapons, the weapons don't make the man'?'"
Sanza eyelids flickered momentarily, like he had heard a tasteless joke. Which was perhaps technically true as he opened his mouth to reply.
"Says the man wielding a gun," the Hispanic teen mumbled.
Sanza thought for a moment, then spoke up again.
"Well, Rev, since you know my face, shouldn't I get to see yours?" Sanza asked, as he motioned to his face and Rev's mask to emphasize his point.
"All things in good time, young one. And, well, considering the tremendous stench in here, I'd prefer to leave my mask on for now." Rev said, smirking behind his mask.
Sanza remembered how his own mask was able to prevent things like dust and soot from entering his mouth and lungs, yet was unable directly prevent smells, couldn't but think that Reverend was just using it as an excuse to leave his mask on and conceal his identity. Sanza accepted that Rev probably didn't trust him all that much yet, and that was perhaps rightfully so.
After all, despite Red X's previous, numerous and brief alliances with the Titans, it had been tolerable, if not enjoyable, since Sanza viewed fighting them as more of a playful challenge than anything else, though the element of danger certainly made it more exciting. And since the Titans never fought to kill, it was only the danger of a jail sentence. Also, the fact that his suit had effectively been designed to counter the powers of the Titans certainly made those fights easier for him. But the duel he had with Reverend in that war-torn bank had been truly a terrifying experience, Sanza had fought foes before that intended to fight to the death, enemies like Sedaris, Slade and even sometimes Robin. But never before had he fought an opponent whose attacks were both ruthless and savage, yet this fighter's attitude to it all was as if he was just playing a light-hearted game, it was the kind of attitude you'd expect from a recreational athlete, no a trained killer like Reverend...
It was truly a bizarre and strange combination, yet his actions spoke more than his words, and Sanza's wounded shoulder still throbbed painfully as the Hispanic teenager walked at a brisk pace, keeping up with his guide who was leading the way.
Sanza had always thought himself as a dedicated person, and every time he had donned the suit he had a purpose in mind, despite the fact there were times that this purpose was born out of his kleptomania. But Reverend, who despite Red X's suit and all its abilities was able to fight him toe-to-toe and he had proved that, not only was he unafraid of death but willing, perhaps even eager, to deliver it. That combined with his almost infuriatingly jovial demeanor, made Sanza feel that perhaps Reverend was the strangest foe he had ever face. Strange, yet savagely effective. Despite all this, Sanza still wasn't getting to let Rev belittle him. After all, he was a hardened warrior! Through the trials he had faced against Slade, saving the city and not to mention the ruthless tutelage he had faced under the True Master, Sanza felt he certainly had proved himself.
"You know, I wish you didn't patronize me so much, Rev. I am not a kid! I'm seventeen, that's already old enough to drive!" Sanza said, irked that he was being considered a child.
"Haha, the problem with the youth nowadays… they are young. And no offence, Sanza, but I am nearly double your age, so I think I have the right to patronize you to some extent." Rev said. laughing lightly as he continued walking along the path to the final ladder that would lead them both to the surface.
Sanza felt like he should have been irritated by Rev's comments, but there was something about his attitude and his demeanor that suggested that Rev was taking it all as a light-hearted joke and that Sanza shouldn't be put off by his statements. After Rev's final comment, Sanza couldn't help but crack a bewildered smile.
And with that, the trip to the surface was almost complete. The duo scaled the final ladder that would take them to Jump City's Chinatown District.
O-O-O
For those who feel I am neglecting the Titans because I love my OC too much, have no fear! They feature prominently in the next Chapter: "Life Lessons".