'Rorschach's Journal October 21th 1995
'I am suspicious as to whether or not we are in fact facing against Deathstroke, I release that I haven't done the most thorough research on this mercenary however I do know that a mercenary will not act the way Deathstroke is acting here, if his contract with the HIVE is to eliminate us then he is doing quite a poor job, he sends robot minions to steal technology, most recently a microchip and even sent us a message via one minion, specifically to congratulate Robin on his skills.
'He acts more like a powerful agent to the HIVE not an assassin.
'Plus from what images I found of Slade Wilson in his armour and attire, this Deathstroke does not look the way he should, true he's in the shadows and he may have changed his look but from what I've seen it just doesn't feel right.
'As a bonus point whenever we call him Deathstroke he neither confirms nor denies. Not to mention he sound far too young, Slade Wilson is in his forties, this individual sound like he in his very early twenties, but Robin did point out that the Army gave him enhancement, it's possible it affected his body clock.
'Still I am unsure.
'On a side note, Cyborg, Robin and myself are all working on separate modes of transport, Cyborg has begun building a car, and myself and Robin our own motorcycles, Robin plans a more futuristic and technologically advanced machine while I plan an updated classic design from Britain, my favourite motorcycle has to be the Vincent Black Shadow, I going work out the faults in the original and make it more user friendly, but still I should spectacular when riding down the streets.'
All the Titans, bar Robin, lounged in the living room. Beast Boy took two DVDs off the shelf "Okay. All work and no flicks makes me a dull Beast Boy." He brought the two options to the table "So, my fellow couch potatoes, what'll it be? Super Ninja Showdown Eight? Or Maniac Fury: Attack of the Protozoids?"
"Gee," Raven said keeping her eyes on her book "they both sound so good."
"Yeah," Cyborg said oblivious to the blue witch's sarcasm "it's really hard to pick. Want to watch them both?" Raven rolled her eyes and Rorschach, in the middle of polishing his shoes, chuckled while shaking his head.
"Perhaps," Starfire said "Robin would enjoy potato-ing on the couch with us. Tell me where is he…"
"In the exact same place he's been since his little chat session with Deathstroke?" The changeling said "Uh, yeah."
Robin stood in his office thinking about the mercenary and his actions and comments over the last couple of month 'Who are you?'
The door opened "Robin?" asked Starfire "I am wondering if you might wish to…"
"No," Robin said causing Starfire to frown before he added "thanks, but I need to figure out why Deathstroke wanted that chip."
"Agreed," the Tamaranean said, before she blushed "and perhaps if you were to take a break, the answer would be easier to…"
"I can't." He walked up to her "You almost got hurt. Next time it could be worse. He's planning something. I have to find out what."
"But Robin, I am sure…" the door closed, she sighed.
In the laboratory that held the almost stolen microchip two man stood guard when the alarms went off. They went to the doors and armed themselves "I don't like this." One said then the door closed behind them.
Inside the room a figure materialised. Dressed in a skin-tight black outfit with a large red X emblazoned over the heart; the low end of the upward stroke is extended to cross the chest. Long black cape. Grey belt and gloves, the latter with X's on the backs of the hands. A black mask whose face resembles a white skull, with another red X on the forehead; its upstroke is extended, like the one on the chest, to cross the right eye. He took the chip. Then an explosion sounded and the two guard rushed in and started firing. The figure jumped and disappeared leaving the guards bemused.
The Titans, bar Robin stood on a roof, Cyborg received a call, and Robin appeared on his video screen "I'm working on a Deathstroke lead on the far side of town. Sure you guys can handle this without me?"
"No problem." The technical jock said and the called ended.
At that moment the skylight window opened and the new black thief climbed out. Cyborg charged his sonic cannon "You working for Deathstroke tough guy."
"Red X works alone." The thief spoke with an alerted voice before holding up a hand, the palm had on the X symbol as well and freed a blast.
The Titans scrambled out the way as Cyborg took a shot that destroyed the blast.
Red X jumped dodging shot after shot before firing his own multiple times like a machine gun. Rorschach jumped in front of Cyborg and formed his shield as the two retreated.
Beast Boy jumped and changed into a lion. Red X fired another shot, but this one liquefied into a red gunk that covered Beast Boy, when he hit the ground the changeling found himself stuck to the roof unable to free himself no matter how many animals he changed into.
Starfire and Raven charged shooting off their powers. Red X dodged the Starbolt and jumped out the way of the massive Raven claw coming from the ground before firing two more of his X shot, this time one became a restraint on Starfire and a gag on Raven before the blue witch could complete her spell.
Cyborg jumped from behind trying to catch the thief whoever Red X used his speed to dodge, and went behind the jock, put another X on his back, the somehow opened said back and the thief fiddled with Cyborg's mechanics shutting him down.
Rorschach formed a force-field "This is for stealing the name of this city's first protector." And sent it flying at Red X, the thief disappeared again and then stood next to the Techno-mage before punching him down, hard.
Seeing the five down Red X took off jumped off the roof and dematerialised.
"So," Beast Boy said still struggle to get out of the gung "do you guys see what I don't see?"
"Who was that guy?" Cyborg said. Rorschach got up clutching the side of his face Red X punched "Someone with a frightfully good right hook." He said before spare hand to lift his mask exposing his mouth, he put his hand to his mouth and brought out a molar "Luckily this one was a baby tooth."
In an underground base a shadowy figure answered a video call, Red X appeared on the screen with the microchip "Rumour has it you're interested in this."
"I'm interested in many things, Mister?"
"X, Red X."
"Catchy. So, are you proposing a sale or a gift?"
"A partnership. I give you the chip, you cut me in on your plans."
"Partnership. My, my, we are ambitious. But an alliance cannot be forged from one small chip. If you're going to win my trust, I'll require more."
"Just tell me what you want."
"I had no idea Red X posed such a threat." Robin said with the other Titans in the kitchen, Starfire carefully removing the remaining gunk from Beast Boy's hair and Rorschach still rubbing the side of his face, the Boy Wonder continued "I should have been there."
"Well," Rorschach said with a slight growl "you couldn't have predicted this would happen."
"Dude." Beast Boy said "You bet you should've been there. Look what he did to my do! I'm looking at two months of bad hair days!"
"Couldn't you just shower?" Rorschach asked, the changeling glared at him. Before Raven pointed at her still covered mouth, her voice muffled.
"I don't know Raven," Beast Boy said "That's kind of a good look for you."
"Hold still." Cyborg said taking hold of the gag and tore it off. Rorschach hissed though his teeth. Raven held in her pain and simply uttered "Ow." Once calm she turned to Robin "Even if you had been there, it wouldn't have made any difference.", Cyborg spoke next "Dude knew exactly how to bring each of us down. I guarantee he had a gadget with your name on it."
"Agreed." Starfire said "You need not feel guilt. We are undamaged.", Rorschach cleaned his throat and rubbed his jaw before Starfire corrected herself blushing "Mostly undamaged. And we are all eager to learn what you have discovered about Deathstroke."
"Nothing." Robin said lowering his head "Lead was a dead-end, I should get back to work." The Boy Wonder left, everyone looked as he did.
Night arrived. The Titans got an emergency call from Robin and they rushed into the living room. Only to find the Boy Wonder absent.
"Robin?" Starfire called.
"You mean Captain Research?" Beast Boy said as he slowly and sleepily trudged into the room "He's probably filling out note cards at the public library." The changeling yawed.
"I was." A voice said startling the group as Robin appeared on the monitor "But then I spotted Red X pulling a robbery in the tech sector. I'm on it, get here as soon as you can!" Beast Boy began to fall asleep but said "You got it, dude. We'll be there any…" Cyborg grabbed the changeling before he could finish the sentence.
The five kept close together under the moonlight. Cyborg look around "There!" he pointed as Red X and Robin jumped down from the wall. Rorschach's mask changed shape, as he saw Red X unfurl a red net which entangled the Boy Wonder, he landed and looked to the other "I'm fine, get X, go." The five ran off, though Rorschach and Starfire hesitated.
Red X jumped down into the subway.
The Titan follow and began searching the station with caution. Cyborg walked on a head "I've adjusted my ocular implant to scan at multiple sub-harmonics in the EM spectrum."
"Kay," Beast Boy said "do you come with subtitles?"
"My eye should spot him even if he's invisible." Cyborg turn around, and suddenly went flying back.
"It's him." Raven said.
Cyborg got up as a glowing red x slammed down on his back as Red X made himself visible, sparks flew from the technical jocks back "You're going to have to learn some new tricks dog." And threw him across the station. The thief flipped and landed feet first just before the other four.
"Surrender." Starfire proclaimed "We do wish to harm you."
"Sorry," Red X said "I not through with you yet." He jumped up and threw another X in Star's direction. The Tamaranean flinched but Raven made a shield and caught it.
Cyborg ran up from behind and tried to punch the thief but Red X dodge and rolled out the way. Starfire flew towards him, but X held out his cape and she flew through it, making her crash into Cyborg.
Beast Boy turned into a bear but the thief kind him in the chest knocked him over and then kicked Raven into couple of crates. A green coat rammed into Red X's back. The thief recovered by swing around a stone pillar. Beast Boy ducked but got punched be Red X onto the tracks. The changeling got up only to be bathed in lights. A train came speed towards him. Someone grabbed his collar and dragged him onto the platform.
Red X and the changeling stood up "Dude, did you just save me?" Red X kicked Beast Boy in the chest and ran off.
The others only just saw him leaves as the train left, and they didn't follow so to help up their friend "Beast Boy," Starfire said "you are undamaged?"
"Who is that guy?"
Red X sat at a computer in a video call with his client.
"Impressive Red X," Wilson said "I tapped into the security cameras to catch your performance. You treated the Titans to quite a show."
"Glad you enjoyed it," he held up to microchip, the red one and a recently acquired blue one "is the audition over?"
"Patience. Trust is easy to destroy, but it takes time to build. One last test. Prove yourself and we'll meet to discuss your future." The image of a green microchip appeared as the video of Wilson dissolved. The screen cut off.
"Good."
The five Titans looked at a map on the monitor, two area mark on it Cyborg spoke "Okay. That's where Red X has been. Now we just have to figure out where he's going to strike next.", Raven typed on the keyboard and several more dots appeared.
"Great." Beast Boy said. Rorschach took the keyboard, "Those two microchip were made with a specific propose in mind. Theoretically they could be part something that might be useful to a crook, but he would need a specific third. It's a simple case of find out if and where it's made in the city."
Starfire turned around and lowered her head, the sound of footsteps caught attention "Robin!" she exclaimed as the Boy Wonder passed with some machinery in his arms, she continued "Wonderful! Our efforts to locate the Red X will benefit greatly from you help."
"It'll have to wait," he said as he went to a corridor "I'm close to a breakthrough with Deathstroke."
"More wonderful!" Starfire exclaimed "Perhaps we could be of assistance to…" however Robin left the room before she could finish talking, "you." She lowered her head.
"Let him go," Beast Boy called "Not like he's been much help lately anyway. If Robin wasn't always A.W.O.L., X would be K. O.'d by now."
"I can't believe I'm saying this," Raven said "but Beast Boy's right.", Cyborg spoke next "You all think maybe Robin's losing his grip?"
"No!" Starfire yelled "Robin's grip is not lost. He works harder than any of you! He works to catch Deathstroke before something terrible happens! He works to save us all! Rorschach you told me Robin has a plan?"
"Yes, but Robin ordered me to keep it a secret in case the information got to Deathstroke somehow."
"Then," Cyborg asked "why did he tell you?"
"He needed my help on one aspect, other than what he told me I'm the dark as much everyone else."
"But this plan of his," Beast Boy said crossing his arms "is why every time we need him, he disappears.", Starfire lowered her head.
Starfire enter Robin's office and looked around, then to the desk filled the stuff relating to Deathstroke, she picked up the broken bird-a-rang on the desk "Robin where have you gone?" a spark went off from the bird-a-rang causing Star to drop it, which knocked over a small ball which rolled off the desk and onto the floor, it started up and showed a holographic projection of Robin in the net given the order to follow Red X. Starfire looked at it 'If you weren't really there then where…' she gasped.
Red X stood before the third microchip and took it.
"Excellent work." A voice said, the figure stepped into the light, a man twenty years old, in black and bronze armour, but with a chainmail cowl and left arm. Red X's eye narrowed "You're not Deathstroke?"
"I never said I was, you never asked who I was, Slade Wilson is my father, I am Grant Wilson, the HIVE made me like father to kill the Titans, and they called me Ravager."
"I see." Red X held up the microchips "What are they for? I need to know what we're planning, partner."
"Patience. You can't expect me to trust you with such sensitive information right away, can you, Robin?" Red X's eyes widened, a net caught the chips and flew into Ravager's hands.
The lights in the lab turned on. Around them stood an army of HIVE robot's and Ravager's own personal robots. Red X took a stance and the HIVE robots advanced.
An explosion racked the room.
"Titans," Cyborg called "Go!" he, and Beast Boy jumped down from the roof. Red X spirited across the room as Beast Boy became an octopus and covered a HIVE robot and Raven covered one with her magic.
Cyborg landed behind the running Red X and grabbed the thief's cape.
Ravager ran off as Red X protested to Cyborg to let him go and run after Ravager.
Starfire and Rorschach jumped down from the hole on the roof. "Listen to him." The Techno-mage called, Starfire spoke next "He is…"
Red X removed his mask, showing himself to indeed be Robin, the other three's eye shot wide, the cape ripped as the Boy Wonder spoke as he ran off "Ravager's getting away come on.", Rorschach came run up next to him "So I was right and it's not Deathstroke.", Robin explained as he removed the Red X suit, he wore his Robin costume underneath, the Techno-mage nodded and looked back, none of the other Titans had followed them.
Up on the roof Ravager jumped out a hatch quickly followed by the two Titans the three jumped from roof to roof. Robin threw a bird-a-rang, but Ravager pulled out a sword and sliced it. He then turned and made a run.
Rorschach threw up a quick force-field just as Ravager ran into it, he fell back and looked up, Robin stared down at him "Hand them over!"
"But Robin," Ravager said getting up "I thought we had a deal?"
"Sorry. I have a strict rule against giving stolen technology to psychos."
"How very noble of you. But stealing in order to trap me? That wasn't so noble. Two wrongs don't make a…"
"Don't ever lecture me! Whatever you're planning, Wilson, it's over!"
"Oh, on the contrary, Robin. It's just begun…" Ravager flinched and grabbed his heart, he started breathing heavily as he knelt down. Rorschach ran up and pulled the cowl off Grant's head, his face began to wrinkle, he aged in front of their eyes.
Rorschach sighed and remerged through Ravager's costume pulling out the chips. He stood up and took off his hat "I'm sorry Wilson, whatever the HIVE did to you they botched it, you're dying.", Grant's and Robin's eyes widened as Rorschach walked away as the other Titans arrived. Grant tried to get to his feet, but collapsed. Robin checked his pulse, and Cyborg came up and check his heartbeat, both shook their heads.
"Dude," Beast Boy said looking to Rorschach "you could have helped him."
"How?" Rorschach said looking off "The enhancement the HIVE gave Wilson went wrong. We wouldn't have had enough time to get him to medical centre as you saw. The only thing I could have done was the give a mercy killing to an already dying man."
Robin walked up as Rorschach place his hat back "Oh by the way Robin," the Techno-mage punched the Boy Wonder "that was for punching me in the face the other day.", his gloves sparked and his mask changed shape as he looked at them.
Robin stood in his office looking at the pieces of paper that told him all about Deathstroke.
The door opened and Starfire walked inside, the Boy Wonder didn't turn around "You want to yell at me too? Everyone else has." He turned around "And I don't blame them."
"I do not wish to yell, merely to understand. Robin, why did you not tell us the truth?"
"I needed to fool Slade. If you guys knew it was me under that mask, you would've held back. I had feeling Rorschach wouldn't have, given his stunt with Jinx and her friends, and when he punched me back on the rooftop. I needed him to design the costume, nothing else. Doesn't matter anyway. It wasn't Deathstroke, and if he does decide to fight us it won't work a second time, and I haven't figured out a single thing about him."
"Robin, I understand why you did this, but it does not mean it was right, you did not trust us and you almost made me kill Friend Rorschach."
"What do you mean?"
"When I found the hologram of you in the net and figured you were Red X I went to Rorschach and made him explain at Starbolt point."
"Star I didn't…" Starfire turned around and left. Robin sighed as the door closed.
Joshua sat in his room checking the data on his scanning equipment. 'It's fallen again.' he looked at his hands 'And because I punched Grayson, maybe Mum was right and it an emotion thing, just doesn't seem right though.' he glanced around, his eyes darted to the mirror and he quickly ran to it his eye widened, he looked behind him to the corner of the room and then back to the mirror, in it, in the corner of the room stood a man, exactly Josh's height, five foot six inches, short messy orange hair, slightly too thin making his face gaunt, what Joshua focused on was the intense stair from his eyes, eye identical to his own, 'Who are you?' Josh thought, but he subconsciously felt he remembered, and how he hated that face.
A knock came on Joshua's door "Just a minute." He called walking to the desk, grabbed his mask and hat. He glanced back to the mirror, the figure had gone. Josh shook his head and put the two pieces of clothing on before answering the door.
Raven stood there "You coming to mediate?"
"Of course, just needed to check something."
"You don't sound alright, anything the matter?"
"It's nothing that really needs your concern Raven, I'll sort it out.", Raven nodded and walked down the corridor, Josh followed and sighed 'First of all I need to find out what going wrong.' His thoughts went back to the man in the mirror, then to his superhero name Rorschach, subconsciously he knew they connected somehow.
He looked down at Raven "You still unsure about Beast Boy?"
"I don't know why, his games are annoying and get on my nerves but Beast Boy himself."
"I think your beginning to like him."
"I can't, I mustn't."
"Why?"
"I have personal reasons; I don't want to talk about them."
"Fair enough, I will not pry."
"I was a fool not to take the contract Wintergreen." A man said touching the face of Grant Wilson, the man sported unnaturally snow white hair along with an equally white goatee and moustache combination, over his right-eye sat an eye patch.
"We all make mistakes Slade." The butler Wintergreen said placing his hand on Wilson's shoulder.
"But this mistake cost Grant his life, with Joseph missing he was the only son I had left." He looked back at Grant's body "Kid didn't have a chance, I will avenge you Grant, I'll complete the contract." He pulled out a mask, bronze and black with an eyehole on the left side and put it on saying "The Titans will pay for this."
"Very well Slade," Wintergreen said "I shall contact the HIVE."
"…I will do it on with my methods, I have trained for years to do so."
"Very well Mister Wilson." The HIVE Mistress said "We will send you your payment as soon as possible.", the image of the Wilson disappeared as Brother Blood turned to the Mistress "You knew those enhancements wouldn't work."
"Of course, we need to give Wilson the necessary motive to take the contract. Now Blood onto the matter of the escaped students."
"I assure you they are in good hands."
"You have found them?"
"No," another voice said, a gun fired and shot the Mistress fell forward, a bullet in her forehead. From the shadows Undertaker stepped forward with the smoking gun "I did." The older members of the HIVE gasped as Brother Blood smiled "Welcome back Mister Winker."
"Thank you Sebastian," he placed to gun into his coat "I must say it's nice to some old faces, now…" the Brain, his gorilla servant Monsieur Mallah, and General Immortus walked into the light as Undertaker continued "We have a proposition."
One of the hooded HIVE leaders stepped forwards and her legs stretched outward to the ground, the Brain spoke "It is good to see you again Madame Rouge", the figure pull off her hood and looked to the Brain before speaking with an Eastern European accent with some German in it "I take it the Brotherhood is back in working condition?"
"Indeed."