I want to thank everyone for taking the time to review!

I'd like to send a special thanks to coldblue, who seems to be my number one fan and I say that I really appreciate your appreciation. It makes me happy to know that you like my story so much. In reality, I have really low confidence in myself, so your comments help me think that I'm better at writing than I'd originally thought.

Gr8pes said that Red X still seemed too strong and after re-reading through the last chapter, I realized that in some ways, they were right. I fully believe that Red X should be one of the strongest characters in this story. But I also realize that reading him breeze through all of his fights can be less entertaining for some. I myself enjoy watching the hero struggle; it just makes their moment of triumph all the more gratifying. If you're like me, then you guys will certainly enjoy this chapter. It will not be easy for X.

~Young Justice: Red X~

Chapter 5: The Auction Part II

|GOTHAM HARBOR
|2010 June 22, 23:26 EDT

As the stadium continued in its' silence, something he was rather proud of, Red X found it increasingly hard to ignore the aches and pains echoing his body. His fight with Croc left him winded and sore, though he tried to hide it by taking deep breaths. His head pounded like a jackhammer and X cursed Count Vertigo for the hundredth time as he resisted the urge to massage his temples. His muscles were felt strained, but the most notable pain came from the wound on his forearm. Red X studied it discreetly and saw that Croc had torn through his suit, leaving behind a large gash that was bleeding heavily. If he didn't get the chance to patch himself up soon, he would likely pass out from blood loss. As if to prove his assessment right, a wave of dizziness overcame him for a moment, making black spots appear in the corner of his eyes as his headache only worsened.

"My, my, what an unexpected turn of events! How about we take a closer look at the fight while our little hero takes care of his injuries?" The Riddler said mockingly as he nodded towards a booth at the left end of the arena, located just a few feet above the crowd. Red X eyed the booth, deducing that it was essentially the control room for the stadium. The lights overhead dimmed as a large TV box that he'd failed to notice earlier, flickered on high above the crowd.

Red X ignored the TV as six people quickly made their way onto the arena floor. Five of them moved to take care of Croc while the last came over to him with a first aid kit in hand. He took only the gauze and inspected it closely to make sure the bandages hadn't been soaked in some sort of debilitating drug. It had happened to him before sadly. Once the gauze passed his inspection, he dismissed the grunt and dressed his own injury. Fortunately, the bleeding had already begun to start clotting. Satisfied, Red X turned his attention to the screens hanging overhead. There had apparently been Thermal Imaging cameras placed throughout the stadium ring, both above and below the water.

He watched impassively with his arms crossed over his chest, taking the moment he had to rest a little. He didn't know who would be sent out next, but from the way things were progressing, it was safe to say that they would likely be more of a challenge than Killer Croc. Though there weren't that many criminals physically stronger than the reptilian man, and Red X seriously doubted that the Riddler had Bane or Solomon Grundy behind those doors. Perhaps they would choose someone with special abilities rather than brute strength. Maybe he'd have to fight Poison Ivy, her man-eating plants and various poisons were difficult for even Batman to handle at times. X's thoughts were cut short as the video of his fight ended. A restless murmur broke out over the arena, with a few in the crowd shouting insults at him.

"Let's see how well Red X did in comparison to our other items." The Riddler stated cheerily and his head shot up towards the screen, taken aback as a new feed appeared. The screen was split in two down the middle. On the left side Kid Flash entered the arena while on the right Aqualad did the same thing. He watched in apprehension as he witnessed both sidekicks go through the same trials that he had. When had the other two done these challenges? Hours after they had been captured? They were still here, weren't they?

Kid Flash quickly took down the thugs during the first round, using his super speed to literally run circles around his enemies, cockily taunted the group, much like how his dimension's Kid Flash would've done. The suits looked very similar as did the person who wore them, but this Aqualad was a completely different being from the one in his world. Kid Flash tried to escape by running up the wall after defeating the grunts, and was electrified for his troubles, leaving the young hero in a poor state to face Killer Croc. Aqualad's fighting style was unfamiliar, using some sort of water based weapons that he was able to manipulate to some extent. The Atlantian strength was still there, as he easily dispatched his own horde of opponents with little effort.

Red X watched, transfixed, as water filled the arena on both screens.

Kid Flash tried to take Killer Croc head on with little success. While his speed helped Kid outswim Croc, it was clear that the teen was too unfamiliar with fighting in such an environment to know what to do. Croc dragged him under the water and it wasn't long before the speedster passed out. Fortunately, the Riddler needed Kid Flash alive to carry out his auction. They had drained the water, and after much heckling and taunting from the crowd, the Riddler announced that Kid Flash was mostly undamaged and had lost the fight.

Aqualad fared better in his fight against Killer Croc, seeing as he was at home in the water. As such, the battle mainly took place underwater and was a little difficult to see, even with the special cameras. Aqualad had tried to match blows with Croc at first, but soon realized that he was outmatched in the strength department. He switched to outmaneuvering the monstrous man, using his smaller size and speed to his advantage. All too soon Croc caught the agile Atlantian, wrapping his massive arms around Aqualad's torso in a crushing death grip. As a last resort, Aqualad used some sort of strange power to electrify the water, hurting both Croc and himself. They passed out from the attack, ending the match in a draw.

"It looks like our best item of the auction is our newest, but perhaps our young friend simply got lucky, hmm? The first fight tested the hero's ability to handle many enemies at once. The second was a test of strength, or at least how to overcome his opponents' strength, but let's see he handles skill." The Riddler proclaimed causing Red X's muscles to tense and uncrossed his arms.

The lights turned back onto full power, the brightness causing him to blink rapidly and irritating his headache further. The floor was cleared, save for a few puddles, leaving no evidence that the ring had already held two fights. He had to wonder what they did with Croc. Surely the Riddler wasn't foolish enough to actually hold the mutant here against his will? Those thoughts were put on hold though as the two doors at the opposite end of the ring opened. Red X fell into a fighting stance, keeping his injured arm close to his side, and waited. If the Riddler had in fact been able to capture Killer Croc, then who else had he managed to get ahold of?

~Young Justice: Red X~

|GOTHAM HARBOR
|2010 June 22, 23:38 EDT

Batman gritted his teeth in frustration. The League had yet to find the missing sidekicks even though they had been looking for over an hour now. The warehouses at the docks were old and were mostly built lined with lead beams rather than steal, rendering Superman's X-Ray vision useless at the moment. Batman doubted it was a coincidence that whoever had captured the young heroes had just so happened to choose an area impervious to Superman's sight.

He made it a rule not to believe in coincidences.

The tracking device he gave to Red X was still working, but the battery would only last for so long. They would need to locate the young heroes before that happened. He'd already tried several times to get a more precise location, but it seemed there was more than just lead walls to worry about. Someone was blocking his transmitter, scrambling its signal, leaving him unable to narrow down the search. As he reinitiated his tracing program for the sixth time, he couldn't help but wonder about what might be happening to the missing sidekicks, as well as Red X.

He knew that most of the League still didn't know what to make of the young man, but the Dark Knight personally had no issue with the boy. How could he? It wasn't too long ago where he too had been a no name hero trying to make a difference. He had stalked Gotham's criminal a dark costume, used methods of fighting and interrogation that others had criticized him for. He had been called a vigilante for those first few years, and was still considered to be one by many. He'd been hunted by the Gotham police and generally hated by the public. A menace to society, believed to be too brutal, too dark, no better than the criminals he fought.

All that familiar slander and distrust was now being aimed at Red X. True the boy had made a mistake in his fight with Vertigo, but Batman knew he had made his own mistakes in the past.

The others didn't understand, would never be able to. None of them had witnessed the tragedies that he and, to a lesser extent, Robin had seen. Superman having grown up with his happy family in rural Smallville, had never suffered losing any of his loved ones. The Flash was married, able to lead a normal civilian life, and was still as naïve as the day he got his speed. Diana, who spent her life sheltered from the rest of the world while growing up in Themyscira, while taught that man's society was cruel, had never seen that depravity for herself.

The world was painful and unforgiving. He had tried to shelter Dick from such things, of course his ward knew some of that anguish, having been exposed to it the moment his parents had been murdered. Robin, thankfully, still hadn't experienced all the cruelty reality had to offer though. And Batman was hesitant to tell the boy that there was more, that the worse hadn't come yet. One day another superhero, a dear friend, a lover, or a mentor, might die and Dick would have to push on. He didn't know if his adopted son would be able to handle it and Batman hoped his charge wouldn't have to experience it for many more years to come.

Red X though… there was something about that young man that struck Batman as baffling. The way he fought and moved was similar to his own style of fighting. He'd seen the boy's athleticism, pulling off a level of acrobatics that he'd only ever seen in Robin. His cold behavior and intimidating costume, there were too many similarities for the Dark Knight to ignore. And Batman could tell that the young hero could handle losing an ally while on the mission, had maybe already experienced it. And Queen had revealed that the boy admitted to Speedy to having lost his own mentor.

Whether it was a combination of all these things, or that the boy was simply too much of an enigma, the caped crusader felt something in him pull towards Red X, and as the world's greatest detective, he would find out why that was.

~Young Justice: Red X~

|GOTHAM HARBOR
|2010 June 22, 23:43 EDT

Red X wasn't really sure who he was fighting, even when his opponents had revealed themselves. One seemed vaguely familiar to him, but only because of the white and red cat-like mask that she wore. It took him a moment to recognize her as one of the villains that the Brotherhood of Evil had recruited, though he couldn't remember her name as they'd never crossed paths after that. Her attire was of an oriental style, wearing a short dark green kimono with black leggings and bits of armor placed throughout her costume. Her black hair was long and wild, the complete opposite to the girl standing next to her.

The other girls' hair was pure white, straight, and pulled back into a short ponytail. Her costume was a mesh between metal and Kevlar. Most of it was black and silver with just the slightest bit of orange highlighting some areas. What was most troubling, disturbing even, was the cloth mask that cover the top half of her face, taking on a familiar half orange, half black pattern that had haunted his state of mind for years. She stared at him through the white lenses of her mask, leaving him with only a guess as to what her eye color might be. Yet X could only envision them matching the brown, almost black eye, that had always watched him with a calculating stare. He knew that the girl's costume couldn't just be a coincidence.

He didn't believe in coincidences.

Red X hated the idea that Slade was in this world too, that he might have taken this girl and forced her to be his apprentice. As the two females, who he was sure were no older than himself, moved closer, he forced himself to focus on the fight. But he couldn't ignore the nagging, itching, burning obsessive behavior that always resurfaced whenever Slade was involved.

"You know, it seems awfully rude to fight you when I don't know who you are." He said simply. He didn't ask for her name outright. He had to keep his cool, exude confidence, be ready for anything. And yet, he was already a brewing storm of emotions. Just the sight of a mask that resembled Slade's brought back emotions he'd thought he was long past having. Anger was definitely there, along with hatred, but there was also a bit of fear that he'd never been able to shake. Slade was the one villain he had never been able to truly beat. The thought of that man's double being in this world, left his blood racing and his heart pounding in anxiety.

"I'm Ravager and that's Cheshire." The Slade look-alike supplied as she drew out the katana sheathed over her back while the now identified Cheshire brought out a pair of Sai. Red X pulled out his collapsible Bo Staff, his mind unhelpfully pointing out that Slade would have used a Bo Staff as well. He wasn't fighting Slade however, and to think that Ravager would fight like the man would be a grave mistake on his part.

"Tell me, do you know of a man named Slade?" He asked almost casually and silently congratulated himself at his monotonic façade. It had never been easy for him to control his emotions when the subject of his most hated enemy came up. This was probably the first time that Red X had said the man's name without growling it.

Ravager suddenly stiffened and she narrowed her eyes at him, confirming his assumptions. Somehow this girl knew Slade and he intended to know everything that she did. Ravager surprised him slightly as she took the initiative, charging at him with her sword raised, moving with grace and poise. Red X frowned at that, Slade had never made the first move unless he was furious. Ah, dammit, he'd been comparing them again. He brought up his staff to block her attack, slightly taken off guard as Cheshire jumped from behind Ravager, aiming a kick at his unprotected side. Damn it, he'd completely forgotten about her.

As her heel dug into his side, Red X knocked away Ravager's sword and slammed his staff into the ground, using the momentum from Cheshire's kick to spin on his staff and return his own kick towards her. The feeling of his foot connecting to her back and the sound of her crashing into the ground let him know his attack was effective.

From behind him he heard the soft sound of something speeding through the air and he ducked just in time to avoid another strike from Ravager. He once again used his stuck in the ground staff to pole-vault himself over Ravager. She turned to face him only to receive a kick to her stomach that sent her crashing into the floor next to Cheshire.

Throughout the entire encounter barely a sound was made beside the small grunt of pain and the ring of metal hitting metal. Had Red X bothered to look up at the crowd, he would have seen Gotham's underworld watching the match in baited silence.

Ravager looked to Cheshire as they stood up, sharing some wordless form of communication that took years to learn. It was safe to assume that the two girls had worked together several times in the past, which was bad news for him. Red X freed his staff from the ground, twirled it behind his back, and gestured for them to try again with a nod of his head. He saw Ravager grit her teeth before she regained her composure and gave a smirk that made him frown in thought.

There'd been many times when he'd imagined that Slade had been smirking down at him, but it never looked anything like Ravager's half-smile. Her grin was not arrogant or condescending, hell it wasn't even mean looking. She just looked happy, like she was enjoying the fight.

This time Cheshire charged at him, her Sai hidden beneath her long green sleeves. He met her halfway, deciding to be on the offensive instead of defensive, and swung low at her legs. She easily jumped over the staff and slashed at his already injured arm. As quick as he could, Red X pulled back from her, bringing his staff up to block the weapon. As she lunged at him with the other Sai, he brought up his right hand and blocked her attack with the X-Wrist Blade now protruding from the back of his hand.

It was only when he saw Ravager's shadow did Red X realize that he'd left himself open for her to attack. As he saw her sword race towards his head, he teleported behind Cheshire and hit her back with his staff, knocking her into Ravager. They both staggered for a second, but swiftly recovered their footing and charged at him again.

As they slashed at him in synchronization, Red X realized that the two of them were too much for him to deal with on his own. They had an advantage over him because of their teamwork. They covered each other's weak point, constantly forcing him to move. He was able to dodge most of their attacks, but soon had to distance himself from them with a combination of teleporting and back-handsprings. Red X panted as he laid a hand on his bleeding side. One of them had been able to land a blow, and even though the wound was superficial, it was a message that clearly stated he was in trouble. Both Cheshire and Ravager were rather skilled on their own, but together they made a deadly duo.

Again the girls charged at him and X shot out several X Shuriken, while Cheshire had merely dodged them, Ravager made a show of knocking each of them out of the air. Through her mask he could see her raise an eyebrow, obviously not impressed. He smiled as he once again shot out his trademark weapons at her, but used Electric X's instead of the regular shuriken. Just as before, Cheshire dodged and Ravager moved to block his attack once more. The smug look she was sporting disappeared as she screamed out in pain when the first Electric X made contact with her metal katana, conducting the surge through the handle and into her body. She dropped to the floor, her hand smoking slightly as her sword clattered onto the ground.

He didn't have a chance to see how effective his attack was as Cheshire was soon bearing down on him, her Sai seemingly thirsting for his blood. Even though it was much easier to fight her one-on-one, Cheshire was a tough opponent and close combat seemed to be her specialty. As he moved to block a kick, Red X realized too late that it was just a feint and her elbow came crashing down into his injured arm while her knee came up from underneath. He couldn't move out of the way fast enough.

His arm, trapped in a fissure between the two different forces, snapped and it was audible throughout the quiet stadium. For his part Red X didn't scream, nor did he let himself falter as he instead struck at her with a counterattack. Bringing his broken arm close to his chest, X delivered a powerful spin-kick to the side of Cheshire's head. She was unable to dodge since she'd sacrificed her footing in order to break his arm. The attack launched her several feet away, slamming into the ground hard, and Red X had little doubt that she was knocked unconscious. He shot an Adhesive X to bind her, just in case.

Suddenly, he felt pain in his back and was hurtling face first towards the ground. As he hit the floor, Red X instinctively rolled to the left and felt the vibrations something smashing into the place he'd just vacated. He looked up and saw Ravager standing over him, katana in her left hand, the blade actually piercing the concrete. He shot a glance at her right hand and spotted the large blisters that had started to swell up though the charred cloth of her glove.

He pushed himself off the ground, leaving his broken arm to fall uselessly to his side. A strangled grunt escaped his mouth before he could stop it, and he grimly noted that neither of them would be using their right hands for the rest of the fight. As she shot towards him with her sword, X used his wrist blade to block it, noticeably feeling the lack of power behind her strike compared to earlier attacks. As he continued to parry her sloppy assault, it became blatantly obvious that she was not ambidextrous like him. She couldn't wield her sword as well with her left hand.

Ravager seemed to realize this too. She would have a better chance without her sword. She threw her katana at him and he sidestepped it only to end up with her fist hitting his ribs. Growling angrily, he wrapped his arm around hers and shifted into a hold that would dislocate her shoulder. Sensing what he was doing, she readjusted herself in his grip, stepping in closer, her body inches from his as she slipped out of his grasp. Her foot slipped behind his, attempting to take him down, and he swiftly dipped into a crouch, letting her stumble past him. She moved quickly, aiming a low kick at his arm and X grimaced as he turned to block it. Like Cheshire had done, Ravager was aiming for his weak points, and it was working. His arm was causing him absolute agony.

He was taken off guard as her foot slammed into his left knee, knocking him down into a kneeling position. As she moved to deliver a haymaker at his head, he recovered and swept her legs out from under her. As she started to fall, he immediately teleported under her and kicked her into the air. Again he teleported to the height of her climax and delivered his own haymaker into her stomach. She slammed into the ground with a resounding crash. The concrete crackinf under the sudden pressure and Red X didn't need to check to know that she was out cold. Still, he shot an Adhesive X at her, like he had done to Cheshire, just to make sure that this battle really was over.

He looked up at the hushed audience, holding his broken arm close. Now that he wasn't fighting, he was overly aware of the damage done to him. The shallow cuts and new bruises he could ignore, the soreness of his muscles was dismissible, but his pulsing migraine and broken arm were all-consuming. Red X wanted nothing more than to collapse and join the two other fighters on the floor in blissful unconsciousness. He couldn't do that though, so instead he straightened his posture, something that was excruciatingly painful to do without cringing, and glared out at the crowd.

"Next."

~Young Justice: Red X~

|GOTHAM HARBOR
|2010 June 23, 00:04 EDT

'Such potential.' The man thought, half-hidden by shadows as he stared down at the boy, impressed and intrigued. This Red X had real promise.

When the Riddler had thrown together his amusing little auction, there of course had to be a VIP's section. Most villains were known for their vanity and their overblown self-importance. The VIP area was a decent sized balcony that gave an uninhibited view to the fights down below, though it was isolated, off to the side, and above the crowd. Tables had been setup throughout the balcony and each seating some of the world's most renowned criminals. It was designed to look like a high class restaurant; even the waiters from the infamous Ice Lounge were serving, which explained why the Penguin had the best table, sipping casually from a glass of wine.

The shadowed man couldn't help but smile at the skill the young hero had displayed throughout all of his matches. To take down Killer Croc was one thing, but to take down both Cheshire and Ravager was another level on its own. As the figure watched the young man steady himself for his next challenge, he discreetly listened to the snippets of conversations from those throughout the room.

Luthor was impressed, though he said he had no desire to buy any of the sidekicks that were up for auction. He was simply here to be entertained. Good, that meant he didn't have to worry about the wealthiest criminal in America trying to buy the boy. He would've been hard pressed to outbid or intimidate the billionaire.

The Joker, well he just laughed, loudly, although there was a look in his eyes that hinted at more than just his usual insanity. The man made a mental note to keep an eye on Gotham's most dangerous, and senseless, villain. Now if Robin had been up for sale, the clown proclaimed that he would've nabbed the boy up in a second, even if he didn't win the bidding. The figure conceded to the Joker on that point. Robin would have indeed been a fine prize.

The shadowed man noticed that he was not the only one studying the boy with a keen eye. Ra's al Ghul was looking at the hero with interest, but it was the expression on his daughter's face that was the problem. Talia displayed nothing but approval. Approval for what, he wasn't sure, but no good could come from it.

He looked over at the high ranking mafia boss, Carmine Falcone. The Italian was openly musing about the great potential Red X had in becoming a thief, causing him to glare at said man. Falcone must have felt his heavy gaze because the mobster was suddenly searching through the room, freezing instantly as they made eye contact. Once Falcone realized exactly who was glaring at him, the man quickly paled and looked away, falling silent.

If one were to look closely, they would see that all of the tables that surrounded the man had been pushed as far away as they possible, crowding tables and chairs together. The patrons were uncomfortable, but didn't complain about how little space they had. And with good reason, for the man bathed in shadows, whose sole eye had never stopped studying the young hero below, was known to the world as its' deadliest assassin.

Deathstroke the Terminator.

~Young Justice: Red X~

So Slade or Deathstroke, as I he is called in the YJ Universe, is now the official archenemy for Red X. Some of you guys were pushing to see Ravager in this, and other than her making an appearance in Justice League: Crisis of Two Worlds, I've never seen her in an animated show. I've decided to switch up Ravager's past, as well as Slade's. I won't go into detail now as it will be explained in the story later. I didn't go into great detail about Ravager's appearance or anything, but you can get an idea about what she looks like with the help of Google.

I went a little deeper into Batman's thoughts and feelings concerning Red X, though I didn't dig too deep. Some of you might've noticed the odd way the Joker reacted to seeing the tattered caped teen. Both Batman and Joker realize there's more to Red X than what lays on the surface. After all, he's still Robin, and that's not something that he can just hide with a mask.

–Hexalys