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

So I just found out I've been spelling Atlantian wrong this entire time. Which. Makes. No. Fucking. Sense! They spell Atlantis like this, so why would they make Atlantean with an "e"!? Fuck it. I'm not changing it, I'm not. You're just gonna have to deal with my mistake.

~Young Justice: Red X~

Chapter 15: Schooled

|LITCHFIELD COUNTY
|2010 August 3, 07:48 EDT

Raven stood far behind Black Canary, as she had been ordered, her limbs almost vibrating from the desire to ignore her mentor's commands and help fight against the android that had appeared out of nowhere. Green Arrow and Black Canary were giving the battle everything they had, but their opponent was able to block their moves, often using Black Canary's sonic abilities to knock them back. She wanted to help, but she knew that her involvement would cause more harm than good. The android replicated abilities and superpowers, the last thing anyone needed was for her to give it another advantage. Still, it was a hard thing for her to remain standing there, simply watching as the two older heroes struggled against their enemy.

Her thoughts were abruptly cut off as a blur of blue and red shot by the cliff Raven was observing the fight from. The powerful wind threw her hood back and tousled her short hair into her face, obstructing her vision for a moment. She quickly brushed her hair aside to see the Man of Steel deliver a powerful punch that had the android crashing into the ground, creating a decently sized crater.

The android didn't stay down though. Superman had turned to the others to say something she couldn't hear, when the robot suddenly stood back up, aiming a powerful gale from its mouth at Superman's back. Raven shot up a shield around the three, which could only withstand the force of the attack long enough for them to move away. They retreated to her cliff with Black Canary sporting an injured and bleeding arm.

"Thanks for the save, kid." Green Arrow panted and Raven nodded as she lowered her stance, but kept a weathered eye on the android that was slowly advancing towards them. Superman shot her a curious look, which she ignored in favor of helping Black Canary by healing the injury in any way that she could.

"I know you told me to stay back, but I think that the android can only copy abilities that have been used on it. It shouldn't be able to duplicate a defensive move that it never comes into contact with directly." Raven explained evenly.

"Whatever the case, I'm glad that you did interfere. It's a good feeling to know I have someone watching my back." Canary replied warmly, and Raven tilted her head towards the ground, hiding a small smile. "Raven, I want you act as backup, block any attacks you can and stay out of its' range. If your theory is right, then Superman's assault just gave the enemy super strength."

"I'm sorry, but who is this?" The Kryptonian asked curiously as he studied the teenager. He could see the similar custom style between the girl and Black Canary and she clearly had her own special abilities, if that black shield of energy was anything to go by. 'Where do these kids keep coming from?'

"My partner and ward, Raven." Black Canary said firmly before sighing slightly in relief as some of the pain in her arm went away. "Raven, this is Superman."

"Hello." The girl muttered emotionlessly, making him slightly uncomfortable. He pushed the feeling aside and gave the girl a warm smile, to which she only stared silently in response. Green Arrow was about to say something, when the android suddenly landed a few feet away from them, the repercussions shaking the ground a little and reminding him of his earlier incident with Superboy.

"Raven's right, it can't replicate abilities that don't come into direct contact with it. It can't fly like Superman." Canary stated as she gave her partner an appraising look. Raven quickly retreated into the air, putting a greater distance between herself and the enemy.

The battle resumed. Raven sent out shields to protect the others from long distance attacks while making sure the robot never got the chance to interact with her abilities. The android took no notice of her presence, preferring to deal with those who attacked it directly, which suited her just fine. As the fight continued, reinforcements arrived. First there was the Flash, then Captain Atom. An hour later the Martian Manhunter, Red Tornado, and Wonder Woman all showed up to lend their assistance.

Three hours later, the eight Justice League members and Raven were no closer to defeating the android.

"Man, doesn't this guy ever get tired?" Flash asked as he quickly ate the last of his food reserves. If the conflict kept on going, he would have to leave and find a place where he could restore his metabolism or else he'd likely pass out in the middle of the fight. "Maybe we should call in for more backup?"

"And give it more abilities to copy? It's best to finish this fight ourselves." Superman argued as he threw a boulder at the Android which it redirected towards Black Canary, only to be telekinetically stopped by Raven. "I'd hate for this thing to replicate Batman's combat capabilities." The very idea of it made the speedster blanch.

"Access: Superman." The android stated before it launched itself upwards, high above the seven Leaguers on the ground. Red Tornado, who had been up in the air, realized whom the other robot was aiming for a moment too late.

"Raven, look out!" He called, increasing his vocal sound several levels to alert the youngest of their group.

Raven, who'd been protecting Black Canary from the boulder, turned just in time to see the silver android reaching out to grab her. She closed her eyes, expecting to feel it's powerful, harsh grip and was surprised to find herself being pushed sharply from her right side. She opened her eyes and realized that she was still floating safely in the air.

She turned to see who'd saved her and her violet eyes widened when she caught a glimpse of a tattered black cape. The android and her rescuer quickly plummeted to the ground, faster than Raven or any of the others could move to help. A loud crash echoed throughout the cornfields and forests that they were fighting in. A large cloud of debris and dirt covered the area, blocking the two from her sight. Just as she was about to call out his name, a black nimble figure shot out from the haze, landing heavily next to Superman. 'Robin – No, not Robin.' Raven had to constantly remind herself that he went by Red X now.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Green Arrow shouted, his tone coming out as mixture of anger and confusion.

"You looked like you were having a little trouble." Red X stated simply as he shrugged slightly, his shoulders stiffening for a second as his left arm came up to brace his ribs. Over their bond, Raven felt pain radiate from her friend, but kept the information to herself, knowing better than to point it out. "Batman informed me of the situation."

And the argument died there. If Batman had told Red X what was going on, then the Dark Knight had wanted the young man there. Knowing that he had Batman's seal of approval was enough to keep the others silent, for now at least.

'Robin, are you alright?' She mentally asked as she hovered over the battlefield, staying closer to it than she had before. If the robot had targeted her once, it would likely do so again. She'd just become infinitely more involved in the fight.

'I'm fine Raven, just some bruises I think.' He answered, though she could tell he was lying. She let it be, but moved closer to him, ready to provide any assistance should he need it.

~Young Justice: Red X~

|MOUNT JUSTICE
|2010 August 3, 13:02 EDT

Red X arrived at the base with Raven, Black Canary, and the Martian Manhunter, his arms aching a little, while his wounded ribs throbbed painfully with every step he took. He was almost certain that he'd fractured something and wasn't just bruised like he'd told Raven. The Martian kept sending him subtle glances, letting X know that the telepath had sensed the extent of his injuries. He mildly wondered if the Martian had mentally informed Black Canary of his condition as well.

From beside him, he could feel Raven's unwavering gaze studying his posture and outward demeanor. He glanced at her and saw her usual apathetic look in place. The only hint of something being amiss was the way that her eyebrows were furrowed slightly. It wouldn't be something that anybody else would take notice of, but the teen could tell that he hadn't fooled her about his wounds.

"Ready for training everyone?" Black Canary called out to the Titans as they entered the main room.

"Red X, Black Canary, Uncle J'onn!" Miss Martian exclaimed happily before running up to hug her uncle.

"M'gann, I was… in the neighborhood, so I thought I might stop by and see how you were adjusting." The Martian said warmly as he placed a hand on his niece's shoulder. X stayed beside Raven, who as usual, avoided joining the group of people and lingered a few feet away.

"Just a few bumps, but I'm learning." She replied softly, looking unsure of how her uncle would react.

"That's all I can ask." He uttered softly, making Miss Martian smile slightly.

"Whoa, who's the babe?" Kid Flash asked before he quickly finished his banana, tossing the remains over his shoulder and onto the floor, making a swish noise as he imitated scoring a basket. "The name's Wally beautiful, what's yours?"

"Rachael Roth, but I prefer to be addressed as Raven." She intoned indifferently and X stiffened in a way that had nothing to do with his aching ribs. Kid Flash zoomed over to them, standing in front of Red X so closely, he could practically smell the masculine shampoo the redhead had used that morning. It annoyed him.

"Hey Rave." Robin greeted from beside Aqualad, smirking a little as X moved to stand by them. The girl nodded, her hood covering most of her face in shadows as she took a subtle step away from Kid Flash.

"Dude, you know her?" Kid Flash asked, not noticing that Raven had retreated back towards Black Canary.

"Yeah, Batman and I met up with her and Black Canary about two weeks ago." Robin explained before shooting a glance over at Red X, who was staring at nothing. He got the feeling that the older teen was mentally blocking them out and he wondered if X was thinking about what the Joker did to him. "Her powers are awesome, heavy on the awe."

"Raven is my partner and ward. When I come here to help you train, she will be accompanying me. Eventually, she too will be a Titan, so get used to her now." Canary said as she moved to center floor where the battle simulator was. "Stick around, class is in session." She called towards Superboy, who was about to leave the room.

Red X followed behind the others, regrouping with Raven as they stood a little away from the team. He paused to give her an assessing look, trying to see if she'd been hurt at all during their fight against the android. Her dark blue cloak hid most of her body, just as her hood hid her face. But her posture was normal and her steps were as light as always. If she was hurt, it wasn't anything serious.

"I consider it an honor to be your teacher. I'll throw a lot at you, everything I learned from my own mentors – ugh." Black Canary started before she grunted, having accidentally aggravated her own injuries. More than sever contusions then, Red X had to wonder if he was the only one hiding a fractured bone. "And my own bruises."

"What happened?" Miss Martian asked, sounding worried.

"The job." Canary answered truthfully. "Now, combat is about controlling conflict, putting the battle on your terms, you should always be acting, never reacting. I'll need a sparring partner." Kid Flash's hand shot up.

"Right here, yeah." He walked over to their teacher eagerly, a cocky smile planted on his face. "After this, I'll show you my moves." X inwardly groaned and he heard Raven sigh heavily. Black Canary smirked before she aimed a punch at Kid Flash, which he surprisingly blocked only to be knocked down as she swept his legs out from under him. The others, besides Red X, Raven, and Superboy, cringed in sympathy for the speedster. "Ooh, uh, hurts so good."

"Good block, but did anyone see what he did wrong?" Canary asked as she helped the redhead onto his feet.

"Oh, oh, he hit on teacher and got served?" Robin offered as he smiled at Kid Flash. X had to smirk at that.

"Dude!" Kid Flash half-whispered as he glared at his best friend slightly.

"He allowed me to dictate the terms of–"

"Oh, please." Superboy scoffed, interrupting Black Canary's explanation. "With my powers, the battle is always on my terms. I'm a living weapon and this is a waste of my time."

"Prove it." Canary challenged, much to Superboy's apparent surprise. He took in the older woman's smirk and glared as he stomped into the ring. The two stared down at each other for a second before Superboy threw the first punch. Black Canary countered by grabbing him and using his momentum to throw him a few feet away from her, causing Superboy to land on his back. Robin's resulting laughter seemed to echo throughout the silent room. Superboy quickly got up with a growl and glared at the woman.

"You're angry, good. But don't react, channel that anger into–" She was cut off again by Superboy as the clone launched himself at her and Red X furrowed his brows at his teammate's behavior. Sure the clone was a hothead, but this reaction seemed a little excessive, even for him. Black Canary dodged by flipping over Superboy, she landed behind him and quickly kicked his feet out from under him. Robin at least had the good graces to muffle his laughter this time.

"That's it, I'm done." The clone growled as he ignored the hand Black Canary had offered to help him up. Unperturbed, she laid a comforting hand on the teen's shoulder.

"Training is mandatory." Canary said simply, unaffected as he knocked her hand away. A holo-screen interrupted whatever she was going to say next, appearing a few feet away from them.

"Batman to the cave. Five hours ago a new menace attacked Green Arrow and Black Canary. The attacker was capable of studying then duplicating the powers and abilities of its opponents. Arrow called in reinforcements which nearly proved disastrous as our foe gained more and more power with each new combatant."

"Whoa, one guy with the powers of the entire League." Kid Flash muttered in awe and Red X's ribs gave off another painful throb, reminding him that the battle was not as impressive or exciting as the speedster believed.

"In the end, it took Raven, Red X, and eight Leaguers four hours to defeat and dismantle the android." The Dark Knight continued and X could almost feel the others shooting him looks.

"An android? Who made it, T.O. Morrow?" Robin asked.

"Good guess Robin, but Red Tornado doesn't think so." Batman answered and the tattered caped teenager saw Superboy's face turn to glare at the ground. He shot a look between the clone and Batman, wondering if the man had done something to cause Superboy's foul mood.

"The technology bears the signature of Professor Ivo." The Martian informed them, startling the Titans slightly.

"Ivo, but he is dead." Aqualad argued as he stared at the League members with wide eyes.

"So we all thought," Black Canary commented lowly. "or hoped."

"To make certain this threat is permanently neutralized we're sending two trucks carrying the android to two separate Star Lab facilities in Boston and New York for immediate evaluation. Every precaution has been taken. We'll have four additional decoy trucks to create confusion in case Ivo, or anyone, tries to recover the remains. You will split into undercover teams to safeguard the two real trucks."

"Yes, road trip!" Kid Flash crowed gleefully.

"So now we take out your trash?" Their resident clone growled.

"You had something better to do?" Batman countered, making Superboy look away and X raised an unseen eyebrow. If Batman wasn't the cause of Superboy's sudden anger, then he at least knew what was.

"Is Raven coming with us?" Miss Marian asked nervously while avoiding Batman's gaze as she stared down at her hands. Silence descended over the room and Red X looked over at Raven to see her staring ahead, seemingly not paying attention to him or the others. He could tell though, that she was carefully listening for Batman's response.

"That's up to Black Canary, Batman out." The others turned to Canary, who stared down at her partner without giving them any idea what she was thinking.

"I see no problem with Raven going. It is a simple transport mission and if something goes wrong it would be helpful for the team to fight with someone who knows how to handle the enemy." She stated after a moment and X allowed himself a small smile, though no one could see it.

"Well, since you don't have a motorcycle yet, you can ride with me." Kid Flash offered with a wide, flirtatious grin on his face.

"It would be better for her to ride with me. My X-cycle is lager." He intervened, making the redhead frown.

"That would be best." Aqualad agreed before Kid Flash could start an argument. "Coordinates received, we are on our way." The Titans moved out with Red X, Raven, and Superboy trailing behind. Canary grabbed the clone by the shoulder, getting his attention.

"Whenever you're ready, I'll be here." She offered and Superboy only frowned in response before following the others. "Raven, be careful." Red X saw Raven nod in acknowledgement and the two followed Superboy to where the other Titans were.

~Young Justice: Red X~

|LITCHFIELD COUNTY
|2010 August 3, 20:08 EDT

Red X pulled at the collar of the uncomfortable track jacket he was wearing. Seeing as the mission was covert, they were under the guise of normal civilians, which meant they had to hide their costumes. Fortunately, they could still wear their suits under the track suits they'd been provided. He was dressed in a mostly black outfit, with silver highlights that matched his helmet which had a small red x on the back.

Raven tugged on her own clothes behind him, her costume hidden underneath her own track suit. Hers was a dark blue, with black highlights, a blue and black helmet already in place as they waited with the others for Batman's signal to move out.

It was odd to be back in Litchfield so soon, especially since his mind was still the battle that had taken place earlier. While he'd only been there for the last half an hour, it had still been a grueling fight. Green Arrow had constantly gotten in his way, whether to help or interfere he wasn't sure, but X was leaning towards the latter. He couldn't imagine how tired Raven must be, she'd been in the fight since the beginning, constantly using her powers to protect and heal others when they needed it. But seeing her keep up with the League members, even saving a few of them, had filled him with pride.

After several minutes, they pulled out onto the dirt roads that would lead to the highway. He and Raven went with Robin and Superboy to New York, while Aqualad, Miss Martian, and Kid Flash followed the other convoy to Boston. As they rode, absently noting that Raven's arms were wrapped around his stomach, Red X lost his concentration on the mission and his thoughts drifted.

"If dislike is the opposite of like, is aster the opposite of disaster? See, if nothing's going wrong, they're going right." Superboy didn't respond and X knew that Robin had only been addressing the clone in order to find out what his problem was. "Uh, clearly you're not feeling the aster, what's wrong?"

"Canary. I mean, what business does she have teaching combat skills to a guy with super strength?" Superboy growled and Red X felt Raven tighten her grip, obviously bothered by how he was talking about her mentor.

"Taking down stronger guys is part of the gig. Canary learned that the hard way. Same with Batman, Red X, and well… me." Robin replied, though Superboy clearly didn't like his response because he accelerated his bike to move ahead of them. "Did I say something wrong?" He asked the other two, only half-joking.

"No, just something he didn't want to hear." X answered and Robin nodded slowly, not understanding what the problem was.

'So Black Canary kicked his butt, that wasn't any reason for Superboy to criticize the lesson she'd been trying to teach.' The Boy Wonder thought stubbornly as he studied the clone. 'It's not like we don't fight powerful opponents all the time. Superboy can't possibly believe that strength was all that matters, right?'

Suddenly, a noise caught everyone's attention and Red X spotted a group of flying robotic monkeys coming out of a nearby cornfield and heading towards the truck.

"Raven, go!" He ordered and he felt her grip disappear, the warmth of her body instantly pulling away from his. She soared past him from above, black energy gathered into her hands as she shot off a wave of energy that threw off several monkeys from trunk and onto the road. The tattered caped teenager made sure to run over a few of them so that they couldn't get back up.

"Robin, Superboy, Red X, our truck is under attack." Aqualad informed them over their comlink.

"Kind of figured." Robin bit out as he watched the robot monkeys in front of him swarm over the armored vehicle.

"I hate monkeys." Superboy growled.

"I'm not too fond of them either." Raven commented as she destroyed a few monkeys by smashing them into each other.

"Robot monkeys, ha-ha, totally Ivo's tweak style." The Boy Wonder laughed as he touched the R icon on his bike, transforming it. The back of the bike disconnected before shifting and levitating into the air with blasters mounted on its sides. "Hey ace, switch your ride to battle mode."

"No point." And that was all the warning Robin and Red X got before Superboy launched himself onto the roof of the armored truck. X managed to swerve in time; his skills from years of driving a motorcycle coming into play, allowing him to react faster than Robin. As Superboy's bike tumbled towards them, his counterpart shot a cable line to the truck, saving himself from being taken down by their own teammate's recklessness.

Red X activated the lasers attached to his own bike, shooting down the few hovering monkeys before they could reach the truck, leaving it up to Robin and Superboy to take care of the ones that had already landed. After a moment, he heard Superboy shout in pain and turned to see the clone being dragged up into the air by a horde of robots.

"Raven, help Superboy, I've got Robin." He called before engaging the auto-pilot, skillfully jumping off of his X-Cycle and onto the side of the truck. He didn't need to check to see if Raven followed his orders. He climbed up onto the roof, brought out his Bo Staff and attacked the robot monkeys. It wasn't long before Robin joined him in smashing the metal menaces while wielding a pair of Escrima Sticks.

Superboy suddenly landed on the truck with a crash and a roar of anger. Red X, who'd been dodging an attack by doing a back-handspring, was knocked off balance by the reverberations of Superboy's landing. For a heart stopping second, he tumbled off of the truck, his body contorted awkwardly in mid twist, unable to reach his utility belt.

"Red X!" He heard Robin shout his name, but the only thing he could see was the pavement rushing up to meet him. Even then, his mind focused on the outcome of what would happen if he tried to teleport to safety. Newton's law of motion came into play here. If he tried to land to close to the ground, he'd end up in a lot of pain. Too high and he might be too disoriented to use the chance to save himself. Luckily, Raven took the choice out of his hands. He felt himself being caught by her familiar energy, his aching ribs screaming in protest at the activities he'd just put them through. His attention was quickly reclaimed however as the monkeys destroy the truck's tires.

"Raven, there are men inside the truck, get them out now!" He shouted and the power that had been levitating him disappeared, letting him drop onto his feet. Raven used her abilities to tear off the back doors, safely depositing the three soldiers onto the road next to Red X. He saw Robin get the driver out, but Superboy clung onto the truck as it crashed into the highway, flipping over several times before coming to a stop.

As he raced forwards, X saw the remaining robot monkeys fly off with the android's parts. Superboy saw it too and without a word to the others, launched himself after the enemy, leaving them behind. He almost considered to order Raven to go after him, but realized that she would never be able to keep up with the clone's powerful leaps.

"Aqualad to Red X, we lost our cargo. Did you–"

"It's gone, and so is Superboy." Red X answered tiredly as checked over the soldiers who were thankfully uninjured.

"Aqualad to Superboy, radio in your position we'll help you."

"I don't need help, don't want any!" Superboy shouted back as he threw away his comlink. If he couldn't get Superman's attention by asking for it, then he would prove what he was capable of. Beating a robot that had taken eight Leaguers to defeat sounded like a good place to start.

"Superboy…" Aqualad tried again only to be met with silence.

"I think he ditched his com." Robin pointed out and Red X resisted the urge to imitate Superboy and growl at the situation in general. Raven must have sensed his irritation, because she gave him a piercing look that helped ease his mood a little.

"Super, now we can't even track him." Kid Flash complained through the comlink and X half-listened to the others talk as he went to retrieve his X-Cycle.

"He's out of my telepathic range. This Professor Ivo, if he is alive, seems to be two steps ahead of us… Maybe we should contact Red Tornado?" That suggestion was enough to make X really growl, which the others heard and, unknown to him, made Miss Martian flinch. He hated the idea that he'd failed, that his team had failed. They'd never had to ask the League for help back in his world and he refused to do so now. Superboy had said it for him. X didn't want help and he certainly didn't need it.

"Tornado always tells us to handle things ourselves and the mission can still succeed if we recover the parts before they're reassembled." Aqualad reasoned and he focused on that, on the fact that they hadn't failed yet. They could still turn this around.

"That's a great plan, except for the part about us not knowing where to look!" Kid Flash argued, his sarcastic tone very noticeable over the comlink.

"Maybe we do." Robin said thoughtfully before he lowered himself next to one of the broken monkeys and hacked into its system. "We'd have heard by now if the decoy trucks had been attacked, so how did these monkeys know exactly which trucks to target?" He asked no one in particular as he cracked the systems code, causing a holographic map to appear above his wrist mounted computer. "Hah, the parts have GPS. The monkeys can track the signal, which means I can track them with the one we captured. Looks like both parts on converging on– Gotham City."

Red X froze for a second, his hands tightening around the handles of his motorcycle. He took a deep breath and exhaled heavily. Gotham was always in danger; this time was no different. There was no reason to be worried.

"That far south? M'gann and I won't make it there anytime soon. I'm sending Kid ahead to meet with you, Aqualad out." X pulled his bike up to Raven, who'd been silent during the entire exchange. She climbed onto the back, sitting behind him easily as her arms came up to wrap around him once more.

"Definitely a disaster." Robin groaned as he activated a command on his computer and the remains of his bike revved up before driving towards him, a bit dinged up but ready to be ridden. "Heavy on the dis."

~Young Justice: Red X~

|METROPOLIS
|2010 August 3, 21:18 EDT

"I'll have the apple pie." Clark Kent said to the waiter, his eyes still set firmly on the man across from him. Some of the customers made a bit of a ruckus at seeing Gotham's White Knight in person, but the staff acted accordingly and professionally. After all, Bruce Wayne always came to their small diner whenever he was in town.

"The devil's food, please." Bruce ordered as he handed the menu over to the waiter, smiling that billion-dollar grin that made most women go weak at the knees. Once their waiter left to fetch their orders, Bruce's warm look hardened, his serious glare directed at Clark. Now that was the scowl that made criminal's go weak in the knees, but with fear instead.

"Something tells me this isn't about dessert." Clark started in an upbeat manner, hoping that Bruce wasn't going to bring up the boy he'd been avoiding since July. Bruce's glare sharpened and his jovial mood evaporated.

"The boy needs you."

"No, he needs… you, he needs Red. I'm just a constant reminder of what he's not." Clark argued as he looked away from Bruce, unable to meet the man's eyes at the moment.

"Sorry Clark, but you're dead wrong." He replied flatly and Clark looked back at him, an unnatural glower painted on the reporter's face. Bruce eased up and softened his own expression for a second before he continued. "Look, I know he troubles you, but he's here, you have to get over the how and why. Trust me on this, that boy needs his father."

"I'm not his father and maybe you should think about your own relationships instead of worrying over mine." Clark hissed as he shot up from his seat, glaring down at the billionaire with all his worth. At that comment, Bruce felt his own glower intensify and he could see the fleeting look of guilt flash over Clark's face for a moment.

"Richard and I are perfectly fine." Bruce growled with gritted teeth. It was a well-known fact throughout the League that one should never question Batman about how he was raising Robin and Clark quickly realized the dangerous territory he'd just unwittingly stepped in.

"I wasn't talking about Dick. I was talking about the other kid you've been stringing along. If there's any boy in need of support, it's him." Clark clarified as he adjusted his hat while avoiding Bruce's gaze. "I'll take that pie to go." He called to the kitchen before walking up to the register to pay for his meal, fully intending to ignore this conversation for the rest of his days.

Bruce let him leave, suddenly feeling too furious to continue the conversation. His blue eyes focused on the other end of the diner, taking in the scene of a father eating ice cream with his son. The billionaire frowned as his gaze lowered to the table. Maybe he'd come down too hard on Clark, but the Kryptonian had to realize how serious the situation was. Admittedly, family was a sensitive subject when it came to the last of the Waynes.

He'd lost his own father at the age of eight. Thomas Wayne had never been there to see him grow into the man he was today, and sometimes he didn't know whether that was a good thing or not. So it infuriated and pained Bruce to see a father dismiss his own son, to not want anything to do with him. He couldn't imagine what Superboy was going through. His more rational side argued that Clark truly wasn't the boy's father, not in choice at least. He'd never consciously decided to have a child; he hadn't even been prepared for such a thing to happen. Now the Kryptonian had an angry and confused sixteen-year-old on his hands. It was unfair to ask Clark to take on such a role, but just as equally unfair of him to ignore Superboy's needs.

Bruce clenched his fists as his mind replayed the last comment Clark had left him. He disliked the insinuation that he was being a hypocrite, or that he wasn't trying with Red X, because he most certainly was, it just wasn't easy to talk to the boy. He felt like there was a barrier between them, as if the boy himself held some sort of grudge against Batman.

Did Clark honestly think that he didn't know that Red X needed support, maybe even a father figure to look up to, to rely on? As the waiter brought out his order, Bruce spared him a quick glance and muttered a thank you. He stared down at the dessert, his appetite for the sweet food now gone as he pondered over the situations of two different boys.

~Young Justice: Red X~

|GOTHAM CITY
|2010 August 3, 21:31 EDT

As they approached Gotham City, X turned to see that Kid Flash had caught up with them and was wearing his costume. They had all abandoned their civilian clothes earlier, though he had forgone his cape for Raven's sake.

"So you changed too." Robin pointed out needlessly.

"Are you kidding? Ugh, I feel naked in civvies." The speedster replied before a grin spread across his face. "Well, hello there beautiful. Don't worry about this android. I'll stop him before he can hurt anybody." Kid Flash said to Raven and the tattered caped teen could practically feel her eyes roll. "You still tracking the parts?" Kid asked as he readdressed Robin.

"They were heading through Gotham, but they veered." The Boy Wonder announced as he checked his computer. "Wait, dude they're at my school!" Robin shouted in surprise and Kid Flash laughed.

"Maybe if the android does enough damage, you could get out of class for the month." The two boys shared a smirk and the conversation dissolved into what they would each do with that much time off.

Unbidden, Red X's thoughts turned to his own days at Gotham Academy. He'd hated it there, the constant demand for perfection, the bullying that he wasn't able to stop for the sake of keeping his cover. The only good thing about Gotham Academy had been Barbra. X wondered if Robin experienced those same things now. Was Babs in his class, was this dimension's version still a few years older than his counterpart?

"What school do you go to Raven?" Kid Flash asked, unknowingly bringing X out of his musings.

"I'll be attending Keystone High as a sophomore." She said plainly and he quickly tilted his head to look back at her before turning back to the read. "Canary feels I need to have a more sociable lifestyle." She continued in a lower tone, answering his unasked question. X didn't know what to think about that. School had never been a mandatory thing in the Teen Titans as they were constantly on call to help Jump City. Why a sophomore though? At sixteen she should be a junior. Unless an assessment test had placed her in tenth grade instead.

"Really? Sweet! That's my school and you're in the same year as me! Hey, maybe we'll have the same classes? Oh man, this year is going to rock! We'll get to hang out all the time now." The speedster replied with a wide grin.

"Oh, joy." Raven muttered moodily, though only he heard her.

"What about you X, where do you go to school?" Robin asked with a knowing grin, he'd already read everything concerning John Strike.

"I graduated from Gotham Academy early." He replied evenly and Robin frowned. 'That isn't the school he supposedly graduated from. Does that mean he's telling the truth or… is this his way of saying he knows who I am?' He thought worriedly as he tightened his grip. 'No, wait. I just admitted to him that the android was heading towards my school, which was totally stupid! Sure, Wally knows who I am, but the others don't. Nice one, Grayson.' Robin mentally scolded himself. Batman wouldn't be pleased with that slipup at all. "Heads up guys, there's the school." He alerted the rest of the group as he and Red X came to a halt in front of the building while Kid Flash and Raven were already heading inside. "They didn't even wait for us, rude."

"Try to keep up, kid." The tattered caped hero said towards his younger self, only to grimace as he realized he'd accidentally mimicked the Red X of his dimension. He teleported inside the gym to see Superboy being pulverized by the machine and threw a few X-shuriken, stopping the robot in its tracks as it activated the Martian Manhunter's phasing abilities. Superboy charged at the android only to be knocked back as it activated Captain Atom's abilities.

"Access: Flash." Was all the warning the skull masked teenager got before the android sped towards him. He barely dodged the first attack and without thinking, countered with series of kicks and punches that the robot blocked effortlessly with its superior speed.

"Access: Red X." His eyes widened and he cursed himself for forgetting to only use long ranged attacks on the android. He was unprepared for the swift kick that caught him in the stomach, knocking him into the ground and aggravating his ribs further. Kid Flash arrived and saved X from the robot's next attack, bringing him over towards the rest of the Titans. Robin threw an exploding Birdarang, which the android avoided by phasing.

"Access: Red Tornado." The Titans were sucked up into the resulting whirlwind and thrown across the gymnasium. Superboy, Robin, and Raven were knocked into the bleachers while Kid Flash and Red X ended up on the other side of the room behind a different set of stands. Red X shook off his dizziness and looked up to see the robot aiming its palm down at them.

"Access: Captain Atom." He teleported behind the android, avoiding the blast, and slammed his own palms into the androids back, who had proceeded to attack Kid Flash by using Black Canary's sonic abilities. The tattered caped teen activated his Electric X's, sending volts of the red current through the enemy's metal frame, only for it to phase again. He tumbled forwards through the android and struggled when he was caught in its' powerful grip. "Access: Superman."

The super powered punch had him flying across the room and colliding into a wall, leaving his body embedded in the hard surface for a moment before gravity had him crashing down to the floor. Red X stumbled into a crouching position, coughing harshly as he tried to regain his breath. He saw Raven block an attack that had been directed towards Robin, and Kid Flash charged at the robot only to be caught in a bear hug empowered by super strength. He launched several shuriken and he spotted an arrow fly into the mix as they headed towards the android who phased to avoid the attack, letting Kid Flash go in the process.

Red X narrowed his eyes. Did he just spot a pattern in the robot's attacks?

"Raven, back me up!" He shouted as Superboy, Robin, and Kid Flash were hurled backwards from another tornado. He charged at the enemy, ignoring his aching ribs, and hurled a haymaker at the android's head. It dodged using the Flash's speed and countered with Atom's energy blast, which Raven blocked for him.

"Access: Red X." This time, he was prepared. He matched blows with the robot, dodging and blocking as best he could as he tried to detect which moves it was going to use. He launched more shuriken and the android phased, making the teen smile triumphantly. He dove forward with his X-Wrist Blade extended, prepared to leave the robot sliced in half once it activated another power and became solid. His plan was ruined however as Ivo suddenly shouted for the android's help. The android move and solidified before Red X could follow through with his attack.

"Captain Atom." The robot called as it blasted Superboy, leaving itself open for X to attack. He redirected his earlier slash, aiming at the android's back and causing a deep horizontal slash from its' left hip to its' right shoulder. "Superman." The backwards kick was too powerful for Raven's shield to block completely and Red X slid back several feet, collapsing to one knee as he grabbed his lower ribs. 'If they were fractured before, then they definitely are now.'

"Anybody want to play keep away?" Robin shouted and X looked up to see him kick Ivo in the back, knocking the professor onto his face. The robot moved to attack Kid Flash as the speedster charged for Ivo.

"X, launch some shuriken!" Robin shouted as he threw his own Birdarang and the older teen nodded, seeing that his counterpart had also spotted the android's flaw. As the robot phased to evade the twin projectiles, Superboy dove forward to deliver a punch into its intangible head.

"Superman." As the android solidified with Superboy's fist still in place, the components inside its skull were instantly destroyed resulting in its head exploding. The robot crashed, defeated, before falling onto its back and Robin rushed over to it.

"Help me disassemble him, now!" He ordered and Red X teleported over to him to help in dissecting the Android.

"Guys, the dude has no head." Kid Flash remarked as he walked over to Superboy, holding his shoulder which had obviously been injured.

"Don't take any chances." Aqualad stated as he and Miss Martian entered the gymnasium.

"Superboy, are you alright?" She asked as she flew over to the clone and Raven landed down beside Red X.

"I'm fine, feeling the aster." Superboy replied good-naturedly, getting a grin from Robin.

"And what about you?" Raven questioned and X looked up at her to say that he was fine, but ended up hissing instead as he jolted his ribs. She narrowed her eyes at him and he shrugged, seeing no point in lying. "Not alright then. Let me see your ribs." He slowly stood up, allowing Raven to administer first aide.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Kid Flash asked as Raven's nimble fingers traced his lower ribs, gently prodding to get an idea of how serious his injuries were. Red X took it all silently, focusing on the nagging feeling at the back of his mind that was telling him he'd forgotten something important.

"I have the ability to heal wounds. I'm not very good at it yet, I can heal heavy bruising, sprains, and minor lacerations, but anything more severe is beyond my skills." Raven answered evenly as she poked at one of Red X's more sensitive injuries, making him flinch slightly.

"Oh, so you play nurse too? I don't think getting hurt will be so bad now." The redhead commented smoothly, before he straightened up suddenly. "Uh, guys, where's Ivo?"

'Damn.' X thought angrily. 'I knew we forgot something.'

~Young Justice: Red X~

|MOUNT JUSTICE
|2010 August 4, 01:06 EDT

"The AMAZO android is in pieces again, safely being analyzed at the two separate Star Labs, but Ivo escaped and since he originated the tech, he's arguably more dangerous than the android." Aqualad reported to Batman, Canary, Green Arrow, the Martian, and Red Tornado.

"Capturing the Professor will be a League priority." Black Canary declared and Red X clenched his fists. How could he be so careless as to forget about Ivo?

"But we understand that your mission encountered other… complications." The Martian added, only increasing the teenager's self-directed ire. They should have been able to stop a few robot monkeys, he and Raven had fought much worse.

"Complications come with the job. Your ability to handle them has impressed the League." Batman stated and X scoffed at that. The man stared at him for a second before Superboy spoke, redirecting the Dark Knight's attention.

"The whole League?" The clone asked lowly.

"Given time, yes. Kryptonians, as you know, have very hard heads." Batman answered and suddenly Red X understood why Superboy had been so upset earlier. He must have had another confrontation with Superman, one that hadn't ended favorably. "Of course there's no shame in asking for help, that's why the League exists. Because there are some problems even we can't handle individually." X had to roll his eyes at that one. Batman never asked for help.

"Please, if we needed help, we'd never get the chance to ask. Look familiar? You were following us, babysitting, you still don't trust us!" Robin shouted angrily as he pulled out the arrow X had spotted earlier.

"We didn't follow you." Batman responded evenly as Green Arrow brought out one of his arrows. The tattered caped teen instantly noticed that the tips of the two arrows were different.

"And that's not your arrow." Robin said, sounding only slightly apologetic and more surprised. "But that means–"

"Speedy!" Kid Flash finished excitedly.

"He has our backs." Aqualad agreed, smiling with the others.

"I wouldn't be so sure." X interrupted and the three stared at him, looking ready to argue. "The arrows that Speedy uses have red feathers bordering the shaft, not green." He reminded them, ignoring the glare Green Arrow was sending him.

"So he changed colors, what does it matter?" Kid Flash asked in an annoyed tone. Red X shrugged, not caring enough to argue the point he was trying to make when the others were clearly determined to believe it was their friend who'd helped them. "Souvenir." The speedster exclaimed as he shot forwards and took the bolt from Green Arrow. Batman and Green Arrow shared a look that only he and Raven seemed to notice.

X saw Superboy move over towards Black Canary, his earlier anger gone. He said something that was too soft for Red X to hear and Canary smiled, saying something back that made Superboy's tense posture relax for a second. Whatever it was that Superman had done to upset Superboy, he hoped that Black Canary would help the clone move past it. X suddenly felt as if someone was staring at him and he turned, his eyes landing on Batman who was talking with an excited Robin. He shook his head and returned to Raven, asking what she thought about the Titans.

He never noticed Batman's gaze flickering back to him.

~Young Justice: Red X~

Okay, one thing I have to point out to all those looking for that spark between Raven and Red X. Go back up to where Kid Flash places himself in-between X and Raven and is too close to the former. It says that Red X is annoyed, but by what? Is he annoyed with Kid for invading his personal space or for hitting on Raven? I'll leave that up to you to speculate.

At the top where Red X says Raven should ride with him, I almost had him say, "She should ride with me, mine's bigger." Then I realized what great an innuendo that was. I laughed so hard trying to imagine Red X saying that, especially since Batman used a similar line in the Justice League series.

The chapter kind of focused on Superboy because, well, the episode was about him. But I didn't go over the solo battle he had against AMAZO, seeing as there would be no change from the show. I tried to keep the chapter somewhat centered on Red X and Raven too, which was kind of hard since neither one really talks a lot.

–Hexalys