DC Gothic – Red-X
Part 4
More Tests
The Natural History Museum – Jump City
Tonight was a special night for me in two different ways. The first way it was special was that I'd been with Jinx for a whole month and I got the impression that if I made a big deal about it I might get a special treat.
The other way it was special was that a client had hired the H.I.V.E for a job and that client had asked for me. I had no idea who this person was, but that didn't really matter. What did matter was that while Headmistress Kane was going to get most of the money for this job, as I did need to pay for my education, I would still a percentage.
As an added bonus I could take things for myself. The academy had a few fences who brought stolen goods and anything I took from this place had to be worth a few bucks. More than enough for a nice present for Jinx.
Even better this job was gonna be an easy one. I had the floor plans and once again the cameras were on a loop. Also for a place like this the guards were not the best money could buy. They were three old men who didn't even have guns. I didn't harm them as canister of sleep gas was a much nicer way to get people out of the way.
Next I cut threw the glass of the display case using a small laser cutter I'd gotten from Gizmo. That got me into the display case and I quickly put the object of my quest into a pouch. I didn't know what it was, but it had to be worth something so I assumed it was either one of kind or that it had some sort of magical power.
That was when what had so far been a easy burglary quickly turned sour for me. I was now in another confrontation with the Teen Titans. So much for my date with Jinx, she was going to be mad. Now I'd have to get her something expensive to make up for being late.
"I've never been so popular" I said while pulling three large Xs out of my belt and hurling them toward the Teen Titans.
The first X flew toward Cyborg and Starfire, and then expand into a sort of net that trapped the two inside. The second X flew toward Beast Boy and Raven, dissolving into a large into sticky goo upon impact. If nothing else it would slow them both down.
The third X had been intended for Robin, but he didn't stay around long enough to find out what it was suppose to do to him. Instead, he leapt into the air, while extending his staff and tried to hit me on the head.
I side stepped the blow, grabbed his cape and then swung him around so that the Boy Wonder lost his balance, and before he could recover I was on the move. However someone got in my way.
"That was not very nice," said Starfire,
Her eyes and hands were lit up with Starbolt energy, and I backed away from the alien powerhouse. She had been able to free herself very quickly, and so I wasn't going to underestimate her again.
"Come on kid, X marks the spot" I said while tapping my chest in a way that dared her to attack.
As I hoped she threw several small blasts of energy at me and I cartwheeled out of the way. I then looked back at Starfire, who was now launching another series of energy attacks at me.
Mostly she just did damage to the dark age exhibit I'd been standing in front of but one of her attacks stung as it impacted. She managed to score a hit even though I'd been the one to decided what she was aiming at.
"You should really watch where you're doing" I chided "you did more damage to this place than I ever would".
The alien actually listened to what I said and looked around in shock as she realised that she had in fact trashed the place. As for me I just extended the palm of right hand and fired another X at Starfire. My intent had been to bind her arms and render her incapable of firing any more of those energy blasts, but a black energy shield emerged in front of Starfire just in time to block the X. It was annoying.
"Azarath, Metreon, Zinthos!"
The spotlight shining down on me went off, as it was engulfed in dark energy and it soon became a twisted piece of metal, which Raven then hurled at me using her telekinetic powers.
I barely had time to move out of the way. The lump of metal went flying past me to smash into the ground. It made a lot of mess but that was all.
Then more bolts of energy flew at me, as did bursts of dark energy that from came from Raven and there was even a blue colored blasts from Cyborg's arm cannon.
I flipped backward several times to avoid those attacks only to end up putting myself into more danger.
Now a gigantic, green Tyrannosaurus Rex was standing behind me It roared in my face and while that was scary it was the thing's bad breath that really got my attention.
Acting fast I fired several Xs out of my palms and into Beast Boy's gaping maw. Which stopped the shape shifter from biting me, but it didn't take his tail out of equation.
I leapt over Beast Boy's tail, and fired more Xs in an attempt to keep the creature in place, but that didn't go so well. A T-rex is a mighty beast and in that form Beastie Boy could not be held for long.
Thankfully for me he put too much strength into the blow and the massive body collided with an exhibit made up of medieval suits of armour, the end result made a lot of mess and a lot of noise.
As Raven, Starfire, and Cyborg rushed to their friend's aid, I ran for the exit with no sign of any one chasing me.
This part of the museum was almost completely dark, its front lobby was lit only by dim lights that did little to help me see where I was going. However that wasn't a problem as the mask gave me wonderful night vision. I almost saw the Boy Wonder in time to dodge his attack, but almost was not good enough.
"Yaaaaaaaaah!" shouted Robin in anger as he tackled me from the side.
The next thing I knew my shoulder was slamming against a pillar hard enough to knock a priceless looking vase to the floor, shattering it to pieces. I just knew that the insurance was not gonna cover that.
"I hope you can pay for that" I said as I picked myself up from the ground.
"Not until you've paid for everything you've stolen," Robin replied, in a self righteous tone of voice.
He was holding his staff and he looked into my eyes with a hate filled glare.
"Much anger, young Skywalker" I said.
"You're going to jail for a long time" the hero promised me.
The other Titans quickly ran into the museum, all moving to stand behind Robin, all of them focused on me.
Needing a way out I looked around the room and spotted the lift that would take me to the roof, also I could see outside so I could just teleport away, but not just yet I needed to know something.
"Okay you got me" I said while raising my hand in the universal sign for surrender "So did you guys plant a tracker on me or something?"
I suspected that either Headmistress Kane or the client, assuming there even was one, had sold me out. The reasons for this I could only guess at as I very little information to work with, but I would find out and then someone would pay for this.
"It is our job to know when a crime is being committed" said Robin
Well that wasn't very helpful.
"Yeah but did someone tip you off?" I asked while backing away "Because this stinks of a set up. There's no way you could have known I'd be here, which means someone is playing us".
"He's trying to escape using the..." Starfire needlessly said.
I teleported into the lift and then the door closed. I hit the button for the roof and I hoped that this old thing was faster than it looked.
"Azarath, Metreon, Zinthos!" I heard as the lift door opened and I stepped out onto the roof.
Raven had known exactly where I was going it seemed and the energy blast she sent my felt like a punch to the stomach it sent me flying back into elevator hard enough to make a small dent in the wall.
In return I pointed both of my hands at the Titan and fired several small Xs that bound her place.
"Sorry Beautiful" I said "This isn't your floor,"
Since the teleporter was line of sight and the lift opened up on the roof for some reason or other I now could transport myself very far from this place. Which was very good.
"I hate to stick and run like this" I told Raven "but I someone set us up and I'm going to find out why"
With that I vanished, once more having escaped the clutches of the Teen Titans, and once again I had my prize.
Not bad for a night's work, and if I was lucky I wasn't too late for my date.
(Line Break)
H.I.V.E Academy – Jump City
I stormed into my bedroom and I was glad to find it empty as while I'd done the job and gotten paid well for it I was certain that I'd been set up to fail, and worse I didn't even know why.
"Hello, Red-X"
The voice came from behind me and when I turned around to see that someone was standing in my doorway. It was a man I'd never met only seen pictures of, but he matched the stories told about him.
This was Slade a criminal mastermind unlike anything Jump City had ever seen before, and he was also Deathstroke the Terminator if my knowledge of DC characters was correct. Another important piece of information was that Slade Wilson happened to be a great assassin so he could in fact be here to kill me.
"Slade" I whispered as my entire body beginning to tremble in fear.
"Let's take a walk, shall we?" the masked men said.
Slade turned and began walking down the corridor that was outside my quarters. He didn't even wait for me, it was like he just knew I would do whatever he said, and given that he would kill me if I didn't, he was totally right to think that.
As I began to follow Slade I realised that we were heading towards Headmistress Kane's office, but he didn't wait until we got there before he started talking to me.
"I've been watching you, Red-X" Slade stated in a way that escaped sounding creepy by being blood scary "Ever since you first battled the Titans. I've had my eye on you"
He only one eye, but he wasn't trying to make a pun, and I was no where near foolish enough to comment on his disfigurement.
"I've watched your every move, trying to learn all I could about the man behind the mask. Even I was surprised to find out that you were a mere boy, someone without any super powers".
It didn't sound like his was judging me for not being a super powered meta-human. Besides I wasn't even sure that this was true. I healed fast and I was pretty sure that I was faster and stronger than I should be. It was hard to measure these things but even with this super suit I really shouldn't have been able to escape the Titans twice.
While I was very worried that Slade had been stalking me I was now sure that Slade had hired me for tonight's job, and that he had been the one to tip the Titans off. Most likely as some sort of test, to make sure that my first victory hadn't been a fluke of some sort.
"I've dealt with Red-X before" Slade informed "You probably know that the suit you wear was once used by Robin in an attempt to gain my trust"
In fact I had known that this outfit had belonged to Robin, but I hadn't know why he had created it. Now I did.
"I knew it was Robin the whole time" Slade then said "The same determination, the same ruthlessness in battle. I see some of him in you. You're determined as well, but your goals are petty".
Smartly I gave him no sign that I was rather insulted by his words as wisely I planned to say as little as possible.
"That suit was specifically designed to exploit the Teen Titans' weaknesses" I was then informed "Only Robin could've known what those weaknesses were and how to best to exploit them. That was what made it clear to me who was behind that mask".
Also the name was a bit of a clue. After leaving Batman but before becoming Nightwing the first Robin had gone by Red Robin. Robin. Red Robin. Red-X.
"I took the suit and gave to Kane as part of payment" Slade then told me
I'd always wondered how the Headmistress had gotten her hands on the suit. Now I knew that too.
"Imagine my surprise when I learned that someone else was now in possession of the suit" Deathstroke was now saying "and that he could use it well enough to battle the Titans. I knew then that I had to find out everything I could about you".
Again this was kinda creepy. Old men really shouldn't display this must interest in teenage boys.
"I even set up a little test" Slade added.
He knew that I knew exactly what that test had been, and it looked as if I had past.
"As to why I tested you" Wilson said.
I was eager to find out this part and he could sense that.
"You see, for quite some time now, I've been looking for an apprentice" Slade explained as we stood outside Kane's office "Someone to carry on my legacy, someone I could pass on my knowledge too, someone to inherit my vast, vast fortune".
Well I did like the sound of that vast, vast fortune, and I also didn't like what would most likely happen to me if I anyway disappointed Slade, so my answer was going to have to be yes.
"You want me... to be your apprentice?" I asked, wanting to sure of that before saying anything else.
Rather than answer that Slade entered Kane's office and I followed. The Headmistress was sitting at her desk and Jinx was sitting on a chair next to the wall. I guessed at once that the offer of training and money was the carrot to tempt me into this offer.
Jinx was here as the stick. There was no sense threatening me directly as harming me would only reduce my usefulness to Deathstroke, but despite knowing it was foolish I had gotten close to Jinx so all Slade had to was threaten her to keep me in my place. It might not work as well as he might think as I didn't love Jinx, but on the other hand I didn't want her hurt either. I highly doubted that he'd do or say anything to that effect, just having her here was enough for me to get the message.
"Mr Wilson has paid the academy a large sum of money in exchange for you" the Headmistress informed me.
I'd always known Kane might betray her promise of freedom, but this was a new low even for her. I resented being sold like livestock and I swore then and there that I would get some pay back.
At least now I didn't own her anything. Slade's money would have paid for my education and then some. Even the suit wasn't a big loss as I was the only student who had the stealth skills to use it effectively.
"I understand" was all I said.
My mask hide my face and I kept my voice calm so that she wouldn't know I was already plotting her downfall.
"Can I get my things?" I requested.
I did need my stuff as the suit needed some maintenance and I imagined I'd need to repair it at some point. Thankfully Gizmo had helped me learn how to do both.
"They will be delivered to you later" Kane told me.
No doubt some other student would soon have my room, and shortly after that Red-X would be forgotten by this entire school.
"So I'll be leaving now then" I said when no one spoke for a while "goodbye".
Slade led the way and I followed. I was scared of the future, but I knew that it would be better to do anything Deathstroke asked of me than not to as he wasn't the kind of guy to shy away from torture.
Also I hoped he was heterosexual and also not interested in just turning me into another assassin, because while I was happy to steal and even beat people up I wasn't into killing or getting molested by old men.
As the we exited the H.I.V.E and headed towards a park limousine, which didn't seem like Slade's style to me, I wondered if I would ever return to the academy or even see Jinx again.
Somehow I doubted it. That part of my life was over now, and what was to come was going to make my time at the H.I.V.E seem like just a vacation in comparison.