Titans: Elemental-REUPLOAD

by B.E.A.T.N

Well, when there's trouble... You all know who to call. The Titans! Sadly, the original tale of Jack Benzo/Zivel, his beloved Raven, and their team, was deleted. But thankfully, this story is back and better than ever, (following guidelines), and is also on AO3. Follow this retelling of Teen Titans once again! OC's aren't based on anyone! I do not own Teen Titans!

16. Chapter 16

Titans: Elemental

Chapter 16: Masks

We see a red microchip rotating slowly in a white light. It is dark all around this spot. A large figure stands up into view; it is clad in black armor, with additional steel plating to reinforce key areas, and wears a mask that hides the entire face. This is black, with a red-orange circle in the center whose edges touch both eyes. The figure reaches toward the chip, revealing a steel-gloved hand, and cocks one eyebrow in surprise. On the other side of the suspension field is Dick hanging upside down.

Dick said, "tell Slade if he wants this, he can come get it himself!"

He drops from his perch and delivers a kick that sends the thief tumbling across the darkened area. All the lights now come on, and we see all of the Titans standing there. The place is a chamber stuffed with supercomputers. A laser beam lances down from above, forcing Dick to jump out of its way; a section of the ceiling is being cut away from above. The piece falls in a cloud of dust, and several more intruders leap in.

Dick does a few backflips to stay ahead of the next laser blast and soon has one of the new arrivals coming right for him. He blocks or dodges several blows, then tries a counter-kick that is deflected. The masked figure whips out a blaster, something like a set of brass knuckles with a muzzle on the front edge, and opens fire. A few acrobatic tricks carry Dick out of danger; he retaliates with a jumping roundhouse kick that sends the attacker crashing into the far wall.

Jack starts sending shards of ice at several of their foes, forcing them to dodge and try to find an opening of attack! As one races at Jack, Rose jumps above him and delivers a kick to the intruder's face, sending them to the ground as Jack and Rose stood back to back with their weapons.

Starfire, just above, backs quickly across to evade the shots from a squad member who jumps up after her. She gathers herself and puts a starbolt right where it belongs; her attacker is sent skidding across the floor. The next one jumps even higher, up to the level of the large ceiling-mounted spotlights that illuminate the place, and blasts at her.

The lens of one light is struck and begins to fall loose; she is directly underneath and about to be crushed, but Dick leaps across and plows her away just in time. The lens crashes to the ground.

The dust thrown up from the impact clears to see Dick, who has set Starfire down. She is a bit dazed, but soon snaps to with a gasp.

Dick said in shock, "huh?"

Across the room, several squad members level their weapons, but before they can shoot, a computer cabinet slides across and bulldozes them. Standing across the room is Vic, who is wiping his hands; he pushed it at them.

Vic said, "amazing what you can do with computers these days."

Blackfire is shooting her starbolts at three of their enemies, who quickly dash out of the way, but she continues to race after them, yelling as she did do, and managing to plow straight into one, sending them flying into a wall!

Dick runs toward the heart of the battle as Raven floats backward into view, staying just ahead of a laser beam. Another one is fired from midair; she creates a shield around herself, and both it and the beam disintegrate when they make contact. The enemy runs toward her and starts throwing punches, which she stops by forming small barriers in front of herself as she slowly backs up. A low kick cuts her legs out from under her; the blaster is aimed at point-blank range, but before it can be fired, BB, as a bighorn sheep, rams its wielder into the wall. We see Raven standing and staring in genuine surprise at BB. The knocked-out commando lies crumpled in a heap.

BB sang out, "you owe me big time, you owe me big-"

Another one jumps down into view behind him, runs up, and gets ready to let him have it. As he finally turns to look, too late to save himself, two computers slide into view from opposite directions under Raven's control and crush the would-be shooter between them. BB yells in fright and throws up his arms to protect himself; the hardware falls away and so does the smashed figure.

Raven winds down her powers and gives BB a hard stare, and a big drop of sweat appears on his temple.

BB chuckled, "heh, call it even?"

Jack suddenly flies past them, shooting balls of fire at the attackers.

Jack said, "keep your heads in the game guys!"

Rose starts smacking any of the thieves that are close to her into the walls with her staff.

Vic, meanwhile, has reached the center of the room. Breaking out his sonic cannon, he starts to blaze away and soon has help in the form of Blackfire and Starfire's fusillade. One of the thieves leaps impossibly high to avoid the blasts, then pushes off from the wall and sails straight toward the chip. A flying grab snares the bounty, and those steel-booted feet are racing for the door. Dick gives chase and hurls his wingding; it hits the thief's hand and knocks the chip away.

Raven and BB's eyes track its trajectory.

BB yelled, "mine!"

He runs to the flying bit of hardware; a long, thin tongue lashes into view and snags it, and BB, now an anteater, leaps across the area and skids to a stop at the wall. An attacker's boot comes down on that tongue, which lets go of the chip so it can be seized. This one vaults across the room to the door, where the other survivors, four in all, have gathered, and throws down a smoke bomb. The resulting gray clouds cover the area and clear to reveal that the five have escaped under cover of that diversion. BB is back in human form and thoroughly dazed by what has just happened.

BB said, as if he had bitten his tongue, "that tasted so nasty."

Dick runs into view toward the door, "Titans! Go!"

All of the others start after him.

….

We see a chamber similar to the one in which the theft occurred, seen from overhead. The lights are dim but not out, and a large circular hatch, covered with a steel grid, is in the center of the floor.

The Titans run in.

Dick exclaimed, "split up!"

Dick heads for the hatch as the others fan out towards several other doors.

Down just below the grid; water is heard running, and he stares down through the bars.

….

Inside a sewer tunnel, Dick climbs down from an overhead ladder, within the pipe that leads here from the hatch, and drops into the water. One of the thieves is making a break for it; Dick gives chase, runs briefly up the pipe wall to avoid a laser shot, and throws his wingding. A huge jump carries the escapee out of its path, and a second shot reduces it to junk. Suddenly, a grenade is tossed back into view and promptly detonates.

When the smoke clears, we see that the path has been almost entirely blocked by collapsed rock and debris. As Dick stops and stares through a small opening in the cave-in, the thief moves farther ahead toward a dead end, stops, and raises their blaster.

….

We see outside, near a mountainside at sunset. The beam emerges from within and traces out a door-shaped outline, and the piece falls away; the sewers run through the mountain. At the edge of the opening stands the thief, alone for only a brief moment until Starfire rises to that level.

Starfire said, "I am asking you nicely to stop running and-"

But before she can finish, up comes the weapon, and down goes Starfire in free fall, having taken the full hit. Her assailant jumps out after her and activates jet thrusters hidden in the boot soles to start flying away. Now Dick, having dug through the broken rock, reaches the opening just as the armored figure zooms up past him. He leaps out into space, a grappling hook in each hand, and fires one down and the second up.

The first line wraps around Starfire as she drops toward the rocky waterway below, while the second loops onto the armored chest.

The commando stops ascending and goes into a sharp dive; Dick is suddenly yanked along toward the water with a gasp and a long scream. Off they go, skimming the surface; the flier towing Dick, who is towing Starfire, and heads toward land. The wake of their passage throws up a wall of water, which hides everyone from view briefly.

….

A few moments later, we see Starfire, half-dazed on the shore. She comes to and finds a wriggling fish stuck in her mouth, then spits it out and burps weakly.

Dick yelled, "now talk!"

Behind her, he has the masked character by the collar.

Dick growled, "where's Slade? Why does he want this chip?"

He goes to pull the mask off of the thief.

Dick growled, "and why are you working…. For…. Him?

He pulls the mask away. The reason for his trailing off is that the entire front half of the head comes off in his hand. Behind it is a small monitor; this commando is actually a robot, as were all the others involved in the heist. The blank display comes to life, resolving into a not-fully-tuned image of Slade in his lair. He appears only as a silhouette.

Slade said, "excellent work, Nightwing."

Dick growled, "Slade!"

Slade said, "really, I think your skills are improving."

Dick growled, "no more games! What do you want?"

Slade said, "but you do lack patience. A problem you and my daughter share. If you're really so curious about my intentions, perhaps we should meet face to face?"

Dick growled, "tell me where you're hiding and I'll be there in a heartbeat!"

Slade said, "patience, Nightwing. Patience."

A crackle of sparks, and the monitor goes dead. Smoke rises from within the skull as the system falls apart.

Starfire said, "Richard?"

He releases his grip and the robotic body drops to the ground. A fierce scowl that has settled on his face.

….

Later, back at Titans Tower….

BB said, "okay. All work and no flicks makes me a dull Beast Boy."

Jack said, "nice reference man."

BB is standing before Rose, Vic, Raven, Blackfire, Jack and Starfire, who have settled on the couch. Raven is reading a book with Jack snuggled next to her with Percy on his lap.

BB said, "so, my fellow couch potatoes…. What'll it be? Super Ninja Showdown Eight…. Or Maniac Fury: Attack of the Protozoids?"

Raven said, "gee. They both sound so good."

She returns to her book as Jack says, "babe, be nice."

Rose and Blackfire snicker.

Vic said, "yeah. It's really hard to pick. Want to watch 'em both?

Raven gives him a dirty look as a vein flares up on her forehead; this was not even close to what she had in mind.

Jack said, "Raven, calm down."

Raven said, "no promises."

Starfire said, "perhaps Dick would enjoy potato-ing the couch with us. Tell me, is he-?"

BB said, "-in the exact same place he's been since his little chat session with Slade? Uh, yeah."

Rose said, "I understand he wants to stop my dad, but he's getting really obsessed."

Blackfire asked, "on a scale of one to ten?"

Rose said, "Batman levels of obsession."

Jack said, "dang, that's nuts."

Starfire holds a very worried face.

We see Dick standing at a desk under a solitary overhead light, staring at a wall covered with newspaper clippings about different villains' exploits in Jump City.

Dick can practically hear Space talk.

"Nightwing. Is that the best you can do?"

"Excellent work, Nightwing. I think your skills are improving."

Dick furrows his brow.

"If you're really so curious about my intentions, perhaps we should meet face to face?"

The table is covered with a jumble of items: notes, maps, blueprints, wires, electrical instruments, parts of the commando robot's equipment, the front half of its head. Included among the lot is a communicator marked with a stylized S, his particular insignia.

Dick asked aloud, "who are you? Rose can only tell us so much…"

Dick hears the door open as light streams into the dim room from behind him.

Starfire asked, "Richard? I am wondering if you might wish to-"

Dick said, "no. Thanks. But I need to figure out why Slade wanted that chip."

Starfire said, "agreed. And perhaps if you were to take a break, the answer would be easier to-"

Dick said as he approached her, "I can't. You almost got hurt. Next time, it could be worse. He's planning something. I have to find out what."

Starfire said, "but, Richard, I am sure that-"

He ends the conversation by closing the door in her face. She hangs her head and sighs quietly.

….

Back in the trashed chamber in which the opening battle took place.

In the dim light, two prison guards are now stationed by the recovered microchip, which has been placed back in the suspension field. All is quiet for some seconds, but the calm breaks when an alarm goes off and red warning lights flash. Both guards run toward the door to the chamber where the Titans began their search for the thieves. The door is closed, but slides open to admit them. They point their weapons back and forth.

The first guard yelled, "I don't like this."

The door slides shut without warning.

The second guard yelled, "hey!"

The alarm falls silent, but the lights continue to flash-the alarm was in that other room, and the door has muffled it. Back in the other room, a figure materializes to face it.

He wears a skintight black outfit with a large red X emblazoned over the heart; the low end of the upward stroke is extended to cross the chest. He has a long black cape, a gray 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.

The newcomer plucks the chip from the field. There is an explosion from the door, which the guards have just blasted off its hinges. They run in.

The second guard yelled, "he's got the chip!"

They open fire; the thief leaps straight up and disappears.

The first guard asked, "where'd he go?"

….

We see the full moon in the night sky and tilt down to a rooftop in Jump City. A small ringing is heard, similar to a cell phone, and we see Vic extend his forearm. On it, a panel appears showing Dick's face.

The other Titans are standing with Vic.

Dick said, "I'm working a lead on Slade lead on the far side of town. Sure you guys can handle this without me?"

Vic said, "no problem."

Dick nods and the connection is broken. At the far edge of the roof, a skylight opens and the mysterious man climbs out. Vic breaks out his cannon.

Vic growled, "you working for Slade, tough guy?"

The man said, "Red X works alone."

The voice heard from Red X is male, but heavily distorted.

Jack said, "that was actually my first guess on his name."

Blackfire muttered, "kind of cute."

Rose said, "Blackfire, now is not the time. Besides, you can't even see his face."

Red X holds out one palm, revealing that same mark on it, and fires this toward the Titans. Vic brings the cannon into play as the other six scatter; the two shots annihilate each other in midair. More cannon blasts send Red X jumping all over the roof. Launching himself high into the air, Red X fires X's from both palms and forces the big guy to run for cover. BB takes his place in the battle and becomes a charging lion. The villain fires off another scarlet cross that becomes liquid as it flies; connecting with the green feline's face like a glob of mud, it carries him back down to the roof. When he lands, he is unable to pull free of the gluey mess. Lion, human, gorilla, falcon, elephant, none of those forms is strong enough to allow him to break loose. Jack tries firing a ball of fire at him, but the new foe throws out another gadget that freezes the ball in a red frosted substance. He then shoots one of the projectiles at Jack's staff, sending it to get stuck to the walk as Jack starts running back towards it while avoiding more projectiles.

Starfire, Blackfire and Raven fly in; the former two reel off starbolts while the latter prepares a spell. Red X nimbly avoids all of the shots and the large black hand that emerges at his feet tries to grab him.

Three big X's are hurled at the girls. One of them connects and ties Starfire up like a giant rubber band, and she drops out of frame.

One of the others hits Blackfire in the legs, trapping them and sending her to the ground.

Raven said, "Azarath Met-"

Much to Raven's shock, a red X plasters itself across her mouth, gagging her. Try as she might, Raven cannot tear the X away and topples over. Red X is in the clear, but a yell from behind him marks Vic's approach. He drops into view and tries to seize the black-clad enemy, who sidesteps easily.

Vic exclaimed, "huh?

He tries another punch, with no luck, and Red X thumps him in the back.

Vic yelled, "what?"

Another of the namesake weapons has been slapped on there. The panels open up and those gray-gloved hands reach in to tinker with the circuits. Vic's arms flail wildly.

Vic yelled, "hey! Yo, who told you how to shut me down?"

On the end of this line, his voice slows down and he slumps over on his feet. A little push sends him crashing down.

Rose tries hitting Red X with her staff, but he easily dodges it and sticks one of the X's on it, which spreads over the staff and sticks it to her hands!

Rose tries to shake it off, but falls over!

With all seven Titans out of action, Red X bugs out.

Vic yelled, "yeah, you better run!"

He does exactly that, passing the gagged Raven and the bound Starfire before jumping off the roof and disappearing. BB, back in human form, is still caught in the red mire.

BB asked, "so, do you guys see what I don't see?"

Vic asked, "who was that guy?"

Jack, as he finally pried his staff from the wall, "I dunno, but he's clearly done his homework on us."

….

Once again, we see Slade's lair. Red X's image is on one of the giant monitors; he holds up the microchip in full view of the mastermind, who stands on the platform.

Red X said, "rumor has it, you're interested in this."

Slade said, "I'm interested in many things, Mr.…?"

Red X said, "X. Red X."

Slade said, "hmmm. Catchy. So, are you proposing a sale or a gift?"

Red X said, "a partnership. I give you the chip, you cut me in on your plans."

Slade said, "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."

Red X said, "just tell me what you want…"

...

Back at the tower, on the following morning.

Dick said, "I had no idea Red X would pose such a threat."

In the kitchen, he is addressing the other Titans. Starfire, seated on the counter, is clipping the red gunk out of a very annoyed BB's hair.

Jack is carefully peeling the gunk off of his staff. Blackfire was barefoot, as that was the only way she could get out of the gunk. Her shoes were currently in the freezer, hoping to crush the gunk off of them.

Rose was washing her staff in the bathroom, hoping the soap and water could get the stuff off.

Dick said, "I should've been there."

BB groaned, "you bet you should've been there. Look what he did to my 'do! I'm looking at two months of bad hair days!"

Jack groaned, "are you kidding? I have to painstakingly get this gunk off of an ancient artifact!"

Raven is seen to still have that big red X plastered across her mouth.

She glares and cusses him out as best she can behind the gag. BB and Starfire smile cautiously.

BB joked, "I don't know, Raven. That's kind of a good look for you."

Blackfire said, "he did not just say that."

Jack said, "he did."

Vic reaches over to pry up a corner of the X.

Vic said carefully, "hold still…."

Jack quickly hid behind his staff as Percy dived under the couch.

As the others brace for the inevitable, he rips the thing away with one swift jerk. The onlookers scream in sympathetic pain. A vivid red imprint has been left on her face, and she holds her lips pressed together.

Raven said, "ow."

The imprint fades as Jack asks, "you okay?"

Raven said, "yes. It just stung. Anyway, even if you had been there, Dick, it wouldn't have made any difference."

Vic said, "dude knew exactly how to bring each of us down. I guarantee he had a gadget with your name on it."

Jack said, "right down to the dot at the end."

Starfire said, "agreed. You need not feel guilt. We are undamaged."

BB said, "hel-lo?"

Starfire said, "mostly undamaged. And we are all eager to learn what you have discovered about Slade."

Dick said, "nothing. Lead was a dead end. I should get back to work."

He turns away. The other Titans watch in concern as he leaves, just as Rose appears.

Rose asked rhetorically, "I'm guessing he didn't learn anything?"

Blackfire said, "nope."

….

Later that night. The door to the main room opens to admit the others in a rush; BB's hair is back to normal.

Vic said, "okay, Dick, what's the…?"

They all stop and look around.

Starfire asked, "Richard?"

Jack asked, "anyone here?"

No Dick, no villains, no nothing.

Rose asked, "Dick?"

BB said, "you mean Captain Research? Ah, he's probably filling out note cards at the public library."

BB yawns expansively, with Rose doing the same.

"I was."

These two words startle the daylights and a short scream out of them. Dick's face is on the window/screen.

Dick said, "but then I spotted Red X pulling a robbery in the tech sector."

As he says this, BB has fallen asleep on his feet and is snoring loudly.

Dick said, "I'm on it. Get here as soon as you can!"

BB yawned, "you got it, dude. We'll be there any…."

He nods off again before he can finish the sentence. A snore or two later, Vic reaches down and grabs a fistful of clothing; BB is jerked awake and yanked away with a scream.

….

Later, we see the team arriving at the area.

Vic said, "there!"

Vic is looking at a nearby building, from whose roof, Red X jumps down with Dick in hot pursuit. After a few dozen yards, the black-clad thief stops and throws a net back at the chaser. It ensnares him and sends him rolling across the pavement to stop near where he came down from the roof.

Vic exclaimed, "Nightwing!"

Dick yelled, "I'm fine! Get X! Go!"

Jack yelled, "you got it man!"

The others set off to a subway station entrance, where Red X takes the entire down escalator in one huge leap. The crew is on the lookout.

Vic said, "I've adjusted my ocular implant to scan at multiple sub-harmonics in the EM spectrum."

BB said, "'kay… Do you come with subtitles?"

Rose mutters, "not that you could read them."

Blackfire and Jack snicker at that.

Vic said, "my eye should spot him even if he's invisible."

His red-tinted view pans across the station from track to platform. No activity, and then out of nowhere, Red X drops into view and decks him. Vic is driven back several yards, then falls onto his back and skids the rest of the way to the far end.

Raven said, "it's him."

Blackfire groaned, "obviously!"

Vic gets up, still a bit woozy and in no condition to immediately retaliate against the X that appears in midair and flies toward his back. It is slapped in place by Red X. A few sparks fly from the bionic Titan, but he remains in full control of his body this time.

Vic said, "you gonna have to learn some new tricks, dog."

He gets five fingers in the material covering the chest and throws Red X along the platform toward the others; the villain lands in a crouch.

Starfire said, "surrender! We do not wish to fight you!"

Rose exclaimed, "I do! It took me hours to wash my staff clean!"

Red X said, "sorry. I'm not through with you yet."

He bounds high and throws an X at Starfire, but a last-second energy barrier created by Raven stops it. Now Vic tries to land a few punches, but hits only air, and Blackfire goes for a low-altitude bulldoze that misses its mark but connects with the big man. Both crash to the ground. Red X nimbly gets the better of Jack, BB and Raven, even after the shape-shifter turns into a bear. Raven tumbles down against some crates, and BB and Jack avenge her by ramming Red X from behind as a bighorn sheep, and Jack using a big chunk of the ground.

Red X suddenly kicks Jack in the chest before he can launch an attack, sending him towards Rose, who was just barely able to catch her friend.

BB quickly resumes human form and charges again. The foe catches hold of a pole, swings his weight around it, and launches himself feet first back the way he came. His trajectory forces BB to duck; a punch is thrown at the Titan, who stands up just in time to catch it on the jaw. BB is knocked across the tracks to hit the opposite edge and bounce down to the rails. Sitting up dazedly, he snaps back fully when the glare of headlights falls across him and a train whistle makes itself heard. The early express is right on time.

As BB stares like a deer about to snuff it on the grille of a pickup, Red X hurtles across the tracks and pulls him screaming to safety.

Both hit the platform an instant before the train hurtles through.

Jack and Rose saw the whole thing with confused looks.

BB exclaimed, "dude! Did you just save me?"

He is answered with a swift kick in the gut. When the train is gone, we see that the other Titans are on the opposite side of the platform.

Red X runs for the exit stairs, and the group collects on BB's side; Starfire helps him up.

Starfire exclaimed, "Beast Boy! You are undamaged?"

BB asked, "who is that guy?"

Rose said, "whoever he is, it seems he doesn't like to kill."

….

Red X sits at a desk under a bright light and is busy at a computer. Slade's silhouette is on the monitor.

Slade said, "impressive, Red X. I tapped into the security cameras to catch your performance. You treated the Titans to quite a show."

Red X said, "glad you enjoyed it."

He holds up two microchips; the red one he stole from the computer facility, as well as a blue one taken in the recent robbery.

Red X asked, "is the audition over?"

Slade said, "patience. Trust is easy to destroy, but it takes time to build."

His image gradually shrinks toward the top right corner of the screen, giving way to a pure white field. A third microchip, this one green, is revealed.

Slade said, "one last test. Prove yourself and we'll meet to discuss your future."

He fades away, leaving only a bit of hardware on the display. The picture disintegrates into static.

Red X turns away and says, "good."

The mask is pulled off; revealing none other than Dick behind it!

Dick growled, "it's about time we met face to face."

….

Back at the Tower….

It is later that same night. We see a computer map of Jump City, with two spots marked on the window/screen, and all the Titans but Dick are looking at it. Raven stands at one of the consoles.

Vic said, "okay. That's where Red X has been. Now we just have to figure out where he's gonna strike next."

Blackfire said, "easier said than done."

Raven does a little typing; in response, many more spots on the map light up.

BB said, "great."

Just then, Dick enters the room.

Starfire said, "Richard!"

He moves into view, carrying a box.

Starfire said, "wonderful! Our efforts to locate the Red X will benefit greatly from your help."

Dick is heading toward the side door, "it'll have to wait. I'm close to a breakthrough with Slade."

Starfire gasped, "most wonderful! Perhaps we could be of assistance to…."

Dick trails off briefly as his back retreats into the dark hall.

Starfire finished, "… You."

BB said, "let him go. Not like he's been much help lately anyway. If Dick wasn't always A.W.O.L., X would be K.O.'d by now."

Raven said, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but Beast Boy's right."

Rose said, "oh no, it's judgment day!"

Vic asked, "y'all think maybe Dick's losing his grip?"

Jack muttered, "must, resist, making a dirty joke."

Starfire said, "no! Dick's grip is not lost!"

Jack can't help but snicker at what Star had said.

Starfire said, "he works harder than any of you! He works to catch Slade before something terrible happens! He works to save us all!"

BB said, "yeah. That's why every time we need him, he disappears."

Blackfire said, "we need him now, but he's always busy with X'Hal knows what?"

Starfire has no ready answer for this charge.

….

Later, Starfire slowly proceeds into Dick's room and looks at the newspaper-covered walls, Starfire recalls some of his words.

"Who's Slade…? You almost got hurt. Next time, it could be worse…. Nothing. Lead was a dead end…. I'm close to a breakthrough…. Sure you guys can handle this without me?"

Starfire stops at the desk to look at the items and picks up, from one end, the blasted wingding from the sewer chase.

Starfire asked, "Richard, where have you gone?"

There is a flash from the level of the desk, and she drops the weapon with a gasp. It glances off a small metal globe on the corner of the desk and knocks it over the edge. This thing bounces a couple of times and rolls slowly to a stop near the wall. A beam of light shoots straight up from it and splits into two that fold down toward the floor on either side.

Between them, a holographic image of Dick appears; caught up in the net as during the Titans' first pursuit of Red X. He flickers a bit.

The Hologram of Dick said, "I'm fine! Get X! Go!"

Starfire's steps into view near it.

Starfire asked, "huh? Richard?"

The hologram repeated, "I'm fine! Get X! Go! I'm fine! Get X! Go!"

Starfire tires reaching through the hologram and says, "if you were not really there, then where were…."

She gasps sharply as the truth dawns on her; Dick's masquerade as Red X, coupled with the fact that the Dick who accompanied the other Titans on their chase was this double.

….

We see the green microchip seen during the last talk with Slade, in a protective field of its own. Red X approaches to show the surrounding area dimly lit. He plucks the item away, and a pool of light cast from one overhead lamp.

"Excellent work."

The thief turns toward the light. A figure approaches it from the far side, so that the details are momentarily washed out, but as it steps to the center of the circle, it is revealed as Slade. He is garbed in the same manner as his commando robots; black armor, steel reinforcements and hand/footgear, but with two differences. One, a dark gray sash crosses his chest from right shoulder to left side; two, his mask is red-orange on the left side, and black on the right. The black half has no eyehole. He has two twin swords on his back.

Slade said, "honestly, I couldn't have done better myself."

Red X asked, "so, do we have a deal?

Slade said, "indeed. You and I are so very much alike. It seems only natural that we should be partners."

Red X holds up all three microchips.

Red X asked, "what are they for? I need to know what we're planning…. Partner."

Slade said, "patience. You can't expect me to trust you with such sensitive information right away…. Can you…. Nightwing?"

Red X's eyes pop at the realization that his cover has been blown.

There is a flash from behind him, and a small net flies from this into view, sweeps the three components from his hand, and carries them to Slade's. Now the lights come up to reveal the room as a large, oblong chamber with several robots standing around the perimeter.

They are identical to the ones that attacked the H.I.V.E. graduates during the highlight reel. In addition, there is a balcony that is now packed with ranks of commando robots. From one direction after another, the mechanical enforcers advance slightly to close in. Red X gets ready to throw down. As the robots on either side of him start to advance, the entire room shakes with the force of an explosion.

The ceiling has been blown out, and shadows start to appear in the smoke.

Vic is heard within the smoke, "Titans! Go!"

BB drops into view, then Raven, Jack, Blackfire, Rose, and finally Vic.

Slade and Rose lock eyes as she lands.

As Red X sprints across the room, BB, now an octopus, yanks one robot away, and Raven levitates a second and forces it off.

Rose starts slashing at the robots as her father says, "I expected better from you Rose."

Rose yelled, "my name is Ravager, you monster!"

Slade simply chuckled at her words.

Jack starts shooting shards of ice through the robots, shredding their insides before he begins hitting some of them with his staff.

Blackfire starts blasting at the robots with her starbolts, keeping to the air.

Vic hits the ground running and gets a hand on the black cape!

Vic yelled, "gotcha!"

Slade turns and runs out of the place.

Rose said, "no!"

Red X struggles while pointing, "let go! Stop him!"

Starfire flies in through the ceiling hole.

Starfire yelled, "no! Release him! He is-"

He suddenly unmasks himself.

Dick yelled, "-me!"

The other Titans are caught flat-footed by this and make noises of surprise for a moment.

Blackfire yelled, "no way!"

BB yelled, "D-Nightwing?!"

Raven said, "Nightwing? We…."

Jack said, "what the-?"

Dick pulls loose and runs to the door.

Dick exclaimed, "Slade's getting away! Come on!"

A huge leap carries him over the two robots flanking the door, but they just stare after him. Now several commandos jump down from the balcony; more and more of them just keep coming!

Rose speeds past in order to catch up with Dick and her father.

….

We see across the rooftop of this building. A vent cap pops off, and out comes Slade as if launched from a cannon; Dick comes out after him, having ditched the Red X outfit in favor of his own. Rose follows quickly behind. They chase Slade from one rooftop to the next, and match the criminal on every leap across a space between buildings.

A wingding is thrown ahead, but a quick swipe from one of Slade's swords shatters it. Dick stares down at the pieces as his nemesis runs to the edge and takes an impossible flying leap toward a distant rooftop that has a framework of support beams erected on it. A huge electric billboard throws a red glow over this area. Slade stops for a look back and sees Dick and Rose standing on the high, far plateau. They take a few steps back and go into a headlong rush, and vault into the elevated emptiness and begin to drop toward the pool of red light. They land safely and tumble a bit before coming up in crouches to face Slade.

Slade said, "careful. I wouldn't want you getting hurt. Especially you, my dear daughter."

Rose growled, "don't call me that!"

Dick hissed, "we're not the ones who're going to get hurt. Now hand them over!"

Slade said, "Nightwing. I thought we had a deal."

Dick's gets to his feet.

Rose steps back, glaring at her father as Dick spoke.

Dick growled, "sorry. I have a strict rule against giving stolen technology to psychos."

Slade said, "how very noble of you. But stealing in order to trap me? That wasn't so noble. Two wrongs don't make a-"

Dick growled, "don't ever lecture me! Whatever you're planning, Slade, it's over!"

Slade said, "on the contrary, Nightwing, it's just begun."

They all charge at one another. Rose and Dick brandishing their staffs as Slade used his swords. There is a harsh glow from the billboard, they try a few times to hit each other. Backing up a bit, Slade dodges a couple of Dick's strikes. We see him avoiding more blows and then landing a kick that tumbles Dick several yards, almost to the edge. Rose and Spade start trading blows for a few moments before Spade manages to hit her away. Dick gets to his feet and goes on the offensive, forcing Slade to back around a corner while dodging a strike from his staff.

Now the battle has shifted to within the framework. Slade avoids Dick and Roses strikes and nails them both with two more kicks, then rushes in to attempt a follow-up hit. Back and forth they go, none connecting with the other until they put their weapons away, and Slade catches Dick and Rose's fists on his own. Slade's big armored elbow's are driven into Rose and Dick's solar plexus, knocking the wind out of them, and they are flung toward the edge of the rooftop. They stumble against a couple of crates and fall out of sight with short screams.

We see them clinging to the ledge for dear life, hanging hundreds of feet above the traffic. The masonry starts to crumble, then gives way to drop them screaming toward the street. Slade reached into view and seized their wrists. The masked face stares intently down at him.

Rose asked in shock, "what?!"

Dick asked in shock, "you…. Saved us?"

Slade said, "I'm not through with you. You're lucky my daughter is here."

He hauls Dick and Rose back up and tosses them easily toward the framework. The youths land on one of the upper beams and hurl themselves back downward to start the brawl all over again. Back and forth they go once more; this time, it ends when Dick lands a flying straight punch that sends Slade and the three microchips careening away. The latter lands in a pile, while the former slides to the edge. Rose and Dick stride up.

Dick yelled, "this ends now!"

Dick pulls the man's mask off. But it's once again, another robot! Its head contains a monitor that shows the genuine evil mastermind, seen in full detail, exactly matching this robot, and in his lair. The image is not properly tuned.

Slade said, "patience, Dick. You too, my daughter. We'll meet face to face some other time. Oh, and speaking of time…."

A large number 5 superimposes itself on the view and changes to 4, then 3. Realizing what is about to happen, Dick and Rose put their feet in overdrive. The counter is now at 2; it drops to 1. A massive explosion roars from the rooftop; the detonation of the Slade robot. We see Rose and Dick, who are staring morosely at it, and the other Titans gathered at a distance.

BB said, "heh. At least he didn't get the chips."

Jack said, "that's the spirit, Beast Boy."

….

Back at the tower, later that same night. We see Dick inside of his room. The door is heard opening as he is staring at the Slade robot's mask that he has hung on the wall. Starfire enters. He does not turn.

Dick asked, "you want to yell at me, too? Everyone else has. Except for Rose, since she's just as against her father."

Dick stares at the mask as he sits down.

Dick said, "and I don't blame them. Heck, I let Jack hit me to get his anger out."

Starfire approaches and says, "I do not wish to yell, merely to understand. Dick, why did you not tell us the truth?"

Dick said, "I needed to fool Slade. If you guys knew it was me under that mask, you would've held back. Doesn't matter anyway. Slade figured it out, and I still haven't figured out anything about him that Rose hasn't already told us."

Starfire said, "that is not true. Slade, you and he are similar. Slade did not trust you…. And you did not trust us."

She gives him one last reproachful look and heads for the door, her footsteps echoing hollowly in the space. He gazes at the mask in his hand for a long moment, lost in thoughts of how this undercover job could have unfolded had Slade not bowled him out. Starfire's shadow retreats in the shaft of light from the hall.

Dick mutters, "I'm sorry."

Dick would spend the next few weeks slowly winning the trust of his friends back.

It's like Slade said, building trust is harder than breaking it.

….

Reviews:

Canadude2029: I'm glad you found this chapter so sweet. It's one of my favorites that's not from the show.

SuperSentai199: glad you found it so sweet. Cyborg is still one of my favorites as well.

….